Chapters Their Names Across The Multiverse
Prologue: Every Story Has A Beginning
Birds chirped, the warm breeze blew all around, the trees rustled, and the sounds of animals in the woods echoed throughout the peaceful forest. The silence between Rainbow Spark
Twilight coughed and asked Spark what she meant.
Spark shook her head, and a tear formed in the corner of her eye. "It's not that I forgot who I am; I don't even know if I'm my own person or just basing who I am from Nightfall and Rainbow Sky." She sat on the grassy ground. "Or maybe I was wrong, and my sister's traits and personality were their own, and it WAS me who just copied it!"
Twilight could see Spark was struggling with this dilemma, so she did the only thing she knew how: she comforted her somewhat daughter by hugging her.
"It's gonna be okay."
For once, Spark felt calm and like she finally had something—that something was family. She was going to hug Twilight back, but what she heard from Twilight made her sadder than ever.
"It's gonna be okay, Braver."
Twilight quickly caught what she said and broke the hug, trying to come up with a quick explanation. "Oh! Sorry, sweetie, I-I-I meant... um..."
"I'm not Braver, Twilight." she started to cry. "Or maybe I am? This is what I'm talking about; who am I!? Really!"
Twilight felt awful, and she made things worse for Spark. She wanted to help but felt Twilah's hand on her shoulder and saw Twilah sitting beside her.
"Spark, what you feel is Imposter syndrome," Twilah explained. "This condition results in people feeling like a fraud or a phony, and it's common for those who suffer from it to feel inadequate and undeserving. Even though they know it's not true, it doesn't stop the feeling from haunting them."
Twilah then looked at her, and she felt a slight pain in her heart. The pain of knowing her daughter, Blitz, was genuinely gone, and the only remains were Spark. Nightfall and Sky shared with her and the others here that Spark is the actual clone of those two, not Braver and Blitz. The twins were just the slime that copied Spark's DNA, taking Sky and Nightfall's DNA and making the twins look like them slightly. Spark kept the twins, or, in this case, the slime, alive as whatever Nightfall's father did to them, they would die if they were removed from Spark's element harmony-like orb. By keeping them alive, Spark was forced to live within her custom-made element core, watching through her sister's eyes of the outside world, never living it, only watching. To save all of the multiverses, the twins removed themselves from Spark, sacrificing themselves to make Spark stop Rainbow Sun Dawn and give Spark a chance at life, a new beginning.
"The way you're feeling right now is natural," Twilah continued. It's perfectly fine to feel the way you do, but the best thing you can do is not to dwell on it." She looked at her. "I can't imagine how you must feel, but I want you to know that we are always here for you and support you. We love you, Blitz." She covered her mouth, realizing what she had said. She could see Spark hurting even more as she put her head on her knees.
"I'm sorry, Sp—"
"No, it's okay," Spark cut in. I guess I am Blitz." She stood up, smiling, but she knew the smile was fake. "Thank you, Mom; you always know what to say since you became a therapist." She could feel her smile breaking into a frown. "For me! Blitz!"
Dashie couldn't handle this anymore and joined in, hoping to help.
Dash joined in as well, sitting with Twilight and holding her hoof.
"Right!" they all said, smiling.
Spark felt somewhat better now. "Well, then... thank you."
"Oh, sweetie," Twilight said, giving her a big hug, and the others joined in. "It's alright. I'm sorry for calling you by your sister's name. It's just..."
Spark could sense it; their sadness made her so sad, and she felt awful. They lost their daughters and could only see them within her. They said they didn't see her as are sisters,
"No, it's ok, Twilight. I understand," Spark replied, returning the hug.
She didn't feel much better, and her guilt ate at her. If only she had stopped her sisters from removing her from themselves, they would still be here, and their mothers wouldn't be so sad. She wished for a way to bring back her sisters, but that wasn't possible, at least not that she knew of.
They all broke the hug, and Spark just listened to their questions, like where she went, how old is she since she looked a little older, and so on. She toned it out and could think of ways to make them happy, and one thought entered her mind.
"Moms!?" asked Spark, putting on a big fake smile.
They all asked what was wrong, making Spark close her eyes, and her horn started to glow.
"Let's have a family day out!"
In a rainbow flash, they disappeared from the forest and reappeared inside Braver's library in New Ponyville, confusing Twilight and Dash about why Spark brought them here.
"Uh, honey? Why did you bring us here?" asked Dash.
"I thought it would be a great start! Remember mom?" Spark turned to Dash and Twilight, who watched her take a few books off the shelves, make them fly over to the table, and place them on it.
"Remember how the town gave me the library after saving everyone from the flood after the dam broke?" Spark pulled Twilight and Dash towards the table while Twilah and Dashie looked confusedly. "Remember, after the grand opening, you two promised we would have a family reading day here."
"Oh, yes, we did, but... sweetheart, that was with-" Twilight couldn't finish as Spark teleported most of the library books above her and Dash, burying them in books.
"We have a lot of catching up to do! So let's get reading!"
She sat down and looked at the piles of books around her. She saw that Twilight and Dash were missing, making her wonder where they had gone until she saw the two pop their heads from the book pile.
"After this, we can play buckball, right, Mom!?"
Dash noticed she was looking at her and quickly prepared as Spark flew toward her like a missile, tackling her, her face deep in Spark's ample chest, feeling the warmth between the boobs.
"Yeah! Sure! Whatever! Just get off me, you are crushing me, Br-" Dash couldn't finish as Spark let her go and let her fall to the wood floor.
Spark turned her attention to Twilah. "Then after that, we can spend some time together, like you always wanted, Mom."
Twilah wasn't sure how to react, but she decided to go with it, smiling. "Oh yes, like I always wanted and promised you. I need to make up lost time with you, sweetie." Part of Twilah felt like she died inside because she made that promise to Blitz, not to Spark, but she didn't want to hurt Spark even more.
"HELL YEAH!" Spark screamed, flying into the air and doing a mid-air stunt, which Blitz does when excited about something. She landed and faced Dashie, who looked at her concerned.
"Then we can go for a run, r-"
"STOP IT!" shouted Dashie, stopping Spark from finishing.
"What's wrong, Mom?" Spark asked, tilting her head, pretending to be confused, even though she knew what was wrong.
Dashie clutched her fist; she wasn't angry but just hurt. "How can you expect us to act like everything is alright!? When you are trying to act like our daughters! They are dead!" She was crying and fell to her knees, breaking down. "Yet, you are remembering things that they only know. I know you saw their life through their eyes, but you aren't them! Stop acting like it, please! We will always love you, no matter what, and we will be there for you."
Twilah knelt beside her, holding her shoulder, and she faced Spark. "Dashie is right, Spark. I know you are trying to do your best to cheer us up, and we can see that, but... please try not to act like Braver and Blitz. Just be yourself. That is what Braver and Blitz would want."
Spark felt terrible and could feel her fake smile crumbling as the reality set in. "But they are dead! And it's my fault!" she held her head in her hands. "If only I could have done something, but..." everyone could see her shaking, and her tears formed and started falling. "Maybe Fayth was right about me? I'm just a monster who stole away two innocent girls' lives and replaced them with this monster."
"That's enough!"
Dash was tired of her talk, so she marched up to Spark, hovered, looked her in the eye, and grabbed her shoulder.
"You didn't steal away anyone's lives! You are your own person, and your sisters gave you a chance to live. So don't ever call yourself a monster!"
"BUT FAYTH WAS RIGHT!" screamed Spark, unleashing her overwhelming magical power thanks to the broken pieces of the elements of harmony and her DNA of Sky and Nightfall, which were magical bioweapons in their universe. "I AM A MONSTER!"
Everyone could feel her overwhelming power. Dash sees the floor cracking and the library tree starting to shake and fall apart. She was terrified and didn't know what to do, but Twilight did.
Twilight shut her eyes and blasted the book pile off her, hovering in the air with her magical aura. She quickly opened her eyes, revealing the glowing purple eyes.
"ENOUGH YOUNG LADY! WHAT WOULD YOUR SISTERS THINK ABOUT THIS BEHAVIOR!?" shouted Twilight in the royal Cantorlot voice.
Spark was shocked. She couldn't believe what Twilight had said, but she knew it was true. Her mind was racing with different emotions, but the one that kept coming to the surface was fear of disappointing her dear sisters and their mothers. Her breathing became quick, sweat ran down her face, and her heart raced.
"I-I-I-I need to go!"
Spark turned around and ran toward the library door, ignoring Dashie and Twilah, who told her not to blitz it like her sister always did when she faced something she couldn't handle. She almost reached the door but somehow tripped over nothing, falling to the side and knocking over the bookshelves, which fell to another shelf. Spark could only watch from the floor, seeing the rows of bookshelves falling over each other like dominoes. The final bookcase fell over, leaving a clear view of the mess she made and the damage she did to the library.
"Spark?"
She could hear Twilight and the others calling out to her. She curled up, hugging her knees. She didn't know what to do; she didn't want to hear how upset they were with her.
"Please, don't hate me!"
She felt her heartache and wished her sisters were here. They should be the ones here, not her.
"I'm sorry I took them away from you. It's all my fault!"
She could feel her tears streaming down her face. She waited for them to yell at and hate her, but the only thing that happened was feeling them all picking her up from the floor and feeling all their warm bodies as they hugged her.
"Spark, please, please listen to us. We will never hate you or anything!" whispered Twilah.
"Our daughters gave their lives for you; they chose to do so, and they would have done it a thousand times if it meant you would have a chance to live a normal life," Dashie said, smiling.
"Don't listen to that little brat; you are no monster! You helped save Rainbow Dawn by making her move forward without being controlled by that brat. You and your sisters saved the multiverse; how are you a monster?" Dash messed up Spark's hair.
Spark felt a hoof under her chin, making her look at Twilight.
"Spark, I can see what is within you, just being around you. If Fayth is the living embodiment of fate itself, then you are the living embodiment of." Twilight placed her hoof on Spark's heart, and the others joined in, touching her heart. "Of a spark! The spark that resides in the heart of us all is a beautiful flame that ignites not only the fire of friendship but also the means to move forward, and that is what you are, and you are our daughter, no matter what! You have a home here and in the universe from which Twilah and Dashie are from. You are loved and welcome."
Spark's tears streamed down her face. She wasn't sure what to say, and no words came out. She could only sob while her mothers held her.
As Dashie and Twilah cleaned the library, Dash and Twilight brought Spark to Braver's bedroom. They wanted her to calm down and answer a few things. They watched her look around the somewhat damaged room and then remove the bedsheet hanging over the hole in the wall, the same hole Braver made when the prism window blasted her away after she tried to scatter it to get into Blitz's universe. Spark lowered the blanket and looked at them.
"I saw her life; I remember all the clumsy things she has done in here." Spark walked over to the damaged bed and sat on it, only for it to collapse, causing her to fall to the floor.
Dash and Twilight had a feeling that would happen, and they could only watch her fall, making Dash chuckle a little.
"Poor Luster," whispered Spark, sitting up and remembering how Braver would cause problems for Luster Dawn, like making her ceiling crack and dropping the dust onto her snacks or cup of tea. It was a happy memory, but she quickly remembered something. "Hey, What happened to Luster Dawn? I know she caused many problems like destroying Cantorlot and damaging part of Equestria with that blackwater."
Dash nudged Twilight, making her say something.
Twilight coughed and answered, "The day after you returned us to Equestria, she was sent to jail and was going to be tried for her crimes, but..." she couldn't finish as Spark stood up, worried. "Let me finish! She would be tried, but Starlight explained what was wrong with her daughter. After Dawn spoke to me, I saw how she felt about everything, how she had never felt normal like other ponies, and how different she was. We explained this to the court, which they didn't know what to think, and released her on probation while getting the help she needed, and Twilah helped with that part." Twilight walked to the blanket, lifting it and looking at the town below. "For her probation agreement, she's doing community service."
"Really? Like what?" asked Spark, standing beside Twilight and looking at the town.
"Well, she's helping by cleaning up the valley where the ruins of Cantorlot and the castle crashed in. She's there right now."
Twilight lowered the blanket and sat on the ground, with Dash joining her. Spark could see that she was patting the ground in front of her, wanting her to join her, and she did.
"There is something I need to ask you, Spark." Twilight looked Spark in the eye.
"About what?" asked Spark, looking back at her.
"Sweetie, what happened to you? What did Fayth do to make you act like this, and where have you been? We already know about time dilation between the universe and within the 'world of between,' so seeing you slightly older makes sense, but what happened? Tell us!" Twilight looked at her with great concern, and Spark could see that.
Spark closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and released it. "It's a long story. I don't know where to start."
"Start at the beginning!" Dash patted Spark's back, smiling.
"I'll do my best," said Spark, smiling. "I'm just telling you before I start that I saved the multiverse again and helped..." She looked at them, remembering her adventure. "Other versions of you two. Versions of you two who had suffered so, so much." Spark could feel the tears coming as she remembered their stories, but she stood firm. "But I'm getting ahead of myself. It started after finding Fayth again in another universe, rewriting someone's fate..."
See, I found Fayth in the Freedom Planet universe, where she would change the fate of this water dragon girl named Sash Lilac. Short version: I teamed up with Lilac's friends and helped them break into an underwater base owned by this evil alien tyrant named Lord Brevon.
Spark darted down the hallway; alongside her was Carol the Wildcat, while Milla the dog and Torque, an alien and commander of Spectrum Chaser, were behind them as they hurried to save Lilac from her prison.
"So, you are from another universe, huh? Did you meet another version of me?" asked Carol.
"Yep, and I can say that I'm not surprised by how similar you and she are," replied Spark, looking at her with a smile. "But Lilac, on the other hand, wasn't a dragon but a hedgehog!"
Carol is amazed by that. "Wow!?"
"Yup, and honestly, I'm shocked you guys just believed me on the whole multiverse thing," Spark said, looking back ahead and seeing steel doors being closed shut. "Hold on!" Spark opened her wings and blasted forward with her fist glowing a bright rainbow color; with one great punch, she blasted through the steel door, and the force behind it continued through the other steel doors, blasting them all open.
Carol and the others had their mouths open, stunned by her power.
"And you guys call Lilac amazing!" laughed Torque.
Carol snapped out of it and smirked. "Hey girl, I've never seen someone do that! Plus, Torque here is from space! Anything is possible, like some powerful water dragon from the ocean, to appear!" she joked, but Spark laughed nervously, knowing their future.
They continued on their way to save Lilac, fighting off the many soldiers guarding the prison and reaching her. Only to find her chained to a torture device, her body and face charred from the non-stop torture, her once beautiful purple scales charred black.
"Lilac, NO!" screamed Carol.
Torque quickly rushed to the computer and inserted a keycard that he took off a destroyed soldier, freeing Lilac from holding the tube, dropping to the floor on her hands, clearly in pain.
Carol was already by her side, holding her in her arms. "Oh my gosh, Lilac, I'm so sorry I ran off! I'll never do it again!"
Milla is shocked and horrified as she sees Lilac this bad, but Torque isn't shocked by this, as he knows Lord Brevon too well.
"We gotta leave, no—" Lilac couldn't finish as Spark stood before her, punching the air above her, causing a powerful blast.
Lilac and her friends had no idea what Spark did, but only Spark could see it: black seeds falling, about to land on Lilac, changing her, changing how her story will go, towards a sad, fated ending. But with that punch just now, she destroyed it and saved Lilac's fate.
"W-Who are you?" Lilac asked, looking up at Spark. She saw Spark's bright, glowing rainbow aura and the magic flowing through her horn.
Spark smiled and looked at her, kneeling and patting her head.
"Lilac, keep doing what you are doing; never stop running and being the water dragon you are! Never give up on your friends, okay?"
Lilac is surprised, but before she can answer, her friends help her to her feet and carry her.
"We have to leave!" said Torque, heading to the door, only to see it open and loud footsteps could be heard. "Oh no!"
Stepping out from the darkness were Lord Brevon and his armed soldiers, who aimed at the group. Spark's attention wasn't on Lord Brevon but instead what was floating above him. It was
"A hero sacrifice, what noble. Letting them escape, but I already met and killed your types before, so don't bore me with your lect-" he couldn't finish as Spark suddenly appeared in front of him, punching him in the gut and making him drop to his knees, groaning. "You little wench!"
Lord Brevon looked up and saw Spark standing there, her eyes glowing rainbow.
"Listen up, YOU don't bore me with your evil bad guy speeches. I've heard them a thousand times from a thousand evil bastards like yourself. Unless you have something worthwhile to say, the only thing that matters to me is you shutting the hell up and escaping before the self-destruct blows you and this place to bits. Got it?"
Lord Brevon was annoyed by Spark's speech but had to agree. He didn't want to die.
"Fine, fine, but next time we meet, I'll make sure you die a pai-" he couldn't finish again, as Spark had him by his large, brownish-orange unibrow.
"Trust me, buddy, if this were my story, I would strike you down for the people you killed across this universe, but it's not. That falls on someone, and when that time comes, you fight that girl and lose because that is your fate, so suck it up and be a good little evil asshole." Spark then released his unibrow and walked past him, looking at Fayth, who smiled and shrugged.
Without warning, Spark and Fayth charged at each other, unleashing a powerful shockwave and blasting upward, leaving Brevon to lick his wounds as he quickly escaped with his men.
Within the underwater base, shockwaves could be heard, and a metal wall exploded, revealing a rainbow star and a black star charging at each other, leaving behind a rainbow trail and a black trail. The two stars landed in a giant pipe corridor, far from each other. Spark and Fayth looked at each other down, only to hear a warning siren going off, making them turn to their right. They saw a giant hatch open, revealing a tide of lava heading their way.
"Crap!" shouted Spark, dashing away from the lava as fast as she could.
Spark kept running down what seemed to be an endless corridor, feeling the blazing heat from behind her. As she kept going, Fayth hovered near her, leaning back like she was in a chair.
"You just love sticking those big-breasted of yours into my business, don't you? Well, it doesn't matter; I have a lot of work to do."
"Not today, Fayth, not today! You're not rewriting anyone's story ever again!" shouted Spark, glaring at her while still running for her life.
Fayth stood forward, stuck her tongue at her, and flew upward, blasting through the metal ceiling, leaving Spark alone.
"Damn it! Come back here!"
Spark opened her wings and went after her, blasting out of the pipe and heading towards Fayth, who opened a rift.
"FAYTH!"
Fayth looked around just in time to see Spark somehow tripping on a cloud, spinning out of control towards her and filling her face with Spark's chest. Launching them into the rift and exiting Freedom Planet universe and into the world of Between, a realm where the prime universes are located. Each prime universe is a giant tree, branches filled with different alt universes that break away from the central universe.
The rift closes, and Spark can finally see where she is, seeing the whiteness and the giant trees around her.
"Back here? Where did Fayth go?" she stood up and looked around, not noticing the small girl stuck between her chest.
Fayth started to scream and tried to escape from Spark's chest. But she couldn't.
"Huh? Oh my, hello there. Let me help you!"
Spark reached into her chest and pulled her out, with Fayth gasping for air and blushing hard.
"DAMN COW!"
Fayth smacks Spark's chest, causing Spark to scream in pain and let her go.
"Ah, ow, that hurts. Why do you always do that?" Spark said, holding her chest.
Fayth was in the white water-filled ground, trying to catch her breath.
"You just shoved me into your damn cow tits, that's why, and now I'm mad!"
Fayth stood up and opened her book, taking out her feather pen, while Spark got in a battle pose, ready for whatever Fayth would throw at her.
Static
A young female child with messy boyish purple hair sat inside a black and flightless wooden room. Her eyes had dark bags under them as she watched the only light source in the room, a small white orb. She's holding someone, and that someone is Twilight Sparkle, but having a very messy mane. The girl stroked Twilight's mane, revealing her loose bandage-covered arms and showing some self-made cuts.
"I know you hate me, but I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I made a mess of everything."
The child cried, tears rolling down her cheeks, but the crying soon stopped, and her eyes became dull and empty. She glared at the orb while Twilight spoke and had the same look in her eyes.
"Why? Why are we the only ones with such a sad and miserable story? We don't deserve this. If I have to do it, I will write our happy ending, even if it's fake. We deserve a happy ending, you and me, Alice. We deserve to be loved, we deserve to feel love, and we deserve a better life than this."
Twilight's words echoed in the darkness, and Alice smiled, feeling some hope.
Alice closed her eyes and hugged Twilight close to her.
"Alice?" said Spark, hearing her mother's voice say that name. She looked around, confused enough that even Fayth noticed, but she had a twisted smile.
"Oh, it's starting!"
"What's starting, Fayth? What are you talking about?!"
Before Fayth could say anything, everything started to shake with great fury. Spark braced herself and looked at Fayth, seeing her looking at the rainbow tree, the FiM prime tree. Above the prime tree, a twisted black orb suddenly appeared, casting out a dark aura. It fell over the tree, turning it from Rainbow to slightly dark black. The earthquake ended, and Spark quickly shouted at Fayth.
"WHAT DID YOU DO!?"
Fayth slowly turned to her, still having her twisted smile. "Remember what I told you two years ago? I found something to help me reach my goal in writing in the book of Elyndra, and it's finally here!"
"Can't be! You don't have enough negative energy to open the way toward Elyndra Creation Tree! Rainbow Dawn had gathered a ton of negative energy in her mad search looking for her version of me, then absorbed both Luster Dawn and Lucy Dawn so that she could open the way! I stopped you enough time to know you haven't gathered the same amount as she did! So, how?!"
Fayth and Spark just stood there, saying nothing for a few seconds. Spark coughed.
"...well?"
Fayth tilts her head to the side.
"What?"
"Aren't you going to tell me? Like in a big evil speech as you tell me your evil plan?"
"Hell no, why would I tell you and allow you to ruin my plan? Fuck off, cow!"
Fayth body started to turn to black mist as black leaves fell all around her, causing Spark to dash toward her.
"Damn you, Fayth, don't think this is the end of it!"
Fayth just smiled and disappeared.
"Damn it!" shouted Spark, tripping on the ground and pounding the ground in frustration.
Spark turned to the prime tree and felt something within it—something she had never felt before. It was like negative energy, but not the same. It was something else, something more dark and powerful.
"That power, no way. This is bad."
Spark quickly stood up and opened her wings. She took off towards the tree, entering the black orb and disappearing into it.
Static
I̵̧̮̞̠̱͍̰̓̄͆̎̀́̕͝ͅ ̶̢͙̼͎͓͙͈̈́l̶̖̺͎͎͔͖̎̊́̐̊͜ö̵̧̮̭̝̼͘s̶̗̯̯̺̫͔͙̓̑͘͝͝͠ͅẗ̵̲̭̭̻́͛̀̒̉̀ ̴̜͇̼͔̅m̶̧̧͉̯̣̀y̵̭͙̟͖̰̭̝̞͝ ̸͈̺̭̣̺͇͑̑̆̂͘͜͠f̷̧̙̙̟̦̮̱͊̾͆a̸̱̬̰͖͗̑͑̑ṁ̸̯ĭ̶̩̥̠̦̐̈̓͝l̶͖̟͈͈̈́͘͜͝ẏ̷̛͎̣͕̝̱̈͊̒̊̒,̵̧̝͋͛́̏̿̉ ̶͈̫͙͕͝Ì̵̢̙̰̝̖̽̓͝ ̴̞̮̜̠͆l̷̼̞̗̺̥͉͉̓͛̌̇͊ö̵́̆͛͝ͅs̴͙͌̊̔̑̈́t̸̳̉̈́ ̴̡̡̘̙͠m̷̢̥̳͇͔̒͝ý̸̲͉̲ ̸̡̗̼͕̫̰̑̈́̆̚o̴̲͇̜̯̥͎̓̿n̸̳̦̼͇̺̦͇̖̋̀̂l̶͎͕̻͍͍͗͌͛̈̈́̍̃͝ẙ̷͎̥̪̰̲͑͋ͅͅ ̴͚̫͕͓̈̀̎͆͆̏͂̚ͅͅf̴̡̲͉͔̞̲̫̂͐̽͋̈́͋ȑ̴͔̙͚͙̹̒̑̈͑i̸̳̔͛̒̍̕e̷͖̥̗͉͕̺͔̓̈́͝n̷̛̹͓̣̳̑̒d̶̯̀̑͗̈́̎͘͝͝,̶͉́̈́̓̿̾ ̸̢̢̟̖̤̜̞̗̋́̀̕Ḯ̴̧̡͔̫̤͇̍͊͠'̶̨̻̞͖͔͈̅̂̉́̓̓ͅm̵̹͎̮͎͖̆͐̐͐̋͑́̕ ̷͇̲̈́̈̑͛á̴̹͚̤̊̈́̓̀̕l̷̨̓͛͠ͅo̴̮̥̽̕͘n̷͉͍̣̗̭͐͋̾̔̽̃̚̕ĕ̸͚̫̯̹̘͊ ̷̨̟̪͊͑̏̿į̷͙̪͉͂͊͝n̵̪͍͘ ̴̡̤͖̺͕̲͕̓́̃͊́͒̎t̸̝̗̬̹̒̍͊͌̒̆h̶̛̠̫͂͆̌̊͛̅̾î̷͇͒̅͊̃̊̌̑s̴̢̜̙̩̬̬̬͍̎ ̷̙̫̂͌̅͗͗̎͝c̶̡͙̟̘̔͐̈̄̅̚r̵̛͓̳̹̠u̷̢̥̰̙̘̯͛͗ẻ̷̺͉l̵̖͉͚̺̗̲͊̍̋͂́͠ ̶͇̣̗̲̻̅͗͒̏̃̈́͌͠w̵̟̘̘̼̖͂́̕͜ö̵̡̝̹̩̹̟̝́r̷̬̠̎̑͗̏͌̈́́͝l̸͙̦̘̩̍͑͒̚̚d̴͔̮̹̣̦́͋.̴̡͖̿̓̓͑̔̕ ̴̖̔̀W̶̡̧̛͈̪͎̮̉̂̎͋͂̚̕h̶̠̽̓̃̈́̏̿̚ẏ̵̡̡̯͍͙͙̗̹̿̆̚ ̶̡̬̮͙̺̘̥̙͗̈́̚͠a̵̢̧̝̤̜̗̤͂̍͝m̸̨̥͕͉̦̰̮̽ ̴̙̤̺͗͌̔͛̓̈́̊I̵͎̔͋̒̚̚͜͠ ̶̧̟̲̌̎͋̌̀͠c̵̨̬͒͊̔̕͠u̶͈̘͉̗̻͍̹͛̈́̕r̷͍̬͉̩̠̦̎͒͒̅̇͆͂s̷̼̥͙͓̮͖̪̈̒̀̆̒̋͜e̶̟̜͎̒̆͌͒̕̕͝d̶̟͈̥͙̊̅͝ ̶̧̛̜͍̙͓̦̱͒̓̍̌̋͜t̵̠̜̯̯̹̬́̎̌͋͋͑̕͝ö̵̜́ ̷̧͖͖̻̱͕̬̻́̾̽͊͐̎̌t̷̠̟̯̖̹̭̫͎̎̒̆̈́̄͑̕ȟ̸̡̬̩̺̤̳͛̍͘͠͠ͅì̶̛̹̳š̶̛̟̰̻͍̘̼̔̀̆͒̃̕͜͜ ̸̢͖̼͒̅è̸̟̾̽͝n̸͖̼͔͌͗d̶̨̢̢̧̬̼̱̥̐l̴̩̙̣̓͛͐̑͂͝ȅ̷̡̧̗̥̳̪̪ş̴̳̿̆̐̇̆͠s̷̛̠̝̫̑̉́̏̂ ̴̹͈̰͒͜s̵̨͖̟̮̩̩̰͆́̕͠û̸̬̝̖̎͘̕f̵̱̺̠̘̫̰̣̌̂̅̉f̵̩́͋͊̕̚͝ẻ̶͙̱͇̤̭͙̺̖̏͋̿ŗ̶͔̩͓̄̍̎̒̽͗ḭ̷̲̻̣͍͈̇̂̀̓n̵̨̗̑͗͐̚͠g̶̙̘͍̙̉́̂͐̏͜ͅ,̷̳͍̣͍̰͐̏̾̑͝ͅ ̵̢̧͈̰͑̑̏́̈̅͝a̸̡̜̱̬͕̲̽̋̀̽n̴̲͎̲̼̈ͅḑ̵̡̗̱̳͎̗̉͜ ̸̺͓̫͇̄̋̄̃̆̽͘w̵̢͙͈͈̟͙̱̔̾͊̄͌́̊ḧ̶̙͖̦̦̗̤͚͛̇̌͒̋̓̔y̸̨͓͋͊͂̇̂̎ ̵̛̭͍̳͖̜̙͆̽ͅͅm̷͚͓̝͖͆͛̈́̂͜ͅu̴͎̿̾͋͗̾̀̍s̸͔̠̣̘͋͌̍͂̽̿t̷̲̼͐̓̀̕ ̶̜͋̏̀́͒̌̈̕I̶̢̹̠̝̹͙̤̾̍̅̇̾̚͝ ̶̨̨̛̭̖̰͖͆́̄͋͜͠e̵̳̟̫̩͇͊n̷̘̮̈́͜d̴̞͖͒̎̔̃̚u̴͎̳̦̱͆̒r̸̨̢̥͔̓̂͋ȩ̸̻͇̞̙̎̾ ̴̣̳̺̯͚͆͋̐̀͗̎̕͜͠ť̸͚̠͕̌͑̑͝h̶̛͚͒̓̎͒͘e̴̠̩͚̣̠̯͊̏ ̷͕͓̖̜̀̓̀̿̊̂p̸̠͕̙̫̔̉̈́a̴̗̱̣͂͛i̶͓͔̜̍n̸̛̘͑̿̓͝͝ ̴̡̛̬̤̱͠t̷̪̦̗̋̓̓̒͂̔̈́͘͜ḣ̴͍͖a̸̮̺͉̲͕͈̜̲̐̈́̀̋̌ț̸͕̥͚͔̗͍͆̈́͌̑̉͋̏ ̷̡̢̛̘̯̻̓̉̓̿̍̋f̶͉̽̚į̷̛̪͍̗͜l̶͙͕̱̤̅͒́͋͂̑̈́l̶̢̟̬̑͑s̴̪̯̲̗͖͎͗̏̈́̉͋͘͠ͅ ̵̛̲͍̮͔͎̲̪̐̂̄̀̈́̇̓m̶̡̫̞̦̓͗͛́y̵̩̰̟̐̕ ̵̜̇̍͗́͛ḥ̶̩̺̙̖̤̥̅͠ē̵͓̔ä̵̡̘̰̮̬͔̜́r̴̖̊̋̓̽̈́̀͝t̷̩̖̄͜?̵̧̛̛̘͎͓̉͗̓̎̇̃ ̵̣̠́̊͌̐͠I̸̛̛̺̿̒͠t̸͍̻̬̖̞͇̹̥̍̎̀̾̕ ̷̨̳̩̣̩͚̑̍̈h̶̫̋̍̕̚ų̶̗̟̀́̇̆̚r̷̢͎̰͖̯̺̿̒̂̌̄̒͘ţ̷̍̍͝ ̷̧̨͉̳͎̙́̿̊͝s̶̲̫͖̒͜ǫ̸̢̣̫̾͋́̚͝ ̴̻̥́͒͗͋̆m̴͙̘̹͐̍̔̿͋u̷̜̻̱̝͐̆͂̐̋͘ͅc̶͖̪̖͇͔̬͠h̴̨̳̬̼̜̍͗́͑͜ ̷̧̪̙̹͉͍̄͌̄̿t̴̡̛͚͎̮̦̮̥̄͘h̴̙̮̞͒̾a̸̢̝͒̌̀͊̊t̶͍̲̲̃̒̈́ ̴̡͈̯̰̤͔̽̀̒͆̉̄͠t̶͕̮̭̋̊͗͗ḩ̴͓̥̩͙̤̭̫̉̂̉̈́̚͝e̵̘̻̽̃̚͜ ̶̦̙́̌͝o̴͚̪̐̎n̷̩̈́͂̑̈l̶̛̺̥̩͇̳̑͗̋̕͠y̴̰͒̓̿ ̶̛̹̳͋͒ͅe̶̗͎̥̪̹̖͇͓͊͗̍s̸̨̖̼̜͉͌̕ċ̸̛̯͈̦̻̳̓͋͑̾̑a̴̻̯͑̏̍́̓͌͝͝p̶̡̩̺̦̘̤̉̂̓͜ͅe̶̩̭̊̑̓͐̈̌̅ ̶̝͕̼͚̍͛͂̄͘f̵͍̗̫̜̞͍͙̎́͊ṙ̵̡̡̟̥̳̰͂̍̃͗o̷̺̱͋̌͐́ͅm̵̡̛̻̬̮̪̬̒̈́̓̍͆̈́ ̷͚̤̮̝̠̑̈́̽̀̓i̵̝̽̓̑̎t̴̛͎͈͐̉̎͝ͅ ̶̢̩͇͎̪͕̾̎͂̎́̇̀͑w̵̛̜̻͐̓̽̀͝a̷̮̱̐s̴̹͖̝̹̑͒̃͐̋͒ ̶̛̳̭͚͙͈̓͂̑̍̌ç̴̣͔͝ừ̶̠̤͖̘̉̉̕̕t̶̖̼̎̍̑t̴̰̼̙̀̋̃͗͘i̷̘̖͎̜̟͂͗̅̈̐ņ̸͙̹͔̰̝͚̔͐̃̆͒g̵̩̻͍͙̗̀͗̋̀͆͝ͅͅ ̶͈̞̠̭̙̬̰̓̑m̴͕̻͙̼̠͕̾̂̓̌͐̃͌̕y̷̳̽ṣ̵̀ë̶̢͖͕̖̼̘̜́l̸̮͉̪̺̄̓̋͐́͜f̷̮̄̈́̈ͅ,̶̣͖̣̮̞̹͚̖̌̍͘ ̸̡̗̬̖͖̤̰̇͐m̸̨̢̟̼͚̝͔͒͜ä̸̰̘̜͔͕̜̉̂̈̂͆̐͑ķ̴̰̲͊͗́ì̷̢̟͎̦̖̫̌ñ̷̜̥̳͉͋̌͒́g̸͇͒̂ ̶͓̭̟̗͂̿̈́͋͝t̴̨̨̤̲̙̂͊ḥ̶̡̞͚̼̼͎͊̀̆̀͘ȩ̸̛͖͈͎̲͙̊ ̵͎̭͑̄̋͋̾̑͜p̴̧͔̙͖̗̭̻̽͊̃̌͠a̷̭͋̏̃͝ï̶̱͂͗̀̿̋̕͠n̸̩̏̈̅͌̌̿͆̊ ̷̠̟̻̘͎͎̘̖͐g̴̛̺̫̉̉̀̈́̆͝͠o̶͔̳̳͚͋̎̉̑̈́͜ ̴̦͓̞́â̷̧͈̲̣͈̲̜̈́ẇ̶͈͍̝̥̦̩̋͗͗͝a̶̩͉̹͊͗͐ỷ̸̥͕̰̈́̏͌̈́̈.̴͕̬̼͖̤̽͝ ̷͚͕̟͇̟͍͒̍̃͂̑͋B̸̛̪͊̀̽͊́̆̅ú̴͕̩̦̫̅̈̒̀́̅̎ţ̶̤̮͙͚̩͛ͅ ̷͔̳̱̱̋́͋̆͐̏͘͝n̶̡̛̰̤̝̣̠̓̄̑o̷̡͙͖͌t̸̺̞̠̳̔͑̍͌ ̸̢̞̗̀̏̉́͜f̵̛̞̥̼͌̋͌́͑̽͌ơ̵̠̫̤̳͊r̸̛̟̗̼̖̉͌͒̉͌͜ë̴͚́̀͌́v̷̯͓̫͇̻̭͈̌̾̂̉͛̚ͅë̷͚̲̠̳̖͕́̑͗̓͗̀r̷̲̤̀̉̽̓̊͊̾̈́͜,̸̨̞̪͕̠͚̜͆͐͜ ̶̢͖͍̤̬̭͉͒͜s̵̰̰̭̋̋̉̚ǫ̶̞͓̯̣̼̤̤̑̆̈́ ̵̨͍͙̫͒͋͊͛̂̓̓I̵͉̩̝̞̰̯͕̐́ ̷̡̬̱̐́̅m̸͈̜̞͕͒͌̏̂̊u̸̮̙̲̞̖̾͑̊͆̚s̴̨̻̣̆̔͑̾́̈́ť̶̢̡̰̱͈̽̌͆͝ ̷͔̘̮̄̈̓͛͘͝k̴̡̻̮̟͈͎̓̽̃͜͠͠͝e̸͂̿̄ͅȇ̶̲͌́͠p̸͚̟̃̏̍ ̴͎̰̙̈́̎̔̎g̷͉̀͛o̴̰̼̿̓i̸̖̝̫̳͂n̶͚͉͔̙̊́͊̏̉̔͜͠g̵̤̓̓̈̕͝ ̶̟̿́̈͗̉̎̋́u̷̩͗̑͊ń̷͓̼̒͊̕͠t̶̡͔̥̏͘i̴͔̮͎̹͎͉͊l̸̩̀̌̎͋͝ ̶̻̄m̴̛͎̞̖͙̼̂͌̈̾̐̈̊ỷ̵̢̬̣̤̤̯́͆̈ ̷̣̺̜̭̃͊̇̂̇̏b̵̡͓͉̱̝̥̘͖̍̉̈̌̑̔̚o̶̪̾̎ḑ̵̯͋͌ỳ̶̬͕͔̠̙͉̙̤́̍̽͗̐͠ ̴̩̹̬̻̫̙̍͂̈́͊̚i̸̡̢̘̳͉̪̓s̶̖̭̹͙̤͑̉̽̓͜͜ ̴͍͚̔̈́͒͠f̴̛͖̳̏͗̋̆̑͝ú̶͕͙̼̳̻̪̠̆̆͆l̵̯̞͓̳̰̼̗̅̊͊͌̓ľ̸̨̧͉̞̦͉̀̋ ̷̟̺̣̞̹̈́̅̐̂̄ò̵̧͔͙͠f̵̗͍̋̑̓ ̶̛͙̯̯̏͌̀̓̄͠͝ş̷̨͚͇̞͎̀̔̊̂̃̀̇͠c̴̭̋̏͐͆̓͒͋a̸̯͚̟̳̅̂̋̔̾̄͜͝r̷̡͇̣̬̿̾͊͒s̴̛̭̪̤̝͕̣̃͛̓̓.̵̡̖̩̯̹̬͕̒ ̴̬͑̋
We want is...
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A purple eye opened, blinking and looking around. They stood up and found themselves inside what looked like a giant tree. They placed their hoof on their ear, pressing something. She spoke in a raspy voice.
"Otacon? Do you read me? I don't remember anything. Why am I wearing my old sneaking suit again?" She looked around, seeing nothing but wood in the distance. "...or how I got here."
She just heard a faint buzzing sound from the device codec within her ear, making her sigh and remove her hoof. She looked around again and decided to head further within the tree, seeing a spiral wooden tower leading to what seemed to be the top of the giant tree.
"Hmmm, this is odd; something tells me I must reach the top."
The pony moved forward and began her journey.
Author's Note
And the next entry starts! As I said, this story will be like "Your Name," following different versions of the mane 6 but tagging along with Starlight and Sunset alt versions.
I tried my best to explain what happened to new readers, but it's best to read "Our Name."
pics are AI made.
holy cow, front page featured 0.o
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Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 13: Before The Storm, There Always A Rainbow
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.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
"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.
"...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.
"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.
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.
"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!"
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.
Raina patted Snake's back and told her it was nothing. She drank her own and asked Snake something.
Snake just looked at everyone as they kept talking to each other and becoming closer to one another.
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.
Petra lowered herself to the ground, taking an iconic Spiderman pose.
Haze ready her sword and narrowed her eyes at the creature.
Tanya started to whistle the No More Heroes theme and pointed her beam sword at the creature, smiling.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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)
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 1: Old Soldier meeting an SOLDIER
Nothing but echoes of footsteps could be heard as the pony walked towards the giant spiral wooden tower.
"I feel like I'm missing something, but what?"
Her ears flicked as she tried to remember why she was here, but it was a hazy blur for some odd reason.
"What's wrong with me? Is the MAGICDIE also affecting my memories now? I don't remember anything other than being with Otacon and Sunny that night."
She shook her head and kept walking, never noticing the purple carvings on the walls. She stopped before a wooden door blocking her way to the spiral wooden tower. She stepped back, looked up at it, and saw odd wooden cravens and what looked like a golden unicorn.
She grunted with amazement. "Not bad wood craven, but the unicorn looks off."
The pony walked forward, feeling the wood and then knocking it, hearing it echo in the giant hallowed tree. She could see there were no handles. She tried pushing it, but it was locked.
"Hmmm, maybe I can..."
She reared back and kicked the door with all her strength, but it didn't break, not even a dent.
"Ow! Damn it, why is the wood so hard!?"
She rubbed her leg in pain, then looked back at the door, glaring at it. She quickly ran away from the door, stopping and looking back at it. She narrowed her eyes and took a running stance. With a quick dash, she ran toward the door quickly. She lunged forward as she got near it, slamming her back hooves into the door's wooden surface, leaving a solid impact and cracking the area she hit. She leaped back and landed, breathing heavily, and seeing her kick indeed did nothing to move the door.
She huffed and stomped her hoof, shaking her head. "Okay, new plan."
She turned around, sat her rear down, and searched her sneaking suit, looking for something to aid her.
"I don't remember wearing my old sneaking suit, but if I was the one who chose to wear it, then that means it's in here somewhere."
After a few minutes of searching, she found it.
"YES!"
She took out a small white box and smelled it, exhaling her breath with a smile.
"Ah, smells like my favorite brand."
She quickly opened the box, used her magic to pull out a white stick, and put it near her nose, smelling it...only for her ears to drip down in disappointment. She put the white box near her eye, seeing a white paper, and pulled it out, seeing it was a note. With an annoying grunt, she read it out loud.
"Dear Jane, I knew you'd try to pack your smelly cigarettes, but after you promised me that you'd quit, I swapped them for sugar sticks. Good luck with your mission! Love Sunny."
She growled, crushing the paper in her hoof, but sighed, uncrushed it, and smiled.
"Damn kid, always one step ahead of me." she put the sugar stick in her mouth and slowly chewed it as she wondered about something.
"Errr, if Sunny knew I was on a mission, then that means Otacon does as well, right? It also confirms that I had a mission to come here, but why do I feel I'm missing something important?"
She kept chewing the sugar stick as she thought, and she swallowed it when it was almost gone. Her ears went up with delight.
"That's damn good!"
She pulled out another one, put it in her mouth, and finally turned her attention to the giant wooden door. She looked up, seeing no ceiling over the high walls, but she knew better that she could not jump that high. She took the sugar stick from her mouth, put it back in the pack, put it in her pocket, and moved closer to the door.
She knocked on the door again, placed her hoof on it, and then placed her ear on it. Maybe she could hear something, but there was nothing, not even the sound of anyone on the other side. She looked at the crack she had created and saw nothing inside it. She sighed, stepped back, and turned her body, looking at the wall next to her.
"Looks like I do gonna try and climb it, huh? Maybe I packed something that could help me?"
She took her sugar stick out, looked at the door, and smiled. She threw it at the door's surface, causing it to land on the ground. She wasn't going to be bested by a door. She turned away and checked her belt, which held her items. She pulled out her hand pistol, a custom M1911A1.
"Hmmm, whatever mission I'm doing, I needed to be armed, huh? So, this is a combat mission. But against what?"
She shook her head, placed the gun back, and checked the next thing, but her ears picked up something as it twitched. She looked back, seeing that the wall she checked before was now a large open doorway. She walked toward it, standing in front of it and trying to look inside the dark tunnel. She saw nothing, so she just shrugged and entered.
She looked at the walls, noticing the odd carvings on the wooden surface of the tunnel. Had a blue-painted pegasus on it, with a rainbow trail behind it.
"Odd, why do I feel like I've seen that pegasus before? It almost looks like..." she stopped. She could hear something ahead of her, sounding like footsteps. She quickly checked her pockets and found what she needed.
The footsteps got louder as they got closer until brown boots stepped out of the darkness. Standing there was a tall, young, blue-skinned 20-something mare with spiky rainbow hair. She had a giant metal sword on her back, and she grabbed it and stabbed it into the ground, as she could see what was in front of her.
Right there, in the middle of the tunnel, was just a normal-looking cardboard box.
The woman scratched her head, then looked around and walked closer to it. She bent down and poked it, seeing it wasn't a mimic monster but felt like a regular box.
"I wonder what's inside. Could have element shards inside, and my mana is pretty low."
She placed both her hands on the handle of her giant metal sword and raised it. She cut the box in half with one swift swing, revealing it was empty.
"Ah, nothing inside?"
She heard a click above her, and her ears flicked. She raised her sword in time as she blocked a bullet. She lowered the sword a bit; seeing above her was a shadow of some creature. She could see it falling from above, landing far from her, and pointing its weapon at her.
"Looks like old Shinra's remaining experiments are still around, huh? Bad enough, I have little mana left and can't remember...!" she couldn't finish as she blocked a bullet but knew that it wasn't a kill shot but a warning shot like the other one. She saw the figure holding a handgun and pointing it at her once more.
"What are you? You look like a pony but so different. Standing on two legs...reminds me of Metal Gear." said the shadow figure, lowering her gun.
But the woman saw her chance; she quickly rushed toward the figure, swinging her sword down at it. The metal hit the wooden floor, scattering it and blasting wood pieces into the air.
The woman could see the figure somehow dodged her blow, making her yell at it. "I don't know what you are, and I don't care! But you aren't going to find me easy to kill!"
The figure landed and grunted in annoyance.
"Pretty strong kid, but wielding a giant paperweight won't help you!"
The figure pulled out its gun, firing off a bullet, but the woman swung her sword, knocking it away. She charged again, swinging her blade, only for the figure to dodge each attack.
"Kid, I met better sword users in my time on the field, and you are just too slow." she pulled out a grenade, pulled the pin with her mouth, and tossed it near the woman's feet.
"Crap!"
She couldn't put her sword up in time to block the grenade, which exploded and sent her flying backward. The woman was on the ground, breathing heavily and trying to stand up. She was injured and couldn't move, but the figure walked up to her. She looked up, seeing the figure with the gun pointed at her face.
"Like I said, kid, using that paperweight is useless. Give up and tell me who you are and why you are here."
The woman smirks, her hand glowing with a green light. The figure could see the weird light show as the light covered the woman and healed her of all her wounds.
"What!? Is that nanomachines!?"
The woman used another light, this one red. She pointed her hand at the figure and unleashed a small fireball, but the figure dodged it and jumped away, grunting in annoyance.
"So, you are a Genome Soldier. I thought all surviving genome soldiers were rounded up and imprisoned after the Shadow Moses Incident."
The woman stood up and glared at the figure. "I don't know what Genome means, but you did get the last part right; I'm a SOLDIER!" She darted at her once more, swinging her blade near the figure's neck. But like before, the figure dodged it and fired her gun, hitting the woman in the chest, but it hardly did any damage.
"yeah, nanomachines are at work here." said the figure, rolling away as the woman stabbed the ground where she was.
The woman pulled her sword out and raised her in a combat stance.
"Nanomachines? Are you talking about the Elements?"
The two slowly walked around in circles, glaring each other down.
"Elements? Shinra? SOLDIER?" repeated the figure, stopping and taking a sugar stick and chewing on it.
The woman raised her eyebrow, puzzled as to why the figure had left itself open, and asked her a question. "Who are you? How you've been acting tells me you aren't with the old Shinra but don't know anything..." She placed her sword on her back. "Something tells me you aren't from my world...in fact, maybe it's the other way around going by this weird place."
The figure finished her snack and placed her gun back into its holster. "Or we're both fish out of water here."
The figure got closer and took out a lighter, as it was too dark. She had trouble lighting the flame, so the woman used her magic and made the flame bigger in her palm.
"Thanks."
"No problem."
Both women stared at each other, seeing each other's faces for the first time. They were dead silent until they pointed at each other.
"OTACON!?"
The two lowered their arms and had confused looks on their faces.
"Zara? My name is Solid Matter Snake, and I am a soldier. What are you talking about?" said Snake, taking out another sugar stick.
The woman kneeled and stared at her, confused. "Otacon? My name is Haze Strife, and I am a former old Shinra inf—" she stopped. She could see the suit Snake was wearing and knew she had many years as a soldier. "1st Class SOLDIER..." she coughed.
Snake could tell there was some hint of embarrassment in Haze's voice, and she smirked.
"So, a soldier from another universe using a giant paperweight and magic, huh? I must be dead or something, then." She took out another stick but stopped and eyed her. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
Haze nodded. "Sure."
"Do you remember how you got here or why?"
Haze's eyes widened, and they became lost in thought. "Now that you mention it, I don't. The last thing I remember is recovering this sword after leaving Edge and heading back to the remains of Midgar."
"Edge? Midgar?" asked Snake, chewing the stick.
Haze stood up and turned to the way she was going. "A city. It was built near Midgar, where my friends and I helped the planet stop Sephiroth and a meteor from destroying the world. With Holy and the Harmony stream. Midgar was mostly destroyed as the meteor would have crashed on top of it if it wasn't what I just said."
Snake blinked and stared at her. "That...sounds oddly familiar."
Haze looked at her. "What?"
"Dunno, kid, that sounds like a video game or anime plot. You and your friends saved the planet from a giant meteor and weird shit helped along with it? Yeah, sounds like a game plot." she swallowed the snack and stood up, looking at where she came from.
Haze felt somewhat pissed off.
"I'm not a kid! I'm 23, and what about you? Do you remember anything?"
"My memories are fuzzy, and the last thing I remember was being home with Otacon and Sunny."
They stayed silent, staring at the tunnel where Haze was heading.
"So, are we dead, or did someone bring us here? But why and what for?" asked Haze, walking toward the tunnel.
Snake followed her, looking down and thinking.
"I found a note from Sunny, and it seems I chose to be here. Something tells me we're here because we want to be here. Maybe the answers will be found beyond that door I found and that spiral tower above." Snake noticed Haze looking back at her, giving her a strange look. "What? I found this door, and a tower is above it."
"A tower?"
"Yeah, a tower made of wood. We're inside a giant tree, it seems."
Haze stopped and turned to her.
"....we're inside of a giant tree?"
"Yeah..." Snake stopped and crossed her arms. "Kid, where did you wake up?"
Haze also crossed her arms and tilted her head back to where she was walking from.
"I woke up further down this tunnel, but it was a dead end, so I started walking in another direction until I met you."
Snake took that information and started walking again while Haze followed her. The two didn't talk until they walked out of the tunnel and found the same door that Snake had found. Haze looked up and saw that her new friend was telling the truth. They were inside a giant tree, and beyond the door, there was a spiral wooden tower leading to the top of the tree.
"Hey, kid, can you cut your way through this door?"
Haze didn't respond to her nickname. She looked at the door and back at her sword.
"This old sword can cut through the hardest of metals, so cutting a wooden door shouldn't be a problem. But let me try something else first."
She readied herself and jumped high into the air, making Snake whistle at the jump. Haze landed on the wall and started to run upward since no ceiling was above the room. When she got closer, she slammed into a purple barrier, causing her to fall back down, but unknowingly,
Snake watched as Haze recovered mid-air and landed. "Looks like bypassing the door is not an option."
"Seems that way," replied Haze, putting her hand on the handle of her sword and taking it off her back. "Looks like it's time to chop a door down."
She dashed to the door and raised her sword; she sliced through the door like butter with a few powerful strikes. Haze spun her sword around and placed it back on her back. She smirk.
"Kid, showing off isn't gonna impress me, but still, nice work."
Haze's ears twitched, hearing Snake complimenting her. "Thanks, old timer."
"Old?" laughed Snake, walking up to her. "I might look old, but I'm 42."
Haze joined Snake as they walked through the door and found themselves in another tunnel with a stream of water coming from the end of it.
"42? With that partly white hair, you have? Looks like you're 60 or something."
Snake was annoyed and flicked her off with her tail, and the two headed down the tunnel. Snake turned her head, seeing the door Haze destroyed, slowly fixing itself.
"Hmm, that's a neat trick, fixing the door after the damage. Something tells me this place might be alive."
Haze looked back and saw the door fully fixed but quickly disappeared.
"Or someone is behind this."
The two continued to walk until they reached the tunnel's end. They saw the stream of water and decided to follow it. Snake and Haze could hear the sound of water getting louder and louder until they came to a massive underground lake with a waterfall feeding into it. The source of the water was coming from the spiral tower itself; as they were near it, they just needed to climb up the wooden walls.
Snake was amazed by the sight.
"Wow, this looks amazing, but who built it? And why?" she thought to herself, walking to the water and looking into it but freezing what she saw.
Haze took notice and joined her, and just like Snake, she froze at what she saw. The lake's surface wasn't showing their reflections but another version of themselves.
"...I look like your kind..." she blushed. "But naked?"
Snake got closer to the water and glared at her younger self, a version that had never seen the battlefields or had to go through hell.
"I look like a kid again."
Haze looked at her. "Magic water isn't common in my universe, but something tells me we shou-h-hey!" she watched as Snake poured her whole head into the water, and bubbles appeared.
Snake pulled her head out, swallowing the water. She felt her face like she was hoping for something, but she held her white mane and sighed.
"Thought for sure it was a youth spring."
Snake could hear Haze laughing at her, making her glare at her.
"Well, that's one thing out of the way. Now, what to do next?"
Haze took her boots and socks off and dipped her feet into the water, enjoying the warm feeling. Snake sat near her, and they looked up at the waterfall.
"Well, kid. Can you carry me as you jump on the wooden surface and ninja run to the tower?"
Haze raised her eyebrow.
"Ninja?"
"I'm just saying, your jumps and ability to run on the walls remind me of a ninja."
"Okay, I guess you are kind of right..."
Snake could tell she embarrassed Haze. She smiled and patted her on the back.
"Nothing wrong with ninjas. Hay, I know one myself. She calls herself Lightning Bolt."
"Lightning Bolt, huh? Sounds dumb; what does she do? Use lightning bolts?"
Snake laughed and walked away, prompting Haze to quickly put back on her socks and boots and call out to her to wait for her.
"Hey, hold on!"
Snake just ignored her and walked around the lake but stopped. She felt someone was watching her, but when she looked around, there was nothing. She shook her head and waited for Haze, who had caught up.
"Ready, kid?"
Haze didn't answer her question. Instead, I asked her a question of her own.
"Hey, can I ask you something?"
Snake didn't say anything, just waiting for the question.
"I take it that's a yes? Anyway, who's Otacon and Sunny? You said something about being home with them, so I'm guessing their family?"
Snake sighed and crossed her arms. "Sunny is the daughter of a soldier who helped Raiden and me, but the Harmony AIs had her until Raiden saved her and gave Sunny to Otacon and me to protect and watch over her. Over the years, she became like a daughter to me and Otacon. She is a sweet girl but annoying when she takes my cigars. I can't stay mad at her, though. As for Otacon, well..."
She sighed.
"She's a nerd, a very smart one, and my best friend. We've been through a lot together, and she's why I'm still alive today." She dug through her belt pockets and knew it was there. "Sunny, you truly know what I need, huh?" She took out a photo and handed it to Haze, who took it.
"...This is Sunny and..." Haze let out a small laugh.
"So kid, who's this Zara person? I take it she looks just like me?"
Haze stopped and did not say anything, making Snake stop and look at her.
"Hey kid, everything alright?"
Haze didn't answer; instead, she walked to a big rock, climbed on it, and sat down. Snake knew something was wrong.
"Kid?"
Haze closed her eyes. "Zara was my best friend and someone I looked up to. She saved and broke us out of Shrina's lab, and before we could arrive at Midgar, Shrina found us. She hid me away and gave her life to save mine. That was 3 years ago."
Snake didn't say anything and walked to the rock. Haze looked down at her, and Snake took out another sugar stick. She offered it to her, and she took it, but Snake pulled it back.
"The pap-" she coughed. "The sword on your back is hers. Isn't it?"
Haze didn't move.
"Yes, it's hers. I was heading back to Midgar to give it a proper resting place and memorial."
Snake finally gave the sugar stick to her and sat down.
"I don't know how much it matters, kid, but she sounded like a great true soldier, and she must have meant a lot to you if she fought to the bitter end to keep you safe. You'll see her again one day, but right now, let's find out why we are here and why this tree has a tower inside it and a lake that can show our other selves." she put away her pack and looked back at her. "Hey, kid. Got a photo of her?"
Haze nodded and took out a worn-out and badly ripped photo. She handed it to Snake, who looked at it and saw a younger version of herself standing with others.
"You feel that? Someone's coming."
Snake stood up and got into a fighting stance, taking her handgun out.
"I felt it earlier, but I didn't see anyone or anything. So, kid, where is it coming from? Is it near the lake?"
Haze listened carefully and nodded.
"Yes, in fact, it's already here."
Snake followed Haze's glance toward the waterfall, and they saw two red eyes within it. They got ready and saw it walking out of the waterfall. Everything around them went dark as it stepped out, and a black mist appeared.
"What the hell is that?" yelled Snake, training her gun on the creature.
Haze couldn't believe her eyes.
The evil-looking Twilight smiled at them, opened her mouth, released a black mist, and only asked one thing.
"FRIENDS? WHERE ARE MY FRIENDS!?"
Haze took out her sword and was ready for combat.
"Hey, old timer, can you give back up to me from afar? I don't know what she is, and I have no idea how to kill her, so that that support would be great."
Snake fired her gun a few times and saw the bullets did not affect the creature.
"Giving you encouragement of support counts?" asked Snake jokingly, making Haze smirk a little.
"Guess I'll have to find out, won't I?"
"Well, good luck, kid."
The two readied themselves, and Haze ran at the evil-looking Twilight and tried to cut her. The dark Twilight blocked the blade with her horn and parried it away, sending Haze straggling backward, but she didn't have time to recover, as the evil Twilight charged up a laser attack and launched it at her.
Snake could tell that this fight was gonna be brutal.
"Shit, can you dodge it, kid?"
Haze blocked it in time and jumped high into the air, dodging the laser, which blew a hole in the floor. Haze landed on her feet and ran forward again. She started to use magic again; this time, a yellow light filled her hand and unleashed a thunderbolt on dark Twilight, clearly feeling the electric shock.
"Good work, kid! Keep it up."
Haze heard the praise and charged once more, swinging her sword and making a massive cut across Twilight's chest, cutting it open. Haze thought she had her, but she quickly backed away as a ton of mist blasted out of the wound. Haze closely looked at the fog, seeing it killing the wood as it turned dead.
"Looks like cutting her open is a bad idea, kid. Try to cut her head off."
"Roger that."
Haze ran at the dark creature and tried to cut its head off, but it quickly escaped by teleporting away, making Haze ready herself for an attack. She darted her eyes around but did not see anything, but she quickly realized something and turned to Snake.
Snake rolled away in time as the dark creature soared at her, her horn pointed and mouth open, leaving behind the mist. Snake covered her mouth, quickly backed away, and met with Haze.
"It knows tactics; it tried to go after the one that couldn't harm it," grunted Snake, taking out her combat knife but coughing loudly, making Haze ask if she inhaled the mist.
"Don't worry, kid, it's not that. It's something...." she coughed again but more violently, falling to her knees.
Haze was shocked and confused by this. She checked Snake but quickly pushed her as the dark creature soared between them, almost getting them. Haze promptly jumped back as the mist nearly touched her, while Snake rolled away and laid on her back, safe away from the fog, but her coughed attack wasn't letting up.
"Shit, that fucking hurts," she grunted and stood up, watching the dark Twilight charge another laser but much bigger this time.
"You okay, old timer? What's wrong?"
Snake held her chest, and the pain was increasing. She quickly looked through her belt pockets, knowing if this was her true final mission. She knew she or Otacon would pack it in case she needed it.
"Come on, we must have packed it!"
She looked up and saw the laser was charging faster.
"Oh shit, kid! Kid, get out of here! I'm just deadweight right now. I'm useless; we won't know why we're here if you die too!"
Haze looked at the charging beam and back at Snake. Without any words, she ran toward her and stood before her, protecting her.
"Damn it, kid! Don't be like your Zara friend, and protect this old soldier! You still have more to live for than I do. Don't throw it all away."
Haze looked back and smirked.
"You think a few words will get me to run away?" she looked forward, seeing the giant black beam being unleashed at them. "I'm not letting you die for me, not again!"
Haze raised her sword and stood ready to deflect the beam, hoping it would save them. However, before the beam could reach them, a rainbow spark appeared between them and the laser. In a rainbow flash, someone held their hands out, catching the beam and slowly forcing it into one spot, making it into an energy orb.
"Close one!" sighed Spark, crushing the orb in her hands. She looked back at the two. "Haze! Jane! You okay? Huh?" Spark could see Snake coughing even more. She knelt beside her and put her hand on her.
"Jane, is this what you meant? Right!" She placed her hand behind Snake and searched through her back belt pockets, took out a pack of suppressors, and handed it to her. "Here, take it quick."
Snake nodded, opened the pack, took one of the long suppressors, and jammed it in her neck. She heard the sound of the device injecting its fluids into her neck, but after a few seconds, her coughing and breathing had eased up. She took a few deep breaths, and her mind and body relaxed.
"Thanks, whoever you are, I owe you one,"
Spark smiled and stood back up, looking at Haze.
"Keep her safe. I'll be right back."
Before Haze could answer, Spark teleported away and reappeared before the dark Twilight, repeating what she said before, making Spark look at her with sadness.
"I'm sorry..." she whispered, pounding her fist together and slamming a punch into the wooden floor. The punch scattered the darkness that covered it and revealed the pure grass that covered the wood.
The scattering made the dark creature hiss and slowly faded into its mist, but as it vanished, it spoke to Spark.
"You promised me..."
And it was gone, leaving Spark not wanting to open her eyes, as she clutched her fist harder.
"....sorry."
"Who are you!?" called out Haze, putting her sword back on her back. "And how do you know us? Are you the one who summoned us?"
Spark stood sad-faced and slowly approached them, stopping before Snake. She looked down at her and smiled as she knelt and held her hands together.
"Thank goodness you're okay. How do you feel, Jane?" she gave Snake her hand, which she took, and stood back up.
"Better, thanks. But I guess you have some answers for us, huh?"
"Yeah, that would be a start," answered Haze, crossing her arms.
Spark nodded but looked toward the tower and what was at the top.
"I have your answers, but I'll explain when we reach the entrance." She looked back at them, knowing they would want an explanation. "There are others who just entered the tower, and we need to find them before..." the two could see the sadness in her eyes. "Before that dark creature goes after them. They aren't prepared for it."
Snake took the lead and walked forward. "Well, no point standing around and talking. Let's move."
Spark watched as Haze joined Snake, seeing the two walking toward the wooden cliffside and Snake trying to get on her back but failing as she was too old and short to reach her.
Spark closed her eyes, smiling. "Don't worry, Spark. This time, it will work! You gathered the people that can understand them, so all is okay."
Haze had enough and carried Snake, not minding the weight. She jumped on the cliff face and started efficiently running up it.
"Hey, old-timer. I gotta ask you something."
"What's up, kid?"
"Do you trust this woman? I have a hunch about her, and I wanna see you agree."
"That's a tough question. I don't know her, but I would trust her." Snake looked down and saw Spark walking to the lake. "Something within me tells me she's a good woman and can be trusted."
Haze smiled and continued climbing but asked another question: "How did you know this sword belonged to my friend?"
Snake looked at the weapon in Haze's hand, smiling.
"On the battlefield, a weapon can carry many stories just by looking at it and how well taken care of it is. Just by looking at that sword, it hasn't been taken care of in years, to the point that there is rust forming." she could see Haze looking a little regretful about not taking care of the sword. "Kid, that blade has many stories to tell because of the battle it kept being a part of. A clean weapon has fewer stories, while dirty and damaged ones have a ton to tell. So, when I looked at the sword and how it was cared for, I just had a hunch about its story."
"Oh, that makes sense. Well, thanks..."
Snake patted Haze on the head and got her attention.
"You kept that sword well. Don't regret yourself. If Zara saw you now, I'm sure she would be proud. So, keep going, and don't let her down."
Haze felt something in her heart, almost wanting to cry, but she put her emotions aside and focused on climbing the cliff.
"You got it, old-timer!"
They finally reached the top, and Haze gently placed Snake on the ground. They looked back down, waiting for their savior to arrive, but she was still looking at the lake.
Spark wanted to cry, as within the lake's surface, her reflection wasn't her own but that of her two sisters looking back at her. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out until she opened them and looked down...seeing nothing, not even her reflection.
"...one of a kind, huh?" she opened her wings. "Or a bootleg copy."
She flapped her wings, taking off to the others, but the gust of wind made the water's surface ripple, showing an entirely different version of her.
Somewhere within the spiral tower, there was nothing but darkness. The only light source was a blue light on a woman's back, showing life sign readings. She wore a light armor suit, her helmet coming off and going into her suit collar back.
"Mother?"
End of Chapter One
Author's Note
Yup, Twi is Zack, Dash is Otacon, and Sunny is...well, Sunny lol
Also, AJ has been shown before and is a character in the spin-off Gathering Names. There will be two more characters from Gathering Names showing up in this fic(which was hinted back in that fic)
I got the front page for an hour! Hyped about it still, so I went and finished this chapter up real quick. Was gonna take a few days off from writing but this might change now lol
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Haze and Snake watched Spark land in front of them and smiled at the two.
"Before I explain everything, my name is Rainbow Spark. I'm part of a group that is stopping someone named Fayth."
Snake chewed on a sugar stick, walking with her as Haze followed. "Fayth?"
Spark kept walking towards the tower's entrance. "She's the living embodiment of fate itself, a being who was meant to watch every story, every residing person ever created, but something happened and caused her to turn against the authors, or better terms, your creators. Now, she wants to erase all life in the multiverse. No more stories."
"So, what does this have to do with us and why we're in some giant tree?" Haze asked, her tone cold.
Spark walked up to the front steps of the tower's entrance, seeing carving of the element of harmony on the archway that led into the building. She stopped before the first step, feeling something evil and sad.
"At the top of the tower, poor kids who grew up with tough lives await us there. Fayth took away their pen and wrote how their story would go, so I came to save them. The problem is..." She could still feel the evil and sad energy and shut her eyes, trying to brush the feeling off. "They won't listen to me; they would rather listen to the lies that Fayth told them as long they keep creating negative energy for her." she walked up the steps with the two still behind her. "Energy to feed her book, and if enough energy is gained, she can open the way to the Creation Tree of Elyndra, where Elyndra's book is kept."
Snake stopped. "Creation Tree? Elyndra? Book?"
Spark stopped and tuned to them. "From what my teacher told me, Elyndra is the living embodiment of all creation and the multiverse. For whatever reason, she became the Creation Tree and left behind her book, which is her powers. Whoever writes in it can create whatever they want, but that can also destroy anything, and with Fayth writing in it, the stories, your world , will become nothing. No more life, no more stories. All erased."
Snake grunted and tossed away her sugar stick. "Got it, all-powerful evil being is going to end it all if we don't stop her."
Haze walked further ahead, passing the two and speaking without looking back. "And how are we going to stop that? You said something about someone waiting for us atop the tower." she stopped and turned, waiting for an answer from Spark.
"Like I said, they grew up having a hard life because Fayth changed their story. I tried telling them that no matter how hard life can get, they can always overcome it and deserve happiness. That no one deserves a sad ending." She smiled. "Even they deserve a happy ending; they just need others to help them to see it."
"What if that can't happen? What if the two refuse to listen? Then what?" replied Haze, walking back towards Spark and getting close to her.
Spark got closer to her, making Haze step back a bit. "They will listen..." she put on a brave face, but Snake could tell it was a fake. "There is a reason I came to you all."
Snake offered the two a sugar stick. "And that is?"
Spark snagged both before Haze could take one and continued up the steps. "I told you all when I came to you for aid; you all agreed and allowed me to teleport you here."
They continued up the steps, finally reaching the entrance of the tower, a giant open room, and the only thing in the room were the stairways that led up.
"Sparkly, we don't remember anything, not even remembering you. Is there a reason for that?" asked Snake, looking up the stairway. The second floor was not too far above, as the ceiling could be seen.
"Sparkly?" Spark questioned but shook her head and answered her. "Well, that's because-!" Spark quickly stopped, grabbing Snake and tossing her to the stairs above as black branches rammed into her, dragging her into the wall.
Haze quickly drew her sword and faced the source of the branches. She saw a short teenage girl, her arm being the black branches that attacked Spark.
"Who are you!?" Haze asked, stepping forward, keeping her sword drawn.
"Fayth," answered Fayth, pointing her other arm at Haze, unleashing her black branches.
Haze leaped over the branches, landed on them, and dashed toward the girl. "No idea what you said, but no doubt about it, you must be Fayth."
Snake looked down from the top of the steps, watching Haze. She took cover and searched her pockets, looking for something, until she found it.
"Got you covered, kid!" shouted Snake, pulling out a PSG1 sniper rifle. She loaded it, peeked out of her cover, and took aim. "Take this!" she fired, shooting Fayth in the leg.
The bullet hit, but it didn't hurt Fayth. Instead, she laughed at the attack. Haze kept going, almost reaching her as she chopped and slashed sharp branches that burst out, cutting them all away, not allowing them to touch her. Fayth didn't seem worried, her face not changing; the only thing that changed was her legs, which became black tree stumps.
"Shouldn't have come close, you stupid little girl."
Haze watched as Fayth slammed one of her legs into the ground and raised her other leg, pointing it at her. Haze quickly realized she was in danger as the tree stump roots shot out, and the bottom of the stump quickly extended out, becoming a giant wooden mouth with razor teeth. Haze had no time to jump away, as the mouth was almost upon her.
"OH NO, YOU WON'T!"
Haze kept a force pulling Fayth away from her, allowing her to jump away. The stump mouth was pulled along with Fayth's towards Spark, who pulled Fayth's branches and slammed her into a nearby pillar, shattering the stone and falling onto Fayth's body.
"Haze! Hurry! Get to the second floor with Jane and find someone named Amelia Jarvis! Then head to—ugh!" Spark could feel the branches having grown sharp thorns, stabbing her hands and making her let go.
The branch quickly returned to the piles of stones and slowly lifted them, revealing an unharmed Fayth with a twisted smile.
"Yes, run away and find the others. Make it easier to find and kill them all." she stepped out and dropped the rubbles, and her arms became normal. "Or 'they' find them first. I knew one already attacked those two."
Spark healed her bloody hands and made them into a fist. "They can handle them! They won't fall to those two!"
Haze made her way to the stairs and jumped up, reaching Snake and landing on the railing. They looked down and saw the area filled with black roots and dead branches. The two looked at Spark, who eyed them.
"Find the others. They should be a few floors above, and hurry."
Snake placed her weapon on her back by its strap, taking a deep breath.
"Gotcha, Sparkly. Let's go, kid."
Snake took off running up the stairs while Haze looked back at Spark and finally dashed off. As the two ran up the stairs, roots quickly ran up the walls and darted at them, trying to impale them. Haze countered by swinging her sword, cutting the roots, using her fire magic, and burning them. Snake, on the other hand, was running. She knew she couldn't do much, but she had her ways of staying out of the way as she dodged the attacks. They kept running, trying to escape the roots, until the branches dug into the stairway walls, destroying and making it crumble.
"Kid, hurry!" yelled Snake, turning back and watching as the stairs below her fell.
The two could feel the stairway tower shake and sway, and they fell and rolled down as the stairway fell apart. Haze recovered first, slashing a root away and catching Snake in her arms. Haze held her tight and jumped up, landing and jumping off the falling stairway rubble.
The two landed on the second floor, the stairway crashing down. Snake jumped out of Haze's arms and quickly searched her pockets, pulling out a small remote and C4. She tossed it above the stairway entrance, landing on the ceiling and blowing it up with a press of the remote. The ceiling came crashing down, burying the roots and blocking the stairway, ensuring no one could reach the two, but they ready themselves, as the roots could still burst out, but after a few minutes, nothing happened, and they felt safe now.
"Well, that's one way of closing the door. You think Spark is okay?"
Snake nodded. "No doubt, you have seen what she could do." Snake pulled out a sugar stick and put it in her mouth. "We better find this Amelia Jarvis or 'AJ' lady. Let's go."
The two walked away from the buried stairway entrance toward an opened tunnel. There, orange carvings of an earth pony could be seen, but the two never noticed it.
Meanwhile, on the ground floor, Spark teleported, dodging all the roots and branches that Fayth had summoned. She could feel her speed increase, and her movements became sharper. No doubt this was her Rainbow Sky DNA at work, allowing her speed to be unmatched; not even Fayth could match in.
"You're quick, I'll give you that, but not fast enough to avoid this attack!" said Fayth, extending her arms, covering all the walls in the room in roots and branches. She lowered her arms, making them all dart at Spark, filling the whole room with nowhere to escape as it got closer to her.
Spark was surprised but still kept her calm, and her cocky side came out, smirking at Fayth and her attack.
"Please, you gotta do better than that, Fayth!"
Everything clashed at Spark, making a loud noise echoing throughout the room. Everything stopped moving, and Fayth's face changed, becoming worried and scared.
"No, that can't be..."
From the center of the room was a giant ball of magic energy, and within it was the silhouette of an alicorn, and the energy shot out, burning away all the roots and branches, making Fayth cover her eyes from the bright energy blast.
"Damn it, always showing off," Fayth thought, her worry disappearing and being replaced with anger and rage.
The light cleared, and Spark hovered there, her hair flowing in the wind. She had an aura around her, a rainbow aura. She slowly landed on the floor and smirked.
"Come on now! Is that all you have?!" she taunted, smirk becoming a smile.
"No," answered Fayth.
The ground shook, and the walls crumbled behind Fayth. From the cracks, hundreds of black dead wood bark hands with razor blades and branches as fingers emerged.
"No, not by a long shit!" shouted Fayth, blasted toward Spark with the arms behind her.
Spark took a runner stance and enjoyed this fight with Fayth.
"Bring it on, Fayth!"
She took off, leaving behind a rainbow comet trail as the two got closer, almost upon each other.
"Whoa!?"
Only for Spark to trip over nothing and into a roll.
"No, not ag-" screamed Fayth, trying to stop but couldn't do so in time. Spark rolled into her, making the bark hands fall apart, and Fayth had a face full of Spark's big, soft breast again. Spark finally stopped, lying on the ground on her stomach.
"Owie...wait, where's Fayth?"
She stood up, looking around, but quickly felt something between her chest, causing her to look down. She saw Fayth's face, her cheeks squished and blushing hard.
"F-Fayth?!"
"Mmm!"
"Oh, right, sorry!"
Spark grabbed the back of Fayth's head, trying her best to get her out, but she was having trouble, so she pushed her inward and deeper into her chest to get a better grip.
"I'm going to be stuck forever," thought Fayth, not fighting or struggling.
After several more attempts, Spark finally got Fayth out, holding her like a small animal. Fayth was gasping for air, blushing heavily, and her face was still red.
"You okay?" asked Spark, putting her back on her feet.
"Y-yeah, just..." Fayth smacked Spark's chest without warning, making them jiggle and bounce. "SCREW YOU COW! YOU DONE THAT ON PURPOSE!"
Spark held her chest, blushing. "I-it was an accident. It won't happen again. Promise."
"Like hell, it won't!"
Fayth's arms extended, slapping and smacking Spark's chest, causing them to jiggle and bounce in a way no woman could have.
"I SWEAR, YOU LIKE SEEING ME BETWEEN THEM, DON'T YOU?!"
"S-Stop, you're wrong!"
"Liar! You know it turns you on!"
"NO! STOP! I'M NOT LIKE THAT!"
Fayth ignored her, slapping her massive breasts and watching them bounce. Only to stop, stare at the bounce, and face away from her, making Spark rub her chest, blushing. Spark looked at Fayth, looking at her hands, then felt her flat chest.
"...Every rewrite, my chest never gets any bigger, but yours..." she sighed but suddenly felt a warm hug, making her turn and realizing Spark was hugging her. "What are you doing!?"
Spark quickly realized what she was doing and promptly let go, blushing.
"Sorry! I don't know why I needed to hug or give you head pats! It's like a natural response."
Spark shook her head, slowly looking at Fayth, who was looking away.
"Fayth, we have been fighting each other for two years now. Every time we end up like this, I feel like this has always been a part of me. To-"
Fayth quickly turned around, red in the face. "TO STUFF ME IN YOUR IN DAMN CHEST!?"
Spark became red in the face. "N-NO! LET ME FINISH!" she coughed and continued. "To be there for you, like we were fri-" but before she could finish, she quickly got snagged by roots that burst out of the ground and tied her up, wrapping around her wings, arms and legs.
"Shut up, you damn cow!" snapped Fayth, glaring at her.
"Cow? I'm an Alicorn, not a cow!"
"SHUT UP, YOU DAMN COW!"
Fayth dragged Spark slowly into the ground, the roots pulling her under. Spark tried to free herself, but the roots had become unbreakable. She saw Fayth walk up to her, glaring.
"Listen, I'm getting sick and tired of you. I'm going to tell you this once, so listen up." She grabbed Spark by the hair, forcing her to look at her. "We were never friends; in every rewrite, you were a thorn in my side as you stopped me from writing within that damn book. You are nothing but a nuisance that needs to be erased!"
Spark glared at her, and they stared into each other's eyes.
"I'll get the ending that we all deserve. You will not stop me this time; once I do, the multiverse will finally have its true happy ending."
"That's not true, and you know it," Spark replied, surprising Fayth.
"What?"
"I know you know that's not true! That's not a happy ending. Sure, everything has to end one day, but it doesn't have to be an end for everything. Just because you are done, it doesn't mean others are. You don't have to destroy everything to have your ending." Spark could see Fayth leaning in closer, almost touching each other's noses.
"Done?" Fayth was surprised by Spark's words.
Spark gave her a sad smile. "I can see it, and you don't want to keep going, don't you? Whatever made you like that, whatever happened, it has left you done with everything. So, you're ending everything so you can be done with it all, right?"
"It doesn't have to be the end. It can be a new start." Spark gave her a big smile. "You can start a new one in this rewrite that you created! You can end this endless cycle you created and make a new story! A happy story with no sad endings."
Fayth didn't say a word and instead stepped away from her. She turned away and stared at the wall.
"Fayth?"
Spark felt worried, even more so, as Fayth started to laugh like a mad person.
"...Fayth..." whispered Spark, hearing the sadness in the laughter.
Fayth finally calmed down and slowly turned to her. Having her head tilted oddly, her smile was evil and twisted.
"Why would I be happy in this awful rewrite? The original was the better version, and no matter how many times I write it, it always ends the same way! Why would I stay in this shitty story?!"
Fayth walked closer to her. "This rewrite has been the worst I've ever written. I thought I had finally written you out for good, as I replaced you with those girls, but NO ! You just had to come back and force yourself back in." she grabbed Spark by her cheeks. "Tell me, how does it feel like killing two innocent young girls? You're not any better than I am; you stole their lives so that you can be here, and no matter how much you try to tell me otherwise, deep down in your heart of hearts, you know I'm right."
Fayth could see Spark was crying.
"So, don't go spouting about happiness, as this rewrite will be the final one, where I finally reach my goal! Then we will finally have our happy ending, no more stories, pain, or suffering, just the end. We can finally rest."
She let go, and Spark was still crying.
"So stop trying to help or lecture me already; why would I listen to an awful rewrite of a horrible version of 'her ,' a version that's not even her ! She didn't have to kill someone to get to me, yet you did!"
"I didn't." sobbed Spark, looking away. "I didn't..."
"It's too late for that, as I'm done with this talk." She faced away, snapping her fingers, causing the roots to continue dragging Spark underground. "If I don't listen to you, what chance do you have of making those girls listen? Why should we listen to a fake?" she stopped, almost like what she would say next would be hard. "A fake rainbow?"
The roots pulled Spark, but she stopped for some odd reason that even Fayth noticed.
"Huh?" Fayth turned, seeing Spark still here, but something was stopping her from being taken; but what?
"Fayth..." whispered Spark, crying and sniffling.
"What's going on?"
Fayth quickly realized what it was, and she rushed over, slamming her bare feet over Spark's head, trying to push her through the hole. But what was stopping her was...
"YOU DAMN COW! YOUR DAMN UTTERS WILL ALSO BE MY THORN IN MY SIDE! THEY ARE ALWAYS GIVING ME TROUBLE!" she stopped kicking and slapped Spark's chest, making them bounce. "HOW CAN SOMETHING THIS BIG EVEN BOUNCE?! HOW ARE YOU SO WELL ENDOWED?!"
"Hey!" cried Spark.
"THESE UTTER RUINED MY MOMENT! DAMN THEM!" she return to kicking Spark over the head until, finally, the roots could pull Spark through the hole they made and drag her into an endless void.
Fayth breathed heavily as she heard Spark screaming while falling.
"Finally, I can deal with the characters she found." She dusted off her dress and disappeared into the black mist.
Spark was still falling through the darkness. She was crying, unable to stop. Fayth words indeed cut deep and hurt her, and she hated herself. She had taken her two sisters' lives to have hers and felt terrible.
static
Spark heard every word from the girls in front of her, making her give a sad smile as she stepped forward.
static
Spark was still crying as she was still falling. Remembering what she told them.
static
"Please, remember, no matter how much life sucks, it doesn't mean it has to stay like that. You can change it and make it better. Just take a step, and the rest will follow, but first, you need to start with yourself."
static
"So don't give up. Remember, you're not alone. You have family who are there for you, who worry for you. Even if it feels hopeless, reach out."
static
Spark felt the tears dry.
static
"Trust me, you can move forward, but you just need to take those few steps."
"No..."
static
"No matter how bad it gets, it doesn't mean it will stay that way."
"it will!"
static
Spark closed her eyes, gathering all her magical energy, still remembering the girl's replies.
static
"No, how can I take those steps when I lost the means to even run..."
static
"It will! It has always been like this! I have always been alone! No one ever wanted to know me all because I act like a boy! My life has been hell, and I can't handle it anymore."
static
"How can I take those steps when the only thing that keeps me going, the one thing that made me, ME , are gone!?"
static
static
"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."
static
"It's not fair, it's not fair...I want a happy life and friends, but why can't I have one!? I wish it would stop, and everyone would be my friend and not hate me. But it never does."
static
"Why can't it stop!?"
static
static
static
Spark's eyes glowed. "I won't give up."
static
static
static
Spark's eyes flashed bright as her magic surrounded her.
static
static
static
static
Spark screamed as a wave of energy burst forth, causing an explosion that echoed throughout the darkness. Filling the void with a tiny rainbow spark...
Within the tiny spark of rainbow light, Spark spoke as she shot toward the closing light.
"You four are not alone, nor will you ever be alone. Others share the same pain, and it doesn't matter if they are a version of you or not. Everyone suffers and goes through their hardships, but we all have the choice to let it hold us down or move forward and become stronger. Even though it's scary, we mustn't be afraid and should face them, no matter how difficult."
The hole closed, the white light disappeared, and Spark was the only light within the darkness.
"It's why I brought them here! Those who share your pain, the pain of losing part of yourself, and those you love or think they couldn't ever be loved or lost a dream. They are the reason you two can move forward. They can be your hope!"
The tiny rainbow light grew more extensive, the size of a planet.
"They can give you the courage to face the future and live better. The future isn't set in stone, and no one knows what it will bring. So, no matter what, you can..."
The minor planet was the size of a sun now. Lighting up all of the darkness, revealing the prism-glitching roots of the prime tree. The giant light blasted forward, decreasing in size and becoming a rainbow comet and smashing through the floor of the bottom level of the tower. Spark landed and collapsed to the floor, saying the last part of her speech before falling unconscious.
"Move forward..."
Spark stopped continuing her story as she needed a moment to compose herself. She felt the tears in her eyes and quickly wiped them. She saw the sad expressions on Twilight and Dash's faces.
"We can stop here if you want," suggested Twilight, seeing her state.
Spark shook her head, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"No, you need to hear it all, especially if you can't get the desired answer."
Spark smiled at them, but it didn't hide the sadness in her eyes. She was gonna continue until they all heard someone yelling a name and rushing up the stairs while Twilah and Dashie tried to stop them by calling out to them. The door swung open, and standing there, in a damaged pink leather jacket, was Luster Dawn, tears in her eyes.
Twilight and Dash stared at the mare before them and the tears in her eyes. Their emotions were complicated, but one emotion came forward, one that no one saw coming.
"You!" shouted Luster as she rushed over to Spark, who closed her eyes and waited for a slap or something.
But instead, she felt something else, not a slap but a kiss on her cheek and a hug. Spark opened her eyes and saw Luster on her, crying as she hugged her.
"Braver! You're alive! I was so worried about you."
She kept repeating herself as she cried, not caring about what she was saying, nor was she listening when Twilight corrected her.
Spark felt like dying when seeing her sister's mare friend like this, knowing how upset and broken Luster was about losing Braver. She slowly and gently wrapped her arms around Luster, hugging her.
"Sorry," whispered Spark, not wanting to hurt her.
Dashie and Twilah arrived, both having mixed emotions when they heard Spark say to Luster.
"I'm back, Luster. I'm the same Braver you always known..."
Meanwhile, outside of the library, Lucy broke away from her friends as they visited New Ponyville and wanted to visit Blitz's sister's library home.
"This must be it!"
End of Chapter 2
Author's Note
Alice and Alt Twilight aren't the only ones who need saving.
also yes, this gonna be a running gag between Spark and Fayth but not everytime they meet, so don't worry, not gonna over use it lol
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 3: Needing To Let Go Isn't Easy
Lucy walked around the library tree, amazed at how such a vast tree could be made into a library.
"Oh wow! I can't wait to see the inside!"
She walked up to the door and was about to grab the doorknob when she remembered how Blitz had told her about this place, her sister, and Equestria. It was after she had told her everything from her past, how she lived with her parents, and how happy she was.
"Blitz..." she whispered, remembering the other things that made Blitz and her sister feel guilty.
Lucy held Blitz's hand, seeing her holding back from crying again. She listened to her, never saying a word.
"I killed my mothers! I remember stabbing Nightfall in the chest and taking her core." Tears started to fall. "I killed Sky, remembering her charred body, the smell, and the whole world as I became a living bomb, burning the world and all the creatures and plants and the world, ending everything. I killed everyone, and I can't ever forget it. We even destroyed our whole universe. I must carry that pain forever, and I needed to suffer for what we did that night." Blitz slowly turned to Lucy, sadness on her face. "I'm a monster; no matter how much I try to do good in this universe, it doesn't make up for the horrible things I've done."
Lucy held Blitz's hand tighter, looked at her in the eyes, and saddest smile she ever had. "So, that's why you keep making others happy? Always giving away yourself but never taking anything for yourself? Is that what you're doing? Punishing yourself for what you did, no matter what everyone says to you?"
Blitz turned away, her tears flowing.
"Yes, it's all I can do. Part of me believes that we shouldn't have ever been saved, that Twilah, Dashie, and others who saved us that day should have just let us die because it's not fair. We, who killed trillions of lives and destroyed our home and everything else, deserved to die. But they saved us, gave us a second chance at life, allowing us to be loved again, but all I could feel was guilt. So, I can only try to make the ones I love happy and never take anything for myself. I don't even deserve to be happy after what we did. Heck, I'm too much of a coward to kill my-"
Lucy let go of her hand and slapped Blitz. She fell to the floor, holding her cheek. She looked at Lucy, who was angry.
"Don't say that! Don't ever say that!" her tears started falling while her mouth trembled with sadness. "Don't say you're a monster or about killing yourself. That you don't deserve happiness and to be loved." She sniffed. "How do you think your friends will feel when you say that? Tempesta, who has been fighting her PTSD for so long because of what happened to her in the war, but because of you saving her and revealing you were Rainbow Comet to her and that she had a family who loved her, she was able to take those few steps in moving forward. What would she do if you were gone?"
"That's not true. I never helped Tempesta."
"Yes, you did!" Shouted Lucy, standing up. "Your mom is giving her the help she needs because of you! You saved her that night in the alleyway. I'm such a giant Rainbow Comet fan that Tempesta told me how Comet saved her!"
Blitz couldn't look her in the eyes.
"The others won't mi-"
"HORSE SHIT!"
Blitz quickly turned to Lucy, shocked by the foul language, as Lucy had never sworn, since she known her.
"Yes, they would! You helped all of us; you saved King's family's pizza place!" she grabbed Blitz by her shirt, pulling her up from the floor. "You made Wallflower feel like someone finally noticed her when no one would; she was alone. But you were there; you made her happy." She started to shake Blitz hard. "You turned Sunset from a bully to the kindest, caring brute anyone has ever seen!"
"B-Brute?" shuttered Blitz as Lucy kept shaking her.
"Yes!" she finally stopped shaking her and fell into Blitz's chest, crying hard. "And you saved me, a girl who was all alone and just wanted friends but couldn't, as she was a weirdo in many eyes. But you were there, and you took the time to be there for me and became the best friend I ever had." She slowly looked up at Blitz, blushing. "Even more than a best friend, I love you so much! How would I feel if you were just gone!?"
Lucy cried harder.
Blitz was frozen.
"I don't care if you killed trillions of lives; the good you did and are still doing should be enough. Please stop; it's okay to take something for yourself and be happy. You don't have to keep hurting yourself. So, please, Blitz, don't ever say you're a monster or not worth loving or don't deserve happiness and a family. You deserve all of it and so much more!"
Blitz's heart raced as she listened to Lucy's words.
"I-I-I," Blitz couldn't speak. She didn't know what to say, nor did she know if her words were correct. But hearing her talk of her like that made her heart swell. "Okay," she said, hugging Lucy.
She could feel the warmth of Lucy's body and her fast-beating heart. She could also feel her tears, warm as they dropped onto her neck. They pulled away from each other, which made Blitz smile as she remembered what Layla told her all those years ago.
"Make your dawn, make a new light, and create a new hope. Make a better future, a new tomorrow, even if it's not perfect or isn't the best. It's yours and all those you want to share it with." Layla's voice echoed in Blitz's mind, making her smile even more. In front of her was her dawn, the dawn she was always looking for in the darkness of her life.
"Okay, Lucy, I'll try."
"You promise?"
"I promise, Lucy."
"Penny Promise?"
Blitz laughed. "Yes."
Lucy smiled and leaned in, slowly moving her lips to Blitz's lips, which she kissed. Blitz was surprised, but she returned the kiss. Both knew this wouldn't be their first kiss, and it would not be the last.
Lucy touched her lips while a tear fell down her cheek. She smiled, wiped it away, and finally opened the library door, only to find it in ruins. What surprised her was seeing Blitz and Braver's parents watching her pony counterpart as she was talking to Spark as they cleaned the place up, Blitz's second sister. She walked in, listened, and understood why the parents were upset and heartbroken.
"Braver, you sure make a mess! Silly klutz, you need to be more careful." Luster said before sighing and turning to her. "Never mind, no matter how often I tell you that, you never change."
Spark chuckled a little, saying that's true, and then she cleaned the mess.
Lucy felt a pain in her chest, the pain of not only seeing Luster treating Spark like Braver but Spark herself allowing it, when Luster should know that Spark is her own person, that she isn't Braver or...
"What's going on here?" asked Lucy, making everyone turn to her. Luster's happy face became worried as she noticed her, while Spark cringed with sadness when she heard her voice.
"Lucy, what are you doing here? I thought you and your friends would visit Ponyville, not New Ponyville," Twilah asked.
Lucy walked past Blitz's parents, ignoring the question, and straight to Spark, who looked away and tried to pull up a bookcase with her magic.
"Spark, what's going on?" she asked, hoping she would tell her, but Luster jumped in front of her, blocking her way to Spark. "Luster?" she asked.
"Her name is Braver!" shouted Luster, glaring at Lucy.
"What?"
"Her name is not Spark! Braver is still in there, somewhere! She's part with her sister, Blitz!" Luster turned to Spark, who stood there, looking at the floor. "They fused as one! Like how your Sunny and our Sunset fused into one. We need to." Luster felt Lucy's hand on her shoulder, making her face her.
"Stop it." Lucy gave Luster the most disappointed glare she could, shocking her. "Just stop. I know you miss Braver, but she is dead, and you have to accept that."
Luster looked at Lucy, her mouth wide open and eyes wide with surprise.
"She's not dead. If she was, why would she be standing right over there?"
"Because she isn't her! She is not Braver! She's Blitz and Braver's sister! We were all there and saw her and her sisters in the same place. They didn't fuse or anything. They're gone, and I thought you promised Braver you'd move-" Lucy felt a hoof slap her cheek, shocking everyone, even Spark, who turned her head.
Luster's eyes were waterly as her hoof was shaking after slapping Lucy.
Lucy recovered from the slap and shouted at Luster. "WHAT!?"
Luster got right up to Lucy's face. "You heard me! You are just jealous that I found her first and made her remember she's Braver, not Bli-" Luster felt her cheek being hit as Lucy slapped her but much harder.
"Don't you dare finish that sentence! Do you even hear yourself? How could you be so stupid!"
Luster recovered from the slap and pushed Lucy. "Shut up! You are just mad that I am getting closer to her, and she's mine, so you can't do a thing about it. You won't get your Blitz back!"
"Luster!" shouted Twilight, rushing over to break up the fight, while Twilah held back Lucy, who dropped her drawing bag and was ready to throw hands.
Soon, everyone was fighting against Luster, making Spark cover her ears. She tried her best to ignore the loud screaming and yelling, but she could feel her ears and body shaking and the tears coming.
"Stop it! I'm sorry!" she softly said to them, but the loud screaming only to block it out.
"LET ME GO! THIS BITCH NEEDS A GOOD SMACK!"
"LUCY!?" shouted Twilah, shocked by her behavior and swearing.
Dashie also held Lucy but liked this new side of her, so she needed to comment: "I didn't know Lucy had this in her. She's like a beast."
Twilah gave Dashie a cold stare, making her quiet.
"I'M TELLING YOU, SHE'S MINE!" screamed Luster, trying to get past Twilight and Dash but couldn't, so she backed off and stared at Twilight. "Why are you against me on this, Princess? She's back, and she needs to remember who she is! It's your daughter!"
Dash got between them, tick off. "Whoa there, Spark isn't our daughter!"
Spark clutched her ears even when she heard that, and the shouting got louder.
"Stop lying! I know Braver is still alive!" Luster tried to push past Dash and Twilight but got pushed back, and she almost fell to the ground.
"Dawn, stop this right now! You are making a scene, and I'm sure Braver would want you to stop," Twilight said.
Luster ignored her and turned to Spark. "You are Braver, you know it!" Her happiness became a worry as she saw a rainbow aura filling the room, making everyone stop and look at Spark. "Braver?"
Spark flinched, and her aura died down, and she let go of her ears and turned to them all, smiling.
Luster smiled, but Twilight and others were shocked and sad at what Spark said.
"I am Braver! I remember everything!" she said, tears falling from her eyes.
"See! She's Braver!" Luster walked to Spark, but Spark raised her hand, making her stop. "Huh?"
Spark walked past Luster and right up to Lucy, leaning down and taking her hands, smiling.
"I'm also Blitz! I'll make you two happy by giving myself to you!"
"Spark?" Twilah and Dashie said together, in utter shock at what she said to Lucy. They looked down at Lucy but could see her gripping Spark's hands. They looked at each other, fearing Lucy would act like Luster.
"Lucy, I remember you, the girl who wanted friends, who was socially awkward, who listened to me and loved me. I loved you, and I still do."
"Spark?"
"Yes, Lucy, I'm Blitz, so-OWIE!"
Everyone was quiet as they watched Lucy grab Spark by her ear and drag her to the exit. Luster quickly snapped out of it and teleported in front of her human counterpart.
"What are you doing to Brav-ouch, hey!?" Luster felt her ear being grabbed and dragged out of the library.
"Should we follow them?" questioned Dashie, facing the others.
Twilight and the others nodded and hurried outside, following Lucy as she took them somewhere, but they didn't know where.
Spark could feel her back aching as Lucy pulled her along. Being tall has its drawbacks, and this was one of them, as Lucy was pretty short; in fact, Spark realized that Lucy and Blitz were the same height. She smiled at the thought of the two being girlfriends and having each other, but that's when reality hit her, making her frown as she followed Lucy.
Finally, they arrived at New Ponyville Park, where she let Spark and Luster go. She turned to Twilight and Twilah, pointing at Spark and Luster. "Can you two make sure they don't teleport away? I need to make a call." She walked off, took out a phone, and made a call.
Twilah transformed into her anthro form and wondered something. "I see she's using the phone I gave her and the others after infusing it with magic. I wonder if she's calling her friends or someone else?"
Twilight and Twilah's horns glowed, preventing Luster from escaping, but both Dashie and Dash could see the surprised look on Twi and Twilah.
"What's up, Twi?" asked Dash, hovering near her.
Twilight tilted her head. "It's Spark."
"What about her?"
"...she's letting us contain her."
Dashie raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Twilah fixed her glasses, explaining what Twilight meant. "You two won't understand it, but we can sense her magical power level; even with us giving it all, we're not on Spark's power level. She could easily teleport away without breaking a sweat."
"Then why isn't she?" Dashie asked.
Dash shrugged her shoulders, not sure either.
Twilah and Twilight could feel Spark's sadness as she stared at the ground, and both wondered if it was because of what Luster had been saying. The two nodded and walked up to her.
"Sweetie, can you continue where you left off? Before Luster dropped in." Twilight asked while sitting down with the others, while Luster wondered what she meant.
Spark remembered, put her emotions aside, and continued where she had left off.
Haze and Snake continued, walking down the tunnel until they finally exited. They found themselves in what seemed like a forest; all the trees were just wood. Even the leaves were just wood.
Snake touched one of the trees, checking if they were indeed wood."Okay, this is pretty weird."
Haze agreed with her as they continued to walk through the wooden forest. Haze looked up, seeing the third-floor ceiling very far off.
"Looks like if we find this woman, getting to the third floor will be a long walk."
Snake was about to agree but stopped when she heard a noise. Haze heard it, too, and they both drew their weapons, looking around and seeing nothing.
"Show yourself, or I'll cut you to pieces!" shouted Haze, readying her sword, only to lower it as a wooden apple rolled into their view. "An apple?"
"A wooden apple." Snake corrected her as she walked over to it, picking it up and checking it. "I've never seen an apple made out of wood."
"Neither have I," added Haze, looking up and seeing that the trees were all filled with apples. She looked back at Snake, noticing she was shaking. "Hey, old timer, you okay? Not having another attack, are you?" She was going to touch her, but Snake yelled at her to stay back.
Snake could see the apple dug its roots into her hoof, injecting something into her. "It's alive! It's injecting something into my body and causing my body to be paralyzed!"
Haze was going to use her magic to remove whatever was affecting Snake, but all the trees started to shake, dropping all the wooden apples to the ground. She could see them rolling near and surrounding them.
"Shit, they're monsters!" Haze raised her sword, ready for a battle, as the apples slowly rolled closer and closer.
Snake tried to talk, but she could muster up only grunts. She could only look at the apple in her hoof, at which point a single eyelid appeared, and an orange eye looked at her.
Haze noticed and quickly stabbed it, but only for it to send out orange vines from its wound, covering Haze's sword and stabbing into her hands. She felt the same injunction of fluids that Snake felt.
"Crap!" Haze said in a panic as the monster continued to inject fluids into her, paralyzing her.
"Kid!" Snake shouted within her mind, worried, as the monster forced Haze onto her knees.
"Shit, this isn't good."
Haze could feel her body going numb, her arms falling to her sides, her sword falling to the ground. The monster continued to inject her, making her feel lightheaded.
"Sorry, old-timer. I can't help you anymore," she mumbled before her mouth became paralyzed.
The two could see the apples getting much closer, and they saw all of the tiny monsters opening their eyelids, which revealed their eyes also acted as mouths. Within the tiny mouths were razor-sharp teethes, ready to devour the two.
Their savior hurried over and glared at the apple that paralyzed them. The monster didn't back down, even when she pointed her barrel at it.
"Listen here, you tiny bastard. I already killed a ton of your kind, and your small fries are nothing like Changers. I saw and fought corpse nightmares, so you little bastards are nothing! So, I won't repeat myself." she pumps her shotgun, waiting for the apple to move.
The tiny monster hissed at her and removed its vines from Snake and Haze. It rolled away, used its vines to grab a branch, and disappeared into the wooden tree leaves.
Snake and Haze felt their bodies returning to normal and felt relief. Haze grabbed her sword and stood up. She turned to her savior, who had her back to them and was loading her shotgun.
"Thanks for the save. I'm guessing you are, Amelia Jarvis?"
She stopped loading her weapon and faced the two. Her helmet became undone and entered the back of her neck collar, revealing her face. Haze and Snake saw that face before from their universes, making Haze blush while Snake smirked.
"Yup, you are right, Pecan Pie. So, who are you two? And please, call me AJ." Asked AJ, reaching out her hand and waiting for a handshake from Haze, but Haze just looked at it and crossed her arms.
"Names Haze, Former 1st Class SOLDIER. The old timer here is named Solid Matter Snake."
AJ could see she wasn't getting a handshake from Haze, so she turned her hand toward Snake, who happily shook it.
"I'm Snake, like the kid here said. Former soldier. Nice to meet you, AJ."
AJ let go of Snake's hoof and scanned the two. She could see from their get-ups that they were, indeed, soldiers.
"Alright, you two are from another universe, right?" AJ placed her shotgun on her belt and waited for their answers, which they explained they were. "Knew it, I wonder how I got here? Is it another multiverse crisis?"
Haze and Snake look at each other and back at her.
"Another multiverse crisis? I take it this isn't your first time, it seems," replied Haze as they started to walk toward the stairway tower in the distance.
"Yup, this isn't my first rodeo. I joined my friend, Aaira, and we teamed up with other versions of other universe folks and saved the multiverse by helping stop this poor girl named Rainbow Sun Dawn. The last thing I remembered was staying at Applejack's farmhouse." She placed her hand on her head. "For some reason, everything is like a fog. I don't remember why I'm here."
Snake took out a sugar stick and handed it to her. "Join the club,"
AJ saw the treat and took one. "What do you mean?"
The two explained everything they knew, so AJ touched her chin.
"I see, so Rainbow Spark gathered us, huh? We have something in common?" she looked at them seriously. "I wonder what that is? Is it related to us being soldiers?"
Haze stopped, crossing her arms. "Maybe?"
Snake stopped, sitting on the ground and eating her sugar stick. "Or maybe something else?" she faced AJ. "Going by your reaction, you seemed to know her, don't you?"
AJ nodded and explained everything that happened in her multiverse adventure. When she was done, the two now knew Spark's background.
"So Sparkly is a clone of her parents, and her sisters weren't the clones." Snake couldn't help but smirk, which the others took notice of and asked why she was smirking. "Well, like I said before, I might look old, but I'm not. See, I'm a clone of the most outstanding soldier in my universe, and her name was Naked Matter Snake or
"Had? What happened to her, old timer?"
Snake chomps down on the stick, eyeing Haze. "MAGICDIE killed her, then Ocelot chopped off her arm, and Liquid took over her body as a ghost, then I fought Liquid Oclet to the death and won. Big Boss also died to MAGICDIE."
AJ scratched her head, not understanding one part of the explanation. "What the hell is a MAGICDIE?"
Snake pointed at herself. "MAGICDIE is an engineered retrovirus, made to kill specific targets until it mutated thanks to my clone body aging at an accelerated rate. I became a walking bioweapon, as the MAGICDIE will target anyone now." She could see them stepping back from her, making her laugh. "Don't worry, you guys can't catch it. I was injected with a new MAGICDIE version, which overwrote the old one. I'm still a walking bioweapon, but it takes years before this new MAGICDIE can mutate like the old one." she stood up and started to head in the direction the stairway tower was in while the others followed her.
"Damn, Snake. That's a lot to take in. So are you?"
"Dying? My body is aging so fast that I only have a few months to live." Snake could see their saddened expressions, so she laughed again. "Don't look so glum, guys. I don't want people crying for my sake."
"Sorry, it's just that's pretty shitty, you know?"
Haze got closer to Snake but did not look at her.
"So, who created this MAGICDIE? And those suppressors you have and used back there, is it to suppress your aging or something?"
Snake didn't turn to her, only looking ahead as she answered her.
"An old friend, Nami Diamond.
They were all quiet as they kept walking through the woods. Snake eyed the two and continued with her story explaining.
"And yes, the suppressors are meant to stop my body from aging. Like I said, I don't have long to live." She stopped and turned to them, smiling. "I don't know what we have in common, but I'm glad my last mission is to save those kids at the top of the tree. I'm just an old soldier with little time left in this world. So, I'm grateful my final time is saving lives rather than taking them."
AJ understood her, walking up to Snake and giving her a soldier's salute.
Snake gave one back, smiling. Haze wanted to join them but didn't, so she heard something coming from AJ's suit.
The two turned to her, and AJ put back on her helmet and opened her radio feed, which gave off the drumming song.
"Yeah, my H.U.L.L suit radio keeps picking it up. Sounds like it's getting louder when I get closer to the tower over there."
Snake pressed her codec in her ear, but it didn't pick up anything.
"I'm not liking that. It sounds like a military marching song." Snake replied, looking at the tower.
AJ kept the radio on and listened to it. She was happy the two could hear it, but that's when she heard it.
"Mommy, where are you?"
When she heard the voice again, she didn't react to it. Instead, she eyed the others and waited to see if they listened to the little girl's voice. She watched as they spoke to each other and continued to walk to the stairway tower.
"How? I thought the Pillar radio wave was gone after Bolt destroyed the Mother Moon. So why am I hearing my daughter's voice?" thought AJ, as she turned off the radio feed, only to still hear it. She feared she might be going insane again and wasn't sure if she should tell the other about it.
The three kept walking in the wooden forest for an hour or so. They were almost near the spiral tower, from which they could practically see the entrance to the stairway from a hill.
"Finally, we can leave this weird forest," stated Haze, walking ahead with Snake.
Snake walked down the hill but turned to AJ, as she didn't hear her coming. She could see her on the hill, still wearing her helmet. She could tell she was staring off at something and walked up to her, waving her sugar stick in front of her face with her magic.
"Hey, AJ, you alright?" asked Snake, making AJ jump.
AJ didn't answer, looking around as if she didn't see her, and then her eyes met Snake's, making her feel embarrassed.
"Sorry, Snake. I just had a bit of a moment. So, what's the hold-up?"
Snake bit the stick and pointed at her.
'You. You are the hold. What's wrong?"
AJ rubbed her neck, not sure how to say it.
"Well, it's just..."
"Yes?"
"I'm..." she sighed. "Never mind; I shouldn't bother you with it." She walked off, but Snake stopped her as she spoke to her.
"As a soldier, you should know that if someone isn't feeling right, you should help them out."
AJ knew Snake was right, but she was even more embarrassed when she turned to Snake and saw her holding out her stick.
AJ couldn't say no, so she did.
"Well, you see, the truth is, from my universe, there was an alien pillar that brought back the dead to life as dead flesh monsters."
Snake put her hoof on her chin.
"Yeah, I saw untold horrors during my time in stopping those Pillars. See, the Pillars can also make everyone near it slowly go insane over time, until they are bat insane and killing others to make more of those monsters."
Snake started to understand.
"So, let me guess: Do you feel like you're going crazy again? Because you look fine right now." AJ nodded. "So, is there a Pillar nearby or something to make you feel like this?"
AJ shrugged, not knowing for sure. As the two talked, Haze was at the bottom of the hill, turning back to see the two still on top. She sighed and waited but sensed something, making her grab her sword handle. Ready for anything, she looked around.
"It's back..."
She quickly turned to the others, about to call out, when everything went dark again, and mist started filling the land. Snake and AJ could see what was happening around them, so Snake quickly explained this.
"An evil version of you is attacking us? Why?" she loaded her shotgun.
Snake held her handgun and knife at the ready, standing by AJ's side.
"Whatever it is, it's no doubt trying to stop us from reaching the top and saving those kids. It must be Fayth doing it, or maybe somehow the kids?"
AJ pointed her shotgun, aiming at nothing, only seeing the mist covering everything but them She picked up the drumming song again, and like before, she could hear her daughter calling out to her. She started to sweat and felt her breathing get faster as she tried to ignore the voice.
"No, it's not real, it's not real."
She didn't notice a black mist forming behind her, and it shot at her, knocking her to the ground and her gun out of her hands. Snake quickly turned around, firing a few shots into the mist, but like before, it did nothing as the red eyes looked at her and disappeared. She grunted in anger and turned to help AJ, but she pushed her away, screaming that it was unnatural.
"ITS NOT REAL! YOU ARE DEAD!"
"AJ, what the hell are you talking about?!"
AJ was breathing faster, her mind thinking she was being attacked by one of those Pillar monsters that brought back her family from the dead, making them into a Changer. She quickly grabbed her shotgun and just unloaded it into the darkness.
"SHE'S DEAD! I WON'T LET YOU MAKE ME GO INSANE AGAIN; YOU HEAR ME!"
Haze could see the flashes of the gunshots and ran toward them, but the mist filled the forest so that she couldn't find the others. She watched as the white flashes were gone but still heard AJ screaming. But another voice joined in, calling out to her.
"Haze."
Haze flinched when she heard that voice, which she knew so well that it almost made her drop her sword. She looked around but couldn't find the person until that person found her. Haze lowered her sword and was shocked at what she saw in front of her.
"Can't be...Aeris?"
Standing there was the flower girl and the one who summoned the Holy, the one she fell in love with before she was killed by 'her.'
Haze dropped her sword and slowly approached her, reaching out and feeling her cheek. She couldn't believe this. How was she here?
"Aeris, is that you? How?"
Aeris held Haze's hand, smiling at her.
"Haze, why?"
Haze felt Aeris's hand gripping her very tight, almost like she was crushing it. She tried to force her hand off, but Aeris just increased her grip and pulled Haze to her face, asking the same question.
"Why? Why did you let me die?"
Haze's heart started to beat fast as Aeris's eyes began to cry out blood; her chest had a stab wound, and sensing something, Haze dodged a long blade that almost impaled her as it exited out of the wound.
"Haze, you let me die! You let Zara die as well! YOU ARE A FAILURE! YOU KILLED US!"
Haze didn't speak, but she could see another figure in the mist; it was Zara, wholly covered in bullet wounds and slash marks.
"You killed us, Haze."
Haze felt her face covered in sweat as she desperately tried to get Aeris off of her hand, only for the two to pull her down and start to choke her.
"It was you. You did this to us, Haze. You did this. It's all your fault."
Haze could feel her vision blurry as she ran out of breath.
Meanwhile, Snake tried to calm AJ down but was prone on the ground as the shotgun blast went over her head.
But AJ wasn't listening. She could see shadows of Changers charging at her but disappearing as she shot them down.
AJ blasted a Changer and quickly reloaded, only to see a small hand on her hand, making her drop the shell clip. She slowly looked up and saw her daughter, and behind her was her husband—the two people she killed.
"No..." she dropped to the ground, trying to back away, but they were always in front of her no matter how quick she was.
AJ quickly stopped and held her daughter, who was crying.
"No! Never!"
The girl hugged her back, crying. "Then why, Mommy, why did you stop loving me and ignore calling or visiting us when you returned from your tour? I don't understand. You are my hero. Mommy, why did you stop caring for us? Don't you love us anymore?"
AJ hugged her harder, shaking her head.
"No, I didn't mean to. I just felt like a failure to you and your father! Having a family was too much for me, and I was scared I would fail you and him. I didn't want to become a failure in your eyes!"
"Mommy, is that why you hit me? You hated seeing me?" the girl broke the hug, slowly putting her hands on AJ's helmet face.
"No, no, sweetie! I just had issues because of what I was going through, and that's why I stopped visiting!"
"Sweetie, please believe me; I didn't want to hurt you or your father. It was because I was a fool and didn't know how to raise you and love him." she looked at her husband, who glared at her, not seeing a word. "Believe me, please!"
The girl smiled and stabbed her fingers into the helmet joints, trying to pull back the mask.
"Liar, you never loved us! You wanted us gone, didn't you? WE FELT HATED! THAT'S WHY YOU KILLED ME AND DADDY!"
"NO!"
She felt half of her helmet getting pulled back and saw the girl's face change to the same face as the nightmarish monster, with eyes filled with blood and a twisted face that was once her daughter.
"MOMMY! MAKE US WHOLE! LET US IN!" her daughter said in a twisted and evil tone. "MAKE US WHOLE AGAIN!"
AJ's helmet face covering broke off, and the twisted hands of her daughter grabbed her face, making her watch as her daughter's mouth opened and blasted her with a blast of mist, burning her face slowly.
"MAKE US WHOLE!" said her daughter and husband as he, too, grabbed her and blasted mist into her, but only for a grenade to fall in between and go off with a bright flash. AJ's family vanished, and grunting in pain was the same evil-looking Twilight as she rubbed her eyes.
"I knew that would work," said Snake, hurrying over and pulling a pin from the can-looking grenade and tossing it at the dark creature. It blinded her again and made her stagger back. "Good old flash bangs, never let me down," she quickly grabbed AJ and shook her.
"Hey, AJ! Listen up, we need to go! NOW!"
But AJ pushed her and couldn't stop crying.
"I killed my family, Snake. I couldn't be there for them when they turned into Changers; I had to put down my daughter! I'm a failure, a fuck up, why did I have to be a mother, I'm no good."
Snake punched her, making her shut up.
"Pull yourself together, soldier! What happened, happened! You can't let that hold you down. We all have regrets and things we aren't proud of, but if you don't do something about it, then you are the true failure!" she picked up AJ's shotgun and held it out. "It's like what Grey Moon Fox once told me before she died: she killed Nami's parents. She couldn't bring herself to kill her too, that she took her in but distance herself from her, because when she looked into Nami eyes, she only saw Nami's parents staring back at her, that's how guilty she was."
"Snake..."
Snake tossed her the gun and grabbed her arm, lifting and helping her walk.
"She told me to tell Nami the truth, that she killed Nami's family, but I couldn't; I couldn't bring myself to do it; I was too afraid of how Nami would react. Even when I spoke to her, I still couldn't say it; even when I knew Grey Moon Fox had forgiven me, I still didn't." Snake and she turned to the dark creature, slowly recovering from the flashbang. "It's one of many things I regretted, even more so when Nami died. I couldn't ever tell her the truth." she eyed AJ, giving her a look. "So do you want to be like me, or someone who has no regrets? If it were me, I would want to be able to move on from the past and have no regrets. You need to be that person, AJ. It would be best to forgive yourself and not be weighed down by something out of your control. So what will you do, soldier?"
AJ took her shotgun and looked at the dark creature, then back at her shotgun and the ammo clip she had dropped. She slowly grabbed it and held it in her hand. She remembered something Aaira had once told her, making her ask Snake something.
"Is that what a good woman does?"
Snake was confused and asked.
"What do you mean?"
AJ loaded the shell clip into the gun and looked at her.
"I asked Aaira that question after I told her the things I had done, from killing my family and letting others die because I was too scared. I asked her about it, and she said good women mean well. We don't always end up doing well. But we still try, and the important thing is that we keep trying."
Snake smiled at her, knowing that AJ would be fine now. AJ stood up, part of her helmet masked, covering her face. She narrowed her eyes at the dark creature. She aimed, blasting it and making it stagger backward with each shot.
Snake slowly followed AJ, talking to her as they walked around the creature.
"Just going by that answer, I can tell your friend has also been through a lot. If she can be a good woman, then so can you. As she said, we're only human, and sometimes, we don't do well, but as long as we keep trying, then I say we are good women, no matter what we did."
AJ laughed a bit. "Yeah, but aren't you a talking pony?" she could hear Snake grunting in annoyance.
The dark creature was now on the ground, with holes in its body, not moving. The two quickly took off and down the hill, only to find Haze being choked by a young woman while the other one just looked on.
"Kid!" shouted Snake, who leapt and tackle the woman off of her friend, seeing the bloody woman stagger back into the bullet wounds Zara and the two vanished into the mist. Snake turned to Haze and saw AJ pulling her up. She tried to pick up the sword to return it to her but couldn't, as it weighed a ton.
"Jesus Christ, how the hell were you lugging this around?"
Haze coughed, picked up the sword, and looked around for Aeris and Zara, but she felt AJ pulling her hand, making her face her as they ran.
"Come on, Haze. We need to get out of here!"
Haze blushed and forced her hand out of AJ's. "Don't need to tell me twice," she hurried along, confusing AJ. Snake noticed the blush and wondered. She remembered AJ looking like the girl in the photo Haze showed her, but she quickly put that thought aside and hurried behind them, almost reaching the stairway.
"WHERE ARE MY FRIENDS!?"
They all turned around, seeing the dark creature rushing towards them, blasting out more mist. The three made their stand and waited for it to come closer. Before it could reach them, the apple monsters shot out of the trees and attacked the dark creature, biting their tiny jaws into its dark flesh. It screamed out and tried to fight back, but more apples joined in, swarming it until it was on the ground, the mist being pushed back.
"Damn buggers saved us, it seems," AJ said, lowering the weapon. "We better hurry out of here."
The three left and quickly hurried up the stairway, hearing the creature's screams echoing in the forest, making them think that it was dead. They ran to the next floor, as the darkness that the beast made was being drowned out by the orange lights that the wooden trees were emitting.
Spark stopped with her story as she and others could hear Lucy returning.
"Spark, I have someone coming here to help, as she's the best person for this issue."
Luster stood up, eyeing her counterpart. "What issues? Other than making her remember she's Braver?"
Lucy rubbed her eyes and put her hand up at Luster. "No, not this starting this shit again." she looked at Spark and sat down next to her. "Spark, listen to me. I don't know what's going on, but you aren't Blitz or." she eyed Luster a bit and returned to Spark. "Or Braver, you are you! You are your own person; we all saw that." She faced Luster with great annoyance. "SOMEONE HERE NEEDS TO SEE THAT TOO!" she looked back at Spark, holding her hand. "So please, don't try to be something you are not; it doesn't suit you."
Spark gave her a sad smile, softly gripping Lucy's hand.
"But if I'm not my sisters, what am I then? Just a clone of other ponies. How can I be me when there is no me from the start."
Lucy sighed, not sure what to say.
"Braver, look." Luster was about to speak, but Lucy glared at her, not wanting to hear any of it.
"No, stop right there! She isn't Braver! You need to stop this already, she's gone and forcing Spark here to be her isn't right! She's a different person, with a different personality, so stop treating her like Braver."
Luster stomps her way over to Lucy, face to face with her. Twilight was going to stop this, but Dash and others stopped her.
Lucy became more pissed off and shoved Luster, making her step back and was surprised at how strong Lucy was.
"Because she's not; she's her own person! Why are you so dead set on thinking like this? Braver is-"
"SHE'S NOT DEAD!" Luster screamed back, shaking with anger and tears in her eyes. "She's back...she can be Braver." She lowered her head. "Don't you miss Blitz? Don't you want her back?"
Lucy reacted with a hurt expression, feeling bad for her.
"Of course I miss her. I miss her dearly..." She placed her hand over her heart, tears falling. "I wish she were here, alive again, but I'm not going to make her sister suffer for it so that I can be happy. It's wrong and selfish."
Luster looked away, not sure what to do. Spark felt so awful right now. She was going to speak up, but Lucy stopped her.
"It's not your fault, Spark. Blitz and Braver gave up their lives so you could finally have a life outside of the prison you created for yourself." she faced her, smiling at her. "There was a saying that Blitz told Wallflower after they met. Make your dawn, make a new light, and create a new hope. Make a better future, a new tomorrow, even if it's not perfect or isn't the best. It's yours and all those you want to share it with. They didn't want you to become a copy of them or something you aren't. They wanted you to live for yourself and make the life you want, even if it's not perfect. It's yours and all those you let in. Don't let Luster, or anyone, make you think otherwise."
"Lucy..."
Luster was about to speak up, but someone stopped her.
"Braver is dead," said Twilight, getting everyone's attention. She faced Luster with a sad expression. "Braver is gone, Dawn. I know it's hard to come to terms with it, but you need to, as it's the only way to move on and stop living in the past." She walked over to Luster, placing her head on her shoulder. "Braver would have wanted this, for you and all of us, to move on."
Luster suddenly felt tears falling down her neck, and her former teacher cried.
"Please, don't soil the memory of my daughter like this, Dawn. She wouldn't have wanted you to act this way. It would be best to accept that Braver is gone and move on. We all need to, as it is the only way."
Luster closed her eyes and leaned into Twilight, wrapping her arms around her, and began crying.
"But she was my reason for living, princess. She made me rise like the morning sun! How can I not think about her or miss her!? She meant so much to me, and you know that! What do I do when she's gone!?"
Twilight closed her eyes, holding her and rubbing her back. The others just watched in sadness, but Spark broke down. Seeing how much pain she caused Luster and Twilight, she started to have panic attack.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry!"
Lucy hugged her and rubbed her back, comforting her.
"Shh, calm down, it's okay."
But Spark's rainbow aura pushed her away into Dashie and Twilah's arms. They and others watched Spark's magical aura increase in size, feeling the overwhelming pressure. Twilight got in front of everyone, unleashing her magical energy and trying to push it back, but she couldn't. Lucy got up and shouted at Spark, hoping she would listen.
"Remember what I said!? All those you want to share it with!? Open up to us, Spark! Let us help you!"
Spark slowly opened her eyes, revealing her rainbow-glowing eyes, and spoke with a higher-power tone.
"Spark, you are never a burden! Not to us!" shouted Dash, trying to push forward, with the others trying the same.
Spark looked at her fist, which started to glow. "I am! And the only way to make this right!" She raised her fist and scattered reality in front of them, seeing a rift being created. They watched as Spark dropped to her knees, crying her eyes out.
In a universe, a woman bought two ice cream and looked at the time at the park's clock. She grunted and tsk in disappointment as she licked the pink strawberry ice cream while looking at the melting ice cream with rainbow sprinkles.
"Ditching me AGAIN! I swear, when I see her again, I'm going to give her a piece of my mind!" she was about to leave when a rift opened up, making her smile.
Everyone watched as someone jumped through the rift, slammed her fist into the ground, and faced them. Everyone but Lucy had seen this person before, the woman who appeared and stopped Rainbow Dawn while Twilight cast the spell that would make Braver into a real Alicorn.
"WHO THE FUCK MADE MY GIRLFIREND CRY!?" shouted the girl, eyeing them with pure rage. "I'm going to bea-ugh?" she suddenly felt Spark hugging her and crying in her chest, making the woman soft and less angry. "Aw, sweetheart, what happened?"
Spark looked up at her with tears rolling down her cheeks. "Dawn, I'm sorry!"
Dawn tips her head in confusion, trying to figure out what happened.
"I hurt everyone because of what I did! I made my sister's girlfriends hurt so much; this is the only way to make it right!"
Dawn was confused, but before she could ask what she was talking about, Spark kissed her, making her all red. Spark broke the kiss and said.
"I'm breaking up with you! They lost their dawn, so it only makes it right if I lost it as well, the very thing that makes me happy in this multiverse. You!"
Everyone was quiet after Spark had said. The only one to say anything was this new Dawn, who looked most confused.
"WHAT THE FUCK!?"
End of Chapter 3
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 4: Meeting The Crownless Queen
"WHAT THE FUCK YOU MEAN YOU ARE DUMPING ME!?" shouted Dawn, flabbergasted and shocked at what Spark said. "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN, WHAT YOU DONE!? JUST WHO THE FUCK ARE THESE PEOPLE!?" she pointed to the group but also noticed the ponies mixed in. She blinked and looked back to Spark. "Wait, is this your universe? I thought you told me you destroyed it and-" Dawn stopped talking, seeing the hurt expression on Spark's face as she had her face in her hands.
Dawn was still upset about what Spark had said, but she felt her heart breaking as her girlfriend was hurting so much. She walked over to her, hugged her, rubbed her back, and said in a soft, kind voice.
"Hey now, I don't know what's happening here, but you promised to tell me everything when you felt like it. And I promised to be there for you, no matter what. So, whatever is happening, let me help you. Tell me, what happened?"
"Dawn." Spark sobbed, hugging her tight, scared to let go.
Dawn leaned back a bit, seeing her girlfriend's crying face. "What is it, my rainbow comet light?"
Twilight and everyone froze when they heard her say that; it was, no doubt, Rainbow Sun Dawn, but another universe of her.
Spark looked at her and slowly looked backed down. Without warning, her rainbow aura quickly covered her and blasted Dawn away from her, sending Dawn flying toward the trees inside the park and leaving behind a long trail of destruction.
Everyone rushed to Spark, hoping to stop her, but Spark's aura had become more robust than ever, pushing everyone back and not letting anyone close to her.
"I SAID I DUMP YOU! I DON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE!"
"IS THAT SO!?"
Everyone turned back and could see the pile of trees being blasted off, seeing a pissed-off Dawn walking out of the pile of trees and cracking her neck. "If that's what you truly feel, then fucking fine! Whatever." she walks off, waving her hand in dismiss. "It was nice being your girlfriend, but we can't have all good things last forever. Hope you can find a better lover, as I'm out."
Spark's aura started to shrink, and the light was dim and weak. Spark couldn't believe her girlfriend had given up and walked away like that.
"That's...all? No fight? No begging me to take you back?"
Dawn stopped and looked over her shoulder, seeing her girlfriend's sad, hurt expression. She looked away, walking off but talking to her. "Yeah, just like that. See you never."
Lucy couldn't believe what was going on. She tried to rush over to Dawn, but she stopped in her tracks; she could see the sad expression on her face. Someone who was heartbroken and was acting tough to hide it. Lucy's eyes widened, realizing what was happening. Looking back at Spark, she saw how heartbroken she was to see Dawn leaving. She looked at Spark's magical aura and could see it weakening as if reacting to Spark's emotions.
Spark slowly sat down, processing what had just happened. She thought Dawn would try to fight for her and beg her to take her back, but nothing happened. She was gone and out of life just like that. Her aura shrank and finally started to fade. She looked at Lucy and Luster, realizing the pain she was feeling was like their own now. Her eyes filled with tears as she realized how much pain they must have felt when she took her sisters away from them.
"It's done. I know it could never make up for the pain I caused, but I hope it can give some peace." She could hear Lucy and Luster asking her what he meant by that. "Peace in mind by seeing me also suffering like you two. If I can't have what makes me so happy in this multiverse, just like you two, then it's only fair that I suffer the same pain, right?"
Everyone was silent.
"This was the only way to make you feel better about yourself. I'm sorry, Lucy and Luster." she looked up into the blue sky, smiling as a tear fell. "I'm sorry for taking them away from you two. You shouldn't be hurting because of what I did." she looked down and turned to her sister's parents. "Same with you four. I'm not your daughter, just like Dash said." Everyone glared at Dash, who quickly covered her mouth, remembering what she said before.
"Wait, hold on! I didn't mean it like that!"
"You were right, Dash. I'm not Braver, nor will I ever be your daughter. Maybe if I make myself suffer, it is enough to-"
"STOP IT!" shouted Dash, not wanting her to continue that sentence. "Don't say it, just don't!" she cried, not wanting to hear it.
"It's true. I'm not her, and I can't bring her back. No matter how much I wish it or want to."
Dash had had enough of this and flew right up to her but saw Spark flinched like she thought she would be hit. Dash was so shocked and saddened to see Spark act this way.
"I didn't mean what I said; you aren't our daughter, Braver." Dash sat down in front of her, holding her hands. "But you are our daughter. We want you in our life, Spark. We want to know you, who you are, and everything."
"But."
"No buts, just listen. You may not be our daughter, but you are ours, the daughter we want in our life, and you don't need to change anything about you. Braver and Blitz would want you to have a family that loves you, not what you can offer us. They wanted you to be happy and loved."
Spark finally looks her in the eyes. "Really?"
"Yes. They would want you to be happy."
Spark sniffed and cried. Hugging Dash tight, almost crushing her. Lucy walks away, making Luster turn to her.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to find her, Dawn. Spark didn't need to do such a stupid thing. It was so selfish of her."
"Lucy." Luster joined her side. "I'm coming too. This is my fault, and I just wanted Braver back." she eyed Spark, who finally let Dash go after Twilight and Twilah warned Spark that she was crushing her. "I need to make things right, or Braver will never forgive me."
The two rush off, heading where Dawn walked off, too. Behind them is Dashie, who got between the girls.
"I'm in! Having an extra pair of eyes can't hurt."
Lucy smiled. "Thank you, Ms. Reinbold!"
The three went off in different directions, searching for Dawn, while the others tried to calm and cheer Spark up. Twilah had many plans to make Spark happy again, but she and the others could hear Spark's stomach growling and remembered she had not eaten anything.
"Spark, do you want anything to eat? I can make you something?"
Spark nodded. "Yeah, sure, Twilah."
"Great! What do you want?"
Spark thought for a bit and answered. "Hayburgers will be nice! Oh! Also, pasta and potato sandwich on sourdough!" She started to get excited about the food, which made Twilight and Twilah smile, seeing her happy, even if it was about food.
"Sure thing, sweetheart." Twilah closed her eyes, using her magic to summon a grill, a campfire to cook the pasta and the rest of the ingredients, and a large box with dishes. "Alright, I'll start making them immediately while you continue the story. What happened after Snake and two others reached the next floor?"
Twilah started to make Spark her food while Twilight and Dash sat near Spark, listening to her as she continued her story. Spark was also eyeing the food being made, forgetting all about the previous problems.
"Alright, so let's see, where was I?"
Snake and the others finally reached the third floor, and just like the second floor, there was a tunnel. They enter it, not noticing the glowing pink pony carvings on the tunnel walls. They kept walking until they finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
"Finally!" commented Haze, hurrying to the exit while Snake and AJ kept their guards up.
When they walked out, they saw they were inside a sizeable party-like room. There were wooden balloons, a huge table full of wooden food, streamers hanging down, and a massive banner with 'Congratulations!' on it.
AJ walked up to the table, feeling it and poking the wooden cake. "I take it this is a welcoming party?" she could see the others checking things out. She could see another tunnel with rave lights coming off the walls.
Snake and Haze walk back to her. Snake was the first to talk. "It seems like it, but for us or someone else?"
Haze turned to the rave tunnel. "Someone else, no doubt. Let's keep moving; we need to find whoever is here, IF they are in here, and find the spiral stairway to the next floor." she looked up at the room's ceiling. "This time, we have no idea where the exit is now."
"Right, let's hurry then. Something tells me that the more we are here, the more the dark creatures will find us. We need to find the person or pony quickly."
"Agreed," said AJ, heading to the rave tunnel with the two following her. "From my battles with Changers, monsters aren't easy to kill off like that."
They entered the rave tunnel, seeing the flashing lights and weird music playing as they went deeper. As they travel down the tunnel, AJ can see Haze eyeing her before looking away.
"What's up with her?"
Snake smirked and looked at her. "I think I know what's bothering her. If you want to know, that is."
AJ nods. "Yeah, I want to know. It seems like she wants to say something while acting weird."
Snake bit down on her sugar stick and answered her. "She showed me a photo of someone who was a friend of hers. In that photo, there was a young woman who looked like you. Just going by reaction, it's someone she loves. A lot."
They finally exited the tunnel and found themselves in another party room, which looked the same as the room they had just left.
"Did we just loop around?" Haze asked, turning to Snake and AJ.
The two walk up to the table, seeing the same wooden food and everything. Snake believes so, so she takes out her knife and stabs the table, leaving a mark. After waiting a bit, the table doesn't heal, so Snake turns to them.
"Let's keep going. There's only a tunnel; if we are looping, we will know by that marking on that table."
The group nodded, and they kept going. AJ took the lead this time, walking down the tunnel and hearing the same music.
"Okay, pecan pie. Let me see that photo you shared with Snake!" she teased as she put her arm around Haze's neck and pulled her close. "If you show it to me, I might let you kiss me!" she teased.
Haze's cheeks started to heat up. "W-what are you talking about!?"
AJ leaned closer. "Come on, someone from your universe looks like me, and you love them. So, come on! Let me see the photo!" she drugged through Haze's pockets, making the young Soldier try and push her back, telling her no and no. "Come on, let me see it!"
"N-no, it's not the same person! S-stop touching me!"
"Not until you show me the photo!"
The two kept at it until they exited the tunnel and returned to the same room. Snake walks over to the table and searches for the marking she made. She turned to the others.
"Good news, we're not lopping like we thought." she took out a sugar stick and pointed it to something in the corner that caught her eye. "But we need to find a way out soon, or those wooden mannequins might attack us."
The two turn to the corner, seeing a few creepy-looking mannequins with painted smiles on their faces just standing there.
"I don't know, but I'm not waiting to find out," answered Snake, taking the lead this time while the other two just followed her through the tunnel. AJ returned to teasing Haze as they continued, still wanting to see the photo.
"Come on, Pecan pie! Just a quick peek, that's all I want!"
"No, just no."
"Please!"
"I said no!"
"Please!"
"Stop it."
"Pretty please!"
"I'm not showing you the photo!" shouted Haze, walking faster, but AJ gave her a pissed-off look.
Snake couldn't stop grinning when she heard them bickering with each other. "They are already acting like a married couple. This is too funny."
The group exited the tunnel and found themselves in the same room, but something new was added. Snake looks over her shoulder and sees AJ and Haze arguing.
"Hey, you two!"
They turned to Snake and saw what she was seeing.
"Eeyup, just like the apples!" said AJ, aiming her weapon.
Haze grabbed the handle of her sword at the ready. "Just great!"
The mannequins were at the table, sitting and frozen as they ate the wooden cake in the middle. Snake slowly got closer and bopped one of them, thinking it might get up and attack, but nothing happened. She eyed something in front of the cake. It was a piece of paper that had an 8 on it.
AJ and Haze walk up to Snake, asking what the number means.
"My best guess is it's a countdown." she headed to the tunnel with the two behind her. "We better find that exit, or something tells me we're in danger. We aren't going to be safe for long."
The two nod and follow Snake through the tunnel, not realizing the mannequins were getting up and staring at them as they left.
They entered the next room, and just like before, the same wooden food, party streamers, and everything was there, but now the mannequins were drinking, some eyeing the group. There was a 7 in front of the cake. The group rushed through the only tunnel, and with each room they entered, the mannequins increased in numbers; more started to eye them, and their mouths slowly opened with each room, revealing their sharp, non-wooden teeth.
AJ blasted one from her shotgun, destroying it. "Let's kill them right now! They're attacking, it seems!"
Haze drew her sword, struck down a few mannequins, and faced Snake. "She's right; the next room will be zero. Let's destroy them all and head to the next room!"
Snake pulled out a few grenades. "I was waiting for the perfect time to use these. Time to blow up those mannequins!"
They kept going, killing all the mannequins in their way. Finally, they reached the tunnel and ran through it, only to stop as they arrived in the next room. Only this time, there was birthday music playing, and in front of them, in the largest room, they came across hundreds of mannequins with mouths all open, looking at them and, for the first time, showing signs of movement.
All three drew their weapons as the mannequins got closer. Snake could see the next tunnel ahead, but a wooden door with chains locked it.
"We need to fight our way through!" shouted Snake, throwing the pin away, letting her grenades explode as it landed between a few mannequins, killing a few, while AJ and Haze did their fighting.
AJ and Haze did their own thing, destroying the mannequins that attacked them while Snake tried to keep them away from herself, doing CQC on those that got near.
But no matter how many they wiped out, there was more to replace it. All three backed up to each other with their backs to backs, breathing heavily and trying to come up with a plan.
"What the hell are these things!? Where are they coming from?" yelled AJ, blasting one of them in the face, making it fall back.
"It doesn't matter! Just keep killing them!" answered Haze, slashing one in half, only to get tackled by another.
"Really Pecan pie? You better let me see that damn photo after this! You owe me!"
"Shut up! I don't owe you anything; I could deal with that monster alone!"
"Enough! You two are acting like children! Stop messing around!" shouted Snake, killing the one before her and taking out more grenades. "There won't be an after this if this keeps up!"
"We're trying, but there are so many of them!" said Haze, blocking a mannequin's strike, sending it flying back, and slicing its head.
Snake grabbed a mannequin's hand, twisting it and then kicking it in the chest, making it drop to its knees, then following it up with a bullet to its head with her pistol.
"There's no way we can kill them all; we need to get that door open!"
AJ shot another in the face. "How!? I don't see a lock or a keyhole."
Before Snake or Haze could say anything, they heard something even the mannequins noticed.
"...that sounds like a motorcycle engine, no?" questioned Haze.
Everyone could hear it coming from a nearby wall. They all eyed it until something blasted through it. The motorbike was in the air, and someone jumped off and landed behind a group of mannequins. Without even attacking them, all their heads were sliced off.
Standing there, with a beam-looking sword, kneeled a young woman with pink hair and pink shades.
"FUCK HEADS!" she laughed as all the mannequins she beheaded somehow shot out blood from their necks, covering the area in the red liquid.
The young woman stood up and turned to her side. The camera zoomed toward her face.
"It's game time!"
She looked back at the mannequins, pointing at them all.
"Okay, you walking piece of shit! Let's go, or are you afraid of getting beat up by a girl?!" she laughed and charged, slicing a mannequin in half and then kicking it away.
"W-who the fuck is she?" asked AJ as she and the others watched this new stranger attack the mannequins.
Snake smirked and aimed her weapon. "I don't know, but she is killing these monsters, and we need to help her. Let's kill them all."
AJ and Haze agreed, and the three of them joined the fight. They were surprised by how this new stranger sliced and cut up the mannequins without much effort. The four of them were fighting for a while, and after a bit, Haze landed near the new stranger and asked her something.
"Hey, who are you, and by any chance, do you have memory problems?"
The stranger looked at her but quickly went back to fighting. Haze tsk, but she and everyone could hear the stranger talk, but the thing is, her mouth wasn't moving. It was like she was speaking as a voice-over.
"I know many readers out there don't have much patience. At least that's what Maude, the chick at the video store, said to me before she was murdered in cold blood. She was like a sister to me; we were friends for years, but now she's dead and gone, and the only thing I wanted was the head of the shithead that killed her! That fat head-bat pizza boy got what was coming to him, but I felt empty after getting my sweet revenge. So I walked away from the assassin's life and became known as the crownless Queen, but my real name is Tanya Partydown. After that, I don't remember much, but one thing that will always be clear is Gotta find the exit. Gotta find that exit to Paradise. How's that? Short and straightforward enough for you? It's gonna be a long, hard road. But who knows? Could kick ass... It could be dangerous. It could totally suck. Whaddaya say, sis? Join me. Let's see how far we can take this. And for you, you who's reading this fanfic right now. Just keep reading. Let the bloodshed begin!
Tanya sliced and diced a ton more mannequins, and soon enough, none were left standing, and the area was covered in wood and red liquid.
AJ and Haze panted as the mannequins didn't respawn. Snake reloaded her gun and turned to Tanya, whose beam-like sword went out, causing her to sigh in sadness.
"Well, I'm out of juice, and the bike is destroyed, so that's a no-go."
"Thanks for the help, Tanya, right?" said Snake, holstering her gun.
Tanya didn't look at her; she started to pump the handle of her weapon like she was jerking off. "Hey, no problem. You girls looked like you needed help. Besides, the party wasn't all that good, anyway. I mean, they didn't even have alcohol."
AJ and Haze eyed Tanya as she kept shaking the handle of her weapon. AJ whispered to Haze. "What the hell is she doing?". Haze shrugged, but Snake guessed as she walked around Tanya.
"Let me guess, that laser sword ran out of battery, and the only way to charge it is by wagging it like that, right?"
Tanya finally notices Snake as she walks into her view. Tanya stopped wagging her weapon, opened her mouth wide open, and pointed at Snake. "Holy shit balls! A talking pony!" she got closer to Snake, amazed by her looks, and turned around, looking at the readers.
"Moe~"
Snake cringed when she saw how Tanya had just acted. She felt like she had seen this before, but with Otacon and her whole "it's like one of the Japanese animes" act.
"By any chance, are you an otaku?" Snake asked, hoping she was wrong.
Tanya stopped, then turned back to her, smiling. "Oh, sorry. I was just a bit surprised. Yeah, I'm an otaku!" she got closer to Snake, wanting to feel her up. "One of my favorite animes is one with talking ponies that use friendship to fight evil, and oh boy, the main characters are just too hot. Like, damn!" Snake could see her drooling and eyeing her flank.
Snake took a step back. "Yeah, just like Otacon. Even being weird with anime and all." she looked back at AJ and Haze, who were freaked out that Tanya was into talking ponies. "Anyway, I guess you are one of the people sent here like us."
Tanya's hands wriggled as she almost touched Snake's rear, but she heard what she said and stood up. "Sent here?" she said, then noticed AJ and Haze waving their hands and smiling.
Snake quickly explained everything, making Tanya nod and walk to the locked door with them.
"I see; we're all here to save some kids, huh? But we don't remember anything after agreeing to help or what we all have in common, huh? That's just the best kind of plot! We're all different, and we are going to meet up and have to work together. We are all going to have different powers and shit, and, oh boy, I can't wait to see what's going to happen!" happily said Tanya, getting all excited as they arrived at the locked door.
Snake and Tanya looked over the door, trying to see if they could remove the chains, not noticing AJ went back to teasing Haze like before.
"Come on, just show me the photo already! Why are you being such a tease?"
"Shut up! I won't show you a damn thing!" replied Haze, crossing her arms and looking away, but this just caused AJ even more to tease her.
The two went back and forth, not helping the other two open the door.
"So, what's with those two, anyway?" asked Tanya, leaning against the wall and looking at the scene before her.
"Hell yeah, a plotline where one of the main characters finds another universe version of their girlfriend and doesn't get along with the new version but will slowly open up to her and fall in love with that version! That's fucking classic! This is like a real-life fanfic, and it's gonna be a great ride!"
Snake laughed and turned to her. "So, that voice-over monologue you somehow did, you talked about losing someone like your sister and being an assassin. Did a job, and they somehow tracked you down?"
Tanya's face became grave, and she was still looking at Haze, who stopped AJ from searching her pockets. "You can say that. I wanted to be number one! It was a long road, and I finally got there, but after learning the truth about my family, why they were killed, and fighting my real sister to the death, I just walked away as I said." Snake could see Tanya's shades hid her eyes, but Snake could tell there was sadness in them. "As I was getting cash to enter the ranking, I killed these loser brothers who wanted to open a bat pizza place. Their youngest little brother wanted revenge and placed a hit on my friend, Maude." She squeezed her beam sword handle, remembering how her friend died and wanting to kill the bastard again. "That little shit was a tough cookie, and he was the real deal. But in the end, I killed him too and just wanted to disappear after that. I was going to leave the city when..." she touched her head. "Yeah, tits all fuzzy, but I think I remember talking to a pony-looking, human woman."
Snake leaned against the door, taking a sugar stick but looking at it. "You remind me of a few people, you know?"
Tanya smiled a little and turned to Snake. "Who, and what do they look like? Were they badass like me?"
"Nami wasn't a badass, but she was a tough woman. She wanted revenge against me and others who wronged her brother and herself. She even secretly altered MAGICDIE to kill them and me when the time came, but she changed as she saw I wasn't a cold killer. Still, in blindness for revenge, she helped create a world-ending virus within me, and she ended her life as a form of forgiveness, the pain she created on me. She wanted to suffer for it. Her death was long and painful." she tapped her sugar stick box, taking out a few sticks and giving some to Tanya, who happily took a few. "Then there was my mother, who wanted revenge against an old friend of her, the one who created the events of my birth. In the end, she got her decades-long revenge but at the cost of losing her life." Snake looked at Tanya, giving her a serious look. "Both Nami and my mother lost something vital to them, all in the name of revenge, and that was living life."
Tanya looked at her feet and played with the sugar sticks.
"So, I'm fucked then, Ms. talking pony? I killed so many people to get that number one ranking, that I'll always have a wanted sign on my back for rest of my life?"
Snake shook her head and put her hoof on Tanya's leg, making her look at her.
Tanya put the stick in her mouth and smiled. "Gonna find that exit, that exit to paradise! That's the best ending to the story, huh, Snake?"
Snake chuckled and nodded. "Yes, that's a great ending."
Suddenly, everything went dark, making Snake and others get their weapons ready, but Tanya looked confused.
AJ hurried over and aimed her shotgun at the gathering mist. "Short story, an evil dark creature that looks like Snake here is after us and trying to kill us. No doubt, not want us to reach the kids at the top of this tree."
Tanya activated her beam sword and put it on her shoulder. She saw something walking out of the mist, and just like AJ said, she could see an evil-looking version of Snake as its mouth let out black mist.
"She doesn't look so tough?" she quickly darted toward it, raising her weapon and preparing to slice it in half. "Take this, you bitch!"
Tanya sliced down the dark monster, but everyone was not surprised; seeing her beam sword just went through it, it was unaffected.
"What the hell!?"
Tanya could see the dark creature smiling at her and blasting her with black mist, burning her slightly and making her stagger backward. After the mist attack, the creature unleashed a powerful beam at Tanya, which had blocked it in time, but the beam blew up. Snake and the others watched as Tanya went flying towards them. They quickly dodged out of the way in time as Tanya crashed into the door and destroyed it. Snake looked inside and saw the spiral stairway and Tanya covered in the door debris, but to her surprise, Tanya stood up and looked completely fine.
"Oh, that freaking monster bitch gonna pay for that!"
Tanya jumped out of the hole in the door and made a battle cry as she ran back toward the creature, only to be sent flying back to the others. Snake jumped inside and turned to the others.
"It's getting more powerful! We can't hurt it anymore! We need to head to the fourth floor, fast!"
Snake started running up the stairs as AJ and Haze followed her, but Tanya rose and growled as the dark creature walked toward her. She took a battle stance and smiled.
"Ha! I took way worst, you fucker! Come on, let's go!" she charged at the creature again, but like before, she was blasted away and sent flying through the ceiling and crashing into the spiral stairway, meeting back up with the others. They looked through the hole and saw the creature looking at them, smiling evil-like.
"Where are my friends!?" she asked, opening her wings and taking off.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!"
The creature felt its tail being pulled and forced to the ground. When it looked back, it saw Spark had stopped her.
"Friends..."
She unleashed a mighty beam at Spark, who blocked and deflected the attack. The beam hit the ceiling above, crashing it down. The group could see rubble filling the hole and felt the stairway shaking, so they had to hurry to the next floor before the spiral staircase collapsed.
"Hurry, get to the fourth floor, fast!" shouted Haze, leading as she sliced any falling rubble.
Spark quickly flew out of the destroyed room, floating in the darkness, while the dark creature followed. Both just floated there, eyeing each other down.
The creature teleported in front of Spark, tackling her, but Spark saw a vision when it did.
static
Spark could see what looked like a church or something. She could see five colored stained windows and a cloaked figure stood in the middle. She could hear crying.
"I miss you all so much..."
static
Spark snapped out of it and grabbed the creature while tears fell from her eyes.
"I'm sorry for what happened, but I promise you!" she said, driving the creature back into the room and creating a large and powerful explosion.
"I'll save you too!"
End of Chapter 4
Author's Note
Couldn't sleep, so finished this chapter up but silly me, writing the big boss part, I picture normal big boss, not the Twil version xD fixed the gender on that lol
Also added some more lines to Snakes speech and few edits. Man, writing while running on flumes isn't a great idea.
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 5: Their Sad Stories
Author's Note
I am just reminding everyone that self-harm occurs in this chapter(and the rest of this fic when Alice shows up), just as I tagged in the tags.
Chapter 5: Their Sad Stories
Everything collapses around Spark and the dark creature, burying them in the rubble. An arm shot of the debris, pulling the figure out and overlooking the destruction.
"Friends..." said the dark creature, finally looking and seeing the impossible space within the tower. Prism glitches could be seen within the impossible space, and she slowly opened her wings, ready to go after the Snake and the others, but she could feel a shake around herself.
The creature watched as a rainbow aura shot out of the rubble. Hovering was Spark, who glared at her as she landed.
"I'm sorry," Spark said, her rainbow aura disappearing and wiping her tears away. "I'm sorry for what happened to you."
The creature's face filled with rage and hate as it screamed at Spark with all its might. "FRIENDS! GONE!" she rocketed toward Spark, tackling her again, but this time, unleashing dark magical energy from its body, hurting Spark as they flew up in the air. "I'M ALONE! NO FRIENDS!" it continued to scream as it kept pushing Spark toward the glitching prism in the sky.
Spark fought through the pain, stopping herself from being pushed, and held the creature tight, trying to calm it down.
Spark let go, and rainbow energy gathered in her fist; she was going to punch the creature, but she froze as she could see the tears in the creature's eyes. She couldn't bring herself to punch the beast.
"Please, I don't want to fight you anymore."
"FRIENDS, NO MORE!" shouted the dark creature, unleashing a beam right at Spark, making her shield her face and brace for impact; as it hit her and sent her flying back to the destroyed floor, on impact, it created a giant cloud of dust.
The dark creature was breathing hard, its hooves shaking and tears streaming down its face. However, it could still see the rainbow aura in the cloud of dust.
"Friend," it said, charging at the cloud, ready to kill Spark and end this.
Spark felt her body hurting as she lay on the ground. The creature was coming at her, ready to finish her off, but she didn't give up. Her rainbow aura became much more robust as she rose, almost blinding the creature. Spark shut her eyes, feeling something within her, making her remember something as the creature slammed into her...
static
A young, purple, short-boyish-haired girl wearing a purple jacket fell to the ground, bleeding from her forehead as a rock landed near her. She could see a crowd laughing at her and mocking her.
"What's the matter, dyke? Is little princess going to cry and have her big brother come and help her!?"
The girl held back her tears, refusing to let them fall. She did not want to be bullied by the mean girls in her school anymore. She just wanted to go home and not be bullied like this anymore. She tried to get up but quickly felt a kick to her ribs, causing her to grunt and groan.
"What's wrong? Can't stand up anymore? Oh, no, is poor, little princess going to cry!?"
The girls laughed, mocking the purple-haired girl as she struggled to get up.
"Please, stop," she pleaded, coughing and feeling her side hurt.
"Oh, what's the matter, dyke?" asked the leader of the group, getting close and forcing the girl's face up. "Don't like us showing how much we care about you, princess?"
The leader spat on the purple-haired girl and walked away with the rest of the girls, laughing loudly as they walked out of the alleyway, leaving the poor girl alone as she broke down and cried.
"Why? Why is my life like this?"
The girl placed her arm over her eyes, covering her face and revealing her bare arm as the jacket sleeve slid off. She could see cuts all over her arm and her wrist.
"Why do I need to suffer so much? Is it because..." she trailed off as she shut her eyes and cried her eyes out while placing her other hand over her arm, scratching it hard as she cried.
A few hours later, it was getting dark, and the girl just sat and leaned on the brick wall, her knees to her chest and her eyes puffy. She felt so miserable. She was so tired and wanted to go home and sleep forever, but a voice caught her attention.
"Alice? Alice, where are you?" called out an older male voice from the street at the end of the alleyway.
The purple-haired girl, known as Alice, quickly got up and hurried out of the alleyway. She saw her older brother walking down the street and finally noticed her.
"Nothing," Alice replied, avoiding her brother's eyes. "Can we go home?"
"Sure," the brother said, ruffling his sister's hair, causing her to giggle and smile. "Come on, sis."
The brother and sister started to walk home, not saying a word, but Alice's brother slowly eyed her, remembering seeing a cut on her forehead when he messed up Alice's hair. He couldn't tell her, or she would have a mental breakdown. He didn't want his baby sister to hurt like that, and he knew she wouldn't want him to worry. So he kept his mouth shut and walked his sister back home, not saying anything, and Alice was glad. She didn't want her brother to know that she was being bullied.
They walked down a rundown street, people drug out on the sidewalk, and hookers trying to sell their services.
"Come on, sweetie. One hour, and you can have a good time~"
"I'm not interested," said Alice's brother, walking by.
The hookers eyed the older man, seeing how well and built he was, and started to follow him and Alice, begging him to join them, some were even giving him discounts, but he stood his ground and told them no.
"No, thank you. I'm just walking my sister back home. Sorry, ladies."
"You can't just say no. You have to show us what we're missing~"
"Yeah, I can," the brother said, annoyed.
Suddenly, a loud clap could be heard ahead of them; standing there was an older woman, the same age as Alice's brother. She lowered her arms and smiled at the hookers.
The hookers rolled their eyes and went back to the streets, letting Alice and her brother pass by, but the older woman stopped them.
"Yo, Knight!" she looked down and saw Alice looking away. "Yo, Alice! How's my favorite little tomboy doing? Are those bitches picking on you again?"
"Nope," Alice replied, shaking her head.
"Oh, okay then." she could tell she was lying. "Don't be afraid to tell me, okay? I'll go over there and beat their asses," the older woman said, patting Alice's head, but Knight grabbed her arm, stopping her.
"Casey, stop. She doesn't want to talk about it."
"Come on, man, she needs to tell someone, or else she's going to explode," Casey argued, trying to pull her arm away, but Knight was holding her tightly.
"Please, not right now, okay? She doesn't want to talk about it," Knight explained, hoping to stop Casey, who looked at him and sighed.
"Fine!" she joined them in the walk, and for some reason, the hookers glared at her like they were jealous. "You're so lucky, Alice. You have a hot older brother who will protect you from the scary world."
Knight groaned, knowing what she was doing.
Casey placed her arms behind her head and leaned into Knight's face. "Who works out a lot, and you can tell because of his shirt. You can even see his abs, Alice. Oh, I wish I had your brother as my brother."
"Oh, please, Casey. Don't flatter me so much, as I have a girlfriend," said Knight, chuckling.
Casey leaned away and stood right; she grunted and slowly looked over to Alice, who kept looking at the ground as they walked. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Casey replied, sighing.
As they walked down the rundown street, Alice slowly grabbed her arm, rubbed it as she felt her old scars, and slowly eyed her brother, who was just annoyed as Casey kept hitting on him. Alice looked away, scratched her arm, and whispered something.
"I'm sorry..."
static
static
Spark opened her eyes, and her aura had grown tenfold. The dark creature was pushing her back, but her aura stopped her and made her look into her eyes.
"I know it hurts being alone without friends and family." Spark touched the creature's cheek, making it look surprised. "I know that feeling, not having family or friends."
The dark creature just stared at her.
"It's okay. I'm here, and I'll never leave you. No matter what, I will always be here." she smiled, using her thumb to wipe away the tear from the creature's cheek. "I'll save you, like I promised you."
The dark creature looked surprised and then angry as she remembered why she was like this.
"YOU MADE ME LIKE THIS!" the dark creature unleashed another powerful beam at Spark, who shielded herself and took the attack.
Spark straggled back, feeling the powerful beam hitting her arms, as she hadn't had time to put on a shield. She felt something within her, making her remember something again.
static
static
Alice finally arrived home with her brother and Casey. They stood before an old rundown apartment complex, having seen better days.
Casey sat on the rusty railing and spoke to Knight. "So, how are you on food this week? I can give you some cash if you need it."
"We're fine, Casey. It's not that bad, so don't worry about us," Knight said, ruffling Alice's hair, but Alice stayed quiet.
Casey looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "Oh, really now?"
"Really," Knight insisted.
Casey eyed him until she turned to Alice and saw her rubbing her arm, which made Casey sigh and hop off the railing. "Fine, but you owe me for protecting you from my co-workers."
"And I'm grateful for that, but I can take care of myself," Knight stated.
"No, you can't," Casey stated, crossing her arms and leaning forward.
Knight blushed. "I can."
Casey smirked, gave him a middle finger, and walked off, saying one last thing to him.
Knight rolled his eyes and walked into the apartment building, followed by Alice, and went upstairs. The piss and rotten odor could be smelled as they walked up the stairs, passing by the drug-out tenants.
"Hey, Knight, you want to join our party for a few games? We have a new game," a tenant called out, holding a bag with something inside it.
"Sorry, dude, but I have to make dinner for my sister and myself," Knight said, not stopping.
"Come on, dude! It will make the pain go away! We know what happened to you two from the old hag, so relax and have some fun."
"I'm fine, but thanks for the offer," Knight replied, not stopping to look at the tenants and going up the stairs.
"Are you sure, bro?"
Knight stopped and looked below, clearly mad. "FUCK OFF ALREADY!"
Alice started to rub her arm even harder as Knight walked up the stairs again.
"We're fine. I don't need anything. I don't need money, food, or 'medicine.' We're fine."
When the brother and sister reached the third floor, they walked through the hallway, seeing how awful it was, with stains and peeling wallpaper, but it was better than the other floors. They stopped at their apartment door and unlocked it. As they entered, they were met with a foul and burning odor.
"Fuck!" Knight exclaimed, shutting the door and running into the kitchen, grabbing a few paper towels.
Alice watched as Knight quickly covered his nose and ran into the bathroom with a pot, opening the window and turning on the fan. Before Knight exited the bathroom, Alice could hear something thrown out the window.
"Well, our dinner is gone," he said, walking to the stove, turning it off, and putting the pot on it. He opened the windows and looked for anything in the cabinets to make something, but most were empty. "Let's see..."
Alice started scratching her arm as she realized she was the reason the food was ruined. If she had just returned home after being bullied, her brother wouldn't have needed to leave the house and leave the pot on the stove. She started to think about what would happen if she had never been born. Maybe her brother would have a life.
"I'm sorry," whispered Alice, scratching her arm like crazy.
Knight heard and looked at her, noticing what she was doing to her arm. He didn't react right away like he was preparing himself. He shut the cabinets, walked up to her, and kneeled to her. He grabbed her wrist, stopping her from scratching herself, and rolled back her jacket sleeve. Knight saw the old scars on her arm and the new bleeding scratch marks. He gently grabbed her arm.
"Alice, you know that's bad," he said, looking at her.
Alice looked down, avoiding his gaze, but Knight grabbed her chin and pulled her to him.
"Please, Alice, don't do this to yourself. It's not good."
"I'm sorry," Alice whispered.
Knight's eyes saddened when he saw his sister in pain, but he forced a smile, grabbed her head, and pulled her to him, kissing her on the forehead.
"It's okay, Alice. Don't be sorry."
"I'm a bad sister," she whispered, closing her eyes.
"No, you're not."
Alice started to cry. "But I am! It's my fault we're living like this!" she finally looked at him, her face making him hurt more. "You were doing so well in college, but you dropped out because of what I did!" she started to dig her fingernails into her arm, causing it to bleed a little. "If I wasn't so smart, then maybe-"
"Alice, stop!" Knight yelled, grabbing her wrist. "Don't say that!"
"BUT IT'S TRUE!" she pulled away from her brother's hand, stepping back and holding her head in sadness. "If I weren't fucking smart, Mom and Dad would still be here! And you would still be in college!"
Knight could feel his heart hurting from seeing his baby sister in such pain. But what she did next filled him with so much guilt.
"IT'S MY FAULT THEY ARE DEAD! IT'S ALL MY FAULT LIKE YOU SAID THAT DAY!" Alice cried out. "IT'S ALSO MY FAULT THAT S-"
"Stop, please," said Knight in the most defeated voice he could ever muster. "Just stop already, Alice. Please."
Alice stopped, seeing her brother looking so sad. She hated this, and she hated her life. She just wanted to end her life already. She was too bright—too smart for her own good. She returned to scratching her arm but ran toward her room, slamming it shut.
Knight stood up and sat at the kitchen table, tired of doing this daily with Alice. He sighed and looked at his sister's door, seeing the old and torn purple star that hung off the door.
"Alice..."
Alice leaned against her door, sliding down it, crying and scratching her arm. She wished her life would end already, but her brother would always be there, keeping her alive. She didn't want to burden him anymore. She was such an evil sister, but her brother told her otherwise. That slight feeling within her kept her going, just for him, but she couldn't let go of the guilt, the pain, the suffering she had to endure. She looked at her room, which was a big mess, with clothes, books, and papers everywhere. She looked at her dresser and saw a photo of her and her parents and brother, who were smiling.
"Mom...Dad..."
She got up, approached her dresser, and grabbed the picture. She looked at it and smiled sadly.
"I wish you were here...to help me and my brother. I wish we could be together as a family again."
She put the photo back, went to bed, and sat down. She finally looked at her bleeding arm and put her hand under the bed, pulling out a first aid kit and taking out bandages, wrapping her arm, and stopping the bleeding.
"There." She put the first aid back under her bed. She sat there, looking at the ground, thinking about what would have happened if she wasn't such a burden to her brother. She didn't want him to be sad, worry, or care about her anymore. "I need to disappear to make him happy again."
Alice slowly looked up, looking back at the dresser and remembering something in the drawer.
She got up, approached her dresser, pulled out the second drawer, and moved some shirts out of the way. She grabbed an object hidden behind her clothes and sat on her bed, staring at the object in her hand.
"I need to finish it..."
She set the item on the floor, sat near it, and took out stuff from under the bed: a tool belt, blueprints, and a device. She put on her belt and started away on the device for hours until she thought she heard something and could hear a knocking on her door. She didn't answer; she just stayed quiet and listened as Casey's voice came from the other side.
"Yo, Alice. How are you feeling?"
Alice said nothing still, only sitting there and looking at her device.
"Alice, I got you and your brother some pizza. It's on the table, okay?"
Alice looked at the crack underneath the door, seeing the shadow of Casey's feet.
"I hope you are okay."
Alice looked back at her device, hearing footsteps walking away and a door closing, which made her think that Casey had gone out with her brother. She just sighed and continued her work.
It had been another hour before she felt hungry and went to her door. Peeking outside, she did not see anyone in the house. She walked toward the kitchen but saw the light coming from her brother's door. She could hear something and leaned against the door to listen.
Alice's eyes slowly went wide, and then the life in them just went out, making them look lifeless and dead. She kept listening, and still wearing her tool belt, she pulled out a screwdriver and started slowly going toward her arm...
static
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Spark's heart felt so heavy, remembering Alice telling her backstory.
"It's okay," Spark assured, pushing forward slowly as the beam didn't stop one bit. "It's going to be okay. It's why I'm here! I gather different versions of folks across the multiverse to help you!"
Spark kept pushing forward, almost reaching the dark creature, and stopped shielding herself, letting the beam hit her, but she reached out to the beast, touching its face once more.
"You don't need to suffer! You can move on; just let them help you!"
The creature stopped its beam and smacked Spark's hand away, its face becoming mist as it screamed out to her. "NO ONE WANTED TO LOOK AT ME!"
Spark could see half of the mist's face becoming Twilight's normal-looking face. Spark wanted to reach out again, but the fog engulfed her, floating around her and burning her body. She could hear the creature screaming out again but mixed with tears.
"I'M A FAILURE!"
Spark fought through the pain, reaching out again and feeling the same feeling as before.
static
Static
Celestia walked through Cantorlot City, waving at her subjects as the Summer Sun Celebration was being held this year. Her guards protected her as they marched in front of her. At her side is the captain of the guards, Shinning Armor, who looked around all nervous-like. Celestia noticed this and shoved him, getting his attention.
"What's wrong, princess!? Oh no, is she here!?"
Celestia patted his back, calming him down. "Armor, it's okay. It happens every year, and I don't mind it."
Armor stopped, making Celestia stop as well but still waving at the ponies.
"But princess, she keeps making a mess like she always does! Why aren't you mad about her?"
Celestia stopped waving and turned to him with a sad smile. "Because I was wrong about her. I-" she didn't finish as the guards in front of them stopped a crazy-looking mare from getting close.
"TEACHER! TEACHER! I DONE IT!"
Celestia sighed softly, not looking at the mare. "I gave her too much hope, hope that she was something special." she put on a brave face and turned to the mare. "Twilight, my faithful...student." Armor could hear the sadness and regret in the princess's voice, but he did nothing.
Twilight Sparkle, with her mane and tail in a messy look, smiled as she heard that. She glared at the guards, telling them to let her go, as she was the princess's student. The guards looked back and saw Celestia nodding, making them step aside.
"Princess, did you see my work!?"
Celestia didn't look her in the eyes. "Y-Yes, I have! How can't I when you keep sending reports about it..." Celestia remembered how she had to order the mail service to burn the letters rather than send them back, as Twilight had just sent them daily.
Twilight looked so happy that she could hug her teacher again after so many years, and she never let her go. She just smiled and kept her grip on her.
Celestia didn't hug her back. Instead, she teleported Twilight a few meters away.
"Twilight, thank you for your reports, but can you not send them anymore? You are wasting the post office's time," Celestia said, her smile becoming increasingly fake.
Twilight, hugging air, quickly realized she was moved and coughed. "Don't worry, teacher! I won't need to send any more reports after this!" Her horn started to glow, but it began to spark and fizzed out, making her freak out and sweating. "GIVE ME A SECOND! PLEASE! IT'S ALL I ASK, TEACHER!"
Celestia closed her eyes and just nodded, calming Twilight down, and started to try again. Armor couldn't watch this anymore and wanted to stop it, but Celestia stopped him.
"Let her have this, Armor. Just let her have this," she said calmly and defeatedly.
Twilight's horn started to glow, but this time, she could summon a basket with a blanket over it, a box filled with things, and a scroll. She opened the scroll and began to go over her research.
"As you know, magic comes in different forms and shapes and is not limited to unicorns. The earth pony's magic is their connection to the land." She stomped on the ground like a crazed person but stopped as she realized she was going too far. She continued. "Pegasus magic comes from their wings, which also comes from the sky around them!" She pulled out purple cardboard wings and put them, jumping all around, all silly-looking. Armor and Celestia could hear laughter from the crowds and ponies laughing, pointing, and making fun of her.
"Twilight," said Celestia, making Twilight turn to her.
"Yeah?"
"You're doing great, but can you-"
"To the point!?" shouted Armor, feeling the secondhand embarrassment.
"Yeah, yeah, to the point! I'll skip a few pages."
Celestia didn't look forward anymore. She couldn't believe the little filly; she gave so much hope back in the day to grow up and become like this.
"As you know, princess, magic is not limited to unicorns like us! All other ponies and creatures have a connection to magic!" she pointed to everyone in the crowd with a crazed look on her face, making them feel awkward. "Even objects can channel magic!" Twilight tossed her stuffed animal, only to fall on the ground. "See! Now I believe there is another way to channel magic!" she threw the scroll away and picked up the basket, which made Armor whisper his sister's name, making Celestia look at Twilight and recognize the basket.
"Twilight, so it was you who stole the," but Celestia couldn't finish as Twilight removed the blanket, revealing what was underneath it.
In the basket was an old dragon egg that had never been hatched. Twilight set the basket down and felt worried as she could see Celestia's upset face.
"Teacher, I have a theory, but I needed the egg! With it, I can finally pass my entrance exam!"
Ponies and other creatures started to whisper among themselves while Celestia finally walked toward Twilight.
"Twilight, the exam happened years ago. You aren't a filly anymore."
"BUT I CAN TAKE IT AGAIN, TEACHER!" shouted Twilight.
Armor couldn't hold himself back, so he grabbed Twilight's shoulder. "Listen, Twily! You failed that exam! You have to let that go!"
Twilight started to freak out when she heard that; she pushed her brother off and turned to Celestia.
Celestia could only sigh and nod, making Twilight calm down. Twilight smiled and went on, but she and everyone could hear someone calling out to her,
"Huh? Mom and Dad?" said Twilight, seeing her parents pushing through the crowd.
Celestia saw a very concerned look on Twilight's parents' faces. Twilight could only smile and wave at them, making them look at her in horror.
"I DONE IT! MOM AND DAD, I CAN FINALLY ENTER THE SCHOOL OF GIFTED UNICORNS!"
The two parents got closer, but the guards stopped them. Armor ordered them to let his parents through, allowing them to rush toward Twilight.
Twilight looked at Celestia and was going to continue her speech, but her father jumped on her, stopping her.
Her father pushed her face into the dirt and bowed to the princess while his wife bowed and explained themselves.
"We are so sorry, Your Highness! We thought she finally gave up and acted normal these last few days! We didn't know she was planning this!"
"Planning what!? Let me go, Dad!" shouted Twilight, pushing her father off, only for her mother to grab her.
"Please, forgive us, princess, but our daughter isn't a bad pony!" shouted Twilight's father, bowing and sweating with fear.
"Please forgive my failure of a daughter for her actions!"
"WHAT!? What are you talking about, Mom and Dad!? I did nothing wrong! Please, princess, please let me prove myself to you! I can be a student at the School of Gifted Unicorns!" she almost got her mom off. "I CAN BE THE STUDENT YOU ALWAYS SAW IN ME!"
Celestia's sad face didn't change; instead, she just sighed. "Twilight, please, it's time to stop. Please leave. I was wrong about you, and you aren't gifted."
Twilight froze when she heard that, and she started to smile with a creepy expression.
"TEACHER, WHY DO YOU TREAT ME LIKE THIS!?"
She broke free from her mother's grip, grabbed the egg, and her horn started to glow.
"YOU SAID YOU SAW A SPARK WITHIN ME! SOMETHING THAT WILL MAKE ME DIFFERENT FROM THE REST! WHY ARE YOU TREATING ME LIKE THIS!? DON'T YOU CARE!?"
Armor, her parents, and Celestia could hear the crowd and other creatures mocking her.
"Wait, isn't she the blank flank weirdo?"
"Yeah, it's her! She always does every chance she gets or during this year."
"Man, what a creep; she can't get over not passing a test."
Twilight could hear the talking, and her breathing became heavier. She looked at her flank, seeing no cutie mark. She started to laugh as she continued her research speech.
"HAHA! LIKE I WAS SAYING, THERE IS ANOTHER WAY TO CHANNEL MAGIC AND THAT'S BY EMOTIONS! HAHA, IT'S LIKE YOU TOLD ME! YOU SAW A SPARK IN ME, WHICH MEANS EMOTIONS CAN BE CONVERTED TO MAGIC!"
Twilight started to panic, and the magic around her became unstable.
"TWILIGHT, YOU ARE GOING TO HURT YOURSELF!" shouted Armor, trying to rush toward her with their parents.
Twilight closed her eyes and quickly opened them, showing her eyes glowing dark purple. She slowly rose to the air with the egg. Her magical aura glitched out as it covered her body and the egg.
"HOPE, TRUST, LOVE, AND BELIEF! YOU SAW THEM IN ME, AND I SHOULD HAVE FAITH IN MYSELF, AS YOU SAID, TEACHER! IF I BELIEVE ENOUGH, I'LL SHOW YOU!" screamed Twilight as her aura glitched out and increased in size. "I'LL SHOW YOU THAT OUR FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC!"
Everyone watched as the magic around Twilight was getting worse, and they started to back off and panic. Twilight's parents were the first to run away, but Armor stood his ground, as did Celestia.
"TEACHER, PLEASE, HAVE FAITH IN ME! I CAN DO IT!"
Armor looked at Celestia, but she did nothing; she only watched.
Twilight unleashed her glitching magic into the egg, but something happened: the magic went back into Twilight's horn, causing magical feedback and an explosion.
Armor couldn't see the blast, and the shockwave was too strong for him. He was blown away, but luckily, his armor protected him. He stood up, coughing out dust, and saw Celestia in the sky, creating a shield to protect everyone from the blast. She slowly returned to the ground, and both watched as the smoke cleared and Twilight on the ground, crying her eyes out.
"I thought for sure this time, but I am nothing," cried Twilight as she hugged the egg, her head bleeding.
Celestia slowly walked toward her, and Armor followed.
"Twilight, are you okay?" asked Celestia, her voice seemed caring yet filled with anger and sadness.
Twilight turned around, still holding the egg. "I'm okay, princess. I'm sorry, but I failed again."
Armor approached her and looked at the egg, which had a crack. He lifted the basket and let Twilight put it in it.
"Maybe next tim-" Twilight stopped, as Celestia placed her hoof in her face. "Teach-"
"I'm not your teacher, Twilight; I was and never will be your teacher. You aren't my student either; I only played along because I felt it was my fault that I gave your hopes up and scattered it as you failed your exam that day." Celestia lowered her hoof and pointed all around them, yelling in anger. "I GAVE YOU TOO MUCH HOPE! TOO MUCH! YOU NEED TO GROW UP! YOU'RE NOT A FILLY ANYMORE, BUT YOU ACT LIKE ONE! MY FAITHFUL STUDENTS LIKE SUNSET WILL NEVER HAVE DONE THIS! YOU COULD HAVE HURT EVERYONE HERE, AND YOU STILL WANTED TO BE MY STUDENT DESPITE NOT PASSING THE TEST! YOU STILL WANT TO CLING TO THE PAST AND NOT MOVE FORWARD IN YOUR LIFE!" she was breathing hard, returning to talking calmly. "Twilight, if you keep clinging to this unhealthy obsession and never moving forward, you won't have a future. You are nothing but a-"
Twilight started to cover her ears, not wanting to hear it, but her parents returned and made her listen as they wished this tiring nightmare to end.
"You are nothing but a failure."
The spark within Twilight finally burned out in the darkness, making her sit down and look so empty inside. Celestia had enough and walked away while Armor approached his sister.
"Twily, are you okay?"
Twilight didn't reply, not even moving, as her eyes were lifeless.
"I'm a failure," said Twilight, her voice sounding dead.
Armor wanted to say something, but he, too, was tired of this endless cycle. He turned and walked away.
Twilight could only look around her and saw nothing but mocking eyes as she heard laughter. She returned, looking at the dirt ground, while her parents picked her up, along with her things, and took her home.
static
static
Spark hated hearing how this version of her mother had such an awful life growing up that it broke her heart so much.
The creature couldn't believe Spark was still pushing forward, walking through the burning mist to try to reach her.
"I have no purpose, and I'm a failure. The world would be a better place without me." screamed the normal Twilight side, while Alice's face appeared on the other side, crying as she screamed. "It's better if I just ended my damn worthless life!"
Both sides unleashed a giant tide of dark mist, engulfing Spark. "YOU CAN'T SAVE US! WHY SHOULD WE LISTEN TO YOU!? TO THEM!?"
Within the darkness of the mist, a bright rainbow star appeared and wiped away the sea of mist.
"Why? Why? Why, why, WHY!?" screamed both voices, seeing Spark walking to them.
Static
static
Twilight was in her messy room, filled with nothing but papers on the theory of magic and how to channel it. She could hear her parents fighting among themselves in the living room, fighting over whose fault it was that she was like this. Twilight could see the egg on her dresser and looked away from it. She could hear her parents yelling even more.
"SHE'S A FAILURE AND IT'S YOUR FAULT!"
"BLAMING ME!? SHE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A FAILURE AT THINGS! SHE CAN'T GO WITHOUT HAVING A PANIC ATTACK OR HAVING A FREAK OUT ABOUT THE SIMPLEST OF THINGS!"
Twilight didn't move; she only listened to her parents yelling. She let it all sink within her, finally coming to terms with the fact that she was nothing but a.
"Failure. That's all I am. I couldn't have friends when growing up. I can't be a student at the School of Gifted Unicorns, and I couldn't even pass a simple entrance exam."
She could feel tears falling from her face.
"I'm worthless. I'm causing so much pain for everyone around me. Maybe Celestia was right? I don't have a future at all." she stood up and looked up at the night sky, seeing the mare on the moon. Twilight used her magic to recreate the magical feedback but focused it all on her horn, creating a sizeable glitched-out aura. "Maybe it's time to let go? End it all?"
Static
static
Alice felt the blood oozing down her arm as she kept hurting herself while listening to her brother as he cried and did something with Casey in his room.
"CADENCE! CADENCE! WHY!?"
In the room, Casey stood under the blankets, looking at the crying Knight.
"Ssh, it's okay." she leaned in and kissed him on the neck.
"I lost everything that day, Casey. My parents and my girlfriend." cried Knight, grabbing Casey and feeling her hugging back.
Casey kept kissing him. "I know, my sweet broken knight. It's why you wanted me to look like her, right? To make the pain go away. Just relax."
Knight did as he was told and did what his brain told him. "Please, it hurts so much. It's so cold without her here."
"I can make the pain go away. Just keep focusing on me and the sound of my voice." She placed her hand on his cheek. "I never left you, Knight. I'm right here."
Alice kept listening, her eyes nothing but dead inside, as she heard her brother crying over his dead girlfriend, the one she killed along with her parents on that day. But what she heard next made her feel so hollow inside.
"Alice is right, and it's all her fault! Why couldn't she be normal!?"
Alice stepped back and headed back to her room, ignoring the blood she had left on the floor. She quietly closed the door and began working on the device. Within her mind, she cursed at herself.
"You said you wanted to be loved, to have friends who don't care if you act like a tomboy and have a family again, but look what you did! Done to your brother! You destroyed his happiness and left him empty and alone. What a monster you are; you cause nothing but pain and grief."
Alice kept working, not feeling her tears fall.
"But, at least, he has her. He won't be alone when I'm gone." Alice whispered as bright purple light emitted from the device.
static
static
"WE SHOULDN'T BE SAVED! NOT AFTER WHAT WE DONE TO THE PEOPLE AROUND US! WE DESERVED TO SUFFER!" they screamed as Spark stopped and looked at them. "BUT IT'S NOT FAIR; WHY DO WE HAVE SUCH AN AWFUL LIFE, BUT OTHER VERSIONS OF US ARE LIVING SUCH A HAPPY AND PERFECT LIFE!? HUH!? HAVING FRIENDS, BEING HAPPY, AND BEING NORMAL, WHY DO THEY GET THAT WHEN WE DON'T!? IT'S NOT FAIR! WE WERE CREATED WITH SO MUCH PAIN, SUFFERING, AND TORTURE!" the creature fell to the ground, as both Twilight and Alice's faces were crying.
Spark just at them, remembering this suffering...
static
static
"Kill me. I need to die." shouted a very familiar voice to Spark as she stood in the darkness.
"Don't let me suffer anymore!"
Spark could see a small cyan filly being covered in black slime. It was her sisters.
"Did I break everything again?" Softly asked Blitz as she sat on the floor and started crying again. "I need to die. I shouldn't exist."
"I...can't...forgive myself...for all those...deaths," sobbed Braver's voice, coming from the black slime.
Spark slowly walked up to the filly, still listening to their voices.
"I CAN SEE ALL THE LIFE I ENDED THAT DAY! I REMEMBER KILLING MY MOM! BOTH OF THEM! I CAN REMEMBER STABBING HER! BURNING HER!"
"I KILLED BILLIONS! I'M THE REASON MY UNIVERSE DIED!"
"I CAN'T FORGIVE MYSELF! How can you ever forgive me?"
"I AM A MONSTER! That's how everyone needs to see me! KILL ME!"
"NO! I CAN'T! I DON'T WANT TO OVERWHELM YOU! ALL OF YOU! TO SEE YOU SCARED OF ME! I'M A MONSTER! I'M BREAKER OF WORLDS AND STARS! NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY! IT WON'T EVER BE ENOUGH!"
"Why do you care? I'M NOT WORTH SAVING!"
"NO! I DON'T WANT YOUR PITY! I NEED YOU ALL TO HATE ME! MAKE ME PAY FOR WHAT I DID!"
"I'm not strong..."
Spark finally stood in front of the slime-covered filly. She lowers herself, still listening to their voices.
"But I can't face them. I hurt them. I killed them! I can't ever let that go!"
"No! Don't say that! My hooves are covered in blood! NOT YOURS! NEVER YOURS! IF YOU SAY THAT, THEN THAT WILL MAKE YOU THE MONSTER, AND I'D RATHER BE THE MONSTER THAN SEE YOU BLAMING YOURSELF!"
Spark remembers seeing all of this, seeing her sisters suffering and blaming themselves but never each other, as they wanted to spare the other from the pain and suffering they had caused. She placed her arms around the filly, holding them tight.
"That's why, deep within you two, I made you search for others that could save you and help you move forward in life, which not only did that but also gave you new family, parents who loved you so much."
Spark was now crying, hearing the voices slowly die down.
"You have a wonderful family and friends. They are the proof that you deserve to live. No matter how painful the past is or the things you did, they love you and see you as their daughters and friends." Spark could feel the filly melting away into nothingness, making her look at her empty arms. "But I took that away from you two, making you two take away your own lives..." She hugged herself and cried harder. "For me...the sister who's the one who doesn't deserve to live..."
static
static
Spark finally reached them and placed her hands on both sides of their faces. "That's why I'm doing this."
"Doing what?" they both asked in unison, making Spark smile.
"I won't let another spark burn out like that again. You two can be saved and deserve happiness, no matter how bad or good your life is. The past can hurt you, but you should never let the pain consume you, but instead, learn from it and use it as fuel to grow."
The creatures couldn't believe what they heard and wanted to back away, but something glowed within them. On their chest glowed Twilight's cutie mark.
Spark unzipped her puffy jacket as it glowed, revealing her cutie mark, which glowed on her chest.
"All it takes is just a spark. A different kind of spark." Spark gave them a big smile, but another voice interrupted, finishing her sentence.
"The spark that resides in the hearts of all." said the voice, coming from with Twilight's cutie mark, making the sides faces spread open and revealing another Twilight underneath the mist.
Static
static
As rain and thunder could be heard outside the church, a cloaked figure looked at the five elements of harmony ponies as they were stained glass windows, those who saved Equestria and helped others. The figure looked down, listening to the magical tune playing through the holy building.
"I miss you all so much," she said, holding a candle with her magic. "I loved being on my own, but..." she started to cry, the weather outside worsening. "But living every day, knowing I won't see any of you again, I don't know what to do anymore..." The weather blew the doors open, pushing the figure's hood off, revealing it was Twilight, tears in her eyes. "It's so lonely..." the candle blew out, but a rainbow-glowed star appeared within the darkness, making this Twilight turn to it.
static
static
Spark nodded. "I will, and not only them, but you too, Twilight." Spark could see the dark creature taking over,
Snake and the others made it to the fourth floor and watched as the spiral stairway fell, leaving them no way back down, only forward in the tunnel. They walked through the tunnel, not noticing the yellow pony carving on its walls as it started to glow.
As they traveled down the tunnel and finally reached the end, they saw a vast forest and wooden creatures walking around and staring at them.
In this forest, a young teenage girl wearing a skin-tight suit smiled as she petted the wooden creatures.
End of Chapter 5
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Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 6: Everyone Fails But That Doesn't Mean...
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 7: ...All Hope Is Lost
Spark stared at Sunset and the rest of Blitz's friends, unsure what to say or do. Sunset let her go, but she was taken aback when she realized Spark was taller than her and the others.
"Geeze, we see where all of the Tall genes went." She laughed. "Man, poor Blitz! Even though all three of you are the same age, she's the smallest."
Wallflower giggled, who was still somewhat human but still looked like a nymph, remembering how much Blitz hated her smallness.
Sunset chuckled and turned back to Spark, who was staring at her. "Spark, is something wrong?"
Spark blinked and slowly scanned Blitz's friends. She had never met them in real life, but she knew everything about them as she looked through Blitz's eyes when she lived in that universe for the last five years. So, seeing them all here, it felt like she was re-meeting her friends.
"Spark?" whispered Tempesta, who looked like Tempest but without the broken horn, as she and everyone else could see a tear falling down her cheek.
Spark shook her head, then wiped her tears away. What she felt wasn't her own but Blitz's feelings if she was alive. It wasn't right. These aren't her friends, so she shouldn't feel like this.
"Sorry," replied Spark, feeling ashamed of herself.
Brishen, who loomed over the rest of his friends as he became his Equestria counterpart, The Storm King, crossed his arms and wondered what Spark meant by sorry. He was about to ask her, but Wallflower spoke first.
"It's fine, Spark," said Wallflower, giving her a friendly smile.
Tempesta turned to her friends and pulled Sunset to the side. Unsure this was a good idea, she remembered Lucy's phone call.
"Hey, where's Lucy?" asked Brishen, stopping and looking around for Lucy but seeing the hateful glares from all the town folks that walked by. He remembered how he learned his Equestria counterpart was an evil asshole and did awful things across Equestria, so he couldn't blame the creatures for giving him such glares.
"Lucy?"
The girls looked at him, confused, and realized Lucy had left the group. Tempesta sighed loudly.
"No, let her be," replied Sunset, crossing her arms. "Lucy needs some time alone after what happened." She looked down slightly more. "We all do."
Wallflower could see all of her friends becoming sad and depressed, remembering how Blitz was gone. She held the map of the large town, as she was the one who planned this outing to New Ponyville. She wanted everyone to get their minds off Blitz's death, but now, they were thinking of her and the events that transpired.
"Hey," she called, getting her friend's attention. She held out the map. "Remember why we're here! To help Sunset!" She looked for the Mayor building on the map, "Blitz and Braver's parents told us the truth, that once fused, it can't be undone unless a third party injected themself into the fusion, but that doesn't mean all hope is lost! There has to be a way to get Sunny and Sunset to unfuse and return them to normal!"
Sunset looked at Wallflower, and she could tell she was smiling bravely, trying not to cry. She remembered her taking it the hardest when Blitz was...
"We know, but even if there is, how long can we keep doing this, Wallflower?" said Sunset, lowering her head. "We're running out of ideas, and we need to decide where I'll live soon—here in Equestria or back in your universe." She held her head in slight pain, as the headache wasn't like before, but it annoyed her still.
Tempesta placed a hoof on Sunset's leg, "We're doing our best, Sunny, but there is always a chance we'll figure this out. Sunburst believes that if we visit where Sunset lives and make you realize you aren't one person/pony, then the fusion should break."
Sunset nodded, knowing what she had said, but she was losing hope and thought she should live in their world, no matter what. However, a part of her felt so sad, losing her current life and friends. Her emotions were such a mess within her, like two people were indeed trying to take the wheel of a car, and it was going to crash if this kept going like this.
Ring Ring
"Huh?" Sunset could feel her new magical phone going off, and she took out her phone and looked at the caller ID.
"Must be Lucy, right? Or is it the Sunburst testing out his phone?" asked Brishen.
Sunset told everyone it was Lucy, and she answered it. She listened to Lucy talking about Spark being back and seemed to be suffering about who she was. Is she her own person or just a copy of her sisters? Hearing that, Sunset felt a slight connection, having similar thoughts and problems.
"We'll be right there, Lucy!" she said, hanging up and looking at her friends. "It looks like we have to wait about helping us; it seems Blitz's sister needs help!"
"She needs help, Tempesta. She's like us and feels like she's someone she's not. We know how that feels. Remember, we are one, and yet we're two. We have two personalities, one from each world. And sometimes, we forget who we are."
Tempesta nodded, understanding Sunset. The two turned back and could see Wallflower talking to Spark.
"How have you been, Spark? You didn't let us talk to you when you left like that." Wallflower grabbed Spark's hands, looking up to her and smiling. "So, let's start here, okay? My name is-"
"Your name is Wilma, but Blitz called you Wallflower because even if you're a Wallflower, you don't have to hide; Blitz won't forget or ignore you. No one should; you are unique, no matter what others say or think. So, don't ever hide." Spark could feel Wallflower's hands shaking. She let her go and placed her hands on Wallflower's cheeks, brushing the tears away. "She made her light a new tomorrow. Even if it's not perfect and isn't the best. Blitz wanted to share it with you. She wanted to shine her light on you, so you shine your light on her. You keep telling her she's as bright as a comet, but you shine just as brightly in the darkness. Why else does she keep finding you." Spark could see Wallflower crying nonstop, whispering Blitz's name like she was in front of her. This made Spark feel so bad, but a part of her wanted to say this to Wallflower again, and she didn't know why. Maybe she was feeling Blitz's feelings? Remembering how her sister felt when she first met Wallflower and, years later, having feelings for her.
"Blitz...are you..." but Wallflower stopped herself, remembering what Sunset told them from Lucy's phone call. Spark was trying to be Blitz, to make her happy. She held Spark's hands and moved them away from her face, creating a smile. "You aren't Blitz. Don't try to act like her; even if you watched over her when she was growing up, you just aren't her. Don't act like you are."
"I'm sorry," whispered Spark, lowering her head. "I...I didn't mean to hurt you. It's just..."
"I understand. You want to bring her back, but you aren't her." She squeezed her hands. "Everyone here took it hard when Blitz and Brave died. I want to say I took it much harder, but that's not true. We all were hurting." Wallflower pulled her into a hug. "And you have every right to be, too. Just don't forget that. You didn't kill your sisters. They died to give you a chance at life."
"I know, but..."
Wallflower shook her head. "Don't feel like this. It would be best if you lived the life they wanted you to have—to grow up and become your own person." She pulled away and looked up to her. "But that doesn't mean we won't welcome you into our lives. Let us show our kindness to you."
"You...you would?" Spark was surprised by this. "But...you don't even know me, and I took-"
Brishen walked over, almost meeting her eye to eye, giving her a smirk. "Of course we would, like why won't we? Your Blitz's sister, and we are our friends' family; we're her friends, so we are yours too." He crossed his arms. "But please, don't try to act like her. For one, you are too tall to be Blitz and..." he tried not to glare at the large chest in front of him but could feel someone giving him cold daggers, making him cough loudly. "She was pretty small...anyway, stop blaming yourself for something that wasn't your fault. You have nothing to apologize for." he gave her a thumbs up. "No matter what happens or where you go, we will always be here for you. So be selfless, and we'll give you all our friendship in return without asking anything back."
Sunset and Tempesta could see how much Wallflower and Brishen were able to cheer Spark up and could see the tears falling down her cheeks. They smiled, knowing their friends were the best people to have. Tempesta walked over and sat down but still gave Brishen a cold stare and looked up at Spark.
"You need to start being honest to yourself, you know. You can't keep lying to yourself about what happened. Blitz and Braver died, yes, but they didn't die for nothing. You can't let their sacrifice go in vain."
"But...but..." Spark lowered her head, not knowing what to say, and Sunset walked over, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"You need to start smiling! Start laughing again!" Sunset told her, smiling at her. She remembered what that alternate-universe Rainbow Dash said to her...
"You gotta let her go. It will hurt, but she's her own person. You can't force her to be someone she isn't. Just help her move forward, and the spark will return the flavor. Don't push her away like you did in the last rewrite. Just let her decide who she is. That's all you can do for her. Okay, Sunset?"
Sunset patted Spark's back hard, almost making her tip over. "You need to smile and laugh like I said, Spark. You can't live in self-doubt about who you are when you are already someone. You're you. So, don't ever doubt it. Be yourself. Just don't ever forget them, and always love them. But also, let them go so you can fly on your own." She signaled Spark to come closer to her, which she did, which allowed Sunset to put her in a headlock and mess up her mane again. "We'll be here to help you but also be your friends! Same with Blitz and Braver's parents! They're your family now, like it or not!" she let her go and stepped back with the others. "Look, it's not easy, not knowing who you are like we're going through that right now with ourselves. It's hard, like damn hard, but unlike us, you only got one living person within you." she pointed to her heart. "You can't force someone to be someone they're not; that's not helping anyone. But, simultaneously, you can't doubt yourself if you are someone. If you do, that's a lie." she patted her heart. "So, listen to it and find who you are. Not Blitz and Braver but yourself, Spark. Because at the end of the day, you are the only person who can help yourself. Only you can decide on that! No one can decide it but you! You decide who you are."
Spark listened to everything Sunset said and could hear her heart beating. She thought about what they said and knew what to do, so she opened her eyes and looked at them, her new friends. Her horn and eyes started to glow bright rainbow auras, covering Sunset only.
"Whoa, what are you doing to us!?"
Spark smiled at her. "Returning the flavor, Sunset and Sunny!"
With a bright flash that blinded everyone, Spark's aura died down, and everyone could hear Sunset's voice—but also another.
"Shit! What did you do!? My head is..." Sunny touched her head but realized it wasn't hurting like always. "Fine? WAIT..."
Everyone could see again and was happy that Sunny and Sunset were not fused anymore. Sunset looked at her body and looked toward Sunny, who was also checking her own body, but everyone could see she was still in her anthro form. Twilight asked Spark what she did.
"Remember? When did you four come into my Element core with Nightfall and Sky? You were unfused because of my powers. I can overcome any magical spell or universe effect," she blushed. "As you said, If Fayth is the living embodiment of fate itself, then I'm the living embodiment of what a spark is...moving forward, no matter the odds..." She smiled at Twilight. "So, thanks, m..." She wanted to say something, but something kept holding her back. "...Twilight. Thanks..." She turned to Sunset and the rest of the group, thanking them, but Twilight could tell something was still wrong with her, not just with her whole identity crisis.
Dash nudged Twilight's side, making her turn to her. "Hey, Twi. You noticed it, too, right?"
Twilight nodded. "Yeah. Something isn't right. Something is holding Spark back." She rubbed her chin, thinking.
"What do you think it is?"
"I'm not sure, Dash, but I felt it's related to her identity problem." Twilight and Dash eyed Spark, who was laughing with the others as Sunny tried to use her horn but blasted herself. "Just by looking at her, even though she's so close to us right now." Twilight's eyes had a tiny spark within them. "She feels so far away from all of us. It's like...she doesn't want to be a part of our lives."
"What!?"
Twilight shook her head. "It's hard to explain, but..."
"It's like she's afraid we'll hate her," said Dash, crossing her arms. "I don't care how often we have to keep telling her this, but we don't hate her! We love her!" Dash stopped flapping her wings and sat on the grassy ground, smiling at Spark, who was teaching Sunny how to control magic while Sunset joined in. "I don't know how to put these into words, but it felt like she was always with us! We raised Braver but also felt Spark was right there with her. We raised two daughters, not one...we love her, and if she dies, we'll miss her too..."
"I understand, Dash," said Twilight, sitting beside her. "I think, when Braver met each of her friends, I saw Bolt and all of the others by her side...But I guess I wasn't seeing them, only Spark herself. Just by being near her, you can feel her aura of constantly pushing forward, no matter the odds!" Twilight suddenly could hear Dash laughing a bit. "What's so funny, Dash?"
Dash looked at her. "Doesn't that sound like you, Twi?"
Twilight blushed deep red. "W-What!?"
Dash looked up at the beautiful blue sky. "Yeah, you constantly push yourself for our friends, no matter the situation. Look at how far we've come since we met you." She could see the clouds moving slowly and a bird flying by. "Like you said back then, a different kind of spark. You felt it when you realized how happy you were to hear and see us, how much you cared about us." Dash looked back at Twilight, giving her a cocky smile. "The spark ignited when you realized that we all... are your friends! We are a family, and we care about each other. That's what I love about you!"
Twilight smiled slightly and remembered how it felt when she realized the spark within her on that day. "Yeah, a family...no matter the distance, no matter the time apart." She placed her wing over Dash, pushing her forward, making the blue pegasus blush deep red. "The spark that resides in the heart of us all will always connect us, no matter how long we've been away from each other." She nuzzled Dash's face, making Dash's wings open up. "But Spark also sounds like you, you know?"
Dash snapped out of it and confusedly looked up at her. "What? How?"
Twilight looked at Spark, who was talking with Wallflower, asking where she got that puffy jacket. "Spark has a strong heart, pushing forward, never letting anyone stop her. Even if someone hurts her, she keeps moving, not caring how often she gets knocked down. She is loyal to her beliefs, protecting them, no matter the cost." She looked at Dash, who was trying to comprehend what she said, so Twilight grabbed her cheeks and pulled them apart, making Dash blush a deep red again. "I'm saying Spark acts like you! Always wanted to fly forward, not caring about anything, only flying! And..." She pulled her face closer to Dash's face. "If someone is in trouble, she will never stop helping them." Twilight closed her eyes and moved closer, their lips almost touching. "Just like you, Dash, she has the best parts of you." She covered Dash and herself with her wings, kissing Dash on the lips, feeling the nervousness from Dash's lips, but it quickly vanished as she returned the kiss.
Twilah was not too far from them, and seeing them kissing made her smile, but Twilight was right about Spark. She carries the best parts of them. Even with raising Blitz, she always felt like there was another kid beside Blitz.
"Spark, you aren't Blitz or Braver or a clone of your parents. You were raised alongside your sisters and picked up our best parts, the ones we want our kids to have. That's why." She closed her eyes. "Your sisters loved you when they learned of your existence and wanted to share their world. You keep thinking you stole their lives to have it, but you are wrong." Twilah opened her eyes, smiling. "We always felt you were with us, and you always will be, no matter what happens. Because you're part of our family," she said within her thoughts, knowing what was wrong with Spark. "That's what is still bothering you. You feel like you are inserting yourself into our lives or replacing our daughters." She looked over to Spark, who was walking over to her. "You aren't, Spark. We always had room for you." she nodded at herself, knowing what she needed to tell her. She opened her mouth, but she felt something like black seeds fall around her, and she could even see Spark's face filled with horror and rage.
"No, I'm not letting you fix this so soon, Twilah."
Twilah slowly turned, seeing Fayth near her face, smiling at her. For some odd reason, she couldn't move or do anything, only watch as Fayth wrote something in her book, tearing the page out and forming a glowing black twisted seed.
"I want her to suffer to go on a little more, and the best way to do that is." Fayth placed the seed on Twilah's chest, slowly pushing it inside of her until it vanished. "By changing your ending!"
"FAYTH!" yelled Spark, tackling Fayth away from Twilah and across the park. Twilah dropped to her knees, breathing hard like life was escaping from her, and everyone rushed toward her.
Fayth and Spark were trading blows. Their bodies were blurred, but even a regular person could see the fury in their attacks. The half of the park became a battleground as the two fought each other.
Spark grabbed Fayth by her collar. Her eyes beaming with rainbow fury, she screamed at her and asked her one thing.
Fayth gave her a twisted smile and, using her powers, made her body filled with sharp thorns, almost stabbing Spark, but she acted quickly and let go.
"What else, Spark? I didn't just change her story but also her ending!" she cast away her thorns and shut her book. "You shouldn't shown me any mercy! Now it's your fault for what happened to her!" she could see Spark's face and laughed, knowing her words hit hard. "That's right, Spark, all of this is your fault. How can you face Dashie now? Or even face your dead sister, knowing you destroyed her family!".
Spark's rainbow aura became faint. "N-No!" she shook her head. "That's a lie! It's your fault, not mine! You are the one who..." She stopped when she heard Blitz screaming for her mother in her mind. Spark covered her ears, trying to block out Blitz's screaming, knowing it wasn't real. "Stop it!"
"Stop what? I'm not doing anything to you." she pointed at her, giving her a twisted smile. "That's all you, Spark! You're doing that to yourself. Your guilt is making you do that." She faced away from her, dead leaves falling all around her. "You killed your sisters, now you destroyed one of their families, thinking you could insert yourself into it, thinking they'll accept and love you." she looked over her shoulder. "And yet, you still can't face it." She raised her hand, waving goodbye. "You don't have a place to belong. You are just a replacement for them, so start acting like it's because Twilah's ending is coming sooner than you think. Oh, and don't forget, Blitz is cursing your existence."
With those final words, Fayth left this universe, leaving a broken Rainbow Spark behind.
Spark slowly landed and dropped on all fours, her face filled with despair. She could still hear Blitz screaming for her mother, and just like Fayth told her, she could hear her cursing her existence. Spark was a clone, an imposter, not the real Rainbow Blitz or Braver Sparkle. She didn't belong here or anywhere.
"Ha..."
She failed to protect her new mother; no, she could not protect Blitz's mother, the family she left behind for her...no.
"Hahaha..."
The family and life she tried to steal away from her sisters. Fayth isn't the real bad guy here. Spark is the villain! She's the real bad guy here!
"HAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
She killed her sisters, and she destroyed their family; she's a monster! She's a failure!
Spark started to cry while laughing, her rainbow aura increasing and her eyes becoming unstable rainbow lights. Behind her back, a rainbow halo started to form.
"I'M BREAKER OF THINGS!" She laughed as the land started to shake. "THAT'S RIGHT! MY REAL NAME WAS STAR BREAKER! BREAKER OF WORLDS AND STARS! A MONSTER, A WEAPON THAT WAS CREATED TO DESTROY ANYTHING!" she stood up, looking up at the sky, her horn and eyes shining. "THE ONLY REASON I WAS BORN INTO THIS WORLD WAS TO DESTROY IT!"
"Your teacher was right; you are like me, Sora, and Star Breaker combined, huh?" said a familiar voice, making Spark turn around and see...
"Suguri?" said Spark, her rainbow aura dying down slightly.
Suguri removed her black long-ear hoodie and smiled at her friend.
"SUGURI!" cried Spark, wrapping her arms around her and hugging her tightly.
Suguri could see Sora within Spark, the girl who fought for the blue sky so that everyone could see again in her universe. Spark, her sisters, and their real mothers are from a crossover universe based on her and the FIM Prime universe. Suguri rubbed Spark's back.
"There there, let it all out."
The rainbow aura finally died down, and the rainbow halo vanished. Suguri made her let go.
Spark shook her head and hugged her again, crying. Suguri petted her head like a grandmother petting their grandkid. Once again, she made her let go and summoned a giant green sword and placed it on her shoulder.
"I'll go after her again, Spark. You are in no shape to face her. Stay here a bit and continue your story to them."
Spark was surprised that Suguri knew she was telling everyone what had happened before she arrived. Suguri took notice and smiled again.
"Luster told me after I helped save Cozy. So continue Spark, as you do." She turned away from her, and a rainbow halo appeared on Suguri's back, making her disappear. "Listen to the story you are retelling and remember why you gathered those folks and what lesson you wanted to teach those kids. You need a reminder of that same lesson, it seems." Her head slightly turned. "It's what you wanted to tell them. You can't hide from your own story meaning."
Those were Suguri's last words, and now Spark was left alone until she could hear Twilight and the others calling out to her as they raced toward her...
S.P.I.K.E, Twilah's AI-made version of Spike, started to scan Twilah's body, looking for any scans of anything that had been done on her, but he couldn't find anything as Twilah lay in Luster's bed, not feeling well. Dashie sat near her, gripping her hand and watching her, waiting for her to wake up.
"What happened to her?"
S.P.I.K.E. was silent, not wanting to answer.
"Come on, Spike. Twilah told me you are the most advanced AI in the world! I'm sure you can tell me what's going on with her. What did Fayth do to her?!"
S.P.I.K.E. sighed, giving up.
"I don't know. I don't see anything wrong with her, but she's not doing well."
"How can that be?"
"It's like the problem isn't physical but something else." He was quiet for a moment. "But what?"
Dashie was about to say something, but Twilight and Sunburst entered the room.
"Her fate was changed, Dashie," answered Sunburst, giving her a sad look. "We spoke to Spark, and it seems those black seeds are a written page from Fayth's book."
Twilight continued where Sunburst left off. "Remember, Fayth is the living embodiment of fate itself. She has the power to change someone's faith, which can impact their life, and it seems Twilah's life is being changed."
Dashie wanted to ask if there was a way to undo it, but she knew better. S.P.I.K.E. had already told her he didn't know what to do, so there wasn't anything or anyone could do. She gripped Twilah's hand.
After a few minutes, Sunburst left the room and headed back downstairs but found Spark waiting in the stairway. She wanted to see how Twilah was doing but couldn't bring herself to do it. Sunburst stopped, wondering what he should do or say.
"Do you think..."
"No," Sunburst said, cutting her off. "It's not your fault, Spark. So don't blame yourself for what happened." he walked past her, still talking to her. "My daughter told me what she did to you. She wants to see you when you're ready, and it wasn't your fault." he stopped, his back facing her. "You can't blame yourself for that or anything that happens, no matter how much you try." he walks down the steps and into the main lobby area of the library.
Spark could hear the others downstairs, even some new voices. She didn't want to go down there, not yet. Instead, she walked up the steps and into the hallway, seeing the open door to Luster's room and Dash leaning against the wall.
"Spark?"
She closed her eyes, not wanting to face Dash.
"I'm sorry," she said, opening her eyes. "It's my fault, Dash. Fayth is after me, so I should have done better to keep her away."
Dash stood up and sighed.
"Don't blame yourself, Spark. This wasn't your fault, and listen, well, no one blames you, okay?" she punched her arm playfully. "You remind me of Fluttershy, you know? Always blaming yourself for what's happening, even when it isn't your fault." she leaned against the wall. "So, don't worry, ok?"
Spark nodded, still looking down, and Dash could see it in her face. She could see how she was beating herself up.
"Spark? Are you there?"
Spark and Dash heard Twilah's voice, making them hurry inside. They saw Dashie smiling while Twilight and SP.I.K.E looked on.
"Is she getting better?" asked Dash, but she could see from Twi and S.P.I.K.E's faces that she wasn't.
Spark got closer and saw Twilah smiling at her and patting the side of the bed, motioning her to come and sit down. Spark did and was near her now.
"I'm glad you're here, Spark. I have something to tell you." Twilah told her in a weak tone. "But I want you to continue with your story first. I think it's best if you finish it before what I want to tell you."
"Are you sure, Twilah?"
Twilah nodded and gave her a weak smile.
"Yes. I don't know how much or little time I have left, and I don't want you to stop what you started." Twilah slowly grabbed Spark's hand and gently held it, giving her a small smile. "Don't worry about me. I'm glad I met you and all of you. So, please, tell the story you want to tell."
Spark didn't say anything; instead, she hugged Twilah. Twilah hugged her back, and then Spark stood back up.
"...okay, so after Snake and the others reached the next floor..."
Snake and company exited out of the spiral stairway and, once again, found themselves in front of a long tunnel. They walked through and, like every time, didn't see the glowing wood carving of a white unicorn.
"I see the light!" shouted Shiko, letting go of AJ's hand and running toward it.
"Sugar cube! Wait for us!" shouted AJ.
"Shiko! Don't run off like that!" shouted Snake, running after her.
They all stopped as the tunnel ended, and below them, outside of the tunnel, was an endless maze of mirrors and diamonds.
"A labyrinth?" said Snake, not sure why.
"Yeah, looks like it, Snake," said AJ as they all could see the Spiral Tower at the end of the vast area. "Now the question is, how do we reach the end AND find whoever is here?"
The group could see a path leading into the maze and walk toward it...
...While somewhere in the labyrinth, gunfire could be heard as a pretty middle-aged woman with white-ish and purple hair, wearing a tattered suit, raised her hand, unleashed a swarm of crows at something, and destroyed it.
She raised her hand, allowing one of the crows to fly near it.
She started to walk through the mirror maze, not noticing the mirrors showing a lighthouse and a figure of a girl standing near it...
End of Chapter 7
View Online
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 8: Life Is A Mirror And The Reflection Is Our Stories
Tanya walked up to a mirror and made a silly face that she even bent over and slapped her booty.
"What are you doing?" asked Snake as AJ, Hazed, and Shiko walked past them.
"What? I'm bored." she giggled and shook her ass but could see the annoying look on Snake's face. "Come on, Snake. Lighten up. It's like we're inside a house of mirrors or something."
"Funhouse? Really? This isn't a game?"
Tanya gave her a sad look. "Here I thought you were the fun one, Snake."
Snake rolled her eyes and returned to walking but quickly stopped, noticing something was wrong.
Tanya stood up and asked what was wrong but could see Snake upset.
"Look ahead," she pointed with her tail, making Tanya look straight ahead and realize it, too.
"Oh fuck!"
Snake and Tanya were in front of a mirror; somehow, their path became blocked off, and they became separated from the others. Tanya wasted no time taking out her beam sword and cutting the large mirror in two, but on the other side was a giant diamond showing their reflection.
"Well, this isn't good," said Tanya, and Snake sighed at their current situation.
Snake walked up to the diamond and felt it. To her, it felt like any diamond surface. She stopped touching it and turned to Tanya.
"Okay, so now we know this weird maze can change at a drop of a dime. So, we had better stay close to each other, and we need to find the others, or we will all be lost in this endless maze."
"Right, but don't look so groomly, Snake!" Tanya placed her arms behind her back and walked a random path that somehow appeared. "This could be fun!"
Snake rolled her eyes and followed her, not noticing the giant diamond started to show a purple eye within its reflection and pulsate, and the ground began to shake slightly.
As the two continued down the path, Tanya whistled familiar musical notes, and Snake asked her to stop.
"Because it's annoying, and I can't think of any plans on how to find the others, not without the sound of a fucking song," said Snake, who was starting to get irritated by Tanya's whistling.
"What are you saying? That I'm a terrible whistler!? Why you...you, you big meanie!" shouted Tanya, puffing her cheeks.
"Meanie? Really? What are you, a toddler? How old are you, 3?"
"I'm 30, thank you very much, and don't make me kick your sexy butt!"
"What are you gonna-" Snake realized what she said and blinked. "What did you-" but before she could finish, the mirrors behind them started to glow, making them turn toward it and see someone in them. Tanya and Snake backed up into each other as the light engulfed them.
Tanya opened her eyes and found a vast, empty station area.
"Where the hell am I?"
Tayna twirled around but stopped when she heard a giant roar. Suddenly, a massive purple and green camo dino-looking machine appeared. She watched the cockpit open from its mouth, revealing Snake with a different-colored mane.
"SNAKE!" Screamed the Snake lookalike, firing its machine that is mounted on the side of the cockpit, wildly around the area. Tanya took out her weapon and was going to deflect the bullets, but they just passed through her.
"Huh?" she touched her chest, feeling she was solid, but again, she could see the bullets going through her like she was a ghost. "Neato! So what is this? A memory from Snake?" She searched around and saw Snake talking to what looked like a tall Alicorn in a cyborg suit.
"Fox, why!? What do you want from me!?" asked Snake, watching Grey Moon Fox opening her visor, revealing her damaged-looking face.
Snake grunted and looked away. "Fox, stay out of this... What about Nami?" Snake finally faced her old friend. " She's hell-bent on taking revenge for you."
Fox closed her eyes, showing her hurt expression when she heard that. "Nami..."
"You're the only one who can stop her," begged Snake, but Fox told her no. "Why?"
"Because I'm the one who killed her parents." The giant robot started to shoot randomly in a random direction as Tanya walked up to them, listening. "I was young then and couldn't bring myself to kill her, too. I felt so bad that I decided to take her with me. I raised her like she was my blood to soothe my guilty conscience. Even now, she thinks of me as her sister..."
Snake felt sad and pity for her friend, who was learning the truth about what happened to Nami's parents. "Fox..."
"From the outside, we might have seemed like happy sisters. But every time I looked at her, I saw her parents' eyes staring back at me..." She raised her arm cannon to her chest, loading it. "Tell her for me. Tell her that I was the one who did it."
Suddenly, they heard a roar again, and Snake's twin called out that she had found them. Firing the machine guns, the bullets hit a few barrels, causing them to explode. The flames engulfed the background as Fox slightly looked at it.
"We're just about out of time. Here's a final present from Deepthroat." Her visor closed. "I'll stop it from moving!" she jumped away from Snake, who screamed her name.
"FOX!"
Tanya watched Fox do cool flips as she dodged the bullets; Tanya couldn't help but clap and cheer. She kept watching Fox, who kept dodging the gunfire and suddenly dashed toward the robot, taking damage from the bullets as she got closer, causing her visor to be blasted off. Still, she kept going and sliding on the ground and firing at the robot until she stopped and did a backflip, just in time, too, as the robot's front nose slammed into the ground, where Fox would have been.
"Hell yeah!" cheered Tanya, pumping her fists.
But as Fox flew backward, the robot raised its nose, revealing the energy gun under its chin, and fired it, blasting Fox's wing and arm off. She screamed in pain and landing a platform near the wall, dropping on one knee. She was in too much pain to move as the robot started to ram its nose into her, crushing her.
"FUCK!" screamed Tanya, unable to look away as she could hear the sickening sound of flesh and metal being crushed together.
Snake's twin laughed through the robot's speakers: "In the Middle East, we don't hunt foxes; we hunt jackals. Instead of foxhounds, we use royal harriers."
Snake and Tanya could see the blood pouring out of Fox's exoskeleton, which even Snake's twin commented on being so strong. Soon, Snake's twin's attention went to Snake herself.
"Snake, are you just going to sit by and watch her die?"
Fox's arm cannon came to life, as she used the last of her strength and aimed it at the radome that was on the shoulder of the robot, unleashing all the remaining ammo she had.
"A cornered fox is more dangerous than a jackal!"
The last remaining ammo destroyed the radome but also freed a katana from it, which fell near Snake. This forces Snake's twin to open the robot's cockpit. She clapped her hooves, very impressed by Grey Moon Fox's actions as she released Fox from being pined and falling to the ground on the platform.
"Impressive. You are indeed worthy of the codename "Fox"! But now you're finished!"
Fox coughed up blood and weakly looked at Snake. "Uuunnggh!! .....Now! Fire the Stinger!"
Snake took out her stinger and pointed it at Liquid, but her sister eyed her, smiling. "Can you really shoot? You'll kill her too!"
With blood coughing out of her, Fox started to speak to Snake. "Now in front of you. I can finally die. After Zanzibar, I was taken from the battle, neither truly alive nor truly dead... an undying shadow in the world of lights. But soon... soon. It will finally...end."
Liquid uses the robot's nose to drag Fox off the platform and let her fall to the ground below. She tries to crush her once more, this time with the robot's foot but Fox's exosuit is truly strong. Fox is now clinging onto herself, her exoskeleton will break in moments, and she knows it. She slowly looks toward Snake.
"Snake, we're not tools of the government or anyone else! Fighting was the only thing... the only thing I was good at, but... At least...I always fought for what I believed in... Snake... farewell."
Liquid applies all the weight she has on top of Fox. Her exoskeleton finally gives out, and she is crushed like a berry. Her blood spills everywhere.
Tanya looked away, saddened that a cool badass like Fox was killed like that, but she could hear Snake screaming Fox's name.
Liquid laughed harder, turning the robot toward her as she scraped the bottom of the robot's foot of Fox's remains. "Foolish mare. She prayed for death... and it found her. You see? You can't protect anyone!! Not even yourself! You are nothing but a failure, dear sister!"
Suddenly, Tanya found herself back in the same area, but now it looked old, run-down, and the same robot resting on the ground. But this time, she could see Snake and two others with her looking at Nami Diamond and a dying unicorn colt.
Nami slowly turned away from her. "I see." she slowly looked up, tears falling from her eyes. "Good for you, little darling. You finally did it." She retrieves a syringe as the colt reaches out to her, but she stands up and steps away, facing Otacon. "No. I can't save you. You have to trust me, Dr. Emmerich. Give this to him. Not for revenge, but to end his suffering."
Otacon's tiny robot retrieves the syringe from Nami and examines it. The colt suddenly grabs it and injects it into his neck. Nami places her arms underneath the colt as his body begins to spasm until he dies in her arms. "Forgive me," she says, crying while the Ninja and Snake look away, while Otacon removes her glasses.
"This doesn't change anything. Why?" says Otacon, turning her head to the screen.
Nami carefully and slowly set the dead colt on the ground. " We can't... Erase the past. Nor... Can we forgive it. And so the only thing we can do... Is end it." she took the syringe, standing up and looking at Snake. "Snake... Liquid's down below us. She's stolen the Harmonys' System...Slipped out of their sight, and taken their ark."
Snake faced her, confused. "Ark?"
"A warship... Unfettered by land... Law... Country... Or network." Nami is slowly walking toward Snake. "The only place where they are truly released from the shackles of the Harmony...The place where they can be free." She stopped, both face to face with each other. "Outer Element."
"Outer Element...?"
"Liquid plans to launch the nuke from that ship. Snake... You have been given life so that you may fulfill your purpose. When all of this is over, you'll have no choice but to accept death." Snake's expression became serious. "We are given life only so that we can atone for our sins. Your life was created for that very purpose. We all must atone for our own sins. We must not pass them on to the next generation. We must not leave them for the future. That is your true fate..." Suddenly, the room started to shake as sounds of something landing near the base could be heard. "One that even you cannot defy."
Everyone started to look around, hoping it wouldn't land on top of the warehouse of Metal Gear Spike. As this was happening, Nami saw her chance, quickly walking away from the group and looking at the syringe. Tanya placed her head in front of Nami's face, wondering what she was going to do with the needle.
"Nami?"
Nami held it tight and injected herself with the same liquid that killed the colt, she began to lose her balance; something inside her body reacted to the injection. Nami could only make sounds of pain, alerting the others to her.
"What have you done?" asked Snake, seeing the syringe in Nami's hoof.
Nami seemed to recover, standing straight with no hints of pain or discomfort on her face. "Blue Blood Vamp and I... We are the same. We're living corpses... Our bodies are kept barely alive by nanomachines."
"Then you..." asked Snake, in a quiet tone.
"Cancer."
The little robot reacted in shock, as on its screen, Otacon couldn't believe it.
"I shouldn't even be alive right now. The nanomachines have kept it from progressing... But there's nothing more they can do. With the nanomachines gone... Time will unfreeze and begin to flow again." explained Nami, walking away from the group, standing in the very same spot where her sister died all those years ago.
Otacon made the little robot move near Nami's leg, looking up at her. "What are you saying?"
Nami looked down at her, smiling. "Goodbye...Hala." Otacon started to panic as she realized what she was going to do.
"STOP! DON'T!" screamed Otacon, making the robot rush toward the syringe, but she wasn't fast enough, as Nami stabbed herself with it once more, this time, using all of the fluids inside of it. With a jolt of pain, she dropped the needle and fell to her knees, while hearing Otacon's soft crying. Snake and her friend could only watch from afar as they couldn't do anything to stop this.
Nami slowly looked at them, jolting with pain and finally looking back at Otacon. She reached out and held the screen, smiling at her. "Give my best to Sunny."
Otacon got closer to the screen, putting her hoof on it. "Nami, why? Why did you do it?"
Nami looked confused, seeing Otacon crying over her, that she had to comment on it. "Are you crying...? For me?" she dropped to the ground, screaming as the pain started to become too great.
"Nami!" shouted Otacon, making the robot approach her.
Nami smiled again, looking at Otacon. "You have such beautiful eyes, darling." She hugged the robot, stroking the screen like she was touching Otacon herself.
Suddenly, explosions appeared on the walls, as giant Alicorn robots entered the room, roaring as their eyes lit up. Snake and the Ninja backed up into each other, as they could see more entering from the roof and landing far from them.
"Now go!"
The robot landed near Snake's hooves, wagging around like it was sad as well. Snake tried to grab it but it shocked her with its tail wire.
"Sugar cubes, we need to go. NOW!" shocked the Ninja, readying her sword, as the Alicorns slowly walked toward them.
Otacon faced Snake, still crying her eyes out. "Why does it always end this way?"
Tanya could see that Snake was trying to hide her emotions as Otacon said that to her, and then, Snake grabbed the robot, telling Otacon to pull herself together as the Alicorns were almost upon them.
"Just when I thought I was ready to fall in love again." cried Otacon, as Snake carried the robot toward Metal Gear Spike, while the ninja was behind them. They got into the cockpit and Otacon recovered from his breakdown. Hacking into Spike, she was able to start the giant robot.
But as it slowly rose, Tanya could see the hidden pain in Snake's eye as she looked at Nami, who was watching them escape. The memory started to fade away by a bright light but Tanya could hear a voice.
"You see? You can't protect and save anyone! Not even yourself! You are nothing but a failure, dear sister! You bring nothing but pain to those that you care so much about. Even to a friend you have known for a long time. And the worst part is... you know it's true."
The light faded away, and Tanya found herself back in the maze. She looked at the mirror in front of her, seeing her reflection but she wasn't looking at her reflection but Snake's reflection.
"Damn, Snake. You have been carrying all that around with you?" she whispered, not knowing what to do with this new information. She looked behind and was surprised not to see Snake there. "Shit, where is she!?"
Suddenly, the mirror that is in front of her, blasted apart as something broke it, glaring at Tanya down with its eyes. Tanya sighed, taking out her beam sword and pointing it at the diamond-looking monster. "Fuck you! I don't have time for this! A friend needs my help, so how about you peace out?"
She gave it a smile and a small chuckle, getting ready for the fight.
"So, are you dating her?" asked AJ, nudging Haze's side as they walked behind Shiko, who was just looking at the mirrors.
Haze was getting sick of AJ asking the same question, so she decided to tell her the truth, hoping that it would finally shut her up. "Yes, I am, we're together."
AJ gasped and smiled, jumping up and down like a schoolgirl, which wasn't the reaction Haze expected. Even though she looks like a tough-looking soldier, AJ has her girly side.
"Why are you blushing?" blinked AJ, noticing Haze just looking at her.
Haze looked away, coughing and trying to dodge the question. Shiko stopped in front of the mirror, seeing her reflection in it. She heard the other two fighting again, making her turn to them and become shocked,
"Hmmm, girls. Where's Snake and Tanya?"
"What?" said the two in unison, looking back and just like she said, Snake and Tanya were both gone.
They shouted their names and searched around but before Shiko could join the two, the mirror flashed a bit, making her stare at it. What she saw, confused her greatly. The reflection wasn't her own, but someone else. It was an older pretty woman, but her skin was white, and wearing a tattered suit. She backed away, feeling scared and fear grew as the mirror's surface became like water, reaching out to grab her.
"MOM!" screamed Shiko, falling to the ground.
AJ and Haze turned around, seeing Shiko being grabbed by the mirror and slowly being pulled in.
"NO!" shouted the two, rushing toward her.
Shiko was struggling, trying to break free, but she wasn't as strong as the others. AJ reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her, while Haze grabbed the other, but the mirror wasn't happy, as it extended out its liquid, and grabbed AJ's arm, pulling her in as well.
"Fuck off!" shouted AJ, taking out her shotgun and blasting the mirror. The shells hit it but to everyone's shock, the mirror just absorbed it and started to glow, becoming stronger.
AJ was panicking now, as Shiko was almost completely in the mirror. She tried her best to hold on to Shiko for dear life, while Haze let go and tried to use her magic but she heard something landing behind. She turned and could a diamond monster glaring at her and finally roaring.
"Shit." Haze pointed her hand at the monster and used an earth spell to create rock spikes from under the monster, stabbing it, but the monster didn't react or scream in pain, making her worry.
Shiko could feel the liquid pulling her in and AJ couldn't hold on much longer and lost her grip on her. AJ could only watch as Shiko disappeared into the mirror.
"SHIKO!" screamed AJ, trying to run toward the mirror, but the mirror surface changed and what she saw wasn't her own reflection but Shiko. "Shiko?"
The mirror grabbed AJ, pulling her into itself and vanishing, leaving Haze alone, as she was fighting the monster and didn't notice the other two were gone.
Sounds of water could be heard, as it splashed against rocks and the smell of salt water was strong.
"I know why you've come, False Shepherd. I see every sin that blackens your soul. Wounded Knee. The Pinkertons. The drinking and the gambling. " Shiko felt like her head was pounding. "And now, to repay a debt, you've come for my lamb. But not all debts can be repaid, Brooker." She fell to her knees, seeing visions of the same woman she saw before, fighting her way through a floating city in the sky, saving a young girl, and escaping said city.
"These visions, what are these visions!? Stop! Who are you?"
But the voice continued to speak. "What brought you to Columbia, Brooker? 'Bring us the girl and wipe away the debt'? This will end in blood, Raina. But then again, it always does with you, doesn't it? It always ends in blood."
Flashes of red filled Shiko's mind, as she could see bodies falling to the ground, covered in bullet wounds, snapped necks, burning or being eaten alive by black crows. The floating city streets of Columbia are filled with blood as the older woman that Shiko saw, stood there. Placing her gun on her shoulder.
"She will abandon you, my sweet Annabeth. Once she has what she needs, she will leave you alone. What else could you expect from a liar and a killer of women?"
Shiko could see a vision, of an old woman holding a baby as she walked into a portal gateway, but the sounds of a woman could be heard, racing down the alleyway.
"GIVE HER BACK!"
"Brooker!" cursed the old woman, turning to a pair of twins near a device. "Shut it down!"
The woman finally arrived and grabbed onto the baby, wrestling with the old woman, who stepped onto the other side.
"Give her back to me! I change my mind!"
"You had your chance, Brooker."
The twins turned a switch, closing the gateway and Shiko could see the portal slowly closing between the two women.
"Please, I can't lose her! Don't do this! She's my daughter!" cried Brooker, still struggling to get her child back, but the woman didn't want to let go.
One of the twins told the old woman, that she needed to hurry and get the child on their side of the gateway, as the portal was almost closing. The two kept fighting for the child. But before Shiko could see the fight's outcome, a light passed over her, blinding her.
"One of many outcomes in an ocean of possibilities."
Shiko could feel water hitting her face, making her open her eyes, seeing a lighthouse in front, and standing there, was the young girl she saw in her visions.
"In many, she ends up dying before reaching the lighthouse, in others, she's male but having a different name. One of those names is Booker DeWitt. In another, she's more pony-looking, but her name is still Raina Brooker." explained the young girl, as her voice echoed, like she was all around her.
Shiko looked around, seeing an endless sea, with an endless lighthouse with different versions of Raina and the young girl walking to each lighthouse.
"Her debt must be repaid, no matter the outcome. That is why you are here." said the young girl, standing behind Shiko.
"Who are you? What are these visions, I keep seeing?" asked Shiko, turning around and saw no one.
"My name is Annabeth, or Sweetie Bell, or even Elizabeth. I have many names, depending on the outcome. I have the power to open tears to another outcome." she appeared beside Shiko, looking up at the night sky, seeing prism glitching effects.
"But what about my friends? They need me too. We need to save those kids at the top of the tree."
Annabeth nodded. "They will be okay, for now, but Brooker needs you. Help her, and you'll save those kids, but you must help her first." she raised her hand, opening a tear back to the maze. "Go, she's waiting."
Shiko walks to the tear, seeing Brooker fighting a diamond monster and killing it. She turned back in time, to see Annabeth pushing her through it. Annabeth smiled again but with sadness behind it, seeing Shiko falling in front of Brooker, who helped her up. Seeing Brooker being so kind, Annabeth wanted to reach out to her. The tear closed, making her turn away from it.
Snake stood up, holding her head. "What the hell just happened, Tanya?" she asked but she heard no reply from her, making her open her eyes and find herself in a desert highway road, leading to a castle in the far distance. "Isn't this where Tanya showed me before?" She looked around, hoping to find Tanya nearby but sadly, she couldn't see her.
She heard the sound of a dragon roar, making her look up, seeing an energy beam dragon passing by her above, shaking the land as it soared across. Snake followed the dragon's long body to find its source was coming from a man dressed in a black suit and wearing a knight's helmet. The dragon came from a beam hilt, like the one that Tanya has.
"Who is he?" questioned Snake, seeing the man holding his sword above his head and talking to someone but only to get punched in the groin from behind. Blood spilled out and the fist pulled out, making the man fall to the ground, dead. "What the hell!?"
Snake quickly drew her gun but stopped, as she heard Tanya's sad voice.
"In my deepest memories... I hear someone... calling..."
The area changed to a kitchen inside a house, with a buzzing sound of the lights, flickering as Snake could see the dead bodies from before.
"I remember... It was a hot summer day. Someone was standing behind my father and mother. That person killed my parents. The face... I can't make it out. Who are you?"
Snake suddenly felt her head blasting with the worst headache ever. Like her brain was going to explode. She held her head, trying not to scream from the pain. She could see someone, forming in the darkness, as the lights went out and Tanya and a male voice were talking.
"Remember."
"Who are you?" asked Tanya, with pain behind her voice.
"Try harder!"
"I think I can see it... Almost..."
"Do you recognize the face?"
Snake could hear Tanya breathing her with panic, rage, and fear.
"Yes... Yes, I remember now."
"Good, very good, Tanya."
The figure in front of Snake, became almost clear, as a young woman wearing nothing but her underwear and covered in blood, appeared as the lights flicker.
Soon, Snake found herself back on the desert road, and standing before her was the woman wearing a white fighter outfit. She was glaring at her with a crazed look in her eyes.
Snake watched as Tanya walked past her with her hands in her pockets.
Jenny brushed her hair back, leaving part of the blood in her hair, which she didn't seem to care about.
Suddenly, Snake found herself back in that bar once more, but she could hear Tanya crying her eyes out to Silvio, who was drinking the drink that Tanya had given him.
"I lost everything that I ever cared about. My father, my Mother! DEAD!" Tanya took her glass and drank it in one go and collapsed on the table. "That bitch took everything. My only family! Dead..."
Silvio just twirling the glass in his fingers, listening to her. He seemed very interested in Tanya's sob story, but at the same time, he didn't care at all. He placed the glass on the table, not once looking at her.
"I can help you to get even."
Suddenly, Snake found herself in a glitching place, seeing Tanya's dead parents, Jenny, and her friend's headless and bullet-ridden body. Jenny's voice could be heard.
"Now you see what I've been through?"
Snake could see the shadow outline of Tanya, who lowered her head as she spoke.
"Maybe it had to be done... But vengeance begets vengeance."
Soon, everything started to fade away from a bright light, while Jenny and Tanya were still talking to each other.
"We're both in the same business, after all. And I've had enough."
"Time for you to rest, Jenny."
"Good night, Tanya."
"I hope your next dream is a more pleasant one."
Snake could hear a laser beam sword slicing what sounded like human flesh and Tanya's worried voice as the light engulfed Snake too.
"I want to bail, but where the hell's the exit? There's no way out, is there? No, getting out..."
The bright light faded away and Snake found herself back in the maze of mirrors, but she quickly heard fighting behind her. She turned and could see Haze fighting a giant diamond monster.
"Kid, I'm here!" she shouted, taking out a grenade, pulling the pin, and tossing the grenade.
The diamond monster didn't know what it was, so it caught the grenade in its mouth. Haze leaped away in time as the grenade went off, inside the creature's mouth.
Haze fell onto her knees, seeing a few pieces of the creature falling onto the floor.
"I don't think it's dead yet," warned Snake, taking out her rifle, ready to shoot the creature again.
Haze looked back to the dead body and just like Snake said, the creature started to move again. Its body shook and started to piece itself back together, forming a different body shape. It had more of a female human body now.
"It's never easy, huh?" grunted Haze, readying her sword, while Snake aimed with her rifle.
AJ was in a void of nothingness, as memories on glitching screens were all around her, and a crying Shiko, was sitting in a chair and her head on her knees. AJ could see it all, all the suffering that Shiko went through in her life. All the pain, all the torture, all the abuse that made AJ filled with so much sadness and anger.
"All of these things have happened to her, and yet she's still the nicest girl ever." AJ sat down in front of Shiko, resting her hand on her knee. "All that hardship you went through, you never stop moving forward. You never lose hope that someday you will be happy. You just needed a push in the right direction." AJ smiled and rubbed her hand on Shiko's hair. "You are the bravest girl that I ever met and I'll make sure that you'll live happily ever after."
Shiko moved her head, seeing AJ sitting before her, smiling. Shiko lowered her head back down, revealing an older man behind her, his glasses reflecting a bright light as he sat at a table and had his hands together over his mouth.
"People live on by forgetting their memories. But some memories can never be forgotten.” said the man, pushing his glasses up. "Shows how weak your heart is. You can't even bear the burden of those painful memories, and they end up becoming a curse. You're such a pitiful, little girl. Do you think you'll ever be hap-" He couldn't finish as a shotgun blast blasted his head off.
AJ pumped her shotgun, her eyes filled with nothing but rage.
The world started to fade away, making AJ look back at Shiko. She placed her hand on the pink-haired head, stroking it.
With those last words, AJ was engulfed by the light.
And AJ found herself back in the maze of mirrors and before her, was Tanya, who was done slicing a diamond monster into two.
"Ha! Not so tough!" bragged Tanya, poking the dead body with her feet.
"Tanya?"
Tanya turned to see a confused AJ, but before either could say anything, the dead body raised, shocking the two. They watched as the creature reformed and became the same form as the other creature.
"Ah, still have some fight in ya, huh?" Tanya readied her beam sword, while AJ aimed her shotgun. "ITS GAME TIME!"
Shiko looked up, seeing a hand reach out to her, to help her stand. She took the hand, got up from the ground, and looked back to see the tear was just gone.
"What was that?" asked Shiko herself, trying to understand what had happened to her.
"What was what?" asked the older woman, looking at Shiko with a raised eyebrow.
Shiko looked at the woman, remembering her name.
"You are Raina Brooker, right?"
Raina nodded. "That's my name, but how do you know that?"
Shiko explained what happened to her, making Raina rub her chin, and think about what she heard.
Shiko explained everything she knew, making Raina laugh a bit as she leaned against the mirror.
Raina walked off, making Shiko quickly follow her. She was close behind her, as they walked along the many halls, which were lined with many mirrors and no end in sight. Shiko knew a bit about Raina, as she saw those visions of her and Annabeth but there was one vision she remembered seeing, the one with Raina fighting with some older woman for a baby. From what she gathered, she gave the child up but wanted her child back. She remembered what Annabeth told her, to help save her daughter and repay her debt but what did she mean save and what debt? Was the child here as well? She needed to ask her something, like how the others asked her.
"Hey, Raina?"
Raina stopped and looked back at her, making her jump a bit, because her face looked really serious.
Raina's serious face became a frown, as she lowered her head and closed her eyes, trying to remember something.
"Then... What do you remember?"
Raina crossed her arms, remembering her adventure.
"As I said, I was tasked with saving Annabeth from this floating city in the sky, and after a long journey, we finally met her mother, Cornstock, and I..." She eyed Shiko, not sure if she should tell her how she killed Cornstock by drowning her.
"You killed her?" simply asked Shiko.
Raina was taken aback, surprised that Shiko said that.
"How did you know that?"
"Well, you have that kind of vibe from you. It's hard to explain, but I could sense a lot of guilt and anger within you."
Raina lowered her head, feeling the shame in her heart.
"I have done a lot of things, that a lot of people would say was not right, and sometimes, I do regret those actions, and it's hard to forgive myself, but..." She looked at Shiko, smiling. "But I'll be happy to live with it all if it means that Annabeth can be happy."
"Annabeth?" questioned Shiko, as Raina's smile dropped and she lowered her head once more.
"She's Cornstock's daughter, who was imprisoned in a tower in the middle of that fucking floating city. I was tasked to save her, to wipe away my debt..."
Shiko could see that Raina looked like she was in pain, as she held her head. "What debt?"
Raina tried to remember what was her debt, and to the point, her nose started to bleed. "My debt...? It was..." She fell backward, her nosebleed becoming worse.
"RAINA!" screamed Shiko, running to her side and holding her in her arms.
"Annabeth, where is she!?" cried Raina, struggling to get up, and making Shiko hold her tighter. "I need to wipe away my gambling debt!"
Shiko could see the despairing smile on Raina's face. She couldn't take this anymore, seeing the suffering before her.
"Raina, listen to me. Everything is alright. You don't need to worry about debts or anything. Just relax and focus on my voice, ok."
Raina's head became lighter, her body relaxed, and her breathing calmed down.
Raina felt Shikos's skin-tight suit on her forehead, as she closed her eyes, letting the calmness overtake her.
"Thanks..." whispered Raina, slowly getting off of her.
Raina held her head once more, remembering something.
"After killing that bitch, we escaped from the airship and into a timeline, until we ended up in somewhere...I can't remember that but I do remember meeting someone there..." She let go and put her hand on Shiko's head. "Someone asking for help, which I guess that's why I'm here, right?" She smiled and petted Shiko.
Shiko smiled back, nodding. But she knew something wasn't right, like Raina was hiding something but why? She didn't want to push her, because it would only hurt her going off by that nosebleed.
"I think you're right," she simply said, not wanting to say anything else.
"Well, shall we get going?" But Suddenly, Raina saw 'her' in the mirror, it was Cornstock.
Raina glared at the mirror, wanting to shot at it.
Before Shiko could say anything, the mirror behind them, scattered as Haze went flying and crashing into another mirror, revealing Tanya and AJ fighting the diamond monster. Snake followed Haze as she fired her rifle at the same diamond creature they were fighting as well.
"Two of them now!?" shouted Raina, aiming her gun at the creature that was exiting out of the broken wall of glass.
Shiko hid behind her and asked what she meant by that. "Did you fight these creatures?"
"Yeah, when I first woke up, I was attacked by a diamond-looking monster and I thought I killed it but then it turned into that." She fired the gun, hitting the creature and saving Snake from being cut down when she was reloading.
Snake noticed this new guest and Shiko while hearing Tanya and AJ fighting the other creature in the next room. She turned back to Shiko and Raina. "Hey, you just said that you fought these monsters, did you happen to kill it!?"
"Yeah, you need to aim at the chest, with the glowing diamond shard! Like this!" Raina raised her hand and it quickly turned black, growing black feathers and her fingers becoming bird claws. Everyone watched as she unleashed a swarm of crows from her hands.
The crows swarmed the monster, attacking its chest with their sharp claws and beaks. The creature screeched and tried to fight off the swarm of birds but it could only step backward, still screeching in pain as its chest started to break from all the stabbing and clawing.
Snake raised her rifle and took a deep breath. She pulled the trigger, firing the bullet that pierced through the chest, breaking the diamond shard.
"There!" she shouted, seeing the creature's body cracking and falling apart. She turned back, to see Tanya looking and then smiling as she knew what to do.
"IT'S PARTY TIME, BITCHES!"
Tanya dashed toward the diamond creature they were fighting, while AJ gave her an opening, as AJ could see the creature was trying to cover its weak spot with its arms.
"No, you don't!"
AJ raised her hand and fired off a light blue glow from a device on her wrist, slowing the creature down to a snail's pace.
Tanya nodded and continued forward, with one quick slash, she was behind the creature and putting her beam sword away. When she put it back on her belt, the creature's shard sliced in two, along with the rest of the body, killing it.
"Hell yeah!" cheered Tanya, jumping up and down.
"Hate to ruin your fun but we're not done yet," warned Raina, looking back to the broken mirror, and seeing glowing eyes.
Tanya and the rest looked back, seeing more of the same creatures and glaring at them with their soulless eyes. The group hurried to one another and was ready for a long fight but before that fight could happen, they and the creatures could hear a scream coming from above them.
"FRIENDS!"
Snake and the group could see the shadow creature and were rushing their way. It scattered through an unseen force field and continued.
"Damn thing is still alive! Spark couldn't kill it?"
Raina looked at the approaching monster and turned to Snake. "What the hell is that!?"
Haze fully recovered after healing her wounds and turned to her. "Trouble but something is different with it, no?"
Snake looked back at it, seeing that Haze was correct. It somehow changed a bit and when it landed, it was even more telling.
"MOVE! They're fighting each other, giving us time to leave!"
The others didn't need to hear that twice, as they hurriedly ran through the hall, and tried to find a way out, which didn't take long, as a rainbow beam destroyed the mirrors in front of them, leading an open path to the spiral stairway. The group looked up and saw Spark floating in the sky, pointing to the tower and yelling at them,
"HURRY! GO! I'LL KEEP HER BUS-" but suddenly, she was grabbed by two large black dead tree branches, squeezing the life out of her.
The others looked and saw Fayth, floating down to Spark with a grin on her face.
"Spark!?" yelled the few who knew her, while others were quiet.
"GO!" Spark screamed, trying her best to escape from Fayth's hold, but it was no use, as she was quickly brought to her level.
"Well, looks like you're having trouble there, Spark," spoke Fayth, her voice full of joy, and a hint of evil. "Maybe you need to sit this one..." with all her strength, she tossed Spark up in the sky with great force, and Spark crashed through the ceiling, leaving a hole behind. "OUT!"
Snake grunted, seeing Fayth looking at them, and started to fly toward them with a sea of black hands behind her. She turned to the others and ordered them to run to the stairway. The group listened and hurried to the stairway, but behind them was Fayth, Fayth's endless black hands, and now the shadow creature, which killed all the diamond monsters.
"Damn, we're not gonna make it!" shouted Haze, turning back to fire off a magic spell at the incoming threats.
The group was almost at the entrance of the stairway but Fayth and the shadow creature were almost upon them, just then, Spark landed between them. She darted toward Fayth but like before, she tripped over nothing and rolled toward Fayth.
"NO! NOT AGAIN!" screamed Fayth, seeing Spark rolling toward her, and like last time, she was run over and trapped between Spark's chest. The rolling rainbow soon reached the shadow creature, who was also caught in the rolling.
The group reached the entrance and turned back, hearing the screams from all three while they could hear a loud crashing noise at the start of the maze. They didn't see what happened but they believed Spark tackled them away. They ran up the stairway until they reached the next floor.
"What the hell?" said Snake, as she and the others were confused about what they saw on this new floor.
They could see the tunnel but at the end of the tunnel, was the spiral stairway entrance.
"Something not right..." whispered Shiko, shaking with fear but AJ held her close, making her calm again.
AJ turned to the others, not liking this too. "Shiko right, something is a miss. This can't be this easy. Why is the exit right near the entrance?"
Snake got closer to the tunnel and looked back, happy to still see the others. She returned her attention to the tunnel and slowly down it until she was at the end of it. She turned back and again, she was happy to see the others were still at the start of the tunnel.
"So far, nothing happened. Rest of you, get over here."
The others slowly walked down the tunnel but as they did, they didn't notice the glowing unicorn wood carving. As they passed through, there was a weird glitch effect.
"What the hell?" said Snake, as she and the others were confused about what they saw on this new floor.
They could see the tunnel but at the end of the tunnel, was the spiral stairway entrance.
"Something not right..." whispered Shiko, shaking with fear but AJ held her close, making her calm again.
AJ turned to the others, not liking this too. "Shiko right, something is a miss. This can't be this easy. Why is the exit right near the entrance?"
Snake got closer to the tunnel and looked back, happy to still see the others. She returned her attention to the tunnel and slowly down it until she was at the end of it. She turned back and again, she was happy to see the others were still at the start of the tunnel.
"So far, nothing happened. Rest of you, get over here."
The others slowly walked down the tunnel but as they did, they didn't notice the glowing unicorn wood carving. As they passed through, there was a weird glitch effect.
"What the hell?" said Snake, as she and the others were confused about what they saw on this new floor.
"Something not right..." whispered Shiko, shaking with fear but AJ held her close, making her calm again.
AJ turned to the others, not liking this too. "Shiko right, something is a miss. This can't be this easy. Why is the exit right near the entrance?"
Snake got closer to the tunnel and looked back, happy to still see the others. She returned her attention to the tunnel and slowly down it until she was at the end of it. She turned back and again, she was happy to see the others were still at the start of the tunnel.
"So far, nothing happened. Rest of you, get over here."
The others slowly walked down the tunnel but as they did, they didn't notice the glowing unicorn wood carving.
"Huh?" said Haze, noticing something was off.
As they passed through, there was a weird glitch effect.
"What the hell?" said Snake, as she and the others were confused about what they saw on this new floor.
They could see the tunnel but at the end of the tunnel, was the spiral stairway entrance.
"Something not right..." whispered Shiko, shaking with fear but AJ held her close, making her calm again.
AJ turned to the others, not liking this too. "Shiko right, something is a miss. This can't be this easy. Why is the exit right near the entrance?"
Snake got closer to the tunnel and looked back, happy to still see the others. She returned her attention to the tunnel and slowly down it until she was at the end of it. She turned back and again, she was happy to see the others were still at the start of the tunnel.
"So far, nothing happened. Rest of you, get over here."
The others slowly walked down the tunnel but as they did, they didn't notice the glowing unicorn wood carving.
Haze stopped, knowing something wasn't right.
"You got that same feeling too, huh?" asked Tanya, taking off her pink shades.
Haze nodded. "I feel like we're..."
"Repeating the same thing?" said Raina, joining the two, while AJ and Shiko kept walking.
Somehow, within the tunnel, walked a young teenage girl. She sighed as she looked behind and within seconds, her head went flying as something cut her from behind. Her decapitated head flew in the air, landing right in the center of the spiral stairway entrance, and behind Snake.
glitched effect happened.
The girl woke up in the tunnel and sighed again.
She looked ahead, seeing the same thing and she sighed again, walking down the tunnel and repeating the same death but in a different way.
End of Chapter 8
Author's Note
got it done. Won't lie, I feel it could be better but what's going in my life, it has to do lol
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 9: Those That Don't Want To Listen
Author's Note
Again, warning for this chapter. Self harm happens in this chapter.
Chapter 9: Those That Don't Want To Listen
Spark opened her eyes, seeing that she was upside down and leaning against a damaged wooden wall at the maze entrance. She tried moving a bit but felt something behind her back, making her look back and see the evil Twilight creature, its eyes spinning from the rolling they were just in.
"Oh, I'm sorry!"
She tried to get off but heard muffing coming from between her chest, making her down and blush.
"FAYTH!?"
Spark rolled off the creature and quickly stood up, trying to get Fayth out between her chest like before. But like always, it was a tough time as the small-sized girl was stuck in her chest damn good.
"HMM!" Fayth kept mumbling, while her arms flailing around, and her body wiggling like crazy.
Spark sighed and with one quick push, Fayth was free from her prison and breathing hard. Spark carefully set her down and dusted her off, while Fayth tried to get the soft and warm feelings of Spark's chest from out of her mind, while the evil creature stood up, glaring at Spark, and was ready to fight again.
"FRIEN-"
But it was cut off by Fayth, who started to scream at Spark.
"DAMN COW! I SWEAR YOU DO ENJOY SEEING ME BETWEEN THOSE UTTERS!" Fayth smacked Spark's chest, making them jiggle.
"HEY!" Spark glared at her. "I do not! You're just a pervert!"
"I'M NOT THE PERVERT!" Fayth smacked Spark's chest once more. "YOU ARE!"
Spark blushed red as she placed her hand on Fayth's forehead, stopping her from attacking her again. Fayth growled, hating that Spark was bigger than her, and was using it to her advantage.
"Stop being a pervert with all those slapping!"
"FUCK YOU!"
The creature blinked a few times, trying to process what it was seeing, as the two kept fighting with each other.
"DAMN YOU! USING YOUR STUPID SIZE AGAINST ME!" screamed Fayth, flailing her arms in a helicopter motion, and doing her best to attack Spark but finally calmed down a bit as she stood there, somewhat out of breath. "I don't understand, in each rewrite, you were never this size..." She slowly glared at Spark's chest, then her own chest. "Damn you, why are you so big, and I'm not? Is this some kind of sick joke? I'm the living embodiment of Fate! Destiny! But yet, somehow fate is screwing me over and giving you more than me!"
Spark raised an eyebrow and was confused by what she was saying. "W-what?"
Fayth smacked Spark's hand away, which was rubbing her head all caring-like.
"You truly an awful version of 'her'! Each version was different in their own right, but YOU!" she pointed at Spark's face. "YOU have to be the worst, and I HATE IT! I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU! YOU TRULY A TWISTED VERSION OF 'HER'!"
Spark gave a sad reaction to Fayth's outburst. "Fayth, I know you restarted the multiverse many times and fought different versions of me, but I need to know something." Spark tried to reach out to her, it felt like she had done this before to Fayth like in another time...like they were...
Fayth glared at Spark, not wanting her anywhere near her, and was about to say something but a black beam shot toward Spark, making her get hit by it and sent flying back. Fayth smirked as she slowly turned to the dark creature.
"Of course, I'm not the only one who hates you, you know?" Fayth chuckled, as she slowly backed away.
The creature charged up its horn, getting ready to fire another dark beam at Spark, but suddenly, It started to twitch and drop to its knees, in pain.
"F-Friends...?"
The creature held its chest like it was trying to rip it open with its hooves. Fayth tsk at this. knowing the host was trying to fight back.
"So, trying to fight back huh?" She walked up to the creature and leaned in her head to whisper into the creature's ear. "Don't you remember why you like this? It's because of HER!" She pointed toward Spark, who was getting up. "If she never came to you, you wouldn't be suffering like this." She placed her hand under its chin, making it stare at Spark. "She believes that sad endings can become happy ones if you just move forward and find happiness. Not by forcing it, but you know, the truth..."
"It can never happen," finished the creature, its voice now filled with hatred and anger but also with young Twilight and Alice's voices mixed in.
Fayth smiled, seeing the creature was still on her side.
"That's right! You and I will make sure all life in the multiverse comes to an end. If you two couldn't have a happy life, why should the other versions of you have a happy life!" Fayth chuckled as the creature slowly stood up and walked up to Spark, its dark aura was now more intense. Fayth smirked once more. as she spoke to the host now. "Or live a life without your friends? Why should you live on, while your friends are dead and gone? That hardship you carry, it will never leave, and it will continue to grow and grow."
The host within the creature shook and growled, trying to fight off Fayth's control but was having a hard time, as its dark aura was growing in strength. Spark quickly shouted to it.
"No! That hardship you carry, it will hurt a lot, and it might never go away, but one day, it will become bearable, and you'll learn to live with it." Spark started to walk closer, ignoring the danger in front of her, and slowly reached her hand out. "You just need to move forward, keep walking that path, it's yours and no one else's. And you'll find happiness, I know you will. Your friends believe in you and your happiness."
The creature was twitching as it fought Fayth's control but slowly started to calm down and the dark aura was less intense. It slowly looked up at Spark's hand.
"Friends..."
Static
Canterlot was quiet, as the night blanketed the land. The streets were empty and the shops were closed. Everyone was asleep, while a few others were doing things like partying at night rave. The street lamps lit up as a unicorn used their magic to light the flames, while a cloaked figure walked past them.
The cloaked pony kept walking down the empty street, while above them were dark clouds forming, as a storm was coming to the city. The cloaked figure kept walking, heading toward a huge church-like building. On the giant doors, were the symbols of the Elements of Harmory. They just stared at it, until the wind started to pick up, blowing the hood back, revealing its Twilight. Without a word, she used her magic to push the doors open and enter it.
Inside the church, she could hear the magical hymn coming from the walls, as she entered the main area, which is the altar room. She walked up to the altar, which was a disk bowl of water. She looked inside of it, seeing her reflection.
"I haven't aged in a thousand years, while my friends have grown old, and died. They were happy with their lives, but I... I'm not."
She looked up at the stained glass windows, seeing her friends in them, as they were remembered as heroes and became legends to the current Equestria. She took a deep breath and spoke to the window, knowing the ones she was speaking to were listening.
"I tried to move on, tried to live with your deaths, but I can't."
Twilight's ears twitched as she could hear the rainfall hitting the roof of the building. She slowly turned around, as the wind blew inside, making the flames of the torches burn brighter.
"You told me that my happiness will come. That it will take time. But I can't take it anymore!"
Twilight was now angry, as the flames of the torches flared up even more, as a reaction to Twilight's emotions.
"I can't live in this world, without you all! So please..."
Thunder could be heard outside the church, as Twilight looked at the stained glass windows, her friends were looking down at her, with smiles.
"If my happiness can't be here, then..."
The lightning flashed, lighting the church. Twilight looked down, listening to the magical tune playing through the holy building. The torches were blown out, making her summon a small candle with her magic.
"I miss you all so much. I loved being on my own, but..." she started to cry, the weather outside worsening. "But living every day, knowing I won't see any of you again, I don't know what to do anymore..." The weather blew the doors open, her tears falling from her cheeks and hitting something that she was holding in her hoof. The metal surface reflected her crying face. Twilight slowly raised the object, revealing it was a knife. "It's so lonely..." the candle blew out, but a rainbow-glowed star appeared within the darkness, making Twilight turn to it.
"Twilight Sparkle, of this universe. I need your aid," said Spark, glowing as a bright rainbow light. "I read of your universe, how-huh?" Spark stopped as she saw the knife in Twilight's hoof.
"W-Who are you?" asked Twilight, slowly raising her knife at Spark.
Spark blinked a few times, understanding what Twilight was going to use the knife for. "I'm Rainbow Spark, someone who believes in moving forward." Spark zipped open her puffy rainbow jacket, revealing the cutie mark on her chest as it glowed brightly. "You can say that's my talent."
"Hope?" replied Twilight, slowly lowering the knife, and was shocked by what she was hearing. "How?" She studied Spark's body, seeing how very different she was from her but something felt weird like she was looking at herself and someone else, but she couldn't figure out who.
Spark slowly raised her hands up to show that she was harmless and slowly walked toward Twilight. "It's just who I am. Thanks to my mothers, the group of heroes who saved my dear sisters, my sister's friends, and of course." She couldn't help but smile with pride yet, there was sadness in it. "My sisters showed and taught me to move forward in life. No matter how sad and horrible it is, as long as you move forward, you can find happiness. It may not happen when you expect, and it might take a while. But, you can find it." She slowly reaches out her hand to Twilight, asking for the knife. "Your friends are gone, and it's a sad ending for you, but it can become a happy one. Just keep moving forward."
Twilight felt the sadness within Spark's voice, as she was talking.
"Even if the happy ending doesn't happen right away, but the fact you kept moving forward, makes it better."
"Even when my friends are gone?"
"Yeah, it hurts and you feel empty and lonely, but you just have to keep moving forward and you can find it."
Twilight's magical aura somewhat faded a bit. "Find what?"
Spark finally stood in front of her, slowly grabbing the knife handle and teleporting it away. "The spark. That spark that resides in the hearts of all, and you once felt that spark, Twilight. You'll see that happiness that was once lost. It'll come back to you, and you'll smile once more. You can't live for the past and your friends. You have to live for yourself and what the future holds for you." She lowers herself to Twilight's level, placing her hands on her cheeks. "The future is waiting for you. The future is where your happiness will wait."
Twilight was silent, but she couldn't stop the tears from falling down her cheeks.
"I know it's a hard thing to ask. It's hard to live on when those you care about are gone. But, you're not alone. You have others that care for you and love you."
Twilight finally smiled and couldn't help but nod, making Spark smile back and pull her in a hug.
static
static
"FRIENDS!" screamed the creature, smacking Spark's hand away and firing its black beam at her.
Spark is able to act quickly and create a shield in front of herself, blocking the beam in time.
Spark closed her eyes, trying to focus her magic on the shield while remembering the other Twilight and Alice saying those same words.
static
static
"We were all alone and for what!? Answer us, Spark! You came here, telling us that Fayth was wrong! That our lives were meant to be a happier one but she changed it but the real truth is you're lying to us! She showed us the truth!" screamed Twilight with tears in her eyes and being held by Alice, trying to comfort her.
Alice placed Twilight's head in her chest and turned to Spark. "She showed us how every other version of us and how happy they are in their universe! Fayth told us that our lives were fated to be this awful!" She turned to Fayth, who was just standing there, watching with a fake sad expression. "She told us if we help her by creating more of this energy, that she can reach the Creation Tree of Elyndra, and our suffering can finally end! No more sad endings, no more death and sorrow. Only a world full of true happiness and joy." Alice looked up above them, seeing a dark star that looked almost like Twilight's cutie mark, as the Prism Windows filled the tree the branches like leaves.
"Alice..." Twilight cried as Alice gently kissed her head and whispered in her ear.
"Don't worry. We'll find happiness."
Alice turned her attention back to Spark, who was still there, and just stood there, not sure what to say.
"Well, are you going to say something or what?!" shouted Alice, getting tired of the silence.
Spark looked at Alice, then down at the ground. "Like I said, you just need to keep moving-"
"ENOUGH!" screamed Alice, tears in her eyes, and started to scratch her arm hard. "Enough of your bullshit about moving forward crap! We tried that! We tried and tried to keep going, but all we got was misery and pain!" She stopped scratching her arm, showing the bandages on her arm. "All we did was suffer, and all we do is suffer." Alice held Twilight harder. "My suffering causes harm to my big brother! To my family! If I wasn't born so smart...maybe, just maybe our parents and Cadence would be still alive..."
Spark closed her eyes, remembering how Alice told her story about that day...
Alice was pushed to the ground in the girl's bathroom while being surrounded by a group of girls. The leader of the group, lowered herself to Alice's face, smiling.
"Our school little princess, the one that got news talking about." She changed her voice into a news reporter's voice. "Little Alice might be the second coming of Albert Einstein or even Stephen Hawking! She created the first-ever hoverboard for her school science fair!" her face became cold and evil. "But why would they want a stupid little girl who is nothing but a dyke?"
Alice's face became stunned, making the girl laugh even harder.
"Oh we know, little princess. The girl you left that love letter told us everything, and it made us all sick. And what's even more disgusting is the fact you're a little perv too." The leader stood up, kicking Alice's stomach. "It all makes sense, why you always change in the farthest part of the girl's locker room or the last person to use the shower." She kicked Alice even harder. "So you can finger yourself."
Alice didn't make a sound or a noise, as she was being beaten. She just lay there, as the girls beat her. For Alice, it felt like forever but it was only a few minutes until the girls finally stopped and left the bathroom. Alice curled up, crying as she explained herself to no one.
"I'm just shy and self-conscious of my body." tears rolled down her cheeks. "I'm not a pervy..."
Half an hour later, Alice rose from the floor, grabbed her backpack, and fixed herself in the mirror. She could see her sad reflection in the mirror and started to tear up.
"Why did I have to be smart? Why did I have to make that stupid invention?!"
She slammed her fist onto the sink, making her hand bleed.
"Ever since taking part in that stupid science fair, I have been getting bullied nonstop! Why!? I did nothing wrong, but feels like it."
She turned on the water, washed her hands, and looked at her bleeding fist as the blood washed away. She turned off the water and headed to the door, opening it.
Outside, she could the hallway was empty as school ended an hour ago. She searches for something in her pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper. It was a letter she found in her locker and from the girl she confessed to. She was lured here to the bathroom, not knowing that the other girls would be there, and ganged up on her. She crushed the letter and tossed it in the trash bin and walked to the exit.
On her way back home, Alice couldn't stop thinking about that science fair and her invention, the Hoverboard. It was a success and everyone was amazed by her. Her parents and big brother were so proud of her and the whole The Society for Science was amazed by her. She was praised as a genius and well-known companies were interested in her work, as her invention could help those with disabilities or the next hit for stakeboards. Even the government made contact with her and her family, talking about giving her a scholarship to college and a grant. But after the science fair, Alice started getting bullied.
At first, it was harmless and nothing serious. Just mean comments and the usual stuff. But after the rumors started, the bullying became worse. They would call her a freak and a perv and even tried to trip her in the hallway. Some would even steal her things or destroy her lunch. Alice never really had friends, as her tomboyish behavior or her smarts scared them off
Alice sighed and looked at her house. She walked up to the front porch and opened the door.
"Hey, Alice! Did you have a good day?" asked her mom, who was cleaning the living room.
"Yeah, mom. Just another day."
"Oh, by the way, you got more offers from companies about the hoverboard you created, of course, I told them that you weren't selling like you asked us to say. Which by the way sweetheart." her mother slid over to her, revealing she was using the board to move around the room. "You increase my cleaning output by 110%. I can even reach the ceiling fan without using that heavy ladder!"
"Yeah, great," replied Alice, sounding a bit cold and lifeless.
Her mother quickly picked up on her tone, getting off the board and kneeling to her. "Is something wrong? Are you getting bullied again?"
Alice didn't respond, and that was enough to confirm it.
"Why didn't you tell us, sweetie? We would have taken care of it by going to the school's principal and-"
"That will only make it worse. If anything, it will just increase their hatred for me!" Alice walked past her mom and headed upstairs. "I'm heading to my room."
Alice's mom watched as Alice disappeared to the top of the stairs, making her sigh and shake her head. She took out her phone and started to call someone.
Alice was in her room, going over her hoverboard blueprints and then looking at her next creation. It was a blueprint for a hovercar, it was mostly created for her father to help him save money on gas and tires but she couldn't make it for many reasons.
She pinned the print on the wall and sat down at her desk. She opened her notebook, revealing the current invention she was working on. It was a larger version of the power source she created, the main reason she was ignoring those companies about selling her hoverboard to them. She closed her book and turned to her bed, seeing a faint glow coming from under it. She walked over to it, pulling out the same device that was in the notebook. She was about to work on it but heard her phone ringing at her desk. She groaned, placed the device under the bed again, and went to her desk. She picked up her phone and was surprised. In a long time, Alice smiled as she answered it.
"Brother!"
"Hey, sis. How are you doing? Mom texted me. Are you being bullied again?"
Alice's face became neutral, sighing. "I'm fine, just doing my thing right now. Can we not talk about that right now? I haven't talked to you in a long time."
Alice walked to her bed, took out her device, and started to work on it as she set the phone on her bed and put it on speaker mode.
"Sorry, just worried too, you know? Ever since the fair, you have been getting-" Knight stopped himself as he could hear Alice grunting in frustration and cursing. "What's wrong?"
"I'm fine," growled Alice, not looking up from her device. "I'm just trying to work on the next project and-"
"You mean your next big invention that might get you more fame and attention? Sis, you truly are the next coming of Einstein."
Alice paused for a moment, as she remembered the fair and the praise she got.
"Thanks, big bro..."
Knight didn't pick up the sadness in her tone. "No problem, sis."
A long pause came over the phone, which was starting to make Alice a little uncomfortable. "So...anything else you wanted to say, or...?"
"Yeah...uh, Cadence is coming over tonight for dinner. I won't make it down tonight with her as I'm working on a big project with a few classmates. She has big news to share with you all but..."
"She's pregnant?" joked Alice, smirking at the thought of her future niece or nephew.
"Ha, ha..." answered Knight in a very nervous tone, making Alice stop working on her device and slowly turn to the phone.
"...wait, is she!? I was only joking!"
"Uh, yeah. She's pregnant, about three weeks." Alice could hear him typing on his computer. "Just don't tell mom or dad, okay? I don't-"
"To ruin the surprise!?"
"That but also, I don't want Cadence to kill me." Both siblings laughed, making Alice smile and Knight chuckled.
"So, you two are gonna have a baby? I can't wait to be an aunt. I'm gonna spoil the heck out of that baby!"
Knight laughed, as Alice imagined how adorable her nephew or niece was going to be but she soon snapped out of it as Knight asked her something.
"Sis, I know you said you didn't want to talk about it and I'll respect your wish but I just wanna say that I'm here if you need me, okay? I'm always here for you, and I love you, little sister."
Alice smiled, happy and a little emotional at hearing her brother's words.
"But also remember something about yourself. You are one of the strongest people I know. You always take everything and never let it stop you from working. You always put others first before yourself, and you always try to do the right thing. And if anyone is hurting you, just give me the names. I'll handle the rest."
Alice smiled and nodded. "I will, thanks, big bro. I'll always be there for you too, you know. Now get back to work, we don't want the teacher or classmates mad at you for not finishing your assignment, now do we?"
Knight gave a small chuckle but his voice was still serious. "I mean it, Alice. You are strong. Never forget that. You always move forward, even when the road seems too rough or the way seems endless. You always keep going."
Alice was silent for a moment, but nodded, smiling.
Alice ended the call, her smile turning to a sad frown, as she looked at her device, then at her phone. She walked to the window and stared outside, her eyes turning into a determined look.
"I'll keep moving forward, no matter what!"
Hours later, Alice was eating dinner with her parents and Cadence, who arrived in time and brought her famous peach pie for dessert. Cadence and Alice's parents were chatting about the news and the baby, while Alice was lost in thought, thinking about her device and Knight's words. She didn't even realize her mother calling her name. Her parents and Cadence at her with worried looks.
"So, Alice," said Cadence, dropping her fork near her piece of pie. "Knight and I still haven't come up with a female name for the baby yet, while we do have a long list for boy names. So, he said why not ask the smartest little girl in the whole world for a name? So, Alice, what do you think would be a good name for our daughter?"
Alice froze for a moment, her brain not registering what Cadence was asking, and when she did, her eyes widened and stood up from the table. The adults smiled as they watched as Alice started to walk back and forth, rambling on names.
"Let's see...we can't go with something common, like Rose, or Lizzie. Maybe something more unique and special, like...like...oh, I don't know! But it has to be something awesome and unique, right?" Alice stopped pacing and smiled. "How about...Aphrodite?"
Cadence and Alice's parents blinked at her before her father asked why that name.
"Aphrodite is the goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation, among other things. She is one of the most popular figures of classical mythology and was worshiped in ancient Greece and-"
Cadence started to laugh, making Alice stop with a big red blush, realizing she was about to go on a big rant like she always does when it comes to history and science.
"I'm sorry, Alice," laughed Cadence, "but I love seeing you, well, being you."
"It's a no on Aphrodite, then," muttered Alice, her cheeks still red.
"No, Alice," giggled Cadence, "it's a yes."
"Wait, really!?"
Cadence nodded as she took a piece of her pie with her fork but looked at Alice. "Just tell me why. Why did you pick that name and try to leave the whole info about the 'goddess' part out? Okay?"
Alice nodded and sat back down at the table. "Well, I chose that name because of the meaning behind it. To have the gift of love and beauty is the best gift ever and to share it is a blessing." Her face was beaming with joy and happiness. "And I want your daughter to have that, especially if she looks like you, Cadence."
Alice couldn't look Cadence in the eyes but could hear her pushing the chair away and hugging her with great joy. Alice returned the hug, as Cadence whispered in her ear, "Thank you, Alice. I can't wait for you to be an aunt. You'll be an awesome one."
"You're welcome, Cadence," whispered Alice back, her heart filled with warmth and joy.
After dinner, Alice's mom cleaned the table while her dad was watching the news in the living room, leaving Alice and Cadence to sit on the porch and talk. Cadence was still glowing with joy and happiness, but she could feel something was wrong with her future husband's kid sister. She looked at Alice, who had her head down and staring at the ground.
"Alice, is something wrong?" she placed her hand on Alice's head, rubbing it with love. "Knight and your parents told me how your school life has been lately. Is that why you are upset?"
"It's nothing," sighed Alice, looking at the night sky. "I have just been having a tough time lately and just-"
Without warning, Alice felt Cadence's chest on her face, she was hugging her with a big smile.
"Alice, listen, I'm sorry for not being around. With the pregnancy and Knight being in college, I couldn't see you as often as I wanted to." Cadence moved Alice's head so she could look at her. "But with the baby, I'll be around more often. You won't ever be alone."
Alice hugged Cadence, her hands rubbing Cadence's back, which was very soft.
"I know, I'm glad to have someone like you. Thank you."
Alice and Cadance shared a long hug before breaking it, smiling.
"I'll always be here for you, Alice. Don't forget that." She petted Alice's head. "And maybe others can as well? I know you're having trouble at school but you need to make friends. To help with your problems."
Alice sighed, shaking her head. "I've tried, but every time, the girls or boys ignore me or they don't even bother. Maybe I'm not meant to have friends?" Alice felt her heart breaking but suddenly felt her hair being all messed up.
"Nonsense! I'm sure there's someone out there that'll be your friend." Cadence was now ruffling Alice's hair even more, laughing as Alice tried to stop her. "You are always caring, smart, and kind to others. You are an amazing person, Alice. Just show the world that, and I'm sure the world will give back tenfold. Trust me."
Alice's hair was all messy and sticking in different directions, her bangs covering her left eye and her cheeks all red.
"That doesn't mean people will hate you. That just means you're not afraid to get dirty and show off your true colors."
Alice quickly stood up and fixed her hair as she turned to her. "Colors?"
Cadence stood up, looking up at the night sky. "Yes, colors. You might act like a boy sometimes, but you aren't afraid to show off your beautiful, colorful personality. That's what's important. Being yourself and not being afraid of who you are. Never change, Alice. Keep on being who you are."
Cadence looked at Alice, who had a very sad expression on her face and sighed.
Alice smiled, nodding, "I would love that, thank you." But Cadence placed her finger on Alice's nose, smiling.
"But that won't ever erase your colorful and true self. Remember that." She flicked Alice's nose hard, making the poor girl rub her nose.
"Ow...okay, okay..."
Cadence looked back at the night sky, watching the stars and moon, while Alice looked at her, she listened to her as she spoke in a happy and loving voice.
"You have something in you, Alice. It is what makes you shine with such wonderful colors. I know you'll find that rainbow one day, and I'm sure the person or people will love your colors. Never change, Alice. Never change..."
Cadence turned and looked at Alice, smiling and rubbing her stomach. "And when the day comes and I see you with your friends, I'll be sure to tell my child how proud I am of their aunt. Just remember, always be yourself."
The two return to sitting down, talking about other things, until the topic switches to Alice's hoverboard, which leads to Alice talking about her next project.
"Wait wait wait, you are telling me you created a new form of power supply that'll run forever?" Cadence couldn't believe what she was hearing from Alice. "Makes sense how you powered that hoverboard now I think about it."
"Well, almost forever. It will lose charge after a thousand years, but I'm working on a new formula that'll make it last forever but I need to increase its size in power. The one inside of the hoverboard only last..." Alice started to do math in her head. "At most, five hundred years."
Cadence shook her head, amazed by Alice's intelligence and love for inventing. "And you can do this when you are so young?" She rubbed her stomach with pride. "My baby is gonna be a genius, just like his or her aunt, if they carry that hidden gift from your family!"
Alice felt a little happy from Cadence's words and blushed a little, but she heard Cadence asking her to see it. Without hesitation, Alice invited Cadence to her room, closing the door. She walked to her bed, pulling her project out from under the bed, revealing the somewhat finished device.
"As I said, I just need to increase its power output in size but." She stopped as she could see a worried look on Cadence's face. Alice chucked at the reaction. "Don't worry, it's completely safe to be around with. I made sure it wasn't dangerous when I made it. If it was, I wouldn't have it build it in my house or keep it under my bed."
Alice looked at her device, feeling so much joy and excitement. "I'm so close to finishing it. Once I do, I can start a company to give these out to the public. No more worries about running out of energy and for free."
Cadence still felt worried but this was Alice, the smartest girl in the world who built it, so it was indeed safe. She walked up to Alice and hugged her from behind, making the younger girl gasp in surprise.
"Alice, you are an amazing girl. I'm sure when you show the world, the whole world will be amazed and impressed by your work."
Alice blushed hard, happy she had someone like Cadence always in her corner. She was truly her friend and soon, her sister-in-law. Alice was gonna say something to her when the star-like energy in the tube, started to spark with fury.
"Is it meant to do that?" asked Cadence, amazed by the beautiful spark of black light but her amazement quickly vanished when she saw the fear on Alice's face. "A-Alice?"
Without any hesitation, Alice shoved Cadence away from the device. The two watched as the sparking became more and more erratic and powerful, and when Cadence realized what was happening, it was too late.
"Cadence, RUN!!"
Alice pushed Cadence to the doorway, who landed on the ground with a hard thud, Alice quickly grabbed her device, trying to shut it down but she felt Cadence's arms pulling her back. She tried to get her off, she needed to save her, her parents, and everyone in the town.
"Let me go, Cadence! It's going into total meltdown!" Alice tried to struggle but Cadence's hold was too strong and she was panicking.
"I'm not letting you die, Alice!"
With a hard yank, Cadence pulled Alice away from it, watching as the glass tube scattered, releasing the dark star from its cage. The two watched in horror as it was hovering and growing larger, the star was pulsing with dark energy and was ready to release a powerful explosion.
"What's going on!?" screamed Alice's mother, who hurried into the room with her husband, and both froze in horror seeing the uncontrollable energy.
"Alice, what di-"
Alice's father couldn't finish as the star exploded, creating a giant pillar of dark-looking rainbow. The bright dark light shot out from the house and into the air, blasting away the clouds.
Sounds of the water could be heard, as Alice slowly opened her eyes. She quickly sat up and found herself in a white void filled with vast giant trees with floating prism-looking windows on the branches. She placed her hand on the ground but noticed it wasn't sand but a vast tree root. She looked back, seeing the same vast giant tree but the tree itself was rainbow-looking but still had the same-looking prism windows.
"W-Where am I?"
Alice couldn't stop looking at the vast tree but noticed the prism windows started to lower themselves to her, surrounding her. As she looked at them, she could see other universes. Other versions of...
"Me?"
She could see different versions of herself, some were human, others were pony looking and some others were between human and pony hybrid. She saw all the wonderful lives that her versions had, from having great adventures but she saw something that she never had.
"...friends," whispered Alice, seeing all of the versions surrounded by their friends, being loved and cared for.
Alice slowly walked up to one, touching the glass surface. With that touch, she felt the happiness and love that version of her had, and she became sad. She could see that version of herself and her friends going on great adventures, having the best of times together. She felt her heart break into pieces as she felt all those feelings, seeing how great their lives were.
"Why..." Alice dropped to her knees. "Why can't I have that? Why can't I have friends who can love me like that? Is it because of me?" She looked at her hands. "Is it because I'm different from my other versions of me? Am I just not meant to have that type of life? To be alone? Am I-"
"Failure?" said a voice that sounded just like Alice, which made Alice quickly look up, seeing the prism windows moving away, revealing a lone dark prism window.
Within the window, Alice could see a pony version of herself but with super messy hair and crying on her bed.
"I'm just a failure. That's all I am, nothing more and nothing less." The pony was wiping her tears and looking at Alice, but in truth was looking at her dresser mirror. "Failure. That's all I am. I couldn't have friends when growing up. I can't be a student at the School of Gifted Unicorns, and I couldn't even pass a simple entrance exam." Alice could see the tears in the pony's eyes. "I'm worthless. I'm causing so much pain for everyone around me. Maybe Celestia was right? I don't have a future at all."
"I'm not the only one who's suffering?" asked Alice, standing up and walking to the window. She touches it, feeling all the pain and sorrow coming from this prism window. "She's hurting too..."
Before Alice could do anything else, a dark light flashed in her eyes, blinding her.
Alice could hear police and ambulance sirens. She slowly opened her eyes, seeing she was back in her room, well what was left of it. She could see half of the house was destroyed and completely gone. She slowly tried to get up but felt so much pain in her body, that she fell back to the ground. She slowly looked up once more, seeing the outside thanks to half of the house being gone. She could see the town and even the city in the distance was completely dark. The only lights were the sirens she was hearing but also a giant fire not too far from here. Alice recovered from the shell shock and realized what had happened. Her heart started to pound fast, as she saw the destruction that her device had caused. She did this, she was the reason for all of this.
"No, no no no! This wasn't supposed to happen, I-I was just..."
Alice stopped talking as a weird smell entered her nose, covering her nose with her arm. She tried searching for the source of the smell until she saw it. Alice lowered her arm, her eyes filling with tears and her heart racing like crazy.
"A-Alic-ice..." weakly said a charred voice.
Alice could see the burnt corpses of her parents, but the one still barely alive was the charred remains of Cadence. She could see the burned hand trying to reach out to her, before it just dropped to the floor, lifeless.
Alice started to breathe heavily until she just screamed. She screamed her lungs out. She was crying, she was sobbing, she was panicking. Everything she could think of, she was doing. Her best friend and sister-in-law was now dead, along with the unborn child and her parents. All because of her.
"THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!"
Alice dropped to the floor, crying, screaming, and laughing like a madwoman. The arriving sirens drowned out her laughter...
It was a long night in the hospital, and police officers were asking questions about what happened, until Alice could hear her brother rushing down the hallway, screaming for her, her parents, and Cadence. She watched as the officers stopped him and soon, government agents arrived and were taking over the investigation.
The next few hours were a complete blur, Alice's mind was broken, she was unable to function, and she was just sitting there in a ball on the bed, not speaking or moving. She remembered the agents entering the room, telling her that she wouldn't be sent to prison for creating a dangerous device unless she handed over any surviving blueprints since her computer was destroyed in the blast and they couldn't find anything in her saved clouds or any sites she uploaded to. She told them the truth, that there were no other save files and that the only remaining blueprint was within her head, but she was unable to think straight at the moment. They understood why after looking at each other.
Alice remembered them giving her a tablet to sign the NDA papers, telling her that she was forbidden from speaking of her invention, but if she ever recreated her device, she would be sent to prison for the rest of her life or to be forced to work under them. Alice agreed and signed the paper, after which she was told that they would be watching her.
"Good day." said one of the agents, leaving the room with his partner.
As they walked out, Alice could see her brother standing there, just glaring at her as the agents walked by. Alice could feel the coldness of his stare. He walked inside the room and dropped into the chair in front of the bed, still just watching her.
"Bro-"
But Alice stopped as she watched her brother start to break down.
"It's your damn fault." he started to cry. "Cadence, our child, and my parents are dead because of you. Do you know how many people you killed?! Do you have any idea of what you did, Alice!?"
Alice just looked at her brother, knowing he was right. "I know... I'm sorry, brother. It wasn't meant to-"
"YOU KILLED MY FAMILY!"
Alice froze, her whole body shook with fear as her brother continued to yell at her.
"My future wife, our parents, and my child were killed because of you. Because you were too busy making your stupid invention that you didn't care if it blew up and killed anyone!" he stood up and grabbed Alice by the throat, somewhat choking her. "SMARTEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD!? BULLSHIT, ANY SMART PERSON WOULDN'T BUILD SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN THEIR FUCKING BEDROOM OR A POPULATED AREA!"
Knight pulled her out of the bed and into the ground. Alice's eyes tearing up. She was hurting all over, the emotional pain was worse than the physical pain she was feeling when she saw her brother like this.
"I HATE YOU!" he screamed as he covered his face with his hands. "Dear god, she's gone...my child is..." he stumbled backward and hit the wall, slowly sliding down it. "Why Alice? Why did you kill them?" That was the last thing he said, as he just kept crying and mumbling incoherent things.
Alice lay on the floor, unable to move. The heart-breaking words of her brother and the memories of what happened on this day were forever burnt into her mind, and the guilt was crushing her soul. She needed to cope quickly but with her emotions and her brother being all over the place, it was going to be impossible...until she heard her brother say something.
"I wish it was you, who died Alice. Not them..."
Alice slowly looked at her brother. His words were cold, sharp, and hurt more than a knife. She knew what she needed to do and started to work on it, as she slowly placed her hand over her arm and her fingernails dug deep into her skin. She started to scratch until blood started to drip out, and then she dragged her fingers down her arm, digging deeper and deeper, and she did the same thing to her other arm.
Alice's brother saw her and quickly rushed to her, trying to stop her.
"Alice stop! Wha-"
"You are right..." she said, staring at her bleeding arms.
He stopped, hearing the tone in her voice.
"I'm sorry, big bro. I should have died, not our partners or Cadence and your child..." She looked up at him, her eyes drained of any life in them. "You are right. I should be dead."
"Alice..."
"Don't worry, I will make things right." she gave him a weak smile. "I'll go away and never bother you again. I'll leave this world, and you won't have to worry about me or see me ever again." She started to scratch her arms once again. "I have seen other worlds, where there are no deaths or pain...just pure happiness and love." She closed her eyes, thinking about the other worlds and their inhabitants. "It's not fair..."
"ALICE!" shouted her brother, grabbing her arm and hugging her at the same time. "I didn't mean it! I'm just hurting and I want someone to blame!" he started to cry, his tears hitting her head.
"Bro..." Alice wrapped her arms around him, not even crying. Dark thoughts were filling her mind, along with her jealousy of the other versions of herself.
"I'm worthless. I'm causing so much pain for everyone around me." said the pony version of herself that she saw in that one universe as it replayed in her mind.
"...I'm not the only one who is suffering..."
"Ever since that day, the pain kept getting worse! The bullying kept getting worse, people died because of my foolish invention and their families wanted answers, and then revenge. Even with the government covering it up, it was easy to put together that I was the reason for the blast, and soon people wanted my head. My brother had to drop out of college and we had to move to the city, but with him being related to me, he couldn't find a good job anywhere." Alice started to shake, as she remembered it all. "Until he had to do dirty work for the local gang, which was the only way he could keep a roof over us. It was how he met Casey, and the rest was history. It's not only our family that has been hurt. All those people who were near the blast and the ones who had relatives or family who died in the blast suffered too, and I'm the reason." She slowly looked away from Spark and with pain in her voice, she said, "I tried to keep going, like Cadence would have wanted but I'm the cause of so much pain and suffering. So much death...that people and bullies in my new school started to call me the Princess of Death. I can't keep going..."
"Alice..." Spark slowly steps forward. "This is not your fault. All that happened in your life, was because of Fayth! She chang-"
"LIAR!" screamed Alice but still not looking at her. "Even if she was, was she the reason I was always being bullied? Never having friends!? TELL ME, WAS IT ALL FAYTH'S FAULT!?" Alice stood up, slowly turning towards her. "All that happened was the result of my selfish actions, my own choices. No one, not even Fayth, was the cause of it." She dropped to the ground, while Twilight hugged her from behind. "Fayth explained to us that she might be the living embodiment of Fate, but she doesn't control anyone's fates. She can only watch and not do anything else. All that happened, was because of my own doing, and the consequences of my actions. No one but me is to blame, and if anyone is a monster, it's me."
"Alice, please!"
Spark tried to get closer but an unstable purple shield appeared between them, as Twilight glared at her.
"Enough with your lies! Fayth was there for us when Alice found me! She explained to us about the book of Elyndra. The only true way to change everything and undo all the problems that we ever had!" Twilight let go of Alice and marched up to the freaking-out barrier. "Is to rewrite everything in the multiverse! It's not fair that only we have such awful lives!" her horn started to spark heavily, and Spark could see her in pain. "Why do they have it better than us!? Why is it always only us who had to suffer!?"
Spark could feel the rage in her voice.
"You have no idea what she went through, Spark! I'm not going to let you convince her that this was all Fayth's fault! Were my problems Fayth fault too!?"
Fayth crossed her arms, putting on a fake disappointed face. "Yeah, Spark. Was it my fault too?"
Spark could feel her blood boiling and her body shaking in rage, and the only thing she could do was punch the barrier. It shattered on contact, and the force sent Twilight flying backward and hitting the ground. Spark realized what she had done, and rushed to her.
"Are you alright?"
But Twilight screamed at her to stay away.
"You keep trying to tell us that Fayth is the monster here, but it's you! You're the one who is a monster! The one who is trying to take away our only hope for peace and happiness!" She stood up, still in pain. "You can't even argue to back up your claim that Fayth is evil! Fayth has been nothing but kind to us!"
Spark could see Fayth smiling all evil-like, which only made Spark's blood boil. She returns her attention to Twilight. "You don't understand! If you allow Fayth to write in the Book of Elyndra, then EVERYTHING will cease to exist, including you! Everyone in the multiverse will die! Your family!" She turned to Alice. "Your brother!" She looks at both of them now. "Do you two really want that? Do you want everyone you know and love, dead?"
Fayth smiled more, knowing Spark was losing, and started to panic.
"YES!" screamed both.
"You can't be serious."
Twilight held her head as her horn still sparked wildly. "It's like we have been trying to tell you! It's not fair for other universes to have it better than us! It's not fair that they have their problems be fixed or never had issues, and not us!" she took a few breaths. "You have no idea what it's like to suffer! To be seen as failure!"
Alice stood up, undoing her bandages from her other arm, revealing all the scars from cutting herself. "This is the pain I had to go through every day of my life. Every time I see myself in the mirror, every time I look at the scars, I remember the pain." Alice started to cry, tears falling down her face. "I just wanted others to treat me like anyone else, not some freak because I act different from other girls or just because I like other girls." She covers her eyes, remembering the deaths she caused and about her brother and the current life she forced on him. "Maybe it is better if everything just ended, and maybe then my brother can have a happy ending, and the other universes will too...every story has an ending."
"That's a load of crap!"
They turned to Spark, who had a very angry face.
"You are acting like you two are the only ones who suffered! Like your problems are so bad that everyone else has a perfect life, and you think you have a right to destroy it all, just because you are sad and want the pain to stop. How selfish can you two get!?"
"Selfish!? How are we selfish!?" asked Twilight, backing up a bit.
Spark pointed to them. "You want the pain to stop? Right?" Both nodded at her, making her lower her hand, smiling sadly. "Like I said, You two aren't the only ones who suffered in life. The multiverse is vast and almost endless, you might have seen happiness in those you saw but there are universes where there are versions of you who suffer or even worse but they moved on from the pain, they learned to move forward in life and that's what you two need to do. Instead of trying to fix your problems, you need to accept them and move forward."
Spark could see the disgusted reactions from the two of them.
"If you think you are the only ones who lost someone or failed at something, you're wrong."
Twilight returns to Alice's side, staying close to her and trying her best not to believe Spark's words. "Show us proof then! Because you have been lacking that the most in those!"
Fayth faced away from them, laughing a bit. "Yeah, show them proof Spark."
Spark glared at Fayth and turned her attention to the two. "I will show you proof that not everything is peaches and cream for everyone." She took out a book, closed her eyes to try to focus, and searched the multiverse for others who suffer like Alice and this version of Twilight. "...wait...what?" Spark quickly opened her eyes and stared down Fayth in rage. "Fayth, you didn't!?"
Fayth didn't say anything and flew away to another part of the top of the tree.
"FAYTH!" screamed Spark, following after her. Leaving Twilight and Alice alone. "WHO ELSE DID YOU BRING HERE!?"
static
static
Spark snapped back to reality and started to walk forward toward the creature. "You are never alone! You have others who love you! Friends you made in your current lifetime! I wasn't lying about that, you need to move forward to that future, Twilight!" Spark's barrier finally scattered, letting the beam hit her but she didn't flinch from the pain and kept walking. "A future where you finally accept that your friends are gone, but that doesn't mean you have no friends or a life waiting for you. They wouldn't have wanted you to just sit around and feel sorry for yourself, they would want you to continue and be the best you can be, for them."
The creature's chest started to glow, making the black mist slowly repel from its body, revealing the black hooded Twilight underneath it. She stopped her horn from shooting out its magical beam.
"Spark, I know your words are coming from the heart, and I'm sure my friends would have said the same thing but..." Twilight's eyes started to tear up. "But it hurts...it hurts too much." Her body started to tremble, and the dark mist started to slowly return. "I know your words are true but these kids, their emotions, all their pain and suffering that became mine is still raw, and the thought of moving forward just brings me more pain. It hurts to move forward, and it hurts to stay where I am. So I ask you..." She looked down, tears falling. "You need to destroy me! Kill me or I'll keep hunting down the others you brought here. I don't want to hurt anyone...I just want to help those kids..." the mist started to cover her face. "I want to help those versions of me..." She slowly turned to Fayth, who was just smiling at the whole situation. "And I'll do whatever it takes..."
Spark watched as the shadow creature took control once more, facing her with anger and hate.
"FRIENDS!"
Spark clutched her fist, remembering how this version of Twilight became like this...
static
static
"So, that's what is happening and why you came to me. To help those versions of me, to see that not every version of them isn't well off like they thought." Twilight said, staring out at the stained glass windows of her friends.
"Yeah. I know what you are thinking. 'Why did you pick me?', right?" said Spark, who was sitting next to her and looking at the stained glass windows as well. "Even more so with this." Spark summoned the knife that she took away from Twilight.
Twilight saw the knife and looked away in shame.
Spark summoned away the knife again and faced her, smiling. "I picked you, Twilight. It's because you kept moving in life." Spark turned her attention back to the stained glass windows, staring at the window that represented Rainbow Dash. "After the others died, you did keep moving and living your life. I know you miss them every day but look where you are now, Twilight. This Equestria is peaceful, all creatures are equal and there is no fighting, no war, no evil villains trying to destroy Equestria." Spark put a hand on her shoulder, smiling more. "Because of you, and all the hard work you did, you created this world and gave birth to a new era, a better one. Even with the pain of loss, you kept moving forward and it made the world better. I believe, if any version of you were in this type of situation, they would have given up and accepted their fate and not have the strength and courage to keep going."
"Spark...but I..."
"You wouldn't have done it. I read your story with this." Spark out an old-looking book. "My teacher gave this to me, not only does it carry the journal of my past me's, but it also allows me to read all universes and their stories." She put away the book and turned back to Twilight. "You always try to end your life but you never do, and you know why."
Twilight watched as Spark looked back at the stained glass windows, making her slowly look as well.
"If I ended my life, I would just be spitting in the faces of my friends, my family, and all my loved ones. Even when I am not happy with how things turned out in life..." Twilight closed her eyes, remembering all the ponies and creatures she met in her life. "It was worth it, as I wasn't the only one who created this new Equestria. My friends are also the reason it's like this. Their hard work made the new world possible and gave the others a better future, and because of that, it was worth living in."
"That's right. It's worth living in because there are so many great things we can experience, and those who are gone are watching over us." Twilight could hear the heartbroken tone in Spark's voice. "And they are proud of all the choices we made." Spark closed her eyes, trying her best to hold back the tears as she remembered her sisters. "That's why I picked you. You keep struggling with the pain but you keep going and I know in the future, you'll finally accept everything and be able to move forward for good." Spark opened her eyes, a single tear running down her face, and smiled sadly.
Twilight opened her eyes and turned to Spark, then both turned to the stained glass windows, which seemed to be glowing brightly. Twilight opened her mouth and spoke...
"Even with all the pain, life is still worth living and we should strive to make our lives better, for ourselves, and the ones who are no longer with us," said Twilight, talking to her younger version and Alice. "I will do my best to help you both. You two aren't the only ones struggling, there are others like yourselves and me, who are going through hard times. They might be struggling with their problems and not know how to get help, but many do find help from others..." She looked over at Spark, who was smiling. She faced the two girls again. "Or they find it on their own because even with the pain and suffering, everyone falls at some point and we always get back up, but that's the way life goes."
She took a breath and smiled sadly, remembering her past and how much she suffered.
"But, even with the pain, we are not alone. You two need to see that. Alice, you have your brother and his new lover, who cares deeply about you two." She turned to the younger version of herself. "We all fail in things but that doesn't mean we have to quit or give up on life. We have to keep moving forward, and I promise, you will find a path, and the pain will fade over time. And..." Twilight could feel a tear fall down her face. Seeing a younger version of herself, who had a completely different life, it made her so sad, not only was the younger version of herself never gotten her cutie mark, but it never led her down the path of becoming Princess Celestia's student. Never meeting Spike or learning about the Mare in the Moon, which means never meeting her friends. "And...you are not a failure...I am sorry for what you went through, and for all the pain and suffering you had to go through because you didn't pass the exam test but you shouldn't allow that to hang over you. There are so many other things that you can do and learn in life. You are not a failure and you never will be."
The other Twilight stood there, crying as her emotions were running wild, hearing an older version of herself saying that to her. She turned to Alice, who was also crying.
Spark could see this was working but saw Fayth appearing above the kids, seeing her holding a black book.
"You two really going to listen to this giant lie?" asked Fayth, slowly floating down between them. "Alice, deep down you know that Casey is just using your brother for sex. The bullying will never stop too and what about all the people you killed on that night, and as for you..." She looks at the younger Twilight, who was staring at her. "You are a failure, you couldn't become Celestia's student, and instead of helping you, she just gave you false hope that you will become her student but she lied to you to get rid of you. She only ever saw in you, a giant failure and wanted nothing to do with you. And now, your life is a failure, and never will have friends and will be alone and unloved as even your family doesn't want anything to do with you." Fayth could see the anger and hate in the younger Twilight's eyes.
"No, you are-" But Twilight couldn't finish, as her younger self screamed at her to shut up.
"No, Fayth is right! The Princess never wanted to help me and wanted nothing to do with me!" Younger Twilight's body started to give off black smoke. "And my family never cared about helping me. My parents just fought with each other about whose fault it was because I was like this! All the times they would scream at each other and then ignore me, I felt so alone." She looked at the ground and slowly fell to her knees. "My brother just saw me as a huge embarrassment and never wanted me around him or the Princess."
Spark and Twilight tried to intervene but Alice's body started releasing black smoke, as she shouted at them too.
"She's right! Fayth is telling the truth like always! If I go back home, the only thing waiting for me is hardship!" Alice took out a pocket knife from her pocket, flipped it open, and looked at her reflection in the blade. "I ruined my brother's life so much, along with others who were affected by the blast from my device. And if I return home, it'll all be the same. The bullying, the torment, and the pain. I want it all to stop!" She held the knife close to her arm, crying and shaking. She started to cut her self to cope. "And if that means ending everything, then so be it. At least the pain will stop!"
Spark and Twilight didn't know what to do, the kids were too far gone to reason with them, and the more they spoke, the worse their emotions got. The kid's emotions started to become real in the form of black smoke, and Fayth started to absorb it into the palm of her hand.
"You can't stop this, Spark. No matter who you bring here, these foolish kids will continue down their paths of self-destruction and pain," Fayth said, taking in more black smoke and making the black book float in front of her, opening on its own. "It's their fate after all. The fate I wrote for them."
Twilight and Spark glared at Fayth, as she took the black smoke into her pen and started writing something in the book. They quickly turned their attention to the kids, asking them if they heard what Fayth was saying, but they could see their eyes were drained of any life as they kept going on about how awful their lives were, almost like they were being controlled.
"Fayth, stop this now! This isn't the way!" demanded Spark, turning to her.
Fayth turned to them, giving them a twisted smile. "Way of what, Spark? Bringing the true ending to every universe that ever existed? That is the only way. No matter what you do or who you bring here, their destiny is already set and no matter what you say, these two will aid me in making that dream real." She closed the book, making a loud echo that sounded like it filled the whole white universe. "This time, in this rewrite, you won't stop me. I'll finally finish writing in that damn book and everything will end." She pointed her palm at Twilight. "Let me teach you a lesson about bringing others to our little fights." She fired the blast of dark smoke toward Twilight, who tried to put up a magical barrier but the smoke became into mist and passed right through the barrier.
Spark rushed to use her magic to teleport Twilight away, but Fayth appeared behind her, grabbing the back of her head and slamming her into the ground, hard. Fayth made her watch as the black mist started to enter Twilight's body, turning her body into a shadow and making her scream.
"Twilight!" shouted Spark, trying to get Fayth off of her, but somehow Fayth was much stronger than she normally was.
"Don't worry. I'm not doing anything permanent. I just need her out of the way while I finish with the kids and take their large amount of negative emotions." Fayth turned to the kids, seeing their bodies releasing more of the black smoke and all of it was floating above them, into a giant black orb of mist. She faced Spark and lowered her head to Spark's ear. "And what better way than making her the living embodiment of those kids' sorrow, pain, and hatred."
"STOP IT, FAYTH! YOU DONE QUESTIONABLE THINGS BUT THIS!?" shouted Spark, struggling against Fayth's hold, trying her best to break free. "YOU ARE RUINING THEIR LIVES! THESE ARE JUST KIDS! THEY DON'T DESERVE TO GO THROUGH THIS!"
Fayth chuckled at what Spark said, seeing Twilight screaming and crying, her body transforming into a dark shadow. "Spark, they do deserve this. Their lives are so pitiful, not just them but every single life In the multiverse is such a joke, a bad joke." She faced the kids, who were still in a trance-like state and spewing their negative thoughts and feelings. "That's why I'm doing this. It's time to put an end to these awful stories! I have seen countless universes, never-ending stories that are just a repeat of what has been told millions of times. A forever endless cycle of stories, characters, and events." She tightened her grip on the back of Spark's head, forcing her to look up at Twilight's screaming, crying form, seeing the darkness take over her mind.
"The only way to end these repeating cycles and make a true ending to the multiverse is by forcing that happy ending!" She slammed Spark's face into the ground. "Because I want that ending too, so I can finally..." Fayth's grip loosened as she lowered her head, her voice growing lower and lower.
Spark slowly opened her eyes, her mind trying to process what she thought she heard.
Fayth raised her head and let go of Spark's head. She started to walk away gathered another negative energy into the palm of her hand and flew off to another part of the top of the rainbow tree.
"I'll get the ending that we all deserve. One way or another."
Spark slowly sat up and saw Twilight had finally turned and glared at her. Her eyes glowed red and spoke with much hate and pain in her voice.
"FRIENDS!"
Spark quickly stood to get ready to fight her but the creature started to scream as a glow appeared in its chest. Spark looked confused by this but soon realized what was the light.
"The spark...it's fighting the negative energy back!"
Spark tried to get closer but within her mind and heart, she heard Twilight's voice speaking to her.
"Don't get near me! F-Fayth is going after 'her' and the other two kids! You need to go after her before it's too late!"
"Twilight, I know but what about you, your body has become corrupted, and the spark is trying to fight the negative emotions but the longer you stay like this, the worse the corruption gets," said Spark, trying to get closer, but the negative energy around Twilight was stopping her. "I can't leave you! I'm not leaving a version of my mom to become a monster!"
Spark could hear Twilight being taken aback by that comment until she started to laugh a bit.
"I knew I felt like I knew you...and back in the church, you kept eyeing Rainbow Dash and not the others...is...AH!"
Spark could hear Twilight screaming and saw the creature also screaming as the light on its chest started to go dim.
"MOTHER!" shouted Spark, trying to grab her but the creature teleported away, leaving Spark with the kids, all alone.
"I'll be back." She faced the kids, giving them a big smile. "And I'll bring others, others to prove that those who suffer can accept the pain and move forward." She walked up to them, putting her hands on her glowing chest. "You two can do that, the spark lives within you and everyone. You need to listen to it and follow it."
The two were going to ask her what she meant, but Spark's wings spread open and with one flap, she blasted off, leaving them confused and alone.
static
static
"I'll promise you, Twilight! I'll return you to normal!" said Spark, watching as the creature darted toward her and still screaming the same word. Spark opened her arms like she was ready to hug someone. "I'm going to save you!"
The two collided, and the negative energy and Spark's rainbow energy exploded upon the collision, creating a huge magical force that shook the base of the vast tree.
"Damn cow..." whispered Fayth, watching as the smoke cleared and standing there, hugging the unconscious creature was Spark.
Spark could still feel Twilight and the spark within her. They were still fighting even now. She faced Fayth, glaring at her.
Fayth quickly sensed the incoming danger as she summoned her book, blocking Spark's fist who just appeared in front of her. Fayth staggered a bit back, looking at her with anger and rage.
"Damn, you are starting to piss me off, Spark," said Fayth, holding the book in one hand and her other hand summoning her pen.
Spark eyes became filled with glowing rainbows and her voice became deep and loud. "It's because of that, I'm the one that has to stop you. You can't just go around the multiverse, forcing the stories to end or become something different. They have their own paths, and that path needs to be followed, or else the story can't continue."
Before Fayth could do anything, Spark lowered herself and raised her leg, swinging it at Fayth's stomach and sending her flying, crashing through the wooden walls of the tree and exiting out of it. As she flew, Spark appeared behind her and punched her, knocking her away.
"If the stories aren't allowed to continue, it will end in misery," said Spark, hovering there and crossing her arms. "I don't know what made you so done with everything but I won't allow you to drag the multiverse down with you. I'm not going to let anyone else suffer."
Fayth, who crashed into the tree roots, stood up and turned to Spark, looking at her and the rainbow aura she was giving off. She just kept looking at Spark, seeing someone else in Spark's place. The memory tried to bleed through but the image was distorted and glitched out.
glitch
glitch
"This is where my story ends, huh?" said a weak voice, as Fayth held someone in her arms. "Fayth, don't cry. That's unlike you. I mean, I'm still with you. Right here..." Fayth felt the person touching her chest.
glitch
glitch
Fayth slowly raised her arm and opened her hand toward Spark, who could see what Fayth was doing.
glitch
"Why? Why didn't you let me change your fate!? You could have lived and still be with me...but now..." Fayth's body started to shake and she couldn't speak anymore.
Fayth could feel the person caringly touching her cheeks, trying to wipe away the tears. "Because it's not right. Why should my story change but others can't have that chance? Plus, you told me you are forbidden to interfere, that you are nothing more than a watcher. I won't let you break the rules just for me. So, don't be sad. I'll be with you always."
Fayth lowered her head and whispered.
glitch
glitch
Spark slowly hovered down to Fayth, reaching out to her like she was doing, and she stopped above her.
"Fayth. I know you are hurting, something bad happened to you. Something that made you like this but please listen to me. Don't push me away like you always do, let me help you," said Spark, putting her hand over Fayth's. "Let me in." She gave her a big smile.
"..."
"No matter how much pain, anger, or sorrow you are feeling, it will be alright. Just let it all out, don't keep it all bottled up."
Fayth's mouth moved as she whispered the words.
glitch
glitch
"No, don't say that, Fayth."
"Why shouldn't I? You are my only friend in this whole multiverse of stories! You gave me something that I thought I'll never need and I can't...I can't lose you. That's why, I want to save you."
"You can't save me, Fayth. My story will end, and you will have to accept that."
Fayth could see the life slowly leaving the person's eyes, and she cried, saying how unfair everything was.
glitch
glitch
"Please, let me save you," whispered Spark, moving her fingers between Fayth's fingers. "Let me help you. Please."
glitch
glitch
Fayth held her stomach, as it was bleeding. She looked at the person who hurt her and listened to her words.
"Please, I don't want to hurt you anymore Fayth! You don't need to do this, you don't need to restart the multiverse again because I'm-"
Fayth blasted the person back and turned, seeing a golden book on a pedestal, and started to walk toward it.
"No, I need to restart everything again. You aren't the one I remember. You aren't my one and only friend. So, I'll start this whole thing all over again until I find the real you. Even if it means fighting every single version of you, I will bring you back to me. The real you!"
Fayth opened the book, and she started to write in it. She could sense everything in the multiverse restarting.
"Stop this!"
Fayth could feel her hand being grabbed.
"I won't let you restart the multiverse just for me because you know how my story ends. So, don't be sad when I'm gone. I'll be with you always."
Fayth slowly raised her head to them, giving a twisted smile, and whispered.
"No, don't say that, Fayth."
"Why shouldn't I? You are my only friend in this whole multiverse of stories! You gave me something that I thought I'll never need and I'll fight for it. Even it means..."
glitch
glitch
Spark had the biggest smile on her face as she felt Fayth's fingers wrap around her own. She landed on the ground, feeling the fingers tighten and Fayth's eyes staring deep into her soul but those kind and caring fingers quickly became cold and stabbed into Sparks's hand, making her drop to her knees in pain. She could feel the bones of her hand breaking from the pressure.
"I'll gladly become the villain."
Fayth pulled her fingers out and saw the blood pouring from the hole she created and she smiled.
"I'll bring that happy ending that we all deserve."
Fayth grabbed her pen, which was floating behind her, and raised it into the air. "Everything is a mistake, and no matter what, moving forward can't ever last. No one deserves a sad fate, no matter who it is. Everyone deserves a happy ending. Even if has to be forced upon them, I'll make it happen."
Spark looked at Fayth, seeing the twisted look on her face. She tried to move her arms but couldn't, and the rest of her body was frozen.
Fayth slowly placed her pen over Spark's forehead and said. "Screw you! You can't defy me, I'm fate itself! If you want to, then you will have to go through me! I'll make sure everyone has a happy true ending!" She tapped Spark's forehead, blasting her far from the Prime tree with unbelievable force.
The wind from the blast blew a bit of Fayth's hood up, revealing her eye.She rosed her other hand, reaching out to the memory of 'her' but different versions of Spark merged and slowly overwritten the memory.
"My happy ending. Nothingness."
End of Chapter 9
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Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 10: Not Letting Go, Will Only Lead to Self-Destruction
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 11: Stay True To Yourself
Twilight was at the top of the stairs, watching and listening as the alternate universes of herself and Dash, whom they had met ten years ago, tried their best to cheer Spark up after what happened. Not just them but the rest of the group as well. She felt Spark would be in good hands right now, even though she wanted to talk to and help her. But Twilight's aid was needed somewhere else right now.
She walked away from the stairs and back into Luster's room. She entered it and saw the sad sight before her: Dashie still holding Twilah's hand. Twilah continued coughing and breathing slowly.
"Is...is Spark okay?" asked Twilah, her voice husky.
Twilight could see how bad Twilah had gotten in such little time when she was away.
"She will be okay. Bolt and the others are talking to her," replied Twilight, walking to the edge of the bed and standing next to Dashie, sitting in a chair. "But I'm more worried about you, Twilah. Whatever Fayth has done to you, it's getting much worse, and we are doing all we can."
Twilight placed her hoof under her chin and started to scratch it as she tried to think.
"If S.P.I.K.E can't find anything wrong in your body to cause this sickness, then it must be magic related...but..." she looked over to S.P.I.K.E's hologram scans of Twilah's body, seeing Twilah's insides and the Element of Magic orb resting within her chest area. "But I don't see anything in your body as forms of any magical attacks or spells used against you."
Twilight lowered her head.
"Whatever she has done to you, it's not magic or any disease found in your universe or mine."
Dashie didn't want to hear that. She grabbed Twilah's hand, hoping it might help, but all she did was smile and cough some more.
"Don't worry, Dashie, I'm okay." lied Twilah, seeing Dashie's tear-filled eyes and sad face.
Dashie was about to say something until Twilight placed her hoof on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Dashie. Sunburst and the best magical users I know on this," said Twilight, trying to reassure her. "There has to be a way to cure this. And we will find it."
Dashie shook her head and smacked Twilight's hoof away, shocking her.
"Didn't you just say it wasn't magic!? There is nothing to find!" snapped Dashie, turning her attention to Twilah and holding her hand tight once more. "She isn't going to make it, is she?"
Twilight could only stand there, not saying anything. Not even S.P.I.K.E said anything, as his database for the disease couldn't match Twilah's symptoms. She looked fine on the inside, but on the outside, she seemed so weak and sick.
Dashie's anger faded, and she started to cry, realizing Twilight wasn't answering her question.
Twilight wanted to say something. She didn't want to lose a friend or an alternate version of herself, especially in a situation like this, but she didn't want to lie.
"Maybe it is magic?" weakly said Twilah, slowly sitting up but falling back down.
Twilight and everyone asked her what she meant by that.
Twilah closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
"You were right, Twilight; it is magic...but it's related to Fayth and her powers. Her powers aren't magical, and I remember something Sparks said when she talked to you and the others back in the park before I passed out."
Twilight was a little confused, but she listened anyway.
Twilah opened her eyes, repeating what Spark said to them that Fayth had told her. "I didn't just change her story but also her ending!" she turned to them, seeing Twilight trying her hardest to understand. "Twilah's ending is coming sooner than you think."
Twilight's eyes widened when she realized it.
"No, it can't be!"
Dashie and S.P.I.K.E were lost but soon heard Twilah speaking.
"My ending, how I die..." she coughed but found the strength to sit up. "It was always meant to be like this, but Fayth made it happen sooner. This is a disease, but it is also magical. I believe I know what caused it." She looked at Dashie, who was still trying to understand all this. "Dashie, I'm glad you have always been yourself."
"Huh? What do you mean, Twilah?" asked Dashie, not understanding.
Twilah smiled and weakly laughed as Twilight started to explain.
"Dashie, in your universe, magic doesn't exist. You humans don't have a mana system like my race and other magical creatures, so you can't use magic, and your bodies can't handle magic either."
Dashie started to understand as she moved her head toward Twilah, who was lying back down and facing the ceiling.
"We have been looking at this all wrong. This isn't a normal disease or magical curse or sickness...this is a magical toxic substance that is eating away at Twilah's human body," said Twilight, turning her head away. "I can't believe I didn't think of that. This is the first report of a magical toxic in my universe. It makes sense; the substance is..." She trailed off while Dashie held her chest and looked back at Twilah, who was doing the same.
"...the Elements of Harmony..." whispered the two in unison, remembering that day ten years ago when Nightfall and Sky gave them their Elements as a gift, allowing them to transform into their pony counterparts and their hybrid forms.
Twilah closed her eyes, her voice sounding broken as she spoke. "When I took the Element Of Magic, it was a gift from Blitz and her sister's mother. But now...it's killing me. Only Fayth has accelerated the process to happen sooner." she started to cry. "I have been overusing it for over the ten years since I got it. Like Twilight said, we humans can't handle magic because we lack the mana system. Over the years, the Element Of Magic was slowly poisoning my body, but it's finally killing me." she opened her eyes, looking up at the wood ceiling. "If I was always meant to die like this, then it means I wouldn't figure it out, but my story, my life leading up to my death, will be different than it was supposed to be. It'll be different, but it won't change the fact that I'm going to die, and I have come to terms with it. I'm just glad I could spend the rest of my time with my friends and your family..."She turned to Dashie, who quickly hugged her, bursting out and crying. "You, Dashie. I'm glad I could have spent my life with you and with-"
"NO!" screamed Dashie, holding her tighter. "IT'S NOT FAIR! FIRST BLITZ, AND NOW YOU!? I'M GOING TO LOSE MY FAMILY AGAIN!"
Twilah was quiet as Twilight lowered her head, her ears lowering. Dashie pulled herself back, having an idea as she was sobbing.
"Maybe if you stay in your hybrid form, it won't hurt you and-" Twilah cut her off.
"No, it won't work, Dashie. I thought of that, as I have been trying to transform, but I can't no longer do it, and even if we remove the Element, it won't stop me from dying as the damage is already been done in my system."
Twilight shook her head.
"If only there were a way to extract the poisonous toxic from your body and remove the Element Of Magic. It could save you, but since we don't see it in your human form, it must be in your hybrid form... it's there but just hidden away from us to save you..."
"It won't matter," said Twilah, looking at her and seeing the confusion on her face. "I wouldn't know why, but we need to accept that I'm going to die no matter what." She looked back at the ceiling, toning out Twilight and the others' voices. She remembered what happened in the white void called the Timeverse and its city. She remembered what Prism had told her during that concert that she and her were at in Fluttershy Con.
"Prism, I'm not stupid. I already guessed who you are."
Prism was shocked, flew upright, and sat beside her, her wings twitching with worry.
"Well, from what I can see..." Twilah turned to her, removed Prism's hoodie, and held her rainbow hair in a ponytail. She couldn't stop smiling and crying. "You're...no, I can't say it, and since you're still here and didn't disappear from this timeline, it tells me I can think of it as long as I don't say it. It's tough not to say it."
Prism smiled and was so happy to hear her say that. She sat closer to her and watched the show. She couldn't stop crying, knowing her secret was out, but she could relax with her.
"Man, she can't yell at me for this one!" She said, grinning hard and wiping her tears away,
Twilah wanted to know but knew better. It's not her place to learn, not yet anyway.
"Hey, Prism?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay? Have you been eating well? You're not skipping meals, are you?"
Prism giggled and leaned on her, resting her head on her shoulders. "Yeah, I'm eating well. Thanks for worrying about me."
(Prism...you wanted to warm me...tell me the future, what was gonna happen to me in it, but you knew you couldn't tell me....even when it hurts so much seeing me again...)
"Sorry, Twi. But...I can't say it. But, yeah. I'm...you know... what you're thinking. I want to tell you!" She started to cry heavily.
"You won't ever meet her, right?"
"Yeah...sorry..."
"No, don't be. You did nothing wrong, Prism."
"Yeah...nothing."
(Prism, you did nothing wrong. Don't blame yourself...)
"Prism," thought Twilah, knowing who Prism was but couldn't ever say her name out loud, as she feared Prism's future would change if she told them about her in some way or form. "The way you sounded and how you acted around me like you were happy to spend time with me, made it more clear that I died when you were very young, Prism. This was meant to happen...least we spent time together before I had to leave you...again."Twilah's thoughts about Prism stopped there when she heard Dashie's voice.
"I'm going lose everything! I'm going to be alone without you or our daughter! How can you expect me to deal with this!? Please, don't go!"
Twilah turned and sat up, despite the pain, and hugged her tightly.
"Dashie, please don't say that. You will never be alone."
Dashie started to cry more, holding her close.
"But, why!?"
"Because, Dashie, Spark is still here." She leaned away and smiled at her. "She's our daughter, and she has a home in our universe and this one. Also..." Twilah really wanted to tell Dashie about Prism, but she couldn't, and it hurt her so much not being able to.
"Dashie, when this is all over, you will have a chance to have a new family, and the future will be bright for you! I know it, almost like I saw it..." Twilah lay back down in the bed, looking at the ceiling once more, and within her thoughts, she realized something about Prism and couldn't help but smile. "I think the rainbow comet is coming back..." With that said, Twilah fell asleep, leaving Twilight and the others confused, and Dashie sobbed as she hugged her.
"Why, Twilah!? Why do I have to lose you, too!?"
It was quiet in the library's central area. Spark sat in front of everyone who was in the middle of the room on the floor.
"How you have been, darling?" asked Rarity, worried about her. She got up and checked out her clothes, which had been worn out over the two years. "I say, this needs to be fixed, but I can't believe you still wear these clothes. Well, at least the jacket is clean."
Rachel joined her, noticing something about the rainbow puffy jacket. "Isn't this one of my designs? I feel it is, but I'm not sure."
Spark lowered her head as she remembered seeing this same jacket in Rachel's store that one time and loved it so much. "It is...I saw it, and I liked it so much that I guess when my sister's jacket became mine, my thoughts must have made it look like this. I'm sorry, I'm not sure why I made it look like this. If you want, I can change-"
"Keep it as is," interrupted Rachel, seeing her face. "The rainbow colors suit you, dear."
Spark was quiet, feeling happy.
"You have been eating well, sugar cube?" asked AJ, joining Rarity's side, who was holding out Spark's arm and measuring it. She shoved her out of the way and held Spark's arm. "You must be, though, because look at these muscles."
Spark could only stare and blush as April joined in.
"You been working out, lass? Good girl! You have to keep in shape to fight that brat!" She stood up on her hind legs and started to flex her muscles, showing them off. "Come on, lass, show me your muscles! Show me what ya got!"
Spark was confused, but she did what she was asked to do. She stood up, reminding everyone how tall she was, and flexed. April couldn't stop smiling.
"How many worlds have you visited?" asked Fluttershy, flying up to her. "How many lives have you helped?"
"What kind of sweets have you eaten?" Penny asked, holding a giant cookie in her hoof as she held it out for Spark to take. "Please taste this cookie; it is one of my new recipes."
"Those you helped, I bet you made them smile, right? Tell us!" Shouted Pinkie, hopping around Spark.
Faith walked over and looked up at her, amazed by Spark's height and how busty she was.
"Can't believe how much you've grown in the last few days, but what Dash and Twilight told us, it's been two years for you? You haven't been alone all this time, right? You have a teacher, and someone called Suguri, correct?"
Spark had to step backward to see down as her chest blocked Faith's face.
"Umm, yeah..."
Soon, everyone started asking her random questions. There were so many random questions that she began to get overwhelmed, and just as she was about to yell, a loud, angry voice stopped everyone.
"QUIET!"
They all turned and saw the look on Dawn's face.
"Enough. What's with all the stupid questions?"
Dawn quickly noticed Spark's happy face, making her blush slightly, and looked away.
Sunny placed her arms behind her head. "Well, we hardly know her. We only fully met her a few hours ago, and when she first appeared to all of us a few days ago, we didn't have a chance to speak to her as she sent all of us back into this universe." She gave Dawn a smirk. "Also, she was saving the multiverse from you."
Dawn remembered what Lucy had told her, how her evil lookalike was trying to restart the multiverse because she had lost her version of her Spark. She tsked loudly and looked away.
"That wasn't me. I'm not that weak to be controlled by some stupid kid and want to restart everything."
Spark tuned out Sunny and Dawn's fighting while Wallflower and Lucy were between them, trying to stop them from going at it. She turned to the others, her sister's family, and saw their happy faces, smiles, and eyes, telling her they cared for her.
"Why?" she asked them, making Sunny and Dawn stop fighting.
"What you mean, lass?" asked April.
"Why do you care? As Sunny said, you don't even know me yet." She looked at the others in the room, looking at her now. "...you all seem to care so much about me. I can't be my sisters, so I can't replace them, but I can tr-"
"Replace? Who said anything about replacing them?" asked Rachel.
"Spark, we don't see you as Blitz," replied Faith, while the others who knew Blitz nodded in agreement.
Dash walked up after watching the whole thing. "And none of my and Braver's friends see you as Braver. We see you for you, Spark. Right girls?" Dash turned; her friends nodded, while Braver's friends nodded in agreement. "See. You need to stop thinking you're replacing them; you're not."
Spark started to cry as her body shook.
"I can't! When you look at me, I can see something; I can see sadness, like you want Blitz and Braver to return instead of me." She covered her eyes and started to sob. "I can't stop thinking how much I hurt you all! If they never died for me, they would still be here! Here with you all! I'm the reason they're gone! I'm the reason all of this happened! All of the pain! The suffering!"
Everyone was quiet, unsure what to say, as she continued sobbing, but Dash had enough of how Spark had been acting. She flew up to her.
"Spark?"
Spark ignored her, but Dash was having none of it.
"SPARK!"
Spark lowered her hands, looked up at her, and was surprised to see Dash's angry face. It happened so fast that everyone had no time to react as Dash smacked her hard across her face.
"Snap out of it!"
Spark fell to the ground, holding her cheek, and looked up at Dash, who was angry and had tears in her eyes.
"You keep going about hurting us and whatnot, but you aren't!" Dash started to cry harder. "You haven't done anything! We all miss Blitz and Braver! Yes, we do!" She began to calm down a bit, her voice becoming soft. "But, they did it to save you. They loved you so much but keep acting like this then..." her voice started to sound sadder. "How you have been acting will only cause more pain because we feel like we're hurting you just by loving you." She landed, walked up, and sat in front of her.
"You aren't replacing anyone. You're you. You are my daughter's sister; you are my daughter as well. So, please stop hurting yourself and accept who you are. Accept who we see you are."
Spark couldn't stop crying. Everyone was sad or crying except for Dawn, who watched the whole thing, shook her head, and headed to the exit. Lucy, Luster, Cozy, Sunny, and Wallflower saw this and went after her.
"But...how can you love me after I took-" Spark stopped herself as she felt Dash hugging her.
"Please, just stop thinking like that. Blitz and Braver wouldn't have wanted this for you. They would be very upset if they knew how you were acting."
"But, I can't help it, mo-" Dash's ears twitched, but Spark quickly corrected herself. "D-Dash... Everywhere I see, all I see is the pain and suffering I caused, and I can't help it...I feel like a monster...I feel my life has no meaning because it's a life I took from my sisters!"
Dash's ears lowered as she sighed. Before she could say anything, a voice spoke up.
"Here, I thought I was the downer," said Terra with a sad smile, making Spark and Dash look at her. They saw the ones that saved the twins ten years ago, all in front of them. "Your life has meaning. There's a reason you're alive. There's always something, even when it doesn't feel like there is. Maybe that reason is to help others—maybe even just one life, just like you have been doing as you fought Fayth. It's why I'm here; Brigitte saw that in me, and your sisters saw that in you."
Terra steps forward, reaching out her hand to Spark. Spark looked at it and slowly shook her head.
"N-No! Your speeches aren't going to work on me! My sisters needed your speeches because they thought they were monsters, but not me! Unlike my sisters, who were too kind, sweet, and cute to be monsters, I'm the real monster! I'm not Spark, but Breaker! Breaker of worlds! Breaker of lives! Star Breaker!" She could feel Dash hugging her harder and hearing the words that she wasn't Breaker. "But I am! I killed my sisters! I can't ever let that go! I KILLED THEM!"
"And that's okay..." said Terra in a sad tone, her hand still out to her.
Spark's eyes widen as her body stops moving.
"W-What...?"
Suddenly, everyone saw a rainbow aura fill the room, and Spark's eyes filled with pure rage as they glowed with bright rainbow lights.
"MY SISTERS DEATHS AREN'T 'OKAY' THING! YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY THEY DIED!? BECAUSE OF ME! BECAUSE THEY GAVE THEIR LIVES TO GIVE ME ONE! AND THAT WILL NEVER BE OKAY!" her wings spread open, and a rainbow aura halo slowly appeared behind her back. "DON'T YOU DARE ACT LIKE MY SISTER'S DEATH WAS LIKE NOTHING TO YOU!"
Terra didn't flinch at all, her hand still out to her, and everyone was shocked and a bit afraid at the look of anger and pure rage on Spark's face, especially Dash, who was hugging her tightly, hoping git would calm her down.
"The things I did—the pain I caused...I was like you, Spark, believing my life meant nothing. I was a monster, a true monster, and nothing I do will change the past; nothing will ever make up for all the people I hurt or killed. All those lives wasted..."
She closed her eyes and clenched her teeth, remembering the faces of everyone she hurt and killed.
"My sister's family, my sister herself, good people, died because of me, but like I said..." Terra looked up at Spark, smiling. "It's okay. It's okay because I'm not a monster; I have regret, sorrow, and guilt. I have people like Brigitte who taught me that I'm not a monster. She taught me that my life shouldn't ever be wasted. Brigitte hated seeing good lives wasted during the war and would tell me how much it would hurt her if I died because I was a good person. Your sisters are the same as Brigitte and me. They cared and loved you so much that they gave their lives for you. Your life shouldn't ever be wasted, Spark, because your sisters would have wanted you to live and never regret anything. That's why it's okay. It's okay that you were the reason they died, as it wasn't by your hands, and the last thing they would want is for you to feel sad and alone. It's okay because their death wasn't in vain; they would have wanted you to live a long, happy life."
Terra raised her hand a bit higher.
"You feel regret and shame! You feel guilty! You are not a monster, just a young girl who lost her way! So please, come back. Come back and never feel like this again. Because we know, and so does everyone in this room, that you aren't a monster. You are the sister to Blitz and Braver!"
Spark's aura started to die down, and she hugged Dash for comfort.
"B-But if I'm not a monster, why do I still feel angry...at myself, but most of all, I feel like nothing. Am I truly worth saving? To have a life? I can't help seeing your glaring eyes and see nothing but wanting my sisters back instead of me. Am I worth being loved by anyone?"
Spark didn't know why, but she felt safe in Dash's hug and could feel Dash crying.
"How others see you isn't important; how you see yourself means everything," said Flare, floating over and standing next to Terra. Like her, she put her hand out to her.
"But was I worth it? Did my sisters truly believe I was worth the price of their lives? I can't help it; I feel so lost. I'm so confused and so empty inside."
Spark could feel Dash's heart beating faster. She could also feel her warm body and tears landing on her chest as she kept her eyes locked on the two.
After a few minutes, Flare and Terra kept their hands out to her, and Spark finally said something.
"You are lying!" She couldn't look them in the eyes. "Even if you are telling the truth...I'm not strong enough to keep living like this. I'm too weak. Too broken. How can I live when I'm filled with all these horrible emotions?! I can't even look at myself in the mirror because I don't know who or what I see anymore...I only see my sisters and my mothers...not me. Not Rainbow Spark...Breaker..."
"Then you'll learn to be. I wasn't always strong too, you know?" answered Flash, walking up and doing the same thing as the others. "You'll learn to be stronger! There were many times when I felt like how you felt, feeling so many horrible emotions. All those terrible things happened, but what keeps me going? What gives me strength to keep at it?"
"What?"
Flash had the biggest stupid grin on her face.
"Huh?" Spark blinked.
"I remember the smiles of my friends, my family, and..." Flash turned her head slightly, warming Midnight's cold expression. "The person who I treasure the most in my life, their smiles are what helps me get through the day, never to give up." She slowly returned her gaze to Spark. "Because I know they'll be there for me. No matter how hard the journey is, I won't ever give up as long as they are by my side." A few tears fell from Flash's cheeks. "Even the ones like my daughter who aren't here anymore."
Spark watched as Flash pointed to her heart, still having a big grin.
"They will always be here! Right here in my heart! It is what fuels my fighting spirit! If you keep fighting and do not give up, your sisters and mothers will always be here with you, in your heart and soul. Just believe and keep fighting. Find that drive, your fighting spirit!"
"Find the drive to fight? My fighting spirit...?" Spark lowered her eyes and could feel the sadness and emptiness inside her soul, her fighting spirit gone. "I have no fighting spirit left..." she started to shake, making Dash realize that Spark was scared and didn't know what else to do. "I'm s-"
"Scared?" whispered Berry, floating over and hovering beside her friends. "I know, you're not the only one."
Berry reached out her hoof, crying but yet smiling.
Spark closed her eyes, trying to fight her emotions, as she heard Berry. She wanted to be brave, to keep fighting, and to make her family proud. But the images of seeing her sister's loved ones and their hurt faces only made her want to cry even more. She finally let Dash go and faced away from everyone.
"But I can't face you all. I hurt all of you for taking my sisters away from you! I killed them! I can't ever let that go!" shouted Spark, hugging herself in sadness.
"You have to let that go. You can't keep living with regret." said a soft voice.
Spark turned her head slightly and saw Aaira walk up to the others and reach out her hand to her.
"What changed?" asked Spark, confused.
Aaira smiled softly as Little Star joined her side and answered for her.
Spark still didn't look at her, only hugging herself with closed eyes.
"She's right. If I hadn't let go of my feelings, my sorrow, and my guilt, I wouldn't be here. I would have kept it, falling into the darkness and dying, forever being broken. But I had to accept it. Take those few steps to acceptance. Don't let your feelings eat you up. Don't let them make a hole in your heart." said Aaira.
"How can I accept that? How can I let it go?" whispered Spark, holding herself tighter.
"The same way we all do, one step at a time," answered Wanda, trotting and sitting beside the others. Just like them, she reached out her hoof to Spark. "When you fall, get up and try again. That's what matters. Not if you can get up, but if you keep getting up. You will succeed if you get back up and try again."
Spark didn't answer and continued to hug herself, closing her eyes and letting a few tears escape.
"But-"
Wanda didn't let Spark finish her sentence as she interrupted her.
Spark said nothing, only standing there until she heard a voice talking to her.
"There isn't a dawn, only darkness."
Spark finally faces them and sees Layla reaching out to her like the others.
"That's what your sisters said to me on that faithful day. They were so lost in the darkness that they gave up on hope, light, and love. But I reached out to them and told them this." Layla shut her eyes and placed her other hand on her chest. "If there isn't a dawn, then make one!"
"Make a new dawn?" asked Spark, looking at Layla's hand.
"They will shine in my heart and show the world I am the light," whispered Spark, repeating Layla's words.
Spark finally let her arms fall to her side and looked at all the people and ponies around her. She saw the dawn her sisters made for themselves, letting those in their lives shine brightly. Spark could feel her emotions fading, and she searched for her dawn, that one person she had let in her life. Dawn, but she was nowhere to be found. That's when she remembered. She tossed away that dawn she had created. She started losing faith in herself.
"Have faith in yourself and have faith in others!" shouted Eirika, who joined the others and stabbed the wooden floor very loudly with her rainbow sword, spooking everyone in the room.
Aero smacked Eirika from behind her head and looked at her with annoyance. "You scared her and everyone here! Just like you did back then with the twins! Blockhead."
Eirika glared at her talking blue Pegasus horse, not enjoying her name-calling. She coughed and returned, making her speech.
"Decision?" whispered Spark, making her remember the recent lousy decision she had made with Dawn. "I only made bad ones and hurt everyone...including Dawn."
Eirika could see that Spark was looking for some or any answers, so she spoke to her again.
"If I had the answer, I would tell you, but I don't. It falls on you and others that you let in. You aren't alone in making the decision. Your sisters have given you the gift of life and all it has to offer. It's your and others' decision now in what you do from here on out. But whatever your choice, we will all be here for you."
Spark looked up and saw the determination on Eirika's face, along with everyone else's. She could feel a smile form on her face, feeling her confidence return. She thought she could get Dawn back, but her thoughts quickly filled her mind, telling her she would fail and lose the one person who loved her.
"No...I lost her...I'm better off being alone. If I'm alone, I won't hurt others ever again."
Suddenly, the room filled with bright light emitting from Heat. Her orange flames blasted with fury as she flew over and landed next to the others; her expression was filled with sadness.
"Stop it, this isn't going to change anything!" shouted Heat, reaching out her wing to Spark.
"But..."
"No, stop thinking like that. If you think you are better off alone, you are wrong!" shouted Heat, her flames becoming brighter and more significant. "No matter how hard you try, how much you scream or yell, or how hard you cry, You'll need help from others. Ask for help. Let others in!"
Spark's aura returned, almost like her aura and Heat's flames were battling each other. "What do you know? I can't ask anyone here because of what I have done!" Her aura started to die down, losing to Heat's flames. "I should be alone. It's better that way. This is my sin and mine alone to bear."
Heat's flames also died down, but the fire flew off of her and started to dance around Spark, almost like they were comforting her with their warmth.
"Asking for help," repeated Spark.
"Yes, asking for help," replied Heat.
Spark thought about it, but something was still nagging her in her mind, something she couldn't shake. Something told her not to believe Heat's words, that she couldn't ever ask anyone for help. Within her mind, she was putting herself down, saying things like "You're not good enough" and "You're the reason for sister's death; why would they ever help you!?" She felt a sharp pain in her heart as if the pain was slowly crushing it...until she felt a soft and caring breeze hitting her face. She realized that Bolt's wing was poking her nose.
Spark was starting to feel the pressure in her heart leave and was beginning to smile a little. She didn't know if it would work, but she needed to try.
"Trust your friends, believe in yourself, Spark. Be the person we know you can be," added Heat, who was smiling.
"Trust my friends, believe in myself, and be the person you know I can be," repeated Spark. She took a deep breath and heard another voice.
"The person I want to be...not act like my sisters...but the person I want to be," said Spark, thinking about what Wonder said.
"Yeah, are you willing to become the person you want to be, not what others want? Do what is right and fight for what you believe in. Even if no one will back you up, even if you're alone, Keep going. Never stop being yourself; never stop being the person you are."
Spark wanted to see herself as her person, not a clone of her sisters or mothers, but Fayth's words still filled her mind.
"You killed your sisters, and now you destroyed one of their families, thinking you could insert yourself into it, thinking they'll accept and love you." echoed Fayth's voice. "You don't have a place to belong. You are just a replacement for them..."
Spark couldn't stop thinking about what Fayth told her and how she made her feel, even though the others were trying their best to help her. "But what if..." Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Turning to the source, she saw Rain walking and standing with the others.
Rain put on her red shades and pointed to the heavens, but a faint cracking noise could be heard. Rain wasn't young anymore, as in her universe time; it had been many years since she had saved the twins.
"The truth of the universe?"
Rain nodded her head and spoke again.
"Yeah, the truth of your universe. You have to decide if the life you have is the life you want to have. Your sisters gave you it; what you do with it is up to you. What does the truth of the universe mean to you, Spark?" asked Rain.
"What does it mean?" whispered Spark, wondering.
"What is your purpose? What do you want to be?"
"My purpose, what do I want to be," repeated Spark.
Spark closed her eyes and started to think about her future. She wanted to save the multiverse from Fayth and save her simultaneously, but she never thought about what she should do afterward. It never crossed her mind. She always thought she would keep on living without ever doing anything with the life that she was given. But the more she thought, the more she realized she wanted to be more. She wanted a purpose, a real one.
"What about your life?"
Spark quickly opened her eyes. She could see two figures before her, but her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes. She was back in her small prison inside her Rainbow Element core. Standing there were the memories of Braver and Blitz.
"What about your life?" repeated both her sisters in unison.
"My life?" whispered Spark, her heart pounding and body shaking. "What should I do with my life?"
"You have every right to have a life outside of this prison you created! What's the point of living if you're going to be stuck within us, unable to have a life?!" cried Blitz, tears forming in her eyes.
Braver was crying, too, nodding along to Blitz's words. "We will figure it out! I'm sure you can live outside this place, and we will find a way to save ourselves! We can't live knowing that we are trapping you like this! I'M NOT GOING TO DO THAT AGAIN! NOT TO MY SISTER!" screamed Braver, slamming her hooves into the ground, shaking the tiny world in her anger.
"Braver, Blitz..."
Spark walked closer to them, reaching out her hand to them.
"I want to give my life back to you two! To let you guys live and not be gone! Please, I can't have a life! It's not mine to have!"
"Yes, it is!" shouted both of her sisters.
Blitz and Braver's bodies started to melt and slowly become one being.
"What about your damn happiness!? Why are you being so selfish?!" shouted Blitz.
"Yeah! Stop being selfish!" Braver yelled as the two finally became one.
Spark stopped, seeing her sisters as one, almost a copy of her but as melting black slime.
Spark was speechless; she couldn't speak. She was frozen.
"You're our sister. We wanted you to live, and that was the only way. Our way. We gave our lives so you can live a better one than being." They opened their melting wings and arms, pointing to the small universe within the Rainbow Core. "Trapped in this prison."
Spark watched as they got closer to her and finally hugged her.
"You always protected us like this back then. When we were just a small pile of slime, don't you remember? You protected us from the harsh, cold air when our Grandfather had us in that cage together. You kept us warm..." They started to cry rainbow tears. "You saved us by allowing us to feed off of you, and you used the broken Elements of Harmony to create your Element to give us a body. You always gave but never took...and we never thanked you. And we're sorry we never did."
Spark stroked her sister's melting-long hair, looking at them with sadness.
"We wanted to thank you for giving us a chance and not leaving us to die."
Spark suddenly felt her sister's body melting away much faster now, making her panic and trying to hold them closer to her, not wanting to let them go...again.
"Please, don't leave me. Don't go. Not again!"
"Don't worry, Spark, we won't ever leave your heart, but you must let us go and start living for yourself." They looked up at her, smiling. "You aren't just a clone but so much more. You aren't us or our mothers. We know that feeling will always be in your mind, but please listen to us." They placed their forehead on Spark's forehead, crying harder. "Talk to our mothers! Listen to them! Let them in, and they will tell you the truth! The truth that you need to hear..."
Spark shook her head as her sisters became nothing but a puddle of slime dripping off her body. She hugged herself, crying her heart out.
"Don't leave me alone! Please, I can't live without you guys!"
"You will never be alone..."
Spark looked down, watching her sister's slime drip away into the glowing Rainbow core and a cracked core of different pieces of the Element of Harmony. She was crying so hard she couldn't breathe, so she shut her eyes.
"Never be alone..."
Spark held tightly to the Elements, trying her best not to fall apart. She knew she couldn't give up, and her sisters would never want her to. She had to get back up and keep going. She had to keep fighting for her sisters, so they didn't die in vain.
She opened her eyes and saw Terra and the others were still reaching out to her with their hands and hooves.
"Spark, our speeches share the same themes! We might be from different universes, but we share the same stories! The struggles we face every day! There's always the same thing that connects us! It's always the same!" said the group in unison.
Spark's eyes started to water as she remembered why she gathered these heroes from other universes to save her dear sisters—the same thing she had always believed in for others.
"To keep moving forward. Even if we are alone, we'll still reach out our hands and help others...to keep moving forward and never giving up."
Although her sisters were gone, their memory was still fresh in her mind. She knew that no matter what, they would always be with her. They would never leave her, but she needed to let go and make them a sweet and happy memory.
"Never give up. Never give in," she whispered.
She reached out her hand, and everyone took it and pulled her up from the floor into a group hug, which the others joined in. As they hugged her and said caring words of encouragement, she remembered something she once said.
"Never let that spark die out. The spark that will never burn out within the darkness. That's what I live for."
She felt a sharp pain in her chest, as if something was cutting her heart into pieces. She held her chest, crying more.
"No, it will never burn out. That is my life. That's who I am. The spark will never go out!"
Even with saying that, the sharp pain in her heart wasn't going away, but she knew that. Moving forward takes time. She looked up at the others, still holding her chest, and smiled.
Dash smiled at the heartwarming scene and was going to say something but heard a noise coming from outside. She flew to the open door and saw Lucy, Luster, and their friends fighting with Dawn.
"Man, what's going on now?" thought Dash as she hurried over after closing the door.
When she landed, she could hear Lucy screaming.
"Stop running away! She needs you!"
Dawn shook her head and tried to walk away, but she was held down by Wallflower's magic over the plant life, which consisted of many types of flowers and vines.
"Stop running away," repeated Luster.
"She doesn't need me!" muttered Dawn as she was slowly breaking free from the vines and flowers. "She has people and ponies who can help her way better than I ever could!" with that said, Dawn finally broke free from Wallflower's magic but soon found herself inside an orange bubble. She turned back and could see Sunny's horn glowing. "Damn it, let me leave!"
"Hell no, girl! You need to listen to me and the others and stop running away. Spark needs you!" shouted Sunny.
Dawn shook her head again.
"She doesn't need someone like me! She never did, and she never will!"
"But what if she does need you, Dawn? Have you ever thought about that?" asked Wallflower, being helped up by Lucy after her magic failed to hold Dawn down.
"SHUT IT!" yelled Dawn, pounding her fist into the bubble, cracking it, and making Sunny refocus all her strength on keeping the shield up.
Cozy cracked her hooves and put on her red fighter gloves as she was dying to fight Dawn rather than trying to talk sense into her, but she suddenly saw a blue wing blocking her path.
"What do you want? Don't you see we're in the middle of something?"
Dash sighed. "And that is?"
"We're trying to talk some sense into Dawn," answered Wallflower, helping Sunny lean on her.
"Why?"
Luster turned to Dash. "Because she feels like she doesn't belong here and believes she's useless in helping Spark."
Lucy nodded and turned back to Dawn, still punching the bubble. "She's being a coward! After all that talk about wanting to help and loving Spark, she's running away again."
Dawn stopped punching the bubble and placed her forehead on it.
"I'm not running away, damn it...I know I'm no help here. What can I say to her to make her feel better?" she smacked her forehead against the bubble, spooking everyone. "I NEVER BEEN GOOD WITH WORDS!" She backed away and dropped to the ground on her rear, looking at her fist. "The only thing I ever knew and have been good at is fighting! Hating! And yet...when it comes to talking about my feelings or others, I suck. I mean, I'm a fucking street punk, not a damn therapist!"
Dawn shook her fist, feeling angry.
"All I ever knew was how to fight and defend myself! I never had to deal with feelings, not until she came along and...and I love her so much that it hurts to think about being in the same room as her, not being able to help her when she's hurting so much..." she pounds the ground, creating a small crater and making the others jump a bit. "It's unfair! She helps me with my problems and cares about my well-being, but here I am, not able to do a damn thing. It's not fair...it's not fair...damn it..."
"It's not fair, is it?" repeated Dash.
Dawn looked up and saw Dash flying down in front of her and crouching down.
"That's the problem with life; nothing is ever fair. It's never been fair. And the more we try to avoid that fact, the harder it becomes." Dash leaned in, looking into Dawn's eyes. "I get you, more than you know. But sometimes, we must stop focusing on the unfairness and move forward. We have to take action; you'll only figure out how to do that by talking to her." She smiled at her.
"What do you mean you get me?" asked Dawn.
"Well, I believed I wasn't good enough for Twilight. To the point, I was scared that she would leave me for someone." Dash's ears dropped as she remembered her stupid fears. "I tried to hide the thoughts in the back of my mind that it became harder to avoid, and then I finally let it out and told her everything. And do you know what she said?"
"What?"
"She said I was a moron, an idiot, and many more things." Dash started to chuckle and smile, but that smile quickly faded into a frown. "I said awful and hurtful things to her. Things that I know I can't ever take back. I wish I could."
Dawn looked somewhat sad for Dash.
"I see? I might do something awful like you, so isn't it better I don't say anything?"
"That's the problem. You're thinking about it. You won't say anything if you're too worried about saying something stupid." Dash placed her hoof on the bubble. "You have to say something, even if you think it's stupid or not enough. Just say something."
Dawn was silent for a moment, thinking about what Dash was saying.
"Even if I can't find the right words? Or words that might hurt her? My thoughts and fears might make me say something dumb and make her hate me."
Dash nodded.
"That's life. You might mess up, and you can't prevent that. It happens. It sucks, but it's a part of life."
Dawn went silent again but looked at Dash in the face.
"Twilight, she forgave you right? She's the big purple pony, right?"
Dash shut her eyes. "She did, but I wish she didn't. I don't deserve her forgiveness."
Both just sat there, not saying a word or looking at each other, but the girls who were watching noticed Dawn scooting closer to Dash.
"You truly think highly of her, huh?"
"I do, and I'll never stop, but..." Dash smirked. "She told me not to put her on a high pedestal because she's just as pony as I am and can make mistakes." Dash looks at Dawn, giving her a soft smile. "Everyone makes mistakes and has their problems. Everyone's a bit selfish and thinks about themselves. The best way to get through those thoughts and feelings is by talking and communicating." Dash reaches out to her as she signals Sunny to remove the bubble.
Sunny wasn't so sure about doing that, but she felt Wallflower elbowing her sides and forcing her to remove it.
As the bubble disappeared, Dawn reached out to Dash's hoof but stopped midway, asking her another question.
"It's hard, isn't it?"
Dash tips her head in confusion.
"To be the one that's trying to help others. Being strong for the people you care about, but never wanting to admit you need help too. That's why I love Spark so much. She always helps others and wants to make everyone happy, even if it costs her something. In my eyes, she's like a saint, and it's impossible not to put her on a high pedestal. So I can't blame you for putting the one you love on a high pedestal, too. It just means we admire and respect them a ton. Love makes us do stupid things."
Dash blinked a few times and started to laugh, making Dawn angry.
"Fuck you! I'm pouring my heart out, and you're laughing!"
"No, no, no, I'm not laughing at you," said Dash, wiping a tear from her eyes and calming down. "It's just funny. I never thought of it that way. You're right. Love does make us do stupid things." She gave a big smile to her. "But love also gives us the courage to face our fears and problems and try to find solutions to them. So, will you stop running and try your hardest to help her? Even if you might mess up and say the wrong thing?"
Dawn looked down at the ground, clenching her fists, and then looked back up at Dash and took her hoof.
"Good!" smiled Dash as she got her answer and helped Dawn stand up.
The others walked over, and Dawn turned to them and asked a simple question.
"I understand why Lucy and Luster here wanted to help me since Lucy told me what happened, but you three..." she gave Sunny, Wallflower, and Cozy a cold stare. "Why the fuck do you three want to help me?"
Sunny crossed her arms and smiled. "Because we kind of see us in you, I guess?"
"Huh?"
"We understand your struggle. Wondering if you can make the one you love happy and help them when they're feeling down or not being themselves," said Wallflower. "I remember Sunny, and I had trouble trying to make Blitz happy when she was stressing out about saving Lucy from being eaten by you-" She quickly corrected herself as Dawn got pissed. "I mean the other Dawn, and it felt like an impossible task." Wallflower looks so ashamed. "We let our feelings for Blitz take over our heads, and we fought each other, which Blitz didn't need at the time."
Sunny placed her hand behind her head, scratching it as she looked ashamed of her past actions. "We just made her stress out more as she learned we loved her. She didn't need that on her plate..." Sunny and Wallflower looked over to Lucy, who was listening, and the two looked back to Dawn.
"We did things that weren't so cool, which hurt Blitz. We hated that, but we made it right by talking to her and, this time, helping her by protecting Lucy at the time," Sunny finished, smiling somewhat.
Wallflower looked so upset. "Well, you did, Sunny, but I couldn't...and never will. That hurts the most, you know? Never able to say what you wanted to say and not be able to do something. It hurts."
"I understand," nodded Dawn, agreeing with what they said. "It does suck not being able to do anything, huh?"
"Yup," said the girls.
Dawn looked over to Cozy, who was gaggling about the story of Sunny and Wallflower.
"What about you?"
Cozy stopped and faced away from her.
"I'm very blunt about things! I don't hold back in what I want to say or do. I don't let feelings or others get in the way of what I want. And right now, I want you to go in there and tell Spark everything and how you feel, no holding back!" Cozy started to kick some tiny rocks. "Even though I'm blunt with things...I couldn't tell Braver how I truly felt because that blockhead was so stupid that she would misunderstand my feelings for friendship and not love. She's a dumbass!" Cozy started kicking the rock even harder. "That's the problem with mares like her. They're too stupid to see that I like her and not as a friend." She stopped, looked at the ground, and spoke with a hint of sadness. "No, I should have told her my feelings better and clearer. But I was scared. I was afraid of rejection and losing her as a friend. That was why I didn't say anything to her as we grew up. Even when I kissed her, her reaction was a dumb look."
Luster blinked. "Wait, what? You kissed her!?"
Cozy gave Luster a smug look, causing Luster to be pissed off and wanting to hit her, but Lucy held her back, allowing Cozy to continue and look at Dawn.
"I'm blunt but just as bad with words and feelings. So, I don't want you to make the same mistake. Talk to Spark and let her know how much you love her. Be brave and show her she can count on and lean on you when needed. That's the least you can do."
"Alright, alright, I get it, I'll talk to her." Dawn took a deep breath but started to laugh as she realized something about the three. "You three are the rejected girls, aren't you?"
The three somewhat nodded, making Dawn laugh harder. Wallflower felt embarrassed, Sunny just rolled her eyes, and Cozy was pissed off and wanted to fight her. When Dawn finally calmed down, she smiled at them.
"Thanks. I'll take your words to heart. Now, all I need is to figure out how to speak to Spark without fucking it up like you three." she laughed again as she could see the three were annoyed at her now.
As Dawn and Dash brainstormed how Dawn should start her talk, Lucy signaled the three to come over.
"Lucy? What's wrong?" softly asked Wallflower.
Lucy was going to explain when Luster pushed her out of the way and marched up to Cozy, glaring at her.
Cozy loved seeing Luster like this, being a huge tease and not answering her questions, enjoying every second of her anger.
"COZY! ANSWER ME!" shouted Luster as she chased after Cozy around the library tree.
Lucy giggled at the scene. She returned her attention to her two friends, who still wondered why she called them over.
"Right, why I called you over." she placed her hands behind her back, smiling. "Remembered back then? I found Blitz beside you two when I came to her house. I-"
"NOTHING HAPPENED!" shouted a deep red Wallflower, waving her hands before Lucy and trying to stop her from saying anything else.
"Nothing? Nothing at all?" teased Lucy.
"Not a damn thing, nothing," said Sunny, backing Wallflower up and also blushing. "Blitz did nothing! We already told you this, so why bring that up again."
Lucy spun around and started rocking back and forth with her feet, looking like a little schoolgirl who had a secret to tell.
"So, Lucy, what was the question you asked her?" Sunny nervously asked, sweating a bit. She didn't know why, but she and Wallflower could feel a dark aura around Lucy.
"I just asked her..." She placed her hand in the air, trying to grab something that wasn't there. "If she loved you two, and I don't mean like good close friends. I truly mean...LOVE. Did she love you two like that? she answered. She said." She lowered her hand and held it close to her chest, touching the rainbow shard necklace around her neck. With tears in her eyes, she slowly faced them and answered Blitz's words. "She truly loved you both. She loved us all. When she said that, I wasn't mad at her. I was happy to hear that because I could tell she wasn't lying."
"She loved us," repeated Wallflower, stunned by the answer that she returned to her human form.
On the other hand, Sunny wasn't too surprised by the answer since she and Blitz knew they loved each other. But for Blitz, her heart belongs to Lucy. But she needed to ask her something.
"Why are you even telling us this?"
Lucy wiped her tears. "Because I always somewhat believed you two had feelings for her, and when you spoke to Dawn just now, you confirmed it. You two deeply loved her like I do, so I wanted to give closure to you two. You know? To have peace, no what-ifs about whether she loved you two. Plus." She walked over to them and helped Wallflower up. She held each of their hands and smiled brightly at them. "I know how you two are feeling right now, with Blitz gone. I want you two to know I'll always be here for you, no matter what. I promise. So let it all out!"
Wallflower broke down again and hugged Lucy, screaming Blitz's name as she cried.
"W-What? I already grieved for her! I don't want to cry again!" shouted Sunny, holding back her tears and trying to be strong.
"No, don't hold it back, Sunny."
Lucy's tone was severe, and her eyes glared at her.
"Please, for both our sake and Blitz's, please cry," said Lucy, giving her a sweet and gentle smile.
Sunny stared into Lucy's eyes and tried not to cry, but she couldn't take it more as the seconds passed.
"Dammit..." Sunny walked over and joined the hug. "Blitz! Why did you leave me and Wallflower!? You didn't even say goodbye to us, and leaving our universe didn't fucking count!"
Lucy could feel her head soaked in tears, but she didn't mind. She joined in with the crying.
Luster and Cozy stopped fighting and turned to them. Luster couldn't help but turn to Cozy.
"You know, you might think Braver is a blockhead, but deep down, she loved you too." Cozy felt a little surprised by Luster's words. "So, I don't mind if you kissed her...okay, maybe a bit."
Cozy rolled her eyes and gave a slight smirk. "Well, she loved you more, you know. So...I'm glad it was you..." Cozy tried her hardest, but she couldn't hold back her tears. "I'm glad you got to talk to her one last time..."
"Cozy..." whispered Luster, reaching out to her.
Cozy could see Luster getting closer to her, so instead of pushing her away, she allowed Luster to hold her.
Dash and Dawn saw everyone hugging and crying about Blitz and Braver. Dash felt so sad, yet she felt happy to see how much her daughter and Blitz touched everyone. On the other hand, Dawn didn't care too much, but one thing was for sure: she didn't want to end up like them.
Dash told Dawn she was going back inside; she needed to check on Spark and see how Twilah was doing.
"Yeah, sure," said Dawn, watching Dash flying back into the library.
Dawn then turned her attention to the crying girls before her and clapped her hands loudly.
"HEY! I know you all are going through something, but Dash and I thought of a way for me to speak with Spark."
The others wiped away their tears and joined her.
"So, you figured out what you want to say to her?" asked Lucy.
Dawn nodded. "I do, but I need...help..." She looked at them; she knew a few could help. "I need help in..." she whispered to them, making the girls jolt back with confusion, but Lucy's eyes were filled with joy and a big grin.
"You mean you want to...?"
"Yup. So, can you help me?"
"Can I?!" asked Lucy, jumping up and down but quickly stopped. She looked at the others and realized something. "...Wait, I don't have magical powers or a magical form..." She became depressed.
Sunny laughed loudly and returned her attention to Dawn.
"Sure, we'll help you," said Sunny. "But be warned, Wallflower and I are still getting used to these magical forms, but I gotta ask. Why do you want to be-"
Everyone but Lucy was shocked to see Dawn acting all girly as she played with her fingers.
"Learning Spark is a pony and not like my race in my universe...and many of the ponies here are cute! So, I thought if I also looked like a pony, maybe it would be easier to speak to her and..." She shut her eyes and started to act even more girly as she swung her hips from side to side while covering her blushing face. "I can see her true cute form!"
Sunny, Luster, Cozy, and Wallflower were taken back by this new side of Dawn, who was acting like a schoolgirl having a crush on a boy.
"I didn't think you were that kind of girl," said Cozy, making Dawn return to her usual self.
"Oh, shut it. You have a fucking problem with me; say it with words or with actions!"
Cozy smiled as she cracked her hooves and approached Dawn, but the girls quickly stopped her before a fight could break out.
Dash quickly flew into the library, opened the door, and peeked in. She saw her friends and everyone else talking to Spark, who finally looked well again. This made Dash feel so happy for her, and she didn't want to bother her, so she closed the door, flew up along the side of the tree, and entered Braver's room, thanks to the massive hole in the wall that wasn't fixed yet. She flew through the room and the hallway and stopped in front of Luster's bedroom door. She was going to knock, but the door opened, revealing Twilight.
'Twi? How's Twilah doing?"
"Dash. Come inside. You need to know what's wrong with her."
Twilight opened the door fully, standing aside so Dash could enter. Dash wondered if they knew what was wrong with Twilah as she entered. The door closed behind her.
After a long while, the door opened again, and Twilight exited the room, leaving a sad Dash behind as she learned what was making Twilah sick. Twilight wanted to check on Spark and headed to the stairway and slowly descended the steps. She stopped midway and could hear a few others asking Spark to continue her story as Amelia left off where she and the others got to the eighth floor. Spark nodded and continued her story as Twilight kept listening.
Snake entered the skyscraper and aimed her gun across the large open lobby. She could only see the area covered in a garden. She spotted no threats...yet, so she signaled the others to enter.
"FUCKING FINALLY!" shouted Tanya, dropping her end of Haze's giant sword.
But because she did that without warning, she made Raina's end heavier, causing her to drop the sword and land with a loud thud that echoed across the large lobby.
"Fucking asshole! Warn me next time!" screamed Raina angrily as she checked on Haze's sword.
Before Tanya could say anything, Snake yelled at them to shut it, as they were making too much noise. The two stayed quiet while AJ set Haze down on the grass and could still see her sweating, almost like she was having a nightmare.
"What's wrong with her?"
Soraya answered her question as she sat down beside Shiko. "Remember what I said back there? That monster was feeding off of Haze and Raina's fears. Because of that, Sephiroth reformed within Haze."
"Who?" said AJ and the others while Snake remembered that name.
Soraya looked over to Haze, feeling sad for her.
"Sephiroth is...well, WAS the greatest SOLDIER in Haze's universe until she went crazy because of some space alien called Jenova. Haze and Sephiroth have Jenova cells, making them a part of her, but Haze and her friends defeat both Jenova and Sephiroth. A part of Sephiroth stayed within Haze. She reappeared thanks to the Remnants, the manifestations of Sephiroth's will. They were driven to find samples of their "sister" Jenova to trigger Sephiroth's resurrection, which they did. But Haze beat her once more, and before Sephiroth disappeared, she told Haze that she wouldn't become a memory." Soraya could see Haze was getting much worse. "Haze is fighting Sephiroth within herself right now. She's fighting for control of her body...that's what Haze told me in a few restarts anyway..."
Everyone looked at Haze, even more worried for her.
"Wow, that's a lot to take in." said a voice above them.
Snake, AJ, and Raina quickly pointed their guns above, seeing a young woman hanging upside down on a spider webbing. The shadows were hiding her body.
"Whoa there! People hate spiders, but I'm a neighborhood-friendly kind of spider, so don't shoot me."
"Who are you? Show yourself, or we'll fire!" demanded Snake, firing a warning shot.
"Okay, okay! I'm coming down! Geeze, so pushy!"
The woman slid down and landed on the floor, but her back still faced them.
"I'm a simple spider trying to get along with you all. My name is-"
She turned around and smiled as she looked at the group, ready to say her name, but someone finished it for her.
"Sunset Spider?" said AJ, lowering her shotgun, confused about why she was here and not back in Dr. Wonder's universe.
Sunset Spider remembered AJ and waved at her.
"Well, isn't this a small world? I never thought I'd bump into you again in this..." She looked around, not sure where she was. "Universe? I think. I've been to different universes, but this place is new and weird." She looked out of the building, remembering the endless sea of wooden skyscrapers.
"So, you know her?" asked Snake, lowering her gun and putting it away. "She must be like us, here to help the kids."
Sunset Spider got closer and lowered her hoodie, revealing her long red and yellow stripe hair.
As the group talked, the garden started blooming sunflowers across the lobby. As they bloomed, roots began to gather around the group, not noticing it—well, one person did, as Sunset Spider's spider sense went off. She made a backward jump in time as the roots missed grabbing her. She landed and saw the others tangled up and falling to the ground. Sunset Spider's senses went off again, and she quickly turned around in time to fire a spider webbing at another root, blocking it.
"Whoa, I'm a superhero, not a gardener!"
She and the others watched as a vast sunflower broke through the ground and slowly opened itself, revealing a lookalike of Sunset Spider but as a sunflower humanoid plant creature.
"...okay, this is weird but not that weird. I have seen weirder."
The lookalike opened her eyes.
End of Ch. 11
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 12: Stay True to Your Beliefs
"What's up?" said the plant creature, doing a 'hey' pose with her hand.
"Who are you?!" demanded Sunset Spider, pointing her webbing shooter at the lookalike.
"Me? My name is Sunflower! And I'm here to help you because I'm part of the guardi-" Sunflower stopped talking as she noticed Sunset Spider was flapping her hand like a mouth, mocking her. "Hey, quit that!"
Sunset Spider stopped and smirked.
"Look, what the others had told me, you are just some monster living in this vast multiverse tree and wanting to kill us. So sorry, but we are not falling for your tricks!"
Sunflower was surprised that someone had the guts to stand up to her, so she was impressed by this human.
"Damn girl, judging a book by its cover, huh? I'm not like the others; I just SHIT!" Sunflower's face was covered in webs as Sunset Spider aimed her shooter at her. "That's a dirty move..."
"Cry me a river!"
Sunset Spider's senses quickly went off again as she ducked down and dodged another root attack, missing her. She promptly jumped over her and fired her webbing, shooting at the wall and swinging across the large lobby.
Sunflower finally got the webbing off and glared at Sunset Spider, who landed on the wall and flipped her off. "Oh yeah?! Well, let's see how you handle the rest!"
Roots appeared around her; she raised her hand and unleashed tons of roots at her while others went back underground. Sunset Spider was going to fire her webbing again, but her senses warned her that something was coming from within the wall she was on. She flipped over in time to see roots bursting out of the spot she was on. She quickly shot a webbing and swung away as the roots chased her.
"Nice moves! But something is telling me that you have some magical powers to see the future; if so, then you must SHIT! AGAIN!?" shouted Sunflower in anger as Sunset Spider fired a webbing that covered her face again.
"Ha! I'm not a magical user like Dr. Wonder! It's thanks to my Spider-Sense!"
"Spider-Sense?" asked the group, who were still trying to get free.
"It's a power of mine that lets me sense danger and dodge things like these!"
Roots appeared out of the walls and the floor, making Snake and the others panic, as it was too close to them. The roots darted toward Sunset Spider, but she easily dodged them all.
Sunset Spider landed in front of Sunflower; she narrowed her eyes at her and could see her trying to get the webs off again.
She fired her webbings at her nonstop, covering Sunflower in a cocoon.
"Got her!" said Sunset Spider as she panted a little, as this was her first time in a real fight in a long time. She walked up to her and removed the webbing from her face. "Okay, Conker Bad Fur Day Sunflower rip off, release the others, and we will go!"
"Rip off? Conker? What?" Sunflower was confused by the names. "Just listen to me already! I'm not FUCKER!" her face was covered in webbing once more.
Sunset Spider sighed and started to walk away to release the others herself.
"You're the bad guy here! There's no need to talk to you anymore!" She reached Soraya and tried to pull the roots off of her. "Besides, I met a ton of villains in my time as a superhero. So, no need to speak, as I've heard it all! All you want to do is kill me, the good guys, and Blah, blah, blah! Give it a rest!"
A root burst out of the ground and pulled the webbing off Sunflower's face, freeing her. She quickly spoke to her: "Damn, you are annoying, you know that right!?"
"Thanks!" Sunset Spider gave a thumbs up to her.
"It's not a compliment!"
Sunset Spider's senses went off, and she quickly did a backflip in time to dodge the roots, stopping her from freeing Soraya.
"I'm getting annoyed with you! I'm trying to help!"
"Well, you're doing a terrible job!"
Sunflower groaned and decided to show off her full powers by closing her eyes, and soon, the whole garden sprouted giant sunflowers, and they all released yellow pollen at her.
"What the heck?" said Snake as the others started feeling funny.
The pollen reached Sunset Spider's nose, and she quickly smelled the weird scent. She quickly covered her nose with her arm, stopping herself from taking in the pollen.
"That's a new trick! I've never fought a villain with a weird pollen attack before. I gotta say, this is pretty creative. So, what will the pollen do to me, huh? Paralyzed me, or is it the classic poison thing?"
"Nope!" answered Sunflower, becoming smug. "Tell me, do sunflowers have a scent?"
"What? Some sunflowers do, but others, like the common Mammoth Russian or Giant Greystripe, don't!"
Sunflower blinked a few times before speaking again. "Wait, really?" she shook her head. "Anyway! The scent you just smelled, what did it smell like?"
"I don't know; the scent reminded me of something." Sunset Spider was thinking of something, wondering why the scent was so familiar. "I remember now. That was the same scent I smelled during that hot summer day...with Uncle Ben..." Her mind started to fill with the memory of that day.
Sunset Spider found herself in the lake, where Uncle Ben took her that hot summer day as a child. She remembered the smell of the water and the cool breeze. She remembered the birds' sounds and Uncle Ben tossing his fishing line into the water. She remembered now that they had gone fishing that day. She also remembered tossing her line into the water, and the line was suddenly tugged.
"Cool! Maybe it's a big fish!"
"It could be; maybe it's a shark or something," he jokingly said, watching the poor child try her best to pull the fish out of the water.
This continued for a few more minutes, and Sunset Spider remembered what happened next.
"...I started to cry because I couldn't catch the fish, no matter how hard I tried." She felt herself start to cry as she recalled this memory. "It was so frustrating and sad, but Uncle Ben came to my aid, giving me his words of wisdom."
"You think things were going to be easy, girl? Huh? Did you?" he asked, still watching her struggle to reel in the fish.
"Don't laugh at me, Uncle Ben!" she said, reeling in the fish with no luck. "I'm trying, but you know my rotten luck!"
"Nonsense, girl. Good or bad luck is nothing but the wrong or right mix of opportunity, preparation, and confidence." When he said that, she was able to reel in the fish. "Now I know you're prepared because I had a hand in that; we're looking square at the opportunity, so confidence is the only thing holding you back. You have to believe in yourself and others, Petra Parker. It's all about belief, and that's what separates the winners and the losers."
Petra cried as she watched her younger self jumping for joy with the caught fish while her Uncle Ben stood there and was proud of her.
"And those are the words of wisdom I will always carry. Even though you are gone, Uncle Ben, your words live on."
Petra felt tears rolling down her cheeks and finding herself back in the garden. She used her arm to rub the tears away.
"...how did you..." she sniffed, looking back at Sunflower, who was getting free from the webbing thanks to her roots.
"What you smell will make you calm down and relax by remembering your wonderful memory."
Petra quickly remembered what her uncle had said about the power of believing in yourself and others. She closed her eyes, feeling herself start to become calm. She opened her eyes, looking at the others, who were relaxed and smiling as they remembered their beautiful memories as they were asleep.
"...believing in others..." She sighed and turned her attention back to Sunflower. "Okay, I'll bite! I'll trust you...for now."
Sunflower smiled at her and walked over to her. Petra was still uncertain about the plant girl but was willing to give her a chance—even more so that her spider sense wouldn't trigger like before.
"Thanks. Sorry for attacking you, but you didn't allow me to explain myself."
"My bad," she said but then pointed her thumb to the roots that carried the others to them. "But come on, you attacked us first with those roots!"
Sunflower crossed her arms, realizing she was right. "Well, now you mention it. It may look like that, but I was trying to help."
"Help? By tying us up with those roots?"
"Yeah! That's part of my ability as a Tree Guardian, to help those around me, and my powers can't reach you without holding you down."
Petra gave her a confused look.
"Huh?"
Sunflower explained herself.
"First, let me explain something. Tell me, when a body gets sick, what does it do?"
Petra gave her another confused look but answered her. "When a body gets sick from a virus, it uses its immune system to fight against the invading foreign body, but sometimes the body's immune system isn't enough, and it needs medicine or a doctor's help."
Sunflower did a pointing pose at her. "Bingo!"
"Please don't do that."
Sunflower pouted at Petra and continued explaining to her. "Anyway, you are correct. The body will release antibodies to attack the virus and help the body recover."
"But how does that..." It hit her. "Wait, you're saying the tree is...?"
She did the same pointing pose while Petria cringed at it. It didn't help how Sunflower looked like her. "Another bingo! Yes." She returned to her usual pose and looked up, making Petra do the same. "The Prime Tree became sick as something invaded inside of it. It awakens us, the Guardians of the Tree, to fight whatever is causing it to be sick, which is..."
"Us?" asked Petra, looking back at her. "We are the virus?" She started to put everything together after learning from the others. "It makes sense now about each floor and those monsters." She thought of the one thing that didn't add up. "How does our us being here make the tree sick?"
Sunflower turned, seeing her roots putting everyone down beside them. "See, at first, we thought you sixteen folks who appeared were causing it, but we were wrong as we saw that former Watcher and Rainbow Light woman fighting. Of course, some other guardians disagree with us on that."
Petra nodded in understanding, looking over at the others. She noticed they were all still remembering the beautiful memories they held dear. But she was confused when she heard sixteen people. She wanted to ask Sunflower about that, but she didn't let her as she continued.
"As the others went to fight you, the rest of us watched and learned. We listened to the Watcher and that Rainbow Light woman talk, and that's when we learned about what was happening at the top of the tree. We can't exit out of the tree itself; we aren't like Universe Guardians who protect their respective universe."
Petra watched as Sunflower removed the roots from the others and sat down, looking at them all.
"If those kids above cause the tree to be sick, we want to help, too. We understand why that Rainbow Light woman brought you all here and why the four other guardians made you forget and let you enter."
"Other guardians? Made us forget?" questioned Petra, sitting beside her.
Sunflower nodded.
"Yeah, when you arrived here with that Rainbow Light, four guardians were awakened before us and confronted you all. Even now, I can sense their magic on you. What we learn makes sense as to why they put a spell on all of you." Her roots slowly returned to her and acted like snakes, curling around her, wanting to be petted. "Okay, now about my powers. If you haven't already noticed, we look alike, don't we?"
Petra nodded.
"See, unlike the Universe Guardians, which can be anything their Authors envision them to be, we Tree Guardians are somewhat based on the Prime versions of...well, the original you."
"Prime versions...of us?"
"Yeah."
Petra watched as Sunflower summoned a flower in her hand, which bloomed and created a small prism window. They looked inside and saw Sunset Shimmer Prime as if she was trapped in a time loop. They watch as Rainbow Dash slaps her butt with a rowing paddle by accident, causing her to softly say thank you, causing Dash to blush as she walks away.
"See, all the multiverse that branches out of the tree come from here. The Prime Universe, where every version of you comes from."
Petra watched, seeing this prime Sunset Shimmer, trying to understand and stop the time toop from happening.
"Yes, the Prime Tree gives life to all the multiverses in this part of the forest." She placed the prism window into her palms and closed her hands together. Soon, she reopened it, revealing a tiny forest of different colors of Prime Trees. "Your universe is a crossover universe. It happens when two Prime Tree's branches touch each other. You are a version of Sunset Shimmer but also-"
"Peter Parker? Spiderman. O'hara told me when he came into my universe, recruiting other Spider folks like me into his little group." She looked up at her. "But what does have anything to do with your powers, which you still haven't explained."
Sunflower closed her hands and opened them again, revealing orange pollen from before.
"My powers are based on Sunset Shimmer. Empathy. My pollen makes anyone smell a scent from their happy memory and relax. I can also look into their memories to understand and help them." She tossed the pollen and blew it, causing it to turn into a rainbow prism.
"Whoa!" gasped Petra, looking up.
The prism pollen rained around them, making the garden glitch out with prism colors.
"It's why I want to help. Help them fight their saddest memories and help them remember how they moved on from their darkest times. I think that's why they made you all forget, to relearn how to-"
"Move forward," Petra finished, making Sunflower look back at her. I understand. I think I finally got it." She looked down at the others, seeing their happy expressions become hurt and saddened. "To help those kids, we must remember why moving forward is needed. We all share that same pain that they do...right?"
"Correct," she said, nodding. "That's why we need...huh!? What's wrong?" she asked, seeing Petra's face becoming confused and alert. She quickly stood up and searched around them. "What's wrong!? You don't believe-"
"No! My spider sense is going off like crazy!" shouted Petra, still searching for the threat that was nowhere to be found.
"What?" said Sunflower, confused, looking around. She saw nothing wrong or out of place. "Where's the danger? There's no danger anywhere, just us and-"
"Wait a minute!"
Sunflower didn't have time to react as Petra quickly grabbed her and fired her webs into a massive shield of webbing, blocking a black beam fired at them. The ground under the others began to break apart as the beam was deflected. Seeing the others in trouble, Petra quickly webbed them all up and pulled them back towards her and Sunflower.
"I've got you all!"
After saving them, Petra and Sunflower turned to the source of the attack and saw a figure walking on its hind legs.
"...Friends..."
Walking into the light, they could see the shadow creature. The same creature that was chasing after the others, as they explained to Petra during their talk before Sunflower appeared.
"I forgot about her!...or it! Whatever it is!" she turned to Sunflower, who was on guard now. "Please tell me that's one of your guardian friends?"
Sunflower shook her head and summoned her roots, ready for a fight. "No. She's part of why the tree is in danger of dying. It's all because of that former Watcher! That Rainbow Light came here with two others before bringing you all here. Those two became infected by that dark energy and became that..." They could see the creature's front legs become dark black dripping claws.
Before Petra could ask what she meant, the ground under them started to break apart, but bursting out were sunflower petals, and they were slowly sealing them in while Sunflower herself slowly went toward the creature.
"HEY!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? I CAN HELP!" screamed Petra, trying to stop the petals from closing.
"A version of Twilight Sparkle, infected by the dark negative energy of stories, stories where that former Watcher rewrote its fate." Her roots burst out from the ground and held the creature down. She turned to Petra, who struggled to stop the petal from closing. "HERE!" she summoned a sunflower in front of Petra. "Take it! Use my pollen and dive into their memories! Make them remember how they moved on! How did they overcome their darkest times? They will be able to help those kids fully! You must believe in them and yourself."
Petra looked down at the flower and back at Sunflower. She didn't want to leave her like this, but she had no choice. She wanted to save everyone, but...
"You can't save everyone!" shouted Miguel O'Hara as he and Petra were on top of the roof of a building at night.
Petra removed her mask and pushed O'Hara. "So we’re just supposed to let people die!? Making a group of Spider-people should be about saving lives, not watching them die because some algorithm says that that’s supposed to happen. I won't sign up for that!"
O'Hara removed his mask and gave her a severe look.
Petra glared at him. "I can do both!"
O'Hara shook his head and put his mask back on. "You can’t have it all, girl. Being Spider-Man is a sacrifice. That’s the job. That’s what you signed up for. If you can't handle that, you don't belong in this group." He turned his back to her and turned a device on his wrist, opening a rift. "Maybe I was wrong about you?"
Petra looked down, realizing what he meant.
O'Hara walked toward the rift but stopped and turned his head to her. "The hardest thing about this job is you can’t always save everybody. Sometimes, you have to let them go. You have to let it play out if it means to save everyone else."
Petra snapped out of it, realizing the pollen had gotten into her nose. She looked at the flower, grabbed it, and leaned back, allowing the petal to close fully. She looks at it and then at the others.
"Okay, Sunflower, how do I dive into their memories? Do I-huh!?" Without warning, the flower hugged her face, and the roots quickly shot out to the others, covering their faces.
Petra didn't fight it; she allowed it to do whatever it needed. Her body went lifeless and fell to the ground. The sunflower stem was pulsing as it pumped the pollen into them all.
"Hey, you okay?" said a raspy voice.
Petra opened her eyes and saw Snake looking at her. She quickly got up and found herself in a black void—nothing but darkness.
"Where are we?"
Snake took out a sugar stick, chewing on it. "No clue. I remember seeing pollen and....well, here I am."
Petra quickly remembered how she got there and speedily explained what was happening to Snake.
"I see, but how do we find the others? How she made it sound, you should land in one of my memories, no? Yet here we are, middle of nowhere," Snake questioned, finishing her sugar stick.
Petra looked around, trying to find something, but everything was just...dark.
"Hmm, well, the only thing we can do is walk."
They both did so.
As they walked, Snake looked up at her and her wrist. Petra could feel like she was being looked at, so she turned to Snake, who quickly looked away. Petra shrugged it off as nothing and kept walking. Snake looked again, and Petra caught her looking.
"Why are you looking at me?"
Snake took out a sugar stick and pointed it at Petra's wrist.
"So, you fire webbing from your wrists?"
Petra sighed, remembering she still needed to explain her powers. "Well, yeah. It came with the whole powers. I have super strength, a healing factor, and the spider-sense I said before when I got bit by that orange, red, and black spider."
The two said nothing else as they continued to walk in the darkness...until Snake asked something.
"So, you don't fire your webbing from your ass?"
"W-WHAT!?" shouted Petra, turning to Snake, who laughed.
"Just kidding." She smiled.
Petra rolled her eyes and kept walking. It felt like hours in this endless void of nothingness until they started to hear fighting. They began to run, and soon enough, the void revealed a long roadway in the desert. This made Snake remember this place.
"I have been here before! This is Tanya's memory when she-"
Before Petra could hear Snake finish, her spider sense went off, and she quickly grabbed her and rolled out of the way. A dragon made up of lasers came soaring out and circling them. They soon saw Tanya fighting Jenny. Even though Tanya was using her beam sword, Jenny was still holding her own with nothing but her fists and kicks. Jenny was quick, darting around the battlefield and unleashing punches and kicks on to Tanya, who blocked each one.
The two clashed; Jenny used a high kick, and somehow, her bare leg pushed the beam back. Even Tanya was confused by this feat, as the laser beam sword should have cut her bare leg in half, but instead, her leg glowed from the flashes of the clash, and the blade couldn't cut her.
"How is this possible?" questioned Tanya, trying her best to overpower Jenny.
"What's the matter, Tanya? I'm the last one left." taunted Jenny, pushing the sword down.
Jenny quickly staggered Tanya, forcing her to back up, and when she did, Jenny saw her chance, ready up a punch, and swung with all her might. As Jenny's fist landed right into Tanya's heart, Tanya could watch and say what.
"TANYA!" screamed Snake, taking out her gun, but only for her weapon to disappear. "What!?"
Petra tried to save Tanya with her web-shooters, but nothing came out. They were forced to watch as blood came shooting out of the wound. Tanya's expression was that of shock and fear as she looked at Jenny, who was smiling as the blood landed on her face. Tanya slowly looked away from Jenny and at her chest, seeing the killing blow somehow missed her heart by a few inches. The two just looked at each other, not saying a word.
Above them, a teenage school girl with a standard katana and a robotic arm came falling between them. The teenager cut Jenny's hand off with one slice, releasing Tanya.
"R-Right..." replied Tanya, recovering from seeing her wannabe student saving her life. She gripped her beam sword, readying herself, but through her pink shades, she could see Jenny looking at her with sadness and fear.
"Sister, please don't kill me..."
Tanya's eyes became sad as she kept looking at her.
"Sorry, Jenny, but this will hurt me too."
Jenny's scared look became emotionless as she spoke to Tanya again.
"Now you see what I've been through? You saw firsthand what I had to do to get my vengeance..."
Tanya slowly raised her weapon. "Maybe it had to be done... But vengeance begets vengeance."
Jenny watched as Tanya's beam sword raised above.
"We're both in the same business, after all. And I've had enough," said Jenny, and for the first time, it had more happiness behind those words than cold ones.
Tanya tightened her grip even more.
Jenny slowly closed her eyes, and with a smile, she said. "Good night, Tanya."
"I hope your next dream is a more pleasant one."
Tanya said that as she sliced her beam sword across Jenny's body. All of the slashes were clean, no blood or anything. Just echoes of something scattering. They stood there, not moving. The teenager stood, and when she did, she and the others saw it happen.
On the reflection of Tanya's shades, Jenny's head slowly fell off, and soon, her body started to stumble forward, causing the rest of her body to fall apart and hit the ground. The last part to fall was Jenny's lower half. Tanya slowly stood upright and just looked at the body of her sister.
The teenager turned around and started walking off the endless road, leaving Tanya alone.
"It's over. This is where it all ends. Right, Silvio?" said Tanya, just staring at Jenny's dead body.
"Tanya..." whispered the two, seeing her just standing there, not doing anything.
Snake walked up to Tanya, and a voice could be heard as she did.
"But it's never over, sister!" shouted a female English accent from nowhere.
Soon, the endless roadway became the parking lot of a motel. The two could see the motel sign that read 'No More Heroes.' The motel itself was just a tiny building. The rooms' doors were painted red, black, and blue, with a few being green.
Soon, the two could see two beam swords clashing. Tanya's pink beam sword was pushing back a white one, and the welder of that white beam sword was a woman who looked the same age as Tanya and even looked like her, just with blonde puffy hair.
The two kept pushing with all they had, but it was a stalemate, and the blades were sparking each other from the power.
"Who is that?" questioned Petra.
Snake kept watching. "I don't know...but I think she has something to do with Tanya and why she kept moving forward ."
The two sisters kept pushing until they started to run to the side, running down the street while still being in the clash of swords.
"Mind if I ask you something?" asked Tanya, running as fast as she could.
"Sure mate, ask away. You are my dear twin sister."
"THAT!" shouted Tanya, pushing back slightly more. "HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU MY SISTER!? FIRST, JENNY AND NOW YOU! ARE THERE ANY MORE SISTERS I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT!? LIKE WE'RE ALMOST AT THE END OF THE GAME AND YOU BRING THIS SHIT INTO THE MIX! YOU KNOW THIS IS SO OUT OF LEFT FIELD THAT THE READERS WILL NEED TO PLAY NO MORE HEROES TO UNDERSTAND THIS JOKE!"
Her sister huffed at her. "Please, you know they are going to watch a video about it than playing the damn game!"
Tanya became angry. "FUCKER! NO MORE HEROES ONE RE-RELEASED!"
"And it was hot garbage!"
Tanya shook her head. "I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT NO MORE HEROES PARADISE, SHIT HEAD! I'M TALKING ABOUT THE RE-RELEASE ON THE SWITCH AND OTHER CONSOLES! HELL, ITS ON PC NOW!"
"Yes, yes, can we move the plot along? I think the readers are xing the page as we speak."
"Yeah, whatever! Anyway, where's Silvio anyway?! He disappeared without a trace. Where the hell is he?" questioned Tanya, remembering Silvio never showing up with the cleaning crew for Jenny. She had to bury her dead sister in the boiling desert.
"Silvio? You mean my husband?"
Tanya became shocked, learning that her lover is married to...to... "Wha? Husband!? And what's your name!?"
Her sister gave her a shit-eating grin. "Yes, you know. Spouse, soul mate. Henrietta's wife. Get the idea?"
"When did you two get married?"
Henrietta had to think about it, as she did the number of years in her head. "About ten years ago. Yes, that's right. Cause we were both in college at the time."
They came to a stop, breaking off from the clash. Tanya placed her hand over her eyes, still not believing this.
Henrietta dusted off her shoulder after getting dirt on it from the fighting. "I'm sorry for all the trouble my husband has caused you. Forgive him."
Tanya froze in place, her hand still on her eyes.
Henrietta returned her attention to her dear sister. "Eh, I know how men are. Especially my husband... A huge spender. Yeah. He knew my income wasn't enough, so now and then, he'd disappear."
Tanya slowly revealed her eyes, eyeing Henrietta, who took out a cup of tea and drank it. "He's a bad husband... But a good man."
Henrietta spit her tea and wiped her mouth.
"What? Are you telling me that you and him...?"
They both clashed swords once more, pushing each other back like before.
"But Tanya, my dear sister...We are similar in many ways," she said, her eyes filled with hate and anger.
Tanya smirked at her, enjoying how pissed she made her. "You're right. Suddenly, you being my sister doesn't sound so awkward."
The two started to run again, blazing down the street as their beams swords sparked with fury.
"Let me ask you," said Henrietta, smiling now. "How do you plan to end all of this?"
Tanya was shocked by her question. She never thought about it; she just believed it would all be over with when Jenny died, but after returning home, she was ambushed by a ranked assassin, only for her twin sister to come in and save her ass.
"You're the protagonist. I'm just a cool, handsome foil who happens to be your twin sister. Hate to say it, but it's your job."
Tanya's heart started to beat like crazy, realizing she was forever trapped in this ranked assassin's life. She darted around, looking for something...anything.
"I want to bail, but where the hell's the exit? There's no way out, is there? No getting out... Right, sis?" her eyes calming down now and becoming cold.
They broke the clash again, jumping away from each other. Henrietta readies her beam sword, smiling.
"That's right. All we can do is keep running."
Tanya readies her beam sword as well.
"Then let's find that exit they call Paradise."
Petra and Snake watched as the twin sisters ran down the street and jumped into the air, their beam swords slowly reaching each other's necks. They watched as the darkness returned, making Tanya fall face-first to the ground.
"Owie!"
"Tanya!" shouted the two, running to her but stopped as they heard Tanya's voice echoing in the darkness. Even Tanya herself was surprised by her voice being heard.
"This count... I feel as if I'm looking at my future self. Megabucks, big ass houses, fast cars... Dining in style with a world-class chef and a trusty nutritionist counting every calorie." Suddenly, shadow images of Tanya beheading someone appear and quickly disappear. "A team of hot yoga instructors to keep me in shape. Nurses to attend to my body..." Again, another shadow image of Tanya appears, cutting a cowboy's throat, and just like before, it is gone. "Maids and loyal servants at my beck and call. On the weekends, tanned hunks knock on my door every two hours. Every day is full of excitement and luxury." Another shadow shows her slicing a superhero shadow in two. "That'd be the life. Everything is in its proper place. It's the perfect life. It's the life for winners." Her shadow is holding a young female in her arms. "That'll be my life! I thirst for selflessness. Hypocrites lusting for their desires get killed by young rookies like me." Her shadow watches as a man is sliced in half by a giant saw. "This is how it goes down. And for the old killers? They'll croak anyway." She's beheading an old fat lady. "I guess you can call this a comedy. I realize there's nothing here for me." The last shadow image of her is falling over and stabbing a young girl who's holding a baseball bat. The beam sword stabs her right in the chest. The girl didn't care that she was stabbed. She kept smacking away at Tanya with her bat.
Tanya shut her eyes as images of her killing more ranked assassins flashed. Some were old, others very young, but they all wanted the same thing from her as her voice kept talking.
"But what else can I do but keep going? Maybe I should have been a little more careful before I jumped in. Gotta find the exit."
More killing, more blood being spilled.
"Gotta find that exit to Paradise. But I can't see it. Can't see anything."
The darkness slowly being covered in red. Endless bodies falling around her.
"This sense of doom is running down my spine like it's... Like it's trying to suck the life out of me."
Out of the redness, a single person appeared. Tanya opened her eyes, tears filling them as if she knew that person.
"I need to get rid of it before I bail. Something deeper... Deeper than my instincts is taunting me."
She slowly reached for that person.
"Can't find the exit."
The person reached out to her as well.
"Can't find the exit. Can't find the exit."
Tanya grabbed its hand, removing the redness from its body. She revealed a woman with a deadpan face. Tanya smiled as she said her name.
Her disembodied voice kept repeating the exact words from before, over and over again.
"Tanya," said Maude...as her body became riddled with bullet holes. Soon, a kid's evil laughter could be heard as Maude's head became detached from her neck and fell in front of Tanya.
Tanya's eyes were shaking, and her body was trembling. She slowly looked down and saw her glaring back at her.
"You did this," whispered Maude.
"NO!"
Tanya hugged Maude's head, clutching it tight, but she could feel it becoming wet from something. She pulled back and looked down. Her hands and body were covered in blood. She slowly looked up at the red void, not even shedding a tear.
"Tanya," said Snake, slowly walking up to her.
Tanya just sat there, not moving an inch. Snake knew this was bad, and she needed to say something to her.
"Look, I know how it feels having someone's blood on your hands. It's a horrible feeling. Even more so when you indirectly kill them. But I promise, the pain will fade away. And you'll learn how to deal with it. And when you do, you'll become a better person."
"How could you know that?"
Snake stood there, searching for her sugar stick in her pocket until she found it. She offers it to her.
"Because you are still here, aren't you? Still kicking, still fighting for the people you care about."
Tanya took the sugar stick, staring at it.
"You could have given up long ago, but you didn't. So take that feeling and use it to help those you love. Some people care for you and would fight by your side, like that teenager who saved you."
Tanya just let the sugar stick fall to the ground, covered in blood.
"But I'm trapped in these endless ranked battles! Other ranked assassins keep appearing and wanting to kill me! What can I do, Snake?"
"Find that exit!" answered Snake, grabbing her shoulders.
Tanya stared into her eyes.
"You did it once before, didn't you? Wasn't that why you were called the Crownless Queen? Because you found that exit to Paradise!"
Tanya suddenly remembered that. She escaped from the rankings, was given that title, and became a living legend in the ranked assassin's community.
"Yeah... Yeah! You're right, Snake! I can do this again, right? Find that exit and be free from all of this?"
"Yes, that's the spirit."
Tanya started to get up, but soon, the bodies of her parents, Jenny and Maude, and the assassins she befriended appeared all around her. They were reminding her that she had caused their deaths. She fell back to her knees, giving up again.
"It wasn't your fault."
"Huh?"
Petra kept her back turned, but her hands were clenched into a fist.
"If anyone is responsible, it's the ranked assassin company for those assassins' deaths here. Even Jenny." She faced her. "They knew what they were in; they chose to die like this, knowing the risks, and that is a fact."
Snake joined in.
"Vengeance is not the answer, yet that is what Jenny did. She let her anger blind her, and that is the reason she died."
"Don't lose hope now, Tanya," said Snake.
"B-But Madue's death is on my hands..."
Petra and Snake looked at each other.
"I killed her..."
They returned their gaze to her.
"I'm the reason she's dead. Her death is on my hands..."
The two let go of her and stood before her.
"You didn't kill her."
Tanya looked at them.
"What?"
"You didn't kill her. Her death is on no one's hands."
Tanya was confused by their words.
"Her death was a tragedy, and it was not your fault, Tanya," said Snake. "You can't let eat away at you."
"Yeah, her death isn't on you, and you know it," added Petra.
"But...but...but, I-"
"It's not your fault. Stop blaming yourself and find that exit. Keep going, kid." smiled Snake, pushing her to run.
Petra joined in with the push, shoving her hard. "Find that exit again. You found it once; you can find it again..."
Tanya started to run, looking for the exit. She could hear their voices again.
"You can find it because you already did. Keep searching, Crownless Queen, because..."
Soon, Tany could see her friends, twin sister, and Silvio running alongside her, cheering her on and telling her she wasn't alone—she never was. She even heard Maude's voice in the wind.
"...you have people who want you to succeed, who believe in you. So, don't give up, Tanya! Not ever."
Tanya smiled with renewed hope. "Right!"
She kept running, and soon, the darkness disappeared, and the light appeared. The doorway to Paradise...
Tanya exited it and found Snake and Petra again waiting for her. She joined them and rubbed her nose with her thumb.
Petra and Snake nodded in agreement. Tanya joined them as they walked off to the next memory...
Meanwhile, Spark, who was still unconscious and floating on the white water, felt her chest start to glow with a faint rainbow glow.
As they continued, they could see a light engulfing them. They found themselves in a train station. They looked around and saw Shiko sitting on the platform, waiting for the train to arrive.
"Ah, so this is Shiko's memory?" Petra asked, looking at Shiko, who was checking her watch.
Tanya looked around a few more times, wondering something.
"Hey, wasn't Shiko's world in ruins when the Impact happened? She said Japan was destroyed, yet..." they all could see everything was normal. No war against the angels. "...Everything is fine."
Snake agreed that something was off.
They all nodded and walked over to Shiko, who heard the name being out to her. She looked at them and was confused to see them there. Before she could say anything, the memory suddenly changed, and Shiko and the others all found themselves in AJ's memory. They saw her standing over her dead family. The ones she had to kill when they turned into Changers.
"AJ?" said Shiko, hurrying over to her. The others tried to join her, but kid-like shadow figures and a Pillar with runes appeared. Shiko turned back, seeing the others fighting the shadow figures. "Girls!"
Shiko tried to join them but heard AJ speaking, making her face her and seeing AJ holding her dead daughter's body.
"No, AJ," said Shiko, joining and hugging her. "Don't think like that. It was not your fault. It was not your fault. Please, listen to me."
"But-"
"Shhh. It wasn't your fault. I'm here, AJ. I'm here. Just cry it out. It'll help, trust me."
Shiko hugged her tighter as AJ started to cry and held her daughter's body tighter.
Soon, AJ's memories showed them all what she had done after the death of her family. She joined a mission to find the Pillars' origin and end the nightmare with Aaira's girlfriend, Kelly. They saw her adventure from fighting on the rundown space station to crash landing on the snow planet below. AJ looked up and saw herself letting her teammates die, as she only cared about finishing the mission.
"Not only did I let my family die, but my crew as well. I was scared of dying..." She lowered her head, crying now. "Not finishing the mission! Getting my revenge!"
Shiko continued to comfort her, telling her she was wrong. Those deaths weren't on her hands.
"Please, stop talking like that, AJ," begged Shiko, holding her head to her chest.
Soon, the memory vanished, leaving only darkness.
"But it's true! I'm a failure! I keep failing at things! My husband, my daughter, and my team! They all died, and it's because of me!"
"AJ! Stop this, please! Don't let these feelings consume you!"
"Why shouldn't I?!" shouted AJ, pushing her off and making her fall on the ground hard. AJ's eyes glowed green. Her daughter melted away in her arms. "I LOST EVERYTHING! I CAN'T LET THAT GO! I NEED TO BE WHOLE AGAIN!"
Shiko sat up in time to feel AJ's hand over her neck, choking her. She could see the Pillar looming over them.
"I NEED TO BE WHOLE! MAKE ME WHOLE, SHIKO! MAKE US WHOLE!"
Shiko tried to speak but couldn't, struggling to breathe. She grabbed Aj's hand, trying to pull it off her neck.
"SHIKO! SHIKO!" cried AJ, tears running down her eyes. "PLEASE SHIKO, MAKE ME WHOLE AGAIN! I'M BEGGING YOU, MAKE ME WHOLE!"
Shiko's vision was starting to blur, and her lungs were hurting.
"Shiko, please!"
Shiko looked at her, tears flowing from her eyes as well.
"Please...Shiko."
"You are looking for that place to rest..." whispered Shiko, smiling at her.
"W-What?" whispered AJ, softening her hold on Shiko's neck.
With her neck somewhat free from being choked, Shiko could speak to her again.
"We are the same, you know that? I couldn't save the people I cared about, like Kaoru," she cried.
Soon, Shiko's memories appeared before them, showing AJ how Kaoru died while Shiko couldn't do anything about it.
"Kaoru was one of the people who deeply cared about me. Always being there for me when I needed a shoulder to cry on or someone to tell me that everything would be okay...and I couldn't do anything for her, and she died, and it was all my fault. She didn't have to die like that...I hated myself for that..."
Soon, more memories appeared, showing all the people she cared about dying...the pain she had to endure.
"But...even through all that, even though I lost those who mattered to me...I kept going...I kept pushing forward. I didn't know why. Maybe because I felt there was a place where I could finally rest and let go...where I could finally live in peace..."
AJ's hands finally let go. She looked at Shiko, asking her a straightforward question.
Shiko smiled and nodded.
Soon, the two found themselves back in the train station. Shiko stood up, walked back to the platform, and sat down, with AJ joining her.
"I found my resting place...by restarting my universe timeline and removing the Angels from ever coming to existence and allowing me to live my life the way I wanted."
"I see."
"Yeah."
AJ stared at her hands, her eyes not glowing. She kept looking at her hands. To her, there was still blood on them. She clutched them, but soon, Shiko's hands wrapped around her hands. AJ looked at her with sadness.
"Right, you did...you poor, sweet, sweet child. You have been through so much in your life. It's unfair! You never deserved that awful life you once lived! Even your father saw you as nothing more than a tool! A weapon! He never cared about your well-being, and you suffered so much because of him. He took advantage of you, your feelings, and he abused you..." Shiko moved her hands and started to hug her tightly. "You're so beautiful, sweet, kind, and strong." AJ started to sob harder. "So, so strong! But no, your father didn't see that. All he saw was a weapon. A weapon that was only good at killing, not for the greater good...but for his agenda. He treated you like a piece of shit, and you didn't deserve that."
Shiko just nodded, not saying a word to her.
"...I might be a soldier, but you? You are a true warrior, Shiko! Anyone would have given up and lost their will to live, but not you, huh? You kept going, finding a new meaning in life. Finding that place where you can finally rest...I admire you, Shiko...so much..."
AJ felt Shiko leaning back, shocked at what she saw before her. It was Shiko, but much older now—the real Shiko.
"It's like your friend told you, don't you remember AJ?"
Soon, the train station disappeared, and they found themselves before the Pillar.
"AJ."
They turned to see Aaira standing behind them.
"Aaira!?" AJ shook her head, realizing it wasn't her. Just a memory of her.
"AJ, remember what I told you?" Aaira reached out to her. "Good women mean well. We don't always end up doing well."
Aaira vanished and was replaced by the Changer versions of AJ's family. They kept screaming at her to make them whole again.
"SHUT UP!" shouted AJ, grabbing her head, tears streaming down her eyes.
"AJ," whispered Shiko, hugging her from behind. "You praised me for my strength, but like I said before. We are the same. You have been through so much, and yet..." Shiko hugged her tighter. "...you keep pushing forward. You are so strong, AJ. Don't ever let go of that. We're only human and make mistakes, but we can learn and grow from them, and I know you can. You've done many great things, and I know there's more to do, so please, AJ, let go. Move forward for good this time."
AJ kept looking at the shadowy figures, her dead family, and the Pillar before looking at Shiko.
"Sh-Shiko."
"Yes, AJ?"
"Th-Thank you."
"You're welcome, AJ. I'm always here if you need me, okay?"
AJ nodded and hugged her tightly. She cried harder, but there was a smile on her face.
"Shiko. You're my hero, you know that? A true soldier."
AJ slowly stood and glared past the shadow figures, her dead family, and right at the Pillar. Her H.U.L.L helmet slowly closed shut, only revealing the damaged exposed eye visor, showing her green eyes.
"I'M DONE! YOU HEAR ME! I'M DONE! NO MORE! YOU HEAR ME! NO FUCKING MORE!"
She dashed past the shadow figures, and her fists began to glow.
"NEVER! AGAIN!"
The shadow figures tried to dogpile her, but AJ kept pushing forward, pushing to finally let go of her guilt, sorrow, and sadness. She was ready to let go.
She could hear Dr. Amazement's voice as she ran, remembering what she told her.
"Don't you see? We're both in the same boat; we're both failures; we're both broken, but we're still here! Our story isn't over yet."
AJ kept going; she was getting closer to the Pillar.
"I won't let you die... I will ensure your family is proud of you and does not see you as a failure. Stand proud! You are alive to keep moving forward! Just like me! I won't let my honey bun die in vain and let all her sacrifices mean nothing! I will live for her!"
Aj could see her family ahead, blocking her path, but that didn't slow her down. Her real family appeared and held down their Changer version. As she ran past, she could hear her daughter being proud of her.
"So, stand tall and don't be a coward! Live! For me and your family! Live, dammit!"
AJ jumped into the air, her fist glowing a rainbow color. She screamed as she got closer to the stone Pillar.
"I'M NOT GOING TO BE A COWARD ANYMORE! I'M GOING TO LIVE! FIND MY RESTING PLACE AND NEVER LOOK BACK AT THE PAST AGAIN!"
Everything exploded as her fist connected with the stone, causing everyone to cover their faces and the void to shake. The stone started to crumble, and cracks formed on the surface. Until the Pillar was truly gone, AJ's guilt and feeling like a failure were finally gone. She stood there proud, smiling, tears still running down her face. She could feel Aaira's hand on her shoulder.
"You did great, AJ."
She could also hear Kelly's voice.
"We are proud of you."
She even heard Amazement's voice.
"Now, live for yourself."
AJ turned around, finding themselves back in the train station. The others watched as AJ and Shiko sat on the platform bench. The two talked a bit until someone walked up to them. Shiko looked up and smiled. AJ couldn't help but smile and cry.
"Shiko, this resting place you created for yourself, you earned it. Never forget."
Shiko agreed and turned to her.
"Those kids on top of the tree need to learn that too. It might be hard."
Aj continued for her. "It might seem hopeless."
Shiko smiled at her and finished their words.
Shiko turned back to the girl before her, making her smile.
"Because we create our own stories and where they lead. You are the ones who decide which way your story will go. So, don't let those sad memories consume you." Shiko held the woman's hand. "Move forward for the sake of the ones you love and the ones who are gone..."
Spark kept floating there; her chest started to glow more and more.
Petra and the others walked through the darkness. Petra listened as Snake explained what was going on to Shiko and AJ. As they kept walking, the darkness became an endless ocean with an infinite lighthouse. They found Raina standing just outside of one, just looking at the closed door. As the group got closer, their memory changed, and they found Soraya standing outside a snow-covered temple.
The group called out to her, making her turn around. Soon, they were back at the lighthouse, with Soraya standing next to Raina, who took notice of her and the others.
The group explained what was going and Raina and Soraya looked at each other and nodded. The two walked back to the lighthouse door.
"So, something tells me you know what's behind that door."
"You're right," confirmed Raina, still looking at it.
Soraya placed her arms behind her head, sighing.
"You are scared, huh? Facing what's on the other side?"
Raina didn't answer her, but the look on her face answered her question.
"Hey, listen," said Soraya, turning to her. "Whatever you're scared of, you just got to face it."
"Face it? How?"
"Well, by not being afraid, of course. Fear can hold us back and prevent us from moving forward."
Raina laughed. "Sounds like you have been in my shoes, huh?"
Suddenly, the memory changed to that of Soraya's memory. It was the memory of her returning home and facing her parents. They watched as memory Soraya spoke to her father as they sat on the park bench.
"Dad, no matter how pathetic I was, you and Mom still treated me the same as always." They could see her father saying nothing, only listening. "That's what scared me most of all. I wanted you to say, 'I don't love you.' or 'I despise you!' or even..." Soraya lowered her head. "'You're not my daughter!'. I wanted you to tell me that and throw me out; I wanted you to make me give up..." Soraya's sad expression became happy as she looked up. "But..."
Soon, Raina and Soraya could hear a female voice. To Raina, she had never heard this voice before. However, Soraya knew this voice very well. It was the voice of the girl who deeply loved and cared about her, who looked up to her.
"It is easy to give up. But it doesn't suit you."
Soraya could see her as clear as day.
"I love you, Soraya! Let's start here, from square one..." she shook her head. "No...from Zero!" she smiled at her. "Right! My hero is the greatest in the world!"
Soraya's father could only close his eyes and think what to say to his daughter.
"Huh?"
Her father stood up. He smiled at her as he quickly raised his foot and slammed it down on her, causing her to scream in pain. As Soraya lay there, holding her head in pain, her father started laughing.
"See that, Soraya!? That was my most loving father kick!" he started to kick the air. "Packed with all my rage!"
"WHAT THE HELL DAD!? THAT WASN'T JUST A KICK BUT A AXE KICK!"
Her father did some more air kicks but finally stopped. He turned to her, looking a bit disappointed in her.
Soraya gave her father a confused expression, making him sigh loudly.
"A lot about what you said bothers me, but you know what's the worst?" he fixed his glasses, pushing them up. "You wanted me to hate you, so you tried to achieve that by playing hooky? Are you dumb!?" he pointed at her. "And if you want to get me to throw you out, pick a more active method!" His expression became more angry at her. "Who would ditch their kid just because she retreated into her shell!?" He started swinging his arms around, waving his finger at her. "You're so twisted, on the fast track to being an idiot!" He marches up to her, still wagging his finger at her. "I'd be glad to set you straight by force if you want..." he cracked his knuckles, ready to beat his daughter some sense into her.
Soraya could only cringe, but her father suddenly pulled her. He was dusting her off.
"But it looks like you've already been knocked down and stood yourself back up, so there's no need." he patted her shoulders, loving his daughter like always. "If you feel sorry, all you gotta do is take your time making it up to us."
Soraya couldn't believe what her father said to her. He wasn't mad or anything. He just wanted her to come home and make up with them; she felt shell-shocked by that.
"Take good care of your mom and me when we're old." He gave her a thumbs up, winking at her. "My dear stupid daughter!"
Raina turned to the real Soraya, who looked at the memory sadly but still happily. Soon, Raina could hear memory Soraya crying loudly. Even Soraya's father was surprised by this.
"I won't be able to make anything up to you before...I'll never see you again..." her vision started to blur as tears formed. "I'm sorry, dad..." Soraya let it all out while her father held her, rubbing her back and telling her it was okay. "I'm so sorry, dad. I'm so sorry..."
After she had cried, she turned away from her father, doing a stupid-looking pose as she pointed to the sky.
"So I can do anything, and I will do anything!" she turned her head to him, who gave her a big thumbs up.
The memory changed, showing the memory of Soraya meeting her mother. As the two were on the sidewalk, Soraya was going off to school. Her mom could tell something was different about her daughter that she had to comment on it.
"Someone who isn't me or your father did something for you, didn't they?" she couldn't be more happy for her daughter. "I think that's a wonderful thing! We should be grateful to them!"
Soraya became sad. Even though she shut herself away from her parents, her mom was still her mother. She needed to ask her something and was deadly afraid of asking.
"Mom, did you ever question yourself about how I turned out, like saying, 'Am I living up to the expectations for his kid?'" Soraya wondered how her mom felt when she couldn't do anything for her as she locked herself away in her room.
Soraya's mother just smiled at her. Even giggle.
Soraya was shocked but yet confused.
"You...do?"
"Of course, I'm your mother, after all."
Like her father, her mother only cared about her and never cared how she acted or did things. Soraya started to cry and said she was sorry.
"I was...never able to do anything for you guys, and now..." Soraya knew they weren't real, and her parents were back in the other world, missing her so much. As she kept crying, she felt her mother's hands on her cheeks. They were making her look at her.
"We didn't have you because we wanted you to do something for us." Her mother wiped a bit of her tears away. "We had you because we wanted to do something for you."
Soraya smiled, letting her mom wipe all her tears away. "I'm...acting like a little kid..."
Her mother patted her head.
"There's nothing wrong with crying. You can cry all you want." she hugged her, loving her like always. "As long as you smile when you're done, everything will be fine. What matters isn't how you start or what happens in the middle; it's how it ends."
The real Soraya turned to Raina, who was smiling as tears were falling from her eyes. "How it ends..."
Soraya returned, watching the memory.
"You mean as long as things turn out okay in the end, nothing else matters?" memory Soraya started to smile, but her mother became upset with her.
"That's not how I meant for you to take it!" she bopped her head. "it's a homework assignment from me!"
Soraya smiled again and nodded. She told her mother she was off to school, leaving her, but her mother called out to her, and with a wave of her hand, she said.
"Take care."
That's when it hit memory, Soraya. All of her memories fast-forward from the point of her dropping out of school to the day she left the house. She remembered her mother saying a warm and loving goodbye to her. Even when Soraya was depressed and didn't want her mother's support and love, her mother never stopped showing her the love a mother should show their daughter.
The memory ended there, and Soraya faced Raina, who was wiping away her tears.
"You have loving parents; you know that, Soraya?"
Soraya smiled and agreed. "They're the best."
Raina started laughing, making Soraya look at her, a bit confused.
"You are the lucky one." Soon, her laughter stopped."I wish my daughter were this lucky...I only caused her pain and suffering. I wish I could go back in time and change the past. Stop me from selling her to Cornstock...then maybe things will be different..."
Soraya placed a hand on her shoulder.
"But things are different."
Raina looked at her and saw she was smiling.
"Your daughter is with her real mom, her birth mother, YOU!" she removed her hand. Turning to see the lighthouse. "You have another chance to make things right." Soraya looked up at the lighthouse and the closed door. "You have the chance to make things right. Whatever is behind that door, you can face it! You can't be scared of what your daughter will say to you. You also can't think how much she should hate you." Soraya punched Raina in the shoulder. "It is easy to give up. But it doesn't suit you. Please don't give up and hope someone will hate you because you caused them problems or pain. Just accept the pain and the fact that you screwed up."
Raina just stood there, not sure what to say.
"Your daughter doesn't have to forgive you. Just tell her how you feel and what you did." They both turned to the door. "As long as you smile when you're done, everything will be fine. What matters isn't how you start or what happens in the middle."
"it's how it ends." finished Raina, smiling.
Raina walked over to the lighthouse door, slowly reaching out and feeling the wood on the door.
"I remember now. When Spark came to us, it was when I was behind this door. I know what needs to be done and what my daughter wants, but I lost that memory and just remembered all the fears and blocked them out. I'm just afraid. Afraid to face her not because of what will happen to me when I do but because..."
"Because what?" asked Soraya.
"Because I am a coward. I ran away from what needs to be done...I have always been a coward...a failure..."
"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I was a coward too. I mean, I shut myself in my room for months and wouldn't speak to my parents. But I slowly became brave when I was teleported to a different world. Brave for others as I-"
"You kept dying for others, right?" finished Raina, turning to her. "You explained your powers to us, how you restart your save point in a specific part of your life." Raina still couldn't believe it, but it made sense that Soraya knew a lot about them. "I won't lie, kid. Dying over and over, in different painful ways, must be terrifying. How do you face something like that?"
Soraya turned her head to the side, closing her eyes and smiling.
"I couldn't at first. There were even a few points when I became mentally broken beyond repair because of the pain of dying but also seeing all the people I know and care about dying in different and horrible ways..."
Suddenly, the lighthouse memory vanished and was replaced by different memories in Soraya's life. All were flashing different places and people. Raina could see a memory of Soraya screaming in pain and sorrow as she held a dead girl's body.
"It's easy to give up...letting all the pain just end..." echoed Soraya's voice in the memory.
"It's easy to give up?" said the real Soraya, watching along to her memories. "Don't give me that bullshit! There's nothing easy about giving up."
A memory shows Soraya opening a door and seeing dead kids all piled up together, reaching out to nothing. She turned around, seeing one of her friends dead, cut in half, and her blood all over the place.
"It's my fault! It's my fault they died!
"NO! It wasn't!"
"But it was! I need to stop! Do nothing! Think about nothing to spare me from the pain..."
The memory changed to her walking up a stairway; everything around her was cold and covered in ice. Until she reached the end, seeing a monster roaring and the world covered in an endless ice storm. Soon, she was frozen solid, and her body broke...
"You think I'm just doing nothing! Thinking about nothing! Cutting myself from everything and throwing everything away, and that's all it takes to give up!?" screamed Soraya at her memory self.
They found themselves in the backyard of a mansion, with the memory of Soraya on her knees, crying as she slowly looked around, seeing the death in front of her.
"I've already agonized over this! I've thought about it! I've suffered...That's why..." Soraya dropped to her knees, like her past self, remembering everything that happened in her life.
Suddenly, they could hear a young girl's voice.
"All you know is yourself!"
Soraya answered the voice.
"I gave up..."
"How much do you know about the Soraya that I see?" cried the girl, hearing how sad she was.
"...What do I do?"
The young girl's voice disappeared and was replaced by another but older-sounding woman.
"Don't cast your gaze down, Soraya. When your eyes are clouded, your soul darkens, and you lose sight of your reasons to live."
They could see a pointless time when Soraya died as she failed to save her friends. So many versions of it played to them while the woman continued to speak to her.
"Lift your head, face forward, and reach out your hands."
The memories were replaced with Soraya saving her friends and saving the day of that timeline. That's when a man's voice spoke.
"Soraya, why aren't you insane yet?"
Memories of Soraya dropping to her knees as she went mad from all the pain and deaths in her quest to save everyone...
"Stop trying to put on a tough front around your friends, Soraya." A young man's voice replaced the older one.
Another girl's voice could be heard now.
"Why do you keep trying to help me like this?"
Memories of Soraya helping a girl with her problems appeared. Soraya was always there, helping her. This made the real Soraya finally raise her head and speak with happiness as tears were running down her eyes. Seeing her there.
"Because you helped me." she reached out to the girl. "I'm..." Her heart started to hurt as a black shadow hand softly touched it. "Going to..." The hand squeezed her heart, making her scream in pain as she fell on her hands. "Save you..." She started to fight through the pain as she struggled to look at her. "I don't care if you don't remember! I don't care if it hurts! This pain!" She struggled to get on her knees. "I'll save you even if it kills me..." Soraya could feel the pain in her chest, but she didn't care. All she cared about was saving the one person she loved so much. "None of you aren't leaving me behind like I always thought when I restarted everything! I am not the same person I was in the past." She was almost standing now. "ALL THE FUCKING PAIN! ALL THE HARDSHIP I HAD TO PUT MYSELF THROUGH!" All of the deaths and pain filled her eyes, remembering it all. "All of that shit, it made me stronger. I am not the same scared little girl I once was." Soraya started to sob as she could hear all past selves screaming in pain and nothing but pain.
...until that caring voice appeared again.
"It's been rough, hasn't it?" Soraya started to smile as she felt that warm light on her face. "It is easy to give up. But it doesn't suit you."
Soraya's heart stopped hurting as the shadow hand disappeared, and she stood firm while she spoke to herself. "What matters isn't how you start or what happens in the middle."
"Let's start here! From square one!"
Soraya closed her eyes. "It's how it ends."
"From zero!"
Soraya's memories vanished, and she faced Raina and the others.
"Those kids, they suffered just like me. It might not be the same feeling of pain, but it's the same nevertheless. They feel like they can't accept someone's help because they feel like no one is there for them...like a friend. Expecting the best when they can't give it...so..."
Soraya turned her whole body around, facing the girl that helped her the most with a smile on her face.
"I want to make sure every single one of them knows they can always count on a friend or a loved one. It's there; they need to see it! Like how my parents were always there for me, even when I didn't see it. No matter how much I push them away or try to shut myself out from the world. They were always there for me, ready to hug me and show me the love a mother and father should show their child." She clutched her fist hard. "I want those kids to have what I have...and I will not let anything or anyone stop me. No matter how scary or painful it is. Even if the road to the end is long, and there are times I want to give up. I will never stop as long as there is a chance that one kid will feel like someone is there for them and that they can have a better life. A life in which they can live and feel happiness; I will always stand against those who destroy that hope. Hope to keep moving forward! That's why Spark picked me!"
The girl smiled at her, and before she disappeared, she said one last thing to her.
Soraya opened her eyes. "I know," she said as the girl disappeared. "I won't let you down, Rem!"
Raina was truly amazed by Soraya. Someone who had suffered so much that a normal person would have been broken ages ago was still going, going against all the odds. She was a great hero, and it was clear now what she was meant to do.
"Spark was right." She turned to the lighthouse door. "Why she picked me." She finally walked over to it and opened the door.
Inside the door, there was a baptismal ceremony. Different versions of Annabeth stood there, waiting. She walked to the middle of them, looking at her version.
"Brooker, are you sure this is what you want?" Annabeth asked without a hint of emotion.
Raina took Annabeth's hands. "I have to...it's the only way to undo what I've done to you. My failures caused so many problems." She pulled Annabeth into a hug, stroking her back. "It all has to end." Raina's body became Cornstock. "To never have started." Her body returned to normal, and she let her go. "I have to face my problems and stop running away from them. My actions can cause problems for others because I never got the help I needed. That's why you're here, and that's why I'm going to fix my mistake." She closed her eyes, feeling the water under her. "I'm sorry, Annabeth." She lowered herself into the water, knowing what must be done.
But Raina felt herself pulled out by Annabeth, who hugged and cried. It was like Soraya told her: what mattered was how it ended, and Raina finally understood that.
"Annabeth," whispered Raina, rubbing her back. "Everything will be alright. I might go away because the path I took wasn't the right one, but I know you, you will be alright. I can feel it." She looked up; she could see nothing but darkness and faint rainbow light. "Same with those kids. I need to help them not to follow my path to self-destruction."
Annabeth let go and just nodded, smiling as she knew what had to be done.
"I will make things right," she said as she submerged her head in the water...
Spark's chest glowed bright, and her wounds healed as the stillless water moved her toward the tree.
...only to open her eyes and find herself back with the others.
"We better find Haze and hurry out of here!"
They all nodded and started to walk in the darkness...
Snake and Petra were in the front, and she could hear the others behind her, all talking and joking around.
"Look at you, Shiko! You were so cute as a kid, but now? You look so beautiful and-" AJ was cut off as Soraya got between them,
"And even more busty! Don't forget that! Man, what I would give to have her huge fun bags as my own!"
AJ smacked Soraya on the head, causing Shiko to laugh.
Tanya and Raina were behind them, watching it all.
"Kids these days! Thinking boobs are the most important part of the women's body, but it's not." scoffed Tanya, crossing her arms.
Raina eyed her with a raised eyebrow, looking at Tanya. "Oh, what's the most important part then?"
"Asses, of course. I mean, come on! Who wouldn't want to squeeze a nice butt and-" Tanya was cut off by Raina covering her mouth and looking away.
"I get the point, Tanya," she said, feeling her cheeks burning.
Tanya pulled her in and made her look ahead to where Snake and Petra were.
"Come on! Asses are the best things about girls! It's not a sin to look at one, you know!"
"I know, Tanya! But it's embarrassing, alright?"
Raina couldn't deny that Tanya was right. Petra had the perfect ass...while Tanya kept looking at Snake's rear, which was pretty good too.
"You have a fine ass, Snake!"
Snake stopped and glared at her.
"Do you want to die?"
Tanya shook her head.
"Unless you crush me with your-" Tanya couldn't finish as Snake tossed her electric combat knife into Tnaya's forehead, frying her brain instantly.
Snake pulled it out and kicked her to the side, seeing the others were not reacting.
"I'm going to take a wild guess and say she isn't dead," said Raina, leaving Tanya behind, and like she guessed, Tanya stood back up, but her hair was in a fizzy afro style now.
"Snake! WHAT THE HELL!" Tanya paused and smirked. "Damn, I'm turned on!"
She hurried to catch up with the others, but a black feather fell as she did, and a bright flash appeared.
Snake opened her eyes and saw that only Petra was with her while the others were gone. Before they could call out for the others, they could hear crying before them, seeing Haze holding a dead girl's body as blood was pouring out of her chest.
"Kid?" whispered Snake, seeing Haze looking like a mess.
But Haze didn't answer her; she kept holding the girl and whispering that she was a failure.
Snake and Petra wanted to get closer, but Petra's spider sense went off and tackled Snake in time when a very long katana cut the air where Snake once stood.
"Who the hell!?"
The sword was placed on its wielder's shoulder, and they could see a woman holding it. She was dressed in black, her fur was white, and her multicolored long hair flowed like the wind. Snake remembered a name Haze once said about stopping a meteor and someone else who had caused it. She stood up and faced the person in front of her.
"You are Sephiroth, aren't you?"
Sephiroth nodded but didn't take her eyes off Snake.
Snake could see the coldness in her eyes; they weren't the eyes of a soldier but that of someone who was a true killer, someone who enjoyed ending the lives of her victims.
"Matters not. I know who you are, Snake." Sephiroth pointed the blade's tip at her, almost noticing her nose. "And I know why you are here, and I will tell you this. I won't allow you to help Haze here." She thrusts her sword forward but grows angry as Petra saves Snake again by pulling her with her webbing. She eyed Petra and knew she was going to be a problem. "You have some skill." Sephiroth held out her hand, and her hand started to gather yellow lights.
"Shit!" shouted Snake, as she had seen this before but from Haze when she used magic. She readied herself and spoke to Petra. "Watch out, she's going to use electric magic!" She could see it was more intense than how Haze had done it. "And from the look of things, way more powerful!"
Petra took a battle stance and smiled. "Oh? Don't worry about me, Snake! I've fought bad guys who used magic before, and it was no problem." She flexed her arms, and her webs were ready.
Snake could only roll her eyes. She didn't like how cocky Petra was. The two returned their sights on Sephiroth and watched as she unleashed thunder magic on them. With her spider-sense, Petra fired her web-shooters at Snake and tossed her safely in the air while she easily dodged the incoming bolts. When she landed, she gave Sephiroth a middle finger.
Sephiroth was impressed. "I see you are more than meets the eye. I must admit I'm intrigued by your powers."
"Sorry, busty-crazed woman, but I don't play around with crazy people," said Petra, sticking out her tongue and blowing her a raspberry.
Snake landed behind the webbing cage and could only smirk at what Petra was doing. She was dealing with Sephiroth while she helped Haze.
"Thanks, kid! Just don't die!"
Snake turned and saw Haze still holding on to the girl's body, just repeating the exact words over and over again.
"Haze? Kid, you have to listen to me. It's Snake. Are you hurt?"
Haze didn't look at her, just kept holding on to the body.
"What happened, Haze?"
"She's dead, Aeris is dead...I failed her."
Snake placed a hoof on her shoulder, but Haze shook it off.
"I don't need your help, Snake. I failed her and all the others. Just leave me here."
Snake wasn't sure what was going on. "Haze, what happened?"
"Sephiroth happened. I couldn't protect her, and now she's gone, and I don't think I can keep fighting anymore, not after this."
Snake looked down at the girl and tried to understand what had happened.
"Tell me what happened, kid. Who was this girl, and what did Sephiroth do to her?"
"Aeris, her name was Aeris...a friend and...I loved her..."
Meanwhile, Petra's senses were going crazy as she held her head in pain. This only happens when her senses are warning her she is going to die if she doesn't run.
"Damn, she must be a real monster if my sense is freaking out like this..."
That's when the webbing cage burst into flames, and slowly looking at her was Sephiroth, smiling.
"So, you have some foresight magic? Or is it a power of some kind?" asked Sephiroth, walking toward her. "Doesn't matter. Either way, I will kill you." She pointed the sword at Petra. "No one escapes the touch of my blade."
"You sound like some cheesy villain, lady!" shouted Petra, firing her web-shooters at her, only for her webbing to be sliced to bits as it reached her. "What the!?"
Sephiroth was behind Petra and struck...only to tsk as Petra dodged the attack and rolled away.
Petra recovered from the roll and was on guard now, as she was damn lucky her senses kicked in.
"Damn, I know I needed a hair cut but don't think that's a little too much off the top?" joked Petra, pointing to her head.
Sephiroth wasn't in a joking mood. She wanted blood, and she was going to have it. She swung her sword, unleashing a wave of energy, only for Petra to dodge it with a somersault, making Sephiroth even angrier.
"Stop running away!"
Petra didn't care about fighting her; she just needed to buy some time for Snake to snap Haze out of whatever was wrong with her.
"Make me! Or is killing a spider too hard for you? Or are you all bark and no bite?" taunted Petra.
"You dare insult me?!" snarled Sephiroth, charging after her.
She didn't like this spider woman at all. She had to be taught a lesson, a lesson of pain and death.
As the two were still going at it, Snake listened to Haze as Haze's memory appeared. Showing her how Aeris died to Sephiroth.
Haze walked to the praying Aeris, where, suddenly, Haze took her giant sword and raised it. Ready to kill her.
"Ugh... what are you making me do."
With a smile, Aeris looks up from her prayer, happy to see Haze before her. Haze smiled back at her, so glad to see her as well. Snake turned to the real Haze, seeing her looking up. She looked as well and could see Sephiroth leaps down from above.
Aeris's face becomes shocked and filled with pain as she leans forward, and a blade bursts out of her chest... Sephiroth's sword impaled her. As Sephiroth pulled the Masamune back out of her, Snake could see Aeris's hair ribbon becoming undone, and a glowing white orb fell out and bounced off the chamber platform and into the water. Haze hurries to Aeris, catching her before she can hit the floor...
"So that's what happened..." whispered Snake, learning how Aeris died and why Haze blames herself.
"Snake...why does this happen to me? First, I couldn't save my Mom or the town folks from the fire or Mira from getting hurt..." She slowly faced Snake, her expression filled with anger and tears falling. "I even got Zara killed! Now Aeris! This was why I couldn't be a SOLDIER! I only fail in the end!"
She placed her face on Aeris's lifeless head, sobbing.
Snake shut her eyes and rubbed her hoof on Haze's head softly.
"Kid... I know how it feels to lose or not protect the people you care about..."
Haze looked up and saw Snake's memories, seeing how she failed to save or protect the people she cared about. Every time this happened, Snake slowly became numb, pushing her feelings down and away, never allowing her emotions to mess with her current mission.
"It's why I'm filled with so much guilt, but I never allowed it to cloud my judgment, or I wouldn't have been able to save anyone...or at least those I could have."
Snake removed her hoof and looked for something in her pockets.
"Ponies like Grey Moon Fox, Nami, and others I couldn't save. I was watching them die in front of me. That's never going to change, and I hate it...even more with Nami. Fox told me what happened to Nami's parents, and I couldn't bring myself to tell her anything..." Haze could see the memory of that scene, learning that Fox was the one who killed Nami's parents. "Even when we met again after many years, I still couldn't tell her." Haze saw the memory change to when Nami died from her sickness and Snake and her friends escaped inside a giant mecha. "I lost my chance to tell her; that decision will always haunt me, kid. Like yours will, but we have a chance now, right?"
Snake found what she sought, knowing Otacon would pack it for her. It was wrapped in a white cloth. She undid it and could see a note next to a long brown cigar. She picked up the note, read it, and smiled. She placed the note away and put the cigar in her mouth, not lighting it.
"Old timer...what do you mean? A chance at a what?" asked Haze, not understanding what she was saying.
Snake said nothing, only watching her memories appear to them. They were in a graveyard, and they could see past Snake, who was standing over a grave. They soon heard a voice.
"That's right. Good. There is no need for you to go just yet. It's been a long time... Snake."
Snake faced the voice and was shocked to see her alive.
Big Boss rolled someone in a wheelchair
"What?"
Boss walked away from the wheelchair and stood beside her, looking at the graves.
"It's over. It's time for you to put aside the gun... And live. It all began with a bunch of old fools. Now..." She looked at the grave that Snake was looking at. "They've all passed away. Their era of folly is over. I'm the only one left, and soon... I'll be gone, too."
"How are you still alive?"
Boss smiled at that question and answered her.
"That body Liquid burned on the Volta... It wasn't mine. That was the body... Of a clone." She turned to Snake, who already knew who that clone was. "Solidus. She was a perfect clone." Boss turned around, looking at the old mare in the wheelchair. "Zero and the proxy AIs after him were convinced that Solidus was me. I was implanted with nanomachines... I kept in a state of eternal sleep... By FS, the proxy AI. They had me sealed away completely... Not only my physical body but my will, too. The technology was similar to what they used to restrain the B&B members you encountered. For me to wake up again... The System had to be destroyed... One way or another.
Big Boss steps closer to Zero, looking at her with empty eyes—the eyes of someone who has lost respect for a friend.
Haze learned how Zero misunderstood the wishes of
Big Boss stood behind Zero, speaking to Snake.
They watched as Big Boss turned off the breathing machine, making Zero struggle with her breathing to the point that she started to choke. She was dying, and something surprised Snake as she saw Big Boss hug her former friend, her eyes now filled with pain. In Zero's last moments, she didn't die alone as her body stopped moving, and Big Boss slowly let her go.
Snake narrowed her eyes at Mother, wondering what she would do now, with Zero gone.
Big Boss couldn't help but smile as she slowly walked over to her. "You erased me two times before. Today will mark the third. The MAGICDIE Zero planted in you... It's already begun eating away at my body. Truth is... the MAGICDIE in you... Is what killed EVA and Ocelot."
Big Boss suddenly held her chest as a great pain jolted inside of her, falling to her knees.
"What's wrong?"
Big Boss looked up at her daughter, filled with anger, but not her. "They did it again. They used you to kill me. The Elements. No... Their proxies... To bury us... They did it again. In the end, they're no more than a program. All they can do is repeat the same pattern over and over again. Do me a favor, will you? Take me over to her." She looked over and pointed to a grave. Snake nodded and helped her over to it. "There's one more thing Nami wanted me to tell you. About the... Old MAGICDIE in your body... The one that mutated. The new MAGICDIE inside you continues to multiply. At the same time... It is preventing the old... Mutated MAGICDIE from reproducing. The new MAGICDIE is uprooting the old. Nami confirmed it in her follow-up. The mutants are receding. Before long, they'll be gone entirely."
"Does that mean the mutant strain won't cause an epidemic?" asked Snake, looking at her.
Big Boss chuckled as they walked over to the oldest grave in the graveyard.
"It will only live as long as you do. But even then... The process will repeat itself. One day, the new MAGICDIE, too, will start to mutate... And become a new threat." They finally arrived, and Big Boss placed her hoof on the grave for support as her body was nearing its end. "But that is if you manage to live that long." Big Boss lost her strength to stand and collapse before the grave, while Snake caught her and slowly set her down.
"Am I going to die?" asked Snake, looking at her sadly.
Big Boss looked up at her with no expression at all.
"Everyone dies. You can't stop it. You can't run away from it. Let me tell you something... Don't... Don't waste the life you have left fighting."
Haze could feel Snake touching her shoulder as the memory disappeared.
"You have a chance now; don't waste your life fighting the what ifs or the could 'ves, would 'ves, should 'ves, kid. You already fought so much and did so much. You saved your world; what Soraya told us, you saved it again." Snake placed her hoof on Haze's head, messing it up. "It's about doing our best to leave the world... The way it is. It's about respecting the will of others... And believing in your own. That's what's most important." She stood and could see Petra landing before them, not looking so great, and Sephiroth walking up to them, smiling. "It's almost time, kid. Blow out this last ember of this fruitless war within you. And at last, those old evils will be gone. Once the source of evil returns to zero... A new one... A new future... Will be born. That new world... It is yours to live in. Not hers." Snake turned back to her, smiling. "You are nobody's tool now... No one's toy or puppet to control. Remember how you move forward from all that hardship you faced. Losing your home, your mother, Zara...and her." Snake pointed to Haze's arms, making her down and just seeing a flower.
Snake and Petra disappeared into the darkness as Sephiroth stood before Haze.
"You never moved forward, Haze, because I'm still here! Like I told you, I won't become a memory." Sephiroth stabbed Haze in the chest and slowly raised her. "I won't ever disappear into nothingness! You are nothing without me, and I will ensure you will remember it every time!"
Haze's eyes were lifeless, but there was a spark as she remembered something. She could see Zara and even hear her.
"If you want to be a hero, you must have dreams. Remember, what makes a hero isn't power or some weapon. It's friendship and all those you let in to make your dreams a reality. You are living proof of that. I believe in you."
Haze slowly grabbed the blade edge of the Masamune, her hands dripping with blood as she held it tight, and she could hear her own voice now.
"What about my pain? My fingers are tingling. My mouth is dry. My eyes are burning!"
Sephiroth's eyes widened as she saw Haze lowering herself back into the ground and started to lift her instead.
Haze looks at her dead in the eyes, smirking with a grin.
"You are right. I couldn't save them, but they saved me! Zara protected me so I could be here, fighting you! Aeris died protecting the planet that YOU failed to destroy! I need to put those thoughts to rest, like Snake said! End this fruitless war with you! Because Sephiroth, you have it backward!" Suddenly, Sephiroth's sword became Haze's giant sword and stabbed through Sephiroth chest now. "You need me! A nobody like me beat the powerful Sephiroth, not just once but many times now! It's been living rent-free in your head for years!" She twisted her sword, making her grunt in pain. "You are right about something else!" She tossed her up in the air. Haze's body and sword started to glow; with one word, she screamed, "Omnislash!"
Haze rocketed up into the air until she was near Sephiroth. She unleashed a storm of different slashes and stabs until she raised her sword above Sephiroth, glowing with a rainbow star. With one final thrust down, Sephiroth was cut into two halves.
Haze's landed back on the ground and looked, seeing Sephiroth slowly disappearing into nothingness.
"You won't become a memory..." She swung her sword around and placed it on her back. "Because I won't think about you anymore. I'm putting the past behind me."
Sephiroth's eyes closed, and rainbow light entered her body, making her disappear for good. The rainbow light gathered around Haze, hearing 'her' voice.
"Haze, never forget how you got here. Never forget all those who helped you get this far. You can do anything you want. Anything."
Haze started to cry tears of joy and happiness. She could see 'her' hand reaching out to her.
Soon, she could see another hand reaching out. It was Zara's hand.
Haze nodded and grabbed their hands as the light engulfed the darkness...
...only for the light to fade and for Petra to find herself back on the roof with O'Hara.
"The hardest thing about this job is you can’t always save everybody. Sometimes, you have to let them go. You have to let it play out if it means saving everyone else." with that said, he jumped into the rift, disappearing as it closed shut.
Petra clutched her mask and screamed at no one.
"You can't mean that! You can't ignore someone who's in danger!"
She held her mask up, looking at it.
"What's important is not standing by and allowing someone to suffer or die because you do nothing!" she looked where O'Hara once stood. "If you don't get that, then you don't get the first thing about being Spider-Man." She looked back down at the mask, feeling proud of the person she was. "Anyone can wear the mask." She put back on the mask
With a mighty jump, Petra web-swung out of sight, not stopping.
"Great power comes with great responsibility. You might be right that I can't help everyone, but it's my responsibility to try! Like saving those kids! Spark came to me because of that! She knew what it meant to have a responsibility! To use your power to help others when you can!"
Petra could see the others waiting for her on a rooftop, making her smile.
"Helping others to move forward! To keep fighting! That is my responsibility!"
She landed beside them, waving hello as the memory faded, and they all started to wake up.
Spark's body fully healed, and her chest started to glow so bright that her cutie mark on it bled through her white shirt.With the rainbow light emitting from her chest, Spark's eyes opened. Her left eye had Twilight's cutie mark star in it...
End of Chapter 12
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Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 14: Nightmares and Sweet Dreams From The Past
Spark opened her eyes, seeing she was back in her old prison within her rainbow element core. She could see her sisters, Blitz and Braver, standing across from another version of herself. She realized she was watching a memory of that day...
"Thank you, my dearest sisters. But I already knew this and will do it because it's right." Past Spark turned to them. "I want you two to have a wonderful life after what happened. You suffered enough, and you both deserve happiness."
"We're not letting you do this!" screamed Blitz, getting mad. "What about your damn happiness!? Why are you being so selfish?!"
"Yeah! Stop being selfish!" Braver yelled, rushing towards her and trying to pull her out of this place.
Past Spark forced Braver off, pissed that they weren't going to listen to her. "Haven't you listened to what I have been telling you!? You'll die!"
"And we'll find a way to solve it!" screamed Braver, refusing to listen.
"YEAH!" screamed Blitz.
Past Spark became fed up and tried teleporting them from her world.
"I'm going to do this for you two!"
She was going to cast them out but froze at what she saw them doing.
"Stop! Stop them from pulling you out!" begged the real Spark, as she knew what would happen next. But her past self said nothing, only watching.
In front of her, she could see Braver putting her hoof above her chest, slamming against it, and digging her hoof into it. Blitz put both her hands over her chest and slowly ripped open it, exposing her slime insides. She could see a colorful light shining out of their self-inflicted wounds and pulling out something from their chests, which she knew what it was.
"Braver, Blitz, no! STOP IT!" Cried Spark, wanting them to stop, but her body won't move. She looked at her past self, who was standing there, not saying or doing anything to stop them. "DO SOMETHING! DON'T LET THEM DO THIS! DON'T LET THEM THROW AWAY THEIR LIVES FOR US!" She started to sob. "...me...".
Her past self said nothing, only walked over to Blitz and Braver, grabbing their hand and hoof, making them stop and look at her with confusion. Spark herself was happy to see her past self listened.
"Please, you both need to stop. You'll die if you don't!" pleaded Spark, tears falling from her eyes.
Spark smiled, as she could see her past self smiling as well, only to become horrified to see her past self stabbing her hooves into Blitz and Braver's chest, smiling evil-like.
"...W-What..." whispered Spark, as she watched her past self tear out the rainbow core and the combined pieces of the broken Element of Harmony core, killing Blitz and Braver as they quickly became black slime and then melted into a large pool of puddles."...w-why..."
Her past self smiled as she turned to her, holding both cores in each hoof while the rainbow blanket that covered her body became dark.
Spark looked at her past self in terror and shock as her past self spoke.
"What do you mean why? This is how it happened! If those two wanted to die for us, for you, then who are we to say otherwise, right? Besides, don't you remember how we were born? We are not true Alicorn; we are only a clone of Nightfall and Rainbow Sky's DNA. We never had a life. We were created for one purpose. So, let's fulfill our purpose."
"You are lying!" cried the real Spark as her tears fell. "My sisters wanted me to-."
Spark couldn't finish as she found herself back in her Grandfather's underground lab and back in the cage she so despised.
Spark sat up, not even bothering to fight back. She was confused about what was happening. Even more so, she was back in her filly body, not her hybrid form.
"Grandfather...b-but you are de-"
Her Grandfather ignored her like she wasn't there. He went over to a pedestal; on top was a large glass, and a black stone core was inside.
"You might overcome everything I threw at you, but this time, my little weapon, I will use this."
He started typing on the computer, and with a button, a large Tesla-like rod came out of the wall and shocked the black stone core, making it start pulsing.
"Why do you even call them sisters?"
Spark quickly turned around, seeing her hybrid form standing there. Her rainbow jacket was dark.
"Why are you calling them your family when all they ever were was just a black slime of evil?"
Spark eyes became filled with rage as they glowed rainbows.
"What did you say!?"
"Don't play dumb," said the fake Spark, smiling evilly. "They are a monster, not even blood-related to you. Our so-called sisters are nothing to you, yet you act like they are. Why is that?"
Spark became furious, and her magical energy sparked around her cage, trying to attack her fake self.
"Shut up! You are nothing but a lie, an imposter! I will never think of my dear, sweet, cute sisters like that!" She fired her magic from her horn, hitting her fake, but it did nothing.
"Again, why are you playing dumb? You saw that creature past when he..."
Spark's ears twitched as she heard her Grandfather speaking to himself, making her look at him. She remembered what he said.
"This Chaos Slime, the last of its kind! Records from the old Kingdoms told how it ruined both the Kingdom of Night and Day! They were both destroyed, and the world was nearly destroyed with it if it wasn't for that Prototype that held the Element of Loyalty within it!" He explained as he placed his face closer to the glass box, watching the black stone orb pulsate faster.
Spark blinked, and she suddenly found herself in the throne room of the Princess of Night, Luna. She remembered seeing this before when she first fused with her sisters, seeing what they had done in the past.
"After hunting you down, try to give you a chance at a better life as long you aided us, and this is how you repay us!?" Said Luna in a cold tone as she sat on her throne, looking beyond Spark. Spark turned around and saw a slime creature held down by magic and swords by the guards. "Refusing to aid us in our hour of need!? Your long-dead race was a blight on the land, and I hoped to change that! We could have been friends, but it seems I was wrong!"
The black slime started to speak, but the Princess didn't even let it. She raised her sword and cut off its head, and the creature's head hit the ground, only for it to return to its body, reconnecting and fixing itself.
"Princess Luna, are you sure this is the best way? Shouldn't we try to-?" asked a batpony guard.
"No!" shouted Luna, as she started to attack the Slime creature nonstop with her magic and weapons inside the poor creature. "If she refuses to aid us, then I'll make her aid us by force! Her will isn't strong; she was on the edge of madness when we found her! She is a Chaos Slime, after all." Luna used magic to raise the slime creature and forcefully crush her. "I'll make her break! Break her into my puppet! Yes, a living weapon to counter my 'dear' sister Element of Harmony knights!" Luna's eyes became pure black as she started to laugh.
Spark's heart broke as she remembered this memory that her dear sisters seemed not to remember. They only remembered a part of it. What happened next is what they remembered...
As Luna laughed, the black slime creature started to freak out. Its body began to crack and change color from black to a deep void-like black.
"SISTERS!" cried Spark as she remembered what her sisters did.
Luna stopped laughing as she could see and felt her magic, unable to contain the mutated Slime creature. Horror filled Luna and her guard's eyes when the Slime creature broke free from Luna's magic and landed on the floor with a loud, wet squish sound.
"Retreat!" yelled a guard as they rushed out of the throne room.
Only Princess Luna didn't move. She couldn't take her eyes away from the Slime creature, which started to copy her body shape, perfectly mimicking her, without the features.
"You dare mock me by mim-WHAT!?"
Luna was suddenly grabbed by long, oozing tentacles from the black slime creature. Luna's body started to melt, and as it did, the slime released millions of tentacles from its body, bursting through the throne room walls and heading toward the city below.
Spark covered her ears, remembering hearing thousands of creatures screaming from the city as they were all absorbed into the slime, becoming a part of it.
Spark could hear the slime creature's voice speaking within her mind, but the words weren't clear, sounding like someone was speaking through an old radio.
"My Sisters! Aren't this!" cried Spark, not wanting to remember this awful memory of her sisters.
The slime creature's head slowly stretched out over Spark, its featureless head slowly becoming a twisted version of Luna's face.
"Or when that monster destroyed the Kingdom of Day?" said the fake Spark, forcing her real self to look at the new memory.
Celesti's Commanding Officer of the Pegasus knight unit, this universe's version of Spitfire, walked into the throne room. She bowed and ordered her men to bring the magical sealed crystal with a black slime orb inside.
"This was all we found at the ground zero of your sister's kingdom, my Princess!"
Celestia nodded. She got off her throne and got a better look at the slime orb. She kept looking at it as she spoke to Spitfire.
Spitfire bowed and answered her.
"No, no signs of her could be found. Fear she might be..." Spitfire couldn't finish, as she and Sky were friends...close friends.
Celestia didn't move away from the crystal, raised her hoof, making a high mage bow, and ordered his underlings to bring in something. Spark could see them rolling in the Element of Magic, pulsing like it was calling out to something...or someone.
"She's alive. The Element of Magic has been calling for her," stated Celestia, smiling as she turned to Spitfire. "No, not her but the Element of Loyalty!" She returned to looking at the slime as it undid being an orb. "She thinks she can run away like that? She betrayed my gift to her by running away. Now, she is trying to hide. But it won't work. The Element of Magic will call out for her and tell us where she is. We will get her and force her to be our grand weapon again...huh?" She stopped as she saw the slime becoming a black slime Alicorn filly, and without warning, it rushed towards her, hitting the crystal walls. It was trying to eat Celestia, like what happened to her younger sister.
Celestia smiled as she got even closer to it. "No, we found our new grand weapon! A weapon that will never betray us. Something that can be controlled, something that can't die. Something that will destroy any and everything we want!"
"MY SISTERS AREN'T A WEAPON! THEY WERE NEVER A WEAPON! I WILL NEVER LET ANYONE BREAK THEM AGAIN! NONE OF THAT WAS THEIR FAULT! IT'S YOURS AND LUNA'S FAULT!"
Soon, the memory changed to when the day that Celestia unleashed the slime on her kingdom.
"..." Celestia said nothing as she sat alone in her throne room with the crystal. She just ordered away her High Mage, who disagreed with her on releasing the monster as it was too dangerous. "...Luna, sister..." Celestia looked at the slime. "You weren't strong enough to control this monster, but me?" She used her horn to pick up the crystal and bring it closer to her. "I was always more powerful to you!" With all her force, she slammed the crystal into the red carpet, watching the crystal scatter everywhere and the slime creature increase in size. "Become a part of me! I'll be your new master! You will become my weapon to protect mine...no." Corrected Celestia as the creature transformed into her sister's twisted version. "Our Kingdom! We will rule and be together for all eternity." The slime darted at her, and the same thing happened again while Celestia spoke her final words. "...Luna..."
The memory vanished, and Spark found herself on the day Blitz, controlled by Braver, was fighting Sky above the city. She could see all the burning destruction the city was in as Blitz unleashed powerful lasers and bombs at Sky, which only missed and hit the city instead.
"This was all your sisters' fault. Look how many innocent lives were lost because of them."
Sky tried to speak, but an enormous explosion of fire hit her, making her cry out.
"I ask you again, why do you call them sisters? They are just mindless monsters with no feelings and no reason. They are just a-"
Spark blasted her fake self away from her with a powerful laser beam from her horn.
"Sisters are the ones who love you, no matter what you are or where you came from!"
Spark blasted her fake self again, over and over again.
"So shut up! Stop talking bad about my sisters!"
The fake Spark laughed as she kept being hit repeatedly, making Spark angrier and her horn grow brighter.
Spark fired her magic and hit the fake, sending her into the wall and shattering her form. Spark panted as her rage left her. She sat there, feeling tired.
"It's not going to stop, you know," said her fake, as her body reformed. "I will always be here to remind you the truth."
Spark blasted her again, filling even more rage as a rainbow halo appeared behind Spark's back.
"SHUT THE HELL UP! OR I'LL!"
"Or what?" asked the fake, smiling.
"I'LL BREAK YOU! BREAK YOU!" Spark kept blasting her, but the fake was still alive no matter how much she tried. "WHY WON'T YOU BREAK! I'M-"
"I'M A BREAKER OF WORLDS, A BREAKER OF STARS."
Spark quickly snapped out of her rage when she heard her sisters say that. She looked back, seeing Sky hugging Blitz as the two cried.
"Blitz!" shouted Sky as she saw tremendous rainbow energy from Blitz's little body.
"Our powers...what are our powers even for?" cried Blitz before laughing like crazy as the slime covering her made her face look twisted, crazed. "RIGHT! WE'RE NOT RAINBOW BLITZ! WE'RE STAR BREAKER! A WEAPON TO BREAK THIS WORLD!"
Spark remembered this! She tried to scream at her sisters to stop, but it was too late, as prism lights and a rainbow aura entirely covered them. Their little bodies were cracking, firing out powerful energy, forcing Sky to let them go.
"WE'LL BREAK IT ALL! THE WORLD! UNIVERSE! EVERYTHING! MOMMY!"
With a bright flicker of light, Spark watched as her sisters unleashed a world-ending bomb that destroyed the world in the blink of an eye.
Spark was caught in the flames, feeling her body burning and falling to the ground. Her whole body was burned beyond recognition...until her body started to heal itself, overcoming the damage done.
"You should be proud."
Spark slowly looked up at her fake, who happily smiled at her.
"You killed the greatest threat within the Multiverse Tree! By allowing them to die for you, you saved the multiverse from them." she reached out to Spark, wanting her to take her hand. "Stop calling them your sisters when they aren't! They were monsters! The same monsters who destroyed their world. Just accept it! Accept who you are, a"
Spark grabbed her hand with her hoof, not to shake it but to twist and break it. The fake didn't react to the pain; she gave a creepy smile as she watched Spark stand up, her burned body becoming more black while her mane, which flowed like the twilight sky with a tiny bit of rainbow in it, became a dark void with red flashing stars.
"B-BREAKER!" shouted Spark, her eyes bleeding rainbow tears. "STAR BREAKER!"
Spark unleashed an endless wave of burning black flames, engulfing her smiling fake.
"Never mind, I see why you call them sisters. Because Spark, deep down. You. are." The fake faded into the darkness. "A monster. You are truly them, a clone trying to be a perfect copy!"
Spark woke up, looked around, and saw she was on the floor. She was in Braver's room after Twilight, and Dash forced her to sleep there rather than in the library lobby like she wanted. Even though Twilight fixed Braver's bed, Spark couldn't sleep in it.
"What happened?" muttered Spark, holding her head as she sat up. "Where is my book?" She searched around herself and found the old, faded brown book. She picked it up and opened it. She flipped a few pages and read them out loud to herself.
"To the other version of me who's reading this. If you are reading this, it means you had a bad dream or, in this case, a nightmare. If your story is anything like mine, it means it was the one where you remembered destroying your world as you became Star Breaker. It's a painful memory. I know because I still have nightmares, too." Spark started to cry as she kept reading. "But it's okay! You aren't a monster, and your mothers love you very much. So please, don't worry, and don't be afraid of who you are. Because no matter what, you aren't alone." Spark's tears fell on the pages. She remembered when her teacher gave her this book before they went after Fayth after Spark stopped her. The day her sisters died...
"Darn it! She got away again!" cursed Lauren, landing on one of the tree branches of the Prime FiM Tree. "How does she do it anyway?" She started to think but stopped, turning around and seeing Spark landing while reading the book she gave her.
"...w-what is this!?" asked Spark, looking up at her. Her hand shook as she held the book tighter. "It's the stories of pasts...me?"
Lauren gave her a small, sad smile. She hoped to explain to her what that book was about a little later, not right after what happened with Spark's sisters dying and stopping Fayth from using Rainbow Sun Dawn to open the path to the Tree of Elyndra. She was afraid it would be too much for the young girl.
"Spark...it's like you just said. That book contains the stories of past yous."
Spark sat down, covering her face with her hand while still looking at the book. She wasn't happy about the simple answer.
"I know that! But I'm asking is..." she closed it and looked at her. "How? Is this related to time travel or something?"
Lauren smiled and got closer to her, putting her hoof on top of Spark's head.
"I will explain. Fayth has been restarting the multiverse, not just the multiverse this Prime Tree creates." She used her wing to point to the rest of the other prime trees of different colors within the forest. "But all of them. She was a Watcher, a Watcher for Elyndra, the All Creator of us all. To read different multiverses and the tales that they all held." She sat down and sighed. "Fayth visited this multiverse, and Elyndra became the Creation Tree for whatever reason. She restarted everything using the powers from Elyndra's book; we, the Authors, quickly took notice and tried to stop her in her second attempt." Lauren looked at Spark. "It was the first time we met. She had the upper hand as she knew us, and we didn't know her. Ultimately, we failed, and all our creations were gone and rewritten. Rewritten imperfectly." She looked up at the white void sky. "This kept happening repeatedly until many authors slowly gave up hope of stopping her. Some even stopped caring and gave her a helping hand by allowing her to mess with their stories, making her more powerful. But I never did. I never stopped caring." Lauren looked back at Spark. "That's where you come in...well, a version of you who held that book."
"Me?"
"Yes, you. I took notice of you in one of the restarts or, in other words, rewrites. Before we arrived to fight Fayth, I noticed that a group of mortals always lost to her. I don't know how they arrived there, but they died trying to stop Fayth. This is where we first met, standing over you as you were dying and handing me this book. Telling me never to give up and keep moving forward; you somehow knew I was on the edge of giving up like the other authors. And it worked." Lauren patted her on the head. "Even though we lost like always, I never stop giving up, and that's when I searched for you and found you. You come from a crossover universe of my and OJ's creations. FiM and Suguri universe combined."
Spark tipped her head, even more beyond confused. "Suguri?"
"She means me."
"HUH!?"
Spark saw a teenage girl in a black cat-like hoodie hovering there. She landed and smiled.
"The name is Suguri." She got closer to Spark, pulled her cheeks like a grandmother would do to their grandchildren, and pinched. "Yeah, I can see it alright! You have Sora and my will within you! But also..." Suguri's happy expression became a sad one. "...and hers." She let go and faced Lauren. "Sorry, I was late. Was dealing with..." she looked back at Spark, smiling. "Someone like her..." but she sighed and crossed her arms. "Just stronger headed in her beliefs."
Lauren was puzzled as she didn't know what Suguri was talking about.
"Anyway, I'll track Fayth down. Just fill in our little blue sky with what's going on!" With that said, Suguri took off as she passed through a rainbow circle she had emitted and disappeared.
Lauren wondered what Suguri was talking about but set it aside and returned to looking at Spark.
"Right, so you came from a crossover when two or more things come together and create something new. In your case, it was those two universes. As Suguri had said, you are her and her friend, Sora. I wanted to take you under my wing and become my student. I hope my teaching can help you fight against Fayth, as she always returns to your world after remembering when she opens her black book." She looks back at the faded brown book. "I couldn't open that book when you gave it to me, but the version of you I met could, and what she found was past written journals or messages to herself. It seems you found a way to keep a small part of yourself in your past lives so that you can remember Fayth's threat and help yourself if you need caring and helpful advice."
Spark momentarily thought, remembering all the messages she saw, but something bothered her.
"Why?" She looked at her, wanting to know the answer to her question. "Why me? Why do I end up fighting her?"
Lauren looked at her for a bit and shook her head as she had no honest answer.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know why. I'm just doing my job and teaching you the best I can. Teaching you better spells and skills."
"I...see."
Spark didn't look happy, but she didn't push the matter further, getting up and holding the book.
Spark looked at the pages of the book. Some were journal entries about herself and her final thoughts before facing Fayth, while others were messages of caring and loving words. She flipped the pages, but for some odd reason, the book wouldn't let her see any more pages and just shut itself. She tried opening it again, but it wouldn't budge.
"This book...what are you?"
She sighed, put down the book, and lay back on the wooden floor, but she couldn't go back to sleep no matter how hard she tried. She got up and started to pace around the room.
"I can't sleep...is it because of that nightmare? No, I can't get distracted in sleeping." She returned to the blanket but got tripped and fell face-first into the floor, making a loud sound. Even though she had fallen on her face, Spark looked up, still talking to herself. "I need to be focused. I need to sleep!" She closed her eyes and tried to go back to sleep...but she couldn't, as her thoughts were still eating away. "But it's hard to sleep when I can't understand who or what I am anymore. Am I a clone of my mothers? Or a past self? I'm not my sisters...right?" she asked herself, shaking a little as she felt tears running down her cheeks. "Right?"
Spark hid under her blanket, remembering how she always did this when she was scared or didn't want others, like her sisters, to see her sad face.
"Why can't I understand myself anymore!? What is happening to me? I know moving forward won't be easy, but..."
As she cried, she heard the door opening. Spark tried her best not to make a sound, hoping they'd leave her alone.
"Spark?" whispered Luster, entering the room with a floating candle thanks to her magic. "Are you awake?"
Spark didn't answer; she just covered her head more. Luster could quickly tell she was crying; her breathing was proof of it. She walked up to the bed Spark made on the floor and sat down.
"I was in my room, putting a blanket over Dashiell's sleeping body when I heard a loud noise coming from here." She put the candle down. "I expected it was you. You act like Br-" Luster quickly stopped herself and tried to change the subject. "So, I'm not here to scold you. I'm here because I heard you crying."
Spark still didn't answer.
Luster sighed, knowing how stubborn she was, but she wouldn't leave her alone until she felt better...the problem was, she didn't know how to make her feel better. She sighed; if it was Braver, she knew what to say, but this wasn't Braver; this was Spark, and Luster didn't want to make her feel bad like she did before. Speaking of, Luster gulped as she remembered what she needed to say to her.
"...I'm sorry."
Spark opened her eyes in surprise but still didn't look at her.
"For mistreating you. I shouldn't have done that. Saying you were Braver and no one else. It's just that...that you are acting a lot like her. And...and it scares me."
Spark slowly looked down at her.
"Scares you?"
Luster looked down and nodded.
"Yeah, I'm afraid...if you are like Braver, then it means I could lose you too, which scares me. So please, if anything bothers you, you can talk to me."
"I...I am scared," whispered Spark, hiding again. "I'm scared because I'm not me. I'm not Braver or Blitz...but I'm not a copy, am I?" She put her knees up and placed her face on them. "I act like them sometimes, don't I? Even now, you were going to say Braver and stop yourself. Because that's who I am, a clone trying to act like someone else. I'm not her...am I? Am I a lesser copy of someone else? My sisters or my mothers or even..." She curled up. "My true self?"
Luster's ears lowered. She was not prepared for this. She didn't know how to answer, as she didn't know who Spark was. But one thing she was sure of was that she wasn't a copy or clone in her eyes. Luster was sure Spark was herself, but how she acted now reminded her of Braver.
"Spark, you said you saw your sister's lives by watching it through their eyes, right?" She saw her nod, but she said not all the time. "Then do you remember watching Braver's first day living inside this library after the town and Sunset gave her the keys? For saving the town folks from that flood."
Spark moved a little as she thought, but she didn't have to think for long as she quickly remembered.
"I remember...she was excited and nervous at the same time. Twilight and Dash wanted to stay the night, but she refused, saying she was a big mare now and didn't need them to be here." She looked at Luster. "You stayed, if I remember right? You forced yourself to be the worker here." Spark laughed, seeing Luster blushing and saying she didn't force herself.
"Right, anyway, did you see what Braver did that night?"
"No."
"Then do you want to hear it?"
Spark slowly nodded, and Luster started to explain.
"It was nighttime, and I was going to bed when..."
Luster closed her book and yawned. She blew out the candle on the nightstand and went to bed, only to hear something above her. It sounded like hoof steps. She flipped around and tried to ignore it, but soon, a loud thud could be heard, making Luster sit up, looking mad.
"Braver? What are-" She couldn't finish as a piece of the ceiling smacked her in the face. Soon, Luster clutched the blanket in anger. "I'm gonna kill her!" She got up, opened the door, and started walking upstairs. "I don't care if she's my only friend. I'm going to give her a piece of my mind." As she approached the top, she could hear Braver crying, making her kick down the door, all worried. "What's wrong? Did you hurt yourself!?" She stopped, seeing her friend sitting on the floor and hiding under a blanket.
Braver quickly faced away from her, and with her crying voice, she said she was okay.
"Don't lie to me, Braver."
"I'm not! I'm just cold!"
Luster raised an eyebrow. She knew something was wrong. She slowly approached and gently removed the blanket, but it wasn't what she expected. Braver's slime body was melting and dripping all over the floor. When Braver was sad and crying, Luster had seen this before, but this was more advanced. She sat down, wiping the tears and slime away from Braver's eyes.
"What's wrong?"
Braver looked at her and started crying again.
"I'm sorry, Luster; I said I could do it but can't! I can't be on my own!" Braver started to melt even more. "I WANT MY MOM! I WANT MOMMY!"
Luster's heart broke as she couldn't stand to see Braver crying.
"Do you want me to get Dash or Princess Twilight? Or both?"
Braver grabbed her and fell on top of her, her slime getting over Luster's body.
"NO!"
"But you want your mothers, right?" said Luster, wholly covered in slime now.
"Yes, but no!" Braver got off of her. Looking at the moon, tears fell. "I want my mommies here...but I told them I didn't need them to stay with me. If I call them, they will come...they will see how weak and scared I am!"
Luster stood up and shook the slime off like a dog drying its fur. "Oh, Braver."
Luster hugged her friend and let her cry all she wanted.
"Braver grew up in the castle with her parents and was always with them unless it was on an adventure across Equestria. Even then, she couldn't ever sleep without them near...she felt lonely."
"So, what did you do?" asked Spark, looking at her.
Luster gave a tiny smile as she remembered what she said to Braver.
"Braver, no matter how far away your parents are from you, they will always be here." Luster placed her hoof over Braver's heart. Braver looks down at it. "In your heart. No matter what happens or where they are, your moms will always be here to comfort you." She hugged her again. "And don't forget I'll always be here for you. Your one and only true friend!"
Braver thought about it and eyed Luster as she hugged her back.
"And the others! Like Cozy!"
Luster sighed when she heard that name.
"...and them too...I guess..."
Spark removed her blanket from her head. "Is that why you wanted to say Braver? Because she did the..." Spark looked at the floor, realizing it. "...I done the same thing as her?" She became depressed again, laying her head on her knees. "Of course...I'm not me."
Luster panicked and waved her arms around, saying that wasn't what she meant.
"I was just saying..." She stopped and put her hooves on her face. "I shouldn't lie to you, Spark. Yes, you remind me of her." Spark hid her face even more. "But that shouldn't be bad."
"Huh?"
Spark looked up in surprise, and Luster smiled and held her hand.
"Even if you are like her, doesn't that just mean you have a lot of good things inside you?" Luster placed her hoof on Spark's chest, blushing as she never realized how soft it felt. She shook her head and continued. "Like how I told Braver, and now I'm telling you." She breathed in and then out. "Spark, no matter how far away your sisters are from you, they will always be here in your heart. No matter what happens or where they are, your sisters will always be here to comfort you. You carry a part of them with you. Like I told you before, you are your own person, so no matter how much you act like Braver, I'll always see you as Spark."
Spark looked at her and started to cry again, making Luster panic. She wasn't sure what to say. Spark smiled and hugged her, surprising Luster.
"Thanks, Luster...I needed that."
Spark let go, and Luster looked a bit flustered.
"N-no problem." She rubbed her head, looking down and unsure what to say.
They both sat in silence until Spark looked at her.
"Luster, I also need to say sorry. Sorry for taking Br-"
"Don't say it!" shouted Luster, the darkness covering eyes as Spark didn't see the tears. "Just don't. if you are going to apologize for something that wasn't your fault." She got up and went to the door, stopping as she had her back turned to Spark. "If you want to say sorry to someone, then apologize to yourself. I'm not the one that needs an apology." She finally turned around, her eyes filled with tears. "It's yourself! Stop hurting yourself like this! Stop pushing yourself down like this when it was never your fault! I don't want to hear another apology from you." She left the room and closed the door, leaving a shocked and sad Spark.
She lay down, staring at the ceiling.
"I'm so sorry, Luster..."
Spark closed her eyes, placing her hand over her heart. Seeing her sisters smiling at her as she slowly went back to sleep...
"...I carry a part of them..."
Spark dropped her head onto the kitchen table the next morning because she couldn't sleep. She kept having nightmares. Luster was worried as she ate her breakfast. As the two were in the kitchen, Twilight and Dash were looking side by side from the doorway.
"Oof, she looks awful!" stated Dash.
"...poor Spark," whispered Twilight, stepping away with Dash.
The two were heading to the front door, but Dash turned to Twilight.
"You sure this will work, Twi?"
Twilight smiled at her, delighted with her fail-proof idea. "Of course, Dash! Spark is our daughter, right?" Dash nodded at that. "Then we need to start doing that! She feels like she doesn't have a home here or even loved, right?" Twilight looked at Dash, who nodded again. "Then what's the best way to show her all the love in the world?" They stopped at the door, hearing a knock. "Then introducing her to her new family!"
Twilight opened the door, revealing her parents, brother, and Cadence with their daughter. Next to them were Dash's parents.
End of Chapter 14
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Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 15: Gaining A Family And Losing The Ones You Already Had
"How have you been holding up, honey?" asked Twilight Velvet, hugging Twilight while her husband joined in the hug.
Twilight held her tighter, barely holding back her tears. "...not well, mom and dad. Not well." She let them go, smiling. "But I have to stay strong, for Braver. She wouldn't want me to be sad."
"Twily..." Whispered her brother, hugging her with Cadenace, and Flurry Heart joined in.
As Twilight was with her family, Dash landed in front of her parents. Before she could say anything, they pulled her into a family hug, and they started crying. Without saying a word, Dash started to cry and hugged them back.
After the sweet hugs, Twilight led everyone behind the library and explained what was happening and why she had called for them. After a very long talk, Twilight and Dash's families were caught up.
"...so, this Spark. She's Braver's other sister?" questioned Night Light, ensuring he was correct.
"That's right, Dad," stated Twilight.
Bow Hothoof smiled as he pulled Dash into a shoulder hug. "That's my girl! I'm having another granddaughter!" He turned to his wife, who looked happy and proud. "Did you hear that, dear?" Twilight and Dash could see how Bow tried to be cheerful, even though they could tell he was still missing Braver after hearing the news.
Dash sighed as she had been over this with her father and mother. "Dad, I didn't have them. Another version of me from another universe had them! I just adopted them. So no, they aren't mine, but I do-."
"That's right, Mr. Hothoof. Those children are not your grandchildren," said Night Light, correcting him. "Those kids belong to the Dash of a different universe." Twilight flinched when she heard that and slowly looked at him. Dash felt upset...
"Oh..." Bow lowered his head.
Dash's mother, Windy Whistles, put her hoof on his shoulder, comforting him. "Now, now, dear. This doesn't mean our Dash doesn't have kids."
"Yeah, Dad, it doesn't. They might not be my real kids, but they carry my blood in them, which makes them my kids." Dash smiled, making him smile again.
"Thanks, Dash." He rubbed her head.
"So, where is she, Twi?" questioned Shining.
As Twilight told her brother and the others where Spark was, Flurry Heart acted weird as she stayed far away from the group. Cadance took notice and joined her daughter.
"Is everything alright, sweetie? You look a little...nervous?"
Flurry Heart looked at her mother, seeing her concerned face, but she just shook her head and looked at the ground.
"It's just...I'm nervous about meeting my other cousin. And..."
"And?" asked Cadance.
"I'm worried I might say the wrong thing and hurt her...like what I did with Braver." she looked away from her mother in shame, causing Cadence to place her wing over her.
"You shouldn't be worried about that, honey. Braver still loved you, and I'm sure Spark will, too. Just say what's in your heart."
Flurry Heart didn't respond, but she nodded and looked at the ground, a bit less nervous.
Back with Spark, she just yawned and rose from the table. She was alone, as Luster had to do community service and meet up with Lucy and her friends. She walked to the central area of the library and stood there. She remembered the night before after she stopped her story and looked at Terra and her daughter.
"You got my wife and daughter involved!?"
"I'm sorry, Terra, but I need—" Spark couldn't finish as Terra crossed her arms and smiled at her, confusing Spark. She wasn't expecting that kind of reaction.
"Good!" proudly said Terra.
"Good!?" shouted Spark, looking even more confused.
"Yes, good." Terra unfolded her arms and walked over to Spark. "Brigitte hated seeing good lives wasted during the war in my universe." She now stood face to face with Spark. "She always tried to save everyone, making sure no one would lose their life or die." She smiled. "And she's the right woman for the job! She would no doubt help those kids with their problems." Her expression became a sad one. "...I think you know why."
Spark returned that sad expression and just nodded at her.
Spark just stood there, not sure what to do. She eyed the stairs leading up to where Twilah and Dashie were, but a big part of her didn't want to see them. She looked at the door and wanted to go somewhere, anywhere but here. She hurried to the door and opened it.
"HEY CHAMP!" shouted Bow, holding a banner with Spark's face.
Soon, Windy joined her husband, wearing a Spark theme t-shirt and blowing a horn.
"WELCOME HOME!"
Spark stood there, looking dumbfounded. The only thing she could think of was, "What the fuck?"
She backed away, but Dash quickly entered the library and shoved her parents back outside, all upset.
"MOM! DAD! What the hay are you doing?"
"I thought we could make Spark feel welcomed, Dashie," said her dad, making her sigh.
"Yeah, welcome her!" Windy escaped Dash's shove and quickly trotted over to Spark.
"Mom!" shouted Dash, but her father also escaped and joined his wife's side, causing Dash to sigh even more.
Spark was still speechless.
Windy laughed.
"Why, silly! We're your grandparents! Right, Bow?"
"Sure are, sweetheart!"
"Wha?" was the only thing Spark could say.
"Now, I know this must be hard to take in," Windy said in a soothing tone. "But we are your family. And we're so proud of you, Spark. All that helping others around different worlds. It's amazing; you must have so many stories."
"Mom!" shouted Dash again. Seeing her mother forcing Spark to the living room of the library. Bow was not too far behind them.
Twilight poked her head in and saw what had happened. She was going to ask Dash a question, but her father stepped inside, disappointed.
"Mr. Hothoof and Mrs. Whistles, I swear those two are too supportive for their own good," said Night Light, folding the banner up as they left it behind. "Spark isn't our granddaughter. I'm sure you don't want her to be overwhelmed by their energy." he looked at Dash and Twilight, smiling as he handed the banner to Dash while the rest of the family joined inside. He looked at them and clapped his hooves together. "Okay, family! Huddle up: we need to make a plan about how we are going to handle Spark. We can't go overboard."
Twilight blinked as she realized something about her father. She looked at Dash, who was trying to brush off the comment that Night Light said.
"...Dash?"
"Huh? Yeah, Twi?"
"Can I speak with you alone for a moment?"
Dash nodded, and they headed back outside, leaving everyone else. When they were out of earshot, Twilight stopped and looked at Dash, a bit angry. Not at Dash but at herself.
"Please! Please be honest with me about what I will ask you."
Dash looked worried but nodded.
Twilight shut her eyes and hoped she was seeing things. She opened her eyes and asked Dash her question. "Was my father always like this...with Braver? Always reminding everyone that Braver wasn't his granddaughter?" She could see Dash's expression change to a sad one, making Twilight panic. "Always pointing out that Braver wasn't his real granddaughter? I never noticed until today..."
Dash didn't say anything.
"Dash...please."
Dash lowered her head, knowing this was going to hurt. "Yeah, he did."
"B-but..." Twilight remembered how her father was always kind around Braver and was always proud of her, so why would he act like that? "I-I don't understand. My father was always so proud and supportive of her...why?"
Dash could feel Twilight's pain.
"Twi...he was kind and supportive to Braver but not the..." She didn't want to say it, unsure how Twilight would act.
"...the..." whispered Twilight.
"Not the...you know..."
"What?"
Dash sighed. "Not the grandfather kind of way. He saw her as a mare, a good kid, and a family friend. He saw her like someone's kid." She lowered her head, not looking at Twilight. "But not a granddaughter. He was supportive and kind to her. Was always polite and nice to her, but that was all. Never once did he call her his granddaughter, never did he say 'I'm proud of you, my granddaughter.'"
Twilight stood there, trying to process everything.
"...and Braver was okay with this? Being seen as a...normal mare to him and nothing else?"
"Yes," whispered Dash, feeling bad.
Twilight didn't say anything and just looked at the ground, lost. She never thought that her father would be like that. She thought for sure her father wasn't like that. Twilight even saw flashes of Twilah's abusive father and remembered all the evil things he did to Twilah, which made Twilight think that her own father was the same but in a different way.
"Twi...are you okay?"
Twilight snapped out of her thoughts and saw a concerned Dash. Twilight looked at the ground and didn't say anything. She couldn't find her voice, so she just went inside. She could see her father nodding at Cadance's ideas. Twilight couldn't stop thinking about how her father acted toward Braver.
"Why didn't she tell me?" was the first thought that came to mind. She was angry at her father and herself. That's when she shook her head. "No, she must of have...Dash even knew, but yet..." She started hating herself. She should have known this. She should have been able to see her father's true colors. She was a genius; it should have been obvious...but she wasn't. "I didn't see it. Like the sun lotion problem and brushing her off about it or how Braver was bottling up all of her pain..." She hated herself even more as she failed her daughter again, but this time...she couldn't make up with her...
Twilight could see her father, smiling and happy, planning to make Spark feel welcome and loved.
She could feel her magic acting up as she was filled with hate and anger. She felt like she was ready to attack her father.
"Honey? Are you okay?" asked Velvet, noticing her daughter was angry and glaring at them.
Everyone looked at her and was shocked. They have never seen Twilight like this before.
"Honey?" questioned Night Light.
Twilight didn't respond. She continued to glare at him, not saying anything.
Night Light got a bit concerned. "Sweetheart, is everything alright?"
Twilight's eyes started to glow, making him gasp and step back.
"Sweetie, calm down. What's wrong?" said Velvet, walking to her daughter's side.
Shining quickly got in front of her, shielding his father from his sister.
"Twilight, please! Calm down!"
Twilight wasn't listening. All she wanted to do was hurt him, hurt him for hurting her daughter.
"Calm down, Twilight!" shouted Cadance, joining Shining side.
Flurry Heart started to freak out, flew above her aunt, and tried to pull Twilight with her magic. "AUNTY!!"
"Honey! What's wrong?!" questioned Velvet, becoming scared now.
Twilight broke free and continued to glare at Night Light.
"Darling, please! What's wrong?! Why are you angry?!"
That was it. Twilight had heard enough. She glared even harder, and her magic formed in her horn.
"GET THE FUCK OUT!" she shouted, not caring that she was swearing.
Everyone gasped.
"T-Twilight, what-" but Night Light couldn't finish as Twilight teleported him outside and slammed the doors closed. She locked it with her magic and put up a force field, locking him out.
Before this happened, Spark didn't know what to do as Dash's parents made her sit on the couch between them. They asked her a ton of questions, which she never had a chance to answer as the two kept talking and asking new questions.
Bow had an idea. "Oh! Oh! Honey, you got to show her Dash's baby book! Remember when she was a filly and-"
Windy opened the book and pointed to the photos. "OH YEAH! Remember that time when she was a toddler, and we were taking pictures in the backyard and-"
"And remember when she kept trying to pull her tail when she slept?"
"OH, THAT WAS A GOOD ONE!" giggled Windy, remembering that cute memory.
"Hey, Champ!" smiled Bow, looking at Spark, who was looking inside the baby book that Windy had taken out. "I hear you can fight!" he got off the couch, got on his hind legs, and punched the air. "Come on! Let's wrestle! Show me what you got!" His back cracked loudly, making him bend forward in pain. "...ignored that!" he chucked.
"Oh, no, no, no! No wrestling, darling! Let's play a game, shall we?" Windy was about to grab the board games from under the coffee table, but Spark shut the baby book loudly.
"Why are you doing this?"
"Doing what, honey?" asked Bow.
"This!" She got off the couch. "You two are acting like my grandparents!" she couldn't face them. "I'm not! I'm just a stranger and can't stay here because I have nothing to give back and-" she felt a pair of hooves gently wrap around her and a wing over her.
"Oh, sweetheart. You don't need to give anything back," said Windy, hovering over Spark's shoulder.
"Yeah, you're part of our family, no matter what!" said Bow, patting her other shoulder.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, looking at the both of them. "You didn't even know I existed! I'm not-"
"Braver?" said the two in unison, making Spark freeze.
"We knew her very well," smiled Windy.
"Yeah, we knew she had a sister out there," continued Bow. "And we also knew that her parents died protecting her. Loving her, wanting her to have a wonderful life, and knowing our little Braver is like her parents." He made Spark sit back down in the middle of them and put an arm around her. "Not just like her birth parents but also like our daughter and Twilight." He gave her a sad smile.
Windy took out another book, which was the family album. In it, she showed Spark photos of Braver and them. Enjoying picnics, having parties, playing games, and many other things. Spark didn't say anything and was lost.
"She may not have been our granddaughter by blood, but she was always a part of our family," smiled Windy, flipping a page and looking at Spark. "Blood isn't the only thing that matters, you know."
"Yeah," added Bow, nodding. "What's important is the bond that you share."
"And that made Braver our granddaughter! No matter what!" said Windy, taking out a photo and handing it to Spark.
Spark held the photo tight as she started to smile hard. It was Braver wearing a cute Gala dress, a mix of Twilight's and Dash's Gala dresses.
"OH MY GOD! SHE'S SO CUTE! HOW I MISS THIS!?" shouted Spark, hugging the picture close.
Spark looked down at the book and saw more cute photos of Braver, which upset her. She wasn't always looking through her sister's eyes twenty-four-seven, but now she wished she had. But she snapped out of her thoughts when she felt Windy and Bow's hooves on her knees.
"Sweetheart, you have a place here and a home! And if you want, you can join our family too!"
Spark didn't know what to say.
"You don't have to if you don't want, kiddo," smiled Bow. "But even then, we will be here for ya! No matter what."
"Yeah, no matter what happens, you'll always be welcome here, dear," smiled Windy.
Spark didn't say anything. Her body was shaking as tears started to fall. She remembered what she told her nightmare self about her sisters and how no matter what they were or where they came from, they were her family, and that's all that mattered.
"Thank you..." she smiled, wiping her tears away. She blushed as she held the photo tighter, unsure if she deserved to call them her grandparents. "Can I ask you something? It's silly but..."
"Of course, hun! Anything!"
"What is it, Champ?"
"C-can I call you grandma and grandpa? Only if you don't mind. If it's too weird, then-"
Bow and Windy wrapped their arms around her, laughing and hugging her.
"Honey! You don't have to ask that! Of course you can!" smiled Windy.
"Yeah! We'd love that, Champ!" chuckled Bow, rubbing her head.
Spark was lost for words, but her smile told them she was happy and accepted.
"Trying to take my place?"
Spark froze as her eyes widened with fear. She knew that voice—the same voice she knew too well. Spark could see her as clearly as day, standing right in front of her.
"...Braver...?" whispered Spark, seeing Braver just standing there, looking at her with such hatred.
"You're trying to replace me, huh?"
Spark could tell that Windy and Bow weren't seeing this. "What are you-"
"Shut up, clone! Shut up!" screamed Braver, grabbing her shoulders and looked at her in the eyes. "Don't you dare think about replacing me! You have no right to be with them! You have no right to live this life, to be a part of my family! You're not even my real sister!"
Spark blinked and saw that Braver was gone.
"Champ, you okay?" asked Bow, seeing she was crying.
Spark nodded and hugged the both of them, holding the photo. "I miss her..."
She didn't want to them, but she could feel the pain growing as her tears started to fall.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." she kept repeating those words.
Bow and Windy didn't say anything; they just held her close. They hugged her until Windy spoke up to her.
"Twilight told us, Spark. It's okay. We know you are hurting but don't have to hurt alone."
"Yeah, we'll be there for you, no matter what. Sorry if we sound like a broken record, but we want to make you see we do care about you," smiled Bow.
Spark didn't say anything, so she hugged the two and let her tears out.
"It's okay, hun, let it out, let it out," said Windy, rubbing Spark's back.
Bow lowered Spark's head onto his forehead, crying, too. "Stop holding it in. You are with family now. Let us join in your pain and sadness. Don't hold back."
Soon, Spark started to sob and finally let her pain out. Telling them everything while they just held her, joining in her sadness.
The three continued to cry and hug each other for a long time...until they all heard Twilight yelling, and soon, Spark stood up, feeling the sizeable magical output.
"Mo—" Spark stopped herself as she wanted to correct herself, but she felt two warm hooves on her back. This made her look back and see her grandparents smiling at her. This made Spark smile as well, and they looked back at the doorway that led to the library lobby. "Mom!"
Spark and her new grandparents hurried into the lobby, seeing everyone worried while they stood around Twilight, who was breathing heavily, glaring at the door.
"Mom, are you alright?"
Twilight snapped out of her rage, her ears twitching when she heard Spark say that. She quickly faced her, asking her what she just said.
"What did you just call me?"
Spark blushed as she suddenly felt very shy and nervous. She could feel the stares from everyone, and the silence made her even more uncomfortable. "I-I called you mom..."
Twilight's eyes widened as she covered her mouth. Her tears were forming, and she couldn't hold it anymore. Twilight quickly teleported and appeared before her daughter, hugging her tightly and crying.
Spark became more embarrassed as Twilight kept crying and saying how happy she was and that she was glad that she could finally be a mother to her.
"Okay, Mom! Okay, okay! Just stop crying, please, you're embarrassing me!" Spark was red and was trying to push Twilight off her, but the mare was like a koala bear.
"Never, sweetheart! I'm never letting you go or letting someone hurt you! Like what happened to Braver," cried Twilight, nuzzling her new child.
"Hurt?" asked Spark, making Twilight froze. Feeling Spark's magical energy increasing. "WHO HURT BRAVER!? WHO HURT MY CUTE SISTER!"
The mood suddenly turned dark as Spark slowly eyed Twilight's family in the room, who all slowly backed away from her as she was making a cold stare at them...Flurry Heart started to sweat heavily...
"Who was the one that hurt Braver?" asked Spark again, her magic starting to leak even more. Twilight and Dash tried to calm her down, but then...
"YEAH! WHO HURT LITTLE BRAVER!" shouted Bow, making Spark snap out of rage and surprised to see her new grandparents joining her in her anger. Dash felt secondhand embarrassment seeing this.
"HOW DARE THEY HURT BRAVER! WHERE IS THAT PERSON!?" yelled Windy, floating above her husband and waving a broom at no one. "YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!" She pounded the broom in her hoof but smiled. "If they are here, but I doubt it!"
"Huh?" said Spark, seeing Windy landing and sweeping the floor. "What do you mean!? Someone here did hurt Braver! Mom said-" she suddenly felt Bow patting her hard on the back.
"Nonsense, champ! Everypony here loved Braver! Right, everypony?"
Everyone nodded and agreed with him.
"See, who would want to hurt Braver, Champ!?" laughed Bow, nudging her side. "She's part of the family; families always stick together and protect each other. Just like us, Champ! We protect each other, right?"
Twilight slowly became filled with regret and shame.
"Yeah, we are a family, and families stick together no matter what," repeated Windy, smiling, sweeping the floor and stopping in front of Twilight and Spark. "You want us to be your family, then you need to believe in that, honey."
Spark smiled and nodded, understanding that she was with family.
"Good! Now, why don't we continue looking through the baby book!" suggested Windy, holding out said book, which caused a blue blur to zip by and grab it.
"MOM!" shouted Dash, blushing like a red tomato and hiding it behind her back.
Twilight let Spark go and watched as everyone gathered around her daughter. She was happy to see Spark was finally starting to open up and not closing herself off to them or the others. But Twilight could hear a glass-tapping noise, making her slowly turn to the window and see her father waving with a sad smile as he leaned on the force field that Twilight had created. Twilight angrily glared at him and shut the shades with her magic.
"I'm not going to repeat my mistakes, not with Spark. You're not getting your claws on her."
After a few hours, Twilight and Dash's family were in the living room, still talking to Spark, while Twilight's side of the family still worried about Twilight and Night Light. Flurry Heart was sitting far away from them, still shy and scared around her. Velvet tried to ask Twilight why she became mad at her father for no reason and kicked him out, as she never explained why. But Twilight dodged the question.
"Spark! Why don't you continue your story about how to help those kids with the people you gathered? You never finished it," asked Twilight, making her mom upset.
"Kids?" said Shining, putting his tea down. "I remember Twily saying something about that."
"Well, we have the time. Let's listen to our granddaughter, shall we, everypony?" added Windy, nodding to the others, making Spark a bit nervous.
"Well, alright," said Spark, getting her thoughts together and continuing.
Brigitte finally exited the tunnel and found themselves inside a vast tree. A spiral tower led to the very top in the middle of the hollow tree.
"Artemis, sweetheart!" said Brigitte, putting her fingers on her temple. "Are you picking up any strange readings?"
Artemis's voice could be heard as a hologram visor appeared over Brigitte's eyes.
"Other than inside of a large hallowed-out tree?" joked Artemis, looking around and seeing the tree's interior. "Wow, this place is very old and huge."
Brigitte rolled her eyes and pressed a button on the wheelchair, making it move forward.
"Come on, sweetheart. Stop joking around and check the scanners," said Brigitte.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Artemis started to run and check the readings, finding nothing unusual, only to find the same thing.
"No anomalies detected. But I have noticed that this tree is quite strange. I think it is because of the lack of wildlife around us." Brigitte soon saw the life signs and was picking up nothing.
Brigitte placed her hand under her chin, thinking about something.
"I wonder if this has anything to do with Terra and those other versions of myself and her. They were journeying to gather others to stop that Rainbow Sun Dawn girl."
Artemis appeared on her mother's lap.
"Maybe? But did they ever mention anything about a tree? I don't recall that part of the story," said Artemis, scratching her chin like her mom.
Brigitte sighed. "That is a good point. Maybe we can ask Terra and the others if we find them here..." She stopped on a wood bridge and could see everything, as it was in a more open area. They could genuinely see how vast this place was. "IF we find them..."
"I'm sure we can find them in no time, Mother!" Artemis gave her thumbs-up, smiling.
Brigitte smiled and patted her daughter's head.
"I'm sure we will, sweetie."
As they started to cross the bridge, Brigitte suddenly had a headache and leaned forward, holding her head in great pain.
"What the hell!?" she groaned, holding her head. Artemis could see her mother was in pain. "A-Artemis..."
"MOTHER! Are you okay!? What is happening!"
Brigitte shut her eyes and could hear a young female talking to her. The girl sounded quite sad.
"Brigitte, I read about your life, and I know you'll be the perfect person to help these kids. They feel like they've lost what made them who they were, and I hope you can help them."
Brigitte shook her head and opened her eyes, her headache still worsening. She started to hear her own voice.
"Understood. It doesn't matter where or who, I'll help! I'll never let good lives be wasted; if they are hurt, I'll save them. I promise you, I will never allow another innocent soul to fall or fade away."
Brigitte's eyes snapped open.
"Mom!" cried Artemis, looking at her. Seeing her heart rating is super high.
Brigitte smiled and held her daughter. "I'm okay, Artemis. But we'll have to forget looking for Mom and her friends."
"Dad!" she corrected her mother. "And why? And what happened to you just now?"
Brigitte laughed when she heard her daughter calling Terra 'dad.' Terra hated that, but Artemis saw Terra as the man of the house.
"Don't tell Mo-" she could see Artemis glaring at her, so Brigitte corrected herself. "...Dad. But it seems our real goal is to help some kids. Someone came to me, asking for help. So putting off looking for dad has to be less important right now."'
"Kids? Help?" questioned Artemis.
Artemis could see her mother looking up, so she joined her. They could see the very top of the spiral tower.
"I have a feeling that those kids are up there. It's a feeling, but I know it's the truth."
Artemis could tell that her mother was severe and could tell that she wasn't kidding.
"Okay, Mom. If you say that we should help these kids, then I trust you." with that said, Artemis disappeared.
Brigitte pressed a button and moved her wheelchair again. Finally, she crossed the bridge but stopped. In front of her was a large wooden door blocking her way to the spiral wooden tower. She saw odd wooden cravens and what looked like a golden unicorn. There was no way to open it as she saw no doorknob or pushing it.
"Well, that's one fancy door, I do admit. But it's blocking my path, and I need to get through, so I'm sorry to whoever designed this door, but I'll have to open this with force."
Brigitte moved her fingers on the controls, but nothing was happening.
"Huh?"
She pressed the same buttons, but nothing happened.
"...Artemis?"
Her AI daughter returned and tipped her head to the side.
"What's wrong, Mom?"
Brigitte tried the controls again, but once again, nothing worked. "Is something wrong with the wheelchair?" she mutters, hitting the buttons.
Artemis's eyes glowed blue, and she started to scan her mother's wheelchair.
"Mother, I can confirm that the wheelchair is working perfectly."
Brigitte smacked her fist into the controls, now pissed.
"Then why is the wheelchair not doing what I'm telling it to do!?"
"Calm down, Mother. Let me look for the problem," said Artemis.
Artemis left her mother's lap and began to scan the wheelchair BIOS until she found it. "Oh." was all she said.
"Oh? Oh, what?" asked Brigitte, still trying the controls.
Artemis looked back at her mother.
"It seems we have a problem, Mom. The wheelchair is updating the software and can't do anything right now. The update will take around a few hours."
Brigitte blinked and slammed her fist into the controls again. "What!? HOW!? THERE'S NO WIFI HERE I BET...right?"
"Sorry, Mother. No, no wifi. And even if there was, the wheelchair doesn't use that method. The only way the wheelchair could update the software is through an update patch already downloaded."
Brigitte could not believe it and stared at the door, wondering how to get in without using her primary weapon.
"This is great. So not only will we have to wait a few hours for this update, but now we're stuck out here," grumbled Brigitte, placing her face in her hands. "I wish there was a way we could speed up this update."
Artemis flew above her mother and patted her head.
"Don't worry mom! When I scanned the wheelchair, I found you can still use this!" She flew down to the controls and typed a code. Soon, Brigitte could hear a noise coming from behind her and saw the handle of a gun being raised. She turned her head to the side, seeing it was her old gun.
"My old gun! I can use that!"
Brigitte was about to grab it, but Artemis flew before her and waved her arms.
"Mom, that old thing won't be able to punch its way through the door." she turned to the doorway. "My scanner readings tell me that wood isn't just wood but made up of hard minerals and unknown metals."
Brigitte looked at it and saw that the wood was slightly different. "Yeah, you're right. I can't shoot the door open. It's just not strong enough to break through, especially one like this." She lowered her hand and sighed.
Brigitte could feel Artemis hugging her cheek.
"Don't worry, Mom! I can keep you company while we wait!"
Brigitte laughed and held her daughter, rubbing her back. But she stopped when she noticed something on the wall.
Artemis joined her mother in looking to the side and was surprised to see another tunnel. Her scanners didn't pick this up, but here it was.
"Mom...I'm not liking this!"
Brigitte nodded and took her gun.
"We should be on our guard. I have a feeling that things are about to get weird."
Artemis joined her mother.
"Let's go!"
The wheelchairs started moving, disappearing into the tunnel's darkness. Soon, a glowing purple and blue light could be seen where Brigitte once stood.
Inside the new tunnel, the two never noticed the glowing purple carvings of a unicorn as they went deeper.
"Mother, my sensors are showing nothing is around us. Just darkness," reported Artemis.
"I see. Well, that's good to know,...I think?" answered Brigitte.
The wheelchair continued to move down the tunnel until she heard something. She stopped and checked her handgun to see if it was loaded. Soon, Artemis's scanners caught what her mother heard.
"Someone is here."
Brigitte's eyes narrowed.
"Is it the kids? Terra?"
"Unknown."
"Keep an eye on our surroundings, and let me know if you spot anyone from behind," whispered Brigitte, still looking ahead.
"Unknown is approaching us. 2 meters and closing."
"Got it."
Brigitte got her hand ready and aimed the gun ahead, waiting for something to happen.
"One meter!"
"Show yourself!"
"It's here!"
"I KNOW YOU ARE THERE! SHOW YOURSELF, OR I'LL BLAST YOUR HEAD OFF! DON'T THINK I'LL MISS!" shouted Brigitte.
"A Ghost?" thought Brigitte, as unicorns in her universe were known as ghosts, psychically gifted individuals who always had horns on their foreheads. "Can't be...unless..." The figure got closer, and Brigitte smiled as she knew that human figure.
"Terra?"
"Dad!?" happily shouted Artemis, flying towards her father. But the figure's body was lit up thanks to Artemis's light source.
Brigitte's happiness quickly turned to dread as she saw who it was and screamed for her daughter to return.
"ARTEMIS!"
Before Artemis could react, a damaged arm shot out of the darkness and grabbed her, the hand squeezing Artemis's floating orb. The damaged hand started to crush the device, causing the Artemis hologram to flicker.
"LET HER GO!" screamed Brigitte, firing off her gun. The figure blocked the bullet with her white katana sword and started to walk closer to her.
Brigitte was shocked and terrified by this. The person looked like Terra but was an android. However, Brigitte could see that this android had seen better days, as the signs of missing skin on the exposed robotic joints and damaged limbs were proof of that.
"MOMMY!" cried Artemis, trying to escape the android's grip.
"Mommy!?" questioned the Android, now more confused than before.
Brigitte was shaking from the fear, but she could tell the android wasn't hostile.
"Please! That is my daughter! Please let her go!"
The android could see the tears and terror in Brigitte's eyes. Fear for the pod's safety.
"You aren't 9R...then who the fuck are you?" the Android asked, putting the sword away but not letting the pod go just yet.
"I am Brigitte, and that is my daughter, Artemis!"
The android stared at Artemis.
"A pod can't be someone's daughter."
"Pod," thought Brigitte, wondering if that meant for AI. "It can in this case!" she replied, still worried for her daughter's safety.
"No, they can't!" the android fired back, holding Artemis's device close. "UNLESS IT'S A DAMN MACHINE!" she squeezed harder, causing more damage to Artemis's natural body.
"MAMA!" cried Artemis, now in pain.
The android's eyes widened as she heard the word 'mama.'
"Mama!?"
Static
Static
"Mama!" cried a robotic, emotionless child voice. "Mama! Mama! Mama!"
Soon, the android appeared and stood before the small black block of mass that was a child's voice. She raised her pure white blocky sword and struck it down with one hit. Killing it as it turns white and bursts into nothingness. She dropped to her knees and lost strength. As she caught her breath, another android, which oddly looked like her, as a hologram appeared behind her.
"I SAID SHUT UP!" screamed the android, tossing her sword at the hologram and making it disappear.
static
Static
"SHUT UP!" she screamed as vision returned to the tunnel. "Huh?" she could see the pod-like device in the 9R lookalike arms and crying. She must have tossed the pod when she tossed the sword in her flashback.
"It's okay, sweetie. Mommy got ya."
"Mama, it hurts! Make the pain go away!" cried the Artemis.
The android could tell the pod was in real pain.
"Can't be. The machine can't really be alive."
Brigitte held her daughter closer, her eyes filled with anger when she heard that.
"SHE'S ALIVE DAMN IT! SHE HAS FEELINGS! SHE CAN DREAM! AND SHE CAN LOVE!"
The android couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"A pod or machine can't feel, let alone dream. A pod is only designed to help us and serve us." She could tell that she made the other 9R android model more upset. "Whatever. I don't have time for this."
She hurried past them and down the tunnel where they came from but stopped as Brigitte shouted if there was an exit from which she had come from herself.
"No. I only came online a few minutes ago, and there was only a dead end." She turned to them. "Why?"
"Fuck off!" shouted the android as she landed backward and out of breath.
Brigitte and Artemis sighed; they hoped this battle android could cut her way through the door, but sadly, she couldn't.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP! I'LL BE DONE WHEN I SAY I'M DONE!"
Brigitte frowned, now pissed. She hated how this android was treating her.
"Hey! That's no way to treat people! You know, I could help you!"
"I don't need your damn help! Besides, what can a 9R hacker model like you fucking do? Hack a fucking a wooden door? Ha!"
Brigitte had no idea what this crazy android was talking about. "9R model? Huh? I'm a human!"
The android scoffed and laughed.
"Ha, funny. But there are no more humans." she put her sword away.
Brigitte and Artemis were confused by this information. The android could see their odd expressions.
"Hey, look, Ms...uh...what was your name again?" asked Brigitte.
"Name is T2. What's your name?"
"Brigitte, this is my daughter, Artemis," answered Brigitte, while her daughter dug deeper into her chest, still scared of T2.
"I see," said T2.
T2 sat down and just shut her eyes. Not doing anything at all. Brigitte wondered if she went into a power-saving mode like the androids in her universe...speaking of.
"Damn it, I couldn't explain to her that she...well, we aren't in our own universes right now. She might not believe us or understand."
Artemis looked at her mother and then T2.
"Mom, why is she here? How can we trust her? And...why did she try to kill me?"
"Sweetie, I have no idea. She's from a different universe." Brigitte looked at T2, who still had her eyes closed. "The way she's come off tells me that robots in her universes might not be the kindest." Brigitte sighed loudly, not happy she might have to team up with this android. "To be fair, she's not kind too...more like a..." She covered Artemis's ears. "A Cunt."
"I heard that," mumbled T2, opening her eyes.
Brigitte and Artemis gasped.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to," apologized Brigitte.
"You did."
Brigitte smirked at her. "Got me there!"
T2 grunted at her but became calm. "I heard everything. From another universe...then are you truly a human?" T2 looked at her, but then her eyes went directly to Artemis, who was shaking in her mother's chest. "You're not a machine then...or a fucking pod. What exactly are you?"
Brigitte was going to explain, but Artemis suddenly stood up and tried to be brave as she described herself.
"I-I'm an engineer AI! T-Tasked to build a hyperdrive engine! My older sister was t-tasked to oversee the creation and be the AI for the ship with said engine on it!"
"AI? That's...impossible. The only AIs on Earth are us androids, and even then..." She got up and marched over to Artemis, who started to shake in fear. As she stood before them, T2 bent down to the scared AI. "We AIs aren't scared shitless little bitches. Like you!" She could see Artemis getting mad.
"THAT'S MEAN! YOU MEANIE!"
"Yeah, and your point is?"
The two started to fight by calling each other names. Brigitte sighed as she slowly rubbed her eyes, knowing this would be a long and annoying road.
"Okay, you two. Cut it out. I'm not dealing with this."
They looked at her.
"What!?" they said in unison.
Brigitte forced her daughter back into her lap while she pointed to T2.
"Don't swear at or around my daughter, got it?"
T2 laughed. "Or what?" she started to make a mocking tone. "Is the cripple going to shoot me with that peashooter? Pfft, like that, could even hurt me!"
Brigitte sighed and then pointed the gun at T2's face.
"How about I test it?"
T2 smiled as she placed her forehead on the barrel of the gun.
"Do it! Let's see what is faster! My reflexes or the bullet."
Brigitte narrowed her eyes at T2, not liking how she was talking.
"Listen, missy. I fought Andorids like you before...just less human-looking but the same. Hell, I fought way more dangerous things than you! So, you can take your attitude and shove it up your butt! Because if you can't play nice, you can forget about being my ally!"
T2's eyes narrowed at Brigitte's statement.
"You and I are enemies."
"Oh, really?"
"Really!"
The two women started to argue with each other. Neither one was gonna budge. It was beginning to annoy Artemis, who was sandwiched between them, who finally had enough and shouted.
"JUST KISS ALREADY!"
They both stopped arguing and looked at her, confused by the outburst.
"Excuse me, sweetie?"
"I said, JUST KISS ALREADY! You are attracted to her! It's like those drama cartoons where the main character meets a cold tsundere personality love interest! They argue with each other and hate the other's guts but are secretly in love and want to bang each other!"
Brigitte pulled Artemis's ear, causing the poor AI to cry in pain.
"I told you, you weren't allowed to watch that trashy stuff!"
"OW! BUT I NEEDED TO KNOW HOW HUMANS GET TOGETHER! SO, I CAN FIND LOVE WHEN I GET OLDER, MOMMY!!"
"That doesn't mean you get to watch those trashy shows!"
T2 tsk loudly, annoyed that the AI called her a tsundere.
"I'm not a tsundere!...idiot."
Brigitte rolled her eyes and did not want to talk about this anymore. She put her gun away and made a T shape with her hands.
"Truce! Let's not fight, please? I'm not sure why you are here, but I'm here to help some kids and-"
"Kids?" asked T2, as snow-static memories filled her mind, and she remembered someone asking for her aid in helping children. This caused her to fall on her knees, holding her head.
"Whoa, are you alright?"
"No. My memory is...damaged? I can't remember anything before or how I got here...but..."
"But what?"
"I remember someone begging me for help...she said I was the only one that could save some-"
"Those kids?" finished Brigitte, making T2 look at and nod. "Then whoever came to us was trying to bring us together. That means we are in the same boat. The faster we help those kids, the faster we can go home."
T2 didn't know what to think, but if Brigitte was right, this wasn't a weird machine trap. Then she would work with her, but just for now.
"Fine. Truce. Let's get out of here."
Brigitte and T2 looked at the door.
"...but first, we need to figure out how to open this damn fucking door!" cursed T2.
Brigitte sighed. "What I just said about cursing in front of my daughter?"
"I didn't fucking agree to that." simply answered T2.
"I hate this already," replied Brigitte, not liking the feeling that something terrible would happen soon...not just T2's awful attitude.
The deepest part of the tunnel system of the tree. There was a crystal clear lake. Within the middle, bubbles were hitting the surface. Soon enough, something shot out of the water and slowly landed on the water's surface. When it landed, the blue hooves had exposed wires, almost like its legs were robotic in nature. Even its wings looked the same.
The Pegasus fell to her knees, crying even harder as she started to hate the world as two vices joined her own..
She screamed as loud as she could, causing the whole place to shake.
"I don't care about anything anymore! I hate the world! I hate this life!" she soon started to fight whatever was trying to control her. "N-No...don't say that! You need to be stronger than that! You two need to see. Even without wings, you can still...s-still..." She couldn't finish as she looked up to the sky and could say one thing as her eyes opened....glowing red...
End of Chapter 15
View Online
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 16: Old And New Parts That They Hate
Brigitte waited and yawned as her daughter tried every possible scenario to get the door open. T2 tried jumping over because of the exposed ceiling, but there was a blue force field. While Artemis is going through situations, Brigitte and T2 chat awkwardly.
"So, um. Are you a super old android, T2?"
T2 slowly eyed her. "What do you mean?" She could see Briggitte pointing at her exposed joints and damaged fake skin. "Oh, this? My exposed endoskeleton?"
"Yeah, and your exposed wires on your horn, too. If you were a human, you would be super old."
This pissed off T2 even more. "I'm not fucking old! Just been through some rough fights...over the years." She looked at her hand, flexing it, and could tell it was getting slower because of the exposed wires.
"I see," replied Brigitte. "So, is your body breaking down?"
T2 was upset by Brigitte's questions, but she could tell she didn't mean any harm.
"It is, but I don't care." She clutched her fist hard. "I don't give a damn about my body breaking down! As long I can kill every fucking machine in my universe!"
Brigitte spun her gun, bored out of her mind.
"Okay, I got to ask. Are you in some war or something with these machines? You are hell-bent on this goal of yours. So, what is the reason for it?"
T2 was going to explain her life, but Artemis raised her arms, cheering as she found an answer.
"I FOUND A WAY TO OPEN THE DOOR, MOMMY! WE CAN GET OUT NOW!"
"Finally!" Brigitte stopped spinning her gun and turned on her hologram visor, seeing what Artemis's best option was for opening the door.
Within the screen, she started to read and scan the plan. She read it over until T2 waved her hand in front of her face.
Brigitte turned her visor off and looked at her, smiling.
"Simple. Artemis's best plan to break this door down is to unleash a very powerful blast right at the center of the door. It seems the center mass isn't the same as the rest of its body. This blast should crack it and give us an opening. We will then have to use brute force to bust the rest of the way in."
T2 looked at the door. "Okay? But how the fuck are we going to blast the fucking door open?! I don't have enough strength to do it, and I highly think your peashooter can do the same. And there's nothing else to use." She quickly glared at Artemis, giving her a very cold stare. "Stupid pod! More useless than the one that 2S forced on me..."
Artemis hadn't thought about that and quickly became sad. Brigitte turned to Artemis and kissed her cheek.
"Thank you, sweetie. Mommy is very proud of you. So don't listen to that mean hunk of junk."
T2 growled and was about to snap at her, but she was caught off guard when Artemis turned to her and said sorry.
T2 looked at her, and her vision started to static as she saw another android in Artemis's spot. She remembered hiding in the forest, where a sea of red glowing eyes could be seen as they hid from sight.
"I'm sorry, No.2. I thought my plan was fail-proof! But I allowed those machines to get the upper hand!"
"Shut the fuck up, No.21! It was a bad plan from the beginning! If anyone is to blame, it's me! I was the one that failed and got us trapped in this mess! Not yours!"
"No.2?"
Static filled her vision again, and she could hear Artemis and Brigitte asking if she was alright.
"Hey, T2? You okay?" asked Brigitte.
"I'm fine," said T2, rubbing her eyes as her memory faded into darkness. She turned her back on them and looked at the door. "Pod, don't blame yourself, you hear! No matter the scenario, you can't win them all."
Brigitte was confused by T2's new behavior. "T2?"
T2 could hear how Brigitte sounded. "What? I'm trying to encourage her. Sheesh, I've never heard anyone say sorry and take the blame for something so stupid. Mistakes happen."
Artemis giggled at T2's response.
T2 tsk loudly at the thank you and pulled her sword out. She gripped it hard.
Brigitte could see that T2 was worried, as her hands were shaking. "You are scared."
"What?!"
"You're scared of being offline. Why?"
"Shut the fuck up!" she turned her head back to the door and raised her blade, clutching the halt hard.
Artemis suddenly could tell something was worrying T2, and it wasn't about being offline. "When you activate this function, can we stop it if it gets out of hand?" she asked, sounding worried.
"You don't," T2 told her as her body emitted a red glow. Soon, her exposed joints started to blast red steam, causing her to flinch in her pain, but she held the pain in.
With one mightily roar, she darted toward the door, leaving behind red afterimages of herself. She slashed the door, creating a small shockwave that caused the ground to shake.
Artemis was in awe of T2's strength and speed.
"Wow! She is really strong, mommy!"
"Yeah, she is, sweetie," whispered Brigitte, feeling something was wrong as they watched her nonstop attacking the door's center.
After a while, T2 started feeling the toll on her body and could see its power dropping quickly.
She kept going despite the fact her body was starting to feel heavy, her vision was flickering, and her warning systems were flashing.
"Warning. Warning. Power is dropping to 35% and falling rapidly. Shut down is inevitable."
T2 ignored the warnings and finally saw an opening, which made her smirk. There, in the middle, she saw a crack was finally created. She started pushing even harder, blasting out more red steam from her joints, but her joints started to glow bright red, signs of overheating.
"Just a little bit more!" she roared, her joints burning and her body heating up.
But before she could go on, a message popped into her mind, widening her eyes.
"Power has dropped below critical levels. Initiating Berserk Mode shut down in 10 seconds."
"DAMN, IT! she screamed, pushing herself more demanding than before.
Artemis's scanners started picking up on T2's body, giving off heat and signs of overheating. She now realized why T2 was scared.
"Mommy! She's hurting herself! I'm detecting signs of her body overheating!"
Brigitte's eyes widen. "Damn, I was worried that she might be doing something like that! She's trying to push herself past her limits! Her body isn't in great shape from the start!" Brigitte moved closer and shouted at T2. "HEY! STOP! YOU DID ENOUGH! PLEASE, DON'T HURT YOURSELF MORE!"
T2 kept ignoring her, not caring about herself.
Brigitte and Artemis knew she wasn't listening. What pained them was that they couldn't stop her if they tried.
"Please don't die on us, T2. We will fix your body if you are damaged," pleaded Artemis.
"We won't leave you behind, T2." Brigitte could feel that T2 was like Terra and wanted to help her.
Their worry made T2 take aback by their words and hear them begging her to stop. She was going to shout back at them, but the warning screen appeared, telling her that her berserk mode would shut down. However, she forced the override on the system, causing the warnings to vanish.
"Override initiated. Berserk Mode is still active. Estimated time before total body failure, 1 minute."
T2 knew the only way to get this done was to use the last of her strength, but her body started to feel heavy, making her stumble. She forced herself to stand and pushed harder, ignoring her overheated joints. As she continued, her vision became more heavily static, and the colors became black and white. Her audio sensors started picking up white noise, but she ignored it all, not caring about her own well-being.
"Come on, you piece of shit! BREAK!"
She pushed harder and roared as the door's crack grew, making a large opening.
"BREAK ALREADY!"
Sparks started to shoot out of her body as her joints became bright red. She couldn't take it anymore, and her whole body shook. She finally forced herself to use the last of her strength.
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!"
With her last attack, she struck the center so hard that the whole door crumbled and fell to the floor, leaving a large cloud of dust in the air.
Brigitte and Artemis could only watch in horror as T2 was shaking, and her body was sparking everywhere.
"T2!" shouted the two, only to be saddened as T2 slowly faced them, smiling as she dropped to her knees, stabbing the wooden ground with her sword.
T2 wanted to give a snarky remark, but her audio voice box wasn't working. She tried to speak, but her voice was static. She couldn't even stand anymore and just stared at the two, feeling her body become hotter, almost boiling. Her vision became more heavily static, and she couldn't see the two.
"Body failure in 20 seconds. Warning, please engage emergency shut down,"
T2 felt herself starting to fall backward, and then everything went black as her screen went dark...
In the darkness, T2's self-consciousness came online as a white arrow-shaped object.
"I...We're...eternity...it hurts...it really hurts...why just us...why do we have to..."
Even though T2 was self-aware of her actions and surroundings, she still couldn't talk. She could only listen as she kept moving through the darkness.
"We don't need it! We don't need this world! I...We tried our best! In the rain, in the wind, in the storm. Even when our companions died, we kept fighting! But the eternal war...our eternal pain..." The young boy started to giggle with madness. "The eternal pain! It screamed at us! It told us there was nothing of value to protect in this world..." Soon, the boy's voice echoed like it was within a cave. "The world had no meaning! It SCREAMED at us!" He laughed; nothing but laughter filled the darkness...until that laughter became sobbing and pain. "You...all of you...this PAIN! This SADNESS! This DESPERATION!"
T2 could see a grey orb in the distance, and it was the source of the boy's voice. It was a memory...she fired at it, causing it to explode, and her self-consciousness was gone as a self-diagnosis started to run and a bright light blasted the darkness away...
"YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT!" screamed the young boy, as there was nothing but pain and agony in his voice...
T2 could see recovering messaging coming online for her audio and other things. Soon, her audio speakers could pick up the sounds of a wheelchair. She slowly opened her eyes, seeing the color returning. She blinked and could see someone she knew.
"9R?" she whispered, seeing the smiling face of the girl she knew.
T2 blinked and looked around, seeing that she was resting on Brigitte's lap like a baby. She blushed. "Huh?"
"Thank goodness. You were out for a good while," sighed Brigitte.
"I-I was?"
"Yeah, you were. I thought you said you would be out for a few minutes?"
T2 just lay there, trying to process what happened. "How did you stop me?"
"I didn't. You did it yourself. Artemis and I could only watch in horror as you overworked yourself and overheated your own body...by the way." Brigitte placed her hand near T2's forehead and smacked it with her fingers, causing the android to curse as she rubbed her head.
"Hey, that fucking hurt, bitch!"
"That's for hurting yourself." T2 could see how worried Brigitte was for her. "What the hell were you thinking? Pushing yourself like that!? Artemis checked your systems and found you could have died if you didn't trigger that emergency shut down in time."
T2 glared at her. "Well, I wasn't about to wait for the door to open on its own, and there was no way in hell you could have blasted it after I damaged the center. So I made sure to use that Berserk Mode of mine to break the damn door. So get off my damn back already!" she tried to get off of Brigitte, but her pain returned and forced her to lie on her lap.
"See, I told you," sighed Brigitte. She smiled as she ran her fingers through T2's hair. "You really have to learn not to push yourself..." She looked at the exposed joints, seeing more burned markings on them. Brigitte could tell that T2 had done this before...many times going off the burn marks. "You always do this. Don't you?"
"I do what I must." T2 closed her eyes and allowed Brigitte to stroke her head. It was oddly relaxing.
"Yeah, well, I would rather not have you hurt yourself again." Brigitte closed her eyes. "I have seen a lot of good lives wasted in battle. So I'm not about to see yours being wasted, T2."
"Heh, what do you care?"
"You think we wouldn't?" T2 felt a sting of guilt in her chest. "T2, I'm not the only one worried about you. Artemis has been worried sick about you and speed up your recovery."
T2 darted her eyes around, not seeing Artemis. "Where is the annoying pod, anyway?"
Brigitte pointed behind her backseat. "She's sleeping. She used a lot of power to help your systems recover. When she wakes up, you better thank her." She could see T2's annoyed face. "Or not? I'm not your mother. So whatever you do is up to you."
T2 tsk at the remark. "Whatever."
Brigitte rolled her eyes and just kept moving along. T2 could see they were almost out of this tunnel now. She adjusted herself but realized she put too much force into her movement. Her exposed joints sparked, and she groaned in pain, gripping the fabric of Brigitte's black sundress.
"Shit!" she grunted.
"Are you ok?" asked Brigitte.
"I'm fine!" T2 realized something, and she turned to Brigitte, blushing even more. "How aren't you in pain yourself?"
"Huh?"
"My body is..." she slightly looked away, her cheeks burning even more. "...heavy. How aren't you in pain when I'm on top of you? Your body shouldn't be able to handle a weight like mine. So..."
"Oh, that." Brigitte tapped her lower half. "I'm paralyzed from the waist down. I can't feel anything in my legs, not even a pinch. So you can't hurt me."
"Wait, you are? Thought it was just your legs were broken or some shit...damn."
"It's not a big deal. I don't care about my condition. I can live a happy life."
"Still...it has to suck."
"It's not that bad, really."
It became quiet between them. As they got closer, sounds of running water could be heard up ahead. T2 wanted to get off, but Brigitte stopped her.
"Stay. I can see you still in pain. Don't make me turn this wheelchair around."
"Fine, whatever." T2 could see a light up ahead and saw they were near the end of the tunnel. "Looks like we are almost out."
"Finally. I thought we would never get out of here."
They finally exited the tunnel and found themselves in front of a long stairway that led straight up to the archway entrance of the spiral tower. Under the white wooden stairs was a running river with crystal-like water. T2 was surprised at how clean it was; not even a single leaf was floating down the stream.
"Huh, I didn't expect a running river under a set of stairs...in fact, running water within a vast hallowed tree like this."
"Yeah, same..." Brigitte looked at the steps and then at T2. "How are you feeling? Can you stand and walk?"
"Why?"
"Well, I can't carry you up these steps. So..."
"I get it." T2 sat up and slowly stood up, using her sword to support herself...only to fall as she was still in pain. "DAMN IT!"
Brigitte sighed and shook her head. "Okay, looks like I do have to carry your paperweight ass."
"Excuse me?!" T2 snarled at her. "Paperweight!?"
"You can't walk. So that means you are a paperweight."
"Grr..."
"Anyway, take my hand."
"Bastard..." mumbled T2, taking Brigitte hand and forcing her to sit in Brigitte's lap again.
Brigitte moved her body, allowing T2 to take half the seat. She then raises herself with the handlebars and typing on the control on said handlebar.
"What are you doing?"
"Activating my wheelchair's seat belt and carrying mode."
"Huh?"
Soon, a belt came out of the seat and armrest, wrapped itself around T2's body, and locked itself. Then, the seat started to move, leaning back. As T2 was surprised, Brigitte dropped out of the seat, landing on the wooden ground. She turned back and could see T2 cursing up a storm as the wheelchair became a stretcher.
"Sorry, I didn't have time to warn you."
"I am not a piece of baggage, bitch!" growled T2, trying to get out. However, she was restrained. "If I wasn't so tired right now, I'll punch your fucking lights out."
"Sure, sure." Brigitte crawled her way over to her, pushing it up, taking Artemis's sleeping body out from the back of the seat, and placing her on top of T2's chest. "Can you hold on to her? I can't carry you two if she's jamming into my neck."
T2 glared at her, but she gently placed her arms on top of the pod and held her in place. She then watched as Brigitte crawled her way under the stretcher. She could hear Brigitte pulling something and the clicking noise of a locked belt.
"All set, and..." Brigitte lifted them with her back. "Here we go!"
Soon, the whole thing moved, making T2 gasp and grip the sleeping pod. She couldn't believe Brigitte could lift them this easily and crawl up the stairs. She wasn't even sweating, and her body is not showing signs of tiredness.
"Whoa...you are...really strong."
"Thanks. It's hard to keep in shape with being...you know, but I manage," giggled Brigitte. "So, don't worry. I can carry you no problem."
"I wasn't worried."
"I know."
There was nothing but silence as Brigitte continued up the stairs. T2 held Artemis tight, her fingers tapping. For some reason, she felt bad. This was the first time someone else was helping her out...and that someone was a human. It made her feel weird.
"I..." she muttered.
"Hm?" Brigitte tilted her head, trying to see T2's face, but the girl wouldn't look her way.
"I just want to say thank you, I guess, for helping me."
"You are..." Brigitte had to stop to catch her breath. "W-Welcome!" She smiled as she could hear T2 asking her if she was alrighty and cursing at her own weight. Brigitte just chuckled. "Don't worry, your fat ass isn't that heavy."
T2 blushed even more. "Fuck you, bitch!"
Brigitte laughed, continuing their climb.
Soon, Brigitte made it to the halfway point and took another break. She rolled out of underneath the stretcher and lay there, with T2 next to her and eyeing like she wanted to ask her something.
"Hey!"
"What?" asked Brigitte.
"How did you..."
"Lost the use of my lower half?" T2 just nodded. "Well, in my universe, my people were trapped in a war against two alien races. They appeared one day and just started fighting each other. They didn't care that we were caught in the middle." Brigitte rolled on her side, looking at T2 now. "Short story about me, but I was a commander of my own army. Saving lives and fighting in the frontlines, you know, the usual hero stuff."
"Wow..." T2 rolled her eyes, seeing Brigitte smiling.
"Yeah, I was. But during the final hours of the war, after luring those aliens inside of the planet, which was really a vast prison created by one of their own, the leader of the Greys got on my battle cruiser as we were escaping. Trying to escape his fate of being imprisoned along with his people and their sworn enemy, the Changelings." She rolled to her other side and lifted her dress, making T2 blush, but T2 quickly realized Brigitte had a massive scar running down her spine. "He stabbed me in the back with his psionic blade; not even my power armor could stop it, leaving me paralyzed." She rolled back to face T2. "Killed the bastard though. I turned the ship around as I realized the aliens were following it, and I couldn't let them escape either. I ordered everyone off the ship and overloaded the power core. I would blow up the ship, blocking their escape route as the planet closed its hallowed insides." Brigitte smiled. "Thought I was going to die, but Terra teleported on the bridge and got us out in time."
"Wow..."
"Yeah..."
"Wow...that wasn't short at all," chuckled T2.
"It is to me," giggled Brigitte.
The two just lay there, looking at the vast, hallowed-out tree ceiling. It was only a few minutes, but T2 slowly looked at Brigitte. She was going to ask a question about this Terra person, but Brigitte beat her to the punch with her own question.
"Why are you like this?"
"Huh?"
Brigitte didn't look at her. She just closed her eyes. "So badly in disrepair, and it's so obvious because you keep using that Berserk Mode. It has to do with the machines you talked about and humans being wiped out...What happened to you, T2? What happened to your world?"
T2 blinked, but she sighed and turned her head, facing the ceiling. "It's a long story."
"I'm not going anywhere." She gave her a smirk, but it slowly faded and was replaced with a sad frown. She could see the expression of despair on T2 as she remembered her life up to this point. Brigitte saw this look on many people's faces during the old war. It was a look of pain, regret, and loss. PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder.
"I was created as an android, a weapon of war, to fight the machine lifeforms." T2 sighed, her body relaxing. "Humanity was going to be wiped out by them, but they created us to fight the invading machines and their masters, an alien race. As we were being built on a battle factory space station, the last remaining humans fled to the moon and lived there until we could take back the earth." She clutched Artemis's body hard as she started to remember the first battle she had. It was an operation called Pearl Harbor Descent, where the first battle androids were sent to the planet. On a mission to take back Johnston Island, her captain No.1 was killed, along with many more battle androids as the battle raged across the island. She was promoted to captain, and this is where her first trauma started. Seeing many of her sisters dying, her friends dying. The pain, the screams, the blood, the oil being spilled, the metal, everything, was imprinted in her memory.
"And so we fought and fought and fought!" Her memory banks started showing her the deaths of her squad; the ones she indeed saw as a band of sisters were killed before her very eyes. "We fought and fought and fought! But in the end, no matter what we did or how much we tried, it wasn't enough! IT WASN'T ENOUGH, BUT I'LL MAKE IT ENOUGH! I'LL WIPE THOSE BASTARDS OUT! I MADE MYSELF A PROMISE! I'LL KILL THEM AL-" she stopped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She snapped out of it, looking down at Brigitte, who was back in carrying them.
"Hey, it's going to be okay," Brigitte whispered. "We are almost there, but I need you to calm down. Moving like that is killing my back right now." she joked, hoping it would lighten the mood.
T2 sighed, calming herself. She was so deep in her memory banks that she didn't notice the tears that ran down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away, not wanting to show her weak side to a human.
As Brigitte was getting closer to the top, T2 looked around the place but quickly noticed something at the bottom of the stairs. She saw what looked like a human but on all fours. It looked like Brigitte...until she zoomed in and saw the exposed robotic parts on its legs. What made T2 on guard was the glowing red eyes.
"A MACHINE LIFEFORM! HERE!?"
Brigitte could feel T2 getting tense. She quickly stopped, turning her head back.
"What is it?"
"Machine, down below!"
Brigitte looked and saw what T2 was looking at. She saw what looked like her and had seen this creature before. When Terra disappeared from the planet that had Artemis on it, Brigitte hurried back to the base on the planet, only to learn about Twilah and Twilight, who swapped places with Terra because of the Rainbow Comet. That creature had the same body as Twilight, but just by looking at her as it started to walk up the steps, Brigitte could tell the creature wasn't like Twilight in being friendly.
"Oh boy..."
"Get me the hell out of this, NOW!" yelled T2, wanting to fight the weird machine. However, she could see she was moving away from it quickly, making her look down at Brigitte, who was climbing the stairs as fast as she could. "What the hell are you doing? Let me out!"
"No, we are in no condition to fight her! So I am getting the hell out of here!"
"Are you crazy, or are you stupid!? Let me the fuck out! I can handle that piece of scrap!" as she said, the joints in her limbs sparked, causing her to grunt loudly.
"See? Even your body is agreeing with me!" Brigitte joked, looking behind her and seeing the pony machine flying toward them but slightly slower, almost like it was trying to hold back and let them escape. "Is it...being controlled?" she whispered, looking ahead again and seeing the top and entrance to the spiral tower in full view.
"I am going to kick your fucking ass!" growled T2.
"I will allow you, but not now! Just sit tight!"
T2 snarled, holding Artemis tighter, watching as the machine got closer, but it kept its distance, allowing them to get to the top, but why?
They reached the top, and Brigitte wasted no time heading toward the tower. She could hear the flying machine getting closer, but she could see it was stopping as it got closer. As Brigitte entered the building, she and T2 could see the vast and empty main lobby. The whole place was wooden and white, but not only that but there was nothing inside. There were no stairs to go up...until Brigitte saw a bright blue light in the corner of her eyes and turned to see an elevator.
"What? Was that always there?" she whispered.
"What? Did you say something?"
"Nothing." She headed over and pushed the blue button.
As they waited for the lift to reach their floor, the flying pony machine was outside and staring at them. It slowly flapped its robotic wings and finally spoke to them.
"...fly..."
"What the fuck does that mean!?" growled T2, glaring at the thing.
"Just keep calm. It seems like it wants to talk."
"What are you crazy? It is a fucking machine! It is nothing but a pile of junk that is waiting to kill us!" she started to struggle against the seatbelt, wanting to jump out and attack it, but the damn thing was wrapped around her too tightly.
"F-Fly...h-help them..." said the pony machine, struggling to talk.
Brigitte frowned, looking at the creature and seeing that there was no way she would hurt them. Its eyes weren't red anymore but blue. "I think it's friendly...?"
Before T2 could bark back out Brigitte, the pony machine spoke again as it closed its eyes and cried. "Help them, I beg of you!"
"Help who? Who is them?" asked Brigitte.
"T-They are trapped in despair of losing a big part of themselves. Help them...help them to learn that even without wings, they can still fly! Help those poor children remember that. Please, please, please, I beg of you, please, help those girls! I'm begging you!"
"Children? Wait, are you talking about the same kids we are meant to help? The one who asked for aid...was it you?" Brigitte asked.
The pony machine shook her head. "N-No, that must have been Spark. Before she left me, she said she would gather others like me. Ones that can understand those children's pain...p-pain of losing...ugh!" She started to show pain as rainbow liquid started to ooze out of her exposed robotic parts.
"Hey, are you okay?" Brigitte reached out her hand, only to have T2 smacked it away.
"DUMBASS! SHE'S TRYING TO TRICK YOU TO GET CLOSER SO SHE CAN KILL YOU!"
"No, she's not! She needs help!"
"You really are an idiot, aren't you!?"
"I won't stand by while someone needs our help!"
Before T2 could argue even further, the pony machine screamed out in pain, shaking the whole lobby with powerful force. Then, it hung its head low, its colorful mane covering its face.
"F-Fly? We can't! We lost who we were! LOST!" screamed the pony machine, looking at Brigitte and T2, its blue-colored eyes returning to pure red. "Why just us...why do we have to...suffer!? The world had no meaning anymore! It SCREAMED at us!" T2's eyes widened when she heard two voices mixed with Pony Machine's own voice. She listened to this torment speech before, "You...all of you...this PAIN! This SADNESS! SHUT UP!" Pony machine spread open its wings and darted toward them. "YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT! HOW IT IS TO LOSE ONE SELF!".
"Shit!" cursed Brigitte, seeing the machine was now hostile and how quickly it was moving; there was no way she could fight or even deal with it. She didn't want to, but she had no choice. She quickly touched the controls on the handlebar of the stretcher, freeing T2.
"FINALLY!"
"Don't fight it head-on! You're too weak and still recovering! Just distract it long enough for the elevator to arrive!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever! I'll make quick work of that piece of crap!" roared T2 as she handed Artemis's body to Brigitte and quickly took out her white katana, and rushed toward the machine at the same speed.
T2's sword clashed with the machine's wings, which became sharp like a blade. The impact created rainbow cue smoke.
"FLY!"
"FUCK YOU!"
The two stared each other down and quickly backed away, their blades clashing against each other with lightning speed. They broke off, but before T2 could react, the pony machine flew forward and smacked T2 away, sending her crashing into the wall. T2 fell to her knees, cursing at herself for allowing the machine to get her like that. She stood up, but as she did, the exposed joints in her legs started to spark and smoke. "Damn it..." she mumbled.
The pony machine didn't give T2 a chance to recover, flying toward her with incredible speed.
"Fuck..." T2 could see the blade on the tip of the wing and braced herself for impact, but to her surprise, it stopped. The blade was almost near her left eye.
"I-I won't allow you...to p-push them away..." said the machine, struggling to regain control. This allowed T2 to smirk, and she stabbed the machine in the chest, and with a powerful swing, she tossed it away from herself.
The machine hit the white ceiling and fell back to the ground, covered by rubble from the ceiling. T2 knew this was her chance to kill it. She took a few steps forward but dropped to her hands as her joints were all sparking.
"FUCKING BODY! WORK DAMN IT! I NEED TO FINISH THIS!"
"T2, no, you need to rest!"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" yelled T2, glaring at Brigitte. "STOP ACTING LIKE YOU CARE! I DON'T NEED OTHERS TO PITY ME! I DON'T WANT IT!"
"It's not pity! It's caring for another person!"
"WHAT PART OF I DON'T NEED PITY DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND!?"
T2 stabbed the ground with her blade and tried to stand with it as support, but as she did, the ground started to shake, and she and Brigitte could see the rubble that was on top of the machine blasting off. Soon, the machine was back up and leaking more rainbow liquid from its body.
"YOU FUCKING MACHINE! I'LL END YOUR MISERABLE EXISTENCE!" T2 roared, but before she could move, the machine opened its wings and blasted toward faster than ever. "DAMN IT!" She tried to get her sword ready and dodge, but the blade was stuck in the ground and too slow to do either.
The machine's wings became sharp and pierced T2 in the stomach, lifting her.
"HOW CAN WE MOVE FORWARD!? WE SAW OTHER VERSIONS OF US WHO HAD IT BETTER THAN US! NEVER HAD TO SUFFER! THEY NEVER HAD TO FEEL PAIN! NEVER HAD TO FIGHT FOR EVERYTHING! NEVER HAD TO GO THROUGH TRAUMA! WHY WERE WE THE ONLY ONES TO GET IT LIKE THIS?! TELL US!"
T2's eyes widened when she heard two voices mixed with the machine's. "That voice..."
"FLY!" The machine swung its wing down, making T2 crash into the ground with her sword, but that wasn't the end of the attack. It flew back into the air and started to spin around. It blasted toward T2 like a spinning saw. "YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND OUR PAIN! OUR SUFFERING! WE LOST OURSELVES THAT DAY WHILE OTHERS WERE STILL ALLOWED TO KEEP GOING! ITS NOT FAIR!"
"T2!"
Brigitte wanted to do something, but what? There was no way in hell she could do anything while in this state, not until her damn wheelchair fully updated itself. She could hold on to Artemis's sleeping body and pray. Pray that T2 would be able to hold her own.
As the spinning pony machine neared T2, T2 could know it was coming closer as she could still hear their voices.
"STOP SHOWING US PITY! FAKE HELP! STOP MAKING US WANT TO BELIEVE IT'S REAL! WHEN IT'S NOT!"
T2 started to get annoyed by the machine's whining and tsked loudly, as she had no choice but to use her Berserk Mode. She closed her eyes, focusing. "Let's see how you handle this. I'm done with hearing you cry, so shut up!"
"FLY!"
The machine collided with T2 and created a large blast of smoke, causing Brigitte to scream out for T2, only to see a red glowing light within the smoke.
"T2...no..."
The smoke slowly cleared, revealing T2 in her Berserk Mode, pushing back the machine easily.
"WHINE ALL YOU FUCKING WANT! I AM DONE WITH YOUR SELF-PITY!"
"FLY!"
T2's body started to glow more red, as her joints fired out not only the red steam but also red fire. Brigitte could tell that T2's body couldn't handle being in this mode again so soon. She knew that if T2 didn't stop now, her body would give out and shut down for good.
"T2! Don't! If you stay in this form any longer, your body will die!"
"THEN IT DIES!" she parried the machine's winged blades, making it stagger. "FUCK THIS USELESS BODY OF MINE! I DON'T CARE ANYMORE!" she kicked the machine away with great force. "I DON'T CARE WHAT I HAVE TO GO THROUGH! AS LONG I CAN KILL EVERY FUCKING MACHINE I SEE!" She started to rush the machine with her body, ready to rip the thing apart. "ALL OF YOU ARE JUST A PILE OF JUNK THAT HAS NO RIGHT TO LIVE!" she gripped her sword tighter as red flames shot out of her joints like a raging fire.
"T2, stop!"
"I WILL KILL YOU ALL! SHOW YOU HOW WORTHLESS YOU ALL ARE! MACHINES THINKING THEY ARE HUMANS! THINKING THEIR BODIES ARE REAL! BUT GUESS WHAT FUCKERS!?" She got much closer, her warning systems alerting her to turn off the berserk mode now, but T2 ignored it as the anger was taking over her mind. "YOUR ROBOTIC BODIES AREN'T REAL! JUST WIRES AND METAL! THERE IS NO SOUL IN IT! NOTHING! JUST LIKE MINE!" she slashed at the machine, causing damage but no signs of a cut. "NO WARMTH! NO WAY TO FEEL SOMETHING! YOU'RE ALL USELESS!" She did another slash, then a third, but the machine was now blocking them all with its wings. "WE'RE NOTHING! WE'RE A PILE OF JUNK THAT HAD THE LUCK OF NOT BEING TOSSED OUT! I'M GOING TO PROVE IT RIGHT NOW! I'M GOING TO RIP APART THE REST OF YOUR FAKE BODY! EVEN IF IT MEANS MY OWN BODY GIVES OUT!"
Brigitte clutched Artemis's body even more, hating to hear how T2 saw her own body like that. She understood T2 was angry and wanted revenge against all the machines. She knew T2 had a painful past, one that was filled with trauma and heartache, but this wasn't right. It was clear T2 was doing this for the wrong reasons. She heard a ding behind her before she could say or do anything. The elevator was finally here.
"T2, please, that's enough. Please, let's go! Let's leave the machine alone!"
"SHUT UP! I'M NOT GOING TO REST UNTIL THIS PIECE OF SHIT IS DEAD!" T2 was about to attack again but suddenly screamed out, her body returning to normal. It seemed T2's systems forced the berserk mode off.
Brigitte gasped as she saw how bad the damage to T2's body was. She was sparking like crazy, her whole body smoking, but what really made her feel so sad was that T2 was still moving toward the machine, even in her current state.
"...I-I w-will...kill..."
"T2, please! You're going to kill yourself! That's enough! Stop fighting!"
Brigitte begged, but T2 ignored her. She kept limping toward the standing machine as it looked at her. As she got closer, she could hear her squadmates from the past speaking to her.
T2 swung her sword at nothing. "S-Shut up...stop apologizing...don't look at me with those pitiful eyes! I hate it...so much..." She stopped in front of the machine, panting. She glared at the machine with hatred and raised her sword, ready to strike, but she lost her strength in her arm and fell to her knees.
"Don't pity me, you idiots. Don't pity someone like me, someone's body breaking down." T2 started to cry. "I don't want to be useless! I won't be a pile of junk tossed aside after being given cheap and unusable parts! I'm a fighter!" She hanged her head in shame. "I'm not something to be pitied for...I'm not..."
"...T2," whispered Brigitte as she tossed her wheelchair into the elevator and forced the door to stay open.
"Useless parts..." cursed T2, looking at her damaged body. But she saw the machine hoof touching her chin and making her look at her. Seeing the machine's eyes were once again blue.
"Be strong."
T2 eyes widened in shock. "You...what did you just say?"
"We may not have the same body, but we're the same. We share the same pain."
T2 stared at the machine in disbelief.
"The Pain of seeing and hearing others speak of you with pity, of being looked down at, of having everyone around you think you're broken and weak, of being a burden to others. We feel the same pain."
T2 looked at the machine and then looked back at her own body.
"But even if our bodies are useless and not real. We can still use them. We can use the parts we have now to keep moving forward and pushing on."
T2 quickly looked up at the machine, seeing her crying. She could tell that this machine understood her pain, her problems.
"Be strong not just for yourself but for others who care about you, not because they feel pity or you're a burden to them, but because they love you. Because you're a wonderful person who deserves to live." smiled the pony machine as it lowered its hoof and quickly turned around.
With one great buck, it kicked T2 toward the opened elevator, hitting and sliding down the wall. Brigitte sat up after ducking when T2 was tossed inside. She looked at the machine, seeing it waving at them.
"...Hurry now. Find the others above this floor. Only you and the others can truly help those kids. Show them that even without wings..."
Brigitte entered the elevator and spoke as the doors slowly closed.
T2 looked up and saw the machine smile as the door closed and the elevator started to rise.
The pony kept waving, even after the elevator was gone. She looked down at her damaged body of hers. Seeing dark mist now leaking out of her exposed parts...and starting to change her body...
"Even if our bodies are useless...we can still use them."
She closed her eyes, remembering the speech she gave to T2, also given to those two kids. Remembering how they told her their lives before losing what made them...them...
Nothing but cheering could be heard, and Rozelle could hear the voices as she ran across the lopping track. She smiled as she could feel the warm breeze hitting her face. Her white hair flowed in the wind, and she had the time of her life.
"GO ROZELLE! YOU GO, GIRL!" screamed an orange-haired woman wearing a blue and yellow tracksuit. Rozelle knew who she was as she grinned. It was her coach, Reginn Mitchell.
"You're doing great! Don't slow down! Give it your all!" cheered her parents, who were next to Reginn.
"Rozelle! You can do it!" they all shouted as she ran past them again.
Rozelle smiled as she kept going. Her eyes glowed with determination.
"I can do this. I can win!"
She pushed her legs even harder. She didn't care how much they hurt, how hard it was to keep running. All that mattered was winning, showing the world what she was made of.
"I'm almost there! Just a little bit more!" she thought as she pushed herself harder.
As she ran, she could hear cheering and laughter coming from the stands. The people who were there to support her, the people who believed in her, were shouting their lungs out.
"You can do it, Rozelle!"
"Come on, Rozelle, you're almost there!"
"Go, Rozelle, go!"
Rozelle felt a sense of pride and joy hearing them cheer for her. She couldn't let them down, and she couldn't let her family and friends down.
She looked ahead and saw the finish line, the end of the track, the end of the race. She could see the other runners were far behind her, and the crowd went wild. Everyone was shouting her name.
"ROZELLE!"
"ROZELLE, YOU CAN DO IT!"
"COME ON, ROZELLE, YOU GOT THIS!"
Rozelle grinned, knowing she had this in the bag. There was no way she was going to lose. She was going to make them proud. She was going to prove to the world that she was the best.
"Just a little more!" she thought as she raced toward the finish line...until she ran past it.
Everyone screamed as the TV screens above the track showed the words "New World Record" on it.
Rozelle stopped and looked back at the finish line, confused.
"Did...I?" she asked as she looked at the people around her.
They all cheered, clapping and shouting her name.
"You did it, Rozelle! You did it!"
"You broke the world record!"
"You are awesome!"
She could see Reginn and her parents running toward her as she ran toward them. They hugged and cried as her training finally paid off.
"I can't believe it," said Reginn, her eyes full of tears. "You did it, Rozelle. You're the new world record holder."
"I did it. I actually did it."
Rozelle smiled and laughed. She couldn't believe it. She was the world record holder. She had beaten everyone. She had shown the world what she was capable of. Soon, this meant she would be no doubt scouted for the summer Olympics.
She was going to go far in life.
After the celebrations, the news and media interviews, and the long hot bath and meal at the hotel, Rozelle was ready for her night out with Reginn as she checked herself in the mirror, wearing a cute blue dress. She twirled her body around, giggling as she found the dress the perfect fit.
"You look great, sweetie."
She smiled and turned around to see her mother, who was smiling and proud.
"Thanks, Mom."
Her father was on the phone, talking to her grandparents about what had happened that day. She faced the mirror and smiled as she put her hands together.
"I can't wait to see Sia tonight! I can't believe Reginn got tickets to her show tonight! I thought it was sold out!"
Her mother giggled and nodded her head.
"Of course I will. She believed in me and saw my greatness. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for her."
"That's true, but you should know that we, your parents and friends, had a hand in it too."
Rozelle looked back at her mother and nodded.
Her mother smiled and nodded, happy to hear her say that.
"I know you do. Now, you go have fun! Reginn should be coming soon." she could hear her phone ringing and checked it. "Speak of the evil. She's downstairs waiting." She answered the phone and waved goodbye to her daughter, who was already gone. "Yeah, she's heading your way. Take care of her, Reginn." she could hear her friend say she would, and they both hung up. She walked to the window and saw her daughter running to Reginn's car. "That girl! Already ten seconds flat in the hotel driveway. She's fast, all right."
Rozelle smiled as she watched Reginn rocking out to the rock station she put on.
"Come on, Rozelle! Rock out with me!" she laughed as Rozelle shook her head. "I swear, when you run or on the track, you act like a tomboy, yet you are the most boring girly girl ever! What the heck is up with that?!"
Rozelle giggled and shrugged.
"Hey, I can't help that I'm a girl! You can't blame me for liking girly things but also loving the NEED FOR SPEED!" she did pose, making her friend laugh even harder.
"Dude, you're hilarious! I swear, I don't know what I would do without you. I'd be so bored."
"You're not too bad yourself, Reggie. You're my coolest coach and friend, always looking out for me. Thank you, Reginn. For everything."
"No prob. Anything for my favorite athlete. Now, let's move on." she increased the radio volume and kept driving down the highway.
A half-hour later, Reginn turned to Rozelle, who was looking out the window at the night sky.
"A penny for your thoughts?"
Rozelle turned to her friend and smiled.
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about my future. Do you think I can win a gold medal in the Olympics? Maybe set another world record? Do you think I could be famous someday?"
Reginn looked at her friend and gave a big smile.
"Are you kidding me? With your speed and determination, you can be anything you want." She placed her hand on Rozelle's head, messing up her white hair. "With those legs of yours, nothing will ever hold you down! I bet you'll make the Olympic team in no time, and once you do, the whole world will know your name. The world will discuss you, and your dreams will come true."
Rozelle blushed with happiness as she pulled her coach's hand away and looked into the rearview mirror, fixing her hair. She pouted because she hated her natural hair color. Reginn rolled her eyes, knowing this.
"Just dye your hair already if you hate your natural hair color so much," said Reginn. "What's holding you back?"
"Well, if I did dye my hair...what color should I do? Black is so cliche, and I've heard the other girls complain about how annoying it is to deal with their dyed hair."
Reginn smirked. "Red would look great on you. Oh! Orange, too, like mine!" Soon, Reginn started to say every color that would look great on her friend, making Rozelle look at the mirror again.
"...so all of them?" She joked, but Reginn became thrilled by that thought.
"Yes! Why not color your hair into a rainbow!? I can see it, and you can pull it off! Trust me! And if anyone gives you trouble, kick their ass!"
Rozelle blinked and smiled at her coach, seeing her fired up over something stupid.
"Well, if you put it that way...huh?"
Rozelle stopped as she heard and then saw a giant pillar of a dark-looking rainbow shooting out of somewhere. To her, it looked beautiful, but as soon as it hit the cloud's surface, it created a large shockwave and washed over the land, followed by darkness. Everything, from lights and sounds, started to fade out.
Reginn gasped and quickly stopped her car as the shockwave headed straight for them.
"Get down!"
Rozelle ducked and covered her head, closing her eyes. She remembered hearing Reginn cursing as the cars behind them crashed into them, and every car on the highway lost power. She remembered her body or the car itself flipping over and another car crashing into them...
Only for her to wake up and find herself on some vast tree root. She was still shell-shocked from the crash as she lay there, so she didn't panic right away. Instead, she just looked around. Wondering where she was. She could see a white void filled with giant trees of different colors and looked up at the one she was on. It was a rainbow-colored tree, and the branches were filled with prism-looking windows. They slowly came down to her and surrounded her. She could see different versions of herself...as a blue Pegasus with rainbow maned. Pony to different looking human of herself, it was all her different lives from different universes.
"What is this?" she whispered, only for a dark prism window to float to her face. It showed a younger kid version of the blue Pegasus being tossed into a barrel of strange liquid by other Pegasus as they were bullying her. She could see the filly jumping out and challenging the bullies to a race. What she saw next made Rozelle cover her mouth in horror and look away. She could hear the filly screaming.
"STOP IT! WHY ARE YOU SHOWING ME THIS!?" she asked, looking back at the now-black window.
No one or anything answered her. She decided to stand and look for a way out of this weird place...only to feel great pain as she put pressure on her knees.
"What!?" she gasped, looking at her knees and the rest of her legs. Her eyes widened even more as her shell shock finally wore off, and reality started to sink in. "What happened to me?! WHERE'S MY LEGS!?" she screamed. She was missing her legs; the only thing there was a puddle of blood. "WHERE ARE MY LEGS!?"
She screamed as a dark light flashed in her eyes, blinding her.
She opened her eyes and could see that she was upside down in the car still. She could hear people screaming and sobbing outside as sounds of fire could be heard. She could feel blood oozing down her face.
"R-Reginn?" she asked weakly, her head pounding. She was upside down, and the door was ripped off. "R-Reginn...?"
"REGINN! WE NEED...n-need..." she just stopped. She couldn't believe what she saw. She saw her poor friend dead, as a sharp debris pierced her head.
The girl screamed as the fire was almost upon her. But hands grabbed her, cut her seatbelt, and pulled her out. It was the firefighters who had just arrived on the scene.
"REGINN!" screamed Rozelle as she was being pulled away from the car, which became engulfed in flames. "NO, REGINN! I CAN'T LEAVE HER!"
"I'm sorry, ma'am, but you have to," said the firefighter, but she wouldn't stop crying.
Rozelle kept watching as the car was completely covered in flames and then soon exploded.
"No! Reginn!" she sobbed as the firefighter brought her to the paramedics, who were trying their best to save her. She could hear them saying stuff like, "She's going into shock!" and "We need a tourniquet!" but she couldn't take her eyes off the car, hoping her friend would somehow come out of the fire. But nothing happened. Her vision started to blur out...
Rozelle sat there in her hospital bed. Just glared at the missing legs on her bed. Tears fell down her eyes as her head was wrapped in bandages. Her family and friends were beside her, but she didn't notice them.
All she did was stare at where her legs were supposed to be. She couldn't believe what happened. Her legs...her speed, her life...everything was over. All because of some weird explosion from a meteor that landed in some neighborhood. Not only that but her best friend, the one she looked up to as a hero and sister, Reginn, was gone. Rozelle just toned out the world. All the pity that her friends and family had for her. She wanted nothing to do with them. She wanted nothing to do with anything.
All her hopes and dreams were over. She didn't care what happened to her anymore, even when her friends, family, and kind strangers pitched in and got her cheap, low-end model leg prosthetics they could afford. It would take almost a few months for her to adjust to them and learn to walk again fully, but it didn't matter. She knew deep down in her heart that she would never run again.
She soon fell into a deep depression and shut everyone out, including her parents. She stopped hanging out with her friends. She didn't talk or listen to anyone.
All she did was lie in her bed. All day and all night. She didn't do anything.
Until one day.
"Sweetie?" said her mother, knocking on the bedroom door without hearing a respond. "Your father and I have decided you can dye your hair, sweetheart." She hoped this would make her daughter happy, as she had a box of different-colored dyes. "I know you said that you hated your natural hair color, and if you want, we can dye hair together?"
Nothing. Not even a sound.
"...I'll leave the box here then, sweetheart. You can pick any color you want."
Her mother left the hallway, and Rozelle didn't move from her bed. She stared at the door and wondered why her mom was doing this. Was it more pity? More pointless fake sorryness.
Rozelle soon sat up, put on her prosthetic legs, and slowly stood up. Even though she was used to them walking, she felt fake.
She walked over to the door and slowly opened it. She saw the box of colorful dyes and took the box into her room, closing the door. Her mother was at the end of the hallway, looking sad as she left the corner.
Inside her room, Rozelle looked inside the box as she had it on the bed. She didn't know what color to dye her hair until she remembered what Reginn had told her.
It took a while, but stepping out of her bathroom, her hair became rainbow-colored. She walked to her mirror and looked at herself. Even doing this, she still felt so fake—like she was looking at someone else, not the real her.
"I want my life back now..." she said, her voice cracked and raspy. She had not spoken for weeks. "Please...give me back my life."
"My life...is gone..."
She kept staring at her reflection, feeling more lifeless by the second.
"...who are you? You aren't me! YOU'RE NOT THE REAL ME! GET OUT! GET OUT!"
Rozelle started to scream and attack the mirror. She kept yelling as tears ran down her face. Her mind snapped. She didn't even feel the glass cutting her arms.
She kept yelling until the sound of her door opening stopped her. Her parents rushed into her room and found their daughter covered in blood and shards of broken glass.
A few weeks later, after her second therapy, Rozelle left her room and joined her family in the living room. She still didn't say much, but her parents tried nonetheless.
"So, what movie do you want to watch, sweetie?" asked her father. "Your mother and I are fine with anything."
"Um...I think a comedy would be nice," he said, looking at his wife.
"Hmmm. How about that new comedy movie?" his wife replied, pointing to a new movie a few rows down.
Rozelle just stood up and, for the first time since the crash, said she was taking a run...which they could tell hurt her as she walked out of the house and down the streets like she always does when going for a run. This broke the parents' hearts as they watched her walk down the street.
She didn't know where she was going. All she knew was that she had to get away. Get away from everything. Her life was gone. She was no longer a track star. She was nothing but a broken and fake version of herself. She hated herself so much.
When she arrived, she was looking for the right building—the perfect one to jump off, a building high enough to kill her.
"Perfect..."
It was a run-down apartment building. She entered it and could see druggies just hanging out on the stairway, playing cards. She walked past them and up the stairs. She kept going until she stopped and could see what looked like a hooker holding a pizza box and checking her phone.
"Damn it, Knight! If you didn't have food, then say so! It's okay to rely on me." She sighed as she put her phone away. "....but I understand why you don't. Who would want help from a prostitute who doesn't have a degree or finished school? I can't be her..." She mentally prepared herself and started to head down the hallway from the stairs. "But I can try. To make you two happy...you lost so much...".
Rozelle continued, ignoring the hooker and her problems. She was giving someone fake pity like how her friends and family did. Trying to pretend they cared. It was all lies. Fake.
She stopped at the roof doorway and slowly opened it. No one was there. Without thinking, she walked to the edge of the building and looked down. It was the perfect height.
"This will do," she said, her voice was hollow. "Maybe I can find my lost life in that weird place...somewhere, someplace, I can find my old life...maybe even take someone else's life..." She made her hands into a fist, remembering all those happy versions of herself. "It's not fair...it's not fair! IT'S NOT FAIR! IT'S NOT FAIR, DAMN IT! IT'S NOT FAIR! EVERYBODY ELSE GET'S TO BE HAPPY WHILE I SUFFER! I HATE MY LIFE!" she covered her face and started sobbing. She doesn't remember how long she stood there...
...only to stop sobbing as she felt something in the air. She looked down and saw the light coming from a bedroom window, and soon, she saw the same evil light that had taken her life and friend away from her...
"Ugh!" cried the Pony machine as she dropped to her knees and saw more of her legs become robotic and exposed.
As a young filly, Rainbow Dash flew across the clouds until she heard her best friend in the whole world, Fluttershy, crying as the same three male Pegasus were bullying her as always. She hated that and quickly stepped in, protecting her like always. She couldn't stand seeing her best friend cry. It hurt her.
The three colts laughed and called her names when Dash stood before her.
"Well, isn't it RaInbow Crash!?" said the leader, the other two laughing.
"It's RAINBOW DASH!" she snapped. "And I can fly faster than the three of you can ever dream of!"
"Hah, yeah, right," said the second colt, rolling his eyes.
As they fought, one of the boys suddenly noticed a weird barrel that appeared on the cloud not too far from them. He quickly got an idea and told his friends. They nodded, and the leader said to Rainbow Dash, "Okay, Dashie, we were wrong..." he said in a fake-like sorry tone. "We will never do it again."
"Promise?" asked Fluttershy, buying into the fake apology.
"Sure, we promise, Fluttershy," replied the second boy.
Dash didn't believe them but looked at Fluttershy, who said to trust them. Fluttershy said forgiveness could make the world a better place. Dash smiled at that, and she agreed.
"Okay, maybe I was wrong about you three...huh?" Dash noticed one was missing. Before she could ask where he went, she soon felt someone picking her up, bringing her over to a weird barrel, and dunking her into it.
"SLAM DUNK!" shouted their leader, as the colt that did it bowed to his friends.
"Rainbow Dash!" shouted Fluttershy, rushing to her friend's side. The friend had gotten out of the barrel and was wet with a weird smell. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, Shy," said Dash, glaring at the boys. "You jerks are gonna pay for that! Me and all three of you in a race! I'll finally prove to you jerks that I'm the fastest one here! If I win, you need to leave Fluttershy alone!"
"Oh, really? And if we win, you're gonna give us half your lunch money!" said the leader, making a bet.
Dash nodded, and soon, all four were on the clouds. They soon took off, racing across the sky. With each passing lap, each boy would crash or lose control of their flying, making them drop out of the race. Leaving only Dash alone, who smirked as she realized she had beaten them but had not yet won. She saw the finish line up ahead and increased her speed. She was pushing herself further and faster than ever before...
Soon, she could see it! A rainbow cone formed before her, and her speed increased even more. She shot straight up into the air, going faster and faster! She could feel it! She would off-pull a Sonic Rainboom, an old mare's tail, a mythical, magical feat, and become the fastest Pegasus in history!
She felt like she had reached her top speed! Then, the cone broke, almost like it would happen until Dash could feel something was wrong. Her body was like it was getting hot. She looked at her body and saw the weird liquid still on her, starting to spark and become flames. It happened so fast as Dash pulled off a Sonic Rainboom—a fiery one...
Years later, Dash became a shut-in. She became so afraid of flying and the open blue sky that her parents had to move away from Cloudale and move to the earth below. Even though her skin was able to be saved by magical healing, there was still burned scarring, a sad reminder of her accident and her fear. She was not even able to follow her dreams of becoming a Wonderbolt, as she hid in her room and became delusional about her body. Thinking she was still burning and covering the fake flames with white bandage wrapping.
"I NEED TO COVER THEM!" she yelled as she covered her body in bandages, running around the room like a chicken with its head cut off.
Her parents were terrified and didn't know what to do. Their once cocky and loving daughter became a scared, introverted mare who was afraid of the outside world. They didn't even know if she would ever come out of her room again, let alone leave the house.
A year passed, and Dash's parents tried to make her leave her room, telling her they should visit Cantorlot for the Summer Sun Celebration. Even the Wonderbolts will be there for the Air Show.
"It'll be fun, darling!" said her mother, standing in the hallway. "Besides, wouldn't it be nice to get out?"
They heard nothing from the room. They genuinely don't know what to do at this point.
As they talked, Dash was under the blanket, wrapping the white bandages over her arms, muttering to herself.
"They can't see me! The Wonderbolts can't see me!" she cried, shaking. "If they see me, then I'll burn again! I'll be forced to look up...there! Where I burned that day!"
She was shaking in bed, holding her hooves over her head, and trying not to cry. She didn't want to go outside and show the world her scared body. She felt like the whole world would judge her and laugh. She proved to her old bullies that she was indeed Rainbow Crash, a failure of a flyer—a failure of herself!
"I'm not me anymore! I'm Rainbow Crash! A loser!"
She looked at her blank flank and cried. She had never gotten her cutie mark yet and maybe never would now, as flying was too dangerous in her eyes. She needed to be safe! She needed to avoid anything that would make her fly...like...
"Fluttershy..." whispered Dash, remembering her former childhood friend. She remembered her always being there for her after what happened. First, she blamed herself for Dash's accident, helped her through her recovery, and gave her so much attention that Dash started to see the real reason for her so-called kindness. "She just saw a broken Pegasus! Not me! Not the real me..." She started to cry. "The me that died that day! She doesn't see me!" She cried. Remember how she started to ignore Fluttershy, even more so when Fluttershy got her cutie mark. She drifted away from her, feeling a deep betrayal from her friend. "I'm nothing but a broken toy to her! Someone to take care of! She's not my friend! She's my babysitter! That's why I ended our friendship..."
Dash took off the blanket and looked at herself in the mirror, seeing her messed up and broken reflection.
"...I'm not me anymore...I'm a shadow of my former self. A coward..."
Dash looked at the photo of her and Fluttershy when they were fillies, both smiling and happy. It hurt Dash's heart so much to know Fluttershy wasn't really her friend, but she kept this photo of them...remembering the good times...
"I want to be me again!" cried Dash, slamming her hooves against the pillow. "I want to be a Wonderbolt! I want to fly in the open sky again! I don't want to hide in my room and pretend I'm not rotting away!"
Her ear twitched as she heard her parents trying again and repeating what they had said. She looked at her body and turned back to the door. She wanted to go, to be herself once more.
In Cantorlot, many eyes were on Dash as she walked with a blanket over her body. She hated seeing the judging eyes and hearing the whispers as she walked past the city folk. She could see her parents were happy she came out of her room and was with them. As they walked, a large crowd gathered as Princess Celestia went through the city and waved at everyone.
Dash didn't care as she kept pushing forward but realized she lost track of her parents. She started to panic and held her first aid kit in her arms.
She heard a loud gasp as someone was behind her, and she could feel someone bumping into her. She fell but quickly hid under the blanket. She peeked out and saw a really messed-up-looking purple unicorn mare with a box of stuff.
"Sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going!" said the mare. "I was double-checking my stuff inside my box!"
Before Dash could say anything, the mare just ran away. Soon, her parents found her and helped her up.
They were in their seats, watching the Wonderbolts' air show, but Dash couldn't even look up at the night sky.
"Come on! Look up! It's nothing scary! You have your bandages wrapped up tight, right? You can't be burned again," she said as she closed her eyes and opened them.
Dash was so shocked and amazed at what she saw! The sky was beautiful and free, and she could see the stars shining down. She cried tears of joy as she felt she could breathe fresh air again, not the stuffy room she lived in. She wanted to jump and shout but knew she couldn't. So instead, she did it in her mind...until Spitfire flew by, leaving behind a flaming trail.
Dash's eyes were filled with fire as she remembered what happened to her.
"NO! I'm on fire!" she shouted, and her body started to shake as she saw the fire, the flame, and the burning flesh. "It's coming back! THE FLAME IS COMING BACK!"
"Rainbow Dash? Are you okay?" asked her mother, worried about her daughter.
Dash was shaking, muttering that she was on fire and needed her first aid kit. She held it tight and ran out of the stands while her parents screamed for her to return.
Dash had no idea where she was going; she held her first aid kit and cried.
"...the real me...is truly gone. I can never be her again. I'm just a shadow...I'll always be a shadow," she thought.
She was sobbing so hard.
"If only I could pull a Sonic Rainboom when I was younger without burning like that! I wouldn't be so afraid!" she dropped to the ground, feeling like her life was over... her mind slowly pieced together the sad truth. "...my life...I have no life anymore. The real me died that day, and now I'm just a walking husk of her body..." She tried to look up at the night sky but failed. Her thoughts slowly became dark. "...maybe I should end it? To be free from this horrible world and not be afraid anymore? To stop feeling so weak and stupid? Being free from it all?"
She got up and picked up her first aid kit and was going to walk somewhere far away to where she could end her suffering until she felt something in the air. She turned to the house and saw a bright black flash...
The pony machine screamed in pain. Her legs were almost robotic, with exposed wires and metal. She could feel the darkness taking over once more.
"They suffered so much...thinking that their lives were over when they lost what made them who they were. They gave up and decided to end it, hope no longer in their hearts," explained the machine as her eyes slowly reddened. "But they just need to see...t-that even without wings. T-They can still fly. They are more than the parts they are given. That's why we're here. All of you are here...We're the last hope..." She looked up at the white ceiling and sensed Spark was fighting Fayth. "To help them move forward..." she closed her eyes and reopened them, glowing pure red again. "FLY!"
Artemis systems turned on, and her hologram came online, making her yawn.
"Morning, mom-my?" she froze at what she saw in front of her.
"Artemis!" shouted Brigitte, trying to get close to a badly damaged T2. "Honey, I need you to be what you were made for! T2 needs repairing!"
"WHAT?!" shouted Artemis, freaking out. "I-I-I can't! I'll kill her!"
"Artemis! Please! She's dying!" begged Brigitte.
Artemis didn't know what to do...until she saw T2 hurting face. She was crying...and in so much pain.
"No one deserves a sad fate," whispered Artemis, remembering what her sister had said to her before rebooting herself for the third time. She switched off her hologram, and her real body slowly transformed into an engineer-type robot arm suit with a visor that a human could wear. Brigitte put her on and faced T2.
"Hold still! Artemis can fix you up!"
T2 gave a cold stare with a blush. "I'm not letting you touch me..." she growled.
"Oh, yeah? What are you going to do about it?" Artemis taunted, not fearing T2 at all right now. "You are too damaged to do anything."
"Shut up..." she looked away.
Brigitte didn't understand why T2 acted like this until she saw her expression become that of a girl who didn't want to strip for someone.
"Oh god, T2. Please don't tell me you're afraid of a simple repair job," she said.
T2 didn't answer but was blushing.
"T2...Artemis can repair you...stop wasting time! Let us help you!' shouted Brigitte.
"..." T2 remained silent.
"For fuck sake!" Brigitte screamed, losing her patience. She touched T2's damaged chest, which flinched at the touch and froze...she felt a heartbeat...a racing one. She looked up at her. "...T2, I promise we'll be careful. I won't let Artemis hurt you, okay? Trust me?"
"...okay."
T2's body relaxed, and she slowly opened her chest, revealing her insides...which were severely damaged and even filled with sand for some odd reason. Brigitte and Artemis could see how, indeed, damaged she was.
"...okay, let's start with this part here, Artemis."
"Yes, Ma'am."
Brigitte and Artemis worked carefully, slowly removing the sand and fixing her up. T2 could feel the pain going away, and she felt more and more comfortable. Until she went into sleep mode, and her memory banks replayed her memories of her squad, making fun of her for being shy of her body...
On the tower's second floor, a short, young, orange-skinned human girl smiled as she found herself inside a weird-looking farm barn filled with shadow monsters.
She clapped her hands and touched the ground, creating farm-like tools but sharp, full metal weapons and stabbing the shadow monsters. She stood back up and smiled, flexing her metal arm.
End of Chapter 16
Author's Note
I'm really happy with how it came out! A comment wanted more characters just talking, and I feel I did it justice here! I also think I caught A2 really well in this chapter lol Go play nier automata!
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 17: Meeting The Full Metal
"Okay, I think we're done for now," said Brigitte, leaning away from T2's sleeping body and overlooking the repairs they had made to her. "I can't do any more than that, sorry." But T2 didn't answer as she was still in sleep mode, causing Brigitte and Artemis to lean against the elevator wall.
"So, that's what happened when I was sleeping," sighed Artemis as she transformed into her hologram form. She listened to her mother when they were doing the repairs and couldn't believe there was a machine after them, but it seemed to be controlled by someone. "Do you think it's going to keep following us?"
Brigitte wiped her forehead from all the sweat. "Well, I have to say how bad lady luck has been with us over the years. Yeah."
"Great, another problem to worry about," groaned Artemis.
"I think this is the least of our problems, sweetheart," sighed Brigitte, looking back at T2.
Artemis was confused. "What do you mean, Mommy?"
"I'm more worried about who's controlling that machine. There were times T2 and I could hear two other voices mixed with the machine's voice, and there were times it wanted us to get away and even begged us to save those kids at the top of the tree." She clutched her fists hard. "Who's ever controlling that poor machine is no doubt evil! To make her go against her own will and force her to attack us. If only we could free her from whoever is doing this, then maybe she would join us."
"Or kill us," whispered Artemis. Feeling it might be a trap to lower their guard. "Dad always says, 'Don't judge a book by its cover, but be careful. The pages can be filled with lies.' "
Brigitte sighed. "I know, honey, but..." she shook her head. "We'll deal with that when we come to it. We must keep moving forward and find the others like we found T2 here." They returned their attention to her, who was still leaning against the wall. They fixed her the best they could, but she needed a full-on repair. "Artemis, can you scan T2 systems?"
"Sure, Mommy, but why?"
"It's just a feeling when she talked about her world, and I want you to confirm it for me," she explained, and Artemis nodded.
Artemis's visor flashed blue, and she quickly scanned T2's body. She went through her systems but needed to ask her mother a question. "...what am I looking for?"
"You'll know when you see it, Artemis," replied Brigitte.
"Oka—Wait! Hold on! I found it!" Artemis gasped, seeing what her mother guessed was within T2 systems. "She has one like we AIs do. But what are you going to use this information for?"
Brigitte had a regretful expression on her face. "...a fail-safe if things get too dicey."
"A FAIL-SAFE?!" shouted Artemis, not liking what her mother implied. "YOU'RE NOT SERIOUS RIGHT NOW!"
Brigitte shook her head. She knew why her daughter was upset with her, and even Brigitte hated using it on T2 if she had to. "I know, but trust me, sweetie," she said with a hopeful smile. You know me! You really think I'm that kind of person?"
"No..." muttered Artemis.
"That's my girl," giggled Brigitte. Grabbing and hugging her, the elevator suddenly stopped and made a dinging noise. "Well, it looks like we finally reached our stop...whatever floor it stopped on."
The doors slowly opened, and both mother and daughter peeked outside. The sight was confusing to the two.
"Um...I think this is the wrong stop, Mommy," suggested Artemis, her voice shaking from the eeriness of the place.
"I agree," Brigitte agreed, but she sighed. "But there isn't a button inside the elevator or one out here," she explained, leaning out and seeing no button on the old wooden walls.
Artemis felt defeated when she heard that. "I wish Lady Luck wasn't such a meanie!"
Brigitte smiled. "Me too, sweetie, but sometimes bad things happen, and you need to find the silver lining," she looked around. "So, I guess this means we must go into the creepy and dark old barn. Find another way up."
"You don't have to tell me twice," grumbled Artemis. But she turned around, remembering about T2, who was still in sleep mode. "We can't forget about T2, though!"
"You're right, Artemis. Let's hope she wakes up..."
Brigitte moved closer and tried to wake T2, but she wasn't. So, they grabbed her, and with a lot of trouble, they again placed her on Brigitte's lap. The three exited the elevator and heard it close behind them. They looked back and saw the elevator doors were gone, as if it was never been there.
"Mommy!" cried Artemis, hiding on her mother's lap, spooked by the disappearing elevator.
"I'm scared too, honey," whispered Brigitte, clutching her daughter and trying to comfort her. "But we need to find the exit to the next floor and maybe find whoever is on this floor. So be brave for me, sweetie."
Artemis took a deep breath. "Okay, I can do this, Mommy," she replied, feeling braver. She stood on her mother's lap, pointing at the far-off horizon as her scanners turned on. "I can see the other end of the barn. So, the exit should be in that direction."
Brigitte squinted, trying her hardest to see in the far-off horizon. "Are you sure?" she asked, not seeing anything.
"Positive," nodded Artemis. Before her mother could ask any questions, they suddenly heard the cracking of old wood, Which Made Artemis jump onto her mother and T2's chest, shaking.
Brigitte placed her hand on Artemis's back, rubbing it to calm her down. She said nothing as she kept listening to the wood crack and break. She turned her attention to the far-off wall and saw a small piece of wood slowly turning into dust. She couldn't believe her eyes as the wall slowly turned into dust and vanished into the air. Was this room somehow inside of a time bubble? Where time is sped up, and why didn't Artemis pick this up? Or this is something else, as she could see more wood parts turning into dust.
"It's the wind, sweetie." lied Brigitte, not wanting to scare her daughter anymore.
"I-It is?" asked Artemis, feeling calmer.
"Yep, it is. Don't worry, nothing will hurt you," she continued rubbing her back. "We better start moving before something spooks you again, and I don't want coolant fluid on my lap!" she laughed, making Artemis blush deep red.
"I STOP LEAKING COOLANT IN MY BED! AND YOU KNOW THAT, MOMMY!"
"Oh, really?" Brigitte teased, smiling. "I didn't know that, my little baby."
"I'm not a baby, and I'll prove it to you," she growled, stomping off her mother's lap and standing before her on her mother's knees. "I'll be brave and show you I'm not a scared baby!"
"Okay, sweetie, whatever you say."
"Y-Yeah, w-whatever," said Artemis, pouting.
Artemis jumped off and hovered in the air. She pointed out where they needed to go and led the way. Brigitte was happy that her daughter was brave but couldn't stop questioning something.
"...why isn't Artemis picking up this weird time effect or even noticing it?" she thought.
They traveled for a few minutes, passing a few farm animals, but something about these animals creeped out the mother and daughter. The animals were made of rotten old wood and had apples for eyes.
"...Mommy, can we go faster? Please?" asked Artemis, feeling spooked and creeped out by the animals.
"Good idea, sweetie," nodded Brigitte. She also did not want to be near such weird and creepy animals.
Both of them picked up the pace and left the animals behind, but Brigitte could see more of the wood turning to dust faster as they kept going. She didn't like this one bit, even more so because Artemis didn't notice this strange happening.
They soon arrived at what seemed to be the center of the barn and saw a lone huge orange apple tree. Its apples were ripe, and the tree looked perfect, even with the rotten wood around its roots. Brigitte felt odd about this tree but couldn't see anything wrong with it. It looked like a normal tree.
Artemis scanned the tree and found nothing strange about it, which gave Brigitte a greater sense of worry.
"This tree seems normal, Mommy," explained Artemis.
"I see that," said Brigitte. "Let's keep moving and find the exit."
"Okay," agreed Artemis, turning around. But only to stop as her scanners picked up something heading their way. "Mommy, I'm picking up an unknown life signal heading our way. Unknown is only five seconds away, four, three, two..."
"Artemis, get away from the tree!" shouted Brigitte, her heart racing in fear.
Before Artemis could question her mother, a bright flash of light came from the dark part of the barn, and soon, a metal hay fork rocketed toward Artemis.
"ARTEMIS!" shouted Brigitte, worried that that huge hay fork would stab her daughter.
The hay fork was going to hit Artemis, who shut her eyes, but the AI child could feel a passing breeze. She opened her eyes and could see she was fine, but she did hear a loud sound of something deflecting metal. She looked behind her and saw that the tree's roots were alive and snake-like. The roots deflected the hay fork and slowly glared at Artemis and her mother, then looked into the darkness where the fork came from.
"ARTEMIS!"
Artemis snapped out of it and hurried to her mother's side, who had her gun out. The two could see the tree was paying no mind to them, which confused Brigitte. What attacked the tree, and why is the tree alive?
Before Brigitte could ask her daughter for a quick scan of the area, another flash came from the darkness. Soon, more hay forks and other farming tools were launched at the living tree, only to be blocked, this time by pony-shaped shadow figures with orange apples in the middle of their chests.
"Mommy!? What's going on!?" cried Artemis, hiding between her mother and sleeping T2's chest.
"I don't know, sweetie, but we better leave before we become a target," suggested Brigitte, backing her wheelchair back. As she did so, Artemis quickly confirmed that the human life sign was almost two seconds away from their position.
"M-Mommy, we have an enemy coming, and fast!" warned Artemis, pointing to the darkness.
Brigitte looked and could see a small-sized teenager walking out of the shadows. The young teen is female and wearing what looks like a farmhand outfit with a bright red long jacket, but what really caught Brigitte and her daughter was the teen's right arm, which seemed to be, in Brigitte's case, a backwater prosthetic robotic arm. Even though it looked backwater in design, it seemed polished and well taken care of.
The teenager looked at the tree with a smug expression. She tapped her metal arm, which sprouted a saw from its knuckles area, and pointed it at the tree and its shadow friends.
"HA! I finally found where all of you were coming from! And it's just an old tree. Man and I was expecting something much bigger than an ordinary apple tree." she laughed.
The shadow figures seemed to growl and hiss at the teen, but she didn't mind. She could see the tree's roots acting like snakes and glaring at her.
She whistled at the weird sight and smiled. "Well, look at that. The tree isn't so ordinary after all. And here I was hoping for answers about why I'm here, but more questions just added themselves," she shrugged. "And that's fine with me. More questions to ask and more answers I get." she took a battle stance, becoming thrilled. "Bring it!"
The shadow figures roared and rushed at the teenager, who was smiling.
Brigitte could see the fighting and knew the teenager didn't need her or her daughter's help. The young teen was quite a fighter and skilled at combat. The teen easily dodged the shadow pony buck attacks and returned them with her kicks. She even used her saw blade to slash down the roots as they started to attack.
Brigitte moved her wheelchair farther away from the battle. The mother and daughter were amazed by how the teen could keep up with the shadow figures and tree roots. They stayed back and watched.
"A living tree!? Are you a Homunculus!? If so, you'll die by my hand!" shouted the teenager. She quickly ducked from an attack and then kicked the attacker's shadowy chest. There was an electric spark coming from her leg, and soon enough, a curled blade shot out from the bottom of her foot, piercings the chest of the shadow pony and the blade exiting out of it with the apple stabbed on it. The orange apple quickly turned grey and became dust, killing the shadow pony.
"For a Homunculus, you created big flaws in your pets, you know?" said the girl, lowering her leg, which returned to normal and glaring toward the tree. "The apples being their weak spots with no covering or anything? You must be damn stupid or an idiot."
The tree shook in anger.
"Yeah, that's right. I'm insulting you!" laughed the girl, running and dodging a root attack. "Because, you know, it's funny!" she made quick work of more shadow ponies and got closer to the tree. "Your weakness is just so hilarious. I mean, if I was in charge of these guys, they wouldn't have an obvious weakness," she smirked, kicking another shadow pony's chest, but as she was about to finish it off with her saw blade, her metal arm became stiff and unable to move. "Damn it! Not now!" she tried to force her metal arm to move, but her arm didn't budge, so she jumped back from the shadow pony.
The shadow pony, who was still alive, charged at her. The teen tried to kick it with her other leg, but her other leg also stiffened up, making her fall backward. She cursed even more.
"Damn it, not you too! All the time for my automail to start acting up now!?"
The shadow pony neighed, charging and trying to attack the young teenager, but the teen was about to brace for the attack when she could hear loud gunfire and soon saw a bullet zipping by and hitting the shadow pony in the head, making it fall and missing the teen.
"Huh?" asked the teen, looking back and seeing Brigitte, still far from her, holding a gun and smiling.
"Do you Need a hand?" Brigitte asked, firing another round and stopping another shadow pony from attacking the teen from behind.
The teen forced her automail arm down, opened its hand, and clapped it. She then placed her normal hand onto the wooden floor, and soon, wood pillars burst out of the floor, knocking the shadow ponies away and forcing the rest to back off.
The girl quickly forced her other leg to move, and once she could move again, she ran and stood by Brigitte and Artemis's side, glaring at the enemies.
"Who the hell are you, and why did you help me?" she eyed her savior, and her expression became confused. She noticed the two armor-looking girls on the old woman's lap. "Wait? Are those souls alchemically bound to those weird-looking armor?"
Brigitte gave her a confused look. "A soul what now?"
But before the teen could reply, she and Brigitte quickly felt the wooden ground shaking.
"Mommy! That tree roots are coming up from under us!" shouted Artemis, her scanners picking up the roots heading their way.
Brigitte slammed her hand on the controls, causing her wheelchair to quickly back away. The teen followed by leaping away as the root burst out and missed them just by a second.
The girl landed a few feet away and stood up, her metal arm still stiff. She glared at the living tree, unsure if the old woman was friendly. "Hey, lady! Are you some alchemist? If you are, I would appreciate some help by killing that tree and those shadow pony things!"
Brigitte was even more confused than before. She looked at Artemis, who gave her a quick translation of what alchemists do.
"How will making medicines, perfumes, and other useless stuff help? And what is this Homunculus thing you are talking about!?" shouted Brigitte, still backing away with her daughter and the sleeping T2.
It was the teen's turn to be even more confused than before.
"You don't know what a Homunculus is? Seriously!? Or an Alchemist? Alchemists are just more than that!" shouted the teen, glaring at the woman. "A Homunculus is a manmade person. You know, an artificial lifeform?"
The three looked at the tree and then back at each other.
"That doesn't look like a human to me!"
The teen rolled up her jacket sleeves, opening a section of her automail, revealing its gears and wires. She took out a bottle and poured it on the gears' rusted areas.
"Oh, don't be stupid. I meant it's an artificially made lifeform, but it's not human, more like a monster. A really nasty one, too," she pointed at the living tree and the shadow figures. "Fought a small kid that could control shadows, but fighting a living tree is new in my book! I wonder what else is new!" she laughed, closing the panel cover of her automail and trying to flex her metal arm, making the gears and pistons groan and pop. It was still stiff, but not as much. "Damn, I really need to see Rare for a maintenance check."
"Rare?"
"Not important!" snapped the teen, pointing her metal arm at the tree and readying her saw blade. "The name's Amber James, but everyone calls me AJ. What are your names?"
"Brigitte, this is Artemis, my daughter," said Brigitte, pointing at herself and her daughter.
"Daughter?" asked AJ, surprised. "Did you put your daughter's soul into that child-size armor?" She looked over Brigitte's body; seeing her in a wheelchair must mean she must have given up her ability to walk. "And are you in a wheelchair because you traded a part of your spinal cord or something for that to happen?"
"What? What are you talking about?" asked Brigitte.
"You seriously don't know?" asked AJ, her expression even more surprised.
Brigitte started getting annoyed with these pointless talks as she fired at an approaching shadow pony. "AJ, I know this might sound far fetch and weird, but you need to believe me. We're from different universes and somehow ended up here."
AJ slashed and cut a few roots that got near. "Lady, what are you talking about? That does sound far-fetched. Do you take me for an idiot or something?"
Brigitte sighed. "I'm telling you the truth. We're not from here."
"If you are telling the truth, how will you prove it?" she said, stabbing a shadow pony in the chest.
Brigitte fired at a root, almost about to grab AJ, saving her. "You don't remember how you got here, right? Much of your memory is foggy after waking up in this area."
AJ was surprised to hear that. "How the hell did you know that?"
"It's because that is exactly how my daughter and I ended up here. The same with sleeping beauty here," Brigitte joked, pointing to T2. "But we woke up outside this spiral tower, which we are in now. I also gotta ask you something else. Does saving two kids ring a bell?"
AJ was surprised, and her eyes widened as she felt her head hurt as she remembered someone coming to her for aid in helping two kids who were in danger.
Brigitte continued after seeing AJ's expression. "Well, I got my answer, it seems. If you wanna talk, we can do it after we get out of here."
AJ now fully trusted her, but she turned to the tree in the distance. "Okay, I believe you, but can we need to destroy that tree first and then have a conversation afterward."
Brigitte looked at her and her metal arm and leg, seeing AJ still having difficulty moving around, even when standing still.
"You are in no shape to fight that thing now. It is stupid to keep fighting while your prostheses aren't in good shape. We'll escape and talk later," she told AJ, pressing a button. Her chair faced away from the enemies.
"What!? We can't leave!" shouted AJ.
"Yes, we can. You can barely move your arm and leg, and before you keep fighting with me on this, this girl here pushed herself beyond what her already damaged and old body could handle." she eyed AJ with a serious glare. "If you do the same, your prostheses will break, and you'll end up losing your arm and leg and becoming a sitting duck like before. You seem smart enough, but the only question is, are you smart enough not to be stupid and reckless?"
AJ knew the woman was right. She needed to get her prostheses fixed. It was bad luck that her arm and leg started to malfunction—no, it wasn't bad timing. AJ knew she had been over-pushing her automail recently, so she was heading back to her hometown to see Rare.
"Fine," sighed AJ.
"Then hop on! QUICK!" ordered Brigitte, pointing to the handlebars on the back of the wheelchair.
"Huh? Hop on?" asked AJ, not understanding why until a root attacked the ground she was standing on. She leaped off, and the spot she stood became dust and a massive hole.
"Just hop on!"
AJ quickly hopped onto the handlebars and held on tight. "This thing fast? Do I need to-WHOA!!!" She couldn't finish as the wheelchair took off like a rocket, its back wheels leaving a massive trail of dust and smoke.
Brigitte sped through the halls with ease. AJ was hanging onto the handlebars but turned around and saw everything becoming dust, and a sea of tree roots chased after them.
"Hey! Where is the exit anyway!?" shouted AJ.
Brigitte didn't respond, focusing on keeping her wheelchair steady, speeding down the halls and dodging and avoiding roots that tried to grab her and her passengers.
AJ tried not to freak out and kept holding onto the handlebars, even when a root nearly grabbed her foot.
"This is not how I was expecting my day to turn out," mumbled AJ, her arm becoming sore from the strong winds, "First, I'm heading home with Amanda to repair my automail, then suddenly, I'm here!"
Aj turned around and saw everything becoming dust. Far in the distance, the orange tree hovered within the black void.
"I have so many questions; I just want some answers!"
The wheelchair sped through the hallway, but the dust of the rotten floor started to reach them, making it dangerous and close to falling into the black void of nothingness.
"But I won't be getting those answers anytime soon if we're fucking dead! Where the hell is that exit, lady!?" shouted AJ.
They were approaching a corner, and Brigitte didn't slow down and quickly turned. The tires left a large trail of dust as they skid, but they were about to lose their balance, making the wheelchair lean. AJ put all her weight on the wheelchair and tried to balance it.
"Come on! Don't give up now!" she grunted, her automail arm groaning and straining from the effort.
The wheelchair straightened up, and Brigitte drove through the halls, heading straight.
"Brig! Where the hell is the exit?" asked AJ again, the ground now covered in dust and the roots getting closer and closer. She looked back at Brigitte, realizing something. "You have no idea where the exit is, do you?"
Brigitte didn't answer, focusing on the path ahead.
"Hey, lady! Can you please give me an answer!? You have no clue, right!?"
The ground became unstable, and the wheelchairs started to lean as the disappearing hall forced them onto a one-way dead-end path.
"Shit! This is bad! We're trapped!" shouted AJ, looking around. There were no doors or any other way out.
"Mommy!" cried Artemis as she hid her face on her chest.
Brigitte was hoping to find the exit, but now? When they reached the end, they would be crushed by the tree's roots and either die or fall into the black void. She didn't like either option, but before she could devise a plan, there was a purple light at the dead end, which quickly faded away and revealed another elevator door that opened to them.
"There! The exit!" shouted Brigitte, cracking up the speed of her wheelchair.
The roots were close, almost about to grab them before they could enter the elevator, but Brigitte felt something on her chest and smiled.
"Morning!"
AJ was too busy trying to swat the roots away with her normal arm and cursing as they kept coming. "Damn it, just go away!" she was about to wing again when someone passed her. "Huh!?"
Leaping toward the endless roots was T2, who finally awakened from her sleep. Using her chip program, she summoned a giant, see-through barrier, blocking the roots from reaching them.
"FUCK OFF!" she screamed, summoning a black-greyish ball, sucking all the roots into it like a black hole but not completely. She smirked at the well-done job but quickly realized she was falling into the black void as the wooden floor under her was gone. 'SHIT!"
As she was falling, she suddenly landed on something. She could see she landed on a metal pillar from AJ, who tapped the wall when they arrived at the elevator.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? WAITING FOR A INVITE!? GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE!"
T2 didn't need to be told twice; she quickly got back on her feet and darted up the pillar. She looked around and saw the floor slowly turning to dust and disappearing into the black void. She had no clue what was happening but wouldn't stay and find out. She increased her running speed, but her leg joints were sparking, causing her to slow down a bit. She turned around and saw the pillar rusting and breaking apart. She cursed loudly and kept going until the rusting metal under her heels reached her, almost making her fall in, but she leaped forward, reaching out to the new stranger who saved her life.
AJ grabbed T2's hand but almost fell out because of T2's weight. She landed on her stomach on the edge of the elevator floor and would have been almost dragged out if Artemis and Brigitte had not grabbed her legs.
"WHAT THE HELL!? YOU ARE MUCH HEAVIER THAN NORMAL ARMOR!?"
T2 looked up at AJ, blushing super red. "FUCKER! I'M NOT THAT HEAVY!" she snapped, trying to pull herself up, but it was hard as her arm joints started sparking, making it hard to move her arms. "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! JUST LET ME IN!"
"3! 2! 1!" shouted Brigitte and Artemis, pulling AJ in, which allowed T2 to enter the elevator as it closed.
"Phew, that was close," said AJ, panting as she slid down the wall.
T2 was on the floor, cursing a storm, but stopped as she glared at AJ.
"Who's the small runt?" asked T2.
"Excuse me!?" AJ replied in an extreme bolt of anger. "I'M STILL GROWING, YOU GIANT PAPERWEIGHT!
"Don't talk down to me, you fucking short stack!" shouted T2.
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, YOU FAT PIECE OF METAL!"
Brigitte rubbed her eyes, seeing that these two were similar in more ways than one. She then turned to Artemis, who suddenly bolted toward T2 and hugged her as she was glad T2 was safe.
"T2!" cried Artemis.
"Hey, hey, hey! Stupid pod, why are you grabbing me like that!?" demanded T2.
Artemis hugged her harder and smiled. "I'm just happy you are okay!"
T2 didn't understand why Artemis hugged her, but she let her. Her body was hurting, and her joints were giving her problems.
"You should rest for a bit. We couldn't fully fix your joints. It's a miracle they didn't catch on fire." said Artemis.
T2 tsked loudly as she sat down, listening to her. AJ also sat down but was still pissed at her as they glared at each other.
"Who the fuck are you?" asked T2.
"Amber James! But everyone calls me AJ. Who the hell are you!?" she asked.
"It's T2, you annoying shrimp. Got a problem with that, you fucking twerp!?"
"Oh yeah!? What about you, you fucking fat ass! Got a problem with that, you overweight pile of garbage!?"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?"
The two were about to fight, but T2 joints sparked, and AJ's automail leg stiffened up, causing the two to sit back down.
"Stupid leg," muttered AJ, rolling up her pants and revealing her automail leg for the first time to everyone.
"Stupid goddamn limbs," groaned T2, letting Artemis check out her joints for any signs of more damage.
"Now, now, you two. Calm down. We're in the same boat here." Brigitte turned to AJ, who was pouring the strange liquid inside her metal leg. "I'll make this short, kid." She could see AJ glaring at her when she heard 'short,' making Brigitte sigh and continue. "Like I said, we're all from different worlds, so things will be weird. T2 here is a android."
AJ stopped pouring and looked at T2. "Android? What's that?" Before Brigitte could answer, Artemis asked T2 to open her panels on the chest area so she could check on her insides. AJ was confused when she saw all the wires, tubes, and machinery inside. "Looks like an automail? How are you alive? I don't see any human organs inside."
"She is an AI-powered robot, an android, a type of artificial intelligence that mimics humans," explained Brigitte.
When AJ heard that, her brain started to think. "So, she's a Homunculus? Like a living doll with a mind that can move and think like a human?"
"Kinda? I guess?" shrugged Brigitte. "I'm guessing in your world, robots, androids, or anything highly advanced is not a thing?"
"No...only Alchemy. Alchemy is the mystical art of manipulating and altering matter using natural energy. This act is known as "Transmutation." Like this." Everyone watched as AJ clapped her hands and touched the floor. Soon electric discharge blasted out, and what was created in front of them was a small metal figure of T2 but with a huge ass.
"Damn brat.' said T2 under her breath.
"Nice trick, but how did you do that?"
"By understanding the makeup and composition of the material and its components. Comprehension, Deconstruction, and Reconstruction. The Three Principles of Alchemy." AJ explained.
"Interesting," said Brigitte, not understanding it at all.
AJ sighed, seeing that everyone didn't understand her. "I'll explain it in a way you'll understand. The mystical practice of alchemy involves creating objects out of raw matter or turning one object into another. I took the matter that was this part of this floor and turned it into another matter."
"Magic?" said T2, thinking this was some form of magic from the Old World in her universe.
Brigitte remembered Terra explaining how another universe has magic than psychic powers, like their universe.
"No, it's not magic, but many who aren't knowledgeable in the craft think so," replied AJ, returning and pouring her strange liquid into the automail leg. "Alchemy is more scientific because it has rules and, as such, is subject to certain laws and limitations, all of which fall under the concept of Equivalent Exchange." She looked up at them, her face becoming more serious. "To obtain or create something, something of equal value must be lost or destroyed." She looked down at the figure she had created, making everyone notice the damaged floor under it. "I had to destroy a small part of the floor to create that. In alchemy, nothing comes from nothing, which means that something of equivalent value must be given up. This is a law of nature, a constant of our world. No one knows why this is so."
"Interesting," said Brigitte, starting to understand, but she looked at AJ's metal limbs and wondered. "Does using Alchemy have drawbacks, or can it be misused? You talked about Homunculus before and now. Also, something about human souls being transferred to a suit of armor."
AJ's mood suddenly changed. "I'm not going to get into the details. It's not a pretty story."
"I'll say," replied Artemis, still checking T2's body. "I just went over what alchemy could be used for, but with the rules you explained, making or recreating human life is impossible. If a soul is placed inside the metal body, it will not be able to survive."
"How are you even talking right now?" asked AJ, pointing out how Artemis is a floating metal with a soul.
"Well, I'm an advanced AI, but..." Artemis's ears lowered. "I have no soul. I am not a real living person."
The mood quickly changed, and there was silence...until T2 touched Artemi's head, petting her.
"Screw that! You have feelings, and you're alive!" said T2.
Artemis smiled. "Thank you."
AJ was still wondering if Artemis and T2 were somehow a version of Homunculus from another world, but she stopped, noticing Brigitte looking at her. She could tell Brigitte must have guessed something bad had happened to her.
"You are wondering how I lost my arm and leg?"
Brigitte didn't answer for a second, but she nodded.
"It's a long story, but I'll give you a short version. Remember what I said about Alchemy having rules? Something of equal value must be lost to obtain or create something."
Brigitte understood now. "You gave up or lost your limbs, but for what?"
AJ sighed deeply and looked at her automail. "My sister and I tried to bring our mother back from the dead. We knew bringing her back was forbidden, but we tried anyway. Using what makes up a human body, we used Alchemy, but we were foolish kids back then..."
AJ looked around the room, trying to understand what was happening, only to look back at the circle and see a giant eye opening up on the floor. Soon, black shadow hands rose from the circle chalk.
"W-What is this!?" said AJ in a panic.
Amanda's eyes widened, and she screamed when the shadows grabbed her arm and destroyed her hand. "SIS!"
"Andy!" screamed AJ, seeing her poor sister breaking down to nothingness, but as she tried to get to her, she felt intense pain in her leg and fell to the floor. She slowly looked at her leg and saw the hands breaking down her leg. "Can't be!? A rebound!?"
"SIS!"
AJ returned to her younger sister, trying her best to fight off the hands, but no matter what, her body was breaking down at an alarming rate. "AMANDA!"
"AAAAHHHHH!"
The two sisters tried to reach for each other, but a bright flash of light appeared.
Standing in the white void with a large floating book behind her, AJ snapped out of the trace she was in and looked around for her sister.
"Amanda!?"
"Hello!"
"Huh? Who are you?"
AJ could see a white figure human with a black mist coming off of them.
The figure rose their arms up, happy. "Oh, I'm so glad you asked! I go by many names! I'm the world! The universe! God or, more commonly known, the author! But also..." they pointed at AJ, and the book behind her opened. "You." AJ slowly turned around and saw the same eye, but it was not looking at her. "You dare open the book, so the book is open!"
AJ could see millions of shadow hands shooting out of the book, grabbing and pulling her toward it. She could only scream in horror.
"Isn't this what you wanted, child?" The figure only watched as AJ tried to stop the book from closing on her. "I'll show you the truth."
The book slammed shut, and within its darkness, AJ fell into eternal nothingness until a bright light appeared.
"It was like all the information in the world poured into my head all at once. It felt like my head was going to burst," explained AJ, not looking at them.
"So what happened?" asked T2, getting invested in this story.
AJ clutched her metal arm with her hand as she remembered what happened next.
"I saw and learned everything. I also learned how my human transmutation was correct but missing something. When the book spit me out, I wanted to learn more, learn what I was missing..."
"Please! You need to show me it again!" begged AJ, pounding on the book, trying to get it to open.
The figure stood up. "I can't do that. I've already shown you all I can for the toll you paid."
"Toll? What toll?"
The figure showed off its leg. "This. Surely you knew." An orange human leg was forming.
AJ suddenly felt pain in her leg, and she quickly looked at it, seeing it broken down into nothingness. She started to panic and almost fell forward, but she could see the figure catching her, and both their faces were to face to face now.
"it's the law of equivalent exchange, isn't it right, young alchemist?" It smiled, its teeth showing, and it made AJ freak out.
"AAAAAHHHHHH!"
AJ found herself back in her house and the room. She held her leg as blood was pouring out. She struggled but got on her hands and remaining knee.
"Damn it! This can't be happening!" she looked at her bleeding leg and then at her sister's clothes that were lying there. AJ realized she gave up her leg and her sister's body in exchange for bringing their mother back. "WHAT I HAVE DONE!?" she fell to the floor, crying and begging someone to help her as she closed her eyes. She even started to call out to her mother. "Mom...please..."
AJ opened her eyes as the exchange was finished, and she saw a twisted human figure in the middle of the circle. It looked female as its body was grey, its ribs poked out of its chest, and its legs were backward. Its bloodshot eyes were looking at her, trying to talk, but it was in too much pain.
"A-Ab..." was all the twisted human flesh could say before dying as blood started to leak out of its damaged body.
"M-Mom..." whispered AJ, seeing what she had done. 'No...this is wrong! This isn't what we wanted! Andy!" She hung her head in sadness and regret. "This is my fault!" She looked back up, crying hard. "ANDY NO!"
AJ knocked over a suit of armor to the ground and slowly dragged herself toward the empty inside; using her blood, she created a Human Soul Binding rune circle.
"Give her back! She's my little sister! Take my leg, take my arm, take my heart, TAKE ANYTHING! YOU CAN HAVE IT!" AJ was sobbing uncontrollably now. "Just give her back! She's my little sister, and she's all I have left!" She clapped her hands, and a bright flash filled the room.
"So, to get your sister's soul back and into a suit of armor, you lost..." whispered Brigitte, not believing what she just heard.
"My right arm, yeah," replied AJ.
Brigitte's mind was blown away. This was a lot more extreme than she thought. She didn't know what to say, but T2 did, who spoke up.
"You gave a part of yourself to save your sister...but in the end, didn't you just make her suffer more? By locking her into that suit of armor? She's not human anymore!" T2 started to get mad, and she didn't know why. "No, you didn't truly save her! You failed her! Giving up your arm wasn't enough! Why didn't you give more!? Why did you stop at just that!? Why not give your life!? You're a failure!"
AJ's face twisted with anger, and she shouted at T2, "SHUT UP! You don't understand anything!"
"I DO!" shouted T2 as she stood up and knocked Artemis off. "LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT MY DAMN BODY! IT'S BREAKING DOWN BECAUSE I KEPT FIGHTING! FIGHTING TO REVENGE MY FALLEN SISTERS! I WILL GLADLY GIVE MORE OF MY BODY TO MY CAUSE! I DON'T CARE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO THIS DAMAGED BODY OF MINE!" she rushed toward AJ and picked her up by her collar. "BUT LOOK AT YOU! JUST GAVE A FUCKING ARM AND NOTHING ELSE! YOU'RE WEAK!"
"I SAID SHUT UP!" AJ punched T2's chest, and the blow sent her back a bit, but what happened next was AJ's automail hand breaking apart, exposing the wires and parts that help move her hand. "No..."
T2 could see the damage on her chest and AJ's automail hand.
"Your sister should be ashamed to have you as her big sister. You're weak, and you should just..."
"You really don't think I'll save her?" asked AJ.
"Huh?"
AJ slowly looked at T2; her anger was gone and replaced with determination. "I returned to that white void and found her body rotting away. I couldn't get her body back right there and then, but I made a promise to her! I broke through that damn book and told her!" AJ started to cry, but her eyes never changed expression. "One day soon, I'll be coming back for her! Just wait, I said to her!" She then pointed to T2, her determination not wavering. "I will not let my sister down! I will not be weak! Even if these automail break down and become junk, I'll keep going by replacing them! These damn metals don't make me who I am! It's not a part of me! It's just an extension of me! No matter what I have, I'll keep moving forward for her! For myself! To keep that promise!" She looked at T2's body and then looking at her face. "But look at you! You made your body like this! You made it weak because you're a coward! Seeing it as a tool and not a part of you!"
"H-How dare you! I am not a coward!" T2 shouted back.
"Are you not!? Then why is your body in this condition!? If you truly are fighting for a cause, a goal to reach! Then why is your damn body like this!? At least I upkeep my automail because, as I said, it is an extension of me, but you? It's who you are! You have a reason, but you are letting your damn cowardness hold you back from reaching that goal! You are not fighting for them! You're just doing it to run away! Hoping your body breaks down and dies fully!"
"HOW DARE YOU!" shouted T2, losing her composure, and she lunged at AJ.
"NO! PLEASE!" screamed Artemis, flying over and getting between the two.
"Move it, pod! This has nothing to do with you!"
"I won't move! Stop fighting! Please! I beg you!" Artemis cried, shaking her body.
AJ could see how upset she made Artemis. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lose my cool there."
"It's alright." Artemis's ears lowered.
T2 was about to say something, but she felt her arm being tugged. She turned and could see Brigitte giving her a disappointed stare.
"What? You have nothing to say?" asked T2.
"Your anger got the better of you. I'm ashamed you couldn't control it," Brigitte replied, still looking at her.
T2 was silent. Her eyes shifted a bit, and she felt Brigitte's disappointment in her, and she couldn't stand it.
"Whatever..." T2 muttered. She sat back down in the corner of the small elevator, trying her hardest not to look at anyone.
Artemis sighed, "I'm sorry, AJ."
AJ waved her hand. "It's alright. We just got the better of us."
Brigitte sighed; she knew those two would always be at each other's throats and wasn't looking forward to that. But there was something she noticed. Before she could think about it more, she heard a ding.
The elevator doors opened, and they looked out and became confused about what they saw.
"Well, this got freaking weird..." stated Brigitte, as in front of them was a huge endless room of ball pits as far as the eyes could see.
Somewhere in the other rooms, a pink girl with pony ears but also having normal ears could be seen.
"Wheeeee!" shouted a girl with great joy as she descended the slide and landed in the ball pits.
She swam through the pit, got out, ran around it to the slide, and went down it again. She kept doing this until a net filled with balls above somehow broke loose and dropped on her. The happy girl sensed something within the balls.
"I'm not going to fight!" she said, letting the balls fall on her. A pink living balloon-shaped pony was floating in mid-air, but thanks to the girl, something was holding it up—which was invisible arms. She turned to the balloon pony, smiling.
Spark stopped as she and the others could hear Twilight fighting with her mom.
"Twilight Sparkle!" shouted Twilight Velvet, angry that her daughter wasn't answering her question about why she tossed out her father like that. "You better give me a good reason why you did that! He's your father! The colt who raised you and loved you and everything else!"
"Mother, I'm not going to fight with you." Twilight tried to walk away, but her brother stopped her. "Not you, too, brother!"
"Twily calm down, and let's talk about this. Mother wants answers, and I agree with her."
Soon, Twilight started to fight with her family, and even Cadance, Dash, and Dash's parents had to get between them. As this happened, Flutterheart saw Spark looking sad, got up, and headed to the library's kitchen.
"Spark?"
Flurry Heart followed her and could see her crying at the table.
"They are fighting because of you..." whispered Spark to herself.
Flurry Heart saw a flash of the past, seeing Braver alone and crying. Saying the same and looking at her.
"You were right. I'm just a burden to my mothers. I should go away as you told me, cousin..." Braver corrected herself. "Flutterheart."
Flurry Heart remembered what she had done that day and slowly walked up to Spark, who took notice of her. Before Spark could say anything to her, Flurry Heart sat down and hung her head in shame.
"It was me!"
"Huh?" said Spark, not understanding what Flurry Heart meant by that. "What do you mean?"
Flurry Heart looked up at her, and with tears running down her regretful face, she answered her.
End of Chapter 17
Author's Note
Fun fact: I have been remembering and writing Flurry Heart's name wrong this whole time. Lmao, I always thought her name was Flutterheart, but it's not. Oops.
Fixed it in the past chapters AND in the Our Name chapters where she appeared.
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Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 18: Always Being There For One Another
It was completely silent in the kitchen, as the only noise was the fighting from outside the other room. Flurry Heart hung her head in shame as she finally told Spark what she had done to Braver all those years ago. She kept her eyes on the kitchen floor, her tears dropping and hitting it. She feared what Spark would do to her after seeing how mad and powerful she could get.
"I-I didn't mean to! I'm sorry! I was upset and mad and wasn't thinking clearly about everything else as I was going through a phase. I'm sorry. Please, don't hate me," begged Flurry.
"It's okay."
Flurry looked up and saw Spark looking at her with a smile. "What?"
"You did the right thing, telling me." Spark looked at the floor and listened to the fighting. "I guess Braver had it rough, too, huh? When she grew up in this Equestria, did she feel like this, too? Thinking she was making things worse by inserting herself into this family?" She looked back at Flurry, who had a confused expression. "Don't worry about it. Maybe we deserved it? Not to be part of this family?"
"Why do you think that?" asked Flurry, tilting her head.
"Well, I've been doing nothing but causing them trouble. So maybe it's right to kick me out? Maybe..."
Flurry suddenly saw the flashes of young Braver crying and looking at her.
"Maybe it is better that I never came here. My mothers deserve better than what I can give them. Somepony who can make them proud and not worry about the problems...I'm just a burden to them..."
"NO, YOU ARE NOT!"
Spark looked at Flurry in surprise. She was standing up, and tears were running down her face. She looked angry—not at Spark but at herself.
"Don't say that...Braver said that too when I hurt her three years ago..."
three years ago
Billion blue and yellow balloons shot into the air, and music could be heard. The whole part of the castle's secondary garden outside became a party for Braver's birthday. This year's theme was based on the Wonderbolts, as Braver wanted her mother and the Wonderbolts to platform a night show. Everyone arrived dressed up as Wonderbolts.
"This is so exciting!" said Cadance, walking out to the garden in a pink and heart-themed Wonderbolt suit. She held a birthday present with her magic. "I can't wait to see everyone else in their outfits."
Shining walked in, wearing a shield theme version of the suit. "I must say, Dash went all the way out for this theme! Oh, even some of the Wonderbolts are doing autographs!" He turned back, waiting for someone to join them, but sighed after a few seconds. "Flurry, come on now. This is your cousin's birthday! Come out of the shadows already."
The two parents watched Flurry enter the bright, sunny garden, but she wasn't dressed up. Instead, she was emo-looking, even with her black mane hiding one of her eyes. Shining sighed at seeing his daughter going through an emo phase.
"Whatever. I don't know why I have to come. She's not even my cousin!" she hissed, walking past her parents and heading for a tree, where she would spend her time reading and ignoring everyone else.
"She'll grow out of this. It's a phase. Just give her time." said Cadance, putting her wing over her husband. "...I hope."
"It's starting," stated Shining, looking up at the sky, where the Wonderbolts and Rainbow Dash were getting ready to introduce the birthday mare.
Flurry sat down and sighed, seeing everyone gathering and looking at the clear blue sky. She took out her book and started to read, but she couldn't focus, as the music was too loud. She looked back and saw some ponies talking to her parents and showing off their outfits. She growled, got up, and headed inside the castle, trying to find somewhere quiet. Soon, the music went off, and the loudspeakers had Sunset's voice.
"Alright, everyone! It's time to welcome the birthday mare!"
Flurry looked up and saw the Wonderbolts soaring by, leaving behind colorful smoke. Soon enough, following them was Dash. Dash zapped across the sky, doing tricks and finally stopping in the middle of the sky, where Fluttershy came up to her and handed her a mic.
"You thought that was something? Then look at her!"
Soon, Braver flew into view for everyone to see. Unlike her mother, Braver wasn't going fast, but she didn't care. She was enjoying her time with Wonderbolts, from current members to former members like Spitfire, joining her side and giving their birthday greetings to her. Braver stopped and looked down at everyone. She saw her friends, creatures she befriended and helped over the years, and she looked back up, flew over, and stopped in front of her mother, who was smiling and proud of her. This was one of the greatest days of her life.
"Mommy!" shouted Braver happily, tackling her mother in mid-air.
Dash couldn't help but smile at her daughter. Braver's happiness made her the happiest mare in Equestria. She was about to speak into her mic, but she could see Braver looking around after letting go. No doubt, she is looking for Twilight. Dash covered the mic with her hoof and touched a crystal in her ear with the feathers of her wing.
"Hey, Sunset, where's Twilight? She was meant to hover down between us right now."
"I'm not sure, but she said she was taking care of something and would meet you two soon," Sunset explained.
Dash sighed. "Oh, Twilight. You better not be lost in your head again." Dash coughed and floated to her daughter. "Hey, sweet pea! Mom is running late, but she'll be here soon!" She could see her daughter's ears flopping down in disappointment. "Hey, don't be like that. How about this? Why don't you open my gift first? Here!" Dash was gone in a flash and returned in ten seconds flat, holding a small gift-wrapped package. "Open it!"
Braver smiled and looked down at her mother's gift. She carefully took off the paper, not wanting to ruin it.
"Hurry up, blockhead!" shouted Cozy, getting annoyed at how long it took, but Luster smacked her side, telling her to shut it.
Braver finally unwrapped the gift, and her eyes were filled with pure joy. In front of her was an official Wonderbolt suit; she lowered it and saw her mother smiling.
"Happy birthday, sweet pea!"
Braver used her slime to get into the suit quickly and hugged her mother. Soon, the party fully started.
"Tsk, lame." coldly said Flurry, looking away and entering the castle, away from the happy party and its music.
She was looking for a good place to read her book, somewhere dark and quiet, but she didn't get far. Walking down the hallway, she could hear Twilight talking to herself in her office. Flurry slowly approached the door and saw her aunty blushing as she held her purple Wonderbolt suit against her chest.
"This is so embarrassing..." whispered Twilight, trying to control her blush. "Why am I getting so worked up? It's just a costume party."
"It's not a costume party. It's a birthday party," corrected Spike, who was in the room with her and putting away the paperwork that Twilight had finished not too long ago. "And you should stop overthinking this and relax. Braver wants to see you."
"I know... I know." sighed Twilight. "I'm just worried."
"Worried about what?" asked Spike, looking at her now.
Twilight sighed and put the suit back into the box.
"Braver wanted a Wonderbolt theme party, but..." she didn't want to tell Spike the truth, as he might laugh at her. "But...isn't she getting too old for costume theme parties?" she lied.
Spike looked at her and rolled his eyes. "Twilight, stop overthinking everything and enjoy your daughter's birthday. Have fun with everyone. You can't stay cooped up in here." He put the last paper away and headed for the door. "I'm not staying here! Pinkie made her Endless Cake for this party! So tasty!" He licked his lips. "I hope no one falls in again like what happened with AJ. She still talks about that weird yellow room she saw."
Flurry hid behind the opened door and watched as Spike headed to the party outside. She peeked inside again and could see Twilight picking up the Wonderbolt suit. Like before, she blushed.
"Aunty?"
Twilight quickly put the suit away and looked to the door, where Flurry stood.
"Oh, hey, Flurry. Sorry, but your aunty is busy. Have fun at the party, and I know Braver wanted to see you again."
"Umm..." said Flurry, looking away and thinking about what she was about to say. "Are you...are you going to wear that?"
"Huh?" replied Twilight, surprised that her niece was asking about that. "What do you mean?"
"Wonderbolt suit. Are you going to wear it?"
Twilight blushed and looked away, not wanting to tell her the truth. But she looked back and noticed that her niece wasn't wearing the themed outfit but looked all...gloomy. That's when she remembered what Cadance told her in the letter.
"So, I heard you going through an emo phase? Well, that's nice, but could you at least wear something that matches the theme, like the Wonderbolt outfit Rarity sent you?"
Flurry walked past her aunt, sat in her office chair, and put the book on the table. "It's not a phase, Aunty! This is who I am now!" she turned the book's page. "And I'm not wearing that silly outfit!"
Twilight watched as her niece got comfortable in her chair and started to read her book. Twilight sighed and walked over to her.
"Flurry, this is Braver's birthday! She wanted a Wonderbolt theme. Please, for her birthday, at least try to have fun."
Flurry looked up from her book and saw Aunty looking at her with a soft and kind smile. She blew her black mane from her eye a bit. "Why should I wear that lame outfit? Even you don't want to wear it, Aunty!"
Twilight sighed, knowing that Flurry was right. She didn't want to wear the outfit.
"See? Why should I wear such a lame outfit?"
"Because we're doing it for Braver!"
"That doesn't change anything, Aunty." Flurry shut her book, annoyed that Aunt was trying to convince her. "I don't want to wear it, and I won't wear it. It's just a stupid Wonderbolt suit."
"Braver loves Wonderbolts," argued Twilight.
"Stop it, Aunty, I'm not wearing a lame outfit! It's embarrassing."
Twilight looked at her niece. She could see Flurry's anger and annoyance and was getting annoyed by how Flurry acted.
"Look, you are right. Wearing this outfit might be lame, and I don't want to wear it too, but it's-"
"Lame?"
"Huh?" Twilight looked to the doorway; her heart sank when she saw her daughter there, looking heartbroken. "B-Braver?"
"Lame? You don't want to wear it, mom?" she asked, tears forming.
"What? No, I didn't mean—"
"She did mean it. Aunty even told Spike how you are acting like a foal, still doing theme parties for your birthday," teased Flurry, putting her book back into her saddlebag.
"W-what?! Flurry!" yelled Twilight, glaring at her niece.
"No, it's okay, mom." Braver smiled sadly. "It's okay. You don't have to lie to me. I can see it."
Twilight watched as her daughter turned and left.
"Braver, wait!" Twilight ran toward the doorway and looked out, seeing Braver disappearing as she turned a corner. "Sweetie!"
Flurry watched as Twilight went after Braver, leaving her alone. After getting it back out from her saddlebag, she opened her book and started reading, but something bothered her. She tried to focus, but no matter what, she felt something was eating away at her. She shut her book and put it in her saddlebag once more. She left the office and went back to the entrance of the garden.
"Huh?" Flurry was surprised to see what was going on. Her aunt nervously smiled, greeting everyone while following Braver, who was ignoring her. She saw Dash also noticing this and flew over to Twilight, asking what was wrong.
"Sweetie, there you are," said Cadance, holding a plate of food. "Have you decided to join after all?"
"No," said Flurry, looking past her.
Cadance sighed at her daughter's antics. "Fine, can you at least say happy birthday to your cousin?" She turned to where Braver was now, which was in the gazebo. "Odd, she looks upset; I wonder why?"
When her mother said that, Flurry started to feel the same feeling as before.
"I need to go."
"Huh?"
Flurry dashed away and towards the gazebo.
"F-Flurry? Oh, I guess she wanted to be with Braver after all!" She picked up a hot grilled corn and was about to eat it when she heard Dash yelling at Twilight. She wasn't the only one who noticed; Twilight's friends did as well. "What's going on?"
Flurry stopped at the gazebo; she breathed in and entered it. "Hello?"
"Huh?" said Braver, turning to her cousin.
"Hey, uh, I wanted to tell you that..." she wanted to say sorry but stopped herself as she saw Braver's face. She went back to her emo ego. "...I'm not going to wear that dumb Wonderbolt suit. If you don't want me here, then I'll leave."
"N-no!" exclaimed Braver. "I want you here!" Braver got closer to her cousin, happy she had come.
It was quiet between them. Flurry didn't know what to say or do, and Braver just looked at her, trying to find the words. It was an awkward silence.
"So, why haven't you returned any of my letters?" Braver asked, breaking the ice.
Flurry didn't want to answer her, so she shrugged.
"Oh..."
Silence again. Flurry didn't want to be here.
"I'm going to go—"
"Can we hang out sometime?"
Flurry looked back at her cousin, and Braver was smiling worryingly.
"W-what?"
"We've grown apart, but I'm glad you're here. I missed you. And, well, I wanted to see if you wanted to spend some time with me." she put her hoof out to her, hoping she would take it.
Flurry thought about her cousin's offer and looked at the hoof. She wanted to take it, but she smacked it away.
"No thanks, and we are not 'grew apart.'"
"Yes, we did," she replied, returning her hoof. "We never spend time with each other. We haven't spoken since—"
"I never saw you as a cousin or part of my family!" Flurry turned away from her and snapped her tail at Braver's nose. "There was no growing apart like you think!"
Braver touched her nose, feeling the sting. "So, I'm not part of your family?"
"Nope, and I have no problem saying it." she eyed her. "You aren't even a pony like me or my family. You have no place in this family at all."
Before Braver could say anything, the two could hear fighting coming from where Braver's parents were. They could see Dash was really mad at Twilight, but their friends were trying to defuse the situation.
"Mommy? Mother?" whispered Braver, wondering why they were fighting.
"It's because of you!"
Braver was surprised by Flurry's sudden answer.
"You are just a burden to my aunt, you know. She's just putting up with you for your birthday. She's only nice to you because she doesn't want to hurt your feelings after taking you in and can't stand you. She probably hates your guts." Flurry had no idea why she was saying all this. Why was she so angry at Braver?
Braver looked down, tears falling from her eyes. "I-Is that true?"
"Why would it not be? She never loved you and—"
Flurry stopped and looked at her cousin, who had tears running down her cheeks. Braver was sobbing...and her body started to turn to slime and melt. Flurry's heart was racing as she remembered why she was angry at Braver.
"Monster! Trying to be a pony when you're not! I hate you, and my aunt does too!"
"No, she doesn't!"
"Yes, she does, and you know it! Why do you think she doesn't want to wear the outfit?! You're just a burden and nothing but a monster! Forcing my aunty to love you!"
Braver started to get mad, her slime body turning black and her eyes turning white. Flurry started to back away, scared.
"No! She doesn't! She's my mother! She's the nicest and best mother in the world!" Braver unleashed a slime mass at Flurry, pushing her out of the gazebo.
Flurry hit the ground and landed hard on her rump. She got up and glared at Braver, who had her head low, crying. Her slime covered the gazebo and soon spread the whole garden. Everyone quickly took notice and started to back away from it.
Dash and Twilight saw the spreading slime. With her anger gone, Dash was worried and looked back at Twilight, who looked scared.
"Braver! I'm sorry!" yelled Twilight.
Braver's slime started to destroy everything in the garden, making everyone flee to the castle as it got bigger.
"She's going to blow!" yelled Pinkie as she and her family jumped into the endless cake. Soon, a group of hooves popped out and made the cake disappear into the castle.
Everyone, including the staff, hid inside the castle. Twilight and Dash stayed outside. Twilight was going to try to stop her, but Dash grabbed her.
"You did enough, Twi! You are just going to make it even more worse!"
Twilight glared at her. "How dare you!"
Dash and Twilight return to fighting with each other, making Braver hear them fighting once more. This broke her heart so much...without warning, she called back her slime and covered the gazebo with it, closing herself from the world.
The fighting and the shouting ended, and everything was silent. The only sounds were Twilight and Dash pounding on the slime walls and hearing Braver crying.
"Braver!? Sweetie! I didn't mean to hurt your feelings!" shouted Twilight.
"We're not fighting anymore; you don't need to be upset! Please, let us in!" pleaded Dash.
No matter how much they yelled, Braver didn't let them in.
"She won't let us in," said Dash, leaning her forehead on the slime.
Twilight tried to use her teleportation magic to enter it, but she was tossed out immediately. Twilight kept doing it over and over again, but it kept failing.
"Sweetie!" cried Twilight, leaning on the wall of slime, putting her forehead on the wall like Dash did. "Please..."
Twilight's friends and family got closer, while Braver's friends joined them. They were trying to help get through to Braver, but Flurry couldn't understand why. Why did they care for a fake pony—a slime monster trying to be something it wasn't? Her anger grew again, and she just shouted at them.
"Why!? She's just a monster! Why do you all care about her? Why do you keep pretending she's not a monster?"
"Flurry!" shouted Shining, surprised at what his daughter yelled.
"It's the truth, Dad! Ever since I saw that newspaper photo of her when she saved New Ponyville, looking like a slime monster, I was disgusted! I can't believe my aunty took in and raised such a disgusting monster, a fake pony!"
"She's not a fake!" shouted Twilight, glaring at her niece.
"Yes, she is, Aunty! You can't deny it, can you? You have a fake pony daughter, and you know it." she could see her aunt walking toward her. "She doesn't belong in this family! She doesn't deserve the love that you or anyone here gives her! She's a monster and nothing else!"
"Enough, Flurry!"
Flurry looked at her mother and saw her looking mad.
"No, Mom, Aunty needs to hear the truth, and maybe that 'thing' can-"
Slap
Flurry could feel her cheek in pain. Her eyes widened as she couldn't believe what happened as her brain was still processing the pain. Her aunt had slapped her.
"Don't. You. Dare. Call. My. Daughter. A. THING!" screamed Twilight, using her Royal Canterlot voice, her eyes glowing bright purple. "SHE'S MORE OF A PONY THAN YOU ARE, FLURRY! SHE'S MY DAUGHTER, AND I LOVE HER, AND THAT WILL NEVER CHANGE!"
Flurry looked at her aunt and saw her angry expression. She had never seen her aunt be mad or even hit her. She felt so small as she lowered herself to the ground, scared.
"THE THINGS MY DAUGHTER HAS BEEN THROUGH! LOSING HER REAL PARENTS! NOT ABLE TO SEE HER TWIN SISTER ANYMORE! LOSING HER HOME!" She lowered her head and became face-to-face with Flurry. "SHE KNOWS SHE'S DIFFERENT! SHE KNEW OTHERS WOULD JUDGE HER ON HER APPEARANCE AND WHAT SHE WAS WHEN THE TRUTH CAME OUT! BUT SHE KEPT MOVING FORWARD! THROUGH ALL THAT PAIN..." Flurry flinched as she saw her aunt dropping to her knees, sobbing and voice being quiet. "She's so brave, like her namesake...I was so happy when I could take her in and love her like a real daughter. Protect her from getting hurt ever again, but to see one of my family members calling her a thing...hurting her feelings like this."
"...a-aunty, I-I..." but Flurry had no words.
"Even more so, coming from you, of all ponies." Twilight looked up, and Flurry could see the betrayed look on her face. "When Braver first met her new family, you welcomed her with open arms. You were her best friend, her cousin." Twilight looked down at the ground. "She loved you so much. She would talk about how you would play games and talk about romance books. I'm surprised that's even a thing you both enjoy."
Twilight just sat there, softly crying. Flurry wanted to say something to her, but she heard her mother's voice, which she rarely heard from her...disappointment.
"You need to apologize, Flurry." Cadance had a cold tone as she walked towards her. "You upset your cousin and called her a monster. Twilight also told me what you did in her office. Now look what you created!" Cadance pulled Flurry by her ear and, using her wing, pointed to everyone gathering and trying to reach out to Braver. "If you are really going to judge someone by their looks or origins, then you're no better than those who hurt other creatures! Look around you; different races are all here! The ones Braver met and helped with her friends over the years! Everyone here cares and loves her! They don't see a monster or a fake pony; they see her as a wonderful creature worth the world. And right now, your cousin needs a lot of support from her loved ones."
Cadance let go of Flurry's ear and sighed. "And you are one of them. Just by looking at that regretful expression on your face..." Cadance could see tears falling from Flurry's eyes, ruining her emo makeup. "Deep down, you know what you said was wrong and not true."
Flurry was now crying, and she knew it. She hated herself for all the pain she had caused her cousin and her aunt, and she didn't know how she was going to fix it. She looked at the slimed cover gazebo and knew what to do. She looked back at her aunt, seeing Dash trying to comfort her.
"I'll bring her back."
Everyone turned and watched Flurry teleport into the gazebo, only to be tossed right back out. She quickly stood and tried again. Over and over again, she kept being tossed out, but she kept at it, and the wet slime washed off her makeup and mane dye, making her look normal again.
"BRAVER!" shouted Flurry, using all her magical energy, becoming a bright, very light yellow orb of aura. "COUSIN! I'M NOT BACKING DOWN! PLEASE, LET ME IN!"
Flurry teleported in with the last of her energy, and finally, the slime stopped. Flurry was now inside the gazebo and saw Braver was crying. Braver looked up at her.
"Maybe it is better that I never came here. My mothers deserve better than what I can give them. Somepony who can make them proud and not worry about the problems...I'm just a burden to them..."
"NO, YOU ARE NOT!"
Flurry rushed up to her and hugged her.
"I'm so sorry for saying all those awful things to you, cousin. It was wrong, and I shouldn't have said any of it."
Braver pushed her away.
"Why would I believe you?"
"Because it's true. I am sorry. I never meant to hurt your feelings. I love you, and you are my family!"
Braver wasn't sure Flurry's words had any weight, so she changed into her real form, a slime creature with a pony shape.
"Even when I look like this? I'm not even a pony," said Braver, sounding like she was speaking through an old radio
Flurry smiled and hugged her. "You don't need to be a pony. We may have our differences, but you're still a wonderful cousin."
"What about—"
"My mom was right; I'm judging you based on looks and where you came from, not who you are! Family!" She held Braver tighter. "It shouldn't matter if you aren't blood-related to us and were taken in by my aunt! Family is the family you make by loving them!" She pulled back and smiled at her cousin. "You're my cousin, and that will never change. Please forgive me."
"I do! Cousin!"
Flury smiled, but her expression became painful as her face changed to purple. "Braver! TOO TIGHT!"
"Oh, sorry!"
Flurry could breathe again and rubbed her back. The two looked at each other and laughed, laughing as the slime walls started to melt away and back into Braver's body.
"I was such an idiot back then when I was going through that stupid phase." She looked back up at Spark but couldn't look her in the eyes, not after telling her what she had done to Braver. "Family isn't meant to hurt one another. We are meant to be there for each other."
Spark looked at the floor, thinking what Flurry had said and what even Dash's parents had said to her.
"Families always stick together and protect each other. Family aren't meant to hurt one another. We are meant to be there for each other." She looked back at Flurry, stood from her chair, and walked over to her. Spark could see her flinching when she stood before. "Flurry..."
Flurry closed her eyes hard, fearing Spark would hurt her, and she deserved it. But what she felt wasn't pain but a warm hug...
"H-Huh?"
"It's like you and what my mom's parents said to me. We aren't meant to hurt each other! We are meant to love and be there for one another!" Spark's eyes were filling with tears. "You might have hurt my sister, but she forgave you, so I forgive you, too. I want to start things right between you and the rest of the family! I want to know you better and even have the honor of having you call me cousin!"
Flurry couldn't believe it, but she knew it was real. She was crying, and she couldn't help but cry and hug her new cousin.
"Thank you, Spar-cousin!" she corrected herself, happily crying.
The two pulled back, smiling and crying at each other. They let go, and Spark stood up and turned to the doorway. She could still hear the fighting from before, but it was less loud. She knew she needed to step in and fix what was happening, and no doubt was related to her somehow. But before she could do it, she turned to Flurry, asking her a question.
"Wait, Braver reads romantic novels?" She was surprised when Flurry told her that. Spark never liked that kind of boring book, but Braver did. "I thought she was clueless on love until a week ago?"
Flurry laughed at that. "Well, she never read the novels for the love stuff. Only about the love interest being a great pony and helping those around them and their dearest love!"
Spark shook her head in amusement, knowing that was such a Braver thing to do. But another question filled her mind.
"Why didn't mom, Twilight, want to wear that Wonderbolt suit?"
Flurry blushed red as she awkwardly smiled. "...well."
After patching up with Braver and being grounded for the month, Flurry steps back into the garden. Seeing the birthday party is back on track. It was nighttime, and before gift opening could start, there was the happy birthday song before Braver could blow out the candles on the cake. She flew and sang along to everyone as Braver stood above the giant cake. Dash was at her side, but Twilight was nowhere to be seen. As the song ended, Braver was about to blow out the candles when the candles floated away.
"Huh?" said everyone, watching the candles floating to the sky and stopping near someone.
Braver eyes went wide with joy as she saw her mother hovering there, wearing her theme Wonderbolt suit. Braver flew off with Dash behind her.
"Mom!" shouted Braver, hugging her.
"Sorry, I'm late, sweetie."
Braver shook her head. "Nah, you're fine."
Twilight kissed her daughter on the cheek, and Dash arrived. Soon, both started to sing Happy Birthday to her while sky dancing around her.
Everyone down below watched in awe, happy to see Twilight singing Happy Birthday and Braver enjoying her time with her mothers. As the song ended, all three returned to the cake with the candles back in place. Braver blew them out. She cut herself a piece and flew up above everyone.
"EVERYONE! GET YOUR SLICES!" shouted Braver.
"EVERY CREATURE FOR THEMSELVES!" shouted Pinkie, running to the cake. Soon, everyone followed.
Flurry couldn't help but chuckle and was glad everything was returning to normal. But before she could fly to get a slice of cake, Twilight, and Dash landed near her and heard Dash asking Twilight a question.
"Come on, Twi. Tell me why you didn't want to wear that Wonderbolt suit. I highly doubt what you said was true anyway. Besides, It looks good on ya!"
"Dash, I don't want to talk about it, okay?" Twilight said in her authoritative voice.
But that didn't stop Dash. "Come on, Twi! I'm not going to stop bugging you about it!" she teased as she grabbed a drink from a passing maid who was handing out drinks.
Twilight sighed, knowing Dash would bother her nonstop about it. "Fine...just..." her cheeks went red. "Just don't laugh..."
"Okay."
Twilight gulped and turned her back towards Dash.
"It makes my rear look big...no?"
Dash spit her drink out and started to cough. Dash looked and quickly went red.
Twilight even went red in the face as she got her answer from Dash, whose wings stood up. She quickly faced Dash and coughed.
"See! This is why I didn't wear it! Now you know and-"
"...makes your butt look huge..."
Twilight froze, not believing what she heard. "What?"
Dash, still blushing red, rubbed the back of her neck.
"I mean, uh, I don't mind, Twilight. Your butt looks fine, but with that uniform, it looks...it brings out your figure..."
The two became quiet, both blushing like shy little fillies.
"...w-well, uh, um..." Twilight couldn't say anything.
Meanwhile, Flurry couldn't stop giggling when she heard all that.
Spark laughed at what she heard.
"Mom was worried about the suit making her butt look big. That's why she was so nervous about wearing it!? Oh my gosh!" She was laughing more.
Flurry chuckled, feeling good.
Flurry stopped and looked at Spark's hybrid form. She knew Spark came from another universe, where Spark's parents were a version of her aunty and Dash. "Even if you aren't related by blood in this universe, you carry my aunty genes."
Spark turned, confused, as she didn't understand what she meant.
Flurry slowly glared at Spark's huge chest, laughing a bit. "Just more top heavy than bottom heavy!"
Spark was even more confused. She didn't understand that, but she felt...happy? She had been given a compliment...about having Twilight's features.
"Thanks?"
Spark looked back at the doorway and breathed in and out. She was ready to fix the problem with her new family.
In Luster's dark bedroom, Twilah lay still sleeping, havingn't woken up yet. Even though she slept, she still looked like she was suffering, as her sweating forehead and heavy breathing were evident.
Twilah's body started to twitch. Her face scrunched up, and her breathing quickened. She was having a nightmare as well.
Dashie was still asleep in the chair at Twilah's side. She hugged the blanket and moved a bit. The small robotic dragon sat on the dresser, S.P.I.K.E. was in sleep mode.
Soon, a bright flash of light quickly disappeared as a young girl stood by Twilah's bed.
Her outfit was a runner's outfit with a purple jacket. Her long hair was a slightly mandy pink with hints of yellow. She took out a small bottle of purple liquid and looked at it. She slowly clutched it hard as she looked back at Twilah.
"If you save her, then things won't go your way. You will only cause pain."
The girl looked behind her and saw a cloaked purple figure standing there. Reading a book, not even looking at her.
The girl growled and looked back at the bed, seeing Twilah still breathing and not waking up.
"I'll tell you this. If you undo her fate, you are dooming the one you love." The figure shut her book loudly. "To never exist."
The girl looked back and saw the cloaked figure gone, and the room was now dark. Once again, she looked at the bottle, back at Twilah, and then over to Dashie. The young girl looked so sad, like she wanted to call out to them, wanted them to notice her, but she couldn't. She felt alone and lost, not knowing what to do.
The girl put away the bottle and hung her head in sadness, only to turn around as a bright light appeared. She heard a voice from it.
Twilah started to hear something like two people talking and speaking.
"Dashie?"
She weakly opened her eyes and saw no there.
"H-Huh? Twilah!?" answered Dashie, waking up and fully. "What's wrong!? Are you in pain!? I'll get-"
Twilah weakly grabbed the lover's arm, stopping her from leaving.
"Dashie, why are you here?" asked Twilah.
Dashie blinked and was confused by that question. "Um...what?"
"You should be with Spark, helping her...helping her with her issues." Twilah let go, as her strength was leaving her again. "She's our family! She's our daughter, like Blitz. She needs to know that. Know that there is always room for her...she always has a home with us."
Dashie just watched, listening to Twilah's words. She was right; she should be out there, helping Spark. She was their family, and she should be there for her. Dashie wanted to be by Twilah's side when she was like this, but what she was doing wasn't helping anyone right now.
"Right!"
Dashie softly grabbed Twilah's hand and kissed it.
"I'll be going then...just be here when I return!"
Twilah smiled at her.
"I can't never outrun you, silly..."
Dashie sadly chuckled at that and kissed her. She turned and headed towards the door and stopped. She could hear fighting coming downstairs. Wondering what was happening, she hurried out of the room and closed the door.
Twilah's eyes felt heavy once more, and she slowly fell asleep. But she could see a bright purple bubble revealing itself as the sleep took her once more.
Standing alongside the young girl was a human hybrid purple unicorn wearing a familiar jacket. They were holding hands, but the young mare turned to the girl.
"...we need to go. Everyone is waiting for us."
"..."
The girl let go, took a few steps, and looked at Twilah. It was only a minute, but the young mare sighed, as she didn't like this one bit. She was going to say something, but the girl spoke.
The young mare knew what she meant by that.
"I understand how you are feeling." The mare looked to the door, hearing everyone downstairs, hearing 'her' voice. "Believe me, I want to change it, too. But we can't..."
"...but...but it isn't fair..." said the girl.
"No...it isn't." agreed the mare.
The young mare looked to the doorway and looked back at the girl.
"...come on, everyone is waiting."
The girl wiped her eyes and turned around, following the mare through the prism-glitching portal and leaving the room silently.
End Of Chapter 18
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 19: Trauma Is Everlasting But...
Spark and Flurry walked into the room, and they could see Twilight backing away from her family.
"Fine, if you want to know why I tossed that colt out, then I'll tell you!" she turned to them while Dash and her folks were still between them. "Before I do, you better not give him excuses because he's your husband, Mom! You better listen to me and the rest of the family as well! If you all try to defend him for what he did, then I never want to speak or see any of you again!"
Twilight Velvet was trying to understand why her daughter was acting like this as if her husband had done some unholy thing to their daughter. "What did he do to you, Twilight!?"
Twilight glared at her and was going to explain but was stopped as Spark spoke up to them all.
"Please, stop fighting!" shouted Spark, teleporting between them. She turned to her mother, but Twilight hugged her, saying she wouldn't get hurt by another family member on her watch. "What? Flurry wasn't like she was back then. She even asked for forgiveness after what she did to Braver a few years back." she answered, thinking that was why they were fighting, as she hadn't really known why Twilight was so upset.
Twilight let her go, confused by what she said. "What? No, sweetie, I'm not mad about Flurry. I'm mad...huh?"
Twilight stopped as she could feel her barrier being forced open by someone—no, by a pair—and she could only think of two Alicorns who could do that.
The door opened, and Celestia and Luna were walking inside. Between them was Cozy, and they were talking about magic and turning someone into a different race. Not too far behind them were Night Light, who looked worried.
"It could be possible? I remember Star Swirl looking into that when he first saw the Changelings when he returned. I believe Braver was given his research books after his passing. Those two were close, you see." explained Celestia, entering the room and stopping, seeing everyone in the middle of the room. "Twilight? What is going on? Your father said you kicked him out for no reas-ugh!?"
Celestia and everyone suddenly dropped to the ground, feeling an overwhelming magical pressure like they never felt before.
"What the heck!? What is this!?" asked Cozy, transforming into her Alicorn form. Even in this form, she couldn't stand up.
As everyone struggled to stand, Twilight and Dash turned to Spark, whose eyes were beaming with rainbow fury, and her rainbow back halo appeared. Dash and Twilight didn't know why she suddenly became like this.
Dashie walked down the stairs, suddenly felt the powerful pressure, and almost fell. She held the railing and couldn't move.
"What the hell?"
She never felt this kind of pressure before, like the gravity was pulling her down, and her body was being crushed. It was overwhelming and painful.
"Oh god!"
She struggled to stand but couldn't, and soon, she fell to the steps, almost sliding down them.
"Is this magic?" she asked herself, but she quickly remembered feeling this pressure. It was much different than before. The first one felt like sadness and sorrow, but this? This felt nothing but blinded rage, and she knew who it was coming from. "S-Spark?" she asked herself.
Dashie tried to move! She believed Spark must have had another freakout or fought that monster called Fayth again. But no matter how much she tried to move, her human body was no match for this powerful magic. She touched her chest, wanting to use the Element of Loyalty and transform it into her hybrid form, but the thought of how the Element might make her sick, like what happened to Twilah, filled her mind.
"I don't want that to happen to me...but Spark needs me!" She shut her eyes, allowing the Element to transform her. "It won't make me sick...Twilah said she overused it in the ten years we had the Elements. I hardly used it...I'll be fine."
With a bright blue flash, Dashie was in her hybrid form. Using the Element magic and power, she was able to stand. But even with her hybrid, she was having trouble moving.
"Spark!" grunted Dashie, walking down the stairs. "I'm coming, Spark!"
Dashie made her way down the steps. Soon, she reached the bottom and could see a large glowing rainbow aura. Spark was glaring at Night Light, who was scared out of his mind.
"Grandfather!" shouted Spark, starting to walk up to him. Rainbow sparks were blasting out of the rainbow halo, burning the floor around her.
Night Light didn't know why, but seeing Spark's angry expression, he felt like he was looking at a monster—something that was about to kill him.
"G-Grandpa?" said Night Light, trying to move.
As Spark got closer, dark blue sparks shot out of the halo. When it blasted the floor, memories of the past appeared. Luna could feel something familiar coming from those dark blue sparks, almost like it was dream powers.
Dashie suddenly knew why Spark was acting this way. The memories that appeared briefly when the sparks hit the ground confirmed it.
"TWILIGHT! WHY IS YOUR DAD HERE!?"
"I invited my family over to show Spark she has a family here! A family she can have and be with! She isn't alone!" Twilight said, struggling to look at Dashie.
Dashie understood why Twilight did it, but she shook her head. "Don't you remember!? That Sky and Nightfall show us ten years ago?" She got closer to her friends. "They showed us how evil and crazy Nightfall's father was! They even showed us memories of him recording the twins being trained as a weapon when they were going through his computer." Dashie fell to her knees near Twilight's face. "Didn't Braver tell you what awful things they would have to endure if they hadn't listened to him? Like being hurt by cold, freezing air!? Blitz told us when her night terrors started a few months after living with us."
Twilight and Dash had shocked expressions, as Braver never once told them this.
"N-No...Braver never told...u-us...sweetie..." Twilight suddenly realized that her daughter had hidden this from them like the other trauma she had hidden. "Oh, sweetie...I'm sorry."
Spark was still getting closer.
"That's why Spark is freaking out, Twilight. The twins weren't the only ones tested and abusive like that." All three looked back at Spark, now standing before Night Light. "So was Spark!"
More flashes of memories could be seen; everyone could see from Spark's pov, being abusive and tested on by someone who looked like Night Light but was wearing a lab coat. Soon, painful screams could be heard from within those memories as Spark grabbed Night Light by his neck and slowly lifted him.
"Grandfather! Do you remember me, huh?" Spark shouted, tightening her grip, not caring that he was turning blue.
"Spark!" shouted everyone.
"Don't you remember the pain you inflicted on me when I was just a filly!?" shouted Spark.
"N-No, S-Spark, I d-didn't do anything! I promise! P-Please...I c-can't breathe!"
Everyone watched in horror as Spark didn't let go and kept squeezing.
"You are a liar!"
Spark suddenly remembered that day when she was awakened from the test tub.
Spark opened her eyes; she had no clue where she was or what she was. She just looked around the bright, colorful room. She wanted to move, but her legs felt like jelly.
"Hello there."
Spark turned to a big screen on the wall. She tipped her head in confusion, seeing a strange creature looking back at her.
"I'm your creator, but you can call me grandfather. Can you say that?"
"...?"
"Grandfather," repeated the creature.
Spark moved her mouth, mimicking the creature's exact movements, and spoke. "Grand...father."
Grandfather smiled. "Yes, good. You can speak."
Spark looked confused again, as she had no idea what the creature was saying.
It was a few hours, but Spark soon learned about the world she was born into and why. Her grandfather created her to protect the city he controlled, as he saw it as his kingdom. He wanted her to help rule the world.
"Do you understand, my weapon? If you do, please nod."
Spark slowly nodded.
The grandfather smiled.
"Good. Now, on to the next step."
Spark could see the screen going dark, and soon, her grandfather, covered in a weird suit, walked into the room. He walked around her, whispering something into a weird box that floated near him. He walked far from her and sat down.
"Come to me, my weapon. Come and walk! Take those few steps, and I'll love you forever."
Spark watched and tried to move, but her legs still felt weak. She struggled to move. Soon enough, she felt something coming out of her eyes, falling down her cheeks. Her grandfather sighed and spoke into the weird box and then got closer to her, but not too close.
"If you are going to my grand weapon, you need to be stronger than that! Don't be held back from anything! Find the spark to move!" he reached out to her, smiling. "To walk forward!"
Spark looked at his hoof and down at her shaky legs. She shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried again. She tried to stand up, but she fell. She tried again, but once again, she fell. But remembering what her grandfather told her, she needed to be strong. She needed to find that spark to move!
She tried again, and she slowly stood up and then fell again.
"Walk!" shouted her grandfather.
Spark looked at her legs and took another deep breath, and soon, she stood up.
Her grandfather was pleased with her and spoke into the floating box and lowered it. "That's a good weapon. Now, come to me, and I'll be very happy."
Spark was shaking, but she tried to take a step forward. Just as she took a step, her legs gave up, and she fell forward. She felt pain for the first time and stood back up. She put one foot forward and...
"Yes!" Her grandfather yelled, seeing her badly walking toward him. He opened his arms to her as she walked into them. He held her up, smiling with such an evil look. "That's a good weapon. Very good."
Spark looked up at him and smiled back at him, believing he was happy with her.
Spark's grip was tighter.
"Spark! Don't do it!" shouted Dash, trying to stand but couldn't.
Blue sparks showed flashes of Spark's grandfather, raising her and teaching her like a father would do with their daughter.
"Grandfather...the pain..."
The blue sparks became one, and soon, above everyone, they could see a happy Spark following her grandfather. She was led to a huge glass box. She entered it, happily sat down, and watched as her grandfather exited it. She became confused and felt worried as she called out to him.
"Grandfather!? Where are you going!?"
They could see the lights going dark, and soon, a bright light shone on her. They could all see a device being lowered, the robotic arms having different tools, from needles to blades. To the young filly Spark, she had never seen these things before.
Spark became more confused, not understanding what was happening. She called out to her grandfather, not wanting him to leave her.
"Grandfather!? Don't go! Please! What is happening!?"
"STOP IT!" cried Twilight, realizing what would happen.
"Damn it!" cursed Dash, hating what she was seeing and wanting to stop it so badly.
Dashie used her Element to move. She now knew that Spark was like Blitz and Braver. She had trauma just like them, and her grandfather was the cause. All of it goes back to him.
"Grandfather!?"
They watched in horror as the device started to work on Spark, and soon, a loud, painful scream echoed around them.
"GRANDFATHER!!!"
Dashie made it and tried to grab Spark's hand, but the magic pushed her away.
"SPARK! STOP!"
But it was useless, as Spark was lost in her rage and the pain of the past.
"Grandfather..."
A rainbow aura surrounded Spark's body, and she flew up, holding Night Light, who was now purple in the face.
"All the pain...all the hardship you gave me..."
Night Light was pulled closer to Spark's face, seeing more of her rage.
"I. BREAK. ALL OF IT!" She screamed and raised her other arm, creating an unstable rainbow orb of energy in her hand. "BREAKER!"
She crushed the orb, clutching her energy fist, and swung with all her might...only to be held back by someone. She turned and saw Dashie holding her fist back while her chest glowed bright blue.
"Stop it, Spark! That's not your real grandfather! That bastard is dead, don't you remember!? Sky killed him! You are killing an innocent person! It's not him, Spark! I know it hurts, and I've been through this. Blitz was like you!"
"B-Blitz..." whispered Spark, her eyes slowly returning to normal.
"Yes, your sister! She had night terrors of when she was tested on!"
Dashie was alone in her bed as Twilah was on a business trip. It was nighttime when she suddenly was awoken by screaming.
"BLITZ!?" She shot up and ran to the source of the screaming. She saw Blitz's room. She slammed open the door and saw Blitz thrashing and screaming. She quickly ran to her. "BLITZ!? BLITZ!"
Blitz was crying and screaming. "PLEASE DON'T! NOT THE COLD AIR AGAIN! NO!"
"Blitz! Sweetie! Wake up! It's a nightmare!"
Blitz's eyes snapped open, and she looked around the room, tears running down her cheeks.
"Mommy!?"
"I'm here, baby, I'm here," Dashie replied, pulling Blitz into her chest and wrapping her arms around her tightly.
"MOMMY!"
Dashie rocks her daughter back and forth, telling her it was all a bad dream, but what she heard from her daughter made her think twice.
"Mommy, please don't make me go back...I don't want to feel that again..."
"What? Go back where?"
"Back to the lab! The cold air! Grandfather testing on us! On me and my sister!" cried Blitz, digging deeper into her mother's chest. "I remember other things, awful things!"
Dashie realized that Blitz remembered being a test subject for Nightfall's father. She was surprised to learn this, as she thought Blitz and her sister weren't self-aware then. She remembered Sky and Nightfall finding Blitz as a filly but acting like a foal.
"I'll stay right here, my little rainbow," said Dashie, holding her daughter close and letting her cry herself back to sleep. "Twilah and I will be here for you, no matter what."
"Blitz started having more night terrors, to the point we had to get her help. This also led to Twilah learning and becoming a therapist for Blitz. Spark, I know it hurts and that your grandfather was cruel to you, but don't hurt Twilight's father. He didn't do anything to you, and you are scaring the crap out of him and your family."
Spark quickly turned back to her grandfather, seeing that he wasn't really her grandfather at all. She let him go and turned to everyone else. Seeing their eyes on her, she believed they were judging her, thinking she was something they should fear, something that shouldn't be in this family. She did the one thing that a family member shouldn't do to another family member, and she blew her chance of having a family.
"I...I'm sorry," whispered Spark, feeling the pain and guilt eating away at her heart.
She was about to fly off, but Dashie was already two steps ahead of her as she held her arm tight.
"Yeah, just like ya sister! Blitzing it before anyone can help her! Well, not this time!"
Spark tried to break free, but Dashie wasn't budging.
"Let me go, Dashie. I'll hurt someone." She couldn't look her in the eyes; she couldn't dare to, not after what she did here and to Dashie with Twilah dying. "I hurt you too by letting Fayth live! You should be hating my guts!"
Dashie's grip tightened. "Spark, what happened to Twilah wasn't your fault! I'm glad you spared that brat's life." Dashie could see Spark looking at her with confusion. "I'm glad you are better than her. You aren't a killer; I can see it just by looking at you." She pulled Spark toward her, allowing her to pet Spark's head. "I can see how caring and kind you are but also how worried others will see you because of your overwhelming powers. You might think everyone is looking at you like you are a monster, but they aren't."
Spark was getting emotional; no one had ever told her this before. She looks back at everyone; she looks at their eyes.
"They aren't afraid of you; those are eyes for worrying. They are worried about you, what we have all seen from your past, and the testing done on you. Those are caring eyes. They want you to feel better, not to carry this burden of the past alone." Dashie could see Spark starting to break down. "You can drop the whole 'I should be alone.' act. You can't be alone because your family won't let you."
"I'm...a part...of the family?" she looked back at the others, seeing them all smiling and nodding. She looked back at Dashie. "...even...yours?"
"Yes, you are. You are part of our big family," replied Dashie, smiling, letting Spark cry into her shoulder. "After all this, I want you to meet my folks. They loved your sister so much. They will love you just as much. I promise."
Spark couldn't hold back anymore.
"Thank you..." she whimpered. "Thank you, Mother."
The powerful pressure finally disappeared, along with Spark's back halo. They slowly landed on the floor, and Dashie dropped to her rear. Spark fell on her, still crying.
"All three of you..." thought Dashie, closing her eyes. "Why did you all have to be born into such an awful life at the start? I wish I could have stopped your grandfather before he did that to all three of you."
Night Light stood up, coughing, and his wife hugged him, worried about him.
"I'm fine, sweetheart."
He looked at Spark but then at his daughter, who looked happy but still upset as she looked at Spark. But that quickly changed as she turned to him, giving him a cold stare.
"Twilight?" he thought, wondering why she was so upset with him.
Twilight and Dash's mothers were cleaning the library and talking about how they should help Spark and other things.
Celestia and Luna were at the entrance of the living room, seeing Spark talking to Dashie, Dash, Bow, Flurry Heart, and Flurry's parents. The two sisters looked to the kitchen and saw Night Light looking at the talking group from the kitchen table. Twilight allowed him to stay but to stay far away from Spark.
"Sister, when Spark's magical energy goes off, you sense it too, right?" asked Luna, not looking away from Spark.
Celestia was studying Spark's body and magical energy. She looked like a hybrid form of an Alicorn, but something familiar about her, but she couldn't put her hoof on it. She also felt the same feeling when the power went off.
"Yes, I do. I could sense it." She turned to her sister. "What you make of it, Luna?"
Luna faced her sister and started thinking about what she wanted to say. She finally spoke as she looked back up at her. "Young Braver had the same powers. I had trouble sleeping the night before we became friends, and she used magic to help me..."
Celestia raised her eyebrows when she heard that. "Braver couldn't use magic, no? She had high raw magical energy but no way to use it to cast spells. It wasn't until she became a real Alicorn that she could..." She froze when she remembered what her sister had just said. "Wait, sleeping spells do not affect you...unless..."
"Young Braver used my powers, sister. She somehow has my powers..." Luna held her head, trying to remember what happened in Braver's dreams when she dived in to stop the awful nightmares that Braver was having many years ago. "For some reason, I can't remember what I saw in Braver's nightmares or when she dove into mine that night." Luna turned to Spark, who was laughing as Dash was yelling at her father for taking out the baby book again. "But what we saw, those flashes of memories. Those were nightmares tied to a bad memory, and I can do the same if I try. Spark also has my powers."
Celestia remembered something from a few days ago.
"Maybe there is a connection? Remember when the alternate versions of Twilight's friends appeared from Braver's core? They hated us and said we started a war in their universe..." Celestia felt shame about what her counterpart did in that universe. "A version of me who killed Twilight's friends by using the Elements of Harmony to fuse with them."
"That wasn't you, Tia, so don't feel so down," said Luna, looking back at her sister. "Those versions of us." She placed her hoof on her sister's shoulder. "We aren't and will never be like them."
The two smiled at each other and then looked back at Spark.
"Still, it makes me wonder. How do Spark and Braver have my powers?"
"...that is a question of the ages," whispered Celestia.
Twilight sat alone at the reading table in a certain part of the library. She just needed to be alone for a bit after what happened. She wanted to help Spark by showing she has a family here, but it went south when her god-awful father was allowed in. She was least happy Spark was getting along with the rest of the family, but she still felt horrible about it. She learned about how Braver kept another thing hidden from her even more.
"Sweetie, why do you always do those things? Hiding the pain from Dash and me. We are your mothers, yet you can't tell us the truth," she thought, her emotions rising.
She couldn't help but think that maybe Braver didn't trust her or Dash, but that's when she remembered all the times she was so unobvious of her daughter's trauma or problems and just brushed them off. That thought hurt her so much, making Twilight truly believe she was an awful mother to Braver.
"When we took you in, I thought we could make you happy and forget the horrible life you once lived...but I guess not. That trauma you had never truly goes away. You always move forward with it, always smiling like nothing was wrong. My little brave daughter..." Twilight started to sob. "Now you are gone. I can't ever say I'm sorry to you, sorry for being a worthless mother!"
Twilight slammed her hooves into the table, cracking it a bit from a sudden burst of anger at herself. She started to calm down but became spooked as a pile of Star Swirls books landed before her.
"Cozy?"
Cozy sat across from her and opened the books.
"You know, seeing you like this should make me happy. Seeing you suffering like this, oh Princess of Friendship..." teased Cozy, turning a page.
Twilight became angry. "If you have come here to rub my failures in my face, you have another thing coming, Cozy Glow."
Cozy rolled her eyes and looked Twilight in the eyes.
"Oh please, don't flatter yourself, princess," she said sarcastically, looking up at her now. "Like I said, it should make me happy, but it doesn't." She flipped another page and returned her attention to the book. "Being friends with Braver all these years had changed me. I'm not like who I was when I was a young filly. She changed me for the better." Another page was turned. "Luster and her are my childhood friends, you know? So, seeing my best friend's mother beating herself up for not being a perfect mom. I can't stand seeing it."
Twilight looked surprised by what Cozy was saying.
"Cozy?"
Cozy started to flip many pages, not finding what she was looking for, or she didn't understand anything in the book. "There is no such thing as a perfect parent, you know? No matter what or how hard you try, you will mess up. That's part of being a parent. That's just how the world works." Cozy finally found the page she was looking for. She looked at the page and continued speaking. "And the same thing can said about being someone's kid." She turned her attention back to Twilight.
Twilight was confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Cozy started to speak again. "Parents aren't perfect, and neither are their kids. Braver had flaws, flaws she knew of and hated." Cozy took out a bookmark and placed it on the page. "You are bad at noticing her problems because, yeah, you fucking suck at noticing." She smirks, seeing Twilight getting upset. "But it's also because Braver hid it damn well. She always wanted to make you and Dash proud. Proud that they raised a strong mare, she felt proud that she made you call her 'daughter' for it."
Twilight could see the smirk leaving Cozy's face.
"I think her worst fear was disappointing her mothers. The thought of that ate her up inside. We all saw it first hoof when she had that mental breakdown."
"Cozy..."
"She didn't have it easy; that fear fed into the trauma she had. It festered inside her for so long, but she kept it hidden from you, Dash, and everyone..." Cozy shut the book, and like Twilight, she slammed her hoof into the table, making the already small crack bigger. "From her friends...like me." She shut her eyes. "...so don't beat yourself over this, and if you need to talk..." Cozy looked down at the book, blushing. "I'm here for you."
"I don't mean to offend you, Cozy, but..." Twilight sighed and smiled. "You are the last person I expected to say this, considering how you act around me."
Cozy looked up at her, being smug now. "What? Hating your guts?"
"Yes...that," replied Twilight with a deadpan expression and tone.
"Eh, it's mostly because you are my best friend's mom, and yeah, I hate your guts." Cozy started to chuckle, but Twilight wasn't laughing. "Okay, maybe a tiny bit less now." She could see Twilight smiling a bit. "Anyway, like I said. Braver hid stuff from all of us, but there was one person she talked to about one of her problems."
Twilight's ears twitched when she heard that. "Who?"
Cozy picked up another book and opened it. "Discord."
"Discord?!" shouted Twilight.
"Yeah, I was shocked too when he told me himself."
Twilight was so confused right now. Discord was never close to Braver, as he disliked her for unknown reasons. "Why would he listen to her problems? He always came off disliking my daughter. This doesn't make any sense."
Cozy flipped a page. "Braver was having weird dreams about a place she had never seen before." She looked up at her again. "Remember how I wanted to learn about Braver's biology out of the blue one day? What I'm about to tell you is why." She placed the book down. She started to explain about the Draconequus kingdom and their king, who turned evil and tricked the Slime race by turning them into Chaos Slime, Slime that lost their minds to madness and turned their magic into raw magic. They were used as weapons to take over Equestria, but the king's plans failed as most of the Slime's sanity returned and teamed up with the other kingdoms of that era to wipe out the Draconquus kingdom. After doing so, the last remaining Slimes went underground, away from the world, to never be used again as weapons but also to spare Equestria from their raw magical powers as their races slowly fell back into madness. Then explained how Braver dreamed of one of the last remaining undercities of the Slimes.
"Chaos Slime...that's why there were no records of Braver's race in this universe. It was before the first Princess of Equestria ruled." Twilight was amazed by the story but felt sorry for the Slime race, especially Braver, whose races in her universe must have fallen to the same fate. "But wait, why would Braver have memories of the Slimes' homes?" Twilight started to think and realized something. "Of course, our universe and Braver's universe share the same places."
Cozy crossed her arms. "I been doing research in that underground city for a few years and had help from Darling Doo before she became too old to help any longer. Slimes can reproduce but at the end of their life cycle. We learned that when Slime creatures die from old age or near death, they pass the small bits of their memories to their offspring by self-reproducing."
Twilight stood up, realizing something as everything made sense about Braver and her body. "Like how the human world slugs reproduce! They are hermaphrodites!"
"Herm-what now?"
Twilight quickly turned red. She wasn't sure if she should tell Cozy this, not because of Cozy's age, but because of her relationship with Braver. Twilight learned how the human world treats those who are called 'transgender' and feared the same hatred might appear in her world. Hermaphrodites isn't the same as being Transgender, but she still feared that hate towards those who are different would spread to her world.
"Cozy?"
"Yeah?"
Twilight took a deep breath, sat back down, and spoke. "You loved my daughter, right?"
Cozy's cheeks went red, and she looked away from Twilight. "...as a friend! Wh-"
"Cozy. I know you love her in that way. You don't need to deny it."
Cozy turned even more red and sighed. "Yeah, so? What's your damn point?"
Twilight took another breath and asked her a question. "If Braver wasn't female, would you still love her?"
Cozy looked dumbfounded. "What? Of course I would! I don't care about Braver's gender. I love her because she is Braver, and that's all I care about."
"Even if it means she's both male and female? That's what a Hermaphrodite is. Braver has both parts, but she still sees herself as female."
Cozy suddenly remembered seeing Braver's 'second horn' back in the human world. Now she understood why she had one. She shook her head and looked at Twilight.
"Again, I don't give a damn about her gender. If she had both genders, so freaking what? I fell in love with Braver for who she is, not the gender or body she has!" She suddenly slammed her hoof on the table again. "If she sees herself as female and someone says otherwise, FUCK THEM! I don't care about their opinions; if they have a problem with Braver's identity, they must deal with me!"
Twilight was so happy. She remembered that during their time in the human world, Braver was afraid of the new part of her body and worried it would stay on her when she returned to Equestria. It was bad enough that her daughter already had fears of who she was as a Slime creature in her mind, but this made her worry even more. But hearing Cozy say that made her feel better, and she started to cry.
"T-thank you, Cozy."
Cozy gave a small smile. "No problem."
Twilight recovered and returned to the topic on hand. "So, what you are telling me is correct. Then, Braver has a bit of her mother's memories. Her mother died to Rainbow Sky the first time when Sky used her trump card. Her mother gave birth to Braver and Blitz...wait a minute." Twilight started to go over it and realized something. "No, when Sky fought the slime again, why weren't there two? If they were twins, there should have been two slimes when Sky fought the slime in the Kingdom of Day, but there was only one. Why is that? ...WAIT!" Twilight suddenly noticed something that wasn't adding up now. "Cozy, you said when a Slime dies, it self-reproduces and gives a bit of its memories to the offspring?"
"That's what we believe," answered Cozy, who didn't understand what Twilight was getting at until she slowly started to understand, her expression changing from confused to surprised.
Twilight noticed Cozy's expression and nodded. "If your research is correct, then it means when the twins died, they should left behind a child of their own, but there wasn't one!" Twilight exited the chair and walked around the table, explaining her theory to Cozy. "When their mother died to Sky, she gave birth to a child, which the Kingdom of Day found. That slime that attacked that kingdom was one slime, but when Sky killed it, it must have been the twin's real mother who gave birth to them! Braver has more of her Slime heritage than Blitz does; we thought Blitz was the real clone of Sky and Nightfall until we learned about Spark. Blitz also carries her slime genes." She stopped in front of Cozy, grabbing her shoulder, smiling. "If those two truly died, they should have given birth to one offspring each, but they didn't! Don't you see Cozy!?"
"...they aren't dead?" whispered Cozy, as tears started to fill her eyes. "...Braver is still alive!"
"I don't know for sure, but if I'm correct, then yes!" Twilight was so happy.
Cozy wiped the tears away and smiled, but that smile faded. "But you could be wrong, right? Thanks to the spell you used, Braver became a real Alicorn, and Blitz died as a human, even if she had a bit of slime within her."
Twilight let her go when she heard that, but she quickly countered that question, "Braver did become a real Alicorn...partly, don't you remember? When we all thought the spell failed a second time when Braver landed in front of us as a mass of slime, only for her to reform into her current form. She became a real Alicorn, not 100% because she was a slime creature, not a pony, from the start. Her body is still part slime. This is also confirmed by her both gender parts when we arrived in the human universe." Twilight placed her hoof under her chin. "Blitz isn't really human; she can transform into one and even into a Pegasus, but at the end of the day, she is still a slime. When Braver became enraged as she became Breaker and stabbed Blitz in the chest, Lucy told me she saw black slime within Blitz's body, along with Spark's Rainbow Element core." She looked back at Cozy. "There might be a slim chance I'm wrong, but I believe they are still alive!"
Cozy jumped out of her chair. "Okay, so now what? When Braver and her sister died, it happened inside Spark's core, right? Do we ask her to take us back there?" Cozy became worried. "...and if you are wrong, giving Spark false hope that her sisters are still alive...I don't think her mental state can handle it."
Twilight nodded, but then an idea hit her when she heard Luna and Celestia talking as they passed the doorway of this room. "We don't need to ask Spark; we can ask someone else!" But she turned to Cozy, wanting to ask her a flavor. "Cozy, can you head to the Underground city of the slime race? I need any books or scrolls talking about their childbirths. I need to be 100% correct in what I believe, and if I'm wrong...then it means Spark is carrying..."
"Two children have been within her core for the last two years outside this universe time. Right! I'll drop these books off and head there as fast as possible!" Cozy rushed over to the books and was about to teleport away, only for her broken horn to spark, causing her to curse. "Damn it, I can't use magic right now. I need to fly there instead." She gathered the books, darted to an open window, and disappeared from the room, leaving Twilight alone.
"Please let me be right!" Twilight exited the room, looking for where her former teacher and Luna went, but stopped as she heard Spark's voice coming down the hallway. "And if I'm wrong, I can't let Spark carry her sisters' children, not after the horrible experience she has gone through." She was closer to the doorway but not close enough to look inside. "Spark already feels like she stole her sister's lives to be here, but if she learns she became free, in turn, imprisoning her sister's kids in her place, I fear she might break again and, this time, forever." She heard Spark's voice again but was happy. "I can't let her have a new trauma, not when I can prevent it!" She faced away and started to run in the opposite direction of the room. "This needs to end! Trauma can last forever, but new ones can be stopped, and this one will be the last!" She headed toward the voices of Celestia and Luna.
Everyone was surprised as they watched Dash proudly show off the family book with a picture of Braver as a filly wearing a dress. Bow was thrilled to see how Dash was acting like him. "This is when she went to the Gala with Luster! See that dress? She asked Rarity to make her one inspired by Twilight's old Gala dress! She looks so awesome!"
"OH MY GOSH!" shouted Spark, grabbing the photo from Dash's hooves and happily looking at it. "SHE'S SO CUTE!"
Dashie laughed and took out her own photos of Blitz from her wallet. She handed them to Spark, who became even more happy. "Blitz wore a Greek-inspired rainbow dress to the middle school prom."
Dash commented that Blitz's dress looked like her old Gala dress from many years back. The two moms started to talk about their daughters while Spark soaked in all the lovely information about what sisters did or acted as they grew up. She felt so happy about the wonderful life they grew up in—until she remembered what she did.
"No," Spark thought, looking at the photos on her lap. "What happened wasn't my fault, but why does it still feel like it?"
"Hey, you okay?"
Spark snapped out of her thoughts and looked over at her mother and then at her new family, who were still worried about her.
"I'm...not fine." She placed all the photos into the book and closed it. She picked it up and held it tight against her chest, smiling. "But I will be one day. A day where I won't keep blaming myself for what happened or the pain we suffered because of my grandfather. I didn't kill my sisters...I need to remember that."
Everyone looked at each other and then back at Spark.
"Hey, Spark. Can you tell us what happened with Brigitte and the others?" Shining asked, hoping this would distract Spark from her thoughts.
Spark remembered and placed the book back on her lap.
"Oh, right! Where was I..."
T2 walked out of the elevator first and looked around for threats. She saw nothing, but Artemis joined her side and scanned the area.
"No signs of life in the area!"
T2 tsk loudly, annoyed with her. "No shit, stupid pod."
Brigitte and AJ exited the elevator, and Brigitte turned and watched it disappear. Like before, there was no turning back now.
"So, that's what happened, huh?" questioned T2, who saw it disappear.
Brigitte turned her wheelchair around and sighed. She didn't know where they should go in this weird, endless ball pit room. Before she could make a decision, T2 just walked in a random direction.
"Hey, where are you going!?" shouted AJ, walking after her.
"Anywhere but here, shrimp."
AJ's left eye twitched. "...what did you call me!?"
T2 stopped, looked back, and smirked. "Oh, are you deaf too, Shrimp?"
"I'M STILL GROWING, YOU PEICE OF JUNK!"
T2 laughed as she kept walking in the same direction. Brigitte and Artemis sighed, as they didn't look forward to this nonstop fighting. As they started to follow, they saw T2 and AJ turn a corner, and when they arrived at it, they were surprised to see the two were just gone.
"Shit! T2! AJ!" shouted Brigitte as she and Artemis started to go down the hallway. They ran for a bit until they turned a corner and were greeted by the sight of a giant ball pit. There were no signs of the two lost girls. "Damn it!"
Meanwhile, T2 was still making fun of AJ's short height.
"Stop it, you junk-head!" shouted AJ as they were walking down an open-top hallway.
"Or what? You bite my legs?" T2 mocked her again.
AJ grunted at her and sighed. "Damn talkative for whatever you were called." she crossed her arms, pouting. "I miss my little sister!"
T2 stopped when she heard that. Was she talkative? She didn't even realize she was saying much. She was mostly quiet and kept to herself, as the last time she was this talkative was three years ago when her squadmates were still alive.
"...android." corrected T2, not saying anything else, and kept walking.
AJ remarked on her but was surprised when T2 said nothing back. They walked in a very awkward silence. AJ was happy about it, as she was done hearing T2's mouth, but she could feel something was wrong with her.
"Something bothering you?"
"What do you mean, short-huh?" T2 looked back and noticed that Brigitte and Artemis were gone. "Hey, where's Brigitte and the pod!?"
AJ looked back, and T2 was right; their friends were gone. "Shit, did something get them?"
T2 didn't waste any time and ran back with her sword drawn. AJ was behind her, clapping her hands and making a metal hay fork. They returned where they came...only to find they were elsewhere than returning to the place they started at.
"Did we go the wrong way!?" questioned T2, feeling they didn't.
"No! We went the right way. I think this weird ass place is trying to mess with us!"
T2 agreed and sighed, lowering her sword. "How are we going to find-WHAT THE FUCK!?" screamed T2, feeling something hard, hitting her head, and watching it bounce on the ground. It was a normal plastic pink ball. She looked up and saw a pink balloon with a pony shape leaning over a railing on the higher part of the room. It threw another ball, smacking T2 in the face. "You bastard!"
AJ grabbed her arm, stopping her from jumping up there. "Hey! Cool it! It's trying to distract us from finding Brigitte and Artemis. Let's find our way out of here."
T2 was about to shout back, but then the pink balloon jumped off the railing and landed a few feet from them, making a loud pop. The two were confused as they saw the balloon piece flying everywhere...until it all gathered into one place and became whole again. It stared them down, watching the two readying their weapons.
"It might look like a normal balloon, but be on guard, T2," warned AJ.
The pink balloon didn't care about AJ's words and charged at them.
"GOT IT!" shouted T2.
T2 jumped and tried to slice the thing open, but it moved to the side and jumped over her, landing on her head. After a quick rub, it bounced off and landed between them. T2 turned around to kill the balloon but stopped to see AJ trying to hide her laugh.
"What's so damn funny!?"
"It...your hair!" answered AJ, her laughter breaking through a bit.
"WHAT!?"
T2 felt her hair and quickly looked, seeing it all fuzzy as an electric afro. AJ and the balloon pony laughed, making T2 blush in anger. "WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, I'LL TAKE MY TIME IN POPPING YOU, YOU STUPID BALLOON!" She lunged at the balloon, missing it as it slid into the sky.
AJ looked up and saw the balloon pointing in a certain direction. She knew the balloon was trying to lead them, but was it a trap? She didn't have a choice. "That way, T2!" She pointed at where the balloon was pointing, and then the balloon disappeared.
T2 sighed and walked in the direction. "Whatever. This is all so damn stupid, but I don't think there is anything worse than giant ball pits with a living fucking balloon!" she followed AJ as she tried to fix her hair.
Brigitte and Artemis were walking around the giant ball pit, wondering why such a thing existed in this tower and the tree itself. As they kept walking, Artemis's scanners went on, warning her that something under them was inside the ball pit.
"Mom! An Unknown life form is coming from the ball pit! At highspeed no less! It's about to-!"
Artemis was cut off when something blue blasted out of the pit, blasting the balls out. They covered their eyes and saw something landing as the balls fell around them.
"What now?" grunted Brigitte, taking out her gun.
Brigitte was shocked to see the machine pony again as the last balls fell, but it looked so different now. It looked more robotic, but parts of its body were still flesh.
"Mom! Is that the machine you were talking about!?"
"Yeah...but it looks like it got upgrades or something!"
"RAAHH!"
"Artemis, stay behind me! I'll handle this!" shouted Brigitte, shooting at the machine again, but the machine rushed her, punching the gun out of her hand. "Damn it!" Brigitte quickly dialed a few buttons on her control panel, and her wheelchair rocketed away from the machine in time. It slammed its hooves where Brigitte once was. Artemis grabbed her mother's gun and flew to her side, giving it back to her. Brigitte pressed a button, hoping the update was done, but she cursed as the wheelchair's robotic voice said only 35% of the update was done.
"Only 35%!?" questioned Brigitte.
"Mom, watch out!"
Brigitte was bucked backward and crashed into a wall, cracking it and sending dust everywhere. As the dust cleared, Brigitte could feel Artemis on her as she changed into her engineer arm suit. Her daughter had just saved her life.
"Mom! You okay!?" cried Artemis, her face appearing in the hologram visor.
Brigitte smiled at her, giving her a thumbs up. "Thanks, sweetheart! Mom is fine!"
They turned their attention to the machine, which was facing them now. As it stood there, rainbow liquid oozed out from its robotic parts. Then, it started moving again.
'Shit! Artemis, we can't fight it like this! We need...huh?"
The two watched as the machine's eyes flipped between red and blue. It struggled to keep moving, and this was when Brigitte knew what was happening.
"FIGHT IT!" she shouted, trying to get the machine to fight whatever was trying to control it. "DON'T LET IT WIN!"
The machine shook its head and faced them, its red eye glowing and mouth dripping with the rainbow liquid. It let out a scream and rushed them, ready to kill them.
"Artemis, hold on!"
Brigitte rocketed them to the side, dodging the machine, which crashed into the wall. Artemis looked at her, knowing that she couldn't keep dodging forever.
"Mom, we need to run! We can't stay and fight!"
Brigitte grunted. She wanted to help this pony, but her daughter was right. They needed to escape before the machine could recover after crashing into that wall. Brigitte and Artemis rocketed toward a hole in the wall, hoping to lose the machine as it started following them.
T2 and AJ were still following the balloon pony as it guided them down a hallway and turned a corner. The balloon pointed its hoof at a giant doorway, seeing tons of slides, all leading to the middle, vast ball pit.
"So...why did that balloon lead us here?" asked AJ, stepping in.
T2 didn't care. If this was for it to attack them, she would be ready for it.
"WHHHHEEEEEEEE!"
"Huh?" said both girls, as they could see someone sliding down the slides and into the pit.
The two approached the edge of the pit and looked in, only for someone to burst out, smiling.
"THAT WAS FUN!" the pink-haired girl with pony ears said, opening her eyes and noticing the two.
"Hey," said AJ as she reached out for the girl.
T2 said nothing, but she noticed the weird look on the girl's face, as if she were seeing a ghost.
"What the fuck is wrong with her?"
The girl started to sweat, her eyes twitching as her breathing became unsteady.
"What the hell is happening to her? It's like she's having a panic attack," AJ said, stepping back.
The girl quickly got out of the ball pit and screamed.
"STAY AWAY LUCIE!"
T2 and AJ had no idea why the girl screamed a random name at them, but before they could question it further, T2 was suddenly blasted away and crashed into a wall. She cursed and was about to attack the girl but couldn't move.
"What the hell!?"
She tried again, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't move. It felt like her body was being held down by something.
"Shit! What the hell is wrong with my body!?"
AJ looked at her in confusion, then noticed something. She could hardly see it, but something was there.
"Hey, you okay!? Can you move now!?" asked AJ.
"I think so!" replied T2, and she did, standing back up. She looked back and forth, trying to figure out what happened.
AJ was just as lost when she hardly saw whatever held T2 down, but she couldn't make it out no matter what. It was almost like it was blending with the light, and that's when she started to figure it out.
"Hey, watch out! This girl has some invisible weapon! We have no idea what else it can do, but it can hold you down with ease," warned AJ. But something burst out of the walls and created a large dirt cloud. It went past her and headed right toward T2, going by the dust cloud being blown back as it got closer to T2. "It's coming after you again! Watch out!"
T2 understood and took a fighting stance. She started scanning for the incoming threats, but nothing showed up, not even on her heat vision. Which means...
"Damn it, old-world magic!"
"Old world what?" questioned AJ, watching T2 dodging it, only thanks to the smoke, revealing how close it was to her.
"Yeah!" shouted AJ, clapping her hands, making a pillar, and touching it again, turning it into sand. The wind suddenly started to blow it away. Thanks to the pony balloon, the wind was coming from a huge fan.
T2 cursed. She hated the sand getting into her insides, but if this was the only way to see these things, then so be it.
"I'm going after her and cutting her damn head off!" barked T2, deflecting the things as she darted forward.
AJ could still hear the girl screaming from the other side of the wall. It sounded like she was begging to stay away from her, but why? And who was Lucie? AJ couldn't figure that out, and she didn't have time as T2 passed her and jumped over the wall.
T2 landed and saw the girl crying and begging her to say away.
"I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT YOU! STAY AWAY LUCIE! I DON'T WANT YOU TO HURT ME AGAIN, PLEASE!"
"SHUT UP AND FIGHT!" yelled T2, rushing the girl and not caring what she was saying.
"I PROMISE PAPA THAT I'LL BE A GOOD GIRL!" screamed the girl, unleashing more things toward T2.
T2 could see the unseen objects getting closer to her, thanks to the sand smoke. T2 jumped up and over them and landed in front of the girl, swinging her sword. Her blade almost reached the girl's neck but stopped.
"..." T2 could see how freaked out the girl's expression was like she had seen a ghost, but what she heard next made her feel...sad.
"P-PLEASE, LUCIE! DON'T TEAR MY ARMS AND LEGS OFF AGAIN! DON'T TORTURE ME! I BEG YOU!" cried the girl, closing her eyes and curling up. "Papa wants me to be a good girl and live in peace! Please, no more...I'm sorry."
"Who the hell is Lucie?" questioned T2, lowering her blade.
The girl didn't answer her, just rambling about not wanting to be tortured again. AJ created a door on the wall and walked in to see what was happening. She could hear the poor girl and glared at T2, who glared back at her.
"I didn't do shit, shrimp! She just..." T2 looked back at the poor girl. "Broke down like this..."
AJ knew T2 was telling the truth and sighed. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked, crouching to be at eye level with the young girl.
"N-NO! PLEASE STAY AWAY! I DON'T WANT YOU HURTING ME AGAIN!"
AJ and T2 were confused and looked at each other, unsure what was happening.
"Um, who hurt you?" asked AJ, hoping the girl would answer her.
The girl slowly pointed to T2, who was taken aback by that.
"Lucie! Her! She cut off my limbs! Slowly and painfully! She is evil! She wants to torture me again! I'm a good girl! Papa says I am a good girl!"
AJ and T2 had no idea what the hell the girl was talking about, but the part about cutting her arms and legs off was the weird part. The girl's arms and legs looked fine to them. AJ slowly reached out and touched the limbs with her normal hand.
"What?" AJ questioned, as she could feel the limbs weren't flesh but prosthetics made to look like normal flesh.
Something burst out of the walls before AJ could ask her more questions. Out of the smoke was Brigitte, racing out, and behind her was the machine that T2 had seen before. The girl also looked and could see Brigitte being smacked out of her wheelchair and Artemis landing next to her.
"Brigitte!" shouted AJ and T2, but before they could act, they felt something passing them. Soon, they could see the machine being suddenly pulled away from Brigitte and crashing into the wall. They looked down and saw the girl acting normal.
"Who dares to hurt a disabled person!"
T2 and AJ were shocked, but the machine rushed the girl before they could talk, roaring at her. The girl raised her hand, and the machine was yanked away again and crashed into the ground. The girl stood up, glaring at the machine. She raised her hand again and helped Brigitte back into her wheelchair with her unseen arms. Then, she pushed her toward and behind her with the others.
"What's going on?" Brigitte asked, but the two just shrugged at her and then looked at the girl, who got closer to the machine.
"I don't know what you are, but if you hurt someone who can't fight back because they are disabled, then Nono will teach you a lesson!" She lowered her hand, and the machine was suddenly crushed and blasted through the floor and to the below floors, hitting each floor hard until it crashed into the bottom floor, covered in debris.
Brigitte, Artemis, AJ, and T2 were speechless.
"Whoa..." said all of them.
"Hmph, that will teach it a lesson," said the girl, known as Nono, turning around and facing them...only to start freaking out again when she looked at T2 and dropped to the ground, crying.
As this happened, the pink balloon pony floated past them and hit the wall, making the elevator appear again. It pointed to it.
"...is that floating ballon...alive?" Brigitte questioned, making the other two nod. She rubbed her eyes, getting tired of all the weird shit. "Get in, I'll handle the girl."
"You sure? You saw what she had done, right?" said AJ.
Brigitte gave her a sad smile. "Nothing new to me, kid. My wife can do the same stuff that this girl pulled off, and I understand why she's freaking out. Just get in, it won't take long."
T2 and AJ looked at each other and then went into the elevator. Brigitte looked at the girl and rolled toward her. The girl looked at her and was ready to scream again, but she didn't as she saw the caring faces of Brigitte and Artemis.
T2 and AJ were inside and watched as Brigitte spoke to the girl, who, based on what she yelled out to the machine, was called Nono.
"This is stupid. That girl can kill her!" growled T2, ready to exit.
AJ held her back, giving her a calm smile. "No, she won't. Brigitte knows what she is doing. Trust her."
"How can you know that!? You hardly know her!"
"And? Just by looking at and being around her, Brigitte is a very caring person. Hell, how you are acting right now to keep her safe tells me she helped you, too, right? So, trust her. Trust me."
T2 looked at AJ and sighed, looking away.
"Whatever."
"Hmph, that is one cold attitude."
"Shut up, shrimp."
AJ glared at her but stopped as they heard footsteps. They turned to see Brigitte holding the young girl's hand.
"T2, I know this might sound like a weird request...but can you go to sleep mode?" requested Brigitte, as the girl shook and closed her eyes.
T2 glared at her, but AJ put a hand on her shoulder. T2 was about to punch her but stopped and looked away.
"Whatever, fine," she followed through the weird request and sat in the corner.
"Okay, she's asleep; she won't hurt you. Step into the elevator, and we can talk some more," Brigitte warmly said to Nono.
Nono did so, and she and Artemis followed Brigitte in, with Nono looking away from the sleeping T2.
"I'm sorry; I don't mean to be rude," said Nono, sitting on Brigitte's lap and hugging her like she was her mother or something.
Brigitte rubbed her back and said it was fine, as she understood. The elevator doors were about to shut when the machine stopped them from closing. Everyone was caught off guard and wasn't ready for this.
"FLY!" screamed the machine, slowly forcing the doors open...only to be slammed by the pink pony balloon from above.
The pink pony balloon waved at Nono, who waved back as the doors closed again.
Everyone was relieved, and AJ turned to Brigitte and asked her a simple question.
"What's her deal?"
Brigitte looked at Nono, who was still hugging and scared as she eyed T2.
"...this poor girl was made to be a weapon, and in her first big mission, she fought someone who looked a lot like T2 there." Brigitte forced Nono's head on her chest, wanting her to relax. "The person who looked like T2 took her down and then tore her arms and legs off in a painful manner. It wasn't until after her team came in and saved her that she could disable the person who hurt her. She has...trauma from that battle with that T2-looking person...poor kid."
"Nono is a good girl. Papa wants Nono to live a peaceful life. Papa..." mumbled Nono, who started to drift off and fall asleep.
Brigitte was rubbing her back as the sounds of the elevator were the only thing filling the silence.
On the next floor, an empty wooden town could be seen, and a lone woman carrying a briefcase set it down and looked around, wondering where everyone was.
End of Chapter 19
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 20: ...Healing Is A Start
"I...We're...eternity...it hurts...it really hurts...why just us...why do we have to...our eternal pain..."
T2 found herself back within her system as a white ship. She moved down the system path, hearing the young boy's voice again. It was filled with pain and suffering, and it made her feel horrible.
"The eternal pain! It screamed at us! It told us there was nothing of value to protect in this world...the world had no meaning! It SCREAMED at us!"
T2 came to the open space of her systems, and when she entered it, the path behind closed with white blocks.
"What the hell?" echoed T2's voice from within the ship.
Soon, a giant grey sphere appeared in the middle, and a force field appeared around it.
"You and I...are the same." echoed 2S's voice from the sphere. "We have no one to help us. We can only cry and scream-"
Before T2 could hear the rest of 2S's speech, the sphere started unleashing orange bullets at her in a pattern, and the young boy's voice screamed from within the sphere.
"YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT!"
"Shit!" cursed T2, as she started to dodge the orange spheres and saw grey boxes appearing and also shooting orange spheres. "What the hell is this memory!? WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?" she screamed as she fired her ship guns, destroying a few of the grey boxes.
T2 hovered across the floor, dodging the boxes and the sphere's attack. The sphere unleashed a wave of orange bullets, and T2 quickly dashed past them. She was trying to think of a way to get through this.
"We don't need it! We don't need this world! I...We tried our best! In the rain, in the wind, in the storm. Even when our companions died, we kept fighting! But the eternal war...our eternal pain..."
T2 listened to the young boy's voice as she kept avoiding the waves of bullets. The sphere's voice soon boomed at her.
"Like hell, you stupid voice!" T2 shouted as she was almost close to the sphere, only to have it disappear.
It reappeared above her as a vast sphere with a weird, smiling face. The force field was still up as it started to attack T2, who noticed she was returning to her normal self within her systems. She drew her white blockly sword and ready herself for the battle.
LALALALALALA!" sang the sphere as it started firing more bullets.
T2 was dodging them, but it wasn't long until her arm got hit, and the bullet pierced through her shoulder. She hissed in pain but kept on going.
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" T2 yelled at the sphere, dashing to the side and avoiding more bullets.
"Our eternal pain! It SCREAMED at us! It told us there was nothing of value to protect in this world-in THIS WORLD!"
"What is this shit talking about!?"
"We wanted to die! We WANTED to die! So much we begged and begged for it to end! And the eternal pain..."
T2 jumped forward, deflecting all the orange bullets, and she swung her sword, hitting the force field. The powerful strike was enough to scatter the force field away, leaving the sphere open.
"You...all of you...this PAIN! This SADNESS! This DESPERATION!" cried the young boy, his voice filled with much suffering and despair.
T2 landed and looked up, seeing the sphere slowly lowering itself back to the system floor and opening its mouth, creating magical energy. T2 cursed as she knew she didn't have time to dodge it. She raised her sword at the exact time as the huge beam was fired. The beam clashed with her sword, pushing her back toward the white boxes.
"I DON'T NEED TO FEEL IT ANYMORE! I WANT THIS TO END!" the young boy screamed as the beam continued.
"SHUT UP!" shouted T2 as she pushed back and slowly moved the beam and herself to the sphere. "I know nothing about your pain or sadness! I don't care!" she pushed the beam more, and it was inches from the sphere. "THE ONLY THING I CARE ABOUT IS DESTROYING ALL THOSE DAMN MACHINES! FOR KILLING MY FRIENDS! WHO WERE LIKE SISTERS TO ME!" as she kept pushing, a vision of her friends flashed in her memory banks. Seeing how they all died. "FUCK THEM! FUCK COMMAND FOR NOT ABORTING THE MISSION! FUCK THE ALIENS FOR CREATING THOSE DAMN MACHINES AND FINALLY FUCK THIS DAMN BODY OF MINE!!!" she fully deflected the beam, leaving her enough time to dash toward the sphere, stabbing it.
The sphere was shocked, and T2 took this moment to raise her sword high and slam it down, shattering the sphere.
"I've been here before, no?" T2 asked as she could hear the boy's voice speaking to her.
"YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT!"
T2 had enough of this boy's pity and pointed her sword to the sky. "AND YOU DON'T KNOW NOTHING ABOUT MY OWN! LIKE I SAID, FUCK THIS WORTHLESS BODY OF MINE! IF IT'S NOT GONNA BE HELPFUL TO ME IN REACHING MY GOAL, THEN IT'S USELESS TO ME!" she then screamed and stabbed her sword into the system floor, creating a loud stabbing noise. "I just need it to stay together until I can finally take revenge for my fallen sisters!" T2 gripped the handle of the sword tightly as her voice started filling with loss and sadness. "I don't want to be useless again. I don't want to lose another friend like I was losing 9R. I want to end this war not only for me but for her as well...so why?" tears started to run down her cheeks. "I don't need others to help me! I don't need pity! I don't want anyone else to suffer or die...but why do I keep doing the opposite?" her grip was shaking, and her body was shivering. "WHY AM I SO USELESS THAT EVEN MY BODY IS BECAME THE VERY REFLECTION OF IT!? I...I-I-"
"You and I...are the same."
T2 flinched when she heard 2S's voice and saw her standing there. Just looking at her with pity and sadness. "We have no one to help us. We can only cry and scream-"
T2 tossed her sword at 2S, scattering it as the blade stabbed the floor. She dropped her knees and screamed at where 2S stood.
"SHUT THE HELL UP!!" T2 punched the ground hard with her fists. "WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MY PAIN OR SUFFERING!?" she stopped, her eyes filled with so many tears. "Stop pitying me, damn it. I don't want it. I hate it. Just leave me alone...let me be alone in my suffering. I'm done." she closed her eyes. "I'm nothing; I lost who I was. I'm not the old me anymore, as she died three years ago when...I had to kill my last remaining friend. I can't be strong; I'm just weak. Just like this body, which is nothing more than a useless vessel." she felt so alone and weak. She was giving up. She wanted it to all end...until she heard a voice.
"So what?"
T2 saw her sword slide towards her and stop as it tapped her knees. She looked up and could see 9R standing there.
"None of it matters." she gripped her black sword hard. "Or didn't you know? We aren't required in this world anymore."
Suddenly, echoes of the young boy's voice could be heard, and the same sentence could be heard repeatedly.
"The world had no meaning! It SCREAMED at us!"
"The Commander? Me? 2S? ALL OF US!" 9R burst out in laughter as tears fell from her eyes. "ISN'T THAT HILARIOUS!? DOESN'T IT MAKE YOU LAUGH!?"
T2's heart ached so badly, as she couldn't bear seeing 9R like this. T2 started to remember why 9R was like this. Losing 2S to the Logic virus and watching her die at the hands of T2 herself. It was a mercy killing that 9R never wanted to accept and even blamed T2, as 9R believed she could have saved 2S. 9R's loyalty to 2S was so great that she lost all reason, falling into despair.
"9R...I...I'm sorry," apologized T2 as she felt this was her fault, but 9R swung her sword in rage.
"SHUT UP!" She slowly raised and pointed her sword at T2. "You killed 2S. That's all we need to kill each other."
"...." T2 was stunned by the words.
T2 grabbed her sword and slowly stood up. "9R..." T2 remembered now that she had been in this situation before. She relived her memories of when she fought 9R within the white tower, a cannon, and pointed to the human server on the moon. She told 9R the truth about 2S and how she was a model based on her T2. It's a better and updated version of the T series. T2 stood for Tactical Number 2, as her squad was the first tactical androids to be made to combat the machines.
After the test run was completed, the S series, Number 2 Slayer models, was made. Made not only for killing machines but to kill the high-end hacking and detecting models of the 9R series, Number 9 Radars. 9R herself as she was too smart for her good and will learn the truth about how all humanity was dead and not truly on the moon.
T2 understood 9R's pain, the pain of losing someone that she wanted to befriend 9R, but 9R didn't want her friendship, not after seeing her kill 2S in front of her. T2 remembered how it went down but wanted it to change so much that she had to try.
"9R, I know what you are fe-"
9R screamed at her with so much despair and pain. Her eyes were glowing red now. "What do you know? You don't know anything at all about me!"
T2 felt her hope was gone.
"...stupid. This is just a memory. Nothing will change..."
She watched a bright yellow and pink colored pod appear next to 9R.
"Proposal: Cease combat. Fighting her at this point would be irrational and-"
"Pod 19-8-25! I order you to halt all logical thought and speech! This order shall remain in effect until you confirm the death of either myself or unit T2!" the pod was silenced, as 9R had ordered it not to interfere with her fight. It floated away.
T2 remembers it all now. This battle—her being here—shows who was going to win. She didn't even bother to raise her sword to defend herself. She remembered the sorrow and sadness in 9R's voice as they fought.
"IT DOESN'T MATTER! NONE OF THIS MATTERS!"
She remembered the clashing of swords.
"But if it doesn't MATTER...why do I long for someone's hand?"
T2 slowly looked up, seeing 9R was gone, and only her sword remained as it was stabbed into the ground.
"Why do I desire the touch of something that no longer exists!? WHY!?"
Echoes of crying and clashing swords could be heard.
"IT'S GONE! SHE'S GONE! WITHOUT HER, I'M NOTHING! IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT I DO, MY LIFE! MY WORLD! IT'S OVER!"
The clashing sound grew louder, and the crying echoes grew louder and louder. She remembered trying to speak reason to 9R, but like her body, that was a failure.
9R laughter could be heard as she spoke. "Fine then...I'll just destroy it! Heehee! If it all goes away, that'll solve everyTHING !"
T2 started to walk closer to 9R's sword, knowing what she meant by that. It was the second reason 9R wanted to fight her: to end her own life.
"9R..."
As T2 stopped before the sword, her vision glitched out and faded away quickly. She could hear 9R's painful struggle and crying—until it was gone.
"You and I...are the same."
She grabbed the halt of the sword, pulled it out of the floor, and glared at the dark blade surface.
"We have no one to help us. We can only cry and scream for all of it to end. We lost what matters to us, what made us who we are..."
She slowly raised the sword and flipped it around, pointing the blade to her chest.
"I freed you from your suffering..."
T2 closed her eyes, and everything around her was glitching out.
"AJ was right. I'm a coward...I let my body become worthless. It's my own fault because...I'm not strong enough like I thought..."
She raised the sword, aiming the blade to her chest, ready to kill herself. She opened her eyes, revealing her flicking red eyes.
"I'm coming, everyone...I'm...coming..."
She raised the sword a bit and was going to plunge it into her chest....when...
"I can't go any further with this fat-ass junkhead anymore!"
"Huh!?" said T2, coming out of her sleep mode and seeing herself falling to the ground.
T2 landed on her back hard and cursed loudly. She sat up and glared at AJ, who was cracking her back as she was the one who was carrying her.
"Bastard!"
AJ didn't bother to look at her as she finally cracked her back. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Happy to see you finally awake."
"What happened?" asked T2 as she slowly returned to her feet and looked around, noticing the wooden houses. From what she could tell, they were inside a small town.
"We made it to the next floor and stepped out into this town, as you can see," explained AJ, looking around the place. "And before you ask, no, there is no one here. Artemis scanned the area and picked up no signs of life...well..."
"Well, what?" asked T2, having a bad feeling.
AJ turned to her, crossing her arms. "She picked up two life signs, and we are close to one." she turned ahead, where she was heading before she dropped T2. "Up ahead, Brigitte and the others went ahead of me. Could be another person like us here." she faced T2 and smiled. "If you weren't so damn heavy, we would have been at their side."
"Don't blame me for my body! Blame your small body, you damn twerp!" she blushed as she hated how AJ kept making fun of her weight.
AJ's eye twitched when she heard the word 'small' and became angry. "WHO YOU CALLING A DAMN TWERP, YOU FUCKING JUNK HEAD!?" she growled and was getting ready to kick the shit out of T2, but when she took one step, her automail leg went stiff, making her almost fall. "Crap..."
T2 had her sword ready but saw what had happened to AJ. She put her sword away and tsk loudly. "Looks like I'm not the only one who's falling apart with their body, huh?"
AJ didn't reply but just stood there with a pissed-off face.
T2 shook her head and walked past her. "Try to keep up, you damn twerp."
"H-Hey!"
AJ was limping to keep up with T2 as they continued where Brigitte and the others went.
Brigitte held Nono tight as the poor girl was having a nightmare, crying out and saying something.
"Don't hurt me! Please!"
Brigitte stopped her wheelchair and could see a bench not too far away from them. "There," she said and wheeled over to the bench. Once they were in front of it, she put the brakes on and picked up Nono, placing her on the bench. She took her hand, stroking it.
"Poor kid..."
Artemis appeared from behind the wheelchair, and her hologram body was on. She floated near her mother.
"How is she, mom?"
"Not good. She's still crying and saying things about being hurt."
Artemis became sad and was worried for the girl, not knowing why she was going through this. "Mom, she told us about how she was a weapon..." Artemis still couldn't believe that part. "A living weapon...at her age! It's so cruel. Why would someone do that!? Even making her go out to fight someone more powerful than her, which cost her limbs...this is evil. I'm worried that if she was born there, more children may be there like her."
Brigitte agreed, but...
"There's always evil in the world, sweetheart. Even in other universes, people are horrible and evil. Even Terra was like this girl, you know?"
"Dad...was a weapon?"
"Yes. she was." Brigitte grits her teeth as she remembers Terra's past. "When Terra and I got closer on the planet, Skyros, she opened up to me. Revealing to me her past. How her psychic powers went out of control one night when she was a young kid, killing her big sister and the rest of her sister's family. The Empire troops were sent in after Terra's psychic energy wiped out that block. She was captured." She lowered her head a bit. "They saw how powerful she was for a gifted horn one, so instead of killing her, they placed her in the Ghost Program. Forced to become a tool, a weapon for the Empire. She was trained to be a killer and killed so many people. Some were good people, people that stood up against the Empire."
As Brigitte was talking, a brown boot stepped on the ground behind her. Whoever was there started to listen as a yellow butterfly flew around them.
"Terra was raised as a tool, a tool to kill, not to love or feel anything. Not to disobey orders or question them. She was just a tool."
Brigitte lifted her head, looking up at the sky, which was filled with the wooden ceiling of this floor.
"That's what she told me; she was just a tool and a weapon that she shouldn't ever be given pity or be cared for. That her life doesn't matter and doesn't need a happy ending. Terra said her fate was sealed. Her life was over, and she gladly accepted it."
"...dad, s-said that?" whispered Artemis as she never thought her father would say that about herself.
Brigitte nodded and looked down at Nono, touching the young girl's cheek.
"She did, but as time passed, she started to change. She was slowly getting her feelings back, like love and friendship. The Empire had made her think and feel like a tool, but they failed as Terra started to understand what I was telling her."
Artemis got slightly closer, not wanting to miss anything.
"And what was that?"
"I have seen good lives wasted. Young teens to men and women, soldiers who died on the battlefield. It's not fair. They deserved more. Thanks to the Empire, they should have had a life they chose for themselves, not being forced into a life they never wanted. That's how I saw Terra." Brigitte looked back at Artemis. "I told her that her life was worth something more than being a weapon and tool. She's a human being and a woman, not a machine. Not a weapon. When I told her that, I could see in her eyes that she never heard those words before. Her eyes were so broken and lifeless, but a spark was within them. It was the first time I had ever seen someone's eyes spark like that. They were full of so much sorrow and... hope."
"Hope? Why hope?"
"Because she didn't want to be a monster, and she wasn't. She felt regret and shame. She even felt guilty about all the lives she took but never had a chance to redeem herself. But...when she heard what I told her, she had hope. That she could move forward and live her life as a free woman. That's when, for the first time, I saw Terra cry. She never shed tears or even thought about crying, but the day she was told her life had meaning and wasn't a tool, she could have a happy ending. That was the day she cried. She was sobbing her eyes out."
Brigitte turned her head back to Nono and leaned over, petting the young girl.
"This poor girl is the same, but the way she talks about her father, which I highly doubt is her real father, that man wants her to be free from being a weapon. He wants her to have a happy ending."
"But what is a happy ending?"
Brigitte laughed a bit. "A happy ending is when a person is saved from a cruel fate, a horrible life, and given the choice to make their life better. To give their life meaning. They are saved from the evil that holds them down. From the chains that bind them, they can break free."
The person behind them listened, started moving forward, and spoke as the yellow butterfly flew away.
"The one who made her into a weapon, that person."
"Huh?" said Brigitte and her daughter as they turned around to see who was talking to them.
"No doubt loved her and must be heartbroken to know she still trusts him."
A young woman is standing there in a yellow uniform dress with pink gloves. She placed her briefcase down and bowed to them.
"Hello. My name is Violet Evergreen. An Auto Memories Doll at the Sparkle Postal Company."
"Auto Memories Doll?" said the confused Brigitte.
"You can call us writers. We write people's stories, memories, thoughts, and feelings. If they wish to send someone a letter or a note, we are here to help," Violet said, standing back up.
The young Violet got closer and looked down at the sleeping Nono. She lowered herself to be at eye level with the girl and put her hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her.
"Wake up. I want to talk to you."
"Umm, is that really a good idea?" asked Artemis, who hovered above the newcomer.
Nono started to flinch as she slowly opened her eyes. They were a bit red from all the crying she did. "Who..." she rubbed her eyes, looking at Violet.
Violet smiled softly. "Hello there. Sorry to wake you, but I want-hmm?" Violet stopped as she heard fighting coming from behind them.
They all looked to see T2 and AJ going at it.
"I'M GROWING DAMN IT! I'M GOING TO GET BIGGER YOU DAMN FAT ASS JUNK HEAD!"
"WHATEVER YOU SAY, SMALL FRY! KEEP COPING!"
The two were walking side by side. They slammed their faces into each other, glaring hard at each other eyes.
"Oh my," said Violet.
Brigitte sighed, expecting those two to be still at each other's throats, but she remembered something. She quickly turned around and could see Nono freaking out.
"Nono! Calm down! Remember what I to-ugh!"
An unseen force pushed away Brigitte, Artemis, and Violet as Nono started to scream.
"STAY AWAY!"
T2 and AJ stopped fighting, knew what was happening, and acted. AJ clapped her hands and touched the floor, making a pillar of dirt and allowing it to be destroyed. Within the middle of the pillar, something burst out, and thanks to the dirt cloud, T2 could see what would attack her.
"THIS AGAIN!?" said T2, deflecting the attack, sending the thing flying backward.
Violet recovered from being tossed back. She could see a woman with a white sword swinging around as she lay there. Even though Violet couldn't see what was attacking the woman, she could see the movements in the dirt cloud. She stood up and turned to Nono, who was holding her head and crying.
"STAY AWAY, LUCIE! I'M A GOOD GIRL; I PROMISED PAPA THAT I WOULDN'T FIGHT ANYMORE! NONO IS A GOOD GIRL!" Nono shook her head and cried. "Papa ordered me to be a good girl... not to hurt anyone."
Violet flinched when she heard that. She saw a flash of 'him,' covered in blood. He slowly smiled at her as he spoke to her.
Violet clutched her hands.
T2 kept blocking or dodging whatever was attacking her. She hated not being able to attack back; she hated feeling helpless. She glanced at Nono, still feeling out of control. Brigitte couldn't get close, as whatever was attacking T2 protected Nono in a small circle.
"We have to knock her out," said AJ as she turned to T2. "But whatever weapon she has, it's putting up a great defense!" she showed T2, creating a spear from the ground and tossing it near Nono. Within seconds, the spear was caught and broken into bits.
T2 could see this. "We have to break through." she glared at Nono and knew what must be done. "...and put her down for good."
"What!?" shouted AJ.
"You heard me!" she dodged another attack. "She is suffering, and someone needs to end it for her. It's the only way to save her."
Brigitte heard this and was helped back up by her daughter. "NO! We can't just kill her!"
T2 faced her. "Do you want her to suffer!? Do you want her to go through this for the rest of her life, suffering like that? She can't live like that!"
AJ didn't like the idea one bit. Before she or Brigitte could say anything more, T2 was caught off as her knee joint started to spark, leaving her open as Nono's weapons quickly headed her way.
"Shit!"
T2 was ready to use her sword to protect herself, but something happened. Someone took the hit for her...
Pink clothing being torn off could be seen. In front of T2 was Violet, who blocked the attack with her arms, ruining her pink gloves. AJ's eyes widened as she saw what was underneath Violet's exposed gloves.
"Her arms! They are automails!"
"Who the hell are you!?" demanded T2, standing back up.
Violet ignored the question. With a quick movement of her arms, she pushed off whatever hit her and could see more of it coming, thanks to the dirt cloud. She narrowed her eyes as flashes of her old life filled her mind. She was once a child soldier, trained to be nothing more than a tool for whoever controlled her. Her old life vanished as she ducked in time and quickly upper-kicked the unseen object.
"I can feel it...there's really something there. I can't see it, but I can feel it." she thought.
Violet moved quickly, blocking, kicking, and punching the incoming attacks.
Brigitte watched this and could tell this woman was a trained soldier in how she fought.
"A soldier..." she thought and gasped as Violet was knocked back and slid on the ground. She was hurt but thankful, not badly.
T2 tsk at this as she saw this woman protecting her. She didn't want someone pitying or protecting her. She glared at the woman and spoke.
"I didn't need your help."
Violet slightly eyed her and finally spoke to her.
"I'm not helping you." She turned her attention back to young Nono, and tears fell. Violet couldn't bear to see this young girl like this. "I'm helping her."
"What? Hey, what are you doing!?" shouted T2, as she watched Violet stop taking a fighting stance and just stood there, being left open for the attacks.
Violet took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She started walking toward Nono, speaking to the young girl with each step.
"Let me write your story! Let me type it into words, and then allow me to give it to you. Let me write your story!"
Brigitte and her daughter were speechless and worried. They could see this woman was putting her life on the line for a girl she didn't know, but Brigitte felt like she knew Nono's suffering.
Nono could hear Violet's voice and slowly opened her eyes,
"Write? Write my story?"
"Yes. Let me write and type it so you can let your thoughts and feelings out, and I can send them to the person who loves you so much."
"You can do that?" cried Nono, her unseen arms finally stop moving.
T2 could see that Nono's weapons had finally stopped moving, and she had ready her sword. She was going to free Nono from her pain, just like she did with 9R. She dashed forward, aiming her blade right for Nono's chest,
"I CAN!" Violet quickly heard someone running behind her, and she jumped in front of the blade, grabbing it and stopping it in its tracks. She glared at T2. "What are you doing!?"
Before T2 could say anything, Nono started freaking out again.
"LUCIE!? DON'T HURT ME AGAIN!?"
Violet moved her other metal arm, grabbing the unseen arms. She was now blocking two attacks and had her full attention on T2.
"Put the blade away! This isn't how you help someone!"
"Tsk, what do you know, lady!?"
"More than you think!" she tightened her grip on the blade.
T2 glared harder. "What do you know? You don't know anything at all about me or that kid!?" she put more strength into the blade, ready to stab Violet and then finish Nono off.
Violet felt her body shake. She could feel the coldness and the hatred coming from T2.
"You're right. I don't know anything about either of you two, but I want to help."
"What?"
"If I know what you two went through, maybe I can help you both. Please," she said, giving T2 a sad smile.
T2 gripped the hilt of her sword harder.
"I don't need your damn pity! I don't need you!" she was about to push the blade into Violet but couldn't. She didn't want to kill her. "You..." She turned to look at every one. "...all of you..." she returned her sights on Violet. "This pain! This sadness! This DESPERATION!" she lowered her head and just screamed. "YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT!" she pulled back her sword and just stood there, looking at the ground. "Nono and I...we are the same...we have no one to help us. We can only cry and scream for all of it to end. We lost what matters to us, what made us who we are..."
Brigitte, Artems, and AJ could only watch in silence. T2's words echoed in their heads.
Violet expression became sadder as she could see the pain coming from T2. She quickly turned to Nono and grabbed the unseen force with both hands. She started to push forward, speaking to her.
"I overheard what the weird blue skin weapon was saying."
"...weird blue skin?" whispered Brigitte, slightly offended.
"How you were created to be a weapon! How you were born and raised for battle." she stopped as she felt the unseen force pushing back. She struggled back and shouted at Nono. "Tell me! This papa of yours! What did he order you to do!? What were your orders!?"
Nono looked at her, crying. "To be a good girl! Papa doesn't want me to fight no more but to live, but..." She flinched when she turned to T2 and saw...Lucie, but in T2 place. She remembers that battle in the cemetery where she was ordered to take down Lucie, but things went south as Lucie's vector hands cut off her fingers and leg. "I DON'T WANT TO BE HURT NO MORE! THE PAIN! THE PAIN OF MY LIMBS BEING SLOWLY RIPPED FROM MY BODY! STOP IT!" she unleashed more unseen vectors at Violet.
But Violet stood her ground as the hands grabbed her legs and arms. Trying to rip them off of her. "Your orders! Your Papa wanted you to live and not fight, right!?"
"Yes! I want to be a good girl!"
Violet moved forward again, even with the pain. "What is your name!"
"My name? Nono! Papa told me my name is Nono!"
"Nono..." Violet pushed harder. "Nono. Your papa sounds like someone dear to me, who only wanted me to live my life not as a tool but as a person." She was getting closer as she smiled. "You aren't a tool. It would be best if you become someone that matches their name. Not a weapon or an order! You're your own person."
"My own...person?" whispered Nono, snapping out of trauma and letting her vectors go from Violet's body.
Violet could feel the unseen force leaving her body, allowing her to stand upright and walk to Nono without worries. "Yes. I'm sure he ordered you not to hurt people and fight, but that doesn't mean you have to suffer like this."
"I...suffer?"
"Yes. You're suffering. Suffering with pain deep within you. It hurts, right? And the pain will never go away."
"Y...yes. It hurts. Every time I see or think of Lucie, the pain returns. I don't want to disappoint my papa...not again."
"I know that feeling." Violet now stood in front of Nono. "If I could, I would take the pain from you and help you write it into words so you could send it to him so that he would know. So, you could let the pain out and get better."
Nono looked down at her hands. "I don't want him to worry. He already did too much for me. I don't want my pain to hurt him."
"I'm sure he doesn't care if it hurts him as long as you are happy and smiling."
Nono thought of her papa, and he was always smiling when she smiled. She remembered how her Papa saw her without limbs and looked so hurt.
Nono dropped down onto the bench and held herself. She squeezed her fake arms. "Papa...don't look at me...don't look at this broken tool you loved so much. Don't look at me anymore, please..."
"Nono..." said Violet, feeling bad for the young girl.
"But Papa kept telling me I wasn't broken, I was still the best girl in the world, and he wanted me to live. He gave these new limbs to me, but..." She looked up and sobbed as she finally let it out. "I can't no longer feel him when I hug him! I can't even give my Papa my love, my warmth to him! Why do I desire the touch of something that can no longer give me any warmth?! WHY?!"
T2 heard Nono's words and answered her but did not look up from the ground.
"Then it means you're nothing now. It doesn't matter what you do. It's over; your life is over."
Violet gave T2 a slight glare but back to Nono. She sat down and picked up her briefcase. She opened it, revealing an old typewriter. She gave Nono a warm and caring smile.
"There are other ways to feel warmth. Like I said, let me write your story and emotions into words." She looked at the typewriter. "I have learned to feel, though writing letters for others. Through the people I have met. I have seen the warmth through their words and felt it as I typed their stories."
Nono looked at the typewriter and then back at Violet. "So, if I tell you what I feel, and you type it into words, it is like I'm giving my warm to my papa as he reads it...like hugging him but in words?"
"Yes."
Nono sniffed and looked at her hands, wondering if she could still do something. "Papa gave me a chance to live. If I can't hug him anymore, I may let him feel my love in words. Will you help me? Will you help me send my message to him, miss?"
Violet smiled and nodded. "Of course I will. Let's start from the beginning." She put a paper into the typewriter and told Nono her name. They started writing the letter.
T2 was confused and annoyed. She couldn't hold in her rage, seeing someone pitying another.
"What are you doing? Do you think a damn letter is going to help anyone!?"
Violet didn't answer her.
"Hey, did you hear me!? Hey!"
"It's a start."
"What?"
"Letters and stories can be a start to recovery. A support pillar for those that need it." Violet stopped typing and looked at her. "I have written letters for others, seeing them open their hearts and letting the world know how they feel. Sometimes, the people they are writing to are not there, but the words I type are enough to make the reader feel the warmth of the letter as if they were right in front of their loves. It's a small step, but it can be a huge one. Sometimes, a letter is better than nothing. A letter can make a person feel less alone and see things."
T2 stared at her. She shook her head, not believing this crap.
"Isn't that damn pity? Isn't it just you thinking that's enough!?"
"I never said it was enough." Violet turned back to the typewriter and started to type again. "I said it is a start." She typed a few more things while listening to Nono, who was too focused on what she wanted to say and not listening to T2. As Violet typed, she answered T2's question about pity. "And giving others pity isn't a wrong thing. It just shows you care about them, worry about them, and want to help them."
"Why should you care? Why should you even bother to help someone you don't know?"
"Because we are the same," Violet answered. "I was a tool like Nono. To kill whatever my master asked me. I had no friends, no family, no love. I didn't even have emotions until my major came into my life. Even though he used me as a tool, he hated doing it. That's why he taught me things like writing, reading, and family. But even with all that, he still had regret. Regret for using me as a weapon and taking people's lives. It's why he wanted to take me in after the war, but fate had other plans." She stopped typing and looked at her adamantine silver prosthesis hands. "We were on a mission to take down an enemy headquarters, which, if it is successful, the war will be over...but..."
The attack was going well until an explosion went off near my Major and me. He used his body to shield me from the blast and got injured badly. His face was bleeding, and other wounds on his body...
"Major! Major!" cried a young teen Violet, trying to shake him awake.
The Major was struggling to look at Violet, as the pain was too great, but in the end, he was able to look at her as he lay there on the ground. "I'm... okay."
Violet felt her eyes getting wet; she was happy to see him okay...until a gunfire could be heard, and within seconds, Violet could see the Major side being hit by a bullet, making her major flinch with pain. It felt like time had slowed down for Violet; seeing the blood shooting out of the wound, she was trying to recover from the shock, and when she did, she quickly turned around and fired the rifle that she had. With a clean shot, she killed the enemy shooter while his friend backed away in fear. Fear as he could see Violet's glowing emerald eyes in the night darkness. She was glaring at him and breathing heavily. Her rage was growing as the thought of her major dying slowly filled her mind. She pulled the trigger...only for the rifle to not fire anything. It was out of ammo, but she kept pulling the trigger as she glared at the enemy, who was now running away for his life.
Violet dropped her empty rifle and turned back to hurt Major, who was now breathing hard.
"Major!"
The Major just lay there, breathing hard as he talked to her. "Save...yourself. L-Leave me here." with his remaining strength, he slightly looked up at her, revealing the small pool of blood that was under his head. "You have to run."
Violet was stunned by the order and became mad at him. "I can't do that! I will take you with me!"
The Major started to feel more pain as he could feel blood oozing out from the bullet wound. "Leave me here..."
Violet refused this order. "I will not leave you behind! I will stay here and fight!" She quickly acted and put the Major arm around her neck. "I will only go if I take you with me!" She forced her Major up, who only looked at her with sadness.
Violet raised her gun and started to walk with the Major to the exit of this stone courtyard, only for someone to aim at them and fire. Violet didn't scream as her right arm was blasted off, sending her and the Major falling to the floor. The Major landed on his knees and screamed Violet's name, seeing what had happened. In his rage, he pulled out his handgun and fired at the shooter, killing him as the bullet hit his neck.
The Major was suddenly shocked to feel Violet lifting him with her left arm and enduring the pain of losing her right arm. With her fighting back the pain as she held in her screams, the two struggle to walk forward. Both were in too much pain to keep moving, the Major knew this as he kept looking at Violet enduring face.
"S-Stop!" whispered the Major. "...please."
Violet ignored his pleas and kept going, trying to reach the stairway far from them. As they were getting closer, the young man who ran away from before returned, holding a stick grenade. He wanted revenge on Violet, who killed his friend. He pulled the pin and tossed it near her and the Major, almost near the stairway entrance. The grenade landed behind them, and Violet had a second to react as it went off.
The grenade explosion was large, and the entrance to the stairway had collapsed. In the stairway, the Major survived, thanks to Violet's quick reflex, as she stood far away from the collapsed entrance. But her body took heavy damage from the explosion, as her left arm's uniform sleeve had a ton of blood, and soon, like her right arm, her arm slowly detached and fell to the ground. Violet had lost both arms but didn't care; she only cared about protecting her Major.
...and the Major knew this, as he started to cry as he was against the stairway wall. Seeing poor Violet like this now, lost of both arms. All she had now was her legs.
Violet turned to him, her face filled with undying loyalty and determination.
"I will not let you die!" screamed Violet as her tears fell from her eyes as she used her teeth to pull the Major from his spot. She would drag him out of this place no matter what...but without her arms, she couldn't move the Major.
The Major cried harder and called out to her. "Stop!"
But Violet didn't stop; she kept trying and pulling. Seeing this made the Major scream at her.
"Just stop!" he watched as she finally let go and fell on her rear, breathing hard. He finally calmed down and spoke to her in a soft tone. "You have to live."
Violet slowly looked up at him, seeing how truly badly hurt he was, half of his face covered in blood, his shoulder bleeding, along with the bullet wound on his side. All of the blood was now covering the step he was on. He wasn't going to make it out.
"Violet...you have to live," he said again, putting himself in a better position.
"I will not leave you!" she cried. "Please! Don't make me leave you behind!"
Violet kept breathing, listening to him speak to her.
The Major started to sob. "From the bottom of my heart..." Violet started to cry as she saw her Major smiling at her. "I love you."
Violet blinked. She suddenly felt scared. "...L-Love?" she started to cry as she didn't understand what the Major said to her. "What is love? What is..." She gave him a sad reaction as she tried to understand what love means. "Love? I don't understand!" She kept repeating it to the Major, wanting him to answer her question, but he only felt shame, as he hadn't taught her about love.
As the two just sat in silence, bombs could be heard hitting the enemy headquarters as the wall shook. The major turned to the top of the collapse entrance and knew what was happening. He could feel the explosions getting closer and will be over them soon enough. He turned back to her and leaped at her as the entrance burst out, and fire and smoke raced toward them...
Everyone was silent as Violet finished telling her story.
"...my Major protected me from the blast. I woke up in a military hospital and later found out that the mission was a success and the war was now over. Everyone was celebrating, and yet I couldn't smile. My major wasn't here. I thought he was in some other military hospital and recovering from his wounds. But in truth...." Violet started to break down. "....he died. He died protecting me! When I learned the truth, I blamed myself. If I had been faster and stronger, I could have saved him! But I wasn't strong enough to save him! I didn't understand the meaning of love until after his death." Violet stopped and wiped her tears, but they kept flowing out. She turned to Nono, who was also crying. "As I said, you and I are the same. We have someone who deeply cares about us and never sees us as tools or weapons. They saw a human being. Even though he's not here anymore, I can still feel the warmth that the Major gave me. I have been trying to spread the warm that I have to others, to help them and see them pass it on to others in the form of a letter." Violet's expression became a determined one. "Everything I've done so far has sparked a flame that is now burning me up. I won't give up. Even if I fail, I will keep going. I won't quit. Because I have the warmth, and I will spread it. And because of the warmth the Major gave me, I will ensure others know the same feeling." She reaches out to Nono, wanting her to take her hand.
Nono looked at Violet's hand and her own. She flexed it, but even then, she felt nothing. Her arms and legs were fakes, and she couldn't feel anything with them. Her tears started to fall again.
"I-I can't feel. I can't feel my papa's touch. I can't feel the warmth. I don't know if I can feel love, and yet..." she slowly reached out and grabbed Violet's hands. Soon, Nono saw flashes of her Papa looking at her with disappointment and sadness...and then seeing Lucie ripping her apart. Her emotionless face just stared at her.
"Violet could see Nono's hand shaking. She could see how much trauma this poor girl had.
Nono closed her eyes. "Papa would be disappointed in me. I couldn't do anything and let myself be taken apart. I couldn't feel the love. I'm nothing more than a tool that is now broken and useless."
"Let him know."
"Huh!?" said Nono, opening her eyes and looking at Violet's emerald-bright eyes.
"If you have something troubling you, let him know."
Nono just sat there, looking at Violet and her hands. "I...I want to tell him so much, but..."
"Then, tell him. It's a start."
Nono blinked a few times. "A start?"
"Yes. Trauma is everlasting, but healing is a start. Tell him everything. Let him know how you feel. It might not be easy, but it's a start."
Nono nodded and then hugged Violet, crying into her chest.
T2 gripped her sword as she watched the scene. She turned around and walked away. She could hear the disappointment in AJ, Artemis, and Brigitte's voices, but she didn't care. She left the area and was walking away from them.
She stopped when she could see a garden ahead of her. She walked over to it and sat down in it. She stabbed the sword into the ground and just sat there. She could see a yellow butterfly flying near her lap and landed. T2 raised her hand, ready to kill the bug...but stopped and sighed. She became lost in her thoughts. Thoughts about what she saw with Violet and her actions. Pitying others and helping others. T2 couldn't understand why. Why would you care for someone you don't know? She didn't get it. Was pity really a way to care for others, to know you are loved and worried for?
"..."
T2 didn't know how long she had been in the garden. There were no signs of sun, but there was sunlight within the floor somehow.
"T2."
She didn't react.
"T2."
It was the same voice, but she still didn't react.
"Hey, T2."
"What?" shouted T2, turning around and seeing Violet holding her briefcase in her hands. "What do you want?"
Violet walked over and stood by her side. T2 and she looked at the garden; they could see all the pretty flowers.
"Let me write your letter."
T2 looked up at her, confused. "What?"
Violet faced her and sat down on the grass. "Let me write your letter to the one you care about. You have something to say to someone or somebody. I can help you. Just let me write a letter for you. Whoever you want to say it, I'll write it. You can even have a copy of the letter for yourself."
T2 looked back at the garden. "I have no one. My squad mates that I saw as sisters...2S and even 9R...they are dead." she lowered her head. "I have no one to help me. I can only cry and scream for all of it to end. I lost what matters to me, what made me who I am..." she slightly raised her hand, showing Violet her exposed joints. Her damaged and failing body. "I lost what is important to me, and I swore to destroy what caused it...but I'm starting to think what AJ..." She looked at Violet and smiled. "She's the small stupid one."
AJ suddenly squeezed and wiped her nose.
"What AJ said to me might be..." She shook her head and corrected herself. "No, she is right. I'm a coward. I'm trying to find an easy way out, and it was never the machine I wanted to destroy but myself. Like AJ said, I see my body as a tool, not a part of me. I allowed my weakness not to see that." she looked away from Violet and focused on the 2S sword before her. "I thought about many things after seeing what you did."
Violet said nothing, opened her briefcase, and put a fresh piece of paper into the typewriter.
T2 kept speaking. "I lost my sisters against the machine three years ago in my universe. Then I had to kill 2S, an updated model series of myself, and 9R watched it happen. She wanted me dead, and in the end..." She held her head as static filled her vision. "I killed her too, and what she was going about..." T2 stopped as she heard Violet typing. "...what are you doing?"
Violet stopped and turned to her. "Writing what you are feeling right now. Here."
T2 watched as Violet pulled out the paper and showed it to her. She read it.
"...what?"
She read it again and became mad.
"I didn't say this crap!"
Violet put back the paper back into the typewriter. "But you did." T2 gave her a confused look. "Like I told you and Nono, I will write down your feelings and put them into words. The words you said and the words on the paper are the same. This is you, your feelings, the truth."
"But it doesn't say..."
"The truth is there; you're just not looking at it. It's there, and I can see it." She looked at the words on the paper and readied her fingers while waiting for T2 to continue.
"...the truth is in there?" whispered T2, as her memory banks started playing 2S memory to her.
"You and I...are the same. We have no one to help us. We can only cry and scream until someone listens. We're lonely. But I'm not alone because I have 'her.' I know it hurts, but let others in. Let someone share your weight, and learn to ask for support. Don't be afraid, T2." echoed 2S's message to her.
Soon, her memory banks forced a memory onto her. She found herself in the desert; giant spheres with faces hovered around her as they spoke.
"I...We're...eternity...it hurts...it really hurts...why just us...why do we have to...We don't need it! We don't need this world! I...We tried our best! In the rain, in the wind, in the storm. Even when our companions died, we kept fighting! But the eternal war...our eternal pain..." The young boy's voice started to giggle with madness. "The eternal pain! It screamed at us! It told us there was nothing of value to protect in this world..." Soon, the boy's voice echoed like it was within a cave. "The world had no meaning! It SCREAMED at us!" He laughed; nothing but laughter filled the empty desert ...until that laughter became sobbing and pain. "You...all of you...this PAIN! This SADNESS! This DESPERATION!"
T2 looked up, seeing all of the spheres looking down at her.
"YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT!" screamed the young boy, as there was nothing but pain and agony in his voice...until another voice appeared. It was the same voice but filled with hope.
"No matter how hard or how painful... They never gave up. They kept fighting because they believed they could overcome it someday! Isn’t that right, Afterlight!? Even if it’s pointless, you still have to do it! BECAUSE THIS IS THE WORLD MY FRIEND TRIED TO SAVE!"
T2 remembered now. She went after Emil, the purple and green creepy head store seller. She took down his copies and stopped the last one from blowing up and killing them. She remembered what Emil said next to her.
"I was running... from the memories of losing those close to me... It was so hard...so painful...at the end...I did a lot of bad things to you, T2. But now I get to see them again...really soon..."
T2 opened her eyes and remembered what Emil had said to his vast clones.
"No matter how hard or how painful it is...never up. You need to keep fighting and believe you can overcome it someday. Even if you feel it is pointless, you must do it. Because it's your world to save."
T2 stood up and looked at 2S sword. She grabbed the hilt.
"You and I are the same, 2S. We had no one to help us. We can only cry and scream until someone listens. We're lonely. But you had someone—someone who was your support and loved you." She tightened her grip. "I need to do the same. I know letting others in will hurt, even after losing everyone I cared about, but this world of mine. This body of mine that I let my cowardness ruin it and made me give up on my goal, my real goal..." She pulled the sword out and looked into the blade, seeing 2S...no, seeing her old self. "My goal was not to kill the machines. It was to live. To live a life where I'm happy. That's what 2S, Emil, and the rest would want for me." She moved the blade in a direction, showing everyone she ever knew within the reflection...until she saw 9R glaring at her with hate. "...maybe Not everyone..."
Violet could tell something was still wrong with T2 as she watched her put the sword away on her back.
Violet stopped her typing. "The worst battle is between what you know and what you feel."
"Huh?"
Violet suddenly noticed the yellow butterfly from before as it flew around her. "When you're struggling, you need to take a moment and focus on what you feel. That will guide you to your goal." She put her finger out, and the butterfly landed on her metal finger. "What do you want? What do you feel? That's what you need to ask yourself and listen."
T2 stared at the butterfly and felt something inside her.
"...a friend. I want a friend who can support and understand what I'm going through. I want to be there for them and give them the support they need like they did for me." T2 smiled as the yellow butterfly flew off Violet's finger and around T2's face. "That's what those kids need as well. Someone to understand them, understand their pain and tell them to keep moving forward. No matter what."
T2 could see the butterfly fly off, but her eyes caught sight of something. A bright light came from the butterfly. The butterfly flew around a tree and flew behind it. T2 could see a figure appear on the other side. She couldn't make it out as the figure disappeared and elevator doors appeared on the tree.
"...looks like we found the elevator. Come on, we need to tell the others!"
T2 and Violet returned to the others and then to the tree. As they were walking, T2 could feel someone looking at her. She slightly turned and saw Nono giving her small looks.
"Is there something wrong?"
Nono jumped and turned to T2.
"Uh, no." she stuttered. "It's nothing."
T2 was slightly surprised, as Nono wasn't confusing her for someone else. She could see Nono holding onto a letter. It must have been the letter that Violet typed for her, but T2 wondered something.
"...why are there two letters?"
Nono looked down at it and smiled,
"One is for my papa!" her happy smile became sad. "And the other is for...Lucie." T2 asked her why. Wasn't that Lucie's person evil as she was the one who hurt her? Nono answered her question. "Yes, she did hurt me, and truth be told, I'm still scared of her...even looking at you, I can only see her emotionless expression..."
"...then why?"
Nono slowly looked at her and put on her best smile. "I saw sadness in her. When I lied to her that the pain was nothing and she started to rip my limbs off...I think I saw the real her."
T2 was shocked, and even the others were stunned as they listened in.
Nono turned away. "I think...she's like the rest of us. Hurt and scared, hiding it away and lashing out at others." She looked up at the sky, seeing the wood ceiling. "Same as those kids! Papa wants me to have a peaceful life, and I want the same for everyone! Including those kids and..." She shut her eyes and smiled. "Lucie. I want to be friends with her and get to know her. Understand her pain so I can make her..." She opened her eyes with hope in them. "Smile."
End of Chapter 20
Author's Note
Like I said in the blog post. This was 80% done, but those last 20% I didn't like how it was coming out. I rewrote that part like 5 times. I like how it came out now.
View Online
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 21: Meeting The Dead Weight Demon Hunter
Ding!
The elevator opened its doors. Everyone slowly stepped out and was confused about what they saw.
"Wow...this place is beautiful," stated Nono, stepping out first. "It's like I'm in a fairy tale!"
Everyone exited and stepped into a large castle-style lobby.
The walls and the floor were all stone. A staircase in front of them led up to a wooden door. They could see the door was a bright gold. Nono giggled as she hurried up the steps while Violet joined her.
"Hey, wait! We shouldn't be going off alone," shouted AJ, hurrying after them.
"Not again." sighed Brigitte as T2 put her on her back while Artemis closed the wheelchair. "Hey! AJ, be careful. Anything could happen, so get them back here before they open the door!"
"Right, okay!"
Artemis and T2 went up the stairs when they noticed something. Three diamonds were above the door. They wondered what it meant, but the three diamonds turned bright red as Nono opened the wooden door. A large white smoke came out of the door before Brigitte and the others could warn AJ and the other two.
"Cover your mouths!" warned T2 as she stepped back from the white smoke, but only to be confused when the smoke quickly went back into the door and shut closed. "What was that?"
"I don't know, but we need to open the door again because, god damn it!" Shouted Brigitte, seeing Nono, Violet, and AJ were gone. "Next floor, no one goes ahead or touches anything!"
The trio approached the door, but T2 couldn't open it, and Artemis pointed to the three grey diamonds. Thinking it was a timer or something.
"Hey, are you two okay?" asked AJ, getting up from the floor to see that Nono and Violet were fine as they stood up.
All three looked around to find themselves in what seemed like a dancehall.
AJ could see the others weren't with them, and the same could be said about the door that Nono had opened. She sighed as it happened again. "Where are we now?"
"A dancehall," said Nono, "looks like one I saw in a movie. This is amazing! The floor is so shiny."
"Don't touch anything," ordered Violet, grabbing her hand.
"Huh? Why?"
Nono didn't get an answer, as she could see Violet slowly scanning the area. AJ followed her lead and was confused. She could see a stage across the way. Two large curtains blocked the view.
"Looks like something is behind those curtains," said Violet, slowly letting go of Nono's hand.
Nono stepped back as Violet and AJ got in front of her. The two could feel something wasn't right, and their feeling was spot on as the lights went out and the curtains opened, revealing a long female figure. Even with the spotlights beaming it, it was still hidden in darkness. They could tell the figure was female and had a horn, but what happened next surprised them.
The figure started posing like she was posing for the cameras. The spotlight moved down her body, showing the darkness of her body until it hit the floor. That's when the darkness spread into a circle, and soon, dark hands burst out from it.
AJ clapped her hands and made a metal pitchfork while Violet somehow pulled out a battle axe from nowhere. Nono shook with fear and was confused about how the two pulled those things out of nowhere.
"What is this?!" AJ screamed, ready for a fight.
The shadowy figure stopped posing, looked down at the three, and pointed at them, unleashing shadow copies of itself at them.
Violet was the first to move and darted toward the creatures, leaped into the air, and spun around with her battle axe, taking out multiple shadow copies. AJ was second and fired her pitchfork, impaling the creatures in their heads, while Nono stood back, terrified.
"This can't be happening," whispered Nono. She had never seen these kinds of people in her life and didn't want to fight, but seeing the two new friends she made, she wanted to help them.
She raised her hand forward, making her vectors appear, but they didn't move. Her arm was shaking as the shadow copy moved closer to her.
"Come on, Nono. Don't be scared," she told herself, her arm still shaking. "If I don't do something, my friends will get hurt..."
AJ and Violet were almost overpowered.
They didn't think the shadow creatures would be this strong. Violet was about to slash a creature, but it grabbed the pole of her axe and threw her into a wall. AJ was about to strike another, but it dodged and slashed her across her stomach.
AJ hissed and grabbed her stomach, falling to her knees. She removed her hand and saw that the cut wasn't deep; she was lucky. When they all stopped, she looked up to see the creature about to deliver the finishing blow. "Huh?" AJ watched as the shadows turned to Nono, who was crying loudly and moving closer to her. "Damn it!"
Nono's cries echoed throughout the dancehall as the creatures surrounded her, leaving her defenseless. Violet struggled to stand as one of the shadow creatures held her down with her own axe. The shadow creatures raised their claws, ready to attack, when suddenly, around Nono, medium-sized stone spikes burst out of the ground, stabbing them and vanishing into dust.
Nono opened her eyes and could see the spikes. She turned around to see the path of spikes leading to another doorway. She wasn't sure what was happening, but she heard AJ shouting at her.
"RUN! STAY SOMEWHERE SAFE! WE'LL FIND YOU AFTER WE ARE DONE HERE!" AJ shouted, lifting both hands from the floor in time to dodge a claw attack.
Nono looked back at the two, who were still fighting. "I can't! I can't leave you two!" Nono tried to raise her again, commanding her vectors to attack, but once again, she failed. "Why can't I use my vectors?! Why can't I help?!"
AJ was starting to struggle, and so was Violet.
"DAMN IT! RUN AWAY ALREADY! YOU ARE DEAD WEIGHT, NONO!" shouted AJ, backing up against Violet, who spun her axe, and her battle face hadn't changed.
"Dead weight?" whispered Nono as she slowly backed away. She kept repeating the words as she finally turned around and ran to the door. She pushed it open and screamed as it closed behind her. "I'M SORRY!"
AJ smiled as she heard that. "Stupid girl. At least she's safe for now." she clapped her hands and touched her automail arm, creating a blade. "Hey Violet, how are you holding up? You have been quiet this whole fight."
Violet didn't reply as she was breathing heavily. She could see blood dripping down her side, and her vision was blurry.
"...shit," muttered AJ.
The shadowy figure looked down at the two, and AJ glared up at her. Soon, three diamond eyes appeared on its forehead, it looked around until it stopped and zoomed in on the two.
"Darlings..." said the shadowy figure as a creepy white smile appeared.
Nono kept running, running down a hallway with open windows, revealing a diamond-shaped moon in the night sky.
"Deadweight?" she said to herself as she looked back, seeing the shadow creatures were chasing her. She looked forward and repeated the words.
Nono ran into a room and saw a staircase leading up to a tower. She had no choice but to climb the stairs.
"Please be safe, AJ and Violet." Nono cried, climbing the steps. However, the shadow creatures slowed her down as they busted out of the walls, trying to grab her but missing or tearing a piece of her clothing.
"I don't want to be deadweight. I don't want my friends to suffer. I have to be useful. I have to be helpful! I want to help and make everyone happy!" She cried as she finally reached the top of the tower. She could see a bridge that led to nowhere. It was connected to nothing.
"Deadweight?" whispered Nono, turning around and could see the shadow creatures at the bottom of the steps. She was trapped and had nowhere else to go.
"I just want to help others."
Nono looked back at the bridge and had no choice but to run across it until she was on its edge. She looked down and saw nothing underneath the bridge—nothing but darkness. She looked back and saw the shadows slowly getting closer to her.
"I'm going to die here!?" she shouted, "I won't make Papa sad." Nono tried again to use her vectors, but her fear wouldn't let her. "I'm so useless! I can't even use my own power. I can't fight. I can't save myself. What can I do?"
Nono slowly closed her eyes as she accepted her fate. A few shadow creatures jump forward at her, their claws slowly reaching out to her, ready to tear her apart, when suddenly...
Nono could hear something passing by her. She opened one eye and saw a young woman wearing a short blue jacket with ripped jeans. What really caught Nono's eyes was that the woman herself looked like Brigitte but had white fur, a horn, short purple hair, and a tail. Finally, the red machine arm on their right arm and the sword on her back. Whoever this person was, Nono was just amazed by how fast she could move.
The woman landed, pulled out her gun, and fired, blasting each shadow creature that got close; she then leaped forward, spinning and dodging a few attacks before blasting them in the face, killing them. She then landed on one mid-air and used it as a stepping stone to reach another one, blasting it point-blank and kicking the head off the one she was using as a stepping stone.
The young woman landed on the other side of the bridge, putting her gun away and looking at the last few shadow creatures. She pulled her sword out and stabbed the ground. She turned the handle like a motorcycle and charged the blade, making it roar.
She dragged the blade as she charged forward. Nono was amazed as the woman swung her blade and decapitated the remaining shadow creatures. As the head rolled, the woman placed her sword back on her back. She looked around and didn't see any more of these creatures.
"Tsk, never seen those kinds of demons before." She looked around the place, trying to understand why she was there. "This isn't the demonic tree, Qliphoth?" She sighed and couldn't believe she was somewhere else. "Great, just freaking great."
"Hello?"
"Huh?" the woman turned back and saw Nono standing nearby. She could tell this girl was scared because of the shadow demons that she just killed, but something was odd about her. It was like something was behind the girl, but she didn't care as she waved goodbye. "You look like you need a hug, but you're not gonna get one from me, darling." She turned her back to Nono. "Better get lost before you get yourself killed, girly." She started to head to the tower.
Nono didn't move but watched her. "Uh, thank you for saving me. I'm sorry for bothering you. My name is Nono. What is your name, ma'am?"
"Ma'am, huh?" The woman stopped. She slightly turned her head to her. "Name is Miro, Demon Hunter for Devil May Cry." She went back to walking but could hear footsteps behind her. She sighed and stopped. "Why are you following, Momo?"
"Huh? Momo?"
"Your name sounds like Momo."
"Nono, not momo. Nono."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, kid."
"I'm not a kid!" pouted Nono, making Miro laugh. "It's not funny."
"Kid, you are a kid. Now stop following me, alright?" Miro was about to enter the tower when she felt something on the lower part of her jacket. She turned and could see Nono gripping her jacket. "Hey! What are you doing? Get your hands off of me!"
"You're a demon hunter, right?" asked Nono, looking up at Miro, who nodded. "Well, those things you killed, they are attacking my friends...I need your help."
"And what will I get for helping you?" asked Miro, not liking the idea.
"Oh, uh..." Nono was thinking but couldn't think of anything. She sadly looked up at her. "My papa said helping others is its own reward. If you help me, we can both be happy and-"
Miro sighed. "Diana gonna kill me for taking a free job but..." She could see a flash of a pink-haired, yellowed skin songstress smiling at her. "...Kyrie told me I will always know what path is right and wrong. I can't just walk away if this girl is begging for help. Diana will understand. She'll forgive me for not charging her."
"Miss?"
"Alright, fine, I'll help." She raised her robotic red arm, wanting to shake her hand, but Nono looked confused and didn't know what she was doing. "Huh? Oh, sorry. Where I'm from, we do a handshake. It means a promise."
"Like this?" asked Nono, grabbing her hand, shaking it, and letting go.
"Yeah... you've never seen a handshake before?" Miro narrowed her eyes at the young girl. "Not only that, but you look...weird? What happened to your fur? Even your tail is missing."
Nono remembered what Brigitte told her and believed this woman was like them. She explained that they were from a different universe and were here to help some kids.
"Kids?" whispered Miro, suddenly feeling a headache. "Ugh!" Her memories are foggy, but she remembered meeting someone after she called Kyrie using a phone booth. She recovered and nodded. "Yeah, remember someone coming to me for aid about helping some kids. I was on my way to stop my aunt and my mom from killing each other, but I remembered whoever came to me that I'd return as if only a few seconds had passed."
"That's what happened to me and my friends." Nono was glad she wasn't the only one.
After that, the two headed into the tower and quickly descended the stairs. Miro had no problem going down the stairs with her speed but stopped as she heard Nono crying for her to slow down. She sighed and waited for her.
"Are we almost there?"
"No," replied Miro, who kept moving, "You are slowing me down. Can't you hurry up?"
"I'm trying! But you are super quick!" She fell on her rear, out of breath.
Miro rolled her eyes and picked her up, carrying her like a baby.
"W-Wait! Put me down! I'm not a kid!"
"Stop whining and relax. If we are going to help your friends, you're going to need to shut up and stop being-" Miro sped down the steps, but before she could finish, Nono finished the sentence.
"Deadweight?"
Miro looked at her and could see the tears rolling down her face. She stopped and gently placed her down.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I understand how you felt just now, being called that." She looked away, thinking about her past. "I was called a deadweight, and it hurts."
"You were called that too? Who called you a deadweight?"
"My boss, Diana, who I learned is also my aunt. After she helped me save my city, I joined her Demon Hunter service and created the mobile branch for it. Five years later, some woman came up to me, cut my arm off, and took the Yamato that was within it. Months later, a demonic tree appears in a city; Diana and the others go ahead to fight some new demon that caused the tree to appear." Miro raised her robotic arm, flexing it. "I got there, but like the rest, I was beaten, and Diana told me to get out of there, but I couldn't leave them. I wanted to help, but she called me..."
"Deadweight?"
"Yeah. It's still hard to forget, hearing the only person who believed in you calling you that."
Nono sniffled, and Miro could see a few tears falling from Nono's eyes. She looked back at her arm, making a fist.
"If I hadn't lost my arm and been at full power, then I wouldn't have been deadweight."
"Yeah," sobbed Nono, wiping the tears away. "If I can use my power, I wouldn't be a burden to everyone."
Miro looked at the girl, wondering what kind of powers she had. But Miro could see something behind Nono; she couldn't make it out, but something was there.
"I want to help. I don't want to be a deadweight anymore. I want to be useful. I want to protect my new friends!" Nono cried, clenching her hands.
Miro smiled. "Same, in not wanting to be deadweight." Miro patted her on the head.
Nono looked up and smiled.
"How about we stop talking and find your friends, and then we can kick some ass, alright?"
"But what if I can't-"
"Don't worry. I can deal with those demons, but you must be ready and try, okay?"
"Okay, Miss Miro."
"Please, just call me Miro."
"Miro."
"Better, let's go.
Miro darted down the stairs, and Nono started to whine again, as she wasn't fast enough to keep up.
"Slow down!" she shouted.
Miro was enjoying having someone who could relate to her. She could see Nono was getting stronger mentally.
"You are a cute one," muttered Miro, smiling.
Miro and Nono exited the tower and entered a large hallway. Nono pointed down to the end, showing where her friends were. As Miro took a few steps, more shadow creatures appeared. She smiled as she pulled out her sword and stabbed the ground. She revs it up like before, making it roar like a motorcycle.
"Get ready to watch how a real demon hunter works," Miro said, smiling.
Nono stayed back as she watched Miro do her thing.
Miro raised her metal arm and fired her hand, attached to a burning heat cable. The blast through a shadow creature's chest made her zip toward it. She landed and stabbed the creature with her sword.
"That's one, now for the others!"
Miro rushed toward the next shadow creature, kicking it and slicing its head off.
"Two down, more to go!"
Nono was amazed, watching the older woman kick the shadows' butts. But she could see some of them were coming toward her. Nono was ready to run but remembered what Miro said. She took a deep breath and tried to focus.
"Please work," she begged. She raised her arm and tried to use her vectors again. "Please! I can't be deadweight!"
Her arms were shaking and sweating, and the shadow creature was getting closer and closer.
"No! Work, please!"
As the creature approached, Nono was ready to give up when she opened her eyes, but one of the shadow creatures' chests burst open as a red metal hand emerged.
"No touching the cute, sad little girl, darlings! That's pretty rude!" said Miro as she swung the shadow creatures around, hitting a few of its comrades with the heated wire and slicing them into two. "Time to die, motherfuckers!"
She threw the shadow creature away and used her wires to rip its head off.
Nono was in awe at the woman's strength, but her thoughts were interrupted when a few more shadow creatures charged her. She took a deep breath and tried her best, but no matter how hard she tried, nothing happened.
"Why isn't it working?" Nono looked at her arms. "This isn't how my power is supposed to be."
She closed her eyes but could hear something landing, making all the shadow creatures cry in pain. Soon, there was nothing, no more fighting. She opened her eyes and could see Miro putting her sword away.
"You okay?" asked Miro. Seeing tears rolling down Nono's cheeks.
"Y-Yes. T-Thank you."
"No problem. So, what's with you holding your arm out like that? Trying to tell the demons to stop?" joked Miro, trying to make her laugh.
Nono just cried as she didn't want to disappoint her new friend.
"Hey, I was just kidding. Come on, don't be like that."
"I'm a deadweight," sobbed Nono, making the woman feel a little guilty. "I can't use my power to help my friends or myself."
"Your power, huh? Can you use it?" questioned Miro as she walked down the hall with Nono.
"No," replied Nono sadly.
"What is your power?"
"It's hard to explain, but it's a part of me. I can do things others can't in my universe."
"Like what?" asked Miro, turning to her but walking backward. "Magic? Firing a beam or something? Give me some hints here, kid."
"Vectors."
"Vector?" Miro stopped and saw Nono's eyes glowing pink. She was confused until she turned and saw the wall was destroyed. "Huh!!" She ready her sword, but nothing appeared from the smoke when it cleared. She looked back at Nono, who was looking sad. "...so, these vectors. You can destroy something with a thought?"
Nono shook her head. "No. It's like extra arms that I can only see. I can increase their vibration frequency, allowing me to attack or defend myself."
"Can't you just make them and punch these shadow things?"
"I could, but..." Nono showed her arm, revealing to Miro that she was scared as it shook. "I'm scared...I don't want to hurt anyone or anything. I promised Papa I would be a good girl, but my friends were fighting a scary female shadow figure. They need my help, and I want to help them."
"Then stop crying and do what you can, Nono. Stop being afraid of yourself."
"B-But-"
"Do you want to protect your friends?" asked Miro.
Nono nodded.
"No matter how scared you are, you must be willing to put yourself in danger. No matter how hard the battle is, no matter if you can't do it alone, know you can't win if you have a weak mind and heart," explained Miro, lowering herself to her. "We all desire strength in protecting or saving the people we care about. I couldn't save someone who was like a big sister to me. To this day, I hate myself for not having enough strength." She looked at her robotic hand, making it into a fist. "But this time is different. Even with losing my arm and the powers I had, I'll never give up. I will keep going. For myself, my family, and friends, and for her ."
"Her?"
Miro ignored Nono and stood up, continuing her speech. "Power and strength don't come from our bodies. It comes from here." She pointed at Nono's chest. "As long as your heart is filled with a strong desire and your mind is focused, you will overcome any obstacle." She smiled. "So, let's hurry, kid."
"I'm not a kid," replied Nono, but she smiled and nodded. "But I will try my best, Miss Miro."
"I already said to call me Miro."
"O-Okay, M-Miro."
"Better."
They continued down the hallway, seeing more shadow creatures emerge from the walls.
"Looks like they're not going to stop. Ready, Nono?" asked Miro, readying her sword.
"Yeah, I'll do my best, Miro!" replied Nono, her vectors coming out.
"That's what I want to hear." She revved up her blade and pulled out her gun. "Like Diana always says! IT'S TIME TO PARTY!"
"I'll do my best to save my friends, Papa," whispered Nono as the shadows charged them.
A huge stone dome was around the stage, and AJ dropped to her knees. Violet was still standing, but her outfit was battle-damaged. She breathed as she lowered her battle axe.
"Did your plan work?"
AJ wiped her bloody chin and glared at the stone dome she had created, imprisoning the shadow figure. "I don't know, but the way figure fights reminds me too much of that annoying brat who can control shadows back in my universe. Her weakness was trapping her in darkness, not allowing her shadows to appear in complete darkness. But..." As she said that, the stone dome was sliced in two, making it fall apart and revealing the shadow figure inside. "...this monster's powers might not be the same. Damn it."
"What should we do now?"
"Keep fighting until the others find us or...you know...."
Violet nodded.
The shadow figure looked down at the two and laughed. It was about to pose when there was a loud knocking on the wooden door to their side. All three turned to it in time; as the doors burst open, a shadow was being used as a battle ram, revealing Miro was riding it. Nono was crying as she held on to Miro's tail, and all the shadow creatures were around them, trying to attack them.
It happened so fast, but everything was moving super slowly to Miro. She jumped off the hurt shadow and fired her gun, hitting and killing each shadow monster. She reloaded her gun, pulled out her sword, and sliced a few monsters into bits. When she was done reloading, she jumped on one of the shadow creatures back, finished the rest off with her gun, and finally pointed her gun at the one she was riding. She pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. She cursed as she ran out of ammo and just stabbed the creature in the head and landed on the floor with her on top of it still.
"Sorry if I let myself in. I hope you're not busy."
AJ and Violet stared in amazement, while the shadow figure was just surprised.
"That's...wow," muttered AJ.
"I think I'm going to throw up." cried Nono, still holding to Miro's tail for dear life. She turned green, and her cheeks puffed up as she was about to throw up, but Miro pulled her tail away from Nono.
"YOU ARENT'T GOING TO THROW UP ON MY BEAUTIFUL TAIL!" shouted Miro, holding it as she watched Nono throw up on the ground. Miro turned to Shadow figure, whose three diamond eyes looked at her. "I'm guessing your the big bad bitch I take it? I don't want to hear any stupid speeches about how you will take over the world or something. I want to kick your ass and get home." She said, walking toward it.
"Who is this?" asked AJ, being helped up by Violet.
"I think Nono found someone like us and is now aiding us."
"Yeah, but did she have to make a big entrance like that?" AJ smirked.
Miro stabbed the ground, revved her sword, and glared at the shadow figure.
"Come on, show me what-" Within a split second, the figure was already in front of her, making Miro freak out and jump back, but only to sense something was behind her. She looked back and could a giant shadow mouth with millions of razor sharp teeth.
"DODGE!" screamed AJ.
Miro didn't hesitate and moved to the right, avoiding the attack. As the monster's jaws closed, the force of the attack broke the floor and cracked the walls.
"Damn it!" Miro jumped on the wall and dodged another attack. The figure didn't stop and tried to slash her with its shadow claws, but Miro ran across the wall, firing her gun at the figure. The figure didn't flinch as the bullets hit it. It raised its arms and was ready to strike, but Miro jumped away in time and used her sword to block the shadow blades that appeared out of the shadow arms. She landed and rolled near AJ and Violet.
"What the hell is this thing made of?! My sword should have gotten through it!" cried Miro.
"Its body is made of darkness. Its attacks are also made from it," replied AJ.
"Shit," muttered Miro. "So, this means my sword won't be able to cut her, huh?"
"Pretty much, yeah," said AJ.
The figure was already between them before Miro could say anything to them. It posed and blasted out shadow arms at them. AJ created a wall to protect herself and Violet while Miro blocked each attack.
"Bitch!" she raised her arm and fired her hand at it. It went through the figure's body, allowing her to get closer. "If my sword can't hurt you, then maybe taking out those three diamond eyes can do some damage to ya?" She rushed at it, swinging her sword. The figure blocked her attack and kicked her, sending her flying.
"Miro!" screamed Nono, seeing Miro landing and being stabbed by the shadow's blades as a dust cloud was made. "MIRO!"
The shadow blades pulled away, allowing the dust to clear. Miro coughed as she stood up, bleeding, but she wasn't too hurt.
"Damn, glad I blocked that in time, but..." She looked down at her robotic arm, seeing it was destroyed as it was torn apart and sparking. "Shit, AJ gonna be pissed at me again. The weapon is art or whatever crap she says." she raised her arm and released the broken arm, letting it hit the floor hard that it shattered into broken pieces.
"How is she still moving?" asked AJ, seeing the figure's eyes were focused on her. "Her arm was just destroyed. The pain she must be feeling..."
"She's tough," Violet replied.
The two knew how a removed metal prosthesis connected to the human body's nervous system could cause excruciating pain, yet Miro stood like nothing had happened.
Miro looked at the stump of an arm and sighed. She flicks it like she is waiting for something to happen, but nothing.
"What?"
She flicked her arm again, but like before, nothing happened.
"Damn it, I can't summon the other Devil Breakers? Is it because I'm in another universe?" Miro shook her head, ignoring the problem. She was ready to fight.
"This girl...she's crazy," muttered AJ.
"You're not wrong, but you have to give her props for being so strong," replied Violet, clutching her battle axe. "We need to join her in the fight."
AJ agreed, and they joined the battle, attacking the shadow figure.
Nono was watching from the sidelines, holding her chest.
"M-Miro," she muttered, tears forming in her eyes. Seeing her new friend fighting without an arm. Doing her best to help fight off this monster. Nono looked over to her friends, who were badly hurt and tired from the fighting but still going. They were in that state because they protected her; now, Miro was fighting to protect them. "Everyone is putting themselves in danger. They are getting hurt...because of me. I'm just being deadweight and holding them back. But..." Nono looked down at her hands and clenched them. "...I won't hold them back anymore. I won't let my friends or my new friend get hurt. I promised my papa that I won't fight again, but...I must break my promise. I won't be a burden to anyone ever again!" She could see her vectors coming out of her back, and her eyes glowed pink. "I won't run away! I will do what I can to protect everyone!"
Miro slid back as she blocked a shadow blade. She was now between the others.
"Hey, how are you two doing?" She laughed. "You seemed fucked up."
"Thanks, we love to hear that," replied AJ.
The shadow figure stared at them, waiting to see what they would do next, but it saw something and unleashed its shadow arms at them.
"Here it comes! Stand ready!" ordered Violet, raising her battle axe.
Miro and AJ joined her in getting ready, but only for the arms to be blocked by something. The shadow arms slowly wrapped around what was pushing them back, revealing see-through arms. Everyone looked behind themselves and saw Nono standing there, her eyes glowing pink.
"Nono!?" said AJ and Violet in unison.
"I won't let you hurt my friends anymore!" said Nono, gritting her teeth.
The shadow arms pushed harder and started to crush the see-through arms.
"Shit, those arms won't hold for long!" stated Miro, ready to jump and slice those shadow arms, but Nono's vectors suddenly grabbed her. "WHAT THE HELL!?"
"Nono!? What are you doing!?" shouted AJ as she and Violet were wrapped up by the vectors and pulled away to a new door that appeared.
Nono was given everything she had to keep the shadow arms at bay, but she knew she wasn't powerful like Lucie regarding her vectors. She could see her vectors being pushed back and the shadow arms racing toward her. She needed to save her friends, even if it meant...
"I'm sorry, Papa. I couldn't keep my promise to you to live a peaceful life."
"NONO!" shouted Miro.
"I WANT TO PROTECT MY FRIENDS!" screamed Nono, her eyes turning pink as the shadow arms were inches from her body. Nono freed her vectors from the shadow arms and rocketed them toward the new door, slamming them onto it. She was trying to open the door so her friends could escape, but the shadow arms grabbed her body, trying to rip her apart.
"No, Nono! Let us help you!" shouted AJ, trying to break free from the vectors.
"No, you girls can't die!" screamed Nono.
The shadow arms slowly started to pull her prosthetic limbs off slowly.
"NONO!" screamed Miro, as she was the only one who didn't know that Nono's limbs were prosthetics, thinking she was really losing real limbs.
The shadow arms held Nono down, finally pulling off a leg and an arm. Nono cried as she saw her limbs being tossed to the floor and being crushed by the Shadow Figure's feet as she stood over her.
Nono clutched her teeth and smiled at it. "Go ahead! Destroy it, I don't care! My strength and willpower don't come from my body, not even from the fake parts, but from my heart as long as I'm filled with a strong desire! A goal to reach, no matter how hard it may seem! As long as I'm motivated by the will to achieve it, no matter what you do to me! No matter what happens, I won't lose sight of that goal; even if my body breaks and shatters, I'll never break my will!" she screamed, finally opening the doors, tossing her friends out, and closing it.
"NONO!" screamed the three as they raced to the door, closing it shut.
Nono started to cry and smiled at her friends as she shut the door on them. "Goodbye, everyone."
"NONO!" screamed Miro, rushing to the door as it closed. She pounds it. "NOT AGAIN DAMN IT! I CAN STILL FIGHT!" She bangs the door more, her body trembling as she drops to her knees. "Damn it..."
Inside the ballroom. Nono's last arm and leg were pulled off and destroyed. The Shadow Figure raised her with her shadow arms.
"Do it...kill me..." said Nono, smiling. "At least...my friends are safe, and... That's all that matters."
The shadow arms moved around her, ready to rip her to shreds, but... didn't. Instead, it petted her head like a mother petting their child.
Nono was surprised by this and didn't know what to think. The Shadow Figure dropped her, causing her to land on the floor. The Shadow Figure stared at her and left. It walked back to the stage, stood back in the spotlight, and turned and spoke for the second time.
"Giving up your limbs and even your life and goals for others, others you hardly know...generosity...a very rare thing to find these days," the figure's voice was calm and soft. It sounded like a high-class woman. "Maybe those four were right..."
With that, she bowed, and the curtains closed. Leaving a limbless and confused Nono crying.
"What was...all that? Who were you talking about? Four?"
As she lay there, crying, a purple light hovered near her and got closer.
Meanwhile, Miro was banging her fist on the door, hoping it would open. All of a sudden, It opened, and she entered it.
"Nono!"
She charged in but only found three new people.
"Who the fuck are you!?" asked T2, putting Brigitte into the wheelchair and readying herself for a fight.
AJ and Violet hurried over to stop T2 and explained what happened. Before anyone could look for a way back to Nono, the door closed and disappeared. Soon, the elevator door appeared in its place. The doors opened, revealing a crying Nono as she was lying against the wall.
"Nono!" cried everyone as they hurried inside of the elevator.
"Girls," muttered Nono, looking at them as they entered.
"Nono, what the hell happened? How are you in this freaking weird elevator?" asked Miro, sitting down and checking on her wounds but only to discover she had none, as her limbs had stumps.
Nono quickly explained to her about losing her real limbs to Lucie. As she finished, she explained how she got here.
"A purple light picked me up and put me in here. It spoke to me."
"A purple light?" questioned Brigitte. "What did it say?"
Nono looked at everyone and then at Brigitte.
"She said, 'Time is running out,' we need to find the last two people on the next floor. After that, we need to..."
"Save those kids at all costs by joining the others."
Everyone turned around, seeing four color lights. Two purple and two blue lights. Before they could say anything to them, the doors closed.
Spark stopped there as she suddenly felt something. Everyone noticed something was wrong with her.
"Spark? Are you okay?" asked Shining, getting up with the others.
Spark couldn't understand it, but it felt like she was super sleepy. But why? Her body started to glow rainbows, stopping whatever was causing it.
"I'm okay now, I think? Don't worry. My talent is overcoming anything. Even magic spells cast on me..." She glared at the doorway, sensing that the magic spell came from there. "I need to check on something!"
Everyone watched as Spark flew out of the room and down the hall. Dash and Dashie followed her but couldn't keep up with her. Night Light saw this and followed as well.
"This magic...it feels like my own, but at the same time, it isn't.' thought Spark as she arrived inside the largest room of the library. She looked around but saw no one. "Hello?"
There was no reply, but Spark felt the same magic.
"You're here. I know it."
Spark's eyes started to glow bright rainbow colors as she became aware of her surroundings. Someone was hiding in the darkness and the light.
"Is it you, Fayth!? If so, I won't allow you to harm anyone else here! So, show yourself!"
She didn't get a response but was suddenly attacked. She dodged the attack and looked up.
"Is that...w-what!?"
She saw Twilight, who looked upset that she had missed her magical spell.
"Mom? Wha-huh?" Spark didn't have enough time to speak as she saw magical runes under her and was quickly blasted by powerful magic. "M-MOM!? WHY!?"
Twilight dropped down and walked up to her, looking sad.
"Sweetie. What we are about to do is for your own good."
"What are you talking about!? Why are you attacking me!?"
Twilight shook her head and raised her hoof. Spark's eyes widened as two other Alicorns emerged from the darkness and light. It was Celestia and Luna. Flashes of her universe, Celestia and Luna, appeared in her mind, making Spark filled with rage and betrayal.
"YOU TWO!" she screamed, unleashing a rainbow shockwave that sent the three princesses flying. "I THOUGHT YOU WEREN'T LIKE MY UNIVERSE COUNTERPARTS, BUT I WAS WRONG! YOU ARE TRYING TO USE ME OR SOMETHING!? WELL, I WON'T LET YOU!" she looked at Twilight, who stood up first. Spark started to cry. "....mom...I thought we were a family...didn't you love me? Why are you attacking me!?"
"You misunderstood," replied Twilight. "I'm doing this because I love you."
Spark wiped her tears away. "I don't believe you. I won't ever!" Spark started to summon her back halo. "I was stupid to belie-huh!?" Spark suddenly felt something and dropped to her knees. It was the same feeling from before, making her feel sleepy, but this time, her body wasn't overcoming it. "What did you do to my body!?"
Twilight closed her eyes, and soon, the Elements of Harmony emerged from the runes on the floor. She opened her eyes, which were filled with tears.
"You can hate me all you want, sweetie, but if one of my theories is correct...then what I and the sisters here must do is for the best."
Spark tried to move, but her body felt like mud.
"N-No. No. I can't... I won't let this happen!" she shouted, trying to move her body. Seeing flashes of her and her twin sisters being used as test weapons when they fused as one. Unleashing their power on targets as their grandfather watched. "NO! NO, I REFUSE TO DO THIS AGAIN! NOT FOR YOU, CELESTIA AND LUNA! NOT ANYONE!"
She tried to get up but couldn't move, and the Elements moved closer. Soon, they unleashed a rainbow beam at her, making her scream. Then, she finally dropped to the floor and slept.
"Friend, Twilight. Are you sure we shouldn't have told her? She will now hate you if you are wrong about this. Not that I have any doubt in your theory," Luna questioned, walking over to Spark's sleeping body.
"It's better this way. I can't let her suffer anymore."
Celestia walked up to her and hugged her. "Twilight, my dear, I understand, but I think you need to explain this to them at least."
Twilight looked where Celstia was pointing, seeing Dash and Dashie at the doorway, very confused and mad. Soon, her father arrived as well.
"What the hell did you do, Twilight!?" screamed Dash.
Twilight looked at Spark's sleeping body and looked back at them, crying.
"Braver and Blitz might still be alive or their..." she started to sob. 'Or their daughters are within Spark's Element Core!"
Both Dash and Dashie were confused as they looked at the sleeping Spark...
End of Chapter 21
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 22: A Uncertain Future
Above New Ponyville, Cozy was flying as fast as she could, even though she was not 100% feeling better. She was determined to get to the Underground City of the Chaos Slime but must drop off these books first. She was holding toward the town hall, where her friends were helping Dawn.
Sunset was catching up in the mess of paperwork and finalizing the last steps of the new towns and cities. She tapped her chin as she needed to come up with new names for the places. She looked back at the places that Twilah picked while standing in for Twilight. She had already come up with a few names suggested by those who lived near the area, but she couldn't get suggestions for the last two places, as one was on a mountaintop and another was near a bay. Both places had no living towns or cities nearby, so asking for suggestions from nearby folks wasn't an option.
"This is going to be tough. I can't think of anything and-" Sunset was suddenly interrupted when the whole building shook and when it finally stopped, she sighed loudly. "And doesn't help I can't concentrate thanks to that."
She got out of her chair and headed to the door but stopped. She turned to see the magical mirror in the corner of the room. She remembered what that human mare hybrid had told her: that in the multiverse, other versions of her would always leave Equestria for the human counterpart universe. She was told she was one of the rare ones who never left or became evil, and Sunset smiled at that.
"I'm glad Twilight and her friends helped me long before I could reach that point." She got closer and touched the mirror, feeling the surface. It wasn't active now, so the surface was just a normal glass mirror. "I'm also glad I never left home." She looked out the window, seeing the large town she helped create, and then looked back at the mirror. "I met friends and done things that I couldn't do if I were in some different universe. I'm glad I'm one of the rare ones, then. I'll never change or abandon this world for anything."
Suddenly, the whole room shook again, making Sunset hold the mirror up as it started falling to the side. She held it up until the shaking finally stopped. She let go and sighed with relief, but then her eyes narrowed at the door.
"I know I was the one who suggested they could try their magical spells in the town hall, but I can't work like this! What are they even doing!?" She hurried over to the door and opened it, seeing a cloud of smoke. "Oh, come on! Guys, what are you doing!?" She closed the door behind her, but unknown to her, there was a purple hooded figure as they stood in the corner of the room, the mirror revealing that.
Sunset coughed and walked into the press conference room. She opened the windows and used her magic to blow out the smoke. Standing under burn markings, Dawn was revealed in the middle of the room. Her body and clothes were covered in smoke soot, but how she looked more annoyed than being hurt told Sunset that this version of Luster Dawn used to be hit by magic. Sunset soon could see the others as the smoke finally started to clear.
"...well, that one was a bust," Sunny said, coughing and waving her hand.
Wallflower lowered her hand, making the plants surrounding Lucy open up, letting her friend know it was safe. "I thought for sure that one would work. Using your magic and pouring it into Dawn here should have allowed her to transform into a pony...I guess that was a stupid idea after all."
Sunny glared at her friend. "...it wasn't stupid! And hey, it's not like I'm not trying! We're having trouble figuring out the right thing to do!"
"Yes, you two have been 'working' on this for a while now," Sunset stated, walking over. "Dawn, I know you're not hurt, but are you really okay with your friends blasting you with magic?"
Dawn dusted herself off and tsk loudly. "I have been through worse, trust me." she crossed her arms and looked over to Luster, who lowered her shield. "Hey, do you have any ideas besides blasting me with magic? Because I'm starting to feel like I'm a test dummy."
Luster coughed and scratched her chin. "If I'm being honest, I'm not sure what would work. We have just been throwing things at the wall and see what sticks in ideas." She started to walk back and forth. "I wish we could ask Twilight, but she's busy with Spark, and the only smart pony around Twilight level was Braver..." She stopped and felt her heart break a bit. But she brushed it off. "If there was a way to transform you into a pony...Sunny and Sunset." She turned to the two, who looked at her. "Can you explain how you two fused anyway? Maybe we can use that as a base for an idea for our spell."
Sunny and Sunset looked at each other and shrugged.
"Well, that goth-looking girl said that the universe will fuse us if I remember correctly. So it just...happened," stated Sunny.
Sunset nodded in agreement. "That weird white-haired hybrid mare told me the fusion will have half the users' memories and thoughts. Giving birth to a new, different appearance and personality...but now I think about it." Sunset sat down and thought deeply until she looked over to her human counterpart. Then, over to Luster and her counterparts. "Something isn't right here. If Sunny is right, then shouldn't the universe fuse us again? Or fused all three of you into one being? Why hasn't that happened? Or happened to the other alternate universe versions of my friends?"
Everyone started to think about it, but Sunny might have an answer to that.
"Maybe Spark has something to do with it? Remember, she defuses us. So maybe she's doing something to prevent that from happening to anyone else."
Sunset reacted to that information by tapping her chin. "Interesting...that is a possibility, but if she is..." She got up and looked over at everyone. "How much magical power is needed to do that? Just how powerful is Spark? Something is wrong. I can feel it...like-"
"HERE ARE YOUR STUPID BOOKS!" shouted Cozy as she flew in through the window and tossed all the books she got from the library. She was about to fly off again, but her horn started to hurt as she dropped to her knees.
"Cozy!? Take it easy, and you are still recovering." Luster said, helping her friend up. "What's wrong? You are acting like you are in a rush. Did something happen?"
Cozy-eyed Luster turned to Lucy and her friends. She wanted to tell them about what was happening, but she didn't want to give them hope. There was still a chance Twilight was wrong about the twins being alive. She closed her eyes and shook her head.
"No, nothing happened. I need to be somewhere right now." Cozy stood back up and, without warning, hugged Luster, which surprised her.
"...Cozy?"
"Luster, whatever happens. I'll always be there for you, okay? Just please...don't hate me."
Luster was confused, but she knew something was wrong. She didn't know why Cozy said that, but it was best not to question her. Cozy let go, slowly backed away, and quickly flew out of the window.
Everyone gathered at the window and saw her flying toward Everfree, which was in that direction.
"Something is going on," whispered Lucy, as she suddenly had a bad feeling.
"What are you going to do, Luster? Cozy didn't look too good and seemed to be hiding something," Sunny asked.
Luster didn't want to chase after Cozy since she knew Cozy could handle herself, but at the same time, she wanted to be there for her. She turned to the others and looked up at Dawn, who was still standing in the middle of the room, her arms crossed as if she didn't care about what was happening. Luster knew she didn't care.
"Dawn, I'm sorry, but I need to check on Cozy and find out what's happening. Lucy's friends can still-"
Luster quickly stopped talking as she noticed how pissed off Dawn was that she suddenly darted toward them. Ready to attack them. Everyone couldn't react in time, but what happened next horrified them.
Dawn wasn't attacking them when she tossed that punch, no. She attacked to protect them as between them was her...Fayth.
In her hands and on the ground was Suguri, who was badly hurt. Fayth blocked Dawn's punch with her black book.
"You! You little bitch! Why are you here!" demanded Dawn, trying to break through the book. Everyone hurried away and behind her. "Are you here for an ass-whipping from Spark and me again?"
Fayth chuckled. "No, but you did give me a reason to do this."
She forced Dawn away, making her hit the wall, but she quickly recovered and stood up. She was ready for battle.
"You fought her before!?" asked Sunset, backing away but her horn glowing, ready for a fight.
Dawn cracked her knuckles, smiling. "Oh yeah. When Spark came into my universe, she protected me from her, but I didn't know that initially. When she appeared and tried to change my fate, Spark fought her. I joined in and learned that the whole multiverse is real." She pounded her fists together. "So, why are the fuck are you here!? I heard you attacked Spark but ran away like a coward you are!" She eyed Suguri and tsk loudly, seeing one of Spark's friends and teammates hurt. "If you dare hurt her again, I swear I'll..."
"Oh, relax." She tossed Suguri over to them and landed on the floor. "I won't kill that old hag, but I am here for Spark. I need to stop them from saving those two." She opened her book, and the pages started to give off a gold aura. "My book is making me remember more. Remember what happened in the last rewrite. I won't allow those two to be saved." Suddenly, everyone could feel a powerful well of dark energy. "I will break Spark by killing everyone while she sleeps. Once that is done, she will be forever broken. She needs that final push, and I'll give her that."
"Like hell you will!" shouted Dawn, rushing toward her and punching her across the room.
Fayth slammed into the wall and then crashed through the wall. Everyone hurried to Suguri, seeing she was hurt and bleeding from her head and chest. Dawn turned to the others.
"Get out of here! Get to Spark and tell her what's going on! That punch won't take her down that easy. I can only buy you some time!"
"But we can't just leave you!" yelled Luster.
Dawn smirked as she faced away, looking at Fayth, who reappeared with no signs of damage on her.
"I'll be fine. I might not be the same level of power as Spark, but I can hold my own for a damn good while." She punched her palm, feeling the energy within her. "So, Fayth! Ready to get your ass kicked?!"
"As much as I'd like to fight, I have an appointment with others here."
Not even a second, and she was already on top of the others, ready to kill them, but Dawn kicked her away and rushed after her as they exited the building and continued their fight outside.
Luster and her friends didn't know what to do. They looked at Suguri, who was badly hurt. She was alive but could barely breathe. Sunset quickly made a healing spell, using her magic to heal Suguri's wounds, but not enough to fully heal her.
"We need to get back to Spark!" shouted Lucy, looking outside and seeing the fighting.
Luster agreed, but she turned to Sunset.
"Look, I'm going to stay behind here and ensure Dawn isn't killed, but I need you all to get back to Spark and warn her. It would help if you warned the others because I doubted Spark could handle Fayth alone. She will need help."
Sunset and Sunny nodded, using magic to teleport them away, but only something to block their magic. Something was jamming their magic.
"Is this Fayth doing?" Sunny asked, trying her best to use her magic but failing no matter what.
Wallflower used her magic and could see she wasn't having the same problem. "Looks like it's affecting unicorn magic? My powers over plant life aren't affected." She could sense that the jamming magic was coming from somewhere, but it felt near them.
"Then we need to run there!" shouted Sunset, trotting toward the hole that Dawn made when she kicked Fayth outside. The others followed them, but as Luster said, she stayed behind and looked at the fight within the town, creatures screaming and running away from the two fighting humans.
Fluttershy was flying toward Everfree Forest, where she had a saddlebag and a recording crystal inside that bag. She had a guess where Discord was and was heading there to speak to him, but as she flew, she spotted Cozy flying toward the forest.
"Cozy? Where is she going?" Fluttershy wondered, thinking of following her, which she did.
Fluttershy lowered herself to the tree tops, hoping not to be seen by the pegasus. She could see Cozy heading toward the forest's center, and soon, Fluttershy landed on a branch, hiding in the tree tops. She watched Cozy fly down and walk through a bush, disappearing behind it. Fluttershy landed and hurried to the bush. Soon, Fluttershy knew where Cozy was heading, as she could see the cave.
"Why is Cozy heading to the underground city of the Chaos Slime?" Fluttershy wondered, looking around, and saw no sign of the Pegasus.
Fluttershy hovered off the ground, flew toward the entrance, and entered it. She was heading this way anyway, but now she was taking the long way. She could hardly see anything, but soon, the darkness finally started to light up. Fluttershy landed and saw a giant crystal lit up the underground city. Stone buildings surrounded her; she looked around until she saw Cozy flying toward a tall building and followed her.
Fluttershy landed, peeked inside an opened window, and saw Cozy going through books and scrolls like she was looking for something.
"Come on! This damn archive building must have something on Slime births. It's a building full of information, so they would have something on them," muttered Cozy, going through each book.
"Cozy? What are you doing?" asked Fluttershy, landing inside.
Cozy was spooked when she heard Fluttershy but quickly recovered. She wasn't sure if she should answer the truth or lie; again, she didn't want to give anyone hope that Braver might be alive or that Braver's kid might be inside Spark's Element core, but she needed to check something.
"...what did you hear?"
Fluttershy looked puzzled. "I heard you talking about looking up information about Slime birth." She picked up a book and could see records of hybrid slime. "Why are you searching for that?" She turned the page and read it again, amazed there were hybrid slimes.
Cozy could see how Fluttershy was reading a book. "Wait, did you find something?!" Cozy asked, quickly hovering over her and reading the book.
Fluttershy backed away and read the page. "Yeah, it's an interesting thing. I never knew there were hybrid slimes. It seems it was a rare case going by the info they left in this book." answered Fluttershy.
Cozy quickly read through it and saw how those births were handled. She soon learned how Slimes not only self-reproduce upon death but also through mating with other creatures. This explained what Twilight had told her: Slimes have both gender parts by forming the desired part to give their seeds or be allowed to take their partner's seeds.
"That's it!" she shouted, shocking Fluttershy. "This book tells how slime reproduces upon death like Twilight believes they do. So that means Braver and her sister's children are-!" Cozy covered her mouth as she slowly looked at a very confused Fluttershy.
"Braver...can have a child upon death, but..." Cozy could see Fluttershy slowly putting the information together. "Spark...oh, heavens! Is she carrying her sister's kids within that place? Within her!? Oh, my gosh!"
Cozy quickly grabbed Fluttershy, covering her mouth. "Don't say anything about this! No one can know! Not yet, not until we are sure about this." Fluttershy could see Cozy eyes becoming watery. "Listen, there are two things that can happen right now. Braver and her sister left behind their kids or..." Cozy slowly removed her hoof, seeing the hope in Fluttershy's eyes.
"...they are alive..." whispered Fluttershy.
Cozy looked away and shook her head. "We aren't sure which one is true, okay? I don't want to give others hope that they might be alive. That's why Twilight asked me to make sure her theory was correct. Since it is, it leads more toward the fact that those two might be...well..." Cozy wiped her tears away and tried her best not to break down crying.
Fluttershy slowly put the book down and placed a hoof on her shoulder, comforting her. Cozy felt the hoof and touched it back, thanking Shy for her comfort.
"We don't know which one is true, so we shouldn't tell others until we know what's happening."
"I understand. So, what are you going to do now?"
Cozy faced her and picked up the book. "I need to head back to New Ponyville. Twilight knows a way to enter Spark's core, but like I said, she needed to make sure. If those kids are within Spark's core, this book will help her learn how to raise a slime from birth. Thanks to you, this is the best I could get from here."
Fluttershy smiled and nodded. "I see, but let me help. I can't stand by after learning about this."
Cozy sighed, knowing she had no choice but she could see the large crystal poking out of the saddle bag.
"What's with the big crystal? Why are you even here? I doubt you're here to find out about slimes."
Fluttershy blinked, forgetting she had the crystal. "Oh, this." She pulled it out and showed it to Cozy. "This is for Discord, and I want to see him and give it to him." She placed it back in the bag. "And I feel he's in here. Amazement and I found him in a tunnel leading out of this city."
Cozy was a bit puzzled. "A tunnel leading out of here? Are you sure? I'm pretty sure the city's exit is the one we used."
"Show me where you found Discord."
Fluttershy led Cozy to the tunnel she spoke of, which surprised Cozy.
"This isn't a tunnel exit. This is a..." Cozy went up to the entrance walls and brushed off the dirt. Seeing a nameplate on it. "A home. Some Slimes live in buildings, but others live inside of long tunnels they made. So, this could have been one of those. Still, what would Discord be doing here?"
Fluttershy wasn't sure what to say, but she did remember something.
"There was wall painting, and one had a written note toward me..."
Cozy gave her a confused look. "What?"
Fluttershy nodded and continued to explain as she led Cozy inside.
"I don't understand it as well, but Discord spoke of someone named Waver, and in the wall painting, the writer of the message spoke of that same name. That person and writer somehow saw the future because they spoke directly to me like they knew I would be there. The painting also showed a future, but it didn't go as what happened like how it was drawn in the painting." Fluttershy looked back at Cozy, who looked like she was deep in thought.
Cozy didn't want to think of a time traveler, but if the message spoke directly to Fluttershy, who has no reason to lie, it must be true, and the name Waver, she saw the same name on the outside of this tunnel. Whoever lived here was named Waver. She wanted to learn more about this Waver, so she followed Fluttershy.
As they continued through the tunnel, they found themselves in what looked like a living area. As they looked around, the two spotted Discord, dressed up as a painter and painting something.
"Discord, what are you doing?" Fluttershy asked, flying over to him.
Cozy joined her and asked the same question, asking who Waver was and what weird paintings Fluttershy spoke of. Before she could ask him about the messages, Discord turned to them with a neutral expression.
"Fluttershy, I was expecting you and have something to show you."
Discord's sudden change of tone threw them off, and Cozy had no clue what he was speaking of, but she soon got an answer.
Discord stepped aside, revealing a large wall painting that Discord colored. In it, Flutershy saw...
"W-What is this!?" shouted Fluttershy, her heart racing as she backed away from the painting, falling backward.
Cozy rushed to her, seeing her shaking and her breathing getting faster. Cozy helped her back up and saw her face.
"Shy, what's wrong?! Why are you panicking like this?!"
Fluttershy shook her head, unable to answer her. Cozy didn't understand what was going on with her, but she soon faced Discord, wanting to know the meaning of this.
"Cozy, you being here shows there is a change." He looked at the painting, which Cozy did as well. What she saw scared her.
"A change that can create a chance in this rewrite."
What Cozy and Fluttershy saw was Spark, dead as Fayth loomed over the body. Fayth had her arms up in the air and a golden book between them. A book that created a vast black hole. Sucking in all of this Equestria and many more into it.
"Waver, within her madness, could see into the future and painted what she saw over the years in this dead city. This one, she kept drawing over and over again. It's one of many ends if Spark breaks and gives up to Fayth herself. I know this because." He stepped back, revealing this painting was a painting within a painting. Showing him revealing it to Fluttershy but only to her. "You being here confirms that what Waver saw wasn't 100% true, but it shows that Fayth has a high chance of winning. That's why I've decided to do this."
He picked up his paintbrush and started to paint other paintings that needed color.
"She saw the what ifs and the what will be. It's why she kept on painting this same thing over and over. Hoping to see another ending, but with her madness, she must have had difficulty keeping track of them all." Discord explained as he continued to paint. "That's why she kept repainting, but after a while, she couldn't hold back her madness and became a creature of pure chaos. A Chaos Slime."
Fluttershy didn't understand this, but seeing Spark dying and Fayth winning made her realize what he was trying to tell her.
"Y-You are saying that we will lose and Spark will die? That we have a slim chance of beating Fayth?"
Discord didn't answer.
"Discord, please. Answer my question." Cozy, however, knew the answer. She could see it on Discord's face and wasn't happy. "Discord, don't tell me you plan to stay here and just do nothing."
Discord faced the two with a serious expression.
"I did my part, Fluttershy. I did my part in a 'what could've been' future, but that doesn't mean that's the only one. So, I'm staying here and painting the 'what could've been' and 'what will be.' I need to see what Waver saw." He painted a pink butterfly and turned to her. "Tell me, you two, do you know about the butterfly effect?"
The two nodded, unsure where this was going.
"It's simple: a butterfly flaps its wings and causes a hurricane somewhere. By changing the smallest action, we can change the largest result. You might not have noticed it, but someone is taking the smallest actions in this rewrite to create the biggest result in the upcoming future. Things went differently than what Waver saw. I'm not even sure the future I helped save will be the one that will be created." He looked down at Fluttershy. "My dear, sweet Fluttershy. You need to gather everyone and protect the library from Fayth. Because I found two outcomes."
Discord led them to another wall painting, which he filled in, revealing two outcomes. One shows the twins alive and saved while Spark takes on Fayth and wins. The other is the same, but two black slimes are in the twin spot.
"I will be honest. I can't see what will happen. Not until Twilight, Celestia, and Luna return whoever is in Spark's core. But there is one thing I am certain about."
Discord pointed at the painting that showed the two slimes.
"This outcome. This is the future where Spark fails and dies. And not just her but everyone. A bad future will be created, and the white spark of light will never be lit. Dooming us all. That's why we can't lose."
Fluttershy looked over the two pictures. She couldn't understand what was happening, but the first picture was the most important.
"The twins are alive, right?"
Discord closed his eyes and shook his head. "I don't know. We won't know until the others return."
Fluttershy could tell he was telling the truth. She looked back at the painting, then back at him. She took out a crystal and placed it beside him.
"Discord...if the second outcome becomes true..." Fluttershy fought back her tears as she didn't want to think of herself and her friends dying. "...please listen to my message to you. You must be strong because those two slime children need someone to guide them. Please take care of them and help them grow up."
Fluttershy's voice broke, and she cried out. "Help them grow up and love them like they were your own. Even if that future is doomed, those two will be the last hope for that future because no matter where you go, hope is always within you. The spark, don't let it burn out."
Cozy didn't know what to say, but hearing this made her understand why she was here. She watched Fluttershy run out of the tunnel, heading back home to gather everyone. Cozy walked over to Discord, who was about to touch the crystal.
"I wasn't meant to be here. Like you said, someone is changing the smallest things to create the largest change. So, the reason I am here..."
Discord stood back up, away from the crystal, and pointed to an already-painted painting, Showing Cozy her fate.
"...Suguri wasn't ever meant to save me. She wasn't even meant to be here. I see." Cozy got closer to the painting but soon noticed another next to it. "What is that?"
Discord went back to painting as he poured his brush into the paint. He answered her.
"The what ifs and the what will be. The outcome that has happened or will happen." He turned to her, smiling. "To be honest, I hope that's your future, Cozy because you deserve it."
Cozy's mouth slowly became a smile...and tears started to fall.
The painting shows her as much older and standing alongside Braver. Between them was Braver and Luster's daughter, but next to the black unicorn was an earth pony mare with see-through glowing horn and wings. She was holding a filly. That filly was a light pink Pegasus with a black slime mane resembling Cozy's mane. Future Cozy's face was full of love and happiness.
Cozy cried harder.
"I-Is this the future I get!?"
Discord looked away.
"It's an uncertain story still in motion as it is being written. But it can also be a possibility, a future, that could happen."
Cozy could feel it, her future, and it felt so real. She was going to make this future happen.
"Even if it means betraying Luster?"
Cozy quickly turned around, seeing a purple-cloaked figure and reading a book as they stood beside Discord. Discord took notice but kept painting.
"Who are you!? Are the one who-"
"If you want that future you see, you must betray Luster Dawn. You fall more in love with Braver, and Braver does the same, even when she's with Luster. You two will be together, but not how you'd like. It will be painful, but you'll find happiness. You will break Luster's heart to reach that happiness, but the pain she will feel will be a greater one." The cloaked figure stated, not once looking at Cozy. "It will be a painful betrayal, but it is a future where you find true love and happiness. So, Cozy Glow. Is that the future you want? Where you-"
"NEVER!" shouted Cozy, shocking Discord but not the figure.
"I will never hurt Luster! I love her because she's my childhood friend! I will never go behind her back with Braver like that! I'll find a better future with her! One where she is happy and will not end up broken-hearted like you say!" Cozy shouted, not once backing down.
The figure created a feather pain and started writing in the book. They closed it and finally looked at Cozy.
"Even if it means hurting yourself? Because that ending you see won't happen. Not in a million years. Your happiness will not happen, but her's will. Like it's meant to happen."
Cozy felt her body shake. She didn't want to believe this. She didn't want to, but she did. And that made her smile, which surprised the figure.
"As long as Luster and Braver are happy together. Then I will be too. Their happiness is all I ever want for them..."
The figure's expression became soft.
"That's right. Keep moving forward, even in hardship."
Cozy smiled at the figure, but she didn't know why.
"So, is that what you really want, Cozy? Even if it's painful?"
Cozy turned around, facing the painting. A future she gave up.
"It's ok."
She looked back at the figure.
"Even if It hurts, I will move forward and not stop."
The figure looked down at their book, and they smiled. They turned a page and started reading.
"Go. Head back to New Ponyville because Luster will need you for what she's about to do with Dawn. She's going to need an anchor."
Cozy wasn't sure what they meant by that, but she didn't care. She looked at the painting again and returned to New Ponyville. The figure watched her leave and closed their book. They turned to Discord, who was now looking at them.
"I see you became a Watcher, so you survived in the last rewrite, huh? You really are a stubborn one."
The figure didn't answer. They just stood and walked over to the largest opening of the tunnel. They looked around and could see colorful crystals. They removed their hood, revealing they were female as their long mane flowed out. She used her book to light up the whole area, revealing the largest painting.
"We're not stubborn. I refused to let her spark die out. We made a promise to Fayth and will keep it."
She looked at the painting and frowned.
"That's why we're doing this. To save her."
Discord stood next to her, looking up at the massive painting. "I don't remember how the last two rewrites back then, before this one, had ended, but I'm guessing it was because of you two, huh?" He turned to her, feeling the hope she was giving off. "I take it you found the true ending and now acting by changing Fayth's rewrite into your own. That's the only reason you're here now. The path is set, isn't it?"
The woman's face softened, and she faced him.
"We will not allow the story to end as Fayth wants it to. She's still there, you know. Where it all started, she's waiting for the true ending, where she can finally move on. But to get that ending, I must face the real Fate."
They turned to the massive painting, seeing a white void and a vast humanoid figure standing in the middle. Below them was a golden tree. Within that tree was a white spark, surrounded by many rainbow sparks.
"Spark. The spark that resides in the heart of us all will always shine, even against all odds. It won't burn out within the darkness and won't be overwhelmed by the whiteness. No matter the outcome, the spark will always be the brightest thing in existence. It's the true light of hope."
Discord walked closer to the painting and bent down, touching the white spark. He could see it—a white-maned anthro unicorn mare wearing all white.
"It's a long way forward, so trust in her. She was given shelter and the hope she needed. And now it's up to her and her friends to change the story. It's a long way forward, but she has hope."
The cloaked figure touched the white spark as well, and she smiled.
"A spark and a hope. Two things that will never die out."
End of Chapter 22
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 23: Fallen Into Nightmares
Dash and Dashie sat near Spark, processing what they had just learned from Twilight. They couldn't believe it, but this was Twilight, so it could be true.
Dash turned to Twilight, waiting behind them with Celestia and Luna. "I'm going with you! If Braver or her child is within Spark, I want to be there and ensure nothing bad happens!"
Twilight shook her head with a sad expression. "I'm sorry, Dash, but you can't. Only those who can use Alicorn magic can go. Luna is about to do a high-level magic that many unicorns can't do."
Luna steps forward. 'Friend Dash, to enter dreams or nightmares is based on a spell I created when I was very young. To recreate that spell, you need the utmost amount of mana a normal unicorn can't give off. You can't help, as you are just Pegasus." She turned to her sister and Twilight. "Even then, I can't bring others with me unless they also cast the spell." She turned back to her and Dashie. "Also, where we are going is through the dream world. We are going somewhere I hope we can reach, but I have faith in friend Twilight for that."
Dashie's eyes grew wide.
"You mean that dreamscape place, the one Twilah told me about when she saw Twilight's memories when they fused!? That place exists!?"
"Indeed, it does," stated Celestia, gaining their attention. "Luna is the guardian of dreams, keeping nightmares away from ponies. Nightmares are living embodiments of one's fears and pain. They can be creatures or places. That's why we need her. Luna is our guide."
Dash and Dashie could tell Luna and Celestia weren't lying. They wanted to come along but were powerless, so they had no choice. Dash looked at Dashie, and they nodded. Dash turned back to Twilight.
"Fine. But what happens if Sparks wakes up when you are still within her? Because of what you told us, I don't think she's going to be in a very happy mood." questioned Dash, still not happy with how Twilight handled that.
Twilight and Luna exchanged glances.
"We have to hope that doesn't happen. That's why I'm going with them with the Element of Magic. We need to work fast, and once we are out of the dreamscape, I'll use the Element of Magic to guide us to where Spark's Element is, but as I said, we need to act fast." They all turned to Spark, who was still sleeping peacefully. "Spark's talent is overcoming anything that can harm her body or helping others. Even with our combined powers and the Elements, we can already sense her talent is trying to remove the sleep spell from her. We don't have time. We have to go now."
Twilight walked up to Luna, standing next to her.
"Are you ready, Luna?"
Luna nodded.
"Yes, friend Twilight."
Twilight nodded and closed her eyes with the other two Alicorns, but someone stopped them. It was her father.
"Sweetie, take me with you."
Twilight opened her eyes and looked at him. "Dad?"
"I've been thinking, if nightmares can be creatures or places, they can also be the weather-like fog. My talent is making tiny toys with magic lights for little kids to help them sleep. I named after myself, night-" He stopped as he saw Twilight giving him a cold stare, but he had enough. "Sweetie, enough of this! Why are you so mad at me!? Answer me...please." he begged.
Twilight marched over and pushed him, shocking him.
"Stop playing dumb! I noticed what you have been saying about Spark. I had a hitch about you also treating Braver like that, and Dash confirmed it." She pushed him again. "How can you treat my daughters like that!?"
"What are you talking about?"
Twilight eyes glowed as she unleashed her fury at him. "YOU HURT MY DAUGHTER, BRAVER! SOMETHING I WISH TOOK NOTICE, BUT I'M...I'M..." Twilight closed her eyes, her magical pressure disappearing. "I have a bad habit of being unobvious of my daughters' feelings, never noticing the pain she keeps inside. When Dash told me, I realized I had done it again. I let my daughter down..." She opened her eyes, tears falling. "I'm a horrible mother, but I won't be to Spark. I won't let you treat her like that."
Night Light was so confused. He had no idea what his daughter was telling him. "What? But I love Braver." He turned to Spark. "The same will be said with Spark."
"Liar."
He turned back to her. "Excuse me!?"
Twilight stared him down, not backing down. "Don't lie. It bothers me that you didn't call Spark granddaughter. Not once. I noticed that, and it's been hurting her. And Spark doesn't need a grandfather...another one who treats her wrongly."
Before Night Light could say anything else, his wife and family stood up for him as they had been hiding behind the entrance doorway and eavesdropping on the whole thing. Velvet and the others hurried in and got between them, protecting Night Light from Twilight.
"Listen here, young lady! Your father loves Braver! He wouldn't hurt his granddaughter like that!" shouted Velvet.
Shining step forward. "Yeah, you have to believe us, Twily. If he didn't, believe me—I'll be the first one to tell you!" Cadance and Flurry nodded at him.
"Twilight, we are all family and have been for a long time. Your dad wouldn't do that to Braver and not to Spark," said Cadance.
Twilight glared them all down. "Remember what I told you all. I won't call you family if you dare protect him." She spread her wings, and her eyes glowing. She unleashed her mighty Cantorlot voice. "YOU ARE DEAD TO ME!" She closed her wings and turned away from the stunned family. She looked at Luna. "Let's go. We can't be wasting more time."
Luna and Celestia looked worried but knew this problem would be addressed later. Luna nodded and started her spell to enter Spark's dreams. Soon, a magical circle appeared under them, making them glow. Before the spell was finished, Night Light shook his head and didn't want the conversation to end like this. He rushed over, allowing himself to be inserted into the spell.
"What!?" That was all Twilight had to say before she and her father disappeared, along with Celestia and Luna.
"...well, that's not good, huh?" Stated Dashie, turning to the others.
Before anyone could say anything, sounds of screaming could be heard outside. They all rush to the window, seeing all the different creatures running away from the same place.
"Something is going on!?" Shining Armor quickly said as he teleported away and was outside.
Shining tried to ask what was happening to the fleeing creatures, but no one stopped because they were too scared of what was happening further within the large town. He looked where everyone was coming from and saw two figures fighting across the rooftops. He knew this wasn't good as he could see something changing the town...
Sunset and the others were heading to the Great Library, but with the chaos-filled streets, they needed to take the back alleys. They stopped to catch their breaths. Sunset turned to the girls.
"If we stick to the alleyways, we should make it without issues."
The girls nodded, and they hurried forward. However, they stopped when they noticed something black and small hovering in their way. It was Fayth's black book.
Sunny summoned her magical guitar while Wallflower stood before Lucy, protecting her. Sunset ready herself for a fight as the book suddenly created a closed eye on its covers, which opened up and glared at them. It gave them the chills.
"I think Fayth found us..." whispered Lucy, shaking with her.
The book quickly opened and started turning its pages. Soon, it created a dark, dead-tree version of its master. The girls could hear a dark chuckle and felt their hearts beating faster.
"I can't let you spoil my plans."
Soon, the ground below them turned into a swamp. Soon, wooden arms shot out and grabbed them all, Pulling them down under the water. But Wallflower acted and used her powers. She created vines, and they burst out from under the swamp, pulling herself and the others up to the roof of the nearby building.
Sunny smacks Wallflower's back, smiling hard.
"Nice going! You save us!"
"I don't think we are saved yet," muttered Wallflower, pointing at the book's tree, glaring at them, and floating higher and higher, getting closer and closer. The area around it started to become more of a swamp. The roof they were on became a dead tree. They landed on the dead branches and faced down the floating book tree.
Sunset turned to the others. "Get to the library and warn Spark and the others! I'll hold this creature off!"
Sunny and Wallflower looked at each other and then at Lucy, who was shaking with fear as she held a branch for dear life. They nodded and turned back to Sunset.
"Yeah, no," Sunny said, jumping over her pony counterpart and landing further ahead of the branches. Wallflower joined her.
Sunset was shocked by this, but she needed to stop them. "I'm the adult here! Get back here!"
The book's tree laughed, seeing who would dare fight it.
Wallflower turned to Sunset. "That might be true, but with my powers and Sunny already being a good fighter, we are the best people to fight that book. You are the one that needs to reach the others." She then faced Lucy, smiling at her. "Plus, someone needs to protect Lucy. Keep her safe, Sunset."
"What!?" shouted Lucy, not being scared anymore but worried. "Don't you two dare! I'm not leaving you both!"
The book laughed, gaining their attention.
"Foolish girls. Do you really think a fake hybrid and a human girl using a small part of 'her' power can stand against me? I use my book to project myself to you, but I'm just as deadly."
Sunny took a stance and spoke to Lucy without turning back. "Blitz won't ever forgive us if something bad happened to you, Lucy...plus..." Sunny lowered her head slightly. "We already lost Blitz, we won't lose you."
Wallflower faced the book and spoke to Lucy as well. "We can't. You need to live."
Lucy wanted to go to them, but Sunset stopped her with her magic. Sunset grunted loudly as she turned to the two girls.
"Good luck..." Sunset started to pull Lucy away while carrying Suguri's body. Sunset jumped off the branch and into the nearby rooftop, slowly turning into a tree.
"LET ME GO!" cried Lucy as she felt the orange aura around her body. "SUNNY! WILAM!" she started to cry as further away she got from them. "DON'T DIE! IF YOU TWO DO, I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU TWO! YOU HEAR ME!" her vision became watery as she was pulled further and further away. "I LOVE YOU BOTH! ...don't die, don't leave me too..."
Lucy lost sight of her friends as Sunset jumped off the roof into another alley, both landing.
"I'm sorry, but we need to go." Sunset looked up and saw that the book's magic was changing the area around them and following them.
Lucy wiped her eyes. She nodded and was about to run, but she felt Sunset's magic grab her and place her on Sunset's back next to Suguri.
"I don't want to be rude, but you humans sure can't run that far without resting. Now, hold on."
Sunset dashed away as fast as she could, the dead trees following them. Lucy turned back, seeing the buildings becoming dead trees.
Back with Sunny and Wallflower, the two stared down the book. Wallflower smiled as she heard what Lucy said to them.
"Looks like we better not die. Blitz will chew us out in the afterlife if we die, but I don't want to picture Lucy crying for us."
Wallflower ready herself, but she stopped; she could see Sunny sniffing and crying softly.
"...are you crying?"
Sunny quickly wiped her eyes. "What, no. I'm not crying." She ready her weapon. "Okay, I was, but only because Lucy loves us." She turned back to Wallflower, giving her a smirk. "I love her too! Don't you!?"
Wallflower could feel her cheeks turning red, but she nodded, smiling. "Of course I do. She's so sweet and kind."
Sunny smirked and winked at her. "Then let's not die! We can't let someone who deeply loves us down."
The book tree chuckled. "Are you two done?" The tree then split its arms apart, bursting out a black, oozing tongue while its arms became flapping mouths with sharp wooden teeth. "Because this is where your story ends. IN A BAD ENDING!"
"Oh fuck off!"
"We won't be beaten here!"
Both girls ready their powers as the book tree darted at them...
Sunset was fast, but she wasn't fast enough, thanks to her age. The swamp was able to not only reach them but also past them. They were in the swamp again, but instead of the water attacking them like before, it was the dead black trees as they surrounded them. The trees came alive and were attacking them. Sunset could dodge most of them, but some hit her, cutting her skin. She gritted her teeth, but she kept moving forward.
"Come on! Come on!" she shouted as they ran through the forest of dead trees.
Lucy just hugged Sunset's neck while holding Suguri under her. Lucy was scared out of her mind. She, too, could feel her body getting cut from the branches.
Sunset kept running, trying her hardest to get out of the range of the swamp and back in the real form of the town. But no matter how hard she pushed herself, she couldn't reach the edge...until something flew down and carried her, Suguri, and Lucy off back to the town, crashing into the street. Sunset shook her head and believed Rainbow Dash saved her.
"Thanks Dash! I can't beli...huh!?" Sunset could see who saved them wasn't Dash but a mail pony. Not Depry, but... "Zephyr!? YOU SAVED US!?"
Zephyr noticed the two, whose head was caught in the mailbag, and pulled it off. "Saved?" He didn't save them on purpose, as he was enjoying his time looking through other creatures' mail when he somehow bumped into a black tree and got his mailbag over his head, becoming dizzy and flew off, and somehow managed to knock into Sunset and Lucy, carrying away. He quickly pretended he was helping them. "Oh yeah! I saved you." He looked behind her and saw the black tree swamp. He started to freak out, "WHAT THE HAY IS THAT!?"
"No time! Listen, can you fly us to the Great Library!?" Sunset asked.
Zephyr laughed at that request. "No! I'm getting out of here!" He was about to fly off, but Sunset pulled on his tail and begged him to help them, saying she would even reward him. That made his ears twitch. "Reward? What kind of reward?"
"Anything you want!" Sunset didn't have time to argue.
Zephyr rubbed his chin as a thought crossed his mind about what he wanted.
"I want a place named after me! Like a city or someplace!" He raises his arms out. "Zephyr Heights!"
"DONE!"
"Okay!" Zephyr quickly grabbed Sunset, while Sunset herself used her magic to hold Lucy and Suguri. Zephyr flew off, escaping the swamp tree range. He looked down at Sunset. "Like I said, Zephyr Heights! It has a nice ring! Maybe we should change New Ponyville to that?".
Sunset looked annoyed as Zephyr kept talking; she groaned at what she had done.
"We aren't changing New Ponyville's name! But I do know where we can use that name." She sighed. "At least that mountain city will have a name, but..." She looked back, seeing the town slowly becoming a swamp filled with dead black trees. "If there's an Equestria after all this even to build that place," she said.
There was only darkness until a faint voice could be heard. Twilight slowly opened her eyes and saw Luna and Celestia looking at her.
"Are you okay, Twilight?" Celestia asked, helping her former student up.
Twilight got up and could see her father was behind the former princesses. She ignored him and looked around.
"Are we in Spark's dreamscape? This is..."
Twilight could see what looked like Ponyville, but there were many differences between this place and the actual one.
"Ponyville? But why does it look like this?" Celestia turned to Twilight and the others. "Wait, has Sparl ever been to Ponyville?"
Twilight walked past her, answering her questions.
"No, she hasn't, in our universe, but she must have been to many other Ponyvilles in the multiverse when chasing after Fayth. Her dreamscape would look like this, a mix of a million Ponyvilles she saw." Twilight turned to the others, noticing they were in a park. "But that's doesn't matter, we need to find her core by escaping this place." Twilight held out the Element of Magic, which started to glow and floated out of her hoof. The Element, in the shape of Twilight's cutie mark star, transformed back into its orb shape. It started to pulse and floated in a random direction.
"Follow it," Twilight said, pointing to the glowing Element.
They did, following the orb until it stopped at a door that appeared out of nowhere.
"Is it in there?" Celestia asked, and the orb flew into the door, opened it, and went inside.
Twilight walked up to the door and was about to enter, but her father's voice stopped her.
"Wait, Twilight! Let's talk before we go in there."
"You have nothing to say that I want to hear," Twilight snapped.
Her father sighed as he watched her and the two princesses enter the door. He followed as well, and when he entered, he found himself alone in a house with a garden and a large single tree in the middle of that garden.
"Twilight?" he called out, but there was no answer. Same with calling out the former princesses.
He was about to check the rooms in the house, but he saw someone walk into the kitchen he was in.
"Velvet?" he whispered, seeing what looked like his wife, but instead of a unicorn, she was an Alicorn.
Velvet smiled as she hugged him. "Dear, you are home early. How was work at city hall?" she asked as she started to make dinner for them.
Night Light was confused. "City hall? I don't work at city hall. I sell night lights. Also, why are you an Alicorn?" he asked, hoping for answers, but his wife ignored him as she acted like he told her work was good.
"That's great, dear." She turned to him and kissed him. "Can you get Nightfall out of the library? I swear that mare is too much like me, loving books."
"Who is Nightfall?"
Velvet smiled. "Oh, silly. Nightfall is our daughter." She went over to the doorway and pointed to the library part of the house.
Night Light joined her side, seeing a filly that looked like Twilight when she was a filly but as an Alicorn.
"Twilight?" he whispered, but he remembered now. He was in Spark's dream. Was she dreaming about her grandparents and real mother?
He suddenly felt Velvet pushing him forward. "Go ahead. She only listens to you, you know."
"Uh, okay." He slowly walked into the library and saw his daughter reading two books simultaneously.
"Twilight?" he called out.
She turned to him. Looking a bit confused. "Daddy? Who's Twilight?" she asked, tilting her head.
Night Light was shocked by that, but he remembered this wasn't the Twilight he knew, so he tried to think about a response.
"Ah, right. My apologies. You look like someone I know."
"I do? Who is she?"
"She's a grown-up version of you, and she's a great Alicorn." he smiled, sitting beside her.
Nightfall smiled as she hugged her father.
"I'll be just like her daddy! I'll grow up to be strong like Mommy! I'll make you so proud of me! I promise!"
Night Light smiled and hugged her back. "I already am, my little light."
Night Light and Nightfall hugged each other briefly before breaking it.
"Can we play some chess?"
Before Night Light could say anything, everything around him changed, like a tape fast-forwarding. He looked around and could see he was in the living room. He was on the couch with Velvet. They were having a nice talk with an older Nightfall and...
"Rainbow Dash?" he asked, confused.
Rainbow Dash was wearing a worn-out pinkish-grey military hooded jacket. She was drinking tea but stopped as she gave him a puzzled look.
"Who's Rainbow Dash?" She looked confused as Night Light.
Night light remembered and played along. "Haha, sorry, I'm bad at names...what was your name again?"
"Daddy!" Nightfall said, feeling so embarrassed by her dad.
While Dash lookalike laughed and answered his question. "Rainbow Sky, sir. Not an easy name to remember, so don't worry too much." She slipped her tea and looked over to a blushing Nightfall. She lowered her tea, used her wing to cover Nightfall, and pulled her in for a kiss. This caused Nightfall to blush and break the kiss.
"S-Sky, not in front of my parents."
"Sorry." Sky giggled. "Couldn't resist."
Night Light smiled; the scene he saw before him was almost identical to when Twilight brought Dash over and revealed they were dating. He wanted to relive that day, so he would ask Sky a question, but like before, everything was fast-forward.
"Where am I now?" he asked, seeing he was outside in the garden. He was surprised to see a tiny blue blur jump off his back; soon, a black blur rolled toward his legs, making him trip over and land on his back.
He rubbed his back, but when he sat up, he saw Braver as a filly, not looking like she did back then but looking one-to-one with her daughter when she was a filly. Poor Braver was upside down and looking like she was going to cry. Soon, he could see a filly looking like Rainbow Dash but with a black stripe color in her rainbow mane, landing alongside Braver. Night Light believes this must be Rainbow Blitz, Braver's twin sister.
"Kluz!" teased Blitz, poking her sister in the nose.
Braver finally cried. "I'M NOT A KLUZ!" she turned to Night Light. "RIGHT GRANDPA!"
"Of course, you're not a Kluz," Night Light said, helping the filly up.
Blitz chuckled. "Then why were you upside down?"
Braver couldn't respond as she started to cry, making Night Light comfort her. Soon, he started to play with the two until Braver's bad habit of being a kluz happened again, but this time, she rolled into her sister, and both crashed into the large tree.
"Are you okay?" he asked, all worried.
But the two just burst out crying. He tried to calm them down, but no matter what he tried, he couldn't make them stop crying. He started to panic until he heard a familiar voice as a violet blur passed and scooped up the twins. He looked up and could see Spark as a filly. She was hugging her sisters and comforting them.
"It's okay, Braver, Blitz. Your sister is here!" she nuzzled them but soon squeezed them too hard as she started to tell them things. "SISTER WILL ALWAYS PROTECT HER CUTE, SWEET LITTLE BABY SISTERS FROM ALL EVIL IN THIS UNIVERSE, I PROMISE."
Blitz looked annoyed as she huffed at her big sister for loving them too much.
"You're crushing us, you know."
Braver cheered as she loved how Spark was treating her.
Night Light chuckled and walked over to them, rubbing their heads. They looked up at him, smiling and hugging him. He was about to hug them, but everything changed once more. He blinked and still found himself in the garden, but seeing all three sisters sleeping under the tree and much older now made him smile. He would walk away when he heard Twilight but in a heartbroken tone.
"This is her dream..."
Night Light looked around and saw Twilight, Luna, and Celestia. He was confused about what Twilight meant, but the former princesses could see the three sisters and knew what she meant.
"A happy dream, the one thing we all want," whispered Celestia, looking over to Luna and hugging her.
Twilight walked up and past her father. She sat down in front of the three sleeping sisters, lying down and placing her head near them, smiling. Her father walked over to her and asked if she was okay.
"This is what she always dreamed of, where her life wasn't the life she had. Her grandfather not being a crazed colt or her grandmother not being a mindless magical bio-weapon." She nuzzled Spark's cheek. "A dream where she had a normal life with her sisters and mothers." She looked at her own daughter, Braver, who was sleeping peacefully. She nuzzled her, too. "I wonder if Braver dreamt this too?" She shook her head, knowing the answer. "No, she must have had. After how I was an awful mother to her when she grew up...my sweet little brave mare...mommy is sorry..." Tears fell out of her eyes. She nuzzled Blitz's cheeks and used her wing to cover them as they slept.
Night Light looked sad at his daughter and lay beside her, telling her not to be so sad.
"I wasn't a good father, you know. When we had your brother, I kept messing up, and your mother was there to stop me. Soon, I got better at being a father, but it wasn't perfect still. When you came along...I kept trying. You tried, and that's what matters, sweetie. You're not a bad mom. We all have shortcomings and regrets."
"Dad...please. Stop," begged Twilight, not wanting to look at her father in the eyes.
Night Light sighed and finally asked her again.
"Sweetie. Please talk to me. Why are you so mad at me? What did I do?"
Twilight's sad expression became a scowl as she turned to her father.
"You want to know why I'm so angry with you?! It's because of what you did to her!" she snapped, pointing to her sleeping daughter. "How you reminded her that she wasn't family! Always reminding everyone that she wasn't blood-related! THAT'S WHY I'M SO MAD AT YOU AND..." Twilight broke down again. "And at myself, because like I said before, I never noticed she was hurting. I never noticed she was being treated poorly, and I couldn't even be the one to stop it!" She looked away, hiding her tears.
Night Light was so shocked that he was so speechless.
"Sweetie, w-what are you talking about? I never-"
"LIAR!"
Twilight quickly blasted him with magic, her eyes with a burning magical glow. He crashed into the wall, sliding down it. Celestia and Luna quickly got between them.
"Twilight! Stop this!" commanded Celestia, not backing down.
"You have no right to tell me what to do," growled Twilight.
"Please, calm down, friend Twilight." pleaded Luna, trying to talk her down.
Twilight ignored her and glared at her father.
"I won't let you do that to Spark or my granddaughter if my daughter is truly dead! I won't hurt them. I WON'T FAIL THEM!" her horn started to glow brightly, but she stopped charging it as Celestia and Luna took a battle stance. "YOU TWO REALLY GOING TO PROTECT HIM!? AFTER WHAT I JUST REVEALED, WHAT HE HAS DONE TO BRAVER!?" she turned to Luna, feeling so betrayed by her. "BRAVER WAS YOUR FRIEND! ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO SIDE WITH THE ONE THAT HURT HER!? BRAVER WOULD HATE YOU FOR DOING THIS!"
"We won't let you harm your father, friend Twilight. But if you force our hoof, we will fight you," stated Luna. "And Braver hated fighting, as she knew the pain and suffering it brought, so she would understand."
Twilight rage grew. "MY DAUGHTER HELPED YOU! HELPED YOU DEFEAT NIGHTMARE MOON FOR GOOD, AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY HER!?" she narrowed her eyes. "MAYBE MY DAUGHTER SHOULDN'T HAVE EVER HELPED YOU! YOU ARE STILL NIGHTMARE MOON DEEP DOWN!" she could see how hurt Luna became. "GOOD! I'M GLAD IT HURT YOU!"
Celestia narrowed her eyes. "That's enough, Twilight. I don't know why you're saying these things to my sister, but you must calm down." Celestia got closer. "You lost a child and are still hurting. But don't let your grief and anger take control. I'm sorry about what happened to Braver, but please stop before you go too far."
"I DON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING YOU SAY!" Twilight blasted the ground. "YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHAT I LOST! OR WHAT I WILL LOSE IN THE FUTURE! YOU'LL NEVER KNOW MY PAIN! YOU'RE JUST AN ARROGANT FORMER PRINCESS WHO THINKS SHE KNOWS EVERYTHING! WELL, YOU DON'T! I WON'T LET YOU PRETEND YOU KNOW ANYTHING!"
Celestia felt hurt when she saw how Twilight treated her and her sister. "Twilight, please, don't let the loss of your child turn you into a monster." They could see something dark growing inside her, fearing it could be a Nightmare.
Twilight was nearly firing off another blast, but the Element of Magic suddenly floated above them. It pulsed as it hovered over the tree, where a door appeared. Twilight's rage faded, and the darkness was gone.
"The Element!"
She hurried over and opened the door. She could see darkness, but there was a flicker of a rainbow spark. She turned to her father and friends, glaring at them with hate.
"I don't need you! I'll do this on my own. I'LL BRING THEM BACK!" she turned to the door but looked down. Seeing her three daughters, still sleeping...and fading away into dust. She quickly lowered herself to Braver and tried to hold on to her, but it was useless. Braver's body was gone, leaving behind nothing. "...sweetie..." She fought back her tears and rushed into the door, following the Element.
"Twilight!"
"Friend Twilight!"
Night Light tried to stand, but the blast and knocking into the wall did a good number on him, and he only fell to the grass. He watched as the former princess tried reaching for the door but wouldn't reach it in time.
"T-Twilight..." he mumbled, trying to reach out to her.
He tried to understand what she meant by her saying that he treated her daughter like she wasn't part of the family.
"...I saw Braver as my grandkid...I don't understand...what did I do that made her feel I didn't love her? I thought...she would always know that we're her family. She had no reason to believe anything else..."
He thought back to the past...
"Hey, Mr. Light! I heard you have another grandkid! Is that her?" asked a faceless unicorn as they sat next to Night Light on a park bench while Braver played with a faceless filly.
Night Light smiled. "She's not my granddaughter! No!"
Night Light's eyes widen when he remembers saying that.
Another memory appeared, where somepony asked him about Braver as Dash came to pick Braver up.
"No, no! She isn't my grandaughter!" he corrected, unaware that Dash looked so angry and would say something, but Braver stopped her and asked her to take her home. Braver always stopped her mother from starting a fight with him.
Night Light shook his head slowly, realizing he repeatedly said that in front of Braver. He started to tear up as he knew why his daughter hated him so much.
"Twilight! Oh, my heavens...Braver, I-I-I..." he closed his eyes, remembering everything and what he said after that.
"She's not my granddaughter! No!" He crossed his arms, smiling. "Not by blood, no. She isn't my grandkid, but I don't care." he leaned closer to the faceless ponies and creatures that always asked him. "But I love her so much, and I see her as my grandkid. Just because she isn't a Sparkle doesn't mean I won't love her like I do. Because family isn't always about blood, but what you make of it." He stood up and turned to Braver, noticing she was always missing and, for some reason, always crying when he found her.
Night Light slowly looked up as the door closed, and he spoke to her before his daughter was gone.
"...Twilight, I guess you take after me in more ways than I thought..." he lowered his head as the door closed.
"I'm sorry."
End of Chapter 23
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Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 24: Winning Of The Smallest Battles, Can Create The Biggest Victories
"I'm coming!"
Twilight was surrounded by a heavy amount of what seemed to be dark fog as she rushed down the darkness that the Element of Magic was leading her in.
"Please! Let it be Braver and her sister!" cried Twilight, tears falling out of her eyes as she kept running. "Please, oh please! Let me bring them back! Braver! Blitz!" she saw the darkness slowly covering the Element as its pulsing purple light dimmed. She tried to use her magic, but the dark fog stopped her. "Please! Don't let me lose my daughter! NOT AGAIN! DON'T LET ME FAIL HER AGAIN! LET ME HAVE THIS!" She spread her wings and started to fly, becoming faster but not fast enough as she lost track of the Element. "PLEASE! LET ME HAVE THIS CHANCE! DO NOT LET ME FAIL HER! I WANT MY DAUGHTER BACK! SHE DESERVE TO LIVE! SHE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO SUFFER ANYMORE!"
Twilight tried to go faster, hoping to catch up with the Element. She kept begging anyone or anything of a higher power to grant her this wish.
"BRAVER! I'M COMING!"
Suddenly, a bright flash of light blinded her. She covered her eyes, and when she opened them, she could see she was back in that familiar place, the garden, within Spark's core.
"BRAVER!" shouted Twilight, looking around the garden. "BLITZ!" she ran up to the large tree in the middle but saw no one.
Her hope dropped as she feared the other theory might be true. She collected herself and let out a tearful and broken-hearted cry. "It's okay. Come on out, you two. I'm your grandmother. Please, little ones. I won't hurt you."
Sounds of movement could be heard behind the tree, causing Twilight to sit and lay on the grassy ground, smiling.
"That's right, it's okay. Come out. Grandmother is here to take you back home."
Twilight's eyes sparked as she saw two round black slimes peeking behind the tree. She reached out to touch one, but when she touched it, it crumbled. Twilight's eyes widened with shock and fear at what she saw. She quickly ran behind the tree to see that the two slimes had hardened and had cracks in them.
"No!"
She tried to pick one up, but it crumbled to dust when she started to raise it.
"NO! NO, NO!" she fell to her knees, her tears falling. She held the remains of her grandkids in her hooves. She broke down as her voice cracked. "...no, please no." She didn't want to believe it, but those children were here for two years without food or water, which made sense. The fact they were already dead before she got there was the most painful part. She couldn't save them no matter what, as that thought filled her mind.
"Why?" she whispered, watching the remains blowing out of her hooves. "Why? Why can't I stop failing?"
She watched as the wind carried the remains away; as she did, her sadness turned into a burning hatred.
"WHY!" she stood up, screaming at the sky. "WHY!? WHY CAN'T I HAVE THIS!? WHY CAN'T I HELP THOSE WHO ARE SUFFERING!? MY OWN DAUGHTER AND HER CHILD, NO LESS!?"
Twilight's magic was acting up, the air around her was becoming distorted, and she could hear a voice laughing in the wind. She quickly looked for the source of the laughter.
"WHO'S LAUGHING AT ME!?" She couldn't find anyone or anything, but then a sudden gust of wind hit her, causing her to turn around and see a dark figure standing in the dark part of the garden. "Who are you!?" she demanded, pointing at the figure.
Twilight watched as the figure stepped into the light, only to be confused by what she saw.
"What is this? I don't understand..."
Twilight saw a spitting image of herself but darker in color.
"H-how?"
"I'm what you can become," answered the other her, smiling.
Twilight could see something off about her.
"W-what do you mean by that?"
The darker Twilight steps closer, smiling. "Like I said, I'm what you can be. Someone much stronger and willing to do what's needed."
"Stronger and willing to do what's needed?" repeated Twilight, narrowing her eyes. "You sound like you would do whatever it takes. Even if it means hurting others!" Twilight's horn started to glow bright. "This isn't real. Where I am isn't the real garden. I must be in Spark's nightmares! The horrible things she saw in other universes, and one of those universes is you! What haunts her in her dreams!"
"If you think this is a nightmare, then you are wrong," stated the other her. "Because you know that deep down...I am you."
"WHAT!"
The darker Twilight smiled. She sat down and spoke. "Dreamverse. Do you know it?" Twilight didn't answer, which made the other smile. "It is a place where all dreams and nightmares from all universes and time-verses are created and stored. In this spiritual place, every reality and dimension in all of Creation. Are supported by all the dreams of all sentient beings." She turned, making Twilight turn as well, to see endless corridors with doors that grant passage to anyone's dream. Each door is different, representing its owners. "Like I said, everyone who dreams can be found here, even those in the far-off future." She turned to Twilight, smiling even harder. "Even our friends!" That smile became twisted, filled with sadness but also determination.
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you really want to know?" the other asked, turning around and facing away from Twilight. "Because the truth is...they kept their promises. Our friends kept their word in returning to us." She looked back, her face filled with happiness and love. "Even Rainbow Dash! She's different but still the same stubborn Pegasus we love!"
Twilight backed away, realizing what was happening. If this version of her is telling the truth and isn't a real nightmare, it means...
"Y-You are me...from the future? How can that be? Star Swirl the Bearded's time spell can only allow a week at most! Even then, Starlight and I destroyed that modified spell scroll. I don't even remember how to recreate it...wait..." She suddenly remembered what her other self had said before, that EVERY creature's dreams were here. Even in the future. "...you exited your dreamscape." She looked back at the endless corridors with doors.
"Now you are starting to understand. And you're right; I did exit my dreamscape and enter the Dreamverse as I told you."
Twilight turned to her. "Why!?"
"For the same reason you came here, Twilight," she answered, pointing at her. "You're here for Braver and her sister, are you not? Well, I'm here for our friends. I'll make them remember our time together, even if it means..." She stepped closer, her eyes glowing black with a tiny flicker of greyness spark within. "I have to destroy this verse in doing so. I won't be alone anymore!" tears started to fall. "To be together with Dash again because, as she said, we are destined to be together. We are soulmates."
"NO! You're insane! This has to be a nightmare! I refuse to believe this! You can't do this! You're me, so you know what happened to this verse, don't you!? No one will ever dream or have nightmares ever again! Just..."
"DARKNESS!? I KNOW," laughed her evil self, releasing pure black energy all around them until Twilight and the other self were shallow into nothingness.
Twilight felt like she was drowning in nothingness as she fell endlessly, but her fear and shock were cut short when she hit the ground.
"Gah!"
Twilight shook her head and looked around, only seeing nothing but darkness. She stood up and tried to use her magic to light up her horn, but no luck.
"Where am I?"
She turned her head, seeing something. She couldn't make it out at first but found herself back on that beach when she blinked. She saw herself, Dash, Starlight, and Sunburst talking while Luster and Braver, as fillies, played in the sand. Her heart dropped as she knew what was going to happen. She could see herself asking Braver to come over to her so she could put sun lotion on her.
"Stop! Listen to your daughter! Look at her!"
But Twilight's pleas went unheard as her past self smiled, seeing her daughter crying.
"Sweetie, it's not that bad," told past Twilight, seeing how cute her daughter was stomping her little hooves like she was dancing.
"Yes, it is! I hate this stuff!" replied Braver, shouting as she pounded the sand in pain.
"LISTEN TO HER! PLEASE!"
Twilight fell to her knees, unable to move as she continued to watch her past self hurting her sweet little daughter. Braver's slime body hated the brand of sunscreen that she bought for her. Poor Braver's slime body was in great pain as it couldn't absorb the lotion, killing the top surface of the slime. Twilight shut her eyes and held her ears as she could hear Braver's painful screams.
"Mommy, it hurts!" cried Braver as she started to kick and scream.
"Stop it!" shouted past Twilight, causing the filly to be scared, as Twilight never yelled at her. "Behave! Didn't you promise us that you'll be a good girl?"
Braver looked down and said, "I'm a good girl. I'm not bad, right?"
Twilight quickly opened her eyes when she heard that.
"I'm a good girl! I'm not-" Twilight could see Braver's universe in flames for a split second. "Bad! I'm a good girl!"
Twilight shook her head and darted toward her daughter, realizing this was where it all started and why Braver had hidden her pain from her and Dash.
"I'm a good girl. Good. I'm good," Braver said simply as she kept looking down, her eyes lifeless.
"BRAVER!" she grabbed the filly, never wanting to let her go. "YOU ARE! YOU ARE A GOOD GIRL, BUT I'M SORRY! SORRY FOR NOT SEEING YOUR PAIN!"
"I'm a good girl."
Twilight sobbed as she kept hearing her daughter repeating those words. Soon, she could see all the times she had hurt her daughter over the years.
"Good. I'm a good girl!"
The darkness returned as the last memory played, but Braver's voice kept repeating the same words. Twilight looked down and saw that Braver was gone. She soon could hear her daughter's voice screaming the same words but now in pain. Twilight dropped to her knees and covered her ears, wanting it to stop.
"I'm sorry! I'm an awful mother! Braver, please forgive me! Forgive your useless mother!"
Twilight closed her eyes, hoping it would stop the voices, which did as another voice spoke.
"You aren't, mom."
Twilight slowly opened her eyes and saw black hooves in front of her. She slowly looked up to see
"You aren't an awful or unless mother, mom. You are the wonderful and greatest mother I could ever ask for. I wish I was better and didn't put much pressure on myself. I thought I had to prove myself to you and Mommy. Even if it meant hurting and bottling my problems up."
Twilight shook her head, unable to believe that Braver could say those words.
"You are wrong, Braver. I have failed you. I failed you many times; I made you suffer, and you did not trust me or Dash. Please forgive me. Forgive your awful mother!"
Braver hugged Twilight and said, "I can never do that, Mom. I could never forgive you or Mommy because there is nothing to forgive. You two are the best. I had my shortcomings and made you worry so much. I'm not a good daughter..." Braver started to cry. "I couldn't live up to what you two saw in me, what you believed in! I should be the one asking for forgiveness! Not you! Never you!" she started to sob. "I wish I wasn't so broken, living with the trauma I had. I tried so hard not to be broken for you and Mommy!"
Twilight was shocked. She hugged Braver tightly, not wanting to let her go.
"That's enough. You have never been broken, and you aren't now. You are the strongest and bravest mare I have ever known!'" She did a small giggle. "Just like Dash, you know that. You have the same spirit. She is always proud of that." Twilight could see her daughter being happy as Braver's slime tail was wagging back and forth. "Listen to me." She broke the hug and made Braver look at her in the eyes. "Cozy once told me something. Parents aren't perfect, and neither are their kids. We have our flaws, flaws we hate so much that we hide them. But that's okay. Because what makes a family is their love. Love will always conquer all, even your hidden pain. I know now, and I'm sorry you have been hiding this. Please, don't hold it in anymore, my sweet child. I can't fix or save you, but I can help carry the pain." She wiped away Braver's tears. "Can you do that for me, please?"
Twilight watched as Braver took her hoove and held it on her cheek, smiling.
"You always know what to say, Mom. When I needed you the most, you always came through for me. I wish I had been better and didn't push myself so much."
"Shush, you aren't the only one who pushed themselves. You and your sister, Spark, are both alike." Twilight smiled, making Braver giggle.
"I know. Spark points that out, too. But still, I have a lot of issues and problems that I need to face, and I will face them."
Braver closed her eyes as she started to cry again.
"I won't hide my pain anymore. I won't hold it in, but can you promise me to do the same? Maybe meeting you here...things will be different?"
Twilight hugged her daughter. "I promise."
As the two hugged, bright yellow lights could be seen behind them, dispelling the darkness. Twilight could feel her daughter disappearing as well, but at the same time, she could feel her daughter trying to hold on to her like she didn't want her to leave her. She could feel the fear.
"Be brave. That's what your talent is, my little brave daughter. You are the bravest of them all."
"I will, mother. I'll be brave...I won't be scared anymore." Twilight could feel her daughter's body becoming calm, braver. "I'll face it, the nightmare..."
Soon, Twilight and her daughter were no longer there, as everything was filled with yellow light.
"Where am I?" thought Twilight, her mind racing as she was blinded by yellow light.
"Are you okay, Twilight?"
The bright light slowly went dim, allowing her to see Celestia, Luna, and her father, who was using his horn to light the darkness like a night light.
"What happened?" Twilight asked, seeing she was in the dark fog again.
Luna walked over and forced the fog away from them. "The nightmare took hold of you, making you see your worst nightmares made real. That was how it lured you into its trap." Twilight turned where Luna was looking at now. She could see a rainbow flicker, but it soon stopped, and a pair of glowing dark blue eyes could be seen.
Twilight felt relief and sadness, meaning that the older version of Braver was just a nightmare... "Wait, what I saw just now wasn't a nightmare. I was talking to Braver."
Luna turned around and gave a soft smile. "Even in the darkest of nightmares, there is always a tiny happy dream. It may be a nightmare, but it is also a dream you hold deep inside. Remember, Twilight, dreams are our hopes, desires, fears, and memories. Dreams are the windows into your heart; sometimes, even a nightmare can be a happy dream if you stand up against it."
Twilight nodded, understanding.
Luna looked back ahead, seeing the dark eyes looking back at them. "The exit of this dream is ahead. I'll hold off this nightmare while you escape." Luna hovered off the ground, her magical aura covering her body.
Luna was about to fight it, but all of the nightmare fog vanished. What shocked Luna was what she felt. She looked down at her sister, who also felt the same. Luna returned to the ground.
"Sister, you felt it too, didn't you?"
Celestia nodded. "Yes, dear sister, it felt like your magic just now."
Twilight and Night Light were confused by what the two sisters were discussing. They asked what was wrong and watched the two sisters look around them.
"Friend Twilight, when Spark went berserk and revealed those memories of nightmares. I could sense my power within her. I didn't know why at the time, and now, I believe it was my nightmare. She absorbed it somehow."
"What are you saying?" asked Night Light, looking around.
Celestia continued for Luna but still searched around. "Luna wasn't the one who dispelled this fog of nightmares. Someone else did and fear it might be..."
The group suddenly felt a magical presence, which made them turn and look behind them. They could see someone walking toward them. Twilight saw who it was and realized what the sisters meant.
Celestia and Luna blinked at what they saw.
"Wait, you aren't Spark," the two said in unison, confused by the appearance of those standing before them.
"What the hay!?" shouted Dash as she was far above the Great Library and could see New Ponyville changing into some swamp-looking area. Far away from that, she could see two figures fighting. She felt Fayth had returned but had no idea who was fighting her. The way the battle was going, they were holding their own.
Dash flew back down and saw Shining guiding the town folks out of town while creating a huge shield bubble over the coming swamp.
"Every creature! Keep going this way! Local guards will watch over you and protect you further uphead, but you must not fall behind. Hurry! Don't stop!" Shining shouted, directing the citizens to the edge of the town.
Cadance and Dashie could see Dash landing and asked her what she saw, to which she explained it was Fayth and someone fighting her.
'This isn't good. We have seen how powerful she is. She must be holding back and toying with whoever is fighting her." stated Dashie.
Cadance could see both Dash and Dashie looking scared. "Is she really that strong?"
Dash turned to her and nodded. "Yeah, she's the living embodiment of Fate itself. Even those who came here from other universes and us had difficulty dealing with her. She could easily end us, but she toyed around with us. Spark is the only one to stand up against her, but she's..."
"Right..." whispered Cadnace, looking back to the tree and seeing her mother-in-law at the doorway while her Flurry Heart casts a spell to protect the library.
Bow and his wife were outside and above the fleeing town folks, helping those by telling them where to go, but Bow could see someone flying toward them. He looked closer and frowned. He returned to Dash.
"Hey, Sweetie. It is Fluttershy's brother. I think he's carrying someone. Maybe they are hurt?"
Dash looked and quickly flew toward Bow and could see Zephyr heading their way with someone. Dash flew off, meeting them halfway. When she got closer to them, she could tell he was carrying Sunset, Lucy, and a human she had never seen before.
"Dash!" shouted Sunset, seeing Dash heading their way to meet them. "IT'S FAYTH! SHE'S BACK!"
Dash heard her and hated how she was right in her guess. She met up with four and quickly told Zephyr to shut it before he could have a chance to flirt with her.
"Who's the human girl?"
Lucy held the badly hurt Suguri. "Luster told me this person is a friend of Spark. Her name is Suguri. I'm guessing she was chasing after Fayth, but the way she looks, she was beaten badly. Suguri, wake up. Wake up!"
Suguri slowly opened her eyes and, weakly, said, "Fayth... I can't beat her...Spark..." she passed out again.
As Lucy tried to wake her again, Sunset turned back to Dash. "Where is Spark? Why hasn't she appeared yet? She must have seen what's going on, no?"
Dash sighed. She explained what happened to Spark.
A pink blur crashed into the building, rolled out, and crashed into more buildings until it stopped. Dawn stood up, pretty beaten up, but kept her fighting stance.
"You aren't winning, Dawn," stated Fayth, walking to the center of the street.
Dawn looked around, seeing that Fayth had led her to what looked like a train station as she stood in its main lobby. She turned back her attention to Fayth.
"Right back at ya, you little bitch! Even if you beat me, Spark is going to kick your ass again. She did before, and she'll do it again."
Fayth raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "She is?"
"Why are you laughing?"
Fayth stopped, and her grin vanished. "She isn't awake right now. She's asleep right now, just like in the past rewrites. During this time, Twilight, Dash, and the Alicorn sisters are within Spark after she is forced to sleep. It's the best time to kill everyone here, even you." She could see how confused Dawn was. "You don't know yet, but I'll explain it. You, Spark, and everyone else in the whole multiverse lost." She was suddenly behind Dawn, grabbed her long hair, spun her around, and sent her flying through the station and into the train, destroying the front.
Fayth reappeared and walked up to her, seeing her within the twisted metal. "Like always, she stops me from writing the true ending in that book, but also, like always, she fails in stopping me from rewriting the multiverse. You all died and were reborn. It's how I know what's going on when my book recovers my memories." She kicked Dawn through the train, flew through the carts, and landed in the rear cart, tearing the train car apart.
Dawn slowly got up and glared at Fayth, who had followed her and leaned against the door.
"But this time, I'll change how things go. I'm going to force her to wake up, and when she does, she will see this damn town, and people who know her will be DEAD!" she was already on top of Dawn, grabbing her face and slamming her down in the rear car. "She's going to be broken again, and I'll love seeing the horror in her eyes, just like before. I'll take pleasure in breaking her."
She starts crushing Dawn's head while letting her fight back, hoping to make her release herself. Fayth can only smile.
"In this rewrite, you won't live long to see how this rewrite will end but know this. Be happy I'm giving you a mercy killing than making you my savior. Not like the other you from many rewrites ago, no. I learned my lesson by changing Spark's friends into my puppets. You will die this time." She put more force into crushing Dawn's head and loved hearing her scream in pain. "And she enters now," Fayth said, raising her hand and smacking away a magical pink beam.
She turned where the blast came from and saw Luster outside the rear cart, looking scared now that Fayth had noticed her.
"Oh look, it's your pony counterpart. Just in time to see this." She let Dawn's head go, and with a quick punch, she punched through Dawn's chest, leaving a hole when she pulled out. "See. In every rewrite, some things will always happen. Like that hole in your chest, but this time, there aren't different colors in a rainbow. No, just one color now, and that's red." She could see Dawn was still alive, but she knew she would die soon. She stepped out of the ruined rear cart and walked past Luster, who was shaking, trying not to cry.
"The little monster that this universe fears. They won't forgive you for what you did by aiding my savior. You did so much damage that it will be pointless no matter what you do." Fayth smirked, feeling the hopelessness coming off of Luster as she sat on the ground. "Don't worry, this planet will be destroyed before that sad fate of yours starts. You did aid Rainbow Sun Dawn, so I'll let you live and watch this world burn." She looked away and took off, heading to where Spark was.
Luster was left alone, sitting and crying at the ruined train car, seeing blood oozing out as Dawn lay there, dying. "I'm sorry," she cried, unable to help.
"Whatever..."
Luster was shocked to see Dawn standing back up, trying her hardest to stay up, even with a vast hole in her chest.
"I... won't give up..." She slowly started walking.
Luster quickly jumped up and helped her stay on her feet. "Dawn, you're hurt."
"Don't...care..."
Dawn smacked Luster away from her and started to walk toward where Fayth had left. But Luster stood up and tried to stop Dawn again.
"Stop it, you bleeding badly! Stop moving, or you'll bleed out quicker!"
"No!" shouted Dawn, slapping Luster's hooves away. "I'm going to stop Fayth. I don't care what happens to me, but I'm not letting that bitch hurt Spark." She then dropped to her knee, her vision becoming blurry.
"Please, don't move."
Dawn turned and glared at her, her vision going slightly dark. "Just shut the fuck up! Spark is in danger, and I'm not letting her down, not right now. FUCK THIS HURTS!" she cried as she placed her hand near the hole, feeling the blood pouring out. "Spark taught me to keep moving forward, even through the pain..." Dawn closed her eyes, remembering how Spark would show up at home badly hurt.
It was nighttime. She sat on the couch and angrily tossed a bucket of empty ice cream to the wall with the rest of the empty buckets. Dawn was pissed. Spark had been gone without letters, calls, or anything to her for months.
She opened a new ice cream bucket and started eating.
"I bet she's dating someone else, yeah! Why does she even keep dating me?" She stuffed her mouth with blueberry ice cream and swallowed it whole. "What does she even see in me anyway? I'm not pretty. I'm a brute, a monster." She was about to take another bite but heard a knock at the door. "Huh? Who the fuck is knocking at this hour? Better not be some salesman again. If it is, I'm punching him," she growled as she marched toward the door and slammed it open.
Her eyes widened in surprise at what she saw.
It was Spark...badly hurt as blood was dripping from her body. Spark had a big bruise on her cheek, her shirt was torn in multiple places, her nose was bleeding, her lip was busted, and she had a black eye.
"Hey, Dawn," said Spark weakly. She raised her hand, showing a bouquet. "I'm sorry. I'm late, and I didn't call, but I got these for you."
Dawn didn't say anything, only grabbed the bouquet and tossed it aside, pulled Spark into a tight hug, and cried.
"WHO DID THIS TO YOU!?"
She closed the door and dropped to the floor, seeing Spark passing out.
(I learned she could feel healed from damage, but that doesn't mean she wasn't always in pain. She wouldn't answer me about who attacked her. This will happen from between a few weeks to months. I believed my former gang was targeting her, so I went after them and ended up fighting my former teacher. Spark will show up again, but she didn't show up to help me but to defend me from Fayth. I learned from Spark that Fayth would change my fate, but she stopped it. I learned she was a universe jumper and visited other universes to stop Fayth from changing others' fates. Every time she came home, she was badly hurt, yet she would smile and act like everything was okay.)
"Why!?" shouted Dawn, putting an ice bag on Spark's head while the rest of Spark's body was recovering. "Why do you keep fighting her!? So what if she's changing others' fates? It's not worth dying for! Please, stop this. Let someone else do this job."
Spark didn't respond; her eyes were closed, and Dawn feared the worst. But a minute later, she opened her eyes and smiled. "Sorry, I'm not dying. Not yet, not for a long time."
"Please, why?"
"I can't let others suffer a sad fate. It's their stories to write, not Fayths." She grabbed Dawn's hands and looked up at her with a soft smile. "Everyone deserves a happy ending. Even you, Dawn, it's why I protected you." She pulled Dawn toward her, making her fall into her chest. "I love you! When I first met you, I wanted to save you so much, and when I found you again, I wouldn't let the same fate happen to you again." Dawn didn't know what Spark was talking about, but she could feel and hear Spark's heart beating. "As I got to know you, I fell in love with you and the person you are! I will always protect your story, even if it means getting hurt." She kissed Dawn's head. "Same with the others, all those in danger against Fayth, I'll protect them all. I'll stop Fayth and let their stories finish how they want."
Dawn sighed, giving up on stopping her, but Spark's words encouraged her. "Then, can you do me a favor and try not to die?"
"I can't make promises, but I'll try."
"Okay, that's good enough for me." She got up from Spark's chest and kissed her on the lips.
Dawn tried to get up again but felt her body shutting down. "Damn, having a hole in your chest sure fucking sucks..." She fell backward, but Luster kept her up.
"Please, stop, Dawn, or you will die. Please," cried Luster.
"Shut the fuck up," hissed Dawn, forcing herself to let her go, making her drop to the ground. "Stop wasting your time on me and go! It would be best if you did something, ANYTHING, than being here and crying over a dying person like me. Spark is in danger, so you need to protect her! Do something!"
"But I don't know how," said Luster, wiping her tears. "I'm weak. I can't fight her...I'm not Braver! If she were here, she could stand against her..."
"Well, she isn't. But you are. I can tell you're not a weak pony. You're my counterpart, after all. You been through some shit in your life, I can tell just by looking at ya. You're like me. All that shit you had to and will face in the future, you always kept going because you had a reason. Even if you lose that reason, that reason makes you keep moving forward; you won't give up, just like me and the people we admire. If you're not strong, you become stronger. That's how we are. That's why Spark loves me so much." She raised her hand to flick Luster's nose, causing her to jump slightly. "You're strong, and you know it. Braver knows it. It would be best to stop fearing what's to come and keep moving forward." she coughed up blood. "Fuck me, I wish I was dead now. This fucking hurts..." she joked, trying to make Luster smile.
"Yeah..."
"Hey, don't get depressed on me. I'm trying to help you here. So, please, do something for me."
"What?"
"Save Spark."
Time stopped, and everything became grey. Soon, a purple-cloaked figure appeared and opened her book.
"No, Luster will die if she goes to stop Fayth alone. She might buy them in a few minutes, but she will die. I won't allow that. Not in this rewrite." She summoned a feather pen and wrote in her book. Then she closed it. "If you don't like what I'm doing to your universe story, then too bad."
The figure turned around, seeing the shadow figure. It started moving its hands like it was talking.
"You and the other authors might have given up fighting Fayth, but I won't. Neither will Spark and the others that she helped. That future final battle is coming, and those who weren't there." She turned her head slightly, seeing Luster and Dawn. "Will be there. Things will be different this time." She looked back at the shadow figure, who just shook their heads and disappeared.
"It's time for a new dawn to rise."
The figure disappeared, and soon, time was unfrozen. Luster was about to nod at Dawn's final request, but her head felt funny. She shook her head.
"What is this feeling?"
Dawn also felt something was wrong as not only was her body in pain but also her head. The two started to speak at the same time.
"What is this headache? Feels like my head wants to blow up!"
Soon, both suddenly smashed into each other, and a pink light blasted out of the glowing sun-like orb. The beam of light rocketed to the sky, blasting the clouds away. Soon, a figure stood up and walked out of the glowing sun.
"Well, this is something?" said the new Dawn, an anthro unicorn version of Luster wearing Dawn's outfit. She touched her chest and could see there was a hole, but it wasn't just a hole, but a black hole. She pounded her fist, smirking. "Oh yeah! We have no idea what the hell happened, but this magical boost!? It feels like that Rainbow Sun Dawn had but more! We better hurry!" She took one step, and she was gone.
Sunny swung her red guitar, smacked the black tongue away, and jumped back before the mouth arm could bite down on her. She held her guitar correctly and started to play it, firing magical musical notes at the Book tree of Fayth. It hardly did any damage.
"Damn, I take it you aren't a music person...book? Tree? Whatever you are!" she said, swinging her guitar again and smacking the book in the head.
Fayth's book groaned in annoyance and smacked her with her arm, sending her flying and landing on the ground.
"Sunny!" shouted Wallflower, trying to hold off the dead black trees as they became alive and attacked them. She raised her hand, summoning roots from underground and stabbing the trees, but more were coming.
"I'm fine!" Sunny replied as she got back up.
"Oh, I know," said the book, behind her already.
Sunny quickly turned and was about to swing her guitar again, but the book punched her, sending her crashing into Wallflower, who caught her in time. Wallflower could see Sunny was alive, and what saved her was her guitar, which she used to block but was now in pieces.
"My guitar!" cried Sunny, getting off Wallflower and checking her broken instrument. "No, no, no! I based it on the one that Blitz gave me! You bitch!" Sunny was about to charge at the book, but Wallflower held her back.
"Stop! If you made it with magic, then you recreate it!" She quickly summoned fields of plants, which bloomed and grew spike pods. When the trees got closer, the spike pods blew up, firing spikes through the trees and making them back away. "Hurry, fix your guitar! I don't think I can hold them off for much longer!"
Sunny nodded, closed her eyes, and raised her hands. A bright yellow glow covered her guitar, and the broken pieces floated and flew back into their original place, reforming the guitar.
"Okay, I'm back in business," said Sunny, holding her guitar tightly. She played a few notes and nodded. "Okay, stand back!"
The book got out of the water and dusted its chest off. "Is that the best you got? Here, let me show you what real power is!" She raised her arms and opened their arm mouths, gathering dark energy in them.
"Sunny!" Wallflower shouted, using her powers to summon roots and pull Sunny to her. She raised her arms and created an enormous dome of plant life and tree roots, hoping to block the beam.
Sunny grunted, pulling the roots off her body and turning to her friend. "What the hell!? She was aiming at me only, not you! Idiot, you will get caught in that blast, and I highly doubt your dome will stop it!"
Wallflower ignored her, focusing her power on her dome, reinforcing it even more.
The book fired her dark beams, creating a large beam that hit the dome. Soon, a giant explosion blasted the area, blowing away the black trees and creating a mushroom cloud. As the smoke cleared, a yellow magical bubble could be seen within it. Sunny used all her powers to stop the blast from killing them, depowered her, and returned to her human form. She dropped to her knees, coughing.
"Wallflower!? Are you okay!?" She couldn't hear her, fearing the worst. "Damn it, say something, please! You better not be dead...please don't be..." she whispered as the smoke was clearing.
The smoke cleared, and the dome was gone. It showed a significantly wounded Wallflower on the ground, barely breathing.
"Wallflower!" shouted Sunny, running to her side and lifting her. "Stay with me, stay with me!"
Wallflower didn't reply. She could barely keep her eyes open.
"No, no, no, no! Stay with me, Wallflower!"
"It's over." said the book.
Sunny could see a large shadow under her. She also saw something looking like drool hitting her body. She cursed as she knew what it was. Behind her were the arms' mouths, ready to bite down on them.
"Lucy...sorry," whispered Sunny, holding on to Wallflower and waiting for the end...
...An end that never came, as batarangs flew and stabbed the wooden mouths, blowing up and covering them in ice. This caused the book to stagger backward. Sunny looked to see who saved them, and she spotted them.
"Nightmare!?"
On top of the dead black tree was Nightmare, an alternate version of Twilight and Batman. Nightmare narrowed her white eyes at the book. She tossed out another wave of ice batarangs at it.
"No, you don't! Not again!" shouted the book as it opened its arms mouths, unleashing its black tongues at the caped hero.
Nightmare could see her batarangs being destroyed and the black tongue heading her way. She quickly acted and jumped off the tree in time before the tongue could strike. She pulled out her grapple hook and fired it, latching onto the tree and swinging around the black tongue. She let go and kicked the tongue, making the book scream in pain.
Nightmare landed in the water before the two girls, her cape covering her whole body. Her white eyes narrowed at the angry book.
Sunny was glad someone came to their aid, but she knew it wouldn't be enough.
"Hey, I hope you didn't come alone because if you did, we are so fucked right now!"
Nightmare ignored her, looking back and looking at Wallflower. Nightmare raised her body, took a small green orb from her utility belt pocket, and tossed it behind her, letting it blow up above Sunny and Wallflower.
"Hey, what the hell was that!? look at me when I'm talking to you!" She looked at Wallflower, seeing her wounds healing. "Huh, how?"
"Your friend has powers over plant life. It's like a certain bad guy in my universe. What I tossed is a healing agent made to recover a plant-like body if she was ever badly hurt. Your friend would have a similar body, and it worked."
Sunny was speechless. "Oh, cool."
Nightmare took out a black batarang. "And I didn't come alone." She tossed it into the air and blasted out a bright white light.
The book covered its body, and its single eye was blinded by it. As it stepped back, a laser pointer could be seen and targeted its wooden head. Without warning, a magical beam hit it and created fireworks, burning the book's wooden body.
A dark purple bubble was hovering in the air; within it were Tempest and Tempesta.
Tempesta created a magical bolt action sniper rifle. She pulled back the lever and leaned away from the scope. "Confirm hit."
Tempest was amazed at how little time her human counterpart got used to her new unicorn body and magic. "Good, keep firing. We keep covering fire while giving Nightmare's ace in the hole time to cast their spells."
Tempesta pulled the trigger. Her horn glowed, and a magical bullet fired from her magical see-through gun, hitting the book in the eye and blasting fireworks around it.
The book screamed in pain, holding her chest and stumbling backward.
"Damn you! You will pay for that!" screamed the book, trying to aim its mouth at its attackers, but it suddenly was blasted with electricity as the swamp water became a giant electrical current.
Sunny looked past the book, seeing her friend using his staff to send electrical currents at it. She smiled, seeing her best friend also being there. "Brishen!"
Brishen, the human counterpart of the Storm King as he looked like him now, pulled his staff out of the water and waved at Sunny. "Yo! The mighty and good Storm King is here! Hold your cries of joy!" he winked with a pose but quickly got spooked as Tempesta shot behind him. He turned to see that Tempesta saved his butt from a living black tree as it burned up. In his ear, was a batshaped ear radio, he could hear Tempesta talking to him.
"Idiot, stop with your stupid role-playing shit! You need to stay focused, or do you want to be a pile of ashes?!"
Brishen shook his head. "Nope, thanks, and I owe you one." He smiled. "How about that date, as I suggest-Ahh!" He couldn't finish, and he was blasted by the fireworks Tempesta shot at him.
Tempest chucked and looked at Tempesta, who was blushing a bit.
"Idiot, still trying to ask for a date with me, even though I'm older than him...idiot!"
Tempesta pulled the lever and moved her scope away from her burning friend and back at the book, only to see it looking at her with its arm raised and firing a quick beam at them. She leans away from her scope and to Tempest. "MOVE! IN COMING!"
Tempest quickly acted and teleported them away before the beam could hit them.
Nightmare fired her grapple hook, landing it on the book's main body and pulling it out of the wooden Fayth's body. She gave it all she could, seeing the book was trying to break free. The book was powerful and was pulling her towards it.
"Nightmare!" shouted Sunny.
Nightmare gritted her teeth, trying to pull back but failing. She needed to get that book out of its tree body, as it would be easier to deal with. She pulled harder and soon got the upper hand as Brishen and Tempesta were back in doing their attack. It finally allowed her to pull the cursed book from its wooden shell. She looked up and shouted to someone.
"NOW! DO IT!"
In the sky, there were three colorful stars. Soon, three giant cakes fell from the sky. One was blueberry, the second was grape, and the last was plum. All three cakes landed on the book and created a large explosion.
Fayth, who was dealing with someone, cringed in pain. She held her hand out, her book returning to her, damaged but healing. She cursed at the ones who did this and looked at the particular group in her way.
"Did we do it!?" asked Berry as she and her friends Grape and Plum flew behind her and floated near Nightmare, who put her grapple hook away.
Everyone watched the swamp quickly return to normal, being houses and roads of the New Poinyville.
Grape sighed with relief. "Looks like it!"
Tempest teleported herself and Tempesta to the group. Tempesta and Brishen hurried over to their friends and hugged Sunny while they looked at Wallflower, who was healed and back in her human form.
"I'm Happy you saved us, but why are you here? Weren't you back in Fluttershy's home?" Sunny asked, remembering how they were living there with the others.
Tempesta crossed her arms and answered. "Fluttershy was warned of Fayth returning, and it seems Spark is in danger. We heard that she's under some magical sleeping spell. We don't know the full details, but Twilight did it, and it is inside her. All the heavy hitters are protecting the library tree while the others are helping get the town folks out of here."
"While we were tasked to remove whatever made the town into a magical swamp," stated Nightmare, who walked past them and looked over to the direction of the library. She and the others saw fighting while the library shield was cracking. "Looks like Fayth is already there while the others are fighting her." She turned to Berry and her two friends. "Berry, we need to get back there and help." She turned to Sunny and her friends. "You four need to get out of here. You've done enough. Let us handle the rest."
"But wait! I can still help!" Sunny said, looking worried and holding her guitar. She tried to transform back into her anthro form but failed.
"You and her." Nightmare pointed to Wallflower, who was starting to wake up. "Are in no shape to keep fighting. You are a huge target and will be in our way. So get out of here and stay safe." Nightmare turned to Tempest. "Get them to safely."
Tempest nodded. "You got it."
Sunny was about to argue with her, but her friend Wallflower stopped her. "Sunny, don't. They are right. We will be getting in the way. Besides, I'm still a bit hurt. I don't think I have much magic left in me to use."
Brishen smiled and patted Sunny on the back. "Don't worry. I'm sure the others will stop, Fayth. Until Spark is back up, we should relax and wait."
"Wait and do nothing?"
Brishen chuckled. "Yeah, it's better than getting beaten and dying. So, what do you say, Sunny?"
Sunny frowned but sighed, giving in. "Okay..." but she looked at them all, wondering something. "Wait, where's Lucy?"
Lucy watched as Shining, along with his family, helped him keep the shield up as the library shook with great force. Lucy looked out the window and saw everyone mighty fighting against Fayth, who was winning the battle.
Flare fired her heat vision but was quickly punched away and landed on top of Wanda's shield bubble. Wanda fired her taser cannon, hitting Fayth but seeing no damage on her. Red, Light, Spitflame, Nova, and Layla ran past the bubble shield and leaped at Fayth with their weapons, ready to strike, but Fayth just swung her arm, blasting them all away.
"Fools! All of you coming here was what I was hoping for!"
Aaira, Amelia, Terra, and Rain opened fire with their guns, hoping to slow her down, but Fayth raised her hand, stopping all the bullets and lasers and sending them back at them. They jumped out of the way, but Aaira was caught in the return fire and fell to the ground. She looked up to see Fayth looming over her.
"Shit!"
But before Fayth could kill her, Little Star flew in and bopped the back of Fayth's head.
"Leave her alone!"
Fayth turned around and grabbed the small purple moon. She smiled at her. "Looks like the last remaining Changers came to die." Fayth crushed and killed Little Star without wasting time, releasing the scattered moon pieces.
"NO!" screamed Aaria, raising her horn cutter and firing it.
Terra, Rain, and Amelia joined in and fired their weapons, hitting Fayth, and she stumbled back a bit. Amelia and Terra quickly went to the wounded Aaira, who was crying over Little Star's dead body.
As Fayth stumbled backward, she was suddenly kicked and punched in the face. It did nothing to her, but she smiled as she looked at her new attackers—Flash and Midnight. Flash's rainbow hair was now silver as she transformed into her new super form thanks to meeting Goku when she teleported to the DBZ universe. She could easily dodge Fayth's attack, but even with her new powers, it hardly did anything to being known as Fayth. Midnight, she kept her distance, only attacking when she saw an opening.
Fayth soon saw a white and black light blasting toward her. She raised her hand, stopping the incoming attackers. She held back Bolt and Heat, who were in their hyper forms now.
"Foolish, all of you are no match for me! I'm toying with you all. I want to have a little fun before killing you all."
Suddenly, a shadow loomed over her. She looked up to see a vast shadow monster crashing into her, but she tossed Bolt and Heat into it, making it fall backward. Nanna recoiled in pain a safe distance away as her shadow summon was hurt. She looked up to see Eirika, riding on Aero, fly past and fired off her rainbow sword at Fayth, but she deflected it into Lyra, who was racing toward her. Diamond jumped in time to block it, but the force of the blast knocked them away. Captain Applecore ran and jumped, catching the two and landing. Cap was playing support, as she knew she was no match in a close-range battle with Fayth.
Fayth turned to the remaining active defenders of the library, which were Twilight, Twilah, and Braver's friends. This caused Fayth to laugh.
"Really? You are what's left? How pathetic. I'll make this quick."
Lucy fell backward as Fayth unleashed an attack. She tried to get up to see what happened, but when she got to the window, she screamed as she could see Fayth looking at her.
"Mind lowering the shield? No? What about opening the window? No, as well? Then allow me to d-ugh!?" Fayth was suddenly punched away from the window and crashed into a nearby building. She stood up, slightly bleeding in her mouth. "All that for a drop of blood. What a waste of my time."
She wiped the blood away and glared at the new attacker. She was surprised, though, by who it was.
"Looks like I have to kill you a second time, even if you somehow gain a new form, Dawn."
Standing there, cracking her knuckles, was Dawn. She smirked and pointed at Fayth.
"Bring it bitch! I'd like to see you try!"
Before Lucy could see what happened and question how Dawn became a hybrid, Dashie pulled her away.
"Stay away from the windows. Things seemed to be getting more heated."
Lucy nodded and followed Dashie to where Spark was. Sitting and waiting alongside her was Dash, who was on edge because she had been spooked by the two as they entered the room.
"Thought she got through..." Dash said, sitting back down. She could hear the fighting outside and grit her teeth in annoyance. She wanted to join in the fight but couldn't leave Spark alone and in her sleep.
"How are things?" Lucy asked.
"Same," replied Dash. "Spark's body is still glowing and hasn't changed. She is no doubt trying to overcome Twi's sleeping spell." She looked past them, looking out of the doorway. "I should be there with my friends! But..." she looked back down at Spark, becoming worried.
Dashie walked over and joined her by sitting beside her. "Well, our friends told us to say here. Even if we wanted to, they would force us to stay here, especially you, Dash."
"Hey, why me!?"
"You have the habit of taking big risks and jumping into danger. Plus, I think your friends don't want to see Twilight become sad, you know? If Twilight does bring back our kids or grandkids, they don't want to see Twilight be a single mother with you dead because you jump head first into Fayth's attack like an idiot." Dashie smirked as she looked at her. "I bet you be the first one to die." she joked, hoping it would calm her down.
"Ha-ha, funny." Dash glared at her.
Lucy walked over to the sleeping Spark and kneeled beside her. "So, she'll wake up once she breaks the spell, right?" she could see them nodding. "Do you think she's going to be mad after stopping Fayth? Will she trust anyone here after what Twilight did to her, even if Twilight explained the situation? Or..."
"Or what?" asked Dash.
"...do you think she will be okay, knowing everything? We saw how she's been through a lot, and mentality-wise...how can she not snap? If her sisters are dead but their...kids were inside of her the whole time.,..alone like she was or Blitz and Braver are alive, meaning she will think that she isn't needed here anymore. What should a copy still be around when the real ones are back? I bet she will think that. We've seen how she thinks of herself, even though it improved."
Dash and Dashie stayed quiet. The question was very valid. Even with Spark breaking free from the spell and waking up or Twilight returning with whoever is in Spark's core, how can she take the news? They don't know.
Dash sighed. "I don't know, but the only thing we can do is help her and be there for her, no matter what happens."
Dashie nodded. All three looked at her, sleeping so peacefully.
"What is this!?" Celestia said, backing up a bit. "Are these nightmares?"
Luna shook her head. "No, sister. These two are very real and might be why Spark and friend Braver have my powers."
Twilight walked past them and explained who was in front of them. "When you told me that you sense your powers within Spark, I suddenly thought of something and wondered if it was true. It will make sense. The first slime, Braver and Blitz's real grandmother, killed her attacker and destroyed the Kingdom of Night. Then, the twin's real mother killed the ruler of the Kingdom of Day. Like the other ruler, Sky saw 'her' within the slime." Twilight stopped in front of them. "Rulers of the kingdoms, that universe, Celestia and Luna." she narrowed her eyes at those kingdoms' half-flesh and half-skeleton rulers. "The start of all this mess! How are you two still alive!?"
Night Luna and Day Celestia looked at each other and back to them. Day Celestia spoke. "We are Alicorns; in our universe, Alicorns are more powerful than...those two over there."
Night Luna nodded. "We have seen Braver's dreams, where she remembers saving those two flanks over there a ton of times and hearing from you, Twilight, how those twos are useless in defending their kingdom until you took over."
"Twilight!" gasped Celestia, shocked to hear how Twilight said such things about her and Luna.
Twilight blushed and looked back at her former teacher. She was mumbling and stuttering her words, trying to explain herself. "It's not like that! It's just..." she looked down at the ground.
Luna sighed. "...to be fair, sister. We aren't the most...useful ponies in the world."
Celestia's jaw dropped. "Luna! We were once rulers of Equestria! Of course, we are helpful!"
"Not much. If it wasn't for Twilight and her friends." She looked back at Twilight, smiling at her. "The same goes with Braver and my friends. I know I was being the weak link during Braver's adventures. Braver knew this, but she was always there for me." She sighed again. "Face it, sister, we are pretty weak. That's the cold truth."
Celestia looked at her sister. She knew Luna was right. She sat down and crossed her arms, pouting.
"Well, I still say we aren't useless."
Day Celestia cringed at what she saw before her. Night Luna laughed and enjoyed seeing her old sister suffering. Before she could make a snarky remark to her older sister, Twilight faced them, asking the same question: How were they two alive?
"It doesn't matter if you two were all-powerful. I saw it! You were...killed! You can't be still alive..." Twilight felt somewhat sick to see both sisters looking half-skeletons. "...while looking like that."
Day Celestia answered her question. "You are correct. We were killed, but being Alicorns and the last remaining Elements before they were given away, they allowed us to live...somewhat."
"So, why are you here? To escape and take over Equestria?" Twilight asked, knowing what these princesses were like in their universe. "You started a pointless war! Then, you used that universe of my friends for that Harmony Project! My friends told me what their counterparts told them!" Twilight rage started to build up. "Because of you, you created a lot of pain and death! Not only that, you made my daughters suffer! Tell me why I shouldn't destroy you here and now!?"
"Yes, why shouldn't she? What we were told what you have done. My sister and I would never do those things, yet you two did. You must pay for your crimes!" said Luna.
Night Luna steps forward. "Because we want to help you in undoing our mistakes."
"What?" said everyone.
"What?" repeated Celestia.
Night Luna continued. "After our deaths, I was trapped within the one you called Braver. At the same time, my sister was trapped in the one named Blitz. We watched them suffer for years after they wiped out our universe."
"Then we saw them being saved by you, Twilight. Along with the others on that fateful night all those years ago. We watched them grow and try to move forward in what they had done. We started reflecting on what we had done. If we had never started that war or done these things, our universe would have been destroyed, and my sister and I wouldn't have died. Those young girls wouldn't have to suffer so much." stated Day Celestia.
"We realized the error of our ways and wanted to apologize, but we could not, nor would we ever get a chance while here. We want to make things right by leading you to Spark's core. They are waiting for you." Night Luna said, turning around and leading them through the darkness.
Twilight quickly took a few steps. "They? Who!? Is it my daughter and her sister!?" But the two sisters ignored her questions, still walking down the darkness. She growled. "Answer me, you two! I want to know! Tell me who is in Spark's core!"
"It is best if you see for yourself, Twilight. We will explain more after," Day Celestia replied, not looking back.
Twilight gritted her teeth, annoyed at their non-answers, but she had no choice but to follow them. The others followed her as well.
As they kept walking, Night Light walked to his daughter.
"Sweetie. I know this isn't a good time, but we must talk." He could see his daughter was ignoring him, as he figured she would. He lowered his head and continued what he wanted to say, even if his daughter didn't speak back. "Look, sweetie. I know you are mad at me; you have every right to hate me. What I said to Braver, it wasn't right but-"
"Shut it."
Night Light was surprised to hear her voice so cold. "Huh?"
"There's nothing to talk about, you hear me? What you did was unforgivable. I never want to talk to you, let alone look at you again." Twilight kept her back facing him. "You are dead to me, and the rest of the family is dead to me as well. I don't want you or them around me again."
"Twilight, please, listen to me-"
"SHUT IT!" she shouted, creating a magical gust from her body.
Night Light wanted to speak again, but Celestia stopped him, allowing him to move further away from his daughter.
"Night Light, let her calm down for a bit. Once we finish this, we will try talking to her, alright?"
"But, I don't know if I can. After what I said, I could have lost my daughter and never seen her ever again. I need to speak to her. I must tell her what I meant when I said those things."
Celestia looked at him, concerned. She could hear his voice shaking and saw tears falling from his eyes.
"Night Light...please. Give her time to calm down and let her have some time to herself." She places a hoof on his shoulder, comforting him. "Please understand."
He sighed. "Alright, Celestia." He looked at his daughter. "...I love you, Twilight. I love Braver. I hope allow me to explain myself."
They kept walking until the sisters stopped and faced the group.
"We are the edge of this dreamscape. We will be going through her real memories, and then we should arrive within her core," explained Night Luna, who turned back ahead and blasted an unseeable wall. Soon, there was a doorway, and in the distance, within a white void, they could see the Element of Magic pulsing and going through water-like bubbles.
"Looks like they are telling the truth if the Element is here too," said Luna, joining her counterpart's side and looking at her. "My trust isn't fully back, but you two are making a good start by helping us."
The sisters nodded and smiled at her. They walked through the door and entered the void white. The rest followed. They could see millions of water bubbles and blurry memories on those surfaces.
"So, this what memories look like within us? They are so...blurry," commented Twilight.
"Yes. This is what memories look like. When you experience something, the mind will create a memory bubble. They are always blurry at first until you go over them. That is when you can see it clearly and remember everything you have experienced." explained Day Celestia.
Night Light looked up and could see more bubbles."I wonder what these memories are..."
The group could see the Element of Magic entering one of the bubbles.
"It looks like we're going to find out," said Celestia as she and the group entered.
...to come out and find themselves in what looks like a
"Where are we? Is this one of the universes that Spark has seen?" asked Twilight, walking closer to the chain fence and looking down.
Night Luna walked over and explained. "No, this is the memory of when Brigitte and her group reached the next floor." She could see her and the others looking confused. "Tell me, Twilight. When Spark explained her story, didn't it seem odd that she was retelling it in such deep detail? For somepony who wasn't really there for most of it?"
Twilight was speechless. She didn't even realize it until it was pointed out to her. "You are right...that does seem odd."
Twilight was going to ask her a question, but suddenly, everything started to move as the wind blew and wooden birds flew by. They looked down to the track and field, seeing two unicorns. One looked like an anthro, while the other was an ordinary unicorn—just her rear legs were prostheses. The anthro unicorn stood near the bleachers, watching as the yellow unicorn ran by.
A pillar appeared in the middle of the track, and soon, elevator doors opened...
End of Chapter 24
Author's Note
Hey there! If you realize who Starlight and Sunset are meant to be, GOOD JOB!
For those who don't know, they are based on two characters in Katawa Shoujo, which has been re-released on Steam! Play it! It's a tremendous visual Novel!
View Online
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 25: The Calm Before The Dark Misty and Rainbow Storm
Ding
Miro was still flicking her stump arm like she was trying to summon something, but she stopped when she heard the elevator reach the next floor.
"I guess we made it to the next floor, huh?"
She pulled her gun out, ready to face whatever was on the floor, but Brigitte stopped her.
"Hey, kid, take it easy. We never had to fight the moment we stepped out, okay?" She turned to the others, looking mad like a mother upset at their kids. "But we do have a bad habit of getting separated! DON'T WE? HUH!?"
Those who allowed them to be separated didn't respond, all looking ashamed, embarrassed, and nervous.
"I swear. This group is always running off on their own."
"It's not our fault that the floor keeps separating us," complained AJ, who scratched the back of her head.
Brigitte didn't care. "Don't go out there with guns blazing and running off. Got it?"
Miro put away her gun and nodded in agreement. Brigitte smiled and waited for the doors to open. Finally, they all could see what looked like a school, but they could also see the wooden ceiling above, along with the wooden animal life. Unlike the other floors, they could see a sun in the sky, but it was odd that they could see bright stars glowing.
They all stepped out but noticed they were in the middle of a track and field. Soon, the elevator and the pillar that had it inside just vanished. When it disappeared, they could see two figures in the bleachers. They could see an ordinary girl(to those that are anthro), but they could see her hiding behind someone, which was very odd to many—a unicorn but looking like an animal.
The unicorn waved at them and was smiling as she spoke. "Yo! We have been for ya! Nice to meet ya!" She was about to run over to them, but the girl behind them stopped her as she was shaking with fear and holding on to her for dear life. "Oh, come on, Hikari. Remember what those two told us? They are friendly." She turned her attention to the group. "Hey, guys, don't worry. We won't hurt you, but you have to promise not to hurt us, alright? Hikari here is a little shy and scared of what's going on. Can't blame her, of course."
The group looked at each other. Brigitte turned her attention back to the two.
"You two are the only ones on this floor?"
"Yep! You guys are looking for those who came to this..." she huffed, still not believing it herself, until she looked at Hikari, who looked so worried. "This vast tree, right? To help some kids at the very top."
"Well, it looks like we found them," said Brigitte, moving her wheelchair to them. "I guess they are safe."
Everyone followed her, but T2 got closer to Brigitte and lowered her head so she could hear her better.
"You sure this isn't a trap? The... weird-looking girl said something about talking to others. Isn't that weird? That could mean anything."
"T2, I know that, but you got to admit something. Some of these floor monsters haven't been attacking us. Like the pink balloon? It stopped the machine from attacking us, and Nono said how that shadow monster stopped attacking and spared her life. Plus." she eyed her. "You said you and Violet saw someone before the elevators appeared. Plus, what we saw before we left the last floor, I get a feeling the tree itself is now helping us. It could be the same with this floor. Remember, up to now, we only found one person, not two. Besides..." she turned her attention to the two girls before them. "They look like they are still teenagers but going into college. They wouldn't hurt a fly."
T2 sighed. "Alright, whatever." This made Brigitte smile.
The group finally reached the two girls. Brigitte asked many questions, but the unicorn was the only one who answered.
"My name is Elly. Nice to meet ya!" she reached out her hoof for a hoof shake, which Brigitte shook.
"Elly, huh? Well, my name is Brigitte. Nice to meet you and see you aren't afraid of us."
"Why should I be? You all look pretty friendly." she let go of the hoof shake and returned to answering the questions. "Right, let's see...oh yeah! Like I said, this is Hikari. She was one of my classmates back in Yamaku Academy...well, not in my universe..." She shook her head in disbelief about the whole multiverse being real. "Still not used to that. Like, my Hikari has a pink mane and is a yellow Pegasus. Not a unicorn and not walking on two legs." She turned to the group. "Man! Just looking at you all makes me feel crazy! Being told that the multiverse is a real thing! I was told in one universe that I'm called Emi, not Elly. She also lost her legs and walked on two legs. The same way, crazy, right? I wonder if she's doing alright. I know I am!"
"Pretty cheerful, isn't she?" Miro said, still flicking her stump arm and losing hope as her Devil Breaker wouldn't appear.
Brigitte moved her wheelchair and parked it near the bleachers. Soon, everyone joined her as they continued their talks and introduced themselves to the group's new members.
"Who told you?" questioned Brigitte, petting Artemis on her head as she sat in her mother's lap and yawning.
Elly tried to sit beside her, but Hikari didn't let her go. She gave up and answered. "Some weird-looking creatures. What's weird is that they sounded like us. See, I woke up here and met one of them. Hikari woke up in the school's library and met one of them. They explained how they and others are living immune systems to fight against the invading foreign bodies that enter this tree. They are made to kill on sight whatever is hurting the tree."
AJ placed her hand on her chin. "Wait, is we being here causing damage to the tree?" She looked up, looking at the wooden ceiling. "Wait, what kind of tree are we in anyway?"
Elly answered that question. "She told me that we are in the prime universe, well more the outside of it. See what she said: the prime universe is in the center as it creates a tree-like surface. The branches are different universes that break off from the prime universe, where different outcomes and stuff can happen. Some of our universes also crossover with other trees in the prime forest. It could mean three things where two branches meet and create a crossover universe. It could be that both universes meet or share the same universe." She started to run in place, feeling excited. "It's all so amazing! The multiverse is real!"
Birgitte couldn't help but laugh at her cheerfulness. "Well, that is nice, but what was the third thing?"
Elly stopped and blushed. "R-Right! The third thing that could happen is that both universes will blend as one. Sharing both universe themes." She started to do warm-ups while Hikari stood up and looked scared and awkward at everyone. "Anyway, she told me whatever is hurting the tree can't continue to do so. The tree will die along with the prime universe. No prime universe, no-"
"Multiverse. No more multiverse for this prime universe, right?" finished Twilight, joining the conversation.
Twilight and her group teleported down and watched Brigitte's group say the same thing she pointed out. Twilight always knew she wasn't ever the prime version of herself, as she had expected when she met Prime Discord, who appeared to them ten years ago when they saved the twins.
"Still, since we are all still here, it means Spark and the folks she gathered stopped Fayth from using the dark energy to open the way to that golden tree." Twilight turned back to the group and returned to listening to them.
Brigitte was deeply thinking about what she had heard. She slowly eyed everyone, and her guess why they were chosen was even more noticeable. Then, she looked at Hikari; what seemed the right side of her body was covered in burn scars. Twilight stepped forward and also thought the same thing.
"With the other group, they were folks who had suffered a significant loss but overcame it. But with this group, it has more to do with..." whispered Twilight, realizing there might be another group of kids at the top.
"I don't want to be rude, Elly. But how did you lose your legs?" asked Brigitte, feeling a little guilty for asking.
Elly happy and cheerful face turned into a sad one. "Eight years ago, at the age of eleven, I was in a fatal car accident that robbed not only of my legs but also of my father. It took a year to recover and to use..." Her cheerful expression returned. "These bad girls here!" She showed off her prostheses legs, doing a little poses with them.
"I see..." whispered Brigitte before she turned to Hikari, who looked worried as she used her hand to cover half of her face. She was hiding her burn scars. "Before I ask, please know I'm deeply sorry, and you don't have to tell me. I'm only asking this because I feel we are all connected somehow." She could hear the others asking what she meant by that, but Brigitte stayed focused on Hikari, who was still covering her face. "How did you get those scars?"
Hikari didn't say anything, but she could see Elly comforting her. "You don't have to tell her, Hikari. It's like what Brigitte said; you don't have to tell her if you are-"
"I'll tell her..." Hikari said shyly, lowering her hand and looking at the burn scars. "He helped me to see there is no reason to be afraid. Not as long as he was at my side." She held her hand on her chest. "Even if he isn't here. He will always be with me, in my heart."
Elly smiled and nodded with a blush. "Right, he is that kind of caring person, right? Even in your universe."
Hikari smiled at Elly and looked over at Brigitte.
"Ten years ago...during the night of my birthday, there was a fire as we slept. When my mother awakened, she shielded me from the raging flames, but..." She breathed in and rolled up her jacket's sleeve, showing the scars on her whole arm. She then lifted her shirt, revealing half of her torso had burn scars. "Half side of my body was burned, as you can see." She lowered it and could see how regretful Brigitte looked. "But I survived. My parents didn't..." She wanted to cry, but she shook her head and smiled. "I met someone who I thought saw me as someone who needed to be taken care of. Something that was broken and a burden, but he saw me as someone he loved and recognized my strength." She started to cry a bit. "I wanted to be treated generally like any other person. That my scars, mentally and physically, didn't matter, that I was someone worth loving and that I had the strength to continue. He finally saw that in me and lowered his walls, showing off his scars and fears. Together, we grew stronger. Now, I am not afraid, not with him." She cried, smiling. "I'm not scared as long as I'm with him."
Twilight and Brigitte could only smile at her story. But they could see Elly having a soft smile on her face. Elly grabbed Hikari's hand, causing the shy unicorn girl to look at her.
"Man, I really wish he picked you than me in my universe, Hikari. He sounded like he helped you a ton, but you also helped him just as much." Elly closed her eyes, smirking as she remembered how he helped her. "After what happened to me, I kept anyone who got to know me close but far away. I didn't want anyone to be ripped away from me again." Her cheerful expression became a sad one. "I lost the things I treasured the most, and I didn't want to lose anymore...until..." Her cheerful smile returned. "I met him. He always supported and cared about me as we got closer. Even when..." She became so regretful. "When I yelled at him when he asked my mother what was wrong with me, I thought she broke my promise, but he assured me that she didn't and left, saying he was causing more problems if he stayed. That's how much he loved and cared about me. He knew when to give me space." Elly was crying.
"Elly..."
Elly shook her head. "I'm fine, Hikari. I just..." she opened her eyes and smiled at her. "I'm stubborn, way too stubborn for my own good. So much so that I didn't notice I was about to lose someone again, but this time, it was because of my own actions. I was half-heartedly trying to break up with him, but he told me he wouldn't stop trying to help me, not even if we broke up, because he cared about me too much. I asked him why. Why was he trying so hard? He told me... he told me that he..." She stopped, crying again.
Hikari lowered herself to Elly, hugging her.
"Because he loves you, right?" she said softly, smiling.
Elly stopped crying and nodded, returning the hug. "Right..." She breaks the hug, her expression filled with determination and strength. "Because of him, who I couldn't keep at a distance anymore, I resolved to stop worrying about the future because there's nothing you can do about it. I realized if I'm going to live in the moment, I don't need to do it alone! If someone who deeply loves and cares about you is by your side, you can face the future together. As long they are around."
"Everything will be okay." Hakari finished, and Elly nodded.
Elly turned to the group and was smiling again.
"You can't be sure, but that's the point!" Elly said happily.
Hikari couldn't help but laugh at how energetic and optimistic she was. She was indeed the Elly she knew from her own universe.
Twilight and Brigitte smiled and nodded. Twilight turned to Brigitte's group, who were smiling, but she started looking at them closer. She began to realize why Spark had chosen this colorful group of characters.
"Now, I get it," Brigitte said, turning Twilight to her. Brigitte turned to the others, smiling. "That's why we were chosen. We all share something in common."
"Share something in common?" said Nono, wondering what she meant by that.
Brigitte nodded and explained herself. "At first, I thought it was how we all share something, and that was being disabled—missing parts of our body but also how it affects us." She looked over to Hakari and Elly. But meeting these two shows me that's not the real reason." She turned back to the others. "The real reason is how we overcame that obstacle and moved on. We all learned how to continue with life after losing something. After losing someone or something dear to us, we learned to accept the pain, live with it, and move on, no matter the obstacles." She then looked up at the sky, seeing the sun and stars shining brighter. "That machine asked us to help those kids remember something. Even without wings, they can still fly." She closed her eyes, remembering her past. "Those kids. They lost what made them who they are, and if they don't remember what made them happy, how can they fly again?" She opened her eyes, smiling at her group. "And we are the ones who are going to help them."
Brigitte's group smiled and nodded, agreeing with her. Twilight smiled as well, now knowing who was waiting at the top of the tree. It wasn't just a younger or human version of herself; it was also her version. She returns her attention to the group, seeing them talking. Twilight listened to each one.
Nono, who was sitting next to Violet, asked her a question. "Ms. Violet, you said you were a tool, a weapon like me, right?" She could see Violet turning to her now. "You were able to live a peaceful life after all that...how? How were you able to live peacefully?"
Violet smiled at her and looked at both adamantine silver prosthesis hands, flexing them and then closing her hands together with a smile.
"Because of the Major. His love for me allowed me to step out of that world and into a better one. It was one where I learned about feelings and, most importantly, what love is." She placed her hands over her chest. "But not just the Major but others too. The president of the postal company that I work for told me something. You're going to learn a lot of things. But it might be easier to keep living if you didn't learn them or if you didn't know them. You don’t realize your body is on fire and burning up because of the things you did. You’ll understand one day. And then you’ll realize for the first time that you have many burns."
"What did they mean by that?" Nono asked, and Violet looked up at the sky.
"There's so much hardship in this world, and you must experience it yourself as you keep living, even if it means getting hurt." She continued. "I didn't know the pain I created, and that's how I lived until I met the Major." She closed her eyes, thinking back to those days. "But once I understood love, the pain I created for others by taking away their loved ones in the war, that's when I started to see the burns I have. The regrets I must now carry with me. That's why I'll use what's left of me to make things right." She looked back at Nono, giving her a kind and sweet smile. "Everything I've done so far has sparked a flame that is now burning me up. It isn't pain this time but happiness. Seeing the good things I have done for others as I helped them write their words into a letter." She looked down and saw her adamantine silver hands and held them tight. "These hands have caused so much destruction, and now, these same hands are used to give life, giving people hope and happiness. As long as I keep doing that, I can live the life the Major always wanted me to have."
Nono smiled big and looked down at Violet's metal hands. She wanted to hold them, but since she had lost her limbs, she did the second-best thing she could.
"Huh?" Violet was surprised to see Nono dropping her head onto her hands, hurting herself when she landed, as the soft whimpering she did. "Nono?"
"I'm okay..." Nono moved her body, allowing her head to move and look at Violet, but she had tears. "Thank you, Violet. I'll be like you! When I return home, I'll help others just like you did!" she smiled. "And the first person I want to help and understand is Lucie! Like I believe she's hurting inside because she is alone..." She shook her head, correcting herself. "No, she isn't alone but doesn't have someone to relate to, like herself. I'll help her, and I'll make her happy! Make her smile!"
Violet smiled at Nono, holding her and gently rubbing her cheek.
"I'm sure you will, Nono."
Twilight watched them and felt hope for them. She turned to those sitting at the highest part of the bleachers. AJ was watching Miro, still trying to summon her Breakers, but still had no luck.
"Damn it, I better ask AJ if she can somehow make a Breaker travel across the universe..." sighed Miro, but she could see AJ looking at her. "Oh, not you, AJ, another AJ...um, my AJ."
AJ smiled at her and pointed to Miro's stump. "I understand, but I take it my other universe self is the one who created your arm."
Miro looked down at the stump and smiled. "Yeah, she was a huge help and did a great job making it."
"She really did." AJ smiled and looked at her own automail arm. "I know she and my Rare will be great friends since Rare is the one who built my automail prosthesis. I bet those two will get along well."
Miro giggled and nodded. "Definitely. My AJ sees herself as an art craftswoman or whatever she's talking about. I don't think she will have trouble getting along with another craftswoman like herself. Looking at your prosthesis arm and leg, I can tell your friend put a lot of care and thought into building it."
"I bet she did, but enough about them." AJ points at Miro's stump. "What happened to you, Miro? How did you lose your arm anyway?"
Miro held her stump and sighed. She explained what had happened, and when she was done, she could see AJ blinking a few times.
"...your mother sounds like a deadbeat asshole."
This made Miro to chuckle. "I guess she is. Isn't she? What about you?"
AJ explained how she lost her limbs and that the quest with her younger sister was on. Now, it was Miro's turn to blink a few times.
"Damn, that's some awful shit, buddy. I hope you can get your sister's body back, same with your limbs."
AJ chucked and thanked her. She watched Miro, still trying to summon a new arm, but soon something surprised the two; she could summon one...only the hand to start pumping up and down.
Twilight laughed and turned to the track, seeing Elly, Hikari, and T2 talking.
"This is stupid..." whispered T2, doing a warm-up as she followed Elly's movements.
Elly kept stretching but looked at her. "Hey, you cannot talk while doing the stretches. I don't want you to tear a muscle."
"Elly, I'm not human," T2 replied, which made Elly glare at her.
"It doesn't matter if you are or aren't! You can still hurt yourself if you are not careful. You did ask me to help you, and that's what I will do, whether you like it or not."
"Sheesh, what a hardass. I just wanted to understand why humans did these kinds of things. I did not want to participate in these things. All it is is pointless."
Elly stopped and looked at T2.
"T2, listen, you may not be human, but you're still alive! You wanted to know how humans keep their bodies healthy and perfect, right?" she said as she looked over T2's damaged and much-needed repair body.
T2 looked away and didn't answer, but Elly knew.
"Listen, if you want me to help you, you must be prepared to do the same thing I do. Okay?"
"Whatever," said T2, but Elly knew she was saying yes.
She resumed stretching while Hakari started to worry. She could see Elly seemed to be struggling in her stretches.
"Elly, are you okay?" asked Hikari.
Elly nodded. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine."
Hikari was not convinced and walked up to her. She stood in front of her.
"You aren't. Let me see the stumps of your legs. I think they might need a check-up."
Elly tried to argue, but she was struggling as if she were in pain. T2 stopped with her stretches and glared at her like cold daggers, finally making Elly agree.
"Alright, alright...I might be overdoing it..." She sat down and removed her prosthesis legs, showing early signs of skin infection due to overuse of her prosthesis. She could see how worried Hakari was; the same was true for T2. She explained herself. "In my universe, I heard recruitment scouts were looking for new athletes, and I was excited. I was hoping I would get in. If I got in, I would get a chance to show the world that a disabled athlete like myself can compete with the best athletes. He told me not to overdo it, but this was once a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I wanted to take the chance. But now..." she sighed. "I overdid it."
"You did," said Hikari, making Elly frown.
Hikari continued. "But that's the good thing about you." Elly raised an eyebrow. "You don't let anything stop you because that's you."
Elly blinked a few times and smiled.
"Yeah, you are right, Hikari."
T2 said nothing but watched as Hakari checked on Elly's legs.
"But simultaneously, you cannot go too far," said Hikari.
Elly's ears flopped down. "I know. I have difficulty knowing when I have gone too far," admitted Elly, and Hakari smiled at her.
"You know, he's going to be very upset with you when you return home and see how you are."
Elly chuckled, knowing who Hakari was referring to.
"Yeah, he's going to be furious." She waved her hoof in a circle. He'll tell me how much of an idiot and how dumb I am for doing something so stupid."
"No shit," replied T2 in a cold tone, making Elly flinched with a nervous smile. "'Listen, if you want me to help you.' Didn't you say that to me?" She approached Elly and smacked her behind the head, causing the poor unicorn to yelp.
"Hey! That hurt!" complained Elly, rubbing the spot that had been hit.
"Dumbass. Take your own damn advice. Listen to others if you have a goal or a dream to reach. Let them help you. If not, what will happen when you cannot continue moving forward, or worse, your dream is within your grasp and you cannot reach it?"
Elly had nothing to say, and T2 didn't wait for an answer. She turned around and continued her stretches.
Elly was rubbing the spot where she had been smacked, and Hikari was trying to suppress her laughter. Elly took notice and smiled. She let Hakari hold on to her prosthesis legs as she rolled over to T2 and started to correct her on her stretches.
Twilight smiled at them and turned to watch Hakari return to the bleachers and sit next to Brigitte, who just put her daughter to sleep. Brigitte softly petted her sleeping daughter and looked at Hakari as if she wanted to say something but didn't know how to bring it up.
Hakari noticed this. "Do you want to ask me something, Brigitte?"
Brigitte blinked a few times and turned to Hakari. "Uh, yeah, I just wanted to say sorry. About before, making you talk about your scars. Sorry, kid, I hope I didn't open any wounds."
Hakari smiled. "It's fine. It doesn't bother me anymore." She lifted her arm, showing her the burn scars. "These are reminders that I have been through hell and came out stronger." She felt her damaged skin. "Like I always wanted to do from the start. Thanks to him, showing me his scars and lowering his walls, allowing me to see him. He made me realize there's nothing wrong with showing your scars to the world. Showing your flaws. It just shows everyone that you can stand up and keep moving forward."
Brigitte felt somewhat better but still felt guilty for asking her something so personal.
"Well, an eye for an eye. Then it's only fair I do the same. Ask me anything you want."
Hakari bowed, refusing to ask her any questions.
"No, it's fine, Brigitte. I don't want to ask anything."
"Really? Come on, kid, just a little question, and then we'll call it even," said Brigitte, tipping her make-believe cowboy hat.
"If that's what you want, Brigitte..." She didn't know what to say, but she looked down at the one named Artemis and how she called Brigitte her mom. "Do you have more kids? Like a son or daughter?"
Brigitte raised her eyebrows, not expecting such a question.
"Huh? Sure do, Artemis older sister-"
Hakari shook her head, correcting herself on what she meant. "No, I mean, kids. A kid ...sorry if that sounded...mean."
Brigitte's expression changed to a painful one. "Ah, I understand now. It's okay." Brigitte looked at Artemis as she was still sound asleep. "I did when I was younger. I had a husband before I ever met Terra. See, I don't have a great past. I did things I'm not proud of but was given a second chance." She opened her black jacket and pulled out a badge. A Marshal badge. "My past so burdened me that I felt I shouldn't have worn that badge." She smiled as she slowly turned it. "But he told me it was time to let all that go and move on, not just for me but for our son. He was right. I wanted my son to grow up being proud of his mother; I wanted to be the kind of person he can look up to." She clutched her hand, holding her badge. Hakari could see the pain in Brigitte's face.
"...you lost your son, didn't you?" whispered Hakari.
"Yeah...he died when he was eight. My boy showed signs of being gifted, and the Empire wanted to enroll him in a program. My husband wanted him to go, but I refused. He believed our boy could help people rather than stay on some backwater planet, but I beg to differ. This was his home, and I knew how the Empire could be. He told me our son could have the kind of life I had never dreamt of since I grew up as a poor girl on the backwater planet." she opened her hand, seeing her badge again. "Also told me I shouldn't let my fear strangle his potential. He shouldn't have to pay for mistakes I couldn't let go of..." She set down the badge near her sleeping daughter. "He was right...so I let my son go...only to learn a week later that the ship that was carrying him to the Empire's homeworld was in an accident and crashed...my boy was gone, and my husband blamed himself for it." She softly touched the badge, not wanting to see it. "The grief killed him, and I lost my family. I have seen good lives wasted and lost people I care about. But I miss those two the most."
Hakari frowned and didn't know what to say but could see Brigitte smiling at her, wiping a tear away.
"Sorry, kid, it hurts, but it feels nice for someone to ask me about my loss." She took her badge and flipped it like a coin repeatedly. "But I put that past to rest a long time ago. Holding on to something that wasn't your fault, but you think it is, is the worst feeling in the world. The best thing you can do is let go of it." She caught her badge and pinned it on her jacket. "You need to keep moving forward. Not looking back."
"Yeah...I'm the same." Hakari looked up to the sky. "I lost my parents in that fire, and at first, I blamed myself for it somehow, but not anymore as I grew older. I wanted to be stronger and move on from the past, not holding on to it. So that's why I'm here, Brigitte."
Brigitte smirked. "So am I, kid, so am I." She ruffled Hakari's hair, and the two started to talk about everyday things. "So, you're 19, huh? Going to college?" Hakari nodded. "Good! So, what about that boy? Thinking of starting a family with him?"
Hakari became red in the face and lowered her hat, trying to hide her blush. She struggled to answer her.
"W-Well, uh, I-I mean, we are dating, and I want to start a family with him. H-He has a good job, and we live together. W-We have a small apartment."
Brigitte laughed at her embarrassment. "Easy there, kid. I was joking." She saw Hakari sigh, clearly relieved. "But seriously, you need to talk long with him about how serious you two are."
Hakari lowered her head and fidgeted her fingers. "Yeah...I will."
Twilight closed her eyes, nodding at what she was seeing. "You picked the correct folks to help those kids, Spark. You must have visited their universe at some point or something." She opened her eyes and noticed something about the group. "What is the best way to help the versions of Dash and me? By getting a version of our friends who went through the same problems as them. To have a different perspective on how to move forward."
Twilight's group walked up to her. Night Luna spoke up. "We need to get going," she pointed, showing the Element of Magic exiting the memory as it passed through nothing and disappeared.
"Right."
As Twilight and her group started to walk off, Brigitte's group saw a pillar in the middle of the tracks and field. Soon, the elevator appeared and opened.
"Well, we better hurry off. I have a bad feeling about the next floor." Brigitte admitted as she watched her group walk off while T2 stayed with Brigitte.
"Bad feeling? Like what kind of feeling? Bad as in you are not looking forward to the next floor, or bad, like a gut feeling, or a sense that something terrible is about to happen?" asked T2, walking alongside their leader.
"The latter, T2. I have a gut feeling that the next floor will be the worst one," admitted Brigitte.
"Great."
"Yep."
The two entered, and the door closed shut.
Twilight and her group walked out of the memory and could see the Element of Magic heading and entered another memory bubble. They also entered the memory and found where Snake and her group were. Time was frozen again as Twilight saw Brigitte shooting the mist creature.
"So, this is where both groups finally meet up? I wonder what's going to happen now?"
Time started up, and the color returned. Both group leaders spoke to each other.
"Who are you?" Snake asked, getting closer to Brigitte, who had just exited the elevator with her group.
Brigitte spun her handgun and put it away. She smiled. "Just like you and your group, we're here to help some kids at the top of this tree."
They all turned to the locked door, which started to glow with different colors. It showed signs of opening, but they could hear a voice before they could start moving.
"...friends..."
Everyone looked back and could see the Mist creature standing back up, her head wound healed. As the group was ready for a fight, something else came. The floor behind the monster was destroyed, and something landed next to it.
Snake took out her handgun and asked Brigitte a simple question. "You also have a creature following you?"
Brigitte aimed her handgun at the machine, but it changed again and looked even more monstrous. "Yeah, we have the same problem..."
End of Chapter 25
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 26: Nearing The Ending Point
Both groups stared down the two monsters. Amelia took Shiko and Soraya's hands and led them to the giant door, which stopped opening. Soon, Violet joined them as she held Nono, and behind them was Hakari, who had Elly on her back. Both women left the ones without powers and headed back to the group as the fighting started.
"Damn..." whispered Soraya, feeling so useless right now. She turned to the newcomers and quickly explained her powers. "Got it? So if they lose here, someone here needs to kill me! Don't hesitate!"
Shiko didn't like the idea of killing her friend, and from the looks of the new girls, neither did they, as they had never experienced Soraya's powers firsthand.
Nono suddenly scared everyone as she started to hover off the ground. She turned to everyone, looking brave for them. "Don't worry! I'll protect you all!"
They all turned back to the groups, seeing the battle finally starting.
"FLY!" screamed the machine, which blasted off toward them quickly. Before it could reach Snake and Brigitte, who aimed at them, Haze and T2 protected them by blocking the machine's fists with their swords. Both sword fighters narrowed their eyes at the machine, which glared back at them with its glowing red eyes.
"Tsk, damn machines!" grunted T2, feeling the powerful force behind the machine's fist.
Haze also grunted as she felt the force as well. She eyed T2, which reminded her of Zara. "Hey, don't let up, or we will die."
"I got it! Jeez, no need to lecture me," replied T2, rolling her eyes, annoyed by her.
The machine jumped back, only to reveal a black laser beam heading their way now. Both sword fighters couldn't react in time to save themselves or their leaders.
"IT'S GAME TIME!" Tanya shouted, running past them and using her beam sword to block the beam. She wasn't being pushed back; instead, she did the pushing, forcing the beam back.
Miro ran up behind Tanya, used her as a stepping stone, and jumped over the beam. She took out her sword and gun, ready to attack the mist monster.
"LET'S DO THIS!"
She was about to attack, but the machine rocketed into her and away to the ceiling, crushing her and damaging the ceiling as rubble was falling.
"FLY!" screamed the machine.
Miro smirked as she transformed into her Devil Trigger, demon-like form with wings. She teleported away and reappeared behind the machine, where she grabbed it. She spun it around and tossed it toward the mist monster, who took action by stopping her beam and dodging as her teammate crashed into the floor where she once stood.
Mist monster landed but only to be stabbed through the back by Tanya's beam sword. It grunted as it looked back at Tanya.
"Naughty little pony! Didn't your mother ever tell you not to leave your back open to the enemy?"
Tanya felt the beam going more profound, but the mist creature's horn started to glow before she could finish off the monster. She jumped back and used her beam sword as a shield from the black energy beams that shot out of its horn. She blocked one, but the others landed near her, blasting her back. She screamed like Tom from Tom and Jerry as she flew over the group and crashed behind them.
Amelia aimed her shotgun and fired at the mist monster, which turned into mist and darted toward them. She kept firing but stopped as the beast pushed everyone away and wanted to strike her down.
"Shit!"
Before the mist monster could finish her off, stone pillars slammed into each other, swatting the beast between them.
Amelia turned and saw AJ, who had used her powers to create the stone pillars. As her helmet went into her collar, Amelia revealed her face to AJ, who was surprised to see a version of herself.
"Thanks for the save...me?" Amelia chucked.
AJ chuckled back and helped her up. "You're welcome...me."
Amelia nodded and looked at her shotgun, which was empty now. "Got any extra shells? I'm out."
AJ clapped her hands and was about to touch the ground when the machine suddenly grabbed her and carried her off.
"FLY!"
AJ touched her automail and created a blade. She stabbed the machine in the chest. It didn't enter it but did damage the chest plate.
"Sorry, but I'm not a bird, you trash can!" AJ yelled.
It grabbed her arm to stop her from stabbing it, but AJ kicked its chest, making it drop her. She landed but too hard as her automail leg scattered, leaving her with one leg. She couldn't dodge the machine's kick, sending her away.
As Violet ran past AJ, who was sent flying, Violet raised her battle axe and tried to cut the machine in two when it tried to attack her, but it was too quick for her. She tried, unaware that mist was leaking out of the stone pillars and reforming into the mist monster behind her. It raised its shadow claws and swung, but Violet sensed its attack and leaped away. She landed and could see the machine rocketing her way, but Miro stopped it as she stabbed her sword into it and crashed into the floor far away from Violet. Violet returned her attention to the mist monster as it rushed toward her, its horn glowing.
...until it was too late. She felt her right adamantine silver prosthesis arm being slashed and destroyed. She looked and could see a portal where the shadow claw came from. She looked back at the monster, seeing it had cast a portal for both arms as it was still running at her.
"Where's the other arm!?" thought Violet, worried about what was happening. She turned and saw another portal appearing behind her. "Can't react in time!"
The shadow claw burst out of the portal and was going to crush Violet's head, but waves of crows appeared, along with web bullets hitting the mist monster. The crows started to attack the claw, allowing Violet to escape, only losing one arm. She backed away and stood near Raina, whose hand was covered in black feathers. She could also see Petra on the ceiling and gave her a thumbs up.
"You okay? Can you still use your axe with just one hand?" Raina asked.
Violet nodded and looked down at her axe, still in her hand. "Yes."
"Good, let's finish this."
The mist monster was surrounded by the crows, which pecked at its body, causing the creature to screech in pain. Soon, they felt like bullets were being fired at them. Rina used her gun to give Violet a covering fire, and Violet ran toward it. The mist monster turned and was about to rush the gun-wielding woman but was suddenly blasted by ice magic from Haze, who joined Violet's side as they ran toward the mist monster. Haze jumped over while Violet ran under it and slashed it. Both attacks connected, causing the beast to grunt in pain, and both women could see its shadowy body leaking out of the wound.
The mist monster raised its claw, but Haze used her sword and sliced off the monster's arms. It screamed in agony as it backed away.
"FLY!"
Before Haze could finish it, Miro crashed into her, who was still mid-air, and both crashed into the wall. Miro was bleeding and bruised but still had enough energy to get off the woman.
"Sorry, dude, damn thing tougher than it looked."
Haze got up and grunted in annoyance, not caring about the machine. She needed to finish the mist creature, but the machine was now in their way.
Violet was alone now but still ready to fight the armless mist monster.
"FRIENDS!"
Violet could see it charging its beam attack again. She rushed forward, hoping to strike it down before the attack could be released, but she wasn't fast enough as the beam fired. She couldn't entirely dodge as the beam destroyed her left arm, making her armless, too. Both glared at each other down.
"Friends..."
Violet was shocked to see the monster's arm reformed as they had never been slashed off.
"You...can regenerate?"
The mist monster grinned. "...friends..."
It rushed and tried to slice her with its claws. She jumped back, trying to keep her distance. She knew this wasn't good. She couldn't risk fighting it with her kicks, as she might lose her legs to it. She needed to fall back.
"We got ya!"
Violet was saved as T2 landed between them and used her berserk mode, blasting red steam. She yelled as she blocked the claws and kicked them away. She charged forward with her sword, ready to kill it, but the machine was there all of a sudden and attacked her.
"FLY!"
T2 didn't care as its fist burst through her shoulder; she kept going and stabbed her sword through the machine's chest. She could see something glowing inside of it. She let go of the sword, and with all her might, she punched through the machine's chest plate and ripped it off. It was revealing a glowing rainbow thunderbolt. The machine screamed as bullets hit it.
"Huh?" T2 said, looking back to see Snake and Brigitte firing their guns at the exposed weak spot.
"FRIEND!"
Everyone turned and could see the mist monster pull the machine away and slash T2, causing slash marks over her torso and ripping off the android's breastplate covering, exposing her wires and gears under the armor.
"Oh, fuck!" T2 groaned, feeling the pain. Her systems were showing critical damage.
The mist monster was going to kill the downed T2, but Miro and Haze jumped on its back, stabbing it with their swords and forcing it to the floor with their combined force. They lifted it and tossed it toward Petra, who fired off her web-shooters, wrapped up the mist monster, and slammed it into the floor. Her spider sense went off and turned to fire a considerable web ball, covering the face of the machine, which was heading her way. She shot her webbing at the ceiling and pulled herself up in time as the machine missed her and crashed into the mist monster. Both crashed into the wall near Nono and the girls she was protecting.
The machine stood up and turned to the Nono and the others, scaring them.
"...F-Fly..." said the machine, struggling to speak as its eyes flashed blue for a few seconds.
Its eye returned to normal and was about to attack Nono, but before it could harm them, Perta fired her webbing at it and pulled it toward her.
"Hey now, no touching the cute girls! Leave them alone!"
It was being dragged away, but as that was happening, the mist monster stood up and quickly darted toward Nono. Luckily, Nono's vectors stopped it in its place, holding the mist creature's head, arms, and legs in place, preventing it from moving.
"No, you don't! I won't allow you to hurt anyone here!" shouted Nono, trying to lift the monster. She was caught off guard as she watched the monster's shadow claws enter the portal it cast. She looked behind to see the claws heading toward Shiko. "NO!"
Shiko closed her eyes as she screamed. She was still cringing, waiting for the claws to hurt her, but nothing happened. She opened her eyes to see an octagonal wave of energy blocking the claws. She had seen that kind of force field before.
"What!? Is that an A.T. Field!?" thought Shiko.
The claws dug deeper into the A.T. field, trying to rip it open, but Shiko could hear a roar within her mind. She didn't know why, but she raised her arm, and within the A.T. field, a vast yellow robot arm came bursting out, destroying the claws, grabbing the mist monster, and tossing it away from Nono. Soon, another A.T. field appeared above Shiko, who looked up and smiled.
"...mother?"
"Holy shit, Shiko!? You have powers, too!?" asked Soraya, amazed and scared of the mecha that hovered above them.
Shiko shook her head but was still smiling. "No, I don't, but my mother will always protect me."
Everyone was amazed at what they saw, but since Petra wasn't paying attention, she didn't know the machine's eye was turning blue. It ripped the webbing off. The machine screamed at them.
"KILL ME!"
It dropped to its knees, exposing the weak spot in its chest to them. Half of its eye turned red, trying to fight back control.
"Please! KILL ME NOW!"
The group was unsure of what to do. The machine seemed to want to die, but they didn't understand why. Brigitte lowered her gun and got closer, against what the others were yelling at her not to do.
"What do you mean? Why do you want us to kill you?"
"I...can't...keep it...contained...anymore..." it struggled. "This body...corrupted by negative energy by Fayth...using those kids' dark and negative emotions..." It closed its eyes, remembering how it had become like this.
"You can still fly! Even without wings!" said Dash, smiling at Rozelle and a younger version of herself. She stepped closer, hearing her younger self crying.
"I CAN'T! WHY CAN'T YOU AND SPARK UNDERSTAND THAT!? AT LEAST YOU CAN STILL FLY!" cried out her younger self, angry and sad at her.
Dash's eyes were closed, but she smiled at her younger self. Then, she could hear Rozelle's voice, which made her move her head toward the girl.
"You won't and never will understand our pain in what we lost!" Rozelle's voice was full of hate and rage. "You and Spark will never understand us!"
Dash couldn't believe what she heard. She looked down at her hooves and could feel her wings on her back. She could still fly, but she sat down. She smirked at them.
"I lost something too, you know." Dash opened her eyes, revealing that they were grey out. The two could tell she was blind. Dash could hear the two girls reacting to her blindness, but she kept smirking. "I've lost my ability to see. I can still fly, but not like before."
Rozelle stood up, letting the younger Dash go, and approached the blind Dash. She placed her hand over Dash's blind eyes.
"How? How did you lose your eyesight?"
Dash frowned. "When I was a filly, pulling off a Sonic Rainboom for the first time, I opened my eyes as the rainbow cone broke. I saw so many colors, but it was the last time I ever saw the colors and the world." Dash closed her eyes and petted Rozelle. "But even going blind, that didn't stop me. I kept going, living with my blindness. It hurt not to see, but I learned I can still see without sight. I can hear the colors. I can feel the air brushing my fur. I can taste the rain and smell the grass. Thanks to somepony." She opened her wings, feeling proud.
She could hear her younger self getting closer now. Whispering something that Dash could easily listen to, thanks to her sharp hearing.
"How? How aren't you not scared? Are you scared of crashing and burning, not knowing where you're going?" she held her bandaged wrap body, scared of her fears. Fears of burning if she ever flies again. "Aren't you afraid of being blind and only seeing darkness? Don't you hate the world?"
Dash turned and shook her head. "Yes, I was scared, afraid of what would happen to me, but I'm still going to live life to the fullest." She placed her wings over the two, bringing them close. "It's okay to be scared and afraid, but you must know that the world is full of colors, not just one. Life isn't just black and white, no matter what anyone says, but life is beautiful in so many ways. Like I said, even without wings, you two can still fly. Fly with-"
"Are you going to buy into that crap?"
Dash's ears twitch as she doesn't realize someone is above them. As Spark told her before bringing her here, she looked up and knew who this was.
"Fayth!"
Fayth smiled, holding a black energy orb. She landed before the three. She stared at Rozelle and the younger Dash, and both girls' eyes suddenly went lifeless.
"She's lying to you two; you know that, right?" smirked Fayth, walking around the three. "Without wings, you can't never truly fly again, no matter what."
"Shut up, Fayth!" growled Dash, standing between her and the girls. "Spark told me about you! You are using these poor girls, but I won't let you! You're not going to win, Fayth!"
Fayth didn't seem scared of her or angry at what she said. She kept smirking and walked back to where she landed, her hand glowing with the orb. Dash backed up and covered the girls with her wings.
"Using? I'm not using them..." she tipped her head, having a twisted smile. "Right?"
Dash suddenly felt the girls pushing her away. She looked at them, hearing their emotionless voices.
"She's right. Fayth isn't using us. She's been telling us the truth." Rozelle said, walking back to Fayth. "I lost my legs, and my dream is dead. There is no way I can run, even if I have a new pair of fake legs. Those legs aren't a part of me."
"And I can never fly again. There's no way I can fly and perform stunts again, no matter how hard I try," said younger Dash, joining Rozelle's side as they stood alongside a laughing Fayth. "My fears will always be there! I fear the blue skies as I remember my body burning up! I'm a shadow of my former self!"
Dash felt her heartache but didn't give up, rushing at them.
"No! Stop this, please! That isn't true! You're both young and full of hope! Your wings aren't truly gone! You just-AH!" Dash felt something blasting her. To her, it felt like black smoke.
Dash couldn't see it, but her younger self and Rozelle were giving off dark, negative emotions, which Fayth was gathering into the dark orb. Fayth used part of the orb to blast Dash with.
"That cow! Bringing others here when this battle is between me and her only. This should teach her not to bring others here!" thought Fayth.
Dash fell on her stomach, and she could feel pain growing inside of her like something was trying to burst out of her. Soon, something did burst a bit: wires and metal. Within her mind, she could hear the two girls talking about the pain that they felt.
"W-What did you do to me!?" cried out Dash, feeling her body. Her body felt odd, and she could hear Fayth walking toward her.
"I simply gave you a little gift." Fayth laughed.
Before Dash could say anything more, her ears picked up someone, landing between her and Fayth. She knew who it was.
Spark turned to Dash and could see that she arrived too late. Her rage built as she faced Fayth again. "FAYTH!" unleashing her magical aura. "You are going to pay for this!"
Fayth glared at Spark. "You won't stop me this time, cow!" She slowly hovered off the ground and fired off the dark orb above the tree into the giant black orb of darkness, increasing in size. Soon, it created a wave of dark energy, making the slightly dark rainbow tree black. Spark bunked down as the wave hit her, but she remembered Dash and turned to see her blasting away.
"MOTHER!"
Spark flew off the top of the tree and raced to grab Dash. She was close, but Fayth blasted her away, making her crash into a tree surface. Spark blasted from the hole and ignored Fayth as her sights were on saving Dash.
"Ignoring me? I can't allow that!" Fayth raised her hands and unleashed a rain of beams at Spark.
Spark turned and dodged the beams, which ended up exploding on the ground ahead of her. Fayth fired several more beams at Spark, but she continued to dodge each blast, almost reaching Dash. As her hand reached out to grab Dash's hoof, Spark was shocked to see Dash smack her hand away.
"Don't get close to me! She did something to me! I can feel it..." Dash's hooves started to burst out more wires and metal, turning her flesh into robotic legs. "Forget me! Save them!"
"Mother, I can't let you die!" Spark said, ignoring her.
"You must! I'll be fine! Get others to help them." Dash smirks as she opens her wings. She then opens her red eyes for a split second before becoming blue as a cutie mark appears on her chest. "Saving those kids is more important right now. Not me." With that said, Dash flew toward the tree and burst through, disappearing as the tree's surface healed.
"MOTHER!" screamed Spark, trying to reach out to her, but she pulled back her arm and turned back to the top of the tree. She could see Fayth was back up there, smiling down at her. "I'll be back," she said in a low growl, turning around and creating a rift into a universe. "And I'll bring more like those two. Those that can help those four! I won't allow you to hurt those kids, Fayth!".
Spark flew into the rift, disappearing as it closed shut.
Dash burst through the tree's inner bark and felt her body giving out. She closed her eyes as she fell toward the bottom area of the tree and crashed into a lake area...
The machine started to cry. "Please, you need to end me and save those kids! I don't want to hurt any of you anymore!" She lowered her head, seeing how her body became.
She suddenly felt a hand touch her head. Looking up, she saw Brigitte smiling at her, filled with determination.
"Yeah, I'm not wasting a good life. You need to fight it! We can save those kids and you. Just stay strong. Don't give up." Brigitte said, smiling and looking at the others.
They all nodded, agreeing with her. They could tell the machine was looking confused. She could see Haze walking up to her.
"You can't give up. Keep fighting it! You are the only one who can control this body, not that thing inside you."
The machine shook her head, but Brigitte held her hand, making her look at the smiling woman.
"You can. Even now, you are in control of your body. Keep fighting it together; we can save those kids and end this nightmare." pleaded Haze.
The machine wanted to say something, but she could hear the negative entity inside her. The kids were repeating the things they always said.
"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."
"How can I take those steps when the only thing that keeps me going, the one thing that made me, ME, are gone!?"
"I lost my legs...I lost Reginn... what's the point when I lost the things that made me keep going? I want to end it..."
"I'm just a shadow of my former self. How can I go on? How can I look myself in the mirror and not cry?"
The machine started to feel its control slipping, and the group could tell this, not knowing what to do. Brigitte and Haze looked at each other, unsure what to do, but Snake and T2 walked past them. Snake offered the machine a sugar stick.
"Remember why you are here. It seems Spark asked for your help, but something happened. It would help if you stayed strong, even with this monster inside you," Snake said.
T2 nodded. "So stop being a little bitch and beat this thing already!" she pointed at the machine's chest.
The machine looked down, seeing its glowing cutie mark. She placed a hand over her chest, feeling her heart pounding.
"You are still in control; don't let this monster take over," said T2.
The machine felt the voices were going away, but the pain was growing stronger, making her scream. Brigitte held her hand tight, refusing to let go.
"Hang in there! You're doing good!" said Brigitte.
Snake and T2 watched the machine's body glow bright blue, creating a flash of rainbow light. Everyone was blinded. Petra couldn't see, but spider-sense warned her and ducked in time as a shadow claw almost cut her head off.
"What the hell?!" Petra said, flipping away and hardly seeing the mist monster was free from the webbing. It started to charge toward the others, blinded by the rainbow light. "GUYS! ITS COMING TOWARDS YOU!"
Everyone couldn't see and didn't know where to look or do. Snake took out her solid eye and put it on. She used it to see through the light and saw the mist monster almost upon her.
"Damn!" she said, aiming her pistol. She fired but missed, and it was just a few inches from her.
Soon, something rocketed out of the rainbow light and tackled the mist creature away. The machine was normal again; she was Rainbow Dash again and slammed the mist monster into the door, damaging it as cracks appeared.
Rainbow Dash opened her eyes, which were still greyed out, and her blindness returned.
"TWI!" screamed Dash, pushing it all to keep the mist monster from escaping. "Twi! Remember who you are! I know you are still in there!" pleaded Dash.
The mist monster tried to fight off Dash, but its chest started to glow. It was revealing Twilight's cutie mark, beaming with such light.
"Twi! You need to fight it! Don't let it win!" Dash hugged the creature. "When I lost my sight, I was grounded for years until I moved to Ponyville with Fluttershy. The day you came to Ponyville, and we became friends, you helped me to learn to fly through using my hearing. You didn't give up on me, even when I did. You kept going and giving me hope! Don't give up now!"
Rainbow Dash hugged the mist monster as it glowed brightly and was about to explode. Everyone could see it and could see Twilight's body breaking through.
"One of the lessons you taught me is that even without wings, you can still fly. Even if I couldn't see anymore, I kept moving forward because you told me that, even without seeing, I could still fly! Twi, you need to believe in yourself and fight it! I know you can!"
Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, holding Twilight tightly, not caring what would happen to her. Her friend was in trouble, and she would never let her go.
Twilight felt her friend's embrace, and she was scared. She felt powerful dark energy within, trying to stop her from gaining control again. She remembered a lesson that she taught herself after living so long after all her friends and family died. What Spark saw in her...
"You got to keep pushing. No matter what, don't give up and keep moving forward."
Twilight focuses her mind and magic, blocking the dark thoughts of her younger self and Alice. She held Dash...
"Everyone, get back!" screamed Snake. She took cover as Twilight blew up, creating a vast purple light that engulfed the area and made everything white...
The light blinded Twilight and her group. As it faded, she could see both groups were exemplary. She wondered if her other universe self survived with that version of Dash. Night Luna walked up to her.
"We shouldn't be wasting time watching these. The Element of Magic is about to exit memory. We should do the same." said Night Luna.
Twilight nodded and followed her and the others to the next memory. She stopped, however, and turned back. She needed to know what happened.
The light faded, and the only thing left was smoke. Snake and Brigitte's group was fine, as Shinko used her A.T. fields to protect everyone from the blast. As the smoke faded, the group saw a hooded Twilight, and she was back to normal, holding Dash in her arms.
"Rainbow?" Cloaked Twilight called out, looking at her. Tears were falling as she was happy to see Rainbow Dash again, even if it was from another universe. She could see her leaning back, her eyes still closed but smirking at her.
"Twi? I know you could do it!" said Dash, raising her hoof and messing up Cloaked Twilight's mane. Twilight hugged her. "It's good to see you too. I guess we can finally finish what we needed to do."
The two let go and turned to everyone. Cloaked Twilight stepped forward, lowering her black hoodie.
"Like you all, Spark came to me, and Dash here to help those children. She found and gathered you all here because we weren't enough to get through those kids. But with all of you here, we can save them."
Rainbow Dash slowly walked and stood by cloaked Twilight's side. Her twitched as she scanned the room. She smiled at everyone. "So..." She opened her wings and flew slightly off the ground. "Is everyone ready or what!? We got some kids to save!" She landed and remembered something. "Oh, and saving the multiverse, I guess. Let's go!"
Cloaked Twilight smiled at Dash to the point she started to cry. This caught everyone's attention, even Dash herself. Dash approached her, asking what was wrong, even though she knew what.
Cloaked Twilight shook her head and wiped her tears. "It's been so long since I heard one of your rallies. It's great to hear one again, Dash."
Dash opened her wings and hovered off the floor. "Really now?" She scratches her chin. "I can do better, though. How about." She turned to everyone. "Let's KICK SOME BUTT!" she cheered but stopped and thought of another one. "LET'S DO IT, TOO IT! IT'S JUICE AND JAM TIME!"
Cloaked Twilight pulled on Dash's tail. She Forced her to the ground. She giggled. "Yeah, don't push it. I miss hearing your voices and rally cries, but not when you sound like an idiot."
Dash raised her hoof and pumped it into the air. "Okay, then how about..." She paused and turned to Cloaked Twilight. "Let's save those kids and send that Fayth brat packing?"
Cloaked Twilight nodded in agreement. "Yeah."
Everyone gathered around them, but soon, sixteen light figures appeared in front of the closed door. The purple and blue lights flew closer to the group, and the purple ones spoke as one.
"Time is running out. The tree can't be saved if that dark energy is still over it. You must hurry and stop those kids and the fallen Watcher."
The blue lights joined the purple light side and spoke as one. "We were right to trust you rather than destroy you when you arrived at the tree's base. We made that deal with Spark, allowing us to see what versions she gathered and were like. She could have bought anyone here but chose the right ones."
The four lights turned to the other lights, and they all became bright stars and entered the door surface. The blue lights became stars and joined them. The purple lights turned back to the large group.
"We wish we could do more to help, but our powers are tied to the tree, and we need to give all the remaining energy to keep the tree alive. So please, don't fail. There are no second chances." They became purple stars and flew toward the door.
The door slowly opened as the light faded into it. Everyone could see the wooden path. They all entered through the door and walked the wooden path. They could see the millions of branches with the prism windows, which acted like leaves. Above it all was the vast dark orb. They looked at each other and hurried toward the center of the top of the tree.
Twilight watched until the doors closed shut, and the memory became grey. It was the end of the memory. She stood up and exited the memory, joining the others. They could see the Element of Magic stopping and soon giving off a rainbow light. In front of it, a rift appeared. Twilight could see it, the place she had been before all those years ago and recently when Spark called out to her and the others.
"We are here; this time, it's real." She stepped inside and could feel the grassy ground. "The real garden. We finally arrived inside for Spark's core."
The others joined her, and Night and Day sisters walked past Twilight and over to the large tree in the middle. They turned around and sat down.
"We brought them like you wanted," said Night Luna.
Twilight suddenly felt something wasn't right. "Like how you wanted?" She narrowed her eyes, feeling like this was a trap. "Who is 'they'? What's going on!?"
Day Celestia turned to behind the tree. "You know these two very well, Twilight."
Twilight suddenly felt hope as she took a few steps. "BRAVER!? BLITZ!?" She could feel her tears falling as she got closer to the tree. "SWEEITE! MOMMY IS HERE! PLEASE, COME-" but she stopped as she saw who stepped out behind the tree. Who she saw made her sit down and feel ashamed. She did a bow to them. "I'm sorry..." she started to hate herself. "You trusted me to watch over one of your daughters, but I..." She began to sob as she looked up at them. "I hurt her! Please, forgive me..."
Who was standing there were Spark and her sister's real mothers.
End of chapter 26
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Twilight returned to lowering her head to his daughter's real mother. She could ask forgiveness from them while Celestia, Luna, and her father watched in silence.
"Please, forgive me! I couldn't be the great mother you thought I could be! I hurt your daughter, made her suffer so much-" Twilight's tears hit the ground. "I'm so sorry..."
Nightfall stepped forward, and Twilight closed her eyes, hearing Nightfall's footsteps getting closer.
"I'm so sorry." Twilight kept saying as Nightfall stood right in front of her.
Nightfall reached her hoof forward and touched Twilight's neck. She raised her head, and Nightfall could see her teary eyes. She gave her a soft smile and hugged her.
"Twilight. Being a parent isn't easy. You are going to make mistakes. What's important is that you are there for your child and love them no matter what," said Nightfall.
Twilight hugged her back. "I failed to do that."
Nightfall shook her head. "You didn't. You were always there for Braver when she needed you, and we saw how much you and Dash loved her. Besides, you wouldn't be here if you were a bad mother. So, don't put yourself down."
Twilight looked at her. "But what I did to her."
Nightfall hugged her tight. "I can see why my...no, " she corrected herself. "Your daughter loves you so much and takes after you." She broke the hug and wiped Twilight's eyes. "Sometimes we will hurt our child, but that doesn't mean we are bad parents." She looked over her shoulder as she felt a hoof on it. She could see Sky smiling.
"She's right. We don't mean to hurt or always understand them, but as long as you are there for them and love them no matter what, that really matters." Sky sat alongside her love. "We trust you to watch over and care for our daughter. You love her."
Twilight could feel her sadness going away but...
"But we did fail as parents," added Sky, making Nightfall look at her.
Twilight felt sad as she remembered how Niightfall and Sky triggered the event that would lead their daughters to destroy their world. She shook her head and wanted to say something, but Sky covered her mouth.
"Going to stop you right there. I know what you will say, and it's not true." Sky removed her hoof. "We did fail. We did things to them, hurting them, which led to the world's end." She smirked again. "So, we got you beat in that! You can never outdo our failure, and it was worse!" She chucked, but she could see Nightfall glaring at her. Sky coughed. "I'm just messing with you. But yes, we did fail, but the past is in the past, and we can't change that. All we can do is move forward, learn, and never repeat those mistakes. You did the latter."
"But I never did." Twilight was getting emotional.
Sky stood up. "I beg to differ. When you learn what was wrong, you make sure not to do it again."
Nightfall continued. "Even if it happened again, you would still try to find a way not to hurt your daughter, even if that meant losing her. Remember?"
Twilight remembered that day during the Apple Bucking season when she went when Blitz and her family arrived in Equestria. She remembered how she learned how she hurt her daughter with the sun lotion from Luster telling her, and then something overcoming her with fear, calling her daughter a monster. After all that, she apologized to Braver and said she didn't want to hurt her again. Even if it meant being away from her and losing her forever, she started to break down again.
"You will do anything in your power to make it right. And we can see you are trying to make things right with our daughter. You are still moving forward even if the outcome is unexpected." Nightfall and Sky helped Twilight up. Nightfall went on. "You showed your daughter that, no matter what, you would always be there for her and make things right. We trust you to take care of her, and you are still trying, even if it means going through all the pain and suffering. That's a good parent does."
"Remember how Braver acted when you tried to leave her?" added Sky.
Twilight nodded as she remembered it. Braver tackled her in the sky, not wanting her to leave. "She wanted me to stay, even though I hurt her..."
Sky nodded. "And you did the right thing. You stayed with her and never left her. Even now..."
Twilight looked at them, Seeing Sky and Nightfall step aside, revealing something at the tree's base. Twilight felt so many emotions: happy, scared, and sad, all at once. It was Braver, her daughter. She was lying there, asleep, along with her sister, Blitz. Twilight could hardly talk as she asked if this was real this time.
"Yes," replied Sky and Nightfall. "We can't do much, unlike you and Dash. We are just memories, fake ghosts of the past..." They looked over to their daughters. "But we kept them alive, but they are in a deep coma. The poison is still breaking them down, but we are keeping it at bay," explained Nightfall.
"We?" Twilight asked, but her answer came when
JA tipped her hat. "Hey, Twi. Happy to finally meet ya." She sat near the twins and started to explain. "We are using the remaining shards of the Element of Harmony that Braver had within her. We have been trying to keep them alive, hoping the wet blanket will return here, which she hasn't because this place holds too many bad memories, where she thinks she killed her sisters. Good thing you came along."
FlutterWonder continued. "We are almost out of remaining magical powers to keep them alive. I'm afraid that once we are out, they will be gone forever. So, you got to hurry."
Twilight looked at the twins. They seemed to be suffering from pain as she slept. She turned back to Nightfall, wanting to know something.
"There has always been something I have wanted to ask but never got a chance to. When you say the ghost of the past or just being memories..."
Nightfall nodded as she knew what Twilight thought of. "Yes, it's just as it sounds. We aren't the real girl's parents. Even those over there died due to the failed fusion of the Elements. We are just fakes, having their memories of the dead. In truth, we are..."
"The Elements of Harmony," whispered Twilight.
Sky nodded. "Yes, and we only exist because Spark talent overcame us from disappearing. When an Element of Harmony universe is wiped out, we go with it, but Spark kept us alive and broke the rule. We remember the memories of the bearers. It was Spark herself who created us ten years ago. She wanted to save her sisters, and she saw so many universes as they jumped from universe to universe. She knew many could help. She also saw your universe and your human counterpart's universe. She saw your story and knew that you would be the best one for helping her sisters." Sky smiled. "We grew to love those girls and saw them as our daughters. Just like you four did."
Nightfall continued, "Spark might have chosen you and the other three, but we had a part in it. We wanted to do everything in our power to help those girls and let them live happy lives. We got to know you three well enough to agree with her." Nightfall touched Twilight's chest. "Before we explained more. As a mother to another, I understand how it feels..." she started to cry. "Not seeing your daughter in a long time, so go. Hold her close."
Twilight didn't hesitate as she dashed to her daughter and held her and her sister tight. Sobbing as she missed her daughter so much.
"We will give you some space," said Remedy as she and the others walked to Nightfall and Sky.
Night Light was happy for his daughter, and his granddaughter was alive, but he became sad for the future. Will his daughter let him explain?
"She will," Nightfall said, not facing him. He was surprised. How did she know what he was thinking?
"Your daughter will forgive you." she slightly turned to him, giving a hopeful smile.
Night Light said nothing but bowed to her, thanking her.
After some time, Twilight rose and returned to the others. She looked at Sky, Nightfall, and the rest as they became transparent.
"What's happening?" asked Celestia.
"Our powers are almost used up. We can't stay long in this form," answered Nightfall. She turned to Twilight. "Listen, there is a way to save our daughters. To do that, you must give them an Element of Harmony. With Braver, the broken shard Element orb will be recharged, allowing her to live, but with Blitz, she needs to have an Element within her to keep her alive, just like her sister."
Twilight understood and looked at the Element of Magic as it floated over to them. "We can use the Element of-"
Sky shook her head. "No, you don't understand. If you used your Elements, then Blitz can't ever leave this universe. If an Element ends up in another universe, its powers will disappear. Besides."
Quartz rolled circles around them on top of a clown ball. Continuing what Sky was going to say. "There are two extra Elements that aren't from this universe that can be used!"
Twilight didn't get it at first, but when she did, her eyes widened, and she gasped. She looked at Sky and Nightfall.
"The Element of Loyalty and Magic! The ones you gave to Dashie and Twilah...but wait." She realized something. "Didn't you say that when an Element enters another universe, its powers will disappear? But those Elements still had their powers. Even the one within Braver. I don't understand."
Both smiled at her and said, unison, "Because of Spark. Creating her own Element, she changed how we work. We are no longer tied to the universe but to the bearers entirely. To whom do we choose to give the elements, they will remain in their bodies, allowing the holder to take it with them, even if the universe is destroyed, as long as the bearer doesn't die."
Nightfall became sad. "We didn't realize giving the Elements to those without a mana system would end up hurting their bodies. I can remove the Element of Magic from Twilah, but sadly, the damage has been done. But at least she will live longer once it's removed, but her fate is sealed. I'm sorry..."
Twilight told them it wasn't their fault. No one could have predicted that would happen. She turned back to the twins, who Day Celestia and Night Luna were watching over. She asked what they were doing.
Night Luna slightly turned and answered her.
"Sky and her friends will be leaving this place and won't be able to give their powers to these two. So it is up to us to keep them alive. With our last remaining powers, we will do what we can to help."
"It won't ever make up for the sins we created, but it's something," whispered Day Celestia.
Twilight could tell how sorry they were for creating all the pain and deaths. She nodded and returned to Sky and Nightfall.
"Then let's go." She looked back at her sleeping daughter. "I'll be back, sweetie. Keep sleeping and having a good dream until then." She then looks at both ruling sisters. "Please, protect them."
Both nodded. "Of course."
Twilight walked away and was ready to leave, but Nightfall stopped her. She pointed to Night Light. Twilight asked what she meant by pointing to her father.
"Talk to him, Twilight. He's your father and wants to make things right."
Twilight didn't say a word.
Sky put her hoof on her shoulder. "Give him a chance. Don't throw away a family bond. Talking it out will help. Trust us."
Twilight understood; she trusted these two a lot and had never been wrong in anything. She faced her father and walked over to him. She sat down and sighed. She didn't want to do this after what he did to Braver, but...
"...talk," she said.
Night Light was shocked. "Are you sure?"
Twilight nodded. "Yes. Talk, please. Before I change my mind."
So he did. "Twilight, honey. I understand why you are so upset—believing what I did to your daughter, Braver. Telling others that she wasn't my granddaughter. But please, what I'm going to tell you is the truth." He stopped to see how Twilight was reacting, but she just gave him a neutral expression, so he went on after sighing. "Honey, you are more like me than you think. We both are unobvious of things and others' feelings. I see Braver as my granddaughter; when I tell others she isn't, it's not the complete truth like you, Dash, or even Braver believes. I tell them that even if she isn't my granddaughter by blood, she IS my granddaughter. No matter what. She has the same traits as you. I see you in her. The way she thinks, the way she tries to find out how something works, and the way she wants to help others. I now realize Braver misunderstood what I was saying to others, and I never knew I was hurting her...makes sense when I always find her somewhere alone and sad. Now I know why. Please believe me. I never wanted to hurt my granddaughter, but I did. I understand you hate me, but I can't blame you for hating me. But please, believe me, I truly love my granddaughter, and I will try to make things right with her, with you. But only if you let me. And I can see I have a lot of making up to do. I'll start by apologizing to her when she returns home..." he looked down, waiting for his daughter to say anything even if she didn't believe him.
"I believe you, Dad."
He quickly looked up at her, shocked at how she believed him and seeing her crying face.
"You aren't lying...how can someone lie while having that kind of face." She could see her father's crying face, the same one she made when she learned how she hurt her daughter. "Dad, I'm sorry for being harsh and rude to you. I was wrong to act the way I did. But I couldn't handle my emotions. It was wrong of me. Can you forgive me?"
Night Light sobbed as he slowly hugged his daughter. "There's nothing to forgive, Twilight. You were upset and had the right to feel the way you did. I'm the one who needs to ask for forgiveness. I hurt your daughter, and I didn't know how much damage I did until it was too late. Please, let me make things right with her and you."
Twilight sobbed as well, hugging him. "Dad..."
Everyone smiled at the sight. Sky and Nightfall knew Twilight would listen to her father, knowing he would never lie.
"Okay, it's time to go," announced Quartz, packing a suitcase and tossing everything, even the kitchen sink.
Twilight let go and turned to everyone.
"Yes! It's time to go!"
Dashie, Dash, and Lucy were still watching over sleeping Spark, but soon, a purple light flashed before them.
"Are they back?" Lucy asked, covering her eyes.
Soon, the light was gone. They lowered their arms and could see Twilight, her father, the two former princesses, and the six new ponies.
"Sky!? Nightfall!?" shouted Dash and Dashie in surprise.
Lucy remembers seeing these two and the other four ponies when Spark pulled her and the others into her core, hoping they would stop Blitz and Braver from exchanging their lives with Spark. Those two were Blitz's birth mothers. Lucy became worried, wondering why they were there, but what Twilight said made her drop to the floor, not believing it.
"They are alive! Our daughters are alive!" cried Twilight, smiling at the three.
Dash rocketed toward Twilight, hugging her and sobbing happily. Dashie closed her eyes and thanked the gods her daughter was alive.
Lucy was still shocked. She slowly recovered and cried. "Blitz...Blitz is alive!" she covered her mouth and cried tears of happiness.
Twilight pulled Dash off. She wanted to join the happiness, but the mission wasn't over. She quickly explained the situation and how they could save them. Then, she finally turned to Dashie, who became even more filled with happiness.
"Twilah won't die!" but she could see Nightfall shaking her head and explaining that it wouldn't really save Twilah, but it would extend her life for a while. Dashie was still happy; at least her future wife wouldn't die immediately.
Nightfall and Sky bow to her. "Forgive us...We didn't know the Elements would harm you if you overused or had them for so long. If we did, we wouldn't have given you two the Elements of Magic and Loyalty."
Dashie held no grudge against them, said it wasn't their fault, and said there was nothing to forgive.
"What was that just now!?" Twilight asked.
Dash quickly explained what was happening, with Fayth returning and fighting everyone outside. Twilight knew this was bad, but saving the twins was important right now. Dealing with Fayth will come later.
"Then we have no time. Let's go!" Twilight and the others dashed upstairs while Lucy stayed behind with a sleeping Spark.
...only Spark's rainbow aura faded, and her eyes opened...
Above Equestria, a rifted opened up. A white Alicorn flew out, along with an older woman, looking like a magical girl.
"She's here," Lauren said, looking at the planet. "Fayth is here."
Who was next to her was the Orange Juice universe author. Tomomo.
It was a slightly grey-haired girl wearing a tattered grey outfit. Her eyes were rainbow colors. Three different desserts floated in front of her. She smiled.
"Fayth? A breaker of fates? Ha! She hasn't met me yet! Breaker of Worlds! Stars!" she grabbed the cookie, bit it hard, and chewed it. She swallowed it and gave a crazed smile.
End of Chapter 27
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 28: Childhood Friends
Powerful attacks could be seen outside the library tree as they destroyed the surrounding area. Dawn and Fayth were still fighting each other, but even with her new form, Dawn started to lose the battle. This could be seen as the same cloaked figure from before watched on as she stood on the top of the library tree. She took out her book and started reading, ignoring the battle below her...
Dawn did an axle kick and was about to strike Fayth, but a massive explosion of dark energy blew her away. Dawn flew backward but quickly regained control. She could see Fayth's power increase once again.
Fayth smirked as she pointed to Dawn. "Why are you doing this? Just give up. You know the old saying. You can't stop Fate,"
Dawn gritted her teeth and charged. Her horn glowed pink, and the pink aura of magic surrounded her fists.
"GIVE UP!? SPARK WON'T GIVE UP! I WON'T STOP BECAUSE! YOU CAN'T STOP LOVE!"
She punched her, sending Fayth a massive blast of light and pink magical energy through her body.
"DAMN YOU! DIE!"
Fayth did nothing. She took the attack head-on. But the smoke cleared. Fayth was unharmed.
"Did you really think that would work?" she dusted herself off and smiled twistedly.
Dawn didn't reply. Instead, she did an ax kick, followed by an elbow strike.
Again, Fayth just allowed herself to be hit by the attack. Dawn's attack did nothing.
"Why won't you fight back!?" screamed Dawn, trying to punch her with her right fist, but Fayth stopped it with her floating black book and smiled.
"I'll tell you. The reason why is because your power is too weak to stop me, and you can't. It is your destiny to fail. So why try?"
"Because I'm not the only one fighting you," answered Dawn, smiling.
Fayth knew what she meant by that and allowed herself to be hit by different attacks from behind. She turned back and saw those still standing were now fighting her.
"We will defeat you and save Spark!" shouted Dawn.
Fayth just chuckled. "You all are so pathetic, you know that. Even if you were stronger, I'm still stronger." She disappeared and reappeared behind Bolt and Heat, blasting them toward the magical barrier of the library tree, damaging it even more. The two ponies bounced off it and landed behind. Those two were out of the fight as Fayth held the Element Emearlds and Element Diamonds. She tossed the useless Elements away and turned to the remaining fighters. "Stronger than all of you combined."
Flare quickly blasted toward Fayth, punching with all her might, but Fayth smiled as she spoke to her.
"The one based on Superman, from the DC universe." She was punched again, but Flare wasn't holding back now as a giant shockwave erupted. "Flare, you are known to be the strongest because you are a version of him, yet you are still weak compared to me."
Flare gritted her teeth as she kept punching. But Fayth just stood there and smiled. "What? Don't tell me. You aren't even giving your all. Oh, wait, you are. Pathetic."
"Shut up!" Flare punched her even harder, destroying half of the town with the aftershock. "I'm always holding back! I must hold back because I'm living in a world of cardboard!" she kept punching her. "But you!? I'll make an expectation! Because I'm breaking my own rule! For Spark's sake, I will beat you!" her eyes started to glow red with her heat version. Her whole body began to glow red with a vast amount of heat. She punched Fayth in the chest, damaging the reality around them.
"THERE IS A REASON MY PARENTS NAMED ME FLARE!"
Fayth quickly grabbed Flare's arm and pulled her face toward Flare with a twisted smile. "Is that so? Well, I'll burn out that burning star within you!" Fayth picked her up and slammed her into the ground, creating a large crater. She raised her hand, and her book came to her. She was about to write when Flash was about to attack from behind.
"Too slow," whispered Fayth, quickly walking to the side and making her miss. "Rainboom Flash. A version of different heroes, mostly notably Goku from the DBZ universe." Fayth and Flash stood there, dodging each other blows. "You learned from Son Goku how to use ultra instinct. Something I'm surprised you could use. You were always the fastest because you are a version of Rainbow Dash, but you can't outrun me." She quickly moved behind Flash and blasted her back to the magical barrier of the library. Dawn jumped out of the way as Flash crashed into the barrier and fell to the ground.
Fayth looked around at those left. She sighed. "Looks like the fun is about to end."
Bolt and Heat were unconscious. Midnight, Nanna and the others were scattered about and injured.
"Looks like the only ones left are Dawn, Flash, Flare, and... you five," she said, taking a hit from different colored batarangs in the back. They blew up with various effects, creating a multicolored smoke. A shield was soon tossed into the smoke, and the sound of it hitting something could be heard and flew back to the owner. Soon, the three-layer cake fell on top of the smoke and created three vast explosions.
Dawn, Flash, and Flare could see Nightmare, Berry, and her friends joining the battle. Captain Applecore, whose outfit was severely damaged, landed alongside them.
Nightmare helped Flare and spoke to her in a cold tone. "What will you do without me?" she smiled.
Flare chuckled. "Well, we are the world's finest heroes after all. Always glad to have you watching over my back-" Flare couldn't finish as she spotted green lights approaching them from behind Nightmare. She pushed her friend out of the way and was suddenly blasted by a rain of green rocks. She could feel them stabbing into her skin.
Nightmare quickly recovered and was horrified to see her close friend dropping to her knees and turning green as the rocks infected her. She knew what this was.
"Kryptonite!? How!? This universe doesn't have-"
But Nightmare couldn't finish as she could hear laughter coming from the smoke where the cakes blew up. She and the others could see Fayth walking out of the smoke, laughing as she closed her book.
"Correct, those little green rocks don't exist in this universe, but I made it so. You can't stop fate," she said, smirking.
"Being a version of Rainbow Dash AND Superman and Supergirl. You share Superman's weakness." She knocks over Flare, who is too weak to move. "Kryptonite. A small piece can bring you down in an instant. So why not a ton of them?" She turned in time to catch a batarange, which started to beat with a red light. She let it go as it exploded, but it had no effect.
As the smoke cleared, she walked out and spoke to Nightmare. "A version of Twilight Sparkle but as Batman. Just like every version of them, you lost your parents to some random mugger. You took up the mantle and fought crime. Swore never to use a gun against any criminals because you didn't want to be like them." She stopped and raised her hand, making it into a finger gun. "What a stupid mindset. You and every Batman could end the problem by ending them, but no, you want to show them the light, but guess what, Nightmare. Sometimes, the world is too dark. You can't fix everything. You can't change fate." she fired, making a bang sound.
Nightmare narrowed her eyes at her, not liking how Fayth was acting. "You remind me of someone. She tells awful jokes. Even...even...?" Nightmare suddenly felt something warm going down her chest. She looked down and could see a bullet wound right in the middle of her bat logo. She dropped to her knees, touching the blood.
"I'm more dangerous than your version of the Joker. But they were right, you know? All it takes is one. Bad." She turned her sight to the others, who all took battle stances. She could see the past rewrites. She saw different versions of FIM characters, all joining... 'her' as she stood against her. "DAY!" she screamed as she opened her book and started to write down something.
"GO!" shouted Captain Applecore, rushing toward her with the others.
But as they got closer, Applecore quickly aged and dropped to the ground.
"Cap!?" Berry shouted as she rushed toward her, but Grape realized what had happened and tried to stop Berry.
But it was too late as Berry and her friends lost their magical girl forms and became normal-colored pony girls. Flash quickly acted and attacked Fayth, but she suddenly felt something in her chest. She fell to the ground and held her chest. She was having a heart attack or some sickness that made it look like it.
"Shit!" cursed Dawn, seeing that Fayth beat them all by changing their fates in this battle.
Fayth slowly looked over at her with a twisted smile. "Only one left." She could see Dawn raising her fist as she charged toward her, and she smiled. "And I know just how to end her." She pointed her hand in the air, slammed it down to her book, and started to write, but something happened. Her book repelled her writing hand. "What!?" She was soon punched in the face and went flying into a building.
As the smoke and rubble cleared, Fayth looked inside her book as if Dawn's attack hadn't hurt her. She could see her handwriting glowing, but at the end of the sentence, her writing was glowing a white color rather than a black one.
"What is this!? " she asked herself as she stood up. She tried to finish writing the sentence, but again, her book refused her. "Is something wrong with my book?" she glared at it. "No, something or someone is stopping me. Only myself can control someone's fate...unless it is my...mother?" She put away her book and walked out of the destroyed building. She stood face to face with Dawn.
The cloaked figure put away her feather pen and returned to reading her book.
"So, not writing in your little black book, brat?" Dawn asked, making pink magical orbs before herself and punching them toward Fayth, who smirked and took the attacks head-on. "Oh, so tough, aren't we?"
Fayth chuckled. "I know what you are trying to do. You are trying to stall. You hope Spark will wake up, but I'm playing with you." She started to walk closer to her, allowing the magical orbs to hit her body. "I won't kill you this time. No, I'll do something much, much worse. You wish I killed you."
"Like what?" asked Dawn, charging her horn with magic.
"Simple," answered Fayth, appearing right in front of her. She was on her tiptoes and whispered into Dawn's ear. What she said made Dawn's eyes with horror. "That's right. Let it sink in," she said, lowering back the ground and seeing Dawn holding her head. She could hear the confusion in her voice, trying to understand what she said to her. Soon, Fayth could hear Dawn and Luster's voices rather than just Dawn's. She grabbed Dawn by her shirt. "A fusion identity crisis. You are confused, aren't you, Dawn, or is it Luster?" she asked.
Dawn's eyes snapped open. "NO, MY NAME IS DAWN!"
"Are you sure about that?" She raised Dawn. "How about you go somewhere far away and think about your identity while I handle things here."
"Fuck you," snarled Dawn, her eyes going crossed eyes.
Fayth smirked and sent Dawn flying out of town over the great dam that New Ponyville was famous for. She then turned her sights to the barrier surrounding the tree library.
S.P.I.K.E. watched Twilah, looking at her readings as she slept in the bed, still severely sick. The robotic dragon saw a spike in her temperature and quickly got out a syringe filled with medicine and injected it into her body. It had no effect, as he knew it wouldn't. The poison that was inside of her was spreading faster. No matter how many ideas he created in his systems, none of it will work. His creator was going to die soon, and he was helpless to do anything about it. He looked over at her, hoping she would be okay.
"Twilah..."
Suddenly, he could hear the sounds of running up the stairs, and the door burst open. He could see Twilight, Dash, Dashie, and a few new ponies resembling Twilight and Twilah's friends. What confused him was seeing the new Twilight and Dash ponies. He was going to ask what was wrong, but Dashie rushed to bed and pulled the covers off.
"Spike! We can remove what's hurting Twilah." She carefully held her up. "It won't cure her but can allow her to live longer."
He turned and looked at her. "...what? What are you talking about?"
Dashie didn't explain to him; she just held up Twilah and looked over to Nightfall and Sky. She nodded at them. The two nodded back, and they started to glow with the rest of the Elements. Dashie suddenly felt her chest glowing. She looked down and could see a blue light circle forming. A small glowing blue stone orb formed within the circle a few seconds later. Dashie could see the Element of Loyalty slowly floating out of her chest. Her anthro form disappeared, and she became human again. The Element flew back to Sky and entered her body.
Everyone watched as Twilah's chest started to do the same thing. Soon, the Element of Magic slowly floated out of her and returned to Nightfall.
"Twilah!" cried Dashie, seeing her lover's pale skin becoming normal again.
Spike was confused about what was happening but realized the Element was out of her and that her vital signs were slowly improving. He checked his systems and saw the poison was receding but not vanishing. She was still severely sick but alive.
"I'm not sure if that helped, but her condition is improving," he answered, happy Twilash's vitals were improving more as seconds passed.
Twilah's eyes started to open slowly. She was awake again but looking confused as she saw Sky and Nightfall in the room.
"Oh,. Am I dead?" she waved at them. "I'm happy to see you two again..."
"TWILAH!" cried Dashie, hugging and crying on her.
"Whoa, hey, calm down, Dashie." She smiled at her but quickly feared as she saw her. "Wait, are you dead!? How you died!?"
Dashie and the others laughed when they heard that. "I'm not dead..." she broke the hug and looked at her. She kissed her on the lips and placed her forehead on hers. "Neither are you."
Twilah was confused, but she slowly realized she wasn't dead. Nightfall and Sky, along with their friends, were truly here. She asked what was going on.
Dashie looked at her, tears in her eyes, as she answered. "Blitz is still alive!"
Twilah quickly smiled and hugged Dashie. She looked at Nightfall, who was smiling at her. Twilah closed her eyes, remembering Prism. "Prism...your future, it's safe! I'll see you again..."
Suddenly, the whole room and the tree itself shook with fury. They could hear someone screaming.
"FAYTH!"
It was Spark's voice. It sounded like it was full of rage and hatred.
They could feel a massive force slamming into something near the tree.
"That sounded like Spark!? But does her voice sound so cold?" Twilight asked.
Twilight steps forward, having a guilty look on her face. "I destroyed her trust in me...and maybe everyone else after tricking her," she explained, looking out of the window.
Twilah soon learned what Twilight did. Though she was upset with how Twilight handed it, she understood why she did it. She tried to get out of bed, but she was too sick and weak to stand anymore, falling, but SPIKE and Dashie caught her.
"Twilah, stop! You weren't cured, only stabilized," cried Dashie.
Twilah shook her head. She gave everything she had to stand and look at everyone,
"Spark! I need to tell her something! Something she needs to hear and, finally, put her worries to rest. She needs me... no..." she corrected herself as she looked at Dashie, Twilight with Dash, and, finally, Nightfall and Sky. "She needs her mothers. And she needs us more than ever."
Twilight nodded in agreement. "Yes, I hurt her, but I'll do anything to make it right! I'm not the best mother, but I'll do whatever it takes."
Dash flew off the ground and spoke as well. "She's hurting. I can tell just by looking at her. She feels so confused and alone, but I will be there for her! That's what she needs, and that's what I'm going to do! She's like Braver, thinking she shouldn't be happy and earning a new life."
Dashie stood by Twilah's side, allowing her to lean on her for support. "She's like Blitz, you know? When things are too much, and she becomes scared, she blitzes like her sister does." she chuckled as she helped Twilah to the door. "Like it or not, she's going to be loved by us! I don't care what she thinks or says about not deserving our love. She's a daughter to me, and nothing will change that!"
Nightfall and Sky didn't say anything. They knew their daughters would be in good hands. They and their friends surround the four. Nightfall unleashed her Harmony form, smiling.
Twilah smiled. She could see her family was going to be complete soon.
Before all of this happened, Spark woke up and opened her eyes. She slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes, still waking up. She could feel the hardwood floor under her.
"Why am I sleeping on the floor?"
Her vision slowly came to, and she could see she was on the floor. Next to her was Lucy, who looked like she had cried, and her eyes were red.
"Spark!" Lucy happily yelled, seeing the anthro Alicorn waking up.
Spark was confused. The last thing she remembered was seeing her new mother, Twilight, was-
"STAY BACK!" Spark shouted in anger and fear, surprising Lucy with her rage.
She stood up and glared at her. "You! You were part of the plan, weren't you? That's why you are, right?" she looked around the room, trying to find Twilight. "Trying to use you in making me play along and be their weapon!"
"What? No, no!" Lucy cried, trying to explain, but Spark just looked at her in the eyes, making her stop.
"You know, Lucy, I'm tired. I am tired of this world. I'm tired of myself. I don't know why I'm even born."
Lucy stood up and ran toward her, but Spark quickly blasted a magical beam near her, stopping her. "I don't want to hurt you. But I will." Her eyes glowed bright with rainbows. "I won't be someone else's weapon. I really thought I found a family here and in the human counterpart universe." Rainbow tears streamed down her cheeks. "I guess not."
Lucy tried to speak. "Spark, list-"
"Save it," Spark said, her tone sounding cold. "I don't want to hear it, and even then, maybe I deserve what happened to me, why they wanted to control me." She thought of her sisters and Twilah. "I only brought them pain..."
Lucy tried again to tell her what had happened, but Spark ignored her, and she opened up a rift; she wanted to leave, but Lucy had to say anything to keep her from leaving. She remembered what was happening outside and yelled out. "FAYTH IS HERE!"
This made Spark stop, just standing in there. Not saying a word for a few seconds, and then, "Fayth, she's here?"
"Yes!"
"...so?" Spark coldly said, slightly turning to her. "Is this why Twilight wanted to put me under her spell? Be a weapon to defend this universe from-"
Lucy stopped her and shouted out. "She's fighting Dawn!"
This surprised her. She quickly sensed Dawn's life energy and found Lucy telling the truth. Dawn was fighting Fayth but was sent flying near the dam. She could feel Dawn was in pain, but not physically. She was having a mental breakdown. Lucy approached Spark and saw her looking at the room's wall. She was going to ask if she was okay and hopefully explain that Braver and Blitz were alive, but what happened next blew her away as the wall was destroyed.
Spark's eyes started to glow again, but they were full of dark rainbows and hatred this time. Her mane changed, becoming a dark void with red stars and then the flowing twilight night sky with a bit of rainbow. Lucy slowly rose, seeing Spark walking out of the hole that had been made. She could see her walking out as her aura changed. It wasn't her rainbow or even a void; it was dark.
"Using Dawn to get me to fight Fayth...I tired of being seen as a weapon, something to be used."
"S-Spark...wait!" Lucy cried, trying to get up, but it was too late.
Spark was outside, glaring at Fayth, who was on the other side of the barrier. Fayth was slightly surprised to see Spark looking so different, but it made her happy.
"It's like I thought. You aren't her by a long shot. Just an awful version of the original." Fayth thought as she watched Spark break down the barrier as she walked through. "I was hoping to kill everyone here before you woke up, you damn-"
"FAYTH!" screamed Spark, unleashing a powerful dark magical aura and punching her in a split second.
Fayth's eyes widened as she was sent flying, unable to counterattack or defend herself.
Spark flew after her and grabbed her, holding on to her as they soared across the sky. With rage in her voice, she snarled, "Don't you fucking dare touch her or anyone else ever again!" She punched her once and spoke again. "You were right, Fayth! I shouldn't have shown mercy to you! I was a fool, letting you live, but you will die today, and I'm not going to let you run away!"
Fayth's face was grabbed, and Spark blasted it, Sending her flying toward the cliff wall near the dam and crashing into it.
"I will kill you for everything you have done! To all the poor souls you ruined by changing their fate, taking away their pens, and writing their stories! Taking their happiness from them!" Spark screamed, drop-kicking Fayth through the mountainside, and they were now deeper inside of it.
She grabbed Fayth by her neck, making her look at her. "I'LL BREAK YOU! BREAKER!"
Fayth looked at Spark with no expression. Her emotionless face slowly became a twisted smile as she spoke back to her.
"This is so wonderful! Look at you, the same as me!"
"NO! I'M NOT LIKE YOU!" Spark shouted, punching her in the gut.
Fayth started to laugh through the pain. "Someone badly hurt you. Something bad happened to you. Something that made you like this. It made you like me. You're tired of it all, huh? Wanting everything to end, so you don't have to suffer anymore."
Spark's grip tightened. "You have no idea what I'm feeling right now."
"You're wrong," whispered Fayth, grabbing Spark's neck. "I know exactly what you are going through, Spark."
Spark's eyes widened when she heard that. She felt her neck getting tighter.
"You feel lost. There is no hope in sight. Nothing worth living for." She started to push Spark on her knees, choking her now as Spark's grip became weaker. Everything that once brought you joy, everything you cherished, is gone. There is nothing left, and you want it to end."
Spark was shocked to hear this from Fayth.
"W-Wrong! Dawn is still alive! Whatever you-"
"I have done nothing to her. She became that fusion on her own. Her breakdown was her weak mind's doing. She couldn't handle the truth. Was she a new person or two others? Was she even an original person?"
Spark was speechless. She wasn't lying. Spark knew it. She felt it. Dawn was breaking down because she fused with Luster as she saw Lucy back in the library. Her Dawn was gone, replaced with someone new.
"It's over, Spark. You lost everything."
Fayth slammed Spark into the rocky ground, choking her even more. Spark could feel her life slipping away.
"DON'T EVER THINK YOU CAN CHANGE ME, FAYTH!" coughed Spark. "I will never be like you! NEVER!"
Fayth got much closer to Spark's face, almost touching noses. "I'm not trying to change you...I'm trying to get through to you..."
"H-Huh?"
"I'm like you, Spark. I was in a very similar position, just like you."
"N-No, you're just...lying again!"
"I'm not lying. I lost someone dear to me, and she died in my arms. She was my only friend in this endless multiverse of stories." she placed her other hand over Spark's cheek, gently caressing it. "It broke me, and I wanted the pain to end. I wanted it to end so badly that I did everything possible to bring her back. Even going against my mother and killing her, allowing her powers to become the Tree of Elyndra."
"Mother? Wait, is the tree your-"
"But even when I restarted everything for the first time, she wasn't her. She was someone who only looked like her, and it destroyed me even more. I refused to believe she was gone, so I kept rewriting everything, restarting the multiverse, hoping she would return, but, instead, a fake was born every time. To the point, I'm done. I'm so tired of this pointless cycle, so I will do what needs to be done. I'm going to write the true ending in that golden book and set us all free." she finally loosened her grip on Spark's neck, now touching and holding both Spark's cheeks as she got closer to Spark's face. "And you can help me. Be different from the other awful versions of you. Be..." Spark started to get scared, and she felt uncomfortable as Fayth leaned closer.
"F-Fayth? What are-!?"
Spark couldn't finish as Fayth kissed her very passionately on the lips. Fayth's eyes closed while Spark's opened, full of shock. She felt Fayth's tongue entering her mouth. Spark didn't know how to think about this. It was a strange sensation she had never felt before, and the more the kiss went on, the more wrong it felt. Spark was about to push her away and try to escape this situation, but her body acted independently instead. She was kissing her back.
"N-No...stop this...please...I can't let this happen. I'm stronger than this. I am better than this!" she said in her thoughts.
Spark felt her heart racing, and her whole body became hot. She knew it was wrong, but something deep within her wanted this. She wanted Fayth.
"N-No...stop...this..." Spark whispered as she finally broke the kiss.
Fayth looked at her, finishing what she was going to say.
"Be her. Be the real her, please."
Spark could only look at her in confusion, unable to talk. This was even more so as Fayth's hood fell off, revealing her face. The darkness that hid her eyes was gone, revealing her crying purple eyes.
"My dear friend, be her again. I have been wanting to see her again. I longed for her, but no matter what, none of the fakes could live up to her. You will be her. Please, my beloved."
Spark was still trying to talk, but no words came out.
Fayth leaned in and kissed Spark's neck, still speaking to her. "You told me, no matter the pain, you'll always be here for me, and you said it yourself, Spark. No one deserves a sad fate. No matter who they are. Everyone deserves a happy ending."
She kissed her cheek, tasting the rainbow tears. "I want our friendship back. We were always together, no matter what, and I miss it so much. I don't care about anything else."
Spark couldn't believe what she was hearing, and her face turned red, her heart beating fast. She finally found the voice and forced Fayth off. She quickly sat up and held her body, feeling dirty.
"That's not what friendship is, Fayth. What you are feeling is..." Spark started to cry, knowing she was going through the same thing. She hated it, as she felt she betrayed Dawn.
"What I feel for you is love. I want you by my side again; this is the only way. Please, I need you, and you need me." Fayth's crying face slowly became twisted. "WE NEED EACH OTHER! WE'RE ALONE IN THIS WORLD OF FAKES!"
Spark was scared, and her whole body was shaking. Fayth tried to come closer, but Spark kicked her away. Fayth slowly stood up and stared at her, her tears streaming down.
"Face the cold truth, Spark. Your sad little life is over. You're just like me, so please accept my feelings, and let's start over again. You can be her again. Please say yes, and all your pain will go away. I will make you forget about everyone. I will not even end everything; I will rewrite it again. A rewrite where we can live and be happy together! Like it was from the very start." she took a step. "You won't be born as a weapon! Be seen or used as one! That foolish white Alicorn author of the Prime FIM is doing that to you! She and her group see you as a weapon and nothing more." she took another step. "Or how in this universe, Twilight, along with the former princesses, put you under, trying to cast a spell to make you follow their orders." she lied, knowing the absolute truth. She took a few more steps. "In the new universe I'll write, you can with your sisters and real parents! The life you always dreamed of!"
Spark's mind was filled with thoughts. Her body and emotions were telling her yes. Yes, she was just like Fayth, and it was true. She was tired and wanted to be done with this, and she knew if she accepted Fayth's offer, it would end. She wouldn't be a clone of another; she would be a real living Alicorn and have the life she always dreamed of. She would have her family, and maybe things would be different.
"N-No! That's not true. I'm not like her and don't care what others see me. They aren't the ones that define who I am. I can't let her get to me! I'm better than this!" she thought as she crawled away but stopped. "But yet, I'm tired of it all. If I'm like her, then I can be free. I can give up and let it all go. Live in a new, clean-slate universe. Everything will be perfect and peaceful."
"Just say yes," whispered Fayth. Spark stopped and looked at Fayth. "Say yes and forget this universe."
She slowly got up, staring at Fayth with the same lifeless eyes.
"Be her! Let me call you by your real name. Your Name! Across the multiverse , across the rewrites, I never forgot it! Your name is-"
Cozy was in so much pain, as her horn was killing her. She tried to use magic to increase her flying speed since she couldn't teleport but wasn't fully healed. She needed to land and rest but could see what was happening in New Ponyville. Fayth was back in this universe and going to kill Spark. She owes it to Braver to save her, but also to what that cloaked figure told her. Luster was in trouble and needed her.
"Hold on, you two. I'll be there soon...huh?"
Cozy stopped as she saw something heading her way and crashed near the dam. She quickly flew over to it, shocked at what she saw. It was Dawn, but she looked like an anthro now. She could see her getting up, and two voices could be heard fighting each other.
"I'm Luster! I'm me!"
"Shut it! I'm Dawn! I'm me, not you!"
Dawn's body shook, and she grabbed her head. She was repeating over and over again. "I'm Luster! I'm Dawn! I'M THE REAL ME!"
Cozy didn't understand but remembered what that cloaked figure had told her.
"She's going to need an anchor," she whispered. She was about to land when a massive explosion could be heard from a nearby cliff, shaking the dam and everything around it. She had no idea what crashed into the cliff, but she focused on Dawn and Luster.
She finally landed and slowly walked to the fusion, which was still struggling with itself. Cozy slowly reached out and spoke.
"Luster...I'm here for you."
Luster, the one in control right now, jerked her head and looked at her. Cozy could feel her fear. She slowly reached out, and the moment she touched her, she hugged her tightly, crying.
"Cozy! I'm me, right? I'm Luster?"
Cozy was about to answer, but she felt Luster pushing her hard to the ground. She could see how pissed off Luster looked, almost the same look that Dawn gave.
"Fuck off! I'm Dawn, not Luster!" Dawn said, being the one in control right now.
"You two can't keep doing this. You're hurting each other and yourself." Cozy could feel Dawn's grip tightening.
"SHUT UP!" They screamed.
"Please, calm down. You two need to defuse, or your mind can't handle the fusion, going by how you act." she groaned when she remembered Braver telling her something about the creature's brain. "What did that blockhead always go on about? How the brain was made for one person, not two or more. How dual consciousness theory isn't possible. When we had to deal with that wendigo problem in that snowy town in Crystal Mountains, those monsters were trying to take over the town folks' consciousness. Ugh, my head is killing me right now. I swear, Braver, you owe me a vacation for making me remember something like that."
The fusion was confused but was about to yell at Cozy, but Cozy stopped them by hugging them.
"Listen to me, both of you. You need to calm down and try to become one again. Think of something that both of you can agree on. Something that can help your mind to stay as one."
Dawn slowly got up, pulling Cozy up with her.
"Like what? All Luster knows is her love for Braver...like a lot in a creepy way." She turned her head to the left. "You sniffed her jacket? Perv."
Luster was now in control, looking to the right now and blushing. "S-Shut up! I wasn't doing that! I just wanted to see if her scent was on the jacket! That's all!"
"Yeah, that's a perv will do."
"I said shut up! You shouldn't talk! You sure like it when Spark trips over nothing and falls into your butt! And you can't stop smiling when it happens! You even get to position when you see she's about to fall on you."
"T-That was an accident! I-I mean...okay, you have a point, but I was not doing it intentionally. I mean..." she shook her head. "Fuck you! I don't have to explain myself! I'm me...right?"
Soon, Luster took over and started asking the same question. They broke again as they crossed their eyes again. Cozy would laugh at learning how Luster and her semi-pony human counterpart were pervs, but she knew it wasn't the time.
"Shut up, you two!" she said, making them look at her. "Do what I told you, okay? And please, don't use your pervy thoughts to hold yourself together. It will be awkward, and it can't last."
Luster took control, blushing. "I wasn't thinking about that! Using those 'thoughts' to hold ourselves together!"
"Well, at least we agree on something..." mumbled Dawn, taking over but freaking out. "Shit no! Not that!" She didn't want to agree on anything related to their perverted thoughts.
Luster took over. "It's fine, and besides, we have the same taste in..."
Dawn was now back. "Shut it! I won't agree with you on that stuff! THINK OF SOMETHING ELSE!" she punched herself, causing Luster to take over and feel the pain.
"That hurts!" she looked at Dawn. "You hit me! Why are you hitting me!?"
"Because you are the idiot who started to think of..." Dawn blushed red and shook her head. She was now begging her to stop. "PLEASE! PLEASE THINK OF SOMETHING ELSE! ANYTHING ELSE THAT I CAN AGREE THAT ISN'T A PERVERTED THOUGHT!"
Cozy rolled her eyes. She didn't know how long she could put up with these two.
"Oh, please, just shut up. Think of something. You two are making me wish I wasn't here right now!"
Both girls tried to think of something until Dawn turned. "...monster?"
Luster shut her eye, cursing her under her breath, letting her thoughts go there, but she slowly opened her eye as she heard Dawn's thoughts.
"...you too?"
They looked straight ahead, overseeing the whole town. Luster spoke first.
"I'm a monster. My obsession with Braver caused so much chaos and destruction..." she closed her eye, letting tears fall. "After the fallout, everyone saw me as a monster, and they were right. I don't belong anywhere."
Dawn placed her hand on her cheek, wiping Luster's tears. "I understand how you feel. I see myself as a monster. I lived off the streets and joined the Dishamorny gang. I did..." She closed her eye as well. "Evil things...things I know I won't ever forgive myself for. Everyone sees me as some urban legend. As a monster."
Luster opened her eye. "Why are we like this? Why do we see ourselves as monsters? We are just different from the rest. I have seen myself as something completely different for a long time. I knew something was wrong with me, but I didn't know what."
Dawn opened her eye. "I feel ya, sister. I knew I was different from others, but I didn't care. I had no one..."
Luster continued. "No one to understand me. To get to know me for who I am, but..."
"But someone did. She wanted to know me. Even when she learned about my past...she..."
"She stayed with me, loving me. Even when I did awful things to her and her family and friends, she truly loved me..."
"She loved the real me and all the problems I had under my belt. I can't stop being who I am." Both eyes closed shut, and soon, both voices became one again. "But she still loved me. She was the only one who could see the real me, and she accepted me. She's the only one that matters."
Cozy could see both girls were back to being one person rather than two. She slowly approached her and hugged her. "You aren't monsters; you're just different." What she said next was for Luster. "Stop thinking like that. I'm not too fond of it when you see yourself like that. Even the pony you love so much hates it. I know she does. Just be yourself, and everything will be okay."
"C-Cozy," whispered Luster Dawn. "Thank you. I feel better now."
Cozy could feel Luster Dawn was now one, but she was surprised to feel her hugging her. She smiled and patted her back, telling her that's what childhood friends are for.
They broke the hug and were going to say some stuff to each other, but the mountainside started to shake. Soon, something near the dam's lake burst out of the ground.
Before this, Fayth finished saying the name to Spark.
"That's your real name! YOUR NAME!" she got closer to Spark, wanting to hug and love her like she always had done in the original multiverse. "Please, join me! Let us both have a happy ending. Don't you want that? Don't you want a peaceful life without worrying about anything, and most importantly, have the ones you love alive and with you? Please say yes."
Spark just stood there, and then her mane returned to normal. She looked down at Fayth and saw her reaching out to her. She shut her eyes and smacked the hand away, knowing she would break Fayth's heart.
"I'm not her. I will never be her, Fayth." Spark started to cry as she went on as she looked at Fayth's shocked face. "She's gone. You must let that go; you can't drag everyone and everything down because you can't have her."
Fayth didn't say a word as Spark continued.
"I won't join you. I don't want to end the multiverse or be stuck in a universe you created to make me happy. That's not living, Fayth. We all need to live our lives and enjoy it. In our way, without someone forcing how we live or be happy."
Fayth could feel her anger starting to rise. She couldn't believe 'her,' the one she loved and wanted to have a happy life with, was saying no. She was wrong. She was deeply wrong about Spark.
Fayth started to laugh and laugh, laughing like a crazed woman, but along with that laughter came loud sobbing.
"How could I not see it? You are not the one I love. You are not the one that I spent years watching over." She lowered her head, put her hands over her eyes, and let the tears fall into the palms of her hands. "Not the one I befriended and treasure... not the one I wanted to spend my life with...you are not her."
"No, I'm not," said Spark, with sadness behind her voice. "I'm sorry."
Fayth laughed and sobbed until she just stopped on a dime. She slowly looked up and glared at Spark.
"You aren't her, but you are like me. You are correct about letting it go, but not me. It would be best to let go and face the cold, dark truth. You, your life, is nothing." Spark could see powerful energy blast out of Fayth's tiny body. "You are nothing but a weapon, nothing but a fake. I have seen it many times, and it gets more fake with each rewrite. Spark, your whole existence is nothing but a lie."
Spark wanted to say something to counter that statement, but she couldn't find the voice or words to respond.
"You never deserved to be here. Your sisters didn't need to die for you. They threw their worthless lives away to a fake living being. You should be the one dead, not them!" She grabbed Spark by her neck, happy to see her not fighting back. "I'M GOING TO EREASE YOU FOR GOOD LIKE I ALWAYS PLANNED FROM THE START!"
Spark didn't fight back; she let it happen. She let Fayth blast her from the underground and back to the surface. She could see the lake the dam was protecting and came crashing back to the ground. She could hear voices, but that didn't matter; she felt Fayth back on top of her.
"GIVE HER BACK TO ME! THE REAL YOU!"
Spark could feel the cold hands over her neck as she was being choked, and the air was leaving her lungs. She didn't want to fight back. She knew she was going to die, but she felt no fear. She welcomes the end.
"I'm tired..." Spark whispered, closing her eyes.
Within the garden, Night and Day looked to the sky, seeing the blue sky becoming dark. Soon, they could see the whole pocket universe slowly disappearing. They knew that Spark was dying.
"Sister, this might be the end."
Day nodded, and she turned her attention to the sleeping twins.
"We swore to make things right." she closed her eyes and her horn, and soon, her body started to glow.
Night closed her eyes, and her body glowed as well. "We will gladly give up our remaining powers and life. Let us wash away our sins by doing this first and last act of protecting the last remaining life from our dead universe."
Night's body started to break down. Her flesh was rotten away while her bones turned to dust. Soon, Day joined her as her body also broke down. Both sisters looked at the sleeping twins.
"Braver," whispered Night.
"Blitz," Day said with a sad tone.
Both sisters spoke as one as they slowly died: "Use our remaining power to save your sister from death: Nightfall, Sky, and the others. Please forgive us, but she needs to be set free." The only thing left was their heads as they slowly fell to the ground, and before they landed, they spoke one name: "Star Breaker."
Their heads hit the ground and became dust based on their colors. The dust rushed toward the sleeping twins, fused with their bodies, slowly entering their slime bodies.
Soon, both twins opened their eyes, filled with rainbow colors. They fused as one and became the actual version of themselves. They screamed as they felt rage. Rage of someone killing their other half.
Fayth kept choking Spark but stopped as she sensed something. Something powerful was coming, but it wasn't around her. It was coming from within Spark.
"What is this? What is the-" she couldn't finish as an arm burst out of Spark's cutie mark on her chest. It grabbed her and tossed her away.
Fayth skipped across the lake's surface and crashed into the other side of it. She stood up and could see what attacked her. She narrowed her eyes as she knew who was looming over Spark's body.
"BREAK!" screamed the slime anthro pony known as Breaker.
She roared, causing the whole top surface of the mountain to shake with great fury. She took one step and made the ground shake. She took another step, making the dam crack. Another step and a rainbow halo on her back appeared. Soon, a magical tube burst out from it and shot into the air. It soon created a vast rainbow comet. But the comet rainbow colors faded and became dead. Soon, a vast red eye burst from the surface, looking down at Fayth and the surrounding area.
"STAR BREAKER!" Breaker screamed again, creating giant red and blue magical-looking stars.
Fayth summoned her book and would fight when something entered the area from above. She and everyone looked up. They could see a vast black bomb, the same size as the dead comet. She knew who had arrived as well, making her tsk loudly.
Breaker looked up and saw a girl hovering down and meeting her face-to-face.
"Breaker?" Breaker said, tipping her head slightly. "Star Breaker?"
"Yes, that's my name. Star Breaker!" said Star Breaker, ripping off her outfit and revealing her skin-tight black suit. "There's only one true Star Breaker, and you aren't her."
Star Breaker's vast bomb unleashed cannon guns. A few pointed toward Fayth and Breaker, while the rest pointed to the sky. She started to giggle and then became crazed with laughter.
"I'LL BREAK THIS WORLD! I DON'T CARE WHO GETS IN THE WAY! I'LL BREAK FATE AND THE PRETENDER! BECAUSE I'M THE BREAKER OF WORLDS! STARS! STAR BREAKER!"
The cannons pointing at the sky unleashed their power explosions, turning the blue sky dark red. Star Breaker floated to her bomb and combined with it in the middle.
The remaining cannons fired, blasting Fayth and Breaker.
Fayth blocked the explosion with her black book, while Breaker used her magical aura to protect herself and those behind her, which was her sister. Thankfully, Dawn and Cozy were behind her, too.
The whole area was in flames, making it look like the mountain was in flames.
"ENOUGH!"
"Breaker!"
Fayth and Breaker destroyed the cannons and flew toward Star Breaker, where a new battle started.
As the final battle was starting, Lauren and Tomomo landed near Spark. Lauren glared at her teammate, who was sweating as she could see the damage that Star Breaker had created. She coughed.
"I'll put a force field around this place, ensuring the battle doesn't harm any more places." She raised her ice cream staff and created a barrier, as she had said.
Lauren sighed, lowered herself to Spark, and asked if she was okay, but Spark glared at nothingness as she looked at the red sky. She tried again, asking if she was alright.
Spark was in her own little world as she tuned out everything.
"...is this what those four kids felt? Having no hope? No spark to keep going?" Spark asked herself. "No wonder they wanted everything to end...but..." she felt something within herself. "...when all four met, their hopelessness started to crack, no?"
Spark closed her eyes, remembering how all four kids met at the top of the tree...
"Are you sure about this, Alice?" asked Twilight, walking behind Alice, who was walking down through a tunnel in the vast wooden branches of the Prime Tree.
"I am! Spark and Fayth left in this direction! We help Fayth, or Spark will stop her from helping us!" answered Alice, who could see something ahead out of their tunnel.
Twilight agrees with what Alice says but still feels unsure about this plan.
"How are we going to beat her? Fayth told us how strong she is. I don't have stable magic..." she stated as her horn sparked a bit and blew out smoke. "I don't know how to fight, and you are just a human with no magic. How can you be confident that you can stop Spark?"
Alice stopped, took out a pocket knife, and did a stabbing thrust in the air.
"She isn't a god or something. She's like you, just having magic. If she can bleed, we can kill her! I'm not going to let her stop us. I won't let her make us return to that awful life we have."
Twilight could hear the anger behind her words and the determination. She knew Alice would not let Fayth down, and the same goes for her. She was now 100% with Alice in beating Spark.
The two walked and finally exited the tunnel and could see what was in front of them. It was moss covering a doorway entrance in a giant branch. Alice used her pocket knife like a sword, swinging it and cutting the moss as she walked through it. Soon, vines could be seen, and she kept killing. There were so many vines that it started to annoy Alice.
"I hate this stupid tree. There are way too many plants!"
Alice swung her knife blindly, and she felt it slashing something.
"AH!"
Alice and Twilight frozed when they heard another girl's voice. Alice feared she cut someone by accident, so she quickly rushed through the last vines and stopped.
"Are you alright? I didn't mean to slash at you!" Alice said, hoping she didn't hurt whoever was up there. This was odd to her, as they had never seen any signs of life up there.
On the wooden ground was Rozelle, holding her cut arm as blood was dripping out. Next to her was Rainbow Dash, freaking out as she didn't know how to stop the bleeding because she went on about not having her medkit.
Twilight felt she melt this mare before but shook her head, focusing on the poor girl's cut arm. Alice did the same, and both sat beside her and spoke to each other.
"The wound isn't deep. It looks like a flesh wound. You will live," said Twilight.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cut you," Alice apologized.
Rainbow Dash calmed down after hearing Alice's apology and Twilight's diagnosis. However, Rozelle still wasn't happy and pointed at Alice, who was still holding the knife.
"You dick! Watch where you are swinging that knife! You almost killed me! Who swings a knife around blindly?"
Alice was ready to fire back but didn't. She was right.
"I'm sorry, it won't happen again."
The girl's sincerity took back Rozelle, but she quickly recovered.
"Well, you better be sorry..." she looked away.
Alice put away her knife and finally noticed the girl's legs. They were prosthesis legs.
"Take a picture; it will last longer." Rozelle blushed, trying to cover her legs and her thigh with her sundress.
Alice quickly realized she was staring and looked away, blushing.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to stare. I wasn't expecting someone to have fake legs."
Rozelle sighed, not really getting mad at her.
Twilight walked over to the Pegasus mare, who was rewrapping her bandages as they became loose.
"You need help?" she asked, trying to offer her aid.
Rainbow Dash, without looking, shook her head.
"It's okay. I can wrap them. I've been doing them for a long time, so I got it." she answered, but the bandage she had finished with fell, exposing her burn scars. Dash quickly covered her scars. "Don't look..."
Twilight could tell the mare was very sensitive about her body and how the burns affected her. She decided not to press on the matter and changed the subject as she helped wrap the bandages.
"I'm Twilight. Twilight Sparkle."
"Dash. Rainbow Dash."
Dash blushed as she felt Twilight's hooves on her sides. She thought she would be feeling uncomfortable, but she didn't. For some reason, she felt...safe?
When Twilight was done, Dash looked at it and then at her.
"....thank you."
Twilight just smiled and turned her attention to Alice and Rozelle, who started to tell each other their names as Alice ripped a piece of her shirt and used it to cover Rozelle's wound.
"Alice. Alice Finkelstein," she said, reaching out for a handshake.
"Rozelle. Rozelle Reinbold. Nice to meet you, Alice."
The two shook hands.
End of chapter 28
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 29: Always Meant To Be Together!
"WHY ARE THERE SO MANY DAMN VINES!?" Alice screamed, slashing a path through the area they were in.
Alice kept moving forward but stopped. She turned around and saw Twilight and her new friends far away.
"Why are you guys keeping your distance?"
Rozelle rosed her bandaged arm, making Alice upset.
"Oh, come on, I said I was sorry! I'm not going to hurt you or the rest of you." she swung her knife at them, quickly catching herself in doing the act. She sighed as she put the knife away. She sat on the ground. "Okay, I get it. Sorry."
Rozelle walked over to and sat in front of her, smiling. "Gosh, we were only joking. No need to get all upset."
Alice just gave her the stink eye, causing Rozelle to laugh.
"Oh my, you do look cute when you are upset."
Alice felt a blush appear on her face, and she quickly looked away.
"No, I'm not. You don't need to keep making fun of me!" Alice replied, all flustered, which made Rozelle smile.
"Aw, come on. Don't be like that. It's okay to take a compliment," she said, placing her hand on Alice's, but it was smacked away, causing the girl to feel hurt. "I'm sorry. Did I-"
"Leave me alone. Just leave me alone."
Alice turned her body around, leaving Rozelle with a sad expression. Alice didn't want to see her like that, but she didn't want her near her either. She just wanted her to leave her alone.
Dash and Twilight watched everything. Dash asked what her deal was, and Twilight answered.
"In her universe, she was bullied a lot, and she told me that once, she was tricked into believing someone liked her by complimenting her. But, it was all a big trick and a cruel one at that. They humiliated her, and ever since, she's had trust issues with people who are nice to her."
Dash just blinked as she listened to her.
"Damn. That's terrible..." She looked at Alice and saw Rozelle trying to apologize. "But she trusts you, right?"
Twilight nodded her head, agreeing.
"Yeah, but only because she is...well, me." Twilight looked up, seeing the vast branches being covered by the vines. "Alice opened a rift to here and saw tons of different universes and saw into mine. She saw how awful I had it. She felt a connection with me. That was why she trusted me more than you two right now."
Twilight looked back down and faced Dash. "Still, I'm surprised that Fayth came to you guys as well but..." she placed her hoof under her chin, thinking about something. "Why didn't she tell us about you and vice versa?"
Dash didn't know either and shrugged her shoulders.
"Who knows? All I know is that we need to help her and stop Spark! We can't let her send us back home!" Dash started to panic as she held her body, feeling like her body was on fire again. "I don't want to go back home! I don't want to burn anymore!"
Twilight felt so sorry for Dash. She didn't know why she was like this, but whatever happened to her in her universe was very traumatic.
"Don't worry, we won't. Let's hope Fayth is doing well."
"Come on, don't be like this, Alice! I'm really sorry!" Rozelle cried, trying to apologize for her actions.
"I said, leave me alone. You're making this harder," Alice replied, keeping her back to her.
Rozelle started to whimper but stopped. "Making this harder? Making what harder?"
Alice felt terrible, hearing the sadness in her voice.
"Rozelle, I...I can't trust anyone." she slightly eyed her. "Not even you."
Rozelle became angry when she heard that. She stood up, pointing at her. "Why? Is it because of my legs? Hate being around a cripple. A freak like me!"
Alice was surprised by her anger.
"What!? No! It's nothing like that. It's-"
"Then, what is it?" She walked around her, stood before her, and poked Alice's nose. "Tell me! What happened?"
Alice was getting annoyed as Rozelle poked her nose like a button.
"Stop it!"
Rozelle stopped and backed off. Alice was breathing heavily.
"I can't trust anyone because in my world, everyone hated me, okay! No matter what I did, no how much I tried to make friends, everyone hated me! And the one who pretended to be my friend just to get me alone with other bullies and beat me up! So, yeah, I don't trust anyone, including you!"
Alice stood up and turned away, not wanting to show her face to her.
"How can I trust you!? I bet you are working with Spark or something! You probably just wanted to stab me in the back or something. Yeah, that's what's going on!"
Rozelle was shocked by what she was saying to her.
"Alice...that isn't true. I would never do that to you. I would never hurt you!"
"WE DON'T EVEN KNOW EACH OTHER! SO HOW DO I KNOW!?"
Her response took Rozelle aback, and tears started to fall.
"Is that it, Alice? Is that how you think of me? Just another bully like those others who hurt you." she wiped her tears and became madder. "Idiot!"
Alice looked behind her, shocked by her words.
"Who the hell do you think you are? Calling me an idiot! I'm not an idiot!" Alice fired back.
"Yes, you are, Alice. Big dummy, dumb dumb! You are right; we don't know each other, but I'm trying to change that. However, you don't trust me. You won't let me get close."
Rozelle turned her back, walking away, not caring about where she was going.
"Fine! Be that way! Go on, keep being a big dummy!"
Alice didn't care where she was going and walked away, too. Dash saw this happening and wanted to stop it, but when she turned to Twilight, she could see her on the ground, covering her ears. Dash could see Twilight was scared, but why?
"...is she scared of the yelling?"
Alice stopped and looked around. She had been walking for a while and wondered if she was lost.
"Ugh, damn it, I got too mad and forgot where I was going..." she groaned, pushing the endless vines away.
She took out her pocket knife and wanted to cut down the vines, but she remembered how she hurt someone other than herself. She looked at her knife, seeing the dry blood on it.
"...I better not. I might bump into someone else."
She put away the knife and was about to walk when she heard someone running near it. Soon, bursting out of the endless vines was Rozelle, running like she was in a race, but her form was awful. She took notice of Alice but didn't have enough time to stop herself and ended up crashing into her. Both girls fell to the ground, and Rozelle landed on Alice.
"Ow! God, you're heavy."
Alice opened her eyes and looked up, seeing a pair of small breasts above her face. She blushed at the sight of their position, realizing the position they were in. Rozelle blushed, too.
"Oh my, I'm sorry!" Rozelle apologized, standing up and helping Alice, but quickly remembered her comment and dropped her to the floor. "Wait, did you call me fat?"
"OW!" Alice shouted, falling on her butt and glaring at her.
"No, I didn't. You are just...a lot heavier than I thought!" Alice corrected.
Rozelle looked away and didn't say anything. Alice sighed, feeling stupid. For a girl like Rozelle, hearing someone call you heavy was basically like calling you fat.
"Look, I'm sorry. You're not fat or anything. I'm sorry. It was wron-"
But Rozelle didn't let her finish as she pointed at her. "DAMN RIGHT, I'M NOT FAT!" she took different running poses. "How can I be fat when I look like this!? I'm fit as fuck!"
Alice watched her doing warm-ups, and soon, Alice felt annoyed. She stood up on her own and dusted herself off.
"Okay, I get it. You aren't fat, just really muscular and really, really heavy." Alice sighed, rubbing her head.
"Oh, I'm sorry, miss, I'm so skinny that the wind blows me away." Rozelle mocked, pointing at her.
Alice felt insulted and glared.
"Oh, come on, I'm not being mean to you. It would help if you ate more. Your bones are going to show soon." Rozelle said, grabbing Alice's shirt and lifting it. She poked Alice's tummy. "See! Bony."
"HEY, STOP IT!"
Alice backed off, grabbing her shirt and blushing as Rozelle laughed.
"You should see your face. It's so red!"
"S-Shut up! Why are you even following me!?" Alice asked, now the one doing the pointing.
Rozelle stopped laughing and crossed her arms. "What? I'm not following you?" she got closer and pointed at Alice. "You are the one following me!" but she smiled at her. "You must be fast to keep up with me! I was a star runner, you know! I was going to make it big..." she became somewhat sad.
Alice gave her a confused look.
"Keep up with you? No, you were following me, weren't you?"
Rozelle shook her head.
"I wasn't following you. I started to run in the direction I went." She smirked at her. "Oh, you were worried about me?"
"Wh-What? No! I wasn't!"
"Oh, you were! You were worried about me and followed me! Admit it, Alice!"
Alice kept shaking her head. She looked up and realized something. "Listen, it looks like we are going in circles. We should stop and-"
"No! Not until you admit it!"
"Admit what?"
"You are worried about me, Alice! Admit it!"
Alice started to get annoyed by this girl so much. "NO, I AM NOT! LISTEN, WE SHOULD GET BACK TO THE OTHERS!"
"NO, ADMIT IT, ALICE!"
"ADMIT WHAT!?"
"THAT YOU CARE ABOUT ME!"
Alice screamed as she looked away from her. "I wasn't worried about you, okay!? So stop thinking that!"
Rozelle didn't say anything as her smile left her face, and she looked away. She was upset that Alice honestly didn't care about her. She'd been trying her best to prove that she was trustworthy, a friend and all her hard work was thrown back in her face.
"...you don't have to act nice," she said, looking down at the ground. "If you didn't want me here, you could have just said so."
Alice looked at her, and she was silent but looked sad.
"You need to be more assertive than that, you know? Say what you feel, you know? Like, really show it!" Rozelle started to punch the air. "Like, say 'FUCK OFF! YOU STUPID BITCH!' or something like that!" she stopped, giving her a sad smile. "Don't hold back. I can take it."
Alice didn't say anything, and Rozelle walked off, leaving her alone. Alice sighed, and she turned, heading in a different direction. She didn't know where to go but had no idea where the others were.
Dash didn't know what to do, but Twilight acted strangely after Rozelle and Alice screamed at each other. They had been doing that for a while now.
"Uh, are you okay?"
"No," Twilight responded, her body shivering as she held herself. "I hate it. I hate loud noises, and the way Rozelle and Alice yelled made my heart race."
Dash wasn't sure what to say. Should she ask why or not?
"It's just that it reminds me of my parents when they fight...it always ends in yelling, and one of them would leave. But the worst part is the silence." Twilight closed her eyes, holding her body.
"Twi-"
"I HATE SILENCE!"
Dash jumped back, surprised by her screaming. Twilight started to cry as she held her ears now.
"Hearing nothingness reminds me of..." Twilight cried, looking up at Dash. "That is my fault!"
Dash blinked, confused. "Your fault? What do you mean?"
Twilight was scared, remembering everything that happened in her life. "I'm a huge failure! I ruin everything! Even my family's lives! I ruin everything!"
Dash could feel her pain and guilt. She wanted to comfort her, but she was a stranger to her. She looked at her hooves, tapping them together. She was thinking, trying to find something to do. She couldn't comfort her, and it seemed that Rozelle and Alice couldn't help since they had gone off somewhere. She looked at Twilight again, seeing her repeating the word, failure repeatedly.
Dash was getting angry at herself. She didn't know what to do.
"God, come on, Dash! Think!"
Dash tapped her head. She needed to think of something. Twilight helped with her bandages and didn't ask about her burn scars, as she was kind to her. Dash closed her eyes and sighed.
"Twilight..."
Twilight turned to her, confused, and shook. She saw Dash removing her bandages, revealing her burn markings.
"What are you-"
"This is who I am," Dash explained. "I'm a failure too..."
Alice stopped and looked around. She could see she was lost, but it hardly mattered. What mattered to her was whether Rozelle was okay. Alice believed maybe she was wrong to push her away.
"Why did I do that? She was a huge annoyance, but she wasn't bad." Alice said, kicking a rock.
Alice continued walking but soon encountered something on the ground. She became worried as she picked up Rozelle's prosthesis leg.
"Rozelle!" Alice called out, worried that something happened to her. "ROZELLE!"
Alice was freaking out as she couldn't find her.
"What if something bad happened to her!?" she thought as she ran randomly, hoping to find her. "Stupid! You should be using your brain, the smartest woman in the world, my ass! There be monsters here; you should have stayed with her and-oof!?" Alice tripped over something and fell face-first into the wooden bark. "Ugh, what the hell did I trip on? A stick? Oh, no, wait." Alice looked down and saw the other prosthesis. "Rozelle..."
Alice picked it up and became more worried. Although there wasn't blood, it still felt warm. She stood up and looked around, trying to find her.
"Where is she?" Alice wondered.
"ROZELLE!" Alice called out.
She ran again but started seeing something ahead as the vines finally started to thin out. She heard something like water, and when she finally exited the vines, she came across a lake. Alice was breathing hard, and her fears faded as she sighed with relief.
"There she is..." Alice sighed.
Alice walked up to the lake and could see Rozelle at its shore.
"Rozelle!" she called out to her.
Rozelle was surprised to hear Alice as she flinched and wiped her face. She put on a robust and cheerful face and waved at her as she turned around.
"Hey, Alice! What brings you-"
"FUCKING DUMBASS!"
Rozelle blinked, confused. "Huh?"
Alice stormed up to her and stood before her. She yelled again.
"I THOUGHT SOMETHING BAD HAPPENED TO YOU! WHY THE HELL DID YOU LEAVE YOUR LEGS BEHIND!? DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS!?"
Rozelle didn't respond as she stared at Alice.
"YOU ARE A BIG IDIOT!"
Rozelle gave a soft smile and became smug. "Well, you can worry about someone other than yourself, huh? Looks like-"
But Alice dropped to her knees, confusing Rozelle. Before she could ask why she did that, Alice cried.
"Be my fault if you die. I would have never forgiven myself for letting you get hurt because of me! Not again!" Alice broke down, remembering all the people she killed when her invention went into meltdown and blew up.
Rozelle was shocked to hear her crying and reached out to her, worrying about her now, but she was caught off guard as Alice hugged her.
"Please, I don't want anyone else dying because of me...I already have blood on my hands...please..."
Rozelle was surprised by the hug but more confused by what Alice had just said.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Alice said nothing, only crying on Rozelle's shoulder. She didn't let go of her as she kept her eyes closed.
"Alice, are you okay? What happened? Did you have a bad past? Tell me, please." Rozelle pleaded, but no matter how much she asked, Alice didn't answer, only repeating how she was a murderer. "What happened to you, Alice?"
"Dash?" Twilight whispered, seeing how Dash tried to be brave as she let someone see her burn scars.
"Yeah, I'm a failure too, so you aren't the only one..."
Twilight watched her, curious, as Dash started talking about her life and how she got these scars by burning up as a fireball when she pulled off a fiery sonic rainboom.
"When I looked up in the sky, I remember the feeling, the wind blowing through me, and my mane flying behind me. Then, I heard a boom of sound as my speed pushed me far, higher and faster than ever. It was the most powerful, quickest, and incredible thing I had ever done...then I can feel the fire coming down on me, burning and melting my flesh. I was in so much pain that I didn't realize I crashed back to the ground." Dash used her wings to cover herself now, as she felt too ashamed about her body. "I can't fly anymore. I'm a Pegasus who is afraid of flying, and my whole body looks disgusting."
Twilight didn't say anything as Dash was silent for a few seconds.
"The doctors told me I was lucky to survive, but I know the truth." she slowly eyed Twilight. "I died that day. The real me died, and now the only thing left is a shadow."
"A shadow?" Twilight asked, tilting her head.
"Yeah, a shadow of my former self. I'm not the same Rainbow Dash everyone knew anymore. I can't even remember the old me anymore."
Dash curled into a ball, crying as she remembered her old life, but she stopped as she left Twilight's hoof.
"Can you tell me...more about yourself?" Twilight asked with a soft smile, but she remembered she needed to be careful with her. "As long you are okay with it. Don't force yourself if you can't."
Dash looked at her, surprised and confused. She sniffled and wiped her tears.
"Why are you being nice to me? Considerate, even? Why?"
Twilight thought, and then she smiled. "Because I don't want to see someone cry."
"That's all?"
"Also, I want to understand you more." Twilight sat down next to her, now smiling sadly. "I don't know why, but I feel we are alike. You have a horrible past and seem to be scared of what you have become."
"And your point?"
"My point is, I feel I should help you because...I've been through the same thing. I can't even remember who I used to be or how I used to act."
"How?"
Twilight closed her eyes, remembering the exam day she was a filly. "There was a test at the School of Gifted Unicorns. We were tasked with hatching a dragon egg. Before the exam started, Princess Celestia told me she saw a spark in me. Something..." Twilight started to have a mental breakdown as she began to laugh. "DIffErEnt frOm thE rEst! shE bELIEvEd In mE! shE gAvE mE sO mUch hOpE thAt I wAs spEcIAL!" she gave Dash a creepyly smile, scaring her. Twilight was breathing, slowly realizing she was losing control and had to stop herself. She closed her eyes, took deep breaths, and calmed herself down. "I'm sorry..."
Dash had no idea what to do or say. The two just awkwardly sat there, not looking at each other.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Twilight opened her eyes. "Huh?"
"Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?" Dash offered, giving her a gentle smile. "...if you can, I mean. I'm not pushing you or forcing you!" Dash was the one who started to freak out now. "Don't be mad; I'm not forcing you or anything! Please don't take it the wrong way!"
Twilight looked away, and this caused Dash to believe she had done something wrong. She wanted to apologize, but she, too, looked away. But she wasn't unaware that Twilight wasn't mad; she realized something.
"...no one ever asked me what was wrong. To ask me what was bothering me. I guess the fact is that no one cares; no one has ever asked me about my troubles...I can't explain how I feel." Twilight sighed in her thoughts. She eyed Dash, seeing her pounding her head softly as she called herself an idiot. Something within Twilight is lit, making her feel a warm blush.
"Dash..."
Alice and Rozelle sat on the shore, watching the lake's surface moving from the soft wind.
"I was stupid, leaving my prostheses behind. I didn't even consider that you'd come and look for me. Sorry..." Rozelle apologized as she gave up on asking what was wrong with Alice.
Alice handed her back the legs and asked a question. "Why did you leave them behind like that? Wouldn't that make it harder for you to move around?"
Rozelle took them and tossed them into the lake, shocking Alice.
"Why did you do that!? You need-"
"I DON'T NEED THEM!"
Alice was silenced, shocked by Rozelle's sudden anger. She turned to her and saw the look in her eyes. Rozelle looked so mad and frustrated.
"I don't want them! Those stupid cheap legs! I hate them!" Rozelle punched the ground, scaring Alice.
"What is wrong with you!?"
"Those legs! They are fake! They aren't the real thing! They aren't my real legs!" she closed her eyes, remembering how she lost her legs and dear friend. "They are just a reminder of what happened to me!" She could see everyone giving her nothing but pity, not truly being there for her but just making a bunch of empty promises. She saw her parents acting the same way.
"What?" Alice didn't know what was happening. She could see Rozelle was distraught. She looked at the lake, seeing the legs going under.
"I hate them! I-huh?" she opened her eyes and heard something jumping into the lake. She could see Alice swimming in the middle of the lake. "What are you doing!?" she shouted as Alice was swimming back with her legs.
Alice threw them onto the ground, panting hard as she looked up at her. "The hell!? Threw them far. Do you play baseball or something?" joked Alice, hoping to lighten the mood, but it didn't work. "Sorry, I'm not good at jokes. Anyway, I'm not letting you throw away something that you need. You might not like them, but they are yours."
Alice grabbed one of the legs and was about to hand it to her as she lowered herself to her, but Rozelle slapped her face, shocking her.
"Don't you dare hand it to me! If I wanted to keep them, I would have! Please don't force yourself to be nice to me! Don't pity me like the rest!"
"Why the fuck are you so mad!?" Alice shouted, throwing the leg to the ground and standing up.
"You wouldn't understand! No one understands! You don't know what it's like having people treat you differently and look at you with pity! You don't have to deal with losing something! I lost my legs and..." Rozelle started to sob as she looked away. "Someone I saw as a dear friend, even a big sister. She was someone I cared about, but she is gone."
Alice didn't say anything as she stood still, not knowing what to do. She understood Rozelle's pain as she remembered how she lost her parents and Cadence. She ruined her brother's family by taking Cadence and her unborn child away from him. She wanted to tell Rozelle this, but something was stopping her.
"I don't need any help! I don't need anyone's pity! Everyone thinks that, and I'm sick of it!"
Alice looked at the legs on the ground, slowly kneeling down to grab them. She looked at Rozelle, who was too busy with her thoughts and sadness to notice her.
"Rozelle...I'm sorry what I'm about to do."
Rozelle didn't notice until Alice pushed her down to the ground and pulled up her sundress, causing her to turn red and scream at her. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU PERVERT!?"
Alice ignored her and tried to put Rozelle's leg stump into the leg.
"What the hell are you doing!?"
"Shut the fuck up and let me focus!" Alice yelled back, trying to force it.
"No! Don't you dare put it on!" she started to punch her in the back, which Alice will give her credit for. Rozelle was hitting her pretty hard. "You don't know what it's like! You are healthy and strong! You don't have to deal with what I deal with!"
"Rozelle shut the fuck up and listen!"
"NO!"
Alice finally got the stump into the leg and made sure it was secured and not loose.
"Shut the fuck up and listen!" Alice screamed, now grabbing the other stump. "You need them! How else can you move around!? I'm sure as hell not carrying you around!"
Rozelle stopped and glared at her.
"YOU REALLY DO SEE ME AS FAT!"
Alice couldn't believe this girl. She didn't mean it that way, but she was glad Rozelle was angry about something else rather than before. "That's not what I meant! But seriously, I can't carry you around everywhere!"
"I'M NOT FAT!"
"Jesus Christ!" Alice shouted, now wishing Rozelle went to being mad at her for putting the legs back on her. "I'm not calling you fat, okay!? By common logic, you can't walk and only be a burden!"
Rozelle said nothing, feeling hurt. "Fine..." she muttered, turning away from her.
Alice looked at her, wanting to do something to cheer her up, but nothing came to her mind. She just put the last leg back on her and stood up. Her back was facing Rozelle, and she finally said something to her. "...also, I can't carry you because I'm not strong."
Rozelle looked at her, seeing Alice hating herself as she closed her hands into a fist.
"I'm not strong, I'm weak, okay? I can't carry you. I'm not the person to depend on or to be around, alright?" Alice took a deep breath, now turning her head. She saw a confused and worried Rozelle. "I'm just a weak girl afraid of what's ahead. I'm scared of the future and what I can do. I did something bad, and I can't forgive myself for it. I don't want to fail you, okay?"
Alice didn't know what to do as she felt a tear falling down her cheek.
"So please, don't think I'm pitying you. I don't want to see you throw away something important—something you need to be..." Alice looked away. "You."
"What?"
"I just met you, but I can't picture you without them because I see them as a part of you, who you are." Alice sighed, knowing she wasn't making any sense and might be making it worse.
Rozelle blinked and looked at Alice back. At first glance, it looked frail, but upon a closer look, she saw someone trying their best, not for themselves, but for her. It looked strong.
Rozelle felt her cheeks burning up. It wasn't like anything she had ever felt before. The warmth of her face, her beating heart, and her soft breathing were all new experiences. Rozelle could feel something bubbling within her, wanting to get out. She opened her mouth but stopped; she couldn't express what she wanted. She didn't want to lose someone else that she cared about. She realized she had fallen in love with Alice, and the thought of losing her scared her. Rozelle couldn't let this happen again. She had to bury these feelings deep down and keep them locked up.
"Alice, I..."
"Huh?"
Alice looked at her and could see her blushing and looking away from her.
"My stupid cheap legs are broken. That's why I left them behind and tossed them in the water. They are useless," Rozelle said, tears forming in her eyes. "I'm useless."
Alice could hear Rozelle's voice shaking and saw she was trying to hold back her tears. Alice sighed, walked over, and sat down.
"Show me."
Rozelle quickly looked at her with a surprised and deep blush.
"I said, show me. Maybe I can fix them? I might not look like it, but I build and work with machines, so let me try and see what I can do."
Rozelle stared at Alice before slowly nodding. She slowly looked down at her legs, covered by her sundress. She tried to lift her dress but became shy, as she didn't want Alice to look at her thighs.
Alice could see Rozelle was now acting weird, but she chalked it off as being uncomfortable showing her legs to her after she told her, "It's fine. Take your time. I'm not rushing you."
"Um..."
Rozelle nodded and slowly raised her dress and hid her blush with her dress. She could feel her leg moving up as Alice held it. She peeked and became somewhat upset. Alice mumbled to herself as she looked at the leg of the cheap robotic prosthesis, and she was more amazed at it than she was looking at her.
"You are you sure these are cheap? Sure, it has cheap parts, but most are high-end parts. This isn't a brand. Not even cheap will be like this. Whoever built these did an amazing job with the parts they had, like many parts shouldn't be working with each other. Hell, it's waterproof, too!"
Rozelle didn't know how to feel; Alice wasn't looking at or complimenting her, but it was about the legs. She lifted her dress even more, showing her a bit of her thighs now.
But Alice didn't notice as she was focused on the legs.
"Whoever made these is a genius in craftmanship and building. How the hell can you do all this with mostly cheap parts? Like, you really need to be a specialist. I wonder how much the legs cost?"
Rozelle looked at Alice, seeing her entirely focusing on the legs. She dropped her dress and puffed her cheeks as she gave up and looked at Alice's work.
"Egghead..." she whispered but smiling, happy to see Alice being...well, herself. She wasn't being so gloomy anymore.
Dash tried to think of a way to apologize to Twilight, but she worried she might make it awkward and didn't know how to handle it. "Umm...do you like cookies?" she cursed at herself for saying something stupid.
Twilight opened her eyes and was surprised by her question. "What?"
Dash started to sweat. "Do you like cookies? I like sugar cookies; they are delicious."
Twilight was confused, and she wasn't sure how to respond. "...yeah, I guess, but why are you-"
"I can make you some. After becoming a shut-in, I started to learn how to cook for myself when my parents were at work. Even cleaning and other things. I can make it up to you for making you feel awkward."
Twilight looked at Dash.
"So please don't hate me..."
Twilight was taken back, hearing her voice breaking. She could see Dash was on the verge of crying.
"I had a friend once, but I pushed her away cause she saw someone that needed to be cared for. I could live alone and not need anyone other than my folks. But it's hard. It's so hard..."
Twilight saw the tears forming in her eyes.
"Please..."
Dash couldn't hold back as she started to cry, causing Twilight to panic. She tried to think, but as ideas began to fill her mind, deep within, she could hear a voice telling her that she was going to fail them all. Her trauma of failing was coming back, and she couldn't shake the feeling. Something inside her wanted to get out, and the fear she felt before was returning.
"I can't..."
She could feel the pain she had locked away and the anger. She could hear them telling her she couldn't change or make up for it. She will always be a failure.
"I can't fail again..."
Dash wiped her tears as she turned and looked at Twilight, shocked by what she saw. Twilight's horn was sparking like she was trying to cast a spell, but she couldn't.
"Twilight?"
"I can't be a failure!"
Twilight's trauma and fear were making her use magic, a magic she had never used before. She remembered how her entrance exam went, where she couldn't use magic. To the point that she forced herself so hard to use her magic that there was a magical feedback that caused damage to her horn, and it was happening again. She could feel the feedback building up within her horn. She couldn't stop it and looked at Dash with fear.
"RUN!"
"Huh?"
Twilight couldn't hold it back. "RUN! PLEASE RUN!"
Dash could see the sparks getting more potent and hear Twilight screaming in pain. Before Dash could do anything, the feedback in Twilight's horn blew up, and everything around her was gone from the blast.
"Ahhh!"
"What!?"
Dash went flying back and landed on the ground hard. She slowly got up, and her vision was trying to focus. Her ears were ringing, and the last thing she remembered was...
"TWILIGHT!?"
Dash got up and saw the area around them was in magical flames as the vines and wood burned. As she watched the fire burn everything, Dash remembered her trauma—burning alive as she fell out of the sky. Her heart was racing as she remembered how much it hurt, and she began to shake as she looked around.
"Twilight!?"
She tried to calm down, but the heat of the flames was getting to her. She was remembering how she burned, the pain, and the fear. Dash could feel herself losing it, and she was hyperventilating. She couldn't stop shaking, and the flames were starting to reach her. She wanted to run away and be safe, but something kept her in place.
"TWILIGHT!"
It was for Twilight. She couldn't leave her after being so kind and caring to her. She had to help her. She had to save her. Dash took a deep breath and began to move through the flames. The heat was unbearable, and her skin was burning from it. She was sweating bullets and panting. She kept moving forward, ignoring everything as the only thing on her mind was...
"Twilight!" Dash called out, thinking only of her. She jumped over the burning bark, seeing the clearing ahead. Flames were in a small crater, and she could see her, Twilight, in the center of it.
"Twilight!" Dash cried, jumping down into the crater. Twilight was lying down. Her body was slightly burned, but nothing like how Dash remembered her body was like when she became a fireball. She was glad that Twilight escaped the same fate as her. Dash was panting as she helped her up. She ignored the flames, as all her focus was on Twilight. She slowly lifted her onto her back and began to climb out of the crater. Dash was sweating buckets and panting as she reached the top. As she got out, she was surprised to see the burning area become normal again. She couldn't question it as she put Twilight down. Dash could tell she was alive but passed out from the blast. Dash was still panicking and hyperventilating. She couldn't help but look around, hoping something or someone would come to their aid, but nothing ever came.
"Twilight..." she cried, laying down next to her and putting her head next to her. "Please don't die...please don't go..."
Dash slowly closed her eyes and hoped for the best...
"Okay, I think I know what's wrong," Alice stated, finally putting the legs back on the ground. She faced Rozelle and was going to explain, but she could see her looking upset and mad for some reason.
"What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" Alice asked, seeing Rozelle turn away from her.
Rozelle was upset with Alice. She thought that Alice would at least glance at her thighs or something, but nope, all her focus was on the stupid prosthesis legs. What was so amazing about them? She was the one who was amazing! Not some stupid legs. She should be looking at her, not those things. She was the one who was important, not some cheap fake legs.
"No, you didn't do anything wrong, Egghead."
Alice raised an eyebrow. "Egghead?"
Rozelle smiled as she explained. "Yeah, Egghead. Looking at you, you seemed to be a tomboy at first, but looking at how you were so amazed and focused on my prosthesis legs, you seem like a girl who loves technology. So since you are a nerd, an egghead."
Alice chuckled as no one really called her that before. If she and Rozelle were friends, that would be a cute nickname, but she doesn't think they are.
"Yeah, I'm a tomboy. I like wearing boyish outfits and not stupid dresses or girly things. But I'm also a nerd. I love reading, building, and learning. I want to travel the world and learn everything. I'm a nerd, but I prefer egghead. Sounds cute, so thanks."
Alice didn't overthink what she had just said. She just liked the nickname. She looked at Rozelle, but her smile quickly faded as she could see Rozelle blushing madly. She didn't know if she said something wrong.
"Um...did I say something bad?"
Rozelle was blushing, thinking how adorable and cool Alice was.
"Cute...so cute...Alice..."
"Huh?" Alice didn't hear her and was confused by Rozelle's weird behavior.
"SO WHAT'S WRONG WITH THOSE STUPID LEGS OF MINE!?" Rozelle exclaimed, turning away, blushing.
Alice was shocked by her outburst but answered. "Well, from looking at it, nothing is broken. Just the wires to the computer interface came loose. So all I need is to open it and reconnect the wires. First, I need to remove screws, so..." Alice was about to take out her pocket knife to use as a screwdriver but stopped. She remembered and worried she might scare Rozelle again after hurting her.
Rozelle could see how Alice couldn't let go of the previous events. She was joking but now saw that she had gone too far.
"It's okay. I know you aren't going to stab me or something. I was joking..." She looked sad. "A bad one, too. I didn't mean to hurt you or anything. I just got carried away. I'm sorry..."
Alice was a little upset but knew it was her own fault, too. She did cut her. "Don't worry, and I'm sorry, too. I should have been more careful when swinging my knife..."
Alice took out her knife and started to unscrew the screws. One was giving her trouble, and she held her palm more rigid and more close to the screw. She tried to twist it with more force, but the knife popped out slightly and cut her hand.
"Crap."
"Alice!" Rozelle said, worried, seeing the knife pop out and Alice's hand bleeding. "Huh?"
Rozelle was shocked to see how little Alice cared about the wound, almost like she didn't feel the pain. "Oh man, it's not too deep but bleeding." Rozelle could see Alice laughing all nervously. "Sorry if I get blood in there. Hold on." What Rozelle saw next left her speechless.
Alice rolled up her sleeve, not wanting to get blood on her purple jacket. But by doing so, she revealed all of the scars on her arm and the bandage wrapping, hiding the new scars she made. She used her knife to cut a piece of her shirt and used it as a bandage wrapping. She smiled at the quick first aid she did.
"There we go. All done. Now, to get back to wor-huh?" Alice saw Rozelle touching her arm, feeling it up. That's when Alice realized she exposed her self-harm scars. She tried to back away and hide them, but Rozelle grabbed her arm to keep her in place.
"...you hurt yourself?"
"Please...let go..." Alice was trying to hide her arm.
Rozelle wasn't letting go. "Why are you hurting yourself? Why do you keep doing it? Alice, you don't have to do this to yourself! It's not right or good. Why do you keep harming yourself?"
"..."
Rozelle could feel Alice shaking. "Alice..."
"..."
"Alice?"
"Because I should have died...not my parents or my brother's girlfriend! ME!"
Rozelle was shocked and didn't know what to say. Alice wasn't holding back anymore.
"They died! They are dead! And they are not coming back! All because I was too bright for my own good! I made something that killed them! I WAS SO STUPID! I HATE MYSELF, OKAY!?" Alice pulled free from Rozelle's grip, and with her trauma of seeing the burned remains of her family, she needed to cope right away. She held the knife and was ready to cut her arm.
"STOP!"
"NO! I NEED TO DO THIS!"
"THAT WON'T FIX ANYTHING! PLEASE STOP!"
"SHUT UP!"
"ALICE!"
"I SAID SHUT UP!" She was about to do it when she saw Rozelle's bare arm being pushed into her view. "Huh?" She looked up and saw Rozelle with her eyes closed, trying to be brave.
"CUT ME INSTEAD!"
Alice didn't understand.
"Cut me instead. You won't fix anything or solve anything by cutting yourself. You will just be hurting yourself, and you will feel worse than before. Please cut me instead! If you need to cope by cutting something, then CUT ME! USE ME! CUT ME!"
Alice couldn't understand the logic behind that. "NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"
"YES, I CAN! I DON'T CARE IF YOU CUT ME! I DON'T WANT YOU TO HURT YOURSELF ANYMORE! BECASUE...because..." Alice could see her crying now. "Because I don't want to see you covered in more scars, not when I can do something about it. So please...please...cut me..."
Alice didn't understand what was happening, and her heart was beating. Why was she offering her arm, telling her to use her as a coping device? That was wrong on so many levels. She shouted as she was crying.
"Stupid! You are a stupid moron!"
"I know."
"You can't solve my problems by allowing me to hurt you like that!" Alice's lips started to tremble.
"But...it's the only thing I can do..." Rozelle said softly. "So please, stop cutting yourself."
Alice's eyes widened when she saw her older brother in Rozelle's place, begging her to stop cutting herself. Alice needed to cut herself as a way to make herself pay for hurting him. He always worried for her, but seeing Rozelle, someone who had just met her, was worrying for her and even going so far as to stop her by offering up her own body. It was stupid yet sweet, and Alice felt her heartache. She couldn't cut Rozelle. It was wrong. It was wrong seeing her in pain...that's when it hit her.
"...brother..." Alice started to sob as she dropped the knife, realizing the pain she was feeling was the same as when her brother saw her cutting herself and begged her to stop. "I'm sorry..."
"Alice?" Rozelle saw her crying, and her heart broke. She moved closer to her and hugged her. "It's okay, Alice. I'm sorry."
"No, I'm sorry. I was hurting myself because of a bad thing that happened. I was punishing myself for it."
"You did nothing wrong. You shouldn't punish yourself over that."
Alice wanted to tell her she was wrong, but she couldn't. She didn't know why. Maybe she wanted someone to tell her that. "It hurts so much. The memories...the pain...I can't forget..."
"It's okay, Alice." Rozelle rubbed her back as she was holding her.
After a long while, Alice was fine again and back fixing Rozelle's leg. She gave the knife to Rozelle, as she didn't want to hold it anymore. Rozelle unscrewed the screws and got the covering off, allowing Alice to go in and reconnect the wires. It wasn't a perfect job, but it would do.
"All set."
Alice closed the prosthesis covering, and Rozelle screwed it back up. She set the knife down and quickly stood.
"I'M SO BACK!"
Alice was confused about why she suddenly got up and tried to stop her. "Wait, I haven't fixed the other—" but Alice couldn't finish as Rozelle fell forward because her other leg didn't move.
"I'M SO NOT BACK!" screamed Rozelle, falling on top of Alice and making her fall back onto the ground.
Rozelle was panicking as she felt her leg wasn't working, and she looked down at Alice, who was underneath her, face-first in her chest. Rozelle slowly became red, realizing where Alice was. She tried to stand but couldn't and fell back down on Alice.
"I'M SORRY!"
Rozelle felt so embarrassed, but she felt Alice's hands on her sides, lifting her. Rozelle looked at her, seeing she was also blushing.
"You don't look it, but you are damn heavy." Alice smiled, hoping to ignore the weird situation they were in.
"Heavy!?" Rozelle shouted but then started to giggle. "Stop calling me fat!"
Alice started to laugh while Rozelle joined her. "I'm not!"
"Yeah, you are! Admit it! You think I'm fat!"
"No!"
"You do, and you love it!"
Alice laughed but stopped. Rozelle did the same. Rozelle didn't know it, but she slowly moved closer to Alice's face, her lips nearing hers. Alice didn't move, not wanting to stop it.
"..."
"..."
"Alice..."
"Yes, Rozelle...?"
Rozelle wanted to kiss her but chickened out and quickly got off her. She looked away. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to fall on you."
Alice lay there, all red, as she felt something in her chest. She sat up and looked at Rozelle. Alice felt her face burning but pushed the thought away.
"It's fine. Anyway, we need to fix the other leg." she tapped her lap. "Put the other leg here, and we can start."
Rozelle said nothing and did what she was asked. She placed her leg on Alice's lap. She pulled her sundress up and started to unscrew the covering for the computer section. As she did that, she eyed Alice, who was blushing. She tried and failed to not look at her thigh, which made Rozelle giggle.
After a while, Alice was done, and she stood up first. "Okay, it should be fixed. Trying standing and walking but slowly, ok-"
"I'M SO BACK!"
After walking a bit, Rozelle looked at Alice, smiling, but noticed that Alice had her hands out, almost ready to catch her. When Alice realized she wouldn't fall, she sighed with relief.
"Good. Looks like I did a good job."
Rozelle smirked and let herself over, making Alice catch her in her arms.
"You did great," she said, winking at her.
Alice's heart skipped a beat as she blushed. She helped Rozelle stand up. She didn't realize Rozelle had her hands in hers, but she quickly let go when she noticed.
"Sorry."
"For what?"
"Nothing..."
Alice quickly changed the subject and looked around.
"We better find our way back to Twilight and Dash. They must be worried sick about us."
"Right."
As the two looked around, trying to guess where to go, Rozelle noticed Alice was attempting to make mathematic equations using the area's layout and the branches above them. She quickly tuned out as Alice kept thinking out loud to the point that she grabbed her hand, pulling her in a random direction.
"Come on, this way," Rozelle said, pointing.
"Wait, hold on, I was trying to think-"
"We don't have time for that. Let's go."
Alice was going to protest, but she saw how serious Rozelle looked and let her lead. She knew she wasn't ever going to win against her anyway.
After a while, the two kept walking, not realizing they were holding hands. The walk through the vines was different, as they could see the vines were alive as they slowly moved away from them, making a path to follow. Alice was shocked and believed the vines were a living animal or something, while Rozelle just said it was magic. Alice wasn't happy about that, as she wasn't used to magic being real outside of her universe.
"Speaking of the universe," Rozelle said, turning to her. "What kind of universe do you live in? It must be like mine, no? We both are humans, after all."
Alice thought about it as she looked down but soon saw her hand holding Rozelle. She quickly let go, making Rozelle realize the hand holding too. The two blushed. Alice tried to think of something to say and kept looking down, she eyed Rozelle legs.
"...how did you..." she stopped herself, realizing that was being too rude to ask.
"How did I lose my leg? Is that what you wanted to ask?"
Alice said nothing but nodded.
"Well...I was in a car accident."
"Oh..."
"My coach and friend to the family, who I also looked up to as a big sister, died. While I lost my legs...I still miss her...I wonder if things could have been different...if I was the one who di-"
"Don't say that..." Alice whispered, not wanting her to finish her sentence. "I know how it feels to lose someone. Trust me, it hurts, but don't think of dying, okay? Because..." Alice blushed harder. "I don't want to lose you. Even if we only just met, I don't want you dead..."
Rozelle couldn't help but smile and blushed. "Okay...I won't think like that anymore. Sorry, I brought that up."
The two became quiet as they continued to walk. Soon, they could see something ahead—Twilight and Dash in the distance. Rozelle became happy and was about to run off, but she felt her hand being held. She looked back and could see Alice blushing but also looking worried.
"I don't want you to get somehow lost and crash into me again," she joked, trying to cover her blush.
Rozelle smiled and gently squeezed her hand, reassuring her. "Then let's go together."
Alice smiled and nodded. They walk back to the two mares.
Before all that, Twilight regained consciousness, but her vision was still blurry. Her body was aching, and she could hear a familiar voice.
"Dash..."
"Twilight? Twilight? Are you okay?"
"Yeah..." answered Twilight, slowly sitting up. Her vision became normal again, but she froze, seeing Dash's wing over her body. She quickly pushed her wing off, her face flushed. "Dash, your wing..."
"Huh?" Dash looked and saw her wing but didn't understand why Twilight pushed it off. "I was trying to keep you warm. I didn't know what else to do."
Twilight looked down, knowing she was overreacting. "Thank you, Dash, but warn me before touching me next time."
"Sorry?" Dash said, rubbing the back of her neck.
Twilight sat up and remembered what had happened. She felt her horn, feeling so ashamed she let it happen again. When it first happened in the school classroom, it destroyed half of it, but she noticed the area was fine.
"Odd, the feedback should have damaged the surrounding area, but didn't?" Twilight wondered what had happened.
"No, it did," answered Dash, still sitting like a loaf of bread.
Twilight was shocked by Dash's answer. "But where is the damage?"
Dash shrugged as she spoke. "The area just...healed itself. Magic, I guess? I don't know how, but I saw the area healing itself."
"How?"
"Beats me."
Twilight sighed, not liking the answer. Dash finally sat up, making Twilight look at her...which made her heart drop at what she saw.
"DASH!?"
Dash became spooked when Twilight yelled at her and asked her what was wrong. Twilight pointed at her chest. Dash looked and slowly started to hyperventilate when she saw it, and soon, she felt the pain.
"W-What!?" questioned Dash, touching the new flesh burns and flinching from the pain. Millions of questions filled her mind, like why didn't she feel any pain until now? She started to envision herself burning again. She wanted to scream.
Twilight realized the burns must have been when the magical feedback in her horn was released. It hit Dash, which is why she was hurt. She could see how Dash was reacting and going to have a breakdown. She needed to calm her in some way. She quickly grabbed Dash's cheeks, making her look at her.
"Look at me! Focus on me!"
"T-Twilight..."
"You're going to be okay, Dash! You're not burning anymore. Just focus on my eyes. Just my eyes. That's it. Just keep looking at me, okay?"
Dash did what Twilight said. She focused on her purple eyes. Dash took deep breaths, trying to calm herself.
"Just focus on my breathing and listen to the sounds around us," Twilight suggested, trying to hold back her tears. This was her fault. She was the reason why Dash was hurt. This wouldn't have happened if she hadn't let her emotions get the best of her.
After a few moments, Dash had calmed down. She was still staring at Twilight, and Twilight was still looking at her. Dash had the same feeling again. She felt safe when she was around Twilight. Maybe that's why she didn't feel the pain before. She was only thinking about her and nothing else. She slowly moved closer to her. Their noses were close, and Twilight noticed the movement, not backing away.
"Dash..."
"Twi..."
They got closer, their lips almost touching, but Twilight pulled away. She wanted it to happen, but the other part of her knew better. It kept telling her she was a failure and that even having a marefriend would end badly. She didn't want to ruin Dash's life because of her.
"Dash...I'm sorry, but we can't...you deserve somepony better. I have problems, and the same is true with you. I know we can't work out."
"I don't care."
Twilight was shocked, but she still refused.
"It's my fault you got burned., because of failed magic. We can't fix each other, Dash. Please stop, okay? I don't want to hurt you again."
Dash was hurt but knew Twilight was right. They weren't in the right place, and the timing wasn't right, but being around her made her feel safe.
"I don't care; we can't fix each other, but can we at least be friends? Please?"
Twilight knew Dash would keep asking, and it would be best to accept her request. She agreed but told Dash to stop trying anything and that they were just friends.
"Yes," Dash sighed, knowing Twilight would tell her off if she didn't.
"Good." Twilight smiled, happy they agreed on something.
"What's good?"
Both mares jumped, surprised, and turned and saw Alice and Rozelle. They soon darted their eyes at them, holding hands. They looked at both girls, seeing them slightly blushing. Dash did a small laugh.
"Well, the last version of me can get a marefriend..."
"Shut up, Dash," both girls said in sync, their faces all red.
"I'm kidding," laughed Dash, waving her hooves in surrender.
"Anyway, we should start looking for a way out," Twilight said, standing up.
They all agreed and started to walk.
It felt like hours as they walked in the endless area of vines. The four girls felt bored.
"So...Twi."
"Huh? Yeah?"
Sticking to her like glue, Dash asked what kind of universe she lived in. Was it like her universe? Twilight asked her what it had, and she said something.
"Summer Sun Celebration just ended, then Alice's machine pulled her and somehow me into this place."
Dash got closer to her. "Wait, did you also have the Summer Sun Celebration in your universe? Same! It ended as well. I was walking in Cantorlot when something pulled me here with Rozelle."
Twilight stopped, finding that very weird. "What are the odds?"
Dash was confused. "What do you mean?"
"Well, what are the odds that our universe had the Summer Sun Celebration on the same day?" she needed more answers. "Dash, what happens in your Summer Sun Celebration? Like what kind of events happened?"
"Well...um..." Dash started to explain what events were held, but she stopped when she saw Twilight looking shocked.
"Dash, what day was it? Was it Juno 10?"
"Yes, how did you-"
"In my universe, that was the same day too."
"So what are the odds that our universe had the Summer Sun Celebration on the same date?"
Alice chimed in. "Will the odds be...hold on." She started to do the math and finally concluded. "The odds are... 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000-"
"Yes, the odds are beyond low since the multiverse is endless, but still...I wonder..." she turned to Dash. "Maybe our universes are the same one? It will make sense."
Dash looked shocked and excited. "Really!? If true, we can see each other if we ever return."
Before Twilight could answer, Alice chined in again. "Why would Twilight go back? She told me her life is awful, just like mine; she doesn't need to return there. Besides, we're helping Fayth get to the Tree of Elyndra. She can undo all our problems! She can even undo your scars, Dash!" She then turned to Rozelle. "Give you back your legs!"
The others remembered why they were there: to help Fayth reach her goal and stop Spark from destroying her plans. Dash nodded, and everyone started to walk again, but Alice turned to ask Rozelle a question.
"By the way, you said you were in a car accident, right? How did it happen? Did someone crash into the car?"
Rozelle nodded and explained that she and Reginn were heading to a Sia concert on the highway when a dark-looking rainbow pillar of light appeared, creating an emp. That's when the accident happened.
"After what happened, I heard the reason for the light, and the emp was because of some weird explosion from a meteor that landed in some neighborhood. That's what the news said...huh? Alice?" Rozelle noticed that Alice had stopped walking and looked odd as if she had seen a ghost. "Alice?"
Alice couldn't believe it. Rozelle was from her universe and lost her friend and legs because of...
"Me..." she whispered, sweating and backing away from Rozelle.
"Alice? What's wrong?" Rozelle asked again, feeling her trying to let go of her hand.
Twilight and Dash stopped and turned around, seeing what was going on. Alice started to freak out and tried to let Rozelle's hand go.
"Let go, Rozelle!" she shouted, but Rozelle didn't.
"Tell me what's wrong, Alice. Talk to me, please! Why are you acting like this?"
Alice kept shouting at Rozelle, demanding to be let go.
"No! I won't! Not until you tell me wh-"
"I WAS THE ONE WHO TOOK YOUR LEGS AND YOUR FRIEND! IT WAS ME!" Alice screamed. She couldn't keep it in anymore. She was holding back her tears.
"W-What?"
"It was me! I created a device with an endless power supply, but something happened. It blew up and created what you said. A dark-looking rainbow light created an EMP that knocked out the power in the town and most of the city." Alice explained, not daring to look at her.
"..." Rozelle said nothing; she finally let Alice's hand go.
Without hesitation, Alice ran off, not caring where. Twilight and Dash tried to stop her, but she was already gone. Twilight turned to Dash, telling her she was going after her and telling her to stay with Rozelle. Both turned to her, seeing Rozelle standing there, not saying a word, just staring off where Alice had run off.
"I think it is best you stay with her, Dash. She's going to need you," Twilight said, turning around and running off.
"I understand, but..." Dash didn't want to leave Twilight's side, but she was right.
Dash turned to Rozelle, who was now looking down. The bang of her hair covered her eyes. Without warning, she fell to the ground, landing on her rear. She put her knees to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, and buried her head between her legs.
"Hey, hey. Come here." Dash slowly sat down next to her and wrapped her wing around her, pulling her close and comforting her.
Dash could hear her sobbing...
Alice didn't care where she went; she needed to be away from her. She didn't want to hurt her again, and she didn't want anyone else to hate her. Because of her stupid actions, she took away Rozelle's legs and her best friend. She kept running until she tripped and fell to the ground.
"I'M A MONSTER!" She screamed, punching the ground. "A STUPID MONSTER! I TOOK AWAY HER LEGS! SHE HATES ME! SHE WAS A STAR RUNNER FROM WHAT SHE TOLD ME! NOW SHE CAN'T BE ONE ANYMORE BECAUSE OF ME!"
Alice kept screaming. She didn't notice as Twilight finally caught up and hugged her, trying to calm and comfort her.
"Let it out," Twilight told her, holding her tightly.
Alice turned to her and hugged her back, letting out all her emotions. Crying out the pain, she held her tight.
"She hates me, Twilight! She hates me! She won't even talk to me!"
Twilight shushed her and stroked her head. "She doesn't hate you."
Alice dug her face into Twilight's chest.
"...she does. Everyone does after what I did. She is no different. I am a monster. I ruined her life. She can't run anymore. She can't run...she can't run..." Alice said, repeating the same thing.
Twilight kept holding her. Trying her best to calm her down, but unknown to them and the others, the area around them started to change; the wood bark created a shrine around them. For Twilight and Alice, there was a purple star under them and on the wooden walls, while Dash and Rozelle had a rainbow thunderbolt with a cloud over it. A rainbow brick path was created out of the shrines and went down until they met with each other and continued until it stopped under a large group.
"I think we are close," Snake stated, chewing on a sugar stick.
Brigitte rolled up next to her. Snake handed her a stick, and she took it. They and the group could see two large shrines ahead of them. "What made you think that?" she smirked, making Snake laugh. "Let's go. Those kids are waiting for us."
The group started to head to the shrines, but vines burst out, spitting the group back into the original two groups. They wondered what was happening, but the vines pointed to the shrine. They didn't question it and headed off to the shrines.
Unaware by the groups, Fayth was floating above and glaring at them.
End of Chapter 29
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Chapter 30: Getting Help From Others
Spark snapped back to reality, rolled over on her stomach, and slowly got up and stayed on her elbows and knees, looking at the ground.
"Even after meeting each other, they couldn't help each other. There was no hope for them..."
Lauren lowered her head, getting closer to Spark, asking what she meant by that. Spark looked and was surprised to see her teacher there.
"Teacher?"
Lauren smiled at her. "Hello, my hopeful student. Can you tell me what you meant by that? There is still hope for them, isn't there? There always is. You always believe in that."
Spark shook her head. "Not this time. My spark is gone teacher; I'm tired. My pain...my actions, my problems..." Spark started to cry as she looked back at the ground, her tears hitting the grass. "I only brought problems to others and started to drag others down with me into my pain. I only made things worse... I want everything to end..."
Lauren was worried. Spark had never given up on anything, and this wasn't like her. Lauren had to bring her student back. Before she could say anything, she heard voices. She looked and saw Dawn and Cozy rushing to her. The two stood before Spark, asking what was wrong and who she was talking to. Lauren remembered that since she's an author, mortals or, in this case, characters can't see her unless she wants.
Lauren looked back at Spark. Spark ignored the two, repeating that she was tired and like Fayth. Lauren didn't want to believe it, but Spark had given up. Lauren could feel a dark aura coming off her, growing. Spark was in pain, and it was hurting her.
"Spark, listen to me. Don't give up on your spark; you are a wonderful and caring girl. Please, don't do this. Don't give in." Lauren was begging her student.
Spark looked back at her, tears running down her face. She looked broken.
"I want it to end! I'm like Fayth, I'm so done with everything! The pain and hardship aren't worth moving forward anymore. I want it to end."
Lauren and the two girls could feel the dark aura getting stronger and stronger.
Lauren was about to say something, but she and the others were knocked back and thrown across the meadow of the lake.
Tomomo quickly saw this and used her powers to catch them. Lauren thanked her, but the two girls were confused about who had caught them. They all turned to Spark, who was slowly becoming Star Breaker again, but this time was different. She stood up; her flowing twilight mane with a hint of the rainbow was gone and completely replaced with black and dark purple. Her eyes lost the signs of life, and the spark she had since held within her was gone.
"There is no moving forward in this awful book we call life, teacher. We live, we suffer, and we die. Nothing more, nothing less. This is the fate we live in. It's better this way...to stop trying."
"Spark!?" Dawn shouted, not believing what she was hearing from her.
Tomomo turned to Lauren, asking what was wrong with Spark.
"Spark is the living embodiment of a moving forward, the very meaning of a spark within us all." Lauren could feel the dying hope coming off of Spark that she needed to step back a bit. "But what happens when that spark of hers is dying? She becomes the living embodiment of hopelessness. Blitz and Braver, her sisters, who is a copy of your Star Breaker but Spark? She is the copy version of Suguri and Sora. Sora pushed forward through the war, the hardship of living in one and ending it, giving the world hope. Suguri lived peacefully thanks to Sora, but even though she hated fighting, she would protect the earth from danger. Keeping the world alive, alive thanks to Sora's hope. That's what the spark is: hope."
Spark's body started to turn slightly black. Her puffy rainbow jacket was trying to fight off the darkness and stop it from replacing its rainbow colors with darkness.
"Spark also carries the copy of Star Breaker within because she allowed her sisters to feed off of her...this is Spark's version..."
Spark slowly had a twisted smile, her eyes becoming sadistic and threatening.
"Spark Breaker..."
"What is she?" Cozy asked, scared. "That isn't Spark anymore!"
Lauren backed away, feeling the powerful aura coming closer to her. Tomomo did the same, as she had never felt this much power from Spark or any normal beings. This power rivaled even their own, and that scared her the most. She forced Cozy and Dawn back, much further away.
"Okay, this isn't good! We now have three Breakers in one universe!"
Lauren glared at her. "Only because you brought Star Breaker here! I still didn't understand why you chose her and not someone else. Hime would have been a better pick!"
"Look, Hime would stand no chance against Fayth! Even Suguri, being billions of years old, couldn't handle her, so there was no way in hell Hime would have done any better." she snapped back. "As for why Star Breaker, well, it was obvious."
"What's obvious!?" Lauren snapped, annoyed.
"Star Breaker is stupidly strong, stronger than anything in my written universes. She was the perfect candidate for this."
Before Lauren could fight with her with it more, Spark Breaker clapped her hands loudly, getting their attention.
"Sorry to interrupt, but I have a few words for you, dear teacher." Spark Breaker raised her hand in the air. She started to gather powerful negative dark energy. "Why do you keep holding on to hope? Why do you keep struggling? You know how all this ends, right? We beat Fayth, but she will restart everything at the last second." The dark negative energy became a tiny black hole. "The other versions of Spark, from the last rewrites, always fail, so there is no point in moving forward. She, or in this case, we will, will fail too. So why not skip a few pages and move forward to the ending?"
They watched as Spark Breaker's black hole slowly rose above her, and soon, a bright black flash of light blasted for a few seconds. That's when it happened. A black hole started to suck everything up.
"But this time, this ending will be permanent. No more rewrites; it's time to publish this awful story!" She turned to the-
N̷̡̕o̸̡͝,̷͔̓ ̴͖͑n̶̻̽o̷̰̐,̷̫͂ ̷̗̾I̷̠͌ ̵̝̽d̷̮̓ó̷̼ǹ̵̹'̷̧͐t̴̢̿ ̵̠́t̴̞̐ų̸̈́ṛ̶̌ň̷̻ ̴͕́t̴̛̳o̵̲͌ ̶͕͂t̷̺̍h̵̫̾e̷͈̓ ̶̺̄ǧ̵̨ŕ̴̤o̷̧̓u̴͖͌p̸̛ͅ.̵̤̃ ̶̬̽I̷̼̅ ̴͇̏t̴̛̥u̸͍͑ȑ̸̺n̷͙̈́e̴͔͂d̷̢́ ̶͍͑t̴̥͒o̵̩̚ ̵͎̊y̸͘͜o̶̮͘u̵̡̽,̴̤̃ ̵͙͌t̴̠̐ḩ̵̔ẻ̸̫ ̶̥̀r̶̢͝e̵̻̓à̷͈d̷͚̔e̵̘̊r̶̙͠s̵̗̅.̸̧̌ ̶̨̍Y̷̳̌e̴̡̓s̶͈͗,̶͍͝ ̴̗͒Ị̷͝ ̷͈̚s̶̹̑ẽ̸̜e̴̥͌ ̶̫̏ỵ̸̏o̴̲͝u̵̼̓ ̴̥̐o̵̤͒u̵̥̕t̵̝̿ ̵̞͆t̷̛͔h̸̻͌ḙ̵͛r̸̟̚ȩ̷̏.̵̹͋ ̷̪͂Y̸͖͗o̵͔̒u̷̧̒ ̶̦͐n̸̩̒å̶̬ű̸͚g̵̝̅ḧ̸͓́t̷̠͝y̴͔̅ ̸̞͂l̵̝̉i̵͉̓t̷̩̚t̸̩͊l̶̡̀e̸͙͋ ̶̜̑p̶̹̈́ë̴͓e̴̹̓k̷̰͠ḯ̴͜n̵̘̈g̸͍͘ ̸̗̌t̶̜͗o̵̳̓m̷͇̎s̷̯͌.̶͇̏ ̴̹̾I̷͇͝ ̷̱̎h̸̻́ả̶̬v̷̹͝e̵̡͠ ̵̹͝b̶̦̃e̵̠̚e̵̾ͅn̶̫̈ ̷̫̃w̵͕̓a̴͙͆t̵̥͛c̷̺̎h̷͖͗í̴̱n̸̡͝ġ̵͜ ̷̱̇y̴̡̑ỏ̶̭u̸̫͗ ̸̨͠a̷͔͠l̶̛̜l̷̳̏ ̴̫̿f̷̭͋o̷̺̔r̸͉̔ ̴̻́a̸͔̐ ̴̭̿ļ̷̆ǫ̸̀ň̵͍g̷̻͛ ̷̭͐ẗ̵̠́i̸͓̚m̶͍̍e̷̤̒.̵͙̿ ̶̻̉Ĭ̶͎ ̵̢̈́h̷̟̄å̶͜v̶̘́ẻ̸̼ ̶̦͒s̴͔̓ẻ̵̺e̶̟͑n̶̖̈́ ̴̩̾w̶̧̿h̷̗̊a̸̰͆t̵͓͊ ̵̣̋y̸͎̔o̴̤͌ǔ̵̬ ̶̱̇ṙ̷̤e̴̳̅a̵̖͌d̷̨̉.̸̪̄ ̸̥͘S̴̛̭o̵͓͐m̸̼͗e̷̬͒ ̶͙̒o̴̬͛f̸͚͗ ̵̝̈́ý̸͎ó̸̮u̵̞̚ ̸͖̆ẽ̶̳n̵̎͜j̵̧̉ȍ̷͉ỹ̷͔ ̶̞̉r̵̖͊ė̷̟a̷̛̦d̷̘̎i̶̛̠n̸͕͌g̵͖̕ ̶̭͋h̴̢͑ạ̶̃p̴̛̝p̴͎͐y̸͍̅-̵̯̄t̵͈͊ő̷̡-̸͕͝s̴̥͗h̷̉ͅi̴̠͗p̵̲͂p̷̗͛i̷̗̅n̷̖͝g̵͊ͅ ̷̠́f̸̯̾i̴̮͌c̸̳͑s̵̪̃,̸̙̃ ̶̣́b̶͉̐u̵͖̕t̵̉ͅ ̶̫̀ȯ̸̫t̵̯̍h̴̠̀ē̶͚r̸̠̋ś̶̫?̵̛̩ ̶̝̀Ÿ̸͇́ȯ̸̱u̷̙͊ ̴̝̓ẉ̶͛ȁ̸͓n̶̠͆ţ̵͠ ̸̱̿t̵̹͐h̸̢̋é̵̠ ̶̪͑ḓ̸̃a̴̦͘r̶͎͊k̶̤̒ ̶̰͐p̵̼͋a̷̼̕ŕ̶̺t̵̞̃ ̶̯͝ó̴̬f̷̈͜ ̴̮̏f̸̬͝ì̶̘c̵̟͝t̷͉́ȉ̶̞o̷̝̊n̵̼̏,̷̼̿ ̵͎́r̸̲̃ë̷̡́a̷̼͠ḏ̵̚ỉ̵̡n̸͖͐g̴̙̽ ̸̝̈́t̷̥̔ẖ̴͊ê̶̪ ̶͖͊h̶̹̓ő̵͜p̶̭̔e̷͖͘ĺ̴͍ē̶ͅs̴̜̕s̶̝̐n̴̛͙e̸͚͆s̷̬͝ŝ̵͉ ̷̝̕o̵̰͑f̷͕̑ ̸͕̆t̴̢̔h̷̤͊ė̷͕ ̴͕̒m̵̦͠ả̸̱n̴͈̍é̵̯ ̴̪̍ś̸̥i̶͈̓x̶̪̋ ̸̙́ŏ̸̱r̶̟̍ ̷͎̋o̴̟̓ẗ̸̮́h̷̦̔e̸͖͌r̵̖̈ ̸̰̓c̸̲̚h̷͉̄a̶̼̕r̷͙̈́ǎ̴̙c̶̳͝t̵͎̊é̸̠r̸͕̉s̸͚̍ ̷̩̉ị̷̏ṋ̶̕ ̴̀͜s̴̚ͅp̶̜̀ȇ̶͍c̴̞̔ǐ̴̤f̷̢͛ī̴̙c̴̙̒ ̴̲̒f̴͙̅ạ̸̀n̴̜̎ ̶͇̊f̶̬͛i̴̤͂c̷̰̄t̶̯̓ì̸̺o̴͎͠n̸̗̊.̴̻́ ̶̘̆Ŵ̴͓h̷͠ͅe̴̯͘r̷̢͑e̸̲̒ ̶̞̔t̶͈͗h̸͍̽e̸̾͜ỳ̸̜ ̷͊ͅl̵͙̎o̵͕͐s̶̜̍e̵͕̅,̴̳̿ ̴͍͌d̷̖̐i̵͇͛e̵͕̓,̸̨̆ ̶̮͂b̴͚̓ē̶͚c̴͍̃o̷̯͘ṃ̵̂ĕ̵͜ ̵̟̄e̶͎̕v̴̘̌i̶̘͐l̸̪̈́,̸̘́ ̷̢͆o̶̜͘r̸̖̉ ̷̠̎f̷̘͐o̴̲͝r̷̆͜ ̶̢͊y̵̧͘o̷̻͑u̸̘͝,̵̩̔ ̸̦̚f̷͇̂o̷̧͆r̶̜̓ ̴͍̀h̸̢͘o̵̰̒r̸̥̐ń̶̦y̵̲̑ ̸̭͐r̶̎ͅé̷̫a̴͑ͅd̵̘͂ę̶͂r̵͖̿s̸̋ͅ,̶͙̎ ̵͎͠b̵̪̓ḛ̵̕c̸̠̄ǒ̸̹m̶̻͌ḯ̷͍n̸͚͝g̵̭̅ ̸͓̌s̵̤͌ĺ̷͇u̴̘͒t̷͈̓s̸͙͆ ̷̘̅f̴̱̎o̸̩̊r̸̝̓ ̸̼̿y̴͈͝ō̴̜u̶̦̇r̸͔͆ ̵̞͑d̷͉͆ë̶̙e̸͖̚p̷͈̓ ̵̹̓ḏ̶̒ę̴̎ş̸͂ḯ̶̝r̵̡̅é̸̺s̵̖̅.̴̗̈́ ̶̘̕Ý̷̘o̸̹͊u̷̜̾ ̶͔̂l̶̫͆o̷̭̓v̷͎̚e̴͍͠ ̸̱̾ẗ̴͕́ö̷̘ ̶̦͘w̷̳̑ą̴͌t̶͕̅c̷̮̄h̵͉͊ ̶̜̈́t̷͖̆h̵̙̆e̵͕͂m̴̭͐ ̵̙̎s̷̹̆ṷ̶̇f̶̨́f̶̖̾ȩ̷̿r̸̞̈́ ̷̗͊a̴͛͜n̴̘͒d̶̥͛ ̷̝̾t̴̺̆h̸̦̾e̷̳̅n̸̜̆ ̶͔̓b̶̜̈ē̷̬g̷̹̽ ̴̦͘t̴̺̀ō̴̡ ̵̠͊b̶̲̐e̶̗͝ ̶̙̀ş̵̿ā̵̝v̴̥̊e̴͇̕d̵̥̾,̶͉̐ ̴̟̏b̶̞̄ụ̶̆t̷͙͒ ̴̧̀n̸̥̍o̸̓ͅt̷͗͜ ̵̯͊r̸͇̊é̸̗a̴̖͌l̸̨̂l̴̯̒ÿ̵̲;̷͈͗ ̴͉̀y̴̢̔ó̵̲û̸̢ ̴̭́l̸̘̄o̵̻͝v̷͔͑e̸̼͌ ̸̣̈ẅ̴̮́h̸̲̃ȩ̶͋n̵͇̎ ̴̯̓t̸̀͜ḩ̶̎e̴͕̾r̷̞̍ë̴̯́ ̵͍̎ǐ̵̟ś̷͜ ̸̫̚n̶̲͗ȏ̷͉ ̴͙̋h̶̩͆o̷̗͒p̵̨̎e̴̋͜.̵̤̋ ̸͇̍A̵͖͛n̸̟͒d̷̜̽ ̵̟͝t̵͓̓ḥ̴͂ȩ̷̅n̷̘͘,̴̮́ ̶̠͠ḭ̶̽ǹ̸ͅ ̶̰͆t̸̲͛ḧ̸́͜e̸̮̒ ̴̠͐e̶̖͛n̶̝̔d̴̠̃,̸̳͠ ̸̘̿ẁ̶̡h̵̥̚e̴̥͊n̵̘̏ ̸̠͋a̸͘ͅl̸̟̃l̸̖̊ ̷̙͑h̴̖͌ȯ̴̬p̷͍͂e̴̘͒ ̴̫̉i̴̤̓s̷͔͆ ̵̡̓l̸͓̍o̶̞͝ś̷̖t̷͈͠,̴̺̂ ̶̢̅t̴̙̑ḧ̸̝e̵̻͝ ̷͓͗e̴͙͝ň̷͈d̵̖̓ḭ̸̐ń̵̲g̴͍͛ ̸͈̃f̵̝́i̵͔͗ń̷̨a̸͉͆l̴̪͂l̶̥͒y̸̗͝ ̶̹̐á̷͜r̵̫͋r̷͙̈í̵͎v̴̙̿ë̴́͜s̸̟͠,̸͇̃ ̵̫̑a̴̰͂n̵͕͛d̵̹̅ ̸͍̑y̵͚͝o̸̘͐u̶̬͝ ̸͚̓g̶̠̓o̵͉͝ ̵͙͑a̵̹͐n̶̦͌d̶̰̀ ̵̰̉r̴̫̕ĕ̴̟ä̶̘́d̶̙̉ ̷̘̊a̵̹͝n̴͔̐ò̴͉ț̷̏h̵̙̓e̴̝̐r̷̯͗ ̵͑͜o̷̯͒n̸̐ͅe̵̞̓,̸̘̍ ̷̰̅ň̵͇ō̷͈t̶̢̓ ̶̬͠ċ̴͍å̵̪r̵͍̿i̵̜͝n̸̻̊g̵̘͛ ̴͉̆w̸̭̕h̶̹̀a̴̞̎ṱ̸̎ ̶̤͒h̷̨̾a̵͚̾p̶̥͘p̴͚̓ë̵̪n̸̞̈́e̸̮̍d̷̪́ ̶͖͝t̵̯̐ọ̸̎ ̶̼̀t̶̘͋h̸̦̓e̵̦̐ ̶͉̓ľ̷̡a̷̢̐s̷̙̆ẗ̵̬́ ̸̠̃u̸͙̚ṇ̶͝i̶͚̾v̷̫͂e̴͖̾r̷͎̄ș̵̌e̵̼̎ ̸̖̚ẏ̷̢ǭ̴u̴̠̐ ̶̖̉r̷̬͑e̷̥̕ā̷̼d̵̳̓.̷̘̊
She laughed loudly and twisted, scaring Lauren and the others.
"Now, teacher, let me show you the truth and why moving forward is pointless." She increased the black hole strength. "Why moving backward is better."
The black hole was powerful enough to suck everything around her into it. She kept laughing, and Lauren and the others could only watch. Lauren tried to use her magic to stop her, but a blast of negativity from Spark Breraker stopped her.
Fayth, Star, and Breaker didn't notice the black hole below them. It was almost like something kept them from noticing as they kept fighting each other.
As Spark Breaker laughed, a rainbow bubble landed before her, and Twilight and the others were stepping out.
"Spark!?" Twilight and Twilah shouted, seeing what Spark had become into.
Spark Breaker stopped and looked at the group.
"Hello, mothers. Are you shocked to see the new me?" she eyed Nightfall, looking at her blankly. "Not you, though. I know why, too. That tiny hope that came to you won't be a thing. Her future is dead as long as I'm here."
Twilight, Twilah, Dash, and Dashie turned to Nightfall and Sky, asking what she meant by that. Of course, the two ignored their questions and smiled at them.
"Stay focused. We need to get Spark back to her old self so she can save her sisters." Sky looked at the burning red sky, seeing Breaker fighting and her slime body starting to melt. "We need to hurry! Their bodies are breaking down!"
Dash glared at Spark Breaker. "Okay, so how do we do that? Did Spark become like Nightmare Moon or something? Can the Elements can undo it!?"
Nightfall walked forward and sat down. She looked at Spark Breaker but smiled and looked to her left, seeing the purple-cloaked figure reading their book. The figure lowered her book and smiled back at Nightfall. She pulled out her feather pen and started to write something in the book.
Back at the library, Lucy was helping the others with the wounded. Everyone who didn't take part in the battle with Fayth was here.
"You're going to be okay, Flare," she said, holding Flare's hand as poor Supermare was dying.
Lucy looked around, seeing the others. They were severely hurt to...dead. She could see Aaira holding the remains of Little Star. Lucy feels so useless right now, being the only average human here.
"Lucy!"
Lucy turned around and became happy to see Sunny and Wallflower were okay. Not only that, but they were with the rest of their friends. Before they could reach her, a weird white flash of a star appeared.
"What was that?" she asked, looking around.
"I don't know...huh?" Flare answered. She sat up and realized she was fine again.
Lucy noticed this, too, and looked around. She was beyond confused by what she saw. Everyone was fully healed and okay...but when she turned to Aaira, she could see that Little Star was still gone. But the weirdest thing was that the town was back to normal as if no big battle had happened. The only battle that was going on was at the top of the dam. Lucy and everyone there could feel it; the hopelessness that was growing as a black hole could be seen, but even though it was sucking things up, the surrounding area was still normal. It didn't make sense.
Before anyone could act, they were all gone...
...and reappeared behind Twilight and the others.
Eirika drew her rainbow sword, wondering what had happened, but she lowered her sword as she and the others could see Spark in what she had become. Nightfall thanked the figure, who nodded and returned to reading her book.
Nightfall turned to her daughter, who looked angry, as she, too, noticed the figure. "You aren't Spark, my daughter, but her trauma and fears made real. You were born from them, a twisted version of her."
She laughed. "I see what you are doing, trying to change who I am in this chapter." she eyed the cloaked figure, who was writing again. She looked back at Nightfall. "I'll allow it because it won't matter. In the end, everything will be gone. Nothing will matter."
Nightfall gave her a severe look. She then did something that no one realized she could do. Not even Twilight and Twilah knew, as Nightfall's eyes glowed bright purple, and she used the royal Canterlot voice.
"RAINBOW SPARK! YOUNG LADY! COME TO ME NOW!"
The voice echoed across the entire planet. Even the three above stopped fighting and finally noticed what was happening below.
"Did...did Nightfall just use her Canterlot voice?" Twilight asked, not believing her ears.
Sky had her ears covered and turned to Twilight. "She's been able to do it since the day she met you, Twilight. She has been practicing it for years."
"WHAT!?"
They turned back, watching Nightfall. Spark Breaker had her hands over her ears, her body trembling. She slowly removed them. She was smiling, but they could tell she was scared—scared like a little filly being caught doing something bad.
"You really think...I'll let her-"
"YOUNG LADY! I'M NOT FOOLING AROUND! COME TO ME RIGHT NOW BEFORE YOU GET IN BIG TROUBLE!"
"Okay, Mommy..."
Everyone was shocked when Spark Breaker suddenly became her original self and started walking towards Nightfall, but soon, the Breaker self reappeared, trying to keep Spark from gaining control.
"No! I won't you take over because you are being yelled out at from stupid bitc-"
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, YOUNG LADY!? I THINK YOU NEED TO BE PUNISHED FOR THAT, TOO!"
"NO! MOMMY!" Spark shouted, her ears lowered, and she held her rear. She gains control, but the way she sounds sounds like she is in a trance. She hurried over to Nightfall and sat before her, not daring to look at her.
Spark Breaker reappeared and struggled to look at her. Spark Breaker's eyes were filled with burning rage.
"How!? HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS!?"
Nightfall placed her hoof on her Spark Breaker's head, softly petting her.
"You never had a mother, have you? You were born out of hatred, but still, I pity you." She looked at her daughter, who was in her trance state. "Spark, honey. Please return to yourself."
The Spark Breaker self tried to stop her, as in Spark's self-consciousness, a war was happening, and the original self was losing the battle.
"Mom...please...no, she is...my body...my mind, I don't-"
"It's okay. Sweetie. Your mother is here."
Spark slowly opened her arms, waiting for Nightfall's hug, but nothing. She looked up, seeing her mother smiling and shaking her head.
"Not me, sweetie. I'm not really your mother, and you know that from the start. Your real mother is gone. She died when Star Breaker took over your sister's body." Nightfall explained while Sky walked over and continued for her.
"We are just the Elements of Harmony, carrying their memories. We became them because of your talent, overcoming anything. You allowed us to overcome the rules that held us to our purpose." Sky got closer to her, nuzzling her. "By creating your own Element based off ours. Even with the memories and feelings of your mothers, we will see you as our daughter. We love you, but it's time. Time to finally let go."
Sky backed away, and Nightfall spoke as she tried to hide her tears.
"It's time we finally say goodbye to you. We love you, sweetie."
The two mares step aside, revealing Twilight, Twilah, Dash, and Dashie to her.
"Your real mothers are here for you."
When Nightfall said that, the four hurried over and hugged Spark, surprising her. She finally allowed herself to cry, but Spark Breaker took over.
"DIDN'T TWILIGHT TRY TO TAKE CONTROL OF YOU, LIKE FAYTH SAID!?"
Twilight shook her head, crying. "I didn't do that! I just needed you to be asleep to enter you and get..." Twilight and the others looked up, making Spark do the same. Spark couldn't believe what she was looking at.
Spark shook her head in disbelief and slowly raised her hand to the sky, trying to reach out to them—to her sisters, who were as Breaker and fighting Star and Fayth again.
"Blitz...Braver...how?" she whispered.
"You really think we allowed those to die, Wet Blanket?"
Spark and her mothers looked at JA and the rest of the Elements.
"When they broke down after freeing you from them, we used our magical powers to keep them alive. We had hoped you would return to your Element to visit us, but you saw that place as only pain," she explained.
Flutterwonder spoke next. "Pain because it was the place where you thought you killed your sisters."
"You carried the belief that you didn't earn it, living outside of that prison you created for yourself." Remedy stated.
Quartz pulled out a very long handkerchief from her mane. She blew her nose in it, making silly clown nose noise. She looked at Spark, smiling. "But you did earn it, silly willy. You deserve to live a happy life!"
All four looked up, looking at Breaker. All four spoke in unison. "Same with them! You and your sisters deserve to be happy!"
Spark was going to cry, but Spark Breaker took over, trying to get out of the hug.
"No! I refuse to make her believe that! THERE IS NO HOPE! NO SPARK!"
She screamed and forced herself free, and her body went into a state where it started to shift between her and Spark's form, her voice changing between the two.
"NO SPARK ! THERE IS NONE! THE CYCLE WILL CONTINUE! YOU ARE JUST A WEAPON, A CLONE! REMEMBERED THAT! END THE SUFFERING NOW!"
"That's not true, Spark!" Twilah shouted, but her sickness made her cough, causing Dashie to hold her tight.
"SEE! YOU MADE HER SUFFER! YOU ALLOWED TO SHOW MERCY TO FAYTH! YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN HER! YOU TWO ARE THE SAME! GIVE IN LIKE SHE DID! YOU ARE NOTHING! YOU ARE-"
"Enough!" Twilah screamed, pushing Dashie off and struggling to stand and walk. She could feel the pain in her body; she felt so weak, but she didn't care. Her daughter needed her. She looked at her and shouted at her, not wanting to hear more of Spark Breaker's lies.
"That's enough, Spark. Listen to me; listen to what I wanted to tell you." She fell on top of her. She could hardly hold her as her arms felt so weak. "Spark, you aren't Blitz or Braver or a clone of your parents. You were raised alongside your sisters and picked up our best parts, the ones we want our kids to have. That's why." She closed her eyes. "Your sisters loved you when they learned of your existence and wanted to share their world. You keep thinking you stole their lives to have it, but you are wrong." Twilah opened her eyes, smiling. "We always felt you were with us, and you always will be, no matter what happens. Because you're part of our family,"
Spark leaned back, being herself right now.
"But-"
Twilah hugged her again. "No buts or what ifs or anything that makes you doubt yourself. Just believe in yourself, my child. That is all we want. Spark. We always had room for you."
Spark smiled, feeling the warmth in her mother's body...but Spark Breaker returned, hugging Twilah too hard.
"Shut up! Don't listen to the lies, damn it! I won't allow-"
"Spark."
Spark returned and looked up, seeing Suguri floating above her. She landed and gave her a warm smile.
"Remember what I told you? Listen to the story you were telling the others. Remember what happened to those kids and all those you gathered."
Spark looked down and shut her eyes. She remembered what happened to them...
Shrine of Magic
No matter what Twilight did, Alice wasn't calming down. She was lost in what to do. She felt so helpless in helping her human counterpart. She didn't care why they were in some shrine; all she cared about was what was helping Alice...and that help did come, not just for Alice but for herself. She suddenly heard footsteps entering the place. She and Alice looked at the entrance and saw the cloaked Twilight, but others were with her.
"Alice! Younger me! I have returned, and with Spark's help, she brought others who will show you that you two aren't the only ones who suffered. To help you move forward in life!" she said.
Shrine of Loyalty
Dash and Rozelle could see the blind Rainbow Dash and brought a group with her.
"Dash. Rozelle, you can still fly! Please listen to them. Listen to what they have to say to you!"
All four kids glared at them, and in unison, they said, "NO!" Above the shrines was Fayth, who had just finished writing her book. She controlled them again, ensuring those kids wouldn't be saved. The kids spoke as their dark emotions took over.
"No, how can I take those steps when I lost the means to run..."
"It has always been like this! I have always been alone! No one ever wanted to know me because I acted like a boy! My life has been hell, and I can't handle it anymore."
"How can I take those steps when the only thing that keeps me going, the one thing that made me, ME, are gone!?"
"I'm a failure; I couldn't even get a cutie mark since I was a filly! I'm an outcast, an embarrassment to my family, and I can't make friends. How can I continue like this? All I do is bring misery to others and myself. Why can't I have a happy life?"
"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."
"It's not fair, it's not fair...I want a happy life and friends, but why can't I have one!? I wish it would stop, and everyone would be my friend and not hate me. But it never does."
"Why can't it stop!?"
"I can't keep doing this!"
"I'm done."
"I have no purpose, and I'm a failure. The world would be a better place without me."
"I lost everything that made me, ME! I want my old life back; I want the old me back!"
"I lost myself that day, the person I was always meant to be. My dreams were broken, and my heart was shattered."
"HOW CAN WE MOVE FORWARD!? WE SAW OTHER VERSIONS OF US WHO HAD IT BETTER THAN US! NEVER HAD TO SUFFER! THEY NEVER HAD TO FEEL PAIN! NEVER HAD TO FIGHT FOR EVERYTHING! NEVER HAD TO GO THROUGH TRAUMA! WHY WERE WE THE ONLY ONES TO GET IT LIKE THIS?! TELL US!"
Soon, the four released a black mist covering everything in pure darkness...
But there was a flicker of burning light that couldn't ever burn out...
"...please, tell us..."
Alice and Twilight sat in the darkness, holding on to each other. Their eyes were lifeless. The darkness started to change. The two could see a destroyed bedroom; it was Alice's bedroom. Alice let go of Twilight and stood up. She could see the burned remains of her family and Cadence. She shook her head, as she didn't want to remember this.
"Stop! Please! I don't want to remember this!"
She dropped to her knees, seeing Cadence's badly charred face looking at her.
"It hurts, doesn't it?"
"Huh?"
Alice looked up and saw Petra on the ceiling. She landed alongside her, removed her mask, and sat down.
"This wasn't your fault, Alice. What happened was out of your control."
"I'm the reason why this happened! I was the reason why Cadence died! MY PARENTS," Alice cried.
Petra placed her hand on Alice's shoulder. "You didn't do this. It would be best if you saw that. You had no idea that was going to happen. There is nothing you could have done."
Alice shook her head. "You are just like Spark! You don't understand me; you weren't in my shoes! Because of how smart I am, I killed them and many more!"
Petra touched Alice's chin. She was making her look at her.
"But I do."
Soon, the bedroom became a hallway of some building. Alice and Twilight could see posters of wrestlers on the walls. Soon, they could see Petra walking out of an office, holding a small amount of cash.
"Jerk, paying me so little money for that cage match."
Petra walked away, not noticing a man entering the office. Petra headed to the end of the hallway, to the elevator. She pressed it and waited. She waited until she heard some yelling and turned around. She could see a man running out of the office, holding a bag of cash. The manager of the wrestling company shouted at him.
"STOP HIM! HE STOLE MY MONEY!"
Petra saw the man coming her way. She heard the elevator doors opening and stepped aside, allowing the thief to enter it without stopping him. He looked at her and smiled,
"Thanks, kid."
The door closed, and he was gone. Soon, everything changed, and Alice and Twilight could see they were outside. It was raining, and a group of people was gathered around something. Alice pushed through the crowd and saw Petra holding an old man.
"Uncle Ben!" Petra cried, holding her dying uncle.
He smiled. "Petra, my dear niece. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have fought back...he wanted the car..."
"Save your strength! An ambulance is on the way."
Uncle Ben touched her cheek. "It's too late, my dear. Just know that with great power comes great responsibility. Take care of your aunt for me."
Petra watched as the life left her uncle's eyes, and the heavy rain covered her tears. She held her uncle and screamed out in sadness.
"The carjacker that killed my uncle was the one I let onto the elevator, the very same man I could have stopped," Petra said, standing next to Alice. "But I didn't because of that. I killed my uncle, Alice."
Alice turned to her. Her eyes slightly gained life again.
"You didn't! It wasn't your fault! You couldn't have known that was going to happen!"
"And yet, it did. I blame myself for what happened, but..." Petra looked at her, smiling as she held her mask up. She was making Alice look at it. "My uncle's last words of wisdom were about power and responsibility. I took that to heart. I decided to fight crime, not just as Petra Parker but as Sunset-Spider. I have the power and responsibility to help others. A person asked me what was more important, saving just one life or many more, and you know my answer was?"
Alice looked up, tears in her eyes. "What?"
Petra put back on the mask, being Sunset-Spider, and answered her. "You can't ignore someone who's in danger. What's important is not standing by and allowing someone to suffer or die because you do nothing. Great power comes with great responsibility. They might be right that we can't help everyone, but it's our responsibility to try!" She got on her knees, holding Alice's hands. "Don't be afraid of your intelligence and the helpful things you can do, Alice. What happened to your family and those caught in the EMP blast was not your fault. None of it is; only one person is to blame, and you know who it was. So.."
Alice watched as Sunset-Spider stood and disappeared into the darkness, but she could still hear her voice.
"Helping others to move forward! To keep fighting! That is your responsibility, kid! Don't give up!"
Alice looked down, trying to think, but soon, the darkness changed. Twilight could see she was back in her house. She could even see her parents fighting like always—yelling at each other, blaming each other for how Twilight was acting, failing, and becoming worse over the years. Twilight quickly covered her ears. She didn't want to hear the screams anymore.
"It's been rough, hasn't it?"
"Huh?"
Twilight saw Soraya standing beside her, watching the fighting unfolding before them. Twilight answered.
"Yes...my parents were never like this...they never fought!" She started to cry. "It's all because of me! Because of how much of a failure I am! I want to give up! They don't need a daughter like me!"
Soraya turned to her and petted her head.
"It is easy to give up. But it doesn't suit you."
"Huh?"
Soraya turned back to the scene and continued to speak.
"Let's start here! From square one!" She pointed to Twilight's parents. "FROM ZERO!" Twilight suddenly saw her parents frozen, and Soraya pushed her forward. "Tell me, you do believe what you just told me? Thinking your parents don't need you?"
Twilight nodded. "Yes, they always fight because of me! There is nothing but fighting! All they ever do is yell at each other! There is no love because I took it away..."
"You need to face it."
"Huh?"
"That's why you can't accept yourself and keep telling yourself you are worthless. You keep pushing away and denying the truth."
Twilight turned to her, her eyes confused. Soraya pointed to Twilights's parents once more, and time returned to normal, with the yelling and screaming returning. Twilight held her ears.
"STOP IT! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANYMORE! I KNOW THEY HATE ME! I KNOW THEY DON'T LOVE ME ANYMORE! THEY ALWAYS YELL AND BLAME EACH OTHER FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO ME!"
"A lot about what you said bothers me, but you know what's the worst? You wanted them to hate you, so you tried to achieve that by lying to yourself." Soraya stated.
Twilight could feel Soraya's hands around her hooves, pulling them away from her ears. She started to hear her parents, but something was different...
"W-What?"
She could hear crying and her parents blaming themselves for Twilight's problems, then each other now.
"I'm sorry, Velvet, I didn't mean it..." Night Light said, holding his wife in his arms as they sat on the couch. "It's my fault, not yours. I should have been there for her more but failed her instead."
Velvet held her husband closer, telling him to stop it. "It's not. We both are to blame. We failed our daughter."
"B-but...I didn't hear them cry or say any of that! They were yelling and blaming each other! They hated each other and blamed each other for what happened to me!" Twilight shouted to Soraya.
Soraya closed her eyes. "You saw what you wanted to hear."
The memory changes to show Twilight leaning on the wall and not listening to her parents. She is just whispering to herself, saying she is a failure to herself. Soraya stands next to her, showing Twilight hearing herself saying those things.
"All this time, you lied to yourself, and all your life, you tried to make them hate you. But they never could because...' Soraya forced her to look at her. "They are your parents! They didn't have you because they wanted you to do something for them. They had you because they wanted to do something for you."
"B-But," Twilight tried to protest, but she stopped when Soraya held her hoof, and the scene changed. Twilight could see herself going to the kitchen, getting food, and heading back to her room to keep researching magic. Her mother stopped her, asking if she wanted anything else, but Twilight stopped and then ignored her as she went to her room. What Twilight heard next made her break down in tears.
"Take care, honey." said her mother with the most caring and loving tone.
Twilight turned to Soraya, who was smiling. "Your parents are like mine; they are there for you when needed. Even if you push them away or are a failure, they will always be there for you. You need to open your eyes and see that."
Soraya disappeared into the darkness, but her voice remained.
"There's nothing wrong with crying. You can cry all you want. Everything will be fine if you smile when you're done. What matters isn't how you start or what happens in the middle; it's how it ends."
"You mean as long as things turn out okay in the end, nothing else matters?"
"Nope. From zero, Twilight. You're not a failure; you're not a mistake. You are their daughter, and they love you, no matter what. You have a loving and caring family, and they want the best for you. You must learn that again, even if you start from zero again. Start fresh and become better than you were."
Twilight lowered her head, joining Alice in thinking what was said to them.
Within the same darkness, Rozelle and Dash were sitting beside each other. Dash was freaking out from the darkness, but Rozelle held her, trying to keep her calm...until Rozelle and Dash found themselves on a track field with the blue sky above them. The two didn't understand what was happening until they saw Elly and Hikari before them.
Elly pointed to Rozelle.
"Race me!"
"Huh?"
"I challenge you to a race! One pass of the track. If you win, I will leave you alone, but I get to make you listen to what I say if I win." she reaches out her hoof to Rozelle, wanting to shake on it. "Deal?"
Rozelle didn't want to do it, but deep within her, her runner spirit was awakened, and she accepted the challenge.
"DEAL!"
Hikari and Dash were sitting on the bleacher and watched as Elly and Rozelle took their positions. Dash was nervous. She knew Rozelle wasn't used to running with her prosthetic legs.
"She's going to lose!"
But Hikari placed her hand on her shoulder. "You don't know that, Dash. She may have forgotten that, but deep within her, the spirit of a runner still lives. It will come back. Have faith in her."
Dash looked at her and then back at the track. Both girls took off, running down the track. Elly was ahead, and like Dash believed, Rozelle's running form wasn't good, and she was struggling. Elly looked back, saw Rozelle struggling, and thought she was winning.
"Give up! You will never beat me!"
"SHUT UP! I WILL BEAT YOU! I NEVER BACK DOWN FROM A CHALLENGE!"
Elly smirked and slowed her pace. She was now next to her as they ran.
"Oh really now?"
Rozelle looked at her and smiled. "Really! I will win this, and you will leave me, my friends, and her alone!"
Elly smirked and got closer. "Her? You sure put a lot of feeling behind that word just now. Is she your girlfriend? Someone you like?"
"S-Shut up! Leave her out of this!"
"Or what?" Elly started to pass her. "If you care for her, don't hide it. Don't be so stubborn. You remind me of myself, you know?" Elly looked back, seeing Rozelle giving her a look. "After what happened to me, I kept anyone who got to know me close but far away. I didn't want anyone to be ripped away from me again." Her cheerful expression became a sad one. "I lost the things I treasured the most, and I didn't want to lose anymore...until..." Her cheerful smile returned. "I met him. He always supported and cared about me as we got closer."
They ran to the corner of the track. Elly had no problem, but Rozelle wasn't used to running on her legs, so she fell. She started to get back up but stopped as she saw Elly's hoof near her face. Elly came back to help her up.
"I'm stubborn, way too stubborn for my own good. So much so that I didn't notice I was about to lose someone again, but this time, it was because of my own actions." she helped Rozelle up and dusted the dirt off. "I can tell you are going down that same track. You want to distance yourself from her, don't you?'
Rozelle looked down and answered her.
"...she said she killed her parents and others. She blames herself for the deaths, but being around her..." Elly could see her crying. "I refused to believe she's a murderer! I don't want her to think that she was the reason she took away my legs or my friend! I could tell she was already suffering, and I didn't want to add more to her burden. That's why I didn't go after her...stupid..." Rozelle covered her eyes. "STUPID! SHE NEEDED ME! AND I JUST LET HER GO!"
Elly sighed and held her hands. "Do you know why I wanted to challenge you to a race?"
"No."
"Because, like you, I am a runner. And as a runner, we don't back down from a challenge. You have a lot of pride. You don't want to lose, not even to yourself."
"W-what?"
Elly pointed to her. "Don't let your pride get in the way. You might have lost your legs, but that doesn't mean you must give up what makes you special. If you love her, don't let go. Don't let the past take her away. Go after her and help her. You know what's right." Elly faced away from her and started to run; as she ran, the darkness covered the track.
"Stop worrying about the future because there's nothing you can do about it. You need to realize that if you're going to live in the moment, you don't need to do it alone! If someone who deeply loves and cares about you is by your side, you can face the future together. As long they are around."
Rozelle looked down, thinking what Elly told her.
Dash held Hakari as the darkness became the big open blue sky. Hikari was also scared, but she turned to Dash and made her look at her.
"You are scared, right?" Dash nodded. "Scared of what?"
Dash looked away from her and could see the blue sky becoming flames. She held in Hakari's chest and answered.
"THE REMINDER! I REMEMBER THE BURNING AS I FELL FROM THE SKY!" she hyperventilated. "I REMEMBER THE SOUND OF FLAMES BURNING MY SKIN! I REMEMBER EVERYTHING! HOW I BECAME LIKE THIS! WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY! she started to hold her bandages, trying to keep them from falling.
Hakari carefully pushed her off and spoke.
"Ten years ago in my home...during the night of my birthday, there was a fire as we slept. When my mother awakened, she shielded me from the raging flames, but..." She breathed in and rolled up her jacket's sleeve, showing the scars on her whole arm. She then lifted her shirt, revealing half of her torso had burn scars. "Half side of my body was burned, as you can see." She lowered it and could see how sad Dash looked. "But I survived. My parents didn't. I became a shut-in, someone who wanted to be alone from the world, but since I started to do that, others began to see me as weak, frail, a burden that needed to be taken care of."
Dash didn't understand until, within the flames, she could see herself back in her house. She could see her parents doing everything for her, to the point they didn't have time for themselves. Dash hated it and wanted to learn to do things for herself. Soon, she could see Fluttershy. Dash knew that Shy only saw her as someone who needed to be taken care of. She told herself that she had pushed Fluttershy away because of that, but she knew the real reason. She didn't want Fluttershy to be like her parents.
"... I wanted to be strong again...So, I started to learn how to do things on my own, without anyone's help, but no matter what, I still felt like I was a burden. Like I was a weakling who couldn't do anything."
"But you can! Look at what you have done!"
They looked back in the flames, seeing Dash stepping out of the house. She was too busy worrying about being burned if she looked up at the sky, and she never noticed her parents, who were so proud of her. They were proud that she was slowly improving but doing it her way and her time. They didn't want her to hurry and never thought she was a burden.
Hakari hugged Dash and cried, both remembering the good memories of their parents and their lives before the incidents.
"You never will be a burden to others as long as you push forward. That's what I did, and I met someone special to me. He helped me, he showed me his scars, and I showed him mine."
Dash could feel the darkness taking Hakari away, leaving her alone with Rozelle.
"We lowered our walls for each other and allowed the other to see who we are. He helped me, and I did the same for him. We didn't judge each other, and we didn't treat each other as weaklings or something to be fixed. You have that special someone, don't you? Be strong for them and push forward. Please show them your true strength. Let them know you will stand by their side no matter what. They love you and will be with you no matter what. Even if your past haunts you, they will stand by your side, no matter what."
Dash held her body, crying as she called out for Twilight...
Alice and Twilight were still thinking when they heard footsteps in the darkness. The two turned to see Raina and Shiko. Raina walked to Twilight while Shiko went over to Alice.
Raina lowered herself to Twilight and smiled as she spoke to her.
"You have to face your problem, kid."
Twilight looked at her but looked down. "I already do...I'm a failure..."
Raina gave her a stern look and shook her head. "Not that. You need to face what happened that day.'
The darkness became a classroom. Twilight started to panic a bit, seeing the entrance exam classroom again. She could see her filly self trying her hardest to hatch the dragon egg, but no matter what she did, nothing worked. She then watched as her past self started crying and saw Celestia walking in.
Filly Twilight saw her and became more worried as she remembered what Celestia had told her: she saw something special in her. She couldn't let her down. She needed to show her magic skills and pass the exam. Filly Twilight wiped her tears and went back to trying to hatch the egg. But, the result was the same. She couldn't hatch the egg, and Celestia watched with a sad look.
"Stop it..." Twilight cried out, not wanting to look, but Raina made her look, even if it hurt.
"This is your biggest mistake, kid. You have been telling yourself you failed the test. You have been telling yourself you are a failure."
"BECAUSE I AM!"
"No, you're not. Look! Keep looking to the end!"
Twilight kept watching, seeing that the exam teachers had enough and requested that Twilight's parents stop their daughter, as more kids were in line for the exam. Filly Twilight refused and kept trying until a burning fire wave shook the school from outside, making Twilight unleash her powers. Her stress and fears created a feedback loop. Soon, there was a bright light. Twilight covered her eyes, and when she opened them, the classroom was in ruins, and filly Twilight was crying.
"Please! I can do it! I studied so much!"
Celestia sadly lowered her head. "I'm sorry. I have seen enough. Maybe you can try again next year. That's all I can do for you."
The teachers agreed and left, but Celestia stayed behind with one more teacher. Filly Twilight didn't want to give up. She started to walk over to the dragon egg, but Celestia grabbed the egg with her magic.
"I was wrong about you, little one. I thought I saw something special in you, but I was wrong. Please go home. There's nothing for you here."
Filly Twilight was shocked and ran out of the classroom with her parents behind her. Twilight remembered the pain and how her life was ruined after that.
"Keep watching."
Twilight looked back up and saw a teacher walking up to Celestia.
"My Highness, are you sure about letting her good? Her magical output is very high. She needs someone to teach her how to control it, and I feel you should do it. It would be a waste if you just let her leave."
Celestia shook her head in disagreement. "No, look what happened here. This is my fault, and I put too much hope in her. If I had taken her under my wing, I would have been repeating the same mistake. She deserved someone who could help her grow. I'm sorry, but there is nothing I can do."
"You can't just-"
Celestia raised her hoof and interrupted her. "No. There's nothing I can do."
Twilight couldn't believe what she was looking at.
"You didn't fail. The one you looked up to failed you! You needed someone to be there for you, to help you grow, but you didn't have it. She gave up on you and let you down."
"B-but I was a failure. I couldn't hatch a dragon egg. I didn't have control over my magic and-"
Twilight stopped, seeing the memory change to Celestia's throne room; she just finished writing a letter. She looked at it and nodded. She handed it to the guard to bring it to the mailing office.
"Send it off with haste."
"Of course, my princess."
Twilight believed this was the day Celestia sent her a letter, wanting to know how her magic training was going. Soon, she could see letters being sent back and forth, and she saw Celestia writing promises to Twilight. Nothing but promises, like allowing her to try the test always and asking her to send reports to her on her research in channeling magic for the exam. But it was all the same subjects, not asking how she was or anything else. Nothing else.
"She failed you again. She made you feed into your insecurities without knowing. Made you into the mare you are now, making you not let go of the past. She kept you there and let you suffer. She never even thought of helping you grow. She just felt sorry about what happened. That's why you are here now, trapped inside a nightmare. You didn't fail the test or your parents, but you failed to let go of the past and grow up and let go. You are not a failure, Twilight." She made Twilight look at her now. "Darling, our actions can have consequences. Our actions can cause problems for others. Sometimes, the outcome can be tragic and sad, but you mustn't let those mistakes get to you. You have to push forward. You must let go of the past, let the spark guide you, and make the future brighter." Raina fixed Twilight's messy mane and smiled. "It's okay, darling. Let go of the past. Move forward."
Raina slowly faded, and Twilight looked back up at the memories.
"You are not a failure...you are not a failure..." Twilight whispered as the tiny spark within her was growing.
Alice and Shiko sat next to each other. They were looking into the darkness.
"We are the same, you know that?" Shiko said, not looking at her. Alice asked what she meant. "I couldn't save the people I cared about, like Kaoru," she answered, finally turning to her. "You couldn't save your family, which still haunts you? That's why you are here. You are still letting the past hold you back, right?"
Alice placed her hands on her head, crying.
"Sometimes, I still see their bodies in my nightmares! I can still smell the burning flesh! I can't let go! How can I let go of all that?!"
"You have to. You can't keep blaming yourself. I know you feel responsible for their deaths, but you aren't. You didn't kill them, and I know you can let it go one day and move forward; I believe you can!"
Alice stopped crying and looked at her. "How? How can I? How can I let go and forget the fact that I lost everyone I loved? I can't move forward."
Shiko looked up at the nothingness.
"You already have."
"HUH!?"
Shiko kept looking at the darkness above them. "You are still here! Even though you hurt yourself, you never once tried to end your life. You kept going, through all the hardship and pain, you kept pushing forward." she finally looked at her. "One day, you find that resting place where you can finally look back and be happy that you survived and lived on. The pain will still be there, but you have someone or something that can help ease that pain, and it's okay if that person is yourself."
As Shiko said this, Alice looked into the darkness, and she could see someone in the darkness. To her, it looked like her brother, Casey, and...
"Rozelle..." she whispered, seeing the back of Rozelle.
"You know, I can see it too." Alice looked at Shiko, who was also looking and seeing the people that Alice had seen. "This resting place you created for yourself, you earned it. Never forget."
Shiko disappeared into the darkness, but her voice remained.
"You need to keep pushing forward and move on. You can't let the pain create holes and consume you. That's no way to live. It's no way to be happy. So, don't stop moving forward. Because we create our own stories and where they lead. You are the ones who decide which way your story will go. So, don't let those sad memories consume you. Move forward for the sake of the ones you love and the ones who are gone..."
"Letting go..." Alice whispered, putting her head on her knees and hugging her legs.
Rozelle and Dash were sitting together until they heard footsteps and looked to see Miro and Violet standing before them. Miro walked up, picked Dash up, and placed her on her shoulder.
"H-Hey! Put me down!"
"Nope, sorry darling, but we need to talk alone!"
Dash refused and called out to Rozelle to help, but Rozelle was looking at Violet, whose arms were missing, but that didn't stop her from carrying her briefcase in her mouth. She split it, letting it fall to the ground.
"Can you open it for me?"
Rozelle opened the suitcase and was amazed at the sight. Within it was a typewriter. Violet sat down next to her and pushed it toward Rozelle.
"Huh?"
"Write a letter."
"I don't understand..."
Violet looked at her. "You have feelings that you keep inside of you, and you want to tell them, right? You have to write a letter to tell them. Write a letter."
"B-But who should I write it to? What should I say?"
Violet closed her eyes, remembering the letter she wrote for the Major. "To the ones you love and miss the most. Write a letter to them, tell them how you are feeling, and let them know they are never forgotten. Let them know you are doing okay or not. Spill out all of your emotions."
Rozelle sat there, unsure what to do. She wanted to do it, but her body refused. She looked at the paper, but her hand wouldn't move. She tried, but her body wouldn't do it. She looked at her legs, remembering Reginn.
"I want to write a letter to someone, but they are...gone."
"Write it still."
"Huh?"
Violet looked at her and smiled. "It's never a waste to write a letter to a loved one. It's a way of keeping their memory alive."
Rozelle understood, grabbed the paper, and placed it in the typewriter. She started to type her letter to Reginn.
"Dear Reginn
I miss you so much! I remember how much fun we had every day, and I regret not spending more time with you. But even though you are gone, you are still watching me. I know you are upset with me for giving up like I did. I bet you are booing at me, from whatever you are. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I know you taught me to keep going, but losing you and my legs, I feel so lost, and I don't know how to keep going."
Rozelle stopped typing and wiped her tears from her eyes. For the first time in a long time, she felt better. She went right back to typing.
"But I'm going to try. I promise you that! I know that's what you want from me, like always. Oh, by the way, I dyed my hair and took your advice! My hair is a rainbow! I wish you could see it; it doesn't look great; I think I did a shit job. A bit of my white hair is still showing. I guess I can't cover up everything. Oh yeah-"
Violet smiled as she continued listening to Rozelle type and talk out loud. She watched as Rozelle kept typing, but then she stopped. She started to blush. She smiled as she began to type.
"I met someone. She looks like a tomboy, but she's a big Egghead. Like a super nerd! She calls me fat, do you believe that!? ME! FAT!? She makes my heart beat when she acts nice towards me, and for the first time, she was the only person who sees me, for me, while having these stupid legs. She doesn't treat me like someone who needs to be pitted, and I guess...I love her. I wish you could meet her and tell me if I should tell her."
Rozelle stopped typing and took a breath.
"She told me that she was the reason that I lost my legs and you. When I heard that, I wasn't mad and didn't know why. She took what made me, me. She took you away from me, yet I can't hate her. I don't know. It's because of what happened to her and her family. She told me she killed her family and those who were caught in her device. She calls herself a murderer, but the way she is, the way she keeps hurting herself, that's no murder! She's a loving girl! I don't know how to help her, who is hurting! Will being there with her trigger her? I don't know. I don't know. But what I do know is that I have to do something. I will find a way to help her. I won't abandon her like I abandoned myself."
She stopped and tried to keep herself together. "I'm sorry! I know I can improve, but it's hard without you here. I don't want to keep failing you, but I can't help it. I'm sorry, but I'm so pathetic and can't move forward! Please forgive me!"
Rozelle stopped. She realized she was done with the letter, but she didn't want to end it; she needed to, but she didn't know how until she heard Violet talking.
"People will leave you, but it's not always that they want to...maybe goodbyes are just a painful way to say I love you."
Rozelle slowly looked back at the paper and started typing as it hurt her so much to do.
"Goodbye, Reginn. From Rozelle Reinbold."
Rozelle took out the paper and folded it. Violet told her there were envelopes in the briefcase. She found it and placed the letter in it. Rozelle looked at it; she wanted to return home and read the letter at Reginn's grave. She held the letter to her chest. She turned to Violet and asked her question.
"...can I write another letter? It's for someone special to me."
"Yes, you can."
"Thank you."
Miro set Dash down and pointed at her.
"Okay, darling. Listen up. I want you to fly! No! I demand you to fly! No excuses. I need you to get a handle on yourself! You must let go of the past, move forward, and let your wings out."
Dash was shocked by what she wanted. She looked up, seeing the darkness above them. Even though the blue sky wasn't there, she could still feel her fear.
"I can't..."
"Yes, you can. You are stronger than this."
"NO, I'M NOT!" she shouted at her.
Miro sat down and closed her eyes.
"So, answer me something. Is there anyone you care abo-"
"TWILIGHT!" Dash shouted without letting Miro finish. She covered her mouth when she could see Miro trying to hold her laughter in. "W-Why are you laughing!?"
Miro stopped and smirked at her.
"I'm laughing at the fact you didn't hesitate. You didn't even think. You said her name right off the bat."
Dash lowered her hooves and looked down, embarrassed.
"W-What's the point of this anyway?"
Miro remembered and placed her hand over Dash's head.
"If this Twilight is in danger as she's fallen off a building. You are the only one who can save her. Will you do it, or will you let your fear keep you from saving her?"
"..."
"Your fear will control you. It will keep you from living and being happy. Your fear will stop you from being there for those you love. Are you okay with that?"
"NO!"
Miro opened her eyes.
"So, will you fly again or let this fear keep you down?"
Dash opened her wings and tried to fly but couldn't. She cursed herself, but Miro clapped.
"No matter how scared you are, you must be willing to face danger. No matter how hard the battle is, if you can't do it alone, know you can't win if you have a weak mind and heart," she pointed to Dash's heart. "As long as your heart is filled with a strong desire and your mind is focused, you will overcome any obstacle. That's a promise. So, will you fight through it, or will you stay down here and keep hurting yourself and those around you?"
Dash was silent. She thought of her family and Twilight. She closed her eyes and tried again, but this time, she could fly off the ground as she saw Twilight in her mind. She opened her eyes and saw she was alone with Rozelle, who was holding two letters. Soon, Dash realized she was off the ground, flying. It was short as her fear returned, but she could fly nonetheless.
Alice and Twilight soon found themselves meeting Amelia and Tanya. Tanya walked over and dragged Alice away while AJ walked up to Twilight.
"Hey there, sugar cube," Amelia said with a smile.
"...hi?"
"We are going to have a little chat. So, sit down, and let's talk."
Amelia sat down, and Twilight did the same.
"So, how are things?"
The question took Twilight back. "H-How are things? Uh, I mean, I'm okay..."
Amelia said nothing but nodded. Twilight waited for the next question, but Amelia looked at her like she wanted more. So Twilight answered the same question but in more detail.
"I'm doing fine. I met Alice. We became friends after we shared our problems...we had a hard life."
"Is that the only person you met?"
Twilight shook her head, saying how she met Rozelle and Dash. Twilight suddenly went into detail about Dash, how Dash can bake, very caring, etc. Amelia let her talk, smiling as she could see Twilight's happiness.
Twilight finally stopped, realizing she was talking too much.
"Sorry."
"Don't be. It's nice to hear someone is happy."
"I am happy."
"Well, then, I'm glad. So, let me ask this." Amelia reached out and held Twilight's hoof. "Do you still feel like a failure? Even when you are around Dash? Does she make you happy and feel safe? Do you love her?"
Twilight smiled. "She does make me happy. I haven't felt like this in years. She makes me smile, and she's so kind to me. I want to love her, but..." Twilight remembered trauma; even though she was feeling better, she knew it would always be there. "We can't be together. I know it won't work out. No matter what happens, I will never deserve her. I know I will fail her, not making her happy. I don't know what she sees in me. But yes, she makes me happy, and she's special."
Amelia nodded, placing her hand on her chest.
"Good women mean well. We don't always end up doing well."
Twilight was confused, but Amelia kept speaking.
"I had a family...once." She could see Twilight's ears lowering, knowing what she meant by 'once.' "I always believed I didn't deserve them, that I ended up pushing them away. I had problems, and when my problems became worse, I did awful things." Amelia closed her eyes, trying to hold her tears back. "But someone told what I told you about good women mean well. " she opened her eyes, rubbing Twilight's hoof. "Listen, honey, we will make mistakes, and we will fail in things, but that's only because we are human...well, in your case, a pony." she smiled as she saw Twilight giggle. "But no matter what happens or how hard things get, we must remember that we are doing our best. We will sometimes fail, but it doesn't mean we will give up." she disappeared into the darkness but kept talking. "Don't push away the one pony that makes you happy. Do the best you can, even if you or she mess up. Just remember that we don't always end up doing well, but as long as we try, it's the best we can do."
Twilight sat there, thinking about what she had told her.
"LET ME GO!" Alice shouted, feeling Tanya pulling her by her jacket collar.
Tanya stopped walking and finally let her by tossing her before her, making a loud thud.
"Okay, kid, listen up. I know what you have been through. Stepping through that doorway, we all remembered what Spark told us. You are thinking it was your fault in all those deaths when that machine or whatever blew up." she got closer and poked her chest. "It's not! Fayth did that! She made it blow up. It wasn't a malfunction."
Alice grabbed her hand. "How can you say that!? Fayth been kind to me and-"
Tanya grabbed her chest and raised her to her face.
"Look, shithead, why are you defending her so much? Because what? She was kind and made promises to you. That she will end your suffering by ending the multiverse?" she tossed her back on the ground, but Alice landed hard on her back.
"S-Shut up! You don't understand. I don't want to live in a world of pain. I want a world where there's no more pain, no more suffering, no more hate, and no more-"
Alice stopped when Tanya placed her laser sword near her chin. She could hear the buzzing noise and felt the heat coming from it.
"If you want something like that, you aren't getting it by taking the easy way out! You are no better than her if you are killing the multiverse!" Tanya took her sword back and placed it away. She stood tall. "So, what are you going to do? Will you keep crying like a baby, or will you do something and finally find that exit to paradise?"
"..." Alice was quiet, looking up at Tanya, smiling and holding her hand out.
"Don't make the mistake I did once. You can still find it, that exit to all this, and I'm not talking about killing yourself. There is a clear path where you can be happy again, away from the pain and problems you currently have. The exit is still there, so don't give up."
Alice took her hand and helped herself up. When she looked back at Tanya, she was gone, but her voice was still in the darkness.
"There's always an exit; just keep looking. The door to paradise!"
Alice and Twilight were quiet as their lifeless eyes slowly returned to life.
Rozelle and Dash turned around to see Amber carrying Nono on her back. Amber set Nono down in front of Dash while she sat down in front of Rozelle. The two smiled at the girls, and Amber spoke to Rozelle by pointing to her legs.
"Nice legs you got there. I can tell it's well made."
Rozelle shook her head. "These prosthesis legs are cheap! I can't run well in them."
Amber slightly got closer and asked if she could touch it, and Rozelle nodded.
"They may not look good, but they are well made. My automail is made by someone I like, and she's very good at designing and making metal limbs. I have been using her prosthesis for years to the point I have somewhat an eye for spotting good ones." she set Rozelle's legs down. "Even if these are cheap, whoever made them knows how to make the best out of limited resources."
Rozelle remembered how Alice said that as well.
"Who gave you these legs?" Amber asked, soon learning that Rozelle's friends, family, and kind strangers had contributed money to buy her legs. "I see. So why do you dislike these legs? Your loved ones and kind people chipped in and bought something so you can walk again. No doubt caused them a pretty coin, no?"
"Yes, they did."
"Then, why are you so quick to complain about the legs?"
The question took back Rozelle. "W-Well, I-I-I mean, I can't run-"
Rozelle stopped talking when she saw Amber taking off her coat and shirt. She was now in her tank top but pointed to the scaring on her shoulder, where the automail was connected.
"See that? After I lost my arm here and my leg down here. In my universe, prostheses need to be attached and hooked up to the nervous system, and trust me, shit hurts like hell." she stood up, showing how she could still move around. "It took me a year to fully recover and use them with no problems." she sat back down and asked her a question. "How long did you take to recover and use them? Don't lie to me, please."
"Uh...a few months? Like three, if I remember right..."
Amber whistled at that, saying how fast she recovered and that it seemed quite a feat.
"Wow, three months to walk again. That is no way normal, right Nono."
"Yup, yup!"
Amber leaned in, asking how she felt using them.
"Uh, uncomfortable? Like they weren't made for me? When I use them...I can't run too well, like I said." Rozelle became heartbroken, remembering her dream of running was over.
Amber could see that and placed both her hands over Rozelle's shoulders.
"Don't give up on your dreams. You can still run!" she said, pointing to her legs. "Even if these legs break down and become junk, keep going by replacing them! These legs don't make you who you are! It's not a part of you! It's just an extension of you! No matter what you have, you'll keep moving forward. So don't ever give up! Okay?"
Rozelle's eyes widened as she looked at her legs. Amber's words hit her hard, making her realize she could still have her dream. She was so focused that she believed these new legs were the only reason she couldn't run. She didn't think that maybe the prosthesis was wrong or needed to be adjusted for her. Perhaps even getting a new one. There was still hope.
"Even if your dream is far away, don't stop going after it. Even if it takes a lifetime, you will have no regrets and can move forward without worries. Keep that determination and hope. Keep dreaming big, and you'll see it."
Amber soon disappeared. Rozelle slowly stood and tried to run, still having trouble, but she continued.
Dash watched her, smiling.
"You are strong too, you know that."
"Huh?"
Dash turned her attention back to Nono, who had a big smile.
"You are strong. You can fly again."
Dash's eyes widened, not believing Nono was saying that.
"What? B-B-But how-"
"I saw it, silly! I saw you fly a bit off the ground. You do have the strength to fly again. So why do you keep being scared? Why are you hiding your wings?"
Dash looked down.
"Because...because...I'm scared of getting hurt again. What if I pull off that sonic rainboom again and burn up? I don't want to get hurt again! I DON'T WANT TO GET BURNED AGAIN!" Dash was going to cry but stopped as she saw Nono fall in front of her, face first on the floor. Dash screamed in a panic and helped her up. "OH MY GOSH! ARE YOU OKAY!"
"Yup, yup. I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yup." Dash held her in her arms. "Sorry, I was going to hug you, but silly me, I have no limbs!" she giggled, making Dash blink her eyes in confusion. "Anyway, listen to me. Your strength and willpower don't come from your body but from your heart as long as you are filled with a strong desire! A goal to reach, no matter how hard it may seem! As long as you are motivated by the will to achieve it," she turned attention to Rozelle, who was still at it. Dash looked as well. "No matter what happens, you won't lose sight of that goal; even if your body breaks and shatters, your will will never break." Nono looks back at her. "You can fly, don't trust in your body but heart. You can still fly!"
Dash looked at her body, not knowing how she could still fly. But, when she looked back at Rozelle, she saw Rozelle falling and tripping. She watched Rozelle struggle to stand back up, but she did. She didn't let her body or fears hold her back. Her heart was stronger than anything else. Dash's wings flapped slightly, and Nono giggled.
"You can fly."
"Y-Yeah..." Dash smirks with hope. She turned to Nono, but she was gone.
The darkness suddenly changed, and all four girls returned to the shrines. However, this time, all four were together again. Twilight and Dash are happy to see each other again, and Rozelle is glad to see Alice, but Alice isn't pleased to see Rozelle as she still feels regret about what happened to her. But before they could do anything, they realized they were in a different shrine they were in, which was rainbow-colored this time. A rainbow tree shaped like an Alicorn was in the middle of the room. They opened their wings, and the last four remaining folks to help the girls appeared while the tree pony was gone.
Snake and Haze walked up to Alice and Twilight. At the same time, Brigitte and T2 walked up to Dash and Rozelle.
Snake stood in front of Twilight, smirking and offering her a sugar stick. Twilight blinked and wasn't sure if she should take it.
"Take it."
She did and ate it.
"Why did you give me that?"
"Cause you needed some sugar. Besides, if I were in your shoes, I would've needed something sweet after everything I been through." Snake pulled out her last stick and tossed it to Alice, who caught it. She then turned her attention back to Twilight. "Look, kid, 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 issues and things I'm not proud of, and I was second-guessing myself if I was the right pony to help you. But when I heard your story from Spark, I couldn't help but feel the pain you had. Do you know why? Because I was there." she rubbed the back of her neck. "You aren't alone, and your problems aren't unique. We all suffer that." she turned to Alice. "We all suffered and have a painful past." she looked back, making Twilight and others do the same.
Everyone who spoke to them was there. "We all do. Everyone has problems, no matter who we are or where we came from, and sometimes those problems can be a little overwhelming."
Haze took over. "Sometimes, we believe we are better off alone or can handle everything. Sometimes, we even give up, feeling that our problems are too much and too overwhelming. But we can be happy if we can push past our pain and suffering. We can also let others in and let them help us. Just know you are not alone and are not the first person to have suffered. We have all suffered. We all had a dark time in our lives. How we deal with it matters, and it's okay if you are scared."
T2 loudly tsk and continued. "But there's a damn limit in being scared. You must face it at some point; the best time is now. If you don't, your dreams or goals won't be in reach. Instead, you are destroying who you are even more. You'll never grow or improve. You will lose who you are and end up a stranger to yourself. Don't do that."
Brigitte took over and smiled at all four of the girls.
"Look, I see good lives wasted in my universe, good people, even kids like yourselves. I'm not saying you should forget or ignore your past. What I'm saying is you should learn from it. Let others in and talk, talk out what's wrong, and not ignore others who want to help you." she unpinned her badge and looked at it. "You can't let the past or whatever hurts you strangle your future." She took her badge and flipped it like a coin repeatedly. "You can't forget or ignore the past or your pain, but you can get better, and one day, you can put it to rest. Holding on to something that wasn't your fault or remembering a painful time is the worst feeling in the world. The best thing you can do is let go of it." she caught her badge and pinned it back on her black jacket. "You need to keep moving forward. Not looking back."
Soon, the others joined them by their sides. All of them spoke in unison.
"Moving forward isn't easy sometimes; Sometimes, you just need a little help from others. Others who will help you find your spark. The spark to start over, the spark to live, the spark to keep going...a spark that will never burn out within the darkness..."
Spark was still passed out in a hole in the prime tree, but her body started to glow with a powerful rainbow aura. She could hear everyone.
"A spark that will never burn out in darkness, never going out. A spark that will not be destroyed and will light the path. A spark that will keep us alive and ensure we move on..."
Spark started to stand and walked toward the hole exit, spreading her wings.
"That is our spark that will keep us moving forward and allow us to live. We'll find our spark. We'll keep going. We will not stop, and we'll keep moving forward. We can't keep looking back at the past. We need to look ahead and move forward..."
Spark opened her eyes, revealing Twilight's star cutie mark within her eyes, which was glowing like a rainbow light.
"All it takes is just a spark. A different kind of spark. The spark that resides in the hearts of all." Spark whispered as she joined in the speech before taking off and heading toward the tree's top.
Snake and the others backed away, allowing the four girls to look at each other.
"Friendship!" they all said, seeing the four girls looking at each other.
Spark kept flying forward. Moving forward again...
Spark let Twilah go, standing up.
"That's right. How could I forget that? I'm never alone. I have others to help me—someone to talk to about my problems. I have others to share my burdens. I have others to help me find the way."
Spark Breaker tried to gain control, but Spark stopped her by digging into her chest, where her core was. She pulled out her hopeless side and tossed the darkness onto the ground.
"No, you won't control me. I won't be weak anymore! I won't let my fears and doubts hold me back. I won't let my past control me. I'll keep moving forward! I'll find a way and find my spark. A spark to start over, a spark to live, a spark that will never burn out within the darkness, within you!" Spark looked at everyone, all of them smiling and proud. "A spark that will keep me alive. A spark that will not be destroyed. A spark that will light the path, A spark that will make sure I move on! Because I have friends..." She looked at them all, then turned to Dawn, surprised at how she looked but still happy to see her. "A loved one." She then faced her mothers and their family. She then looked up, seeing Breaker as she fought. "I have....a family." She faced her darkness. "Family, friends, and love make a home, and a home is where the heart is. The heart beats within me because of the spark of love and friendship. You can't beat the spark that will not be extinguished and the spark that will keep burning, even if I'm gone one day!"
Spark Breaker glared at Spark and then at everyone, not believing what Spark told her. She finally turned to Spark's mother.
"Family? Having a mother? I don't understand."
Nightfall gave the darkness a soft smile.
"What do you mean you don't understand? You're part of her, so you must know. Family isn't a place or a bloodline; it's not the family you are born with. It's the people you love, care for, and who will never leave you. That's what a family is—making bounds, growing together, helping one another. The only thing we have is each other. So please, don't be so lonely. Join her. Join her and your family."
Spark Breaker looked away, not understanding a word she said. Instead, she just laughed as she was disappearing.
"What foolishness, you're so delusional. I was right; there is no place for me."
Spark ran and hugged the darkness, making everyone gasp.
"Stop! Don't say that!" Spark cried, not wanting her darkness to die with those sad thoughts. "You have a place. You have a home! You are part of me. You are me."
Spark Breaker just glared at her and finally closed her eyes.
"I'm not you, you stupid girl...but I want to understand. What is it like having friends and loved ones?" She opened her eyes, looking up at the red sky, seeing Fayth blasting Star Breaker cannons to dust. "...a mother..."
With those final words, the darkness disappeared. The cloaked figure, already writing in her book, smiled as she closed it.
"There, this should make that future the set one now. Slightly different than the last ones, but this should be it." She turned her back to everyone; no one knew she was there; the only ones who knew she was there were Nightfall and Sky, as they looked at her. "The endless cycle will end now. The true ending can finally be reached now. No more rewrites, no more redos, no more. This is the ending."
Suddenly, a portal appeared before her.
"Time for me to go and be ready." She was going to walk through, but she stopped and turned around, looking at Nightfall and Sky. She removed her hood, revealing her long white mane. She waved goodbye to them. "I'm happy to see you two again, even if you aren't the originals. I'm happy."
Nightfall and Sky smiled, waving goodbye as the woman entered the portal, and it vanished.
Spark wiped her eyes and stood up, looking up at the sky. She sees her sisters but sees them melting slightly. "If my sisters are still alive...but without a strong magical source to feed off, they will die, and this time, for good." She looked at the Elements, who explained their plan to her. She shook her head, not agreeing with it. "Braver will be saved if you four do that, but you four will be trapped within her again. I can't let that happen, you-"
JA walked up to her and removed her hat. "We aren't going to be trapped within her. Wet blanket, we are taking a lesson from you, and when we fully recharged the shard Element pieces, we will fuse them. They are being made into a new Element, an Element made for Braver. When that happens, we won't exist anymore."
Spark's eyes widened. "WHAT!?!?"
"Don't worry, we have no regrets. We lived a good life thanks to you and being within Braver. So, this is-" JA couldn't finish as Spark hugged her and cried.
"No! You were friends to me! You were there for me when I was a little filly, as I was alone in my Element. You can't die!"
JA became sad. "Wet Blanket..."
Spark held her tighter. "Stop calling me that! I haven't wet the bed since I was a little filly."
JA chuckled and forced her off. "Right, our little rainbow is grown up. Spark, thank you."
The other three joined JA's side, becoming colorful lights. All four spoke in unison.
"Thank you for letting us have a life, meeting you and your sisters. But it's time to say goodbye and move on. We love you and your sisters. Be brave, like Braver. Remember, a spark keeps us alive."
The four lights became four shards and combined again to form an orb with unfit pieces. Spark took it and held it to her forehead.
"Goodbye..."
Spark turned to Nightfall and Sky, fearing they would be going away for good. They explained how they would save Blitz by giving her the Element of Loyalty, but Spark looked at Nightfall.
"Wait, what about you, mother?"
Nightfall smiled and explained, "I'll go into someone else, sweetie. I can't say who, but they are unique and deserve it." She got closer to her and hugged her, crying. "They carry the same spark as you do but much brighter. They need a guiding hand to help them through the storm. And I'm glad it's me. Besides, we will see each other again one day."
"Mother? I don't understand?"
Nightfall kissed her cheek and stepped back, allowing Sky to hug their daughter.
"Our little pony is all grown up now, and we can't be prouder. Spark, keep living, don't give up, and never forget you aren't alone. You won't have us anymore, but you will have your sisters and your new mothers. Remember that." she let her daughter go. She looked to Nightfall, knowing they wouldn't see each other again.
Sky and Nightfall held each other. Nightfall smiled as she spoke. "I love you. I've always had and will always will."
Sky felt her tears and held her tight. "I love you too. I wish we had more time together. I'm going to miss you."
"Me too, but you know what we have to do. Not just for our daughters but also for the ones that will come after. The future depends on them, and we must ensure they have us to guide and teach them."
Sky nodded, holding her tight.
"Let's do it together, my love."
They closed their eyes as they kissed one last time. They became bright lights, the orbs of Elements of Magic and Loyalty. Loyalty slowly flew over to Spark and landed in her other hand. Magic flew over to Twilah, letting her grab it.
"Nightfall?...huh?" Twilah suddenly heard Nightfall's voice and was telling her something important. Twilah was shocked as she quickly turned to Spark. Twilah's face was filled with sadness, but Nightfall's voice said something else, which made Twilah smile and nod. "Okay, I understand. I'll keep you safe until the day comes when 'she' needs you."
"Thank you," Nightfall whispered. Her bright purple light started to dim, almost like it went into a deep sleep as the light was gone.
Spark had no idea what her mother was doing, but she didn't have time to question it. She looked up at her sisters, knowing she had to save them. She squeezed the Elements in her hand.
"Blitz! Braver!" she opened her wings. "BIG SISTER IS COMING!" She took off, heading to the three-way battle. Everyone looked up to the sky, watching as a rainbow star flickered, heading toward the dead rainbow comet...
End of Chapter 30
Author's Note
One more to go! Then it's the Epilogues for this and Our Names.
Their Names Across The Multiverse
Author's Note
Spark, Dawn, and Lucy pic done by @MisconComic on Twitter (warning, NSFW account)
Chapter 31: The Spark
Above the Great Dam of New Ponyville, a vast and fiery battle was taking place. Many creatures in the large town can see the endless red and blue flames flying and clashing against one another. Explosions shook the air as they blasted against the yellow barrier that covered the dam and its mountain. Within the fires was a vast bomb, shooting out lasers and tiny bombs, while a dead-looking comet with a red eye unleashed red and blue stars that exploded. Among the sea of colorful flames was Fayth, who was flying and dodging the attacks from the two Breakers known as Star Breakers.
Fayth used her book to block an explosion and grit her teeth. Even though she was a powerful god-like being, she had trouble fighting these two.
"Star Breaker from 100% Orange Juice universe, one of the powerful bio-weapons created in Sora's universe. I shouldn't be having trouble defeating her but-" She quickly senses something and reinforces her barrier, blocking the other Star Breaker attack, who punched the barrier and blasted her away. She recovered and glared at her. "But Spark's sisters being in their Breaker form makes it more challenging. Especially since I can't get a good hit when Breaker keeps attacking me at such speed, they are making me on the defensive most of this battle." she tsk. "Stupid, strong like their sister, Spark. I can't even use that . Too much is going on!"
Fayth's eyes turned to the left, and she saw Star Breaker's cannon gun pointing at her. She was going to let it hit her, as she knew her barrier would hold up, but her eyes widened when she increased her barrier power as Breaker slammed into her with a power punch.
Damn it!"
"BREAKER!" screamed Breaker, digging her fingers into the barrier surface and pulling apart it with no signs of struggle. "YOU WILL BREAK!"
Fayth's barrier was down, and she cursed as Breaker grabbed her neck and rocketed themselves toward Star's Breaker cannon, which fired and blasted them. The cannon kept firing but was quickly destroyed as they rocketed out of the other end.
"BREAKER!"
"GET OFF OF ME!"
Fayth used her book and blasted Breaker off of her. She summoned her feather pen and tried to write in her book, but like before, her book refused her writing. She was enraged as someone was stopping HER from ending this battle sooner by ending these two fates.
"STOP GETTING IN MY WAY! THIS SHOULD BE OVER BY NOW. THEY SHOULD HAVE DIED ALREADY, BUT YOU KEEP STOPPING ME! WHOEVER YOU ARE! YOU BETTER PRAY I NEVER FIND YOU!"
"Fayth!"
"Huh?"
When Fayth looked back, her rage faded, and she became annoyed with Spark, whom she saw.
"What you want, cow!?"
Spark hovered near her and stopped. "Truce."
Fayth quickly turned her whole body and faced her, shocked at what she said.
"Truce?"
"Yes, truce. Fayth, I want to save my sisters, but I can't do it if Star Breaker continues with her ramage. It will be a struggle for me to get close to my sisters as they keep fighting each other."
"Oh, why should I help you?"
Spark smiled and crossed her arms. "My sisters are doing a pretty good job beating your ass, and if I have to say, it looks like you need help. What do you say, Fayth? Truce until my sisters and Star Breaker are down?"
Fayth growled, wanting to strangle her and make her regret her words. "You're lucky I can't end them normally!" She and Spark looked up, seeing Breaker and Star Breaker going at it. Fayth grits her teeth and quickly floats toward Spark, pointing at her. "YOU BETTER NOT TELL ANYONE THIS! ESPECIALLY NEVER BRINGING THIS UP WHEN WE FIGHT IN THE FUTURE! GOT IT!?!"
Spark smirked and put her hands behind her back, floating backward. "Oh, I don't know. Being able to tell others a powerful and almighty being such as you need a lowly and dumb cow's help, hmm, what a story."
"SPARK!"
Spark giggled. "Kidding! No one will hear it from my mouth, and if I did, well, you know."
Fayth's eye twitched. She reached out her hand, a handshake. "Fine, but remember, we're only temporary allies. So, when the time comes, we will return to being enemies."
Spark looked at her hand, seeing it was shaking in anger. She sighed, but she couldn't stop smiling. She reached out to shake it, but Fayth pulled her hand back and quickly slapped Spark's ample chest, making it jiggle.
"Ahh, fuck!" Spark hissed, holding her chest and glaring at Fayth, who smiled.
"There, the deal is set, you damn cow!" she faced away and glared at the fighting above. "So, you got a damn plan? Or will you continue acting like the stupid cow you are and not thinking ahead of your plans?"
"First off, stop insulting me. Secondly, I have a plan."
Fayth eyed her. "And that is? And don't even think of making me do anything stupid, or else I will personally end your sisters myself and then you."
Spark looked up, seeing her sisters. "I need you to distract my sisters. I can easily deal with Star Breaker real quick." She looked at Fayth, narrowing her eyes at her. "You better not kill them, you hear! I want to save them, so don't even think about it, or else I'll-"
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry. I can't end them normally. So, don't worry about them dying at my hands, but then again, who knows?" she laughed, but she suddenly felt a powerful aura and turned back, seeing Spark's eyes glowing rainbows.
"Don't you dare hurt my cute, precious, sweet, lovely, beautiful, innocent, amazing, gorgeous little sisters, or you will regret it!" Spark quickly teleported in front of Fayth, grabbing her by the dress and shaking her. "I MEAN IT! I'LL FUCKING END YOU! I BETTER NOT SEE ANY SCRATCHES OR DAMAGE ON THEM WHEN I COME BACK!"
"Oh, calm your large utters, damn cow! I'm not going to hurt them." Fayth shouted, surprised by Spark's sudden change in behavior.
"Swear!"
"Ugh, fine, I swear on the multiverse."
"PINKE PIE SWEAR!"
Fayth gave her a blank stare. "You can't be serious, right?"
"PINKE PIE SWEAR!!!" Spark repeated, shaking Fayth.
"FINE, GODDAMN IT!" she blushed as she did the Pinkie Pie swear. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my...eye!" she poked her eye, like for real, and she shouted in pain.
"Thank you...Fayth!" Spark hugged and then released her, smiling as Fayth rubbed her eye.
"Stupid cow!"
"Now, I'll stop Star Breaker, and you'll keep my sisters busy."
"And how long do I need to keep them busy? Because they can end me if I'm not careful."
"I don't know. I need time."
Fayth was worried about that, but she shrugged. "Alright, whatever, go do your thing. I'll keep them busy. Don't take too long."
"Thanks."
Fayth watched Spark shoot herself toward Star Breaker and then vanish, leaving her with the sisters, who just happened to be behind her.
"BREAKER!"
"...fuck."
Spark flew toward the vast bomb in the sky. She could see it firing its laser cannons from the sides. The red beams curved and headed toward her. She could sense the danger as her sights were still on Star Breaker. She dodged the vast red lasers, but Star Breaker released her missiles as she did so, which rocketed toward Spark. Spark dodged the first set and quickly summoned her magic missiles. They collided, creating large explosions that were blocked by the barrier.
Spark knew Star Breaker was watching her, and she wanted to show her who was in charge.
"I know who you are, Star! Suguri told me about you! You and Sora fought in the final days of that pointless war!" Spark kept dodging the beams while countering the missiles on her own. She was getting closer with each passing second. "But I also learned your true past! Tomomo told me after I asked her about you!"
Spark finally reached Star Breaker, floating near but not quite close enough. She could see Star Breaker having a crazy smile on her face.
"You must be Spark? The one I was meant to aid, but just by looking at you, I can see her! This is wonderful! I have always wanted to fight Sora again, even if it's a pretender! So, let's continue fighting! You won't disappoint me, will you!?"
"Sorry, Star Breaker, but I'm not Sora, so this battle won't be what you're hoping for. So, sorry to break the news."
Star Breaker's eyes flashed in a mix of happiness and disappointment. "Oh, so sad, but at least we can still fight! Come on, show me what you got!"
Suddenly, tiny laser beams shoot out near Star Breaker, along with long metal chain-like devices that unleash purple laser spheres. Spark quickly dodges them as Star Breaker laughs and unleashes her full power.
"I'll enjoy breaking you, the way you move around my attacks! YOU PRETENDER, YOU MOVE LIKE SORA!"
Spark kept dodging but firing rainbow magic beams at Star Breaker, hurting her. This went on until red bombs were released from the glowing red and blue lights that were near Star Breaker's open cockpit. The small bombs blew up, but the shockwave pushed Spark, and she quickly covered herself in a barrier, stopping the damage. She gritted her teeth and growled as she flew toward Star Breaker again.
"I won't lose!"
Star Breaker laughed harder as she flew higher and faster away from Spark. Spark knew Star was doing the same laser and missile combo attack again. She knew Star's strategy and could see her next move. She quickly fired more lasers and countered the missiles by teleporting through them.
"Not again!" Spark shouted. She felt this was a trap, but it didn't matter.
Spark was back with her foe but was surprised to see bombs with colored red or blue X's on them, snapping and connecting to the main bomb. Soon, the fuse of the bombs was blazing lit.
"What is she doing?"
Spark didn't need to wait when those x bombs opened and unleashed red and blue flames in an x pattern.
"Oh, sh-"
Spark quickly teleported and flew around the flames, seeing Star Breaker laughing.
"You'll never beat me! Not in a million years, not a million billion!" Star laughed, unleashing the attacks from before, making Spark dodge like crazy. "I'LL BREAK THIS PLANET! I'LL TURN IT TO ASH!"
Spark grits her teeth, angry at her. She teleported again and was ready to give a massive punch. She flew faster and was going to reach Star Breaker in a second, but she was forced to stop as the x bombs were released and quickly headed her way. She didn't have time to do anything and took the self-destruction bombs.
"AAAAHHHHH!!!"
BOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!
Spark screamed as she felt the blast of the explosion, feeling her whole body burning in red and blue flames. She struggled to open her eyes, looking ahead, seeing Star Breaker releasing her missile silos from the vast bomb. They fired off and slammed into Tomomo's yellow barrier, being stopped by it. They push forward, wanting to be free from their cage.
Spark knew what kind of missiles those were, the ones that would make a massive explosion that would end the world and create a nuclear winter.
"Damn it, no!"
"HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!!! YES! THIS WORLD WILL BREAK NOW, SPARK! AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!"
Spark screamed and blasted through the flames and rocketed toward Star Breaker with her eyes glowing bright rainbows. Soon, her horn started to glow and teleported the missiles away and back behind Star Breaker, now heading toward them. Star didn't care. She summoned small red and blue UFO-like dishes, which unleashed more laser beams. Star made the same attacks as Spark blasted her way through, getting closer to her.
"LET'S SEE YOU HANDLE THIS ONE!"
Spark could see the blue lights behind Star's body start to glow and charge. Spark didn't need to guess what kind of attack Star would unleash. She kept going, not slowing down. She could feel the enjoyment of flying and fighting as she flew faster and faster. She felt challenged, as if someone was trying to prove her wrong, but she would show them what she could do.
"BRING IT! I'LL BEAT YOU IN TEN SECONDS FLAT!"
Star Breaker cackled, unleashing the most significant laser cannon attack, and as Spark got close, the silo missiles rained down around them. Spark pulled her arm back and swung violently while her horn glowed brightly.
Everyone below them and far from the damn could see it, a bright rainbow flash. Then, a bright white flash followed by a massive explosion.
"Oh my Celestia, look at that!"
"This is amazing!"
"Who's winning?!"
"Is this the end of the world?!"
"No, the barrier is still up, but look!"
The massive explosion contained within a magical rainbow bubble. The bubble started to shrink rapidly until the once massive death explosion was nothing more than a small pop, ending in a small and harmless explosion. Star Breaker and her massive bomb were gone, along with Spark...
Only for Spark to teleport in front of her family and friends, holding Star Breaker by her collar. She had a cocky smirk on her face while Star Breaker looked at her, shocked at her sudden appearance.
"W-what?"
"Like I said, ten seconds flat!" she dropped her and started a victory dance(which was just Twilight's awful dance moves). Spark felt showboating, rubbing the lost in the stunned Star Breaker's face.
Everyone quickly turned to Rainbow Dash, who noticed them looking at her. "What?"
Twilight and Twilah blushed, seeing their daughter doing their awful dance in front of everyone.
"WHAT!? WHY!? I'M STAR BREAKER!"
Everyone, even Spark, turned to Star Breaker, seeing her having a mental breakdown.
"I'M THE BLASTING FUSE TO THE WORLD'S END! HOW DID SUCH A PRETENDER BEAT ME? I SHOULD'VE WON!"
Star Breaker screamed, repeatedly slamming her fists into the ground, making a crater around her...then to everyone's shock, she started to cry.
"I can't believe this... I am supposed to be capable of breaking stars...how can I not burn off just one fake pretender? I'm...Star Breaker..."
Spark quickly felt saddened for her, knowing her story and past. She walked over to her, kneeling.
"I know why you're like this, Star Breaker. Suguri and Tomomo told me your history. I understand you, being a bio-weapon made to end the war and even the world but burning down the planet—this one and the one from your universe. That isn't a war anymore." Spark stood back up, looking up at the red sky, seeing Fayth keeping her sister busy. She eyed Fayth more. "My powers are meant for fighting in the war against Fayth...but my war is one of protection!" She looked down at Star Breaker, giving her a determined but soft smile. "I'll protect all the stories and sparks within everyone from a sad ending! That's my mission!"
With that said, Spark teleported away, leaving Star Breaker with her eyes widened as she glared at where Spark once stood.
Soon, Star remembered a memory from the past...
Star Breaker started to laugh like the crazed monster she was. Everyone was on guard or creeped out by her laughter.
"yOU ArE hEr! yOU ArE sOrA! I wILL mAkE thIs IntO thE bEtwEEn yOU And mE And End It! sOrA! cOmE bAck hErE! fAc-huh?"
Star Breaker stopped as two pink hooves held different tasty treats in her face. Both Pinkie Pies were staring at her, offering the snacks to her.
"You hungry, dear? How about you try these tasty cupcakes!" Penny suggested, smiling.
"Or, you want a nice double chunky chocolate cookie!?" Pinkie Pie offered, holding the tasty sweet.
Star Breaker stared at the two Pinkie Pies, looking at their offerings. She didn't know how to feel but knew what these were. She felt her stomach growling and knew she was hungry. She reached for the sweet treats, grabbing them. She happily ate them, enjoying the excellent taste. Finally, she calmed down and forgot about Spark.
Tomomo sighed, then looked at Suguri, who looked back at her. She winked, as she was the one who told the two Pinkies of Star Breaker's sweet tooth.
Fayth was blown back, her black cloak damaged, and her hood was off now. She was breathing as she glared down Breaker, who was breaking down more now; her slime body was melting more than ever.
"Damn it, cow! Where the hell are you!? You beat that annoying girl, so where are yo-" She couldn't finish as Breaker was already almost on top of her, going to punch her.
Fayth had no time to react. She only flinched as the fist approached her, but then it stopped. Breaker stopped, her fist a mere inch away from Fayth's face. Fayth and Breaker could see who stopped the attack,
"Of course, you appeared to show off," Fayth growled.
"I wasn't showing off," Spark answered with a severe look, holding her sister's wrist, but she faced Fayth, smirking. "Okay, maybe a little, but I'm not letting her kill you. Even you don't deserve a fate like that. Now, get far from and recover. I'll deal with her!" She could feel her sisters trying to free themselves from her grip.
Fayth was shocked, "Recover? Why would you want me to recover? We will be back being enemies after you deal with your stupid sisters! You know this is the perfect time to kill me! What are you playing at!?"
"I'm not playing. I want you to live! I don't want to see you getting hurt!" Spark explained.
"WHY!? WHY THE HELL DO YOU WANT ME TO LIVE!?"
"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"
Fayth was shocked, as if she had been hit with lightning, and felt pain in her heart.
"...no. I wanted the real her to stay that to me! Not you!" Fayth cried, "You're not her! You're just a shitty copy and a fake! So, stop trying to be her and stop trying to care for me!"
Spark's expression turned sad. "Fayth, I don't understand it myself, but a part of me, deep within me... I love you...no." She corrected herself. "She loves you; a tiny piece of her is still here, and I feel that love for you." She placed her other hand on Fayth's head. "So, for her." Fayth could feel herself being blasted away. "Live."
Spark quickly returned her attention to her sisters. She narrowed her eyes at them and let them go. Breaker floated slightly backward and glared at her.
"Blitz, Braver! Stop this rampage now!" Spark's expression became a happy one. "I know why you are mad because Fayth was going to kill me. So you forced your way out of my core to protect me. Protect your big sister." Spark's happy expression became a happy, smug one as she blushed. "My little sisters are so adorable~! Protecting their big sister like that!" she started to scream excitedly.
Breaker blushed a mix of anger and embarrassment.
"BREAKER," Breaker growled, her cheeks still red.
Spark noticed that they blushed and screamed even more with happiness.
"Awww, you are so adorable!" Spark rockets toward them, wanting to hug them, but Breaker punches her but is shocked to see Spark isn't fazed.
"Breaker?!" Breaker gasped.
Spark ignored the punch and hugged them.
"I BEEN SO HAPPY! YOU TWO LOVE ME SO MUCH!" she swung them around, causing them to feel dizzy. "I can't help but hug you! You are so cute!"
Breaker felt embarrassed but didn't struggle, knowing their sister wouldn't let go of them. She didn't care. She didn't want her sister's warmth to leave her. Some of her felt happy being treated like this, but another part was annoyed at their sister's reaction.
"Sister..."
"Let go of me!"
"Never~!"
Spark giggled. Happy to hear Blitz and Braver's voices breaking through.
"We will end you!" Breaker screamed, getting free and using its full power to punch Spark in the gut. They smirked, but they were stunned to see Spark laughing.
"That tickles!" Spark faced away, blushing. "How did you know big sister was sensitive there?"
"B-BREAKER!?!?"
Breaker was red as she pulled back. She shook off the feeling, became enraged, and tried again, but it was the same thing. Spark giggled and smiled.
"Stop it, you two!" Spark begged, feeling her sister's punches. "S-stop, please~! I'm very sensitive there~!" Spark kept giggling but soon realized that Breaker stopped attacking her. She opened her eyes and became heartbroken.
"B-Breaker..." Breaker cried, rainbow tears falling out of her eyes.
Spark realized that her sisters were sad because they were giving it all to hurting her, and she just laughed it off. She reached her hands to them and pulled them into a hug, crying with them.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."
They wanted to hug her but stopped her. They gave Spark one last punch, hitting Her in the gut. Spark felt it; it didn't hurt her, but she looked at her sisters. She didn't want to hurt them again, so she faked it.
"UGH!" She shouted in a fake pain.
"Breaker?"
Breaker blinked in confusion but quickly had a smile on their face. They punched her again, making Spark fake it again.
"Gah!"
They started to punch her harder, making their sister feel more pain. Soon, they began to laugh, thinking they were winning against her, but they missed her face when they tossed another punch. They became confused to see their sister acting like she was hit but wasn't.
"Ugh! My little sister's punches are too strong! How can I win against them?"
"Brea...aker...What...you doing, sister?"
Spark looked at Breaker and smiled. "I'm losing against you! You are so amazing. Big sis is proud of you." But she noticed Breaker was crying again, and Spark panicked again. "D-DON'T CRY! WHY ARE YOU CRYING!?"
"Because we are not winning against you. You are just faking it. We want to win, not be tricked and lied to!" Breaker closed her eyes and screamed at her. "WE HATE BIG SISTER!"
Spark floated there, stunned and heartbroken to hear her sisters say they hated her.
"Blitz... Braver...I'm sorry... I'm sorry I can't lose, but I can't hurt you...I just can't..." Spark smiled sadly at them, tears forming in her eyes. "I lost you once before, and I'm not going to lose you again."
Breaker looked at her and then at their hands, seeing it shaking.
"I...we...are Star Breaker...despite that..." they started to cry and sob. "What...are our powers even for..."
Spark felt even more heartbroken seeing her sister like this, but she quickly became worried, seeing them melt even more and now screaming.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaah!!"
"SISTERS!?"
Breaker stopped and started to laugh as they slowly looked up at Spark. "That's right. We are...Star Breaker!" she gave a twisted, crazed smile. "The breaker of worlds! Stars! UnIvErsEs! EvErytHIng!" She spread her arms up, making the comet's eye float down to her. It shut its eye and connected with Breaker.
Spark became filled with fear and worry. She had seen this before. Even Sky confirmed it as the Element of Loyalty exited from Spark's jacket and hovered near her.
"BLITZ! BRAVER! THEY ARE GOING TO EXPLODE AGAIN! LIKE WHAT HAPPEN BACK IN OUR UNIVERSE!"
"My flames...will cover the whole planet...sister! EVERYBODY!..." Breaker started to give off an unstable rainbow aura. "DIE!"
The orb with unfit pieces flew out of Spark's jacket and spoke with all four Element's voices. "Spark! We still have time to stop it! You need to get near, and we will handle the rest, but hurry!"
"RIGHT!"
Spark didn't waste a second, racing towards Breaker and the Comet. She saw her sister laughing and crying, and her heart ached.
"This is my fault. I caused this. If only I stopped them from giving their lives...NO" Spark wasn't going to be filled with any more regret, and she wasn't going to lose her family again. "I'm coming, sisters!"
Spark finally reached her, holding her down as the orb with unfit pieces floated near her, along with the Element of Loyalty.
"This isn't goodbye, Spark. Just see you later. We will be part of Braver."
"I know." Spark smiled, holding the orb tightly.
Spark closed her eyes and shoved the orb into Breaker's chest. She pulled out and could see her mother floating near the hole. Sky stopped and turned back to Spark.
"Take care of your sisters and yourself, sweet pea." Sky floated into the hole but stopped again. "But not in that way!"
Spark blushed hard. "M-Mom!?"
"I mean it! What was that back there!? You acted way too odd with your sisters! Why were you blushing!? You better not be-ugh!? HEY!?"
Spark tried to push her mother into the hole, as she didn't want to have this conversation right now.
"Mom! Just get inside! We don't have time for this!" Spark blushed harder. "BESIDES! LOVING MY SISTERS DEEPLY DOESN'T MEAN I WANT TO DATE THEM!"
"WHAT!? SO, YOU ARE ADMITTING IT!?"
"I NEVER SAID THAT!"
"BUT YOU JUST SAID IT!"
"GET IN THERE MOM! YOU ARE MAKING ME SUPER EMBARRASSED!"
"I'M THE ONE WHO'S EMBARRASSED!! MY DAUGHTER'S PERVERTED!!"
"I'M NOT!"
With one final push, Spark shoved her mother into the hole, but she didn't want to let go as she cried. She could hear her mother's voice.
"You got to let me go, sweet pea. If you don't, you won't get your sisters back."
Spark held the Element tightly. "I know, but...I don't want to lose you!"
Sky sighed. "Sweet pea...I'm not really your-"
"YOU ARE! YOU WAS THERE FOR ME! ALONG WITH THE OTHERS! I WAS ALONE IN THAT EMPTY WORLD OF MINE! I WANTED A FAMILY AND FRIENDS! ALL SIX OF YOU CAME INTO MY LIFE AND BROUGHT ME AWAY FROM THAT LONELINESS! YOU ARE MY MOM. EVEN IF YOU AREN'T BIOLOGICALLY MY MOTHER, I DON'T CARE!"
"Sweet Pea..."
"I CAN'T LOSE ANY OF YOU! I LOVE YOU!"
"I love you too, sweet pea...but you know what you must do..."
Spark sobbed as she knew her mother was right.
"Besides, I'll be in Blitz, asleep. I'll be waiting for someone important to come along. I'll be back. I promise." She could tell Spark didn't understand; maybe that was for the better. "Now, do what you do best."
Spark closed her eyes. "Moving forward."
Spark slowly released her grip and watched the hole close up. Spark didn't have time to cry anymore as she could see her sister's body freaking out and becoming purple and blue. Breaker screamed in pain. Spark pulled her sister out of the comet and looked up at it. She could see it wasn't stopping in its explosion.
"Oh, no! Even without those two, the comet is still going to explode! I need to do something fast, or everyone and everything on this planet will be doomed!"
Spark thought, and then an idea popped into her mind. She looked at her sisters, seeing them now passed out. She blushed as she found them sleeping to be super cute. She quickly shook her head, telling herself to focus.
"I don't know if this will work, but..." Spark leaned in and kissed her sisters on the forehead, not knowing if even she could survive the powerful blast. She placed her forehead on theirs, crying. "But if I die, just know I love you two so much! We aren't blood-related, but allowing you two to feed off of me, allowing you two to live, I see you two as my precious baby sisters. Something that needed to be protected." Spark pulled away, smiling at them. "Now, I'll do that again for you and everyone here! I'll protect this world and everyone in it, the world you allowed me to see! So, please, don't blame yourselves if I don't make it. I'm doing this for my friends, family, and ...you."
Spark gave them one last kiss before letting them go and teleporting them away back to everyone else.
"And for me."
Spark quickly turned around and glared at the comet.
"I won't let the past destroy the future! My sisters and I might be weapons, but what we do with our powers is our choice. I will protect my sisters, family, friends, and this planet. Even if I lose my life."
She closed her eyes and opened them. Now, her eyes were glowing with a bright rainbow star.
"SHIELD, INVERT!"
Spark's horn created a large rainbow bubble shield around her body and quickly engulfed the comet, making her float under it with no protection if it exploded.
Spark smiled, looking up at the comet. She could see the rays of rainbow light being stopped by her bubble. She was able to trap it, but she might not survive it.
"Blitz...Braver..." Spark closed her eyes, feeling and hearing the comet finally explode. "Mothers...everyone...Dawn..." She saw flashes of Fayth, but the memories she saw weren't her own. She could see Fayth so happy and cheerful. It made Spark cry, knowing that Fayth wasn't like that anymore. "...Fayth..."
"SHIELD, INVERT!"
"Huh?"
Twilight, Dash, and their human counterparts held Breaker, slowly becoming two beings instead of one. Twilight and everyone looked up, seeing the bright flash and how quickly it came. It also promptly vanished, leaving the sky empty. Soon, they could see something. A rainbow halo flashed and headed toward the red sky, and with a bright flash, the red sky was gone, and the beautiful blue sky was back.
"...Spark...did it!" Sunny cheered as everyone started to cheer along with her.
"But where is Spark!?"
Everyone turned to Dawn, who was trying to search the sky for her love.
"WHERE IS SHE! SPARK!?"
Everyone looked back to the sky, and Dawn was right. Spark was nowhere to be seen. That's when everyone knew Spark might be gone.
"SPARK!" Cried Dawn, dropping to her knees and crying.
Everyone looked at her but soon looked over to Twilight, Dash, Twilah, and Dashie, who looked up at the sky and slowly down at their daughter. Their two daughters, Blitz, who was naked in her human form, and Braver, back in her Alicorn pony form, were in their arms. Their daughters were back. All four held them tightly and started to cry.
"Blitz!" cried Twilah and Dashie.
"Braver!" cried Twilight and Dash.
"Daughter's, " they said, crying. "Your sister, she saved you and us, but..."
"Oh, don't cry over for that cow."
Everyone could see Fayth standing a bit far from Twilight and the others. She was looking up, almost like she was waiting for someone.
"That cow will always find her way back, one way or another. So, stop crying. It's stupid."
"How would you know!?" snapped Dashie, getting everyone's attention. She was crying still. "And why are you acting like you care!? You came here to kill Spark and everyone here! Why are you acting so nice!?"
"Nice? Me?" Fayth scoffed, crossing her arms and still looking up at the sky. She whispered to herself, seeing something. "Why should I be nice to an awful rewrite of my friend?"
Before anyone could say anything more to her, the area lit up as a rainbow-filled area. Everyone looked up, seeing a rainbow star. As it got closer, it landed in front of Twilight and the others. The light was gone, and standing there was Spark, who was breathing hard. She took a step but quickly turned around, looking at Fayth.
"Stupid cow, go to them. I can wait." Fayth said, waving her off.
Spark smiled in return and looked back at her family. She could see her sisters sleeping in their mother's arms. She took another step.
"Blitz..." she could see her sleeping and looking annoyed.
"Braver..." she could see Braver moving a bit, wanting someone to confirm her.
Spark started to walk closer to them. Crying even more.
"Sisters..." She looked at all four of their mothers, seeing them open their arms and welcome her in.
Spark ran into her mothers' arms, crying and laughing as she hugged them. She cried more when she heard their voices—saying her name while hugging them even harder. She stopped as she felt struggling between them. She smiled as she saw her sisters trying to wiggle out of the hug. Spark quickly held them and was between them now, sobbing.
"We can be together! All three of us!" Spark sobbed, kissing her sisters' cheeks.
Everyone watched on, crying, smiling, and happy to see such a heartwarming scene. On the other hand, Fayth looked away and glared, not liking the scene.
As Spark was holding her sisters, her rainbow jacket started to glow. The purple part slowly came off and returned to Blitz and Braver, covering them and becoming their purple jackets again. Spark saw this and smiled. This confirmed that her sisters were indeed back. She wanted to say something special, but she quickly felt something and moaned a bit.
"Uh...sisters!?"
She could see them groping her chest; she blushed as she couldn't be happier as she remembered way back then when they were a tiny black slime and were hungry. She allowed them to feed off her magic, keeping them alive and giving them life. It was a sweet memory, but that was all gone now. She wanted her sisters to feed off her whenever they wanted, but she remembered where she was and looked up and saw everyone confused, stunned, whispering, or asking her what was happening.
She could see her mothers' faces, shocked. She quickly let go of her sisters, which caused them to reach out to her, not wanting her to let go.
"Wow...that ruined the moment..." Sunny whispered.
Wallflower blushed deep red. "...I think we shouldn't tell Blitz what happened here, right?"
Both girls looked at each other, nodding. They then turned to Lucy to see if she agreed, but they were stunned to see her drooling as she was drawing something in her notepad.
"Lucy?"
"Blockhead is always going to be blockhead..." Cozy said while laughing. But she faced Dawn, who was looking confused. She knew why. Dawn loved Spark and Braver, so her feelings conflicted to the point she dropped to the ground, holding her head in pain. "Dawn!"
Dawn's head was in pain, and her mind felt like it was going to shatter. Her memories were mixed with someone else's. The two Dawns were fighting for control, and neither was backing down. She wanted to remain, but Dawn didn't want to disappear.
"Dawn and Luster."
"Huh?"
Dawn looked up to see Spark, who had a worried look on her face. She helped her up and hugged her.
"You fused...how? I ensured that wouldn't happen with the magic I'm casting around you all!" She shook her head, realizing it didn't matter. She needed to undo the fusion. "I can overcome anything. This will be no problem to fix." With that said, her horn glowed, and soon, with a bright light, Luster flew out of Dawn, and Cozy caught her.
"Spark...?"
Spark leaned away and was going to smile but froze at what she saw.
"D-Dawn!?"
Dawn stood in her arms, but she was still in her anthro form. She noticed it, too, and blushed.
"What the fuck!? What the hell is happening!?"
Spark said nothing...only her wings did something as they shot up and stood firm. Dawn slowly realized what she was looking at and looked away.
"S-SPARK! YOUR WINGS! WE ARE IN PUBLI-"
Dawn was cut off as Spark kissed her, making her close her eyes and return the kiss. They kissed for a few seconds, and Spark pulled away.
"I missed you."
Dawn blushed even more and quickly wrapped her arms around her. "I MISS YOU, TOO!"
The two pressed up against each other, happy to be together again. But as they were doing this, Lucy glared but wasn't at their faces. She was looking at them . She glared at their breast, pressing up against each other, and she touched her chest, feeling jealous.
"Lucy..." Tempesta whispered, feeling secondhand embarrassment.
"I-it's fine. I'm just glad they're back and safe. Nothing more."
"I-if you say so..." answered back Tempesta, unsure.
Fayth had enough and shouted at Spark.
"ARE YOU DONE YET!?" she pointed at her, unleashing a powerful dark aura. "WE NEED TO FINISH OUR BATTLE!"
Spark let Dawn go, who wanted to join in the fight, but Spark forced her back with her magic. "No, this is my battle and mine alone!"
"Horse shit!" Dawn shouted but quickly looked at all the ponies and anthro ponies in the group. "...Sorry!"
"It's ok?" they all shouted back, unsure why she was sorry.
Spark looked back at her sisters and mothers. She nodded at them, telling her mothers she would be back. Spark teleported everyone away with a quick flash of magic, leaving only her teacher and those who came with her.
"You sure you can handle her alone, Spark?" Suguri questioned, stepping forward. "When I fought her, she had a-"
'I know. Don't worry. I fought her before, so I know."
"I-I see. Still, be careful."
"Right."
Fayth looked at Spark, who teleported right in front of her. The two had a staredown, neither wanting to back down.
"Ready, cow?" Fayth asked, taking a stance.
"I'm not a cow. I'm an alicorn."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever."
Spark took a stance and couldn't help what Suguri told her. She knew what Suguri wanted to warn her but she already faced it before. That's when Spark couldn't help but remember back...
Twilight and Dash walked over to each other, sitting in front of each other and talking.
"Twilight."
"Dash."
Dash looked down nervously as she tapped her hooves together. "I just wanted to say..." She shook her head, took a deep breath, and looked at Twilight, blushing. "Twilight, I know you said you just wanted to be friends, but I-I..." she started hyperventilating and had tears in her eyes. "Twilight, I-" Dash couldn't finish as Twilight held her cheeks.
"Dash, look at me! Just look at me and listen!" Twilight ordered, making Dash do as she was told. "Look, Dash, I-I...I didn't know how to say this, and I thought saying it as a friend would be easier..." Twilight had tears in her eyes. "I thought it was much easier, but it's not. I thought we couldn't work out, as we were broken. I know what we are feeling is just because we are both ponies who are using each other to cope and that we're lonely. And that we should remain friends, but I-I just can't. I want to be more than friends."
Dash couldn't believe it and started to cry. She struggled to speak, but even if her body wouldn't let her talk well, her heart would push through. "T-Twi, I-I love you. I-I want to be your marefriend, but I-I thought you would never feel the same, and I-I couldn't bear that but..." She smiled as she was happy Twilight wanted to be more than friends. "I'm glad you feel the same! I know we both will have problems and bumpy roads. B-but we can do it. I know we can! I want to move forward with you! I'll protect you from that hard road!"
"Y-you think so, Dash?" Twilight questioned, looking away from her.
"I know so!" Dash said, making her look back at her.
Twilight closed her eyes, smiling even more. "I might fail you or myself, but I don't care. It's not the end of the world. I'll keep moving forward!"
"Right!"
"Dash, no matter what happens, I will always be by your side and won't stop being there."
"And I won't stop being by yours either."
The two slowly leaned in, their lips close to touching.
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
The two kissed as their eyes were closed, enjoying the warmth of the other. They held each other's hooves, never letting go.
"...!" Alice could see Rozelle was getting closer to her. She wanted to move, but she couldn't. She tried to run away and leave, but she couldn't. She couldn't bear looking at Rozelle.
"Hey."
Alice didn't want to look, but her eyes slowly moved towards Rozelle, seeing her standing before her, having a small smile on her face, and holding two letters as she held to her chest.
"I...I-I'm sorry."
Alice was confused when she heard that. "Huh? For what?"
Rozelle steps closer. "Letting you leave you like that. Even though you were carrying all that guilt and pain, I just stood there, not doing anything, as you ran off. I was processing what you said, and I was angry at-"
"At me? I know!" Alice shouted, facing away from her. "I took away your friend! Your legs!" she slowly eyed her, ashamed of herself. "Your dreams. You said you were a star runner, but not anymore, right? Because of what I did to you!" She looked away, remembering Cadence and her parent's deaths. "What I did to my family! To all those hurt or killed because of me! So, you have every right to be mad at me! To hate me!" she quickly looked at her, no longer fighting back her tears or pain. "To hurt me! Please do whatever you want from me! I don't care what you do to me! But I will never stop trying to make it up to you! To the world! No matter what happens to me! Rozelle I-I..." Alice couldn't handle it anymore and closed her eyes. She wanted to cope so badly that she started to scratch her arms through her jacket's sleeves, cutting her skin and bleeding. "I don't deserve any happiness. But you do! I want you to be happy! I want you to get your legs back! To have your dream back! I'LL DO ANYTHING TO MAKE IT UP TO YOU!"
"Alice..."
Alice became frozen, hearing Rozelle's heartbroken voice. She opened her eyes and looked at her, becoming heartbroken as she could see Rozelle crying.
"Why?" Rozelle asked her, making Alice even more confused.
"W-why?"
"Why are you so caring? You have all this pain and suffering, but you are still thinking of others. Even now, you're thinking of me!"
Alice wanted to say something, but nothing came out. She just looked down, closing her eyes. She wanted to cry but could not find tears to fall.
Rozelle steps closer again. "Alice, I don't hate you. I hated myself for letting you go. I kept you away from me because I didn't want to lose you, too! I'm not going to lie. I'm mad, but I can't blame you, Alice. I don't blame you at all. I-I..." She stopped as she couldn't hold it anymore. She fell forward, making Alice open her eyes, seeing her fall towards her.
"ROZELLE!"
Alice quickly caught her, making sure not to hit the ground. Alice was shocked to hear that Rozelle hugged her.
"I love you! Please don't leave me! I love you so much! Alice!"
Alice was stunned. She didn't know what to do or say. She slowly reached out to hug Rozelle but noticed that she was striving and shaking.
"Alice...I..."
Alice didn't hug her. Instead, she removed her jacket and placed it around her, hoping it would keep her warm. She stood up, realizing she wanted to say something to her.
"Common sense, maybe. But I can't hate you. You're not a bad person. I know you aren't."
Alice shook her head. "No, I am. Even if it was Fayth who pulled the trigger, I was the one who built the gun. I need to take responsibility for what happened. And that's why until I feel like I'm good enough to be with you, I'll work on making the world a better place and making up for what I did. Be the person you deserve to love because I love you, Rozelle!" Alice smiled at her.
Rozelle could feel her face blushing even more, her heart beating faster, and her tears even more. But she was happy. Alice wasn't pushing her away. "Alice..." she suddenly looked better at Alice's body. She could see that both of her arms were covered in bandages and scars. Alice indeed suffered, and this hurt Rozelle so much.
Rozelle quickly got up and kissed her. Alice was stunned, not knowing what to do. When she realized what was happening, she couldn't stop the tears from coming. She closed her eyes and returned the kiss.
"I love you, Rozelle."
"I love you, too."
The two girls held each other's heads, their foreheads pressed against each other. Their hearts beat faster, and their tears flowed.
"But I want to give you something," Rozelle said, handing her a letter that she had written thanks to Violet.
Alice took it and was going to ask what the letter was about, but everyone could hear clapping and looked up.
"Isn't that sweet? All the love in the air! Makes me want to puke!"
Standing above them, floating, was Fayth, who looked down at them, laughing.
"Fayth!"
Alice glared, making sure the letter was safe and close. She and the other three knew that the group that helped them was correct.
"Spark was right about you, wasn't she!" Alice shouted.
"Oh? About what, exactly?"
"About everything! You caused our suffering, didn't you!?"
Fayth smirked all the more. "Yeah, and? So what?"
"S-so what? SO WHAT!?" Alice was livid. She couldn't believe it. "You made me kill my family! All those people who died from the EMP blast! You took Rozelle's legs and friend! How could you do that!? Why would you do that!?"
"You know why," Fayth answered, making the four realize her goal. They wanted the multiverse to end; that was her goal. That was the only truth she ever told them. "This multiverse and those that came before were born from my rewrites. It's been a cycle of rebirth and destruction. I don't even remember how many times I rewrite this awful multiverse, and I'm done. It's time for this multiverse!" Fayth rose her arm up, blasting the ceiling of the shrine.
Everyone looked up, seeing the vast, dark, negative energy Fayth had collected from the four kids.
"EVERYTHING! TO END AND I'LL WILL DO IT BY WRITING THAT TRUE ENDING!"
Fayth slowly absorbed the energy into her book and raised her other hand, unleashing dark shadow versions of herself at the group.
"GET THEM!"
Alice looked up, seeing the dark clones coming down, and knew they couldn't run, but she was saved by Cloaked Twilight, who teleported the four kids from the danger and reappeared behind them.
Everyone drew or ready themselves for a battle, but Blind Dash stopped them.
"No! We can't fight her! She's beyond anything any of you have ever faced! We need to escape and find Spark! Only she can deal with her!"
She could see everyone was going to protest, but Cloaked Twilight stepped forward, seeing the shadow clones getting up and slowly hovering over them.
"No, Dash is right! We stand no chance against a god, a goddess of fate! We need to run! I'll hold-"
Snake and Brigitte pass Cloaked Twilight, taking a battle stance.
"Huh? What are you two doing?"
Snake out her rifle and spoke. "Buying you some time to run! You can't die here!"
Brigitte looked at her wheelchair update and saw it was done. She smiled and pressed the button. Soon, the wheelchair started to turn to black dust and stormed around her. The chair was made of nanomachines, and a black power armor was quickly built. The visor closed shut as she spoke.
"Hell, it's about time." she faced Cloaked Twilight and the others. "Get the hell of here! We hold them off as best we can!" she returned to the shadow clones and raised her hand forward, and the nanomachines created an assault rifle. She started to fire at the shadows, hitting them.
Cloaked Twilight didn't hesitate and ran to the others, telling them they were leaving.
"LIKE FUCKING HELL!" T2 screamed, drawing her sword and saying she would join Brigitte.
Brigitte reloaded and faced T2 as she was running toward her. "ARTEMIS! STAY WITH T2 AND FORGIVE YOUR MOTHER WHAT I'M ABOUT TO DO!"
Artemis was floating near the others and knew what her mother would do to T2.
"T2!" Brigitte shouted as her visor went up. "In the name of the human race and last remaining human! I ordered you to override your free will! Protect everyone else! FOR MANKIND!" she did pose while Snake was firing her rifle.
"What!?" T2 asked, having stopped running, seeing her systems overriding as the primary purpose was to protect and service the human race. She could see Brigitte's helmet closed shut.
Brigitte's helmet covered her face as her visor showed her T2's eyes. She saw that she was in a daze, unable to think or act independently.T2 quickly turned around and ran back to the group, protecting them as they escaped; Cloaked Twilight and Blind turned back, seeing the two holding off the shadow clone and, soon, Fayth herself. They didn't want to leave them, but they did.
Fayth landed and clapped. "Heroes to the bitter end, I see. Matter Snake, a version of Twilight Sparkles and Solid Snake." She turned to Brigitte, who fired at her, but the bullets didn't harm her. "Brigitte Raynor, a version of Rainbow Dash and James Raynor. You two truly take after your prime selves, you know that, right?" Her body slowly started to be covered in darkness. "So don't disappoint me then!"
She charged at them, and they did the same, knowing that this would be the end for them, but they didn't care. They needed to buy some time, even for only a few seconds.
Meanwhile, everyone was running down the branches and back to the entrance inside of the tree but stopped. They could see a rainbow star rocketing above them but soon took notice of them. It landed, revealing it was Spark.
"Everyone!" she could see everyone was okay but noticed the four kids holding each other. She saw they were saved and smiled, happy the folks she brought helped them.
Spark soon understood what had happened, and she was happy that they retreated rather than staying to fight Fayth. However, she needed to hurry and save the two who stayed behind to buy their group some time to escape. She also needed to do something else first. Spark took her book and opened it. Soon, many rifts opened.
"What's going on?" Elly asked, seeing the rifts and looking into one. She could see her home, her universe.
"I'm sending you all back to your universes! It's too dangerous to be here, and you did what you needed to do!" Spark turned to the four kids, smiling at them. She faced the others. "You need to return home and continue on your stories. Continue and be the heroes you are."
"But what about the multiverse ending? We can help!" Violet pleaded, wanting to help her.
Spark shook her head, telling them not to worry.
"I won't let her end the multiverse! She won't get her hands on the Book Of Elyndra!" Spark raised her hand, telling them it was time to leave.
Everyone turned to each other, saying their goodbyes. They wanted to say much more to each other but had to cut it short as Fayth's shadow clones arrived and got closer. They all turned to the kids, smiling at them. Each of them tells them constantly to keep moving forward.
Alice and the other three nodded. "We will! Thank you! Thank you, all of you! We promise that we will not stop moving forward!"
The thirteen heroes smiled and said their last goodbyes. Soon, all twelve jumped into their rifts, disappearing. The only ones to stay were T2, as she was still under command override, Artemis, and Amelia, who looked into her rift and saw AJ's farmhouse.
"That isn't my universe, Spark."
"I know. But I can't send you back into your home universe without Aaira and Little Star! You all need to be together because the moment you return, there is a good chance that the universe's time difference will speed up again, and you won't be able to return home. Honestly, it's odd that everyone's time difference slowed to a crawl...why?" Spark shook her head; she didn't have time for that question. "Just return to that universe for now, okay?"
Amelia nodded and jumped through, disappearing as the rift closed behind her. Spark looked over to T2 and undid the command override. She was surprised to see T2 running back where they came from, but Spark stopped her.
"No, you need to go home!"
"SCREW YOU! THAT BASTARD NEEDS ME! I'M NOT GOING TO LEAVE HER ASS BEHIND!"
Spark sighed. T2 reminded her too much of Dawn, and she didn't know if that was good or bad.
"T2 listen to me, you need to return home, R9 needs you. You didn't kill her! She's in a deep sleep right now, within that white tower. Please, you have to return and save her. Your world needs you."
"I..."
"Don't worry, I'll save her!"
T2 tsk and cursed out loudly. She turned to Artemis, pointing her sword at her. "Listen, pod...I mean Artemis. Smack your fucking mother in the ass for me! Got it!"
"Y-yes, T2."
T2 jumped into her rift, leaving them alone.
Spark turned to the four kids, smiling at them. She opened a rift in their universe but quickly created a barrier around them as Fayth's clones clashed against it, scratching it like wild animals.
"You four need to return home! I can't protect you and fight them off! Hurry!" Spark pointed to the four rifts.
Spark was going to answer, but someone else answered for her.
"She can't."
They all looked to the shadow clones, seeing them absorbed into Fayth as she carried Snake and Brigitte's hurt bodies. She tossed them toward the barrier, making them smack into it. The two slid down it, revealing they were poorly hurt but will live.
"They held their own for a while, but that's only because I was toying with them. Now." she looked at Alice, eyeing her with a lustful grin. "Come here, Alice."
Spark glared and moved her body in front of the four kids. She didn't care if Fayth was a goddess of fate. If she wanted Alice, she would have to fight for her.
"You won't have them, Fayth!"
Fayth laughed and pointed at Alice. "You can keep the other three; they served their purpose, but Alice? No, she still has more dark energy to give me."
"And what makes you think I'll give her up?" Spark asked, ready for anything.
"Oh, you're not, but I'm going to have her one way or another."
Everyone was stunned, not knowing why she wanted Alice. "Alice, who still had enough dark energy to feed me. She still had some use for me." She moved closer to the barrier, and she scattered it with a flick of her finger.
"FAYTH!" Spark screamed.
"Spark, what are you doing!?" Alice screamed.
Spark was charging at her, but Fayth didn't seem to move. She just stood there, smiling at her as darkest erupted out. Spark was caught off guard by what was happening to Fayth. She could feel unbelievable power coming from Fayth now.
"Fayth?"
The darkness ended, and Spark and the others were shocked by what they saw.
"F-Fayth!?" Spark said, not believing her eyes. "WHAT DID YOU DO!? WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOURSELF!?"
Standing there was the same Fayth, but her dress was pure white now, while her cloak was still black. What really shook everyone were the black horns that came out of the side of her head. She tore her book into two and was floating near her.
Spark realized it now. "Even with all that dark energy you gathered, it will never be enough to immediately open the way to the Tree Of Elyndra. You absorb it and will now force your way inside, right? You need more energy, but why only Alice?"
Alice stepped closer to Spark. "Because I'm the best source of dark energy. I killed so many people because of her. It will always haunt me to the day I die. That is why. It's also why she chooses me..."
Spark gritted her teeth, pissed at how Fayth was using Alice like that.
Fayth smiled and lowered her hand. "So you catch on, Alice. You're smart as ever for a version of Twilight Sparkle's human counterpart." She chuckled. "Still a stupid-" Fayth was gone. Spark looked around and quickly turned, seeing Fayth holding Alice by her neck. Spark was going to charge but she felt something was wrong and looked down, she could a hole in her stomach. She dropped down in pain. "Girl. So naive and innocent."
"SPARK!" the three other kids screamed, seeing her hurt and on the ground.
"She's finished. " Fayth raised her hand, and the split book appeared and pointed at Rozelle and the others. "Alice, give me more! MORE OF THE DARKNESS!" she fired a dark beam at them, making Alice scream in fear for her friends.
The beam landed in front of the three kids, and Twilight flew off the vast treetop with a powerful blast. The explosion knocked her out, and she fell to the ground below.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Dash screamed as she ran to the edge and saw Twilight's body racing to the ground below. She needed to do something and fast, and so she did. "TWILIGHT!" she jumped off and fell with great speed.
Dash started to imagine the flames burning her, but she remembered what Twilight told her to keep focusing on her. She did so, but she needed to save herself.
"I'M NOT GOING TO MAKE IT!"
Dash needed to go faster, so she opened her wings and flapped as hard as she could, and finally, she was going faster.
"YES! YES! I CAN DO IT! I CAN DO IT! I CAN MAKEEEEEE ITTTTTT!"
Soon, a rainbow cone was forming in front of Dash. She noticed it but didn't care, didn't care if she will burst into flames again, all that matter was saving Twilight.
"I'm almost there!"
Soon, Dash broke the cone, doing a Sonic Rainboom. Her wings burned a little, but they were fine, and Dash was still flying. She was shocked that she had done it—she was doing it and saving Twilight. Dash flew down to Twilight, grabbing her and carrying her back to the tree top while a rainbow halo soared crossed near the tree. As she held her, Dash cried out to Twilight.
Twilight sat alone in the darkness. There was nothing but darkness, but she soon saw a rainbow flicker. She stood up and walked closer to it, and as she did, she heard a voice.
"Twilight!"
Twilight felt something within her. She felt the spark ignited inside of her. She felt it when she realized how happy she was to hear Dash's voice.
"Twilight! Please wake up!"
Twilight walked closer, wanting to hear more.
"Dash!"
As she approached the rainbow spark, her cutie mark finally appeared and glowed as the Element of Magic awakened within her. The Element blasted away the darkness, allowing Twilight to reach the spark...
Twilight opened her eyes, seeing Dash's worried face.
"Twilight!?"
Twilight blinked her eyes a few times and smiled at her, crying in happiness. "Dash..."
"YOU'RE ALIVE!" Dash hugged her tightly, crying and laughing. "I THOUGHT I LOST YOU!"
Twilight didn't say a word. She hugged her but saw a blue glow over Dash's shoulder. She smiled, seeing that Dash had gotten her cutie mark as well.
Twilight broke the hug and asked what had happened. Dash explained what had happened and was almost back to the top of the tree. However, Dash's trauma and fear quickly returned as she felt her body burning up. However, they quickly faded as Twilight held her tighter and said something.
"When I heard your face, I realized how happy I was. You made me happy, Dash. And that is why I want to help you. We will get through this together. So don't be scared. I'm here."
Dash felt her body cool down and hugged Twilight, crying out.
"I love you, Twilight."
"I love you, too, Dash."
The two arrived back in time to see Fayth standing over Rozelle, ready to kill her as she was feeding off of Alice's darkness. Darkness that is made up of negative energy like fear and hopelessness. They could also see Spark still hurt, but she was healing her wound.
"Stop it, Fayth! Please don't hurt them any more! You did so many awful things to them, and now, you're going to do more? You're sick!"
"I am the goddess of fate and the multiverse, and I can do whatever I please, Spark!" Fayth glared at her, giving her a twisted smile. She was about to kill Rozelle when a bullet and laser round hit her face. It did no damage, but she became pissed. "You dare." She faced her attackers, seeing Snake and Brigitte back up and awake. Artemis joined her mother's power armor and started to fix the damage. "If you two really wish for death, then so be it!" She fired a colossal beam at them. "DIE!"
Snake lowered her handgun and took out the letter Otacon wrote to her.
"Dear Snake.
You said you wanted to do this, but saying this is your final mission, and I'm worried you won't return. I'm sorry, but I won't let that happen. So I am writing this letter to remind you to come back home. Sunny needs you and wants to spend your final days with you. I need you ! So please, Snake. Come home to us.
Snake closed the letter and placed it in her pocket. She didn't want to let her down, but she feared it did as the black beam got closer.
"Well, If I'm going to die, then I'm going out in style." Snake took a pose and smirked, waiting for the end to come...
"NO!"
The black beam was deflected and sent flying above them. The one to stop the attack was Spark herself. She was standing there, her eyes having the rainbow star. She could feel hope coming from Snake, Dash, and Twilight. It was somehow giving her strength. She glared at Fayth.
"I will not let you hurt them, Fayth! I won't allow it!"
"You can't stop me, Spark. I'm even more beyond you. When will you learn?" She stopped, realizing Spark was gone. She soon fell, her hand empty. "No, it can't be!" She turned around and saw Spark holding Alice, Rozelle, Snake, and Brigitte. "HOW!?"
Spark smirked at her, feeling the challenge of fighting Fayth. She became smug about it, "Well, I guess I am a match for a so-called goddess, huh?" She burst out laughing, seeing Fayth's pissed-off face. She set everyone down and reopened the rifts. "Hurry! Get out of here before-"
"DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK ANOTHER WORD, SPARK!" Fayth roared and charged at her. "GIVE ME BACK THAT GIRL!"
Spark created another barrier, stopping Fayth from reaching them.
"WHAT IS THIS!?" Fayth couldn't break the barrier this time, making her confused and more pissed. "I'll destroy it! I'll kill you, Spark!" She tried again, but the barrier held on. "How are you able to hold against my power? It can't be. It just can't!"
Spark turned to them again, pointing to the rifts. "GO!"
Brigitte, thanks to Artemis controlling the power armor, nodded. "Good luck, soldier." and walked through the rift and disappeared as it closed shut.
Snake was next as she limped her way to the rift but stopped. She turned around and tossed Spark something. Spark caught it and realized it was a considerable sugar stick. "Eat that when you beat that brat's ass! You can beat her. I can tell!" Snake winked at her and went into the rift.
Dash and Twilight looked at the two rifts, wondering why there were two. Were they wrong that they weren't from the same universe? But Spark shot down that idea.
"You two are from the same universe; you must go where you were pulled. Don't worry, I know you'll find each other again. Your sparks will show you the way." She gave the two a kind smile and hugged them. "Be safe, you two." She kissed them both on the cheeks and sent them on their way.
The two girls walked through the rifts, leaving only Alice and Rozelle. The two looked into the rifts, seeing that it was nighttime in their universe now. Alice turned to Rozelle, trying her best to hold her tears in.
"I'll find you again! I promise!" Alice walked over and kissed her, surprising Rozelle. They kissed for a minute, and the two broke it, blushing.
"I'll be waiting, Alice."
Alice nodded, and the two held hands as they faced the rifts. They were about to jump in, but Spark spoke to them.
"Listen, you two, my sisters were adopted by your alt-universe versions of yourselves. Those versions were friends but soon revealed their love for each other when a rainbow comet appeared in the night sky." Spark gave them a big smile. "Look for that comet! You will find each other again because of it!"
The two nodded and faced the rifts. They slowly let each other hands go and walked through the rifts, disappearing as it closed behind them.
"It's over..." Spark whispered, seeing the dark prime tree gaining its rainbow colors again.
"SPARK!"
Spark looked at Fayth, who finally burst through the barrier and grabbed her by her neck. She began choking her as they rocketed off the tree top and headed toward the white water below.
"I'LL KILL YOU! I'M SICK OF YOU MESSING WITH MY PLANS!"
Spark was choking, not able to breathe, and unable to do anything to stop Fayth. Fayth slammed her to the ground and crushed her, creating a large crater.
"I HATE YOU! I'M SICK OF SEEING YOU! I'M TIRED OF YOUR STUPID FACE! IT'S TIME TO DIE, SPARK!" Fayth was going to stomp on her, but her bare foot stopped when Spark held it back. Fayth became more enraged, pulled her foot free, and kicked Spark in the face. Sending her flying far away from her. "HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO STAND AGAINST ME!? WHEN I'M IN THIS FORM!? NO ONE IS SUPPOSE TO BE A MATCH FOR ME! NO ONE!" Fayth growled as her body glowed with her dark energy, and a massive dark aura surrounded her. She glared at the hurt and barely standing Spark, and her anger grew, and her eyes were glowing with pure white hate.
Spark stood there, barely staying awake after getting kicked in the face. She could see Fayth getting closer as her vision became blurry.
"I'll kill you, Spark. I will."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Shut up."
"No."
"SHUT UP!"
"Don't let your sadness and hurt drag us down with you, Fayth! Be stronger than this!"
"I SAID SHUT UP!" Fayth raised her hand, charging a dark energy ball, aiming it at her. "I AM STRONG! YOU STUPID COW!" Fayth was about to fire it when her form disappeared. The energy ball poofed out of existence, and Fayth stood there, shocked and confused. "W-What?"
Spark smiled. "Looks like it worked..."
Fayth sent deep daggers at Spark when she heard her. "What you did to me!?"
Spark stood up straight, putting her hands in her jacket, smiling. "You admitted that you didn't have enough energy to open the way to the Tree of Elyndra. You also needed more to force your way inside. So, I figured you were running on a time limit, and if I could distract you long enough, making you waste your energy on me, you would be forced to turn back to your regular self." Spark smiled and laughed, seeing Fayth's shocked face. Spark became smug. "Guess you're not as powerful as you thought."
Fayth growled and stomped the ground, breaking the earth and cracking it. Water shoots up from the force. "I AM! I AM! I WILL SHOW YOU!"
The two faced each other off in a stare-down: Spark, ready for a fight, and Fayth, prepared to kill. As Spark stood there, a glitching prism rift opened behind her.
Spark felt dizzy as she fell forward and landed on the ground. As she lay there, she could see white sneakers walking by her.
'Who the hell are you?" Fayth asked, seeing the new person who stood between her and Spark.
Spark slowly looked, seeing an anthro unicorn mare wearing a white puffy jacket and black sweatpants. She could see the mane was black with a hint of purple.
Fayth had no idea who this mare was. "Do I know you? You're not one of the authors, so who are you?"
The mare started to do some warm-ups. "Nah, I'm not those losers." She stopped and pointed to her. "I'm something much more! Something more deadly!"
Spark finally lost consciousness and could hear the mare's last words.
"I'm going to stop you from writing your true ending! That's what she hope for!"
Spark soon gained consciousness and slowly looked around. She could see the battle had taken place. She stopped on Fayth, who was severely hurt and standing on one knee. Spark could see the mare from before dusting her hands.
"So, that's where she is! Thanks for being such a big help, fallen watcher!"
Fayth tried to move, but she couldn't. "What are you talking about!? How is beating my ass helping?"
The mare ignored her question and opened the glitching prism rift. She was about to enter but turned to Fayth. "You will understand in the future, trust me. Besides, we will meet again real soon." she waved goodbye and entered the rift, disappearing into it.
"Who the hell was she!?"
Spark got back on her feet and walked to Fayth, worrying about her.
"Fayth, are you alright? What happened to you?"
"Like you don't know!"
Spark looked at her, confused. "Huh? What are you talking about?"
"You brought that stupid mare to beat me!" Fayth stood up. "Can't deal with me, so get someone to do it! COWARD!" she clutched her hand into a fist. "SHE WILL NEVER DO THAT! YOU DAMN WORTHLESS CLONE! YOU AREN'T EVEN A REAL PERSON! JUST A FAKE! A PRETENDER! THINKING YOU ARE YOUR OWN PERSON BUT NO!" she pointed at Spark. "YOU ARE JUST A CLONE OF YOUR MOTHERS! HELL, EVEN YOUR SISTERS! YOUR LIFE IS MEANINGLESS YOU FUCKING COW! YOU'RE NOTHING! YOU STOLE YOUR SISTERS LIFE AND THINK YOU ARE THE HERO HERE!?" Fayth laughed, and Spark felt hurt by her words.
"You are wrong! I'm not nothing!"
"YOU ARE! YOU WERE CREATED IN A LAB, OR DID YOU FORGET THAT? YOU WERE CREATED, NOT BORN! YOU HAVE NO REAL SELF! JUST A CLONE TO BE MADE INTO A WEAPON! YOU'RE NOTHING. YOU'RE A JOKE!" Fayth smirked and continued. "YOU CAN'T EVEN BEAT ME! A GODDESS! YOU WANT TO HELP OTHERS, BUT YOU CAN'T HELP YOURSELF! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN BE ANYTHING!?"
Fayth could see the despair in Spark's eyes as she started believing her words.
"N-No...I'm not a clone...I'm me...r-right?"
Fayth smiled, knowing she had won.
"No, you're not."
"Y-You're lying."
"Am I?"
"You have to be!" Spark fell to her knees, feeling weak but trying to understand herself. Was she really just...nothing, a pretender?
Fayth felt so much joy as she watched Spark suffer but the more she looked at her, hurting, something within her felt...sad. Fayth didn't understand. Why would she feel sorry for Spark? Spark was an awful rewrite of her true friend, but why did Fayth feel bad for hurting her?
"Y-You're...You're right. I'm not real." Spark cried, falling more into despair.
Fayth's smile turned to a frown, and her heart hurt. She faced away from her, not wanting to deal with her anymore. She needed to recover her wounds. She was about to leave but fell over, landing on the ground. She was too weak to stand again.
"Damn..."
She could hear footsteps and saw Spark looming over her. Fayth smiled.
"Do it! End me right here and now!"
Spark glared down at her. "I won't! I would have ended you long ago, but I'm not like that kind of mare, Fayth."
"Just kill me, you worthless piece of trash!"
Spark shook her head and walked away, surprising Fayth.
"You showing me mercy!? ME!? AFTER EVERYTHING I DID TO YOU!?" Fayth felt betrayed, confused, and angry. "HOW COULD YOU NOT HATE ME!?"
Spark didn't say anything, leaving her to be alone.
"STUPID COW! YOU WILL REGRET SHOWING ME MERCY! I'LL SHOW YOU! I'LL GET MY REVENGE! I'LL DESTROY YOUR LIFE! JUST WAIT! I'LL TURN YOUR WHOLE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN!"
Spark didn't say anything; she was walking away, feeling nothing, a hollow shell of what she once was.
"Is she right? Am I not real?"
Spark opened her wing and flew off, returning to Equestria, seeking help from her sister's mothers. Fayth kept cursing at her, even when she was gone from her sight.
"SPARK!"
"Spark!"
Spark opened her eyes, seeing Fayth in her dark form and looking pissed off.
"You fucking cow, were you daydreaming!? While we are about to fight!? Really!?"
Spark blinked, not answering her. This made Fayth even more angrier.
"Are you going to talk or not!?"
Spark stayed quiet, but instead of being in her battle stance, she stood straight up, looking at the confused Fayth.
Spark looked down at her book. Fayth's hands became giant claws and charged at her.
"DIE!"
Fayth swung her claws, ready to strike down Spark, but Spark just stepped to the side, dodging it easily. Fayth growled and swiped her other claw, but Spark dodged it. Fayth kept swinging and swinging, trying to land a hit, but Spark moved, avoiding her.
"STOP MOVING!" Fayth screamed, charging at her, and tried to ram her with her horn, but Spark dodged it with a quick move and a simple spin. "HOLD STILL, DAMNIT!"
Fayth was trying to understand why she was not faster than Spark. She recovered and gathered more dark energy, so why did the new form not overwhelm her opponent? Fayth charged again and swung her claws, and once again, Spark just dodged her attack.
"Why is this happening!? WHY!? DIE!" Fayth tossed her book, but Spark caught it and tossed it back at her. Fayth caught it, and she was wondering as she stood back up. "Why aren't you fighting back!?"
Spark just stared at her.
"Say something, you cow!"
Spark finally spoke. "I'm not going to fight you, Fayth." she raised her hand to her. "I don't want to keep fighting you. Please, let's stop this madness."
Fayth stood there, looking at Spark's hand. She wanted to grab it but also hated her. Her anger took over, and she swung her claws, trying to hit Spark, but she dodged it, causing her to miss.
"No! Only one of us will survive! So, stop being a coward and fight me!"
Spark just shook her head.
"NO! FIGHT ME!"
"I will not, Fayth."
"DO IT!"
Spark looked at her sadly. "Please, I know your friend wouldn't want this, Fayth. " She reached out to her again, hoping she would take her hand. "Let's end this together, Fayth."
Fayth looked at Spark's hand. She just glared at it and finally smacked it.
"Fight me, or I'll kill your stupid sis—" she froze, feeling something was wrong. Spark was still standing in front of her, but she had the most enraged look she had ever seen Spark have. What scared Fayth even more was what Spark held in the hand, the one she smacked away. "H-How...?"
In Spark's hand was Fayth's arm itself. Bleeding out, and it was broken, crushed, and torn apart. Fayth stood there, looking at her broken limb, unable to process what had just happened. Fayth fell back and landed on her ass, holding her bleeding stump of an arm, crying and screaming in pain.
"HOW!? HOW YOU GOTTEN SO POWERFUL!? MORE POWERFUL THAN ME!?"
Spark tossed the limb back to Fayth, still giving her a death stare.
"You can hurt me all you want, but don't you dare threaten my SISTERS !" she screamed, blasting out a powerful rainbow aura. "I DON'T WANT TO KILL YOU, BUT IF YOU DARE TOUCH THEM OR MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS, I WON'T HESITATE TO KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!"
Fayth looked at Spark. Fear and sadness filled her body. She had lost, and she knew it. Fayth had no strength to fight. She grabbed her limb and walked away but stopped and spoke one last time.
"You won this one, Spark, but next time, I'll make sure you won't be around to save your pathetic sisters and mothers! Next time, you'll wish you never crossed my path!"
With that, she was gone. Spark calmed down, sitting on the grass, and sighed.
Lauren and the others walked up to her and were going to congratulate her on beating Fayth, but they didn't. They could see Spark crying. Lauren lowered next to her, asking what was wrong.
"My hopeful student, what's wrong?"
Spark didn't look at her, just looking at her hand, seeing the blood still on it.
"Fayth! I didn't mean it! I didn't mean to hurt you like that! Please, I didn't want to threaten you. Please forgive me. Please, come back, Fayth."
Lauren sat next to her, patting her shoulder.
"There, there, dear student, don't cry."
Spark hugged her teacher, crying in her chest.
"Teacher, something within me...cares about her so much! Even after everything, I still care. Why!? WHY!?"
Lauren stroked her mane, soothing her student.
"Oh, dear, you are caring. That's how you are, and you can't change that."
Spark didn't like that answer, but she had to accept it.
After a while, Spark told them about what happened back at the prime tree and being here. After she explained everything, Lauren gave her students a task to do.
"Spark."
"Yes?"
Lauren smiled warmly, as a mother would. "Go be with your family and friends. Enjoy being with them for a while. You need a break from all this."
Spark looked at her teacher and nodded.
"Thank you, teacher."
Spark took her leave, opened her wing, and flew away, heading back to New Ponyville. She wanted to see her sisters so severely.
Tomomo wondered about what Spark had told her, about who had saved her when the comet blew up.
"It was her."
Tomomo turned to her left, seeing Suguri, who was smiling.
"You also brought Sora here? Why didn't you tell me?"
Tomomo shook her head. "I didn't, Suguri. I didn't revive Sora...but it's a surprise to hear that she saved Spark." she went back to wondering how Sora was alive again.
As Tomomo tried to figure that out, she noticed Lauren standing beside her. Noticing the puzzling look on her friend's face.
Lauren kept looking at the blue sky. "...A mare unicorn dressed in white...can it be?"
Spark could see the tree library, and she remembered where she had teleported everyone near. She could see a few of her friends outside, waving at her. She landed and hurried inside. She kicked down the door, seeing everyone inside surprised but happy to see her. They all pointed upstairs to Braver's bedroom.
"I'm coming!"
Spark darted upstairs, and once again, she burst down the door. She was breathing hard, her eyes wide, as she looked inside the room. Sitting together in the bed were Blitz and Braver. The two were surrounded by their mothers and the ones who loved them.
Blitz waved at her. "Hey! I told you not to worry!"
Braver nodded. "See! We found a way to stay alive!"
Spark could feel her tears falling and rushed over to them, jumping into the bed. She hugged them and kissed them. Blitz became annoyed.
"Sis! Stop it! Acting like Braver! A siscon!"
Braver was happy she was being spoiled and loved by her big sister. She cheered. "Woo-hoo!"
Spark stopped and sat down on the bed, sniffing and crying.
"Don't you ever do that again, you two!"
"What?" Blitz asked, "Die?"
"Yes, please."
"I can't make any promises." Blitz joked.
"I can come back alive, though! I'm part slime still!" Braver laughed.
Spark couldn't help but smile and hug her little sisters again. She was just so happy they were back...but she noticed that Blitz was wrapped up in a blanket. More than Braver.
"Blitz, you okay!?"
Blitz blushed as she hid more under the blankets. "Y-Yeah...just cold!"
"Blitz is naked! I don't know why she's hiding when we Equestrians are always nude," explained Braver.
"Shut up, Braver! You know why!" Blitz yelled, turning redder.
Spark eyes were hidden in darkness. She touched the blanket, and with one great pull, she pulled off the blanket and was greeted by the sight of Blitz's naked body.
Blitz was stunned by what her sister did. "S-SIS!?" she covered her nude body with her arms.
Spark had a pervy smile when she saw her little sister like that. She grabbed Blitz and pulled her into her chest, squeezing her as she rubbed her head.
"My little Blitzy~."
"S-SIS!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Blitz was trying to get free, but she was too weak and didn't have any strength. She is trapped between her big sister's colossal chest.
"IF YOU NEED WARMTH, THEN BIG SISTER IS HERE! LIKE IN THE PAST, WHEN WE WERE LITTLE! I'LL USE MY BODY TO KEEP YOU WARM!"
"NO! S-STOP IT! I'M NAKED!!!" Blitz was starting to get embarrassed by her big sister's affection.
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT!? BIG SISTER WILL WARM UP YOU, BLITZY!"
"S-STOP IT, SIS! P-PLEASE! AND STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Blitz couldn't stop her big sister.
Braver was watching and started to get jealous. She puff her cheeks out in a cute pout, wishing it was her.
"That's not fair, sis. Why not me?"
Spark and Blitz saw a purple flash. They turned to Braver, and both turned red as Braver was back in her human form. They looked at her lower half.
"I WANT MY BIG SISTER WARMTH TOO!"
Blitz looked at Spark, seeing her acting like a girl ready for her first time. This made Blitz pure red, and she turned back to Braver. "PHRASING, BRAVER! EVEN MORE SO WHEN YOU ARE IN YOUR HUMAN FORM!"
Braver tipped her head, not understanding.
"Braver!" Twilight shouted, blushing as she looked away. She was not happy with how she and Spark had been acting.
Spark smiled and brought Braver into her chest, keeping her warm.
"BIG SISTER LOVE!" Braver cheered.
Blitz couldn't believe it. "First Braver, and now you!? TWO SISCONS! Siscons surround me! How is this my life?!"
Everyone was enjoying the moment. Even though it was not over, the battle against Fayth was not done, but it felt like everything would be okay for now. That's what mattered for the time being.
"I love you! I love you two so much!" cried Spark, kissing her sister's cheeks.
Blitz sighed while Braver smiled with joy. The twins looked at each other and then back at Spark.
The End...
The purple-cloaked figure pulled the book away from you, the reader, smiling.
"This might be the end, but there's one more page, the Epilogue. Here. Take a look."
Their Names Across The Multiverse
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