Judgment Day

Swordpoint glided down the shaft gently, avoiding the wires protruding from the sides. Rainbow was ahead of him, easily dodging all the metal structures jutting from the walls. What could possibly await us at the bottom? And why have we not encountered any of these beasts here? This is their home! Surely they could not have it so poorly defended…

“So, Swordpoint,” Rainbow called back. “How do you think we’ll get back after this?” There was just a hint of worry in her voice.

“… I do not know, Rainbow,” Swordpoint said solemnly. “But I trust in our guides.” Looking ahead, he spotted the end of the shaft. “There! Ground!” He quickly righted himself and landed gently. Rainbow landed beside him.

Swordpoint examined his surroundings, noticing that the walls and floors were made of metal here. The wires he’d seen in the shaft continued through another tunnel. “Look,” he said quietly, pointing to the wires. “We should follow them. It is our best chance.”

Rainbow nodded, and the two slowly walked into the tunnel, with Swordpoint trying to look in all directions in preparation for an attack. Neither of them noticed the small surveillance camera trained on them.

--
Faehron thrust the sliding metal door open by hand and ran inside. “M-masters!” he shouted, out of breath. “We have intruders!” He watched as the three thrones turned around slowly.

“Surely you jest,” the figure in the middle throne said quietly. Its face was blank.

Faehron shook his head fervently. “No, master Talraan! The security footage has identified two pegasi inside Olympus!”

Talraan stood quickly. “And how did they get here?” he asked, a hint of anger in his voice. His gaze seemed to pierce Faehron’s soul.

“I… I do not know!” Faehron pleaded. “They certainly couldn’t have come from outside! There is no way they could survive in the vacuum around Olympus!”

Talraan turned to the reapling leader on his left. “… what do you think, Malore?”

Faehron began to ease a little. Surely they will not punish me… I am not responsible for this intrusion!

Malore crossed his arms and snarled. “I think that this intrusion is nigh impossible. Unless…” His eyes met Talraan’s. “Do you suppose that those annoying flies have actually managed to guide them here?”

Talraan turned to the reapling on his other side. “Krellach, I suppose you have an opinion on the matter?”

Krellach stood and walked toward Faehron. “I do. It is my opinion that a breach via the nexus should have easily been detected, and yet you failed to do so, Faehron. Why is that?”

Faehron’s eyes widened as he realized that he was no longer safe. “I-I-I don’t know! I don’t even know how we would detect such a thing!”

Krellach swiped his hand and picked Faehron up by the neck. Faehron struggled against Krellach’s might, but he couldn’t move. “Surely,” Krellach began, “there must be punishment for this failure.”

Talraan smiled vindictively. “Indeed, Krellach. Do as you please.” He watched as Faehron’s eyes filled with pure terror.

Krellach squeezed and crushed Faehron’s neck like it was made of plastic. Krellach released his grip, and Faehron’s lifeless body fell to the ground.

Talraan smirked. “We are close to achieving our goal. We must assume that they either wish to destroy this place or to kill us. If they destroy Olympus, it will be of little consequence. Once we can open the portal, all of the universe will be ours for the taking. The disunity and death of our brethren means nothing if we can literally change history.” He casually walked to Faehron’s corpse and stepped on Faehron’s head, causing it to pop in a shower of black blood. “Let us make haste.”

--
Swordpoint kept a close eye on the wires running through the ceiling. He kept glancing around in all directions, as well. He could see a larger room at the end of the tunnel, although he refused to rush through.

“Swordpoint?” Rainbow called. Her voice was very quiet, and she put her hoof on his back.

Swordpoint turned around. “Yes, Rainbow? I am here.” He continued to keep an eye out around himself.

“Do you… do you think that they know about that nexus place?” she asked, eyes wide. She glanced around nervously. “I mean… they could go anywhere from there.”

Swordpoint shook his head. “I wish I knew, Rainbow. I only pray that it eludes them. If they learned of its existence… it would be catastrophic.” He continued walking toward the room at the end of the tunnel, and Rainbow followed.

As the tunnel opened up, Swordpoint could see a strange metal contraption. “Rainbow… what is this?”

Rainbow approached it carefully. It was as tall as the ceiling, and it hummed and whirred loudly. “Dunno… but it looks important. I bet if we break it, we’ll be able to destroy this place!”

Swordpoint nodded. “Very well. Perhaps I can destroy it with magic.” He extended his wings and let his golden aura encompass him. As he felt his energy spike, he released his spell, sending a powerful lightning bolt at the machine. It struck and caused the machine to whir even louder, but it quickly returned to normal.

“Damn!” Swordpoint exclaimed. “If it cannot be overcharged… then how can we destroy it?”

“You cannot,” a deep voice called from behind them. Swordpoint wheeled around instantly and glowed gold once more, causing a black lance to materialize. He gripped it quickly and trained it on the source of the voice.

“Who are you?! Show yourself!” Swordpoint demanded. The metal wall across from him began to ripple like water, and a very large reapling stepped through it. Swordpoint prepared himself for a fight.

“I am Talraan,” the reapling said calmly. “I am the master of Olympus, and the greatest of the three leaders. You stand in my court, you wretches.” Unlike the other reaplings, Talraan wore a long, flowing coat that was blood red.

Rainbow growled. “So you things can talk, huh?! Why are you doing this?! Why would you have to attack Equestria?! What could you possibly be looking for?!” She stamped her hoof angrily. “Answer me!”

Talraan floated toward them. “We are not searching for anything. We are simply following the cycle. When the world advances too far, we destroy it and watch as it is rebuilt in a new way. This has been the way of things for millennia.” He smirked at them. “In fact, you could say that we created your kind. We allow you to live, and we ensure that your civilizations never destroy themselves.”

Rainbow lunged without warning. Swordpoint saw her and teleported behind her, grabbing her tail and swinging his lance at Talraan. As it connected with Talraan’s leg, a small splash of black blood came from the wound. Talraan didn’t even move.

“You think such a weak weapon could kill me?” Talraan laughed in a demonic voice. “Tell me, did those fools from the nexus send you? What were their names… Levian and Zolon? Alzan and Xenio?”

Swordpoint tried to hold a straight face, but he felt his stomach clench. “What would you know of that, fiend?!” He was shaking.

“Oh, we know a great deal. In fact, we were just on our way to become the masters of this universe.” Talraan grinned, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth. “You’re welcome to watch… if you don’t die first.” He pointed at the machine behind Swordpoint and glowed with a black and green aura. It surrounded the machine, which exploded in a shower of sparks and debris seconds later.

Swordpoint lunged for Rainbow, grabbing her and avoiding most of the shrapnel. He could feel several shards of metal embedding themselves in his flank, however. He refused to cry out. “Why?! Why would you destroy your own home?!”

Talraan chuckled. “Do you not understand the power that dwells within the nexus? Ha! It seems that your guides have withheld some terribly important information from you.” He waved his cloak and disappeared within it. “Enjoy your death when Olympus collapses,” Talraan’s voice called. “I would say that you have approximately fifteen minutes before the shockwave of the control system’s destruction reaches the core. Pesky safeguards. Perhaps I will allow you to live in service of me once I change the world. You are the first two ponies to ever set foot in Olympus, so you certainly must be strong.”

Rainbow stood shakily. “Wh-what are we gonna do?!” She darted around the room, looking for anything that could help them. “This place is gonna explode! How can we get out?!”

Swordpoint grimaced at the pain in his flank. “If they have a way inside the nexus, then that is our only chance. We must hurry!"

“But how are we gonna find that?!” Rainbow shouted. “This place is huge! We’ll never make it in time!”

Swordpoint closed his eyes and cast a tracer spell, feeling for energy spikes. All around him, he could sense power spiking from the destruction of the machine. “I… I cannot find-“ He stopped when he felt a massive surge of magical energy. The power radiating from it was overwhelming. “Wait! That must be it! It is nearby, Rainbow! Follow me!”

--
Talraan materialized in the throne room of Olympus and glanced at the other two masters. “The time has come. Let us open the portal.”

Krellach stood and smiled. “I am ready, Talraan. Let us ascend to godhood.” He walked to a control panel in the corner of the room. “Malore, could you please assist me?”

Malore followed Krellach. “Of course. How shall we open the portal, though?”

Talraan nodded to Krellach, who hastily threw a switch. Metal clamps sprung from the ground and ensnared Malore.

“What is this treachery?!” Malore shouted. “You cannot do this!” He flailed wildy, but the bonds held.

Krellach pushed a small button, and Malore screamed in pure agony. A white light surrounded him as his energy was slowly drained. Talraan watched in wonder as space and time began to rip before his eyes. He saw the portal open into the swirling sea of colors and squealed with delight. “Perfect!” Talraan cried. “It is mine at last!”

Krellach stepped away from the control panel, leaving Malore to scream until he no longer drew breath. “You do mean ‘ours,’ yes?” He approached Talraan cautiously.

Talraan spun around and pointed at Krellach, causing a large, black spike to rise from the ground, impaling Krellach. “You fool. There is only room for one master in my new world. Now die, here.” Talraan turned and entered the portal slowly, smiling the entire time.

--
Swordpoint and Rainbow galloped toward the source of the magical energy he had felt. “We are close, Rainbow. Just a bit further.”

As they rounded a corner, they came to a skidding halt as they found at least ten reaplings blocking their path. They each roared and prepared to fight.

“Oh, buck!” Rainbow shouted. “What are we gonna do?! We can’t fight this many!” She glanced rapidly around the hallway, searching desperately for a way out.

As the reaplings prepared to charge, a voice called out. “STOP!” The reaplings turned around and saluted at once, parting their ranks. A slightly larger reapling stepped through, his large hands behind his back. “It is my understanding that you two are here to stop us from destroying your civilization, yes?”

Swordpoint stepped forward. “Y-yes, that is correct.” He held his lance at the ready. “What will you do? Stand in our way?”

The reapling spat to the side. “I would have, if our masters had not doomed us all.” He produced a strange orange and white stick, put it in his mouth, and lit the end of it with a small contraption. It produced a great deal of smoke, which the reapling seemed to be inhaling. “They are no longer concerned with the cycle. Instead, they wish to rule the world. I was not raised to believe that. They would eliminate the Great Change, instead having us walk the earth in this vile form.”

“Are you saying that you wish to help us?” Swordpoint asked hesitantly. He did not ease his stance.

The reapling who was inhaling the smoke stick nodded. “Yes. I do. And I know that you have no reason to trust me, but why should I bother with trying to kill you when that fucking idiot, Talraan already killed us all?” He tapped the side of the smoke stick, knocking some ashes to the ground. “You see… we are changelings… or at least, we become changelings. It’s our task to regulate the development of ponykind. Equestria was so far developed that we had to destroy it before it became too powerful. But now that Talraan has ensured the destruction of Olympus, he’s going to break our bond with one another. Olympus is like a hive-mind that keeps us linked together.”

Rainbow sighed. “I’ve heard about the changelings and their hive-mind thing… you’re saying it’s true?” She grabbed the dagger hidden behind her wing.

The reapling laughed. “Yes. It is. And please, put those things away. We only have about five minutes until Olympus is destroyed.” He flicked the smoke stick away. “Now, then… If you’ll follow me, the throne room is just through here. Talraan has already opened his vile portal. If you don’t trust me, then consider this a sign of good will.” He turned to his soldiers. “Men… we are defeated. Instead of dying at the hands of the traitor, die with honor. Take your own lives.”

His soldiers obeyed immediately, using their claws to slit their own throats. Black blood ran freely across the ground. “Are you satisfied? I plan to do the same once I show you where to go.”

Rainbow shielded her eyes and fell to her knees. She became violently sick at the sight. Once she was finished, Swordpoint helped her to stand. “I trust you. Please, show us the way. I promise that I shall avenge you all.”

The reapling smirked. “That sounds good. Come this way please.” He turned and threw the sliding door open. As he stepped inside, he scoffed. “You might want your marefriend to close her eyes. This doesn’t exactly look pretty.”

Rainbow was about to comment on what the reapling had said when she saw the bodies of the two other masters. She closed her eyes quickly. “L-let’s just get out of here!”

Swordpoint glanced at the portal. “Is that the way inside the nexus?” He felt immense magical energy emanating from it.

“Yes,” the reapling told them. “That would be it. And now that you’re here, I believe my services are no longer needed. I wish you the best of luck.” The reapling used his claws to slit his own throat, just like his comrades had. He collapsed to the floor in a pool of black blood.

Swordpoint swallowed. “This is it, Rainbow.” He was ready to tell her that he was unsure, but then the ground began to shake. They could hear explosions in the distance, signaling the destruction of the core of Olympus. “Let’s move!” Swordpoint shouted, grabbing Rainbow’s hoof and lunging toward the portal.

They fell through another door inside the nexus, which was destroyed mere seconds after Rainbow came through. Swordpoint righted himself and saw Talraan ahead of them. Talraan glanced back at them with a simple growl before entering a large door. Swordpoint charged after him, but he wasn’t quick enough.

--
Rainbow opened her eyes. “Hello?” she called. “Is anypony there?” Her voice echoed through the empty space. “Swordpoint? Where did you go?!” She walked onward, making no visible progress. At last, she saw the outline of a familiar pony in the distance. She galloped toward it, her heart racing. As she neared it, she realized that it was Swordpoint. “Swordpoint! What happened?!”

Swordpoint turned to her. “Are you ready, Rainbow?” he asked calmly. He looked so very tired and hurt. His body was covered with wounds.

Rainbow recognized this scene. “I… I’ve seen this before. In my dreams. This must be it. The end.” She stepped closer to Swordpoint and wrapped her forehooves around him.

Swordpoint smiled. “We are close. We should have anticipated that they would know about the nexus.”

Rainbow chuckled. “It’s not like it matters, anymore. We just gotta kick his flank. We can do this, you know?”

Swordpoint smiled at her warmly. He leaned his head down toward hers, and Rainbow closed her eyes. As long as we’re together, we can do this. She locked lips with him, and she felt herself floating away. In that moment, the two of them were one. She felt so much stronger with him there, and she never wanted it to end. As she broke the embrace, she gave him a smile. “Let’s save the world, Swordpoint.” Together, they faced the door, opened it, and stepped inside.