Disclaimer: Final Fantasy 7 and all its associated characters, locations, etc… are property of Square Enix.

Author's Note: I hope I did that last chapter justice. I sort of rushed through the first part and really didn't know what to write. Reunions are not my cup of tea. Whatever…

As far as random twists go, this chapter is probably my worst. You may or may not have seen any of it coming, but it was a necessary evil. If you remember the first chapter of my story then you'll know I couldn't let this be a 'happily ever after.' It can be happy, just not eternally so. Besides, now I have room to do a sequel should I ever choose to.

Peace's End

By tfa1

Chapter 37: Black Smith, Forger of Lies

It was the day after Meteor's destruction, and already work had begun on removing the Empire's vile taint from the world. Watching it all happen in a circular room of Stratus Palace, Smith stood alone. Mostly blue in colour, the chamber was well lit by an enormous window set across from the room's entrance. About 20 meters wide, it offered an excellent view of the dismantling of the Sky and the reintroduction of light to the Western Continent. But Smith wasn't here to admire the view, and neither was Zephyr. The latter strode into the room, a circular object dangling from his left hand.

Smith didn't turn to look at Zephyr as he walked in. "This has been an excellent victory for us, my friend. Jenova's plot has been foiled and the Empire lies in ruins. We're heroes now!"

Zephyr's tone was not friendly. "Don't play games with me, Smith."

The feline chuckled slightly. "In a foul mood today, are we? I'm certain you must have a good reason…" He paused. The robotic cat had gone missing just after the assault on the Empire – shouldn't Zephyr have been happy to see his friend alive? Then again, Smith wasn't happy to see his friend either. He'd gone through so much trouble to keep himself hidden. "How did you find me, Zephyr?"

"I recalled you wanted to create a utopia; one to replace the Empire," Zephyr answered. "I knew you'd consider this the ideal place to start. What better place to revive the Empire than from its very seat of power?"

It was a harsh accusation to make, but Smith knew such a claim was not completely without base. "Revive? Hah! I'll admit you are perceptive, but incorrect." If Zephyr was willing to accuse his own friend of turning against the cause, then he obviously had some juicy, and incriminating, evidence. Here, at the end of the Emperor's reign, Smith knew it would be a good time to finally reveal the truth. He spoke without hesitation. "It's true I desired the Emperor's throne for myself, but not because I liked the Empire – far from it. I wanted to shape it to my preference; take actions Cloud would never have dreamed of. But, the weakness of my kind proved to be our downfall, and Cloud decided to replace us with the new Jenova Project before I could act." The robot smiled maliciously. He was obviously proud of all he had accomplished. "Luckily I had a man on the inside; a man who had begun lobbying for genetic experimentation only a few years after my creation. He was Professor Ghast, your 'father,' so to speak. He helped me escape the Emperor's seizure of all robotic spies, and we worked together in secret to create the most powerful being in existence: you."

"It's funny that you should mention Ghast," Zephyr mused, "seeing how I brought him with me." He let the circular object he was holding, a decapitated head, fall to the floor. "I found him at the tent where we first met. At first I wondered how such a small creature could dig such a big hole but then I realized that you made him dig his own grave."

"Like I said before on the Skyshredder, Ghast fulfilled his purpose in life. I had no use for him so I disposed of him. It's kind of a shame really… he was such a good puppet…"

Zephyr spat. "You're more of a monster than I could ever be."

Smith laughed once again. "Monster? Are you telling me that you feel sorry for this Toysaurus; for this machine? Is it so monstrous that I should take his life, when he never had one to begin with? I was his life. I was his personality. Ghast was nothing more than an extension of me, and since I live then there's nothing to feel sorry about."

"I had thought that even a mechanical being like this would be important to you, seeing as how you risked your life to save your so-called family."

"Them? I never cared about them! They're as lifeless as that Toysaurus and I, if you catch my drift. I used the fiasco at the Palace to test your mettle versus Cloud, and to provide an excuse for where I discovered your identity. I did it to awaken your true power. I never did this for any of them!"

"Then why did you do it?"

"It's very simple, really," the cat answered. "I lacked the means of defeating Cloud. I needed a power greater than he, and so that is why I engineered your creation. I used Ghast to make you so that I would have a weapon with which to destroy His Majesty. If I dare say so, it was lucky I did, because even I couldn't have imagined the plots concocted behind my back. If it weren't for you, who knows whether or not Cloud and Jenova would have been victorious? But that's beside the point…

"If I dare say so, your creation was truly a masterpiece in the making. Ghast – or rather, I – handpicked your pregnant mother from a plethora of candidates. We injected you with Jenova cells during your infantile state, and when you were born we whisked you away to our laboratory for further experimentation. When you finally came of age, Cloud demanded a test run of your powers, and so we brought you back to your hometown, Gongaga. Cloud expected Jenova would have power over you, but you rebelled against her commands and slaughtered the villagers, even your own parents.

"That was when Cloud came to understand the threat you posed to him. He ordered your destruction, and fortunately for me the task of disposing you was given to Ghast. I had him wipe your memory and bring you to me, under the guise of killing you. I got rid of him and convinced you to join my cause. When we returned together to the Imperial Palace and I betrayed you to the Emperor, he recognized that you were the greater of two threats, and so he met my demands in exchange for your capture. Your Jenova cells were awakened and Cloud freed my 'family': the beginnings of my own personal army."

Zephyr almost collapsed from the shock. To think that Smith's betrayal could have run so deep… Hearing him speak was as painful as reading a poorly written fanfic. "That still doesn't explain why you did any of this."

The feline turned to look out the window, answering slowly. "I… I am an Imperial spy that happens to double as an assassin. I was manufactured to deceive and to kill… It is my purpose to kill… The Empire did an admirable job of wasting the population away, but it wasn't nearly effective enough. I'm a nihilist, you see; I believe life to be meaningless… It's easy to be a nihilist when you technically aren't alive. I've hated this Empire for so very long – not for what it represents but for what it fails to accomplish. I sought control of it merely to use it, as a human uses a natural resource. Use it and destroy it – that's the human way. Those who've fulfilled their purpose become irrelevant, and are disposed of.

"Now that the Empire's factories are without a leader, I will seize control and build an army. It would have been easy enough to let Jenova destroy the solar system, but I have bigger plans. I need time… time to manufacture an army large enough to purge the entire universe! We'll devour each planet, using its resources to expand our numbers, like a virus, until every last creature in the universe is destroyed! I'll destroy the virus of life with the virus of unlife… and there's nothing you can do to stop me… I will cleanse this Planet, and all the cosmos, of this pitiful existence you call life! I will create a utopia filled with nothingness! No pain, no sadness, no death… only darkness and space."

Zephyr snickered. "You can't win. Evil is destined to fail, as it always has."

Smith laughed a cold laugh, each breath rasping with a mechanical drone. Now, more than ever, Zephyr could see how truly unlike humans the robot was. "Hope against all odds is a trait that even villains can partake of, and I'll make the most of it. But I'm sure you know all about that, eh, Zephyroth?"

This struck a nerve with Sephiroth's reincarnation. "What did you call me?" he asked, threateningly.

"Zephyroth, Zephyroth!" Smith mocked. "Zephyroth!!!"

"Don't call me that. Don't you dare call me that!"

"Why? Are you afraid someone will hear? Are you afraid to admit what you are to the world? Ha hah ha hah ha hah ha hah! It won't be that hard to announce it. I'm sure everyone already knows you're not the master of your own heart; it won't be hard to convince them that you've succumbed."

"Shut up!"

"Promise me one thing, Zephyr. If I should fail in my quest, do make sure that you and your Mother keep the dream alive. I would hate to see all this effort gone to waste, if you catch my drift."

"Silence!"

Smith skipped around the room, chanting a rhythmic phrase. "Jenova and Zephyr sitting in a tree: K-I-L-L-I-N-G."

Zephyr blade flashed, sending the robot's head rolling on the floor next to that of its mechanical puppet. "You sick piece of filth!" he shouted, slashing both of the heads in half for good measure. The reincarnation of Sephiroth dragged himself over to the window and looked at the land, cringing as he did so. Smith was right… He hated this barren wasteland, but more than that he hated the plant life that would replace it. Ever since he'd returned from space he'd realized how much he actually hated the Planet. To Zephyr, it became nothing but an obstacle; an obstruction blocking his view of the beautiful nothingness known as space.

Jenova had seized control of Zephyr, and he knew it. He was finally caught in her web and could not escape. At the centre of the Sun, Zephyr accepted Jenova's power; he accepted her embrace. To Zephyr, who could not remember his real mother, having Jenova so lovingly protect him and fight off his enemies seemed so… right. He could no longer fight the alien presence; he desired it as a newborn babe desires its mommy.

He had to admit he was grateful to Cloud. Had Zephyr launched into space with the White Materia, he was certain now that he wouldn't have had the strength to fight off Jenova. He would have sped off into the cosmos with the Planet's only hope, certainly dooming it and everyone on it. The little hero left in him was happy that Cloud was able to save the Planet.

But still, that little bit of hero grateful to Cloud could not fight the new Zephyr. When he had set out on his journey, Zephyr had intended to find his identity. What his friends had found at the Imperial Palace taught him what he was, but not who. He knew who he was now.

He was Zephyr, second son of evil; the second wing of the fallen angel, Jenova. He was the final aspect needed for Reunion; the last component of the Unholy Trinity. Together with Jenova and Sephiroth, he would become evil incarnate, and wreak havoc on the cosmos if destiny so willed it.

He was bound to fail… it was his destiny. Yet, Zephyr could not fight any longer. His strength was expired; his resolve destroyed. He took one last fond look at the light, and disappeared into darkness. And so the cycle would continue… evil would emerge again… heroes would rise to fight…

And peace… would end.

(Author's Note: Originally, I had intended for Smith to remain a good guy, but the more I thought about it the more I liked the idea of making him a secretive mastermind, accomplishing good while working for evil. By chapter 21, I knew Smith would become a villain. I designed that chapter so that, after the revelation in this one, his words would take on a completely new meaning. As for Zephyr, I knew he'd turn to Jenova's side since before I even began writing this thing – back when it was an idea in my mind. I probably didn't do a good job preparing you for either, but what is practice for, eh?

Hopefully you'll find the epilogue to be less bleak, because if there's one thing I don't want you to believe it's that a victory was not won by our heroes.)