The Rise and Fall of Dark Fire and The Elements of Disharmony

by Shady pillow

For Twilight Sparkle, making friends was tough. So when a new unicorn comes into Ponyville, she naturally tries to show him kindness and friendship. However, when Twilight's new friend constantly distracts her from preventing a warning from the future and an assignment from the princesses, things can be said that weren't meant. Can Twilight and her friends stop this new threat?

77. Chapter 22 F

Chapter 22 F: Doing the Impossible

Chrysalis was the first to awaken from unconsciousness, sitting up and breathing heavily as if awaking from a nightmare.

"Hey, hey, hey...calm down...you're safe now." Endershine said, using her hoof to gently push her back down on the bed she laid on.

Chrysalis took several more deep breaths before she calmed down, shivering slightly.

"Why is it so cold?"

"You were trapped in ice for some time." Endershine said softly, putting an extra blanket on her. "I will explain better when everyone is awake. For now, try to warm up next to the lava." Endershine said in a motherly tone before teleporting with a burst of orange magic.

Chrysalis blinked a few times.

"What...?"

She looked around and noticed a fairly small lava lake ten feet away, freaking her out a bit before she realised it wasn't going to harm her or go anywhere. She also took the time to realise she was inside a brightly lit cave most likely due to other sources of lava. Despite the heat she was receiving from the natural phenomenon, it still made her nervous. After a few seconds, Enderpearl appeared, checking up on the other three before placing a tray of food and water before her.

"This is safe, right?" Chrysalis asked, implying the lava.

Enderpearl paused for a second, thinking.

"Well, I did make the food myself, so it should be fine." He said before vanishing like his sister before.

"That's not what…." Chrysalis tried to say before realizing it was pointless. She laid her head back and tried to rest once more, still unsure as to what was going on. The moment she closed her eyes she was hit with several flashbacks that made her wish she could've forgotten them again.

"...Now I remember…." She whispered as the echo of Death Fire's laugh still lingered within her mind. "I remember too well…."

It wasn't long before the others awoke as well, just as confused as Chrysalis was before their memories returned to them. Afterwards they just remained silent, acknowledging one another with their gaze. Endershine was the one to break the silence as she teleported in before the four, placing trays before the other three that had yet to eat.

"If you have any questions, now is the time to ask." Endershine said, sitting down before the group. "If not, I will try to explain what has happened over the years as best as I can."

"Years?" Nightmare moon asked, confused.

"How long were we frozen in ice?" Sombra added.

"...seven years." Enderpearl said gently.

The four characters instantly took on a look of shock.

"You're joking." Nightmare Moon said, still trying to wrap her head around it.

"No, he's not." Discord said, backing up the claim. "I would know if he was joking. His eyes give it away."

"Seven years….seven whole years of being frozen in ice." Sombra said with slight anger.

"And considering the conditions we are in, I would say it's only gotten worse." Chrysalis pointed out.

Enderpearl sighed softly, recalling the events.

"Worse than you could possibly imagine."

"How comforting." Discord said sarcastically.

"Then out with it, there's no point hiding it." Sombra practically demanded.

"This is all I know." Enderpearl began.

He paused slightly before continuing.

"After Death Fire won the battle against us, he executed Celestia and the others on the spot without mercy. It wasn't long befo-"

"HE DID WHAT!" The four shouted.

Everyone was in shock again, even Enderpearl but not for the same reason. He was more surprised that the previous enemies of Celestia were even slightly taken aback from the news, especially from Discord, someone he thought could never take anything seriously.

"You're saying he just outright killed them?" Discord asked.

"No humiliation?" Sombra suggested

"No revenge scheme? Chrysalis added.

"Just simply killed them?" Nightmare Moon finished.

Enderpearl nodded slowly.

"Right when he captured them and said his last words."

"So you saw this with your own eyes?" Nightmare asked, still hesitant to take in what she heard.

"Mostly." Enderpearl admitted.

"So you didn't see the whole thing?" Discord tried to clarify.

"I saw enough."

"Tell us exactly what you saw, beginning to end." Chrysalis said.

"And don't leave out so much detail that we have to ask you for clarification." Sombra added.

"...very well." Enderpearl stated as he slowly recalled the events.

---

About seven years ago…

"Get up." A soldier demanded, pointing a rifle at Enderpearls head.

The dark alicorn was still recovering from his wounds and unconsciousness when he realised what was happening. Several more soldiers entered the bunker to secure the area, making sure he wasn't going to try to escape.

"I said get up." The soldier demanded again, this time with more anger.

Enderpearl complied and stood onto his hooves, slightly shaking from pain but remaining silent.

"Now move."

The alicorn was forced to move up the stairs as his bandages began to drip blood, sending spikes of pain through his legs with each step he took. He knew it was over, that the battle had been lost and that he had nowhere left to go, yet he refused to show emotion or pain. After a slow and struggling climb up to the surface on the city, he was greeted by the bodies of both his allies and enemies scattered all across the ground. Enderpearl looked away from the site as he was escorted outside the city walls, not wanting to give the soldiers the satisfaction of his despair. Once a good distance away, he was shoved forward and locked inside a cage made of a strange material that blocked his magic.

"Why don't we just kill him?" One of the guards asked.

"Lord Fire has special plans for him." A captain answered.

"So we are ordered to spare this worthless scum but not the others?"

"No...we have a special execution for him."

Enderpearl glared the captain in the eyes before suddenly being pulled across the ice and towards the icy cold water. Once the cage reached the edge, it stopped, allowing him to look right at the captain again.

"You don't know what you're doing!" Enderpearl yelled.

"Oh, he knows exactly what he's doing." A familiar, dark voice declared.

Death Fire emerged from around the corner with an amused smile, standing right before the cage. He then held out his hoof to one of the soldiers, receiving a heavy caliber magnum before pointing it right at Enderpearl.

"So you're going to kill me without giving me a fighting chance….how pathetic…." Enderpearl insulted.

Death Fire chuckled slightly.

"Then what in the world was this fight about? This was your last chance...and you lost. I'm simply collecting my rewards."

"Your reward being an empty shell of what used to be the world and a nation united under lies and fear."

"If that is what you want to believe before you die, then I won't stop you. It's not like anyone will remember who you are after you are gone."

"If you are trying to break me, it won't work. You can't break something that has already been broken." Enderpearl boldly stated.

"Is that suppose to make me feel sorry?" Death Fire asked.

"It's suppose to make you shut up."

"How cute…."

There was a wave of silence before Enderpearl looked away from Death Fire.

"What are you waiting for….do it." Enderpearl ordered.

"Not without the final grain of salt." Death Fire said as the Celestia and the others were lined up behind him.

Enderpearls eyes widened as he froze up.

"Wait...no…YOU CAN'T DO THIS…." Enderpearl yelled with tears.

"Watch me…." Death Fire whispered.

Enderpearl then felt a massive, stinging pain come from his chest as a loud bang echoed throughout the battlefield. The force of the gun knocked Enderpearl back against the cage, knocking him into the water with a crash and sending him into shock. His ears rang loudly and the water began to turn red as time slowed down around him. As his heart rate began to slow down, the muffled sounds and flashes of gunfire could be seen through the ice as he slowly sank to the bottom of the ocean, thinking he would never be seen again.

---

"After that it's a blur, but all I know is that my sister somehow was able to find me and escape, saving my life." Enderpearl finished.

"But how did she avoid capture?" Chrysalis asked.

"She was able to call upon the night like our mother and used what she called, 'shadow walk.' It allowed her to become one with shadows for a short time, yet long enough to track me down and save me before it was too late. From there we have just been surviving...training for the day we might fight for freedom once more."

"Why didn't you try to save us sooner?" Sombra asked.

"Because we had no idea where to look….we have been lost ever since we escaped the island, scavenging for food and knowing we could never return home."

"Then how did you finally find us?" Nightmare Moon asked.

"We didn't find you….Nightmare Twilight did. But the thing was, she wasn't alone. She was in a battle and she used you four to try to defeat her opponent."

"She used us? Like controlled?" Discord asked.

"I don't know how, but she did. Your minds must of been vulnerable after you were thawed out of the ice."

"So then that raises the question. Who was she fighting?"

As if on que, Endershine appeared in the room holding Night Shadow on her back. Everyone became breathless as the alicorn gently placed the lifeless pony on the ground, bearing the look of remorse.

"Does that answer your question?" Enderpearl whispered.

---

Meanwhile….

Desolent appeared on the icy battlefield, wearing his usual black robes and slightly aggravated look. He observed the area as he walked along the ice and snow, scanning the area with his horn as magic flowed freely around him. This continued until he reached a spot where the ice broke apart to form the ocean.

"I shouldn't have to even do this...or bother even trying. You will just find another way to annoy me or get yourself 'killed." He whispered, extending his hoof to the water.

"So she was right about you, you are pretty naive..." A voice said behind him as the sound of crunching ice and snow got closer. "But that's what she's always liked of you..."
The sound abruptly stopped just before the wind picked up, making both the ponies cloaks flow in the wind.

"At least I can keep myself together."

"I would say otherwise, you seem to be losing pieces of yourself day by day..."

The pony slowly removed his hood, revealing his face to the necromancer.

"So have you come to ridicule me, or are you just waiting for me to revive your master so she can give you another bone ." Desolent insulted without even turning around.

The pony chuckled at his remark.

"You treat your creations like pets, Desolent, at least she provides better care."

"And you have no backbone because of it, no voice or opinion. She's to soft on you."

"Saying is easier than acting, I for one am not in the mood for action." He said, extending his wings.

The stallion raised his hoof up into the air, slowly projecting his cyan blue aura into the surface of water. Desolent placed his hoof down and finally looked at the stallion in question. The pony was young, in his late teens at most. He had rapture blue fur accompanied by seaweed green hair, however, his eyes were completely desaturated. Despite being blind, his ears were unnaturally large for a pony, allowing him to hear and see the world with sound.
"I require assistance to get her out of the water."

"I was working on that until you interrupted me." Desolent remarked. "Now you get to do it."

"As I said, I require help for this." The water began to swish and splash violently until one of the piece were found. Desolent quickly grabbed it with his magic and levitated it to his hoof. From there, he melted the piece of ice, allowing the miasma from within to be released.

"You've handled miasma before, correct?" The green unicorn asked, holding it in a sphere.

"Well, when you are raised by the queen of miasma, you have to deal with it twenty four seven, so yes." He chuckled as his magic brought out more pieces from the wild water.

"Is that what she calls herself now?" Desolent asked, summoning a bucket.

"She called herself queen of nightmares for a while, then she thought queen of miasma sounded cooler."

"Titles aren't made, they're given. I hope she knows that."

"Titles don't mean a thing, it should matter about your actions."

"Do you have a #& #*$ response to everything I say!" Desolent yelled, throwing a large piece of ntwi into the bucket that it almost broke the ice beneath it.

The stallion's expression went from calm and collective, to angry within seconds.

"Watch what you are doing with her, she could easily die from that!" He snaps as he continues to pick up more pieces.

"She's miasma! If she hasn't died from whatever blew her up, nothing will kill her, especially not from being tossed into a bucket!

"Well, even then you shouldn't toss her around like that!" He yelled in a furious tone while looking through the snow on the ground for more pieces. "I think we've found all of her pieces."

"I doubt it, she's scattered all over the place. This might take several hours."

"The whirlpool I created was supposed to bring all the pieces to us within minutes, if we can't find anymore then I think we are done."

"Then don't blame me if she's missing her eye or mouth." Desolent declared.

He placed his hoof into the bucket and conjured up so much heat that the bucket began to melt. It wasn't long before a puddle of black tar had formed on the ice.

"Now Ntwi should be able reform unless she's missing too many pieces. If that's the case she will be out of the fight for weeks to regenerate." Desolent said, turning away.

The blue stallion then groaned.

"Do you mind if you take another look around for her at least."

"You have magic, don't you? And what makes you think I'm not looking?" Desolent retorted.

The pegasus began to use his magic once again, having his blue aura surround the whole area.

"I don't think there's more left."

"Then let's see if she can pull herself together."

"Can we have her reform in a more..cozy area?" He asked as he shivered a little from the blistering cold.

"How are you not used to the cold yet?" Desolent asked.

"It's below zero out here, do you think this cloak is gonna do much?" He stated as he picked the bucket up with magic.

"You live in an ice castle near the north pole, you should be used to this. Grow your fur out more if you have to."

The young stallion turned to him with a smug expression as he tied the cloak tighter.

"My fur is fine the way it is, I just hate standing outside for so long." He began to shuffle through the snow, trying to walk. "Come on, let's get back to the castle."

Desolent thought about this for a moment before nodding.

"Form her into a ball then. I'll work on getting us back." He said before his horn started to glow brightly.

The stallion nodded, allowing his wings to extend and let his magical aura flow out. Slowly, the pieces of Nightmare Twilight emerged from the bucket and formed into the shape of a sphere.

"Ready?" Desolent asked, forming a glowing, green glyph below the both of them.

"I guess.."

"Do you know or not? Pick one?"

"I'm ready."

They both then vanished in a blast of green and black magic, appearing inside the castle with the same rune circle they used to teleport. Desolent then walked down the steps of the elevated floor and approached the door before stopping.

"Are you coming?" He asked coldly.

The stallion galloped down the stairs, still holding the sphere with his magic.

"We are back Marona!"

There was a slight distortion in the ice before Marona exploded from the floor, showing off her ice manipulation to him.

"Did you see that, it was so cool wasn't it?!" She asked.

Marona was now sixteen years old, two years away from becoming an adult mare. She had changed the colors of her hair and coat over the years, but for now, she wore pink fur and icey blue hair and tail with a white highlight. Her cutie mark, to no one's surprise, was an icicle formation similar to those of a frozen waterfall. She continued to have a goofy smile as she stared at the small stallion with her soft, lavender eyes.

"Well...huh...I bet it was cool." He gave a little chuckle. "I have good news though, we found NTwi! So now all we have to do is just let her reform."

"She should be able to do that on her own now that she's safe. What about you? You're not too cold, right?"

He then shivered for a moment.

"I'll be fine, you haven't seen anything suspicious while I've been gone right?"

"Just rumors of scouts. Unsure what they wanted thought if they were here."

"At Least you are safe, i was worried that something could have happened…" His ears lower "I don't think it will take long for Ntwi to reform though."

Marona walked over to the blob of miasma and started to poke it with her hoof.

"Maybe she's taking her time?" She said as some of the miasma began to crawl up her hoof. "Ummm…is this safe?"

The stallion quickly used his magic to pull the miasma off her hoof and back into sphere "...No..please be more careful Marona.." He said with a worried tone.

"But Ntwi wouldn't hurt me…..would she?"

"In it's current state, it would try to take control or absorb whoever it touches. So for your sake, avoid it." Desolent informed. "I would hate to explain to Ntwi that her unconscious body ate a pony."

"Come on Marona, let's try to get some food started." He then creates a field of his own magic around the sphere, making the sphere remain in the air.

"Alright then." She said, starting to follow him. "Dust, do you want come?"

"Do I have to?" Desolent asked.

"If you want food."

The necromancer hesitated for a moment before he to started to follow them as well.

---

"So she used us….to kill him…" Nightmare Moon whispered.

"We sensed a massive power spike and rushed over there as quickly as we could. When we got to the site, you four were unconscious along with him and Ntwi was standing over the body. I fought her and destroyed her...but from my sister has told me…."

"He was dead before we even had a chance." Endershine finished for Enderpearl. "He used everything he had to defeat Ntwi and free you from her enslavement. Yet despite that, she managed to laugh over his grave…"

Sombra abruptly slammed his hoof into the ground in anger, making everyone jump and stare at him with a surprised look.

"I'M TIRED OF BEING USED TO CAUSE PAIN!"

"Sombra, don't!" Nightmare Moon pleaded.

"IT JUST NEVER ENDS, IT NEVER SEEMS TO END!"

"You can't blame yourself for wha-

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT FROM YOU! YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE DISEASE IS THE REASON WE ARE HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

Nightmare Moon froze up as the words cut deep into her heart.

"Sombra..." Chrysalis said, taking a step forward. "How can you say such things when you know they're not true."

Sombra started to shake up as he put his head in his hooves.

"Because I have been a victim to it for a thousand years!" Sombra screamed, starting to shed tears.

Everyone was completely caught off guard as they watched what used to be a tyrant cry tears of sorrow before them. Nightmare Moon shut her eyes and turned away from the scene before her, allowing magic to flow to her horn.

"Nightmare Moon, what's wrong?" Endershine asked, noticing her distress.

"He's right...he's absolutely right….I'M NOTHING BUT A DAMN DISEASE!" She screamed, teleporting away.

"Follow her!" Enderpearl said, looking at his sister.

"She's blocking her signal….damn it!" Endershine shouted, teleporting after her.

Enderpearl got up and stomped his hoof onto the ground.

"We can't let this tear us apart! We can't let them win because of this! Is this what he would have wanted for you?!" Enderpearl yelled.

"What he would've wanted…." Discord finally spoke up.

Enderpearl turned to look at Discord and saw what he never believed he would ever witness. Discords form was completely lacking of any color and was now nothing more than a collage of white, black and gray. A discorded version of himself.

"What he wanted was a life no one was willing to give him. A chance to finally live in a world full of joy and happiness. And how did I repay him….how did I grant him his wish….by killing him…with my own two hands…."

Discord clenched his hand tightly and closed his eyes as tears also flowed down his face.

"First they took Celestia….then the one pony that I could call my friend..what's the point in trying anymore…."

Discord vanished from sight, leaving Enderpearl to finally take in the situation that had unfold.

"Because we are all that's left…."

---

The loud crashing of waves were heard as a huge underwater ship began to float up to the surface and towards a bay on an island. The ship eventually landed on the beach shore and slowly opened up its massive door on it's front. Inside were ponies, gryphons, zebras, and all sorts of other species patiently waiting and talking amongst themselves as they walked upon dry land. Trixie sat in the sand along with several guards and officials as they signed in new recruits for the resistance. Even though conducting activities was risky on the surface, it was significantly easier and much more organized than the typical underwater transfer into the island's hidden city.

Ships would come and go, dropping off thousands of new recruits each time only for the ships to sink back into the ocean and resurface after thirty minutes. Trixie's hoof was practically about to fall off from shaking so many hands until a messenger appeared next to her with a flash of magic.

"What is it, corporal?" Trixie asked, keeping her posture despite her hoof throbbing.

"There's an aircraft requesting to land in hanger five without proper clearance."

"Did they say why?"

"No, ma'am. The pilot stated that it was highly classified."

"Under whose authority?"

"They didn't say."

Trixie pondered the information given to her.

"We also have reason to believe this is the missing aircraft that vanished weeks ago. Should we shoot it down?"

Trixie continued to think silently until turning to the messenger.

"Let it land as it has requested. Trixie investigate this herself."

"But what if the crew on the ship is carrying a bomb, or something worse?"

"Then Trixie will contain it. If there is a threat, it will not get far."

"Very well." The messenger said before vanishing in a flash of light.

Trixie turned to the crew working alongside her and informed them of the situation. After several moments of explaining, Trixie teleported to hanger five and patiently waited for the hanger doors to open. It wasn't long before she heard the loud sounds of two ton metal doors slowly sliding along the floor to reveal the outside world. There, out in the distance, was the aircraft gently floating until the doors were fully opened. Once the opening was clear, the aircraft slowly floated in, spreading currents of wind throughout the hanger that would blast of anyone's hat effortlessly.

The ship eventually landed and the jet engines to the craft shut off with a low hum as the hanger doors closed behind, cutting off the outside world. From there, it was nothing but silence as Trixie faced the aircraft with a stern look.

"Code red." Trixie announced as she brought her right forehoof close to her mouth.

The wrist computer beeped three times before the windows and doors leading into the base abruptly closed and were replaced with two inch thick steel panels.

"You have a lot of explaining to do and a lot to answer for." Trixie stated firmly, holding her hoof out.

Trixie was fully aware of what was going on and what the airship was carrying. However, she wanted to see how clever Lightning Dust had been with her plan and how loyal her squad was to keeping the mission a secret. Trixie almost gave up the act when the ship's doors quickly opened and Summers stuck her head out of the side in panic.

"HEY, HEY, HOLD ON, DON'T BLAST US!" She shouted before accidentally falling out of the window and landing on the ground on her head.

"And why Trixie not? You could be concealing a bomb or working for Death Fire." Trixie said, attempting to ignore what just happened.

"Because you would be killing soldiers who were just following orders!" Summers said, standing back up onto her hooves.

"Following orders? From who?" Trixie asked.

"Captain Lighting Dust."

"And why was Trixie not informed of this. Any order or request to leave the base must be run by Trixie before carried out, that was an order. You jeopardized the safety and secrecy of our base, endangered everyone, and disobeyed a direct command from a superior. Are you aware of the repercussions and punishments that will follow because of this act?"

"Unless under the safety of article thirteen, subsection thirteen. Any action that must be conducted for the salvation of Equestria, Griffon Kingdom, Zebrafica, or other nation must be acted upon immediately and does not require the request, permission, orders, or knowledge of their supervisors, superiors, commanders, or anyone in a higher position of power."

"Really? Then you are also aware of subsection fourteen. You must show proof or show how you learned of the threat that would classify under thirteen, thirteen."

"Of course." Summers stated as she turned around.

Trixie looked to see Foxx and Imago carrying a fairly large box towards her. They placed it down next to Summers and Foxx pried it open with his hook. Inside the box where several maps, schematics, supplies, and all sorts of crazy gadgets. What caught her eye the most was the damaged pony machine inside, holding what she could only determine was a core of some sort.

"That…..that's a core to a nuclear warhead….how did you get this?" Trixie asked in shock.

"The 'pony' inside happened to have information on the whereabouts of a project Death Fire was working on called, Operation Hellfire. We eventually tracked down the location and chased it all the way to the capital before apprehending the weapon."

"So why did you bring back the machine?"

"Because he was capable of speaking and emotions, he wore a different skin unlike the earlier models we have seen before. I mean, look at him! Green fur, yellow mane, it even has a cutie mark. These….things are getting smarter, stronger, and they can blend in and become any one of us."

"You've made you point, Summers. You and your crew are now relieved of all accusations." Trixie stated with a smile.

Summers sighed in relieve along with Imago and Foxx.

"So what were you actually doing out there?" Trixie asked, her smile turning into a cocky smirk.

Summers blinked several times while Imago and Foxx gave terrified looks.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Summers asked.

"Come on now. You really think I wouldn't find out?" Trixie asked, switching the first person to make her point.

Trixie could see Summers start to sweat slightly as she held on to her, "I'm so %&#* &# boned right now" look.

"Um….dah….well….Fireball here can explain." Summers declared, somehow conjuring the small, red filly into her hooves.

Fireball had the same scared expression as well.

"Find out….about….what?" Fireball asked.

"Oh...you know…." Trixie said, closing the gap between her and Fireball that their muzzles almost touched.

"...no….." Fireball squeaked as her ears folded on her head.

"I think you do….."

Trixie continued to stare into Fireballs eyes, burning a hole into her soul until she started to tear up and cry.

"I'M SORRY, OK! I JUST WANTED A CHOCOLATE BAR REALLY, REALLY BADLY AND NO ONE WOULD EVER BUY ME ONE!"

"But….we have chocolate bars…."

"BUT THEY TASTE LIKE SEAWEED!"

It was now Trixie's turn to feel bad. What was suppose to be a joke seemed to have turned into a guilt trip for the ex showmare. That was, until a massive yellow blur appeared before her.

"How could you, how could you made a little filly cry?!" Fluttershy demanded, holding the little filly in her hooves.

Trixie's mouth dropped to the floor along with everyone else in the room that watched. Even Fireball, the apparent victim of Trixie's onslaught, was now frozen in place and completely speechless.

"Now tell me….what part of STAY HIDDEN DIDN'T YOU UNDERSTAND!" Foxx screamed.

"It's ok, Foxx. I already knew." Trixie announced.

"Yeah….I caught on to that." Summers said, disappointed.

"Don't feel bad, you all did a great job of keeping this a secret. In fact, it was Lighting Dust who told me to begin with."

"What? WHY!" Imago asked.

"Because Night Shadow requested it in the case of his passing."

"Oh….so you know then…." Fireball said sadly.

"Unfortunately. So with that said...will you do me the honors?"

"Of course." Summers said, turning to the ship. "It's ok, you girls can come out now."

The doors to the gunship opened slowly, revealing the remaining bearers of the elements of harmony and the princess of the night herself. Zealot and Archangel eventually climbed out and helped the ponies inside onto the floor. It wasn't long before everyone was presented before Trixie.

"Now I know we can win."

Rainbow Dash was the first to step forward.

"Now that we are here, I think it's time for you to answer some questions. First off, we want to know where Twilight is."

"Training, probably on the surface practicing what she has learned."

"Then we demand to see her!" Applejack followed.

"Not yet."

"What….what do you mean, not yet!" Rarity shouted.

"We haven't seen her in over seven years, and you want to say, not yet!" Rainbow yelled.

"I owe her seventh birthday parties!" Pinkie yelled as well. "We want to see her!"

"If….if it's not to much to ask." Fluttershy whispered.

"No, it's not too much to ask." Luna said, cutting in. "Considering you were the one that put us in this nightmare in the first place."

"I will explain, but not here. Now is not the time for this." Trixie said, attempting to calm them down.

"Then when will be the time. I want to know!" Rainbow demanded.

"Soon, you just have to trust me."

"Trust is a heavy word when it comes to you." Rarity pointed out.

Trixie sighed heavily, looking down in shame.

"Look….I know what I did in the past…I know what I did was wrong….but I'm trying my hardest to make up for what I did. You must trust me on this...for Twilight's sake…."

The elements of harmony and Luna looked at each other, silently making a decision before looking back at her.

"We will be able to trust you within time." Rarity spoke. "But we still want to see Twilight."

Trixie remained silent for several moments before nodding.

"Very well…." Trixie complied as she lifted her hoof to her muzzle. "All clear." She said into her wrist computer.

As the blast doors and windows began to open, Trixie conjured up all the magic she could and teleported the entire group to an empty station where a monorail was waiting for them. To everyone's surprise but Trixie's, no one was present, leaving the impression that something suspicious was about to happen.

"We're taking a train to the living quarters to get you settled into your home." Trixie stated as she walked inside one of the cars.

"You said you would take us to Twilight!" Rainbow said, raising her voice.

"Do you know how hard it is to teleport a dozen people to one location? It's not a walk in the park, I will tell you that."

"Then why is the train taking us to the living quarters first?" Rarity asked.

"Because it's along the way and you might as well know where you are going to stay. Now, will there be any more questions?"

Luna and her group gave her suspicious looks as they boarded the train. Summers and her squad were then placed in the in the car behind them as they remained silent. Trixie boarded with their group before the car doors closed, informing them to remain seated and stay clear of the doors. Once the train began to move, Luna was the first to speak up.

"I do not like this. There is something off about what she is doing."

"Like she's hiding something." Applejack said afterwards.

"Either way, we don't have much of a choice." Rarity stated. "But it would be nice to have a hot bath after all these years."

"Then why can't I help the fact that I feel more like a prisoner than a guest?" Rainbow asked.

"Probably because the last time we saw Trixie she was trying to destroy Twilight." Luna said

"But she changed according to Night Shadow." Pinkie pointed out.

"She could be lying." Rarity suggested.

"Well, was she?" Rainbow asked, looking at Applejack.

"Just because I'm the element of honesty doesn't mean I can tell when someone is lying or not."

"Do you really think she would lie about everything just to get us all in one place?" Pinkie asked.

"I wouldn't doubt it." Rainbow said. "She betrayed Equestria, Celestia, it wouldn't be a surprise if she betrayed us. Heck, this entire hidden base is probably just a way to get all Death Fire's enemies into one place."

"Now that's a terrifying thought, dear." Rarity said, concerned.

Silence filled the room as the group stared out the windows of the train car, silently admiring the beauty of the underwater city and the lights it gave off. Luna, in particular, took a peek at the train car with Trixie out of curiosity and suspicion. She noticed the group was arguing with each other, occasionally staring back at her or the others before returning to their arguing.

"Fluttershy, you have yet to express your concerns. Do you have a say in this." Luna asked, breaking the silence.

Fluttershy was sitting comfortably on the floor, staring out of the window before looking up at Luna.

"As scared as I might be, at least we have each other." She said quietly.

After several more minutes of conversation, the train came to a stop at another station where Lighting Dust was waiting for them. Fluttershy and her friends' faces instantly glew as they finally saw a familiar face. When the doors opened, everyone but Luna instantly tackled her to the ground and hugged her tightly.

"I'm so glad you girls finally made it. I was so worried that I would never see you again." Lighting admitted, attempting to hug back.

"WE MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"Even Rainbow Dash?"

"Why would I not, us cool ponies have to stick together." Rainbow said with a smile.

As the group broke up the hug, Luna came into Lightning's view, causing her to involuntarily bow.

"Princess Luna...but how? Everyone thought you were dead." Lighting said with a surprised tone.

"Everything is still a blur. All I know is that I am before you now."

"Captain, a word with you." Trixie commanded from behind.

"Sorry girls, I'll be right back." Lighting said happily.

"Alright, everyone follow me, the sooner we get to your rooms, the sooner you can see Twilight." Summers declared as she walked towards two double doors.

The building Summers was leading them to was completely isolated from the entire base and placed inside the rocky walls of the mountain the base was hidden within. In fact, the building looked more like a massive vault then an actual building, like a big bank a mafia would try to rob. Everyone but Trixie and Lighting followed through the doors before they closed before them. After the doors closed, Lighting took on a more serious look and tone.

"So now that we have the elements of harmony, we should tell Twilight." Lighting said calmly.

Trixie sighed softly as she turned to look at the city. Moments passed without a word.

"Trixie, I need an answer."

"We can't." Trixie abruptly said, turning back to her.

Lighting was surprised by her answer, taking a slight pause before speaking again.

"She has a right to know."

"I did to, but that didn't stop you from hiding the truth from me."

"Because Death Fire would have sensed the hope within you, known that there was a way to defeat him or create an uprising. If he had tortured the information out of you, he would of-

"He already knows. He's always known, he just didn't know where they went until Flash Sentry pieced together the clues. Torturing me for information would of gotten him nowhere."

"He could of found out where the base was, where we were all hiding. After all, you did steal the elements of harmony from him and brought them here."

"By that time Twilight and Night Shadow had returned. I had no intentions of staying in Equestria after that point, not when I could prepare for the final step."

"He would notice your disappearance."

"That is why I tasked a changeling to take my place."

"Trixie, the changeling will die without love if she's not caught first...you practically-

"She knew what would happen….what she would endure. I trained her for seven years, allowed her to study my actions, emotions, passions….dreams…." Trixie said with sadness. "The point is...you lied to me to protect me….to make me stronger…."

"Trixie….this is different….Twilight is in no danger of being caught and she has lost everything, she believes her friends are dead and with Night Shadow gone-

"Don't you get it?! This is the perfect opportunity to unleash her power, her true power!"

"So you would lie to her to make her a weapon!"

"It's for the future of our world!"

"THE FUTURE OF OUR WORLD SHOULDN'T INVOLVE LYING TO OUR FRIENDS AND EXPLOITING THEIR ABILITIES!"

"THEN WHY DID YOU LIE TO TWILIGHT ABOUT NIGHT SHADOW!"

Silence filled the room again, tension boiling out of control as both mare's anger could be felt just from a simple gaze.

"If you tell Twilight these lies and she finds out….you will never gain her trust again..." Lighting warned with a whisper.

"If the loss of Twilight's trust is what will win this war, then i would happily do it a hundred fold." Trixie whispered back with rage.

"Then the truth comes out….no wonder you have no friends…."

Lighting Dust walked past Trixie without another word and extended her wings, taking off and leaving the blue mare alone without anyone in sight. Just her….alone with her thoughts….like` it had been for years.

---

"You….you can't be serious…." Night Shadow said, both surprised and terrified at the same time.

"Eeyup….you're basically dead." Filia said casually.

"I'm surprised honestly, you took it better than most ponies." Elegit stated.

Night Shadow was surrounded by his long lost friends in what could only be described as heaven. To put it simply, think of a glorified cloudsdale but with lots of gold, natural gardens, vivid colors, rivers, you get the point, it was really beautiful.

"Seems like the narrator is half flanking the description as usual." Mico pointed out.

You do your thing, and i'll do mine, got it?

"Yeah, yeah, you've said it a hundred times."

"What now?" Night Shadow asked.

"Some other time, Night Shadow." Tremor said, picking him up and placing him on his back. "Right now, there's someone you should see."

It was then Night Shadow noticed Tremor was wearing incredibly soft, white robes and had a golden halo above his head. As he looked around at the others, he realised that everyone was wearing the same robes. The only difference would be the different color sash each pony had around their body. Night Shadow figured the different colors represented something they must've done in their life to earn them. Regardless, this was a minor detail compared to everything else around him.

They eventually stopped at a massive house away from all the action of the main city. The house reminded Night Shadow of penthouse, only much more vivid and decorated with nature. Before Night Shadow could even soak it in, Tremor bucked him forward, launching him into the door with a loud thud. Despite how painful it looked, Night Shadow didn't feel a thing.

"Come outside you lazy mare! Just because you're dead doesn't mean you can sleep all day!" Tremor shouted.

There was a loud sigh of annoyance before the door to the house was opened abruptly.

"Tremor, i'm going to strangle…..no way….." The dark blue mare whispered, shaking softly.

Night Shadow gazed at the mare before softly shedding tears.

"Sapphirine….."

"Night Shadow…."

The two stared at each other for what seemed like hours before they both burst into tears and hugged each other tightly.

"SAPPHIRINE!"

"NIGHT SHADOW!"

"I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!"

"I DID TO, YOU BIG GOOF BALL!"

The two ponies continued to cry tears of joy as their friends watched, smiling in satisfaction.

"That never gets old." Legio said, smirking happily.

"And it never will." Mico added.

"Hehe….now I can watch them have sex." Filia stated, rubbing her hooves together.

"FILIA!" Everyone shouted at once, disappointed.

"What! It's been 5,000 years since Sapphirine has had a good tussle, it's bound to get crazy."

"Which is all the more reason you should keep your nose out of it." Callidus said, speaking up.

"Awww, but i let you watch me all the time, what's the harm of watching them."

"You snuck into my room, got into my bed, and started stripping when I walked in." Callidus corrected.

"Mhm….but you liked what you saw, didn't you." Filia said with a smirk.

"It was four in the morning and I was tired. I was more pissed off than anything."

"That's not what your scent told me, big boy." Filia said seductively, licking her lips.

Callidus' eye twitched softly as a blush formed on his face.

"We will discuss this later…." Callidus stated with embarrassment.

"I'll be sure to bring wine."

"Alright, enough you two." Legio said, putting distance between the two ponies. "Lets leave them alone for a bit while we grab some food."

"Sounds good to me." Elegit said, looking at the others.

The rest agreed and they went off towards the golden city again, leaving the two lovebirds alone by themselves. Sapphirine quickly kissed Night Shadow on the lips and pinned him onto his back.

"I need this….now….preferably while Filia is away." Sapphirine whispered hotly.

"I couldn't agree more." Night Shadow said with bedroom eyes.

The two quickly rushed into Sapphirines bedroom, fully making out on the way there. Once they entered the room, Night Shadow quickly closed the door and locked it shut. When he turned around, Sapphirine was already disrobed and on her bed with a rose in her mouth and wine on the table.

"Ready to get dominated, my sexy little stallion?" Sapphirine asked, honey practically drooling from her lips.

"You always loved coming out on top…." Night Shadow admitted.

Night Shadow got on top of the bed and kissed Sapphirine on the lips again. After about a minute, Sapphirine reached her hoof under Night Shadow's legs and grabbed on to something she wanted to play with for many years.

"Your move." Night Shadow whispered.

"As always." Sapphirine said, lustfully.

Sapphirine then abruptly moved a checker piece forward as Night Shadow moved back to get a better view, officially starting their game. A good hour or so passes before Elegit returned with the others, bringing back several items to give to Night Shadow.

"You two still in there?!" Mico asked loudly so they could hear.

"You better not be F* #( ^ in there!" Fillia yelled.

Night Shadow opened the door, holding Sapphirine on his back as she snuggled him.

"You're a bit late on that one I'm afraid." Night Shadow teased.

"YOU *# $%!"

"It was just like I remembered to." Sapphirine added with a smirk, nibbling Night Shadow's ear. "Only so much better…."

Filia grit her teeth in frustration before Callidus pat her head gently.

"Don't worry, you only have to wait another 5,000 years for the next time." Callidus said, chuckling softly.

"Then I'll just make up for lost time with you." Filia said, turning to him and winking.

"You can try." Callidus said, giving her cocky look.

"Can we come in? We brought you some food." Tremor asked, holding up a bag.

"Of course, we're not doing anything important." Sapphirine said, inviting them in.

The group made their way through the door and into the house, taking their seats in the living room.

"So we have a lot to catch up on." Legio said, putting some sandwiches on the table.

"Like, how the heck did you fight off a whole army?" Elegit asked.

"Or how you learned magic from Discord." Tremor added

"And fought Celestia and Luna all by yourself." Filia said, sitting on Night Shadow's lap.

"Or how about all this other crazy, war stuff happening right now as we speak." Mico reminded.

"Maybe talk about this purple unicorn you have had your eyes on." Sapphirine said, punching Filia off Night Shadow.

"I want to know about Death Fire." Callidus finished.

"Well…." Night Shadow started, sitting back in the chair provided for him. "It seems you all know about what's going on, or at least in general speaking. So I'll try to keep it brief."

---

Insert fanfic up to this point, here.

---

"After that, it all went dark. Light Shade tried his best to keep me alive, but I guess it was just too much. At least Nightmare Twilight won't bother anyone else again." Night Shadow said with relief.

The others looked at each nervously, not knowing who should be the one to say it.

"Night Shadow…." Sapphirine spoke up, deciding she should be the one. "Nightmare Twilight survived...she reformed shortly after you passed."

Night Shadow froze in place.

"No...no that can't be right. I put everything I had into that attack! SHE WAS DESTROYED!" Night Shadow yelled, not wanting to believe it.

"We wouldn't lie about this. When you punched off her horn, those pieces regenerated her back to life. If it wasn't for that, your attack would have worked."

Night Shadow looked down at the floor, completely defeated and devastated."

"I should've listened to Light Shade…."

"However…." Callidus began. "Because of your heroism, you were able to free Discord and the others from her control and allowed Luna's children to track down their exact location. They were saved shortly afterwards once Enderpearl blasted Ntwi into a million pieces."

"But Ntwi still lives..." Night Shadow said, accepting the facts. "So all I did was take myself out of the fight…."

"If you look at it like that, then yes. But as I have said, you did more then that. Ntwi will take weeks, if not months to fully recover. Death Fire also must have felt your presence leave your world. If miasma still works like I remember it, he should eventually fade away."

"Not likely." Sapphirine spoke up. "He had the black book for almost eight years. If he was smart, he would've prepared for something like this. Chances are, he made it so he wouldn't have to rely on you anymore to be a host."

"Then I have to go back!" Night Shadow shouted.

"You don't know how death works, do you?" Elegit asked.

"There's got to be an exception, a loophole, something, anything! I can't stay here knowing they're still down there."

"That's just it, Night Shadow. There nothing you can do anymore. Once you cross over to the afterlife you can't go back. That's how it's always been." Sapphirine stated.

Night Shadow closed his eyes and looked down to the ground as hopelessness overtook him. Upon seeing this, Sapphirine and the others came to him and hugged him tightly.

"It's just the way it is…."

A full day passes on earth, but to Night Shadow it seemed like years had flown by. The light that acted like the sun in the sky never seemed to set either, yet at the same time he was able to see millions upon millions of stars if he looked far enough across the horizon. While everyone remained inside the house, Night Shadow passed back and forth through the small flower garden Sapphirine had build during her time in the afterlife. He eventually sat down and placed his face into his hooves, sighing in sadness.

"It would seem, even in the afterlife, you still can't find peace within yourself."

Night Shadow looked up and turned to the voice, seeing a red alicorn with what seemed like fire for a mane and tail.

"Blaze Cast?" Night Shadow asked in shock.

"Follow me...we have much to discuss."

"What about the-

"The others will be informed soon, right now, they just want you."

"...what for?"

"You will see."

Blazes horn glowed with fire before they were both teleported before a massive golden palace that shined brightly with light. The light representing their sun was set perfectly above the palace as if the building itself was holding it in the sky. The path to the entrance of the palace was paithed with gold and gems, red carpet to compliment the colors and because it was just so freaking comfortable to walk on with hooves.

"lucky for you, there's not over 10,000 steps for you to climb. I hope one hundred isn't too much for you though." Blaze said with a soft smile.

"It will give us time to talk at least. Don't know why you didn't just teleport to the top though." Night Shadow asked.

"Wanted you to see the palace and the scenery. Guess you're not one for stunning views."

"I'm just….going through a lot."

"As you always are. You will feel a lot better soon though. We made sure of that."

"What do you mean, we? And why are you being so nice to be? I wanted to kill you all those years ago."

"That because you didn't know any better. You also changed a lot since I last saw you." Blaze said, recalling the events. "Now get climbing, or should I just carry you."

Night Shadow walked to the stairs and started to climb up slowly. Blaze eventually followed and climbed up next to him.

"How is life for you here, since you already know about how mine is going." Night Shadow asked.

"Well….I wish I could hug my wife again….or had been there for my children. They never even knew their father other than stories Luna told them."

"Parents…..WAIT, ARE MY PARENTS HERE! I HAVE TO SEE THEM!"

Night Shadow practically glowed with light and joy, the thought of finally meeting his parents couldn't make him happier. Blaze, on the other hand, had to hide his nervous, if not terrified expression. It's not that Night Shadows parents happened to be banished or were in hell, but because he was told not to say for his own good. Even though he felt he had the right to know after all these years, it wasn't his place to tell him.

"It's not my place to tell you this. I onl-"

"Don't give me this crap. Tell me where they are!" Night Shadow demanded. "Or at least tell me who."

Blaze watched as Night Shadow went from abruptly anger to desperation as his eyes watered.

"Please….I've wanted to know my entire life…."

Blaze sighed as he came up with an answer.

"You need to talk to someone very important first, then we can tell you."

"Why can't you tell me now!"

"Night Shadow….just….believe the words I'm telling you..."

Night Shadow didn't like it, but he continued up the stairs with Blaze until they reached the top. From there, the massive golden doors were opened, revealing a massive lobby room where ponies chatted and stayed. This time, however, everything was empty, giving him a good look at the throne at the very back of the room.

"So is that where god sits?" Night Shadow asked.

"You could say that." Blaze said, walking past him. "We're going to talk to those ponies over there first though." He said, pointing at two alicorns sitting at a table near the corner.

Night Shadow had a hard time recognizing the two alicorns until he stood right before them, realising they were Celestia's parents.

"Ah, there you are." Midnight Astral spoke. "I was beginning to think you and Blaze got lost."

"It's nice to finally meet the son of-

"Shhh...now is not the time." He said, cutting off Sunlit Aura.

"You don't have to be so rude about it." She said, folding her hooves and taking a seat.

"You two seem more friendly than the last time I saw you." Night Shadow admitted.

"You met us before?" Aura asked.

"...well, more like spying, but mister king of alicorns was pretty harsh with her daughter about 5,000 years ago."

"It was in the middle of a conflict, I was…." Midnight sighed softly. "I should of been a better father."

"Hey, hey….don't be like that." Night Shadow said. "Look at what's she's done for our world. "You should be proud of her and Luna."

Midnight nodded softly, acknowledging his statement.

"So you're probably wondering why we brought you here." Aura asked, taking on a sweet tone.

"If I had to guess, it would be because of recent events. Am I right on this?" Night Shadow asked.

He and Blaze took their seat next to each other while the two royals sat away from them.

"More recent than you would think." Aura reinsured.

"We called you here to discuss your death." Midnight revealed.

"Oh….that..." Night Shadow said with distress.

"How aware are you about your situation?" Aura asked.

"Basically, I punted the bucket into the next dimension." Night Shadow casually joked, attempting to block out his sorrow.

"Correct, that is why your soul is here before us now, but is that all you are aware of?"

"I was told Endershine recovered my body along with the four ex-villains I saved, other than that, nothing else. Why? Is there something I'm not getting from this?"

Aura softly smirked.

"Tell me...did you notice something was missing when you ascended beyond the physical plain?"

"My physical pain, hunger, sadness up to a point...hair is still cut so you could count that."

"Let me rephrase that. Did you notice someone was missing when you passed?"

"Someone? I was the only one there except Nightmare Twilight. What do you mean by som-"

Night Shadow eventually connected the dots.

"WAIT! Where's Light Shade?" He asked, patting himself down as if his friend was a wearable object. "Shouldn't he be inside of me or something?"

"Not at this current moment?"

"Than where is he?"

"He's back on earth actually, looking over your body while you are here."

"So he's not dead?"

"Correct."

"But...how?"

"Because he is using your body as a way to keep himself alive."

"But if he is using my body to keep himself alive...that means that technically...

---

"He's still alive." Enderpearl concluded.

"Exactly." Endershine said with hope.

The two alicorns sat around Night Shadow's body while the lava continued to provide heat and light for them. Chrysalis had perfect timing as she then entered the cave, wearing a heavy fur coat to protect herself from the cold.

"Chrysalis, you were outside for more than an hour, we told you not to-

"I know...being cold blooded and running around outside would of caused my body to shut down. But Sombra and Nightmare Moon are still upset. Discord is in even worse shape. He won't even say a word."

"Then please warm up by the lava...I don't want to see you hurt. I'll go talk to Discord." Endershine said, getting up and walking past her.

Chrysalis was off put by how mother like Endershine just acted toward her. So much so that she couldn't move until Enderpearl spoke up.

"Something up?" He asked curiously.

"No...just a bit weirded out." She said, blinking a few times.

"She gets like that when she's worried. Probably got it from mom." Enderpearl said, walking over to a pot to stir around the soup he was making. "Food is almost ready by the way. You have some good timing."

"Aren't you going to tell me what you just found?" Chrysalis asked.

"You heard that?" Enderpearl asked, surprised.

"Sort of what my ears are for, you know." She pointed out.

Enderpearl cast a spell on the stirring spoon, making it move itself before turning to the changeling queen.

"Night Shadow isn't dead. Something within him is keeping him alive, but barely."

"That's great news then!" Chrysalis said, slightly relieved.

"Hold on….there's still a huge problem. We have no clue what it is, why it's happening, or how to even bring him back. All we know is that it's emanating from his heart."

"Sounds like he just needs a jump start then."

"I don't think it will be that simple. Once we inform everyone about the news though, I'm sure everyone will cheer up."

"Hopefully….Sombra and Nightmare Moon still see themselves as monsters while Discord is depressed about his passing. The news should boost their moral."

About fifteen to twenty minutes passed before a fully gray Discord appeared in the room along with Endershine.

"Is it true…." Discord asked.

"From what I have been told. See for yourself." Chrysalis said, gesturing to Night Shadow.

Discord quickly picked up Night Shadow and held him like a newborn filly. Yellow magic slowly enveloped the red unicorn before it faded into his fur. After several moments, a yellow light could be seen emanating from Night Shadow's heart.

"So he is alive…."

Discords grayish colors slowly took on color, signalling his sadness had slightly lifted. However, it was not fully reverted back into full bloom, but it was relieving to the others to see color return to his form, even if it wasn't a full reversion.

"It's very faint. No signs of fading strength. Unfortunately, he will be stuck in this state forever if we don't help him."

"What do you suggest we do then?" Enderpearl asked.

Discord thought about it for several moments before speaking.

"If we combine all our power into his body, it should jump start him back to the living."

"Wait, how do you know that will work?" Chrysalis asked.

"I don't….but it's what the narrator wants us to do." Discord said boldly.

Enderpearl looked at his sister and Chrysalis for an answer, but all he got was shrugs.

"What if his heart explodes from all the energy?" Endershine asked.

"I will make sure to stop it if that was about to happen. I won't let my friend slip away if there's a chance to bring him back."

"But there's another problem. Sombra and Nightmare haven't even talked to each other since their breakdowns. It will be hard for them to sit in the same room after that." Endershine pointed out.

"Then I'll make them." Enderpearl said in a serious tone. "We have a life to save. Fighting between ourselves won't bring Night Shadow back."

"While I do agree, force won't solve the issue or even speed it along. They have been mentally scarred from all the torture they have endured over the years. What they need to know right now is that we are here for them. That they are not the monsters they claim to be." Endershine stated.

"Then I have an idea." Chrysalis said.

"Let's hear it."

"If I disguise myself as Nightmare Moon to talk to Sombra, and then vise versa, I should be able to get them to cooperate."

"I don't know….if they found out there would be explaining to do. Plus, I think it's best for them to solve it themselves."

"But we have to move this along. We can't wait around for pointless bickering to cease." Enderpearl reminded.

"To be honest, I don't think it was even bickering, much less arguing. I think they just need….."

Chrysalis stopped mid sentence as her heart started to pick up in pace. She felt warm and fuzzy suddenly as she thought about the concept. Several more moments passed as everyone gazed at her, waiting for her to finish.

"...need what?" Discord asked.

"Love…." She whispered.

Chrysalis paused again before turning to Endershine.

"You work on Nightmare Moon. She is part of your mother and thus you should be able to connect with her better. I have an idea on how to reach Sombra."

"But what if she-"

"No excuses. You can do it, trust me."

Chrysalis left the warm comfort of the hideout into the cold, outside world. Snow started to fall slowly as the moon shined brightly in the sky. It would of been a calming, relaxing atmosphere if it wasn't for the blood red moon. Ignoring the ominous atmosphere, she kept in mind that Sombra wasn't to far from the initial hiding place. In fact, he was about a minute away if you were walking fast enough. She eventually reached the entrance to what looked like a small house made of crystals.

"Typical." Chrysalis said to herself as she entered.

Once she entered the strange house….thing…..she was greeted with a massive tower that had a spiraling staircase that seemed to ascend into the heavens. Chrysalis blinked several times before igniting her horn to cancel any illusion spell she might of come under. To her surprise, there was no such spell.

"What do you want?" Sombra asked softly, still enduring depression as he looked down from the tower and using magic to propel his voice.

"I expected this kind of nonsense from Discord...but you? How did you even have time to build this?" Chrysalis asked.

"Oh, you noticed the stairs?" Sombra asked with a soft smile, making him forget his earlier predicament for a short time. "It's sort of an….old habit."

"Is this really necessary?"

"Yes…"

Chrysalis walked up to the stairs before looking up at Sombra.

"And you expect me to climb all the way up just to talk to you?"

"Yes."

"But you are talking to me now."

Sombra didn't reply, making Chrysalis roll her eyes.

"So you are just going to ignore me now?"

Still no response.

"Are you kidding me right now? Just talk to me."

There was still no reply. Chrysalis attempted to flair her wings but they were cold stiff from the weather. Sighing in frustration, she abruptly teleporting to the very top of the tower and shoving Sombra onto his back.

"I don't have time for this. It's not my fault you have to compensate for your short size with massive towers and stairs!"

"Why didn't you take the stairs!" Sombra yelled, as if offended.

"I have magic you idiot! Wings for that matter to!"

"I made those stairs for a reason!"

"What, so you can get off to making ponies climb up stairs!"

"What else am I supposed to do?"

"Something reasonable!"

"Like?"

"LIKE NOT BUILDING STAIRS!"

Sombra sighed as he got up slowly and turned his head.

"So what's the real reason you are here?" Sombra asked.

Chrysalis was so caught up with their petty argument that she completely forgot the main reason for walking out here in the first place.

"Oh….umm….yeah. Night Shadow is alive."

Sombra turned and looked at Chrysalis dead in the eyes.

"But he was dead when they found him. How could he-"

"Endsherine found this out only thirty minutes ago. I was told this as of recently. Problem is, he's locked into some kind of coma until enough power is forced into his body. We need your help."

"Is Nightmare Moon going to be there?" Sombra asked.

"Well yes….we need everyone to help with this."

"Then I can't…." Sombra said with sadness.

"What do you mean, you can't? How are you still holding on to what you said when Night Shadow can be brought back?" Chrysalis asked.

"Because of what I said to Nightmare….it only proved my point more. I've only caused pain and nothing more."

"Stop it…."

"Stop what?"

"Stop lying to yourself. You're not who you say you are. You're not what ponies say you are or what you used to be. You're different now, changed for the better."

"Why are you telling me this."

"Because it's the truth. Why would we lie to you about this?"

"To make me feel better about my existence."

"You are the only one doing this to you. You are the only one digging your own void of despair. We have been waiting to pull you out of it but you keep insisting you belong in this mess."

"You don't know what i've done to ponies….the things I made them endure…."

"So you're saying your unforgivable? That no matter what you do you can't redeem yourself?"

"Exactly."

"So what I did was perfectly fine. What Nightmare Moon and Discord did was forgivable?"

"I enslaved ponies….made their children work in crystal mines until their bones broke."

"You really want to go there with me Sombra? You want to list out all the things you've done and call it an excuse."

"It's not an excuse, it's a reason."

"I don't call excuses a reason."

"You would lock me up in the depths of hell if you knew what I did."

"Try me…."

Sombra remained silent.

"I have existed for over five thousand years, Sombra. You have only been around for over a thousand. I think I know a monster when I see one."

"Well, this one disguises himself with a charade."

"Then tell me…..would a monster have saved my life seven years ago?" Chrysalis asked. "Would a monster have gone out of his way to cure my disease that threatened to eat me from the inside out. Would a monster stand up against all odds against a force of madness and darkness? If so I think you have the wrong word for what you are. I believe the correct term you are looking for is hero."

As Sombra looked down at the ground in thought, Chrysalis turned her back and began to walk.

"Come talk to us once you finally accepted what you really are and not what your mind wants you to believe."

With that, she then takes a bad step, causing her to accidentally fall off the tower and begin to scream in panic as her wings failed to stop her fall. Sombra without hesitation, instantly rushed down the stairs with blinding speeds and caught her with time to spare.

"Should of took the stairs." Sombra said with a soft smile.

"So that makes it twice now. Still feel like a bad pony?" Chrysalis asked, looking into his eyes.

Sombra held his soft smile as he returned the same look.

"…...not when you're around….."

"And why is that?"

Sombra and Chrysalis began to move closer to each other.

"Take a guess."

"It wouldn't be a guess if I already knew the answer." Chrysalis said with a cocky grin.

"Then should I even say it?"

"Only if your heart is ready for it."

There was a long pause as Sombra continued to hold Chrysalis in his arms.

"I love you…." Sombra finally said.

.

.

..

"I love you too…."

---

Nightmare Moon walked around in an open field surrounded by flowers and trees. She enjoyed the warm sun shining down from the sky and the clear blue sky and white clouds. Despite it all being an illusion created in her dream realm, it was still one the only places left untouched by Death Fires control. Ironically, for a mare that was obsessed with the night, she was pretty sick of it. Eternal night never seemed so horrible until it was finally put into effect. Probably because it wasn't what she had intended.

Questions came to mind. Why couldn't she reverse the eternal night she herself put onto the world. Why couldn't she combine her power with the others to raise the sun, give a beacon of hope for those so helplessly lost? Would it even matter to begin with? She asked herself these questions along with many more about her character and integrity. Even if she did end the eternal darkness and raised the sun, what stops Death Fire from simply changing it back? Why waste so much energy just for it to revert back to it's twisted version of what was the norm?

She began to simulate the sun setting below the horizon, creating a beautiful twilight effect in the sky. Both the sun and moon could be seen in the sky she created though her realm, reminding her what her world used to be.

"If you think you can sneak up on me in my dreams, you are mistaken." She stated, turning around.

"If you think I was trying to sneak up on you, then you are the one that is mistaken." Endershine replied.

Nightmare took the words to thought before turning back around to gaze at what she created.

"Why are you here…" She asked softly.

"Isn't it obvious? I want to talk to my mother." Endershine said, walking to her before stopping next to her.

"I'm not your mother...far from it."

"You are apart of her, used to be if you want to be exact. I believe that qualifies you."

"Maybe in appearance and voice. Not in desires and accomplishments."

"You were a part of her when I was born. You are just as much my mother as she is."

"Not biologically. Not from me. You should be thankful you are not."

"Why should I?" Endershine asked.

"Because of what I am…..because of what i've done….."

"Still clinging on to the past?"

"It's all I have now."

"What about us?"

Nightmare paused for a second.

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

"I….I don't have what I used to have."

"Like what? Fears and jealousy?" Endershine asked. "Be serious, what did you actually mean."

Nightmare sighed softly.

"I feel like it's all fake….that no one is truly my friend."

"And why do you feel this way?"

"You heard what Sombra said about me. I cause nothing but pain…..nothing but suffering."

"You used to. Honestly, I doubt you did anything close to what you say you did."

"I turned your brother against you and tried to kill my sister."

"Welcome to the club of super villains of the past. Give or take the siblings part."

"So you think that is perfectly acceptable behavior?"

"Nightmare….that &# happened how long ago?"

"About….one thou-

"Exactly! Who cares anymore?"

"...well clearly me and several others."

"Pfff, name one?"

"Celestia for starters."

"You really think she hates you. That she's one to hold a grudge."

"One thousand years was harsh on something that I did. She didn't have to get her little sister involved either."

"Oh, now you act like she had a choice. I don't think you knew Celestia like you think you do."

"You think I'm wrong then?"

"I know you're wrong."

Nightmare rolled her eyes.

"For someone who claims to be my daughter, you certainly aren't disciplined."

"I might of been shy years ago, but I certainly won't stand aside when I know you're making these excuses."

"So they are excuses now?" Nightmare said with slight anger. "Is this all you came here to do. Ridicule me for what I have struggled with for centuries."

"No….I've come to finally bury it forever."

"What do you mean."

"You don't think I've noticed? That I was to ignorant to see what was going on within you all those years ago and even now? You are the only one doing this to yourself, mom."

"Don't call me that!" Nightmare Moon screamed.

Endershine back up before standing up on her hind hooves and exploded with a huge burst of magic. What Nightmare moon saw completely blew her away. Before her was an armored Enderhine bearing her exact looks and stature. A Nightmare version of herself.

"You never knew about this….did you?" Endershine asked, echoing her voice.

"How did…..when did….."

"When I finally learned the truth of who I really was. The daughter of the night. This form came directly from you."

"I never bestowed you with any of my power? I don't understand…."

"You make it seem so complicated when it's so simple. I am your daughter...I am Luna's daughter….you were both one and the same so long ago. Which means you are to be equally loved and treated as she is."

"But after all i've done….knowing what I am…what I was created to do…."

"Your past stays in the past….what you are is what you do today and for tomorrow. Your suffering and pain will only come to an end when you decide you have had enough. Throw off your shackles and chains...it's time to let go."

Nightmare Moon eventually looked her in the eyes and nodded. Endershine then shined brightly, making the world around them begin to shatter.

"Now wake up…..you have a job to do."

---

One hour after Chrysalis and Endershine splited up.

"You think this will take a while?" Enderpearl asked.

Discord thought for a moment before shrugging his shoulders.

"Your guess is as good as mine."

"Actually, I think I hear them coming."

Endershine and Chrysalis were the first to walk back into the cave. They were then followed by Sombra and Nightmare Moon who seemed like a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.

"So….are we all aware of what is going on?" Enderpearl asked.

They all nodded.

"Good….we will need a place to focus and out in the open."

"I know a spot." Sombra said.

"Come here then." Discord said.

Sombra approached him and placed his paw on Sombras head, using his magic to aquire the location he had in mind.

"Ok…..got it. Are we ready?"

"Let's bring our friend back." Nightmare Moon declared.

They all teleported to a small island in the middle of the ocean.

"Place him in the middle." Endershine stated.

Discord walked to the center of the small island and created a rune circle with his magic. The circle glowed bright white and sparkled with all sorts of colors. Once Discord placed him in the middle of the circle, he backed away.

"Now everyone form around him." Discord ordered.

"Everyone formed a circle around Night Shadow's body before placing their hooves and one talon on his chest."

"Does anyone have anything left to say before we attempt this?" Endershine asked.

"Just don't blow him up." Chrysalis said.

"Anything else?"

There was a long pause.

"Then enough messing around. On the count of three we give it everything we got."

"Agreed." Everyone else said in unison.

"One….

Two….

Three…."

Everyone then channeled all this power into Night Shadow's body, creating one of the biggest light shows in history if anyone happened to of been recording the event. Orange, purple, blue, you name it, every color, every ounce of magic was pushed into his body in an attempt to bring him back. The island practically threatened to explode as the waves around the island was pushed back, creating a massive cone of air around the island. From a distance, it looked like the island was transforming into a rave show and floating at sea level.

After a full minute of nothing but extreme lights and screaming, they saw Night Shadow's body begin to glow.

"IT'S WORKING, KEEP IT UP!" Enderpearl commanded.

"I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH MORE WE CAN DO THIS!" Chrysalis yelled.

"JUST DON'T GIVE UP!" Endershine encouraged. "WE CAN DO THIS!"

After several more moments, Night Shadow's body began to move and glow brightly with a soft blue light.

"ALRIGHT, ENOUGH!" Discord yelled.

Everyone instantly stopped and backed away. Night Shadows body then sparked violently with lightning before the blue light exploded from his body.

"WHAT'S GOING ON!" Nightmare asked.

"Don't….let him finish."

Night Shadow then stood upright before he opened his eyes, revealing a bright blue color before he screamed into the sky, cutting away the darkness and exploding in a huge white and gold light that forced everyone to look away. He began to float into the sky, continuing to scream with power that shook both the heavens and earth. Lighting from the sky began to flow into him as he continued to explode with more power. Then, just as they believed everything was about to calm down, Night Shadow exploded with power one last time, blowing away everything around him before a bright light abruptly shot out of his body and vanished into the sky.

Everything then went back to normal as Night Shadow's body fell back down to the surface. Discord caught him just before he hit the ground, but when he felt for any life, he could not find a single trace.

"...I don't understand…." Discord asked himself.

In that instant, everyone's hopes had finally been crushed. Their only chance to bring back their friend….lost before their eyes.

"Then let's go home…." Enderpearl whispered.

Before they could teleport back, a flash of light appeared behind them. They all turned around to see what looked like a pony in white robes and a halo, glowing fairly brightly.

"I think you guys need an explanation as to what is going on, don't you think?" The mare said softly.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Discord asked.

"No one important." Mystic Charade said with a smirk.

---

"Wait….hold on…..that was Trixie's mother?" Night Shadow asked.

"Why such a surprise." Blaze asked.

"Because….she seemed so young."

"We all revert to our prime when we pass into the afterlife. For many that is around eighteen to twenty five years old." Midnight pointed out.

"So all of this was planned out….just an hour after I apparently died?"

"Correct." Aura said, happily.

"But...why….how even?" Night Shadow asked.

"Because if you are dead. Twilight can't be trained. You are the only one that can stop Death Fire as of right now. You are going back to make sure others stand a chance as well. Also, evil isn't going to run rampant while we still have a say in this." Midnight stated.

"To answer your other question. Lauren Faust gave us permission." Aura informed.

"All this for me….from someone that wanted to kill you….I can't thank you enough."

"You can by giving our daughters a big hug when you see them." Aura said.

"So what now?" Night Shadow asked.

"Now you wait." Blaze answered.

"On what?"

"Someone you left behind."

Light Shade came into view, having a transparent, ghost like appearance. Overall, he still looked like Night Shadow so he wouldn't get confused with a different appearance. Behind him were two ponies that escorted him into the room and to the group.

"Here he is, as requested." one of the angels stated.

"That will be all then." Midnight informed.

The two ponies vanished in a blink of an eye, leaving Light Shade with the others.

"How….how did you even get here?" Night Shadow asked.

"Your friends on earth jump started your body with enough power to teleport here. Or, that's what I think happened." Light Shade admitted.

"You being warped here was part of the plan." Midnight informed. "There is, however, one last obstacle to overcome."

"Getting you back to your body on earth." Aura finished.

"This is never easy is it?" Night Shadow asked.

"Unfortunately, since the black book is still unrecoverable from the ocean. You will have to be brought back through another power surge. The same way Light Shade was brought here." Blaze said.

"Then what's the big deal. Have them use the same power to bring me back."

"It's easier to cross over to the afterlife. It's significantly harder to get back to Earth."

"You guys are alicorns! Come on, don't give me this nonsense." Night Shadow said with annoyance. "Can't you guys just put me back with your abilities."

"We're working on it. We have Mystic explaining to them the situation. But as I said, it will be significantly more difficult."

"Then what do I do until then?" Night Shadow asked.

"Hmmmm...I have an idea...but it might sound to crazy for you." Blaze suggested.

"And that would be?"

Blaze paused for dramatic reveal.

"Wait."

Night Shadow gave him an emotionless stare.

"This is my life you are talking about."

"I know, but we have this covered. No one is being attacked yet or is in danger. We will have you back soon bef-"

"What do you mean, yet?"

"...ohhh…"

"...tell me….right now..."

Everyone remained silent until Aura spoke up.

"Castigate is forming an army of over a thousand battleships off the western coast. They will be heading towards the hidden base once the order from Death Fire is given."

"They're sending the entire $& &$ $ fleet?!" Night Shadow yelled.

"I'm afraid so."

"I need to go back now then!"

"Calm down, you have plenty of time." Blaze insisted.

Night Shadow started to breath heavily.

"How long do I have…."

"Two weeks at most."

"Then make the time we are here count." Light Shade suggested. "Are there any favors you owe, anything that can help with this upcoming invasion?"

"We are doing what we can as fast as possible. Just trust us."

"But it's taking too long!" Night Shadow yelled.

"Enough." Light Shade said, smacking him across the head. "They are doing what they can, that should be more than enough. Worrying and yelling about something you have no control over will not fix or improve the situation. Now, don't you have some friends to introduce me to?"

Night Shadow sighed softly before looking at him.

"How can you be so confident all the time and never have doubts?"

"Would you rather approach the situation with doubts or hope. Ask yourself that next time you have fears."

Night Shadow nodded before leaving the building with Light Shade to introduce him to his friends from the past.

---

"So you're saying all we have to do now is find the resistance and wait for Night Shadow to return?" Sombra asked.

"Yes. You will know the signal to channel all your power into his body when the light shines through the darkness." Mystic explained.

"But how do we find a hidden base in the middle of an ocean?" Chrysalis asked.

"There will be someone appearing to this location soon. Do not worry though, he is a friend."

"When will he arrive?" Nightmare Moon asked, curiously.

"Fairly soon. It takes time to travel across the planet. Just remain in your positions."

Everyone nodded.

"Say hi to my daughter for me when you get there, will you?" Mystic asked with a smile.

She slowly began to ascend before vanishing into the sky in a flash of golden light, leaving everyone back to the way it was.

"So who is this guy supposed to be?" Enderpearl asked.

"Obviously someone that can get us to where we need to be. Where the world ends or something like that." Endershine rebuttled.

"Well it better be soon then, or we will be stranded out here for days until we can warp back."

"That won't be too much of a problem." A voice said from above.

Everyone looked up to see Zepher floating on a cloud before jumping down onto the small island they were all standing in.

"Seems like you all are exhausted." He pointed out.

"You're….alive?" Enderpearl asked, completely shocked.

"I should be saying the same to you." He replied.

Endershine quickly ran up and hugged him tightly.

"I thought they corrupted you…...and that we would never see you again…." She said softly, shedding a few tears.

Enderpearl hugged him shortly afterwards.

"How did they break the spell off you?" Enderpearl asked.

"Well…..you see….I never was corrupted." Zepher admitted.

"Wait….what?" Endershine said, surprised.

"You almost beheaded your own mother. You're saying it was all fake."

"I had to, they believed I was one of them and let me roam the palace free of questions. As for almost beheading my mother, I can see with magic remember. I saw that Twilight was in the other room along with some others, I just had to take my time."

"You faked out Desolent and Death Fire for this long? How hasn't he seen through this?"

"I've been masking my intentions and true devotion with miasma. I have, with great burden, contained it's darkness in locations that will not cause me harm. I'm not as useless as everyone thinks I am, and I believe that has given me the advantage."

"So here comes the real question then. Do you know how to get to where the world ends?" Discord asked.

"I do, but it will take some time. We will have to travel by cloud or they will spot us and try to shoot you down."

"How long are we talking about here?" Chrysalis asked.

"Depending on wind speeds and how long it will take to cross the continent and ocean. Two weeks at minimum, not counting food breaks."

"Can't we just teleport there then?" Enderpearl asked.

"If you want them to have a location on our exact location, then sure."

"Alright, fine. When do we leave?"

"Right now, we don't have time to lose."

The cloud lowered to the ground, allowing everyone to get on board.

"You won't have to cast a cloud walking spell with this. It's already embedded in it's molecular design. Any questions?"

"We will still be able to breath up there, right?" Sombra asked.

"Of course. If anything goes wrong, we have magic for a reason."

"Then let's get going."

---

"I beg you….tell her the truth. You don't know what you could unleash." Lightning Dust pleaded to Trixie.

"She could single handedly end the war. Think about it. You would be back at your home, back where we all belong and not out here in the middle of nowhere. We would have the sun back and this eternal winter will be over. Peace would retu-

"You can't just lie to her and her friends knowing you have the truth. What if this backfires! What if she gives up and does something you wouldn't be able to stop?"

"The same way Dark Fire lied to me to make me stronger is the same thing I will do to make her stronger. By the end of this conflict, she will have surpassed all of us….she will become what Celestia always dreamed she would become….what I always dreamed of being…."

"You would risk killing us all…..for a small chance of success."

"Look around you, Lightning…..do you call this success? This is our last chance. Night Shadow is dead…..she is the only one left that can do it."

"We still have you."

"Lighting….you know deep down I have no chance to win against Death Fire….she does…..she always has…."

The elevator stopped once it reached the surface of the base. The doors opened to reveal the fields Twilight had been training on for the past few weeks. In the middle, Twilight was sitting, possibly meditating as Trixie took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"If you do this….you are on your own…." Lightning declared.

"What's new…."

Trixie stood behind Twilight and sighed softly.

"Twilight….there's….there's been some news." Trixie started.

Twilight stopped meditating to look at Trixie.

"What do you mean? What, is Night Shadow back with the others?" Twilight asked.

Trixie's acting quickly kicked in as she took on a serious look and tone.

"I'm not going to delay this or try to put it softly Twilight….you need to know what happened….."

"Trixie….just tell me…." Twilight said with concern.

"It…it didn't work….they're dead Twilight….all of them…."

"No, no, no…..you can't be serious…."

"I wouldn't lie to you about this." Trixie said, doing the exact same thing she said she wouldn't.

"But….but the plan….what Lightning said….she said they were alive."

"They might of been before, but they must of been killed off sometime ago when you were missing. They were not in the spots they should of been. In fact, they even confirmed their deaths after scavenging through one of their outposts. I'm just as shocked as you are, Twilight….but they're gone….all of them….even Celestia and the others."

"No….no Death Fire wouldn't do it…..he wouldn't do this to them! Not after all this time!" Twilight said, trying to hold back.

"I came here to tell you the truth….I knew it wouldn't be easy to-

"WHERE'S NIGHT SHADOW?!"

"Twilight…." Trixie said, putting her hoof on her shoulder. "You have to be strong for me….for all of us…."

"TELL ME WHERE HE IS!" Twilight demanded.

Trixie simply looked away as a single tear rolled down her face, letting what truth there was to her story emotionally destroy her heart. This single act caused Twilight to freeze up as she too because to tear up.

"I'm….so sorry…." Trixie whispered.

Twilight started to shake as she slowly fell to her knees and started to breath heavily in distress.

"Please….please….don't do this to me…I can't….I can't do this anymore….I can't take it anymore….."

"You're now our last hope, Twilight….don't let their deaths be in vain…."

Twilight closed her eyes tightly as more tears streamed down her face.

"I never got the chance to tell him…..I never got the chance to tell him…..I loved him and he never knew because of a damn spell….he never knew….how much I loved him….."

Twilight's hair started to spike up as her body was enveloped in a soft purple glow.

"He died….never knowing…..always believing no one loved him…..seeing everything he loved taken away…..he never knew what happiness was…."

Twilight started to shake even harder as magic began to swell around her.

"I never even got to say goodbye….never got the chance to tell him how much he meant to me…..but now he's gone….gone forever….because of what I did to him seven years ago….."

The air around her started to heat up and distort as the light around Twilight grew. It wasn't long before the ground started to shake.

"I said I hated him…..I told him to never come back…..it was my mistake that started a war…..ended millions of lives….and I never even said I was sorry…..now everything I ever cared about is gone…..all of it because of my mistake!"

The ground instantly cracked and shattered beneath her, creating a massive earthquake.

"HE DIED BELIEVING NO ONE LOVED HIM AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"

She then slammed her hooves onto the ground so hard that a massive crater was formed and screamed as loud as she could in both anger and sadness. At that moment, a massive display of light and magic exploded from her body, launching anything and everything around her miles away as the clouds instantly vaporised from her power. She then stood up to her hind legs and screamed as loud as she could, forcing the entire world to listen to her sorrow. Trixie, who had been standing next to here, was currently fighting for her life just to stand remotely close as she used everything she could to remain standing with her magic. Even with her full power, she was quickly losing her stability as Twilight yet again exploded with a burst of rage and sadness, casing massive rays of light that were a hundred times brighter than the sun.

Yet despite all this, Trixie sensed no energy, no form of signals that told her that the deed had been done. After another several seconds, Twilight had stopped and collapsed to the ground, which was now a crater the size of a mansion. Trixie removed her barrier and quickly ran to Twilight, who was now softly sobbing and broken.

'I don't understand…' Trixie thought to herself. 'She's lost everything and yet she didn't….'

Trixie was then overcome with fear as her heart began to race.

"I failed….which means…..all is lost….."

---

"Are the coordinates set?"

"Of course sir…."

There was a small pause before a dark chuckle filled the room.

"Then set a course for the hidden base..." Castigate commanded. "It's time we truly ended this."

At that commanded, over one-thousand, fully armed and plated battleships ignited their engines and went full steam ahead to the last place hope remaind.