A blinding flash of brilliant light flared to existence over the desolate plain, illuminating the dead barren landscape for miles around. The light grew into a hellstorm of uncontrolled energy that burned the already charred soil, blasting the dirt away only to melt the rock beneath, streams of molten stone flowing away as thunder and lightning tore through the blackened ash filled sky.

With one final earth shaking roar the light flashed once more, and was gone, leaving nothing but a smoking crater. One amongst thousands of others, hundreds of thousands, their numbers dotting the land farther than the eye could see. Countless burnt holes, holding nothing but burnt dreams.

As with every time in the past that this phenomena had occurred, the newly formed scar upon the land began to groan, and a tiny figure could be seen crawling from its depths. Slowly, but with dogged determination the creature reached the upper lip of the would be prison.
Flopping over the edge and out of the hazy smoke still drifting away from the recent explosion the tiny newt landed in an exhausted heap on the level ground, loosing itself to a ragged coughing fit before gulping in air like a drowning stallion.

It was several minutes before the gagging amphibian made any further attempts at movement, seeming to settle instead for basking in the success of having managed to somehow survive such an ordeal, again. The trip was incredibly taxing, not only on the body but the mind as well, draining both to the breaking point.

Rolling onto his side the newt coughed a few more times before vomiting a mixture of blood and bile onto the ground, not surprised in the slightest when the fluid burned to ash and blew away in the wind. Nothing survived very long here.

Not wanting to waste any more of the precious seconds he had, Tillook climbed to his feet, wobbling slightly as he turned back to cast the newest failure a gloomy look, “Still not the right one…” He said tiredly, shaking his head as he gathered what strength he could, and began to walk.

“I was so sure, everything was perfect,” Tillook stumbled as his leg gave out, old wounds making themselves known through the nature of this place, “But then Celestia won, she isn’t supposed to win!” in a burst of despair the newt threw a punch at a lone rock as he passed, hissing in pain as he pulled back the bloody limb. Nothing survived very long here, not even himself.

Cresting a low rise Tillook took a moment from nursing his self inflicted suffering to gaze upon the empty valley before him, squinting to see through the constant assault by the ash blown wind. He could not see them from this vantage, but knew they were out there just the same. Orbs, floating blue orbs, millions of them. each one a representation of a possibility, infinite choice, and outcome.

Feeling the presence of one such orb nearby Tillook once again started his trek across this desert, it was a land he knew well, or, had, “I know you hid it here somewhere, Forger, and I will find it, I don’t care how many iterations it takes,” he said, looking up to find yet another pulsing blue sphere floating serenely in his path, seeming almost to be waiting there just for him, as if something special could not begin without him.

Closing his eyes with a slight smile Tillook couldn’t help but to revel in the sense of familiarity coming off this new orb. It smelled of, home, “What was it you used to say to me? I have all the time in the world.”

P.S. You guys can consider this canon… ~Tillook

Author's Notes:

Well gang it’s been fun, but it looks like mischievous old Tillook is on to us and is making his way over to the new version… And, for anyone who hasn’t heard yet, yes, this version of Infinity’s End is done. There was simply too much of it I was never happy with, several huge plot holes that were about to become very obvious, and above all else I just ended up cutting out way more than I wanted to in the sake of getting chapters out faster.

Either way, I’d like to thank everyone who’s been a part of this as well as those of you who’ve followed it to the end.

Only, this isn’t the end, merely the beginning of a much grander, epicer, more battle filled End! And we hope to see you all there.

~Dollars

To all of you, our dear readers who've been so patient, Infinity's End is now officially on Hiatus while we rework everything.