Warning. The following chapter contains scenes of violence. Reader Discretion is strongly advised.

I live in a dream

With open eyes I breathe again

I see all your fears

Together we can feel

(I feel), we can heal

And take the road less travelled on

To here, in the new

Like diamonds we will shine

(We shine), We will rise

Two hearts, where souls are free again

We live!

Ascentia looked out as Athena pondered the area she walked, occasionally stopping to crush a pony under her boot.

“Ascentia, who is that?” Twilight asked.

“Athena, a former deity who was killed by my Master almost a billion years ago,” Ascentia replied, “She is twisted, desperate and dangerous.”

“We've have faced far worse!” Luna snarled.

“Luna, you and your sister fell to me like flies on a light bulb,” Ascentia replied angrily, “If you truly feel you can stand toe to toe with Athena herself, be my guest. Monarchs are easily replaced.”

At Ascentia's words, Luna shrank down a little and fell silent.

“Twilight, take your friends. Take everyone you can,” Ascentia continued, “Return to the inscription and get your people safely to Neptune. Stay in my Master's tomb, it will keep you warm.”

'Do we really have to leave the planet?”

“I would not risk staying,” Ascentia replied.

“NO!” Twilight shouted, stamping her hoof on the floor, “I'm not leaving after all of this! This is my home, and I will not abandon it!”

Ascentia turned and knelt down before the small unicorn. Twilight could see for the first time that the Val'Kyr's eye's were watering.

“Twilight, my Master killed Athena purely because she dropped her guard long enough for My Lord to stab her in the back. I do not believe for a moment that I can kill her,” she replied, “All I can hope to do is hold her off.”

Ascentia's eye twitched for a moment and a single tear dropped down her cheek. She pretended not to notice.

“She cannot travel through my Master's waypoints, her power would rupture it. You will be safe there until my Lord can intervene. Now get you and your friends off this planet before I kill you myself!”

Twilight shrank down again and did not protest. Following the Princesses out one of the back entryways along with a hundred thousand other Equestrians.

Ascentia steeled herself before drawing her sword and stepping outside to face the God before her.

“My, the prodigal apprentice,” Athena greeted, her voice a slow drawl, “It seems Ryder's leftovers haunt me wherever I go.”

Ascentia said nothing as she gave her fingers a tiny wave behind her back.

When the horde of equines finally reached the waygate that was two miles from the castle, Twilight stopped and looked down at her hooves, before looking back the way they had come. Celestia looked back at her former student before advancing upon her.

“You're conflicted,” she said, making the small unicorn jump in surprise.

“She said... she couldn't stop her...” Twilight replied, “She's going to...”

Celestia looked out towards the city they had just fled from as a massive bolt of lightning struck from the sky above, followed by a loud shockwave as the topmost pillars of Canterlot Castle broke apart. She too looked down at her hooves, knowing that two creatures with abilities beyond the imaginations of most were about to have a grudge match in the bounds of her own kingdom.

Celestia understood. Like Twilight, she didn't want to just flee either.

The stone beneath Ascentia's boots cracked and shattered as the force of Athena's crushing telekinesis weighed down upon her like a star. Keeping her blade aloft to project her barriers, she began looking around her for a way out.

Athena was advancing upon her quickly and with malice in her eyes as shockwave after shockwave launched itself against Ascentia's shield.

The final strike shot out of Athena's palm and blasted the weakened Val'Kyr back through a wall. Ascentia struck the opposite wall, sinking into it and cracking the structure before dropping to the floor.

Seeing the opportunity, Athena struck her with forked lightning from her palm, watching with glee as the student of her failed experiment writhed in agony on the ground at her feet. She shocked her again, grinning as Ascentia let out a wail.

“Your Master humiliated me and stole what was mine,” Athena spat, kicking Ascentia in the gut, “His wife sits on my throne, a lasting insult to my legacy. I will enjoy this.”

Athena shocked the Val'Kyr over and over again, Ascentia's screams getting more and more raspy as her body started to burn. Out of the corner of her eye, Ascentia caught a glimpse of a familiar lavender unicorn looking down at them from the top of a cliff.

Twilight looked on in horror as she watched Athena torture Ascentia. The malice in Athena's face was something Twilight had never seen before. Equestria didn't even have a word for such hatred and satisfaction at the same time. It was as if Ascentia's pain gave Athena some form of revenge and happiness at the same time.

Sadistic... was the only word Twilight could conjure in her mind.

It was too much for the unicorn to bear. She had never seen such cruelty. She had never seen something so powerful so intent on causing harm. She had never seen someone enjoy hurting another so much.

She had never seen someone endure so much pain.

She had never seen someone suffer so much... so she could get to safety.

Twilight sank down to her stomach and covered her eyes with her hooves and started to weep.

Down beneath her, Athena's head snapped up as she heard the sound of crying behind her. She turned from the smoking body of the woman beneath her and in an instant was standing on the cliff that held Twilight. Before she could look up, Twilight found herself in Athena's grip, white hot fingers wrapped tightly around her throat.

Athena brought the unicorn to her eye level, “What has you so distraught?”

Twilight hated Athena's tone. She was being mockingly sarcastic.

Athena turned to look below her, as Ascentia struggled to get to her feet. Teleporting down to her, Athena shocked her again, watching her sink to the ground.

“Do not tell me you have risked your life and everything tied to it to save this pitiful creature,” Athena asked, “You are a foolish one, apprentice.”

Ascentia groaned as her body tried and failed to lift it's own weight.

“It seems the apple does not fall far from the tree after all,” Athena droned, “Like your Master, you expend all your energy to save those you profess to love. You waste your effort to protect those you have grown attached to.”

Twilight struggled to breathe in Athena's grip as she listened to the God taunt Ascentia.

“You have dissipated your energy saving the weak,” Athena finished, “There are consequences.”

Athena arced a string of lightning from her fingertips into Ascentia's body. No longer able to scream, Ascentia could only twitch and writhe as choked gasps escaped her throat. Athena's other hand tightened around Twilight's throat, and Twilight realized what was happening.

Athena had no interest in her planet, but Ascentia did. And Athena would destroy it and everyone on it as revenge.

Equestria was meaningless to the Val'Kyr. Xebre only needed Celestia and Luna's energy to revive his Master. And now Twilight knew that Athena would destroy it simply because Ascentia cared about her.

Equestria was doomed. And now Twilight realized that it was all her fault. She was stupid to have befriended someone so strong. Her friendship with Ascentia was going to be her death.

As if Athena had heard her thoughts, she whispered “I delight in the irony.”

Athena shifted her grip on Twilight to her skull and began to squeeze her fingers inward, turning Ascentia to watch. Twilight screamed out in pain as she felt her skull crack and splinter under Athena's grip. Her eyes shifted down to Ascentia, and she saw tears streaming down the Val'Kyr's face.

Athena's crushing grip was cut short as a dark pulse of energy collided with her body and shot her into a wall, Twilight falling to the ground next to Ascentia, bleeding from the sides of her head.

Athena got shakily to her feet, and launched a shockwave from her hands into the ground beneath her, cracking the crust of Equestria and pushing the molten innards of the planet up to the surface. The shockwave travelled around the planet, cracking it deeper and deeper until a network of bubbling lava and brimstone began to rage across the surface, burning everything in it's path. Athena took off into the sky, becoming a streak of light across the horizon as she launched herself into space and away from Equestria's now burning atmosphere.

Celestia and Luna looked through the portal in horror. Twilight had taken off, but they had stayed to protect the others. Not an hour after Twilight had left had their home burst open from it's soil and the molten core bubbled up, burning everything in it's path and turning their home into a charred ruin.

Twilight had yet to return, and now the Princesses were growing worried. Wasting no time, they both took off through the portal again, and soared across Equestria's volcanic surface toward Canterlot.

When they arrived, they found Twilight and Ascentia unconscious in the square. Twilight was bleeding from the skull and Ascentia looked like she had been tortured.

Celestia lifted Twilight onto her back, while Luna struggled to get Ascentia's limp form into the air and the two of them took off towards the safety of the frozen planet they were connected to. As soon as they had crossed the threshold, they crushed the rune beneath their hooves, sealing the portal and closing them off from Equestria. Probably forever.

As Celestia and Luna laid Twilight and Ascentia into the snow, they now looked out to their shivering subjects.

“What are we going to do?” Luna asked.

Celestia looked down at the wounded Val'Kyr and unicorn at her feet.

“I don't know...” Celestia replied.

“Is that thing going to come looking for us?”

“I hope not...”

Luna looked down as well.

“Her kind do not die without a fight. They are warriors. They have a grand army,” she replied, “Maybe that is why we do not like them...”

Celestia pondered her sister's words for a moment.

“Maybe...” she replied, “Sister... I am sorry.”

Luna looked surprised, “For what?”

“I should have tried harder.”

“Where? When?”

“Everywhere,” she replied, “I should not have been so quick to banish you to the moon. I should not have been so quick to take your duties over the moon. I should have paid more attention to you when you had felt that your efforts went unappreciated.”

Luna smirked as she strode off to check on the others, giving out a small giggle.

“What!?” Celestia asked.

Luna turned her head back, “The outlander's mannerisms are rubbing off on you.” Next Chapter: A Thousand Deaths Estimated time remaining: 34 Minutes