The final day in the arena approached. It was the quietest day this building had seen since I arrived. With only three living ponies left in the entire facility, it was no wonder though. Part of me questioned what was done with the corpses that were collected over the events of the tournament. I never saw any pony come in and dispose of them, nor did I see them anywhere else after the fights; just some old blood stains on the walls. I imagined that their collars were recycled for the next set of unlucky victims.

The fight was placed at the end of the day, so Tangerine and myself were permitted to enjoy our final day in this arena (and alive for one of us) as we pleased. Naturally, we avoided each other, as we had silently agreed not to meet anywhere but in the ring.

Part of me suspected that this was all part of Lyra's game; that she purposely placed Tangerine and myself in the brackets we were in so we'd be forced to fight each other in the end. Considering she saw me as some kind of strange test up to this point, it was not an unfair assessment. Lyra clearly saw amusement in seeing how I react to situations she creates.

I spent the start of my day wandering the building with Lyra herself.

Lyra seemed to be in an exceptionally giddy mood today as well. Her step had a bit more bounce in it, and she seemed to sway happily as she walked.

"Somepony seems excitable..." I commented.

Lyra was almost in a sing song when she answered. "I'm always in a good mood when I know a good show is going to be put on."

I rolled my eyes. "I just can't wait to get out of here."

Lyra grinned. "Still confident that you can beat her?"

I nodded. "Tangerine may be strong, but I know I can bring her down. As much as I don't wish to harm the only pony who has been a friend to me since I got here..."

Lyra blinked and stopped in her tracks. "You would kill her just like that?"

I looked to the teal mare with a look of seriousness. "If she stands in my way of getting to Flare, then I have no choice. Nothing is going to stop me, not her, not you, not Celestia herself. I've come too far to fail now."

She smiled. "Say, why do you wear that cloak?" It was an odd subject change.

"I could ask you the same about that tuxedo." I smirked

She laughed. "The ring master has to look presentable, right?"

It was disturbing to think that she thought of this all like it was the circus.

"I wear this cloak to conceal myself. I want my saddle case hidden so that nopony knows what I'm carrying. The element of surprise is key. It also hides my vibrant colors a bit more." I explained.

Lyra nodded again and grinned. "You're quite the strategist then. How did such a cute young lady become such a survival expert?"

"Necessity is the mother of all invention." I shrugged.

She laughed. "No, seriously, why are you this way?"

I sat down and lowered my hood, letting my mane fall in front of my eye. Brushing it aside, I sighed. "I had decided when Flare left that I'd chase after him. From then on, my life became nothing but training to prepare for this journey. I put everything else aside... Even my own son..."

Lyra leaned in. "You're a bit too young to have a child don't you think?"

I nodded. "Before I realized my destiny, I was a foolish filly thinking she knew what love was. Now I realize that love has no place in my life."

"A mare of destiny then." Lyra teased.

"And what about you? What kind of things do you think await you in your future?" I looked to her as I brought the subject onto her.

She shrugged. "Half the fun is not knowing."

"Uncertainty always makes me uneasy..." I admitted.

Lyra laughed. "Yet you made a trip down into Hell to chase a boy. For all you know he could have been picked off by a savage in his first few hours."

"Flare may be cautious, but he wouldn't be done in that easily. He's out there right now, and he needs my help. He doesn't want me in danger because I'm his little sister, but I'm not a filly anymore. I'm ready to do what it takes to stand by him and fight for Equestria." I spoke.

Lyra levitated an instrument out of her bag and began to practice with it. "Quite the Pipedream." She said as she strummed a few strings on the instrument that shared her name.

"You're the second one to tell me that." I replied.

She strummed a few more times. "Then why not turn back and listen? Spare your own life, and save yourself the disappointment."

I grinned. "Because you're wrong. I will conquer this arena, and I will march to Canterlot, slaying any who stand in my way. Then I shall find my brother and the knights, and together we'll fix this broken world."

Lyra just rolled her eyes. "Wait a while, you'll soon see that the world down here isn't as magical as you think it is. You were locked up in that floating steel ball for so long that there is no way you can comprehend how cruel this ruined world is. There is a reason we call them the ruins, you know?"

I shrugged. "You're free to give up, but I won't."

Lyra chuckled. "I already have a plan to get away from this hell hole. I just need time is all."

My attention turned to her. "What do you mean?"

She grinned and winked. "It's a secret."

I rolled my eyes and turned back to the wall. "Figures... You're always full of mysteries..."

She grew quiet for a moment and brushed her long mane out of her face. "They say there are other worlds out there. Places where the darkness has never touched, places where the creatures are very different from you and I."

She sounded like she had thought about this before.

"Sounds like a pipedream." I mocked.

"I'll find that world one day... I'll leave this place behind and live a better life there... Ever since Bon Bon died..." She paused and looked down. "Well, there's nothing waiting for me here. I have no desire to return Equestria, because even if I did, there would be nothing there waiting for me..."

"Take a girl's love, and you've left her with nothing to lose..." I commented.

"Either way, I'll leave this place someday..." She looked up as she trailed on and strummed at her instrument some more. "Escape to another world... It sounds so simple... So wonderful... I'll climb out of this hell and when I set my hoof upon the surface I'll be born again. Such a beautiful idea..."

I nodded and stood up. "Well, I'll work on the world we already have before I go looking for another one."

She nodded. "You hold sentiment to this old rock. That'll change eventually. Once you see how cruel the world can be, you'll realize it isn't looking out for you, like you are for it."

"We shall see." I replied.

The time of the fight finally came. The last battle that I would see in the arena was here, and I was one of the two final participants. The other, the only mare who had befriended me in this forgotten patch of dirt that ponies once called Equestria. I couldn't say I was looking forward to this event, but I knew I could not avoid it.

"Alright, ponies. You know the rules, first one to kick the bucket is the loser. The winner gets to leave here and take a very special gift from me with them. I want to see your best fight, so be sure to amuse me." Lyra called out.

I stared Tangerine down, our eyes locked in a powerful stand off. I had already decided I was going to keep my cloak and hood up to conceal my weapon handling. Some may see it as disrespectful to my friend, but I could not let anything stop me, not even her. I would need every advantage I could get.

"Torch... I am sorry that I have to kill you now... It's just... My little brother... He's out there without me... He needs me or he won't survive." Tangerine spoke slowly, as if afraid to say too much.

"You never told me about that before..." I rose a brow.

She nodded. "The truth is, that I was brought here when I was on a hunt to bring back food to our shelter... He's probably at home, afraid right now... He's in danger. Any savages could come and kill him while I'm not there to protect him..."

I shrugged as I readied myself to fight. "Everypony has to learn to fend for themselves sooner or later." I replied.

She nodded. "True, but I have a soft spot for him. I'd never forgive myself if I let something happen to him... That's why I'm going to kill you today." The large mare got in her stance.

I sighed and shook my head. "You're overconfident. Let me explain something to you... I have come a long way to reach Flare, and I won't let anypony stop me... Not you, or Celestia, the savages of the wasteland, anypony! I will make it to him, and any who stand in my way will meet death; you're no exception to that. I don't want to fight you, but if you are an obstacle to getting to Flare..." I lowered my head ready to attack. "Then I'll show no mercy."

"Then let's see what you're made of little mare..." Tangerine grinned as she bolted forward.

Dodging her was simple. It was just as I predicted, she was sluggish and her muscles made moving difficult. Sure she could fly, but it wasn't about to do her much good if I could dodge anything she threw at me.

"Hold still and I'll kill you quickly!" She growled as she skidded to a halt.

I raised a hoof and gestured for her to come to me. Obeying, she jumped towards me, only for me to leap into the air and land behind her. Frantically, she peeked around trying to find me. "What the...?"

"Over here." I replied.

My call got her attention as she hissed. "Now just stay there!" She took a swing with her mighty hoof, only for me to take a step back, just narrowly dodging it.

With another advance she took a swing, but was met by a barrier I had placed in front of her made of fire. Trotting backwards she tried to get around it to find another wall go up.

"You can't fight me directly can you? Have to rely on cheap tricks to get me, huh?" She grinned as she jumped right through the wall of fire, and landed on the other side unscathed.

She approached slowly as she kept her eyes locked on me.

"You're just going to stay on the defensive aren't you? You can never win if you don't attack, you know that? You'll be a-" She was cut off by a quick hoof swing by me, hurling a needle directly into her skull. The throw was strong enough to penetrate her thick head, and go right between her eyes.

I watched carefully, but as expected, her large body fell limp and lifeless to the ground as blood trickled from the new opening.

I took myself out of my battle stance and whispered. "Sorry..."

I could hear a slow clap in the stands. I looked up to see Lyra applauding as she watched me. "It's just as I expected... You truly are one hell of a warrior. An example of what determination can truly do."

I didn't respond, instead I just kept my eyes on her.

Lyra had lead me to the exit of the facility only moments after the fight, as it was my first request. I was not interested in staying in this place even a minute longer. There was nothing else here that I cared about, not after being forced to kill Tangerine. Even if I knew it was coming, it still hit me fairly hard. Despite that though, I needed to move forward.

Lyra paused in front of an old metal door. Reaching into her bag she offered a scrap of paper. "Here, this is an old map of the ruins I nabbed off of a savage a while ago. It'll guide you to Canterlot a lot faster." She dangled a small silver object as well. "Also this compass may help, provided you know how to navigate."

I took both of them and placed them in my saddle case with a confused expression. "You're actually letting me go...?"

She nodded. "I'm a mare of my word. You won fair and square. However part of me is sad to see you go, I felt like I actually connected with you. If you're ever nearby, be sure to stop in." She winked.

I rolled my eyes. "No offense, but I doubt I'll be stopping here ever again."

She laughed. "Yeah, that's understandable."

I smiled briefly. "I should thank you though, you allowed me to test my determination. Now I'm certain nothing will stop me."

Lyra stepped forward and placed her hooves on my neck. "Here, I'll take this off of you..."

She fiddled with the collar and seconds later it fell to the floor.

"Thanks, I suppose this is goodbye then?" I bowed a bit.

"Not quite, I have your prize." She grinned.

I had completely forgotten about the prize she promised. More than likely because I wasn't interested in it. However I figured I would hear her out since I was already here and a few seconds wasn't going to stall me anymore. "I'm not one for gifts..."

She laughed. "You'll like this one."

Reaching into her bag, she retrieved an interesting device with two straps on it. It appears to have some kind of barrel and a retracting blade. She gestured for me to hold out my hoof, which I did.

With her magic, she fastened it to my left hoof and grinned. "I noticed you were a lefty when I saw you hold the needles. This should prove far more effective than them."

I held the device up and examined the white blade. It was some kind of shining metal I had never seen before. "What is it?"

"A proper weapon. We call them gunblades down here, but this isn't any ordinary run-of-the-mill gunblade." She grinned.

"What's so special about it?" My eyes continued to examine the fine craftsmanship.

"This blade is enchanted with magic, it can cut fast enough to create sonic booms if used correctly. Be very careful with it." She boasted.

I liked the sound of this. "What's a gun though?" I asked.

"It fires metal projectiles from far away at amazing speeds. Kills enemies fast. You really were cooped up in SkyVale for a long time. Normally the military operates them using U.M.S.A.s, but since you're a unicorn that won't be necessary." She explained.

I wasn't sure what a U.M.S.A. was, but I just nodded in understanding to get out of this place faster.

"So if I keep heading this way, then I'll reach Canterlot?" I changed the subject.

She nodded. "And I'm sure that a bad ass like you will fit right in. I hear stories in the ruins about how mighty their warriors are. Occasionally a few savages will run into them on their recon missions, and well... Let's just say they regretted bumping into the Knights. However after seeing what you can do, they may need to be afraid of you. I've never seen them fight though."

"Why are you helping me so much?" I rose a brow.

She shrugged. "You're trying to find somepony dear to you, I guess I kind of sympathize with that. You better run to him quick, after all, every second counts out here."

I took a step towards the door, but paused, turning my head to see Lyra again.

"Come with me." I smiled.

Lyra blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

"There's nothing out here. Come with me to Canterlot. I can bring you to a better life, anything is better than here, right?" I offered.

The teal mare just laughed and shook her head. "Sorry, my place is here. There's even less waiting for me in Canterlot. Don't worry, I'll find my escape eventually."

"Do you really think there is another world out there?" I gave her a serious look.

She nodded. "There has to be, how else do you explain the fact that we can not explain where we came from? Everything had to start somewhere and since life is continuous, we must have come from somewhere, right?"

I supposed she had a point.

"Good bye, Lyra Heartstrings... It was... interesting..." I gave a weak smile.

"May your travels be safe, Ms. Fires. If we never meet again, I will say that I shall not be forgetting you anytime soon." Lyra responded.

"Very well then. Good bye." I nodded as I placed my hoof on the door.

Listening to it unlock, I pushed it open and stepped through it onto the staircase behind it. Once I had all four hooves on the other side, the door shut and locked behind me. I only caught a brief glimpse of Lyra before that happened. Deciding it was best to keep moving I ascended up the stairs, moving quickly to get out of this place.

It must have taken five straight minutes of running to get to the very top, but once I had made it I burst through the final doors to see dirt on the ground. Coming closer I realized I was outside again. Lyra had kept her word. I had never thought I'd be so happy to see the ruined world again.

I had done it, I had climbed over the bodies and out of the arena unharmed. Looking at the map and compass that Lyra had given me, I realized that now was the time to make haste to Canterlot. I had already wasted enough time. Once I knew which direction I was heading, I rolled up my map and cased my compass before bolting in that direction. Nothing was going to stop me now, and if any savages stood in my way, I had a new toy to test out on them.

"Here comes Torch Fires!" I grinned as I ran towards the last stronghold of Equestria.