Twilight stood in front of the force we were now referring to as "The Final Knights", mostly out of lack of hope for our own success. I could see why they were so skeptical that a band of mismatched soldiers could stop an entity that has been controlling the entire planet for millions of years; even if those soldiers were Equestria's finest.

With our winter jackets and new emblems plastered all over us, we stood out in the freezing ruins. Twilight had gone out of her way to have metal symbols donning the fallen Princess Celestia on them made. We had them sewed onto our jackets and added to our dog tags. She went on about how if we survived they would be a symbol of our accomplishment, a reminder to those around us that we served in one of the greatest missions this military knew.

"Alright, listen up." Twilight began. Looking about to make sure everypony was paying attention she nodded. "The battle is already starting. The longer this takes, the more casualties we will suffer. So I want to make this as quick and efficient as possible. There is a high chance many of us will not survive this mission, and because of that I want to remind you all that you're doing your duty for the empire."

"For the empire!" We all shouted in unison.

"Now, let's give them a surprise they never expected to see." The general grinned happily as she brandished her sword. "Let's show them how strong we really are." She added.

"This one is for Flare..." I said as I stroked the front of my blade. "I'll make sure his death was not for nothing..." I thought out loud.

Apple Bloom shrugged as she loaded her scattershot. "Eh... I didn't want to die alone anyhoo."

"I don't care if I live or die. I just want a chance to sink my teeth into them. I want them to remember Vinyl Jennifer Scratch." Vinyl spoke up.

"I think we're all having a hard time forgetting about her." Shining Armor whispered into my ear as he rolled his eyes.

"As of this point forward, our top priority is completing the mission; our second priority is the preservation of Torch and Luna. The lowest priority..." She paused. "Try not to get killed..."

She certainly didn't seem hopeful.

"Alright team, let's move out. And for the love of Celestia, keep your heads down, these vests do not stop any and all damage, and they're difficult to make, so try and keep them in tact." Twilight lectured.

"Top priority, preservation of important ponies, second priority, preservation of military equipment, third priority, personal safety." Vinyl grinned as she nudged my shoulder while she mocked Twilight.

"Sounds about right..." I rolled my eyes.

"Equestrian military, nothing expendable, except us." Vinyl laughed.

"I hope we can "expend" you so we won't have to listen to you the entire time..." Shining rolled his eyes, clearly getting fed up with her.

Vinyl winked in his direction, her red eyes appearing quite bloodshot. "I think everypony better hope for that. I tend to get a little... Dicey when excited..."

"Can it, you two. We're moving out." Twilight instructed.

Coming to the back entrance to the stronghold, Twilight's prediction had been accurate, it was lightly guarded, but not completely unguarded. We had met with a few would-be soldiers, which we neutralized before they could call for any kind of back up. Unfortunately for them, we were traveling with the best warriors that Equestria had; they never stood a chance.

Trixie had lead us in through a sewer access that would take us right into the headquarters. It was an old escape route that most of them had forgotten about. So there was a high chance they forgot that Trixie had the code to open the access door to it.

"Alright, Trixie, let's hope that we didn't come all this way just to kill you." Twilight gestured to the door that prevented us from advancing.

Trixie stepped forward and began tapping keys. I could see a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead. Twilight had made it very clear that if she couldn't get us in, she'd kill her there and then.

After a beep, the door unlocked. "Yes! I knew they'd have forgotten about this exit! And the best part is that it leads to the security office, so we can shut down the security system and we'll have a straight shot to the beacon room. We'll have to move quickly though, because no doubt that Eagle and Spitfire will become aware of our presence."

Twilight nodded as she readied her blade. I took notice that Luna did the same. "Let's move in." Luna said.

Pushing the door open, we gestured for Vinyl and Shining to enter. The two kept low and crept in through the storage area. Quickly bursting the door to the security office open, the two dove into action, grappling the two guards who were keeping watch and covering their mouths before slitting their throats. Once they were certain they were dead, they released their bodies and gave us the okay to enter. Despite their bickering, they made a pretty interesting team.

Pinkamena advanced and checked the security consoles. "Alright, it looks like the beacon room is virtually unguarded... Looking at the beacon itself... It looks fairly advanced, but a reverse charge should work still. I can see the energy readings on a monitor in that room, it works much like our own beacons. So if we can get in there, I can turn it into a return beacon."

Twilight blinked and looked around as Vinyl lit a cigarette. "Sweet Celestia... This might actually work..."

"Don't count yer' chickens before they hatch. We still gotta get to that beacon in one piece. We gotta go through the agent command center first to do that according to this monitor." Apple Bloom spoke up as she pointed to another monitor.

Vinyl grinned. "Maybe we'll get a stab at old Spitfire after all..."

"For our own sake, I hope you're wrong." Twilight said, taking the cigarette out of Vinyl's mouth and extinguishing it.

"Where's the fun in that?" Vinyl giggled.

Trixie leaned in and grabbed the fur under Vinyl's neck and brought her face close to her own. "Listen here; I have taken a lot of risks just getting us here. I didn't do all that so you could gamble our chances of living for your own amusement. Stop fuckcing around, this isn't a game."

Vinyl's smile quickly turned to a look of anger and disgust. "How dare you touch me, filth..."

Trixie pushed the mare back. "I'm not afraid of you, you're no Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash had spirit, you're nothing more than a mindless killing machine. So stop acting like you fucking know something when you don't. I sacrificed too much and risked too much for you to fuck that all up. So help me, Celestia, if you continue to get in the way, I'll kill you myself!"

Vinyl responded to the push by stepping forward, blade drawn. "You just made the wrong choice..."

Trixie took another step and shoved the mare harder this time, sending her back a few steps. "Oh, what? You don't like that?"

Vinyl's eye twitched. I could now see what the others saw; a demon inside her, just waiting to tear its way out. She could barely contain her anger, and I could see her veins starting to bulge. "Push me again... I dare you..." Vinyl challenged.

"That's enough!" I growled as I pushed Trixie back away from the fuming Vinyl. Grabbing Vinyl's dog tag, I pulled her face down to meet mine. "Knock it off, Vinyl. Have you forgotten why we're here? You kill her, we all die, do you understand that?"

Vinyl couldn't take her eyes off of Trixie, I could see her pupils bugging out as she stared with that death glare of her's.

"Vinyl! Are you listening to me?" I slapped her across the face.

Her eyes stayed on Trixie as she muttered. "Oh lord who hath delivered me from temptation... Grant me strength in this hour to overcome..."

Releasing her tag, I patted her neck. "Why don't you and Shining go up ahead and clear a path for us, okay?"

The soldier merely turned and walked away muttering the same little prayer. Shining stepped through the door with her as we all stood there waiting for them to vanish. "Never struck me for a religious type, that one..." I smiled.

"When you have sinned as much as her, you have to start thinking about making your peace with the goddess at some point. She knows she'll face her crimes eventually." Twilight explained, eyes fixated on the door.

"Forgive her, Trixie.." I turned to the azure mre with a warm smile. "Her anger is volatile, and she can't control it."

Trixie was very quiet in response. "How can you stand up for her...?"

"Anger is learned, not inherited. She's no exception, something tells me that there's a reason she's like this. Ponies are not born thirsting for blood." My eyes fell on the door she just left through.

"What could have possibly driven her to this...?" Trixie asked.

Twilight shrugged as she took a sip from her canteen. "Nopony knows. She's been like that since before the war, but the war magnified it. Her anger grew, and her hatred grew."

"Now isn't a good time to tell a story." I reminded.

With a nod, Twilight readied her blade. "That is true."

Over the radio, I could hear Vinyl's voice. "Good news, chief. We killed them all. Nothing standing in the way now. Follow the hallway and go through the agent command center. We'll meet you there. No sign of Spitfire or the griffon."

"You heard her, let's move." I commanded.

The team darted ahead with stealth, Twilight however paused to place a hoof upon my shoulder. "You're not like Flare... You're a leader. I can tell by looking at you, by the way you act... You're a lot stronger than your brother was..."

I slapped her hoof away as I trotted behind the group. "My brother didn’t get to live long enough to see how strong he was." I replied.

She left the conversation there.

Just as promised we arrived in the agent command center to find Vinyl and Shining Armor sharing a cigarette. Vinyl had not seen us come in and we caught the end of their conversation. "Smoke up, life's short my friend." She said as she held a lighter out for him. A cigarette in her own mouth already a quarter finished.

Shining took a drag and coughed before the two saw us. We assumed they must have found a common ground.

"Glad you made it. Shall we make the final stretch?" Vinyl grinned.

"I'm afraid that won't be happening." A deeper feminine voice echoed through the room.

We all glanced to see an orange mare with a short manecut, and a scar across her face. I recognized her from the mission briefing, this was Spitfire. The mare whom even Twilight was afraid of running into. Her expression looked emotionless, and her face frozen in what I thought was an indefinite scowl.

She looked around and saw the blade on my hoof. Her eyes locked on it. "Ah, so this is the new Rainbow Dash?" Sizing me up she shook her head. "What happened to the original one? She finally run away and not come back? Smart on her part really..."

With everypony pulling their weapons out to fight her, she just shook her head again. She had an aura of overconfidence. "Do you truly wish to fight me? Even combined you all stand no chance..."

Vinyl leapt forward with her two front hoof swords ready to go. "Leave her to me! I have been waiting to rip her apart for a while now..." With a grin, Vinyl locked her bloodshot eyes onto Spitfire. "I want her all to myself..."

"Vinyl, you're no match for her!" Twilight protested.

"Shut up, Twilight. I don't want any to interfere. This is my fight... I know I can win... If any of you get involved, I can't promise your safety..." Vinyl retorted, not taking her eyes off of Spitfire.

"You should listen to the unicorn... You may live longer if you run." Spitfire had not even readied her sword yet.

"Let me see how strong you actually are... I have pushed to get stronger every single day; to be the strongest. I dream of fighting, and I exist now to kill those who are enemies to freedom. Why do you exist beyond being a puppet?" Vinyl said.

"I have a reason far greater than yours. I'll break you first and show you what it means to be truly strong..." Finally getting her blade out she took a step forward and took the proper stance. "Then I shall kill you."

"Looking forward to it." Vinyl smirked.

Wasting no time, Spitfire bolted in and punched Vinyl's face and jump kicked her in the torso while she was recovering for the blow. After she was knocked back, Spitfire charged forward and started dealing blows right to Vinyl's skull, still not utilizing her blade.

Trying to fight back, Vinyl took a swing of her own, only to have her hoof caught in Spitfire's, who twisted it, causing Vinyl to groan in pain. "Weak, fueled by anger and hatred, just as I suspected..." Spitfire mocked.

"Fuck you!" Vinyl hissed as she took a swing with her good hoof. Spitfire merely caught that one too and jumped in the air cracking her back hoof to Vinyl's chin.

Twilight got her sword ready only for Vinyl to yell to her. "No! I told you... She's mine..." Vinyl growled as she helped herself up.

"Vinyl, that's enough, you're no match for her. Stop being stubborn." Twilight protested.

"Shut up! I am strong enough! I will prove it! I will prove that I am the strongest there is!" Vinyl proudly exclaimed.

Twilight sighed and shook her head as she turned away. "She just doesn't get it... The reason the sword didn't choose her..." Twilight spoke to herself.

"Let her fight." I said.

Twilight blinked and looked to me confused. "What? Why?"

I kept my eyes on the fight where Vinyl helplessly tried to land a blow on Spitfire only to have each attack turned back on her. "She must learn this lesson the hard way. I can tell by looking at her, she won't learn by you telling her... It must be experienced..."

Grabbing Vinyl's mane in her hoof, Spitfire pulled her forward and smashed her face into the wall. Vinyl coughed and grunted as she picked herself up, feeling her forehead she looked to her hoof to see that it was stained with blood. Red liquid leaked down her forehead, bloodying her white coat. "Surrender, Vinyl. I won't have to kill you if you just accept joining the darkness." Spitfire offered.

Vinyl spit some blood out of her mouth and took her fighting pose yet again. "So I can be like you? A puppet and a traitor? Sorry, but I choose death!"

"Even Rainbow Dash knew her limits. She feared fighting me because she knew she could not defeat me. You think you're strong because you are not afraid to die, but you're weak. You're weak because you don't know your limitations. You don't know when to stop, when to give in." Spitfire bolted forward and knocked Vinyl over and proceeded to deliver a few kicks to her chest as she laid helpless on the ground. "Why not surrender so you'll at least live long enough to learn from your mistakes?"

"F-fuck... Y-y-you..." Vinyl winced as she tried to get herself up.

"What makes you so foolish? Where does your pride come from?" Spitfire asked.

"I think you've gotta all you'll get out of her, Spitfire..." We all turned to the griffon that had entered the room casually. Trotting over to Spitfire he placed a claw on her shoulder. "Any secrets she has, she wishes to take to the grave with her. Respect that."

"Lovely..." Twilight growled as she aimed her weapon. "I was hoping to avoid this, now we've got both of them to worry about!"

"Wait!" Trixie interrupted.

We all turned to face her. "Listen to me. We're not enemies here! We all want the same thing!"

"Its the traitor." Spitfire spoke plainly to Hawk.

"Listen to me! If you kill us, you'll only be damning yourselves too. That canon will be fired soon, and if we don't stop it, then you can kiss your asses goodbye. The darkness has no further use for you two after that." Trixie explained.

"Why should we take the words of a traitor?" Spitfire pointed out.

"You're the traitors! You turned on Equestria for your own well being! I am just done being a coward like you two! I finally thought it over, and I would rather choose death." Trixie growled.

Spitfire rolled her eyes. "What do you think, Hawk?" She looked to the griffon, whom had been keeping quite calm and quiet.

"I think we should listen to her..." He revealed.

"What? Why?" Spitfire grew a confused look.

Hawk looked to her and shook his head. "Spitfire, you and I both know that canon will fire. We also know that when it does our lives will be over as well."

"But... Soarin..." She bit her lip.

"Listen, Spitfire... I meant to tell you this before, but I know you joined to keep him safe after the darkness took over him. However, Soarin is already dead. His body still moves, sure, but he's not in there anymore. He's been gone for a long time, and its time to accept that. He isn't coming back." Hawk lectured.

"How can you be so sure that this is the right way?" Spitfire questioned.

"I've seen a lot of hell in my life, Spitfire. You don't even know a fraction of my story. I know what the gateway to hell looks like." He stood up and came face to face with her.

"I don't understand how you can be like this... After all you've been through, how can you even be the slightest bit compassionate? I've never once seen you show an ounce of empathy..." Spitfire looked up into his eyes as she spoke.

"I became what I needed to become. However it might be nice to finally kill for the right reasons for once. What do you say? Let's help them get to where they're going?" He offered his claw to her. "One last mission?"

Looking down at his claw she paused as she thought it over. Finally she placed her hoof in it. "You've been the most loyal companion I've ever had. You stuck by me this whole time, and I know so little bout you... I'll follow you one more time though. If we are heading towards oblivion... I want to arrive right behind you."

"We'll certainly be going there today." He grinned as he turned to Vinyl and offered a claw.

Swatting his claw away, the mare got up on her own, though clearly struggling. "I don't need your help... Nor do I want it... You morons can trust these two to help, but I'm not going to trust them farther than I can throw them." With a slight limp in her step, she struggled to get back over to the group. Fluttershy attempted to begin treatment, only for Vinyl to dismiss her.

"I don't want your help! Just don't touch me!" She hissed as she pushed Fluttershy away.

Ordinarily, Twilight probably would have stepped in, however after that ordeal she clearly just wanted this all to be over faster.

"Looks like somepony tripped the alarm... They'll be coming soon..." Hawk spoke as he looked around the room after noticing a monitor on his weapon. Checking the monitor again he looked to Spitfire. "Looks like hundreds of them..."

"Elites too..." Spitfire pointed out as she glanced at her own.

"Look, if you want to attempt your plan, you best go now. If you wait until they arrive, you'll never make it." Hawk spoke drawing his blade.

"What about you two?" Twilight asked.

Hawk grinned and looked at Spitfire. "We'll hold them off. Should slow them down quite a bit..."

Twilight nodded as she got us all ready to leave. "Good luck, and thank you... "

Hawk gestured for her to go. "Don't thank us yet."

Twilight smirked and bolted out. I followed behind, but slow enough to catch Hawk's last words to Spitfire. "Guess we're not going to get overtime today?"

I caught a glimpse of Spitfire's smile. "We'll be with Soarin soon."

That was the last time we ever saw them. I don't know exactly what happened, but I can imagine that the two of them made that room their resting place. I'd like to think it was one hell of a show before they went down. They redefined the term "give them hell."

Running along, we noticed a beaten Vinyl trip and collapse. Twilight halted and came to her aid. "Come on, Vinyl let me help you..." Twilight offered a hoof.

Vinyl swatted it away. "Leave me!" She growled.

"Vinyl, stop being stubborn, let me help you up." Twilight had a hint of annoyance on her breath.

"I'm weak... I deserve to die... Leave me here!" Vinyl commanded.

A side of Twilight came out that I think we all knew was only there for the sole purpose of dealing with Vinyl. "On your hooves, soldier!"

Vinyl ignored her and placed her face against the ground, letting it become stained in her blood. "Just go..."

Twilight kicked Vinyl's side, causing her to grunt. "Listen to me, shit head! If you continue to lay there, you're going to be in a world of shit, and do you know why?"

Vinyl coughed. "W-why?" She spoke weakly.

Twilight reached down and picked up Vinyl's neck, bringing their faces inches apart. "Because you don't have my permission to die, yet. Now get up." She dropped the mare back onto the hard floor.

With a struggle, Vinyl groaned in agony as she began to lift herself. Her body was in rough shape, but somehow she found the strength to get back up. "Yes... Ma'am... Permission to die... Ma'am?" She got herself to a full stand.

"Denied, now get your ass moving before I kick it the whole way there." Twilight commanded.

Vinyl gave a halfhearted salute before trotting along, limping with every step.

Rolling her eyes, Twilight gestured to me. "Help her. If she dies on me, it'll be your ass." Twilight instructed.

I nodded. "Yes ma'am."

Coming to Vinyl's aid, she gave an annoyed look. "You should have left me..." She complained.

"I'll leave you behind when you're dead. You know the code; no knight left behind. As long as we draw breath, we fight." I reminded.

"I'm weak... I don't deserve to be a knight... I don't even deserve to live..." Vinyl rambled as she struggled to step with me.

I took it slow for her to keep up with me. Her injuries were severe, but not fatal. "You're too hard on yourself." I smiled.

"Dash... She told me about Spitfire... Her power... Her skill..." Vinyl coughed up some blood before she continued speaking. "She said... If she fought Spitfire, she'd die..."

"Perhaps that should have been a warning to you?" I remarked.

Vinyl panted as she was exhausting herself walking. "The sword... It chose you... Despite being a weakling... A pampered SkyVale girl... Yet it chose you..."

"I can't explain that unfortunately. The weapon has a mind of its own, clearly." I replied.

I offered to let her rest for a second, but she resisted. Insisting on pushing herself, she demanded we keep up with the others. Shrugging, I decided to give her what she wanted and just press forward.

"I need to get stronger..." The unicorn rambled.

"Why are you so obsessed with being strong, Vinyl? Your body is at its limit, yet you keep pushing yourself. Why?" I asked.

"I won't go back... I won't going back to being weak... I'd rather die than go back..." Vinyl mumbled.

I wasn't sure what she was rambling about, but I let out a sigh and shook my head. "Strength comes from many places Vinyl, but you shouldn't fear being weak..."

"I'm not afraid... I'm angry..." She corrected.

I should have expected as much. That statement could probably sum up Vinyl's entire life.

"You'll get a chance to blow off some steam." I grinned as I picked up the pace to get us caught up with the group.

"I lost... To Spitfire... I'm weak..." She repeated.

With a grunt, I managed to get her to the end of the hallway. "Yeah, but even Rainbow Dash couldn't beat her from what I hear."

"Rainbow Dash was weak... That's why she's gone. She wasn't strong enough... A great fighter, but she let her emotions weaken her..." Vinyl spoke.

Quite bold of her to accuse Rainbow Dash of being weak.

We arrived at the beacon only minutes after everypony else. Pinkamena was already checking over the console. "Alright, I can do it, but I need complete concentration. Its a delicate procedure, and I can't be interrupted. No doubt they'll be coming this way, but you'll all have to hold them off while I work. If I am interrupted even once, there goes our only chance, so keep me covered." She explained.

Twilight nodded. "Fluttershy, get Vinyl patched up. I don't want any sass from you either, Vinyl. You're no use to me if I have to have somepony carry you the entire way. Get her back into fighting condition and keep Fluttershy guarded while she works. The rest of you; you better not let any of them through that door."

I helped Vinyl off to the other side of the room so Fluttershy could work away from the gunfire. "Can you help her?" I asked.

Checking over Vinyl's wounds she nodded. "I can give her a few steroid injections to get her strength back, and cover her wounds. If I give her a healing potion, she'll recover much faster. It'll take me about five minutes, but I can get her in a condition where she can fight at least."

Vinyl groaned in agony, protesting the idea. "Just kill me... I failed..."

Fluttershy sighed and began cleaning up her wounds. "Nonsense. Everypony fails now and then. That's no reason to give up."

"I broke my promise... I don't deserve to live..." Vinyl rambled.

Fluttershy silenced her. "Shhhh, just relax for a bit."

Getting up, I joined Twilight with my weapon pointed at the door. "I'll be honest with you..." Twilight began.

"Hm?" I replied.

Taking cover with her weapon drawn, she smiled. "I never had 100% faith in this plan from the start... The chances of us actually being able to pull this off I'd say are slim to none..."

"I suppose that's what will make our victory that much more sweet." I grinned.

Twilight never get a chance to answer, as right then the enemy burst through the door. Weapons drawn, they came in shooting. We however were ready for them. We unloaded everything we had upon them, dropping them like flies as they poured in. I can never forget their blank emotionless faces. They simply lined up to die without a care in the world. Twilight was right; they were the perfect enemy.

Luna ducked down next to me trying to jam another clip in her weapon. "Cover me, I'm reloading." She instructed.

Popping my head back up, I fires off a few rounds, dropping another row. They began to return fire. I was able to duck again, but their aim was impecible. "They weren't kidding, those are elites... We can't hold them off, forever, how's that console going, Dr. Pie?" I asked as I popped off a few more shots.

"Just a little longer... Keep them back just a bit longer, I need to secure a way for us to get back too, mind you..." She said as she tapped away at the buttons on the console.

Vinyl raised a hoof and began firing at a few coming through the door. Even in her condition, she could still muster enough energy to ward off our enemies. She growled as she tried to keep her hoof up to fire, while Fluttershy injected her with steroids. "This is our world, assholes..." She muttered.

"What the hell is that...?" Twilight asked as she eyed a feral looking creature behind the invading elites.

It snarled and spit as it moved violently. It twitched and growled as it made sporadic movements. Dripping from its mouth was a black ooze, and its body seemed much bulkier than that of a normal pony.

"Shit! It's a mauler! Don't let it get any closer! Shoot the shit out of it!" Trixie yelled as she directed her fire to it.

We all began to concentrate fire on it. "Shit its fast!" I hollered as it dodged our rounds.

Apple Bloom got tackled by it and held its jaw back while it viciously tried to rip her throat out. It certainly had a lot of energy. "Get this fuckin' thing offa' me!" She yelled.

Twilight and I administered two direct hits to its head. Apple Bloom blasted it in the stomach as she pushed it off and got herself up. "What the hell are those things!?"

"Genetically enhanced soldiers... It looks like they are unleashing everything to stop us. I guess Hawk and Spitfire didn't last too long..." Trixie explained.

"I think we have a new problem..." Shining Armor pointed.

Rushing through the crowd of soldiers, a massive beast knocked a hoofful of them out of the way as it roared. It was at least ten times any of our size, and had a girth that could rival and ox. "What the fuck is that!?" Twilight exclaimed.

"Uhhh, we just started calling that a tank..." Trixie gulped as she backed up a few steps.

"Shoot the tank then! Unload everything onto it!" Twilight commanded.

We all started emptying entire clips onto it, but it didn't seem to stop it in the slightest. "Fuck! It's like a damn meat shield!" Apple Bloom cried as she blasted a few scattershots on it.

"Why do you think we call it a tank!?" Trixie hollered as she kept firing at it.

The beast rushed through us and grabbed Twilight by the throat, smashing her against the ground. She struggled and started stabbing it repeatedly in the claw. Once it loosened its grip, she opened her infamous yellow eye and locked gaze with the monster. It became petrified and solid rock quite rapidly. Breaking free, Twilight jumped back and cast a fireball spell on it, breaking it to pieces.

"Damn it, Pinkamena, speed it up, we can't hold them off forever!" Twilight hissed.

"I'm trying, this isn't exactly a simple process! I am used to working with far less advanced equipment than this!" Pinkamena responded.

"Here come some more maulers!" Trixie exclaimed as she lobbed a grenade in that direction.

Jumping through the door, half a dozen more of those vicious creatures poured out, to be met with the explosion of Trixie's grenade. The beasts were resilient however and the blast did not take them all down. Two of them leapt forward and came inches from me.

Their shrill sounds were irritating up close. They pierced one's eardrums with a noise that could best be described as vicious and maniacal. It opened its mouth and growled directly in my face, spit flying out of it. With a quick thrust of the Rainbow Edge, I jammed the blade into its mouth and pushed through its throat. "How's that taste?" I mocked as I jumped and kicked the monster off my sword.

The sound of a gunshot brought my attention to the second beast that was felled right behind me. Looking to the origins of the shot, I saw a patched up Vinyl holding her weapon shakily as she wiped blood off of her lip. Not even being beaten within an inch of her life was enough to push the fight out of her.

"It's ready! Quickly, everypony onto the beacon now! It will only remain charged for a short time!" Pinkamena shouted as she bolted away from the control panel and to the portal.

Nodding, Twilight gestured for the rest of us to follow. Shining Armor, Luna, Trixie, and Apple Bloom all jumped onto the portal that had opened up on the beacon, Vinyl, myself and Twilight trailing behind, keeping gunfire on the door. Vinyl was limping as Twilight tried to assist her. "Leave me..." Vinyl groaned.

Twilight slapped her face and growled. "I told you before, you don't have permission to die yet. So you better move your ass!"

I gave the two of them a shove through the portal as I kept my front facing the door as I saw a few more tanks start to thrash their way in. With a smile, I turned and hopped through the rift as well. This was it, our big chance to finish this nightmare, we were finally about to meet the darkness face to face. This was going to be our finest hour, our success would determine the shape of the whole world.

Author's Notes:

Why did this chapter take so long? Well the answer is because I had a lot going on. Also before anyone asks, no this is not the chapter before the final one. When we get to the final saga in the story is will be titled "Final Saga". I get people asking about how long the story is going to be all the time, and there is no definitive answer, but I can honestly say we are getting "closer" to the end, but we're probably around... 2/3 of the way done by now. I also apologize for taking so long. I know a lot of you have been following this story for damn near 3 years, and I have been slow as ass.

When I first started this, I actually intended it to end right where Dash died in Chapter 24ish. That was going to be the end all be all and I was going to leave it open for a sequel, but I decided that too much was left open to leave it there and decided to actually combine a lot of ideas I had for future stories in this universe into one. Fear not though, the story WILL end. I am actually actively thinking about where we are going to end up, and hopefully I can finish this story by the end of this year. (That's a big maybe, probably will take me longer). I'll see if I can squeeze in some more writing for it this summer.

As for older chapters: yes, I intend to go back and edit them to improve the quality a bit. Fix mistakes, use better descriptive language, etc. No elements of the story will be changed though, the plot will remain completely as is and intact.

I hope this chapter was worth the wait for some of you.