Twilight held her gaze to the floor, barely moving an inch. The light of the new morning gave way to another day that brought grim work. An unwelcoming cold wind flew past the carriage’s window, but not once did she shiver. Eyes blank and hollow, her thoughts came and went in a swift disorganized mess. She gave no attention to them, for none of them could be validated.

“Twilight?” She forced her gaze upward to meet Celestia’s. “I know that you wished to accompany my sister and me, but yesterday was not kind to any of us. You did not have to come along.”

“I-it’s okay.” Her voice barely reached above a whisper, but she continued. “I don’t mind. Besides, with all due respect, I could ask the same.”

“Of course.” Celestia’s calm mask did not show much, except for the small tender smile that cracked through. “The wounds I received last night need to be tended to, but the matters of yesterday’s events have not concluded.”

“And indeed, they shall be concluded.” Luna took her turn to speak, sitting adjacent from Twilight. “Not only do I see my sister’s safety as paramount, but yours as well. You had the chance to remain in Canterlot yet decided to come.” It was not wrong, Twilight thought. But Twilight did not feel the need to be scrutinized because of her wound.

She could only sigh. “I know… but I want to be here.” That impulse for her journey here was not just aligned to her royal duties. If she were to be honest, she had gone along with Princesses Celestia and Luna so that she could learn the truth concerning whether Bishop and the Xenomorph Queen had survived. While she had estimated that the probabilities for their survival were not high, there was always room for error. Twilight’s brow furrowed slightly. “I have to know if they survived or not. I just have to…”

Closing her eyes, she breathed inward and exhaled. Resting her hooves against her stomach, taking great care to be gentle against her wound, she felt the carriage around her decrease in size. So much had been lost, and so many lives had been taken, some that should not have left. Twilight shuddered as a tear trickled down her muzzle. She opened her eyes at the soft touch of plume, tracing the wing tip over to Celestia. The small smile that her former mentor held now shone with a new yet soft bright concern. “Don’t worry. His death… will not be in vain.”

Twilight nodded, only to shudder again. She wiped the tear away and glanced outside the window. The island came back into view once more. Her muzzle scrunched up, shaking her head. “What’s that smell?”

“The smell of that which burns.” Luna’s cryptic words did not reveal much, but as the carriage circled around to land, she saw what Luna had meant. There past the bridge connected to the runway was what had survived of the admissions building. So little remained standing, flames dotting the few metal beams that stood, as if in defiance of its own destruction.

It was only a moment after seeing a third of the building still existing that the carriage came down with a soft landing. Celestia and Luna were the first to exit, then Twilight followed after. Stepping out from the vehicle, she scanned the runway itself, which hardly appeared affected by the devastation. With a silent signal, the three princesses moved together. Celestia glanced over her shoulder at the four guards that had pulled their carriage. “Stay here and keep watch. We’ll be fine.” They nodded in salute and did as their princess asked.

With that out of the way, they continued onward to the bridge. The observations Twilight had made earlier seemed sufficient. The runway was the farthest building away from the explosion. But the bridge, as they came upon it, had been torn apart. Celestia took a step forward, and then another soft step. While the bridge did appear that it could hold them, Celestia unfolded her wings. Luna and Twilight followed her example, ascending into the air with a few quick beats of their wings.

It was only a few seconds before they landed on the other side. Nopony spoke a word to each other. It was a silence that Twilight could not get used to--an eerie quiet with the gentle roars of flames scattered across what was left of the grounds surrounding the admissions building. Twilight was the first to take a few steps, which led her further away from the others. Yet taking a quick second to look back, they were still within sight of her.

With that reassurance, she slowly circled the building, only seeing a third of said perimeter. The orange glow of the flames did keep her somewhat warm, a welcomed sensation after feeling the cold winds of fall chill her body. After making another small bit of progress scanning the rubble, littered with ash and metal fragments, she saw another much larger cloud of smoke farther away. “Princess?” Twilight called to Celestia, who trotted close by with her sister as they completed the last bit of their circle.

Twilight pointed towards the source of her concern, to which Celestia and Lunas’ gazes followed. They did not show shock, but Luna unfurled her wings. “I will go see where the smoke originates from. You two stay here and keep looking. We may not find any survivors, but we cannot lose hope yet.” With those last words, she left, dust flying up as she quickly ascended into the air and towards the dark billowy column.

They watched Luna for a few moments before Celestia murmured, “Come, Twilight. Let’s continue our search.” Twilight gave a curt nod and followed close by her former teacher. Returning her gaze to the desolate ruins around her, slowly going over foot by foot of rubble, an odd sense of emotion, or lack thereof. It was a glum thought, that she barely seemed scared by all of this destruction. It was an uneasy feeling, that her reaction was not of her normal response. ‘Bishop… curse you.’

The two stopped next to the large wall of rocks, the same ones that had covered them from the Xenomorph’s sight and that Bishop’s guards tried to hide behind when they were targeted by said creatures. A tumble of rubble attracted Twilight’s attention. She cast a purple spotlight to search on top of the dusty ground below. A pony’s body lay outlined underneath the rubble, next to one of the rocks. “Princess!”

Celestia looked towards the light and paced towards the pony’s location. A gold light from her horn hit the ground, dust and debris flying upwards as the magic beam dug deeper and deeper next to the pony. As the hole Celestia was making went deeper, some of the debris slid off the pony. They both heard a gruff set of coughs, and when the dust cleared, Twilight’s eyes widened in surprise.

That reaction only lasted a minute before a fierce glare replaced her previous surprised look. “Bishop…”

The stallion only coughed in reply, the debris sliding off his upper frame, but remaining over the top of his lower half. He opened his eyes and stared at Twilight and Celestia, only to give a pained chuckle. “W-what a surprise… it seems I was saved after all.”

“You survived the blast, surprisingly.” Celestia’s face remained calm, yet her eyes told a different tale, glowering at the half-buried stallion.

“You sound so s-shocked.” Bishop chuckled again until he erupted into a coughing fit. A closer look, as Twilight scanned over his dust-covered body, revealed dark blood stains marked down his muzzle, parts of his clothing shredded here and there. “And here I thought… t-that you, out of all ponies, would show more concern.”

Celestia’s frown only deepened. “I only show concern for ponies that haven’t tried to kill me and to those who haven’t traded ponies’ lives for their own gain.”

Bishop didn’t smile or frown. He only looked up to the sky. “F-forgive me… if I sound like I’m in disbelief. Never did I imagine that the most benevolent of princesses would have such a dark side.” The words he spoke were like thorns, which seemed to irritate Celestia even more.

“But why?” Twilight shared the same scowl on Celestia’s muzzle. “Why would you sacrifice your own kind for creatures that kill anything that isn’t their own?”

“The profit was one thing… but to prove a point. A point that these creatures were breakable.” The emotions he gave were all but mobile, until he seemed to settle for one that gave off a sardonic feeling. “Those ‘humans’ in the videos… they couldn’t succeed. They weren’t anywhere close to coming to such an accomplishment. I believed that I could have… if given the time.”

“You have failed. It seems that you have fallen just as short as they did,” Twilight hissed, and thought that this comparison would put him in his place.

Yet he smiled all the same. “Progress is all about trial and error. With their advancement in technology, they should have been able to… ‘persuade’ these creatures. But they didn’t. So what right do you have to compare me to those that have failed?”

Celestia took a step forward, her eyes burning with an unbridled animosity. “So then… what were the ponies that died creating more of those monsters? Were they simply errors in your trials?”

Bishop met Celestia’s gaze without flinching. “Now that I have lost all of my Xenomorphs, I guess you could say that.”

“You’re a monster, Bishop Neighland,” Twilight growled as she too took a step forward. “How dare you act as if those ponies’ lives did not matter? To treat them as objects? You’re nothing but a fiend.”

Bishop only chuckled. “A monster does not think and cannot feel emotion. This was all done because I had a will. And my will… my wish was to defend Equestria.” He closed his eyes and murmured, “So don’t label me as the same as that human, Dr. Markovich. I’m a pony much like you and Celestia. And so long as I have my will, I am just like you. And you are just like me.” His eyes lowered as he let a serene smile form on his muzzle.

Twilight did not know how to respond. His words were nothing but poison to her ears. She stomped into the ash below her hoof. They heard the flapping of wings and looked back to see Luna flying their way. When she landed, she rested them back at her sides and opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when she saw Bishop lying on the ground in front of them. “Ah… so this foul one has miraculously survived the destruction of his property?”

“So then… Twilight, Celestia?” Bishop spoke again, but the smile left his muzzle. “You call me a monster. Yet you two seem to forget the one who tried to kill you in the past.” What he said did not make sense at first, but then Twilight turned towards Luna. It soon became clear whom he was speaking of. “A mare who let her own jealousy take control of her, which turned her into a monster that nearly killed you two. Look no further than the sister you align yourself with, Cele--”

“Don’t you dare talk about my sister that way!!” Celestia yelled, her horn coming to life once more. “How dare you?! How dare you call her a monster?!” Luna, however, stood still. Twilight couldn’t read her, watching as emotion after emotion passed through her eyes.

Bishop only seemed to shake his head. It was there and then that Celestia’s horn brightened. “Do you remember the promise that I had made before? When you decided to run after I gave you a way out? It’s time I kept that promise.” It happened so fast. Bishop glowed for one second, before he began coughing up blood. A singed circular hole went through the center of his chest, the stallion taking a few breaths until he stopped moving, his chest lowering one last time.

Twilight could not move. The light gold aura disappeared from Celestia’s horn. Shakily Twilight turned towards her former teacher. She had thought she would never see something like that so suddenly. “Y-you… killed him…” She had seen death already, but this was something new. Something that she thought was foreign for Celestia.

“I had given him my word. And so I thought it was best to keep my promise.” She spoke without a tinge of regret. When she looked towards Luna, there was a familiar expression that she shared with Twilight.

“Celestia, I…” Luna’s surprise slowly lessened until she sighed. “Thank you… for silencing this cur.” What was going on? Twilight did not expect this. She almost thought that Luna would have killed him just for what he said, and yet the alarmed shock that Luna had gone through disappeared only moments after. This continuous cycle of death was slowly becoming something of a norm, a norm that only filled Twilight with more and more apprehensive thoughts.

Yet there was only one form of positive news from this. The stallion now responsible for the horrors here at his facility was gone. There would be no return to these horrific events. It was a blessing, no matter how morbid that reality was. As Twilight took a step back, the ground rumbled beneath her hooves. It went away as soon as it came, but the ground shook when she took another step. There was a loud crash behind them, and they all quickly turned around.

When Twilight heard a familiar roar, her pupils shrunk. “No way… it’s still alive!?” She watched as a black clawed hand rose from the ground, gripping the sides of the hole until the Queen Xenomorph’s eyeless gaze rested on them. Her crest held glowing scratches of acidic blood, and as the Queen slowly crawled out from the hole, they saw that her body was covered with scratches.

The Queen’s smaller right arm was held by her side, like she was injured. She took a step forward and limped on her left leg. But that did not stop the Queen from charging at the three, roaring with hatred. “Luna, Twilight! We must put it to sleep, and quickly!” Why Celestia said such a thing baffled her, but Twilight followed the princess’ wishes, horn alight as a magenta aura mixed in with the dark blue and light gold aura of Luna and Celestia’s magic. With a darker aura around the Queen, her step slowed, but she still came towards them.

Unfurling her wings, Twilight took off with Luna and Celestia. The Queen rammed into the array of rocks, screeching at them as the three took off into the sky. After only a second, the Queen’s movements appeared sluggish, but her chitinous head glowed with a light blue aura. Luna suddenly stopped in mid-flight and was slowly pulled downwards, yelping in surprise. “Luna!” Celestia cried. Another thread of light gold surrounded Luna as Celestia pulled in a tug of war with the Queen, while using the sleep spell.

The light blue light inside the Queen’s chitinous skull flickered on and off, until she let out a weakened cry and fell onto her left side with a loud thud. The aura around Luna disappeared, afterwards Celestia retracted the gold aura. Cautiously, the three princesses slowly floated down to the ground. Twilight’s horn activated again and surrounded part of the Queen’s hand. She prodded it quickly and backed away, but got no response. The sound of it slowly breathing signified as well that it had been put to sleep. “So… we should get rid of it, right?

“Of course.” A bright dark blue aura illuminated the shape of a sword, which formed from mere nothingness. She walked up to the Queen’s eyeless gaze and pointed the sword downward. “This nightmare will end one way or another.”

Twilight took a quick glance towards Celestia. The stare she showed was uncaringly, frighteningly merciless. She had just killed Bishop Neighland, another pony, one line that she herself dared not to cross. With a simple nod, Celestia murmured, “Yes. End this monster’s nightmarish existence.

With one swift movement, the sword entered through the Queen’s head. No cry. No last uttering sound. There was a silence afterwards, the acid pooling out underneath the sword. Luna swiftly brought it up until the sword disappeared in a flash of dark blue.

“So… it’s over now? It really is over?” Twilight murmured, her eyes not leaving the Xenomorph’s motionless body.

“Yes…” Celestia slowly blinked. “Let us return home. We shall mourn those we’ve lost.” Celestia and Luna walked past Twilight, who stared for a moment longer before following behind.

‘Shining… Spike… you can be at rest now. We’ve done it… it’s over… i-it’s really over…’

“Luna?” Twilight glanced up at Celestia as the three of them walked towards the palace doors. Another few hours had passed since their departure back to the island and then returning home once more. Having just left their carriage, Twilight felt exhausted despite that the day was only reaching the beginning of the afternoon. “I have to ask: after you left to investigate the other smoke column, what did you find before you returned?”

Luna looked up to the ceiling, taking a moment before returning her gaze to Celestia. “When I came upon the mysterious column of smoke, all I managed to discover was that whatever the smoke originated from was a large explosion. Part of the island this smoke billowed from had a chunk of it missing; unfortunately, I am unaware as to what could have caused such destruction.”

While it was a shame to not know what had happened, Twilight felt it was better to not know what had caused it.

As they reached the palace doors, the guard on the left approached them. “Greetings, Your Highnesses.” He gave a low bow before continuing. “Somepony has requested your presence in the medical section of the palace. In the lab rooms below the waiting room. Number was… zero, zero, three.”

“Did this pony tell you why they wished to see me?”

“Unfortunately… she said that she would only speak to you, as well as Princess Luna and Princess Twilight, Your Highness.”

Twilight could not discern who would require their presence. Hopefully, everything might be going back to normal, at least what passed for normalcy nowadays. “Thank you for the message.” The guard nodded before walking off to the side and returning to his position.

Celestia’s light gold aura surrounded the doors before opening them up. Twilight followed the two inside and stayed quiet, this thoughtful silence giving her a moment to form an idea as to who was waiting for them. Yet nopony came to mind. Her parents were likely coming in again today to check on Cadance. The rest of her friends were still recovering from their wounds, while Pinkie Pie was doing her best to cheer them up as well.

“Who do you suppose is waiting for us, Celestia?” Luna asked, a slight glance towards her elder sister.

Celestia shook her head. “It could be a delegate for all we know. While it does feel unexpected, I can’t surmise why none of the castle staff would’ve let this go by without my attention.”

Something the guard had said gave them a hint. “The guard did say that this pony was a mare,” Twilight began. “Since we haven’t received word of an appointment, maybe it’s somepony we know?”

With a glance, Celestia gave a small smile. “You could be right. Maybe we’re overthinking this.”

And there was so much that had to be done. Some of it was planning an event, one Twilight dared not to go into detail just yet. ‘Not yet… I’m not ready to think about Spike’s funeral.’ It had to be done, but she could not look forward to it. She blinked, the light coming through the windows above. Twilight glanced upward, seeing the sun shining down on them. Turning her gaze away, she stared down the hall and noticed that they had come upon the medical section of the palace.

But Celestia and Luna veered towards the stairwell just before the doors to the waiting room. Following the two down the steps, they descended to the next floor. The first thing Twilight noticed though was that the lighting wasn’t as bright down here. She shivered a little, a cold air passing through the hall they stood in. “Why is it so dark down here?”

Celestia seemed to chuckle at this question. “The scientists argued that a certain amount of light might cause harm to some of their experiments. So I played along and decided to install a softer lighting system. It does save us a good percentage of money for the palace’s lighting bills.”

The two sisters glanced down to the right and walked a couple of meters, Twilight following close behind, until they came upon a door with the same room number the guard described. Celestia opened the door and entered first, with Luna and Twilight following behind. The only light that they could see was a blue-colored hue from a wall lined with X-rays of certain parts of a pony’s body.

But beneath that blue light, a pony appeared sitting in a chair with her back turned to the three. “I was wondering when I’d finally get to meet the prestigious princesses of Equestria.” There was a slight hint of an accent, Twilight thought. Pairing it to other voices, the only one she could recognize was a Neighponese, but with a clear pronunciation of the Equestrian language.

“And who might we be speaking to?” Celestia asked.

“A mare who wishes to speak and be heard in return.” A voice unfamiliar to them all. The chair turned around, and while the mare herself was unknown to them, Nenne Seion did not seem to show a single emotion.

“What is it that you wish to say?” Luna followed up with Celestia’s earlier question.

“There is a truce that I request from you three. You see, I am… or was until yesterday, a member of the company known as Neighland-Yupony.” When she said that name, the three princesses stiffened, gazes hardening at the mysterious mare. “My name is Dr. Nenne Seion. What I wish is for a pardon from Bishop Neighland’s actions, for I believe you would hold me accountable for his actions.”

Celestia was the first to relax, her calm demeanor unchanged. “Firstly, I must ask: you say you were a former member until yesterday’s events. If you do work for Neighland-Yupony, why were you not there?”

“A simple answer--I was well aware of the chance that those Xenomorphs would have broken free from their bonds. I did not foresee how and when, but I was prepared nonetheless and escaped.”

“So you left all your coworkers to die?” Twilight’s wings flared upwards, a hostile frown upon her muzzle.

“Truth be told, I could not and cannot be held for their actions. If they thought the underground tunnels were the safest place, then that is their fault.” Nenne shrugged. “They did not study the Xenomorph for the entirety of its first month of imprisonment. Speaking of the first one…” A small smile graciously replaced her indifferent demeanor. “How is the Queen doing?”

Celestia quickly answered. “She’s dead. We made sure of that. Now we know for certain that this nightmare is over.”

“Really? Especially with the condition you’re all in, I’m surprised you pulled it off.” Nenne said, shrugging to herself. “Then again, I cannot truly deny that fact. You are, after all, powerful princesses”.

“Is there a reason why you asked for us?” Luna asked, getting the question out of the way.

Nenne hummed for a moment until she sighed. “I was hoping that you would have kept the Queen alive. Unfortunate. But at least I won’t have to worry about that.”

Nenne stared at the ground for a brief moment before clapping her hooves together. “I have a proposal for you all then.” A briefcase lifted up in her gray-aqua aura. “Before you ask what is in the briefcase, they are strands of DNA from the Xenomorphs. I shall ask you three later if I can take blood, for after having been close to these creatures, we do not know if they have any unknown diseases. I am willing to find cures if that is the case. It’s better to be safe than sorry. And while I work on said cures, I’d like to be pardoned of all actions of my involvement with Bishop Neighland and his company.”

“Are you serious?” Twilight tilted her head, a look of confusion across her muzzle. “We don’t even know if she can keep that promise. She’s from Neighland-Yupony. How can we trust her?”

“You may have some truth there, Princess Twilight.” Nenne’s smile disappeared and was replaced with a faint frown. “While I was a part of your dragon’s… containment authority over at Neighland-Yupony, I had no part in his capture. He was treated horribly. I cannot deny that. But I… was the only one who felt pity for him.”

“If you really did… then you’d let him go.” Twilight’s tone harshened, glowering at the mare. “Why… what was the purpose of keeping him there? He was only a young drake. A child is dead now because of your actions!”

Nenne sighed but persisted. “Did you know that it was Bishop who was responsible for his capture? If not, then when you’ll hear this, it may change the perspective of the situation. The reason for his capture? Bishop wanted to know what an Xenomorph would look like… if it came from a dragon.” Twilight flinched upon hearing this information. “If I must add… I didn’t much care for Bishop. He was willing to go to lengths that I myself thought were… too much. Speaking of whom, I assume he is in prison now, correct?”

“No. He’s dead. I saw to that personally,” Celestia murmured, an eerie calmness to her.

“Really?” Nenne’s eyes widened. “I… am surprised. I didn’t believe that any of you would dare take such an action.”

“It’s… a good thing, too.” Twilight’s voice shook. “He deserved it… he doesn’t deserve to be alive.” Hearing that Bishop was planning to use Spike as a host was beyond horrifying. It was sick. Those foreign thoughts she had tried to keep at bay were welcome this time.

Celestia brought her attention back to Seion. “If you are telling the truth, do you believe these Xenomorphs could transmit some type of disease?”

Nenne looked up to the ceiling for a brief moment until her gaze met Celestia’s. “While that fact is not known, there is a possibility that it could be true. If you are willing to pardon me, I can study the biology of the Xenomorphs with the current vials I have, as well as create cures if there is ever such an occasion. Just to be safe.”

It was silent for a moment before Celestia relented. “Alright. You have our word. If you’ll come with us, we’ll bring you to a room here in the medical section.” With that last order, Nenne walked up to Celestia, before the four mares exited the room. The door shut. But the pain from these experiences, as Twilight followed behind, was far from over.

The aching pain in Twilight’s stomach did not go away. There she stood beneath the cloudy, misty sky, a perfect way to sum up the mood that encompassed the event about to take place. Gazing to her right, she saw Rarity and Applejack alongside Princess Luna. To her left stood Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rainbow and Princess Cadance. “Thank you all for coming today.” Celestia stood next to her, standing tall by her right side.

Glancing down at the top of the right side of the platform were her parents and daughter, their tears noticeable, Nyx crying quietly to herself. Twilight shared the same set of emotions. Tears formed into rivulets down her muzzle, and she occasionally let out a soft hiccup. The world grew even darker behind the black veil she wore. To her front beyond the platform, Twilight saw what looked like the entirety of the Crystal Empire, and then some. “We come today to commemorate and honor a life that is precious to us,” Celestia continued.

“The life we have most recently lost was one that should not have been taken away. Spike the dragon, an honorable young drake who gave his life to protect those he loved and cared for.” It was too easy to hear some ponies cry or moan in the great gathering of ponies beyond. The Crystal Ponies all had a right to grieve. They had lost the heroic figure that they all practically worshipped. “Thanks to his actions… he has saved the lives of two princesses, Princess Twilight and myself included, as well as the lives of the mares, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and others.”

Twilight would only require a quick glance to see that her friends were now sharing their sorrow as well, Rarity being the first one to break down uncontrollably. Twilight wasn’t too far behind before she began crying once more. It was hard enough to just be here. To know that she was “celebrating” the life of another one of her family members. But to experience such pain again was grueling; she had wished it would not come upon her for another time. Shining Armor was enough. Now she was forced to go through yet another grieving process.

And a large undertaking this one was going to be. “Spike was a kind soul. He showed great compassion and care for those he loved. And with these wonderful traits… he used them to save the ponies that needed him. In return for his service, the threat that ravaged the island is now gone for good.” What a lie that was, Twilight thought. Although the Queen was truly dead now, the fact that it had survived the explosion upset her. His death, while still holding meaning, had lost the validity that she had once thought it had. Or maybe there never was to begin with, for Spike would never desire such gratuitous praise even from her.

“But there is still one thing we cannot forget. For there were other lives that day.” Celestia bowed her head, closing her eyes. “Upon that night two days ago, many lives were lost. And with Spike the dragon’s death, it must be known that they too have a right to be membered as well.” While Twilight had known of Flash’s death, it was a surprise to learn about Fleetfoot’s death; when the Wonderbolt had not shown up with Soarin and Spitfire, the thought had come to mind once or twice. “To commemorate their lives, a marble memorial shall be built in Canterlot with all of their names engraved into the rock, to give memory and to ease the pain of the families who all are grieving this day.”

Although Celestia would not say it, Twilight and the others were able to find a number. Three hundred plus lives had been lost this day, and in total, only a small percentage added. Yet this amount of death had not been common in Equestria’s most recent of memories. What had taken place was yet another fact of the new aliens that had found their way onto their home world.

A fact that had frightened them all. A fact that would not go away. “As for Spike… a new statue will be built here in the Crystal Empire. His name shall be remembered for the ages… not forgotten.” Twilight dreaded the fact that soon there would be nothing left to say. “I thank you all for coming today. To those who have lost loved ones… remember them for what they have done, the good that they brought into this world. When you remember the light that they shined upon this world, it will truly keep them in your memory.” With one final nod, the ceremony was over. A casket behind Celestia was picked up in an array of blue auras by Crystal Guards.

As they moved, Twilight slowly followed behind them. But no sooner did she move than two ponies wrapped their hooves around her. She reciprocated the gesture, hugging her parents back. When her daughter joined, it only made it worse. It was only a moment later did her friends join in. United together in one last hug, nothing else was to be said. Upon this day, a dark scar had been placed. Upon this day… a light had been snuffed out and its epitaph written. For what it was worth, Twilight thought, she still felt the presence of those two who were beloved to her.

‘Shining… Spike… I-I’m so sorry… I tried… I r-really did… I-I really did…’

Author's Notes:

Well... what a roller coaster this has been. First things first. Technically the story is now finished. We made it. The whole story is over now. But the story shall still be incompleted due to the fact that I have to write the epilogues for this story. So that is still being tended to as we speak. With that in mind, a second thing is that I want to thank everybody who has read this story from the first Nightmare to this third one. Three stories. I just really don't know how to express my gratitude, really. All I can say is thank you all. Speaking of. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

(If other people are wondering. I will admit that I did cry when I kill Spike off. While I didn't cry writing his funeral scene, I still felt sad about this ceremony. Speaking of little bits of info, I at first wrote this ending so that the Queen Xenomorph would have remained alive. While my editor was kind of against this, my proofreader also brought up this fact after a certain change with Celestia so I decided then that it may have been best for the Queen to finally die. Other than that, I've got nothing more to say).

Thank you all. I hope your year was the best it could be.