Stratus trudged back through the main hall. The rest of the mansion seemed to be catching fire now. It was of no concern to him. Watching the spotless furniture, pretty pictures, and beautiful rooms all go up in smoke gave him a sense of satisfaction. It was the first time in recent years that he truly felt he had completed something. All that remained was killing Spitfire.

Stratus's stomach turned at the thought. Did she really deserve to die? After all these years, is it really worth it to kill her?

He pushed these thoughts out of his mind as he exited the inferno that was the front of the mansion. Even beyond the wreckage of the initial explosion, it was clear that a battle had taken place. Trails of blue fire streaked the courtyard. Chunks of stone were blackened from the heat of a lightning strike. Places in the grass were smeared with blood. Stratus looked around. No sign of Blitz. He began to walk further from the mansion.

As he reached the base of the hill, he saw two shapes off in the distance. One he immediately recognized as the sky blue filly Blitz had attacked back in Ponyville.

"She flew all the way out here just to kill Blitz? All by herself?"

Stratus squinted, peering into the night. The second shape seemed to be not one pony, but two. The first pony he did not recognize. She was a blue pegasus of average height; her long black mane obscured the rest of her features. The second pony was Blitz. The youngest Shadowbolt hung limply across the other pony's back. Her mane was not crackling with electricity.  

"Blitz… Damn it…"

Stratus felt a brief pang of sadness. While he had grown accustomed to seeing comrades die, the death of somepony so young was something he could not adjust to. He was briefly reminded of Spacey. He shut his eyes tight, pressing the images from his mind. The old pegasus sighed deeply, turning back towards the mansion.

Meanwhile, Charger was entering the living commons. The entire room was ablaze. He felt his stomach drop; the shapes of many pony bodies were visible on the floor. None of them were moving. Some were burnt beyond recognition.

Frantically, he darted about the room. None of the burnt bodies seemed lean enough to be Starry Skies. The more recognizable ones he instantly dismissed as Wonderbolts. He flew out the side of the mansion. The charred remains of the building covered the lush grass. In the middle of all the debris was a pegasus with a distinctly feminine figure. Charger rushed to her side. "Star!"

The pink pegasus remained immobile.

Charger shook her by the shoulders. "Star! Come on, wake up!"

Finally, the fallen Shadowbolt gave a weak cough. As she gasped for air, her coughs grew in strength. Clearing her lungs of smoke, she inhaled deeply, sitting up.

"Charger… You came back for me."

Charger laughed, indicating Starry Skies's wing. "If you didn't wanna fly down to Mexicolt with me, you coulda just told me. You didn't have to go and break a wing to get your point across."

Starry Skies chuckled softly. Flexing her good wing, she asked, "Where are the others?"

"Nightshade's waiting for us to attend her little execution ceremony." Charger looked back towards the burning house. "I'm not sure I wanna go. We'll just wait out back." Putting his head under Star's chin, he helped her rise to her hooves. She leaned against him for support as they walked around the rear of the mansion to the cliff's edge.

Stratus had made his way back inside the house. The fire was spreading with surprising quickness. The hallway to the main ballroom was already filling with smoke. Stratus entered the room, coughing slightly. Nightshade turned towards him, a cold smile painted on her face.

"I'm so glad you're back, I was considering starting without you." She looked behind him. Seeing nopony, she inquired, "Where are Star and Charger?"

Stratus grunted. "Not sure. Guess they didn't wanna come."

Nightshade shrugged. "And Blitz?"

Stratus shook his head. The tacit signal told Nightshade that Blitz was no more.

Nightshade's eyes drifted downward briefly. "I see. How disappointing. I know she would have thoroughly enjoyed this." Nightshade turned to Spitfire. "Shall we begin?"

Spitfire stood firmly. Despite her tears, she refused to back down. "You're insane. You're a complete monster!", the orange pegasus growled.

Nightshade exploded. "SHUT UP, BITCH!"

Spitfire took a step back, still staring Nightshade down. Nightshade continued. "Surely you know why I'm here?"

"Because you lost that ra-"

"Because you screwed me out of my dreams, my only aspirations, my whole LIFE!"  Nightshade began to pace, her fury manifesting itself like an itch spreading over her whole body. She stopped in front of Spitfire, her eyes wild with fury. "Screw waiting. This is it. Any last words?"

"Stop."

Nightshade stood frozen. Spitfire had her eyes pressed shut, quaking in fear and anticipating death. She hadn't spoken. Slowly, Nightshade turned to Stratus.

"Would you like to do the honors, Stratus?"

Stratus stepped forward, looking from Nighshade to Spitfire. "No." He stepped between the two fillies, slightly off to the side. "And you shouldn't, either. Just let it go, Nightshade."

Nightshade recoiled in shock. "WHAT?! Have you lost your mind? Damn it, Stratus, this is NOT the time to be sentimental! She needs to die!"

Stratus slammed a front hoof into the ground. "Nightshade, killing her won't change anything! The past is dead, it doesn't need to take parts of the present with it!"

"She's the whole reason we're here, Stratus!"

Stratus sighed. "I know, and I'm sorry I led you to believe this was the right way. It's not, Nightshade. I refuse to have her blood on my hooves."

Nightshade looked away. "I see your point. You don't have to do this." She began to turn away. "But I do!" In a flash, Nightshade leapt at Spitfire.

"NIGHTSHADE, NO!"

All three ponies collided, sliding across the marble floor.

Slowly, one by one, they all began to move. The first to rise was Spitfire. She slowly got to her hooves. Her front left leg quaked. Looking down, she saw it had been slashed. Blood ran from the wound. It was in no way fatal, but the pain brought her to her knees.

Stratus began to rise next. Blood smeared his neck. Spitfire gasped. Stratus turned his head, craning his neck to see. This action revealed that there was no tear in his flight suit. The blood was not his own. He and Spitfire looked to Nightshade. Spitfire gasped again. Stratus shut his eyes tight, turning his head away.

Nightshade lay on the cold marble floor, bleeding profusely. Along her neck was a long and deep gash. By a twist of cruel fate, her neck had been sliced open along the scar she received the day she and Stratus had met. Fear filled her clouding eyes. She looked up to Stratus. A gurgling noise came from her throat. With visible effort she began to force out words.

"Strat…"

Stratus forced himself to look down. For the first time in many years tears came to his eyes as he gazed upon Nightshade's face. "Yeah kid?"

Nightshade weakly gurgled out, "I'm sorry."

Stratus could not respond. He poured the full extent of his will power into fighting back tears. He reached down and closed Nightshade's eyes.

Stratus stood immobile and silent for a moment. Exhaling deeply, he turned to Spitfire, indicating Soarin. "Take him outside. This place will be engulfed in flames pretty soon. Put pressure on his wound. He should be alright. The responders will be here soon enough." With this, Stratus kicked out the massive stained-glass window, letting the first glint of dawn shine into the ballroom. He turned to Nightshade, intending to pick her body up and bring her with him. He found he could not; approaching the body made him feel fragile, as though the mangled form may shatter him like glass. Feeling hollow, he walked out the back of the building to meet Charger and Starry Skies.

The other two Shadowbolts had shed their uniforms and were watching the sun rise. Stratus stood along side them. Charger inquired without looking up, "How'd it go?"

Stratus said flatly, "Spitfire and Soarin are alive. Nightshade's dead."

Charger scoffed. "After all this…"

The three stood in silence for a moment. Starry Skies finally asked, "Where's Blitz?"

Stratus added, "She's dead too."

More silence. Stratus turned to Charger. "So you finally killed Rain. Feel better?"

Charger responded darkly, "I feel empty. My past is what filled me up for all these years. Now that it's dead and gone, I feel hollow. When Sharkey died, I felt like I got some closure, but all it did was redirect all of that hate, that pain, towards Rain. And now he's dead, and I feel like nothing changed. It's like everything just left me."

"Death tends to take more with it than the pony who died", Stratus noted.

Silence descended upon them again. Charger broke it by looking up to Stratus. "Did you kill Nightshade?"

Stratus finally let a tear fall. "Yeah…"

Charger added, "Feel better?"

Stratus gave a bitter, hollow laugh. To nopony in particular he said, "I think I'll go visit my cousin's family."

"Where do they live?", Starry Skies inquired.

"Well, they're mostly dead, Star. Buried not too far from here. My cousin Spacey, he's been dead a little over thirty years now. His father died of cancer about ten years later. His mother's still kicking from what I hear."

Stratus lapsed into spoken thought, adding, "I heard she had a filly a couple years after Spacey's death. I never got to meet her, I had gotten shipped off on Royal Guard duty by then. She never sent me any pictures, either."  The old pegasus gave a laugh. "That's just like Cloudy Night, too. Always working too hard to remember family." He sighed, taking a seat.

Charger looked from Starry Skies to Stratus. He stood, helping Starry Skies up with him. "Well Strat, I guess this is good bye. I'm headed south, and I'm dragging Star with me."

Stratus cocked an eyebrow at Charger. "Are you two…?"

Starry Skies interjected, "Oh, heavens no." Smiling, she added, "But I do need a good drinking buddy."

Charger gave a short laugh of approval. "You're also gonna need help getting around without that wing. Come on, blue-eyes, it's a long walk to Mexicolt." With this, the two set off, leaving Stratus gazing into the rising sun.

Many miles away, Blueshift Blaze and Rainbow Dash were digging up the last few shovels of dirt for a grave. Blaze dropped her shovel and wiped her face. "That's about as good as it's gonna get." She turned to Blitz and began to tug her purple and black flight suit off of her.

Blaze looked up, traces of sorrow in her eyes. "This isn't my sister. This suit, this life, this is somepony taking advantage of her mental state. I refuse to let her remain this way for all of eternity. Help me take it off."

Reluctantly, Rainbow gingerly tugged at a leg of Blitz's suit, leaving the indigo filly bare.

Blaze smiled sadly. "That's my sister." Gently, she laid the dead filly in the grave. She began to shovel dirt on top of her. When the hole was filled, Blaze took a large stone and pressed it into the soft earth. It was lightly smeared with mud, spelling out the word "Blitz".

Dash put a wing over Blaze. "I'll have Twilight come mark it properly when we get back to Ponyville."

Blaze laid her head on Rainbow's neck. "Thanks kid."

The two arrived in Ponyville just after noon. A few ponies who were meandering about town square began to cheer upon Rainbow Dash's arrival but were quickly reduced to frightened muttering by the newcomer. The small crowd that had gathered was soon parted by Rainbow Dash's best friends. The group trotted forward happily but stopped a few yards away. The only pony to come forward was Applejack. Without a word, she planted a swift and friendly kiss on Rainbow's lips. Upon seeing the wound on her face and the choppy remnant of her tail, Applejack inquired, "Dash, sugarcube, you okay?"

Smiling feebly, Dash responded, "I'll be alright."

Applejack nervously looked to Blaze. "Who's yer friend?"

Dash responded brightly, addressing the entire crowd. "Everypony, this is Blueshift Blaze. She'll be staying with me here in Ponyville. Everypony make her feel at home." Blaze smiled shyly at the introduction, unused to being spoken so highly of.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash went off by themselves. Applejack gently prodded, "So how did everything go? Are all the Shadowbolts, ya know… dead?"

"Dunno. After we killed Blaze's sister, Blitz, we left."

Applejack did her best to smile. "Well, at least things look a little brighter."

Rainbow Dash looked Applejack in the eye and for the first time Applejack noticed that Rainbow's eyes looked completely hollow. Empty.

Rainbow Dash responded flatly, "No they don't."

THE END