The dampfriesen army scattered the ranks of the cultists, and pushed them far away, back into the downtown of the Silence. Some cultists even surrendered completely and retreated, realizing that defeat was imminent and that Father Kaiser had abandoned them– locked them out of the ceremony room. At that point, there was no obstacle in the Task Force's way but Kaiser.

The pirate crew and the Task Force gathered on the first level of the complex; they were beaten, bloodied, completely drained from their brutal engagements. Masami and Rainbow Dash were the first to arrive, as they had arranged the meeting place, and the rest soon arrived afterwards. Alvin and a few other dampfriesens were present as well– mostly to deal with any stray cultists that roamed the empty corridors of the old underground maze. Evelyn arrived last with Marie tailing her. Edgar, however, did not show up yet. Although Gar Nichts and Marie were met with judgement at first, it didn't take long for the Task Force and their allies to realize they were no longer a threat. Gar Nichts and Marie appeared to be more like slaves than anything– powerful grunts who joined Kaiser for survival's sake; they had not committed any acts of evil against the dampfriesens or the Task Force.

"Nick is sorry..." Nick– formally known as Gar Nichts –said with his head bowed to Masami and Evelyn.

"It's okay, Gar- I mean... Nick. We understand." Masami gave him a nod of approval; she understood his situation, and she sympathized with him. "You didn't harm any of us too badly... you just were scared is all."

"Sure packed a hell of a wallop, though..." Butch grunted under his breath, massaging the welt Gar Nichts had left on his hip when he engaged him in the alleyway.

Butch sat by himself on a metal table next to the dilapidated bar, a cigar in his mouth, pieces of his armor scattered on the floor around him. Evelyn beside Masami on a separate table, closer to the center of the room. She sat impatiently in her seat; she was trying her best to resist the urge to finally talk to Butch. Marie was hesitant to force Evelyn, but she felt it was a better time than ever for Evelyn to relieve the crushing weight on her shoulders. She slowly approached her from behind, carefully placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Evelyn... you should talk to him." Marie encouraged the nervous mare, who jumped a bit as Marie awoke her from the raging moral debate that raged within her conscious. "He is by himself..."

"But I-..." Evelyn wanted to argue, but she knew Marie was right. If she kept it bottled up any longer, her heart would've exploded into a thousand pieces. "You're right, Marie... I'm sorry."

Masami raised an eyebrow as she watched Evelyn walk towards Butch with a bashful expression; she had never seen her in such a disorganized state. She was always so cool and collected like she had a clear goal in mind at all times. However, that was not the case. She seemed more like a small canoe amidst an ocean of troubles. "What's up with her?"

"Yeah, she seems pretty beat-up about something." Rainbow Dash agreed; she was sitting on the other side of Masami.

"Let me tell you..." Marie said as she sat down in Evelyn's vacant metal chair.

Evelyn had a habit of over-thinking emotional situations; she wasn't the best at expressing her own feelings around others since it was such a rare occurrence. She often pushed emotions to the side, favouring logic rather than the chemicals in her brain. And, in a way, Butch was like that too. Evelyn changed her mind hundreds of times with each stride as she drew closer to Butch. She knew that once he noticed her there, she would have no choice. Evelyn wanted to run, to hide, but her legs seemed to move on their own. There was no going back.

Butch turned his head, realizing that Evelyn was only a meter away from him. He got off of the table quickly, as it was obvious Evelyn was in distress. "Darlin', are you alright?"

"I'm-..." Evelyn removed her glasses as she tried to think of something intelligent and eloquent to say, but her own expansive vocabulary somehow failed her, and she slowly constructed a very juvenile response, one that she never expected would come out of her own mouth. Nothing witty, nothing complex– just a bare-bones reply. "No, I'm not alright..."

Butch was taken aback by Evelyn's reply. He got closer to her– he could feel the nervous tension practically radiating off of her. "What is it-?"

Evelyn caved-in to her emotions, falling into his arms as tears began to run down her cheeks. She began pounding on his chest, letting out her frustration on him. Evelyn stopped, however, as she recomposed herself in his embrace. "Why didn't you tell me...?"

Butch sighed, immediately realizing what she was talking about. "I'm sorry..." Evelyn didn't reply, she instead began to cry even harder in his arms. Butch placed a hand on the back of her head as she cried into his chest. "I-... I hoped you wouldn't-..."

"Why...?" Evelyn asked him as she continued to sob. "You had so many opportunities to-..." Evelyn stopped herself; she knew it would've been harsh to put all the blame on him.

"Because a smart mare like you doesn't deserve a weary old soldier for a father, like me," Butch said as he patted Evelyn on the back. "I'm not fit to be a father, Eve..."

"Not fit...?" As Evelyn broke away from the hug, hundreds of memories danced before her like a mosaic, cascading and spiralling like a fountain. She recalled the games that they'd play in Chesterfield Manor, the drawings that she made for him that he'd frame in his room when she was seven. Evelyn's lip quivered as the pace of her tears began to hasten, falling off of her cheeks like waterfalls. "You were the only real father I ever had..."

Butch quickly comforted Evelyn and held her tightly once more. This time, Butch began to cry as well, and he grabbed the only photo of Rosie he had out of his pocket– his wedding photo. He handed it to her. "Rosie... I always hated it when she cried. Because when she did, my whole damn world came crashing down– seeing her like that. You made her so happy, darlin'..." Butch sniffled as he whispered into her ear. "That's why... she named you-..." Butch sobbed with Evelyn as he thought of Rosie. "She died later that night... once you were born. She was just too small to have a kid... I should've known better. I had your name changed after... because it reminded me too much of her."

"What was my name before? The name my mother gave me...?" Evelyn wondered, smiling a little as they both looked down at the picture of Rosie.

*

"What will we name her, Rosie...?"

*

"Joy..." Butch whispered as he tucked the photo back in his pocket.

"That's a beautiful name..." Evelyn grinned as her tears began to run slower than they had before.

"I'm so sorry, darlin'... I should've told you. It's just that-..." Butch choked up. "Every time I wanted to tell you, I looked at you, and I saw... Rosie. I-... I didn't want to get attached to you. I didn't want to go through that again..."

"It's okay, I understand..." Evelyn closed her eyes as she broke the hug, then she took a deep breath as she opened them. "I'm just glad I could finally meet you... father." Evelyn's words warmed Butch's heart, and a grin appeared on his face. Evelyn placed a kiss on his cheek gave him another hug as she took his hand."Let's sit together, dad... we still have to end this."

"Yeah," Butch nodded as he sat down with her.

Rainbow Dash's mouth hung wide open as she watched the two of them grab a seat at a nearby table with tears running down her face like a leaking pipe. Masami nudged her shoulder, chuckling at her unusual non-tomboyish behaviour. "You crying, Kitten?"

"N-no! I'm not!" Rainbow Dash shook her head frantically as she wiped the tears off of her face. However, she didn't get the typical sarcastic remark she expected from Masami. Instead, Masami gave her a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"It's okay... you're kinda cute when you cry." Masami winked at her as she stood up to get everypony's attention. "Alright, everypony! Listen up! Are we all here?!"

"No... Edgar is-." Draven trailed off as he looked back, watching Edgar step out of the elevator on behind him. As he did so, the whole population of the room stood up, bowing their heads in sympathy for the widowed stallion. "Edgar... I'm-."

"Don't be," Edgar insisted as he walked towards him. "What happened to Natascha wasn't your fault. It was mine for trying to let go of the past. The mare named Natascha Chetbrovsky died a long time ago, along with her husband, Archibald Mason."

"Edgar... where is she?" Spike asked him with his hands crossed.

"I buried her outside... and I dug another grave beside hers as well." Edgar's expression became dark and teeming with malicious intent.

"Oh?" Alvin said as he fastened his coat. "For whom?"

"A stallion once name Richard Chesterfield..." Edgar answered him as he walked by, his gigantic steps shaking the whole room as he did so.

The room fell silent for a moment as they all pieced together the puzzle. Then, consciously, they soon all realized who he was referring to. Evelyn was the first to speak up. "You don't mean..."

"Yes," Edgar confirmed her before she could even continue. "The leader of this cult, Father Kaiser. He is Richard Chesterfield, a stallion I once called a friend when I was Archibald Mason."

"Why did he do... this?!" Spike's frustration was reaching the boiling point. He had enough of waiting around. "Isn't he supposed to be on your side?!"

"He was once my friend... but Ivan Aquarius' experiment changed him like it did to me and Natascha. We were trying to find the secret to immortality, and we used the cube to accomplish that task. However, as you know, the data was incomplete. Regardless, we tried anyways... and the experiment left us permanently damaged. I lost my memories, and Richard... he lost himself. I was one of the lucky ones." Edgar explained. "And now, I must close this chapter in my life for good. Richard deserves peace after being Gek's puppet for so long..."

"And you need our help to stop him?" Masami tried finishing his sentence, but her guess wasn't as accurate as she wanted it to be.

"No. I cannot let any of you fight Richard. This is between us." Edgar answered her firmly. "He is far too powerful for you all in your current state. I can defeat him."

"Edgar, we want to help you. Can't you let us come with you?" Fluttershy pleaded to Edgar as she approached him.

"Please, I don't want to lose anypony else to that monster, Kaiser. I've already lost... too much." Edgar bowed his head for a moment as he pictured Natascha again. "I have to fight him alone. But I will need somepony else to accompany me. I need Spike."

Draven chimed in, reluctant to send Spike to fight such a powerful combatant such as Kaiser. "Are you sure, Edgar? I could just come with you if you need-."

"No. Thank you, but I need Spike to open Richard's throne room." Edgar approached Spike and went down on one knee to meet him at face-level. "You are Twilight's only hope to free her of Gek. I need you to take the keys. I'll keep Kaiser distracted whilst you attempt to free Twilight."

"But, how do I do that?" Spike wondered with a hopeless look in his eyes.

"I do not know exactly, but you must help her fight Gek, overcome his influence. You share a profound bond with her, I can feel it. Once you free her, I'll be able to finish off Kaiser." Edgar instructed Spike as he grabbed every key and placed it in his hands. "Her fate and the fate of the world rest solely upon your actions. Are you prepared?"

Spike was hesitant at first, but the thought of getting Twilight back was a no-brainer. He nodded enthusiastically. "I'm ready... I'll do it."

"Good. Then, in that case, I recommend to everypony that they leave this place immediately! This whole place could crumble in the midst of the coming battle!" Edgar informed the rest as he stood upright. "I need you all to go to Athena and rest until we return."

"Thanks, Eddie. I wish you two the best of luck..." Masami smiled as she began walking towards the elevator.

The Task Force and Draven's crew gathered near the elevator and began piling in, all except Fluttershy. She stayed to give Spike one last hug. "Good luck, Spike. Bring back Twilight in one piece, okay?"

"Yeah, you take care." Rainbow Dash said as she hugged him as well.

"I promise Fluttershy..." Spike said as Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash followed Nick into the elevator.

"Good luck, lizard guy!" Nick waved as the elevator ascended to the surface.

Spike turned to face Edgar, and he nodded to confirm with him that he was indeed ready. Edgar nodded back to him, then instructed him to step back as he began charging up a ball of energy in his hands. "Cover your eyes, Spike."

As the ball of nuclear energy expanded in his hands, he raised it high above his head, then dropped it just as it was reaching a point of instability onto the floor. The ball spun, sparking and grinding against the metal-reinforced concrete within the structure until it finally gave way. The ball of condensed power rammed through layer after layer, until it finally was so deep it almost disappeared. It had bored a hole right down to the bottom of the complex.

"Woah..." Spike gawked at the massive hole that Edgar had created.

"Alright, now jump on my back. You're in for a wild ride, Spike." Edgar smiled as he crouched down for Spike. "Hold on tight."

Spike jumped on and grabbed onto Edgar's massive shoulders, bracing himself for a powerful gust of wind. And to Spike's dismay, Edgar descended. "Aaahhhhhh!"

****

Edgar landed with an earth-shattering thud, and the ensuing shockwave kicked up a large amount of dust and debris, blanketing the floor of the ritual chamber in a layer of dirt. The chamber appeared to be constructed by Kaiser's followers based on the composition of most objects in the expansive room– all built using various pieces of scrap metal and other junk. The room was illuminated by fluorescent lights hanging overhead, and there was a sizeable open area near the altar at the end of the room. The altar was much different than the other makeshift items in the room; unlike them, the altar was constructed out of stone and appeared to be an authentic relic, possibly owned by some other cult with the same agenda.

"Where's Kaiser?" Spike whispered to Edgar as he hopped off of his back; Edgar didn't respond, however. He simply stood at attention, waiting for something.

Spike narrowed his vision and looked past the altar to see a pool filled with some strange, green liquid of unknown origin. It bubbled and boiled like a cauldron, and it sizzled like a piece of raw meat on a grill. As he looked closer, he saw a figure rise out of the pond. Kaiser. He was without clothes, but that soon changed as a swarm of metal seemed to rise out of the ground and fix itself to him as if he were some kind of living magnet. As the green liquid that coated him began to run off of his body, it was clear to Spike that Kaiser had suffered severe chemical burns from whatever was in the pool, as whole pieces of flesh appeared to be missing from Kaiser's body. However, that changed quickly, and the scars and holes filled in with new flesh and bone, and he appeared completely unaffected by the acid altogether.

"Ah, Archibald... I was wondering when you would return to me once again." Kaiser grinned as he walked to his altar, grabbing a black, leather-bound book off of the granite table and turning to a page in the middle. "You're right on time. I was about to recite a prayer in this book to my kin, but... it appears they have fled like startled hares. What a waste. Perhaps I could recite it to you?"

"I have no time for your asinine rants, Richard." Edgar beaked at Kaiser as he stood in front of Spike.

"Oh? What a shame..." Kaiser shook his head as he closed his book; he then saw of Spike. "Who is this hatchling-? Oh, wait I think I recognize him! You are Spike, correct? Your friend had much to say about you. Oh, granted, it was mostly whimpers-- begging you to come and save her, but still, we had interesting conversations whilst I tortured her."

Kaiser's cold, unapologetic tone angered Spike to the point where smoke began to burst out of his nose like a chimney. "You're gonna pay, Kaiser, you hear me-?!" Spike was cut off by Edgar, who shook his head at him.

"Don't let him get to you. That's what he does. Isn't that right, Richard?!" Edgar shouted over to Kaiser, who blissfully walked down the steps of his altar to get to Edgar. "You always had a silver tongue."

"Very true, Archibald. But remember, you fell for my snake's tongue once..." Kaiser reminded Edgar of their last encounter more than one hundred and seventy years ago– before their transformations.

"That was when your intentions were pure, Richard. Not now." Edgar said as he began cracking his knuckles. "I'm through with hiding from the past, Richard. This ends tonight." Edgar clenched his fists and took a deep breath. "Final Restrictor Band: Removed!"

Edgar began to emit a brilliant orange light. It was hot, much hotter than any flame Spike had felt, and it was as bright as a dying star. And as soon as it had happened, the shimmering glow faded away, leaving an unfamiliar figure standing in the same spot where Edgar once stood. His hair appeared the same; red and down to his hips. Granted, he was much shorter– although still around two and a half meters at the very least. His face was gone and was replaced by a metal mask with two glowing orange eyeholes. The rest of his body was plated with the same dark grey, metal armor, and his figure was not as bulky as it once had been. His figure was similar to a well-toned stallion of his height, and his hands were not as brutish and oversized as they were before. They were sharper, sleeker, and resembled the gauntlets of an ancient Equestrian knight– which made sense to Spike, considering Archibald Mason had once been an Equestrian general long ago.

"So... this is your true form? How nostalgic of Ivan to design such a function specifically for you. Does it bring back memories of glory in the name of the fair Princess Celestia?" Kaiser joked as his gauntlets began digging into his forearms, preparing for an attack.

"Spike, do you see the door?" Edgar questioned Spike as he turned to face him for a moment.

"Um..." Spike quickly looked around and spotted a vault door in the far corner of the room, barely visible due to the wall of junk that almost covered it completely. "Yes, I see it!"

"Quickly, go!" Edgar shouted at the dragon.

"Dragon Fury!" Spike's back fins and eyes ignited into an emerald fire, and he rocketed forward towards the door. However, he felt an unseen force stop him dead in his tracks– Kaiser's telekinesis. "Damn!"

"Maw of Agony..." Kaiser grounded Spike and prepared an attack, but before he could let loose a blast of red lightning Edgar charged into action and drove a nuclear-powered fist into his jaw, and a powerful shockwave followed as soon as his fist made contact with Kaiser's face, blowing even more dust away. Kaiser recovered almost instantly, hit eyes burning with anger. "Why you..."

"Go, Spike! Go!" Edgar ordered the young dragon as he distracted Kaiser by putting him in a headlock. "You aren't getting close to him, you hear me?!"

Spike grabbed the four keys out of his pocket and began placing them in their intended slots in the complex lock. He twisted them, however, they didn't open the door like he was expecting. It didn't budge. Spike then punched the door with his fiery fist, but that didn't seem to even make a mark. AS Spike examined the lock, he realized something dreadful. A key was missing.

"Crap! Um, Edgar... a key is missing!" Spike shouted over to Edgar, who was occupied with defending against Kaiser's vicious onslaught.

"What?! What do you mean there's no-?!" Edgar trailed off as he spotted the final key around a chain on Kaiser's neck. "Ah, rats... Spike, I need your help!"

"What, me?!" Spike gawked as he also spotted the key. "Oh no..."

"You think I'd leave the final key with anypony else?! Please! You aren't getting this key!" Kaiser laughed psychotically as he pushed Edgar back with a telekinetic wave.

"We'll see about that, Riche..." Edgar grunted as he began his counterattack. "Spike, be ready!"

"Got it!" Spike said as he leapt forward, ready to attack.

"Away!" Kaiser bellowed as he tried to flatten Spike with a burst of telekinetic energy. However, Edgar reacted and pulled Kaiser hand away from Spike's direction, manually redirecting the attack. The attack completely destroyed the ceremonial altar, and it nearly swept the green pool away entirely. Kaiser snarled in anger, and he drove his telekinetically-empowered fist into Edgar's face, which released yet another shockwave as it struck him. The attack only seemed to stagger Edgar for a moment, and as soon as he regained his senses, he immediately returned to the offensive, pounding Kaiser's invisible force field with his atomic punches. With every strike, the earth groaned, and debris began to pile up around them as the concussive blasts loosened the concrete structure around them.

Edgar then grabbed Kaiser's hands and clamped down hard on them with all of his might, nearly shattering Kaiser's telekinetic defences. Kaiser grinned with delight as the pain invigorated him, filled him with even greater power. However, his pleasure was cut short by Spike, who flew past him like a firework, trailing green embers behind him as he grabbed the key right off of his neck.

"How does it feel having your greatest strength used against you, Richard?" Edgar smirked, knowing full-well that the empowerment of pain would put Kaiser into a period of brief ecstasy– a more than large enough window of time for Spike to snatch the key.

"No! Rrragghhh!" Kaiser exclaimed as he reached out to smite Spike with a blast of red lightning, however, once again, his attack was cut short by Edgar, who knocked his hand away before he could cast his spell. Kaiser growled again and attacked Edgar next, realizing he'd be unable to prevent Spike from opening the door with him in the way. "It's hopeless! If he opens that door, he'll be killed by Gek along with that alicorn friend of his!"

"I have faith in others, Kaiser– a quality you never had. They will overcome your master." Edgar said as he pinned Kaiser to the ground, preventing him from reaching Spike in time to stop him.

Spike turned each key and twisted the valve in the center of the lock, opening the door with a long and low groan. He stepped inside, feeling a chill run down his spine as the door shut behind him with a foreboding thud. The throne room was extremely dark; the only light being a few overhead lights at the end of the room, above the throne. Atop the throne sat Twilight, although not the Twilight Spike knew. She was silent, cold, distant. She didn't seem to notice him at first, but once she did, she let out a cough to confirm to him that she was conscious.

"Twilight!" Spike ran towards her with a relieved grin on his face. However, that relief soon morphed into agony as he got closer to her. He slowed to a grinding halt in the halfway to the throne and staggered back, feeling an unknown force push him. "What?"

"Spike... please don't... you can't..." Twilight moaned as she arose from the throne, limping down a set of stairs. "He'll kill-. Raaghhh!"

Twilight's eyes darkened and twisted into dark swirling pools of black and white, and she howled like a banshee as she flailed her arms wildly. She lunged at him with blinding speed and sliced him across the chest with her clawed left hand. Spike clutched his chest as he stepped back to assess the situation. It was obvious Twilight was no longer in control of her body. However, she still retained some control over her thoughts; that much was for certain. Spike was not going to retaliate. He wanted to help Twilight fight Gek. If there was any hope at defeating him, Spike knew it would be through the bond he and Twilight shared. "C'mon, Twilight! Don't give up hope! You can fight it!"

Then, another voice overpowered Twilight's as she leapt forward at Spike. It was a stallion's voice; rough, cold, and completely deluded. He laughed maniacally as he tried to blast Spike with one of Twilight's spells. "Hahaha! You think you can just waltz in here and talk your way out of this?! Gimme a break, ya scaly idiot!"

"You must be Gek..." Spike scowled at the foul being that was using his dear friend's body like a marionette.

"How'd ya guess? Was it the eyes?" Gek cackled through Twilight's mouth as he stuck his long, snakelike tongue out. "I suppose you're the little dragon she's been begging to see, huh?! She really makes the perfect damsel, don't you think?!" Twilight slashed Spike across the chest again, forming an X pattern on his stomach. "So, that's it, huh?! You won't hit her?! How valiant of you, hero!"

"Twilight, if you can hear me, fight back-! Arragghh!" Spike exclaimed as Twilight dug her left hand into his shoulder. "You can hear me! I know you can! Fight back! Think of Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, everypony else you love! They're with you! You can fight him!"

"You think that'll work?! You insolent little brat!" Gek made Twilight punch Spike in the stomach, winding him. "You think some flowery words will stop me?! She's mine, you worthless lizard! And there's nothing you can do to stop me!" Twilight grabbed Spike by the throat and pinned him to the ground, Gek laughing as she did so. Twilight's left hand twisted and reshaped itself into a black spear composed of chaotic energy that was aimed at Spike's forehead . Spike reacted and stopped her by grabbing onto the inside of her elbow, halting the tip of the spear just an inch above his forehead. "You're cooked, kiddo! Just give it up!"

"Like... hell... I will..." Spike choked out meekly as he reached into the pocket of his jean shorts with his free hand and pulled out his writing quill, holding it in front of Twilight's face. "You know... what this is... Gek?"

"A quill?! You think some flimsy quill can stop me?! Ha! I know the pen in many cases can be mightier than the sword, but please! It's just comical at this point! Do me a favour, dragon! Go to hell!" Gek snickered as he made Twilight put more strength into her arm, trying to overpower the young dragon. "It's ov-!" Gek stopped for a moment, then Twilight stepped back off of Spike as he walked towards her with the quill still in hand. "What the hell is this-?"

"A promise!" Spike shouted as he put the quill back in his pocket.

"Something you wouldn't understand, Gek!" Twilight's voice returned, stronger, and more confident than ever. Twilight's body flailed about as if she was trying to tear herself apart. Gek wailed in pain as he felt Twilight fight back harder than ever. "You may claim to know everything, but you still have much to learn about us ponies with mortal hearts! You think you know how we think and how we act?! You know nothing! All you know is empty facts and cold calculation! And like any thinker, you suffer one major flaw! You micromanage every detail, but you fail to see the big picture!" Twilight's eyes returned to normal, and she grabbed the Enigma Cube off of the armrest of her throne. Gek tried tugging back, but it was no use. Twilight began to open the cube. "Now you're going to suffer for your arrogance!"

Gek chuckled as Twilight began to flood the cube with the missing knowledge held within her mind. "You fool! If you open that cube, I'll be-!"

"Set free? No, you won't! You said it yourself! You're only an idea! A thought! And ideas can be reshaped! You have no power in the mortal realm! Without the stone, you won't be able to control anypony else!" Twilight said confidently as she broke the seal on the cube, revealing the glowing stone inside– a shining purple orb. "You made a beginners mistake, Gek! You took me for a fool! And now, I'm going to fracture your spirit into a million pieces with your own power so that it will take you one hundred thousand years to reconstruct yourself!"

"No... NO!" Gek screamed as Twilight grabbed the stone with her corrupted left hand and gripped it tightly in her palm. "Even if you do that, a part of me will still live within you!"

"Maybe so... but it's a price I'm willing to pay if it means you won't harm anypony else! Goodbye, Gek! It hasn't been nice knowing you!" Twilight grinned as she crushed the stone, causing a massive explosion of energy that shook the entire complex, causing the room to finally destabilize.

As the dust settled, Spike ran to catch Twilight in his arms. "Twilight... you did it."

"Spike..." Twilight smiled for a moment, but it disappeared once she realized that there was still a battle ensuing outside. "I think we still have one more thing to take care of, Spike."

"Twilight, your arm..." Spike's eyes widened as he saw the stump that was her left hand.

"It's fine," Twilight insisted as she used her magic to create an artificial hand. "I'll use this for now... we've got to get going."

"But, your injuries too..." Spike grabbed Twilight again; she was too exhausted to even walk. "You can't go out there and fight with us."

"I have to," Twilight cringed as she tried to muster up what strength she had left. "I still have to pay somepony back for what they did to me..."

Spike was reluctant, but he knew it was pointless to argue with a determined Twilight. Once she set her mind to it, there was no turning back for her. "Alright... but you need to be careful."

Edgar and Kaiser shrouded themselves in energy and charged at each other, and the resulting shockwave generated by their collision removed layer after layer of concrete and dirt beneath them. With every attack, they were slowly deconstructing the whole complex around them. Kaiser released a torrent of lightning to scorch Edgar, but Edgar blocked it with a wall of energy, and he countered with a powerful right cross that smashed into Kaiser's chest with untold force.

"Edgar, I'm back! And I brought Twilight with me!" Spike shouted over to Edgar, Twilight trailing not far behind him.

"No..." Kaiser stopped for a moment as he gawked at Twilight, who was free from Gek's influence. "Impossible!"

Edgar took the initiative and began pummelling Kaiser to give Spike and Twilight time to join the fight. "You've lost, Richard! Your cult is no more! Infernalgear is no more! Gek is gone! You have nothing left to fight for!"

"Then if my lord is destroyed, then I shall smite you all in his name!" Kaiser bellowed as he broke free of Edgar's barrage and let loose a powerful constant stream of downward telekinetic force– an artificial gravity ten times that of the norm. "Perish, fools!"

Edgar and the others were flattened on the spot, but Edgar reacted before Kaiser could do any more damage. He charged up a beam of atomic energy in his mouth, then released a powerful beam that engulfed Kaiser completely, sending him flying up into the ceiling. Kaiser emerged from the hole that had been created with blazing eyes that burned like molten lava and a grimace that could threaten even a demon. He roared as he tried striking the ground with his red lightning, but Spike attacked before he could do so. The young dragon rocketed upward using Dragon Fury and zoomed past Kaiser, then let loose a pillar of fire from his maw.

"Dragon King's Fiery Breath!" Spike shouted as his attack consumed Kaiser totally. It sent him flying down to the ground towards Edgar.

"This is for Natascha!" Edgar's energy-coated fist collided with Kaiser's chest, fracturing his armor and body completely. The force of the impact launched Kaiser into the air once again, giving Twilight time to prepare for the final attack as he fell back down.

"Do me a favour and die, Kaiser..." Twilight muttered to herself as her left eye changed to a swirling black and white vortex, summoning a bow made of purple arcane energy.

Kaiser stared down at her in awe as a chaotic and terrifying black arrow manifested in the string of her bow, ready to be shot. "Is that my Lord's power?!"

"Cosmic Chaos: Collapsing Star Shot!" Twilight shouted as she let the black arrow fly.

The arrow screamed as it pierced through his heart, boring a gaping hole through his chest. Kaiser let out one last breath before slamming into the ground. "Impos-... sible..." Kaiser was killed instantly from the fall, as he was no longer able to protect himself with a force field, and the arrow that pierced his torso had also nullified his regeneration.

There was a moment of silence as Edgar walked towards the lifeless corpse of the stallion who he once called a friend. "I'm sorry, Richard. We had to..."

"I'm... sorry about your friend, Edgar..." Spike said to the lamenting stallion, who slowly closed Richard's eyes the same way he had for Natascha. Spike could see, however, that Twilight did not sympathize with Edgar– although she kept to herself to be polite. In all honesty, Twilight was tempted to spit on his loathsome corpse for what he did to her. "Twilight... are you okay?"

"Yes... I'm alright..." Twilight shook her head as she felt her anger dissipate. "I think so..."

"Then let's get out of here before this whole place collapses..." Edgar said as he grabbed them both and placed them on his back. "Hold on."

And with that, Edgar, Twilight, and Spike left the destroyed complex for good, leaving behind a broken pile of metal and concrete– once the home of Richard and his cult for almost fifteen years. And it was gone, along with their dark lord, the Sorcerer of Mind.

Author's Notes:

Well... that's that. Infernalgear is no more, Gek is no more, and I'm exhausted. As always, I hope you enjoyed! See you in the next chapter!