Author's Notes:

Since we're about to end Day Six, a rather terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day and with good reason given how Day Five had ended recently, not to mention that it'd focused more back onto the protagonist's tedious star trek to the turn of events unleashed since before, the word count has now jumped downward from the last part of the day thereof.

Seeing that I'm still fortunate in retaining my skill and sanity over the year spent writing on there, I'm thankful that y'all have been sticking with me despite the troubles; with writing becoming one of my favorite passions since grade school and how the world of fanfiction influenced such, what better way to reward your patience is with a new chapter.

Anyways, this is the part of the story where the dust settles for the most part; of course, for the sake of symmetry, the story itself is not over yet by a long shot to say the very least but don't fret: while that Adam is gone for good, the Mane Six will be here to stay to the very end.

The gray area that crowded up the sky was being cleared up by the golden sun, producing powerful rays that descended upon the ground. With the healthy blue shades now emerging from there all at once, it soon had held a vision of a rather promising future upon the log horizons. The only thing that came out within there at that moment was a flock of random birds flying about freely like a fleet of airships from another world.

The soaking wet soil thereof was starting to evaporate already, a sign that the solid earth was ready to restore itself to its dry state as it were from before. Of course, it would be rather safe to say that all was not well, for the most part; the storms from before were proof of how much had been previously done. The heat had brought an abundance of fear and fury to a slow simmer, no doubt the work of the populace whom were already found trudging all throughout. The moisture of the passing storm was now instantaneously at risk of being lost in the echo found deeply within the silent voice that was evaporation. Despite the newly changed atmosphere now meshed into the spacial fold, the fragrant scent from before had still lingered onward into every single being.

Out of the many individuals found at this moment in time, only one group of them stood out amongst the others: several mares were surrounded donning only a red collar around the necks and timid faces upon their visages, all with their fair share of differences. Every single one of them had possessed manes and coats with a loud and proud color scheme upon their moist bodies. Their widened eyes were opened to reveal only cooler hues circling around their straightforward pupils as they stared into the innumerable crowd already in the growing inflammation thereof. Adorned throughout their coats were many wet patches of dirt and residue along with some fresh bruises as they were already kneeling about at once for the predominantly equine crowd around them to observe in such a fashion.

“So what’s it going to be: are you with us or with the enemy; which is it…?” a small question quickly randomly burst into the once golden silence, its origins coming from within the enormous crowd.

Standing firmly in between them was but a single solitary mare: a simple cyan pegasus no less. The subject in question had on a jet black collar along with a set of matching sheaths that were set in place of these very wings. The cyan pegasus had a short mane, though stained with a few patches of dirt possessed a color scheme reflecting a rainbow with thin racing. She sported cuts and bruises throughout her body from top to bottom, each possessing significant variances in shape and size including one in between her magenta irises.

The cyan pegasus took one look at one of the red collar mares behind her: a petite pink pony with a panicky palate plastered upon herself; then, the former retracted the gaze from the latter and said, “there’s no reason to beat around bush already: this whole standoff is a waste of time; we’re better off rebuilding Equestria…”

“Rainbow…” a voice emerged from behind the titular individual, belonging to a white unicorn with a bewildered composure, “you dullard…!”

“The caribou have been considerably weaken with Dainn out of the way… that should mean they should be not much of a threat to us for the most part, not to mention, Equestria’s–––” the cyan pegasus only found the time to continue onward as someone emerged from the crowd, stopping herself in the process.

At this point, someone soon emerged from the group in question: it was but a single pale tan mare. Like Rainbow, she had on only a jet black collar but nothing else was being donned upon her very body anyway though. The tan mare also possessed a short mane but it was pink like the pony behind the pegasus albeit in a brighter color no less. She had even sported some glasses lined together with but a thin gold frame on top, holding firmly over her deep blue irises at once.

The tan mare came face to face with the cyan pegasus and said, “don’t misunderstand your position: you were here as a slave to the caribou just like the rest of us, nothing more; you’re not my neighbor, or a native, or a Wonderbolt, understand…?”

“Well, what about the others, especially that… one, Madame Mayor…?” Rainbow replied at once, “even though that I hated how there were traitors flooding Equestria, I started to see what was going on in their minds that made my friends this way, for the most part: even Applejack wanted to protect her family…”

“What about the other families many of us tried to protect since they came; did you stop to think about them…?” the Mayor had quickly shot back with a rather intense look almost instantaneously.

A full beat of silence now returned to the area as the cyan pegasus looked around, finding an abundance of her own peers bearing similar looks upon themselves; then, she had returned to find the several other mares in question as they were, still kneeling right behind her with only timid gazes put firmly in their own place. Rainbow started to contemplate the current situation thereof, pondering on the words that the speaker had left in both of her ears just only recently; although that she was keeping calm on the outside, her thoughts spoke only otherwise to say the very least whatsoever. As the faces popped in the cyan pegasus’ head, the only thing that reminded her of them was the droplets of water that were once upon themselves as is with everyone else.

Of the five that were in attendance, the pink pony started to develop a pocket of air in her throat and swallowed it whole, choking out, “Dashie…”

“As a matter of fact, I have and with good reason; even without those behind me, I can see why…” the eponymous mare had now answered all at once to the tan mare, “I used to have a big brother that looked out for me ever since my parents died, long before the caribou came along of course. As far as anypony is concerned, I swore to myself never to give in to the teasing the others had done to me since that day. Now that I think about it, I also thought about what could have happen if they were alive long enough to experience what I had felt. Sure, they would have done everything in their power to protect me; then again, I’m relieved that they didn’t suffer what we had been through: the beatings, the fuckings, the brainwashing. Even he would have been switched into my gender and made into a purple collar, just like the some of us were and what I could have been into. As much as I hate what the caribou had done to us with Dainn around, I don’t think anarchy should be the way to solve our problems, especially after what I had seen.”

“Oh, Dashie…” the observing mare sobbed as she stared at the soil beneath her hooves at once.

The Mayor took note of the clamorous crowd around them and said, “even if that were the case, Rainbow Dash, have you forgotten what has also changed around us since these monsters came here…? This invasion has left a whole slew of problems for Equestria that can’t be solved with some empty words here and there, especially not after what they did to our Princesses here, mind you. Besides, aside from the caribou that screwed us all over from the beginning, we still have to deal with the traitors in the midst of our society; sadly, the fact that these former Elements of Harmony are among them makes it no different.”

“Then what about Princess Luna, for, pardon my tongue, fuck’s sake?!” the cyan pegasus exclaimed to the tan mare, earning some gasps from dozens of observers, “not even she was willing to go along with the others like Celestia has, especially concerning that other traitor of a Princess Cadence.”

“I understand your anger but the facts still remain: the Princesses failed us, the Elements have failed us, our Harmony has failed us, our futures are in danger, our families are broken to pieces, our friendships had failed, the whole land’s in danger, our futures in danger, and we had failed; letting them live will make things worse…!” the Mayor said at once.

Rainbow was now becoming aware of the audience that started to talk amongst themselves already and said, “I understand that allowing these bastards to roam around is too much but why should they suffer too…?”

“It’s like what I have said before and probably what the others will say anyway: the risk is just too damn high…!” the tan mare had quickly answered to the cyan pegasus all at once, “after all, the fact that they could have killed us slowly is proof of what must be done: getting them out of the way will be just insurance…”

“In that case, then I’ll choose my friends, not just as a citizen of Equestria but also as an Element of Harmony that failed everyone; even though if we weren’t in some different universe, I can’t live with what we all had become in the process because of the fucking caribou…” Rainbow said as she soon trotted on over to the red collar mares only slowly.

This move surprised many that were watching it unfold, including the pink pony who screamed, “RAINBOW, DON’T–––”

“Pinkie…!” a nearby voice interjected quietly, belonging to an orange mare who shook her head, “please…”

“I see then; I guess you know what going to happen then…” the Mayor sighed as she retreated from her current position at once.

Sure enough, the surface tension began to escalate at once: a full salvo of words were being thrown at the six mares whom flinched at them, except for Applejack despite finding a new acquaintanceship. The whinnying and neighing from the majority was laced with hostility, ranging from terse expletives to elaborate accusations as the cyan pegasus knelt down amongst their mainstream peers. As if the heat from the sunlight above them wasn’t enough to say the very least, even the shouting thereof threatened to destroy their collective hearing; at this rate, it even rivaled an enormous explosion.

Rainbow remained silent for the most part despite the deafening noise; in spite of the loudness, a tender voice squeaked out: it had belonged to a tender butterscotch pegasus, “what have you done, Rainbow…?”

“Something I should have done a long time ago when I had the chance…” the titular listener had soon answered about already, shedding only a small singular tear in the process, “I’m sorry, Fluttershy…”

“Fair enough, then: it seems that even after all this time, you’re no better than those red collars that you have defended; oh well…” the tan mare commented on, bringing the raucous crowd back to stability.

The orange mare scooted on over nearby the cyan pegasus and said, “Rainbow, but Ah thought that you didn’t care for us…”

“Only because they were traitors, but considering what we had been through together, I too am one…” the eponymous individual spoke back slowly, “the only reason it came up was how I had abandoned you guys at the Festival so quickly; I wish that I could have stayed behind instead and helped…”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it; at least our families won’t have to suffer as we had: I just wish they didn’t drive mine insane…” Pinkie spoke about as well.

At that point, the Mayor began to speak at once, “Equestrians, country mares, and colleagues! Hear me for my cause and be silent for that you may hear: believe me for the sake of honor and have respect to it; censure me in wisdom and awaken your senses so that you may better judge. If there be any in this assembly, any dear friend of theirs, to her I say that their devotion to Harmony was no less than theirs; then, that friend shall demand why it was necessary to restrict them. The fact that they are restrained here today of all days is not without reason: not on the account of loving the Elements of Harmony themselves less but rather that of loving Harmony itself more; would we rather have Dainn live while we all die as slaves instead of the other way around? As they had defended us, I wept for them; as they were fortunate, I rejoice at it; as they were valiant, I honored them. Alas, they were malleable which has caused us a great deal of emotions: tears for our love, joy for our fortune, honor for such valor, and death for his atrocities; who is here so base that would be a bond mare? If there are any among us, speak for her I had offended; who is here so willing that will not love her homeland? I repeat: if there are any among us, speak for her I had offended; what is the reply?”

“Nay…!” the crowd answered loudly at once, “there are none amongst us…!”

“Then it seems that I have offended nopony for I have done no more to them than you shall do as citizens; the question of his death is enrolled in Canterlot, his glory not extenuated for wherein he was worthy, nor his offenses were enforced for which he suffered death…” the tan mare continued onward.

The pink pony looked at the sea of faces, each of them bearing angry wares in the process; this made her shake and sob at once, “what’s going on here…?”

“Here are the traitors, assembled here for although they were victims of Dainn’s tyranny shall receive the eternal reward of their roles, a place in the shallow grave; as which of you shall not?” the Mayor had said, “with this I declare that as long as he’s dead, we must not allow ourselves to make the same mistakes as they have for the sake of our home.”

“LONG LIVE EQUESTRIA!” they had cried in response.

Amongst the audience were ones crying out phrases such as follows: “hang them all high!”, “draw blood from them!”, “let’s quarter them!”, and “send them to Tartarus already, will ya please?!”

“Oh, woe is me…!” a sob escaped from one of the mares surrounded by the fiery civilians: a white unicorn with a purple mane possessing a large bust rivaling that of Pinkie’s body, “I can’t watch…!”

“CEASE…!” a voice boomed so loudly that the crowd shook about along with the earth they had stood upon.

At that moment, there was a shuffling of hoofbeats going about as they made some sort of a safe space; as a result, the identity of the new speaker came about: it was a dark blue mare. Unlike the others, she was but an alicorn; as such, she had a thick stub poking out from her forehead, inches away from the long hair that bore a lighter shade than her own coat thereof. Given the overall gender thereof provided by her body type, all that was worn upon it was a jet black collar around the neckline and some sheaths, the same one that many like Rainbow wore. Both of the dark blue alicorn’s flanks were already painted in an amorphous splotch of black, save for a contrasting white epicenter that had took the shape of a diminutive crescent moon.

While that there were many who felt their eyelids become more open, the cyan pegasus was the one who soon took the time to speak out, “Princess Luna…?”

“This whole predicament that we’re all in is not of their doing!” the aforementioned being commenced dialogue, “not even we, the ponies, could have dreamt of it happening to us of all times!”

“But what of Cadence and Shining Armor; haven't their actions alone led the caribou over to our home?!” one of the members in the crowd responded at once, relighting the flames in several countless others.

The dark blue alicorn looked at the six mares and answered, “if thou desires recrimination, keep them alive: even though they’d brought the tyranny of the false king along, they too were also victims just like we were, nonetheless; after all, if what had happened earlier was a miracle, then it should serve as an opportunity for many of us here to restore and replenish ourselves at once.”

“Your Highness…” Rainbow started to unleash vocal wording, “forgive me for saying this but I thought that you hated them and the red collars, relatively speaking of course…”

“I never said such things: even my sister protected Equestria and her subjects, for the most part; and yet, there are some amongst us even more depraved waiting for the blood to flow, just to prove how treachery can’t exist in our land, even though that they can earn and have earned forgiveness…” Luna replied at once.

The tan mare soon intervened and spoke back to the alicorn, “Your Excellency, how can it be done; what can sparing their lives prove in the process?!”

“If we end their lives now, then it’ll end the legacy of the caribou and their ideals, but at the expense of this peaceful way of life that Equestria itself was built upon…!” Luna answered within only seconds, “we can resolve this ordeal just as they have will all the others: through harmony and friendship to others.”

“But Madame Mayor is right: our betrayal has made lose a lot more than we can get back; what can we even do about it at all?” another mare amongst the several others had slowly exclaimed already, a purple alicorn dressed in a red ensemble all too similar to her dark blue counterpart up in front.

Luna looked at the smaller individual in the matching eyes and said, “we’ll find a way to fix this; after all, we have much worrisome problems to consider: considering what had happened in Ponyville, I believe the worst is far from over.”

“You’re right…” the Mayor said at once, “after what had went on the night before, so much is to be done: the beasts that had attacked Canterlot today were no doubt the same ones that came from Froggy Bottom Bog; of course, there’s also the matter of the fauna that the caribou brought along as well.”

“So where does that leave us; what should become of them…?” another member of the audience said at once.

Sure enough, the dark blue alicorn turned to face the crowd at once and then answered about, “I’m not sure to say but the least we should is do for now is focus on the task at hand; as of this moment, we have to count ourselves fortunate for the most part: we may have regained our freedom but the quest for peace is far from over.”

“I agree…” the tan mare replied almost instantaneously, “in any case, let’s start by getting the purple collars to safety and find some help; I believe that this objective will be less difficult now that Dainn’s out of the way so who’s with me…?”

In a matter of seconds, the crowd went wild with agreement and began to disperse, reducing the population to a minimum in due time as all that remained were Princess Luna and the main six themselves.

“Pinkie, you’ve been shaking about since this morning; what ails you?” the dark blue alicorn asked.

The eponymous being slowly stood up and said, “it’s starting to make sense now: whatever’s been causing these doozies weren’t the drugs from last night at all; I wasn’t even supposed to have Dainn killed today to begin with.”

“What has happened with that despot shouldn’t be of much concern now…” Luna replied calmly as the crowding became less dense, “thou art safe for the time being so there wouldn’t be much of a threat now to your lives.”

“It’s not that…” Pinkie retorted.

This simple statement thereof earned a reply from Applejack who then said, “then what’s wrong here?”

“Haven’t I told you already…?” the shaking pink pony spoke back at once, “ever since I had that doozy, every single unexpected thing that happen turned out bad for us: the invasion, Celestia’s defeat, the Crystal part, my mind being restored, even that time with Missus Cake back on Hearth's Warming Eve; they’re all being connected.”

“What do you mean by that…?” the cyan pegasus had quickly asked.

Pinkie then responded to Rainbow, “I’m saying that they were all terrible and every one had changed in the process besides ourselves: friends, families, neighbors, even business partners became like that nurse from last night; what if what happened long ago happens again just like that?”

“You need to stop thinking about it too much; what happened was far beyond our control…” the orange mare said laying a single hand upon the pink pony’s shoulder, “the arrival of the caribou wasn’t even your fault to begin with, let alone something we had all truly wanted in the first place…”

“THAT’S NOT THE POINT HERE…!” Pinkie screamed without warning.

Applejack flinched and began to speak, “either way, we’ll be fine; if the whole purpose of invading Equestria was to kill us all off, then it would have been different as it were the same. Just promise me that you won’t destroy yourself over something like this ever again; Ah don’t want to lose you again.”

“Alright then; cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye…” the pink pony recited slowly, moving her right hand over her face before switching out with a left and cover the respective body part, “there…”

“Let’s go on and end this madness, just like old times…!” the cyan pegasus replied, earning an immense abundance of agreement like from before, albeit only smaller in comparison nonetheless.

It wasn’t long until Pinkie was finally left alone, watching her associates walk away as she remained in the same position as before. The pink pony had ignored the sunlight above her as she closed both eyes, images of past events flashing before them all in due time. A flood of tears escaped throughout the lids they were being pulled down by the gravity around herself in short thin bursts only slowly.

Sure enough, Pinkie took a deep breath only slowly and then screamed out, “AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHAHHHHHHAHAHAAAAAAAAAA!!!”