Author's Notes:

Hello there and welcome back once more to yet another new chapter of Parasite Adam, the one story out of many of my craft to go above and beyond the oneshots I've given you since the inception of my presence; suffice to say, the past chapters from before were by far a strong note for y'all which had given a taste of what had progressed earlier on but I'm happy to tell you that this will be the final one.

As such, I want to take the time to say thank you for never pulling out too early since we're now in the the new year and a new month with a new hope to have and hold with tender loving care rather than yet a totally lost cause and the strength to continue onward in staying tuned for the future that is the now; in addition, I'd also like to apologize for not doing so in time as usual since this chapter here was hard enough to write down given the whole turn of events I'd made yet after all this madness we'd made it through.

Lastly, let me also say that I hope you can find some joy in this chapter now more than in the others before them enough to have the strength in finding some happiness because some special guests are going to be joining our fateful protagonist in the final chapter below; henceforth, I'll leave you all with much to say significantly: thank you very much for sticking around to the very end, I'm sorry for keeping you all waiting for it to happen, and more importantly, farewell.

The acute sounds of shrieks filled the air as the moon and stars had bore witness to the onslaught that ensued below them. A faint pillar of smoke now climbed from ground where the bright fires were roaring about in a state of fury reminiscent of a cold war. All throughout the very city were scenes of a frank nature involving the gripping conflict between the hybrids and the equines.

Speaking of equines, there were at least several of them that came about: two pegasi and two regulars, all of whom were mares no less. The pegasi in question, as colorful as they were, had their differences: one possessed a cyan coat with a mane and tail bearing properties of the rainbow in a suit of armor; the other was in a butterscotch scheme with pink locks in a set of silk clothing that peered into her body. As for the remaining two, the differences were even much more obvious: one was a young blonde with a jacket and skirt over her orange coat standing straight up; the other was an old gray mare with dark green locks residing in a bed with a comforter over her body.

“What… you meant to tell me that my daughter Pinkamena is out there all alone once again and yet you did nothing to even stop her?!” the eldest individual exclaimed with little warning whatsoever.

This statement thereof prompted a reply, coming from the cyan pegasus who nodded, “Pinkie told me her body was giving her all these messages saying that something was going to happen soon. She had acted like that she wanted to do this alone, even after everything that had occurred to us over the past few days. I thought about stopping her anyway but she told me to keep you and her sisters safe instead; after all, I didn’t want to risk watching someone getting raped in front of me again.”

“That may seem mighty noble of you to care for her but why didn’t you give her your armor anyway before she left, Rainbow…?” the orange mare asked the eponymous target in front of her, “besides, Ah don’t think that Pinkie can’t last this long out there without it after all the trouble they’ve caused us…!”

“I’d left a spare in her room earlier today, Applejack; it seems that she didn’t take that chance…” the cyan pegasus answered.

A full beat of silence came about before the titular individual replied, “You’re right, I remember; must have been nearly exhausted considering what had went down though: scary stuff though…”

“You’re telling me; I was there when they made me watch those vines hurt Sue yesterday, you know…” Rainbow replied reluctantly, “even heard her cries though; not like the ones from before when the Commander had work me, Spitfire, and Lightning over: they were like cries of pain and fear.”

“Mm–hmm…” the butterscotch pegasus yawned.

At this point onward, Sue began to weep in an instant, “OH PINKAMENA WHY?! WHY COULDN’T I HAVE STOP YOU FROM RUNNING AWAY WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE?! WHY DIDN’T I, WHY DIDN’T I GO ON AFTER HER?! SHE COULD HAVE DIED ALONE; I SHOULD HAVE PROTECTED HER! WHAT DID WE DO TO EVEN DESERVE THIS FATE? MY OWN DAUGHTERS ARE NOW TAINTED BECAUSE OF DAINN AND HIS EVIL! THEY COULD HAVE ENDED OUR LIVES LIKE WHAT THEY DID TO MY HUSBAND BUT INSTEAD THEY MADE THE WHOLE FAMILY SUFFER! And now she’s going to die because of all this madness here, because of me…”

A deluge of tears now poured over onto the fabric as the old gray mare faced downward, away from the remaining three no less. Out the trio that was watching Sue at once, Applejack couldn’t help but imagine the former in a much clearer color like the latter. Although that they were alone, the river of sorrow that the old gray mare constructed was permeating beyond their current position.

“Now I’m starting to see the resemblance already…” the orange mare thought to herself quietly, “she sure does take after her mother alright.”

“No, she’s not…” a few simple words came out, but it didn’t come from the old gray mare or Applejack herself though; instead, the cyan pegasus stood by with her mouth slightly agape no less.

Sue felt her ears stand on endwise instantaneously and replied, “what are you, daft…? My daughter's out there risking her own life on something so dauntless; she could be getting herself killed by then.”

“Ah highly doubt it, Missus Pie…” the orange pony replied to the aforementioned occupant quickly, “we may have been in numerous slip–ups here and there but she’s way too quirky to let herself get killed just like that. After all, she was a Bearer of Laughter just as we used to be bearers of the other Elements; Ah just wish that it hadn’t have to come to this as much as the next pony. Besides, we shouldn’t be standing around; Pinkie might need us anyway since she went out all alone nonetheless.”

“You’re right about that, Applejack: Pinkie may have told me to keep her family safe but that doesn’t mean she has to go out alone; as much as I hate what they did to all of us, she doesn’t have to throw her own life away because of it…!” Rainbow responded, clenching her hand into a fist all too soon.

Soon, the tired colleague suddenly spoke up without warning, “Then I got one question: what in the flying feather are we doing just standing there? The least we can do for her is help out a friend; if it weren’t for what happened a few days ago, then I wouldn’t be talking to any of you girls. Besides, it’s time that I return the favor for Pinkie Pie, that something we should be doing; no more sleeping around like a narcoleptic…!”

“Fluttershy?!” Applejack exclaimed at once, taking note of the eponymous target now departing from the herd, “where are you going…?”

“Wherever she could be going; at least, anywhere but Canterlot…!” the butterscotch pegasus answered the orange mare at once.

As Fluttershy then began to leave at long last, Applejack then started following after her while saying, “The least ya could do is wait up for me though; none of us want to go about and risk losing you too as well…!”

All that had remained were the cyan pegasus and the old gray mare when the dust had settled; of the two thereof, only the latter had sighed quietly, “Pinkie, please don’t go and do this to me again…”

A fountain of blood spurted into the air, propelled into the air by such high pressures before being subjugated by gravity instantly. Its source had originated from an amalgamated being, shrieking about with a rather high earsplitting pitch before subsiding. The massive body slumped into the fold, stumbling onward at first as it soon collapsed onto the solid earth in a puddle of its own fluids.

“EAT THAT!” A booming screech came from one of the equines, a unicorn stallion with a slingshot and knives in tow, “LET’S MOVE, YA FUCKING FERALS… YOU WANNA LIVE FOREVER?!”

Following alongside him were many others, each with their very own assortment of weapons and gear at their disposal no less. The griffons were twirling their flails in a mostly circular motion, careful enough to avoid attacking their allies yet ready to strike their common enemy. The oxen held their grip onto their hammers, easily prepared to launch a hard blow upon those unfortunate enough to be close enough in their range. The rest were common ponies whom had a collective stash of javelins and torches reserved for any being that were to be posing a threat to themselves.

“I can’t believe these damned creeps are still lurking around; where are they coming from?!” A dark feathered griffon muttered as more of their opponents were firmly within their line of eyesight.

A moderately heavy bald bull of blue provided a reply, “I’m not sure but we’re not going to stick around and find out if we don’t fight…!”

“That is just about good enough for me; at least the caribou scum had a clear origin point though…!” A opal pegasus mare armed with a long sword snarled, slashing the neck of a nearby being at once, “wish I could simply hunt them down and wipe them off the face of the planet for what they did to us!”

They had concentrated their efforts onto the fight ahead of them, refusing to waste even a second of it all. With the amalgamated beings gearing up speed and ferocity, the entire crowd made attack preparations. Needless to say, the preceding scenes of carnage from before had just started for the lot of them basically.

“GET READY…!” the unicorn had said loudly, instantly loading up the slingshot with a dagger no less.

As the united crowd did so, they were unable to pay attention to a small fleet of hot air balloons which were flying quickly overhead. With the help of the moon and stars plastered above them, it was somewhat easy to identify the color palettes upon their envelopes. Regardless, each of them had all found themselves propelled onward into a uniform direction within a single file formation anyway.

Out of the several hot air balloons in question, one of them happened to be none other than a pale yet plainly pink, occupied by at least three ponies. The dark green stallion had took control of the valve already beneath the very deadening center of the floating gondola he was already inside of no less. The tan mare had kept her own true blue eyes focusing firmly upon their very surroundings with the utmost vigilance she had offered thereof for them. The pink pony used her current position to fire away arrows upon the monstrous horde that was simply rampaging beneath the occupying trio at once.

The archer started to sweat about and panted, “Is there any way we can get to Ponyville much faster, sir…?”

“I’m trying; I haven’t been able to fly these things since several months ago…” the pilot answered, carefully retaining his position on the valve, “my hand had to take a long time to heal…”

“Understood…” the watcher snorted about.

The balloons found themselves engaged with about several dozens of winged opponents, no doubt the same ones as the others below. Although many of them were sharing some traits belonging to pegasi, the wings upon their very backs were anything but equine in nature. The light of silvery moon deep within the backdrop of the battlefield already painted a picture for the pink pony to take aim and protect.

The archer swallowed a lump of air inside and opened fire, sending one of the arrows flying fast at the amalgamated being within due time no less; sure enough, it had landed into one of its very dark eyes altogether. A loud screech had instantaneously radiated from the being’s open muzzle as one of its appendages were used to cover the afflicted area that formed over upon the pink pony’s quick attack all not too long ago. Not wanting to risk leaving herself out in the open for a brutal counterattack, she’d pulled out two arrows and had then repeated the same process she had just done before, this time piercing the flyer’s forehead. It wasn’t long until the target in front of the archer in question soon descended into the ground, its earthbound impact now almost imminent due to the predicament she had already put the former in from the very ordeal.

Still, it didn’t change the fact that there were still others within the ponies’ line of eyesight closing in upon them; out of the three, the pink one had taken the time to mutter only one word anyway, “crap…”

A lone blue alicorn mare was found to be trotting about within the very darkness of the otherwise starry night all around the way. For what it was worth, she didn’t even pay any mind whatsoever to the near lacking of visibility that was already provided for her. Despite the controlled chaos going onward anyway, the blue alicorn nonetheless remained vigilant as to avoid some ongoing strife.

Soon, she felt both of her ears standing on endwise to a sound that quickly invaded them at once: rather than the clashing of weapons against flesh, it was a shrill resonance of sobbing filled the dank and dire atmosphere at once. Despite its low decibels, the blue alicorn paid heed to the peculiar sound with reason to believe that it would match the species, language, understanding, or gender thereof to translate it properly with the most delicate care. Speaking of the source in question, its point of origin came from nearby, giving off the first impression of a defenseless mare in a rather greatest state of pain and sorrow convulsing about. As such, it would be safe to consider that loneliness was quickly this close to being abandoned anyway; then again, these emotions emitted in such a fashion overall clung onward like an abundance of barnacles stuck onto a capsizing vessel. Either way, the ambiguous identity gave her the perspective of a strange being from another worldly plane different from the current one thanks to its otherwise tender sobbing made at once. After all, it wasn’t like that it would have been unfriendly to say the least, but instead not in the right mindset or even mood for the blue alicorn to take any chances whatsoever.

Sure enough, she'd then turned at the corner to find a lone mare cowering about within her line of eyesight. Each of them all had possessed certain common traits: sharing the same species, gender, and some wear and tear here and there. Of course, there were some significant differences that the blue alicorn had taken notice: in fact, she was able to recognize an all too familiar face from before, this time under the most unpleasant of circumstances thereof.

Speaking of which, the other alicorn had a fashion that was more disheveled than the one the observer had chosen for herself, something that the latter had used to identify the former quickly. For starters, one of them had possessed a bright purple coat and a darker mane roughly adorned across the tresses, save for a singular pink stripe amongst the very countless locks thereof. Secondly, there was also a slight difference in height between the two alicorns standing out and about, off by a few feet no less despite their stances: one sat on the haunches while the other stood by. Third of all, the purple mare bore some clothing upon her very body that were left much worse for her to even be wearing: a dark brown cloak in tatters and a light grey skirt with some patches of blood. In addition, the blue mare took note of the startling fact that one of her hands was covering the owner’s face whereas the other had a simple dagger with its very metal tainted in a dirty crimson. Widening those weary blue eyes almost quickly, the observer had then come to find that the weary subject in question had some pained irises matching her coat, leaking with their falling tears.

“Twilight…?” the blue alicorn said to her lowly purple counterpart, “what art thou doing with thyself…?”

“What do you think; can’t you see that I've already failed Equestria, Princess Luna?!” the targeted mare sobbed, refusing to let go of the knife.

The titular observer moved forward slowly and answered calmly, “That is not true, dearest Twilight; thou hast not an idea that something so unforeseen could happen, especially such a threat…”

“So fucking what?!” the aforementioned alicorn spat out, crying onto her attire at once, “contrary to what everypony has been thinking since that day, I never wanted for any of this to even happen in the first place! If I hadn’t been so stupid enough to let them get anywhere near my own friends, then we would've stood a chance at fighting back against Dainn, just like we've before with the others! Instead, I've betrayed everypony along with all of Equestria by letting him win my friends and family; even worse, I lost my magic, my wings, my own hope no less because of it! Even with that frozen bastard off the throne, I still can’t go anywhere in Canterlot, let alone back to Ponyville without everypony, especially the other black collars, calling me and every other pony close to me damned dirty traitors! It’s a fucking nightmare that I can’t seem to wake up from, thanks to the fact the caribou have wreaked havoc upon what used to be our home! I just want to do more than wish for it all to go away: I just want to fucking die already; at least, they can be satisfied in knowing that I won’t make things much worse with the likes of me around Equestria!”

“Twilight Sparkle, canst thou hearken to me…?” Luna asked as she knelt down nearby all at once.

The eponymous alicorn looked up into the princess’ eyes and stuttered, “What for…? Can’t you see that everything that my friends and I have stood for since last year are ruined because of all this?! Once upon a time, we used to be the defenders of our homeland; now, we are nothing but mere traitors enslaved by their desires! I can’t even fathom what kind of mare such as myself would dare to think of wanting redemption after everything I had done under Dainn’s hooves no less…!”

“It’s because ‘twas the most tumultuous strife thous hast endureth…” the blue alicorn said to Twilight, outstretching a hand in front of her gently, “something that even I can relate to all too well…”

“How?” the purple alicorn whimpered about.

At this point on, Luna began to wipe away Twilight’s tears and said calmly, “Ever since mine return to this world, I had a difficult time readjusting to the new society before me. Aside from the constant slumber that left me weary, even the light of sun that my sister brought tears to mine eyes. Despite the protection of her royal guard, everypony had treated me with trepidation and suspicion but not thee, Twilight. Thou hast shown me kindness in introducing me to the way of the new era been born from mine absence from the past millennium. If ‘twere not thed encounter from Nightmare Night, the worst that could have ensued from the ordeal would have been a sudden relapse to my villainous persona. Over the passing months since then, the times I have spent in my bedchamber started to waned in the process, though I regret not being able to intervene at the royal wedding. Of course, these two events weren’t my only ones: much like yours and my sister’s collaborators, I too have failed Equestria in the worst way possible. The black collar I wear around neck was not simply a symbol of defying Dainn’s decadence; in fact, 'twas proof of my further strife in the new world. Nevertheless, the fact that he's no longer of this world anymore means that many of us have been granted a chance to earn our forgiveness and be at peace with ourselves.”

“Then what should I do, Luna…?” the purple alicorn slowly asked the titular princess slowly, “I've allowed the caribou to destroy everything and everypony over the months while I sat there and took their very genitals inside me with a smile: my friends and family are all traitors because of me.”

“Do what you have done before when you had first came to Ponyville earlier: solve the very problems like all the others with friendship and forgiveness; after all, nopony would ever come this far just to surrender to the pressure…” the blue alicorn answered with a faint smile now appearing upon her muzzle.

A full beat of silence emerges between the two mares before the smaller one took her time to stand upward, exhaling at once slowly, “Thanks, I’ll see what I can do; as much as I fear their rejection, I can’t allow this mess to risk killing my friends any more than what he could have done to the lot of us. I may have lost the use of my magic and flight but I still have my brain: the least I can do is improvise somehow just like the earth ponies have done before; I just gotta find myself a way…”

The sounds of crackling against the integument were sharp enough to resonance amongst the hectic night. A small flurry of blood were staining the soil along with walls that were sometimes within the short range. The source of such discharge came from the small amalgamated trio, all of them struggling to at least survive. The last of them gurgled a rattle that went on for several seconds before subsiding into the fold all at once.

Standing before their freshly made carcasses was but a lone butterscotch pegasus mare, carrying a slender whip in her hands. A blue silk tunic and some green leggings were found upon her, bearing a few splotches of blood but otherwise clean as a whistle. A fierce look appeared upon her visage, eyes burning bright like perdition despite being also capable of moving heaven and earth.

“Fluttershy…!” a voice called out, belonging to an orange mare that made the aforementioned listener turn around, “what in tarnation are ya doing here all by yourself?!”

“Helping the ponies take back the city…” the butterscotch pegasus had calmly replied to Applejack, the latter whom was also accompanied by a trio of ponies: Starburst, Zephyr, and Brass.

The orange mare looked at three dead bodies briefly before asking, “How is that even possible…?”

“Why should it be of any concern…?” Fluttershy had said to Applejack without so much as a care anyway, “I can’t stand by and allow my friends to die at these monsters’ grips while I sleep about…”

“Funny you should mention that; you’d allowed other monsters to fuck us six ways to Sunday months ago since they’d showed up…!” the taupe pegasus snarled and was restrained by the remaining two colleagues.

The butterscotch pegasus noticed this brief spectacle and had said, “I regret the role of a harlot that I’ve played on behalf of their actions; have you come all this way to avenge yourself, Zephyr…?”

“What…?” the eponymous pegasus choked out in reply, stopping in place no less, “that’s not what I'd meant, not at all…”

“Let’s just focus on the big picture in front of us; Ah am sure Fluttershy didn’t really to say it like that…” the orange mare chuckled nervously at once.

A dead silence came in between the several mares before it was broken by Fluttershy, “I’m surprised: I’m a lone mare with a red collar around my neck and yet you haven’t taken your time to end me; why is that…?”

“What are ya even saying; should it be obvious?!” Applejack responded all at once no less, “the fact that we have all suffered greatly under that bastard king’s reign must at least sound reasonable enough for you; even with a different collar, the safety of Equestria should at least come first…”

“And you’re just gonna let that beastmaster’s defeatist slut get away with the horrors that we’ve endured, not to mention that she’s also indirectly caused my friend’s mom to be blanked; may I also need to remind you that you used to be a black collar yourself…?” Zephyr whimpered in anger in the process, pointing towards the orange mare’s attire.

Applejack sighed sadly as she focused in on the red collar around her very neck, a stark contrast to the dark denim upon the body. Given what has happened all this time, the orange mare was understanding of where the taupe pegasus was going on with nonetheless. Even so, she still also refused to lose sight of the situation they were all currently in, already established by the corpses of these beings.

Before Applejack could even say anything, the hazelnut pony quickly exclaimed, “LOOK OUT…!”

At this point onward, a winged invader had soon charged at the five mare band very quickly, catching even the butterscotch pegasus among them by surprise. While that none of the ponies were found to be screaming out in fear, their own eyes were widened far enough to see the amalgamated being’s overall form. Nevertheless, such a startling presence thereof was in dire need of being dealt with; after what Fluttershy just did, this was not to be any different whatsoever.

“Take cover…!” Starburst commanded as the invader attempted to strike, chucking a spear into the latter’s face as it had slowly created a shower of blood before gravity took hold; this move shocked the others in attendance but not as much as the former’s responded loudly, “BRASS…!”

“AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” the eponymous individual soon had screamed out in pain as she was drenched in the cadaver’s fluids, its first contact searing into her flesh and fiber of her being.

The remaining four looked to find thin strands of smoke etching from the afflicted victim as she instantaneously dropped to the soil, struggling to relieve herself of the outer torment thereof; out of those who were watching, the taupe pegasus cried out, “Dear Celestia; how is that even possible?!”

“I’m not so sure about it: this is actually the first time we’ve seen any combat other than the invasions…!” the unicorn answered while Brass started to shed her armor all at once, “Not even caribou blood would do something like this; it’s like some freaky sci-fi shit found in the comics…!”

“PUT IT OUT; IT FUCKING BURNS…!” the hazelnut mare wailed as she started to bleed some fresh wounds where the fluids had made contact.

The butterscotch pegasus felt her face being painted a seaweed green as she was watching Brass’ injuries become apparent. Even though that the skies above them were dark, Fluttershy felt her vision swirl around in front thanks to the screaming thereof. A sickly sour patch of lukewarm hues appeared beneath the butterscotch pegasus’ muzzle, startling the orange mare all at once.

As Applejack watched Fluttershy convulsing about, the former patted the back of the latter and said, “it’s okay, sugarcube; yer safe for now…”

“It seems that she needs medical attention; go and find somepony ASAP…!” the unicorn had quickly told the two startled mares at once, “Zephyr and I will do everything we can to stop the pain…!”

“R–right…!” the orange mare said as she took the butterscotch pegasus along for the trip away from the trio.

Even with the screaming subsiding upon every step of the way, Fluttershy couldn’t help but think back to the scene she had witnessed much earlier, “is this it, the true fate of Equestria in and of itself; are we to remain just in the shadows forever, unable to make things right with the world…?”

Speaking of which, the silvery moon and the crystal stars in the sky were starting to illuminate the diverse land with their rays of light all at once. Many of them had just struck the tallest building, a deadened tree with all of its dimensions now warped into a state of decay and desolation. The other similar structures that surrounded it had also reached about as well with its lack of harmony best befitting of an apocalypse war. In addition, there were numerous dark bristling thorns within them, all that were already well into the process of shaking about with reckless abandon. An orderly abundance of soil turned out a rather treacherous set of pathways for the travelers to be wary of regardless of any location whatsoever. Given the time of day thereof, it would seem that the stakes were set at an all time high and the bar was climbing even higher as well too no less.

Several balloons were instantaneously found within the distance, sailing saliently across the sky by the airstreams all around them. Accompanying them were some amalgamated beings flying in their direction like insects on a long hot and heavy summer day. Despite such severe disarray throughout the land and air, they all had taken minimal damage as the arrows from the bowstrings fly.

“Shit, there’s too many of these monsters; I’m running out of arrows…!” the archer gasped as she noticed a wave of reinforcements going at them, “it looks like that I’ll have to fight every single one of them at the source!”

“But, Pinkie, how will you be able to do so?!” the tan mare asked the titular peer who then pulled out a rope from the latter’s locks.

As a knot was quickly being tied around the gore sections, the steadfast archer replied all at once, “just leave everything to me, Madame Mayor; you go on ahead and return to Canterlot until it’s safe…”

“How will we know that it is…?” the passenger said to Pinkie at once, “Will you even be alright…?”

“Yes…!” the pink pony answered instantly before sliding down the rope towards the surrounding horde.

Sure enough, she felt her own two hands burning inside as gravity guided downwards to the solid earth beneath the hot air balloon. Despite all of this, Pinkie had kept herself under control, closing her eyes intently as to avoid causing further strife inside rather than out. The pink pony realized that the scarcity of her arrows was made apparent; while still sizeable in quantity, the ratio was far too different.

Soon, she had remained there to take in such sights in which were extremely tumultuous unlike the very exterior that shined on like a bunch of bright crazy diamonds in the big blue sky above them all. Everywhere all around Pinkie, the monsters were there right up in front of her, recreating a scene from some fractured past that had reeked all too well of previous sky colored days from long ago no less. The crisp cool air grew warm around the pink pony as she took in a deep breath already, concocting the next probable move to be taken at once as soon as possible given the situation thereof.

With as little as much any warning whatsoever, the soil all around herself had shot up some flames, igniting the first layer of the surrounding horde in the process. The spontaneous combustion of the small area had caused the majority of the remainders to focus all their attention on the fire that startled them almost instantly. Screams of pain and agony quickly overtook the amalgamated beings from beyond their perimeters as they experience the burning sensation upon their bodies. The atmosphere that reeked of tenacity earlier was now instantly polluted with hot smoke and mortality as the charred husks formed within the flames around Pinkie.

Out the sounds of disarray that came about, one of them made the pink pony’s ears stand on endwise; it was unlike that of the creatures before her: it shrieked a loud piercing, “GAOOOOOOOHHHH!!”

“Oh crap…” she muttered as the flames spread themselves throughout the horde, “I never heard them scream earlier today…”

“UUUUURRRAAAAAAHHHH!” the scream pierced Pinkie’s ears again, followed by the shaking of the earth beneath her hooves.

In spite of the sudden conflagration before the big blue eyes, the pink pony stood still and grunted, “there it is again; where the fuck is it even coming from: is it one of them right behind me?!”

Sure enough, she had gotten her answer all at once: rather than another amalgamated being sharing the same size, it was a larger creature that had instantaneously surpassed the former’s height by at least several times. Unlike the ones that had possessed their own traits reminiscent of either equines or cervines thereof, this one was of a draconian style, bearing countless dark purple scales full of rough tidings and tumble dry sheen. Deeply into its very numerous abs, there had bore a big red orb resting firmly within one of them in the epicenter, shining on brightly like a perfectly cut diamond but with its hue already corrupted by some blood nonetheless. The gargantuan being’s other features also stood out and about as well: a toothy muzzle rough around the edges, claws pointy like a freshly sharpened pencil, and a tail with three prongs dipped in the brilliant green. Even its uneven eyes had proved to be very fierce for Pinkie to handle: one of the eyes was green but the other was just gold; in fact, one of the sclera was blackened out in darkness too shady for the night.

“That will be all for now…!” a voice had said but it didn’t come from the pink pony or the gargantuan right up in front of her, “it must be a pleasure to see you again, isn’t it, Pinkamena Diane Pie…?”

“Huh, how do you know my name; are you my friend or family…?” the aforementioned listener had responded in confusion looking around for more answers, “There’s no way that could even be possible… unless…!”

“Unless, I happen to be connected to you somehow, like as if we were that close no less?!” an otherwise shrill laugh erupted into the dank and dire air, revealing a form that made her recoil in shock.

The individual in question was but a mare of the same build with cool colors in their irises; of course, they had some differences as well though. Unlike Pinkie, this mare had possessed a rather pale blue coat with an otherwise darker plum mane, flatten and straight like a bundle of sticks. Like the pink pony before her, she was clothed but a lot more elaborately: a silk ensemble of a scarf, dress, and some gloves adorning the body. The pale pony had a malignant smile upon her very visage, already complemented by the sea green within the eyes peering out towards Pinkie.

The rather startling discovery thereof had only gave little time for the pink pony peep out, “oh… no…”

Rainbow simply stood by and watched Sue sleep upon the bed as if untouched by the concerns of the waking world before them. Even though that things simply remained calm for the both of them, the collars around their necks had provided a cold hard truth. Still, the cyan pegasus was relieved that the old gray mare in front was safe from potential harm from a relative stance nevertheless.

Soon enough, Rainbow found herself in the company of two alicorns, Luna and Twilight; as a result, the former said calmly, “hello…”

“Dearest Rainbow, I’ve noticed that one of thy friends is nowhere in sight…” the blue alicorn had quickly replied to the cyan pegasus at once, “pray tell, what has become of her and her whereabouts…?”

“That’s the same question that my friends and I have been pondering, your highness: last time that anyone has seen Pinkie, she had left the castle earlier; I know this because I was there with three other ponies, Starburst, Zephyr, and Brass…” the eponymous watcher had answered at once.

The princess stared into Rainbow’s magenta eyes and spoke, “I see then and the others I presume…?”

“Rarity’s still not doing so well and Applejack went after Fluttershy; I'd wanted to after the two but I can’t risk letting Missus Pie getting hurt again under my control…” the cyan pegasus had said as she then turned her attention towards the purple alicorn facing adjacently near Sue at once.

Luna then said to Rainbow, “now that thou mentions it, what of Rarity herself; hast thou also taken a glance at her state too…?”

“Yeah, I’ve checked up on her…” the cyan pegasus had slowly responded to the blue alicorn already, “she hasn’t been able to stop talking about betraying her friends and shit… not that I don’t blame her, of course…”

“I can understand her sentiments; after all, remember what I'd talked to you earlier about when we were captured under that despot’s reign…” the princess said as Twilight began to cry softly.

Soon, they turned their attention towards the purple alicorn who had said hesitantly, “you don’t have to remind me of that, Princess Luna; after all, I was there when they came. I just can’t believe that I was able to let this happen on that day no less; couldn’t stop thinking about it, you know.”

“Me neither…” Rainbow said at once, “after all, I couldn’t believe it either too: a mighty nation brought down by a bunch of foreigners no less; not even Zecora or her kind would harbor such an intent…”

“Who said the zebra would do any of this; matter of fact, why Zecora would want to anyway…?” Twilight sniffled about.

The cyan pegasus looked at the purple alicorn and thought to herself, “you’re right, why would she…?”

“Nevertheless, the situation at hand needs dire attention: with Pinkie’s absence, I fear greater trouble will arise; Dainn may have been destroyed, but order has yet to be restored…” Luna stated firmly for the two mares to hear, “given that these creatures are still roaming around Canterlot, it’s imperative that we must find her at once. We must arrange a search party: it’s only a matter of time before these beings get to her at such a high risk; after all, Equestria is still a dangerous place at night. Is there any chance that Fluttershy and Applejack will be safe and secure in the event they return…?”

“Yeah, they will: they are after all, the closest of friends, more closer than I was with them in the past; they can get through anything…” Twilight answered clearly at once, wiping away her very tears.

Rainbow looked onward with melancholy and said, “yeah, you’re right; after all, Applejack is a strong, proud, earth pony mare: with her by Fluttershy’s side, they could do anything… maybe they could be heroes…”

“Indeed, they could be…” the blue alicorn had replied tenderly to the cyan pegasus at once, “after all, the night is still young and the opportunities are still open; Equestria could still be saved…”

“Right… right…” the purple alicorn stammered onward at once, turning her gaze away from the observers present.

At this point onward, Luna took her time to vacate the room at once, leaving the three mare to their own devices. The sleeping Sue remained motionless save for some small breaths; the crouching Twilight still trembling on and about; Rainbow just standing there like a simple orange. The nighttime sky in front of the cyan pegasus left her in a state of worry that even the two were free from despite their situation.

By then, Rainbow spoke her thought silently, “why didn’t I have to promise Pinkie to keep Sue safe…?”

“Hah… hah…” Applejack panted fervently as she looked around the city streets with her colleague in tow, “there’s gotta be a way for us to find Pinkie faster; why did they had to mess Fluttershy’s wings?”

“Applejack…” the butterscotch pegasus whimpered, getting ahold of the titular mare’s attention at once.

Looking into Fluttershy’s teal eyes, her friend had said, “what is it; is there something ya want to tell me…?”

“I just want to know, Applejack…” the butterscotch pegasus had replied, “what are we doing here…?”

“Excuse me…?” Applejack said to Fluttershy in confusion.

The butterscotch pegasus answered to the orange mare, “why are we even here in Canterlot…?”

“Ah think it'd be wise to skip the details concerning yesterday…” Applejack had spoken only somberly to Fluttershy at once, “besides, it’s not safe to return home to Ponyville until we get the okay…”

“That’s not what I had meant, Applejack…” the butterscotch pegasus said to the aforementioned associate at once.

This reply had made the orange mare’s green eyes widen and made her say, “then what’s wrong…?”

“I just don’t seem to understand why they would let us go after what happened this morning…” Fluttershy had replied to Applejack tremblingly, looking at all the corpses littering the scene, “the way everypony was glaring at us, they just about looked like they were ready to kill us back then…”

“Ah don’t even blame ya for thinking that way; Ah had those thoughts back since yesterday since Ah got that red collar worn around mah neck: as a matter of fact, Daisy and Lily had some uneasy looks upon their own faces but my big bro reassured them…” the orange mare had stated calmly.

The butterscotch pegasus yawned and then said hesitantly, “if you could call it that; my master hasn’t even spoken so much as a word ever since–––”

“It’s okay: after what mah brother and Ah heard about the day before, it’s a miracle that yer still alive…” Applejack said, taking her sweet time to hug Fluttershy tightly, “Ah don’t know what Ah would do with myself if your number happened to have came up; almost woke up crying last night…”

“Then tell me something: why do I feel like that I want to die instead…?” the butterscotch pegasus asked.

Sure enough, the orange mare had choked out a gasp and asked, “ya don’t mean that… yer not suggesting that ya want to–––”

“Why not; have you even look at where we are now?!” Fluttershy interjected, shocking Applejack in the process, “ever since my home burned to the ground, I’ve been thinking about all the ponies who've died because of me! I may haven't wished for the caribou to invade my home but I can’t help remember the fact that I played a role in servicing them while everypony else lost their minds and bodies! Some of them either were pregnant before they have been dragged here or gotten pregnant since their arrival; nonetheless, I have caused them all pain just as much as they have to us…!”

“Only because of what Dainn had done: now, Ah expect this from any stallion here in Equestria but not you; you wouldn’t even consider the thought of hurting a fly…!” the orange mare shot back at the butterscotch pegasus.

Despite this, Fluttershy looked away and whimpered, “but I've done worse than just simply hurting a fly… I bet even the fly would not find the strength in his heart to forgive me for the pain that I have caused.”

“Well, Ah still forgive you and it’s not just because Ah am yer friend; it’s because you’re a forgiving pony…” Applejack had simply sighed sadly, quickly wiping away a small wayward tear right upfront in the process, “even though that you may not always even see yourself as such, we have all seen you as kind and compassionate. They may have beaten us down time and time again but they didn’t even beat the kindness out the lot of us; after all, Ah have still longed for concerns over your welfare ever since that day. Ah don’t want to risk waking up to live in a world where you or any of our friends are not among us just because of one terrible event after another.”

“What are you trying to say…?” the butterscotch pegasus had sniffled in front of the orange mare.

Applejack took a deep breath and then said, “look, Ah would just like to see your warm happy face once again, a pure one, not the one forced upon like some generic facade. You have so much more to live for as much as Ah do and many friends who care about you enough to be the true pony that Equestria now desperately needs. We need the old Fluttershy, the one that was never afraid to stand up for her friends even in the face of a contemptible enemy no less like before.”

“Then you know what…?” the eponymous pegasus peeped out at once, “I have one thing to say here…”

“What’s that…?” the orange mare had said.

Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy soon said to Applejack, “My name is Fluttershy, the Bearer of Kindness and will not let Equestria suffer ever again…!”

“Me neither and Ah will stay by yer side to the very end like we all have before…” the orange mare responded with a smile, placing a hand on the butterscotch pegasus’ shoulder in the process, “our very families didn’t bring us into the world just so we end up being forced to learn the so–called evils of equality but our friendships will show to triumph over such evils. This homeland has prospered under the rule of Princess Celestia and while we, let alone our grandparents haven’t been able to see it in the beginning, she has already provided us an opportunity to make it a better place for other ponies to live in. We can all make Equestria go back to the way it was before this nightmare ever even happened, a place where everypony like the six of us can move on with their lives and put this out to the back of their minds. She was able to pass onto us the Elements of Harmony and alongside with them the opportunity to protect the very world and those who dwell in it from such dangerous threats here and there. Now, what do ya say: are ya with me on this one?”

“Yeah… that would be nice; I just want the screams to stop at once…” Fluttershy yawned with a gentle nod.

Applejack turned to face the moon and said, “then let’s go and put the screaming to a rest already…”

At long last, Pinkie stood out and about in the warring states of the decay field; on the opposite side, another mare sat upon the gargantuan being’s shoulder.

“How do you like the new look I gave to this town, Pinkie…?” the pale pony snidely asked, addressing the titular visitor at once, “no more caribou running around town like they own every damn thing imaginable…!”

“IT’S HORRIBLE; CHANGE IT BACK TO THE WAY IT WAS…!” the pink pony cried out with overwhelming rhythm emotion.

As countless onlookers of the horde surrounded them, the overseer in front of Pinkie replied, “oh, you mean with storefronts displaying lollipops in the shape of penis, people going around to town fucking one another, and these disgusting beings destroying everything in sight…? You’re really living in a dream, a dream that’s going to end very badly and with good reason: even with the dastards out of the way, this land will end up tearing itself apart and become vulnerable to repeat! With these monsters at hand, we can make sure that it will never happen again: no more invasions by a foreign power, no more traitors in the mist, no more people placing themselves in charge over another, no more ponies crying in their sleep, no more ponies losing their fucking minds, no more death and destruction at their own devices, like long ago! It has already been made established that Equestria was formed to protect themselves from the dangerous influence of the Windigos and without that bond, it’s likely that they will come back once again, this time with a vengeance; therefore, it must need a defender! With you at my side, we can protect everypony from the aftereffects of the damage that Dainn has wreaked upon this very land; that way, there will be absolute nopony ever even suffering in silence again! In addition, Equestria will have its own very army capable of sustaining itself and defending ourselves from those who would dare to take advantage of our vulnerable state of being with or without the Princesses around!”

“So what you are saying is that you want me to join forces with the likes of you…?” the pink pony had asked, earning but a sly nod from the pale pony in the process, “the day I do that is going to be the one day that Tartarus freezes over; I have friends and family that care for me whether I live or die! Since its birth, Equestria has proven to be great place to live with the Princesses around in the past millennium, for the most part, and it'll become great again even after we are gone from this world! However, much like Dainn, I refused to allow the likes of you to make the ponies suffer from your influence; you may have driven us out of our of Ponyville but I won't see these creatures overrun all of Equestria like a bunch of Parasprites! I may like to see everypony closest to me no longer suffering at their expense but not like this; the suffering that has been caused here in the past cannot be done with such vile tactics of terror in the future! Princess Celestia has never dare succumbed to such an idea and I won’t allow this idea to be put in practice no matter what anyone, pony or otherwise, says, does, thinks, and even so dreams of!”

“Humph, very well then, Pinkamena: I was hoping to convince you to join me so we can control Equestria and keep the populace safe but it seems to have fallen on deaf ears; in that case, I must have you taken out of the picture… permanently!” the overseer replied before snapping her fingers; as a result, the creature began to open its jaws and move towards Pinkie.

The gargantuan seized the pink pony with its big, meaty claws and started to licked its own maws in the process; in doing so, the latter struggled to escape them and thought to herself tearfully, “no, they got me and I can’t even be able to set this beast on fire; I guess this is it, it’s all over for me, no… all over for Equestria, for everypony, for my friends, and for my family. I was such a fool for thinking I could ever live a carefree life, either as a free pony without collar or a sex slave in red; I guess this is my retribution for living a lie. Mother… Father… wherever you guys are… forgive me…”

At this point, Pinkie entered the monster’s jaws like it was nothing, the saliva hitting her body amongst other things no less. The gargantuan being’s maws closed down upon the pink pony but instead of being met with weeping and gnashing of the teeth, a lump formed around the former’s neck. Sure enough, Pinkie was no longer within the monster’s grip but rather inside of it instead, no longer struggling about; this made the pale pony sigh with a grin.

“It looks like that Pinkamena didn’t even want to help me; how disappointing…” the overseer commented as the gargantuan slurped about, spitting out some arrows in the process, “at least, she won’t leave a footnote of her very existence whatsoever; besides, life is indeed a party and partying is such sweet sorrow…”

At that point, the pale pony started to chuckle to herself, a steady pace of random tittering cutting the air before metamorphosing into a hectic cackle amongst the moans and groans of other beings.

“Your highness, I wasn’t expecting your presence…” the mayor stated, her body tilted in a downward right angle no less.

Standing in front of the tan mare was none other than the blue alicorn who has replied, “‘tis natural to say the very least; nevertheless, I must asketh thee: what has become of Pinkamena…?”

“We took her to Ponyville using the balloons earlier…!” the mayor said, pointing to the airships nearby them at once, “we were able to return safely but we had lost about a few of them as soon as we started returning to Canterlot; I’m sorry…”

“I see then; how many of these contraptions in question are still active…?” Luna had asked firmly.

The tan mare had then simply answered at once, “two I believe; but I must ask: why Ponyville of all places…?”

“‘Tis simple as I hath saith before, Madame Mayor: the safety of Pinkamena is of dire need…” the blue alicorn made her reply at once, “even two of her dearest friends desire such grave knowledge…”

“Pinkie shouldn’t have to go at this all alone; if Ah had known she would sneak off, then the least Ah could have done was try to stop her…!” the orange mare exclaimed, droplets forming upon her very eyes already.

Accompanying the crying Applejack was the butterscotch pegasus whom simply just comforted the former, “there there, don’t cry AJ; I’m pretty sure that Pinkie is still alive over there anyway…”

“But how will we be able to know that she’s alive…?” the orange mare asked, wiping away her tears in the process, “last time Ah recall, we had to leave the night before on the account of the monsters swarming Ponyville…”

“Yeah, I know: I was in their nightmares not too long ago; even in mine state of helplessness, I was still under Dainn’s beck and call…” Luna said, looking upward into the nighttime sky with a somber gaze.

The mayor had then said to the others within due time, “nevertheless, we've barely escaped anyway thanks to the hot air balloon’s high speed but I highly doubt it'd survive another return trip; these beings are relentless and had it not been for her arrows, we would've all been dead.”

“Then if what has been said of Pinkie is true, then ‘tis likely that there’s still hope for her survival: for what ‘twas worth, time is short anyway; no use in wasting it through idleness…” the blue alicorn stated as she turned her gaze away from the heavenly bodies above them, “she’s in dire need of attendance given the gravity of the situation we’re all still in. We the ponies, may have managed to eradicate the beastly horde that has here in Canterlot, but ‘tis still likely that these beings will be residing nearby Ponyville. Aside from air travel via flight teams and the machinations simulating them, all other methods of safe ventures are still inactive. Even more so, the very fate of Equestria itself rests on her survival; therefore, ‘tis the reason as to wherefore we must leave: we have lived under a brutal oligarchy that starved us of our personality. Would I have dared to make an unequal treaty with the brute who cradles, plunders, and scourges mine own kind with the lash until the soil is red with blood? Never, and simply more at long last we must depart…”

“Well, now that you mention it, I can’t see why not: it’s truly an honor to provide such services in Equestria to a member the royal family; this balloon has proven to be the fastest so far in the land…” the dark green stallion had firmly replied, tilting his head forward in an angle to Luna only briefly.

Taking a step towards the basket, Applejack said, “then we oughta get a move on and fast; Ah don’t want her death to break me into pieces…!”

“Understood…!” the pilot said as he followed the orange mare inside with the blue alicorn trailing behind him, “let’s move out…!”

“Shouldn’t I come with you, Applejack…?” Fluttershy asked the aforementioned passenger as the stallion started up the heat at once.

Applejack shook her head and replied, “just take the mayor to a safe place; she must be kept out of harm’s way…!”

At that moment, the flames shot up into the envelope at once, hissing on and about like a pit of snakes. The weight of the world’s sediments were being relieved by the trio of equines inside the basket at once. The gravity of their situation became less density as the surface of the basket left the brilliant green. Even the light within the contraption became visible for the two to witness from where they stood about.

“I see then…!” the butterscotch pegasus replied loudly, looking towards the hot air balloon, “please be safe, Applejack… good luck!”

As the hot air balloon began to take flight all three of the ponies stayed calm and pursued out from the dark city beneath their very hooves, no longer pulled down by earth’s gravity or by mortal strife. Out of the trio in question, the orange mare had possessed a fragile look upon the visage, already illuminated by the moon and stars that glistened and gleamed into the jade orbs before them. While that Applejack didn’t show it currently, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of negativity wearing down upon herself, threatening the peace of mind that was being clung unto by herself thereof. Staring into the walking distance of the road not taken, the orange mare watched as another city had started showing up, breathing with dread and desolation in contrast to one they had departed from earlier. Images of the other ponies popped into Applejack’s point of view: first, the fragile Fluttershy she’d left behind; secondly, the rueful Rarity that left a bitter taste; next, the restless Rainbow that reminded her; then, the timeless Twilight she wished to forget; finally, the polar Pinkie who was at the peak.

Suddenly, a tall pillar of fire had shot up into the nocturnal sky, originating from an enormous explosion coming within the rather cold distance. The massive shockwave had also ignited every single thing, animate or otherwise that was caught in its path before subsiding about within due time no less. The resounding boom then burst into the eardrums of those unfortunate enough to hear its rather terrifying results being received at once. Afterwards, it'd disappeared into the spatial fold and taking its place was but a cluster of smoke and ash that shielded itself from the fresh air.

Even though the balloon remained untouched by the sudden impact, it had tilted slightly, shocking the occupants in the process.

“GAH… what in tarnation was that?!” the orange mare exclaimed in shock, wide eyed at what had taken place.

Taking a firm stance once more, Luna then began to give out her answer at once, “could it be a petard of some sort; then again, what sort of device would conceive such a sudden impact no less…?”

“No, it can’t be; there’s no way that…” Applejack stuttered as her face began to scrunch up before breaking down in tears at once, “PINKIE…!”

“Applejack, restrain thyself…!” the blue alicorn barked as she held the eponymous passenger back by a single hand.

The orange mare nevertheless cried out, “BUT WHAT IF PINKIE WAS IN THAT EXPLOSION?! SHE PROMISED ME NOT TO DIE EARLIER THIS WEEK; SHE CAN’T DIE… SHE JUST CAN’T…! SHE WOULDN’T LEAVE US ALL BEHIND JUST BECAUSE OF WHAT THESE BASTARDS DID TO US…!”

“Now calm down, it’s likely that she be smart enough to escape the explosion; I would know: I used to be the reserves a few years back…” the dark green stallion had responded instantaneously while calmly regaining control of the hot air balloon, “besides, it won’t be long now until we reach Ponyville; of course, we still need to be careful anyway.”

“Indeed we shall; besides, these monsters would still be lurking about in this desolate wasteland that used to be their town…” Luna replied as the vicinity of ground zero within the titular town grew further into distance.

As the smoke was clearing away, feelings of dread flushed over Applejack’s mind and body while the contraption got closer onward to the source. Although that the wayward flames failed to damage the balloon, fear lingered on nonetheless: it would seem that the turmoil the orange mare had claimed more than the structure. Her jade orbs were welling up with water all at once, impacted the clear sights that she recently had possessed as they were now becoming sopping wet.

As shock and sadness swirled around Applejack’s eyes, she had then came to find a rather strange sight: a pair of lone figures were currently permeating all throughout the slowly fading smoke and fire from before; as a result, some words slipped out of her mouth all at once, “is… that… really… her…?”

“What, pray tell, dost thou mean by her…?” the blue alicorn asked the orange mare, “Applejack…?”

“Pinkie Pie…” was all that Applejack could say as she pointed towards the figures up in front of them at once.

Outside in the coldest distance unveiled a pink pony, kneeling over onto the ground as she was completely covered in a thin layer of warm fluids but otherwise alive. The clothing worn upon herself was mired with fluid and showed signs of wear and tear all across the way yet remained firm enough to cover the rest of her skin. Held within Pinkie’s two hands was but an unconscious drake, clad in purple scales with deep green spikes sticking outward; unlike her, he was perhaps unclothed.

At this moment in time, the pilot had announced firmly, “we are about to make a landing shortly…!”

“PINKIE…!” the orange mare had called out to the aforementioned peer, “HANG IN THERE; WE’RE COMING…”

“Applejack…?” the pink pony peeped out and held her head out towards the descending balloon, dazed and confused like an academy award winning newcomer on the campus wing.

The moment the basket reached the soil, Applejack jumped out and hugging Pinkie tightly while sobbing joyfully, “Ah had thought that we had all lost you for just a moment right there; thank Celestia yer alive…!”

“Alive…?” the pink pony had repeated at what the orange mare had said to her, “you mean me…?”

“Yeah…” Applejack sighed soundly with relief.

Pinkie then dropped her face away from her friend and said only slowly, “who said that I ever was…?”

All that remained of the five figure was the cold air all around themselves, free from the presence of such hostile relations yet still uncertain. Of all the wonders that had once flourished throughout the town, they were all long ago in some brief long spring, in a place that is no more. In that hour, a shower of shooting stars descended throughout the skies and the closeness between the two ponies became the strongest.