The crowds and cameras spread out before the two raised platforms in the castle courtyard. From behind her podium, Celestia glanced down to the lower stage on her side to see her sister hunched over before the headspony’s block, a notably large inhibitor ring on her horn. The two hooded ponies beside her stood at attention, holding their axes steady.

‘Nearly time’ she thought with glance to her sun, only slightly distorted through the shimmering barrier around the capital. She gave a satisfied hum that she resisted the urge to inch it to its peek early. No, she promised her subjects noon; so they would wait until noon ‘only a few minutes more, time to start the speech’

Clearing her throat, the crowds fell silent and the cameras focused. Even the trio of RAYs patrolling the city stopped to watch. They all stared up at her expectantly, some scared or worried, and some stoic. The rest, those already under the upgrade’s trall, simply stared.

“We gather this day to ensure an end to the threat that is Nightmare Moon. I believed after the intervention of the Elements of Harmony there was hope for redemption, but it is with the greatest humility that I must admit my mistake. And even with the promise of greater sorrow, I must as always, put the needs of my ponies first…” the monarch paused and looked down to her sister. The younger alicorn wearily raised her head to meet her sisters eyes, feeling Umbra staring down at her sadistically from behind their facade “Nightmare you have been found guilty of treason, and are hereby sentenced to death. May the makers have mercy on your-”

The words caught in her throat as the shield shuddered, vibrating the whole city…

And sending music blaring through the capital.

One of the heads-ponies abruptly flew off the back of the scaffolding, the subtle crack of a distant rifle heard a moment later.

“DO IT NOW!” the alicorn screamed down and the remaining pony quickly hefted his axe before being torn off himself. She leapt down to the lower staging while summoning her weapon before her attention was focused skyward when the shield shook again, a loud and disturbingly familiar laugh echoing through.

‘They couldn’t have! They wouldn’t!’ thought as she poured more magic into the barrier, stunned they’d be mad enough to actually go through with it. A cry from her side made her head snap to her sister, now flying back as another echo of a shot reached her. She watched unbelieving as the younger alicorn, face obscured by her hair, pitched off the back of the platform like the guards before her... a small trail of red left in her wake.

‘But… I don’t… WHY?!’ her mind struggled until the shield shook again, another laugh echoing through the city as the distraction proved just enough. The barrier shattered and sent the monarch stumbling as enemy forces poured into the city with a sudden blizzard rushing in after them. A blizzard of…

“Marshmallow fluff?” Celestia questioned as a glob of the sticky white struck near her hoof. She shook off the last of her confusion, the planks of the platform splintering as he launched off to meet the draconequus now cackling over the city.

The wood however continued to split and erupted beneath her as several tendrils of shadow ensnared her, smashing their prey to the pavement below in an instant. They burned away as the alicorn stood and turned to at her bedraggled sibling, noting the bleeding, ring shaped gash at the base of her horn.

‘They hit the ring at that distance?!' she marveled before huffing.

“Now Luna, you couldn’t beat me at your best! How could you have any hope in this state, let alone after we’ve taken or destroyed all your arms and armor!?”

Despite her confidence Celestia flinched when her sister rushed towards her covered in silver brilliance. The elder princess barely reacted in time to block, a shower of sparks washing over her from the harsh meeting of metal on metal. She looked past the sword grinding against hers to see Luna now clad in the armor of Nightmare Moon and wielding a blade that, save for its dark purple hue, was a mirror to Maze’s own.

“NOT ALL, TIA!” the night watcher called as their battle began anew.

Across the capitol Maze raced through the streets with Rarity and several militia troops in tow. They hesitated as a squad of guards moved to block them before a great blob of fluff engulfed the soldiers, gluing them to the asphalt with its unnatural and sugary goodness. The cyborg smiled as she saw houses and IGs beginning to float or transform among other untold happenings of chaos.

“Well, whether he’s really with us or not, I suppose I can’t argue with these results!” Rarity called from behind. There path however didn’t remain clear for long as the resistance grew denser as they neared the palace. They managed well enough until a heavy shadow blanketed them, one of the royal RAYs bearing down on them from above. Maze cursed as she steadied her blade, holding little fear of the GEAR but knowing Luna could only hold out for so long.

Deafening clangs bounced off the buildings as the street’s manhole covers abruptly rocketed into the sky and a quartet of cannon balls crashed into the offending GEAR. Cannon balls that grew heads and limbs before swarming over the war machine, allowing the the group to slip past. Maze laughed as she heard the RAY struggling against the turtle quartet and followed her squad before catching sight of the guard’s second RAY harassing Derpy’s and Twilight’s group up ahead.

‘And of course she outpaced us...’ Maze thought slightly bitter before the pavement quaked and another massive shadow thundered past them. The screech of scraping metal filled the air when a fourth, freshly painted RAY crashed into the offending GEAR, knocking it off its feet before unleashing a torrent of plasma upon its prone form. Not hesitating, the RAY raced off ahead with its yellow pegasus charge still perched on its shoulder.

The street’s shook as the city’s last guardian RAY smashed in the ground behind it, the escalating whine of building power signalling its own assault aimed squarely at the Militia GEAR’s back.

“WOLF! YOUR SIX!” a cry warned through the command codec line just in time for the the massive machine leap out of the way. A bright flash suddenly engulfed the hostile machine, forcing all gazes away before the transplanted IG could even consider a counter. When the defenders looked back, they could only gawk or laugh at the sight.

The ground shook as a massive wind-up toy METAL GEAR stomped around, rotating in place and forcing the royal troops beneath it to scatter. Maze caught a glimpse of the serpentine spirit rolling with laughter in the sky above. As she watched she caught sight of Crystal and Dash’s squad shoot past, encouraging their own efforts forward again.

A fountain of arcane forces erupted from the palace courtyards, squelching the moment of levity to refocus the fight. The city shook as the alicorns clashed once more, Luna’s readopted blade trembling her her grasp as another piece of her dark armor was broken away. The younger princess fell to a knee as her sibling settled into a lazy hover before her.

“The sword my still be useful but I fear your armor is a bit obsolete, dear sister” Celestia taunted before a shadow filled her peripheral. Chunks of marble and dust filled the air an instant later as a hurled statue of the princess herself crumbled against her fist. “Really Discord? Isn’t that a little blunt for you?”

“It just means it’s that much more unexpected!” the spirit of chaos countered with a titter “Just like your power! I can’t believe I actually had to get this close! You two really Have become more troublesome haven’t you?!”

With that he abruptly shot through the air, twisting in an erratic path toward the alicorn and prompting Celestia’s brow to furrow. Even with his power, Discord risked much attacking her directly. If he wanted to suffer her wrath up-close however, then she was all too happy to oblige.

A searing wake trailed behind her blade, arching to the draconequus.

~POP~

The demi-god split straight down the middle… and continued unabated, slithering around the befuddled princess to coil around the other. Then, with a blown kiss and a wink, he snapped his fingers and his one flash was replaced by many.

The music shifted as Celestia spun to her new adversaries as they surrounded her.

“No running away or hiding behind your human this time little ponies?” she taunted to Maze’s little band of fugitives, who merely scowled back. She smirked as she looked over her opponents; A pair of unicorn, a changeling, two earth ponies and an undoubtedly still spent Maze “So be it!”

She spun to meet the source of a muffled explosion sounding behind her, a crimson colored Maze now meeting her glare.

“Predictable” Celestia couldn’t help but scoffed her blade sliced through the air and straight through the cyborg like she wasn’t even there, her image twisting and flickering “A hologram?!”

A grunt escaped her as her knee hit the ground, a kick slamming into the back of it before a heavy round round hit the other. Strong arms and metal tentacles restrained her from behind before a pony barged through the hologram and filled Celestia’s sight before a metal fist met her jaw with a small explosion. The aquamarine blur spun away before a stun baton followed the strike before it, the two ponies spinning around one another delivering constant, full momentum strikes.

A snarl rippled through princess before she flung the tentacled changeling off and into the couple. A foot met the base of her neck, promoting a backward sweep of her wing that missed the cyborg now rolling over her shoulder. Maze grimaced as her attempted sweep stopped dead against a golden hoof. The alicorn stared down smugly until her sight was filled with the sky as a blade swept up into her chin. Her head shot back down as her eyes locked onto the nuisance with a seething fury, eliciting an audible gulp from the human.

The woman was torn off her feet when the back of a golden fist crashed against her cheek, allowing Maze only a glimpse in her peripheral of the sword coming down at her. Celestia blinked as blade cut into the ground, missing her target as it disappeared in a blue flash. The sudden spalt of what felt like an egg against her face left her little time to consider the spell’s change in color. She felt reached for the gooey sack before pulling it away with long, slimey stand trailing behind.

“Ugh, what-” A disgusted wail pierced the sky as the alicorn was engulfed in unspeakable horribleness. So overwhelmed with revulsion, she couldn’t muster a defense against the metal tendrils ensnaring her and pounding her into the ground. She hit the ground twice more before conquering the urge to retch and regaining her senses.

Crystal flinched away from the alicorn erupting into flames, letting out a surprised scream as the fire rushed at her an instant later. She righted herself as she was thrown into the air, her form lightly smoking as half her tentacles melted away. Still trying to shake off the heat still clinging to her skin and chitin, she paled at the din of building magic. Celestia beamed triumphantly as the lance of fiery brilliance escaped her horn. At least until her latest target disappeared in a flash of blue just like the last.

A golden, arcane luminescence stretched out following the princess’s growl, seeking the spell point when a massive metal tail crashed into her. The stone work scattered as she ground to a stop, growing as she her head snap back but only to find the her entire vision fill with the open maw of a RAY.

It’s plasma cannon overcharged mere inches from her muzzle.

A torrent of destruction ripped into the courtyard and the gardens beyond, even the gleam of golden armor was lost within its wrath. The current of death continued until one of Wolf’s mandibles abruptly broke free, the beam sweeping across the stonework as he found his new body flying through the air. Another tremor shook the ground as a blast of solar power found the GEAR midfall, the sizzles and pops of melting metal and circuits filling the space soon after.

She staked forward to finish off the GEAR when mist suddenly enveloped her. She spread her wings to clear the distraction when a spear of ice shattered against her flaming aura and a surge of magic flared and rapidly closed behind her. The keen of her blade cutting through the air followed as she spun to meet the source only to strike at nothing. She turned towards another sense of magic when a shadow appeared in her peripheral and an arcane bolt dispersed the false image of a unicorn into the mist.

More and more arcane signatures began darting around her, out of sync with the multiple Trixies fading in and out of existence as they peppered her with spells. She couldn’t trace the spells or even the unicorn’s signature and every attempt to retaliate was met without success. Her situation became more chaotic when the ground began to shift beneath her, the courtyards stone tiles sliding beneath her hooves leaving her struggling for balance.

‘YOU’VE BEEN BEWITCHED!’ screamed within her mind. The pop of static followed as the the spell was dispersed by Celestia’s quick casting. With her mind and mist cleared and she as she found her footing could at last trace the unicorn’s aura.

And found it directly above her.

Her head whipped up just in time to see the the showmare’s horn gleam and both her hand thrust down. The princess’s knee crashed into the ground as her weight skyrocketed, the gravity increasing exponentially down upon her. She struggled to stay standing as her magic stretched out, the pressure increased but she would not relent.

A yelp escaped the heavy hatted mage when the flow to her spell was abruptly cut and she was ensnared by the alicorn’s magic hold. A much louder cry issued forth as she was slammed into the edge of the new trench. She squinted up to see the alicorn’s great sword poised overhead. A series of shots rang out somewhere to their side as rounds hammered into the princess to no avail, the bothersome peppering quickly blocked by an extended wing. The showmare’s eyes slammed shut as the blade swung down.

*PING*

“GAAAAAGGHHHHH!!!” Trixie’s eyes snapped back open at the cry before flinching away, the burning sword cutting into the ground scant inches from her head. Glancing past the shorn brim of her hat she witnessed Celestia clawing at a scrunched muzzle, eyes tightly shut as they began to water. She marvelled at the sight until an uncomfortably warm metal tendil coiled about her waist and wrenched her away.

Another more subtle ping followed a very unprincess-like snort, leaving the alicorn staring down incredulously as the mucus covered rifle round now rolling across the cracked stonework.

A sandy maned stallion gave a nervous laugh as two wrathful orbs locked on to him, now slowly backing away. Tripping over his own hooves, he fell back as the princess exploded towards him, igniting with white-hot fury. She was on him in an instant, her fist an inch from his muzzle when a heavy body crashed into her from the side.

The pair rolled over each other before their blades met with a shower of sparks. They traded strikes again and then again, neither gaining headway even though Maze seemed to be barely holding her at bay. Even if the group’s assault had only lasted at most a couple minutes altogether, the constant interruptions and embarrassments finally hit a tipping point.

“Enough of this!”

A shriek escape the cyborg as a hoof drove into her thigh, straight into the still fresh wound from Wolf’s shattered armor less than a day before. The cry cut short as the humans breath hitched in her throat, the world going quiet for but a moment save for the small beeping on her HUD warning of the sudden absence of her pulse.

“Didn’t miss it this time...” the flanged voice purred in the displaced woman’s ear. Maze’s eyes shot up from the sword buried in her chest to see a bright flare before she was ripped off the blade.

“MAZE!” somepony shouted as their leader was blasted away from the monarch who followed the flight with the utmost glee, taking in every moment of it she could. Umbra’s vicious grin grew wider as she saw the ever persistent and exceptionally troublesome thorn in her side finally fall. She basked in the cyborg's attempt to open the one eye in the remaining half of her face to look back at her glorious form… and then look past her… and smile? Umbra rounded to meet the threat-

And blanched, her pupils nearly disappearing as she took in the wall of rainbow radiance rushing towards her.

Her golden sheen fluctuated as the beam collided with a barrier raised in blind panic. The possessed alicorn’s eyes bulged and darted frantically along the rapidly dissolving edges of the protective wall, Umbra feeling her influence dwindle as the shield failed.

‘NO, THIS CAN’T HAPPEN!’ she screaming inside Celestia’s mind as her eyes slammed shut

‘YOU CAN’T LET THIS HAPPEN!’

‘DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN!!!’

The bearers floated above the ground with eyes glowing pure white, suspended by the Elements as they unleashed their majesty. Twilight’s brow furrowed at a small deviance that flared immediately after, a minuscule spark of feedback that only caused an almost imperceptible flinch.

Unfortunately, it was still enough.

There was a collective gasp from the bearers as the princess’s form shot above the beam, her glowing white eyes mirroring their own. The blood drained from Maze’s face, staring uncomprehendingly at the impossible feat before she was engulfed by the now unimpeded rainbow.

Twilight didn’t even register the music being cut off before a golden hoof crashed against her cheek, sending her bouncing along the stonework below. The rest elements fell as their connection broke, the closest mare to the alicorn striking back as soon as they landed. Applejack gaped as her hoof stopped dead in in the princess’s grip before she was used as a flail against her rainbow maned ally mid-dive. The remaining trio couldn’t make it a step before being snared by the golden aura, wrenched high off the ground and making three new craters as they were reunited with it.

“Celestia wielded the Elements alone for Centuries!” Umbra roared at the fallen mares “Did you truly believe she had lost all influence over them?!”

A line of purple, arcane fury streaked across her back, proving futile against the reactive armor but drew her ire all the same. The young unicorn gulped as her teacher’s stolen gaze slowly turned to her.

“Youuuuu…” pure venom dripped from the word. Twilight was ripped off the ground covered in a black haze “the one that kept breaking through, that kept stalling my advance.”

Small whimpers escaped the student as she squirmed against the growing pressure. The flanged voice of her mentor chuckled darkly while she slowly closed her fist.

“So long I’ve waited to twist your power to my gain, but I guess I will have to settle on this” the malicious, sadistic grin widened “I will not make this quick.”

The whimpers turned blood-curdling scream as a series of snaps and cracks filled the air. Her friends tried to call out but were themselves being pressed harder into the ground. The alicorn’s breathing grew heavy as she took in the delicious sounds of pain, exhilarated at the sight of the tears streaming down magic bearer’s face.

“GAh!” a barrage of silver streaks detonated against Celestia’s side, forcing her to drop the tortured pony as another alicorn demanded her attention. A burning hand swiped up with a wave of flame, sending the exhausted younger princess into the nearest wall, no formalities to be had.

With the last annoyance dealt with, Umbra paused for a moment with her gaze going distant. A smug smile formed on her lips as her link to the suppression network fed her the image of an irritated looking Discord being harassed by the kingdom’s last alicorn and her would-be prince. She knew they couldn’t hope to defeat the draconequus but they’d nevertheless stall him long enough. Her smile grew again as she turned her attention back to the unicorn going fetal as she curled up crying.

“So then, where were-”

The words died in her throat as a new song blared around her.

Pupils contracted to dots as the possessed ruler began to literally tremble with rage, her visage twisting into a look of pure, unrelenting hatred.

“BY THE DEEPEST PITS OF TARTARUS AND ALL THAT IS DISHARMONY HUMAN! WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO KILL Y-...y-you?”

The sentiment withered before the multichromatic hurricane she turned to find behind her. She unconsciously retreated a couple steps back as the miniature tornado pulsed and began to condense around a familiar silhouette. The prismatic wall shattered into a flurry of nano magic particles that began to rapidly wash away the human’s injuries, showing her to be just as shocked and confused as any of those witnessing the event.

Maze flinched back with her eyes closed as, all at once, the power of the elements rushed into her. Umbra stood transfixed by the rolling, multi-colored waves wafting off her form until the displaced’s eyes snapped back open and locked onto her own.

She was immediately struck by the sensation of her hooves lifting off the ground and something burbling up her throat. A violent cough ripped itself from her and misted the air with a weak splatter of red.

“Wha-” the back of a fist slammed into her muzzle with a sickening crunch, launching her across the courtyard. She jerked to a stop when a steel grip caught her leg before she could meet the ground. She instead met it abruptly somewhere else, and then several more times before she vanished in a bright golden flash. Reappearing above, the monarch’s horn pulsed before a searing beam encompassed the human.

“FUCK ME!” Umbra reared back as a hand burst from the attack, the magic wafting over the cyborg like nothing more than a warm breeze. The hand reached the retreating horn and second wet crunch filled the space between them as her muzzle was ripped forward into a raised knee.

A blaze of light strobed as the alicorn’s greatsword appeared back in her hand, slicing through a cloud of smoke and embers as her target blinked away. The corrupted Celestia hit the ground, shaking away the disorientation. Not a second later she caught the ghost of a blur in her peripheral before narily deflecting Maze’s blade. She caught the return and held it firm as she stared wide eyed back at the infused cyborg before a she felt the small drip from a stinging line in her cheek.

‘She didn’t even hit me!’ she screamed internally. It was one thing to have the attacks go straight through her armor as if it wasn’t even there, but this? While Celestia’s fear and ‘lesser’ emotions were repressed Umbra now learned that her's were in fact not, and the reality of her position truly sunk in… and something snapped.

She leapt back from her opponent with blade and wings flailing erratically as her mind went blank. Random, errant spells and fear fueled instinct alone was all that protected her as she dodged and defended in a blind panic. Another tremor rocked the city as Umbra’s latest outpouring of unfocused rage swept over her opponent with a new result and as quickly as her senses left her, they snapped back at the sight. It was small, and incredibly brief but it was enough.

It was a wince.

The monarch’s malicious smile returned full force as she saw her opening, pushing the attack past its limits and at last impeding the cyborg. Maze pressed on and took her shot, blade thrusting out first at the alicorn. However, instead of dodging, Umbra cut her spell off and actually stepped into the cyborg's attack. The sudden loss of resistance pitched the human off balance as a deep gash tore into the princess’s side, the accepted attack leaving Maze open for the full swing retaliation of a greatsword into her side.

She managed to tumble before the momentum sent her sliding and catch the pursuing Celestia’s follow up, feeling the harmonious aura around her sudder in response.

“That’s the real problem with the Elements, isn’t Maze?! They were never meant for this kind of drawn out fight!” Umbra taunted, taking great glee in the new, shallow slice in her opponents exosuit now faintly dripping with red “Always a one an done kind of attack!”

She’d quickly exhaust herself at this rate and the gash in her own side certainly didn’t go unnoticed, but it didn’t matter; after Maze there was no one left to challenge her.

“Just a set of ONE!”

A heavy strike emphasized the word

“PUMP!”

Another burst from her horn.

“CHUMPS!!!”

A final overhead swing forced Maze to her knees as the colorful aura all but disappeared, her trembling blade slowly lowering as corrupted ruler bore down upon her.

Not far from the conflict Twilight laid prone watching the conflict through blurry eyes as the edges of her vision darkened. Her entire being was pain but still she focused everything she had on her element, even ignoring her own injuries, knowing that if the flow failed that would be it. But she was quickly losing that fight, and even worse could feel her friends faltering in their connection as well. A heavy lethargy washed over her as the pain eased with the dying light…

Until somepony wrenched her up and the world exploded back life with a fresh wave of pain as she fell against them… but then it calmed, and retreated. Not completely but Some- somepony was pouring magic into her, driving away the pain and restoring her focus. But who-

“DAMNIT SPARKLE!” Twilight flinched away from the sudden yell next to her ear “We didn’t come this far just for you to pass out at the finale! Now feed that damned Element or Trixie will take it from you and do it Herself!”

And it wasn’t only Trixie. The injured unicorn shot a quick glance to her side to see the rest of the elements, her friends, being supported by Maze’s own and their connections strengthening; even from the ones being supported by those without magic! The Elements erupted back to life with all their previous fury… and then, for reasons Twilight couldn’t begin to consider at the moment, more. A whole hell of a lot more.

Umbra’s attention snapped over confused to the display before the sword was ripped from her hands and sent spinning into the sky. Breaking her gaze following the rapidly shrinking blade she looked back down to her opponent, finding glowing eyes of pure white amongst an aura burning tenfold stronger as before.

“Oh-*GRK!*” a steel grip locked on her throat and she felt something crumble against her back. A fine white powder drifted around her as she realized she was against the castle walls, moved quicker than she could process. She looked up to see they were at the base of the tallest tower when a foot struck next to her and the hand tugged upward “NOOO-”

Her strained yell was drowned out by the rumbling cacophony of stone being pulverized against her back. Marble chunks rained down from the cyborg dragging the corrupted alicorn back first up the gleaming white pillar. A wave of air stung her shredded back and tattered wings as they broke through the top and the hand left her neck. The quick gasp of air turned shocked as the hand latched onto the collar of her armor and she felt herself spinning before being hurled further into the air.

An explosion sounded below before a hand slammed into her face, driving her even further skyward. Fingers straddled her horn as the human’s legs clamped around her middle, pinning her arms to her side. Her one eye not covered by the cyborg’s hand glared at her adversary as she felt the power of their aura press against her defences.

“You’ve already tried this human! So long as I hold her, even the Element’s power can’t reach her!” Umbra taunted.

“No? Well, maybe her’s can!”

“Please, any power you’ve gained from our fight will have been tainted by mine!” She smirked… until Maze returned one of her own.

“Not a problem…” the displaced said calmly before the aura of the elements mixed with a bright blaze of gold; the long denied spark buried deep within, finally fed again after so long. Umbra simply redoubled her scowl.

“I won’t let her go! All you’ll do is kill us BOTH!”

“Correction!” Maze snarked back “KILL US ALL!”

Between the Maze’s manic smile and the rapidly expanding aura growing more erratic, it was then Umbra realized the true implication and paled.

She couldn’t control of it.

And Umbra knew She couldn’t control it either. The only chance of containment was Celestia herself.

“I WON’T LET HER G-”

“TIME’S UP!” was all she heard before bright, glowing cracks shot up the cyborg’s arm and the mixed power of the Element of Harmony and the Sun itself slammed into her entire being.

Below on the ground, Luna stood with the gathered defenders staring up at the speck in the sky. She began to fear why Maze felt the need to draw them both so far above the castle when she saw the spark as the music cut short.

“GET DOWN!” she immediately called and erected as strong a barrier as she could muster around the others now cowering around her. Even she had to turn away from the blinding ball of burning light rapidly expanding toward the city. The lunar princess crouched with the others, her eyes closed tight against the all encompassing light and heat as she prayed Maze knew what she was doing, that their world wasn’t about to end.

And then the heat stopped rising, and then steadily begin to fade. She squinted up through the remaining haze to see that, save for the melted tips of the castle towers and perhaps some of the mountainside overlooking the city, the ball had stopped just in time.

“Is it over?” she heard somepony ask while she searched the falling embers of the fading magic “Where’s Celestia? Maze?”

The group jumped when the younger alicorn broke into a sprint. Ignoring her pain, Luna shot straight toward the castle steps, eyes tracking a glimmering figure falling among the drifting lights and embers. Her limping gait prevented her from reaching it before it hit the ground, leaving her to approach the edge newest dent in the courtyard…

To see the gold slowly recede off her sister’s unmoving form, her wings protectively wrapped around herself as she lay on her side. She hobbled forward as her form began to stir and finally rollover… revealing a very pink skinned human within the wings’ embrace.

"Ta-daaaa~" it delivered weakly.

“MAZE!” she heard from behind as the displaced’s friends joined her as she reached the pair. Luna bent to cradled her still unconscious sister’s head as the others helped move Maze off her wing.

“Sorry Ly...’” Maze delivered exhausted and held up the shattered, charred stump of her prosthetic “I broke the arm you made me.”

A small, tired laugh echoed through the group before they all fell silent for a moment. Luna keep her gaze down to her sister’s calm face.

“She saved you…” she said before looking up to Maze with hopeful eyes.

“I told you she was was still in there, we just needed to get that bitch out of the way first” the human returned with smile and shrug. The six bearers managed to close the distance to them when they belatedly noticed the sounds of battle were gone, the cities converted released form their suppression with their focal point now reset “WOLF!” Maze called out “YOU OKAY?!”

“I AM STILL FUNCTIONAL.” the hound’s synthetic voice boomed from the the fallen RAY “BUT THERE IS AN OBJECT CLOSING QUICKLY FROM THE SKY.”

Not a moment later there was a large crash at the top of the castle steps above them, a smoking heap stirring among the dust. The defenders tensed as the shadow pushed itself to its hands and knees and jerked its head up at them, a recoil of shock and disgust rolling over group.

Queen Umbra, finally in the flesh, struggled to her feet leaning heavily on one hoof, her entire other side horribly burned and bleeding as it still wafted with the smoke of dark magic and solar flame.

“ARMOR! CADENZA!” she screamed with a gurgle. Twin flashes strobed behind the dark unicorn and, still bearing the blank face of suppression, the pair appeared. A third flash appeared between them and the group revealing an annoyed looking Discord. Umbra’s scowl deepened.

“This isn’t over.” she growled before the trio vanished in another burst of light. The group let out a collectively held breath, Twilight falling to the ground in grief and exhaustion.

Maze looked over the group; bloodied and beaten and reeling from a victory not as complete as they were hoping for. It was a start though, and it simply meant there was still work left to do. Guards and medics were soon seen approaching so there was only one thing left for her to do.

“Okay… I'm gonna pass out now.”

...

Author's Notes:

Act One Epilogue soon

And after that? Well, this is just Act One

Until then though, as always: Thanks for reading, I hope to see for the next one and sorry for taking so long . Have a good one!