When the explosion died down, Sunset Shimmer and her eleven friends found themselves back at Canterlot High. However, things were much more different from the last time she saw it.

Canterlot High itself had been fully restored and was standing tall and proud over all of them, as was the portal behind them. To their left, they saw the students of Canterlot High, and to their right, the ones from Crystal Prep. In between the two crowds were a massive orb of magic, which completely hid anything behind it. More important was that there were exact replicas of her and her friends standing closest to the orb.

"This is..." Sunset Shimmer had a hard time getting her words out as she witnessed the scene in front of her. "The Friendship Games."

"How is that even possible?" Sugarcoat's jaw just hung agape as she laid eyes on her past self. "Time travel hasn't been invented yet. At least, not to my knowledge..."

Before anyone could say anything else, the orb of magic began to shrink and fly into the background. Once it had shrunk enough, everyone could clearly see Starlight Glimmer hanging her head with her arm outstretched as she absorbed the magic completely. After consuming the final few fragments, she balled her hand into a fist.

"This body has been consumed by magic," Starlight's voice was completely emotionless and monotone as her head remained hung. "As it was foretold, those who hold magic shall be destroyed by it, and warped into something far beyond human understanding."

"Starlight...?" The Twilight from the past reached out to her, but nothing happened.

"Take a look at this pathetic world..." Starlight continued, her head still drooping down. "To the pupils of Canterlot High, this school is nothing more than a prison, forcefeeding them pointless and unhelpful knowledge. And so it was decided that a unicorn ran from Equestria and sought refuge here." She slowly but surely pointed towards Sunset. "She was followed by a second Twilight Sparkle, who gifted this world with the power of magic, and changed the fate of our world forever..."

Starlight's head looked up and her eyes opened, but instead of her irises and pupils, a bright rainbow light emanated from both of her eyesockets.

"What is this sorcery?" Abacus Cinch asked once Starlight had revealed her true face.

"The future is wracked with suffering and pain, cast forth by the very students who followed in your footsteps." Starlight turned her gaze towards Principal Cinch, who stumbled backwards once their eyes met. "After the Games, you threaten Canterlot High with termination due to my unimaginable power, and it leads to your destruction, and you being imprisoned for blackmailing Twilight Sparkle."

To that sentence, the other Crystal Prep students started to mumble about whether or not Cinch's teachings were truly honourable after all. After hearing that sentence from the future Starlight, their trust had begun to fade.

"From there on, these five would join forces with Sunset Shimmer and her friends to combat this great evil." Starlight waved her hand towards the Shadowbolts from the past before using her other to point towards Sunset and her friends from the future. "And while there were heavy losses from it, they still managed to break the will of the Defectors and make them believe in the Magic of Friendship.

"But only then did things start to fall out of control for them. Starlight, who remained defiant, stole all of the magic from everyone else, and shed her humanity to make one jump to the past at a random location, bringing whoever was at the epicentre of the blast along with her. She was who I am now, and the souls she pulled through time were Sunset, as well as the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts who had stopped the Defectors' warpath.

"The rest of the story is a mystery. I myself have no idea how the future will play out. But I do know one thing." Starlight began to glow a bright white aura, which only got brighter and brighter as she started to fly into the air above the school. "Whether you girls have the Magic of Friendship or not, this is the end of time itself!"

Another massive explosion burst out across the school, and in the wake of it all, Starlight's appearance had changed dramatically. She was now wearing white robes with rainbow stripes, bore a laurel crown, a pair of gigantic white angelic wings, and her skin was now translucent—as if she had become a pocket of outer space.

"What the heck is going on?!" Celestia called from the sidelines.

"That is not Starlight Glimmer. Something's changed her into this angel, and her mind's been sealed away!" Future Sugarcoat was fast to explain as Starlight descended just above the ground.

"You are correct. Starlight Glimmer is no more," the figure said. "Her mind, personality, and everything else that made her special has been devoured by the very magic that Crystal Prep wished to exploit. And in her place, I have risen to take vengeance on this blind and greedy human race." She spread her arms out, flapping her wings. "I am the magic. I am what remains of Starlight's body. I am..." She swirled her arms, and all of a sudden, massive rainbow letters appeared to spell out her name, which she then read aloud, "AURORA BOREALIS!"

"What you are is a freak of nature!" Both Sour Sweets called out in sync before they both looked at each other with widened eyes.

"Judge me not for what I am, but rather what I shall do." Aurora waved her arm, and all of a sudden, the mouths of both Sour Sweets had disappeared. "I shall make this moment in the timeline the last in humanity. I shall defeat the Spirits of Harmony, and take control of history. Then, I shall bring about the end of the world, and reset the timeline from the very beginning. No-one will have any memory of the events, and will live the exact same lives over and over again.

"Then, when the Friendship Games comes around, the world will end in exactly the same way." She returned the mouths by clapping her hands once. "Cinch will blackmail Twilight, setting the chain of events off once again. Only this time, instead of Midnight being created, Aurora Borealis will once more destroy and restart time. It shall be an endless circle where no-one's life changes at all. Only then, willl the world finally be at peace, and the darkened future that I and the twelve heroines came from will be erased."

"An endless circle of time..." Future Twilight immediately figured it out. "That was your plan all along, wasn't it, Starlight?!"

"I already told you, I am not—"

"You never wanted to rule Crystal Prep or the world! You never wanted to hurt anyone because Cinch was fired and everyone at CPA changed for the better!" Twilight interrupted, then softly said, "You just wanted me and Sugarcoat back after we abandoned you, isn't that right?"

"That was what Starlight Glimmer wanted. Not me," Aurora Borealis said. "Starlight and her wants are gone now, and all that remains are my thoughts on a world where time never progresses forward beyond the Friendship Games, therefore ensuring peace and harmony for all."

"Your vision of harmony is nothing more than a philosophy that undermines the human species as a whole!" Sunny Flare from the past spluttered. "If we are not allowed to make our own decisions, then we are nothing more than sheep, doomed to walk an existential and endless path that leads to nothing!"

"Wow... Was I always that philosophical?" Future Sunny asked. "Either way, she's right! You can't deny us the right to free will! It's a violation of our rights, and we will not stand for it!"

"Yeah!" The group of friends cheered before hearing that same cry emanate from the students of CHS and CPA.

"Your weak resistance will amount to nothing, humans." Aurora Borealis spread her arms out, causing reality to crack violently. Thousands of splits appeared in the air, and with one mighty downward swing of both of her arms, everyone had been warped to a cosmic rainbow-coloured dimension where gravity ceased to be, causing everyone to float seemlessly. "This is my story, and you barely feature."

"No. This isn't your world, and you have no right to be here!" Sunset spoke, causing her, the Rainbooms, and the Shadowbolts to glow a rainbow-colour themselves. "Our destinies are ours to decide, not yours! And together, we shall prevail, as friends!"

After that setence, the twelve girls were consumed by a third blast of light, and when that vanished, Sunset was in her angel form, but her friends had undergone a change none of them expected. Now, all of the Shadowbolts and Rainbooms were angelic, with glowing wings, horns poking out of all of their heads, and a radiant white light around each of them.

"This is the TRUE Magic of Friendship. The ultimate tool used to prevent evil, and save our world!" Sunset decreed as she and her friends spread their wings out for the final battle. "From Honesty, Loyalty, Generousity, Laughter, and Kindness combined with the core magic inside, this is how we shall win against you!

"Even when our friends are millions of miles away, they're all counting on us!" Angel Twilight added. "All of their hopes and dreams are resonating with their souls. From Red Letter back in China, to King Blueblood, and even to the Defectors who turned everything around and stood up against you. Together, they're wanting us to push on, and push on we will. Because after all..."

"Friendship is Magic!" The twelve girls all shouted together, causing a massive kaleidoscope of lights to rain down on them, and the humans from Canterlot High and Crystal Prep, who were now all smiling at the occurence.

"Very well, spirits..." Aurora Borealis flew far into the background and conjured a powerful stream of magic beneath her fingers. She swirled it around her body, causing the dimension to begin gradually and constantly changing colours. "Let us see what your magic can do against a god!"

The Rainbooms and Shadowbolts dashed towards Aurora Borealis with their hands covered by spheres of magic. When they were close enough to her, they all unleashed huge streams of energy at her.

Aurora merely reached her arm out at the magic, which was compressed down into a thin little line of magic that was quickly absorbed by her. She closed her hand up and threw both of her arms towards the group of twelve girls, firing the exact same magic straight back at them, but at a quicker speed.

Sunset and the girls split up to avoid the blast, the magic just barely scraping their shoes as they dispersed in all directions. They recovered and started to pelt their own individual beams right back at Aurora, who was effortlessly dodging, collecting, or reflecting every shot fired at her.

"I shall erase this world and bring forth a new eternity of peace!" Aurora ripped open a portal with her left arm and fired a laser through it.

Multiple different rifts opened up around, and the laser travelled from one to the other. Where it was going and when it was going to hit next was completely unclear, and each of the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts couldn't keep track of it, and even ended up being struck by it at times.

Sunset Shimmer weaved around Aurora's attack and got up close to her. She fired blasts from her hands and horn, but Aurora merely brought up a forcefield by raising her arms. The sphere took all of the attack before it shattered, allowing Aurora to fire her own deluge of shots at Sunset, who barely had any time to dodge.

"Let's see what this stuff can really do!" Indigo smirked as she rubbed her hands together, creating a massive electric surge of energy between her hands. She threw them forward with her finger tips out, and massive streams of lightning poured out, which all hit Aurora as she was trying to hit Sunset. "Got her!" She fist-pumped as she watched Aurora cry out and stumble backwards.

"Insufferable little twerp!" Aurora lurched towards Indigo and held out the palm of her hand before she opened it and closed it tight, like she was clutching on to something. She made ripples appear in the air around Indigo which then smashed against her, making it seem like she was being sandwiched. "I will see you perish first for your actions!"

"Don't worry, Indigo! I got this!" Sour Sweet flew open and pried the ripples apart with her hands, which were glowing brighter than ever. Letting out a feral cry, she destroyed the spell and let Indigo fly out.

"Why do you persist when you know your actions are pointless?" Aurora clicked her fingers, and a massive explosion erupted around Sour and Indigo just as they were dispersing, knocking them away. "You cannot defeat the very power you hold. It shall always be stronger than your will, your friendships, and anything else you may have to fight with."

"Stop spouting that utter nonsense!" Rarity violently jabbed her finger at Aurora, showering her with extroadinarily sharp jewels in the attempt to do her some massive damage. "The Magic of Friendship has always won in the past, and it shall win once more!"

"Your misguided hope amuses me." Aurora smiled and clapped her hands, stopping the shower and shattering the gems. She then sent all the shards towards Rarity, slashing all of her limbs and leaving her with sizeable cuts. "But I grow tired of this little stage play you are trying to perform."

Gasping at her friend's pain, Fluttershy raised her arm, surrounding Rarity with a bright green glow. In seconds, the cuts were all healed, and she was back to full health. She flew over and said, "Are you alright?"

"Nggh. For the moment, yes." Rarity slowly got up and stared down Aurora once again. "But we cannot rest just yet. Our world is in danger!"

"Aurora! I won't let you do this!" Sunset shot a colossal golden laser from her arms and horn.

"I shall say the same for you and your friends!" Aurora fired in turn, but her laser was rainbow-coloured, and was twice the size of Sunset's. Effortlessly, the magical being pushed Sunset's power back and sent the angel careening towards the humans from the past, who were still helplessly floating in the cosmos.

"What the heck is going on?!" Past Lemon Zest shouted.

"No time to explain! Just try and get everyone to safety while we fight this thing!" Future Sunset leapt back up and darted towards Aurora once again.

Back at the battle, Sugarcoat and Twilight held hands as they took turns in deluging Aurora with their arsenal of magical powers. They rained lasers, called on portals that they could freely move, and even tried to sandwich her with energy. But despite their efforts, Aurora felt no pain, and countered all of their attacks.

"Starlight! Stop this! This isn't how you're gonna win us back!" Twilight called as she started to dodge Aurora's next barrage of attacks.

"I have already told you humans. Starlight Glimmer is DEAD!" Aurora snarled, her teeth gnashed as she lowered her eyebrows. "I am Aurora Borealis! Not that miserable waste of flesh, bones, and hair!"

Aurora weaved multiple magical streams around her fingers, until she created what resembled a nuclear bomb. She kicked it towards the girls and crafted herself an RPG before she took aim at the flying warhead and opened fire. As the rocket left the barrel, she said, "Die, mortals!"

Twilight quickly opened another portal by the nuke as it flew. She made a second one appear behind Aurora, and brought the first one closer to the bomb to swallow it whole. Smiling, she watched as it appeared just behind Aurora before the missile went through as well, colliding with the nuke and unleashing the full destructive results on her.

Aurora screamed as the explosion hit her back and sent her towards the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts, who all started to fire all the spells they had at the crippled deity. As each one connected, she let out small moans and groans, before she was knocked away by both Twilight and Sunset.

"Using my own powers against me?" Aurora crossed her arms and chuckled. "Impressive, Shadowbolts. I expected nothing less from the beings that ultimately doomed the future with their allegiance to the catalyst of their destruction."

"Stow it, Aurora. This isn't your magic anymore. This is OUR magic!" Indigo held hands with Sunset and Rainbow Dash. "We all screwed up pretty big in the past, but together, we're going to clear our names, defeat you, and save the world!"

"What good is saving the world if Principal Cinch will only lead it to its' destruction once more?" said Aurora, as she clicked her fingers, causing all of the humans of the past to appear behind her. "It matters not which way this goes. Abacus and the Shadowbolts will end in ruin. Ruin that they spurred with their own selfishness and greed.

"The Midnight Sparkle that their impetus created led to nothing but mistakes. But I can succeed with the TRUE magic they wished to control, creating a timeline that never ends, where Starlight, Sugarcoat, and Twilight are best friends once more." Aurora Borealis drew a rectangle with her finger, and threw it into the air showing the humans everything that had happened at the Friendship Games before.

As the images flashed through their minds, all of the humans began to hang their heads. They had trouble getting any words out to try and counter what Aurora had shown them. Even Principal Cinch just stared at all that had happened in the screen. The way she spoke in the video, the way she acted, it left her speechless.

"What good is humanity if we can't move on from the Friendship Games?!" Sunny Flare demanded, balling her left hand into a fist.

"My sorrow for the fate of these humans runs deeper than that of any bond you and your girls may share." Aurora clapped her hands, causing the images of the future to vanish. "Do you not understand yet?"

"No, and I don't want to!" Indigo charged forward and charged her hands with lightning. She punched Aurora, but was flung back against her friends when the magic around Aurora's body converged on where Indigo had punched, and then burst out like a torrent of water.

"Your efforts are futile, Miss Zap. Not to mention entirely predictable," Aurora said sternly.

"Then try this!" Sour used her own magic to conjure up a spectral bow and translucent arrows. She loaded up a volley of a hundred of the arrows before launching them at Aurora.

Aurora merely pushed the arrows away with a magical pulse, sending them right back at Sour Sweet. She frowned as each of the bladed projectiles dug themselves deep into Sour's flesh.

"Now it's time to finish you." Aurora's glowing eyes shone brighter as a rainbow aura slowly started to rise behind her.

The rainbow light that towered behind her quickly shapeshifted into multiple different beings that split off into six branching paths. There were three hippocampus heads with glowing eyes, two demonic beings with twisted smiles, and what looked like an angel sprouting out of the top of the aura.

Aurora pointed towards the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts, causing the aura's six forms to mercilessly attack the girls. She smiled in hearing them scream as the monsters hacked and slashed away at their bodies, while Aurora added her own volley of spells to the attack. With one final burst, all six forms fired massive rainbow beams at the girls, causing them to fly backwards through space. She then raised her arms, causing a massive concrete wall to appear out of nowhere behind the twelve angels.

The Rainbooms and Shadowbolts collided with the wall and fell to their chests onto the granite platform that Fluttershy managed to summon with her last breath. They all groaned lightly as the world around them blurred. They could barely make out Aurora Borealis and her aura forms ready to make another fatal attack.

"Time warriors! You've done enough!" Sunny Flare of the past called out from behind Aurora's aura.

As Sour Sweet got back onto her feet, her past self shouted, "What the hell are you doing?! You can't beat that thing!"

"No, girls! There's no point in trying to win this! It's over!" Indigo Zap's past self cried out as the other Rainbooms and Shadowbolts slowly but surely got up, wobbling as they re-opened their eyes.

"The Friendship Games... aren't over... until someone wins. Right?" Future Indigo Zap struggled to speak as she stood straight up.

Yelling, Indigo flew towards Aurora one last time to try and deal her a hit. She was simply swatted away with the back of the angel form's hand. She slid on the platform and stumbled to get up again.

"You fools! This no longer has anything to do with those silly little sports games!" Past Sugarcoat threw her arms to the sides as she addressed the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts.

"Just get out of there! Run! Or fly! Or whatever!" Lemon Zest screamed at the top of her lungs, desperation in her voice with tears flowing out of her eyes.

"It was never... about winning the Friendship Games for us..." Sunset Shimmer breathed heavily as she readied herself for the next round of attacks. "As long as we could spread the Magic of Friendship to Crystal Prep and its' students, that's all we wanted."

"Ready for this?" Future Twilight asked.

"Yeah. One last battle. Win or lose, I had a lot of fun being with you girls." Sunset looked back at the rest of her friends. "Without your kind words, selfless help, and undying trust and loyalty, I don't think we'd have ever come this far. And for that, I'm truly grateful to all of you." She smiled and gave a big group hug to her friends before they turned to face Aurora once again. "Now, let's finish this!"

"GIRLS!" The Rainbooms and Shadowbolts of the past screamed and reached out to try and stop them from going through with the fight.

Before anyone could say or do anything else, an extroadinarily radiant golden light emanated from the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts of the past and future. The magic was so powerful that pillars of rainbow appeared from both of the groups. They arched and crashed together to create a massive rainbow that illuminated the dimension with its' prismatic shine.

"The long lost sacred lights of friendship?! That's impossible!" Aurora called out as the rainbow formed. "They died out eons ago!"

All of a sudden, the rainbow pulled both of the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts from both time periods towards the centre. The twenty-four humans could only watch and be carried through the cosmos towards the heart, where they were consumed by the greatest light they had ever seen.

The past Rainbooms and Shadowbolts became the angels forms that there future bodies had before they all went under a massive change. Smaller rainbows danced around them, causing their Cutie Marks to appear all over their arms and legs. Their bodies had a brighter hue, their wings and horns all became physical, their hairs all gained an extra streak of colour, and their outfits had become magical veils that shone all of the colours in the spectrum.

The magic spiralled around them and flew into their bodies at a rapidly accelerating rate before the flow stopped, and the rainbow that they were inside detonated, revealing a massive ball of white light with a rainbow aura around it. All that could be seen through the whiteness was the outlines of all twenty-four of the humans with their eyes shining brightest of all.

"Whoa..." Past Twilight's jaw dropped at her new form.

"Twilight told me about this form," Sunset smiled at how she and her friends looked. "She said it was called 'Rainbow Power'!"

"Sweet! Now let's end this!" Rainbow cheered as the group charged towards Aurora, who was now flying out into the deepest corner of the dimension.

"The sacred lights were not what I had accounted for. And for that, I must commend you pitiful creatures." Aurora boasted as the girls all flew towards her. "However. This world cannot stand as long as Abacus's actions shall put it back into chaos immediately afterwards. That is why I must do what I must do. I am finished with you and your kind." Her aura swung its' heads and arms back, letting out a massive roar that echoed across the dimension.

"You might be right about what you're saying, but the Magic of Friendship won't be snuffed out that easily!" Future Twilight pointed towards Aurora. "It's the most powerful magic of all; far powerful than anything you can possibly throw at us!"

With that sentence, the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts charged towards Aurora and saw her charging up her next attack. With the shots signalled, the group all spiralled around the lasers and flipped over the magic missiles that were being flung at them. There were so many shots, but they were all able to move faster than any living being and avoid most of them. The ones that did hit, though, merely exploded upon colliding with the orb that they were flying in and dealt them no real damage.

After Aurora ceased fire for a moment, The group of heroines swooped in and threw their arms towards her. They deluged her with a massive meteor shower, with stars that shone each and every colour known to man. As they crashed down, Aurora tried to shield herself, but the attacks were so powerful that they burst through her forcefield and slammed into her vigorously.

"Yeah! Take that!" Pinkie Pie fist-pumped as Aurora recoiled from the impacts of all of the stars.

"Bah! Enough of this!" Aurora clapped her hands, and the three hippocampus heads let out a massive roar, sending red waves of energy through space towards the girls. The noise was louder than expected, and the girls had to cover their ears as their ears were blitzed with the highest amount of decibels thought possible. "Your pasts shall come back to haunt you!"

As the girls tried to fight against the deafening noise, they slowly pushed forward and opened their eyes wider, making their defensive bubble even bigger and cancelling out the sound waves entirely as they quickly clapped their hands. The rainbow waves they sent out were bigger than the ones generated from Aurora's aura, and they pushed her back once more.

"Why?! WHY DO YOU HAVE THIS POWER?!" Aurora roared and threw her own arm forward, causing the two demons to click their fingers.

Within seconds, the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts were blitzed with spells of both flame and darkness. Pillars of fire and meteors hounded them from above and below, while on all corners, they were being assaulted with dozens of balls of black and purple energy.

"Go left! No right! No, not your right! My right!" Pinkie Pie from the past said as they swooped and swerved around the flame attacks while simultaneously trying to shoot down the dark magic orbs.

"It's too much! There's no fucking way we can get through this!" Sour Sweet of the past called out as the magic came crashing down on them faster and faster.

"Don't give up! We can win this!" Future Sugarcoat pushed herself forward along with her past self. "It's like Twilight said: This is the most powerful magic of all. And if she's right, then I believe her!"

"I have to agree with my future self. Twilight is usually right when it comes to facts and figures," said the other Sugarcoat. "And considering that this is the weirdest thing we've ever seen, that's saying something."

"Talk later! Defeat Aurora now!" Rainbow Dash was just barely fending off the attacks that went faster and faster the closer they got to Aurora Borealis.

Before Aurora could make any more attacks, the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts rammed into her, pushing her back once again. All she could do was watch as the girls overwhelmed her with twenty-four beams of colour. They all slammed into her and curled around to make a spiral, making yet another massive laser which hit her aura too.

"Yes! Game over, Aurora!" Sunset Shimmer smiled as she saw their final attack connect with her.

As the blast died down, the group's eyes widened when they saw Aurora was still alive, and her aura was still there. However, she had taken heavy damage, and the light around her was fading.

"You think this is over, you arrogant little stains?" Aurora curled up her fingers to make her hands into claws. "Up until now, I've only been using a fraction of my true power! Now it's time to end this silly little charade once and for all!"

She swung her arm down, and her final part of her aura, the angel, punched a hole in the fabric or reality, causing a massive black hole to form. Absolutely nothing was able to escape from its' gravitational pull. The stars, the planets, the humans from the Friendship Games, and everything else around her was being consumed by the black void, and the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts were now desperately struggling to get away.

"Girls! Keep pushing!" Applejack shouted over the roar of the vortex as the group tried to put some distance between them and Aurora.

"It's a black hole, Applejack! There's nothing that can escape it!" Both Sugarcoats called out at the same time.

"Even so, we have to try! There's nothing we can't do!" Indigo Zap of the future called out as she strained to get away.

"Believe in the Magic of Friendship, and we'll get through this!" Sunset Shimmer cried out as she reached out for the rest of her friends, who all grabbed onto her.

After a few more moments of fighting gravity, the black hole suddenly consumed every part of the universe, leaving the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts stranded with Aurora in an endless void of darkness. There was no light, no stars, no planets, and no other forms of life.

"Even after that attack, you're still standing in my way?" Aurora raised an eyebrow at the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts. "I guess you girls really are something special after all."

"Seriously?" Sunny Flare and Rarity of the past deadpanned together.

"But you still won't be able to stop the world from being reformed. I shall still claim the timeline for my own, and reset everything you girls have worked so hard to accomplish." Aurora's shining body slowly but surely started to turn black as she spoke. "Now, witness my ULTIMATE power!"

All of a sudden, darkness consumed Aurora and her aura. Once she was completely taken by it, the darkness exploded, revealing her newest form. Her usual colourful skin was now radiating a foreboding and malicious shade of red and purple. Her eyes had returned to normal, but her teeth had become sharper and longer. Her hands became claws, and her wings had turned into two sets of demonic wings. The first one made of black raven feathers, and the other being made of red flesh and bone. Her aura was gone, and in place of it was a dark purple stream of energy, with slivers of rainbows inside of it.

"This is the end!" Aurora cackled maniacally in her new form as she stared down the girls. With a simple slashing motion of her left hand, all twenty-four of the humans lost their Rainbow Power and were back to being harmless teenage girls.

"Not the Rainbow Power!" Fluttershy gasped at how she had returned to normal.

"WHAT?! NO!" Sunset cried out as she looked at how her other friends reverted.

"Not quite so tough now, are you?" Aurora smirked maliciously and charged up an immensely powerful spell to rain havoc on the girls. Once her hands took in a massive influx of dark magic, she raised them both up and threw them out to her sides, causing black orbs to shower the girls at incredible speeds. "DIE, MAGGOTS!"

Sunset, Twilight, the Rainbooms, and the Shadowbolts ducked and weaved through most of the orbs, but there were so many of them that it was impossible to evade them all. When one struck them, they were blitzed by hundreds more, and they were thrown around in the shower like ragdolls until Aurora threw them against another wall she conjured.

"Aurora! Stop this! You're letting the magic go to your head!" Sunset cried out as Aurora closed the gap between them instantly.

"Why should I?! You never did!" Aurora kicked the wall, sending Sunset hurtling for the umpteenth time that battle.

"Starlight! If you're in there, don't let this monster control you!" Twilight reached out to her old friend. "This is exactly the same as the times before it. You've let magic rule your life, and you're giving up humanity to embrace it!"

"I already told you for the millionth time: STARLIGHT GLIMMER IS DEAD! NOTHING OF THAT MISERABLE QUEEN OF THE DEFECTORS REMAINS!" Aurora bellowed and grabbed Twilight, only to lob her at her other friends.

"Believe it all you want. Starlight Glimmer is still deep down inside of you, and we won't rest until she breaks free and realizes what she's done!" Sugarcoat from the future looked up at Aurora with fire in her eyes.

"Then you'd better pray that you share the same grave as she does, you blunt little bitch!" Aurora chained Sugarcoat up and slammed her against Sour Sweet and Indigo Zap.

"There's just no reasoning with her." Twilight from the past hung her head as she looked up at the colossal demon of her former friend. "We've tried everything to try and get through to her, and nothing's happened."

"And we can't even get the Magic of Friendship back because that monster stole it." Applejack sighed and looked down at the bottomless abyss.

"It seems like saving the world, our friends, and the future really is impossible now..." Past Sunset closed her eyes and hung her head as well.

"But maybe, with what we do have, we can save something else instead." Future Sunset raised a finger once her idea had been completed.

"What is it, Sunset?" Future Lemon Zest asked.

"Trust me on this, ok?" She gave a warm smile as she helped Lemon up.

All of a sudden, six orbs appeared around Aurora. Five behind her, and one in front of her. She was charging up an incredibly powerful magical attack, but she was meditating, trying to put all of her focus into the destructive power of her final attack. Each of the orbs that surrounded her had the Cutie Marks of each of the Shadowbolts and Rainbooms.

"Everyone! Fly into the magical orbs with your marks on it!" Sunset shouted as she took Twilight's hand and flew towards the centremost orb.

"What?!" The rest of the group chorused.

"It's the only way we can end this!" Sunset shouted back as she and Future Twilight dived into their orb.

Complying with Sunset's words, the other Rainbooms and Shadowbolts gradually gained momentum and catapulted each other into their own respective bubbles. As they entered, they were once more taken by the shimmering lights and vanished entirely.

"Wh-what?!" Aurora stopped what she was doing and noticed that her targets had vanished. "Where are you, you weak little ants?! Show yourselves!" She looked around the darkness but saw only a black nothingness.

When Applejack and Sugarcoat readjusted their eyes to the new lights, they saw golden and silver ghosts in front of them. They looked very much like silhouettes of themselves, only without any faces whatsoever.

"Ah'm afraid ah can't be friends with ya right now. Lotta work to be done on the farm," Ghost Applejack said.

"Friendship is nothing more than an illusion designed to keep children happy. It has no real impact on us when we grow up," Ghost Sugarcoat said.

"That's not true in the slightest. Friendship is a wonderful thing to experience." Applejack walked up to her ghostly doppelganger. "You just need to open your heart and embrace it. I did, and look how far it's taken me."

"Your facts might be true to you, but there are times when even the greatest of minds were wrong." Sugarcoat had a conversation with her double. "The sooner you take your head out of those books, learn to loosen up, and make some new friends, the sooner you'll be happy."

"Don't try to feed us your lies. There is no benefit to friendships," Ghost Sugarcoat shot back.

"Yes there is. You're just not seeing it because you're part of Crystal Prep. You jut let yourself become too engrossed in being honest that you've become less of a person than before," the real Sugarcoat said. "If anything—and I don't mean to joke here—you're just a shadow of your former self."

"Ah've really gotta get back to work. Nothing against you two. I've just got a lot of things to do." Ghost Applejack started to walk away.

"You can put it off, can't you?" Applejack grabbed the shoulder of her double as she turned around. "C'mon. Just give it a chance. You'll soon see just how much of a hoot friendship can be."

A quick flash of light shone through the dimension, and the ghosts suddenly glowed a brighter shade than before.

"Hmm. I suppose there's no arguing there," Sugarcoat's ghost said. "I'll give it a shot, but only for your amusement."

"Well. Those trees ain't goin' anywhere, and it's only the morning, so why not?" Ghost Applejack turned back to face her friend.

All of a sudden, the ghosts merged with the bodies of Sugarcoat and Applejack, giving them back their Rainbow Power forms. After this, the girls were yet again taken by the light.

In a similar plane of existence, Sour Sweet and Fluttershy met with the ghosts of their former selves. Fluttershy's was yellow, with Sour Sweet's being pink.

"Why are you still fighting? Is it because you WANT to lose, huh?!" Ghost Sour Sweet started out nice, but then balled her hands into fists.

"Oh my. I'm such a failure... I'm just gonna run away and hide for the rest of my life..." Ghost Fluttershy whispered and started to back away from her human copy.

"There, there... There's no need to feel so down in the dumps, me." Fluttershy walked up to her spectral double and pulled her into a small cuddle. "You're not a failure. You just need to have your talent recognized a bit more. That's all."

"B-but, what if everyone hates me?" the ghost asked.

"They won't. You've got some great ideas. Some wonderful animal friends, and you look really cute." Fluttershy's cuddle soon turned into a full-blown hug. "If anything, everyone would love you—not hate you."

"What a sappy moment. Such a shame that Aurora's still gonna crush you all!" Sour's ghost butted in.

"Hey! You stay away from them!" The real Sour Sweet got up close to her counterpart and raised her fists. "Don't hurt my friend, or I'll make your life a living hell, missy!"

"Yeah, right! How can a bipolar possibly be kind?" The ghost mocked.

"I know, it's an uphill battle, but I'll keep fighting if it means I can make other people happy!" Sour Sweet pushed her fake away. "I'll make sure that everyone's protected from nasty bullies like you! Now get out of my sight and don't you dare threaten me or my friends ever again!"

The same thing that happened in Applejack and Sugarcoat's world happened here, and the ghosts glowed just as bright.

"Whatever. I'm outta here." Ghost Sour Sweet started to fade away into the real Sour's body.

"Thank you so much. I feel much better about myself, and it's all thanks to you..." Ghost Fluttershy melted in her human body's warm embrace.

Sour Sweet and Fluttershy regained their Rainbow Power and disappeared just like the others.

Rainbow Dash and Indigo Zap met with their own ghostly doppelgangers in their dimension. They were both blue, but Indigo's fake was a shade darker than Rainbow's.

"I'm the most awesomest gal in Canterlot High, and everyone knows it!" Ghost Rainbow boasted.

"I'm not giving up until we win the Friendship Games! Just like every other year!" Ghost Indigo raised her fist into the air.

"Hey, kid. There's more to life than just winning some silly sports event." Indigo slowly walked up to the ghost and helped her bring her fist down. "You're getting too overhyped for it. Calm down."

"C'mon, me. Being awesome's cool and all, but there's no need to be boastful about it," said Rainbow to her counterpart. "If anything, saying how awesome you are is only gonna make you lose friends."

"What a loser. You need to take some classes in how to be like me." Ghost Rainbow pointed towards herself.

"You're just worried cause you think we'll lose. Time for a pep rally. Are. We. Gonna. Win?!" Ghost Indigo shouted in her real body's face.

"Geez. Was I always like that?" Indigo asked herself before she confronted the ghost. "No. Not with that attitude! Just calm down and make friends with your enemy. It's better to be buddies with someone than to beat them and rub it in their face. Doesn't that sound cool?"

Another flash happened, and the ghosts glowed like the others.

"Alright. I'm sorry." Rainbow Dash's ghost calmed down. "Can we still be friends?"

"Yeah. I'm sure we can work something out." Rainbow shook hands with her spirit form.

"I'm sorry too. I'm just too excited for the Friendship Games." Indigo's ghost backed away. "We can still be buds like those two, right?"

"Yeah, girl. We can be friends." Indigo also took the hand of her ghost and shook it.

Just like before, the ghosts vanished into Indigo and Rainbow's bodies, giving them back their Rainbow Power forms. They high-fived each other as the light took them away again.

Rarity and Sunny Flare looked at their own ghostly counterparts in their world. One was pure white, and the other was a shade of aqua.

"Hello there. Would you like to place an order for some dresses?" Rarity's ghost asked.

"I have no personality. I'm just another face out in the crowd." Sunny Flare's ghost sighed.

"You're not a nobody. You've just gotta figure out what you can do and commit yourself to it." Sunny Flare walked up to her spirit form and wrapped her arm around the aqua shoulders of the spirit.

"I would love to make an order, but I'm struggling to think of what I could offer you in return." Rarity scratched her chin. "What could I possibly give a ghost?"

"Oh no, darling. You don't have to give me anything. Just a satisfied smile is all I want from you."

"Well, when you put it that way, I suppose I could help your spirit get laid to rest by fulfulling your needs." Rarity walked up to the white form and smiled at her. "I hope you have a happy afterlife."

"What could I possibly do to make myself unique?" Ghost Sunny looked up at her human body.

"Just be yourself. Whatever you want to do, you do it. Nothing's gonna stop you from letting you discover who you want to be." Sunny Flare gently held onto the ghost's hand. "And who knows? Maybe one day, you'll become really famous for what you can do. Maybe you'll find something you never knew you were good at. But whatever happens, don't stop being yourself, dearie."

The flash occured again, and the ghosts shone.

"Thank you ever so much for your generousity, miss. I won't ever forget this." Ghost Rarity disappeared into Rarity;s body.

"And thank you for giving me the confidence to find myself, dearie." Sunny Flare's ghost did the same.

Once Rarity and Sunny Flare had their Rainbow Power back, they disappeared into another stream of light.

In a fifth dimension, Pinkie Pie and Lemon Zest were having dance-offs with their own ghostly counterparts. The moves from each side ranged from perfect splits, to rapid spins, and even an irish riverdance. But both sides were very evenly matched.

"Gotta say. You're pretty good at this." Ghost Lemon Zest panted after a few more minutes of dancing.

"Thanks. You too." Lemon grinned as she turned the music on her headphones up. "But now the real party's just getting started!"

"Then bring it on!" Ghost Pinkie bent her legs and got ready for the next round of dancing.

It was a long and arduous battle between both Pinkies and Lemon Zests. But in the end, Pinkie Pie and Lemon Zest's real bodies were able to out-dance their opponents with a well-composed series of movements that involved them picking each other up and spinning them, with both of them leaping up, doing a somersault, and landing with a kneeslide with their hands straight in the air.

"That was... pretty cool of you..." Ghost Pinkie was breathing heavily when the dancing ended. "You think we can party like that again someday?"

"Any time, me. You've got some real spirit." Pinkie swung her arm. "Get it?"

"Oh... I get it now!" Ghost Pinkie laughed and fell on her butt before she disappeared into Pinkie's body.

Lemon Zest's ghost then got the joke and mimicked what Ghost Pinkie had done before she vanished into Lemon's real body.

They both got their Rainbow Power back like the other Rainbooms and Shadowbolts, high-fived each other, and then disappeared in a fifth flash of light.

Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle saw what looked like their demonic forms, but as ghosts, just like the others. They were the closest things to being real, however, as their faces could be made out clearly.

"I shall conquer Equestria for myself!" Demon Sunset declared.

"This magic! I must understand it! There's so much knowledge for me to gain!" Midnight Sparkle rubbed the plams of her hands together.

"I won't let you rule my home!" Sunset stepped forward and crossed her arms when her gaze met with that of her old self. "You have no right to be here, and I'll make sure you never terrorize anyone ever again!"

"What makes you think you could possibly defeat me?! I have power, and you are a mere mortal!" She raised a claw at Sunset.

"Magic doesn't mean you're guaranteed to win every fight." Twilight spoke to both demons. "And if anything, you won't be able to learn everything from it. There'll always be more to learn with each new discovery you make. And trying to learn everything will just be a waste of time."

"How pitiful, coming from the same girl who WANTED to see what magic could really do!" Midnight got in Twilight's face and grinned maliciously. "Once Aurora wins, you and I shall see for ourselves the true power of magic, as the world ends and is reborn once more!"

"No you won't! If anything, you're just a fear we got over when we were defeated by the Magic of Friendship." Sunset turned her back to her demon self. "A nightmare isn't scary if you have the courage to face it head on, and I know now that I've changed since then. I can be a loyal, trustworthy, and kind-hearted friend to everyone I hurt with my wrongdoings. And I'm certainly not going to be fazed by your petty threats!"

"Sunset's right! I didn't know what I was thinking back then. I was a fool. A stupid, arrogant, and knowledge-hungry fool!" Twilight held Sunset's hand. "But I've forgiven everyone, and they've had the decency to forgive me in return. I'm not afraid of magic anymore. I'm still wondering what it can truly do, but at the same time, I'm not turning into some megalomaniac who's hell-bent on destroying the world to learn all about it!"

After the next flash happened, Demon Sunset and Midnight Sparkle let out cries of anguish and fell to their knees before they vanished in a puff of black smoke. Pure red and purple magic leaked out of their bodies and flew right back into Sunset and Twilight, returning their Rainbow Power last.

Everyone regrouped in the void of darkness with their magic fully restored as they faced down Aurora Borealis once again. She was still charging for her ultimate attack, but the orbs suddenly exploded, causing her to grunt and recoil at each blast.

"Everyone's got their magic back!" Rainbow Dash cheered. "Sunset. You're amazing!"

"Great thinking, Sunset! Not even I could have thought of that!" Sugarcoat shook Sunset's hand.

"Thank you, everyone. But we're not done yet." Sunset looked back at Aurora, who was still getting back into a fighting stance. "There's still one person we need to save."

"Who?" Fluttershy asked.

"I think I already know who..." Twilight smiled as the group slowly drifted forward.

They took a deep breath, and called out the name as loud as they could, "STARLIGHT GLIMMER!"

Aurora was about to attack, but her eyes widened as she felt something deep inside of her change. Her will to destroy was fading, and a conscious was beginning to form. The colour of her eyes suddenly changed into Starlight's eyes before she overdosed herself with the magic from the future.

As she looked down at Sugarcoat and Twilight, a number of images flashed by in her head. First of Twilight leaving Crystal Prep after the Friendship Games, then Sugarcoat turning down her offer to join the Defectors, and then her hanging her head and crying mildly.

"Starlight? Are you there?" Twilight slowly reached out to her friend.

"H-hey! Stay back, Twilight! I don't need anyone anymore!" Aurora's mind was being overridden by Starlight's. She remembered who Twilight was, and what she was trying to say. "The timeline's almost mine! Don't try to stop me!"

"You didn't want to hurt anyone. You just wanted to make sure that we stayed friends. Didn't you?" Sugarcoat reached out herself.

"St-stop it! You're making me feel guilty!" Starlight took full control of Aurora's body and prepared another attack. But instead of dark magic, she launched rainbow-coloured shots at the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts. They all vanished before they even hit their targets.

"You're only making it worse by trying to fight back." Twilight moved in closer. "Please. Just calm down, and we can talk about this like sophisticated Crystal Preppers."

"Twilight. Do you and Sugarcoat know the reason why I'm doing this?" Starlight sighed.

"Yes. You don't want to lose us again after everything that's happened." Sugarcoat nodded. "But wiping out the timeline and resetting everything won't help at all!"

"I know that after everything I've done, you girls won't forgive me for what I've done. So it's better to just put an end to you now and restart everything from the beginning!" Starlight shot another volley of rainbow orbs, but there were a lot less shots, and they all flew past the girls.

"Forgiveness is the only way to end this conflict." Sunset Shimmer held hands with Twilight and Sugarcoat. "If you can forgive yourself, apologize to the people you've hurt, and be forgiven in return, then the fighting can end, and we can work together to make a better future."

"But after me killing your friends, destroying Canterlot High, and ruining everything you've worked so hard to build, I don't deserve to be forgiven. There's no hope for a monster like me." A small tear formed in Starlight's eyes.

"Yes there is. Me and Twilight have both followed the same path as you have. We let magic get to our heads, and it made us do things we're both not proud of. But we've worked so hard to prove that we can get over it; that we can change for the better. And if we can change, then so can you."

As Sunset spoke, the other girls held each others' hands tightly, forming a massive heart that shone bright with Rainbow Power.

"Girls. I'm not ready for this to end. I'm not ready to lose Sugarcoat and Twilight after all that I've done to them and their friends." Starlight sniffled as the tears in her eyes grew bigger. "So PLEASE! Just stop doing this, and LET ME WIN!"

Starlight's hands were now massive balls of rainbow energy that she clapped together, shooting a titanic beam of magic at the girls that only grew bigger and bigger as she focused all of her energy into it.

"Stop it!" Starlight pleaded, the tears in her eyes now starting to stream out. as the laser got bigger and bigger. "STOP IT NOW!" She screamed as Sunset, Twilight, and their friends tried to withstand the force of the beam. "STOP IT RIGHT NOW!"

Eventually, the magic vanished, the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts were still intact, and Starlight Glimmer was crying her eyes out with her hands over her face as she fell to her knees. "Girls." She choked on her own words. "I'm... I'm... I'm..." Before Starlight could finish, a final burst of light consumed them all.

All of a sudden, everyone was back to normal and at Canterlot High. The humans from before the magical outburst were all present and accounted for, and even the Rainbooms and Shadowbolts of the past were alive and well. Starlight was back in her regular clothes, as were the future girls.

"I'm so sorry, everyone." Starlight cried and buried her eyes in her hands. "I've ruined everything, haven't I?"

"No. Starlight." Twilight slowly walked up to her and gently patted her on the shoulders. "I understand how bad you must've been when I left Crystal Prep for Canterlot High. But you should know that I would've never broken ties with you."

"What good is it now, though? I've almost destroyed everything and everyone. I don't deserve to be pitied..." Starlight resumed her crying.

"Starlight. We're friends. That's all that you need to know." Sugarcoat helped Starlight stand up by giving her a small cuddle. "If you felt lonely, you could've just talked to us. We might be miles apart, but that doesn't mean that we're not friends anymore."

"You could've just called us, and we would've been there for you in a heartbeat." Twilight gave Starlight a hug. "I'm sorry for everything that's happened as well. If I'd known you felt that strongly about my departure, I would've been sure to visit you every now and again."

"R-really?" Starlight's tears slowed down, but were still falling from her eyes.

"Yes. We've both made you feel miserable, Starlight. Some friends we are, huh?" Sugarcoat sighed wearily. "But no more. We're never going to leave your side again. No matter what happens, you'll never have to be lonely again. We'll be best friends forever."

"Do you promise?" Starlight whined gently.

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Sugarcoat and Twilight both recited the Pinkie Promise perfectly with the hand gestures before Starlight returned the hug.

"Thank you. Thank you so much, girls." Starlight's crying finally stopped as she hugged Sugarcoat and Twilight as tight as she could. After so much heartache, pain, and suffering, she had finally reunited with her friends.

"You know. It's funny, really. Everything that I did, I always thought that Canterlot High were nothing more than easy pickings at the Friendship Games." Starlight pulled herself out of the hug and gave a speech to both of the schools. "But after everything that the thirteen of us have done in the future, I can see now that CHS aren't that bad. They're kind, considerate, loyal, generous, and happy with the life they've been given. So what if they're not priviledged like us? That doesn't give us the right to walk all over them like they're dirt.

"We Crystal Preppers have always been so stubborn with everything we've been given, that we never really found the time to appreciate just how marvellous a thing like friendship could be. We were always too engrossed in our studies, too focused into winning, and far too busy with other stuff in the past to even remotely consider the prospect. And now, we've done worse. We've threatened people with our talk of winning, and nearly destroyed ourselves because of it.

"The Magic of Friendship isn't something that six girls can just hog, yes. But at the same time, it shouldn't be used to destroy the world as we know it. Instead, it should be used to make our world a better place; one where everyone can get along, help each other out, and make each other happy with all of the new bonds we make." Starlight stepped forward and put her hand to her chest. "With all of the magic that I've acquired, I've been abusing my power for too long now, and I think it's time that I step down and give someone else a chance in the limelight. There's some real talent from both CHS and CPA, but there's no need to fight over who's better. That's not what the Friendship Games are about. They're about fidelity, good sportsmanship, and kindness to other people. That was how it started, but we just lost our way over time.

"But no more." She looked back at Sunset and the Rainbooms. "What do you think, girls? Should I share the magic with everyone?"

"At first, I would've said no, but after such a heartwarming speech, I'd love to see what the world looks like when everyone can Pony-Up now..." Sunset gave a light smile.

"I'm in as well." Rarity nodded.

"Me too," Applejack added.

"Me three!" Rainbow shouted.

"Me four!" said Pinkie.

"I suppose it would be nice..." Fluttershy whispered.

"Go for it, Starlight!" The Shadowbolts gave her their thumbs up.

"Well then. It's unanimous." Starlight stepped between both sides and shone a radiant shade of pink. "It's time to level the playing field. For real this time!" She floated into the air, still shining bright.

Starlight reached out with her arms and legs, and a series of rainbow pulses emanated from her. Each one coming faster than the last. As the magic streamed out of her body, a rainbow-coloured pillar of light emanated from her and the marks of everyone from Canterlot High and Crystal Prep could be seen as she went higher and higher.

With one final thrust of her arms, the magic expanded across the school, enveloping everyone in its' glow and giving them unicorn horns, pegasus wings, pony ears, tails, and hair extensions. It then went on to take the rest of the world in its' radiance before a blast of light made the magic disperse across all the corners of the planet.

Author's Notes:

There is still an epilogue to come after this, so stay tuned for that.

But first and foremost, I want to thank all of you who read this story to the very end. Your undying support and praise is all that I need to keep going with my fanfictions, to make myself a better writer.

Also, I'm sorry for all of the repetition used in this final chapter, but with actions scenes like this, you have a very limited vocabulary sometimes.

Either way, I hope you all enjoyed it, and I'll see you next time with another story.

Bye!