Rainbow, Adagio, Pinkie, and Sonata all powered down. And there they were, all as before except for a lot more scared and battle damaged. Twilight looked them over in fearfully and turned to where Rarity laid. It was clear she was in no shape to heal anybody.

"We need to get you guys to a hospital," she said anxiously.

"Where, with what money, and how do we explain our injuries?" asked Rainbow sarcastically.

"She's right Twilight. We're just going to have to wait until Rarity recovers," Sunset said depressed. She didn't know how long Rarity would be out but she could see how serious the others wounds were. Rarity wouldn't be able to heal them all at once and who knew how badly they were injured on the inside or how long they could hold out. It seemed wrong to lose someone now, after the battle was over.

"Then we'll have to see if can give her some of our power," Twilight said with a defiant purpose.

She walked over to Rarity and stretched her arms out over her. Sunset followed suit. Finally Sparkle and Shimmer did the same until they formed a circle around her. All five of them began to glow. Rarity opened her eyes and got up. Shimmer and Sparkle moved aside to let her through. One by one she touched each of the wounded and healed them. Once she was done; The Incarnates lowered their arms and the glow stopped.

"Thank you," Rarity said with a smile.

Sunset walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "We don't leave anyone behind, and you are the key to making sure that happens," she said.

Twilight looked around to everyone and smiled. "We did it. We saved the multiverse."

"We also did that," Fluttershy said in a small voice that was equal parts deep depression and horror.

Everyone turned and looked to see what she was looking at. They all gasped when they did. All the monsters they had fought, the demons, had now reverted back to human. The field was littered with body parts and organs. Some corpses were completely mutilated. Others were relatively whole, whole enough to see their faces and look into their eyes.

"My god," Apple Jack said in a hushed voice that was still full of horror and regret.

"They chose their side," Rainbow said bitterly. "Let `em rot."

"Uh, guys, I hate to but into your moral crisis," Shimmer spoke, "but we just brought down an entire mountain. How long until the villagers start coming out to see what's going on?"

"She's right," Twilight added. "We need to go." She then turned to Apple. "Before we do, we need to send a message. The cult is still out there. Factions of it; sects. We need to send them a message that's loud and clear. Apple Jack, can you power up to do something for me?"

"I'll try Twilight. What's it you want me to do?"

*************************************************************************************

The girls materialized back at Sunsets' apartment. Instinctively they looked at the clock hanging on the wall. Two minutes. It had been two minutes since they had left. Well, two minutes since their past selves had left anyways.

"It doesn't seem real," Fluttershy said in amazement.

"It was," Sparkle said. "Right now, we're arriving in Visoko. We're talking, arguing, Apple Jack will make those pods for us, we'll try to sleep but won't be able to, and tomorrow we'll battle demons and demi-gods for the fate of everything."

"And win," Rainbow added full of bravado.

"Did we?" Adagio asked. "Did we win? This doesn't feel like victory to me."

"Me either," Fluttershy added.

"You did," said Flash; "but no victory comes without costs. That's what my dad always told me."

It was then Twilight fully realized that Flash was still alive and back with her. She ran over to him and hugged him so hard he thought she might actually break ribs. At first he just stood there, not sure what he was supposed to do. Then he slowly returned her hug.

Rarity watched the two with a smile. Finally, something real, a tangible good (other than the continual existence of everything), came out of all this. It was then she remembered something the goddesses had said. She whipped her head around to look at Apple Jack and asked in shock, "YOU'RE PREGNANT?"

Before Apple could answer Rainbow asked Pinkie, "And what is this 'darkness' you have in you?"

Apple Jack went first. She explained how she used her powers to become pregnant with Chips' baby the last time they were together. How something in her made her want to have something, some part of him forever. She explained how she was scared and wondered if she had made the right decision because she knew all the pitfalls of being a single, teenage mother brought; but with Chip being dead, the baby was all she had left of him.

"I feel guilty, I do. This poor child ain't never gonna know its' daddy except through the stories I tell of him. And that ain't right. I know that. No child should be without their daddy; I know this first hand; but, I can't get rid of it. It's part of him. And no matter how hard it's gonna be, I can't lose him again. I won't." Apple Jack finished with a tone that was both defiant, confused, and sad.

"You won't have to A.J.," Rainbow said. "We're all here for you. Whatever we can do, we'll do it. This kid is gonna have the most amazing aunts . . ." she paused and looked over at Flash, " and uncle ever!" Before Apple could respond, Rainbow turned to Pinkie. "So what's your story?"

Pinkie then told her about what Maud had said about seeing darkness in her and how since then she had been plagued by nightmares in which she killed all her friends and family members.

"When those monsters turned back to people, and I saw what they looked like, what we had done, I didn't feel guilty of bad about it. Part of me actually enjoyed it. What I am supposed to do with that? How can I live with that?" she asked. She had been working through everything, she thought she had been over it to a point. Now, she knew better. She understood that there was a very real part of her that enjoyed hurting and causing pain to others.

"Oh shut up!" Adagio scowled. She walked up to Pinkie and stood face to face with her. Everyone prepared for the worst. "You killed people who were trying to kill. So what? You enjoyed it? Ok, fine. I just found out that I have the blood of millions, heck, billions of people on my hands. Not just murders but innocent men, women, and children. I feel that. I own that. I've been given the worst fate of all - the ability to see the full consequences of my actions."

She turned to the others. "You all live so blindly. You go about just doing what you do in the little amount of time you have here; oblivious to what your actions actually mean. You're rocks, thrown into a pond. You sink and look at everything you see on your way down; never knowing, never comprehending, never even thinking about the ripples your arrival made when you hit. I've seen the impact of my ripples. They've been made manifest before me and it crushes me. You, you have a light inside you that keeps you in check. I never did. And, frankly, part of me wishes I never did those things but another part wishes I was the same person I was so I at least could take enjoyment in them. But I'm not. I'm not that person anymore; yet I have to live with the consequences of her actions, endure the guilt of them. So boo-freaking-hoo on you."

Pinkie clenched her fist. Her face boiled with a seething anger, a rage. Before she could attack, Sonata gently put her hand around Pinkies' wrist. She looked at Pinkie, then at Adagio. "Those are my sins as well Dagi. I was there right beside you. I own them as much as you. I wish I could change them but I can't so I have to accept it." She turned to Pinkie. "Just as I told you, you have to accept your darkness." She then turned back to Adagio. "All I can do now is go on and try my best to make amends and hope it's enough. And saving everything is a pretty good way to start," she finished with a laugh and a smile.

Pinkie smiled and welled up a little bit. "I love you Sonapie," she said and kissed Sonata on the cheek.

"Love you too Pinata," she replied happily and kissed her back.

"The Goddesses were right," Fluttershy spoke up. Her voice was soft but firm. "The battle might be over but we will be dealing with the fall out for the rest of our lives. Our boyfriends were murdered; our friends and for some their family members. We killed. Plus in Flashs' case, he was kidnapped, tortured, and possessed. Apple Jack is pregnant, Pinkie is dealing with a side of her she never knew existed, I have my issues with my father I'm working out, Twilight and Flash have their relationship they have to work out. The battle is over but not our lives and we still have and always will be dealing with the after math."

They all fell silent. The full weight of Fluttershys' words all hit them. A battle was over but the war, the war within, was only beginning and would never end until the day die they died. The sat down on the couch, on chairs, on the floor, wherever they could. Each brought down by the full weight of what they now understood.

After a bit, it was sparkle that broke the silence. "So now what? Flash has been missing a week almost. What do we do with him? How do we explain where he was? And what about the others? The other boys? We still have practical issues to deal with."

"I'll go to the cops," Flash said. "I'll tell them I escaped and as much of the truth as I can. I can . . .," he stopped for a minute as tears choked in his throat, "I can show them where the bodies are."

"But you look fine," Twilight said, concerned. "You've been healed. Do you think they'll believe if you go walking in there without any injuries?"

"Well, I guess I'll need some then. If you punch me now, give me some bruises and cuts and stuff. I'll go in tomorrow and say I escaped just as they were talking me to kill me."

"I don't know," Twilight was reluctant. If nothing else, she didn't think she could hurt him.

"It'll be ok." He turned to Rainbow, "Rainbow, you're the warrior, mind doing the honors? Just take it easy. I want to be convincing, not Oscar worthy."

Rainbow nodded. "I will. Um, Twilight, you still may want to look away."

Author's Notes:

I'm hoping to wrap this up in 2 more parts. One more chapter for Aftermath and an epilogue. I know I've been saying how I was going to be finishing for a while but I didn't realize just how much I had left yet (and that's with cutting things out). So please be patient, we're almost there (I promise).