*Ponyville, Equestria; June 7, 2021; 6:59 AM*

Yang slowly opened her eyes, still bone tired over everything that happened the day before.

'Burning Evolution definitely helped a lot, but it uses up Aura way too quick... I really gotta watch how I use it..' Yang resigned, wincing at the headache.

"Morning, Alex... You sleep ok-?"

Yang quickly discovered that Alex wasn't asleep next to her.. His space on the bed went cold probably hours ago, and he'd left a note.

Yang~

Let's be honest here, are you even surprised by this anymore?

Anyways, I left to check on Our Auburn, since I have no clue where the Future Ones ran off to. After that, I'm headed off for that wish.

I know you'll want to see me again, but if things go right...

You won't even remember me.

-Alex

Yang dropped the letter in shock, punching through the wall and leaping towards the Gate.

"Hey, lady, you can't-!" The Guard shouted.

"Out of my way!" Yang shouted.

Sweeping through the Gate's log, she found the culprit she was looking for.

Name: Walker, Alexander

Time: 6/7/21; 6:45 AM

Destination: Nihilos 0-01 Gamma; Downfall

WARNING: RESTRICTED ACCESS

CLASS VII PASS REQUIRED

-Class VII Identification Logged

"Class 7? I've only ever heard of Class 6, and that's for Huntsmen and other warriors only.. What the hell did he get himself into?" Yang wondered as she pounded the coordinates into the transporter, and quickly jumped inside.

*Meanwhile; Inside the Centrum*

Alex, along with Minerva, stepped inside the main lair of the Illuminati's Leader.

The Man himself had been so elusive that nobody but Minerva, the next in line for the title of Leader, knew his true identity.

"Minerva. What a pleasure it is to see you again. Alexander, I assume you have something for me." The Leader concluded.

"That's why I'm here in the first place." Alex shrugged, revealing the five-star Stardust Dragon Ball.

"Excellent work. I can certainly attest to the trouble one has to go through to retrieve these artifacts. Having to do so with people you do not trust makes the task infinitely more infuriating, yes?" The Leader asked facetiously.

Alex narrowed his eyes, unable to read the man.

"May I at least know the name of my client?" Alex asked.

"I figured you would ask, but now is not the time for answers, now is it? You are, as of late, a man of buisiness, are you not, Emphas?" The Leader inquired.

"If you want this last Dragon Ball, I'll need a few."

"Ah, I see. I am withholding information, and you are withholding our prize. It would be fair under normal circumstances, but that would largely be counter-intuitive. It is your wish, after all."

"First question, If you needed these so goddamn badly, why're you letting me use the only wish?" Alex demanded.

"Excellent question. Minerva?" The Leader gestured.

"You see, the events of the past two years, while beneficial in terms of recruitment, have been.. troubling. Many key members have either died or been excommunicated and forced into hiding. We want most of our conscripts, and you.. You want to lift a burden off of your shoulders. Is that true?" Minerva asked.

Alex cast a glare at them both.

"Let's get this over with.." Alex urged.

"I see. You sense her presense too." The Leader figured.

"Wait, what?!" Alex jumped, scrambling to find a familiar energy signature and finding..

"Yang Xiao Long-Walker. I wonder as to the purpose of her visit." The Leader sat.

Right on cue, Yang barged inside, gauntlets raised in Alex's direction as her Aura exploded in a multi-colored light.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Yang demanded.

"Setting things right." Alex replied.

"By wishing yourself out of existence?!" Yang shouted.

"Please, if anyone here's about to kill me, it's gonna be fuckin' you." Alex scowled.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"ENOUGH!" The Leader shouted, standing from his seat.

As if by instinct, Alex and Yang stood side by side, weapons raised.

Straightening himself out, Alex stepped aside, glaring at Yang.

"Don't think this changes anything."

"Last night definitely changed something." Yang retorted.

Alex turned away, facing The Leader.

"Now, then. Mrs. Walker. I will kindly explain the situation. The good news is Alex does not intend to kill himself at this time. Our wish, however, will make right a number of wrongs." The Leader explained.

Alex rolled his eyes at the mere mention.

"Mrs. Walker. That ship sailed the second she found me again." Alex mentally grumbled.

"Mr. Walker. Shall we continue?" The Leader demanded.

"We shall. What're we gonna do about Yang?" Alex wondered.

"We are not going to do anything. We ask she only take an oath of silence. Much like the oath that you yourself broke." The Leader berated.

"I had to explain myself somehow, or would you rather have lost your prize the second Yang punched through my face?"

"I suppose. While we have other agents, almost none of them can go toe-to-toe with the All-Maiden." The Leader mused.

Alex, Yang, and Minerva followed behind the leader to the top floor of the Centrum: An ornately decorated, onyx-colored room. with only the blazing red sun illuminating the dark room via a glass panel at the top of the pyramid-shaped room.

At it's center, The other six Stardust Dragon Balls.

"So. You just dropped them off here after you found them?" Yang wondered.

"Yes. It;s standard procedure to make sure they don't lose any. Almost nobody knows or is allowed to know about this dimension, that's why barely anyone's heard of the kind of classification needed to travel here." Minerva explained.

The Leader placed the final Dragon Ball in the center of the six-ball circle as they all began to glow an ethereal blue.

"Ex stellas Draconis, exurge ad ordinem!" The Leader chanted

The glow intensified until the room turned purple and the sky itself darkened.

The whole room seemed to vanish around them as a monstrous blue glowing dragon appeared before them.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Yang jumped backwards.

"That is the Stardust Dragon... Lustris." Minerva bowed.

Lustris looked below at the two members, and glared at the outsiders.

"It pleases me to see you once more, Artura. However, it concerns me that two outsiders have made their way into this very room." Lustris began.

"Alexander was hired to retrieve the Dragon Balls. The woman followed him like ashes follow a flame." The Leader defended.

Alex cast Yang a glance, before looking up at the Dragon.

"Now then. State your wish." Lustris demanded.

As Alex went to speak, Minerva raised her hand as a strange yellow magic held him back.

"What the hell is this?!" Alex demanded as the yellow magic formed a bubble around his mouth, preventing anyone hearing his voice.

"Wait a second..!" Yang realized as the Magic covered her as well.

"Lustris, my old friend, The destructive conflicts of late have resulted in the loss of many great warriors. The most recent attacks by Raven Branwen and her daughter have wiped out the Inheritors in our grasp. Therefore, Dragon, I wish back the lives of every warrior who has died in the Inquisitor Wars, and the Insolents' Rebellion!"

'Well, at least... WAIT A GODDAMN SECOND.' Alex thought as his eyes widened.

The mysterious yellow magic that Minerva was using...

"Sit the f**k down!" Wildcat shot him with a marksman pistol.

Rufio suspended the bullet in the air and flung it right back at Yang. Hard.

He sent the rest of the crew flying backwards, suspending them as the Red Star ripped them apart. This time, Mini and Droidd stood suspended...

'N-No way..!' Alex gasped in shock

..."Why you..!" Yang launched herself at the Inquisitor, who held her in the air for a period of time.

"I will not kill you, Yang Xiao Long... Not immediately." Rufio tightened his grip, choking the life out of Yang and depleting her Aura fast before finally decimating it, leaving her unable to heal for the remainder of the battle.

He finally drew out his blade, and pulled her towards him fast, slashing her in the side and leaving her there...

Alex turned to face Yang, who he knew came to the same conclusion..

'That's the same magic Gamma used... The Illuminati have been playing the Inquisitors, Inheritors, and Chronicai for years!' Alex concluded in horror.

And if The Leader, Arturis, wished for every warrior from the time Summer Rose and Chūkan were killed... He literally meant every warrior.

Both Cinders... Alpha... Winchester... Iron Talon.. Rufio Vincent... ALL OF THEM.

"Your wish has been granted.." Lustris concluded as the Stardust Dragon Balls spun in a circle, ascending to the skies before they all scattered in different directions, disappearing from the dimension itself.

The room returned to a dark red color, and Minerva let the two go as Alex transformed to his Enlightened Berserker.

"DO YOU FUCKING BASTARDS REALIZE JUST WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!" Alex roared, unsheathing his sword and leaping for Arturis' throat.

Arturis blocked Alex's blade with a golden-flamed palm.

Alex proceeded to hack and slash the bastard, trying his absolute hardest to find a killing blow before Arturis finally faltered, and Alex went in for the kill.

Minerva used her own magic to grab Alex's sword before Yang leaped into the fray, throwing a flurry of punches at Minerva as Alex continued to press his attack against Arturis.

Arturis fell back, and crossed his arms, preparing for a burst.

"ENOUGH!" The burst blew everyone onto the ground, leaving Alex in shock.

"I knew from the beginning that you would be too dangerous for the Order. I am only doing as you wished: Undoing the damage you have caused." Arturis scolded.

"By resurrecting the Inquisitors? Y'know, the people who were going to literally cause the apocalypse, and actually succeeded in destroying cities, villages, even an entire KINGDOM?" Yang scowled.

"Not just The Inquisitors, you fools. I'm resurrecting everyone. Inheritors, such as Raven and Sirius, even the Insolents themselves. I'm resurrecting your parents, the Equestrian Leadership, The Fairy Tail member that died in your fight against Lilith. Everyone." Arturis explained.

"You won't get away with this shit! Twilight and Mako were veterans of that war, imagine their reaction to you bringing back the Inquisitors entirely!" Alex shouted.

"I've had enough of this." Arturis raised his hand as a portal to Ponyville formed behind him, and force-pushed them outside, closing it behind them.

With the two of them back in Ponyville, and the only ones who knew what had transpired, Alex started to walk away.

"What are you doing now?!" Yang demanded.

"I... I give up." Alex sighed.

"What?!"

"Thanks to that bastard, The Inquisitors are back. Whenever I get involved in this shit, even if I try to do the right thing.. It always comes back to bite me. I'm staying out of this." Alex shook his head.

"Oh, come on! You had no way of knowing!" Yang shouted.

"Maybe, but that doesn't excuse my involvement in all of this!" Alex replied.

"Alex, Auburn needs you, the older kids need you.. and.."

"Don't say it." Alex turned away.

"... I need you too.." Yang sighed.

Alex turned around.

"Look. I tried to help and fucked everything up. If I can't even make sure that the Inquisitors stay dead, then I shouldn't be a parent. I'd rather Auburn not know her step-father... or her actual father, note to self: kill him again, than to have her stepdad be a complete fuck-up who didn't even finish High School."

"Alex. Stop." Yang grabbed his shoulder.

"Yang.. Please. I can't do this shit anymore.." Alex nearly begged.

"So, that's what's going on."

Alex turned to his right, and gasped with shock.

"Oh, hey Geets!" Yang greeted with a smile.

"Shut up, Kaka- ahem... I mean.. Just, shut up and listen to me." Vegeta commanded.

"Yeah, what's up? I understand you've been training Cade. How's that going?" Alex wondered.

"He's just like his father: weak and incompetent." Vegeta smirked.

"Oh, fuck off." Alex glared.

"He actually has some talent. but that's not why I'm here.."

"Wait, If Cade's with Vegeta, who the hell trained Auburn? She got a crap-ton stronger. I swear, she has her mother's arm." Alex asked, rubbing his still-aching wounds.

"That was me." Yang grinned proudly.

"WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP AND ALLOW ME TO SPEAK?!" Vegeta shouted.

"Ok."

"There's someone who's been asking for you. Actually, there are a couple of people asking for you." Vegeta explained.

"Ah, shit. Who?" Alex grumbled.

"Hmm.. You've grown since we last met, Alex." a gentle voice greeted.

Vegeta moved to the side, with the kind visage of Summer Rose smiling back at him.

"MOM?!" Yang gasped.

"Summer? So.. You're aware of what's going on?" Alex asked.

"Unfortunately so. However, it is a necessary wish, Alex." Summer explained.

"Necessary?! How is reviving the Inquisitors, arguably the most dangerous organization in the whole goddamn multiverse, NECESSARY?!" Alex demanded.

"It's because the threat the Illuminati has it's hand on is a thousand times worse than we could ever be, Saigo." A darker voice declared.

Alex and Yang took a step backwards at the sight of who accompanied Summer Rose.

Saisho Emphas..

"Omega." Alex glared.

Author's Notes:

And that's the End of the Wake of Corvus Arc!

Now, I still have to work on Shadepoint, but after that, the Final Arc of Blood Red Shadows II is FINALLY upon us!

I'm also considering other options for the Next Tale of Shadows.

A. a Prequel to the Blood Red Shadows storyline explaining what happened with Alex's elder brothers and Summer Rose.

B. A technical Sequel explaining Cade and Auburn's timeline.

or C. A What-If series. Each question would take 2 or 3 chapters to explain the fallout of each change, but it would be kinda interesting to think:

What if Alex had actually done the smart thing and told Twilight and Celestia what happened to him in the Beginning of Blood Red Shadows I?

What if Alex kept the Prometheus Charge for his second fight with Cinder?

What if Alex and the Vanoss Crew had been dropped post-Volume 3?

What if Alex's first dimensional drop led him to the events of the MLP Movie?

Anyways I'm done rambling. Happy Reading!

-The Destoyer