Nightmare, formerly Countess, Mircalla was afraid. True, on some level the fear gnawing from the inside of her chest was for herself; but the vampiress had centuries to learn the limits of selfishness. Life grew boring when one only considered themselves after the first fifteen decades. Instead, she was fearing for those around her. Not a shred of care was cast for the fanatical unliving that made a majority of her forces. She’d loathed their very existence since Apostle desecrated their bodies and stuffed the souls of his lackeys into them. Instead, she was reminded of whom she fought for with every heartbeat her vampiric senses, heightened by the Nightmare force, could detect. The dire wolves who’d served her kind, a small contingent of vampires both from her own castle and others beyond, and a handful of sorcerers or soldiers who had fled the failed battle at Ponyville to join the other remnants. Some swore loyalty to her especially, others likely barely knew the last of the Nightmare Generals, but Mircalla had them all on the mind because of how scared she was for them. The hour of the plan for Canterlot was drawing close and she was on a train approaching the station with no brakes. Every second that ticked by as they closed in on the mountain felt like the weight of Nightmare Moon’s helmet compounded unto itself. She was a leader, as undesirable as that position was right now, and she was leading them all to uncertainty.

-If we succeed, Nightmare Moon is restored, thousands of Celestia-aligned dead in a matter of hours, Canterlot razed; and Princess Celestia out of the picture. And that means all of them, all the living around me, are now under the rule of Nightmare Moon; whom would be low on forces. Who else would she use as her new hoof soldiers? Probably raise and desecrate more dead as well…. Honor to her or not, all whom I reigned over as Countess would suffer under the mad alicorn.-

She winced, closing her eyes to try and force her mind to contemplate under the crushing weight of the starry blue metal helmet she bore.

-And if we fail, they all have their lives to be damned. Celestia’s loyalists would never forgive such an attack, they’d be hunted to the last soul regardless of Celestia’s wishes or not. Many of them, my subjects from the north, they don’t even want to be here. But if they leave, the fanatics and the raised dead would turn upon them like a horde of locusts. Then there is the matter of young Miss Shimmer and her companion…-

The enhanced vampiress let her mind puzzle and contemplate for hours. By the time she even reacted to the world around her, it was from her army coming to a stop. A mare poked her head into Mircalla’s tent.

“My lad- I mean, Nightmare’s Avatar. We have come to the cave.”

Mircalla stood up and studied her features. She knew this vampiress from the castle. She was the maid, Spotless. It took much nerve for Mircalla to not frown at how nervous and ill-suited the poor girl looked when clad in layers of dark plate armor. Nightmare Mircalla stood up and stepped out, walking past her aid and advanced to the front of the army. Her forces were pulled to the sides before a massive cave entrance, looking to and either bowing or cheering for their leader as she took the point at the cave mouth and turned around.

“Soldiers of the night, the precipice of our long march has come. Behold!-”

Mircalla, begging a small moment of levity for herself to play up some dramatics, partially turned and waved a hoof towards the cavern behind her. But even as she gave a rousing speech to the Nightmare Horde, her mind was plagued with the exact same implications played to the worst value.

“-The Canterlot Caverns! A dried cave system that stretches out from the Everfree and leads directly to the bottom of Canterlot mountain. This is its only entryway, an exit will be made at the climax of our plan.”

-A climax that will kill thousands and forever mar us. No chance at forgiveness.-

“Due to the entrance’s presence in the Everfree, none in the city or beyond it know of its existence.”

-They can’t hope to see us coming. It will be inevitable.-

“And once we reach below the base of the mountain, we will unleash this!”

She motioned to the large cart being hauled by teams of dire wolves, nodding to the warlocks attending it to rip the cover off. Exposed to sight, many in the horde whooped, roared, and screamed cheers once they saw the massive lunar insignia upon the large hunk of obsidian.

“A mana bomb, generously donated to our cause by our supplier. It contains enough compressed energy that upon activation, it will blast upwards with the force of a thousand tons of dynamite. More than enough to tear the mountain asunder, and with it-”

-And with it, any hope at a Nightmare Moon-free world.-

“-Canterlot!”

Mircalla grimaced at her own damnation, the roar of applause by hundreds of revenants and monstrosities. She couldn’t feel Mizu’s eyes or eye, she still wasn’t sure which, upon her; but if it was watching she was sure it’d be casting some equivalent to a grin.

“Forward! Those risen from the grave take point and advance, clear any Everfree beasts that might be hiding in the caverns. Search and destroy, search and destroy! I will join the efforts shortly, vampires and the un-risen, defend the mouth of the cave!”

Mircalla echoed a hollow vow as the risen parroted a hallowed one, the vampiress feeling weak just hearing it.

“For the True Goddess.”

The crowd of fanatical monsters raised their weapons and followed their command with unholy fervor, charging forth with a sickening declaration.

“FOR THE TRUE GODDESS!”

They rushed past her in the final leg of their crusade, blood thirsty and starving. Nightmare Mircalla stood by stoically as the hordes of revenants and shadows filed past her, thundering the ground. Her eyes only broke their forward gaze briefly to trail the carted mana bomb going past her. After a minute, the charge rumbled behind her and Mircalla looked upon those that remained. Her army looked so much smaller now. A dozen dire wolves, having been removed from their cart hitches by the shadows who replaced them. A pair of living warlocks, looking to their leader in confusion while some tried to take up points nearby as sentries to hold the cave entrance. There was triple the number of vampires, many of which were from Mircalla’s castle. She recognized those familiar to her. Spotless, the maid who nervously tested her helmet that barely fit her. Backsword, one of the few military-trained Mircalla had successfully turned trying to get between the others and any dangers in the Everfree that may attack from the flanks. Bismuth, a smith in normal life whom still looked awkward holding a war hammer and not his forging one. Many of her flight looked at Mircalla with expressions that read as easily as single-word signs.

They didn’t want to be here. They wanted to go home.

Nightmare Mircalla looked to her forces without motion before shrugging.

“Warlocks, step forward.”

The duo did as commanded, black robes with lunar symbols coming before the vampress. One warlock pulled off his hood. He was a younger stallion, Mircalla would gauge him at his early twenties and already showing signs of mutation from dark magic. His coat was diluting in color with dark blotches beginning to grow over it. One eye was stilted like Nightmare Moon’s and the other was caught at the halfway point. Nightmare Mircalla could almost pity the poor soul. The unicorn stallion glanced around briefly before daring to speak up.

“Avatar of the Night, why aren’t we guarding the cave or advancing with the troops? Should we not aid in bringing about the forever night?”

Mircalla’s horn lit up and a circle of magic appeared on the ground between the warlocks and herself. The symbols that lined the circle lit up and a swirling mass like a whirlpool of water appeared between them; making the circle resemble a spiraling mirror. For all the downsides, Mircalla did mentally add massively boosted magical power to the perks of putting on this accursed armor she couldn’t remove.

“Step forth. Your mission is of a particular one.”

The warlocks did as commanded and as soon as they did, there was a flash of light like a crack of lightning. In an instant the duo had vanished entirely, leaving a shocked and baffled pack of vampires and whining dire wolves in their wake.

Rodan and Princess Sunset Shimmer thankfully slept into the morning free of incident after the former’s frightening run-in with Fluttershy. Refreshed from the rest they were quick to resume trailing the hoofprints and beaten paths the nightmarish army had taken as they had before. One thing that had changed from before however was the unicorn mare’s demeanor. Previously Rodan would have pegged her behavior of him somewhere between barely tolerating and perpetually angry. Truth be told had he been a kaiju of lesser patience or didn’t respect Princess Celestia enough to want to help her daughter, he wouldn’t have put up with it. Some other Guardian Beasts like Anguirus or Varan likely wouldn’t have. But that had changed since she rescued him from the enhanced revenants.

He expected her to wake up, see how close they’d gotten in their sleep, and shove the gryphon away with a haughty remark about personal space invasion; maybe peppered with an insult. Instead he woke up to a pressure around his middle, a hug, and her quietly asking,-

“Are you okay? Anything hurt?”

In the present, Sunset looked to Rodan when they reached a particularly large gap whose bridge had fallen down; likely demolished by the army to slow any tracking them down. The unicorn nodded to her companion and reached up, letting Rodan gently grab her around the middle and airlift the two of them across the gap without a word of protest. She even gave him a small smile after he landed and put her back down. Rodan beamed back, walking alongside the princess.

“Well, you seem… nicer.”

Sunset Shimmer sighed, lips puzzled briefly as her ears lowered.

“My earlier behavior nearly got the both of us killed. To be honest I’m surprised you stuck around.”

Rodan just shrugged his wings and waved a paw offhandedly.

“You had your reasons, stress most of all; and I had my reasons. Still, definitely enjoying this new you more. Can see the familial resemblance to your mother now, assuming she’s like the Celestia of the Equestria I ended up at.”

“Is she wise, strong, and treats everyone like she loves them?”

“When she’s not slamming them into a wall to get them to stop fighting, sounds about right. If this is the cut of a pony you really are, I could get used to it.”

Sunset Shimmer let herself sport a smile, face reddening slightly from both embarrassment and the compliment. The recollection of Rodan’s words however caused a stir in his companion.

-”Mother.” “Mother.” “Mother”.... “She killed my mother.”-

The unicorn’s drooped demeanor from her deep thought, as unusual for her as her previous signs of affection, wasn’t something that skipped her companion’s attention for long.

“Hey, Sunset.”

He grunted while gently nudging the unicorn with his wing. Sunset Shimmer snapped back to the present, shaking her head for a moment and looking back at the gryphon.

“Huh!?”

“You zoned out. What’s the thought you got cooking behind your horn?”

“... That vampiress.”

Rodan paused for a moment, the air of seriousness choking the conversation for a time before he dared resume it. With how Sunset was right now and the situation they were in, setting her off again was last thing he’d want on an agenda list.

“Oh… What about her?”

“Well, she killed my mother… So.”

“Soooo?”

Sunset Shimmer blinked a few times as she pursed and puzzled her lips, ears flopping up and down.

“... How did I get to the orphanage?”

“No one brought you there?”

Rodan chirped with a tilted head, causing Sunset to shake her own head in response.

“No. Tender Care, my caretaker until I was adopted, said I was dropped off. Knocks on the door, but nopony around.”

“Maybe some good samaritan found you and put you there?”

“Yes but, that means they’d have to have fought off Mircalla too.”

“Any chance Mircalla could have overlooked you? Were you even the target?”

“No, I don’t think she could have. I don’t remember words really, just noises of her and my mother talking. The only thing I recall clearly was her face… that face just- staring at me in the eyes. She'd targeted my mother for me.”

Rodan extended a wing and put it around the unicorn, earning a sigh and a gentle nudge in thanks.

“Well-”

The gryphon muttered, shrugging.

“-always could ask her once we find a way to beat her. If we take a big enough chunk out of her army we could buy time to get Princess Celestia’s attention. If we can’t beat Mircalla down to give her a talking to, she could.”

Sunset Shimmer went silent to think. On one side of her mind, the idea of filling in the biggest question mark in her life was beyond tantalizing; gnawing at the inside of her skull. She was content in life, with her family, her friends, her homes. But the question of why had lingered over her head like a dark cloud for over a decade. This part of Sunset Shimmer, the one that previously led to her mentally shutting down in fear; pestered for the truth.

Running contrary was the ravenous, enraged demon that sweltered inside her conscious. When she saw Nightmare Mircalla, she didn’t just see the current face of the dire threat at hand. What she was looking at now in her mind’s eye was literally the embodiment of everything Sunset Shimmer saw as wrong with the world, evil both old and new condensed to a singular form. This part of Sunset Shimmer was a roaring fire that flared up briefly, making demands.

How dare she even contemplate a scenario where Mircalla lived for a second more? It would be a sin to the world to permit that vampire bat, that unnatural beast any moment of life! Such was a stain to her birth mother’s memory and a threat to her actual mother’s existence. This part of Sunset Shimmer, the one that previously led to outbursts of rage, demanded revenge.

Princess Sunset Shimmer pulled Rodan’s wing off her after a long span of silent thought, struggling with herself. The stubborn gryphon’s presence in this whole ordeal turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Had she endured a mental civil war like this without an accomplice to help her stay anchored she’d probably have been bursting at the seams. Instead, Sunset Shimmer looked ahead with a stoic, if slightly troubled expression.

“I shall cross that road when we reach it. For now we need to deal with the army.”

“Well fortunately I have a plan for that.”

They kept walking for a time, keeping mind to watch their flanks to avoid ambushes, when they were stopped by a barrage of muffled, distant sounds. What exactly it was as they ducked into some shrubs for cover remained unknown until the barking and squeaking drew closer. In a sudden instant, a large flock of bats and multiple canines the size of large horses, dire wolves, sprinted down the trail the army had taken in the opposite direction before diverting off another fork in the road. Sunset Shimmer and Rodan didn’t emerge from the shrubs until the sounds of the beasts were but a memory. Glancing to one another to steel their nerves, they both cautiously paced back down the trail with magic and mana beams at the ready. They continued on for several minutes until they reached the point that darkness and the massive collage of hoofprints met. Rodan and Sunset stood before the mouth of the cave, stopping short of the curtain of darkness the cave mouth emitted. They checked their surroundings, making sure they were indeed alone. Aside from some shredded leather that looked like it had once been reins and a burned circle etched into the ground, there wasn’t a single sign the army had been through this spot aside from all the prints. Rodan hovered up above the cave mouth and took a whiff of the air to ensure there weren’t any hidden sentries, before powering down.

“Looks like it’s all clear. Those pooches look familiar to you?”

“Dire wolves-”

Sunset Shimmer muttered as she held up some of the torn leather, matching it from memory to the reigns the dire wolves had been wearing while they pulled some of the army’s equipment.

“-the same ones we saw earlier. And if I had to guess, those bats were probably vampires too.”

“The big one?”

Sunset Shimmer glanced at the hoofprints, seeing one particularly large track set in the middle. She put her own hoof in such a track, gauging how much larger the maker had to have been in comparison to herself. She shook her head as Rodan landed next to her.

“Not unless she headed into the cave, then immediately turned around. Probably was lesser vampires that came along with her. Looks like they and the dire wolves broke off the main body of the army.”

Rodan puzzled, glancing over the cavern before puffing a small fireball that sailed forward a short distance, lighting up the first ten meters of the cavern up before dissipating. Despite it looking like there were several good places to lay in wait for an ambush for anyone whom might be pursuing the army inside, there weren’t any signs of life inside the mouth of the cave just as it seemed for the outside of it.

“No one standing guard in there either. Any chance the vamps got cold feet, grabbed the wolves and ran for it?”

“Unlikely. Vampires can’t disobey the will of whomever sired them and that thing leading the army is clearly an ancient one if she was one of Nightmare Moon’s generals. Vampires can command some types of animals, wolves included. So the dire wolves weren’t deserting either.”

“So, how do we explain them leaving?”

Sunset Shimmer looked to the forest in the direction the vampire bats and wolves had gone, not having any answers.

====================
Several Minutes Earlier
====================

Mircalla’s horn flashed and in an instant, the warlocks standing in the magical circle disappeared from sight.

“W-What, what did you do to them?!”

Spotless beckoned, eyes wide with shock and confusion. Nightmare Mircalla merely looked to the dire wolves and shredded their reigns with precise telekinesis, freeing them of any bonds.

“They were too fanatical to convince to leave so I put them in Whitetail Woods. Where exactly I don’t know nor care, my teleportation wasn’t ever precise.”

The vampiress turned to her coven, nodding her head back in the direction they’d come from.

“Leave. This mission no longer concerns you. Return to the peaks and the castle, release the dire wolves in the northern forests once you’re out of the Everfree.”

Backsword stammered forward, the lance strapped to the soldier’s side lowering slightly.

“This is mutiny, treason to the Night Goddess!”

He bellowed, obvious fear showing through not only for speaking up against his countess but also fear of reprisal over what said countess was asking him and the others to do. Nightmare Mircalla let her eyes pierce him after she turned around and towered over him, putting his lance right up against her chestplate without a hint of fear and the same command ever present in her tone.

“It was treason to lead this army. Bring forth your blade now and state your loyalty or stay it and do likewise.”

Backsword flinched, gritting his fangs as his mind and the minds of all the other vampires raced to try and decide what to do. They were loyal to and loved their countess, yes; but desertion from the Nightmare Army spelled a fate worse than death. A threat of which was still extremely strong even after Nightmare Moon herself had been turned back into Luna and a vast majority of said army’s forces had been removed. Mircalla pressed her chestplate into the tip of Backsword’s lance without hesitation, eying both him and the other vampires whom looked amongst themselves with a mix of terror and distressed befuddlement.

“... I’m. Waiting.”

Backsword sucked in his breath and closed his eyes, tilting his lance to pull it away from Nightmare Mircalla before bowing down to the elder vampire.

“My loyalty is to my countess.”

The others followed suit, some of the meeker vampires practically throwing themselves to the ground as if to plead for forgiveness over the hesitation. None such was asked for. Mircalla tapped Backsword’s chin with her hoof, indicating him and the others to get up.

“Lead the others back to safety. Take care of them.”

Mircalla muttered, pulling her hoof away and quietly stepping into the cave with saddened stares from the vampires and whimpers from the dire wolves chasing her inside. Backsword whirled around, reaching out to the slowly fleeing vampiress.

“W-Where will you meet us? With your great power now Countess, I can’t imagine you not catching up!”

He belted, earning a momentary pause from Mircalla. She didn’t so much as glance back at them as she continued on into the dark veil, not letting them see the expression clad across her face. Her mind was lodged on the image of a yellow and red unicorn foal, swaddled in a blanket juxtaposed over the recent memory of the grown mare, Princess Sunset Shimmer.

-She’s out there and she’ll want revenge.-

The vampiress’ mind briefly flashed to the eldritch entity that had helped her start this avalanche she was about to meddle with. Mizu was something she didn’t understand and that scared her. But at the same time such was a sensation she’d grown tired of.

-I’ve had centuries to be scared. No more.-

She disappeared behind a bend in the cave, advancing to a fate she knew would lead to at least one of two possible ends she wasn’t eager to meet, with only her voice to pursue the vampires and dire wolves that left upon hearing it.

“... I’m not.”

Sunset Shimmer and Rodan timed their quiet footsteps in perfect sync, minimizing as much sound as possible to keep their hearing acute to what they knew was ahead. Plan in mind and flashlight-like beam emitting from Sunset Shimmer’s horn, the Celestial princess and last of the Guardian Beasts steeled all nerve to press on through the blackness.

They began to hear the disgusting sounds, multiplicities of hoofsteps, the groans of those raised from the dead’s deceased joints, and the all too familiar eerie hum that a Shadows’ magical aura gave off as it held the black mass of dark magic together to form a solid shape. With each step it grew louder and soon they saw it. That horrid mass of limbs, abominations, glimmering eye shines; and the ugliness that was the Nightmare Army. The army had noticed them and worked to turn around. While the cavern they were all in was quite spacious, the huddled, enormous mass of the monsters meant only the back-most rows had heard the pair coming and were able to turn and face them. The multitudes in the front and middle hissed and shrieked noises no equine should have been able to make, trying to turn themselves around or charging into one of the side tunnels to attempt to find or dig a way around.

Rodan and Sunset Shimmer however, stood firm in each other’s presence; shoulder to shoulder while they faced down those that would give Canterlot oblivion. The ploy the pair had was simple. Kill or re-kill as many as they could. Failing that would lead to Plan B, but now wasn’t the time for that.

Unicorn and gryphon looked to one another as their bodies became alight with fiery energies that collected in their horn and throat respectively.

Now was the time for Plan A.

Much like they had when they fought each other, Rodan and Sunset Shimmer hosed the other down with burning mana and magic respectively. The colliding energies swelled and combined, forming a virtually miniature sun clad in their mixing colors. The nightmarish horde roared and backpedalled from their charge, blinded and in some cases burning from the sheer convection heat that was blackening the limestone surrounding the sphere. Sunset Shimmer and Rodan’s outlines were all that were visible through the inferno, levitating up into the air as shockwaves and audible, burning power poured out of the sphere of fiery magic.

The sphere flared out in a tremendous growth before dissipating, unleashing the heroic pair as they both flew towards the monsters. Rodan’s body was alight in runes the same color as his heat beam; the symbols belonging to a long-extinct language. They layered his wing membrane like an illustrated tapestry with a stylized omega symbol burning on his chest. Sunset Shimmer’s body was cloaked in a blazing aura, much brighter than before when she fought Rodan. The fiery veil was organized, controlled, and formed a pair of flaming wings while lengthening her horn; giving her aura the appearance of an alicorn. The unicorn’s eyes were engulfed in a white flame, zigzagging cracks of light forming across her face and limbs like magma showing through rock.

From Equestria, Chosen of the Elements, Royal by Merit, Sunset Shimmer.
From Terra, Guardian Beast of Air, Omega by Creation, Rodan

Some of the Worlds’ Finest charged the army of monsters without pause, burning into their ranks like a knife through water.

Shadowbolts all launched into the cavern’s high ceiling airspace in pursuit of Rodan after the gryphon plowed through a row of Shadows and combusted a revenant knight with his heat beam. In his normal state the teams of pegasi, many containing the souls belonging to Nightmare Moon’s past soldiers and some even being elite flyers, probably could have overtaken him and dogpiled their foe to try and tear him apart. In this state boosted by Sunset Shimmer’s fires however, they just couldn’t keep up. Even as they tore the air apart in high speed maneuvers, they couldn’t bear down on them. Rodan whirled around, spinning around on a dime with a U-turn and flying into a particularly large Shadowbolt. Dark Thunder was one of Nightmare Moon’s elite, slain in an ancient battle after bringing down a half dozen Canterlot Guards. Placed into the body of a mountain climber Mircalla had put out of their misery, the blood hungry cannibal was all too eager to run amok in Canterlot’s streets.

His filed teeth nor his lance tasted a bit of blood when the speeding Rodan’s burning talons grabbed him by the torso. Claws searing through dead flesh and the dark magic bonds holding it together, Dark Thunder was clotheslined into the back wall. It would be hard to tell if it was the crushed chest, shattered back, or the fact the heat instantly combusted the recently re-deceased corpse ablaze that sent Dark Thunder’s soul back to the nether and freed the mountain climber’s. Many of the Shadowbolts were briefly shocked at how quickly their lead had been dispatched, but many quickly bore down on Rodan while he had his back to them. One Shadow Bolt put forward their bladed hoofguards to try and impale the kaiju through the back. Rodan’s head snapped to the side, his glowing eye flashing with light. He moved with so much speed he seemed to vanish just before contact was made, a sonic boom splitting the air and blowing the Shadowbolt back. Another sonic crash called out, a glowing blur flew past another Shadowbolt and instantly sent their burning remains falling to the ground in two pieces. They tried to visually track their attacker, but couldn’t get any lead on him before another thundering shatter of the sound barrier decreed another re-death.

A horrific realization dawned upon the flying fanatics. As bloodthirsty, armored, armed, and crazed as they were; the fact Rodan was pulling off multiple sonic booms in only a dozen meters of flight space showed one clear fact. Rodan seemed to vanish and reappear in front of another of their rank, the sonic crash chasing him being enough to smash them through the cave ceiling. Rodan’s glowing eyes and runes flashed and he effortlessly dodged a burst of dark magic.

-You can’t touch me.-

Sunset Shimmer smashed her fiery wings in the ground to emit a burning shockwave that knocked several knights back. At her steps the cave floor rumbled and smoked, cracking and melting to emit geysers of lava. Amongst the burning air and stone, Sunset Shimmer held her horned head aloft and focused a beam of magic across her horn. The fiery pillar condensed and sharpened to a point, forming a massive sword of fire and magic. With a thundering scream she swung her head about, cleaving through swaths of Shadows that dared charge her, carving through at least fifteen in one swing. Some of her opponents sought to try and flank her. Materializing out of the shadows, wisps of darkness with clawed forelimbs called wraiths screeched through the air as they swung around Sunset and dove for her back. But before their haze-coated talons could rend flesh or magic alike, the hellish creatures of aether were given a brutal reminder. Heat can be transferred through any matter, even bare air. Sunset Shimmer stomped her hoof and snarled, causing a brief upheaval in the lava surrounding her. While the molten rock itself never touched the wraith, the sheer heat convecting into the air was too much for it.

Shrieking echoed cries, the wraith frantically tried to pull away but was too slow to remove itself in time to avoid being flash-fried by the roaring flames consuming it. Numerous others of the army, be they simple of mind like the automatronic Shadows or too slow to slow down like the Knights, found themselves in a similar predicament. Whether by sword or by the fantastic heat bubble coming off her Sunset Shimmer was searing her way through the platoon’s ranks. Some of the more rational of the army beheld the sight in awe. Princess Celestia’s daughter by choice was standing amongst lava and had fire hugging every part of her body. Blood magic or not, she was no pony. At least, not an ordinary one. Sunset Shimmer roared, lava and flames erupting all around her, causing her yellow and red coloration to blend with the burning wrath.

-I’m made of fire.-

Several warlocks in the ranks at the front of the army had managed to circle around and promptly opened fire on the unicorn and gryphon. Explosive blasts of dark magic flying every which way and bouncing off the cave walls truly gave the already chaotic scene the drum rhythm of war. But between Rodan’s insane speed, his sonic booms being the only herald before he seemed to vanish and reappear dozens of meters away, and Sunset Shimmer’s presence as a virtually walking volcano of fire magic and heat that caused some warlocks to panic-fire; Nightmare Moon’s resurrected mages were only scoring glancing blows at best while shooting their own army at worst. Some frantic shots burst the ceiling of the already tested cavern, opening up holes that dropped dozens of kilograms worth of stalactites and rock down upon the battle which were chased by beams of sunlight.

Deeper down the dark caverns, a loud crash from the battle echoed through the darkness. Standing by at the end of the cave, directly below Canterlot Mountain’s foot, Nightmare Mircalla watched on as eight warlocks magically lifted and set the mana bomb into place against the backwall. Several had been preparing a magical barrier to dampen the block-back once the device was to be set off, directing all its force upwards to cause as big a landslide as possible on the mountain to shake the city free of it’s foundations and send it crashing to the ground. When the undeniable sounds of conflict hummed past the fanatics’ ears however, their bloodlust soared.

“I know that sound! Magic flares!”

“Perhaps a Canterlot patrol did find us after all?”

Nightmare Mircalla’s eyes narrowed at the revenants, who clearly were itching for a killing. She knew full well who was causing the havoc behind them, she’d been counting on those two.

“I shall tend to the bomb, go and deal with this interruption.”

“Yes, Avatar of the Moon!”

They barked with unsmiling grins. The warlocks, in unison, began to turn and approach the caves behind them. Each were all too eager to join in to get their pound of flesh. One of them snickered, eyes contracting already in excitement.

“Ooohoh, I hope it’s a mar-Agk!”

They didn’t get to finish their words before their head was removed from their body by a magical blast. Swarms of bats roared out from behind them, each firing bursts of magic that shredded multiple warlocks like a storm of enchanted flechettes. The swarm condensed and piled together, reforming into the state of a gleaming-eyed Mircalla that pounced upon the shocked warlocks. The vampiress countess’ ferocity, speed, and raw power both physically and magically blitzed through three warlocks before they could even react or possibly process what just happened. The remainder had to see another one of their ranks bitten on the throat and torn to shreds before they could see through her resemblance to their goddess enough to try and fight back. Mircalla remembered each body as she put it back to rest.

A lost soldier whom traveled north to pass in peace alone in the mountains three hundred years ago. She held him after his eyes closed to grant him the wish then. She freed his body by tearing it in two and vaporizing it now.

An explorer wanting to be the first to a blank spot on the map four hundred years ago. She’d given them a swifter end than the frostbite or broken leg would have then. Mircalla liberated her body by blowing it apart with a magic blast directed through a bite to the back of the neck.

The same mountaineer she’d given a swift end to not even a year prior. At the time she almost hoped they’d be one of the extreme rarity whom she successfully turned to join her coven, as it had been some years since they expanded the family. Now, the best she could do is hope their body and soul stay at peace while she smashed it through a cave wall until it was dust.

In under twenty seconds, an eternity in Mircalla’s mentalscape, she’d re-killed every warlock in the chamber with only a hole in the roof, dents in the cavern walls, and scattered rubble to show for it. The vampiress snorted, brushing some debris dust off herself before turning to the mana bomb. The sounds of Rodan and Sunset’s battle, the clashing of blades, screeches of confused revenants; and roar of flames echoed across the back of the cavern. Nightmare Mircalla stoically looked upon that fiendish mass of mana charged obsidian. The power, while foreign to her, was so very evident. It made her feel cold just looking at it.

-This is it.-

Mircalla sighed, closing her eyes to collect herself. Her thoughts lay upon the many, both those recently seen, such as her coven she hoped managed to keep heading north, those she’d never seen, such as the surely bustling streets of Canterlot whom went about their business blissfully unaware; and those not seen for years. Such was the memory of a unicorn mare she’d chased all the way to Canterlot’s streets; Sunset Shimmer’s mother. Her thoughts became poised and her body tensed. The vampire held her head high as her horn flashed and sparked. A beam of energy shot out several meters before halting, growing and condensing into a blackened blade of light with a constantly serrated, saw-like aura.

-Time to do something right for once. It’s over.-

Swallowing back the same fear of death that had been a plague upon her body for centuries, Mircalla swung her blade at the bomb to damage it enough to keep it from being activated.

Her blade was stopped cold despite the shriek of the aura saw, and a blizzard of chills flashed over Mircalla’s body. She opened her eyes and witnessed the last thing she wanted to see.

That thing. That eldritch unknown, it was back. Mizu stood before her, partially emerged out of a puddle of cave water reflecting the sunlight trickling through the hole in the ceiling. Several tendrils held her magical weapon in a deadlock, despite the showers of sparks coming off of it holding onto a live saw. It looked at her with the same unblinking eye or eyes, she still couldn’t discern which it was. It had looked upon the slain warlocks and witnessed Mircalla’s attack while halting it. Mizu snatched the empowered vampire forward before hurling her back. Nightmare Mircalla spread her wings and flapped twice to break her momentum, digging her sparking hoofguards into the cave floor as she slid back. Mizu crawled and slithered free of the reflection it had arrived through, guarding the mana bomb like a classical dragon would its treasure as it curled its sea-serpentine form around it.

It demanded to know what she had just done. Mircalla narrowed her eyes and hissed.

“Not enough!”

She barked before charging forward as a cloud of bats.

Rodan and Sunset Shimmer were tearing into the confused army’s ranks like tigers through sheep. But as voracious as they were in tearing through the hellish hordes surrounding them, it was like trying to carve a path through an ocean. Every swipe, stomp, searing beam, wing slash, and burst of flame was met with two more demons replacing each sent into the nether. While their defenses were holding thanks to Sunset Shimmer’s shields and heat along with Rodan’s extreme speed and agility, they were beginning to be surrounded.

Fire roared and stone cracked as Sunset Shimmer engulfed a warlock in a fireball that smashed through a stony pillar. The cave rumbled and groaned, cracks chasing up across the walls and ceiling. She was about to aim and fire at several Shadows charging her from the left flank, but was forced to extend a hoof and wall of heat to her right to block the crackling torrent of dark magic lightning coming out of two other abominations of ponies’ horns. Fire and electricity clashed, shoving one another back and forth with the latter gaining a few inches of ground when a half dozen Shadows charged and rammed into Sunset Shimmer’s left magic barrier. The intense heat fried two of them on impact, but the kinetic force transferred through. The unicorn mare grit her teeth and snarled, throwing her head and glowing horn to the left and sending out a shockwave illuminated by flame across the ground. The Shadows not flash-fried by the fire were soon marred by the gushes of magma burning up from the cracked and superheated ground. The distraction afforded the warlocks she was magically dueling a bit of leverage and they began to shove their magical lightning back into Sunset Shimmer, shoving back on her heat barrier. Feeling her hooves scrape and slide across the stony ground, relief greeted the pony princess when a purple and red blur shot out of a sonic boom from the ceiling and smashed into the warlocks.

When Rodan rose up from his ground-pound, the only thing left of the warlocks was a few seared cloths and a charge-coated, dusty crater. The cavern shook and rumbled with the charging of dozens of hooves, a living tidal wave of Shadows, Knights, Wraiths, and surviving Shadowbolts descended upon the illuminated duo. Perception of time slowed to milliseconds as Rodan and Sunset looked towards one another. They looked down at Sunset Shimmer’s hooves, seeing the lava broiling beneath her and destabilizing the cracking ground. They looked up to the rattling cave ceiling, chunks of rock already in mid-fall with their breaking away revealing sunbeams shining down from above. Finally their eyes trailed to the cracked stone pillar going between the cave roof and floor, before locking onto each other with a determined glare. As shadowbolts finally closed in on him, Rodan tensed his muscles and spread his wings with a bright glow encircling them and energy crackling along the omega symbol on his chest. While a whole herd of Shadows converged on Sunset Shimmer, the unicorn’s wings of fire slapped onto the ground and the magma built up under her hooves while she braced herself.

In the span of a single second, it all came into play.

Rodan burst forth from his position, going from stationary to top speed in a fleeting moment’s span. He snatched up Sunset Shimmer as little more than a blur of light just as the unicorn stomped her hooves and spread several glowing cracks in the ground up a nearby wall. They moved in unison, Rodan holding onto Sunset Shimmer and giving her all of his unmatched speed and momentum while Sunset Shimmer used the boost to magnify her field of burning magic that surrounded them. They zoomed across the room, jumping to each wall, each stony pillar, and leaving it a luminous, red hot mass with stress fractures tearing their way through them. Artificial lava oozed out of the tears in the walls and dripped down from the ceiling. Landing back in the center of the chamber, twin suns formed on the tips of Sunset Shimmer’s and Rodan’s wings, traveling up their bodies and into burning horns and beaks respectively. Rodan fired an enormous ray of plasma as Sunset Shimmer loosed a torrent of lava across the ground in a line directed by her horn. With the gryphon still holding onto the pony and beating his wings, they raked their blasts across the entire 360 degree span of the chamber before suddenly cutting off their attacks and Rodan shot them upwards and through a hole in the ceiling.

The cave walls groaned and cracked, rattling the army to their core as some tried to figure out what just happened. It was a folly of fanatics that unchecked devotion stifled creativity. Had they thought up a more complex strategy than sudden mob attack or attempted to stop the princess’ and kaiju’s gambit, their overwhelming numbers probably would have won in the end. But when the cave walls split open to rivers of lava and the ceiling came crashing down, all their numbers did was make it impossible for them to get out of the way. Not even the shadowbolts with all their speed or agility could avoid their fate, being smacked down by the tumbling roof and hurled into the same lava that instantly consumed their compatriots. The last call of the Nightmare Army was the shriek of a wraith, convection heat from the lava burning it to ashes that fell upon a lunar clad helmet just before the armor sunk into the molten rock with a bubble.

Sunset Shimmer and Rodan stayed in the air high above the collapsed cave, panting for breath as their glowing markings and power-up faded. Still, tired as they were, Rodan didn’t dare let go of the unicorn he held by her middle and Sunset Shimmer didn’t take her eyes off the collapsed cave. She kept an eye out for stragglers for several long minutes, until the smoke stopped billowing out from the rubble and the outer shell of the lava solidified to charred black stone.

“Well,”

Rodan mumbled, seeing a charred lance sticking out of the hardening lava reduced to little more than a heat bent husk with a charcoal handle.

“-that takes care of them.”

“No.”

Sunset Shimmer grunted, tapping Rodan’s paw before motioning downwards to tell him to land. They did so at the new mouth of the cave, the scattered darkness collecting at the one remaining deep tunnel that lead directly beneath the distant form of Canterlot Mountain. Standing before the shadows, they both could hear the distant sounds of movements and shakes; which either sounded like someone moving something heavy or the rings of battle. Sunset Shimmer briefly regarded the site of all the slain Nightmare Army, knowing full well whom she didn’t sense in their ranks. Despite her tiredness, conviction and vengeance seared through the unicorn’s mind and poured from her glaring eyes as she advanced stoically back into the cave to see it through to the end.

“She is still alive…”

Rodan dutifully followed along, but not without some apprehension clawing at the back of his skull.

Flashes of magic and bursts of mana rang out with fantastic flashes, like a barrage of airburst rounds going off in an enclosed space. Rays of dark blue hexes tore the cave walls apart and blasted potholes into the stony floor, starved for the shadowy body of their prey. But while Mircalla’s already impressive power as a gift spellcaster and vampire countess had been multiplied by Nightmare Moon’s armor, all the magical force in the realms was naught for success if she couldn’t hit what she was aiming for. Landing a solid strike onto Mizu was harder than trying to slice the ocean apart with a sword. Mircalla’s magic blasts were like fists hitting an oncoming wave, Mizu would just curl, slither, and dodge around them. When she finally seemed to have forced the hellish thing to swim to a corner, it would merely swim into a reflective surface such as pools of water or the slick stone surface and reappear in a completely different place.

Mizu dodged another barrage, swimming into the rippling surface tension that flooded across a previously re-slain knight’s backplate. It reappeared behind and below Mircalla, the tell tale blizzard of cold numbing her legs and stomach being the only warning she got to jump away from the pool of black ichors that had spilled across the floor from a revenant’s corpse. Mizu came rushing out of the fluid in a high speed blur with the patch or eye upon it’s forehead glowing brightly. The Aspect of Water’s jaw seemed to open as it threw its leopard seal-like neck back in a silent shriek that dug into Mircalla’s mind and seemed to rattle the cave. Her vision blurred and swirled, only focusing enough out of sheer force of will to warn her about the starry gleam coming from Mizu’s forehead. But unexpectedly, the primordial force changed its course. Arching around, Mizu dove back into the reflection and disappeared from view.

Nightmare Mircalla spread her bat-like wings and slowly turned herself around, trying to both sense any temperature change or glimpse any movement around her in the reflections to get a clue where the creature would emerge from next.

“Show yourself!”

She roared but earned no sight of her foe. What she did get was the cold deluge coursing into her mind. She sneered, eyes narrowed while she continued to turn around in circles and attempted to keep her back from being exposed to any reflective surfaces. The only sound in the cavern was the dripping of falling water, but the only thing Mircalla could hear was Mizu’s voice. She briefly glanced at the mana bomb in response, trying to craft her words in a manner that might betray her opponent’s presence.

“It’s too late. The warlocks are all gone, nopony can activate your bomb. Princess Celestia is out of your reach.”

She involuntarily peeked at her own reflection in response to what it said next, hardly recognizing herself with the new dark coloration, enlarged stature, and blue armor. Hushing a frown and her own reaction to the saddening sight, the vampiress instead flapped her wings with anticipation and resuming circling.

“I don’t care if I can’t remove the armor! I won’t live long enough to enjoy it being off. Your end will come on the fires of another.”

It was Mizu suddenly falling quiet that caused Mircalla’s eyes to widen. She finally glimpsed it, that horrid chimera of sea life that swam across a puddle’s surface leading back out of the cavern. The sounds of the battle beyond had died off several minutes prior and the lack of fanatics coming up to parade a corpse before her told her all she needed to know about who won. She even afforded herself a slight measure of amusement in the fact Sunset Shimmer and her companion were so powerful or cunning, saved her the trouble. If she were a betting mare like she was before the change, Mircalla had gambled that Sunset and the gryphon were on their way to them from the south tunnel.

The same tunnel Mizu was swimming down.

For the faintest moment, the ancient vampiress’ heart stung and she was forced to look back in her own reflection. If she, probably the most powerful being in the Everfree with enhanced senses in the dark still couldn’t hit Mizu, a battle weary pair of interlopers stuck in a dark cave hadn’t a chance either.

But something else welled up in Mircalla as she frantically stood frozen and staring off into the tunnel and her own reflection, something that stirred when she saw the pulsing glow of the mana bomb behind her reflection. She turned around, looking at the mass of obsidian and then at the beams of light streaming through the ceiling. The two entities were the sole source of light in the otherwise pitch black cave, all the reflections showed it.

Nightmare Mircalla narrowed her eyes and walked forward. She focused, channeling magic along her lengthened horn. Soon the spirals lit up across it’s length as they were flooded with dark light, condensing into a serrated aura that lengthened into a blade.

“Big mistake!”

She snapped as she took a swing. Having her eyes closed when she swung, a smirk grew over the vampiress’s fanged maw when she felt an ungodly cold numb her chest and some strong force stop her swing cold. She opened them and leered at the cause. Mizu had come racing back and was half emerged from her chestplate, wrapping several fins and tentacles around her magical sword to force it back. The Aspect of Water looked upon the empowered vampire unicorn in a manner she knew its alien face was glaring. The glowing patch on its forehead burned with light and fired a torrent of wrathful mana that Mircalla dodged by dividing up into a swarm of bats. Mizu, forced out of the now nonexistent reflection, slid across the floor and leered up at its puppet turned enemy as she reformed in the air above the cave floor.

“Now that I have your attention!”

Mircalla crossed her hooves before her and condensed her wings inwards. Throwing out all of her limbs, the vampire quickly became condensed with a dark shroud of mist that spewed out of her. Typically the mist generation, an ability few recalled the race having, was used to isolate a target and disorient them. But with Mircalla’s boosted power and centuries of experience, the countess was able to direct the mist flow to completely cloak the entirety of the chamber. The impenetrable fog choked out the light coming down through the hole in the ceiling and strangled the glow coming off the mana bomb. Not even the slight light coming off of Mizu itself was spared and to any soul whom lacked the ability to magically perceive things through the fog like Mircalla or possessed some variety of extra sensory perception like Mizu, the entirety of the cavern was now cloaked in a complete blackout.

However it wasn’t the darkness that Mircalla was hoping to use to gain an advantage over Mizu, as the fact it kept itself trained upon her made it clear it still could see exactly where she was. Rather it was the smothering of all light sources. No light meant no reflections, a fact showed by Mizu’s trying and failing at diving into a pool of water when the vampiress dive bombed and tackled the Aspect. Nightmare Mircalla and Mizu struggled, smashing through a small stalagmite in a shower of rubble. Mircalla grimaced through the wrestling, focusing her sight and magic beneath her. A runed circle, just like the one she’d opened at the mouth of the cave, appeared beneath the vampiress as Mizu coiled its body around her and ensnared her wings, limbs, and horn with its fins and tendrils. The magical circle lit up and the space inside it began to swirl, Mircalla’s hooves starting to sink into it. Mizu’s eyes widened and it released its stranglehold on the vampire, not knowing what she was doing but being savvy to the fact she must have had a plan. It tried to rush into a now illuminated and thus reflective pool of water before them, but Mircalla wasn’t having any of it.

Almost any other being who bit into and yanked the Aspect back probably would have died from the shock of magic and blistering cold Mizu gave off in retaliation. But empowered with the might of Nightmare Moon by this same entity, Mircalla wasn’t like most other beings. Nightmare Mircalla threw the Aspect backwards and downwards as she exploded into a swarm of bats that flew away. With no other soul standing in the teleportation circle, Mizu alone disappeared in a flash of light; flung hundreds of kilometers away. The bats condensed again and reformed into Mircalla, whom collapsed onto a knee and panted harsh breaths.

Exhausted, spent, and sore, the vampiress grimaced as she staggered to her hooves with one leg obviously broken. Mircalla swallowed her weakness and pain, looking to the still looming mana bomb as the mists around it began to dissipate. The saw-like sword of magic returned to her horn as she staggered up to it.

Rodan and Princess Sunset Shimmer stopped their sprint when they reached a dead-end chamber at the end of the cave, illuminated by a sunbeam coming through a hole in the ceiling. It took only a cursory glance for the two to tell that the chamber had seen plenty of conflict. Newly re-deceased warlocks lay scattered around the room, some dispatched in a rather graphic fashion. The cave walls and floor were littered with potholes and impact depressions. And at the end of the chamber stood a massive structure made of obsidian, one which stunk of dark power despite the enormous gash carved into the front that was causing it to leak away its energy. And sitting in the middle of the chamber, directly behind the sunbeam, sat the same black juggernaut they had encountered before. Only now, with her back to them, her head hanging slow in a slouching manner that diminished her otherwise great height; Nightmare Mircalla had no semblance of regality or power.

Sunset Shimmer’s eyes virtually ignited and she started to stammer forward, only for Rodan to put an arm out in front of her. She barked no retort, only looking at the gryphon with a confused glare. The kaiju glanced at the warlock corpses and defused mana bomb, Sunset Shimmer briefly following his focus before seeing him mouth the words, “Something’s not right,”.

Almost as if she could see the two’s actions despite having her back turned, Mircalla vindicated Rodan’s confusion. She spoke quietly, devoid of command or power..

“The Nightmare Army is gone, the bomb to wipe out Canterlot is beyond repair…. I didn’t want any of this… Not now, not when Apostle asked me to lead the attack, not twenty years ago in Canterlot.”

That last word caused Sunset Shimmer’s ears to flick up straight and snap her head around to face the vampiress, whom made no effort to move herself. She only continued.

“My name, is Mircalla. I became a vampire long ago… I was mountain climbing when I got caught in a snow storm. Luna found me and offered me life, and power. She didn’t look it then, but she had already become Nightmare Moon. I could practically smell the evil coming off her. I was… so, so arrogant back then. I accepted immediately…. I’ve had centuries to realize my mistake.”

Rodan snorted, keeping himself at the ready just in case. Curiosity and caution often went hand in hand.

“What happened. Twenty years ago you murdered her mother. What happened?”

Despite the gryphon being the one to address her, Mircalla spoke only to the mare glaring at her.

“Two decades ago, the other generals were questioning me; thought I wasn’t dedicated enough. Apostle found out about a magical prodigy born and he thought me getting her for rearing as a warlock would help smooth things out. He was the closest thing I had to friend amongst the other generals... I told your mother I wouldn’t hurt you, and I didn’t want to hurt her. I just needed to take you and I'd leave. But she kept fighting me so I had to restrain her. A vampire’s glare can lock many souls in place, stop them cold. It also affects memory so I intended to just take you without harm and cause her to forget.”

The vivid memories played before Mircalla’s eyes in such detail she could swear it was yesterday. She had the infant, now named Sunset Shimmer, in her hooves when she took her from her frozen mother. She’d begun to walk off, intending to fly away to safety with the child just in case any passersby came across them. But there came a fantastic, heart wrenching scream behind her. Like shattering glass, the glaring hex broke away from the frantic mother and she barreled forward before a shocked Mircalla could react; tackling the vampiress.

“She surprised me when she broke free to get you back. We struggled and fell. We saved you from the fall, but she didn’t break free without consequence…”

Twenty years ago Mircalla stood in a dark street in Canterlot, still stunned at what she’d seen. Her vertigo from the impact had settled, allowing her to see what lay before her. The mother unicorn was trembling, her lower half practically convulsing as she clutched her crying infant close to her. Her gasps for breath was raspy and rapidly growing weaker. Forgetting the conflict, Mircalla came upon her, rolling the mother onto her back and already feeling the mare’s body had grown slightly colder. Something was very wrong with her heartbeat. The mother looked up at the vampiress with trembling, crying eyes. The former’s mouth quivered to form words.

“The exhausting chase, the glare hex, and then the fright she got when I picked you up; it was too much for her heart to take. She looked at me and said, ‘You don’t need to,’...”

In the past Mircalla frantically worked to try and revive and rouse the mare. Nothing was working.

In the present a solitary droplet of liquid made an echo across the chamber, Rodan looking on solemnly as he knew who the tear came from. Sunset Shimmer trembled, her face unreadable as she slowly walked up behind the vampiress, stopping in the glow of the sunbeam behind Mircalla. The unicorn glanced to the side when she noticed a gleam beside her antagonist. An unsheathed, silver lined sabre. The most effective weapon at dispatching numerous unholy entities, including vampires. Mircalla had been keeping it in her lockchest for centuries.

Mircalla continued to whisper even as Sunset Shimmer’s magical aura gripped the sword.

“Sometimes, I wonder if she somehow knew I wasn’t doing it all willingly. I just wanted to protect my coven.”

Mircalla could remember the sight vividly. The death stare stenciled onto the mother’s face as the hoof a horrified Mircalla was holding fell away from her and flopped to the ground. Unable to sense a heartbeat any longer, the only noise left in the Canterlot street was the slow wind and the cries of an orphaned infant which it carried.

Back in the present, Rodan saw Sunset lift the sword as another realization dawned upon him. While he made no effort to rush forward and sway the unicorn’s blade, this was her ordeal and he had to trust her in the end, he knew what he said would stop the unicorn colder than anything he could do.

“Sunset, you say that someone dropped you off at the orphanage where Celestia eventually found you? If she could do all this without anyone noticing, then there’s no one else who could have done it…"

He motioned toward Mircalla.

"Because she's the one who did it.”

Sunset Shimmer froze in place, eyes wide and her mind burning. She started to tremble when she saw Mircalla slowly nod. The vampiress remembered it all vividly, gathering up the crying infant and making her way through the streets. Trying to and eventually getting her to the orphanage. Tender Care only heard her knocking at the door, she didn't think to look up to see the swarm of bats hanging off her roof keeping watch over Sunset Shimmer until she was in good hooves.

“Your mother wanted to take you near Celestia to keep you safe. Safe from monsters like me… I suppose, she got her wish in the end. I dropped you off, made sure somepony took you in.”

The entire chamber remained still for a full minute, Sunset Shimmer holding up the silver sword with the tip aimed at Mircalla’s back where the vampiress’ heart was. The only sound came from Mircalla’s cold tears and Sunset’s trembling. The vampiress finally moved, not away from the sword, but towards it. She pressed her back to the blade’s tip, which spurred a small stream of smoke on contact.

Despite being in agony, Mircalla’s voice remained quiet and somber.

“I’m not asking you to forgive me, I just wanted you to know how much your mother must have loved you… I did a terrible thing to you, one of many terrible things I’ve done and it’s the one I can’t make up for. I just want it to be the last…”

Sunset Shimmer closed her eyes and breathed in, stilling her trembling… Before she shouted out, swinging the sword down and burying it into the floor beside Mircalla. Just as the confused vampiress turned around, Sunset Shimmer’s body became alight with the same volcanic pattern that engulfed her earlier. An eruption of emotions controlling and fueling her power, Sunset Shimmer whipped her head backwards and then forwards to engulf the vampiress in a massive beam of light.

But it wasn’t a burning wrath like she had loosed upon the revenants, nor was it even the fiery concussive blasts she had fought Rodan with. Rather, it was a beam of pure white light that seared away dark magic and liberated bonds; one of the holiest spells Princess Celestia had ever taught her.

When the beam and Sunset’s powered-up state dissipated after ten seconds of firing, Nightmare Moon’s helmet flopped to the ground, followed by the breastplate and hoofguards. A panting Sunset Shimmer and now normalized vampiress stood apart from one another. An agasp Mircalla looked at her hooves, now finally seeing her own fur and body rather than a dark echo. She looked at the unicorn princess at a total loss for words.

Sunset Shimmer only caught her breath, surged forward, and wrapped her hooves around Mircalla’s middle while burying her head into the taller mare’s neck. Years of repressed hatred sloughed off like grime washed off by a downpour of rain.

“... I forgive you.”

The vampiress took a full minute to snap from her stupor, slowly looking down at Sunset Shimmer with a heartbroken expression stitched to her face. Rodan watched on as he slowly walked up closer, keeping a short distance to let them have some privacy. Selfless pride caused him to beam at Sunset Shimmer, the unicorn whom he previously had known as volcanically quick to the trigger. Now, he couldn’t see anything less than the daughter of two great mares before him.

Mircalla closed her eyes and quietly embraced Sunset Shimmer, letting her tears roll down the smaller mare’s mane. After a time the vampiress broke away into a swarm of bats and flew past Sunset and Rodan, having laid down her literal and metaphorical sword as the last general of Nightmare Moon. The war of the sun and the moon was at last, over; the ambitions of both the Dark Alicorn and the God of Extinction made folly by three lives and a single act of forgiveness. Rodan quietly walked up to Sunset Shimmer after Mircalla departed, a large smile on his face that Sunset didn't even need to see to know it was there.

"You didn't try to stop me..."

She whispered, peaking at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Figured this was something you had to do yourself."

Rodan placed a paw upon her shoulder and a wing across her back. He beamed at her and nodded.

“I think your mother… mothers, would be proud of you. I sure am”

Princess Sunset Shimmer wiped her face free of a tear before subtly smiling back and holding her friend as he flew them out through the skylight.

At the mouth of the cavern, the swarm of bats condensed back to reform Countess Mircalla. The vampiress stoically looked ahead into the distant sun, ignoring the intense discomfort being out in direct sunlight was giving her. She held Nightmare Moon’s helmet under her hoof and remained where she was after sensing a sheer cold settle in from the area. In hindsight, she’d be impressed something could move all the way from Appleloosa to the foothills of Canterlot in such a short time. In the current time however she simply held firm and narrowed her eyes at the dark mass that crawled out of a pool of black ichors still draining from a fallen Shadowbolt.

Mizu and Mircalla stared each other down, the latter showing no intimidation even though it took a paltry guess that without Nightmare Moon’s powers she was no match for the Aspect of Water now. Instead she held her ground and glared at the eldritch entity that stood before the remains of the army she once so hated leading. For her, it was as if Mircalla was staring down everything she loathed in the world; an image completed when she dropped Nightmare Moon’s helmet. Devoid of its original starry glow, the armor had been stripped of its power by the spell Celestia taught Sunset Shimmer. Now it lay cracked and grayed at the Mircalla’s hooves.

“She’s out of your reach, her and Celestia. You said your time here was brief, so crawl back to whatever Tartarus you slithered out from. I’m not your puppet anymore.”

She sneered, kicking the useless armor over to Mizu. The Aspect of Water loomed closer to her for a short while, clearly contemplating her extinguishing. But the sight of a large, white object flying towards the cavern gave it other ideas. Still, it was fortunate for the countess that the being which sent Mizu to this realm, the monstrosity called Bagan; wasn’t a god of a quick temper or pettiness. This venture might have ended in failure, but it was far from the only plan. Instead Mizu merely turned around and slithered into a swirling portal to Zenith that opened up beside it, both disappearing entirely in the blink of an eye. Mircalla looked back to see the flying form of Celestia flapping down from Canterlot, no doubt having sensed the magic burst from Sunset Shimmer’s cleansing spell and soon to discover her daughter and her companion. Knowing the young unicorn was once again in good hooves, just like when she’d left her at the orphanage, Countess Mircalla smiled and broke away into flock of bats that flew north to rejoin her coven.

Normally, when being presented with an unknown power source, Celestia would send in a team to investigate. She had a number of inquisitors that could handle whatever the Everfree Forest could throw at them. Not to mention that she could personally talk with Fluttershy. The spirit of the forest most likely would boot out or devour any intruder to her territory. So normally, she’d enjoy a good biscuit and apple juice as she read the latest spicy romance between a dragon and pony.

But when said unknown power source also held traces of her precious snuggly wuggly, a nickname that Sunset swears does not exist, well she’d have to visit personally… in full golden, draconic armor and sword. She’d almost lost her daughter twice in the last month to her sister and a dragon. A third wasn’t on the table. She kept herself calm as she flew over the forest. The last thing she wanted to do was start a forest fire.

Given her speed and power, it didn’t take her long to trace the magical presence to a cave. She hesitantly flew around the site. Her vision was exceptionally good as well as her natural magical defenses meant she didn’t have to worry about flying over it. That’s when she spotted her. Her Sunset. Walking next to a strange, male griffon.

She touched down not far from them. Without saying a word, she marched over and pulled her daughter into a hug. “Oh thank goodness you’re alright! I was so worried when I felt your magic in the Everfree Forest, I just had to come personally.” She pulled away and looked her over. “What happened? It looks like you just fought off a pack of manticores.”

“Oh nothing major,” Sunset returned the hug, sniffling into her mother’s white coat. “Just… a little ancient history.”

Celestia quirked an eyebrow before her eyes locked onto the tears streaming down her cheeks.

“Sunset… who made you cry?”

It was a simple question, but it had the underlying tones of a sun about to go supernova. Her wings unfolded as she hugged her daughter closer and wrapped her up in them.

“It’s a very long story, mom. I'm crying for a good reason.”, Sunset chuckled.

The Solar Alicorn’s eyes were soon to cast themselves upon the other figure standing with them in the clearing. Rodan meanwhile was tilting his head and looking over the princess, noticing enough similarities to recognize who it was based off the Princess Celestia he knew; but the full decor of golden armor and gleaming sword were a bit eyebrow-raising seeing them on someone who he knew for gentle benevolence. Then again, he also remembered his universe’s Celestia not particularly showing she needed such to put her hoof down so the idea of such an entity heavily armed and armored was further vindication to the idea any opposing her were just insane. As such, best the nervous gryphon could do was awkwardly wave and chuckle a bit.

“And you are?”, Princess Celestia muttered with a raised brow.

“Name’s Rodan, Princess Celestia. I’m not from around here but I’m a friend of your daughter.”

Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes, managing to pry herself free of her mother’s grip and waltz over to Rodan. Just before the kaiju could wonder if her groan was going to result in a relapse into haughtiness, the unicorn smiled and put a hoof around her companion.

“He’s from another realm, got pulled into here on accident. But,-”

She beamed before rubbing her head up against her friend, who managed to snap out of his stupor and return the gesture after what she said next.

“-I wouldn’t be here without him.”

Princess Celestia loomed over gryphon, looking him over in a studious manner before dropping most pretenses of regality and snatching up the kaiju in a bear hug. Needless to say, out of both respect for his world’s Celestia as well as notice of the one now embracing him sporting all the intimidating armor and massive sword; took Rodan a few moments to process what was happening. After all they’d gone through, he was too tired to oppose it even if he wanted too. What he could do however was smirk and yank the poised Sunset Shimmer back into the bearhug with a snicker.

They stayed like that for a short time before the gryphon unexpectedly began to spark, causing them to separate suddenly. Rodan looked at his paws and wings, seeing trails of energy crisscross his form and the space behind each limb becoming visible briefly as parts of his body faded in and out of existence. With Sunset too tired to do it, Princess Celestia was the one to layer Rodan with a scanning wave of magic.

“The power linking you to this realm is fading!”

“Am I?!-”

“No no, you’ll be alright. Just returning to the same space and time you were taken from.”

The words “same space and time” previously meant nothing to Sunset Shimmer and Rodan, back when they were antagonistic allies dealing with a crisis. But now when the two looked upon each other as friends, it was only the knowledge Rodan wasn’t in any danger that kept their expressions from being mortified rather than horrified. Rodan’s brow dropped upon his sullen expression.

“Will I… Will I remember any of this if I go right back to how I was before?”

Princess Celestia was silent, causing the dumbstruck Rodan to look to Sunset Shimmer.

“I… Don’t think so…”

Sunset Shimmer muttered with a large frown crossing her face as Rodan faded in and out again in front of her. The gryphon sighed, forcing his lips to curl up as he lifted his brow with a subtly beaming expression. No use in trying to dwell on problems.

“Well, for what it’s worth. We made some team huh? This place is in good hands-er hooves!”

The gryphon’s possibly idiotic optimism was infectious, causing the unicorn to bitter-sweetly lift her expression some.

“You’re a memorable dolt, you scaly gryphon.”

“Compliment from you is a rare thing. Be sure to tell me that one if I ever come back-”

Sunset put a hoof to his beak and shushed him, shaking her head briefly.

“You’ll be back. I’ll be waiting.”

The two looked to one another’s eyes and shared a smile. When exactly such a reunion would occur wasn’t known and the look they gave easily spouted the fact they both knew it might take months or years to happen. But for the happiness they felt, that fact simply didn’t matter enough to ruin their mood. Rodan sighed contently, even as he started fading away in progressively quicker intervals.

“And I’ll remember anything I can. Even if it’s just a bit. Can’t make too many promises, you know? Big flock I’m getting these days.”

He was almost gone now. The gryphon straightened himself up and looked to both pony princesses’, the matron and maiden protectors of this realm he helped save. He smiled and held his wings close to himself, remembering a gesture he’d seen both some humans and guardponies do and placing a paw to his brow to do a salute. Princess Celestia was tickled, chuckling and nodding to the realm traveler. Princess Sunset Shimmer on the other hoof, did something brave on account on how warm her chest was feeling.

She walked up, pulled his arm away, and gave Rodan a pecking kiss on the cheek as she beamed at her companion. The last thing the Guardian Beast saw in the Shimmer’verse was her gentle, warm expression.

“Good luck, and thank you.”

The gryphon faded away in a spark of light, returning from whence he came from. Princess Celestia walked up beside her daughter and pulled her close by putting a wing around her. The alicorn beant her neck down to get closer to her child’s level as she wiggled her eyebrows.

“... Soo, am I getting grandkids next time he comes back?”

Sunset Shimmer’s yellow-red color scheme subsequently grew much more of the latter color.

“MOOOM!”

And so the heroes of the Battle of the Everfree Forest resumed their lives, shifted by what had transpired there by a matter of fate and a happy accident. Each returned to their following days altered by the events transpired. Countess Mircalla returned to her coven in the northern mountains, finally free of her enslavement to Nightmare Moon and her legacy while making peace with her last act as a force of evil. Princess Sunset Shimmer would have many more adventures in Ponyville, showing herself to have grown as both worthy Element Bearer and daughter to Princess Celestia with some more trauma put behind her and lessons learned in the Everfree. She was still haughty and would find issues, but soon enough the town would learn to love Sunset Shimmer first and the Princess part second. As for Rodan, his conscious mind might have forgotten what transpired but his unconscious retained it. With the moral of trust and teamwork vindicated, the Neighagra airshow he had with Rainbow Dash was a smash success despite some parts going awry. Sunsets would never fail to make the kaiju smile, for part of him remembered Sunset’s last smile and he was all too happy to return the gesture.

But these are all tales for other stories…

Author's Notes:

Proofed by Lance-Omikron and Faith-Wolff
Additional writing by EvoWizard
Artwork by Faith-Wolff
Shimmer'verse by EvoWizard

And that's all folks! The first big crossover Bridge has had. There may be more in the future, maybe even a reunion between these two heroes; but I'm happy with how this one turned out.