Episode 8: Go Down to Rise Up

In a world where fire and darkness exist both below in hell and up above on earth…

Twilight Sparkle said these words to herself as she and Princess Celestia gazed up at the colossal, mechanical tower known as Starcatch.

“Just like that, we’re back here again…” Twilight said to Celestia. “I never thought that one day you’d be my mentor only to be my partner in crime the next.”

“Trials and tribulations are everywhere Twilight, never forget that…” Celestia replied ominously. “I’ll give you a clue, the story of Myra Michaels is still going on even without you…how is it that God has taken the role of Satan?”

“Ooh, I like a good brain teaser…” Twilight remarked. “I hope you like mine, it’s really simple. After heads roll, you and I split...mwa ha ha ha ha…”

We really only have one hope of ever becoming stronger…

At the same time, Myra Michaels felt something coursing through her again as a familiar figure approached her in her mind. Despite having drifted into darkness, her mind became filled with nothing but light as soon as this figure came in, revealing herself to be Fluttershy.

“What’s going on?” she asked herself. “I should be dead…”

“That’s what they all say…” Fluttershy said, her meek and cheerful tone of voice ringing in Myra’s mind. “All of those who are on the verge of being reborn in an immortal body by my power…”

“You…” Myra replied, her tone of voice displaying her distrust. “I recognize your presence. You were the one who guided Nick to strike me down. Haven’t you accomplished your goal? You won your duel with Satan. What more do you want with me?”

“You say that like I don’t want so much more from you than just for you to be the loser of a fight.” Fluttershy retorted. “Do you really believe that all the suffering and hardship you’ve experienced almost your entire life was building up to just that?”

“I’m sorry to say that I did consider it a possibility at one point, God…” Myra told her snidely. “My so-called protector who allowed me to become a demon and did nothing to help stop the slaughter I couldn’t prevent myself…”

“Woah, catty.” Fluttershy continued to make rejoinders. “You and Twilight really do have a lot in common. You both just love blaming me for everything without really thinking through my mentality. The people you slaughtered were destined to die. I’d never allow such horrible things to happen without reason. You just have to believe me.”

“Oh, but of course…” Myra replied, remaining snarky as well. “We just have to believe that you don’t see us as anything more than pawns in a game of chess, toys in a playset. Especially when you never talk to us, or let us know that you’re with us, or even at the very least make it clear to us what we have to do. Pawns need to be directed and toys can’t play with themselves...”

“And in saying that, you’ve just proven that you are not just pawns or toys.” Fluttershy said in a sincerely sweet voice. “It doesn’t matter whether it was destiny or not that you came to fight Nick, it was still your choice. What do you think your friend has been trying to tell you?”

It was then that Myra gasped, remembering what Loki had said about the way the gods tested people.

“So it’s true…” she said to herself. “Satan was lying to me…”

“And even though you didn’t fully believe the lie,” interjected Fluttershy, “you still doubted Loki enough to allow Satan into your soul...lie as he may about it, Satan can not force anyone to do evil, all are responsible for their own sin. The same way-”

“NO!” Myra yelled to interrupt her, knowing what she was going to say. “DON’T YOU DARE SAY IT’S MY FAULT! THE DEMON FORCED ME TO DO IT! YOU FUCKED UP! YOU NEVER GAVE ME THE STRENGTH TO STOP THE DEMON! YOU MURDERED ALL THOSE PEOPLE! YOU! YOU!”

“No, I did not.” Fluttershy replied, unphased. “I allowed a demon to work through you and murder those people. That’s all.”

“...But why?!” Myra exclaimed. “Why would you do that?! Why would you choose to do that over saving me?!”

“I’d love to save everyone if it was possible.” Fluttershy said. “But people must know that their immoral actions have consequences. Though the world may never know what your father did to you, the wicked thing he did by order of the devil’s puppets that run your world, they will still understand one thing every time they look at the atrocities you’ve committed...that you are a destroyed person who only did such things because of the devil who worked through you…”

“...What are you trying to tell me?” Myra asked.

“I mean to say that anybody with a sane mind will look at your dark history and realize that it was not you who made you a murderer.” Fluttershy explained.

“What about everyone being responsible for their own sin?” Myra responded. “You said the devil can’t force anyone to do anything…”

“I stick to that.” Fluttershy said. “You know what I meant by that. You may not have been forced, but you were influenced by false teachings. The reason you killed all those people was because you believed you were helpless against the demon that took control of you. The day you committed that sin was the day you were committed to paying the penalty for that sin. And the penalty was death. Up until you met Loki, you had only ever fled from death. But now that you’ve become willing to die to your old self, there is hope for you to reborn through me…”

“...” Myra was silent, honestly having no rejoinders to make. She felt that what Fluttershy was saying was true.

“You understand now, right?” Fluttershy told her. “I can’t just come in and make everything better. People have to accept the consequences of their sin before they come to me. It can’t just be me or you...it has to be both of us.”

“...Then let me do more than just accept death…” Myra replied, filled with determination. “Let me accept new life in you...and allow me the strength to rectify the wrong I have to done every soul I have ever killed…”

“I shall do nothing less.” Fluttershy said, beaming with a wide smile. “I understand now what sets you and Twilight apart...unlike her, you know how to put aside your arrogance in the presence of God…”

With that, Myra and Fluttershy vanished into the light, and Myra regained consciousness in the material world. Looking at both of the swords that were still stuck inside of her, she followed her instincts for her next course of action. Unafraid of the agony, she clenched her fists and let out a loud cry as she started to absorb the sword of fire and darkness into her heart…

“GGGGGRRRRRAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!” she screamed so loud from the pain that she got the attention of Nick Rohn, who was in his office only a floor down. Having been writing something on a piece of paper with permanent pen at the time, he put the pen down and started heading up the stairs to the top floor.

“No...that isn’t…” he said to himself as he ran up the stairs and was mortified by what he saw on the top floor...Myra finishing absorbing the sword of fire and darkness into her heart, causing her body to split into two halves. The upper half became fire and the lower half became darkness.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Nick yelled as the fire and darkness split apart, flying in the air as each essence assumed its own form. The fire took the form of Myra and the darkness took the form of a demon. Both then merged together to complete the true form of the victor of the dark domain...fire and darkness came down to the floor and Myra appeared, taking the sword Nick had stabbed her with in hand.

“No!” Nick exclaimed. “I killed you!”

“You did…” Myra replied. “But God has resurrected me…”

“Impossible!” Nick kept yelling, refusing to believe this. “God does this for NO ONE! ESPECIALLY NOT MURDERERS AND DEMONS!”

“Would you, one who gives God’s judgement, doubt not only his decisions, but the power of his resurrection?” Myra replied.

Nick just stood still in response, speechless. This defied everything he had been fighting for. He felt as if he didn’t understand the world anymore…

Meanwhile, at the same time, Twilight and Celestia were about ready to climb the tower of Starcatch…

It is to absorb all the pain and nothingness into ourselves…

Twilight and Celestia both opened their wings, revealing that Twilight now had the wings of a demon, and that Celestia had the wings of an angel.

It was then that Twilight and Celestia took flight and soared up the tower to reach Fluttershy’s mansion, just as Myra Michaels had leaped off the roof of the Phoenext corporation and flown down to safety. Myra then darted away at the speed of sound, making her way back to the village as Nick just stepped over to the edge and looked down at her with a blank, morbid expression on his face…

Never to deny it again…

Landing where Twilight had arrived when she came here the first time, both of them looked up at the swirling vortex of darkness and light above. Twilight decided to ask Celestia something…

“Do you know what that’s for?” Twilight asked Celestia, gesturing to the vortex.

“Not really,” replied Celestia, shrugging with her forelegs, “I just always assumed that it was a gateway or a portal to another realm. When I tried asking Fluttershy about it, she just chuckled and told me, “It’s not important to know what it’s for until every floor has been climbed…”.”

“Every floor?” Twilight responded, as she and Celestia were approached from behind by a dark figure that towered over them, wearing a very large dark-blue robe. “Could it have something to do with the levels of Starcatch?”

*FWOO* *CLING*

Twilight snickered to herself, with the sounds of a scythe swinging down at her head and her catching it with her front hooves ringing giving her a sense of accomplishment.

“My sister has trained you well…” the figure who was revealed to be Princess Luna in her Grim Reaper form said. “But you are nowhere near ready to face Fluttershy yet.”

“And what do you base that on, dear sister?” Celestia interjected. “The fact that she doesn’t know Fluttershy’s secret yet? I’ve assured that she’ll catch on in time.”

“Why did you bring her up here?!” Luna exclaimed. “You know she’s not ready! Myra’s story isn’t even over yet! Did the traitor force you into this?!”

“We’ve found a way to work with the traitor…” Luna remembered Fluttershy saying. “...preposterous. The ruler of the dark isn’t the only one who disagrees...I disagree as well! Absolutely! All who go against God’s orders must be corrected!”

“How inaccurate your idea of the situation is.” Celestia replied. “Twilight is more than ready, a very reliable stand-in has been found for Myra’s story, and I’ve not been forced into this by the traitor...I’m willingly in league with them.”

“NO!” Luna yelled. “WHY?! FLUTTERSHY TRUSTED YOU! THIS WAS YOUR CHANCE TO GET BACK INTO HEAVEN!”

“Am I not taking that chance?” Celestia jeered. “The only difference is that when I get into heaven this time, I’m going to be the boss around here, not the wingman riding on every word Fluttershy says like you.”

“YOU WRETCHED FOOL!” Luna cried. “FOR YOUR OWN SAKE AND TWILIGHT’S SAKE, I WILL REAP YOUR SOUL AND HAND IT OVER TO FLUTTERSHY TO BE JUDGED!”

Luna then tried to lift her scythe up, out of Twilight’s grasp, only for the blade to break off, with Twilight still holding it in her hooves, laughing evilly. She was fully prepared to do the unthinkable with the blade, and Luna knew it. Luna stood still and speechless, the same way Nick did, thinking to herself…

“I’m going to die...for the first time since I ascended to this form of eternal torture, I have told myself that I’m going to die...even though I am Death itself...why…”

Luna’s life began flashing before her eyes, an image of Fluttershy’s smiling face overlapping her memories.

“Everything I’ve done, for the sake of the Reborn One...the one who resurrects...the one who gives life after death...so why has he forsaken me…?”

“God…” she said in her mind, extending her right foreleg, doing exactly what Nick was doing with his right arm as he said the same thing to himself. “...what have you done?”

*shing*

Luna’s head was sent flying off, with the last thing this form of hers would see being…

“MWAHAHAHAHAHA!”

...Twilight laughing maniacally over Princess Celestia’s bifurcated corpse, from which, her soul had separated and was floating above.

“Did you think me foolish enough to play along with your game any longer?!” Twilight declared proudly, taunting Celestia, lying on the cloudy domain, cut in half and bleeding. “Especially after what I went through with Fluttershy?! I knew from the start what you were trying to do!”

“She knew…” Celestia’s soul thought. “...the whole time?”

Celestia had a flashback to what had only just happened, right before Twilight had decapitated Luna.

“It’s done…” Celestia said in her mind, closing her eyes. “I have finally rescued you, Luna. No longer will you have to suffer this torturous existence, working under these monsters. All I have to do now is work with Twilight a little longer until she finds out the truth of her relationship to Fluttershy. Then, in that moment, when she is caught off-guard, I will kill her, Fluttershy, and myself, fulfilling my obligations to the so-called traitor. With both Twilight and Fluttershy out of the picture, the traitor will no longer be obliged to comply with the commands of Satan or God...meaning no heaven or hell. All will return to the Dark Sky, where we may spend eternity however we wish...glory traitor in the highest, I thank you for allowing me to save every-”

Celestia was interrupted in her thoughts by the blade Twilight had used to cut off Luna’s head boomeranging around and cutting her in half. In the moment Twilight decapitated Luna, she had thrown the blade of her scythe like a boomerang to split Celestia in two.

“After heads roll, you and I split!” Celestia remembered Twilight saying.

“So that’s what you meant…” Celestia’s soul said. “But how did you discover my true intentions?”

“Ever since you taught me how to see inside the hearts of those who had fallen into hell.” Twilight reminded her, laughing. “You idiot. You arrogantly thought you would be an exception to the rule because you were an angel with Fluttershy’s protection. It’s too bad that…”

“Ha ha ha ha ha…” Celestia’s soul began laughing. “No, that is not the reason why. If you knew Fluttershy’s secret, you’d know why that’s impossible. You’re the idiot, you fucking liar. Stop embarrassing yourself and admit that the only reason you know is because your robot persona told you.”

“Whatever…” Twilight said, shrugging her forelegs, still maintaining her confidence. “I still get the last laugh. Do you know why your soul is still here?”

Twilight kept grinning evilly as she twirled the blade from Luna’s scythe in her hoof before absorbing it into her right foreleg, which became an essence of pure darkness. All of a sudden, Twilight pointed that foreleg at Luna’s headless body, and it extended into a long, dark blade that pierced Luna’s body.

“Along with Luna’s?” Twilight proclaimed smugly, priding herself in pulling Luna out of hiding.

“No…” Celestia’s soul said, beginning to weep. “Please, just take me! Don’t do anything to my sister! I DON’T WANT HER TO SUFFER ANYMORE!”

“Sorry,” replied Twilight snarkily, “but that’s just the way things are going to be. I need two souls, one of light and one of dark so that I can research the powers of Yin and Yang...and after all…”

“Without pain, we can not grow stronger.”

In that moment, in the world of Myra Michaels, Nick Rohn pulled out his cell phone and got right on the line with his agent.

“This is your boss speaking.” Nick told the agent. “Relay this to Edward Miles and Dawn Dedde right away...tell them to cease whatever they are doing immediately...even if they are on a mission, any mission, no matter how important, tell them that this new mission they are being put on is of the highest priority. They are to invade the village that Myra is residing in...and by any means necessary, gather all the information they can about her. And once they are finished…”

Nick’s eyes gave an evil glow of red.

“...they are to burn it to the ground…”

Returning to the entrance of the village, Myra felt an unsettling premonition. She quickly shook it off though and told herself…

“I won’t make the same mistake twice...this time, I will stand with you...and we will fight together!”

With Myra’s newly found resolve, there was hope for the newly awakened evil to be defeated...but Satan’s next fall would not be determined by the outcome of a simple duel...for there were many battles to come...not only against Satan and his lineage…

Ninja Time God Rarity said this as it was shown that inside Starcatch, there was a laboratory where Twilight’s robot persona had preserved Luna’s head and Celestia’s upper body in tanks of embalming fluid. Between Celestia and Luna stood a large tank that housed a human woman that looked just like Twilight, but with blue streaks as well as red streaks in her hair, and eyes of a bright burning red. Fantasy God Discord then closed the scene out by saying this…

...but also against the lineage of the traitor...