The dream world was a simple enough one to understand for Gruff. A summer retreat with no adult supervision. Simple juvenile fun in the sun with some extras that gave away a lot more for Gruff to see what exactly these kids had dreamed up; what Gallus was trying to keep him from.

Not quick enough to intercept the old bird, Dinky trotted out of the water ahead of Gallus to greet the potential new friend. Above her joyous smile, she was wearing a crown adorned with more diamonds than the silver holding it together.

"Hello! You were at school with Gallus when he first came to visit. Come play with us. I'm a princess now, so you have to do what I say."

Gruff stopped short where the grass met the sandy shore, hesitant to pull away from Dinky taking his talons in her hoof. She was so cute with her over-jeweled crown. A bejeweled oddity was so poorly designed that its own weight kept slipping forward to blind her, making her steer him in zig-zags before stopping to fix her crown with both hooves. It was sickeningly heartwarming that even his old weathered mindset wanted to let her lead him at least into the water.

Unfortunately, he had his ward, a yak, and an equally disgruntled dragoness to deal with.

"Oh?" He answered curiously. "I'd love to, but you see-"

"He doesn't have time to play, Dinky," Gallus coldly answered, failing at masking his true feelings behind a fake look of concern.

Ocellus, both needing a break and wanting to act as a diversion, began to step out of the water. Each stride she took slowed and showed more signs of fatigue rapidly taking over her. Her neck slouching and the gape in each stop falling shorter, both symptoms curiously not seen in the other children.

"Hey, Dinky? Why don't you help me get lunch ready? I'm too tired to do it alone today."

It might have been a bit more clear what Ocellus was doing had she not been so tired. That is, had it not been for Sandbar jumping out to help her with laying on her towel. Not that he wasn't happy to do so by how happy he sounded lending a hoof.

"You probably didn't eat enough this morning. Not to worry, though. I packed us an extra-large lunch for today."

Button ran up in an excited frenzy, half tripping over himself and half trying to shake himself dry in every mid-stride while trying not to lose his crown.

"Dibs on sitting next to big-sis Smolder! Princess's rules!"

Cotton Cloudy dipped down from her low flight path to pluck Button's crown from his head and add on her own.

"Can't be a prince without your crown, lil bro! You're gonna feed Yona as her stallion servant for lunch."

Pina Colada ran up next to Button, laughing all the way and joining the chase.

"Nah-uh! Yona eat with lil yak sister!"

The situation quickly changed from water games at the beach for ten to a picnic for seven and a showdown of three against one. The sight was so sickeningly sweet it almost made Gruff want to gag. Not just the foals running circles around the spread of brightly colored sweets and fresh produce. It was all expected...as frankly disgusting as it was to watch.

Really, it was how each pony catered their attentive, loving attention to a changeling, an outsider. The foals were clearly putting on a show for her while Gallus tended to the vile, unloving, manipulative stranger.

Then again, they even set up an eleventh spot for him to join, so maybe he was projecting his own insecurities. Or he was simply reacting how most more mature individuals would to the bright colored fantasy land right in front of him.

Of course, the unnatural growing cloud cover may have been nice for those about to eat, as it was an obnoxiously sunny day. However, it was more foreboding for Gruff, adding a masked urgency to his voice.

"Listen to me. You need to-"

"No, you listen," Gallus interrupted, unwittingly dimming the natural light even further. "You and I are done. I'm my own griffon now, and I don't have to listen to you. Just go away and leave me and my new family alone."

Silverstream, not so surprisingly, the last one out of the water, returned to her hippogriff form to flutter over. And having caught the tail end of the conversation, was quick to start panicking.

"Oh, no. This isn't about the owlbear, is it? Because I can explain."

Fearing she was in trouble, she brought her hooves to the ground, her rear legs instantly giving out, prompting her to recoil and return to using her wings.

"Ouch! What the?"

Over at the picnic, Sandbar shook Ocellus, slumping over and cuddling up to his side. A look of discomfort spread across his lips as she forced him to sit on his hip while she held tight to her chest.

“Ocellus?” He forced a laugh. “Knock it off. You can’t be that tired. Come on. At least let me move so I can be comfortable, too.”

Gruff, having gotten over the almost nauseating sweetness of the scene, viewed the site with uneasy eyes. The cupcake wilted like melting wax before the changeling closed her eyes, appearing as if she were trying to sleep within a dream, giving the impression of how fast this world was fading.

Not that magic was his expertise, but he knew a sinking ship when he saw one, and this dreamboat was about to lose all hull integrity. This was all the more distressing, given that there was so much to say and so little time to say it, and that was on top of the intended receiver refusing to listen.

He was going to have to give it all before going down with the ship and instantly swallowed his pride.

“I’ll go,” he said in surrender, shocking Gallus with his tone. “I… don’t blame you for hating me. But before I go, let me set you straight. You need to get out of here.”

Gallus nearly turned as white as a ghost. It might have well been from his heart-stopping, though the audacity for such a claim kick-started it back up with the quickness.

“How about YOU get out of here!”

The answer for Gruff was a no-brainer, to which he coyly answered.

“Happily. Though tell me, where exactly is here?”

For a moment, Gallus was too stunned to answer, so Yona stepped in to answer.

“This Ponyville. Mean griffon not welc-ah… Ohh.”

Somehow, Yona began to suffer incredible jaw pain. So much so that speaking became all but impossible, prompting Smolder to reach out for her friend.

“What’s gotten into you, Yona? Something stuck in your-ahhh-shhhhhhh.”

Much like Yona’s impromptu jaw pain, Smolder’s arm began to throb. A mystery pain that came with the onset of another sting in her wing.

"Why's this hurting all of a sudden again?"

At this point, it didn’t take an alicorn to figure out what was happening. Gruff was sitting on borrowed time. He had to make the sale pitch here and now.

“Gallus, my boy. I saw there were some pretty nasty cuts left on that owlbear back in the cave under the old pony castle. You did that with King Guto’s iron talons, didn’t you?”

Stuck between his initial shock from the insult to concern for his friends, and now what sounded like admiration from the former guardian, Gallus didn’t exactly know how to feel about it.

“I… Well… You’d of had tuh been there. All I—” A sudden switch was flipped, turning his modesty back to defensive. “Oh! You just came back for your cut of the treasure, huh?”

Gruff took the accusation like a fly ball coming out of a hockey rink. It made no sense.

“My cut of… What? What treasure?”

For Gallus, it felt like some kind of mind game was being played with him. For Gruff to wait this long? A length of time Gallus currently had no recollection of, to show up out of the blue to demand payment? It had to be a trick.

“You know what? Forget about it. We agreed on twenty-five percent, but you can just take all of it. Take both iron talons, and then leave me alone.”

The silver gauntlets that held the iron talons of King Guto could have been the only thing Gallus was referring to. They were priceless. A part of Griffonstone history. Gruff’s history. His family. He could almost imagine them weighing down his wrists with all the bits they were worth.

Then they were heavy. Too heavy to lift. Too heavy a burden to carry, as if he could look forward to it anyway. Of course, there was another matter to address with that proposition.

“Forget the treasure. I’m saying you need to leave here because this place isn’t real!”He angrily squawked, all but wanting to rip his feathers out at this point. “It’s some kinda dream spell that demon pony has you under. And who or what even made you go out into the Everfree Forest? Did you get orders from Ember and Rutherford like Smolder and Yona did?”

Nearly ready to fight his old guardian, Gallus tensed his wings and felt an old wound rear its ugly head. He’d have to keep his firm position on the ground, for the time being, posturing as such.

“Are you getting senile, old bird? You’re the one that came to me at the Apple Farm, remember? You said that if I wanted to stay in Ponyville, I’d have to go find the treasure in the catacombs of the old castle. That it would be enough to fix all our problems. Then you agreed on a seventy-five, twenty-five split because I’d…”

For some reason, saying it out loud made Gallus feel like a fool. It also made him look at Gruff differently.

“You’d… never… ever-”

“Never what?” Gruff asked, unimpressed, less than happy his ward was only now finally putting the pieces together. “Accept a twenty-five percent cut on stolen treasure? That I would send you out alone to steal for me? Does any of that even remotely sound like something I would ever agree to? Didn't I teach you to stop stealing in the first place?”

Hearing that sent off all sorts of red flags for Yona, who still had difficulty moving her mouth.

“That worst deal. Old bird mean… Not stupid.”

Smolder, returning to holding her arm, felt the same way.

“Yeah. If any creature offers a cut that low of some sweet loot, then you know they’re gonna double-cross you.”

Gallus lowered his head, now having to accept that he didn’t really know what was going on anymore. As if he ever really did.

“We didn’t even shake on it… And… Why can’t I remember what happened after we beat the owlbear? Princess Twilight came out of the tree and offered to help us save Ocellus. Then…”

The fact that Gallus had been duped instantly came second place to who he was dealing with at the moment. He wasn’t going to lower his guard so easily around this old bird.

“Well, then we all come back here, and we're doing just fine. We're not going anywhere. Why would we?”

Yona gave a firm nod to that assessment but just as quickly held her jaw in one totter, turning her attention back to Gallus.

"Actually, this not make sense. Gallus run away from home, but Yona and Smolder not run away. Why we still here? Ponyville not our home."

While the idea of staying in Equestria was a welcomed one, even Smolder could see something not exactly working out to allow her to stay. That, and other issues she had overlooked.

"Uh... Yeah... Not that hanging out with all of you is great and all, but why didn't I go home? Where do I even live out here? Where do any of you live? Have any of you gone home? I can't remember any of that stuff. And for all the talk you had about ponies being afraid of changelings, why is Ocellus out in the open like that?"

Above them, the growing clouds of the midday sky grew darker. The more doubt that these youths encountered, the weaker this world appeared to be. That, or their health was draining faster than this pocket dimension could support.

Either way, this was Gruff's best opening.

"Gallus, please, listen to me. This world we're in isn't real. Whoever you saw at the Apple Farm wasn't me, and that wasn't Princess Twilight you saw in the cave. I can't explain much of it, and most of it I hope you never will come to learn. But, please, don't let this fantasy world trap you here."

"Trap me?" Gallus scoffed. "What trap? And, okay, sure. That probably wasn't you I saw. But listening to whoever that was led me back to my friends. We're a family now and I’m gonna stay with them."

Compassion wasn't exactly working, so maybe some harsh truth was needed, and Gruff resorted to falling back on some of his old ways.

"Caw! Alright! You made your point! You want a pony-style family. What, with the love, and hugs, and mushy stuff that I never gave you. Right?! That's it!! RIGHT?!"

Seeing the old version of Gruff that Gallus was used to came as a relief. Despite being unpleasant, it was familiar, and he could rip into this one without conflict.

"Yes!" Gallus spat back in Gruff's face. "It doesn't matter how good or bad I am at talon fighting or history lessons. I don't have to pretend to be a jerk! I don't have to be like you or any griffon else! And you know what?! I'M HAPPY! I'M HAPPY WITH A FAMILY I CAN FIGHT WITH INSTEAD OF FIGHT AGAINST!"

"YOU'RE HAPPY WITH THEM?!" Gruff shouted back.

"YES!" Gallus returned with another spiteful shout.

In a fit of desperate rage, Gruff reached out with both forelimbs, picked Gallus up by his chest, and raised him up to eye level, glaring as hard as his old eyes would allow.

"THEN WAKE UP! YOU’RE ALL ASLEEP! Asleep in that cave with the tree! It didn't save you! It brought you all together to feed on you! And unless you want this new family you’re so proud of to die, then you need to get out of here, NOW!"

There was something frightening about the delivery of Gruff's demands. A hidden message of fear and honesty. The typical angst and disappointment didn't come out to cut him down. The anger was more of a front to hide legitimate concern, which was far more frightening in ways that Gallus didn't understand.

"What?"

With all the shouting, all ten youths were now surrounding the bickering griffons. All of them poised and ready to fight. Not that Gruff was going to let them intimidate him.

"That thing from the tree that looked like Twilight was Harmony. The same one that the pony princess and her friends used in their stories. It chose you and your friends to be the next Elements but is using your friends to feed off of like a parasite!"

Despite his prior bluster, Gruff felt his arms weaken. Even if this world was a dream, his body still had the same limits, and he was forced to lower Gallus.

Truth be told, he was tired. Tired of fighting, sick of holding out for a chance at revenge, and outright exhausted from his impoverished life. All components that bore down on him and were heard in his weary tone.

"It was only supposed to be the six of you Harmony wanted, but the humans showed up and ruined her plans. Those four foals weren't even supposed to be here, but now they're in danger, too… And why are they wearing crowns?"

The sky above reached its peak darkness, alerting all the youths that this world was not as they once believed. It was enough of a shock to quickly leave them all huddling around Gruff.

While the youths were only holding onto each other, Dinky was brave enough to answer the question.

“Chris married my mom. That means we’re royalty like he is.”

Hearing that, Button snapped his attention to Dinky, mentally pressing X to doubt.

“Chris isn’t royalty. He’s a dignitary for the humans just like Smolder, Yona, and Gallus are… Wait… Were we there for the wedding? Double wait! Does that mean all our moms are princesses?”

This was the moment Gruff knew would seal the deal, and he raised his talons out for Gallus to accept.

"How about a new deal... Let go of this dream. Wake up. Save your friends. Then... just be the better griffon to them that I never was for you."

Gallus was awestruck, confused as to where this was coming from, even if he knew it to be true. Then, while raising his talons, he noticed the problem with the proposition.

It was another deal too good to be true. In his hesitancy, the ground shook, cracking open, letting the forest crumble and fade away as figments of a construct's imagination.

"And what do you get out of this deal?" Gallus demanded, despite a slight shake in his tone.

For a moment, emotional scars and mental barriers held Gruff's tongue. Maybe if they were alone it wouldn't have been so painful to admit. However, that wasn't an option, and for whatever reason, he desired to be his father's son.

"I get to make my father proud for once... Knowing the prince he left behind was able to raise a griffon he could be proud to call his own while he had him... But you'll have to leave here to save them back there, son."

One by one, the youngsters surrounding Gruff accepted that this world crumbling under the weight of their disbelief wasn’t their reality. The more they knew life wasn't this easy, that there were still more struggles to overcome and families waiting for them.

This was a fantastical dream that was over, whether they liked it or not. The more they understood that sad fact, the more their bodies turned to flickering light-filled dust. Slowly, transferring their essence away to the reality they belonged to, yet unable to leave Gallus behind and return to a reality they could be together.

Within seconds, it was only Gallus standing with his guardian, waiting for him to accept the offer. Yet, Gallus held fast in disbelief, his eyes unable to turn away from Gruff, letting the others suspended in wait.

"You're... proud of me?"

Now that they were alone, Gruff let go of his prior prejudice and hardheaded ways, cracking a weak, sad smile.

"I'm bitter... Far too old to be fighting like I've been doing today. Too proud to admit how wrong I've been for staying so miserable, which is what I made life for you… At least until now. You deserve a better future, but unlike me, you actually fought for it. So, please, don’t throw it away staying bitter at me."

It was clear that Gruff had come off too honest, making Gallus freeze in place. The poor griffon was too awestruck to reply or even react to Gruff reaching out and wrapping a fatherly hug around him.

For Gruff, part of him hurt knowing that it was wrong for this to feel so unfamiliar, but it was his to embrace in what little time they had left. It was what he thought his father would do. At the very least, what he wished he had done.

"I'm sorry I waited so long to show you I care. So, you don't have to shake on it. You don't need to hug me back either. Just let go of me. Let go of our past. Your future belongs to you and those you're going home to."

Not letting go as Gruff had expected, he could feel Gallus extending his forelimbs. There was a moment of trepidation, fearing that Gallus would push him away. Instead, those limbs rose up, slowly curling around his back.

In that instant, Gruff’s heart grew heavy, swelling with what he hoped his father once felt with him. Pride, joy, and maybe even a touch of love that wasn't deserved, making his heavy heart feel so light it could fly on its own.

Then, just as quickly as he thought he felt Gallus return the embrace, it was gone.

He opened his eyes to see the ghostly figure of Gallus, his eyes clenched shut and the tears welling up, fading off to flickering light-filled dust.

It was done. He had convinced his ward to let go and return to safety.

Everyone conscious had their eyes glued to the portal. Cerb held Fluttershy and Rarity in his lap, their sleep still not removed like Gruff lying motionless in front of him. Shining held Cadance up to watch with his wife, letting both Ember and Thunder lean against her. Queen Abyssinia held her king in her arms next to Onyx, helping Helix keep his head up high enough to watch. Chris, probably the most worn out, sat on his knees with Starlight holding onto him from behind, both watching over Gruff’s body next to Lumberman and Applejack. The rest were scattered about.

It was a combined effort by all who could to allow everyone to watch the one-way transmission unfold. What they heard, what they saw. It was unbelievable. How quickly that hard-nosed prick of a griffon had come around to become a caring parent.

However, Kelly, while touched by the scene, thought something was off.

"Wait... Why isn't Gruff flying off like the kids are?"

From the other side of the portal, four metal-clad hooves touched down, and Luna's voice called out frantically.

"We were wrong! I couldn't find Gruff anywhere! I can't even get into the other dream realm!"

Hoping it wasn't too late, Luna darted around the portal to see everyone else stuck in bewilderment. Of course, Kelly seemed the most confused, pointing at the portal window.

"He's right there where you left him. Didn't you leave him there with the letter?"

Luna turned her attention to the portal, seeing Gruff clutching his chest, looking utterly sad and pitiful, sitting alone in a dark world quickly dissembling all that held that reality together around him.

Through the portal, Gruff sighed in regret, losing the last connection to Gallus drifting away.

"Ahhh... I suppose I deserved that. One day doesn't make up for the rest."

There was little left of the tangible world held together. The sky was absent, the waters drained, nearly every tree removed along with the ground they once grew from. There were only the final moments Gruff had to himself, one set of claws over where he last held Gallus, and the other holding his medallion of royal birthright.

"Heh... All these years to call him my own, and I choose the moment he leaves me to call him son... Not really a proper goodbye though, eh dad?"

He brought the medallion to his chest, hugging it like he was welcoming home some long-lost family.

"Like father, like son, another king falls far away from home."

Alone, at peace with his past, Gruff sat quietly as the last portion of the sky vanished from its temporary existence. Only a tiny swirl of rainbow-colored light glittering around him to welcome him to the abyss.

"What a miserable way to end this royal curse."

No one could believe what they were witnessing. Even when each sphere above them was filled with the gasps of children returning their bodies, all they could do was watch Gruff. Colors and light dissipated, vanishing with the scenery and the very air itself. The world crumbled away in a vacuum, and there was nothing anyone could do as Gruff silently fell away into the nothingness with the ground sinking into the abyss below.

It had taken a moment, given the fall of the uncrowned king, but Trixie Rose had pieced together the sad truth.

“There’s another Echo pulling strings even we can’t see. One that can move about freely in this Harmony’s magic. Who, or whatever this other Echo is, must have nabbed Gruff’s dream consciousness and pulled him into the children’s shared dream.”

From the armor, Luna Ring softly spoke to mourn for the fallen.

"We thought it strange, but were mistaken to think you had made it to Gruff and this dream realm so quickly. We did not think it possible another might have stepped in. Perhaps another was watching and intervened where we could not?"

Again, Trixie Rose spoke up, sounding a bit sadder from what had just unfolded.

“The kids have left the group call… I… don’t have a good analogy for Gruff getting left behind. Wherever he is, it’s not with his body… He read the note and knew he wouldn’t be coming back, but because of him we can get the kids out.”

The sudden turn of events left a dark cloud over those remaining, particularly for Cerb, still holding his unconscious mares.

“Come on. Someone take ahold of-”

Cerb tried to stand up, but a wince of pain accompanied by Becky’s hand forcing him back down left him stuck right where Benny would instruct him to stay.

“Sit your ass down before you bleed to death. We’ll get the kids. You got enough on your plate.”

Getting up wasn’t a viable option, and Cerb gave in to staying seated, knowing his hands really were full.

“Yeah… Let’s wrap this up before we lose anyone else.”

Almost as if the world itself knew they had cleared the cave, the sound of another explosion ripped through the narrow passage leading out, shaking the entire cave surrounding them. Cerb knew that feeling a little too well.

"Shit's getting real out there if they can shake the ground like that."

A spiraling blaze of alicorn fire beamed down from the clouds, slamming Harmony into the dirt. Dark and fertile earth rained down in steaming piles of charred mud around Harmony quickly rising back to her hooves over a rock bed. The right side of her face had been splintered open, and steam puffed out non-stop from the gaps of ice rapidly evaporating. Those would take time to heal, much like the gashes over her neck and legs currently being worked on as the remaining forces took position around her again.

It was looking like brute force was not working as Harmony had intended, much like the capabilities of those slapping her around the entire fight. Thus it would seem diplomacy was the more likely option.

“You all need to consider what exactly this fight is going to accomplish. Your magic is reaching its natural limits, where mine is not. Although, the youngsters can only tolerate so much more. And Twilight, why so much ice? That’s so unlike you.”

Harmony’s assessment wasn’t far off. Twilight’s magic should have run out by now. The fact that she still had a healthy reserve she accredited to Sniff, but wasn’t about to share that news with Harmony. Instead, she’d answer the easy question.

“It's just a simple spell that cools water molecules to the point of freezing. It's not that difficult to do, but it was the first spell I cast that had Peter compliment me. Guess it became a reflex to keep up with Oven’s fire breath.”

Harmony blinked in amazement, deadpanning at the explanation. There was so much Order flowing through three of these remaining mares. The fourth, being Celestia, still had no real traces of Order, but the enriched magic empowered by her own that had been stolen was just as much of a threat.

Just the same, the nicks, bruises, and cuts over Twilight, Ovens, and Swifty reminded Harmony that there was another concern to take into consideration. Another bout of banter to grant her more time to heal.

Anything to let her wounds close up.

“Well… It seems that this Peter character has inspired a great deal of confidence and strength within you. There may be potential for them yet, but all this fighting is damaging that pretty face of yours. You are, after all, a princess. So busy with your responsibilities, you can’t expect to protect both him and the rest of Equestria. Let us form a new pact where I would keep Peter safe for the next few years-”

An eerie chill began to spread around Harmony. The crackling of the steadily freezing air increased with the rising lumens from Twilight’s glowing horn.

While not the most enjoyable trek through the wilderness, the lack of Timberwolves made it easy to traverse. In no time flat, Cutter found herself back at the mouth of the cave and a shaken Lunar Guard drawing their weapons on her.

“Stand down,” Cutter calmly ordered, much to their relief. “Nurse Redheart, if you have a moment.”

A griffon’s set of talons raised behind the lines of defending ponies. Had it not been holding a wad of bloody gauze, the effort might not have led Cutter to the pity corner of those bloodied and bandaged under Redheart’s care.

It was a pitiful scene where Gilda was putting her talons to work helping Redheart the way Becky would have with her hands. Redheart herself was finishing up with Spike.

“Hold that gauze against your gums while you’re keeping Peter warm. I’m sure when Smolder and your other dragon friend come out, they’ll confirm that those are just your baby teeth. It might hurt now, but you’ll grow new ones.”

Having finished patching up Spike, Redheart turned her attention to the approaching hoof steps of Cutter. A flash of alarm took over the nurse, seeing yet another bloodied pony, but another explosion caught the attention of all present.

WAH-BOOOOM!

Far off, a portion of the distant forest boomed out in all directions, illuminated by violet magic. A smoke trail led its way up from the eruption, instantly targeted by what had to be Twilight laying the smackdown.

“I’m really liking the idea of having a daughter-in-law,” Cutter commented with a grin.

Off in the distance, Twilight’s Royal Canterlot voice confirmed the suspicions of many as to who was leading the offensive.

“SAY HIS NAME AGAIN! I FUCKING DARE YOU!"

No sooner had the threat been issued, the sky filled with bursts of magic. Some were of beams missing their mark, but most were bright flashes discharging, flames erupting, and sparks from metal making their connections. Ovens' guided flames rising up gave an impressive display of where Harmony was moving about, rarely getting a counter shot in.

Despite how impressive the light show was, Redheart had to focus on her duties.

"Oh, heavens. Please tell me this is the worst of it."

Redheart started to move towards Cutter, but the motherly mare extended her bloody wing with a lackadaisical smile.

"Stay where you are. I made it this far on my own. These last few steps won’t do me in. And besides, I'm not leaving Peter's side anytime soon. Otherwise, my girls have an advantage over me, so I’ve taken the worst of it so far. How are conditions over here?"

Ready with more gauze, Redheart started wiping clear as much blood from Cutter's chest to assess the wounds, sounding surprisingly calm.

"Spike's being a real trooper, losing half a dozen teeth, but he's keeping Peter warm... Peter is still my biggest concern. I'm worried he might be bleeding internally, which was a concern we originally had with Kelly when she was first injured. Our deer friends are getting worse with their bleeding, and a few broken bones are the most serious among the bat pony guards. Although, I'm not sure how to treat Vogt, and I have no idea what horrors await me in the cave."

A crack in the sky, sounding like a whip, caught everyone's attention, turning their eyes up to see a ball of fire careening down from the heavens away from a violet glowing smoke trail. The burning mass curved down. Its velocity grew until it came crashing through the cliff’s edge, slamming into the bed of the gorge, shaking the Earth from where the new crater was breached.

The ground rocked so hard that Redheart had to hold Peter’s cot from tipping over, and Gilda took hold of Sniff to stop him from being tossed off.

When the tremor settled, all eyes returned to the smoldering crater, save for Gilda who held up her talons dripping with red.

“Uh? Nurse? You can fix this, right?”

Redheart shoved Gilda to the side, accidentally knocking her into Cutter. The shove wasn’t out of anger, but concern for the rapidly growing red on the bandage over Sniff’s leg.

“No… This is bad.”

Gilda feared the worst and went to reach for more gauze, only to have Cutter reach out with her hoof to stop her.

“Be careful! You know not the dangers-”

From within the smoldering crater, one hoof reached out. Charred, full of nicks and gouges. Its violet, luster drained and tarnished by flames, slowly was wrapped up crystal vines that pulled it from the pit.

“Ugh!” Harmony grunted, struggling to pull herself free. “No creatures are worth this much suffering.”

Dragging herself out, more vines extended over the walls of the gorge. The higher she pulled herself up, the higher the vines climbed, their pace mirroring her exhausted appearance. That is, until there was a hitch in her first step, making her raise her hoof up to clutch her chest.

“Emph!... My new chosen? How did they?”

Her expression soured, churning with a mix of pain that appeared to grow as the light around her began to fade, putting an end to the slowly closing wounds no longer healing.

“No matter… This human has already proven useful.”

Behind Harmony, a flaming hoof reached up, wearily straining to climb out, with Celestia’s voice sounded just as worn.

“Over… my… dead… body.”

Harmony stopped her slow stride, then turned to face the twisted creature she had brought into existence.

“Well… I’m running low on options. Aren’t I?”

Turning away to continue her tiring march, fumbling in her steps as she did towards Sniff, Harmony drew what little magic was needed to tug back on her crystal vines.

Growing taught, the vines pulled tight on the loosened boulders.

“No!”

Crash!

Without sympathy or warning, the gorge's cliff edge crumbled down into a landslide that erased the crater, filling it with stones big enough to crush a yak. Boulders by the tonnage rolled and wracked against each other. Their crushing settled over the princess without effort or resistance.

From the wreckage, a wall of dust rushed out with the rubble, washing over Harmony, followed by a large fiery axe arcing up high and swinging down directly on her.

Clang!

The dust parted from the axe, leaving behind a trail of molten stone dripping freely from the split section of the landslide. Celestia stood at the handle end of her weapon, panting, nearing the end of strength needed to stand. Yet, all her ire still focused on the construct buried under her burning blade collecting the magma flowing down their many streams, Celestia somehow remained standing.

“Not so tough without a bunch of kids to hide behind, are ya?”

Celestia huffed a laugh, faint, quiet, hardly even noticeable from the sounds of her flames puffing out. The short-lived laugh turned to short rapid breaths as the flames gave out, returning her ethereal mane and war weapon snuffed out just as she collapsed in time with her crown clanging on the ground with her.

“I still owe Discord one after this is over with,” she huffed with a painful grin. “I don’t think thirty percent would have left me durable enough for this.”

The crash and landslide had done the princess in, but Harmony wasn’t finished.

“FUCK!”

Harmony screamed, throwing herself out of the molten stone. Her open wounds hissing and sizzling, she flailed violently in the dirt, cursing without remorse.

“You miserable, petty, bitch! You already ruined everything! This was unnecessary, damnit!”

Phsirt!

Even while rolling in agony, Harmony couldn’t ignore that sound and popped herself up from all fours, missing a bolt sprawling with green where her head had laid.

“Gilda! You little shit!”

Phsirt!

Harmony’s horn glowed, catching the next bolt along with the satchel of reserves Gilda was reaching for. The annoyance and discomfort those troublesome missiles had caused Harmony were enough to drive her mad. So, without even thinking, she threw them all into the molten bath she had just escaped.

If that was the way Harmony wanted to play, then Gilda was more than willing to play dirty as well. In fact, she knew a great trick to catch Harmony off guard.

"Ralph! My bolts! Toss'em up high!"

It sounded like a wise enough plan, and Ralph did as he was told, taking a bunch of the bolts in his wing and throwing them high overhead. Nearly a dozen bolts flew up, all of them potentially to be used to land another effective blow against this Construct.

Harmony channeled the magic in her horn to track and catch them before Gilda could fly up and grab any of them.

Shink!

Harmony reeled back, ditching the bolts in the air to clutch her throat. In the sudden jolt of pulling back to grip the pain in her throat, she came upon the sight of Gilda in her face. One set of bloodied claws swinging out in the air in front of her, the others raised up, ready to swing down.

Gilda couldn't believe her luck. What Cutter had whispered to her was true. Her talons were enchanted as the sword and halberd had been, now able to tear through Harmony's defenses. The crystal exterior parting under the pressure of her efforts like a soft pine to a skilled woodworker's tools.

But this wasn't carpentry. This was a fight, and Gilda was ready to go for the eyes and permanently introduce Harmony to the fog of war.

"Stop!"

Caught in Harmony's aura, Gilda was immobilized too soon. Her talons were mere inches away from gouging out at least one of those heartless crystal eyes.

"What the? Grrr... shit."

Harmony examined the talons of Gilda's left paw fidgeting in her direction. The trace of blood visually masking the intangible secrets below. Secrets only she could see, to which she raised her damaged crystal feathers to compare to. It was staring her in the face, but the objections these secrets gave up were all insults to her very existence.

"Preposterous," she mumbled to herself. "Inconceivable... Unacceptable."

There was a noticeable slip in the hold around Gilda, and she forced all the strength she could muster into it with her talons on her right paw.

"Deal with it."

The eagle talons tore through the glowing aura, curved up, and split open Harmony's chin, knocking her head back and losing control over her telekinetic grip.

Gilda followed through with the momentum, rising up in a spin that took her directly into the coils of more crystal vines sprouting up from the ground.

Again, more of the Lunar Guard took positions around Harmony. This time, however, Harmony did not stand so cocky. Instead, she returned her focus on Gilda, though still made sure to keep track of those around her. Her vines extended out like tendrils to feel for danger towards the guards and gripping tightly around Gilda enough that the thorns could cut through her fur and feathers to draw blood.

“You don’t have a clue as to what you’ve gotten yourself into. The kind of power you’re dealing with. You have no binding with Peter. Nor was your gift given freely, let alone was it enough to contend with me.”

Harmony contorted the vines, spinning them with Gilda towards the guards separating them from Sniff. The clear intent was to get the bat ponies to move, but when they didn’t, Harmony flexed her magic again, thrusting Gilda closer to the guards and tightening the vines.

Snap!

The long edge of Gilda’s left wing bent inward, snapping in a clean break from the vines binding down and drawing a steady stream of blood. It happened so fast that Gilda wasn’t even sure what happened.

“GAH! Let me go, you psychopath!”

Another sudden change in the air alerted Harmony to an attack from behind, to which she leaped free and clear of, missing Swifty diving in low enough to have taken her out at the knees. It was of good fortune that Swifty foolishly chose to fly in so low, or so Harmony mistakenly thought.

Shink!

With one fell swoop of her halberd, Swifty severed all the tightly bound vines holding Gilda, letting the grip loosen enough for her to flex her talons and cut herself free.

Phsirt!

That infernal noise made Harmony Twist in the air. She dodged another bolt but quickly found Gilda still on the ground holding her broken wing. Confused, she looked for Ralph, but instead found the crossbow in Spike’s claws. The sneaky drake had taken a pop-shot while still seated next to Sniff.

Again, that damn crossbow had left her distracted once again, and one lucky mare took the initiative to exact some revenge.

“Remember me?!”

Harmony’s eyes turned to the voice of Spitfire rising up with great speed and a mace in her fetlocks.

Crack!

A flash of yellow fur and blue mane covered in golden armor rolled into view, Flash Sentry rose up with a war hammer.

“For the Princess!”

Ancient Equestrian steel battered the side of her crystal face, turning her awkwardly into Soarin’s broadsword upward strike. Another clash of cold steel sent her up into the welcoming company of a swarm of vengeful bat ponies. Ralph readied his broadsword while Evening Aster screamed her order while turning up her steel flanged mace.

“ALL TEAMS! STRIKE AT WILL!”

The night sky rang out with steel beating crystal to the tune of a hail storm beating a tin roof. Wave after wave took turns rushing in, flanking Harmony from all sides. Over and over, blades and blunt instruments battered the wicked construct firing off sparse shots of magic into the frays.

It was a brave tactic to buy some time, and Cutter wasn't going to waste it.

"We have to move Peter. Gilda, Swifty, Grab the front of his cot. Redheart, help me shoulder the back. Spike, you stay with Peter and be our lookout."

Each of the four quickly took to their corners while Spike held Sniff in place, each waiting for Cutter to lead them.

"On three, we lift and move on a left-right-left-right march straight into the cave. We'll make our last stand there. Ready? One. Two. Three. Lift!"

Together, the weight was easy to carry during the steady pace Cutter led them on in cadence.

"Left-Right. Left-Right. Left-Right. Watch your step. Left-Right. Left-Right. A little faster now. Left-Right. Left-Right."

Spike, still sitting on the cot, trying not to sway more than needed as he was carried off with him, looked back at the swarm of bat ponies giving their all. One after another, flying up solo to challenge their might alone, or maneuvering in pairs, battering their weapons against the unyielding foe, dodging blasts or failing to move in time, the Lunar Guard never relented.

It was orchestrated chaos, constantly changing their rhythm to keep Harmony guessing where they would strike next. Not even Spitfire or Soarin' diving in to get their hits hindered their assault. However, the blasts that did find their targets, the beams that couldn't be blocked, or the bucks, kicks, and the thrashing of Harmony's crystal wings were becoming equally as effective.

Cutter continued until she found herself safe in the company of the remaining Stranded Seven and other warriors.

"Left-Right. Left-Right. Left-Right, and halt."

No sooner had the four lowered the cot into the soft soil had many of the able-bodied fighters ran over to assist, which at least is where Cutter needed them.

"Harmony knows you have the youngsters. She now wants Peter in exchange."

To further inform the others, Swifty took up a defensive position facing the mouth of the cave, still not having fully caught her breath.

"Celestia must have changed by taking on more power from Harmony, but it wasn't enough. Harmony injured Twilight in our last assault. Ovens is taking care of her, but Celestia took the worst of it. She's unconscious, but the rest of us aren't fairing much better. Evening Aster and the rest of the Luna Guard bought us some time, but not much."

By this time, Becky was front and center to take in the damage of more patients, sounding more overwhelmed with each addition.

"Jesus fucking Christ. Harmony did all this?"

Thankfully, Redheart understood the situation better, though the news wasn't very uplifting to hear.

"We have many more wounded outside, but the quake earlier has escalated Peter's injuries and his leg is bleeding much worse. We can't keep our patients here much longer."

The cave was frantic with creatures taking new positions to defend their front and protect the vulnerable. They were stretched thin, but Becky looked back to Cerb for help, knowing he needed just as much.

Thankfully, his calm and collected response came as well-rehearsed as his prior training, even as he struggled to hold pressure over the puncture hole in his lower back.

"Becks, if you can't stop the bleeding with direct or indirect pressure, apply a tourniquet. Spike... Before Becky gets the next set of bandages around his leg, I need you to put all your body weight on one knee on Peter's groin. Becky will show you where the pressure point is. Whoever else can help, when Spike does that, help plug up bleeding wounds as best you can as soon as the old bandages are removed. Once it’s tied on, we have two hours before choosing to save the leg or hope he doesn’t bleed to death.”

Becky could see Redheart pulling out more gauze, and it wasn't nearly enough to cover all their needs. Even if there were more elsewhere, it wouldn't hold tight enough to work. Instead, she tore more of her shirt off in two long strands to tie down.

"Spike, put your knee down on Peter's groin where his leg meets his hip, right here. When I say go, press down hard. Kelly, come here. When these wraps come off, pull out the bad gauze and use your fingers to stuff in as much new clean gauze as you can. Make it nice and tight. Lumberman, Benny, I need either your hammer or the crowbar to tighten down-"

"Crowbar," Benny shouted, already handing it over. "I got a few rounds left, and we can improvise if we need to."

Becky nodded but didn't take the weapon.

"Yeah, good. I need you to tighten for me then. Now... Everyone ready? Spike? ... go."

The small team didn't need any further instructions or rehearsals. One after another, they played their roles to the T until Benny was spinning the crowbar to tighten the tourniquet.

"Okay. That's tight. Nurse? If you could put a few wraps around this to hold it in place?"

Of course, one solution only opened the door for more concerns from the other guardians of the youngsters. The first being a bloodied and tired Rutherford.

"Becky. Why Yona not wake? Can nurse pony fix blood in mouth?"

Queen Novo was similarly and rightfully concerned with her niece's condition, still left untreated with her general.

"Yes, my niece isn't waking as well, and she is also bleeding all along her hooves and legs."

This info blindsided Gilda, as her would-be ward was still asleep, though that left the other guardian in the cave unaccounted for.

"Wait? Where's Gallus? Why isn't-" Her questions were cut short at the sight of Gruff's unmoving body laying in front of Cerb. "Why is-"

Becky stepped in front of Gilda, firmly placing a hand on her shoulder to stop any more calls for help.

"I can't wake them up, and I'm doing as much as I can as fast as I can. Just keep them all safe for now. Try to control their bleeding we did with Peter before."

Finally, she turned her attention to Gilda, not sure how to address the situation Gruff was facing.

"Gilda... Gruff got the kids out, but I can't treat him. Right now, Gallus should be your priority."

The clanging of armor and aged Equestrian steel clamored into the cave's entrance, prompting a change of direction for Becky.

"Shit. Nevermind. Make her your new priority, or none of us are getting out of here."

Harmony crashed in through the narrow passage to the cave, immediately dog-piled by five Lunar Guards. Sadly, the dog-pile was little more than a nuisance that Harmony bucked off her back, sending bat ponies off into the walls and ceiling, leaving an opening for Spitfire to dart in.

The raging Wonderbolt dove in with her mace crashing down on Harmony's lower lumbar, crumbling her posture.

Harmony's backside hit the dirt, but she spun like a top, delivering a right cross to Spitfire squarely in the jaw. The crack was both of impact and bone connecting with a much denser opponent, sending her careening past Soarin'.

A blast from Harmony's horn struck the broad sword he held, erupting in an array of metal shards.

Fragments of steel cut through flight suit and muscle alike, yet, undeterred, Soarin' followed through, cutting with what remained of his blade down Harmony's belly.

Sparks ran across Harmony's crystal hyde, doing more damage to the steel than her, fueling her rage.

"Brainless cloud junkie!"

Flipping herself back, she wheelhouse kicked her rear legs up, catching Soarin' under the chin. Both hooves connected, slapping him like a rag-doll, unconscious through the air.

As she landed, she lit up her horn, facing Evening Aster and Flash Sentry flying in with all their might.

Crack!

With a flash of light and sparks, Flash’s hammer knocked down Harmony’s defensive hoof, letting the steel flanged mace chip away more traces of crystal from Harmony's head. It was a solid hit, but in the follow-through, Aster felt her hooves were empty. Her body itself, flying through an empty space where Harmony should have been.

Confused, she spread her wings to swing around, thinking she must have lost her target along with her weapon in the flash. Instead, a second flash appeared, along with her mace bashing into her breastplate.

"Cuw!"

Aster flew across the cave taking Flash Sentry with her, barreling into the muddy dirt and tumbling to a stop with the armor over her chest caved in.

Quickly, she was picked up in Lumberman's hands, pulling her to safety as she pulled the strap to her armor to let it fall free. The removed armor allowed her to gasp, but the air filling her lungs expanded the bones that now cracked and popped against each other. She could feel the broken ribs parting with each breath, exciting new pain she never imagined or bargained for.

Not equally as equally battered, but just as shaken, Flash Sentry stumbled to his hooves, falling back to guard Aster.

Finally, after all the arguing and withdrawn silence as Discord kept himself to, he finally spoke up. His voice was stern, masking how livid he was, but only enough to hold his composure.

"That's enough, Harmony!"

Harmony, panting, standing ragged with the steel flanged mace in her aura, looked towards Discord. She stared with disgust as he kicked over the large vat of bubbling brew he had spent the entire fight concocting. To think what he was about to pull, after all her efforts. All of which had brought her here, back to where she started, with nothing to show for it and everything else she still had left to lose.

She would not allow it.

"Discord! Don't you fucking dare!"

Ditching his lab coat for a lumberjack's rig, Discord finally relaxed his posture. He stood tall, proud of himself, yet equally disgusted with Harmony, flaunting that he now somehow held the upper hand emanating throughout the cave. It spread like the smell of rotten compost, polyethyleneimine, and... lemon soda for some reason.

"Such language. Am I to take it that the master of puppets, little miss goodie horseshoes, isn't dealing with not being in control very well?"

Seeing Harmony so abusively thrashed came with overwhelming emotional rewards. He wouldn’t hold back the pleasure he was going to take from putting her in her place.

“Time for a new deal.” He grinned deviously, running a sharpening stone over his axe, fully enjoying the turned table he found himself on. “And I’m in no hurry to work out the details.”

Just in time, Twilight touched down at the entrance with Ovens. Both stumbled closer as Twilight's wing's closed and Ovens tried to catch her footing, but both were already preparing to make their next move.

“No deals, Discord!

Not to be left out, Celestia stumbled her way back in behind Twilight. Scuffed up, bruised, and looking almost pleased to see Harmony again, her mane popped and fizzled trying to ignite again.

“No more deals. We’re not done with her yet.”

Harmony didn't bother looking back, shouting instead for all to hear. Her Royal Canterlot voice, loud enough to wake the youngsters from their slumber, even waking even those put to sleep by the Twilight doubles.

"I STILL CONTROL THIS WORLD! YOU DON’T KNOW HOW MANY BROKEN BODIES I’VE REPAIRED WHILE YOU SLEPT THOSE THOUSAND YEARS! THIS IS NOTHING! I WILL NOT-”

Snap!

Echoing from wall to wall in the cave, the snapping of Discord's lion paw digits cracked through the air like gunfire.

Happy to hear Harmony would not concede, Discord let his action permeate as deep as Harmony would allow it. It was possible that she could not comprehend his action, or was unsure if he was testing her. Then again, perhaps she could no longer stop him.

Either way, even as the ground began to tremble, slightly at first and quickly amping up into a steady hum, she was unable to react. Then there was Discord, wearing an early 1950's tux, fashioned with an open white vest and matching bowtie.

"Ooooh! I don't know if you've been told, but..."

He flauntedly twirled, spinning as if giving a broadway performance, ignoring the shaking ground with his out-of-place cowboy boots.

"Anything you can do, I can do better. I can do anything better than you!"

The ground cracked between Harmony's hooves, and a sudden rush of dread enveloped her as she knew what lay beneath.

"No! You can't!"

Discord spun again, leaving behind multiple copies of himself that danced in tandem with each step he took, spreading out to leave her tree in full view. Together they sang over Harmony's protests.

"Yes, I can, yes, I caaaaan! Weeeeeeell, any vines you can grow, I can grow greater! I can grow vines to choke the life out of yoooooooooou!"

The rumbles escalated with the drawn-out notes Discord sang, summoning ghastly black vines. The wicked foliage was larger than Harmony’s, covered in hauntingly pale blue spines that jutted out like spikes, they ripped up her crystal tree from the ground.

“NOOOO!”

The rising dark vines battled Harmony’s, wrapping around and cutting into each other. Vile dark-grey sap dripped and sprayed from Discord’s damaged vines, just as fragments and stray shards did from Harmony’s. Both wrestled against each other as the tree was lifted higher from the soil.

Yet, for nearly as quickly as it escalated, the superior dark coils of black dominated Harmony’s to a swift victory. They held what remained of Harmony’s assaulting vines, no longer able to protect the last root connecting the crystal tree to the world she swore to protect.

The ground held still once more, and Harmony stood her ground despite the many cracks across her body.

“Discord! Release me at once or so help me- Eh… Egk….”

Harmony stuttered momentarily, all the color and brilliance draining away along with the luster of her crystal coat. She stood, shaking, her exterior a faintly transparent milky white, now free of the cutie mark she copied from Twilight.

Beneath her hard exterior, thin streams of red pooled in segmented veins and arteries of a partially completed circulatory system. A thinly expanding lung weakly grew with her breath, sending unfiltered air out the cracks along her ribs past portions of raw flesh melding in with her inner crystal workings.

Through what little could be seen, thin strings of nerves ran the course of her body’s length. Brief flashes flickered and discharged near the gashes and marred exterior that flexed and twinged reflexively. All the developing changes she did not need to see to feel, making her hunker down like a cornered animal, drawing back what few vines were left around her hooves in a protective circle.

She was no longer the dopple of Twilight. Her appearance was still an alicorn, but otherwise colorless with no defining features, other than her wounds and ghostly floating mane. A blank slate of injured possibilities, robbed of her identity.

“Discord." Harmony spoke low coldly, her anger reaching its limit. "Whatever you're thinking you can trick me with… don't."

Discord was tickled pink, as he turned pink while tickling himself with floating feathers, giggling madly. "Oh! Ha! You think?! Ha! Stop it!"

He shoved away the feathers, making them all poof out of existence. He was still giggling, yet held an arrogance about his demeanor.

"You think you have a choice? You're surrounded by your champion Elements, both new and old, and even the very old.”

Harmony chuckled. Lowly at first, but quickly grew into cackling with her returning madness.

“I submit to nothing. Destroy me, and this world will-”

WOOOOOOO!

The sound of a factory steam whistle blew from a pipe popping out of Discord’s tux. As one would assume, it was another prop for Discord to introduce another copy of himself.

The copy was one of his construction workers opening a portal to poke his head through just to deliver some news.

“Job’s done boss. We’re ready to take over.”

Discord bowed to his copy, speaking with a cordial voice, dismissing him and the dozens more the funneled out like union bosses to stand between the tree and Discord.

“Very good. Your timing is impeccable. And Harmony,” he gloated even more arrogantly as he rose from his bow. “I want you to know that my repairs to the damage done by the wrong humans you aided in delivering, showed me a lot. Mostly, where you keep that special barrier of yours.”

Nearing the point of mentally breaking out into a blind rage, Harmony grit her teeth.

“Discord… You’ll be responsible for every death of this world if you-”

“Shut up!” Discord shouted in an attempt to take over the conversation again. “Did you not hear my song? It wasn’t until talking to the new, better, Trixie that I realized just how alike we are. Anything you can do, I can do better. Just look at every creature I’ve saved! Once from Cosmos, again from Tirek, and now even more from you. Every creature you’ve slaughtered and murdered I now protect. And until now, you did the one thing I never thought I’d need to do, but in repairing the damaged dimensions, I found your barrier. A barrier I thought I would make a backup for after noticing all the Hopeless Magic floating out there.”

In front of Harmony, a stack of papers dropped in front of her, followed by an inkwell and quill dropping on her head, covering her face in ink.

“New deal,” Discord huffed. “We move your stupid tree to the barrier, and there you’ll stay for eternity to protect Equestria. Away from us. No more strings. No more games. No more murder. And last but not least, you keep your Words to yourself and we go on about our lives. If not…”

Discord flexed his control over his dark vines again, crushing more of the separated roots and letting the last one still connected to the Earth be pierced by his thorns. Just enough depth to let her know that as he raised his dragon paw again, her life was one snap away from ending.

There was no mistaking that he was not playing any games, yet Harmony simply couldn’t believe what was being said.

“You honestly think you have any kind of leverage in this situation? If you destroy the tree you destroy more than all my work and then this world will end. You can’t honestly expect me to believe you’re willing to take such a risk.”

Believing she’d called his bluff, Harmony was shocked when the vines only grew tighter around the tree and his rebuttal.

“I’m very tired of this. In fact, I’m just tired in general, but I will gladly end your existence and put my focus on keeping a barrier between us and that Darkness.”

Everyone was silent. Those that knew the danger of Trixie’s visions understood what Discord was saying. That one of them was needed at the very least to stop the world from ending.

Harmony, however, now further adjusted to her vulnerable form, noticed a chink in Discord’s armor. She never would have noticed it had it not been for Cutter and Guilda, but it was there, and thus, she picked up the quill in her aura.

“The era of The Words is finished, and I see now how humans are the key. The power to make even the lowliest of creatures strong enough to challenge me directly.”

She brought the quill before her muzzle, eyed it menacingly, gathered a small taste of the bitter ink on her lips, and then spat on it before turning the tip to Discord’s belly.

“And powerful enough to indirectly defeat you with the stroke of a pen.”

Discord leaned in closer, still flaunting his unsnapped paw, and blinked repeatedly, oblivious to the implications.

“A stroke of the pen you say?”

The quill passed through Discord along with the high-focused discharge of magic from Harmony. He never even had the time to process her discharging her horn. It was only when the pain set in and he clutched his stomach that he recalled this sensation. The same as when Fluttershy hugged him last.

He brought his paw up, examining the green liquid that rapidly dispersed into wild chaos magic that faded away. His very life force breaking down before his eyes.

Stifling painfully as he dropped to his knees, and with his dragon paw poised, uttered quietly the respect his opponent deserved.

"Well played…”

Snap!

Like losing a millennia's worth of struggle and efforts, the last crystal root shattered between Discord’s black vines, an act Harmony did not anticipate, leaving her tree to fall, shattering under its own immense weight.

“NOOOOOO!”

Gathering his waning strength, Discord raised his dragon paw. Growing until his knuckles touched the ceiling, he poured all his reserved hate together.

“Negotiations are over! Get to work boys!”

Portals opened up for all the construction Discords and they ran for their exits, dropping out of sight as each one closed behind them as Discord dropped his fist.

A blast fired off from Harmony, connecting with his fist as it crashed down on her just as her vines covered her.

The impact was not fully avoided, crushing her into the dirt, though fragments of Discord’s paw sprayed out in all directions. Each portion eroded through the air, green mist faded in their trail, dispersing to nothing before hitting the ground.

In the fist-shaped dent in the ground, only shattered crystals remained. A mix of crystal dust and indiscernible shards.

All was quiet, save for Fluttershy coming to her senses.

"Discord!"

Leaving Cerb, and Fearing the worst, Fluttershy rushed to Discord’s side, only to be halted by his eagle talons to ward her off.

"Don't touch me!" He demanded with mournful tears in his eyes. "You can't… Not any more. The Order in you will tear me apart."

He drug his bleeding limb into view, clutching it in his talons, failing to stop his magic from draining or the remaining Order from eating away more of his arm. The pain was unreal, near impossible to describe, let alone stay focused through. Unfortunately, his focus was going to be tested even further by what he saw through his copies hurrying to their locations beyond this reality. A sight that Discord brought into view with small viewing portals to observe.

“With Harmony’s tree destroyed, her barrier and whatever enchantments she has will wear off.”

To the onlookers, it seemed as if everything was over. A result Celestia, among others, felt cheated.

"Just like that? She has murdered countless creatures, and with one fell swoop you put an end to it?"

Trixie Rose stepped, standing next to Discord, surprised he actually went through with it.

"It would appear so, but not without the help of all of you. Discord would have never defeated her one on one… and it seems you struck too late."

She looked down at the hole in his abdomen, slowly growing larger.

"You're dying, Discord. How long do you think you can make your barrier hold up without you to support it?"

Fluttershy felt her heart rip down into her stomach, nearly choking on her words.

"Dying?"

Discord held his tongue for a moment, relenting over the sad news being presented so bluntly. It was the truth, as far as he could tell.

"Long enough for you to come up with another plan… One without strings attached this time.”

Above him, one of the viewing portals went black, bringing concern to his pain-ridden face.

“Oh-no.”

Another viewing portal went dark. Then another. A fourth lost its transmission, followed by three at once, prompting Discord to hold his head in his talons as if struck by some phantom pain.

“Hopeless! The dark… Gah!”

The remaining portals went black before dispersing, vanishing into a green mist just as his severed paw and Luna Ring knew the cause.

“The Darkness! It’s already broken through the barrier! Harmony must have been weaker than we thought! Rose! Sever our bond!”

Despite being surrounded by Luna Ring's voice, Trixie Rose could have sworn she heard her friend wrong.

"What?! If the Darkness broke through then- Wait? Are you stupid?! There's no time for that!"

Determined, Luna Ring proceeded to make her case.

"I barely made it here and there's no way I can make it back. At the very least I can buy them time. Now let me go!"

Trixie Rose stood motionless staring at the pillar of light. That was their only chance of making it out, but even together, what waited for them on the other side was another death sentence.

"Fine," she reluctantly answered. "I release you from our bond. You are no longer my protection. I am no longer your strength. We are no longer united as one."

The dark armor began to glow, pulling away as bands of light, gathering in front of Trixie Rose to take the form of an alicorn. In a matter of seconds, all the armor was removed and Luna Ring took her true form, standing in front of her friend, batter and chip crystal body and all. A sight Trixie Rose was saddened to see.

"I'll stay as long as I can. I owe you that much."

Confused, Trixie joined the two, frantic for answers.

"The Darkness is coming? Didn't we stop Harmony and save the humans? Wasn't that all we had to do? They're the key, right? That’s what you needed me for!"

Luna Ring turned and made her way towards the fallen crystal tree, speaking low and mournfully.

"Harmony was only in the way of discovering what made humans the key. The key to stopping the Darkness from destroying the world… But Harmony was also keeping it at bay. Without her, there would never be enough time."

Standing close enough, Luna Ring levitated one of the shards and touched it to her horn. The connection illuminated the shard, sending it off above the ruined tree, spreading its glow to the rest, raising them in a circle that began to swirl.

"Forming new roots to this world will not be easy. There may still be time before the bulk of its masses crosses over, but perhaps only enough to protect Equestria. I cannot hope to offer more for the other kingdoms with so little time."

Off to the side, the pillar of light cracked. First a small fissure, just loud enough to be noticed over the swirling shards. Then again, louder, opening up from the base to far beyond what they could have known it to travel.

From the hollow depths of the pillar, the popping, and hissing of boiling oil steadily grew louder, accompanied by the grinding, churning, snapping of crystal and metal, sending a shiver down both Trixie’s spines.

“Aaaaaaaawe, fuck me,” they groaned in unison.

Great minds think alike, but Trixie Rose had completely different plans.

“Hey, Ring! The bridge is compromised! The Darkness found it again just like it did last time! We’re about to have company!”

As the burning grew louder, a spot black eased out. Bubbling and sizzling against the pillar, it broke down more of the exterior, prompting another cry from Luna Ring.

"It's already here!"

Standing in the middle of it all, Trixie was mortified. Dozens were bleeding. Small children crying, clinging to their elders for safety they could not provide. All her visions, nightmares, and memories of worlds falling with their inhabitants dead screaming at her. All pointing towards the pillar of light that would shortly bring about their doom with the Darkness overpowering it.

Then there was her. The catalyst of it all. Even if others were involved, her desire for admiration and saving a few bits allowed this to happen. All the while, she had done nothing but run away, only to return too late. Even here, in the final fight, she stood by as the backup to a failed plan? She had sacrificed nothing while others put it all on the line.

Even two complete strangers to their world were attempting to give their lives to prolong the destruction of this world. One of which was forming a new construct of… a crystal ring?

"Almost there!" Luna Ring shouted.

The swirling crystals flashed with a jolt of light that filled the whole cave. Now complete, a massive floating crystal ring hovered over the torn roots, and Luna Ring stepped inside the tangled mess, frightened beyond words behind her brave face.

"There may not be enough time. My apologies to you all. There just isn’t anything else I can do. Rose…"

Trixie Rose smiled and held her hoof out to stop Ring's final words.

"We had a good run, Ring. Even got to see Sword put in his place. Now plant some roots, would ya?"

Luna Ring lowered her view to her hooves, letting her magic unwind itself to fuze with the vacant roots. Her magic, along with her body, pulled the roots upward, while her body rose up into the ring.

A brilliant light grew when her body closed the connection between the roots and her construct, focusing on merging until another flash blinded all onlookers.

In her disappearance, an arched base of crystal had formed. And in the trade-off, Trixie Rose bid her farewell to her lone friend.

"So long, Rose… You were one of the real ones."

A loud snap came from the pillar as more of the dark oil bubbled out, opening enough for a jagged black spike into the ground. From the raised dirt, dark crystals began to form, much to Trixie's surprise.

"Why is it still coming?! Didn't your friend stop it?"

Trixie Rose turned a mean glare to Trixie, angry with having to explain.

"No. Luna Ring is now The Crystal Ring you see before you. Once the base of the roots joins her, she'll become the Crystal Ring of Harmony and take over as the new Harmony of this world… For however long that will last, but only if we can keep enough of the Darkness from crossing the bridge the Echoes used to get here."

Trixie looked at the pillar, oozing with more of the Darkness forcing its way through.

"Is that the same type of bridge I made that brought the humans here?"

Trixie Rose tilted her eyes before blasting a beam from her horn at the spike, warping it but doing little damage otherwise.

"No. It's much more advanced. Its entire surface is a transference gateway merging two points over two unidirectional bridges."

Forcing herself into the conversation, Twilight could only hope to help by budding in.

"A gateway is still a portal. So, isn't this pillar more like a portal that uses the surface as the entryway-"

"And the interior opens up to the exterior of the exit coordinates like a normal portal would. Yes, but this is more efficient and secure. Although, the transference properties make it take longer, given the more narrow bridging techniques needed. Otherwise, both directions of transferences would intersect."

That was more than enough for Trixie to work with, though she would need a little help.

"Hey! Baker pony! This Darkness really doesn't like fire. You mind spitting some flames for me?"

If it would keep Peter safe, Ovens had no problem helping out and quickly trotted up.

"Sure thing. Stand back."

With a heavy blow, Ovens covered the pillar in flames. The fire torched the oil, metal, and crystals alike, making them all crack and pop under the heat.

With the path cleared, Trixie lit up her horn, covering herself with an orange and yellow glow, surprising Trixie Rose.

"A fire walker spell?"

Trixie tipped her wizard hat to the enamored double, sending her a grin.

"Yep. Not sure if you used it against your Starlight, but your Twilight was a good teacher. Thanks for letting me watch that memory of yours. I'm going to need it where I'm going. I just hope what else I learned works as well."

Without saying another word, Trixie started marching towards the pillar. Now protected by the spell, Ovens' fire spread over her, doing no harm, and protecting her as she faded into the pillar and flames.

Twilight was beside herself. On top of everything she had been through today, watching Trixie perform such a complex spell was a perplexing cherry on top. The fact that she had learned it through another Twilight teaching this new Trixie made it all the more jaw-dropping.

Of course, Trixie Rose couldn't help but boast.

"Yeah, long story short. Your Trixie watched me get trained by my Twilight to stop our Starlight from destroying the world... It didn't go as planned, but your teachings helped me make a new friend... Kind of odd that your Starlight ended up with Chris this time. I think that's a first."

Twilight tried to process the possibilities of different timelines putting a guy like Chris together with a mare like Trixie into perspective, but all of that was derailed by her delayed oversight.

"Wait! What the fuck is Trixie doing?!"

Inside, Trixie cast another spell, slowing time around her and the bridge. She was still moving, albeit slowly, but could take in all the wonders and terrors inside.

Flames still rose up from where she entered, scorching and torching the evading Darkness, now fighting fire and light. The battle, all seen in slow motion, was the Darkness burning itself against the prismatic colors. A true battle of light versus darkness fighting over her bridge and the inverted bridge traveling opposite of her.

"Alright, Trixie… Time to fuck things up the only way you know how."

Gathering as much magic as she could, she began to focus.

"No review. No practice. No destination in mind. Just change the spell from what it is to what I want. Make it selfish. Bigger than it needs to be. No need to be safe anymore."

Beams of light shined out from her horn, attaching to both bridges with her in the center. Connected to both, she could feel the magic surging in both directions. How it coursed from one point to another. Where each ended, and where each began.

As smooth as her impromptu plan was going, her first time using these spells didn't leave any calculations for how fast they might wear off.

"Now... Fuck, it's getting hot. And I can't see shit with this fire in my face! Damnit!"

Whether it was her outburst or the time spell fading enough for time to start speeding up, her presence was noticed by the Darkness. Now a target, pools of the bubbling oil grew closer to her location, turning their churning crystals and jagged edges of metal towards her.

"Shit! Come on, Trixie! Don’t think! Just feel it out. Find the start point. Starting point-Start point-Start poi-Right! Behind me! Disconnect!"

As soon as she shouted the words, ice crystals formed where she entered, creating a hole big enough for Twilight to stick her head through.

"Trixie! Get out of there! We're evacuating! Your Echo said more portals are opening all over the world by now! It's too late!"

Still focused on altering the spells around her, Trixie floated to turn and face Twilight.

"I'm not running away this time, Twilight! Every version of me waits until the very end to realize that I should have acted. Or even worse, they die for nothing, and they had years to get that far. I didn't even stop Harmony like I was supposed to. Now we’re out of time and I have nothing to lose. So I have to do this!”

Twilight spread her magic to widen the hole large enough to bring Trixie through and reach her hoof out.

“You have lots to lose! You have Starlight! You have me! You have friends that care about you!”

A flux of magic poured out from Trixie, severing the receiving bridge from the pillar. The sudden parting nearly drove itself back in place, forcing Trixie to pull back even harder, though it would be impossible to hold. There was only one way she could misplace it.

“I’m not going to lose them! I’m going to save them! Now get back!"

Twilight braced for the worst as she watched helplessly as Trixie intentionally created a novice mistake. Though both ends repelled each other like opposing magnets, a magical fusion struck, melding both bridges of conflicting directions, bound by a collection of threads woven together, tied around Trixie’s hoof.

The structure jolted harshly, twisting and warping out of alignment. Conflicting traffic of magic slammed against each other, ripping torrents of unstable magic out all along the path violently enough to tear the dark crystals and metal apart that were caught in the discharges.

Trixie cowered in the smashing and random explosions, losing her protective flames. In the shifting wreckage, she grabbed a severed piece of the metal and held it close. The last piece of this rescue attempt finally came to her, giving her hope, even if this meant goodbye.

"I always wanted to be great, but when bringing the humans here made me powerful, I didn't want it. Didn't know what to do with it."

Desperate, Starlight forced Twilight out to extend her hoof in a last-ditch effort to save her friend.

"Trixie! Don't do this! Not alone! We can help you! We can find another way!"

The shard of jagged metal floated up in Trixie's aura, then dropped to the surface of the bridge, fusing where it landed.

"You've already helped me. And that book of emotional binding is going to take me right where all this Hopeless Magic comes from. The rest is all on me. But mind the gap. I don't know how big it's going to need to be. Oh, yeah. Chris was a good pick. Real good with the foals."

Twilight attempted to leap out over Starlight to stop Trixie, but as the bridge moved, there was nothing there. No air or space. Even the sound vanished where Trixie created empty space between the bridge and the detached portal Twilight held open.

“Trixie stop! Come back!”

The view of Trixie blurred, as light itself failed to pass through the emptiness. Unable to venture further, the vanishing sight of Trixie redirecting the bridge in a new direction ended with her allowing the transference process to whisk her away.

There had to be more time. That’s all Twilight could think of. Trixie wasn’t just a friend, she was important in all this somehow. The only one left that could hope to save her was Discord, and Twilight rushed back to his side.

“Discord! Trixie is about to do something stupid! We need you to-”

The decaying state Discord lay in stopped her request. His missing paw had spread up to his bicep, and the hole in his stomach had grown large enough to stick her head through had she been so foolish to do so. The Order was spreading through him like snake venom, eating away all that it came in contact with while binding to the Chaos Magic coursing through him.

“I’m sorry, Twilight,” he weakly spoke. “You’d think I’d have learned by now. Got caught up monologuing again.”

Believing the break in action wouldn’t last for long, Celestia called out to her only subordinate.

“Flash Sentry! Find whoever can still fly and send for our carriages! Gather as many civilians as you can to fly out the wounded! Go!”

Away from the dispatched guards, surrounded by those he faintly considered acquaintances, and his one true friend, Discord forced a grin. Weak, but honest, he spoke with conviction.

“Old habits.”

His grin contorted in suffering as more of his magic dissolved, leaving him weak and suffering the agony of Order attempting to make the magic of his artificial existence physical.

“Even trying to play the hero I do more harm than good.”

Hardly able to choke out her words, Fluttershy clutched her chest, trying to dull the pain of her aching heart. No matter how badly she wanted to comfort him, she couldn’t come close, less her tears added to his demise.

“Discord! Pleeease! You can’t die.”

“Shhhhh,” Discord quietly hushed. “Twilight wasn’t supposed to tell you, but I have some singing daffodils for your garden. They're supposed to go well with some baritone roses I’ve been growing, but they’re back at my home… Be a good girl and wait for me to bring them to you… They’re not in bloom, yet. I want them to be perfect for you.”

Fluttershy tried to wipe away her tears, but her best efforts were not able to keep up.

“No-no, no. I don’t need the flowers! Don’t leave me!”

Using what little magic Discord could focus, he slowly began to open up a portal to his chaos dimension. Inching in, little by little, he began to slip away out of view as if sinking into the soil.

His parting gift, to leave her with a smile to remember him by.

“It can’t be too long until they’ll be singing like wedding bells. You’ll see… Everything gets better in time.”

The last few inches of Discord were sinking away and Rarity had to grab hold of Fluttershy to stop her from going after him, though she struggled to hold her.

“Noooooo! Discord needs me! I can heal him! Bring him back! Twilight! Justin! Make him come back!”

Quietly, the portal closed. A final faint puff of green mist escaping faded as he left them.

The cave was quiet, save the few sniffles from those silently paying their respects and Fluttershy bawling uncontrollably into Rarity. Only Rutherford had the courage to say any words for the Spirit of Chaos and the sacrifice he made.

“Discord make best smash. Brave warrior. We will honor him.”

The crunching of ice pulled Twilight’s attention away back to the portal, but the shattered ice came with the closing of the only means of returning Trixie.

There was nothing left to do, and with no plan or means to stop the Darkness, all they could do was wait. Either the end would come, or Luna Rose would complete the merger and buy them what little time she could. In the end, neither option was ideal.

All Twilight could do was turn to Trixie Rose, sitting defeated, staring at Luna Ring’s base still pathetically distant from reaching the Ring.

“Rose, Trixie? What… What do we do now?”

Wearily, Trixie Rose removed her wizard hat. Exhausted and crushed, she sighed in defeat at the sight of how much farther her friend still had to reach, then pulled out one of the roots.

“This is going to burn through a lot of my power, but all we can do is sit back and watch. I’m all out of ideas. All I wanted was to give you all a chance to figure things out on your own without Harmony getting in the way. Instead, I just fucked everything up.”

Touching her horn to the root, Trixie Rose brought up viewing portals of Equestria, Yakyakistan, Abyssinia, the Dragon Lands, the old Hippogryph Empire by the sea, and even locations most had never seen. In all places, cracks in the sky slowly began to leak the dark oil into the lands. Creatures of all kinds ran in terror from jagged spikes pulverizing structures in search of victims and crystals beating the ground.

Then, without warning, all the advances of the Darkness slowed to a crawl. The downpour of Darkness trickled off and the chaos grew silent.

Sensing something powerful, Trixie Rose’s ear twitched, and her eyes shot up to another viewing portal.

“HOLY SHIT!”

Blazing through the space between dimensions, Trixie was racing through ravaged tears of tattered dimensional strings. The bridge she hijacked tore through the rivers of Darkness funneling out from the void. Towering jagged metal spirals shattered upon impact from the geysers of magic unleashed from her horn.

This was where all attention went to. Every creature gathered closer to the silent moving pictures of Trixie fighting her way through the unknown, raining down bolts of lightning, flashing arrays of glittering lights that shined and erupted like stars. Impossible scales of power, unfathomable feats of magics, one after another unleashed upon the onslaught of terror she raced deeper into. Bucking, jumping, teleporting, and screaming the whole way to fighting off every near-lethal strike that lunged towards her or erupted from the collapsing bridge.

Another dazzling display of eruptions filled the vision of battle, and for a moment, all thought the portal was failing for all the black that filled their view. In fact, aside from Trixie finally granted a moment to catch her breath, that was all there was.

Endless mounds of dark metal folding over one another, floating in a void of the blackest liquid churning with hordes of crystals in numbers like stars the galaxy would view with envy. All accessible through a tear in the barriers of reality.

“Alright, Darkness! You wanted me! You got me if you can catch me! But this is as far as you go!”

Reaching a location she dared not venture further into, Trixie launched herself off from the bridge, releasing all but one of the treads tied to her hoof. Striking a dramatic pose, her tattered cape fluttering behind her, the singed marks on her hat adding some sizzling flare, and the bloody marks down her rear legs was something to impress her audience.

“But first! For my first act of the night! I’m going to ruin your day the way I ruined my life!”

The strings, now unfurled, streamed across the vast openness surrounding the void. The speed each string flew was inconceivable. The blurs of light they left behind burning bright with pieces of the bridge they tore off with them, arching up into a perfect circle. The far side of the portal stretched open the barrier to a size dwarfing Trixie to a grain of sand lost in the center of a summer beach.

Floating in front of her sickly looking bridge, she held her stance before her much smaller portal reached its proper size. Standing only a familiar three meters tall, Trixie was all that stood in protecting the gateway to her reality.

“I followed your Hopelessness here! Now cross the Great and Powerful Trixie Bridge if you dare! Fight me!”

The interstellar circle began to split, forming a matching pair that were linked to each side across two dimensional barriers. Between them, in a portion of undefined space, a construct of light formed that bowed under its own weight. A crude bridge had been extended out to the Darkness, tempting it to cross the threshold.

Like a hungry predator hearing the call of wounded prey, the Darkness lurched its impossible mass towards the bridge. Its mass, all but taking on the form of a spiraling bullet, flaying out with deadly blades to shred the lone defender and devour what remained.

Trixie Rose was shaking in anticipation, or perhaps it was trepidation.

“What’s she doing? She’s not strong enough to stop it… and why make a bridge to invite it over? What the fuck am I-her… she thinking? She’s putting all the shared realms of your reality in danger.”

Twilight’s ears drooped as she failed to calculate the scale of the portal, even though she knew enough to fear the worst.

“A portal that big will crush this reality even from that far away when it collapses. We really are doomed. Harmony was right after all.”

Stepping back, she planted her haunches next to Sniff’s cot, pulling his arm down to hold around her. Spike, Ovens, Swifty, and Cutter all joined her waiting to see what Trixie was planning to do.

The Darkness launched forward. Whatever the great source of magic laying past the portal was, pony or otherwise, it wanted it and continued forward without thought.

Just the response Trixie hoped for, allowing her to pull the last string with glee.

“Tada!”

The mass of Darkness hit an invisible wall in the center of the portal just as the final thread pulled revealed another bridge.

A solid construct, pulling away from the swirling portal that began sucking in the dark mass, liquid and solids alike. Just in time for Trixie to take a bow as she floated down to her beautiful bridge appearing out of nowhere.

Rising up, she smiled proudly, watching the Darkness being pulled into all sides of the ring as she tapped her bleeding hoof twice on the bridge. The tapping somehow signaled the bridge to contract away from the Darkness consumed in Trixie’s trap.

The perfect time to explain her most impressive trick yet.

“It’s really just a misdirection. Also, what you thought was a portal to me was actually just a self-looping transference portal. It won’t take you anywhere but the same place over and over again. Even when it pulls more of you into it.”

With a slight limp, she turned and started to walk away, letting the second bridge she was previously standing in front of shatter as nothing more than mirrors and shimmering lights. She ignored the falling pieces loudly crashing as they fell into the abyss as she continued walking down her bridge to another portal entrance materializing into view.

“As for me, I was safe on my bridge between my world and yours the whole time. The flash of light, you say? A distraction to stop you from seeing the spell casting an illusion of the distance I misplaced between our worlds. The GREAT and POWERFUL TRIXIE! …is surprised you fell for it.”

Finished gloating, Trixie turned around to see the stolen portal bulging, reaching its limit of overcapacity, losing all her gloating along with it.

“Sadly, I wish my encore would be my miraculous escape.”

She stopped and stood somewhere near the center of the distance between the two dimensions. It felt like the right place to be, and so she floated up off the bridge, letting it continue to retract back where she came from.

The Darkness furiously attempted to free itself from the trap, its liquid body forming ghastly limbs that stretched out in an attempt to ensnare its attacker, yet couldn't pierce the plane that separated them. The bubbling mass in turn only groaned with its twisted metal and screeched angrily with its deadly components grinding against each other towards the pony who’d stood against it.

“Kinda sad I have to go out like this,” Trixie lamented. “After all my time with the Echos, navigating this kind of space is easy. Kinda like flying but… Oh, well. Fuck it, I guess. The show must go on. One last time.”

Striking a pose worthy of her name’s sake, Trixie began to pull all of her magic together for one final spell.

“As for the final act of the Way-To-Go-Dumb-Dumb-You-Really-Messed-It-Up-This-Time Repentance Tour, you should know that Trixie’s impressive trick to trap you has one fatal flaw.” She sighed once, ready to take her final bow. “That it’s fatal… And last time I created only an inch or two of space between my bridge and the internal collapse. So, judging by this size, and what’s needed for my final performance… I might just have enough… TO DAZZLE AND AMAZE! NOW! BEHOLD!”

All eyes were fixed on Trixie and all ears on Trixie Rose’s excited commentary.

She’s charging up to create another gap between the dimensions! She might have just enough-”

The first portion of the portal-trap erupted, the erratic burning magic of a cataclysmic design consumed all the visible Darkness before breaking the plane of the portal. It gave just enough time for Trixie to fade into a blur of stagnant particles of light trapped in an empty void of space.

With only a tiny swirl of rainbow-colored light glittering around as her final spell was cast from her horn, the last sight of Trixie Lulamoon escaped from the center of empty space.

Well, the long wait is over. I hope it was worth it, and I hope you caught all the callbacks to much of the earlier chapters. It took so long to get the right actions and dialog, and frankly, it exhausted me mentally. So much of the next chapter will reflect back on the events of this, which I would love to hear your thoughts on.

The rundown is simply that The Darkness has been taken off the playing field thanks to the sacrifices of Grandpa Gruff, Discord, and Trixie.

What comes next? Find out in: