It was difficult to tell when night ended and daybreak began. At best it was much darker at times, as opposed to the usual hellish rust-color. But with the coming of dawn the group slowly started to stir, preparing for what they hoped would be a chance to finally end this nightmare. Some of them stretched aching muscles, bathed the best they could in the bathrooms, or ate what limited food was available, knowing they'd need their strength for the battles that surely awaited ahead.

After hours of training had allowed Sunset Shimmer to form renewed bonds with her team, slowing wearing down the anger or mistrust they still felt towards her, although she wasn't certain they could ever fully trust her again. What had won them over most, even the still skeptical Applejack, was when she'd showed Rainbow Dash how to emblazon their weapons in white fire.

“I thought maybe we could all do it,” said Sunset who watched Dash's speartip flare up in a spectral flame. “But I'm afraid it comes from me. However, I can share a portion with this power with you all. All it takes is a touch. Of course, it also means I'll have to peer into your hearts for a moment. Don't worry, I won't see beyond a surface level.”

“It's so warm,” said Dash when she clasped hands with her. “Wish I had an awesome power like this! Well, in addition to my own! With this we should be able to take down Sombra and Tirek, no sweat!”

“And Sunny...” She sighed and hung her head. “She's a reminder of how I could have ended up. Just like the Dazzlings.” In particular she saw the uglier aspects of herself in Adagio, ones she'd managed to mostly overcome with help from her friends, but she couldn't deny there would always be a certain allure in that sort of unchecked ambition.

Then there was Aria's rage. Much like her own righteous fury, only unrestrained and often senseless. She related by far the least to Sonata, but they'd formed a sister-like bond anyhow, which merely strengthened now that she was the last siren.

“The geode bearers should handle this,” said Celestia when she, Luna, and Cadance entered the room. “Better that we hunker down here. In truth, we'd probably be a liability. Although perhaps my sister could help...?”

Luna opened her palm and watched a bit of dark energy dance atop it. “No, better I stay behind and protect you both. Besides, I still need more time to master these abilities, which for all I know may abandon me at any moment.”

Cadance squeezed her arm. “You'll do fine. We have faith in you.”

“I'm not much of a fighter anyhow,” admitted Trixie who crossed her arms. “But I do wish you all luck!”

Sonata fondled the black-and green rock between her heavy breasts. “Can I come, too? I do have a geode now, remember?”

Sunset planted her hands on her shoulders. “I need you to stay here and help look after them.” In truth she simply didn't want to put her in needless danger. How much could she accomplish, anyhow? “Trixie, Flash, and Tree Hugger will all help, too.”

“Count on us.” Flash shot them a wave, his electric guitar slung by a strap over one shoulder. “Oh, this? Sorry,” he said when they looked at him. “Thought a few tunes would be good for morale and all.” He wished the hippie still had her guitar. They'd played together a few times in the past, harmonizing as their 'vibes' as she called them synchronized.

Tree Hugger cast Sunset a crooked smile. “Groovy, man. Thanks for coming clean, chickadee. I'm proud of you.”

“You too. Look after the...bodies, will you?” It was still hard for her to believe they were all dead. “Guess we'd better leave at least one vehicle here. I'll have my motorcycle, of course, so I'll lead the way to the source of this hellhole.”

Twilight waltzed in with Spike and the sphinx around her. “You should stay here, Moondancer.”

“No way. I'm coming with you, and that's final. I want to see Sombra get what he deserves.” She removed what appeared to be a transparent geode from her satchel. “Check this out. I made it myself. Just a little experiment, but-”

Twilight's eyes widened. “An artificial geode?!” She'd once worked on this idea with Sunset, but after a number of failures, they ultimately shelved the project for later. Their last attempt had shattered the crystalline orb and nearly blown up her home in the process. “Do you know how unstable those are?! One explosion could end up killing us all!”

“I know. I've tested it carefully. Actually, I altered some of the old ones you'd abandoned. Sorry I took them without your permission, but I can't stand being so useless all the time! This could be what we need to even out the odds!”

Sunset nervously cleared her throat, receiving a glare from the pair of them. “I think I understand how it works. May I?” She offered out a palm and Moondancer thrust the hunk of crystalline into it. “Thanks. Anyhow, they absorb a fraction of our geode's in them. I figure the further from a geode's radius it gets, the less power it can pull.” It warmed her flesh.

“Correct,” she replied with her mouth drawn into a straight line. “It will only allow the wearer to make a weak copy of a powerset, but one advantage is that you'll be able to switch between them at will. But like Twilight said, they're too unstable even after the modifications, so it's far too risky to wear more than one geode at a time, even a fake one.”

She opened her backpack and passed around the crystal orbs complete with straps. Thankfully she had more than enough for everyone, and they started to fit them into place. “It's like another bond between us,” said Fluttershy when she poked at the shiny object on Tree Hugger's chest. “Um, I'm sorry I don't have abilities more suited for these circumstances!”

“Speaking with animals is wonderful, babe. They're a reflection of your kind heart.” She kissed her cheek.

AJ stalked over to the window and watched a sheen of red pour down. “Think this'll ever let up?”

“It had better! I want to get out there and stretch my legs!” Rainbow did a few stretches, pops sounding as she loosened her joints. “Besides, we've barely had a chance to strut our stuff so far!”

“How about we give it an hour. If it doesn't let up then...” Sunset shook her head. “Well, we'll head out anyway.”

Twilight stared her down. “Sorry, but there's no way I'll follow you. Let's divide into two field teams. It will be too unwieldy otherwise, anyhow. Who wants to come with me?” Like she expected, Moondancer was immediately at her side.

“I'm with ya,” said AJ. Likewise Spike and the Sphinx padded up.

“W-well...I'm with Sunset,” said Rarity who came to her support. “She did help save Rainbow and I.”

Rainbow chewed on her lower lip as she looked between them. “Aw, screw it! I'm with Sunset, too! I feel like I owe her one!”

“Um...I'd better stay with the animals,” said Fluttershy, thankful for an excuse not to directly choose between them.

“Guess that leaves me! Hmmm....” Pinkie bounced a thick curl. “Sunset it is! She could use an extra pair of hands!”

With the teams divvied up Sunset knew the moment the rain stopped it would be time to move. It had already started to clear. She hugged and kissed Flash, knowing it might be the last chance they ever saw each other, drawing out the moment and trying not to cry. He returned the gesture as they connected on a spiritual level again. “I love you, Flash. Always remember that.”

He smiled and wrapped an arm around her lower back, pulling her close as he could to him, her bare flesh pressing to his well-cut chest which was hidden by a layer of thin fabric. Whatever bad feelings remained between them, she'd share the location of the source anyhow, not caring whether it was her or Twilight's party who put a stop to all this. A rivalry seemed silly to her now.

By this point Sunny had soaked up so much power from the tear to Hell she doubted much was beyond her. She now towered over the area, like a fabled titan, sweeping claws through her blazing hair. Her lips curled into a smirk, cat-like eyes alight, her denuded form bared, trapped somewhere between her human shape and the demonic aspect she'd taken.

A spade-tipped tail swept above her pert buttocks. She bathed in the scarlet drizzle, massaging it into her swollen breasts, which swayed and knocked together. Palms trailed over supple curves, down her navel, her wide hips, her thighs, and over her backside. “Aaahhh,” she moaned. Summoning the crimson clouds over, she cast her head up and opened her throat, drinking down the sweet honey which dripped down her curvature. “Maybe now they'll have no choice but to take me seriously!”

While some distance away Sombra arrived atop his black steed. He pulled to a stop, Onyx kicking his front hooves with a whinny when the reins were pulled. “Finally. I should have known.” He slid down from the beast. He'd waited all his life for this moment. A chance to face down Hell itself...and ultimately claim its power for his own.

“Better that we wait until our enemies arrive,” called Tirek whose head was now well-embedded onto the back of the horse. Yet he'd done it in such a subtle manner the rider had taken no notice. “We should let our foes pick one-another off.”

He stroked his beard and chuckled. “Probably. But I'm done taking instructions from you. Now that I've located the source, you're really of no more use to me, are you?” The warlock debated what to do with his now useless partner.

With his back turned the occultist couldn't see Tirek warped the flesh of Onyx, twisting it to suit his will, having recovered much of his power as he'd drank down the bloody rain. He transmuted himself into a centaur-like abomination, the horse's head embedded in the muscular torso he formed, muscular arms like the one he'd once had as an ancient warrior forming.

No,” spoke Tirek as horns curled from his head, a white beard around his chin. “Your part is ended.” He plunged his fist into Sombra's chest from behind, who screamed as fiery pain bit into him, staring at his own beating heart which had been pushed from its ruptured cavity. A fist crushed it into a pulp, splattering the warlock in a shower of his own essence.

“H-how....? Sombra weakly turned and fell, staring at the hulking monster who cast a shadow over him.

Tirek chuckled and squeezed the messy pulp into his maw, which dripped down his mouth and flecked his hairs. “Some primitive tribes believed that if one ingested portions of their enemy, they could claim their boons. Perhaps vampires were known to them? There are certainly myths about them in every culture.” He chewed the stringy mess between his teeth.

“Damn...you...” Sombra choked on his words.

“It seems you cannot die, either. Such a pity...for you. And this time there is no Pacific Glow and Inky Rose to reverse your fortunes. You abandoned them, and now, there is no one left to mourn you.” He recalled the betrayal of his own brother Skorpan. The sole person he'd ever loved, now forever lost to him. Hooves crashed down, stomping him into the dirt.

Bones snapped and blood pooled under Sombra who shrieked and writhed. But not even Sunny noticed them as she continued to draw clouds from all over to devour their teardrops. He toyed with his prey, more out of boredom than anything, as anhedonia had long consumed him ever since he'd been turned into this monster. If he could never be happy, he'd simply end it all.

Ever since Sombra had stolen much of his essence when he'd interfered with that machine that restored the geodes, he and Tirek had become intrinsically linked, and now he took back what he could with the devouring of his heart. His veins pulsated, and his muscles were drawn taut, not having felt such a surge of vigor since he and Skorpan had first been cursed to damnation.

Indeed, the hunter was now far beyond what he'd ever been. He'd let the foolish, aimless she-demon and the would-be heroines whittle one-another down. And then he'd divide-and-conquer, until the world fell before him...

Waves of revenants swarmed the town. Both parties had split up, Sunset riding in the lead on her bike, while Rainbow trailed behind in Flash's sports car. They swerved to dodge around them, the cursed blade lit up and beheading those who came too near, enveloping them in a phantom blaze. But wherever they looked more of the undead continued to amass.

She revved her cycle, gunning it to the highest speeds she dared, careful to whip around bloodied pools that could easily cause her to lose control. She certainly didn't need another accident like what had happened last time. Sometimes her neck still subtly ached from where it had been severed. A phantom pain to reminder her of how reckless she'd been.

“This would almost be cool...if these hadn't been innocent people,” Rainbow reminded herself whenever she started to relish the moment. Nevertheless she couldn't deny the spike of adrenaline made her feel alive. The windshield wipers were in constant motion, sweeping aside splotches which threatened to blind them. “Hope they can't feel anything now.”

“Let's help put them to rest, then!” Pinkie ducked out the window and tossed handfuls of candies behind here, foiery explosions rippling in the distance amidst clouds of smoke as zombies cooked into charred messes. “Bye-bye!”

Rarity summoned up translucent walls which parted the hordes and allowed them to pass. Thankfully, she hadn't recognized any of the victims so far. Not that it made her feel much better. She doubted anyone deserved such a dreadful fate. “Perhaps if we neutralize whoever raised them, they'll all return to a state of death? I doubt we can turn them back now.”

“Yeah, probably.” Dash blasted some rock music to drown out the eerie ambience. “Say, Pinkie, why'd you come with Sunset?”

Curls whipped in the wind when she called, “Like I said, you needed the numbers! I'm not the type to hold a grudge, anyhow! So she made a few bad calls. Haven't we all? That doesn't mean we turn our back on our friends! I liked Pacific Glow a lot, and look what happened to her! Maybe if I'd tried harder to befriend her she wouldn't have decided to run off with Sombra!”

“That's a relief, dear. Somehow I almost considered you'd chosen us on a whim!” With a curl of her lip Rarity rubbed a segmented joint in her pale arm. “At least Spike seems to have moved on now that the Sphinx is about,” she murmured to herself. She felt violated many times over, but it was a trifle compared to what some of them had endured.

Moondancer drove Celestia's white, chariot-like car. She picked it simply due to its speed, determined to beat Sunset's team to the source, as she attempted to take a shortcut across the battered town. Driving like a woman possessed, she pictured all the brutal ends Sombra could potentially meet, but none of them would ever make up for what he'd done to her.

She didn't care about justice or any nonsense like that. Just stone cold retaliation. She wasn't certain what to think when she'd heard Inky had traded her soul to save her. No doubt to ease her conscience. But it hardly mattered when one was dead. After what she'd seen she doubted their was any way to truly balance the scales. Karma was simply a fairy tale.

“Take it easy,” urged Twilight. “No need to kill ourselves on the way there!” Beside her Spike stuck his head out the window, panting all the while, and the Sphinx likewise relished how the winds whipped about her dark mane.

Fluttershy ducked down to hide from the zombies outside, and wished she'd stayed behind with her girlfriend. But the animals were quick to respond to her, and since she could communicate with them thanks to her geode, perhaps she'd be of some use here after all. At the least Sunset had helped her practice the bow and quiver of arrows she may soon call upon.

“Not sure it was wise ta' split up,” remarked AJ. “I mean, I'm still kinda irritated with Sunset too, but-”

Twilight squeezed her eyes shut to hold back the tears. “She sided with the Dazzlings, even after what happened to my brother. I'm not ready to forgive that. Maybe...maybe I never will be,” she decided. “Flash picked his side. I'm done with him, too.”

“Don't worry,” said Moondancer. “I'll be there for you.” A small smile crossed her lips when Twi repositioned her spectacles.

“I wish we could pretend none of this ever happened,” whispered Shy who looked forlorn at their broken city.

Riding around in silence for a time, a lone figure appeared ahead of them, no more than a shadowy silhouette. Whoever she was her green hair was matted around her like seaweed, her voluptuous curves dark as she hunched over. Debating whether to run her down or avoid her, Moondancer attempted to swerve, when the stranger suddenly hurtled at the car.

A thump sounded when she landed on the hood. Hunched on all fours was the zombified form of Chrysalis, crimson dribbling down her bared curves, a pair of broken arrow shafts still embedded in her midsection. “Fuck,” the driver cried swerving at high speeds in attempt to shake the former succubus Queen off, who hissed and hung out her tongue.

Glass shattered when her fist slammed through, narrowly missing Moondancer who jerked to one side. Twilight telekinetically seized and tossed her off, only for Moondancer to lose control and spin out, a screech sounding and sparks popping down the road when the car rolled onto its side. It careened for some distance before it finally stopped.

Fluttershy's head swam. An acidic taste filled her throat when she vomited, and she unbuckled her belt, senses swimming as she tried to crawl free. Paws encircled her, Spike and the Sphinx working to pull her from the wreckage. “Th-thank you.”

Applejack ripped the twisted door off its hinges and carefully lifted out the unconscious Twilight, cradling her limp body which was cut in several places. “Hang in there, sugarcube. We'll get some help.” She took in the dreary countryside road. Her mind wandered back to her family and she hoped they were holding out okay. “Should we call for support?”

With a grumble Moondancer crawled free. “No.... We'll handle this ourselves.” She adjusted her cracked glasses, bruised all over. “At least I don't need to be naked to use an artificial geode,” she murmured calling on telekinesis to retrive their belongings from the car. “I have some medical knowledge. Gently set her down on the towel.” She laid one out and fished out her medical kit. “You'd better watch our backs. That freak is probably still out there.” She started to unwind bandages.

Fluttershy crouched and patted the two beasts on the head. “Scout the area, will you? Oh, but do please be careful!” The pair nodded and hurried off. She smiled warmly despite the nausea that churned in her midsection.

“Our ride's shot.” AJ kicked a wheel. “Might not have a choice but to call someone. Least the clouds have scuttled on.” She peered from under her stetson, which she tipped. “Don't know 'bout ya'll, but I've gotta bad feelin'...”

While from the woods Chrysalis studied her would-be prey. She wasn't like most of the near-mindless undead which now flooded the town; she retained the instincts which had carried the huntress in life. But now she was reduced to even less than the vampires she'd once battled. Crawling naked on all fours, breasts hanging below, she prepared to make her move...