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Life of the World to Come

You know what you must do.

Twilight feels a pain in the pit of her stomach as the accusations she threw at the colt return to her. She considers Zero Wing's words and the history book describing the destruction of Legacy's Reach. It all comes to her in an instant.

"You're a memory projection," the words fall from the purple unicorn's mouth as she passes Fluttershy into the corona of penumbra. "You're his memory projection." She points in the direction of Zero Wing.

The blackgray alicorn nods much to Gray Moon's confusion and horror. "From him, yes. So you understand."

Twilight responds, angrier this time as she nears Gray Moon with her hoof still pointed at the head of the alicorn. "Yes, I understand. You're the horned shadow appearing in his memory until you gained shape, like a hazy memory regaining its form. That's how the memory projection spell became amplified, trying to entrap Fluttershy and me in the flashback to your attack on Legacy's Reach. And that's why you came through the second memory projection."

The blackgray alicorn nods again, almost as if to compliment the unicorn.

"Excuse me…but what…does this mean…I'm only a…memory?" Gray Moon interrupts, the words falling from his mouth.

Before Twilight can respond, the alicorn blurs directly in front of Gray Moon. Twilight readies herself to defend, only to find herself thrown back by the alicorn's front hoof. Fluttershy runs towards her but is cut off by the alicorn blurring past her, creating a dark circle around the gray colt in the corona. Gray Moon yells something cut off by the words disappearing from his throat as Zero Wing stops, stomping on Gray Moon's back with his front hoof.

"Useless memories," Zero Wing muses, applying pressure to the gray colt's back. "An imperfect result of an imperfect memory projection. He doesn't need you anymore."

The gray colt tries to escape with his newly-developed wings, dragging himself across the dirt as Zero Wing raises his hoof again to stomp. It lands on his right wing, making Gray Moon cry out. He twists his hoof onto the wing, tearing out pinions.

A purple shot collides with Zero Wing's face, bouncing off the onyx helmet.

Twilight runs ahead, taking advantage of Zero Wing's distraction to pull Gray Moon out from under his raised hooves. The wounded wing breaks, scattering feathers in the corona as Zero Wing brings his hoof down again, barely missing Twilight's tail as the unicorn drags the gray colt out of harm's way.

The blackgray alicorn pauses as a yellow hoof strikes his snout. Fluttershy, channeling the rage of "New Fluttershy" perhaps, delivers a kick into the alicorn's face. The alicorn does not flinch, instead readying his horn for another winedark aura.

"Fluttershy, get out of the way!" Twilight yells as she fires another purple spell, crashing into the alicorn's eyes.

The yellow Pegasus moves to Gray Moon's other side, supporting him with her wing and rushing ahead with Twilight's hoofsteps. They consider turning towards Zecora's hut until the blackgray alicorn turns, bent on getting Gray Moon. Even if he is only a living memory, Fluttershy doesn't hesitate to move quicker to save him from harm, drawing her wings out as she passes Twilight.

She flips Gray Moon onto her back. Much lighter than she expected but considering the circumstances, Fluttershy didn't think much of it. The yellow Pegasus flies ahead into the open space while Gray Moon throws his hooves around her neck, right dangling uselessly. "Don't worry, Gray Moon," she reassures him. She curves to head above the treetops.

Around them, two white voids pool and constrict, trying to entrap them. Surprisingly unfazed, Fluttershy kicks her hind hooves and picks up speed with Gray Moon clinging to her back, passing through the two voids nearing them, disintegrating trees like the plant victims of a tornado. She makes it into the open night air, a bit exhausted but still holding on.

"Fluttershy…just let me go…I'm tired of…only…causing…trouble…"

"No!" Fluttershy sharply responds. "I'm not going to do that! Even if you are only a memory, I can't let him hurt you." She looks down, seeing the two voids eating away at the forest below. The yellow Pegasus feels a pang in her heart, hoping the big and small creatures manage to escape. Another worried thought leaves her mind when she sees a purple shape moving up the forest path, keeping up with them.

Gray Moon's head falls against her mane, feeling both relieved and guilty.

Below, Twilight runs, dodging the falling tree fragments falling near her hooves. She loses sight of Fluttershy and Gray Moon as the white voids eat away at the trees and work their way down. Remembering the memory projections, the purple unicorn leaps to a patch of intact land as the two voids collapse behind her.

Fluttershy continues on, looking back once and feeling dread build up in her chest when she does not see the blackgray alicorn. Turning her face back, she gasps when an unwanted form blurs in front of her, cutting off her flight. Before she can pull back or dive under, the alicorn strikes her head-on. But no winedark aura or voids but-

-Fluttershy can hardly fly-REMEBERTHATPONY-it's time to be CRUEL-things getting too COMPLICATED FOR YOUR SIMPLE LITTLE BRAIN?–animal scream–NOPONY PUSHES NEW FLUTTERSHY AROUND-you're all GOING TO LOVE ME-animal scream-the image of her dissolved wing in the memory projection-

Fluttershy closes her eyes, shaking her head as the bad memories return to her, her wings desperately flapping to keep her in the air. Gray Moon rises his head, meeting eye-to-eye with the blackgray alicorn.

"I'm tired…of...causing pain…"

As Fluttershy opens her eyes with the memories disappearing, Gray Moon lunges from her back, wings drawn and horn readied with a winedark aura of its own. Fluttershy falls back, horrified as Gray Moon fires a shot into the dark alicorn's head, his useless wing breaking into pieces.

Zero Wing's face falters, the image of a horrified dark gray alicorn jade eyes in flashquick moment.

The yellow Pegasus descends as Zero Wing regains control as the winedark field forms, hitting the gray colt head-on. Gray Moon shudders, his remaining wing and horn shattering into the air. Weakened, Gray Moon curves against himself, his torso dissolving in half with his hind legs kicking helplessly. A few seconds more, Gray Moon shatters into pieces, his lower half falling towards the void-scorched earth as the winedark field breaks.

No words. Just a tearful expression, thinking briefly of Fluttershy and Twilight and the others in Ponyville before dissolving completely.

"YOU MONSTER!" Fluttershy yells, charging directly at the alicorn's face with her hoof extended. She strikes again and again, bruising her hooves against the onyx-helmeted face and winedark eyes. Flares of pain shoots up her front legs while Zero Wing remains unaffected and distant.

"Monster…monster…" she tires, pulling back her reddened hooves. Her wings continue flapping, slowly falling back. Tears slide down her cheeks as her left front hoof drops in a failed punch. The blackgray alicorn just watches on, indifferent to her.

Below, Twilight watches the confrontation, her eyes widening at Gray Moon dissolves into the open air. Too far to fire another spell attack. She kicks the dust ahead of her, shaking her to clear the image of the gray colt's destruction from her head.

"STOP!" a voice booms.

Celestia curves under Zero Wing and rises to throw off his attack towards Fluttershy but only sees the blur of the blackgray alicorn motioning around her. Winedark energy burns at her side, striking the left wing in a scorching blast. "Gareth! Stop this!"

"I must do what must be done," Zero Wing says coldly.

Celestia throws herself ahead of Fluttershy, covering her from a shot headed her way. The Princess counters, shattering the winedark aura field with a sunbright spear of energy. Fluttershy falls back a bit, thrown off by the impact.

"Get to the ground, Fluttershy!"

Fluttershy reluctantly soars down as Celestia prepares herself for the next attack-breaker. She lands on the stretch of intact ground, passing over Twilight who tries to maintain her gaze on the Princess.

"Celestia!" Twilight calls out to the sky. She turns as Fluttershy lands. "Fluttershy, what happened to Gray Moon?! Is he really-?"

Fluttershy just nods, raising her sore and reddened hooves and wincing as the cold air moves over them. "I heard him say that he didn't want to cause pain anymore. I shouldn't have faced that monster. Gray Moon wouldn't have jumped and…"

Twilight puts her hoof on Fluttershy's back as the yellow Pegasus tears up once more. "It's not your fault, Fluttershy." Her eyes fold against her head. "Gray Moon would have disappeared anyway once Zero Wing cut off the spell. But now, we have to save him."

Fluttershy sharply glares at her. "What? You want to save that monster?!"

Twilight gestures towards the dark alicorn in the sky, blurring around the Princess. "There's somepony inside that monster. Somepony trapped. I saw through his eyes in the last memory projection. I saw his face appear for a moment, so sad and fearful. Zero Wing made him a prisoner in his own body."

Fluttershy raises an eyebrow.

"Think of it this way. I remember how Pinkie Pie and Rarity told me about you acted as "New Fluttershy" Do you remember that?"

Fluttershy frowns but nods.

"Imagine if New Fluttershy was just so mad at the world that she took over your body. Imagine her controlling your legs and wings and making you do horrible things while you were completely helpless to stop her."

Fluttershy squeaks, clearly disturbed by the idea.

"Exactly, that's why we have to save that monster. There's somepony trapped inside and I think it's the Gareth that Celestia asked Gray Moon about."

"Well, she did just yell out that name a bit ago," Fluttershy muses.

Twilight ignores the realization of pointing out the obvious as she turns her attention back to the sky.

Zero Wing curves around, deciding to engage the Princess once more. Their horns clash as he charges her. Celestia presses on, her light energy smashing against the winedark aura forming. When the clash breaks, both combatants fall back as Zero Wing forms another field shot like the one that brought down Shining Armor and the other guards. It collides with Celestia head-on but does no harm as her energy charge around her horn shatters the aura in one blow.

"Enough of this!"

"You won't entrap us again," Zero Wing blurs around her with his horn raised for the next blow.

Celestia falls back as the front hooves strike her face, nearly knocking the crown from her head. Zero Wing dives down for another shot, caught in another horn and energy clash. Gold and winedark auras shatter and spark.

"For five centuries, he dreamed while I remained awake, trying to break your spell," the blackgray alicorn presses against her, trying to break the clash. "Now he is awake and I am out. Do not interfere. I do not hold the same loyalties to you as he does."

"Release him, monster!" Celestia yells, breaking the clash and sending Zero Wing upwards. She lunges at him, kicking her front hooves into his chest. "Release him!"

Zero Wing tosses his head around, readying to fire another shot at the Princess' head when she charges against his torso, catching the alicorn off-guard as the fight escalates. Quickly, she fires a binding spell at his front legs, capturing them inside an energy ring. Zero Wing ducks down to lunge at her as Celestia fires two more binding spells at his wings. Kicking with his hind legs, Zero Wing loses altitude, crashing and vanishing into the cluster of trees below.

History repeats itself.

Celestia glides down, cautiously approaching the site of the fallen dark alicorn. She looks through the trees and sees Zero Wing struggling against the binding energy rings with his hind legs kicking up dirt and rocks. Twilight and Fluttershy follow the gallant alicorn's descent, despite the pain in Fluttershy's front hooves, and reach another corona of penumbra as still-intact trees surround the Princess and Zero Wing.

"Gareth," she speaks calmly, approaching his head with her horn. "I'm sorry about the centuries of dreaming and struggling. But I can't let you do this. Not then. Not now. I know you're in there. Please fight him."

Twilight reaches next to her mentor with Fluttershy in tow. They dodge a rock kicked by his hind legs towards their heads. She slows to a stop just before him as Princess Celestia lowers her horn with some kind of spell set about.

The dark alicorn tilts his head, initially trying to resist before looking Celestia directly in the eyes. For a moment, the onyx-helmeted head vanishes, replaced by a dark gray-furred and jade-eyed face coming in like a blurred memory clearing. He closes his eyes and inhales sharply, shuddering against the cold night air.

Fluttershy gasps. Twilight thinks back to the face in the memory projection.

"Twilight, Fluttershy, hold down his wings. Now."

Student and friend obey moving alongside the struggling body as Celestia keeps her horn focused towards Gareth's face. The purple unicorn and yellow Pegasus each restrain the wings struggling to break free from the energy restraints. Twilight looks on, seeing the Princess' sunlight aura peeling away the onyx helmet and blackgray rotskin/burnt wood-colored fur. More of the dark gray alicorn is drawn out although the dark aura remains around the wings.

Gareth opens his eyes and looks at her, feeling the dark aura of Zero Wing peeling around him. His Princess' face morphs into the concerned look of an older Amber Mist, orange-brown bang streaked with gray flopping over her left eye. Then it shifts to Morning Star, wet mane covering her face with water trailing down her chin. Transforms to Sunny Ray with tired eyes and tiny drops of blood speckling her lips and cheeks. Finally melds into the worried look of Lily-of-the-Valley gazing up at him as he grows, the shadow of Zero Wing covering her face.

"I'm sorry…Amber…Morning Star…Sunny…Lily…"

Celestia frowns, not breaking her concentration with the spell.

Gareth shudders again, his hind legs curling against his torso as more of Zero Wing peels away. "It's all meaningless…they died while I lived on…don't you understand?"

"That's not true, Gareth," Celestia says, keeping the spell up as it works its way down his chest and restrained front hooves. "While death befalls, there is still meaning. Please, don't succumb to him, Gareth. Everything will be alright."

Twilight continues holding down the alicorn's suddenly flapping wing as the energy restraint starts to crack. "If you could manage this, Princess Celestia, then why didn't you just do this instead of putting him under a sleeping spell?"

"I wish I could have done this before, but I couldn't break through that monstrous shell. After what happened in Legacy's Reach, I just couldn't risk another attack," the mentor answers her student as the spell dissolves half of the blackgray layer over his torso. "Please, you have to fight this, Gareth. I'm almost done. Just fight this, old friend."

Fluttershy jumps a little as the wing she holds down starts to struggle, still retaining the Zero Wing skin even as the torso layer is pulled away. Her left front hoof brushes against Gareth's charcoal mane. For a moment, she thinks of Gray Moon back at her house, pained with the nightmare of the horned shadow. Flash back to the dark gray alicorn lying before who, five hundred years before, assumed such a form and name.

"No…" Gareth utters.

The spell stops around the cutie mark of the taijitu warped into the shape of a broken heart. Before Celestia can respond, Gareth's face convulses and is reabsorbed, covered against by the onyx-helmeted head and winedark eyes as the rotblack skin takes over, layer returning in full. The dark alicorn's front legs break the binding energy ring while his wings shatter their restraints, sending Twilight and Fluttershy rolling onto their backs. He gets back to his hooves and prepares to charge her.

"No more interference, Princess," Zero Wing says, deadpan and emotionless.

He whirls around with the winedark aura forming around his horn and aims it directly at Twilight and Fluttershy, moving to help their Princess. Celestia lunges, throwing herself between them and the shot.

In the distance, Zecora stands outside her hut, still looking for any signs of Twilight, Fluttershy or Gray Moon. She pauses when she sees an explosion of winedark light emanating among the still-standing trees in the space beyond.

Something white and flashquick breaks into the open space ahead shortly afterwards. The zebra prepares to run.

When the flash clears, Celestia draws back her wings, feeling slight burn marks against them. She shakes off the pain, lifting herself from the protective stance over Twilight and Fluttershy. The purple unicorn and yellow Pegasus open their eyes, seeing the damaged forest and voidscapes before them.

"No! No! No! No!" Twilight yells as the memory of Legacy's Reach comes back to her in full swing, only now with images of Ponyville in ruins. She kicks her hooves against the ground, throwing up a rock in her path. Twilight then breaks into a run, heading down the remnants of the forest path. Fluttershy calls out to her but Twilight continues running, thinking only of finding Ponyville literally erased off the map.

Something multicolored flashes in the distance, briefly catching Twilight's attention. Prompted, she runs faster.

In some perhaps inappropriate manner given the circumstances, the landscape appears like a series of stepping stones across the length of a river, leading to a chunk of intact land surrounding by the empty white currents. Defying physics, the pieces of land float above the voidscape below, shaking a little as Twilight leaps over to the next stepping stone remnant. In her hurry, she nearly trips and slides from a stepping stone's edge, her little pony legs dangling over the vast void.

Two legs hook around her body and pull her up to the patch of intact land. Twilight flails her front hooves for a moment as her heart races. Breath catches up with her. Flash of yellow blurs next to her.

"Twilight, calm down. It's just me," Fluttershy tells her friend as Twilight's chest stops heaving. "I'm glad I caught up to you in time." She helps her friend to her hooves.

Twilight pants a little, looking ahead of her. She sees the clusters of land fragments up ahead along with parts of the Everfree Forest still intact. For all his talk of ending it all, Zero Wing does a very sloppy job. Then again, maybe Gareth is fighting just as Celestia told him to. Maybe there's still time.

"Thank you, Fluttershy. Where is Celestia?"

Fluttershy tilts her head to the sky as the white alicorn flies overhead. The Princess looks down for a moment and continues on ahead.

"Where is she going?!" Twilight yells.

"She has to catch up to her friend," Fluttershy explains, hooking her front legs around Twilight's chest again. "Come on, we have to keep moving."

Twilight dangles in Fluttershy's hold as the yellow Pegasus carries her over the next few stepping stone fragments until they reach a long strip of still-intact land. Fluttershy releases Twilight to the ground and tucks her wings in, joining Twilight as they make their way down the strip of land. Around them, the ominous white glow of the void lights their path, cutting off against the night sky above. In another time/another place, the sight might have been beautiful but the two take no notice as they advance.

Eventually, the strip narrows to an arrowhead-like breakoff as Fluttershy recommences the flight-cross tactic from before. Ten more stepping stone fragments pass under Twilight's hooves, touching down on the next land strip. More of the forest appears, the treeshadows being a bit of a comfort now.

"Twilight and Fluttershy, run and strive!/I'm glad to see you're still alive!"

Twilight and Fluttershy turn to the voice and spot Zecora standing outside her hut and before the void cutting into her yard. Her golden earrings and neck rings shine in the void light as she nears the other edge. Behind her hut, a stretch of forest goes on. Animal cry in the distance.

"Zecora, we're glad to see you too! Did the Princess and the blackgray winged unicorn come by?"

"Indeed, they passed overhead/The Princess wearing a look of dread," the zebra answers. "En route to Ponyville, I fear,/That the end might indeed be near."

"No way, Zecora!" Twilight yells, determined as ever. "I'm not going to let that happen! Come on, Fluttershy! We have to stop him!"

Fluttershy nods and follows behind, turning to Zecora with a quick wave and apology for the rush. The two jump over the gap between pieces of intact land.

The zebra disappears into her hut for a moment and reappears with a saddlebag full of still-intact vials and containers. "Please, Twilight, wait for me!/We are stronger as three!"

Twilight and Fluttershy pause as Zecora jumps the gap and catches up to them. With a smile on her face, Twilight directs the three towards Ponyville. Not too late…

***

Gag. Emerald flame. Spit take.

Spike watches the scroll land before his feet, fighting off the quicker-than-usual assault on his gag reflex. The scroll's edges are split, showing a message written in a hurry. The little dragon quickly collects it in his claws and unfurls, seeing the hastened penmanship.

CANTERLOT HAS BEEN ATTACKED. TELL TWILIGHT AND THE OTHERS IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT LET GRAY MOON OUT OF YOUR SIGHT. DETAIN HIM IMMEDIATELY. I WILL BE COMING SOON TO COLLECT HIM.

Spike looks up, noticing the night sky outside and yet no Twilight returning to the library with Fluttershy and Gray Moon in tow. An instant I-knew-it sprouts in mind, soon replaced by feelings of dread and concern for his friends. Not to mention if Canterlot had been attacked, but surely the Princesses could handle that.

The little dragon clutches the message in hand as he runs out the door, staring into the open sky as if to expect some aerial attacker. "Twilight? Twilight!"

Some ponies still outside look at the little dragon scanning the area. Spike then remembers what Gray Moon had said about a cave hidden in the Everfree Forest. He turns in the direction of the treeshadows and lets out a resigned sigh.

"Twilight could be anywhere in that forest! Gray Moon might have even misled them into a trap! I have to do something!" Spike thinks aloud, running as fast as his little reptilian legs permit him. "Looks like it's up to me to get the message to-"

"Keep it down will ya?!"

Just as Spike moves towards the border between Ponyville and the Everfree Forest, he glances up, seeing a single little cloud overhead. A rainbow-maned Pegasus pokes her head over the edge, glaring down at the dragon.

"What's a pony gotta do to get a good night's sleep?!" she complains, throwing an angry, curved hoof into the air.

"Rainbow Dash! I'm so glad to see you! I have to find Twilight and Gray Moon! Have you seen them?"

"Gray who now?"

"A gray colt Twilight and Fluttershy was helping! Kinda frantic! Moved around a lot!"

Dash brushes a hoof under her chin, a pensive look (as much as Dash can have, fearing to appear like some uncool egghead) forms on her face. "Now that you mention it, I think I did see some gray colt running into the forest. But I wasn't feeling like looking into it-"

"That was Gray Moon! I have to find him!"

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure Twilight can handle it herself," Dash lets out a yawn and her eyes start to close.

"You don't understand! I got a letter from the Princess telling me to detain him because she's coming to get him after Canterlot was attacked and-"

Dash's eyes pop open and her wings tense. "What was that?"

"Canterlot was attacked but the Princess didn't say by who or what! But she told me to tell Twilight and the others! And, and to detain Gray Moon!"

Dash raises an eyebrow. "And they're in the Everfree Forest right now?"

Spike nods.

Dash throws her front legs up. "Well that settles it! It'll take forever to look through the entire forest to find them!"

Spike pauses, scratching his chin for an idea. It dawns on him and he starts to walk away as if going on alone. "Well, I guess if the cool and talented Rainbow Dash isn't up for the challenge, then maybe I should ask someone else. Like maybe-"

Dash swoops behind Spike, tossing the little dragon on her back. They glide across the ground towards the Everfree Forest and cross its threshold in a few seconds flat. "There's no challenge I can't handle!"

Spike clutches to her neck, trying to keep on as he fears she'll fly into Sonic Rainboom mode. Dash maneuvers among the trees, feeling quite confident in her abilities as she scans the terrain for any signs of Twilight or the gray colt.

"Yeah, we'll find them in…no…time…"

Rainbow Dash screeches to a halt, sliding up dirt clods as Spike flips on her back. The rainbow-maned Pegasus cranes her neck as an ominous white glow picks up in the distance, stretching across the terrain. Treeshadows are cut short and outright obliterated as two rough voidscapes form, slicing through trees that shatter into dissolving dust. To Dash, it's almost like clouds eating away at the ground.

Dash braces herself when the twin voidscapes come to a halt, bathing her and Spike's faces in their light.

"What's going on?!" Spike calls out.

Before Dash can say anything, a blackgray shape blurs into view with a faint winedark aura surrounding its head in a ghoulish corona. It looks below at them, showing an alicorn's horn and wings, dark as spilled ink even in the light of the voidscapes.

"Who is that?" Spike asks, getting a full view of the alicorn.

The alicorn fires a shot of energy directly near their hooves, causing Dash to leap to the side as the miniature void eats away at the patch of ground. The winedark aura shoots again, taking out the patch of land just near the Pegasus' hooves. She turns her head to the sky, growling a little.

"Dash?!"

Dash doesn't answer, instead soaring into the sky with her front hooves raised before her. Spike falls from her back before she makes it the first few feet off the ground, rubbing his back with the emergency scroll still in hand. The rainbow-maned Pegasus picks up speed and stops just a few feet from the alicorn's face.

"Hey, just what do you think you're doing?!" Dash yells, thrusting an accusatory hoof towards the assailant.

The alicorn does not respond, winedark eyes void of any emotion.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Dash flies into the alicorn's face, annoyed by the lack of response. "Yeah, you! Is anyone in there?!"

The alicorn does not respond again.

More annoyed now, Dash pushes a hoof into the alicorn's face. "You think you can just fly in here and shoot at me? Huh?! Is that it?!"

Still no response.

Dash moves to punch the alicorn's face when the horn starts its winedark glow, readied for another shot at point-blank range. The Pegasus flies to the side, avoiding the shot as it hits the ground below, scaring Spike into jumping.

"Stop doing that!" Dash yells, throwing her left front hoof directly into the alicorn's face. The alicorn's head tilts a little, unfazed even as Dash delivers blow after blow, turning the alicorn's face into a punching bag. She pulls back, wincing as her hooves make contact with the metal of the alicorn's helmet.

Taking advantage of the hoofpangs distracting her, the alicorn lunges forward, striking her to the side. Dash throws out her wings, curving to divebomb the attacker if she had to.

Winedark energy fires by her face, leading the Pegasus to dive beneath the shot. The temptation to taunt the alicorn for trying to shoot down Cloudsdale's fastest flier is high but she relents, figuring the best time isn't while another mass of winedark energy is coming her way.

Nevertheless, she shoots down, trying to launch and curve into the alicorn's underbelly for a quick strike. Dash comes close to landing the blow until the blackgray alicorn blurs away, leaving only a brief faded image in her sight. The rainbow-maned Pegasus ducks as the expected shot flies past her head, striking a few trees below and shattering them into nothingness. Curving backwards into a loop, Dash readies herself for a quicker strike.

Below, Spike watches in amazement as Dash fights the alicorn head-on, dodging every shot fired in his direction. The little dragon wonders who this alicorn is, wondering if it's anypony the Princess knows. His thoughts are cut off by the next shot, disintegrating a tree he leans against. Around him, he swears he hears some wildlife fleeing for their lives. Doesn't blame them one bit.

Back above! Dash crosses the open air, expertly dodging the next shot. Still, she doesn't pick up any sense of frustration or anger coming from the attacker. Really, the attacker turns back, heading in the direction of Ponyville.

"No you don't!" Dash shoots into the back of the alicorn. "I'm not just gonna let you go after Ponyville with your disintegrating attacks! Get back here and fight like a real pony! I'll take you on myself!"

Blurring around her, the alicorn catches Dash off-guard and strikes her side, sending the Pegasus spiraling. Dash regains her composure, shaking off the pain in her torso and curving to avoid being struck down by the alicorn's next move. Just as the alicorn begins to recommence its route towards Ponyville, Dash charges once more, colliding into the area between its torso and throat. The alicorn seems to shake into the air, throwing up its wings to toss Dash aside.

"Yeah! You show him who's boss!" Spike cheers from below, running along the still-intact forest floor path as the Pegasus and alicorn clash above him. "Take him down, Dash! Take him down!"

Must keep that thing from Ponyville at all costs, Dash thinks, ignoring the pains shrieking in her legs and torso. She smirks when the echo of Spike's cheers reaches her ears. And look absolutely awesome while doing it.

Dash kicks into the open air, her wings extended for the next dive and curve. She barrel rolls as the next shot barely misses her, colliding with a tree. The night wind brushes by her face, blowing her rainbow mane like a pennant cheering at her efforts. Another barrel roll and a loop, barely missing the shot that almost grazes her back. Below, Spike continues cheering and running onward.

The alicorn slows to a halt, turning to face the defiant Pegasus. "You test my patience," the alicorn tells her, voice deadpan and emotionless.

"Ah, so you can talk!" Dash replies, shaking her hoof. "Well then, get this straight through your thick skull! If you're thinking of doing that dissolving stuff to Ponyville, you can just forget it! I'll fight you to the very end!"

The alicorn narrows its eyes and falls back, its blackgray wings against the night sky. The horn glows again but the expected shot doesn't come. Instead, the horn charges its magic, building up a field. It blurs ahead towards Ponyville, passing Dash who picks up speed and gives chase.

Spike watches on, transfixed in the sight of the fight. He nearly trips over a rock rising from the path.

The winedark energy field fully forms around the alicorn as Dash goes faster to keep up. Something of her own formed, trailing behind her in rainbow colors. The Pegasus moves even faster, determined to keep the alicorn from reaching Ponyville at all costs as the threshold between the two came closer. Curving upwards, she collides head-on with the alicorn's winedark shield.

The Sonic Rainboom stretches across the sky, stirring the sleepy and tired eyes of those in Ponyville. Shortly afterwards, the air siren begins to bellow as the dark alicorn soars through the Rainboom, unfazed, unharmed.

A body begins to fall.

Description
Life of the World to Come

You know what you must do.

Twilight feels a pain in the pit of her stomach as the accusations she threw at the colt return to her. She considers Zero Wing's words and the history book describing the destruction of Legacy's Reach. It all comes to her in an instant.

"You're a memory projection," the words fall from the purple unicorn's mouth as she passes Fluttershy into the corona of penumbra. "You're his memory projection." She points in the direction of Zero Wing.

The blackgray alicorn nods much to Gray Moon's confusion and horror. "From him, yes. So you understand."

Twilight responds, angrier this time as she nears Gray Moon with her hoof still pointed at the head of the alicorn. "Yes, I understand. You're the horned shadow appearing in his memory until you gained shape, like a hazy memory regaining its form. That's how the memory projection spell became amplified, trying to entrap Fluttershy and me in the flashback to your attack on Legacy's Reach. And that's why you came through the second memory projection."

The blackgray alicorn nods again, almost as if to compliment the unicorn.

"Excuse me…but what…does this mean…I'm only a…memory?" Gray Moon interrupts, the words falling from his mouth.

Before Twilight can respond, the alicorn blurs directly in front of Gray Moon. Twilight readies herself to defend, only to find herself thrown back by the alicorn's front hoof. Fluttershy runs towards her but is cut off by the alicorn blurring past her, creating a dark circle around the gray colt in the corona. Gray Moon yells something cut off by the words disappearing from his throat as Zero Wing stops, stomping on Gray Moon's back with his front hoof.

"Useless memories," Zero Wing muses, applying pressure to the gray colt's back. "An imperfect result of an imperfect memory projection. He doesn't need you anymore."

The gray colt tries to escape with his newly-developed wings, dragging himself across the dirt as Zero Wing raises his hoof again to stomp. It lands on his right wing, making Gray Moon cry out. He twists his hoof onto the wing, tearing out pinions.

A purple shot collides with Zero Wing's face, bouncing off the onyx helmet.

Twilight runs ahead, taking advantage of Zero Wing's distraction to pull Gray Moon out from under his raised hooves. The wounded wing breaks, scattering feathers in the corona as Zero Wing brings his hoof down again, barely missing Twilight's tail as the unicorn drags the gray colt out of harm's way.

The blackgray alicorn pauses as a yellow hoof strikes his snout. Fluttershy, channeling the rage of "New Fluttershy" perhaps, delivers a kick into the alicorn's face. The alicorn does not flinch, instead readying his horn for another winedark aura.

"Fluttershy, get out of the way!" Twilight yells as she fires another purple spell, crashing into the alicorn's eyes.

The yellow Pegasus moves to Gray Moon's other side, supporting him with her wing and rushing ahead with Twilight's hoofsteps. They consider turning towards Zecora's hut until the blackgray alicorn turns, bent on getting Gray Moon. Even if he is only a living memory, Fluttershy doesn't hesitate to move quicker to save him from harm, drawing her wings out as she passes Twilight.

She flips Gray Moon onto her back. Much lighter than she expected but considering the circumstances, Fluttershy didn't think much of it. The yellow Pegasus flies ahead into the open space while Gray Moon throws his hooves around her neck, right dangling uselessly. "Don't worry, Gray Moon," she reassures him. She curves to head above the treetops.

Around them, two white voids pool and constrict, trying to entrap them. Surprisingly unfazed, Fluttershy kicks her hind hooves and picks up speed with Gray Moon clinging to her back, passing through the two voids nearing them, disintegrating trees like the plant victims of a tornado. She makes it into the open night air, a bit exhausted but still holding on.

"Fluttershy…just let me go…I'm tired of…only…causing…trouble…"

"No!" Fluttershy sharply responds. "I'm not going to do that! Even if you are only a memory, I can't let him hurt you." She looks down, seeing the two voids eating away at the forest below. The yellow Pegasus feels a pang in her heart, hoping the big and small creatures manage to escape. Another worried thought leaves her mind when she sees a purple shape moving up the forest path, keeping up with them.

Gray Moon's head falls against her mane, feeling both relieved and guilty.

Below, Twilight runs, dodging the falling tree fragments falling near her hooves. She loses sight of Fluttershy and Gray Moon as the white voids eat away at the trees and work their way down. Remembering the memory projections, the purple unicorn leaps to a patch of intact land as the two voids collapse behind her.

Fluttershy continues on, looking back once and feeling dread build up in her chest when she does not see the blackgray alicorn. Turning her face back, she gasps when an unwanted form blurs in front of her, cutting off her flight. Before she can pull back or dive under, the alicorn strikes her head-on. But no winedark aura or voids but-

-Fluttershy can hardly fly-REMEBERTHATPONY-it's time to be CRUEL-things getting too COMPLICATED FOR YOUR SIMPLE LITTLE BRAIN?–animal scream–NOPONY PUSHES NEW FLUTTERSHY AROUND-you're all GOING TO LOVE ME-animal scream-the image of her dissolved wing in the memory projection-

Fluttershy closes her eyes, shaking her head as the bad memories return to her, her wings desperately flapping to keep her in the air. Gray Moon rises his head, meeting eye-to-eye with the blackgray alicorn.

"I'm tired…of...causing pain…"

As Fluttershy opens her eyes with the memories disappearing, Gray Moon lunges from her back, wings drawn and horn readied with a winedark aura of its own. Fluttershy falls back, horrified as Gray Moon fires a shot into the dark alicorn's head, his useless wing breaking into pieces.

Zero Wing's face falters, the image of a horrified dark gray alicorn jade eyes in flashquick moment.

The yellow Pegasus descends as Zero Wing regains control as the winedark field forms, hitting the gray colt head-on. Gray Moon shudders, his remaining wing and horn shattering into the air. Weakened, Gray Moon curves against himself, his torso dissolving in half with his hind legs kicking helplessly. A few seconds more, Gray Moon shatters into pieces, his lower half falling towards the void-scorched earth as the winedark field breaks.

No words. Just a tearful expression, thinking briefly of Fluttershy and Twilight and the others in Ponyville before dissolving completely.

"YOU MONSTER!" Fluttershy yells, charging directly at the alicorn's face with her hoof extended. She strikes again and again, bruising her hooves against the onyx-helmeted face and winedark eyes. Flares of pain shoots up her front legs while Zero Wing remains unaffected and distant.

"Monster…monster…" she tires, pulling back her reddened hooves. Her wings continue flapping, slowly falling back. Tears slide down her cheeks as her left front hoof drops in a failed punch. The blackgray alicorn just watches on, indifferent to her.

Below, Twilight watches the confrontation, her eyes widening at Gray Moon dissolves into the open air. Too far to fire another spell attack. She kicks the dust ahead of her, shaking her to clear the image of the gray colt's destruction from her head.

"STOP!" a voice booms.

Celestia curves under Zero Wing and rises to throw off his attack towards Fluttershy but only sees the blur of the blackgray alicorn motioning around her. Winedark energy burns at her side, striking the left wing in a scorching blast. "Gareth! Stop this!"

"I must do what must be done," Zero Wing says coldly.

Celestia throws herself ahead of Fluttershy, covering her from a shot headed her way. The Princess counters, shattering the winedark aura field with a sunbright spear of energy. Fluttershy falls back a bit, thrown off by the impact.

"Get to the ground, Fluttershy!"

Fluttershy reluctantly soars down as Celestia prepares herself for the next attack-breaker. She lands on the stretch of intact ground, passing over Twilight who tries to maintain her gaze on the Princess.

"Celestia!" Twilight calls out to the sky. She turns as Fluttershy lands. "Fluttershy, what happened to Gray Moon?! Is he really-?"

Fluttershy just nods, raising her sore and reddened hooves and wincing as the cold air moves over them. "I heard him say that he didn't want to cause pain anymore. I shouldn't have faced that monster. Gray Moon wouldn't have jumped and…"

Twilight puts her hoof on Fluttershy's back as the yellow Pegasus tears up once more. "It's not your fault, Fluttershy." Her eyes fold against her head. "Gray Moon would have disappeared anyway once Zero Wing cut off the spell. But now, we have to save him."

Fluttershy sharply glares at her. "What? You want to save that monster?!"

Twilight gestures towards the dark alicorn in the sky, blurring around the Princess. "There's somepony inside that monster. Somepony trapped. I saw through his eyes in the last memory projection. I saw his face appear for a moment, so sad and fearful. Zero Wing made him a prisoner in his own body."

Fluttershy raises an eyebrow.

"Think of it this way. I remember how Pinkie Pie and Rarity told me about you acted as "New Fluttershy" Do you remember that?"

Fluttershy frowns but nods.

"Imagine if New Fluttershy was just so mad at the world that she took over your body. Imagine her controlling your legs and wings and making you do horrible things while you were completely helpless to stop her."

Fluttershy squeaks, clearly disturbed by the idea.

"Exactly, that's why we have to save that monster. There's somepony trapped inside and I think it's the Gareth that Celestia asked Gray Moon about."

"Well, she did just yell out that name a bit ago," Fluttershy muses.

Twilight ignores the realization of pointing out the obvious as she turns her attention back to the sky.

Zero Wing curves around, deciding to engage the Princess once more. Their horns clash as he charges her. Celestia presses on, her light energy smashing against the winedark aura forming. When the clash breaks, both combatants fall back as Zero Wing forms another field shot like the one that brought down Shining Armor and the other guards. It collides with Celestia head-on but does no harm as her energy charge around her horn shatters the aura in one blow.

"Enough of this!"

"You won't entrap us again," Zero Wing blurs around her with his horn raised for the next blow.

Celestia falls back as the front hooves strike her face, nearly knocking the crown from her head. Zero Wing dives down for another shot, caught in another horn and energy clash. Gold and winedark auras shatter and spark.

"For five centuries, he dreamed while I remained awake, trying to break your spell," the blackgray alicorn presses against her, trying to break the clash. "Now he is awake and I am out. Do not interfere. I do not hold the same loyalties to you as he does."

"Release him, monster!" Celestia yells, breaking the clash and sending Zero Wing upwards. She lunges at him, kicking her front hooves into his chest. "Release him!"

Zero Wing tosses his head around, readying to fire another shot at the Princess' head when she charges against his torso, catching the alicorn off-guard as the fight escalates. Quickly, she fires a binding spell at his front legs, capturing them inside an energy ring. Zero Wing ducks down to lunge at her as Celestia fires two more binding spells at his wings. Kicking with his hind legs, Zero Wing loses altitude, crashing and vanishing into the cluster of trees below.

History repeats itself.

Celestia glides down, cautiously approaching the site of the fallen dark alicorn. She looks through the trees and sees Zero Wing struggling against the binding energy rings with his hind legs kicking up dirt and rocks. Twilight and Fluttershy follow the gallant alicorn's descent, despite the pain in Fluttershy's front hooves, and reach another corona of penumbra as still-intact trees surround the Princess and Zero Wing.

"Gareth," she speaks calmly, approaching his head with her horn. "I'm sorry about the centuries of dreaming and struggling. But I can't let you do this. Not then. Not now. I know you're in there. Please fight him."

Twilight reaches next to her mentor with Fluttershy in tow. They dodge a rock kicked by his hind legs towards their heads. She slows to a stop just before him as Princess Celestia lowers her horn with some kind of spell set about.

The dark alicorn tilts his head, initially trying to resist before looking Celestia directly in the eyes. For a moment, the onyx-helmeted head vanishes, replaced by a dark gray-furred and jade-eyed face coming in like a blurred memory clearing. He closes his eyes and inhales sharply, shuddering against the cold night air.

Fluttershy gasps. Twilight thinks back to the face in the memory projection.

"Twilight, Fluttershy, hold down his wings. Now."

Student and friend obey moving alongside the struggling body as Celestia keeps her horn focused towards Gareth's face. The purple unicorn and yellow Pegasus each restrain the wings struggling to break free from the energy restraints. Twilight looks on, seeing the Princess' sunlight aura peeling away the onyx helmet and blackgray rotskin/burnt wood-colored fur. More of the dark gray alicorn is drawn out although the dark aura remains around the wings.

Gareth opens his eyes and looks at her, feeling the dark aura of Zero Wing peeling around him. His Princess' face morphs into the concerned look of an older Amber Mist, orange-brown bang streaked with gray flopping over her left eye. Then it shifts to Morning Star, wet mane covering her face with water trailing down her chin. Transforms to Sunny Ray with tired eyes and tiny drops of blood speckling her lips and cheeks. Finally melds into the worried look of Lily-of-the-Valley gazing up at him as he grows, the shadow of Zero Wing covering her face.

"I'm sorry…Amber…Morning Star…Sunny…Lily…"

Celestia frowns, not breaking her concentration with the spell.

Gareth shudders again, his hind legs curling against his torso as more of Zero Wing peels away. "It's all meaningless…they died while I lived on…don't you understand?"

"That's not true, Gareth," Celestia says, keeping the spell up as it works its way down his chest and restrained front hooves. "While death befalls, there is still meaning. Please, don't succumb to him, Gareth. Everything will be alright."

Twilight continues holding down the alicorn's suddenly flapping wing as the energy restraint starts to crack. "If you could manage this, Princess Celestia, then why didn't you just do this instead of putting him under a sleeping spell?"

"I wish I could have done this before, but I couldn't break through that monstrous shell. After what happened in Legacy's Reach, I just couldn't risk another attack," the mentor answers her student as the spell dissolves half of the blackgray layer over his torso. "Please, you have to fight this, Gareth. I'm almost done. Just fight this, old friend."

Fluttershy jumps a little as the wing she holds down starts to struggle, still retaining the Zero Wing skin even as the torso layer is pulled away. Her left front hoof brushes against Gareth's charcoal mane. For a moment, she thinks of Gray Moon back at her house, pained with the nightmare of the horned shadow. Flash back to the dark gray alicorn lying before who, five hundred years before, assumed such a form and name.

"No…" Gareth utters.

The spell stops around the cutie mark of the taijitu warped into the shape of a broken heart. Before Celestia can respond, Gareth's face convulses and is reabsorbed, covered against by the onyx-helmeted head and winedark eyes as the rotblack skin takes over, layer returning in full. The dark alicorn's front legs break the binding energy ring while his wings shatter their restraints, sending Twilight and Fluttershy rolling onto their backs. He gets back to his hooves and prepares to charge her.

"No more interference, Princess," Zero Wing says, deadpan and emotionless.

He whirls around with the winedark aura forming around his horn and aims it directly at Twilight and Fluttershy, moving to help their Princess. Celestia lunges, throwing herself between them and the shot.

In the distance, Zecora stands outside her hut, still looking for any signs of Twilight, Fluttershy or Gray Moon. She pauses when she sees an explosion of winedark light emanating among the still-standing trees in the space beyond.

Something white and flashquick breaks into the open space ahead shortly afterwards. The zebra prepares to run.

When the flash clears, Celestia draws back her wings, feeling slight burn marks against them. She shakes off the pain, lifting herself from the protective stance over Twilight and Fluttershy. The purple unicorn and yellow Pegasus open their eyes, seeing the damaged forest and voidscapes before them.

"No! No! No! No!" Twilight yells as the memory of Legacy's Reach comes back to her in full swing, only now with images of Ponyville in ruins. She kicks her hooves against the ground, throwing up a rock in her path. Twilight then breaks into a run, heading down the remnants of the forest path. Fluttershy calls out to her but Twilight continues running, thinking only of finding Ponyville literally erased off the map.

Something multicolored flashes in the distance, briefly catching Twilight's attention. Prompted, she runs faster.

In some perhaps inappropriate manner given the circumstances, the landscape appears like a series of stepping stones across the length of a river, leading to a chunk of intact land surrounding by the empty white currents. Defying physics, the pieces of land float above the voidscape below, shaking a little as Twilight leaps over to the next stepping stone remnant. In her hurry, she nearly trips and slides from a stepping stone's edge, her little pony legs dangling over the vast void.

Two legs hook around her body and pull her up to the patch of intact land. Twilight flails her front hooves for a moment as her heart races. Breath catches up with her. Flash of yellow blurs next to her.

"Twilight, calm down. It's just me," Fluttershy tells her friend as Twilight's chest stops heaving. "I'm glad I caught up to you in time." She helps her friend to her hooves.

Twilight pants a little, looking ahead of her. She sees the clusters of land fragments up ahead along with parts of the Everfree Forest still intact. For all his talk of ending it all, Zero Wing does a very sloppy job. Then again, maybe Gareth is fighting just as Celestia told him to. Maybe there's still time.

"Thank you, Fluttershy. Where is Celestia?"

Fluttershy tilts her head to the sky as the white alicorn flies overhead. The Princess looks down for a moment and continues on ahead.

"Where is she going?!" Twilight yells.

"She has to catch up to her friend," Fluttershy explains, hooking her front legs around Twilight's chest again. "Come on, we have to keep moving."

Twilight dangles in Fluttershy's hold as the yellow Pegasus carries her over the next few stepping stone fragments until they reach a long strip of still-intact land. Fluttershy releases Twilight to the ground and tucks her wings in, joining Twilight as they make their way down the strip of land. Around them, the ominous white glow of the void lights their path, cutting off against the night sky above. In another time/another place, the sight might have been beautiful but the two take no notice as they advance.

Eventually, the strip narrows to an arrowhead-like breakoff as Fluttershy recommences the flight-cross tactic from before. Ten more stepping stone fragments pass under Twilight's hooves, touching down on the next land strip. More of the forest appears, the treeshadows being a bit of a comfort now.

"Twilight and Fluttershy, run and strive!/I'm glad to see you're still alive!"

Twilight and Fluttershy turn to the voice and spot Zecora standing outside her hut and before the void cutting into her yard. Her golden earrings and neck rings shine in the void light as she nears the other edge. Behind her hut, a stretch of forest goes on. Animal cry in the distance.

"Zecora, we're glad to see you too! Did the Princess and the blackgray winged unicorn come by?"

"Indeed, they passed overhead/The Princess wearing a look of dread," the zebra answers. "En route to Ponyville, I fear,/That the end might indeed be near."

"No way, Zecora!" Twilight yells, determined as ever. "I'm not going to let that happen! Come on, Fluttershy! We have to stop him!"

Fluttershy nods and follows behind, turning to Zecora with a quick wave and apology for the rush. The two jump over the gap between pieces of intact land.

The zebra disappears into her hut for a moment and reappears with a saddlebag full of still-intact vials and containers. "Please, Twilight, wait for me!/We are stronger as three!"

Twilight and Fluttershy pause as Zecora jumps the gap and catches up to them. With a smile on her face, Twilight directs the three towards Ponyville. Not too late…

***

Gag. Emerald flame. Spit take.

Spike watches the scroll land before his feet, fighting off the quicker-than-usual assault on his gag reflex. The scroll's edges are split, showing a message written in a hurry. The little dragon quickly collects it in his claws and unfurls, seeing the hastened penmanship.

CANTERLOT HAS BEEN ATTACKED. TELL TWILIGHT AND THE OTHERS IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT LET GRAY MOON OUT OF YOUR SIGHT. DETAIN HIM IMMEDIATELY. I WILL BE COMING SOON TO COLLECT HIM.

Spike looks up, noticing the night sky outside and yet no Twilight returning to the library with Fluttershy and Gray Moon in tow. An instant I-knew-it sprouts in mind, soon replaced by feelings of dread and concern for his friends. Not to mention if Canterlot had been attacked, but surely the Princesses could handle that.

The little dragon clutches the message in hand as he runs out the door, staring into the open sky as if to expect some aerial attacker. "Twilight? Twilight!"

Some ponies still outside look at the little dragon scanning the area. Spike then remembers what Gray Moon had said about a cave hidden in the Everfree Forest. He turns in the direction of the treeshadows and lets out a resigned sigh.

"Twilight could be anywhere in that forest! Gray Moon might have even misled them into a trap! I have to do something!" Spike thinks aloud, running as fast as his little reptilian legs permit him. "Looks like it's up to me to get the message to-"

"Keep it down will ya?!"

Just as Spike moves towards the border between Ponyville and the Everfree Forest, he glances up, seeing a single little cloud overhead. A rainbow-maned Pegasus pokes her head over the edge, glaring down at the dragon.

"What's a pony gotta do to get a good night's sleep?!" she complains, throwing an angry, curved hoof into the air.

"Rainbow Dash! I'm so glad to see you! I have to find Twilight and Gray Moon! Have you seen them?"

"Gray who now?"

"A gray colt Twilight and Fluttershy was helping! Kinda frantic! Moved around a lot!"

Dash brushes a hoof under her chin, a pensive look (as much as Dash can have, fearing to appear like some uncool egghead) forms on her face. "Now that you mention it, I think I did see some gray colt running into the forest. But I wasn't feeling like looking into it-"

"That was Gray Moon! I have to find him!"

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure Twilight can handle it herself," Dash lets out a yawn and her eyes start to close.

"You don't understand! I got a letter from the Princess telling me to detain him because she's coming to get him after Canterlot was attacked and-"

Dash's eyes pop open and her wings tense. "What was that?"

"Canterlot was attacked but the Princess didn't say by who or what! But she told me to tell Twilight and the others! And, and to detain Gray Moon!"

Dash raises an eyebrow. "And they're in the Everfree Forest right now?"

Spike nods.

Dash throws her front legs up. "Well that settles it! It'll take forever to look through the entire forest to find them!"

Spike pauses, scratching his chin for an idea. It dawns on him and he starts to walk away as if going on alone. "Well, I guess if the cool and talented Rainbow Dash isn't up for the challenge, then maybe I should ask someone else. Like maybe-"

Dash swoops behind Spike, tossing the little dragon on her back. They glide across the ground towards the Everfree Forest and cross its threshold in a few seconds flat. "There's no challenge I can't handle!"

Spike clutches to her neck, trying to keep on as he fears she'll fly into Sonic Rainboom mode. Dash maneuvers among the trees, feeling quite confident in her abilities as she scans the terrain for any signs of Twilight or the gray colt.

"Yeah, we'll find them in…no…time…"

Rainbow Dash screeches to a halt, sliding up dirt clods as Spike flips on her back. The rainbow-maned Pegasus cranes her neck as an ominous white glow picks up in the distance, stretching across the terrain. Treeshadows are cut short and outright obliterated as two rough voidscapes form, slicing through trees that shatter into dissolving dust. To Dash, it's almost like clouds eating away at the ground.

Dash braces herself when the twin voidscapes come to a halt, bathing her and Spike's faces in their light.

"What's going on?!" Spike calls out.

Before Dash can say anything, a blackgray shape blurs into view with a faint winedark aura surrounding its head in a ghoulish corona. It looks below at them, showing an alicorn's horn and wings, dark as spilled ink even in the light of the voidscapes.

"Who is that?" Spike asks, getting a full view of the alicorn.

The alicorn fires a shot of energy directly near their hooves, causing Dash to leap to the side as the miniature void eats away at the patch of ground. The winedark aura shoots again, taking out the patch of land just near the Pegasus' hooves. She turns her head to the sky, growling a little.

"Dash?!"

Dash doesn't answer, instead soaring into the sky with her front hooves raised before her. Spike falls from her back before she makes it the first few feet off the ground, rubbing his back with the emergency scroll still in hand. The rainbow-maned Pegasus picks up speed and stops just a few feet from the alicorn's face.

"Hey, just what do you think you're doing?!" Dash yells, thrusting an accusatory hoof towards the assailant.

The alicorn does not respond, winedark eyes void of any emotion.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Dash flies into the alicorn's face, annoyed by the lack of response. "Yeah, you! Is anyone in there?!"

The alicorn does not respond again.

More annoyed now, Dash pushes a hoof into the alicorn's face. "You think you can just fly in here and shoot at me? Huh?! Is that it?!"

Still no response.

Dash moves to punch the alicorn's face when the horn starts its winedark glow, readied for another shot at point-blank range. The Pegasus flies to the side, avoiding the shot as it hits the ground below, scaring Spike into jumping.

"Stop doing that!" Dash yells, throwing her left front hoof directly into the alicorn's face. The alicorn's head tilts a little, unfazed even as Dash delivers blow after blow, turning the alicorn's face into a punching bag. She pulls back, wincing as her hooves make contact with the metal of the alicorn's helmet.

Taking advantage of the hoofpangs distracting her, the alicorn lunges forward, striking her to the side. Dash throws out her wings, curving to divebomb the attacker if she had to.

Winedark energy fires by her face, leading the Pegasus to dive beneath the shot. The temptation to taunt the alicorn for trying to shoot down Cloudsdale's fastest flier is high but she relents, figuring the best time isn't while another mass of winedark energy is coming her way.

Nevertheless, she shoots down, trying to launch and curve into the alicorn's underbelly for a quick strike. Dash comes close to landing the blow until the blackgray alicorn blurs away, leaving only a brief faded image in her sight. The rainbow-maned Pegasus ducks as the expected shot flies past her head, striking a few trees below and shattering them into nothingness. Curving backwards into a loop, Dash readies herself for a quicker strike.

Below, Spike watches in amazement as Dash fights the alicorn head-on, dodging every shot fired in his direction. The little dragon wonders who this alicorn is, wondering if it's anypony the Princess knows. His thoughts are cut off by the next shot, disintegrating a tree he leans against. Around him, he swears he hears some wildlife fleeing for their lives. Doesn't blame them one bit.

Back above! Dash crosses the open air, expertly dodging the next shot. Still, she doesn't pick up any sense of frustration or anger coming from the attacker. Really, the attacker turns back, heading in the direction of Ponyville.

"No you don't!" Dash shoots into the back of the alicorn. "I'm not just gonna let you go after Ponyville with your disintegrating attacks! Get back here and fight like a real pony! I'll take you on myself!"

Blurring around her, the alicorn catches Dash off-guard and strikes her side, sending the Pegasus spiraling. Dash regains her composure, shaking off the pain in her torso and curving to avoid being struck down by the alicorn's next move. Just as the alicorn begins to recommence its route towards Ponyville, Dash charges once more, colliding into the area between its torso and throat. The alicorn seems to shake into the air, throwing up its wings to toss Dash aside.

"Yeah! You show him who's boss!" Spike cheers from below, running along the still-intact forest floor path as the Pegasus and alicorn clash above him. "Take him down, Dash! Take him down!"

Must keep that thing from Ponyville at all costs, Dash thinks, ignoring the pains shrieking in her legs and torso. She smirks when the echo of Spike's cheers reaches her ears. And look absolutely awesome while doing it.

Dash kicks into the open air, her wings extended for the next dive and curve. She barrel rolls as the next shot barely misses her, colliding with a tree. The night wind brushes by her face, blowing her rainbow mane like a pennant cheering at her efforts. Another barrel roll and a loop, barely missing the shot that almost grazes her back. Below, Spike continues cheering and running onward.

The alicorn slows to a halt, turning to face the defiant Pegasus. "You test my patience," the alicorn tells her, voice deadpan and emotionless.

"Ah, so you can talk!" Dash replies, shaking her hoof. "Well then, get this straight through your thick skull! If you're thinking of doing that dissolving stuff to Ponyville, you can just forget it! I'll fight you to the very end!"

The alicorn narrows its eyes and falls back, its blackgray wings against the night sky. The horn glows again but the expected shot doesn't come. Instead, the horn charges its magic, building up a field. It blurs ahead towards Ponyville, passing Dash who picks up speed and gives chase.

Spike watches on, transfixed in the sight of the fight. He nearly trips over a rock rising from the path.

The winedark energy field fully forms around the alicorn as Dash goes faster to keep up. Something of her own formed, trailing behind her in rainbow colors. The Pegasus moves even faster, determined to keep the alicorn from reaching Ponyville at all costs as the threshold between the two came closer. Curving upwards, she collides head-on with the alicorn's winedark shield.

The Sonic Rainboom stretches across the sky, stirring the sleepy and tired eyes of those in Ponyville. Shortly afterwards, the air siren begins to bellow as the dark alicorn soars through the Rainboom, unfazed, unharmed.

A body begins to fall.