Apocalypse

(insert: Temples of Our Gods - Oblivion Soundtrack)

Corisonde was watching Gamindustri from inside the Citadel, looking out a floor-to-ceiling window that stretched across the whole wall of the room. She was turned away from Neptune, who was on the ground, panting and bleeding, no longer strong enough to sustain her HDD. Neptune raised herself up on her knees, her palms stabilizing her and keeping her from falling back over. The others in the room were all back in the shadows now; shadows that grew darker as the light from the window grew more and more intense.

Finally, Corisonde raised an arm and snapped her fingers. Neptune could feel the others in the room slowly retreat. Her beating was finished. Her defeat was ensured. Corisonde would now wish to speak.

The small-framed girl turned around and took a few steps towards Neptune. The light, now nearly blinding, silhouetted Corisonde and Neptune couldn't see the girl's face under her hood.

"Too bad Nepgear wasn't here to help you," Corisonde said softly, her voice feminine but raspy. She tilted her head, "Where did you leave her again?"

"I told you," Neptune said, "when I went to the other dimension and then came back somehow she got transferred over."

"And you never bothered to retrieve her?"

"Histy tried … but something stopped us from being able to connect to them."

"I think I remember Histy saying something about waiting some time before you tried again," Corisonde said, now only a few feet from Neptune.

The light truly was blinding now, Neptune could no longer try to look up at Corisonde and instead looked at the floor, tears falling and catching glittering light on their descent.

"I must admit, your ploy with the Generals and Arfoire of all people," Corisonde sounded amused, she must have been smiling, "I have never seen you pull something like that before. Truly inspiring to see that even after all this time I still find dimensions that manage to surprise me."

"Why are you doing this?" Neptune tried looking up at her but the light burned her eyes.

"Careful," Corisonde stepped in front of Neptune, casting her in shadow. "I wouldn't wish for you to be blinded."

She snapped her fingers again and the window shaded darker, the light less blinding. Neptune looked up and craned to see around Corisonde.

Corisonde quickly knelt down and gripped Neptune by the jaw, "Oh? You wish to see? You wish to see it burn? Come on."

She grabbed Neptune by the hand and pulled her up.

A bone cracked in Neptune's arm, she stumbled as both her legs, broken as they were, could not support her weight. Corisonde let go and Neptune fell to the floor again, grunting, and gritting her teeth in pain. She wouldn't scream out, not anymore.

"Let me help you," Corisonde whispered.

She bent down and grabbed a hold of Neptune's wrist then pulled her across the room. Neptune winced and grimaced, she clutched a fist to try to hold a cry in. Corisonde then pulled and spun Neptune across the floor. She slid and slammed into the window. Neptune picked herself up enough to look out the window.

In the distance and far below, Corisonde's weapon had discharged. Beautiful white and blue light was still spilling out of the massive weapon, but below it Gamindustri burned in red flames. The entire world was engulfed. She was the only one left.

Neptune let out a singular sob before she turned to Corisonde in her anger.

"Why? Why do this? They never did anything to you! We never did anything to you! Why did you kill them? Why did you kill Noire? And Histy. My friends. All my friends," she began crying.

Corisonde stepped further away from her.

"Neptune, always so childish. Always so naive. You're not even lazy, you're lackadaisical. I don't understand your goddesses's thinking. So lofty. So aloof to the common man or woman you see as below you. And for the primary four of you, even above your precious candidate sisters. You couldn't even take care of Nepgear, or, rather, 'your' Nepgear as you see her." Corisonde had stepped into the shadows herself. "So, in this case I've made an exception for your death. I will not be your executioner. HA!" Her sudden loud laugh made Neptune jump. "I always find myself so attracted to you Neptune, you are definitely one of my favorites to kill myself, but in this one case … I make an exception."

Neptune heard Corisonde snap her fingers and then new footsteps from the shadows came forward.

"One day you will lose," Neptune said to the darkness.

"Perhaps … but not today, dear Neptune," Corisonde said, seemingly much further away now.

Neptune looked to the new figure as they stepped out of the shadows. She froze in shock, stunned into silence.

Her sister Nepgear stood before her. But not just any Nepgear, not one from another dimension. This was her Nepgear.

But she was different.

Nepgear seemed to be in HDD form, but she wasn't somehow. One arm had been cut off near the shoulder, and now a bionic arm held her sword, a black blade, terribly slanted, glinting in the burning flame-light from the window.

"Nepgear," Neptune said in a hushed voice.

Nepgear only stared at her.

"But … why?"

"You know why," Nepgear said. "You all left me in that other dimension right as that world fell apart. You left me in that hell till Corisonde arrived and destroyed it."

"I was coming for you. There was a problem, we couldn't get back through, Histy was -"

"Shut up!" Nepgear screamed at her. "I hated all of you for so long. But now … now I pity you. The others, they've … found peace. Now you, my only sister, my sister who betrayed me, now I will help you too."

Neptune smiled and shook her head, tears flowing down her cheeks, "Don't believe her, Nepgear. I've seen what she can do, I can't imagine what she is capable of, but please don't believe she will be there for you."

Nepgear walked silently towards her sister, her face emotionless.

Neptune continued to talk to her sister.

"I messed up, but I loved you, please remember that."

"Then you would have saved me from them … from this."

"I should have, but maybe there is another me that would have … that did. If you meet her then please … I just want my little sister to be happy."

Nepgear raised her sword.

"I will always be with you, Nepgear."

Nepgear swung her sword. Neptune slumped to the floor. In the silence that followed the light grew brighter before Corisonde's weapon finally finished discharging. Instead of white blue blinding light the room was bathed in a dark reddish inferno. Nepgear stood silently for some time. Outside the fiery light grew stronger. Neptune's body lay on the cold floor. Eventually footsteps announced Corisonde coming forward.

"How do you feel, killing your sister with your own two hands?"

"… I'm not sure. Nothing?"

"Revenge never satiates the hunger," Corisonde said softly.

"Did the world have to-"
"No, but," Corisonde shrugged, and Nepgear could tell the girl was smirking.

Nepgear flicked her blade, the blood flinging off of it and onto the ground.

"It is time to rest, Nepgear," Corisonde stepped up next to her, only slightly shorter. One hand touched Nepgear on her bionic arm.

"Yes, Corisonde."

"You did good, this will help you for the next time I require your aid."

"I like helping you, I don't want to rest long."

"Oh, don't worry. You are one of my favorites, certainly my favorite Nepgear."

"Thank you."

"Now, go, rest. And when you open your eyes, I will be the first thing you see."

Corisonde kissed Nepgear on the cheek and Nepgear walked away into the shadows. Corisonde meanwhile stood at the window, now bathed in the blood-red glow of the burning world she had destroyed. And she smiled.