"Ready?"

They all nodded.

"T)(en let's do t)(is."

Feferi and Karkat kicked the door open. The slamming sound echoed through the room and caused the troll inside to turn away from the window. She was tall, with big horns, just like Feferi's, and a condescending look on her face.

"So, you are t)(e little brats w)(o )(ave causing trouble in my palace," she said through clenched teeth. She got a good look of each of them with narrowed eyes, then paused at Feferi. "You! You're supposed to be D-EAD! I KRILLED YOU!"

"No, you didn't," she said calmly. ")(ere's anot)(er c)(ance for you."

She charged the Empress, who immediately produced a large trident and easily blocked the blows.

"Come On! Let's Help Her!" Kanaya and Eridan attacked the troll from behind, leaving cuts on her back and legs. She just flinched and turned around, managing to cut Kanaya across her stomach. Eridan quickly pulled her out of the way, but the Empress was still advancing. Karkat saw Nepeta spring up to her and claw at her face with the daggers, making her scream out either in pain or in rage. Probably both.

"you turned us into a pyramid!" Nepeta shouted as the Empress tried to throw her off her face. "and you put yourself on top!"

The sea troll roared in rage and pinned Nepeta to the wall by her throat with one hand.

"Do you see anyone complaining about t)(e system? Well?" she pressed on.

Nepeta couldn't answer; she could barely breathe.

"T)(e only ones responsible for t)(is are you ignorant children! W)(atever )(appens, it's all your fault! Let me teac)( you, once and for all, w)(ere your loyalties s)(ould lie!"

She raised her trident and aimed it at Nepeta's heart.

"NO!" Karkat screamed.

Amazingly, the Empress stopped. It took Karkat about three seconds to realize she hadn't stopped voluntarily. She was struggling to move, but some invisible force kept her frozen in space.

"what are y0u waiting f0r?"

Karkat turned around. Aradia was clutching her head, as if she were suffering from a headache.

"g0, i can't h0ld her f0r l0ng!"

Karkat nodded and advanced. He jumped on the Empress and slashed with the sickle, managing to cut her across the eye. She bellowed in pain and struggled some more, until she finally managed to break free. Aradia let out a cry and Karkat knew the time was up. The Empress let go of Nepeta, who sat gasping for air on the floor, and knocked Karkat aside with the back of her trident. He hit the floor with a thud.

"kar, wwatch out!"

He groaned and opened his eyes. The Condesce was towering above him, her face and arms scratched up, one eye closed with fuchsia blood flowing from the wound. If he thought she'd looked angry before, now she was absolutely furious. Her lips were drawn back, showing her sharp teeth. Her remaining eye was focused on his left arm. Karkat glanced down and noticed a gash there, bright red blood staining his shirt.

"I will not," she said slowly through gritted teeth, "be touc)(ed by A MUTANT!"

She stabbed at him with the trident, but he narrowly dodged it by scrabbling to his knees and quickly moving out of the way. She kept stabbing and he kept dodging until he felt his back press against the wall. She raised her trident up high above her head. There was an evil smile on her face.

"Now, you low bloods will learn your place!"

Karkat closed his eyes. He just wanted it to be quick. He wished they hadn't done this. He wished his friends were safe and somewhere far away from here. Now it was too late. He waited for the end to come, but it never did. Instead, he heard a gasp. He slowly opened his eyes. The Empress was still there, but the smile on her face was gone. Her mouth hung open in utter shock. Karkat wondered what was wrong. Then he noticed the three prongs sticking out of her chest. The weapon was drawn back, causing the Empress to let out one more gasp, look Karkat right in the eyes, and fall to the ground, dead.

Feferi stood behind her, panting, eyes wide. For some time, everyone stood still, just trying to take a breath. Feferi dropped her trident and offered Karkat a hand. He took it and stood up. He quickly remembered to cover the wound on his arm, but it was apparently too late for that. Everyone had seen. Feferi just gave him a sad smile.

"We'll get you a bandage for t)(at. Don't worry," she said quietly.

Right then, Terezi, Gamzee and Tavros appeared in the doorway. Terezi was scratched up, Gamzee had a long gash across his arm, and Tavros was unconscious, but otherwise they seemed fine.

Terezi opened her mouth to speak, but didn't get a chance, as about a dozen guards burst into the room. They stood there, mouths open, just staring at the scene. Nine slightly injured kids, a bloody floor with several different colors mixed together, a dead Empress.

Their eyes darted around in pure confusion. They didn't dare to move, but stood completely still, as if awaiting orders.

Eridan stepped forward and got down on one knee in front of Feferi. The guards followed his lead.

"all hail feferi peixes," he said. "empress of alternia."

...

It was amazing how quickly the behavior of the trolls at the Arx had changed. Feferi's first command as Empress was the immediate release of all captive trolls. The high bloods dropped their weapons at once and began to care for the injured. And there were many. The infirmary wasn't big enough to accommodate all the trolls, so some were put into the building blocks. It was obvious to Karkat that his assumption had been right. The high bloods weren't the real villains here. There was only one, but she was gone for good now. Without her, it seemed like all the evil had been sucked out of the tree. Karkat watched the trolls tend to those, who up to this point had been considered their inferiors, with the utmost care. He thought it suited them much better than torturing the trolls. They all worked hard for two days, high bloods, low bloods, mutants, it didn't matter. They were all equals now. Finally, it seemed like everyone had been tended to. The dungeon was torn down, except for block F, just in case any actual criminals showed up. You could never be too careful.

Feferi's second command was the return of all space ships and release of the helmsmen. The nine friends watched as the ships landed in front of the Arx one by one. They kept their eyes peeled for their long-lost friend. They were beginning to lose hope, but then they spotted him. Sollux took some shaky steps as he got out of a ship. He was obviously exhausted, barely standing, but he looked overjoyed when he saw the trolls waving at him. He smiled wide and waved back. Aradia laughed and ran over to him. He caught her and hugged her tightly. Neither of them was strong enough to support the other, so they collapsed in a heap of hugs and kisses. And no one dared disturb them.

That evening, after respects were paid to the dead and Feferi made a speech about a bright new era beginning, Karkat went out on a balcony to look at the sunrise. He was a bit surprised to find Nepeta there.

"HEY," he started.

She turned around, then smiled as she realized who it was. "oh, hey."

He leaned on the railing beside her. "YOU OKAY?"

She nodded. "yeah, i was just thinking about him ..."

Karkat had watched her light up a blue candle for Equius about an hour ago. She had suggested that all the trolls do this for their dead friends. She said it was a thing green bloods sometimes did. She thought it was sweet and Karkat had to agree.

"I'M REALLY SORRY ABOUT EQUIUS. I SHOULD'VE DONE MORE ..."

She shook her head. "he's not dead, karkat."

"NEPETA, YOU HEARD THERE WERE EXECUTIONS. AND HE WASN'T IN THE DUNGEONS. I DON'T WANT TO SOUND INSENSITIVE, BUT ..."

"no, he's not dead. i can f33l it. i'll find him, you'll s33. i'll go out and ..."

Karkat sighed and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She stopped talking as her face flushed green. She turned her head away from him. He smiled.

"IT'LL BE OKAY. YOU'LL SEE." His fingers locked around hers and she turned to look at him. "COME ON, WE COULD REALLY USE SOME REST."

She gave him a smile and they walked inside, hand in hand, not looking back at the sunrise that bathed the Arx in a soft yellow light.

...

There we go - the end! :) I'd like to thank you all again for reading and reviewing (seriously, you guys are the best). I'm thinking about making a sequel for this, but we'll see about that.