Chapter VII: The World-Eater
Twilight smiled. She was flying, soaring through the sky on the back of an enormous winged Spike, as another Spike sat alongside her. The sun was warm against her coat, and all the troubles of the world seemed so far away…
But all of that was brought to a sudden end when she felt something prod her side. She let out an annoyed groan and rolled away from the prodding, but it didn't stop. She swatted away the irritant, and allowed herself to slowly drift off to sleep. But she snapped awake as an invisible force lifted her out of bed. There were only two ponies in all of Equestria who did that, and she sincerely doubted her mother had the strength to telekinetically lift her anymore.
"Come on, Twilight. You need to get up." The Princess said.
Twilight struggled to free herself from the invisible force holding her- without success- until she was set on the floor. "What's going on?" she asked.
"Well Twilight, you have a pair of wings now," Celestia replied. "So, I took it upon myself to find somepony who can teach you how to use them." The Princess left the room, with Twilight following.
"Uh, Princess?" Twilight asked. "I don't mean to question your methods, but I don't really think I can learn to fly in just one day…"
"I realize that. But even if you only learn how to move a few feet, it may be enough to save your life." The Princess looked back to her student. "Alduin will use any means he has available to stave off his inevitable defeat. It's only reasonable that you take hold of any advantage you have in return."
The two continued down the path toward the gardens, until they reached a familiar door where a familiar yellow pegasus waited for them. Twilight looked up to her mentor, but before she could say anything, Celestia said, "You'll be in good hooves, Twilight. Now I really must be going- I need to set up everything before Spike finishes his training with Shining…" Celestia departed, leaving her student alone with Fluttershy.
"Good morning, Fluttershy," Twilight said.
"…Good morning Twilight," the pegasus replied timidly.
"So… I'm guessing the Princess told you all about what happened to me."
Fluttershy nodded. "I had no idea dragon's blood could do something like that. Did it… hurt?"
Twilight shrugged. "I don't know. It might have, but I was asleep when it happened." She approached the door. "But we can talk about that later. We should probably get this lesson started." She pushed open the door and stepped out. "So, will you be teaching me by yourself?"
"Well, not all by myself…" Fluttershy replied as she followed Twilight outside.
"Alright maggot, listen up!" Rainbow shouted, making Twilight jump. "The Princess might have picked me to teach you how to fly, but just 'cause you're my friend it doesn't mean I'm gonna go easy on you! You will bleed! You will cry! But by the end of today, you! Will! Fly!"
"Oh, Rainbow Dash? I don't think yelling will help…" Fluttershy said timidly. The pegasus looked to Twilight. "Okay Twilight, first you need to get into the proper position. Lower yourself down and extend your wings, like this." She demonstrated, crouching low and extending her wings straight up. Twilight imitated her.
"C'mon, maggot! Spread those feathers!" Rainbow shouted.
"Um, Rainbow Dash? I don't think calling Twilight a… a maggot will really help her…"
"Fluttershy, quit undermining my authority! We don't have time to be soft!"
"But-"
"We're not arguing about this, Fluttershy!"
"Oh, we were arguing? I'm sorry."
Twilight sighed. This was going to be a very, very long day.
For Spike, the day came and went seemingly in the blink of an eye. After the Princess roused him from his slumber, he sparred with Shining one last time in the sparring hall, before demonstrating his knowledge of the arcane arts before Celestia in his room afterward noticing Twilight's conspicuous absence.
Just as he was preparing one last ward spell, Celestia said to him, "Alright Spike, I think I've seen enough."
Spike looked to his ruler, his stomach sinking. "Did… did I do something wrong?"
"Hmm? Oh no, no. From what I've seen, your magical skills are exactly where I expected them to be at this stage."
There was a brief moment of silence before Spike asked, "Hey, Princess?"
"Yes?"
Spike hesitated briefly before continuing. As grateful as he was to Thorn for all his advice, it was never a bad idea to check it against a more trusted source. "…You've fought Alduin before… is there anything I should know about him before the battle?"
Celestia brought a hoof to her chin. "…Well, as Thorn told you, Alduin is invulnerable to all but the most powerful of spells. Magically, you'll be fighting on the defensive. Actually, you may be on the defensive for most of the battle depending on how soon you can ground him. He can't match the strength of your Voice, so he'll try to beat you by other means."
"Alright… but is there any sort of weak spot he has? An opening in his guard? There has to be something like that that can help be beat him."
The Princess's gaze flitted about the room, before returning to Spike. "…I can't answer that, Spike. I may have fought Alduin, but I never beat him- I merely survived him. And both those times, I was lucky to get even that much. I wish I could answer your question Spike, I really do… but I'm afraid this is one instance where you must find the answer on your own." She lifted him onto her back. "Come- another session with the healers should mend the rest of your wounds."
Spike had hoped to receive an actual answer from Thorn, but his response was just as vague as the Princess's: "When the time comes, you'll have the strength to do what needs to be done." They discussed all of Alduin's potential tactics one last time, but the elder dragon would speak no more of how Spike would actually beat Alduin, despite the younger dragon's endless badgering.
Twilight still hadn't turned up when Spike returned to their room. Regardless, he continued to read up on magical theory without her. But without his teacher, he couldn't keep focus, and he eventually set aside his reading materials, put out the lights, and climbed into his basket. But as much as he wanted it to, sleep would not come to him. All he could do was lie there, staring up into the black, dreading the dawn.
Eventually, he heard the door creak open, and the soft sound of hooves clopping against the floor. Twilight's bed creaked as she climbed into it, and silence settled once more. But even in her presence, sleep eluded him. The weight of the world rested heavily on him, a great and terrible burden that felt as though it would-
"Spike?" Twilight said from the darkness.
"Yeah?"
"…come here." It was all the prompt Spike needed. He climbed out of his basket, and into Twilight's bed; the lavender unicorn wrapped her forelegs around him and pulled his smaller body against his own. "It'll be okay," she said. "You'll see. You'll see…"
Spike hoped she was right.
He really did.
"…c'mon Princess, there's gotta be something we can do!" Rainbow said. She fluttered right up to the alicorn's face. "I mean, you saw what happened out there- Spike got his ass kicked!"
"I know exactly what you're asking me to do, Rainbow Dash, but I'm afraid I can't do it," Celestia replied. "The Trial of Blood can take up to a week to pass- time we simply don't have. And that's assuming you survive it at all."
Rainbow crossed her forelegs over her chest. "Then what in the hay are we supposed to do?"
"There's nothing you can do. As the Dragonborn, Spike has to be out there- Twilight insists on being in the field with him, and Thorn can handle himself, but I don't dare send anypony else out there. It's simply a risk we can't afford to take."
"What, we can't even act like a… what's the word… a diversion?"
"Alduin wouldn't fall for it."
"Then what about…" As Rainbow and the Princess argued, Twilight lay in the grass not too far away, utterly exhausted. Though Fluttershy had done her best to intervene, the blue pegasus had worked Twilight to the bone- it took the arrival of Celestia herself for the training session to end. Everything hurt. She hurt in places she didn't think existed. She hurt in places that, until a few days prior, hadn't existed at all. She'd studied the movements of pegasi in flight extensively, and they certainly didn't seem to be in any pain, or at least none she could recognize. She wondered, was the pain simply a result of her inexperience, or was it a fact of life for pegasi?
The nearby debate finally ended with Rainbow giving a dejected "…okay," and flying off. With the blue pegasus gone, Celestia turned her attention to her student. "Are you alright?"
It took a moment for Twilight to rise. Her legs shook as she stood. "…I've been better."
"Most pegasi have little difficulty when first learning to fly. But then again, most pegasi are born with their wings." The Princess knelt down to have a better look at her student. "Are you sure you're alright? I could brew something to help ease the pain if you'd like."
"Thanks for the offer but-" She stumbled as her legs momentarily gave out. "…On second thought, I think I'll take some of that brew." With the battle less than twenty-four hours away now, she needed to be in top physical form as soon as possible.
"Right then." Celestia's horn glowed brightly, and after a few moments of oppressive darkness, she and Twilight found themselves in the latter's room. "It'll take a few minutes before the draught is ready. You can stay here and rest until I get back." Celestia departed, leaving the lavender unicorn alone.
Twilight laid herself down on the floor (albeit painfully) and waited patiently for her mentor's return. As she waited, she wondered how Spike was faring; she hadn't seen him since they'd gone to bed the night before. She wished she could go see him, but her current predicament made that wish quite difficult to make a reality. She'd read about so-called "scrying" spells that allowed a unicorn to view a location remotely, but even with all her training, that type of spell remained a little beyond her capabilities.
Her thoughts were interrupted however when the door creaked open. The Princess may have been good, but even she couldn't brew up a painkiller draught in less than a minute. And when the door fully opened, she could see the individual entering the room was most certainly not the Princess.
"Thorn? What're you doing here?" She couldn't help but notice that the dragon appeared to have a grindstone tucked under his arm. "And why do you have that?"
"I need it to sharpen my claws. Why else?" he replied. There was a tremendous thump when the grindstone met the floor; at once, he sat before it and placed his claws against the stone wheel. "And I wanted to check up on you; I couldn't help but see that you were learning to fly in the garden earlier. I know exactly how you're feeling right now, but don't worry- the first couple times take a lot out of you, but it gets easier."
Twilight raised an eyebrow at him. "You have wings?" She certainly hadn't seen any.
"I wasn't born with any, but I can give myself a pair if I need to. I don't do it too often, though- transformation spells aren't something I was ever really good at."
For a long while, the silence was broken only by the sound of Thorn's claws scraping against stone. Finally, Twilight spoke. "So… tomorrow…"
Thorn never took his eyes off the stone. "Yeah."
"You… don't seem very worried."
Thorn took his hand away from the grindstone and inspected his claw. "I'm not. I killed Alduin once. If I have to, I can do it again."
"You killed Alduin? But the Princess said only the Dragonborn could…" She suddenly put the pieces together. "…Spike?" she asked, stunned. "Is… is that you?"
Thorn's eyes widened as he realized his mistake. Then he hung his head and glanced at her guiltily… the same way Spike did. "Yeah… it's me," he replied.
"What… what happened to you?"
"You remember how I said how I was from two hundred years in the future? Well, I didn't lie about that. But things are… they're bad. Really bad. Worse than you could imagine."
"How bad?"
"Trust me- you'd be much better off not knowing the answer to that."
Twilight put her hooves on her former assistant's leg, and looked him directly in the eye. "How bad is it?"
Thorn bit his lip. He tried to stay quiet, to hide the terrible truth form Twilight… but he simply couldn't resist that gaze. So… he told her. He told her about how each one of their friends were systematically murdered by Alduin. He told her about how the moon came crashing to earth after Luna's death, and how Celestia had given up her powers- and her life- to protect them both. He told her how in the end, even the power of the sun wasn't enough to save her.
He told her everything.
"You're going to check on her, Spike?" Twilight asked.
Spike stopped, and looked back at her. "…Someone's gotta tell her."
"I know. Just… tread lightly, okay?"
"I always do." Spike turned, and resumed walking.
It had been several weeks since they had lost Pinkie and Rarity. The group had pursued Alduin, but the trail had rapidly gone cold, and they could only guess as to where the great black dragon had gone. After several fruitless weeks of searching, the group chose to set up camp in Appleoosa, and have Spike call him to their location.
Spike entered an abandoned saloon. Everything inside indicated that it had been abandoned in a hurry- stools were knocked over, a few tables were upended… there were even a few half-full glasses still resting on the counter. It was the same in every building in Appleoosa, in every building in nearly every city across Equestria, thanks to the Princess's evacuation orders. But those orders had done more harm than good- between the riots and the mass panic, most Equestrian citizens had been ripe targets for Alduin and the handful of dragons he'd rallied to his banner. Only a very small number had reached the relative safety of Canterlot, and the cost of even that much had been tremendous.
Spike stepped over the debris to a pair of doors at the far side of the saloon. He pushed one of them open, ignoring the sign that read "Mares" nailed to it.
The earth pony within was almost completely unrecognizable. Not a single inch of her was clean- dirt darkened her blonde mane and orange coat, and obscured her cutie mark. Her mane and tail fell freely rather than being tied in ponytails, and her signature Stetson hat was gone- she'd chosen to leave it behind at Rarity's grave. Though she was turned away from him, Spike could see her reflection in the cracked mirror, see the hard lines that had formed on her face in the weeks since that day. Her eyes no longer held any trace of warmth- all Spike could see there now was a gaze like cold steel. She drew a dark line beneath one eye with her hoof.
"Uh, Applejack?" Spike asked.
"What?" she demanded coldly. She didn't turn to face him.
The young dragon removed his helmet. "Listen. I've, um… the others have been talking, and… well, we really think you should sit this fight out."
She drew another line below her other eye. "No."
"Applejack, please. I know how you're feeling right now, and I-"
"And just how in the hay would ya know how Ah'm feelin' right now?" she snapped, turning to face him. "Are ya me? Can ya dig 'round inside mah head and see what I'm thinkin'? No?Then mind yer own damn business!"
He fought the urge to shout back. "…I loved her too, you know."
"Ya sure ain't actin' like it."
In spite of himself, Spike's anger boiled over. "Now you listen here. I loved Rarity. I loved her and don't you dare try to say otherwise." He took a deep breath to compose himself. "Do I want Alduin to pay for what he did to her? Of course I do. But 'm not just gonna charge headfirst into battle with him. All that'll do is get me killed. I know she wouldn't want that. And I know she wouldn't want that for you either. It hurts- I know that it hurts. …And I know that you feel like you have to do this. I won't stop you if you feel that way, but… please. Don't just throw your life away. Let's honor Rarity's memory by surviving this, okay?"
Applejack moved to the door, stopping only for a moment when she was alongside Spike. "You do that. I'll honor her my own way."
Spike followed her back to the encampment. As he approached, he could hear Fluttershy asking, "…so Braeburn didn't make it? Little Strongheart? Chief Thunderhooves? Nopony?"
"We just don't know," he heard Celestia reply. "We know they left Appleoosa with the evacuation order, but then they just… vanished, somewhere between here and Canterlot."
"Oh, I just hope they're safe, wherever they are…"
All eyes in the diminishing group fell on the approaching pony and dragon. Luna looked first to Applejack, then to Spike. "I see you couldn't talk her out of it."
"It doesn't matter…" Celestia said. "It's better that all of us stand against Alduin." She looked to Spike. "Call him."
Spike nodded, before looking to the sky. He drew in a deep breath, and Shouted his challenge so that all the world would hear it: "AL… DU IN!"
A clap of thunder echoed across the world. For several long moments, the only sounds were the echoes of Spike's voice. Then, the sound of great beating wings came to their ears. A black streak darted across the sky, before dropping to the ground with a thump that made the world shake.
"Dovahkiin…" Alduin said. "You surprise me. Are you so blinded in your pahlok that you would call upon yourself your own death?" He chucked for a moment. "No matter. Your arrogance has-"
But at that moment, an orange streak raced up and struck Alduin hard across the face. He stumbled briefly, before looking down to his attacker- Applejack. "You sonofabitch!" she screamed, tears of rage streaming down her face. "You'll pay for what you did to Rarity!"
"Yet another joorso eager to die. Well then, allow me to personally deliver you to the arms of Bormahu. YOL!" Applejack dodged the plume of fire, and struck Alduin again. Spike charged as well, but another burst of fire forced him behind cover. He turned and inhaled. "IIZ… SLEN… NUS!" A frozen plume erupted from his mouth, freezing everything before him in a thick sheet of ice… including Twilight, Fluttershy, and the Princesses.
"Twilight!" Spike shouted, before charging again. "Alduin I'm-"
"IIZ!" Another plume froze the Dovahkiin solid. Tempting as it would have been to kill him then and there, the black dragon was much more interested in humbling the joor that dared strike him.
"LAAS."Alduin looked about, but he could see no trace of the orange key. His heavy footfalls echoed through the empty town as he searched, but the mortal somehow eluded his all-seeing eyes. Where did she - his thoughts were interrupted by a sharp pain in his side. He lunged at her, jaws snapping, but his quarry eluded him. He pulled the jagged pipe out of his side as she retreated.
"C'mon ya ugly bastard!" Applejack shouted at the black dragon. "Ya want breakfast, ya gotta catch it first!"
"I had no interest in your flesh, joor…" Alduin replied, pursuing her. "…but now I am sorely tempted." Though she couldn't have been more than a few moments ahead, she had somehow disappeared when he reached the alley. He scanned his surroundings slowly, keeping his eyes and ears open for even the smallest sign of her presence. He heard movement- his attention snapped to the source, winter erupting from his throat. The back side of a general store was frozen over, but he didn't see any living creatures entombed in the ice. He heard another movement off to his right. "FUS… RO… DAH!" The power of his Thu'um ripped apart a small house, but the key was not revealed to him.
"Amusing how you show such courage as you flee!" he bellowed. "But let us see how well you hide after I raze every building in this city-"
Applejack's war cry alerted the black dragon, but by the time he turned, it was too late. Something struck the side of his face with such tremendous force that he could see a few teeth fly from his mouth. Then, with all of her might, she stabbed a long, jagged pipe deep into Alduin's neck. He staggered back, letting out a roar of pain, before grabbing the pipe and wrenching it free. He looked down at the farmpony, his eyes burning, his lips pulled back in an angry snarl. "I am going to make you regret that."
Applejack showed no sign of retreating. "Show me what ya've got!"
"With pleasure." He inhaled. Applejack charged.
Across town, Celestia and the others stood, frozen solid. But then, through the ice, Celestia's horn began to glow. The ice surrounding her cracked, and shattered all at once. Exhaling a long plume of steam, she muttered, "Still up to your old tricks I see…"
Next to her, the ice surrounding Luna shattered, and she too was free. "A cowardly tactic," she breathed. "That he didn't use it sooner is all I find surprising about it."
Celestia's horn began to glow again, and the ice surrounding Twilight and Fluttershy rapidly melted. "Sister, Spike."
"Right." Luna turned, but before she could cast her spell, the ice encasing the young dragon began to crack. Then, the ice surrounding his right arm shattered, followed by the ice around his left. Then, the rest of the ice covering him cracked and fell away. Breathing heavily, he looked to the dark alicorn and asked, "…where is he?"
"I'm not sure…" Luna replied.
Twilight struggled to her feet. "Come on, we need to find him! Applejack might be in trouble!"
"YOL… TOOR… SHUL!" The air was filled with a terrible screech and the roar of flames. Fluttershy pointed a shaking foreleg. "T-There! Over there!" Sure enough, the great black dragon was rising into the air, the air filled with the beating of his tremendous wings.
"YOL… TOOR!" Fire erupted from Spike's throat, but the distance was too great, and the flames dispersed before reaching Alduin.
"IIZ!" Celestia's Shout traveled further, but the dragon had ample time in which to avoid the attack. Twilight fired a bolt of lightning from her horn, but this too was avoided, and the dragon rapidly became little more than a dot in the wide open sky.
"Why would he be running away already?" His eyes widened with a sudden realization. "Wait… oh no…" He sprinted to the far end of the town where Fluttershy had sighted Alduin, calling for Applejack. "Applejack!" he shouted. "Applejack! Where are you?"
"…Spike?" The voice was incredibly faint, but it seemed to be somewhere close. "…is that you out there?"
"I'm here." He looked around, but he couldn't see anything other than a charred, black mound. "Where are you?"
"Ah… Ah don't know…" Applejack's voice was much closer now, coming from the direction of the charred mound. What's more, on closer inspection, Spike could see the mound was…moving.
Spike approached cautiously, not knowing what to expect, or even if what he was seeing was real. An overpowering scent filled the air, one that was much too familiar to him- burning flesh. As he approached, he gradually saw the mound was, in fact, shaped like a pony. He knelt down, but before he could rest a hand on the mound…
"Don't touch her!" Twilight shouted as she and the others galloped to their fallen friend. "No one touch her!" Twilight looked over Applejack. The prognosis was not good- nearly her entire body was charred black. Her eyes were… well, gone- the heat must have caused them to burst. As the farmpony breathed, cracks in her skin would open and close, revealing deep red tissue beneath. The stench was… it took all of Twilight's will to keep from vomiting.
Twilight's horn began to glow. "Applejack?" Twilight began. What could she possibly say to her? There was no way she could heal this much damage on her own- she doubted even the combined efforts of the Princesses would be able to save her. "Applejack? Can you hear me?"
"…Twilight?" Applejack gasped. "Ah… Ah can't see…"
Twilight couldn't work up the courage to speak. All she could do was maintain her healing spell, trying her best to mend the damage she knew in her heart she couldn't fix.
It took several long minutes, but Twilight finally worked up the nerve to say, "Don't… worry, Applejack. We'll fix you, okay? Just don't move around too much."
Applejack grunted, her charred lips pulled back in a grimace as her body tensed for several moments before going limp once more. "Couldn't move even if Ah wanted to."
That was not something Twilight wanted to hear. If Applejack couldn't move, then it could mean only a few things, none of them good, and all of them far beyond her capacity to repair. Damaged nerves were the most likely culprit, but it was also possible the heat had caused her Applejack's tendons to snap right off the bones. Twilight closed her eyes, trying to formulate a way a remedy for the situation despite knowing full well there was none.
"Y'all?" Applejack asked. "Just… forget about me."
"Applejack, don't say things like that…" Fluttershy said weakly. She kept her eyes focused firmly on the ground- the sight of her friend in such a horrendous state was too much for the sensitive pegasus to bear.
"Guys, Ah'm… Ah'm done fer. Ah can't see, Ah can't move mah legs… I'm no good to ya no more."
"That's not true, Applejack," Celestia said. "We can fix you. You'll be able to walk, to see again. It might take time, but we'll be able to make you exactly how you were. Maybe even better."
"No, there ain't… ain't enough time. Ya guys… need ta get after Alduin. I'd just slow ya down."
"But Applejack-" Twilight began.
"No. Please. Just… let me see her again."
All eyes fell on Celestia. She closed her eyes, deep in thought for a moment. Then, her horn began to glow. "I'm sorry, Applejack."
There was an ear-splitting snap. A small trickle of blood flowed from Applejack's mouth, and the rise and fall of her side ceased.
Twilight brought her hoof to her mouth, gaping, her eyes wide. She'd speculated about the sort of future Thorn hailed from, but this… not even her most pessimistic expectations had envisioned something like this. "And… and all of that… really happened?" she asked, her voice shaking.
Thorn put his other hand on the grindstone, and began sharpening. "Yeah. And unless we can stop Alduin now, in the present, it will happen again."
For a long while, Twilight said nothing. "…Why are you telling me all of this, Spike?"
He looked up at her. "Because you deserve to know. You deserve to know exactly what's at stake if we fail. And, I figured that someone besides the Princess should know the truth." He returned his attention to his work. "Oh, and Twilight? …Don't call me 'Spike.' I know I might look like him, but the truth is… Spike's been dead for a very long time." He sharpened his claw for a few more moments, before standing. "I'm sorry, but there's somewhere I need to go. Excuse me." He picked up the grindstone once again, and left the room.
Twilight looked to the floor, his mind reeling. How… how could something like that have happened? And if they failed… it would happen again? But, if they've already failed once, how could they be so sure they would succeed now? What if-
"His story is different now," a voice suddenly said.
Twilight jumped. "Ah! P-Princess!" She turned to face her teacher. "You were listening?"
"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but yes, I heard everything." She levitated a small flask over to Twilight.
The lavender unicorn drank deeply from the brew- at once, the pain in her muscles began to fade. "What do you mean his story is different?"
The Princess approached and took a seat next to her protégé. "The night I brought you and Spike to Yolvahdin, he told me about… well, about how you died. In that story, you were just a unicorn- but in this story, you have wings, just as you do now."
"So, I didn't make a blood pact with him in his time? Is that what you're… Wait, wait… I-I get it! All those headaches… they must be from his memories being altered! …right?"
"I'm not an expert when it comes to time travel, but that certainly seems to be the case. But even though we've altered some of Thorn's past, it's evident that we haven't done enough to avert the end of the world. Just as Thorn said, we need to defeat Alduin now, in the present, if we're to change the future for the better." Celestia began to turn toward the door. "Pardon, but I still need to speak with Thorn. Let the potion take hold for a minute or two before you start moving around. Excuse me."
With that, Celestia left the room, leaving her student alone.
Thorn sat down at the edge of the garden, crossing his legs. In his mind, he could picture the slab, sitting just a few feet away from him. For a long while, the dragon was silent, trying to work up the courage to speak. Finally, he spoke.
"…Hey," he said. His voice shook in a near-whisper; even after ten years, speaking to her was no less difficult. "So… this is it, I guess. This is everything I've been working toward."
Thorn wasn't sure why he was even here. As he'd spent the years perfecting the magic circle, Thorn secretly held out the small hope that if he kept talking to the slab, he'd eventually get an answer. But now, he had no excuse- Twilight's death wouldn't happen for almost two hundred years.
He rested his claws on his knees. "…I have to be honest, Twilight. I have no idea what's gonna happen tomorrow. Well, I know what'll happen if we lose… but what if we win? Will I… will I disappear? Am I gonna be stuck here? What if Spike wins, but you… if you don't-"
The sound of a hoof stepping on a dry branch caught his attention. He wheeled around, going from sitting to standing in the blink of an eye, ready to defend himself from… Twilight.
He instantly dropped into a much less aggressive stance, lowering his gaze to her hooves. "How long were you there?"
She looked down for a moment, as though contemplating her response. "…long enough."
He turned away and sat back down. "I… I'm sorry you had to hear that. It's just…" He trailed off- he took several deep, shuddering breaths before continuing. "It's just… I already lost you once, Twilight. And tomorrow, even after everything we've done…" He shuddered. "…I might have to watch you die, all over again. And… and I don't know if I could bear that." He shuddered again. "I'm not… not strong enough…" His voice faltered, and he fell silent.
Twilight didn't say anything. She knew that words wouldn't help the elder dragon. So instead, she stood, and embraced his arm in her forelegs.
She let out a surprised cry when Thorn suddenly swept her up in his arms and embraced her tightly. As he held her, she realized just how warm his body was. She wondered, were all dragons like this, or only Spike? And, how had she never noticed it until now? He pressed his snout into her coat and inhaled deeply, completely lost in the moment. She did nothing to stop him.
He was dreaming. He had to be. Things like this, good things… they didn't happen to him. Not anymore. They only happened so that some cruel higher power could strip them away later. He was sure that when he opened his eyes, the small warm body in his arms would disappear, and he would be alone once again. But when he opened his eyes… she was still there. He buried his snout into her coat and inhaled again. He savored every moment, never dreaming that he would have been given this opportunity ever again.
"I… I'm sorry," Thorn muttered. "I know this must be totally weird to you, but… I thought I'd never… you know…"
"It's okay, Spike," she replied. "You… needed this."
For a long while, the two said nothing as Thorn held Twilight. "You know…" Thorn began, "…I can still remember when I was small enough that you could hold me." He looked to her. "This must feel pretty weird to you, huh?"
"A little…" she replied. "But, I don't mind."
Thorn held her tightly for a few more moments, before placing her on the ground. "You uh… you should probably get going. It's late- you'll need all the energy you can get for tomorrow."
She looked up to her assistant. "What about you?"
"I… I think I'll be staying out here a while longer."
She nodded. "Alright then. Good night, Spike." Twilight was just about to begin walking toward the palace when Thorn spoke again.
"Twilight?" She turned. "…thank you."
"It was nothing, Spike." She returned to his side, and rested her head against his arm. "I love you. I always have, and I always will." With that, she turned away again, and returned to the palace.
Despite the darkness in their old bedroom, Twilight knew Spike wasn't asleep. All the same, she crossed the room as quietly as she could before climbing into bed. Some time passed- whether it had been minutes, hours, or seconds she couldn't say- but sleep would not come to her. Eventually, she rolled onto her side and called to the darkness, "Spike?"
"Yeah?"
"…come here." There was a rustle fabric and a small creak as Spike climbed out of his basket and into her bed. At once, she wrapped her forelegs around him and pulled him against her chest, knowing full well that this may be the last time she ever does. "It'll be okay," she said, not entirely believing her own words. "You'll see. You'll see…"
Spike awoke to a familiar prodding. He sat up, freeing himself from Twilight's grip, to find Celestia staring down at him. She said simply, "It's time." She lifted him out of bed as she prodded Twilight, awakening her in turn. As she climbed out of bed, Spike hastened to put on his armor, before strapping his sword to his belt. Once he was ready, the Princess wordlessly turned and left the room, with Twilight and Spike hastening to follow her.
"By my estimations…" Celestia began, "Alduin should make landfall in about ten minutes. Once he does, Shining Armor will cast a barrier spell to keep him contained. In the meantime, I'llput up a barrier to protect the palace. I know you've been strategizing with Thorn, so I'll leave any final preparations to you."
"Speaking of Thorn, where is he?" Twilight asked.
"In the gardens, helping Shining coordinate the guards. They need to be ready in the off-chance that Alduin manages to gain the upper hoof over you."
Spike and Twilight looked to each other uncertainly, then to Celestia. "Uh, Princess?" Spike began.
"I don't mean to express any lack of confidence in either of you…" the Princess began, cutting off the young dragon, "but we cannot leave anything to chance today. Thorn and I spent most of last night going over every possible worst-case scenario that could happen, and what we can do to contain them. However, I'm confident that these backup plans will prove to be unnecessary."
The three left the palace and entered the gardens. Outside, a number of guards hurried about, directed by Shining Armor. He stopped for a moment, and asked a guard peering into a telescope, "What's Alduin's status?"
"No change in his velocity is holding, sir. Estimated ETA is eight minutes and counting."
"I wouldn't bet on that," Thorn said. "Once he enters the atmosphere, he'll begin Shouting to hasten his arrival."
"What? Oh that's not good…" Shining brought a hoof to his chin. "Will the palace hold against an impact that strong?"
"The palace will be fine- Alduin himself could crash into it and it'll remain standing."
The Princess approached the two. "Are all your preparations in place?"
"Nearly," Shining replied. "We're still waiting for word that Canterlot's population has been safely evacuated to the base of the mountain."
"I see. You-" She pointed to a nearby pegasus guard. "…notify the guards handling the evacuation that they are to remain where they are, and to defend Canterlot's citizens at all costs. Remain with them- we will send word when it's safe." The pegasus saluted before taking flight. "Captain, we need that barrier up the moment Alduin lands. Everyone else, you're to form a perimeter at the palace wall. We are not letting him slip away from us again. You all have your orders; now get to it."
Shining saluted; the other guards did likewise. "Yes, Princess." He barked a few orders to the other guards before they dispersed. "Well… Twili, little man… guy, looks like this is it. Good luck to you all." And with that, Shining sprinted off.
Celestia looked on after him for a few moments, before saying aloud, "I suppose I should be taking my leave as well."
"You're not going to be out here with us?" Twilight asked.
"I'm afraid not, Twilight. I don't imagine I'd do a good job protecting the palace in-between dodging bursts of fire. You'll be on your own out here."
"Uh, guys? You might wanna have a look at this." Spike pointed to the sky, and the others followed his outstretched arm. There, a bright glow had appeared, one that grew brighter and larger with every passing second.
Celestia returned her attention to the others. "It seems you were correct, Thorn. You all know what's at stake here… but I have nothing but the utmost faith in you three. Watch out for each other, and may Aura and the All-Father guide you to victory." She rested a hoof against her chest and bowed to them, before teleporting away. A few seconds later, a translucent gold sphere flashed brightly, completely surrounding the palace, before fading away.
Now alone, Spike, Twilight, and Thorn turned their attention to the bright glow in the sky. They watched as it elongated, growing a great flaming tail, like that of a meteor's. "This is it," Thorn began. "Remember: his wings are our prime targets. We need to ground him as soon as possible. And watch out for his fog; it can penetrate magic barriers. You need to Shout it away as soon-"
But his words were cut short. The streak in the sky crashed to earth with such force that all of Mount Canterlot shook. Chunks of earth were torn from the ground and thrown across the garden, raining down on the trio. Then, clouds of dust filled the air as a black dragon, great and terrible, rose up from the fresh crater in the ground with each flap of his wings. Dust and soil fell from its scales as it hung suspended in the air. The black dragon looked down upon them, his red eyes burning.
"I have returned… joorre." The ground rumbled momentarily when he spoke the dovah word. He looked to Spike. "Dovahkiin… I see that you are no more intimidating than last I saw you."
Spike said nothing. He merely drew his sword.
"Hah! Mask it if you wish, but there is no hiding the fear in your eyes. For when you look upon me, you see… you see…"
He trailed off as his attention turned to Thorn. "You… I sense within you… no, you cannot-"
"YOL… TOOR SHUL!" A stream of fire erupted from Thorn's throat, one Alduin only just managed to avoid. "Save your breath." Thorn did not raise his voice, but once could feel the anger behind his words. "I have no interest in sharing tinvaak with the likes of you."
"As you wish." The black dragon drew breath, and let out at terrible Shout- swirling red clouds filled the sky, and great flaming meteors began falling to earth… only to shatter against Shining Armor's barrier. Alduin noticed. "A barrier spell. I admire your preparedness- it will certainly save me the trouble of hunting you down when you turn and retreat."
"We'd never run from you!" Twilight shouted at him.
"It makes little difference to me whether you run or you fight- the end result will be the same. But if you insist on standing your ground, I ask only that you not die too quickly."
Alduin dived. He slammed into the ground and lunged at Spike, jaws wide. Twilight readied a spell… but Thorn was faster, rushing Alduin and raking his claws across the black dragon's neck. He roared in pain before snapping his head toward Thorn, fire erupting from his throat. "FEIM!" The flames passed through Thorn's incorporeal body, only for the black dragon's tail to slam into him. Twilight just barely managed to fly over the crushing blow, but Alduin's attention wasn't focused on her.
Alduin snapped his jaws at Spike. The small dragon raised his shield in defense, but the black dragon tore it from Spike's grip before tossing it away. His only means of defense stripped away, Spike went on the offensive, swinging his sword wildly at the larger dragon's face. The first swing missed; the second left only a shallow cut on Alduin's nose. Spike slashed and slashed, but the wounds he left were merely superficial at best. Spike's assault was brought to an abrupt end when Alduin rammed into Spike headfirst, knocking the small dragon off his feet. But before the black dragon could attack again, Twilight braced herself, and Shouted, "FUS… RO DAH!"
The shockwave slammed into Alduin, pushing him sideways several yards- the great black dragon dug his claws into the ground to keep himself rooted, leaving long, deep gouges in the earth. But the black dragon simply continued his advance, without giving Twilight so much as a glance. A bolt of lightning shot out of her horn as rage flared up in her, rebounding off the black dragon's scales. "Don't you ignore me!" she shouted. Alduin continued to ignore her. Finally, she galloped in directly into his path, and Shouted, "YOL… TOOR SHUL!" Fire erupted from Twilight's throat, completely engulfing the black dragon.
As the flames receded, Twilight saw that Alduin's burning red eyes were now focused directly at her. "Do not delude yourself, key," he said. "You may speak as the dovah do, but you are not my equal. You are an insect, an annoyance to be swatted away without-"
"IIZ!" Twilight's Shout froze Alduin's jaws shut mid-sentence. "Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?"
The ice shattered as Alduin forced his jaws apart. "And just who do you think you are, little key? Zu'u Alduin, zok sahrot do naan ko lein." I am Alduin, most mighty of all in the world. "Sille zok lot run hin lost mah naal zu." Souls far greater than yours have fallen before me. "Hi fen funt- you will fail. And you, and the Dovahkiin, and the rest of your world will perish in fire." Alduin reared back…
But Thorn Shouted him down first. "FUS… RO DAH!" The power of the dragon's Thu'um lifted the World-Eater off his feet and pushed him onto his back. "Attacking those weaker than you…" he said in disgust. "How typical of you."
Alduin righted himself before charging Thorn, trying to gore him with his horns. "I have had enough of your interference!" Fire erupted from the dragon's mouth, but Thorn evaded it with ease. "That you would stand in defense of these sahlo stands against everything it means to be a dovah!" Alduin lunged, but Thorn caught him, straining as he kept the black dragon's jaws forced open with his bare claws.
"They may not all possess the Voice, but that does not mean their lives do not have value."
Alduin snapped back, freeing himself from Thorn's grip, before trying again to gore the smaller dragon with his horns. "Bormahu blessed us with the Thu'um! Us and no one else! To rule over all others is our birthright!"
"Our duty as ordained by the All-Father was only to speak Truth to the world. Even the Unslaaddovahjun realized this after he was shown the error of his pahlok- a lesson you could stand to-"
Alduin slammed his tail into Thorn, cutting him off and knocking him back. "You will not lecture me!" he bellowed.
But suddenly, Alduin felt a sharp pain at the base of his neck. He looked down, to see Spike withdrawing his sword from his scales. The small dragon reached back in preparation to deliver another blow, but Alduin would not give him the chance. "FO… KRAH-"
"Oh no you don't!" Twilight seized Alduin's head telekinetically and slammed him face-first into the ground. However, the effort needed to move the massive dragon severely drained her, and the lavender unicorn collapsed, leaving her helpless and vulnerable. Spike drew back his sword again, but before he could strike, the great black dragon extended his massive wings, and pushed himself back with a powerful flap. The sudden gust bowled over his much smaller foes with ease, but before Alduin could strike while they were down, a glowing white tendril wrapped around his body. Thorn pulled with all his might, trying to drag the black dragon to ground level- Alduin seized part of the tendril in his teeth and pulled back in return. Thorn focused, and a pair of wings sprouted from his back, beating furiously in an attempt to keep him ground. But as great as his strength may have been, Thorn knew he would not prevail against the World-Eater- but every second the black dragon's attention was focused on him rather than Spike allowed his younger counterpart to recuperate, to regroup… to win. Inevitably, Thorn faltered- seizing the opportunity, Alduin pulled back, yanking Thorn into the air- the purple dragon was whipped through the air, before being slammed into the ground.
As Thorn tumbled across the ground like a ragdoll, Spike and Twilight scrambled to their feet, but as they rose, they could hear a strange sound. They couldn't determine the source, but it sounded like… singing.
"Dovahkiin, Dovahkiin, naal ok zin los vahriin,
wah dein vokul mahfaeraak ahst vaal;
Ahrk fin norok paal graan. fod nust hon zindro zaan,
Dovahkiin, fah hin, kogaan mu draal!"
"The prayers of the False Masters fall upon deaf ears!" Alduin bellowed. "You will die on this day, Dovahkiin, and neither you nor anyone else shall stop it! ZUN… HAAL… VIIK!" A blue shockwave struck Spike, ripping his sword and shield out of his hands and flinging them away. Then, Alduin dived directly toward the young dragon. There was no time to form a defense. As the black dragon's jaws snapped toward him, all Spike could do was wish that he could be somewhere, anywhere other than where he was standing at that moment.
There was a flash of green light just as Alduin's teeth scraped against Spike's scales.
"Spike, no!" Twilight shouted.
Alduin drew back, spitting up soil and rock. Rage flared in his heart- the Dovahkiin had been directly in his sights, he'd felt his teeth scrape against his body. His death had been inescapable. Then how? How had he eluded the jaws of death? "What sorcery is this?" he growled. He looked about, but the young dragon was nowhere in sight.
Suddenly, something slammed into his stomach from beneath him. Then something hit him again. He saw the small lavender unicorn charging him her horn alight. She focused, and struck him with a third column of earth. "Spit him out, you bastard!" she screamed. "Spit! Him! Out!" Spires of rock struck Alduin's underbelly, as Twilight tried to force him to disgorge the young dragon, without success. "If you don't spit him out this instant I'll cut open your stomach and-" Alduin batted away the small unicorn with his wing, silencing the annoyance.
A flash of green light caught his eye- he looked, just in time to see a small purple dragon drop to the ground from a few feet in the air. Spike scrambled to his feet, still reeling from his sudden teleportation. But he had to sober up rather quickly once he spotted the enormous black dragon bearing down on him. He began to flee, not caring where he went, only that he moved away from the threat. Some distance away, Spike spotted his sword stabbed partway into the ground- perhaps, he thought, if it happened once, he could do it again. Simultaneously hoping that what he was about to do would work, he focused, imagining himself standing next to his sword. He could feel the energies within him coalesce…
The small dragon sprinted as fast as he could, but Alduin easily closed the distance between them. The black dragon lunged, his jaws wide… but his prey disappeared in a flash of green light. The young dragon's disappearance caused Alduin to literally stop in his tracks. But another green flash caught his eye. The black dragon didn't wait- he charged toward the light at full speed, determined to catch his quarry before it could slip away once more.
Those few seconds of oppressive darkness felt like an eternity to Spike. But at the very least, he suffered no nausea as he emerged from the void. It… worked… he thought. He laid eyes on his sword almost immediately and yanked it out of the ground. And not a moment too soon, he realized, as he spotted Alduin charging at him with reckless abandon. But Spike was not afraid. He readied his sword.
"WULD… NA KEST!" Spike streaked forward, sword extended, closing the distance between himself and Alduin in less than a second. The world seemed to grind to a standstill as he passed the black dragon. Alduin's eyes widened as he realized what was happening… and that he was completely and utterly powerless to stop it. Spike's blade sank into Alduin's side, just beneath the shoulder with shocking ease. Sprays of blood emerged from the fresh wound; Spike could see his face reflected clearly in every last drop. And then it was over- though it felt much longer for Spike, the entire sequence had taken no more than a few seconds.
Alduin roared in pain. The gash Spike left in his side was deep, much deeper than the young dragon had anticipated- looking back, he could see the white gleams that were Alduin's ribs within the wound. The black dragon spread his wings and took flight, noticeably wobbling as though the act of flight caused him great pain. "Enough! This ends now! VEN… MUL… RIIK!" Alduin exhaled a thick blanket of fog that quickly settled over the palace grounds. At once, Spike felt a nameless fear claw at his heart. But he had to focus- if he allowed the fear to consume him, then he would be easy prey for Alduin. But what was he supposed to do? He struggled to remember. Wait, that's right, he could Shout away the fog! The words were Lok… Lok… That was all he could remember, but it would have to do.
"LOK!"
Immediately, the fog surrounding Spike rolled back, and his thoughts became clearer, Spike realized he was alone. "Twilight!" He called. "Thorn!" He received no answer. The fog not only obscured his vision, it seemed, but also blocked sound- Spike could hear nothing other than his own breaths. "LOK… VAH KOOR!" The fog before him parted to reveal a path. Sword raised, he advanced, keeping his eyes open for any potential ambushes.
Spike kept his eyes on the sky rather than at ground level, so it was unsurprising that he tripped over something. He scrambled to his feet, sword ready, fearing he'd stumbled into a trap set by Alduin. But once he laid eyes of a familiar shade of lavender, he relaxed slightly. "I'm glad it's you," he said. He received no answer. Looking again, he realized Twilight was lying on her side, her back turned to him. "Hey, are you alright?" Her response came in the form of a strangled gasp. The young dragon immediately raced to roll her over, and what he saw justified his worry.
Twilight's eyes were bloodshot, her hooves pressed against her throat as though attempting to remove an invisible noose. Her body shuddered as she gasped and choked, desperately trying to force air into her lungs. Spike panicked for a few moments, before remembering- this was the first time Twilight had ever been exposed to Alduin's fog.
He turned her head so he could make eye contact. "Twilight! Twilight!" She didn't seem to hear him as she pressed her hooves against her throat, gasping for breath. He shook her. "Twilight it's okay! I'm here!" She didn't respond to him. "Snap out of it Twilight!" Spike reached back and slapped the unicorn across the face.
Twilight gasped. She took several shallow breaths, before looking at the young dragon. "…you slapped me."
"You should be glad I found you before Alduin did." He let Twilight rise to her feet.
She looked around. "What is this?"
"Thorn called it 'fear fog' once, or something like that. Alduin uses it when he wants to pick off his victims one-by-one."
"Where's Thorn?"
"I'm not sure, but if we don't clear this fog, we'll never find him."
Twilight's horn began to glow, but nothing happened. "…What? I can't clear this fog with my magic."
"Well this isn't exactly normal fog. …You remember that Shout I taught you? The one that could clear the sky if it was cloudy?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"You face that way." Spike pointed one direction, before pointing in the exact opposite direction. "I'll face this way. If we Shout at the same time, it might be enough to clear the fog."
"Alright." The two faced opposite directions. "Ready?"
Spike nodded.
"LOK… VAH KOOR!" The fog began to recede immediately. But as it rolled back, they saw something fly toward them. The thing hit the ground hard, sliding to a stop just a few feet away. Spike realized it was the crumpled form of Thorn.
"Thorn!" Twilight rushed to the elder dragon's side. But as she checked on him with an extrasensory spell, his younger counterpart couldn't help but feel that something wasn't right. If Thorn came from over there, then… Spike looked up, just in time to see a massive black object speeding toward them.
"Twilight!" was all Spike managed to get out before the two of them were struck by Alduin's tail. The blow easily sent the small pony and smaller dragon flying. Twilight stabilized herself with her wings mid-air. Spike was not so lucky- he tumbled end-over-end helplessly, until he hit the ground back-first. Spike cried out in pain- whatever he hit was way to be hard to have just been the ground. Fighting through the pain, he struggled to his feet, to find he'd landed on his shield. Grabbing it, he scrambled to his feet, quickly spotting Alduin looming over the fallen Thorn. The black dragon reared back.
Spike inhaled. "FUS…"
At the same time, Thorn readied a Shout of his own. "YOL…"
Upon sighting Alduin, Twilight used the first Shout that came into her head. "FO…"
The earth shook as the three unleased the power of their Voices. The subsequent explosion from the three Shouts striking their target was nothing short of spectacular. The force of the blast sent Alduin tumbling across the grounds like a ragdoll, until he crashed into an outer wall and disappeared in a cloud of dust. The three regrouped, watching the cloud intently for any sign of movement within. "Did… we get him?" Twilight asked.
"Doubtful." Thorn replied. "Alduin wouldn't go down so easily."
A few seconds later, the elder dragon was proven right. "FUS… RO… DAH!" The shockwave ripped across the palace grounds, scattering the three like leaves. Spike came crashing down to earth a few moments later, landing on his head. The world spun, and he felt as though nails were being pounded into the side of his head. But Spike had to fight through the pain and disorientation. He put one arm out, then the other, and pushed himself up- he tucked one leg under his stomach, then the other, and stood. As he rose, he could see Twilight some distance away, staggering to her feet as well… and he could see Alduin behind her. The black dragon looked down at her calmly, carefully aiming the bladed tip of his of his tail at her much smaller body. His tail tensed and drew back…
Spike didn't think. He simply reacted. The young dragon teleported to Twilight's side and shoved her back, raising his shield not in his own defense, but hers. If Spike had been thinking rationally, he would have realized just how foolish his action was, how self-centered it would be to sacrifice himself and doom the world simply to prolong another's life for just a few short minutes. But Spike wasn't thinking rationally. All that mattered to him was that Twilight was in danger, and that he would do anything- even give up his life- in order to protect her.
They never heard a third voice Shout "WULD!" over Alduin's roar of triumph.
Blood splattered across them both.
Spike squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the pain to begin, not knowing that Twilight did the same just behind. But it didn't come. After a moment, the two dared to open their eyes.
Before them, the pointed tip of Alduin's tail hung suspended just inches away. Further up, impaled on the World-Eater's tail… was Thorn.
The elder dragon spluttered and choked, spitting up blood. He gripped Alduin's tail tightly in his claws, looking the black dragon directly in the eyes. "…You took her from me once…" he spat. "I will not… let you take her from me again… Kahvozein."
Alduin's eyes widened in shock for a moment, before his face contorted with rage. "You insolent wretch!" he bellowed, tearing his tail from Thorn's chest. "What right do you have to speak that name to me?" The black dragon reared back.
Spike would never remember Shouting. He would never remember racing towards Alduin at blinding speed. He would never remember leaping into the air, a roar better suited to a dragon ten times his size tearing its way out of his throat. He would never remember drawing back his sword.
But he would never forget the image of his blade sinking deep into Alduin's burning red eye.
The black dragon pulled back, thrashing, screeching in pain and exhaling great plumes of fire. Spike had no other option but to fall back, between being disarmed and the flames that threatened to incinerate him. With a powerful flap of his wings, Alduin was airborne, screaming fire and ice into existence all the while; his tail tore itself free from Thorn's body, and the elder dragon collapsed, clutching the fresh hole in his chest. "W… WULD!" With a great thunderclap, Alduin raced forward, smashing a hole in the barrier surrounding the palace. The barrier dissipated as the dragon disappeared into the vast sky, its pained roars filling the air.
But Spike and Twilight no longer paid any attention to the fleeing dragon. They rushed to the side of their fallen comrade. "Oh man…" was all Spike could say as he put his hands on his head, unable to believe what he was seeing. "Oh man… oh man… oh man…" Twilight retained a little bit more composure as she inspected the wound. The prognosis was not good- cuts and bruises were one thing but this…
Her horn began to glow- healing may not have been a specialty of hers, but she would be damned before she sat by and did nothing but watch Thorn die. She could feel her magic slowly mending the damage, slowly, slowly… much too slowly. As she concentrated, she somehow managed to make herself say, "Sp- …Thorn? Can you hear me?"
A pained "Guh…" was the only answer.
"Listen, you're… this isn't as bad as it looks. You'll… you'll be okay, I promise." Twilight didn't believe a word of what she was saying, but what else was she supposed to say?
Thorn attempted to sit up, and failed. "No… no I won't."
"C'mon Thorn, don't talk like that." Twilight knew in her heart that he wouldn't pull through.
He looked to the two, his breaths ragged. "You… you didn't get him, did you?"
Twilight shook her head. "No. He got away."
Thorn forced himself to sit up, clutching the hole in his chest. "That's not- gah! …something I wanted to hear. But at least… I can tell you where he's gone." He beckoned for the two to come closer; they complied. "You'll find Alduin… past the portal… to the world… beyond." He fell back, breathing his last.
Twilight gritted her teeth, trying to hold in her tears as she concentrated as hard as she could, trying to fix damage she knew in her heart she couldn't heal. But she didn't care what her heart told her. Her job was to protect him, and it had always been to protect him- and she refused to let him die with the knowledge that Alduin would outlive him. But she couldn't do this alone. "Spike, help me!"
Spike was snapped out of his stupor. "Wha? Oh! Uh… what… what should I do?"
"Just hold out your hand and focus on fixing this!" Spike did as Twilight ordered, a white glow appearing in the palm of his outstretched hand, but even with their combined efforts, the wound was healing much too slowly.
Angry tears blurred Twilight's vision. No, she thought to herself. No no no no no no no no no no. She refused to see the rise and fall of Thorn's chest grow fainter, refused to hear his ragged breaths as what little life he had left slowly drained from his body. "You are not dying on me," she growled. "You hear me? I am not letting you die on me, Spike!"
This caught Spike's attention. "What?"
Twilight was too caught up in trying to save Spike to realize what she had said. But she stopped as she saw the elder dragon's entire body began to glow. His scales glowed brightly, before disintegrating into ash, leaving behind only bones. She didn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. But the proof was laid out before her. Their efforts had been in vain. Twilight stuffed a hoof into her mouth and bit down, tears already rolling down her face.
Spike could only stare at the skeleton laid out before him, as his mind struggled to accept the reality of what had just occurred. "No… NO!" Spike tore off his helmet and threw it against the scorched ground. "I'LL KILL YOU!" he screamed to the sky. "You hear me Alduin? I'll rip out your heart if it's the last… the last thing I…" Spike fell to his knees, burying his face in his hands, and wept hysterically. Twilight wrapped a foreleg around his shoulder and pulled him close, unable to bring herself to say anything- it took all she had to keep from breaking down as well.
A bright flash caught Twilight's attention. She looked up, to see the Princess approaching them. Her expression was caught somewhere between sorrow and disbelief. "Twilight… I… I'm…"
But Twilight interrupted her teacher. "Princess…" the unicorn began. "Thorn… he said something, right before he… He said we'd find Alduin past the portal to… the world beyond. Does that mean anything to you?" She received no answer. "Princess?" She looked up, to see a very disquieting expression on Celestia's face.
"…Twilight?" she asked, her voice wavering. "Did you see which way Alduin went?"
"Uh… that way." She pointed off to her right. "North."
Her face somehow became even paler. Her horn glowed brightly, and in a flash, Rainbow Dash and the others appeared, all looking rather nauseous. "Princess, what's-" Rainbow Dash began, but quickly put a hoof against her mouth and swallowed hard. "…what's going on?"
Celestia provided no explanation. Her horn simply began to glow again, and in a brilliant flash, the group disappeared.