Piercing the Heavens

by Calm Wind

Chapter 130

SILVER’S LAST STAND

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Silver stopped five yards from Nightshade, keeping his eyes locked on her and standing firm. He stared at her as she continued to look at him with a ravenous demeanor, shaking, sneering, and nearly salivating with unhinged delight. He could see her eyes moving behind her yellow tinted goggles, violating his body with her vision. The way she moved and constantly licked her lips every few seconds was an incredibly disturbing sight, and Silver knew full well that the pony standing before him was more than capable of acting on the implications that radiated from her body language.

Nightshade, a pony he knew was dangerous, but just proved to be beyond his expectations… way beyond. And now he was staring her down, ready to fight her. There was no argument towards his chances. This was a fight that was over before it even began.

However, despite the hopelessness of the situation… like his master before him against the drakes, Silver refused to lie down and die.

He was broken, barely half the pony he knew he could be and even less of the pony he once was, but as long as the pained and suffering cries of his family rang in his ears from behind him, he would hold strong for as long as he possibly could. Help was hopefully on the way, but even if it wasn’t, he’d stand his ground. He’d give the Wonderbolts hope. Hope for survival.

“Silver Lining…” Nightshade suddenly spoke, finally standing upright but still jittering and sneering. “The oldest standing member of the Wonderbolts…”

Her voice was smooth and sleek, a voice that intimidated and asserted. But Silver held firm, keeping his eyes forward, and his expression neutral.

“Forty-two years old…” Nightshade continued. “Successfully dodging the general Wonderbolt retirement age policy far longer than anypony else in their long history… A feat that has earned you the nickname “The Iron Horse” as a result…” Nightshade took a hard, sudden step forward, her lips parting to reveal a very large, disturbing smile.

But Silver didn’t budge an inch. He didn’t even flinch. Nightshade uttered a low pitched giggle as she took another step.

“Seeing as how you’re standing there without a smidgen of fear in your body… I can see you earned that nickname for more than one reason!”

“I’m glad you’re impressed,” Silver said with a casual, calm sarcasm.

“Oh, I am…” Nightshade agreed as she turned her body and began slowly walking a circle around him as a distinct, continuous pattern of sharp, pleasurable breaths remained attached to the back of her voice. “Knowing how idiotically strict and stiff the Wonderbolts are about following their ‘rules…’ You’ve clearly been putting up one hell of a fight to stay in the ranks…”

Silver didn’t move, still facing forward as Nightshade came around and passed by his other side much closer than she had on the start of her path. Silver’s right eyelid twitched when he felt the feathers of Nightshade’s wing touch the top of his wing and slowly run all the way up to his back.

“I LOVE a stallion that puts up a fight!” She turned in front of him, standing less than six inches, putting her face real close to his. “Mmmmmm…” her tongue slipped out between her lips and lingered against the right edge of her mouth. “You must’ve really been something twenty or so years ago… Hell, I bet you’re still something! After all…” she pulled her neck back slightly so Silver could see her full face and the desirable look she was shooting him from behind her goggles. “I’ve heard about you from my underlings… You had my interest, but after what you did to Sin? I didn’t think that dense hard-head was capable of being knocked out… but you managed. Not even i've ever done that! To think a pony way past his prime could knock our toughest brawler senseless… You’re much more than you appear and that turns me on…” She visibly shuddered and bit her lip hard. “If I had known such a diehard, adamant stud was quietly lingering in the Wonderbolt ranks… I would have come running long ago… I’ve known a few stallions like you,” she paused as she shut her eyes and shivered vigorously. “They are always the best under the covers!”

Silver rolled his eyes, finally breaking his stone-faced stare.

“For Luna’s sake…” he said with a grunt. “I hate to pop your cherry, but I’m married and have two children. If you’re looking for a ride, tough shit. This stallion only gives it to ONE mare.”

“Pfffff… HAHAHA!” Nightshade laughed as she took a step back, shook her head out, and sneered. “Ooooooooh… How noble of you… then again,” she glanced towards the Wonderbolts. “You are putting your life on the line for all of them. But… I wonder…” She smarmily turned her head slightly to the side as she stepped close to Silver again, tapping her chin like she was onto something. “How would your wife feel about you taking such a risk? Would she like that you’re putting the Wonderbolts ahead of her and your children… your family and—”

“The Wonderbolts are my family,” Silver cut her off firmly, causing her to blink and pause. “They have been my family for much longer than I’ve been married. They mean just as much to me as my wife and kids. My commitment and drive to what I love and believe in were things that my wife admired and brought us together in the first place. It’s something she understands and respects,” Silver narrowed his eyes, easily picking up that Nightshade was trying to play a mind game with him. “Nice try, but your succubus tactics won’t work on me. Nothing you say or do is going to sway me or make me regret anything.”

As he finished, Nightshade simply stared at him, her eyes slowly narrowing behind her goggles and her smile turning into a grumpy pout.

“Hmph…” she scoffed as she stepped back. “You’re a stubborn one...” the pout reversed back into a smile. “But that’s fine… in fact, that’s perfect. Because types like you are the most satisfying to bend to my will. I will find a way to tempt you… I will make you squeal and cry. Your words are strong, but they are also your eventual undoing… because the more you resist, the harder I will push you… and the more it will satiate me!”

Silver didn’t show it… but Nightshade just told him everything he needed to hear. It was already pretty evident without, but her words solidified how he would go about this. She wanted pleasure… she wanted satisfaction… and she wanted it at his expense, through his pain, either emotional or physical.

In that case… he’d give her none of it.

“You’re welcome to try,” Silver calmly said in return.

“Oh, I’m going to do much more than that, believe me…” she slowly ran a hoof over her chest. “I plan to test just how deep your loyalties lie… how strong your resolve is… and how long it takes for me to slowly turn you around… to make you absolutely FEAR me!”

Silver watched as she began to shiver with every word that slithered from her lips. He simply shook his head.

“If you really think you will accomplish any of that…” he narrowed his eyes and gave a firm nod. “Then you have no idea who you’re talking to.”

Nightshade, once again, inched her neck back, a look of slight frustration appearing for a very brief moment, but Silver saw it clear as day.

That sealed it. If he was going to have any chance of dragging this out as long as possible… then he would relentlessly resist everything that Nightshade drew pleasure from.

“I guess we’ll just have to find out then!” Nightshade’s sneer returned quickly as she opened her wings and her six crystals rose up around her, orbiting slowly. Upon seeing the crystals, Silver finally moved, shifting his hooves to take a battle ready position. Nightshade grinned as she saw it, the crystals orbiting faster. “I love a good challenge! It gives me no reason to hold back!”

Silver took a deep breath as he watched three of Nightshade’s crystals press down to her, become balls of light, and disappear into her body. Silver cracked his neck as pulses of magic began to shoot from Nightshade, wincing slightly as he felt invisible forces push against him, his mane dancing behind him as if in a wind tunnel. He paid absolutely no mind to Nightshade as an aura erupted around her, and her moans of delight filled the air. He kept his eyes forward and his focus steady as Nightshade’s body began to twitch and her muscles bulged up slightly against her suit again, her body being boosted, filling up with the same power that she used against the rest.

Everything about Nightshade’s little light show and disturbing body expansion was enough to send shocks of fear and panic through most, but Silver had made up his mind. No matter what she did… he would not show a single drop of fear. That much, he felt he owed his comrades. And he didn’t by any means, owe Nightshade any satisfaction.

“Haaaaaaaaaaaa…!” Nightshade released a very loud sigh of delight as the magic pulses ceased, and left behind a large rising aura around Nightshade, her body pumped up and glowing as she smiled wide, grinding her teeth together and breathing heavily through her nostrils. “I will NEVER get tired of this feeling!” she said in a slightly crazed tone as her body continued to tense and twitch. She stared directly into Silver’s eyes as he remained steady, the barrel of her chest and ribs expanding and contracting in extreme proportions as her heavy breaths continued. “You think you can hold out!” she yelled. “You think you can resist!” She parted her teeth and pressed her tongue down inside of her lip, running it along until it popped out the edge of her mouth and ran back along her upper lip. “You say I don’t know who I’m talking to… But I don’t think you understand who YOU’RE facing!”

Silver held strong, Nightshade’s intimidating glare bouncing right off of his steadfast resolve.

“NOPONY is unbreakable!” Nightshade continued as her hooves slid forward, skidding against the rocky floor beneath her. “EVERYPONY has something that can be exploited! It’s all just a matter of prying it out…!” She released a low pleasurable growl that was somewhat warped in a twisted unnatural way. “And the best way to do it… is through PAIN!”

She kept inching towards Silver as if dying to throw herself at him at any moment’s notice. Silver’s body twitched as his mind came to terms that the fighting was about to begin. He hurt all over, he had barely recovered from the fight with Sin, but he would ignore it and hold fast. It wasn’t like he had a choice.

“Now… Oh, please you handsome old stallion…” Nightshade pressed her hooves so hard against the ground that the solid rock beneath her chipped and cracked. “ENTERTAIN ME!”

Silver’s eyes widened slightly as he saw Nightshade lean back. With the state of his body being far less than ideal for combat, he had to play it smart. Thinking three or four steps ahead in every action would play a vital part in it. He only had a split second, but upon watching Nightshade’s shift in position, she was clearly about to leap forward.

“HRM!” Silver forced his wings outward, a few CRICKS and POPS sounding from them as he did his best to loosen them in the motion. The moment Nightshade leapt forward, he leapt upward, pumping his wings while grimacing, fighting through the aches and pains as he rose up and away from Nightshade.

But then a pink flash of light came from below. Silver blinked as Nightshade shot right up past him with a trail of pink magic streaming behind her. She surged higher at least three times Silver’s speed before suddenly shifting backwards, momentum seemingly nonexistent in her movements as she shifted again and shot directly at Silver at an angle from above. Silver’s jaw dropped and he tried to pull in his wings for a shift in his flight path, but Nightshade sped up as she approached.

Silver was powerless to stop Nightshade as she drove a hoof forward right into his stomach with an incredible amount of force behind her.

“GHHHHHHAAAAAAAA!” Silver exhaled and grunted as he was propelled away from Nightshade and sent shooting towards the ground below. “RGHF!!!” he gasped as he struck the hard, solid ground, bouncing several times and off a few painfully jagged surfaces before rolling to a stop with his head facing away.

Silver held his stomach, his eyes wide and his mouth stuck open as he gasped for air, incredulous towards just how strong the attack was. He had never been thrown backwards so hard or so fast in his life. He felt lucky the whiplash alone didn’t knock him out. His body was half broken, but even if it wasn’t that attack still would have been devastating. The effects of the impact and crash quickly made themselves known, stinging his already raw nerves and causing him to cringe lightly.

But beyond taking a few deep breaths, he swallowed any audible response to the pain as he heard Nightshade’s hooves touched down nearby. He remained facing away, quietly inhaling and gritting his teeth, suppressing reactions to the shocks of pain by sheer force of will as he stood by his plan to not show Nightshade anything she would get a rise out of.

“Wow… really…?” Nightshade’s voice came from behind him as he kept his back turned to her on the ground. He narrowed his eyes into a glare as he heard the slow clip-clop of her hooves growing closer. “Huh… talk about a major let down… all bark and no bite. How disappointing…”

Silver remained still, keeping his body and eyes turned away as she stopped directly behind him. She peered over the top and saw he was conscious, lifting an eyebrow as she pouted. Silver’s eyes widened as she saw her turn and pull back one of her arms. He slammed her eyes shut as she swung her hoof out and struck him in the back so hard that he was lifted off the ground and sent rolling again.

But Silver kept his mouth shut, holding in his grunts and wails despite how much every inch of his body burned. He ended up on his stomach, shuddering slightly, but holding most of it down.

“Don’t tell me I wasted a power boost for nothing!” Nightshade yelled as she approached him again. “I’ll have you know I HATE doing that…”

Silver’s eyes widened and he winced as Nightshade pressed a hoof down over his back.

“It makes me angry… and I tend to take my anger out on the first pony I see!” she turned around, planted her hooves firmly in the ground and bucked Silver in the side.

Silver slammed his eyes shut as Nightshade’s hooves connected with his ribs, an intense burning sensation shooting throughout his entire midsection as he was propelled off the ground and sent flying into a nearby cliff wall, face first, barely putting his arm up in time to shield his face from taking the full hit… but the shock of the impact rattled his head.

He fell to the ground and didn’t move.

“Hmmm…?” Nightshade hummed as she turned and looked towards Silver, his body lying motionless on the ground. “Oh, for the love of… did I kill you by accident?” she taunted as she started moving towards him again.

Silver remained still.

Nightshade stopped right behind him and tipped her head to the side. She reached a hoof forward and gave him a rough nudge.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me, either I knocked you out cold or you’re dead, but seriously? All that build up for this? I boosted myself to take down a broken, sorry heap of bones?” she kicked him hard in the back, slamming him back against the wall. “HEY!” she kicked him again just as hard. “Scream once if you’re alive, and twice if you’re dead!” she jeered as she sneered down at him, kicking him again and causing him to roll over limply and face her.

His eyes were closed.

Nightshade grunted and snorted.

“What a waste of my time…” she wound up to kick him again.

But Silver’s arm suddenly reached out and caught her hoof.

“Oh?” Nightshade perked up, her ears standing up as a smile crept onto her face. She took a step back as Silver roughly pushed her hoof away from him and turned onto his stomach. She watched as he pushed down on the ground, hoping to observe him struggling and grunting…

But Nightshade’s smile quickly faded and was replaced with a mix of confusion and disappointment.

Silver did indeed push himself up slowly, but he did so smoothly, taking his time, and without any audible sounds of pain. The cherry on top? He looked right at her and glared as he turned and set his hooves, taking the same stance and position he had before they began with no sign of any changes in his demeanor. Silver’s lips parted revealing his teeth grinding together as he took a few deep breaths, the air hissing between his teeth.

“Is that… all you’ve got?” he asked gruffly. Nightshade lifted an eyebrow looking him up and down with slight annoyance.

“Funny, I’ve been asking you the same thing for the past few minutes,” she shot back while scrunching her brow.

“I’ve taken harder hits from breezies,” Silver taunted as he tilted his neck back and forth, which made several unnerving cracking noises as he did. Nightshade’s face went flat as she scoffed.

“Must’ve been one hell of a breezie,” she grumbled as she looked him up and down. Despite the clear dissatisfaction at Silver’s resilience and sharp wit, it didn’t take long for the confidence to return to her face and posture. “Well… You had me going there,” her sly tone resurfaced as well as she stepped towards him. “I thought for sure, if anything, you’d be shaking in your hooves right now, but you’re still holding firm… not even a crack in your spirit. I’m not used to somepony being so steadfast, but I have to admit… there is a SILVER LINING to it. After all, working for my pleasure carries its own satisfaction.”

Silver snorted and rolled his eyes.

“Clever,” Silver commented while narrowing his eyes. “But if you’re trying to scare me, try something else. Puns like that just make me want to punch you in the face.”

“Okay,” Nightshade released a low pitched giggle. She stepped right up in front of Silver and pointed to her face. “Do it then!” she encouraged, but Silver didn’t move, he just remained still and kept glaring. “Go on… don’t be shy, give me one right here…” Nightshade turned her head slightly and tapped her hoof to her chin. “Show me the oomph behind that grit of yours!”

Silver continued to stand still, staring at her and making it silently clear he wasn’t going to play any games. Nightshade exhaled sharply through her nose before giving it one more shot.

“I promise I won’t bite… too hard!” she added with a creepily cheeky snicker.

But once again, Silver stood in silence. Nightshade suddenly scrunched her face, glared, and puffed her cheeks out for a moment as a growl of discontent rumbled in her throat.

“Okay, tough guy, you have to the count of three to punch me before I hit you instead,” she threatened in a sudden, extreme shift of demeanor. Silver didn’t reply. “One… Two…”

Nightshade pulled back and punched before even saying three, launching her right hoof directly at Silver’s face. But to her surprise, Silver moved the instant she did, throwing up his left hoof and catching hers.

“HRGN!” he grunted as he shifted his body and arm to gain as much leverage as he could against Nightshade’s strength. He glared hard and gritted his teeth, growling loudly in her face as he pushed back against her.

“Say! Not bad!” Nightshade’s grin returned as she watched Silver actually manage to hold himself against her, impressed he did so despite his state. Nightshade put her weight on her back hooves, reaching her left hoof up and throwing a second punch. With a fierce roar, Silver slammed his right hoof down, bouncing himself up to catch the second punch as well. “YEAH!” Nightshade jeered as she pushed against Silver, getting right in his face. “NOW we’re talking!” she yelled as a pink aura began to shine around her.

Silver had a position advantage with a lower stance, but it only offered a little bit of help. He was still pretty much broken while Nightshade’s strength was at its peak and then some with the help of the crystals. Silver pressed on, his back legs shaking and straining as they dug into the ground behind him.

“Ah!” Silver gasped, keeping his eyes on Nightshade as he felt his hooves scoot backwards.

“Haha! Don’t let my magic boost go to waste! I love it!” she yelled, saliva sprinkling from her mouth as she shouted loudly and spraying Silver’s face. “Struggle! STRUGGLE! GROAN! STRAIN! GIVE IT ALL AND SEE HOW WEAK YOU REALLY ARE!” she yelled in a crazed tone as one of Silver’s legs buckled and he tipped down, but before he could fall, he jammed it back down, anchoring himself again.

“HHHRRRRRRRRAAAAHHHH!!!!!” Silver yelled back into her face, his expression remaining strong in the face of Nightshade’s superiority. He was capable of setting aside his pain to hold strong in the face of death, but he couldn’t fake being overpowered. His whole body was shuddering, almost feeling compressed as he pushed his limits against a force much stronger than he could ever handle.

He glanced down just in time to see Nightshade lift up one of her back hooves.

Nightshade slammed it down, adding extra force to break through Silver’s resistance, but at the exact moment she did, Silver released both of her hooves and shifted to the right, turning his shoulder in.

“WHOA!” Nightshade yelped as she lurched forward and slammed directly into Silver’s shoulder. “OOF!” she grunted as her chest bounced off Silver, but before she could regain her hooves, Silver grabbed her right arm and whipped around.

“HRGN!!! GRRRRAH!” Silver strained, and huffed as he yanked on Nightshade’s arm and threw her right over the top of his body into the cliff wall behind him, spreading his wings the moment he let go.

As Nightshade slammed into the wall and tumbled down, Silver leapt up and took to the air again, hoping his successful maneuver gave him enough time to actually get up and be ready for her this time. He winced with every flap of his wings, each one requiring a degree of effort he seldom had to think about in the past. Flapping his wings was as natural as breathing or blinking, focusing so heavily on each wing beat was as annoying as it was painful and distracting. Silver steeled his thoughts against all the new handicaps he faced, accepting the extra challenges as willingly as he accepted being the last chance to save the Wonderbolts looking on from below.

“Oh, you’re going to make this interesting, eh?” Nightshade yelled up as she picked herself up off the ground. She spread her wings and crouched down, her aura flaring up around her. “I’m A-Okay with that!”

Silver kept his eyes locked on her carefully as she sprang up and shot right towards him. She was flying on her own power, not using the boosted speed she had earlier. Silver put up his hooves in a defensive position as she approached. From the looks of things, she was coming in for a brawl. He’d take that over her magic any day.

Nightshade closed the distance between them and delivered a hard punch right into his guard.

“GRHR!” Silver growled as he was spun around, instantly losing all feeling in his arm for a second before it came right back with a painful tingling sensation. He flinched as his left wing nearly gave out mid flap, tumbling awkwardly a yard or two downward before forcing his wings to cooperate and bring him back upright. He was immediately force to guard himself again, pulling his other arm up and taking another strong blow from Nightshade that had the same effect as the first. The pressure spun him around and now both his arms were just short of being completely numb. Silver turned himself back around again, instinctively tucking his limbs into his body just in time as Nightshade rammed the crown of her head right into him.

Silver was sent careening backwards, throwing his wings out to stop himself, but the motion sent shocks and spasms through his wings and back, every muscle seeming cramping up. Silver flailed his arms as he began to tumble towards the ground, catching a brief glimpse of Nightshade actually pulling up as she saw him fall, watching instead of following.

Silver grunted loudly as he tried to regain control, but his wings didn’t listen to him, his fall ending in a painful crash only slightly cushioned by his efforts to regain flight. Silver quickly rolled over, determined not to stay down, but cringed as his back legs both cramped up at the same time, causing him to fall right back down after his first effort.

He had to keep going, but how was he going to put up any fight at all if his body was such a wreck?

Silver blinked, looking straight ahead as his eyes landed on the Wonderbolts. His fall had placed him less than ten yards from where they were all gathered, still surrounded by the tortuous faint glow that continued to make them cry and wail. His eyes were drawn directly to the faces of Misty Fly, High Winds, and Surprise, the three of them all hugging each other desperately as they continued to scream. The Streak twins were both reaching out to the three mares, Fire grasping Misty’s shoulder, but Lightning Streak falling just short of touching the other two.

Silver glanced to his left to see Soarin and Rainbow Dash close by. Soarin was still struggling within the crystal prison while Dash continuously rose and fell, trying to fight against the pain, desperately wanting to help him.

He had to get up.

He had to fight.

“RRRRRGHHHHH!!!!!” Silver growled as he slammed all of his hooves down and pushed himself right up. It was a quick, sharp rise, one that sent several spasms through his body, but he refused to let any pain show or control his action. No matter how much something hurt, he would power through it!

Silver’s eyes widened as a pink glow shone forth from behind him. He turned around and looked back up at Nightshade to see her aura flaring up and her eyes glowing brightly behind her goggles. A second later, she fired her eyebeams down at him.

Silver gasped, glancing behind him at the Wonderbolts. If he dodged, there was a chance they’d be hit.

He didn’t waste time thinking about it. He had struggled to learn the Renegade magic deflection techniques, but it was his only choice here!

“RRRAAAH!!!” He turned his body to have some extra wind up before swinging his arm around and flicking his wrist, aiming it for the right eyebeam. It was woefully ineffective, but worked none the less, the beam scattering and splitting, several bits of it crashing into him, but successfully knocking most of the beam into the left eyebeam side by side with it. Several small explosions erupted from the slivers and shreds of the beams that struck both him and the ground around him, kicking up clouds of dust as he stumbled backwards and barely managed to avoid falling right back onto his plot. He wanted to slam his eyes shut and tense his body against the pain coursing through him, but he forced his eyes to remain open, noticing that the dust cloud provided him a moment he could use.

Giving all the extra effort he could muster, Silver forced his wings open, wincing as he fought back the cramps and leapt backwards, turning around to shoot out the backside of the cloud and look for an avenue of attack Nightshade may not expect, but the moment he was clear and turned to look. She was gone.

“Looking for me?” Silver blinked and looked down to see Nightshade flying directly below him. “You keep trying to go up!” she taunted as Silver gritted his teeth and tried to ascend and create distance, an effort that proved fruitless as she stayed with him easily. “Okay, how about I help out an old pony?!”

“What the—?!” Silver tried to kick at Nightshade as she lifted herself up right into him, but she brushed the weak blows aside, turning and latching her arms around Silver’s neck. Silver grunted and cringed as Nightshade put him in a headlock. He quickly started struggling to get free as she pumped her wings and drove them higher and higher. “Going up!” she called out casually as they rose very high into the air, easily climbing fifty yards or more as Silver doubled down on his efforts to get free. “Oh? What’s wrong?” she cooed in his ear as he growled at her. “You want to go DOWN now?”

Silver’s eyes widened as he easily saw two steps ahead of her intentions, but it was too late.

“Okay! DOWN WE GO!” Nightshade laughed as she pulled in her wings and let gravity take over, the two of them tipping down and plunging back towards the ground. Nightshade smiled, pumping her wings to add extra speed as they plummeted. Silver desperately began jamming his elbow into her chest to try and get free, but his lack of strength caused the attempts to have little effect against Nightshade’s solid body. Silver’s face remained determined, but his eyes grew even wider as the ground grew closer and closer. He began kicking his hooves up to try and shake himself out of her grip, but it seemed like everything he tried had no effect.

“Coming in for one HELL of a landing!” Nightshade yelled with a huge smile on her face as she aimed Silver’s head right for the ground. Her aura glowed brightly, her magic adding to their speed even more.

With only seconds left to break free, Silver tried moving his neck to shimmy out, but the motion instead gave him a brief view behind them. Nightshade’s crystals were following right along with her and one of them happened to be right in range of his legs. Silver didn’t take time to think it over. He quickly kicked his right leg out, his hoof striking the crystal, causing a flash of light and a pulse to shoot from both it, and from around Nightshade.

“GAH!” Nightshade suddenly gasped. Silver felt Nightshade’s body twitch and her grip loosen. It was only a little, but it was all he needed. Silver turned his upper body and slammed his left side against Nightshade as hard as the range of motion allowed. Nightshade’s arms were ripped free of him and the two split off in different directions…

But they were too close to the ground for it to make much of a difference. It only slightly changed the outcome. Instead of a head on collision with the ground, Silver instead found himself bracing for impact at a slanted angle, traveling at a dangerously fast speed. But despite being fully aware of the pain that was incoming, Silver took a deep breath and held it.

Silver hit the ground, the first impact accompanied with a fast loud rip as the jagged ground tore into his suit. Silver tucked his neck, tensing his body against the pain as he bounced and slammed down hard again, the speed and angle of each subsequent impact tearing at his suit as rough edges and surfaces continuously jammed into his body.

He eventually stopped bouncing and slowly rolled to a stop. Cringing and wincing while exhaling loudly. He didn’t want to show pain, but that had easily ranked up in one of the most painful crashes he had ever experienced. He rolled over onto his right side, pressing his left hoof down on the ground as he continued to grit his teeth and hold it all in. He didn’t even know where Nightshade was, but he was so determined to deny her personal enjoyment that he wasn’t willing to risk it.

He forced himself onto his stomach and started pushing himself up with great difficulty, but he was surprised to find that his wings had mostly avoided the blows of his horrible crash. That or they just hurt so much it didn’t make a difference anymore. Regardless, he pushed his wings down to give him an extra boost as he stood back up, followed by opening and closing his wings a few times to try and loosen them further.

“Huh?” he suddenly perked up and looked forward. “Shit!” he growled as several pink beams of magic shot up overhead before turning down and aiming for him. Silver looked back and forth at his wings. “Come on you two, KEEP GOING!” he yelled as he leapt up, not even sure if his wings could still handle it as he started flapping them and rose up. The magic beams struck the ground below him, exploding and creating a shockwave that actually helped propel him upward. He barely took control as he ascended, eventually getting his wings to somewhat cooperate.

With hovering somehow managed, Silver quickly looked around and caught a glimpse of several small pink spheres popping up from all around him.

He knew what was coming, so he took the initiative and pumped his wings, forcing himself into evasive maneuvers as the spheres began shooting towards him and tracking him.

“Rgh!” Silver growled as it felt like it was getting harder and harder for him to move any part of his body. Movements that required double the effort now seemed to require triple, but he was never short on effort and pressed on.

He wasn’t remotely able to elude the attacks, the spheres closing in as he shakily pitched and weaved, each one slowly catching and exploding on him, all threatening to knock him out of the air, but he held on, looking for Nightshade as he tried to evade the best his body could manage.

Silver panted and wheezed, his body shuddering as the final sphere exploded against him, but despite the slow beating, he continued to search for his foe.

Then a whistle came from his right.

“Ah!” Silver gasped as he turned and tried to put up his hooves, but Nightshade shot in, boosting her speed and pulling her head back.

“HA!” Nightshade yelled out as she headbutted Silver right in the face, the blow shattering the right lens of his goggles.

Silver’s head whipped back as he flipped backwards, continuing the motion as he fell to the ground stomach first, grunting as he slid along the ground. He shuddered for a moment, but when Nightshade’s hooves slammed the ground directly in front of him, he immediately stopped, holding it in.

He slowly and smoothly picked his head up, glaring at her with only one goggle lens still intact. Nightshade was smiling, but the smile seemed to be wavering, constantly tipping down as she tried to keep it up. It was a conflicted smile.

Silver didn’t wait for her to say anything. He just started pushing himself up, keeping his eyes on her the whole time. As he slowly rose, her smile was finally replaced with a flat look as she released a single snort.

Silver read it as frustration. While Nightshade didn’t voice it outright, it was clear his strategy was having some effect. His body hurt like hell… worse than hell really, but as long as he didn’t show it, she wouldn’t get pleasure from it. It seemed to be doing the trick. Silver tensed his body as Nightshade’s flat look turned into an angered frown, her hoof grinding against the ground.

He took a step back, but it was pointless. Nightshade shifted forward and punched him right across the face. He was sent right back to the ground, but only let out a few heavy breaths that were barely audible as he rolled to a stop, facing away from her.

“You really are a tough nut to crack,” Nightshade spoke as she walked towards him again. “I’ve been knocking you around, but you’re keeping your mouth shut.”

Silver remained facing away, taking advantage of her talking. Any time she spent making a case for why he was supposed to be doing what she wanted was extra time for him to catch his breath.

“In fact, I’ve never met a pony before who’s lasted this long without even a peep of pain or agony. Either you’re holding out on me or you killed your nerves long ago,” she continued as she stopped right behind Silver. “From what I’ve seen so far… it could easily be the first… so how about we turn up the heat a little?” she chuckled as her aura erupted around her and grew larger. “I’ll make you scream yet!”

Silver forced his body to move, rolling out of the way as Nightshade slammed her hooves down, breaking the rocky ground beneath her with her hooves jamming a few inches into it. Silver used his momentum to spring up, but nearly fell right back down after barely finding his balance. He stumbled backwards, finding his hoofing just in time to duck as Nightshade’s hoof shot right over his head. His dodge got him caught right in her follow up as she kicked one of her back legs forward and caught him right beneath the chin. He felt his hooves leave the ground. He forced his wings open to try and push himself down out of the air, but Nightshade grabbed him by the neck and hoisted him up, punching him in the stomach several times. Silver held his jaw shut, grunting loudly as Nightshade punched him in the stomach over and over again before letting go of him and drop kicking him. He bounced along the ground with Nightshade following right behind him, luckily rolling right onto his hooves with enough momentum to force himself up. He fixed his eyes on Nightshade, ignoring the stinging pain in his abdomen as Nightshade wound up and launched another punch for his face.

Silver shifted, and latched onto her arm, hoping to throw her again, but Nightshade’s arm suddenly forced down and clamped onto his.

“I don’t think so,” she jeered as she planted her back hooves and spun around, yanking Silver right off the ground, pulling him over her head, and slamming him on the ground on his back. Silver’s eyes went wide, but he gritted his teeth and only released a gruff growl. Nightshade took no notice, keeping her arm latched to his as she lifted him right back up and launched him horizontally, shooting him along, right above the ground towards a nearby, small canyon cliff. Silver crashed about ten yards away from it, landing on his stomach again. He looked up as he slid, seeing the cliffside fast approaching. He wasn’t willing to take bets on how large a cliff it was, so he quickly slammed his front hooves down, only one of them catching as the other slid, causing him to spin around as his momentum kept him moving towards the cliff. He slammed his other hoof down as soon as he faced away, both of them skidding and slowly bringing him to a stop right before he fell over the edge.

“HRG! Gah…” Silver gasped as he immediately pushed down, his body and legs shaking as he strained himself to get up.

It didn’t matter how many times Nightshade knocked him down. He’d get right back up every single time!

He glanced up, immediately trying to find Nightshade once he has his legs, but he didn’t have to look for long. She was hovering right above him… with all three of her crystals orbiting around her quickly as her aura flared and danced. His eyes widened as a large globe of magic rose up from the ground right beneath her. It looked like one of Devil’s but it was easily four to five times the size!

“Catch!” Nightshade yelled as she dropped to the ground behind it and bucked her back legs into it, sending it careening right towards Silver. He barely had enough time to think, much less act, the globe closing half the distance between them in the blink of an eye. There was no way he’d be able to block or deflect this one even if he tried. And based on its trajectory, it would touch the ground right where he stood. The only option was over the edge of the cliff!

“HRRRAGH!” Silver roared as he forced his legs into action. He didn’t even have time to turn all the way around, so he turned to his right and pushed off the ground while tipping towards the edge.

He made it over the side, but didn’t completely avoid it.

The globe struck the ground where he had stood less than a moment ago, erupting in a violent explosion that smashed against his side and propelled him off the edge.

The whole left side of his body went numb as he rocketed off the edge and tumbled down into the canyon. Keeping his wits about him, he looked down to see the canyon was not very deep, but deep enough for a very painful landing if he kept up his current course. He grunted as he tried to open his wings…

But only the right wing moved.

Silver’s eyes widened as he looked to his side and saw his left wing flailing helplessly, several streams of blood trickling from its frame into the feathers. He began to panic as he tried again and again to move it, but it never did.

“AH!” Silver yelled out, curling up to shield himself the best he could as the ground approached.

He crashed to the ground, gasping and coughing as his body pinballed around rock formations and jagged surfaces of the surrounding area, ending with a painful roll to the bottom, where he finally stopped and ended on his side, twitching and wincing.

“Grh…. Rrggghhhh…. Aaaarrghhhhh…” Silver growled continuously, trying to fight back the pain but it was so intense. Sharp, stabbing sensations started to erupt from his left shoulder blade as the damage, apparently from his bloody wing, finally started to make itself known. Silver slowly uncurled and rolled over on his stomach, huffing and wheezing as he glanced up to see a large dust cloud, the aftermath of the explosion, slowly descending over him. As the shock of the impact faded, he cringed as he felt sharp stinging pains fill his body, he parted his lips and exhaled as he felt a trickle of liquid run down over his lips, a taste of blood touching his mouth as he turned his head and weakly rubbed it against his suit.

Blood. His nose was bleeding too. He struggled to move, looking at himself over the best he could. His suit had been badly damaged, several holes and rips riddled all over it, most of them revealing dark bruises that showed right through his fur and several bad cuts and gashes, blood oozing from some of them and staining his tattered suit and revealed fur. He looked back at his wing, trying to move it again, but it remained limp at his side, several wounds resting on the wing bend, bleeding onto the rest of his wing. The feathers were all awkwardly bunched and shifted out of place. Every attempt to move it sent a shock of pain ripping through his body from the shoulder blade, to the tips of his back hooves and up to his neck. Either something was broken or woefully dislocated. Either way, his left wing had been rendered useless.

“Oh? Where did you go?” Nightshade’s voice rained down from above, Silver’s ears twitching uncomfortably at the intentionally shrill and sassy tone she put into her voice. It was enough to motivate him back onto his hooves, or at least try. He kept his mouth shut, realizing he had another reason to remain silent this time, despite all the pain. Unless Nightshade was bluffing, she didn’t immediately know where he was. His goal was to hold out as long as possible, if he could force her to search for him… it furthered his cause, as hopeless as it seemed.

Silver pressed his hooves down, his entire body on fire as the pain scratched and clawed at every nerve in his body. He gritted his teeth as he strained and gasped, his arms and legs wobbling, all of his muscles screaming at him to stop as he rose up, ignoring the pleas from his own body. After several seconds of trying, Silver finally managed to get up, only three of his limbs cooperating as a nasty cramp filled his back right leg. The dust cloud overhead was just about to dissipate, so he used every ounce of quiet effort he could muster to limp his way further into the canyon. The walls were at least twenty to thirty yards tall and about fifteen yards wide with lots of jagged and uneven rock formations within it. It was also not linear in the slightest, lots of curves and turns. He’d use it to his advantage as long as he could.

He got around the first corner and leaned his side to it while exhaling, getting out of sight right before the dust all cleared.

“Hmmmmm?” he heard Nightshade’s voice slither down from above. “Are you hiding from me?” she continued as Silver pushed off and started limping through the canyon again, doing his best to make as little sound with his hooves as possible. “How PRECIOUS!” Nightshade giggled as Silver kept moving, carefully navigating between large rocks and cliff walls. “The brave old pony steps up and shows no fear… then hides like a little mouse!”

Silver stopped, blinked, and scrunched his brow, releasing a quiet grunt before continuing on. That one stung his pride a little bit, but he couldn’t afford to lean on pride right now. She was distracted, that’s all that mattered.

“Well, if you’re going to hide… then ready or not, here I come!” Nightshade continued to taunt from above, but Silver took the warning seriously, now keeping his eyes up as he moved. He was ready to change up his tactics if she appeared overhead or, heaven forbid, find him quickly.

Right as he thought about it, he flinched and froze. One of Nightshade’s crystals floated right overhead, stopping and shining a light down into the canyon. Silver quickly pressed himself up against the cliff wall, barely avoiding the light as it scanned past him.

“Damn…” Silver grumbled as he stepped back onto his path and continued on, now wary of the extra ‘help’ Nightshade was receiving from her crystals.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” Nightshade taunted, keeping Silver at the ready on the tip of his hooves.

Nightshade was definitely determined to deal with him before anything else… So Silver kept the stealth going. He slowly made his way through the canyon, making sure to avoid all detection of the crystals and avoiding Nightshade herself a few times, once even sitting right behind a rock as she landed in the canyon and made several farm animal calls to mess with him.

His back leg eventually stopped cramping up as he kept moving, but his wing was another story. Something had to be broken, because it just wouldn’t budge and every time he tried it hurt like hell.

He glanced back at it with frustration. As if things weren’t already bad enough, now he couldn’t fly. The only thing that could make it any worse was—

Silver’s head snapped back forward and his eyes widened.

“Ah… shit,” he cursed.

One of Nightshade’s crystals was floating right in front of him, shining a light on his face. He turned around, hoping to make a beeline back in the other direction, only to see the other two crystals drop down right behind him.

“There you are!” Nightshade’s voice came from above, causing Silver to freeze in place and grit his teeth angrily. He slowly looked up to see Nightshade floating overhead, the soft glow of her aura rising around her body as she sneered down at him.

Silver didn’t waste any time thinking. He gave her no time to start taunting him. He instantly went into full survival mode, turning back around and forcing his legs into movement, swiping a hoof out and knocking aside the crystal in his way as he broke into a shaky gallop.

“Ah! Hey!” Nightshade yelled at him, but he didn’t look back. He kept his eyes forward, putting all of his focus into what was in front of him and putting all of his effort into every stride he took, fighting against every bit of pain and discomfort radiating all over his body. “Where do you think you're going?” Nightshade added in a deceptively cute tone paired with an equally deceptive giggle.

Silver did his best to keep moving, shifting and turning, moving from side to side to avoid obstacles as he galloped, his hooves thundering against the ground as he ran for his life the best he could. Loud crashing and banging noises started sounding out behind him, followed by rocks and bits of debris falling to the ground around him, a few bits hitting him in the back as he pushed along. One of Nightshade’s crystals zipped by overhead, a pink stream of light streaking behind it as it propelled itself into the cliff wall overhead, knocking more debris down towards Silver.

“HRGH!” Silver grunted and squinted as splintered stones and rocks rained down, some landing on real tender spots on his back.

“HAHAHA!” Nightshade cackled as she kept up overhead, flying in sync with Silver’s pace. Her crystals kept dive bombing, veering from side to side and striking the cliff walls overhead, never going for Silver directly. “RUN, RUN, RUN!” Nightshade taunted.

Silver flinched and shifted aside as two beams of magic suddenly shot past him, slamming to the ground and exploding, kicking up dust and fractured pieces of rock. Silver kept his eyes forward, forging ahead through the canyon, and doing everything he could to keep up his pace while ignoring the crystals dancing above him and the eyebeams paired with them. Nightshade’s attacks shot all around him in a toying manner, Silver’s ears filled with the sounds of constant explosions and Nightshade’s laughter.

But he didn’t care… let her laugh. Silver doubled down on his efforts, never once letting himself be overcome with fear for his own life as he fought for every step and every inch of the way.

“AH!” Silver yelped in surprise as one of Nightshade’s crystals slammed into the ground right in front of him. The impact kicked up a cloud of dust and pebbles into his face, blocking his vision and causing him to step right in the divot left by the attack. Silver tripped forward, landing flat on his chest and chin before the momentum of his body swung the rest of him around and caused him to roll onto his back. “DAMMIT!” Silver grunted as he tried to quickly roll back up, but this time not even the extra momentum helped. He failed and plopped right back down. He looked up, his eyes widening as Nightshade’s crystals returned to her side, all glowing brightly as her eyes did the same.

Silver curled up into a ball as the crystals and Nightshade all fired beams of magic at him. They were weak, basic magic beams, but they were constant, peppering Silver endlessly. Silver’s body twitched and shuddered in pain as Nightshade kept up the barrage, laughing continuously above in a tone that sounded disturbingly natural.

The moment the attacks ceased, Silver forced himself to uncurl, stinging sensations covering his body as he slowly unwrapped and tried to push himself up.

Nightshade slammed to the ground right beside him, immediately getting right in his face while smiling.

But the smile quickly faded to confusion the moment Silver picked his head up and glared at her, still holding himself strong despite the beating.

“Rgh…” Nightshade growled as she took a step back and stomped a hoof. “What does it take? Seriously!?” she said mostly to herself as she watched Silver slowly stand up. The moment Silver was back upright, Nightshade rushed forward and grabbed him by the neck.

“HRK!” Silver grunted, immediate bringing up a hoof to grab her arm.

“JUST…” Nightshade began as she spread her wings and pumped them down once, propelling them up into the air. “SHOW ME…” she wound up and flung him into the air. “PAIN ALREADY!”

Silver’s flailed his hooves as he tumbled helplessly upward, shooting right out from within the canyon and into the open air. He tried once again to move wings, but his left wing still wasn’t moving. He was a sitting duck.

“HRRRAH!” Nightshade roared from below, sending a volley of ten pink spheres in a line towards him with one large globe behind them. Silver could do nothing, completely at the mercy of gravity without wings to rely on.

“ARGH! RGH! GRRHH!!!” Silver released several painful grunts, unable to hold them in this time as the spheres struck him and exploded one by one.

“YES!” Nightshade yelled out, smiling from below as she heard Silver react. But as Silver was struck repeatedly… he curled up and stopped making any noise, the last four spheres pushing no sound out of him at all. Nightshade glared and snarled, her eyes glowing as she used her magic to force the large globe towards Silver faster.

Silver saw it coming in between his arms as he shielded himself and tensed up his body. This was going to hurt… a lot.

The globe exploded, sending Silver shooting towards the ground. He remained curled up, cringing as he waited for the second impact.

He landed right on his hurt wing, feeling nothing on the wing itself, but feeling everything on the joint connecting it to his shoulder. Silver gritted his teeth, exhaling hard, the breath hissing through his teeth and turning into gasps as he bounced and rolled to a stop, for what he now felt was at least the fifth or sixth time, he was losing count at this point.

“SILVER!!!!!!”

Silver’s ears perked up as he stopped rolling and he slowly opened his eyes.

He was looking right at Rainbow Dash and Soarin. He had landed only about five yards from them. Soarin was growling and straining against his magical bonds, his eyes darting between Silver and what Silver could only assume was Nightshade approaching. Dash, on the other hoof, was constantly pushing herself up, trying to walk towards him, and falling back down.

“S-SILVER! RGH! SILVER!!!!” she kept yelling as she tried to approach him. “HHHRGGGGAAAAAH!” she yelled out as she finally forced herself up and held herself steady for several moments before taking two, heavy, hard steps towards him.

But she got no further. The glow around her suddenly shone brighter before her body was roughly forced to the ground, Dash crying out in pain as her nose struck the ground hard.

“You, sit down. We’re busy here,” Nightshade’s voice came from behind Silver… sounding more annoyed compared to her usual sly, smooth pitch.

Silver’s eyes opened wide as he watched Dash groan in pain. He quickly narrowed them into a glare before finding the strength, somehow, someway again… to place his hooves on the ground and slowly, painfully push himself up, growling from the start as he rose up one inch at a time.

He was no longer able to mask how much of a struggle it was. His body shook, shuddered, and twitched as he stood up straight and shakily turned towards Nightshade.

Nightshade did not look amused at all. While he finally showed signs of struggle, Silver was still not giving her what she clearly wanted… Facial and vocal recognition of his pain.

She said nothing as she stared at him, glaring with her face scrunched up as if he was really striking nerves with her.

But Silver was filled with uncertainty. His determination to protect his family was driving him, constantly picking him up when he should’ve stayed down, but he couldn’t see anything past that. Would he last long enough for Spitfire to arrive? Would Spitfire arrive at all? The immediate future of the conflict was all so cloudy.

If only…

If only he wasn’t so broken.

Silver silently cursed his body, his age, and the never ending action of his career catching up to him and making him unable to perform as his best. It was never a mystery to him, but first against Sin and now against Nightshade, it was painful to see how far his best days were behind him.

If only he could be young again…

“Huh?” Nightshade blinked suddenly, her ears standing up and her eye widening as one of her crystals zipped up in front of her.

Silver lifted an eyebrow, or at least the best he could in between the heavy panting and wheezing.

“Was that…” Nightshade grabbed the crystal out of the air, held it in front of her face and peered through it at Silver. “A desire I sensed…?”

Silver flinched, his jaw hanging slightly opened as he wondered if she had somehow just heard his thoughts. He quickly shook his head once and glared, trying to suppress anything he was just thinking about just in case she had.

“Huh…? Hmmm…” Nightshade hummed as she put the crystal down. “It was there for a moment, but I didn’t quite see it…” she started walking towards him while sneering. Silver cursed himself as Nightshade’s usual demeanor seemed to return. He had her going for a bit, keeping anything from showing, but one instant off beat and he was right back to where he started. “I wonder…” Nightshade cooed as she stopped a yard away from him and tapped her hoof to her lips. “What were you just thinking about?”

She stared for a long time at him, but Silver held strong, keeping his eyes focused and his thoughts clear.

“Hmph… so stubborn… again,” Nightshade snorted, but kept smiling. “But I bet I can figure it out…” She turned and walked by him, Silver turning with her to keep his eyes and focus locked on her, preventing anything else from distracting him. “I will admit… while you’re definitely a bit worn out… I’ve never quite run into a pony like you,” she began slyly as she kept moving. “You let something slip, but suppressed it so quickly… that’s quite the control you have over your emotions, I’m VERY impressed.” She stopped, putting herself right between Silver and the two struggling Wonderbolts behind her. “Your toughness, both mental and physical are beyond compare… you are indeed worthy of the nickname ‘Iron Horse’.” She slowly looked him over, her eyes landing on his limp left wing that hung at his side. Her eyes darted between all of his bruises and cuts, at the blood seeping from his wounds. Her eyes slowly moved back to his face to meet the same, strong glare she had been getting from the start. She suddenly bit her lip and shivered as she kept her eyes locked with his. “You must’ve really been something back in your prime…”

Silver blinked.

Nightshade’s ears perked up.

“Oh?” She let her mouth hang slightly ajar. “OH?!” she took a step towards him, her mouth turning up into a look of creepy excitement. “OOOOOOOH!!!!!!” her teeth slammed shut into a devious smile. “THAT’S IT, ISN’T IT?!” she asked as Silver furrowed his brow and glanced away. “THAT’S what you were thinking and feeling!”

“Grhh…” Silver growled as he held himself steady.

“You know what…” Nightshade sneered, narrowing her lips and eyes as she leaned towards him. “I don’t know how I didn’t put this together sooner!” She pulled back and tipped her head to the side. “I was getting a little frustrated with you, but now that I think about it… I’ve been approaching this the wrong way!” She tapped her chin as she shot him a smug stare. “You’re refusing to yield, refusing to lay down… you are doing anything and everything to defend what you stand for and believe in. Every time I knock you down, you get right back up… but now I can see it!” She shifted forward and grabbed his chin. Silver flinched in surprise, but glared as she yanked his head forward and got right in his face. “It hurts, doesn’t it? Hurts that that you lack the strength… the speed… and the endurance you once had…?”

Silver hardened his face into the strongest glare he could give, but Nightshade shook her head, her smile growing wider.

“You can’t hide it anymore… I saw it, it’s there,” she taunted, sticking her tongue out childishly while swishing her tail back and forth. “You’re old… you’re washed up… a pale, weakened reflection of your younger self. You’ve watched yourself slowly deteriorate, become less and less of what you were proud of as more and more young ponies appeared around you and showed you up easily! If not for your reputation and what you clearly bring to the Wonderbolts… you know for a FACT… that they would have dumped you out the back door by now, just like they did with every single friends you had.”

“Hmph…” Silver released a single grunt as he stopped trying to suppress it. He was caught red-hoofed. He had thought about everything she had said more than once in the past. He had to give her credit for the way she read ponies, whether it was through the magic or not, but there was nothing she could do that would change his course.

“Go on…” she suddenly encouraged. “You can admit it,” she started walking around him again. “You hate it… you hate that you’ve aged and have lost your edge…” she made a full circle around him, stopping back in front of him and sharply turning her head towards him. “You’d give ANYTHING to go back to those days… to be the stallion you used to be. Especially right now, right? When you’re desperately trying to protect those you cherish? I’m more than willing to bet that you believe it… that you’d be able to take me on if you were still in your prime! That pride and confidence of yours doesn’t lie.”

Silver kept quiet.

“Ah… so boring, not even a defiant denial… well, I wonder if you’ll keep quiet…” she smiled very wide as her eyes began to glow and a crystal floated up in front of her. “If I do you a little favor?”

Silver’s ears twitched and he blinked as he caught on, immediately glaring and growling.

“I don’t need your damn fake magic,” he quickly denied, bearing his teeth in between hissing breaths. But Nightshade only giggled.

“Oh, you think I’m trying to make you betray your friends?” she asked while placing a hoof on her cheek and squishing it cutely. “Believe me, I can see that’ll never work clear as day… no… I have something else in mind…” she leaned towards him, Silver leaning back in disgust as she shifted her head past his and whispered into his ear. “I’ll give you the means to REALLY fight me! That’s what you want!”

Silver’s eyes widened as Nightshade pulled back, but he quickly shut his eyes and shook his head twice.

“Hmph… nice try,” Silver grunted. “You can’t do that.”

“Sure I can’t… but you can!” Nightshade replied as she held the crystal out towards him, but Silver still leaned away.

“You gone deaf?” Silver asked while cringing, trying to move his wing again to no avail. “I don’t need it!”

But Nightshade only grinned as the crystal began to glow.

“You’d be surprised how many ponies have taken back those words…” her grin turned into a crazed smile. “ONCE THEY’VE HAD A TASTE!”

Silver’s gasped and slammed his eyes shut as a burst of light shot from the crystal and surged right at him. He felt something touch him, but it didn’t feel like an attack, it felt more like a rush… a surge… like something had gone right through him cleanly. He took a couple of steps back, but then stopped, opening his eyes as his body began to tingle.

Then suddenly… his weak, buckling legs stopped shaking. He stood firmly in place with no trouble.

“What the…?” Silver looked down at his legs as all the pain within them disappeared, that wasn’t all… any cuts on them closed up, the blood vanishing as bruises disappeared as well. “Ah…!” he gasped as the feeling extended to his body, the tingling sensation feeling warm and soothing as any traces of pain completely left. He suddenly had feeling in his left wing again, both of his wings picking up at his sides. But the mysterious effects didn’t stop there. He suddenly felt his body filling up with strength, tensing up as his body felt like it was firming up all over, the tingling sensation covering every inch, including his face. Silver inhaled as a calm, revitalized feeling filled him from head to hoof.

Confused, he looked directly at Nightshade, but what he saw was unexpected.

Nightshade was staring with a blank expression, her eyes visibly wide beneath her goggles and her jaw nearly unhinged.

“Oh… my…” she suddenly spoke up very shakily as her body began to visibly shudder. She bit down on her lower lip and inhaled sharply. “OH…MY…GOD!” A very visible, deep blush became visible across her nose, poking out from beneath her mask.

Silver lifted an eyebrow, too dazed and distracted in wondering what had happened and how his body was suddenly healed to get a read on Nightshade’s behavior. He blinked as Nightshade’s crystals suddenly floated up beside her and shined brightly.

“GET THIS CRAP OUT OF THE WAY!” she yelled eagerly as Silver suddenly felt tugs on what remained of his mask and goggles. He winced as the goggle strap snapped and the torn pieces of his mask were ripped clean off at the neck. “Let me see! LET ME SEE!” Nightshade yelled, her voice growing closer. When he opened his eyes, Nightshade had moved VERY close to him, barely leaving a few inches between their faces. “Holy HELL!” she exclaimed as she struggled to contain visible arousal. Silver gave her a very confused look as he watched her cross her back legs and clench her thighs as her tail wrapped around her legs as well. “How the hell does your wife rate?! She struck gold when she met you!”

“What the hell are you going… on… about…?” Silver trailed off as he tried to question her, blinking as he finished. His voice… it sounded different. It sounded very refined and was devoid of any rasp or… age.

“Hey, you absolutely CANNOT blame me!” Nightshade giggled as she tucked her neck in and ran her teeth back and forth along her bottom lip, quickly switching which back leg was crossed over the other and shivering. “I mean… did you ever LOOK at yourself back then?!” she asked.

“Back then…?” Silver asked, but before he could question her further, one of her crystals emitted a stream of light that floated up in front of Silver before widening and flattening… showing him a reflection of himself.

Silver gasped as he looked at… himself?

Silver took a sharp step backwards, pulling his head back further as he stared in disbelief. He stopped and looked himself over, down at his body, at his wings, and at his limbs before looking in the mirror again. He reached up and touched his face to make sure he wasn’t being tricked... and felt a smooth surface, devoid of age lines.

He wasn’t looking at an illusion… that was him. He put his hoof back down and stared in utter disbelief…

He looked just like he used to… twenty years ago.

There was no doubt about it. He was looking at the spitting image of his twenty-two year old self. It was no wonder he felt so strong, he couldn’t remember the last time he looked like this. His age had slowed him down and keeping in shape had become hard, but he remembered when a simple, regular gym routine helped him keep his strength and muscle mass. It was all real too. This wasn’t an illusion. Any part of his body he touched matched what he was seeing in the mirror. The shock faded from his eyes and was replaced with a simple, awe filled stare as he continued to move his body around free of all the aches and pains that had become natural to him.

Silver glanced over towards Soarin and Rainbow Dash, the two of them left speechless as they stared at him. Silver glanced over at the rest of the Wonderbolts. Most of them were still down and out, but those that were able were also staring, the pain taking a back seat for a moment as they looked upon what Nightshade had done to him.

“Well, hot stuff?” Nightshade suddenly shifted up right beside him, still swooning like crazy. “Sure feels good doesn’t it? I wonder…” she suddenly pressed herself right up against him and reached a hoof over to his chest, running it along his muscles and over his burn scar very softly. “Did the libido come back too?”

Silver flinched, his ears standing up as his wing feathers twitched madly, his body tingling as he felt Nightshade against him and her hoof sliding over his body.

“Oooo… I felt that. Those young stallion instincts are hard to keep down eh? I bet it’s been a while since you’ve felt that.

“Ahh…ah…” Silver shut his eyes and shivered fighting his wings as the feathers puffed up and suppressed urges that seemed to rush forward, particularly from his lower body.

“Still think you don’t need the magic?” Nightshade asked as she shifted forward to look at his face, her body shuddering more than his as her tail wrapped around one of her back legs again. “If you didn’t have the burning desire to be young again… it wouldn’t have worked. You KNOW you want it and like it.”

Silver’s eyes snapped open.

“No… I…” he tried to deny it, but the magic was so strong, the sensations were so intense, the feeling of being young again was… unbelievable and intoxicating. He never realized just how worn down and beaten he had become if this was how he used to feel.

“I’m sure as hell glad you wanted it…” Nightshade slid forward against his body and swung around in front of him, keeping an arm around his neck the whole time as she placed herself in front and pressed her chest roughly against his, putting their faces barely an inch apart. “I’d hate to pass up this opportunity! What do you say we skip the fighting and use the time we have left to… REMIND you what it was like? If you catch my drift…” she bit her lip and gave him the most seductive stare she could muster, her eyes piercing right though her goggles and sent several more primal shocks through Silver mixed with those he was already feeling with her chest rubbing against his.

“I…” Silver blinked, tipping his head up to looked over at Soarin and Dash again, both who had gone back to struggling while looking at him in horror, silently pleading for him to fight it. But Nightshade reached up and tipped his head back down to face her while tightening her grip on the back of his neck.

“Don’t ruin this for me… or yourself,” she said slyly as she continued to shiver and crossed her back legs over again. “I love having my way with others… but it’s not often I find a pony like you… One I want to let have their way with me…” her she grinned eagerly, a hot blush still seeping out from beneath the edges of her mask. “Come on…” she said quietly as she slowly leaned forward, aiming her lips for his. “I’m all yours…” she closed her eyes and tipped her head a little to the side as she closed the gap.

The moment before her lips touched his, everything seemed to stand still for Silver.

Why?

Why was he letting this happen?

Was he in shock? Was he drunk on the energy of youth he had missed for so long? Was he unable to handle the rush of urges that came flowing back?

Did he really want this?

Or… was the sudden restoration of youth… also bringing him back to a time when he was unsure and indecisive? Was that Nightshade’s true intention?

That seemed likely to be the case… but Nightshade had failed to consider one thing.

When he was younger, Silver had somepony he always looked to whenever unsure.

And there was one thing, right now, that came flowing back into Silver’s head. It was something that always came to mind whenever considering the options in a moment of decision… a sense of devotion to the opinion, pride, acknowledgement, and approval of that pony.

Silver would always end up asking himself: ‘What would Blizzard think if I did this?’

“Hmrph?” Nightshade opened her eyes and blinked as her lips ran right into Silver’s hoof.

“Heh…” Silver released a single chuckle as he gently pushed her away. “Absolutely not.”

“What?” Nightshade’s eyes widened slightly, her mouth slightly agape and her ears flopping to her sides. Silver took a moment to look himself over, and took a long look back in the magic mirror floating beside them.

“I appreciate the reminder of my youth…” Silver shook his head. “But I can’t accept this. It’s just a lie.” Silver said as he continued to look at himself in the mirror, a warm, nostalgic smile on his face as he sighed. He turned his head back towards Nightshade to see intense disappointment in her eyes, her face scrunching up angrily as if she had just been heavily denied in a way she never had been before. “You’re right…” Silver began again. “I do miss being young. I do miss being full of energy. I do miss being able to shake off a hard day of work… popping right back up to fly again the very next day without aches, pains, and soreness. There’s not a day that goes by that I wish I could still be at the top of my game. My body is long past its prime… And with how long I’ve pushed myself to the limits, it feels older than it actually is, worn out in every way imaginable. But one thing that will never wear out…” Silver paused, turning his head to scan the Wonderbolts, stopping as his eyes fell on Soarin and Rainbow Dash. “Is my commitment to my family… my commitment to the Wonderbolts.”

“Hmph…” Nightshade huffed and grunted angrily, baring her teeth and glaring harshly as Silver made his case, effectively rejecting her and everything she gave him. Silver looked back at her and smiled proudly.

“Your offer is tempting, but I decline,” Silver said as he shook his head once. “You can take back your phony power and fake magic… I don’t need it.”

“You…” Nightshade spoke up, her voice shaking with anger. “You’re a damn fool… It’s pure, utter idiocy to turn away such an opportunity. You’ve been completely programmed and poisoned by worn out honor, rules, and morals.” Her wings began to twitch as her front hooves grinded against the ground. “I’m literally giving you what you want and more. The power to defy fate! Isn’t that something you’ve been trying to do for so long now? Defy fate? Fight the system that would have you retire?! THIS IS YOUR CHANCE!” she yelled as she stomped her hoof. “ACCEPT IT!” She stomped again, her aura flaring up around her. “OR DO I HAVE TO GIVE YOU MORE TO CONVINCE YOU?!”

Nightshade growled and leaned forward, the two other crystals around her emitting bursts of magic that also flowed into Silver.

“Ah!” Silver yelped in surprise as he felt the rush, cringing, gritting his teeth and slamming his eyes shut as he his body shuddered. The magic he already had in him was intense, but now it had suddenly tripled. Every muscle in his body began to tense, flex, and tingle as he felt strength well up inside him he had never felt before. He opened his eyes as his ripped up suit began to squeak and strain, his muscles reacting to the power the same way Nightshade’s had, growing slightly larger with the same boosted effect.

“I can make you what you used to be and MORE! Let go! Let the magic restore you and bring you back to your glory years!” she harshly encouraged, stepping towards him as he shuddered and his body reacted. “Let it take you to your peak! And then let it push you further! LET THE POWER MAKE YOU STRONG AGAIN!”

Silver slowly kept his eyes down on his body for a moment, but despite the shaking and shuddering, he simply shook his head, looking up at Nightshade with unswayed eyes. He stared right at Nightshade, brushing off the angered glare she was forcing upon him.

“Strong?” Silver said as he smiled and shook his head. “I don’t need power to be strong.” He took a deep breath and tensed his body, forcing it to stop shuddering despite the magic still flowing through him.

“Oh, how trite…” Nightshade scoffed as her eye twitched.

“Honesty is far from trite,” Silver said with a chuckle as he completely shut out the sensations and held his body firmly upright. Nightshade released a low growl.

“Well, wise-guy, if power doesn’t make you strong, then I don’t know which fight you’ve been paying attention to! Or do I have to beat it into you a little more for you to understand?”

“You’re naïve,” Silver quickly shot back. “Power doesn’t make you strong… it makes you blind.”

Nightshade opened her mouth to retort, but she couldn’t find the words, only a few syllables came through that sounded more like defiant grunts.

“If you really don’t understand what drives me… then you’re as blind as they come,” Silver continued. “As long as I keep my eyes open and I focus on what’s really important… not just for me, but for those I care about, you will never sway me. I don’t care if you pump your fake power into me until I explode, I will never… EVER… abandon what I believe in.”

Nightshades growl grew louder as Silver finished. He kept staring at her in silent defiance, pissing her off more and more every second she looked at him. But right before it looked like her anger would boil over, she shook her head out, stood back upright, and looked at him with peeved disappointment.

“You know what?” she snarled. “YOU KNOW WHAT?!” she stomped a hoof down so hard it chipped the rocky ground beneath her. “FINE!” she held a hoof up and all three of her crystals glowed brightly. “Then deal with being old and broken!”

“AH!” Silver reacted as he suddenly felt an enormous and painful tug on his body. He cringed as his hooves slid a little towards Nightshade, followed by a painful ripping sensation. A large collection of magic shot out from his body, surging back towards Nightshade’s crystals before being sucked back into them completely.

Silver bent down, his body shaking vigorously as all the pain he had been feeling suddenly came rushing back, his muscles lost their boost, receding and then reverting further to the state of his aged body. He gritted his teeth as a familiar feeling of frailty in his joints and bones lashed at his nerves.

“Ah… ha… ah…” Silver’s voice regained the rasp as he gasped, panted, and slowly plopped onto the ground, wheezing and cringing as all feeling left his left wing once more, the whole wing opening up and the feathers distorting as it lay limply at his side.

Silver slowly opened his eyes looking back and forth. The magic mirror had followed him down as if Nightshade was trying to rub it in.

He was back to normal. He stared at his face, once again seeing the forty-two year old face he learned to live with, he saw all the injuries on his body, every cut and bruise put right back where they had been inflicted. His body and muscles had lost the youthful strength and fullness.

He stared for several moments, taking it all in before turning his head away and looking up at Nightshade.

She was smiling, her eyes locked on him as if waiting for him to cry or wail, to show despair that he had given up such an opportunity, that all the pain he felt in his age and in the battle made him absolutely regret it all.

But Silver showed her no such thing. He glanced at the mirror one more time… and shot himself a smile.

Nightshade watched as Silver slowly began to rise, her face scrunching little by little and her teeth grinding harder and harder every second as Silver showed no pain once again. It took him a while, but Silver was eventually up and back on his hooves, he cracked his neck back and forth and grinned at Nightshade.

“I feel good as new.”

Silver watched her closely, now considering something he hadn’t prior. Nightshade looked like she was completely losing her cool. She was clearly not getting what she wanted out of him. While that was his intention from the start, he was now realizing that it was having a major effect on her demeanor.

Nightshade prided herself on being able to get in ponies heads, pick them apart, and take control of their emotions…

Silver wondered…

Could he turn it around… and do the same to her?

It was definitely worth a shot.

“You’re starting to really piss me off,” Nightshade grumbled loudly with hissing breaths between her teeth. Her crystals began orbiting around her slowly. “That’s something I highly recommend against!”

“Then come and get me,” Silver beckoned while keeping his grin alive, opening up his right wing as his left remained limp at his side. He took note of Nightshade’s body posture and language. It looked less smooth and less under control.

“Oh, I WILL…” she shot back with a snarl. “And you’re going to wish you’d never been born! I thought I might be able to sway you… but now? All bets are off. I’m just going to make you SCREAM and SQUEAL to my heart’s content!”

Nightshade shot forward, propelling over the ground and closing the small gap between them in the blink of an eye. Silver brought his arm up to block, but the force of the blow smashed his own hoof right into his face.

With a loud grunt, Silver was toppled over onto his side, rolling to a stop.

Nightshade stayed with him, slamming to the ground right where he landed. She reached down, grabbed him by the remaining fabric on the neck of his suit and hoisted him up in the air.

“HOW DOES IT FEEL, HUH?!” she punched him hard in the gut, knocking the air out of his lungs, but as he exhaled, Silver reached down and latched his hooves onto her arm. He tried to force it off, but she was too strong. She tipped forward and slammed him down on his back.

“GRGH!” Silver grunted, but tensed his body and held in any further verbal reactions.

“HOW USELESS DO YOU FEEL?!” Nightshade leaned down and got in his face as she held a hoof firmly over his chest, spitting in his face as she yelled. “HOW HOPELESS?!” she pulled him up a little by the chest and slammed him back down. “HOW POWERLESS?!” she slammed him down again. Silver gritted his teeth and slammed his eyes shut, but made no noise. “I GAVE YOU A CHANCE, AND YOU BLEW IT!” she pulled him up and pressed her face into his while growling. Silver opened his eyes, but only glared back at her. “IT’S ALL YOUR OWN DOING, AND YOU’LL PAY FOR IT!” she slammed him down three more times rapidly, Silver feeling the pressure against his back and the joint of his hurt wing over and over again as sharp shocks were sent flying through his body and all over. Nightshade followed up by lifting off and pumping her wings while still holding onto Silver’s suit. Silver tensed up and gasped as Nightshade dragged him along the jagged ground, his body striking and bouncing off of every uneven surface. Eventually she pitched up, lifted Silver off the ground, and launched him forward. Silver hit the ground on the back of his neck, a painful CRACK coming from it as he rolled backwards and rolled until coming to a stop on his stomach.

A sharp pain immediately made itself known in his neck and top of his shoulders where it attached. It almost felt like something had been hit, torn, or overstressed. Either way, it hurt like hell and it didn’t help that his left wing joint was already pretty much on fire. Silver pressed his face to the ground, covering up his mouth as it threatened to release a cry of agony. Everything hurt, more than it ever had, but he would show it under NO circumstance.

He slowly looked up as Nightshade’s hooves slammed down in front of him. She glared down at him, her eyes darting back and forth over his body as if looking for something, or waiting for him to do something. But once again, Silver was not giving her what she wanted.

“For FUCK’S sake!” she reached down and grabbed him by the neck, forcing him up. Silver grunted, his body and limbs hanging limply below him. His neck was arched back, but he shifted his eyes down to glare at Nightshade regardless. Nightshade was breathing harder, her nostrils flaring and her chest expanding and contracting visibly as the breaths hissed in and out. “WHAT IS YOUR DEAL?!” she yelled, but Silver didn’t answer, he just kept showing her defiance. She wound up and punched him across the face. Silver squinted as he took the blow, but didn’t close his eyes, nor take them off of her as he was hit. His head turned slightly, but he slowly turned it right back. Nightshade roared in his face and began punching him continuously while holding him in the air. She hit him in the face, in the chest, in the ribs, and in the stomach repeatedly. She hit him again and again and again and again… but Silver never showed any effect. No hurt, no pain, no nothing, each time just looking right back at her as he panted and wheezed and shot her his hardened stare. “How many times do I have to punch you?!” Nightshade yelled in his face, shaking him. “FEEL PAIN! SUFFER DAMMIT!”

Silver furrowed his brow, intensifying his glare as he closed his mouth swallowed lightly and spat a wad of blood into her face. Nightshade flinched as the blood splattered on her mask before baring her teeth and snarling… but Silver brushed it off like she didn’t scare him at all.

“I refuse.”

Nightshade instantly punched him in the face, right between the eyes, whipping his head back. She then grabbed his suit with both hooves and the moment Silver looked back down, she headbutted him right in the nose. A loud POP sounded from Silver’s nose as his head whipped back again, and as he slowly looked back at her a trickle of blood oozed out from his other nostril, but he still, yet again, didn’t make a sound.

“I SAID SUFFER!” Nightshade shook him before headbutting him again, Silver turning his head to get hit in the cheek instead.

“No.” Silver denied as he turned his head back.

“SCREAM! SHOUT! SHOW ME HOW MUCH IT HURTS, DAMMIT!!!!” she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Silver folded his ears back, coughing once as the blood from his nose dripped on his lips. He whipped his head once to the side to get the blood away before shaking his head slowly.

“Never…” he said sternly. “Not while I’m the only hope they have,” he explained while glancing by her at all the Wonderbolts. Nightshade turned her head quickly around to see the Wonderbolts as well, only to turn back with a glare twice as harsh. But Silver looked right into it with no trouble and no fear at all. “You can punch me all you want… You can pelt me with magic… you can put me through solid rock… I don’t care. I will NOT buckle… I will NOT break… I’ll NEVER allow you the satisfaction. If you really don’t understand how I feel… then I pity you.”

“RGH!” Nightshade growled, throwing Silver right back down to the ground. Silver stuck out his hooves, landing hard, but not crashing to the ground. He slowly pushed himself all the way back up, shaking and shuddering, but not stopping for a second as he looked right into Nightshade’s eyes. Nightshade shook her head. “You’re holding it all in… just for THEM?!” she asked while pointing angrily at the Wonderbolts. “You do realize that I could simply saunter my way over there at ANY time and kill them right?! There’s nothing you’d be able to do about it! In fact, you’re pissing me off so much that I’m CONSIDERING doing that right now to let off some steam!”

“Feh…” Silver scoffed. “You won’t.”

“OH YEAH?! Is that an invitation?!” Nightshade threatened further but kept her eyes on him.

“Okay, go do it,” Silver gave an upward head bob. Nightshade took a step backward, but then stopped. She never took her eyes off of him.

“I…!” Nightshade ground her teeth together as she growled at Silver.

“See? You won’t,” Silver added tipping his head slightly as he cringed, his legs shaking as he held himself up.

“I’M NOT AFRAID TO KILL SOMEPONY!” Nightshade roared at him, but still remained facing him.

“I know you’re not,” Silver shook his head. “And if you kill even just one of them, I’ll be devastated… but that’s just it, isn’t it?” Silver lifted an eyebrow. “If you have to resort to that… just to get to me… then you completely and utterly failed to break me without outside assistance.”

Nightshade’s eyes widened and a high pitched squeak released from the breath of her throat as her jaw dropped.

“That’s what you pride yourself in, right?” Silver kept it up. “You love to break a pony down, cause them pain, listen to them scream either physically or mentally… heh…” Silver smirked. “To use your own words… ‘what a shame…’” His smirk grew larger as Nightshade visibly flinched. “You’ve finally met a pony… that’s not buying anything you’re selling… none of it, what-so-ever.”

Nightshade blinked rapidly and shook her head as she took a step back, giving Silver a look that he had not seen yet. It was almost as if she was afraid.

“And if that’s bothering you…” Silver parted his lips to reveal a grin of confidence that heavily contrasted with how broken he looked. “Then I’m winning.”

“RRRAAAAHHH!!!!” Nightshade lunged forward and punched wildly at Silver. It was shaky and inaccurate, but still caught Silver in the chest. Silver grunted loudly and stumbled several steps backwards before falling on his plot, but he braced himself and remained upright, standing up slowly as Nightshade stomped towards him. “I guess we’ll just have to go for a different definition of broken then!!!!” she snarled as she glared and trudged on. “You know ‘what’s a shame?’ An old husk of a stallion that can’t seem to understand how POINTLESS his actions are!” she barked as she stopped right in front of him.

“Are you…” Silver spoke in between wheezes and pants. “Not even listening to me?” he asked as Nightshade froze and cocked her head to the side while scrunching her brow. “My actions are far from pointless.”

“Oh? Enlighten me!” Nightshade demanded, clearly shooting from the hip since Silver had more than made it clear where he stood. But he had her on the ropes, he had gotten in her head and he wasn’t stopping.

“I’m fighting for something…” he said as he took a deep breath and stopped panting. “For beliefs, friends, and family. Those things will always keep me going… and will always get me back on my hooves no matter how many times I’m knocked down. I have a lot that I care about… and a lot I would die for. That… is real strength.”

Nightshade just stared at him, leaning her neck back and scrunching her face as if she couldn’t understand a word he was saying.

So… Silver went for the jugular.

“What about you?” he asked. The question hit Nightshade like a brick to the face. Her eyes widened, but her mouth slammed shut. “Do you fight for anything? Anypony?” Silver asked as he forced his body to move and started slowly, shakily walking towards her. She took a step backwards, her crystals retreating behind her as if hiding, reacting to her demeanor. “What drives you? What do you care about?” he pressed as he kept moving slowly and she kept moving back in sync.

“I… uh…!” she frantically started speaking but went nowhere as she stuttered and babbled in the attempt. Silver stopped moving, causing Nightshade’s back hoof to slip and she nearly fell backwards, just barely catching herself in time.

“Nothing, eh?” Silver lifted his brow. “You really have nothing to fight for?”

“YOU!!!!!” Nightshade stomped both of her hooves down, glaring and growling, but it looked incredibly forced. She also didn’t follow up. She just stood there after the fact. Silver stood firm, shaking his head slowly.

“How sad… With nothing to fight for you can never beat me. You can kill me, sure… but it will do nothing for you,” he stopped shaking his head and tipped his head. “Now who seems pointless?”

“SHUT UP!!” Nightshade suddenly burst forward. Silver braced himself as Nightshade rammed him, driving his shoulder as hard as she could into his chest. Silver grinded his teeth together as he was hit, a very sharp pain accompanied with a loud POP coming from his chest as he was sent tumbling backwards. “SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!” Nightshade yelled continuously, her voice completely devoid of her usual confidence or sly tone. It was replaced with a screeching rasp like she was really forcing her voice to the limit.

She kept moving as Silver fell, staying with him, punching and kicking him continuously while he was down. Each hit pushed him further and further back as he grunted. Nightshade eventually reached down, hoisted him up, and threw him roughly towards a nearby cliff wall, slamming him against it before turning her crystals towards him. Each one fired a single beam as she fired her eyebeams, five streams of magic striking him and smashing him hard against the cliff.

“HRGGHH!!!” Silver gasped as he fell in a heap on the ground beside the wall. He remained down for a moment, his chest burning as he felt his heartbeat quicken. He reached a hoof up and grasped his chest, twitching as he felt more than one source of pain.

It seemed like his heart medication had finally fallen behind how much strain he was putting himself. That mixed with the body blow he just received made it almost unbearable. He was sure something in his chest had strained or maybe even fractured, but he wasn’t sure what. The pain was spread around his upper body with no specific point hurting. His heart thumping hard in his chest only made the feeling worse as he felt each pump pushed against his flaring nerves.

But even with all of that clawing at him, he still managed to hold it in. He could hear Nightshade breathing heavily and slightly unevenly behind him, almost hyperventilating. He was getting to her, he was getting in her head and she was snapping. Was that going to help him win? Not likely, but he knew going in that his chances were slim. She was going to beat him mercilessly either way, so if he was going to go down, he’d break her in the process.

“HRRMM!!!” Silver grunted as his heart suddenly throbbed, the beats becoming uneven for a moment before becoming steady again. Now he just needed to not internally break down while he was at it. As soon as his heartbeat calmed… for the most part, he rolled onto his stomach, placing a hoof on the cliff wall as he stood up to brace himself.

“NO! NO DAMMIT! WILL YOU JUST STAY DOWN AND GIVE IN!?” she demanded.

Silver found himself grinning as he continued to force his body up. Nightshade was desperate. It had gotten to a point where she was asking him to do what she wanted.

“NO!” Nightshade yelled again, but remained where she was. “NO! NO! NO! You’re supposed to be in pain!” she shouted without provocation, almost sounding like a filly having a temper tantrum.

Silver finally got up, panting and wheezing, holding a hoof over his heart as it continued to beat erratically every couple of seconds. He turned and looked at Nightshade, looking her over as she stood still with her hooves set, but her body shuddering and her teeth grinding together. Silver simply shook his head.

“If only you could see how you look right now,” Silver began, twitching as his heart pounded, each beat sending a shock of pain through his body that he suppressed through pure force of will. Nightshade quietly growled continuously, but didn’t move or retort. “You’re not getting what you want and you’re throwing a fit. It’s not that fun when things don’t go your way… is that it?”

“I… STOP IT!” Nightshade shouted back, but Silver didn’t let up.

“It’s all for personal pleasure through the pain or fear of others… and when that’s taken away… you have nothing,” Silver paused to grit his teeth and cringe, taking a few breaths while clutching his chest until his heart finally calmed down again. “You don’t even know why you fight. You don’t even know what you believe in.” He could hear Nightshade’s growl growing steadily louder as he spoke. “You have no rhyme or reason… No justification… No story behind your actions… You’re walking in the dark with no sense of direction,” he slowly shook his head as Nightshade’s anger seemed to reach its boiling point. “There is nothing… you have nothing at all. You’re blind.”

Nightshade roared out, rushing at him and slamming a hoof into his chest.

“ARGH!” Silver grunted as the pain in his chest surged, but was quickly distracted as Nightshade tipped him up and slammed his back against the cliff wall behind him, pinning him there. Silver slammed his eyes shut, grinding his teeth as Nightshade applied heavy pressure over his already burning chest. He forced his eyes open to see Nightshade holding him while pulling back her free hoof.

“WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW?!” she yelled, spraying saliva on Silver’s face. “YOU DON’T KNOW ME!” she yelled while punching Silver hard in the stomach, right in the diaphragm.

“GHUK!” Silver exhaled, his eyes bulging out as every bit of air was forced out of his lungs again, his heart beating hard, and the added pressure of Nightshade’s hoof making it more painful than anything he had felt yet.

“NO REASON?! NO STORY?!” she yelled as he punched him in the stomach again. Silver coughed hard, a little bit of blood sputtering from his throat and dripping from his lips. Nightshade pulled back her hoof again and glared as Silver looked right back up, his eyes remaining defiant. “YOU THINK NOTHING DRIVES ME?! FINE! I’LL TELL YOU A ‘STORY!’”

Silver was powerless, he kept grabbing at her arm, but he had no strength to pry it off. He was short on breath, his heart was beating painfully fast, and his whole chest was burning from the extra pressure.

“ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A LITTLE FILLY!” Nightshade began, her voice wild and out of control as she punched Silver across the face. “SHE HAD NO MOTHER! JUST A FATHER! A FATHER WHO TREATED HER LIKE A CURSE!” She crossed her hoof over her chest and struck Silver the other direction across the face with the back of her hoof. “HE BLAMED EVERYTHING ON HER! HE KICKED HER, PUNCHED HER, AND BEAT HER EVERY TIME SOMETHING IN HIS LIFE WENT WRONG! EVEN IF SHE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!” She threw Silver down to the ground.

“GRH!” Silver gasped as he hit the ground, pushing his hooves down to rise as he coughed blood onto the surface beneath him, but Nightshade reached down, picked him right back up, and shoved him right back against the cliff.

“IT NEVER CHANGED! AND IT GOT TO A POINT WHERE THIS PITIFUL LITTLE FILLY BEGAN TO THINK SHE WAS THE PROBLEM! HER FATHER MADE HER BELIEVE IT!” she continued to scream into his face and then headbutted him right in the nose. “THE ONLY TASTE OF COMPASSION SHE EVER HAD WAS HER GRANDFATHER!” Nightshade suddenly shifted subjects while shaking Silver and pounding his back against the wall. “HE SEEMED SO STRANGE, SO BACKWARDS BECAUSE OF HOW HER FATHER TREATED HER! BUT DEEP DOWN, SHE LIKED IT! IT WAS THE ONLY THING THAT FELT GOOD!”

“RGGHHH!!!!” Silver clasped his hooves around her arm and tried with all his might to push her off, but it was useless.

“AND THEN ONE DAY HER GRANDFATHER WAS GONE! AND GUESS WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?!” she punched Silver across the face again, causing his hooves to rip free of her arm. “HER FATHER BEAT HER HARDER THAN HE EVER HAD BEFORE! SHE HAD NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED, BUT HE BLAMED IT ON HER!” Nightshade’s voice sounded like it was choking up. “IT WAS ONLY AFTER THAT SHE LEARNED ABOUT HER GRANDFATHER… AND THAT WAS THE END OF IT!”

Silver opened his eyes and stared through Nightshade’s goggles, but despite the wavering sound of her voice, there was no sign or trace of tears.

“THE FILLY RAN AWAY FROM HOME! SHE RAN AWAY THAT NIGHT AND NEVER LOOKED BACK! SHE THREW HERSELF ONTO THE STREETS OF CANTERLOT TO REMOVE HERSELF FROM HER FATHER’S LIFE!” She pressed her hoof harder to Silver’s chest. “AFTER ALL, SHE WAS THE PROBLEM! THAT’S THE ONLY WAY SHE KNEW HOW TO FEEL! WHY STAY IF SHE WAS THE REASON FOR EVERYTHING GOING WRONG?!”

She unloaded on Silver, hitting him constantly and continuously, punching him in the face, the chest and the stomach, rapidly and relentlessly with her free hoof. Silver took every blow, shutting his eyes and tensing his body as much as he could, taking the punishment to the point where his body started going numb on him, the constant, rapid thumping of his heart the only thing he could still feel.

But then Nightshade’s attacks slowed down. She kept throwing them, but they became weaker, eventually turning into light taps as she stopped. She was panting heavily, her breath splashing against Silver’s face as she kept him pinned.

Silver’s body hurt so much that he couldn’t barely muster the will to open his eyes, his head tilting down with blood dripping from both his mouth and nose. Regardless… Nightshade continued.

“After a few days on the streets, alone… the filly finally snapped. She realized that anything she liked turned into a problem, nothing that made her feel good ever lasted long enough for her to enjoy it, always ending in pain. Love? Family? Friends? They were all LIES! Lies that only made her WEAK! She didn’t need anypony!”

Silver slowly opened his eyes, still looking down as he took in everything Nightshade was saying.

“Fending for herself taught her that she couldn’t rely on anypony… only herself! She could see how fake everypony around her was and it became so satisfying to tear them down… to pry the lies they told themselves out of them and watch them crumble under their own emotions! ‘Love’ and ‘friends’ meant nothing to them in the face of their fears and insecurities! It was pathetic… but so satisfying!”

Silver slowly began to look up, Nightshade’s face slowly coming into view, still devoid of sadness despite the tone of complete and utter agony in her voice… as if she didn’t even know how to cry.

“And guess what?! That filly had finally found something that she loved! Being strong, being powerful, being more than other ponies could handle, asserting her dominance over them every chance she got! The sight of others bending to her will made her tingle with delight! She owed nopony anything, but took from them, EVERYTHING! And if they resisted, she’d slowly break them down, INCH BY INCH!”

Silver stared at her as she stopped and started breathing hard as if trying to catch her breath before continuing, but Silver hardened his expression and furrowed his brow, giving her a look of disapproval that she wouldn’t expect… but seemed to need.

“So…” Silver spoke up, his voice raspy from coughing up blood. “Is this going somewhere?”

“WHAT?!” Nightshade’s eyes went wide behind her goggles, her jaw dropping in disbelief as Silver bared his teeth and growled.

“So let me get this straight,” he said as he glared hard at her. “You had a hard, unfortunate life… and decided, because of that, to ruin the lives of others instead of looking for a way to better your own?” his eyes widened slightly but held the glare as she growled and pushed him harder against the wall. Silver cringed, but refused to yield. “You’re little tale doesn’t add up either!” he continued with a grunt. “If you really didn’t need anypony, then why did you join Descent and Starry Skies?”

“THEY FOLLOWED ME!” Nightshade immediately yelled, not even letting a second pass as if it wasn’t the first time she had heard the question… or she was waiting for it.

“But you didn’t leave them behind,” Silver quickly added while lifting an eyebrow. Nightshade opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Silver cornered her on that one instantly.

“I… YOU…” she began to stutter while growling. “YOU… YOU SON OF A…!”

“You like being strong?” Silver cut her off. “You’re far from it. You’re denying your lack of reason and covering up your actions as retribution of some kind… when nopony you act against deserves any of it. You even go as far as disguising it under the false pretense of personal pleasure—GRK!” Silver choked as Nightshade reached forward and pressed a hoof against his neck, but he didn’t stop. It was much harder to talk, but he would not be silenced. “Nothing about you is strong…” he went on, his voice weaker with the extra pressure on his throat, but still filled with the same determination. “You are as weak as they come. Even the power flowing through you is fake… and not yours. It’s all a lie,” Silver paused and stared at Nightshade for several moments, neither of them making any moves. “How much longer are you going to be dishonest with yourself?”

“Say one more word…” Nightshade growled. “I swear… one more word, and I’m KILLING you!”

“If you really believed I’m wrong, you would have done it already,” Silver kept his glare steady, completely shaking off the threat. “And if you do now… you’re only hiding from the truth… again. It will only prove my point, and you know it.”

“GRRRRGHH!!!!” Nightshade growled loudly, pressing her hoof harder to Silver’s throat. Silver sputtered and coughed, but refused to drop the defiant glare.

“Well?” Silver barely got out, his voice hindered and very raspy. “Go on…” his glare sharpened. “KILL ME!”

Nightshade suddenly stopped growling, furrowed her brow, and scrunched her face, her expression a little shaky as her crystals came to life.

“I’ll see you in hell,” she said calmly as the crystals began to glow. Silver’s eyes slowly looked back and forth at the crystals before fixing back on her. Even with the attack approaching, he didn’t show any fear, grunting as Nightshade increased the pressure on his neck further, barely allowing him to speak.

“And I’ll… See… You… THERE!”

---

Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and the rest of the Wonderbolts all watched…

They watched in absolute shock and horror…

As Nightshade fired Shadow’s Burst Wave at point blank.

It was easily three times stronger than they had ever seen it, immediately crashing against Silver, pushing him THROUGH the cliff wall, and digging a tunnel into it.

Nightshade screamed and roared, her aura dancing wildly as the wave grew larger, pounding harder into the cave it was now digging out. Her crystals grew brighter and brighter, sending a volley of spheres and a spray of pin needles into the opening, adding it to the barrage. Eventually she stopped, and called on three globes, the large collections of her magic popping up from the ground before all three of them shot into the tunnel, a massive explosion following that rocked the entire canyon, bursts of pink energy erupting from the ground around it, popping out around the cliff and above it as the ground shook and several weak rock formations nearby collapsed.

And as the cacophony finally ceased…

Everypony was left in silence.

The wails of pain had stopped, every single Wonderbolt gone numb to it as they stared towards Nightshade, their jaws dropped open and in complete and utter denial…

Because none of them, absolutely none of them…

Wanted to believe they just saw what happened.

There was no trace of Silver left.

All they could see was Nightshade standing in front of a cliff wall that had a large cave now carved into it, and the surrounding wall riddled with holes from the explosion. Nightshade stumbled backward, hyperventilating as her aura flickered all around her. She held her hooves to her head and shook while groaning painfully, turning sharply to face the rest of them as she continuously grunted. She looked lost, confused, and unsure, but she began trudging towards the Wonderbolts regardless. She took very, very slow steps, barely one step every ten seconds as if she was having trouble controlling her body. But there was an undeniable look in her eyes… one of bloodlust that was in need of satiating.

But despite the sight… none of the Wonderbolts were looking at her.

Every single one of them was staring at the massive hole blown into the cliff wall.

The last place any of them saw Silver.

“N…no…” Rainbow Dash was the only one to find her voice, but it was weak and broken. She collapsed to the ground, giving up her fight against the magic aura. “No… No… No…” she kept repeating as tears began to well up in her eyes. “Silver… No…”

---

Within the newly dug out cave, it was pitch black. The hole had been dug so deep that the light from its mouth failed to reach all the way back.

But then an odd purple light filled the room as a bear paw stuck out of the wall and held a sphere of chaos magic, filling up the immediate area with its dim light.

Discord slowly stepped out of the wall, his face scrunched up, and his eyes looking around. They landed on a pile of rocks nearby… with a grey hoof sticking out of them.

“Hmph…” he grunted with a hint of displeasure as he reached his other arm forward, a purple aura surrounding both of his horns as well as the arm. The light jumped from him over to the rocks, surrounding several of them before kicking them all aside.

Beneath them was Silver.

His body was beaten and smashed, completely covered in blood and bruises. His suit was almost completely torn apart, only a few tattered pieces still clinging to him. Both of Silver’s eyes were closed, but blood was pouring from Silver’s right eye.

Discord just stared for a few moments, narrowing his eyes. A soft purple glow shone from them as he scanned Silver’s frame… and then he grunted again.

“Unbelievable… All that and yet still just barely clinging to life…” Discord said out loud as he observed the just barely visible movement in Silver’s chest, the weakest breaths imaginable still slipping from Silver’s nose and mouth.

Discord just observed Silver for a few moments before snorting.

“I know you’re here… by the way,” Discord suddenly said, without looking away from Silver. Discord waited several moments for a response, glancing away from Silver as a few snowflakes began to fall around him, fluttering back and forth as they descended slowly. “You confuse me…” Discord continued. “If you’re gung ho about being defiant and doing whatever you like, then why did you wait until now?” Discord looked up as a new source of light made itself present. A small ball of white light floated above his head before slowly dropping down in front of Discord’s face. Discord remained silent for a moment before furrowing his brow. “I’ll never understand how you think,” Discord hissed while shaking his head. He turned around, facing away from the light and Silver before releasing a sigh. “Then again… That’s why I never beat you… isn’t it?”

The ball of light grew brighter.

Discord scoffed and stuck his tongue out of his mouth, flicking it like a snake tongue.

“Yes, yes… I admitted it… okay? Just…” Discord placed a hand over his face and sighed again, rubbing his eyes. “Just get on with it before I have the urge to argue with you again…”

He said nothing else. Discord turned towards the cave wall and started walking, disappearing through the wall.

---

“Silver…”

“Grh… ah…” Silver twitched. He slowly regained consciousness, or at least he thought. Aside from apparently waking up, he couldn’t feel or see anything. He couldn’t even tell if he was alive or not.

“Silver…”

But regardless, he was hearing something… was it in his head? Was it around him? He had no idea. His senses were completely shot.

“Silver Lining…”

But he was definitely hearing a voice. Not knowing where he was, or if he was alive, all he had was something… that was calling his name.

“Hrrrrghhhhhh…” Silver groaned, but his body didn’t move. He had nothing left. No strength and no will. It didn’t even feel like he had a body anymore.

“Silver, open your eyes…”

Whatever the voice was… it was very… encouraging and warm. It caressed Silver’s ears… it made him feel safe. He suddenly had the urge to listen to it… to do as it instructed. He tried with all of his might to open his eyes… but his right eye refused. An intense pressure filled his head as he tried, as if his body was still trying to feel pain, but couldn’t. So instead, he focused everything he had into his left eye, forcing it to open very, very slowly.

“Good… very good…” the voice approved as Silver’s vision remained incredibly blurry, slowly focusing. There wasn’t much to see as he regained vision. He was in a tunnel… with something lighting up the area around him. He couldn’t see anything else. That was at least until…

A… snowflake landed on his nose? Silver’s eye fixed on the tiny snowflake as it landed perfectly upright and spun elegantly before fading.

The light in the cave suddenly brightened considerably, causing Silver to squint his left eye for a moment. When his eye adjusted to the light… Silver saw what looked like a bright, white silhouette of a hoof.

“Wh…” Silver’s voice cracked and sputtered as his curiosity fueled him, he managed to just barely move his neck as he continued to look up, struggling as his body shook. “Wh…who?”

He was delirious, confused, and barely conscious… so he wasn’t sure if what he was looking at was real, or something from his imagination.

Standing before him, was a pony… or at least what looked like a pony. A bright, white, glowing silhouette of a pegasus stallion. It tipped its head down, looking right at Silver, but it had no eyes, the top half of its face glowing brighter than the rest of it with an ethereal mane flowing behind it, riddled with the same snowflakes that fell around it.

“Silver… you have to get up…” the stallion spoke, its mouth not moving as the words entered Silver’s head.

“I… what…?” Silver blinked once, very slowly, his head swaying back and forth as he struggled to keep it tipped up. The voice was filling him with a strange sense of urgency… as if he wanted to obey it, as if he wanted to agree and do everything it said. But… his body was done. There was just no way. “I…” Silver sputtered his body twitching as he felt a pressure well up in his chest. “I… ARRRGHHHH…!” he groaned in pain as his chest began to feel incredibly tight. His head immediately tipped down, his chin hitting the floor as he panted and started coughing.

“Silver… please…” the voice continued. “You can’t give up… they need you…”

“My…” Silver managed to say as he shook. “My body… I can’t…” Silver coughed again, blood spraying from his mouth. He could barely feel any of it, but his body was breaking down, he was feeling weaker and weaker by the second. “I can’t… even… move…” his voice rasped, barely managing a whisper. “I’m… I’m dying… I can’t… I’m… not… going to… make it…”

“SILVER LINING!” The voice suddenly boomed, echoing throughout the tunnel. “THAT’S ENOUGH!”

Silver’s eye went wide, a sudden need to respond giving him the ability to look up as he kept his hoof on his chest, panted and wheezed. The stallion was looking down at him with a frown, but even though it had no eyes, it seemed as if it was glaring at him?

Not only that… but the voice… the way it just yelled at him… Silver felt like he had heard that voice before… like it was suddenly becoming recognizable.

“I must be hearing things!” the voice continued. “Have you gone soft over the years? You didn’t stay down when Rainbow Dash was in danger against Sin! So why are you giving up now?!”

Silver’s ears perked up. He had heard that voice before, but it couldn’t be…

The stallion turned his side to Silver, facing the wall.

“I don’t remember teaching you how to give up,” the voice suddenly said, Silver flinched, a weak gasp escaping his throat. “The Silver Lining I know would never stay down as long as he still has a breath left in his body!” The stallion turned back forward as Silver looked back up at it, the pupil in his left eye shrinking. “Or did that change too?”

Silver felt as if his life was flashing before his eyes… but it wasn’t because he felt like he’d take his last breath at any moment.

Everything… Absolutely everything was replaying in his mind. Everything he had learned, everything he had known, everything he had experienced… and specifically… everything about the one pony that made it all possible.

Silver felt a sudden surge of new strength in his body, but it wasn’t the kind he had to spare… it was the kind that was born of determination and renewed willpower. He slowly moved his hooves and placed them on the ground, trying to move himself as the stallion stared at him.

“It… can’t be…” Silver blinked, staring in disbelief at the stallion as he heard a voice he thought he’d never hear again. “It’s not possible…”

“You’ve been fighting so hard for so long, Silver…” the stallion continued as Silver began pressing his hooves against the ground… but failed to move himself at all. “You’ve been pushing back against the rules and never quitting…” the stallion nodded as Silver grunted and gasped. “You’re not going to let that all end now, are you?” The stallion tipped its head to the side. “‘I can’t?’ ‘I’m dying?’ ‘I’m not going to make it?’” The stallion shook his head. “Don’t EVER say those kinds of things!”

Silver gritted his teeth… and he began to growl, roaring out with whatever voice he had left as he pressed down and slowly began to rise.

“I… I…!” Silver sputtered as his arms and legs shook, as he forced himself up slowly but surely with all of his might.

“You’re risking everything for what you believe and what you care about… NEVER stop short! There’s ALWAYS a reason to keep going!” the stallion kept encouraging as it stood before him and watched Silver rise.

“If… I… Can…” Silver began chanting. “Get… Up…!” he grunted and slammed his teeth shut for a moment. “JUST… ONE… MORE… TIME…!” Silver got halfway up, but then grunted… and got stuck. He pushed and pushed, but he just couldn’t go any further.

But then the stallion reached out a hoof and grabbed Silver’s left arm, picking it up and holding onto it.

“You can do it, Silver! Don’t let anything keep you down!” the stallion encouraged as he held on, not providing any assistance, just giving Silver something else to push on.

“RRRRGGGGGGGAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!” Silver roared as he forced every inch of effort into it.

“IF… I…” Silver started yelling. “CAN BE… A WONDERBOLT…” he started encouraging himself. “FOR JUST… ONE… MORE… DAY!!!!!!!!!!” Silver’s hoof closed tightly around the stallion’s. “AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Silver did it. He was back up on his hooves, standing upright, but shaking and wobbling. He panted and wheezed, his body still devoid of all feeling. He couldn’t see out of his right eye, his heart pounded in his chest violently, and he was having a hard time breathing.

But he was up.

Everything that was currently wrong with his body demanded that he stay down… but he defied it, and stood up… with a little outside help and encouragement. He now stood eye level with the glowing, white stallion, whose mouth curled up into a smile as Silver stared at him with only one eye.

“Everything you’ve fought so hard for…” the stallion spoke again. “Has brought you to this point.” The stallion let go of Silver’s hoof and let him stand all on his own power. “Come with me… Silver. Your work isn’t done yet…” the stallion nodded. “And we NEVER quit—”

“Until the job… is done…” Silver cut him off, finishing the sentence for him. The stallion’s mouth immediately turned into a large grin. It slowly stepped forward, walking towards, and phasing completely into Silver. Silver didn’t feel anything, but a strange warmth filled his frantically beating heart. A bright, white glow surrounded him, the falling snowflakes swirling around his body as he looked himself over. He felt no different, his body was just as broken as it was before the stallion stepped forward, but he felt a strange urge… an urge to move forward… and urge to not give up, as if somepony was holding his hoof and nudging him forward towards what he really wanted.

“Get out there, kid!” the stallion’s voice echoed in Silver’s head. “I’ll be right behind you!”

Silver took a sharp breath as he felt an overwhelming sense of nostalgia fill him from head to hoof. He looked forward and towards the mouth of the tunnel that seemed so far away.

“C…Captain…” Silver said weakly as he took his first, hard step forward. A tear welled up in his eye and slowly trickled down his cheek as he took another step. “I won’t… let you down!”

---

Nightshade’s eyes twitched, her teeth grinding together to the point of almost squeaking as she slowly kept on her path back towards the Wonderbolts. Her body language suggested something was wrong with her, but there was no sign of her magic being out of control or going haywire.

The probable seemed to be her, herself, but it looked like she had no idea why or was trying to ignore it.

She looked confused and angry as every step she took slammed to the ground roughly, a grunt of dissatisfaction paired with each one. Every few strides, she released a louder, angry grunt, followed by her shaking her head roughly.

In short, she looked like an utter mess. Everything that had just happened had clearly had an effect on her she didn’t understand or was trying to hide from.

But despite the odd demeanor and movement of Nightshade, none of the Wonderbolts were looking at her. She snarled and glared as not a single pair of eyes rested on her… they were all looking towards where she had just blown Silver to smithereens. Silver had turned everything she liked to do on its head and used her own tactics against her, in a way. She was still trying to wrap her head around it, having never been played like that before. Silver was the first pony she ever faced that took that approach and it was devastating. It almost scared her how much it got to her… but it didn’t matter… he was dead.

Yet even though he was dead, it was as if he still remained, not only in her head, but his presence without as well. None of the Wonderbolts were looking at her in fear of her approach. They were all looking where he last was. Not only that, but they were no longer reacting to the magic surrounding them, all of them entirely focused on Silver.

Silver…

Silver…

Silver…

Silver, Silver, Silver, Silver, Silver…

“That… does it!” Nightshade growled to herself, her aura flickering to life around her, her crystals shaking, matching her body as it shuddered with anger. “EVERYPONY dies now! And I won’t have to fucking think about him anymore!” she continued to grumble loudly.

But then she blinked as the Wonderbolts all suddenly gasped, or reacted in some way… and it wasn’t because of her. They were all still looking behind her… but what had caught their interest?

Realization hit Nightshade hard. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she observed the Wonderbolts, some of their expressions turning up from shock to surprise, or even happiness?

“No… No, no, no, HELL no!” Nightshade said to herself as she slowly turned around. Her eyes grew even wider, surpassing the narrowed frames of her Shadowbolt goggles as they landed on the cave she left behind with her attack.

There was a bright, white light shining from the inside… The clip-clop of hooves and the sounds of labored grunts echoing from within.

“You can’t be SERIOUS!” Nightshade yelled as she turned around and stumbled a few steps backwards, shaking her head continuously. But as much as she wanted to believe she was imagining things and Silver was gone for good, no longer able to get in her head… a grey hoof reached out… and grabbed the mouth of the cave.

Nightshade’s ears flopped down and her pupils shrank.

“What… in Equestria?!”

Silver stepped out into the open… body brutally beaten, bruised, and bloody, but held himself strong as he glared at her with one eye… surrounded in a white, radiant aura.

---

Silver stared straight forward, his one good eye locked on Nightshade and nopony else. He slowly walked out of the cave, starting each step with a heavy breath and tremendous effort, but each step was powered not with strength, but with will. Willpower that had been restored by something he didn’t quite understand, yet trusted because it spoke to him with a voice that was once long gone from his life… The voice that helped shape him into the pony he had become and the pony he’d want to be remembered as.

The voice had gone silent since Silver started walking, but he didn’t feel alone. There was something with him, a presence that was embracing him. The white light surrounding him felt warm and encouraging, like a quiet muse constantly whispering to him that it believed in him, that it knew he could keep going.

With such encouraging words and such strong determination his injuries held little power over him. His body felt absolutely broken, barely anything moving or working the way it was supposed to, but he forced it to move regardless. His heart was beating harder than it ever had, refusing to calm down, but he fought back against the pressure.

There was only one thing on his mind…

His family was in trouble… and he had to keep fighting for them.

Silver’s glare hardened, his left eye narrowing as he stared towards an incredulous and perplexed Nightshade. Her posture and body language were all over the place, giving off an air of uncertainty as she looked upon the sight of Silver up and walking despite the state of his body… with an almost otherworldly spiritual glow surrounding him.

“What the hell?! How… What… WHY…?” Nightshade stuttered as she continued to stumble slightly backwards. “What the hell is going on?!” she kept questioning without any source of answer, but even if he wanted to respond, Silver himself wouldn’t have been able to explain.

He simply knew that there was a force welling from deep within his chest that gave him the will and the means to move… and he would use it for one thing…

Defending his family from Nightshade.

“Grrr…. GRRRAAAAHHHGGGG!!!!!” Nightshade growled, shaking her head out as she set her hooves and shot Silver a wild, bestial glare that radiated of fed up rage. “NO!” she yelled, nearly foaming at the mouth. “NO! NO! NO! JUST GO AWAY AND GET OUT OF MY HEAD!” she yelled, throwing heavy demands, but not actually making any moves. She kept staring and breathing heavily, her chest expanding and contracting as an aura erupted around her, her crystals orbiting slowly, but shaking as if showing an inner fear that she was trying to hide. “What the hell ARE you?!”

Silver didn’t budge, flinch or take one step back as Nightshade yelled.

Instead he took another step forward.

“Everything that you refuse to see…” Silver replied quietly, but with words that jabbed right through Nightshade’s chest.

“RRRAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!” Nightshade roared as she put her head down, slammed her eyes shut and leaned back. Her head snapped up and puffs of steam shot from her nostrils as she launched forward, releasing an unnatural battle cry as she surged towards Silver, pumping her wings as hard as she could.

At that moment, Silver felt like time slowed down in front of him…

And the voice of his mentor began to echo in his head.

“Listen carefully… Silver…” the voice began. “It never matters how long you’ve fought or how advanced your opponent… The basics will always be relevant… and will always serve you well. So let’s go over everything we know. The most important part of combat is…?”

“Self-defense!” Silver yelled as he gritted his teeth, anchored his back hooves into the ground and tipped up.

Nightshade pulled back and delivered a heavy punch forward, but Silver caught it in both of his hooves, grunting loudly as his nearly broken legs held strong. His back hooves skidded back as he stopped Nightshade’s momentum and she fell back to the ground, her back hooves touching down as she stared in disbelief at Silver’s hooves clutching her arm.

“HNNNRGGHH!!!” Silver growled while pushing back, shoving Nightshade backwards. She stumbled a little, but immediately caught herself and lunged forward again with a wide left hook that swung towards Silver’s face.

Again… everything seemed to slow down.

“It’s my job to whip you into shape and make sure that you’re ready and able to fight any opponent!” the voice spoke up again. “We are warriors at heart, not soldiers… and warriors must know how to defend themselves…”

Silver blinked, his eyes looking past Nightshade and towards the fallen Wonderbolts.

“Before they can defend others!” Silver yelled as he pushed off his hooves and swung his right arm out, meeting Nightshade’s attack from a downward angle. He batting her arm up over his head before falling forward and ramming her with his shoulder, knocking Nightshade away from him again. Nightshade slammed her hooves to the ground, her crystals glowing brightly and her aura exploding upwards.

“I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!” she yelled as her crystals clasped around her hoof and Blade’s sword extended from it. “RRRRAAAHHH!!!!!” she roared as she surged forward and wound up a swing.

Everything slowed down for Silver.

“Now, Silver… let’s review the rules of combat…” the voice echoed in his head as Silver’s eyes locked on the sword coming right towards his neck. “Rule number one…?”

Silver’s eye refocused on Nightshade.

“Never be afraid of your opponent!” he yelled as he leaned forward, going right at her despite the threat of the sword. He shifted right and angled his shoulder directly into her hoof, just barely avoiding contact with the sword as he fell against her, forcing open his right wing to bounce her off of him and push her up onto her back hooves.

“It doesn’t matter how big, strong, or fast they are…” the voice went on. “If you fear them, you lose the battle before it even begins.”

“OOF!” Nightshade grunted, losing her focus on the sword and tumbled backwards as Silver stumbled forward with her. Nightshade’s out of control flailing sent her right over onto her back, the sword dissipating and the crystals dropping to the ground beside her. Silver finally got control of himself again, stopping himself and standing right over her, staring down as the white light danced around him.

“Rule number two…?”

Nightshade’s eyes shot open as she peered up at Silver, her eyes filled with dread as if she was looking at a nightmare.

“Intimidation will always win!” Silver yelled down at her.

“Wh…what?! Who are you talking too?!” Nightshade asked as she shimmied herself backwards in a frantic attempt to free herself from beneath him.

“It doesn’t matter if the intimidation is in the form of threatening you opponent… or taking and returning the threat right back at them. Force your will onto your opponent and let them KNOW you will fight!”

Nightshade blinked and shook her head out as she growled, rolled over, and kicked her back leg out, sweeping it out and knocking Silver’s legs out from underneath him. Silver tipped over, falling as Nightshade pushed up and into the air, falling back towards him to stomp down over the top.

Silver was inches from the ground when everything slowed down.

“Rule number three…?”

Silver gritted his teeth, straining his right arm and leg out just in time to slam the hooves to the ground and prevent himself from landing defenseless on the ground.

“Never… go to the ground!” Silver yelled as he pushed himself up and just barely shifted out of the way in time, avoiding Nightshade as she slammed down and nearly broke through the solid ground beneath her.

“A wall that’s knocked down no longer stands in the way of those it was halting…” the voice spoke as Silver caught himself out of a stumble, his eye pointing towards Soarin and Dash for a moment before he turned himself and stood firmly with himself between them and Nightshade. “If you go to the ground, you are giving your opponent a perfect opportunity to knock you out, severely injure you… or worse.” Silver gritted his teeth and snarled quietly as he thought about what Nightshade had done to Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and the rest of the Wonderbolts, but the light suddenly grew slightly brighter, Silver blinking as Nightshade started charging at him again. “Careful Silver… What’s rule number four?” the voice asked. Silver tipped his head down slightly, removing his eye from Nightshade for an instant.

“Never fight angry…” Silver said to himself as he looked up, and hardened his face, remaining calm as Nightshade rushed at him.

“Controlling your emotions is essential to survival…” the voice reminded him. “A level head gives the means to victory against those who lose control. No Wonderbolt is perfect, Silver… not even those of us who have been around the longest. Intense emotions can lead to critical mistakes… and you will pay for them.”

Silver’s eye widened slightly as Nightshade suddenly vanished in a pink flash of light. Several clones of her suddenly popped up all around him, shooting about in circles around him. There were six of them, no way to tell them apart as they shot to and fro. Silver had little means of tracking them, already at a disadvantage with only one eye. The clones suddenly all turned in and surged towards him, the pink streak of light trailing behind them as they closed the gap between them in the blink of an eye. It was the same supersonic speed boost she had shown earlier, the one that Silver failed to see or stop… and this time it was from every direction.

“Rule number five…” the voice called to Silver. Silver immediately focused, opening his right wing.

“Learn from defeat!” Silver’s feathers twitched as he used his one good eye and his one good wing together… to perfectly deduce Nightshade’s exact movement and momentum. Only one of the Nightshade’s was causing a distortion in the air flow around him… and it was the one immediately to his right! He shifted, reached up, and grabbed the extended arm of the real Nightshade.

“WHAT THE…?!” Nightshade gasped, her loss of focus causing the rest of the clones to flicker and burst into light.

“You don’t experience defeat the first time you lose to a specific opponent…You are defeated if you lose to them again…”

“HRGGHH!!!!” Silver pulled Nightshade right over his shoulder, letting go and turning her momentum with her. She fell out of the air and hit the ground, bouncing along until coming to a stop. She immediately sat up and stared at Silver in disbelief.

“You must analyze and adapt to your enemies…”

Silver glared towards her and slowly started walking towards her, Nightshade simply staring, shaking because she didn’t know what she was dealing with. He attacks were fierce, but they didn’t seem to work even though Silver was a broken mess, it was madness to her. Her uncertainty and lack of focus seemed to prevent her from simply calling upon power and skill that she could easily use to crush him. Something was holding her back, something that scared her, something she couldn’t figure out… and Silver could see it.

“You have to figure out and exploit their weaknesses…”

Silver stopped right in front of her, staring down again as she shivered.

“What’s going on?! What’s happening?!” Nightshade shook her head as she scooted herself backwards along the ground. “How are you doing all this?!”

Silver panted and wheezed as he stood over her, his eye opening and closing as he held himself up against every part of his body screaming at him.

“Because… I can…” Silver said simply as Nightshade’s ears continuously switched between being down at the side of her head and folded over the top. She glared and growled, scampering to her hooves as she backed up and taking a defensive posture.

“NO!” she yelled. “You’re just an old, washed up, broken stallion! You’re bathing in your own blood and haven’t as much as left a single bruise on me! You are nothing! NOTHING! YOU HEAR ME?! NOTHING!”

“You’re wrong,” Silver immediately replied calmly, Nightshade flinching and shuddering as Silver held firm and stared at her, the white glowing aura gently flickering and dancing around him. “I’m everything… Everything that you hate, everything that you hide from, and everything that you don’t have. I have real ambition… real goals, real purpose…” he paused and looked over towards the Wonderbolts. “A real, true reason to fight,” he looked back down at her and shook his head. “You have none of that. Your actions are hopeless and when faced with that reality, you can’t stand it, you can’t focus… Where did all your power go? Where did all those vicious magical attacks disappear to? Could it be that your fake power relies on the very lies you keep telling yourself?” Silver narrowed his eye as Nightshade snarled at him, but failed to hide the fact that her body was trembling. Was it fear? Was it denial? Perhaps it was both. “You’re stripped of your cover-ups. I can see right through everything you are. You have nothing.”

“SHUT UP!” Nightshade yelled out again, resorting to a quick, hard retort because she had nothing to hit back with. Silver kept taking advantage of the situation.

“I have those who came before me and the lessons that they taught… things that will never fade and never crumble under you, nor your empty words of temptation and intimidation. Only cowards hide from the truth… and you’re as spineless as they come.”

Nightshade suddenly cried out with a sound like a roar mixed with a wail of despair, she tipped forward and crouched down, pounding her hooves against the ground over and over as her crystals shined brightly and her aura erupted around her, swirling madly. A massive shockwave erupted from around her. Silver grunted as the wave smashed against him, causing his hooves to skid backwards along the ground before he stumbled and was forced to regain his hoofing.

“HRG! GRH!” he twitched and winced as his wobbling legs somehow kept him upright, the only thing keeping him from falling flat was his refusal to go down… and to follow the third rule of combat.

By the time he was steady and barely bracing himself against the powerful gusts being generated by the power output, he could feel the displacement in the air. He looked up to see Nightshade launching towards him, her hooves extended forward like she wanted to grab him by the neck and strangle him.

Silver tipped to his right, using his good wing as extra support as he dipped and shifted his body, swinging his left arm out to bump Nightshade from below and knock her just enough off course for her to miss, her hooves grabbing at him and barely missing as she shot over him. Silver gasped as he stood back up, tilting his head to the right as Nightshade’s crystals shot by in her wake, one of them catching Silver on the cheek and slicing it, leaving a nasty cut. Silver shuddered as the nipping pain clawed at his face, but immediately turned himself around the best he could, watching as Nightshade zipped up into the air, arced around and shot right back at him, generating several spheres with her eyes glowing from behind her goggles as well. The spheres shot forward, spreading out in a wide formation as they rained down, Nightshade yelling out as she fired her eyebeams along with them.

“Move those hooves, Silver!” the voice echoed in his head. Silver instantly nodded while keeping his eyes trained on Nightshade.

“Yes, sir!” he yelled out as he forced his body to move. Every step was horribly uneven, every stride required tremendous effort not to fall. Silver was experiencing the worst of what he was cursing earlier, his inability to call upon the strength and prowess he once had… but he accepted that he didn’t have it. He could only work with what he had and by golly he would make it work!

The spheres began launching from the spread formation two at a time, flanking him narrowly as they surged down and pressing inward as they drew close.

Not a single one of them made their mark. Silver timed small bursts forward, always moving himself out of the way by a paper’s width, pushing his broken body far beyond its limits.

“That’s it! Keep going! Move! Move! Move! Keep fighting!” the voice coached him as he kept up his efforts. “Two hundred percent effort or no effort at all! There is no in between!”

“Hrrrrraaaaaah!” Silver roared as he focused on every step, planning ahead for the next simultaneously. Nightshade’s eyebeams were raining down around him as well, trying to trip him up as the spheres went on the offensive, but it didn’t work.

When the final pair of spheres exploded behind him. Silver looked up, his eye widening as Nightshade dove all the way down, pulled up and shot along the ground, pumping her wings and drawing magical energy into her arms like Sin was known for doing. Silver had no time to leap out of the way as she closed the gap, her hooves aimed right for his chest.

“TAKE IT HEAD ON!” the voice yelled.

Silver glared, bared his teeth, anchored his back hooves the best he could and reached both of his front hooves up. He swung them around and grabbed Nightshade’s hooves the moment they reached him, only to have his hooves and arms pressed hard to his chest.

“OOF!” Silver grunted very loudly as a heavy vibration shot through him. He was immediately driven backwards, his back legs buckling and shaking, but keeping his hooves to the ground, skidding and slipping, crackling and fracturing the rocky terrain beneath him. Nightshade was right in his face, pushing with the added strength of Sin’s technique as she roared and pumped her wings.

“PUSH BACK! PUSH BACK! PUSH! PUSH! PUSH!” the voice encouraged as Silver fought for any vantage point he could get. He gripped Nightshade’s arms as hard as he could as he growled and ground his teeth together, his hooves scraping along, bouncing and sliding against every uneven surface as dust kicked up from beneath them.

Silver glanced behind very briefly to see a cliff approaching fast. There was no way, even if he had the means to stop Nightshade’s charge, that he’d stop in time. So… he took a different approach.

Silver released his right hoof from Nightshade’s arm, pulled it back and swung it over, hooking his arm around Nightshade’s up close to her armpit. He clamped down while continuing his momentum, gasping painfully as he twisted his body, forcing Nightshade to tip with him.

“AH!” Nightshade yelped as Silver pulled her down, but right before they hit the ground, Silver let go with his left and swung it back the other direction, reaching further and wrapping it around her neck. He pulled her towards him, using her to pull himself on top and forcing her back to the ground.

They both grunted as Nightshade’s back struck the ground and bounced, the shock from the impact sending them flying in different directions, but since Silver was already upright, he simply stuck his hooves down and slammed them against the ground, leaning backwards to skid to a halt and stop himself right before falling over the edge of the cliff.

Nightshade, however, tumbled right over the side and fell.

Silver stood firm for a moment, but then dropped down to his haunches, gasping in pain as he slammed his eye shut and dipped his head down. The white aura grew brighter around him as he failed to get back up.

“Nice move, kid… but don’t quit yet! We’re not done!” the voice yelled.

“GGRRRHHH!!!” Silver growled, forcing his body back up… falling back down, but giving a second effort and standing up with another heave. “Gah… ha…”

“That’s the way!” the voice cheered. But Silver was far from ready to celebrate. All he did was turn Nightshade’s momentum on herself, he knew that at any second…

“RRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!” Nightshade roared as she shot up over the cliff and hovered in place while glaring down at Silver. No longer taking any time to make small talk, Nightshade quickly tipped down and dove at him again, this time with her hooves pulled back and no magic to be seen, her crystals shot along behind her, but were lagging a little as if trying to keep up with her.

Silver was forced to put up his hooves and guarding his face as Nightshade began unloading hard, rapid punches, pounding against his arms continuously as his hooves slipped and skidded across the ground once more. Sharp pains shot through his arms, his nearly fried nerves coming to life as they were pushed over the brink close to numbness.

“Ah!” Silver grunted and was forced to put his hooves down, leaving himself wide open. Nightshade touched her back hooves down and continued her assault, taking advantage of Silver’s dropped guard as she belted him in the face, throwing left and right hooks mixed with powerful jabs. She pulled back for a moment to catch her breath as Silver stumbled back… but didn’t fall. Nightshade growled and surged forward again, breaking through Silver’s weak attempt to guard himself again and continuing her barrage.

This pattern continued, Nightshade throwing in body blows, but no matter how many times she punched him… he never fell.

Just like he said he wouldn’t.

“Are you going to take this, kid?!” the voice yelled in Silver’s head.

“N…NO!” Silver suddenly roared, bracing himself as Nightshade launched herself forward again, reaching up and meeting Nightshade’s hooves with his own.

Nightshade pushed against his hooves with all of her strength, but Silver held firm, his body on fire beneath the tremendous pressure. The white aura around Silver flared up as the voice kept encouraging him.

“Fight it! Fight it!” it yelled as Silver’s legs continuously wobbled and shuddered. “What’s pain?! It’s not something you feel! It’s only something you give out!”

“HOW?!” Nightshade yelled as she kept pushing. “I’m so much stronger than you! HOW ARE YOU DOING THIS?!” she yelled, speaking for the first time since the sudden outburst of violence. Silver strained, opening his eye and glaring right through Nightshade’s goggles as he grinded his teeth together and growled right back at her.

“Do I really have to say it again?!” he snarled defiantly as Nightshade’s eyes widened. “YOU…! ARE…! BLIND!!!!!”

Nightshade immediately roared out, pushing Silver’s hooves off and stepping back, her eyes darting all over him as the aura remained strong around his broken, teetering body. Silver could barely stand, he only had one functioning wing and one functioning eye… yet he was fighting back. It was impossible… yet it was happening. And Nightshade clearly couldn’t stand it any longer.

“THAT DOES IT!” she yelled as she spread her wings and took to the air, her crystals staying right with her and glowing brightly. “IF I CAN’T PUNCH YOU DOWN…” she stopped high above, her aura exploding wildly around her, her body twitching as pops and sparks of magic jumped between her and the crystals. “THEN I’LL BLOW YOU TO PIECES! AND THIS TIME THERE WON’T BE ANY OF YOU LEFT!”

Silver stood firm, watching as Nightshade began gathering her magical energy, a large globe like those of the late commander Devil popping up from the ground far below and rising up towards her, growing larger and larger as it ascended. Silver recognized it. It was the same attack that forced him into the canyon earlier, only… it kept growing. By the time it was up and over Nightshade’s head, it was easily three times larger than it was before.

“GOODBYE!” Nightshade yelled, wasting no time as her crystals danced around her… and the massive globe fired down towards Silver. It moved fast, just as fast as its tiny sphere counterparts.

Silver took a step back, but didn’t move otherwise, there was no way he would be able to move out of the way in time… What was he going to do?

“Silver?” the voice spoke up calmly in his head. “Rule number six…?”

Silver blinked, lifting his eyebrow over his one good eye.

“Six…?” Silver asked, not recalling the sixth rule. “There’s a sixth?”

“Indeed… The last rule… the one I never got the chance to teach you…” the voice continued. “So listen up, kid. It’s time for one more lesson in combat… Are you ready?”

Silver stared up at the globe shooting towards him, snorted, and set his hooves firmly on the ground.

“Yes sir!” Silver complied while glaring.

“Rule number six…” The aura grew larger around Silver. “When everything is on the line, there is no ‘I can’t…’ Only ‘I WILL…’” The aura continued to grow… and a blurry, blue tint appeared within it around Silver’s body. “There is no pain, there are no injuries, fight EVERYTHING trying to holding you back!” Silver glanced back at his left wing and glared at it. “REFUSE TO BREAK DOWN! Let nothing tell you it can’t be done! Not even your own body!”

“HgggggnnnrrrrrrHRAAAAAAA!!!!!” Silver roared out as he harshly tensed his shoulder and whipped it to the side. “AAAAAAHHH!!!! GRRRAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!” he whipped it hard outward several times until a very loud CRACK sounding out from his shoulder. “GAHH!!!!!!” he cried out. He could feel his wing again, it hurt like hell… but he could move it! He glared at the incoming globe, both wings spread and at the ready.

“DON’T SEE FAILURE AS A POSSIBILITY…!” the voice kept going as Silver raised his wings up, and pushed his hooves down, hopping up and giving his wings a hard flap. Silver lifted into the air… “SEE IT AS A CHOICE!”

Silver fought back the unrelenting pain in his back, pumping his wings again and again as he rose up, aimed himself towards the incoming globe and shot directly at it. The white aura exploded further out, the image of another pony appearing around him and splitting off to the side as it grew clearer, it’s wings spread and pumping in tandem with Silver’s as they flew right into the globe’s path.

“A CHOICE…” the blurry image yelled as it finally cleared up… taking the form of a dark blue stallion with a swept back, sky blue mane that flickered with the light surrounding Silver. “YOU SHOULD ALWAYS REJECT!”

“HRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!”

The globe hit… and capsized, a giant explosion erupting from it that caused massive shocks and gusts that shot in every direction…

But Silver popped right out the other side… the image of the other stallion still right with him as the white aura surged brightly around them both and a trail of pink smoke followed behind.

Nightshade froze in midair, her eyes widening and her jaw dropping as Silver approached. Her pupils shrank as she saw the ghostly image of another pony flying beside Silver. She watched in shock, confusion, and disbelief, as Silver and the other pony reached her, Silver pulling back a hoof as the image smiled. Nightshade didn’t take her eyes off the image, completely distracting her from Silver.

“Wh…what?!” her eyebrows angled up as she blinked several times, unable to take her eyes off the image. “Is… is that—?!”

“GIVE HER EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT, KID!”

Silver kept his eye on target, snorting and baring is teeth as he wound up his hoof, but gave his wings a hard flap at an angle. The motion spun him around giving him an additional rotation, coming all the way around and beginning the small shifts, using the added speed of the spin to roughly triple the usual effect of his full motion attack. He did not yell nor did he roar, he put every ounce of focus into ignoring the limits of his body and improvising to create the strongest punch he had ever thrown in his life, finishing the motion by swinging his hoof forward and outward into a bone crushing right hook.

Nightshade was wide open…

And Silver unloaded…

The moment of impact was brief, a loud echoing POW ringing out into the canyons as Nightshade was catapulted away from Silver, shooting through the air at a slight downward angle as all the momentum of Silver’s swing and the extra, added power of the motions and delivery were transferred into her. She spiraled as she fell, slamming into and going right through several smaller rock formations that were in her path, the structures blowing to pieces or collapsing as she hit them. She crashed hard, bouncing at least twelve times, striking the uneven terrain again and again as she rolled over herself, completely out of control before finally smashing back first into a solid cliff wall. Her momentum caused her to roll a few yards up the wall before she finally stopped and fell flat on her stomach below.

A long, silence followed, Nightshade laying on the ground motionless as the rest of the Wonderbolts all looked towards her in complete and utter disbelief. The pain from the magic again being ignored in favor of the seemingly impossible things they were witnessing.

“Ahhh…” Silver wobbled, his wings shuddering as he tried to keep up his hover, the white glow softening and swirling around him gently as he began to slowly fall. His left wing was giving out, slowly going numb as Silver tilted. Eventually, the wing was completely lost again, Silver limply falling the rest of the distance. “OOF!” Silver grunted as he awkwardly hit the ground, landing right on the hurt wing. “Rghhhh… hrgghhh…” he groaned loudly, his breath hissing through his nostrils and between his teeth as he rolled over onto his stomach, gasping and wheezing.

“Kid… that was the best punch I have ever seen…” the voice complimented him. Silver took a moment to catch his breath, but his lips eventually curled into a weak grin. It was the only response he could muster.

“Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…”

Silver’s eye widened as a quiet growl came from the direction of Nightshade. He couldn’t see her from where he stood, but a pink glow was shining up into the air.

“RRRRGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!” The growl became louder, a large pink aura flaring up and flickering into the air like a spontaneous inferno.

“Dammit…!” Silver cursed as he pushed his hooves against the ground, but found it nearly impossible to stand… the extend of the damage to his body finally catching up to him regardless of his willpower. He looked up with dread as he saw Nightshade slowly stand up, her goggles pushed over to the side of her face, revealing a bright light that completely covered her eyes. She was shaking with anger, her body tensing, her muscles flexing and bulging as her anger seemed to fuel her with more power. She was seemingly succumbing to something she liked to use against others… the crystal magic amplifying her through her emotions. Her mouth hung slightly agape, dribbles of saliva dripping over the edge of her lower lip as her aura grew larger still.

“GRRRRRRAAAAAAHHH!!! RRRRRRRRGHHH!!!!!!!! RRRRRRRAAAAAA!!!!” Nightshade roared towards him, all traces of control over herself gone as she stomped her front hooves and scraped them against the ground, her nostrils flaring and snorting. She reached up and pushed her goggles back into place, snarling as she fixed her gaze on Silver.

“RGH!” Silver grunted as he gave another, harder effort to stand, but barely budged. He shook his head out and tried again. “HRRRRRRGGGG!!!!!” he grunted loudly, managing to push himself a little bit, but ended up plopping right back down. Silver cringed and trembled, his body feeling so weak that it almost felt like several part of it were no longer responding, or even attached for that matter. Silver growled and mentally cursed his weakness, knowing what he wanted to do, but not able to even force himself anymore. He slammed his eye shut and lightly smacked his head against the ground once in frustration.

“Silver, stop that… take it slowly…” the voice spoke up. Silver opened his eye and blinked as the aura danced around him with the snowflakes swirling elegantly with it. “You’re hurt… you have the will, but you have to adjust. There are times to rely on grit, and times to rely on patience. I know you can do it, you just have to focus and take it one inch at a time… now let’s see it!”

Silver took a deep breath closing his eyes as he gently pressed his hooves to the ground. He gritted his teeth, but held in any grunts or straining noises as he slowly increased the pressure on the ground and let his muscles tense slowly instead of erratically.

It was working. Silver applied the pressure softly and continuously, slowly rising up smoothly and keeping it going. His arms and legs buckled every few seconds, but the controlled movement allowed him to keep himself steady throughout. And finally… he stood upright, opening his eye and glaring towards Nightshade. His body twitched and hurt, most of his body was numb, but he held himself strong, waiting for Nightshade’s next move.

“This is it, kid…” the voice spoke as the aura glowed softly. “I don’t think I have to tell you… that you’re not going to defeat her.”

Every word registered in Silver’s head, but he did not waver, he just nodded.

“I know…” Silver admitted. “I’ve known that this whole time.”

“So what are you going to do?” the voice asked in a way that suggested it was looking for a specific answer. Silver chuckled weakly.

“I can’t defeat her… but I can still win,” he said, the aura growing slightly brighter.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear…” the voice showed its approval with its own chuckle. “This is your time, Silver… this is your moment, your last stand.”

“My… last stand,” Silver repeated as he took a few deep breaths.

“The Wonderbolts are ponies of great pride and well-earned fame… We are not run of the mill ponies…”

“We are the chosen few…”

“We fight to the bitter end, tooth and hoof…”

“Blood, sweat, and tears…”

“In the face of an enemy…”

“We stand firm…”

“In the face of hardship…”

“We forge on…”

“In the face of death…”

“We smile…”

“Wonderbolts…”

“Never die…”

The voice chuckled again.

“You still remember the old rally chant…”

“Wouldn’t dream of forgetting it…” Silver grinned as Nightshade roared out one more time… and launched towards him. “Somepony has to remember the old traditions…”

“You represent everything the Wonderbolts should be, kid… young and old, two generations combined…”

Silver braced himself as Nightshade closed in.

“Let me see the pride… of the greatest Wonderbolt who ever lived.”

Silver strained his body, crying out in pain, but ignoring it as he reached up and guarded. Nightshade began unloading punches and kicks. Silver couldn’t block them all, many of them getting through and hitting him. Every blow that struck either his arms or body felt like they caused a fracture, several pops and cracks ringing out all over his body and causing serious internal pain as Nightshade delivered the bone-shattering attacks.

Silver held strong, glaring and roaring right back at Nightshade as he pushed every other attack aside and followed up with his own. They had little effect, but every blow he landed felt like a victory. He took hit after hit, his body breaking down more and more, his heart pounding faster and faster, but regardless he kept on his hooves and hit back as much as he could. Nightshade was fighting wildly, no rhyme or reason in her motions, no control in her movements. She had become the embodiment of everything Silver called her out for.

Silver’s legs buckled as Nightshade swept a leg around and smashed it into the base of his forearm, bending it awkwardly and a loud snap following. Silver tipped to his right but forced his working wing down to prop himself up and counterpunch. He took three hits directly to the face alone as he surged forward and delivered one to hers, but it did little to hinder her.

Nightshade swung an arm around, hooking Silver across the face. A large wad of blood shot from Silver’s mouth, a tooth coming free with it as he spun around, but stayed up. Everything that was wrong with his body guaranteed that he shouldn’t be able to stand, but he stood firm and charged back at Nightshade. He grabbed her arm as she thrust it forward, locking his good arm around hers, his broken arm dangling limply at his side.

“RRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!” Nightshade roared as she began head-butting Silver. Silver grunted and gasped as he took the blows, but held on tight, not letting her get free. With every bit of effort he could muster, he yanked her around and pinned her to the ground, holding her there for ten seconds before she thrust her wings out, knocking him off. Silver stumbled backwards awkwardly, unable to put weight on his right arm. He looked up just in time to push off the ground and place his left arm over his face, but the blow his arm took was paired with a loud snap as his forearm bent and the bone fractured.

“ARGH!” Silver grunted as he bounced backwards and was forced to put all of his forward weight on his right wing, leaning painfully on it as both of his arms were rendered useless. He glared up at Nightshade as she readied to charge again. “COME ON!” Silver yelled at her. “I’M NOT DONE WITH YOU YET!” he barked at her as she launched forward.

Silver tapped both his back hooves off the ground, leaning forward on his wing for a moment before slamming both hooves back to the ground, he bounced up just high enough to avoid Nightshade, twisting in midair and swinging his wing around. He pushed his wing over her head and slammed her face first into the ground.

“GAHHHAAAGH!” Silver grunted as he fell with her rolling over and tumbling along the ground. He looked up, his eye widening as Nightshade sprang right up, turned her head over her shoulder, and snorted. Her aura erupted violently around her as she stepped back and brought her three crystals around.

Silver gritted his teeth and stuffed his head between his broken arms.

Nightshade fired Shadow’s Burst Wave.

Silver was forced to take the hit, the burning energy pushing him off the ground and backwards. He cried out in pain, the cry quickly turning into a growl as he immediately tried to find a way to stand up.

But then Nightshade fired it again… and again… and again… and again… constantly punting Silver further and further back as he failed to mount any sort of defense. Nightshade followed up by taking to the air, the crystals shining brighter by the second as she pointed them towards him again.

Silver rolled over on his back, staring up with his one eye as Nightshade loomed overhead. Again, all he could do was brace himself.

Nightshade created three separate volleys of the magic pin-needles, two sets of spheres, and five large globes. She fired all of them, peppering and pelting Silver with those attacks while also shooting another Burst Wave and her eye beams. The magic rained down against Silver pounding him endlessly as he lay defenseless. Silver’s grunts and raspy cries of pain filled the canyon, echoing everywhere. Nightshade didn’t seem to care, she had been pushed even beyond acknowledging the things that gave her pleasure, simply firing anything and everything she could at Silver as he helplessly winced, cringed, twitched, and writhed from her attacks.

When Nightshade finally let up, she dove right down and landed in front of Silver.

Silver was breathing weakly, wheezing, and gasping for breaths as he remained on his back, caked in his own blood, and wrought with serious injuries both internal and external. Nightshade glared down at him for a moment before stepping over him and stomping down on his head. She stomped again and again, a crazed roar accompanied by each one. But she stopped when in between one of the stomps… she noticed Silver glaring up at her as if inviting her to continue. Her anger boiled over again, and she looked down at Silver non-responsive left wing, lying out on the ground, completely exposed.

She snorted, shifted to her right and locked her eyes on the frame of the wing… and stomped down on it as hard as she could.

Several painful loud CRICKS and CRACKS came from it. Silver slammed his eye shut and shouted out, the pain making its way right into his shoulder joint and surging through him. Nightshade didn’t let up, she slammed her hoof down over it again and again, moving along the frame of his wing until every inch of it was mangled, smashed, and horrendously broken, the cracking and splintering noises filling the air as Silver shouted out in agony.

“AURGH!!!!!!” Nightshade roared as she slammed both hooves down one more time up close to Silver’s body, making sure that she crushed every possible bit of his wing she could crush.

She stepped back, staggering a little as heavy breaths flowed from her nose, loud hisses coming from her nostrils as she continued to growl beneath her breath. She stood over Silver and stared down at him as he shuddered, his eye shut, gritting his teeth, but no longer moving in any other way.

Nightshade looked like she wanted to do more, but for some reason she stopped. She just continued to stare at Silver.

Eventually, Silver opened his good eye, slowly moving it to Nightshade as he wheezed and grunted, the white aura still glowing around him as he fixed the eye on her and held a look of strength against the intense pain and suffering.

And then… Silver chuckled weakly and smiled.

“So… How do you feel now?” Silver asked her, his voice broken and weak. “Better? Worse? Anything?”

The question completely floored Nightshade, her mouth instantly hanging open and the light disappearing from her eyes, revealing a look of shock behind her goggles.

“I… I…” she stuttered as her aura died down as well. Silver let his head tip a little further to its side.

“Nothing at all?” he scoffed. “You don’t feel anything, do you? You don’t even know why you just did all this? Why you lost control?”

“NO!” Nightshade yelled, stumbling backwards and falling onto her plot for a moment. She yelped and stood right back up, reaching a hoof up to her head and grabbing her mane.

“You see? You’ve been played…” Silver snickered as he coughed and a sputter of blood dripped down from his mouth, trickling from the space where he lost a tooth. “I took your favorite game and turned it completely on you. Congratulations… All you’ve done… is prove me right.”

Nightshade froze in her spot, her voice cracking several times as she yanked her hoof free from her mane and accidentally took a few strands with her. Her jaw quivered as she failed to speak and her whole body shook unnaturally.

“You’ve beaten me down…” Silver began as the aura grew slightly brighter around him. “And now you can kill me if you want… but it doesn’t matter…” Silver grinned at her smugly from behind the blood and bruises. “You’ve been utterly defeated.”

Nightshade reached up and grabbed her head with both hooves, throwing her neck back and screaming at the top of her lungs straight up into the air.

After several seconds of continuous yelling, her aura erupted around her again. She slammed all of her hooves to the ground and shot directly up into the sky, flying higher and higher until she was at least one hundred yards above Silver.

“DIE! JUST DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!” Nightshade yelled out, her voice sounding broken and lost as she dove, hooves forward, a stream of pink light trailing behind her, and aimed… right towards Silver.

Silver simply relaxed.

He ignored all the pain and rested on his back as he looked up into the sky and watched Nightshade plunge towards him. Death was literally plummeting down from above, but he didn’t care. An intense feeling of satisfaction was running through him.

How? Why? That was easy…

Many years ago he watched his mentor face down an adversary he had no hopes of every destroying. He stood face to face with Discord and smiled as the god of chaos roared and writhed at his inability to best one, mortal pony.

Silver was only just now realizing that he had done something very similar here. He had no chance against Nightshade, he knew that from the very beginning. But he had gotten in her head, gotten her to question and doubt herself, and made her lose control… something that clearly frightened her and would leave a lasting impact on her.

Just like his master before him… he looked an adversary that was unbeatable in the eye… and won the battle that mattered.

What a fitting end… Silver never thought he’d match his mentor… but in his final moment, when everything was on the line, he had.

As he lay grinning weakly, the white aura flickered around him, remaining at his side as he waited for the final blow. The white snowflakes that still danced around him suddenly packed together, creating a small, white ball of light that hovered in front of his face. Silver moved his eye away from Nightshade and watched the ball instead as it hovered close, emitting a comforting warmth.

“Silver…” the voice spoke, but this time came from the ball instead of in his head. “I AM proud of you…”

The words sunk in quickly, and Silver couldn’t contain it. An enormous swell of pride filled his chest as the words repeated in his head over and over again.

That completed it.

Silver’s smile grew wide and a trail of tears streamed from his eye as he chuckled and sniffled as if he never wanted to hear anything else more in his life.

“Heh…” Silver shut his eye and swallowed, his voice choking up. “Thanks… Blizzard…”

---

From the sidelines…

The Wonderbolts all watched in horror, every one of them shaking off the pain of the torturing aura as they sat up and yelled into the sky. None of them cared how much they hurt, even Fleetfoot had hoisted her head up.

One by one they called out Silver’s name desperately. All of them staring up into the sky as Nightshade plummeted towards him.

But they were powerless

Rainbow Dash was the only one that had gotten to her hooves, she was forcing her body to take steps, but no matter how hard she tried she was nowhere near close enough to even attempt an intervention. Every few small, shaky steps, she fell flat on her face. She kept pushing herself back up, but ended on the ground again and again with no hope of getting to Silver. When she realized any attempt would fail, she turned her head back to Soarin as if desperately looking for another option, but he was still stuck in his prison, looking up into the sky and yelling.

That’s when it hit her…

Silver was going to die…

Her eyes widened as she forced her arm up and ripped the goggles down from her eyes. Her pupils shrank as she focused on Nightshade, glancing frantically between her and Silver on the ground. She began screaming. She didn’t even know what she was trying to say, she just wanted everything to stop as if she was having a nightmare. She slammed her eyes shut as she yelled Silver’s name again and again as tears began building up in her eyes. Her screams joined Soarin’s as he too began yelling.

Dash opened her eyes, tears falling as she and Soarin yelled as hard as they could.

“SILVER!!!!!!!!”

But there was nothing…

Absolutely nothing they could do…

Except watch as Nightshade closed in…

---

Silver tipped his head to the side, taking one last look at Rainbow Dash.

He looked back up into the sky…

And closed his eye… thinking of his families, both here on the battlefield… and at home…

“I love you, Serenity…”

--- To Be Continued---

Author's Note:

Art by Foxenawolf and Penumbra

Comments

[Darth Redbeard]

Come on, Silver! You still got to have one more fight in you!

[Dragon Eye]

OH COME ON

[BlabideeblahMLP]

He's not gonna die, is he?

Dammit. Only good guy in a series I've ever hated more than Silver is Jake Muller.

[KnightMysterio]

AaaaaaAAAHHAAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAH!!!

HOLY FUCK!!!

HOLY FUCKING FUCKLEFUCK!!

AHAHAHAHA!!

I LOVE IT!!!

Psycho McRapeybitch got OWNED 88 WAYS TO SUNDAY!

I never thought I'd ever say this but MOAR MOAR MOAR!!!

HEEEHEEHEEE~!

[Hooper_Canson]

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

-Dylan Thomas

[Witching Hour]

s6.postimg.org/it3bxtoip/Bawling_Pinkie_Pie.gif

Imma be over here...
s6.postimg.org/ng9dzlbvl/NOT_OKAY_Rainbow_Dash.gif

[SageBrony07]

Epic. Just epic.

[Sparynk]

Another great chapter. Happy birthday.

I'm gonna go cry now

[TheStoryMaker]

Good God man

[Thunder-Bolt]

Judging from these comments, I'm guessing this happened. (I'm asking 'cause I'm only on chapter 20.)

[deltablaze22]

this is the first time i ever really cried for something fictional. well done calm wind, well done...

[Just A Random Pegasus]

I'm about to break down any second now...

Goodness...

This was an amazing chapter. Great work!

[Novak]

Words cannot express how much of an incredible writer you are Calm. This whole chapter..I really can't find the words for it. Simply incredible. Will Spitfire make it in time? I really hope so..

[Gypsy Heart]

Pleaseeee just do not die Silver for Dash's sake, or other Bolts' sake, or--I dunno--just stay alive It must be something happen, I guess, Spitfire may come in time or...or he is just gonna die. Really great work. You made me cried again.

[Zoljen]

I... Wow... I actually had to stop a few times while reading this. Incredibly done sir.

And we know this is his end. Even if he somehow survives here, he is done as a Wonderbolt, as a pegasus. A crushed wing is the same fate that Soarin would of had if he didnt need the magic. But I will say this, he went down fighting to his best, and broke her.

You will live on forever, Captain Silver *Salutes*

[Those Kids In The Corner]

?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!!? Dammit I need more! The suspense is killing me!

[ShadowStrike11]

. . . I'm not going to cry until I know what happens to Silver.

[Hestia]

YOU DID NOT JUST DO THAT!

OHMIGOSH, WHAT?!?!?! THAT STUPID, STUPID CLIFFHANGER. WHY?! WHY WOULD YOU TORTURE US SO

[Jim Hoxworth]

Henceforth, we will not say that Silver Lining fought like a hero, but that heroes fight like Silver Lining...

A cookie to whoever can guess the original quote...

I'll get to theorizing later. Plenty of meat there, but the spirit isn't willing yet.

[Wolven5]

You gave it 100% a TRILLION times over, Silver Lining!

Blizzard's right - You are in every respect the Greatest Wonderbolt to ever live! *wing salute while shedding tears*

[Gargon94]

Wow, just.......wow..... That was both epic and tearful....I will go and cry now.

[Sweet_Harmony]

Okay... it's been an EXTREMELY long time since I've commented on a chapter... like, 20+ chapters ago, honestly... so for me to come back from the dead is a fucking big deal...

It is, currently as I'm writing, 11:05 PM... I'm supposed to be SLEEPING right now, but I saw the update and read it... and now, I am literally SOBBING like a BABY, hiccuping, gasping for air, sniffling like crazy, using up an entire box of tissues, the WHOLE SHEBANG, because the tears and feels are SO FUCKING REAL right now... Why, some people may ask? Oh, I don't know... Probably because I'm the type of reader who literally involves herself in the story - I am standing there, non-existant, and just watching everything unfold live... an empathetic reader, really, because the panic, the pain, the anxiety, the sadness, the anger... you can feel it all (And let me just say really quickly that that is a HELL of a talent you got there, Calm, honestly... anyways, ONWARD WITH MY EMOTIONAL RANT ). I seriously cannot remember the last time I've felt so... emotionally erratic, for lack of better terminology, if thats what you'd even call it. See, look what you've done to me (and quite possibly everybody else), Calm, I can't even handle my life right now...

Calm, I swear, if the other 'Bolts don't show up in the next chapter and find a way to deflect that blow, take it, or just fucking save Silver FIRST FUCKING THING, I will cry like I have NEVER cried before, practically bawl my heart and soul out, and start my high school life as an emotionless zombie with no drive in life because the death of an inspiring, strong-willed, (and may I add FICTIONAL), idolistic character has left me emotionally broken and withered... as if I'm not already, because my heart HURTS... ugh... the tears... make them go away...

(dammit, why was I born so fucking emotional... )

BUT, other than the fact that you have left me (and pretty much everybody else) in an emotionally unstable wreck, this chapter was AMAZING. How you portrayed Silver at his highest internally, showing his true wit, courage, and strength at it's greatest (so far, anyway, assuming that you'll keep him alive, and that's like a 50/50 chance, right now) was really inspiring and moving. It touched me a bit more than I would've liked, but honestly, it was a very bittersweet experience to try and empathize all the emotion in this chapter in general. It was interesting to hear a little bit more on Nightshade's background, as much as she creeps the hell out of me... seriously, you have really been holding back on us when it comes to Creepo McRapistBitchFace, how much more insane and crazy can she get? Wait, don't answer that, I don't think I wanna know... (What more are you hiding from us, Calm... ) Honestly, the dam started breaking once I pieced together that the white snowflake spirit was Blizzard Strike... meaning that I REALLY started bawling when Silver got back up in the explosion-made cave... it all clicked the moment he started yelling at him, and I was just gone... my heart was wrenched in so many directions, it's still trying to cope... I mean, come on - snowflakes? BLIZZARD Strike?! I almost slapped myself silly for how I didn't piece it together sooner. Then I just started freaking out during the final brawl when Blizzard startes reciting the rules of combat, and I'm just thinking, "WOW, Silver really did look up to Blizzard that much, to remember practically WORD-FOR-WORD what he taught him and recite it all to Dash while training her", like, the tears, man... Then, of course, the final moments prety much broke me (and probably the rest of the Wonderverse fandom)... UGH, WHY, Calm, do you enjoy bringing us so much HEARTACHE... Ya know what, you should change your name from CALM Wind to CRAZY Wind, because you are NOT calm AT ALL, Calm! YOU ARE INSAAAAAANNNNNNEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Though I'm pretty sure I'm not the first to call you that .

Dammit, I ranted again.... but it needed to be said . I mean, really, I bet that every one wanted to at some point . Honestly, I need to check if the angst tag is on this story, because lately, that'd all it seems to be right now . Okay, I spent like half an hour writing this, currently 11:55, I have a new workout tomorrow, I need sleep (though I highly doubt I'll get any, thanks to you ). Thank you, very much for giving such wonderful entertainment while simultaneously tearing and burning and shredding my heart into pieces and putting my eyes through the wringer, and I have very mixed feelings about the next chapter now (I'm just praying for Silver's survival at this point )! Hope it releases soon so all out minds can be put at ease!

(Oh, Happy Birthday, by the way! )

[The Pony Eclipse]

All gave some; some gave all. Silver my friend, you bring honor to your clan. I salute you noble Sir! Blessings be upon your house, may your legacy live on in the hearts of us all.

[Soaring Soarin]

I..just...Wow... Silver a mentor,proud solider and a true wonderbolt...
media.giphy.com/media/emUlWrWxP3Xl6/giphy.gif

He's earned his rest

Great chapter calm....holy crap the next podcast is gonna be sad AF
orig03.deviantart.net/fa9e/f/2012/244/0/b/crying_soarin_by_keanno-d5d5jgb.gif

[CowgirlVK]

Twister.... you may show up now....

7470631 Saving my thoughts for Saturday.

[Sylvian]

Calm, I... I honestly have no words.

People tell me my stories tug at the heartstrings, and make them feel, but you? This chapter? Calm I'm sobbing right now. This, Silver is my favorite character, and I don't want him to die, but after this scene I just can't... I just...

Congratulations, Calm, my friend. You broke my heart, and crushed it into little, bitty pieces.

I'm going to go sit in my corner now, sobbing and hugging a Silver Lining plush.

[Train wreck]

7470631 ... Hmmmm let's seee,and the candidates include, Spitfire, Sorain, and Rainbow Dash.

My guess isssss.....

RAINBOW DASH

[Sylvian]

7470793
7470631

“Hence we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks!”- Winston Churchill

[Train wreck]

7470835 Very very true good si,r if I do say so myself.

[Creative Quill]

That was singlehandedly the manliest fight I've ever witnessed.

[Destiny-brave-fire]

.... *sits there in silence* ... damn it, I had prepared myself for that moment to happen during this chapter. Now I have to wait until next chapter?

Still, great work as always.

[Sylvian]

7470631

Also, Jim, I feel like this is a needed thing for the end of this chapter.

"But, you had already passed on the torch, and ushered in a new generation of Wonderbolts. A generation that, in the days that would follow, would uphold the values, the lessons, you had instilled into them. And in their actions, you were remembered. It was once said that Wonderbolts, true Wonderbolts, never die. And I have never known another individual, another brother in arms, who makes that statement any more true than you, Silver. You truly were the best of us, may we make you proud." ~Rainbow Dash

[jnzsblzs]

Okay, if silver survives this chapter two things are for sure
1. He is bloody immortal
2. Someone gonna save his ass with a heroic last minute save in the next chapter.

Now onto reading this chapter.

[whyyy]

That or they just hurt so much id didn’t make a difference anymore.

umm, is "id" suppose to be there? And lot's of luck trying to find the paragraph I found this is in because I honestly can't...... wait nevermind I luckily found it

He forced himself onto his stomach and started pushing himself up with great difficulty, but he was surprised to find that his wings had mostly avoided the blows of his horrible crash. That or they just hurt so much id didn’t make a difference anymore. Regardless, he pushed his wings down to give him an extra boost as he stood back up, followed by opening and closing his wings a few times to try and loosen them further.

it was somewhere before the awesome drawing from the amazing Foxena where Night Shade headbutts Silver and breaks one of the goggle's lens ANYWAYS

HOLY SHAZAAM aaaaaaaa
Like....WHOA WHOA WHAT
I mean I totally forgot what I was going to type, like ..PSHHHH (MY MIND BLOWING UP BTW) I mean there the was so much shit and not the bad kind. I'm talking about the shit that you've been holding in but you finally go and it comes out smooth and leaves you satisfied THE BEST TYPE OF POOPIES (, I honestly don't know what I'm saying anymore)
I mean we got a small tale of Night Shade's childhood and why she is like she is and Silver being Badass and amazing AND BLIZZARD STRIKE!!!!!?!?!?!? Eeeeee. The Silver and Blizzard interaction after so long was epic and Blizzard saying he's proud of Silver made me so giddy inside, I mean I honestly can't stop jumping around my room everytime I finish a paragraph. It's so hard to sit still .Also I just can't, the possibility (I'm still in denial) of Silver dying and the thought of the WonderBolts (especially Dash) living (if they survive) without him is...whoaa.There is no more Silver after this (maybeeee), no more mentoring for Dash, no more father figure, no more amazing disses at Lightning Streak ..it's all gone and some things would change but it was all going to come at some point (Silverrr).This story is fudging (my safeword for fucking, fuck=fudge) deep. Also Calm is now the Master, King, God (and anything else majestic) of cliff hangers and suspense, congrats Calm *slow golf clap* (I would kill you for torturing us with the cliffhangers especially this one but then we would never find out what happens, So that's the only reason your alive right now we also luvs u for the super stories and other reazonz). Ima go back to crying, hoping, praying (I don't even know how to pray) about Silver (he's fictional!! But only you, Calm, can make me feel like this about a fictional character).I mean who knows, Silver might survive . You're always pulling twists on us anyways (hopefully you do it this time again...OHH SILVER) idk maybe Spitfire will come and somehow save the day and maybe Luna could find a spell or medicine that can heal all of Silver's injuries (but they couldn't for Soarin and it looks like Silver has it much worse) #PRAYFORSILVER (I mean I don't think he'll survive and I'm kind of wondering what turn this story will take..DON'T KILL ME).

[Jim Hoxworth]

7470793
7470835
And Sylvian is correct!

^In reference to this historical event.

[HarlenBooks]

Now everyone is a sayan in this story. Or lifeless punching bags

[Sirflysalot]

le chills
btw calm the image for young silver was broke when i read this
maby take a look at it see if it really is broke or if my pc is just a dick

Edit: nvm pic works my pc is just an asshole

[Darkstormpinkie]

I look like such an idiot sitting in my bed while crying my eyes out, this chapter was emotional as fuck I really hope nobody comes into my room

[Blue Eyed Brony]

I've no words to express what this chapter has done to me, between what is one of the best fight scenes I've read and the constant back and forth between Silver and Nightshade.

I'm going to need a minute for this to sink in.

[Dusk_Writer]

I…literally have tears welled up in my eyes right now.

I knew it was coming, I knew it'd happen here and I knew it would be inevitable.

I prepared myself for it, thinking of different ways he'd die but…

I still wasn't ready. This, this has to be the most emotional chapter in PTH. I just can't even comprehend it.

My mind is just a ball of sadness right now.

Just when I thought he was dead in the middle, he got back up again. And, I never thought of Blizzard appearing again…just, wow.

All I know is that this is going to be a huge emotional blow to the 'Bolts. Especially Dash.

I think either Twister or Spitfire is gonna show up. But, as bad as I feel saying this I think…no one should save Silver, he's already accepted his fate and would die in happiness.

I wonder if Blizzard is Nightshade's grandfather? We don't really know much about him other than other ponies views on him…

But seriously though, I'm just imagining you in your seat with your computer and plotting some evil shit ahead

[jnzsblzs]

7470913 My dense prediction about the next chapter.

[AndyDash]

Whoa...that was intense. I'm not going to assume it's the end for Silver yet, but it really doesn't look good. At this point either Spitfire needs to show up with the rest of the Wonderbolts in tow, or Twister needs to come out to play to give him a chance. And morbid as it sounds, I'm not sure if that would be for the best. Silver has accepted his fate. His family always knew this was a possibility. Given how broken he is physically, I don't think he'd be happy living as a shell. There's a certain freedom that comes with accepting endings and fate, and it seems like Silver has found that.

The other key part of this chapter-Nightshade. She's still a sadistic bitch, make no mistake, but it was fascinating to get some insight into what makes her tick. Multidimensional villains are the best kind, and it's clear there are a lot of layers at work with her.

[blastguard]

That chapter managed to hit me realy hard emotionaly...It was a realy intense and live battle between two ponies who represent the good and evil.Silver in this chapter showed us that he wasnt called iron pony for nothing.I was so sad reading the finishing lines about his coming demise yet that was the most proper end he could ever wish for.Defend his friends and second family,fight alongshide the spirit of his mentor when all odds were against him and beating the crap out of Nightshade despite her dirty tricks and use of crystals...I cant imagine the pain dash is feeling right now watching him waiting for his end unable to help him...The final lines were a materpiece in awaking feelings combined with penumbra and foxenawolf's art.

[NightlySky]

You enjoy torturing us don't you.

Could Blizard be the grandfather Nightshade mentioned or is she excessively freaked out by the shadow image of him?

[Thunder-Bolt]

7471430
7470190
7470349
7470409
7470212
7470268
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7470642
Okay, reason I'm asking all you folks is because I'm only on chapter 20 of PTH. I'm, in general, really confused by this flury of emotion down here in the comments section. So, I ask of you, as a fan to a bunch of other fans, is this what happened?

(Disclaimer: this the final scene from season 6 of The Walking Dead

[Darth Redbeard]

7471495 I don't watch The Walking Dead

[Laveria Dreams]

My feels have been shattered....Silver...

[Thunder-Bolt]

7471548 I'm just wondering if someone died.

[Dusk_Writer]

7471618 derpicdn.net/img/2016/5/22/1160453/large.jpeg
*cough* for you that is *cough*

[Thunder-Bolt]

7471640 Aw c'mon! Tell meh! Plzzzzz!