ബഐബഐബഐ Spike ബഐബഐബഐ
I watched as Garble tested out his metal glove claws on a couple of wooden boards slicing through them like a hot knife through soft butter. I still couldn't believe that merely thirty days ago he started blacksmithing for the first time. A sword or spear would have been an easier first time project but he went straight to something that was considered fairly advance and to do it so well was surprising.
"Bah! Still not good enough."
"I couldn't understand..."I questioned as I picked up a sliced piece of wood. "The claw cut through those boards like they were nothing."
Without warning Garble slashed my arm with the metal claw.
"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU THINKING?!" I roared at Garble scrambling to get some distance from him. The slash didn't do any damage but it did sting.
"Relax you baby." Garble rolled his eyes crossing his arms. "There isn't even a scratch on your overly polished scales. My regular claws could do more damage... I want to have a weapon that is badass in more then looks... Sadly, I can't figure out the the combination of metals that comprises Leafcutter and none of the alloys in any of the books smell right..."
"Leafcutter?" I asked.
"It's H.K.'s sword..." Garble explained as he took off the metal claw. "I have no idea why he called it that, Bleeding Thorns is better... Leafcutter? Why!?"
Of course... I facepalmed. I should have known that it had to be a weapon of H.K.'s. I swear he is as bad as most ponies are with Oathbreaker... However, it had been several months since H.K.'s death and he had only been with H.K. for a few months before that so it was possible he was not remembering correctly. "Are you sure you remember the smell right?"
"I could never forget the smell..." Garble sighed as he trace a claw along some of his scars. Please don't tell me... I inwardly groaned as I tried not to stare at Garble's actions. "I got to know that sword very well as Leafcutter is what H.K. used to give me my scars."
I said don't tell me... I grumbled, facepalming.
I was about to verbally berate Garble when a familiar flash caught my attention. Both Garble and I looked over to see that it was caused by Twilight. I knew something was wrong the moment I saw her. She looked extremely disheveled, and, unlike normal after teleporting, at least for her, she seem disorientated. The last time I saw Twilight this messed up was during that whole want it need it fiasco. Great, what is she overreacting to now... wait, when did she get wings? I thought that the wing spell was too difficult to be practical. Why would she use it when the cloud walking spell was much easier?
"Spike! I KILLED HIM!" Twilight gasped out as soon as she saw me. I had to fight back a cringe. She looked even worse then I thought.
"What?" I spouted out in disbelief. "Twi, you are making no sense... did you accidentally mess up that special tea blend of Zecora's again?" Or did Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie prank her with powered poison joke again... I added to myself. I was not happy with those two when I found out. I like pranks as much as the next pony/dragon but I don't like dealing with an overreacting, panicking Twilight.
"NO, I KILLED H.K.!"
I blinked as Twilight collapsed at my feet sobbing. What could possible make her think she did that!? I sighed as I ran my claw through her mane trying to get her to calm down. If I didn't I doubt she would listen to what I needed to tell her, to remind her. Remind her that H.K. didn't die because of her. He died because of Sombra's evil and Oathbreaker's negligence.
"Twi... H.K. died months ago after he battled with Sombra and wandered off into the Frozen North remember? Garble, uh, what was it call again, that thing H.K. did after the battle?"
However Garble didn't answer me right away and he also seemed to be zoned out. I was about to repeat myself when he finally answered. "The Lone Walk..."
"Yes, but... he... he somehow survived... and... and... last month we... we... found him..."
I went wide eyed when she said that. When I looked over to Garble and frowned. The way Garble was trying to avoid eye contact with me was odd. He was clearly hiding something.
"Garble..." I growled threateningly.
At that Garble flinched. The only time he would ever do that was with H.K. It was then that I realized that Twilight was not spouting nonsense at least for the part that she killed H.K. H.K. must be alive... The question I now had was, "Why!?" I could understand Garble remaining silent but Twilight? Though maybe H.K. threatened her like with Oathbreaker... I hope not, because if he had...
"He told us not to and after after what he did to Oathbreaker I... I..."
I breathed out slowly. I could be angry later. Right now I needed to get Twilight to calm down. "Why do you think you killed him?"
"He... had me...hic find a journal..." Twilight started to hiccup, making it even harder for her to explain what was going on. "In...hic In... it was a spell... he said hic would help but... it... he was... so sihic... sick... dying.. acthicually... the spell put too hic much strain on him..."
I put a claw on Twilight's muzzle to stop her. I had heard enough. It was clear that once again Twilight had jumped to the wrong conclusion. However, if H.K was deathly ill like Twilight said we need to find him and fast. Sick ponies and high end spells do not mix. "Where is he?"
"I...I don't know... When found him a month ago it was because he was using a zebraian scything spell on the gem around Garble's neck."
I looked at the gem glinting around Garble's neck. Why would H.K. use that spell like that on that gem? It was then that I remembered something that Garble told me about the gem. "H.K. said that if anything happened to him that you were to have this." So he wanted to keep and eye on me? I suppose I could understand that but why conceal the fact he was alive? I clenched my fists in anger. I can understand the Lone Walk to a degree but if he had been incorrect in thinking he was dying why did he hide from me?! Didn't he know how much... how much I needed him?
I watched with narrowed eyes as Garble slowly took off the necklace and held it out for me. I stared at it for a moment before I reached out and took the necklace. If this gem was how H.K. was spying on me and how Twilight found him before then Twilight should be able to find H.K. through it once again.
"Twilight use the gem like before and take me to him, now." I growled out, holding out the shield gem necklace by the chain.
"But..." Twilight whimpered out a weak protest.
"Twilight just do it!" I snarled, slapping her.
Normally I would never use such a method but if what even a bit of what Twilight had said was true we needed to act now. I'll apologize later. Twilight gulped in a bit of fear which made me cringe a bit. Yeah, I would have to apologize later... But she managed to straighten herself out enough to do what I asked and a second later we both teleported away.
I blinked away the temporary blindness from a hastily casted long range teleportation to see that she we were in a forest and from the look of the undergrowth and trees it was clear to me that we were somewhere deep in the Everfree. A large rock outcropping was nearby. I just hope we weren't near that dragon's cave. I don't think that dragon will be please to see me again and I don't have anything with me to appease him, if that was even possible.
"Was this where you last saw him?" I questioned hoping that in her haste she managed to cast the teleportation spell properly.
"No..." Twilight shook her head looking about in a mixture of fear and curiosity. "He was living in a large bog tree when we found him... and the last time I saw him he was walking into the deeper area of the forest... Outside of being in the Everfree I honestly have no idea where we are..."
Crap! Maybe I should have let Twilight collect her self a bit more. While we could climb the nearby outcropping to get our barrings the Everfree was quite large and it was possible we would be unable to find any landmarks for Twilight to use to teleport us out. Also it was possible that Twilight could be off the mark and we could be miles form H.K. I just hope that wasn't the case as I walked up to check the outcropping for an cave. If H.K. was around he would most likely be in a cave.
"Twilight over here." I called out when I found a small cave hidden partially by a curtain of vines.
I pulled the vines aside and walked into the cave with Twilight right behind me. I gasped in shock when my eye adjusted to low light and I saw H.K. lying on his side in the back of the shallow cave. Twilight sobbed twice before collapsing. Understandable as H.K. looked absolutely horrible, worse then Twilight ever looked when she went into one of her manic episodes. His fur was matted with large patches missing and his fiery rainbow mane was pale and unmoving. It also looked like he hadn't eaten in some time as I could make out a few of his ribs. What happened to him? I slowly took a step forward unsure if he was still alive.
As I stepped forward I nearly slipped on something slimy and sticky. Please don't be blood. I begged as I slowly looked down to see puddles of something dark. It seemed a bit too dark for blood but then again not everyone had red blood... What is this stuff? I lifted some of it up so I could get a better look at it. Wait... I know this stuff! There was pools of this stuff in the midst of the aftermath of H.K.'s and Sombra's battle.
"No no nooo nonononono." Twilight suddenly started to blubbered out between her continued sobs. "I did kill him!"
I sighed as I shook my head. While I really hoped that H.K. wasn't be dead I knew we had to get closer to be sure. As I got closer I could just make out a raspy breath. He was still alive, if only, barely. But other then the raspy breath there was no indication that he was even aware that I was right next to him. "He's alive Twi..."
"Thank Oathbreaker." Twilight sighed in relief.
I growled as she spoke her name though I could understand her slip up in her relief. Most ponies, even her, adored Oathbreaker.
"Do you know what could be wrong with him?" I asked even though I could guess dark magic from Sombra. H.K. never seemed ill when I was with him before the Crystal Empire.
"I don't know... But the last time he vomited all this ashy goo Zecora was the only one able to help..."
...use me...
"Wait," I waved for Twilight to wait. I leaned in hoping that I could better hear him. "I think H.K. is trying to say something. H.K.?"
The only thing I heard though was a few raspy shallow breaths. I was about to tell Twilight to go ahead to get Zecora when once again I heard something.
...use me...
"H.K. what do you mean 'use me'?" I asked, trying to keep my increasing concern from leaking through. There clearly had to be more because 'use me' made zero sense.
However, H.K. said nothing further. Worse still I could see H.K.s eyes glassing over. No, don't you die on me you jerk! In frustration, I slammed my fist which had the shield gem in it onto H.K. barrel. As soon as the gem and my arm touched H.K. barrel my arm suddenly felt like I had plunged it into wet concrete. When I attempted to pull my arm away I found that I couldn't! The shield gem started to glow just like the Elements of Harmony when they activated. Crap! This was bad! I had no idea what the gem was going to do, and worse I couldn't let go of the gem nor move my arm away from H.K.
"TWILIGHT, HELP!" I screamed out trying to reach out to Twilight who was trying to reach out to me but was being pushed back by the increasing mana wind. Unfortunately her wings were not helping either.
"I'm trying Spike!" Twilight shouted over the roar of the mana.
I turned to try once again pull myself off of H.K. while I knew that Twilight would continue to try I had to get my claw unglued or there may not be much Twilight could do. Being around a gifted unicorn like Twilight for so long made me familiar with mana pressure but this was far beyond anything I had ever felt from Twilight. I was becoming afraid that the mana pressure could possibly be more then she could counter.
As the mana pressure and light kept increasing I could feel my strength fading fast. I cried out one last time before I collapsed, exhausted. The last thing I remembered was Twilight screaming.