A Bridge Between Brothers

by Rammy


For Atonement

ബഐബഐബഐ H.K. ബഐബഐബഐ

"I'M GOING TO ENJOY KILLING YOU!!!!" Discord roared, flying at me with a balloon hammer he had snapped into existence, which I knew was far more deadly then its foalish looks would indicate.

"H.K.!" I could hear Spike screaming in the distance. I really hope that Smaug managed to have grabbed Spike and was flying away...

To my horror it was then I could see a visible raw mana stream erupting out of the ground in the distance. Please be that Spike was screaming from Smaug clutched claws and they are already flying out of here... It seemed that Discord also saw it as he looked at it then at me, his rage even higher.

"WHAT DID YOU DO!?" Discord screamed but I had no time to answer before his hammer slammed into me sending me crashing into the council building.

"I was trying to stop it..." I gasped out, fighting to get my breath out. I nearly lost it again as I caught Spike nearing us. Worse still the air was starting to vibrate from the quickly intensifying mana. A glance over with my remaining good eye I could see that Smaug was already struggling against it, his rune carved scales flaring up. Damn it! This was not good... If I don't talk down Discord and quickly...

"And you didn't think to contact me!?" Discord growled out as he stalked his way to me. To my relief I could tell that his resolve was cracking. Now I just had to break it fully so that I could get him to Smaug and maybe they could make their escape with Spike in time. Which was already going to be harder by the second as I could feel without trying more of the ley lines overloading.

"I didn't exactly have time and you are not exactly an easy person to contact!" I snapped before groaned from the pain as I slowly got onto my hooves. Every part of me was screaming in pain. I had not been in such a one sided fight in so long. Not that I was fighting all that much. I had broken a promise after all and the danger of the ley lines... "But even if I could I wouldn't have told you anything on what I was doing nor where I was going."

"What!?" Discord sputtered out after blinking several times, his confusion further lessening his fighting spirit a bit before it roared back. "This is Hourglass City the final resting place of the once proud Draconequui race and I am their last scion. I deserve to know what is going on!"

"Have you forgotten why you were stoned?" I countered looking away in shame. I knew why and it pained me when I had to let Oathbreaker and Luna do what they had to do. If only I hadn't told him exactly who had killed his entire race then maybe he wouldn't have ended up being sentenced to stone for over a thousand years. "They shouldn't pay for the crimes of those long since dead..."

"Have you forgotten what it means to be a Dragon Warrior?"

"Are you saying that... that... THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS AS WELL!?"

I signed then looked straight at Discord. "Yes."

I resist the urge to relax as Discord clutched his fists tightly and his face redden from rage. A quiet 'calm' Discord was never good. It meant he was really planning and nothing was worse the focused and organized chaos, not when you have made enemies of said chaos. Thankfully, it wasn't very long before the rage rushed out of him to be replace by deep melancholy. He slowly fell to the ground curling to make himself small.

I knew he was feeling. He thought that this was the Chaos 'Calamity' all over again but this time global and not confined to Equestria... That the coming cascade was somehow his fault not mine and my biological people's.

"It's not your fault..." I put a hoof on Discord's shoulder to try and comfort him. I should have put a warning ward on the chance that Discord might have come here after being freed again... It may have given me time to head him off to explain... I just didn't think... I wasn't thinking... Not like I should have... Like what was needed.

"But... it was... if I had only..." Discord sniffed out, tears flowing down his face.

"No, " I shook my head. If I hadn't been making so many basic but critical errors that I knew better than to make the past few weeks... "I should have tried... but I was afraid, and I just didn't want to lose you again... I have lost too much already as it is..."

And now I was crying... What is wrong with me!? Why couldn't get my emotions in control? I hadn't been this volatile emotionally since after I lost my parents...

"What can we do now?" Discord whispered. "I can feel the imbalance of the ley lines reaching critical and I am no good at this kind of thing."

"What I always do Discord what I have done since the day I found my emblem." I said as I turned my gaze to the top of the Spiral Spire and to the plan that was quickly forming. It was going to be tough as Discord was so much better on creating spell on the fly the I am. At least I can say that if I'm successful I will finally finish what my parents began and atone for all the crimes the alicorns perpetrated during the Elder War. "My purpose, My destiny."

"But..."

"Discord do you remember what I said was greatest action one can do for his friends?" I quietly asked steeling myself for what was to come, what I was about to do.

"Yes, but..."Discord began to protest.

"Just do what you can to shield Spike." I interrupted Discord, knowing if I was going to succeed I could delay it no longer and I knew that Discord would try.

Without another word I galloped towards the tower before he could have a second to try to stop me. Reaching it I climbed onto and began the long climb up.

"H.K.!"

I stopped and looked down to see Spike. I smiled before continuing my steady march up the Spiral Spire. Stay strong Spike... I hope and pray you don't become me...

There. I thought a second later as the last pieces of the spell came to me. I lit my horn and began the chanting the spell I was going unleash. It was going to have the slimmest of chances at working much less stopping the cascade, but I had to try... no matter the cost.

As I got higher and higher though I found my self slowing down. The adrenaline had finally worn off from my fight with Discord, slowing me down and then the mana was also pushing back harder. Before long I couldn't move another step.

Come on push through! I gritted as I pushed more mana to my horn. I had to get to top. Only there, at the top of the Spiral Spire, could my spell work. I could feel my bones, many which were broken groan, and the smell of my horn burning, but ever so slowly I got a hoof to move forward, and just as slowly the the next.

How long it took I don't know but I nearly collapsed as reached I the top of the tower. I had made it, and the spell was complete, ready to be released. I took one last deep breath to steady myself then released the first part of my spell. I watched as my aura reached out towards the nearest ley line and latched on.

Come on... I grunted as just as slowly it latch on to another then another. That's it, come on just a few more...

As the spell was reaching its limit at the fifth one I began the next part and mentally pulled. At first nothing happened so I push harder and harder until I nearly lost it from the pain and strain until finally the ley lines began to move toward me, but not fast enough.

"I WILL NOT FAIL!" I yelled as I pushed what little I had left to get them to finally accelerate towards me.

I barely managed to activate the final part of the spell just as the ley lines crashed into me.

I screamed in agony and nearly lost the spell as every cell of my body burned at the fury of the raw mana. Even the pain of the Rite of Guardianship wasn't this bad. But somehow I still held on, grabbing on to more of the broken and wild ley lines and pulled them through me and down the Spiral Spire.

I could feel my body being vaporize second by second and yet I held on. I had to keep going... I had to... For Spike and the world...

I roared in defiance even as all faded to white.