//------------------------------// // That Mourns // Story: A Bridge Between Brothers // by Rammy //------------------------------// ബഐബഐബഐ Spike ബഐബഐബഐ "What the fuck was all that!?" Twixt'd shouted. At least I think it was him and I think he was shouting it was hard hear him with... Wait... The howling and the blinding light were gone! I slowly removed my claws from my ears and opened my eyes. Which I immediately regretted as not only was everything was blurry it was also spinning to the point that I could feel my lunch coming up for round two. I grunted in pain as my ears decided to join in the assault and ring painfully. "Can I be put back in stone please?" Discord's voice, even though I had removed my claws from my ears, still sounded far off. The shaman said something in return but I couldn't hear as the ringing increased for a moment along with my nausea. "No you don't understand... only he did..." I breathed a sigh of relief as the ringing finally faded away and my vision cleared. Allowing me to get my barrings. As I looked around I found to my shock very little destruction. Sure there was some columns of smoke from what I would assume was other parts of the city but the plaza, the very center of what I assumed was the dreaded leyonic cascade, seemed to be still be in one piece. And don't get me started on the Spiral Spire. How that of all things managed to look like nothing happen was beyond me... "How are we alive?" Silver echoed what I had been thinking. Now more then ever I wished I had paid a bit more attention to some of Twilight's rantings about the laws of magic. Stupid inattentive Past Spike making it Future Spike problem who is now Present Spike. Not only that I wish she was here as she would at least have an inkling of what happened and how we survived... or at least could figure out what and how. But not that it would matter in the end there was no way H.K. could have survived he took on the ley lines directly... could he? He had come back from certain death before... and the tower seemed to be intact... The problem was that the coils of the Spiral Spire where quite large and I was so short I couldn't see much. So if he was passed out or hurt on or behind one of the coils he was likely to be out of sight... Curse my short, wingless useless stature!! But the more I look the more I swear there seemed to be something odd about the inside and bottom of the tower. Was that there before? Could it be...? "H.K...." I whispered in shock as I realized that whatever it was was white not the grey with a slight rainbow shine that reminded me of bismuth crystals. "Wait!" The shaman called out as I ran towards the tower but I ignored him as I needed to see if that really was H.K. I was seeing. I bit back a shout as Discord suddenly shoved his way past me and through the coils when I stop at the foot of the tower. I guess I shouldn't be too harsh as I know that if it was H.K. that I saw that I had no hope of pulling him out but at least he could have gone around me or above me. Discord was only in there a second before he back out carrying the unconscious body of H.K. I shuttered in shock and mild disgust when I saw the state of H.K.'s body. All of his fur was gone and his skin had been burnt to a point that it looked scaly. I think... raw mana burns aren't like normal burns and those, I'm sure, were not caused by heat. I know because of all that times that I had to patch up Twilight or myself after one of her magic mishaps. But this was far beyond a simple mild raw mana burn. If Twilight was here, she would have a better idea of exactly what to do. "Is he?" Discord put H.K. gently down on the cobble street. His lips quivered for a second before he shook his head. I breathed in and out hard several times, suppressing my urge to wail in frustration. I knew what happen the last two times he had died... both times were fake outs and I wouldn't put it past Discord 'assisting' H.K. to fool us, especially me a third time. I moved to the side as the shaman slowly bent down and put a paw on H.K. slowly feeling over his body for what I knew not. Something to do with magic, at least, as I could see some of his runes glow. For a small moment it seemed maybe that he was merely trying to figure out what to help H.K. but that was dashed as he withdrew his paw, sighed, and said a very familiar phrase. "The Eternal Flames shall burn brighter with his fire." "He's not dead." I flatly countered crossing my arms. "Hatchling..." "No!" I growled out slapping away the shaman's claw. "Twice now he has 'died' and used that as cover to run away! I will not let him make it three times!" "Hat-Spike... he has no pulse." "So?" I snapped. "He could be using a spell or something..." "Hatchling there is no mana pulse and that is not something that can be hidden..." It was at that moment that H.K. suddenly sat up with a loud gasp. Even though I knew it was coming I still fell backwards, rolling my eyes when I caught the various shocked and disbelieving expressions on everyone's faces. Fool me once... Much to my increasing irritation he even acted on being disorientated blinking and swaying his head around and not noticing that he was surrounded by Discord, the shaman, and my friends and I. "H.K." I hissed as I got back to my feet. H.K. gaze snapped to me and as he turned to face me he slowly shook his head and crocked out a single word. "No..." "What?" I narrowed my eyes. What does he mean 'no'? What kind of puzzling, cryptic mind game was he pulling this time? "H.K... is... gone..." I blinked once, twice, then roared in anger. "You are worse then Discord ever was! You always knew with him that... he was never sincere but you always managed to sound... to sound..." "You don't... under... stand." "Oh this again! Then explain plainly!!" I snorted then rolled my eyes before faceplaming. "Why do I still try? It's clear that you will never care enough to give me a straight answer." "I sorry..." I heard H.K. trying to apologize as I turned and walked away. "Sorry? Sorry!? You... You..." I stammered out in anger, turning to face H.K. Though my rant stopped as I could hear something or someone starting to sing. Great, a heartsong. "No, no. No, no, no... Please..." Discord cried out, shaking H.K. in a panic before he slid down in a sobbing heap at H.K.'s feet. I groaned at Discord theatrics. It was just a heartsong... and one that oddly wasn't being song be anyone... not song by anyone... What the?! "What or who is singing?" "So rare that I have only read descriptions of it." The shaman whispered in awe looking to the sky for some reason. "I never thought I would ever hear one..." "Hear one what?" I snapped, annoyed at the non answer answer. "The Song of Mourning... that is... only sung once... when.... when..." Discord tried to explain but his sobbing returned, drowning out his words again. "When the one a phoenix is bonded to dies..." The shaman grumbled as Discord sobbing turned to wailing. "And once finished it flies away never to be seen again... Young one, as much as you may try to deny it... H.K. ir liris." "You are lying..." I even though I somehow knew that it wasn't a lie. I recognized that language from before and every time it was spoken I just knew what was said and that it was not a lie. "To speak or hear Draconic is to speak or hear truth no matter how much they may want it be otherwise... H.K. ir liris." H.K. ir liris. H.K. is dead. ...is dead.