"Hal..." Blaze kneeled down beside his fallen comrade.
"Gimme your arm." Halcyon said.
"What?" Blaze raised an eyebrow.
"Just do it." Halcyon said.
Blaze let her grab his arm, still wondering what she was doing.
"This might hurt a bit." Halcyon said, although she wasn't sure whether she was talking to herself or Blaze as she clamped her teeth around Blaze's arm.
She then grabbed the piece of metal sticking out of her shoulder, and ripped it out of her shoulder. The metal at the back snapped and slid through her flesh, and she bit down on Blaze's arm, groaning because of the pain.
Blaze ground his teeth together. He rubbed a hoof on Halcyon's back in an attempt to sooth her.
Halcyon was freed, and she fell forward. Blaze caught her in his arms, and gently lay her down on a soft spot on the ground.
"Need one more favor..." Halcyon said weakly.
"Go ahead." Blaze said without hesitation.
"Use your fire and seal the wound." Halcyon managed to say, unbelievably tired.
Blaze stared at her. "You want me to burn you?"
"It's scary when you say it that way." Halcyon muttered, the shadows on her face constantly shifting because of a flickering fire nearby.
"Come on, you're hot enough to burn yourself..." Blaze tried to lighten the mood with a joke, and Halcyon wanted to face-hoof but was too tired to do so. "But seriously though... How could I do something like that?"
"Because I told you to...?" Halcyon said, and then a sharp wave of pain swept down her body from her shoulder. "Just do it, will you." she said through gritted teeth.
"One date I actually liked..." Blaze muttered, standing up. "And I have to burn her. This world is messed up."
"Look around you." Halcyon noted.
"True." Blaze said. They were practically in the middle of the terrorist attack.
He ignited a small flame in his hooves. Halcyon closed her eyes, tightened into a frown as she waited for the pain.
He brought the flame onto Halcyon's shoulder, and it sent spears through his heart to see Halcyon in pain.
Halcyon couldn't help but whimper, but she knew she had to wait a little longer. And then Blaze took the flame away, and the burning faded.
Her shoulder had lost its sharp pain, but had a constant throbbing in it. The fire had left a scar behind, sealing the wound. There was still blood matted on it though, so she used her water to gently wash it away.
Blaze sat down opposite her, also tired; but mainly mentally.
"What now?" Halcyon asked, turning her water into an ice pack and placing it on her shoulder.
"I don't know." Blaze shook his head. They were miles away from Canterlot, even further away from Ponyville. They were basically in the middle of nowhere, with help too far away. It'll also take too long for either station to notice that the train had gone missing.
"Blaze..." Halcyon flushed as she said this.
"Yes?" Blaze looked up.
"You said, 'One date I actually liked', you know; earlier..."
"You're gonna bring that up now?" Blaze laughed.
"Says the stallion that made a joke while I was bleeding myself to death." Halcyon muttered, her face almost as red as Blaze's.
"But yeah. It's true." Blaze looked Halcyon in the eyes. "I really think you're different."
Halcyon pulled on a nervous smile. "I could say the same to you."
And then, as expected, awkward silence followed.
Both their ears pricked as they heard a growl. Blaze nodded slowly, and Halcyon returned the gesture. She melted her ice pack back into water, ready for a fight.
Blaze flicked his hoof, a flame hovering above it. If the diamond dogs are still here...
"I believe lethal force is authorized?" Blaze whispered.
"For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." Halcyon gestured at the mess around them. "Yes."
There was a quiet clang above Blaze, enough for him to spin around.
The diamond dog on top of the carriage bared its teeth, and jumped down.
Blaze sent a stream of fire towards it, the force and rush of air knocking it back. It howled, the sound echoing across the valley.
"Shuck. He's going to attract more of them!" Halcyon cursed. "We have to run for it!"
"Hold on- leave one last surprise." Blaze said, his horn glowing and turning a nearby carriage into metal powder.
Halcyon watched him for a moment, then grinned. "You devil."
*
"Keep... Running..." Blaze huffed and puffed as they climbed up the hill.
"Damn..." Halcyon suddenly fell down onto her knees, exhausted. Her loss of blood was taking its toll on her.
Blaze stopped too, helping Halcyon up. From up here they had a clear view of the train wreck. In the middle of it however, was a huge block of ice and a pile of metal powder.
"Are they coming?" Halcyon asked, trying to catch her breath.
"There-" Blaze pointed to several dots closing in on the train wreck.
Halcyon grinned. "We got ya this time, buckers..." she summoned her bow and arrow, loading it. Blaze set the tip of the arrow on fire.
"Wait for it..." he said, watching the dogs close around the big hunk of ice and wonder what it's for. "Fire!"
Halcyon released, and the arrow went into the sky, then back down in a graceful arc. It hit the metal powder, igniting it. They watched the fire expand, then-
The huge hunk of ice blew apart, covering the train wreck in a thick cloud of dust. Following the explosion a huge fireball rose into the sky, then turned into thick black smoke. The shockwave followed, and swept Blaze off his hooves. Halcyon tipped back, since she was already sitting on the ground.
When the dust settled, all they saw of the train wreck was a huge crater.
"Thermite and ice..." Blaze said. "Don't try this at home." he helped Halcyon up.
Halcyon groaned, a sudden wave of pain shot from her shoulder. She must've put too much strain on it when firing the bow and arrow.
"You alright?" Blaze asked. Halcyon nodded, but Blaze could see through that lie. "Let me help you-" he lifted her good arm over his shoulder, and helped her up.
"Thanks..." Halcyon said weakly.
"We need to keep going. Those bastards will be after us again soon enough- that is, if there are any of them left." Blaze said, helping Halcyon walk.
They were heading for Canterlot, since Ponyville is further away. There was a forest in their way, they'll just have to cut through it. It'll also provide some cover for them- better than being out in the open like they are now.
The forest was a sudden dark area, a dramatic contrast to the sun-baked plains outside it. The crisp green grass wavered gently in the summer breeze, littered with small white flowers.
"This... Would've been a lot better if it were a date..." Halcyon muttered. The view here was beautiful, and she could just picture the two of them having a picnic here.
"Sure would..." Blaze said, a single drop of sweat sliding down his face.
"Over there... We could teleport." Halcyon pointed at the lush forest.
"Hold on." Blaze hugged Halcyon tight. She was too weak to teleport herself, so he'll have to teleport them both. Canterlot was still out of range, so they'll have to slowly make jumps. But bringing Halcyon with him meant Blaze has to take extra time to recover energy before the next jump, which by his calculations would take them two days and two nights until they reach Canterlot. Otherwise... They might end up in Canterlot in fractions.
His horn glowed, and everything flashed. A moment later they were standing in front of the forest, the tall pine trees looming over them. Halcyon relished the shade, and felt weaker by the second.
"I'm sorry... I'm just slowing you down..." she mumbled.
Blaze knew this would come eventually. He already knew his answer. "Not leaving you behind." he said simply.
"If you just go get help... It'll be much faster..."
"And there's no guarantee that you'll stay alive on your own until then." Blaze said, looking at her. "Even worse, they might keep you alive."
Halcyon knew what he meant, but she hated feeling powerless like this.
"We should go deeper into the forest, then we can wait out the night. Hopefully you can regain some strength after sleeping." Blaze continued helping her walk towards the darker parts of the forest.
The dense leaves above were shielding out the light, however there was still the occasional beam that made it past. They seemed oddly bright in the otherwise dark forest, illuminating the area around them.
It got a lot damper and colder as they proceeded deeper into the forest. There was no sunlight left to heat them up, and Halcyon shivered. Seeing this, Blaze quickly ignited a flame and held it in a hoof. That seemed to stop Halcyon shivering. Their own body heat did little to warm them up, as both of them were being drained. Every step they made seemed loud in the eery silence. There was a lot of background noise, birds chirping and the ruffling of leaves.
Blaze stepped on a twig, and it crunched loudly under his hoof. He shielded his eyes as they neared a clearing, waiting for his eyes to adjust. It was just an ordinary clearing, the grass growth thinning out towards the center.
He looked up, estimating the location of the sun. It was in the afternoon... Night will be coming soon. Better start setting up for a cold night.
"Hal..." he nudged Halcyon gently. "We're going to rest here for the night, OK?"
Halcyon nodded, too weak to speak. Blaze set her down against a tree, making sure she was comfortable. He then lay down beside her, taking a rest from the walking.
Halcyon grabbed his arm, clinging onto it. She was already asleep, Blaze could tell.
She snuggled closer, snoring quietly. Blaze smiled, gently patting her on the back.
"We're going to make it out of here together." he whispered, and kissed her on the forehead.
*
The night came in fast. Halcyon opened her eyes, the dullness in her mind gone but every inch of her body aching. She could feel warmth on her left half, while it was freezing on her right.
"You're awake." Blaze said, sitting near a small campfire. So that's why Halcyon felt half cold and half warm- her left side was facing the fire while her right was freezing itself in the night.
She crawled up, every muscle aching. She quickly sat down near the camp fire, rubbing her hooves together.
Blaze smiled, pointing at his helmet levitating over the fire, filled with hay and some other vegetables.
"Just need your water, then that'll be soup for us." he grinned.
Halcyon filled it up, and they waited for the water to boil.
"Thanks, Blaze." she said, smiling down at the ground.
"For what?" Blaze asked.
"For saving my life. For what you're doing right now." Halcyon said.
Blaze paused. "Just doing what I can." he said.
"And right now you could easily be sitting next to me." Halcyon noted. Blaze was on the other side of the camp fire, and for some reason she felt alone on her end.
"Just didn't want you to wake up and find it awkward..." Blaze muttered, standing up and moving to sit beside Halcyon.
Halcyon hugged a startled Blaze tightly as he settled down, because having him close just wasn't enough. Blaze hugged her back, a little awkwardly. He never thought it possible that he would be in this 'cuddling' stage after just one normal date. But normal dates don't include surviving a train wreck and beating up diamond dogs that try to kill you with explosives and claws.
The night sky was clearer than it was before. There were clouds, but otherwise everything was crystal clear. It seemed so deep, stretching so far away. Usually it just looked like a shell covering the atmosphere- but tonight, there were layers and layers of stars, the ones further away dimmer than the ones that were closer. They all twinkled, clean white. The pair could even see distant spirals of other galaxies, dotted with even smaller stars.
Neither of them needed to say the sight was beautiful. It would just be speaking the obvious.
Suddenly they could hear the water bubbling. Blaze quickly moved it off the fire, rubbing his hooves together.
Halcyon's horn glowed, levitating a third of the soup into the air in a shimmering mass.
"Surely you'll be eating more than that?" Blaze raised an eyebrow.
Halcyon was about to say 'You need more of it to recover energy', but decided to make Blaze uncomfortable just for the fun of it.
"Are you calling me fat?" she asked instead.
"Wha..?" Blaze was taken a back. "What- No! NO! That's not what I meant at all! I just thought you've lost a lot of blood and-"
Halcyon giggled. "Yeah, I know. Just screw'n with ya." she leant on Blaze, who let out a sigh of relief.
Blaze took a sip. Wasn't the best soup he made, but not the worst either.
Crickets chirped in the distance, and the pair could really appreciate the natural environment. For years they were stuck in Canterlot, never once getting a vacation in some slightly more remote place.
Halcyon whimpered, and despite her trying her best to keep it down; Blaze still heard.
"You OK?" he asked.
"Yeah. Just my shoulder." Halcyon said.
"Would an ice pack help? I'm sure it would numb the pain..."
"Nah. I'll be fine. Just tired." Halcyon said, snuggling up against Blaze as she finished the last of her soup.
"Sure you don't want more food? If the soup doesn't taste good I did see some berries nearby..."
"No." Halcyon said defiantly, squeezing Blaze's arm. "Don't leave me unless you need to."
The fire continued crackling, sending the occasional spark jumping away. Blaze was glad the diamond dogs weren't after them yet- he'll have to put out the fire after Halcyon falls asleep and then move them both up to a tree or something. Hopefully the dogs won't find them there.
Soon enough, with Blaze gently patting her back and rubbing her sore shoulder; Halcyon fell asleep again. Blaze was still patting her back and yawning when he noticed she had already gone asleep. He sighed, relieved he can rest soon too.
Putting out the fire, he levitated a still sleeping Halcyon onto a nearby pine tree. The pine needles were soft- he already tested them. And the density thick enough to support their weight. He slowly climbed up, then lay down beside Halcyon. Every muscle in his body relaxed, aching pleasantly as he closed his eyes. Small bits of the night sky glowed gently through the spots in the pine, adding to the peace.
Slowly Blaze drifted off to welcoming sleep, Halcyon's quiet breathing a soothing presence next to him.
*
Blaze abruptly woke from his dream as his instincts kicked in, his ears twitching as he picked up talking. His reaction was to sit up, and he hit his head on a brand above him. He quickly covered his mouth, tears filling his eyes as his forehead throbbed. Wiping away the tears, he peered down.
The diamond dogs had caught up. They were talking down below, and the largest of them all seemed very angry. Presumably the boss.
"You found the camp fire, but no ponies?" he yelled menacingly at a nearby diamond dog.
Blaze wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. The plan worked- they haven't spotted them yet.
Suddenly the big diamond dog slammed a fist into the tree out of anger, and Blaze tumbled over the edge.
There was a ruffling noise as he reached up, grabbing a branch just in time. He dangled there, holding onto a branch, the diamond dogs still unaware of his presence. But his grip was slipping.
Shuck, he thought as his hooves slid over and off the smooth pine needles.
Halcyon suddenly leaned over the edge, catching him by the wrist and grabbing hold of the branch with her other hoof to stop herself from falling.
But she was using her bad arm, still injured. She gritted her teeth together, feeling her arm slowly being pulled out of its socket.
She had to reach over with her good arm too, but that meant there was little stopping her from falling as well.
There was a loud crack, and the branch snapped. They both tumbled down, slamming through layers thick of pine needles. They heard the diamond dogs' alerted yelps, and the big dog issuing commands.
Halcyon quickly grabbed Blaze's hoof among all the chaos, and concentrated her mind in the direction of Canterlot.
The world around them flashed a bright blue, and Halcyon looked to her right; where Blaze should be. She saw him break away into pieces as they teleported, the deconstruction process reaching her arm. Her arm began breaking up too, fading into the light around them.
And then everything reverted back to normal, and she was still tumbling through the pine needles.
A single drop of blood flew above Halcyon, right before her eyes. She watched it shift in shape, still unsure of what it might mean.
And then she hit the ground, knocking the breath from her lungs. Her mane was in her face and she quickly moved her right hoof to move it out of the way-
But her right hoof wasn't there. Not even her right arm.
She looked down, and saw that there was blood splattered down the right side of her body and a crimson puddle where her right arm should be.
Her magical energy was only enough to teleport Blaze and her right arm away from the area. After all, she still hasn't recovered.
"Look what we have here..." she saw several grey shapes lean over, wide smirks on the diamond dogs' faces. Her eyes were blurring because tears were streaming into them.
Run, Blaze. Please don't come back.