//------------------------------//
// Chapter 7: Brash Instinct, Part 8 
// Story: Chronicles of an Unknown World - The Awakening 
// by Blue Blaze {COMET} 
//------------------------------//


{*Omniscient point of view, Lockdown's Bunker*}


“Right now, all of your lives are on the clock.” the brown stallion began, glancing all around the room. The ponies close to him backed up and gave a good two to three feet of space around the speaker in a seemingly perfect circular formation. “There is a large concentration of magic in the sky that is sucking up Ponyville, and to more of an extent Equestria, into a big black hole.” He paused. No one gasped at the news. They were all out of it, too much in a stupor to form a correct response. “Within the next five minutes or so, it will suck up this building and everything in it, including us. The black swirling mass is deadly, and we will not survive getting sucked in.”

A few whispered and mumbled about the subject. Griffin looked around and saw that the light that was gone from the ponies’ eyes was starting to return. A certain dull shine reflected from the corner of the pupils as their eyes dilated at the current information given. The curious, almost innocent creatures took a glance at their surroundings, finally coming to the conclusion of where destiny had placed them. Idle conversation turned to nervous mutterings to concerned tones and panicking glances.

“However, we still have a way out of this mess.” Time Turner continued. Everypony went silent, eager what he had to say next. "There is someone in this room who can save us. Someone who has a plan to get us out of Ponyville as save the rest of this kingdom."

Gossip spread from pony to pony, everyone wondering who the brown stallion was exactly talking about.

"That pony, or should I say person, is standing right there." he concluded, pointing to Griffin. The bipedal mammal gulped as he watched the others eyes glide to his figure. Scowls appeared on the populace, remembering who he was and what he did to the city.

"Hey wait a minute!" one mare called out in the crowd. "Isn't he the one that gave us the storm in the first place?" Many around her agreed, their thoughts coming together. There were many murmurs of uncertainty around the hub, with ponies looking left and right for an alternative.

Rainbow Dash looked pensive before flying out of the hall and into the centre circle. "Now hold on just a minute here!" she commanded, swooping down right above Time Turner. "Just because he's an alien doesn't mean he's bad or anything! He's just here coincidentally, not because of the storm!"

"But I thought you said that this was all his fault." a gray Pegasus called out from one of the above levels. There were nods of agreement.

"I, er," Rainbow stammered, feeling awkward that they were all being sent to their doom because of her propaganda. "That-that was before! In the past! Now I understand that this wasn't his fault!" she shouted, more because she wanted to ground the fact into herself than try to get through to everypony. Griffin wore shock all over his expression, trying to fathom Rainbow's true change of heart.

"You know, if he risked his life to save Twilight, then we can't knock him off as evil!" she explained, gesturing to the human. "He kept Twilight safe out in the storm and saved her from getting obliterated in the medical ward!"

Everypony in the room gasped at the news. "And Time Turner wasn't lying about the black hole stuff! There really is something out there sucking everything in like a big vacuum! It tore apart the medical equipment upstairs and made a huge explosion! Griffin pulled Twi out of her room before it was too late!"

There was a large discussion going on in the background, the citizens slowly changing their opinion of the once supposedly evil monster. "I didn't even realize the danger at hoof here, but he did!" continued Rainbow Dash, her adrenaline ablaze. "He saw the threat, he made a plan and he went out and saved the life of my best friend!"

Griffin couldn't reign in his emotions properly. He was filled with confusion, relief and nervousness all at the same time while the colourful equines around him discussed in detail the pros and cons of his existence. The crowd was particularly curious as to why Rainbow was suddenly sticking up for him.

"You know, despite all my efforts and protection, I still couldn't keep Twilight away from danger, but he could! He did something that I couldn't, and that was to keep her from getting hurt!"

The young mare looked down for a second to try and stop the tear that was escaping her eye. It slid down her face while she muttered her next comment under her breath.

"And that means all the world to me."

She looked back up, strong and proud while wiping the tear off with her foreleg. "So all of you need to shut up and listen! Because he's been out there longer than any of us have, and he has a good idea of what the storm brought to Ponyville! He knows all about the hole in the sky, and he has a plan to get all of us out of here!"

The ponies around in the room started cheering. They were not only cheering both for Rainbow's moving and engaging speech, but also for the relief that they could get out all in one piece. Griffin stared wild-eyed as earth ponies pushed him from his back, urging him out of the hallway and to the centre of the hub. He reluctantly complied, slowly making his way to the destination. The citizens that made the circle moved out of the way for him and granted him entrance. He got shoved into the leader's ring and more ponies cheered. The boy looked around anxiously, unsure what he got himself into.

"Welcome to the big leagues." Rainbow Dash said, tapping Griff on the shoulder. He looked up at her with a forced smile, laughing nervously to himself. He saw Time Turner in the corner of his eye nod in approval with Carrot Top smiling right beside him. He took a glance at what he had in front of him. There were tiny horses everywhere, of all kinds and of all types. They were all looking up to him. They were all looking for advice and reassurance that everything was going to be alright.

They were looking for a leader.

He gulped, took a deep breath and raised his hands. "QUIET!" he commanded, trying to get some peace in the somewhat cramped room. Somehow, over all of the noise, every single being heard him and immediately stopped talking. Griffin smirked, drinking in the power and responsibility he had just received. He let his arms lower and started pacing around the outer rim of the circle.

"First things first." he started, making sure that he had their undivided attention. "We need to stay calm. I know how messed up this situation is, and how you ponies can get riled up very easily, but if we panic nothing will get done. So what I need all of you to do is stay absolutely quiet and calm unless you need to without a doubt talk to me, Rainbow Dash, Time Turner. The only reason that you should be talking to someone is if you are immensely stressed and need to talk to someone about it. I don’t want any of you breaking down while we are in business, got that?”

He paused, searching for agreement in his audience. They all nodded in acceptance and continued to listen. "Next, I need you guys to-"

There was a sudden rattling sound down one of the halls. Everyone in the room craned their heads to the disruption. Griffin raised an eyebrow, wondering who would disrupt him during such an important gathering. His eyes widen as he remembered who they left behind. There was a movement of panic as ponies stared at Twilight, wildly thrashing on her bed once again.

"…Get Twilight to safety. Doctor! We need a doctor!" he shouted, his mind racing. The ponies started talking once again, agitated yet concerned to the wellbeing of one of their national icons.

"I'm right here!" Time Turner shouted besides Griffin. The human turned to meet the stallion, remembering that he was there the entire time.

"Oh, right." he muttered to himself before rushing past the pony crowd to Twilight. They all moved out of the way for him and let him passage to the one in need. She almost fell out of the stretcher before Griffin caught her and placed her back on the moving table. A strange foam was leaking out of her mouth again. He took a hold of the side of the stretcher and began pulling backwards, trying to get the patient to a better location.

"Get out of the way!" he ordered. The ponies scrambled aside, allowing the stretcher to slide effortlessly to the centre circle. Time Turner immediately jumped to attention, taking out the strange metallic device he used earlier. He held it in his teeth as he bit down on the button along the middle of the steel. It started shrieking in a high-pitched tone and glowed green. The doctor hovered the piece of steel over several areas of Twilight's body, leaning on the stretcher for support with Griffin being the counter weight. The boy wondered several things, such as where the brown stallion got such a piece of technology, how long did he have it and how it exactly was going to help Twilight's situation. He noticed the remainder of Ponyville was deep in conversation, with tones of worry and dismay reflecting off of the circular shape of the room.

(Great, two minutes in and they've already stop listening to me.) he thought begrudgingly. (This is definitely not calm behaviour. I'll have to stabilize the room before something bad happens.) He glanced at Twilight, who was still struggling in her sleep. (But first I'll have to take care of this.)

Time Turner turned off the electric wand and shoved it in-between the straps of a watch he wore on his right hoof and the appendage itself. He shook his head, finding the right words to convey.

"This isn't good." he reported, still looking at Twilight. "Her condition is deteriorating, and this overly crowded environment isn't helping either. With all the ponies in the room, her body is having trouble handing the germ overload and at the same time keep her magic in stable condition. The combination of the two jobs is heating up her body temperature up too high. We need to get her out of here as soon as possible, or else it won't matter what kind of procedure I apply to her."

Griffin took a gander around, tense to the situation. (Where the heck are we gonna move her?) he wondered. (I'm certainly not going to move her out to the hall, and I'm not sure-)

There was a sudden, gut-wrenching screech that called outside of the room. Everyone went silent as the sound of metal being ripped to pieces was heard from beyond the central hub. The teenager could feel their chances of survival slipping away.

(And if I move her into one of the living quarters, then there's a chance that the room will be ripped out too! Gah, we're running out of time, and I'm running out of options!)

Griff looked back to the pony with the hourglass cutie mark. The stallion was giving eye contact back, loyally waiting for his next order. The human didn't know what to say. There was just no safe space that they could move the unicorn to.

"…What was that?" Carrot Top finally asked, breaking the silence that had dominated the space for the past few seconds.

"That was the outside halls being ripped from the very foundation." Griffin put bluntly. More ponies brought panicked words into the room. (I'm not gonna lie to them.) he reassured himself. (They need to know what is happening. Nothing's gonna get done if there's icing on the cake. This is an active threat that we need to work against, and this is something they need to know. I just hope that they don't panic too much about the situation…)

"What are we going to do now?" the orange mare asked, trotting over to the doctor's side.

"Well, I can't bring Twilight out into the hall now, that's for sure." Griffin answered. "And bring her into one of the side quarters is kinda out of the question…"

"There's another room that you could bring her." Carrot Top informed.

The boy's attention snapped to her. "What? Really? Where?"

"There's a boiler room right beneath us that has lots of space and is away from everypony."

His fist hit the top of his palm, a sure sign of success. "Great! We can bring Twilight there! Where's the door?"

"We're standing right on it." she informed. The grouped all looked down to see a circular plate of metal that had been placed on the direct centre of the room. Examining it further, he realized that there were hinges on one side of the circle and a padlock securing a deadbolt shut on the other, with a handle built into the metal beside the deadbolt. There was an outline of several bolts holding something down, and the more he thought about it the more it looked like a door in the floor.

"D-Do you have the key?" Griffin inquired, holding out his hand to Carrot Top. She shook her head.

"I think I may be able to help with that." the stallion beside them said. "Rainbow, hold down Twilight for me please."

Rainbow swapped places with the doctor while he jumped over to the padlock and pulled out his green piece of metal from underneath his watch. It stuck out along his leg ending at his hoof, allowing him to point it wherever he pleases. After a few seconds it started glowing and emitting a shrill sound again as he extended his foreleg towards the lock. He looked at the door with determination, and the lock was released. Time Turner began to put away his device when the teen beside him asked the obvious.

"What is that thing?"

"Oh, this?" the doctor responded, holding up his watch which had the wand still attached to it. "It's a sonic screwdriver. It emits sonic waves at any pitch or density I wish, and although it can be very useful doing sonic things, I find that using it as a screwdriver isn't as nearly as effective, funny enough."

"Where did you even get that-oh never mind." Griffin dismissed, wanting to focus on more important things. He motioned for Time Turner to get off of the door as he removed the padlock and manipulated the deadbolt to unlock the door. With that the ponies around him watched as he grabbed the handle and pulled with all his might. The large entrance swung open and the teenager caught the piece of steel before it could slam onto the floor. He took care putting it on the ground and took a look inside the newly created hole. There was a set of stairs that led a few feet down to a new metal floor. The surroundings at the bottom of the stairs were concealed by darkness.

Griffin got up and grabbed the end of Twilight's stretcher, looking around with a distressed expression. He saw the ponies around him immersed in their own conversations, temporarily forgetting the imminent danger outside. They seem to not care for the sudden hole in the middle of the room. He then saw Carrot Top staring at him with her own concern. It took him a moment to find his voice to respond.

"I'll be right back." he said, pulling the stretcher towards the entrance.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



{*First-Person View, Main Character*}


Rainbow and I walked through the boiler room entrance with Time Turner trailing. She pushed the cart from behind while I took the latter half of the stretcher and pulled it through the door. I didn't want it rolling down the stairs with Twilight's head first and thought that I could carry the weight much better than a Pegasus half my height could. It was a tight fit through the door, the dimensions clearly not made for medical equipment to fit through.

Once we got to the bottom, it was impossible to see anything except the light coming through the entrance and the faint purple glow of Twilight's horn. I made sure to move the stretcher out of the way for Time Turner as he closed the entrance behind him, and I ended backing up into something metallic. A loud clang echoed throughout the chamber and I wondered truly how big the boiler room actually was. I also hoped I didn't break anything.

"It's quite dark down here, it's it?" the chestnut stallion thought aloud. "Here, let me help."

There was a whirring sound and a bright green light for a few seconds, then all the lights turned on. The doctor used his strange pen contraption again. I still had my questions about his painfully out-of-place electronics, but that was not the time to address them. With our path enlightened, I took a brief moment to survey my surroundings.

It was quite dank and dark down here. The temperature in the room was much hotter than it was above ground. The humidity made my sweat start sticking to my arms and made for an overall less comfortable atmosphere. It made me being to doubt that this was really the best environment to move Twilight in. Then again, it was my decision to move her down here, and it’s better than staying in the hub where bacteria could have been flying everywhere. Never the less, the ceiling was abnormally low, even for Equestria's standards causing me to hunch over my head a bit. The lights were a bit outdated, shining a darker shade of yellow instead of a pure white. The floor was somewhat grungy and had hints of rust in the corner of the metal tiles that littered the ground. Large tanks of gas were placed throughout with a complete system of metal pipes. Even though the engineers of the place made sure that each boiler was accessible, some of the pathways in-between the tanks were blocked by an array of pipes. It hurt my head thinking about which pipeline when where, to which part of the building and was connected to which tank. Needless to say, it looked like it would be easy to get lost in here.

I guided Twilight's stretcher a few meters away from the entrance so we didn't stray farther than necessary. "Is here good?" I asked the medical expert.

"It's fine." he answered, approaching the twitching patient. "I just need a little bit of space and time to work."

"Of course." I complied. Rainbow and I got out of the way while Time Turner got to the stretcher and grabbed a side lever, lowering it to a more suitable level. I looked at the flyer, who was still airborne despite the low ceiling and heated air. She looked as jumpy as I did. I frowned, and got an idea as to how to calm both her and the other ponies above.

"Rainbow," I began, grabbing her attention. "I need you to go back up top and try to get everyone to calm down."

"What?" she exclaimed before I could explain further. "I'm not going anywhere! I'm staying here with Twilight until she gets better!"

"No, I need you to be up there and making sure they don't do anything stupid." She opened her mouth to object, but I put my fingers on her muzzle. "Rainbow, you're the only one that they listen to. Time Turner needs to be down here to heal up Twilight, and I’m not even their favorite leader anyways. You saw how they started talking again after I just told them not to. You’re the only one that can do this."

She looked away. I knew I was asking something big of her, especially since she was the Element of Loyalty. If she wanted to stick to Twilight, then gosh darn it, she would! But I had to get her mind off of Twilight for her own good, and I had to also attempt to create some kind of order in this mess that I've made.

"Please Rainbow." She turned her head towards me. “They look up to you. You have to be their leader. You just have to."

I struck a chord when I said those lines. The small grin on her face was a sure sign of the home run I hit. She gave a big sigh and looked at me low in the eye.

"Fine." she agreed, smiling slightly. "But you better make sure that Twi comes out of this ok. I swear to Celestia, I'm going to pound your face in if she… If I wasn't there when she needed me…"

"I'll make absolutely positively sure that Twilight survives, ok?" I re-assure. She nodded in response. I watched as she flew to the entrance, pumped her forelegs in determination and opened it up to a plethora of different voices. Apparently the local populous took it into their own care to start talking up even more of a storm the twelve seconds we were away from the situation. I heard her call "Ok! Everypony listen up!" as the door slammed shut behind her.

It was up to her now on what to do next. The mental state of her fellow Ponyvillians was in her hooves now. Even though I still didn't trust her completely, I could give her enough credit to compete the job I'd given her. And I had to admit, even though she could be huge douchebag AND asshat AND selfish moron, she did have one thing going for her. She was absolutely dead-set to do whatever it took to get Twilight to safety. Her courage and mindset were very admirable. Twilight's incapacitation was the main reason she was still supporting a crazed doctor and an alien from outer space, not because of her own ideals or goals. Even if it meant co-operating with an extra-terrestrial, she was still prepared to get the job done and keep her best friend safe.

I guess that's what it meant to be loyal.

I turned around to face the good doctor while his device whirred in his hoof over various parts of Twilight's torso. "Is there anything else I can do to help?" I ask.

"Not at this moment, no." he replied, still focused on his work. "The best you can do now is wait until I’m done."

I took a moment's breath. Nothing to do. Ok. I could live with that. I first thought of sitting down, but my legs were too charged with adrenaline that it would have been uncomfortable doing so. So instead, I began to wipe the sweat off of my forehead with the bottom of my t-shirt. I wanted to hide my face in my palms for a minute or two, but my dirty hands counteracted my desire. Well, they weren’t dirty in the sense of touching unclean materials, but I could’ve only imagined how many surfaces I had touched without washing my hands. I was a little bit OCD about clean hands, and had a great displeasure of touching my face without cleaning my fingers first. Never the less, the warm air in the room was clogging up my thoughts and the stress I'd been experiencing lately has been layering the fog thick on my head. It was getting hard to think, after thinking so much these past few hours.

To tell you the truth, I just wanted to lie down and take a nap. Or at least try to. I wanted an escape. I wanted to crawl to the corner of the boiler room and sleep, because sleep would’ve been a good way to get away from all the madness. I’d never wanted this, you know. I’d never wanted to be shipped off to a different planet and experience the end of the world as the denizens of the place knew it. I’d never wanted to meet semi-intelligent, overly colourful ponies which the major population of wanted my head on a platter. I’d never wanted to be here in the first place! It was so aggravating! You know, what kind of a crazy basketcase would want to wish this in the first place? No one! Especially not me! So what in the wide wide universe decided to pick me up and plop me on this ridiculous spinning mass of matter? Who the fuck thought that this was ever a good idea?

I growled in the darkness, pure frustration coursing through my veins. All this stress and anxiety and pain… It made me so angry. I writhed in place, with my hands finally meeting my face and my back arching as air hissed between my teeth. I was here, I was experiencing the apocalypse, I was slowly being torn apart by my surroundings, and there was nothing I could do about it! There was not one single thing that could change my place or time, not one single thing that I could do to fix everything and not one single thing that I could do in my absolute power that could place me back on Earth with my family! It was stupid! It was so stupid! I hated not being in control! You feel so helpless and unworthy! How could I control my life if I had not the power to do so? It was absurd! This planet was absurd! Everything was so fucking absurd!

I yelled, falling to my knees and letting a fraction of my scorn out. It was so hard to keep it in control, to keep in inside and to myself. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs and break the tanks with my fists and wreck the pipes and punch the face of every single fucking pony that tried to murder me! But I couldn't. I just couldn't. I wouldn't allow myself to stoop that low. Not yet. I had to keep a straight face and move on, because if I didn't who else would? Time Turner had enough on his plate, Twilight was unconscious, and Rainbow Dash… She didn’t even know her friends are dead, did she? Oh god, we didn't even tell her! I didn't even tell her! Ha, she didn’t even know!

I squirmed, falling to the ground. It just hurt so much. To keep it inside and safe from others all hurt so, so much. I wanted it to stop. I wanted it to let me be and leave me alone, at peace. I wanted the emotions to stop flowing and go to someone else, preferably someone who could handle it. I wanted to go to sleep, and just forget all this nonsense. Is this what life was truly like? To feel agony every second you draw breath? I was not even out of high school, and this was the taste of my future I'm going to get? I hadn’t even scratched the surface! I hadn’t even gone and got my first job, or paid my first bill, or bought my first home! And this is what life was like?

…

…I wanted to go back home…

…

…I was so alone…

…

I cried, sitting against a boiler tank. My sense of time was lost as the tears flowed freely along my face. It felt so good. It felt really good, but at the same time it still hurt. Of course, the sorrow didn't heal much, but it just felt… nice. I needed it. And heaven forbid that I didn’t find time to myself to just cry. Of course, I had just cried two days ago in the library, but this was different. This was a situation that was unavoidable and was totally different from whatever experiences that was in the past. So I sat under the dim lights, crying my heart out and finding somewhat peace. It felt so damn good.

I didn't know how long I stayed like that. It must have been a pitiful sight, and it definitely wasn't my proudest moment. At some point in time I wondered if Time Turner's opinion turned for the worse after seeing me in a sorry state like that. I got my answer when I finally started to calm down and had enough sense to stop sobbing. I had managed to bring the tears to a minimum and wipe the snot onto my sleeve when I heard his voice call over the ambiance of the working boilers.

"Hmm… Well this is no good." he commented. I looked to my left, and saw him back up from Twilight's stretcher with a frown. He put away his green-rod-thing and started trotting towards me.

"Wha… What's wrong?" I asked, licking my lips. My initial stutter was due to the fact that my brain had shut down all kinds of communication functions, making it a little bit more difficult for my mouth to find the right shapes to forms syllables.

"I can't help her any further without some proper medical equipment." he announced, eyeing me with a careful stare. I knew that he saw my wet, red eyes. I did nothing to hide it.

"So you didn't bring your doctor bag when we got down here?" I questioned, a bit miffed that he couldn't foresee such a shortcoming.

"Unfortunately, no." the stallion responded, approaching the stairs to the door. I took a glance at Twilight and saw that her breathing finally stabilized. The foam from her lips was wiped off a long time ago and her eyes looked peaceful underneath her hopefully dreamless sleep. "I left it upstairs in Carrot Top's care." he continued.

"Ok. I'll watch over Twilight while you go get it." I stated, getting up from the ground, dusting myself off and approaching the patient. My hands found the side of the mattress and I grabbed on tight, wishing that Twilight would wake up healthy.

"I'll be quick." he finished, moving up the steps. The loud resonance of the old steel made a clang with every step. I looked back at Twilight and brushed the bangs out of her eyes. I found it to be somewhat strange saying this, but she was beautiful sleeping like that, with her expression calm and her eyelids relaxed. She was pretty cute too. In fact, all the ponies around here had a cute look to them, especially the mares and young ones. That was probably due to the nature of their gigantic eyes and small muzzles. 

I caught myself with a smile when the doctor's voice addressed me again.

"Griffin." he said. I brought my attention to his words. His old eyes looked directly into mine. "Listen carefully what I have to say." He took a deep breath and continued before I could ask what he meant. "The rest is up to you. Everything that you do, every action that you choose will determine your future. I know you're a smart boy, and that I can trust you with this responsibility. Make the smart decision and save this world."

Before I even opened my mouth, he tapped the surface of the metal door. "You will understand in time." he mentioned before the door was ripped right off its hinges and flew into the wide open sky. I already knew what was wrong with the picture and my eyes widened. Time Turner followed the entrance not too soon after, soaring right out of the door frame and into Equiss's atmosphere. I felt my ears pop as the air pressure got crushed and a vacuum was formed between the room and the outside world. I found myself launched towards the exit at an extreme speed.

Not worrying about the possible physical injuries, I stuck out all my limbs out and caught them along the door boundaries. They were sore and numbed over from the contact, the freezing steel causing my skin on my hands to stick to the surface in a painful manner. I barely had enough time to crane my neck around to feel Twilight ram right into my back still attached to the stretcher. My feelings went out to the poor unicorn as she was sandwiched between two heavy objects, but I quickly switched priorities to address more important matters. The relentless wind whistled around my head, the sound directly smashing against my eardrums. My muscles cried out in pain as the stress of holding three objects against such a powerful force took its toll.

My thoughts raced to find a reason why the top layer of the bunker was missing. Did the boiler room get teleported to a different location? Did that stupid doctor teleport the whole damn room with his magical wand or something? Of course not. That's not the sensible conclusion. The thing was, I didn't want to believe the more likely solution. I didn't want to believe that I had failed so badly, and I had failed all the ponies that were trapped like little lost lambs in the cramped hub or the bunker. I didn't want to think for one blippin' second that I had screw up so badly.

Were we really down there for that long? I really didn't feel longer than five minutes. Then again, I lost time when I started blubbering like a retarded baby. But it couldn't have taken that long for Time Turner to realize that he didn't have his doctor's bag, did it? And how did he now about this anyways? How did he know that this was going to happen and that the hub would be sucked up already and that we were too late and that Twilight and I were going to be the last ones alive AGAIN?

How in the hell did he know? That sneaky little bastard! He played the innocent little underdog, following my instructions and helping me calm down everyone. And then he did this! If he knew that this was going to happen, why didn't he tell me? Why didn't he inform me so I could have done something and save everyone? I could have saved tens of thousands of lives if he just fucking told me in the first place! Jesus Christ!

...

Everyone was dead again.

I had let Rainbow Dash down.

I had let Twilight down.

Everyone was dead!

I found the chilling wind cooling my face as tears flowed down my cheeks once again. Couldn't I do anything right? I couldn't save Rarity, I couldn't save Sweetie Belle, I couldn't save Pinkie Pie, and so far I've been having a tough time with saving my own skin without sacrificing others! When will I learn to suck it up and put others over my own safety? They needed it, not me! This is their world that was dying! I’m an alien to this world! I meant nothing! Why couldn’t I save others besides myself?

My grip was breaking. My skin stretched to its limit. I grimaced in pain as muscles functioned past their capability and bones bended under the influence. Twilight was unconscious, everyone in Ponyville was dead and I had no way out of our own doom. Was this how I die? Was this the end of my life? Was this the end of the road, as dictated by destiny? Was I supposed to die on a different planet of my own by a giant black hole of destruction? It felt strange in a sense. All sensations faded as I began to succumb to my fate. My vision was darkened, my limbs further numbed and my hearing dampened to a great extent. I felt relaxed, ready to take up death on his offer. With one last breath, I let go of the doorframe.

I fell. I fell through the opening and out into the open air, the wind beneath my arms. I let them carry me as they spun me a complete one-hundred eighty degrees. My eyes widened as I remember just who, exactly was behind me. Twilight, the purple unicorn that took me in after landing on an unknown planet slept, without knowing the imminent doom that befell her. She was still attached to her stretcher, despite the lack of securing straps or blankets. The force of the hole above made sure to keep her stuck to her personal platform of warmth and comfort.

Was this really it? Was this how it's really going to end? Was I really going to die, just like this, without a fight? Although my closing senses disabled most thought processes, one idea fought through the darkness and shouted out loud and proud. I was not going to go down without fighting a little bit longer! I made a promise to Rainbow Dash, and I would not let her death be in vain! Not while I still have someone to protect! Twilight Sparkle left me with her life, and I plan to protect it with every last will of my being!

"TWILIGHT!" I screamed at the very top of my lungs.

Her horn suddenly was lit with a purple glow. My body's functions came back to me in a rush as I caught her on the stretcher and wrapped my arms around her upper barrel tight. I felt my indication of direction change wildly as my momentum did a complete flip, changing gravity from upside-down to the proper downside-up. My legs kicked off the stretcher, changing its propulsion and getting it off of Twilight. It soared upwards and outwards to the great beyond. Instincts running, I tucked in my feet and hunched over my shoulders preparing for impact.

I landed with a slam, but it was not as nearly as painful as it did when we were at the Sugarcube Corner. I realized that we were only mere feet away from the ground before Twilight responded to my call. I flicked my head to attention and loosened my grip on the mare. Hoping that I didn't squeeze her too tight, I placed my palm against the back of her head and leaned her back to check for any kind of physical response. Her horn was glowing with a mild ferocity that I hadn't seen from Twilight yet, but that meant that the spell was working. It was doing its job and keeping us alive.

Twilight's eyelids fluttered open. I saw her pupils dilate until they focused on mine. "…Griffin?" she muttered in a weak voice that I could barely hear. I cried even harder and wrapped her in a big hug, all my emotions pouring into the action. I rocked back and forth, joyed to an indescribable extent that my little pony woke up and saved us both. I felt her forehooves wrap around my shoulder blades and tap my back. I release my grasp, allowing her to get some breathing room.

"Griffin, what happened?" she asked her eyes traveling to her hooves. My eyebrow raised in confusion. "Where are we? A-A-All I remember is us traveling from Sugarcube Corner, a-a-a-and then feeling weak and seeing Lockdown's house and rushing towards it and…" She gazed into me, uncertain. "Then everything went dark. What happened?"

"Oh Twilight…" I began, the wetness on the corner of my eyelids not going away. "Twilight Twilight Twilight…" I pull her into my hug. She didn't remember. She clear out did not recall saving me from that angry mob or helping me and Rainbow Dash make amends or unlocking the door for us. She didn't remember any of it at all.

"I-I-I remember seeing Rainbow Dash…" she suddenly continued, catching me off guard. I stopped hugging for her to continue. "I remember seeing Rainbow Dash and you, a-and you two were yelling, a-a-and I hated seeing it and I couldn't stop it…" Her stare turned downwards, her ears folding backwards in disappointment and sadness. I forced a smile and ran my hand softly against the top of her head.

"Oh Twilight. But you did. You did stop us. You spoke up and stopped us from fighting and you made us make up and make amends. You made us a team, Twilight."

Her slightly shocked expression said everything. Maybe my words would help jog her memory a bit, and she would remember all the wonderful things she did for us.

"I-I did?" she asked.

"Yes. You absolutely did." I responded, my grin turning sincere.

"But then," she began, gathering her thoughts. "Where's Rainbow Dash?"

I kept my smile as best as I could and wrapped my arms around her again. I rocked back and forth, comforting both her and myself. There was nothing we could have done. There was nothing I could have done. She was there one minute, and then gone the next. She ventured off, doing her duty, protecting and staying loyal to her friend, and aimed to defend until the very end.

"Griffin?" she asked. I said nothing. "Griffin what happened to her? W-why aren't you saying anything? Griffin?"

I kept rocking, unable to keep myself in control. I held my breath as best as I could to save the sobs from getting out.

"What aren't you telling me? Griffin!" she shouted, her words getting more desperate. I held my voice steady. It wasn't until she tried shoving me away with her hooves…

"Oh no. Oh no no no no! Griffin! Griffin, please tell me!" she shrieked, pushing me harder and harder. "Tell me that she isn't… That I hadn't…"

I said nothing.

"GRIFFIN!" 

She began to pound on my sides, begging me to let her go. I didn't. I kept swaying.

"GRIFFIN! WHY! WHY WON'T YOU TELL ME! WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME SOONER! Why!" she sobbed. The wind whipped around us, moaning and calling us to the black hole. I gripped her tighter, feeling cold. So cold.

"Not again!" she cried in defeat. Her struggle ceased, and she slumped in my grip. "I lost another one! Rainbow d-d-d… I wasn't there! I wasn't there for her when she needed me! She was there, and I wasn't there for her, and all my friends are falling apart!"

"I'm sorry…" I whispered in her ear, stroking her mane. "I'm so, so sorry…"

"I… I can't keep this up Griffin, I just can't! Everypony is d-d-d-disappearing around me and I can't save anything! I can't do anything right! My friends are d-d-d-DYING right in front of my hooves!"

I kept her in my grasp.

"I just… I don't know if I can live with myself anymore! I… I can't stop this storm, and I can't save anypony! I'm useless! I… I can't go on!"

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!"

I released my hug and grabbed her shoulders tight. Her eyes were running with fresh tears and she clearly was crying as hard as I was right now. Her nose had a fresh strand of mucus trailing down her muzzle as her shocked yet frightened expression looked directly at me. 

"Listen! Listen to me, Twilight Sparkle! Don't say you can't! Don't say you can't go on even though we've been through so much! Look up at the sky! Look at you're hooves! We're still alive! You're still alive! That's all that matters right now! You're still alive, and I'm still alive, and we're going to keep going! You know why? Because we are still living, breathing survivors!"

I took a moment to catch my breath. Yelling two inches away from a pony's face took the wind out of me. She continued to sob, disoriented, and didn’t get the point.

"What would your friends say if you just got up and gave up, just like that? What would they say after they gave their lives for you to live? What would your parents say? What would Spike say? What would your princess say?"

Her eye widened in realization. That caught her attention, and was only the first straw.

"You can't give up now, Twilight! You still got so much to live for! So much potential! And everyone's not dead yet! There are still people, still ponies living around the world and thriving and populating, so don't you dare say that everypony's dead!"

I swallowed, realizing how dry my mouth was at that moment.

"There are people who still care about you, Twilight! Your friends cared about you! Fluttershy still cares about you, and so does Applejack! You've got ponies that love you and care for you and would never want to see you like this! So Twilight! Wake up, smell the roses and hold your head up high, because I am not, in any living daylight, letting you give up like this!"

Her pupils shrunk to microscopic levels. I heard her gasp, slightly lifting up her posture and straightening her back.

"I care about you Twilight! I care that you are still alive and breathing and well! So you are not giving up on me! Never in a thousand years! Do you understand?"

The sounds of the moving air in the background died down. Silence reigned as our surroundings disappeared in a black haze. It was just me and her now. The human and the pony, a one-on-one understanding of what was, what is and what will be. It was just us two and our faces doing the talking for us. I had a furrowed brow, my mouth twisted into a serious scowl. Her lips were slightly agape, and her eyes re-focused back onto my being. The two of us sat for a minute, then another, and another, trying to keep the wordless conversation going.

Something clicked in her head. Reality rushed back to me as she wrapped her hooves around my torso once again, crying against my chest. I openly welcomed the gesture, making sure to avoid gouging myself on her horn and leaned over her head, stroking her fur gently. We rocked back and forth in the storm, the raging elements racing around us.

(Heh, you're such a hypocrite, Griff.)


{END OF CHAPTER}