Through a large gap in the leaves above, Twilight could see the sky turning a faint shade of orange. Gentle plumes of smoke could still be seen rising into the air from where the bombs had hit earlier that morning, which was the only indication to the true harshness of the situation she was in. Around her, the forest played its placid symphony of bird songs and rustling leaves in the wind without a care in the world. The intense heat of the day had more or less died down, now bathing her in a rich warmth that was perfectly balanced with the tender summer breeze that cascaded over her with an almost surgically smooth precision. It was a perfect evening. Or, at least, it could have been.
The beauty and tranquility of her surroundings was little comfort to Twilight, sadly. She had only paused briefly to look to the skies as an attempt to guess the time before she continued her brisk walk through the forest. Having set off from the cornucopia at a jog, the exertion had proved to be too much for the freshly closed wound on her flank, and she had quickly realized it better to slow down and avoid becoming fatigued.
The wait in her hiding place near the cornucopia had been an agonizing one. Going so suddenly from an overwhelming situation, to having an hour to sit and wait, had given her a lot of time just to think. During that hour, one particular subject had plagued her mercilessly: What happened to Fluttershy?
The moment she had thrown the knife had played over and over again, constantly reeling mercilessly through her mind. Twilight had had a split second to act, and she had yet to convince herself that she’d made the wrong decision. Taking on two opponents with one knife was not a favorable situation by any means, especially considering the menacingly sharp javelins she’d caught a glimpse of in Nighteye’s sheath. Pyro was smaller and less of an immediate threat, as Twilight didn’t recall seeing her holding any ranged weapons. However, Pyro had the upper hoof when it came to agility, having had one of the best times on the obstacle course. In a straight fight, all it would have taken Twilight is one small mistake for her to be overpowered.
Throwing the knife had been the best tactic, a conclusion that Twilight continuously arrived at. It meant they had avoided a two on two confrontation that would have been impossible to win, and though Twilight had lost her knife, she now had a small sheath strapped to her leg, full of small and specialized throwing knives. But her time at the cornucopia had been a little bit too quiet. This could only mean that her pursuers had focused their attention on Fluttershy.
The thought made Twilight feel sick to her stomach.
How could anypony, decent or not, target somepony so fragile yet kind? Sure, they were facing each other in a deathmatch where only one pony would walk out alive, but how could anypony be so brutal? She remembered the day the war ended, when the ceasefire was called. She could remember how, even with the losses she’d suffered, there was still a glimmer of hope that things would get better in the future. That life could become worth living, and that Equestria could become a peaceful nation once more. The games stood to symbolize every dream of Twilight’s that had been crushed. But as she’d learned to use her grief to push herself forward in life, she could consider herself well equipped to deal with the situation. Fluttershy's abilities to fight and survive were, sadly, nowhere near Twilight's level. If the clique caught up with her, she wouldn’t stand a chance.
As the smell of salt water began to find its way to Twilight’s nostrils, she had a realization that instantly put her other fears to rest: the cannon hadn’t fired. If the clique ponies had killed her, the cannon would have announced her demise. But she hadn’t heard one at all today, meaning that her fears of Fluttershy suffering at the hooves of the clique ponies were completely irrational. With this knowledge, she allowed herself to grin slightly as she stepped through the trees and found herself back at the beach, the sun behind her just beginning to descend beyond the cliffs at the rear of the arena.
A glance up and down the beach confirmed that she was alone. This didn’t faze her too much, as the beach on their side of the river was at least a mile long, possibly further. She had emerged from the woods only slightly down the beach from the mouth of the river, so she wasn’t worried in the slightest. After pausing to take a sip from her flask, which she had refilled along the way, she begin to make her way down the beach. As she walked, she allowed herself to relax slightly. She drifted towards the sea as she walked, stopping just at the water's edge. Each new wave would wash up against her, barely reaching far above her hooves. The water was cool and refreshing in the evening warmth, and she found her mind drifting away. Her walk became almost nonchalant, in a way that gave no reflection to her situation. She strolled, like she was walking in a park without a care in the world. It was almost like she had on an invisible coat, which was shielding her from the harsh reality of the arena. The moment of serenity was one she appreciated dearly.
But all good things have to end eventually.
Her mind snapped instantly back to reality as she rounded a corner in the coastline, and was suddenly able to make out some shapes in the distance. She ducked down and crept into the trees. She’d only had a brief glance, but now in safe cover she was able to have a further look. She was too far away to make out specifics, but there was definitely somepony ahead of her on the beach, several hundred meters away. With the distance and the slowly diminishing light, all she could make out was a speck in the canvas of sand and forest. It could be Fluttershy, but she had to get closer to be certain.
She kept low, barely a few steps into the trees, moving swiftly but quietly. Her tread was gentle but deliberate, and she kept a pace that matched a jogging speed before she was able to identify specifics about the ponies in distance. One had a white coat, and had their back to her. The other one was hidden from her view, so but she could see them moving. The closer she got, the more she was able to identify; the black mane and tail on the pony with the white coat, the dark wings behind them that indicated the other pony was a pegasus, the horn on the pony with the white coat, the silver blue mane of the second pony, the…
Twilight froze. Silver blue mane? Dark feathers?
She kept still as she continued to observe the pair in front of her, practically within hearing distance. Sure enough, after a few moments, the white-coated pony moved his head just enough for her to get a proper glance at the second pony. Twilight gasped as the features rang familiar in her mind; the silvery mane, the dark gray coat, the soft amber eyes. Somepony familiar, somepony she cared for dearly.
“Thunderlane!” she called out loudly, unable to stop herself as she jumped out of the trees, running towards the pegasus.
Even from the distance, she could see his reaction. The way his eyes shrank in disbelief, his ears perking up as the voice ringing through them registered, and his jaw dropping in amazement before reforming into a massive grin.
“Twilight!” he called back, and mimicked her action and began running towards her.
The pair had barely spent three days apart, but it felt like so much longer. Twilight’s bad leg ached slightly as she ran, but that didn’t bother her in the slightest. She knew that Thunderlane had planned to keep his feelings about Twilight out of the arena, but he was clearly too caught up in the moment to pause and consider this. Everything about Thunderlane made Twilight feel safe as she ran towards him. Seeing his muscular body contrasting with his gentle and caring eye gave Twilight a feeling that almost felt nostalgic. There was a placid warmth about him, something that reminded her of home. She felt like she was running towards safety.
Before she knew it, Twilight found herself held in his tight embrace. Everything about the hug felt wonderful, from the gentle scratching of his disheveled mane as he nuzzled his head against her, to the warmth of his breath emanating from his powerful lungs. For a few brief moments, they held each other silently. They didn’t need to talk; they both felt the same. Thunderlane was the one to break the silence, almost inaudibly whispering in Twilight’s ear.
“I’m sorry. We've done everything we could”
“What do you mean?” she responded, completely unaware of what he was talking about.
The answer came as Twilight glanced forward, still locked in Thunderlane’s embrace. She could see clearer now that the first pony was Cube Twister, whom she had partnered with briefly during the training. He looked back over his shoulder and smiled at her, but he hadn’t moved from his spot. He may have been smiling, but it was impossible to disguise the sympathetic nature behind it. He was still sat with his back to Twilight, and it took her a few moments to realize why. It clicked in Twilight’s mind when he turned his gaze downwards. Laid out on the ground, almost blending in with the sand. The yellow coat and the bandages that would have been nearly invisible if it weren’t for the tangled mess of a bright pink mane. Fluttershy.
“No,” Twilight whispered, pushing Thunderlane away and dashing over. She utterly refused to believe what she was seeing.
She was alive, but judging from the clearly labored breathing, she was barely holding on. Thick bandages covered most of her chest, but there was little to hide the rest of her injuries. Her wings were laid out on the sand, completely limp as if they were barely even connected. They were clearly swelling around the middle, where she could see gaping wounds coated in sand. The blood was dried, and completely matted into her fur. Thunderlane and Cube Twister had clearly attempted to clean her wounds, but their supplies must have been limited. Futtershy appeared to be sedated, and so didn’t react to Twilight’s arrival. Her nostrils were blocked as blood had clotted inside, forcing her to breathe through her mouth. Twilight could clearly see she was missing several teeth. Of everything, the worst part was the smell. The stench of blood and urine hung in the air, making Twilight gag as she stepped towards her injured colleague.
She paused to consider the word. Colleague. Partner. Associate. Until now, Twilight had tried not to form an emotional bond with Fluttershy, knowing the alliance couldn’t last. But seeing her in this state, the impact it had on her, she knew she could never consider Fluttershy as anything less than a friend.
Thunderlane sat down beside her, and allowed her to cuddle up to him, releasing a torrent of sobs. She had been completely wrong. The clique was definitely behind this, but they hadn’t killed her, nor had they left her alone. She didn’t know specifically what they’d done to her, but they clearly hadn’t been out to kill her. No, killing was too quick. Too easy. Their intentions had been completely different. They’d utterly broken her.
She did her best to hold herself together as she dared to ask. “W-what h-h-happened?” she said, not managing to hide the quiver in her voice.
“Well, we don’t know exactly,” Cube Twister answered, packing away the first aid kit at his hooves and returning it to his saddle pack. “But the injuries are bad. Broken and dislocated wings, severe burns on her chest, and…”
Thunderlane finished the sentence for him as his voice trailed off, knowing he couldn’t bring himself to answer. “We found this embedded in her stomach,” he said, reaching over to the saddle pack and pulling out a large knife.
Twilight felt a knot tighten in her stomach as she looked at the knife. Her knife. Her mouth went dry as she tried to speak, but nothing came out. Her vocal chords refused to cooperate as her head began to spin.
“We did everything we could,” Cube Twister continued. “But it’s not going to be enough. Her injuries are too severe, and she’s lost too much blood.”
“We knew you’d partnered with her,” Thunderlane explained. “That’s why I insisted we try and save her.”
Somehow, the words came to her. “How did you know that?”
He gave a small smile. “She kept asking for you.”
As if on cue, Fluttershy began to stir. Twilight looked down at her injured friend, and could see very clearly what she was doing. Ever so gently, so easy to miss, but she was definitely doing it. Unable to speak a word, she was mouthing. Just one syllable too, the same one over and over again.
Twi… Twi… Twi…
Twilight instantly responded. She unstrapped her saddle pack and removed her sheath, laying it in a neat pile, before taking her place at Fluttershy’s side. She was as gentle as she could possibly be, sitting on her haunches and shuffling forward slightly, lifting Fluttershy’s head up and resting down in her lap. Closer inspection made her choke up slightly as she found herself closely examining the dried blood around Fluttershy’s nose, and she could hear a quiet whistling as each breath rushed through the gaps in her teeth.
The frail pegasus was still mouthing the same syllable over and over again, even though she appeared to be completely unconscious.
“Fluttershy,” she asked hesitantly.
It was all Twilight could do to keep herself from sobbing as the catatonic mare’s eyelids slowly flickered open, revealing her bright blue eyes. Sweet, innocent, and absolutely terrified.
“Twi…” she said weakly, as if she was unable to believe that she was really looking up at her friend.
“I’m here Fluttershy,” she said, unable to stop the tears pooling in her eyes. “I’ve got you.”
“Wa…ter…” was the response.
Twilight didn’t need to say anything. Thunderlane responded immediately, pulling a clear bottle of water from his bag, and moving into position so he could pour it slowly into Fluttershy’s mouth. She lapped hungrily at the water for a few moments, before giving Thunderlane a grateful nod. She was shivering gently, and her face was paler than normal. But even though her eyes betrayed her terror, her expression was relatively calm. But even with the effort as she was putting in to appear tranquil, it couldn’t disguise her gentle shaking.
“Did… you… get…”
Twilight hushed her, knowing what she was going to ask. “Yeah, I made it to the cornucopia. I got everything I needed.”
“G…good.”
Twilight felt the tears running down her face. She wiped them off before she continued. “Fluttershy, I’m… I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
Fluttershy was struggling to speak, so she responded by giving Twilight an inquisitive look.
“If I hadn’t thrown the knife, they wouldn’t have caught up to you and done this.” The tears began to flow faster and faster as the guilt began to well up inside her. Thunderlane and Cube Twister backed away, respectively giving them the privacy they needed.
Fluttershy gave her head a small yet defiant shake. “No… other… way…” she said. Her breathing was becoming steadily more labored, but she somehow found the strength to keep talking. “You… you had… the best chance…”
Twilight’s eyes widened as she realized what that meant. “Don’t say that, we both had a chance at winning.”
The response came out as a wheeze, but Twilight guessed Fluttershy was attempting to laugh. “I… I was… never… going to win…” she spluttered, coughing up blood simultaneously. “The only… thing... that kept me… alive… was you…”
“Come on, we can keep going.” Twilight said desperately. “You’re stronger than you think, you can keep going. I know you can. Please. Just hold on.”
“Too… late… for me…”
Twilight grimaced at Fluttershy’s attitude. They both knew what was coming, and the inevitability of it. But Twilight was less than keen to accept it.
“Come on, don’t be like that,” Twilight begged. “You can’t give up so easily.”
“I’m… not. I held on… to say… goodbye…”
That was the nail in the coffin. Twilight lost control of her emotions as her tears began to flow freely. She pulled Fluttershy in tightly, but gently as not to aggravate her wounds.
“H-how are you doing?” Twilight asked, not sure what else to say.
“S…s….scared…”
Twilight closed her eyes, and for an odd moment, her memories caught up with her. For the briefest of instances, she was back with Shining Armor. Just after their return to District 12. The return that had been made without their parents. The first night had been the worst, but one thing had made it bearable. She had cuddled up with Shining Armor by the fireplace, still overwhelmed with grief, as he sang her a song. An old country song that had been passed down through their family for generations. It had helped dull the grief then, and Twilight felt compelled to repeat it for her companion.
She barely needed to think, as her quivering lips managed to calm down, and she sang the sweet tune to her dying friend. The song that had made her strong on so many occasions, and reminded her that there is always light in the darkest of times. How she'd always be alright if there was somepony there for her.
“It’s like a storm,
that cuts a path.
It breaks your will,
it feels like that.
You think you’re lost,
but you’re not lost, on your own.
You’re not alone.”
Fluttershy gave a contented whimper as Twilight continued into the chorus.
“I will stand by you.
I will help you through.
When you’ve done all you can do,
and you can’t cope.
I will dry your eyes.
I will fight your fight.
I will hold you tight,
and I won’t let go.”
She was fully ready to continue the song into its second verse, but Fluttershy gave a gentle hushing noise to try and gain her attention.
“Twilight?” she asked.
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
Twilight gave a supportive, tear stained grin. “What for?”
Fluttershy smiled up at her, shedding a tear of her own. “You were my first friend.”
Twilight’s resolve was utterly broken. She completely broke down in sobs as Fluttershy’s bright blue eyes went listless. Her smile melted away from her lips as the life left her body. The sun finally set behind the cliffs as Fluttershy's gentle heart gave its final beat. Twilight was barely to hear the cannon fire over her own cries.
She jumped slightly as she felt a hoof rest on her shoulder. Turning round, she found her eyes meeting Thunderlane's.
"I'm sorry Twilight," he spoke softly. "She's gone."
"That's right, she's gone!" came a familiar voice from the trees.
Twilight and Thunderlane looked round to see Cube Twister scrambling back in panic as Nighteye emerged from the woods, a razor sharp javelin held high and ready to throw. Pinkie Pie stepped out next to him, holding a bow with an arrow already notched and aimed right at Twilight. A quick look left and right confirmed that Rainbow Dash was on one side of them, whilst Pyro was stood on the other side. They both had swords held tightly in hoof, ready to attack. They were surrounded. Twilight cursed silently as the pack closed in from all sides. Her saddle pack and her sheath of knives was far out of reach, and Thunderlane had put the knife back in his saddle pack for safekeeping. They were defenseless.
"Screamed like a filly she did," Pinkie said with a chuckle. "But even so, she wasn't exactly keen to tell us where you'd swanned off to."
"We had to convince her to spill it," Pyro added, pausing menacingly when she said convince.
The words drummed at Twilight's ears as Thunderlane spoke up.
"You tortured her to find out where Twilight went?"
"Bingo," laughed Rainbow Dash. "You're not as thick as you look, Thunderhead."
"It's Thunder-lane," he replied with a scowl.
"Whatever," Pyro laughed. "It's not you we're interested in anyway."
"No, it's not," Rainbow Dash said, crouching down so she was eye level with Twilight.
Fluttershy's head still lay lifeless in her lap, and Twilight still had her hooves wrapped around her. If it was the last thing she ever did, she would protect her friend from further mockery at the hooves of the clique ponies.
"What's the matter?" Rainbow asked with mock sympathy. "Were you too late to save her? Wandering off up to the cornucopia to suit your own ends while you left your little friend to fend for herself?"
It took every ounce of willpower to keep Twilight from lashing out at Rainbow Dash. The arrow and javelin aimed at her head were a powerful and sobering reminder.
"You tortured her," Twilight said, speaking very slowly and clearly, seething with anger. "You tortured Fluttershy to get to me. Why?"
"You're the wildcard," Pinkie Pie explained. "Everypony else in this arena, we could take down easily. But you're a bit more problematic. A tougher hunt. She knew where you were, so we had to make her talk."
"Yes, thank you Pinkie," Rainbow Dash said with a scowl.
The attitude with which Rainbow snapped at Pinkie Pie caught Twilight's attention. Rainbow was clearly in charge of the group, there was no doubt about that. Pinkie had barely spoken out, but what she had said was taken as a threat to Rainbow Dash's authority. To the status quo of the clique. Team ups in the arena were temporary, a fact which was only too clear to everypony. But the clique seemed to have begun dissolving.
"What's the matter, Rainbow?" Twilight asked arrogantly, not even looking up. "Can't control your little gang?"
They were surrounded, outgunned, as good as dead already. Twilight had decided if she was going to die here, she was going to make a dent in the structure of the clique. Or at least attempt to.
As predicted, the sly remark sparked against Rainbow Dash's ego, igniting her furor. "I'm in charge here," she shouted matter-of-factly. "Anypony who doesn't like that only has to say so."
"Well," Pyro said nonchalantly after a few moments of silence. "You are a bit full of yourself sometimes."
Rainbow's jaw dropped as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing, before she scowled and pointed her sword at Pyro. "Say that again," she dared. "Go on, lets see if you've got the guts."
Pyro simply tutted and rolled her eyes indifferently. "See what I mean. You do have a bit of a tendency to overreact."
Twilight looked up at Rainbow Dash and grinned. "Are you gonna take that from her?"
Rainbow didn't know what to say. In a matter of seconds, the conversation had turned from her being ready to knock the tribute count down by three, to Twilight mocking her and Pyro insulting her. However, Pinkie Pie saw right through Twilight's plan, and stepped in to diffuse the situation.
"Look," she said bluntly. "We can argue about leadership and inflated egos later, but we had a plan here. Maybe we should stick to it?"
Rainbow Dash didn't like being talked back to, and even though she was too proud to back down from the argument, she could see Pinkie's point. She huffed slightly, waving a hoof indifferently.
"Right," Pinkie said, taking charge. "Nighteye, after the incident with the bees' nest, I think Twilight should be all yours."
Twilight clenched her eyes shut, ready for it all to end. She'd had her few seconds of fun, and she'd put up a good fight. But she'd never return home, never see Shining Armor again. It was all over.
"Nighteye?"
Twilight dared to open an eye, looking to the side to see what was going on. Nighteye was frozen on the spot, his cold and stony face clearly displaying terror. One by one, the various clique ponies followed his gaze, seeing what he was staring at.
"No way," Rainbow Dash said.
"It can't be," Pyro added.
"Oh crap," Pinkie Pie eloquently put it.
The only reactions from Thunderlane and Cube Twister were gasps, so Twilight finally opened both her eyes to try and determine what had everypony so spooked. They were all looking out to sea.
It took a few seconds to identify in the diminishing light, but Twilight finally spotted it. It was several miles out for certain, but it was still easily noticeable. In fact, it would have been almost impossible to miss the tidal wave, a perfect wall of water, towering maybe fifty feet in height. A tidal wave that was racing straight towards the group huddled on the shore.