//------------------------------// // Punishment // Story: In a Far Away Land // by TheReaderAndWriter //------------------------------// Twilight was in the middle of helping survivors that had been near the enemy ship when the explosion struck. At least it wasn't our own ship. Those she helped were struggling to stay afloat in the waves. As the changelings were incapable to dive down to help anyone sinking below the waves, every capable pony had to take a swim. Using her wings to gain extra lift, Twilight swam up to the surface with a drowning changeling in her embrace. Once Twilight was able to take a breath, she reached out to hand over him to his brothers. It had been the third rescue in the last few minutes, but many were still missing, too many. Scootaloo was one of them, until... "I found her!" It had been Applebloom, struggling to keep her friend safe and above the surface. Two changelings flew over to grab hold of the unconscious pegasus, quickly buzzing over to the ship. Scootaloo was still among them, so it might not have been too late for their captain to make it. Holding her breath, Twilight dove down beneath the waves again. Visibility was low, but even the faintest silhouette in the deep darkness was worth investigating. The greatest aspect of the strange world was knowing when it was too late to save somepony's life. Twilight saw something jerk a bit beneath her, and she dove down. It could have been the monster with the glowing eyes, but she didn't care. Fortunately, it was another changeling. Twilight reached out to grab him, but then he vanished into nothingness. Another casualty. All Twilight could do was to continue searching, hoping it had been the last loss. While changelings couldn't swim, they were able to survive a few more minutes without air than a pony would, but time was still running out. Twilight wished she would have known that before this happened. Knowing that time frame would have allowed her to plan around something like this. Twilight had to surface again for air, and then went straight back down. She had been lucky, finding another changeling floating in the vast emptiness just a few flaps of her wings away. She grabbed hold of the poor fellow, helping her up to the surface. That pattern continued for several minutes, but eventually they simply had to stop searching. There was no way any other would have survived for even that long. Twilight knew she had to face the fact that a sizable amount of their crew had been lost. As she, along with the other ponies, swam back towards the ship, Twilight could only find solace in the few they had managed to save, and that nopony would notice her tears when all of her was dripping wet. Big Macintosh reached down and pulled up Applebloom as Twilight climbed up on deck, panting for air. "Alright, how many survived?" asked Shining Armor, shaking from the cold water. "Not enough," said Twilight. She could see Trickery sit on the stairs up to the quarterdeck. Reading they eyes of changelings was far from impossible, it just took a little bit of practice, but Twilight could read nothing from her stare. It was like the first time Twilight had seen a changeling. "Is Scootaloo going to be okay?" asked Applebloom. "Yeah, don't worry, she's down and sleeping below deck," said Swift Digger, walking up on deck from beneath. "I didn't expect any of this. Are your adventures always this dangerous? That's messed up." "Swift Digger, how about you talk with a little more respect? The others have lost members of their family," said Shining Armor, giving him a very meaningful glare. "Right... right. Sorry, I've just... I've lost plenty in my life, and you sort of have to learn to... let it go. I forgot not everyone can do it as easily," said Swift Digger, looking away. "Is Spike alright?" asked Twilight. "Yeah, he is. He's resting too. Rarity and Sweetie Belle are below deck too. Rarity looked a bit messed up. They are both sort of just... sitting there." Once hearing this, Applebloom took off and went below deck. "Considering what we saw, I think that's understandable," said Twilight. She still felt a bit shaken up about the whole thing, but Swift Digger was right, she had to let it go and focus on more important things. "So... like, what do we do now? This is some messed up shit we're in," said Swift. Twilight sighed. "I... we have to keep going." This decision made her receive a few odd looks from her friends and the crew. "Twilight, we've lost almost fifteen, another ten are below deck and are resting, and you're asking us to continue?" asked Shining Armor. "Listen, I know things aren't looking very bright right now, the ship is a mess, many died and we're pretty much all hurt, but listen, I think we're close to our goal, we just have to continue a little further," said Twilight, looking towards the shining pillar of light. "Why do you think that?" asked Swift. "It could be weeks until we get to that thing." "Just listen. That monster with the white eyes attacked Spike, right? And then he went away. Not too long after a ship of ponies, some of which should have been long since dead, just appear and attack us with a projectile we haven't seen before. I can't expect it to be coincidence. That thing wants to stop us from getting to the pillar, and attacking us like this means he desperately wants us to stop. It's possible we're getting quite close." "That's just a possibility. There is no guarantee that's true. How did that thing even get out to us?" asked Swift Digger. "How much do we actually know about that creature?" asked Twilight. "Anything is possible. I doubt Punishment actually know how to summon the dead. I'm almost certain that monster did this somehow... maybe he's in cahoots with Punishment? Maybe he found the ship and... did something with the ponies? Listen it doesn't matter right now. We've had to veer several times to avoid currents, small islands and large waves, right? We are probably quite far away from our initial vector, only having the beacon to go towards and a compass to point our way home. If we ignore the mysterious monster and the circumstances surrounding Punishment, then what are the odds of a ship, with quite a lot of ponies, going to this very part of all the possible routes? Either the monster led them here... or?" "Or... or we're getting close to our goal, which means we would cross paths with them eventually if they went towards it too," said Shining Armor. Twilight nodded. "Right. Listen, at this point going back and forward has it's fair amounts of risks no matter what. The monster might come back, or Punishment has even more ships heading in this direction. We might as well keep going. If that thing wants to stop us, it must be for a good reason." "I'd turn back if I were you," said Swift Digger. "Are you sure, absolutely sure we won't turn back? I mean, things aren't looking that great, and Spike is still wounded. Besides, if Punishment really is working with that monster, then maybe things back in Haven suddenly got a lot worse?" "I'm sorry, Swift Digger, but I've made up my mind. While the implications of what we've seen are troubling, I have no doubt that Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Lively and all of our friends can handle whatever happens," said Twilight. Swift Digger sighed, and just shook his head after a little while. "Fine. Just, try to keep us out of trouble, Twilight. Even if distance doesn't matter for one to return after going to the Void, I'm still probably down to my last life anyway." *** The crew immediately went back to work, doing their best to ensure the ship would be in tip top condition for the rest of the journey. A fair bit of the ship had been lost, but they had extra material. It took a few hours, but the Eternal Crimson had been returned to most of its former glory. They had no red wool to fix the sail with, so they used black instead, creating what Twilight could only describe as a battle scar. As the sun started to rise, shining brightly over the ocean, Twilight looked the ship over once more, making sure nothing was wrong before she gave her brother clearance to take off. "Scootaloo is still the captain of this vessel, but until she has recovered I will just get us moving," he told her. Fortunately they didn't have to wait long until she was up and walking about again. Just half an hour after talking to Shining Armor Twilight saw Scootaloo and Applebloom walk up from beneath the deck. She approached them. "How are you feeling, Scootaloo?" asked Twilight "A bit roughed up, but other than that I'm fine. I'll just go and help Shining Armor, we're not going as quickly as we could," said Scootaloo, walking past Twilight. "Great, I'll... I'll go down and check on Rarity and Sweetie Belle," said Twilight, herself going below deck. As she walked down the stairs to the slightly darker area beneath them, she felt the tug of the ship moving. They were finally continuing on their journey. It didn't take long for Twilight to find them. Rarity and Sweetie Belle were both sitting on the floor, looking over Spike with somewhat vacant gazes. Rarity was gently holding on to Sweetie Belle with one leg. "Hey," said Twilight, a bit cautiously. She didn't want to upset them, or wake up Spike. "H- hello, Dear," said Rarity. Sweetie Belle just nodded, not even looking at Twilight. "Are you alright, Rarity?" asked Twilight. She didn't answer. "Rarity, I know that must have been shocking, but-" "They were changelings, right? They must have been," said Rarity. "That could have been the case, but the only changeling to have seen the mayor is Timey, and that was a very long time ago. It's a possibility, but the mayor we saw tonight didn't have gray hair. Timey wouldn't have known she dyed her hair." "But then what were they? That couldn't have been... it couldn't have been our father," said Rarity, clutching Sweetie Belle tightly. "Rarity, I just don't know. I have a few theories, but they are all quite frankly insane. Right now it doesn't matter. Right now I'm worried about you two. Seeing, seeing those we've lost right in front of us, trying to kill us is so horrible." "Twilight, we don't need... we don't want to talk. Please, just leave us alone," said Rarity. Twilight didn't truly want to just leave them, but she knew to respect someone when they wanted to be left alone. She was about to leave when she turned and gave them both a hug. "We've all had to grieve, but you having to do it twice is just so unfair. I love you two, and when you need me I'll be right here," said Twilight, letting go of them. She looked down on the sleeping Spike, and gently placed her hoof on his forehead. "Sleep tight, Spike. We'll be there soon, I'm sure of it." Then she walked away. Twilight made sure to speak to all of her friends, each and everyone, to help them deal with potential worry, grief, and loss. Swift Digger was more shaken than upset. 'I could have died! I don't want to go there again, Twilight... I'm terrified I might stay this time.' Big Macintosh didn't need to talk, but Applebloom did. 'I was so afraid, Twilight, I thought I'd never see Scootaloo again. It was just like when Applejack almost died.' But the ones Twilight felt needed to be talked about the most was the changelings. Twilight's entire mission was depending on them, and she wanted them to be safe and feel properly appreciated, as they deserved, but it was clear in how they glanced at each other from time to time that they were upset. These younger changelings had never really experienced the trauma of conflict, nor the loss of family. Twilight made sure to gather every changeling, sometimes making them take a longer break, so that she could talk to them herself. "Everyone, I feel like you need to talk about last night," said Twilight to four changelings, the very first of many, beneath the deck in a warm and brightly lit room, one that could have been seen as safe and secure. She gave them blankets and hot coco, the cocoa beans for the trip would likely run out by the end of the day. None said anything. Two of them, boys, looked at her with almost frightened looks. One was just lying on soft wool with the blanket drawn up to her eyes, her little muzzle and teeth the only thing poking out. The last one just looked down on the floor, the little changeling that had realized Spike had been under the sea for too long. "I... I'm not even sure how to start," said Twilight. She took a deep breath. "Are we in trouble? Did we do something wrong?" asked one of the two scared changelings. "No, no of course not," said Twilight, gently shaking her head. "I just need to talk to you." "Princess Twilight?" asked the changeling under the blanket, looking up under it. Her voice was tiny, unsure, insecure, saddened. "Yes, Sweetie? What is it?" asked Twilight, her voice soft and caring. "Could you... do something a queen usually does?" asked the changeling. "Of course. What is it?" "Could you call us your children?" Twilight was a bit surprised of the request, but didn't lose her composure or caring smile. As Timey had told her, changeling queens could be summed up as either caring mother figures, or strict monarchs, of every aspect of the hive, every branch. These changelings might have been mostly physically grown up, but the request did remind her that they were still just a few years old, like any pony their age they needed to feel loved. As she was technically not just their queen, but the one ranked highest, she was somepony who they always looked towards for comfort, safety and bravery. Whether she liked it or not, it was still part of her role as Princess in the realm. "Of course, my children. Now, I know last night was very tough for all of us-" "Our brothers died, Princess... I... one moment they were there, and then they were gone. I couldn't hear their voices anymore." "Child, I'm very sorry about this loss. I know how you feel, and I have lost family before." "You have?" asked the tiniest changeling. "I have, and your father and mother are quite dear to me, and..." She swallowed, keeping her thoughts clear. "And knowing I will have to walk up to them and tell them about this horrible event just breaks my heart. Everyone of you are Timey and Cara's children, and I'm your queen. I know the horror of losing a sibling, so I feel your pain." "But you got yours back," said a male changeling. "Why can't we? It's so unfair." "It is unfair, and I sincerely wish it could have been undone, but it just can't. The only comfort you really have left, one I now realize I had all along with... my other brother, is that you have each other. You still have a family, and together we will be able to make our way through this, my children." "Princess Twilight, I- May I ask who it was you've lost?" asked the changeling under the blanket. Images rushed through Twilight's head, a caring wonderful mother, a hardworking gentle father, a smiling perfect sister-in-law, a dark but kind princess of the night, and Her: a beautiful graceful figure, with a mane flowing like it was in a perpetual summer breeze, a princess. They were the ones Twilight missed so strongly it ached to think about them. Twilight was so lost in the memory of them that she had almost forgotten she had been asked a question. "Very wonderful friends and family, ponies that inspire me every single day," said Twilight. She continued to talk to the changelings for quite some time, making sure that they were given the proper chance to get every worry, every sense of loss, every burden off their chests. Technically adult or no, still inexperienced, still yearning to feel cared about. There was a need for the kind of love found in families, the only kind changelings could really, properly feel. As a Princess, as their leader, as herself, Twilight was more than happy to be there for them, and make them smile again. On top of it all, she ensured to instruct every changeling on proper protocol, would they be attacked again. *** What followed was hard work, making sure to help everyone she could, whether it was dealing with their emotions or making sure the journey went smoothly. Hours after hours went by, the ship never really stopping. Every once in a while Twilight would glance at the pillar of light, imagining them getting very close to its base. There was still no change in how it looked, but she never stopped hoping. Two whole days of work passed without anything meaningful happening. It was in the middle of the day when Twilight walked up on the quarterdeck to check in on Scootaloo diligently directing the changelings and ponies. She had been performing quite well, far better than Shining Armor had. The young mare had barely slept, yet one wouldn't be able to guess it from looking at her. Most of the crew had been up even during the night to ensure they traveled as far as possible. They were all taking shifts. "How is it going, Captain?" asked Twilight. "Everything is going fine, Princess. The last of the changelings recovered fifteen minutes ago, and for each we've steadily gained speed," said Scootaloo. "Have you seen something up front?" "Nothing of interest. I thought I had seen a ship for a moment, but I quickly realized it was just an island with a tree on it." "Shining Armor, have you taken inventory yet?" asked Scootaloo, glancing down on the level below. Shining Armor looked up at her. "Not yet, Captain. I'll get right on it," he said, walking below deck. "Wait, Shining Armor, I'll come with you. This is my break anyway, might as well chat a little," said Twilight. "Sure, I could use a little company," said Shining Armor. They walked together, heading down into the ship's storage. "Why are you taking inventory, by the way?" asked Twilight. "That fellow, Swift Digger, told our captain that he thought we were missing some supplies, but he wasn't sure. Of course I was tasked with this job. I hate paperwork. Could we talk about something else?" asked Shining Armor. "Sure! So... how's work going back in Promise Peak? How is it being one of Applejack's incredible warriors I've heard so much about?" "Pretty well, I guess. I mean, Promise Peak has better security and defenses that Haven, so it's pretty easy work. I keep my warriors in shape by making them run in the snow with me. The most difficult work is when we have to go out to Lock to make sure everything is doing fine, or take a few shifts out there. Wait, what do you mean 'heard' about us?" "Don't you know? The kids in Haven are all talking about those cool ponies up in the north. Applejack's warriors, you're like these cool types to them." "We are?" asked Shining Armor, trying to sound indifferent, but Twilight could tell he was enjoying the thought. He started to examine the chests inside the storage room. "Yeah, and I don't mind. The kids born in this world are going to need some role models," said Twilight "There's a lot of them nowadays, aren't there?" "Yeah, there sure are." "How is it with you? Any... anything in that way? Like, relationships?" "What?" asked Twilight, completely unprepared for the question, much less from him. "Hey, I wouldn't mind being an uncle one day." "I- No, I'm not interested in relationships. I'm too busy trying to get us all home... and even if I was in a relationship I wouldn't tell you about any of that," said Twilight. "What? Come on, I'm your brother." "Who has never visited me in Ponyville or even sent me a letter about the wedding you had," said Twilight. "Fair point." "Besides, even if I wanted to be in relationship I would put off getting kids until we've gotten home. I don't, I wouldn't want my child to grow up in a world they didn't really belong in, not something so... half-baked as this. This whole world, it's just like a crude approximation! I don't... I want something full! I would like the children born here to grow up in the other world- our world, where physics make sense! Where, were everything is just a little bit deeper," said Twilight. Shining Armor sighed, and then turned to her, away from the current chest. "Twilight, I... I think- don't get me wrong. It's wonderful that you are so hopeful, but... I'm pretty sure you're the only one who's still really think there is a way home. I don't think this beacon is going to help, to be honest. Maybe you should just-" "No! I will never give up about this, Shining Armor! I will never- I can't! I won't!" "I'm just saying-" "I have to make this right, Shining Armor. I have to make up for my mistakes. Those I've lost, those I've lied to... it's all my fault," said Twilight Sparkle. "But you've fixed it, Twily! I have heard that you've helped make Haven what it is today, you've made Promise Peak safe, you helped make a whole hive of changelings and made ponies like them again, you've brought us all together. Isn't that enough?" "Shining Armor, it will never be enough. Because of what I've done, ponies have died, been lost forever, well, I assume. Ponies have been hurt because of me. Spike is wounded, poor changelings have been kill-" "They volunteered, they knew it could be dangerous. We all did, for you," said Shining Armor before he moved over to the next chest. "How about our old mayor? When we lost her in that thunder-rain storm, it shook me to my core. If I hadn't-" "Wait, what?" "If I hadn't been so-" "No, hang on, thunder-rain? What's thunder-rain?" "It's the name we had for that horrible storm eleven years ago that almost wiped out Haven, not too long after we got here. It was horrible, don't you remember?" "What storm exactly? I mean, sure, there's been plenty of storms, but how could a simple storm wipe out a whole town?" "What? The weather is always the same over the whole world, Applejack and I confirmed it. You must have seen it, lightning shot down like it was rain. Thunder-rain, admittedly not the best name but- The sky was lit up like it was day with all those flashes. Staying out in the open for more than a minute guaranteed you would be killed. I mean, it's not something you miss, Shining Armor. You must have at least heard it if you were hiding underground," said Twilight. "Twily, I've never seen or heard any storm like that." "But- but that's not possible," said Twilight. "How is that possible?" Shining Armor's attention had been drawn elsewhere, to the chest he was examining. "I'm not too bugged by that, it's not important right now. Someone has been taking things in our storage without noting it down. Looks like Swift Digger was right. This chest doesn't match up with our records. We're missing some sand. Why do we even- Do you hear something?" She did, grabbing hold of Shining Armor and leaping away. "TAKE COVER!" she screamed. Then the explosion struck. This time Twilight had managed to get away, and her brother was unharmed if unconscious. They were far from safe, however. Supplies had been destroyed, the hull had been greatly damaged. Water started to flow into the ship through a large hole, and that in turn made the vessel much heavier. The explosion had come from deeper into the room, fairly far away from them. "Crew! Full alert!" yelled Twilight. "We're sinking! Our supplies are gone! Take wood from the ship and help me repair the hole before we're at the bottom of the sea!" Immediately changelings and ponies started to scramble above her, Twilight could hear them destroy whatever wooden block they could spare. Twilight meanwhile struggled to drag her brother out of storage, out of the room and up on deck. Several changelings, along with Big Macintosh and Applebloom, passed her as they hurried down with planks in their grip. "What the hell just happened?!" asked Swift Digger, still getting some pieces of the ship off. "Another explosion," said Twilight. "What?! How?!" "I don't know, maybe Punishment planted something when we fought," said Twilight. "Impossible! We searched the ship!" said Trickery. "Maybe it was that monster again. Twilight, we should turn back! I'm thinking this isn't worth it!" "We can't give up now! We have to keep going towards the light! In any case, we need to get this fixed before we-" but Twilight didn't get to finish her sentence before something even louder was heard in the distance. It was thunder. Twilight turned around just as the heavy rain started to pour. It was a storm, with lightning strikes as frequent as the rain itself. "No... not again." Without mercy, like a ferocious beast clawing at its prey, lightning started to strike the Eternal Crimson. The rain was already starting to accumulate on deck, the bouncing blue drops weighing them down even more. The entire vessel started to violently rock from side to side, and Twilight only had to take a single look over the railing to realize why: the waves had suddenly become incredibly fierce, reaching four blocks high at the least. The masts couldn't take it, breaking apart. "Group B and C, get those sails back up, Group A, get down below deck and help fill the leak!" yelled Scootaloo, shouting louder than ever before, but at least with focus. "Twilight, what's going on?" yelled a familiar voice, Spike. Turning towards him, Twilight saw him being carried up on deck by Rarity, followed by Sweetie Belle. He was still clutching his chest, barely able to focus on her. "Spike, get below deck! It's not safe up here! We might-" That's then the big one struck, a single flash of lightning hitting the Eternal Crimson right in the heart of the ship, literally breaking it in half. Within seconds Twilight was flung off the ship, losing her grip on Shining Armor. After being in the air for a moment, she hit the waves with a large splash. The coldness once again sweeping over her. It was nearly impossible to know which way was up in the strong current, throwing her around like a helpless doll. She opened her eyes, there, in the dark water just in front of her, was Shining Armor. Reaching out, she grabbed him with all the effort she could muster. Focusing her intent, she pulled out something that everyone had been given after the assault from Punishment, it was a little wooden boat, able to hold one pony. The small lifeboat was just enough for her to float up to the surface. She heaved Shining Armor up, not fully able to fit him with her, and he weighed them both down. "Where are they? They should be using their own boats!" she yelled, looking around her after any signs of life. All that was moving except the waves was the Eternal Crimson's corpse, slowly sinking beneath the waves, completely beyond rescue. "Big Macintosh! Applebloom! Children!" yelled Twilight as loud as she could, but there was no response from any of them. To Twilight it was fairly clear where many of them had gone. "Twi... ly," said Shining Armor, his voice slurred and unfocused. "Keep it up, Shining Armor, keep it up. Just keep breathing," said Twilight, holding onto him. It was impossible to keep all of him from dipping into the ocean. "Twilight!" yelled another voice. Turning her head around to locate him, she found something coming closer, barely seeing it through the thick rainstorm. It was Rarity, Sweetie Belle and Spike, each in their own boat. "Have you seen anyone else!?" asked Twilight. "No! Where is everyone!?" yelled Sweetie Belle. "They must be around, they have boats," said Shining Armor. "Take yours out," said Twilight. "I, no, I must have dropped it... and my body... it won't move right," said Shining Armor. "There are still some inside the ship! We need to help them out!" said Twilight. "Yeah! I'm trying! A little help here, please?!" yelled another voice, from the other side of the sinking wreckage. Twilight could just glimpse Swift Digger staying afloat, having a changeling in his grasp. A few seconds later Big Macintosh rose up, with two changelings and Applebloom in his grasp. "Can we freaking go home NOW?!" "We'll never make it in this storm with just boats. They are barely holding together as is!" yelled Twilight. "We have to keep going forward after we save our friends!" "No!" yelled Big Macintosh, climbing up with Applebloom and the changeling onto the wreckage, giving them a few extra moments to recover. "Princess Twilight, you have to keep going towards that signal right now! The boats won't hold for long, and we might be hit by the lightning strikes! That thing is our only hope! Every second we aren't moving are decreasing our chances! Keep going! Leave us behind!" "I can't!" "Move right now! We can't risk it! Just go!" yelled Big Macintosh. "I'm not-" "GO! BEFORE EVERYTHING HAS BEEN FOR NOTH-" And that was the moment he was struck by the lightning, he went silent, fell back, turned completely red, then vanished into thin air. "Big Macintosh!" yelled Twilight. "We need to go! The weather is getting worse!" yelled Spike. "Not without Applebloom! Not without Scootaloo!" yelled Sweetie Belle through face filled with tears. "I'll get these changelings up and running! You take Applebloom with you and go! Just go! I've got this under control!" yelled Swift Digger, climbing up on the wreckage. Sweetie Belle did what she could to get closer, getting closer and closer until she finally got a hold of her dear friend. "What about the others?!" yelled Rarity. "We... we..." Twilight made a very difficult decision. "We have to go! We will meet at the beacon!" It was painful, horrible, but what else could they do in this storm? Diving down anywhere but near the wreckage would lead to them drowning, and soon the ship would be completely beneath the waves. They weren't changelings. Sure, a changeling could dive, or sink rather, all the way down to the bottom of the ocean if they so wished. But, Twilight and the rest were just ponies, and they were running out of time, how few minutes could their boats survive in these conditions? Turning towards the pillar of light, the only thing still clearly visible in the storm, Twilight took off holding her brother as close as she could. "Sweetie Belle, Rarity come on!" yelled Swift Digger. "Go!" "I have to find Scootaloo!" yelled Sweetie Belle. "Sweetie Belle, you should take Applebloom with you! I'll stay here and look for Scootaloo!" yelled Rarity. "No!" said Spike. "I am her guardian, and I love her like a sister. I have to find her, Spike. Just, just go with Twilight and protect her," said Rarity. "I'm not leaving you, Rarity." "Twilight, why are you still here!? JUST GO!" roared Swift Digger. Not entirely willingly, Twilight continued out into the storm, forbidding herself from looking back. She kept repeating to herself that it was too late. And eventually it was, as basically none had managed to surface. They were probably at the bottom of the ocean. However, in the distance she saw someone barely holding herself afloat, clinging for her very life, holding onto a sinking lifeboat. It was the tiny changeling without a name. Steering closer, Twilight managed to pick up the little creature, she coughed, gasping for air. None of the three got to take another breath before a huge wave hit them from the front. For just a few seconds they were all three beneath the water, tumbling around. The princess refused to let either of them go, and, somehow, she managed to get the boat to keep itself together and afloat. It didn't last long, they were simply too heavy. Twilight had to balance holding onto his brother, keeping his head above the surface, while still managing to keep them afloat, holding the smaller changeling in her grasp. It was absolutely exhausting. Another wave hit them, almost breaking up the boat. "Hang on, it can't be that much further," said Twilight. "Twily, it's too far, you won't make it like this," said Shining Armor, his voice shivering and weak. "I'll make it, I have to-" but another wave hit them, finally breaking apart the boat. They hadn't managed to get very far, but all Twilight could see in the storm was the beacon straight ahead. Her view was obscured as she went under the wave, being cleared when she managed to get back up. Holding the changeling over her shoulder, wrapping Shining Armor up tightly in her wings, she started to swim forward, keeping their heads above the waves, keeping her sights on the light. "Twilight, you won't make it like this, you have to let one of us go," said Shining Armor. "Don't say that, I can do this, I have to," said Twilight. She was so focused on her goal that she had outright forgotten anything else. Getting to that pillar with as many as she could muster, that was the only thing that mattered in that very moment. Those she had lost, the ponies who could very well be dead. "Twily, please, please let the kid go," said Shining Armor. Twilight forgot her mission for just a moment when she turned her head to look at her brother. "What?" "I... I don't want to die, Twilight, I just... I don't want to be in that darkness again... I don't want to sink into the darkness below... Please, please don't make us all die. I don't want to die in the cold dark again... not again... not again." Surely he had to be delirious, Twilight Sparkle's own brother, saying he would sacrifice a child just like that? The explosion, it must have been the explosion. He must have hit his head quite hard. "I'm just so afraid of it... I..." "It okay, Princess," said the changeling. "If for queen and hive-" "Nopony else is going to die," said Twilight, her voice filled with more ferocity than the storm raging around them. "Twily, please, not the dark..." Shining Armor just trailed off, and as the next wave hit them Twilight lost her grip with her wings, he just slipped out, sinking into the depth. "Hold your breath!" said Twilight, herself diving below, finding Shining Armor in the water and pulling him back up. She held him as she desperately kicked to stay afloat. "Twily... you promised..." He was crying. "What?" "You promised I'd never be in that darkness again, you promised me, all those years ago... Please, just... don't let me die alone out here." "Princess... it's okay," the changeling said, sounding very accepting of her fate. Twilight had to get a better grasp before the now limp Shining Armor sank again. "You can't save both." Twilight looked at the changeling child, and over to her brother. "You can't save everyone," whispered Shining Armor, barely audible in the thunderstorm. *** *** *** *** *** "Yes... I... Can!" said Twilight as she dragged them both up onto warm dry sand. Twilight completely collapsed. "Can't... but don't... don't tell me... I can't save both of you...," said Twilight Sparkle, her voice weak and barely audible. Every single muscle in her being felt like air as she laid completely still on her back, looking up at a warm shining sun. Whenever she moved it felt like rusty metal were keeping her bones in place. It was painful to breathe, but she managed. How many hours had it been? Had it been an entire day? It was impossible to know. For a moment it had felt like time had stopped, but she had kept going. Shining Armor and the little changeling were both out of it, shaking, but they were breathing. "I... don't know... how I even managed... but I did... I... I... I made that ultimatum my bitch! Can't save both? Screw you! I'm a princess! I don't follow your rules! I make them! I can save anyone I want... okay... slight delirium I'm having here..." she laughed, causing her chest to hurt by the effort alone, she then began to cry. "Damn it... Big Macintosh... I couldn't... you..." "I guess... being freakishly determined... runs in the adopted family," said another voice, coughing like it was going out of style. Twilight turned her head, an achievement in itself, to look at someone else struggling to get up on the sand block. "You... you really earned that title," said Twilight as Spike laid himself down on his own back, clutching his chest. Twilight saw a steady stream of blood dripping down his mouth, even more coming out as he coughed again. Twilight had already stopped crying. Her emotions quickly went from happy, to sad, to angry to indifferent with every single heartbeat. She was a wreck, both physically and emotionally. "I wonder if I'm going to die? My chest is... ugh, burning," said Spike. Both of them seemed oddly relaxed, perhaps they were simply that ridiculously exhausted that death would be a sweet release? If nothing else, they weren't really afraid of anything anymore. "Isn't it always?" asked Twilight. "Funny. In either case, if I die, it was so worth it," said Spike, turning his own head to those next to him. He had managed to save not one, not two, but three. Rarity, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom. "I... phew, I think Scootaloo might at least gotten away from the ship, I think I saw her at one point, though if she survives is a bit unclear. I didn't see anyone else. My head is a bit weird right now. Floaty." "How's the rib?" asked Twilight. "Poking me... if I would have been a pony, I'm pretty sure I would be dead. Worst vacation ever." "I wonder how many actually managed to survive? I hope we aren't the only ones, I mean, I set up new... new protocols." Twilight drew a large breath. "It'd be a shame if they were for nothing. This whole thing couldn't have been for nothing." "Hey, Twilight... who stocked us up for the journey?" asked Spike. "I think it was me, Big Macintosh and Swift Digger. Why?" "Because I seriously want to kick someone in a sensitive area for not bringing freaking golden apples, it would have made the swim a lot... a lot, a lot easier... Fu...dge this hurts." "I suppose that would have been pretty practical." Spike turned his head upwards, up towards the center of the island they were stranded on. "This is the right island? Right? The beacon isn't like, on the other side and a few weeks away or nothing, or is it?" asked Twilight, not thinking turning her head was worth it. Spike didn't answer her. "Spike? Did you die?" "I... um, I'm not actually sure. Maybe?" "What do you mean? Is this the right island?" "I'm pretty sure it is, the pillar seems to be close," said Spike, still with his head upside down, focused somewhere outside Twilight's vision. "Though I'm still not sure if we aren't just dead." "And why is that?" asked Twilight. With some considerable effort, he pointed inwards towards the island. "Because I was almost certain she was dead too." Twilight used the last of her strength and quickly spun her head around, looking up at the edge of the beach. Standing right there, looking at them with a curious excited face, was an old friend. "Hey, guys!" Spike and Twilight just waved to the pony weakly, barely able to lift a claw or hoof. "Hey, Pinkie."