//------------------------------// // Chapter 29: The Last Walk // Story: Stairway to Equestria // by AlexUk //------------------------------// Chapter 29 The Last Walk Bone-chilling roars filled the skies across Canterlot as the night began settling across the desolated capital. The remaining changelings fled the city despite the fact that the minotaurs and gryphons brought back to life had turned to ashes in the middle of the fight. Large shadows moved across the city buildings as sparks and flames brought light to the emptied streets underneath. Inside the castle, Spike dragged himself to the edge of the room near a large broken window. Luna had rushed to Blink immediately after he collapsed on the floor, while Celestia and Cadence tended to the nearest injured ponies. Spike refused any help, insisting on Celestia taking care of Dash and the rest first. The dragon’s leg was cut, and blood was pouring through the punctured scales, but he knew very well he would make it. He gazed outside wide-eyed; the light coming from the flames illuminated the dim hall through the stained windows that were still in one piece. He looked behind him. Twilight was leaning over Blink, working with Luna and the very little magic they had left to treat his wounds. Upon realising he was not in dire condition, Luna left the stallion’s side to help those who needed her magic more, leaving Twilight alone with him. Spike felt immensely worn-out and light headed, his entire body screaming from all joints. “Guys . . . there are dragons outside,” he announced, but his tired voice failed to notify the busy healers. Spike gazed back out the broken window, as the burning spectacle unfolded in front of his eyes. Several dragons -all of whom at least a couple of times larger than himself- flew across the capital, burning and ripping apart what was left of the changeling soldiers. Their fire bolts engulfed entire groups at a time, leaving only ashes in their wake. Spike stepped behind as he noticed something approaching. Another dragon burst through one of the few intact stained windows, sending glass shards everywhere. It only took Spike a moment to recognize the dragon. “Spike!” “Ruby? What are you doing here?” Before he could say anything else, the dragoness approached the armored dragon and slapped him across the head so hard his helmet broke off. She then immediately proceeded to wrap her hands around his neck, holding him tight. “What . . . what was that for?” he asked, sitting back down on the floor, dazed from the slap. “Are you hurt? Tell me,” she asked flatly. “I’m fine. Just . . . my leg’s a bit messed up. And my entire body hurts. Not to mention my face,” he spoke while Ruby inspected him, removing armor as she saw fit. “You seem safe,” she stated. Letting go of him, Spike fell on his back on the marble floor. Ruby then got up and made her way towards Celestia. “She means no harm,” the alicorn told a couple of guards that had got in between them. They retreated to their wounded comrades, while Ruby took a deep bow. “Your majesty, it’s an honor to meet you. My name is Blood Eyes, I’m the nice of the great Old One, head of the dragon council and master of our sacred lands.“ “I know Draco very well, Blood Eyes. I partook in the ceremony where he was named head of the dragon council, many centuries ago. You must be the one called Ruby, am I right?” “Yes, your majesty. I would like to apologize for trespassing on your territory with a contingent of soldiers, but I requested help from my grandfather after Spike rejected his invitation to have me on his lands.” “I’m sure he only meant you to be safe.” Ruby nodded in approval. “We are thankful that you stood by our pact. The message Princess Luna sent us arrived in time, but the council usually takes a while to make such decisions. I apologize for the delay.” “It’s amazing to see dragons intervening so fast in a situation like this. We owe you our lives, Blood Eyes. Thank you. I’m afraid I’m going to be busy, however. We will discuss later,” Celestia said, lowering her head in gratitude before returning to the injured pegasus. The red dragon bowed again as well, then returned to the only other dragon in the throne room. As she walked, her eyes followed the pools of blood and soldier corpses all around the marble floor. She settled down near Spike, pulling a satchel from around her back and opening it up. “Are you upset with me? For sending you home?” Spike asked timidly. Ruby held his leg, opening up the scales around his wound with her claws. She reached for a stack of moist herbs in her satchel and pressed them against the deep cut. “So you’re not going to talk to me now? You know very well why I told you to leave. I didn’t want you near this place at all. It wasn’t your fight.” “I know why you did it. But that doesn’t mean I’m not supposed to be angry. You only banish another dragon if he becomes your enemy,” she said, tightening a bandage around his leg with quite some force. “Ouch! But- but you wouldn’t leave!” “And you wouldn’t listen.” “There was nothing to listen to.” She continued to finish dressing his wound, sitting silent while Spike enjoyed the spectacle outside. Through the broken windows, he could see the large dragons chasing down the remaining changelings, their hot flames lighting up the late evening’s sky. “That glass painting was of me when I saved the crystal heart,” Spike said, somewhat upset. Ruby raised her eyes at the broken window she had gone through, recognizing his tail and spikes in the pieces of glass still clinging to the frame. “I’m sorry for that.” “You don’t need to . . . it was just a piece of glass.” “But that was your legacy. Don’t you value that?” Ruby asked, seemingly surprised. “I value my friends and the memories I have with them. That’s what matters for me most.” He looked behind him, his heart dropping at the sight of two of his best friends lying unconscious on the floor among the dead. Spike got up and dragged himself towards Twilight, who now had both Dash and Blink under her observation. Ruby offered to help him walk but the drake politely refused. “Twi, are you all right?” The mare raised her head, ears peeking at the familiar, warm voice. Twilight said nothing as she jumped at the dragon’s neck, a couple of sobs escaping here and there. “Spike, I was so worried.” “I was too. Are the others okay? Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy?” “I- I guess so. Applejack and Fluttershy found Big Mac at the auditorium when the remaining soldiers retreated. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were there as well.” Spike pointed at the two ponies on the floor as Twilight let go of his neck. “Are they all right?” “I’ve managed to stop Dash’s bleeding. I had a bit of magic left so I closed her wound and sterilized the area with it. She’s out because of a concussion, but she’s stable.” “What about Blink?” Twilight turned her gaze towards the black armored stallion lying on the floor. His hydra leather helm was torn open, revealing his battered head. There was more hardened blood than blue fur on his face, and his breathing was slow and shallow. “He’s not doing too well . . .” A deep sigh trailed off from her as she cast another quick spell on the stallion. “He’s breathing hard and I can barely detect any magic in him at all. He needs medical attention, fast.” Across the throne hall, a burst of light spilled a heap of sparks around, as a unicorn teleported in near the Princess of the Night. “Princess Luna, we’ve contacted our troops and the rest of the ponies that left through the tunnels. They’re all coming back and Cloudsdale is also returning at full speed.” Luna shot him a look filled with nothing but confusion. “They’re coming back? The battle rages on and thine enemy is still within our walls!” “Your majesty, the reinforcements are here. First and Second armies, save for most of the air corps, are entering the city as we speak.” While the unicorn spoke, more and more ponies teleported inside the hall, a mixt of medics and soldiers alike. Cadence left the throne room in a rush, as the wounded in her care were taken over by several other medics. “Could you help him, please? He’s barely stable and I don’t know what I can do to help him!” Twilight asked a couple of unicorns as they approached the two ponies on the floor near her. One of them began tending to Blink while another checked up the pegasus mare lying next to him. He held the soft underside of his hoof to Rainbow’s neck, taking her pulse. “Her heart rate is elevated, but stable. I assume you closed up her stab wound?” the medic pony asked, looking at Twilight. “She is bleeding internally, we need to get her to a hospital.” “But the city is empty, there is no one to tend to them,” Celestia spoke as she approached them. “Your majesty, we evacuated civilians, soldiers and wounded, but there was a group of medics back at Hoofton Coltboro that stayed to take care of the patients that couldn’t be moved. As the ponies we evacuated return into the city, the hospital will get more nurses and doctors, but her condition can’t wait.” “All right then, do as you think is best.” “He’s not doing too well either,” the other medic spoke as he examined Blink. “It’s a miracle he’s still alive. We need to get him on life support as soon as possible,” he urged, signaling a couple of other field medics to come over and help. They moved the two ponies onto gurneys and they both joined a row of injured guards as they were floated out of the throne hall, the medics flanked by dozens of soldiers. *** *** *** Cadence flew across the city, rushing towards the broken city entrance. The dragons hunting changelings just minutes before were now chasing the rest out of the city, their flame bolts brightening the settling night sky. The capital itself was riddled with fires in different areas, most near the entrance of the city and royal castle, where the heaviest battles took place. The young alicorn spotted a sizeable group of Equestrian soldiers galloping through the main street, making their way towards the capital’s center. She landed nearby, and a few surrounded her, their weapons readied. “Don’t make a move, changeling!” an officer hissed, his spear pointed at Cadence’s face. “Nice try, but you’re not getting away that easily.” The alicorn backed away, but found out there was nowhere for her to go. “What? I’m not a changeling! I come from the royal castle. I’m searching for my husband!” There was some commotion outside the circle of soldiers surrounding the princess. One of them was shoved away as a few stallions wearing different crests on their armors stepped towards the alicorn. “Hey! What’s the big deal?” the officer shouted at the three ponies that stood between the supposed changeling and his soldiers. His horn lit up to shed some light on those that interrupted him, but his face fell when he realized half of the first one’s head was missing entirely under his crushed helmet. “What- what in Celestia’s name are you? More changelings?” “No!” Cadence shouted back. “They are Crystal Guardians, and they’ve come to protect their ruler.” The ponies bearing marks of the Crystal Empire stood unfazed in front of the spears pointed at Cadence. Their armors were battered or missing entirely, and parts of their bodies were also gone. Their hard crystal forms glistered in the light cast by the unicorn officer, drawing looks of amazement from the soldiers under his command. “Are you . . . the only ones left?” Celestia asked the nearest to her. A firm nod was all she got as a response. “Get away, move! I said move!” Two Equestrian soldiers were forced to the side, revealing a white unicorn stallion. “This can’t be . . . Cadence?” his voice dimmed, emotions catching up in his throat. The alicorn’s eyes sparked and her heart swelled with insurmountable joy. “Shining! It’s- it’s really you!” He rushed towards her, and she grabbed him in a tight hug while tears streamed down her face. “How could you leave me? How could you leave us? What would Emerald and I have done without you?” “I did it for you and him. To keep you as safe as I could.” Her tears never stopped as she looked her beloved husband in the eyes. “You could have kept us safe here. Promise me you’ll never do this again.” “I promise. I’m so, so sorry . . .” “Sir, I know you’re eager to see your wife, but she just came here out of nowhere, and there are a lot of changelings still around-” “It’s her,” he told the officer while holding her. He then noticed the three crystal soldiers standing next to Cadence. “I see that the Crystal Guardians made it in time.” Her eyes widened. “How do you know about them?” “We ran into the regiment on our way to Tartarus. When I noticed they weren’t talking at all, I remembered the story you told me about from when you were a filly; the one Princess Celestia used to read you with the ancient Crystal Guardians below your empire.” Cadence hugged him again tightly. “You didn’t forget.” “I didn’t.” The two began walking down the street, flanked by the three crystal guardians and the rest of the equestrian soldiers. “Is Emerald safe?” “Yes. He’s with your parents in Cloudsdale. How did you make it alive at Tartarus? We were told your entire unit was lost defending that prison.” “Not everyone. Only a few of us made it. We had to retreat inside the mountain but to our luck the inner gates were still closed. The changelings left afterwards. They were probably behind the rest of their army. Your aunt is going to have my head for what I did.” “Don’t think about that. I’m just glad you’re safe,” Cadence re-assured him. “Sir, there are no signs of changelings, and those dragons are now going to the royal castle. They seem non-hostile, what do we do?” a subordinate intervened. “Divide the regiments. Half of them set up camp outside the walls, the rest begin helping the injured and sweep the city for enemies. Send a couple of battalions to the castle as well.” The soldiers moved out, while groups of unicorns teleported out to spread the orders to the armies. Shining Armor, Cadence, and the ponies that remained headed towards the castle. The fires across the city lit up the murky clouds above as the smell of death settled amongst the deserted capital. Across the city, the only public building still operating was tethering at the edge of chaos. Tens of injured ponies flooded the entrances to the hospital, limping inside alone or carried on gurneys as they fought to stay alive. The staff was overwhelmed. Every few minutes, a nurse or a doctor would arrive from the thousands that evacuated Canterlot earlier that day, but with them came even more injured. The atmosphere was grim and screams of pain echoed across the hospital’s hallways as the few doctors struggled to save as many as they could. Nurse Redheart entered the hospital, squeezing alongside a stretcher with an unconscious stallion on it. Silver Wisp had gone through surgery at the Auditorium’s makeshift field hospital, and was evacuated with the rest of the ponies when the dragons reached the city. Soon after, the Equestrian armies arrived in the city as well, and the order to return in the capital was made. The First Officer of ‘Celestia’s Pearl’ was still sedated, and Redheart never left his side after he was operated on. The hospital reception was overwhelmed, and medics were bouncing from case to case as they triaged the wounded. One such medic approached the nurse as the two stallions carrying his gurney placed him down in a corner of the room. “What about him?” he asked, quickly checking him up. “Severe head trauma and several shrapnel wounds. All patched up, skull drilled to release the pressure; stable ever since,” a pony that was carrying his gurney said before leaving to help the others. “Next of kin?” the medic asked the mare remaining next to Silver. “You’re a nurse, right?” “Yes, I’m his marefriend . . . and yes, I’m a nurse-” “Look, we need help here, we’re flooded with injured ponies and it will only get worse from here on out. I’ll put your coltfriend here in an ICU ward, but I’ll need you to help out in the ER, okay?” Redheart nodded. At the doctor’s signal, a unicorn came and levitated Silver Wisp out of the reception area. “You can start right away- ahh Luna save us, what is it this time?” A transport stretcher stormed through the hospital’s entrance, followed by several other. Soldiers and military doctors flanked them, as well as several prominent figures such as a white-armored unicorn and two dragons. A pony was straddling the first victim on his stretcher, performing chest compressions while a floating respirator pumped air into his lungs. The medic talking to Redheart rushed towards them. “Critical?” he yelled as they trotted in. “He’s non-responsive; we need to get him into surgery right away,” the pony that was performing CPR said. “There’s an internal bleeding right behind. She needs attention as well.” “I'll see what I can get you. Take them into lab rooms three and four; all the other ORs are full.” “I can’t let you through,” the medic told the unicorn and dragons behind the first stretchers. “Please wait outside, this place is already crowded as it is.” “I can’t just leave! Please let me come with them; I need to know they’re okay,” Twilight pleaded, yet the doctor didn’t budge an inch. “Look, I know you care about them, and by the looks of what you’re wearing and your two dragon friends here, they’re probably important ponies.” He then lowered his voice as he looked around him. “They’ll get the best medical treatment they can get in these conditions, but I need you to stay out of our doctors’ way, okay?” Spike held the unicorn’s shoulders, eventually embracing her into a hug. “Twi’, we need to let them do their job. Come on, he’ll be fine. He’s always fine.” Twilight’s tears fell down her face as she watched the two stretchers with Dash and Blink fade into the crowd of doctors and injured ponies. With Spike holding her, they left the reception, seeking a place to rest in the hospital’s court. Inside lab room three, the transporter carrying Midnight Blink came to a halt in the middle of the chamber, while several doctors in coats prepared for the surgery. The one performing CPR got off of him and started hooking Blink up to monitors. “Who is this fella? He wasn’t scheduled, was he?” a unicorn with dark green coat said as he levitated his sterile gown on. “Must be an important one, haven’t seen that armor before,” another surgeon said while looking at the monitor. “Vitals are null, casting full life-support spell. Time’s fifteen past ten.” His magic surrounded Blink as he laid lifeless on the table, only his face revealed by the helmet that was opened up. “Roger that, Short Cut, keep the cycles to ten minutes, want to conserve our magic as much as we can.” The main surgeon then grabbed the black armor with his magic, trying to find the place where it was tied or attached. “What in the name of- does this thing not come off?” “No time,” a third doctor muttered as he grabbed a large scalpel. “It’s made out of leather anyway.” After several attempts to cut the chest piece, he dropped the blade and focused on the armor. A concentrated beam of magic ran along its black surface, but it wasn’t leaving even a single mark on it. “Damn thing’s tougher than anything I’ve ever seen. It’s magic-proof as well . . . what in Tartarus are we supposed to do?” “Try cutting the stitches, they seem to be made out of . . . graphene thread? Who is this guy?” the surgeon asked as he looked at the stallion’s face. “He’s definitely the Princesses’ personal guard or something. Okay, need some help with these stitches or we’ll lose him.” “Full body scan as soon as we get this thing off of him.” The doctors fumbled around Blink as they cut the bindings of the hydra armor as fast as they could. Eventually the whole ensemble came off, leaving the battered stallion on the table. “Holy shit, this guy’s a corpse,” one doctor murmured as he scanned him. “Nope, I feel his heart beating alongside my magic. He’s still with the living for now,” the doctor that kept the life-support spell said. “Burns on the entire surface of the body, broken ribs, and pulled muscles and tendons.” Another doctor performed a quick magic scan on his blood, his eyebrow rising at the results: “Blood has traces of a combat drug, morphine and other numbing substances.” “Can barely sense any magic in him,” another joined in on the diagnosis. “If it weren’t for the horn, I’d say he was an earth pony. Feeling some residue from a total surface anesthesia spell as well.” “They must have trapped the poor bastard in that armor today. Boy, I hope he wasn’t awake for that one.” “Okay gents, let’s focus on his burns first, then the broken bones, then magic receptors and nerves, and finally muscles and tendons. We’ll jump-start the heart when we know it can take the load.” The doctors began the long and tedious process of treating the magic burns while keeping him on the life-support spell. In the next room, Rainbow Dash was leaving on a stretcher, her bleeding stopped and her vitals returned to stable. As hours ticked by, the hospital endured waves after waves of casualties. One by one, the other hospitals in the capital opened their doors again. Medics, nurses and volunteers rushed to treat the wounded ponies as the night settled over Canterlot. Part of the Equestrian forces swept the city in search of any hostiles left behind, while the rest began search and rescue operations in the capital and on Struthill, retrieving injured or the many bodies left behind after the battles. *** *** *** Sunlight filtered through the saloon’s window, glistening against the metal shackles holding the occupant tied to her bed. The door slid open, revealing a thin, cyan pegasus. The mare stepped in, closing the door behind her with the one wing that wasn’t bandaged. She approached the bed cautiously, yet firmly, her eyes never leaving the gryphon resting on the bed. The pegasus sat on the floor as she continued to stare at the recuperating flier. “Gilda . . .” The gryphon raised her eyes as soon as she heard her old friend. They were stern and brimming with hate. Gilda jutted her claw, the metal binding rattling against the bedpost. “Rainbow Dash.” “They found you last night at Struthill. You were barely alive.” “You made it,” Gilda muttered, eyeing Dash. “How?” “My pet tortoise flew in and grabbed me in time,” she responded flatly. “Bullshit.” Dash didn’t sketch any response. “As soon as you are stable, they’re going to send you and the other prisoners back to your continent.” “So you won the battle and now you think you’re a hot shot? Even more than before, eh?” “Why did you do this, Gilda?” Dash asked, ignoring her previous words. “Why did you come to Ponyville two years ago? Because of you, the one who stood up for me and another friend almost died.” “So? He dared to touch me-” “You threw him in a cage to fight for his life for your entertainment. Do you see us doing the same thing to your own?” “I come to straighten things out between us and he almost kills me.” “You know very well you attacked first. He was just protecting me.” “We had fights bigger than that. What happened, Dash? Did you grow weaker surrounded only by ponies all these years? Afraid of a scuffle between old friends?” Dash stood up from the floor. “No Gilda, I’m not. Because we are not friends anymore.” The pegasus sighed, turning towards the door. “I don’t think we ever were . . .” She walked out of the room, leaving Gilda alone. There was no pang in her chest, no deep gap in her stomach. She did not felt sorry, sad, or mad. She felt all right. As the pegasus left the guarded hospital wing, she stopped by a saloon, but didn’t go inside. Through the partially shut blind of the glass door, she saw her friend Twilight fallen asleep in a chair next to a bed. On it, a blue stallion’s chest moved slowly up and down. Dash let a smile crack her lips shortly, before moving on down the hospital’s hallway. Inside the room she stood in front of, Twilight adjusted herself on the chair, the light coming through the window itching her eyes. “Chaser . . . come on Chase’ don’t do this to me . . .” Blink’s ear twitched in his sleep. The heart rate monitor beeped once, announcing an elevated threshold. “You’ve barely got . . . any magic. Save it, bud.” Everything was covered with dust and the beam was too heavy for him to lift. “Shut up, Chaser. You’re bleeding inside, you need to stay quiet until I can get you to a medic . . .” The cloudy image of his friend’s face faded away. Blink opened his eyes. A tear fell down his face, but was absorbed by the bandages covering nearly his entire body. *** *** *** Two stories down, in the hospital reception, Celestia was greeted with bows by several of the staff and guards. “Please, right this way, your Highness,” a nurse said, leading the Princess to a private saloon. “You will be happy to know she’s got much better.” “Was she safe during the battle yesterday?” Celestia asked as they turned left onto a secluded wing. “She was evacuated initially with the rest of the permanent patients, and had medical attention at all times. When it was safe to come back into the city, she was brought here. She hasn’t talked to any of the doctors or nurses yet, I think she was waiting for you.” The nurse pony led the alicorn inside a small, private room, promptly leaving her alone with the patient. Celestia approached the bed. For the first time in days, she was smiling. The young zebra’s ears perked up at the sound of the Princess’s hoofsteps, and she woke up from her nap. Her face immediately brightened up at the sight of the large, white pony that crossed the desert to save her life. “I’m glad to see you’re well and safe, Early Shimmer,” Celestia said, leaning close to nuzzle the zebra gently. In turn, she embraced the Princess without saying any words or hint of hesitation. After a few moments she let go. Celestia kept her smile while gently stroking the foal’s short mane. “I . . . better?” she asked, struggling to remember words from a language she barely studied back in her village. “Doctors say your illness has been cured. You will be returned to your village in a week’s time.” “They . . . better?” the zebra asked again, that time with a hint of sadness in her voice. Celestia returned a confused glare. “Who are they?” “The ponies. Day past was big fight. Fire and loud sounds. Enemy tribe attack. Why?” The Princess hesitated for a moment. “Because we couldn’t get along. As for my ponies . . . we lost many, but the rest are now safe. I’m sorry you were in danger yesterday. I promise you will get back to your village safe.” “I feel . . . sad for loss,” she said, her eyes filled with genuine remorse. Celestia embraced the young zebra, resting her head over her own. “I feel sad as well, Early Shimmer . . .” *** *** *** A large shadow swept down the broken road. Blink looked up as he limped across the street. The large dragon was carrying supplies to the troops stationed outside the capital. On the streets below him, ponies worked relentlessly as the salvage operation continued. “You can’t be doin’ this! You need yer’ rest,” Pearl pleaded as he walked alongside the recuperating stallion. “His name was not on the list. Means they didn’t find him yet, or somehow he made it out alive.” “Give it a rest, Blink. Go back to Twilight; she needs you, and you need her.” “She was resting. I, on the other hoof, have been sleeping for days.” The unicorn stopped to catch his breath. His body was aching and the pain meds and drugs were the only things keeping him up on his hooves. “Yer’ all right?” “I’m okay,” Blink said, stepping towards a large pile of rubble, a remnant of a former house. “We’re here. This is where it happened. Come help me out.” He navigated through several mounds of debris, looking for the place where Chaser spoke his last words. He wished so badly that he wouldn’t find anyone there, that he would only find specs of blood and signs that the emergency teams dragged someone out from there. The sight of a dusted hoof sticking out of the house’s remains pulverized all his hopes. He dragged his hooves to it, falling on his knees near the pile of rubble. His breath caught up in his chest. Amongst the wooden beams and brick pieces rested his best friend. Chaser’s dust-covered face was still and his eyes were closed, just like they were after he spoke for the last time. A stern hoof grabbed Blink’s shoulder from behind. “I’m here for ya,” came Pearl’s surprisingly reassuring voice. “He died because of me,” Blink muttered as he struggled to scrape off the layers of bricks and wood pieces from over Chaser’s body. “Either of us could have died there,” another voice made itself heard from nearby. Spike stood behind them. His leg and midsection were covered in bandages, but otherwise he looked fine. “It’s not your fault, dude.” Blink said nothing as he struggled to keep the very little composure he had left. The stallion carried on cleaning the mess around Chaser, and soon another pair of hooves and one of claws came to his help. Minutes later, they removed Chaser’s body from the rubble. Spike carried it to the nearest of the tents set-up across the city, where the fallen ponies, zebras or buffalo were all gathered to be identified. Blink remained silently near Chaser’s body which was placed on a body bag, while Pearl and Spike rested on the road in front of the tent, watching the rescue ponies bring more and more bodies. “Is he okay?” Pearl asked, staring at Blink. “I have no idea. When I visited him this morning, he was barely awake. Doctors said he shouldn’t even be able to be up so soon after the surgery. His skin was burned by that armor and his magic is toast.” “I wouldn’t be here without him,” Pearl muttered, kicking a rock with his hoof. A couple of dragons flew above the buildings, carrying more supplies and provisions throughout the city. “They yer’ friends?” “Ruby came with them. Now they’re helping out with the aftermath. Wait- is that Luna?” His guess was confirmed when the flying alicorn landed nearby. She hurried towards the tent, where Blink was sitting on the ground. Luna sat next to him, and even though they couldn’t hear her, Spike and Pearl knew the Princess was crying. *** *** *** The following days found everyone in the same state of shock and mourning. Bodies stopped being found almost two days after the battle’s end, and the Equestrian armies remained on high alert throughout the rescue operations. Cloudsdale was anchored just above the mountain that guarded the capital, where most of the pegasi forces stationed themselves temporarily. In the castle’s gardens, a few ponies and two dragons had gathered, some of them seeing each other for the first time since the gruesome events. Although they were all glad to be there together again, the sorrow and sadness brought by the ones that perished clouded the small reunion. Fluttershy sat quietly near Big Mac, holding onto his hoof as if he would be gone the moment she would let go of him. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack were next to them, while Ruby and Spike quietly lamented nearby. “It’s too bad Dash couldn’t make it today,” Rarity said, breaking a silence that had been settling for a while. “Doctors said she will be able to come out of bed soon,” Fluttershy said meekly. Her eyes darted around and her wings flinched every now and then at every sound. The red stallion next to her would hold her tighter and whisper reassuring words into her ears. Everyone there knew the shy pegasus was the most troubled by what had happened, but they were all there for her. “Is Twilight coming?” Pinkie Pie asked, her once curly mane now still and devoid of its usual lifeness. “She’s trying to make Blink come out. He’s been staying in her old room at the castle ever since he left the hospital.” “He’ll be fine. He’s got to come out eventually. Tomorrow the funeral ceremonies take place,” Spike said, submerged in his own sorrow. Over at the castle, the stallion in question laid absently in bed, staring out the balcony window. The light was too bright and his eyes were sore from going out without protection a few days ago to retrieve Chaser’s body. “Blink, you have to come out.” The stallion shifted his gaze at Twilight, who was sitting on the side of the bed next to him. “I can’t.” “You don’t want to. It’s a difference.” “I can’t even use magic anymore. I don’t want to be outside right now.” Silence settled in the room again. Blink shifted in bed, covering himself up even more with the sheets. “The funerals are tomorrow. You won’t come to say goodbye?” “He’s dead anyway. What will me standing next to his grave change?” Twilight shuffled closer to him, resting a hoof on his shoulder. “You miss Star Chaser. I miss him too, we all do. Celestia told me Luna hasn’t talked to her as well in days. I know he was one of your best friends, but you still have a lot of other friends that are alive and need you right now. I need you right now, Blink.” The stallion stood up, taking a moment to look into her eyes. He wrapped his hooves around her neck and held her tight. “I’m sorry, Twi’.” She returned the gesture, a stifled sob leaving her dried lips. *** *** *** The next day came all too soon. The early morning breeze fluttered the half-masted flags of the capital, as the mourning citizens left their homes to gather in the city center. Many streets and buildings were still marked by the brutal battles that took place no more than a few days ago, rubble piled up in mounds occasionally stained with blood of the fallen. On some street corners and sidewalks rows of flowers and lit candles marked the places where the brave soldiers were found dead. Their framed pictures scattered the streets, as ponies carefully went around the homages in their walk towards the center. The constant reminder of those that had perished was present everywhere in the grieving city. All the bells across Canterlot started tolling, announcing the start of the ceremonies. The skies were covered with dark clouds that echoed the sadness of the citizens below, but there would be no rainfall, as the pegasi made sure that day. The six mares from Ponyville and their friends stood quietly near the royal castle’s gates, over a mile away from where Celestia and Luna would lead the funeral column. A black raven landed onto Blink’s shoulder as he silently stared in the distance. He absently brushed his pet bird with a hoof, his mind still mulling over the sight in front of him. An endless column of coffins rested on the main road crossing the capital. A crowd of tens of thousands of ponies gathered on the streets around and behind them. Blink and the rest of his friends were among the first to follow the column of coffins. Next to them, Shining Armor and Cadence held their son, Emerald, close to them; the former Captain of the Royal Guard wore full military attire, as well as Spitfire and several other officers. Dark Shine stood nearby, dressed in a black robe Archmages wore specifically in mournful times like those. None of the main group wore anything other than simple black markings or dresses, in Rarity’s case. Blink, Big Mac, Pearl, Spike and Ruby had no garments, only their bandages and scars, plus a black eye patch for the white captain. Several survivors from the zebra contingent were at the front of the column in the very armors they fought in days before. Little Strongheart struggled to hold her sobs to herself. Her father, Chief Thunderhooves, died at Struthill along most of the hundred buffalos that came to help the Equestrian army. Rainbow Dash would lean against her side every now and then, making sure she didn’t feel like she was alone through all that. The bells continued to toll across the city when the coffins in front of them lit up in white and blue glows. One by one, they were lifted in the air, and slowly began floating down the road. “Are the Princesses doing this alone?” Blink asked as the gathered ponies and minorities followed the funeral cortege. “Yes. Princess Celestia and her sister are leading the ceremonies; they decided they would be ones to carry the fallen to their resting places,” Twilight said while staring half-amazed at the magic feat in front of their eyes. “There’s over twenty thousand of them,” Blink muttered. “They feel that they should carry the burden of the fallen themselves,” came surprisingly Dark Shine’s voice from nearby. “The Night Princess blames herself for the defeat at Struthill while Celestia thinks this war could have been avoided if she had been here.” “Struthill was inevitable. The city would have fallen faster if we hadn’t stood up to them on that hill,” Blink said, albeit remorsefully. Dark Shine stared at the young stallion as they walked behind the cortege. “You fought well, Midnight Blink. I’m glad I didn’t have to kill you to get rid of your Nightmare,” he said with a hint of sincerity in his voice. The funeral continued, extending well into the noon. The column of caskets and the thousands that followed in their wake slowly travelled through the city. The street was paved with millions of flowers and petals, and everyone kept to themselves as the bells continued to toll for the dead. The funeral cortege left through the main gates. Down the mountain path, the white and blue figures of the Princesses could be seen in the distance at the front of the column. No one would even know what the two sisters shared between each other in those moments. “Are you okay?” Twilight asked Blink, who was beginning to limp from his hurt hind hooves. They had walked a couple of miles, and the stallion already felt the effects of his unhealed injuries. The mare didn’t wait for an answer. Her horn glowed faintly and a cast of magic formed around Blink’s leg, taking the weight of the steps from it. “Thanks . . . I can’t even use my own magic to help me walk to my friend’s funeral,” he murmured. “Your magic will come back in time, don’t worry,” Twilight reassured him as they continued their walk down the road leading away from Canterlot. After another hour, the funeral column stopped advancing. The caskets were lined in endless rows across a beautiful meadow facing the city on top of the mountain. A calm river stretched to its side and tall trees stood guard nearby. Thousands of freshly dug graves extended across the newly founded cemetery, each marked by a headstone with the name and cutie mark of the pony that was about to be buried under it. The large crowds were flanked by the military troops stationed outside the city. Citizens from across the kingdom were rumored to have come to attend the ceremonies and every pony from the nearby villages and towns were also there to pay their tribute. On top of an improvised stage, Celestia and Luna addressed the crowds. The white ruler was the first to speak. Her demeanor was disheartened, yet she mustered the will to pay her respects. “It is with great sadness in our hearts that we have gathered here today. The battle we faced days ago against an enemy we never sought disrupted our lives and tore us apart from our peaceful ways.” She took a short pause. The eyes and ears of tens, maybe hundreds of thousands were on her. “Worse than anything else, the price we had to pay to defend ourselves from this aggression was a great one. I once thought that the time of wars and battles between nations of this world had come to an end many centuries ago. I was wrong. But I still have faith. My sister and I have been living among our subjects for over three thousand years.” She gazed towards the rows of caskets, the crowds listening to her words with rapt attention. “And even though they are not the first we confine to the ground, we will continue to make our stand and ensure they are the last. For as long as we and time still stand, nations across the world will know the resounding strength, pride, and sheer determination Equestria and its allies have.” “Yet today is a day we mourn for thy fallen,” Luna carried on for her sister. “Today we bring our reverences for the brave souls that fought to protect us all. They were our brothers, our sisters, our mothers and our fathers. They were our young sons and daughters that gave their lives for a greater cause. Their sacrifice is a gift to us. It comes as our sacred duty to cherish and pass on this gift through tales of valor, memories and stories . . .” The young alicorn took a moment collect her thoughts and emotions. “Heroes never die, my dear ponies. When I look at their graves, at their coffins, I shudder. And that means they are with us. For when we remember them in our memories, our stories, our dreams . . . they are alive, at our side.” A single tear drop fell from her eyes. The Princesses’ speech ended. Many more things could have been said, but words were not needed anymore. Families and friends spread around the meadow, joining their fallen loved ones as they began to be lowered into the ground, one by one. In between the ponies, tens of larger graves served as a resting place for the buffalo warriors. Their bodies were carried by the Princesses among the caskets belonging to the ponies, but were not confined in wooden boxes. Instead, they were covered with the most colorful flower petals ever seen. Little Strongheart and the few other survivors stood near the graves of their tribesmen, humming their traditional hymns for the passing into the afterlife. Near the end of the freshly-dug cemetery, a massive fire was lit, its thick smoke towering higher than the mountains around. The few zebra survivors kneeled to it and sung their rituals while dozens of unicorns helped their ceremonies. They floated the nearly two thousand wooden beds with zebra soldiers on them into the fire, while their living comrades prayed for the skies to open to their souls. Pearl walked across the cemetery with the other survivors from his zeppelin. They stopped near several headstones belonging to their fallen crew members, and each brushed a hoof across them. Blink and his friends came across Luna as they scouted the cemetery. She was silently shedding tears near a headstone with a bow and arrow on it as the cutie mark of the pony it belonged to. The unicorn sat next to her, watching the headstone and the casket behind it. “I was there . . . when he died,” Blink said. Luna remained silent. “Among his last words . . . some of them were for you.” The Princess turned to him, eyes filled with anguished tears. “He said he enjoyed every moment spent with you,” Blink continued, recalling those dreadful moments right before Chaser’s death. “And that he was grateful for each star-filled sky you brought every night.” The eerie silence that followed between the two of them was interrupted when a mare arrived and sat next to them, her eyes filled with tears as well. She rested her front hooves over the casket, and her forehead onto them. “I shall return at a later time. Thank you for telling me that, Midnight Blink,” Luna announced in a low voice as she sat up and left the grave. The rest of Blink’s friends joined him around his grave. The stallion approached the mare next to his casket, knowing she was most likely his sister living in Canterlot. He rested a hoof on her shoulder as she sobbed, and in time, without trading any words, she embraced the unicorn, recognizing him as Chaser’s closest friend. “I’m sorry I couldn’t keep your brother alive. He . . . he loved you very much; I’m so sorry.” While Blink comforted Chaser’s sister, Rarity brushed a hoof gently across the headstone in a show of respect. “Is- is this one whiter than the other?” she asked, noticing the difference in color between that grave’s headstone and the rest. “It is,” Twilight murmured as she studied it. “I’ve never seen this kind of rock before,” Pinkie added as she looked closer. “It’s . . . moon rock,” Twilight stated, finally figuring it out. She didn’t question the surprising fact for longer, as it wasn’t the time for such discussions. They all stayed near Star Chaser’s grave until a few unicorn soldiers came to float his casket into the ground. His friends all took their turn in tossing specs of dirt onto the lowered coffin, before it was ceremonially covered in its entirety. The day went on as the crowds of ponies paid their last respects to the dead, the ceremonies extending well into the evening. One by one, coffins were confined into the ground, as families and dear ones said their goodbyes to those that bravely fought the invading forces. The light of the day was steadily replaced by the thousands of candles lit on top of the freshly sealed graves. The fire at the end of the cemetery, where the zebra soldiers cremated their fallen brothers in arms, was still burning bright, sparks gently reaching into the night time sky. The two Princesses sat atop a nearby hill, overlooking the vast meadow that was still filled with ponies. “I am sorry for your loss, Luna,” Celestia said as she draped a wing over her sister’s form. “We have suffered many a loss, dearest sister. You should be sorry for all of them.” “He was special to you. It tears my heart apart to see yours broken, Lulu . . .” “He’s in a better place now,” she murmured, almost to herself. “He is, indeed,” came a graver voice from nearby. At the Princesses’ sides, two silhouettes in the shape of ponies stood stoically. One was white, the other black. Now two pair of siblings guarded the ceremonies from the hilltop. “It will never get easier, will it?” Celestia asked, tears still fresh in her eyes. “I’m going to answer you the same as I did at your last mass burial; or the one before that, or any of the hundreds you’ve been through on this world,” Life responded, his voice calm and filled with warmth. “It never does. It is in your very nature to care for these creatures; it was also the consequence of the choice you two made when you decided to Watch them from within their own society.” “Their birth, their lives, their death . . . you will be part of them, until the very day I escort the last soul from this planet away into the Light,” Death joined the conversation. “There are better times ahead for your ponies, Lulu and Celly,” Life stated, addressing the two alicorns by their former names. “We wish you the best as you meet those times, and as always, we regret the events that led to this day.” “Farewell, Watchers. May wisdom guide your actions,” Death wished them as the two brothers faded away out of that realm. After a few moments, Celestia stood up and slowly began walking back towards the cemetery. She then stopped, turning her head back towards her sister. “Come Lulu, our ponies need us.” The younger alicorn got up as well, joining her sister on her way to the crowds below. The night’s cool breeze blew across the saddened lands, the trees and grass dancing in tandem with it. Luna raised her eyes at the clear sky above while resting against her sister as they walked. A star fell above their heads, and another one chased it into the distance. End of Chapter 29 This chapter is dedicated to the “Heaven’s Hundred”, the protesters that fell during the revolution in Ukraine in February 2014. Heroes never die.