Grief is the price we pay for love.
Queen Elizabeth II
“I don’t like it…” Twist said, watching a slightly glowing magenta dome surrounding Canterlot.
“Don’t worry, it’s just like during Princess Cadance’s wedding,” Scootaloo replied. After the three days they’d spent in a refugee camp, she looked much better, courtesy of pegasi’s rapid regeneration. Twist's wound stopped to hurt, allowing her to walk. Sure, she wasn’t in the shape to compete in Running of the Leaves, but it was good enough to cover a few miles without opening again. Silver Spoon was walking by her side, shooting occasional glances at her.
Over the last three days, many things had changed. First, they learned that Cloudsdale was captured by Luna’s forces, and nopony was allowed to leave Canterlot, as the whole town was preparing to repel them. A large detachment of the Royal Guards came to the refugee camp, giving them a day to prepare to evacuate to Appleloosa.
“Can I go to Canterlot?” Scootaloo asked one of them as soon as they were informed about that.
“No, kid,” he replied. “We only evacuate you because we’re afraid of strife missiles or bombs. Why would you want to go to the place those bombs will be aimed at?”
Even though Scootaloo shared her reasons with Twist and Silver Spoon, she didn’t tell about them to the guard. Instead, she asked him how Rainbow Dash was doing.
“Cannot tell,” the guard said and left, leaving them alone. Scootaloo retreated to the tent, not wanting to talk with Twist and Silver Spoon.
Twist could partially understand her. Over the last three days, Scootaloo caught them kissing or cuddling way too many times for her liking. Their relations were a bit strained, but soon a new tragedy brought them together.
When the guards were in the refugee camp, one of them went to their tent.
“Ms. Bon Bon?” he asked. His tone was solemn, but his expression was indifferent. Upon hearing him, Bon Bon shuddered and a glass fell out of her hoof.
“I’m deeply–” he didn’t manage to tell the whole information, when Bon Bon suddenly collapsed in front of him, wailing loudly.
“Please… don’t tell me she… she…” Bon Bon’s whole body twitched. The guard was confused by her sudden outburst.
“I… I wanted to inform…”
“NO!” Bon Bon screamed. “Don’t tell me about that! I don’t want to know!”
The guards stood there for a few minutes waiting for her to calm down, before he finally went away, assuming that he had given her the information.
Seeing the whole scene, Twist was shuddering upon the thought that something could happen to her parents, Bon Bon… or Silver Spoon.
Silver Spoon probably changed the most. When Bon Bon passed out after the guard brought her the news, it was Silver Spoon who helped her get back into the tent. She was also sitting there with them till the mare fell asleep, too tired to even sob.
Twist didn’t know much about other ponies and the feeling of love was something new to her. Silver Spoon wanted to spent every moment with her, savour every minute, especially since they learned that Luna’s forces were approaching them. Kisses, hugs, long talks in the middle of the night, when Scootaloo was sleeping with the pillow on her head, and hooves covering her ears. They were talking about everything: their lives, their families, their happiest memories. There was only one taboo: everything that happened when the bombs fell down on the group of foals was greeted by Silver with bitter silence, occasionally interrupted by tears.
Now, they were trotting up the mountain, the capital of Equestria only two miles from them. They had sneaked out of the camp when Bon Bon was still sleeping, and were slowly approaching the magenta barrier. Twist didn’t like the fact that they’d left Bon Bon like that, but Scootaloo wanted to get to Canterlot as fast as she could. However, she still wasn’t sure what to do when they’d reach the barrier. She hoped that if she told them that Rainbow Dash was her sister, the guards would let them in. Silver Spoon thought otherwise.
“You know, they probably have dozens of ponies every day, trying to convince them that they’re Celestia’s lost sisters,” she said when they stopped for a moment. Twist sat next to her, wrapping her hoof around her.
Scootaloo groaned. “Then I’ll tell them to bring her. She’ll be happy to see me alive…”
“Yeah, right…” Silver Spoon muttered under her breath.
“Twist, can you tell your fillyfriend to stop being a whiny ass?”
“Tell her yourthelf.”
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Silver, don’t be a whiny ass, okay? We’re so close to Canterlot…”
“…where you’ll be able to stay with Rainbow Dash, till some bat pony drops a bomb on your head. End of story.”
“Thilver, don’t be tho mean…” Twist looked into Silver’s eyes.
“For you I can stop being mean, Twisty…” Silver Spoon kissed her cheek.
Scootaloo groaned again, this time much louder. “Before you two start making out, you’d better remember where we are. The bat ponies can be here at any moment…”
“Exactly, where are they? They’re afraid of that shield?” Silver Spoon asked.
“I have no idea.” Scootaloo looked at the sky, but saw nothing but the immobile celestial bodies. She thought about the rainbow she’d seen between them three days ago and about hope it brought into her heart. Rainbow Dash had to be somewhere there, waiting for her.
They started to walk further, hiding among the rocks. As they proceeded up the mountain, the wind was growing chilly. They quickly put the blankets on their backs again, before putting on the old saddlebags they’d scavenged from the destroyed airship. It was a few days ago, but for Twist, it felt like years.
They were only a mile from Canterlot, when suddenly they heard wings flapping somewhere above them.
Scootaloo looked up and her eyes widened in horror. “Watch out!” she shouted, diving under a nearby rock. Twist followed her, as fast as her hoof let her. When she was hiding behind the rock, she looked back and saw Silver Spoon collapsing, after she stepped on the edge of her blanket. Three bat ponies were diving towards her.
“I’m okay!” she shouted to them, recovering. She jumped forward, for a moment standing on her hind legs.
A single round hit her back, piercing through the spine, and leaving a large exit wound in her stomach. A crimson stain started to spread on her blanket. Twist saw her fillyfriend’s lips moving and her pupils shrinking to pin pricks, before Silver Spoon slowly collapsed on the ground, lying motionless in the quickly growing puddle of her own blood.
“NO!” Twist screamed, leaving Scootaloo behind the rock and running towards the Silver. She kneeled next to her and overturned her.
The stench was terrible – the bullet pierced through Silver’s intestines, blowing large parts of them on the ground. She was hyperventilating, her muscles twitching in violent spasms – shock from sudden blood loss rendered her unconscious almost immediately. When Twist embraced her, she felt that her hooves were getting cold quickly – the death was imminent.
“Twist, run!” Scootaloo shouted. “You can’t help her!”
Twist knew that it was true. Nopony could survive with such wound for long; she knew that well. Yet, it didn’t feel right. She didn’t want to leave Silver Spoon like that.
“Twist! Come on!” Scootaloo screamed, pointing at the sky. The bat ponies were circling, flying back at them. Silver Spoon’s breath became shorter and more laboured.
Twist wept, holding Silver Spoon’s body in a tight embrace. Scootaloo ran to her, trying desperately to drag her away. Twist smacked her with her hoof. With Silver Spoon’s death, she also lost the will to live.
“Twist, for fuck’s sake! They’ll kill us all because of you and your–”
A bullet whistled past them and Twist froze, feeling something hot and sticky showering her. She heard the sound of Scootaloo’s body hitting the ground limply behind her. The bullet which killed her was followed by the others, all now aimed at Twist.
“Silver Spoon…” she muttered, feeling them tearing her body apart.
***
“Thilver! Noooo!” Twist screamed, her eyes shooting open. She got up, looking frantically around, her vision blurry. Her glasses were lying next to her on an empty crate, serving as a nightstand.
“What’s going on?” Silver Spoon asked groggily.
“Thilver! Thankth Celethtia, you’re alive!” Twist hugged her frantically, staining her coat with tears.
“Of course I am, why would I be dead?”
“Can you two shut the fuck up, please?” Scootaloo groaned, waking up. “We’re leaving to Canterlot in the morning, if you don’t remember.”
Canterlot. Chill ran down Twist’s spine when she heard that name. Memories of the dream she had appeared before her eyes. She felt the taste of bile in her mouth.
“Can you explain me what’s going on?” Scootaloo asked, watching Silver Spoon running her hoof down Twist’s mane. “Because if you want to, umm… spend some time together, I can, like, go for an early walk. Just tell how long you’re going to, umm… you know… and I’ll–“
“I don’t want to go to Canterlot,” Twist said, interrupting her. Scootaloo stared at her blankly.
“What?”
“I’m afraid that… that something can happen to uth…” Twist stammered. Her head drooped. “There are bat ponieth there, and… I think Thilver and I will be thafer in Applelootha…”
To her surprise, Scootaloo nodded. Yet, even without her glasses, Twist could see the disappointed look on her face.
“I think you’re right…” Scootaloo said. “It’s me who needs to get to Canterlot to find Apple Bloom, Sweetie… and Rainbow Dash. You’ve already found Bon Bon… well, and Silver. You don’t have to risk your lives for me anymore.”
Twist muttered something under her breath, putting her glasses on.
“What happened?” Bon Bon’s head poked from behind the screen they’d used to divide the tent into two bedrooms. Her mane was messy and her eyes were red and poofy. “I heard screams…”
“Twist had a nightmare,” said Silver Spoon. “But she’s okay now…”
“Oh dear…” Bon Bon trotted to them and sat on the bed next to her. “Are you three still going to Canterlot?”
“Yes,” Scootaloo replied.
“No,” Silver Spoon said casually, still brushing Twist’s mane.
Twist said nothing, avoiding eye contact with Scootaloo.
***
The pegasi arrived to the camp in the early morning, waking its inhabitants up. Most of the ponies were already packed, so they only needed to get their tents and gather together. Scootaloo, already wearing her saddlebags, hid between two stacks of crates, watching two pegasi stallions, wearing armours (their battle saddles disconnected) as they walked next to her. She was about to leave her hiding, when she saw that they were still standing next to the crates, lighting cigarettes.
“It’s fucked up, bro,” said one of them. Scootaloo wasn’t sure since their armours were covering most of their bodies, but they probably were twins. “This whole shield can stop the bat ponies, but it’ll surely lure Luna herself here…”
“Maybe that’s old Celly’s idea,” said the second stallion, blowing out the smoke. “You know, abdication and shit, Sparkle’s in charge, Luna comes here, then bang! She’s on the Moon, thinking what went wrong. The Moon Army won’t withstand long without its leader; just look what happened to our squadron after the boss kicked the bucket.”
“Meh. ‘Chaser somehow keeps us together. Who knows, maybe there are similar motherfuckers in the Moon Army. Those griffons, for example. You think they’ll stop in Crystal Empire? Soon, there’ll be the whole army here…”
“Fuck griffons. Have you heard about what Cadance did?”
“Apart of being imprisoned and raped by half of the Griffon Empire?” The pegasus chuckled. Scootaloo felt the urge to jump out of her cover and punch him in the face.
“I don’t think she got raped. I heard a rumour that she used some kind of love magic on the guards and ran away from her prison. Apparently they found her guard trying to gather his guts from the floor with one claw, while jacking himself off with the other. She flew out of the Crystal Empire, then teleported and is now in Canterlot.”
“I call bullshit, brother. They’d already tell those peasants about that, instead of keeping it secret like the fact that the boss died. Or that Rarity is now in the loony bin.”
“Rarity is in the loony bin?” The pegasus raised his eyebrow. “Not surprising, actually. And, just between you and me, Cloudchaser is next in line. ‘Chaser and cannons is a massacre waiting to happen…”
“Yeah, she was trying to kill Sparkle, or something like that. Almost killed that little pink junkie. For me, they can even fuck each other to death. I have more important things to worry about.”
“Yeah… rutting Dust Devil, I guess. Stormfeather in love, that’s new to me, bro.”
“Get off me! It’s not that…” Stormfeather snapped.
“Yeah, right. You managed to sell ‘Chaser that ‘leave nopony behind’ bullshit, but you can’t shit me, brother. I saw your face when we found her in those bushes. You do love her…”
Stormfeather rolled his eyes. “If you really need to know, brother… I think I knocked her up that night in the factory. I told her many times that she shouldn’t be here, but you know how stubborn she is. We–”
His voice drowned in his brother’s guffaw. Scootaloo leaned closer and suddenly heard another voice.
“Stormfeather! Cloud Break! What are you doing here? Go and help Cloudchaser!”
Scootaloo’s heart started to beat faster. She recognised that voice. The pegasi unfurled their wings and flew away. The filly walked from behind the crates.
“Spike!” she called.
The dragon turned back and looked at her, his eyes widening. “Scootaloo?” he asked, “Scootaloo, you’re alive!” he ran to her and embraced her. It wasn’t long before she started asking him questions.
“Yes, Cadance is in Canterlot,” Spike said, “She arrived just yesterday. I was really worried of Twilight, especially since Rarity…” For a moment, he avoided Scootaloo’s gaze. “But she got better when Cadance joined us.”
“Are you really waiting for Luna to attack?”
“I don’t know what Twilight’s going to do,” he explained. “Since that attack, she barely talks about her plans. Well, she barely talks at all.”
Scootaloo cursed under her breath. “I need to get to Canterlot,” she said. “I heard that Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are there…” She saw his expression and added, “I know that they were presumed dead, but Firefly told me that they’re with her.”
“What? Firefly is Luna’s spy. Two days ago, Royal Guards were trying to arrest her, but her place was empty. Strange, it was usually full of ponies…”
Scootaloo sighed. Once again, her friends disappeared without a trace.
“And I don’t think they could survive that fire… I’m sorry, Scootaloo.”
There was only one hope.
“How… how about Rainbow Dash? I want to see her!”
Spike gave her a long look. His frown made her shudder, as if a needle made of ice pierced through her heart.
“Scootaloo,” his voice was silent, defeated. “Rainbow Dash is dead.”
***
It wasn’t supposed to be a long walk. Three miles from the refugee camp there was an undamaged train route to Appleloosa, and even though there weren’t any steam engines available, there were ponies who’d pull the carriages to the town.
Twist was walking by Silver Spoon’s side, looking at the ground beneath her hooves. Bon Bon was trotting before them, silent, still grieving her marefriend.
Would I be like that if something happened to Silver? Twist thought. She shuddered, remembering the nightmare she had, and looked at the sky unsurely. The sun wore a deep crimson tint, but there were no trace of the bat ponies around, only armoured pegasi sent from Canterlot to protect them and make sure they’d all get on the train safely.
Before they went, Twist saw them on the ground. The commander, a violet mare with a striking, white and blue mane, and big, sad eyes. A large, white stallion, glaring at everypony angrily. Twins, one of them smirking constantly, and the other lost in his thoughts. And finally, a young red mare with green mane, who was now circling directly above their heads.
Of all the pegasi, Twist spent most time looking at her. She wasn’t much older than her; her battered armour was a bit too big. A gun was hanging from her neck dangling between her forelegs. When they were in the camp, she stared back at Twist at some point, and their eyes locked for a moment.
There was something about her, something Twist had also observed in Silver Spoon’s and Scootaloo’s eyes, and what she also felt about herself. They all grew older quickly, exposed to the horrors of war. They weren’t innocent little fillies anymore. They had all witnessed death and suffering. Twist thought about Silver Spoon, and how she had reacted when their conversation almost drifted to the soldier she’d killed. Her expression suddenly changed and for a moment Twist thought she’d kill her too.
She shuddered again. She was trying to purge that thought from her mind, but she could be the killer as well. They didn’t know what happened to that unicorn they’d left in the snow, his horn snapped in half.
They were trying to rape and kill us, she thought. They weren’t ponies, they were monsters.
She remembered that it was exactly what she’d told Silver Spoon. It didn’t really help. Maybe because Twist had a hard time believing in it too.
“Twist, wait!” she heard a voice behind her. It was raspy and tired, but she recognised it immediately.
“Thcootaloo?” she asked, turning back. Scootaloo’s wings were hanging limply by her sides, her eyes were red and swollen, and she was walking slowly, barely catching with the group.
“Thcootaloo, what happened?” Twist asked. “Aren’t you going to Canterlot?”
“Why?” Scootaloo’s voice was a barely audible whimper. “It’s all over. Rainbow Dash is dead, Firefly is missing… I’ll be better off in Appleloosa…”
“Oh, don’t thay that. I’m thure Apple Bloom and Thweetie Belle are thomewhere there…” Twist said, ignoring Silver Spoon’s grunt.
“Where? They might be already dead. Fuck, maybe they were dead all the time and Luna was tricking me!”
“Yeah, tell everypony around that you have direct connection with the public enemy number one,” Silver Spoon muttered.
“Everything’s okay, filly?” a pegasus asked, landing next to them. Twist recognised her. It was that young, red mare.
“Yeah, it’s nothing… Totally fucking nothing…” Scootaloo whispered.
“Don’t worry, everything will be all right,” said the pegasus half-heartedly. “Nice cutie mark, by the way.”
“Oh, fuck it… Since I got it, my life is even more shitty than it used to be. Shield… Yeah, that’s appropriate… Shield gets all the hits, so its owner doesn’t get any…”
Twist wanted to say something, but Scootaloo raised her hoof, silencing her. She took a breath to continue her rant, but the pegasus interrupted her.
“I’d like to have such cutie mark. Mine is… well, I don’t know exactly what it’s supposed to mean. You know that your talent is protecting your friends. Something Rainbow Dash was doing, even in the last moments of her life.”
“You know… knew Rainbow Dash?”
“Yes. And I saw her sacrificing her life for her friends…”
“Yeah, maybe my life would at least have some sense…” Scootaloo groaned. “But how can I protect them if I can’t find them?”
They were almost at the makeshift railway station, carriages waiting for the refugees.
“We can help you,” Twist said. “Canterlot ithn’t tho big after all…”
“What now?” Silver Spoon snapped. “You can’t leave me!”
“Who thaid that I’m leaving you? You can go with uth.”
Silver Spoon looked as if she was about to blow up. “Fine,” she said finally. “But now explain that to her…” she pointed at Bon Bon who was standing helplessly in front of the carriage.
“Are you going to Canterlot again?” she asked, turning to them.
“Excuse me,” said the red pegasus. “My name is Cinnamon Swirl and I recognised one of this fillies as Rainbow Dash’s relative she’s been looking for. We have orders to bring her to Canterlot. They’ll live in Princess Celestia’s palace.”
“Take her if you want, but why do you need my Twisty? I already lost one pony I loved...” Bon Bon asked, glaring at Cinnamon Swirl askew.
“Thilver ith going too and I don’t want to leave her…” said Twist, making puppy eyes. “I… I think nopony should leave their loved ones…”
It was a low blow and she knew that. But deep inside she felt that Bon Bon would manage without her. She was a strong, grown mare after all. Scootaloo, on the other hoof…
“Yeah, I just love Scoots so much that I can’t imagine my life without her…” Silver Spoon deadpanned.
Bon Bon sighed, looking at the almost full carriages, all the ponies looking back at her.
“Fine,” she said. “But don’t get yourself killed, or your mother will tear me to shreds with bare hooves.”
“Don’t worry. Thee you, Bonnie.”
“Goodbye, Twist.” Bon Bon trotted into the carriage, and the train started to move. Cinnamon Swirl took off.
“Too bad, it’s all I could do for you,” she said. “Take care, girls.”
They thanked her and turned back, heading to Canterlot.
Up in the sky, Cinnamon Swirl joined the rest of her squadron. She earned a nasty glare from Cloudchaser, but Cloud Break approached her, smirking.
“Nice job, kid,” he said. “I’ve been listening to them all the time. If Firefly wants to find them as much as they want to find her, soon we’ll have them all in the dungeon… And if it’s true that this kid talked to Luna… Well, Twilight Sparkle surely has ways to get from her what they were talking about…”
“Yeah…” Cinnamon Swirl sighed. Her head drooped; her gaze remained focused on the ground as they flew back to the base.