Chapter Eighty-nine
The days slowly ticked by, turning first into a week until the attack, then five days, then a measly two, and finally just one. For those of us that remained, no amount of preparation would be enough, and we used every waking moment we had to sharped our own skills, or swords, and put up more defenses. Luckily, we had the almost unlimited strength of both Fafnir and Fenrir to count on, and the two dragons were able to set up all manner of defensive structures and traps for the approaching soldiers.
Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Twilight and I all walked through the defensive line one last time, making sure everything was in place. Homemade catapults and ballistas, spots for snipers using bows, crossbows or magic to fire from, and plenty of spears and pikes pointed outward to face the soldiers of Eclipse. We would hold them off here as long as we could, then when it seemed like they were going to break through, we would send our close-range troops to crash into them head-on, led by the dragons and Mac, who had finally agreed to put in his Weapon to our cause.
As we stood surveying the defenses, I heard someone running towards us from behind, and turned curiously. I saw Fluttershy picking her way through the soldiers, and frowned. No one’s seen her for days. I was beginning to think she had left town, which really would have put us in a bad spot... but she’s here now. I wonder where she was?
She caught up to us, took a moment to catch her breath, and Rarity asked her what I had been thinking. She kept her eyes downcast as she spoke: “I, um... I took Angel and flew to the west coast, and the port city of Baltimare. I found the nearest ship setting sail for Ivoire, and sent him off to safety. I couldn’t bear to keep him in the line of danger, so I sent him home. And with both Creiddylad and Spike... gone... The only things I have left to lose here are you, my friends. I can focus fully on fighting and keeping you, and myself, safe. It hurt to say goodbye, but... it’s for the best.”
The four of us all gave her a comforting pat on the back. We all understood what she was feeling. All throughout the town, no matter where we went, the feeling of impending disaster hung in the air. It was inescapable, but longing for the day in which it passed was just as bad. None of us blamed her for getting her remaining family to safety, especially since the poor girl had lost so much in so short a time.
It hadn’t been as simple for the Apple family, though. Ideally, we should have moved Granny Smith and Applebloom to safety, since one was too old and frail to lift a weapon, and one was still learning. However, both had stubbornly refused to leave their home, so Applejack, Macintosh and I were left with little option but to fight even harder to keep them safe. I looked up at the darkening sky, my heart both heavy and fast-moving. When did days become hours? Tomorrow, we’re going to be fighting for our lives, and the fate of our whole country...
“Head home, everyone.” I said morosely. “I can’t tell what’s going to happen tomorrow, none of us can. I know it’ll be hard, but try to get as much sleep tonight as you can. I understand if you want company this night, and Applejack and I have already agreed that the doors to the Sweet Apple Acres will be open to anyone who wants to stay with us.”
“House Icarus offers the same.” Rarity confirmed. “Our whole strange family will be there, along with Lord Blake. Our halls will welcome anyone who seeks company.”
“I think I’ll take you up on that...” Twilight started. “I mean... I don’t really have much other place to go, aside from the Acres. Fluttershy, do you want to come with me?”
Fluttershy nodded quickly, also lacking anyone to spend the night with, and Pinkie shrugged. “Kyle invited me to spend the night with just him tonight. And someone’s got to keep him company too, right? I guess I’ll see you all in the morning... And, good luck, everybody.”
We all nodded and bade each other a sad goodnight, then Applejack and I walked slowly away from the defensive walls, hand-in-hand. I stopped just before reaching the Acres and turned to her. “I’m going to run back to my house and grab the things I need for battle. I’d rather not have to rush over there in the morning.” Applejack nodded, and she continued back to her home. I jogged back through the streets for a few minutes until I reached my own house. My sword and buckler were right where I had left them, but I moved past them this time, moving instead for the back room.
The door swung open, and I moved for the shelf in the back. The golden sword and sheath granted to me by the Elements of Harmony last summer still lay perfectly clean and sharp, despite not being touched for half a year. Beside the golden sword was the slightly curve-tipped broadsword once belonging to Ultraviolet. At last, his blade would get the chance to finish its mission and claim its own revenge. I slipped on both sheathes across my back, bringing both swords with me, then fastened my buckler to my wrist.
I took a moment to steady my breathing and heart, then turned to leave the room. Just as I did, though, I heard a gentle knock at the front door. Who could that be? Applejack knows I’m heading right back to the Acres... maybe one of the others forgot to say something before they left, but what could that be? I moved back into the den and curiously opened the door, and my eyebrows rose when I saw Scootaloo standing there, eyes downcast.
“Oh, hey kid.” I greeted, “What’s up? I... I see you decided to stay.”
“Yeah...” he said simply, his voice quiet. I could tell that he was upset about something, very understandably, and might have been crying already. “Um, I just wanted to ask if... if I could stay with you tonight? I... don’t want to be alone...”
I gave him a sad smile and put a hand on his shoulder. “Of course you can, Scoots. But, wouldn’t your stepdad be there if you stayed at home? I know you don’t get along too well sometimes, but he is still family, right?”
Scootaloo shook his head. “He’s... he’s gone. He left town... Just before he left, he offered to take me with him, but... I just couldn’t leave all my friends behind... I told him I wouldn’t leave, and he said he understood, and then...”
I scowled and shook my head. I knew I didn’t like Scootaloo’s guardian from the first minute I met him, but this was just too much. He had essentially left his kid to die without any kind of fight. I stooped down slightly to wrap my arms around the despairing boy, but a random thought occurred to me just before I did. I tossed it around in my mind for a few seconds, trying to figure out what it meant, and my thoughts began to race as the idea put itself together.
“Hey, Scoots...” I started, hand still on his slightly unsteady shoulder, “I just had an idea. I know your stepdad just left, and... Well, that’s just not right. As far as I can tell, or care, really, he’s lost all claim to call himself your guardian. I don’t know if he’s going to come back here again or not, but he doesn’t have any right to you anymore. Now... I know that right now, with him just abandoning you like that... this does technically make you an orphan...”
It wasn’t easy for me to say this all to him, as I could see him growing even more upset. However, just as he shut his eyes and began to cry even more heavily, I put my other hand on his other shoulder and continued. “That being said... What would you say if I told you I wanted to adopt you? If I just... took you home and made you my real, permanent little brother?”
His breathing steadied right away, and he locked me in place with his deep violet eyes, brimming with both tears and hope. “W-what? Dash, do you mean that?” He was having trouble containing a wide smile, which soon spread to myself.
“You’re already like a brother to me, kid. I’ve loved training with you and watching you grow in these few months, and I’d love nothing more than to keep it up when everything’s said and done. I was going to the Sweet Apple Acres for the night, so you just come with me and stay with us, then just stick with me. I’ll take care of you.”
Scootaloo’s eyes continued to water, but it was now with tears of joy. He tripped forward a step and threw his arms around me, and I wrapped mine, and my wings, around him in turn. We laughed the pain of his stepfather’s decision to leave away, his tears drying on my shirt, and after a minute or two I gently patted him on the back. “Come on, Scoots, let’s get going. We both need to try and get some sleep.”
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Kyle
The young couple, archer and baker, sat on the small cushioned sofa in the inn room, arms around each other. Neither had spoken, as both knew each word was precious. Kyle knew that nothing was certain any longer, and everyone’s lives would be at risk, so he had to make his peace tonight. He shifted slightly, drawing Pinkie’s attention, as she had begun to fall asleep on his shoulder.
“Pinkie...” he started, “Come tomorrow, I’m going to fight as hard as I can, and do everything I can to keep both of us alive, I promise. But... just in case anything happens, there’s something I need to say. Even if nothing happens, I should still say this.” Pinkie nodded silently, and he continued, though found himself at a loss for words. “I... Pinkie, if it wasn’t for you, I don’t think I’d be here today. I joined the Silver Arrows at first just to earn some extra money to send home, but now... you’ve given me a reason to want to be here. I might have just gone home to safety otherwise, but... I want to stay here and protect you. I want to fight alongside you and be there to hold your hand when the fighting is done.”
She nodded happily, and Kyle suddenly ran out of things to say. Pinkie closed her eyes with a smile on her face, and snuggled closer to him. Kyle sighed lightly, and allowed his head to rest on hers. Maybe he should have said more, but he was satisfied that Pinkie understood. His own eyes began to grow heavy, though a knock at the door shook him out of his drowsiness.
“Er, come in...” Kyle said, reluctantly separating himself from Pinkie and helping her to her feet. The door to the inn room swung open, and a tall, dark-clad figure stepped inside without further invitation.
Pinkie rubbed her eyes tiredly. “Oh, Xekora... What’s up?”
“Young Pinkie, I’m glad I found you before the battle.” the historian said. “I need to request you do something, not for me, but for yourself. I need you to have Chaos remain with me. I assure you, this is for hers and your own safety, nothing more.”
Pinkie cocked her head to the side. “What? Why would you need to watch Chaos for me? Is she going to be in danger?”
Xekora nodded. “In a sense. Both you and your other side will be in much greater danger during this conflict if you remain together. There is a special danger awaiting you, and you will find that you will be much better equipped to face it alone.”
Pinkie frowned and thought for a few moments, then nodded in acceptance. “Alright. I trust you. You’ve been right about everything so far.” She clasped her hands at her heart, and Kyle watched in interest and wonder as a light filled the room just in front of her. When it faded, another figure stood before her, almost but not quite identical to her.
Pinkie put her arms on the shoulders of her counterpart and spoke softly to her. “Chaos, I need you to do something for me, okay? I know you’re not comfortable in the real world yet, but we have to be separated for a while so you can stay safe. No, listen... I promise you’re going to be okay. My friend Xekora is going to take care of you for a little while, and you can come right back when the fighting is over. He’s very nice, don’t worry.”
Very reluctantly, the girl who was almost Pinkie moved away from her twin and over to Xekora. The historian assured both that he would take care of things, then led the silent copy of Pinkie back out of the room and to wherever he came from. Kyle gave Pinkie an extremely confused look, and with a sigh, she began to explain what she had discovered on her trip to Eclipse, which Kyle had so far only heard in bits and pieces.
“So Chaos is... the recessive half of your soul?” he asked, and Pinkie nodded. “And you felt confident leaving her with this Xekora person?”
“Xekora has done a lot for us already.” Pinkie explained. “He’s been like our guide throughout our battle with Celestia, and I trust him completely. Plus, I can just feel that he’s definitely on our side, and he’s experienced enough to know what he’s doing. If he believes that him watching over Chaos will keep us both safer, then I believe in him too.”
Kyle was still slightly concerned about Pinkie’s divided soul, but she seemed to have fully accepted and embraced it. Instead of treating Chaos like just a broken copy, Pinkie seemed to think of her like a timid little sister. Kyle smiled in spite of himself, once again knowing that Pinkie was a truly kind and wonderful person, and the two flopped back onto the sofa together.
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Rainbow Dash
Scootaloo and I made our way back through the streets to the edge of town, one of my arms still around him. We would worry about moving his stuff from his old home into mine later. We both had our weapons and minimal armor with us already, and would be ready for combat when morning came. Soon, the gates to the Acres came into view, and we stopped just before the front door to the house. Scootaloo turned to me, a slightly confused look on his face. “Wait, hang on, if I’m your brother now, and you and Applejack are together, does... does that make me and Applebloom brother and sister?”
I laughed happily. “Don’t worry too much about that, kid. I had the same kind of confusion when the Apple family first brought me in. It’ll pass, and you’ll figure out where you stand without having to be able to explain it.” He nodded in understanding, and the two of us stepped into the house. Before they noticed us enter, I was able to see all three of the Apple siblings piled up on the sofa, offering each other nothing more than their presence and a shoulder to lean on. Mac sat in the center, with an arm around both of his sisters at his sides. Granny Smith was also in the room, though had her eyes closed and may have been asleep in the opposite chair. I could tell some scared tears had already been shed.
“Move over everybody,” I said, drawing their attention, “we got a couple more family members to squeeze in.”
“Scootaloo!” Applebloom exclaimed in relief, separating herself from her older brother and running up to embrace Scootaloo. He flinched slightly as her arms wrapped tightly around him and her face buried in his shoulder. He cast a furtive glance back at me, and after I gave him a nod in encouragement, he closed his eyes and put his arms around her.
A small, happy noise came from Applejack, who had moved to stand beside me. “They really are just like us when we were little, ain’t they?” she whispered. “Your brother was right, that’s just about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“They’re even more like us than before, now.” I said quietly. “Scoots is going to stay with me from now on. His stepdad has done me the favor of removing himself from the equation, so I’m making the kid my own little brother.”
I gave her a quick explanation of what had happened, and she smiled warmly at me. “That’s just the sweetest thing... I’m proud of you, partner. You know that the Apple family’ll still do anythin’ for you, and that goes for your new brother, too.” I nodded thankfully, and the two of us curled up warmly on the sofa. Our little siblings soon hopped up on our laps, hugging both us and each other. Mac graciously draped a large blanket over us, then sat beside us and wrapped a powerful arm around the whole bunch.
One by one we all fell asleep in each other’s embrace, hearts aflutter with thoughts of our impending doom, but determined to make the night count.