//------------------------------// // Chapter 24: A Broken Spirit And A Poisoned Heart // Story: The Last Healing Dragon // by Gearsmash King //------------------------------// Cling! Chink! "Come on, Rainbow Dash!" Rarity grinned, holding her sword in her magic, "I thought you said you took lessons on how to use those. Ha!" Chink! "I did!" Rainbow Dash replied, crossing her wings and blocking Rarity, "And by the way, you should really work on your strength." With that, Rainbow Dash knocked the sword out of Rarity's magic, disarming the unicorn. Making her friend and sparing partner surrender. "I must say," Rarity smiled, wrapping her magic around her sword and putting it in it's sheath, "Those wing blades do suit you very well. Are you sure you don't want an outfit to go with them?" Rainbow Dash looked from one wing to the other. The blades were a little longer than her wingspan and were very light. And, considering the fact Rarity was friends with a pegasus blacksmith, the materials they were made of were easy to get, at a reasonable price. "Nah. I think these are just fine by themselves." She smiled back at her friend, "Besides, I don't want to bother you with it." RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! The two friends stopped talking as they heard a roar in the distance. "That sounds like Lazarus." Rarity said, looking in the direction the sound had come from. RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! "Yeah," Rainbow Dash replied, "but why is he roaring that loudly?" Then Fluttershy and the rest of their friends joined them, including Spike and Starlight. RRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! The roars continued to echo through the air. The only one who could understand them was Fluttershy. But she didn't like what they meant. "Something's wrong." Fluttershy said, before heading towards the Everfree Forest. "Fluttershy, where are you going?" Twilight asked. "To see why Lazarus is upset." With that, they followed Fluttershy's lead and entered the forest. But this time, it felt more lifeless than dangerous and that was more worrisome. There were no animals making any sounds, even the wind was silent. But nothing could prepare them for what awaited them. When they emerged from the forest, they found Lazarus' cave. But, it wasn't the same cave that they knew. It was a terrible sight to look at. The entrance was blackened by scorch marks and small bloodspots littered the ground. "Lazarus!" Fluttershy called, "Are you in there?" There was no answer. But that didn't stop her from going in, being followed by her friends. As they entered, they noticed burn marks on the walls and the eerie silence that filled the cave, much like the outside. It was very obvious that something wasn't right. As they walked past the long corridor, they entered the memory gem chamber and found Lazarus. He was laying next to the pool, with his head looking at the water. "If you're looking for the Guardian of the Everfree," Lazarus said, sounding very dark and sad, "look somewhere else." "We didn't come here to find a guardian." Fluttershy said softly, approaching the dragon, "We came because we heard the sounds of anger and sadness from our friend." Everyone gathered at the waters edge and laid next to Lazarus. Rarity looked up at the gems on the ceiling and noticed that there were fewer than what was there before. She nudged Twilight and pointed up, showing Twilight what she saw. "What happened, Lazarus?" Twilight asked, turning her head towards the dragon. He was silent for a moment, before saying anything. "I wasn't here to stop them." Lazarus said, still looking into the pool, "My cave, the Cradle of the Everfree, both of them disgraced and ruined." "By who?" "I don't know. Many of my crows were killed in the attacks, while the others were keeping watch on their areas. But whatever or whoever they were, they have magical properties. I know this because phoenixes can't be killed by practical means and they can't be harmed by fire either, because they're elemental beings. Which tells me that they were killed with magic." "And the bats?" "Look around, what do you think?" Everyone looked around at the many marks on the walls. Every mark appeared to be pointed in a direction, almost like someone was firing magic at random. Or, someone was aiming and firing at several targets. While, on the ground, there were multiple small mounts of dirt, almost like they where small graves. "I'm so sorry." Fluttershy said softly, placing a hoof on his claw, "I don't really know what your feeling, but you can't give up. You're the one most of these animals trust to keep them safe." "That might be true." Lazarus replied, "But this was different. Whoever or whatever attacked these places, knew that they were special to me. Which means, they're either very stupid or they want to draw me out." Squee! Squee, squee! Then everyone heard a sound that echoed through the caves. Even Lazarus stopped dreading as the sounds entered his ears and formed an image in his mind. He knew that it was a bat, but the pitch and tone of the sounds told him who it was. "Fuzzle?" The dragon said as joy and disbelief collided. Squee! "Fuzzle!" Carefully standing up and turning, trying not to hurt the ponies and baby dragon, Lazarus watched as a small bat flew towards him and landed on his crest. "She's alright!" Fluttershy exclaimed joyously, looking up at Fuzzle. Squee! "Yes," Lazarus replied as his emotions changed, "but she's traumatized." The little bat was shacking furiously. It was enough to make Lazarus worry that whatever she saw, would haunt her forever. "Hey," Fluttershy cooed, flying up to the bat and petting her, "it's alright. You're safe now and nothing else is going to happen." Belch! Fwoosh! At that moment, Spike burped out green flames and a message. He caught it in his claws and started to read. "Dear, Twilight I have very tragic news. My dear sister, Princess Luna, has fallen fatally ill. Our doctors have come to the conclusion that a form of poison is to blame. They do not know what kind of poison it is, but it has caused Luna to become paralysed and raise her body temperature. How it got there, we do not know. Please come to Canterlot, immediately! Be sure to bring Lazarus with you, I believe that he might be able to bring Luna back to proper health. But you must hurry, I fear Luna does not have much time! Signed, Princess Celestia" A shocked and horrified silence filled the cave as everyone ran the words through their minds. "L-Luna's dying?!" Twilight exclaimed. "W-whatever shall we do?" Rarity asked. "Obviously, we go to Canterlot." Rainbow Dash answered, still wearing her wing blades and rolling her eyes at Rarity's question, "And we're wasting time just standing here! We need to go, now!" "Everyone, quickly, on my back, now!" Lazarus growled, lowering himself down, "Fluttershy, you're in charge of Fuzzle. Spike, write back to Celestia and let her know that we're on our way. And Pinkie Pie..." Lazarus stopped talking as he looked away from them for a moment, before looking back and holding out his clawed fist. "I believe this is yours." He said, opening his claws and revealing something that was valuable to Pinkie Pie. "My party cannon!" She exclaimed joyously, taking it out of his claws, "How'd you fix it? And how'd you know it was mine?" "I learned a few things from dealing with hunter traps. Plus, it smelled very sweet, like cake frosting and mint. Much like yourself." "Thanks." They climbed onto his back and readied themselves for a quick departure. Then they felt Lazarus lift off the floor of the cave, before accelerating out of the exit. The air made their manes and tails whip around as they flew towards Canterlot. It was a quick flight, but once they got there, the tension in the air increased dramatically. "Halt!" A guard ordered. "No!" Another called, recognizing Lazarus and Twilight, "Let them through!" Thankfully, none of the guards were foolish enough to stand on the castle lawn, when Lazarus landed and barreled towards it. There were no citizens in the way as the momentum of the landing stopped just in front of the castle. They were behind the wall, but that didn't mean that there wouldn't be any staff or civilians around inside it's perimeter. "Where are they?!" Lazarus asked, sounding a little panicked, "Where are my daughters?!" "Daughters?!" The guard replied, confused by the dragon's words. "I don't have time to explain! Now, where are Celestia and Luna?!" "Princess Celestia is in the throne room. While, Princess Luna is in her room." The guard pointed at the tower that held Luna's bedroom. But Lazarus didn't need any direction, because he remembered where it was from the last time he was there. "I'm going to check on Luna." The dragon said, lowering himself down for the ponies to get down, "While, the rest of you go and see Celestia." "Wait!" Pinkie called, before Lazarus went to the tower, "What's this little thing on my cannon?" She pointed at a green gem that was imbedded into the barrel of the cannon. It didn't look very special, but it certainly wasn't there the last time Pinkie Pie saw the cannon. "Fireworks." Lazarus said, before heading to the tower, which was about as tall as he was. With that, the ponies and Spike quickly made their way to the throne room, after Pinkie Pie left her cannon at the door. The sound of hoof steps echoed through the halls as they galloped around the castle. Then they found what they were looking for. Eeeeek! CLUNK! As quickly as she could, Twilight used her magic and the doors flew open, revealing the throne room and Princess Celestia. Upon seeing them, Celestia looked to her guards and waved her hoof, ordering them to leave. They obeyed and filed out of the room, leaving all of them in the large room. "Did you bring Lazarus with you?" Celestia asked, rising from her throne and approaching them. From the way Celestia moved, it was difficult to tell that something was wrong. But Twilight knew better, because she had read about such behavior in royalty. She knew that Celestia was only acting like there was nothing wrong, in case somepony else wanted to speak with her. Otherwise, if said somepony found out that there was something wrong among royalty, then it could cause panic throughout Equestria. "We did." Twilight replied, carefully watching Celestia, "But, he said that you and Princess Luna were his daughters. Could you tell me what's going on?" At that moment, Celestia's behavior matched her emotions. Tears began to roll down her cheeks and her legs started to tremble, causing the alicorn to collapse onto the ground. Her head hung low as she sniffed and wept. "I-I'll tell you everything!" Celestia wept, burying her face in her hooves as she laid on the floor. One by one, Twilight and her friends gathered around her, showing her that they were there to support her. But they weren't supporting her as a leader, instead they chose to support her as a friend. The only one who didn't, was Starlight, opting to just sit and watch as Celestia told them about Lazarus and Luna. After a while, the story came to an end as did the tears. "Princess," Applejack began, "why don't ya ask 'im to stay? I mean, I know there are caves that are big enough for 'im." "I've never asked," Celestia replied, wiping away the last of her tears, "because he's a free spirit with responsibilities. If he wanted to stay, he's more than welcome. But I won't pressure him into it." Clop, clop! Clop, clop! The sound of hoof steps made them stop and look as a Lunar Guard rounded the corner and entered the throne room. "Your Highness!" He said urgently, stopping and bowing to her, "The dragon wishes to speak with you, immediately!" Without saying a word, Celestia stood up and left the throne room, followed by Twilight and her friends. The Lunar Guard stepped to one side, allowing them to pass by him. Starlight was the last to leave, but stopped when she saw the guard. "Did you hear?" Starlight whispered, carefully watching the ponies as they walked away and around the corner, "Mine got away, while yours fell." "I heard." The guard whispered back, "But remember, that was part of the plan. She's being followed as we speak. But they want me to go as well." "Why?" "Because before mine died, they had just become friends. And since I've watched and been this bat pony guard for so long, I know how he behaved, how he moved, and how he talked." "You got a plan?" "Yeah. Catch up with her, wait until she gets the crate, then kill her." "But she knows he's dead." "I'm very good at being convincing." The two snickered to each other, before flashing their green eyes and going their separate ways. Starlight trotting around the corner and caught up with the others, while the guard made his way to the outside and left. After a short time, they found Luna's bedroom door. It was closed, but under the door they could see a flickering blue flame. "I guess Lazarus is trying to heal Luna." Twilight said, looking at the flame. "Yes," Celestia replied, placing a hoof on the door, "but Luna's bed is on the other side of the room. Which makes me wonder, why this little flame is out here." She opened the door and was met by what could be described as a flaming blue tornado. Even the floor was covered by a carpet of blue flames. Then Celestia looked at the bed and was almost horrified by what she saw. On the bed, which was also on fire, Luna laid as Lazarus breathed flames into the room from a nearby window. "Lazarus!" Celestia called, running into the room, not bothered by the harmless flames, "What are you doing?!" The torrent of flames stopped and Lazarus brought one of his eyes to the window. Celestia looked from the glowing orange eye to Luna as the flames disappeared. "I... I can't heal her." The dragon stammered, looking at the dark blue alicorn in the bed, "Th-that's never happened before." "Then what do we do?" Fluttershy asked, stepping into the room. "If I knew what kind of poison was used, then I might be able to get the antidote. But I don't, so I can't." Then Luna twitched, which Twilight noticed. "Luna!" Twilight exclaimed, causing everyone to look at the bed. "Ch... Challis..." Luna groaned, sweat running down her forehead. "Yes, we checked your challis," Celestia said, sitting next to her sister, "but the doctors don't know what kind of poison was in your drink." "Laz... Lazarus..." "What about him?" "S-scent..." Then Luna stopped talking and went back to sleep. Everyone looked at Lazarus and he looked back. "How good is your nose?" Celestia asked, rising from the bed and approaching him. "If I have enough of a sample," He replied, "I might be able to find out what Luna's suffering from." Then Celestia looked away from Lazarus. "Guards!" She called, causing two guards to run into the room, "Bring my sister's bottle of Midnight Elegance, please." The guards didn't question the order as they quickly left the room. In very short time, they returned with the bottle in their grasp. "Try this." Celestia said, taking the bottle and opening it, before levitating it over to the dragon. Sniff. Sniff. Then Lazarus' eyes widened as the scent entered his nostrils. "This isn't good." Lazarus said, looking at Luna, "How long has she been like this?" "Six hours, I think." Celestia replied, closing the bottle, "Why?" "Because cobra flower nectar can kill someone in eleven hours. And Luna only has five hours left, at best." Everyone looked at one another, which gave Lazarus the impression that they didn't understand. "The cobra flower is a very rare and very deadly plant that grows in jungles and rainforests." He explained, "It's nectar will kill someone from the inside, causing a slow and painful death." "I-is there a cure?" Celestia asked sounding very worried. "Yes. But It's nowhere near here." "Then... what is it?" Twilight asked, looking at the bottle, "And... where is it?" "To answer your first question, we'll have to find an ice lily. Unfortunately, there just as rare as cobra flowers. But I know where they are." "I'm guessin' somewhere up north?" Applejack questioned, feeling the tension rise in the room. The dragon's eye moved away from the window, allowing the ponies to get a full view of him. "Yes." Lazarus said, hanging his head, "But they grow in ice caves at the most northern part of the world. Much further beyond the borders of Equestria than I'm sure any of you have gone." An unsettling silence filled the room as everyone weighed their options. But, it was very clear that there was only one logical option. "I'll go." Celestia said, stepping forward, "I'll get the cure." "No." Lazarus protested gently, "I'll go, while the rest of you stay here and watch over Luna." The ponies looked at each other, before Twilight came up with an idea. "What if we split up?" Twilight suggested, looking among her seven other friends. "What do you mean?" Celestia asked, turning to face her former student. "What if Fluttershy, Spike, Starlight, and myself went with Lazarus. While Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie stay here with you. That way, you'll be able to send messages to us through Spike and keep us updated on Luna's condition." Celestia looked back at Lazarus and saw that his eyes had changed to white. "I don't know..." Lazarus said, looking into the room. Then Fluttershy stepped forward and approached the window. "Lazarus," she said softly, almost like a bird chirping in the morning, "if you're worried about us being in danger, you don't need to be." "Fluttershy," the dragon replied, "I've already lost so many friends. And where I'm going is no place for ponies. Frost monsters that show no mercy, temperatures that'll freeze your blood in minutes, unless you have very thick skin or fur. Not to mention, King Tiberius and Queen Frozette, neither of them like intruders." "I've been in plenty of dangerous situations, this doesn't seem much different." "Fluttershy..." "Lazarus, we can either keep arguing about this or we can make preparations to leave. I, for one, am going to get ready." Then Fluttershy turned towards Rarity and gave a brave smile. "Do you have anything that can withstand extreme cold temperatures?" She asked, glancing around her body. "I do." Rarity replied, sounding hesitant and concerned, "But are you sure you can handle this? I could go instead if you don't want to." "No, I'm fine. Besides, isn't Sweetie Belle and her friends coming to Canterlot on a school trip today anyway? I'm sure if she saw me and you weren't here, she'd be disappointed." "You make a good point. But my offer still stands until you leave." "That's fine." After they were finished talking, they all left the room, leaving Celestia with Luna. She wanted a moment with her before she came to see them off. Once they were outside the castle, Rarity lead Fluttershy, Twilight, Starlight, and Spike to Canterlot Boutique. While Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash waited with Lazarus for them to return. "Were ya tellin' the truth 'bout where ya'll are headin'?" Applejack asked, looking up at the dragon. "Actually," Lazarus replied, lowering his head and his voice, "I left out one part." "And what part is that?" Rainbow Dash asked, concerned that whatever Lazarus had left out was something frightening. "I'm sure you've heard of Windigos." The look on the three ponies faces turned to complete terror as the word entered their minds. They knew the story of Hearths Warming Eve and what Windigos did. But they always believed that they were gone for good. "Please tell me you're joking!" Pinkie Pie said, putting on a false smile. "I really wish I was." Lazarus replied as a dark look appeared on his face. Before anyone could say another word, they saw their friends return. Spike was wearing a green backpack, while Twilight, Starlight, and Fluttershy had saddlebags that were loaded with supplies. Rarity followed behind them, looking somewhat concerned. "Last chance." Lazarus rumbled, "Are you all sure you want to come with me?" "Yeah, I guess." Starlight said, readjusting her saddlebags. "I'm ready whenever you are." Twilight answered, while Spike walked up beside her and nodded. "Let's go." Fluttershy replied, sounding a little hesitant. Then Lazarus lowered himself down, allowing them to climb onto his back. They positioned themselves between his shoulders and waited for him to push off the ground. "Wait a moment!" Celestia called out as she stepped out of the castle doors, "I have something for you." Lazarus looked over at her as she approached with something in her hoof. Once she had reached them, they saw that it was a jar that had a gentle flickering light inside. "What is it?" Twilight asked, wrapping the jar in her magic. "It's Luna's first star." Celestia replied as a tear rolled down her cheek, "It will light your way through the caves if you need it to. All you have to do is ask it." "Thank you, but we can't take this. It must mean so much to Luna." "If I know her correctly, I'm sure Luna would want you to take it with you. If you don't need the light, then take it for good luck." Then they saw Celestia do something that nearly shocked them. "And take this too." She said as she removed her crown and held it up. Hesitantly, Twilight took the crown as well and placed both items in her saddlebags. Then Celestia approached Lazarus and placed a kiss on his snout. "Take care of them, Lazarus." She pleaded quietly, "Please." "I promise," the dragon replied as his eyes faded to a light blue, "I'll keep them safe." Lazarus looked at her and could see the sorrow and pain she was feeling. His eyes faded back to white as he gently nudged her with his snout. "Will you be alright?" He asked, giving her some comfort. "Yes." Celestia replied, putting on her best smile, "Princess Cadence and Shining Armor are going to be here to help me. They should still be here when you come back." With that, Lazarus pushed off the ground and pointed himself north. The ponies waved to each other, before they felt Lazarus move forward and away from Canterlot. Under them, they could see the world pass by and change as it turned from lush green to frozen white. The Crystal Empire came into view and sailed past them. Even Yakyakistan was quickly passed by. Then, all at once, all they could see was a frozen wasteland that stretched out as far as they could see. "You better put on something warm." Lazarus said as they kept flying, "And get comfy, it's going to be a long while before we reach the caves."