Previous Chapters Next
Close
Chapter 1 - The Gathering of Magic7,267 words
Chapter 2 - Knowing Another4,502 words
Chapter 3 - The Hand of Sacrifice6,673 words
Chapter 4 - Jaws of Darkness6,138 words

Chapter 3 - The Hand of Sacrifice

Bright shines of a mixture of calm blues and deep oranges cascaded over the balconies as the sun began to slowly set in the horizon. A wash of contrasting hues reflected upon the marble floor of the balconies and from the supporting pillars of the doorways. A slight whistle of the winds passed through the curvatures and carvings of the stone railings that circled the platforms, passing by and through the castle, leaving only a cool and gentle breeze.

Gentle hoofsteps sounded through the air as the group made their way onto the Light's Largess -- a huge balcony of limestone, marble and gold with a huge dome roof supported by a scattering of tall, ornately-carved columns of a helix pattern. The dome above them displayed a very archaic yet detailed mural, depicting a group of Pegasi ponies flying in a circle around a large white Alicorn -- an artistic impression of when the Pegasi had sworn their loyalty to the royal bloodline.

"Our convoy should be just ahead," called Beacon as they made their steps onto the balcony. He expected some sort of reply from at least one of his compatriots, though none did. The Pegasi turned his head to see what was keeping them from a response but instead saw each of them marveling the appearance of the Largess, especially the mural on the ceiling. "You look surprised to see the Largess, Celestia, Luna. I'd have thought the both of you would have been here before."

"Not at all," admitted Celestia, somewhat embarrassed. "We've not had a need to venture anywhere in the castle besides the Princess' chambers and the castle library."

"A bit much for a balcony, though," said Luna without feigning even the slightest of ignorance.

"What do you mean "a bit much"?" Beacon didn't even bother trying to feign as much frustration as Luna did her ignorance. "This is where the royal guards of Canterlot, the government officials, and selected representatives of all the nearby tribes -- and even the Princess herself -- exit and enter when they are required to meet here. You can't expect important ponies -- and otherwise -- to just use the front door, surely."

"Then, if that was the case," intervened Onyx, "why did we not enter through here and instead through the front door? Are we not important enough despite being sent on a potentially dangerous quest?" The Prince's tone was more condescending than it was of actual frustration.

"Did the conversation about secrecy and discretion escape your mind that quick?" retorted Pockets.

Beacon gave a little chuckle under his breath. "Thank you, thief."

"Hey, the term is "noble scoundrel"," the pony corrected. "There's a big difference."

Despite the claim, Star Swirl didn't seem to understand. His face scrunched to a confused expression. "Thou knowest that what you have termed is an oxymoron in of itself, correct? The term "scoundrel" is anything but noble."

"What can I say? I'm just that awesome."

Before the banter could continue, a lance of Pegasi approached the group. Two of the guards were clad in gold armor similar to Beacon's. "Hail, Prince," one of them called out as a welcome. "Chancellor Grey Mane is waiting for you by the north-east platform. So, I've heard you're going on an important quest for Her Majesty?"

Beacon raised an eyebrow. "What is the meaning of this?" he blurted out with force. "How do you know about this? This was meant to be completely secret!"

"We know. But, the Chancellor has briefed us on what has happened. While you are to take leave from Canterlot, the rest of the royal guards are to prepare any and all defences we can should it come to the worst."

Celestia let out a sigh. "Let us hope that it does not come to that."

"Aye, we all do, my Lady." The guard turned to the rest of his platoon, nudging his head in gesture to follow him. The group made their way towards the castle's interior. "We shouldn't tarry any longer. I wish you all the best of luck."

In the distance stood upon a circular platform stood Chancellor Grey Mane accompanied by two guards and a large golden chariot. Voices could be heard between the trio although it was not discernible due to the combination of them being out of earshot as well as the ambiance from their surroundings. Whatever was said sounded quite serious.

With Beacon leading his group, the six of them made their way to the platform. Their footsteps drew the attention of the Chancellor and the guards as they turned their heads to their direction. "Chancellor," called out Beacon, "we're all present and ready to depart. And, why the sudden leave from the court?"

"To prepare you, young Prince," the elderly Unicorn responded. He lifted his cloak to reveal a small satchel as he spoke. "The book that my son, Star Swirl, retrieved for me is an apothecary guide that has various recipes for potions. I took the liberty of making some potions for you all for your journey."

"In such a short amount of time?" spoke Luna, wholly impressed with the Chancellor's speed of work. "But, potions take a long time and a delicate process to prepare."

A deep chuckle erupted from Grey Mane's throat. "My dear Luna, I did not succeed my predecessor in becoming the court wizard by being tardy with such simple matters. You learn to hasten the process the more you continue to do something." A silver, starry glow bathed his horn before doing the same to the satchel. The container unbuckled itself from the waist of the Chancellor and floated towards Celestia, hovering in front of her face. "Celestia, if you would be so kind as to hold onto it?"

"Y-yes, of course," she stuttered, shocked for a moment as she was chosen to be responsible. Her own magic, colours of the rising sun, took hold of the satchel as Grey Mane's own slowly faded. Quickly, she fastened the satchel around her own body.

"There are five different potions in there, and six of each one -- one for each of you.

"The potion of flight will allow you to gain the powers of flight without wings. The potion will create a pair of corporeal wings to assist you, but will only last an hour. I've made a few extras in case should some of you need them for longer or you find that you cannot fly with your own wings for various reasons.

"The potion of darkvision will allow you to see in dark caves or any other areas where there are very little or no light sources. The potion will last for around twelve hours. Take note that only a simple swig of this potion is enough for imbue you with its effects, so it should last you for some time.

"The potion of cure will cure you of any and all diseases and poisons that you may become afflicted with. Even I have little knowledge of dangers outside of Canterlot, so I can only give you these as a token of warning.

"The potion of invisibility will cause you to become, well, invisible for up to an hour. However, the potion's effects are unstable and will end should your body suffer from heavy trauma, such as from being hit or from falling from height.

"Lastly, the potion of speed will make your body feel much lighter, increasing your movement speed by almost triple your normal speed. The effect should last for an hour or so."

Star Swirl was intrigued by the different potions that had been prepared for them all. He was also more impressed with his father than Luna was -- he knew that all of these potions are complex and take a while to create, and wondered how his father prepared them all in only half an hour or so. However, he was more baffled by their container. "Father, how did thou place so many bottles in such a small satchel?" Just as soon as he finished, he realized how. "This isn't your bag, is it?"

"Of course. How else would you carry around all of those potions in convenience?"

Onyx looked to Star Swirl, puzzled by his tone and words. "What matters the type of bag, Star Swirl?" he asked. "A bag is a bag is a bag."

"Not entirely true," he responded. "This bag is an old artifact called a 'Bag of Holding'. The container has the uncanny ability to manipulate space within itself, allowing it to carry a multitude of items -- even items that would not fit inside it normally. Should the opening of the container be able to fit the item, then the item can be placed inside it."

"So it's like a bottomless pocket?" asked Pockets.

"Essentially, yes."

"And it somehow contains this really big void-like thing inside it?"

"Correct."

"So… what would happen if you turn it inside out?"

"I…" Star Swirl paused, hesitating to answer without some though. "I don't know. Father, what does happen when one would turn a Bag of Holding inside out?"

"How should I know?" he retorted.

"Oh, I don't know," intervened Beacon with a sarcastic tone, "because you're the court wizard, maybe? Do none of your books have anything that says about this sort of anomaly, or even any hints as to what would happen?"

"beacon, the Bag of Holding is an extremely rare artifact that has only been seen twice: the one Celestia now holds, and a second that was guarded by the first Dragon King, Hermaeus Tempus. Even the magics of today would find it difficult to even so much as touch upon the essence of its functionality. Perhaps no one has ever had the thought of turning it inside out?"

A huge smile spread across the face of Pockets. "Let's give it a try!" As he reached out to try and grab the satchel from Celestia's belt, a collective yell of "no!" from the rest of them erupted through the Largess as they all lunged to hold him back, wrapping their forelegs around his and pinning him to the ground.

As they all struggled to keep Pockets -- and his morbid curiosity -- under control, a charcoal grey Pegasi in light violet and blue armor made his way onto the Largess. His straight face turned to one of confusion as he looked down at the group and Grey Mane as they scuffled on top of Pockets. "I see you're all busy at the moment," he spoke. "I'll come back when you're done."

Grey Mane looked up towards the voice. "Black Feather?" Quickly, the Chancellor stood up and brushed off his robe. "We were just having a small issue with one of our adventurers. Now, what is it that needs to be discussed?"

"If the rest would arise, first?" His voice sounded powerful yet stern as though he had the voice of the king himself. The group quickly got up while dragging the heavily winded Pockets to his feet. With the group stood in attention, Black Feather spoke. "Good. Now, the Princess and Commander Hurricane have asked me to supply you with two of my most trusted fliers." Two Pegasi approached from behind Black Feather, both of them snow white in colour with the same armor as him. "Sky Captains Stratus and Cirrus will be handling your chariot."

"I have already picked two guards for the job, Black Feather. You needn't worry about sending your own men."

"I'm afraid I cannot let you do that, Grey Mane. The Princess has already declared it so on the basis that my trained guards are much faster than any other Pegasi, and that any guards caught wearing the Canterlot Raiment by the Griffons may strain the already terrible relationship between the two kingdoms."

"So you are to use your own guards as scapegoats?"

"You make it sound like I'm throwing their lives away nonchalantly, Chancellor. I'm doing what I can in the best interest of Canterlot -- for all of us. Besides, should any conflict take place during the travel to the mountains, my guards will be the best to be able to combat hostility. And, like I said before, this is what the Princess and the Commander commands."

Grey Mane stared upon the face of the captain, eyes narrowed. "Very well then, Black Feather. By your leave…"

"Excellent. Now, Sky Captains, please escort our "adventurers" to their chariot. Feel free to take off when you are ready. Chancellor, I believe we should be returning to the Princess?" Turning with elegance, the Pegasi's hair swayed in the winds as he made his way back into the castle, with Grey Mane following close to his side.

Both of the Sky Captains stood in absolute fixture as though carved out of stone. Their faces portrayed an expression of total discipline, not even so much as a shake of their eyes ruined their perfected stance. The group looked upon them with confusion, waiting for one of them to do something, anything. Stratus finally spoke. "Is the captain gone?" he asked.

"Uh… yeah, they're both gone," replied Pockets. Suddenly, the pair jumped in the air with a massive, loud cheer, spreading their wings to a great span as they did so, causing the others to jump back in surprise. Stratus and Cirrus both cried out in joy, hoof-pumping the air and high-fiving one another. "You, uh… you both must be pretty stoked that Black Feather's gone."

"Heck yeah!" Cirrus spouted out, though he quickly clamped a hoof to his lips as soon as he heard his own reply. He regained his composure shortly after. "I mean, we like the captain and all that, but he can be a real slave-driver when we're on duty. But, we get to pull the chariot of a Prince!"

"Hey, that's two Princes, little brother," Stratus corrected, equally as excited at the prospect. "We've never pulled the chariot of anyone important before, let alone two Princes!" Taking one of Beacon's hooves, he began to shake it up and down with great pace. "I'm so excited to be able to work for you, Prince Beacon!"

"And you, too, Prince Onyx!" continued Cirrus as he did the same to the crystal Prince.

Onyx, however, quickly pulled his hoof back to himself after only a few brief moments with the shaking hooves of the overzealous Pegasi. "Yes… quite… don't the two of you have a chariot to pull?"

The two brothers looked back to one another. "Oh… right," responded Cirrus with an awkward smile on his face, matching his brothers in every way. Letting go of the Princes, the two of them galloped to the platform. "Race you there, brother!"

"Hey! Not fair, Cirrus! You got a head start!"

Celestia giggled as she watched the brothers run off, watching as they tried to knock each other to the sides to hinder the other's progress. "Sibling love, huh? Pretty cute."

"Reminds me of you two when you were younger," responded Beacon, directing his comparison towards Celestia and Luna. The three of them smiled together before the group made way to their convoy.

The sky turned to a soft, pale orange as the sun began to dawn in the distance. A cascade of light shone just over the lands, bathing the fields and trees in a cone of light as the sun sat half-set in the horizon. Below the group passed the fertile fields and grasslands of the neighboring landmass. After an hour-long flight from Canterlot and over the north sea, the chariot was getting ever closer to Redrock Passage, just bordering the Griffon Kingdom's capital.

"We nearly there yet, big brother?" asked Cirrus with signs of fatigue on his breath.

"Nearly there, buddy," Stratus replied. "Just another few minutes and we should be at the Passage."

"So, how long have the both of you been with the guards?" asked Celestia, interested in making small talk with the two brothers to pass the time. "I've not seen the two of you before."

"We've not been with the guards for too long," replied Stratus with a smile. "Me and Cirrus have been working for the guards for a year now. But, when the both of us aced our flight training, Captain Black Feather recruited both of us into his own personal regiment, the Sky Captains. The two of us were even decorated by him personally! It was the most awesome thing ever!"

"Hey," intruded Cirrus, "it wasn't as awesome as being hoof-picked by Commander Hurricane himself to come on this mission, right? This is the most awesome thing ever, now!"

"Haha! I'd drink to that, little buddy! You know, if I had a drink…"

The more Celestia heard the two of them talk, the more it made her happy. She thought they were both everything that a pony should be -- kind, loyal, generous, honest, laughing with each other. "I bet your parents must be really proud of you both," she praised.

"Ah, we wouldn't know," replied Cirrus with a more straight tone than before. "Our parents… they died when they defended Cloudsdale from the dragons."

"You mean during the Skylands invasion?" asked Luna, trying to attain grounds of context.

"Yeah," spoke Stratus, "that was when it happened. After that, we were both taken in by the barracks, raised to be guards. But, we're both happy with how everything turned out. Ain't that right, little buddy?"

"You said it, brother," he exclaimed. "As long as we're together, nothing can stop us!"

"I'd drink to that, too!"

Pockets let out a long sigh. "Must be great to have family, right?" he spoke softly, somberly.

"You mean you don't have any family, Pockets?" asked Beacon.

"Nope. Never even knew who my parents were. I don't even know if I have any other family like brothers or sisters or grandparents."

"So… what happened?"

A sigh escaped his lips. "I found myself at the Canterlot orphanage when I was still a little colt. I wasn't really good at fitting in or making friends, so I just… y'know, stayed to myself. Mother always said I had a really good talent with hiding things, though."

""Mother"?" asked Luna in confusion. "I thought you said you didn't know your parents?"

"Oh, right. Well, I always called the matron at the orphanage my mother. She was the only one who talked to me, told me how I was gonna be something special when I was older. She said I should be a magician because I was really good at sleight-of-hand stuff. But…" Pockets hesitated and turned away from the rest of them, laying his head on the quilted sides of the carriage.

"But what, Pockets?" asked Luna, placing her hoof on his shoulder, sitting next to him. "You can tell us. We're all friends here."

His throat began to tighten as he tried to speak, making a small whimpering noise. "Then mother passed away. Then we got a new matron. She would boss everyone around and make all the children do chores, and if everything wasn't to her ultra high standards, we'd be sent to bed with no food. I… hated her…

"I ran away from the orphanage and started living on the streets. At first I tried performing, but no one liked it. I tried getting a good job, but I wasn't good at anything. How do you fail at selling apples? In the end, I resorted to stealing just to live. I stole from all the rich ponies who would turn their nose up at the poorer ponies who struggled every day, while they sat in their comfy armchairs and ate the finest foods and drank the finest ale with no problems besides if they should have carrots with their cheese and broccoli casserole or sweet corn."

"But how can you still resort to stealing when you steal expensive things? All of that jewelry the Princess took from you back at the castle could get you enough bits to last a whole year or two! What do you do with the money?"

"I've been saving it."

"For what?"

"For all the orphans."

The rest of them turned to Pockets and then to one-another. They couldn't believe that he was… well, a noble scoundrel.

"It's true that everything I steal is really valuable, but I only keep whatever money I need to last me a few days from whatever I can make fencing the stuff. The rest of the money I give to Lil' Raggy, one of the new fillies who used to hang around me at the orphanage. I tell her to store it all in a small hole behind my old bunk bed."

"What's it all for?" asked Celestia.

"To make a new home for all the orphans. As long as Matron Crabby is still running that place, I can't do anything about it. So I'm gonna make a new orphanage, a better orphanage. One that mother would be proud of… one that will continue her legacy…" Talking about it was getting to be too much for the young pony. A well of tears began to form in his eyes, dripping down his cheek and flowing off into the skies as the winds brushed his hot cheek.

"Hey, it's okay, Pockets," cooed Luna, trying to comfort him as she petted his shoulder softly. "I've got an idea. When we get this all over and done with, why don't we all go to the Princess and ask her to build you that new orphanage? I'm sure she'll be kind enough to put forward the rest of the money towards building it, right, sister?"

"Sure she will," she assured. "The Princess will totally do that! She's a sucker for children, you know."

Pockets sniffed a little, trying not to let his nose run. Slowly, his head lifted and his eyes shifted to the two Alicorns. "She… she does?" he whimpered. "She will?"

"Of course," joined Beacon. "In fact, we won't even need to build a new orphanage. if I had known about this sooner, I would have evicted this "matron" from the orphanage personally. I'll even put some of my weekly pay into refurbishing the orphanage, too."

"Well, I'm not one with much finance," spoke Star Swirl, "but I can help build it with my magic. I think with me, Celestia, Luna, and some of my friends from the college, we could get it build in a matter of hours!"

"And why would you leave me out of this, Star Swirl?" chided Onyx, somewhat offended that he was not mentioned.

"Oh? I didn't think thou would want to help out considering it's not in the interest of your studies, nor for the good of the Crystal Empire."

"Au contraire. With my ties to the empire, I could help finance this orphanage big enough to house even the orphans back home. Not only will the children have a place to stay, but relationships between Canterlot and the empire would be at an all new high."

"Now that's a first," said Luna. "Even mister grumpy-pants himself is being generous."

"Shush, you!"

Pockets sat up, looking around to see all the smiling faces that looked back at him -- and the angered expression of Onyx, too. "You… you would all do this… for me…?" His eyes began to bawl with tears. Leaping forwards, he scooped up everyone with his forelegs and gave them all a huge hug. "This is the bestest thing ever! I love you guys so much!" Despite the great intention of the embrace, it was the collective consensus that it was breaking their ribs.

The mood shattered when a huge choir of ear-piercing screeches filled the skies, screeches like an eagle's. Silhouettes of numerous lion-like creatures flooded the skies over the mountains in front of them before revealing themselves -- a whole warband of Griffons. With swift agility, the lot of them dove from the peak of the mountaintops towards the chariot below them, displaying their clawed gauntlets and breastplates as the light glistened off their steel.

"Griffons?" mumbled Cirrus. His voice became panicky. "Brother, how did they know they were coming!?"

"No time for questions, Cirrus," he responded with urgency. "We've got to fight! Cascade formation!"

"With a chariot!?"

"Just do it, Cirrus!"

The guards charged straight ahead towards the warband, but a lance of griffons split from the sides to try and flank the chariot. As the middle lance headed towards the group in a direct collision course, the guards swung sharply around and downwards, letting the chariot swing around and collide with the entire lot of them. A collective cry came from the passengers as the chariot rocked violently to one side and smashed the griffons out of the sky.

"Hey! What gives!?" yelled Luna as she tumbled to the other side of the carriage, bashing into Pockets and Celestia as the others tried to hold on to the railings.

The guards kept spiralling downwards, threatening to hit any of the other griffons that would dare approach with the chariot, making their attempt of flanking them useless. However, the griffons understood the formation's weakness: lack of defence from the top. Quickly the two other groups dive bombed from the skies towards the chariot, talons at the ready.

"Ah! From above!" cried Celestia. As the griffons drew closer and bearing their razor sharp gauntlets, a loud, thunderous crackle burst towards the sky with a flash of silver light. A bolt of lightning as black as the night sky shot from the chariot and struck one of the groups, causing them to plummet towards past it while the other lance held off its attack, retreating back into the skies. Celestia was shocked to see, as she looked down, the dark horn of Prince Onyx emanating this dark lightning. "Onyx, you're --"

"Now is not the time, Celestia!" he snapped back at her. "Focus on the fight at hand or we're all doomed!"

"Don't worry," spoke Beacon. "I've got this one. Guards, maintain the course to Redrock!" With the last of the griffon lances pulling back, the guards were able to have enough leeway to pull back up and head towards the mountains. Beacon, on the other hand, spread his wings, ready for flight.

A massive flap of his pale gold wings pushed him from the chariot and into the skies where he could see the last lot of griffons over several meters from him. With speed, he blitzed towards them as fast as he could, wary of their talons ready to strike him. As he got closer, his eyes focused more and more on their stance. Upon reaching them, he dove slightly under them as their ready talons tried to strike him.

However, two of them ended striking each other across the chest, shearing through each other's armor and clawing their bodies, causing them to lose their equilibrium from the pain and plummet towards the ground. Without even a hint of pause or care, the last two gave chase to the Pegasi. With each turn he made, they followed. With each dive he made, they matched. But, as Beacon came to a sudden halt, the Griffons did not. Quickly, he bucked in midair, using his powerful hind legs to smash the Griffon's square in the face, knocking them away as they had no chance to react. With a satisfied smirk, he returned back to the chariot as it got closer to the Passage entrance.

"That was so awesome!" exclaimed Cirrus.

"I'll drink to that!" responded Stratus in kind.

Star Swirl wasn't one for celebrating, though. "I think not. Look up." As the group did, they saw a huge legion of griffons lining the top of the mountains. But, none of them appeared ready for battle. It was as though they were waiting -- and waiting they were. From behind them rolled out huge contraptions of lumber and steel. On boxed platforms with fixed iron wheels sat long carved slabs of wood and iron with curved heads. On top lay huge arrows bigger than a stallion.

"B-brother…" spoke Cirrus with a nervous voice. "They have ballistae! It's --"

"-- the Red Talons are here!" exclaimed Stratus. "We have to get to the entrance quickly!"

It was too late for them. Before the chariot could head downwards, a volley of huge, iron-clad bolts the size of small trees launched towards them. The guards tried the best they could to avoid such sheer numbers of arrows, but with the chariot holding them back it hindered their speed and maneuverability. As the arrows headed straight at them, with many of them passing overhead or to the sides, a number of them collided and smashed the chariot. One of the projectiles smashed down the left side, taking away most of its plating and the wheel while another split right down the middle between the guards, catching both of them by their wings and almost cleaving the entire chariot in half. The guards began to spin out of control downwards, not able to use their damaged wings to regain their balance. The chariot crashed to the ground just in front of the mountainside, battered and broken. The Griffons retreated from the mountain, convinced that the entire lot were done for after glaring down at the wreckage before them.

"Ugh… I'm… okay…?"

Celestia slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred but she was able to make out the face of the mountain in front of her. She began to realize what had happened and, groggily, tried to get up. Pain shot through her legs as she put pressure on them, but nonetheless continued to rise to her feet. She looked from left to right, trying to find everyone. "Luna… Luna…! Where are you?"

"I'm here, sister…" Slowly, she hobbled from behind the underside of the toppled chariot having landed on its side. "I'm okay… just a few bruises. What about everyone else?"

"We're all here," the calm voice of Star Swirl spoke out. Him, Beacon and Onyx climbed over the side of the chariot from the seats. "The shield spell protected us from most of the impact, but we still bore much of the concussive force. How long have we been out for?"

"I've no idea," replied Beacon. "The sun's nearly gone down… Probably an hour." He looked around in front of him, noticing a struggling Stratus. "There's Stratus." Quickly, he jumped onto the ground, standing over the semi-conscious Pegasi. "Stratus, are you okay?"

The guard's squinting eyes fixated on Beacon as he put on a small smirk. "Hah… I've been in worse situations…" The guard shook his head, trying to shrug off the dizziness. His eyes bolted open as his head twisted from one side to the other. "Where's Cirrus? have any of you seen him?"

"I --" spoke Celestia, but a heavy gasp stopped her. "H-he's there! Underneath!"

The group turned to where Celestia pointed her shaking leg, but none of them were ready to see the sight they saw before them. From the underside of the carriage stuck out half of the young Pegasi's body and front legs, buried in the dirt as the chariot lay on top of him with great weight only diminished from crushing his whole body due to the soft soil. Frantically, Stratus clambered to his legs, tripping and slipping in the dirt as he raced over to the laying body of his brother. "Cirrus!" His front legs pushed against the chariot, trying to topple it back upright and off of him. "Give me a hand, would ya!?"

The rest of them desperately tried to help move the chariot, but its solid gold frame made it almost impossible to budge. The sisters, along with Onyx and Star Swirl, tried everything in their magical power to move it, but it would not so much as move along the ground, let alone toppling it. Beacon and Pockets tried to use the strength in their wings and legs respectively to force it away, but it would not so much as shake. Every passing second began to make Stratus' breathing heavier and heavier, until, with one last cry as his voice pierced the clouds above, his strength caused the chariot to topple lightly. With newfound strength the rest of the group managed to bring the chariot toppling back on its one remaining wheel as it bounced off the ground with a huge crash.

"Cirrus!" called out Stratus, kneeling beside his prone sibling, lifting his body with his hooves. "Cirrus, can you --" The Pegasi paused. He saw a huge scar down the side of his brother's body -- a scar caused by the bolt that went between the two of them. The guard panicked, looking around for something, anything that would help close the wound. But, there was nothing to help him with. His gaze turned back to Cirrus' closed eyes. "Cirrus… talk to me…"

His brother wouldn't respond. He couldn't respond.

"Come on, Cirrus… don't kid me like this…" Stratus let out a forced chuckle. "Hey… this wasn't funny the first time…. Come on, brother…!"

The situation hit him hard. This wasn't a joke.

"Cirrus… please…" It was too painful for him. He held his brother's head closer to him, petting his mane with his hoof. "Please… wake up… Wake up, Cirrus…!"

It was too much for all them -- especially Celestia. Her lips quivered and her eyes narrowed. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she saw that distraught guard, a man of action and discipline, nearly come to tears as he desperately tried to cling on to that one last shred of hope… before it faded completely.

"Stratus…" Beacon approached from behind, his voice spoke softly. He didn't want to say what needed to be said, but he had to. "I'm sorry… he's --"

"No!" Stratus cried out in defiance against the Prince, clenching his eyes closed tight as tears rolled down his cheeks, pressing his muzzle into the chest of his brother. "He isn't! He'll wake up! I know he will!" His eyes opened, looking up and staring into the closed eyes of Cirrus. "Wake up! Wake up, Cirrus! Wake up…! Wake… up…" He didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to believe that his little brother was gone. The guard began to sob uncontrollably, cradling his brother's lifeless body in his grasp as his tears ran off his cheeks and onto the dirtied armor. He didn't want to let go. He couldn't let go.

Beacon looked down at Stratus. He didn't want to see him like this. "Stratus… go home…" The sobbing Pegasi sniffed and looked back to the Prince, tears still falling down his face. "As your current superior… I order you to return back to Canterlot -- with Cirrus. Give him a proper sending off deserving of a hero that he truly was. You both deserve this much… I'm sorry that I can't do anything more…"

Stratus let out a small hic as he tried to regain himself. he wiped the tears away with a hoof and sniffed heavily. he looked back at the face of his sibling and tried to speak. His lips moved but nothing came out. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "I… Thank you, Prince Beacon…"

"Oh, and, Sky Captain… remember him as the hero who gave his life so that others could live. Your brother is a great inspiration to all of us…"

With a weak smile Stratus stared upon his brother's face with knowledge of his selfless sacrifice. Slowly he stood to his feet before carefully placing Cirrus' body over his back. "I'll… I'll drink to that… Thank you, everyone… and good luck…" With a flap of his wings, Stratus took off slowly, his right wing still injured from the bolt but well enough to help him fly. His resolve would not falter as he began to pick up speed, heading back into the skies and returning back towards Canterlot.

Beacon turned back to Celestia, who was still sobbing as before despite being held close by her sister. "Celestia," he called out. The young Alicorn turned her head to face the Prince as her eyes shimmered in the orange lights from her tears. "We can't mourn for him yet. We still need to press forward. We can mourn for him when we get back to Canterlot…"

She knew he was right, but she couldn't help but feel so impacted by the event. She began to think to herself: What if it was Luna who died? What would she do? How would she live without her younger sister? Now she had to impose all of those questions onto poor Stratus. "Y… yes…" she agreed, wiping the tears from her eyes before following Beacon and the rest of the group towards the mountainside.

607 views