The Elements of Honor

by Flanagan

Chapter 21: Heartbreak

The ceremony continued on for a few minutes after the last of those who fell’s names were called, naming the brave actions of those lost and those still living. The press were taking pictures and asking questions to anypony involved that got close enough to hear their calls for attention. Battleaxe was more than happy to answer as many questions as he could while Lug Nut found the nearest exit and in a mad sprint, he took the opportunity. Unfortunately for him, he ran into twice as many press ponies on the other side of that exit. Warhammer left shortly after Princess Luna exited the room, she had whispered something into his ear before she walked out, he followed her path to wherever she was heading.

Long Shot went back to the room that the 1025th was in before being called into the hall and retrieved his bottle of wine, as he lowered his head and gave a heavy sigh, then he downed the remainder of the bottle. Patches, Greatsword and Princess Celestia were talking to one another as Comet’s family approached them.

“You must be Patches.” Lightning Blitz said breaking into the three’s conversation, “My son said that you were beautiful in his letters, but it seems that pen and paper couldn’t do you justice.”

“You are far too modest…” Patches said to him trying to hide her tears.

“Forgive my husband,” Firefly said walking past Lightning Blitz to Patches, “he can be impolite sometimes, but it is true, you are quite the beautiful mare.”

“Rainbow Dash,” Princess Celestia said to the pegasus standing behind her parents, “it is good to see you again, I am sorry that it had to be under these circumstances.”

“Yeah…” Rainbow Dash said looking away from the Princess. “Thanks…”

“And you must be Greatsword,” Silver Rush said as he stopped the large pegasus from leaving the group, “Comet told us so much about you.” He extended his hoof to Greatsword. “You are by far one of the most impressive pegasi I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.”

“You’re too kind, sir,” Greatsword said as he shook Silver Rush’s hoof, “your son was one of the best ponies I knew.”

“ONE OF THE BEST!?” Rainbow Dash snapped at Greatsword. “He WAS the best pony you ever knew!”

“Dash…” Lighting Blitz said to his daughter, “This stallion has been through a lot, I don’t think that he needs-”

“MY BROTHER IS DEAD!” Rainbow Dash said flying past her father and got right in Greatsword’s face, “He’s dead because of YOU!”

“Dashie…” Firefly said softly trying to calm her down, but it only made Rainbow Dash angrier.

“Don’t call me that.” She snapped at her, “I don’t anypony call me that,” she looked back to Greatsword, “not since Comet died…”

“I did everything I could to get everypony out of there,” Greatsword said, fighting back tears, “none of us knew that it was going to end the way it ended.”

“YOU COULD’VE GOTTEN MY BROTHER OUT ALIVE!” Rainbow Dash yelled as she continued to stare into Greatsword’s eyes.

Her stare didn’t phase him, but it made it very clear how much she cared about Comet. After a few tense moments, Greatsword grabbed Rainbow Dash by her hooves. He looked deep into her eyes as they were frozen in that position, then he drew her into him and embraced her.

“You lost a brother…” he said as Rainbow Dash began to cry into his shoulder, “and I lost my best friend.”

“We all have lost something in his passing,” Princess Celestia said to the group of grieving ponies, “but we still have the ones that love us to be there for us in this time of sorrow.”

“No words ring more true than what you have just spoken, my lady.” Greatsword said, as he embraced Rainbow Dash. “We should not mourn their deaths, we should celebrate their lives.”

“Words won’t bring my brother back…” Rainbow Dash said as she still cried into Greatsword’s shoulder.

“I know…” Greatsword said looking at her, he softly stroked her mane as he looked into the distance, “I know…”

“We all miss him, Dash…” Sliver Rush said with his eyes growing misty, “but he would want us to remember the good times.”

Rainbow Dash stepped away from Greatsword, tears still going down her face, “You’re right dad,” she sniffed, “the good times…” Rainbow Dash closed her eyes as she thought back into the past about her brother. She began to smile as she remembered all the times they were together, just being siblings.

The group of ponies all thought back to when Comet was alive, remembering how he was always there for them. How he always kept them upbeat, even when they were sad. His memory would always be a beckon of hope for them all, but from time to time, even beckons can fade.

Record Keeper had returned to her apartment, she was still crying slightly for what had happened at the ceremony. Her tears fell to the floor as she made her way to her bed, where she had a fading picture of her and Greatsword in Manehattan on her side table. She loved that photo, it reminded her of how the two felt about each other then. As she continued to stare at the photo as her apartment grew dark, but she hadn’t touched any of her lights. She quickly glanced around trying to find the reason for this anomaly, but her heart stopped when she heard a low disturbing laugh.

“W-who was that?” she said looking franticly around, “G-Greatsword? I-is that you?”

“You expect too much of him…” the voice said still laughing, “Not even he can always save the day Record Keeper…”

“Who are you?” Record Keeper said cowering “What do you want?”

With those words the shadow appeared from the dark of the room. “You may call me the shadow…” he said with a toothy smile, “but you and I won’t be doing much talking here soon…”

“S-stay away!” Record Keeper shouted, “You can have whatever you want, just leave me alone!” She pushed herself to her bed’s backboard as the shadow approached ever closer.

“A tempting offer, Record Keeper,” the shadow said climbing on Record Keeper’s bed, cornering her. “But what I want has nothing to do with leaving you alone, in fact, what I want has you very involved…” he drew even closer to Record Keeper, “whether you like it or not.”

Record Keeper threw one of her pillows at the shadow, hoping to distract him. She was only three steps from the door when she was grabbed by his magic. He drew her to him; his smile growing unnaturally large as he watched her struggle to escape.

“You have spunk, Record Keeper,” the shadow said bringing Record Keeper only inches away from him, “but that won’t save you from me.” he threw Record Keeper into a wall and continued to hold her there with his magic.

“Stop…” Record Keeper said weakly, “Please stop…”

The shadow only laughed at her request as he stopped in front of her again, “I don’t think I will…” he said as his tongue slithered from the bottom of her neck to her lips.

“I just love the way you taste,” he said drawing his tongue back into his mouth, “it taste like pure fear, with a hint of raisins.” The shadow looked into the eyes of fear and smiled again, “Oh, I’m going to enjoy this…” he said before the room finally fell into total darkness.

Greatsword made his way across Canterlot, still in his blues. “How am I going to tell her?” he said to himself, “Of all the things to be uncertain about…” he shook his head, “I have to be uncertain of this…” He continued his trek through the royal city, thinking about what he should say when he finally arrived at his desired location.

“Finally here…” he said to himself looking up towards Record Keeper’s apartment building, “Now for the hard part.”

He slowly made his way up the stairs to Record Keeper’s room, still trying to think about how exactly he should go about what he was going to say. He finally arrived at her room, he knocked a few times, she didn’t answer. Greatsword found it strange the she didn’t answer, but he knocked again, this attempt was met with the same results as the first time. He grew concerned so he reached for the door knob; to his surprise it was unlocked.

“Record Keeper?” Greatsword said as he opened the door. “Are you alright in there?” The door was open and I-” The light from the outside revealed to him why Record Keeper didn’t answer the door.

The Shadow was holding her down, having his way with the poor girl. Greatsword was frozen in shock for a few brief moments but soon returned to his sensed when she pittyfuly started to cry.

She looked to Greatsword and painfully whimpered, “Help…” Greatsword flew into the shadow, knocking him off of Record Keeper.

“Oh come on, Greatsword!” the shadow yelled, “Let a stallion finish before it’s your turn!”

“You bastard!” Greatsword roared, “You won’t stop me from killing you this time!”

“You’re right, I won’t,” the shadow said laughing psychotically, “but SHE will…” the shadow pointed over to the broken Record Keeper, blood and tears poured from her body as she ran to the door.

“RECORD KEEPER!” Greatsword shouted as he ran to her, “I’m here! I’m here for you!”

Record Keeper looked back to Greatsword as she stopped at the top of the staircase, then she looked to the ground. “I’m sorry…” she said jumping head first from the balcony.

“NO!” Greatsword cried throwing himself over the railing to save her only to be grabbed by the shadow’s magic.

“Where do you think YOU’RE going?” the shadow said smiling as he watched Record Keeper fall, “This is the fun part to watch!” Greatsword was powerless as he watched in horror as Record Keeper met the ground with a loud crunch, other ponies left their rooms to see what was going on, only to see her lying in the streets of the royal city.

Greatsword saw Record Keeper for just a few moments before being teleported back into her room. “You KILLED her!” Greatsword roared, “You son of a bitch! YOU KILLED HER!”

“I don’t know why you’re blaming me for such a tragic loss…” he said smiling. “I only gave her what she so desperately wanted from you.” the Shadow produced a photo and handed it to Greatsword. “Like you did in Manehattan…”

Greatsword froze. “…Manehattan?” Greatsword said looking to the shadow, who only continued to smile. “But nopony…”

“You can NOT tell me you don’t remember what happened there…” the shadow said making his way closer to the bound Greatsword. “It was only two years ago, right after the 1025th took care of the changeling cell in Trottingham, you know, the mission you didn‘t get your team killed in?” Greatsword only continued to stare at The Shadow, speechless.

“Well, I guess I have to help you remember, after all your memory sucks.” The Shadow said laughing at his joke, “It was about a week after you stopped the Trottingham cell, Commander Garrison gave all of you two weeks leave to Manehattan, it just so happened that Record Keeper was there visiting family. If the two of you weren’t so close you might have not noticed one another in the crowd, but you did. She invited you to have a coffee or something like that and you, being the gentlecolt you are, said yes. The two of you sat there for hours, just talking, ring any bells yet?”

Greatsword looked toward the photo that was next to him, “I guess I’m getting somewhere…” The shadow said, slightly annoyed that Greatsword wasn’t paying much attention to him. “Anyway it started to rain the two of you ran as fast as you could to get to her hotel and once you got there, all you had to do was be strong enough to walk away, but the small touch of her hoof was too much for you. You let your emotions take control of you. Soon after, the big strong Greatsword and the innocent little Record Keeper shared a night of passion.”

The shadow struck a dramatic pose, “Oh and what passion it was, I didn’t even know that ponies could bend that way! While she slept off her innocence and you just stared at her, but it was not a look of love, oh no, it was a look of guilt. You still felt like you cheated on some whore you couldn’t remember the name of! Those are attachment issues, my friend. After we’re done here, I suggest that you see a doctor for that.” The Shadow chuckled again, “When she finally woke up, you needed to be weak enough to say just THREE WORDS to her, but you weren’t, you were strong when you needed to be weak and weak when you needed to be strong. The two of you promised one another that it was a onetime thing and to never speak of it ever again…”

“I was finally ready,” Greatsword said still staring at the photo, “after five years I was finally ready to let go… I was ready to start a new life…” a tear ran down his cheek, “a new life with her…”

“Missing her already? Well I hope you remember THIS ones name.” the shadow said condescending Greatsword.

“I‘m going to KILL YOU!” Greatsword roared trying to break free of the shadow’s hold.

“Just like everypony you come to care about!” The shadow said cackling watching Greatsword fight in his bonds. “Have you realized that everypony you love dies because of you? The 1025th, Comet, Record Keeper? They’re dead because you aren’t good enough to keep them alive and by the looks of it, you never will be.”

“NO!” Greatsword roared thrashing violently in the shadow’s grasp.

“YES!” The shadow mockingly yelled back, “Everypony you will ever love will die because of YOU!”

WHACK! Greatsword’s hoof met the shadow’s face as a mysterious royal blue mist burst from his hoof. Greatsword freed himself from the shadow’s hold and struck him again. The same blue mist steamed off his other hoof. “I will die before anypony else I love dies!” Greatsword yelled “I will SACRIFICE everything before I let it happen again!” Greatsword struck the shadow again and threw himself at his head, biting into his horn splitting it in two.

“EIAH!” The shadow shouted “How did you unlock the power?!” he yelled reaching for his bleeding forehead, “After Smog failed, that bastard said that this would KILL you!”

“Tell your ‘master’…” Greatsword said raising the broken off horn in the air, “that he was wrong!”

“ERAGH!” The shadow screamed, his own horn driven deep into his chest. “Everypony you love will still die because of you, Greatsword!” The shadow yelled, casting himself into darkness. “And only YOU shall remain, their blood will be drenching your hooves!” and with that the shadow vanished.

Greatsword somehow appeared back in his room within the castle. It took him a few moments for him to realize that he had returned. Greatsword had no clue how he was able to do what he had just done. He looked down to his new medal, now stained with blood.

“NO!” Greatsword yelled, ripping it off and throwing it against the wall. After a few deep breaths, he began to tear up. Greatsword had lost another loved one barely two weeks after he lost thirteen ponies that trusted him with their lives.

He was not good enough again, like the shadow said, but whatever power that Greatsword had unlocked to defeat the shadow had must have something to do with what Smog said about the threat that their master feared so much. He curled into a ball collapsing to the floor, sobbing to himself. He failed another pony he loved and again it cost them their life.

“Never again…” He said laying there, “With Celestia as my witness…“ Greatsword shot up and threw his hoof into the air, an enraged look in his eyes. “NEVER AGAIN!”

The moment he finished yelling, Princess Celestia stepped into the room with a grim look on her face. “Greatsword,” she said softly, “please come with me, we need to talk…”