The Ultimate Sacrifice

by DarkWolf

Chapter 26: At What Cost?

Chapter 26: At What Cost?

Darkness surrounded him.

“Sandman! Wake up!” A distant voice called out, although he couldn’t determine whose it was or where it was coming from.

A deafening ringing was ever present, threatening to burst his eardrums at any second.

“Come on! Get up!” Another called, but it was just as indistinguishable as the last.

A searing pain shot through his body, but quickly passed. The voices grew in number, shouting at one another.

“Be careful! Don’t hurt him more than he already is!” A commanding voice called out, closer than the others.

Slowly but surely, Sandman’s faculties began to return to him. First, he realized he was being moved. He could see flickers of light passing by his vision, but he couldn’t distinguish what was what.

Next, he began to regain feeling in his limbs, which was something that he instantly regretted. His entire body was in immense pain. He let out a groan as he tried to move, but found he couldn’t.

“Hey, I think he is waking up!” Someone called out, this one even closer and clearer than before.

“Move out of the way!” A familiar voice yelled out.

“Haybrun?” Sandman whispered quietly.

“Oh, thank Celestia! We thought you were dead for a while there!” Haybrun responded as he sighed in relief, but it was a pained sigh. Sandman’s vision began to return to him, but it was obscured by tons of tiny black dots, as if he had just looked at the sun for a long time.

“I… what happened?” Sandman asked as he took in his surroundings. They were in the Everfree Forest, but he could reason that they were on the outskirts since light was penetrating the thick canopy. He was on a blanket on the forest floor, which seemed to have been crudely made into a stretcher. He could see others around him, looking at him expectantly.

“You were unconscious for about a half hour.” Haybrun responded, a hint of worry mixed into his voice. “The human… the magic one… the thing your friend used worked. It stunned him, but we still couldn’t touch him.” He paused. “We managed to get you out and collapse the cave entrance with magic. The rest of the castle came down with it. There is no way for him to get out if he is still alive.”

“Don’t be so sure.” Sandman mumbled. “He knocked himself through a damn wall.” He tried to get up, but Haybrun rested a hoof on him and pushed him back down.

“Don’t get up.” He commanded. “You are in no condition to be moving around.” He said as he kept his hoof planted on Sandman’s right shoulder, sending shots of pain through his arm even though the touch was gentle.

“Ok… please, move hoof!” Sandman struggled to cry out. Thankfully, Haybrun understood his meaning and lifted it off of him, allowing Sandman to slip back into what little comfort he could manage.

“How many made it out?” Sandman asked quietly.

“Out of the thirteen we came with, only six got out.” Haybrun responded with a hint of sadness and anger. “Right now, it’s you, me, Wise Free, Swift Wind, O’Tipsey, and the other Guard, uh… Dreamscape was his name.” There was a pause. “We lost Storm Breaker, Shadow Prowler, Night Weave, the other three Royal Guards… and Frost.”

Sandman sighed and rested his head back onto the ground. It was supposed to be simple! Such a simple mission with only one objective, and it went completely belly-up. He could feel his eyes water, but he held it back. It is never easy to lose members of your squad… especially when it is those you have been with since day one.

“Who was that human?” Haybrun asked with a hint of venom in his voice.

“I don’t know.”

“How could you not know? He was a human like you!” Haybrun almost yelled, but held it back to an angry whisper.

“I was just as surprised to see him there as…” Sandman began, but was interrupted by Haybrun.

“We were throwing everything we had at him and it didn’t do anything! Our magic wasn’t doing anything, our swords weren’t doing anything, your… those… whatever in Tartarus your weapons are called weren’t doing anything!”

“Rifle…” He started again, but was interrupted yet again.

“I thought this was going to be simple!”

“Nothing is ever simple!” Sandman shot back, causing Haybrun to flinch and the rest of the group to shoot glances over towards the pair. “You always try to prepare for everything, but you never can! I thought it was going to be simple too, but obviously it wasn’t!” Sandman interrupted himself with a coughing fit, but forced himself to continue. “It was a mistake bringing you all here! You were not ready for something like this! All I did was get you and all those ponies killed… and Frost…” He trailed off. The rest of the group was speechless. Sandman tuned his head away from the group.

“This is my fault. I was supposed to get you guys out of here, and I failed.” Sandman whispered quietly.

The group sat in stunned silence for a few minutes, with the occasional whisper breaking the tense silence.

“Come on, let’s go.” Haybrun finally said to the rest of the group. With their magic, Wise Free and Dreamscape picked up opposite ends of the blanket Sandman was lying on and began trudging back into the forest.

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“It was hard as hell navigating the forest without the lunar guards. We couldn’t see the tacks I set up without turning on the lights.” Sandman sighed. “Anyway, we got through the woods to Ponyville without incident and managed to board a train. The rest you know.” Sandman finished, leaving the room completely silent. Nobody had dared speak during his retelling, but Princess Celestia finally broke the silence.

“He called you element bearers?” She asked.

“Yeah, it was something like that, ma’am. He also went on about that altar thing until it got crushed in the cave in.”

“Hmm…” She said before she got up and began pacing back and forth on the opposite side of the room, lost in thought.

“Bullshit…” Truck muttered under his breath as he cupped his head into his hands.

“What?” Grinch whispered next to him.

“I said bullshit!” He shouted, standing up, pointing an accusing finger towards Sandman. “Frost has got to be alive! Did you actually see him die?”

“He is dead. There is no way he…” Sandman began.

“Did you see him die?!”

“Truck, calm…” Grinch began, standing up as well.

“Well? Did you?!”

“He went limp against the wall after the flashbang went off.” Sandman retorted, struggling to keep his composure. “He was dead. He had a giant chunk of stone embedded in his left leg, blood leaking out of the side of his mouth, and a sword wound that went straight through his chest. Even if he somehow lived through that and the collapsing of the tunnel, he would have bled out by now.”

“Are you saying you left him without checking?!” Truck screamed at the top of his lungs.

“What in the hell are you suggesting, Truck?! That I left him to die?!” Sandman yelled back, which took a great deal of effort on his part. “I was stunned and fell unconscious! I had no control over what happened!”

“I’m not suggesting…”

“I have known that man for as long as I can remember, and you dare insinuate that I let him die?! One of my brothers in arms?! One of my friends?!” Sandman wheezed out before erupting into a flurry of coughing and hacking.

“I think it is best if we take our leave and let him recuperate.” Celestia nodded towards Sandman while staring down Truck. He stormed out the door without another word.

“Truck, wait!” Grinch yelled out after him, exiting the room with the same speed. Andrei groaned quietly and proceeded to follow the pair in silence.

“I must apologize.” Celestia said, looking towards Sandman. “I did not wish to bring this upon you. I should have waited and allowed you more time to recuperate before… ”

“It is not your fault, ma’am. They would have come in here anyway, with or without you.” Sandman responded, resting himself back into the pillow under his head. “I expected this to happen. It isn’t anyone’s fault but mine.”

“No, it is mine.” She said sadly. “I sent you there.”

“It was the only choice we had. I was supposed to keep them alive and I didn’t. It falls onto me.”

There was nothing but silence.

“I am sorry for your loss.” Celestia stated, standing resolute. “It is my promise to you that I will do everything in my power to find out about this… this… ‘magic wielding human’ that has done this to you, your squad, and my ponies.”

“I thank you for that, ma’am.” Sandman responded, staring at the wall.

The Princess opened her mouth to say something else, but closed it just as quickly. Without another word, she made for the door. However, before she closed it behind her, she said one last thing.

“It is not your fault. Remember that.”

With that, the door closed, allowing the eerie silence and constant, monotone beeping to return once again to the room.

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“Truck!” Grinch called out, following him down the hallway that leads to their room. He could hear him mumbling some incoherent words. “Truck, for Christ’s sake, will you stop?” He boomed down the hallway once more.

Ignoring his words, Truck pressed forwards until he entered their room. Grinch stormed in behind him, shutting the door with a loud bang that echoed down the hall. Truck was angrily pacing back and forth across the room, practically fuming.

“Truck, you need to calm down…” Grinch began, cautiously making his way towards the angered soldier. However, it seemed his plea fell on deaf ears.

“Dammit!” Truck finally yelled as he kicked the nearest object nearby, which happened to be the table. The kick sent what few objects were on top if it sprawling to the floor, as well as cracking one of the legs.

“Truck!” Grinch yelled again.

“What!?” Truck yelled back.

“You need to calm the hell down, you hear me?” Grinch ordered yet again.

“Why?! How can you be so calm about this anyway?!” Truck screamed. “Whoever the hell is out there killed Frost, and you don’t seem to give a shit!”

“Don’t you even dare…” Grinch began, but the door opening interrupted him. They both turned to see Andrei casually walking in. Seeing both of them staring at him, he stopped in his tracks.

“Andrei… just… leave for a bit.” Grinch muttered, trying to sound somewhat polite.

“Nowhere to go.” Andrei merely stated before setting himself down on the opposite side of the room. He pulled out a small pad and a pen and began writing something down. After a moment or two of silence, he looked up to see the pair still staring at him.

“Andrei... seriously… not a good time.” Grinch reiterated, a bit of anger making its way through.

“Don’t mind me. Continue.” He muttered as he continued to write. Grinch groaned in frustration before turning back to Truck, who still had his eyes locked on Andrei.

“Truck, listen. We will find whoever did this, ok? However, I need…” Grinch managed to say before Truck plowed past him to the table and grabbed his M9, which had managed to not fall off before. He turned, chambered a round, and aimed it towards Andrei.

“Whoa whoa whoa, TRUCK!” Grinch screamed as he jumped in the way.

“Svyatoye der’mo!” Andrei cursed as he threw his notepad and pen, scrambled to the side of the room, picked up his AK-47 and chambered a round as he brought it up and aimed back.

Grinch quickly moved between the two, blocking their view of one another. He held his hands up in a meager attempt to lower their weapons.

“Guys…” Grinch said slowly, making sure he kept blocking each other’s view. “Put the guns down…”

“He puts down first…” Andrei responded in a calm manner. “He drew first.”

“You said your friend was out there!” Truck shouted back at him. “What was his name?” Andrei merely laughed at the question.

“You suggest Leyonid killed your friend? What, he learned magic while he was gone?” He laughed again before his face went back to its usual unemotional expression. “You are delusional.” Andrei cut in coldly, his aim not wavering for a second. “I have accepted the fact that he is dead long ago. You need to do the same.”

“Truck, put the gun down.” Grinch ordered, inching his way towards him. After a few tense seconds, Grinch finally got close enough to place his hand gently on the top of Trucks M9 and lower it. Truck made no effort to stop him.

Truck practically growled at both of them, but yet grudgingly flicked the safety back on and unloaded the handgun. After a few seconds, Andrei lowered his rifle as well and unloaded it. He let out a small chuckle as he set the rifle back against the wall.

“Well, that got the heart going.” He announced as he sat back down, picked up his notepad and pen, and continued writing as if nothing had happened.

Truck merely slumped down into one of the chairs at the table and held his head in one hand as he clutched his chest with the other, a pained expression making itself present on his face. Grinch pulled up one of the chairs himself and sat down next to him.

“Goddamn, don’t pull that shit on me again…” Grinch announced as he looked Trucks way, noticing his pain. “Is your chest still hurting you?”

“Ribs haven’t healed yet…” Truck mumbled under his breath. “Still hurts like hell…”

“It’s only been a few days. You really shouldn’t be up and moving. Same with Andrei…” Grinch responded as he glanced over at the Russian. He too was grimacing as, every now and then, he would clutch his side.

The group sat in silence after that for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, the opening of the door broke the silence. The three humans turned to see Celestia walk in, a tattered book in her magical grasp. She glanced quickly at the group without a word, but finally spoke to them.

“Before I start, I want you to know how deeply sorry I am for your loss.” She said, holding her head low. “I fear that it is my fault this happened, as I am the one who sent you out there in the first place.”

“No, princess, it’s not…” Grinch started, but trailed off, choosing instead to look at the ground as well.

Once again, an awkward silence enveloped the room for a short while.

“However…” Celestia started. “I would also like you to know that all this grief and misery was not in vain.” To emphasize her point, she forcefully placed to book down on the table in front of Grinch and Truck. Both glanced at it curiously.

“Is that…?” Andrei questioned as he got up from his seat and made his way over.

“Yes, it is.” She began, resting a gentle hoof onto its surface. “Your friends accomplished their task. This is in fact the tome that Starswirl had written all those years ago…”

“Can it get us back?” Grinch asked quietly.

“I have not yet had a chance to read it fully, but I believe that it holds promise.”

“What are the odds?” Andrei asked from behind the group.

“What do you mean?”

“What are the odds of getting us home?”

“I cannot say…” Celestia responded quietly, staring at the charred cover.

“Then take a guess…” Truck muttered angrily, still refusing to raise his head. After a moment of thought, Celestia came up with an answer.

“I would say a 70% chance that, after I am done tampering with it, it will get all of you home.”

“What does the other 30% chance entitle?” Grinch asked. After a sigh, Princess Celestia gave a response.

“It could send you to the wrong place…” She started. “Or send… well… parts of you to the wrong place.”

“Iisus Khristos…” Andrei muttered as he turned around and sat back down on the couch.

“It could maim you, or in severe cases kill you.” She stated, choosing not to look their way. “It… could go very badly if everything is not taken into consideration when I rework it to its new purpose.”

“And this… tome.” Truck muttered as he gave it a tap with his finger. “It is our ONLY way home?”

“As of this moment, yes, it is.” Celestia answered, noticing everyone was deadpanning at her. “I never promised you it would be easy. I warned you of its dangers when I first told you of this plan. All I ever promised you was a chance.” She sighed. “If you do not wish to risk this path, I understand. I can continue searching for a safer alternative to…”

“Fuck it, let’s do it.” Truck announced as he leaned back into his chair, still refusing to make eye contact with anyone. “Not like we haven’t had worse odds before. I mean, at least then all of this would have been worth it in the end.”

After a long sigh, Grinch spoke next.

“Yeah, I am willing to risk it, and I believe I can speak for Sandman as well. Andrei?”

“What choice do we have?” He responded from across the room.

“Very well. I will begin reconstructing it.” Celestia said as she stood and made her way to the door. “Oh, and by the way…” She added on, gazing over at the group. “I suggest that you go and make amends with your friend in the medical ward. He needs someone to talk to, now more than ever.”

With that, she closed the door.

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Darkness and silence enveloped the dusty, millennium old cavern, if it could be called that anymore. The ceiling, columns, and walls had all caved in, suffocating the already claustrophobic cave. It was all that was left of the battle that had just recently taken place. The silence was only broken by the occasional echo of a lose piece of rock falling to the floor from whatever was left of the now unstable ceiling.

Suddenly, without warning, a large chunk of rock was blown away from where it rested, revealing a battered and bloodied human. His already torn clothes were now nothing but mere rags hanging from his bruised body. He slowly dragged himself into a small open space, possibly the only remaining space left in the war-torn cavern. He rested himself against a wall, panting heavily as he wiped some of his own blood off his face.

Soon, a new sound began to fill the cave. It wasn’t the wailing of an injured man, nor was it the cries for help of a trapped soldier. It echoed across what empty space was left, no doubt giving it a chilling sound that would scare the wits out of anyone if they could hear it.

It was laughter.

“Oh… heh, you… were so close…” The human muttered as his laughing died down. He tried to stand, but found he could not.

“This is… certainly… a new feeling...” He coughed and wheezed, a faint yellow glow forming in his hand.

“Oh… how I did misjudge you…” The glowing intensified.

“Oh… oh but don’t you worry!” He shouted into the nothingness.

He raised the glowing orb to his wounds. In the pale light, he could see his wounds slowly disappearing, reforming into fresh scars. He slowly got to his feet and examined his surroundings. Sitting in the corner, very close to where he was trapped, a second human body sat. This one, however, was quite dead. Stray rock fall had crushed its head and one of his legs, but it mostly remained intact. He glanced down at his destroyed clothing, and then glanced back at the body.

“Oh… don’t you worry…” He mumbled again, making his way over to the corpse.

“It will not happen a second time…”

Comments

[Corporal Lyra]

What. Took. You. So. Damn. LONG?!

Hey, I'm not complaining it was a good chapter.

Of course you would think this is a good chapter BECAUSE ARE MY SUBCONSCIOUS AND I'M THINKING THAT THIS IS A GOOD CHAPTER?!

Holy shit man, stop.

[DarkWolf]

4245594

Im sorry!

But in reality, I'm just lazy. i just have long stretches where I have no motivation to write. Tryng to break those stretches... harder that it sounds.

But yeah, I am glad you enjoyed it!

[Corporal Lyra]

4245610

0-media-cdn.foolz.us/ffuuka/board/vr/image/1363/91/1363915949384.jpg

[Bread Shot]

=3

[NLRPony]

4245490 I meant everyone else from delta, I just don't count frost as a member because he chickened out in my opinion and was move to a different unit to be replaced by that guy who got shot in the face or died in the elevator crash (how did that idiot die again?)

[damnaion]

27# Oooooo