Star Knight and the Nine-Tailed Fox

by Rakoon1

On the Brink of Death

While continuing to try to heal Star, she saw the Nine-Tails’ energy that Star gave to her and the others to disappear. She then verified his pulse and tried to hear his heartbeat, but she didn’t hear anything. Star had entered in cardiac arrest.

“No…” Twilight said.

Noticing what was happening, Strongpaw exclaimed:

“Hang in there, Star!”

“But what’s happening?” Twilight asked Strongpaw. “My healing magic isn’t working on him!”

“It’s probably because Nine-Tails was extracted from him” he replied.

That shocked Twilight who said:

“That’s impossible…”

“Hepheus got him” Strongpaw told. “But there’s a way to save him. That’s why we’re in hurry.”

“Where are we going?” Twilight asked.

“To where Heartbeat is” Strongpaw replied.

He then remembered what Kurama told him…

Moments ago…

Before being pulled into the Demonic Statue, Kurama said to Strongpaw after calling him:

“Go to Heartbeat. My other half is sealed inside her. Transplant that other half into Star. That will save him. Hurry to go to Heartbeat!”

“She can teleport” Strongpaw said. “Can’t we just contact her somehow and have her come here?”

“That won’t work” Kurama replied. “Once I’m extracted, it will be a race against time. Just rush Star over Heartbeat. Got that, Strongpaw?!”

And, with those words, Kurama was extracted from Star, what caused Strongpaw to catch him with sand. Seeing that, Kurama said:

“Chief Strongpaw… I’m counting on you.”

And he was pulled into the Demonic Statue.

In the present…

After explaining everything, Strongpaw said:

“That’s what Nine-Tails told me. Right now, there’s no way to save Star.”

“How much longer until we get there?” Twilgiht asked.

“Several kilometers” Strongpaw said.

But, at that time, Star would be long gone. She had to keep him alive until the time they reached Heartbeat. So, focusing magic on her horn, she made a cut on the side of Star’s body and put her hoof inside him, going directly to the heart and starting helping it pumping blood. That caused some shock on Strongpaw, but he knew that she was only doing what she could to save her son.

“As long as I’m here, I am not going to let you die!” Twilight exclaimed.

So, in order to keep her from falling, Strongpaw made the sand under her and Star to grab her torso and then said:

“I’m going at full speed.”

“Right!” Twilight said.

Hepheus, after flying for some time, landed and started to walk. While doing that, he summoned Ten-Tails that soon started to be absorbed by him. While that happened, his coat and mane whited, just how it happened to Grogar, and a grey horn-like protrusions grew out of his left temple and overlapped his forehead, right beneath the horn, with an upward-curve on the right temple. The spheres of black matter appeared behind him, as well a rod that he grabbed.

“So this is the supreme nature…” Hepheus said. “Now, let’s deal with the anomalies…”

And he took flight.

Twilight continued to keep Star alive, making mouth-to-mouth to fill his lungs and helping his heart pumping the blood. After taking a break to recover her breath, Twilight remembered everything Star did to be acknowledged by the light ponies and all the dreams he had. Adding to the fact that was her son, all of that gave her more determination to save him. So, she continued.

Where Grogar, Shining, Blue and Heartbeat were, the former said:

“Shining… hurry up… Kill me right now. The Lord of Chaos must not take the Nothingness Realm back…”

“Grogar’s mind is clear” Blue observed. “Now’s our chance… That is if you’re willing to do it, Shining.”

Shining took a moment and then said:

“Let’s try to tear Grogar away from that guy.”

“But that will also kill him” Blue replied.

“Well, it seems we reached an impasse” Heartbeat noticed.

Meanwhile, Strongpaw continued to advance to there, while bringing Twilight and Star, with the former still keeping her son alive.

Hepheus continued to advance, but then he commented:

“I feel a little heavy… There’s something catching in my chest.”

He then spitted something out and the Crimson Gourd and the Sealing Urn appeared, regaining their original size and starting to fall.

“Oh right, those things… Well, they’re useless to me now. But now I’m lighter.”

And he continued to advance.

At the base of the Divine Tree, Heartbeat, Blue and Shining had been fighting Petal Sprout, who used Grogar’s body. Then, the General of Affection created a Spiraling Sphere, while Blue and Shining created a light sword, with both sides a little tired as the three had run out most of their energy to fight Grogar earlier.

“You guys are stubborn too!” Petal Sprout exclaimed.

“My great-grandfather’s consciousness is no longer stable” Shining observed.

“It seems we don’t have any other choice” Blue said. “Let’s go.”

But it was then that Heartbeat felt something approaching. It was a mix of fear, sadness and desperation that she knew that was coming from Twilight. That could only mean one thing.

“You can feel it, can’t you?” Kurama asked her, on their plane.

“No, it can’t be…” Heartbeat said, in a way that both Blue and Shining heard.

“We were distracted by what was happening here” Kurama replied. “There’s no mistake. My other half has already been extracted.”

She then undid the Spiraling Sphere.

“Heartbeat, what’s wrong?” Blue asked.

His question was answered when Strongpaw arrived with Twilight and Star.

“Blue!” Twilight called, while Strongpaw started to low them. “Shining! Heartbeat!”

When Blue saw Star, said:

“No, Star! But what happened?!”

“The Nine-Tails was extracted from Star” Twilight replied. “At this rate, he’ll…”

But she wasn’t able to formulate the rest of the sentence.

“Heartbeat, I bring a message from Star’s Nine-Tails!” Strongpaw exclaimed. “He said for you to transplant the other half of Nine-Tails that you have in you into Star! That will save him!”

Petal Sprout listened to that with great interest.

“Prince Shining Armor, Blue, he’s all yours” Heartbeat said.

They nodded and turned to Petal Sprout, with Strongpaw joining them, saying:

“I’ll help you.”

Heartbeat then started to focus her magic to transfer the Kurama inside her to Star. She then placed her hoof a few inches over him. And a reddish orange light started to shine. The bubbling red energy started to flow in the between. But before it could reach Star, Petal Sprout, in a more liquid form, appeared and absorbed it. That shocked Twilight and Heartbeat and Kurama, seeing where he was, said:

“But this…”

“Nine-Tails…” Petal Sprout on Grogar’s body said, beside him. “You’re finally mine!”

Petal Sprout had inserted a part of him through the ground in order to get Kurama’s energy.

“What the…” Strongpaw said, turning back.

Seeing him, Heartbeat exclaimed:

“You little cockroach!”

She really disliked the fact of not being able to feel Petal Sprout’s emotion. And she tried to attack Petal Sprout with a Spiraling Sphere, but he returned to the ground, going back to Grogar’s body.

“How’s Star?!” Blue asked.

But he didn’t get his answer, as something landed with great power.

“What was that?” Twilight asked.

They all looked and Blue said:

“No way…”

A smile appeared on Petal Sprout’s face and he said:

“Hepheus…”

It was really Hepheus who then said:

“I thought you were supposed to deal with these setbacks, Petal Sprout. So I decided to come to you.”