Reforging a Broken Blade

by ElkinFencer10

Chapter 19 - Dark Legacy

They had been walking for three days by the time Gilda, Rainbow Dash, and the Equestrian Military Intelligence operative finally crossed the border into Equestria. With how they felt, both physically and emotionally, however, those three days might as well have been three months. After the first day, Rainbow Dash had felt physically able to move on her own, although Gilda made sure never to be more than a wing's distance away, and were they forced to flee with any rapidity, Rainbow would have had to be carried. Trotting at a steady pace and galloping for one's life place very different demands on the body.

"At last, we have made it back to Equestria. From here, Canterlot should only be another two days' journey," the still cloaked pony said, breathing deeply of the air of her homeland. Equestria didn't have any manner of magical force field that made the air within its borders chemically different in any way from the air just across the border in Gryphus, though there are ponies who would argue to the contrary, but nationalism is a powerful thing; it can make the most rational of ponies hold the silliest of beliefs.

"Yeah, it's about time!" Rainbow Dash, sounding legitimately excited for the first time since her imprisonment. Looking in the direction of Ponyville, she noticed something that seemed a bit out of place. "Hey, what's that over there?"

Gilda and the EMI pony turned to look in the direction that Rainbow Dash's hoof pointed. "What are you talking about, Dash? I don't see anything," Gilda responded.

Rainbow pointed her hoof in the direction of Ponyville three more times for emphasis. "Over there, that weird glow coming from the Everfree Forest."

Gilda looked again towards Ponyville and the Everfree Forest, squinting her eyes. The forest was still quite a distance away for the naked eye, but upon closer inspection, she saw what had caught Rainbow's attention - a pillar of blackness rising up from the Everfree Forest.

By this point, the enigmatic pony in their party had seen it, as well. "My, I've never seen anything quite like it. It must be some sort of magic. Perhaps Princess Celestia is attempting some sort of new protection spell?"

Gilda's eyes grew wide. "Oh shit," she said breathlessly. "That ain't Celestia. We gotta get over there, Dash. Like, yesterday."

Rainbow Dash looked at Gilda, her confusion spelled out on her face. "Why? What is that? What are you talking about?"

"That," Gilda started, pointing a claw at the distant pillar, "has got to be King Ashnard's 'failsafe' in case his invasion of Canterlot failed. The one that can only be stopped with the Elements of Harmony that kept me from being the one to interrogate you? Celestia's going to need the Elements of Harmony to stop whatever Ashnard's back up plan is, so you gotta get over there. You're still way too banged up to fly there on your own, so hurry you flank up and get on my back."

Rainbow Dash stared straight ahead for a few seconds, trying to process all of the information that she had just been given. "But we don't have all the Elements!" Rainbow shouted after several seconds. "Even if me, Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity are all there, we'd be missing the sixth Element. Pinkie Pie's dead. We can't just give somepony else her Element! It doesn't work like that."

"Damn it, Dash, then what the hell else should we do? Isn't it better to try and fail than just bend over and wait to die? So what if you've only get five of the six Elements; that's better than none," Gilda snapped back.

"If I may, ladies?" the other pony interjected. "I believe I must agree with Miss Gilda on this matter. From what I know of the Elements of Harmony, it does seem unlikely that you and your friends will be able to activate them without having all six assembled, but the alternative is to admit defeat outright. I'm sure your loyalty to Equestria would make such an option highly undesirable, would it not?" she asked, placing extra emphasis on the word "loyalty."

Rainbow Dash glared at the pony for a moment before snorting in frustration and beginning to climb onto Gilda's back. "Come on, G. Looks like it's up to me to save the day."

---

When Princess Celestia took to the sky to see for herself what Soarin had reported, what she saw left her with a terror she'd not felt since she and Luna had marched to face Discord over a thousand years ago. Although Soarin hadn't noticed it, Celestia had seen the beginning of the ebony pillar's ascent from what remained of the Everfree Forest. Celestia knew that she did not have time to waste. If her suspicions were correct regarding the phenomenon she saw emanating from the woods, then she would need to get the Elements of Harmony to their bearers as soon as possible. Before making for the throne room as quickly as her wings could carry her, she had ordered Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy to leave for Ponyville immediately and wait for her at Fluttershy's home near the edge of the forest. She then told Soarin to have what remained of the Equestrian army and its new Zebrican allies ready to march in their wake when she returned.

What of the Elements of Laughter and Loyalty, though? the princess asked herself as she rocketed towards the castle. It has been nearly three years since Pinkie Pie passed away, and I have yet to receive word that my agent has succeeded in rescuing Rainbow Dash. I may once have wielded all six Elements on my own, but that was a long time ago, and they have chosen new bearers now. Celestia shook her head to keep herself from getting lost in her own thoughts when time was so essential. There is nothing to be done now. The Elements chose those girls of their own accord; I can only trust that whatever power guides them will allow their power to be used despite only there being only four of the six bearers.

When she was nearly at the castle, Celestia fired a bolt of magic from her horn, shattering one of the throne room's stained glass windows. Windows can be replaced, the alicorn thought to herself. What matters now it making sure that Twilight and her friends get the Elements as quickly as possible. Setting her hooves down on the throne room's long red carpet, Celestia galloped at full speed towards the vault where the Elements of Harmony were kept. Inserting her horn and disengaging the magical lock as quickly as she could, Celestia telekinetically ripped the chest containing the Elements of Harmony from its altar and wrapped it in her hooves as she rose from the ground with two strong flaps of her wings.

As the princess flew back out through the window she'd broken just moments before, she loosed a magical flare to signal the army to begin its march to the Everfree Forest. With the Elements still gripped tightly in her golden clad hooves, Princess Celestia flew to the front of the army. "Sergeant Commissary," Celestia called as she flew up beside a marching beige Earth pony. "Do you know what this chest is?" she asked him.

Saluting the princess, the quartermaster responded, "If memory serves, that's the chest that holds the Elements of Harmony, your majesty."

"Correct. They will be needed when we arrive at the Everfree Forest. It is up to you to ensure that they are kept safe until then. Do you understand?"

"Absolutely, your majesty. Nopony will lay a hoof on them until you give the word."

With a smile and a nod, Celestia sped up to move alongside the zebra general at the head of the army. For a time, she simply trotted alongside the general she'd only recently regarded as a threat to her kingdom. Once the silence began to grow uncomfortable, Celestia spoke up. "General, you and your government have my eternal gratitude for coming to Equestria's aid at such a dark time, especially give our checkered history."

The zebra snorted. "Princess, you assume too much. Our chieftain would never lift a hoof to help Equestria if it did not serve a purpose for Zebrica. Our people have yet to forgive you for your interference in our civil war two centuries ago. The only reason that I am at your side rather than watching with joy as your nation crumbles is that Gryphus would pose a threat to Zebrica should Equestria fall. Once your pegasus ambassador informed us that they pushed as far into your nation as the Everfree Forest, it became apparent that your kingdom was teetering on collapse; it is obvious to any who have worked with your government that you are the last creature on this planet who would allow your power to be threatened."

Celestia, deciding to ignore the implied insult for the sake of fostering better diplomatic relations as best she could, simply nodded. "Well, whatever your reasons are, your people have Equestria's gratitude."

For a time, the only response that the alicorn received was a generic grunt. After a moment or two, however, the zebra added, "Yeah, well, don't go taking this as an offer of friendship or anything."

---

Twilight and Fluttershy were exhausted when they finally reached Ponyville. Twilight was able to use a spell that allowed their blood to absorb more oxygen, giving them more stamina, but even with that, they were both completely out of breath and dripping with sweat once they had finally made it Carousel Boutique. Twilight, projecting a magical force in front of her, nearly demolished the shop's door as she and Fluttershy burst inside. Rarity, hearing the commotion from her upstairs workshop, came rushing to the front. "What in the name of - Twilight, Fluttershy, what in Equestria has got you two so worked up?"

"No time. Elements. Everfree. Gryphons. Get Applejack. Meet up. Fluttershy's cottage." Twilight struggled to convey at least the bare minimum of what Rarity needed to know between gasps of air.

After a few seconds of trying to piece together and make sense of Twilight's fragmented statements, Rarity said, "You're in a rush, but something in the Everfree Forest concerning the gryphons requires the Elements of Harmony, and you want me to go and get Applejack and meet the two of you at Fluttershy's cottage. Right? Or did I miss something?"

By this point, Twilight had mostly regained the ability to speak at an almost normal pace. Fluttershy, on the other hand, still looked as if she were about to pass out. "No, I think you got it," Twilight said, her breathing still slightly heavier than normal.

"Well then," Rarity said as she levitated the glasses from her muzzle and placed them on a table in the front room, "you two run along to Fluttershy's cottage. Applejack and I shall join you just as soon as we can. Off you go!" Rarity practically pushed her friends out the door with her hooves. Nothing good ever requires the use the Elements. You must not tarry, Rarity! Your friends are depending on you she thought to herself as she scurried around her cottage, making sure all was in order before breaking for Sweet Apple Acres at a gallop.

Twilight and Fluttershy made their way for the cottage at a canter rather than a full gallop. Although they had mostly caught their breath, they knew they would need to save some strength for whatever lay ahead. After all, summoning a beam of weaponized friendship from the aether wasn't the easiest thing to do. Both ponies sat down as soon as they entered the cottage and tried to regain what stamina they could. Eventually, Fluttershy broke the silence. "What do you think it is, Twilight? In the Everfree Forest, I mean?"

Twilight remained silent for a moment. "Honestly? I don't know, Fluttershy. Whatever it is, though, it's bad. I don't think I've ever seen Celestia look that shaken up."

"Oh dear," Fluttershy said, her eyes widening slightly. "If it's worse than Discord or King Sombra..." She made no effort to finish the thought. She didn't need to; if Celestia knew what was happening in the forest, and it upset her more than the villains that they had faced down already, then it was something worth fearing.

After a few more minutes of companionable silence came the sound of a hoof against the door. Fluttershy opened it, allowing Rarity and Applejack into the cottage. It had been so long since she had seen Applejack, and the short stop at Carousel Boutique to tell Rarity to get Applejack hardly counted as seeing her. Had the circumstances been better, the reunion would have been a cause for celebration. As it stood, though, only dread filled the room. As Fluttershy was about to close the door again, she noticed Princess Celestia and the combined Equestrian and Zebrican army approaching in the distance. "The princess is almost here, Twilight," she said.

"Mind fillin' us in before she gets here?" Applejack asked. "What's this all about, Twi?"

"I don't really know. The princess saw something from coming from the Everfree Forest - or at least what's left of it - when she was above Canterlot surveying the area after the battle. Whatever she saw had her pretty upset. She told us to get to Ponyville as fast as we could and be ready to use the Elements of Harmony. Other than that, I don't know any more than you do."

Applejack's face dropped a bit. "Girls, Ah hate to point this out, but we're kind missing two of the Element here, ain't we? We're missing Pinkie and...and Rainbow." Applejack took a breath to keep her composure. "Remember what happened first time we tried to use the Elements against Discord? We were only missin' one pony then."

The others stayed silent for a few seconds until Twilight spoke. "Yeah, I've thought about that." They had had time to mourn Pinkie Pie and had held a funeral to give them a sense of closure. Not only was Rainbow Dash's status still unknown, but the wound was fresh, making the reminder of her absence all the more painful, especially for Applejack. "Princess Celestia had to have thought of that as well, though. If she still thinks that the Elements are the key to stopping whatever's in the forest, then I'm sure she has a plan."

No sooner had Twilight finished speaking than came another knock on the door. "That must be the princess," Fluttershy said as she and other three walked to the door. Indeed, when the door opened, there stood the princess of the sun.

"Thank you for assembling so quickly, my subjects," Celestia said. "I know that you are all still in the dark as to why I need you to use the Elements of Harmony once again, but time is of the essence. I ask that you be patient, and I will explain as best I can on our way to the center of the forest."

"Of course, Princess. We all trust you implicitly," Twilight said. The group left the cottage and began towards the forest.

"Thank you, girls. I do not know for sure what awaits us in remains of the Everfree Forest, but if my fears are correct, it is an ancient evil that not even I have faced before."

"What could possible be out there that you haven't fought? I mean, unless its..." Twilight trailed off as she realized how short the list of known monsters that predate Celestia was. Her blood ran cold.

"I suspect that you have come to the same conclusion that I did, my faithful student." Celestia's voice lacked the warmth and pride that usually accompanied those words. She closed her eyes and took a breath before continuing. "Several thousand years ago, long before Luna and I came into this world, there was a demon of terrible power named Malefaction. This demon wreaked havoc across the entire continent. The various races living here fought it as well as they could, but the demon proved to be too powerful. Eventually, they came together, and an alicorn mage by the name of Ninurt created a spell capable of destruction down to the most basic elemental level. He used this spell against the demon, destroying it. In theory, casting this spell should have killed him, but it did not. The story is that the Elements of Harmony protected him even before they had physical manifestations like your regalia or the orbs that you girls found in the ruined castle. I suspect, however, that he cast an incomplete spell, leaving Malefaction banished but not destroyed, and sparing Ninurt's life."

Twilight opened her mouth as if to speak, but before she could, Fluttershy asked, "Why didn't he just use the Elements of Harmony to defeat the demon?"

"An excellent question," Celestia said. "As I suspect Twilight was about to point out, there is no record of the Elements' being used as a weapon until my sister and I used them to defeat Discord. That's not to say that the Elements did not exist, but I doubt that anypony knew that it was possible to interact with them."

"But Princess," Twilight started, "how do you know that the Elements will be enough to defeat Malefaction? And what's your plan to get around the fact that only four of the six Elements are represented here?"

"I do not know if they will be enough, and I do not have a plan." Twilight's jaw dropped. "I do know, however, that the combined armies of an entire continent were unable to defeat him through conventional means; the army of one nation and the tattered remains of another's will certainly fail if it comes to that. To be honest, Equestria is out of options."

"Beggin' your pardon, Princess, but couldn't somepony just cast that spell that beat him the first time?" Applejack asked.

"If it comes to that," Celestia said, "then I will be one to cast it. I banned study of the extirpation spell centuries ago. Only Equestria's princesses and the three highest members of the Circle of Magi - and, thanks to her studies with Flemeth, Twilight - even know the spell exists. Of those, only Luna and I know how it is cast."

By this point, the pillar of dark energy was visible through the remaining trees. What little remained of the march was going to be spent in contemplative silence until a shrill whistle from the east shattered it. All heads snapped to find the source of the noise. What was seen as a hoard of ponies at the front of which walked a dark blue alicorn and a white unicorn. "Sister!" the alicorn called, "I am glad to see you are well."

"Luna, I am so happy to see that you and your army are alright," Celestia replied, leaving the front of her army to meet her sister.

"We have suffered heavy casualties," Luna reported, "but we have survived. Also, I have guests to whom I believe you will wish to speak." Princess Luna stepped aside to reveal Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and the EMI agent behind her.

"Rainbow!" Applejack cried out as she galloped forward, very nearly knocking Celestia over in the process. "Oh Rainbow, I was so worried," she said as she embraced her wife, tears flowing freely.

"Hey, I'm fine, see?" Rainbow said. While "fine" was hardly a fitting description giving the bruises and cuts still visible all over her body, she was very much alive and at least walking on her own.

"Hey, uh, Dash? Mind putting in a good word for me real quick?" Rainbow turned around to see dozens of weapons trained on Gilda, wielded by both pony and zebra alike.

"Guys, point those somewhere else. She's on our side. I'd be dead if it weren't for her."

"That is debatable..." the EMI pony said. Bowing before Princess Celestia, she asked "Princess, with my mission complete, I request your permission to return to my other duties." Celestia simply nodded, and the pony rose and began moving north towards Canterlot at a quick canter.

Twilight ran forward as quickly as she could in search of Razor Blade. As she looked and looked to no avail, a lump began to rise in her throat. She heard a noise behind her followed by a voice. "Looking for me?" Twilight's head and body snapped around to the cyan pegasus behind her.

"Razor! Oh, thank Celestia you're okay. I was so worried when I stopped getting letters."

Razor Blade hugged Twilight and said, "Yeah, well, having your army practically routed and led on a wild goose chase halfway across the continent tends to distract a bit." The glare Twilight gave him informed him that she did not find his sarcasm to be nearly as funny as he did. "Hey now, don't go getting all mad at me. Didn't I tell you and the princess that I'm the best there is? No dirty gryphon is gonna take Razor Blade down."

As the members of the two pony armies greeted one another and embraced loved ones, Celestia brought her sister up to speed. "You have seen it, too, Sister?" she asked Luna.

The lunar princess nodded. "Judging from the Elements' being with you as well as their bearers and walking towards what appears to be a summoning portal, I assume that it is as I feared. The beast has returned?"

"I cannot know for sure," Celestia replied, "but I believe so." Luna took her place beside Celestia as the two armies marched together towards the pillar. Celestia turned to face Luna. "Luna, heed me. You are not to cast the spell."

"We rule together, Sister, and since my return, Equestria's military has been my charge. Should that spell be needed, the duty to cast it is mine."

"I am your elder sister, and you will yield to me in this," Celestia said, her voice resolute. As she and Luna stared at one another, Celestia's expression began to soften. Quietly, she added, "I already lost you once, Sister. Do not make me lose you again. Although we rule together, the responsibility for this kingdom's safety is ultimately mine. It is also an elder sister's responsibility to protect the younger sister."

"I..." Luna began but found herself unsure of how to respond. "We shall cross that bridge when we come to it."

Within a few minutes, the clearing had come into sight, and with it, so did the ruined remains of the gryphon army. "At long last, I get the honor of meeting the esteemed Princess Celestia, though I would advise you and your companions not to come any closer. My name is Dread Claw, and I'm the one that your Wonderbolts so pathetically failed to assassinate," Dread Claw said as he maneuvered his way to the front of the gryphon force.

"That's him! That's the bastard who killed Spitfire!" Rainbow Dash shouted, trying to fly towards him despite having her tail held firmly between Applejack's teeth. A bolt of red flashed from behind Dread Claw and struck a zebra a few paces to the right of Rainbow. Immediately, the Zebra erupted into flames; within seconds, all that remained was a smoldering pile of ash. Everypony's head snapped to where the zebra had been and stood in shock for a moment. When they looked back, they saw a red unicorn clad in a black robe, the shimmer of her horn fading.

Dread Claw chuckled. "I told you not to come any closer, didn't I?"

"Wait a minute," Twilight said, recognition dawning on her. "That's..."

"Damn. I knew you were a whorse, but I didn't realize you were a traitor, too, Flame." Razor Blade confirmed her suspicions. Flame Knife remained silent, though she kept her eyes locked on Razor.

"What have you done to her? Release her at once!" Celestia demanded.

"What makes you think I've done anything to her?" Dread Claw asked. "Is it really so hard to believe that there are actually ponies who you don't like you and would oppose your rule? Other than your sister, I mean. Contrary to what you've brainwashed these mindless little serfs of yours into believing, you're not actually a universally adored goddess."

"You're too late. The spell is cast, and the portal is open. In a few minutes, Malefaction will return," Flame finally said. "Soon your nation will crumble and your ponies will know suffering without end."

"So our suspicions were correct, Sister," Luna said. For a second after tense second, the two armies simply stared each other down. The soldiers of both forces knew that a clash was inevitable, but neither commander dared to make the first move without some advantage. Without warning, the air was cut by a single dark blue magical dart. Luna had made the first strike by stunning Flame Knife. With the first stone cast, each side rushed forward like water from a broken dam.

Finally Razor thought, a chance to cut you down without landing myself in the Canterlot dungeons. He bolted forward as fast as his wings could take him, his rapier already in hoof. Though Luna's stun spell was of decent potency, there's only so much power a spell can carry when it's cast without any build up; before Razor was able to reach her, Flame was rising to her hooves and loosing fire balls. Buck! Do a barrel roll... Razor thought to himself, moving away from the spells' Z axis. As the torrent of attacks continued, Razor weaved left and right to avoid them. She must be tired from whatever summoning spell she cast; she's keeping her hooves in place. Oh well; her mistake is my opening.

Pulling his right fore leg back across his front, Razor cut the air in a wide horizontal arc, dispelling the attack spell just released and cleaving Flame's horn in two as he flew past her. Flame let out a blood curdling scream and dropped to her knees as she cluched her half-horn in her hooves. "I'LL BUCKING KILL YOU" she shrieked as she got back up and pulled a dagger from her cloak. Her magic now unusable, she sprinted towards Razor Blade and swung with deadly precision, clipping the tip of one of his wings and slicing through the primary feathers of the other, making flight impossible. Even when you have a knife fighting cutie mark, fighting a sword with a knife is a bad idea in all regards, especially when your opponent's special talent is swordplay. Flame had so much pain and rage induced adrenaline flowing through her veins, however, that she scarcely felt the cuts and shallow wounds she was receiving, and she handled her knife with skill too great to allow Razor an opening for a fatal blow.

This back and forth went on for minute after minute as the larger battle raged around them. As soon as the fighting began, Dread Claw raised his weapon and began firing off shots. Three ponies and a zebra fell in quick succession, each sporting a gory hole somewhere in his head. Dead Eye dove behind one of the few surviving trees large enough to hide an Earth pony stallion. "Alright, you little shit. Time to make you pay for what you said about Princess Celestia." He moved from his tree to a large boulder, firing four bolts from his crossbow in the process.

Though none of those arrows struck Dread Claw, one came close enough to get his attention. "Haven't had enough, eh? Shall I take the other eye, as well?"

"Shove it your ass, you impotent chicken. I took your wings back in Gryphus; I'm going for your heart this time." Dead Eye popped up from behind the rock and shot three more bolts, one barely missing Dread Claw's face and grazing his cheek. As Dead Eye was trying to find better cover, one of Flame's stray fire spells impacted the boulder, shattering it and filling the air with a cloud of dust. Here's my chance he thought to himself. He took advantage of the cloud of dust to sneak around Dread Claw. As the dust began to settle, Dead Eye crept low until he was directly behind him. Rising to his back hooves, Dead Eye put the crossbow right against the base of Dread Claw's skull. "Headshot." Before Dread Claw had time to react, Dead Eye pulled the trigger, letting the arrow fly into the back of his head and right out the front, embedding itself in a nearby tree with bits of brain matter still stuck to it.

As Dread Claw and Dead Eye exchanged shots, Flame Knife's and Razor Blade's duel had not tapered in intensity in the slightest. Flame would give Razor a new cut on his face or leg, but never near a vital artery; Razor would give Flame a new puncture wound, but never deep enough to cause more than superficial damage. There comes a point, however, when even the most skilled and experienced master errs. A mistake was made; forced to fight on the ground without flight to help him recover, Razor overextended himself in one of his attacks, leaving him vulnerable for a precious second that Flame did not squander. Sending pain shooting through his body, Razor felt three rapid in-and-out thrusts of the knife in his gut before it was thrust into his body a fourth time, going under his rib cage and piercing one of his lungs.

Razor was unable to move. His sword fell to his side. The world seemed to freeze. All around him, ponies and gryphons fought in slow motion. The air rushed from his body. His mouth was agape. He could hardly believe what was happening. She...beat me. She actually beat me... He tried to breath, getting only a little air and coughing up a lot of blood. Seeing the blood fall from his lips made the situation feel real for him. Instead of panicking, however, Razor felt a sense of calm flow over him. If it's my time to go, so be it, but I won't give you the satisfaction of seeing me beg or hearing me scream.

"You lost, bucker," Flame said as she pressed herself right up against Razor, twisting the knife inside him. He grunted in pain. "How does it feel? How does it feel to know that you're going to die by my hoo-" Flame's words were cut off by a sickening gurgle. While she had allowed herself to be distracted by her own gloating, he had drawn a small dagger that he kept on his right back leg and quickly shoved it through her throat.

"If I'm going to bleed out here, then I'm taking you with me," he said as they both collapsed in a pool of blood. Razor fought to keep conscious, but given the amount of blood he had lost and continued to lose, it was an uphill battle. After a few seconds, Flame's body ceased its twitching, and Razor felt unconsciousness take hold over his mind.

---

When the fighting broke out, the five Element Bearers made sure to stay within close proximity to Princess Celestia. They knew that they would need to stick near to her in case an opportunity to rush into the clearing presented itself. That's not to say that they didn't take on their share of the fighting. Only Fluttershy stayed out of the combat, opting to do what she could as a field medic, though the need to stay close to Celestia made that difficult.

Almost all of Rainbow's fighting took place in the air, so she had the best view of the battle. Because of that, it didn't take her long to notice the blue pegasus and red unicorn lying in the middle of a puddle of blood. Oh buck... Rainbow thought when she realized who that pegasus was. She gave the gryphon she had been fighting a hard buck to the head, snapping its neck, and flew down to find Twilight. "Twi! Twilight!"

Twilight fried another gryphon with electric magic and galloped to meet Rainbow when she heard her calling. "What is it, Rainbow? Are you hurt?"

Rainbow hovered beside her. "No, I'm fine, but Razor's hurt. It looks bad." Twilight's heart sank into her stomach. "Follow me," Rainbow said, leading the way.

When Twilight saw the pool of blood and the beaten and torn cyan body, she fell to her knees. "No, no, no no no no...."

Razor let out a weak cough, causing a little more blood to trickle from his muzzle. Opening his eyes just barely and seeing Twilight brought a weak smile to his face. "Hey there, good looking. Want to go out sometime?"

Twilight wiped her tears with a hoof. "Quiet, your wounds are bad. Quit talking and moving so I try to heal them," she said as her horn assumed its violet glow.

Razor's smile faded as he weakly lifted a hoof to place on hers. "Twilight, don't pretend. We both know the only way I'm leaving this forest is in a box."

"No. No, that's not true. You're going to be fine. I can heal you; you'll see," Twilight said in desperate denial.

"Twilight, listen to me. You've got to focus on using the Elements of Harmony to stop whatever's being summoned in that clearing." Razor's voice was reduced to a barely audible whisper, and even that much was a strain. "I've played my role, done what I could for my country, and met the most amazing mare in Equestria." He lifted a shaking hoof to Twilight's cheek. "I've got no regrets."

"But....but even if I can't save you, the princess can! She can do anything! She can raise the sun, surely she can-"

"Twilight."

"-save you, I mean-"

"Twilight, listen."

"...yes?"

"Everypony dies eventually. My time came sooner that I expected, but I knew it would come eventually. I'm just glad I got to see you before I go." Razor's voice was losing even more strength. Not long now... "I love you, Twilight."

"I..." Twilight had to force herself to speak around the lump in her throat. "I...I love you, too. We'll beat it. I promise, I'll beat that demon, no matter what."

"I know you will." Razor looked up at Twilight. His lips curled up into a smile. He took another shallow, ragged breath. In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Author's Note:

All credit (at least for my use of the phrase) for "weaponized friendship" to describe the power of the Elements of Harmony goes to ‎Chengar Qordath's Life and Times of a Winning Pony. I read it in one of those chapters and thought it was the funniest thing.

Yes, that was a Starfox 64 reference. No, I'm not apologizing for breaking the mood with that silliness.

Comments

[butterfield pancake]

3227717 Don't forget she was draining love Power from Shining armour

[Phys]

[Tryhard McFatface]

aaaaaaaaaaand martyr.