private Legend of The Guardians

[Manard 7]

Apples had been dashing from corridor to corridor, gantry to shaft in an effort to find the bridge in the utterly alien environment of the ship. He felt a stone in his stomach which grew with every second he was lost. Eventually he managed to follow red signage to the front of the ship. Alarms were wailing, and the canyon crew were more interested in evacuating than the grey-stubbled stallion with panicked green eyes.

As he approached the opening to the bridge, he noticed a biting breeze and glare. His eyes adjusted as he stumbled into the gouged control centre, the ship groaning. They widened when they lay upon Hirsan's shrivelled figure confided by Skytracker.

 

"HIR-SAN!"

He galloped forwards shaking his head. He had missed it. All because he got lost. His mind conjured up images of Hirsan's figure disappearing into a doorway with a knife in his mouth; the last time he saw him alive.

 

He knelt down next to Hirsan and Skytracker, blinking to define the smears brought by his watering eyes. Snow swirled around them from the breach.

 

"Ah- ah'm sorry, Hirsan. Ah'm sorry ah wasn't there for yuh- for y'all...when yuh most needed me."

Apples glanced up to see Canterlot rapidly approaching. He lowered himself down to Hirsan and closed his eyes, resigned to his fate with grief.

***

 

Meanwhile in the engine room, Phoenix grew increasingly nervous. He stood up shortly after Apples left, holding onto a control panel to support himself given the lurch of the ship. His eyes darted from his team members to the charges. He bit his lip and shook his head, before calling out.

 

"We're aborting. Something's happened at the bridge, and this ship is going down. Nobody is going to defuse these- we probably won't even have to detonate them. On me, double time."

 

He galloped out the door with the other five in tow. Despite occasional stumbles, their hooves made a steady rhythm on the lightweight flooring. They filed out into the brisk air of the hanger. There were no Gyros, only equipment and tools strewn across the snow-dusted interior. Phoenix turned to his squad.

"Sapphire, Rose. You'll be grabbing Archer and Beeper respectively. Jump out the hanger and put those wings to good use; glide as far as you can."

 

Rose frowned, realising the implication of the order, "And what about you? Or Redager?"

 

Phoenix turned his head to make eye contact with the large unicorn. Before Phoenix could speak, he was cut off.

 

"Don't worry about a thing, lass. I gotcha, Phoenix- I'm too heavy to carry. Just the numbers."

 

"Red and I will find a way. You don't have much time, now go."

 

Blue Rose stepped forward, "One more thing before we leave."

 

"No t-" Before Phoenix could finish, Rose moved in for a kiss. His eyes had been closed; powerless to stop it. Just as the Crimson Raider won her fights, she fought her stallions. Phoenix, taken aback by such a gesture uncommon to him. Yet, it was all he ever wished for. His life had been tirades by superiors, the company of stallions; exercises of bloodlust followed by sleepless nights. The exchange only lasted a few seconds, though felt like the rest of his lifetime.

 

Rose smirked. "Just in case, bud." She turned to Beeper, motioning him forward as she began towards the exit. "Alright Beeps, welcome to Rose airlines. Today we will be taking off from Canyon airship, weather conditions are a lil' windy today, so expect some turbulence..." Her voice grew harder to hear over the roar of the wind as she moved off with Beeper in tow. Archer shrugged to Sapphire, who followed shortly after nodding farewell.

 

Redager's hoof gave Phoenix a friendly knock on the back, which knocked him out of his stunned stupor. "You lad, are in."

He grinned and looked around. "Now, there's gotta be some parachutes or somethin' around here. If not, I sure hope you got some fancy spells up in that horn o' yours."

***

Jex knelt in the buffeting snow, trying to keep watch for canyon soldiers as evacuees from Canterlot fled past him. The sniper glanced up to the dark figure of the heavily listing airship, barely visible in the near-whiteout. 

"By the Shaper, I hope he makes it outta this one."

Edited July 28, 2016 by Manard

[FullMetalParagon 80]

Rearguard looked over at Jex, dragging him close.

 

"No regrets, right? No time to review our past mistakes!" With a quick motion, she planted a kiss right on Jex's lips, smiling as she dragged the stunned stallion away. The airship began to slow as it hit the massive shield that covered Canterlot, though it did not show signs of stopping.

[Manard 7]

Jex smirked in tow of Rearguard. "Yeah, no regrets."

Sporadic gunfire and explosions continued over the frozen Canterlot plateau as the motley group of fighters and refugees fled down the mountains towards the closest settlement; the outskirts of Ponyville.

 

Many glanced back towards the great contesting of forces. The shield over Canterlot glowed a bright, luminescent gold in the snow. It buckled slightly as the ship began to impact. The question remained: which would break first? The shield, or the ship?

 

***

 

Shortly beforehand, Phoenix and Redager frantically searched for a mode of escape. The latter glanced outside the hanger, seeing the ground approach rapidly. He whistled to his remaining squad member, calling across the empty space over the wind.

 

"Red, I might know a way. It's risky, but there's no time for anything else."

The two bunched up on the edge, buffeted by ice-cold wind and snow. Phoenix closed his eyes, and they jumped, beginning a hurtling descent towards the white below them.

Phoenix concentrated on his horn and magic, blocking out the pummelling wind and ice. He envisioned the components of the spell, and began pulling together the corners of the different elements.

His horn began to glow and spark, as an orange bubble surrounded the two. Redager, though unsure of Phoenix's plan, began to fortify the ward with his own magic. He continued to shout euphemisms.

Phoenix looked down, seeing the powder below rush up to meet them. He screwed up his face, and envisioned the space below them. The air began to warp and crackle, melting the top layer of snow. A large jet fire spontaneously materialised, roaring over the wind. He screamed through gritted teeth, simultaneously attempting to balance between the strength of the jet and the shield.

The hot air rushing up from the flame brushed around the shield, like a meteorite entering the atmosphere. The shield slowed, but began to list to one side. Phoenix collapsed as the shield warped and the flame died down, violently spitting them out into the snow, rendering both unconscious from the impact.

[Ironwood 21]

As the ship began to plummet down, Dark Neigh and Imp finally arrived at the scene, covered in blood from fighting soldiers. Skytracker was still sitting by Hirsan's body, paralyzed with sorrow.

 

o"There you are, lassie! We've been lookin' all over for you. C'mon, we gotta g..." Imp became shocked. when he got closer to Hirsan. "Wait... is that Hirsan? No, I can't believe it..."

 

The ship was shaking violently upon impact with the force barrier. The barrier was about to break, but ship would explode in a matter of seconds. Dark Neigh spoke as his horn began to emit dark, fiery energies.

 

*"Time is growing short, little ones. We need to leave, lest hell will swallow us all". A portal made from dark-purple fire appeared in front of him. He gestured to the others to enter it. Imp felt a little intimidated over entering it, but still grabbed Skytracker, forcing her to give up Hirsan's body, and jumped inside the portal with her. In a flash of bright light, they all appeared safe and sound on ground level behind the force barrier. From there they could see the ship penetrating the barrier, but it didn't come far as the explosion pretty much consumed he entire ship, leaving only bigger parts raining down from he sky. Imp stared in disbelief over the whole situation.

 

o"Well, I'll be... We did it. And still have our heads attached. We lost Hirsan, but we still managed to stop he Great Canyon and their mad schemes. Manachin and Celestia needs hear of this....

 

One of the soldiers walked up to Imp and saluted to him. Imp saluted back and asked:

 

o"What do you have to report, soldier?"

 

-"Something terrible has happened. It's... its hard to explain. While you were gone, there was a bright light coming from the top of the palace. We sent two squads to investigate it, but... They haven't come back. And we were forced to hold our positions outside in case of an attack."

 

((Ok, at this point I had for a long time planned for one last big fight before the RP ends. But if you all wish to wrap up this RP quickly, we can skip this part.)))

[FullMetalParagon 80]

Rearguard galloped up, Jex in tow. Though the shield had been strong enough to withstand the impact of the massive airship, it had broken in a few places, allowing those who had been trapped outside the shield to enter in.

 

"What do you mean they haven't come back? What-" A sword slammed into the ground beside her, still chanting and glowing. She slowly moved over, as if possessed by something else entirely. Picking it up, she lifted it high, staring into the clouds.

 

"'With the sacrifice of Hirsan, I will sacrifice myself if need be to end the winter.'" She slid the sword through straps on her back before holding her head. Shaking it, she looked at the rest.

 

"Just what in Equestria did I just say?"

[Manard 7]

Jex raised an eye, his worn rifle swinging as he paced forward, looking at the enchanted blade on Rearguard's back.

"Now, I dunno much about Equestrian magics, but I think Hirsan's... element has chosen you."

 

The Canyonite's ear swivelled at the sound of hooves through snow, materialising through the howling of wind. He turned his head to see Phoenix's squad galloping towards the group, minus two members.

 

Apples frowned, "Where's Red? N' Phoenix?"

 

Sapphire glanced to the columns of smoke rising in the near distance, "We're not sure. I presume they have made their escape via some other means. If not... well, I hope they've found peace."

 

Jex turned back to the soldier standing in front of Imp. "Something fishy's going on by the sounds of it."

 

***

 

Redager slowly came to, forcing his frozen eyelids open. He groaned as he rolled over, spotting Phoenix's limp figure steaming in the snow next to him. As the large highlander got to his hooves, he began to shake.

 

He gritted his teeth. "C'mon, Red. You've grown up in colder stuff, lad."

 

Red's horn glowed, using telekinesis to lift Phoenix over his back. With a grunt, he set off trudging in the snow towards Canterlot.

[Ironwood 21]

Imp sighed and shook his head in frustration.

 

-"Like things couldn't get any weirder. Now I kinda regret ever leavin' the taverns and the wenches for this lifestyle." He pulled out a comm-radio and attempted to reach Manachin, but there was no response at all. Imp threw his radio at the ground in anger. "Dammit! Manachin never turns off his radio. It must've been destroyed. Why can't things ever go our way...?"

 

He turned back to the soldier. "You. Send word for all the other squads to rally inside the palace throne room.. With the enemy army disbanded and crippled, 'ere is no need to keep up the defensive formation." The soldier nodded and ran off. Imp turned to the rest of the group. "I don't understand, but I think we are in some deep shit. There is something up there, capable of taking out two squads of soldiers. How could it have gotten into the palace? Not only through our soldiers, but the magic barrier as well. But we aren't going to stick around. We're goin' in right now. Together we should be able to take on whatever foe that stands in our way."

 

Everypony entered the palace and made their way to the throne room. The whole area was filled with immense, dark power, putting everypony on edge. As they got closer, they could even smell smoke. When they finally arrived at the throne room, they were hit with the macabre sight of broken, mangled and even burnt bodies of many soldiers scattered all across the halls. At the center of the room stood a large, black covered pony with glowing veins covering its body. It looked up upon everypony else and spoke with a demonic, taunting voice:

 

*"Welcome. I have been waiting for you... my little ponies."

[FullMetalParagon 80]

Rearguard stared at the pony that used to be Celestia, what looked like living tectonic plates moving across her skin, flowing around glowing veins.

 

"That... that isn't your Princess anymore, Equestrians. That's a whole lot of living tectonic action waiting to strike."

[Manard 7]

Apples stared solemnly at the once-Celestia before him. He withdrew Forbearance, the magical blade glowing a bright gold.

 

"So, y'all are to blame for this?"

 

The entity snarled. He glanced to his right, spotting Sacrifice glowing red on Rearguard's back.

 

Apples took a step closer. "We're gonna fix this. We're gonna stop you, and we're gonna put Equestria back together. Maybe not days, or years, or decades. Mark muh words, it'll be done."

[Ironwood 21]

The dark Princess Celestia began to laugh maniacally and then stopped abruptly. Her evil, bloodthirsty stare struck everypony's heart in the room.

 

-"I AM your Princess! Your rightful sovereign! That fool Manachin thought he could usurp my throne? Never!"

 

Black tendrils came out of her back and grabbed a body underneath her. It was Manachin, beaten and bloodied. One of his legs was completely twisted. She lifted up his body and threw him at the hooves of the group. A faint breath of air could be heard from him. Celestia continued on:

 

-"This is what awaits those who defy me! Those loyal to me will be rewarded. Those who oppose me... will be DESTROYED!!"

 

Her very aura around her sent fear and doubt into everypony. But Dark Neigh unsheathed Devotion, with its glow increasing along with his enthusiasm.

 

*"You reek of delicious, evil power. Finally, a worthy opponent!"

 

Imp shook of the feeling of terror and held his shotgun ready. His horn emitted electric sparks which spread to the rest of his body.

 

o"I dun care if you're the princess or not. You're completely corrupted and insane. The future of Equestria requires your death!"

 

The Princess seemed to become even more infuriated.

 

-"So this is what you choose? Such a pity. You would have made for great subjects..."

 

The air around the room felt thicker and everypony felt heavier. Skytracker, who was still on a moment of shock, completely snapped out of it with the sudden change. Like reality itself had been altered. Celestia's eyes glowed even brighter and summoned more tendrils from her body. She spoke as if her voice got even deeper and slowed down:

 

-"....instead you all will know.... that there are far worse fates than death!"

 

In a flash, she launched all her tendrils to attack the group. Skytracker managed to dodge them, but one of them cut deep into her left leg.

[FullMetalParagon 80]

Rearguard danced around the tendrils, slicing them with Sacrifice as she pushed others out of the way. With a dash, she caught Skytracker, dragging her off to the side.

 

"Medic! Tend to her leg! The rest of us Guardians will handle this!" She let Sacrifice hum as she raised it to the sky.

 

"We may only be three of the Silent Elements, but we can still end this!"

[Manard 7]

Beeper's ears instinctively perked up at the call for a medic, and came rushing over to Skytracker to provide aid, narrowly missing a dark tendril.

 

The others were all engaged in a dance of death, dodging and slashing the tendrils. One of them took hold of Blue Rose, who yelped as it tightened around her flesh. Sapphire was quick to grab hold, followed by Archer, who hacked at the dark tentacle with a machete.

 

Jex targeted different points on the Princess with his rifle, hoping to inflict some damage.

 

Apples gripped Forbearance in his mouth, the white-blue glow emanating from the large frozen window bathing the room in a light reminiscent of the first battle of the Cycle War between Ponyville and Manehatten. The sword shone a brighter yellow as he growled and sliced tendrils as the neared him, eliciting a sizzling noise and a horrid burning smell. Each one recoiled in pain. He, much like November, had never wanted to harm. Yet, both would come to lose count of those they had killed. Cradled in Apples' passive nature was a burning passion, an anger forebeared. Gone was the simple life of the farm and town, the Apple family torn in half; lost to fire. He had been content to harvest apples for the rest of his life. Instead, an entity- a force set on the destruction of good will, had turned Equestria against itself. Every strike of his sword divided those remaining to be avenged, yet there were not enough tendrils to satisfy the equation...

 

Apples realised Rearguard was holding Hirsan's element to the sky, awaiting the others. He closed his eyes, and followed her example, channelling his part of power necessary to combine into the weapon that would give them a chance at finishing it all.

 

***

 

Shivering, Redager looked up into the whiteness, picturing the Windigoes above the clouds feeding on the colossal volumes of discontent produced by the conflict. "We better sort this out quick-smart, start making amends, or else we freeze."

 

As if to reiterate the point, a strong gust buffeted the large pony, causing him to halt in the snow. Once it subsided, he looked up to spot the palace in the near-distance. A strange light leaked from the cracks in the door. Phoenix groaned on Redager's back, still out cold.

Edited August 11, 2016 by Manard

[Ironwood 21]

Skytracker declined Beeper's assistance and pointed to Manchin's broken body.

 

-"No, help Manachin. He needs it more than I do. I have been through worse..."

 

She joined the rest of the Guardians in their attempt to take down Celestia. She took several bullet wounds but seemed to regenerate rapidly, making every shot seem futile. Imp got caught by several tendrils and started to violently choke him until his bones crunched and blood was gushing out of his mouth. In a desperate attempt to escape, he sent a concentrated electric shock from his horn through his entire body, frying all the tendrils holding him and Celestia herself, making her stagger and drop everypony she caught. Dark Neigh saw an opening for an attack while she was stunned and charged at her with Devotion in his hooves. With a mighty lunge, the blade penetrated through her heart. A moment of silence filled the hall until her evil laughter echoed loudly. Her body radiated brightly and a burst of energy was released, making Devotion fling across the hall and slammed Dark Neigh to the ground. Celestia sent forth a barrage of tendrils to attack him as he tried to get back up. He tried to fend them off with fire magic, but there was too many of them and eventually his entire body got impaled by dozens of tendrils. She lifted him in front of her, and spoke with a malicious tone:

 

*"It is time for you to return where you belong, demonspawn!"

 

The tendrils began to pull and tear in opposite directions. Dark Neigh screamed in agony as the tendrils split him in half. His blood splattered all cross Celestia's content face and she tossed the body halves to the side. Devotion's glow completely ceased and the blade was completely dead. All the Guardians were rendered speechless over the gruesome death of one of the Elements. Nopony could help but feel terror and despair as Celestia laughed manically and victorious.

 

*"You think I will let you stop me?! Like you did with my sister? I shall rid the Elements from the face of this world! Nothing will stand in my path!!"

[FullMetalParagon 80]

Rearguard stood up, slowly moving towards Devotion. As she stood there, she could see the spirit of Dark Neigh, floating with the sword. She looked around. The world had seemed to stop for a moment.

 

Everywhere she looked, she could see spirits of the dead fighting. The same fight happening over and over between the Elements and the Nightmare. Sometimes the spirits would win, other times they died, and another set replaced them, the battle repeating endlessly. It clicked in her head, finally, what had happened.

 

"So, the Elements are linked, somehow, to the Nightmare. The Nightmare intrinsically linked to the end of the world. The Elements..."

 

"Were once a great weapon, young one." Six spirits walked into view, all decked out in plate armor, three mares and three stallions.

 

"We found them in a great wheel, one that depicted a battle between the World Eater, what you refer to as 'Nightmare,' and those that hold the Elements. In our time, they were known as the Primordial Elements, the six that governed magic in our time." Rearguard backed up, Sacrifice glowing as she neared Devotion.

 

"T-that would make you t-the- the Knights of Balance! The original holders of the Elements long before Celestia, or Luna, or even the War of the Three Tribes!" Devotion began to glow as she stepped nearer, her hoof picking it up without her even knowing it.

 

"You, Hirsan, nay, all of you who held the Elements were descended from our number. We were arbiters of justice, bringers of peace. She may be naught but stone, fire, and ash, but she was once equine, so remember that. Hold both of those Elements high, Rearguard." She noticed she was holding the two swords, although they seemed to want to touch. With a shock, they joined, the blade becoming much longer, but much lighter as well.

 

"The Sword of the Elements. The only weapon that can hurt a Nightmare."

 

----------------------------

 

Rearguard stared around, holding the Twin-Element sword. Looking at Apples, she frowned.

 

"We need all of the Elements! T-they combine into something called the Sword of the Elements! With that, we can stop this once and for all!"

[Manard 7]

Apples nodded mutely, accurately tossing his element towards Rearguard. As it grew nearer, an unseen force pulled it in almost magnetically, the sword grew larger, and brighter; a third stone was added to the crossguard. He threw off a saddle bag, and removed Volition, and Trust, wincing at the memories they returned. The earth pony had safe guarded them both as magical artefacts, and essences of his former friends. He hurriedly threw November and Whitewing's elements in a similar manner to his own. They both connected with the sword, adding to its awe. It now had five coloured gems at the base; just one was missing.

 

He narrowly ducked under a tendril, and rolled out of the way. Apples called out.

"Where's Shadowbreeze's element? Abs-something-ness?

[Ironwood 21]

Dark Neigh’s body halves slowly disintegrated into small, blue light-particles that vanished in the air. One of the particles, that glowed golden, lingered and slowly floated to the incomplete Sword of the Elements. The small, bright light expanded into the shape of a sword. Under its glow revealed the Element of Abstruseness and merged itself with the rest of the Elements, making it complete. Dark Neigh’s body had been completely evaporated leaving only blood, his rag clothing and his mask containing great, demonic power. Celestia launched another tendril attack, but this time it was directed at the blade itself. Several of them grabbed hold of the blade and pulled it towards her.

 

*"I’ll be taking that pesky thing. You worms would not know how to use its power anyways.”

 

The Guardians charged at Celestia to reclaim the sword. But then she stomped her hooves on the floor with such force it created a massive shockwave which tripped over every single pony around her. Skytracker avoided the ripple by lifting herself in the air. Celestia smiled satisfyingly while almost everypony was put to the ground.

 

*"Yes, that’s better…” She held up the blade with her magic and dark energies consumed it, suppressing its glow and slowly disintegrating the blade. “When I destroy this thing, the Elements will be released, never to be found again. Then I can begin my mission... for conquest!"

 

Being the only pony left to stop her, Skytracker dove from the air at Celestia. As she got close to the princess, she got blasted with a searing, purple beam. Skytracker's hide and flesh burned away, but she pushed through the beam and tacked Celestia and proceeded to furiously bite and tear her throat open. The sword was released from her energies and regained its strong glow quickly. Celestia blasted her again with the beam and pushed her away from her with her tendrils. Now the princess was frantically gasping for air and coughing up buckets of blood. She could barley speak properly as she was trying to crawl for the sword

 

*"D-damn you... miserable w-whelp... If only... I c-can... get the... sword..."

[FullMetalParagon 80]

Rearguard tried to get up, slowly crawling towards the glowing sword when a hoof stepped in her way. The hooded cloak over his head, the black vest he never seemed to be rid of, and the glint in his eyes that he had a plan. Deadwood stepped towards Celestia, his smile fading as he looked her over.

 

"A lot of my friends died today, Celestia. They gave their lives to get this here." He glanced over at Skytracker, scrambling in the corner as she fought with a tentacle that was slowly wrapping around her. In a flurry of motion, he dived to the side, the sword sliding into his hoof.

 

"Hirsan told me a while ago about the Sword, and the deadly cost of using it." It began to glow as he lifted it, heavy chanting filling the air.

 

"This sword uses the very essence of the one that wields it to fuel a massive attack that will stop any opponent, but at the cost of the wielder's life. Hirsan was planning to use it, but he's gone." Deadwood looked back at his friends, all of the ones who were still standing. He stared down at Celestia, tears falling from his eyes.

 

"I give my life, so that you may be free, Celestia." With a stabbing motion, Deadwood began to glow, the room filling with a massive burst of energy, flecks of light floating off of Deadwood as a shadow lifted from Celestia. He smiled at Skytracker as a glowing spirit detached from him, floating over to her.

 

"I'm sorry about what's going to happen, but this happens. This happened before, and it will happen again. One sacrifices themselves for the good of all so that the many may survive, even if an eternal winter is what we have to look forward to." With a flash, Deadwood disappeared, along with the Sword and Hirsan's spirit.

[Ironwood 21]

Princess Celestia had been restored to her original form as she was freed from the corruption. She did not open her mouth, but her voice ehcoed in the room.

>"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. I failed you all. You did what you had to do. And for that, I am eternally grateful for all your sacrifices. But it is time to set things right." A bright gold light consumed all of Celestia. "The world doesn't deserve me. But I will continue to serve it. As for Equestria, I leave it in the capable hooves of my subjects. Hard times are ahead, but in your hearts, I see a purity grater than mine. You will prevail." The light around Celestia focused itself into the shape of a beam that launched itself through the roof and into the sky. It pierced the thick clouds covering up the sun and sunlight shone upon the city once more. Celestia was gone...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Imp limped over to Skytracker to check on her. Most of the flesh around her face and upper body had completely burnt away, even so much that pieces of her skeleton was revealed. She was barley hanging on to life, only being kept alive by her vampirism. But this could not last. Imp swore under his breath and panicked.

o"Bloody hell! Skytracker, ya crazy lass..." He waved over for the medic to come over! "Quick! Move yer arse over here! She needs medical attention, quick!"

[inside Skytracker's mind]

Skytracker found herself in an empty space. He mind was dull and at complete peace, like she just woke up from a dream. A familiar voice echoed, calling out her name over and over. She responded by confirming the identity of the voice:

-"Nebilac...?

*"My apprentice. My little whelp. You have done your part so well. You helped save the world and have avenged me. I see now I made the right choice in extending your life. And I am so proud of you..."

-"Where are you, you snake...?"

*"Do not worry. We will see each other very soon."

-"What? Is this... the end...?"

*"For us, sadly not. Our path to the afterlife is going to be a longer one than for most everyone. I know you long to see your loved ones and I am so sorry to have done this to you. But fear not. I swore that I will find freedom. And even in death, I still fight on. And I will free you too. I promise you..."

[back in the real world]

The medic was trying to tend to Skytracker as Imp held her up, but her body began to quickly turn dry and grey. Imp panicked even more as he saw her littlerally crumble into dust in his hooves.

o"What! No... NO! FUCK! NO! NOT YOU TOO!!!"

There was nothing to be done. In a few seconds, her corpse turned into a dust pile, with only her clothes remaining intact. Imp lowered his head with tears flowing from his eys.

o"Shit. We defeated the corruption and saved the world. But at such a heavy price. What will become of us all now...?"

Edited September 4, 2016 by Ironwood

[FullMetalParagon 80]

Rearguard stared out the window, her expression devoid of emotion. Bodies lay on the grounds outside, the sun barely holding back the advance of the snow. Standing up, she turned to those who still stood, her eyes filled with a sadness very few would ever feel.

 

"A pyrrhic victory at best, Imp. But the snow, it still comes." The window slammed open, a cold wind blowing through as the clouds once more covered the sun, blocking out the light. Several soldiers came running in, led by a Canyon soldier.

 

"Captain Rearguard, ma'am! The Chancellor, he's-" She whipped around, staring them directly in the eye. Her anger at the Canyon soldier and his compatriots made him wane quickly, crawling backwards along the ground.

 

"Dead, I know. Tell me, where is the nearest safe zone?"

 

"The U-Unterlot Cavern, but I don't see-"

 

"Get every soldier together, get everypony you can down there. We have to get out of the path of this storm."

 

"But ma'am, that is several kilometers outside of Canterlot!" Rearguard stared at them, her gaze wearing them down.

 

"Get. Them. Into. That. Cavern. Now!"

[Manard 7]

The icy throne room was sparingly marked with coagulating smears and spatters of blood and ichor. Beeper's alert amber eyes darted across the room, his ears on a swivel as he dashed back and fourth administering aid to those he could. Archer groaned, lying curled up in a pool of his own scarlet liquid he covered a puncture wound with a wad of rags. Jex had galloped over to help a fellow sharpshooter, and was making occasional mummured conversation with him. Beeper arrived, his horn glowing sky blue as he began the superficial healing process. In another corner, Blue Rose was infatuated with the benevolent look of peace on Sapphire's unconscious face, despite the streak of blood that had congealed from her head. At some point she had been hit by a tendril, and knocked out cold. Perhaps never to wake up. Rose prepared to hoist the casualty onto her back as she picked up the end of Rearguard's conversation. After checking on his posse members, Apples stopped to catch his breath, which was sending plumes of condensation into the dead air.

 

Redager arrived in the throne room with Phoenix on his back shortly after the Canyon soldiers. "Well shite."

[Ironwood 21]

Imp limped up to Manachin, who had miraculously survived Celestia's assault on him. He was wrapped up in bandage and was ready to be carried out. He was still too weak to speak and could only make feint wheezes. But Imp knew what he tried to ask for.

-"Its over, milord. The crazed mastermind behind the Wendigos is dead. And so is Celestia. The worst has come to pass. I hope. But we gotta leave for shelter, away from the cold."

 

Once everypony had readied up, the made their way to the extensive cave system underneath Canterlot. It was a cold and dank place, but still warmer than above and no Wendigos around. All the civilians and wounded soldiers had had been moved there to safety. When they saw that Manachin was wounded and being carried, and Celestia wasn't with them, the seeds of concern and fright started to grow in their hearts. This made Imp scared himself. The last thing they needed was panic in the already overcrowded caverns. The group arrived at the soldier's tents and they were quick to have to wounded tended for. Imp sat down by the fire and coughed up a pint of blood. His whole body was aching in massive pain with cracked, and even broken, bones and other internal damages. Imp clenched his teeth and then chuckled it off.

 

-"Shit... I could really go for some booze to dull this pain, hehe." He turned to Rearguard, trying to conceal his pain with an optimistic smile. "Well, ain't this a cozy place, eh? Good enough for now, but we cant stay here for too long. Our food supply will only last us so long. If memory serves me right, this place used to be an old mine. Are there even any other exits out of this place, other than the way we came from?"

[FullMetalParagon 80]

Rearguard looked at the cavern walls, running her hoof along grooves in the wall.

 

"I once came here as a young filly, mapping out the caverns with Deadwood, one of the few Equestrians allowed inside Great Canyon before the war. I loved to hear him talk about where he had been, what he had mapped. Ah, there it is. The mark he had me make." With a quick twist, she removed the stone in the wall, a boulder sliding out of place. Motioning to the other ponies there, she took a flashlight from one of the surviving guards, shining it straight down.

 

"It's a long walk from here, but we'll be able to make it. There's a small camp with fabrication facilities once we reach Unterlot Cavern." She looked back, her eyes darting back and forth until she noticed somepony that was not there.

 

"Where's Fleet Whitewing?" She turned around, looking at the various ponies around. Entering the cave tunnel, she was stopped by a pony corpse, a pegasus. The name on the uniform gave everything she needed to know.

 

In front of her, lost for years, was Fleet Whitewing, one of the Guardians from during the Cycle War.

Edited September 11, 2016 by FullMetalParagon

[Manard 7]

Redager tended to his squadmates, and assisted with moving the wounded around in the cold dim. Jex left Archer at the infirmary, and sat down at the fire, rubbing his eyes.

Apples squinted at the corpse of Fleet, speaking in a hushed voice. "Darn. What happened to 'em? Actually, what was he doin' down 'ere?"

 

[Ironwood 21]

Imp sluggishly rose up and walked over to the body, examining it for anything of interest. Other than his uniform, he had nothing else on his person.

 

-"No idea. But we better give him a proper burial then. It's the least we could do. Since we can't take the body to the surface, his grave will have to be here. In the cold dark."

 

The whole area was made of solid stone, making it difficult to dig a grave. Instead, smaller rocks were gathered so that they could create a dome around his body. While it was being build, Imp found big but flat rock to use as gravestone. With a hunting knife, he carved in Fleet's full name, date of death, his title, and a little bit of history. At the end of the gravestone he added: "May his soul find it's way to his ancestors, where he will be greeted with pride and honor". Once the gravestone was finished it was mounted on top of the stone grave.

 

-"Not the prettiest thing, eh? But this is how they used to bury the great heroes and lords of old. I guess it's fitting enough." Imp held a moment of silence before he withdrew back to the fire to rest.

Edited September 18, 2016 by Ironwood

[FullMetalParagon 80]

Rearguard took a knife from another soldier, carving Fleet's name into the stone.

 

"We should hold this as a memorial, for any who pass, that this is Whitewing Cave, where the last original Guardian fell. The Guardians are no more. The Elements are no more."

 

"How then, milady, are we to proceed?" Rearguard turned and looked at the Equestrian that had asked.

 

"We move posthaste to Unterlot Caverns. Once there, we'll at least attempt to set up some kind of shelter. Who knows how long that blizzard will last for?"