The Balance of Harmony

We woke the next morning, sky still grey and dim, and climbed into the cold disc.  I shivered slightly as I settled myself into the seat in the center, wrapping my cloak around me in an effort to keep warm.  I looked around at the others.  Applejack was looking to the east towards our destination, her cloak and long blonde hair blowing out in the chill morning wind, and her ever-present hat flapping on her head.  She was a sight to behold, arms folded, a long dagger in her belt, apple-decorated rifle slung over her back, and two handguns strapped to her side.  She shifted slightly, and I was able to see her face, still decorated with the long scars from Nightmare Moon’s fingernails.  I knew that under her clothing, her body was also covered in long scars from our ordeal under the Crystal Palace, and if these gave her any pain, she refused to let it show.

Fluttershy was in the process of double-checking our supplies, making certain that everything was strapped in properly.  Her cloak fluttered in the wind as well, her long pale pink hair flowing behind her.  Her face still bore traces of the kindness of old, but her eyes were hardened by the hardship and loss we had all endured.  She now carried herself with a confidence that I had never seen in the old Fluttershy, handling herself with ease as she moved about the disc.  She too wore a long dagger in her belt, one of the pair of Pinkie Pie’s that we had recovered and Applejack carried the twin to.  Strapped to her side were her two butterfly-decorated handguns.  I knew that she too was scarred under her clothing, as we all were, though the only traces that could be seen were when she shifted her arms just right, exposing her scarred wrists.

I blinked back unexpected tears as I watched them before getting ready to pilot the disc.  “Ready, girls?” I called.  They nodded, and sat down next to me as I poured my magic into the disc, purple aura surrounding us, and we lifted off into the sky, heading straight for Dragon Mountain.

Up in the air once more, we flew calmly, chatting as we went.  It took the better part of two days to reach the mountain, which much like the castle of Camelot, rose out of the ground like a deadly spike, smoke issuing from the tip.  As we approached, we could see dragons flying about the mountain, roaring and snapping at each other, letting loose the occasional gout of fire.  We flew as close to the mountain as we dared and hovered for a little while, inspecting the mountain and trying to see if there was an obvious path to the top.  Using a telescope that Cadence had provided us, we inspected the base of the mountain, locating a pathway that we thought we could use that seemed to run up the side.

Just as Applejack had put the telescope away, Fluttershy let out a cry of alarm, and I looked up to see a large blue dragon plummeting towards us, claws extended and wings flapping.  We screamed, and I immediately took the disc into an evasive maneuver, looping up away from those claws.  The dragon flew past us, opening its wings wide in an attempt to change course, and we flew up high in an attempt to get away as quickly as possible.  The dragon flapped its wings hard, rising much faster than I had expected, and let loose with a blast of fire, which I rolled the disc in an attempt to avoid.

Fluttershy and Applejack were jostled around like rag dolls, holding on tightly to the safety straps.  “Dammit, Twilight, you’re trying to lose the dragon, not us!” screamed Applejack.  I glared back at her, but held back a retort as I concentrated hard on keeping the disc moving while the dragon came by for another attack.  I waited until it was almost right on top of us before dropping my levitation field suddenly and we plummeted towards the ground out of its reach as my friends screamed.  I powered the field up once more, slowing our fall as gently as I could, skimming the tops of the trees.  I watched with a grim satisfaction as the dragon slammed into the trees ahead of us, driving up a large cloud of dust and debris.

We floated just above the treetops, resting for a moment, and I turned the disc towards the mountain, flying us away from the dragon.  Suddenly, I saw a flash of movement, and the dragon’s claws were streaking towards us faster than I could react.  The claws sliced through the disc as if it were paper, somehow missing us all, but cutting the disc into three pieces.  I struggled to keep the pieces together while keeping us afloat and making sure that my friends stayed on board.  “Hang on, girls!” I cried while forcing every ounce of speed I dared from the disc as it broke apart, aiming us for the side of the mountain and the pathway we had spotted earlier.

I spotted the pathway about a quarter of the way up, and made a split second decision.  “Jump!” I called, standing up on the wobbling disc.  Applejack and Fluttershy didn’t even stop to think and leapt from the pieces they were standing on.  I immediately dropped my spell from those pieces, and they flew away from the one I was standing on, crashing into the side of the mountain as I launched myself into the air, removing my spell from the disc completely and reaching out for my friends as we fell.  I was able to grab them out of the air, carefully slowing them so that they weren’t injured by a sudden stop.  I heard the sudden crash and tearing of metal as the portion I had been sitting on struck the mountain.

Carefully bringing my friends over to me, we floated down to the mountainside as quickly as I dared, trying not to show the dragons that we had survived the crash.  We had gotten enough attention from the noise of the crashing disc, but we were able to avoid the searching eyes of the few that came over to investigate by hiding under an outcropping and pulling our cloaks over ourselves.  After waiting long enough for the dragons to lose interest, we pulled ourselves up and started up the side of the mountain.

It was a tense hike, slow going and full of stops to hide from swooping dragons.  Fortunately, we were small enough to not draw attention to ourselves, and our cloaks camouflaged us enough that we were able to avoid confrontation with the fliers.  It was the ground-dwelling dragons that were the problem.  We had to move carefully when we encountered one of those.  We were able to sneak past a few of them, as they were either sleeping or distracted.  One I even levitated out of the way as its massive bulk took up the entire trail.  We had to be very careful when moving near the mountain itself, as the sides of the mountain were interspersed with what looked like large rock spines that jutted out for a foot or two and had razor-sharp tips.  There were a couple of times where we brushed too close to one of them, coming away with shallow gashes, as the spines were even able to cut through our armored clothing.

It wasn’t completely smooth sailing as we made our way to the halfway point.  There was one particularly alert dragon that we weren’t able to sneak by, and ended up fighting our way through.  The three of us worked together well, Fluttershy providing a distraction with her guns and agility, giving Applejack enough time to take out the dragon’s eye with a well-placed shot.  I finished the dragon off by launching a fireball directly down its throat as it roared in pain, burning it up from within.

Looking back on it now, I think the ease with which we took out that dragon may have been our undoing.  It gave us a level of overconfidence that we took with us as we climbed the mountain.  If we had been able to take out a dragon that big without any trouble, what chance did any of the others stand?

It was another hour before we found ourselves at what looked like the halfway point.  As we hiked up the pathway, we came to a flat landing that hung over the side of the mountain further than any landing we had seen yet.  In the center was a very large dragon, one that looked like it had survived longer than any dragon we had yet seen.  It was coated in a dark, rocky skin that was covered in patches of lichen.  Spines jutted out from its back, looking much like the spines from the side of the mountain, and its tail ended in a large rocky club.  The vertical pupil of its dark green eye stared at us, its great crest swaying in the winds blowing about the mountain.  It pushed itself to its feet with a rumble, and stretched, yawning, but still keeping its eye on us.

Then he spoke, and his voice was like a small earthquake.

“Little humans,” he rumbled, glaring down at us.  “You dare to disturb the rest of Syrothrax?”

I stepped forward.  “We apologize for disturbing your rest, but we’re on our way to see your King.  We wish to speak with him regarding the element of Harmony that he holds.”

The dragon laughed, and the ground around us shook slightly.  A few small rocks dislodged from somewhere up the mountain, bouncing down and ricocheting off Syrothrax’s hide.  The dragon paid them no mind and spoke to us again.  “The Endless One has no need to deal with humans.  There is nothing that you could offer him that could make him listen to you.”

“Please, can you let us pass?” asked Fluttershy, trembling slightly, but mastering herself as the full weight of the dragon’s gaze turned upon her.  “We really don’t want to fight you, but we need to see your King.”

The dragon lowered his head until his eyes were level with us and glared, vertical pupils contracting to slits.  “You would fight?” he growled.  “You would fight Syrothrax?”

“If’n we truly had to,” Applejack growled back, standing firm.  “We’d really rather not, though.”

“You just might get your wish, little humans,” Syrothrax rumbled, drawing himself up to his full height, “for Syrothrax is the Endless One’s gatekeeper.  There are none who pass without Syrothrax’s approval.  And of you, Syrothrax does not approve.”  His crest flared up, and he let out a deafening roar, launching a blast of fire that radiated the heat of an inferno.  The flame washed over us as I was able to raise a shield just in time, protecting us from the blast.  When the fire stopped, I dropped the shield, and we rushed in together, weapons drawn.

We tried employing the same tactics that had served us well against the other dragon, but we quickly learned that Syrothrax was much more experienced than that other dragon had been, and he saw through our plan with ease.  He also moved much faster than we had expected, and we were soon reduced to dodging swipes from his claws and tail.

I dropped to the ground and rolled to the side, dodging a particularly close swipe from his claw.  Applejack followed behind it, loosing round after round at Syrothrax’s eyes, but the bullets just ricocheted off of his stony skin.  Fluttershy dodged as best as she could, and ran up to his side, leaping onto his leg in an attempt to get onto his back, using her dagger as leverage.  Along the way up, she fired point blank into his side, hoping to find a weak spot in the stony armor.  Trying to keep his attention, I rolled to my feet and launched a bolt of lightning at his face, electricity playing across his cheek, which caused him to roar in pain.

Finding a weak point, I launched bolt after bolt as quickly as I could, until I saw him shift quickly, flinging his tail in my direction.  Applejack was able to jump out of the way in time, but there was no way I was going to be able to easily dodge the strike.  I quickly teleported to the other side of the tail, and launched another bolt of lightning right at the base of his tail.  He roared, and lashed out with his rear claws, but I was ready for the attack and dodged to the side.

He suddenly spun around just as Fluttershy had reached his back, dislodging her and she fell, landing hard on the rocky ground.  Applejack saw her fall, and started to run over to her, firing quick shots at Syrothrax, hoping to keep him off balance.  I saw a few of her shots enter his open mouth, and he roared in pain.  I saw the fury on his rocky face, and he drew in a deep breath.

“Applejack!” I yelled, rushing over to her.  She had gotten about ten feet from me before she stopped dead, staring up at Syrothrax in terror.  I tackled her to the ground, quickly bringing up a shield just as Syrothrax let loose with another blast of flame.  As the flames washed over us, I saw Fluttershy getting to her feet, readying herself for another charge.  She never got the chance.  As I watched in horror, Syrothrax flicked his front foot forward, slapping her away.  She flew backwards through the air and landed directly on one of the mountain’s rock spines, impaled through the chest, guns clattering to the ground.

“FLUTTERSHY!” I screamed.  I pushed myself up off of Applejack, who was staring at her broken body in horror.  I rushed over to her, unsure of what I could do, but determined to do something to save her.  She hung there, suspended on the rocky point, looking dazed and confused, blood bubbling from her lips, her long pink hair matted with blood.  “Fluttershy…” I gasped, reaching her and grabbing her hand.  Tears were streaming down my face, and she looked over at me, smiling weakly.

“I’m sorry, Twilight,” she apologized.  “I messed up again, didn’t I?”  She coughed, spraying blood over my face and clothing, but I didn’t care.

I shook my head emphatically.  “No, Fluttershy, you were amazing.”  I heard gunshots as Applejack screamed in fury, firing at Syrothrax.  “Really, you were,” I reassured her, my voice breaking in sorrow.

She smiled at me faintly.  “At least I’ll get to see Rainbow Dash again,” she breathed, blood bubbling as she spoke.  She looked down at me, smiled once more, and her eyes went vacant and glassy as her body slumped, the last traces of life leaving her.

I gripped her hand, which had gone cold and slack and let out a howl of pure anguish.  I felt a cold fury burning inside of me as I lifted my bloody staff, glaring up at the dragon that was snapping down at Applejack.  I gathered my magic into myself, stalking forward, and started launching lightning bolt after lightning bolt, covering the dragon in electricity.  Syrothrax let out a roar, but I didn’t let up.  He swiped his claws at me, and I teleported away, causing him to lose his balance.  I launched another bolt, and he swiped his tail over at me, but I teleported away once more.  He overshot where I would have been, giving Applejack the opening she needed.  She fired one quick shot, taking out his left eye, and he let out a bone-rattling roar, thrashing about.

We both jumped back, waiting until he finished thrashing, hatred and fury clear on both of our faces.  He stopped, pushing himself up, glaring down at us with his remaining eye.  “You will pay for that, little humans,” he growled, fury in his voice.  “Just like your little friend.”

“Our ‘little friend,’” I snarled, advancing towards him, “was better than you could ever hope to be.”

“That is what you think, little human,” he growled.  “Prepare to die.”  He drew himself back, and just as he started to inhale, Applejack rushed forward, firing a burst of bullets into his mouth, and I teleported up onto his head as he roared, my staff glowing brightly with magic.

“This is for Fluttershy!” I screamed, and I plunged the staff directly into his ruined eye, firing as much lightning into his head as I could.  His body started convulsing as the lightning coursed through him, and I was flung off of him, landing hard on the ground between Applejack and the edge of the cliff.  She was staring at Syrothrax, a grim smile on her face as he went into his death throes, my staff still stuck in his eye.  She turned to me, smiling with satisfaction, and opened her mouth to speak as I pushed myself up.

Suddenly, I saw Syrothrax’s tail flying directly towards her as he convulsed, and I called a warning.  “Applejack, behind you!”  She spun around just in time to be hit with the rocky club on the end of Syrothrax’s tail, and I heard the bone-shattering crunch as it struck.  She flew by me, rifle sliding along the ground, and I reached out to grab her hand as quickly as I could as she went by.  Her momentum dragged me along with her, and I slammed down on the rocky ground at the edge of the cliff as she went over, holding on to her hand as tightly as I could as she dangled there.

I looked down at her, and gasped at the sight.  Her legs dangled ineffectively, bone protruding from her right thigh, and her left leg was bent backwards.  Her pelvis looked like it had been crushed, and her broken ribs were protruding from her chest in places.  She was bleeding all over, and looked like she was having a hard time catching her breath.  I felt the despair welling up in me as she looked up at me, fear on her face.

“Applejack!” I cried.  “Come on, we need to get you up so we can get you to a doctor or something!”

“T-Twi?” she whimpered, and it tore at my heart to hear the fright in her voice.  “Ah… Ah can’t feel my legs.”

“Can you pull yourself up?” I asked, tears falling once more.  “I can get you out of here, but I don’t know how much longer I can hold on.”

She tried to lift her other arm, but winced at the effort.  She shook her head.  “Ah don’t think Ah can, Twi,” she replied.  “Ah just don’t have the strength anymore.”

“What should I do?” I wailed.

She stared up at me for a while, agony on her face, and I saw the moment she reached her decision.  She took a deep breath, and said, “Let go.”

I gaped at her.  “Wh-what did you say?” I stammered, sure that I had heard her wrong.

She smiled a weak smile.  “Let go, Twilight.  You need to live so you can stop Discord.”

I shook my head emphatically, arms burning from the effort of holding her weight.  “Applejack, no!  I can’t lose you now!  Not after Fluttershy!  I need your strength!”

She shook her head in response.  “No, Twilight.  You’ve got plenty of strength on your own.  You can do this.”

“But the elements!  I need you for your element of Honesty!”

“Twilight, Ah’m going to tell you the honest truth here.”  She looked me directly in the eye, trying to keep her breath.  “The elements don’t respond to us anymore.  They haven’t since we arrived.  You’re the one they react to.”  She must have seen the disbelief on my face, for she smiled and continued.  “Ah suspected it when we got back with the element of Generosity, and Ah knew for sure once we got the element of Honesty.  It didn’t react to me when Ah touched it, but Ah saw the spark when you held it.”

“B-but the others…” I stammered, feeling my strength start to give out.  I tried to get a better grip on her hand, but her blood on it made it slippery.

“Ah’ll bet they had the same thoughts,” she replied, “they just didn’t wanna say anything.  We all wanted to help you save this world.”

“BUT I DIDN’T ASK YOU TO DIE FOR ME!” I screamed, voice cracking.

She smiled once more through her pain.  “Ah know, Sugarcube.  Ah know.  We did it because we love you.”  She squeezed my hand, and a fleeting hope ran through me as I squeezed back as hard as I could.  The hope was short lived as she completely relaxed her hand, and without her strength there was no way I could hold on to her blood-covered hand.   She slipped from my grasp, and I tried to reach for her once more as she fell away from me, a smile on her face as she disappeared into the distance, her hat floating away on the winds.  “APPLEJACK!” I screamed.

I lay there, staring off the edge of the cliff, tears falling in the wind.  I eventually pulled myself up, unfeeling and unthinking, tears falling of their own accord.  I slowly walked over to the body of Syrothrax, who had stopped convulsing and was lying there still.  Wrenching my staff from his eye, heedless of the dragon’s blood, I walked over to where Fluttershy was hanging, using my magic to pull her off of the rock spike.  Laying her body down, I carefully removed her dagger and holsters from her belt before I pulled as many rocks together as I could, making a cairn over her body.  I then walked over to where she had dropped her guns, picking them up, staring at the stylized pink butterfly she had happily painted on them what seemed like an eternity ago.

I strapped the holsters on, slipping the guns into them, and clipped the dagger to my belt.  I then walked over to where Applejack’s rifle lay, and picked it up, staring at the trio of apples for a minute before slinging the gun over my shoulder.  I then sat down in the middle of that landing, halfway between Fluttershy’s cairn and the edge of the cliff, trying to be as close as I could to both of my friends, and I cried.

I cried for hours, sitting there, until my legs were numb and my eye burned.  I cried, mourning all of my lost friends, wishing for just one more chance to see them, to tell them this wasn’t necessary, that they didn’t have to die for me.  To tell them to live, to be happy, to run away, anything but what they had already done.

It was dark when I finally had no more tears.  At that point, I knew exactly what I had to do.  Pushing myself up, my legs shaking and numb, I stood, wobbling until I managed to master myself.  I hoisted my staff and picked my way around Syrothrax’s body, making my way up the mountain, a grim expression on my face.