Author's Note

Music to set this chapter. And the next.

~Dragon

Chapter LXI- Darkened Crystal

“How do we hold off that thing if all we can do against it is get smushed under its hoof like cockroaches!?” Nagare cried, pointing the accusing hoof at the monster the world had to throw at them today. There wasn’t a fighting chance for anybody at this rate; magic and wings were as good as useless.

The dark crystal spires continued to grow and rise in the streets, lifting houses and crackling volts along the way. Some had fire roiling round their frames in a begrudging, unsettling way. Both fire and spark of electricity were as black as the shadowed crystal that brought them forth into the world.

The air hung heavily, the sky turned a faded tan, the clouds began to shed lifeless rains, and the monster loomed over the town, its people, and the foreigners ominously. Its weak point, far out of reach of even Tenmei’s crossbow and Rekka’s cannon, was protected by a thick shell of ruby--an impenetrable barrier, further cut off by the still-growing spires.

It would seem that the group was doomed, and the severity of the situation only grew more dire by the second. The red unicorn fumbled about with his weapon, trying to reposition it onto his foreleg. A fire was in his eyes, but it seemed to have been overshadowed by his wide-eyed state of panic as the crystals drew closer and closer.

At last, the weapon was secured, and as a new crystal spire sprung out of the ground, he ran up to it and then jumped on it quick as a whip.

“Rekka! What’re you doing?!” Koto called out, watching him jump to the next shortest spire.

“My horn may be useless, but my cannon isn’t!” The unicorn answered, jumping on the third spire. He looked back at his companions. “We can’t just sit around here and wait for help to come--by then, it may as well be a wasted effort!”

“He’s right. I’m not sitting around here while the town turns into a large, darkened hellhole.” Tenmei agreed, jumping on the shortest spire to follow his friend.

“I may not be as quick on my hooves, but I’ll be damned if we let this city fall!” Quick Strike shouted, following the two on the spires.

“If this gets us killed, I’m kicking his ass in the afterlife.” Nagare murmured, putting his sword in his mouth before he too began jumping the erratic structures.

Yuuki and Koto exchanged a worried glance. Koto then nodded, loading her weapon into her mouth before following the lot still ascending on spires that became increasingly hot and electric. The spires seemed to have a will of their own, and the flames and volts gave the message that they were increasingly agitated as they were being intruded upon.

Broadsword put a hoof on Yuuki’s shoulder briefly. “We mustn’t wait any longer. Either we fix this heap of a problem, or die tryin’.” He said, mimicking Nagare with his sword and jumping on the spires.

The purple pegasus groaned, shaking her head as she too followed. Shimmering Feather and Steel Kick followed after her, as did Spellbind. Shining Armor and Cadance went after them, looking back at the citizens briefly with a look telling them to stay put.

The group found themselves on an ever-growing bridge of sorts, with some of the spires crackling and roiling in such a way a demon-shaped thing blocked the path directly to the monster. However, there were other spires that offered an alternative path or two.

Rekka stopped, turning back to everyone else that had followed him. “Let’s split up. That way, the thing we’re trying to get to will bite off more than he can chew.” He said.

“Are you insane?!” Shining called out, eyes widening. “Magic and wings are useless against that thing!”

“Then try your damnedest to break off a piece of crystal and use that as a weapon! Horns and wings don’t solve everything!” Rekka rebutted before continuing, “We use what the environment gives us if we have to!”

Shining shut his mouth. He knew the red-maned unicorn, crazy as he sounded, had raised a point.

“I think we have company!” Yuuki cried, looking down at the last seven spires she and the others climbed up. They began to grow crude pony shapes of shadowed flame, crystal and spark, all with glowing eyes that seemed to further highlight their obsidian forms. Some carried swords and spears, others went without.

The red-maned unicorn cursed his luck, looking at the other spires as if trying to figure out what to do. Hastily, he jumped to one, and his back hooves slipped. His rear legs dangled as he struggled to get back on the spire with his front hooves.

“Dammit!” He cried, kicking his back legs in an attempt to place one on the spire he desperately clutched to. Slowly, his front hooves began slipping, and the fact his cannon was attached to a foreleg didn’t help matters.

The rest of the group jumped away from the crude obsidian ponies.

“Just go without me!” Rekka cried, still kicking like no tomorrow. His attempts were vain.

“I’m not leaving you!” Koto protested, putting her boomerang in her armored saddlebag and jumping past everyone else until she was just a spire away from her dangling companion. “I...I can’t let you die!” Tears began filling her eyes, and a breeze blew past, her main and tail being caught in the fickle winds.

Rekka looked back at her, and for a moment, he stopped kicking. His front hooves slipped further, and his doom was certain at this point.

One of the obsidian ponies formed a bow and arrow, and the sharp arrowhead pointed right at the red-maned unicorn. Another had its bow poised at Koto.

“If you’re going to die...at least let me do it with you…” Koto said, tears finally leaving her eyes and getting carried away by the breeze.

“What is she doing?!” Quick Strike cried, already on a spire that led elsewhere. She was looking back at the spectacle with wide eyes.

“I’m sorry...everyone…” Rekka sighed, closing his eyes. “I shouldn’t have done this…”

An arrow hit the red-maned unicorn in the foreleg that didn’t have the cannon strapped to it. Tears began welling in his eyes as, at last, he slipped.

“REKKA!” Koto shrieked, jumping onto the spire before off of it, descending after him. She had her front hooves outstretched, and she was able to clutch him in her forelegs as both descended down to their deaths at an increasing rate.

“KOTO!” Everybody else on the spires cried, eyes wide in horror as the two descended further down. Tenmei looked down, pupils shrinking as he saw dark crystal spikes shoot up at the base of the spire both unicorns fell from, sharp and ready to impale them.

Cadance spread her wings, only to find dark crystals growing out of the feathers and weighing them down. She looked back at the descending duo, all hope seemingly lost as they continued their fall.

Just as the two were about to be killed, a deafening boom sounded. All looked up to see the sky sparkle in a sonic boom adorned with the colors of the rainbow. A rainbow trail shot past the spire, and the duo seemed to have disappeared as it passed. The two unicorns looked around, seeing that they weren’t dead yet, before looking down.

Rainbow Dash was singlehandedly carrying the two by herself, wings flapping at impossible rates as she ascended and placed them on a spire that could support them both.

“Thanks for saving us. We would’ve been shishkabobs otherwise.” Rekka sighed, sitting down so he couldn’t strain his wounded leg.

“Don’t mention it. I was going after the Sombra thing when I saw you two fall.” Rainbow replied, looking back at the monster whose horn was still glowing. It moved all four of its legs, and she looked back to the unicorns to find one had an arrow lodged in his foreleg. “Hey, you look hurt. Can I borrow your cannon?” She asked.

“Sure. Just don’t waste shots and hit any other pony with the bullets.” Rekka answered, helping the pegasus attach his weapon to her foreleg.

“Alright. I’ll show that big creep what for!” Rainbow said.

“Don’t get too close to it!” Cadance called, spreading her wings wider so Rainbow could see the fragments of crystal in her wings. “You won’t be able to fly otherwise!”

“Got it!” Rainbow replied with a nod, taking off quickly. She flew towards the monster, but not too close.

Fluttershy flew up to the duo, a pair of vultures carrying medical supplies. "That’s a nasty wound. Here, let me fix it.” She said, gripping the arrow firmly with her teeth.

“Behind you!” Nagare called out, and Koto turned around to see a few more obsidian ponies jumping spires towards her and the occupied ponies.

“How many of these things are there?!” The unicorn cried, reaching for her saddlebag with a hoof. Her eyes went wide--her boomerang was no longer there. A third vulture flew up to the monsters, hitting them with her weapon.

The obsidian ponies who were hounding the still-splitting lot had been blasted to a million or so pieces with a beam of purple magic. Twilight Sparkle grasped a black sword, one that was still intact, with her magic. “I’ll fight the things behind you off, just go!” She said. Everyone obliged quickly, but it was still a long and perilous series of roads to the gargantuan beast that awaited them with a sinister grin on its face.

Rarity showed up, and she had held a crystal spear in her magic. “I do hope these monsters will let up soon.” She remarked, stabbing an obsidian pony right in the face with her weapon.

“Considering the whole Crystal Empire’s in danger, I can see why you’d say that. Let’s just be thankful Shining Armor sent me a telepathic message when he did.” Twilight agreed with a nod, bounding spires on the path Rekka, Koto, and Fluttershy were stuck on. Rarity chose to bound after Broadsword, Nagare, and Yuuki, holding her weapon close. She could see the two stallions fending off more obsidian ponies, and both were slowly faltering.

Applejack bounded after Quick Strike and her small team, immediately noticing that Tenmei and the aforementioned pegasus hold back with their weapons as Steel Kick dished out crushing blows to the obsidian monstrosities with his front hooves. Seeing that the group was well off by themselves, she went after Shining and Cadance, who were accompanied by Spellbind and Shimmering Feather.

Pinkie Pie had inexplicably brought a round cannon, bigger and even harder to hold than Rekka’s. She went to Fluttershy’s group, firing cannon balls at whatever the vulture couldn’t hit with Koto’s boomerang, and whatever Twilight's sword failed to strike.