The Mirror's Blade

The Mirror’s Blade

Book II

Chapter I – Fortune’s Scales

Rainbow Dash came to, feeling the mystic waters of Lethe trickle around her, and as she looked up to see Vinder smiling. Vinder helped her out of the water and said, “You okay, Rainbow?”. Rainbow just jumped on him and embraced him tightly, in a bittersweet conflict of emotions both glorious and tragic.

Vinder laughed and said, “Heh, as much as I love the warm welcome, you shouldn’t be moving about. You broke both your wings.”. Rainbow looked at her wings, badly crunched and beat up from her impact. Rainbow asked, “How long have I been here for?”.

Vinder said, “Not long… only a few hours. Come on, let me get you some shelter.”. He then draped Rainbow over his back, and walked the mile or so to his rough house, a beaten down little shack mangled in a wicked morass of overgrowth, roots, and vines. Vinder set Rainbow down on a more or less clear spot on the floor and said, “It’s not much, but I couldn’t find anywhere else.”.

Rainbow said, “I… I… I wanted to take you back to Equestria… If I stay here, it will just waste away your supplies.”. Vinder sat beside her and said, “You must understand… Here, we watch out for others as well as ourselves. How can we truly be good if we reject those more unfortunate than us?”.

Rainbow said, “But I’m not more unfortunate! I’m TOO fortunate! Don’t you see, Vinder? You opened my eyes! I no longer see the same… I no longer selfishly want more than I already have. I learned that I’m very fortunate. I was awoken… awoken to the reality that a nightmare existed beyond my world. Every night since we met, I’ve had nightmares about this world… I’m not a fearful pegasus, but I can truly say… when the hurt I saw hit home, I was scared…”.

Vinder said, “You must understand our sacrifice though. We live in this hellish cesspool so you don’t have to. We take upon ourselves Equestria’s burden, so that your minds and hearts can stay pure. We must be strong to stand our ground against the violent natures of all sins, and we must fight to keep your world safe.”.

Rainbow said, “I just thought… Speaking of my world, how do I get back?”. Vinder said, “I don’t know. But right now, I can’t give a flying feather. We kind of have bigger problems…”. Rainbow was somewhat appalled at the colt’s language, but said nonetheless, “What problems?”. Vinder said, “When you got here, demons leaked out of Tartarus. Their sins shall consume them, and The Darkness shall grow beyond belief. We have, at best, two weeks.”. Rainbow said, “So this has become a waiting game?”.

Vinder said, “Until the portal to Tartarus is opened again, three days from now, we must heal. Once it opens, we will ascend Lethe and Acheron, and get out of Tartarus in hope we can trap The Darkness there.”. Rainbow said, “So, what am I supposed to do now?”.
Vinder said, “I’ll help you tend to your wounds. After that, rest for a few days.”. Rainbow said, “A few days? Doing nothing? Ugh, might as well be-“, before Vinder interrupted with, “-A few months or a few years?”. Rainbow Dash and Vinder both smiled at the remark, and laughed for quite some time.

End of Chapter I

Chapter II – On A Broken Wing and Tons of Prayers

As Vinder tried to wrap Rainbow’s wing in bandages, her wincing in pain caused the job to be tough to complete. Once he bound the first wing, Vinder said, “Rainbow, stay still! I can’t bandage you if you fidget!”. Rainbow said, “Sorry, I can’t really help it…”. Vinder wrapped her second wing and said to Rainbow, “You okay? You’ve been sort of down since you got here. I would have thought you would have been more excited to see me…”.

Rainbow just looked at him, the sadness in her eyes crystal clear, and said, “I do love that I can see you. But I think about the pain and madness I have seen. I think about if I’ll ever get back home… I wonder if I’ll even survive…”. Vinder laid down beside her and said, “It’s okay to be scared. Even the bravest of ponies have a fear. And I think that yours is the fear of pain.”.

Vinder continued, “You fear the agony and hurt others may receive but that you cannot help them with, and more than anything, I think you fear that YOU might get hurt by somepony if you make yourself vulnerable.”. Rainbow said, “It’s true. I fear darkness and hatred others might have for me. I always was a loner, practicing alone, where nopony could touch me… where nopony could hurt me. I never got a boyfriend, because I was so scared of the hurt he’d give me if he left the moment I made myself vulnerable.”.

Vinder said, “I’ve known you for so short a time, but I have learned beyond your tough shell, there lies the heart of a little filly just wanting to be loved, and not hurt. I don’t see your flaws. When I first saw you, I already knew you were leagues better than anypony I knew. Everypony I knew wanted me to die. But all you were was this beautiful mare before me. Well-trimmed, showered, and beautiful… None of those are here. But you had everything going for you. In short, you’re a buckin’ knockout.”.

Rainbow blushed slightly and said, “Oh, well… I can’t remember the last time anypony was showering me with compliments like that.”. Vinder just smiled and said, “They aren’t compliments. To me, they just feel like truth. And no, it’s not my hormones at work.”.

Rainbow laughed and said, “Sometimes, I have a hard time believing you are only a 15 year old. You’re a whole lot wiser than me, that’s for bucking sure…”. Vinder said, “Restraint and a controlled heart are needed here. If I don’t control my thoughts, I can’t control my heart. If I can’t control my heart, then how can I give it to somepony like you?”. Rainbow said, “I swear, there can’t be anyway a little charmer like you is 15…”.

Vinder and Rainbow both laughed. The hours seemed so short, as they spent their time talking and telling stories about their adventures. Every passing tale, they only were more enraptured by each other. Slowly, they very much grew on each other, and it felt like they were the last two pegasi left, in their own little world.

But that world would not last long, for their days seemed to become shorter and shorter. Soon, the time to act would come. For now, however, they just curled together, savoring their final moments of peace before the violent storm that was to come. A moment of tranquility… before the winds of death would shatter this world.

End of Chapter II

Chapter III – Hell’s Rising

Vinder and Rainbow woke up, and looked each other in the eye with a warm smile. Vinder said, “Good morning.”. Rainbow laughed and said, “Yeah, if it’s even morning.”. The two pegasi got up, and Rainbow said, “I thought we had three days? It’s been four.”. Vinder said, “It was an approximation. Who knows what the demons have been planning.”.

No sooner than the end of that statement, as if perfectly timed by fate’s machines, the earth beneath the shack quaked and a fierce roaring shattered the sky above. Vinder, now alert, said to Rainbow, “Come on, we have to go!”. Rainbow and Vinder went outside, to see a massive funneling cloud of demons cross the skies, being sucked into The Darkness, which grew into a colossus unparalleled from the monstrosities it absorbed.

Vinder said to Rainbow, “We don’t have any time to lose! We have to beat it to Lethe!”. Rainbow and Vinder went into full gallop towards Lethe, as The Darkness finished collecting the demons of Tartarus, and slowly proceeded towards Lethe, laying waste to all for miles around its destructive wake. Rainbow and Vinder just kept running, as the black wisp cloud of The Darkness crept across Nega-Equestria, inciting everypony to murderous rage.

Vinder saw a great mass of the barbaric ponies of Nega-Equestria rushing their way, and Vinder said to Rainbow, “Hide!”, as he lunged into Rainbow and sent them both to the floor of an old wine cellar below, in hope of losing the ponies’ trail on the surface. However, there was another pony in the cellar, who started flinging knifes toward Vinder in mindless brutality.

Vinder ducked and dodged the knives, and pulled out a rock-pistol, firing a clip of stones into the chest of his assailant. The crazed assailant slowly slid to the floor, and Vinder said, “There’s no hope of avoiding a fight. You need some armor and a weapon, pronto!”. Vinder looked around, and found in a chest, just lying around the cellar, a battlesuit, leather coat, and a katana.

Vinder helped Rainbow into the battlesuit and said while he tightened and sealed it, “Sorry for it being a colt’s suit, but we can’t afford to be picky.”. Rainbow said, “Don’t worry, I kind of like it.”, admiring the suit. As Rainbow sheathed the katana in the sheath on back of the suit, Vinder put on the coat and said, “As for me, my armor won’t be very helpful. Now, the way I see it, once we get in Tartarus, we have seven days. However, it’s a three day climb. We’ll try to take as many breaks as time allows. After all, we’re both still injured pretty badly.”.

Rainbow and Vinder then got out of the cellar and got to ground level, where the feral mob was closing in. Rainbow said to Vinder, “Ready?”. Vinder responded, “Ready as I ever can be. Rainbow unsheathed her katana, and Vinder cocked his shotrocker, as Rainbow said, “Let’s do this.”.

End of Chapter III

Chapter IV – Blade’s Edge

Rainbow and Vinder rushed the fray, and very quickly, a bloodbath started. Rainbow was meeting every blade with perfection and left pony after pony cleft in two. Vinder, impressed by the mare’s natural skill, said, “For a girl, you sure can put up a pretty decent fight!”. Rainbow, trying to concentrate on the battle, said, “If you knew me well enough, you’d find the fact I’m a mare quite surprising.”, as she impaled her current foe, or victim as it would seem.

Vinder said, “You know, a thank you would have sufficed!”, as he bashed down a pony with the handle of his shotrocker. Rainbow said, “Less talking, more killing?”. Vinder said, “Fine by me!”, as he unloaded shot after shot into the crowd. Vinder said, “Why are there so few?”. He turned around and saw most of the crowd was rushing Rainbow. Vinder yelled, “Rainbow!”, as he galloped to her.

Rainbow was already getting overwhelmed, and soon ponies piled on top of her and viciously started stabbing her in the chest. Vinder loaded obsidian into his shotrocker, and let the pile of madponies get both barrels of the sharp rocks. Rainbow took advantage of the situation, bit the handle of her katana, and delivered a maelstrom of slashes all about, dicing everypony around her.

As the last mares and stallions fell, Rainbow stood, blade in mouth, heavily panting, and Vinder was speechless save the words he uttered, “That’s just buckin’ impressive.”. Rainbow, short of breath, said “T-Thanks…”. Rainbow’s eyes started to close slowly, and her knees started quivering, but she didn’t know why. Vinder said, “Rainbow… you’re bleeding… a lot…”.

But by then, it was already too late. Rainbow didn’t hear anything but slurred speech and garbled sounds at that point. She winced in pain and fell unconscious, and Vinder yelled out, “Rainbow!”. Vinder tore off part of his coat, and stitched it on top of Rainbow’s wounds, locking the fibers of the battlesuit and the coat tightly.

Vinder then bent down, and got Rainbow on his back, before galloping off full speed for Lethe. When he arrived, he strapped Rainbow on tightly, and he jumped right into the waters, swimming with all his might against the strong rapids of the current. Vinder said to himself, “Please let her be alright… please… For all she cared when I was hurt… don’t let that care be why she dies!”.

End of Chapter IV

Chapter V – From Closest to Closest Part I

Rainbow slowly came to, and saw Vinder walking slowly up the rocky crags along Lethe, the waters of which were pounding against the rock and against Vinder’s hooves. Rainbow said, “We made it?”. Vinder shushed her and said, “Try not to talk right now. You’re pretty badly wounded.”.

Rainbow decided it was best to follow Vinder’s directions, so she decided to remain quiet for a while. The journey up Lethe was long and arduous, but eventually, the two pegasi made it to a small cliff face which had a fairly small ground area they could rest at.

Time seemed eternal, probably due to the nagging pains of the two ponies’ injuries. After a while, Rainbow asked Vinder, “Hey, Vin, I never asked you… What’s your cutie mark?”. Vinder seemed upset by the question and said, “I don’t remember anymore…”. Rainbow, puzzled, said, “Um, Vin, you kind of have them your whole life. Can’t you just check it?”.

Vinder got slightly angered, and said in a fairly hostile tone, “No, THIS is why!”, as he turned and took off his coat and his battlesuit to show Rainbow his undercoat. Rainbow was horrified when she saw his coat, slashed and torn, bruised and beaten, with cuts all over it. In fact, almost all of it was cuts and wounds. And where he cutie mark would have been, a gaping wound had been carved.

Vinder said, “This was all from fights. Seven years ago, I got knifed in an alley while walking home from what you could ROUGHLY call school. Somepony slashed me across the leg to steal B3 from me. People will kill for that, because that is enough to be the difference between living and dying. So I’ve been a vagabond since my parents have died. No kin, no purpose, and almost never a place to rest my head. You at least get a purpose. I’m worthless even in Nega-Equestria’s pathetic standards.”.

Rainbow said, “You’re wrong. You DO have worth. When I looked in that mirror, I saw more than a scared colt. I saw a world that had wronged you. I saw that deep inside, there was somepony worth fighting for. I may be cocky, I may be selfish, but you can bet your flank I am NOT heartless! Now get your coat back on, we have a buckin’ cliff to climb!”.

Vinder got his coat back on and said, “You’re right. We still have two days more of climbing to do.”. Vinder strapped Rainbow onto his back, and started scaling the cliff face, as The Darkness started entering Tartarus through Lethe. Vinder looked down and said, “Shoot, we’ve got to pick up the pace!”, and he started climbing as fast as he could up the canyon of Cocytus.

End of Chapter V

Chapter VI – From Closest to Closest Part II

Vinder and Rainbow were almost through to the top of Cocytus, taking their last break. Vinder sat down and said, “Whew! We’re almost there, and making good time to boot.”. Rainbow asked, “How much longer till we are at the top?”. Vinder said, “About fifteen minutes.”. Rainbow said, “Yeah, you’re right. We ARE making good time.”.

Rainbow noticed a necklace around Vinder’s neck. It was an onyx amulet with a lightning bolt shaped ruby outlined in onyx pointing skyward… almost like her Element of Loyalty necklace, but black instead of gold, and the lightning bolt was mirrored and flipped.

Rainbow asked, “Hey, what is that necklace you are wearing, Vin?”. Vinder said, “Dunno, Rain. It-“, but Rainbow laughed and interrupted, “Rain? Since when did you decide to call me Rain?”. Vinder said, “Well, you’re calling me Vin, so I figured calling you Rain would be a good idea. Anyway, do you want to hear about the necklace or not?”. Rainbow said, “Yeah, yeah, sure. Sorry.”.

Vinder continued his earlier story, and said, “Anyway… For some reason, I just found this lying about in a ruin that I was scavenging for food inside of. I put it on, hoping I could sell it, but nopony would buy it. Turned out to be something called the Element of Honour. The Element of Honour is said to be the counterpart to something called the Element of Loyalty, because without loyalty, there cannot be honour.”.

Rainbow said, “That’s interesting… I have the Element of Loyalty!”. Suddenly, a peal of thunder cracked below, presumably from The Darkness, and Vinder said, “We’ve got to keep moving, Rain.”. At this point, there weren’t any truly steep slopes, and the pegasi went full gallop to the rim of Cocytus.

Rainbow and Vinder soon got to the rim, where Twilight had been waiting, and Rainbow shouted, “Twi, cloak us!”, and Twilight cloaked the three, and they galloped through to the gate and started to leave Tartarus. Vinder knew, however, that was a grave mistake indeed.

End of Chapter VI

Chapter VII – Everypony’s Grudge

As the group got outside Tartarus, Vinder yelled at Twilight, “Why didn’t you seal The Darkness in BEFORE we left?”. Twilight said, “I was supposed to?”. Vinder barked, “Yes, you were supposed to! That was our only hope of defeating that thing!”. Twilight said, “Relax, it can’t be that bad.”.

Vinder shouted at her, “You don’t even know how bad this is! Do you have any IDEA what that thing has done to my world? It incites everypony to murder, it leaves the lands it passes bare, it is a pestilence of hatred and death!”. Rainbow said, “Enough, Vin! Yelling won’t solve anything! We can’t change the past!”.

Twilight said, “Actually, you –”, before Rainbow said, “Twi, shut it. You’re not helping here.”. Vinder said, “You don’t seem to understand. Once that thing gets in Equestria, nothing can kill it. The Darkness will rot this world as it did mine.”. Twilight said, “Can’t Cerberus ward it off for a while?”.

Vinder said, “Yes, but not too long. The Darkness has a power where it can kill any one being, but it can only work once a week. Last time I saw it use it was two days ago. In five days, it will be able to use the spell on Cerberus, and then it can enter Equestria. Seven days later, it can use the spell on Celestia. Once it does that, The Darkness has won.”.

Rainbow said, “So, that’s it? We just wait for the end? Twelve days left to live, and then we’re gone?”. Vinder said, “I’m afraid so… There’s nothing we can do…”. Twilight said, “Can’t we at least go out fighting?”. Vinder said, “Wasted breath. Nothing works on The Darkness.”.

Rainbow said, “So what do you suggest, then, Vin? Just stay here and wait to die?”. Vinder said, “No. All we can do is spend our last days happy. The end is coming, there’s no two ways about that. But we can at least make the most out of the time we have.”. Rainbow said, “Well, in that case, I’m going home.”.

Vinder said, “Actually, is it possible I could stay with you? I’d love to have a nice bed for once in my life. To me… if I could live like you guys… you know, running water, plenty of food, a nice bed, the ability to shower… I’d be the happiest pony alive. Besides, you need someone to fly you up there. Considering you are a pegasus, I assume you have a cloudhouse.”.

Rainbow said, “Good point. There’s just one issue… I only have one bed. I only really needed one bed.”. Vinder said sadly, “Oh… never mind then. I guess I’ll find somewhere else…”. Rainbow said with a smile, “Hey, I may only have one bed… but I’m more than willing to share.”. Vinder smiled, and he strapped Rainbow on his back and flew her to her home.

End of Chapter VII

End of Book II