Broken Worlds: A Sea Of Tears

I stirred to wakefulness at the sound of running feet and rustling branches. We were still at Marcus Ripley’s camp, near the BlackTech labor factory; had the guards located us? I leaped out of the tent, my horn glowing as I prepared an offensive spell, but dismissed it when I saw a familiar face in the trees.

“Rainbow Dash!” I called out happily, and my old friend turned to me at the sound of her name. “Twilight!” she cried back, and motioned for her companions to follow her. “Guys, over here!”

Minutes later, she and two humans joined our campsite; a brother and sister, who were named Joseph and Tess Moore. I recognized them from several nights ago, when we saw them get captured by BlackTech. I introduced them to Marcus and Brave Wind, and Rainbow Dash had a tearful reunion with Applejack, Fluttershy, and Spike.

“So… Drayke is really gone?” I asked sadly once everyone had been reaquainted. Even though I had seen him executed right before my eyes, it was hard to believe he wasn’t coming back; especially since he had already died three times before, but still managed to shake it off.

Rainbow Dash nodded solemnly. “He was a great leader, and a better friend,” she said wistfully. “We’re heading back to the Resistance headquarters, and we’re going to keep fighting, not just for our goal of unity, but for Drayke, too.”

A new and familiar voice spoke from behind us as we sat around a campfire. “That is no longer an option,” a synthetic voice said darkly, and we turned to see Cadence, dressed in her semi-mechanical Black Heart armor, approaching from deeper in the woods. “BlackTech followed your trail back to the base shortly after you were captured. They killed or chased off everyone inside, and then burned it to the ground. I was barely able to escape, but I do not know how many of us are left.” She sighed sadly as her helmet folded away, and looked back at us with teary eyes. “The Resistance is dead.”

We all stared into the twisting fire for a long time, unsure of what to say or do. Suddenly, I came to a realization, and stood up with newfound energy. “Like hell it is,” I said, using some of my old human friends’ slang. “Rainbow Dash is right; we have to keep fighting! You all come back with us to Canterlot; we’d be happy to have some extra help.”

Just then, I remembered something; the whole reason we had waited at the campsite in the first place. I closed my eyes and activated my magic locating spell, and turned to face Joseph and Tess. Just as I had suspected, I could detect faint Harmony magic within them, confirming that they were two of the individuals that were destined to wield the Elements of Harmony.

“Joseph, Tess, Brave Wind, Marcus Ripley; you four are destined to change the fate of Equestria, and perhaps this very war,” I explained proudly. “You are the chosen bearers of a legacy once owned by myself and several friends of my own.

“Many years ago, we held a set of six gemstones known as the Elements of Harmony. They held great magic, and whoever controlled even one of them could use that power to bend the world to their will. Only those worthy of them and of pure heart and mind could avoid being consumed by their power, as many had done before our time.

“Now it’s your turn,” I finished, looking at each of them one by one. “I know not which Elements you have been chosen by; that is for you each to find on your own. If you come with us to Canterlot, we can help you find your destinies.”

There was a stunned silence, until Brave Wind rose to his hooves. “What are we waiting for?” he asked nonchalantly, “I’ve been waiting years for this war to end; the sooner, the better.”

I nodded, and realized that there was one more Element nearby. “Cadence, do you have somepony with you?” I asked, glancing at my sister-in-law’s back. She turned her body to display her cargo: a young, unconscious earth pony, with a long gash running down one of her forelegs that was haphazardly bandaged in torn leather.

“I don’t know how she got that wound, but it was still fresh when I found her,” she explained. “There were also several BlackTech soldiers nearby that looked as though they had been ripped to shreds. There’s no way she could have done that, is there?”

I shook my head slowly. “I think I know who it was,” I said quietly, remembering the unlikely friend I had made several days earlier. “There is a Crystal Knight roaming these woods that goes by the name of ‘Crystal Midnight’. He hates humans, but shouldn’t bother you if I’m around,” I added, looking at Joseph, Tess, and Marcus. I carefully unwrapped the blood-soaked leather and held my horn inches away from the gash as it began to glow a gentle lavender. The cut also glowed a matching color, and slowly began to fade away as my healing magic undid the damage done to the earth pony’s tissue.

“She’s going to be just fine,” I reported to Cadence. “We should leave immediately, though; there’s no telling how many squads of BlackTech soldiers are swarming these woods. You and Rainbow Dash take to the skies, and lead us safely to Canterlot,” I instructed. “I’ll do what I can with my magic to keep us safe or hidden, but we’ll need your help if we get into a struggle.”

Marcus let out a hearty laugh. “Miss Sparkle, you are travelling with a seasoned gunman,” he said confidently as he retrieved and assault rifle from his tent. “If any BlackTech troops get close, I’ll take them out with little trouble.”

Joseph raised a hand. “You wouldn’t happen to have a sniper rifle in there, would you?” he asked with a grin, “I’m not too bad of a shot, myself.” Marcus grabbed a long rifle and handed it to the boy, and gave Tess a smaller machine gun.

“Can you use this?” he asked the young girl gently.

Tess rolled her eyes and pointed at the barrel. “This is where the bullets come out, right?” she asked dryly.

Joseph chuckled lightly. “We’ve been training together,” he explained. “She’s pretty good with a weapon, too.”

We all turned at the sound of somepony clearing their throat, and saw the strange earth pony standing before us, a sword clutched in her teeth. “I may not be able to use a gun,” she said boldly, “but I am great with one of these.” She swung her neck, the blade slicing a clean scar through the trunk of a tree.

Brave Wind stretched his legs eagerly. “I’ll stay in the sky with Cadence and Rainbow Dash,” he said dutifully. “Having an extra pair of eyes up there wouldn’t hurt, would it?” He was about to take off, but he crashed into the ground as somepony planted a sturdy hoof on his tail.

“You can stay with us, ‘ladies man’,” Applejack said smugly. “Too many airborne ponies will attract unwanted attention; you, Dash, Twilight, and Cadence can take the air surveyance in shifts. Besides,” she added, leaning in close and lowering her voice, “Rainbow Dash appreciates being hit on even less than Twilight does.”

Brave Wind blushed as Cadence and Rainbow Dash took to the sky, and after we helped Marcus pack up his tent, we began the long trek through the woods. We were quite a ways from Canterlot, but it was our best shot at safety.

~-~-~-~-~

“Are you okay?” I asked Cadence as she walked beside me silently. She hadn’t said a single word since she landed from her shift in the sky.

“I’m fine,” she insisted, her modulated voice hiding her emotions quite well.

I gave my former foalsitter a quizzical look. “Are you sure?” I inquired gently, “I know you and Drayke were close.”

Cadence let out an empty laugh. “Close?” she asked sarcastically, “He was my husband, Twilight. It’s bad enough that Shining Armor…” she paused and fell silent. “I told that idiot not to go on this mission. He promised me that he would come back…”

I pressed against her side comfortingly. “You’re not the only one who lost something when Drayke Blackwood died,” I said softly.

Cadence nodded after a long silence. “You’re right, Twilight,” she said quietly. “He was an incredible leader and a better friend to many, and we are not going to let him die in vain. He stood for the unification of humans and Equestrians, and we are going to continue that struggle in his honor.”

I smiled at my oldest friend. “That's the spirit,” I said happily.

Just then, Brave Wind came soaring down from the air. “Whew! My wings are beat!” He exclaimed. “Would you care to trade spots, Princess Cadence?” He asked politely. “Rainbow Dash is still up there; she doesn't seem to want to come down just yet,” the pegasus added.

Cadence nodded as the mechanical framework on her suit folded out, revealing a set of armored wings. “She's been locked up for a few days,” she explained, her voice having gained a new level of confidence and cheerfulness after her talk with me. “It makes sense that she would want to stay in the air.”

With a great leap, Cadence soared into the sky, leaving me with the flirty pegasus.

“Listen, Twilight,” he said, picking up his pace as I attempted to outrun him, “I wanted to apologize for my behavior over these past few days,” he explained ashamedly. “It was uncalled for, especially since I am a member of the guard. It is my task to protect you and your friends, not flirt with and bully you.”

He bowed his head respectfully, and I gave him an impressed look. “Well, thank you, Brave Wind,” I replied. “I accept your apology.”

The pegasus guard looked as pleased as a foal with a new Joy-Boy. “Thank you, Princess,” he said thankfully. “Now that that's out of the way, I wanted to talk to you about Rainbow Dash…”

I sighed. “An apology doesn't mean anything if you go and ruin it right away,” I said slowly.

Brave Wind grinned sheepishly. “Hey, I'm not hitting on anyone,” he pointed out, “I just want to get to know her. Of course, Applejack told her about my ‘breaking the sound barrier’ remark, and now she won't talk to me,” he explained. “The last hour up there was so awkward.”

I shrugged. “She’s brave, loyal, and smart,” I replied. “She can be a little hot-headed and full of herself sometimes, but her time with the Resistance seems to have matured her some.

“Just apologize for what you said,” I suggested kindly. “Just make sure you actually stick to that apology,” I added.

Brave Wind nodded. “I think I'm going to go apologize to Spike and Applejack next,” he said quickly. “Thanks, Princess.”

I giggled. “You can just call me ‘Twilight’, I said gently. “Wait, what did you say to Applejack that needs apologizing for?”

Brave Wind shrugged. “I dunno. She seemed upset that I was talking to you all so rudely, so I figured I'd make up for it.” He paused for a moment. “I also may or may not have told the others that she wanted to ‘buck my apples’,” he added slowly.

I sighed and shook my head. “You'd better get started, Brave Wind,” I said with a small laugh. “You've got a lot of work to do if you want to earn everyone's trust back.”