--Castle Medical Wing, 5PM, 1 Hour Remaining--

Time was running out for the gon. If he isn’t free of the grip of this dark magic, he will surely die were he laid. They brought him into Celestia’s medical room, as her bed was the only one that could accommodate his large frame, just barely. His skin was paler than it usually was, almost milk white. Both Cadence and Celestia were getting more and more worried by the minute.

“Aunty...he keeps on muttering that we need to find this..’chi’ or whatever it is! But we don’t know what in all of Tartarus chi is! If this take him away from us..I..I…”

“Cadence, calm down. We will find a way to fix this before the hour is up. I will not allow such a dark and foul energy to take away this gon. I Will not allow death to be his ticket away from his duties. Not only that…”

She walks over to Cadence, who was kneeling at the side of the bed with a hand on his arm.

“...I know you care a great deal about him.”

Cadence goes quiet for a moment, then looks up at Celestia with tears in her eyes.

“You’re right, I do! I know that other don’t approve of our friendship! They talk about him like he is an abomination and a heartless being. Me and you both know what happened that night wasn’t his fault! So why can’t others look passed his appearance?!”

Celestia was taken back by the sudden rise in her voice. Cadence looks back to Kenji and squeezes his arm gently.

“He has been a wonderful guardian...and an even better friend to me. Other than you and Twilight...he is all I got that keeps me from being lonely throughout the day. To have this..thing slowly and painfully kill him as he lies here...it’s too cruel!”

“Hey...what can you do right?”

Kenji asked in a tired and pained tone as he slowly opens his eyes. Both Celestia and Cadence gasp as he awakens and speaks.

“Kenji...we haven’t found anything yet. But I promise we will!”

“Cadence...if you can’t find anything in time to save me. Then that’s what I deserve. I know I am not a perfect person. But I have killed more than just those four.And I was totally aware of what I had done and in control. That is the life of a mercenary sometimes and this is karma paying me back I believe. I know when i die, I won’t be going anywhere good, that is for sure.”

“We aren’t going to let you die, Kenji! Stop talking like that!”

“Soon,it will not matter, Cadence. If you cannot find a way to stop this, or at least suppress it until it comes back again,then I will be arriving at Death’s doorstep in less than thirty minutes.”

He turns his head over to Celestia. He couldn’t move anymore other than that.

“Princess, to ensure Cadence’s and everyone’s safety. If I do die, destroy my body immediately. Someone who is under the grip of the black rose will turn into something far more awful than what I could every be. And please, don’t let Cadence watch me struggle in my last few minutes. She is far too young to witness death and I don’t want that image in her mind as she gets older.”

Celestia understood what he was asking. She didn't know what kind of dark energy was swelling inside of him, but she knew that it was extremely bad and it had a magic of it’s very own.

“Should there be no other way to save you Kenji. I will grant your request…”

“Thanks-.”

He begins coughing hard, blood coming from his mouth again, the usual crimson liquid now a disgusting black. The last five minutes come, their top researchers have yet to find something, anything, to stop this dark chi from killing Kenji.

“Princess Celestia…”

She knew what he was about to ask. A look of sadness on her face as she walks over and begins to pull Cadence away from him. Cadence began to squeeze around his arm tighter to hold onto him.

“Cadence...let him go…”

“No…”

“Cadence-.”

“NO!!!”

She screamed, wrapping both of her arms around his arm now, squeezing her eyes shut tight as fresh tears pour from them. The dark chi flaring up out of his body at an alarming rate now.

“Cadence...do as she says. It’s over.”

“No it’s not! I won’t let this filthy magic take you! You have a job to do and you can’t just up and leave me!”

A strong wind begins to swirl around the room as Cadence’s horn begins to glow bright, making Celestia back away in slight shock.

“You are my friend, Kenji! ANd I will not allow my friend to die a horrible death while I can still do SOMETHING about it!”

She opens her eyes wide, tears still flowing from them, but a bright white glow comes from them. Suddenly, Kenji’s body starts to thrash from side to side and up and down. A dark growl comes from his mouth as his eyes glow a crimson red. The dark chi rising from his body even more fiercely

“What are you doing you welp?! He is already far too gone for you to do anything about it! His body belongs to me! Stop!”

“NO, he isn’t yours! He is mine! Whatever you are, leave him alone! Get out of his body and return to the darkness from which you were born and never return to Kenji again!”

The dark chi from his body start to flash from dark purple to a golden yellow back and forth,as if trying to fight for dominance of his body.

“Even if you get rid of me,he will still be corrupted by the dark chi! His soul will be damned for all eternity, blacker than the blackest night! Dark chi will always be apart of this gon!”

“That may be true, but at least he will be rid of you and will be able to live his life to the fullest without you trying to kill him!”

The struggle lasted for what felt like forever, until Kenji’s body jerks up hard and a large black, dark purple and red phantom rises from his body, trapped within Cadence’s magic.

“Aunty...destroy this monster…”

Celestia glares at the phantom, her horn sparking with anger for what it has caused Cadence.

“With pleasure…”

She said in an angered tone, shooting a beam of pure light at the phantom. The screams of agony comes from the creature as it swells up and explodes into rays of light. Obliterating it entirely Cadence’s horn and eyes slowly go back to normal, she looks down at Kenji who still wasn’t moving. Was she too late…?

“Kenji..Kenji wake up please...it is gone now…”

He lays there motionless for a few minutes. Thinking the worst, Cadence begins to sob into his arm,her ears lowered.

“Come on Cadence...tears don’t suit a princess, let alone you.You are the princess of love after all, you are supposed tomake others smile…”

Her ears perked up as she heard that voice. She looked over at Kenji’s face quickly, his eyes were open,and he was speaking to her. The deep dark abyss that her heart had fallen into just now, flew forth and back into the rises of the sun and sky.

“KENJI!!!”

She shrieked in absolute happiness as she leaps onto his body and hugs her arms around him the best as she could. Tears of happiness now replacing those of sorrow.

“Gah...easy Cadence...I am still a bit sore from that thing. But whatever you did...it pushed it out and allowed the other chi I stored up to heal the internal wounds…”

“I am just glad you are here Kenji...I don’t know what I did either.but, I am glad it happened..”

She said as she nuzzled into his chest. He just smiles lightly and brings a large hand up to her head and pets her gently.

“Alright alright, come on Cadence, this isn’t professional. Others will see this and think we are...something else. That wouldn’t be good for you or me.”

“I don’t care...let them think what they want. I am not leaving your side until you are out of this room.”

Celestia could only watch with her signature smile of approval. Whether they were both aware or not, something more than friendship was sure to occur in the future. Not soon, but definitely will happen. She quietly steps out of the room, closing the door behind her quietly and leans against it, closing her eyes and leaning her head up.

“Thank you, mother. For aiding her to save someone she truly cares for.”

Author's Note

Short chapter, but a two parter nonetheless. And no, this doesn't mean that move-dovey time is anywhere close yet. calm your tits...for those that have any.:P

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May the darkness grant you peace.