Author's Notes: Well, here it is, 50 chapters, over 170,000 words now. This is not quite the final chapter...maybe 2, 3, or 4 more chapters after this.

By Celestia, this chapter...every word, all 5,400 of them, were painful to write. The perils of writing, my readers...sometimes, the attachment you develop towards the characters in your story comes back to haunt you...

I really don't have anything to say this time. Thank you to all for reading and reviewing as usual, and read on...

---

Chapter 50

Final Regrets

Twilight could almost feel her heart fall through her body, feeling like it had simply fallen away from her, never to return. She was desperately trying to deny the sight before her, to find some excuse that would allow her to assure everypony that it just could not be real. But eventually, she had to accept the sight before her, leaving her eyes watering and her whole body shaking.

The pony Dash had found was indeed Starfall, his bright yellow coat unmistakable. But were it not for his distinctive colours, Twilight would have had a hard time recognising him. He was sprawled out on the grass, lying rather awkwardly on his right side, clearly having been thrown there by the vicious magical blast of whatever attack Cosmo had hurled at him, and the power of the Elements of Harmony.

Luna's worst fears had been correct...Starfall had definitely been struck by some kind of magical blast, and one that left Twilight feeling highly nauseous. The fur along his left side was scorched and blackened, burned by the potent energy of the magical blast. The worst part, however, was his left wing...or rather, the lack of it.

Starfall's left wing was simply gone, likely obliterated when it had taken the full force of Cosmo's attack. There was no trace of it left, only a seared wound where it would connect to his body...a wound which, thankfully for Twilight's stomach, appeared to have been seared closed by the same magical attack that had caused it, only a few spots of blood marring the damaged fur around the wound.

But Starfall horrific injury was the least of Twilight's worries at the moment. Despite having found Starfall, her horror was only intensifying. Starfall was lying totally still and silent, absolutely no signs of life coming from him. Twilight could not even tell it he was still breathing, her own hyperventilation giving her ears no chance of picking up any faint sounds Starfall may or may not be making.

Twilight took a half-step forward, then hesitated, not entirely sure what she was doing...or if she even wanted to know the extent of Starfall's condition. Her mind was still refusing to believe that he could be dead, that their victory could come at such a high price. Twilight considered Starfall a dear friend...not as close as the five mares she knew so well, but still a pony that would leave her grieving for some time afterwards, should he have departed the world well before his time.

But, with both dread and hope filling her, Twilight knew that she had to find out for sure just how bad, and how total, Starfall's condition was, taking a deep, shaking breath as she called upon her magic once more, focusing it on Starfall's form as her horn glowed, running what essentially amounted to a quick medical scan. Twilight was not particularly well-versed in medical magic, but she knew several diagnostic spells, and ran through the best one of those now.

Initially, the spell left Twilight with an immense sense of relief that nearly saw her collapse, the spell registering a heartbeat and breathing. He was alive, Starfall was still alive! But the relief was bitter-sweet, as Twilight could also tell that both his heartbeat and his breathing were very weak...and the diagnostic spell had nothing but bad news to give after that. Despite the wound at the stump of his left wing being seared shut, the internal injuries the spell had caused at that point were severe...devastatingly so. To make matters worst, the damage seemed to be spreading, seeping out to overcome more and more of his body in what was clearly a slow, agonising process..

Twilight's magic failed her at that point, the horror of what she was seeing breaking her concentration, the glow around her horn fading. Starfall was alive, but critically injured. If somepony did not do something, and soon...Starfall's injuries would take his life.

"Twilight...?" Rainbow Dash's voice nearly made Twilight jump, the unicorn turning to look at the pegasus, who was wearing an anxious, frightened look. "Twilight, what did you find?" the normally confident pegasus asked with clear, shaky reluctance...afraid of what the answer she might get. "Please, Twilight, tell me he's not...?"

Twilight shook her head. "It's bad Dash," she replied, hearing her own voice hitching slightly. "He's alive...but if he doesn't get help soon, he...he..." she could not bring herself to finish, just as she had noticed Dash avoiding the use of that awful word. Nopony, it seemed, could bear to say it aloud, as if saying it might seal Starfall's fate.

Dash flew down slowly, landing gently on the ground, her shaking becoming much more pronounced as her hooves rested on something solid, taking a few tentative steps towards Starfall. "Then, then we have to take him somewhere...a hospital. We can't just leave him here!"

Twilight shook her head. "No, Dash...if we try and move him, we could just make it worse. We wouldn't make it to a hospital in time, anyway," she said, stifling a strangled sob as she spoke, realising that Starfall's situation was looking more and more bleak by the second. It would take a miracle for him to survive.

"Twilight? Dash? Did ya find him?" Applejack's voice startled Twilight, looking over at the Earth Pony, paling as she saw the rest of her friends joining her. When they saw this, they were all going to freak out. Twilight desperately wanted to distract them, find some way of waving them off before they could see him. But she didn't have the heart to lie to them now, and even if she did, she was in no state to come up with any kind of convincing lie.

"Twilight, dear, you look awful!" Rarity cried, obviously seeing the way Twilight was pale, shaking...and on the verge of crying. "Whatever has...oh, goodness!" she stopped, freezing as she, along with everypony else, caught sight of Starfall.

"Oh, no..." Fluttershy's voice was quiet, but no less horrified then everypony else. "Is he...?"

"He's alive," Dash answered, thought her glum voice instantly told the four remaining friends that there was a severe catch to it, that she quickly explained. "...but he's dying. We've gotta do something, and we gotta do it now!"

"Twilight..." Applejack's voice pained Twilight for both the horror lying within it...and the pleading in her tone, the unicorn knowing what her friend would ask even before she said it. "Can't ya do somethin'? Ya know more magic than just about anypony in Equestria, surely ya can do somethin' to save him?"

Twilight grimaced. "I...I don't...it's really, really bad, AJ," Twilight said softly. "After everything that happened with Cosmo, I don't think I have the magic to save him..." the words tore at her heart more than anything...but it was the truth. Her fight with Cosmo had drained her magically, and even though she did know some healing spells that might have a chance of saving him, or at least buying some time, she just did not have the magic to cast them.

The fact left her feeling so guilty and inadequate, that her magic had failed her...in Starfall's hour of greatest need, she could not provide the means to save him. What hurt the most was that, because of that failing...Starfall was going to die, right here, right in front of them.

Feeling the first tear slip down her cheek, Twilight saw that Pinkie Pie was about to protest, but waved a hoof at the pink pony, silencing her as she stepped forward. Twilight knew she had not have the energy or skill to pull this off...but she had to try. She would never live with the regret if she did not at least try.

But even as her horn flared, magenta glow appearing as she tried desperately to perform a spell that could heal much of Starfall's internal injuries, she could feel her magic responding slowly and sporadically, attempting to do more than her reserves could accomplish. For a brief moment, a faint glow seemed to surround Starfall...but it faded within a second of appearing, Twilight collapsing onto her belly in exhaustion and shame, starting to sob more regularly and openly now. "I-I can't...I can't do it..." she whimpered softly.

"Hast thou found him, my friends?" Luna's voice cut through Twilight's despair like a knife, making her look up in horror. Princess Luna was heading their way, but could not see Starfall yet. She was closer to Starfall than anypony here...if she saw him in this condition...

Twilight's friends seemed to have the same idea, all sporting horrified looks as they glanced among themselves, clearly trying to think of some way to stop Luna. Pinkie even took it a step further, rushing out to block the Princess' path, clearly trying to stall her.

"Wait! Princess, maybe you should...? Whah!" Whatever Pinkie was about to suggest Luna do was lost as the Princess, clearly desperate to see Starfall for herself, simply shoved roughly past the bubbly Earth Pony, ignoring the few indignant looks thrown her way.

"No, Pinkamena," Luna stated, a certain desperation in her normally calm voice, despite her best efforts to hide it. "We must see Starfall for ourselves, and none of thy efforts will stop me," she said, turning to Rainbow Dash and Applejack, both of whom were now trying to hold her up. "Now step aside, all of thee...we will see him!"

Both Applejack and Dash seemed to realise that when Luna was in this kind of mood, she was not to be trifled with, both of them looking at each other briefly, before hesitantly stepping aside, Twilight mentally trying to brace herself as Luna stepped passed them, waiting for some kind of explosive reaction when she laid eyes on Starfall.

For a long, long time, though, there was silence, the Princess spotting Starfall, and simply going dead still, seemingly in horrified shock as she just stared, clearly unable to tear her gaze away from the broken stallion at her hooves. Twilight could almost see the many, various thought whirling around Luna's head, behind her eyes, which so far were non-expressive, still too shocked to really give any kind of reaction.

Then Twilight saw it...the way Luna's eyes started to shimmer and glisten, as if she was on the verge of crying, seeming to focus on the point where Starfall's wing used to be. Nopony, not even Starfall, to Twilight's knowledge, had ever seen the Princess of the Night cry...ever. But as Luna fidgeted slightly, she seemed to blink back the tears, her gaze never leaving Starfall as she spoke up for the first time, Twilight jumping as she was addressed.

"Twilight Sparkle..." the Princess' voice was quiet, barely even audible, but Twilight could still hear they way it shook ever so slightly. She was scared...scared of how bad Starfall's condition was. "We...we need thy help..."

Twilight grimaced, her own breathing starting to turn laboured and shaky as she was forced to explain to the Princess what she had tried...and failed...to do. "I...I tried, Luna. I couldn't..." she tried to speak, feeling her words being overcome by her growing sobs. "He's too badly hurt...I don't have the magic..."

Luna still never tore her gaze away from Starfall, but it was clear that Twilight's admission hurt her, the glistening in her eyes becoming more pronounced. She was obviously trying to remain calm, trying to be the rational, reasonable one here, especially since all of Twilight's friends were going into various fits of despair. Fluttershy was already sniffling, while Rainbow Dash was furiously trying to wipe tears away, clearly losing the battle to keep her emotions in check. Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie all seemed to be calmer, but their eyes were all swimming...it did not seem to have truly sunk in yet just how badly Starfall was injured to them.

Luna once more spoke up, clearly starting to grow more desperate. "Then...we wish for thee to summon our sister, Twilight Sparkle..." she said, still in that soft, agonised tone. "Our sister can surely..."

"I am right here, Luna," Celestia's voice made Twilight jump, whirling around to see the elder Princess walking towards them. There was no grace in her gait, though...no determined sense of power that told Twilight she would make everything right again, as she always did. Even before Celestia tried anything, Twilight's mind understood, as hard as it was to accept...Celestia, too, was drained beyond measure, and did not have the power to save Starfall at this time. She was only here to try and lend what support she could.

Luna, however, obviously had either forgotten this, or was clutching desperately at some hope of a miracle. "Sister...Starfall is injured, gravely. Neither we, nor Twilight, have the power to heal him..."

Celestia gave a small sigh, hanging her head slightly. It was obvious that she could tell Luna was desperate to help Starfall...even though no help was coming. "I have sent Shining Armor to alert the nearest hospital that we have a critically injured pony who needs immediate attention. But, Luna...my power is just as drained as yours. I cannot even cast a diagnostic spell...I'm sorry, Luna..."

For the first time, the Princess of the Night tore her gaze away from Starfall, looking up at her sister in horror, as the younger alicorn realised the truth of what was happening. Nopony had the strength to help Starfall magically...and since his injuries were all internal, likely made worse bad the dark magic Cosmo had used, there was nothing else that could be done. Celestia's effort to send Shining Armor to call for help was a useless gesture, and everypony there knew it. By the time Shining returned, it would already be too late.

"But...but we..." the younger Princess stuttered, now obviously just grasping at straws, trying to find some detail that had been overlooked, that could help Starfall. But it was obviously dawning on her that it was hopeless, even as she tried to deny it. "No...not Starfall...he can't, not now...not after..."

Despite the Princess' increasingly distressed state, nopony missed to low, quiet groan, making Twilight, and everypony else, look over at Starfall's still form. She could have sworn the sound had come from him...but he remained still and quiet.

Then Twilight saw it; the barest twitch of a hoof, before Starfall seemed to move, ever so slightly. She barely even saw it, but it was there...Starfall was not only still alive, but seemed to have regained some form of consciousness.

"Starfall!" Luna had clearly noticed Starfall's faint movements, and immediately put her whole attention back on the injured stallion, Twilight watching as the alicorn knelt down beside him, a hoof gingerly reaching out to his head, trying to raise it and turn it so she could look directly at him. "Starfall...can thou hear us?"

Twilight watched for several moments, her attention focused with painful precision on Starfall's battered, bruised face, looking for any kind of response, any sign of life. But his eyes were closed, and he appeared to have slipped back into unconsciousness...at least until Twilight caught his eyelids flickering ever so slightly, Princess Luna giving a gasp at this small, but no less miraculous sign of life.

Starfall's head shifted ever so slightly, before he pried his open enough for Twilight...and by extension Princess Luna...to see his brilliant blue eyes, now so full of pain and confusion. "L...Luna...?" His voice was weak, hoarse, and every syllable seemed to cause him immense pain, Twilight taking a step closer so she could hear him properly, as painful as it was to see her friend like this.

Luna just leaned in a little closer, giving him a strained, watery smile, not even trying to hide her obvious relief that he was alive, and still talking. "Shh...we...I...am here," she said softly. Twilight could have sworn her tone was actually tender, but the pain that filled it made it difficult to be sure. "I'm here, Starfall."

The way Luna gently tried to soothe him only made the situation even more painful to watch for Twilight, the scene making it so obvious that Luna cared for him, very deeply. She tried to stifle her own sobs, while catching out of the corner of her eye that Fluttershy had already lost that battle, sobbing uncontrollably, but quietly, into Rarity's shoulder, the fashionista gently rubbing the timid pegusi's shoulder with a hoof, her own tears streaming down her face, marring her normally perfect make-up.

Twilight rubbed pointlessly at her own tears with a hoof, looking back at Starfall as he tried to speak up again, straining her ears to hear him. "I...is it over?" he asked weakly, although the hope and pleading were still audible in his tone, even through the agony his injuries must be causing him. "Did...did we stop...?"

"Yes, Starfall," Luna replied softly, though Twilight caught that the shaking in her voice was increasing. "We did it...you did it. Equestria is safe again." Her words seemed to wash over Starfall, the young stallion sagging into Luna's tender hold even more, relief shining through his pain for a moment.

It did not last long, however, as he tried to speak up once more. "The others...Twilight...Princess Celestia...what about...?" he started to beg, before Luna gently, almost reluctantly, reached up with the hoof currently not cradling his head to silence him softly, the soft gesture pulling another weak sob from Twilight, that seemed to be echoed by several ponies. The unicorn could have sworn she even heard Celestia's breath hitch ever so slightly.

"Shh...try not to talk, Starfall...everypony is okay, we all made it through fine. And...and you will, too, Starfall. You'll see...Celestia sent for help, somepony will be here soon, just you wait and see." The Princess seemed to be slipping between her old, archaic speech and more normal modern speech, but her desperate words to Starfall were all in the same, hollow tone...she did not believe what she was saying, and nopony, not even Starfall, did either.

"Luna, please..." he breathed, his face screwing up briefly, obviously trying to push through the agony his body was leaving him in right now. "You don't...have to lie. I know...I'm not going to make it..." even with how quiet he was, the finality, the resignation, and the sliver of fear, could all still be heard.

But his words made an impact. Twilight felt her breath catch in her throat as Starfall voiced what they all could not...that he was dying. She heard Fluttershy's anguished sobbing increase in volume, Rarity also unable to remain quiet, even as she tried to comfort the shy pegasus. Twilight caught sight of Pinkie Pie just in time to see her normally puffy, curly mane deflate right before her eyes, hanging long, limp, and perfectly straight beside her face, only increasing the look of total depression as she started wailing, crying a river of tears down her cheeks as the reality sunk in of what was happening.

Not even Applejack or Rainbow Dash could remain calm, Rainbow's desperate attempts to stifle and contain her sobs only making them louder, while Applejack took off her ever-present stetson, pressing it against her chest as she hung her head, her orange body shaking with quiet sobs, an occasional glitter under her head letting everypony know that she, too, was shedding tears for their fallen, dying friend.

As Twilight looked over at her own mentor, she blinked, once more wiping away her own tears, trying to confirm the truth of what she was seeing. But even after wiping her eyes, the sight was still the same. Princess Celestia was standing there, head bowed much like Applejack, and there were clear marks running down her cheeks. The powerful, immortal Princess of the Sun had been reduced to tears just like the rest of them. Twilight knew that she would have seen countless lives...entire generations, even...pass her by. But this...this was a pony who had wormed his way into Luna's heart, leaving Celestia's emotions more rattled than usual.

Luna, however, was still fighting off her tears, though she was clearly shaken, and in extreme distress. "No...no, no, no, Starfall," she whispered pleadingly, all-but begging him to deny his own words, to say something to give her hope that he could survive. "Please...thou must make it, Starfall...thou can't...can't..." she trailed off, seemingly fighting to get the words to even leave her mouth, her breathing hitching and shaking intensely.

Then Twilight saw it, the glimmer of light falling from Luna's eyes, starting to drag down her cheeks...the first tears, the first sign of the full extent of Luna's despair. "You...you can't die, Starfall..." she finally managed to all-but whimper, making Twilight's ears flatten back, the unicorn's own tears only falling more rapidly as the dreaded word was finally spoken aloud.

Even Starfall seemed to give a wince at the words, though that could have just been the pain he was in. After that, there was nothing but silence, marred only by Fluttershy's crying, and the occasional sob from the rest of the gathered ponies, as Luna continued to lie there, holding Starfall's head gently in her hooves, cradling him, her silent tears falling faster and faster, the dam apparently having burst now.

Eventually, Starfall managed to break the silence. "Luna..." that single word was always going to get the attention of the Princess of the Night, though everypony else, including Celestia, seemed to lean in, desperately trying to hear his voice...every word he spoke was another sign that he was still alive.

But Starfall was growing noticeably weaker. It seemed to be a struggle for him to simply keep his eyes open now, and his voice was so quiet, Twilight was struggling to make him out, even as close as she was. "I...I'm sorry, Luna...I wish...I got to complete...my studies...I wish I could...teach you more about the world, today..."

Once again, Luna's hoof against Starfall's lips silenced him, the blue alicorn shaking her head. "No, Starfall...do not be sorry," she said softly, though nopony seemed to miss the way her breath was hitching. Luna seemed to be on the verge of a total breakdown...something Twilight had previously never even been able to imagine the Princess doing.

"We...I..." the Princess corrected, now making an effort to speak with a more modern dialect, making Twilight pay closer attention. "Starfall, you taught me so much more than I had ever dreamed there was to know. You taught me how Equestria works, how to survive in it...how to live in it. You showed me a world I could not have imagined...not a thousand years ago, not ever. Not only that, you showed me...a pony forever living in the shadow of my past sins...you showed me kindness. You gave me a chance, and taught me about the miracle of friendship more than even Twilight Sparkle had that Nightmare Night."

Twilight could not even find the energy to summon even a ghost of a smile at the memory of that night...too focused on the present tragedy unfolding before her. Starfall was fighting so hard to stay alive, to stay conscious so Luna could unload all her feelings for him. She could see the way his eyelids kept trying to shut, and the way his eyes kept losing focus. He never made any attempt to support his own weight at all, or even move from the position Luna was cradling him in...his every effort was going into remaining awake, staying alert...to hear what the Princess of the Night...his princess...had to say.

"I...I just wish I had taken all you could have taught me to heart, now..." Twilight paused, curious about that sentence from the Princess. Starfall also seemed puzzled, somehow managing to convey that confusion in his expression, despite his pained, near-death state. Luna had clearly spotted this, and continued on, in a voice that was almost as hushed as Starfall's, Twilight dimly aware of Princess Celestia coming up beside her, trying to get close enough to hear her younger sister.

"You taught me more than just how to live in the Equestria of today. You showed me how much ponies appreciate my night...how much you appreciate it. You gave me your friendship, even when I was distant and cold towards you. You taught me how to be a friend...and you could have taught me so much more than that, if only I had opened my mind to it..." Luna's voice was full of regret, pain, sorrow, and...something else Twilight could not identify amongst all the other emotions.

Starfall, however, seemed to have some kind of inkling as to where Luna was going with this, putting in a massive effort to raise his head ever so slightly, trying to look more directly at her. "Luna?" he asked weakly. "What are you...?"

Princess Luna cut him off, however...trying to say what she wanted to before she lost her nerve, it seemed. "Because of you, Starfall, I learned to live again. I learned how to have fun, how to be a friend, and I could have...I could have learned to love, if I had not ignored my own heart..."

The statement seemed to stop everypony short, Twilight blinking, though it had nothing to do with the tears that continued to stream down her face. There was only one thing Luna could be talking about, but that would mean...

"I..." Starfall was once again trying to speak, but could not find the words, let alone the energy to actually say them, this time. "Luna...do you mean...?" he trailed off, the faint edge of hope in his voice enough to make Twilight cringe. All this time...all these months, and Starfall's crush on the Princess had lingered. She had suspected, but never found anything to say so conclusively until tonight. But now, the proof was here, and maybe, just maybe...Starfall was about to get a dying wish.

Luna took a deep breath, a hoof quickly wiping across her eyes, before giving Starfall a pained, but deep, caring smile, one that said more than the words she spoke straight after. "You became so much more than my student, Starfall. You became my companion...my friend...my..." she stopped, again, not sure of the words she wanted to say. She seemed to find them once again, however, pressing on stubbornly, refusing to lose her nerve now. "Remember, during our dance, I wanted to say something to you? I wanted to tell you how much I had grown to care about you, about how much you have come to mean to me, and how much I owe you. I wanted to tell you that...if you were still holding feelings for me, even after I had so rudely and coldly shunned you..."

The Princess of the Night hung her head, the words lost to her as she gave the faintest sound, her shoulders heaving slightly. Princess Luna was sobbing, actually openly crying, both for the dying stallion in her hooves, and the regret of feelings for that stallion she had obviously suppressed for some time, just as he had suppressed his feelings for her.

The extra emotion of the situation only intensified the sorrow around the two ponies, both Fluttershy and Rarity now lying on the grass, both crying into each other's shoulders, Rarity having finally lost her composure, all propriety and decorum forgotten. Pinkie's waterfall of tears only seemed to intensify, while Rainbow Dash and Applejack had finally succumbed to their own sobbing fits, Applejack even turning away, unable to watch the tragic scene any longer. Even Twilight found her vision swimming in tears that just kept coming, the legs barely holding her up, they were shaking so badly with her sobs now.

Starfall, meanwhile, was looking up at Luna, his eyes wide, her words somehow having given him a small energy boost in his last moments. "Do you really...?" he asked, before sighing, leaning back into the hoof holding his head up once more. "Luna, you don't have to..."

"Yes, Starfall..." Luna interrupted him once more, her voice still soft, speaking so tenderly to him, it was painful for Twilight to listen to, now. "I do. I held back my feelings for so long because it was not proper, because I had already pushed you aside...because I was unsure. Now I see...these are not important. What matters is how we feel for each other, and that I need to say this...before it's too late."

Once again, the Princess of the Night paused, gathering up the courage to say the words she clearly wanted to speak so desperately, before it was too late. Despite Twilight feeling like her heart was being torn to pieces, watching and listening to this unfold, she could not help but take a half-step forward, noticing all her friends similarly focusing their attention, Applejack managing to bring her gaze back to the scene in front of her, as they waited in shaky, grief-striken silence.

Finally, the Princess of the Night opened her mouth. "I...I...I love you, Starfall," she said, sobs starting to heave across her regal frame once more, even as Starfall could only stare at her, stunned disbelief plastered on his pale, weak face. "And I'm sorry...I'm so, so sorry...I wish, more than anything, that I could save you..." she lost her nerve at that point, her head falling, burying her face in his damaged side, sobbing uncontrollably, the knowledge of his imminent death only hitting her harder now that she had finally made her stunning admission.

Beside her, Twilight could even hear Princess Celestia letting a few strangled sobs escape her lips, the sounds of various ponies crying and sobbing the only sounds audible. Nopony said a word in the wake of Luna's admission of her feelings for Starfall...there were no words that could be said. What could you say to a couple who were being torn apart before they could even truly try to make a life together?

Finally, Luna regained enough composure to raise her head once more, her eyes widening in horror as she saw Starfall's eyes fluttering shut, his body seemingly getting heavier in her hooves. "Starfall? Starfall!" she cried, her desperate, heartbreaking call somehow reaching Starfall's ears, which twitched faintly, his eyes somehow managing to force themselves partially open...enough to show he was listening. He could not have long left. "Please, Starfall...if there is anything...anything I can do...?" she begged, clearly clinging to one last, vain hope...a hope that Starfall had some last, miraculous idea.

Twilight cringed, believing Luna would not get any answer back, except maybe a small shake of the head. Amazingly, though, Starfall groaned and tried to shuffle slightly. Clearly, he wanted to say something.

His words, however, took the last remnants of Twilight's broken heart, and shattered them into a million pieces. "Luna...just...don't...just don't let go. Stay with me...hold me...please..."

Luna's sobs returned with a vengeance, the younger alicorn breaking down completely, sobbing uncontrollably for several moments. Starfall's request put it beyond any doubt, now...nopony knew how to save him...not even Starfall himself. His fate was all but sealed, now...all that remained was the agonising wait for his wounds to claim him.

But nopony missed Luna's gesture, her forehooves moving, one continuing to cradle his head, while the other went under his foreleg to hold him behind the shoulders, carefully lifting him up so she could hold him close, embracing him and comforting him in his last moments. In the silence, nopony missed her soft, whispered words, likely meant only for Starfall. "Never, Starfall...I'll never let you go..."

As she even went to the extent of wrapping her wings around him, Twilight's last view of Starfall saw the pained expression on his face lessen, the corners of his mouth even seeming to turn upwards ever so slightly, before Luna's wings shielded him from view, and all that was left was the sounds of eight sobbing ponies, Luna's cries of grief and distress, while not the loudest, easily being the most heartbreaking of all of them, as they all waited for Starfall to take his last breath.