"Do you have any idea where he would be?" The guard asked.

"Yeah... Yeah I do." I said, staring towards the tower, seeing a storm brewing on the horizon.

"I'll get more guards." He said before I grabbed him.

"No! If you do that he will kill her... Just let me go. I can bring him in... Please." I asked. He nodded.

I glanced back at the tower, "Nicholas... What are you doing..." I said to myself.

-------------------------------------

My eyes snapped open, looking around quickly.

"C...Cecil?" Fluttershy said aloud. She was on top of the tower. She tried to stand, but was bound by rope. Fluttershy glanced back to see the towering lightning rod behind her... Noticing she was chained to it.

"Cecil isn't here." Nicholas said.

My head snapped to him as an incredible sense of dread and horror filled me. I looked up to see a storm quickly approaching.

"Let me go... Please!" She begged.

"I can't do that." Nicholas said as he fiddled with some buttons and levers on the control panel that stood at the edge of the tower.

"You don't have to do this... Just walk away. We won't come after you..." She said

"I can't just walk away... It's too late for that." He said in a hollow tone. I heard the sound of thunder, forcing my eyes up to the sky as the storm was now directly overhead. She looked at Nicholas and saw him slowly pressing one of the levers up. Fluttershy immediately started feeling volts of electricity surge through her. Her entire body locked up. She ground her teeth together as tears streamed down her face. After a few moments it stopped and she collapsed to the floor.

"P...Please..." Fluttershy begged, glancing weakly up at him.

"NICHOLAS!" Cecil screamed, running up the stairs and looking at me, "Fluttershy!"

"Hello brother!" Nicholas yelled.

"Let her go... Please! Just stop the fighting!" Cecil said as the thunder started. He tried to run to Nicholas, who in response pulled the lever again.

"GNNHG!" I grunted as more volts were send through me. My back arched and my breathing halted as my muscles locked up..

"COME A LITTLE CLOSER I DARE YOU!" Nicholas screamed, turning the voltage off. I looked up at Cecil, barely able to keep my head up anymore as I started wheezing.

"Okay just... Just calm down." Cecil said, backing up.

"So perfect... You were always so perfect." Nicholas said.

"What are you talking about..." Cecil asked.

"You were the favorite... You got everything you ever asked for. Everyone loved you. You are... Perfect." Nicholas said weakly.

"Nicholas..." Cecil said baffled, "I... I didn't... I'm so sorry..."

"NO!" Nicholas screamed, "Don't... Don't you pity me... Don't you dare."

"We... Can talk about this Nicholas..." Cecil said hesitantly.

"Yeah... Talk... How considerate of you!" Nicholas said sarcastically, "No I'm sorry... But we're past that phase."

"Please Nicholas just..." Cecil said as his expression changed from pleading to shock. There was a dark figure hovering behind Nicholas, floating over the edge of the tower.

"What are..." Nicholas mumbled, turning around. His eyes widened as the figure flew at him, grabbing him and throwing him off the control panel..

"Patric!" Cecil shouted at the now revealed figure.

"BASTARD!" Patric yelled, hitting Nicholas as they wrestled on the ground. As they fought, Cecil ran over to Fluttershy.

"Are you okay?!" Cecil asked.

"I'm... Fine..." Fluttershy said weakly, raising her hand towards Cecil's face. He quickly grabbed it, grasping her tightly.

"I'll get you out of these chains... Don't wo-" Cecil said but was interrupted by the loud roar of thunder. Cecil and Patric looked at each other, then up to the sky. Cecil looked down at Fluttershy, who was staring up at him in horror.

"I... Where's the key?!" I asked.

"I don't know!" Fluttershy said quickly. Cecil looked over to the control panel, seeing the key sitting on the edge of it.

---------------------------

I rushed over to the key, climbing the small steps to the controls when there was a bright flash of white light as thunder rolled through the sky. My heart dropped as my head turned to Fluttershy.

"What...?" I mumbled. She was perfectly fine, but she was staring up at the sky... I looked up, seeing Patric in the sky above the lightning rod... He had just taken been hit by the bolt... To save Fluttershy...

"PATRIC!" I screamed as he plummeted, smashing into the ground. I grabbed the key and handed it to Fluttershy, immediately running over to Patric. His body was limp, giving off an occasional twitch. The mechanical wing he had was utterly fried.

"Is... He okay?" Fluttershy asked. I reached down and felt for a pulse... He was still alive.

"He's okay..." I said, breathing a sigh of relief, "I think his wing... Actually redirected most of it."

"Idiot..." Nicholas said, snapping our attention to him. There was blood running down his face as he glared at us. He was holding a knife.

"Nicholas..." I said, backing away slowly.

"Just... Shut up." Nicholas said, backing away towards the exit. I watched him back away as I held Fluttershy, her entire body shaking. I looked at Nicholas, who was frozen in place, staring at us with wide eyes.

"What are..." I said.

"NICHOLAAAS!" Patric yelled, bolting past us.

"P...Patric?!" I said in shock. Patric tackled Nicholas, my heart sinking as they both tumbled off the edge of the tower. I froze, staring straight ahead in a daze. I jumped up and ran to the edge, staring down at the two lifeless bodies lying at the bottom of the tower. I fell backwards, staring blankly ahead.

"P...Patric!" Fluttershy yelled, rushing to the edge and looking down at them.

"Ni....Nicholas..." I said weakly to myself. Minutes passed as Fluttershy sat next to me, crying into my shoulder as I held her.

"Why..." Fluttershy cried.

"I... I don't know..." I said weakly, still In disbelief as tears finally found their way out.

"M... Maybe he's okay..." Fluttershy said, standing up and walking towards the stairs. I didn't respond, continuing to stare out into nothingness. A moment later I heard a gasp. I turned to see Nicholas standing at the top of the steps, bloody and bruised. He was holding the gun from my basement in his hand.

"Nicholas!" I said in shock. He aimed the gun at Fluttershy, looking angry.

"WAIT!" I yelled, jumping in front of her, "Just stop... Please! No one has to get hurt today..."

"Get out of the way..." Nicholas panted.

"No..." I said sternly.

"I said... Move..." Nicholas demanded.

"You're not hurting her." I said, walking towards him.

"S...Stop!" Nicholas yelled, backing up.

I continued to walk towards him. "I... I'll shoot!" He said hesitantly.

"Then shoot." I said, stopping in front of him and grabbing his hand, placing the gun to my head.

"Cecil!" Fluttershy cried.

"W..." Nicholas mumbled.

"I'll die before I let you touch her, and I'm not going to hurt my little brother... So if you're going to shoot, then shoot..." I said.

"W...What?" He said in disbelief. His hands shook as he held the barrel to my head. I stood there, waiting for him to make a move. He stared up at me, his eyes wide as his I heard his finger tighten around the trigger. I closed my eyes.

"I love you Nicholas." I said, hearing the rattle of the gun in his shaky hand stop. I waited a moment, before opening my eyes. The gun was turned around... He was handing it to me.

"Take it..." He said quietly.

"Nicholas..." I said.

"Just take the damn gun and use it already... I know you want to." He said louder. I stood there, staring at the gun as he gazed away from me, waiting...

"TAKE IT!" He yelled, "TAKE THE GUN JUST FUCKING TAK-" I interrupted him, wrapping my arms around him in a hug. He froze, his eyes wide as he stared past my shoulder.

"I love you so much Nicholas..." I said as I felt tears staining my shoulder.

"You... You should hate me..." He cried, "Why.... Don't you hate me... How can you forgive me after... All I've done..."

"I was never angry with you..." I said as my own tears slid out. "Even after it all... You're still my brother..."

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." He sobbed, gipping me tighter as I heard the gun fall to the floor as we both fell to our knees, embracing each other.

"Everything's going to be alright... I promise..." I said as he wept harder.

"No it won't... It won't be ever again..." Nicholas said.

"We... We'll figure this out together... Just like when we were kids remember?" I said.

"Yeah..." He said with a weak laugh, "Just like the good old days... But for now I think Fluttershy needs you..."

-------------------------------------------------

He nodded, running over to Fluttershy as she cried into his chest.

"It's over Fluttershy... It's all over..." Cecil said as he held her.

I looked at him, then down to the gun on the floor, "Not yet it isn't..." I said to myself. I reached down and picked up the gun, looking it up and down. It was then that I remembered what I had carved into the bullet. I chuckled.

"How ironic..." I said quietly.

---------------------------------------------------

"What are we going to do now?" Fluttershy asked me.

"We?" I asked, "We are going to live our lives... We can do that finally..."

"But... What about Nicholas?" She asked.

"Don't worry... He's not going to hurt anyone anymo-"

BANG...

I froze, my head slowly turning to Nicholas as time seemed to stop. He had the gun pointed at his own chest. I watched as he fell to the floor, the gun clanking as it hit the ground.

"NO!" I screamed, running over to him. I fell to my knees, putting pressure on the wound. He turned to me, a smile on his face.

"Everything is... Going to be fine now..." Nicholas said.

"No... You....You're going to be okay we just... Need to keep pressure on this..." I said weakly.

"Cecil..." He said.

"No... We're supposed to do this together... Remember?" I said as tears streamed down my cheek.

"N... Not this time... Cecil..." Nicholas said, a small trickle of blood running down his mouth.

"Tell me what to do..." I said as my head fall to his chest, crying uncontrollably, "You have to tell me what to do..."

There was a pause...

"You... Remember when we were kids... And dad used to take us up to the lake?" Nicholas said.

"Yeah... And I never went in because I didn't know how to swim... But you taught me..." I said.

"Yeah..." Nicholas said as we both shared a short laugh, "Want to know the funny thing?"

"What?" I asked.

"I didn't know how to swim either..." Nicholas said, starting to laugh.

"You... Didn't?" I said, half in disbelief.

"I was scared out of my mind, but I just wanted to impress you... I wanted... You to be... Proud of me..." He said, starting to cry again, "Are... You proud of me big brother...?"

"Yeah... I'm proud of you..." I cried, squeezing his hand tightly, "I'm the luckiest brother on the planet..."

"Its... Cold..." Nicholas said.

"M...Mom and... Dad will... Be there with you..." I said, gritting my teeth as I closed my eyes.

"Colin... Is with Starswirl... And Patric is... With Colin..." Nicholas said in a fading tone, "But there's no one waiting for me... Where I'm going..."

"Yes there is Nicholas..." I said. There was no response...

"N... Nicholas?" I said as I opened my eyes, "Baby brother...?" He was motionless, staring up at the sky. My hands clamped to my face as I sobbed violently.

"Please no..." I begged, "Please god... Don't leave me...."

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned, seeing Fluttershy kneeling beside me. I fell into her as she held me in her arms.

"Nicholas... I'm so sorry..." I whimpered.

"Cecil?!" Twilight shouted, coming up the stairs and stopping, looking at Nicholas' corpse, then back to me. I glanced at her. She approached me, kneeling beside Fluttershy as they both hugged me. Twilight pulled back, looking at me in surprise.

"Cecil..." She said, motioning to the sky. I looked to see a full moon rising on the horizon.

"You're... Not turning into a skeleton..." She said. I looked down at my hands, she was right... I looked back down at Nicholas as I started to weep again.

----------------------------------------

"I don't know how he's alive..." The doctor said unsure of himself, "He was struck by lightning... And fell 100 feet off of a tower..."

"He's a fighter..." I said weakly.

"You can say that again..." Cross said, looking at a chart in his hand.

"How long... Do you think he'll be in a coma?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's hard to say... Honestly I'm... Not sure if he is going to wake up." Cross said.

I got up and walked to the door.

"Cecil?" Twilight said.

"There's something I need to do..." I said.

-------------------------------------
THREE DAYS LATER:

I sat there outside in one of the many empty chairs, staring at the man in the black suit.

"Dearly beloved: we are gathered today to pay our final tribute of respect to that which was mortal of our deceased loved one and friend, Nicholas." The man said, looking at me.

I glanced around, seeing I was the only one here, "Go on..." I said.

"To you members of the family who mourn your loss, we especially offer our deep and sincere sympathy. May we share with you the comfort afforded by God's Word for such a time as this..." He said.

I was startled as someone sat in the chair next to me.

"F...Fluttershy?" I questioned. She simply looked at me as Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Red walked over and sat down. Fluttershy hugged me as I broke down crying.

"Would any of you like to give a few words?" The man said.

"Just give us a minute..." Twilight said. He nodded, walking over to the grave site.

I sat there for a few minutes before standing up and walking up to the coffin. I stared down at Nicholas, grabbing his hand one last time.

"At least I know you'll be waiting for me..." I said as I wiped my eyes. I reached up and started to close the lid, before Fluttershy stopped me. Her hand was extended, and in it was her broach. She reached down and placed it in his hands, closing the lid after words. I wrapped my arms around her, gripping her tightly.

"I'm ready..." I said quietly.

Applejack, Red, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie lifted the coffin, walking it to the grave. It wasn't till then that I noticed... They had all been crying. Fluttershy, Twilight, and Rarity walked me to the man waiting by the hole. They lowered the coffin in and three people came over, grabbing shovels.

"No..." I said, stopping them, "I'll do it."

"Are you sure?" One of them asked.

"Yeah... Just leave..." I said. They shrugged, putting the shovels in the dirt and walking away. I looked down at the coffin before scooping some dirt and throwing it in. I scooped another shovel's worth, then another... And another... Twilight and the others grabbed a shovel, helping bury him.

"You... Don't have..." I stammered. They ignored me, only exchanging a glance as I made out a weak smile on their faces.

There was a pause as I watched them push dirt into the hole, "Thank you..." I said quietly.

------------------------------
ONE WEEK LATER:

'KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK'

"Fluttershy could you get that?" I shouted from the basement. I waited a few moments, only to hear another three knocks. "Alright alright I'm coming!"

I went upstairs and to the front door.

"Patric?!" I said in surprise as he stood there with a smile.

"Hey Cecil." He said.

"I... Thought you were still in a coma?" I said. He didn't respond.

"I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done... To help me and Colin over the years..." Patric said.

"Don't... Mention it. You're a close friend, and so was he..." I said. There was a long pause before he reached into his bag and pulled out the burned metal wing.

"Here." He said, handing it to me. I took it and looked up at him.

"Um... I can start repairing it now." I said quickly, about to turn around when he stopped me.

"No no... That's fine. I won't be needing it anymore." He said. He looked extremely tired...

"What do you..." I started before he pulled me into a hug.

"Goodbye..." He said.

"W...Where are you going?" I asked. He didn't respond... He pulled away and looked at me.

"D... Did you want to come in? I could make us som-" I said.

"I can't." He interrupted, "I have to go now..."

He turned and started walking. It wasn't until his back was facing me that I realized he had both his wings...

"You... I..." I stammered, staring at it as I noticed another man off in the distance.

"C...Colin?" I mumbled as Patric took his hand. They both looked at me, smiling.

"Cecil!" Fluttershy yelled, snapping my head to the right as I saw her running down the road towards me. I looked back... Patric and Colin were gone.

"Did... You see..." I said hesitantly.

"Patric is dead..." Fluttershy said, tears running down her face as she wrapped her arms around me. I stood there in confusion, having just seen him a ...moment....Ago....

I looked back to where they were standing as I finally understood... A tear came to my face as I held Fluttershy.

"Goodbye..." I said quietly.