Chapter 10: Sorrow on the Brink of Paradise

Darkness had set in as profound as the cold which constricted his body. Cantor's eyes flashed open in a state of sacred fright. He took in every aspect of this new environment in an instant; there wasn't much to see.

Everything: the sky, the 'walls'... Even the weightless floor held less than a reflection across its jet black surface.

He slowly rose to his hooves, finding he had to exert so little effort in doing so, it was almost as if he were floating. Once on all fours, Cantor allowed his eyes to wander, or, as best they could with such a bleak scene. Distinguishing an emotion within himself proved difficult; he wasn't entirely scared, and his curiosity was at a peak, however the unease in his stomach coupled with the chilled air nipping at his coat made him shiver.

After what seemed like a while: a while fraught with confusion and bewilderment, Cantor tried his voice.

"H- hello...?" He asked, fooling himself into expecting a reply. He waited, and as predicted, no one spoke back - and as a second thought, he wondered how he'd feel if someone did.

The frost-pelted alicorn sank to his haunches and shivered, hugging his forelegs into his chest while he wracked his brain for a decision. He allowed himself to become immersed in thought, but tried to hide in ignorance: it was blindingly obvious, and in an odd sense, relieving: he was dead. Finally.

Cantor allowed himself a stout chuckle as he privately admitted he was impressed he was eventually brought down: even an ancient prophesy with a villain to boast couldn't hold him down for long...

True, the teenage alicorn was disheartened that he was devoid of the living, but he just couldn't bring himself to react any more than a disgruntled sigh. He almost yawned.

Oddly, Twilight Sparkle was not at the forefront of Cantor's mind. Instead, the young alicorn's thoughts were centred rather worryingly around Faith. Maybe it was because he knew Twilight was safe. Maybe it was because he felt he had some kind of responsibility over the grey mare. Either way, Cantor made peace with himself that the matter was out of his hooves, and all he could do now was watch, and pray...

But then, the departed stallion caught a glimpse of something: a single point of light, like a lone star in a bleak sky, or like a tiny imperfection in a photographer's darkroom.

He rose up once more and squinted through the dark. There wasn't much to see, and after a second scout of his surroundings, Cantor affirmed that the tiny white dot was all there was in this realm. He found himself with one of two options: go towards the light, or sit back down, and do nothing. Yet only one of these decisions led him to immediately foresee an inevitable outcome...

An age of adverse ambling later, and Cantor was so close to the light source, that he found himself able to pick out distinguishable features of the realm beyond. He could see pale violet mountains capped with the most pristine snow - snow almost as clean as the cotton-candy clouds drifting carelessly in the immaculate blue summer sky. Deep green pine trees rose up out of the blackness, and before making a forcible asent up the purple rockface, had encircled an expansive basin of crystal clear water, starbursts of glorious light blooming from the sufrace's shallow waves as they broke upon the pebbles of the shore.

Truly, it was the most breathtaking location the alicorn had ever seen, and he was met with the odd instinctual sensation of never wanting to leave. As he drew ever closer, a mildly warm breeze met his fur, and the new-found sustenance of sunlight made him take a deep breath of floral mountain air.

But he stopped just before the brink, where the dark met grass. Grass so vivid and crisp, he could already feel it softly prick his underhoof. At first, the white stallion couldn't find the words to speak over the stunning scenery, but when he did, all he managed to mutter was "What is this place?" In an air of pseudo-unease, he already knew, and it was the most beautiful place he could only dream of.

Cantor waited and waited; too afraid to make the final step, but still rather reluctant to stay here in the chill. He took a long, hard stare at his view behind, taking into careful consideration the unending blackness of the prior world. And eventually, his flurry of internal thoughts manifested themselves as a vocalised monologue.

"But I can't go..." He spoke, turning back to face paradise. "There's so much I have left to do..." He dropped his head to the non-existent floor below as the crushing reality (or rather not) began to finally sink in.

"What about my friends?" Cantor continued to ponder, watering carelessly at the eyes. "What about Faith? What about Flitter, Blue and Cloud...? I've left them all alone..." Tears made their way around his gently closed eyelids and splashed soundlessly to the floor. "What if they don't find a way back? No one will ever know why we never came back: how we all died... It will be all in vain..." He slumped to the ground, biting his lip as hard as he could, yet no pain was felt. "Twilight..." He muttered soullessly. "How's she going to cope?" His thoughts turned dark as he was met with the cruelty of the death some ponies call 'closure'. "I'm never going to even get to see my foal." He grumbled, becoming vicious as for some reason he frequently did. "Not be with the pony I love when she gives birth. This is unfair! What kind of heaven is-...!?"

A slow sound of splashing water became apparent ahead, something unlike the regular breaking of waves and more like somepony dragging their hooves through the surf.

With fearful reluctance, Cantor gradually lifted his head, eyes still glossy with tears. Upon realising what was going on up ahead, Cantor immediately developed an expression of haunted confusion.

From out of the lake, an embodiment of himself rose. Though it was not as the alicorn would have favoured his doppelganger to take the appearance of. The lake-treading pony wore teeth which protruded out over his bottom lip like sharpened alligator's, and a mane which billowed fire like a woodland inferno. Though perhaps what was most chilling part about this devious mirror, as it always was, were those endless black eyes which darkened shadow and haunted the most gruesome of nightmares. Cantor's gaze was reflected in those eyes. But somehow, the late alicorn did not seem all that afraid. In fact, he felt like he was in control for once.

The dark pony continued to rise from the water, and carried on walking until he felt the rocky shore beneath his hooves, just a few inches below the water.

The pair remained motionless for several moments: Cantor just sitting there, staring with expectant eyes, whilst his other self merely looked onward with a slight grin, the small waves gently breaking against the backs of his legs.

When the fire-maned stallion opened his mouth to speak, though it was only subtle, Cantor greater noticed his jaws lined with the little white daggers. "Hm..." He pondered in mild interest, taking in the scenery and not looking at Cantor. "I have assumed it would look a little like this..." He stated, voice calm, yet unnerving.

Cantor could only sigh and ask one of the two questions plaguing his mind. "Just... Who are you?" He questioned, unsure whether he was looking forward to the answer.

"Me?" Replied the dark alicorn in mock surprise. "Well isn't it obvious?" He continued, resuming his steady pace toward Cantor, speaking calmly as he walked. "I'm a part of you: and you're a part of me... We need each other to survive..."

"That's not true..." Cantor grumbled, staring at the grass just a few feet in front of him.

Hearing this, the doppelganger halted his progress and turned his head quizzically as he responded to the resilient stallion's remark. "Is that so?" He politely questioned. Cantor didn't look up. "I assume, Cantor, that in your statement, you were referencing the assumption that... you didn't need... me?" When the seated alicorn in front of him failed to respond once again, the dark-eyed pony upped his game. "Tell me," He began, a more sinister tone passing his lips. "How does it feel to... 'turn' on your friends...?" Surprised that even at this, Cantor didn't react, the sharp-toothed counterpart increased his taunt.

"...Tell me," He said again, voice becoming far less refined than before. "What do you think will happen to your girlfriend, Cantor? What will happen to the princesses, Canterlot, Ponyville, hell, all of Equestria with you not around...?" Knowing this was getting to the newly departed pony, the darker of the two persisted in aggravating the young stallion, seeing if he could push him over the edge. "They shall all die, shan't they?" He continued, pacing ever closer to the pained alicorn. "After all, who's there to protect them? Who's there to protect your little foal? Tell me-!" He growled, sinking to the floor and stretching his neck out to get as close to the bitter pony as possible without crossing the boundry.

The next time he spoke, he did so in an evil, and unforgiving tone. "Tell me..." He breathed more than spoke. "Who's going to be there to stop the 'bad guys' coming back...? Surely you have noticed two of your old crew members had been tasked with your execution..." He grinned a wide, pointed grimace. "Who would do such a terrible thing?"

As the first sign of life shown in the few minutes the blazing pony had been speaking, Cantor wearily shook his head. "I don't know..." He grumbled.

"You don't... know..." The fiery pony echoed, standing up once again to loom over Cantor like a menace. "To further your response," Continued the other stallion with a wry look. "Do you know, maybe... where you are...? Are you confused as to whether you're upon the threshold of Heaven, or scared; aware of the fact that you have murdered ponies in the past, that you may be sat before the gates of hell...? Perhaps some kind of lonely purgatory...?" The doppelganger arched his head maliciously, a sadistic grin spreading over his lips. "But..." He started with an even more sinister approach than before. "If that were the case... Who might I be...?"

Cantor sucked in a breath and turned his head upwards to face the creature, eyes lashed with fury. "I don't know..." He seethed gruffly with an abominable scowl. "...You tell me."

The demonic embodiment of Cantor, upon hearing this, paused, and made an effort to elaborately take a deep breath before releasing it through the partial gap between his razor-sharp teeth. "I'd like to." He affirmed with his grin. "However, I cant. You see, I'm a part of your own inner psyche - in short, I'm you. And you're me."

Cantor appeared to be troubled by this notion, but, to the duplicate's surprise, non-resistant. "You think I don't know that?" The white alicorn asked with a struggled grunt, like the weight of this oppressive world was wearing him down. "You think I'm unable to acknowledge the truth!?"

"And what of the truth!?" The dark-eyed pony retaliated harshly. "What can come of the truth? Peace of mind? Substance? The age-old ideal of justice!?" Once again, the other-worldly pony grew agitated. "What is the truth, Cantor? What's it for?" He stomped his hoof into the fabricated soil with great force, though nothing extraordinary occurred. "What are you going to do with the truth when you find it? How is anything you do here going to affect the piece of meat you are back where it matters?" He drew even closer to Cantor, who was once again staring at the floor. But no matter this fact, the passive stallion could feel the angered pony's hot breath on his face as he spoke with heavy breath.

"Because..." Cantor began in a hush, still staring at the tufts of grass around his doppelganger's hooves. "Because you're trying to scare me. You think something as dark; as evil as yourself can dampen my soul... But you're wrong..." The white alicorn continued with empowerment, though he didn't peer up from the ground. "I know you're a part of me. It sickens me to accept that you and I share like feelings, but... you're the pathetic part of me, the part of me, I can't control. You think you can dominate my heart, but you know something, you're nothingto me..." Cantor's voice became dark, and volatile as he continued, smirking under his own steam. "You can't stand in my way." The alicorn persisted through barred teeth. "I won't die today: that isn't my choice to make, neither is it yours..."

Cantor shot his hoof up and snatched up a good portion of the side of his counterpart's face, gripping it tightly as he forced it downward and made fierce eye-contact. "...And that... is the truth."

The world shattered around him - the shards of light making up his dark doppelganger exploding into pieces before being consumed by the blackness all around. The beautiful landscape was replaced with a cold, dark room littered with death and gripped by stale fear. All of a sudden, Cantor felt the hostile panic of falling a second before his eyes flared open and he took in a gargling breath.

His chest heaved upwards and he began to choke. The unquenchable thirst for oxygen coupled with the need to choke on his own semi-coagulated blood felt like torture to the stallion. It was as if he had just run ten miles uninterrupted whilst holding his breath, yet couldn't decide between a drink and air.

Forcing himself onto his knees, Cantor put all the force he could muster into clearing his lungs, whilst binging on as much breath as he could when he had the dire chance.

After several minutes of lingering on Death's door, Cantor finally built up enough slack to relax a little. Still kneeling, the recently revived alicorn found himself to be no longer choking, but still at a massive loss of breath. As he knelt and rapidly gasped deeply, he allowed himself a weary look around. He noticed through his pained eyes that he seemed to be in the same room he remembered losing consciousness in. The same light above flickered dimly like weak, persistent, silent lightning, and the same bodies carpeted the frigid metal ground - including Red's slashed hide and the two traitorous mercs which had not only failed to complete their mission, but had denied their own lives in doing so.

There was one noticeable difference, however, and Cantor picked up on this particularly quickly; and that was the fact that he was all alone, spare the lifeless body of one brave stallion.

With enough energy to muster a smirk, Cantor let his head fall comfortably downward as he shared a private comment aloud with himself.

"I really need a safer line of work..."

"Faith..." Flitter whined as she dragged her hooves heavily across the chilled floor behind the fast-paced pegasus. "Can we please just rest for a minute? My hooves feel like they're gonna burst..." The lilac mare proceeded to stumble into the wall closest to her, propping herself up against its hard surface to try and take some of the weight off her aching hooves as she grievously followed.

Faith didn't reply - she didn't even acknowledge the teenager's complaint; not this time, at least. She just kept her golden eyes forward, checking the numerous vents and corridors for attackers whilst they searched for Blue Bolt and Cloud Nine - not that Faith held out much hope for the separated pair now.

The stone-grey, blood-slashed pegasus kept an emotionless face as she briskly walked towards her questionable destination.

Once again, Flitter weakly complained. "Please, Faith," She sighed. "Can we stop for just five minutes?" It was at this point where the unicorn's knees were beginning to buckle with each step, and she was finding it hard to keep her balance. Unlike the hardened, older mare who was more experienced with long-distance walks over uncomfortable ground with heavy saddlebags, Flitter was much more delicate - even more so with everything she had endured today. "Can we at least slow down?" The exhausted mare continued. "Why are you in such a hurry, anyway?"

Having heard enough, Faith stopped in her tracks and quickly turned to face Flitter with cold eyes. "You want to have a break?" She asked. Flitter nodded semi-eagerly. "Well you can plant your little rump right there and wait to be picked off by those creatures." She harshly spoke, gesturing towards the hard ground. Despite her curt attitude, Flitter accepted the rest and fell to the floor, propping her back up against the wall as she breathed deeply. "But as for me," Faith continued. "I'm gonna try and get to the others. There's a chance that we'll survive longer if we're in a larger group." She turned away and continued to walk with a heavy stride. "Not that it'll matter..." She muttered to herself.

She was about to 'round the corner when a soft sob made her pause for a second. She looked back down the previous hallway to see the young unicorn hugging her legs tightly and trembling, her face buried into her knees, clenching her teeth to stop herself from crying.

Finding it impossible to be as heartless as to effectively leave the frightened girl to her death, Faith, albeit with a reluctant sigh, turned back around and planted herself next to Flitter. She rummaged around in her saddlebag for the pair of candy bars she had picked up from the ship. She tossed one to the unicorn on her right and began to tear her own one open with mental detachment.

After catching the small oat bar, Flitter did little other than observe as Faith slowly unwrapped hers. The pegasus pulled the thin, shiny wrapper down halfway and proceeded to simply examine the golden-brown snack.

"You know," Faith started after a light sigh, not changing her view on the candy bar as she rotated it in her hooves. "I had a lot of these when I was younger..." She stated, noticing the nuts and raisins nestled within the oats. "Aside from the occasional chocolate, they were the only sweet snack I could have... Yeah, apples and carrots were nice and all, but... They just couldn't live up to these." She took a bite, allowing the oats to become unstuck within her mouth, letting the honey that stuck them together coat her tongue. "I was gonna save 'em for on the way home, but..." She gave a self-pitying sigh. "...But that plan has kind of gone out the window, now..."

It was at this point, Faith felt she was expected to cry. But she just couldn't: she was far too depleted to shed a tear, even now that much of her hope was gone. She was feeling so run down that she couldn't even be bothered to chew any more.

Faith suddenly felt an unexpected pressure on her shoulder, and turning her head weakly up, she caught sight of Flitter's sombre expression. The pair held eye contact for several seconds, unsure as to what to say to each other at this point. Regardless, Faith tried to approach.

The grey pegasus turned away to look ahead once more, to stare at another blood stain smeared across what could be observed as a skewed health and safety poster. "How it it fair, Flit?" She asked, shaking her head heavily. "How can we be charged with such misfortune...? There are plenty of bad ponies out there, but why do we have to suffer? I mean..." She continued, nibbling a little at her oat bar. "There's... There's you and... your sister... I don't think I've said it yet, but... I'm sorry..." She said quietly, having the courtesy to look at the only sister to give a weak nod of condolence.

Flitter smiled a thanks, and waited for Faith to continue.

"It must be hard to loose somepony you've known all your life... I'm not trying to compare, but... I've lost two ponies who were important to me today..." Once again, she turned away and sighed, resting her head on her forelegs as she crossed them over her knees. "We didn't know each other for all that long, but Cantor, Red and I really hit it off, you know... I can't believe they're really gone." The notion hadn't fully set in yet, and as well as the fact that she was still in danger helped Faith reconcile with herself that she did care, yet the time for that amount of sentimentality was not yet.

The two mares rested there for a minute or so, and after a while, Flitter finally started on her own bar of oats.

"Faith...?" The young girl asked timidly after her first mouthful.

"Yeah?" The pegasus replied, peeking over her shoulder, the swollen cut across her nose entering her periphery.

Flitter seemed hesitant to ask her question, but decided to once she realised she didn't have much to lose. "Do... Do you believe in Heaven?"

Upon hearing this, the grey mare seemed to be taken back. Not necessarily because she was surprised that Flitter had said such a thing, but truly because, she'd never really thought about it - which she let the other girl know.

"Huh..." Replied the unicorn with a troubled look about her. "See I haven't really thought about it either..." She affirmed, and despite the topic, she didn't seem all that sombre. "But it's a nice thought, isn't it? As in, not having to suffer any more..." Faith nodded agreeably. "I hope that, when I die... Whether that be here, or seventy years from now at home in my bed, I'll get to see my sister again." Her thought made her smile, and took away some of the fear in her heart.

Faith raised her eyebrows tentatively. "Wow..." She remarked, impressed. "I'm surprised you can talk about something like that so easily. A lot of ponies find it hard to accept their own death - even right at the end..." Faith shot a trusting wink Flitter's way and gently knocked her shoulder with a hoof. "For the record, Flit, I think you're really brave." Faith said with a grin, which the unicorn mare promptly returned. "I don't think any filly your age has gone through what you've gone through today. I'm proud of you."

Blushing, Flitter gave a small chortle. "Thanks." She quietly replied, taking another bite of her cereal bar.

Suddenly, a sharp burst of radio static made the two mares jump. They had been wearing their ear-pieces for so long that they had grown over-comfortable, and had forgotten that they had them in at all. Needless to say, though the loud hiss right next to heir heads made them panic for a second, the couple of ponies were overcome with relief when they inferred that not only Blue Bolt and Cloud nine alive, but that they were sure they were no longer the only two left in this world.

Breathing an exaggerated sigh of glee, Faith placed her hoof to her ear and applied a little pressure, trying to hear whoever was speaking: the signal was feint, yet a voice could definitely be heard from the other end.

When the distorted voice cleared, Faith pressed down on the transmitter button and spoke eagerly. "Blue!?" She cried. "Is that you? Can you hear me!?" With this new technology, the mare had forgotten that her own volume would not necessarily affect the strength of the signal.

Being the eagle-eyed girl that she was, Flitter noticed an imperfection upon Faith's earpiece. Shuffling closer to the pegasus, Flitter reached out and began to adjust the grey mare's receiver.

"Whoa!" Faith yelped as she felt the foreign touch against her skin. Darting her view to the right, she saw Flitter's coiled hoof just a few inches away. "What are you doing!?" She asked loudly, excitement still evident in her tone.

"Ssh!" The young girl snapped back before quickly taking on an apologetic expression. "I'm adjusting your receiver." She stated, as if it was obvious. "We're supposed to be working on a 4.5 frequency. Your radio is on 4.7... I think that's why you can't hear anypony."

"Oh..." Faith replied and waited for Flitter to fix her earpiece.

"I mean, I can hear who's talking just fine." The fair coated unicorn said with a growing smile. "And I think you'll be pleasantly surprised..."

As Flitter adjusted Faith's receiver, the voice of a young stallion became clearer, and to the grey mare's glee, it was quite obviously Cantor's.

"Helooooo..." He cooed. "Is anyone gonna answer?" As the disembodied stallion continued to call, Faith's great smile became wider and wider as her hope was restored. "Bloody Hell, it smells awful in here... Like... well, a bloody Hell... Huh, I wonder if that's where the expression comes from...? For fuck sake! Someone answer me! Please, just... let me know there's someone left..."

The radio went quiet, and though Faith was overcome with delight that her companion was alive, she took that moment to compose herself.

"So, back from the dead, huh?" Faith began, the apparent smugness very evident on her tone. "Ooh, I've never met a zombie before."

"Faith!" Came the elated reply, the volume of the reply nearly bursting the pegasus' eardrum. "Hell yeah! I knew you'd still be kicking!" His relief and joy were more than notable in the way he spoke.

Faith laughed. "You know, for a zombie, you sound very much alive." The blonde mare remarked. "I'd tell you where I am, but I'm afraid you're gonna come and eat my brain." She added with an unseen smirk.

"Actually, there's another fleshy pink thing of your's I'd rather eat first..." Cantor replied coyly.

"Um, Cantor...?" Flitter started, unsettling the alicorn to some degree.

"H-hey, Flitter..." Cantor replied, his new-found enthusiasm sounding artificial upon the discovery of the younger mare listening in.

"How are you still alive? I thought you were shot." The unicorn enquired. "And... And you stopped breathing..." Her last note was that of a a depleted one. She sounded upset despite the fact that Cantor had come back.

"Aah, don't worry about me." Jested the young stallion. "I've been bitten, crushed, torn apart, burned, punched, stabbed and stretched." He replied nonchalantly. "You think some pissy little pieces of metal can keep me down for long?"

"Easy, boy..." Faith interjected, taking on a serious tone. "Tell me, can you get to us?"

There was another rather lengthy pause coming from the stallion's side. "Sure." He said blankly after a while. "Because I know exactly where you are." The sarcasm was viscous.

Faith sighed and shook her head, though it was impossible to keep the smile returning to her face. "We've been walking for about half an hour straight." She affirmed. "I have some idea-"

"Half an hour!?" Came the exasperated yell from Cantor. "How big is this place!?"

"To be fair," Faith started. "About twenty minutes were spent climbing stairs." She said, feeling her legs begin to complain out of painful remembrance. "We're at the top of some huge tower. I think if there's gonna be some way off this Hell-hole, it'd be up here."

A second of agreeable muttering passed before a laboured groan came through the couple of mares' ear pieces. "Does that mean I'm gonna have to climb loads of stairs with three legs?" He whined. "And in darkness, no less!" He exclaimed at the end.

Faith's mischevious grin was evident when she next spoke. "What's wrong, Cantor? I thought you loved long dark things."

"Oohh..." Cantor replied with a frustrated shudder. "When I get to you, I'm gonna make you eat those words."

"Kinky." Replied Faith with another chortle. "Anyway, I'll direct you to the tower and... 'motivate' you during the climb."

There was audible breathing and heavy steps coming through the speakers as the alicorn began to hobble along, dragging his dislocated leg which still had a hefty claw speared through it along behind him. "...I don't like the sound of that..." Cantor worriedly said.

"Don't worry," Faith proudly spoke with yet another light chuckle. "I've got a number of 'motivational songs' lined up for you, zombie... Speaking of which, I haven't forgotten about your 'fleshy pink' remark earlier on..." The self-assured mare added with a smirk.

There was no reply...