After the incident at the baths, Lucky retreated into herself. Her normally spunky and outgoing personality was replaced with something far more chilling. Every time I was in the room, she wouldn’t meet my gaze and her voice reduced to a whisper. Her normally smiling lips were tight and the cheerful light in her eyes was replaced with cold depression. Ivy tried to perk up Lucky’s spirits as much as possible, but even a life-long friend wasn’t enough to bring the old Lucky back. I had thought that we were okay after talking it out, but apparently there was something else going on. Either Lucky thought I hadn’t meant what I had said, or she doubted herself after her accidental confession.

To make matters worse, Lucky’s depressed state was affecting the whole team, so much so that nopony had the energy to do much of anything. It was the worst for Mel, given she was the closest one to Lucky. She was almost as withdrawn as her rider, with nary a word for anypony besides Nilak. Even then, she only spoke with him in private, leaving the rest of us wondering what it would take to pull things around.

Given that this was mostly my fault, I felt terrible that I had caused this change in Lucky, and subsequently, the team. However, I had no idea what I could do to fix it. I had no idea what my feelings were concerning Lucky, and after her unintended confession at the baths, I was at a complete loss on what to do.

Days passed, and still there was no change in Lucky’s behavior. We tried going out and having fun in the city, but even riding roller
coasters didn’t provide Lucky with any enjoyment. Finally, the time had come for the next race, and frankly, we were all worried about how the team would perform. With Mel and Lucky barely motivated enough to get out of bed in the morning, the rest of us were starting to think we wouldn’t place this time around. Now, one bad race wouldn’t knock us out of the running for the Draconic Heaven, but it would make the following races that much more critical. We couldn’t afford a slip-up when making up for it would be ten times harder.

The next race was being held in Dragon’s Edge, a city on the coast about five days from Firebrand. The city rested just short of the great cliffs that lined the coast, making it a perfect spot for couples and tourists. It also provided a unique environment for racing. This race was going to be a normal one, without the tricks and surprises of a Handicap Trial. However, even without the added challenge of a handicap, Ivy and I were still worried about how well Lucky and Mel would do. Lucky still hadn’t pulled herself out of her funk, and so, neither had Mel. Mel was at least talking to the rest of the team now, but even still, her voice was muted and uncertain, making it quite unsettling when the rest of us thought about how boisterous she had been before.

We arrived in Dragon’s Edge to a beautiful sunrise. However, I had a sinking feeling in the bottom of my stomach, because the clouds and sea were both blood red. There was an old seapony’s legend about weather like this, and after a moment I remembered what it was.

Red light in morning, sailors take warning.

Somehow I knew that something bad was going to happen today. I just didn’t know when or where it would happen.

To make the worry in my gut even worse, Black Beauty, Thunder, Shield Fang and Whiteout weren’t going to be racing today. Whiteout had come down with scale rash, meaning she’d be out of the races until it was cleared up. While not life threatening, scale rash was unbelievably frustrating, given the rash festered and itched underneath a dragon’s scales, making it impossible to scratch or sooth with any medicinal ointments or creams. It would go away in time, but for now Whiteout was going to have to deal with being benched.
Shield fang had his own problems to deal with. During a private race against another high-ranked member of the Circuit, Shield Fang had torn one of the tendons in his left wing. It wasn’t a critical injury, but he too was unable to race today because of the healing wound. Needless to say, racing without our most experienced allies wasn’t helping my unease, coupled with the ominous omen as we flew into the city.

We landed at the race building, a squat little place just outside of the city limits. The track was located between the city and the racer rest stop, or at least, the part that was on the ground. Seaside Speedway lived up to its name, because the only parts of the track that were on the ground were the start and finish strips. The rest of it was marked off by flying buoys that were anchored to platforms in the ocean beyond the cliffs. Much like the practice track back at headquarters, Seaside Speedway was a track comprised entirely of flight portions, with only the minimum required area for the starting section and finish line. Both strips of compacted dirt were pointed directly out to sea, separated by a thin strip of salt-coated grass.

As we lined up at the start, I noticed that Mel wasn’t wearing her armor like she should be. I leaned over and waved my hoof to try and get Lucky’s attention, but she simply stared off down the track like nothing mattered at all.

“Hey!” I yelled as the flag began to rise on the starting pole, “Where’s Mel’s armor?!”

Lucky’s shoulders rose and fell in a heaving sigh, “What’s the point? The Blood Claw haven’t tried anything since the Trials. They won’t do anything this time either.”

“You don’t know that Lucky!” I hissed as the flag drew close to the summit of the pole, “For all we know they could be waiting out there for just the right moment. You are putting both your life and Mel’s at risk by being this careless!”

My heart dropped into my stomach as she slowly shook her head, “So what? Whether I live or die doesn’t matter. Nothing in this world matters anymore.”

“What are you talking about Lucky?!” I yelled as I heard Ivy gasp behind me, “You are a part of this team! If you won’t fight for yourself, then at least let us fight for you! You are a Freedom Fighter! Start acting like a team player and get your head out of your guilt-tripping plot!”

For the first time since the baths, Lucky’s eyes flashed with emotion. They flared with anger as she threw me a deathly stare, but as she opened her mouth to throw something back at me, the flag dropped and the starting horn blared. The dragons raced out of the starting gates, and I was forced to turn away from Lucky as we thundered toward the launch ramp. I knew I was going to pay for that last comment later, but at least Lucky seemed to have come out of her depressed state long enough for the race. I could only hope she didn’t have Mel torch me afterwards for what I had said to her.

As usual, the team pulled out in front of the pack before we had gone more than half a mile, meaning we had the corrugated steel ramp to ourselves by the time we launched into the air. However, the thrill of racing through the tightly packed buoys was soon replaced with terror as piercing screams and pain-filled roars echoed across the waves.

I looked back and saw something I would never forget. Giant nets, each armed with hundreds of metal hooks, had been thrown over the other racers, preventing them from taking off. Race officials were unable to aid them as dozens of Blood Claw riders surrounded the racers on the backs of their Whiptails. We pulled to a stop as Nilak and I spun around to help, but when I directed him towards the trapped racers, something caught my attention.

“Wait a minute Nilak.” I said as I placed a hoof on his shoulder, “Something isn’t right here. See how they aren’t moving in on the racers?” He nodded as we hovered in place, “The Blood Claw aren’t doing anything to harm the other races except keep the race officials back. They aren’t the target here.”

If the racers aren’t the target, then who is? he asked as he glanced at me over his shoulder.

The answer was the piercing whistle that caused both of us to flinch as a ballista bolt arced past our heads. We turned as one to look at the cluster of boats that had gathered under us, and had to dodge as more deadly projectiles came flying towards us.

“Scatter!” I yelled, “Head for land! We’ll be out of range if we can get away from the ocean!”

“Right!” Lucky and Ivy chorused as we split from one another.

As one we raced towards land, dodging dozens of flying bolts as the ships opened fire on us. We were just getting close to the cliffs when I spotted movement. I narrowed my eyes as the shrubs along the cliff edge suddenly seemed to unfold, and I cursed under my breath as I spotted a dozen more ballista blocking our path.

“Pull back!” I screamed as the ballista sighted in on us, “We can’t make it through here!”

Nilak strained as he pulled a high-G turn, barely dodging a bolt as it scraped across the chest plate of his armor. Winx was able to make the turn tighter than us, though two bolts managed to find her as she turned tail. One bounced off the armor under her left wing, while the other lodged itself into the leather covering her stomach.

“Are you guys okay?!” I called over to them as I saw Winx wince.

After a moment Ivy yelled back, “We’re fine! It just poked through her scales! Nothing serious!”

Winx used her back legs to pull the bolt out of her armor, I’m fine. I’ve had crash landings worse than this.

I nodded as I cast my gaze over to Mel and Lucky, though as I locked my gaze onto them I felt my blood run cold. Mel was caught between the boats and the ballista on the cliffs, doing crazy maneuvers just to avoid being hit. I knew that she couldn’t keep it up for long, and Nilak began rushing towards the ships before I could even give him directions.

The wind whistled in our ears as we dove towards the boats, and I could see the ballista crews scrambling to aim at us before we could reach them. However, they were too slow, and by the time they had the weapon aimed our direction, it was too late to fire. Nilak crashed into the side of the little speed boat with his front paws, letting his momentum carry the boat up and over as water enveloped the deck. The last thing we saw of the Blood Claw was their flailing limbs in the water. Using the leftover speed from the first impact, Nilak was able to do the same to another ship, reducing the total to three. However, as we climbed to try another run, I heard Mel roar in agony and fear.

Nilak and I turned to see what was happening, and my heart felt like it had stopped as I saw what had hurt Mel. Flashbacks of Winx played through my mind as I saw a bolt sticking out from under Mel’s left wing base, and I reached for them with one leg as another bolt impacted them on the other side. This one rammed into the fold in front of her right hind leg, and at that moment her body gave out.

“Mel! Lucky! No!” I cried as Nilak roared in panic, watching them drop from the sky like limp dolls.

I felt Nilak’s muscles strain as he dove after the girls, though as Mel plummeted from the sky, I saw Lucky slip from the saddle, screaming as she fell towards the waves. I leaned over Nilak’s shoulders, urging him to go faster. However, I knew we would be too late to save them.

Mel crashed into the water in a massive splash, just moments before Lucky impacted the waves to her right. Nilak fanned his wings as he came in for a landing, but I didn’t wait for him to stop. I stood up in the saddle and pushed myself into open air, raising my hooves over my head and tucking my wings tight against my body as I plunged headfirst into the water. The cold made me want to gasp as I dove into the murky depths, but I forced my limbs to move as I opened my eyes. The salt made my eyes burn as I looked around for Lucky, and I pumped my legs as I spotted her sinking form. As she sank further beyond my reach, my lungs began to tighten from holding my breath, but I forced the air back down before I gave a few last, desperate pulls with my wings. My eyes were so blurred from the salt and the tears they produced, that I couldn’t even see Lucky anymore as I reached blindly into the darkness.

Finally, my hooves hit fur. I grabbed and held on with all my might as I pulled her towards the surface, grinding my teeth as my lungs screamed for air. I kicked with all my worth and gasped as my head broke the waves. I pulled Lucky up to my chest as I tread water, her head rested against my shoulder as I looked around. From what I could see, Nilak had Mel in a similar position, with her head resting on his shoulders as he supported her body with his.

I turned back to Lucky and wiped her mane out of her face, feeling discouraged by the watery streams of blood running from her scalp. Her eyes were closed and her body hung limp in my grasp. I held my hoof in front of her mouth, and grunted as we started to sink. I gripped her around the waist again as I kicked harder to keep us afloat. I wasn’t sure if she was breathing or not, but either way, she needed to be seen by a doctor, and soon.

Unfortunately, it seemed the Blood Claw had other ideas. Since Winx was busy dodging the bolts from the cliffs, the remaining boats had ample time to come up next to us and the dragons. Nilak couldn’t use his fire because it would alert the audience that he wasn’t under the control of the collar. I was even more helpless, because it was taking all my strength to keep Lucky and I afloat. One of the speed boats pulled up next to us and a Blood Claw member pulled Lucky from my grip before I could stop him. I was only a few seconds behind her as we were both hoisted into the small craft.

“Well look what we have here.” The dark blue unicorn in front of me said as his black eyes roamed over Lucky and I, “A pair of little fish that got tossed into the big, bad ocean.” The rest of them laughed as the stallion levitated a knife from his belt, “So, which is it going to be little colt? You want to watch the filly get gutted like the minnow she is, or do you want to be the first on the fillet table?”

I squared my shoulders, knowing that there was no way out of this, “If you’re going to kill us, just do it already. There isn’t any point in making us wait.”

His mint green mane whipped into his face as a gust of wind hit the small boat, and he wiped it out of his eyes as he grinned at me, “As you wish. I’ll make this nice and quick for you.” He pulled back his head and spun the dagger in his amber magic before pointing the tip straight at my heart.

“Any last words?” He asked in a sickly sweet tone.

I closed my eyes and shook my head. It didn’t matter what happened now, we were going to die.

The grin never left his voice as he chuckled darkly, “Very well then. It was nice knowing you kid.”

Just as he said that, the air around us filled with the sounds of gunfire, and I heard the dull thud of bullets impacting flesh. I opened my eyes slowly and looked around, only to realize that help had come at last.

Circuit Guards flew in every direction on silver and blue Centurion Dragons, while rifleponies lined the cliffs as far as the eye could see. The Blood Claw members on our little speedboat were already dead, forming pools of blood as a guard flew in to hover above us.

“Are you alright?” He asked, his silver armor flashing in the sunlight.

I glanced at Lucky, who still hadn’t moved, “I’m alright, but my friend is hurt!” I pointed towards Nilak and Mel, “Her dragon was hit twice by the ballista! They need medical attention!”

He saluted me with one hoof, “Roger that! I’ll send a medic team for your friend while the other riders tend to her dragon! Don’t worry, they’re going to be alright!”

I turned around as he flew off and pulled Lucky into my lap, feeling a surge of relief when I saw her chest slowly rising and falling. It was faint, but she was breathing. I tried to slow the bleeding with one hoof as her mane became tinged red, hoping that the guard was right. I saw three riders fly down and tie off ropes to Mel’s neck base and tail, lifting her into the air as another rider flew in and landed next to the boat.

I passed Lucky off to him as he tied her to the gurney mounted behind his saddle, and I watched as he flew off after his companions towards Dragon’s Edge. Nilak swam over to the boat and I climbed into the saddle as he began swimming back to shore. However, I wasn’t watching the waves, because my eyes were still locked on the retreating forms of Mel and Lucky as the Circuit Guard carried them away.

It’ll be alright, Nilak said in what sounded like a hopeful tone, Mel and Lucky are tough girls. They’ll survive this and come back stronger than ever.

“I hope you’re right Nilak,” I said as he climbed onto a rock and shook off the sea water, “I truly hope you’re right.”

We both turned to watch as Mel and Lucky disappeared over the cliffs, and Nilak took to the air as Winx fell in beside him.

“Are they going to be alright Silver?” Ivy asked with fear laced in her tone, “They’re not going to….you know.”

I snapped my gaze to lock with hers, “Of course not!” I turned my gaze back to the skyscrapers as we followed the remaining Circuit Guard, “Mel and Lucky are going to live.”

They have to, I added to myself.

Don’t worry Silver, Nilak said softly. I could feel he’d narrowed the link so only he and I were able to hear each other, I’m certain they’ll make it out alright. Have faith in them and in yourself.

But no matter how much I tried to tell myself it wasn’t my fault, my mind kept coming back to one point. Mel wasn’t wearing her armor because of what I had said to Lucky. Even if Lucky was the one who hadn’t put the armor on Mel, it was my fault she had been feeling too depressed to bother. No matter how anyone might try to spin it, it meant that Mel got hurt because of me. Lucky, got hurt because of me, and I still hadn’t had the chance to tell her how I feel. Now, I might never get the chance to.

Lucky could die thinking that I didn’t love her.

Author's Notes:

Hi to all of you lovely ponies in book land!! Another chapter out and ready for viewing. Also, yikes! Bet you didn't think I'd have a chapter like this waiting for you. I warned you that Winx was the only one safe from being killed off, although at this point we still don't know what's going to happen to Mel and Lucky.

Guess you'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out.

Anyways, I'll see you next chapter,
Shadow Quill, Messenger of the Moon.