Chapter 7: The End of the Road

Nails looked over his bag. He had packed his gun, knife, bullets, map, lighter, and the last cigars he owned. These cigars were the ones he had made himself. He had been saving them for this time and soon, he was going to use them.

"Nails?" came a voice from behind. He turned around and saw Rainbow Dash. She came in and shut the door behind her. They didn't say anything. Nails walked up to Rainbow Dash and hugged her. They both knew what was about to happen, and what lay ahead for Rainbow Dash. The choice she would have to make.

"You're going to be fine." said Nails while he held Rainbow Dash.

"I know I am, but you're not!" whispered Rainbow Dash as she started to cry.

Nails continued to hold her. Blackmane had said that Iron Foot was holed up in an old abandoned military prison. She said he had very few guards but was well protected by walls surrounding the prison. Nails hadn't told this to anyone except Rainbow Dash or Delta, but his plan was to just walk up and knock on the front door. Delta would be going with them to the base, but his team would stay behind and wait for him to return. It had been agreed that they would walk the whole way in order to make a "plan" as they went. Nails however was steadfast on his idea of "accidentally" getting caught. He hoped that he could keep the secret of the prophecy from his friends.

"Here" said Rainbow Dash as she stepped back. She took off the locket that Nails had made for her. "Take this; you can have a piece of me with you when you do die."

Nails could tell that it really hurt Rainbow Dash to even say that word. He didn't argue with her though, he took the locket and put it into his saddlebags. He wrapped his arms around Rainbow in another hug and began to cry himself. A knock came at the door.

"Nails! Are you ready?"

"Just a few more things Twilight!" responded Nails. He looked back at Rainbow Dash. "Remember what I told you, I want you to live the life you should, not the life you could have lived."

Rainbow Dash understood what he meant. She wiped the tears from her face and walked to the door. It was time for them to go.

Nails walked out of the palace to see the elements of Harmony and Delta waiting for him. Applejack was talking to Rainbow Dash.

"Where's that locket ah yours Rainbow?"

"Well, I uhh,"

"She left it here." said Nails trying to avoid suspicion, "she thought that it would be safer here so she left it."

"Well, alright then." said Applejack, "You ready to go kill Iron Foot?" she giggled having never expected those words to come out of her mouth.

"Yeah, I am." responded Nails.

The group left towards the west. It was a two days walk to where Iron Foot was located. Nails dropped to the back and motioned for Delta to do the same. When Delta reached him he began to talk.

"After one week, Whiskey is going to tell you to come kill Iron Foot. I want you to fly in first, to lead the charge. I want you to be the one that confirms the kill. Got it?"

"I understand." said Delta as they continued to walk, "Do you think the others will find out about the prophecy?"

"The only problem we might have is Rainbow and if she does talk we let it happen. They can't do anything too stupid with the prophecy about to be fulfilled. Unless that happens, we play along as if nothing is going on."

"Hey! Aren't you two the soldiers here? Why are you lagging behind?" shouted Twilight playfully and jokingly.

"Is that a challenge?" said Nails as he burst into a sprint that put him at the head of the group. They walked long into the night until they finally set up camp.

The next morning Delta and Nails were the first ones awake. Delta flew high into the air and Nails watched. Rainbow Dash walked out of her tent and stood next to Nails watching Delta.

"What's he doing?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"He's trying to spot the prison so we know how much further we have to walk." said Nails as Delta descended.

"It looks like we would have to walk about five hours to reach the prison. Are you ready Nails?"

Nails looked at Rainbow Dash before speaking, "I've stared Death in the face several times before. Each time, I escaped. Sometimes with a wound, sometimes unscratched. Today, Death has brought a bigger gun. Time to accept my fate."

Rainbow Dash couldn't stop it. Tears started to form and before she knew it she was crying into Nails' shoulder. The noise woke up several of the others and they all walked out of their tents.

"What's going on?" asked Twilight.

"Why is she crying?" asked Fluttershy "Did something happen to her? Is she hurt?"

"Not physically, she's hurt mentally."

"Nails." Delta said.

"I know what I'm doing." Nails snapped at Delta.

"What are you talking about?" asked Rarity.

Nails looked out at the desert. His eyes looked over it and he took in its beauty, its... peace.

"I'm going to die."

"What?" was the response from the five confused ponies.

"So, I guess now we tell them?" asked Delta.

Nails simply nodded before he started to talk again. "For years, me and Delta have known about a prophecy. A prophecy about Equestria coming to eternal peace with Forshan and never being opposed again. This harmony, however, comes at a price. A price that all soldiers must be willing to pay. Today, my life is the exact change."

"No, there has to be another way." responded Twilight.

"There isn't another way. When we get to the prison, all we have to do is walk up to the door and knock. Iron Foot knows about the prophecy, and he will let it unfold. Rainbow Dash here will have to make a choice; she will have to hand me over to Iron Foot to be killed in order that Equestria could be at peace."

"There has got to be something we can do to stop this." said Twilight.

"There isn't anything you can do! It's done, over! All you can do now is sit back and watch."

"But!"

"I'll prove there's nothing you can do!" said Nails as he pulled out his gun and pointed it directly at Rainbow Dash.

"What are you doing?" yelled Applejack.

"This." said Nails as he pulled back the hammer and then the trigger.

*Click*

Nails repeated this five more times until the cylinder had made a full rotation.

"Now." he said pointing the gun out towards empty space he fired the gun six times, and without flaw, six bullets flew out of the barrel into the air.

Nails looked back to see several stunned faces. "You see? You can't mess with a prophecy. Strange shit happens." he said as he reloaded his gun. He then holstered it. "Get this place packed up, it's time we left."

Rainbow Dash stayed close to Nails the whole time. He didn't say anything though, nopony did. Her friends stood in the back in disbelief and Delta just flew overhead. One hour passed, then another, then another. What had been a conversation filled trip had quickly become a silent walk, similar to a funeral procession, and Rainbow Dash hated that. She couldn't stand the silence, and at a few times she tried to strike up a conversation. Each time went ignored until they reached the top of a hill. About three hundred yards in front of them was a prison. Nails stopped at the top of the hill and took out his gun. He fired a shot at the prison and a pony fell out of a tower. Rainbow hadn't even seen them.

"Iron Foot!" yelled out Nails as he reloaded his gun, "I'm here! Get your ass out here so we can get this over with!"

"So you finally did make it!" returned Iron Foot as he walked out of the door, "My men will stand down until we are done here! You know how the prophecy goes and your friends can leave in peace if they make the right decision!"

Nails began to walk towards Iron Foot. Rainbow Dash and the others slowly began to follow him. He approached Iron Foot and when he was a few yards away he stopped.

"I assume that they all know what is about to happen?"

"More or less, we both know where this is going and I feel like I have made my choice clear to them."

"But, it's not your choice that matters is it?" said Iron Foot as he turned to look at Rainbow Dash, "You know what is about to happen and I assume you know the consequences of either choice. What do you say Rainbow Dash? Shall Talon stay here? Or will Equestria suffer?"

Tears began to form in Rainbow Dash's eyes. She looked towards the ground, "I..." she felt a hoof around her and saw Nails looking at her.

"Rainbow Dash, I need you to make the right decision here. I'm fine with it."

"But I'm not." she whispered back, "I love you."

"I love you two, but sometimes love means letting go."

"How would you know that? You've never been in love before me."

"It's what my dad did. He let go of my mother and held off the griffons when they killed him."

"I'm waiting for your decision!" said Iron Foot.

"I'll miss you."

"I'll always be there." replied Nails.

"I've made my decision." Rainbow Dash spoke up, "I... I have decided that you can take him."

"Excellent." replied Iron Foot as he turned to Nails, "Do you want anything?"

"Just two things, my lighter, and my cigars."

"Anything else?"

"No, you can have my gun."

"Even better." said Iron Foot as he turned to the others, "Well, you better be leaving now. I see any of you before the day is over and you can be certain that Talon's death will be painful."

"We better go." said Delta as he started walking away. Rainbow Dash stayed behind for a little bit.

"Good-bye Nails." she whispered as the door to the prison shut behind Nails. She could have sworn she heard him say good-bye back as she turned to leave, but it had just been the wind as it blew across the desert. As she began to walk she could almost recall the motto that Nails had told her when they had been walking with Whiskey.

She could hear his voice as she recalled it, "Some ponies live most of their life wondering if they've made a difference. We don't have that problem."

"I promise to you Nails. I'll never quit, I'll live the life I was always meant to live, and even more. I'll live it for you and do everything I can to make it the best it can be. I'll always remember you Nails. I won't have that problem."

Nails watched from a window as Rainbow Dash ran off. He saw tears in her eyes from this distance and even felt tears form in his own eyes. He then grew angry; while Iron Foot had gone through his things he had tossed the locket away and had put his gun at the end of the hall on a table. He looked through the bars of his cell as Iron Foot took out the cigars.

"Well, that should just about do it." he said as he threw the cigars into the cell. "What's so important about these cigars anyway?"

"I always planned on these cigars being the last ones I ever used." responded Nails.

"Well Talon," said Iron Foot as he walked away, "Have fun waiting for death."

"Don't worry about me." Nails muttered under his breath, "You'll be dead in at least one week."