//------------------------------//
// Prologue 
// Story: A Knight of the Sky 
// by SpectrumArtz 
//------------------------------//

The wind blew in though an open window as a voice called out: “Would you be a dear and close that for me?  When you get to be my age, even the slightest draft can chill you to the bone.”  Sitting beside a roaring fire was a navy blue pegasus, her mahogany eyes watching her grandfoal enter the room. As he shut her window, the rain pattered on the pane.  
“Thank you Gusty,” she said as a warm smile slighted itself on her lips.  She shivered beneath her blanket, but was grateful that the draft was gone. 
“You’re welcome Grandmare Nimbus.” He replied while making sure she was warm enough. “Honey with your tea again, Grandmare?” He asked her before going back to the kitchen. She nodded and added to her request: 
“And would you please put the radio on? I don’t want to miss the Canterlot Orchestra. They always play the most beautiful songs.” 
Gusty nodded and turned on her radio as the strings of a cello began to fill the room: Nimbus’s eyes closed as she moved her head to the melody. 
He went into the kitchen, wondering why she never upgraded her appliances to more modern ones, and began boiling water. The stove is an old magic one, in fact most of her appliances were still magic, as opposed to the new electrical ones. What could be done in less than five minutes now would take at least ten. He let out a sigh and muttered to himself: “I really wish you weren’t so stuck in the past Granny…I have my game tonight and can’t be stuck here all night again.” While waiting for the water to boil he began looking around at various things she had on her shelves. There were trinkets from all over Equestria and places he never heard of alongside a photo of Nimbus and his grandstallion which he had seen dozens of throughout her home. He glanced over these trinkets, similar stuff she had around her home from her younger days. Despite it being older than almost all of her knick-knacks, one thing caught his eye. A photo taken with one of the older magic dust cameras, black and white, depicting Nimbus in her youth wearing a pair of goggles and a leather cap on her head. 
“What have we here…” He said while picking it up off the shelf. “Granny was a…pilot?” He questioned, staring at the photo, his mind running rampant with questions before being interrupted by the piercing sound of the kettle. 
He flinched and cupped his ears and took the kettle off the stove, realizing he dropped the photo upon a cracking sound on the floor. 
“Nonononono she’s going to tan my flank for this!” He exclaimed in a panic before picking up the pieces of the frame and putting it on the counter. “Stupid old bird!” He cried out in frustration as he got cut by the glass while picking up the pieces of this old photo before wrapping his hoof as best he could before hauling her tea off to her. 
As he entered the room, her eyes opened and a smile went over her face. Upon seeing her grandcolt’s wrapped foreleg, she felt a frown replace her smile. 
“What happened to you, Gusty?” 
Upon her asking, he snapped at her. “Nothing, I’m fine. Here’s your tea.” 
Which he set down on the table beside her rocking chair. He sat down on her couch in silence as she sipped on her tea while the radio continued its broadcast. A voice came over the radio and began to say: 
“The second half of the Royal Canterlot Orchestra’s performance is sponsored by the Wonderbolt School of Aviation…” which caused her to become silent and allow the frown to grow. Gusty looked up at her and tilted his head. He never saw his grandmare in a slump like this, not even when his grandstallion passed away. A look went over her eyes of hurt and sadness, looking down at the floor at a distant memory. 
“Grand…mare? Grandmare Nimbus? Is everything okay?” 
She shook her head and snapped out of her daydream. She then raised her head to meet her grandcolt’s, who now had a look of worry on his face. A smile slowly returned to her face, even if he knew it wasn’t a real one. 
“I’ll be fine dear, just old ghosts I suppose.” She said while pulling the blanket up to her neck. 
A lump formed in his throat as he witnessed this shift in her demeanor; He wanted to leave her and go home, but he knew it wasn’t right to leave her this way. The look of his grandmare and his guilt boiled over and he admitted: 
“Granny…I'm sorry. I broke one of your photos.” 
She looked at him and blinked as he went to get the broken frame and photo. She took her hooves out from under the blanket and held it gently before looking up at Gusty. 
“It’s okay my child,” she began, “accidents happen but I wish you told me sooner.” 
She carefully removed the photo from its frame and inspected it, with a smile going over her face when she saw it hadn’t been damaged.
 “Um…G-Granny?” Gusty stammered. 
“Yes, my child?” Nimbus replied. 
“Was that really you?” He said while motioning to the photo in her hooves. 
A massive, heartfelt smile crawled on her face as she looked at the dusty old photo. 
“It sure was, and still is.” She pulled the blanket down from her neck and folded it over her lap revealing a small box. She opened it up and pulled out a pair of goggles, feeling them in her hooves before looking up at Gusty. “If you would be a dear and put wood on the fire, I’ll tell you about the day magic began to die and monsters ruled the land." 
Gusty complied and got more wood for the fire then she began: " It started when I was a young mare no older than you…”