Rambling Rock Ridge
May 17, 3:32 PM
Go ahead. Give me a reason to come down there.
The train from Ponyville leisurely worked its way across the rocky, muted landscape of Rambling Rock Ridge on its long trek to Baltimare. The broken ground smoothed out only for the railroad tracks, like a dividing line between two advancing armies. It was just as barren and desolate as it had been on Sky’s most recent visit nearly a month earlier. His mission then had been to put an end to the bandit raids on the trains that ran through the region.
This time, it was to ensure that his previous mission remained a success.
He sat on a small, lonely cumulus cloud on the south side of the railway, his cloak draped across his back, though his hood rested behind his head upon his neck. And far below him, barely visible from their hiding spots between the rocks, were about a dozen of the same diamond dogs that had attempted to raid the train the last time he was here. They appeared to be keeping a close eye upon the approaching train. He sighed. I would have liked it more if they had just learned their lesson the first time.
He spread his wings through the flaps in his cloak and maneuvered his cloud in front of the bandits, coming to a stop directly above the tracks. He could only see one of the dogs from his new vantage point, but he knew them well enough to know that was all he needed to see. The moment one moved, they all moved.
The train continued to mosey along, gradually getting closer and closer to where he hovered in the air. When he judged that it was near enough, he pulled his hood over his head and ignited his magic. He instantly disappeared beneath the disguise of his cloak. Now, let’s see what you do.
A full minute passed before the diamond dogs made their move. Sky was still watching the same bandit before he saw the rest of them were halfway to the railroad and closing fast. In about twenty seconds, they’d be boarding the train.
Let’s see if they remember me.
He allowed himself to sink through the cloud, slowly descending until he began to hover about thirty feet above the ground. He waited. Six…seven…eight…nine…
When he reached fifteen, the dogs burst from the cover of the rocks: all eleven of them, most of whom Sky recognized. There was no mistaking the look their eyes: they were going to plunder every last gem and bit from this train. They had been robbed of an opportunity once before. They would not be denied again.
My turn.
He tossed his hood back and changed his cloak to a shimmering white. At the same time, he summoned a bolt of lightning from his cloud perch, causing it to strike right in front of the group of charging canines.
When the bolt faded, Sky found himself staring into the faces of a dozen suddenly-terrified diamond dogs, stumbling as they attempted to retreat back to the cover of the ridge. The train passed unhindered beneath him. He floated forward and descended slightly, glowering at the outlaws before him. “Maybe I didn’t make myself clear,” he fumed, trying to sound as menacing as possible. “I told you that if you dared to attack another train, then you’d find out what it means when I run out of patience.”
A medium-build gray dog tried (with mixed results) to rise onto two paws. “H-hey, no harm done, right? I m-mean, nothing taken. No one has t-to get h-h-hurt, right?” he stammered in a high, whiny voice.
Sky arched an eyebrow as he regarded the bandit. He instantly recognized the dog as the mangy mutt that had served as the leader of the raid on the train during his mission a month earlier. Considering the circumstances, there had apparently been no change in his outlook towards the ponies of Equestria. And his comrades had been all too willing to follow him in that.
With a snarl, Sky shot to the ground, causing the ground to crack beneath his hooves. Arcs of electricity leapt from his body, sparking as they ran along the ground and scoring the stony ground with black scorch marks. The dogs recoiled in terror, and their gray leader fell onto his back, shielding his eyes from what he must have presumed was an inevitable attack. “You tell me,” Sky growled. “I warned you not to attack a train again, but you obviously didn’t think that advice was worth listening to. So here we are again. I apparently didn’t give you enough to fear last time I was here.” He rolled his neck from side to side, letting it pop to add further emphasis to his words. The cloud above him made a low rumble, and the dogs looked up with worry.
“I won’t make that mistake again.”
A second bolt seared the air behind him, surprising him. He hadn’t called it down. Maybe he was exerting more magic than he thought?
But as the light faded and the crack of thunder died down, Sky became intensely aware of a new presence behind him. It was not an unfamiliar presence, but the fact that she was even there came as quite a surprise. He turned his head around to look at the newcomer and found that her eyes were already trained on him. He chuckled softly as he bowed.
“Princess Luna.”
The Princess of the Night strode forward, turning her attention to the group of bewildered canines before her. “At ease, Sky,” she said. “I will take it from here.”
“Yes, Princess.” Sky stepped back as Luna took her place before the cowering bandits. In spite of her natural grace and serene nature, Sky could tell that she intended to put her hoof down. He wasn’t sure how she had known he was here, but…well, it was tough to know anything for sure with Princess Luna. She had a certain penchant for uncovering secrets. At least, that’s how Princess Celestia had explained it to him.
“I see that you have chosen to ignore my herald’s orders and have deliberately attacked yet another train,” Luna said, each word wrung with a cold anger toward the dogs. “Your fascination with gemstones is intriguing, but your methods in getting them are deplorable…and deserving of punishment.
“But tell me this,” she continued, beginning to pace, “I have heard that your cavern homes are lined with many precious gemstones ripe for the picking. Why do you ignore those and insist upon preying upon my subjects for something you could easily obtain on your own?”
“‘Easily’?!” the lead dog howled. “There is nothing easy about mining! It takes a lot of hard work to get those gemstones! And they’re not even polished or shiny like the ones the ponies wear!”
Luna’s eyes narrowed into slits. “And just how do you think the ponies’ gemstones got to be that way?” she asked, and to Sky, her voice carried the weight of an unspoken threat.
“Uh…” The dog turned around to his comrades, who all shrugged or mumbled something unintelligible in response. “We thought the ponies just grew better gems than our caves do.”
Sky’s jaw felt like it came unhinged as he heard the answer. His eyes rolled almost instinctively before his hoof smacked into his face. Are you kidding me? This guy’s thicker than one of Pinkie’s twelve-layer cakes.
Luna managed to maintain her composure a bit better. “Gemstones aren’t grown like trees. They appear over many, many years. Longer than I have been alive, perhaps,” she said, sounding contemplative. “The gemstones my ponies have are much the same as yours. They make them look the way they do by tumbling, polishing, and cutting them. They make them look better by working on them. You could do the same.”
“Gems aren’t grown?” a small tawny dog muttered. “But you told us they grew like flowers!” he shouted, pointing at his gray-toned leader.
“That’s what I was told, too!” the lead dog yelled back. “But why would we do that when we can just take the pretty ones from the ponies?”
Boy, was that ever the wrong thing to say.
Luna stamped, and instantly, the sky grew dark. A blue fire streamed from the corners of her eyes, and her tail and mane whipped in a sudden wind. The dogs stumbled backwards as the lovely alicorn transformed into a frightful specter: a terribly powerful monarch with a veritable arsenal of magic spells at her command. Sky’s cloak shimmered for a moment before changing into a radiant white. He caused a few sparks to fly from his hooves, and the silver streak in his mane lit in response to his magic. For emphasis, he reasoned.
“You dare to threaten the ponies of Equestria in my presence?!” Luna bellowed in the royal Canterlot voice. The very earth seemed to shake with every word, and her voice caused the wind to grow stronger, so that it tugged at Sky’s cloak, constantly working to drag him forward.
“I will suffer no threat, be it great or small, to be levied against the citizens of this empire!” Luna continued her tirade. “I am not only a protector of Equestria, but I am also its enforcer! I stand against those that would do her harm! And that includes petty thieves such as yourselves!”
Sky watched with satisfaction as the dogs cowered where they were, too terrified to even consider running. It was disappointing to think that they hadn’t repented from their lives of crime, but to know that they were getting at least some form of comeuppance…well, that was as good an outcome as he could have wished for.
“Go!” Luna commanded, pointing to the entrance to the caves. “You are hereby banished to the confines of your underground homes until you have demonstrated that you have learned the errors of your ways! If you should dare to attempt another robbery, I promise you that you will experience the true terror of the night!”
The dogs hesitated for a few seconds as the command worked its way through their terror-induced paralysis. Finally, after several somewhat-awkward moments, all twelve leapt to their paws and made a mad dash for the caves, not daring to look back before they were enveloped within the blackness of their abode.
Once they were lost from sight, Luna lowered her magic, and the world returned to normal. “Hello, Sky Streak,” she said simply.
“Princess Luna,” Sky replied with another bow, lowering his own magic as his cloak returned to its normal gray hue. “I wasn’t expecting anypony to join me out here.”
“I did not plan to come here myself,” she admitted, “but something told me I should be here. So here I am. Would you care to join me?” she asked, gesturing to his cloud above the tracks.
Sky eyed the white puff for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the princess. “I’d be honored.”
“You’ve certainly been keeping yourself busy.”
“I suppose.”
The two winged companions sat upon their small white perch above the seemingly endless stony outcroppings below. The bright sun still stood high in the sky, and many of the smoother rock formations cast a glare back up towards the heavens. “You don’t think so?” Luna asked. “You attended a meeting where you flatly refused to accept leadership of the next incarnation of the Alicorn Guard—”
“I prefer the term ‘self-disqualified’,” Sky interjected.
Luna ignored him. “—you went and found yourself a new shoulder wrap, as well. And that stitching certainly looks familiar. Been to Ponyville, too, have you?”
Sky looked down at the royal blue fabric loosely hanging around his neck. It bore a striking resemblance to his last one, save for some extra embroidery lovingly sewn into the ends. Along the edges, a line of silver clouds burst with golden lightning bolts: a symbolism that anyone familiar with Sky could appreciate. And, as always, his beloved pair of brooches hung side-by-side, glistening in the light of the afternoon sun.
“Yeah,” he admitted, tugging gently at one of the folds. “Rarity was upset with me that I ended up kinda destroying her last one. But once she got over that, she made a new one for me. She really went above and beyond on it. I’m going to have to take better care of this one.”
Luna arched an eyebrow. “I hope you actually paid her this time.”
Sky returned an annoyed glance. “The last one was a gift. I wasn’t mooching. But at any rate, she didn’t want any bits. She said that it was ‘a gift and a symbol of thanks for what you do for Equestria.’”
“That’s sweet of her,” Luna commented.
“Yeah. She really is the Element of Generosity.”
A few seconds of silence passed. “But you did pay her, right?”
“I left an envelope with a note and the bits inside under a stack of thread on her work table. She’ll find it soon enough,” he said with a wink.
“Good.”
The silence again fell. The sun slowly began to descend towards the horizon, though the sunset would not come for several hours. To the northwest, Sky could make out the shape of Canterlot Mountain, standing like a monument and a testament to the duration of Equestria and as a staunch commitment to its continued existence. He looked over to Princess Luna, whose eyes were closed with a peaceful, satisfied look upon her face. A gentle breeze ran through her mane, and Sky’s heart fluttered for a moment as he was reminded just how beautiful the Princess of the Night truly was.
“Princess Luna?”
“Yes, Sky Streak?” she answered, unmoving.
“…Why did you come here today? It was to see me specifically, wasn’t it?”
Luna’s eyes slowly opened, and as she turned them upon Sky, he saw within them a question. A question she herself did not understand, but one that she knew she needed the answer to.
And perhaps, himself, as well.
“Yes,” she said at last. Her voice was soft, but distant. “I needed to see you, but you had been so busy recently, I found little opportunity to do so.”
Sky snorted. “You’re a Princess of Equestria. You could just command me to come see you.” There was a short pause before he quickly added, “But asking works just as well.”
“No, Sky,” Luna shook her head. “A request to meet with you carries with it a certain sense of formality, and for this…it needs to be candid. Perfectly open and honest. This is between you and I, and nopony else.
“I need to ask you a question.”
A lump grew in Sky’s throat. His chest tightened. He had spent the last few weeks running from it, but no longer. The time had come for him to face his demons.
“Storm Emblem had one final request for you before he faded. He asked you to save Ghost from his own darkness. You already knew that. But what you didn’t know was that he also had a final request for me. He told me to ask you a question. I…I am afraid I don’t know what it means, but I cannot shake the feeling that it is important for both of us to hear the answer.”
Sky’s knees went weak as the words left Princess Luna’s lips. “He told me to ask you what you saw.”
His mouth went dry and the corners of his eyes began to sting as they flooded with tears. “What I saw…”
“Then you do know what it means?” Luna asked with growing concern.
Sky swallowed, trying to moisten his suddenly-dry throat. “Princess, have you ever heard of the Everfree Lily?”
“The old legend? Rumors about the Everfree Lily have been circulating since before Discord’s first defeat by my sister and I, Sky Streak,” Luna answered. “I have never seen it myself, but I can only assume from your question that you have?”
Sky nodded. “It was after I beat Nighthawk at the Castle of the Two Sisters. I was so bent on getting revenge that I really couldn’t control myself. I just wanted payback for what I thought Nighthawk had stolen from me. I thought Lily was going to die, and if he was going to steal something that important to me, then…”
“You were going to kill him?”
Sky sniffed. Tears were slowly beginning to stream down his cheeks. “Yes. Storm Emblem tried to dissuade me, but I was too stubborn to listen. That’s when the Everfree Lily appeared. And even then, I almost didn’t turn back. But then it showed me something that I just couldn’t handle. Something that broke my desire for vengeance. It almost broke me entirely.” His head dropped to the cloud beneath him.
Luna leaned forward, trying to look Sky full in the face. “And what was that?” she whispered.
An overwhelming sense of shame filled his chest, making his lungs feel like they were filled with concrete. His eyes slowly rose until they met the compassionate eyes of Princess Luna. “I saw you.”
“Me?” Luna asked, surprised.
“I was looking at him,” Sky muttered, the haunting vision as clear and vivid as it had been when it had come to him in the first place. “He was unconscious, lying face-up in front of me. I had my hoof in the air, and I was ready to smash his skull in. But right before I could, he changed. It wasn’t Nighthawk anymore. Instead of him, I saw you. Your eyes were closed, and you were lying just like he was, but it was definitely you. I saw Nightmare Moon’s helmet beside you, and…and…”
He sobbed and wiped his nose with his leg. He had never felt more ashamed in his life. He had claimed to have left his guilt behind, in the old Alicorn Guard headquarters, where the great etching now sat in stone, but this…he couldn’t just leave this behind. It was a defining moment of his existence.
It was humbling, to say the least. Though “humiliating” seemed more appropriate.
“I…don’t understand,” Luna said at last. “Why did the Everfree Lily show you an image of me?”
“Because,” Sky managed between sobs, “Nighthawk was a traitor. And I wanted to exact my own form of ‘justice’ because of it! But the Everfree Lily showed you to me to make me realize something.”
Luna remained silent as Sky continued. “There was a time when you were considered a traitor, too. It placed you there to force me to face a question: who was I to determine who lives and dies? If I had been in Celestia’s place one thousand years ago, in a battle with the traitorous Nightmare Moon, would I have done the merciful thing and exiled her, or would I have given into my rage and done the unthinkable?”
His hoof slammed into the cloud, nearly punching a hole clean through it. “I was furious!” he shouted, teeth grinding together as the emotions of the moment welled up within him. “I protested! I refused to accept it! He deserved his punishment! You had atoned for your sins, and I was convinced that there was no way that he could ever find forgiveness! You were nothing like Nighthawk!”
He finally stopped, breathing heavily as he worked to catch his breath. After a few moments, he looked up to find the compassionate eyes of Princess Luna seemingly staring right into his soul.
His voice fell to little more than a whisper. “Except that you were,” he sobbed.
The words felt like they were being drawn out of him. The truths that he had tried so hard to bury and hide so that he wouldn’t have to face their cold reality. “You both had been wrong. Jealous of the successes of another. It made you susceptible to the darkness. And it brought both of you into a battle with ones that were close to you.”
He could see Luna’s own tears forming, and he quickly turned away. Heaven knew that if he saw the Princess crying, he’d quickly be reduced to a blubbering mess himself. “I didn’t know all of that at the time. But even then, I knew that even if it was true, I didn’t want to believe it. So I tried to justify my actions by forcing myself to believe something else. Anything else. But in the end, it didn’t matter. Nighthawk may have been wrong in his own way, but so was I.”
He felt Luna’s wing wrap around him in a consoling embrace, but Sky only felt more shame. “You and Princess Celestia tell me all the time just how perceptive you think I am. But when it came down to it, I wasn’t perceptive: I was willfully blind to the truth. I wanted Nighthawk to be guilty. I wanted to have an outlet for all the pain and rage that had built up inside of me. I craved that revenge so badly…”
“Then why did you spare him?” Luna asked softly.
“Why?” Sky echoed, though his voice sounded distant. “I…I guess I’m not really sure. I certainly wasn’t thinking about the future when I did it.” He paused, considering. Then, after a brief moment, he resumed. “You know, I think that more than anything, I just couldn’t cross the line after what the Everfree Lily showed me.”
“You mean when it replaced Nighthawk with myself?”
“Yeah,” Sky said, still not lifting his gaze from the cloud beneath his hooves. “Even if it wasn’t real and was only symbolic…I think it was just too much. I knew who you were now—who you had become. You aren’t Nightmare Moon anymore: you’re Princess Luna. And somewhere in my head, I think I knew that ending Nighthawk’s life would have been a line I could never retreat across. It would have been a disregard for your life and everything you represent, and that just wasn’t something I could accept. You mean too much, Princess.” He finally raised his eyes to the horizon, where the blue sky had just begun to change hues in the light of the descending sun.
“Sky Streak, listen to me.” Her voice was soft, but firm. “You don’t think of yourself as being as perceptive as we say you are, especially when you think about that moment with Nighthawk. You wanted to hide from the truth because it exposed what you chose to believe as a lie. And I can understand that. And while that is something that you need to learn to overcome, I still hold to the opinion that you are one of the most sensitive and perceptive ponies I have ever met.”
“What?” Sky blurted, turning to look at her. “How can you say that? After all I just told you?”
“Very simply, Sky Streak.” Luna shook her head, and her mane waved gently behind her. “You didn’t kill Nighthawk. You spared his life. Every emotion you felt in that moment told you to have your revenge: that you deserved it. And yet, you didn’t take it. Deep within your heart, you knew better. And the Everfree Lily showed you exactly what you needed to see to keep you from listening to all the angry voices in your head.”
Sky snorted. “You know, the phrase ‘voices in your head’ carries a bit of a different meaning with me.”
Luna chuckled softly. “True enough. But regardless, the Everfree Lily touched you where you would understand what was right and wrong, even if you didn’t fully embrace it. You didn’t let go of your morality. You rose above your emotions and did the right thing.”
“But if it hadn’t been for that flower, or whatever it really is, I would have given in!” Sky protested.
“And here we are, yet again,” Luna answered. “We keep coming back to it. Nopony can do everything alone, Sky Streak. You already know that your passion and fire are your personal darkness. We all have those weaknesses. And it is because of those that we rely on others so much. Because we all have shortcomings. We all fall short, each in our own ways. The relationships we build are meant to strengthen us by surrounding ourselves with those that can lift us up when our weaknesses get the better of us.”
She smiled at him. “And you should consider yourself very blessed to have so many helping you. Even a flower.”
“Uh…”
Luna arched an eyebrow, though her smile did not fade. “You know the truth, yes?”
“Uh…yes?”
“And you’ve accepted it?”
“I think so.”
“And you’ve forgiven Nighthawk as a result of that truth?”
“Of course,” Sky replied. “He’s been more right than I have recently.”
“Then let go of the pain and regret, Sky,” she admonished. “You’ve been trying to hide part of yourself because you were ashamed of it. But if you embrace the truth, then you have nothing to hide. It’s so much easier that way. Freedom comes when you accept the truth.”
An involuntary smile stretched across Sky’s face. “You make it sound like this is old hat to you.”
“Very old,” Luna replied with a laugh. “But in all seriousness, it’s something I learned through experience. I’ll never forget it.”
“Hm.” Sky stared at the horizon thoughtfully. I’m so blessed. All these things that I should know, and yet all these friends of mine are willing to teach me again and again because they love me too much. What did I ever do to deserve that?
Another thought suddenly came to him. He looked up to Princess Luna, who herself had decided to gaze out over the rocky landscape in silent meditation. “Princess, I have a question, if I may.”
“Of course, Sky Streak.”
“Um…to be honest, I’m not entirely sure how to ask this.” He rubbed his left leg nervously. “So, uhm...er…”
“Must be quite a question to have you this nervous,” Luna observed.
“Well…yeah.” He shrugged and decided to throw caution to the wind. If Luna got upset, that was probably his own fault for asking such a personal question. “Storm Emblem. Were you and he a…well…you know, a—”
“A couple?” Luna asked. Even if she anticipated the question (which was possible), she couldn’t hide the surprise at the direct nature of Sky’s query. “I have often wondered the same thing. Storm Emblem and I were certainly close, Sky Streak. You don’t need me to tell you that to know it was true. You saw how we treated each other back in the Vault.”
Sky nodded. “Yeah. That’s part of what prompted the question.”
“I don’t think we ever actually reached that point, truth be told,” Luna sighed. “Had I not given in to my dark side and become Nightmare Moon, it might have been possible. But my selfishness destroyed that dream, however likely or unlikely it was, when I was exiled. I won’t deny that Storm Emblem has always held a soft space within my heart. I was still young back then, as alicorns are considered. He was always so noble, so honorable and chivalrous…he probably entertained the thought of courting a princess just because that’s how his mind worked,” she said with a nostalgic giggle.
“Princess,” Sky said, reaching into his saddlebags next to him and drawing out an old book with a faded gray cover, “I have something I think you need to see.”
Luna regarded the book with mild curiosity. “And what is this?”
“It’s…it’s his journal,” Sky answered simply, gently presenting it to her. “Nighthawk and I found it while we were in Vanhoover, in Phantom Star’s home. Storm Emblem wrote a lot in there, and I’ve read most of it, but…well…you’re the one that deserves to read that the most.”
Luna hoisted the book with her magic, staring at it with wide eyes. “His journal…” she whispered.
“I know it wasn’t mine to take, and if you think I should return it, then I will,” Sky explained. “But while I was reading, I just couldn’t help but think that you needed to see it. He didn’t think you would ever get to see it, but I doubt he could have known that things would turn out the way they did. He would want you to see this.”
“I see.” She silently opened the cover of the book, turning her eyes to the words upon the very first page.
For several minutes, Sky watched the princess read. He had expected her tears, but he hadn’t expected the laughter and joy that sparkled in her eyes as the pages turned. That’s true, Sky thought to himself. It wasn’t all about the rebellion and the dark times. Luna and Storm Emblem shared lots of good times together. That’s why they were so close.
But, sure enough, Luna’s laughter and happy memories were replaced by a pained expression full of remorse. A familiar discomfort rose in Sky’s head. “Princess Luna, do you want to be alone?”
“No.” Her response almost cut Sky off. Her wing pulled him closer, and it was only then that Sky detected the trembling in her body. “I’m glad you’re here with me. I…I may need you to read the last few pages to me.”
Sky hesitated, then nodded. “Alright. Just let me know, Princess. I’ll be right here.”
Another minute passed; its silence broken only by the occasional turning of a page in the journal. Neither Sky nor Luna said a word, though with every passing second, he could feel the Princess’ trembling grow stronger.
The page turned yet again, and Sky recognized it: it was the final entry. The pained words of Storm Emblem in the days following Luna’s banishment and his own pardon. The tear marks upon the page seemed strangely more pronounced to him now. Perhaps it was because it was in direct sunlight now, as opposed to the dim interior of Phantom Star’s home. But perhaps more likely was the fact that Sky now had a direct connection with the author of the words on the page. They had shared a body. He had felt every pang of regret and every ounce of resolve to correct centuries of mistakes. He had been named Storm Emblem’s very heir. In a sense, the words on the page didn’t just belong to Storm Emblem: they belonged to Sky, too.
He watched as Princess Luna read each line. Her lip quivered and her eyes slowly filled with tears with each letter. He could see it—the regret and anguish that Luna had borne ever since her return—more and more with each passing moment. Maybe this was a bad idea, he considered. What if this drives Princess Luna back into a depression? Or worse yet, what if this turns her into a new nightmare? What have I done?!
In a panic, he refocused on the deep blue alicorn. But to his surprise, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and closed the book. She slowly exhaled, and when she opened her eyes again, there was no mistaking the look on her face.
Closure.
“Sky Streak, I cannot thank you enough for this,” she began. She clutched the book close to her chest. “This means the world to me. It is painful to remember those days; even more so to read the torment that I put my closest friend through during that time. But at last, I have the whole story. I believe that Storm Emblem found his rest. Now, I too have found peace. I have lived every day since my return in the shadow of Nightmare Moon, fearing her image and wondering if I would ever truly be free from her. But now, I feel as though I can finally leave her behind—in the past, where she belongs.” She beamed at him, and Sky could feel his face turn red. “Storm Emblem would be proud. You are truly a worthy heir to his legacy.”
He blushed even further. As much as he loved being complimented by Lily, there was something special when any kind of praise came from a princess: Princess Luna in particular. Never gets old.
But his flustered smile faded as another sobering thought came to him. “Guess that puts us halfway to where we need to be,” he sighed.
Luna seemed to have known it was coming. “Ghost,” she replied simply.
“Yeah,” he answered stoically. “He’s Storm Emblem’s legitimate heir…by family, I mean. I shouldn’t have even mattered to Storm Emblem if his family wouldn’t have completely messed everything up like they did.” He again stuffed his hoof into the cloud. “I swore that I would save him from his darkness. And as much as I think I could be upset with Ghost—Phantom Star, whatever—I can’t help but see him not so much a villain as a victim: just the recipient of bad information from a bad source. He wasn’t corrupt because of his own decision.” He looked deep into Princess Luna’s eyes, and his chest swelled with conviction. “He’s not evil. He just doesn’t know any other way.”
Luna’s expression softened again. “Perhaps not, but that does not change the fact that he was still wrong, and has done wrong. To many innocent ponies, I might add. Not the least of which being yourself.”
“But—”
“However,” she cut him off, “it is our job to set right what is wrong, is it not?” She gave him a reassuring smile.
“Hm.” He turned and gazed back to the horizon. “I guess it is.”
“And I like to believe that of all the ponies in Equestria, you’re the one most able to set him right.”
Sky sighed in uncertainty. It sounded good, sure. But whether or not Sky could actually succeed in showing Ghost the error of his ways—well, that was a different matter entirely. But no matter how difficult the task, Sky had made a solemn oath to try.
And try he would.
The sky had changed to a lovely golden color as the sun began its final descent, giving way to the night—which gave Sky an idea. “Princess Luna?”
“Yes?”
“Could you do me a favor?”
She regarded him from the corners of her eyes. “What would that be?”
Sky lifted his head straight into the air and stared into the sky, letting the breeze swirl around him. “Could you make the stars especially bright tonight? In honor of Storm Emblem. I think he’d like that.”
Luna smiled softly as she lifted her own head into the air. “I think I can do that.”
He continued to gaze into the empty atmosphere above him, half-expecting another vision to appear there. But the sky remained silent and bare of any intrusions. Even so, he found himself picturing Storm Emblem’s last moments and the final charge he had left to the one he had named his heir. I sure hope I’m the right pony for the job, he thought to himself.
A familiar, comforting voice entered his mind, and every doubt and concern he felt melted away as he saw a knowing smile spread across Luna’s face.
I know you are.