Oathbound

by ChronicleStone

Chapter 12: The Times That Define Us

Canterlot Hospital
April 29, 11:26 AM

“Sky Streak?”

Sky groaned softly and groggily opened his eyes. He wasn’t sure exactly when he had drifted off to sleep, but judging from the clock on the wall, it had been several hours ago.

He was lying on a long sofa in the white hospital room. He had been there for the last two days, ever since Lily’s…accident. Even now, he could hear the methodical beeping of the medical equipment as it worked to keep her alive. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was dangerously shallow, but she was still hanging on. For now.

The doctor’s prognosis hadn’t been good. “I have to be honest; I’m surprised she’s alive at all. She’s sustained extensive damage to her internal organs. Even if she does survive, her life will never be the same. She will probably need someone to help her with every little thing after this. She might be paralyzed. It’s hard to say. But she’s got a long way to go before we’ll be talking about that. For now, she needs to make it through this.”

He refused to accept the diagnosis, of course, but it was still a hard conversation to swallow. To think that his beloved Lily might be crippled for life…it didn’t sit well with him. And even before that, she was on the verge of…

He couldn’t say it. He couldn’t think it. It was enough that he was here beside her in a hospital of all places. To consider the possibilities was more than he could bear.

He heard the voice call to him a second time. “Sky Streak? Are you awake?”

He reluctantly rose to a sitting position. “I’m awake,” he answered softly in a neutral tone.

Princess Luna walked into the room. In spite of her inherent elegance and royal demeanor, Sky couldn’t help but notice that she looked less of a monarch than she usually did. Her eyes seemed sunken and tired, and her steps were slow and hesitant. Apparently, the last forty-eight hours had taken their toll on her, as well.

“How is she today?”

Sky turned back to where Lily lay motionless in her bed. “No change from yesterday,” he replied. “Still in critical condition. Doc Trotter’s monitoring her status on an hourly basis.”

“He’s a good doctor,” Luna nodded. “He was the one that helped us take care of you after you were in that coma.”

“You’ve mentioned that before.” Sky continued to fix his gaze on Lily’s serene face. She was still as beautiful as she had ever been in his mind, but now, he could only grasp at memories instead of clinging to her. Now, she was just a body in a bed; a husk of her former life and a portent of her future. “What can I do for you, Princess?” he asked, changing the topic.

“Do?” Luna asked, sounding genuinely surprised. “Sky, I would not ask you to do anything for me now. I am just as concerned for Lily as you are.”

Sky was forced to bite back a bitter scoff. There’s nopony that cares for Lily as much as I do. No way, no how.

The silence seemed to indicate to Luna what Sky had been unwilling to say out loud. “Well, then, how are you?”

Sky’s head drooped just a bit, and his eyelids followed suit. “I’m not the one that part of a mountain fell on.”

The Princess was unwilling to let that remark go, however. “Sky Streak, I beg you not to do this to yourself. You cannot blame yourself for what has happened. You did everything you could. Nopony could have done anything more. Think of all the lives you still managed to protect!”

An airy snort passed Sky’s lips. He turned and looked at Luna with a hard gaze. “Forgive me, Princess, but that sounds awfully ironic coming from you.”

Luna’s eyes widened, obviously taken aback by Sky’s blunt response. Sky fully respected an angry retort, which would have pleased him just fine. He was in the mood to argue.

But yet again, Luna surprised him. She walked over beside him and sat on the floor where her eyes were even with his. “Sky, I can only imagine what you must be feeling. I have not suffered so great a loss of one that you cared about. At least, not in this way.”

Sky permitted his eyebrow to rise as an indication of his curiosity, but remained silent. “But it was not so long ago that your places were traded: you were the one lying in the bed, while Lily was left to sit by and pray that you would awaken to her again. And here you are, but instead of facing this with the dignity and grace that she did, you sit here in self-pity and bitterness, refusing to accept the fact that this happened because you did the right thing. Would it have been a fair trade if Lily was left unharmed, but countless others suffered as a result?”

Sky almost blurted out “yes,” but deep in his heart, he knew better. It would have been an impossible trade. Who was he to dictate who gets to live and die? But that doesn’t make dealing with the consequences any easier.

He felt Luna’s wing settle over his back as her voice softened. “Sky, you share your name with that big blue expanse above us. And just like it, there’s too much of you to be defined by just one bad event. There’s more to you than that.”

He opened his mouth to reply, but found that he had nothing to say. For the first time since the accident, he had no caustic retort to somepony’s gracious attempt to console him. Should’ve known, he thought. Leave it to Luna to get to me.

“I just feel so…angry,” Sky managed at last. “I’m frustrated and just...well, really mad. I’m sitting in a hospital, and that’s one thing, but it’s not me in the bed! It’s Lily! She didn’t do anything! She had nothing to do with this!” His words began rush out like water released from a dam. “It’s not fair, Princess Luna! I’m the one that should be in that bed, if anypony!” He paused suddenly as a new thought grabbed his attention. “Because the one that did this deserves to be in a coffin.”

He could feel Luna’s frown without even looking. “Sky, do you remember what I told you last year before you defeated the Chimera? Right after you woke up?”

Sky shrugged. “You said a lot.”

“Indeed,” she agreed. “But in particular, do you remember what I told you about the darkness?”

The word sent a shiver down his spine. Darkness. Even if Luna was the Princess of the Night, the darkness carried a distinct meaning now—and not a pleasant one. Ever since the Chimera had used Sky’s own rage and hatred against him as the purest black magic he had ever witnessed, he had been reluctant to associate himself with the word. He wouldn’t have admitted that it was fear, but deep down he knew that was exactly what it was: a fear of what he was capable of. A fear of what he might become.

“You told me that it’s the place within each of us where evil can most easily take hold,” Sky recalled.

“That’s right. But I also told you that your darkness is not inherently evil,” she added. “And it seems to me that whenever our darkness does turn evil, it is because we view somepony in an inaccurate way. Inaccurate and inappropriate.”

“Inappropriate?” Sky echoed, becoming increasingly curious about the direction of the conversation. “How so?”

“You believe that Nighthawk deserves to be punished for what he’s done, right?”

Sky simply stared at the princess. The silence became uncomfortable when he finally spoke. “I hope I don’t need to answer that.”

Her exasperated sigh made him regret letting his lingering bitterness. “Sky, could you drop the attitude? I like to think that I am a patient pony, but even my patience lasts only so long.”

The sense of shame that came upon him felt like getting hit by a herd of stampeding buffalo. Here was Princess Luna, one of the most important mares in his life, and above that, a monarch of the realm, trying to help him specifically in the midst of trying to rule a nation, and all he could do was demonstrate ungratefulness and, beyond that, rudeness. “I—I’m sorry, Princess,” Sky stammered, feeling like his racing heart had stolen away all his breath. “I guess I’m just…”

“Lost,” Luna finished. “And I can understand that. But when another pony is trying to help you find the way, the least you can do is let them.”

“Yes, Princess,” Sky answered softly.

There was a brief period of silence, where the only noise was the sobering beep of the medical equipment beside Lily’s bed. “Anyways,” she continued, “it’s not wrong to believe that Nighthawk deserves to pay for what he’s done. He is guilty of a number of crimes, and justice dictates that wrongdoing deserves recompense.”

“Agreed.” Sky looked again at Lily, whose face was now lit by a beam of sunlight from the window. “But what does this have to do with an inappropriate view of others?”

“It’s easy to dislike wrongdoers, Sky,” Luna explained, rising to her hooves and pacing the floor. “They’ve sinned against the law, and as such, they become targets for suspicion and anger. I know that all too well. The legends and tales of Nightmare Moon are evidence of that.”

“But…”

Luna turned to Sky and gazed at him approvingly. “But just because they’ve done wrong doesn’t mean that they’re any less a pony than someone that’s never broken the law. Everypony is somepony’s son or daughter. I suppose that’s easier for me to accept because I’ve been there. Evildoers deserve to receive judgment. But what they don’t deserve is revenge.”

Sky’s brow furrowed. “I don’t follow.”

“Sky, laws are in place to maintain order and a sense of balance. And when a law is broken, a punishment is implemented to discourage its further breaking. That’s our justice system. And it affects everypony equally: no one is exempt from the law, from the youngest foal all the way up to Celestia and I.

“But revenge is entirely different. It is not based upon a set of laws, but upon your perceived reality. It’s an emotional response. It causes you to see yourself as more important than the law, and see the one who wronged you as someone that is less than yourself because it ignores the law. You take matters into your own hooves, and you lose control.

“And that’s when the darkness becomes evil.”

Sky’s mind flashed back to the battle in the Painted Forest. He remembered the feelings of rage and hatred causing his blood to boil. Every fiber of his being had just wanted to hurt the Chimera as much as he could. And it had nearly cost him everything.

“Yes, that’s right,” Luna remarked, apparently privy to Sky’s thoughts. “You lost control. You were too focused on destroying your enemy instead of protecting those you cared about. It wasn’t about Equestria anymore; it was all about you. And when that happened, it all fell apart. And if you should let it happen again,” she said, turning towards the door, “there’s no telling what may come of it.”

Sky gulped. It was a terrifying thought. “I think I understand,” he replied, “but it’s so hard, Princess. Every time I look at Lily, I can feel those thoughts of revenge just beneath my skin, waiting to be let loose. I know that Nighthawk needs to answer for what he’s done, but I don’t know if my mind is going to be able to keep my hooves from pounding him into the dirt.”

“To that end,” Luna answered as her horn lit up, “I’ve brought some ponies here to help you with that.” The door swung open, and Sky’s gaze was drawn to four figures standing in the doorway. From appearances, all four were old enough to have been his parents. In fact…

Sky stared in disbelief. “Mom? Dad?”

The two pegasi hurried through the doorway. Sky bounded off the couch and ran to meet them. They met in the center of the room, and Sky quickly found himself tangled in a tight hug.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Feather Wisp sobbed. She ran her hoof through Sky's mane, just as she had done so many times before. “Honey, I’m so sorry.”

“Are you alright?” Midnight Sky asked. His voice was thin and strained, possibly from a long night of talking…or crying with his wife.

“All things considered?” Sky relaxed and let his head fall against his mother’s shoulder. In spite of the tragic nature of the last few days, seeing his parents—two longstanding beacons of support in his life—gave him a reassuring sense of comfort. “I’m…coping, I guess.”

His mother continued to stroke his neck and back gently, but his father released Sky from his hug and sat back onto his haunches. “Son, there are some others here you should meet.”

His eyes drifted from the floor back to the doorway, where two unicorns approached. The mare was quite lovely, with an off-white body with a braided mane and tail that were a curious shade of aquamarine. Her husband was tall and slim, a deep red color that seemed to reflect an abundant amount of light, while his mane and tail were a warm golden color. And even though Sky had never met these ponies before, he knew them. Oh, he most certainly knew them. And seeing them now stung his eyes as he realized how utterly heart-wrenching it was for them to enter this particular room.

“You must be Sky Streak,” the stallion said in a warm baritone voice. There was no distinct accent that Sky could detect, though there was a peculiar formality to the way he spoke. “I’m glad we were finally able to meet you. We’ve certainly heard a great deal about you.”

He struggled to form words, but the mare took note and managed a welcoming smile. “My name is Turquoise Twist, and this is my husband, Garnet Glint. We’re Lily’s parents.”

Sky reached up and wiped away the tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “Y-yes ma’am,” he stammered. “Lily’s told me a lot about you, too.” He twisted his neck to where Lily lay in her bed, then looked back to her parents. “I’m…sure you want to see her,” he added, backing out of his mother’s embrace and bowing respectfully.

“We certainly do, but we’d like you to stay,” Garnet Glint replied. “I’d personally like to have a chat with this young colt that has so thoroughly won my daughter’s heart.”

Sky felt his cheeks blush in spite of himself. He caught sight of his parents, who were both smiling, but his father added a mischievous wink. That’s Dad…ever the ladies’ stallion.

His thoughts were quickly interrupted upon hearing a sob from the other side of the room. There, Lily’s parents stood side-by-side, but Turquoise Twist had begun to weep uncontrollably, while her husband held her close with his leg, trying to remain strong before a sight that undoubtedly shook him to the core.

Sky sighed softly. It’s a rather cruel irony that Lily’s magic is just what we need here.

To his surprise, he heard another voice answer within his head. No, Sky Streak. What they need right now is YOU.

Sky’s head whipped to where Princess Luna stood quietly in the corner next to the door. He had been so preoccupied with the arrival of his and Lily’s parents that he had forgotten that she was even in the room. He gave her a curious look. Me?

Yes, you. Her eyes narrowed, but her expression seemed to brighten. You are the one pony in this room that ties every other pony together. Every single individual in this room is connected to you. And right now, you are the one pony that is capable of holding them together and seeing them through this trial.

Sky stared blankly at the wall for a moment. But…that’s not right. It’s not supposed to be all about me, right? It’s not just about one pony, but about us all.

You’re right; it’s not about just one pony. Her eyes drifted around the room, lighting on every pony until finally settling back on Sky. But in here, everypony needs something. And it’s not about what YOU can give, but about how it helps everypony as a whole.

Sky considered for a moment, then nodded in understanding. He slowly walked over beside Lily’s bed, where Garnet Glint had continued to console his wife, whose head now rested beside her daughter’s. “I…I’m sorry. This isn’t how I’d imagined meeting you.”

Turquoise sniffed and tried to control her sobbing, but it was Garnet that spoke first. “Don’t be sorry,” he said quietly, his unusual formality subsiding just a bit. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

But Sky couldn’t let himself off the hook that easily. “But I should have been there! I should have been able to prevent this!”

Midnight walked over and placed his leg around his son’s neck. “Son, you were there. In fact, it sounds to me like you’re still there.” Sky’s head jerked up suddenly, where he found the compassionate eyes of his father staring back at him. “I’m sure you did everything you could. I can’t imagine you doing anything less than that. But even so, no single pony can do everything. And I know this is hard to hear, but you need to accept that maybe this was beyond your control. It was beyond everypony’s control. I’d wager that not even Celestia or Luna could have prevented what happened.”

A feeling of frustration once again rose in Sky’s mind. He pulled away from his father and walked towards the nearest wall with an exasperated sigh. “Fine. But that still doesn’t explain why. Lily was a source of strength for me. She…she completed me.” His mind drifted back to the first time he had told her that, on their first date on the frozen tundra outside Polarmino. He could still see that orange sunset, reflected off the mounds of snow in all directions; a frozen fire more beautiful than anything…save the mare he had shared the moment with. “But now,” Sky continued as his mind snapped back to the present, “now that she can’t be with me, I feel lost. It’s like…” He paused, searching for the proper analogy. “It’s like Shining Armor without Princess Cadance. Or like Mom without Dad.” He watched as his mother moved closer to his father and leaned up against him. He could see the glistening of the tears forming in her eyes. “It’s like Princess Celestia without…”

He started, suddenly realizing what he was saying. He quickly glanced over to the alicorn in the corner, who was now staring at him, looking equally surprised. For a brief moment in time, his frustration and anger were forgotten, replaced with the light of comprehension. Of course! Why didn’t I realize it before?

The rewarding feeling of accomplishment suddenly vanished as he returned his attention to the room around him. Every head in the room was turned towards him. He returned their confused gazes until he remembered that he hadn’t finished his sentence.

He turned his eyes once again to the navy blue monarch by the far wall. Her expression had changed from shock to contemplation, but she still seemed to be aware of the conversation going on around her. “Please, excuse me,” she said abruptly, awkwardly rushing to the door while trying to maintain a semblance of composure.

Every eye had followed Luna through the doorway, and as the door slowly shut behind her, Sky once again found himself the focus in the room. The constant, irritating beep of the medical equipment continued to grate against Sky’s brain, but his mind struggled to find anything to say. “Uh…”

“Sky,” he heard his father say, “I probably don’t know what you’re feeling, but I certainly understand what you’re saying.” He looked up to see his parents, draped in each other’s wings. “Your mother and I are soul mates because of how we complement each other.”

Sky acknowledged the comment with a nod of his head. “Yeah, you’re always telling Mom how good she looks.”

Midnight’s face contorted into a look of confusion. “What?”

Sky returned his father’s stare. “I was just agreeing with you about how you compliment Mom all the time.”

There was a spatter of laughter from the ponies in the room, much to Sky’s consternation. “Sky, not complIment; complEment,” his father corrected. “We’re greater than the sum total of our parts, so to speak.”

“Oh.” Sky shrugged, feeling embarrassed. “Something like that.”

“These are the times that define us, Sky,” his mother said, walking beside her son and running her hoof through his mane again. “When you feel like you’ve lost everything and you couldn’t go on even if you wanted to. When you feel lost and discouraged. When you feel defeated.”

Defeated. The word triggered a reaction in his mind and brought a fire to his eyes. His vision narrowed as he focused on the enemy at hoof. “Oh, I’m not defeated,” he growled. “Not even close.”

Midnight made a face, indicating to Sky that his father knew all too well what his son was thinking. Sky diverted his eyes, hoping to keep any further thoughts to himself.

“If Lily completes you, then that means you changed because of her.” Sky found himself staring into the eyes of Garnet Glint. “You learned from her. And even if she can’t be with you physically, you can carry her love and faith in your heart. Just because she isn’t there doesn’t mean she isn’t with you.”

Sky Streak, your friends are not merely physical bodies. They are individuals, and they are the memories that you share. They are the emotions that bind you to each other, and they are the connections between everypony in all of Equestria. And wherever you take those feelings, your friends are there with you.

The words of Princess Luna rattled around the inside of his skull. She had first spoken them over a year ago, but he now heard them fresh as they had been the first time. “Seems like I’ve heard something like that before.”

“Then you should listen to that advice. It will give you strength when you have to be alone,” he concluded.

Sky considered this for a moment. He cast a look back at Lily. Deep in his heart, he wished that she would come back to him and calm the fury of emotions just beneath his skin. He felt as though he had no control over himself anymore. He had no power to rein in his emotions, or even control how he would respond to any situation. It was as though the only thing that held the storm at bay was Lily.

And she couldn’t hold it back any longer.

It will give you strength when you have to be alone.

The tempest roiled like a fire in his veins. Like right now.

Alicorn Guard HQ
April 29, 5:43 PM

The HQ was…well, it was still a mess. A big one. But at least it wasn’t on fire.

Scope stood with the rest of the members of the Alicorn Guard in the central hall. The putrid smell of burning materials and noxious fumes still wafted through the air, but he had finally managed to bring himself to bear it. They had all been busy cleaning the scene of all the wreckage, trying to estimate the extent of the damage.

Until he showed up in the doorway.

It had gone silent when he had walked in. A complete silence; not the typical pseudo-quiet that most ponies thought was a “total silence.” No, this was utter calm; completely devoid of almost any sound. It was the only proper response.

Blitz looked exhausted (as well he should). His eyes were sunken and his gait was sluggish. But in spite of his apparent frailty, there was an unmistakable spark in his eyes. Scope knew that look. He had seen it enough to know what was coming.

“Blitz,” Ace said, dropping his broom and stepping forward. “Um…how are you holding up?”

The blue pegasus took a few slow steps forward, then stopped in front of his unicorn commander. “I need Scope and Tread,” he said evenly.

Ace’s surprise rippled through the air. For the first time in as long as Scope could remember, beads of sweat began to form on Ace’s forehead. His ear twitched. He, the incurably confident Ace, was nervous.

And, perhaps most curiously, Scope couldn’t blame him.

Physically, Sky looked like he needed about a week-long nap. But his magical essence was a completely different story. It was common knowledge that emotions lent distinct amounts of strength to magic spells. They also caused that same magic to take on certain properties and change…flavors, for lack of a better term. Love lent a sense of restoration to magic, while determination felt like a bolstering of strength. A sense of laughter with magic could make one feel giddy, and using pity in conjunction with a spell felt like an easing of the aches of one’s pain, both physically and mentally. Irritation had the opposite effect, and a vindictive spirit was like an oppressive fog. And as for Sky right now…

It felt like he was a ticking time bomb.

“Uh…are you sure you should even be here?” Ace replied, deflecting the question. “I mean, shouldn’t you be with Lily right now?”

Scope saw Blitz wince the slightest bit at the mention of Lily’s name, but it was quickly followed by a steely gaze. “Her parents are here from Fillydelphia, and they’re with her now.”

“And what about you?” Riptide asked, rising from where she had been sitting. “You should be resting.”

Blitz turned to face the unicorn as his ears flattened against his head. “I can’t afford to rest,” he said. His voice dripped with a frustration that had certainly been mounting over the past few days. “Nighthawk is still out there, and he’s too dangerous to be left alone.”

“Then you should leave him to one of us,” Razor countered. “You’re the last one that should be challenging him right now.”

“No!” Blitz shouted, and the fire in his eyes erupted for just a moment, causing those before him to recoil. “I’m the one that needs to face him! Every one of the pegasi in this room has told me that I’m a better flier than they are. I’m the only one capable of facing him one-on-one. By your own admission.”

“But you don’t have to face him alone,” Razor pressed. “We could face him together, you know. It doesn’t have to be just you.”

But Blitz shook his head. “I can’t take any more than Scope and Tread. I can’t afford to deprive Canterlot of you. What if Nighthawk isn’t the only traitor? He might still have designs for Canterlot in that…twisted mind of his,” he finished with an obvious effort.

“And that’s the only reason it has to be you?” Ace asked, looking skeptical.

The question hung in the air. The two teammates stared at each other without a word. Their faces were separated by mere inches, and the intensity of their eyes was matched only by the palpable magical pressure between them. The fire in Blitz’s eyes had subsided, but had not gone out. The situation grew more and more tense until a voice finally broke the impasse.

“Blitz, are you sure you can do this?” Ghost asked from behind Ace, fixing his calculating gaze on the pegasus.

Blitz’s head swung around again, locking in on the deep purple unicorn. “Yes,” came the simple reply.

“How can you be so sure?” Ghost pressed. “He’s the finest flier we’ve had in ages. What makes you so sure that you won’t lose?”

“I just won’t.”

“How do you know?”

A twitch pulled at Blitz’s eyes and the corners of his mouth, giving him a face that looked like an unsettling cross between rage and anguish. “Because I can’t.”

Ghost’s head drew back as Blitz finished. His eyes darted back and forth in thought. Finally, he returned his gaze to Blitz. “I see,” he said. Then, after another moment’s pause, he added, “Scope, Tread: get your things.”

“What?!” Ace blurted. “You’re letting him go!?”

Scope obediently turned to gather his cloak and a few other amenities from his equipment chest, but the conversation behind him was still perfectly audible. “All of his points were perfectly valid: he is the best flier we currently have, and there’s no telling what other tricks Nighthawk may have left here. And,” Ghost quickly added, probably noting Ace’s attempts to protest, “as much as he has demonstrated an ability to remain calm and focused, we all know that magic is enhanced through emotion. And nopony here can approach the emotion that Blitz has vested in this.”

“Kinda my point,” Ace returned. “Can he keep those emotions under control?”

There was a pause. Scope slipped his cloak over his head before Ghost spoke up again. “Well, Blitz? You’re the only one that can answer that.”

He turned around just in time to see Blitz’s response. His face was neutral, but the spark of determination was still flickering in his eyes. “I’ll be fine. I’m not the monster in this ordeal.”

“Satisfied, Ace?”

“Not entirely, but I guess I’ll have to deal with it,” he sighed. He nodded to Scope, who walked over and stood on Blitz’s right. He had often criticized Ace and Blitz for their inability to take anything seriously, but here, in the solemnity of the moment, he realized just how wrong it felt to be without the levity they normally provided. “If you’re really gonna do this, Blitz, you’re gonna want every edge you can get.”

“Yeah, I know,” he nodded. “That’s why I’m bringing these two,” motioning to Scope and Tread, who had approached from Blitz’s left.

“We’re not exactly fighters, sir,” Tread answered.

“That’s fine, Tread,” Blitz replied. “I don’t need you to be fighters. And please, call me ‘Blitz.’”

“Sorry, sir.”

“Then why bring us along at all?” Scope asked.

“Because I don’t know where Nighthawk’s gone,” Blitz explained. “I need you two to track him.”

“Track a pegasus? And one as stealthy as Nighthawk, at that?” Scope scoffed.

Blitz’s eyes flickered again for an instant. “Beyond your skill, Scope?”

His first instinct was to fire off a retort of his own, but he bit his tongue. “I suppose we’ll just have to find out.” His ear turned as he heard another two ponies approached from his left.

“Here, Blitz,” Nova said, holding out her leg. Blitz’s cloak was draped over it. “You’ll probably want this.” Her face was set in a look of concern, which was no surprise to Scope. It wasn’t common knowledge, but he knew that Nova had been attracted to Blitz from his first day in the Guard, and her heart had been crushed when she had learned about Lily. But she had learned to accept that his heart belonged to another, and the two of them had become like brother and sister. This must be hard for her…on two fronts.

Blitz managed an appreciative smile. “Thanks, Nova,” he answered. He turned to the other pony that had approached with her. “What is it, Hobo?”

“All the shooters were either damaged or destroyed in the blast,” Hobo muttered. “The only one we still have is the one I’ve been working on.” He held it out. It was still just as jammed as ever, and Scope could see the scratches and dents from Hobo’s frustrated work on it over several weeks. “It still doesn’t work, though. I’m honestly not sure why I even bothered to bring it over here, now that I think about it.”

Blitz’s brow furrowed as he took the two offerings. As he touched his cloak, it again disappeared to blend in with its surroundings. Nova and Hobo let out simultaneous gasp, which triggered an amused snort from Scope. Well, Ace did tell him that he really should see it.

Suddenly, a smile burst onto Ace’s face. “Oh, yes!” he shouted triumphantly, earning confused looks from every other pony. “I got it!”

“Odd time for an epiphany, Ace,” Scope commented.

“Oh, you’ll be singing my praises for years to come,” he fired back, looking as confident as ever. “You can bet on that!”

“You’d bet on anything,” Blitz retorted. “But I’m game. What’s got you so excited all of a sudden?”

He smiled broadly. “Come with me. You’re gonna love this.”

Author's Note:

Fun fact: I can't write a story without dialogue. Bonus fun fact: I can't write a chapter without dialogue, either.
So, if you've been wondering if my characters ever shut up...sorry.
If you expected me to kill off a character just like that, you're more heartless than I am. Though Lily's far from in the clear just yet. Who knows what more I have in store for her? *maniacal laughter*

...This story might be turning me into a sadist. I kinda like it.