Oathbound

by ChronicleStone

Chapter 14: The Tempest and the Inferno

Zecora’s Hut
April 31, 8:57 PM

It had happened, just as she had feared. The magic was too distinct to be mistaken for anything else.

The storm had been unleashed.

Zecora stood just outside the door to her hut, staring deeper into the Everfree Forest. Somewhere past the thick and lightless boughs, Sky Streak had thrown aside the veil on his magic and now let his power flow, completely unbridled. Every wave of power rippled with emotion: tragedy, rage, love, courage…judgment.

But none of it concerned her as much as the palpable battle evident even in his magic: the conflict of justice against revenge. Sky’s desire to do what was right was strong, but the desire to avenge the pain of loss was tremendous.

And in spite of her concern, she knew she could not interfere. This was Sky’s battle, and his alone. He would brook no interference. So she did the only thing she could do for him.

Believe.

“The difference between good and evil
Is an ever-blurring line
Especially in the heat of battle
In an already distressing time.
The faith of your friends and love of your peers
Will hopefully guide your path.
Otherwise you may fall victim
To your own indignant wrath.”

Castle of the Two Sisters
April 31, 8:58 PM

The wind hurled the rain against the walls and battlements of the castle in a roar that rose like a cruel applause. The percussive peals of thunder only added to the chaos. The lightning in the clouds above a constant source of blinding flashes in the utter darkness of the Everfree Forest. It was a storm for the ages.

But at the edge of the forest clearing, the trees did not move. Their leaves barely responded to the sheets of driving rain that pounded against them. The grass barely twitched in the howling wind. Even the puddles of water barely rippled in spite of the constant stream of raindrops that crashed into their surfaces.

Nature itself seemed compelled to stop for the great magic storm and the battle atop the ancient Castle of the Two Sisters.

Nighthawk, once the greatest flier of the Alicorn Guard, now exposed as a sinister mastermind bent on the collapse of the monarchy. He was bathed in magic like a raging ring of flames all around him, causing the rain to evaporate into steam the moment it struck him. And opposite him stood Sky Streak, the courageous pegasus whose own blood, sweat, and tears had fallen in this place one year earlier as part of his grand task of vanquishing the hideous Chimera. His magic radiated from him like neon blue strikes of lightning that blasted each nearby raindrop into sparks, creating a seamless shower of golden rain that cascaded around his hooves.

Nighthawk stood in a defensive position, eyes steady and unblinking, even in the midst of the downpour. Sky paced back and forth, analyzing his opponent, studying for vulnerabilities and openings. It was like an endless staring contest; a game of chicken that neither one was willing to start.

At last, Sky, without any real warning, shot through the air with such haste that the standing water beneath him parted in his wake. He reached his target almost instantaneously, but Nighthawk hadn’t been caught off-guard by Sky’s sudden attack. With unnatural calmness, he rose up and met Sky’s hooves with his own, then used a magic-enhanced move to toss Sky right over him.

But instead of spiraling through the air, Sky made a half-turn and landed right behind his enemy, firing a vicious strike at the back of his head. Nighthawk must have sensed it coming, because he immediately rolled into a forward somersault, extending his rear legs so that they knocked Sky’s outstretched hoof straight up, leaving him wide open for a counterattack.

A bolt of lightning seared the air between the two of them, surprising them both. As the strike dissipated, a blast of thunder shook the area, and Sky felt as though his eardrums would burst. One look towards Nighthawk revealed that he was struggling through his own fit of disorientation. The pressure was tremendous, but Sky forced himself to bring a hoof to his chest, where he felt Lily’s brooch.

“Nnnyyyaaaaahhhh!!!” he shouted through clenched teeth as, pushing through the pain and launching himself through the air in a flying tackle. Nighthawk still hadn’t fully recovered, and the collision sent the two of them tumbling along the masonry of the castle. Their legs flew wildly as they rolled along, slamming into stone blocks, piles of debris, and occasionally, each other.

Finally, Sky managed to orient himself and pulled his rear legs in tight. Then, mixing his strength with magic, he kicked off with both legs, launching Nighthawk away. Sky struggled to his hooves and watched with satisfaction as Nighthawk crashed into the wreckage of a ruined tower nearby. Sensing an advantage, Sky didn’t wait for his foe to reappear, but leapt after him, hoping to keep him on the defensive.

But once again, Nighthawk was quicker than that. He darted out from under Sky’s approach, stopping just as the blue pegasus hit the ground. Sky nimbly sprang into action, throwing out a leg in a spinning kick, which Nighthawk merely leaned out of the way of. Again and again, Sky flipped and whirled through the air, launching attacks like an untraceable blur of motion: the very essence of speed and agility. And yet, again and again, Nighthawk remained just out of reach, dodging and evading every blow with almost otherworldly grace and fluidity.

The frenetic dance continued until Sky pivoted off one hoof, oriented himself sideways and came in for a powerful overhoof smash. However, instead of moving out of the way, Nighthawk stepped inside the blow, and let loose his own upward strike. Sky felt the blow connect with his jaw, breaking his concentration. A sudden surge of magic increased the force of the strike, and he could only flail wildly as his body was sent hurtling toward the clouds above.

His vision changed from clouds, to castle, then back to clouds again as he spun out of control. The attack had rattled his brain, and he fought to regain control. As his inertia finally gave way to the pull of gravity, his vision settled on the clouds above. A crackling blue glow wormed its way through their dark gray undersides, and somewhere within the vaults of his memory, he saw a similar scene and heard his own voice from the past.

“Don’t take it personally. I’m just doing my job.”

Oh, you bet I am.

He forced himself into another half-flip, angling himself into a straight dive to the castle below. As he did, a bolt of lightning erupted from the clouds above, engulfing him and sending him earthward almost faster than he could blink. Trusting his magic, he spread his wings and threw his hoof wide to his right.

The bolt made contact with the castle in an explosion of sparks, but Sky came hurtling from the impact area like greased lightning with his hoof planted firmly in Nighthawk’s midsection. With a mighty heave, he hurled the orange pegasus into the ground ahead, watching him tumble like a ragdoll along the castle rampart. Sky managed to skid to a stop just as Nighthawk slammed into the parapet. Nighthawk sat with his back against the stonework, head slumped against his chest and breathing heavily. Then, with a strangely satisfied smile, he rose to his hooves.

“Well, I must say, that is impressive,” he said, stamping the ground a few times in solo applause. “Though it seems to have evolved a bit since you used it last.”

“I would hope so,” Sky said, eyeing his opponent as best he could through the still-driving rain. “I wouldn’t be much of an opponent if I suspected you’d fall for the exact same trick twice.”

“Indeed!” Nighthawk exclaimed. “But that can’t be the only thing that’s improved from your bag of tricks. Where’s the fury? What’s this new power that I’m supposed to be so afraid of?”

Every word felt like the plucking of a rubber band that had been stretched to its limit. Sky could feel his composure crumbling as Nighthawk’s taunts chipped away at it. “Hold still and I’ll show you!” he shouted, kicking off and shooting into the air.

Nighthawk wasn’t far behind. To Sky, the steam rising from Nighthawk’s magical aura carried the same bright orange tint as his magic, giving him the appearance of a flaming windigo…if such a thing was even possible. The golden spray of sparks still fell around Sky as he flew, though he didn’t even try to come up with a description for how he may have looked.

Sky came to a stop, allowing Nighthawk to close the gap between them. Sky could’ve sworn he saw a smirk as the two pegasi met in the air. Their hooves collided in a flash of magic, but they held their positions and continued to press against the other. The longer Sky looked into Nighthawk’s dark eyes, the more he could feel his face contorting into a vicious scowl, until he could hardly stand it.

Suddenly, Nighthawk’s right hoof pulled away, and Sky lurched to his left as he found himself pushing against nothing. At that moment, he caught sight of Nighthawk’s withdrawn hoof moving forward again, but this time, it was on a collision course with his head. With a sudden urgency, he gyrated and performed an aerial cartwheel, avoiding Nighthawk’s blow.

As his body reoriented itself, Sky surged ahead, aiming right between Nighthawk’s eyes. But the orange pegasus merely blocked the strike with his own hoof. A second jab with his other hoof had the same result. A third jab. A fourth.

He threw a larger swing with his right hoof, only to watch his opponent lean out of range. Sky continued his spin and pushed ahead, bringing his left leg wide as he came around, hoping to catch Nighthawk off-guard. But his foe had merely dropped in altitude, and Sky’s leg whistled harmlessly over his head.

Again and again, Sky threw attack after attack, from kicks and jabs to headbutts and uppercuts. But each time, Nighthawk was just ahead of the blow, an inch or two beyond the reach of the increasingly-frustrated blue pegasus. To a casual observer, it would have appeared that the two were evenly matched: a perfect synchronization of fluidity in their battle. But Sky knew better. Nighthawk was just toying with him. If he was going to win, he was going to have to be the better of the two of them.

And right now, that just wasn’t the case.

At last, when his aggravation had reached the boiling point, he charged headlong into a full-out flying tackle. And again, Nighthawk darted under the attack, but this time, he swung underneath Sky and popped up behind him, hauling back for what appeared to be a vicious strike of his own.

Sky realized it just in the nick of time. Quick as he could, he released a blast of magic from his rear hooves, which shot backwards and engulfed Nighthawk, forcing him into a defensive posture. Sky breathed a sigh of relief and put a bit of separation between himself and his nemesis.

“Well, this has been fun,” Nighthawk quipped, “but I think it’s time for things to get serious.” He held up a hoof, which began to glow with an intense orange light.

The eyes of the blue pegasus narrowed until they were little more than slits above his nose. “You made it serious when you attacked Lily,” he growled. His own hoof lit up with magic. “I was done playing games with you days ago.”

“Is that so?” came the reply. “Too bad your battle skills don’t show it.” He outstretched his hoof, now glowing with an almost pure-white light, and let loose a blazing stream of magic.

Sky reacted instinctively, thrusting his hoof against the attack in an attempt to deflect it. But instead of being redirected, the beam merely tore through his magic barrier and began burning into his hoof.

“Yaaahh!” he yelled, recoiling in pain and dropping to the ground, allowing the beam of magic to shoot above him. As he landed on his stomach, he brought his hoof to his chest, rubbing it gingerly. A dark black scorch mark had appeared in the center, and even though he had moved out of the way of the attack, the burning sensation still lingered. He looked back at Nighthawk, who smiled knowingly. Sky snarled as he locked eyes with the other pegasus. A swirl of bright red and orange magic rose from the ground and wrapped around the airborne equine.

“See what happens when you play with fire, Blitz?” he mocked. “You get burned!”

Sky slammed his burnt hoof into a nearby puddle and struggled to get back on his hooves. Somehow, he wasn’t surprised to see the steam rising from where the burn mark had made contact with the water. “I told you, no matter how good you are, there’s always someone better. How much will it take for you to finally learn that?” Nighthawk asked, looking slightly amused.

“Maybe there always is someone better,” Sky began. “But I’m not one to sit back and just let that be the way it is! I’d rather rise to the occasion and make you earn that distinction!”

“Quite the masochist, aren’t you?” Nighthawk quipped. “You just can’t get enough punishment. Oh, well, more fun for me!” Again, he lifted a brightly shining hoof and aimed it at Sky.

The beam seared the air, but Sky quickly sprang out of the way. Nighthawk immediately took aim and fired again. But again, Sky flipped over the blast. Nighthawk rose into the air and advanced, firing again and again, leaving craters and holes in the stone roof of the castle, but each time, Sky was just fast enough to evade the attack.

Then, as Sky was backflipping away from another firebolt, he caught sight of the skies above. The clouds were still pouring rain, but instead of the monochromatic gray that had dominated the past few minutes, he again saw the distinct blue glow of the lightning.

And then it hit him. Oh, yeah. Two can play at this game.

His wings were spread as soon as his hooves hit the stonework. Nighthawk was preparing another blast of magic, but Sky was rocketing to the clouds even before he could fire. In a matter of moments, he had reached the underside of the blanket of thunderclouds. And with a motion that seemed almost casual, he reached out and plucked out a bit of cloud that was about as large as he was, thrust it between his legs, and dove back to the castle below.

He saw the telltale glow of Nighthawk’s firebolt as it approached, but instead of diving out of the way, he curled up into a quick double somersault. He could feel his magic building up in the cloud like a surge of static electricity. He closed his eyes and focused. It wasn’t just a cloud: it was a conduit.

A brilliant bolt of lightning split the air and met Nighthawk’s fiery spell in a blaze of sparks, cascading with the rain to the castle below. Sky sat on his cloud as it rumbled and pulsed with an electric blue light. He looked down at Nighthawk, who appeared mildly impressed and yet equally annoyed. “You don’t think I’m serious?” Sky called. “Think again.”

Nighthawk began a slow ascent from the pockmarked castle battlements. “Why don’t we see exactly how serious you are, then?”

With perfect timing, they both took off like rockets, skirting the roof of the castle, mere meters apart. Encased by their magic, and peppered by the relentless rain, they appeared as twin orbs of energy: the perfect image of frenzy in motion.

Sky let loose another bolt of magic, only to watch as Nighthawk’s own fiery beam met it, causing a dazzling flash of light and rattling the air with a terrific crash. Sky didn’t wait for his eyes to readjust from the blinding light before unleashing another strike, only to be greeted with the same impressive glare and earsplitting kaboom.

They zigged and zagged above the castle, each firing off their own individual magic volley, only to have it met by the other’s. The sudden crashes and flares from the magic battle only seemed to add to the atmospheric agitation, and the storm somehow grew even wilder. Between the lightning and thunder from the clouds above and their counterparts from the castle below, the entire forest seemed to be filled with a cacophonous symphony of battle, matched only by the sudden blaze of light whenever the combatants’ attacks met.

The hectic pace of the conflict, combined with the distracting volume and intensity of the storm about them, felt to Sky like it might send him into epileptic shock. Keeping focus was nearly impossible now; he was firing off his magical spells through the cloud almost haphazardly. His brain felt like it had been turned to mush by the constant noise and the incessant attacks. Gradually, his emotions were sifted through the crucible of battle until only a few remained: pain, anguish, defiance, and love. And every one of those fed one emotion above them all.

Anger.

He could feel it as distinctly as his heart beating in his chest. He could taste it in the air. He could see it: a hazy redness that blinded him to almost everything save the fiery pegasus that opposed him. The burning sensation in his scorched hoof was nothing compared to the white intensity of his rage. He remembered this sensation: he had felt it in the Painted Forest in his battle against the Chimera. It had nearly destroyed him.

But it had also made him powerful.

It was right there. It was a buzzing in his brain; a temptation that whispered in his ear: Do it. Use me. Become strong.

Sky ripped his mind from the thought and forced a continuous stream of lightning from his cloud. The air lit up as it met Nighthawk’s own beam of fiery magic. The two attacks pressed against each other as the combatants strained to maintain the offensive. Nighthawk’s teeth flashed in a pained scowl. Sky squinted and his brow furrowed in concentration. It took all of his focus to hold the line against his enemy, and with his emotions already in turmoil, it was an almost insurmountable task.

The lightning and fire continued to push against each other, growing in brightness until it looked like they might have outshone the sun itself. Sky drove his head into his cloud, hoping to shield his eyes. He could feel the light as heat on his skin, even through the veil of the cloud.

Finally, there was an explosion of magic that could have rivalled a sonic rainboom. Sky was thrown back as the shockwave tore through the air, shredding his cloud into nothing. Through the blinding glare, he could make out the form of Nighthawk, contorting his body in midair as he too was tossed aside by the magical outburst.

Sky curled into a double-back somersault and landed on his hooves, skidding to a stop. For a moment, all he saw was the dissipating magic explosion and the somewhat-abated-yet-still-steady rainfall. He took a moment to catch his breath. Win or lose, this battle was taking its toll on him, and was more than likely going to take a while to recover from.

Before he could finish exhaling, a blazing meteor slashed through the scene. It only took a split second to close the gap to him, but in that time, Sky could see the face of Nighthawk, now twisted and cruel beyond anything he had seen from him before. His eyes were no longer the eerie black pools of before: they were the flaming balls of fury that he had encountered back in Canterlot.

Sky didn’t have time to be afraid. Reacting on instinct, he leapt into a sideways roll, dodging wide of the screaming comet that had him in its sights. But before his second hoof had touched down, Nighthawk was on him again. Sky twisted desperately, managing to avoid the fiery charge by mere inches. The wake from the attack sent him into a clumsy pirouette, spinning out-of-control for seconds that seemed to last an eternity.

He felt the air rush from his lungs as he felt one hoof slam into his midsection while another caught him in the neck, driving him backwards until he crashed against what was presumably a wall. His vision was fuzzy, but he could distinctly see the burning orange eyes and hateful scowl of Nighthawk as he held Sky against the rampart.

“Enough!” the orange pegasus growled through gritted teeth. “That’s enough! You thought you were a match for me? Well, you were WRONG!” His jaw was clenched tight so that every word came out with a sharp hiss like a snake. “Dead wrong.”

Sky sputtered and struggled for breath, but Nighthawk’s strength was unrelenting. “M—maybe so,” he wheezed, “but maybe you…shouldn’t be so qu—quick to count me…out.” He raised a hoof in the air, and, for the first time, the chrome finish of the object fastened to his leg flashed in the darkness.

Nighthawk stared at the shooter pointed directly at his chest, then smiled. “Really? That’s all you’ve got? Come on, Blitz. This is desperate, even for you. The only one I left in one piece was the one that Hobo had been working on for weeks. And I know he hasn’t fixed it. Just give it up.”

The colored spots were accumulating in Sky’s vision, but he fought to remain conscious. “You’re…right,” he managed, “he…didn’t fix it.” He gasped for a short breath, and the pressure against his windpipe relaxed just a bit. “But that doesn’t mean…that it doesn’t work.” Sky’s eyes lit with a spark of magic. A soft metallic click resounded.

And, with a look of utter disbelief, Nighthawk reeled as the spell orb blasted him right in the chest.

Sky fell forward coughing and gasping for air as the hooves withdrew from his neck and chest. Ahead of him, Nighthawk stumbled backward, his chest and upper forelegs encased in a thick layer of ice. “Not possible!” he shouted, unable to believe what he was seeing. “That shooter is broken! Unrepairable! I made sure of it!”

“I’m sure you did,” Sky said, rising to a sitting position. His vision was clearing, and his breathing had steadied. He raised his eyes to meet Nighthawk’s, which were wild in surprise, but just as cruel and heartless as before. “But there’s one thing you need to know.”

He waited for a remark, but when all he received was a mocking sneer from the half-frozen pony, he continued. “Just because something is broken doesn’t mean that it’s useless.”

“Clever,” Nighthawk quipped. Then, with a blaze of magic from his wings, the shell of ice around his legs and chest shattered, sending fragments in all directions. “But pointless. Did you honestly expect that to hold me?”

“No,” Sky admitted, firing another orb at the ground in front of Nighthawk. As it struck, a violent wind erupted from the sphere, launching Nighthawk head over hooves into the air. “But that doesn’t mean that it was ‘pointless’.”

The fiery pegasus fought against the wind until it dissipated, then smiled cruelly. “That’s two down,” he said confidently. “Only one shot left. What’s it going to be? If it’s anything like the last two, it won’t matter. They certainly didn’t work.”

Sky’s eyes glinted in response. “I wouldn’t say that.”

Nighthawk dove straight for Sky, but with an almost leisurely motion, he sidestepped the attack. He turned and made another charge, only to see Sky calmly dodge it again. “You seem to have gotten faster. Been learning on the fly, have we?”

“Hardly,” Sky replied. “I haven’t gotten faster at all. It’s you that’s gotten slower.”

Nighthawk turned to look at the blue pegasus, who merely returned his gaze with a cold, calculating stare. “That ice spell? Slowed your reflexes. That wind spell just furthered the effect the ice had on you. You’re not nearly as fast as you were just a few minutes ago.”

“Suddenly a thinking pony, are we?” Nighthawk mocked. “You seem to have all this planned out, Blitz. Let’s see if you were counting on this!” With that, he bathed himself in magic and charged yet again.

But Sky was unfazed. He continued to stare down his nemesis as he approached. “Can’t say that I was…though I’m not disappointed.” And as Nighthawk hauled back to land a crushing blow, Sky leapt into the air, placing himself over the blazing pony.

And, with one smooth motion, he took aim and fired his final spell orb between Nighthawk’s wings.

Nighthawk dropped from the air and tumbled along the ground for several meters before rolling to a stop. He rose to his hooves only to find that his wings hung limply at his sides, numb to the touch and unable to move. His face took on the sudden look of dread as he looked yet again to where Sky stood.

“A stun bolt,” he said simply. “Ice and wind to slow you down to where I could actually hit you with it. I knew that I had to take away your wings.” Sky took a few slow steps towards the suddenly helpless orange pony. As he did, his face gradually hardened from its neutral expression to a look of bitter pain and righteous anger. “How’s it feel to be without the most important thing to you?”

“Is that what this is about?” Nighthawk fired back. “Trying to make me understand how you feel? That’s pathetic, Blitz.”

Sky’s hoof slammed into the masonry, and a thunderclap echoed overhead. “You’re the lowest of the low, you filthy backstabber!” he shouted, his voice breaking. “You betrayed those who call you their friend, tried to overthrow the government of the land, and didn’t even hesitate to try and kill innocent bystanders! You don’t deserve mercy of any kind! You don’t deserve death! It’s too good for you!”

“Death?” Nighthawk asked, and a disdainful smile rose to his lips. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Blitz. You’re a long way from being able to kill me!” He raised a hoof and hurled a ball of fire at Sky, which exploded on impact.

The fireball persisted for a moment, when a lightning bolt split the sky and struck it, ripping it apart. However, the bolt did not dissipate. Instead, it danced and writhed in the air as a bridge between the clouds above and the four-legged being below.

He had declared it in the windigo kingdom a year earlier, but it had not been evident until now. This was who he was.

Sky Streak, the Living Lightning.

Not even Nighthawk could hide the look of awe at the sight before him. Sky stood at the base of a column of persistent lightning; a bolt that did not end. His body was totally encased in the brilliant bolt, yet the only part of him that seemed to indicate anything out of the ordinary were his eyes, which shone with the same intensity as the lightning itself. His face seemed expressionless, but as he opened his mouth to speak, it became apparent that he didn’t have to make a face to get his point across. He did not shout, but even over the continuous thunder, it came out as clear as a bell.

“This is for Lily.”

He rose to his back legs and brought his front legs together in a tight V. With an otherworldly grace, he erupted into the air and performed a wide loop in the air, lightning trailing him the entire time. As he exited the loop, he aimed straight for Nighthawk, who merely stood motionless, apparently resigned to his fate. Sky raced in, summoning all his magic before surging ahead.

For a singular moment, all was peaceful again. The rain fell gently, the breeze blew softly, and the storm above abated.

The peace was shattered in the next moment as a flash of pure white washed the clearing of all color. The sky seemed to sizzle as an electric blue shockwave radiated from the roof of the castle. A moment later, a singular lightning bolt seared the air and tore into the woods at the edge of the clearing. Trees swayed in its passing, and the ground was torn into a long trench along its path.

The rain had stopped. The clouds above were slowly beginning to break, and the stars peeked out from behind the misty veil. And there, at the end of the trail of destruction, lay Nighthawk, unconscious and defeated. And above him loomed Sky Streak. His aura of lightning was gone, and steam rose from his entire body. The lines across his face betrayed his feeling of exhaustion, but the intensity of his eyes had not died. He stared down at his foe. He was beaten. Defeated. Helpless.

And in Sky’s mind, one thought took hold. Do it. Finish it. Have your revenge.

Sky stepped forward and raised a hoof. Small blue arcs of magic ran along his leg as he the impending strike hung over him. His eyes stung with tears as the suffering of the last four days came to its climax. His muscles tensed as he prepared to drop his hoof like a hammer. DO IT!

But before he could act, a new voice spoke to him. An unrecognizable voice, and yet, somehow, so…familiar. No, Sky Streak. This is not the way.

Sky tore his gaze from Nighthawk and looked all around. No one in sight, and yet…that voice had been so clear. Like it had come from right beside him. “Who’s there?” he called into the darkness.

The silence of the forest was his only answer. He gave the landscape one last glance before turning back to the task at hand. His mind hardened. “That last one was for Lily,” he said coldly, holding up his hoof again. “This is for me.”

“And what good will that do you?”

Sky again looked up, annoyed by the distraction. “Who’s there?” he called again, only to receive the same response as before. “C’mon, I’m tired of this. Who are you?”

He waited for a response, fully expecting to hear nothing but the continuing silence. So he jumped in surprise when the voice spoke again. It seemed to swirl around him instead of coming from a distinct location. “What have your anger and rage ever done for you? What benefits are there to giving in to those feelings?”

“What benefits? Perhaps now I can have some closure and move on, for one,” Sky remarked.

“Will you really? Or will you spend the rest of your days regretting the decision you made?”

Sky’s face twisted into a scowl. “That’s only if it’s the wrong decision,” he countered.

“When has taking another’s life ever been the right decision?”

Sky winced. He couldn’t deny the truth of the question. He stood and began to pace back and forth, organizing his thoughts. “He deserves it. He deserves it a thousand times over,” Sky said, again feeling the sting of tears.

“Perhaps he does. But maybe you deserve better than to spend your life regretting the one choice you can never forget.”

Silence again prevailed over the forest. Sky sat still as a stone, grappling with his emotional turmoil. Finally, he turned and walked over to Nighthawk’s limp form again.

“He does deserve it. And maybe I deserve a better future. But I just can’t picture a future without Lily.” He lifted his hoof high over his head and held it there. He hesitated. This was the most important decision of his life thus far. The choice to kill, or to spare. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. Don’t think about it; just do it.

A sudden glare impressed itself against his eyelids. Reluctantly, Sky opened his eyes.

And stared in awe at the sight before him.

A pond sat not far from where he stood. Its surface was unnaturally still, and even in the darkness of the forest, Sky could tell that the water was crystal clear. But none of that was as enchanting as the single object that rested upon the surface of the water. It was an elegant white flower, gently glowing like a star from heaven. It rested upon a perfectly round lilypad, green as the greenest emerald. Involuntarily, Sky’s upraised hoof moved to his chest, where it pressed firmly against his treasured brooch of the same design. His breathing became shallow. His heart raced. He knew this flower. He had never seen it before, and he had only known of its existence a couple of weeks, but there was no doubt. His throat went dry.

“An Everfree Lily,” he croaked in disbelief.

It was the very essence of beauty and purity. It was perfect in appearance, and, much to Sky’s bewilderment, the sight of it sent a soothing chill along his spine. Sky continued to stare in rapt silence when thoughts and memories began to rise unbidden to his mind. He saw flashes of his triumphs and happiest moments over the past year, followed by an image that still haunted him: it was a memory of looking in the mirror, a mere three days ago. He had been tired, and his actions and appearance made that obvious. But more than anything, he had seen the bitterness and resentment he held in that moment, and he distinctly knew that was the moment when the thirst for revenge had fully awakened in him.

And then, he had the strangest feeling that an answer was required from him. He shook his head and trained his gaze on the lily on the water. It was just a flower from all appearances, but…

“So, this is what it means, huh?” Sky muttered. “‘Greatest need?’ Look, I don’t need to explain myself to you.”

The memories again flashed in his mind, and the demand for an answer renewed itself. “Hey, I said that I didn’t…wait a second,” he interrupted himself, “I’m…I’m arguing with a flower.” He shook his head incredulously. “I must be losing it.”

Fresh images played in his head. Images of Nighthawk, but not the one that had been intent on destroying Sky just a few minutes ago. These were memories of a stern teacher and a staunch ally. There were times of criticism and critique, but also times of laughter and enjoyment. These somewhat pleasant thoughts were then interrupted by the now too-familiar image of the dark-eyed Nighthawk. Again, the sensation of a question filled his thoughts.

“He was never that teacher,” Sky replied coldly. “That was just a front. He was a monster from the start. He only showed his true colors when he sabotaged the Guard. Stinking traitor.”

A new memory popped into his head: Princess Celestia. She was standing in Luna’s room within the palace, and Sky remembered the occasion. Her mouth was moving, but no sound was heard. Not until a single word filled every corner of his head.

“Forgiven.”

Sky nearly gagged. “Forgive?! Forgive him?! Are you serious? He’s a traitor! He tried to kill me, my family, my friends, and hundreds of other innocent ponies! Who could forgive someone like that?”

He took a deep breath. “Besides, what do you know, anyway? You’re just a flower. You hear that?” he asked, raising his voice. “A flower! What do you understand about pain and loss and suffering and…” His voice trailed off. His eyes were stinging again.

The sad yet consoling face of Garnet Glint appeared. “If Lily completes you, then that means you changed because of her. 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’s eyes levelled as he stared out to the flower in pained irritation. “You know what? We’re done here,” he said, turning from the water and walking again towards the limp orange pony on the ground. “We’re done debating over all this.” He whipped around, eyes suddenly aflame with anger. “You’re just some stupid li—li…little li..liiillllll….”

He couldn’t say it. The word wouldn’t come. It stuck in his throat, like an obstacle to overcome. His wild eyes turned and stared at the ground. Again, memories of Lily danced through his brain. Their dates, their walks, parties, and just times they spent sitting in silence. The tears ran uninhibited down the sides of his face as he heard his own voice from the past utter a singular word: “Future.”

The tears clouded his vision, but the lily remained perfectly clear. “What future?!” he shouted, voice unsteady. “She was my future! I loved her!” He began to sob uncontrollably, and he collapsed onto the dirt. He wept for a solid minute before struggling back to his hooves and looking at Nighthawk’s form beside him. “And…he…stole her away from me! I don’t have a future anymore! Because of him!” He staggered over to where he was once again looming above the unconscious pegasus. His eyes darkened. “And it’s only just that if he steals mine, then I should take away his!” He stretched his leg to the heavens, and blue arcs of magic sprang from his hoof.

Then abruptly, he paused. His mouth went dry. His pupils slowly drifted across his eyes as he stared in shock at the Everfree Lily. His jaw clenched, his eyes closed, and his head fell as he began to weep yet again. One final memory had entered his mind. One he could not ignore. “That’s not fair,” he sobbed. “They’re completely different! They’re nothing alike!”

One last word echoed in his mind: “Choose.”

He looked down at Nighthawk. That face…it had haunted every moment that his eyes had been closed…and almost all the others. He could feel the seething rage beneath his skin. But in the recesses of his mind, he heard the melodic voice of Zecora, reciting that now-relevant Ponyville legend: “So if you come to see one, Respond not with rage or strife, For doing so will only bring Disaster to your life.”

The voice from earlier replied in turn: Do it. Have your revenge. It’s what you want, isn’t it?

Again, he heard that terrible, haunting word: “Choose.”

He saw the face of his enemy on the ground. He heard the voices in his head, each warring for dominance in his mind. He tasted the salt of his own tears and felt them as they ran like streams down his cheeks. And still he saw that one final vision, that singular thought that he simply could not ignore.

His leg was still extended into the air, flashes of color whipping around it as his emotions lent strength to his magic. He swallowed, but his mouth was as dry as a desert. He lowered his head and closed his eyes as tightly as he could. He screamed at the top of his lungs.

And like the stroke of a hammer, his hoof fell.

Author's Note:

Sometimes it feels like all I do is apologize for how long it takes me to put these chapters up. I shall continue that trend again today.

This chapter hurt. It hurt when I wrote it, and it still hurts when I re-read it. Hate is a powerful emotion. Anger comforts us; it feels good. It makes us feel justified in our response to being wronged. It convinces us that we are right to exact a price from those that hurt us. And often, anger is warranted.

But just because it feels right doesn't mean that it is. The greatest choices in life are the ones that demand something from you. The ones that require sacrifices. Your time. Your money. Your effort.

And sometimes, your rights.