FIVE legendary battles between good and evil. FOUR centuries of malice. THREE combatants. TWO destinies, forever entwined. ONE final showdown. NOTHING will be the same.
"Promise me you will save him from his own darkness."
The final charge from Storm Emblem continues to ring in Sky Streak's ears. Seeking an opportunity to restore his fallen comrade, Sky journeys to Ghost's home in Vanhoover. But what he finds there is a pony consumed by regret and bitterness, wrapped in the black thoughts of failure and animosity.
Sky is prepared to go to great lengths to redeem his former commander, but when all is said and done, he will learn that the price of redemption can be terrible indeed--more than he could have ever imagined.
The old building was the focus of dozens of rumors from the locals. They often mentioned that it was haunted by a singular ghost who had lost everything and never found fulfillment in this life. A tormented spirit whose ties to the past and unwillingness to move on kept the house locked up so that the ghost could never escape. As such, no one had ever visited the creepy old building. The rumors would suffice in place of the truth.
No one, that is, save the one sky-blue pegasus who stood at the front door. He knocked twice and sighed. It’s a shame…those ponies’ rumors couldn’t be more accurate even if they knew the whole story.
He waited for a solid minute with no response. The house seemed to stare down at him, its windows full of disapproval towards an unwelcome guest. But Sky was undeterred. While he may have been uninvited, it would have been incredibly naïve to think that he was unexpected. He had basically made his intentions known several months ago.
Finally, there was the sound of a faint click from the other side of the worn wooden door. Sky slowly leaned into it, causing it to open slightly, though nothing inside was visible: everything seemed to be draped by a shadow, or the lighting was just rather dim.
He took a deep breath and spoke softly into the opening. “Ghost?”
He waited for several seconds in silence before he heard a tired sigh. “You sure don’t know how to take no for an answer, do you, Blitz?”
“I guess not,” Sky answered with a shrug. “May I come in?”
There was a moment of hesitation before the door opened wide, where a rather disheveled and haggard-looking Ghost stood in the doorway. “It’s not like I could stop you,” he muttered, turning away and trudging back down the foyer.
Sky frowned. While the fact that Ghost was actually willing to speak with him was progress, it was apparent that the bitterness he had harbored for years was still festering within his heart. Not only had he been defeated by Sky, Princess Luna, and the spirit of Storm Emblem, but his horn had been broken, crippling his ability to use magic. When Sky had first seen Ghost open the door, it had been the first thing his eyes focused on. It was almost as though he couldn’t help it.
Sky stepped inside and shut the door behind him with his wing. It was an odd feeling—he had grown used to using magic for many minor tasks (like opening and shutting doors)—so much so that actually physically performing any of them felt awkward. Magic had become a part of his daily life. But now that Ghost couldn’t use magic, it would probably have come across as a slap in the face.
And that was the last thing that needed to happen.
“So, how have you been?” Sky asked, trying to brighten up the mood.
“Cut the formalities, Blitz.” Ghost was still plodding down the dim hallway. He hadn’t even looked back when he had responded to the question. “Just state your business and leave me alone.”
“I can’t do that,” Sky answered, throwing a little weight into his words. “I won’t. I’m not willing to let you just wither away in your anger and bitterness. You’re capable of so much more.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t let that bother you,” Ghost replied, and the caustic tone of his voice lit a small flame in the back of Sky’s mind. “I’ve only been living with anger and bitterness my whole life.”
Sky landed in front of Ghost before he could take another step. A familiar light flickered in his eyes as he opened his mouth. “Then leave it behind. There’s more to you than just resentment. I know that.” He relaxed slightly and stood up straight. “I think you know that, too.”
Ghost snorted and stepped forward, shoving Sky aside in the process. “Sure sounds nice in that fairy tale you’re living in. But here in the real world, things aren’t as simple as you seem to believe they are.”
Sky was straightening his wrap when he noticed Ghost’s eyes locked in on his own. “You wanna believe that there’s more to me than being sour and angry for my state of affairs? That’s your business. And you know, I’ll even admit that you might be right. Who knows; I’ve lived through crazier,” he added with a shrug. “But if you think that it’s so simple to lay aside literally the only thing I’ve ever known—the thing I was taught to cling to for my entire life—then you’re delusional. Your past follows you. It’s not something you can just let go of. It’s like a bear with a chestnut bur. Sure, when the bear grabs it, he’s holding it, even though it hurts him. But when he lets go, the bur grabs back. It sticks to him. The past doesn’t like being left behind, Blitz,” he growled, starting back down the hallway before casting a quick glance back at Sky. “I figured you’d understand that better than most.”
“I do understand that,” Sky answered softly. “But just because the bur sticks to the bear’s paw doesn’t mean that the bear can’t get rid of it. He can still pull it off. And yeah, it hurts. It probably hurts even more when he pulls it off. But the bear is better for it when he’s free of the bur.”
Ghost stopped in his tracks and stared into the darkness of the hallway beyond. “That’s all I want, Ghost,” Sky continued. “I just want you to be free of the pain you’ve endured for so long. There’s more to life than what you’ve been led to believe.”
Several moments of silence passed, and Sky actually felt himself wishing that Ghost could still use magic, just so he could try and pick up something from the unicorn. He was so good at hiding his emotions…even Scope had a hard time reading him.
Finally, Ghost let out a long sigh. “You’re the Princess’ perfect little helper. You’re always so willing to save the empire and do whatever it takes to protect everypony. It wouldn’t surprise me if they gave you a halo at some point, just to drive home the point.”
“OK, that’s enough of th—”
“No!” Ghost interrupted and turned back to face Sky, still seemingly calm, but now a steady fire was burning in his eyes. “You’re the hero, alright? You get to be the savior. But never forget, Blitz: every hero needs a villain. And I’m that villain. And there’s nothing that changes that. You won. Whenever Equestria thinks of you, they’ll think of me. And they’ll remember me as the bad guy who lost to the perfect little hero.”
Sky could only watch as Ghost pushed open a doorway and stood in the opening. “So, if you like being the hero, then you’d best stop trying to ‘save’ me. Because if there’s no villain, then there’s no hero.” With that, he stepped into the room and shut the door behind him, leaving Sky standing in the hall.
He remained there for a solid minute, slowly arranging his thoughts before closing his eyes and letting his head fall. He saw the face of Storm Emblem before him, and he heard the fateful words of the pegasus echo in his mind:
“Sky Streak, promise me…promise me you’ll save him. Promise me you will save him from his own darkness.”
“Who cares about being a hero?” Sky whispered. “I’m not here to save a villain.”
Sky stared intently at the board before him. So, maybe this one could go here, which means that that one could go—
“Blitz, what are you doing?”
Sky looked up, startled by the unexpected voice. He had been alone in the library for at least an hour, maybe more. His first inclination had been to do a little reading, but he had quickly become distracted by the marble chess set in one corner of the room. He knew the basics of the game, but he had never really contemplated the deeper strategies of it. And yet somehow, simply being in this house made the board and pieces powerfully appealing.
And so it was that he was still sitting in the floor, analyzing every piece and every move he could conceive. “Playing chess, obviously,” he replied with a smile as pleasant as he could muster.
Ghost stood in the doorway, looking equal parts curious and annoyed, though at what was anypony’s guess. He sighed and shook his head as he entered. “Blitz, you are aware that chess is a two-pony game, yes?”
Sky shrugged. “Okay, fine, maybe ‘playing’ is the wrong word. ‘Studying,’ perhaps.”
Ghost moved to the other side of the board and stared down at the scattered pieces. “You don’t strike me as a chess kind of pony, Blitz. I’d always assumed that checkers was more your style.”
Sky arched an eyebrow. He wasn’t sure if that last comment had been intended as an insult, but he decided to let it go regardless. He was trying to resolve a conflict, not start one, after all. “My dad taught me how to play when I was little, but I only played a few times, and I always lost. I guess I just got tired of losing all the time.”
The look in Ghost’s eye was all he needed to see. Ghost hadn’t said a word, but Sky understood the message: You have no idea.
But he seemed to let the comment pass and sat down across from Sky. “So why the sudden interest again?” he asked, slowly reorganizing the pieces into their starting places.
“Eh,” Sky muttered. “I guess I’ve met so many other ponies recently who are all really intelligent and calculating, and…well…I guess I was jealous of that. I thought maybe I could work on that somehow, and…um…well, chess seemed like a decent place to start.”
Ghost ceased his arranging of the game pieces for a moment and looked up at Sky with a distinct look of confusion. He then shook his head, snorted, and returned to his task. “You know, Blitz, your logic truly astounds me.”
“How’s that?”
“Sometimes, you’re so keenly aware of everything and you connect the dots like a brilliant strategist. And then other times,” Ghost continued, moving the black king into its spot before looking out from under his eyebrows and returning Sky’s gaze, “you’re incredibly childish.”
Sky smirked. “Yeah, well, I can’t let Rimshot have all the fun.”
For the first time since his arrival, Sky saw what appeared to be a genuine smile rise to Ghost’s lips. Through all the bitterness and anger, it seemed he had managed to touch a fond memory that not even Ghost could repress. A flitter of hope trembled in his chest. You know, maybe there’s hope for him yet.
“I suppose you’re entitled to that,” Ghost admitted at last as his smile faded. He raised his hoof, gesturing to the perfectly arranged chess board between them. “If you’re so keen on learning how to play, then perhaps you’d be up for a game?”
The small spark of hope in Sky’s mind suddenly sent ripples throughout his entire nervous system. “Sure!” he replied cheerfully. “I’d love to learn some pointers.”
“Well, I’m sure you remember this much, but white always goes first, and that’s you,” Ghost instructed, patiently awaiting Sky’s move.
“Oh, right.” He looked the board over for a second before moving out one of his center pawns. “There.”
“A fair opening,” Ghost said, mirroring Sky’s move. “Perhaps a bit standard, but that doesn’t make it a poor play.” He continued to stare at the board. “So, Blitz…why chess? Why not just read a book? You are in a library, after all.”
“I kinda meant to, but then I saw the chess set, and my mind wandered,” Sky explained, moving out one of his knights.
Ghost brought his hoof to his chin as he studied the board. “Fair enough. But what is it about chess specifically that makes you think that the ability to play it is a sign of intelligence?”
“Well, it’s a thinking pony’s game, isn’t it? It’s strategic, requiring thoughtfulness and awareness to emerge victorious,” Sky answered.
“That sounds like a rehearsed line.”
“Sounded good, didn’t it, though?”
Ghost snorted, still staring at the board. “If everything was about how it looked, or sounded, or simply appeared to be, then this would be a very different world in which we lived, Blitz.”
Sky grimaced. True as it was, Ghost’s response was still cynical in nature. “But appearance certainly still counts for something, right?”
Ghost paused and looked up from the board to meet Sky’s own gaze. “Tell me, Blitz: what is the goal of chess? What wins you the game?”
“Capturing the opponent’s king,” Sky answered. It was a simple enough question, but the fact that Ghost had ignored Sky’s comment was an indication that he was going somewhere with this. “That’s easy.”
“Easy in theory,” Ghost corrected. “During the game, it becomes much more difficult, because your opponent has the exact same goal that you do, and they’re going to be as bound and determined to keep you from reaching your goal as they are about reaching theirs.”
“Your point?”
Ghost moved out one of his bishops to the center of the board. “Your move,” he replied stoically.
Sky frowned. From what he could tell, there wasn’t really any particular weakness in his lineup, and his opponent’s moves to this point didn’t seem to have a specific direction, so he decided to pull a play from Ghost’s playbook and mimic his bishop play.
Ghost arched an eyebrow and caught Sky’s gaze. “Copying me now?”
“Hey, one good turn deserves another,” Sky deadpanned.
Ghost chuckled and returned his stare to the board. He studied the board for an extended time, and Sky shifted uncomfortably. The silence of the house wasn’t anything new, but somehow, within the walls of Ghost’s home, it seemed…more pervasive. Oppressive. Almost aggressive, like it was an active threat to one’s sanity. It was an unwanted spectator on their game, placing undesired stress on Sky’s mind.
I’m not even sure how Ghost can stand it in the first place.
“So…I’m still waiting for your point,” Sky repeated, feeling a little anxious to break up the intrusive silence.
“I’ll give it when you’re ready to understand it,” Ghost snapped. He took a slow breath and moved his queen out in front of his pawn. “I suspect that will be soon.”
Sky took a second and stared at the situation on the board. There was a fair amount of clutter beginning to gather in the center of the board, and no pieces had yet been lost by either side. Sky smiled inwardly. He had adopted a simple strategy: keep your pieces alive. If he could maintain the advantage in numbers, he’d be able to more easily control and direct the flow of the game. Being outmanned wasn’t usually a favorable situation.
I should know.
He moved his second knight to the right to cover the hole in his front line where his pawn used to be. Let’s see how he handles that.
Ghost leaned back and tapped his hooves together. “Interesting. I can only assume you’re trying to play defensively and protect your king so I use up my resources trying to get to it?”
Sky smirked. “Is that what you see?”
“There’s an old saying that I deem appropriate to this situation, Blitz,” Ghost explained. “Perhaps you’ve heard it.”
Sky arched an eyebrow as he listened to the words of the pony standing across the table. “We often meet our destinies on the road we take to avoid them.”
Ghost reached forward and pushed his queen straight ahead, knocking over one of Sky’s front-line pawns. “Checkmate,” he deadpanned, raising his head and staring across the table with unblinking eyes.
“Checkmate? Now hold on a second,” Sky stammered. “There’s no way you just got me in a checkmate with just four moves! I can just take your quee—”
“Wrong, Blitz,” Ghost interrupted. “My bishop’s covering my queen, so you can’t take it without exposing your king to my bishop. And you have no other way of dealing with the queen. It’s checkmate.”
Sky slid back on his haunches. What…what in Equestria just happened?
“You see, Blitz, I know what your greatest weakness is,” Ghost explained as he rose to his hooves. “I’ve seen it in you several times, but I didn’t realize it until after I was expelled from the Alicorn Guard.” He paused, and Sky wondered if he was taking a moment to recollect, or simply to try and maintain his composure. But the silence quickly passed as the unicorn began to speak again. “You’re just too much of a hero.”
Sky’s head snapped to attention. “I’m what now?”
“You heard me: you’re too much of a hero,” Ghost repeated. “You become so attached to everything and everyone around you, you can’t stand to lose any of them. And that’s your weakness. You take any kind of loss as a personal insult to your capabilities.
“You were determined to save those ponies in Polarmino from the Chimera. And then you had to save everyone, pony or otherwise, that the Chimera had consumed. Then it was Lily. And then it was Nighthawk, even though you hated him. And now it’s me. You just can’t let someone go. You have to save them. You always have to save them.”
“But…”
“That’s why you weren’t going to beat me,” Ghost continued in a slow crescendo. “Even in something as simple as a game of chess, you can’t bear to lose a single piece. You can’t make the sacrifices it takes to win. Any kind of loss makes the greater victory seem hollow to you. It’s why you’re standing in my library right now,” he said, gesturing around the room. “You think that your victory in Canterlot was incomplete, because you failed to ‘save’ one pony—me.”
Sky’s mouth had gone dry. It had never been something he had given a great deal of thought to, but hearing his former ally speak in such a way had unsettled him. “Ghost, I—”
“Save it, Blitz,” Ghost cut him short. He walked away but stopped in the doorway. “I’ve already told you that there’s nothing here to save. I’m just a villain, and nothing can change that.”
“You can change that!” Sky answered, unable to keep his voice controlled. “It’s a choice to move out of the shadow of the past. And while I want to see you move forward, ultimately, I’m not the one that can save you. I just want to help you make the choice for yourself.”
Ghost continued to gaze into the hallway, leaving Sky to wonder what he was feeling or showing on his face. The silence of the house once again began to feel heavy, and Sky was tempted to say something if only to relieve the tension.
“I didn’t think I’d need it, but if you’re bound and determined to stick around, there’s a guest room two rooms down from here on the left,” Ghost muttered at last. “Feel free to use it, but try not to mess it up. Cleaning up is surprisingly more difficult without magic, you know.”
Sky watched the violet unicorn leave the room and vanish into the darkness of the hallway. The silence once again pressed in on his mind. His thoughts seemed unbearably loud in his head, to the point that he wondered if they were being broadcast out of his ears and echoing off the walls of the library. He looked down at the chess board before him, where the black queen stood like a dark blemish in the ranks of the white army. Was it possible to save everyone? Was it possible for him to sacrifice someone to secure a greater good? Was it worth it?
He thought about all the ponies he had saved in the last two years. He hadn’t lost one yet. A perfect record; one-hundred percent satisfaction. But Ghost’s revelation had cast an ominous shadow upon his achievements. What if things hadn’t turned out so well? What if somepony had been lost? What if Sky’s determination to save everypony had resulted not in a victory, but in disaster?
Have I been wrong all this time? he wondered to himself. Is my own desire to save everypony a danger to those I’m trying to protect?
His eyes latched on to the black queen, standing like a dark conqueror over his fallen pawn. Is this the bed that I’m making for myself? Is this the fate that I’m sealing for somepony else?
And, with startling clarity, he came to a disturbing realization.
It hadn’t been a loud sound. In fact, most ponies wouldn’t have noticed it even when they were awake.
But Sky Streak wasn’t “most ponies.”
Scope had taught him to be constantly aware of his surroundings. His senses were important, and it was vital that he pay attention to them—especially when most ponies would assume it was impossible to be alert to them.
Ghost’s home was unnaturally quiet. And at night, it had somehow managed to double down on that, making sleep difficult—and a deep sleep was virtually impossible. And as a result, any sound was about as noticeable as a rockslide.
Sky’s eyes snapped open in an instant. They slowly moved to the left and right, working to adjust to the darkness in which he now found himself.
He hadn’t stayed up long after his chess match with Ghost before retiring to the guest room. He had written in his journal (as was his habit) before trying to get some rest. It had taken him a solid forty-five minutes just to get to sleep, and even then, he always felt as though he was on the cusp of waking up.
And that one click was all it took.
He rolled onto his stomach and shuffled his blanket off to one side. The lone window in the room was dark, save for a few lonely stars that winked down at him.
So…what are you up to, Ghost?
He slowly crawled out of bed and ignited his light orb with a touch. He slung his cherished shoulder wrap around his neck before grabbing his saddlebags and slipping into his camoufly cloak. It glinted gently in the pale light, and Sky smiled softly. In spite of all the battles it had seen, it still showed virtually no signs of wear and tear. It wasn’t even fraying along the edges. I wonder if Zecora didn’t cast some other enchantment on it when she made it. Somehow, that wouldn’t surprise me.
The door to the guest room opened with nary a sound, and Sky peeked through the narrow opening. The hallway was still dark, and the thick silence of the house continued unabated. Cautiously, he opened the door and slipped outside, shutting the door as carefully as he could. He pulled the hood of his cloak over his head and triggered his magic, vanishing into thin air. He recited one of Scope’s favorite lines in his head: If no one notices you were ever there, then you were never there.
He walked down the hall, peering into each room as he passed by. But every one revealed an only deeper darkness than the last, and Sky began to wonder if he had merely imagined hearing the sound in the first place.
Finally, he reached the end of the hall and found himself staring at the front door. A sinking feeling began to grow in Sky’s chest as he stared at it. Anxiously, he stepped forward and pulled the door open, staring out into the chilly fall night.
A light mist wafted over the landscape, catching the light of the moon and returning it in a gentle silver glow. For a moment, Sky found himself lost in thought as he beheld the scene; smiling as he pictured the lovely Princess of the Night back in Canterlot, guiding the moon along its heavenly path across the sky. But his mind quickly snapped back to reality as a quick flash of yellow pierced through the mist off to his left. He turned toward the source of the light, but almost as soon as he saw it, it vanished again. It was only then that Sky realized that he was staring into a patch of forest whose edge lay not twenty yards from where he currently stood.
That sure looked like a candle, or a flame of some sort, Sky surmised. Seems like Ghost decided to go for a walk. Though I wonder where he’s planning to end up.
Sky’s wings spread through the flaps in his cloak, and he took to the air, gliding over the treetops, hunting for the candle in the dark. It took him only about a minute to find it, moving at a leisurely pace through the woods, and, sure enough, its bearer was none other than Ghost himself. He too was wearing a dark gray cloak, though Sky doubted it possessed the magic properties of his own.
He descended and perched upon a high branch of a tall cedar tree, watching his quarry. Each time Ghost would move to the edge of his vision, Sky would move to another location, doing his best to maintain a healthy distance, but also to ensure he had a clear view. The last thing he wanted was to lose Ghost in here. He wasn’t sure how, but he sensed that Ghost was headed somewhere significant. After all, why else would he risk it when he knew that Sky was in his house, probably alert to everything that was happening?
Finally, after about ten minutes of silently stalking the violet unicorn, Sky found himself at the edge of a small clearing. Ghost stood off to his left, seemingly hesitating about proceeding any further. The mist had grown thicker, and Sky strained to make out the features on the ground below. The flickering light of Ghost’s candle illuminated short, dark protrusions rising from the ground. Sky strained to try and make out what he was seeing. Tree stumps? he guessed. Did I step into a lumber mill?
As he leaned forward to get a better look, his footing gave way, causing him to lurch forward. Instantly, his wings popped out and steadied him, but the rustling sound of the swaying branch was unmistakable against the otherwise-silent night.
Sky quickly refocused on Ghost. From all appearances, he hadn’t moved an inch. Sky held his breath. Maybe he didn’t notice that…
“I don’t remember inviting you to come with me, Blitz.”
Never mind.
Sky threw back his hood and gently floated down beside the unicorn. “Did you expect me to stay behind? I don’t wanna miss out on all the fun,” Sky replied, trying to throw a little levity into what was, for the moment, a slightly awkward conversation.
Ghost snorted in contempt. “I expected to have some time to myself without having to be followed by somepony who acts like a little lost puppy.”
Sky’s smile faded as his eyebrow arched. “Spoken with all of Scope’s tact and compassion,” he deadpanned.
Ghost spun around, a flame flickering in his eyes. “Grow up Blitz,” he growled. “How did you expect me to treat somepony who was not only responsible for my fall from grace, but also barges into my home uninvited, tinkers with my belongings, and, without permission, follows me and trespasses on my family’s private burial ground?!”
Sky’s blood was beginning to boil. “OK, hold up. First off, I didn’t bar—”
He voice suddenly came to a halt as his brain finished registering Ghost’s words. “Wait…burial grounds?”
He took another look at the stump-like objects around him. From the tops of the trees, it had been difficult to determine exactly what they were. But on the ground, he could make out the distinct shapes of gravestones, stretching back as far as the light from the torch revealed. “So…wait…this is your family’s…”
“What, Blitz?” Ghost turned back around and began to slowly work his way between the headstones, nodding to each one in solemn respect as he passed. “Did you think that we just left the bodies of our loved ones in a ditch somewhere?”
A sudden sense of shame welled up in Sky’s chest. His only thought had been to keep an eye on Ghost. He didn’t want him getting into any kind of trouble or stirring something up. He hadn’t considered that his late night errand was to pay respects to those that had come before him.
Why hadn’t I thought of this sooner? he wondered, not daring to move from where he stood. Ghost’s family has been the source of all of everything that’s happened. It only makes sense that he would have someplace like this.
He refocused on the image of Ghost, still steadily walking past the gravestones of his ancestors and nodding in respect to each one. “I…I’m sorry, Ghost. I hadn’t really given it much thought…”
“Of course you hadn’t,” Ghost answered, quickly enough that Sky wondered if Ghost had somehow anticipated the remark. “That’s how you operate, Blitz. Once an event has passed, you just discard it, like it never even happened.”
“That’s not true!” Sky blurted in a raised voice. Ghost came to a halt in his walk, and he instantly regretted the outburst. He took a breath and forced his emotions to settle. “Listen, Ghost. From everything I can tell, you act like it has to be either the past or the future: one or the other. Never both. And that’s what I’m trying to get across to you: it has to be both.”
Ghost hesitated, then nodded to the gravestone on his left and resumed his walk. “You act like you know so much,” he said quietly, and Sky wondered if that was sadness he heard in the unicorn’s voice. “But you’re just too naïve to fully grasp the truth.”
Sky sighed and mentally winced. The image of the Everfree Lily flashed through his brain, and the familiar feelings of disappointment and disgrace stung his brain like a thousand tiny needles. “You think you’re the only pony who has regrets, Ghost?” Sky asked softly. “Trust me. You’re not.”
“Spare me, Blitz,” Ghost replied, having apparently reached the end of the gravestones. He had turned and was walking back towards Sky, though his face reflected no signs of peace or fulfillment gained from his ritual. “I won’t try to argue that you have regrets. I’m sure you have some, however trivial they may actually be. But consider your life for a moment.”
“What about it?”
The mist suddenly seemed to thin, but the darkness of the night felt like it had begun to close in around the pair of ponies. Ghost continued his advance. “You may have regrets, but look what else you have. You have Lily—a mare who loves you. You have friends; loads of them. You have a good reputation, a stable living situation, a mother, father, and sister who all adore you and earnestly pray that only the best will come to you. You have it all. Your life has direction and purpose—it has meaning.”
Sky shivered. The thoughts of all the blessings of his life should have given him comfort, but in the deepening darkness of the graveyard, it provided none. Instead, a dramatic sense of foreboding fell on him, as though some nameless evil was encroaching upon him.
“Take a look around, Blitz,” Ghost continued. As he neared, Sky could finally see the smoldering embers in the unicorn’s eyes. The anger may have flashed for only a moment, but it was far from gone. “This is my life. Everything that I can claim as my own. No living family members. No friends. No good name, no respectable legacy—I have nothing. Everything I could claim as my own has one thing in common.”
Deep down, Sky wanted to be anywhere else. Anywhere but here. The conversation had turned disturbingly dark, and he knew what Ghost’s common thread was. He just didn’t want to have to hear it.
But in his heart, he knew that there was no moving forward without confronting the truth.
Ghost came to a stop a few feet from the pegasus. “Death, Blitz,” Ghost said as a cold breeze rattled through the trees in response. “My family is dead. My ‘friendships’ have all faded. And any hope of leaving a worthwhile legacy perished back in the Vault in Canterlot. I have nothing.” He waved a hoof around at the lifeless stones scattered across the clearing. “When I tell you that there is nothing here to save, this is what I mean.”
Ghost took another breath, but hesitated for a moment, as though he was reconsidering saying anything more. But Sky raised his eyebrows, furrowed his forehead, and lowered his head slightly, trying to convey an unspoken message: Go ahead. Let it out.
“I remember Storm Emblem telling me that he was already dead back in the Vault,” Ghost said, trying to carry a neutral tone. But Sky could feel the bitterness and anger he still felt towards his ancestor over his perceived betrayal during the battle in Canterlot.
“And?” Sky prodded.
“Looks like we finally have something in common,” Ghost scoffed, twisting his hoof angrily into the dirt. “Seems that I’m already dead, too.”
Sky drew a quick breath in surprise, but almost immediately steadied his thoughts. He took a slow step towards Ghost. “No,” he began in a low voice. “You’re not dead. Your heart is still beating. Your mind is still thinking. You’re not in a grave yet. You still have life. And you can still have a fulfilling life.”
Ghost’s head rose slightly so that Sky could barely see the unicorn’s eyes glowering at him. “And what kind of ‘fulfilling’ life can a villain find in Equestria?”
Sky took another cautious step. “Maybe you were a villain,” he admitted. “But why should that matter?” He paused as Ghost’s head rose a little further. It wasn’t much, but it seemed like Ghost’s face had taken on a less hostile visage. At least he’s not trying to burn a hole through my skull with his eyes.
He swallowed the thought and resumed his speech. “Just look at Discord.”
“Discord?” Ghost chuckled darkly. “You’re drawing parallels between me and the self-proclaimed lord of chaos? Gee, Blitz, I’m not sure if I should be flattered or insulted.”
Sky reached out his hoof to his companion. “That’s up to you,” he answered. “He was a bad guy who tried to destroy Equestria…multiple times. But now, he’s helping Equestria.” He paused for just a moment before hastily adding, “In his own special way, of course.”
Ghost rolled his eyes and reached up to his broken horn, tapping it rhythmically. “Well, I happen to notice that he still has magic. It seems as though you’ve seen to it that my avenue for ‘helping,’ as you put it, has been severely impeded.”
Sky suddenly strode forward and pressed his hoof against Ghost’s raised leg, moving his hoof from his broken horn down to his temple. He locked eyes with the confused unicorn. “Ghost, you’re one of the smartest and most knowledgeable ponies I’ve ever met.” His expression softened as he tried to come across as graciously and sympathetically as he could. “You don’t need magic to be a source of wisdom and advice for others.”
But Ghost pulled back and scowled back at the pegasus. He shook his leg, apparently in an effort to rid himself of any of Sky’s optimistic outlook. “Yeah, because giving advice and knowledge like an encyclopedia has sure brought your life fulfillment, hasn’t it?” he scoffed.
“Often,” Sky answered without hesitation. He took another step forward. “Come on, Ghost. You’re meant for more than just…this.”
Sky carefully watched as Ghost simply stood there, hardly moving. He just stared at Sky, apparently not even blinking or breathing. Sky held his own position, determined as ever to be as supportive (or stubborn) as necessary to help.
The two stood opposite each other for a solid minute. Then two. Then three. Four. Five.
With each passing moment, the significance of the moment began to weigh Sky down. He could almost feel the turmoil within Ghost’s mind, as he struggled with whatever demons still haunted him. If it had been any other pony, Sky would have left them alone with their thoughts, out of respect for their privacy. But this was different. Ghost was this way because he had been left alone. More than anything, he needed a show of support.
But as Sky began to bear the weight of the moment, he became more acutely aware of the foul presence that he had felt earlier. He hadn’t forgotten about it, but he had been focused on more pressing matters. But now, in the silence, it had crept back to the forefront of his mind. It was an irritant; like a needle pricking against his skin, or a rash on his nose, or a burn on the back of his neck. It bothered him; put him on edge, like he was right on the verge of getting angry for almost no reason.
It was a feeling, he realized, that was all too familiar.
“Ghost?” Sky asked, finally breaking the silence. “Are you—”
“Shut up!” Ghost shouted in a sudden outburst. Sky immediately recoiled, startled by Ghost’s eruption. “You got your happy ending! Why do you have to meddle with my less-than-happy ending?!”
“Because you can still get that happy ending!” Sky cried back, his fraying emotions beginning to bubble over.
Ghost’s frown turned into a hateful snarl. “Oh, I can, can I? I see right through you, Blitz. You’re not really interested in my happy ending, are you?” His eyes narrowed into mere slits below his eyebrows. “You just wanna make sure that yours ends on a perfect note!”
“What?!” Sky exclaimed, staggering from the accusation. He knew that Ghost had harbored bitterness against him ever since their battle in the Canterlot vault, but this…this was more than he had ever imagined. “Ghost, listen, I would never—”
“Or maybe something else.” Ghost slowly began to advance again, but it was not a slow, progressive walk: it was a deliberate, forceful march. An intentional series of stomps fueled by a hateful rage. The once-smoldering fire in Ghost’s pupils had grown, and now reminded Sky of the blaze he had faced in the Painted Forest. “After all, you already ruined my life once.
“Maybe you’re here to finish the job!”
And with those words, Sky’s composure shattered.
Instantly, memories of his battle with Nighthawk over Everfree Castle tore through his mind. He remembered the feelings of rage, of vengeance, of hatred...but most of all, he remembered the bitter taste of remorse and shame from having even considered taking Nighthawk’s life. It was a mark of dishonor on his being—a stain on his reputation that, no matter how hard he tried, he just could not wash away.
What was worse, Sky had never considered taking Ghost’s life. By the time that Ghost’s true nature was revealed, Sky had dealt with his anger and thoughts of revenge. Ghost may have been his adversary, but death had never been his fate.
Which only made Ghost’s words all the more cruel.
Sky’s chest felt like it had fully collapsed in on itself. He could hardly breathe. His heart pounded in every part of his body. And tears he had long thought expended began to roll from his eyes. “You…you don’t mean that, Ghost,” Sky said in a broken voice. He stumbled backwards, trying to stay ahead of Ghost’s approach. “I’ve only ever tried to help you!”
“Help yourself, you mean!” Ghost countered, his march becoming more and more emphatic with each step. “Finish the ‘heroic’ task and cement your place as the grand hero of Equestria! That’s it, isn’t it?!”
The tears were running down Sky’s face in earnest. He continued his retreat, backing all the way up to the edge of the clearing, where the darkness of the forest seemed to reach out and grab onto him. “How could you say that?” Sky sobbed. A sudden thought popped into his mind. “Earlier you accused me of being unable to accept any losses, remember?” he asked in desperation. “Now you think I’m here to kill you?”
Ghost came to a sudden stop, but the aggression on his face did not fade. “You’re selective about losses,” he growled. “I’m already a lost cause, right? So it’s just acceptable for me to go. That’s how it is, isn’t it?”
Sky’s mind was a whirlwind of emotion, but somewhere, within the cruelty and pain of Ghost’s accusations, Sky came to a realization. Ghost may have been dour, unsympathetic, and stubborn, but he wasn’t willfully ignorant or illogical. This…this was both, in excess.
This wasn’t Ghost.
“Ghost, listen to me,” Sky begged. “This isn’t you talking. I can see that.” He rose up, fighting through his tears to reach his comrade. “Listen to me!”
Ghost surged forward, planting his hoof into Sky’s upper jaw, sending him pirouetting around until he landed, sprawled out in the dirt. “Well, I’m not going down without a fight! If you’re going to kill me, I’m going to make you work for it!”
Sky shook his head, trying to keep the world around him from spinning. He hadn’t expected Ghost’s attack, but it had provided one distinct benefit: it had cleared Sky’s mind. Emotionally, he had been a wreck, but when it came to combat, emotions became secondary. The immediate threat was far too important.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Sky said, rubbing his cheek and rising back to his hooves. The truth had become evident. “Let’s cut the act. Come on out, monster.”
All around him, a low, beastly laughter echoed through the trees. The darkness of the boughs seeped into the clearing, gathering in a black puddle behind Ghost’s seething form. It grew wider and wider until it began to grow in stature. Taller and taller until it had become an enormous shadow—a towering monstrosity borne of darkness itself.
Sky watched with growing dread as the shadow took its full form: claws and talons, then legs, and a hideous body. And then a head appeared. And then another. And then another.
Sky gazed up with grim determination at the terror that had appeared: a horrible specter from his past that refused to die. “Hello, again,” he muttered coldly.
“Ah, Sky Streak,” the Chimera said in its frighteningly jovial triple-tone. “I believe you and I have some unfinished business.”
In an instant, Sky was in the air, bringing a lightning-wreathed leg around in a vicious spin kick.He felt his leg connect, only to find that it had been blocked by the outstretched paw of the Chimera. The impact caused a flash of sparks, illuminating the graveyard. The Chimera skidded across the ground for a few feet as Sky pirouetted through the air, landing gracefully a short distance away.
“My, you have gotten better, haven’t you?” the monster teased in a low growl.It shook its paw a few times, apparently trying to work out the pain from where it had taken Sky’s blow.“I can’t say I’m surprised, though.”
“You need to learn to stay dead,” Sky returned. His back was arched as he crouched low to the ground, prepared for combat. “You don’t scare me anymore.I know how to beat you.”
“You knew how to beat me,” the Chimera corrected. “But I am not the same creature you faced before. Here, in this place, in this time, I am indestructible.”
Sky snorted. He began to slowly walk around the edge of the graveyard. “You’re a lousy liar. But I will give you credit—you were right. You did come back.”
“Did you doubt that? Did you honestly believe at any point that I didn’t mean what I told you?”
“No, not really. Somehow, I always knew that you weren’t completely gone.” He smiled grimly. “But that just means that I get to finish you now.”
Suddenly, the Chimera threw back its three heads and began to howl in laughter. Sky instinctively recoiled as the hideous sound sent a wave of shivers through his body. “Oh, Sky Streak!For all of your determination and resourcefulness, you still haven’t figured it out, have you? What it was the allowed me to come back. Why I cannot be defeated now. Why it is here and now that I have reappeared.”
Sky’s brow furrowed as he listened. “It’s what I’ve been bound to for years upon years. The one constant throughout the centuries.” The monster laid an enormous paw on the nearest tombstone. “They summoned me. Sealed me away. Kept me waiting for hundreds of years. Until, at last, it came to its culmination…in him.”
Sky followed the monster’s gaze until he found himself staring into the hate-filled eyes of Ghost. The anger and rage that Sky had been facing mere moments ago remained, but they were now directed against the six-eyed menace before him. “What are you talking about?” the unicorn growled, defiantly striding forward to face the three-headed beast. “You were hardly a willing servant to my family. You tried to double-cross me countless times! I’d rather that Blitz had vanquished you entirely the first time!”
“Oh, Phantom Star, you naïve little pony,” the Chimera snickered. “Your family was dabbling in magic that they couldn’t understand, much less control. They thought they could bend me to their will; force me into their service. And I let them think that. But they never had the power to fully control me. Not even you, the most magically gifted of your line, could completely dominate my mind. Instead, all you and your ancestors have done is granted me immortality.”
“What!?!?”
“Oh, yes,” the Chimera continued, smirking as it paced back and forth. “Your ancestors thought that by sealing me away, they were effectively forcing me to obey them whenever they released me. But in truth, all they did was link my existence to theirs. And, of course, being a creature of hatred, my essence was forever bound to the hatred of your bloodline. And so, all that pent-up anger and rage you’ve carried all your life has just made it impossible to destroy me. I suppose I should thank you.”
“Save it,” Ghost snarled. The fire in his eyes had only grown, undaunted by the monster’s words. “But let’s just assume you’re being truthful. Why shouldn’t I just kill myself and destroy you that way?”
“Because you would still need somepony capable of beating me in a fight.” Its three mouths smiled in tandem mockingly. “And I can promise you, nopony can beat me as I am now.”
A blaze of blue rocketed through the air, crashing into the Chimera’s foremost head, lifting it into the air. A split second later, a sky blue leg slammed into the monster’s chest, sending it plummeting back onto the ground in a cloud of dust. Sky hovered in the air, looking down with disdain. “Immortal, huh?You’re gonna need to do better than that!”
A low, sinister laughter rose in volume as the dust settled. The Chimera stood undaunted, slowly brushing the dust from its fur. “Noble effort.But surely that’s not all you’ve got?”
“You would know,” Sky retorted.
“Ha.” The Chimera again began to pace. Its snake head remained focused on Sky, the goat’s head was engaged in a staring match with Ghost, as the lion’s head seemed to stare off into the distance. “That witty banter of yours seems to have no end. Come then, pegasus,” it said as the lion’s eyes locked in on him. “I have two years’ worth of vengeance to repay you for, and I’m not known for being exceptionally patient.”
“Get with the times, ugly,” Sky fired back, extending a leg in invitation. “Revenge was so six months ago.”
With surprising dexterity, the Chimera leapt into the air, razor-sharp claws angling straight for the smug-looking pegasus hovering before it.
But Sky was ready. With a sudden surge of magic, he reached out and caught the monster in a telepathic grip, stopping it right in its trajectory. Then, he launched it high into the air, allowing himself a moment’s satisfaction as he watched the Chimera spiral uncontrollably into the sky.
A split second later, a bolt of lightning seared the air, crashing into the center of the graveyard. Gravel and leaves whipped past him as he beheld the scene. As the rumble of thunder slowly faded, Sky called down to the scorched body of the Chimera below. “How was that one?”
The monster looked up, and each face bore a look of growing annoyance behind the burn marks. But he could only look on in disbelief as, within mere moments, the blackened skin and singed fur seemed to melt away, replaced by its normal hues and tones.
Three jagged-toothed smiles flashed back up at the pegasus. “Good as new.”
Sky groaned internally. “Wonderful,” he muttered.
“Still haven’t figured it out, have you?” the Chimera mocked as it began to walk in a tight circle beneath Sky. “Why you can’t hurt me?”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Toothy,” Sky retorted. “I’m still warming up.”
“Wasting your time, you mean,” came the correction. “You can’t beat me.You’re only delaying the inevitable.”
To be honest, Sky hadn’t figured it out. Not entirely, at least. The Chimera had always had a knack for coming back. It had returned after every defeat, without fail, though it had usually taken several weeks, if not months, for it to do so. But now, it was back to full strength mere seconds after being lit up by a full-fledged lightning bolt. It was completely unexpected.
His eyebrows furrowed as he stared at his enemy below, searching for an explanation to the creature’s sudden healing factor.It had never demonstrated anything like it before, so it had to be new. Something it had learned. Something it had encountered. Something it had brought with it…
…Or something it had come to find.
“Here, in this place, in this time, I am indestructible.”
Sky’s gaze slowly shifted over to the unicorn standing near the entrance to the graveyard. He seemed to be staring at the ground near the Chimera’s feet, where Sky’s lightning had left a giant black mark in the dirt.
“Yes, you see it now,” Sky dimly heard the Chimera speak to him. “You’re beginning to understand.”
“But…why?” Sky asked no one in particular. “He was always the source of hatred.” He looked back to the Chimera. “He was your source of hatred, but you never had this kind of power before!”
“True,” the Chimera admitted. “But just look at him, Sky Streak.” The Chimera lifted a massive paw and gestured to the unicorn.“ After all he’s been through, his hatred and anger run deeper than ever. And even his anger stems only from his ancestors…who are buried beneath us as we speak. This is the literal source of my existence. And I can feed here forever and never run out of hatred to quench my thirst. This place is full of fury and rage and malice. And that is why you cannot beat me here.”
“Oh?”
Both Sky and the Chimera turned to face the stoic unicorn who had just spoken. “He might not be able to beat you, but if I’m the source of your power, then you’d better believe that I can stop you.”
A roar of laughter burst from all three of the Chimera’s heads. “You!?Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were able to still use magic with that broken horn of yours! Please, feel free, master, fire away!”
“Shut up. If you can feed on my anger, then how about I just turn it on you, you backstabbing coward? See if you can use that!” Ghost shouted.
Sky shuddered as he looked at his former commander. The look in his eyes reminded him of when they had fought in the Vault back in Canterlot. He looked as though he was barely on the edge of reason, clinging to sanity merely by a thread.
“Like I care,” the Chimera said with a shrug (which Sky thought looked strange with three heads). “My life is fed by your own anger, regardless of where it’s directed…even me.”
Suddenly, the Chimera’s shadow began to grow, seeping across the ground like an oil slick. “And hatred is all you’ve ever known, Phantom Star. You can’t help but feel angry, and that only makes you angrier. It is an endless cycle, always feeding back into me. And that means I can’t die.”
In a blink of an eye, the darkness exploded across the graveyard, drowning both light and color as it spread. Sky instinctively took to the air, but Ghost held his ground. He stood unyielding in place, refusing to give even an inch to the haunting menace before him.
“You both think that you understand everything, but truthfully, your outlooks blind you to reality,” the Chimera continued. “Sky Streak, the redeeming hero. Phantom Star, the Ghost, the misled avenger of past deeds. And me, the monster fated to be your enemy throughout it all. Ah, if it were only that easy for you.”
“I suppose your explanation is much more sensible?” asked a skeptical Ghost.
“It is. You see, you think I’m the monster, and you’re right—I am. But I’m not alone. You two have yet to understand the most fundamental truth about the connection we share—we’re all monsters.”
Sky failed to stifle a snort. “Sorry, what?” he asked from where he hovered in the air.
“I was created as a monster to exact revenge upon Celestia. But not long after I was freed, Sky came to me. Our struggle made him strong—impressively so—to the point that he has become more dangerous than many of the most infamous magical creatures in Equestria.”
“Thanks,” Sky jeered.
The Chimera ignored him. “But his power only gave you, Phantom Star, more and more reason to hate him. To despise him. And the stronger he became, the more you hated him and sought to destroy him. And that deepening anger is what made me in the first place, and it is what has brought me back.”
Sky felt a mixture of unease and disgust brewing deep in his gut. He knew where this was going. But in spite of that, he also felt a certain connection to it, as though, in his deepest thoughts…he knew he agreed. “Don’t you see? We made each other. Ghost’s family created me. My presence drew you, Sky Streak, and our battles have made you into who you are now. And your strength caused Phantom Star here to become the very embodiment of hatred and animosity. Which have made me into the indestructible being I have become. You see, we are all monsters. Monsters of our own making.”
Ghost rolled his eyes. “Everyone’s got a monologue…”
The Chimera redirected its gaze back to Sky. “Surely you know what all monsters have in common?”
Sky tapped his chin in mock contemplation before locking eyes with the Chimera in a look of utter disdain. “Let’s see…they’re ugly, ill-tempered, smelly, usually caught up in some kind of delusion of grandeur, and they all seem to have a knack for being defeated by heroes.” A sneer curled up at the corner of his mouth. “I miss anything?”
“They’re alone,” the Chimera answered itself, ignoring Sky’s remarks. “Their strength demands the destruction of any rival.”
A foreboding orange glow shone from deep in its throats as all three heads spoke in unison. “And that is why I will be the only one to walk away from here alive.”