Tales Of Friendship

by Bluecatcinema


Old Shadows

There was darkness all around. Nothing but empty blackness in every direction. In the middle of it all was a small Unicorn, wearing a brown tunic over his gray body, a blue bowl cut mane matching his blue eyes. His name was Stygian, and he had no idea where he was, or how he got there.

"Hello?" He called out timidly. "Is there anypony out there?"

"Stygian..." A voice called out, as soft as the wind, yet as chilling as the coldest blizzard. "Stygian..."

"Wh-who's there?" Stygian looked around. "Where are you? And how do you know my name?"

"Don't tell me you've forgotten an old friend so soon?" The voice said coldly. "I'm hurt..."

"Old friend..." Stygian frowned. There was something familiar about the voice, something he couldn't put his hoof on. "What do you-ahh!"

Stygian suddenly doubled over, as an intense pain erupted in his chest.

"What's going on?" He groaned, as the pain grew worse.

Just as he thought the pain couldn't get more agonizing, his tunic tore open, and an inky black blob flowed out through the tear. Stygian stated in abject horror as the blob took on the form of a pony's head. But not just any pony; it was the Pony of Shadows.

"No..." Stygian whispered. "It's not possible."

"Did you really think you could be rid of me so easily?" The Pony of Shadows asked, its jagged mouth curling into a cruel smile. "We were bound together as one. But you let those meddling fools tear us apart."

"I.. I had to." Stygian said weakly.

"You miserable ingrate." The Pony of Shadows snarled. "I accepted you when nopony else would. I gave power, like you had always dreamed of. Power to avenge yourself on those who had rejected you. And how did you repay me? By casting me out!"

"I made a mistake." Stygian declared. "I thought I wanted what you offered. But I was wrong."

"And you think you could just be rid of me so easily?" The Pony of Shadows chuckled darkly. "Your fate was sealed the second you allowed us to become one. I'm a part of you now, Stygian, and I always will be!"

"No..." Stygian shook his head. "It's not true..."

"Allow me to show you how true it really is." The Pony of Shadows snarled.

Wisps of shadow began flowing all over Stygian's body, wrapping around him, ensnaring him, infecting him down to his core...

"No!" Stygian struggled in vain to resist. "Noooo!!"

"Yes." The Pony of Shadows smirked, as its blackness started to completely envelop Stygian. "We will be one again, and together, we will plunge Equestria into darkness!"

Stygian's cry of anguish was muffled by the darkness covering him. It was if he was sinking in an ocean of darkness.

'This can't be happening to me.' He thought. 'Not again...'

Just before the darkness completely enveloped Stygian's, a blinding light illuminated the area.

"Nooo!!" The Pony of Shadows roared, its darkness disintegrating under the light.

"Huuuhhh!" Stygian gasped for air as the darkness involuntarily released its hold on him.

The blinding light faded, and Stygian found himself surrounded by stars.

"Now what's going on?" He asked himself. "Am I... am I losing my mind?"

"Not in the least." A new voice announced.

One of the stars flared brightly. And from the light emerged Princess Luna.

"Princess Luna?" Stygian gaped. "How are you here? Do you know of a way back?"

"There is a way back." Luna smiled. "it's called 'waking up'."

"Waking up?" Stygian frowned. "I... I don't..."

"You are dreaming, Stygian." Luna explained. "As Princess of the night, it is my duty to stand guard over those who sleep during that time."

"So this was all just a dream?" Stygian looked around, incredulous.

"A nightmare, to be precise." Luna clarified. "No doubt incited by your feelings of guilt over what you did as the Pony of Shadows."

"Well, can you blame me?" Stygian frowned. "Allowing that accursed shadow to join with me was the biggest mistake of my life. And it almost plunged all of Equestria into darkness... Twice."

"I know how you feel, Stygian." Luna declared.

"With all due respect, Princess, how can you possibly understand what I have been through?" Stygian asked bluntly.

"You'd be surprised." Luna deadpanned.

"I, er, did not mean to offend you." Stygian said awkwardly.

"No offense was taken." Luna said fairly. "Having been thrown into limbo for over a thousand years, you could not possibly know."

"Know... what?" Stygian frowned.

"There was a time when I too succumbed to darkness, and sought to destroy that which I once cared for." Luna admitted. "I was corrupted in body and mind, becoming the monstrous Nightmare Moon. I attempted to plunge Equestria into eternal night. But my sister prevented that from happening by sealing me within the moon for a thousand years."

"She did?" Stygian gasped. "Then... How are you here now?"

"Twilight Sparkle and her friends." Luna smiled. "When I finally managed to escape, they harnessed the power of the Elements of Harmony to free me of the darkness that had enveloped my heart."

"I see." Stygian mused. "So... You really do know how it feels."

"To be consumed by bitterness and resentment? Yes." Luna nodded. "And I also know that dwelling on the mistakes of the past is a fool's errand. I spent a long time mired in regret over my actions as Nightmare Moon. But Twilight Sparkle and her friends helped me once again, by showing me that everypony had forgiven my misdeeds, and that I needed to forgive myself. That is why I am here, Stygian. To help you learn that I did, so you do not suffer as I did."

"You make it sound so simple." Stygian sighed.

"Make no mistake, it is not." Luna admitted. "The guilt and regret can very easily consume you if you allow it to. But you must let go of the past, so that you may look to the future."

"How can I?" Stygian asked. "You said yourself that it took a long time for you to overcome your feelings of regret."

"That's because it took a long for me to understand that I was only tormenting myself with it." Luna declared. "I even went as far as creating a creature known as the Tantabus to give me nightmares every night, all because I believed I deserved to be punished." She shook her head, mortified by her former attitude. "But that wasn't healthy. The Tantabus drew strength from my nightmares, allowing it to spread to the dreams of other ponies. It almost escaped into the living world before I found the strength to get it back under control."

Stygian gazed at Luna, utterly speechless.

"Deep down inside my subconscious, the Tantabus still exists, and always will." Luna continued. "But without my overwhelming feelings of guilt to give it strength, it will never threaten anypony again."

"That's... that's incredible." Stygian admitted. "Star Swirl told me you and Celestia were excellent students, but even so..."

"Well, as I said, I had help." Luna said modestly. "But my point is, Nightmare Moon is no more. The darkness which once choked my heart is no more. And the darkness that infected you is also gone."

"But... what if there is something of the Pony of Shadows left in me?" Stygian fretted. "Some tiny fragment, still lurking beneath the surface? What if I can never be free of the corruption? What if I am tainted forever?"

"You mustn't think like that, Stygian." Luna told him. "The Elements of Harmony removed the darkness from you, as they did for me. What you fear, the stuff of your worst nightmares, can never come to pass. You are free."

"What if... What if I don't deserve to be free?" Stygian wondered sadly. "The darkness only reached out to me because of my bitterness and resentment. It made me an offer, and I agreed to it. Everything that happened after that was a result of my choice. I wanted the shadow's power, so that I could feel special, so that I could strike back at those who had rejected me. Nothing else mattered to me at that point." He bowed his head in regret. "Let's face it: I was a monster before I became the Pony of Shadows."

"One bad decision born in anger does make you a monster, Stygian." Luna assured him. "I know better than most ponies how bad things can get when you lose your temper."

"Bad enough to bring about the end of all Equestria?" Stygian frowned.

"Yes." Luna nodded. "And while you may have chosen to let the darkness take you, you also chose to rid yourself of it when the time came."

"Well... I had help, too." Stygian admitted. "Princess Twilight and Starlight helped me to see the truth."

"We all lose our way sometimes." Luna remarked. "Which is why it's good to have friends who can help guide us back to the right path." As she said this, she noticed that Stygian was still doubting himself. After thinking for a moment, she smiled. "And speaking of friends..."

Luna's horn lit up, filling the area with light once again. When the light faded, Stygian found himself in the Canterlot castle, surrounded by Star Swirl and the other Pillars. He recognised this scene as something that had occurred after he had been freed from the darkness's influence, and had reconciled with his old friends.

"This is... How am I here?" He asked.

"Dreams and memories both reside within the subconscious." Luna declared. "For me, one is as easily accessible as the other. And this seems to be quite a fond memory of yours."

"Yes, it was." Stygian smiled slightly. "It was a moment I never thought would come to pass."

"It's good to have you back, Stygian." Flash Magnus grinned.

"Things just weren't the same without you." Mage Meadowbrook added. "Sorry things got so... Out of hoof between us."

"So am I." The memory Stygian said awkwardly.

"We should never have cast you out." Star Swirl admitted. "I think I speak for all of us when I say how deeply sorry I am."

"I feel as if I owe you the biggest apology, Stygian." Somnambula said regretfully. "For as long as I can remember, I have tried to live my life by one simple rule: always believe in hope. But on that terrible night, I broke that rule. When we found you with our artefacts, I should have hoped there was a better explanation than simply the evidence of our eyes. I should have hoped you had a good reason for taking our artefacts. But I didn't."

"I was in the wrong also." Mistmane added. "When my old friend Sable Spirit turned to darkness, I didn't give up on her. I even went so far as to sacrifice my beauty to help her, because I believed there was still good in her. I should have given you that same benefit of the doubt."

"Thank you all, but I was at fault too." Memory Stygian admitted. "If I had only been brave enough to voice my woes and insecurities to you instead of going behind your backs, or had the strength to speak up before you cast me out, perhaps this could have all been avoided."

"Pride can make you do foolish things." Star Swirl admitted. "That is a harsh lesson, one that we've all had to learn."

"Okay, I think we've played the blame game long enough." Rockhoof stepped forward. "What's done is done. Today's a new day for all of us. A day just right for a fresh start. So what do you say we let bygones be bygones?"

Hear, hear!" Meadowbrook agreed.

The Pillars all hugged their old friend.

"From this point on, we shall leave the past behind, and renew our bond of friendship." Star Swirl declared. "I'm not ashamed to admit I underestimated the power of friendship, but that is a mistake I shall not make again."

"And no matter what happens, the seven of us will always be friends." Meadowbrook pledged.

Stygian looked on with joy as his memory self basked in the glow of his old friends' renewed acceptance. He felt a pleasant warm feeling building in his heart.

"This is all I've ever really wanted: to stand beside you all as an equal." Memory Stygian confessed.

"You were always our equal." Flash Magnus told him.

"Your strategies and knowledge helped us to achieve victory time and again." Mistmane added.

"You may not have had strength, or flight, or powerful magic, but your contributions to the team were still invaluable." Somnambula smiled.

"You were the one who brought us together in the first place." Meadowbrook pointed out. "Without you, Equestria would have been doomed so many times over."

"More importantly, you were, and still are, our friend." Rockhoof declared.

"As far as we're concerned, you are a Pillar, Stygian." Star Swirl pledged. "You are one of us."

"Thank you... my friends." Memory Stygian smiled, returning the hug.

The image of Memory Stygian and his reconciled friends froze in place. Luna and the real Stygian looked upon it with awe, as if it was a work of fine art.

"Your friends did not hold your mistake against you." Luna pointed out. "Because they too had made mistakes. To try and take all the blame for what happened is unnecessary."

"But their mistakes were nothing compared to mine." Stygian shook his head, the warmth in his heart starting to fade.

"But they were more than willing to forgive and forget." Luna declared. "To accept you as a friend again, and leave the past behind. If they could do that for you, why can't you do it for yourself?"

Stygian once again looked upon the frozen image, his memory self still held in the accepting embrace of his old friends.

"I won't say that it will be easy." Luna announced. "But as long you hold onto the knowledge that you have friends who love and accept, who will always be there to provide support, you will be able to rise above these feelings of regret, and start anew, as I did."

As he looked more closely at the embrace between his memory self and the Pillars, the warmth in Stygian's heart started building again.

"I'll do my best." He nodded resolutely. "If they can believe in me after everything that's happened, than maybe I can find it in me to believe in myself."

"That's the spirit." Luna smiled. "And know that if you ever suffer from nightmares again, I will be there to help you through them."

At that point, the scene around them seemed to contract, the group hug formed by Memory Stygian and the Pillars being compressed into an orb, the starfield from before replacing.

"Just remember to hold onto moments like this." Luna passed the orb, with its heartwarming scene within, to Stygian.

"I will." Stygian nodded. "Thank you, Princess Luna."

"It was my duty." Luna nodded. "And my honor. Until we meet again... in the dream realm, or the waking world."

Luna walked on air, heading back to the once again intensely-glowing star she had first appeared from. The light increased, until it enveloped Stygian's sight once more. Instinctively, Stygian covered his eyes. Immediately after, he found everything fading to blackness...

Stygian opened his eyes, and found himself in the bedroom of the inn he had been staying at. Celestia's sun was shining through the closed windows, heralding the new morning. As he sat up, he felt like a new stallion, energized, strong, and ready for anything.

'Like Rockhoof said, it's a new day.' He thought to himself. 'A time to let bygones be bygones, and make a fresh start.' The image of him and his friends filled his mind's eye. 'Whatever happens, I'll do my best to remember that I have friends who believe in me. And hopefully, that will help me believe in myself...'

On that thought, Stygian left his bedroom, ready to begin the new day.