//------------------------------// // Yesterday's Gloomy Sky // Story: A Different Kind of Treasure // by Mechawrecker //------------------------------// The two sisters stared blankly at the spot where Sky had vanished. One moment, he had been confessing his innermost feelings to them, the next, he had vanished in a flash of red light, leaving nothing behind but the echoing of his last statement of love. Flitter collapsed to her knees as fresh tears poured from her eyes. Cloud, holding back tears of her own, hugged her sister to provide what little comfort she could. As Flitter’s tears splashed onto the stone floor, her wracking sobs created a cacophony of misery throughout the empty dungeon. After several minutes of crying, Flitter and Cloud looked solemnly at the cold, empty cell where Sky had once stood. Nothing of the brown and blue pegasus remained, but the magical door leading to the stairs remained as locked as ever. Glancing up in desperation, Flitter grabbed her sister’s coat and cried, “What now, Cloud? He’s gone! He’s gone, and we’re still trapped in this Celestia-forsaken prison!” Cloud wrapped her wings around Flitter and calmed her breathing enough to whisper, “He’s not gone, Flitter. You heard what he said. He promised he would never leave us. He promised he would always be there to protect you.” She ran a hoof gently across the metal of his shield. “He’ll come back for us… I know he will.” Flitter fell into her sister’s embrace and continued to weep, though more quietly as she clung to Sky’s shield like a lifeline. As she held his departing gift, she took not of its strange, intricate design for the first time. Where most shields would have a ramming spike near the steel sheet’s center, Sky’s shield was emblazoned with three differently sized arrows inscribed within each other. Narrowing her watery eyes, she let out a gasp at the realization that it was Sky’s cutie mark. As she stared wide-eyed at the logo, it struck her as odd that neither she nor Cloud had ever questioned the peculiar design choice before. Feeling better at the thought of having something so integral to Sky’s character, Flitter wiped her eyes and held the shield close to her chest. With a shaky breath, she hugged the protective steel and whispered, “Sky, you promised you would never leave me… please, please keep it…” Sky’s head felt like it had been smashed by a sledgehammer. As his brain seared with pain, his eyes clenched shut, but his ears still managed to detect the sound of dripping water. Feeling around blindly, his hoof felt the familiar texture of dirt and loose pebbles as his bracers rattled against the stones. Opening his eyes, his blurry vision filled with brown as tears fell down the sides of his face. Wiping them away, Sky focused on the vast quantities of dirt and gravel around him. He could instantly tell he was in a cave, the rocky walls and soil-covered ground made that abundantly obvious. The place he had landed was in the center of a carved chamber about ten yards across. Searching around, he felt like he should recognize this mysterious location, but the exact information remained elusive no matter how hard he racked his brain. Suddenly, a grinding sound echoed throughout the chamber. Jumping to his hooves, Sky whipped around to find its source before settling his wide eyes on a very recognizable golden cup. There, on the rising stone pedestal, was The Goblet Of Hooflepuff in all its radiant glory. Sky gasped as the memory came rushing back. This was the place where he had first met Flitter and Cloudchaser during their scuffle over the goblet! Gazing in awe at the cup, he reached out a hoof and touched one of its handles to make sure it was real. The cold metal pressed against his hoof, letting him know this wasn’t an illusion. The goblet was really here, despite the fact that the two sisters had returned it to its original owner months ago. Before he could dwell on the goblet’s mysterious reappearance, a very familiar voice rang out from behind him. “Stop right there!” Sky whirled around to see Flitter and Cloudchaser glaring at him with their weapons drawn. Letting out a cry of relief, he exclaimed, “Cloud! Flitter! I’m so glad to see you two again!” Flitter’s eyes went wide as Cloud furrowed her eyebrows in suspicion. “How did you know what our names were?” Sky blinked before stifling a chuckle. “Okay, Cloud, very funny joke. Let’s stop messing around and get out of here so we can grab the sword.” Cloud growled under her breath before Flitter interrupted, “Um, sir, do we know each other from somewhere? I’m afraid we don’t recognize you.” At this point, he couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “Jeez, you even got Flitter to join in the prank too? What’s next, is Griffy going to pretend like he hasn’t memorized my usual meat order?” Flitter’s expression changed to terror as she stammered, “H-How do you k-know about our relationship with Griffy?” Before he could respond, Cloud’s sword slashed through the air. “Don’t you see, Flitter? This guy’s been stalking us! Well, there’s no way I’m going to let a sneaky little pervert get away.” Sky’s eyes widened in horror as Cloud charged forward and brought her broadsword down on his head. Letting out a scream of fright, he scrambled away from her murderous glare as her blade pierced through his armor, cleaving open his neck and head. Sky’s head felt like it had been smashed by a sledgehammer. As his brain seared with pain, his eyes clenched shut, but his ears still managed to detect the sound of dripping water. Feeling around blindly, his hoof felt the familiar texture of dirt and loose pebbles as his bracers rattled against the stones. Opening his eyes, his blurry vision filled with brown as tears fell down the sides of his face. Wiping them away, Sky focused on the vast quantities of dirt and gravel around him. He could instantly tell he was in a cave, the rocky walls and soil-covered ground made that abundantly obvious. The place he had landed was in the center of a carved chamber about ten yards acro- “Wait a second.”  Sky staggered to his hooves as he gazed around. His vision focused on the circular chamber as he ran a hoof along his face. “Did that really just happen?” Feeling his neck, Sky tried to recall what had just happened. If his memory wasn’t completely failing, he could have sworn Cloud had called him a stalker before decapitating him. As his memory caught up with the present, a grinding sound echoed around the chamber. Turning around, he stared blankly at The Goblet Of Hooflepuff again, but hesitated out of fear of repeating the traumatic experience. As Sky contemplated his options, the fur on the back of his neck stood up when two sets of muffled hoofsteps and clanking armor echoed down the passageway. With seconds on the clock, he grabbed the goblet and stuffed it into his travel pack before whipping around to face the approaching creatures. Flitter and Cloudchaser emerged from the dirt tunnel with weapons drawn. As they glared at him with suspicion, Sky raised his hooves and yelled, “Wait! H-Hold your fire!” The three of them stared in silence before Flitter lowered her bow and soothed, “Cloud, put your sword down. He’s unarmed.” Cloud’s eyes roved over his weaponless body before relaxing the grip on her broadsword. “Fine, be sure he doesn’t make any funny moves, okay?” Sky sighed with relief and pointed to the girls' equipment. “Thanks for not shooting me. Based on your gear, I’m guessing you two are treasure hunters looking for The Goblet Of Hooflepuff, right?” Flitter nodded as she replaced the notched arrow back in her quiver. “Yes, we are. Have you seen anything like it by chance?” Sky could feel the pressure of the goblet pressing on his back as he adjusted his travel pack. Curiosity getting the better of him, he admitted, “Yeah, I have. I found it on that pedestal and put it in my travel bag.” The two sisters glanced at each other in surprise before Cloud growled, “Well, you better take it out and put it back or else-” Flitter clamped a hoof over her muzzle as Sky took a step back. “Cloud! What are you saying!? We can’t just rob someone who got to the treasure first!” Cloudchaser opened her mouth to retort, but Flitter silenced her with a dangerous look. “We’re not criminals, Cloud. We play by the rules, and the rules say: first come, first serve.” Flitter's hooves shuffled across the ground as she apologized, “I’m so sorry about my sister’s behavior. I promise we’re not muggers Mr…” He thought for a moment before murmuring, “My name’s Sky...fall. It’s Skyfall.” Flitter nodded in greeting. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Skyfall. My name is Flitter, and my sister’s name is Cloudchaser. As you suspected, we were looking for The Goblet Of Hooflepuff before you found it.” She fixed him with an ingratiating smile. “You see, Cloudchaser and I are very strapped for bits right now, so I was just wondering if there was anything we could do to convince you to hand over possession rights to the goblet.” Sky’s mind whirled as this new, unexpected situation unfolded. Thinking over Flitter’s request, he decided to answer in a way that reduced the probability of a fight. “Well, I might be willing to give you the goblet if we could form some sort of alliance with each other.” The two sisters blinked in surprise as he added, “I can tell you both are experienced hunters, and your weapon skills look decent too.” Gesturing to his lack of equipment, he supplied, “Normally I carry a shield with me, but I didn’t bring it along today because it’s heavy and I didn’t think I’d be meeting somepony this far into the jungle.” Cloud gave an unconvinced snort as Flitter mumbled, “W-Well, I’m not sure if we can form an official party without knowing each other better, but if you’d be interested in negotiating I’m sure we could come to some compromise.” Sky smiled back as he trotted towards the tunnel entrance. “Great! I’m staying at an apartment in San Hoof, so if you tell me where you two live, we can schedule a meeting to discuss a partnership.” Cloud chuckled as she fell into step with him. “Huh, Flitter and I are staying in San Hoof too! Looks like we won't have to go very far.” The three of them made their way down the dirt tunnel, chatting about the best finds of their careers. As they laughed at another one of Flitter's unintentional euphemisms, Sky grinned to himself for his peacemaking accomplishment. Before he could celebrate, the mysterious red light flooded the tunnel. Sky raised a hoof to shield his eyes, but the other two didn’t acknowledge it at all. As he shouted out a warning, the flare expanded into a massive fireball, forcing him back into the dark void of nothingness. Sky’s head felt like it had been smashed by a sledgehammer. As his brain seared with pain, his eyes clenched shut, but his ears still managed to detect the sound of dripping water. Feeling around blindly, his hoof felt the familiar texture of dirt and loose pebb- “Oh, no…” Sky lifted his head and peered around, preparing to see what he knew would be there. Sure enough, he was lying down in the middle of the same circular chamber from the last two replays. Shaking his head, he mumbled, “That pretty much confirms it. I’m stuck in a time loop from my past.” As he got to his hooves, Sky stared at the spot where he knew The Goblet Of Hooflepuff was going to emerge. “So, I guess the trial wants me to do something about my past actions. The question is, what do I have to do here to pass the test?” Reminiscing over his previous lives, Sky documented the actions he took that had resulted in the trial resetting itself. Telling the girls about their future partnership caused his head to be removed from his neck, which was not experience he wanted to repeat. Feigning ignorance and peacefully negotiating didn’t work either since the trial forced a restart by blinding him with that light. What other options could he try? Sky’s eyes widened as the obvious reality caught up with him. Grabbing the goblet by a handle, he whirled around with a grimace as the now startled sisters emerged from the tunnel. Hating himself for what he had to do, he charged forward just as Flitter shouted, “WAI-”. Cloudchaser swung her sword, but he dodged the familiar attack pattern with ease and tackled her to the ground. Then, standing up, he snarled and rounded on Flitter’s terrified expression. Seeing her flinch away from him with so much fear wrenched his heart, but he didn’t have time to dwell on the pain as she fired an arrow at his head. Not having a shield this time, he ducked under the projectile’s path and prepared to lunge at her.  Just like last time, however, Cloudchaser staggered to her hooves and swung her sword at his neck, shaving off a few hairs from his coat. Sky fell back and ducked behind the stone pedestal as Flitter's voice echoed around the room. “STOP!” Suddenly, the room was engulfed in a red glow that blinded Sky just like in the tunnel, but this time a voice sounded inside his head. “Well done, Skyfall. You have acknowledged your past mistakes and accepted their permanence.” Sky shook his head to clear his thoughts before thinking, “Who are you? Are you the guardian of The Sword Of Griffonstone?” The voice resonated in his skull as it replied, “Yes, I am Gilbert Griffonstone, the ancient founder of The Griffon Empire. I am here to pass on a warning to you and your group about Dragon Lord Torch.” For a moment, Sky didn’t know what he was talking about. Then, with a start, he remembered the assassination attempt the draconic dictator had placed on them. “I know about the assassins. We met some of them before I entered your trial.” Gilbert Griffonstone gave a grunt. “No Skyfall, I’m not talking about those petty assassins. I want to warn you about the power Dragon Lord Torch has acquired. Thousands of years ago, the Dragonlands were ruled by an even more ruthless king than the one now. His name was… Salamander Slytherdrake!" He paused to let the dramatic reveal fester. "During the founding of Equestria, he constantly hungered for more territory, even breaking treaties and contracts agreed upon by the rest of the race’s leaders. Eventually, the other founders and I could no longer stand aside as he ravaged our lands and hurt our citizens, so we fought and defeated him in combat.” Sky’s memory wandered back to his time in school when they learned about Equestria’s founding, but realized that the Dragonland’s founder had never been mentioned alongside the other race’s original settlers. “So, you defeated Slytherdrake and replaced him with a new ruler. What does this have to do with me or my friends?" The enigmatic griffon sighed, “Unfortunately, even with all our powers combined, we weren’t strong enough to vanquish him forever. His evil influence remains in this world inside his signature locket, much like my own presence exists in the sword.” Widening his eyes, Sky exclaimed, “And that’s why you’re here to warn me! Dragon Lord Torch has gotten the locket and is being influenced by Salamander Slytherdrake’s evil powers!" Griffonstone hummed in approval. “Indeed. With the power of Slytherdrake in an already powerful draconic ruler, I fear that even the princesses will not be able to hold back his reign of terror, which is why I am here to warn you and your friends. I must ask your party to defeat Dragon Lord Torch and eliminate Salamander Slytherdrake’s corruption once and for all.” “W-What!?” Sky stammered, fear gripping his soul. “U-Us? Take down a magically empowered giant Dragon Lord? That’s crazy! We’d never stand a chance by ourselves!” “I never said you would be fighting him alone,” the griffon reassured. “You three will have the power of the other main founders of Equestria at your disposal. With your skills and our power, I am confident we can destroy Salamander Slytherdrake for good.” Sky’s ears perked up, “So… are you here to give me the power and courage of The Sword Of Griffonstone?” Gilbert Griffonstone let out a disapproving noise. “No, you have already been chosen as champion by one of the other founders. If you think back to your previous encounters with The Wind Slashers and that little one, Griffy, I’m sure you will be able to deduce who has blessed you.” What did the assassin guild and innocent little Griffy have in common? Sure, they were all griffons, but Sky didn’t think that was the connection he was looking for. Finally, after several seconds of intense pondering, he raised his head and exclaimed, “I was able to use words to acquire the outcome I wanted!” “That’s correct. You were chosen by Helena Hooflepuff and blessed with her powers of negotiation and empathy the moment you first touched her goblet. Similarly, your teammate, Flitter, was deemed worthy by Diana Diamondpaw when she solved the riddle guarding her diadem.”  A mirage appeared in front of Sky’s muzzle showing the image of a dark-purple pegasus carrying a steel broadsword. “Now, I have chosen my own champion. She will make an excellent vessel to impart with my strength and courage.” The mirage faded as a doorway materialized in its place. “You have proven your party’s worth and shown great prowess in many tests of character. Return to your friends and complete your quest. Once you have vanquished Slytherdrake, we may all rest easier knowing cruel tyranny is not in our destiny.” Sky nodded as he walked towards the door. Looking back at the red light, he asked, “Mighty Griffonstone, I know one of Diana Diamondpaw’s powers is the ability to see into the future. Has her wisdom granted any insight about this endeavor’s outcome?” Gilbert chuckled at Sky’s question. “You’re quite well informed for a treasure hunter.” With a more serious tone, he continued, “Diana has not received any premonitions about the battle’s victor. Even if she had, I wouldn’t tell you because it would influence your decisions and void the premonition’s accuracy. You all must move forward with the courage, wisdom, and empathy necessary to defeat your foes and fulfill your destiny.” As Sky’s vision faded, he could have sworn he saw the outline of a large, armored griffon smiling back at him before falling into unconsciousness.