//------------------------------// // Finale - Of a Dawn at the Lighthouse // Story: Northern Stars // by Reviewfilly //------------------------------// Relieved chatter fills the chamber as the trial finally comes to its end. Even though the doors leading to the room are fairly big, it still takes quite some time until the entire population of the town leaves through them. It is almost a miracle they are able to act in such a coordinated fashion for this long. An awkward silence falls upon the four of us standing on the stage. “Well,” Phyllis finally says, still anxiously eyeing me. “I suppose I should really just go back to work. We’ll figure it out later how exactly you’ll pay your fine. Too-da-loo.” With that she quickly abandons her desk and rushes off to mix into the crowd. We stare after her for a second. “So, uhm, I guess you’re technically a citizen now?” Hitch asks halfheartedly, turning to me. “It appears so?” I reply with a similar lack of confidence. “Well, welcome to Maretime Bay then, I guess,” he says, as his words trail off. Then he winces and shakes his head. “Okay, no. I can’t just forget about everything you did in a second like that.” He takes a step closer to me and jabs a hoof into my chest. As he speaks again, his voice rings deathly low. “You may have gotten off the hook due to Sunny’s kindness, but I swear if I hear a single bad word from her, if she’s as much as inconvenienced by you –" He twirls his hoof around a few times in the air, as he attempts to come up with a third thing to say "– if a single hair on her mane is bent the wrong way, then so help me, I’ll personally drag you back to the station by that creepy horn of yours and you will not leave for a very long time.” He puts a particular emphasis on the last three words. I swat his hoof away. “Sheriff, I’d rather you not insinuate that I’m stupid enough to try and squander her kindness in such a way,” I reply in a low growl. “Or I might just be forced to take offense.” We stare each other down until Sunny steps between us. “And I’d rather if you both calmed down,” she says forcefully. “Hitch, I really appreciate that you worry about me, but I don’t need to be mollycoddled.” She then looks at me, her brows furrowed and eyes piercing. “And you are talking to one of my best friends. Keep that in mind when choosing your tone.” “Fine,” we both begrudgingly say. Her face immediately lightens up and she begins to walk towards the exit. “Great! Let’s go then.” We share one last grim look behind her back, then trot after her. By now the entire room has emptied out except for us, so we leave easily and undisturbed. It’s already early in the afternoon by the time we finally see the light of day again. The town outside regained its usual tempo, with ponies scurrying all over the streets like busy ants. We begin descending the hill, still holding the awkward silence. “Hitch, don’t you have a job to do?” asks Sunny with a chuckle, as we reach and pass by the police station. “Well, I figured I’d accompany you until the lighthouse. You know, just to make sure of things,” he replies with a very thin smile. “Hitch,” she says with a low voice, pausing a second for emphasis. “It’s fine.” “You sure?” He doesn't even attempt to hide the disapproval in his voice. “Yeah. Besides, I can’t exactly have you hovering around me for the whole next year.” She laughs at the absurd image. He sighs. “Alright, I guess I do need to take my post anyway. Sprout too is probably waiting for me already. See you later then, Sunny.” He turns to me. “And you better not forget what I’ve said.” “Oh, I couldn’t even if I wanted to,” I tell him with my most innocent smile. He shakes his head and mutters something under his breath as he disappears behind the door, leaving only the two of us. "Well, we shouldn't tarry either. Let's go before he arrests you for breaking your curfew," Sunny says with a laugh. I just nod and trot after her. We share few words as we walk through the city. The passersby all eye us with varying levels of worry, but at least they aren’t running off screaming anymore. The only two ponies who don’t seem to mind us are a brown stallion and a pink mare sitting at a nearby table. A bowl of cream puffs sits between them. They are far too busy staring deeply into each other’s eyes, unaware of the world around them or even the passage of time. They seem somewhat familiar, but I can’t exactly place them. A little while later we finally leave the bustling city behind and reach the hill leading up to the lighthouse. As we climb the road, I stop midway. Sunny notices the lack of clopping behind herself and turns around. She looks at me expectantly. “Why?” I ask her. She tips her head to the side as if she didn’t understand the question. “Why what?” “Don’t play innocent with me,” I tell her with a scoff. “Your actions just now made no sense. You brought me to justice, only to save me from the charges that actually matter. Now you've sent away the only pony around who'd be willing to lay down his life for you and you're taking me into your own home, like I was some trusted friend of yours. And for what reason? Don’t you realize I have only caused you harm and I would have caused so much more if I still had my magic?” She doesn’t answer, instead she waves for me to follow her. I roll my eyes, but oblige. Another minute passes as we circle around the lighthouse and reach the cliff behind it. The waves are calmly rolling against the shore below. The faint smell of saltwater enters my nostrils as the crashing of the gentle waves plays in my ears. Sunny sits down near the edge and pats the ground next to herself. I groan and sit next to her. I would otherwise enjoy the serene sight, but her silence annoys me. She stares at a few seagulls as they aimlessly circle in the sky, seemingly forgetting I’m even present. “Well?” I finally snap, breaking her tranquility. A small smile spreads onto her lips. “Not even that long ago I sat here with another pony, one you may be quite familiar with already,” she begins slowly, chuckling a little. “Admittedly his crimes were, at the end of the day, far less severe than what you did, but the underlying theme is the same. Both him and you showed that you’re capable of change.” “Me?” I ask her incredulously. “Don’t be so naive as to think I’ve had some sort of saccharine epiphany and now I’m suddenly a good stallion.” I shrug a little. “I just know when to cut my losses.” “And yet you covered for Sprout even though he tried to kill you,” she counters. “Just as I hid my identity from Izzy and just as I fooled you. What difference does one more lie make?” “This time you lied for somepony else.” I snort. “So, allow me to get this straight. You took pity on me and sabotaged my trial just because I didn’t pursue a pointless vengeance and kept your little friend out of prison?” She doesn’t answer. We continue to stare into the sea. “Your story was true, right?” she suddenly turns to me and asks. “The one you told me from your cell. I couldn’t sleep last night. Your words kept echoing in my ears. Princess Twilight...” She leans closer, her eyes gleaming with awe. “You really did meet her, right?” I shrink back a little and let out a heavy sigh. “Yes,” I tell her flatly. “Yes, I did.” She averts her eyes upon noticing my tone. “What was she like?” The question still bears a tinge of hope, but its edges are marred by worry. I stay silent for a few seconds, thinking how to answer the question best. “Majestic and regal as all alicorns are,” I finally answer hesitantly, in an attempt to deflect. Sunny looks back at me. I see it on her face, that she knows I’m not telling her the full story. After a second of pause, another sigh escapes me. “Very well. The princess you consider such a shining beacon of Friendship was to me synonymous with death, suffering, and humiliation. I hated her with a burning passion for eons. For all the pain and shame she caused me. For helping to usurp the throne I rightfully claimed. For banishing me to a place of complete darkness for millennia. I wanted nothing more than to subject her to the same punishment she forced me to endure. But I never again even had the chance to prove myself against her.” A humorless laugh escapes me. “Whichever force you believe controls the world, be it Fate or Harmony, has a cruel sense of irony. When I finally did meet her again, I was forced to accept the fact that she suffered a similar fate as I, without me ever even lifting a hoof. Knowing that, are my feelings of vengeance even justified anymore? Does it matter that I wasn’t the one who cast her into the pit? Even I don’t know anymore. We both paid a great price for our failings and were ultimately struck from the annals of history.” I shrug. “And now that I’ve lost my immortality, whatever feud we might have had seems so far away and so insignificant.” I shake my head slowly. “Ultimately, whether I could be capable of forgiving her or whether I’d pursue her to the end of the world is of no consequence. I’ve been given a checkmate for both options. She forever left this world behind and passed on to the next, but not before showing me a force inconceivably terrifying and powerful. A force I cannot ever hope to comprehend, let alone match. Not even in my prime. " I avert my eyes in shame as I realize I have been rambling on without properly answering her question. “It is probably for the best if I just say that she was nothing like the bright-eyed, young mare I fought so many moons ago.” She frowns a little and looks away. “That’s not exactly the picture I had in mind.” I feel a pang of unexpected guilt. “Don’t feel so bad. I’m sure if you were the one meeting her, you would have found her quite different.” I stare off into the distance again. “We just had a long history.” I let out a dry chuckle. “One that involved me trying to kill her and her successfully killing me.” One of the seagulls lets out a shrill cry, which the winds quickly carry away. Her eyes meet mine again. “And yet you were willing to help her save the world.” I just snort. “As if I really had a choice. If you saw the creature I’ve witnessed, you’d understand why there was no other option. That is if you could still think afterwards,” I add with a shudder. “Who knows?” she asks musingly, seemingly unaffected by what I just implied or what she is implying. “From the little time I’ve known you for, you seem to a pony who can think quickly on his hooves. Maybe you could have figured something out. Or you could have easily thought the Princess was lying to you. But you didn’t. You trusted her words.” “I... Despite everything between us, I had to. I wouldn’t have been able to live with the guilt, if it turned out I was wrong.” I take a deep breath and slowly exhale. “Losing my Empire once was already too much.” Sunny silently stands up and trots over to me. Before I could ask her what she’s doing, the words get stuck in my throat as she envelops me in a hug. “You were mostly right. I was willing to forgive what you did to me because you stood up for Sprout,” she whispers to me affectionately. “But this is why I’m willing to give you another chance.” I freeze in place, unsure how to deal with the unexpected sensation. “But you had no idea about any of this when you saved me,” I manage to say. “Yup, I didn’t,” comes the quiet reply. “I just had a hunch and hoped for the best.” I stare off blankly over her shoulder into the depths beyond. Why is she showing me her most vulnerable side? Is she truly naive enough to think I can change just like that? I ponder. My eyes slide down to her. As I look at her gently breathing form, I feel something stir deep inside me. Something I thought I left behind with my magic. Vile thoughts begin to whisper in my ears. What a ridiculous notion... You could thrust her into her death so easily. The waves continue to wash over the sharp edges below. It would only take a little push. She would never even see it coming. Perhaps, with her gone, the town would finally submit in despair and you could still salvage a victory from this pathetic failure. The sounds of the sea fade from my ears, as my pounding heart drowns out all other noise. Sunny’s eyes are still closed, blissfully unaware of the maddened expression on my face. Another foamy wave hits the rocks. I hesitate. Oh, you coward, I hear a voice sneer in my head that is like my own, yet isn’t. It is as malicious as it is patronizing. You wouldn’t dare stoop to their level now, would you? That would be very unbecoming of you. As I sit there paralyzed, my mind wanders back to the very beginning and everything that has happened flashes in front of my eyes. The voice follows me even there. Izzy was so willing to help me, despite having only just met me. Meaningless kindness from a raving lunatic. Hitch stood up for me, despite his rightful anger and distrust. A noble worm is still a worm. Sprout admitted his failure, even though he could have cast all blame on me. Death would be too kind for him after he dared to raise his hoof against you. The Princess herself returned me to the world, even though my purpose was already fulfilled. Our vengeance on her will be legendary. She will face endless suffering for her moment of weakness. And, finally, the mare I hurt the most is now offering me a new chance. This “mare?” I see only an insect standing in your way. Is it really worth throwing all of it away? Just so that I can maybe continue the fight? And then what ‘fight’ is there even anymore? The alicorns are dead. So is my Empire. There is only me left. Yes! And you’re King Sombra! the voice yells while laughing viciously. The world goes dark around me. There is only me, her, and the voice. I feel its presence weigh down upon my soul like a lead blanket. You don’t have second thoughts when you kill insects! You endured millennia of torment, fueled only by your hate and pride! And finally here is your new chance! Is it really worth throwing all of it away? ... No. It’s not worth it. Finally! Then what are you waiting for? Claim back your throne. End her. I hold my breath back. My hooves move towards Sunny’s body on their own. Slowly, without making a sound they snake around her. As they touch her coat, I forcefully lean forward. And I cast these treacherous thoughts into the deepest, darkest pits of my mind, never again to resurface. I return the hug. “Thank you,” I whisper, not finding any other words to say. She remains silent and merely tightens her grasp. We stay there in silence, as the waves peacefully crash behind us. I allow my head to rest on her back. Her soft coat gently caresses my face. I shut my eyes, as the wind whistles quietly around us. I slowly allow my lungs to fully exhale. A sense of calmness washes over my tired body, as all the tension and hurt I accumulated since I returned begins to leave me. Even the touch of aging feels like it's waning momentarily. After what feels like an eternity, we separate. “Besides, there is one more reason why I wanted you to specifically move in here with me,” she says after a while, with a mischievous grin. “You’re a veritable treasure trove when it comes to Equestrian history! What sort of a madmare would pass up an opportunity like that to interrogate you?” She breaks into laughter. “Tell you what, I’ll even pay you, so you can settle your fine! How about that? One hoof washes the other.” She winks at me and playfully prods me in the side. I find myself chuckling along and eventually I start laughing myself. “I say, Sunny Starscout, you have showcased a masterful mixture of cunning, selfishness, and mercy. Are you sure you’re not part of some royal family?” “Nope,” she says cheerfully. “I was merely taught by the two greatest ponies in the world.” Her face turns wistful for a second, before she regains her luster. “Also, we will be spending a lot of time together from now on, so please, you can really just call me Sunny.” “Well, in that case, Sunny, I look forward to working out the history of Equestria with you,” I reply with a smile, that, for the first time in forever, feels genuine. “Great! We should probably start with the Crystal Empire then!” She jumps up and offers me her hoof. “Oh, I just can’t wait to know what all those mysterious texts say! If only Dad could see me now!” I grab it and allow myself to be pulled up. As I look into her eager eyes and think back to everything that happened during these two shorts weeks, I’m reminded of an old saying that was commonly used in my Empire: ”It is during the darkest of Nights, that the Stars shine their brightest.”