//------------------------------//
// Chapter 52 
// Story: Eclipse 
// by Hiver 
//------------------------------//

The stars and moon shone above as the wind ruffled my mane. The sound of the large slowly turning propellers behind and below was the only sound breaking the sound of the wind.

I stood alone on the upper deck, looking out over the dark jungle far below, lit only by the stars and moon. I could make out some glow from the cabins around the curve of the balloon, but it hardly mattered.

A sound behind me, a hoof against the metal mesh and I flicked an ear back before glancing over my shoulder to see Twilight or Midnight approaching from the hatch, wearing a pair of night goggles.

No, that's Twilight, her mane whipping in the wind was longer, she wore her mane longer than Midnight did.

I waited for her to get closer, looking back out over the forest gliding past below us again. Tonight. One more day and then we'll be back.

"Hey," Twilight said as she stopped next to me.

"Hey," I said and gave her a small smile, "Looking for me?"

She nodded, "Wonder if you were hungry, we're getting to lunch time."

"I'll be down in a bit."

She regarded me behind her goggles for a couple of moments, "Thinking?"

"It has been known to happen occasionally, Sparks," I said with a small smile, "Rarely, I admit, but it does happen."

"Thinking about?" she asked, "Nocturnis?"

I sighed softly, "The ponies there. How to calm things down, I understand the news of my incident made some of them quite a bit upset."

Twilight looked at me seriously, "Page, if it had been in Nocturnis, when Neighsay was identified he would never have reached the trial. He would have been mobbed by the general population, tied up and tossed outside the shield. Likely with his horn not blocked by a ring, but cut off like in the old days."

"Oh."

So quite upset.

Twilight pressed her side against mine, her feathers feeling hot compared to the wind, "...And I wouldn't have been far behind them," she then admitted, "When I saw him at the trial, I got so angry. I thought I was before, but... seeing him, I... if Midnight had not been right next to me to stop me, I may have done something."

"Sparks..." I said and slipped my wing across her back, hugging her close, "If it had been you, Sunset, Luna or Celestia, I would not have been able to be as restrained as you. You know where I'm from. My previous people can be... not nice when their loved ones are threatened."

She looked up at me, "Maybe so. But you are a pony, Page. A good pony."

"I'm not sure I am," I said quietly, uncertain if she could even hear me over the sound of the wind and propellers.

Sparks looked at me with worried eyes, "What do you mean?"

"Consider the things I have done in the past. Threatened to stab Sunset to get her to return to Equestria, exploded Tirek, tortured the Storm King. Manipulated ponies, likely ruined lives to get my way, even if it was because I thought it was for a good cause. I'm not sure any of those are the actions of a good pony."

Twilight regarded me for a long moment before opening her mouth to speak only to pause and motion me closer. I ducked my head-ow!

She bit my ear! And not just a nip as Luna does either! That hurt!

"Ow! You bit me!"

Twilight glared at me, "Saved Equestria, Saved Equestria, saved the bat ponies, saved the changelings, saved thousands upon thousands of ponies!" she yelled and poked my chest, "Saved my Kitten! I will not have anypony criticizing you about any of those, especially not you!"

"I think I might be bleeding!" I exclaimed, feeling my ear with a hoof.

"You're fine!" she snarled and stepped closer, forcing me to step back, "So you stop that right now, and I'm serious. You are a good pony and you are helping a lot of ponies. Everything you have done has been to help ponies! You put every bit you earn into doing it, you do a job you hate because it helps ponies and you are away from ponies you love because it helps ponies!"

I cringed, taking another step back, but she followed me right along, her nose almost pressing against mine.

"So you stop that right now! Would I be in love with a bad pony? An evil pony?"

"I-i… No, but..."

"Would Luna marry one?"

"No, I-"

"Would Celestia? Sunset?" she continued, taking another step forward, "Would the thestrals of Nocturnis follow a bad pony?"

I hesitated, "I mean, their anc-"

"Would Fluttershy? Pepper? Flower?" Twilight continued, cutting me off once more to stab my chest with her hoof, "So you be quiet and listen to me!"

I cringed again and glanced down at my hooves.

Twilight ducked down and met my eyes, "Are you listening?"

"...Yes, Sparks."

"Good," she said and stood up, using a hoof to guide my muzzle up until I looked into her eyes, "You, Page, are a good pony. A good Prince. Some things you have done, you and I both wish didn't have to be done. But they still had to be done. The world is not always a good place filled with nice creatures. And sometimes even good ponies have to do bad things to stop worse things from happening," she said before taking half a step forward and brushing her lips against mine, "And you, my bat, is a good pony."

I gave her a soft kiss back before I nodded, "Can I speak now?"

Twilight nodded.

"I would argue that you are somewhat biased," I told her gently before raising a hoof to forestall another assault, "But I may be beating myself up a bit too much about things. It's just that everypony is looking up to me, especially in Nocturnis. Like... like they think I have all the answers. And I don't and I know I will never measure up to what they think I am."

Twilight shook her head with a small sigh before rubbing her cheek against mine, "You don't have to. Just be you, it has worked pretty well so far."

"I guess," I admitted and then shook my head, "I'm just afraid to disappoint them. Disappoint you. Everypony puts so much trust in me and I want to live up to it."

Twilight smiled softly at me, "Do you know why?"

I shook my head and she smiled wider, reaching up to touch my cheek with her wing,

"Because you are a good pony, you stupid bat," she said and shifted around, pressing her side against mine as her wing rested across my back. I was a bit taller still, so she had to stretch a little for it.

I leaned softly against her side, burying my nose in her warm mane.

I still wasn't too sure about being a good pony, but maybe I could be a good Prince and... maybe that had to be enough.

Because thinking about the Neighsay incident and what followed... if things had been different and it had been one of my girls that were attacked... attacking me was one thing. But attacking somepony I loved...

I knew that if somepony hurt somepony I love, I would do bad things.