---
The two Royal Guards followed their Princess closely. They had been told they were being given a special assignment, but the details of it didn’t make sense. It almost seemed as though Her Majesty didn’t want the injured stallion’s recovery to go as swiftly as possible. Nevertheless, orders were orders, and neither of the guards that were posted outside the hospital room questioned them.
Once the soldiers had assumed their positions on either side of the door, and had been briefed in full, Celestia let herself into the room for a second visit.
Knight Sky was asleep, and Fluttershy remained on the bed beside him, her wing spread over his shivering body, and her hoof slowly and gently stroking his golden mane.
When she noticed the Princess, she made a move to get up, but Celestia held up a hoof. “Please, don’t stand. I only came to see how he was doing.”
As Fluttershy turned to nudge him awake, the alicorn stepped closer and said, “Let him rest. There’s no need to wake him.”
She nodded and replied, “He’s in a lot of pain because of his leg, and all that magic Chrysalis used on him hasn’t been making it any easier. The doctors are refusing to let Rainbow Dash donate any more blood for at least a day; they’re worried she’ll hurt herself, but she’s only worried about keeping him alive.”
“I wish I could say we’ve found a second donor, but I’ve already spoken to Blood Dancer. Rainbow Dash is the only resident of Ponyville with the proper blood type, and none of the soldiers currently staying here are a match either. Nevertheless, that is not the foremost danger at the moment,” Celestia explained.
“I know, his mind...”
The Solar Princess finished for her, “...could be lost to us any moment. Though we believe the beast won’t make its move until his body is fully recovered, Twilight Sparkle has made me aware of a certain...request of his. Are all six Element Bearers truly in agreement on this?”
“Yes. But we only agreed to it because we know we won’t have to do it.”
Celestia needed to tell her the final detail, but could not speak it aloud without the risk of him hearing it, and thus, the beast hearing it. She did not want to ask Fluttershy to leave his side either, so she nudged the yellow pegasus with her magic to get eye contact.
When Fluttershy looked at her, she mouthed the words, “Tomorrow at sunset.”
Her teal eyes widened just a bit in understanding, and she nodded.
Celestia turned and left, and as the door closed with a sharp snap, Knight Sky stirred from his sleep.
“Huh...? Who was here?” he asked sleepily.
“Princess Celestia wanted to see how you were doing. She just left,” Fluttershy answered.
“Agh, I slept through her whole visit?” he asked with a look of mild frustration.
Fluttershy gently patted his uninjured hoof. “It’s okay, she told me not to wake you. You don’t need to worry about that,” she quietly assured him.
Their eyes were drawn to the window by a flash of lightning and a soft rumble of thunder.
“Fluttershy, what is that?”
She looked at him, quite confused, until she remembered that he’d probably never even seen a storm before.
“That’s a thunderstorm, Knight Sky,” she replied.
“I’ve don’t remember ever reading about anything like that...can you tell me about it?”
She looked down into his icy blue eyes. They had such weight behind them. They were eyes that had seen the horrors of war, had fallen in love, and had seen tragedy beyond measure. Those eyes had seen evil, true evil, and yet there was nothing in them but sincerity.
She once again gently brushed a disheveled strand from his golden mane out of his eyes and began, “A thunderstorm is...um...” she struggled for a moment to find the words to describe something she’d known for all her life, “Well, there’s usually lots of rain and wind, and bright flashes of electricity from the sky that make really loud noises called thunder. Some ponies find them a little scary, but the rain is very good for growth and renewal.”
Knight Sky thought for a moment, “I imagine all that rain will wash away the blood from the battle.”
Another flash of lightning and rumbling of thunder added itself to the conversation, and slowly, they began to hear rain pattering against the glass.
Fluttershy looked out the window. The streets were illuminated only by the gas lamps, and in their glare she could see individual raindrops.
She sat deep in thought, wondering if this first storm would be the last that Knight Sky ever experienced. He had until tomorrow at sunset before his fate would be decided, and he didn’t even know.
“Fluttershy, what’s wrong?” he asked her. She looked back down to him from the window and noticed his eyes were full of worry.
She didn’t understand the question at first. “Huh?”
She then felt a tear drip from her cheek, and had her answer.
Fluttershy didn’t like lying, but in this case, the truth could kill, so she swallowed her discomfort. “Nothing’s wrong, I’m just worried for you. That’s all.”
She ignored his questioning stare, nuzzled him affectionately as another crack of thunder rumbled through the building, and did her best to hide her fears that this may be their last night together.
---
“They’re hiding something from you...”
The voice was back.
Yes, they are. And in doing so, hiding it from you.
He heard what almost seemed like a snort of derision from it. But within that was the first echo of doubt he’d heard from the beast.
“It doesn’t matter, for soon, I will take what is mine.”
For the first time, it was his turn to feel unafraid.
No, you will not.
It responded in kind, “I will. Before me, you are nothing.”
No, you are nothing. You are a scrap of memory, and memories can be forgotten.
If memories could growl in frustration, that is what Knight Sky heard.
---
The skies were steel grey and completely overcast, hiding the sun from view. Rain lashed down in heavy sheets and made the cobble streets slick and shiny.
Runoff from the town carried blood and dust alike away from homes and buildings. Every half minute or so, bright bolts of lightning smote the sky and ripped the air with a deafening crack of thunder.
It was well past noon, and six Element Bearers were convened in a basement room at Ponyville Medical. With them were Celestia and Luna, and a small contingent of Royal Guards commanded by none other than Captain Shining Armor.
Celestia addressed them all, “I trust you know the reason we’re here.”
She levitated up an ornate chest, and opened it, exposing the Elements of Harmony.
“Tonight at sunset, we are going to use what we’ve learned to drag the beast hiding in Knight Sky’s mind out prematurely.
We know that it is biding its time and can take his mind whenever it wishes, but my sister has learned that it can be forced out of hiding using his original name in a process I do not completely understand. Are there any questions?”
Fluttershy timidly asked, “Um...yes, Your Majesty. I was just wondering, um...why are there so many guards here?”
“You six have already agreed upon what may have to be done if we fail today. They are simply here as insurance. Along with the Elements.”
Rainbow Dash interjected, “With all due respect, Your Majesty, we’re wasting their time. Knight Sky’s gonna win this.”
Celestia looked to the blue pegasus, expecting to find her usual overly confident smirk, but instead saw nothing of the sort; with the life of a friend on the line, Rainbow Dash was all business.
She responded with a slight smile, “I appreciate your confidence, Rainbow Dash. Nevertheless, it is better to be cautious. Luna?”
Luna stepped forward to speak. “When the time comes tonight, I will use my powers to enter Knight Sky’s mind. There, I will do all I can to help him defeat his beast. I believe you should all know what I’ve deduced about it. This beast is Nightmare Moon reborn.”
All those in the room who had not known gasped in shock, and before any of them could speak again, Luna continued.
“Do you six remember the spell you used against her?”
She received frightened nods in response from the six Element Bearers, and Twilight asked, “Princess, I don’t understand. How is that possible? We destroyed Nightmare Moon.”
“Memories hold more power than you know, Twilight Sparkle. She lived on as a memory deep within my mind, and regained much of her power when she left my mind and merged with the beast already residing within Knight Sky’s. When we are finished however, if we do this correctly, she will not survive, not even as a memory.”
The unicorn nodded, satisfied for the moment. Celestia picked up the conversation again, “As of this moment, Knight Sky should be receiving a blood transfusion. When it is complete, he’ll be strong enough for us to do what must be done, but still too weak for Nightmare Moon to want to make her move. If we succeed...”
Luna interrupted her older sister, “When we succeed, sister.”
Celestia cleared her throat, “Correct, when we succeed in freeing Knight Sky, I’m going to need you, his closest friends, to be there for him. Being freed from Nightmare Moon was a very jarring experience for my sister, a thousand year-old alicorn. There is a possibility that the shock will overwhelm him. Will you be up to such a task?”
Fluttershy was the first to answer: “Of course we will.”
Despite her typical shy and timid demeanor, there was definite firmness in her voice.
The other five chimed in their agreement.
“Very well. Fluttershy, please return to him. When the transfusion is complete, the doctors upstairs will move him down here. You must keep him calm, and in the dark as it were, until he enters this room.” Celestia ordered.
“I understand.” Fluttershy replied, and she turned to leave.
---
Knight Sky awoke to a booming crash of thunder and his eyes snapped open to reveal Fluttershy coming back into the room from the hall. As well, he observed a nurse at his bedside administering a blood transfusion; the warm blood flowing into his veins was a strange sensation to say the least.
The nightmare was unsettling, but for the first time, it seemed the beast wasn’t entirely confident in itself. That in turn gave him some confidence.
Fluttershy hovered up onto his bed, and assumed her position beside him, with one of her yellow wings spread over him.
“How did you sleep?” she asked.
“It could have been worse. I didn’t expect to be able to sleep through this storm, but I’ve actually been finding the sound of the rain to be almost soothing.”
“That’s good, how does your leg feel?” she looked down to his bandaged and braced leg.
“It hurts pretty badly, but I guess that’s to be expected. Where did you just come from?” he asked her quizzically.
For a brief moment, Fluttershy almost revealed exactly where she was, but caught herself in time, and recovered swiftly, “I was just speaking with one of the doctors. He said you might be moved today since you’re not critical anymore.”
“Oh,” he looked thoughtfully to the window, where rain still splashed forcefully against the glass. “I suppose that makes sense.”
They sat for some time in silence, listening to the sounds of rain and thunder from outside, until the nurse finished up his transfusion, and left the two pegasi alone.
They spent the next few hours in casual conversation; all the while, Fluttershy waited for the doctors to come and move him downstairs. Though it weighed heavy on her mind, she was determined to keep his mind off of everything having to do with it.
Just before the time came, Fluttershy looked to the clock and saw that the hour of sunset was near.
That was when he said it, “If I make it through this, I think I’m going to do it. I think I’m going to take the captain’s offer, and teach strategy here. I want to build a life for myself here, and how better to do that than by helping to protect the citizens of this world?”
“What made you decide that you want to build a life here?” Fluttershy asked, one eye on the door.
Through his grey coat, she could see him blushing. She gave him her full attention.
“It’s because I...” he started.
“Yes?” she pressed, giving him a curious look.
The door burst open and Blood Dancer entered exuberantly, followed by a nurse. Fluttershy knew it was time, and hopped off the bed.
“Ah, hello, my favorite science experiment! I’ve come to move you to another room, Knight Sky. You don’t need critical care anymore, so off we go!”
The pair began wheeling his bed out the door.
“What? Where am I being moved?” he asked, surprised at the abruptness of it all.
“Where else? Non-critical care, my friend!” the doctor chimed.
He gave Fluttershy a helpless glance, and she trotted to keep up as the bed was rolled down corridor after corridor.
“Umm, doctor, I think we passed non-critical care already.” Knight Sky mentioned as they rounded a corner, long after they passed the corresponding sign on the wall.
“Oh, this hospital is so confusing. Almost a week here and I still haven’t gotten used to it! Not to worry!”
They rounded several corners, and Blood Dancer even magically levitated the bed, with Knight Sky in it, down a flight of stairs.
Before long, they reached a set of doors down in the basement, and Fluttershy spoke up.
“Doctor, please hold on a moment.”
Rather unexpectedly, Blood Dancer stopped, and stood aside at a respectful distance, as did the nurse. All this put Knight Sky at significant unease.
“Fluttershy, what’s going on?” he asked, his voice tinged with concern.
“Before you were moved, Knight Sky, you were about to say something, what was it?” she asked.
He blushed again, “Oh that. Well...I was going to say why I wanted to start a new life here...”
“And?”
He hesitated, and Fluttershy responded by grasping his uninjured hoof in her own, at which he simply let out a sigh, and spoke normally.
“I decided that I want to build a life here because...because I love you.”
The anxiety was plain in his eyes, Fluttershy simply grinned sincerely. She alleviated his anxiety by giving him a light peck on the forehead and saying, “I know you do. Now lets get you into your new room.”
She wheeled him into the room herself, smiling on the outside, and terrified on the inside that though Knight Sky was going into this room, he would not come out.
---
“What is this? What’s going on?”
Knight Sky looked about the room deep in confusion. Crowded into a rather large and atypical looking hospital room were the two alicorn sisters, the six ponies he’d learned to call his friends since arriving on this new planet, Captain Shining Armor, and four Royal Guards armed to the teeth with blades and spears.
Luna answered him, “It’s time, Knight Sky.”
It took him just a brief moment to determine what she meant, and his eyes widened in realization and fear. “No...I’m not ready for this. Why didn’t you tell me? I could have prepared myself. I’m not ready for another fight...not yet.”
“And that is precisely why we can wait no longer. You were not told because while telling you would have given you time to prepare, it would also have given the beast time to prepare. You are too weak right now for it to have any use for your body, but we can delay no further. The time is now,” Luna explained.
She then levitated what looked like six pieces of ornate jewelry out of a large chest. One for each of his six friends.
“What are those?” he asked nervously.
Twilight replied, “These are the Elements of Harmony. And we six are the Element Bearers. They are the most powerful magical items in existence, and can only be used by us six.”
“Why do you have them here?” he asked nervously.
“Because you made us promise not to let you hurt anypony if something went wrong today. That’s why we have the Elements, and that’s why there are guards here. But don't worry, we won't have to resort to that,"
Knight Sky looked to Luna, “What’s going to happen to me?”
“You will sleep, and you will fight. And I will see to it that it is you who wakes up, and not the beast. Knight Sky, do you still remember your original name?” the midnight blue alicorn asked.
“Yes, I remembered it during the battle. Why?”
“Element Bearers, prepare yourselves. Knight Sky, you will recall a face from your past as a human, the most prominent one you can remember. You will then speak your original name aloud. I will put you into a deep sleep, and we will fight alongside one another,” Luna explained.
The Element Bearers took up positions encircling the bed, and the four guards prepared their weapons.
“Stop.” Knight Sky said weakly, “Please, just stop for a moment...”
“We have precious little time to act, Knight Sky,” Luna retorted.
Fluttershy spoke for him, “Princess, can’t you see that he’s terrified?”
He sat up against the pain of his injuries, and took a few shaky breaths before saying, “Before we start...before I take this leap of faith that I might not come back from, I just want to say something.” He addressed the six Element Bearers, “Before I came here, I only ever had two friends. I had to see one destroyed before my very eyes, and listen to another say goodbye to me for the last time when I left on what I thought would be a suicide mission, and instead ended up here. After that, I swore to never make another friend, for I couldn’t stand the thought of going through that pain again.”
He looked around to see the kind faces around him, “But now I see that, despite that pain, having friends like you is worth it. You’ve shown me kindness that I could never have imagined, you’ve been loyal to me even when everypony else feared me, you generously welcomed me into your society without asking anything in return, you honestly wanted to be my friends despite the crimes my kind have committed, and you helped me do something I never thought I’d be able to do in my entire life: smile and laugh. Even if this doesn’t work, if this is goodbye, I just want to say thank you for letting me experience that. It’s a privilege that no human has had in nearly sixty years.”
“And thank you for being our friend, Knight Sky,” Twilight Sparkle began, “but now, it’s time for us to work a little magic.”
Rainbow Dash gave a confident grin and added, “We’re with ya to the end, buddy!”
“When this business is all taken care of, I do believe I owe you a few repairs on your uniform.” Rarity chimed in with a kind smile.
“And ya better work up an appetite, ‘cause tomorrow y’all are gettin’ another visit...Apple family style!” Applejack added with a tip of her Stetson.
“Aaaaand a party!!!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, conjuring a cloud of confetti from nowhere.
Fluttershy stepped forward, and whispered in his ear a few words that made his heart pound in his chest. He smiled at her, and then looked back to Luna.
“I’m ready.”
She stepped up to the bedside.
“Lay back, close your eyes, and picture the most prominent face you can remember from before you arrived here.”
He obeyed, “Alright, now what?”
“Now we free you. Speak your original name,” she commanded.
“I am Lieutenant Commander Daniel Tarian.”
Something snapped in his mind. His entire body tensed up, and he let out a bloodcurdling scream as Luna lowered her glowing horn to his forehead.
---