//------------------------------//
// Chapter 14: Embracing Tomorrow 
// Story: The Deepest Magic 
// by ChronicleStone 
//------------------------------//

Foalumbus
June 20, 9:17 AM

Sky watched as his family and friends left with the two royal guards in the direction of the fairgrounds.  Several times, he saw them look back his direction, but none more than Lily, Spike, and Twilight.  As they rounded a corner, all three of them kept their eyes on him until the last possible moment.  Then, as they finally passed from his view, he looked up at Celestia.  “What can I do for you, Princess?”
She smiled at him sympathetically.  “Don’t worry, Sky.  I’m not sending you on another mission.  Not today, at least.”
Sky let himself relax just a bit.  “Oh, good.  I’d much rather take a nap,” he yawned.
“Walk with me.”
They slowly began to walk the streets of Foalumbus.  They seemed unusually quiet to Sky, who attributed that to the likelihood that most ponies were resting from their night full of partying.  The town had changed so much since the time he had moved away, and yet, to his eyes, there was plenty that he remembered as being exactly the way they were now.
“So, my parents tell me that you kept them informed about me over the last nine months,” he said rather matter-of-factly.
“I certainly have,” she admitted.  “You may not have wanted them to worry about you, Sky, but your family has a right to know how you’re doing.  I took it upon myself to perform that duty until you came to understand it yourself.”
“Which I do now,” Sky finished the thought.  “Thank you for doing that.”
An uncomfortable silence ensued as the two ponies continued to walk the lonely streets of suburban Foalumbus.  The burning question in Sky’s mind was begging to be asked, but he didn’t want to be so forward with it.  However, the thought continued to eat at him until finally, he could stand it no longer.  “Princess?”
“Yes, Sky Streak?” she answered, looking at him without turning her head.
“Um…well, your speech this morning…uh…” he stammered.  Finally, he decided to throw caution to the wind and just ask the question.  “When you talked about starting ‘a new stage in life’ and ‘taking a new task,’ I couldn’t help but feel like those words were meant specifically for me.”
Celestia snorted in mild amusement.  “Sky, there were many ponies in the audience this morning, and I am certain that many of them could relate to the words I spoke there.  However,” she continued, turning her head full on to look Sky straight in the face, “you are correct.  I did mean those words for you.”
Sky nodded as he turned and looked up the street again.  “I thought so,” he quietly replied.
“Does that bother you?” Celestia asked.
“Maybe,” Sky admitted.  “I mean, I had just gotten comfortable.  My enemy is gone, I have friends and family who love me, and I have a job to do in Canterlot…I guess I just finally felt like I had a place I belonged.  A place I could rest and enjoy.  I had a home.”
“Sky Streak, Equestria is like a garden.  It does not grow well when left by itself.  It must be cultivated and watched over for any signs of trouble.  And it is nice to find your place within it, but you never truly get to put your hooves up and just leave it be.  And as for the rest of your concerns,” she added, “why should those change?  I do not think that advancing into the next stage of your life should mean that you lose your friends and family.”
Sky’s brow furrowed as he listened.  “Our roles in our lives may change, but that does not mean that we lose everything that we have worked for.  And when you think about it, do you really want to be ‘comfortable?’  Do you want to stop growing; to stop becoming a better pony?  To be comfortable is to be sedentary and unmoving.  Not changing and not growing.  And I think you are too valuable and special a pony to be like that.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Sky conceded.  “It’s just that…well, change is hard.  It’s not something that we usually want.”
“Spoken like a wise old sage of Equestria,” Celestia chuckled.  “Only he would finish the proverb: ‘Change is not what we want, but it is what we need.’  And remember, Sky, that your home is not a building, or even a place, but a mindset.  ‘Home is where the heart is,’ a very wise pony once said.  And Luna told you that wherever you take your feelings for your friends and family, they come along with you in spirit.  And that’s as much a home as anypony could ask for.”
“I understand,” Sky nodded.  “So, what is this next stage in my life?”
“For that,” stated Celestia, “you will need to go inside.”  She halted and raised her hoof in the direction of a modest-looking house.  An open front yard split in two by a solitary pathway leading to a small set of stairs before the front door greeted him.  A pair of windows upon its upper level stood on either side of the lower-level door.  Mere months ago, Sky had seen this same house in a terrible nightmare.  Then, it had been black and burnt, haunting and depressing at the same time.  Yet now, in the bright sunshine and the brilliant colors of summer, Sky looked on with satisfaction at this cheerful house.
“Heh,” he chuckled.  “Rather ironic that after our conversation about where home is, you bring me to my colthood home.”
“I have my reasons,” Celestia said cryptically.  “Shall we go in?”
Sky studied her closely.  It was obvious that she knew something, but what it was, he had no clue.  “Yeah, why don’t we do that?” he said slowly and deliberately.
As they ascended the stairs, Sky took in the sights and smells of this place he had left behind years ago.  No matter how far his journeys would take him, this house would always hold a special place for him.  Home may be where the heart is, but part of my heart will always dwell here.
Opening the door, Sky was surprised to see three ponies standing in the center of the living room, apparently awaiting he and Celestia.  At the head of the trio stood the all-too-familiar form of Princess Luna, whose charming smile made Sky’s knees go weak instantly.  And flanking her on either side…
“Hey!” Sky exclaimed.  “You two!  You’re the guards from the palace that have been following me!  Princess Celestia, what’s going…”
And suddenly, he remembered exactly where he had seen them before.
“You…you were the guards that were with Princess Luna that first night,” he said softly as the memory ran afresh through his brain.  “You were there, but…I just forgot, I guess.”
The white unicorn on the right looked to his counterpart and smiled.  “Told ya’,” he said in a mischievous tenor voice.  “Pay up.”
The forest green pony on the left merely rolled his eyes.  “Save it, Ace,” he said, sounding rather irritated.  “Now’s not the time.”
“Uh…Princess Celestia?” Sky asked, looking every bit as confused as he felt.
“Don’t mind them, Sky.  They had a friendly wager between them to see if you would remember them now.  Enough, boys,” Celestia said, causing the two guards to instantly clam up and turn back to attention.  “Luna, would you mind explaining?”
“Of course, sister,” Luna said with a nod.  “Sky, we’ve been keeping an eye on you ever since you first came to Canterlot.  I came to you on that night for many reasons.  But perhaps no reason more significant than the potential I saw in you.”
“Potential?” Sky echoed.
“When we first met, you were still so young and…well, immature, if I may.  You had much to learn about life.  But I saw it in your eyes: that fire, that spark of determination that burned within you.  You may have been immature, but I also saw that you had the ability to grow into a truly great pony.”
Sky blushed as he heard the Princess describe him.  “Aw, well…” he stammered.
“And now that we stand here, I see that you have truly blossomed into the pony we believed you could be,” continued Luna.  “You embody the heart, courage, determination, and devotion that would befit any hero.  And you used those traits to overcome your personal darkness, and, in doing so, saved Equestria from an uncertain fate.”
“But in your victory over the Chimera,” Celestia took over, “you proved that you were ready for your next challenge.  And now, we want to present you with the opportunity to accept that challenge.”
Sky shivered as Celestia spoke.  “You make it sound like it’s something huge and intimidating.”
“If it is, then understand that we believe that you are ready and able to face it,” Luna replied.
“Well,” Sky said, mustering up his courage, “don’t keep me in the dark.  What is this ‘new challenge’?”
“You mean you haven’t figured it out yet?” the white unicorn asked, looking a bit surprised, though he continued to wear that mischievous smile like it was a permanent fixture on his face.  “You know what it is, even if you don’t realize it.”
Sky quickly ran through all of the dangerous jobs he could remember hearing of in his journeys, from spies to infiltrators, but nothing that really stuck out to him as something he would be cut out for.  He shrugged.  “I’d say Wonderbolt, but you two don’t look like the flying types.”
The unicorn brought his hoof to his face as his companion smiled triumphantly.  “I guess you owe me now, hm?”
“Stow it, Scope,” Ace replied sourly.
“Another bet, huh?” the pegasus asked.
Scope ignored the remark as he turned his attention back to Sky.  “Do you remember walking the halls of the palace back in late March with your yellow pegasus friend?  How you came to that mysterious door that you couldn’t enter?”
Sky’s memories flared to life as he recalled the event.  “Yeah…why?”
“The rumors about what lay beyond that door say that some secret society of ponies dwell there, performing the most critical and secretive tasks for the Council.  No pony knows who they are or where they come from, but they say that it is by their vigilance that the peace of Equestria is maintained.”
Sky raised an eyebrow suspiciously.  “You seem to know more than the rumors would indicate,” he observed.
“That’s because the rumors are true.”
“Oh, really?  Then if the rumors are true, then why do you let them continue?  If everything’s so hush-hush, why let everypony so close to the truth?” Sky challenged.
A light flared in Scope’s eyes for a split second.  “Because even you have to admit that there’s no faster way to draw attention to something than by trying to silence those that talk about it.”
“You see, Sky,” Celestia began from beside him, “even Equestria has its secrets.  Many years ago, I instituted a special group of ponies—six of each race—to work undercover to uphold the law in Equestria and suppress any threats to its bliss.  They were named the Alicorn Guard, and they were tasked with secretly keeping the peace throughout the empire.  And granted, many things, such as the Chimera, still slip through.  However, it is by their vigilance that most threats against the empire are kept at bay.”
“Hold on,” Sky said, raising a hoof.  “You mean to tell me that this group of eighteen ponies is responsible for protecting the entirety of Equestria?”
“I do,” Celestia nodded.  “And you have a great deal in common with them.”
“How’s that?” Sky asked.
There was a moment of silence before Celestia spoke again.  “Sky Streak, I must apologize to you,” she said, letting her head fall.  “After your first battle with the Chimera, I told you that my knowledge of the phenomenon of a pegasus being able to use magic was extremely limited.  Which was true.  But I’m afraid that I may have misled you with that, because you are not the only non-unicorn in Equestria that can use magic.”
Sky became suddenly deadpan, unable to display any emotion.  “What?”
“After Night Mare Moon was imprisoned on the moon, I lost the ability to use the Elements of Harmony.  When I decided to form this new society, I wanted it to act as a sort of filler for the lost magic of the Elements of Harmony, until a pony—or ponies, as it would turn out—would arise capable of wielding them again.  And so, with that in mind, I found a way to connect the ability to use magic with certain emotions within the ponies of the society.”
“But wait,” Sky interrupted.  “You told me that you didn’t know of any time something like this had happened!  If you had been doing this for years, then how could you say such a thing?”
Luna cleared her throat.  “Actually, I told you that there was no recorded evidence of it.  Which there isn’t.”  She sighed before continuing.  “But truth be told and technicalities aside, your magic is truly unique.  The ponies that my sister managed to imbue were given magic through artificial methods.  However, your magic was something special: forged in the fires of adversity, it flared to life when you exemplified something truly worthy of magic.  You stood up for your friends in the face of overwhelming odds, determined to save those you cared about.  And with a little nudge from Twilight, that magic didn’t just enter into you: it became yours.  It belongs to you, in the strictest sense of the word.  And that is more potent than any kind of magic my sister or I could give away.”
“You’re one of a kind, kid,” Ace said, apparently over his pouting session.
“Just—just wait a second,” Sky replied, bringing his hoof to his temple.  All in all, he thought he had taken all this new information rather well.  But even he had a limit as to what he could handle.  “So this organization has six unicorns, six earth ponies, and six pegasi, and all of them are able to use magic?”
“That’s right,” Celestia replied simply.
“And out of all of the typically non-magical ponies, I’m the only one whose magic is…well, not natural, but not induced?”
“Yes.”
“And what would being a part of this organization involve?”
“You would be teamed up with Ace and Scope here as the third member of their team,” Celestia explained.  “And your duties would remain much the same as they have been for you in the Service.  It will fall to you to protect Equestria wherever you may be needed.  And that may occasionally take you beyond its borders.  You would be asked to watch, observe, follow, take action, and sometimes, fight.  You would be a silent guardian of Equestria.”
“I see.  But why not approach me about this before?  Wouldn’t these other ponies have been useful against the Chimera?”
“There are two answers to your question, Sky Streak,” Luna responded.  “Firstly, the Chimera was your foe.  You needed to prove to us that you could overcome that trial in order for us to consider you for this.  And secondly, you needed to learn your one great lesson: that others are there for you.  Being a part of the Alicorn Guard requires that one understands the value of teamwork.  And in your final victory, you showed that you at last understood the power that comes from working with your friends.”
Sky contemplated her words for a moment.  While they made sense, the royal siblings were making him sound a lot better than he really felt.  “I thought you said there were only eighteen ponies in this…Alicorn Guard…at a time,” Sky objected.  “Wouldn’t I make nineteen?”
“Our sixth pegasus retired shortly after the Changeling invasion,” Scope replied.  “We’ve been looking for a replacement for some time now.”
Sky cast a suspicious look at Princess Luna.  “Might that have been another reason you came to me that night?”
“Yes,” Luna admitted.  “But if I had not thought you were capable of filling that role, I would not have come to you.  You’ve proven me right in that belief.”
“So, Sky Streak,” Celestia began, slowly walking forward to stand beside her sister, “will you accept this offer?  The Alicorn Guard will be a challenge to you.  It will be difficult, and you cannot reveal its existence to anypony, under any circumstances.  But the entire Council agrees with me that you are the pegasus fit for the job.”
Sky was silent for a long time.  Inwardly, he thought about his friends: Lily, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Spike, and all the others.  He thought about his family.  Could he keep such a secret from them?  Could he live up to their expectation of him?
“Please say yes,” Ace begged.  “Scope and I have been relegated to guard duty until we could find a third member for our team.”
“What about my friends?” he asked at last.  “Will I still be able to see them?”
“Of course,” Luna replied.  “To them, nothing will have changed.  Only you will know about the Guard.  They will still assume that you are merely in the Service.”
“Remember, Sky, your friends are what make you strong.  We would not separate you from them,” Celestia reminded him.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, releasing it slowly.  “I never would have imagined something like this,” he said quietly.  “Not in my wildest dreams.”  His eyelids opened, and his blue eyes glowed with intensity.  “But I have no reason not to trust the Council.  And if they believe that I can do this, then I trust their judgment.”
“So you accept?” Luna asked, somewhat excitedly.
He took another deep breath before answering.  “Yes.”
“Then kneel, Sky Streak,” Celestia said, stepping forward.
He bowed his head as he fell to three knees.  He felt the two horns of the alicorn sisters rest upon his shoulders as Celestia spoke.  “Then as the head of the Royal Equestrian Council and Princess of the Sun, I appoint you to the Alicorn Guard.  You must never reveal the secrets or existence of the Guard to anypony.  You vow to uphold the law of Equestria and strive to protect it in every action you take.  The ponies of this land may never thank you for your service to your face, but their bliss is your reward.  Now, rise, Sky Streak of the Alicorn Guard.”  With that, he felt the horns lift from him.  He looked into the eyes of the princesses as he rose to his hooves.
“And welcome to the next stage of your life.”
Sky looked around curiously for a moment.  “So…now what?”
Ace and Scope looked at each other as Luna stepped forward.  “Now, you live your life.  Be with your friends.  Strengthen your bonds with those you love.  It will make you strong when you need to be away from them.”
“And prepare for the day when we’ll call you,” Ace said.  “It’ll probably be soon.”
“How soon?” Sky asked.
“No telling,” Ace replied with a wink.  “We’ll try to give you a heads-up of at least an hour.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“Your friends and family will be here soon,” Celestia said as she passed him, opening the front door and walking through.  “Remember that you cannot tell them about the Guard.  And Sky?”
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Thank you.  You continue to impress me with your willingness to serve.  And even if most ponies will never know everything you will do for them, remember that that does not diminish their own gratefulness at all.”  With that, she watched as Luna, Ace, and Scope all descended the stairs.  As they started down the street, the princesses looked back at him one last time and lowered their heads in an appreciative bow.  Celestia’s horn lit up, and the door closed in front of him.
Sky stared blankly at the door for a few minutes.  Well, that was quick.
He slowly recovered his bearings and began wandering around the house, reminiscing about the days of his colthood.  He had spent years in this house, learning every nook and cranny from which to jump out and scare his unsuspecting sister.  He had performed stunts by flying around the house, through rooms and between rafters.  His sister had tussled with him across these floors, and many of the rugs still showed signs of the abuse they had suffered at the hooves of the siblings.
As he strolled through the house, he saw pictures of himself as a colt.  There was one of him at flight school, where he graduated on the honor roll.  He saw another with Fluttershy, himself, and several of their classmates, posing for a school picture.  And there was another of himself and his old best friend from Cloudsdale, Punch Line.
As his walk down memory lane continued, he ascended the stairs to the second level and noticed a sign on a closed door that surprised him.  It read, “Sky’s Room.”  And as he opened the door, he staggered from the memories that mobbed his brain all at once.
There was the same bed he had slept in for years, still with those amazing Wonderbolt covers.  His old bookshelf still sat opposite the room, situated against an otherwise bare wall, loaded with books.  There were some schoolbooks, but most of them were novels about Daring Do or stories about some of Equestria’s great fliers.  There was a rather large tome entitled “Legends and Myths of Equestria,” which he pulled from the shelf and dusted off before opening it.  Flipping through it, he saw many things that made him smile.  He read about some of the supposed “myths” of Equestria, including Night Mare Moon and the Elements of Harmony.  I think this book is in need of some serious revisioning.
The sound of a door opening, followed by many voices, caused him to retreat from the room to the top of the stairs, where he saw his family and friends entering the house, each looking like they were either ready for a nap or had just awakened from one.
Lily was the first to see him.  “So, Sky, what did Princess Celestia want?”
He cleared his throat as he spread his wings and floated over the stairs to the lower level.  “Oh, she wanted to talk about the past few months and about expanding my current responsibilities within the Service.”
“Oh, that’s great, sweetie,” Feather Wisp replied, leaning over and giving her son a kiss on the forehead.  “It’s nice to be recognized for your hard work.”
“Yeah.”  He stretched, suddenly aware that he was just as tired as they probably were.  “Well, did you guys get any rest?”
“Not really,” Rainbow said, looking like she was ready to conk out right where she stood.  “We were all too curious about what you were doing to really get any sleep.”
“Oh.  Well, don’t worry about it.  I’m still the same pegasus.  Just might be doing a bit more for the Council in the future.”
“Well, I think we should all get some rest,” Rarity said, wandering over to the nearby couch and positioning herself comfortably.  “We all need our beauty sleep.”
“Speak for yourself,” Midnight quipped.
They all laughed for a few seconds before spreading throughout the house, each one finding a comfortable place to curl up in.  Pretty soon, the sound of gentle sleeping (and Rainbow’s snoring) filled the house.
Sky had retreated with Lily to his room again and was slow to fall to sleep.  He was intrigued by the book of myths he had found, and Lily seemed determined to remain awake for as long as he was.  Finally, when Sky seemed to have reached a stopping point, Lily spoke up.
“Sky, was that really all that Princess Celestia asked you?  To take on more responsibilities in the Service?”
He put on a good face for her.  “Pretty much, yeah.”
“That wasn’t a straightforward ‘yes’.”
Sky furrowed his brow and sighed.  “Lily, please don’t press this.  I’ve told you what I can honestly say.  Having to say any more would force me to break a promise.”
She seemed taken aback by Sky’s admission, but nodded at last.  “Just one last question, then.”
“Shoot.”
“What would you say that Celestia asked you to do?”
“What would I say?  Hmm…”  He gazed around the room while Lily’s words rattled around in his head.  As he saw the books on his shelf and the covers on his bed, he heard the words of the Solar Princess from earlier that morning:
Yesterday has passed; the dawn brings something new and fresh.  But the hope of the sunrise comes to them, as well.  It is a hope and belief that whatever life brings their way, they will meet it with purpose and determination.
“She asked me to move on to a new phase of my life,” Sky said, looking satisfied with his answer.
“Oh, did she?”  Lily’s eyes were suspicious, but she kept her thoughts to herself.  “Anything else?”
“She asked me to bring you along—all of my friends and family—on my new journey.  Wanna come along?”
Lily laughed as she placed her head against his.  “Of course.”  They yawned in unison as they finally succumbed to the allure of sleep.  “Let’s face it; you wouldn’t have it any other way.”