Royal Library, Canterlot Palace
April 15, 3:33 PM
“Ah, Sky Streak, you are here,” Princess Celestia said as she turned the corner around a row of shelves, spotting the pegasus. He was reclined on the floor, staring intently into an open book. While she did not recognize the tome immediately, the look of the pages allowed her to glean that it was more than likely a history book of some sort.
Sky looked up for just a moment before hopping to his hooves and bowing respectfully. “Princess Celestia,” he said with his head to the floor. “Were you looking for me?”
“I had not planned on looking for you, but I thought I saw you come this way, and I thought I would see what you were up to.”
Sky straightened up and looked at the princess skeptically. “For being a princess, it seems to me that your number one priority is to keep an eye on me.”
Celestia returned his scrutinizing gaze. “You’ve shown a certain penchant for getting into trouble,” she countered. “I like to think that if I do make you a priority, my right to do so is well-founded.”
She saw him swallow nervously. “Well…I guess you’ve got me there.”
A quick glimmer of light reflected from the short blue scarf draped around his neck. Looking closer, she found that two small brooches now adorned his beloved accessory, one green and white in the shape of a flower, while the other…
“Those are new,” she said, gesturing to the pair of brooches.
Sky looked down and broke into a wide grin. “Oh, these? Lily made these for me. She gave them to me earlier today as a birthday gift, even though it’s not for another month. I suppose you can identify the designs?”
“I think I can,” Celestia answered. “Well, one for certain. I suppose the other is Lily’s cutie mark?”
“Yup. I had to run home to clean this thing so I could show them off,” he said, tugging at his wrap. Suddenly, his smile faded as his head rose and his eyes locked with those of the princess. “Oh, and I noticed something while I was walking with Lily earlier.”
Celestia raised her eyebrows expectantly. “And what was that?”
“You’ve apparently made Lily’s well-being more of a priority than I thought you had. I counted at least four guard ponies that were watching us rather intently. Three pegasi playing tag and a street vendor. Did I miss any?”
“I’m not telling,” she replied with a smirk. “But I’m glad you noticed them. It shows that you’re being observant of your surroundings.”
“Well, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way,” Sky said, sitting back on his haunches and turning the page in his book, “what can I do for you?”
“You’ve come back to the palace even after your shift ended. I wondered what reason you could have had for returning.”
“Oh.” Sky looked down to the book again, and Celestia followed his gaze. A lone picture depicted the legendary conflict between Celestia and Nightmare Moon a millennium ago. She frowned as the memories once again moved in her heart, stinging her eyes and causing her breath to come faster and shorter.
One thousand years or one million, it’ll never be long enough to make me forget the pain of what I did. “Reading up on the history of Equestria? I would have thought you’d have had enough of that,” she replied, forcing her face to brighten again.
“Well, yes and no,” the pegasus answered. “I’m not so interested in the past as I am the present, but I need to investigate the past to get what I’m after.”
“Meaning?”
“See, we know that Storm Emblem was pardoned and lived out his days in peace, right?” Sky began. “The problem is that we don’t know what happened after that. I want to help Princess Luna, and I figure one way to do that is to show her what became of Storm Emblem’s family. If she sees that his family prospered and is living well in Equestria, it may cause her to feel better.”
Celestia looked at Sky sympathetically. “I appreciate what you’re doing, Sky, but Luna said herself that she feels regret on behalf of all the ponies of that time, not just Storm Emblem.”
Sky nodded. “I know, but I have to start somewhere. And Storm Emblem was the only pony she mentioned by name, so I have to start there.”
She felt her jaw loosen and drop slightly in surprise. “Are you going to try and trace the lineage of every pony from that time?”
Sky looked up again, his eyes set in a look of sheer determination. “Princess Celestia, you let me see into your memory and feel the pain of regret from the past thousand years. I’ve never felt anything as heart-wrenching as that, but even then, you told me that Luna was unlike you in that she hadn’t been able to move past her mistakes. Which means that what she feels must be even worse than what you feel. And I can’t imagine that.” His hoof hit the floor and his voice began to quake as his emotions began to boil. “And I don’t want her to have to bear that weight any longer. And if it takes that much to free her from the burden of her past, then I’ll do it!”
Celestia found herself taken aback by Sky’s sudden outburst, though, to be fair, so was he. “Oh, um…sorry. Guess I got a little worked up there, huh?” he said, looking suddenly ashamed.
“Don’t be sorry!” Celestia said, placing a hoof on the pegasus’ shoulder. “That was eloquently said, but more than that is just how much you obviously care for my sister’s well-being. And I think she knows that. Your loyalty and love for her has done much already. However,” she continued, drawing back her leg, “you were correct when you said that her weight is more than mine. I feel guilt for my response, but she feels it because it was her action that started the whole situation.”
Celestia sighed as she looked out an open window. “Or so she believes.”
Sky suddenly looked surprised. “Princess?”
“There were many things that could have been done to avoid that tragedy,” Celestia explained, letting her eyelids fall. “The rise of Nightmare Moon was simply the culmination of much apathy and disregard for others. And Luna does not bear the weight of responsibility alone. She is simply the easiest pony to blame. I wish it were not so.”
“I think, Your Highness, that Luna does bear the responsibility alone.” Then, seeing the appalled look on the Princess’ face, he quickly continued. “And that’s because the only one that feels compelled to blame somepony is herself.”
“Ah,” Celestia said, calming herself. “I would agree with you about that.”
“And that brings me here. I don’t need to convince any other pony about Princess Luna’s redemption. Just her.” He looked back down to his book with an air of sadness. “I just wish there was more I could do than sit in a library and look for genealogies of ponies from a thousand years ago.”
“I wish I knew of something you could do, Sky,” Celestia said. She understood his emotions better than perhaps even he did: she had been dealing with them for the last thousand years. “But there is no simple, direct solution. The problem exists solely within Luna’s mind. And only she can make the decision to move past it. All we can do is encourage her and be there for her.”
She barely heard Sky mumble his assent. “Well, I probably have a mountain of things to do, and the last thing you need is to have me standing here distracting you, so I’ll leave you to your research,” she said with a smile that didn’t feel as sincere as she wanted.
Sky remained silent as he bowed again. As she turned to go, Celestia cast one last sympathetic at the young pegasus. He willingly subjects himself to sharing the burdens of others just to show that they don’t carry those burdens alone. I only hope that he never has to face a time when he must carry a similar burden by himself. I dare not imagine what it might do to him.
When Sky raised his head, the princess was gone. It’s obvious she’s worried about me. Why else would she spend so much time and effort looking after my well-being?
He gazed down to the book lying open at his hooves. None of his research had pulled up anything on the genealogy of Storm Emblem. Though, to be fair, he hadn’t really expected anything. Genealogies weren’t necessarily something that were outlined in standard history books, but they might have an occasional reference to a descendant, which would have been more than he had to go on yet.
But no matter where he looked, he could find no reference to Storm Emblem or any trace of his lineage. It was as though he merely faded into obscurity in the wake of the rebellion, and his descendants saw no reason to rock the boat. He didn’t have to go and drop off the map entirely, Sky grumbled in his head. He’s made this harder than it should be.
A sudden breeze blew in a nearby window, brushing across his face and mussing his mane. The sky was clear and bright, and he could hear the birds singing from far below in the palace courtyard. You know, maybe a short flight might do me some good. Clear my head a little.
A short while later, Sky found himself sitting peacefully on a ring of clouds just above the pinnacle of the mountain. The cloud formation had achieved somewhat of a celebrity status over the years, and was almost as recognizable now as the mountain itself, having earned the nickname of the “Crown of the Mountain.”
But to Sky, it was simply an available perch for him to use as he stared out over the sprawling land of Equestria. The Crown had become one of his favorite lookout spots; a prime location to just get away from everypony and just relax. He often came to empty his mind or catch a quick nap. Because no bed in all of Equestria is as comfortable as a cloud.
He absently stared out toward the horizon, taking in the view. “There’s so much to this land,” he mumbled to himself. “So much history, so much life…just look at it all.”
“That’s a bit more philosophical than I’m used to hearing from you, Blitz.”
Hearing another voice (not to mention the use of his code name) caused him to whirl on the spot to identify its owner. He quickly spotted a familiar pink pegasus with a pale violet mane sitting nearby, eyeing him curiously. It didn’t take but a split second for him to recognize the form of his commanding pegasus from the Alicorn Guard, second only to Nighthawk himself. “Oh, hey Razor,” he said to the mare. “I didn’t hear you come up behind me.”
“That’s because I was already here when you showed up,” she explained. “You’re not the only one who’s fond of using the Crown as a spot to relax.”
“Ah, sorry,” he said, wondering how long she had been sitting there, listening to whatever mumblings had been loud enough for her to understand. “Hope I didn’t interrupt a nap or anything.”
The corners of her mouth seemed to tighten in the beginnings of a smile, but she made no other expressions. “Not at all. But if I may, you seem like you’ve had a lot on your mind recently. Is everything alright?”
He sighed. Even if I could keep a secret, I can’t hide my emotions, it would seem, he moaned to himself. “Is it that obvious?”
Razor shook her head as she stood and walked over to where Sky was, causing the cloud to shift and fragment beneath her hooves. “I don’t think so; I just see you up here, and you tend to sigh and mumble things about trying to make things right for somepony.”
Sky arched an eyebrow. “You been spying on me?”
“No, you just seem to always come up here after I’ve already arrived,” she replied, smiling in earnest as she spoke.
He was tempted to ask why she had never let him know that she was there, but somehow, he felt it was a moot point. “Well, no sense in trying to hide it. Yeah, I’m trying to help another pony deal with some mistakes she made in the past,” he said, turning back to the edge of the cloud and sitting back on his haunches again. “She’s having trouble forgiving herself, and I want to help her move on and see that the only one that’s holding her back is herself.”
He caught the look she gave him, which led him to believe that perhaps she had read between the lines and understood more than he had actually said. But if that was the case, she didn’t let on. “You don’t mean Lily?” she asked.
He snorted. “No, as far as I know, Lily doesn’t have any skeletons in her closet. This is another…” He searched for an adequate description for his relationship with Princess Luna. “…close friend of mine,” he managed at last.
“I see,” she said as she took a seat beside him. “You must be quite devoted to her, then. Does Lily know about this?”
“Of course,” Sky replied. “She’s a mutual friend.”
“Well, that’s good. You and Lily have a beautiful relationship…I know plenty of couples out there that would be jealous of what the two of you have,” Razor responded.
“Uh…” Sky stammered, feeling his cheeks flush as he suddenly felt that the conversation had taken an awkward turn. “Is this really what you wanted to talk about?”
“Oh, sorry,” Razor responded, “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.” She flicked a lock of her mane dangling in the breeze. “I’ve just been in the Guard long enough to know how lonely it can feel. You can’t tell anypony what you’re really up to, you’re living a double life, and it can just seem like you’re all by yourself. You’ve been in the Guard for coming up on a year now, and I remember having a sort of emotional breakdown about that time. I just wanted you to know that if you ever need to talk, we’re all here for you. We’re about the only ones that can really say that we understand how you feel.”
“I appreciate that,” Sky began, “but I think I’m alright.” He turned back to the view before them and took a breath. But when he spoke again, his voice seemed to linger in his ears, like a song stuck in his head. “It’s the life we lead. Trading pleasure for pain, leading a thankless, lonely life, defending this land we love as much as ourselves. No one knows everything we do, and maybe someday we’ll end up as legends fit for stories and fairy tales, but we’re only heroes after we’re gone.”
Razor blinked as she looked at him, apparently surprised by Sky’s unusually deep analysis of their existence, and perhaps the change in his voice. And yet, in spite of the stoic nature of his words, he smiled broadly and his eyes seemed to brighten as the words flowed out, as if the thoughts of his heart came without his mouth’s consent. “But you know, I don’t care about that. If I wanted to be recognized, I would have picked a different path for my life. I’m here because I chose to be here: helping ponies and making sure that their lives are full of joy, thanks in part to what I’m able to do on their behalf. I have friends and family that love me, and whether or not they know everything I do for them, that’s enough to keep me going. If Equestria deems me worthy enough to be honored in the future, then I hope that it’s because I was an example of a humble pony that put others first and cherished my relationships with those around me enough to defend them with my life.”
Silence prevailed for several minutes as Razor searched for something appropriate to say. Finally, she said the only thing that came to her mind. “That sounds rehearsed.”
Sky chuckled. “Maybe a little,” he admitted. “But it’s how I really feel. If nopony remembers me, so be it. If Equestria endures because of my actions, that is my legacy. And that’s really all I could ask for.”
Razor shook her head. “You know, Blitz, I don’t know if I’ve ever met a pony like you. You care so little for yourself. You only see the needs of others.”
“Nah, I care plenty about myself. But if it appears that I care more for others than for myself…well, that’s what I’m going for.”
“You’re doing well,” she replied.
Inwardly, he felt a strong sense of pride well up in his chest. However, in the back of his mind, a warning siren went off. Don’t feel too good about yourself, it seemed to say. You know perfectly well that you have a long way to go, too.
“So, what do you do when you come up here?” Sky asked, suddenly eager to change the topic.
“Well, sometimes I come up here for flight practice,” she answered. She gestured with her hoof as she spoke. “The drafts are nice up here; perfect for practicing my ability to manipulate air currents.”
“That makes sense,” Sky nodded. When he had first been introduced to her, Sky had been surprised to hear that her magic was used to direct wind currents in specific ways. However, after seeing a demonstration of her skills, he ceased to question her abilities. She had honed her magic to the point of being able to saw through entire tree limbs with the wind from her wake. He had also seen her carry another pony simply on her self-generated updrafts.
“But today,” she continued, interrupting Sky’s thoughts, “I just wanted to come up here and think.”
“Sorry I had to come and cut into that,” he apologized.
“Don’t be,” she replied. “You’ve given me plenty to think about.”
“Well, don’t be a thought hog,” he said with a smirk. “What’s on your mind?”
“Oh, just thinking about my family and my future,” she replied. “I know I won’t be a part of the Guard forever, and I just wonder what I’ll do when my time here ends.”
“Seems like kind of a gloomy subject,” Sky commented.
“Maybe a bit,” she conceded, “but nothing lasts forever. It’s just an understanding of how time changes things. It happens every moment. I wasn’t always in the Guard, and you weren’t always a magically gifted pegasus. We change. Every second molds us into something new. It’s just up to us to make sure that those changes are for the better.”
Sky snorted. “Now who’s sounding philosophical?”
They simultaneously broke out into a fit of laughter that flew freely into the open skies around them. As they regained their composure, Razor stood up and stretched her wings. “Well, I think I’ll leave you to your thoughts. I have a few errands to run. I’ll catch you later, Blitz.”
“See ya’,” he called as he watched her dive off the cloud into the gentle breeze towards Canterlot. He took a moment to stare down upon the royal city. Most ponies never got the opportunity to see Canterlot from above. From here, the tall spires were nothing more than large dots that clustered in certain locations within the city. Many small dots peppered the eastern edge of the city, while the more robust buildings dominated the northwest corner: Canterlot Palace.
As he stared at the city, he heaved a sigh. So much to think about. Princess Luna, Lily, the Guard, the Chimera’s warning…I feel like I need a nap.
Almost instantly, as though body reacted to his thoughts, his eyes became heavy and started to close while his legs relaxed, bringing him into a prone position. Finally, his mind became numb as he succumbed to the welcome embrace of sleep.