//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: Broken Skies // Story: Oathbound // by ChronicleStone //------------------------------// Canterlot Palace April 27, 12:02 PM Why? Why, sister, why now?! Luna galloped through the hallways of the palace, flanked on either side by her faithful guards. The truth was evident: she knew all too well the aura of Sky Streak’s magic, but that was not what concerned her. No, she knew the other magic, as well. It could have been none other than Nighthawk, the commanding pegasus of the Alicorn Guard. And yet, she could not shake the feeling that while it was definitely Nighthawk, it was also certainly not him. At least, not as she had known him. The magic felt familiar to a degree, but it also felt…twisted. Dark and menacing in a way that made her shudder. It felt cold and black. It felt like… No, she thought. I must not dwell on her. I must focus on the here and now, not the past. “Night Crest!” she called to the guard on her right. “Set up a perimeter around the palace immediately! You have direct authority over all guards, on duty or off! Hurry!” “At once, Your Highness!” the pegasus replied promptly. He took to the air and slipped through a conveniently open window, diving to the lower levels to gather reinforcements. “Redeye, stay with me!” Luna commanded to her lone follower. “We must get to the north wing as quickly as possible!” “The north wing?” Redeye managed between heavy breaths. “But that’s just a dead end, isn’t it?” “Just follow me!” Luna insisted. “O-of course, Princess!” They rounded a corner at full speed, and while Luna gracefully navigated the turn, the carpet gave way under Redeye, sliding out from under his hooves and sending him crashing into the wall. Luna hesitated for just a moment to ensure he was alright. And in that instant, her consciousness exploded. It was like being electrocuted and roasted at the same time. A magical shockwave unlike anything she had ever felt before. Even the Elements of Harmony, in spite of all their power, had not exhibited a force as expressly violent as this. She brought a hoof to her temple as she struggled to maintain control of her senses. With one open eye, she squinted while looking out an open window, where she saw an amazing sight: a bolt of lightning split the sky, landing a strike in the seemingly open air above the city. And from the impact area, a sudden ball of orange flame had blossomed like an eruption of some sort. In spite of the pain in her head, she could not help but be spellbound by the scene. She gradually opened her other eye and began to stagger closer to the window. As she looked on, the wave passed, and the pain subsided, but the magical presence of Nighthawk and Sky Streak were as apparent as ever. This was no mere spar. This was a duel…possibly to the death. An agonized groan grabbed her attention. She whipped her head towards the sound to see Redeye, fighting in vain to get to his hooves. In addition to his crash, the magic blast had probably knocked him clean out, and only now was he regaining consciousness. She walked over to him and pulled him to a sitting position. “Ugh…ow. Princess, what was that?” Luna shook her head. “I am not entirely certain. But whatever it is, I fear that it is just the beginning of something terrible.” “Like…like the changeling invasion?” Redeye asked, still grimacing and shaking his head. “No, not an invasion.” Luna looked back down the hallway. At the very end stood a doorway. A sealed doorway that nopony could pass. A forcefield covered the entrance, barring entry to all but those that knew its secret. “I fear that it could be something much, much worse.” He had long dreamed of the day he could fly alongside his teacher above the sprawling metropolis of Canterlot. He had longed for the thrilling sensation of weaving and winding around the towering spires of the city, observing and learning from his mentor, improving his skills and adding to his repertoire of talents. He had believed that in spite of all of his teacher’s cutting remarks and relentless criticism, nothing would ruin that moment. But this was not at all what he had envisioned. Instead of having the privilege of flying side-by-side with the single greatest flier he had ever seen, he was forced into engaging said flier in battle over the city. And not just any battle, oh no. This was a grudge match if ever there was one. Nighthawk hadn’t just betrayed Equestria; he had used a monster to attack Sky, his family, his friends, and threatened to destroy everything he cared about. Everything Sky had ever believed about his mentor had been torn to shreds, replaced by a dark truth he refused to accept yet could not deny. Nighthawk hadn’t just used a monster; he was a monster. And no matter how hard it was, that monster had to be dealt with, one way or another. Sky twisted and tucked his wings as he shot through a tight alleyway. Nighthawk was ahead of him, pulling suddenly and launching himself into the air like a firework. Sky brought his rear hooves over his head and planted his fore hooves on the ground and maneuvered into a smooth cartwheel towards a gray brick building on the adjacent street. He emerged from the alley in midair, steadying himself against the building as his rear hooves made contact. His wings burst open, and with another mighty heave, he was off again, chasing his quarry. Another glowing orange sphere shot towards him. With a quick twitch of his wings, he rolled out of the way, keeping pace with the pegasus a dozen meters ahead of him. “My magic too potent for you, Blitz?” he heard Nighthawk call. “Can’t just break through it? As reckless as you are, I thought that was your solution for everything!” Sky’s brain readied about thirty different responses within a few seconds, but he managed to bite back all of them. No need to play along with his little games. I’m saving my magic for HIM, not his little party tricks. “You seem quite content to just sit back there and chase me,” Nighthawk shouted again. “Why not come up here where we can resolve this…personally?” Sky’s hooves twitched. If there was one thing he wanted right now, it was the opportunity to beat this sad excuse of a role model in the most humiliating way possible. He wanted to knock each of his teeth out one by one. He wanted to rip out every hair from his mane and tail, weave them into a rope, and proceed to strangle him with it. He wanted to hurl him into the sun and smile with satisfaction, knowing that his foe had received just recompense for his deeds. It was no less than what he deserved. But he reined in his emotions. That kind of thinking nearly got me killed before. I won’t make that mistake again. Even so, he steeled his resolve and accelerated until he was even with Nighthawk. The latter was smiling whimsically as Sky finally reached the point where he could see his face. “Very good,” Nighthawk said, his voice a mix of satisfaction and amusement. “Now we can settle this like stallions.” Sky barely saw the motion of Nighthawk’s leg as it extended towards his face. He quickly spun and brought his own leg up, knocking the attack aside and bringing his own hoof in for a counterattack. But Nighthawk was already in the process of launching another strike, and their hooves met in a blaze of magic yet again. Sky recovered and pulled into a direct charge at Nighthawk, desperate to put him on the defensive. But as he reached his foe, the orange pegasus made a quick barrel roll to Sky’s topside and planted a hoof between his wings. Sky barely had time to register the blow before he was careening out of control through the air. The world was a blur of motion, and it took Sky a few agonizing moments to regain his senses. As the world spun by, Sky managed to make out the distinct form of a familiar bell tower…and it was getting bigger. And from all indications, he was going to be sharing that tower with the bell in just a few seconds. He gritted his teeth and curled into a ball, bringing his wings in tight to protect them from the imminent impact. His muscles were taut as a drawstring, but he tried to loosen them up. The last thing he needed was to hit something at high speed as tense as he was. He closed his eyes. He felt the collision on his left flank. The embossed surface of the bell pressed into his skin as a deafening gong filled his ears. His body angled into a new direction, and he crashed into what felt like a pile of wood before finally coming to merciful stop. The tumbling, the collision, and the sound of the bell had managed to scramble his brains, leaving him stunned for a few seconds. He eventually managed to clear the cobwebs from his brain, and after shaking his head, he surveyed his surroundings. The large brass bell in the center of his vision was still swinging back and forth. All around him were strewn short wooden planks that had broken from several crates that he had landed on. Incredibly, none had managed to impale or lacerate him, though he spotted a number of small splinters mingled in his light blue fur. “I’m sure you’ll remember that in the days to come,” said a voice behind him. Sky swung around and spread his wings as he stared into Nighthawk’s unsettling eyes. He stood perfectly perched on a section of railing around the tower. “You could say that it might ‘ring a bell’.” A burst of magic from Sky’s hooves sent the broken planks in all directions, and Nighthawk was back in the air in the blink of an eye. Sky wasted no time in giving chase, and was relieved to find that his wings were still in good working condition. He’s good, but he doesn’t have what I have. The support of my friends and loved ones gives me my strength. That’s better than anything he can throw at me. “You were always a fighter, Blitz,” Nighthawk said, staring down at Sky as he closed in. “Never one to give up. And I knew that one day, that would get you in trouble. That day is today.” With a defiant snort, Sky threw caution to the wind and launched himself at Nighthawk, proceeding to commence a furious melee assault on his foe. Their legs and hooves became blurs of motion, parrying and deflecting the other’s attacks while retaliating with their own. They followed an awkward trajectory over Canterlot, as each blow redirected their flight. To the onlookers below, the scene must have appeared either humorous or highly disconcerting. Probably both. They continued their battle over Canterlot, with the occasional magical flash creating shadows from the spires of the city. Sky could feel his body tiring as his blows became slower and weaker and his concentration started to lag. C’mon, Sky! Keep your head in the fight! he urged himself. A sudden hoof in his right flank sent him spiraling through the air yet again. The blow was painful and physically disorienting, but it did produce one positive effect: it was a jolt to his brain. His brain received a new dose of adrenaline as his body reacted to the impact. He saw the mountain getting closer and closer as he hurtled towards it, but the quick glimpses of Nighthawk indicated that he was hot on Sky’s hooves…which gave him an idea. Flattening his wings, he steadied his careening body into a flat spin, focusing on trying to time his approach just perfectly. As the mountain made contact with his hooves, he could almost feel Nighthawk’s breath as he closed in for another strike. Perfect, Sky thought with a smile. He looked back just in time to see Nighthawk’s eerily-satisfied scowl bearing down on him. But the look of confidence faded when he saw Sky’s own smug grin as his body pivoted around his hooves against the mountain. He was quickly rewarded with the crack of his rear hoof against Nighthawk’s jaw. An extra jolt of magic was enough to send Nighthawk hurtling headfirst through the air along the side of the mountain like a missile. Sky pushed off from the rock face and resituated himself as he took off in pursuit of his foe. That caught him off-guard, he thought, a sudden confidence lending him new strength. Now’s my chance! Every beat of his wings bolstered his belief that victory was within his grasp. Suddenly, Nighthawk’s wings, which had rippled lifelessly against his body as he reeled from the force of Sky’s blow, burst to full spread, bringing him to an abrupt stop. Sky continued his approach for a split second until he heard a voice speak to him. “That’s enough, Blitz.” It stopped him dead in the air. It was Nighthawk, and yet…it was more. It was a mixture of voices that blended together in such a way that one couldn’t separate each individual voice, but even so, it was obvious that it was more than one voice that was speaking. It was unnerving, to say the least, and it made Sky’s skin crawl. But what was more was the vivid imagery of another foe he had faced that had much the same vocal patterns. The Chimera… And, in a single moment, the situation changed dramatically. Nighthawk swung his head around. His eyes were no longer the dark orbs of the void from before. Now they burned with an orange-white intensity as flames seamed to leap from the corners of each eye. His mouth was turned into a hateful scowl, and his mane whipped in a wind that didn’t exist. His whole body seemed to radiate a sudden dominating power that hadn’t been there before. And, much to his dismay, Sky felt fear. Nighthawk was an impressive flier. He had been a brilliant teacher. But nothing could have prepared him for seeing him as a warrior. In everyday life, he had been a relatively unassuming pony. No one would have suspected that he was capable of becoming something like…this. Sky’s first instinct was to turn tail and flee. And despite his stubborn pride’s insistence that he face his foe, his body began to tremble. Beads of sweat rose on his forehead and quickly ran down his cheeks. What’s wrong with me? I’m supposed to take this guy down! Not sit here like some spectator at a freak show! But no matter what he tried, he simply could not find the strength to move, much less attack. It was as though his will was suppressed, and his spirit was cowed into submission. “You fight plenty well, Blitz, but there’s a lesson you’ve yet to learn,” Nighthawk hissed, floating ever closer to where Sky hovered. “The most important lesson: no matter how good you are, there is always someone better. You can only hope that you never have to face them.” He regarded Sky with eyes that were little more than slits. “Looks like you were just unlucky.” Nighthawk’s leg abruptly thrust forward into Sky’s trachea, cutting off his breath. But before he could even cough, he felt his back slam into something cold and solid. All the while, Nighthawk’s hoof continued to press into his windpipe. Straining through the pain, Sky could see Nighthawk’s hate-filled eyes mere inches from his own, still flickering with the consuming flames of his rage. “The Chimera couldn’t kill you, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t,” he growled. “Give that miserable creature my regards.” Sky reached for Nighthawk in a fury borne of desperation, but he was still held against the rock wall by his foe’s hoof pressed into his throat. He managed just enough air to sputter, but his legs were just a bit too short to land a blow against his attacker. Spots began to dance across his vision as his brain began to suffocate. And yet, he could still see the fiery orange glow of magic emanating from Nighthawk’s wings. “Sleep well, Blitz,” he heard Nighthawk say. Behind him, he heard a loud crack and felt the surface of the rock wall shudder. His body lurched forward as he felt the hoof withdraw from his neck. The air rushed in, and Sky began to gasp and wheeze uncontrollably. His body dropped into a freefall, accompanied by a large slab of rock hurtling to the earth just above him. He felt the wind rush past him as he plummeted. Above him, the immense chunk of rock that Nighthawk had torn from the mountainside tumbled after him. He was still trying to catch his breath, which was proving to be maddeningly difficult, probably due to the compression his trachea had to recover from. He flipped right side up, hoping that the oncoming air would enter his lungs without much of an effort. And there, fast approaching below, was the city of Canterlot. Dangit. He spread his wings, desperate to slow his descent. But as he did so, he was interrupted as the boulder crashed into him, sending him sprawling out of its way as it fell like a meteor toward the city below. No! he thought, recovering and racing back to the boulder. Positioning himself underneath, he summoned all the magic and strength he could find and struggled against the immense momentum of the plummeting stone. But for all his power, it was simply too much for any single pony to handle alone. The wind continued to whip past him as the boulder seemed destined to crash onto a singular building below. I can’t stop it! he thought as his mind scrambled for a solution. But…maybe I don’t have to. Maybe I can just send it in a different direction, away from the buildings of the city! I should be able to do that! Sure enough, closer to the side of the mountain, there were no buildings—the perfect place to plant an out-of-control boulder. Gotta be fast about this. He quickly circled the enormous rock and positioned himself opposite the mountainside. He only had about ten, maybe fifteen seconds before the building below would be a scattering of splinters and gravel…not to mention anypony that happened to be inside. Calling upon his magic again, he focused on a telekinetic spell that would, at the very least, redirect this hunk of rock to a less dangerous area. He gritted his teeth and let loose his spell. “Checkmate.” Sky didn’t even have a chance to turn before he felt Nighthawk’s hoof collide with the side of his head, completely disorienting him and breaking his spell. Instantaneously, the spots filled his vision again. His ears rang, and his mind was sent reeling. He had lost control of his body, and as close as the ground had been, he knew if he didn’t recover quickly, he’d come crashing into it in a matter of moments. The world was a blur, a mass of color with the only reliable sights being the colorful specks that danced across his vision. He felt his legs flailing around wildly, but he had no sensation in his wings. His ears continued to ring, and the wind blew wildly around his head, but clear as day, a voice cut through the din. “Good night, Blitz.” There was a crash as Sky felt himself slam into something solid, then proceed to bounce off another dozen objects or so, and everything went black. “Princess Luna! Over here! He’s over here!” Luna? Sky groaned and brought a hoof to his head. Feels like I’ve got a blasted headache all over my body. He slowly sat up, grimacing as his muscles ached in protest. The sun was shining, but he found himself in a mostly-darkened shed of some kind. Ahead of him, a hole had been blasted in the wooden wall, most likely where he had entered after Nighthawk had… …Wait a minute… He shot to his hooves in a heartbeat, suddenly alert. The muscles in his back screamed, but a scowl was the only reaction that Sky allowed to indicate any discomfort. His wings were equally sore, but he didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was finding Nighthawk again. He crouched and prepared to take off when a shadow appeared in the opening in the wall. Sky was tempted to ignore it, but as soon as he recognized the silhouette, he instantly knew better. A second shadow came up beside the first. “In here, Your Majesty…oh. He’s awake now.” “Redeye. Princess Luna,” Sky said, nodding to the both of them before addressing the one issue on his mind. “Where’s Nighthawk?” “He fled Canterlot. But nevermind him,” Luna said, stepping over the debris. As she approached, Sky could fully see the look of concern on her face. “We have more pressing issues to deal with. Are you alright?” “What!?” Sky blurted, disregarding any proper courtesy he should have shown. “He’s a traitor! We have to stop him!” “Rest assured, we will,” Luna replied, “but right now, we have things to address here. A boulder fell off the mountain and has crushed a shop nearby. We’re trying to search through the wreckage for any ponies that might have been inside and have survived.” Sky blinked vacantly as the significance of the word took hold in his brain. Survived. He hadn’t considered that somepony might have…died…as a result of his battle. He shuddered. The desire to find Nighthawk did not vanish, but drifted from the forefront of his mind. He was, first and foremost, a guardian of the realm and a protector of its citizens, and not an executioner, such as it was. Nighthawk would have to wait. “Alright,” he said, tucking his wings in and letting his head drop. “Let’s deal with this. I’ll deal with the turncoat later.” He rose to his hooves and walked into the sunlight outside the hut. He squinted as he left the darkness behind, but his eyes adjusted quickly. In spite of its location on the edge of the city, this section of Canterlot did not seem to be residential; instead, he observed many business signs hanging over doors of several buildings. However, his gaze was instantly drawn to a massive pile of debris off to his left. The boulder had apparently cracked apart upon impact and now lay in three pieces in the middle of the wreckage. As his hooves sifted began to sift through the fragments of the building, he found that alongside splinters and broken bricks and stones, there was a surprising amount of shattered glass littering the ground. It was as though the majority of the building had been windows, as though its merchandise was meant to be on display constantly. A knot formed in Sky’s throat. He stopped dead in his tracks. Luna looked over to him, wary of his sudden apprehension. “Sky Streak? Is everything alright?” He quickly glanced around, senses suddenly on high alert. The color drained from his face as he realized that every business sign looked familiar. The bakery. The furniture store. The art emporium. He knew every one of these places. He had passed them on a walk through the city not even two weeks ago. His mouth went dry. Without a word, he broke into a sprint towards the wreckage. Every ounce of his being desperately clung to the hope that everything would be alright. Behind him, he heard Redeye and Princess Luna call out in alarm. He began to toss aside the debris, simultaneously dreading and longing for something to confirm his fears. A small group of royal guards turned to observe Sky’s frenzied assault on the ruined building, but they made no move to aid him. Luna ran up beside him, appearing more confused than worried. “Sky Streak? What is it? What’s wrong?” Sky did not hesitate in his digging, but merely reached up to his shoulder wrap with one hoof and tugged at it until a small jeweled brooch appeared. It was green on one edge, with a glistening white design rising from it like a flower emerging from a bud. Luna gasped and stepped back. Her eyes widened into shock and disbelief. “No…you mean that she…?” Sky sniffed back his suddenly runny nose and fought through the stinging in his eyes. He had to know. Beside him, Luna was now helping him toss aside pieces of wreckage. His mouth was too dry and numb to speak, but he heard the princess call to the assembly of guards. “All of you! Start searching through this rubble! We need to locate any possible survivors immediately!” A hearty “Yes, ma’am!” echoed around the cul-de-sac, but Sky couldn’t have cared less. He was fixed on one mission: find her. His hooves tore through the rubble, relentlessly searching for anything that would serve to confirm or deny his fears. Shards of glass and wood splinters surrounded him; dark omens of what may have remained of his life. Luna continued to work beside him, removing large pieces of debris with her magic, along with the rest of the guards nearby. They dug for what seemed to Sky to be several eternities, without finding anything. Suddenly, off to his right, one of the guards called out. “Your Majesty! We’ve got a pony here!” he shouted in an urgent voice. Sky and Luna were there in a flash, watching as the guards slowly removed the pony from the wreckage. To Sky’s relief, it was the manager of the store. He had suffered cuts and bruises all over himself, and he was unconscious, but he was alive. A soothing sense of relaxation settled on Sky as he breathed a sigh of relief. Then, almost immediately, the sensation faded. Sky arched his eyebrow in confusion. What the hay? And then, he knew it. That hadn’t been a sense of relief. That had been magic. A calming magic that had only lasted a few short seconds before inexplicably fading away. Sky’s pupils slowly drifted across the whites of his eyes as he once again turned his attention to the remnants of the jewelry shop. A small chunk of wall slid from its location on the pile, allowing the sunlight to spill into the hole it had left. And, to Sky’s utter horror, he saw an unmistakable flash of white. He surged forward, blasting the debris from the area with magic, revealing the broken body of the white unicorn. Her normally green mane and tail were a mess of brown and gray, and her white fur was matted with a mixture of dirt and blood. Sky felt as though his head were detached from his shoulders. No…no…wake up, please. Please wake up. He reached down to her face and gently stroked her fur. I’m begging you, wake up! I need you! Behind him, time slowed down as he heard the frantic shouts of Princess Luna giving commands to the rest of the royal guards, rushing to and fro. But Sky’s focus was on the broken body of his beloved Lily. The tears ran like rivers down his face, falling to the earth and pooling at his hooves. His enemy had escaped. Canterlot was in danger. But, more than anything, the one pony in the entire world he cared for more than anything was here in his hooves, broken. And he had been the one that had failed to protect her. The anger and rage welled up inside of him. He grew furious. Furious with Nighthawk for his betrayal. Furious for what he had done to the ponies he cared about. But most of all, he was furious with himself for being unable to do anything about it. He went numb. Words failed him. He threw his head back to the heavens above, where the sun cruelly beat down on a scene that was the epitome of Sky’s darkest dreams. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!”