//------------------------------//
// Chapter 18: Legacy of Tragedy 
// Story: Oathbound 
// by ChronicleStone 
//------------------------------//

Somewhere on the outskirts of Vanhoover
May 1, 2:13 AM

Surprise.  Frustration.  Relief.  Excitement.  Anxiety.  Fear.
Sky felt like he had been hit by a royal chariot that had fallen from the clouds.  The journey that had led him here had been a labyrinth of emotional highs and lows that had left him spent.
Or so he had thought.  Now, staring into the face of the pegasus in the portrait, those familiar emotions rose up again, as though they had been reignited by the light shining in Storm Emblem’s eyes.  I swear, when I make it back to the Royal Library, I’m adding a word to the dictionary.  “Stormemblemotion: a crippling wave of emotions produced by a single act of triggering the memories of many significant events all at once.”
“Oh, I remember him,” Discord said abruptly.  “Never spoke much, but when he did, he was usually talking with Princess Luna.  He seemed quite fond of her, as I recall.”
Nighthawk was rapidly recovering from his bout of chaos-induced vertigo.  “Remember him?  How could you remember him?  You were a stone statue by the time he came around.”
Discord snorted.  “Yes, but I was a statue, not a cadaver,” he retorted.  “Being turned to stone doesn’t mean you lose the use of your senses.  I heard him speak, and while my eyes were mostly closed, I still recognize those colors.  That,” he continued, gesturing to the picture, “is, without a doubt, Storm Emblem.”
Sky continued to stare while his comrades carried on behind him.  He had never seen so much as a passing image of Storm Emblem’s face, cutie mark, or anything, but now, gazing at his likeness from centuries ago, Sky could have sworn that he felt like he knew him.  Perhaps more than that: something within him seemed to say, “Ah, I remember those days.”
He tilted his head to one side.  “Does…does he remind you of somepony?” Sky asked.
The bantering between the two of his partners ceased, and a short pause followed.  But just when Sky thought that he wasn’t going to get an answer, Nighthawk spoke up.  “Well…you know, now that I look at him…I think he reminds you a bit of…well, you, Blitz.”
Sky’s eyes widened in surprise.  “Me?!” he exclaimed, craning his head around to look at his teacher.
“Well, just look at him,” Nighthawk replied.  “He’s a pegasus like you, he’s got a lightning bolt as part of his cutie mark, he’s got that same determined look that you get whenever you’re really serious about something…I can even see the makings of your typical sass and sarcasm.”
“Wonderful,” Sky deadpanned.
“You didn’t mention the eyes,” Discord chimed in.  “You both have the same bright blue eyes.”
“You know, you could be related, Blitz,” Nighthawk suggested.
A sudden spear of distaste shuddered through his body.  “No way!” he shouted, though it was more upset-sounding than it was loud.
Discord arched an eyebrow in confusion as Nighthawk recoiled in surprise.  “Well, you got defensive in a hurry.  Did we hit a sensitive subject?” the orange pegasus asked.
Sky clenched his teeth for a moment, then managed to relax and let out a sigh.  “Look, everything I’ve read about Storm Emblem seems to indicate that he was an honorable and noble pony.  Personally, I’d love to have him as an ancestor.  But that would mean that some of my family would have been involved with this plot to overthrow Celestia, and I just can’t stomach the thought of that being true.”
Nighthawk nodded.  “I get it.  We didn’t mean that, did we, Discord?”
The draconequus merely mumbled something as he concentrated on the mostly-empty bookshelf to his left.  Nighthawk gave him a quick jab in the side.  “Oof!” he grunted, turning an accusatory gaze upon the pegasus.  Then, seeing Nighthawk’s stern face, he gathered his composure and cleared his throat with a gentle cough.  “Oh, er, yes, of course.”
But as Sky turned back to the portrait on the wall, a quiet, familiar voice in the back of his mind whispered, “We ARE a lot alike.”
He stepped forward and took a look at the book on the table.  It was a simple, nondescript journal; its once-black cover faded to a worn shade of gray by the passage of time.  A chill ran along his leg as he placed his hoof atop the book.  “Well,” he said, trying his best to remain calm in spite of his racing heart, “let’s find out the truth about Storm Emblem.”
The pages turned with the sound of the rustling leaves in autumn.  The trio of visitors to the secret chamber crowded in close around the book; anxious to learn the secrets that it held.  After flipping through about a quarter of the journal, Sky stopped and began to read.
 “‘Today was more of the same.  Princess Luna remains convinced that her sister is trying to hoard all the love and allegiance of Equestria to limit the influence that Luna can gain.  I cannot help but notice the pain in her eyes whenever I am with her.  Personally, I cannot convince myself that Celestia bears such ill will towards her sister, but I have sworn to stay by her side.  And if she believes that Celestia is out to get her, then I shall do everything I can to rectify that situation.’  Wow.  Just listen to this guy.  I can almost smell the chivalry…”
“That’s gross, Blitz.”
“Chivalry.”  Discord made a sound like a growl that seemed to come from deep in his throat.  “Allegiance.  You know, I simply can’t understand how you ponies can live that way.  It’s all the same thing: you serve someone without question, always doing what they ask.  No variety, no excitement, it’s all just so…monotonous.”
“We can’t all be like you,” Sky replied somewhat absently, continuing to peruse through Storm Emblem’s journal.
“Too true, too true,” Discord admitted.  He turned again to the bookshelf, apparently distracted by one of its dusty tomes, pulling one and slowly opening the cover.
Nighthawk stayed with Sky.  “What else you got?  Anything from the time of the actual rebellion?”
“Just hold on,” Sky said, turning each page with care.  “Mmm…okay, here we go.  ‘I fear for Equestria.  Princess Luna’s determination to settle the score with her sister has reached dangerous levels.  She has…changed.  The sparkle in her eyes has dimmed, and the grace she once carried herself with has been replaced by a stern rigidity.  She has ceased to smile, even in my presence.  I do not know what she has planned, but for the first time since I met her, I am genuinely afraid.  Perhaps I am just being paranoid.  Maybe I am seeing more than what is truly there.  I hope that is the case.’”
Sky turned the page.  “Here’s the next entry: ‘I am at a crossroads.  On the one hoof, I love Equestria and both of its princesses.  I would do anything for either of them.  But on the other hoof, my deepest loyalty lies with Luna.  And now she has tasked me with instigating an uprising against Princess Celestia.  I am torn between allegiances.  I wonder if it is a desire for equality, or if it is simply (and I hate even suggesting such a thing) jealousy.  If I choose to go through with this rebellion, then I betray Princess Celestia.  If I do not, then I betray Princess Luna.’
“There’s a bunch of lines after that, and each one only goes for a word or two before being scratched out.  Here’s where it picks up: ‘I have made my decision.  I do not know if there is a right choice, but my heart will not permit me to go against Princess Luna.  I will start her rebellion.  I can only hope that it does not go too far.  I pray I am not wrong in this.’”
A period of silence followed, broken only by the occasional sound of Discord turning a page in his book.  “So that’s how it happened,” Sky said softly.  “He didn’t want to, but he just couldn’t bring himself to disobey Princess Luna.  That’s devotion.”
“I wonder,” Nighthawk replied.  “I think his sense of right and wrong was clouded by his loyalty to Luna.  An objective mind would have seen what the right choice was.”
Sky hesitated.  If it had been him in Storm Emblem’s place, would he have been able to make the right choice?  Could he have lived with the consequences of going against Princess Luna?
“What’s the next entry?” Nighthawk asked, interrupting Sky’s musings.
Sky turned the page again and gazed down at the page staring back at him.  Even after a thousand years, Sky could see the distinct mottling of dried tears as well as the telltale running of the ink as a result.  He took a deep breath, not certain what he would find within this entry.  “‘Princess Luna, were we wrong?  Did it have to end like it did?  I stood before Celestia today, and…she pardoned me.  I don’t understand it.  Did she not understand that I had followed your orders to incite a rebellion against her?  I was her enemy, and yet…she showed mercy?
 ‘I dare not even begin to believe that you will ever see this.  Perhaps one day, your sister will see fit to release you from your exile, but I cannot see that occurring within my lifetime.  She was stern, and yet…Princess, I could not help but see the utter agony in her eyes.  I never thought it possible that Celestia cared so much for you, especially after what you and I had discussed for so long, but in that throne room, awaiting her judgment, I knew that she wished that there had been another way.’”
Sky paused to wipe his eyes, which were watering yet again.  “‘Your sister has decided to move the throne from the Everfree Castle to a city that will be on the peak in the center of the realm.  I wonder if she, like me, seeks a fresh beginning.  Every so often, I saw her look at the empty seat beside her, and I know I saw her fight to hold back the tears.  As for myself, I am moving to the far northwest corner of Equestria, where another new colony is being established.  Perhaps there I shall be able to live out my days in peace.’”
Nighthawk simply stared.  Even Discord had lowered his book and looked on with interest.  Sky’s chest tightened, feeling as though he might burst.  His emotions were on fire…far more than they should have been.  “It continues,” he sniffed.  “‘Was there another way?  Did it have to come to this?  Are the day and the night so irreconcilable that the only possible outcome between them is conflict and tragedy?  When I look up at the moon and the stars now, they seem…dimmer.  They do not sparkle like they did not so long ago, when you were still here with me.  The night feels cold and empty.  Without the Princess of the Night, it feels as though a dark night of sadness has settled on everypony in Equestria.  Perhaps…perhaps the ponies loved you more than we realized.’”
And again, as had happened so many times over the last few weeks, Sky’s vision changed.  He no longer was reading from a long-completed diary.  Hovering over the book, the tip of a ghostly navy blue wing twitched and swirled, inking the writing upon the page as the tears fell from its author’s eyes.  The wing shook unsteadily as its owner struggled to maintain his composure.  And from somewhere in the room, a familiar voice spoke through his sobbing with each word.  “‘The sun still rises, but not even Celestia would say that the dawn brings with it the hope of a new day.  If anything, it is a reminder of the void that sits upon your throne in the castle.  I sincerely hope that you return soon.  I do not know what it will take for that to happen, but one thing I believe: that only when the Princess of the Night returns can the sun truly rise on Equestria again.’”
Sky tried to read final lines, but as he began, his windpipe closed off, and all that came out was a whimpering cough.  A knot formed in his throat.  A crippling sadness washed over him, making his knees go weak.  His eyes burned with the salt of his tears.  He tried again.  “‘I love you, Princess Luna.  If we do not meet again, remember that.
“‘Deae Lunae Sempiternum, Storm Emblem.’”
A long stretch of silence pervaded the room.  Sky shifted nervously.  He knew this sensation.  He remembered it from when the Chimera had attempted to infiltrate his mind.  Someone was trying to get in.
But unlike the Chimera, he felt no malicious intent directed at him.  If anything, he felt a certain desperate urgency.  It was as if someone was desperately trying to get his attention.
If that’s the case, you’ve got it.
“Wow,” Nighthawk whispered.  “He certainly had a way with words.”
“Sadness can do that for you,” Discord replied quietly.
Sky shook his head free of the images of the past.  “But I don’t get it,” he said.  “Storm Emblem stated over and over that Celestia was gracious, and that she loved Luna in spite of what she had done.  He wrote that he hoped he could…how did he put it?”  He scanned the page again until he found what he was after.  “‘Perhaps there I shall be able to live out my days in peace.’  That doesn’t sound like a pony who’s set on revenge at all.  What happened to start all this?”
“Oh.  Forgot to tell you, I read one diary from one particular bad egg,” Nighthawk said with a shrug.  “One of the first unicorns to come along.  Seems that he turned the story about Storm Emblem on its head.  He started gathering all these magical spell books to put in motion a plan to get revenge on Celestia.  And from what I read, he was quite the magic user: managed to master over a hundred spells during his lifetime.”
“You forgot that he also built this mansion here,” Discord added.
“What?  You never mentioned that!” Nighthawk protested.
“Oh?  Hmmm, I must have imagined telling you,” Discord replied with a not-so-innocent grin.  A faint hologram appeared in his claw of a small cabin being encased in a much larger-looking home.  “But he was the one to build the large home here.”
Sky arched an eyebrow.  “Then what’s this area we’re standing in now?”
“Ah.”  He placed a free claw on the nearest wall and patted it.  “From what I understand, this must be the original home of Storm Emblem.”
“What?!” Sky and Nighthawk exclaimed in unison.
“The unicorns built this mansion around Storm Emblem’s home.  Apparently, they felt embarrassed by the humility of their ancestor and mistook that for humiliation.  They believed that his line deserved something more grandiose than something that was little more than a shack, in their opinion.  Though it’s much too traditional for my tastes,” Discord explained.  His eyes looked appraisingly at his surroundings.
“I doubt anything in Equestria fits your tastes,” Nighthawk commented.
“Oh, so just take your ancestor’s legacy and rewrite it to whatever you want it to be?  Nice guys, these unicorns,” Sky remarked.
“Don’t be too quick to blame the unicorns,” Discord corrected.  “They weren’t the only guilty ones.  Before they came along, some of the pegasi expressed their discontent with Celestia.  The unicorns are the easy ones to blame just because the magic abilities could only pass through them.”
“And, of course, they wanted to protect their ‘underhanded plot HQ’ safe from discovery, so they cast a magic seal around it to protect it,” Nighthawk finished.
“And they were the ones that started all this?  If they had all that knowledge to pass down over the span of hundreds of years, just imagine what kind of knowledge and power Storm Emblem’s descendants have now,” Sky wondered.
“Plenty, I’m sure,” Discord answered.  Then, his face transforming into a knowing smirk, he asked, “Would you like to know their name?”
“Hold on, you know their name?!” Sky exclaimed.  “How long have you known?!”
“And what do you mean, name?” Nighthawk pressed.  “You mean there’s only one?”
“I don’t know,” Discord replied.  “At least, not yet.”  He held up the book he had been studying.  “This is a record of the genealogy of Storm Emblem.  It starts with him and follows his family in completion until—”
“Lemme guess,” Nighthawk interrupted.  “Unicorns, right?”
Confetti erupted from the floor around Nighthawk, and a large neon sign with the word “CONGRATULATIONS!” appeared behind Discord.  “Right you are!  From that point on, it only follows a select few families.  And even most of those eventually trail off into obscurity.  Only one actual line follows through the current day.  Almost like a monarchy.”
“A monarchy?” Sky echoed, brushing pieces of confetti off his nose.  That doesn’t make sense.  If they were obsessed with restoring Luna to the throne, then there’s no point in trying to establish a monarchy.  Why trace their lineage so selectively, then?
His own voice from the past suddenly echoed in his mind.  “It’s not YOUR thoughts that turn to darkness whenever you close your eyes.  It’s not YOUR mind that is filled with images of this nightmare destroying everypony and everything that I care about!  It’s not YOUR existence that this thing wants to bring suffering to in the fullest amount!  It’s mine!  The suffering, the pain, the anguish…it’s all MINE!!”
“Not a monarchy,” Sky whispered.  “An inheritance.”
He felt four eyes look upon him in sudden curiosity.  “A what now?” Discord asked.
“Look, they were obsessed with defeating Celestia.  They wanted revenge.  I know that feeling: I dealt with it last year before facing the Chimera in the Painted Forest.  But the point is, that thirst for vengeance clouds your mind.  It makes you irrational.  And it makes you possessive.  That chance for revenge belongs to you, and no one else.”
“But what does that have to do with this genealogy?” Nighthawk asked.
“When you become obsessed over revenge like that, at some point, it ceases becoming an obligation or responsibility: it becomes a right.  Or,” he continued, “maybe if that desire passes on to the next generation, it becomes a birthright.”
“A privilege.”  Nighthawk stroked his chin in thought.  “You know, that makes sense.  Who would get the honor of eliminating your family’s enemy of a thousand years?”  A question clouded his face.  “But why just one?  Why not let the whole family participate?”
“I think I can answer that,” Discord inserted.  A lone talon traced along the open page of his book.  “As I’m reading this, it occurs to me that along that one line, there are no indications that any family had more than one child.”
Nighthawk stamped.  “Of course!  This was a secret plot.  In order to protect that secret, they limited the number of ponies that knew about it by having only one foal!”
“That is legitimately crazy,” Sky shuddered.
“Said the pony to the lord of chaos,” Discord replied.
“So what’s his or her name?” Nighthawk asked.  “Once we have that, we can move in on them and finally put a stop to this.”
“Just a minute!” Discord said, flipping through the pages.  He placed a pair of reading glasses over his eyes as he perused through the tome.  “This is no small family tree we’re talking about here.”
Sky rolled his eyes in exasperation.  As he waited, his gaze fell upon a dark blue book on the mostly-empty shelf to his left.  His curiosity piqued, he pulled the book from the shelf and opened it.  The book (to no surprise) was another diary, but unlike the others, this one was new: unfaded by the passage of time.  The binding was still tight, the pages were well-lined and even, and the ink on the pages looked fresh.  But as he gazed upon the first page, his eyes fell upon the owner’s name, and a wave of dread crashed over him.
N-no…that’s…that’s not possible!  It’s impossible!  There’s no freaking way!
“Ah, here we are!” Discord announced, placing a talon on a page and adjusting his bifocals.  “Storm Emblem’s heir is a unicorn named Phantom Star!”
Nighthawk’s ears drooped beside his head and his eyes became wide as saucers.  “What did you say?” he asked incredulously.
“Phantom Star,” Discord repeated.  He looked over the rim of his glasses at the horrified pegasi.  “You’re familiar with that name?”
Sky couldn’t talk.  He couldn’t breathe.  It was beyond comprehension.  No…it was worse, it was beyond bad.
This was the very definition of worst-case-scenario.
Nighthawk brought a hoof to his chest and staggered where he stood.  “Phantom Star is his real name,” he explained breathlessly.  He moved his hoof against his head, as though trying to reassure himself that this was real.  “We know him by another name.”
Sky fought through a rising bout of what felt like vertigo.  And when he heard his voice speak again, it reminded him of the sound of a funeral dirge.
“Ghost.”