//------------------------------// // Spirit Quest // Story: A Look Back // by Bluecatcinema //------------------------------// In a place bordering Equestria, yet almost somehow beyond it, the souls of the departed resided. While normally, such a place was only reachable through death (or the occasional near death experience), there lied two places where souls could gather that could be accessed by the living. The first was none other than Tartarus, a grim and hellish place where the most wicked of souls resided, be they living or dead. Celestia and Luna themselves had doomed quite a few evil beings in their time to this place, and with the exception of the time Cerberus was lured from his post at guarding Tartarus's gate and a evil magic-sucking centaur was able to slip free, the place was the perfect prison for the worst kind of beings known to ponykind. The second was but a place that was recently discovered, having been located in the sanctuary belonging to the last two known deities in existence. It was a place known as the Garden of Souls, tended to occasionally by Isis, the Deity of Life, where the souls of those with virtuous hearts continued their existence in peace. They existed as spirits, free to enjoy this paradise without any worries or cares. Furthermore, due to recent events, the Garden was now more accessible to the mortal world, and for the first time in ages, the living could talk with the dead face to face. It was truly a most wondrous place... but one spirit was having trouble enjoying it's wonder. His name was White Knight Paladin, father of Shine Paladin. He and his wife, Silver Wind, had recently enjoyed a pleasant surprise when their son, Shine Paladin had stumbled upon the physical gateway to the Garden, and called upon its properties to speak with them. It had been a joy for them to converse with their son, having been so cruelly taken away from him when he was just a colt by a flash flood. But their conversation had brought up a sore spot for White; His brother, Black Knight Paladin, the war monger that sought to use the Crystal Sun to rule Equestria. For the longest time, Shine and Mist had remained fully unaware that their father had a brother, and it wasn't till around the time of such an event that Big Red told them everything. White still couldn't understand why Black did what he did. He always thought that he and Black were close. Sure, there was a bit of drama regarding Black's Earth Pony body and his Pegasus body, but they loved each other as much as brothers could (without it being creepy, of course). But as years went by, White felt his brother slipping away from him, the stallion becoming more coarse and confrontational, and having violent outbursts. White had chalked it up to him trying to come to terms with their parents' death (who, like himself and Silver, were taken from their children too soon), and that with time, Black would simmer down. But then came the day he and Black joined the Royal Defense Legion and deployed to Saddle Arabia. He thought that serving his country would do well for Black, as it had for their father, and their ancestors, and at first it seem it had. It wasn't long till Black had become squad leader of their platoon, and he his second-in-command. But then things started going wrong. Dead wrong. It all started with a raid on the village of Reinadh, which was one of the first settlements known in pony history to house both pony and Changeling. The two brothers, along with four other in their platoon, went in, believing that this village was hiding illegal weapons and had intent on selling it to much bigger threats. It was a bloody battle, and at the end, the village was razed to the ground, and one of their own, a young soldier named Rookie Blue, was killed. If losing his comrade wasn't bad enough, he soon learned from Black himself that the 'illegal weapons' was just a ruse to attack them, claiming it as a political 'pre-emptive strike' on pony and Changelings relations, and a means to destroy the 'virus' of their cohabitative ways. Needless to say, White was beside himself with disgust. He had unknowningly taken part in murder, and lost one of his friends in the process. Furthermore, Black had outright threaten him and his comrades if they told anyone of what really happen. White was torn between his duty to his family, and duty to his country and to the princess. After much deliberation, with a heavy heart, he came before Celestia, and told her everything. Black, as hard as he tried to deny it, was tried and was sentenced to life imprisonment. But nothing could hold the older brother back, as out of anger, desperation, and fury over being betrayed, unleashed an all-out assault on all that stood between him and Celestia. When it came down to it, it was just him and Black... some vicious words were exchanged and in the end, after a good shot in the eye, Black was thrown off the side of a cliff and was presumed dead. While he was applauded for his efforts, White felt nothing but overwhelming guilt, knowing full well that his actions had lead to him losing his brother, his last living blood relative. This guilt eventually drove him to leave the Royal Defense Legion and returned home in tears to his best friend, Big Red, and settle for a quiet life. Fortunately, this had allowed him to meet and marry his love, Silver Wind, and siring two foals. He enjoyed a happy existence with his family. His life had seemed so perfect at that point. Soon, Black faded away to the back of his mind, and White thought he would be able to move on with his life... But then came the day he and Silver had died, and he found that not only was his brother still alive, but was actually trying to revive his already dead body, and driven to tears and anguish over not being able to. Such a scene had left White in confusion, seeing such a startling contrast to the stallion that burned down a village... but it also left hope in him that his brother was not the monster everyone else (aside from a select few) believed him to be... But alas, things seem to went back to normal for the older stallion. Though White dedicated himself to watching over his children, he would take a peek at Black every once in a while. Every time, he saw Black commit some depravity, such as victimizing Changelings, and colluding with would-be conquerors, all under the name "Red Eclipse". Just seeing the perversion of the once innocent 'codename' his brother used as a cutie-mark seeing colt made White sick to his stomach. Then came his attack on the Crystal Empire, and his attempt to use the ancient artifact known as the Crystal Sun to become all-powerful (even being willing to sacrifice his own great-niece, Miracle, to do it). That was the last straw for White. There was only so much pain he could take at seeing his brother devolve into something so hideous, so he turned away from all thoughts of his brother. He refused to even greet him when he crossed over to the afterlife, though he had hoped deep down that his brother would be permitted access to the Garden. He barely even thought of him until the talk with Shine. That talk made him realize that in spite of Black's 'death', he had never even seen Black in the Garden, or sensed his presence. The more he thought about it, the more White realised what he had to do. On the anniversary of Black's demise, he decided to step into action. "I must find Black." He told Silver that day. "I have to see him. I don't care what he did, but I just have to talk to him." "Do you really think talking will help?" Silver asked. "After everything that's happened?" "He's still my brother." White declared. "I have to settle things with him. Besides, I've put this off long enough." "But do you even know where to look?" Silver asked. It was a valid question. The realm of the spirits was near-infinite in size. However, spirits did not have to worry about traveling vast distances. They could be anywhere in the realm they wanted to be. Even so, it would be difficult, finding one spirit out of trillions. "I have to try." White declared. "Ever since we talked with Shine, I've realised that I've put things off long enough. I need to see Black again, and make peace with him." "I know you do." Silver smiled. She kissed him on the cheek "Good luck." "Thank you, my darling." White smiled. "I don't know where I'd be, without your support." "Probably still here." Silver joked, as she nuzzled him deeply, "But don't be gone too long. It's not really paradise without you... especially in the bedroom." "So you keep saying..." White said awkwardly. Even now, his wife's sultry talk made him a little nervous. White wandered out into the white mists. The realm of the spirits was different than the world of the living. Its appearance was shaped by an individual's thoughts, desires, and memories. White himself had conjured up a replica of his homestead back in Dodge Junction when he and Silver first crossed over. It helped remind them of what they had left behind, while providing them with a warm sense of familiarity. As White left the house, a path appeared through the mists for him to walk on. "You're out there, Black." He whispered. "I know it." White continued his trek down the path. To a mortal, searching for one soul out of trillions would have sounded fruitless, but souls were able to find each other via shared emotions. White was sure Black would want to be sought out and reconciled with, so he focused his thoughts and feelings on his estranged brother. As he concentrated, he saw a figure emerging from the mists. "Is it...?" He gasped, thinking he had found his brother at last (and quicker than he expected, at that). But it wasn't. It was some other spirit. Though disappointed, White was nonetheless pleased to see Red Baron Barrel-Roll, the father of his best friend. "Howdy, White." Red Baron smiled. "Hey, Red." White smiled. "How ya bin?" "Can't complain." Red shrugged. "Up here, there ain't no cheater beagle on a flyin' doghouse tah gimme trouble in the air..." "How about you? What brings you out into the mists today?" Red asked. "Just business." White admitted. "I've decided to find Black's spirit and talk to him." "Ah see." Red nodded. "Finally gonna talk things out, huh?" "That's if I can find him." White nodded. "Shoot, shouldn't be that tough." Red declared. "All we gotta do is think a' Black and what he meant to us, and he should pop right up." "Well, that's what I just did, and you showed up instead." White declared. "Guess this isn't an exact science." "'Course not." Red smiled. "Science is about head stuff. This is about heart. Just bring out those feeling you got about Black an' go for it. Ah'll help ya, too." "Thanks, Red." White smiled. They wandered through the mists, trying to focus on Black. Unfortunately, White's feeling of familial loss resonated in a different way, and he found himself face-to-face with a broad, powerful Bitallian stallion. "Dang it." White cursed. "Wrong stallion." "Can I help you, pal?" The stallion frowned. "Me and my wife were having some 'alone time', and then I got this feeling that somepony was calling me. I'm guessing that was you?" "Sorry." White said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to bother you. I was... looking for my brother." "Family matters, huh?" The stallion smiled. "I know how important those can be. Name's Clyde, by the way. Clyde Napoleon. Hailed from Bitaly." "White Knight Paladin." White nodded. "Fancy." Clyde snorted. "You one of those upper-class snobs?" "Actually, I lived in Dodge Junction." White declared, "But I did serve in the army." "Workin' stiff, huh?" Clyde smiled. "Good to know. I was in the family business, myself." "I'm guessing you still have loved ones among the living?" White asked. "Oh, yeah." Clyde nodded. "My sons. All of them have done so much with their lives. I'm so proud of them." "I know how you feel." White smiled. "My kids have made me proud too." At that moment, Red came over. "Any luck, pal?" He asked White. "Not just yet." White admitted. "Me neither." Red declared. "Ah did bump inta this fella, though." From out of the mists came a Thestral. "Sez his name is Synchro." Red added. "He's got brother issues too, if ya cin believe it. Offered ta help out." "Really?" White asked. "I've got nothing better to do." Synchro shrugged, his spirit form having regained the wings he lost in life, and his scars faded. "Mind if I pitch in, too?" Clyde asked. "I know a lot of folks around here. They might know your brother themselves." "I'm sure you have more important matters to deal with." White declared. "Naw, Bonnie wouldn't mind if I took off for a bit. She was about to get into some freaky stuff..." Clyde shuddered. "Figure I could put it off by helping you out. Makes for a good change of pace." "The more, the merrier." Red smiled. "Right, White?" "I suppose a few more eyes wouldn't hurt." White admitted. "Okay, Clyde and Synchro. My brother's name is Black Knight Paladin. Don't suppose you haven't already seen him?" Instantly, Clyde and Synchro's eyes widened. "Black Knight? As in the one responsible for the Crystal Sun incident." Synchro gaped. "You're his brother?" "Yeah...I am guessing you're familiar with him?" White frowned. "Not really, but I do know that he blew up my ancestral home!" Clyde growled. "That mansion was in my family for generations, and he destroyed it." "I know he did some terrible things." White sighed. "But I'm hoping that he's not as bad now that he's passed over." "I wouldn't count on it." Clyde spat. "C'mon, pardner." Red declared. "It's a family matter, remember?" "And at least he didn't kill of your family." White pointed out. "Not for lack of trying." Clyde snorted. "Ya said you'd help, didn't ya?" Red pointed out. "An' a stallion's word is his bond." "True." Clyde sighed. "And I never go back on my word..." "Besides, Black wasn't all bad." White added. "He had good intentions." "So did I." Synchro mused. "Things didn't work the way I hoped, and I wound up here. And if Black's here too, then he can't be that much of a monster, right?" "Yeah, I guess..." Clyde shrugged. "So, did either of you happen to see him when he crossed over?" White asked. "Nope." Synchro shook his head. "To be honest, I kept to myself when I crossed over. Don't really like to converse with others." "Same here." Clyde declared, "But hopefully, we will be able to find him soon." After giving their new friends a brief description of Black, White and Red continued their search, with Clyde and Synchro alongside them. Unfortunately, their search came up with nothing. "Anything?" White asked when the four met up. "Afraid not." Clyde shook his head, "I called forth all my guys from back in my life, and none of them saw him." "I didn't find anything." Synchro admitted. "Well, I got nothing." Red Baron shook his head, "And I had been thinking of him pretty hard." "I just don't get it." White shook his head, "We were able to call forth every single pony we know just by thinking of them without any problem, but with Black, it's like he's a ghost... and since we're already dead, that's saying something..." "Well, I hate to say this, but maybe Black didn't come here when he died." Red Baron declared. "Maybe he went... down below." "To Tartarus?" White frowned. "No! No way! Black did some bad things, sure, but he had good intentions! He wouldn't have been sent down there, never!" "No offense, but that's your opinion." Synchro declared. "The higher ups might have thought otherwise. I know they had a hard time figuring out where I would go..." "Sync does had have a point." Clyde nodded, "Because let's face facts, attempted genocide is something that can't be written off by having 'good intentions'." "He's not there, I know it." White said stubbornly. "It wouldn't hurt ta make sure, would it?" Red Baron asked. "If he wuz there, an' you never took the opportunity to go an' see 'im, ya'd never forgive yerself." Although the spirits condemned to Tartarus were imprisoned within its depths forever, more virtuous souls were permitted to enter and depart as they wished. Whatever power controlled the spirit realm seemed to have acknowledged that even evil souls needed to be visited by family. All any spirit needed to do to visit was to imagine the gates of Tartarus themselves. The gates would appear before them, and they could pass through. However, there was a level of risk involved. Evil spirits, long degraded into savagery, would reach out and try to snatch the unwary. One had to be cautious while traveling through the realm of the damned. "Okay, fine." White sighed. "I still say it's a waste of time, but I might as well check." "You mean we might as well check." Clyde declared. "I have some unfinished business with one of the inmates down there..." "And you're going to need somepony to watch your backs." Synchro noted. "You don't have to do this..." White frowned. "Ah dunno about them, but I sure gotta." Red Baron declared. "Black wuz mah son's best friend once, and you are too. I'm with ya all the way." "Thanks, Red." White smiled. "And thank you too." He told Clyde and Synchro. "Enough talk." Clyde snorted. "Lets get moving." "Agreed." Synchro nodded. "Okay, here goes..." White concentrated hard. From out of the mists came a red glow, with a large set of wrought iron gates emerging from within. The gates opened, a dark tunnel on the other side. "Anypony who wants to back out, do it now." White said quietly. "As if." Synchro snorted. "I never back down once I've set my mind to something." Clyde said proudly. "Takes more than some dark li'l tunnel ta scare me." Red smirked. "Then off we go." White declared. The four stallions passed through the gates, into the tunnel. Despite not having real bodies anymore, they could feel a chill in the air, as they proceeded into the realm reserved only for the most wicked. Beyond the tunnel, Tartarus was a craggy desolate wasteland, pungent smog flowing all around. "Nice place." Clyde snarked, "I now kinda feel bad for all the times I told someone to go to Tartarus." From out of the shadows emerged a twisted claw, which latched itself around Red's hoof. "Whoa nelly!" Red yelped. "Leggo! Leggo!" Red struggled, but the claw held on tightly. "Back off!" Synchro slammed his own hoof on the claw. There was a blood-curdling screech, and the claw let go, flowing back into the shadows. "Thanks, pardner." Red smiled. "That wuz a close one." "That's what I'm here for." Synchro shrugged. All around the craggy, smog-filled area, there were accursed spirits, chained to rocks. As punishment for their wicked deeds in life, they were trapped forever. "Release me!" Prince Nobleblood, the arrogant, selfish father of Blueblood, struggled futilely at his chains. "I don't belong down here, do you hear me?! I don't belong here! I am a Prince! I deserve better!" Another inmate was the former Queen of the Changelings, Thorax. She had been sent to Tartarus for leading her kind to hate and prey on ponies. "All for the hive." She muttered, in a never-ending mantra, the only thing that allowed her to keep her sanity. "All for the hive..." "This really is as bad as I've heard." White frowned. "No kidding." Synchro mused. "To be honest, I'm surprised I didn't get sent here when I died. I didn't exactly have a spotless record..." "Neither did I, and I got in up top." Clyde noted. "Guess we're better than we thought we were..." "Yeah, maybe..." Synchro murmured. "So how did you die anyways?" White asked, "Judging by your scars, I'm guessing it wasn't a pleasant life for you." "It wasn't..." Synchro frowned. "I won't bore you with the details, but all I can say is that I died trying to make all the ponies into Nightcrawlers...just like me." "Nightcrawler?" Red Baron frowned. "Ponies who can use dark magic at will. It's part of our DNA." Synchro explained. "I was so angry at life for my misery, and I had hurt many ponies because of it...yet I wasn't condemned to this place." "You think that was bad?" Clyde scoffed, "I was a mafia don." "Mafia?" White gaped. "You mean as in 'Goodfellas'?" "Exactly." Clyde nodded, "I did all sorts of bad stuff in my days. Granted, most of them were done to help the unfortunate, but yeah, I didn't have a good track record myself." "How did ya die?" Red Baron asked. "Got shot and exploded." Clyde said bluntly. "How awful." Synchro cringed. "Oh no, I died from the shot first. I had grenades strapped to my chest long before that. Let's say that my killer got a very nice surprise." Clyde said wryly. "You guys?" "My wife and I died in a flash flood." White declared. "Came right out of nowhere." "Nat'ral causes." Red declared. "Jest passed away in mah sleep. Seems kinda tame, compared ta all a' you guys..." "At least you two went quickly." Clyde declared. "And with a little less pain than us." Synchro pointed out. As they made their way deeper, they ran into several more poor souls. Several of those damned spirits belonged to those who had been killed by Clyde's own family, such as the Gentlecolts, the disgraced don Zugzwang, and even the father of Clyde's daughter-in-law, Rainstorm Kamek. Save for Zugzwang, who cast a glare his way, none of them recognised Clyde as the father of their killers. The Gentlecolt was all sharing the same space, gathered in a circle. "Terrible weather, isn't it?" Mr Suave asked. "Yes, awful." Mr Finesse agreed. "Indeed." Mr Polite nodded. "Smog again, tut, tut." Mr Sophisticated sighed. "Oh, dear!" Mr Debonair gasped, as his body suddenly burst into flames. "What it it?" Mr Charm asked. "It appears I've spontaneously combusted." Mr Debonair pointed out. "Again?" Mr Savoir frowned. "Afraid so." Mr Debonair nodded. "Terribly sorry, old chap." Mr Clean declared. "It's quite alright." Mr Debonair sighed. "I've gotten used to it. "Oh, is it raining sulphur again?" Mr Manly asked. One of the newer inmates, Striker Killsquad, also recognised Clyde. "You..." He snarled. "Me." Clyde smirked. "Who'd have thought you'd be the one in chains, and I'd be the free stallion?" "It's not fair!" Killsquad spat. "How can you be free, when I'm shackled to rock?" "Because I'm actually a decent pony, deep down." Clyde smirked. "And you're not." "Whoever's in charge here really messed up." Killsquad scowled. "Keep telling yourself that." Clyde smirked, "It oughta help with the eternity of suffering you have to endure..." As the group continued onward, they came across the place where those who had not been dead when they were banished resided, such as Lord Tirek, who was still trapped in his cage. "What are you looking at?!" He roared, as they passed by. "Figgered that guy'd be a lot more impressive." Red snorted. "I didn't." Synchro sneered. Clyde spotted another living prisoner; Twitch, the backstabbing stallion who had killed his son, Anarchy. "Well, well, well." He smirked, slipping away from the others for a moment. "Can't pass this opportunity up..." Clyde marched right over to Twitch, whose chain was held in place by a metal spike. "Hello, Twitch." He smiled. "Long time, no see." "Oh, n-n-no..." Twitch gulped, backing up against a stone wall. "Oh, yes." Clyde smirked. "I've got a little present for you..." "Wait, you can't h-h-hurt me..." Twitch murmured, "You're a ghost...and I'm..." Clyde brought up his hoof right between Twitch's legs. "OH!" Twitch groaned. "This is for Anarchy." Clyde snarled, kicking Twitch in the groin a dozen more times, "And that was for trying to off my other sons..." He then curbstomped it one last time. "And that... well, I just love doing curbstomps." "Urgh..." Twitch collapsed. "Now, I have a question." Clyde smirked. "Where is Red Eclipse?" "I-I don't know." Twitch declared, "I-I haven't seen him at all..." "Is that your final answer?" Clyde readied another kick. "I s-swear, it's the truth!" Twitch quivered. "Why would I lie?" "Fair enough. Enjoy your eternity of punishment." Clyde sneered, heading off to rejoin the others. "Where were you?" Synchro asked. "Just checking a lead." Clyde shrugged. "I talked to a stooge of your brother's, and he hasn't seen him either." "How can that be?" White frowned. "He was sent here at around the same time. If he doesn't know where he is, then who does?" "Maybe we should get outta here." Red frowned. "Place is gettin' creepy." "I guess there's nothing more we can do here." White sighed. The group returned to the Garden. "Sorry you couldn't find your brother." Clyde declared. "If it helps, I know the feeling." Synchro added. "That's okay." White sighed. "It was good of to help, in any case. Besides, I have one more option..." "What option?" Red asked. "An option I'd really rather look into... alone." White declared. "Fair enough." Red nodded. "Good luck, pardner..." As the other stallions left, White prepared himself. As White concentrated, a tall, broad Pegasus stallion with a silver coat, blue eyes, black mane, and a spear Cutie Mark appeared. "Father." He declared. It was indeed Ivory Templar, White and Black's father. "Hello, son." Ivory nodded. "It's been a while." Ivory's statement was true. After White had first crossed over, he had been greeted by the spirits of his long dead parents. It had been a joyous reunion, and they did spend quite some time together after that, gradually, White and Silver's need to watch over their children took precedent, and they saw each other less and less. "How are you?" White asked. "As good as can be expected, considering my current status." Ivory said dryly. "Father, I've been looking for Black." White declared. "Have you seen him, by any chance?" Immediately, Ivory's face contorted into a glare. "No, I haven't." Ivory scowled. "And I have no desire to. I don't see why you would either, after everything he's done to tarnish our family's reputation." "Look, I know you're mad at him. I am a bit myself, but I still want to see him." White frowned, "I had been putting it off for far too long." "I think you are just wasting your time." Ivory growled. "Don't be like that, father." White frowned, "In the end, Black is still family. Isn't there a part of you that wants to see him again? Your own son?" "He's no son of mine." Ivory snarled. "All those heinous acts he committed went against everything I taught him." "But he wasn't all bad." White declared. "I know it." "He always was all bad." Ivory spat. "From the very beginning." "How could you say that?" White gasped. "I knew from the very beginning that there was something up with that boy." Ivory scowled. "The fact that he didn't have any wings, for starters." "Why was that?" White asked, now curious, "I was always curious about why Black was an Earth Pony. Was it because we had some Earth Pony ancestry in our family line?" "No." Ivory declared. "How can you be so sure?" White asked. "Because there are no Earth Ponies in our blood line." Ivory declared. "Trust me, I had talked to each and one of them in this place. Not once had there been a Earth Pony in our bloodline. All Pegasus." "But how could-" White asked. "I have my suspicions." Ivory declared. "Just before I found out your mother was pregnant, I had to take a business trip to Whinneyapolis. When I got back, White Dove broke the news to me. I was happy at first, but when Black was born, I noticed the lack of wings instantly. Since there were no Earth Ponies in either of our blood lines, I couldn't help but consider one option..." "You... you think mom cheated on you?" White gaped. "I didn't want to think that." Ivory declared. "But I couldn't deny how well it fit into things. I was gone a couple of weeks, and the doctor said she would have fallen pregnant around the time of my departure." "Oh, no..." White frowned. "Like I said, I didn't want to think about." Ivory declared. "So I pushed my misgivings aside, and focused on raising Black alongside your mother. It wasn't easy, though. Every time I saw those empty sides of his, all my worries came flooding back." White was stunned. All this time, he'd never guessed... But it would explain some things, like Black's resent of White having wings. He must have picked up on Ivory's own feelings, and took them out on his brother, and then the world. "Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing wrong with the kid." Ivory said sourly. "He always had a darkness inside him, and it only got worse as he got older. I saw all the evil he committed from here. Every sick, disgraceful act, every monstrous deed. His 'pony supremacy' movement, his attempts at genocide... As far as I'm concerned, Black is no son of mine." "How can you say that?" White gasped. "In spite of everything, Black thought he was doing the right thing!" "And in his mind, 'doing the right thing' involved slaughtering innocents." Ivory spat. "That is unforgivable." "I used to think that." White admitted. "But my son helped remind me that Black was still my brother, and that he still loved me. He is, and always shall be family to me." "When did you become so soft?" Ivory sneered. "Is it soft to be forgiving? To have compassion?" White asked. "Then call me soft!" "Yes, you are." Ivory snarled. "Why else would you leave the RDL the way you did?" "I had to." White frowned. "I couldn't serve any longer, after what Black fooled me into doing?" "You betrayed your comrades, and your country." Ivory sneered. "That's taking it a little far." White snarled. "Oh, really?" Ivory snorted. "What about what you did afterward? Hooking up with that floozy..." "My wife is not a floozy!" White growled. "She's something, alright." Ivory declared. "She couldn't keep her hooves off you for five minutes back then..." "We were young, and in love!" White spluttered. "Was that a crime? Besides, without Silver, your grandfoals wouldn't even be here!" "Yes, my grandkids." Ivory scowled. "Shine, who's just as soft as you... Making peace with Chrysalis, after all she did..." "Like peace is such a bad thing." Shine snarled. "And what about Mist? She's a wonderful young mare!" "Oh, yes, wonderful." Ivory nodded. "Expect when she strung along two stallions at once. A decent mare would never do anything like that back in my day..." "She wasn't stringing them along." White declared. "She chose one of them in the end, didn't she?" "Yes, she did." Ivory nodded. "And they almost had a foal out of wedlock. That would have been a disgrace..." "Except it wasn't." White growled. "That's only the tip of the iceberg." Ivory frowned. "You may not have been a lunatic like Black, but you had failings of your own. Failings you passed on to my poor grandfoals. I really thought you would become a stallion of dignity and honor, but I guess I was wrong." "...Wow..." White shook his head in disbelief. "So that's what you really thought of me and my lifestyle? How long have you thought this about me?" "That doesn't matter." Ivory declared, regretful of his outburst. "It's all in the past, so let's leave it in the past. Leave Black in the past. "...Did you ever love Black?" White asked, disdain written in his face. "...I don't know." Ivory admitted. "Believe me... I have tried... but there's that fact that Black may not be my son, reminding me of what a waste it would be... you can’t truly love a foal that isn't yours by blood the same as one that is..." "...That is complete bull-crap." White snarled. "How can you... I don't even know you anymore. Black was right about you..." "What? What do you mean?" Ivory glared. "It was something Black said to Shine... during the whole Crystal Sun incident... about you not truly loving him because of his heritage." White shook his head. "I thought it was just Black trying to justify his actions... but now..." "Don't you dare think of making me out to be the villain here." Ivory snarled. "Despite my misgivings, I did my best to raise him. Both me and your mother... but it just did nothing to change what he had become..." "Maybe if you weren't so conceited by your pride, and had your head far up your own flank, maybe Black wouldn't had turned out this way." White growled. "Or maybe Black was just bad news from the start." Ivory rebutted. "You don't know him like I do!" White snarled. "You and mom both died when we were just kids. You only knew the first ten years... I knew him for far longer than you ever could..." "For all the good it did." Ivory declared. "I know you tried to keep him on the straight and narrow, but it was a wasted effort. Big Red didn't help much either. He was always soft..." "Big Red was Black's first friend." White declared. "They had a bond. Black loved Red like another brother. He would never really hurt him." "That's not how I remember it." Ivory said coldly. "And what does mother have to say about this?" White challenged, "We should hear her side of the story!" "Not a chance." Ivory scowled. "It's bad enough you dragged me into this. Don't do the same to your mother. You think what Black did broke your heart? She was distraught. Don't you dare even think of calling her." "Okay, I won't." White seethed. "But something tells me she wouldn't be so quick to give up on Black. Not like you..." "That's your opinion." Ivory snarled. "A valid one, too." White chided him. "You asked me if I knew where your brother was, and I answered." Ivory said coldly. "I no longer feel like talking about him. So if you'll excuse me..." Ivory walked back into the mists, vanishing. White lowered his head in sorrow. He returned to the pseudo-home he shared with Silver. "It was all for nothing." He sighed. "I couldn't find any trace of Black anywhere. Not here, or in Tartarus..." "Oh, White..." Silver sighed. "I even called on dad for help." White noted. "But he made it quite clear that he doesn't care where Black is, or for most of my life choices, actually. I never imagined he could be so callous..." "I'm sorry, darling." Silver held him. "I really am..." "I just don't know what else I can do..." White sighed. Just then, there was a knock at the door. White answered it to find Red, Synchro and Clyde. "Hey, guys." White said dully. "Hey, pardner." Red nodded. "From the dour mood, I'm guessing your final lead came up empty?" Synchro asked. "Worse than empty." White frowned. "Well, lucky for you, Ah got one more idea." Red declared. "It's a long shot, but it's all we got left." "What is it?" Silver asked. "We could look on the world of the living." Clyde declared. "What?!" White gaped. "But Black's dead." "True." Synchro nodded. "But if he isn't in here, or in Tartarus, then maybe he's a ghost, haunting the world below due to unfinished business." "It's worth a try, at least." Silver told White. "Yeah, I guess..." White admitted. "Then let's pop outside an' check." Red smiled. They all gathered outside the house, and looked down at the ground. "So, where do we look?" Clyde asked. "It's a big place." "He may be hating the scene of his death, or possibly his grave." Synchro declared. "It would fit the whole 'unfinished business' thing..." "We'll check the grave first." White declared. White focused, picturing the grave in his mind's eye. A gap formed in the mist, Big Red's homestead appearing inside. The grave of Black Knight came into view. "Ah, the ol' place looks as good as ever." Red smiled. "Mah boy's done a great job of keeping it together..." "No ghost, though." Clyde noted. As spirits themselves, they would have noticed such a thing. "Guess we should move on to the Crystal Empire." Synchro shrugged. "Wait." White said suddenly. "Look at the grave." On top of the grave was a green flower. "Is that..." Silver gasped. "An emerald azalea." White nodded. "Aside from you, only one other pony knew that was my favorite flower. And that pony was Black. The only explanation for that flower being there is..." He smiled. "Black's alive. He's alive!" "But how?" Clyde frowned. "I mean, I heard that Black was shot point-blank in the heart... how could he be alive?" "I don't know." White shook his head. "But this changes everything. If Black is still alive... that means he's out there still." "...Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Synchro asked. "Hard ta say..." Red frowned. "It could be a good thing." White declared. "If he is somehow still alive, then there may still be a chance for me to turn things around, to make amends for his past misdeeds." "Yeah, 'may'." Clyde snorted. "Well, he clearly hasn't been causing any trouble since then." Synchro pointed out. "He could just be in hiding." Clyde pointed out. "Putting a new plan together, maybe..." "I know it's a long shot, but I don't believe that." White declared. "I have to believe Black's better than this. I have to." "Ah hope yer right, White." Red declared. "Well, if that's all, I'll be going for now." Synchro declared. "See ya around." "Yeah, good luck." Clyde nodded. "And for the record, I hope you're right too." "Hang in there, pal." Red urged. "Thanks, Red." White smiled. He turned to Clyde and Synchro. "And thank you both for helping." Clyde and Synchro nodded curtly as they faded into the mist. Red gave a smile as he followed. It was just White and Silver left, still gazing at the flower on the grave. "Is it wrong to think Black can be saved?" White frowned. "Am I just fooling myself?" "Of course not." Silver smiled. "He's your brother. You're right to have faith that he can change." "Really?" White asked. "There's always hope, my love." Silver nuzzled him. "There's always hope." "That's right." White held her. "Black's story isn't done yet. Not by a long shot..."