Under the Black Sky

by ChronicleStone

Chapter 5: Mounting Questions

The night still hung over Canterlot as Sky emerged through a curtain onto a balcony overlooking the city. The pink-tinted stars seemed to glitter in greeting the young pegasus as if to say, “It’s alright; we’re here for you.”

His dream lingered in his mind. He knew that none of it was real, but…it could be. If he wasn’t able to stop it.

He looked across the city. Over the past few months, Sky had come to accept Canterlot as his home. He had walked along its streets and had become friends with the ponies that he met. He knew their names, where they lived, and what they did for a living. For the first time since his earliest memories of Cloudsdale, Sky felt at peace with where he was.

And now, he had seen images of that being ripped away from him in the blink of an eye. No home, no friends, no life. The Chimera wanted destruction, but perhaps more than that, it wanted something else.

It wanted to see him suffer.

He stretched his wings and took off. He glided over the houses of the city and between the high towers of the palace. The wind blew in his mane, but the air still felt stale and warm. With a burst of speed, he shot into the sky and passed through Shining Armor’s protective shield. Almost instantly, he felt the temperature drop and become brisk. But the air felt crisp and fresh, and Sky took a deep breath. His mind immediately felt clear, and his body relaxed. Better, he thought.

Rising along the mountainside, he looked out over the expansive plains to the south of Canterlot. A tiny object wormed its way along a predetermined track at the base of the mountain, leaving a plume of smoke as it wandered along. Sky smiled as he recognized it as the train from Ponyville with Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Spike all on board.

He performed a small somersault and continued his flight aimlessly through the air. Floating to the eastern side of the mountain, Sky could see northwards for what seemed hundreds of miles. He knew that it was beyond his vision, but he pictured the tiny town of Polarmino at the very edge of Equestria itself. And at the edge of that town, in a small, humble cottage, he saw a lovely white pegasus with a green tail and mane, brushing her black and white cat as it lapped cider from its bowl.

Sky smiled warmly as he allowed his memories to soothe his mind. It’s only been five days, but I already miss her. If I had known it would have been this hard, I might not have left.

He shook his head and rolled through the air a few times. “Ah, that’s not true,” he said softly to himself. “I would have come back. But it’s still hard.”

Spotting a small outcropping on the mountainside, Sky turned and landed. Before him, the land of Equestria stretched out like a scroll. He saw the warm glow of Ponyville and the encompassing darkness of Everfree Forest. Beyond that, on the very edge of his vision, he thought he could make out the distant lights of Dodge City and Appleloosa. Behind him, on the other side of the mountain, stationed over a wide plain, was the legendary floating city of Cloudsdale. And there was so much more that Sky knew he couldn’t see and knew very little about.

This isn’t just my home, he thought. This is home to everypony. And it falls to me to protect it.

He sat on his perch for hours, simply looking out over the slumbering lands of Equestria. He feared what he might see if he were to let his eyes close, even for a moment, which kept him wide awake. The sky began to take on a distinctly red hue as Celestia prepared to raise the sun. “Guess it’s time for me to get back. I wouldn’t want to make them worry.”

With a short hop, he took to the air and broke into a blistering dive straight for Canterlot. He took one final breath of the cool air before he sliced through the barrier and was immediately greeted by the warm, stale air of the city. His nose wrinkled in distaste, and his brow furrowed. Was it just his imagination, or had the air actually become staler?

He broke out of his dive and shot like a missile through the city, finally coming to a gentle stop on the same balcony he had left a few hours earlier. He peeked inside the curtain that was still draped over the arched doorway. There was nopony in sight. He cautiously slipped into the hallway, careful not to make any noises that would wake any still-sleeping ponies. Blessing his naturally light (and quiet) hoofsteps as he stole back to his room, Sky passed through the hallway as silently as a shadow. He pressed his door open with a rear hoof and slowly backed into his room.

He then shattered the silence with a yell of surprise as he turned and came face to face with a familiar (yet entirely unexpected) mare.

“Gah!” he shouted and swallowed simultaneously, triggering an uncontrollable coughing fit. He brought a hoof to his chest as he tried to recover from the shock of finding another pony in his room.

“Oh! Master Sky Streak! I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to startle you!” the mare said in a panicked voice.

Sky still possessed enough of his wits to close the door behind him to try and limit the volume of the commotion. He could barely hear the door latch between coughs. The lavender pony walked over beside him and began to pat him on the back, apparently trying to help him breathe.

“Take it easy, sir,” she said, though her own voice trembled with each word. “Deep breaths.”

After another minute or two, the coughing finally subsided. “Morning Glory,” Sky said, turning to the blue-maned mare, “what are you doing in my room? It’s barely six o’clock!”

Morning Glory rubbed one of her legs nervously. “Well, I was getting breakfast ready when I overheard some of the guards mention that you had gone out for a walk early this morning. And I just thought that it would be a nice surprise if your breakfast was waiting for you if you got back.”

A smile formed on Sky’s face. “How long have you been a maid mare at the palace, Morning Glory?”

“A-about a year and a half now, sir,” she answered, though she sounded even more nervous than she had when Sky had walked in on her.

“You know you don’t have to call me ‘sir’,” he replied with a sigh. “I’m just ‘Sky’ to everypony. But you know, after over a year of working in the palace, you’re just as polite and kind as the day I met you. Do you ever stop thinking of how you can serve everypony else?”

Her cheeks seemed to grow a bit redder. “I suppose that’s just my special talent,” she replied. “Anyways, I was just finishing things up here. Your meal is waiting on the table, si—er, Sky.”

He nodded in response as he followed her gaze to where two halves of a toasted bagel sat smeared with fruit jam on a plate. Beside it, a clear glass of grape juice completed the simple meal. “I must get the same breakfast an awful lot for you to know it by heart,” he commented with a wink.

“Maybe once or twice.” She walked to the door and gently opened it. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything else. And I really am sorry for frightening you.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Sky said, waving his hoof in a dismissive gesture and giving her a reassuring wink. “If I wasn’t awake before, I am now.”

She turned without a word and silently closed it behind her. Sky sauntered over to the table where his breakfast patiently awaited him. Steam was still rising from the bagel as he lifted one half on his hoof. “It’s still warm,” he observed. “I swear, she’s about as fine a maid mare as you could ask for. A lot of ponies could learn a thing or two from her.” He snorted softly. “Present company included,” he added.

A few minutes later, the plate held only a few leftover crumbs, and the glass was devoid of all but a few drops of flavorful grape juice. Sky wiped his mouth with a hoofkerchief and walked over to the nearer of the two windows in his room. He pushed the glass open and peeked off to his left, where the sun had finally begun to peek over the horizon. “It’s about time,” he muttered. “Today can’t afford to wait any longer.”

He found his comrades a while later, lounging in the palace gardens, eating their own breakfasts. “Oh, good morning, Sky,” Fluttershy said cheerfully. Her bright face suddenly darkened as her smile inverted into a frown. “Sky, are you alright?” she asked.

His eyebrows rose in curiosity at the question. He felt fine. “I…think so,” he managed. “Why, do I look positively awful?” he continued with a chuckle.

“Oh, um, well, I just thought you looked a little, um, tired,” she stammered. “Like you didn’t sleep very well last night.”

It was Sky’s turn to frown. The past three nights had afforded him some extra rest to recover from his mission to Polarmino, and his body was finally returning to normal. But after a fitful night’s sleep followed by his early morning flight session, the effects of his lack of sleep were all too obvious. “What, are my eyes bloodshot?”

“A little,” Fluttershy admitted. “You also have some circles under your eyes. Are you sure you’re okay?” she pressed.

“Well, you’re right, I didn’t sleep very well last night,” he answered, though he failed to give the reason for his insomnia. “But I’ll be alright. Thanks for noticing,” he added.

“You know,” Rainbow Dash said, becoming aware of the conversation at hand, “you won’t be able to perform to your fullest if you aren’t getting all the rest you need. That’s why I take a nap every chance I get. It’s healthy!”

“Well, you do sleep a lot,” Fluttershy mumbled.

“And just look how healthy I am!” Rainbow countered, jumping up and posing.

“I took an early morning flight over Canterlot,” Sky said, ignoring Rainbow Dash’s antics. “The air in the city just felt too…uncomfortable. I needed to get outside.”

“Are you sure? I think the air feels fine,” Fluttershy replied.

“Maybe it’s just my brain playing tricks on me.”

“Well, I’m gonna take a flight, too,” Rainbow said abruptly, spreading her wings as she stretched her legs. “Sky shouldn’t be the only one who gets a view from the top of the mountain.” With that, she took off in a multicolored blur.

Fluttershy and Sky Streak sat watching her soar away for a moment. “So, what do you want to do, Sky?” the pink-maned pegasus asked.

“I really don’t feel like doing a whole lot at the moment,” he admitted. “So whatever you want to do is fine by me,” he continued with a smile.

“Oh, then why don’t we wander around the palace? I’m sure you know your way around here better than I do,” she said, rising to her hooves. Sky was surprised to see a pair of chipmunks emerge from between her front legs and scurry off to the nearby hedge.

“Fluttershy, how do you make all the animals love you like that?” he asked as the chipmunks chittered from their new hiding place.

“Oh, you just have to be nice to them. They’re just like ponies; treat them well, and they’ll treat you well.”

“I see,” he replied softly. The images of his dream passed like mist before his eyes. How can a creature like that exist? How could it desire to destroy something as innocent as Fluttershy? “Well, then,” he continued, “shall we be off?”

They passed through the halls of the palace, with Sky pointing out certain areas and artwork that he found interesting. Fluttershy was a gracious tourist, consistently commenting on what she saw and keeping them both entertained. They visited the library, the kitchen, the ballroom (which Fluttershy was already familiar with), and some of the dormitory wings of the palace. They even stopped by Sky’s own room, which was only sparsely decorated with nostalgic items and prizes from his past. Finally, they came to the end of a certain hallway with a lone staircase leading down into darkness. A glowing veil covered the entrance, serving as a magical barrier. It was, from all signs, the only security measure guarding the doorway.

“What’s down there?” Fluttershy asked.

“I’m not really sure,” Sky admitted. “No pony’s ever actually told me. I’ve heard rumors, though.”

“D-do they mention scary m-monsters?” she asked, shivering a little.

He rose up onto his hind legs and pressed his front hooves against the magic barrier. It didn’t budge an inch. His eyes narrowed as he peered into the descending darkness. “Well, one does. But most of them say something about a secret group of ponies that meets down there. No pony knows anything about them. No names, no types, no faces to go with any of them. Most of the ponies in the palace think that it’s an organization of some sort that deals with the most dangerous and secretive missions in all of Equestria.” He dropped back onto all four hooves and looked back to Fluttershy.

“But I thought that was what you did on the Service,” she replied.

“Well, they’re just rumors,” Sky shrugged. “They could be totally wrong.”

“But what if they’re not?” she countered.

He frowned as he looked back at the doorway. What if the rumors were true? What if there was a secret society of ponies that went beyond the Service of the Equestrian Crown? The thought simultaneously excited and frightened him. If I’m taking on something like the Chimera in the Service, what would an organization like that be dealing with?

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of an approaching pony at full gallop. The two pegasi turned around to see a royal guard approaching them at a hurried pace. “Excuse me,” he said hurriedly, “but Princess Celestia is requesting your immediate presence in the throne room. Twilight Sparkle and the others have arrived. They are preparing to hold council with you as soon as you join them.”

Sky’s heart jumped. “It’s about time,” he said with a nod to the guard. He turned to his companion. “Let’s go, Fluttershy. This has been put off for too long.”