Chapter 15: The Mystery of Mercy
Everfree Forest
April 31, 9:48 PM
His eyes opened to near-complete darkness. An occasional star managed to penetrate the darkness above and cast a momentary glimmer into his eye before being swallowed by the shadows again. He blinked several times, trying to adjust to the shadows. He didn’t remember falling asleep, but…well, it sure seemed like he had.
He sat up, and every fiber of his being groaned in protest. His muscles were sore, his body ached from what felt like countless bruises, and his entire body seemed to tremble from an overexertion of magic power. He twisted and stretched, hoping to work out the kinks in his muscles. He rolled onto his side, where he found himself staring at a deep impression in the ground. It resembled a miniature crater: something had crashed into the soft earth with a great deal of force. And, from the look of things, it had missed his head by mere inches.
Suddenly, he saw a sight that took his breath away. On a nearby pond, a beautiful white lily rested upon the perfectly serene surface of the water. It was spellbinding—a beauty beyond words.
At the edge of the water, a flash of color drew his eyes. A body sat there, still as a stone, staring out at the solitary bloom. He didn’t immediately recognize the figure, but as he studied it more closely, he caught sight of a pony’s mane, and he instantly knew who he was dealing with. He cleared his throat and called his name.
“Blitz?”
Sky cringed as he heard his own name. He had been dreading it. The voice caused his emotions to boil. His muscles tensed like rubber bands. His jaw clamped tight as a vice. But in spite of his anger, he swallowed the urge to act on it and spoke only the name of the pony that addressed him. “Nighthawk,” he replied.
“Ugh, ow,” he heard from the other pony. “What happened?”
Sky raised an eyebrow and turned his head just enough to see the pony from the corner of his eye. He didn’t need to worry about Nighthawk attacking him yet. That stun bolt was good to last for another hour at the least. “You don’t remember? I must’ve hit you harder than I thought.”
Any action Nighthawk had been performing was cut short by the sudden glance he fired at Sky. “You what?” he demanded. “You hit your superior?”
Sky was ready with a caustic comment of his own when he became suddenly aware that Nighthawk’s eyes had returned to normal. They were no longer the shadowy voids that he had stared into during their battle. What the hay?
“Blitz!” Nighthawk shouted furiously. “Answer me! What’s going on? Not only do I wake up in an unfamiliar forest, but then you tell me that you hit me hard enough to give me amnesia? I want an explanation!”
“Uh…” Sky stammered. Of all the things he had been expecting when Nighthawk came to, this had not been one of them. It was as though he had no recollection of the battle. But…that’s not possible. He can’t just forget something like that!
“If this is your idea of a prank, then I’ve got a new definition of discipline for you!” Nighthawk bellowed, becoming thoroughly agitated.
“Hold on,” Sky said, turning to look Nighthawk full in the face. He held up a hoof. “Just wait. You’re telling me you don’t remember…anything?”
“Blitz, I’m giving you to the count of three to tell me what’s going on, or I will personally feed you to a manticore! One!”
“Nighthawk, listen to me, I need you to—”
“Two!”
Sky’s brain raced. Nighthawk was suddenly back to his old self, as though his betrayal had been an illusion. What was more, he didn’t have any idea where he was, how he got there, or even…
“What day is it?” Sky blurted.
Nighthawk gave him a scrutinizing glare. “What?”
“What day is it? Day and month, I mean,” Sky asked again.
“When I fell asleep, it was April the twenty-sixth, at about ten o’clock at night, but I fail to see how that is pertinent information,” the orange pegasus replied. “Now, if you don’t tell me what’s going on, I swear I’m going to make you into a gourmet for that manticore.”
“Nighthawk, today is the thirty-first of April,” Sky shouted desperately. “The twenty-sixth was five days ago!”
He hesitated for a moment, then sneered in disregard. “You’re determined to play this charade to its end, aren’t you? I gave you the chance to tell me the truth.”
“That is the truth!” Sky insisted. “I can give perfect account of what happened each of those days inbetween then and now!”
“Then do it.” Nighthawk’s skeptical gaze settled on the young blue pegasus. “Though I doubt you’ll be able to keep your story straight.”
Sky gulped. While he could give account for everything, the story would, at the very least, come as quite a shock to the elder pegasus. “Uh, well…you might want to be sitting down,” he suggested.
“I’ll stand,” Nighthawk countered. “Get talking. What happened four days ago?”
“Well, I went to visit Princess Luna that morning. She was in the throne room, and…you remember that Celestia went to the Crystal Empire, right?”
“Because of the attempted theft of the Crystal Heart. Yes, I remember, Blitz. Go on.”
Sky cleared his throat. This was the start of the tough part. “Well, I met with her probably around noonish. While I was with her, the earth shook like a short earthquake or something. Luna sent me to investigate, and on my way there, Ace contacted me and told me that somepony had sabotaged the HQ. There had been an explosion which destroyed all the shooters, left the lab in shambles, and basically caused a lot of damage, so—”
“Wait,” Nighthawk interrupted, looking a little concerned. “You’re telling me that somepony snuck into a place that officially doesn’t exist, evaded detection by everypony including Scope and Tread, and managed to sabotage the location?”
“Not quite,” Sky answered. “I was headed down to the HQ to help with recovery when the traitor flew out of the exit and headed into Canterlot. I had to chase him.”
Nighthawk looked genuinely intrigued by the story, but the look in his eye indicated that he knew he wasn’t going to like the next part. “Who was the traitor, Blitz?”
“Well…” Sky stammered. “You were, sir.”
Nighthawk sat back on his haunches and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “And that’s why the traitor went undetected. He was on the inside the whole time, right?”
Sky felt terrible. Here he had been contemplating killing Nighthawk just an hour earlier, and now, the poor guy couldn’t even remember the past four days. Something was off, but he couldn’t place his hoof on it yet. “Yes, sir. We fought over Canterlot, using magic and all.”
Nighthawk suddenly looked alarmed. “So all of Canterlot could see two pegasi using magic? Solace is not going to like that. If this tale is actually the case,” he quickly added.
“I promise you, it is,” Sky assured him.
“What happened in the battle?”
“Well, we fought for a while, then we got magic involved, and...and then…” Sky closed his eyes and shook his head. No matter how many times he was forced to relive those horrible moments, they never lost their potency. “…A piece of the mountain broke away and fell into Canterlot.”
Nighthawk sat unmoving, his eyes set on Sky. “What aren’t you telling me, Blitz?”
Sky bit back a sob and sniffed. “The boulder…it…it landed on the jewelry shop. There were two ponies inside. One was the manager. He was hurt, but not life-threatening injuries. But the other…”
For the first time in possibly forever, Sky could see a look of genuine pity in Nighthawk’s face. He probably knew what Sky was going to say, but he had to hear it for himself. “Who was the other, Blitz?”
Sky choked, and the tears he thought he had exhausted began to flow again. “It was Lily!” he sputtered, tears and saliva flying from his face as his voice broke. “She took the brunt of the collision, and now she’s in the hospital, and…the doctors…they don’t think she’ll make it…”
Nighthawk looked stunned. His face changed into a look of dreadful disbelief. For a long while, the only sound that could be heard was the sniffing and occasional cough from Sky, who struggled to master himself. Finally, he began to talk in a slow, soft voice. “I…I’m responsible for what happened to…Lily? Your Lily? The one from Polarmino?”
Sky nodded, but found himself unable to speak. “You wouldn’t lie about something like that,” Nighthawk surmised. “Then…this really is the truth? I…might be responsible for…the death of an innocent pony? And not just anypony, but Lily…”
His eyes darted to and fro, looking for anything to stare at other than Sky. “I…I don’t know what to say, Blitz. I honestly don’t have any memory of that. As far as I know, none of this ever happened. And yet, I know that you’re telling the truth. So I have no choice but to believe that I did this terrible thing. I’m…I’m so sorry, Blitz.” He shook his head and let out a frustrated sigh. “What happened next?”
Sky wiped his nose with his leg. “Well, I spent the next two days in the hospital with Lily. I was there until both her parents and mine showed up, and then I went back to the HQ and got Scope and Tread. Ace wasn’t willing to let me go after you, but Ghost gave me permission. Your trail wasn’t hard for us to follow, so we made good time following you into the Everfree Forest.”
“Oh, so that’s where we are?” Nighthawk asked, apparently glad to have moved beyond the topic of Lily’s accident. “I can’t say I’ve ever actually been here before.”
Sky blinked. “Hang on. In the battle over Canterlot, you told me that you were the one responsible for the Chimera and its little reign of terror last year. But I first met the Chimera in the Castle of the Two Sisters. If you’ve never been here before, then how did the Chimera know where to go?”
“Now wait just a second,” Nighthawk held up a hoof, shaking his head as though something was in his ear. “I said that I was behind the Chimera attacks?”
“Well, yeah.”
Nighthawk looked completely offended, and somewhat horrified. “I assure you, I most certainly am not! That’s simply ridiculous!”
“So if you weren’t behind it, why would you say that you were?”
Nighthawk returned a look that was just as confused as Sky. “I wish I had a good answer for you, Blitz. I remember no personal interaction of any kind with the Chimera. I don’t ever recall having been to the Everfree. But based on what you’re telling me, I don’t know if I can actually trust my memories as they are.”
“I understand,” Sky said, though he really didn’t. What was even more ironic was how he was saying it to the one being he had hated more than anyone else not but an hour ago.
“So, after the battle in Canterlot, I fled to the Everfree? What, did you almost beat me?”
“I would like to say that, but no, you beat me fair and square. I was unconscious when you left.”
“Oh. My apologies,” Nighthawk said. “You should have tried harder,” he added, apparently trying to add some levity to the conversation.
“I got my revenge later,” Sky replied.
“Sure feels like it,” Nighthawk agreed, rotating a leg with a groan. “Anyways, the three of you followed me in here. I must have wanted you to find me if you were able to follow my trail after two days.”
“That’s what we thought,” Sky confirmed. “So I figured it was all drama. A setup, since at the time, we thought you were the mastermind behind all the Chimera incidents. This was the first place I fought it, so I just assumed it was theatrics: a setup to a grand conclusion.”
“A cruel twist of irony that the site of your first victory was to be the location of your final defeat,” Nighthawk nodded.
“Exactly. So when we got here, Scope and Tread went to catch the Ponyville train back to Canterlot, and I proceeded to fight you.”
“And they agreed to let you face me alone?”
Sky shrugged. “Well, not exactly willingly, but I convinced them in the end. Anyways, we fought, and I’ll admit, it was pretty epic, but, obviously, I won out in the end.” He paused a moment, then decided it was best to skip over the part where he had nearly killed Nighthawk out of his thirst for revenge. He shot a quick glance at the place he had slammed his hoof into the ground beside Nighthawk’s head. “And then you woke up, and here we are.”
“It’s all ludicrous,” the orange pegasus said in response. “But that just means that you couldn’t have made it up. Even so, it doesn’t help us. I don’t have an explanation for why I went crazy like that, or why I came to my senses only now, what any of it means, or where we go from here.”
“Yeah, I know,” Sky agreed. “But you asked for the details, and now you have them.”
“I suspect there’s a lot you had to gloss over,” Nighthawk added, “And I’m not sure what to feel, or think, or do. I mean...Blitz, I betrayed the Guard! And put hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent ponies directly in harm’s way! And I put a very important one in the hospital! I…I…”
“You’re overwhelmed,” Sky surmised. “And as mad as I could be, I think I’m past it. So just take it slow. We’ll straighten everything out…whatever all this is.”
“Thanks,” Nighthawk replied.
Sky took a deep breath, and as he exhaled, he found himself surprised by how much it seemed to have helped. “I’ve also got tons of questions,” Nighthawk continued, “but right now, I guess I can settle for two: first, what’s that flower?”
Sky turned again to the majestic bloom upon the water. “That is something I had never seen before, and I’ve only known about its existence for a few weeks now. It’s called the Everfree Lily, and it’s…well, it’s supposedly the topic of a Ponyville legend.”
“Oh?” Nighthawk inquired. “What kind of legend?”
Sky sighed and let his shoulders sag. “I don’t remember how the legend actually goes, probably because it’s a rhyme and I’m not very good with those. But the story goes that it only blooms in ‘times of greatest need.’”
Nighthawk came up beside him and gave him a curious stare. “And what need was so great to cause it to bloom now?”
Sky did not meet the eyes of the other pony. He knew exactly what that need was. And perhaps he understood it better now. But explaining what that need had been would be more than embarrassing: it might be disastrous.
“Look, Blitz, before I woke up, you were the only pony here. And from what you just told me, that flower only blooms when someone has a great need. And since I don’t know of anyone else that had been here, I can only assume that the one with the need was you.” Nighthawk’s eyes narrowed just enough to let Sky know that he meant business. “So, I’ll ask again: what was the need that made it bloom?”
Sky bit his lip. There was no getting around it. “Nighthawk,” Sky began, “Lily’s in the hospital, and there’s a very great possibility that she won’t wake up again. And as I saw it, that was your fault. I…I became obsessed with revenge. It wasn’t about bringing a traitor to justice. In my head, all I wanted was for you to pay for what you had done to me. You had taken away the most precious thing that I had. And I was ready to take the same thing from you.”
Nighthawk’s eyes became wide as saucers. “You mean…you meant to kill me?”
Sky nodded. He was ashamed beyond words. “Yes.”
“Really.” Nighthawk sat down beside his pupil, who had turned his face away. “As horrible as that sounds, I really didn’t expect anything else.” He paused a moment, then turned the conversation in a different direction. “Blitz, be honest with me. Do you think I’ve been too hard on you with your training?”
“Huh? Oh, well…uh…”
“I thought so,” Nighthawk replied, interpreting Sky’s grunts and hesitations. “Let me be honest with you for a second. Before you joined the Guard, I was unquestionably the finest pegasus they had. None of the others could hold a candle to me. It wasn’t even close.
“But then you came along, and something changed. You were young, but your battles against the Chimera had given you a wealth of experience, and it was obvious to everyone that you had the potential to outmatch me one day. And that scared me.”
“What? You, scared?” Sky said, amused by the thought.
“Blitz, whether you knew it or not, your coming to the Guard was a revelation. Everything changes over time, but I didn’t want it to. I wanted to be looked at as the greatest pegasus to ever fly for the Alicorn Guard, and until you showed up, that dream was a reality. And while the others saw you as the new star of the team, I only saw you as a threat to my legacy.”
Sky merely sat and stared at his teacher as he continued. “Even I couldn’t deny that you would one day be better than me. So, when I was asked to train you, I decided that if I had to do it, I wasn’t going to make it easy on you. I was jealous of you, Blitz. Jealous of your skill. Your triumphs. Your apparent destiny to become the greatest flier the Alicorn Guard has ever seen.”
A startled look came to Sky’s face. “Yes, I believed that. But what’s more important is that I still believe that. You’ve become better than me. But here’s where I’m going with this: if you had given in to that rage you felt towards me, I know that the unkindness I showed towards you would only have fueled those emotions. And in the end, the actions I took to prevent my greatest fear from coming true would have contributed to my demise. Ironic, isn’t it?”
Sky inclined his head to one side in acknowledgement. “Well, yeah, I can see that. But why tell me this now? What changed?”
Nighthawk smiled, and Sky couldn’t help but feel that it was somewhat out-of-place given the context of the conversation. “That’s easy, Blitz. You did. You had every opportunity to get your revenge, and yet, you didn’t do it. You showed me mercy, even though I deserved none. I suppose I could be bitter about that, but that’s just too ridiculous for me to even consider. You’ve become great in spite of my attempts to prevent that. You deserve my respect.”
Sky actually felt himself blushing a bit. “Aw, well…thanks. Heh, I’m so unused to hearing any kind of praise from you, I’m not quite sure what to say.”
“Then think of this as the start of something new. Speaking of which,” Nighthawk continued, “you said that you intended to kill me. But you obviously didn’t. So that brings me to my second question…what changed your mind?”
Sky’s eyes suddenly darkened, and a troubled expression passed across his face. “Ask me again later. I don’t think I’m quite ready to talk about it.”
Nighthawk’s eyes betrayed a look of grave concern, but he nodded his consent. “Alright, Blitz. Whenever you’re ready. I owe you that much at the very least.”
Together, they sat in silence, staring at the Everfree Lily for an extended time. Neither spoke a word or moved a muscle. It was almost as if a stray cockatrice had wandered by and turned them both to stone. Sky’s mind was preoccupied with many things, and he could only assume that given the nature of their conversation, Nighthawk was deep in thought as well.
Finally, Nighthawk broke the silence. “So now what?”
Sky almost chuckled. What else could he have asked? “Well, the obvious thing to do would be to go back to Canterlot and explain what we know now.”
“Which is what, exactly?”
“Uh…hm.” Sky made a comical face at the sudden realization. “I see your point.”
“For all the trouble I’ve put you through, we have no answers to any of your questions. In fact, all we have are more questions. And I’m not even counting all the questions you have that I don’t even know about yet,” Nighthawk added.
“Yeah, I hear ya,” Sky sighed. Sure wish that flower would show me what to do next. “But I suppose that Canterlot’s as good a place as any right now.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that.”
The two pegasi leapt to their hooves and spun around. They saw no one, but that voice had been undeniably real. The shadows of the forest could hide just about anything. But this voice was not unfamiliar. Sky hadn’t heard it much, but the little he had heard had stuck with him.
Nighthawk apparently shared the sentiment. “I know that voice,” he said.
“You do?! Oh, how wonderful! I’ve always loved being recognized for my work.”
The two ponies turned and saw a figure rise from the pond. It had a long, winding body that looked strangely like a skinny “S”. Its arms and legs were mismatched, and a pair of asymmetrical horns protruded from the top of its head. Its yellow eyes glowed, and a mischievous grin revealed several not-entirely-intimidating fangs.
As he finished emerging, he threw his arms in the air, spawning a shower of confetti and a barrage of miniature fireworks. “I do hope I’m not interrupting anything,” he said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
Sky scowled in disgust. “Discord.”
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Guess I'm the first to reply.
Good story so far. Really good. I love your work and I'm eagerly awaiting for the next chapter.
5299188
Oh, well, thank you! Thanks for commenting! As a matter of fact, I actually have another chapter up and ready to go, and there's not a lot I can do in the short time I have before I need to hit the sack (Black Friday is a menace), I'll just post it up here. And if you haven't checked out my other stories, I'd encourage you to do that. They provide the backstory that leads directly into this one.
OK, shameless self-promotion done. Can't help it sometimes.
...OK, fine, can't help it ever.