Oathbound

by ChronicleStone

Chapter 20: Loosening the Grip

Canterlot
May 1, 8:18 AM

Ace? Ace, you there?

Sky held his breath as he waited for a response. He half-expected there to be none. It would only be logical that something would go wrong right from the get-go.

So it was a startling surprise when, a few moments later, Sky was rewarded with the familiar voice of his team commander. Blitz? What the hay have you been doing? Scope and Tread got back late last night and told us that you stayed behind to face Nighthawk by yourself! What in Equestria were you thinking?!

Sky bit his lip. He had hoped to be able to tell whether Ace was under Ghost’s influence or not from their first interaction. But now, as Sky bantered with the unicorn through telepathy, he found that making the call was not as clear-cut as he had imagined it would be.

Look, Sky said, I’m almost back to Canterlot. Meet me on the south side of the city. We need to talk.

There was a moment’s hesitation. About what? Ace asked at length.

Sky could feel the emotional shift in Ace’s thoughts. It was as though he was hoping to hear that Sky had killed Nighthawk. Just meet me there. I’ll be at the train station.

Alright, Blitz, I’m coming. You better make this worth my while, though. Ghost’s practically worn through the floor in the HQ from pacing all night.

Sky snorted. I’m sure he has, he thought to himself.

He withdrew his thoughts and took in his surroundings. In truth, he was already at the train station. He had been standing there for about half an hour, making sure that he wasn’t stepping into a trap. As the ponies of Canterlot began to emerge from their homes and go about their business, they completely ignored the blue pegasus next to the waiting platform.

Because, of course, they couldn’t see him.

Sky’s cloak swayed lightly in the morning breeze. Inwardly, he wondered if this would be the last time he saw Canterlot like this. Today was likely to change a great many things, even if they managed emerge victorious…or survive at all.

Beside him, a disembodied voice whispered to him. “Well? Did it work?”

Sky managed a halfhearted smile in spite of the serious nature of their circumstances. “It seems like it did,” he answered quietly. “He said he’s on his way here, though I can’t help but think he’ll be bringing a few others along with him.”

“I’d bet you’re right,” Nighthawk agreed. He was perfectly hidden underneath the veil of his own cloak. Zecora had been gracious enough to create another one from one of her own robes in the hurried hours before dawn. It was one of the few advantages they held against Ghost and his zombified horde. “Blitz, listen.”

Sky snorted. “If you’re about to get all mushy on me, you’d better save it,” he teased.

But Nighthawk was undeterred. “Hey. I didn’t think I’d ever be happy about working with you. But right here, seeing you doing this, in spite of everything that was and still is against you…well, I’m just proud to be here, fighting alongside you. If we make it through today, I’m nominating you to take the leadership of the Alicorn Guard.”

Sky’s head whipped around so fast that his cloak flickered visible for a moment. “You’d better not!” he protested. “I’m no leader. There are at least a dozen other ponies in the Guard more qualified than I am, at the very least.”

“You don’t lead in the traditional sense,” Nighthawk explained. “You lead by example. I’d wager that if we were all a bit more like you, then we could make Equestria even greater than it’s ever been.”

A frown came to Sky’s face, hidden from the eyes of his partner by the hood of his cloak. Just as he had been willing to accept Nighthawk’s compliment, the haunting vision from the Everfree Lily arose in his mind. I’m not the pony he thinks I am.

“You’d better get to position,” Sky diverted the conversation. “Ghost isn’t going to spare any expense to make sure he eliminates me here and now, so I need you to cover me.”

“As best I can,” Nighthawk promised. Sky felt a rush of wind and heard a flutter of wings as Nighthawk took to the air for his post.

Again, Sky was left alone. He felt much better than he had when he had first arrived at Zecora’s hut. He had managed a few short hours of sleep, but more than anything, Zecora’s strange concoctions and potions had managed to refresh him, though she had warned him that they would not replace proper rest for long. He needed to take some time off soon.

Won’t be today, he thought.

For over nine hundred years, the Alicorn Guard had secretly kept the peace and defended the land of Equestria from within and without, leaving only rumors of their existence: no physical proof. And the day that he had joined, Sky had sworn an oath to never reveal the truths of the Alicorn Guard to anypony. It was a vow he had taken seriously and had never questioned.

Until today.

The Guard had performed outside the laws of Equestria. They were not above the law; merely outside it. They could not be tried for their actions as they officially did not exist. And for those nine hundred years, they had been the righteous servants of the empire, performing justice and preserving peace. But then an infection found its way into the Guard. One of the most powerful groups in the land had been corrupted…and there was nopony capable of overseeing it. Not even Princess Celestia had known about the darkness. And that secrecy had only nurtured the cancer.

Sky had always hated the secrecy he had been forced to maintain with his friends. He hated the feeling that he wasn’t allowed to trust them with everything, like good friends should be able to do. But he had done so out of respect for that first oath. The confidentiality was necessary. But now, the secrecy had been turned against the good of the land, and Sky knew what he had to do. The truth had to be exposed. He would break his vow. Would that make him a traitor? Possibly. But if doing the right thing made him a traitor, then he was willing to accept that role.

I’ve lost so much already, he thought sadly. He reached up and felt the two jeweled cutie marks hanging beneath his cloak.

But his mind hardened as another thought filled his brain. No…I haven’t lost everything. I still have my friends, my family, the princesses...

His eyes latched onto the approaching white unicorn with a silver and red mane. He was looking all across the courtyard, hunting for the blue pegasus.

The Alicorn Guard. And I’ll fight for you, even if I have to fight against you.

Sky stepped back into the shadows of the platform and allowed his cloak’s disguise to fade. He reached up and brushed the hood off his head and gave his mane a quick shuffle. Then, with a deep breath, he advanced into the light, where he saw Ace’s eyes lock onto him immediately.

Here we go.

“There you are,” Ace said, a stern look on his face as he approached. “You certainly look like you’re still in one piece.” He seemed to be sizing up the pegasus, looking for wounds, bruises, or other vulnerabilities, though there was little to see through Sky’s grey mantle. “So, let’s have it. What happened?”

But Sky had other ideas. “I need to see Ghost. He needs to hear what I have to say.”

“Then you should have called him here to start with,” Ace snapped. “You asked for me instead, and here I am, so spill.”

Sky sighed. “I’m sorry about this, but I’m going to speak to Ghost directly.” He peered into the depths of Ace’s eyes. “You hear me in there, Ghost? I’m talking to you! You listening?”

For a moment, Ace seemed rather taken aback. But within moments, Ace’s eyes grew dark and a deep purple star pulsed from the center of the blackness of his pupils. “So, Blitz,” Ace hissed, though his voice had grown deeper and colder, “you seem to have learned a few things while you were away. Though I must admit, I don’t know how. You’re more clever than I had counted on. But it doesn’t matter. You cannot oppose me alone.”

“Why, Ghost?” Sky pleaded, hoping against hope to prevent what was to come. “This is crazy! Luna and Celestia made up to each other! Storm Emblem never wanted this to happen! He wanted peace, not revenge!”

“Silence!” Ace-Ghost snapped. “You know nothing of Storm Emblem’s plight! I will complete my family’s work and restore Luna to her rightful place! However,” he continued in a softer voice, “you do not have to oppose me. We could work together. We both love Princess Luna and would do anything for her, would we not?”

Sky knew that sensation. It was like a worm trying to burrow itself into his mind: a parasite seeking to change him into someone else. Sky once again pressed his hoof against the two brooches on his chest, and with a quick flash of light, the sensation was gone. “Save your words and your magic for when you see me in the flesh,” Sky snarled. His wings crackled with magic and the irises of his eyes were wrung with miniature electric arcs. “I did not make an oath to Princess Luna, but to the entire land of Equestria. Throw everything you’ve got at me, Ghost. I’m going to end this right now.”

The body of Ace stood still as a stone for several moments before a wicked grin grew across its face. “You also swore not to reveal the existence of the Alicorn Guard,” he mocked. “Are you willing to break one oath to try and uphold another?”

“I will break any oath if it conflicts with what is right!” Sky shouted, drawing the attention of several nearby ponies.

“As you wish, Blitz,” Ace-Ghost said softly. “You will fight alone here. And you will die alone. I will make sure of that.”

“Then come get me!” Sky said, launching into the air with a blaze of magic.

And in that moment, Canterlot became a battleground.

From just beyond the nearest row of buildings, a pegasus, sheathed in a cocoon of a magic aura, rocketed into the air on an intercept course with Sky. At the same time, a lone unicorn unleashed a volley of rapid-fire blasts of magic from down the street, forcing him to a lower altitude. A nearby door burst open and two earth ponies rushed out, peering back at Sky as he approached from above. All the ponies that had been merely passing by took off in a panic, too frightened by the sudden commotion to look back.

Sky winced as he recognized his friends. Nova tore through the air, wearing a hateful scowl as she closed in. Between the blasts of magic, Sky could make out the form of Keeper as she attempted to force him closer to the ground. And waiting ahead of him, Trucker and Scope looked on with dark eyes.

“Forgive me,” Sky whispered. He silently counted down from five to one.

Suddenly, a flaming streak of red burst into the air with such ferocity that the ponies attacking Sky hesitated for a moment. Nova barely had time to notice before she fell from the air, crashing into the roof of a nearby home. With a sad sigh, Sky rolled out from underneath the Keeper’s blasts of magic and closed the distance to her within the blink of an eye. With a surge of magic, he slammed both front hooves into her, sending her skidding along the pavement.

She recovered quickly and fired off twin magic beams back where Sky stood. At the same time, Trucker and Scope leapt at him from his left and right. He had almost nowhere to go.

Almost.

With an unnatural calmness, Sky launched himself into a high aerial flip, positioning himself just above the outstretched legs of the two earth ponies. Then, as he stalled in the air, he reached down and planted his hooves onto the heads of Trucker and Scope. And with a mighty heave, he hurled them back to the ground.

He watched with little satisfaction as they crashed onto the street, only to be met moments later by the pair of magic blasts from Keeper, sending them rolling down the street. And as he completed his somersault, Sky pressed his wings together and sent a curved magic flare like an electric blade sizzling back to where Keeper stood with a strangely passive look of disgust, preparing for her next attack. It struck the ground right in front of her, exploding on contact and raising a cloud of dust.

The unicorn burst from the cloud, horn aimed to the fore, ready to fry the pegasus where he stood. But her determination faded into confusion when she noticed that he was no longer there.

Suddenly, Sky dropped from the air right beside her, his body tense and ready for his next attack. Keeper reacted quickly, ducking and extending her legs quickly, trying to knock Sky onto the ground. But he simply hopped over the strike and delivered a quick jab into her foreleg, knocking her slightly off-balance. As she stumbled, Sky spun on one hoof and knocked her rear legs out from under her. And as he settled on all four of his own hooves, he released a quick burst of magic like a bolt of lightning from the heavens. The blast sent Keeper careening through the air until she collided with a storefront across the street.

Sky stared at the unconscious body of Keeper where she lay on the sidewalk. Sun, moon, and stars, I hate this.

“Well, just look at you,” Ace-Ghost said, casually strolling towards Sky amid the debris. Above, Nighthawk continued to keep Nova busy (with more than she could handle, from what Sky could tell). “You’re even better than I hoped. But I have to admit, I did not expect you to leave Nighthawk alive,” he added, thrusting a hoof to the aerial battle above him. “You really are full of surprises.”

“Killing isn’t really my style,” Sky replied casually.

“Oh, just listen to you,” Ace-Ghost chuckled. “You’re always trying to be so noble; such an upstanding servant of Celestia. Never out for your own recognition, are you? You said so yourself: ‘No one knows everything we do, and maybe someday we’ll end up as legends fit for stories and fairy tales, but we’re only heroes after we’re gone.’ Isn’t that right, Blitz?”

Sky’s eyes grew as wide as saucers as the unicorn continued. “Oh, you thought you said those words just to Razor? Blitz, you should know better than that. I’ve been in the heads of every member of the Alicorn Guard for months. If you said anything to any of them, you said it to me.”

“Then why didn’t Nighthawk know that we repaired the shooter?” Sky asked, biding for time. He needed Nighthawk to clear the skies before their plan could continue. “I mean, if you knew that Ace, Hobo, and I had gotten it working again, shouldn’t Nighthawk have been prepared for that?”

“Oh, I had far less direct influence on your battle with Nighthawk than you think, Blitz,” Ace-Ghost cooed. “All I did was make him see you as his enemy. Then I just watched the battle unfold through his eyes. If Nighthawk won, then you would be gone and nopony would be capable of opposing me. If you won, then you would kill him and corrupt yourself, giving me an opportunity to seize upon that darkness and control you. Either way, I win.”

“Except that I didn’t kill Nighthawk,” Sky said, suddenly realizing the significance of his choice. “I made the only decision you didn’t account for.” Then another thought came to him. “But even if I left Nighthawk alive, then why didn’t you re-take control of him after he woke up again?”

“Seriously, Blitz?” Ace-Ghost replied, looking appalled at Sky’s apparent lack of understanding. “Why would I try to influence a pony I thought was as good as dead? I didn’t take control of him because I didn’t know he was still alive, of course. I withdrew my control from him the moment you beat him. I never imagined that you could choose to spare the life of somepony that had killed your Lily,” he admitted. “It was my only mistake.”

Killed your Lily. Killed your Lily. The words created an endless echo in his mind. And for a moment, the seething anger he had felt towards Nighthawk returned.

But one look at the orange pegasus fighting above allowed the rage to float away. He’s not my enemy anymore. And then another comforting thought followed: Lily isn’t dead. As long as I remember her, she’ll always be with me.

“Wrong,” Sky said through gritted teeth. “You made a lot of mistakes. Your first was deciding to follow this ridiculous plan of your family’s. It corrupts the legacy of Storm Emblem, and it will ruin the empire!”

Nova crashed into a nearby wall with a thump, then fell to the ground in a limp heap. It was tragic: friend against friend in a battle for the fate of all Equestria. It took all of Sky’s willpower to keep from rushing to her side.

Nighthawk landed beside him, a fire in his eyes as he stared down the controlled unicorn. “You talking to Ace or Ghost?” he asked.

“Both, from what he tells me,” Sky said.

A scowl grew on Nighthawk’s face. “Ghost, you’d better hope I never find you, because if I do, you may not live to regret it.”

“Oh. Looks like your choice of company doesn’t share your sense of self-control,” Ace-Ghost taunted.

“I’m not the same inexperienced pegasus you dueled when I first joined the Guard,” Nighthawk said, and his magic aura grew in response. “You know that. And I’d love to test myself against you now.”

“I’m sure you would,” Ace-Ghost replied. “But I have a better idea. See, now I know that Nighthawk is still alive. And, seeing as how you two each have one victory against each other in battle,” he continued, and the surrounding air became thick and the light seemed to fade, “why don’t we have a tiebreaker?”

For a moment, Sky thought that nothing aside from the air had changed. However, hearing a moan from behind him, he turned to see Nighthawk doubled over on the ground, groaning and shivering uncontrollably. As his eyes blinked open and shut erratically, Sky could see a deep purple light slowly growing from his pupils.

“No!” he shouted, leaping to Nighthawk’s side and cradling his head in his hooves. “Stay with me, Nighthawk!” he begged. “Fight it! Fight him! You’re better than this! Don’t give in!”

Ace-Ghost was laughing where he stood. “Oh, this is rich. You suddenly care about him, after what he did to Lily? Let’s be real, Blitz. You could care less about what happens to him. All you want is an ally to face me with. You’re just planning to throw him to the curb when all this is over.”

“That’s not true!” Sky shouted. “You’re the monster that attacked Lily!” he continued, pointing a hoof at Ace-Ghost. “Nighthawk may have hated me before, but that’s changed.”

The orange pegasus continued to shudder and twitch, but Sky’s voice grew warmer and kinder. “We understand each other now. We respect each other. Yes, we’re allies, but we’re more than that, too: we’re friends.”

And as he held his friend’s head in his hooves, voices of the early morning returned to him.

“I understand you must go, Sky Streak, but before you do, I’d like a moment to speak.”

“What is it, Zecora?”

“Your pegasus friend is strong, but his mind is not yet clear. A darkness yet lingers which your enemy may use, I fear.”

“Great. Is there anything you can do for him?”

“Part of his mind still desires to see you betrayed. For an ill of this kind, I fear I can offer no aid.”

“Fantastic. He was victim to a nasty forbidden magic that basically put him under the control of another individual. One that tried to kill me.”

“And yet here he now stands with you as a friend. Would you see him come to such an unfortunate end?”

“Of course not! But what can I do?”

“So soon you forget a battle not so long ago, when you faced a similar power from a different foe. And now hundreds of ponies owe their lives to you. Here you stand again. You know what to do.”

“Last time I had the Elements of Harmony! I don’t have that luxury this time!”

“The Elements are the embodiment of friendship, the deepest magic of all. If you carry that in your heart, is it not always at your beck and call?”

Sky smiled confidently. “I told you once before that friendship was the deepest magic, but it seems you weren’t listening,” he said softly. “But I’ll make sure that you listen this time.” He gently laid Nighthawk’s head on the pavement. He then stood up, and a white glow seemed to rise as dust began to swirl around his hooves. “You dare to pick on one of my friends? You and your family were determined to be on your own. You didn’t want help from the outside. You only had one child to carry on your vendetta against Celestia. You tried to concentrate all the magical knowledge and power you could into one pony!”

The light grew, dispelling the darkness, and the swirl of dust developed into a full-fledged whirlwind of light. Ace-Ghost looked on, a half-intrigued expression on his face. “But we understand that friends make us stronger! We don’t have to be alone! They stand in the gap for us and help us when we need it! And if they ever need my help, I’ll be right there!”

His eyes shone like stars from his face in the midst of the whirlwind. “You thought I was alone. But as long as I have friends, I’m never alone. My friends make me more powerful than you could ever hope to become. And when I find you, I’ll show you that power. Personally.”

“Looking forward to it,” Ace-Ghost replied nonchalantly. Then, as the unicorn bowed his head in resignation, Sky unleashed the tornado, and it engulfed the entire courtyard within its walls of light.

The next few seconds felt like hours to Sky. All around him, he could sense the presences of his friends. He could feel Ghost’s mind manipulation in their minds like seeds of darkness. He sighed with satisfaction as the darkness gradually evaporated in the consuming brightness of his spell until it was gone entirely. The glare of the magic tornado was like staring into the sun, but it was not unpleasant: it was warm and inviting, much like his home had always been.

Or anywhere when Lily had been with him.

The thought stung like a hundred needles had stuck him all at once. Instantly, the light faded, and Sky found himself standing in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by the limp forms of the Alicorn Guard. From the occasional window, Sky could see several pairs of frightened eyes peering out at him.

“Well,” he muttered aloud, “I guess the secret’s out.”

Traitor.

Sky snorted. A traitor. He had thrown aside his oath; broken a solemn vow. He had betrayed the secret of the Alicorn Guard. Of course, it would have been easy to blame Ghost. But Sky had been given the opportunity to keep that secret by joining Ghost. And he had refused it. And now, he bore the same title that Ghost did. That Nighthawk did. That she did…

“I don’t care,” he whispered. “No oath is worth keeping if it prevents me from doing what’s right.”

“How peculiar,” a voice echoed around the courtyard. “That makes you both blandly predictable and yet equally unpredictable. Quite an achievement, if you ask me.”

Sky fell back on his haunches and stared at the top of the train station, where a familiar form reclined upon the roof. “Discord,” Sky began, “I half-expected you to not show up.”

The draconequus sat straight up as he regarded the pony below. “My good Sky Streak, you may consider me untrustworthy, but I am a being of my word. If I say I will do something, then you can be certain that I will see it done.”

“Good to know,” Sky said, and his eyes were drawn to the body of Nighthawk, which had begun to move as he slowly came around again. “So, since I can count on you to do what you say you will—did you find Ghost?”

Discord vanished from the rooftop and appeared next to Sky with a poof. “I certainly did,” he said, looking quite pleased with himself as he began to pace back and forth.

Sky sat expectantly for a moment. “And?” he pressed.

“Ungh,” Nighthawk groaned as he rolled over. “Oh, man…the hay happened? Feels like somepony tried to pull my brain out through my ear.”

“Haven’t tried that one yet,” Discord commented thoughtfully. “Might merit a try sometime later.”

“Save it,” Sky cut him short. He turned his attention back to the orange pegasus on the ground. “Glad you’re back, Nighthawk. Ghost shouldn’t try to take control of you anymore.”

“Nice to hear,” Nighthawk answered, struggling to get to his hooves. “Too bad he’s probably got all kinds of other surprises for us.”

“Well, he’s got a few less to use against us,” Sky said. “We’ve got a few more allies now.” He gestured around the square, where the rest of the ponies of the Alicorn Guard were slowly coming to.

“More allies—wait, what? You mean them?” Nighthawk asked incredulously. “You mean you freed them, too? Seriously?”

“I think so,” Sky said, suddenly a bit uncertain. It had worked before with the Chimera, but that had been his only attempt to use that particular magic. The sample size of results was admittedly rather small. “I guess we’re gonna find out in a second or two.”

Sky kept his eye trained on Ace—he seemed to be recovering the quickest, and he had been the one Ghost had been using to speak through. Also, it had come into Sky’s mind that Ace might prove to be particularly useful in the battle to come…though that was dependent on many things.

Finally, Ace staggered to his hooves, unsteady and dizzy. As he looked up to the two pegasi and one god of chaos standing in the center of the square, a look of pure confusion sprang to his face—and, much to Sky’s relief—complete with his normal, gray-colored eyes.

“Blitz,” he groaned, bringing a hoof to his temple as he swayed where he stood. “Nng…sheesh, what a headache. You’ve never experienced a headache like this.”

Sky smiled. “Wanna bet on it?”

Ace’s head shot up with a startled look, only to be replaced by an understanding smile. “You know, I think I’ll pass on this one.”

The smile quickly faded into another pained grimace. “Sweet Celestia, that hurts,” he said, continuing to rub his head gingerly. He hesitated as he stared at the trio of beings in the center of the square. “Either that’s the ugliest statue I’ve ever seen, or it’s Discord,” he said, pointing to the tall, serpentine being next to the blue pegasus.

Discord was unamused. “The sarcasm of you ponies is boundless,” he replied, looking annoyed.

“Tough to argue with that,” Ace said, working out a kink in his neck. “So, if nopony has any objections, could someone please tell me what’s going on? I open my eyes with a headache the size of an ursa, a bunch of my friends lying around a courtyard that looks like it just got hit by a tornado, Blitz talking to Discord without trying to strangle him, and Nighthawk, the traitorous fugitive.” Sky noted the angry change in Ace’s tone as he said ‘traitorous fugitive.’

“Long story short? We were wrong,” Sky explained. “Basically, Ghost is the traitor, and he’s been using all of you keep us from finding that out. Nighthawk’s on our side again, and Discord has offered his assistance, too.”

Ace stood unmoving (save for an eye twitch) for several minutes. Sky waited patiently, while Discord took the opportunity to arrange a flowery wreath around Ace’s neck. Finally, he wagged his head and shook off his reverie. “That…is certifiably insane,” he managed.

“Wonderful, isn’t it?” Discord remarked. He tossed the rest of his flowers into the air, where they exploded in a blaze of fireworks.

Sky cleared his throat and continued. “Ghost is planning to stage a coup and give the throne to Princess Luna. Don’t ask,” he said, seeing the question on Ace’s face. “It’s too difficult to explain now. Let’s just say that we need to find Ghost and stop…whatever his plan is.”

“Speaking of which,” Discord interrupted, “if you were wanting to know where Ghost is right now…”

“Oh, right,” Sky said, regaining his train of thought. “You said you found him, right?”

Discord nodded. “I did. He’s currently in the great magic vault beneath the castle. And he had somepony with him. A large, hulking brute of a pony, from the look of it.”

“That’d be Boulder,” Nighthawk said. “Ghost must have wanted a bodyguard.”

“What’s in the vault?” Ace asked, placing his flowery wreath on the ground beside him. “I mean, sure, I’ve heard of it, but nopony I’ve talked to knew what was kept in there.”

All eyes turned to Discord, who merely returned an innocent gaze. “I don’t go snooping into every little detail of Canterlot, mind you.” He crossed his arms and stuck his nose in the air defiantly.

“Come on, Discord,” Sky said. “Not even the Alicorn Guard knows what’s in there, and you’re telling me that you didn’t go investigate that for yourself? You couldn’t keep from knowing that secret if your life depended on it.”

For a moment, Sky wondered if Discord really didn’t know what was in the vault. But after a few tense seconds, he clasped his claws together and threw them wide open, revealing a stack of blueprints and floorplans with the words “Canterlot Dungeon Catacombs Magic Vault” scrawled across the top. “Oh, alright,” he said at last. “Goodness knows I can’t resist a good secret. But don’t go telling Celestia. She’d have a fit if she knew I had these.”

Sky actually felt himself smiling. At times, Discord felt less like a malevolent would-be dictator, and more like a semi-omnipotent foal with an incurable penchant for mischief. And in those moments, he wasn’t so bad to be around.

“Hang on…this seems to indicate that the vault is filled with…magic relics?” Ace asked, peering at the blueprints.

“Makes sense,” Nighthawk said. “Secure vault, powerful items. I see the Alicorn Amulet on here. And those look like…weapons?” He pointed to a row of items along one wall.

“Hm. ‘Celestia: Sun Spear,’ ‘Luna: Blade of Night,’ and…‘Sombra’s Dark Scythe’? What on earth are those?” Sky asked.

“Sound like weapons from Equestria’s early days,” Nighthawk replied. “Can’t say I ever knew that Celestia and Luna bore weapons, though.”

“I’d heard rumors that Celestia and Luna had fought Sombra at the fall of the Crystal Empire. I wonder if these aren’t the weapons they used?” Ace added.

“I hate to interrupt,” Discord interjected with a polite clearing of his throat, “but don’t you have more important things to tend to than speculations about the Princesses’ martial combat skills?”

“Oh, uh, right,” Sky said, feeling a bit awkward. It somehow felt very…backwards to be corrected by the god of chaos. He examined the blueprints again. “I dunno…I mean, sure, there are lots of potent magic items in there, but nothing that really seems to say, ‘Hey, this has gotta be what he’s after’.”

“What about that?” Discord asked, laying a talon upon a secluded area of the map.

And as soon as Sky saw it, he knew.

“By the Founders,” Sky muttered, “The Shards of Nightmare Moon. I gave him what he needed.”

“What?” Ace asked, looking bewildered. “I don’t get it.”

Sky’s mind raced. “After the Chimera was destroyed last year, we found these left behind. We gave them to the Princesses for safekeeping, because if the Chimera had them, then they couldn’t have been good.”

“But they’re just the broken fragments of Nightmare Moon’s appearance, right? What could Ghost do with those?” Ace asked.

“Until you’ve been around them, you can’t really describe it. But those fragments still have enough dark magic to be dangerous. If Ghost is planning to return them to Princess Luna…”

“Then he is literally wanting to live in the past,” Nighthawk concluded. “He wants Celestia gone and Nightmare Moon to rule Equestria alone.”

“But why? Why not Princess Luna as she is? What has Nightmare Moon got to offer Equestria other than fear and never-ending night?”

“That’s what I’m going to find out,” Sky said, eyes glinting with resolve. “He knows we’re coming for him now, and he’s going to do everything he can to stop us. It’s going to take all of us to do this.”

A worried frown came to Ace’s face. “I really don’t understand any of this,” he shrugged, “but I’ve seen enough to know that you know what you’re talking about. You’re sure we can still stop him?”

Sky looked around the courtyard as the fallen Guardsponies, still looking a bit dazed and shaken, struggled to their hooves and approached. He fired quick glances at each of his three companions, who returned grim but confident gazes at him.

A familiar smug grin tugged at the corners of Sky’s mouth. “You can bet on it.”

Author's Note:

It's war!

There can be no resolution without conflict. And in order to restore order, Sky must face each of his friends from the Alicorn Guard in combat. There is no more searching; no more running; no more hesitation. The end has begun.

As much as I love dialogue, I love fight scenes. Sure, they can be difficult to explain without visuals, but that just lends itself to the reader's imagination, in my opinion. It's the point where I can let my overly-wild imagination cut loose and go nuts with what's possible (or whatever I want to do, really).

Also, HUGE shout-out to Silly Filly Studios for creating their brilliant work, Fall of the Crystal Empire, which is referenced in this chapter! If you haven't seen it, then stop reading this and go do so!

Comments

[JazzTheFox53rd]

I'm also a fan of silly filly sudios!
I loved the fall of the crystal empire video.
My favorite was Snowdrop!