• Published 26th Jan 2015
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Shattered Skies - Arctikfox



Shattered Skies has lived much of his life tending to his forests, but after he was betrayed by a princess he trusted, all he wants to do is to live a normal life even if the world tells his otherwise.

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Chapter 28 -Blue Diamond-

-Blue Diamond-

It had been three days since the vault was opened, and Skies was forcibly put to sleep as a result of the stress his mind took. Cadance fretted over every sound he made and constantly checked him to make sure he was okay, something Sif joined her in doing. He laid in bed as memories he’d once forgotten came burning into his mind.


Memories Once Lost


Skies opened his eyes, frigid air rushed into his lungs as he hefted a pile of dirt out of a muddy pit. Everything around him seemed familiar, but when he tried to move freely, his body fought him. Much like the vault, this memory was something he had experienced before and had to live once again. His heart skipped a beat when his arm came into view, bathed by a flashlight's beam.

His own fleshy, human arm appeared and rubbed across his brow before he went back to digging again.

"You done yet?" A voice growled out from the hill as another shovelful of mud was removed. Each motion of labor revealed something new; a hand, clothing, and even another smaller boy in the ditch.

"We're working, sir." Skies felt rumble out of his throat.

"Not fast enough!" A man's hulking body came into view, his glaring eyes tried to bore into Skies' soul. Memories of this creature started to flow into his mind. The man produced a hose and sprayed Skies in the face with water. "Enough breaky, more worky!"

The boy next to Skies tensed and growled, but Skies nudged him and shook his head.

"That's right, boy. Listen to your brother. Your sisters are busy with their own work, and you should be trying to do twice as much as them! You're a man, aren’t you?" The man growled before hitting the boy with another stream of water. "This retaining wall won't build itself."

Seething in anger, the smaller boy turned to climb the rope out of the ditch, but he quickly found himself being grabbed by the hair and dragged from the hole.

"You want to fight me?" The man brought his arm back to strike the boy, but Skies rapidly leapt to action and held his arm back.

"You will not touch him." Skies growled menacingly.

"Oh, big man wants to stand up to daddy, is that it?" Skies’ father teased, his tobacco-stained teeth being one of the few notable features of his face. He stood only a few inches above Skies, but he easily out-weighed him by a hundred pounds. Because of this, Skies spent the next thirty minutes being thrown around like a ragdoll. He nearly lost consciousness when he found someone heavy sitting on his chest. "No matter how old you get, I'll still be able to beat you down." His father bent low, his face mere inches from Skies’ as he taunted him.

Anger surged through Skies’ body. He wanted to end this creature’s miserable life more than anything else in that moment. Memories of a lifetime growing up with this monster ate away at his mind. He had long since forgotten these days, but he still remembered the reason he didn’t fight under this man's weight: his siblings.

Four shadows moved in the darkness, Skies could see them, the ones he left behind all those years ago. Names and details had faded away long ago, but he still remembered what each one looked like; he had spent many close years with these four figures after this night.

A fifth shadow moved near the ditch, but before Skies could see who it was, a blinding light shot through his eyes, and the world stripped away into another scene. Visions started to swirl around Skies as he stood ethereally on four legs once more.

Skies smiled as he then watched his own life. He saw himself getting older and winning custody of his sibling., He watched as his siblings grew up and started their own lives; one joined the military, two pursued college to become something more for themselves, and last one was working an internship at a local hospital. The youngest girl, born year after most of them left the house, however, remained living with Skies when he was named the only stable blood relative of their father. For what seemed like forever, Skies watched their recitals, plays, and concerts. He tried to be everything their father was not.

The torrent of memories rippled and swallowed him whole.

The bitter scent of cleaning supplies tingled his nose. Skies looked around and saw that his youngest sister was holding his hand as the two sat in a waiting room, as the rest of his siblings moped on a nearby couch. Regardless, the young girl’s smile seemingly brightened the scowls of the other four.

"Why do we have to be here?" The boy from Skies' recent memory groaned, although he was more of a young man now. He had a burn along his left arm, a likely accident from the reckless way he lived his life.

"You know why." A woman sighed as she stood to stretch, her long, straight hair resting evenly on her shoulders.

"Yes, but why?" The man asked once again. "Big Brother has been more of a father to us then that piece of s-"

"Ah!" Skies found himself scolding, much to everyone's amusement. "There are ladies present."

The small girl in Skies lap giggled, knowing that she was the one being referred to.

The youngest brother grumbled as he looked around the corner. "I think they want us to go in now. He'd be better off dead."

"Agreed." The third sister chimed in. "I say we go eat Chinese food, watch a movie, and forget that loser."

Skies stood. "We can do that afterword. Considering the situation, I think we can spare him this."

"We disagree." The eldest sister cooed.

"I know." Skies stepped forward and the rest followed him down the hall and past an orderly. A hospice wasn't a place to dawdle, so Skies made sure to take the direct path to their father's room, a dark room in the back of the building. He stopped outside, but the clear window allowed for their father to see them immediately.

"It's open." He barked.

Skies looked back to see that each sibling wore their own various expressions, none of which were very reassuring. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open. With three strides, he reached their father's bedside and stood at the end of his bed as his siblings surrounded him, only being mere inches away.

"I know you all have mixed feelings about seeing me." The once daunting man spoke, his skin was cracked and decaying. He had contracted a rare disease and it caused his body to slowly decay while he still lived. The doctors confessed to Skies that it was extremely debilitating and that even the slightest trauma, mental or physical, could send him spiraling downwards to expiration.

"That's one hell of an understatement." The eldest sister spat, but found Skies hand on her shoulder.

"Ah, I see you're still their rock." The man spoke directly to Skies. "I'm sure you will be able to convince them to forgive me."

Choosing one's words can be difficult, impossibly so when they are for someone you hate. Skies took a few slow breaths and looked at each of his siblings. Their eyes begged for him not to ask for their forgiveness., but they loved their brother too much to deny a genuine request from him. Luckily, they wouldn't have to. "I will not be convincing them of anything."

"Excuse me?" The father entered a coughing fit and wiped phlegm from his mouth onto his sleeve.

Skies’ siblings’ glaring eyes bored into their father’s confused expression, something he found quite amusing.

"I'm going to die, boy. The least you can do is forgive me." His voice cracked.

Skies nodded at his eldest sister, who then turned and lead everyone out of the room, leaving Skies alone with their father.

"What is the meaning of this?" The man asked.

"I wanted to speak with you alone." Skies felt his voice straining with anger. His eyes swept around the room as he tried to avoid seeing the bedridden creature, but resigned to his memory as it forced him to relive the moment. After a quiet pause of staring, Skies chuckled. "Y'know, you deserve this."

The man raised an eyebrow and weakly furrowed his face into a scowl.

"You violently abused us for years, and this is what happens to you. I wish I believed in karma because this is simply poetic." Skies moved closer before the man could get the chance speak. "Shhh. Mouth shut, ears open."

Skies sat on his father's bed and fiercely locked eyes with him . "You can't even move, can you?"

The man squirmed and struggled to gasp out a labored breath as he tried to lift a finger before letting his arm drop back down to his side, exhausted. Skies wanted to smile at his weakened state, but that would lessen the impact of his discussion.

"Just going to stare at me?" The man growled.

"No, I'm just thinking about what I want to say to you." Skies said coldly as he looked outside to the light rain that had begun to fall. "I just want you to know that everything you're getting, you deserve. You have been a cruel man and because of it; you lost your kids, you've been divorced thrice, and you will leave the world a quarter million dollars in debt. The light will leave your eyes and not a single person will be here to care."

Tears welled up the man's eyes as he watched his eldest son stand and walk towards the door. "Don't."

Skies stopped and glanced back, unimpressed with the man's attempt at stopping him.

"I'm sorry."

Skies looked out the window to see his siblings laughing as they watched their youngest sister arguing with their middle sister about Chinese food as she jabbed her finger at the paper menu she had swiped earlier. "You're sorry?"

"Y-Yes, I'm sorry!" The man tried to shout.

"You are not forgiven." Skies said coldly as he exited the room, not giving his father so much as a courteous last look. He strode down the hall and his youngest sister ran to him and jumped into his waiting arms.

"Big Brother, tell them that Mei Fun is gross." She pouted. "Doritos are better!"

"Mei Fun is gross and Doritos are better!" Skies proclaimed, causing everyone to laugh.

"Um, excuse me, Mr. Skies." A voice called, confusing Skies. His human name wasn't Skies. As he turned, a tall, white Alicorn with a fiery red mane stared down at him. She lit her horn and the memory evaporated into a more recent one. The scene slowly faded into his final memory as a human.

'No.' Skies thought as he felt his body walking towards a tree he was all too familiar with. He stopped before it and was forced to watch as his hands fashioned a noose out of a thick rope before throwing the other end above one of the high branches. 'No, stop.'

The more Skies fought against the memory, the more it progressed. He knew what came next, he would fight and fall before meeting the Maker. Slowly, the events played out. He tried to escape the rope and the branch below him buckled, leaving a swift end to be a slow one. However, this time something was different. He felt magic.

A red glow surrounded the branch at his feet and deep laughter could be heard from the abyss below him. Skies tried to fight the memory, but darkness was rapidly swallowing him, and in that darkness sat something grim that was staring at him before the sky finally cracked and swallowed him whole.

Unlike the first time Skies died, he found himself in the center of the Maker's temple, but the pillars were cracked and sinking. Not only that, but the water lacked its beautiful ethereal luster and the trees were clearly dying.

Two hooves wrapped around his neck, the familiar mare's warmth put Skies' mind at ease. "I've been trying to reach you."

"I know." The Maker cooed.

"No voicemail?" Skies chuckled before pointing to the area around them. "What happened?"

"I don't have much time, Skies, so listen carefully. You will need to force your way to my realm." The Maker waved her hoof before Skies, summoning images of possible futures, none of which were particularly pleasant. "Something comes to unmake Equus. I have provided you the key to saving it, and you just need to do what it is you do best."

"Make tea and sleep past noon?"

The Maker kissed his cheek. "Something like that. Once this is over, you'll be the one making the tea."

Skies felt his body growing heavy, and then he felt himself falling into the darkness that was rapidly enveloping him.

The Maker waved. "I can't wait to meet your daughter, she reminds me so much of you."


Farhaven Castle-Royal Chambers


Skies erupted up and out of bed, tumbling to the floor kicking and groaning. Everyone in the room looked over at the flailing mass of legs and antlers. Skies stopped and stood up. "How many days?"

"Three." Storm called, making his next move in the game of chess he was playing before Feather of Truth put him in check.

Skies fell back on his haunches and leaned against the bed. Sif and Cadance hopped down and leaned against him.

"Are you okay, dad?" Cadance asked.

"Yes, just a bit... shaken." Skies mumbled as he kissed both Cadance and Sif on the head. "Oh, and the Maker says ‘hi.’"

Storm stood from his game and turned his attention to Skies, as all Spirits did when they heard their deity's title. "You spoke with her?"

"Briefly." Skies sighed.

River moved forward. "It isn't good news, is it?"

"Nope."

"End of the world?"

"Most likely."

"Bring it on." River smirked.

"No, don’t bring it on!" Daring called from the doorway. She flew over to Skies, enraged at his flippant attitude. "The end of the word is serious!"

"Hey, Daring." Skies chirped.

"Don't ‘hey’ me!" She growled, swatting him angrily, but in vain nonetheless. "We need to talk about what's going to happen!"

"You're right."

"I am?" Daring asked in surprise. "I mean... Yeah!"

"I think the time for secrets has passed." Skies slowly stood.

Storm and River looked at one another with concern before unifying in their joined question. "What secrets?"

"Just the ones I've been hording about the Spirits that have shown themselves to us." Skies took a deep breath. "Opening the vault triggered some very old memories and it saddens me to say that I believe I know who comes for us."

"Who?" Cadance asked, in a soft tone when she noticed her father's reluctance.

Skies bit his lip and strode out of the room, followed closely by Sif and Cadance, leaving the room behind in a state of confusion.

"What do you think it is?" River asked no one in particular.

"Some personal mistake I imagine." Storm mused. "I've seen him like this only two other times. I think it's best to let him tell us in his own time."

"That's surprisingly thoughtful of you." River chirped.

"More of a safety thing, really. The last time I tried to pry information from him, we demolished an entire city with our fighting."

Feather of Truth and Innocence looked at each other and shrugged, deciding to remain uninvolved.

Skies kept walking with Sif and Cadance in tow,who followed him even when he teleported into the forest and back to his home. He transformed once he reached his back door and paused when a large paw pressed itself against the door, shutting it.

"Skyfall, please speak to us." Sif tried to ask calmly, still shaken from reliving her memory.

Skyfall leaned back into Sif and grabbed her paw before holding to his chest. Sif melted into the affectionate gesture.

"I just want to be here." Sif cooed.

"I know." Skyfall said soothingly. "It's hard for me to come to terms with mistakes that come back to haunt me. Just know that I trust you, and that when I'm able to, I'll tell you and Cadance everything. Now simply isn’t the time."

Cadance smiled at her father's show of affection towards Sif and turned to walk towards Ponyville. She smiled and giggled like a school filly at the thought of those two on a date. She walked around the corner of the house to find that Applejack was walking her way.

"There you are!" Applejack called.

Cadance blocked her path. "Yes, here I am!" She called loudly to alert her father and Sif. "Right here, in front of you, by the side of the house, with you, Applejack!"

Applejack turned her head in confusion. "Y-Yeah, where has everypony been? I need to speak to Skyfall about the Gala. I've come by for the past two days and nopony has been here, what gives?"

Cadance looked around nervously and sighed when she heard the back door shut with a soft click.

"Cadance?" Skyfall called from the front.

Applejack smirked and trotted to the front courtyard. "Finally caught you!"

Cadance trotted after her and started to worry at her use of words. She noticed that Skyfall was still relaxed and wore a smirk of his own.

"Caught me, I've been teaching Cadance how to camp these past few days." Skyfall shrugged. "Sorry, Cadance wanted to learn something useful other than her regular princess duties. Y’know, shaking babies, kissing hooves, that stuff. Only way to do that right was to walk into the forest and learn."

"That's mighty reckless of you." Applejack chuckled, having not caught the dark humor.

"I know, but it's been ages since I went camping. It was fun, except for the raccoons stealing our food while we were weren’t looking." Skyfall sighed and scratched his chest, silently telling Cadance for some privacy. "What brings you by, Ms. Apple?"

"I wanted to ask you some questions about the Gala." Applejack said quietly. "Every year Rarity makes our dresses, but I'm afraid that if ah... I go all froufrou'd up, I'll come off as a bumpkin."

"You're not wrong." Skyfall said bluntly. "Rarity is a master when it comes to the clothing business. I looked her up when I was in Canterlot and found that on top of having locations in Canterlot and Manehatten, she has about ten more shops in other cities around the nation. I was told by a partner of hers that she's trying to get in touch with Neighpon to set up a trade agreement for textiles."

"Oh wow, I didn't know that." Applejack looked surprised. "But wait, you just said I'm not wrong."

"Correct, Rarity knows textiles, not farming." Skyfall waved Applejack in to follow him as he walked in and down to the basement. "You see, business is mostly about appearance. Product is a... well... byproduct. If you show professionalism and play the right game, you could turn your farm into a thriving business. But that begs the question, how does one show professionalism, and what game are they playing?"

"I don't like these kinds of games." Applejack mumbled.

Skyfall stopped and tapped Applejack on the nose. "Then win and change the game."

Applejack rubbed her nose and silently agreed with his perspective.

"Now, clothing." Skyfall said to himself as he motioned Applejack to follow him. He mumbled ideas as he walked through his foyer and down into the basement. "Question, where's your hat?"

Applejack chuckled. "Took you long enough to notice. I gave it to Apple Bloom for Hearth's Warming. It’s a bit big, but she'll grow into it. Do you think I should get myself another?"

"No, but if you do, only wear it while you're working." Skyfall said curtly as he found a box that was labeled 'Property of River: Death to those who steal my stuff.' "Aha!"

The cold, circular storeroom had been filled with boxes and crates, along with some weird statues and artifacts. Applejack looked around and then up to see that the ceiling lead to the floor of Skyfall's domed foyer. It had a transparency spell on it so one could see light pouring through from above. Applejack had never been one to actively seek out architectural features, but she could recognize what did or didn’t look nice. Suddenly, her vision went dark.

"Put that on."

Applejack shrieked and flailed for a moment before pulling the mysterious assailant off of her face to see a white, button-up shirt.

"Have you ever put on a shirt before?" Skyfall chuckled, prompting Applejack to roll her eyes and shove her arms through the sleeves. He walked around her as she adjusted the shirt to fit right. "Hmm, not bad."

Skyfall sat in front of her and unbuttoned the top two buttons so that you could see a small tuft of fur that stuck out from her chest. Applejack gulped at Skyfall's proximity. "Wouldn't it be better to leave them buttoned?"

Skyfall tittered and waved for her to follow him again.

Applejack walked sluggishly as she was getting accustomed to the way the shirt fit. To her, it seemed a little tight, but from her brief interactions with River, they seemed to be about the same size. "Isn't this a bit tight?"

Sky nodded and glanced back at her. "Yeah, River likes tight clothes. Not sure why."

Applejack finally limped into Skyfall's office and found him sitting by a small chest that sat on his desk. Slowly, he waved her forward and she sat before him, slightly anxious for what he wasn't telling her.

"Applejack, close your eyes." Skyfall smiled down at her in a reassuring manner. She closed her eyes and heard the sound of something being opened. "Now, lower your head."

Applejack felt the cold touch of metal around her neck, and heard the quiet clinking of jewelry. She opened her eyes to find a small, blue diamond in the shape of a plumbob hanging just down to her chest, supported by a white gold chain. "S-Skyfall?"

"This once belonged to my wife for many years." Skyfall lifted Applejack's chin so that their eyes met. "Take good care of it."

"I-I can't accept this." Applejack lifted her hooves to take it off, only to find that Skyfall stopped her from doing so.

"Then keep it safe." Skyfall chuckled and pointed towards a mirror. "Go. Tell me how you look."

Applejack rose and walked slowly to the mirror, glancing back at Sky. She stopped and stared at herself when she reached the mirror. She recognized that the reflection was her own, but was shocked nonetheless.

"Do you like what you see?" Skyfall asked.

Applejack continued to stare in silence. The tight white shirt hugged her torso and hips while the necklace stood out as a subtle accent to the refined look. Applejack jolted when Skyfall entered her field of vision.

"Easy, one last thing." Skyfall had a jar of some slick, clear jelly and dabbed his hoof in it before running over her mane, forcing it to lay across her left eye. "Now all you need is a white ribbon instead of a red one and you're ready for the Gala."

"I don't know what to say." Applejack breathed out.

"Thank me when you land your first big contract." Skyfall tittered. "I am your business partner after all. Can't have you failing now, can I?"

Applejack smiled sweetly at Skyfall. "Y'know. Rainbow and Rarity are a might mad at you for asking me to the Gala."

"I know." Skyfall said monotonously. "If they knew that us going was to help your business then I doubt they would complain."

"I told them that, but they're still a little..." Applejack paused, looking for a good word.

"Jealous?" Skyfall shrugged. "They're angry, I get it, but I'm not interested in being someone's eye candy."

"What about Fluttershy?" Applejack asked. "Weren't you going to take her?"

Skyfall laughed halfheartedly. "I think it's best for us to not pursue a relationship."

"Why?"

Applejack turned to face Skyfall fully. "Is there somepony else you fancy?"

"Relationships with me end very poorly, and I don't want to waste her time when another stallion could make her even happier."

Applejack nodded. "Is this one of those 'if you love her let her go' type deals?"

"No." Skyfall laughed. "I always found that to be a silly sentiment. I just think that.... my life and who I am and wouldn't mix well with her."

Applejack hugged Skyfall. "You're a good stallion, Skyfall."

Skyfall hugged her back, the way she buried her face in his fur felt odd, but he could tell that she had a rough few months with the leaving of her brother, and her responsibilities as an Element taking her away from the farm. "You do know that I have an open door, right?"

"Yeah." Applejack whispered as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm just stubborn."

"I know." Skyfall said as he heard insistent knocking on his front door. He looked outside and saw a small group gathered outside his door. He could see the Mayor, Captain Fury and Lieutenant Desert, Silver Coin, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rainbow and a few other random ponies along with an upright walking wolf waiting for someone to answer the door.

"Wow." Applejack whistled. "Looks like a few ponies want a piece of you."

"I’m only gone for a few days and Ponyville’s already falling apart." Skyfall trotted over and sat at his desk.

"Yer... You're not going to let them in?"

"That is correct. I am not going to let them in." Skyfall opened his desk to retrieve some folders. He looked up and smiled. "You are."

Applejack cringed at his statement. "Me?"

"Yep, it'll give you some practice on how to handle business that isn't done in the Ponyville marketplace." Skyfall said.

"But, the others will see me like this." Applejack said nervously.

Skyfall raised his eyebrow as he looked over his scheduling to see that he missed quite a few appointments. "Applejack, don't read too much into this, but you're a beautiful mare. You're dressed to succeed and now's your chance to show it off."

Applejack opened her mouth to retort, but Skyfall raised his hoof.

"Go shake your groove thang." Skyfall chuckled out. "You know you want to."

Applejack hung her head with a smile and trotted out of the room and down the stairs.

"Somepony is coming, Twilight. You can stop knocking."

With three long, deep breaths, Applejack opened the door, much to the shock of those standing outside. She fought a smile when Silver Coin whistled at her.

"Hi everyone, Skyfall is upstairs and ready to see whoever showed up first." Applejack tried coming up with a good way of dividing the group up so that they wouldn't all riot upstairs.

"Wait, wait." Rainbow cut Applejack off. "Why do you look like that?"

"Like what?" Applejack returned Rainbow's challenging tone.

"All." Rainbow gestured to Applejack, trying to formulate the proper wording.

"Hot." Captain Fury said.

"Sexy." Desert continued.

"Like a wife." Silver coin swooned.

"I believe the word they're looking for is ‘presentable.’" Rarity chirped loudly. "Where in Equestria did you learn to dress like that?"

Applejack smiled nervously. "Skyfall gave me this for the Gala."

Rarity's curious look turned to shock. "He is moving in on my territory."

Applejack stepped aside and sat down. As the first of the group passed her to speak with Skyfall, she was left to fend for herself as the questions rolled in.

"So are you dating?" Silver Coin asked.

"No, we're business partners, and I want to start looking the part." Applejack shrugged.

Fluttershy let out a quiet sigh of relief, something the small wolf next to her picked up on.

"Ms. Fluttershy, may I speak with you?"

Fluttershy smiled, unsure of what he wanted. "Y-Yeah."

Wolf lead Fluttershy to a small garden on the other side of the courtyard, away from the gossiping.

"Is there something you wanted to ask, Doctor?" Fluttershy chirped.

Doctor Wolf smiled. "Just a few small inquiries, mostly regarding Skyfall."

Fluttershy broke eye contact and wore a small smile on her face while bringing her hoof to her lips shyly, remembering the kiss he gave her on Hearth's Warming.


Canterlot Castle


Celestia took a moment to relax as the large, white doors to the royal court closed for the day. Every day since Luna's return, the doors only shut for two hours, twice a day, to give the princesses some alone time with one another. They would eat and talk about the events of the day and on occasion play a board game.

The doors to the Night Wing opened revealing a sleepy-looking Luna with a bad case of bedhead. She walked in gingerly to not push her waking senses. Luna enjoyed sleep, and not just because it was her realm, but for the act in and of itself.

"Good evening, sleepyhead." Celestia called from the throne, prompting Luna to hiss and turn her ears flat against her head.

"Enough of thy screaming." Luna stated groggily.

"I'm just speaking." Celestia rolled her eyes.

"Nay. For the night, that is a thunderous voice thou art using." Luna sat on the throne next to her sister.

Celestia knew that her sister was being playful, but she had a serious matter to discuss with Luna. "Dear sister, there is something I need to show you."

"It's been five minutes, Tia. I just woke up, can it wait?" Luna groaned.

"Sadly, it cannot." Celestia sighed and summoned a stack of returned Gala invitations. She placed them before an unimpressed Luna while she poured herself some coffee from the machine behind her throne.

"Rejected invitations to the Gala, oh no. How will we possibly manage?" Luna mumbled monotonously.

Celestia giggled and lifted the one that was addressed to Neighpon.

The sipping of coffee stopped and Luna snatched the invitation out of the air. "It was opened?" She flipped through the letters and muttered to herself. "They've all been opened."

"Isn't it wonderful?" Celestia smiled. "It’s been ages since there's been a full turnout. I've been trying to balance everything, but we'll need to change locations for the Gala."

"Where to?" Luna asked. "This is going to be a lot of guests."

Celestia fluttered her wings. "Mont Saint-Maker."

"What!?" Luna said before entering a coughing fit. The coughing caused Celestia to erupt in laughter.

"I've been having it restored. I was planning to surprise you with it this summer, but thought this would be as good a time as any to tell you about it." Celestia clapped her hooves.

"That place is still around?" Luna said in disbelief. "I remember we used to go there on vacation centuries ago, but I thought it sank into the ocean."

Celestia nodded. "The soft sand beneath it did make the entire castle sink about half way, but thanks to a certain Chaos Spirit, the process was reversed."

Luna nodded and opened another invitation to read what it actually said.

You are cordially invited to the 847th Gala of Equestria.

Our long, time honored tradition of unifying for a night of splendor has once again arrived. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have extended their deepest wishes for you to attend. A respondez, s'il vous plait (RSVP) will need to be sent in order for attendance to be registered so that all parties may receive a proper greeting by our court crier.

This year's guests include the Elements of Harmony and the new Captain of the Royal Guard, Captain Fury. All paragons of Equestrian society shall be in attendance.

Certainly, rumors have circulated that Shattered Skies and a few other Spirits have returned. Rest assured that safety is at the forefront of everypony's mind until this threat has passed. To insure this, many guard captains shall be in attendance and guard numbers will be at an all time high around the Gala. They shall be lead by the Captain of the Royal guard and the newly appointed Ponyville Captain, Captain Skyfall.

I look forward to any response.

Warm regards, Princess Celestia

'I wonder if Sky has seen this?' Luna thought to herself. She was lost deep in thought as she looked through the list of attendees; Neighpon, all three Griffon Kingdoms, the Dragon lands, Zebrafrica, Saddle Arabia, and even Foenum. So many different creatures would be in one place at the same time; Ponies, Griffons, dragons, Deerfolk, Cattlekind, and even a few Spirits are bound to turn up. Luna smiled at her sister. "This sounds like it's going to be a great many creatures under one roof."

"Isn't it great?" Celestia giggled into her hoof.

Luna looked down at the invitation again. "I noticed you gave that new Ponyville Captain a special mention. I take it you had a reason for this?"

Celestia nodded. "I learned recently from my old student that he is quite knowledgeable when it comes to Spirits. She told me in a letter that he has studied them and I believe he will be instrumental in capturing Him. Isn't that right, Sunset?"

Luna looked up and around to see that Sunset Shimmer had just entered the room.

"Yes, Princess." Sunset chirped.

Luna raised an eyebrow and looked between the two. "I take it there's something I don't know?"

Celestia nodded. "While you've been asleep for the past few days tending to your dream realm, we've been here trying to get to the bottom of whatever is going on in Ponyville."

Luna waited briefly before pushing the conversation forward. "Go on."

Sunset walked up and sat before both Princesses. She reached into her saddlebags and pulled out a few scrolls, as well as her personal journal. "I've been out gathering information on Shattered Skies. I collected any information I could; physical description, speech patterns, sightings, and even what he’s said. Skyfall arrived in Ponyville shortly before Shattered Skies made himself known. He lives on the edge of the Everfree forest and is considerably larger than the average pony. He says anyone instead of anypony, and the most glaring fact is that he disappears for days at a time."

Luna was growing more anxious as Sunset continued to speak. "And where does that lead you?"

Sunset sighed and closed her book. "I think my data is nearly conclusive, but I would still like to ask you one question before responding to your own."

Luna nodded, silently granting her request.

"Have you ever seen any of Skyfall's dreams?"

Luna felt her stomach drop, it was impossible to enter a Spirit's dream unless she was given permission to by the owner. It is likely that Sunset discovered this from Celestia's journal. If she said no, then Skies would be found out. "Yes, I've been through his dreams."

Sunset nodded, sighing in relief.

"Thank you, Princess."

"Why?" Luna asked feigning confusion.

"Had you not been able to enter his dreams, then I would need to start investigation for the worst, but thankfully now I can start investigating the best case scenario."

"Which is?" Luna asked.

"Skyfall is trying to find Shattered Skies. I don't know why, but I get the feeling he knows a great more than what he lets on. That's partially why his name is on the invitation: if he has the contacts we believe he has, then we expected a large turnout, but to have all the invitations come back with an RSVP was a little jarring." Sunset Shimmer gestured to the pile of letters. "What does he dream about?"

Luna panicked, but remained visibly calm despite her inner turmoil. She needed to make up a lie good enough to keep the two of them from prying.

"Skyfall has a few random dreams, but none more prominent than a recurring nightmare that I've had to stop time and time again." Luna said, making sure to crack her voice to feign emotion. She coughed and continued. "Most nights, he dreams about the night his wife and child were taken from him, before a shadow ran him through, nearly killing him. Sometimes I'm too late and he wakes up from the nightmare without me preventing it."

"Poor guy." A young mare strode into the room.

Luna looked over to see a plum Unicorn walking with another pony through the same door Sunset had entered minutes before. Luna smiled at the mare, knowing exactly who she was. "Radiant Hope?"

"In the flesh, Princess." Hope smiled. "Princess Celestia summoned us from our travels in looking for Amore's shards. We figured this was a more pressing matter that needed to be heeded."

"And the pony next to you?" Luna asked.

The stallion rose his head and pushed back his hood. "It has been some time since last we met, Princess Luna. I apologize for not giving you a proper greeting. My mind has been in a state of disaster since hearing about Shattered Skies’ return."

"You two do have some history." Celestia said.

"History is putting it kindly, your eminence. I believe it was me, the old me, that put Shattered Skies down the path he's chosen. If there is a way I could save him like you, Princess Twilight, and Princess Cadance once did for me, then it is my very duty."

"Princess, who is this?" Sunset Shimmer asked before turning to Radiant Hope and the unknown stallion.

The mare gave a small curtsy. "I am Radiant Hope."

Sunset smiled and curtsied in return and then turned to the stallion that shuffled his hooves and refused to make eye contact. He looked nervous, much in the way a foal does on their first day of school. "And you, what is your name?"

The stallion gave Sunset a sheepish smile. "My name is Sombra, formerly known as King Sombra."

Author's Note:

King Sombra. Yes he is a 'good' pony in this story, he is more timid and unsure like he was in foalhood. I have mentioned in the past about taking certain things from the comics, this is one of them. I do not like that MLP:FIM tries to redeem all their villains, but I do like Sombra and the fact that he has to live with what he has done. Even though most of the show villains have been redeemed by the time of me writing this, it doesn't really effect my story since I have my own villains that have a darker outlook on being bad than a typical show villain would.


The first chapter of each of my own side stories are finished, they won't be long stories, but they are stories nonetheless. :twilightsmile:

Not much else other than that, just tossing around some ideas for one-two chapter stories to write, funny shorts like 'Ponies of Walmart,' but again I don't know which one would be good; damn my pickiness.

We appreciate you, kind sir or madam :heart:

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