Past Actions, Future Consequences

by Rill

Ch. 20 Homecoming

The conference room lay silent as Princess Luna explained to the Tranquility’s officers what her mission was. Silently, Shadow was surprised at how accurate the explanation was. While she didn’t mention the Sprites, Luna explained how he had been tricked into trying a cross-dimensional spell that resulted in the deaths of his family when the beings on the other side took exception to the accidental attempted intrusion. She went on to explain how the beings had followed him, resulting in the destruction of Blue Lake Island and a good chunk of the Everfree Forest. Luna eventually wrapped up the story by saying that her mission was to track down the ponies responsible.

“Why would they want you dead?” Cadance asked.

“Because of these” Shadow replied, extending his wings.

“Why would they want to kill you over your wings?”

“Long story short, Princess” Sea Breeze said, speaking up for the first time “his home doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to alicorns. Believe me when I say that you do not want the full story of what happened on the island five hundred years ago.”

The head of the Crystal Empire contemplated the mare’s words before turning to the youngest pony in the room. “What would have happened if you had been caught before getting off the island?”

“You don't want to know” Shadow replied.

“Perhaps not, but we need to know.”

Shadow sighed. “Assuming I was stupid enough to let them take me alive and that they didn't kill me right on the spot? The first thing they'd have done was throw me into a holding cell.” Shadow left out that he wasn't being metaphorical about being thrown. “Within a few days, I'd be taken to Dragon's Bay to stand trial” The colt rolled his eyes at the last word. “It would be short and the verdict would be obvious to everypony before the show even began.” Shadow looked around at the raised eyebrows. “Sombra supposedly tried to become an alicorn and murdered his entire family when he took over. Celestia banished you” Shadow pointed to Luna “to the moon when you tried to claim what was rightfully owed to you. Then she killed you, or so most ponies believe, when you escaped. Five hundred years ago, Star Trail took over the island, somehow became an alicorn and by the time she was taken out, over ten thousand ponies were dead, and those are the ones we know of!” The young alicorn leaned back in his chair, ignoring the small headache that had formed “So, yeah. Take that and add to it that everypony in town would know about my skills with magic and that I alone survived the fire that killed my family and I'd be found guilty before lunch.”

“What would happen then?” Princess Cadence looked almost sick as she asked.

“Since I'd be guilty of being an alicorn and triple murder as well...” Shadow didn't say anything, instead opting to act like he was choking while something was pulled tightly around his neck. “At noon the next day, I'd be led to the center of town, most likely still in pain from whatever beating I got the night before. Before the crowd, and it would be a big one, my horn would be snapped off,” Shadow noticed everypony in the room with a horn wince “then my wings would be broken and plucked” The room's pegasi winced as well. “After that, I'd be taken to the gallows, the crowd would be allowed to throw stuff at me, they'd place the noose around my neck, then...” Shadow simply finished by drawing a hoof across his neck.

“After that?”

“I'd be left on display until sundown, when they'd tie rocks to my body and unceremoniously toss me into the ocean.”

The room remained silent as everypony digested what Shadow had said. “Sucks to be you” High Tide said, eventually breaking the silence.

“No fuck.”

“What about your grandparents?”

Shadow snorted, before looking up at the Luna's Captain. “What about them? Since they knew what I was since I was born, they'd be too busy trying to cover their own plots by lying about me on the stand.”

“I don’t think I need to say this” Luna said, looking at the dispirited colt, “but there will not be any hangings while I’m there. To that end, you’ll have an escort with you as long as we’re there.” Shadow nodded silently, though he knew that it would draw a lot of attention to him.

“Princess Luna?” Everypony looked over to the two highest ranking members of the Tranquility’s crew. “We’d be happy to give him an escort. Ponies in golden armor might draw too much unwanted attention.”

The lunar princess seemed to mull the proposal over. “Very well” She said eventually, before turning to Shining Armor. “I’d like you to join them as well, Captain. I doubt anypony would willingly try anything for long if you got involved.” Seeing the former Captain of the Royal Guard nod, the dark alicorn turned to her ship’s master “How bad is the damage?”

“Pretty light, all things considered” The stallion said as he leaned back in his chair. “We lost all the glass on the port side and the balloon took some damage during the attack. The engines also sustained some minor damage when you ended that thing but they should be repaired by dawn. While it’s not strictly necessary, I’d prefer to do what repairs we can before we reach our destination. I’d like to look as strong as possible when we arrive.”

“What do you think?”

It took Shadow a couple seconds to realize that Princess Luna was addressing him. Looking over at Main Stay and Sea Breeze, he shrugged. “I honestly can’t say. The captain has a point about putting up a strong front, since things will get rather interesting when we arrive. At the same time though, looking a little roughed up might work to our advantage. Showing up in a pristine ship would suggest that you won and are arriving to reconnect with your loyalist subjects. Coming in as we are now would likely suggest that you’re still fighting your sister. I wouldn’t be surprised if ponies dropped what they were doing and started to volunteer to join the fight.”

“How would we explain the damage” Steel Gaze asked as he thought over the colt’s words.

Shadow shrugged. “We could always say that we were attacked by a dragon. Seems close enough to what actually happened.”

“If anypony asks, we’ll go with that” Luna said after thinking over the cover story. “Niece Cadance will be easy enough to explain, but what about Twilight Sparkle?”

Shadow leaned back as he thought about the problem. How could they explain her wings without causing a panic from the sheer number of alicorns that had arrived? “What if we say that she ascended while working on high level magic for you?”

“That might work” Luna admitted.

“Spike on the other hoof could be problematic.”

“What do you mean problematic?”

Shadow looked over at the indignant dragon. “When she took the island, my ancestor had to fight a dragon to the death. On top of that, we fought a sea dragon today. Do you remember what happened the first time I saw you?” From the look on the dragon’s face, he did. “I trapped you under a shield. Now imagine a whole island of ponies who might react less defensively and more offensively.” Spike and Twilight blanched at the thought “Exactly.” Sighing, the colt rubbed his forehead. “Since we won’t be there for hopefully more than a few days, either you could spend the entire time on the ship, or we could say that Twilight hatched you after she ascended and that you’re loyal to her and Princess Luna alone.”

Looking at Twilight, Spike voiced his opinion. “I’ll go with the second idea. There’s no way I’m flying halfway across the world and not seeing your home.” At this Shadow couldn’t help but smile.

“Anything else?” Luna asked, looking around the table. Hearing nopony speak, she nodded. One by one, everypony filed out of the room.

Everypony but Shadow.

The colt simply sat there, his attention focused on the polished table in front of him. Taking a moment to stretch as she stood, Luna walked over to the young alicorn, claiming the seat next to him. For a couple minutes, the two simply sat there, the colt lost in his thoughts, and the princess simply there for him. “Princess Luna” Shadow eventually said, breaking the relative silence that had settled over the room “There’s something I’d like to give you.” Igniting his horn, the colt levitated his saddlebags onto the table. Pressing his hoof against the lock on one of the bags, Shadow lifted the bag’s flap, reverently pulling out a blue crystalline book. “I finished reading this this morning, and I’d like you to have it.” Luna carefully accepted the book from the colt, her heart pounding in her chest as she gazed at a book she hadn’t seen in over a thousand years, but recognized instantly. “This has been preserved and passed down from one generation to the next in my family.” Luna set the ancient tome down before gently opening the cover, her eyes instantly recognizing the original owner’s horn writing. “At the very end, Summer Breeze wrote that she wished that she could have given this to you at her daughter’s wedding.”

Luna slowly looked up at the young alicorn. What could she say? This was the single greatest possession he owned, and he wanted her to have it. Glancing down, the princess wiped a few stray tears away before look back up “Thank you.”

Smiling sadly, Shadow watched his princess look at the book. “There’s one more thing” He added, catching the other alicorn off guard. “When all of this is over and we leave…” Shadow felt his throat tighten, but he forced himself to keep speaking “I’d like to bring my family along. My parents were outcasts because they married outside their tribes, and my sister and I were bullied for being half breeds. If they knew what I know now, I’m sure they would have done everything they could to get off the island and move to Equestria. If they didn’t hear about the empire, I like to think that we’d have settled in Ponyville.”

Luna looked at the colt, noting the unshed tears in his eyes. While some might say that he bribed her with the book, Luna knew that she would have given the same answer even if the book wasn’t involved. “Of course” she said, a smile slowly growing on her face. “I’ll make sure it happens.”

“Thank you, Princess.” Shadow said, bowing to her as he got to his hooves.

Watching the colt walk away, she couldn’t help but notice that a weight seemed to have been lifted from his shoulders, if she were to judge by how he seemed to walk a little lighter. Smiling to herself, she carefully levitated the book as she made her way to her private quarters. First she’d have to write a letter to her sister and find Spike to send it, but once that business was over, she’d spend some quality time getting reacquainted with an old friend.

---

Shadow sat in the ship’s small library. Around him, his namesake jumped and danced as he moved his head, the tip of his horn glowing gently. Sitting at the small desk, he tried to think about what he should write. He had only gotten the first word of the letter down before running into a major roadblock: what were his parents’ names? In the short time he’d spent on the Tranquility, Zetani had to have mentioned his parents at least once, right? Groaning to himself, the colt decided to skip that part for now. He could always ask Sea Breeze in the morning.

Yawning as the previous day caught up with him, the lone alicorn looked at the blank paper. Growling, he picked up the quill and began to write, hoping that his mouth writing was as legible as his horn writing.

Dear

We’ve never met, but my name is Shadow Dancer, and I knew your son…

An hour later, Shadow looked over what he’d written. Satisfied, he put the cap back on the inkwell before leaving. Watching his steps, the colt returned to his cabin. He’d send the letter later, but for now he felt like he could finally sleep.

---

Celestia reread the letter that had coalesced in front of her a couple minutes earlier. It wasn’t that she didn’t understand what her sister had written, but that she couldn’t quite believe what she had written. A smile slowly grew as she reached the end of the letter. Even though her sun had yet to be raised, she couldn’t sleep that night as her sister’s initial report about the fight had kept her up. While the loss of life saddened her, the princess took what solace she could in the fact that the threat had been dealt with. Silently, she hoped that the number of missing ship reports would drop. Shortly after she had finished with the first letter, a second had arrived, this time bearing the names of those on the Tranquility who had been killed. She’d see to the notifications later in the morning after she had raised the sun. Now she had a third letter.

Smiling, she set the piece of paper aside. It was still too early to do anything, but as soon as the sun was on its daily journey, she’d make sure everything was ready for when her sister returned.

---

Standing on the bow of the Lunar Diarch, Shadow ignored the gentle wind whipping through his mane and tail. In the distance, he could see the snow covered peaks of the mountains of his island home breaking the otherwise flat horizon. Behind him, the disguised alicorn could feel the slight magical buzz of the shields that he had installed to temporarily replace the windows that had been blown out during their fight.

Sighing, the colt’s ears turned as he heard somepony walk up behind him, coming to a stop next to him. Not turning his head, he knew who had joined him. “How are you doing?”

To be honest, Shadow had no idea. While he knew that he wouldn’t be left behind, the fact that he was even here in the first place didn’t sit well with the colt. If given the choice between coming here and being told to walk across the entire Gryphon Empire, insulting every bird brain he saw, he’d have picked the gryphons any day. Sighing, the young alicorn simply shrugged.

“Don’t worry” Sea Breeze said as she wrapped a leg around the colt’s shoulders “We won’t be here for long, and no pony will even think of laying a hoof on you if Luna and I have anything to say about it.” Looking up, the mare frowned slightly as she spotted a pegasus in the far distance wheel around and bolt for the island like it had a wyvern hot on its tail. Here we go she thought as she gently pulled her quiet companion back inside.

Stepping onto the bridge, Sea Breeze whispered to Shadow, smiling slightly as the colt nodded before silently walking off. “How’s she handling?”

Star Chart couldn’t contain his smile as he held the Luna’s helm steady “Is there any chance the Tranquility Two could be an airship?”

“I’ll think about it. Just watch out for the cross winds in the fjord.”

“Aye, ma’am.”

Laughing to herself at how her navigator was enjoying himself, the former first mate walked over to stand next to the airship’s Captain “We’re almost there and they know we’re coming.”

“Look out?”

The mare nodded. “The Island Guard keeps a small look out on the eastern side, though whoever’s on duty right now is probably wondering what they’re supposed to do.”

Steady Gaze snorted. He didn’t know how much of a threat this Island Guard was, but if what Sea Breeze said was true; he doubted they’d be much of a threat if they tried anything. “Somepony should let Princess Luna know we’ve arrived.”

“Already done” Sea Breeze said, before turning around to watch the growing island in the distance. It wasn’t every day she got a view like this.

Keeping to the side, Shadow slowly walked down the hallway. He could feel the glances the ponies around him were giving him, but he ignored them. Turning a handle with his magic, the colt stepped into the small private mess. Around the oversized table, the ship’s three other alicorns sat, nursing steaming mugs of coffee, while Spike worked his way through a plate of waffles covered in small chips of rubies and emeralds. Next to the dragon, Shining Armor worked on the crossword puzzle in that morning’s edition of the Equestria Daily.

“The island’s in sight” Shadow said as everyone looked at him. “We were also spotted by a sentry.”

“So they know we’re coming.”

Seeing Shadow nod, the lunar princess smiled. “Then we had best not disappoint them” She replied, smiling as she slowly stood, her back cracking a couple times as she stretched. As the others worked to finish their breakfasts, the eldest princess strode across the small room, extending a wing around the young colt in a silent gesture to follow her as she left.

The walk back to her private quarters was quiet and short. As the door closed behind her, she didn’t bother asking her young companion how he was doing or how he felt. The look that had stubbornly settled itself on his face over the past week made his feelings abundantly clear. “What can you tell me about your grandparents?”

“They loved my mom, adored my sister, loathed my dad and absolutely despised me. Why?”

“You weren’t the only pony to lose family that night, Shadow.” Luna replied as she scrubbed her face with a washcloth. “They deserve to know as much of the truth as possible.”

“I just hope you don’t plan on telling them about me.” Despite his effort, the colt couldn’t keep his feelings about his grandparents from tainting his reply.

“Unless they ask about you or you reveal yourself to them, they shall never know you are here.” The silence coming from her companion told the princess everything she needed to know. While she understood why he felt how he did about his grandparents, if there was any chance that she could help them reconcile before their ship left, she would take that chance. “But that won’t be for a while” Luna said, smiling as she turned to face the colt. Igniting her horn, the princess gently pulled a dark blue sheet off a full set of armor in the room’s corner “Care to help?”

Shadow couldn’t help but grin at the invitation. The suit of armor the princess revealed had been forged at her behest. Despite Celestia’s amused reminders that they didn’t need such armor since things had changed dramatically over the last thousand years, Luna would not be dissuaded. Even though the room was dimly lit, the set of armor seemed to shine on its own. That wasn’t a trick of what little lighting the room had. Having been forged by the best metalsmiths in Equestria, the individual components had been etched and scribed with countless runes that would help the wearer cast spells as well as channel the numerous protective spells that had been cast on the pieces. Luna had revealed the set of armor after they had settled in and during the week and a half before running into the Tranquility, Shadow had, with the princess’s permission, spent most of that time going over the spells on each piece. While he would have loved to add his regenerating shield spell to it as well, he held back, not knowing if doing so would affect the other spells.

Accepting the helmet that the princess handed him, the young alicorn watched silently as the larger alicorn used her magic to cover herself with the suit, each piece held in place with leather straps. The silver metal contrasted sharply against her dark coat and even though the plates along the back of her neck didn’t have any holes for it, the princess’s mane floated through it like there wasn’t anything in the way.

Turning to her guest, the dark princess couldn’t help but gently laugh at the slack jawed amazement on the colt’s face “So. How do I look?”

“Intimidating” Shadow replied, finding his tongue after several seconds.

While that wasn’t quite the response she was hoping for, the princess would take it. Taking a moment to test the snugness and range of her armor, Luna couldn’t help but smile. If only my last set fit this well.

Stepping onto the bridge, Luna was amazed by the vertical granite walls that towered over them. Around the bridge, the Luna’s crew focused on their tasks, though the ship’s namesake didn’t miss the slight air of tension filling the room. She didn’t blame them. Word had gotten around fairly quickly after they had left Manehattan that they might not be very welcomed at their destination. The battle with the sea dragon had only served to heighten the tension. Around the ship, dozens of pegasi in silver armor slowly circled, giving the strange ship a wide berth, while letting everypony on board know that they were being watched closely. Along the walkway outside the bridge, a number of Royal and Imperial Guards had been stationed. The mares and stallions stood at attention, their armor shining in the midmorning light. Along the back wall of the bridge, the dozen thestral members of the Night Guard stood. Time to introduce ourselves Luna thought to herself as she turned, placing the helmet that Shadow offered her on her head. Nodding to her guards, the thestrals donned their helmets as one, the shield spell built into the front darkening as it compensated for the bright light streaming into the room.

Surrounded by her guards, Luna ignited her horn, teleporting herself and the thestrals off of the bridge. Opening her eyes, the lunar princess struggled not to smile as she stood on the top of the airship’s balloon, her guards arrayed around her. Taking a deep breath, the princess extended her wings. Without turning her head, Luna watched as a pair of stallions angled to get a closer look at her. Even from a distance, she knew the moment she had been recognized when both pegasi wavered in the air. Banking away, one tore through the air, aiming straight for the small town in the distance while the other no doubt informed his companions who she was.

Ten minutes later, as her ship began to descend for the docks along the waterfront, Luna sighed to herself as she teleported herself and her guards back onto the bridge. While she would have loved to have spent more time soaking in the kind of scenery she had yet to find back home, she didn’t have the time. Joined by Shadow and the others, Luna led the way through the ship to the front gangplank. Around her, nopony spoke, all clearly nervous about what was about to happen. Around them, the group could hear the sounds of the ship as it finished its descent. From the rear came the sound of chains rattling as the rear anchors were lowered into the water, while ropes in the front were no doubt being tied to the dock. After a few minutes, the ship grew quiet as the engines were shut down. Turning an ear, the princess looked behind her to see Captain Steel Gaze fall into formation near the back of the group. Taking a deep breath to steel herself, Luna hit a button next to her as soon as the light over it turned green.

Silently, the door lifted itself out of the way while the gangplank slowly extended itself. As soon as her eyes adjusted, Luna felt her heart start to race. While the small delegation of officials waiting for them at the foot of the extended walkway was expected, what caught the princess off guard was the crush of ponies behind the three officials before her. Absolutely aware that every step she took was being watched and scrutinized, the lunar princess slowly strode down the gangplank, ducking her head so she didn’t hit her horn on the overhead door. As she walked, the princess was all too aware of the hundreds of eyes focused on her. Even the wind had died, leaving the sound of her hooves on the metal walkway to echo across the nearby buildings.

Reaching the bottom of the walkway, Luna stopped as the trio of ponies waiting for her bowed. Glancing up, she watched as hundreds of ponies knelt, while the pegasi hovering overhead landed anywhere they could find room and followed suit. Noting that Shadow was standing just behind her to her left, the princess ignited her horn, slowly lifting the helmet off her head before giving it to the colt. “Please, stand” She said, silently savoring the small breeze that blew across the assembled ponies as her unamplified voice carried across the docks. As they stood, the royal sister could see a range of emotions on the nearby crowd.

Fear.

Suspicion.

Curiosity.

Hope.

The last emotion was the one most visible. Across the crowd, the look of hope occupied the faces of ten ponies for every other emotion. “My Queen” the mare closest to her said; her voice barely audible while her eyes shone “Forgive me, but I’m not sure what to say. I honestly never thought I’d see this day.”

“There is nothing in need of forgiving, Mayor Jurisprudence” Luna said, barely managing to not laugh at the mare’s expression at the use of her name. “In all honesty, until recently, I felt the same way.” Looking up at the expectant crowd, the princess smiled. “Attention citizens of Dragon’s Bay!” She shouted as loudly as she could without using her Canterlot Voice, “I, Luna, Princess of Equestria, have returned!”

If anypony noticed what title she used, they didn’t show it. Behind the mayor and her aides, the assembled ponies broke out into cheers as they stomped their hooves in celebration that left the princess wondering if the rest of the island had heard them. Overhead, the town’s pegasi took to the air, while the town’s unicorns provided a small fireworks display. One particularly clever pony used a spell that produced an unending shower of confetti, which quickly blanketed everypony.

Unable to contain herself, Luna let herself laugh at the happiness of the town’s citizens. Containing herself, she turned, bending a leg to point toward the floating ship. Practically bouncing like Ponyville’s number one party planner, the mayor had to force herself to walk as she and her aides followed the princess onto the ship.

In the entryway, everypony moved to one side, allowing the lunar princess to introduce everypony one at a time. In the front, Princess Cadance looked radiant, her gold peytral polished to a mirror shine, while her coat glistened as the sunlight bounced off the hundreds of facets that appeared whenever she wore her official crown. Next to her, Shining Armor looked duller by comparison, despite wearing his official Royal Guard armor. For their part, the mayor and her aides took the introductions and titles well, though their posture became noticeably stiffer when the princess introduced Spike. As the introductions continued, Shadow caught the look of shock and pain on Spike’s face. Patting the dragon on the shoulder as he passed by, the colt made a mental note to himself to give a full explanation for their fear of him on the flight back.

“I am honored beyond words, my Queen” Dragon’s Bay’s mayor said as the introductions came to an end, “But why did you come to us? And how did you find us?”

“I promise to answer your first question in time” Luna replied, nodding her head toward the lone colt standing behind the town’s delegation, “but as for your second question, you can thank my young student here.” Behind the colt, his friends looked shocked at her declaration. For his part, Shadow’s eyes seemed to double in size. “He was born and raised on this island and several months after being orphaned, we discovered him wandering Equestria.”

“It’s true” Shadow said, speaking for the first time, not trusting himself to say any more.

The three guests eyed the colt for a couple long moments before turning back to Princess Luna. “How may my citizens and I be of service, my Queen?”

“There are two things I was wondering if you could help me with. The first is that I would like to address the mayor of every town on this island at once. I have no doubt that word of our arrival will soon reach them, and I would like to speak with them before any unfounded rumors take hold.”

“Of course, your Highness, though informing them and getting them here will take time.”

“Understandable, though we may have a way to expedite matters” Smiling, the princess turned to her ship’s Captain.

“Chariots are harnessed and ready to go at your word, ma’am.”

“If you could write a summons for each official, with an escort, my guards will ensure their delivery.”

“Of course” Behind the mayor, one of her aides silently slipped away, following a faceted stallion to the library “And the second thing?”

“If possible, I would like to speak to two of your citizens, a Mr. Sage and a Mrs. Thyme. I understand they operate a restaurant in town and one of the reasons I’m here involves them.”

“I’ll see to it at once, my Queen.” Bowing to the large alicorn, the unicorn mare and her remaining aide turned and broke into a gallop the moment they were on solid ground.

Smiling as everypony around congratulated him, Shadow walked up to his princess. “Do you really want me to be your student?”

Luna nodded “Only if you want me to be your teacher.”

The young alicorn smiled “I’d be stupid not to.”

Luna’s smile matched her new student’s as she embraced him in a hug. “Though it will not always be easy or pleasant, I promise to do my best as your teacher.”

---

The two older pegasi slowly walked up the gangplank onto the silent airship gently floating next to the docks. When they had heard about the incoming airship, they had nearly panicked like everypony else. They had heard from the odd Equestrian patron about the fantastical ships, but who would bring one to their home but the solar tyrant? Even with every member of the island’s guard, both current and former, the couple knew that if things turned hostile, they didn’t stand a chance. When word had later come that Queen Moon had returned and was on board, they had nearly rushed out of their small restaurant to join everypony else, only stopping when they realized that if they left, the food they were cooking would likely burn, possibly taking their business and home as well. Despite the setbacks, here they were, their presence personally requested by the Queen herself!

At the top of the ramp, the pair stopped at the sight of a large white unicorn stallion in purple and gold armor waiting for them “Sage and Thyme?” Swallowing nervously, the two pegasi nodded, silently breathing a sigh of relief as the intimidating stallion turned and bid them to follow him. A couple minutes and a flight of stairs later, the pair found themselves standing in front of a pair of dark wood doors that had an inlaid crescent moon.

Knocking on the doors, the two islanders nearly jumped at the gentle voice from the other side. Looking at each other, Sage walked in first, the doors held open by their silent escort. Waiting for them on an oversized cushion, their Queen smiled as they entered, gesturing to the two smaller cushions before her. “My Queen, we are honored to simply be in your presence.”

Luna smiled, or at least pretended to. If half of what Shadow had told her about them was true, it would take considerable willpower to not let them know exactly how she felt about them. “I am sorry for disturbing you two, but one of the reasons I am here involves you.”

“The mayor told us as much, but how are we involved, your Highness?”

“Just under a year ago, there was an unexplained fire on an island on a lake” Luna said. “A couple days later, the Everfree Forest was nearly leveled by another massive fire. If it had gotten much worse, the magic that was released by the fire would have detonated, taking a sizable piece of my country along with it. Fortunately, we were able to prevent this from happening.” Luna easily recalled the haze of magic she had seen while getting the Weather Factory operational that day. What she left out was how close the Everfree’s magic had come to exploding. Before her, Shadow’s grandparents sat stunned, clearly not understanding their connection to the mentioned events, but too stunned by her words to speak. “During our investigations of these events, we discovered that they were not only linked, but that they were in fact linked to another fire months earlier on a previously unknown island far across the ocean. That first fire, as I understand it, claimed the lives of your only child and her family.”

Tears slowly crawled down Thyme’s face at the memory of the day they learned their daughter’s fate. “Our daughter was killed almost a year ago when her house caught fire. Her husband and our only grandchild were killed in the explosion as well. Do you know what caused it?”

“We believe that it is not a question of a what, but of who. I do not know what you were told, but it is almost certainly a lie.” The stunned look on their faces spoke volumes. “While I can’t give you any names since we do not have all the information yet, I wanted to meet you and let you know that justice will be served.”

“Thank you, your Majesty” Sage said as he wrapped his wife with a wing. “I just wish our daughter and granddaughter were here to see you.”

“As do I” Luna said, her armor quietly clinking as she stood. In front of her, the two pegasi stood as well. “I share your pain, and I hope that you take comfort in knowing that your daughter and her family will soon be able to rest in peace.” Smiling, the dark princess walked the two the few short paces to the door. Opening the door, a thestral in full armor waited, saluting as the door opened. “Please escort these two back to their restaurant for me.” The armored mare nodded, gesturing down the hallway with a hoof before leading the pair away.

Closing the door, Luna made her way back to her cushion before sitting down heavily on it. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, her student had been right. They had never mentioned him once, and only referred to his dad as her daughter’s husband. Opening her eyes as she twisted her neck, Luna looked over at a seemingly empty corner of the room. Before her eyes, the invisibility shield hiding Shadow faded, revealing the colt who had been seated on another cushion and had seen and heard everything “I’m sorry.”

“I wish I could say that I was surprised, but that wouldn’t have happened unless they mentioned me and called me their grandson.” Silently, the young orphan let himself out of the room.

Luna sighed.