Past Actions, Future Consequences

by Rill

Homecoming - Part 2

“I’m sorry about your family” the Mayor said as she and Shadow stood on the bow of the Lunar Diarch. Below them, the tiled roofs of the Mayor’s town quietly slipped by as the airship floated overhead, slowly heading deeper into the island. “Quee- I mean Princess Luna told me about what happened and what you’ve been through since then. To be honest, I’m still finding everything she told me hard to believe.”

“I know how that feels” Shadow said, waving to a group of ponies below them “but all of it, her restoration, Princess Celestia, the Crystal Empire… all of it is true. Twilight and her friends freed Princess Luna, then helped rescue the Empire from Sombra when he returned. I’ll admit; I didn’t want to believe any of it. I was sure it was all a trick, a trap to get me to tell them about my home.”

“What changed your mind?”

“Princess Celestia” Shadow replied. “My ancestor stood by Queen Moon’s side and openly rebelled against Princess Celestia. When I revealed my connection to Summer Breeze, I was sure that she’d kill me right there, or maybe torture me first, but she didn’t. Instead she let me storm out of the room alive. Even when I revealed what actually happened a thousand years ago, she didn’t stop me. She could have if she wanted to, but she didn’t.”

“And now you’re back where you started.” Shadow nodded, watching silently as the last house passed below them. Ahead of them, the pass that led to his hometown beckoned. “I know that I don’t have all the information you do, but I hope you get justice for your family.”

“Thanks.” Settling back down on all fours, the disguised alicorn led the mayor onto the bridge. Around the room, every member of the crew was in full armor, while the ship’s pegasi circled the ship outside. Turning around, Shadow watched in silence as the airship cleared the pass. Looking out the empty window frame next to him, he could see a few freshly torn up trees lying on their side along the pass’s steep side. The colt silently wondered to himself how big this year’s avalanche was.

Below them, the ground fell way as the airship entered the mountain valley. In the distance, the colt could see his hometown, the blue lake glistening in the midday light. Along a sheer rock wall in the rear of the valley, Shadow could see hundreds of black dots flying around, reminding him of a disturbed bee hive. Almost as one, the hundreds of thestrals broke away from their colony, breaking into the light as they closed the distance between them and the airship.

“Hold your positions” Luna ordered as she stepped onto the bridge. Around the ship, the pegasi guards didn’t falter as they continued to circle. As everypony watched, the swarm of thestrals broke in two, flying on either side of the ship as they passed. Watching from where he stood, Shadow couldn’t help but be impressed. He had seen the island’s thestrals practice their formations a couple times, but he had never seen them put on such a display of force before. Next to him, Luna donned her helmet before teleporting onto the ship’s balloon. Just like earlier that day, her appearance caught the arriving ponies off guard, though to their credit they hid their surprise better. Ahead of her, she could see several hundred ponies gathered in a field at the far end of the lake. Taking a deep breath, the princess roared in her famous Canterlot Voice, “CITIZENS OF RED LAKE VALLEY! I, LUNA, PRINCESS OF EQUESTRIA AND MISTRESS OF THE MOON AND STARS HAVE RETURNED!”

Even from as far away as she was, the alicorn could see the town’s citizens celebrating. Though she would never admit it to anypony, the reactions of the island’s residents was a refreshing change from what she was used to. While nopony in Equestria seemed to hate her, she couldn’t help but notice how reserved they were around her, even with her being back for a couple years. Here, they weren’t afraid of her or what she nearly did a thousand years ago. Instead, they actively celebrated her arrival and presence, if the parties on nearly every street corner in Dragon’s Bay was anything to go by. Seeing a pair of armored thestrals break off from the main group and angle for the bridge, the princess teleported back, reaching the bridge a couple seconds before the thestrals.

Back winging for a moment, the two armored fliers allowed themselves to be escorted onto the bridge by a pair of Royal Guards. From where she stood, the lunar princess could tell that despite the pair being a stallion and mare, the mare was clearly the one in command. Stopping before the alicorn, the two fliers bowed. “Stand, please.”

The two ponies stood, lifting the tinted visors on their helmets. “My Queen, my name is Eclipse and I am the chief of Crystal Island’s thestral colony. It would be an honor to escort you and your ship into town.”

Shadow didn’t move from where he stood, but he knew that his friend’s mother had seen him. “It would be an honor, Chief Eclipse” Luna said, jolting the colt back into reality. Giving a smile that revealed a pair of fangs, the pair dropped their visors back into place before trotting over to the railing and leaping over the side. Before she could say anything, Luna felt the ship turn as the helmsmare turned the wheel, following the growing line of thestrals around the lake.

Striding down the gangplank, Luna was greeted by another crowd of cheering ponies. Standing before them, a well-dressed earth pony stallion waited; a gentle smile on his lips. If they were right, this was the pony ultimately responsible for Shadow’s orphaning and everything that had happened since then. Luna smiled as she approached the mayor and the crowd, not because they bowed to her, but because if their suspicions were right, she was going to make this stallion pay.

“Welcome to Red Lake Valley, my Queen” the stallion said as he rose at her gesture. “This is truly an historic day.”

“Indeed” Luna replied. “I believe you know my companion” she continued, gesturing to the mare next to her.

“Mayor Jurisprudence; it’s been too long.”

“Oh please, you silver-tongued rogue, we saw each other at the annual council meeting two months ago.”

“Like I said, it’s been too long.”

“Before we get down to business, there are a few things” Luna said, gesturing to the ponies and dragon behind her. The introductions went as smoothly as earlier that day and were over in a couple minutes.

“How may we serve you, my Queen?”

“Before anything else, there is an old friend here that I would like to visit.”

“Of course, your Majesty. If you’ll follow me” the mayor said, knowing full well who Luna was referring to.

Hidden by his invisibility shield while stand among his namesake, Shadow watched as Princess Luna and everypony but Shining Armor followed the mayor. A few of the townsponies lingered, taking the opportunity to get a good long look at the airship. Within a few minutes, they left as well, either returning to town, or following the mayor to the town’s cemetery. “We’re clear” Shining Armor said after watching as the last of the town’s citizens disappeared. From where he stood, Shadow dropped his shield. Behind him, he could hear the rattle of a large cart followed by a couple ponies. Turning around, the colt saw that Main Stay was hooked up to a large cart, while Sea Breeze and High Tide walked alongside. The young alicorn couldn’t help but smile. While he hadn’t expected it, given the situation, when he asked Princess Luna if he could borrow a cart while they were here, he shouldn’t have been surprised that she’d talk to his escorts “So, where to kid?” Main Stay asked as he adjusted his harness. Smiling to himself, the colt took off at a trot, Shining Armor easily keeping pace next to him as did the others.

After a couple minutes, the group found themselves walking through the nearly deserted town. While they could see the odd pony walking along the cobblestone streets, nopony paid them any attention, which was something the colt was extremely grateful for. Taking a left, Shadow found himself slowing down as they walked along one of the town’s busiest streets. Like everywhere else in the town, the street was completely deserted. Passing a side street, he could see his father’s potion shop a couple blocks down. Whoever was running it now seemed to be doing pretty well for themselves, if the larger sign and fresh coat of paint were any indication.

As they walked, the young orphan couldn’t shake the feeling of how odd he felt walking these streets again. Even though he had walked these same streets hundreds of times, they all felt strange, almost foreign, to him. Looking around, he could see the alley where he had gotten his cutie mark defending his sister. Half a block away, the colt could see where Honeycrisp’s brother and his friend had ambushed him on his last full day in town. At the far end of the road, he could see the town’s bakery, and the notorious baker’s broom lying on the ground where it had fallen, no doubt from when its owner rushed to see the incoming airship. Even though he had grown up in this town, it felt different to him, like he was a stranger visiting a strange town. Picking up his pace, the disguised alicorn thanked his lucky stars that his friends didn’t say anything.

The sooner they were done and out of here, the better.

---

Walking among the rustling trees, Luna couldn’t help but smile to herself. Of all the places her closest friend could have picked to settle, the princess couldn’t help but think that she had found the best spot. Behind her, her guards, along with the island’s thestrals, kept the valley’s residents a respectful distance behind her, leaving her alone with the town’s mayor. The stallion seemed to sense the alicorn’s mood and remained silent. For a few minutes, the two ponies walked in silence, the only sounds coming from the wind blowing through the trees and the birds singing in the branches. Coming to a stop alongside the mayor, the stallion pointed to a small monument, the bright pink stone standing out among the other headstones and monuments. Thanking the stallion, Luna moved up the hill by herself, the mayor promising to wait for her. Looking at the numerous headstones she passed by, she could easily read the Crystallic names and dates carved into their stone faces.

Coming to a stop in front of the largest monument in the cemetery, the lone alicorn read the writing on the stone, which still looked as sharp and crisp as the day it was carved:

Summer Breeze

17 BF – 67 AF

Mother, Wife, Daughter, Warrior, Liberator

You will forever live in the memories of everypony you knew

and in the hearts of everypony to come

Feeling a couple tears roll down her face, the princess lowered herself, sitting herself down next to her friend. For a while, she said nothing, content to listen to the wind and the birds. “I never forgot you, my friend” She said, eventually breaking her silence. “Even while I was imprisoned on the moon, in my rare moments of lucidity, my thoughts turned to you, how you were, what happened to you, if my sister let you go and where you went if you had been released.” Looking up at the cotton-like clouds slowly passing overhead, the alicorn blinked back a few tears. “I am so sorry. If I had taken a single moment to think, taken a single heartbeat to see where my plans were leading us, I’d like to think that I would have changed course, called the whole thing off. Instead, I rebelled against my sister, and you and your friends were right there beside me, showing me the loyalty I did not deserve, and for what? In the end, despite all the pain you suffered and all the loyalty you showed me, you were banished, forced to never see your home or Equestria again. Forced to settle in a strange land after having to once again fight and bleed for those around you. If anypony deserved peace, it was you. I am glad beyond measure that you finally found it, that you got to have a daughter, that you got to see her grow up and get married, eventually blessing you with grandchildren.”

Luna sighed, wiping away her tears as she smiled. “I met your descendent, Shadow Dancer. In so many ways, he is just like you: impetuous, loyal, fiercely protective of those he values. If you could meet him, I know you would like him. I don’t know if you know, but I made him my personal student. I promise to do better by him than I did by you. I’ll watch over him, protect him whenever I can, teach him everything I can. I know he’ll make you proud.” Going silent, the princess listened to the rustling of the leaves overhead as a breeze sprang up. “Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for being there for me when I felt all alone. I promise that you will never be forgotten. The sun may burn out and my moon and stars may go dark, but as long as I breathe, I will always remember you, and so will many others. Shadow gave me your diary, saying that it’s what you would have wanted. When I get back home, I will make sure that it is published, so that everypony in Equestria will know what you went through, what we went through. You and your ponies were forgotten by history. I promise to fix that wrong.”

Igniting her horn, Luna watched as dozens of flowers slowly grew out of the ground around her friend’s monument, their petals closed against the daylight. These flowers were a rare species once only found deep in the Everfree Forest. Back in her younger days, the dark alicorn had stumbled upon them and after seeing when they blossomed, had taken it upon herself to find out exactly what they needed to grow. She had succeeded and before long, they were growing alongside their daytime counterparts in the Royal Gardens. Even after her banishment, they were still there, giving off a gentle blue glow only at night when the moon was out. Summer Breeze had stumbled upon the flowers one night while walking in the garden and had fallen in love with them. Feeling like she had said and done everything she needed to, Luna felt much more at ease. Before she re-joined the mayor, she’d find Shadow’s family and mark their graves for the guards to come, but for now, she’d spend some time with her best friend.

---

Coming up the final rise, Shadow came to a stop. Ahead of him, the trees around them opened up into a large clearing. Even after a year, he could see the scars of that night; the broken and damaged tree limbs that lay scattered along the tree line, the odd piece of debris still hanging in the surrounding canopy, the oversized crater where the house he had been born in and grew up in had been…

Feeling his heart race, the colt was on the verge of hyperventilating. Next to him, Shining Armor gently laid a hoof on the colt’s shoulder, the simple gesture calming the young orphan. The stallion couldn’t imagine how he felt or what he must be going through, but he wouldn’t let Shadow go through it alone.

Shaking his head, the lone colt turned, heading for a hidden cart path leading into the forest. For a few minutes, the group of ponies walked in silence, the sound of their hooves on last year’s leaves all that they could hear. “We’re here” Shadow said as they reached a dead end.

“I don’t see anything” Sea Breeze said looking around.

“Exactly” Shadow replied, his horn glowing. To their left, the colt’s magic kicked up a small storm of leaves and sticks, cleaning off a large boulder. At first, Shadow tried to lift the large stone by himself. Within seconds, three other magical signatures joined his, the boulder lifting clear of the ground and the hole behind it.

Setting the giant stone aside, Shining Armor looked at the hole “What is this?”

“Our cellar” Shadow replied, his horn glowing brightly as he stepped inside. “This is where my parents stored our extra food and any potions that needed to be kept cool.”

“So why are we here?”

Looking behind him, the colt levitated a glass jar to the Tranquility’s first mate, its amber colored contents glowing yellow in the sunlight. “This is probably the only reason anypony talked to my mom. While my dad could fix almost anything with one of his potions, my mom was probably the single largest supplier of maple syrup on the entire island.”

“What do you want to do with all of these” Main Stay asked, eyeing the line of hundreds of jars that vanished into the cellar’s darkness.

“Take them all back to Ponyville. I’m sure Pinkie could do something with them. Even if she can’t, I’m sure everypony back home would like a jar or two.” Lifting a dozen jars to Shining Armor, Shadow watched the stallion pass them to High Tide, who in turn passed them to Sea Breeze who loaded them into the cart. Working in silence, the group of unicorns slowly emptied the shelves. Nearing the end of the line of shelves, Shadow paused. Behind a pair of large jugs, a large coin purse lay covered in dust. Pausing what he was doing, the colt picked the bag off the shelf, the sound of a large number of coins reaching everypony’s ears. Setting it on the floor, Shadow slowly opened the bag, the sight of several hundred silver coins greeting him. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say or think. Where had all of these coins come from? There was no way somepony would leave them here. If anypony had found this place, they wouldn’t have left a single jar behind, let alone hundreds of silvers. “Captain” Shadow asked as a painful idea slowly formed in his mind “How much would you charge for passage off the island?”

Main Stay hummed as he thought “Under normal circumstances, around a thousand for an adult, half that per child. Why?”

Shadow brought the bag out into the light. Lifting the coins into the air, he eyes darted back and forth as he calculated their value. Three hundred he thought, the coins slowly settling back into the bag. They just needed three hundred more silvers. “They were planning to leave” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “They were three hundred silvers short of getting me and my sister off this island. They knew we couldn’t stay here forever, not for long. Somepony would discover my wings and then…” The colt shook his head. They must have started saving the moment I was born. They almost had enough.

Tossing the coin bag aside, the colt strode into the improvised cellar, sidestepping the silent Prince. Igniting his horn, Shadow picked up the remaining four dozen jars at once, passing them to Shining Armor, barely letting the stallion get a hold of them before releasing his grip. Letting his horn glow, the silent colt walked deeper into the cellar, his eyes roving the floors and walls for anything he might want to take along. Seeing nothing, the young alicorn called on his magic, one shield bubble after another forming as he walked back toward the entrance and the ponies waiting for him. He could see the looks of concern on their faces, but they didn’t say anything and neither did he. Helping Main Stay get the heavily loaded cart a safe distance away, the colt looked back, his horn pulsing once. Behind them, the forest floor erupted in a series of small explosions as his shields detonated, shattering the walls and ceiling, causing his parents’ cellar to collapse.

Satisfied with the destruction, the young orphan grabbed the bag of coins before gesturing for the others to get close to him. Sure they could make their way back to the airship by hoof, but teleporting was faster and also came with the added advantage of not having to walk through town. The sooner they were gone, the better. Igniting his horn, the young alicorn and his companions vanished from the forest with a pop, never to return.

Setting the last of the glass jars aside, Shadow stepped back, taking in the sight. Why didn’t his mom sell all of them? If she had, they would have had more than enough silvers. If she had, they could have gotten off this Luna forsaken island and he’d still have a family. Shaking his head, the alicorn banished the thoughts as he ignited his horn instead; casting a number of protective spells he had learned over the jars so that they all survived the trip back to Equestria. Sighing, the colt turned around, noticing Twilight standing at the door of the small hold for the first time.

“Shiny told me what you found” The older alicorn said, quietly entering the room. “What are you going to do with the money?”

“Give it to Main Stay and Sea Breeze” he said as he checked his protective spells one last time. “I thought about going back into town and spending some of it at the bakery, if only to see that plot head baker squirm at seeing me and learning who my companions were” the colt shook his head. “Then I decided I knew a group of ponies who could put that kind of money to better use than that ass hole.”

Twilight nodded. While she didn’t particularly approve of what he had planned to do, if only for the reasons, she was happy to see that he had changed his mind. “I’m glad you changed your mind” She said, wrapping a leg around his shoulders as she led him out of the hold. “Luna sent me to tell you that she and the mayor are waiting for you.”

Shadow silently nodded. Of all the things he wasn’t looking forward to on this trip, this had to be the biggest thing of them all. It wasn’t that he was afraid of the mayor or what the stallion might try to do to him. If anything, it was the exact opposite. If he was right, he was about to confront the pony responsible for getting his parents and twin sister killed. He couldn’t even begin to predict how he might act “Thanks. What about you?”

“There’s a party that’s being planned for later on and Princess Luna wanted me and Cadance to oversee everything.”

Following the purple alicorn off the ship, the young alicorn ignited his horn as soon as their hooves touched grass. Opening his eyes, Shadow found himself and Twilight standing in front of town hall, the wood and stone structure exactly as he remembered it. Nodding to the pair of thestrals standing outside the front doors, the colt let himself in. Suspecting where he’d find the princess and the mayor, the young alicorn trotted down the hallway, quickly finding himself standing before the oversized oaken doors at the end. Taking a deep breath, the young pony rapped a hoof against the door. Maybe it was the fact that he had spent so much time around her recently, but the colt was not surprised to see the doors glow a dark blue as they opened on their own.

Across the room, the young alicorn saw the mayor sitting in his chair, looking all too at ease behind his oversized desk “You summoned me, Princess?” Seeing the mayor twitch at the sound of his voice, Shadow knew the stallion was guilty. A quick glance at the princess told him that she saw the twitch as well and also told the colt to leave everything to her.

“Indeed I did” Luna replied, watching her newly appointed student walk into the room. “I believe you know the mayor?”

“Not personally.”

“Though I’m sure you know our other guest” The princess added, gesturing to the blue and pink mare sitting in a chair to her left.

The disguised alicorn locked eyes with his old teacher, and felt a small amount of satisfaction as the blood slowly drained from her face “Mrs. Pie.”

“Forgive my impertinence, your Majesty, but what is the reason for this meeting.” If he were to judge from where he was standing, the mayor looked distinctly uncomfortable to Shadow.

“There is just one more being we need to wait for.” As if hearing Luna’s words, the flames in the fireplace roared, instantly heating the small room before dying back down as they turned a brilliant green. Knowing what came next, Shadow wasn’t the least bit surprised to see Ambassador Cinder pull himself out of one of the burning logs “Ambassador.”

“Princess” the Sprite said, before looking around at the assembled ponies. “I’m glad you didn’t forget me.”

“Mr. Mayor, Mrs. Pie, I’d like to introduce you to Cinder, General and head of the Fire Sprite military, as well as their Ambassador to Equestria.” The two ponies stared slack jawed at the Sprite, while the General crossed his arms and glared back at them.

“Getting back to your question Mr. Mayor, we are here to get to the bottom of a series of events that have been plaguing Equestria recently. Last year, an island in Equestria burned to the ground, the two ponies on it at the time barely escaping with their lives. Just a few days later, a large portion of one of the most dangerous forests in the world went up in flames as well, nearly taking the lives of five ponies in the process.” Luna looked at the shocked expressions on the teacher and the mayor. In the fireplace, the lone Sprite simmered. “Now, as tragic as these two incidents were, they could have easily been written off as coincidence, since we were dealing with a drought at the time. They could have been, but they each had two things in common. One, they were both started by a Sprite under the General’s command who had gone rogue. Two, they were both started in an attempt to kill my young student here” princess Luna continued, gesturing to Shadow.

“Ignoring the amount of destruction for a moment, the fact that so many lives were nearly lost caught our attention, so my sister and I looked into the matter ourselves. As it turns out, the Sprites were after Shadow because he attempted a spell that shouldn’t even exist.” At this, the princess’s horn pulsed, an ancient looking book landing on the mayor’s desk a moment later. If it was even possible, the sight of the book caused what little blood was left to drain from both of the older ponies’ faces. “I’ll give you a chance to explain your role, since you are clearly involved in this mess, Mayor” Luna said. “But before that” she turned to look at Shadow’s former teacher “Care to explain how this got into Shadow’s hooves?”

“I gave it to him” Honey Pie whispered, burying her face in her hooves. “I gave it to him, knowing that it would likely kill him.”

“Why?” Shadow’s question came out as an angry hiss.

“Because you’re an alicorn. You know as well as I do what alicorns have done. Sombra, Star Trail, Celestia-”

“You had best watch thy tongue” Luna growled.

Shadow’s teacher heeded the warning before continuing “I didn’t want to believe the mayor, but he showed me proof. He had photos of you and your wings. After that, I couldn’t deny what you were. I couldn’t deny the threat you were to the other students, to this island, to my daughter.”

“So you decided I had to die” The teacher sank in her chair, nodding miserably “along with the rest of my family.”

To her credit, the accusation seemed to rouse the mare, if only a little. “I didn’t mean for them to die as well. I was told that only you would die. If I had known, if I had even suspected, I wouldn’t have given you the book.”

“And the bet?”

“A lie I came up with.”

The room grew silent, save for the crackling of the fireplace, as everyone contemplated the mare’s words. Other than his teacher, everypony slowly turned to look at the Sprite Ambassador. The general’s response was swift. In the time it took Shadow to blink, a ball of green flame the size of a large strawberry had formed in the Sprite’s hand and before the colt could react, the angered Sprite had hurled the fireball across the room, catching the motionless teacher across the flank and barrel. “Consider yourself lucky” The Sprite said, his words cutting through the mare’s screams. “If it wasn’t for your daughter, you’d be dead right now.”

Trotting across the room, Shadow helped his former teacher to her hooves, glaring at her before she could open her mouth “Don’t. Say. A. Word.” Igniting his horn he teleported the both of them out of the room and into the Luna’s infirmary. Leaving her behind as the medics attended to her, his horn flared again as he teleported back to the mayor’s office.

Opening his eyes, the colt almost felt sorry for the seated stallion.

Almost.

“Mr. Mayor, perhaps you could answer a few questions we have” General Cinder asked as he glared at the sweating pony.

“Indeed, like: how did you know about Shadow’s wings?” Unable to respond, the mayor’s mouth flapped uselessly. Standing before the mayor, Luna’s frame towered over the seated pony and his desk. Shadow took an involuntary step back as the Princess of the Night ignited her horn, the room quickly darkening until the only light came from the Fire Sprite ambassador. Snapping open, the princess's eyes were as white as the moon, and were focused on the older stallion with the same unforgiving coldness. "How did you know about Shadow?" Her voice echoed around the room, thanks in part to the sound proofing spell she had cast earlier. The mayor's response was an unintelligible whimper. "SPEAK!" Still unable to utter anything remotely coherent, the mayor ripped out a drawer from his desk, dumping its contents across the top of the desk. Ripping an envelope apart, the terrified stallion spread the photos before the enraged princess. "Where did you get these?"

"They were given to me by Shutter Speed." The terrified pony stammered out. "He only took pictures, I swear!"

Luna's closed her eyes for a second, thinking. When she opened them, they had returned to normal “Where did you get the book?”

“The library” the thoroughly terrified pony replied. “I found it while looking at spells.”

“Even though you could never cast them yourself.”

“I’ve always had a fascination with spell craft. Even as a foal, I found magic and the concepts behind it fascinating.”

“So you found out about Shadow and knew of a spell that would take care of him?” The mayor nodded “And his family as well.” The stallion nodded again.

“Why?” The younger alicorn quivered, his rage barely contained “Why did they have to die?!”

“It was too much of a risk. If your parents or your sister ever had a foal, it could have been an alicorn like you.”

“Mayor, your crimes are unspeakable. If we were in Equestria and you were lucky, you’d be a pile of ash that got dumped in the nearest garbage can, but as young Shadow here pointed out on our way here, this is not Equestria. Since this island is not part of our territory, our laws do not apply here, and to apply our laws to punish you as you so richly deserve for your crimes would not be possible." Shadow watched the mayor sag in relief at Princess Luna's statement. The stallion's relief sickened the colt, who put everything he had into not attacking the mayor where he sat. "However..." The single word caught the attention of every being in the room, "Since this is not Equestria, just as you are not subject to our laws, neither are you protected by them or by any treaties between my nation and others." Everyone in the room looked at the princess for a moment before turning to the ambassador. "Ambassador, I trust that based on what we have heard, you would agree that Shadow is innocent in all this?"

The Fire Sprite ambassador slowly nodded "Shadow was an innocent victim in a failed attempt on his life. Based on the evidence, we hereby drop our claim against him."

"Thank you Ambassador" The lunar diarch nodded to the elder Sprite. "I am sure that you will wish to speak to the mayor in private?" The lone Fire Sprite nodded, his gaze never leaving the older stallion once. "Then we shall leave you two alone; Shadow?" Luna opened the door with her magic. Pausing in the doorway, Shadow ignited his horn, grabbing the photos from the mayor's desk as well as the pitcher of water that had yet to be touched and carried them out of the room.

As soon as the door clicked shut, the ambassador stood before stepping out of the fireplace. "I believe you and I have some things to discuss Mr. Mayor." Beneath the ambassador, the office's wood floor began to smoke.

---

From where he stood at the stern of the Lunar Diarch, Shadow slowly watched his old home slowly sink in the distance. Shortly after leaving the mayor and the ambassador alone, to neither alicorn’s surprise, the mayor’s office erupted in a wall of green flames, the heat forcing ponies back and preventing anypony from putting the fire out for several minutes until the green flames suddenly switched back to the colors everypony was used to. Thanks to the building’s design and construction, the fire didn’t spread beyond the office. By the time anypony could enter the room, nothing but melted rock remained.

The mayor’s sudden death cast a pall over the very public emergency council meeting. There had been a raucous round of cheering and applause when Princess Luna had been introduced. That energy quickly faded as Princess Cadance and her husband were introduced, followed by Princess Twilight and Spike. By the time he had been introduced to the crowd, not a single pony moved. It might have been the shock of the townsponies seeing him alive when they had been told he was dead, though if Shadow had to guess, it was probably his set of wings that were on full display for everypony to see.

Before anypony could say anything, Luna, using a slightly powered down version of her Canterlot Voice, explained to everypony present what had brought her here and what had happened during her meeting with the town’s former mayor. The entire time she spoke, nopony dared to move. After she had explained the reason for their arrival, she and Princess Cadance spoke about the Crystal Empire, about its return and rescue from King Sombra. From where he stood, Shadow could see many of the ponies he had grown up with looking at the two younger princesses in a new light. Even Shining Armor and Spike got a number of silent nods of approval. Once the tale of the Empire’s return was over, Princess Luna proposed a series of options to the assembled mayors and the crowd around them. If they wanted to, they could join Equestria or the Crystal Empire and become full-fledged citizens of the respective nation they chose, or they could remain independent.

Ultimately, it was decided to give the decision of what to do to the island’s citizens. It had taken the better part of a week, but in the end, the ponies of Crystal Island had voted, albeit narrowly, to remain independent, though joining the Crystal Empire had come in a very close second. Joining Equestria had garnered less than a half dozen votes. Honoring their citizen’s wishes, the council told Princess Luna their people’s decision, though they freely admitted that they were more than open to the idea of opening trade relations with both nations. It was more or less an open secret that they already traded with Equestria, but the mayors felt that it was time to make that unspoken knowledge official.

Sighing, Shadow watched the island slowly sink into the ocean.

"Are you going to miss it?"

Shadow turned to his guest as Cadence moved to stand alongside him.

Would he miss it?

Turning back to watch the island slowly sink beneath the horizon, Shadow honestly didn't know. He had grown up on the island and until recently, it had been his entire world, but would he miss it now that he was leaving it, possibly for good? Sighing, the young alicorn watched the tip of a mountain disappear, his former home now beyond the horizon.

Would he miss it?

"I don't know."