The Burden of Hope

by Mykola

Epilogue I

Void opened his eye when he felt his blood cool, his face contorting in an expression he himself couldn’t describe, staring directly at the toothy grin of the strange pony who he had seen in Linebreaker’s barracks. The stranger stared back at him, seemingly bearing no ill-will, yet holding an air that definitely told Void that this pony wasn’t looking to help either. The intrigue mixed with anger and fear, Void demanded: “Who are you?”

“Name’s never mattered, so the fact is I don’t carry one…” The strange pony chuckled, hovering over First Flight’s resting place, “it just seems to cause problems.”

“Cause problems?” Void coughed.

“Look, ‘new light…’ I’d recommend you ought not to be questioning some fella’ you’ve just barely met. Unless ‘course, you’d like to see where those problems lead.”

Void stared defiantly at the stranger who only laughed in response. The pony walked aimlessly around the room as he seemed to pretend to be an investigator at a crime scene: scouring every detail and adding it to a list of scrutiny. But for what purpose? What did it accomplish?

“I’d reckon that’s a threat.” Void replied with a furrowed brow.

“Doesn’t need to be if you don’t make it one, kid… anyways, I’d just like to have a chit chat.”

“Why?”

“Because you aren’t the others, you are just ‘other.’ This conflict you tie yourself in? This ain’t your problem…”

Void paused, trying to interpret what the stranger had said. Here he was: finding shelter under the people who had saved him from an untimely demise by something that was definitely looking to kill him. What the stranger suggested was preposterous, it ultimately implied that he should leave what were thousands of lives to battle and die on their own.

“It is my problem, I can’t just let this place fall into the dark.”

“Cute… you’ve adopted their vocabulary too.” The stranger laughed, “Problem is kid, that it’s never all that simple. Y’see, you aren’t this place… but nor are you a pawn for ‘the Dark.’ Yet you so readily toss yourself in with lot that’d willingly let you die.”

“If I die, I die bringing peace.”

As Void said that, the stranger paused and looked down at the dead body of First Flight before insultingly looking toward him.

“That a fact? Heh, you’ve got guts… I can appreciate that, kid. Takes a true character to shoulder burdens that aren’t their own.” The stranger sarcastically replied, “Now, I won’t stand between you and your zealotry, but I’d like to propose a question: what if you aren’t supposed to take a side here? What if, you’re meant to be the middle in the blend of two contrasting colours?”

“Who are you?”

“Thought I made that clear, kid--”

“You’re spouting nonsense!”

“Ha! I guess I’ve come just in time, before you carried yourself to some fantasy where you could play hero and dance with death!”

“What are you talking about?” Void growled.

“I’ll give you the easy answer, kid: no one’s gonna know what I’m talking about!” The stranger growled back, “What I’m talking about goes far above everyponies collective thick heads! They’d just call it blatant heresy against some falsehood they live by! Lemme guess: they’ve convinced you that they serve the light and that everything that stands against them serves the dark?”

“Sounds like you’ve got complacency with the dark…”

The stranger looked at unconscious shape of Lost Light before he laughed sinisterly, causing Void to look down in shame.

“Far from it, kid… the Dark destroyed everything I’ve known, I’m just an unfortunate sucker that’s lived through it all. But as soon as I start saying that to anypony less open than you, I’m instantly branded like some heretic and driven out for the same cause you’ve laid at my hooves. Just because I’m not blind enough to need the light, don’t mean I automatically sympathise with the dark… I figure that somepony whose been touched by the void don’t need to be told what to do either.”

“How do you know about--” Void snapped.

“I’ve lived long enough to see it before, kid!” The stranger barked back, “All I’m wanting to say is that the void is nothing more than some bad juju, it don’t interfere ever unless things get bad enough! And you existing, is evidence that it’s gotten bad enough!”

“So, I’m a harbinger for fate?”

“A harbinger? No, you’ve got it all wrong… you’re the decider: judge, jury and executioner! Whatever you’ve been speaking with so far hasn’t gotten to telling you that, so you’ll not be worried about it until it does! It’s going to whisper you sweet nothings until you’re prime in place to be making those choices! You think you’re ready to do that?”

“What do you want me to do about it if that happens to be true?”

“Kid, that ain’t my call…” The stranger shrugged, “you’re going to have to figure out on your own that there is a fine line that you’re allowed to walk before you break a precious balance! But if you listen to me, I guarantee that you’ll know how to play the fields even!”

“Why should I trust somepony without a name? Especially one that is tempting me to use my power for its cause?” Void asked.

“Heh, I’m not telling you to do squat for my favour, boy… if I were, I’d reckon you’d already be head over hooves for me. I’m just willing to show you one simple trick: hoofing the line between right and wrong! Show you what you’re truly made of!”

“So you’re only interested in keeping this conflict going? Why should I be the power between two contradictions?”

“Because kid, everypony will be much safer if you stop your fantasies of playing the hero and curb the idea of you being the villain…” The stranger sighed, as if it were something he believed to be obvious: “the forgiving path is the one where you don’t pick a side, it’s the one where you do what you oughta do to keep everything else in order… trust me kid, I’ve seen it played too far either way and all that ever does is cause suffering. It’s taken good folks from me, and by Celestia, it’s what took you from yourself!”

“What do you mean?”

“Every opposite has its villain, kid. What's it worth if we always condemn ourselves to be heroes to one, just to be villains to another?”

“That’s assuming that everything is governed by morals--”

“That’s exactly what it is, kid! So why play by that doomed game? Why not make your own? Strip yourself from the restrictions that seek to bind you like a slave to some cause that only antagonises another! The only way to be a hero is by refusing to be one!”

“So let thousands of innocent lives die?”

“I’ve been in your horseshoes before, kid… I learned that those lives die anyways: they’ll always be casualties and victims as soon as we pretend we’re their shields. The only way to protect them is to inspire them to protect themselves, because as soon as they become too reliant on you, that’s when you have Grad destroyed. That’s when you have my home destroyed. That’s when you allow all of Equestria to be destroyed!”

“So I step away and this instantly all becomes better?” Void questioned, “What sense does that make?”

“No…” The stranger chuckled, “y’see, I’d hate to see Grad destroyed. I’ve seen that enough times, kid. And Celestia knows that I’ve lost more than enough… all because I’ve decided to play what you are tempting now. It’s not heroism to allow everypony else to be your possessions, that’s villainy! So I say to Tartarus with that! Let them become their own heroes, their own defenders! Let them be more than toys! Let them prove to themselves that they’re the miracleworkers! That is far more liberating than locking them in some shelter, while you play their protector!”

“You’re a coward who stands on the sidelines, and protects your own position through some convoluted idea that society will protect itself from the stones that are constantly cast at it. You’d rather see Grad destroyed a hundred times if that means you don’t need to raise a hoof, than stand among it’s defenders.”

“Kid, that ain’t what I’m saying. But I get the gist, you’d like to see me leave… and I respect that. Just a piece of advice before I go: ain’t nothing wrong with questioning your place in the midst of a storm, but don’t forget that it takes two currents to make a tornado. If you’d ever like to reconsider--Tartarus: if you’d ever like to chat--I’m always lingering. Fate has a funny way to make sure I cross the paths of those ponies who really need some fresh perspective.”

“Perhaps you can start by explaining what Tartarus and Celestia are.” Void responded, as he continued to eye the stranger with suspicion.

“Heh, those are things you’ll have to figure out on your own.” The stranger laughed as he approached the doorway he likely entered through, “Pretty sure she wouldn’t particularly like me speaking her name, but hey… respect is given and I just happen to be a very respectful pony. Best of luck, Void…”

With this said, Void felt a sudden grogginess wash over him. His attention started to fade, trying everything he could think of to stay conscious... but every time he closed his eye, it grew longer and longer before he could open them again. He turned his eye toward Lost Light who remained unconscious, hoping that the pegasus wouldn’t spring up to take advantage of the situation.

Void tried to…

He tried to…

Tried…

…

…

…

---

Void opened his eye in a panic, as he struggled to pull in a breath of fresh air. Eventually the stallion managed to stabilise his panicked condition as he levelled his breath, as he looked around his surroundings. It was a white room, with several partitions, as he soon noticed that one of his legs was raised above the rest by some sort of sling. Void felt his side as he soon noticed there was some sort of bandaging that tightly bound his wounded body, as rested his head back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling.

It hadn’t been a nightmare.

A sudden burst of coughing overtook him. Each cough sent pain surging down his body, before eventually he could bring himself to breathe normally once again. His ears flicked in the direction of the distinct sound of hoofsteps entered the hospital hall as they stopped right before Void’s partition, before the sheet was pulled aside and the all too familiar shape of Snowstorm lingered over him.

“Thought I heard something…” The griffon smiled, “It’s been a while since you’ve asked questions, I reckon that there are plenty more?”

“N-no…” Void chuckled painfully, “not now, at least.”

“Good, I was worried I’d have to stand here for a few hours.”

“But, it is sort of hard to have a conversation without questions.”
“Yeah, I guess that’s true…” Snowstorm laughed, “how’s the leg?”

“Better, I hope…” Void responded as he adjusted in his cot, “doesn’t hurt as much. I got hit pretty hard.”

“More than hit, Void… you got beat.”

“I’m still here, aren’t I?”

“Barely. You’ve been out for a few days now, by the time we got to you, you were wheezing what we feared were going to be your last few breaths. Fortunately, we were able to get medics on the scene with the help of Defender’s valkyries.” Snowstorm answered, “Quite the first day back, wasn’t it?”

“How many days have I been out?” Void asked.

“Five. You had far too many bones out of place for the doctor’s liking, but she was able to get them all set… with the exception of your leg.”

Void looked to his leg that was lifted up in the sling, realising that it was encased by some sort of device underneath its wrappings. The stallion tried to move his leg before it immediately responded with pain. Snowstorm stood by as she lowered her head solemnly, pondering about the circumstance that he was in. Void sighed before he relaxed his leg, letting it dangle uselessly in the sling.

“Yeah, that was my bad…” Void muttered, “I sort of plummeted to follow First Flight and Symphony, figured breaking my one leg was better than breaking all my legs.”

“Made a good decision, then…” Snowstorm replied, “you know, I’ve been skulking around the community in search for an answer for what happened… because we weren’t quite expecting to find you, First Flight and our most wanted in the same room. Turns out, there was more to that story than just three randoms ending up in the same place.”

“A lot was going on… but the Knights and I figured that we needed to take out the storm from its source, that is when Symphony attacked.”

“I know…” Snowstorm sighed, “Skyrunner told us, and well… it’s pretty easy to put the rest together after that. It’s impressive really, in fact Defender has been giving it a lot of consideration and--actually--I shouldn’t say that… but what I can say is that the Iron Order has been more than impressed that some new light in their first day helped to repel a storm on the scale of this.”

“Hopefully that means I won’t need any more broken bones…” Void responded.

“You’ll understand in time, Void. It isn’t easy to find your way, but those that do must be depended upon to help others navigate through the dark… it isn’t the easy way, but it is the most forgiving way. So, after a few more broken bones and a lot more pain, maybe you’ll be ready to come within reach of my greatness, but for now you need to rest.”

“It’s not like I have been dead for who knows how long.”

“Is that a place you’d like to return?”

“Perhaps a few more hours of sleep wouldn’t hurt.” Void swallowed.

Snowstorm chuckled before she headed back through the partition, turning her head back momentarily before she responded with a smile: “I’ll see you in a bit, Void.”

And again the griffon disappeared as Void stared blankly at the white curtains that surrounded him, he sunk his head back into the pillow underneath. The stallion drew in a deep but shaky breath as he exhaled slowly, he felt his nerves cool and tame themselves. He quietly contemplated what had happened but a few days ago, he reflected on what he simply needed to focus on: Grad had been saved, or at the very least given a week to recover from its siege.

Several had perished. Linebreaker and his team, First Flight and undoubtedly dozens of other souls prepared to make that final sacrifice. Many more had been injured, including himself.

But thousands had been spared that pain.

Wasn’t that the point?

Void closed his eye and calmed himself and purged his mind of the rapid thoughts that he knew in the end were pointless. He focused now on the one thing he needed to focus on: rest. Preparation for what came next, to be ready at a moment’s notice. To defend those who dared to dream.

That was his hope.