> Under the Black Sky
>  by ChronicleStone
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: The Reunion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Location: Sweet Apple Acres in Ponyville
Date: March 29.  It has been three days since Sky gave his report on the mission to Polarmino to the Equestrian Royal Council.

A crystal blue sky, unblemished by any cloud or wisp of dragon smoke, lay draped from horizon to horizon, as far as the eye could see.  The sun stood vigilantly in the vast blue expanse, its light reflected and refracted through the dewdrops that rested on flowers and leaves nearby.  A calm, gentle breeze blew from the west.  The air was pristine and warm, but not too warm.  All in all, it was a perfect day.  As perfect as it could be.
But Sky knew better.
Somewhere out there, a ravenous monster was biding its time, waiting to make its strike against Equestria, still bearing a grudge against Sky himself.  A pair of families in a small village in the far north of the land were still mourning the loss of their patriarchs.  And the thought that countless more families might have to endure the same tragedy caused Sky’s vision to turn gray and made his stomach turn.
Still, Sky couldn’t help feel his spirits rise on account of the good weather.  His time in Polarmino, however short, had triggered a craving to return to a more moderate climate.  In fact, one of the only reasons Sky ever wanted to return to Polarmino was to see Lily Pond, the mare that had helped him on his most recent mission.  Their date just before Sky had left had been quite enjoyable, and Sky found himself eager to see her again, even after only a few days.
But for now, Sky was in the company of his other friends: Twilight, Spike, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie were all gathered together on the plantation at Sweet Apple Acres for what Applejack had termed a “get-together.”  Even some of Applejack’s family had decided to take a day off to offer their company to the group, which brought a smile to everypony’s face.
Sky and Applejack stood a bit separated from the rest of the group.  “Nice place you got here,” Sky commented as he took in the sights, sounds, and smells of Sweet Apple Acres.  “I don’t think I’d mind living on a farm if I knew it’d be like this.”
Applejack chuckled a bit in response.  “It is nice, but it’s a lot o’ work to keep it like this.  I once tried to take care of it all by myself.”
Sky raised an eyebrow.  “How’d that turn out?”
“Oh, like I suppose you’d expect it to.  One pony, no matter how strong or how determined they are, just isn’t enough to take care of somethin' this big on their own.”
“Hm.”  Sky hesitated for a moment before asking the burning question.  “This story wouldn’t have anything to do with me, would it?”
Applejack looked him square in the eye.  “Sky, I can tell yer still upset about yer last mission.  And that’s fine; I’d expect that any of us would be after somethin’ like that.  But I also know that you haven’t been talkin’ to anypony about it.  Yer just keepin’ it all bottled up inside yerself.  And that ain’t good for ya.  We’re yer friends, Sky, and we wanna help you in any way we can.  No one pony should have to carry all that on their shoulders.”
Sky let his head drop as he released a long sigh.  “I just don’t want to burden you guys down with my problems.  I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I did that to you.”
Applejack shook her head.  “Sky, yer sweet ‘n’ all, but sometimes, yer about as hard-headed as a walnut.”
Sky’s head rose dramatically as he looked into Applejack’s empathetic face.  “What?”
“Sky, we’re your friends because we help each other out.  What kind of friends would we be if we didn’t try to help you when you needed it?”
Sky contemplated her statement for a moment.  “I guess I see your point,” he said at last.  “Well, if you all are so eager for me to talk about what I’m feeling, then I guess I will.  But let’s have some fun first,” he added with a wink.
“Now yer talkin’!  Hey, Big Mac, c’mere a minute!” she called back to the group.  She turned back to the curious blue Pegasus.  “Sky, I’d like you to meet my big brother, Big Macintosh,” she said, gesturing towards the approaching tall, burly-looking red stallion.  His stature made him appear quite intimidating at first, but the relaxed (almost lazy) look in his eyes stilled any reservations Sky had.  “But you can just call him Big Mac for short.”
“Big Mac, huh?” Sky asked, smiling and stretching out a hoof in greeting.  “It’s nice to meet you.”
Big Mac pressed his own hoof against Sky’s and tossed his head back.  “Eeyup,” he responded.
Applejack leaned in towards Sky as Big Mac turned and walked away.  “He ain’t what you’d call a social pony, but he’s friendly enough.  You’ll get used to it,” she advised.
“Ah, alright,” Sky nodded.  Whether he was shy or just a stallion of few words, it didn’t matter.  Sky wasn’t really in a state of mind to give the matter any more thought.
“And this here’s my li’l sister, Applebloom.  She’s been wantin’ to meet you ever since I told her about you,” AJ continued, bringing up a pale yellow filly with a bold red mane and tail.
“So, yer’ Sky Streak?” Applebloom asked.
“That’s what everypony tells me,” Sky replied with a wink.
“That’s one nice-lookin’ cutie mark ya’ got there.  How’d you get that one?” the filly asked, her eyes drawn to the emblem on Sky’s flank.
The question, innocent as it was, felt like a knife cutting through the mental barriers he had been putting up over the past few days.  He had felt emotionally spent from his ordeal with the Chimera, so he had decided to try and distance himself from it to try and recover.  However, up to this point, it hadn’t been working very well.
Applejack stepped in to take charge of the situation.  “Applebloom, take it easy.”  She turned back to Sky.  “Sorry.  See, my sister doesn’t have her cutie mark yet, so she’s a bit obsessed with getting it.”
Sky raised his eyebrows and mouthed a silent “ah” as he faced the inquisitive filly.  “I got it when I was a lot younger.  But if you want one like this, I’m afraid you’d need wings.”
“Aw, shucks,” she said, kicking the dirt with her hoof.  “That’s a really neat one, too.”  Then, apparently seeing something else to draw her attention, she scampered off without another word.
“You know, Applejack,” Sky began as he watched Applebloom run off, “I can’t help but notice that everypony in your family has the same speech pattern as you.”
“It runs in the family,” she said without hesitation.
“Hey, you two,” Twilight called as she trotted over to where the two of them stood, “what are you talking about?”
“Genetics, apparently,” Sky shrugged.
Twilight looked at him curiously, but seemed to drop the idea after a moment.  “So, Sky, are you feeling any better yet?”
He sighed.  “Well…yes and no, I guess.”
Both Twilight and Applejack gave him the same confused look they had given him a few days earlier in Canterlot.  “I mean, I’m surrounded by my friends in a place that I love in the best weather anypony could ask for.  But in the back of my mind, I just can’t shake this lingering dread that the Chimera is going to do something terrible soon.  I’m sorry if I’m not being a very good guest,” he apologized.
“Sky, you’ve been through more in the last six months than most ponies will have to go through in their entire lives.  It wouldn’t be fair if we expected you to be perfectly fine after that.  We’re just doing this to try and help you feel better,” Twilight said sympathetically.
“Well, when you put it that way, I guess I do feel a little better,” Sky admitted.
“Good,” Applejack said, her face brightening.  “Now c’mon.  I think there are some other ponies that want to be able to talk to you.”
The three of them slowly walked back to where the rest of the group had crowded around a large table piled with all sorts of apple-themed treats, from apple pie and apple fritters to applesauce and the legendary Sweet Apple Cider.
Spike saw them approach and immediately moved to intercept them.  “Oh, man, you guys, you gotta try these apple fritters,” he said, tossing one into the air and catching it in his mouth.
Sky raised an eyebrow suspiciously.  “Are there any left?”
Spike swallowed his mouthful and met Sky’s gaze.  “Of course.   I wouldn’t take all of them, even if I could.”
“Which you can,” Twilight commented as she moved past the dragon to the table.  She picked up a slice of pie and set it on a dish in front of her.  “I think I’ll start off light.  I’m not really hungry right now.”
“What about you, Sky?  How are you today?” Spike asked.
“Just fine,” he replied.  It wasn’t exactly the truth, of course, but he wanted to put on a good face for the others.  It wouldn’t be fair to drag his friends down with a sour mood.  “So, what have we got?”
“Just about anything you could want,” Applejack answered from beside him.  “Applebloom and I spent most of yesterday cookin’ up everything you see here.  We’re both pretty handy when it comes to cookin’.”
“You spent an entire day on this?” Sky asked incredulously.
“Aw, shucks, Sky, it ain’t nothin’,” Applejack replied.  “Like I said, it takes a lot o’ work to keep this place going.  A day of baking is like a break to us.”
“If you say so,” Sky said, picking up a pair of fritters and dropping them on his plate.  Looking back at Spike, he picked a third and tossed it into the air and caught it in his mouth.
“Copycat,” Spike accused.
“Boys…” Twilight muttered.
“Ooo!  Sky!  There you are!  I haven’t seen you in FOREVER!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing over beside him.  “Well, not really forever, because that’s a really long time, but it feels like it’s been forever.  Although, I’m not totally sure what forever feels like, because I’d have to wait for forever to know, and that’s way too long for me to just wait.  I can’t wait that long.  I wonder what forever feels like.  Do you know what forever feels like?” she asked, leaning in close to Sky’s face, making him back up instinctively.
“Uh, hi, Pinkie.  And no, I, uh, don’t think I know what forever feels like,” Sky managed.
“Me neither.  Oh well,” she said, her personality and eccentric mannerisms shrinking back to the “manageable” state.
“Hi, Sky,” Fluttershy said as she walked over.  “I’m glad to see that you’re doing alright.”
“Likewise, Fluttershy,” Sky replied with a nod of his head.  “Still taking care of your animals?”
“Oh, yes, they’re all so sweet and kind.  Angel would have been here, but he doesn’t like apples, so he stayed at home.”
“Angel?”
“Oh, my bunny.  He helps me take care of the other animals.  He can be a little picky sometimes, but he’s a good friend.”
“Ah, alright.”  Sky turned to the unicorn standing next to her.  She looked contemplative as Sky addressed her.  “And hello to you, Rarity.”
She touched her hoof to her chin and looked at Sky intently.  Finally, she spoke.  “Sky, do you know what would look wonderful on you?”
“I’m sorry?”
“A wrap.  A nice blue shoulder wrap.  Or perhaps white with a blue trim.  Maybe a bit of gold embroidery to give it that special feel.”  She smiled, apparently having to come to a conclusion in her head that she felt satisfied with.  “Yes, that would do nicely.”
“Well, I guess that counts as a greeting,” Sky shrugged.
“Sorry, you’ll have to forgive Rarity,” Applejack said.  “With it bein’ the beginnin’ of spring and all, she’s got her head all wrapped up in ‘spring fashion’ and all that nonsense.”
“Applejack, it isn’t ‘nonsense’,” Rarity protested.  “It is simply my desire to make sure that everypony looks their best.  You only get one chance to make a first impression, you know.”
“Because nopony in Ponyville knows who any of us are, right?”  Applejack rolled her eyes.
Sky sighed.  They’re all still the same as they were so many months ago.  It’s good to see that some things stay the same.  Makes it feel like…home, I guess.
Suddenly he realized it.  “Hey…where’s Rainbow Dash?  Wasn’t she just here?”
“Oh, uh…you might wanna brace yourself for her when you see her coming.  She’s been itching to ask you something,” Twilight said.
Sky arched an eyebrow.  “Is she gonna ask me out on a date?” he said jokingly, though the fear was very real in his head.
“No, nothing like that.  But…well, you’ll see.”  Twilight sat down on her haunches.
Sky looked at the group of ponies around him.  “Should I be worried?” he asked in a serious tone.
“Only if you’re really competitive,” Applejack said cryptically.
“And I hope you are,” said a familiar voice from behind and above.  Sky spun to face the voice and found a familiar rainbow haired pegasus standing atop the barn, looking down at him.
“And a good afternoon to you, too, Rainbow Dash,” Sky said.  “I hear you have something to ask me.”
“That I do,” she said, placing special emphasis on each word.  “See, I’ve heard all about your flying abilities, and how you’re supposedly one of the fastest pegasi around.”
“And you’ve been hearing this from…?”
“Oh, I have my sources.  Anyways, I thought that maybe you’d be interested in putting those abilities up to the ultimate test.”  She tossed her head back and looked at Sky from under her eyelashes.
“And that test would be…what, exactly?”  He asked the question, but he had a sneaking suspicion that he already knew the answer.
“A race!  You against me, winner gets bragging rights!  Whaddya say?” she asked, looking expectantly at him.
Sky hesitated.  He wasn’t really in the mood for competition.  His mind was elsewhere.  But, on the other hand, a physical activity could be a good way to burn off some frustration.  And from what he had heard of Rainbow Dash’s speed, it would be quite a task, letting him burn off a lot of steam.
“You know what?  I think I’ll take you up on that.”
“I hope you’re ready to lose,” Rainbow Dash teased.
“I hope you’re hungry, ‘cause you’re gonna eat those words,” Sky countered, a smug gleam in his eyes.
> Chapter 2: Race the Rainbow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     “A race?!” Pinkie exclaimed.  “I loooove races!  They’re so fast, and crazy, and fast, and speedy, and fast!  Oh!  Can I be in the race?”
“No, Pinkie,” Rainbow Dash said, looking annoyed.  “This is a race between Sky and myself.”
“Okay!  Can I be the checkpoint pony, then?” Pinkie pressed, her enthusiasm not even wavering for a moment.
Sky blinked.  “Checkpoint pony?”
“The pony that makes sure that nopony is takin’ shortcuts or cheatin’,” Applejack explained.  “Really, Sky, I woulda thought a speedy pegasus like yerself would know all this.”
“Guess I never did much racing growing up.”  He shot a smug glance at Rainbow Dash.  “But that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to win,” he said mischievously.
Either Rainbow Dash didn’t catch the remark, or she chose to ignore it.  “We’ll keep this simple.  We’ll go twice around the whole of Ponyville.  We’ll head around the south side of town first, by the reservoir.  Then we’ll head for the schoolhouse.”
Sky had flown over Ponyville many times in the past few months, though he had rarely landed in the town.  He held up his hoof in protest before Rainbow Dash could continue mapping their route.  “Whoa, whoa, hang on a second.  You guys know what all these buildings look like, but I don’t.  How am I supposed to know what I’m looking for?”
“Oh!  You can just leave that to me!” Pinkie said, swinging her head up in the air.  “Just look for me to be waving at each checkpoint along the way!”
Sky’s brow furrowed in confusion.  “Uh, Pinkie?  How are you going to keep up with us?  You’d need to be faster than both of us to be able to show me where to go.”
All of the girls began to snicker softly as Sky arched an eyebrow.  “What’s so funny?” he asked, more confused than ever.
“Sky, don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to,” Twilight said, though her answer was more enigmatic to Sky than it was helpful.
“Huh?”
“Just let it go; she’ll be there,” Rainbow Dash said with a sigh.
“O…kay,” Sky said at last, still baffled.
“Alright, after the schoolhouse, we’ll head for Rarity’s boutique on the southeast side,” RD continued.
“And if you cause any damage to that building, you’ll receive the bill for repairs in the mail,” Rarity interjected.
“Relax, Rarity, I’m sure they’ll be plenty careful,” Applejack assured her.  She cast a quick glance towards the pair of blue pegasi to make sure they got the message.  Sky nodded in comprehension.
“We’ll head straight north along the edge of town, following the creek and beyond,” Rainbow Dash continued, tracing an invisible path in the air with her hoof.  “We’ll turn west at the corner of the town, and make our way to the train station.  After that, we’ll make for the library—”
“Which happens to be my house,” Twilight interrupted.
“We’ll be careful,” Sky said without hesitation.
“—and head back here.  That should be it.  You got that, Pinkie?” Rainbow Dash finished, turning to the pink pony that was madly scribbling with a pen onto a small notepad that Sky could only assume had appeared out of thin air.
“…and back HERE!” she said, emphasizing the last word as the tapped her pen against the notepad with a flourish.  “I got it.  Now, I want a good, clean race.  No cheating, no fighting, no biting!”
A question formed in Sky’s mind, but after a quick second thought, he decided to let it go.  “Now, both of you need to Pinkie Promise to race by the rules.  Do you Pinkie Promise?” she continued.  Her eyes seemed to bulge as she enunciated each word of the question.  Her face was still bright and cheerful, but there was a solemnity in her words that Sky found deeply unsettling.  He found himself looking at Rainbow Dash, who merely rolled her eyes.
“Of course we do, Pinkie,” RD said after a brief pause.  “Can we just start the race?”
She gave them both an oddly serious gaze, then, with her usual chipper demeanor, brightened up and pulled a pair of checkered flags out from behind her back.  “On your mark…”
Rainbow Dash and Sky both crouched into their starting positions and spread their wings as their friends began to cheer loudly from behind.  “You ever seen real speed?” Rainbow whispered to Sky.
“…get set…”
“Don’t think so,” Sky whispered back.  “Never met anything that was faster than me.”
“GO!”
There was a quick flutter of wings, followed by the sound of rustling leaves.  In perfect synchronization, a pair of light blue blurs went screaming through the grove of trees, causing them to sway and bend at their passing.
Sky was surprised to hear his own laughter as he shot between the trees of Sweet Apple Acres.  Rainbow Dash was right beside him, a look of smug determination etched on her face.  They nimbly ducked limbs and dodged tree trunks until they reached the edge of the farm and broke into the clearing on the south side of Ponyville.  Ahead on his left, along the bank of the creek, was a large windmill.  And on his right was a large lake.  The reservoir.
And, to Sky’s amazement, right in the middle, bobbing up and down in full scuba gear, Pinkie Pie was waving her legs wildly.  “Over here, you two!  First checkpoint!” she shouted.
Rainbow Dash made for where Pinkie was floating in the reservoir, followed closely by Sky.  As soon as they passed over her, the pair of pegasi turned due east and made a beeline for the schoolhouse.  Sky could see its distinct red roof in the distance, and, feeling that he needed to turn up the pressure on his opponent, kicked his wings into high gear as he moved ahead of the multicolored mare.
“Hey, look!  A rainbow-colored stop sign!  Never seen that before!” Sky teased as he shot ahead.
Sky could hear Rainbow Dash’s laughter from behind.  That’ll get her worked up, he thought.
Sky covered the distance in a matter of seconds, the feeling of the wind in his face cleansing his head of any gloom he felt and encouraging his competitive spirit.  As he reached the schoolhouse, he turned almost due north as he passed beside its bell tower.
And, as if on cue, Pinkie thrust her head out of the tower and called out, “Second checkpoint!” in a hasty voice.
As bewildered as Sky was as to how Pinkie was keeping ahead of him, he hardly had the time to consider it.  Behind him, he could hear the beating of Rainbow Dash’s wings as she stayed hot on his hooves, though he suspected she was just biding her time until she made a move of her own.  The pair tore through the air on approach to Rarity’s boutique.  Passing by, Sky once again saw Pinkie, bouncing along beside the building.  “Third checkpoint,” she called in a sing-songy voice.
“Having fun yet?” asked Rainbow Dash, who had come up beside Sky while he was focused on the physics-defying Pinkie Pie.
“Loads.  But when do we start racing like we mean it?” Sky replied.
“Anytime you’re ready.”
Sky took a deep breath as the buildings of Ponyville on his left passed by as blurs.  In his head, he pictured his sister, his parents, Lily…all the ponies that meant something to him.  I’ll do you proud.
With a release of energy, Sky shot forward with a burst of speed that would have left any normal pony behind.
But, as Sky knew, Rainbow Dash was no normal pony.
She was still right beside him, though he noticed that a rainbow trail seemed to be trailing behind her at this point.  Wow.  That burst would have left even the Wonderbolts in my wake.  She really DOES live up to all the hype.
They matched each other, turn for turn, every beat of their wings as they rounded the northeast corner of town and set a scorching pace along the northern edge of Ponyville.  As they sped past the train station, the waved in unison to a pink pony reclining on the roof of a caboose.  “Fourth checkpoint!” she yelled, waving back.
Sky recognized the large tree to the south as the same place where he had seen the light on as he set out from Canterlot on his mission to the Everfree forest just over six months ago.  So, this is what it looks like close-up.
As they approached, they saw a sudden burst of what appeared to be…confetti…coming from a platform among the boughs of the tree.  Soaring by, Sky saw Pinkie, but this time, she was accompanied by what looked to be a festive-looking cannon of some sort.  “Back to the barn for your second lap!” she shouted gleefully.
Sky turned to Rainbow Dash.  “Is she always that…uh…”
“Unpredictable?” she returned, though Sky could barely hear her over the rush of wind roaring in his ears.  “Pretty much.”
“Oh.”  Sky finally decided to just ignore the several thousand questions he could think of asking about Pinkie and figured that it was probably best to just leave well enough alone.
They passed over another creek and were back at the barn again in a matter of moments.  Grouped up at the base of the structure, Sky could see all his friends gathered around, cheering madly for the both of them.  Time to really turn it on.
Rainbow Dash planted all four hooves on the wall of the barn and propelled off of it back into the trees.  Sky rolled into an aerial loop, using the downward motion to add to his momentum as he went whizzing after her.
They went spinning and ducking between the trees, each apparently trying to outdo the other in a display of agility.  Sky could see the trees shaking as they passed within inches of crashing into them.  More than once he had to dodge a stray apple knocked loose from its branch by Rainbow Dash’s sheer speed.
As they emerged from the trees, the both made for the reservoir again, but this time, Rainbow Dash turned her head back to Sky and smiled confidently.  “This is what speed looks like,” she said.  With a burst of speed that shook the air itself, she rocketed forward, and even the rainbow trail behind her seemed unable to keep up with her.
Sky almost lost his composure as she left him behind, but he refused to let her get away so easily.  Digging deep within himself, he finally let his competitive spirit take over.
And he found another gear.
With a sound that was reminiscent of a peal of thunder, Sky felt as though he had left his body behind, and his spirit was free to move as fast as it wanted to.  The wind pressed so hard against his eyes that they were stinging, and he was unable to recognize any sound other than the rush of the wind and the almost buzz-like sound of the beat of his wings.  He felt the all-too-familiar tingle in their tips that he associated with his unique magical capabilities.
The water rippled as he flew over the reservoir, and the flags in front of the schoolhouse changed direction as he left them behind.  Ahead of him, he could see Rainbow Dash as she made her trek northward along the edge of town at her own breakneck pace.  But Sky noticed something else as well.
I’m catching up.
The chase continued past Rarity’s boutique and all along the eastern side of the town.  By the time Sky reached the corner of town again, he had nearly caught the many-hued mare.  As they approached the train station, Sky pulled along Rainbow Dash’s side in an attempt to pass her on the outside.  He saw her look in his direction, and, apparently surprised to see him there, jerked her head back around in an attempt to somehow increase her speed and keep her opponent at bay.
Sky smiled.  She’s panicking.  That’s good.  Barring any miracle on her behalf, I’ve got her.
He could see Twilight’s house over the roofs of Ponyville, and he knew that he was mere seconds from putting Rainbow Dash in her place.
When Sky’s entire consciousness erupted.
His vision exploded in a red bomb as his entire body convulsed with the pain of a thousand different sources.  His head felt like a dragon was breathing into his ear, while his legs contorted with a stinging cold and the piercing of hundreds of needles.  His wings felt like they were being smashed between a hammer and an anvil.
And somewhere in the chaos of his mind, he clearly felt the intense gaze of a pair of crimson eyes.
The Chimera...

Sky opened his eyes.  He was lying on the grassy fields on the west side of Ponyville, just north of Sweet Apple Acres, from the look of things.  He shook his head and attempted to get to his hooves.  Finding that he was (mostly) uninjured, he walked around for a few minutes and stretched his wings.  With a sigh of relief, he found that he was simply a little bruised from what had apparently been a rather chaotic landing (which isn’t uncommon when unconscious).  In the distance, he could hear several voices calling for him.  Looking towards the farm, Sky saw his friends gathered on a hill, looking in all directions and calling his name.  With a deep breath, he began walking towards them.
Rarity saw him first.  “Sky!” she shouted as she galloped towards him, with the others hot on her hooves.  “Sky, are you alright?”
He nodded as she reached him, but before he could say a word, Rainbow Dash took the opportunity to speak.  “Looks fine to me.  Must’ve just run out of gas during the home stretch, huh?”
“Rainbow…”
“I gotta admit, you had me worried.  You’re fast, but there’s no pony that can keep up with me,” she said, pirouetting in the air.
“Rainbow…”  Sky put an edge to his voice.
“But hey, you did as well as anypony that’s ever raced me.  That’s an accomplishment.  And about as good an outcome as you could have wanted, because we all know that no pony can win a race against me.”
“RAINBOW!  Shut up and listen!” Sky barked, causing all six of the mares and one dragon to recoil.
“Sky, take it easy!  There’s no need for an outburst like that,” Twilight reprimanded.
“Twilight, listen to me.  I didn’t run out of energy in the race.  I felt it…it was looking for me again.”
Twilight’s eyes grew as she heard what Sky was saying.  “You mean…just now?  That’s why you didn’t finish the race?”
“Yeah.  I felt its eyes, just like when I did back at Zecora’s hut,” Sky explained.
“But I thought you had conquered your fear of the Chimera,” Spike interjected, obviously having kept up with Sky’s vague comments.  “Right?”
“I did, but this was different,” Sky continued.  “It didn’t feel like it did then.  Before, it was a warning, or a threat.  This time…this time, it was more like…a challenge.  It’s not hiding; it’s looking for me.  It wants me to go find it.  No…”  He paused, searching for the right word.  “It’s demanding that I come.  It was so intent on making sure that I knew that it was looking for me.”
“That sounds like a heapin’ helpin’ o’ trouble,” Applejack commented.  “If it’s so eager to find you, it must be plannin’ somethin’.”
“Applejack’s right,” Rarity said.  “It’s just like what Discord did to us in that maze.  He pulled us in and made us play his game, and he nearly won because of that.”
“Then we should tell the Council,” Sky said, turning to face the mountain upon which Canterlot sat perched in a perpetual vigil over the realm of Equestria.  “They’ll be able to come up with a plan.”
“I can send a note to Princess Celestia, letting her know that we’ll be on our way,” Spike offered.
“Good thinking, Spike!” Twilight said, nodding.
“‘We’?” Sky asked.
“Of course, Sky,” Fluttershy replied.  “I mean, aren’t we going along?”
“You bet we are!” Rainbow Dash said enthusiastically.  “We’re all gonna show this creature who’s boss!”
Sky’s mind hesitated at the thought of putting his friends in harm’s way like that, but he figured that there was no point in trying to talk them out of it.  At least, not yet.
“Alright,” he said.  “Spike, you write that letter ASAP.  Then you guys take the train to Canterlot.  I’ll meet you there.”
“We’re coming with you,” Rainbow Dash corrected, gesturing to Fluttershy.  “You’re not the only one with wings, you know.”
“Fine,” Sky said.  “We’ll meet up at the palace.”
“Sky, are you sure you can fly all the way there?” Rarity asked.  “After the race, the Chimera, and all that?”
Sky smiled grimly as he crouched in preparation to take off.  “All that?  Heh, I didn’t even break a sweat.”
“Then we’ll see you there,” Twilight said, turning with Rarity, Spike, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie back towards Ponyville.
“Let’s get moving, then!” Rainbow said.
“We better,” Sky said.  “I’ve got a feeling that we don’t have much time with this.”
> Chapter 3: The Pegasi and the Council
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Don’t keep me waiting.
Sky didn’t so much hear a voice as much as he simply understood the feeling in his head.  It felt eerily familiar, like the sensation he had walking with Twilight and Spike through the Everfree Forest.  The Chimera wanted him, and it wanted him now.
He stood flanked between Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, waiting patiently before the doors to the palace.  Two members of the royal guard stood attentively on either side of the entryway.  Fluttershy rubbed her hoof nervously along the ground, while Rainbow Dash paced back and forth anxiously.
“What’s the holdup?  This is important!” she protested in an irritated tone.  “What could possibly be more important than this?”
“The whole of Canterlot is under intense guard due to a specific threat within the bounds of Equestria.  We must make certain that procedures are followed to ensure the safety of all citizens within the city,” the guard answered.
“This is ridiculous!  We’re here because of the threat!  We’ve got news about it, and we can’t see Celestia because of some stupid ‘procedure’ you have to follow?!” she practically shouted back.
“Um, Rainbow, maybe you should keep your voice down,” Fluttershy said softly.  “He’s only doing his job.”
“Yeah, well, his ‘job’ is going to keep Sky here from being able to knock that Chimera into next week if he just continues to stand there!” she countered, looking as though steam would start coming out her ears at any moment.
“Easy, Rainbow,” Sky said coolly.  “I’m sure the Council will see us when they can.”  He was distracted by the silent guard on his left.  It was the same unicorn that had been on guard that night he had gotten back from Polarmino, and the feeling that he had seen him somewhere before was stronger than ever.
“How are you not more upset about this?” she asked.  “If I were you, I’d be ready to fly outta here and take that monster head-on right now!”
“That’s exactly what Rarity warned us against,” Sky replied.  “We can’t be hasty about this.  The Chimera definitely has a plan, so we need to have one, too.”
Just then, the immense doors opened as Princess Celestia, Princess Cadence, and Shining Armor came out.  All three of them had grave looks on their faces, but Celestia and Cadence smiled at the three friends gathered together.  The three young ponies bowed before the members of the Council as they approached.
“’Bout time,” Rainbow muttered.
“Hello again, my little ponies,” Celestia said.  “I understand that Twilight and the others are on their way.”
“They are,” Sky said, rising back to a standing position.
“Then come inside, and we can begin our discussion immediately.  This conversation is best kept indoors, where we can avoid prying ears,” she continued.  With that, they turned and entered the hallway, followed closely by Sky and his entourage.  As he passed through the doorway, Sky noticed that the unicorn guard kept his eye on Sky the whole time.  Sky peeled his gaze away as the massive doors shut behind him.
“So, Sky, the Chimera is looking for you again?” Cadence asked from in front of him.
“It would certainly seem that way.”  He felt like he was under the intense scrutiny of the Council again, trying to determine how prepared he was to deal with the Chimera so soon after his last encounter with it.
“The Chimera told you that it had been hiding with the windigoes.  So why would it present itself to you so emphatically now?” Shining Armor asked.
“Maybe it’s gotten upset with constantly losing to him, and it wants to settle the score with him quickly,” Rainbow suggested with a smile.
But Sky shook his head.  “No.  It doesn’t operate that way.  It’s patient.  Very patient.  It waited four months to deal with me a second time, and it told me that it wasn’t even counting on meeting me.  It was hoping to simply wipe out the colony without being discovered.  Something changed dramatically after our last battle.  It’s got something very specific in mind.  And I don’t think it revolves around me.  I think it wants to use me to achieve a greater purpose.”
“And do you know what this purpose might be?” Celestia inquired.
“Not a clue.  But I think we can be fairly certain that it focuses on the downfall of Equestria.  Everything it’s done has been aimed at that goal.”
“Agreed,” Shining Armor said.  “And I feel confident that Canterlot itself is safe from the Chimera.  At least, for the moment.”
“But that is not the case for the rest of Equestria,” Cadence countered.  “The citizens outside of this city have little protection from the threat of this creature.  And if it is so eager for Sky to meet it again, who knows what it may do to try and hurry him up?”
The thought caused Sky to cringe.  The possibility of the Chimera using innocent ponies as incentive to get him to respond to its summons had occurred to him already, but hearing it from somepony else only reinforced the reality of the situation in his mind.
The group slowly entered the great throne room, and the members of the Council took their places at the bottom of the stairs leading to the throne.  Sky, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash stood before them, waiting for the discussion to continue.
But no pony said a word.  Silence fell upon the group as they simply looked at each other, like it was a verbal game of chicken, where the first pony to speak would be the loser.  Cadence’s observation had cast an unpleasant feeling upon each of them, and they were all still mulling it over when Sky broke the silence.
“I always thought I would be the one to defeat the Chimera.  It would be the two of us, alone in a field, and we would battle until the end, when I overcame it and vanquished it from Equestria.  But now, I’m simultaneously the hero and a liability.  I’m supposed to walk bold-faced into the Chimera’s trap because all of Equestria is the bait.  And what’s worse, is that we don’t know what the trap really is.  It has all the initiative, and it’s using all of it.”  He groaned and hung his head in frustration.
Shining Armor straightened up and looked at Sky.  “Just because the odds are stacked against you doesn’t mean that you get to give up, Sky Streak,” he admonished.  “You don’t need me to tell you that.”
“Shining Armor is right.  The Chimera may think that it has the advantage, but it can’t prepare for everything,” Celestia agreed.  “This may be the chance we’ve all been waiting for to finish this creature off, and we must seize that opportunity.”
“How?” Rainbow asked.
“We need to give it something it doesn’t expect,” the princess continued.  “We need to take away its advantage of dictating how everything is going to happen.”
“How are we going to do that, Your Highness?” Fluttershy asked softly.
“We’ll need to wait for Twilight and the others to arrive for us to be able to come up with a solid plan.  But I think that I have an idea.”
“Then they better hurry up and get here,” Sky said suddenly, wincing in pain as he raised a hoof to his temple.  The pain in his head had returned, and it threatened to grow even stronger.  “I don’t think the Chimera is willing to wait much longer.”
“I’m afraid it will have to wait,” Shining Armor replied, though he sounded more empathetic than he had up to this point.  “The train from Ponyville won’t arrive until late tomorrow morning.”
“Tomorrow?!” Sky exclaimed.  “I’m just supposed to spend an entire night with this…monster,” he basically growled, “worming around in my head?”
Celestia and Cadence frowned, but the captain of the guard sighed as he locked eyes with the blue pegasus.  “Listen to me, Sky.  I know what it’s like to have something get into your head and try to use you.  I understand that feeling perhaps better than any pony in Equestria.”  He narrowed his eyes as he continued.  “But you can trust me when I say that everypony here has complete confidence that you can handle this.  You’ve already shown a great deal of resilience and determination in dealing with the Chimera.  You’re better than it is.”  A smirk formed at the corner of his mouth.  “Now’s your chance to prove it.”
“Besides, it’s just for one night,” Fluttershy encouraged.  “We can spend the time to catch up, if you want.”
Sky’s head was a mix of emotions.  Shining Armor had issued a challenge that Sky couldn’t just put aside, but his frustration at having to wait another day just to find out how to deal with this threat was maddening.  He took a deep breath and released it in a slow snort.  “Alright,” he managed at last.  “I guess the freedom of flying has made me a bit impatient.”
“That is a forgivable offense,” Celestia said gently.  “But at least now you know what to expect when we meet tomorrow.”
“I suppose I do.”
“Your rooms are being prepared as we speak,” Celestia continued, nodding to Sky’s companions.  “Feel free to wander around the palace grounds for a little while.  They should be ready in an hour or two.  Sky Streak, yours is always ready, of course.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Sky said as he bowed, though he didn’t feel like he meant it.  He rose after a moment to see the Council members exiting the main chamber behind him.  “I guess that means the meeting’s over?”
“How do you like that?” Rainbow said beside him.  “At the least, they should have said goodbye or something!”
“Oh, I’m sure they mean well…” Fluttershy muttered.
“Of course they do,” Sky agreed.  “But they could at least demonstrate it somehow.”  He sighed and let his shoulders sag as he tried to relax.  “Well, let’s take a walk.  I need a breath of fresh air.”

The three friends were soon sitting on the grass beside the palace gardens, watching the clouds go by.  The sky was tinted to a pinkish hue by Shining Armor’s protective bubble spell surrounding the entire city.  Sky rolled onto his back and let his legs fall against the ground.
“You know…the air really doesn’t seem that fresh out here,” he muttered.
“That’s just your mind saying that because it thinks you’re inside a bubble,” Rainbow observed.
“Probably.  But it still doesn’t feel fresh.”
Fluttershy watched a lone butterfly flit from flower to flower.  “Sky, you seem so upset.  Isn’t there anything we can do to help?”
Sky rolled over again and sat up.  “Yeah, I’ll admit, I’m upset,” he said.  “There’s a creature out there that wants to simply destroy Equestria, and from all signs, I’m the pony that’s supposed to be able to stop it.  But instead of being out there trying to find it, here I sit, waiting for a train to arrive from Ponyville so we can ‘talk’ about how we can destroy it.”
“But, I thought you wanted to have a plan…” Fluttershy replied softly.
“I do,” Sky returned, “but I didn’t think it would turn into a big sit-and-wait session.  A full day?  I’ve seen the Chimera destroy an entire colony in seconds.  And we’re giving it at least an entire day to do whatever it wants?”
Fluttershy winced and grew silent.  Sky immediately felt his frustration change from targeting the Council to himself.  “I’m sorry, Fluttershy.  I’m just fed up with this thing.  It’s haunted Equestria for months now, and now it’s even got a way to let me know what it wants.  It’s a flame burning in my head.  I know when it’s thinking about me, and even though I can’t hear any voices, I know what it’s trying to tell me.  And right now, it’s trying to make me feel uncomfortable anywhere I go.  Unless I go after it.  It’s trying to make me want to go find it.  And I do…just not like this.”
Rainbow flopped onto her back as she spoke.  “I don’t think anyone can blame you for being upset, Sky.  I’m sure that Twilight and the others are just as worried as we are.  But I think you need to look at the bright side of things.  You’re starting to act like you’re just brooding all the time.”
Sky raised an eyebrow.  “Really?”
“Yeah.  You just seem like the world is all dark and gray to you.  Like you can’t see anything happy or joyful because you’re so obsessed with defeating the Chimera.  And it’s good that you’re focused like that, but I think you’re in danger of becoming standoff-ish.”
“Hm.”  He watched a solitary dandelion seed float in front of his face and glance off his nose.  He blew it away softly and followed its trek through the air with his eyes as it sailed lazily away.  “Well, I definitely am focused on the Chimera.  And I don’t want that to create problems with my friends, but this is such a serious issue.  I mean, the whole of Equestria could be at stake here.”
He was silent for a moment before continuing.  “I just want this to be over.”
“No pony wants to go through the hard times, Sky,” Fluttershy said, walking over beside her old friend and rubbing his back with her hoof.  “But I think that it’s the difficult things that shape who we are.  You’re a different pony than the one that walked into Everfree Forest a few months ago.”
“No argument there,” Sky admitted.
Rainbow Dash rolled back onto her stomach.  “And you’re better for that.  But you didn’t change just by walking into the forest.  You had to go through the darkness and face the source of your fears before you really started to change.  And now, you’re up against it again.  I’ve heard it said that ‘difficulties are just opportunities in disguise.’  And this is your opportunity to really become something great.”
“And just what is that?” Sky asked as he felt the corners of his mouth tug into the beginnings of a smile.
“Who knows?  You’ll just have to seize the opportunity to find out!”
“Just wish that these ‘opportunities’ didn’t take so long.”
“Maybe you were right, Sky,” Fluttershy said.
“About what?” he asked.
“I think you are a little impatient.”
Sky chuckled a bit.  “Well, maybe that’s what I’m supposed to learn from this encounter.”
Rainbow took to a kneeling position and turned her head to the sky.  “Please, oh please, let that be true!” she said dramatically.
The trio then broke into a fit of laughter that filled the gardens.  And, for a few minutes, at least, the Chimera was forgotten, and the only thoughts were the comfort and friendship between three pegasi on the lawn of Canterlot Palace.
> Chapter 4: This Isn't Real
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     The landscape was covered by mist and looked rather gloomy to Sky.  He looked around for a moment before his mind entered a state of cohesion and a question arose in his head.
Where the hay am I?
The last thing he remembered, he had been in his chambers in Canterlot, and he had just settled in for what he had hoped would be a restful night of sleep.  He sighed.
“A dream, then,” he surmised aloud, though he figured that his voice was restricted to what he imagined.  He could see nothing through the fog, but somehow, he believed that he was supposed to figure out exactly where this place was.  After all, it was all in his mind…right?
He began walking slowly, looking around, searching for anything that might tell him what he was seeing (or dreaming, as it was).  The fog was thick around him, and any nearby objects were quickly lost to sight in the gloom.
“Well, I must be standing on something,” he said, deciding to start looking for clues in an obvious place.  Peering down, he found that beneath his hooves, there was a strangely familiar cobblestone road that extended in all directions.  Raising an eyebrow, he stamped on it and recoiled as a cloud of long-undisturbed dust rose around him.
As if on cue, the mist rolled back as if it was driven by a wind that originated from Sky himself.  He felt his eyes grow wide as decrepit buildings, long-forgotten market stands, and abandoned homes suddenly emerged from the misty blanket that had covered them.  He felt a strange nagging in the back of his head as he tried to determine exactly what he was seeing.
The scene was depressing, though Sky figured that it hadn’t always been that way.  This had apparently been a social hub of this town, but it seemed that it had been abandoned some time ago.  The place was devoid of all signs of life.  Even the plants were withered and brown.  Windows were broken, and tatters of curtains hung limply in the darkness.  Sky felt a pang of sorrow in his heart as the feeling in the back of his head transformed into a distinct ringing sound, like a warning siren.
Suddenly, a tall spire broke through the retreating wall of fog.  Sky’s eyes were instantly drawn to it.  He immediately recognized it, though his mind refused to accept the realization.
This is just a dream, he tried to remind himself.
Turning around, his heart fell like a stone as he saw the immense peak of a mountain rise from the far side of the city.  It rose high above him, and he had the sudden urge to hide from its immense shadow.  Scampering behind the nearest structure, Sky could feel his heart racing and his breath coming in quick pants.
“Canterlot,” he whispered.  “This is Canterlot.”
But it was not the Canterlot he knew.  The air was stale, and its taste made Sky feel sick.  There was no pony in sight, and he decided not to figure out where they were.  He was probably better off not knowing.
Daring to peek out from his hiding spot, Sky saw the mountain again, bearing down on him.  He was suddenly aware of a strange sensation that the mountain was looking down at him…almost accusingly.  Kind of like what I felt when I was going to Everfree, but…this is different.  It’s as though I can sense emotion simply by standing here.  Emotions that aren’t my own.
He turned his head and stared at the palace tower ahead of him.  Somehow, he felt drawn to it, as though the residual depression of this place were lessened there.  Cautiously, he rose to his hooves and made for the palace.
When he arrived, he found the front gate of the palace in ruins.  The doors had been completely removed from their hinges and lay crumpled and broken on the brown lawn.  The walls were scored with black scorch marks, and looking closer, Sky noticed what appeared to be claw marks in several places.
It’s just a dream!  He tried to reassure himself, but he could feel his body panicking as a sudden fear for the princesses drenched him in a cold sweat.  He darted into the palace, heedless of any danger as he searched for any pony that might have been inside.
“Princess Celestia!  Princess Luna!  Princess Cadence!” he shouted as he galloped through the halls.  He slipped on a pile of papers and went careening into a wall.  As he jumped back to his hooves, he caught the last few lines of writing on the paper: Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.
Sky choked back a sob.  No, his mind continued to fight.  This isn’t real!  Get ahold of yourself!
His wings burst open as he took off at full speed.  He just had to get to that tower.  Somehow, he knew that he would find the answer to all of this up there.  Around corners and through empty rooms he flew, fighting back the tears he could feel emerging in the corners of his eyes.  He sped up a long spiral staircase and dashed across a long walkway and found himself overlooking all of Canterlot.
The city was gray and lifeless.  For the first time, Sky noticed how completely silent it was.  No birds.  No crickets.  No ponies.
The air changed.  If it had been stagnant before, it was just plain oppressive now.  Sky could barely stand to breathe it.  In that moment, he felt the dark reality that his senses were trying to tell him.  There was no sound.  There was no color.  There was no life.
Canterlot, and everything in it, was dead.
Sky turned his head away as the tears streamed down his cheeks.  Dream or no, this was too much for him.  He couldn’t bear to see Canterlot like this.  It was the center of the kingdom.  It was the light of Equestria, the hope of all ponies.
It was home.
Sky slowly walked ahead, completely unaware of his surroundings.  Why am I seeing this?  What reason could I have for dreaming something as terrible as this?
Suddenly, he felt his head bump into something metallic.  He jumped back instinctively and looked up, only to find what appeared to be a surprisingly well-preserved telescope.  What’s this doing here?
Once again, he felt drawn to look into the telescope.  He hesitated for a mere moment until his gaze fell again upon the lifeless ruins of Canterlot.  Anything’s got to be better than that.
He peered into the eyepiece, and after a moment’s adjusting, he found himself looking at the floating city of Cloudsdale.  Sky felt his heart leap in his chest.  It’s still there!  Cloudsdale is still there!
But the city began to fade into a menacing shade of gray as lightning leapt from its underside.  Sky could barely make out the sound of the distant thunder as he watched, unable to turn away from the unfolding scene.  His hooves went numb, and the telescope seemed to hold his eye open against his will.
His stomach twisted in knots.  He watched helplessly as his colthood home experienced a violent upheaval that brought the city crashing down upon itself.  Within moments, the city had completely evaporated, and the sky was empty again.
The telescope seemed to turn on its own, and Sky felt himself dragged along behind it, an unwilling spectator to the devastation of his homeland.  He saw the landscape move in a blur before it settled on a row of ruined buildings along a dirt road.
Sky managed to blink for a moment.  But when he opened his eyes, he found himself standing alone in the road he had just been surveying.  Only now, he could see the entirety of the destruction around him.  And in spite of the devastation that had afflicted the area, he had no trouble figuring out where he was.
“Ponyville…”
Town Hall was gone.  Like, literally gone.  The creek that ran along the eastern edge of town was nothing more than a dry trench.  To the south, Sky could see the broken remains of Rarity’s boutique.  The top of the building was still intact, but all around the base, cracks and holes marred the once-beautiful structure’s design.
Turning, he saw a thick column of smoke rising in the sky, from the area of Sweet Apple Acres.  He broke into a full gallop and leapt into full-speed flight, racing between the decimated rows of buildings through the town.
As he broke onto the western edge of town, Sky stopped dead in the air.  His jaw dropped and his brain went dead as he saw the most heart-wrenching sight he had come across thus far.  A great tree lay on its side, its branches blackened from a great fire.  The stump it had fallen from sat mournfully to its side.  It was hollow, and upon closer inspection, one could make out the start of rows of shelves along the outer wall of the tree.
“Twilight’s library.”  Sky’s voice was barely a whisper.  He felt numb all over.  It was as though all of his worst fears had come true in one horrific moment.  His mind was reeling.  He was so stunned, he failed to remember that this was simply a dream.  The nightmare was real.
Suddenly, the scene shifted into a massive whirlwind, and Sky recoiled and covered his face.  It lasted mere moments.  When Sky opened his eyes, he felt the last shreds of his composure being ripped from him.  He yelled at the top of his lungs; an anguished cry that would have haunted the ears of anypony that heard it.  But there were none.
The scene before him was like the others: a blackened and burnt neighborhood, with houses and landmarks crumbling with decay.  Twilight wouldn’t have known this place.  None of them would.  Not even Lily would recognize this place.
But Sky knew it all too well.
Before him, a single house, once modest but comfortable in its prime, sagged in its place.  Its broken windows and missing door seemed to give the house a face, which Sky saw as sorrowful, as if to say, “I’m sorry.”
Sky shook his head.  The magnitude of the visage shook his mind free.  “No…no, this isn’t real.  It isn’t real.  IT ISN’T REAL!”
He saw memories of distant days spent in front of that house, usually playing with a small turquoise filly with a fiery orange mane.  He saw a pair of pegasi standing in the doorway, smiling as they watched.  He saw time go by, and the ponies grew older.  The little filly grew in size.  Then, at last, he saw a very familiar light blue pegasus give a hug to his parents as he walked out of that house and set out to make his own life.
The memories faded, and Sky was left facing the shattered remains of the home he had grown up in.  He felt a new emotion rise within him.  Every muscle in his body began to shake, from his hooves to his wings.  His teeth clenched, and his face wrinkled into a hateful scowl.
“This will NEVER be real.”
A noise reached his ears.  Turning, he saw the object of his rage.  It sauntered up along the ash-covered road, wearing three cruel grins on its faces as it approached.
“Well, what do you think?  I rather like the new look.  It’s so…festive.”
“What is this?” Sky demanded.
“What do you think it is?” the Chimera responded.  “This is your future.  This is what will be left of Equestria when I’m through with it.  I will rip everything from this landscape and bathe it in fire.  Equestria will be nothing more than a barren wasteland.”
“You’re wrong,” Sky said with cold fury in his voice.  “You won’t touch Equestria.  I’ll stop you.”
“Is that so?” the Chimera mocked.  The snake and goat heads stuck out their tongues at Sky, while the lion’s head continued.  “I accepted your challenge long ago, pegasus.  I’m just wondering what’s keeping you.”
“I’ll deal with you soon enough,” Sky countered.  “Every moment you live is one more moment too long.”
The Chimera began laughing.  It howled.  Finally, it leveled its three pairs of eyes at Sky as its body transformed into a writhing black mass with six glowing red eyes.  The mass suddenly sprouted upwards, growing more and more immense, like a mountain stretching to the sky.  “Come, then,” the Chimera said in an almost otherworldly voice.
Sky crouched as lightning flashed in the clouds.  Thunder rumbled.  The blackness towered over him, but Sky shot straight up like a missile, screaming as he raced defiantly into the face of his foe.
“Aaaaaaaaaagggghhhhhhhh!!!!” he screamed until his breath ran out.  Suddenly (and rather surprisingly), Sky found himself sitting in his own bed, the blankets wrapped snugly around him.  He was drenched in a cold sweat, and he was breathing heavily.
Almost immediately, Sky’s door burst open, and a royal guard stood at the ready, looking all around the room.  Light flooded in from the hallway and reflected off the guard’s golden armor, forcing Sky to shield his eyes from the glare.
The guard, apparently satisfied that there was no active threat in the room, turned to Sky.  “Is everything alright, sir?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” Sky replied, though his heart rate would have indicated otherwise.  “Just a nightmare.”
“I see.”  The guard started to turn away, but hesitated and turned back.  “Must have been quite a nightmare, sir.”
He tried to relax his breathing, slowing it down and taking deeper breaths.  “Yeah.  It was.”
“Is there anything that I can do for you, sir?”
He almost chuckled at the number of responses that popped into his mind, but in the end, all he asked was, “What time is it?”
“It’s just past four in the morning, sir.  Celestia should be raising the sun in a few hours.”
“Thank you, captain,” Sky said, noticing the identifying rank mark on the guard’s armor.  “I think I’ll just take a walk.  Sleep isn’t turning out to be as restful as I’d hoped.”
“I understand,” the captain nodded.  “If I can be of any help to you, please let me know.  My stallions and I are at your service, sir.”  He turned and shut the door behind him.
Sky sat alone in the darkness again.  His body was slowly relaxing again, though his mind was on high alert.  He replayed the dream again in his brain.
“It won’t happen.  I won’t let it.”
> Chapter 5: Mounting Questions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     The night still hung over Canterlot as Sky emerged through a curtain onto a balcony overlooking the city.  The pink-tinted stars seemed to glitter in greeting the young pegasus as if to say, “It’s alright; we’re here for you.”
His dream lingered in his mind.  He knew that none of it was real, but…it could be.  If he wasn’t able to stop it.
He looked across the city.  Over the past few months, Sky had come to accept Canterlot as his home.  He had walked along its streets and had become friends with the ponies that he met.  He knew their names, where they lived, and what they did for a living.  For the first time since his earliest memories of Cloudsdale, Sky felt at peace with where he was.
And now, he had seen images of that being ripped away from him in the blink of an eye.  No home, no friends, no life.  The Chimera wanted destruction, but perhaps more than that, it wanted something else.
It wanted to see him suffer.
He stretched his wings and took off.  He glided over the houses of the city and between the high towers of the palace.  The wind blew in his mane, but the air still felt stale and warm.  With a burst of speed, he shot into the sky and passed through Shining Armor’s protective shield.  Almost instantly, he felt the temperature drop and become brisk.  But the air felt crisp and fresh, and Sky took a deep breath.  His mind immediately felt clear, and his body relaxed.  Better, he thought.
Rising along the mountainside, he looked out over the expansive plains to the south of Canterlot.  A tiny object wormed its way along a predetermined track at the base of the mountain, leaving a plume of smoke as it wandered along.  Sky smiled as he recognized it as the train from Ponyville with Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Spike all on board.
He performed a small somersault and continued his flight aimlessly through the air.  Floating to the eastern side of the mountain, Sky could see northwards for what seemed hundreds of miles.  He knew that it was beyond his vision, but he pictured the tiny town of Polarmino at the very edge of Equestria itself.  And at the edge of that town, in a small, humble cottage, he saw a lovely white pegasus with a green tail and mane, brushing her black and white cat as it lapped cider from its bowl.
Sky smiled warmly as he allowed his memories to soothe his mind.  It’s only been five days, but I already miss her.  If I had known it would have been this hard, I might not have left.
He shook his head and rolled through the air a few times.  “Ah, that’s not true,” he said softly to himself.  “I would have come back.  But it’s still hard.”
Spotting a small outcropping on the mountainside, Sky turned and landed.  Before him, the land of Equestria stretched out like a scroll.  He saw the warm glow of Ponyville and the encompassing darkness of Everfree Forest.  Beyond that, on the very edge of his vision, he thought he could make out the distant lights of Dodge City and Appleloosa.  Behind him, on the other side of the mountain, stationed over a wide plain, was the legendary floating city of Cloudsdale.  And there was so much more that Sky knew he couldn’t see and knew very little about.
This isn’t just my home, he thought.  This is home to everypony.  And it falls to me to protect it.

He sat on his perch for hours, simply looking out over the slumbering lands of Equestria.  He feared what he might see if he were to let his eyes close, even for a moment, which kept him wide awake.  The sky began to take on a distinctly red hue as Celestia prepared to raise the sun.  “Guess it’s time for me to get back.  I wouldn’t want to make them worry.”
With a short hop, he took to the air and broke into a blistering dive straight for Canterlot.   He took one final breath of the cool air before he sliced through the barrier and was immediately greeted by the warm, stale air of the city.  His nose wrinkled in distaste, and his brow furrowed.  Was it just his imagination, or had the air actually become staler?
He broke out of his dive and shot like a missile through the city, finally coming to a gentle stop on the same balcony he had left a few hours earlier.  He peeked inside the curtain that was still draped over the arched doorway.  There was nopony in sight.  He cautiously slipped into the hallway, careful not to make any noises that would wake any still-sleeping ponies.  Blessing his naturally light (and quiet) hoofsteps as he stole back to his room, Sky passed through the hallway as silently as a shadow.  He pressed his door open with a rear hoof and slowly backed into his room.
He then shattered the silence with a yell of surprise as he turned and came face to face with a familiar (yet entirely unexpected) mare.
“Gah!” he shouted and swallowed simultaneously, triggering an uncontrollable coughing fit.  He brought a hoof to his chest as he tried to recover from the shock of finding another pony in his room.
“Oh!  Master Sky Streak!  I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to startle you!” the mare said in a panicked voice.
Sky still possessed enough of his wits to close the door behind him to try and limit the volume of the commotion.  He could barely hear the door latch between coughs.  The lavender pony walked over beside him and began to pat him on the back, apparently trying to help him breathe.
“Take it easy, sir,” she said, though her own voice trembled with each word.  “Deep breaths.”
After another minute or two, the coughing finally subsided.  “Morning Glory,” Sky said, turning to the blue-maned mare, “what are you doing in my room?  It’s barely six o’clock!”
Morning Glory rubbed one of her legs nervously.  “Well, I was getting breakfast ready when I overheard some of the guards mention that you had gone out for a walk early this morning.  And I just thought that it would be a nice surprise if your breakfast was waiting for you if you got back.”
A smile formed on Sky’s face.  “How long have you been a maid mare at the palace, Morning Glory?”
“A-about a year and a half now, sir,” she answered, though she sounded even more nervous than she had when Sky had walked in on her.
“You know you don’t have to call me ‘sir’,” he replied with a sigh.  “I’m just ‘Sky’ to everypony.  But you know, after over a year of working in the palace, you’re just as polite and kind as the day I met you.  Do you ever stop thinking of how you can serve everypony else?”
Her cheeks seemed to grow a bit redder.  “I suppose that’s just my special talent,” she replied.  “Anyways, I was just finishing things up here.  Your meal is waiting on the table, si—er, Sky.”
He nodded in response as he followed her gaze to where two halves of a toasted bagel sat smeared with fruit jam on a plate.  Beside it, a clear glass of grape juice completed the simple meal.  “I must get the same breakfast an awful lot for you to know it by heart,” he commented with a wink.
“Maybe once or twice.”  She walked to the door and gently opened it.  “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything else.  And I really am sorry for frightening you.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Sky said, waving his hoof in a dismissive gesture and giving her a reassuring wink.  “If I wasn’t awake before, I am now.”
She turned without a word and silently closed it behind her.  Sky sauntered over to the table where his breakfast patiently awaited him.  Steam was still rising from the bagel as he lifted one half on his hoof.  “It’s still warm,” he observed.  “I swear, she’s about as fine a maid mare as you could ask for.  A lot of ponies could learn a thing or two from her.”  He snorted softly.  “Present company included,” he added.
A few minutes later, the plate held only a few leftover crumbs, and the glass was devoid of all but a few drops of flavorful grape juice.  Sky wiped his mouth with a hoofkerchief and walked over to the nearer of the two windows in his room.  He pushed the glass open and peeked off to his left, where the sun had finally begun to peek over the horizon.  “It’s about time,” he muttered.  “Today can’t afford to wait any longer.”

He found his comrades a while later, lounging in the palace gardens, eating their own breakfasts.  “Oh, good morning, Sky,” Fluttershy said cheerfully.  Her bright face suddenly darkened as her smile inverted into a frown.  “Sky, are you alright?” she asked.
His eyebrows rose in curiosity at the question.  He felt fine.  “I…think so,” he managed.  “Why, do I look positively awful?” he continued with a chuckle.
“Oh, um, well, I just thought you looked a little, um, tired,” she stammered.  “Like you didn’t sleep very well last night.”
It was Sky’s turn to frown.  The past three nights had afforded him some extra rest to recover from his mission to Polarmino, and his body was finally returning to normal.  But after a fitful night’s sleep followed by his early morning flight session, the effects of his lack of sleep were all too obvious.  “What, are my eyes bloodshot?”
“A little,” Fluttershy admitted.  “You also have some circles under your eyes.  Are you sure you’re okay?” she pressed.
“Well, you’re right, I didn’t sleep very well last night,” he answered, though he failed to give the reason for his insomnia.  “But I’ll be alright.  Thanks for noticing,” he added.
“You know,” Rainbow Dash said, becoming aware of the conversation at hand, “you won’t be able to perform to your fullest if you aren’t getting all the rest you need.  That’s why I take a nap every chance I get.  It’s healthy!”
“Well, you do sleep a lot,” Fluttershy mumbled.
“And just look how healthy I am!” Rainbow countered, jumping up and posing.
“I took an early morning flight over Canterlot,” Sky said, ignoring Rainbow Dash’s antics.  “The air in the city just felt too…uncomfortable.  I needed to get outside.”
“Are you sure?  I think the air feels fine,” Fluttershy replied.
“Maybe it’s just my brain playing tricks on me.”
“Well, I’m gonna take a flight, too,” Rainbow said abruptly, spreading her wings as she stretched her legs.  “Sky shouldn’t be the only one who gets a view from the top of the mountain.”  With that, she took off in a multicolored blur.
Fluttershy and Sky Streak sat watching her soar away for a moment.  “So, what do you want to do, Sky?” the pink-maned pegasus asked.
“I really don’t feel like doing a whole lot at the moment,” he admitted.  “So whatever you want to do is fine by me,” he continued with a smile.
“Oh, then why don’t we wander around the palace?  I’m sure you know your way around here better than I do,” she said, rising to her hooves.  Sky was surprised to see a pair of chipmunks emerge from between her front legs and scurry off to the nearby hedge.
“Fluttershy, how do you make all the animals love you like that?” he asked as the chipmunks chittered from their new hiding place.
“Oh, you just have to be nice to them.  They’re just like ponies; treat them well, and they’ll treat you well.”
“I see,” he replied softly.  The images of his dream passed like mist before his eyes.  How can a creature like that exist?  How could it desire to destroy something as innocent as Fluttershy?  “Well, then,” he continued, “shall we be off?”

They passed through the halls of the palace, with Sky pointing out certain areas and artwork that he found interesting.  Fluttershy was a gracious tourist, consistently commenting on what she saw and keeping them both entertained.  They visited the library, the kitchen, the ballroom (which Fluttershy was already familiar with), and some of the dormitory wings of the palace.  They even stopped by Sky’s own room, which was only sparsely decorated with nostalgic items and prizes from his past.  Finally, they came to the end of a certain hallway with a lone staircase leading down into darkness.  A glowing veil covered the entrance, serving as a magical barrier.  It was, from all signs, the only security measure guarding the doorway.
“What’s down there?” Fluttershy asked.
“I’m not really sure,” Sky admitted.  “No pony’s ever actually told me.  I’ve heard rumors, though.”
“D-do they mention scary m-monsters?” she asked, shivering a little.
He rose up onto his hind legs and pressed his front hooves against the magic barrier.  It didn’t budge an inch.  His eyes narrowed as he peered into the descending darkness.  “Well, one does.  But most of them say something about a secret group of ponies that meets down there.  No pony knows anything about them.  No names, no types, no faces to go with any of them.  Most of the ponies in the palace think that it’s an organization of some sort that deals with the most dangerous and secretive missions in all of Equestria.”  He dropped back onto all four hooves and looked back to Fluttershy.
“But I thought that was what you did on the Service,” she replied.
“Well, they’re just rumors,” Sky shrugged.  “They could be totally wrong.”
“But what if they’re not?” she countered.
He frowned as he looked back at the doorway.  What if the rumors were true?  What if there was a secret society of ponies that went beyond the Service of the Equestrian Crown?  The thought simultaneously excited and frightened him.  If I’m taking on something like the Chimera in the Service, what would an organization like that be dealing with?
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of an approaching pony at full gallop.  The two pegasi turned around to see a royal guard approaching them at a hurried pace.  “Excuse me,” he said hurriedly, “but Princess Celestia is requesting your immediate presence in the throne room.  Twilight Sparkle and the others have arrived.  They are preparing to hold council with you as soon as you join them.”
Sky’s heart jumped.  “It’s about time,” he said with a nod to the guard. He turned to his companion.   “Let’s go, Fluttershy.  This has been put off for too long.”
> Chatper 6: The Weight of the Task
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Sky skidded around the corner as he touched down after his hasty flight back to the throne room.  Behind him, Fluttershy was breathing heavily as she struggled to keep up with him.  As he looked inside the doorway, he saw the familiar faces of Twilight, Spike, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie all staring at him.
And just behind them, the four members of the Council watched him with intent concentration.
A rainbow of color whizzed by his ear, materializing into a third pegasus as it came to an abrupt stop beside the small group of ponies.  She turned back to Sky with a smirk.  “Not fast enough, Sky,” she teased.
Fluttershy staggered up beside him, obviously winded from trying to keep pace with him.  He halfway regretted taking off in such a hurry, but his eagerness had overwhelmed his concern for a moment, and he had left her in the dust.  Catching her eye, he offered her a sympathetic smile.  After a few moments, her breath steadied, and the two of them proceeded to enter the chamber.  The doors swung shut behind them.
Sky quickly scanned the room.  He could see nopony aside from the Council and his friends, but he couldn’t be too sure.  The familiarity of those two guards was starting to weigh more heavily upon his mind, as if somewhere in his subconscious, he knew that they were especially important, for whatever reason.
As he reached the group, Princess Celestia spoke.  “Thank you all for coming.  We have still had no word about the Chimera’s location, though we suspect that it can’t be too far.  Sky Streak,” she continued, focusing in on him, “have you experienced anything that may be able to tell us where it may be hiding?”
He suddenly felt very conflicted.  Looking into the eyes of Princess Celestia, he truly felt as though she could help him with any problem he had.  Her face was solemn, but Sky had looked into those eyes enough to know that she was always thinking of the well-being of Equestria.  If anything could be done, Celestia would do it.
But Sky couldn’t just talk about his nightmare.  It revealed the darkest part of his mind, the deepest fear he had ever known.  What if Celestia thought that Sky would be too vulnerable to face the Chimera now?  What if somepony else was elected to do it?  He needed to be the pony to do it.  He needed that closure.  He needed the satisfaction of being the one to repay it for all the wrongs it had brought upon Equestria.
“Nothing, Princess,” Sky responded.  He felt a cold shiver race along his spine as he spoke.
“And what of your feelings that the Chimera is ‘worming around’ in your head, as you put it?” Luna asked, her brow furrowed.
“I can still feel it, but it’s nothing specific.  I just know that it wants me to come find it,” Sky said.  That was the truth, he thought.  So why do I feel so guilty?
Shining Armor spoke up next.  “That doesn’t make any sense to me.  Why would the Chimera be urging you to come find it if you don’t know where it is?  Unless…”  His voice trailed off in thought.
“Unless what?” Twilight asked from Sky’s left.
“Unless it’s not ready,” the captain continued.
“Ready?  Ready for what?” Spike asked.
Suddenly, Sky knew exactly what Shining Armor meant…and that he was probably exactly right.  “He means that I’m not ready,” he answered.  “The Chimera isn’t just trying to get into my head…it’s trying to control my thoughts and actions.  When it finally reveals its location to me, it’s because I probably won’t be able to resist the thought of going to it.”
“But how could it do that?” Cadence asked.  “This creature has not displayed any such abilities up to this point.”
“Why would it?” Celestia answered.  “Up until now, all we’ve known is that the Chimera desired destruction, and it has done plenty of that.  But Sky told us yesterday that this thing is very patient…and perhaps we are just starting to see the effects of a magic that has long been in the works.”  As she looked directly into his eyes, Sky felt as though she could see every thought and feeling in his heart.
“But that still begs the question,” Rarity began, “of what this…monster…wants with Sky in the first place.”
Sky redirected his gaze to Rarity as she spoke.  For a moment, everything seemed normal.  Then everything seemed to slow down and turn dark.  Alarmed, he looked all around the chamber.  Everypony was stone-still.  It was as if time had stopped.
Sensing movement out of the corner of his eye, he turned back to where Rarity was standing.  But now, she stood facing him, her face neutral as she stared lifelessly into his eyes.  The air suddenly felt stagnant.  He felt his breath shorten and quicken.
Then the impossible happened.
A black vapor began to rise from Rarity’s body like a sickly, oily smoke that corrupted the air.  Sky instinctively began to back up to where the Council stood silently.  “No, no,” he said through gritted teeth.  “This is not real.  Get outta my head!”
Another motion off to his left caused his head to jerk in that direction.  There, he saw Fluttershy and Applejack, their faces neutral, exuding their own black auras of death and decay.  Then, against his own will, he looked off to his right, where he found Twilight, Spike, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash all facing him, the black mist spreading between all of them, engulfing the room.  
“Leave them outta this!” Sky demanded.
Suddenly, Sky heard a noise behind him.  He half-heartedly managed to break his gaze away from the lifeless forms of his friends to the ominous space behind him.  There, he saw the four members of the Council, eyes closed, but looking taller and more imposing than before.  Sky had been disturbed by his vision up to this point, but the feeling was quickly growing into sheer terror.  He blinked.
When his eyes reopened, he leapt back in alarm.  The Council members had moved towards him, and now, their mouths were open in a wide grin, with sharp fangs protruding from the gaps in their lips.  Distantly, Sky thought he heard the sound of a trio of voices laughing maniacally.  He took a defiant step forward.  In response, the eyes of the Council opened in unison, each one revealing a glowing crimson orb of hatred.
The blackness seemed to erupt from everypony in an instant, surrounding Sky and enclosing him in an ever-shrinking circle.  He could hear the laughing voices clear as day now; mocking his helplessness and fear.  A feeling of desperate rage grew inside him as he closed his eyes in concentration.
“NO!!!!” he shouted angrily.  “You can’t have them!”  A crack of thunder rang in his ears as he felt his wings tingle with power.  He was suddenly aware that the air tasted normal again and that the laughter had faded.  Cautiously, he opened his eyes.
The chamber was once again filled with light.  The darkness had vanished.  Sky’s wings were spread above him, and looks of stunned surprise outlined every face in the room.  He saw Fluttershy cowering in the corner, apparently too startled to be bothered.
Sky turned his gaze to Celestia, whose eyes had narrowed in appraisal of Sky’s outburst.  “Sky Streak?” she said softly.
“Um…” he stammered.  He wasn’t sure what he had missed, if anything, though it was obvious that his outburst, however unintentional, had garnered the attention of everypony there.  “Sorry?” he offered as he pulled his wings back against his body.
“What did you see?” Luna asked, ignoring his apology.
Sky steeled his mind.  “Nothing that was real,” he replied.
“Then you will not object to telling this Council what it was that you saw,” Luna countered, a bit more forcefully.
Sky gulped.  As much as he respected Luna and had always seen her as gracious and kind, he knew better than to make her upset.  “I saw…you,” he began.  “All of you.  Here, in this chamber.  But it was dark and lifeless.  And each of you were standing perfectly still.  Then, one by one, you all turned and faced me and began to…to…”
From the corner, Sky heard Fluttershy whimper.  His heart went out to her, but he had no choice but to continue.  “…to turn black and misty, like what the Chimera does when it changes form.  It started with you, Rarity,” he said, causing the lovely unicorn to recoil in horror, “until all seven of you were like that.  Then, the members of the Council did the same.  But you had fangs and those same glowing…”
Luna held up her hoof, apparently appalled by the thought.  “What then?”
“Nothing, really.  It was about that time that I called out.  But I remember one other thing.”
“Which was?” Cadence asked.
“It was laughing.  I heard it laughing.”
“But you saw nothing that might tell us where it is?” Luna asked, a certain edge to her voice.
“No, Princess.  I’m sorry.”
“It’s simply toying with us,” Shining Armor said, his frustration evident.  “It’s trying to rile us up by showing how it can strike at us, but we don’t even know where it is.”
“Are you sure you didn’t notice anything that might tell us where it is?” Twilight asked.
The chamber was quiet.  The seconds passed uneasily as the question hung in the air, awaiting Sky’s response.  He merely sat on his haunches, his head hanging limply toward the floor.  “Sky?” Twilight asked.       
“I’m just a pegasus,” Sky said quietly.  Every head turned in his direction.  “I wasn’t anything special.  I just wanted to help.  And now, I’m this…demon’s…primary target.”  He looked around and met each gaze one by one.  Every pair of eyes was filled with sorrow and empathy.  But a deadness had fallen on the room.  His body language finally revealed the crushing weight of responsibility that had been placed upon the young pegasus’ back.  A weight he had shouldered admirably until now, when it threatened to overwhelm him.  And the sound of brokenness in Sky’s voice rendered them all speechless.
“Oh, Sky,” Twilight said at last.  She glanced around the room for a moment.  “I’m so sorry.  I think we’ve all been so distracted by trying to find a way to stop this thing that we forgot to consider what it’s been doing to you.”
“Twi’s right,” Applejack chimed in.  “We’ve either been too focused on tryin’ to cheer ya’ up, or on tryin’ to help ya’ find this thing so ya’ can stop worryin’ about it, that we never really asked what we could actually do to help ya’.”
A cold ball of agony grew in Sky’s chest.  “All I hear is about this monster, and this demon, and this creature…did it ever occur to anypony that I will have to face off with this thing of so many terrible names?” he said, anger rising in his voice.
“Sky…” Rarity said, though her voice came as little more than a whisper.
“Each of you sleeps in comfort at night.  Rainbow Dash on her cloud, Twilight in her library, the Council here in the protected city of Canterlot, and the rest of you in your own homes.”
“May I remind you that you also dwell here in this protected city, Sky Streak,” Shining Armor countered sharply.
“But your protective spell doesn’t keep the Chimera from haunting my dreams, Captain,” Sky returned bitterly, as his wings lifted him off the floor.  “It’s not YOUR thoughts that turn to darkness whenever you close your eyes.  It’s not YOUR mind that is filled with images of this nightmare destroying everypony and everything that I care about!  It’s not YOUR existence that this thing wants to bring suffering to in the fullest amount!”
His voice cracked as tears rolled down his face.  “It’s mine!  The suffering, the pain, the anguish…it’s all MINE!!”  He turned and blew open the doors to the chamber and raced down the palace halls, leaving his grief-stricken friends behind as the tears flew from his eyes.

Sky sat on his lonely mountainside perch from earlier that morning.  The sun was still high in the sky, and the lands in all directions glittered in a brilliant array of colors.  It had been at least an hour since he had burst from the palace in frustration.  Since then, he had sat alone, trying to gather his thoughts…though he was becoming increasingly uncertain as to which were really his own, and which were not.
Behind him, he heard a distinct pop, followed by the soft, hesitant patter of footsteps approaching.  He sighed and continued to gaze into the distance.
“Sky?  It’s me, Spike.”  Sky couldn’t help but note the distinct nervous tone in the dragon’s voice.
“Hello, Spike.  Hello, Twilight.”  He turned his head ever-so-slightly in acknowledgement of the arrival of his visitors.  The perch had no path leading to it, which meant that the only way to reach it was by flying…or by teleporting.
“Uh…Twilight and I were worried about you, so we came to find you.  We teleported around the mountain until she saw you from below.”
“I see.”
“Twi…er, we thought that since you were, well, a guy, you might want another guy to talk to instead of one of the girls.”  Sky could hear Spike turning and looking behind him to Twilight for the words to say.  He managed a smile.
“I appreciate that, Spike.  Come on over here,” Sky said, tapping the rock beside him with his hoof.
The little dragon sauntered over and plopped down on the rock, keeping his eyes on the pegasus the whole time.  Sky felt sorry for the little guy: he had seen Sky take down the Chimera and defiantly try to rescue Twilight from the depths of Everfree Forest, and, from what Sky could gather, that had made a profound impact on Spike’s thinking.  Every time since then, Spike had talked about Sky like he was a hero or legend; somepony that he respected and admired.  And now, he had seen that same hero fly off the handle and lash out at the members of the Equestrian Council.  His idealistic image of Sky must’ve been shattered.
“Spike, I’m sorry for what you saw back there,” Sky began.  “It…it was just too much to handle then.  I feel like I’m losing control of myself.”
“Is it really that bad?  I mean, is the Chimera trying to take control of your body?” Spike responded with a shudder.
“I don’t know what it wants, but it’s trying to make me lose control, at the very least.  It’s like getting hit in the head over and over; eventually, you’re not going to remember anything.  It’s like that,” Sky continued.  “I’m trying to find something to hold on to, so that I don’t lose everything, but it’s not easy.”
Spike leapt to his feet.  “Sky, we’re your friends!  You can hold onto us, and we’ll hold on to you!”
Sky’s vision leapt back to just outside of Everfree Forest, where he saw Twilight and Spike approach him for the first time.  He saw the journey through the forest: to Zecora’s hut, over the chasm, in the ruins, and against the Chimera.  He saw himself surrounded by Spike and the girls in Canterlot.  And, for a moment, he felt the impact of a soft cushion as Spike began the pillow fight on that night so many months ago.
Sky whipped his head around, looked at Spike, then turned his head as far as he could, where he saw Twilight, sitting against the mountainside, her eyes sorrowful yet sympathetic.  “Help me,” he pleaded.  “I can’t do this alone.  Help me!”  He fell on his stomach and put his hooves over his head as he began to cry.
He lay there for a moment or two when he felt another body lie down beside him and put its leg over his shoulders.  “We’ll always be here for you,” Twilight said gently.  “You were there for us…for Spike and for me.  And now, we’re here for you.
“We’re with you.”
> Chapter 7: Alone
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Night lay heavy upon Canterlot.  Sky had spent the last hour walking the hallways of the palace alone, trying to bring some sense of stability to his life.  Today’s been a whirlwind.  I can barely remember anything that happened.
After his conversation with Twilight and Spike, he had returned to the palace and personally apologized to each of the council members.  They had been gracious, but the look of concern and worry on their faces had been unmistakable.  Deep in his heart, he knew that he should be the one to finally vanquish the Chimera.  But his head had begun to wonder if that was really the best idea at the moment.
His aimless wandering through the palace had led him rather unexpectedly to the same dead-end hallway he had been to with Fluttershy earlier that morning.  He looked again at the magic-sealed opening with the steps leading into darkness.  He felt strangely drawn to it, as though it held some hidden significance that he was unaware of at the time.  For a brief moment, the magical barrier became a mirror, reflecting his own image back to him…and behind him, he thought he saw a group of ponies staring on from behind him.  They all seemed to be wearing outfits of some sort (uniforms, perhaps?), and they all bore the same solemn expression.  Sky quickly turned around, only to find that he was still quite alone.  He turned back to the doorway again.  It continued to glow, but it offered no more insights or visions.
More confused than ever, he retraced his steps back down the hallway and exited out onto a corner portico.  The stars were hidden by a fog that had recently fallen upon Canterlot.  That in and of itself was unusual, considering that the pegasi usually kept the city clear of clouds.  But the air itself felt warm and musty—it was not the simple staleness that Sky had complained about.  This was heavier and stronger…more oppressive.
The thought stung like a swarm of bees.  Oppressive?  Like my dream?
The similarities were unmistakable.  It had been misty in his dream.  The air had been oppressively thick.  And Canterlot had been dead.
Sky could still see street lamps and window lights glowing from nearby buildings.  He breathed a sigh of relief.  That was just a dream.  You’re in reality here.
But how long until they are one in the same? another voice asked from inside his head.
Sky grimaced.  I’m not talking to you.  This is MY head, and it’s closed for business, especially to you.
A snicker resounded inside his head.  Oh?  Well, then, no need to respond.  Just listen.
He tried to focus on something else: the Council, Twilight and company, his love of carrots…but in the end, all he could envision was the all-too-familiar face of the bearer of this ethereal voice.
What is it you see?  Does it seem like you’ve seen it before?  We suspect that you know precisely where you’ve seen this.  We told you exactly what it was.
I know what you want me to see, Sky replied.  But that means nothing.  I see a light mist over the city, and nothing more.
 And tell us, Sky Streak…can you remove the mist?  Can you move the clouds, as you did at our first meeting?
Sky hesitated.  It was baiting him; that much was obvious.  But why?  He was in Canterlot, where Shining Armor’s shield was still active.  Nothing could get in or out without his say.
Then how did the mist get in?
He shook his head.  He didn’t have to play the Chimera’s game.  If you’re so eager to see me again, why don’t you come get me? he challenged.
The laughter in his head rattled his thoughts and emotions.  His entire body was instantly covered in goosebumps as the sensation caused his skin to crawl.  Oh, haven’t you put it together yet, pegasus?  Do you not understand?
Sky snorted aloud.  What, like you’re gonna come in here?  Good luck with that.
The voice hummed, a sinister smile apparent in its tone.  Have you forgotten our tussle in the realm of the windigoes so soon? it hissed.  Perhaps you need a reminder of what we can do.
Suddenly, the ground beneath his hooves shifted.  It wasn’t a huge shift, but it grabbed his attention.  A moment later, there was a second tremor, longer and more powerful than the first.  We could bring this entire mountain down, Canterlot and all, the voice continued.  What would your precious bubble do for you then?
A third tremor shook the mountainside.  Sky heard cries and screams begin to rise from the buildings below.  A knot formed in his gut—a terrible feeling of helplessness and inevitability that he had feared ever since he had met the Chimera.  He was out of time—he could wait no longer.
Where are you?
Almost instantly, Sky felt a strong force pulling him to the northwest.  He hesitated.  This was exactly what the Council had warned him against: going off alone.  But he was out of options now.  If he didn’t respond to the Chimera’s threats, it would bring down the mountainside, and no amount of magic would protect the city from the destruction of a collapsing mountain.
He breathed deeply, summoning images of friends and family to mind.  He saw his parents, his sister, Twilight, Spike, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow, Pinkie, Rarity, the Princesses, Shining Armor…
…And Lily.  Lily Pond.  His heart sped up as he thought about her.  What would you say to me now, Lily? he wondered.  You’re a lot more level-headed than I am.  He sighed despondently.  But you’re not here now, so I have to do this on my own.  Don’t be mad.
He turned his attention back to the Chimera.  I’ll be there.  You’d better be waiting.
Ironic to hear that coming from you, the voice mocked.
Sky ignored it.  He slowly opened his wings and took off into the thickening air.  As he passed through the bubble around the city, he could feel the air grow brisk, but a certain dread fell on him, as if the city’s last protection fell from him.  There was no Council anymore.  He had no friends, no family, no support.  It was just himself now.
He and the Chimera.
> Chapter 8: The Nightmare is Real
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     You know, it’s just not the same this way.  No pony to share this journey with.  Few of my travels have been just to have a good time, but at least travelling with somepony else made them a bit less depressing.
Try as he might, Sky couldn’t bring himself to view his current situation in any other light.  But there had been no choice.  The Chimera was going to bring the mountain down upon Canterlot.  There had been no time to warn everypony.  And yet, in the solitary blackness of night, Sky wished he would have at least taken a moment to ask his friends to join him.
Every time he had fought the Chimera up to this point, he had been with somepony.  The first time, he had been with Spike and Twilight, who were directly responsible for giving Sky his magical abilities to begin with.  And in the frozen north, Lily had basically saved his life.  But Sky had no such luxury this time.  Loneliness was his companion.
Far to the northeast, Sky could see Cloudsdale, a soft silvery glow radiating from it in the black night.  Deep in his chest, he felt a sudden urge to return to his colthood home.  He wanted to see the wispy spires of the city, the grand coliseum where the Wonderbolts performed, the cloud factories…and his old house.  If it was still there.
But a quick flash of glowing crimson eyes in his mind snapped his attention back to the task at hand.  No, he thought.  I’ve come this far.  No turning aside until I’ve seen this through.
A few miles ahead, Sky could see what appeared to be a forest that was so full of color, he could make it out in the darkness.  Reds, blues, greens, yellows…every tree looked like the seed of a rainbow, just waiting to sprout into the sky.  For a moment, Sky wondered what he was seeing before he recalled a familiar voice from the recent past.
“Syrup?  It’s straight from the Painted Forest, and they say that’s the best place for it!”
“Ah,” Sky muttered.  “So this is the Painted Forest.”
The colors were so vivid, Sky almost felt the need to squint as he observed the ever-nearing forest.  The gentle swaying of the trees seemed to put Sky’s nerves at ease.  He felt a certain warmness wash over his body as he made his approach.  I wonder if Lily’s ever actually been here.  When I see her again, I’ll have to bring her on a visit.  It’d make her day.
The hypnotic movement of the forest had drawn Sky’s attention so fully that he very nearly missed a small, shadowed object move just at the edge of the trees.  The movement was so sudden and unexpected, Sky’s heart skipped a beat and his wings’ rhythmic beating stopped for a full second.  He began to descend before he caught himself, curious as to what was moving at this time of night, but remaining cautious as he approached.  When you’re sneaking away from Canterlot to face a monstrous creature of nightmares, it’s probably best to not be seen, Sky surmised.
He had to strain to even get a fix on what it was, but after a few moments of adjusting to the darkness of the night and the vibrant colors of the forest beyond, he was able to pick out the distinct figure of a lone pony.  Its color was difficult to see, but it seemed to be a light shade of brown to Sky’s eyes.  The mane and tail had to be white: they had that same silvery quality about them that Cloudsdale had.
A prickling sensation caused every hair in Sky’s mane to suddenly stand on end.  The pony’s tail was short, but a bit longer than normal for an earth stallion.  Sky had seen that style quite commonly in Polarmino, where longer tails were preferred to help combat the frigid temperatures.  A cold sweat began to break out on Sky’s forehead.  He was too high up to make out the design of the pony’s cutie mark, but he didn’t have to.  By this point, he knew exactly who he was seeing on the ground below.
Grandpa Grain.
He hadn’t forgotten that face.  He had only seen it once: when the Chimera had shifted into his body after their fight in the windigo realm.  And yet, that face had consumed his thoughts ever since that moment.  He had sworn to make the Chimera pay for what it had done to Grandpa Grain and Grandfather Clock.  And now, he was staring down upon the pony he had vowed to avenge.
Or his body, at least.
Sky watched as the pony turned its head and looked up in his direction, apparently aware of the pegasus’ approach.  It was hardly a surprise.  If the Chimera had been luring Sky here, how could he have hoped to sneak up on it?
Sky slipped into a wide, deliberate downward spiral that brought the ground ever-closer to his hooves.  The pony on the ground continued to watch him with a strangely passive interest.  The eyes of Grandpa Grain tracked the pegasus as he slowly made his descent.  With each loop, Sky’s heart pounded harder and harder, until it was like a heavy dance beat that rattled his brain with every thump.  Beads of sweat rolled down his neck and through his mane, with each passing second seeing a dozen new drops appear on his forehead.
When his hooves finally touched the ground, Sky’s mind finally flashed to blank.  No images, no memories, no preconceptions.  No past, no future.  Just the present.  This was it.  He had been waiting for this moment.  And it had come.
The eyes of the pony opposite him were eerily empty.  They were a misty gray, without color, pupils, or even any hint of white.  Slightly unsettled, Sky forced a neutral face.  “I’m here,” he announced in an even tone.
An alien, otherworldly voice responded, “I know.”  Suddenly, a burst of blackness erupted from the body of Grandpa Grain.  It persisted for only a second before dissipating, revealing another familiar form: Grandfather Clock.  “I know,” it repeated.
“Uh…” was all Sky could manage.
Yet again, the body of the elder pony was engulfed in the black flames of transformation.  And again, after a few moments, it faded.  But this time, a pony that Sky did not recognize filled the place where Grandfather Clock had once stood.  It was a white unicorn with a lavender mane and tail.
“I know,” she said in the same unnatural voice.
Sky’s eyes grew as he realized what he was seeing.  The transformation happened again.  Another unfamiliar pony.  The same haunting message: “I know.”
It happened several more times, and the rage in Sky’s mind grew hotter and hotter.  Finally, after the sixth or seventh such event, he had seen all he could handle.  “That’s enough!  You’re nothing but a coldblooded monster!  Devouring helpless, innocent ponies…and for what!?  Just because you can?  I didn’t come here to look at some macabre slideshow…I came to turn you into a grease stain and do Equestria the favor of making sure you never taint its ground again by stepping on it.”
Black flames once again swallowed the body of the pony.  Sky watched intently as the form that was revealed was the one he expected—the same one that had haunted his dreams and consumed his thoughts for days.  Three heads, four legs, all grotesque.  “And we did not come here to be lectured by one as young and impetuous as you,” it replied coldly.  “We came here to show you the utter futility of resisting and fighting against us.  Equestria will succumb to us—none can stop it.”
“You’re ignoring me.  Dangerous move.”  Sky’s eyes leveled off as he lowered his head and stamped.
All three heads leaned forward and smiled cruelly.  “Show us,” they whispered.
Sky closed his eyes and pooled all his emotions together.  His dreams and ambitions…his memories of friends and family…his love of home and newly-found companions…his sense of belonging…
And, to Sky’s surprise, a strange emotion he had not expected came to him.  It filled him with power, but it made him feel uncomfortable.  It was cold and bitter, but it was all his own.  There were no friends or happy memories to tie to this feeling.
This…this was hatred.
It was hatred for the pain caused by the Chimera.  It was hatred for his own failure to prevent that pain.  It was hatred for whatever sense of justice in the world allowed this creature to exist.  It was hatred for the Chimera itself.
And Sky grabbed it.
With a crack of thunder, Sky shot straight ahead, planting his hooves into the Chimera, driving it straight off the ground and through the air at breakneck speed.  He stared into one of the surprised faces and felt his anger take hold.  This is for Equestria.
They continued through the air until the Chimera collided with a tree, crashing with such force that the trunk cracked and bent at an awkward angle.  Acting quickly, Sky spun in the air, bringing both of his rear hooves around in a vicious kick that slammed into the foremost of the Chimera’s head.  Pressing his advantage, he completed his turn and drove another hoof into the lion’s neck, mustering all his strength into the blow, as if he could push a hole right through the body of his foe.
He barely saw the claw approaching.  Reacting as fast as he could, he retracted his leg and dropped to the ground, managing to duck the brutal swipe by centimeters.  The Chimera began to lean forward as it attempted to recover from Sky’s early onslaught.  Sensing another opportunity, he rose up and brought his body into a complete backflip, causing his rear hoof to connect with the Chimera’s foremost chin again, forcing its entire body to rise off the ground.
He didn’t even hesitate.  As soon as he hit the ground, his wings were open.  Taking off with the force of a cannon, he surged into the body of his foe, driving it once again into the battered tree trunk.  But this time, he kept driving, piling on the force until he felt the tree entirely give way.  The Chimera’s body ripped through the tree, severing the trunk cleanly in two.  Sky saw a blur of brilliant red pass above him as the tree’s canopy fell to the ground.
The Chimera coughed and spat, obviously dazed and off-balance.  Sky forced himself on, driving his foe higher and higher into the night sky.  Finally, after ascending high into the air, Sky rolled out from under the Chimera’s body and planted himself against his foe’s back, giving a quick jab to the goat’s head while he was there, just for good measure.
As the Chimera’s momentum finally gave way to gravity, Sky coiled up like a spring and kicked his hind legs straight downward, causing the Chimera to bend unnaturally around the point of impact.  In an instant, it was hurtling back to the ground, roaring in agony, pain, frustration, and who knew what else as it made its uncontrolled descent.
But Sky wasn’t done.  He wasn’t even close.  The red bomb in his brain had exploded, but it had only lent him new strength.  With a quick motion, he turned into a dive and shot straight for the Chimera.  Every flap of his wings felt like it left ripples in the air.  He could feel the wind press up against his hooves as though he might punch a hole in the sky at any moment.  He was a living lightning bolt.
And his wrath would be unleashed.
The Chimera and the winged bolt hit the ground at the same time.  The ground shook with the force of the impact.  Birds, awakened from their sleep, took off into the air, startled and confused.  Trees swayed in a breeze that hit like a shockwave.  A deafening peal of thunder caused rocks to rattle.  Calm ponds and lakes were suddenly disturbed by ripples that came from nowhere.
The dust was still settling when the shadowy image of a lone pony rose from the wreckage.  Sky straightened up and stood erect, catching his breath.  He looked at his hooves, noticing the scorch marks trailing from them along the ground.  Turning back, he saw a deep crater with risen walls, smoking and steaming.  Nearby trees had been uprooted or turned up at an angle in the wake of the impact.  He approached calmly, yet cautiously.
“I think that’s a good warm-up,” he said confidently.  “How about we get serious?”
He wasn’t surprised when no sound was heard.  That had been a veritable beatdown he had just laid on that monster.  Nothing could just get up from that.  For all he knew, he could have vanquished it.
Then the black flames rose from the crater.  Sky instantly drew back, wings spread, legs splayed.  C’mon, Sky, you knew that wouldn’t beat that thing.  Don’t get cocky.
The flames drew up, higher and higher and higher, until they towered above him.  The stars blinked out as the blackness drowned them in shadow.  Deep in Sky’s heart, he felt the terror of this new form of menace, but his stubborn determination locked him where he was.
Suddenly, near the top of the shadowy flames, three pairs of crimson eyes opened and turned their gaze upon the small pegasus back on the ground.  Sky’s eyes grew wide and his breath was stolen away.
My dream…it’s my dream.
He gritted his teeth and fell into a crouching position.  Then if this is my dream, I already know what comes next.
To Sky’s surprise, the eyes merged into a single pair of hate-filled gaps in the blackness.  He looked on as the flames began to subside.
And he stood in awe of what they revealed.
Huge claws.  Green, scaly skin.  A mouth wide enough to swallow an entire group of ponies whole. 
And those blasted red eyes to boot.
A dragon, Sky realized.  Well, why not?
The dragon’s mouth opened slightly as it spoke.  “I agree,” it boomed.  “Let us fight for real.”
Deep in his mind, Sky heard the echoing laughter of the Chimera as it escaped from the windigo colony just a week ago.  He clenched his teeth and felt his body tense up as the swagger he had displayed mere moments earlier gave way to a new rush of rage and anger.  “You asked for it,” came his simple reply.
And, true to his dream, he rocketed into the air, headed for the face of his foe, screaming as he came.
> Chapter 9: Rage Unleashed
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     The charred remains of what had once been a beautiful orange-leaved tree fell with a dull thud, raising a cloud of ash that polluted the air, already thick with smoke.  Lingering for only a moment, the cloud retreated to the shadows of the nearby trees.  The crackle of burning wood accompanied the massive pillars of black smoke that rose from the decimated corner of the forest.  The stars above were snuffed out; the only light to be had was the threatening orange glow of the surrounding fires.
A low rumble resounded across the smoldering grove.  As it rose, it broke into the distinct sound of laughter.  “This is but the beginning of the fall of Equestria!” the dragon boomed.  “Smoke and ashes!  Fire and death!  Embrace the inevitable!”
A scowl arose on the pegasus’ ash-covered face more bitter than the cold of a thousand winters.  “You are a desecration of nature itself, and that desecration spreads no further,” Sky growled through clenched teeth.  “By Celestia herself, I will destroy you!”  As he spread his wings and raised his head to the heavens above, he suddenly began to glow in a light all his own, casting shadows against the remaining trees of the wood.  He slowly rose off the ground as the dragon watched bemusedly.
“I’m waiting,” the dragon said nonchalantly.
Sky suddenly began flying in an erratic pattern, following loops, turns, and twists that seemed to lead in no direction in particular.  His speed, however, gradually began to increase as he built up momentum and rallied his power.  Finally, in an abrupt twist, he spun around and launched himself at the dragon’s face.  It responded with a jet of yellow flame, which he merely dodged to the left.  As he passed the dragon’s head, he turned and bucked with both hind legs as hard as he could against the monster’s head.  However, just as it had every time before then, the rock-hard scales of the dragon withstood the blow, resulting in little more than the familiar clang of his hooves against the skin of the dragon.
C’mon, Sky, hit it!  Some simple bucking isn’t gonna cut it here!
The dragon’s head whipped around and took a mighty bite in Sky’s direction; he just avoided becoming a late night snack.  He quickly flipped backwards, driving the dragon’s lower jaw into its upper jaw, hearing a satisfying snap as his blow connected.  He then twisted and sped away, hoping to put some distance between himself and his opponent.  
As he turned to face the dragon, he saw its eyes locked on him.  “You’re nothing more than a meager little gnat,” it said in an irritated tone.  “All you can do is pester me, but if I had a mind to do it, I could simply fly away, and you could do nothing to stop me.”
Sky leveled his eyes and managed a grim smile.  “Why don’t you try that?” he challenged, fighting to catch his breath.
“Because that would mean leaving without dealing with you.  And we’re afraid that you’re just too important at the moment to leave by yourself.”
A thought struck Sky.  “What’s with the constant switching between ‘I’ and ‘we’ with you?  Can’t figure out how many of you there actually are?” he teased, hoping to lure it into a hasty action that he could take advantage of.
Instead, the dragon spread its wings and took to the air, never turning its back on the pegasus.  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” it roared as it spewed flames all along the ground, reigniting faltering flames that had been burning for what seemed like hours.
Sky’s heart sank as he watched the fires spread.  He remembered what the Painted Forest had looked like as he had approached no more than a few hours ago.  Now…now it was just another casualty in the ongoing war with the Chimera.  A war that had lasted too long and caused too much destruction.
He launched himself at the dragon once again, feeling more desperate with each passing second.  He was pushing the limits of his strength now: it had only been a week since his last battle with the Chimera, and he was finally feeling the toll of his many sleepless nights.  All the while, the Chimera opposed him, fueled by a simple desire to annihilate any trace of life within Equestria.  It fought on, despite Sky’s best efforts, drawing strength from a seemingly endless well of dark malice and power.
His foe unleashed a new torrent of flame as Sky approached.  Quickly rolling to the side, he approached the dragon’s body, only to be greeted by a quick swipe of its claw.  He acrobatically planted his front hooves on the passing claw and pushed off, launching himself backwards high into the air, right over the outstretched neck of the great lizard.  Somersaulting around to right himself, he quickly made several trips around the dragon’s body before streaking up into the clouds and smoke in the sky like a rocket.
There was a moment of silence.  “This again?” came the dragon’s voice through the haze.  “I seem to recall something like this from our first battle.  Do you remember?”  It flapped its great wings and began to follow Sky into the clouds.  “But I did not have wings then.  It is quite foolish to think that you can use the same—”
Its sentence was abruptly cut off by a blue bolt splitting the sky, striking the back of the dragon’s head and driving it to the ground.  The body slowly followed, collapsing awkwardly onto its head.  Another cloud of ash and debris rose as the monstrous form of the dragon landed amongst the flames with a crash that shook the ground.
Sky stood just outside the crash area.  “Sorry, what was that?  I couldn’t hear anything but your screams of pain.”
The dragon rose up again, a hulking shadow, flecked with orange from the raging inferno.  Its eyes were no longer the mere haunting shade of crimson they had always been.  It may have been a trick of the light, but Sky could have sworn that the eyes of the dragon now blazed with fire; a hatred more furious and intense than anything he could have imagined.
“You will suffer,” it hissed.  “You will know the despair of endless darkness, when no sun or moon will rise into the sky.  You will understand the foolishness of attempting to defy us.  You will watch as those you love and care about burn and crumble into dust.  And, in the end, you will beg for us to end your life.”
The flames of the burning forest suddenly rose up like towers, illuminating the battleground and causing the dragon to appear as though it were an apparition of living fire.  “And we will gladly accommodate,” it snarled.
“I will never ask for anything from you,” Sky shot back.  “I’d much rather give you what you deserve!”  With a blaze of his own magic, he erupted into the air, making straight for the dragon’s head.  It quickly moved aside and snapped as Sky whizzed by.  Gritting his teeth in concentration, he pulled into the tightest U-turn he could manage and flew straight into the dragon’s eye, prompting another roar accompanied by a new burst of flame.
“If I’m a gnat, then I’d best play the part!” he shouted defiantly as he hovered before the great beast.
He saw the shadow too late.  By the time he noticed the lightless area moving along the ground, he knew he was in trouble.  The dragon’s tail whistled through the air, sounding eerily similar to a sword in mid-stroke.  Sky began to roll to his right, but the tail caught his wing and rear left leg, sending him careening through the air for what seemed an eternity as he tried to regain his bearings and right himself.
Suddenly, he felt a hard object like a clamp snatch him out of the air.  Almost instantly, he felt a crushing pressure close in around him.  As his eyes finally began to focus, he saw his predicament: the dragon held him in its outstretched claws, teeth bared and eyes aflame with hatred.
“No more games.”  Sky could barely hear its voice against the roar of the burning forest and the rising tension in his body as the dragon tightened its grip on him.  “Would you like to know how I will destroy Equestria?”
Sky squirmed and snorted, but said nothing.  “No objections?  Not even a witty remark?” the dragon mocked.  “Very well.  I’ll start with that pitiful little outpost in the north.  No one even cares about it.  I’m sure that none of the ponies on your…Council…will even notice if it’s gone.”
Something else began to tighten in Sky’s body as he listened.  “Then I’ll move south, taking out whatever gets in my way.  I suppose that Cloudsdale wouldn’t be too far out of my way to deal with.”  It smiled cruelly.  “Perhaps I’ll visit that nice home of yours in…where was it…Foalumbus?”
The dragon’s claws grew tighter by the moment, but Sky was no longer aware of them.  All he knew was the heat of his rage and the feeling that sparks would begin to shoot from his hooves if it got much worse.
“Then I’ll burn Ponyville to the ground.  You seem quite fond of that place.  And then, as the culmination of my conquest I—” It suddenly stopped short, as though its voice was stolen away.  Then it began again, as though no interruption in its thought had occurred at all.  “We will overthrow Celestia.  She will fall, and Equestria with her!”
The dragon’s eyes became narrow slits.  “And then, I will take all those that you cared about—Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, your princesses, your sister, your parents, and even that Lily from the north—and I will make them part of myself.”
Sky’s eyes grew to an enormous size as the dragon’s words reached him.  He could feel the color drain from his face.  His thoughts and emotions were suddenly thrown into chaos as his rage was engulfed by a flood of worry.  “And then,” the dragon said quietly, “you will die.”
For a moment, nothing happened.  Sky couldn’t imagine it…his friends and family, forced into service for the rest of their…existence…as pawns of this monster.  His mind was reeling.
“Monster…” he uttered.  He clung to the word.  This…monster.  This hideous, unfeeling, abominable monster.  It threatened him, his home, his friends, his family.  This monster did not deserve death.  It deserved worse.  It deserved the very thing that it wanted to do to Sky.  It deserved suffering.  Eternal suffering.  Pain without end.  Pain without respite.
Sky’s thoughts rallied around his anger.  No…this was more than anger.  This was pure hatred.  It was pungent and bitter like vinegar, yet powerful and satisfying.  If this thing wants chaos so badly, then I will show it chaos.
“You…you DARE to threaten them?”  His voice fell to a deep tone; a growl from his very hooves.  He didn’t hold back the dark thoughts of his mind any longer.  To him, his hatred was the only thing that could vanquish a creature made of hatred.
“If you’re so set on power,” Sky continued, “then I will show you POWER!!!”  The blanket of clouds above was suddenly ablaze with lightning, overwhelming the orange glow of the burning wood.  The dragon looked up for just a moment when a dozen bolts fell together, striking the dragon’s body in unison.  A shockwave burst from the brilliant explosion, causing the fires to sway in the wind.  Many went out entirely.
When the light subsided, the dragon was still recoiling, arms flailing and claws smoking, as it attempted to regain its balance.  A lone lightning bolt twisted and wormed its way through the air, repeatedly slamming into the dragon, then retreating for just a moment before resuming its assault.  With each strike, the clouds above seemed to grow darker and darker, with only the outer edges revealed by the constant flashes of lightning.  
Sky flew at the head of the solitary bolt, his mind set on just one thought: pain.  As much of it as he could inflict.  As he slammed into the dragon’s midsection, he planted all four hooves on his foe and channeled a surge of magic that engulfed the dragon in blue coils of lightning.  Pushing off, he felt the dragon sway limply as it began to fall back to the ground.
Oh, no, Sky thought.  You’re not done yet.
Swiftly, he shot around behind the collapsing monstrosity and let its weight bear down upon him.  Then, focusing again on his feelings of animosity for this pitiless beast, he found the strength to lift it up into the air.  Each beat of his wings fueled the fires of his rage.  He could inflict more upon this demon.  Each moment of his own effort would be entirely worth it if he could just hurt this thing even more.
He could hear the dragon strain to reach Sky against its back, but its arms lacked the length to find him.  Forcing himself onwards, he accelerated higher and higher into the tumultuous sky, bearing his despised burden with him the entire way.  At last, with a final effort, he broke through the bottom of the cloud and was swallowed into the subsequent blackness.
The lightning stopped.  For a few quiet moments, peace returned to the plain.
The silence evaporated mere seconds later as the great black cloud suddenly glowed with light, then burst asunder as a flash bright as the sun itself broke over the tormented forest.  The peal of thunder snapped entire limbs off many of the trees below.  Small rocks and boulders were jarred loose on nearby hillsides, falling in small cascades of stone.  
And, in the midst of the ensuing destruction, a dark body fell back to the earth as another hovered above.
It was a dragon no longer.  The Chimera’s body lay smoldering on the ground in the small crater it had formed when it fell from the sky.  All three heads lay still, eyes closed.  Its breathing was weak and shallow.
A second body landed skillfully beside it.  Each step it took was forceful and determined, a step taken towards a single purpose.  It placed its front hooves against the Chimera’s foremost neck.  The Chimera opened its eyes and looked up.
Above it stood a pegasus, wings spread, mouth open just enough to see its rows of teeth grinding against each other.  His face was twisted in a mask of fury, and his eyes glowed white.  His breath came deep and heavy.
Sky spoke deliberately, enunciating each word between breaths.  “IT.  IS.  OVER.”
> Chapter 10: Black Sky
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     “IT.  IS.  OVER.”
The Chimera closed its eyes again and let its foremost head drop to the earth.  It drew a long breath, then began to exhale in short, soft bursts.  As Sky watched and listened, his fury gave way to a sense of confusion as he realized what was going on: the Chimera was laughing.
He narrowed his eyes.  “What’s so funny?” he asked coldly.
“You—you think this is over?” the Chimera sputtered.  “You have no idea.”
Sky’s wrath began to boil again.  How dare this thing think that it was still a threat to him!  It lay crumpled on the ground before him: defeated and desperate.  He pressed his hooves further against his enemy’s neck, straining its already haggard breathing even more.  “Well, since we’re here, all civil and such, why don’t you just share your grand plan?”
In a flash, all six of the Chimera’s eyes were facing him, each one aflame with vengeance.  “Gladly,” came a dreadful trio of voices.
The Chimera’s body was suddenly wreathed in black flame, causing Sky to leap back in alarm.  As the flames rose higher and higher, the creature rose to its feet, magically looking much like its normal self, showing no signs of the epic battle it had just fought.  Sky looked on incredulously.
“You have grown very powerful, but you are still very mistaken if you think that you can destroy us,” it said, rolling its heads from side to side.
“You just don’t know when to give up!” Sky shouted.  He didn’t know how it had recovered, but the fact that it had only fueled the fires of his hatred even more.  The fiery devastation of the landscape around him was a reflection of his own mind.  It felt like it would erupt.  “I will hunt you all over Equestria and rip apart every forest in this land if I have to.  But make no mistake, I will destroy you!”
The Chimera regarded him with a disturbing look of satisfaction.  “Is that so?” it replied.  “Well, then, let us inform you of something: that’s just what we’ve been wanting to hear.”
“And why’s that?” Sky asked in spite of himself.  The question actually surprised him.  All he really wanted to do was rip the thing apart with his hooves, not have a civil conversation with it.
“Because it means that you’re ready.”
The statement rattled around in Sky’s skull like a marble in a jar.  He shivered as he heard the Chimera’s echoing voice transform into his own:
“He means that I’m not ready.  The Chimera isn’t just trying to get into my head…it’s trying to control my thoughts and actions.”
“You’re just like us now.”
The words snapped Sky out of his stupor.  “What?  I’m nothing like you!” he shouted, face contorted in a look of disgust.
The Chimera chuckled softly.  “Really?  You’ve told us that we are just a creature of hatred that desires to create as much destruction as possible.  And now, you just said that you were willing to wipe out every forest in Equestria just to be able to destroy us.  And all fueled by your hatred for us.  Are we right?”
Sky grimaced.  “That’s…that’s not true!  I’m doing this for Equestria!” he screamed back.
The creature shook its head and bared a fang-filled smile.  The orange glow of the remaining fires gave the impression that its teeth were wreathed in flame.  “Oh, stop your denial.  We already know what you’re thinking.  We have been in your head for days.  And we know every thought you’ve entertained for even a moment.”  Its eyes glowed red as it spoke.  “So don’t even try and tell us that you’re not doing this because you hate us.  That’s the only reason you’re doing it.”
Sky suddenly felt cold inside.  His heart felt like it was pumping ice water, and his lungs felt like they were made of lead.  “N—no…” he managed.  “This is for…for Equestria.  For my friends…”
“You certainly don’t sound very sure of yourself,” the Chimera mocked.  “Let us show you just how right we are.”  With a slight motion of its head, the air around Sky seemed to change.  He looked around frantically, waiting for some blast of magic or something to attack him.  But he saw nothing.
Until he looked down.
Black flames.  They seemed to be coming from the ground directly beneath his hooves.  They were wrapping up around his legs, trying to encase him in a black magic cocoon.
Sky leapt away instinctively.  He hovered in the air as he watched the flames on the ground dissipate almost as soon as he left it.  He breathed a heavy sigh of relief as he brought pointed his hoof at the Chimera and yelled, “Ha!”
Only, his shout never came.  For at that moment, he saw the horrifying truth.
The flames hadn’t been coming from the ground beneath him.  They were coming from him.
“Gah!” he cried out.  His legs and wings suddenly felt as heavy as a load of bricks, causing him to plummet to the earth below.  He landed with a thud as dying embers took to the air in the wake of his crash.  He struggled against the shadows, trying to wipe them off with his hooves, to no avail.  “Wh—what is this?!” he shouted in terror.
The Chimera made a slow, methodical walk towards Sky.  “Oh, these shadows?  They are just the embodiment of your hatred.  Most cannot see it until one harnesses it as a form of magic, like we have…and like you have.”
Sky still fought with the shadows, hoping to find some way to cast them off.  He rolled onto his back, kicking and bucking with all his might.  The black flames continued to rise high above him.  If this is hatred, I don’t want any part of it!
He flipped back to his hooves, but his body felt as heavy as a house.  He struggled to back away from the approaching beast, though it was all he could do to keep a few steps ahead of it.
“Your hatred for us has given you tremendous strength,” the Chimera hissed.  “Magic and power that could rival even the most potent unicorn.  Power that we would find most useful.”  All three of its heads licked their lips.
Oh, no.
He turned to run, but his exhaustion only caused him to collapse to the ground.  He tried to move his legs, to pull himself through the ashes and debris of the war zone, but his body refused to respond.
“The amount of hatred you bear will make you a most useful servant for us,” he heard the Chimera growl behind him.  He turned his head in time to see the creature continue its slow approach.  Above it, an immense pillar of shadow rose.  And in the midst of the shadow, two great crimson eyes had opened up, along with an enormous red fanged mouth that was bending down to where Sky lay helpless.
Desperate, Sky turned away and tried to focus his mind.  C’mon, wings, WORK!  But despite his most powerful urgings, he remained where he was.  He risked another look behind him.  The shadow was almost on him.
He closed his eyes and let his head drop to the dirt.  He had failed.
Then, out of the silence, a mare’s voice came to him.  If you want to rid yourself of the darkness, you must fill its space with light.
He could hear the Chimera laughing behind him.  The shadow’s presence grew more and more oppressive as it closed in on him.  Within a few seconds, it would all be over.
He tried to summon the images of his friends or family to his mind.  Faces, cutie marks, even their names…but all he could see was the blackness of his own malice.  All was dark around him.
Suddenly, out of the darkness, he saw the glowing white horn of a unicorn.  He latched onto it.  The light of the horn expanded to reveal a flowing green mane to match the bright green eyes of her face.  Her pure white coat seemed to sparkle as he felt his fear melt from him.
Lily…be my light.
Blackness fell.  Everything was enveloped in a thick silence.  Sky was aware of an overwhelming tension over his body and a swelling pressure in his head.  He clung to the fading image of Lily, desperate to keep sight of her.  The tightness in his brain became unbearable.  Still he fought.
Out of nowhere, the roar of an eruption shattered the silence.  Sky felt his body jolt against a sudden shockwave.  He reeled for a moment before righting himself.  As he did, he became aware of a strange sensation of weightlessness.  No, it was more than that…he wasn’t bound by anything anymore.  It reminded him of his race against Rainbow Dash: it was as if he had left his body behind.
A bright light burst before his eyes.  He watched in wonder for a moment before a powerful wind ran right through him, picking him up and carrying him with it.  As he sped along, Sky felt as though he were being stretched like a rubber band, as if his very existence was being warped.
With one last glance at the source of the light, Sky saw it abruptly grow in radiance, as though it desired to rival the sun.  Its brilliance seemed to tear right through him, sending him tumbling into an empty void.  He remembered nothing.  He knew nothing.
And his consciousness fell.
> Chapter 11: Gone
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Princess Luna cried out as she brought a hoof to her head.  She winced in pain as she staggered to and fro, attempting to regain her balance.  She opened an eye to find that her vision was blurry.  What in Equestria was that?
She had been passing from mind to mind, checking in on the dreams of her subjects across the realm, when she found herself in the mind of a familiar stallion: Sky Streak.  She had been surprised to find that he was awake, but as she prepared to speak to him, she had felt the crushing oppression of darkness that surrounded him.  She could sense his terror like a horrible stench in his mind.  Desperate to help, she had called out to him: “If you want to rid yourself of the darkness, you must fill its space with light.”  For a moment, she felt his fear subside, giving way to a small sense of hope in the midst of the ever-present darkness.
But a sudden blast of light and magic had rocked her mind, expelling her from Sky’s thoughts and leaving her shaken from the encounter.  Steeling her resolve, she once again reached out to him…only now, he was not there.  She could find no trace of his dreams, thoughts, or even his presence.  It was as though he had vanished from Equestria altogether.
Or worse.
A lump formed in her chest as a growing sense of dread fell on her.  We had all assumed he would be safe here in Canterlot.  Were we wrong?
She opened her eyes to find that her vision had cleared.  She reached out to the other guests within the palace: Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy.  They were all present and fine, sleeping peacefully.  But that was small comfort to the Princess of the Night.  Her thoughts were devoted to the well-being of the young pegasus whom she could not find.
She began to pace along the walkway, fretting.  I should go check on him.  I must make sure that he is alright.  But as she spread her wings to take off, she saw it: far to the northwest, on the very edge of her sight, rose a column of black.  It blotted out her beautiful stars; a blemish on her otherwise perfect night.
Alarmed, she quickly raced for the telescope in the rotunda.  Turning it to where the blackness ascended from the earth, she gained a better view of what it was.  It was a pillar of black smoke, coming from an area near the Painted Forest.  And from the look of things, it was no small fire that was producing the smoke.  No, this was a full-fledged fire.  Out-of-control and spreading.
And then, she put the pieces together.
Oh, no.
She was in the air in a flash, moving as fast as her wings could carry her to the balcony outside Sky’s quarters.  As she landed, she forced the doors open with her magic.  Stepping inside, she found the room dark and quiet.  The lights were off, and the curtains swayed gently in the breeze.
But there was no pegasus in the bed.  In fact, the bed was still completely made, looking as though it had not seen anypony sleep there in days.  Luna’s heart dropped like a stone.  No…please, no.
She burst into the hallway, surprising several of the nearby guards in the dimly-lit hallway.  “Have any of you seen Sky Streak?” she asked breathlessly.
“Erm, no, Your Highness,” a gray unicorn responded.  “At least, not since earlier this evening.  Last I saw, he was walking the hallways shortly before those tremors we felt.”
Tremors.  Something stirred in her mind.  She brought her thoughts into alignment, trying to understand what it meant.  Suddenly, she heard a voice from many months before:
Well, it was the legendary three-headed beast that I’d read about.  Lion, goat, and serpent heads.  Breathed fire.  Caused earthquakes and started storms.
Her mind became a whirlwind as she realized the disaster that was unfolding.  She quickly reached out to Rainbow Dash in her sleep.
Rainbow Dash!  Rainbow Dash, wake up!
There was a disgruntled groan.  It’s still dark out, Dad.  Wake me up later.
Rainbow Dash!  I need you!  Sky Streak is in danger!
The voice of the multicolored pegasus lost all sound of grogginess in an instant.  What?!  What’s going on?  Hey…who’s there?  Who’s in my head?
It is Princess Luna.  Meet me atop the palace.  I have need of your speed like never before.
She withdrew from Rainbow’s head and focused again on the unicorn before her.  “I need you to inform my sister that I am taking Rainbow Dash with me to the northwest on an errand of utmost importance.  If she needs to ask me anything, she will know what to do,” she commanded.
The unicorn bowed his head as he acknowledged her order.  “As you wish, my Princess.”
She hastily retreated through Sky’s room and leapt from the balcony as her wings lifted her upon the wind.  As she ascended to the tower, she felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes.  How could we have been so blind?
She found Rainbow Dash waiting for her at the pinnacle of the palace.  “What’s going on?” she asked, looking worried.
“Rainbow Dash, do you know where the Painted Forest is?” she asked as she lighted upon the pitched roof of the tower.
“The Painted Forest?  Isn’t that west of Cloudsdale?” Rainbow replied.
Luna nodded.  “It is, and I need you to get there as quickly as you can.  I fear that Sky Streak’s life is in danger.”
Rainbow’s eyes grew wide.  “What?  But why do—”
“Rainbow Dash!” Luna shouted.  “We do not have time for questions.  Just make for the Painted Forest.  I believe it is on fire.  Just look for Sky when you get there.  I will be there as quickly as I can.”
Rainbow recoiled in surprise, then recovering her composure, nodded and darted into the night sky, leaving her trademark multicolored trail behind her.
Luna!  What has happened? asked a voice within her mind.
I do not know for certain, sister, she replied, but I fear that Sky Streak is in terrible danger.  I believe that the Chimera may have lured him away during the evening.
Celestia was silent for a moment.  How? she asked at last.
I believe it may have been those tremors we felt earlier tonight.  Sky Streak did warn us that the Chimera could cause earthquakes.  And if it was threatening Canterlot with those earthquakes, he may have seen no other option than to go and face it alone, Luna surmised.
Do you know where he may have gone?
Luna’s gaze was suddenly drawn to an eruption of color in the night sky.  A growing ring of color bathed the land in a soft glow of many-hued light.  The beauty of the scene was overshadowed by the weight of dread that had descended upon her mind.  She stared at it for a moment, lost in a mix of emotions.
Luna?
She jumped upon hearing her name.  Collecting her thoughts, she nodded as Celestia’s question returned to her.  There appears to be a great fire near the Painted Forest.  I believe that he may have fought the Chimera there.
Celestia sighed.  Are you on your way there? she asked.
I have sent Rainbow Dash ahead of me.  She eyed the fading remnants of the sonic rainboom for a moment.  I will be leaving shortly.
Then you must hurry.
Luna waited a moment before responding.  Sister, there is one other thing.
Yes?
I found him during the night.  He was awake when I did so, and he was surrounded by a horrible darkness.  When I spoke to him, there was a surge of some kind of magic that expelled me from his mind.  And when I tried to find him again, I could not.  I do not know where he is.
Luna thought she heard Celestia stifle a sob, but she couldn’t be certain.  Go, my sister.  Every second counts now.
Spreading her wings, she took to the clear skies above Canterlot.  As she passed through Shining Armor’s barrier, she felt the coolness of the night take full hold.  With a burst of magic and a great flap of her wings, she soared like a meteor through the air, making for the Painted Forest with all the speed she could muster.  With each passing second, she clung to the hope that Sky was alright, though hope seemed to fade with the approaching dawn.
Time seemed to draw itself out.  Minutes felt like days.  The dawn almost looked like it retreated at times.  All the while, the slumbering lands of Equestria passed beneath Luna in blissful sleep, while she frantically flew in an increasingly-hopeless race against time.  It was as though Equestria had fallen under an eternal dread nightfall.  I once desired a night without end.  Is this what would have been?
The tower of smoke she had seen from Canterlot had grown to an immense size by the time she arrived at the edge of the forest.  A crowd of ponies had already gathered and were attempting to quench the flames, though success was slow in coming.  A few rain clouds above held the expansion of the fires in check.  They all stopped their efforts, though, as the Lunar Princess descended into their midst.  They bowed in unison.
Luna held up her hoof.  “Do not stop on account of me, my subjects.  We must put out this fire.  I will gather more rain clouds to assist you shortly.  But first, there is another matter which requires my attention.”
Turning around, she walked into the disaster, leaving the ponies to their work.  She was astounded by the magnitude of the destruction around her.  Trees were uprooted and broken, craters pockmarked the landscape, and, of course, there were the many fires that still smoldered throughout the decimated woods.  Is this what the Chimera is capable of?
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to her.  “Princess Luna!  Over here!” Rainbow Dash shouted.
Luna turned to face the pegasus, who was sitting on the ground, trying to catch her breath.  “I got here as quickly as I could,” she gasped.  “I gathered together a few storm clouds to try and put out the fires, then I started looking for Sky.”
“But you have not found him yet?”
Rainbow Dash shook her head mournfully.  “Not yet.  But it’s hard to find anything in this mess.  What could have caused something like this?”
I wonder.  “We must keep looking,” Luna replied.  “But if you want, you can gather more clouds to help fight the fires.”
She looked at the princess with renewed resolve.  “I’ll do whatever you need me to do, Princess.”
Luna nodded.  “Then do both.  Gather the rain, but keep an eye on the ground.  If you see something, let me know.”
“You got it!” she replied as she took to the air.
Luna trudged through the debris, moving fallen trees and piles of rocks gently, hoping so spot a light blue leg, or a feather, or something to work with.  The rain fell harder as Rainbow Dash assembled the clouds, but Luna refused to give up.  There just had to be something here.
To the east, the clear sky could be seen as a small gap between the horizon and the clouds.  It was glowing a bright shade of red as the dawn approached.  Luna found herself gazing at it longingly, wishing that the rising of the sun would bring hope to an otherwise hopeless situation.  I may be the Princess of the Night, but even I can appreciate the hope that accompanies the coming of the dawn.
Suddenly, there was a crash as a mass of debris collapsed off to her right.  She regarded it for a moment, then started in the other direction when Rainbow Dash called out to her.  “Princess Luna!  There!  I see something!”
Luna quickly cast her eyes up to where the pegasus lay across a cloud, leaning over the edge and pointing frantically to the place where the trees had collapsed.  Galloping as fast as she could, she reached the place and spotted a silver and blue tail sticking out from underneath a pile of tree trunks.  Heedless of anything else around her, with the raindrops mingling with her tears as they ran down her face, she grabbed the trees with her magic and flung them away.  Rainbow Dash landed right in front of her as they both beheld the limp, unmoving body of their friend.
“Sky…” Rainbow managed.
Luna pressed her head against Sky’s chest, hoping against hope to hear something.  And, to her amazement, she did.  Her heart leapt in her chest.
“He’s breathing!  He’s still alive!” she exclaimed.  “Sky Streak!  Sky, can you hear me?”
The pegasus lay silent, showing no sign that he had heard the princess’ question.  “Sky, it’s Rainbow,” the mare echoed.  “Are you there?”
Still nothing.
Luna’s expression became cloudy.  She placed a hoof against Sky’s forehead and closed her eyes, diving into his mind.
Only, there was nothing there.
She stood alone in utter blackness.  There were no thoughts here.  No visions, memories, imagination, or consciousness.  It was more than being unconscious.  It was as if he had no presence here at all.
Luna opened her eyes, returning to the world of Equestria.  Rainbow Dash was looking at her pleadingly.  Her mane and tail were soaked, and her ears drooped, making her look like a lost, sad little filly.  “Princess Luna, what’s wrong?  Is he alright?”
“I do not know.  Sky’s body is…it is an empty shell.  His body lives, but it is as if his mind is gone.  His spirit has left his body for some reason.  I—”  Her voice cracked.  “I am afraid that as far as I can tell, this is all that is left of Sky Streak.”
“But…but…that just can’t be true!  Sky Streak isn’t gone!  He just CAN’T BE!!” Rainbow protested.
“Perhaps he isn’t,” Luna admitted, raising her head to the rain clouds above.  The red glow of the sunrise reflected off their surface, casting the landscape in a foreboding red hue.  “There is some powerful magic at work here that not even I understand.  But even if Sky’s spirit is not here, it may still be out there.  And if his spirit returns to his body, then he may yet return to us.  But we cannot be certain.”
“What do we do now?” Rainbow asked, vainly trying to wipe the rain and tears from her face.
“I will take Sky’s body back to Canterlot.  At least we can look after him there, so that if he is revived, he will be in a safe place.  I ask that you stay here to help these ponies put out these fires.  After that, please return to Canterlot.  There will be much that needs to be discussed,” Luna explained as she magically lifted Sky’s limp form onto her back.
“Alright,” came the reply, followed by a short sniffle.  “I’ll be along when we’re done here.”
“Very well.  Thank you for your help, Rainbow Dash,” Luna said, nodding to her.  The forest had taken quite a beating from the look of things.  It may have been that up to half of the forest was destroyed.  Luna cringed at the thought of what the Chimera could do to the more populated areas of Equestria.
As she took off, bearing her burden, she again looked to the east, where the sun had at last begun to peek above the distant hills.  Its bold red glow seemed to be more a harbinger of danger than a signal of a new day.  Luna tilted her head back towards Sky and whispered.
“Even the night has its lights, Sky Streak.  Follow them to the dawn.”
> Epilogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     “Is he going to be alright?”
Fluttershy’s small voice broke the empty silence.  Her question seemed to echo off the walls and hang in the air.  It was the question that everypony was thinking, yet none wanted to consider.
Sky’s body lay in his bed, with the blankets pulled over all but his head and front legs.  He was surrounded by his friends and members of the Council, who nervously awaited the verdict of Sky’s condition from Doctor Trotter, who had come at the request of Princess Celestia.  He sighed as he removed his stethoscope from Sky’s chest and turned back to the group.
“As far as his physical health, he seems to be alright.  Suffering from some exhaustion and muscle strains, but nothing that should cause him to be in a coma,” Doc Trotter said.  “I believe Princess Luna may be right when she says that his spirit is not there.  Though that is hardly a matter in which I would be an expert,” he added.
“Thank you, Doctor,” Celestia said, stepping away from the door to allow him to pass.  “I may ask for you again soon.  Can you please be available?”
“Of course, Princess,” he replied with a charming smile.  “I’m always willing to do what I can.”  With that, he nodded to the group and turned down the hallway.  The door closed behind him.
“This is awful,” Twilight said, falling onto her haunches and staring at the floor.  “What happened?  Why did he go off by himself like this?”
“Perhaps the Chimera left him no choice,” Luna suggested.  “We all felt those tremors last night.  If the Chimera was using those to threaten Canterlot, Sky may have had no alternative but to go and face it.”
“Or maybe it finally took control of his mind like he said it might,” Shining Armor added.  “He did say that he thought the Chimera was trying to control his thoughts and actions.”
“But then why was the Painted Forest destroyed like it was?” Rainbow Dash countered.  “It looks like a battleground.”
“Maybe Sky was being controlled, and they both attacked the Forest,” Cadance answered.
“But why the Painted Forest?  From what I understand, that area is not highly populated,” Rarity wondered aloud.  “If the Chimera had wanted to make a statement, wouldn’t it have attacked a much more populous area, like Vanhoover?”
“I believe that Rarity is right.  Attacking a scarcely populated woodland hardly makes any sense for one bent on destroying an entire kingdom.  It would be much easier to believe that Sky fought the Chimera there,” Luna said, deep in thought.
“But how could the two of them create as much damage as you saw?” Twilight asked.  “Doctor Trotter just told us that Sky is, for the most part, physically fine.  And I’ve seen him fight before, and even as strong as he is, he couldn’t have caused anywhere close to that much destruction.  Which would mean that the Chimera did it.  But if that’s true, then how did Sky escape without injury, but in what is essentially a coma?”
“We do not have the answers,” Celestia interrupted, “and only Sky knows what they are.  And unfortunately, he cannot give them to us at this time.”  She gazed longingly at the unmoving pegasus in the bed.  “But perhaps he knew something and left behind some trace of that knowledge.”
“Beggin’ yer’ pardon?” Applejack asked.
“I know for a fact that Sky kept a journal.  He takes it with him on all his assignments, though I do not know what he writes in it.  It has been his secret, and his alone,” Celestia explained.
“But if he took it with him, how does that help us now?” Rainbow asked.  “There was no trace of that thing in what was left of the Painted Forest.  And Sky didn’t have it.  It’s probably an ash pile somewhere.”
Celestia shook her head.  “If Sky Streak was in such a hurry last night that he did not ask for any help from anypony, I suspect that he was in too great a rush to grab his journal.  Also, what good would it have done him?  If he was under the Chimera’s control, he would have had no reason to take it.  And if he left to face the Chimera in a fight, it would have served no purpose in that, either.  So I suspect that it is still here…in this room.”
They needed no further prompting.  Every head began to look around the room, inspecting every inch, looking for any sign of the mysterious journal.  From the headrest of the bed, to the tops of furniture, to cabinet drawers, and even under the mattress.  Every area was checked, until a tandem of voices called out in unison.
“Aha!” Shining Armor and Twilight cried out, lifting an embroidered black book out of a pair of saddlebags, resting quietly beside the balcony doors.
“Excellent,” Celestia said, pulling the journal to herself with her magic as everypony gathered around.
“How’d you know where to find it?” Twilight asked her older brother.
“It’s where I kept mine at when I was younger.  How’d you know?” he countered.
“Because I knew where you kept yours, too.”  A mischievous smile formed on her face.
“Hey!”
Princess Celestia cleared her throat authoritatively as she opened the journal.  “Hmmm…it looks like this one only goes back as far as the beginning of the year, so his first encounter with the Chimera isn’t covered here.”  She flipped through several more pages rapidly.  “As a matter of fact, it appears that there is no mention of the Chimera in here at all until late March, when he was in Polarmino.  Here’s one from March 21.  Listen:
‘I know it’s the Chimera.  It has to be.  And to think that I just happened to come here on an ordinary assignment just to have to face it again is incredible.  I don’t know what it’s up to this time, but I know that it won’t be happy to see me.  Lily will be going with me, but…I hope I can do a better job of protecting her than I did for Twilight.  She may think I was brave, but Twilight was the real hero that day.’”
Celestia looked over the rim of the book at her student.  The look of surprise on Twilight’s face was as obvious as the redness in her cheeks.  “Here’s another one from March 26,” Celestia continued.  “This was after he had returned to Canterlot:
‘Those two families have been robbed of their leaders, and to me, that is unacceptable.  The Chimera will pay for that.  And if I can't save Grandpa Grain and Grandfather Clock, I'll make sure that the Chimera hears their names as it takes its last breath.’
There’s more:
‘The Chimera.  I can't help but believe that its fate and mine are connected.  I've met it twice, it's got a grudge against me, and now, I've got a personal reason to hunt it.  It seems that every time I meet it, I learn something new about it.  And I also get a new reason to hate it even more.  And if it believes that it's battled me at my best, it's got another thing coming.’”
“It sounds to me like Sky was becoming obsessed with defeating this thing,” Shining Armor observed.  “He could hardly talk about anything else.”
“That can’t be healthy,” Rarity agreed.
“Wait!” Celestia said, peering at the pages.  “Listen to this: First off, there's Lily.  After our date…”
“DATE?!?!” everypony shouted in unison.
“Yes, it looks like our Sky found a nice young mare that he enjoyed spending time with,” Celestia nodded, a wry smile appearing in spite of the circumstances.  “Good for him.  He keeps writing about her.”  Celestia read silently while the others waited.  “Seems that not only did Lily join Sky on his journey to face the Chimera, but that she also saved his life while they were there, as well as the entire windigo colony.”
“Wow!” Pinkie exclaimed.  “She sounds really powerful!”
“Perhaps she is,” Luna said, peering over Celestia’s shoulder, “but this says that she uses ‘calming magic.’  I wonder how she saved Sky’s life with magic of that sort?”
“I do not know, sister,” Celestia replied.  “But here is something else he writes about her:
‘But she's just as important to me, too.  I mean, sure, I like her.  And I guess it's not unfair to say that we're a couple now.  But she keeps me in check.  When my temper gets out of hand and my aggression becomes overbearing, she's there to pull me back from the brink.  I don't always appreciate it in the heat of the moment, but I see now that her level-headedness is her strength.  And it's good that she has that, because I sure don't have much self-control.  I guess it just goes to show that what everyone's been telling me is true: no one pony can do everything.’”
The room became eerily silent as Celestia finished.  All eyes in the room turned again to Sky’s still form in his bed.
Twilight was the first to speak up.  She stepped forward to the bedside.  “Oh, Sky…why didn’t we understand?  You tried to tell us.”  She turned back to the group.  “After he had that episode in our meeting yesterday, Spike and I went to go find him.  When we did, he told us that he felt like he was losing control.  He said that he…how did he put it, Spike?”
Spike scratched his head for a moment.  “He said something about wanting something to hold on to, didn’t he?”
Twilight’s eyes lit up.  “That’s right!  He said he was trying to find something to hold on to, so that he didn’t lose everything!  And he broke down and started crying.  We tried to comfort him, but I don’t think we did as good a job as somepony else would have.
“Somepony like Lily.”
The others looked at her curiously.  “What are you suggesting, Twilight?” Cadance asked.
“Sky said it in his journal.  He said that Lily keeps him ‘in check.’  And I’m betting the Chimera knows that.  If the Chimera was getting into Sky’s mind, it knew his thoughts.  And Lily saved Sky’s life from the Chimera, in some way.  So, what if the Chimera attacked Sky where he was weakest?  What if it tried to affect him when Lily wasn’t around to help?”
“Are you sayin’ that one pony could be the solution to all o’ this?” Applejack asked, looking incredulous.
“The love between my brother and Cadance was enough to defeat Chrysalis and all her changelings!” Twilight reminded her.  “What if bringing Lily to Sky could work some kind of magic, too?”
Celestia raised an eyebrow thoughtfully.  “It may certainly be possible that your idea could work,” she said, “though we have no guarantee of that.  I will send a message to Lily Pond requesting her immediate presence in Canterlot.  But we will need to prepare ourselves in case this does not work.  With that in mind, I would ask that all of you remain in Canterlot until further notice.  We may need to utilize the Elements of Harmony before all is said and done here.”
The six ponies bowed before her.  “But even if your plan does not work, perhaps Lily will have some more information that we may be able to put to use.”  She looked out the window and sighed.  “The members of the Council still have much to do, so we must take our leave.  The rest of you are free to do as you will, so long as you stay within Canterlot.”  With that, Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Shining Armor left the room.  The remaining ponies (and one dragon) gathered around the bed of their friend.
“He looks so peaceful,” Rarity observed.  “I sincerely hope he’s alright…wherever he is.”
“I’m sure he’ll come back,” Applejack said.
“I just wish we had known how to help him.  Did we let him down?” Fluttershy asked with a whimper.
Twilight shook her head.  “I don’t think we let him down.  I just think the Chimera knew what it was doing better than we did.  And we need to be ready for it if we need to be.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that,” Rarity replied.
“Me neither,” Pinkie echoed.
Twilight rose up on her hind hooves, placing her front legs across the bed.  She stared at the slumbering pegasus for a moment.  “In all our adventures, we’ve never lost a pony,” she said softly.  “We’ve all come back, every time.  And I don’t want that to change now.”
Her friends gathered around her while she spoke.  A lump formed in her throat.  The possibility that Sky was gone forever was very real.  But her mind refused to entertain the thought.
“Come back to us, Sky.  We need you.”