Roots of Fear

Two months later
The Royal Palace, Canterlot

“And it is with great honor that I grant unto you the Equestrian Medal of Valour for the services rendered on behalf of the realm. Rise, Sky Streak.”

Princess Celestia looked proudly upon the young pegasus. He rose from his kneeling position and stood erect, looking very regal with a bold blue cape wrapped around his neck and draped across his back. The medal, which was silver with the Equestrian crest emblazoned in gold, was pinned on his left side of the wrap, completing his regalia. He had fully recovered from his battle with the Chimera two months earlier, and when he had been informed that there was to be a special ceremony at the Royal Palace to honor his accomplishment, he nearly had a meltdown. He had long since returned to Coltlanta, but here in Canterlot, he had been reunited with his friends from Ponyville. They were the only others, aside from the members of the Council, who were in attendance to the ceremony, at the request of Sky Streak himself. He had no desire for a public event, so it turned out that the entire crowd consisted of six ponies and one young dragon, who had been assigned the task of chronicling the event for future records.

The “crowd” burst into much cheering and stamping as Sky turned to face them. “Mares of the audience, I give you Sky Streak the Valiant!” Princess Celestia announced.

Sky cast a look over his shoulder to the Members of Council on either side of him. To his left, there was Princess Luna, who looked at him with such an intensely confident gaze that he blushed and had to turn away. On his right, he saw Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, who gave him a wink of approval. Then he looked out to his friends, all of which were dressed up for the occasion. He saw the joy on their faces, and he couldn’t help but feel his chest swell and his insides twist in knots.

“Well, that’s the official ceremony,” Princess Celestia said from behind him. “Now for the informal parts.” The members of the Council gathered around Sky as his friends advanced from the rear of the room. Sky descended the steps and turned to face the Council.

“We have read your notes and reports on your quest, and we are thoroughly impressed with your accomplishments. But we have many questions still,” Princess Cadance said to Sky. “It’s good that Twilight is here as well, so we can gather a complete picture of what exactly we’re up against.”

“To be honest,” Sky said in response, “I have a lot of questions myself. Just because I was there doesn’t mean that I understand everything that happened.”

“Very true,” Shining Armor agreed. “But I think we would like to have our questions answered first. It may help to give us insight into your own questions.”

Sky nodded, and he was suddenly aware that Twilight had come up on his right, and Spike on his left. He smiled. Even though their adventure had been so long ago, he remembered it as though it had been yesterday. But more than anything, Sky was overjoyed to see Twilight walking on her own hooves again. Her recovery had been long after having broken both of her hind legs, but with the help of her friends and her own determination, she had made a full recovery.

“I should like to know how this creature was able to take on the guise of Night Mare Moon. Although it was a foul form and one that I have no desire to return to, I am still troubled that it was able to utilize the fragments of that form,” Princess Luna spoke up, looking solemn.

“We really don’t know,” Twilight said at first. “The Chimera said that it had managed to ‘put them to use,’ but I really don’t understand how it could have done that. Chimeras aren’t shape-shifters.”

“I remember something that may be useful. I actually questioned the Chimera’s ability to morph like that before the fight began, and she hinted that she may have taken a changeling’s power somehow,” Sky added, though he hesitated to add any more.

“Did she say how?” Luna asked.

Sky cringed slightly as he answered. “She…she said that she may have eaten one.”

The reaction of everyone present was uniform, as they all twisted their faces in disgust. “That is…disturbing,” Cadance said.

“I thought so myself,” Sky admitted. “But that’s what she told me. Whether or not it’s true is beyond me.”

Princess Celestia took the lead again. “We have to treat it as true. The implications of such a threat cannot be ignored.” She paused for a moment as the members of the Council all nodded in agreement. “I also have a question. What of the Chimera when you had dissolved its physical form? Did you see where it went?”

Sky frowned. “I am afraid I did not, Your Majesty. It fled through the hole in the roof, and I saw nothing more of it.”

Celestia turned to Twilight. “And you, my student?”

Twilight shook her head. “At that point, I was already out cold.”

“I see.” She seemed content with the answers for a moment before turning back to Sky. “You said that you could sense the creature’s eyes on you, even from far away. If it has revenge on its mind, it may be that you can use that to lead us to it. Do you feel anything of that kind?”

Sky bit his lip and reluctantly closed his eyes. But he neither felt nor saw anything. “Nothing right now, Princess. Maybe it’s trying to hide?”

Princess Celestia nodded. “That would be my guess. I suspect that it is having difficulty returning to a physical form, so until that time comes, it will simply bide its time. But that is no reason to grow complacent.”

“This Chimera,” Shining Armor began, “did it fit the descriptions given in the records in the Royal Library?”

“In appearance or in battle?” Sky asked.

“Both,” the captain clarified.

“Oh. 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. Razor-sharp claws and teeth. And I suggest that we add the feature that it smells terrible to our records,” he said, smiling.

If Shining Armor found the joke funny, he didn’t show it. He cast his eyes down to the side, as if a very unpleasant thought had occurred to him. Princess Cadance took note. “And what does that mean to you?” she asked.

“It may be nothing,” he started, “but I think that we have made a very dangerous assumption about this creature.”

“And that would be?” Luna asked.

“We’ve been assuming that its true form is the Chimera. But if it really does possess the capability of shape-shifting, then it is also fair to assume that what Sky Streak fought may not have been its original body.”

The revelation hit everyone in the room like a bolt of lightning. Of course they had assumed that it was a Chimera; it had turned into one when Sky had demanded to see its true form. But if it could change forms, then it was perfectly possible that it had merely pretended to be a Chimera to protect its true identity.

Princess Celestia was the first to recover. “There are too many unanswered questions to let this thing roam free across Equestria. Shining Armor, I need you to alert the guards to report any sighting of a black mist or a black cloud anywhere within Equestria. Also, send messages to your men throughout the land to be on the lookout for this…thing.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” he promptly replied and headed for the doors.

The mood among the remaining occupants of the hall had turned dark and somber. Finally, Sky found his voice again. “Princesses, it may not help in the search for this thing, but I was hoping you could answer some of my questions now.”

Princess Luna smiled and bowed her head. “We will do what we can. What are your questions?”

“Well, first off, I still don’t understand what happened when I touched Twilight’s horn right before the fight started. One minute, I’m just a scared little pegasus, and the next, I’m some kind of…”

“Superpony!” Spike shouted from beside him as he threw his arms in the air. Seeing the blank looks of everypony else, he crossed his arms and looked disappointed. “No one appreciates good humor anymore…” he muttered.

“I think I understand,” Celestia began. “You’re familiar with the Elements of Harmony?”

Sky nodded his head. “Good, then you understand that the Elements are nothing more than positive characteristics displayed by certain ponies. Together, the Elements form the most powerful magic known to ponykind.”

Sky arched an eyebrow. “Yes, but I’m not a holder of an Element, so I don’t understand how that plays in to what happened.”

Celestia smiled and laughed softly. “Just because the Elements of Harmony form the most powerful magic in all of Equestria, it doesn’t mean that they are the only characteristics capable of producing magic.”

Sky’s eyes opened wide in comprehension. “You don’t mean—”

Celestia nodded. “Your zebra friend, Zecora…she told you that you would need courage on this journey, didn’t she? And when Spike and Twilight needed you the most, you found your courage in your desire to protect them. And I think that when you touched Twilight’s horn…”

“It transformed that courage into magical essence!” Twilight finished. “That’s amazing! Has there been any evidence of this before now, Princess?”

“It has been guessed that it was possible for hundreds of years, but there has been no actual recorded evidence to this point,” Luna answered.

Twilight’s eyes glossed over. “Oh. My. Goodness. This is INCREDIBLE! Spike, do you realize what this means?” she asked, using her magic to pull the dragon into the air directly in front of her. “I might go down in history as a pony that helped to discover an entirely new branch of magic! Oh, this is wonderful!”

Sky smiled awkwardly before continuing his question. “Well…is it permanent?”

Celestia sighed and let her head droop a bit. “Well, since there are no documented cases of this form of magic, there is very little I can say for certain. I suspect, though, that if the need ever arises, you will be able to draw upon this power again. But you need to remember that this magic was only possible the first time because of your courage. I do not think you will experience the magic again unless you duplicate that bravery.”

“I understand,” Sky said. “If I may, I have another question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why was the Chim—er, creature—waiting specifically for me?”

All three Princesses looked at each other, then Cadance spoke. “I don’t think we can answer that. I suppose that you had something it wanted, though I don’t know what that may be.”

“Neither do I. But can I ask just one more?” he pleaded.

Celestia nodded, and he continued. “Even after I knocked the creature out of its physical form, there was still that black mist. I’m guessing, but I think that it could still have finished me off like that, but it simply turned tail and ran. Why didn’t it finish the job?”

“I think that the answer to your last question may give you the answer to this one, as well,” Luna said. “I do not think that the creature wanted you dead, it wanted you for something else. And before you ask why it didn’t try anything else, I’ll answer that, as well. A shape-shifter can only take on the power of whatever it portrays itself as physically…in this case, a Chimera, whose very presence induces a tremendous sense of fear. But since your magic-induced transformation came about because of your display of courage, it effectively overcame the Chimera’s aura of fear. And when you broke its ability to hold physical form, it became unable to change its effect on its environment. Since it couldn’t beat you in its current state, and it couldn’t change into something else, it went with its only option: retreat.”

“Wow. The more I talk about this, the luckier I feel,” Sky said to no one in particular.

“Perhaps luck was on your side,” Luna said, “but don’t discredit your own skill and heroism. The deeds you performed were not mere coincidences. You made them happen.”

“And with that, I have one final issue to tend to,” Princess Celestia announced. “Sky Streak, would you kindly ascend these steps again?”

He looked at the three Princesses, who were all staring at him, then cast a confused glance at Twilight, who merely shrugged. Finally, he climbed the steps and stood before the Equestrian Royals.

“You have been working towards the goal of recruitment into the Service of the Equestrian Crown, correct?” Celestia said, and Sky suddenly had the feeling that he had grown very small, while Cadance, Luna, and Celestia towered above him.

“Y-yes,” he stammered.

“The deeds you performed outweigh those of many ponies whose names are heralded as heroes throughout the realm of Equestria. You displayed the hallmarks of nobility and honor, and yet, your humility outshines them both. For these reasons, the Council has come to an agreement that you be accepted into the Service of the Equestrian Crown.”

Sky’s jaw dropped in a rather comic fashion. His eye twitched. He forgot to breathe. Silence settled on the gathering for a few awkward moments before Sky thought to draw breath. “I-I’m sorry, what? Did you just say that you were making me a member of the Service?”

“Pending your acceptance, yes,” Luna replied, but her face was congratulatory.

“I, uh, well…well, this is what I’d dreamed of, but it kind of came on rather suddenly,” he said, stumbling through his speech.

“A simple yes will do,” Celestia prodded.

“Oh! Well, then, a very definitive yes from me!” he said, regaining his composure and standing tall.

“Then welcome, Sky Streak, Servant of the Crown. The Council will discuss your first assignment, but I believe that you already know what it will be,” Celestia said.

“I suspect I do. Thank you, Your Majesties,” he said, bowing low.

“I believe that you will want to celebrate with your friends,” Cadance said, gesturing back towards the group behind him. Turning his head, he saw each of his friends, looking on with looks of wonder and amazement. Rarity was dabbing her eyes with a hoofkerchief, and Fluttershy looked like she would burst with tears. Twilight’s smile was dazzling, while Spike sat on her back, mouth agape, apparently stunned with disbelief. Sky smiled.

She was right, he thought. Everything does always turn out in the end.