Where Loyalty Lies

Lost Truth

Rainbow Dash and Ghost had just returned from their hours of flying. They landed just outside of Twilight’s house laughing. Rainbow Dash knocked on the door followed by the sounds of hooves headed towards the door. Twilight opened the door offering them to come into her home, where Ghost was immediately greeted by none other than Princess Luna herself. Ghost bowed in respect for the Princess, “Your majesty, it is most wonderful to see that thou art okay. Forgive thee for failing you so many years ago. I accept any punishment thou seeith fit for thee Princess.”

Luna shook her head bowing back with a smile to her old friend, “There is no punishment for loyalty. You hath done nothing wrong Ghost Wing. It is I who had failed you my loyal guard for I am the one who lead thou to darkness. It is most wonderful to see my best friend hath not been killed in the war. Please call me Luna as I have always asked.”

Ghost would nod as she stood tall before the Princess. “Thank you Prin.. I mean Luna. I told you long ago they call me Ghost for a reason,” She said jokingly. “I do not remember the last few weeks before I ended up here, do thou know anything Luna?”

The princess would sigh and nod, “I do know what happened.” She paused “As you know I because Nightmare Moon as I was taken by the darkness. Those last few weeks that thou does not remember, Thou had rebelled against Nightmare Moon’s rule and questioned the righteousness of the cause. Nightmare Moon saw you as a threat and cast the spell of darkness upon thee. Thou may recall little during that time but thou fought against the spell and it cost my dark self to much trouble to control thee, that the nightmare decided to trap thee. She cast thou into steel and buried thou in the depths of the ever free so no pony would find thee. You knew the secret that kept you from the same path as thyself.”

The white Pegasus would tilt her head looking up at the princess “What was the secret?”

Princess Luna placed her hoof on her friend’s shoulder, “Friendship. Thou sought to end thy darkness, and fought for our friendship so much that the darkness couldn’t keep you in its control. “

Ghost would nod “I did not want to see my best friend die before me Luna. How does thou rule alongside Celestia though?”

“Our cause started just and became corrupted. We were right then, Thy sister had been captured by Changelings. Their queen was the one who had caused the problems though my jealousy of Tia was what caused my fall to darkness I cannot blame her for any of it now,” Responded Luna

“I see that I hath missed much in my absence then, what does thou wish thee to do Luna?” Ghost would ask tilting her head as she looked up at her.

“I wish thou to be Captain of thy guard still, but wish for thee to experience this new world first. As Twilight hath done for thee, she and her friends will teach you much of this land.” Luna would say with a smile to Ghost, “I hath missed thee much my good friend and will stop in to see thee often.”

Ghost nodded offering a bow to the Princess and smiled, “Thank you Princess, I shall gladly return when thou needith thy services.”

The princess would step outside as two guards would land to either side of her adorn in armor as dark as the night sky. Luna nodded to her friend, “Learn all that thou can, I will be back to see thee soon.” She said as her wings flapped and lifted her into the air, followed shortly after by the guards, while Twilight, Rainbow, and Ghost joined the rest of Ponyville in slumber.

----------------------------------- A few hours later ------------------------------------

“Gee you have to snap out of it!” A black and red tipped maned Pegasus stallion standing tall clad in dulled back armor and a shield with a paw print on his flank, standing out on his light blue coat yelled.

No response was given to him as streams of magic and arrows landed around him in the fire. The Pegasus lifted a shield off the ground to defend against an axe blade, which he forced away from his mass and lunged forward tackling his attacker. He leaned down tugging the mask off the opponent to reveal them. “Ghost this is not you, break the darkness, I know you can.”

The female Pegasus kicked him off and would reach for a blade at her side and swinging it in her maw. “You dare defy thy true ruler, Silent Hunter. You will bow to Nightmare Moon!” cried Ghost showing her teeth with snarl.

“I shall not, Come back to me Ghost. I am not here to hurt you.” Said Hunter looking into her eyes and evading the swipe of the blade, “I cannot allow you to stay lost in the darkness, let me guide you.”

Hunter grabbed her collar in his teeth as he would rotate his body and roll her onto the ground. Once more he’d stand tall above her, “Nightmare moon is deceiving ... you.” There was a long pause before Hunter would grit his teeth with a painful exhale. The stallion stumbled away and collapsed down one his knees. Two arrows had caught him in the shoulder and side. “This.. isn’t.. you,” he would said with a gasp and fall over.

Ghost shook her head as she with start, her hind legs kicking a shelf and causing a row of books to topple down. The commotion woke both of the other mares, Rainbow dash rearing up and taking a fighting stance, “Who’s there? I’ll take on any pony, I’m not afraid!” Rainbow almost yelled looking around the room for the source of the disturbance.

Twilight mumbled a bit as she got out of her bed “Relax Rainbow Dash, It is just books. Ghost, what’s wrong?” Twilight asked as she trotted over to the trembling Pegasus.

“I… I… watched thy best friend parish and twas helpless to prevent it…” Ghost mumbled as her wings would wrap around herself. “Every time I learnt more of what I could not remember, I fear more what thy whole truth shall hold.”

Twilight and Rainbow Dash would offer her a hug to reassure her. “Things will work out in the end Ghost, you are not alone and it was not you who did the deeds it were the darkness which caused them.” Twilight spoke softly illuminating the small portion of the room with the glow of her horn, “we are here for you any time that you need us.”

“Having all of thee as friends is splendid, thou art most kind to stay by me after all that I hath done.” Ghost said as she slowly laid her head back on her pillow with a yawn.

Rainbow and Twilight would slip back into their beds, once more drifting off into slumber like the rest of the town. The leaves would rustle outside as a shadow had fled from the sight of the window. Little did the three know that there was something lurking outside that night. Soon the sun would rise leaving no evidence of the spy or their intentions, and the friends would wake oblivious of their visitor.

All three of the ponies would be awoken abruptly by a loud knocking echoing through the home from the front door. With a grumble twilight would get up out of her bed and trot down the stairs to answer the door. As soon as the door opened, Pinkie Pie bounced into the room with a smile. She hopped around the room, “Hey Twilight!” she would exclaim with a grin before stopping in front of the unicorn.

“Good morning Pinkie, why are you here so early?” Twilight asked with a tilt of her head as she looked at the pink pony.

“I found something, I found something, I found something!” Pinkie chanted as she bounced around Twilight and they were joined by the other two mares.

“What is it Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow Dash responded watching the pink pony hop frantically around the room.

Pinkie Pie stopped to think for a moment and tilted her head, “Oh yeah, I found this!” She reached into her saddle back and pulled out a book with a shield and paw print on it. “It looks really old, it was in a stump by the lake near the everfree forest.”

Twilight examined the book, her horn glowing as she lifted it away from the pink one. A small lock sealed the book shut and there didn’t seem to be an opening for a key or dials for a combination. Ghost’s eyes went wide as she saw the logo on the cook and trotted over to Twilight. “Can I see that?” She would ask reaching her hoof out to take the object. “I know that book.”

The book dropped into Ghost’s hooves as Twilight released it. Ghost looked at the book and lowered her head to the lock of the book and whistled a soft-hearted tune near the lock. The metal clasp flipped open and the padlock dropped to the floor. “This is my closest friend’s book, I would know his mark anywhere,” Ghost said a bit shakily on the edge of tears.
The Pegasus’s eyes shifted from one end of a page to another as she mumbled to herself. The other three looked at her curiously, and Rainbow was the first to speak “What does it say?” she’d ask bluntly.

Before Twilight could scold Rainbow on the rude gesture Ghost read aloud the legible parts of the book. “Today I plan to confess my love for that sneaky cloud Pegasus. Years we hath been friends, years I lied to myself. Every enemy of the crown I fight in her honor not the crown’s. I carry mark on my flag into each battle for luck in hopes that one day that these wars will be more frightening than talking to her alone. Today is that day…” there was a pause as the text had faded and was illegible. “Long had it been since I saw my best friend, my love and I return still not having the chance to speak my love. Now I return and I have lost her. In my absence the Princess of the night had fallen to darkness and her most loyal guard, my friend fell with her. Together they fight to take over this land but even if they win the darkness cannot have my friend. I will confront her here, I will try to show her the light. If I don’t survive then…” The pages faded once more for, “I have spent weeks recovering from my injuries, I am not fully ready for the fight but it is our last chance, Celestia has gathered a small remaining her best guard and a group to try some kind of elemental magic to rid the darkness from equestria. I probably won’t return from this so I shall leave my flag folded in these pages and maybe one day ponies shall read my story. So all shall know Ghost… no matter how far you fall I will catch you before you land… I wish only that she would know…” the pages faded once more and the next flip of the page a flag fell out of the book, covered in dirt and tattered from war, her own cutie mark printed onto the center. “That is all that is left.”

There were a few moments of silence before anyone would speak up. “So this is what you meant… I didn’t know that you loved the pony you spoke of.” Twilight said as she offered a hug to Ghost.

“I didn’t know either,” Ghost replied as she hugged the purple unicorn. “He never said anything to me about it…”

“Maybe I can find a spell to make the rest of it legible again so you can read it all,” Twilight would suggest as she smiled at Ghost faintly.

“Thou does not have to do so Twilight, I hath heard what I needed. Though there maybes something useful in the end.” Ghost said picking up the flag that had dropped.

“He sounds like he was amazing,” Pinkie would try to lighten the mood, “What if he is still around like you are… I mean he had to gone after you in those last days. There has to be something left and we should find it!”

Ghost shook her head “I would not expect Hunter to; he hath been through much before, Hard to kill maybe but not immortal.”

There was a bit of a pause before the crack of thunder would echo and shake the tree home. They all jumped with the loud noise and began to laugh as the sound of a hoof rapping at the door would draw their attention. “I wonder who would be out during a storm?” Twilight questioned with her horn glowing and opening the door.

Immediately Applejack and Fluttershy would rush in just as the rain would begin to pour down outside. Both of them were breathing heavy as they had rushed a quickly as they could to seek shelter from the storm. “Howdy Y’all, sorry ta just rush in like that Twi, but didn’t want ta mess up yer house ‘er nothin’ with all that rain.” Applejack would say as she waved her hat to everyone in the room. “What are y’all up ta?”

“We were just talking with Ghost is all, she was telling us about some things that she remembers. Why did you two come over so fast?” Twilight inquired as she approached them.

“Well Fluttershy and Ah’ were herdin’ some animals and had been headed past Rarity’s when she came out and told us ta let y’all know Ghost’s Armor is done. So we were headed over ‘ere ta let y’all know and wouldn’t ya know it started ta rain on us, Seemed kind of random.” Applejack spoke putting down her saddle bags.

Rainbow Dash opened up the door once more looking out at the sky as it poured down rain. “It wasn’t supposed to rain today. I don’t understand how it is possible; none of the weather Pegasus aren’t around either.” She said rubbing the back of her head with a hoof. “And it is starting to get foggy as ever out there, what gives?”

Ghost’s eyes widened as she would nudge Rainbow Dash out of the way gawking at the fog. “I know this fog… It ‘tis the fog from… It is not possible…” She yelled rushing out of the door, “You shall not take thee again!”

The white Pegasus disappeared into the thick fog before anyone could response to the outburst. “What was that about?” Rainbow asked after she had been forced out of the way. “Let’s go!”

Twilight would grab Rainbow Dash by her wings as she tried to rush off, “Hold up Rainbow, we should stick together… Ghost seemed a bit weary of this and we don’t know why.”

Rainbow Dash flapped her wings with a mumble, and lifted into a hover as she waited outside the door. The rest of the group walked out of the door towards the fog slowly, each looking about for their lost friend. It remained rather quiet in the fog, everyone must have been locked away in their homes in Ponyville for there was normally an abundance of noise throughout the small town.

Suddenly a loud shatter of glass and screams of horror arose from nearby. The group had approached the corner of town where they had heard the sound. It was outside the bakery, where a familiar figure lay motionless in shards of glass, clearly from where the top story window had broken out. “Ghost…” Twilight cried out with a gasp.