The sky was a field of radiant blue fading into a horizon of glowing orange, the shining circle of the setting sun sending gleaming streaks of yellow scattering across the bottoms of the clouds overhead. But Rockhoof hardly noticed.
It couldn’t compare to the eyes of the potion merchant’s son. The brilliance in them; the soft shimmer of their golden irises. They were the most beautiful things that Rockhoof had ever seen. But as much as he loved staring into them, he could not mind when they closed. It was his cue to close his own as their lips met.
When their kiss broke, Rockhoof did not open his eyes. Instead, he smiled as he felt the unicorn’s muzzle underneath his chin, nuzzling against his beard. He felt the warmth of a magical aura gently stroking his cheek. He sighed contentedly. Asmat spoke.
“They were so mean to you today. Laughing at you like that. It was awful.”
Rockhoof frowned at the memory, his eyes still closed.
“Nae, they were not. They just have standards, is all. If just anypony could join them, they wouldn’t be able to do their duty.”
“But that’s no reason to be so cruel about it!”
Rockhoof suddenly felt the absence of warmth underneath his chin. He opened his eyes to see those golden irises looking at him with worry.
“I don’t know why you keep making excuses for them. I don’t know why joining them is so important to you.”
“It’s somethin’ I’ve dreamed of ever since I was a little colt. The Mighty Helm are the guardians of the village, what could be more important than that?” Rockhoof frowned at the concerned look Asmat gave him. “If you grew up here, you’d understand.”
“I guess I can’t understand, then,” Asmat sighed. Then, he gave a devilish grin. “Besides, you’re plenty strong enough for me.” He began to stroke Rockhoof’s foreleg, with enough reverence to almost make Rockhoof believe that he could see the outline of a defined muscle there.
Rockhoof’s face reddened, his eyes wide, unable to form a word in response as Asmat laughed and kissed him again. Then, after holding Rockhoof’s gaze for a few precious moments, Asmat turned himself around and snuggled back into Rockhoof’s embrace. They were now facing the same direction, the landscape in front of them dominated by the island’s volcano towering over them in the distance.
Asmat sighed. “Is it awful of me to hope that that volcano erupts right now? Then your village would have to take to your boats to find a new home. And if you are, then why not join our clan? We could adopt you all! It’s rare to do so for a whole village at once, but not unheard of.“
The suggestion made Rockhoof frown sharply. “Asmat, you cannae really mean—”
“Of course I don’t!” came the insulted reply. “I don’t really mean it. I just hate the idea that we’re leaving tonight!”
Rockhoof tried not to think too hard about that inevitable moment. Tried not to think about how every passing second brought it ever closer. “Aye, I hate it, too,” he admitted. He blinked away the tears that were forming in his eyes and blurring his vision. When it cleared, he saw Asmat giving him a look of determination.
“Come with me.”
It took Rockhoof a second to realize what he meant. “Asmat…”
“It will be eight years before our fleet makes its way back to Equestria. Eight years! Do you remember what we were like, eight years ago? We were so different!“
Rockhoof did remember, that first time he had seen those odd ships with their unfamiliar, triangular sails come into the harbor. The ponies on them were different, and it was not just because they were unicorns. They were taller and thinner than the ones from the mainland that would occasionally pass through the islands. The cloaks that they wore were unlike anything Rockhoof had ever seen, colorful and brilliant and patterned with stars.
But their foals were foals just like in any other place, and wasted no time joining in on the village foals’ rough-and-tumble games. And the stallions and mares that laughed at Rockhoof now were, back then, colts and fillies no stronger than he was.
He smiled at the memory of simpler times, before the twin tyrannies of puberty and cutie marks had cruelly pushed them all into the agonies of adulthood. But as the feeling of the soft body in his forelegs testified, adulthood wasn’t all bad things.
“Aye, we were just wee ones back then, weren’t we? But even back then, you were different from the rest. I remember thinkin’ a lot about how bright your eyes were, and how much quieter you were than all the other colts. I just dinnae know what that meant at the time.“
Asmat smiled. “Exactly right! We’ve changed so much in that time, haven’t we?” He frowned. “So who knows what else will change before the next? It’ll be like a lifetime passing before we even have the chance to see each other again.” The unicorn’s voice was choked with desperation. “I can’t bear the thought!”
Rockhoof tried to keep his voice steady. “I cannae leave my home. It’s the only place I’ve ever known.”
“Rockhoof. There’s an entire world out there beyond this tiny village! So many different places and peoples to know. And you can see it all, with us!” Asmat frowned at Rockhoof’s concerned look. “And besides, this village isn’t going anywhere! It’ll still be here whenever you decide you’re sick of me and want to come back.”
That made Rockhoof laugh, which made Asmat smile. The smile dissipated in the silence that stretched on before Rockhoof’s answer.
“I really wish I could say yes, I really do. But everythin’ that’s important to me is right here.”
“But I won’t be. Aren’t I important to you?” Asmat took Rockhoof’s forehoof in his own. “You are to me.”
Rockhoof frowned. “If I am, then why don’t you stay here? Let your clan’s fleet leave without you.“
Rockhoof could see realization dawn on Asmat’s face. The realization of what he had really been asking of Rockhoof, and why it was not to be. The deep frown that he saw on that face saddened him. But not as much as seeing the golden brilliance in those eyes dullen, clouded over with despair.
The sky was a saffron hue, set aglow like a campfire on a cold autumn night by a semicircle of glowing sun on the flat horizon. But Rockhoof hardly noticed.
He was too busy focusing on his quarry, the evil sorcerer that was galloping ahead of him at full speed, his shimmering cloak of moons and stars billowing in the wind. Rockhoof winced as a crackling beam of magic narrowly missed his muzzle, nearly causing him to stumble in his own gallop. He saw a glimpse of the sorcerer’s mask before he turned back around, his horn still glowing a sizzling red. Rockhoof knew that the unicorn’s lead on him was widening, and he cursed himself for being merely the strongest pony in all of Equestria, rather than the fastest.
But luckily, the fastest pony in all of Equestria was also here, as evidenced by the blurry streak of orange approaching from the side. But then, another bolt of red, and that streak of orange resolved itself to the image of Flash Magnus, suddenly and uncharacteristically stuck fast to the ground.
“Flash!” Rockhoof cried, hesitating for a few precious moments.
“I’m fine! You can’t let him get away!”
Rockhoof heeded his words, narrowing his eyes with determination. “Aye, I know what will take care of ya!”
With his mouth, he grabbed his mighty shovel from his back, and smashed it into the ground. A fissure raced ahead of the spot where the blade struck the soil, quickly reaching the hooves of the fleeing sorcerer, causing him to trip and stumble. That was all Rockhoof needed to close the gap between them. He lunged the bulk of his body forward, letting the momentum help him wrestle the much smaller unicorn to the ground.
The unicorn wasted no time in struggling, using his magic to try to pry apart the grip of Rockhoof’s forelegs that were wrapped around him. Rockhoof struggled to hold on, shouting in frustration as the unicorn managed to slip just enough to get out from under him a half-length. Rockhoof grabbed his hindlegs this time, using his strength to flip the unicorn onto his back, slamming him into the ground just hard enough to knock the wind out of him for a second. Clambering forward, Rockhoof wasted no time pinning the sorcerer’s forelegs to the ground with his forehooves, at last coming face-to-face with his opponent. Well, sort of. The sorcerer’s face was still covered by his featureless mask of white, which Rockhoof could see had no eyeholes in it.
The split-second of unease this put in Rockhoof was enough for the unicorn to try to get free again, grunting as he managed to slip out of his hold. Snapping to, Rockhoof quickly slammed his body down, pinning the unicorn to the ground, panting with effort as he did so. The unicorn squirmed underneath him, gasping as he managed to slip out to the side, and again Rockhoof managed to grab him with a foreleg and slam him down to the ground once more. This time, with a force strong enough to shake off the unicorn’s mask just a bit. Enough to reveal a single eye of shining gold.
Something about the sight of it stopped Rockhoof in his tracks. It would have certainly been enough for the unicorn to get himself free again, but as Rockhoof quickly realized, he was no longer struggling, either. Instead, a single, unexpected word escaped the sorcerer’s lips, in an airy whisper that was all too familiar.
“Rockhoof?”
A million questions flooded into Rockhoof’s head, pushing against each other so tightly that none managed to make their way to his lips, except for the only one he already knew the answer to.
“Asmat?”
The mask slipped the rest of the way off, revealing a familiar muzzle. A familiar, brilliant smile, unchanged even after all these years.
“Oh, wow, you’ve gotten so strong!” Asmat’s voice was filled with wonder, as his long-free hoof began to gently stroke Rockhoof’s now very well-muscled foreleg. “I never dreamed you would turn out like this.”
Rockhoof stammered, “Ah, aye, it’s, ah, a long story—”
A voice suddenly shouted, so abruptly and so distinct from that airy whisper that it took Rockhoof a moment to realize it was coming from Asmat’s mouth.
“Unhand me, you foul brute! Do you think that your crude strength is any match for the might of the Mighty and Magnificent Talsam?“
He felt the pressure of Asmat’s aura pushing back against his forelegs again, but not with the force they had been earlier. He did not realize what was happening until he saw the tendrils of a white aura suddenly materialize to cover Asmat’s face and body, forming a glowing web that pinned the unicorn to the ground.
The voice of Starswirl boomed from behind him. “I have him now, Rockhoof. Excellent work.”
He turned his head to see the old unicorn approaching them, a now-freed Flash Magnus hovering behind.
“Starswirl! You old goat!” Asmat shouted smugly. “I see that you need hirelings to do your dirty work now that you’re too decrepit to—“
A glowing, white band of magic suddenly covered Asmat’s mouth, muffling his words.
“As you can see, Rockhoof, the young sorcerer can be quite a lot to handle. Your tenacity and perseverance are quite admirable.”
“Oh, it wasn’t tae difficult,” Rockhoof said sheepishly. “Just took a little effort is all.”
“There is no need to be modest, soldier!” came the rough voice of Flash Magnus, suddenly slapping him on the withers with a wing. “Must have been quite a struggle, if the red on your face is anything to go by!”
Rockhoof’s eyes widened, and the redness of his face deepened, though thankfully neither Starswirl nor Flash seemed to notice. They were focused on the bound Asmat, or the Mighty and Magnificent Talsam, or whatever he was calling himself now. Starswirl’s horn glowed, and a small artifact floated out of Asmat’s robe, which Flash took with a wing.
“Now, tell us, young sorcerer.” Starswirl’s horn glowed, and the band of magic covering Asmat’s mouth disappeared. “What do you have to say for yourself, for stealing this from the village?“
“What do I have to say?” Asmat smirked, his voice dripping with smarm. ”That you’re slipping in your old age.“
Out of the corner of Rockhoof’s eye, something moved. The mask that had fallen to the ground lifted slightly in a reddish glow, then smashed itself into pieces against the dirt, causing a flash of light that made Rockhoof close his eyes against it.
When he opened them, he suddenly found himself unable to move his body. Looking downward, he could see that it now seemed to be made of stone
“Petrification potion,“ Asmat explained, as if Rockhoof had asked a question. He looked up to see the very un-petrified Asmat looking at him, standing on all fours, flanked by the frozen bodies of Starswirl and Flash Magnus. The change had been sudden, if their shocked expressions were anything to go by.
“But I undid your head so we could talk. We don’t have long before it wears off.” He smiled. “I know the circumstances aren’t the best right now, but it is really nice to see you again.”
“Aye, they are not the best,” Rockhoof agreed, trying to put on a stern expression. But it was difficult, especially when Asmat laughed his airy laugh.
“You haven’t changed at all, wow! I mean, body, sure.” Asmat looked him up and down in a way that made Rockhoof blush, despite himself. “But you’re still awful at holding a serious face.“
“But I am serious.” Rockhoof frowned. “You’ve changed. The Asmat I knew wouldn’t be stealin’ any artifacts from villages.”
“Oh, thanks for reminding me!” With a glow of his horn, Asmat took the artifact from the grip of Flash Magnus’s petrified wings and tucked it into his cloak. He looked back at Rockhoof’s disapproving glare and sighed, smiling sadly. “You really haven’t changed. You may have finally left that island, but you still know so little about the lands beyond Equestria. You have no idea about what’s been going on out there, have you?”
This puzzled Rockhoof. “I don’t see what that has tae do with makin’ what you’re doin’ right.”
“Well, ha! You’re right, maybe it doesn’t,” Asmat conceded breezily. “But…” That smug smile disappeared in an instance, replaced by a serious frown. “It’s the reason why I never came back to your village. At least, not when I was supposed to. You”—Asmat interrupted himself with a sharp intake of breath, and a pause—“You did wonder, didn’t you?”
Rockhoof looked away for a moment. “Yea. I did wonder,” he admitted. He then looked back to see Asmat looking into his eyes. “I waited, you know.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” Asmat bit his lip. “I would’ve come back! Just to see you again. Even if you had long moved on from me like I’d expected, I would’ve still wanted to know how you were doing. But I couldn’t.”
Rockhoof frowned. “But why? What happened?”
“I—” Asmat hesitated, looking suddenly uneasy. He closed his eyes for a few moments, and when he opened them, Rockhoof could see a deep sadness filling them.
“My clan’s ships are at the bottom of the ocean now. Diamond Dog raiders, which we normally could avoid, but after…” He winced, as if recalling something painful. “Never mind. Like I said, there’s just been so much going on…“
He trailed off, letting the silence linger between them rather than continue. He sighed. “You’re right, Rockhoof. I have changed. A lot. I’ve done things. So many worse things than stealing artifacts from villages, or petrifying old has-beens. I never tried to find you again because I knew I wasn’t the same colt that sailed away from your village all those years ago.”
He looked at Rockhoof, and smiled.
“But one look at you, and it’s like I’m suddenly that colt again.”
He reached out to gently caress Rockhoof’s beard, the coat of his pastern brushing oh-so-softly against Rockhoof’s chin. And in that instant, it was like Rockhoof, too, was all of a sudden that teenaged colt once again. And like that teenaged colt, he gladly accepted the press of those familiar lips against his own. That familiar mouth, with its familiar taste.
Those familiar eyes of shining gold. But set deep with something unfamiliar. Engraved with the premature age that sorrow brings. Dulled, if only slightly, from the bright and open ones he once knew.
“And I’m sorry for stealing one last kiss from you before going.” One last, airy laugh. “I just wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t try.”
With a glow of his horn, the unicorn disappeared in a flash of magical light.
The sky was a darkening blue, the clouds on the horizon lit with the yellows and oranges given off by the shard of setting sun that was still visible. But Rockhoof hardly noticed.
The beauty of the landscape, and the ability to enjoy it in tranquil solitude was the excuse he always gave to his friends for why he took so many of these trips into the wilderness alone. But it wasn’t the real reason he always came here, to this exact same spot in the mountains surrounding Canterlot.
The real reason was that up in the mountains, the unicorn that Rockhoof was gently holding against his body with his forelegs was not the Mighty and Magnificent Talsam. Up in the mountains, he himself was not the Pillar of Strength, one of the great defenders of Equestria.
Up here, in the clear air, Rockhoof could still see the same brightness in Asmat’s eyes that he’d seen so long ago, despite everything the intervening years had done to dull them. At least, in the one that had not been clouded by the ragged scar that ran across it. In that brightness, Rockhoof could pretend they really were just two stallions in love. That there was nothing complicated about them.
Asmat sighed, a wistful smile on his face as he gazed into Rockhoof’s eyes.
“You know, sometimes it feels like I’m only alive in these moments of being held by you. That every day in between, I’m like a petrified statue, just waiting until I can feel your touch again. Until I can truly come alive again.“
“Aye,” Rockhoof smiled. “I know what you mean.”
Small words. Sweet nothings. That is all they ever said to each other in these meetings. At least, that is what they tried to do. An unspoken agreement, to keep firmly outside what was from outside the little world they had made for themselves up here.
But the outside had a way of finding its way in.
Rockhoof held on tightly to the unicorn in his forelegs, trying to be as present as he could. If he was truly only alive in these moments, he did not have very long before he was fated to draw his last breath.
“Asmat,” he began, swallowing the regret of saying anything at all. “Tomorrow, I’m goin’ tae Canterlot, in order tae meet the other Pillars. Together we’re going tae confront the Pony of Shadows.“
Though he had never spoken that name before in Asmat’s presence, the look of familiarity in his eyes told him that he already knew.
“It makes sense for Him to be your next priority. The amount of magic that He manages to draw from the dark corners of Equestria is truly remarkable.” He smiled devilishly. “A perfect time for me to make my next few moves, while you are all distracted.”
Rockhoof frowned. “That’s not why I—”
“I know!” Asmat laughed. “But why are we even talking about such things?”
Rockhoof opened his mouth, but the words froze in his throat. Asmat looked up at him and gave him a pitying smile. He began to stroke his beard with a hoof.
“You’re worried.”
“Aye,” Rockhoof said, glad to have a way to test the waters. “The Pony of Shadows is the strongest enemy we’ve ever faced. And I dinnae if we’ll all make it back in one piece, after such a battle.”
“Oh, but of course you will,” Asmat cooed, stroking the bulge of Rockhoof’s bicep. “You are the Pillar of Strength. You and your friends have always come back from whatever enemies you’ve faced. The Sirens. The Umbrans. Me.”
Asmat laughed at that, but Rockhoof did not. Instead, he frowned.
“But what if I don’t?”
“If you don’t, well…” Asmat sighed. “My people are at the bottom of the sea. You’re the only connection I have left to the life I had before I became the Mighty and Magnificent Talsam. If you’re gone, who knows what will happen?”
“Asmat…”
“I know. I know. This is why we don’t talk about these things!” He sighed. “What do you want me to do, Rockhoof? To try to convince you not to fight alongside your friends? To convince you that the doddering old fool will be the death of you all one day?”
Rockhoof winced at that old argument coming up again. “Just because you two have a history dinnae mean that—”
“I’m not trying to insult him, Rockhoof, I really mean it!” Asmat frowned. “I saw how he’s been acting. The last time we fought, the last time you all captured me again, the last time I escaped. He’s been making mistakes, and getting angry whenever they’re pointed out.”
Rockhoof frowned. “He’s just arrogant sometimes, is all. But that’s only natural for somepony who knows more about magic than anyone.”
A golden iris looked up at him with worry.
“I don’t know why you keep making excuses for him. I don’t know why not seeing that he’s losing it in his old age is so important to you.”
“He’s doin’ fine! I’ve never seen him miscast a spell, even the most complicated ones that make my head spin when he tries to explain them!”
“Yes, sure, he can still do the one thing he spent his entire life training himself to do without thinking. But he’s been making mistakes. If he hadn’t kicked your little friend out—”
“I saw Stygian with my stolen shovel with me very own eyes!“ Rockhoof spat. “It wasn’t Starswirl’s fault! It wasn’t any of ours!”
“Yes, yes, it wasn’t his fault that the Pony of Shadows came to be, and why you have to risk your life to fight him.” Asmat rolled his eyes. “Just like it wasn’t his fault that the sun stopped moving in the sky, and they had to create those abominations—”
“They’re not abominations! They’re just wee fillies!”
“If they are, then why is Starswirl the only one who is allowed to see them?” Asmat looked at him with intensity. “Why are they kept cloistered in that castle in the middle of the forest, far from any settlement or town? You and the other Pillars have never even met them, have you?“
Rockhoof opened his mouth, but could not think of a response. Suddenly, he was struck by the absurdity of shouting at the unicorn that he was holding in his forelegs. “Nae,” he admitted, giving a defeated frown. “But I dinnae need to know why, to know what you say about them cannae possibly be true.”
Asmat said nothing to that, and Rockhoof could see the gulf between them in the hurt in Asmat’s eyes. The unicorn simply turned himself around to face the sky again, then fell back into Rockhoof’s forelegs. They lay there together for a minute, in silence, until Asmat spoke..
“If only we could have been born in a simpler time. A thousand years from now, when your Equestria is a land that has known nothing but peace and harmony for centuries, under the leadership of your Alicorn Princesses. Then there would be no reason for us to have to meet like this in secret. We could just be together.”
Rockhoof was surprised. This was the first time he had heard Asmat call them anything other than “the abominations”. But more than that, it was what he said.
“Is that what you think is goin’ to happen?”
“Of course I do.” Asmat’s voice was dejected. “With control of the sun and the moon, how could the entire world help but bow to the immortal Princesses of this land? With such resources, how could Equestria be anything other than a safe and prosperous realm for its ponies? ”
“Then why don’t—”
The question died on his lips, in the face of Asmat’s withering glare.
“And after a hundred generations have known nothing but a society in such peace, who would ever care about those who are buried under its foundations? Especially when they leave no trace. When there are no victims left to make restitution to.“
A chilly silence fell between them. A gulf far wider than the two hoofbreadths between their faces. But as the silence stretched on, Asmat’s glare relaxed into a soft frown.
“Look. I know you will be here next time for us to meet, just like always. And you won’t need to tell me the story of how you defeated the Pony of Shadows and everything was fine, because I won’t want to hear it. And we can have our slice of life for a little while, until we part again, to wait for the next.“
Asmat gave him a look of determination.
“I have to believe this, because I’m not like you, Rockhoof. You would gladly sacrifice yourself to save the world. But I would burn it down to save the only thing in it that is precious to me.“
It was at that moment that Rockhoof admitted to himself that he could not tell Asmat the truth. He closed his eyes, to prepare himself to tell a mere half-truth.
“If I survive our battle with the Pony of Shadows, I will be here tae meet you next time.” He opened his eyes again, to look into Asmat’s. “Just like always.”
“That’s all I need to hear.” Asmat smiled at him. “Because I know you will. Now, let’s not talk about this anymore.”
After Asmat turned back around, Rockhoof let his face show the guilt that was eating him up inside. He tried desperately to not think of the moment he knew would come the following morning, when they would part ways as they always had in the past, this time only one of them hoping to see the other again.
Rockhoof already knew that he would not be there the next time. Starswirl had already explained to them all how their sacrifice was the only way they would be able to vanquish the Pony of Shadows.
He tried to hold on to the moment as tightly as he could. Each moment inevitably leading up to the next. Each moment consumed and spat out in turn, as time kept up its unrelenting march forward. All the way to the inexorable end.
The sky was a deep black, the stars shining bright and beautiful in their familiar constellations scattered across its firmament. But Sunburst hardly noticed.
The only thing on his mind was how he could not seem to stop the nervous stream of chatter that kept gushing out unbidden from his mouth. The goal, surely, was for it to convey something to the strong and silent earthpony stallion that was walking next to him. But it seemed as if he was talking just to talk.
“So after Twilight told me about your troubles with the Hippogriff Navy, I thought, hey! Why not bring you to the Old Equestria section of the sculpture garden, you know? I mean, so many of these figures’ pasts are half legend, half history as it is, and since you’re actually from that time, you could tell their stories like they actually were! And with a voice like that, I mean, it’s a very nice voice is all I’m saying, I’m sure you’d be the most captivating storyteller! I mean, like, maybe that could be your purpose here?”
“Hm? Aer…”
It was only then that Sunburst noticed that Rockhoof had suddenly stopped, and was a few paces behind him now on the path. The earthpony turned to give him an apologetic look.
“I’m sorry, lad. I must confess, I wasn’t really listenin’ tae what you were sayin’.”
“Oh, it’s okay!” Sunburst smiled nervously. “I mean, it was probably a dumb idea, anyway! You know? I mean—”
Sunburst shut himself up, noticing that Rockhoof was already no longer paying attention to him again. Instead, his gaze was fixed on the statue he had stopped himself in front of. Sunburst looked at it, too, and could not help but be excited when he did recognize it.
“Oh, I know this one! It’s the Mighty and Magnificent Talsam! You recognize him from back then, don’t you? You must have fought him with the other Pillars!”
“Aye, I have,” Rockhoof admitted. Sunburst waited a moment for Rockhoof to say something more, but he did not. It was only then that he noticed just how much the statue’s aged and wizened face reminded him of Starswirl’s.
“Oh, he must look different from how you remember him, if I have the chronology right! I know you and the Pillars went to limbo when the Princesses were still young, but the Mighty and Magnificent Talsam is actually much better known as one of the early Diarchy’s greatest and most persistent enemies. Celestia and Luna battled with him for decades. He was old when he died.”
“Aye, that must have been.” A bit of silence passed before Rockhoof finally asked the follow-up question Sunburst anticipated. “What was his life like, in the end?”
Sunburst could swear that he heard the hint of a quaver in that rich voice, but dismissed the idea of that as preposterous. Surely, he was just projecting his own excited energy at finally getting to talk about this.
“Oh! I can tell you that, because he lived long enough to make it past the Discontinuity, so records of him survived. At that point, he wasn’t nearly the threat he had been generations ago. More of a nuisance, really. So the Princesses tried to reason with him. Get him to give up his evil ways and live out the rest of his days in retirement, with a full Royal Pardon for all of his many past misdeeds.“ Sunburst frowned. “But the evil was too strong in him, and he refused their many offers. To his very last breath, he was still trying to accomplish his life’s mission. The thing that every conflict he had with the Princesses was meant to bring him toward.“
There was a pause, as Rockhoof seemed to digest this information, still keeping his eyes fixed on the statue. He finally spoke.
“And what was this mission?”
The quaver was stronger this time, but Sunburst hardly noticed as he barrelled ahead.
“Oh, that’s the best part! The historians had no idea! But between discovering Starswirl’s journal, and everything we learned about the Pony of Shadows since then, I actually managed to figure it out. My paper on it was actually just accepted for publication into the next issue of The Journal of Old Equestrian Studies!”
Sunburst realized to his embarrassment that he had not at all answered Rockhoof’s question.
“I mean, of course! The mission! Yes, I figured it out, and it really was the most evil of missions! Everything he did was to better understand the nature of Starswirl’s spell, so that he could gain access to limbo and finally set free the Pony of Shadows to darken Equestria once more.” Sunburst frowned, realizing what he had just said. “I mean, of course, that’s what we ended up doing, but, uh, you know! We had no idea that it would release the Pony of Shadows! But he totally did!” Sunburst jabbed a hoof at the statue accusingly.
Rockhoof, again, seemed to have no reply to that. Sunburst had to resist his urge to fill the void with more needless information, forcing himself to wait patiently until the stoic earthpony finally turned to him and replied.
“Princess Twilight’ll be here tomorrow, won’t she?”
Sunburst blinked at the non-sequitur. “Yes, that’s right! I mean, she would’ve been here yesterday, but it took a bit longer than she first thought to smooth things over with the hippogriffs after, well, you know—” Sunburst frowned. “Er, I mean, yes! She’ll be back tomorrow, and I’m sure she’ll want to get right back to finding you a purpose in this world.”
“Aye. A purpose in this world. Of course.” Rockhoof looked back at the statue. “I was thinkin’ more of a question.”
Another non-sequitur. Sunburst puzzled at that, but not as much as he puzzled at the expression on Rockhoof’s face. Enough to make him take another look at the statue of the Mighty and Magnificent Talsam. It was only then that he noticed the level of detail the sculptor had put into its eyes. What he had at first read as a simple evil glare, accentuated by that scar running across it, was in fact something more subtle. A deep sadness was in them. A dull sheen, like a bar of precious metal that had once been polished and bright but had since lost its gleam.
Something very much like the longing sadness in Rockhoof’s slate-blue eyes. Which made him wonder.
“Sorry, I really should have realized that you’re actually from the time those sources I researched are about. I should be asking you, not telling you about them. Because those old tales don’t always tell the whole story, do they?”
Rockhoof replied without turning his gaze.
“Do they ever?”
