Author's Note

Just a heads up: Slight violence and gore in this chapter.

Chapter 14

Training continued for days under Star Strider’s instruction. He grilled the unicorn regiments the hardest, always making sure they understood their advantage with magic but didn’t take it for granted. The earth pony and pegasi units ran even more vigorous physical courses than they ever had before. By day’s end, many of the soldiers actually looked forward to Star Strider’s meditative classes as a sort of break before their short sleep to repeat it all the next day. Luna continued to watch through the days, particularly before she went to go raise the moon. She and Star Strider kept their night spars going, some shorter than others, for the next few days as well. On this night, Luna was wandering the halls and tending her bushes again, waiting for Star Strider to meet her by the doors. He stumbled in from across the hall with his eyes half-closed. He looked dreadfully tired.

“Star Strider, are you all right? You look like you just fought a thousand ponies.” He straightened himself and leaned against a wall.

“Yes, I believe I am well, but I would say that description is not far off. The spells I have been casting drain me more every day. I need to study again the meaning of magic.” He drudged himself forward, the grace of his walk completely lost as his head hung low and his eyes drooping. Poor guy, I can’t very well ask him to train me tonight. She steadied him with her hooves.

“You need to rest first. Please, allow me to take you to your room. You look awful. I mean, uh, no offense of course.” He snickered without raising his head.

“None taken. I can only imagine the disgusting countenance I portray. I may take you up on the offer. I’m sorry my dear, tonight may not have a lesson in store.” Luna nodded as she placed his hoof around her shoulder and began escorting him towards his room.

“No worries. We have a few more days anyway. You need to rest there’s nothing wrong with that.”

They finally made it to his room, and he collapsed on his bed. It let out a loud creak as his weight was imbalanced on the lower half of it. Luna grabbed his legs and pulled him up farther on it so the weight would even out. He sighed and seemed to already be asleep. Luna returned to the door and looked at him with a smile. Even as he rests, his face is full of kindness. Sleep tight. She closed his door softly and continued walking through the halls. When she had finished swapping the plants, she went to her dream perch and prepared to enter the unconscious realm. The inky walls descended, and she immediately sensed strife. Coming from close by. It had been a long time since someone in the palace had a nightmare. She sorted through the orbs until she came across a shimmering blue one. Peering in, she saw Star Strider on top of a hill with tears rolling down his face. She was astounded that he was having a nightmare, with all his fears, desires, and recklessness gone. She entered the orb and landed behind him to see a valley completely on fire. Ponies were stabbing spears up as dragons swooped down, burning homes and ponies alike. It was a horrible sight with screams filling the air. She looked at Star Strider as he silently cried at the image. She reached a hoof up to calm his mind but was stopped by his own.

“Please princess, I appreciate your aid, but it is unnecessary. I need to see this.” She lowered her hoof and looked back with him. A young pony that looked an awful lot like the stallion next to her, but much smaller, grabbed a spear laying next to a pony that had been torn in half. Without hesitation, he leaped up and stabbed through the wing of a dragon overhead. With a roar, it crashed down into a barrel pile full of waters. Three other ponies gathered around it as it struggled to get up. The ponies stabbed at it, cutting its face and claws as it reached out trying to fight back. It spat a breath of fire at a magenta-colored pony, who was engulfed in the fireball and screamed for a short moment. The young Star Strider charged from his earlier position and stabbed the spear he had directly into the throat of the roaring dragon. Blood spurted from its neck as the back of it was pierced as well. Without relishing the victory, the now two other ponies turned to Star Strider as they formed up and charged another dragon. Luna was horrified at the scene. The violence was one she had been kept from for a long time. It reminded her of the war Canterlot had with King Sombra all those millennia ago.

As she continued watching, she found herself unable to turn to the stallion next to her or leave the dream. She knew something important was buried in this horror; this was not just another nightmare. Suddenly the entire scene froze, and Star Strider started down the slope. She followed quickly as they came face-to-face with the young version of himself. He was bent over a broken pile of rubble that had once been a house of sorts. In the center lay charred skeletons of two larger ponies and what she could only guess was the small bones of a colt or filly. The younger self was in the midst of tears as Star Strider looked at the scene.

“This was the moment that set me onto my path. My real family… gone. I felt unbound from this town finally.” He walked over to where a dragon was tearing a bag of food from an old pony, clearly about to be incinerated. “Part of me was— no, is grateful they passed. For their own suffering to end, and my ability to leave this place with no qualms. It is one of the worst thoughts I ever had. Gratitude, for the death of my family. What kind of pony could think that?” The scene evaporated as they stood on the murky ground of a slumbering mind. “I used to, until I separated the Lichen from me. And now I do again. Something has gone wrong. I can feel my magic slowing, my desires returning, my heart hardening. I cannot split the Lichen again. The devastation it caused was too much. But I was not ready for my pain to return. My heart is not strong enough. Not anymore.”

His words sat on Luna’s heart like a coating of lead. She touched a hoof to his face and raised it to her own.

“Pain… is what makes us alive. We keep the little cuts, so the big ones don’t hurt so much, right?” She gave him a little grin as she called his earlier wisdom to bare. He lowered his head again and grabbed her hoof.

“I had gone so long without remembering what haunted my heart, I took for granted the peace I lived in daily. The peace ponies die for never to feel. I am a selfish fool, and nothing more.” Luna felt herself become angry as he said those words.

“Selfish? You are anything but selfish! How could you even think that? You gave up your family, your home, so that thousands of years later we could have fancy wings on our backs! You sacrificed yourself for centuries hanging in the void of chaos with a creature of destruction just so no one would have to fear it. You returned and immediately began working with ponies not your own and agreed to help the creatures too. No, Star Strider, you don’t deserve the title of selfish. Your deeds are far too selfless for that.” She was pacing in front of him as she spoke. He sat back on his haunches.

“No, princess, unfortunately, my thoughts betray me. The hatred I harbor for dragons still, the peace I find in the deaths of my family, the… desires, that take precedence in my mind are all too distasteful to be deserving of your praise.” Luna stopped in front of him and sat down. She spoke to him with a heavy voice.

“There is nothing wrong with having bad thoughts. It is the way we let them shape us that matter. Expel them quickly, dwell with them not, and allow yourself to be better than your unrestraint. Everypony has those thoughts, but you cannot let it dictate who you become. I would be one to know.” Raising her eyes to meet his, he gave her a weak smile.

“I suppose so, your words have a wisdom to them shaped by the years. Perhaps I have quite a bit to learn from this world as much as you do mine.” His smile faltered. “But again, my meditation ought to be focused if I am to regain control. If I let these desires overcome me, The Lichen will be the least troublesome monster on the land.” He pulled Luna into a hug. “Thank you. It is comforting to know the dream realm is in safe holds such as yours. I am indebted to you for your soothing words and invaluable friendship. Thank you.” He squeezed her softly and she felt her heart melt at the emotions of this old pony. She was almost brought to tears herself, but they parted, and he stood back. She ascended on the black canvas of the mind and a small rift opened for her to leave.

“Rest easy, Star Strider. Your mind is strong, and your heart is kind. Remember this often, and peace be upon you.” The world closed to her as she saw him smile back to her. She awoke back on her dream perch, with Discord laying on her bed again.

“YOU! What in Equestria are you doing back here?” Discord held his hands up in a defensive gesture, but a smug smile on his face.

“Oh, please Luna, it’s as if you can’t stand my company anymore. I’m a reformed good guy now, remember? You have to like me based on the rules of heroism or whatever. Anyway, I brought some interesting news I figured you would take a liking to. Care to hear?” Luna paused her violent stance and lowered her horn.

“Fine, but it better be good. I’m tired of ponies barging in here uninvited.”

“Trust me, you’ll want to hear this.

“I did a little more research on that ‘vision’ you had from somepony in the chaos dimension. As I scoured the landscapes, I discovered a very disgusting creature. I couldn’t believe something so vile had entered my realm! It was a young pony! Talk about an unwanted guest! He was just floating with a blob next to him. I kept poking the young lad until he finally opened his eyes. He didn’t speak a lick of any language known to the world but seemed very frantic. The blob was tethered to his waist and seemed to be sucking the life out of him. I did my best to sever the chord, but to no avail. I asked other chaos beings what it was until finally, someone was actually useful! They said it was your old friend Star guy. But I thought ‘that’s not possible, they took him home!’ So, I dug deeper. Retracing your rather noisy steps for the summoning process, I discovered that you didn’t actually resummon him correctly. You manifested a vast portion of him, yes, but you left behind something that he had intentionally stuck to himself. The Lichen thing. The young pony in the chaos dimension is actually a gateway of some of your man’s ancient being. It’s keeping the beast alive all while draining the poor pony while he’s here. I am sure that the Lichen is going to figure out how to get back once it’s taken what it needs. I couldn’t use any magic on it, as it only seemed empowered by the chaos realm and my spells.”

Luna had a panicked look across her face as she put a hoof to her head. It felt as though someone had just smacked her so hard it sent her back to the moon.

“I— I don’t even know where to start! This is bad news. That explains why he’s feeling so drained, and why his desires are coming back. The heavens above, this is BAD!” Discord through his hands up in exasperation.

“I told you you would want to know, but no one ever has the time to listen to me!” But Luna wasn’t paying attention to his pity display, she rushed out of the hall into Celestia’s room.

“Sister! We have some bad news.”