Deep within the Everfree forest, there was a small hunt that had been put together using magic. It had been five whole years since Havran ran from what he had done all that time ago. And now, he stays in the forest, avoiding any kind of contact from the royal captial or even Ponyville. Along with his time away from civilization, his appearance had grown sharper and more intimidating, just as he was when he had finally reached adulthood in his last life. He sat in his home which he had used an extension charm on the inside to make himself feel more comfortable. His hair had grown down to his lower back and a full beard was now present upon his face. The white color made him look more like a wizened old mage if it wasn’t for his physique and still young face.

Havran sat in front of the fireplace with a book in his hand as he waited for the soup of forest inghredients to finish cooking, the sound of rain pattering against the roof of his home and the crackling of the flames brought him comfort when they came together. He was about to stand up and grab a drink when he caught something in the corner of his eye. A white cloaked figure making their way around to sit in the chair facing him. The figure sat down and removed their hood, revealing the face of the one who brought him into this world in the first place.

“I see that you still haven’t decided to return yet, Havran. I have been watching you live life out in this forest for the last couple years now. It has changed you quite a bit.”. Havran said nothing at first, but he wasn’t going to be a rude host. He stands up and walks over to the pot and stirs the soup before grabbing a bowl and pour some into it with the wooden ladle he had made himself before handing it over towards Faust. She smiled warmly and graciously accepted the offer meal before Havran got his own, then picked up a spoon for both of them.

As they both sat there in silence for what felt like forever, Havran finally broke the silence “I don’t know what came over me that day.” he said, his voice more gruff and gravelly now that he was a full adult. “It was like my heart was being squeezed in a vice. I shouldn’t have acted like that when I didn’t even know any of them. The mare or the stallions. But the moment I saw was what happening, I just…lost control into a fit of overwhelming rage.”. The home when quiet again for a few moments before Faust finally spoke.

“I think…what happened that day may have been my fault, Havran. You see, when I took your memories away from your past life, I took the ones away from your mind, but not the ones in your heart, memories that you can not recollect. But the feeling is ever present should something similar happen. And on that day, those feelings came out of you when you saw what happened to the young mare you defended. But I must ask you. Do you regret taking the lives of those three?” she asked, taking a sip of the soup from the bowl. Havran looked down into his own soup before nodding “Taking the life of someone is never a good thing. No matter what theyu have done wrong. But sometimes, their wrongs are so great that someone or something will eventually take their life. Be it someone of higher authority or some random stranger.”.

He rubs his beard before asking her a rather complex question “When animals hunt and kill for food, do they have a higher authority who passes judgment onto them when they kill an innocent creature? No, they simply go about living their lives until they die or are hunted and killed themselves. Same thing with any other crime they commit against one another. The only thing that sets us apart from them is that we have a more logical way of thinking. We try to rationalize our critical decisions. They may change our lives or the lives of others negatively or positively. So I ask you this, Faust. Why do you allow things to happen like that day? You could have stepped in to help that mare before they even laid a single hand on her. You re the creator of this world. Why don’t you make it a safe place to live for everyone?”

Faust offered Havran a sad smile before responding to him “As much as I would love to step in and bring everlasting world peace to my world. I made a vow to never interfere with the affairs of my creations.”. Havran sat down his now empty bowl and clasped hisnhands together as he star3ed at her intently “IM am assuming it is because if you did everything for them, they’d never learn for themselves. But, on a much grander scale.”. Faust was speechless for a moment, but nodded to Havran’s answer. “I figured as much. You are the mother of this world. And every living creature in it is your child. Youd rop hints every once in a while here or there. But you never truly interfere. Like a parent to a child. Oddly enough, that concept feels rather…familiar.”.

Havran stands up from his chair and goes to pour a couple glasses of tea before making his way back and handing the other cup to Faust. “You did what you had to that day to prevent an innocent from suffering, Havran. And the way that you did it is partly my fault. I know you would have done it far more differently if I had done things right in the first place. And for that, I am sorry. I know those three deaths weigh on your soul. But, I won’t lie to you and tell you that killing won’t happen again for you in the future. I know you will seek ways to avoid it yourself. But, there will come times where you won’t have a choice to protect those you care for, and those you will grow to care for. I can’t tell you what your path is because that is something you will have to decide on your own. But, I know that you will do what needs to be done when the time comes.”.

After they speak for a bit longer and finish the soup and tea. The both stand up and Faust wraps her arms around Havran’s waist in a comforting hug “I will always be watching over you, Havran. I know that even in the darkest of times that you may face here, you will be just fine, my handsome raven. Also, before I go, my youngest daughter will be returning from her banishment tomorrow evening. I ask that you please befriend her and treat ehr with the utmost kindness. She has been through a lot these last thousand years ever since her sister sent her to the moon. And I figured someone like you would make a great friend for her..” she said before letting him go. He thought about it for a moment before nodding. “I will do my best to make friends with her on your behalf. I owe you that much at least.”/

–The Next Evening–

A dark blue alicorn mare rested in her chambers, worn out from the battle she had fought with the new elements of harmony and emotional struggle of what she had to deal with for over the last thousand years. She sighed out in exhaustion before the sound of large beating wings stopped outside of her bedroom door on the baloney railing. What appeared to be a rather massive bird suddenly shapeshifted into an upright figure in a rather tattered cloak. The figure shadow approaches the door before raising its fist up to knock at the door. “W-who ist there?” she asked in the old language, trying to sound intimidating as her horn started to glow. “I am here on behalf of your mother, Faust. She told me to come and see you once things had settled down between you and your sister.”.

Luna’s horn stopped glowing once she heard that name from the stranger. Only Her and Celestia knew her true name. All the other ponies just knew her as Mother Mare. She slowly slides out of her bed, wearing nothing but a rather revealing nightgown that shown beautifully in the moonlight. She slowly opens the door to the rather large figure before allowing him to come in, having to duck down to do so. “Ah, so you are the little sister that Celestia told me about those few years ago. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Princess Luna. I am pleased to see your banishment has ended.”.

Luna’s teal gazed scanned the figure up and down for a moment. All she could see was the long white beard and the gleaming amethyst eye from under his hood. She remembered something about what her sister had told her earlier when they were catching up. A young stallion with white hair and an amethyst eye which he normally kept under an eye patch. She slowly stepped back before gasping “You…are one of her students. The one who took the lives of the three ponies all those years ago. The “Snow-Maned Raven’,..”.

Havran arched a brow at his new nickname he wasn’t away he had but chuckled lightly “Hopefully your sister told you the whole story, and not just the part that involved me killing them.” Luna nodded in response “That is the only reason why I haven’t called the guards in here…yet. You acted in order to save another.”. Havran nodded as he removed his hood “I know what I did was wrong. But the rage inside me built to the point for a reason that I can’t explain. It felt like my heart was in a vice and I just…lost control. Your mother could explain it better if she ever comes to visit you. But, I have returned to face my punishment if I am judged for it. I have had a lot of time to think about it.”.

Luna looked up at his now revealed face, she could see the remorse upon it and nodded in respect of his decision. “My sister may still be in the throne room if you go now. I am hoping that given the situation, your punishment will be light. Would you like me to accompany you downstairs so that the guards will not call for an alarm?”. Havran shook his head before making his way back on the balcony “That won’t be necessary, princess. I still remember my way around the castle from my time here. Also, I have a request from your mother. She said whenever I meet you, she had asked me to be your friend. So, here’s hoping that I will get to see you more often so that can happen. You seem like a sweet mare. Hopefully you and I could get along.”. With that, Havran apparates away to the throne room.

–The Throne Room–

Celestia sits on her throne with documents hovering in front of her, a few guards standing at the entrance and the sides of her throne. However, that familiar sound that she only know of one person who could make filled her ears as she slowly lowered the papers in her view. Her eyes widen at the sight of the now fully grown man that Havran had become apparated before her. Her guards were quick to draw their weapons and close in on him quickly before Celestia was quick to call them off, “STOP!’ she commanded before slowly rising to her hooves and slowly approaching the man. As she got closer, she noticed that he now stood over her easily with how he has grown. The young man she had been teaching all those years ago has finally become an adult. But would she punish him as an adult for his crime all those years ago?

Celestia stood there for a moment before attempting to wrap him into a hug. Havran then lifted a hand and backed away from her a couple steps “You are greeting me with warmth after what I did..? You should be looking at me with disdain and disgust. Especially since I ran. I don’t deserve your kindness when I could have found a much less lethal way to deal with them. I would tell you what really happened, but you wouldn’t believe me..so do what you need to do. I don’t care what the punishment is-” Celestia looked toward her guard before sending them out of the throne room “Leave us. Now.” she said in a stern command. The guards looked between each other before hesitantly nodding and making their way out of the room.

Celestia turned her attention back to Havran who was now gazing down at the red carpet under his worn out boots. She reaches up to gently cup his cheeks so that her gaze now meets with his. Her thumbs softly caressing the side of his cheeks as she looks up at him with the eyes of a mother who hadn’t seen their child in ages “I know you regret what you have done that day, Havran. I can see that it has weighed heavily upon you in your time away from here. I shouldn’t have looked at you the way I did that night…you were only doing what you thought was right in protecting another pony. And…I saw something in your eyes that day…I saw hurt in them. As if you had seen something like that before. And you wanted to prevent it from happening again.”.

Havran reached up and took hold of one of Celestia’s hands, gently squeezing it in response “I regret the action I took, yes. But at the same time..I don’t regret why I did it. She needed my help. And whn I saw what was happening…I couldn’t hold back. I just..I just wanted to..”. Havran then collapsed to his knees and wrapped his arms around Celestia’s waist, hugging ehr tightly as he began to shake. Celestia in return wrapped her own arms around his back and pressed his head close to her chest. The alicorn clearly saw that it had weioghed heavily on his mind and soul during his absence. To punish him now wouldn’t help in anyway after he had endured such mental struggle against his guilt

Celestia thought hard for a moment as she held Havran close. She wouldn’t punish him for what he did, but she would ask him a favor in return “Havran, it is clear that you possess powerful abilities that we as ponies can’t ever replicate. Your spells are unique and quite honestly terrifying. So, instead of punishing you for what you did. I ask that you become my court mage. Along with that, I want you to look after the new elements of harmony should they ever need help facing down evil in our lands. I know that someone like you with your kind of power will have no issue with that. In exchange, you will be compensated and live freely. Does that sound fair to you?”.

Havran thought about it long and hard before standing up. He gacve Celestia a firm nod and a smile of gratitude before lifting ehr up into a hug “I won’t let you down this time, princess..I promise. I will think more clearly before I take action. Thank you for giving me another chance..”. Celestia was surprised by the pick up hug at first, her legs dangling before she sighed happily and returned the hug back. She rested ehr head against his shoulder as they hugged for a good couple minutes before he lowered her back down. She was happy that he decided to come back. Even though she had been watching him all those years, she knew he’d come back eventually. She never lost faith in him. She could still see that there was plenty of good within him after all this time.

“Welcome home, Havran.” she said in a sweet motherly warmth.

Author's Note

A little something to hit ya in the feels with this time.

May the darkness grant you peace.