No words can describe the seething hate echoing in my soul. This creature of chaos I held in an iron grip was responsible for setting the course of my people. We were an innocent tribe of prehumans. He uplifted us to the stone age and then tainted us with the fruit of knowledge corrupted with chaos. The ancestral memories of humanity, once dormant from the absence of magic on Earth, seethed inside me once the great enemy of mankind stood before me.

Yet I stayed my hand. The countless voices of my ancestors called to me to end this beast but I stayed my hand. I looked at the little yellow pegasus who had given me her heart, cringing in terror at my wrath, rubbing her burned hooves while trying to stay between Discord and I. For her I will stay my hand.

I relaxed my grip and let my hand fall. I looked Discord in the eyes, his terror still evident, "You still draw breath because of her." I said pointing to Fluttershy.

"Leave my sight before I end you Prince of Lies." I growled at him.

Without a word Discord snapped his fingers and blinked away. I knelt down to Fluttershy's quivering form and took her scorched hooves in my hands. I reached within and then out to her with my magic and felt her pain. I pulled that pain in to me; her hooves immediately healed over, no sign of the previous blistering and scorching remained, while my hands became angry and red as if scalded. I poured more of my magic in to my hands and soon they were whole as well.

There was silence from all equines in the room. The only noise was the cacophony of the collective will of humanity screaming in my mind. I rested my head on Fluttershy and wrapped her in a full body hug. With hesitation she returned the hug and soon had her forelegs and wings wrapped around me as I began sobbing the same two words over and over, "Save me. Save me."

I never saw Luna approach me. I only felt her horn touch my head as the world slipped away from me.

I was floating in the sea of music again. I saw nothing. Felt nothing. I was surrounded by a chorus of notes and harmony. I surrendered myself to the sensation. After a time I could see a warm glow through my eyelids and felt the rough bark of a tree behind me. I slowly opened my eyes and saw I was in the field from my dreams against the old oak tree. Sitting before me was Yvette.

I quietly asked, "Is it my time? Am I allowed to rest?"

She shook her head no.

"I'm so sorry." I choked out.

"Why are you sorry my beloved? Because you showed sympathy for the Devil? Because you showed mercy to the Prince of Lies? I told you Creation would ask more of you in this life than it ever has before and there is much more to come. No beloved, you have nothing to be sorry for." She said in a caring voice.

I shook my head feeling tears forming, "No...I betrayed your memory. I...I have given myself to another. I broke my wedding vow to forsake all others..."

She laughed. I deep, mirth filled laugh. I looked down in shame. "My love, what makes you think you broke that vow?"

I felt a hoof brush against my chin and tilt my head up. Hoof? A butter yellow pegasus with a pink mane sat before me with a kind and loving smile and said, "I told you the last time you were here it was your turn to find me."

She then tapped my nose with her hoof and I was falling. As always, falling is easy to do.

My eyes shot open and I sat up with a gasp. It was dark, I was sitting in a large and warm bed, a window let in the light of the moon. My best guess from its position was that it was near midnight. I felt warmth beside me. Fluttershy lay beneath the covers, her back pressed to my side. The gentle rise and fall of her sides told me she was resting peacefully.

I rubbed my face with both hands. It was then I noticed the rings. Both hands had a silver ring on each finger and thumb connected by a fine chain leading to a silver bracelet around each wrist. I looked at the jewelry in puzzlement.

"They suppress your magic. Mister O'Hara." Said a voice in the darkness.

I turned my head towards the sound and a white alicorn with a multi-hued mane stepped in to the light. Her face wore a mask of control letting no emotion show through. In a way this beautiful and regal creature was quite intimidating.

"Princess Celestia?" I asked.

She nodded. "You have caused quite a stir with the other princesses. You are the only one who has ever contained Discord's power. How did you do it?"

Right to the point it would seem. But more, this being, she is the one that banished us to Earth. In a way she is equally responsible for the very existence of humanity. I sat in silence, conflicted between answering her and between screaming my disgust at her.

Finally I chose option three, "We remember you Morning Star."

Her serene visage cracked, for a brief moment I saw something that looked like...shame...cross her face before the mask of control returned once more. She asked, "How do you know that name?"

I defiantly spat back, "Do your people know? Your sister? Do they know this land you inhabit was once ours?"

A flash of anger crossed the mask now and she growled, "Answer the question Ape."

I felt Fluttershy stir beside me and I stroked her mane in silence, keeping my eyes locked on Celestia. Eventually Fluttershy resumed her gentle breathing. Finally I answered quietly, "I remember it. In my blood. In my soul."

She shook her head, "Impossible, that was two thousand years ago. You are no immortal."

I shot back, "For us it was two hundred thousand years ago. Our ancestral memory has faded with time, but sometimes, just sometimes, some magic leaks through to our world and some poor soul remembers fragments. So many of our myths, legends, our religion...so much of who we are...it is memories of this world."

She walked to the bed and sat upon the foot of it, she reached out a hoof and laid it on my hand and gripped it tightly, "Bear O'Hara I can never atone for banishing your people. If there had been another way...but Discord had corrupted the Ape Tribe. Given you the power of chaos. I...I couldn't have what was effectively a race of Discords...I didn't know any other way."

I could see tears forming in her eyes but it did nothing to soothe the fury I felt building in me. I took a calming breath so I could keep my voice low and not wake Fluttershy.

"Did it ever cross your mind to teach us? To guide us? The Ape Tribe were gentle souls living off the land. We flocked to Discord because he taught us. The only thing he didn't teach us was responsibility and civilization. You could have taught us that. All we needed was a light to show us the way." I said to her shakily. Never in my wildest dreams, never in my younger days when I sought spiritual truths, never did I think I would sit in bed and find the Devil herself apologizing to me.

Celestia spoke no words and slowly withdrew her hoof from my hand. She stood and walked towards the door then stopped, she said in a quivering voice, "The limiters on your hands, Twilight will show you how to use them come tomorrow. Rest for now."

The glow of her magic enveloped the door as it quietly opened. Before she exited the room I spoke, "Celestia." She paused.

"I am one man, one very confused and conflicted man, I cannot absolve you of what you did...but I...I forgive you." I spoke these words truthfully and honestly.

In a voice that sounded almost as a small child trying to choke back tears I heard her reply, "Thank you..."

She exited the room and I was left alone in the dark with Fluttershy.

I laid back down and wrapped my arms around the little pegasus and buried my face in her mane. I felt her wiggle closer and heard her say quietly, "Thank you for forgiving her. I'm sure it means a lot to her."

I kept my silence and planted a small kiss on the back of her head. She sighed softly and lay still in my arms. As I lay in the dark holding the pony that had become dear to me, I meditated quietly on the conversation with Celestia and the dream that had come before. Could I have done better than her? Could I have chosen a better path? These were the questions that troubled my mind when I felt Fluttershy roll over in my arms and face me. I could make out only a few details in the dark but I could feel her eyes looking in to mine.

"What is it Shy?" I asked.

Her hoof stroked my cheek, "I was thinking, about things you said, things I over heard. Did you really...k-kill a f-foal?"

I froze up, I knew I couldn't avoid this conversation, I just hoped I would have had time to prepare. "Shy...yes. What I did was...it was an act of evil. There is no excuse I can give, no atonement. A deed once done can not be undone."

"I'm s-sure you had a g-good reason." She said softly.

I shook my head in the dark, "Anger and hate are never a good reason to take a life."

And there it was, my answer to the problem of Discord. I hated Discord, the thought of him filled me with rage. But I spared him. But one less sin does not a saint make nor balance the scales.

"There is so much hurt in you the world can't see isn't there?" She asked softly.

I stroked her her mane and idly scratched between her wings. I didn't say anything to confirm or deny it. I felt her snuggle closer and nuzzle under my chin, the feeling sent a chill down my spine. "I know y-you said that you c-couldn't be what I need b-but I would like to give you some c-comfort...if you don't mind..."

I looked in to the gentle face, barely illuminated in the pale moonlight, that I could not say no too. For a time we both forgot the troubles in our heart.

The following day we were served breakfast in our guest room by Twilight. If she could tell we had "comforted" each other she did not let on, though how she couldn't tell from the heavy smell in the air was beyond me. She told us that Cadence had returned to the Crystal Empire over night and sent her goodbyes and well wishes. Luna was overseeing the Day Court today as Celestia had chosen to spend the next few days in seclusion. Of Discord no word had been heard and no news of magical mischief had reached the palace.

After our morning meal Twilight led me to a training room used by the guards. There she began instructing me on what she called combat limiters. The bracelets on my wrists were normally worn by earth pony guards to dampen their strength for combat training. The chains would normally wrap around a pegasais wings to dampen their magic while the rings normally fit on the horns of a unicorn for the same purpose. Luna had quickly cobbled together these limiters to fit my hands after the display of my rage induced sorcery. The fact that I was effectively wearing enough limiters on each hand to outfit an entire squad of guards was not lost on me.

Twilight showed me how centering myself and directing a tiny flow of magic in to the bracelets would cause them to release. It would only work when calm. If I was enraged the bracelets would remain firmly in place. As long as I was calm I could channel the arcane magic that Twilight had me study. I privately suspected that they were also dampening the voices. I found the longer I wore them the more the memories faded but the moment I removed them they were crystal clear in my mind once more.

It took most of the morning for me to get the hang of removing and replacing the limiters. In the meantime Fluttershy simply watched from the side of the room while Twilight and I practiced, I was not unaware of the narrowed eyes she would cut at the princess when she had to make physical contact during my instruction. I made note to ask Twilight privately about pegasus mating habits.

We ate lunch with Princess Luna that day, to my delight and surprise along with my salad was a roasted turkey leg. Luna explained that it was kept in the palace stock in case griffon diplomats were to visit. I thanked her for her hospitality and tore in to my first meat in months. Twilight looked a bit queasy while Luna and Fluttershy seemed to be unbothered.

After lunch Luna led us to a private air-chariot so that after the events of the previous day I would not have to go through the stress of walking through the city to the train station. I thanked Luna politely while silently dreading the ride. Did I ever mention I am actually terrified of flying? While Twilight and Fluttershy boarded the chariot Luna pulled me aside for a private word.

"Our sister tells us she visited you in the night and you spoke." She said.

I nodded in confirmation. "Whatever you said to her troubled her greatly. We wish to know what you told her."

Though politely phrased it was obviously not a request as much as a demand. I answered truthfully, "I forgave her."

Luna tilted her head to the side, "For what might we ask."

I replied, "Ask your sister about the Ape Tribe."

Luna merely nodded. She then looked over to the chariot where Twilight and Fluttershy awaited. She then looked back to me, "Does thou love the Element of Kindness?"

I will say one thing for Luna, she has no shame about some things. Finally I said, "She deserves so much better than me." Was the only answer I was willing to give.

"If we may offer one bit of unasked advice...let her decide that. Thou has a broken and confused heart. There is so much true and gentle kindness in that one, let her heal it." Luna said taking on an almost sisterly tone.

I cast my gaze downward and said quietly, "Is that an order my Princess?"

I felt myself drawn in to a warm hug by the alicorn, "Nay Bear O'Hara, it is advice from one sin stained soul to another."

I pulled back and bowed deeply and formally to the Princess of the Night, then made my way to the chariot. I seated myself beside Fluttershy and let out an unmanly yelp and clung to Shy as the two pegasai guards lifted off with the chariot in tow. Twilight and Fluttershy both did not even try to suppress a chuckle.

While the train ride was about an hour long too and from Ponyville, by air it would be only about thirty minutes. In that time I relaxed more in my seat and started to drift off in to a cat nap. I was startled by a harsh gasp and snapped my eyes open. I followed Twilight's pointing hoof.

Hovering in the air near our destination was something out of an old news reel, a ridged-structure airship, a dirigible. Below, Ponyville was burning.

Next Chapter: 13 - Paladin Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 23 Minutes