A/N: it actually took longer than I thought to write this chapter, but besides that, everybody enjoy.
Return of the Shadow league: chapter 6: promises and memories
The next morning, Twilight and Flame, were awoken by a trumpet, sounding off from outside the camp, knowing they couldn't go back to sleep, they lazily crawled out of bed, and got ready for their next day of traveling.
When they left the tent, they saw soldiers, packing up their own tents, under supervision of Silver and his wife; they decided to see what was going on.
"Hey Silver, what is going on, it's still early" Flame said, in a tired voice, as they walked up to him, he chuckled and turned to face them, "oh yes, I forgot, you aren't like us, we always wake up early" Silver said as he looked at both of them.
When they turned around, they saw a group of soldiers, pack up their tent, and haul it onto a cart, much to their surprise, they then notices, Shining Armor and Cadence walking up to them, they also seemed sleepy, from their rude awakening, much to Twilight and Flame's amusement.
They were soon quickly followed by Twilight's friends, who all looked equally annoyed, by the sudden and rude awakening, but none more so than Rarity, who began complaining about her beauty sleep, also to their amusement.
Suddenly they were interrupted, by Comet walking up to his dad, "everything's packed up, dad, and we're ready to move out" Comet said, his father smiled and turned to him, "excellent work son, give the order to move out, we will follow" he said, and comet ran off to find his great uncle.
Silver turned back to the other's, "come, we must get going, we need to make it to the shrine, we have at least two days left, and we need to cover as much ground as possible" Silver said, as he turned and followed, the convoy of troops, quickly followed by his wife.
Twilight turned to the other's, and then turned back and followed Silver, as they again disappeared, into the eerie forest.
(Later that day…)
After traveling for what seemed, like hours, they finally heard Silver give the order, for the convoy to stop, "alright! We rest for an hour, eat lunch, drink water, and then we get back walking" Silver said, before he walked off, to join his family, everpony sighed with relief, but none more so than rarity, who was complaining the entire way.
Soon after, Silver himself, walked up to them, levitating a tray of sandwiches, and other sorts of food, much to their joy, who gladly accepted it, and started eating, Silver joined in, much to their surprise, "shouldn't you, be eating with your family?" Twilight asked, with a curious eye, as she looked at him.
He looked up to her, with a smile, "well your right, but I thought, it would be nice of me to eat with you, and see if you had any more questions" he said as he took another bite of his sandwich, Twilight felt satisfied with his answer, and continued eating, until a new question, came to mind.
"Um Silver, do you know the exact route, to this shrine" Twilight asked again, this particular question, caught his slightly off guard, but he answered none the less, "Yes I do, as a young colt, whenever I wasn't training in combat with my father, I was studying, you might say, that I was a workaholic, but after all these years, the path is still in my memory" he said looking up to her.
His answer, interested Twilight, as she looked him up and down, she asked a daring question, "what was your father like?" she asked, and when she did, their little group, fell completely silent, and all eyes went to Silver, who's smile disappeared, as he looked up at her.
He then looked back down at the ground, and sighed heavily, Twilight feared, that she might have offended him, until he raised his head again, "it's been a long time, since…since I've talked about my father" Silver said, with a sad look in his eyes, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked" Twilight said lowering her head shamefully, but Flame put a hoof on her shoulder, comforting her.
But he quickly cleared his throat, "no it's okay, I guess it's about time you hear, my story" he said as he got in a comfortable position, and sighed heavily, "okay…my father, was the greatest unicorn, I have ever known, he was smart, wise, and a great leader, he taught me everything I know, he was the greatest father, I could have ever asked for, even when I was young and naïve, he was always patient with me, never yelled at me, he always knew the right choice to make, if only Comet was around to know his grandfather, I only hope, that one day, I can be as great a leader as he was" Silver said, as a single tear, formed in his eye.
Twilight and the other's , were all equally shocked, until Cadence broke the silence, "your father sounds like he was a great pony" she said with a kind smile, one that Silver returned, "indeed he was, my mother was very sad when he passed, but I was there to comfort her" Silver said, suddenly he looked to his watch, and cleared his throat, "well, it's time we set out again, we are only a day's travel, from the shrine, and you best prepare yourself, Miss Sparkle" he said as he turned and left the group, to give the soldiers, the order to pack up.
Twilight was left confused, by Silver's story, there was a part, Silver was hiding, but she didn't know what, she pushed that thought aside, as she got up, and began walking with the other's.
(Later that night…)
After another few hours of traveling, they finally made, it to another clearing in the forest, this one was much bigger than the last, and allowed them to spread out the tents more, after camp was set up, they all found their assigned tents, and got settled in for the night.
Flame, was out for a nighttime walk, when he saw Shining Armor, outside the camp, staring at the moon, from atop a small hill, not far, he decided to see what was up.
Shining Armor sat there, with a worried look on his face, as he stared at the moon, he was worried for the safety of his wife, and his sister, he didn't know what, Silver had planned, but it was worrying him, more than anything had before.
He lost his train of thought, when he heard a voice from behind, "well, looks who out for a late might walk, what's wrong with you?" Flame asked as he stepped up beside, him, Shining Armor, was still taller, than Flame, but not by much.
"oh me, nothing, just thinking, it's my fault, this has happened, if only I was there sooner, I could have protected, the Princess's, but I failed them, I failed my duty as captain" Shining Armor said, as he looked down shamefully, he felt a hoof on his shoulder, and looked up, to see Flame.
"no it's not, how were you, supposed to see this coming, nopony saw it coming, you can't beat yourself up for this" Flame, said trying to comfort him, and luckily it worked, but he couldn't answer.
"What are you two doing out here?" a voice asked from behind them, they turned around, and saw Silver's wife, Sapphire, walking up to them, with a suspicious look in her eyes, they did their best to act innocent.
"Oh…we were just having a little chat" Shining Armor said, with a fake smile, and Flame followed his lead, Sapphire's suspicion grew, "well, if you were just having a little chat, then I hope you don't mind me interrupting, come I need to speak with you in private" she said turning around and walking back to camp, they both turned to each other, with worried looks, and followed her.
(Back at camp)
When they arrived, Sapphire lead them, into a tent, that they thought was hers, but it turned out to be, a spare tent, that was unpacked in case of emergency, as they walked in, she gestured for them to sit, in two of the seats, that were in the idle of the tent, "would you like a drink?" she asked as she stepped over and poured some red liquid, into three glasses, and levitated it over to the two nervous stallions.
She hoped into the single seat across from them, and took a sip of her drink, and looked at them, "no need to be nervous, I'm not going to bite" she said, with a sly smile, this only made them more nervous, much to her amusement.
"Now then, the real reason I called you hear, is because, I have noticed your great concern for the safety of Miss Sparkle" she said taking another sip, of her drink, this comment, diminished their nervousness, and replaced it with interest.
"well of course we are, she's my wife, and his sister, why wouldn't we be" Flame asked now more curious than nervous, "yes, and I understand your concern, but believe me when I say, that my husband, will do nothing to bring her harm, it is the reason I married him, we have known each other since we were foals, and I have always admired him, and when his father passed away, I was there to comfort him, and when he became grand master, we got married" she finished taking a break, she looked over to them, and saw shocked faces.
"believe me, I knew the dangers I would be put in, but I love Silver, more than I feared death,…you might say that is something out of a cheesy romance novel, and when Comet and Blazing Star were born, we both knew the dangers they would be put in, but make no mistake, they are very smart and wise, for their young age, and they know the dangers their parents go through, it's a rough life, I wonder, sometimes how they handle it, but they do" she said, with a sigh.
The look in their eyes, told her everything, Flame was the first to react, by putting down his still full glass down on the table, "well Miss Sapphire, thank you for that story, but it's late and we need to get to sleep" Flame said getting up and waling past her followed by Shining Armor, "of course, sorry if I kept you" she said as she walked out behind them.
(Other side of camp)
Silver himself, was back in his tent, looking over a map, of their location, and that of the first shrine, but he couldn't concentrate, the question Twilight asked early, was still stuck in his head, finally giving up in concentrating, he rolled up the map with his magic, and pushed into a drawer in his desk, when he did that, he noticed a familiar booklet, inside the same drawer, he brought it out with his magic and set it on the desk, and opened it, he realized, it was an old photo album, he made with Sapphire, when they first got married.
He opened it, and began flipping through the pages, he came across old photos, of him as a young colt, the day he first met Sapphire, the day he was born, and he continued to flip through the pages, he found one particular picture, that brought back many memories, it was a picture of him, as a young colt, with his father and mother, standing behind him, he smiled as he remembered that day, all too well.
(Flashback, guardian's sanctuary) 10 years ago
It was a calm day, and a chilly breeze blew through the mountains, Silver was training with his father in combat, "alright son, remember what you learned, and you will do fine" his father said, with a smile, Silver, was trying to learn, a counter attack, he failed the first few times, but was getting better.
He charged forward, straight at his target, but he made a crucial mistake, as he jumped into the air at the wrong time, his father took advantage of his mistake, and grabbed his hoof and his chest, he swung him around, and through him to the ground.
He grunted in pain, as his father looked over him, normally he would have cried out in pain, but he was used to pain, so it didn't bother him too much, his father leaned down, and looked him in the eyes, "remember Silver, you must always expect your opponents next move, if you do that, you can win any fight" he said as he helped him up, only to see his mother coming out of the large building.
She walked up to his father, "what is it?" he asked, her with a curious face, "Sky Breeze needs to speak to you" she said, before she turned and hugged her son, "right, well Silver, what did we learn?" he said leaning down to his son, "always, expect your opponents next move" Silver repeated, his father's lesson.
"yes, and remember, a great leader, always listens to his heart, do that and you can be the greatest leader the guardians, have ever known, no go find your friend Sapphire, I need to speak with your uncle" his father said, before he walked off, followed by his mother, Silver also ran off, in search of his friend.
(End flashback)
Silver smiled as he remembered that day, he flipped to the next page, and saw the picture of him and Sapphire, at the guardian's ball, he remembered that night, as the one he proposed to Sapphire, but another painful memory reentered his mind, as he remembered the painful days that followed.
(Flashback, guardian's sanctuary) 7 years ago
Silver impatiently paced back and forth, in his quarters, he was waiting for the news, of his father, in the days before, his father grew sick, with a terrible illness, and the doctors did everything they could, but failed, all they could do was try to ease his passing.
Suddenly the door burst open, and in walked his fiancée Sapphire, she ran up to him, and wrapped her hooves around his neck, a gesture he greatly returned, "I heard about what happened, I'm so sorry, how are you holding up?" she asked with heavy concern, Silver was near crying by that time, he tried to hold it in, whenever Sapphire was around, he couldn't do it, he let he tears fall from his eyes.
They were interrupted, when the door opened again, and two guards came in and bowed, "lord Silver, your father is awake, he wishes to speak to you" they said, Silver sighed and let go of Sapphire, he dried his eyes and walked out, followed by her, and then the guards.
When he reached the, he sighed heavily and pushed it open, the room was not very populated, only his mother, uncle, and other members on his father's counsel, he walked up to his uncle, who had a very sad look in his eyes, after that he walked up to his mother, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, when she turned and saw him, she got up and walked over to him, and wrapped her hooves, and pulled him into a hug.
He heard her crying into his shoulder, but who could blame her, she was losing her husband, she let go, and gestured to the bed, on it lay his father, gently wrapped in the blankets, his eyes barely open, he walked over to him, and sat on the bed, he could hear his father gently whispering his name, he grabbed his hoof, "I'm here father" he said, trying not to let his voice crack.
His father turned his head to face him, "Silver, my son" he said in a weak voice, Silver lightly tightened his grip, "Silver, my time in this world is ending, the time has come for you to take my place, as grand master…the guardians need a strong leader, you can be that leader Silver, if you follow your heart" he continued on in a weak voice, tears began to accumulate in Silver's eyes, as he listened to his father's last words.
"my son, our line has always lead the guardians, with wisdom and strength, and you can follow that path, remember your lessons, and you will be the greatest leaders the guardians have ever known, when all seems dark, and you feel lost, trust your heart, it will not fail, I will always be with you Silver, right here" his father aid, as his voice grew weaker, tears began to appear in his eyes as well, he reached up with a shaky hoof, and placed it on Silver's chest, over his heart, silver grabbed it, and looked him in the eyes, as tears spilled down his cheeks.
"I will father, I won't let you down, I'll make you proud" Silver said, his voice finally cracking, tears spilled down his father s face as well, his father tried to smile, but due to his extremely weakened state, it was almost impossible, "you already have, I watched with pride, as you grew into the strong and wise unicorn you are now, if I have any regrets, it's that I won't be here to see you become what you were meant to be, you are the greatest son a father could ask for, take care of your mother and Sapphire, goodbye Silver, my son" his father said, as his eyes slowly closed, and his hoof fell from Silver's, Silver instantly knew, that he was dead. His father was dead.
The sorrow became too much, as Silver cried silently, into the bed sheets, the whole room fell silent, as Silver cried, nopony bothered to approach him, after what seemed like, an hour, Silver rose from his position, with a solemn face, he readjusted his father's hoof into a more peaceful position, without saying a word, he turned and walked past the others, he didn't even make eye contact with Sapphire, he left the room, and closed the door behind him.
(End flashback)
Silver let a single tear fall from his eyes, ever since then he tried to forget that day, but something always brought it back, it was the first time he cried in many years, he was interrupted, when he heard the tent open, from the front, in walked his wife, with a calm face, she noticed the sad look in his eyes and walked over to him.
She saw the picture, of that day, and realized what he was thinking about, "it wasn't your fault" she said, as she used her magic, to close the book, and put it back in the desk, "I know, you're right, but it's just, that…I miss him, so much, if only he was here for this, to see his grandchildren, to meet the elements" he said as he got up and walked to the other side of the tent.
She walked over to him again, and out a hoof on his shoulder, "I know, I miss him too, your father was a great pony, and I'm sure, Comet and Blazing Star would have loved to meet their grandfather, but that is something we can't change" she said walking in front of him, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his, this gesture always put him in a better mood, she separated her lips, and hugged him.
They stayed like that for a few minutes, before letting go, they looked into each other's eyes, "come on, let's go to bed, we all have a big day tomorrow", and with that they both went to sleep, with Silver feeling much better.
A/N: well we go deeper, into Silver's history, come back next time, to see what happens when Twilight and her friends arrive at the shrine of magic.