Shades of Grey

by Inquisitor M

4. It Comes in the Night

To my most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle,

Your concerns regarding the wellbeing of your friends make me
proud, but please know that only unicorns entering that place
are in any danger. Therefore, I have enlisted the best pony
available to ensure Rarity’s safety.

I know you will want to stay at her side during this difficult time.
However, I must ask you to come to Canterlot immediately and
deliver a detailed report. I have already dispatched a chariot to
collect you when you are ready.

In the meantime, please tell your friends to leave the matter in
my hooves.

Yours faithfully,

Princess Celestia

Princess Celestia was usually agreeable when it came to sending missives before a civilised time in the morning, but this morning, a letter woke him up distressingly close to dawn. Twilight snatching it away before it even fell into his claws didn’t serve to lighten Spike’s mood, either.
Despite saying that she wanted to spend some time with him, Twilight’s focus had been on rambling complaints about the ever-mysterious Stormcloud. On any other day, he’d be one hundred percent focused on trying to soothe her stressing, but after seeing Rarity rushed off to the infirmary… Pinkie’s idea for a welcome-home-and-get-well party was a clear winner.
Now, he and Pinkie were decorating the main room of the Carousel Boutique for a party. Being around Pinkie’s boundless optimism and energy was exactly what he needed. Rarity was going to be fine, and she was going to come home to a party: these were immutable facts in Pinkie’s world. She stood on hind legs, tongue lolling out of her mouth as she sized up a colourful banner on the back wall, when the front door swung open.
“Is there any news yet?” Spike clenched his claws together as Twilight trotted into the room.
Her smile appeared and disappeared too quickly to be convincing. “Yes, Spike, but I’m afraid it’s both good and bad. Rarity doesn’t seem to be much better this morning, but Princess Celestia thinks she’ll make a full recovery. You trust the Princess, right?”
Spike’s whole body sagged. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“Oh, Spike. I know you’re worried, but the Princess also said she’d personally sent somepony to make sure Rarity was safe. Trust me, she’ll be okay.”
He looked up at Twilight, but immediately looked away again as a smile started to creep onto his face.
“I’m heading to Canterlot as soon as my chariot arrives, but I’m a little worried about leaving you behind again. When you left this morning without telling me, I realised I wasn’t being very good company. So, I was wondering if you’d like to come and see Princess Celestia with me?”
Spike stubbed at the ground with a paw. “Thanks, Twilight. I mean, really, but do you mind if I stay? I’d like to be here when Rarity gets home.”
“Of course not, Spike, but there isn’t going to be a party. Not yet, at least.”
In less than a blink, Pinkie’s head appeared above Spike. “There isn’t?”
“No,” Twilight said firmly. “I’m afraid that it doesn’t look like Rarity is going to be coming home on her own hooves. The doctor wants her to rest at home where she’ll be more comfortable. A party is not resting.
“Spike, I want you to think about this very carefully. We all know how much Rarity means to you, but it’s going to be really hard on you to be around her while she’s like this. I know you want to stay, but I really think that you’d be better off coming to Canterlot with me. I’m sure the Princess would be happy to see you, too. Why don’t we let the professionals take care of Rarity? We should only be away for a day or two.”
Pinkie stood on Spike’s shoulders to lean closer to Twilight. “But we can still have a party later, right? I really, really want her to know how happy we are that she’s going to be okay!”
“Yes, Pinkie, of course we’ll have a party later, and I’m sure she knows we’re thinking of her. And since you have all this stuff ready for a party, how about you throw one for all the ponies who came to help us out last night? Since you’d be including the mayor, I’m sure she would let you use the town hall for it.”
“That’s a great idea! More space means more party! Twilight, you’re such a smarty-pants.”
“Since I’m not going to be here, could you do me a favour, Pinkie? Applejack and Fluttershy were still at the library when I got home last night, but I didn’t talk to either of them. I was a bit preoccupied at the time, and now I’m heading off to Canterlot. Would you mind checking on them for me?”
“Fluttershy?” Pinkie said, putting a hoof to her chin and almost sliding off Spike’s shoulders. “She’s probably just afraid that she caused everything that happened because of her crazy dreams. I mean at first we thought you both had crazy dreams and then it turned out that you were just seeing hers and she was acting all funny and not-Fluttershy-like and hurrying us on so I bet she’s sitting at home thinking we all hate her right about now.”
“Pinkie! How can you say that?”
“It’s what I’d do if I was Fluttershy.”
“I… well… huh. You’ll check on her then?”
Pinkie dove into one of Rarity’s storage chests and resurfaced wearing a deerstalker and holding a pipe in her mouth.
“Umm, what are you doing, Pinkie?”
Feigning a posh Canterlot accent, Pinkie lifted her nose in the air and said, “I have no idea, but do believe I’m going to find out.” She marched out of the Boutique blowing bubbles from the pipe.
Spike’s eyes followed Pinkie out of the door, fixating on her cutie mark and all the positivity that was walking out. He suddenly found himself without an excuse not to look up at Twilight.
“Spike?”
“I’m staying,” he said. “You know I’d love to come with you to see the Princess but… I can’t leave now. You’re right, it’s not going to be easy, but I really want to be here, for Rarity. Not just because, y’know... I mean—”
“Yeah, I know. I’ll send you a letter when I see the Princess. And don’t worry about the library. That can wait until I get back. And I’m sure the Princess won’t mind if you want to send me a letter. And—”
“Twilight!”
“Okay, okay. I’m going.”
Moving to the door, Twilight looked back with a warm smile. “I really am proud of you, Spike. I just know Rarity is going to appreciate it.”
“Will you get going already!” Spike yelled, starting to blush.
Twilight giggled and trotted back. Spike tried to shield himself with flailing arms when she left forward to give him a kiss, but with maternal grace she found a free spot and planted it on the top of his head.
“Bleh! Twi!”

For the fifth time, Spike walked into the bedroom carrying a tray of freshly squeezed orange juice, a bowl of leek soup, and some buttered bread: no crusts. Each hour since Rarity had been brought home, he’d taken away the previous serving and brought a warm, new one. Each time she slept right through the hour.
This time, the tray had a single candle on it, allowing Spike to navigate his way to the sideboard now that the sun had set. Placing tray next to the pitcher of water, he blew the candle out, yawned, and clambered up onto the corner of the bed.
It was late, and he’d been working hard, trying to keep his wandering mind busy. Part of him just wanted to watch Rarity sleep and pretend that everything was fine, but when he looked at her, he saw only the sickness.
“Rarity... Twilight was right. This is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I’m not sure if I should be here. I’m not sure if you’d want me to be here. I wanted to sleep here so you’d be happy to see me when you woke up. I wanted to be the one who was here for you.”
Spike paused briefly when his voice cracked. “But the truth is, I’m scared. I needed to be here when you woke up so I could stop worrying. I guess I even lied to myself about why I stayed, but lying to Twilight feels much worse.”
He curled up in the corner where he could see the sheets rise and fall with Rarity’s breathing. “Anyway, thanks for not being able to hear me being all sissy and stuff. Goodnight, Rarity.”

“Time to wake up.”
The voice was cool and even. Her conscious stirred, first at the feeling of the mattress beneath her, then at the plush pillows her head rested on, and lastly at the silk-satin sheets that hung across her warm coat—no, lastly at the fact that there was somepony in the room with her.
Rarity jolted upright, wrenching herself from sleep to stare at the unmistakable figure at the end of her bed. “P-Princess… Luna?”
The princess sat back on her haunches in a pool of moonlight that flooded in through the open window, head tilted down, eyes closed. Her horn and tiara sparkled faintly under the moon’s gaze, and her star-filled mane rippled delicately in a magical breeze. This was not the younger sister she’d saved from Nightmare Moon, this was a majestic princess, full of regal splendour and grim features.
“We have come at our sister’s request.”
“B-but a princess… in my house… I haven’t tidied; I haven’t prepared... I’m still in bed!” She brushed her coat with a hoof—at least she’d been washed while recovering—but touching her mane, she cringed. “My hair is a complete mess! This is an absolute disaster!”
“Would you prefer we came back later?”
“No! I mean, of course not.” Rarity’s voice dropped to a more controlled level. “I mean, I’m just not in any position to welcome you properly. You’re a princess, you deserve a fitting reception.”
There was no reaction from the princess. In the moment of quiet, the events leading up to the mountain cavern flashed through her mind, but anything after that was a blur: the infirmary, Twilight’s voice, being carried home.
She noticed Spike, sleeping on the end of her bed, and that the room smelt faintly of leek soup. Rarity’s stomach growled.
“If we may address your concerns in order?” Luna maintained her formal tone. “It is we who have invaded your home unannounced; your preparations are unnecessary. Besides, we believe the little dragon has cleaned the establishment adequately. Considering your circumstances, you are supposed to be in bed, and we request that you remain there until morning at the least. There is some manner of refreshment beside you; we believe the dragon is responsible for that too. We would be honoured to warm it for you if you wish.”
Princess Luna warming soup for her: the image was both deeply wrong and a joyous fantasy. As desperately as she wanted to focus on the latter, a memory of Pinkie Pie on the floor beneath her hooves, eyes wide in fear and shame, forced itself into her thoughts.
You don’t deserve it.
“Oh, no. No, no, no. You’re quite welcome in my home Princess. That makes you my guest, and I couldn’t possibly allow my guest to do that for me.”
She looked over to the bowl of soup and the spoon next to it, but as her horn flared up, a wave of nausea welled up inside her—just like back in the mountain.
“No. You are forbidden from using your magic until morning. We understand that we are a guest in your house, but, as Princess, we have accepted responsibility for your recovery.”
Rarity shrunk back into her pillows and nodded. “Princess L–Luna? M–might I ask you a question?”
Luna walked slowly around the bed without taking her eyes off Rarity. Her horn shimmered and the dinner-tray’s candle burst into flame, illuminating Luna from chest to muzzle as wisps of heat began to rise from the soup.
“Eat. Then we will hear your question.”
Rarity’s stomach gurgled again. She rearranged her pillows and sat up, but before she could lean over to pick up the soup-bowl with her hooves, it floated towards her in a swirling blue aura.
Rarity sipped at the soup twice before Luna spoke: “Ask.”
“Well, I was just wondering why... why you are here, Princess? There must be other ponies more appropriate for, well, house calls?”
“Is the Princess of the Night not sufficient for your requirements?”
Rarity froze, eyes widening, pupils dilating. Before she even started to form a reply she noticed the corners of Luna’s mouth curl into a wicked smile. Eventually, the princess gave her a knowing wink.
“You... you... That’s not fair!”
All traces of the Princess of the Night facade vanished as Luna suppressed a giggle. “We—I know. I am sorry, it was too tempting. To tell the truth, it was a small joy that you were more concerned with receiving your princess properly than asking why I have come—or just screaming.”
Luna’s voice had some of the foal-like quality that Rarity remembered from when they'd saved her from Nightmare Moon, but it was only a trace. The princess’s voice had changed and grown every bit as much as her outward appearance. Rarity hadn’t seen her since that fateful adventure, but she’d heard her friends’ tales about Luna’s troubles on Nightmare Night. The princess standing before her hadn’t fitted any of their descriptions until now.
In no time, Luna’s mirth vanished, and she stared into the candle’s flame. “In answer to your question, it is as simple: my sister requested it of me, and I was delighted to oblige. It is good to feel useful.”
Good to feel useful?
It seemed impossible that the princess of all Equestria could need such a mundane task to feel such a thing. Having finished her soup in silence, she found her bowl taken from her and replaced with the glass of juice.
“I’m sure you didn’t just come to feed me soup, Princess. May I ask, what are you going to do?”
Luna turned away from the candle and her eyes met Rarity’s with a steely hardness. “It is already done. I made certain that your good health was assured earlier today, and requested that you be returned home. I knew that you would be safe, and it made returning to check on your progress easier. I left you under a spell that would help you sleep, as I have done with Twilight Sparkle’s little dragon.”
If the unicorn’s face was not already white, the colour would have been seen draining from it. A voice from her memory said, I have used very dark magic on you.
“You… put me to sleep?”
“No. I would do no such thing. No, it is simply a spell intended to aid our subjects with difficulty sleeping. If you are concerned, you should wake the dragon and see for yourself.”
Rarity deflated with a sigh. “No, no. That’s quite alright. I’m sorry. Something just spooked me, that’s all.”
“Which brings me to the question I must ask you, before I take my leave. I am not sure I know how to ask this correctly, but... how are you feeling?”
The cumbersome delivery of the question gave Rarity pause. After several seconds, she smiled brightly. “Well. I am being nursed by royalty in my own home,” she said, slipping into her theatrical tones. “I have an adorable baby dragon snoozing on my bed that cleaned my house and made me dinner. After such a ghastly trek into that mountain, I suppose I’m feeling lucky to have such good friends.”
She studied Luna’s reaction carefully, but in her heart she already knew it wasn’t the answer the princess was looking for. Luna stared at her, unflinching.
“Do you know what happens when a unicorn’s horn is damaged?”
Rearranging her sheets to fill time, Rarity pondered the sudden change of topic. “I know that it limits a unicorn’s magic, and I know that they—we, always don’t re-grow horns completely.”
“That is correct, but only half of the truth. The connection to one’s magic also becomes damaged, and that connection must be restored as well. Only unicorns with strength of character, spirit, or force of will achieve this feat. For those that fail, their horns do not grow back.”
This time, the princess was studying her, and Rarity looked down, fiddling idly with her sheets.
“Your experience with the nullification matrix did a great deal of harm. I came to make sure it was not permanent. While it was not, your recovery could have been very long indeed. I repaired much of the damage, yet you are not recovering as quickly as I expected. Thus, we worry that you are not feeling… happy?”
Rarity closed her eyes as her heartbeat pounded in her ears. Perhaps her silence would say more than the words she was failing to find.
That silence was long and uncomfortable.
Luna filled the empty glass on the sideboard from the pitcher of water and presented it to Rarity before she walked over to the window. With a stretch of her wings, she stiffened, and her mane billowed with energy; she wore the facade that was the Princess of the Night again.
“If you have need to speak of such things, we suggest you do so in haste. My dear sister has high regard for your friend Twilight Sparkle in such matters. She has been… very kind to me.”
A crack appeared in Luna’s masquerade, and her eyes softened. “As have you, Miss Rarity. We are grateful that you do not fear us as so many have, and we appreciate your concern for proper etiquette. We ask that if there is something you would request of us in return, speak it. We shall return on the morrow to assess your condition.”
“We would like to spend the day with you,” Rarity said.
The words fell from her mouth. It took a few seconds to realise they were even hers.
Aside from Luna’s mane, nothing moved as one moment bled into the next, and into the next.
Did I just say that out loud?
Rarity clamped her hooves over her mouth. Between the impudence of the request, the manner in which she made, and the accidental use of the royal ‘we’, Rarity was about ready to dive under the bed to hide.
Luna’s hoof was already half-raised to jump out of the window. It hung in the air, arrested since the unicorn’s outburst. The hoof came back down in slow motion as the silence stretched further still.
“We appreciate your candour,” Luna said softly. She turned to Rarity and spoke again with her full regal splendour. “Perhaps we are mistaken. It would be wise if we were to monitor your condition personally, yet we have much to take care of in Canterlot. Our business cannot be delayed; therefore, you must attend us wherever we go so that we may... observe you.”
Rarity nodded, dumbstruck.
Did she just say yes?
“Very well. We shall send a chariot for you in the morning. For now, your princess commands that you sleep.” With a flick of her head, she made an overt display of releasing the spell she had placed on Spike.
A shadowy film seeped out from beneath her mane, quickly covering her from head to hindquarters and obscuring all detail. Leaping through the open window, the princess distorted bizarrely: her tenebrous form seemed to pour through the space that was smaller than her wingspan.
Tiny pieces of the black film left in her wake scampered off into the shadows of the room.
Am I dreaming? What have you done, Rarity? What do you even know about Princess Luna?
What she knew was almost nothing. What she did know was that she was going to Canterlot to spend a day with the Princess. Not the princess she would have chosen, but royalty nonetheless. She began to tremble, sinking down under the bed sheet as exhaustion reasserted itself with vigour. All she had to do was sleep, and the rising of the sun would take her to Canterlot.
After fidgeting a little, she pushed herself up quickly to look at Spike. “Thank you so much, my little guardian,” she said, pulling herself from under her covers to lean over and kiss him on the top of his head. Snuggling back down, she had just one thought running through her mind: Please don’t let this be a dream.

Three hours previously:

Stormcloud lay on a smooth disc of polished obsidian—the sole remains of his former prison—trying to still his mind, but it was no use. This was the most comfortable position he could manage, hind legs folded against his sides and forelegs tucked in against his chest, yet this was not the comfort he sought. Confined again to a physical form, his mind wandered restlessly and his belly ached to be filled.
Time and time again, his magic filled until it overwhelmed his self-control. The bursts could be a few minutes or as much as an hour apart: the longer the wait, the longer it would rake the walls with tendrils of raw power, leaving only the acrid stench of ozone and a shortness of breath in its wake.
The physical problems were compounded by his inability to ‘see’ outside his mountain home. Whatever capabilities he had possessed in his dream fled at the moment of his awakening, leaving him isolated—so much power, so little control.
There was but a single, saving grace. As his magic flowed through the nullification matrix, he could sense the energies of a pony walking the tunnels as if he were a spider sitting in an enormous web. Again, he fought to quiet his mind against the turmoil of emotions the pony’s presence inspired. There were only two ponies that it could reasonably be, and only one of those did he feel inclined to speak with. When she spoke, it was as much as he could do not to cry.
“I am not sure if it is good to see you, or a dark day for both of us,” Luna said.
“Harsh. It is good to see you, at least,” he replied, rising to his hooves.
“You do not seem to have changed. Are you in good health?”
“Why thank you very much for asking, Princess. I am just fine. It was lovely to be left in my prison for over a millennium. Of course, you would know what that was like, wouldn’t you?”
Luna didn’t flinch. “So you know about that. My sister’s report mentioned you might have abilities far beyond our expectations. Is there anything else we ought to know about?”
“Aside from almost blowing up the Elements of Harmony?” He immediately winced, his voice dropping to barely more than a whisper. “I’m sorry, Luna. I... I don’t mean to be so hateful. Everything is a mess. I had almost forgotten how much anger there was inside of me. Everything is just… worse.”
“There is no need to apologise, Stormcloud. For once your bitterness is well placed. We promised you we would find a solution, and we failed you. My sister is consulting her advisers even now. In my absence, she built quite an administration, so if there is a solution, she will find it. I have provisions outside. I presumed you would require them.”
Dozens of questions formed, all of them looking for excuses to ask Luna to stay, but he knew better than that. “I don’t suppose you can stay? Even for you, this place must be quite a burden.”
“Even if I could, there is much to be done. I admit that there would be some comfort in a familiar face, even one from as long ago as yours. It seems like almost everypony who desires my time only wants something from me. After a thousand years of my sister’s harmonious rule, I feel destined to remain in her shadow.”
Bile rose in Stormcloud’s throat. “You should go, before I say something I’ll regret.”
Still, Luna did not flinch. She summoned up the saddlebags from the tunnel and placed them by the entrance, away from the plethora of scorch marks that already covered the floor. Stormcloud watched her turn, giving him one last, long look before she walked away.
She had been the only pony to truly listen to him, the only pony to make him feel like he was cared for. He’d seen enough to understand her pain, and he couldn’t stand to add to it with his uncontrolled anger. He indulged in his new sense, following the ripples of her passing as she left his domain. When she was gone, he let the walls come down.
Tendrils of silver-white energy sprang forth and clawed at bare rock as he raised his head to what should have been an endless sky. Instead, he bellowed with all his might at the featureless, uncaring ceiling. He screamed again, forcing out as much raw magic and emotion as he could, the tendrils lashing against the walls until he was completely spent.
He collapsed onto the obsidian disc.
For a long moment, he sat in silence, staring at the saddlebags that the princess had left behind. When he finally pulled himself up from the floor, his continuously-glowing horn flared brighter and the bags floated over to him and opened. Before he even looked inside, he burst into tears.