//------------------------------// // Chapter 29 // Story: Luna's Lacunae // by kudzuhaiku //------------------------------// “Who or what was that?” Twilight asked as she stood over the unmoving body of something that appeared to be a very tall, very thin human. Twilight, trembling, looked at Luna and noticed that Luna was bleeding. “Are you okay? What happened?” “I am uncertain. It was like being back in Tír na hÓige again. My magic departed from me, leaving behind only the barest essence of what I am. The rules here are unfamiliar,” Luna replied. She reached up and wiped at her face with her wing, bloodying her feathers. Crimson spilled out from the body on the floor in an ever growing pool. Cadance turned away from the unpleasant sight, while Shining Armor snorted in contempt. The torches on the walls flickered, throwing shadows around the room, which made Cadance jumpy. “That was Lunn… Maeve’s master. Not his real name, but the name she was forced to call him. He was fantastically cruel to Maeve. One night, in a fight of rage, he ripped away all of Maeve’s fingernails from her right hand one at a time because she scratched his book cover. He would beat her with a cane or whip her. It does not surprise me that he haunts Maeve’s psyche.” Hearing Luna’s words, Twilight squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “No more… please, don’t tell me any more. I can’t bear to hear it. I can’t bear knowing that there is any being that cruel.” Twilight’s words slashed deep into Luna’s soul, causing Luna to flinch. Luna had been that cruel. She had brought great harm to her sister. She had tried to murder her sister. And her plan of eternal night would have ended life as it was known. “Luna, I can feel you hurting… are you okay? I feel so much hate… it makes me cold,” Cadance said to Luna, stepping closer. She reached out and touched Luna with her wing. Hissing, Luna jerked herself away, not wanting to be touched. Hating herself even more as the lie bubbled up from within her, Luna said, “It is only the hatred I feel for him. Leave me be.” Blinking, a hurt expression on her face, Cadance backed away from Luna, shaking her head, and her tail tucked between her legs. “That much hate isn’t healthy… it can hurt you.” “More than you know,” Luna snapped. “Please, don’t fight,” Red said. He sat on Shining Armor’s back, a pleading expression upon his face. “No more fighting. We’re supposed to be the heroes.” “Not all of us are heroes.” Luna turned away from her companions, staring at the wall, trying to blink away tears. No, some of us are villains and not heroes at all, little colt. If only you knew. What would you think of me if you saw me as I was? The companions fell silent when they heard the sound of something coming. Something that sounded like… hoofsteps. Twilight Sparkle stepped away from Lunn’s body and began to charge up her horn. Her magic worked here, even if Luna’s was acting a bit spotty. Twilight was discovering her confidence in this place. She was also discovering that not only did she have strong feelings of affection for Luna, but a good deal of love and affection for Maeve as well. “Why must you keep messing up my castle?” A white figure rounded the corner, causing Twilight to gasp. Cadance let out a squeak of terror. Luna dropped her head and her ears pinned flat against the back of her skull. Shining Armor began to back away, looking guilty. “Look at the mess you made! Why do you insist on wrecking my castle? Look at the ruination you have caused!” The tall white alicorn was much, much larger than she was in real life. Celestia was a giant. She had the scowl of an angry matron or a spank-happy schoolmarm. “You hideous little naked ape! I invited you into my home and this is how you thank me? GET OUT!” Twilight, frightened for reasons she could not explain, began to back away, wanting more than anything to hide behind her brother. Princess Celestia’s form shifted for a moment, and Twilight saw her mother, Twilight Velvet. Twilight blinked, shook her head, and tried to make the terrifying doppelganger go away. “Celestia’s not like this… how can Maeve think this?” “This is what Maeve fears will happen… that she won’t be loved any more,” Cadance said as she cowered. “She loves Celestia but she’s afraid… she lost her mother once and she fears that she’s going to lose Celestia… that Celestia will stop loving her for some reason.” “Be quiet you!” the giant Celestia roared. “Look, I’m very, very sorry.” Shining Armor stepped forwards with his head low and his tail tucked between his legs. He crept towards Celestia, letting out pitiful little whimpers of apology. As Shining Armor moved forwards, Red Russet abandoned him, leaping off, running away, and then hiding behind Cadance’s hind leg. A pony the size of a potato stood no chance against a giant Princess Celestia. “And just what are you sorry for?” Celestia demanded, growing larger and towering over Shining Armor, who appeared to be shrinking and growing smaller. “When I cut off all of Twily’s mane, I lied to you. I never told you what happened… I’m really very sorry. I got chewing gum in her mane…” Shining Armor’s voice became a coltish squeak. “When I tried to cut away the gum there was a big chunk missing from her mane. So I tried to trim everything up and make it even… I never meant to leave poor Twily almost bald! I’m so sorry!” Shining Armor threw himself down upon the floor and began sobbing, covering his face up with his forehooves. The big giant Celestia blinked, her eyes going wide. “You are sorry. Very well then, I shall forgive you for now.” The big giant Celestia began shrinking, becoming smaller and smaller, until there was a pop, almost like a soap bubble. The white alicorn matron vanished. “Shiny?” Cadance stepped forwards and Red followed behind her. “I really am sorry… I still feel so bad about it! I left my sister almost bald!” Shining Armor blubbered as he lay on the floor, refusing to look at anypony present. “This place is weird,” Twilight said as she stepped forwards to comfort her brother. “Shining, get up. We have a lot to do. My mane grew back. Everything is okay.” “But I still feel bad about it… I feel so guilty!” Shining Armor peeked out from beneath his foreleg. “Promise you’re not angry?” “I promise,” Twilight replied. “I still don’t know what just happened.” “I felt so guilty looking at her.” Shining Armor, sniffling, stood up. “I think I felt the same way that Maeve must feel sometimes. Maybe Maeve just wants to apologise to Celestia for wrecking her castle.” “That is a very good guess, and seems likely.” Luna, looking a bit more composed, began to walk forwards. The place where Celestia entered had a short hallway and a spiral staircase. Luna looked at her companions, and then started forwards once more, heading for the stairs. The companions stood at the base of some sort of tower. The stairs, steep and narrow, spiraled upwards. There was no rail, making them somewhat dangerous for a pony that didn’t have wings. The stairs were impassible for a pony the size of a potato, and poor little Red stood at the very bottom of the stairs looking crushed. “Think we’ll find Maeve at the top?” Twilight asked. She craned her head to look upwards and the stairs continued upwards beyond her ability to see. “Looks pretty tall… I think we have the tallest tower, but then again, nothing about this place makes sense. Everything is all wrong here.” “Luna, are you okay?” Cadance asked as she touched Luna with her wing. “I… I am unsure,” Luna replied, being honest this time. “This place is doing something to me. I am sorry for my outburst back there. Maeve has a small part of me locked away in her mind. I suspect that she knows much of my internal workings… my secrets—” “All of the darkness you hold within to keep punishing yourself,” Twilight said. When Luna turned to stare at her, Twilight started to look away, but then, feeling defiant, she stared back, even going as far as getting up in Luna’s face and glaring. “Twilight—” “Stay out of this, Cadance,” Twilight told her former foalsitter. Twilight took another step towards Luna, who stood at the base of the stairs. “In the Crystal Empire, you told me that you loved me and that you would work to get better. You are not keeping your promise.” For a moment, Luna looked angry, she sucked in a deep breath, getting ready to tell Twilight off, but then, she deflated. She let out her breath in a huff and her angry expression turned to one of sadness. Luna shook her head. “Yet another failure of mine.” “Oh no, you’re not getting out of this with self pity… you and I are going to talk about this later.” Twilight backed away from Luna, looked down at Red, scooped him up in her magic, ignoring his protests as she did so, and then began to climb the stairs. “Um, Luna, let me give you a little love advice.” Cadance moved to Luna’s side and bumped up against her. “This family… is best described as proactive. Shining Armor might look like a loveable, somewhat scatterbrained oaf, but very much like his sister, he is aware of and in charge of everything around him. He is a master tactician. I have found that when there is an issue, it behooves me to deal with it right away, rather than allow Shining to have the time to build up the entirety of the situation in his favour. If I chose to be passive and not deal with an issue, Shining Armor will make the issue manifest, usually in the worst possible way… and it is something that I treasure about him. He keeps me accountable and makes me a better pony. There is a reason he was made Captain of the Guard, and it isn’t because he is a bumbling oaf.” Blinking, Luna watched as Cadance went up the stairs, following after Twilight. Shining Armor waggled his ears at Luna as he approached and gave her a smile. “Princesses first. I’ll bring up the rear.” Taking a deep breath, Luna nodded. The stairs ended at a landing, and on the landing, there was a door. There was no visible doorknob, no keyhole, just a flat, featureless door. The companions stared at it, none of them knowing what to do. Twilight began taking measurements and examining the whole of the area. Cadance watched as Twilight worked. Shining Armor began to look at the edges of the door, looking for some sign of weakness. Luna stood back, giving the others the room they needed to work. Red meanwhile, he sat down upon the floor near the stairs and stared at the door. “The door appears to be made of wood, but isn’t,” Twilight said. “Of course it isn’t, this is a little girl’s imagination,” Shining Armor replied. “Then there has to be a way in, we just need to find the means of entry.” Cadance looked at the siblings, both of them ponies that she loved a great deal. She watched as Twilight used her magic to try and shove the door open. The door didn’t so much as wiggle. She watched as Shining Armor backed up to the door and gave it a good kick. The door didn’t budge. Of course the door didn’t budge. Cadance let out a sigh and hoped that somepony could make the door open. Letting out a tiny snort, Red Russet trotted forward, his head high, the potato sized pony marching up to the door. He waited for a moment, tossed his head back to get his bangs out of his eyes, and knocked upon the door with his teeny, tiny little hoof. The door shuddered for a moment and Red backed away. So did Twilight and Shining Armor. There was a creak as the door began to open. Golden light spilled out of the doorway, and from behind the door, a tall, thin figure became visible. Luna, wide eyed, stared at the figure. Tall, willowy, thin, red haired, freckled, oh so very freckled, green eyed, it took Luna a moment to realise that she was not looking at a grown up version of Maeve, but of Maeve’s mother. When this realisation settled into her mind, Luna felt her heart leap up into her throat. “My name is Maeve Rosethicket, and I’ve been expecting you,” the woman said. Knowing something, feeling something, knowing this was more than a figment of imagination, Luna shook her head. “What are you?” “I am the echo of a memory of a dream, kept alive by a spark of magic in Maeve’s mind.” The woman let out a musical, bubbling laugh. “Won’t you come in? We have much to discuss, you and I. There are some affairs I need to set in order.” Red, standing down at the woman’s feet, looked up at the giantess. “You’re pretty.” “And you… you’re adorable!” Maeve reached down, scooped up the colt, and carried him inside, leaving the stunned companions on the landing. “Is this a dream?” Shining Armor asked. “No… this is actually Maeve’s mother,” Luna replied.