Luminous Atonement

by Metool Bard

An Antisocial Call

Luminous Atonement Chapter 9:
An Antisocial Call

After a brief walk, Princess Luna and her companions happened upon a large gate. Standing at the gate were a pair of unicorn stallions in security garb. Luna snorted.

"I figured as much," she said bitterly. "It's just like in Fillydelphia."

"I'm guessing we need to get past that gate in order to enter Norneigh, right?" said Discord.

"Indeed," said Luna.

"No problem. I got this one," said Discord with a snap of his fingers. All of a sudden, a scroll materialized in front of the princess' eyes. "Give that to them, and they'll let us through."

"If you say so," said Luna skeptically. She trotted up to the guards as Discord transformed himself into a constellation. The guards crossed their horns.

"Sorry, ma'am," said one of the stallions. "Nopony gets through without proper identification."

"I, have this," said Luna, handing them the scroll Discord just gave her.

The guard unfurled the scroll and read it over. He showed it to his partner, who read it over himself. After a while, they simply shrugged.

"It checks out," said the guard, handing the parchment back to Luna as the other opened the gate. "Enjoy your stay in Norneigh, Ms. Clearly Not Princess Luna Wearing A Cloak."

Princess Luna could hardly believe her ears. It took all of her self-control just to keep herself from blurting out how ridiculous this scenario was. She looked over the parchment, and sure enough, that was the name written, along with all of the information one would expect in such a document. She took a deep breath and regained her composure.

"Th-thank you, gentlecolts," she said with a bow. With that, she and her companions crossed the border into Norneigh. As soon as the gate was far behind them, she gave Discord a look.

"What?" said Discord with a shrug. "It worked, didn't it? It's best not to look a gift horse in the mouth, Lunatic."

Luna sighed and shook her head. "I really wish you would take this seriously," she groaned. "Now come on. We have to hurry and find the Kraken."

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, who, or what, is the Kraken?" Fluttershy asked timidly.

Luna's face darkened. "The Kraken is a sea monster that lives here in Norneigh," she said. "The myths about him don't do him justice, frankly. Ponies say he just controls the tides, and that he was one of Nightmare Moon's allies."

"Well, wasn't he?" inquired Fluttershy.

"It's a bit more complicated than that. It's more like he was one of the few beings who supported Nightmare Moon's actions," said Luna. "You see, the Kraken is actually a creature with immense power over solitude. Isolation, insignificance, the unknown. They are all merely playthings to the Kraken."

Discord chuckled. "You do realize the paradox of him controlling the unknown, don't you Lunatic?"

"I would, if I didn't see it for myself," Luna said darkly. "When I became Nightmare Moon, the Kraken called me out here to Norneigh. He wanted to arrange a deal."

"A deal?" asked Fluttershy.

"The Kraken feeds on loneliness," Luna explained. "And when I was Nightmare Moon, I had more than enough loneliness to spare. He said that in exchange for some of my loneliness, he would grant me the power to defeat my sister."

"And how did that pan out for you, hmm?" Discord asked slyly.

Luna heaved a great sigh. "I turned him down. The power he promised me was not what I expected."

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy inquired.

"He gave me a vial filled with his ink," said Luna. "He said that anypony who drinks it would become unable to perceive others. They wouldn't be able to see anypony, hear anypony, or touch anypony, and nopony would be able to see, hear, or touch them. They would be alone without really being alone."

Fluttershy gasped. "That sounds, awful," she said. "I wouldn't wish that on anypony."

"Neither would I. It would be a fate worse than death," Luna said somberly. "But my reasons for refusing him were far more selfish. I didn't want to simply take over Equestria. I wanted to defeat my sister, and prove that I was better. After all, I had my pride."

"Yes, and look what it got you," said Discord. "A round-trip ticket to the moon, with the next train not arriving for a thousand years."

"Discord! Don't be so insensitive," Fluttershy admonished.

"No, it's fine," said Luna. "He's right, after all."

"So, what happened after that? How did the Kraken take your rejection?" Discord asked.

Luna shook her head. "I don't know. I never knew what the Kraken was thinking, to be honest."

"Then, how are you so sure he'll help us?" said Discord, stroking his chin with his lion paw.

"The Kraken is very wise," said Luna. "He knows we're coming, and he'll have answers for us. I don't know if he'll cooperate, but we have to at least try."

They continued to walk in silence until they reached a small beach. Stretching out beyond the beach was a large ocean, sparkling in the light of Luna's great moon and the stars above.

"Now if memory serves, the Kraken lives just off the coast, in an underwater cove," said Luna. "I'll lead the way. Hold on."

She then closed her eyes and focused as her horn became cloaked in dark blue light. From the light, a beam of energy sprung out and enveloped her muzzle and wings. When the magic dissipated, she was wearing a translucent blue dome around her mouth, and her wings were cloaked in some sort of rubber.

"A simple scuba spell," she explained, her voice echoing due to the dome on her muzzle. "It allows me to breath underwater and keeps my wings from getting soaked. Here, Fluttershy. I'll do you next."

"Actually, allow me, Lunatic," said Discord. "I think for Fluttershy, we need something a bit more, special."

He snapped his fingers, and a ticklish sensation spread throughout Fluttershy's body. The yellow pegasus giggled as her body changed shape. Her wings fused together into a small fin. Her hind legs and pink tail spiraled around each other, eventually coming together as a long spindly tail. Small gills appeared on her neck. When she managed to compose herself, she looked down and gasped.

"Wh-what happened to me?" she asked timidly.

"Why, I thought that would be obvious, my dear," said Discord. "You're a sea pony now. At least for this leg of our little quest."

"Oh, my..." said Fluttershy, admiring her new body. Angel raised an eyebrow at Discord.

"I swear, I'll turn her back once we do what we have to do with this Kraken fellow," the draconequus promised. "Don't worry your grumpy little head. Besides which, you should probably join us."

He snapped his fingers again, and Angel found himself wearing a scuba outfit.

"And for you, Philomena..."

With another snap of his fingers, he encased the phoenix in a translucent bubble. He then donned a snorkel of his own.

"Well, we're all set, Lunatic," said he. "Ready whenever you are."

"Yes, quite," said Luna. "Alright, follow me."

She then galloped into the ocean, the rest of her companions at her heels.

***

The trip through the ocean was not a pleasant one. As Luna led her comrades deeper and deeper, the ocean became darker and murkier. It got to the point where the only source of illumination was the bubble that carried Philomena. Fluttershy shivered, frightened of the darkness as well as of the upcoming encounter with the Kraken. Still, she kept pace with the others and followed the lunar princess into the depths of the ocean.

Eventually, Luna stopped at a large cave near the ocean floor. She raised her hoof, signaling the others to halt.

"This is it," said she. "This is the home of the Kraken. Now to wake him."

She motioned for everyone to keep their distance and then shot a magic beacon from her horn into the cave. Everything was still for a time. Then, a loud garbled roar echoed from the cave. Fluttershy squeaked in terror, hiding herself behind Discord. From the cave emerged what appeared to be a giant octopus with rust-colored skin, great yellow eyes, and tentacles as long as Discord was tall.

"It has been a while, Kraken," said Luna.

The beast garbled and rumbled. Not a word was understood, but it didn't sound happy.

"Okay, anyone else need some translation? Because I sure do," said Discord, snapping his fingers. "Now, could you repeat that?"

The beast complied. This time, a clear voice was heard along with his burbling roars.

"(Do you not know that it is disrespectful to disturb a creature when he is hibernating?)" the creature growled. "(One would think you of all ponies would know better, Princess of the Night.)"

"I'm terribly sorry to disturb you, Kraken," Luna apologized. "It's just that..."

"(One knows why you are here, Princess of the Night,)" the creature interrupted. "(You've come in search of answers, correct?)"

"Indeed," said Luna. "Oh, I should introduce you to my friends. Everyone, this is the Kraken. Kraken, these are..."

"(One did not ask,)" the Kraken said, cutting across Luna again. "(Though One finds it very amusing that you chose to travel with the Master of Chaos and the Element of Kindness.)"

"Someone sure likes the sound of his own voice," Discord whispered to Fluttershy.

"(Very witty, Master of Chaos,)" the Kraken said dryly.

"He apparently has great hearing, too," Discord added with disdain.

"Um, Mr. Kraken, sir?" Fluttershy said meekly, twiddling her hooves. "We were wondering if you could tell us anything about Orthrus. That is, if you don't mind."

"(As One has already said, Element of Kindness, One knows why you're here,)" said the Kraken. "(But before you confront Orthrus, it is the Furies you must find.)"

"So, they're still alive?" Luna asked.

"(You make assumptions, Princess of the Night,)" said the Kraken sternly. "(One did not say whether they were alive or dead. Only that they bar your way to Orthrus.)"

"Ooh, cryptic riddles. How original," said Discord sardonically.

"(Your powers may surpass ones own, Master of Chaos. Nevertheless, One will subject you to horrors unimaginable if you continue to insult one,)" the Kraken snarled.

"Please, Kraken. It is imperative that we stop Orthrus," Luna pleaded. "Any information you can give us will do."

The Karken placed a tentacle to his chin. "(Hmm. One does not sense any loneliness in any of you. Unlike last time, you come to one empty-hoofed, Princess of the Night.)"

"Perhaps not," said Luna. "Feel free to peer into our minds. I'm sure you'll find something."

"Um, Lunatic? I didn't agree to this," said Discord.

"Do you want him to help us or not?" Luna said sternly.

"Alright, fine. But don't blame me if he goes blind," said Discord, folding his mismatched arms and shrugging.

"(Do not underestimate ones mental prowess, Master of Chaos,)" the Kraken growled. He then closed his eyes, and the water around him seemed to ripple. After a few minutes, his eyes snapped open.

"(One proposes a wager,)" said he.

"A wager?" parroted Luna.

"(Yes, a wager,)" said the Kraken. "(If you win, One shall bestow upon you the knowledge you seek. If One wins, then One shall keep the challenger as ones food source.)"

"The challenger?" asked Luna. "Whom do you challenge?"

"(The Element of Kindness.)"

"WHAT?!" yelped Fluttershy, her eyes growing as wide as dinner plates.

"(Blame your own memory for your fate, o Element of Kindness,)" said the Kraken. "(For One challenges you to a game of Shhh!)"

Author's Note:

I should probably explain why the Kraken's dialogue is in parentheses. I originally wanted to do it in greater than/less than signs (I've seen it done in a few Star Wars books when aliens talk in a foreign language), but because of how the site formats things, it made all the text disappear. So, I just went with the next best thing.

Comments

[thepinkparty]

aww shit karken going to get his ass kicked

[Wildebeest]

"It checks out." said the guard, handing the parchment back to Luna as the other opened the gate. "Enjoy your stay in Norneigh, Ms. Clearly Not Princess Luna Wearing A Cloak."

[Skyeheart]

A game of Shhhh?

I...I...