Shadows and Watchers

by -SBRS


Chapter Ten: Care

It had been several days since my confrontation with Luna. Five days, in fact, and while I wished to talk to her again, we had not seen each other since that night.
 
Truth be told, I was deeply troubled. Day after day, I sought only to think, and dive through the heaps of memories that, in unfortunate veracity, were mixed and blended to a most inconceivable point. I remembered not when my life in Astora ended, and my duties in Farron began – only shades of years and dates, hazed approximations of my own life.
 
I was uncertain how to act on the information divulged by Marble. I knew nothing of the world outside and, most undoubtedly, I would suffer out in Equestria – perhaps hunted like a beast, if the ponies knew not of my existence.
 
Allegedly, I painted a most fearful picture to those who saw me for the first time.
 
Thus, I sat in my room, or deep in the archives, molding in chairs too small for my being. I thought every day, every hour marked by a clenched fist on my jaw. I was accosted by Lily Pad a few times, though she looked to be quite nervous and anxious with every sighting. I knew she wanted to talk to me, to see how I fared.
 
I appreciated her concern, but I bore no need of it. I needed answers, and I would only get them from one pony. It was, however, rather unfortunate that I wavered at the prospect. Most shameful, indeed.
 
It was this day, nonetheless, that I felt the need to take a walk. A stroll through the castle, as one would, and I felt it would do me a great pleasure. I had grown tired of my thoughts, taxed with my worries and fears. Thus, I had departed my room for the day, walking through the ornate halls of the royal palace.
 
It was on this walk that I felt a presence, lurking someplace behind me. Moving about like a shadow, flittering like a shade – I knew not whom, or what, it was, yet I became wary, unsure what hunted me. I turned around, scanning the red-carpeted hall.
 
“I know you are there,” I declared, my voice echoing about the chamber. “Show yourself.”
 
I watched, unsure what would appear, yet my eyes fell upon a particular shadow, wavering about in the corner of the hall. A form began to take shape, irregular and twisted. A coiled body, serpentine in fashion and upright in stance. Short, yet not stubbed, limbs branched off like legs and arms, and between the two sets were a pair of small, wing-like formations.
 
What appeared before me was, by all means, a monstrosity. As if the gods had taken a cluster of animals found nowhere near each other and molded them all together in the fires of sin – two legs, one clawed and the other cloven hooved. Two arms, one of a lion and the other the talons of a bird. A furred, serpentine body, a scaled tail, and upon its neck was the head of a vaguely equine creature, its eyes mad and its grin a most deranged sort of curiosity. He stood as tall as I did, and his eyes stared into mine.
 
I took a step back, in awe of the sheer impossibility of such a creature. By all means, such a thing just should not, could not, exist.
 
“Now what,” it began, its voice unhinged and most mischievous, “do we have here?”
 
Unfortunately, I did not bring my sword with me, as I had found no need of it in the castle. Until now. I left the creature’s question unanswered, however, finding no reason to reply.
 
“Cat got your tongue?” it said, approaching me. I realized, then, that it did not walk – nay, it floated just hairs above the ground. “Oh, dear me, do you even have a tongue?”
 
Slowly, caution ebbing in my muscles, I nodded my head. “Of course I do.” I said, simply.
 
“It speaks!” the creature declared, its eyes bulging in mock surprise. “Now, what. Are. You?”
 
I shrugged, somewhat suspicious of the character. “Human. New here. Only got out of the dungeons a fortnight ago.”
 
The creature made to respond, yet a familiar voice interrupted it. From behind it approached Princess Luna, a stern gaze upon her. Luna gave me the slightest glance, her eyes softening for a second, before marking upon the chimera-like being before me.
 
“Discord!” she barked, and the creature whirled around. “What are you doing here?”
 
Discord, as its name had turned out to be, took an expression of indignation, hands upon his lower body. “Well Luna, I was just getting acquainted with the castle life and happened upon this strange little critter! I was hoping somepony would tell me what it is.”
 
Luna’s eyes narrowed, and I sensed no small amount of animosity between the two. “Celestia told me you were off being reformed,” she spat, her last word making known her skepticism of the possibility. “Why are you back already?”
 
Discord burst out in uproarious laughter, clutching his clawed arm at what I assumed was his stomach. “Oh, Lulu,” he giggled, and the princess bristled at the moniker. “Don’t you see? I am reformed! I’m good now.”
 
In a burst of strange magic, Discord’s appearance shifted a great margin, a golden circle materializing above his head as great, pearly wings took their place on his side. He wore an expression of mock innocence, though I was more than sure Discord was anything but innocuous. Luna seemed to have been of the same mind, raising a brow in blatant doubt.

“Now,” Discord began, turning back to me. I tilted my head, awaiting his burgeoning question. “Will somepony, please, tell me what in Tartarus this thing is?”
 
I was more than bothered by the creature’s regard of me as a thing, but I said nothing. Luna, however, acted on my behalf.
 
“He’s a courtier,” Luna said, approaching me and grabbing my shoulder. “From a distant land, far away. His people sent him as an ambassador, to foster relations between Equestria and…” she hesitated, most evidently scavenging her mind for the name of my homeland. “Astora.”
 
Discord’s eyes took a rather unamused gaze, glaring at both Luna and myself. “I don’t believe you. I’ll ask Celestia, if that’s what it takes to get answers around here.”
 
Suddenly, in a whirl of color and light, Discord faded out of existence, departing with a slightly audible pop. Beside me, Luna sighed, evidently having held her breath for a longer time than was healthy.
 
I turned to her, a brow raised. “You lied to him.”
 
After a moment, she returned my gaze. “It was for a good purpose. I don’t trust Discord, and I never have,” Luna muttered, and her eyes softened. “And technically, I didn’t lie. You are from Astora, right? A land far, far away from here?”
 
“Perhaps you are right,” I chuckled, patting Luna’s hoof on my shoulder. “But what was that creature? I have never seen any manner of being like it!”
 
Luna rolled her eyes – her aversion towards Discord was evident. “Discord is a draconequus, and the Spirit of Chaos. His relation to myself and my sister is a long, long story, and I’ll tell it to you sometime,” she explained, awakening my curiosity. “He does look a bit frightening, however.”
 
“I’ve seen worse,” I responded, a smile upon me. “He looks rather absurd, in a most… well, he looks quite ugly, to put it simply.”
 
My companion burst out in laughter, her giggles echoing throughout the hall. “Oh, you are right, Roland. And I’m sure you have dealt with much worse, in all your travels,” Luna said between her snickers.
 
A moment later, however, Luna took a grave expression about her, her gaze hardening as she grabbed one of my hand with both hooves. “But Roland, I wanted to find you for something much worse. I’ve heard terrible news.”
 
Instantly worried, I tilted my head. I had no idea what she might have heard. “What? Then tell me, Luna.”
 
She shook her head, only serving to aggravate my concern. “No, Roland. You must come with me.”
 
Suddenly, my body became rigid, my nerves screaming out in panic as my feet left the ground below me. My mind became a blur of sheer terror and fear as waves of indigo magic roiled over my flesh. I tried to speak, but my mouth would not respond.
 
“Do not worry, Roland!” Luna declared. “This will only take a second. Teleportation is quick!”
 
I had no time to take her words into account, as the world had begun to whirl about me, colors and light flashing about like a kaleidoscope of insanity. My body felt like it was on fire, my innards tumbling about.
 
True to Luna’s words however, it only lasted a second, and when the madness had subsided, my surroundings were completely different, the world about me changed altogether. I was sat upon a chair, an oaken table before me. I found myself shaking in my seat, letting out a bark of pure terror and astonishment.
 
“I have heard,” Luna’s words reached my ears, yet I had no idea where she was. The world around me had yet to register. “That you have not eaten at all, Roland, since you have arrived!”
 
Groaning in pain, I slid down in my chair. “What do you mean? Luna, I—”
 
“Not a bite of bread, not a drop of water. Roland, are you looking to die?” Luna’s voice was somewhere behind me, and I looked up to see her looking over my shoulder.
 
My vision spun, and my head hurt. “Luna—”
 
“The servants have brought you good fruit and green plant day in and day out, yet you have not even taken a nibble!”
 
I tried again. “Luna, if you’d let me explain—”
 
“No,” she interrupted me. Luna’s eyes were filled with concern, her brows arched in sorrow. “Roland, what ails you so you don’t eat?”
 
Finally, my mind had cleared of any residue shock, and I could see with restored clarity. The table before me was stacked with plates, food of all kinds scattered about. A goblet was at my hand, filled with a violet tinge, and upon the largest plate said a small cake, a red top upon a white base. I had never had cake before. “Luna please, you don’t understand—”
 
“Roland, I’ve brought you some food from lunch today – I’m sure you’ll love it. I’ve even brought you some wine, though you do understand I can’t spoil you too much. The cake is as far as I can—”
 
“Luna!” I shouted, finally grasping her attention. She stopped, looking down at me with wide eyes. “If you’d let me explain, please.” Luna nodded, her ears angling towards me.
 
“I am an Undead. We have no need for food and drink. It has no taste, and serves us no need,” I said, very slowly. “That is why I have not eaten, nor drank, during the time I have been here. We can eat, but we have no need of it.”
 
“Then why were you collecting those herbs from the garden?” Luna asked, tilting her head in confusion. “Lily Pad was telling me about that.”
 
I shook my head, a tad bit annoyed. “It’s not as if we can’t find some use in plants,” I said. “Some can be quite useful, if prepared the right way. Be they warrior or sorcerer, Undead will find some use in what they find. Even rubbish.”
 
Luna nodded, but I could see that she remained worried, if not curious. “Then do Undead eat or drink anything?” she asked. I gazed forwards across the table, in an effort to think, yet something caught my eye. “Are you saying Undead can subsist off… nothing?”
 
“No,” I responded, watching the space between an ajar door. A pair of eyes, wonderfully violet, watched from the dark, focused on myself. I turned back to Luna. “There is something that Undead enjoy. Keeps us alive, you could say.”
 
Luna leaned closer, eager for the answer. “Well?”
 
“Estus,” I said, momentarily glancing back at the doorway. The eyes were gone. “A warm, fiery drink – some adventurous Undead have gone as far as to make soup out of it. Quite humorous, really.” I sat back in my chair, enjoying the direction the conversation had gone. “It’s a miracle, truly. Take an axe to the chest, that Estus will come in handy. Sews you right up, and warms your blood at it. Gets you ready, keeps you healthy.
 
“Always reminded me of home, to be honest. Useful for long journeys.”
 
My companion nodded, sidling into a chair beside me. “Sounds… amazing. How would one get this… Estus?”
 
I chuckled, rolling my eyes. “It was quite easy, back home. Though, I don’t suppose you sort keep any bonfires around here.” Luna made to respond, but I held a finger up. “Not the usual kind of bonfires one would just light with a pile of dry wood and some flint. It’s a very specific sort of bonfire.”
 
Luna nodded in understanding, but looked to be quite disheartened. “I understand. I’m sorry, Roland. I was just worried about you, and wanted to help you. I apologize if I seem a bit… overbearing.”
 
“It’s alright. I’ve a bottle of Estus in my room, but it’s empty. Don’t worry about refilling it, though.”
 
Luna giggled, rising from her seat. “Okay. I’m… still trying to get used to all of this, though. Having friends, I mean. And modern Equestria.”
 
“I feel the same way, Luna.” I was being truthful – I had yet to fully adjust to this new world. “Let’s just hope we can acclimate together.”
 
I rose from my seat, laying a hand on Luna’s fur. We walked out of the dining hall together, eager to find some manner of entertainment. I was not sure where we were headed, but I hoped our conversations would lead us somewhere.
 


 
She checked once, twice, thrice, before walking into the large, empty hall. The table in the middle sat unattended, yet nevertheless donned with a variety of plates and foodstuffs. Her cheeks felt warm, quite, and she was a bit ashamed of herself. Her shame, however, would not suffer her intentions.
 
Celestia was hungry, eager for some sort of lunch. She had attended her duties the entire morning, and intended for some rest and relaxation. She had stopped, however, when she noticed Luna’s abrupt arrival in the dining hall, accompanied by the creature that, for some reason, her sister adored so much. Noticeably, the “Undead” was shaken and, if a bit, frightened by the entire ordeal of teleportation, but soon had sparked a conversation between himself and Luna. Celestia could not help but sit and listen – she was curious!
 
And she was not eavesdropping!

Nope!
 
Finally, the two had left, aimed for some location somewhere in the castle. Celestia had no idea where they would go, and was more than a bit concerned – she worried for her sister, and her relative inability to adjust to Equestria. Celestia, however, knew she had to keep her promise – she would leave such matters in her sister’s hooves.
 
A few guards constantly spying on the Undead, Roland, wouldn’t renege on that promise!
 
Now, however, Celestia was presented with a different sort of crisis altogether. There it sat, clean upon the table, just waiting to pounce and attack! Celestia slid into the seat Roland had previously sat in, leaning over her prey. Red velvet – not her favorite, but she would enjoy it nonetheless!
 
Celestia gave a few sly glances around the hall, watching for any sort of spy or ne’er do well but, seeing none, settled herself into the cake.