Moondancer peered through her thick glasses at the carved sections of the wall. Her eyes traced along the damaged lines of what she could only imagine were once detailed pictures laid into the stone. She knew book repair spells, but stone was not paper. Its repair was also another thing entirely. She was not reforging words written into a medium.
She tapped her chin softly before she raised her book. With a strong glow, she began dutifully copying the art into her book from several angles as best she could. "We need someone more artistic to decipher this."
"Trouble?" came the smooth and dark tones of Quick Stroke as he rose from nothing beside Moondancer.
Moondancer hopped aside away from him, adjusting her glasses a moment. "Things are proceeding as well as they can. I will document what I find, as promised." She tapped the book floating beside her. "It will fall on others to discern it."
With a soft thump, a tsuki landed beside Moondancer. Celene pointed at the floating book. "What doing?"
Quick snarled at her. "We were speaking. Know your place."
Celene slid between Moondancer and Quick. "I protect good pony, is my place. What yours?"
Quick's eyes rolled in imperfect unison in a disquieting display. "I am the right hoof of Lord Sombra."
"Is not true." Celene huffed at him, matching his frown.
Moondancer circled around her. "What's not true? Let's keep this civil."
Celene thrust a paw at Quick. "Toby is second tsuki, not him."
Quick's frown gave way to a confident smile. "Toby is head tsuki, as you would say, but ponies are above tsuki." He put one hoof on the other to demonstrate. "Sombra is the highest pony, and I am beneath him."
Celene turned away from him. "Not waste time unsmart pony. Moondancer, is need anything?" She reached back into a small pouch that was tied around her middle and drew out a little covered bowl. "I brought food."
Moondancer's magic flowed around the bowl, lifting it gently. "Thank you. I'm fine." A thought struck her and she pointed at the wall. "Does this art mean anything to you?"
Celene turned to look at it, eyes sweeping back and forth. "Old tsuki tell stories."
Moondancer clapped her hooves together in a single loud clop. "Oral traditions! Of course! Will you share those stories with me?"
Quick raised a hoof to wave it through the air. "Yes, regale us with the tales of your people." He sank to his haunches. "This should be amusing."
Celene glanced at Quick, but her eyes were largely on Moondancer. "Share later, yes? Hear Toby call." Without waiting for reply, she bounded, gone into the darkness with only the increasingly distant sounds of paws striking the stone.
Moondancer turned to regard her fellow pony. "You should treat them with the respect you want them to have for themselves. It is in nopony's interest to--"
"--I have no interest in your pathetic mewlings." Quick held up a hoof, blocking their eyes from meeting. "You are beneath me, a mere servant."
Moondancer could feel fire building in her, but she counted silently to ten instead of screaming at the stallion. "I have work to do."
"I'm glad you realize that." He faded into darkness and was gone.
She was able to record several more pieces before she heard the quiet but specific sound of congealing shadow. "What is it?" she asked in an irate tone.
"That is hardly the manner I expected to be greeted in." It was Sombra, stepping up beside her. "They used to waste many hours on these, producing nothing."
Moondancer spun towards him. "Wait, what?!"
Sombra lifted an ear towards her. "I said, they used to waste many hour on these." He gestured at the engraved pillar she was studying. "It was a worryingly large part of their daily routine."
Moondancer crashed to her haunches. "Why did you stop them?"
"Is it not obvious?" He snorted, a plume of dark magic escaping his mouth. "They accomplished nothing. Look at how much they've managed now, letting go of such childish obsessions."
Moondancer held up a hoof at the pillar. "Did you forbid them from ever working on them?"
"Yes, of course." He sounded as if it would be madness to do anything else. "Why?"
She shook her head quickly. "Then they probably know what these mean, or have some idea, and this is part of their culture." She crossed her arms across her chest with a huff. "You should let them work on it if they want."
"I should allow them to slide back into nothing? I should think not." Sombra shook his head. "They are better now. Soon we will rival, then eclipse the pony kingdom, then the world entire." He laughed with building pride. "You can see it, the potential in them, in us?"
Moondancer raised a thick brow. "They are... wonderful people, but they are people. An hour a day to themselves to do as they please, provided it doesn't harm anyone else. This is a basic requirement."
"A waste of time." He scowled at Moondancer. "What do you know of timetables?"
"I know a few theories." She raised a hoof to tap her chin. "I've read a few books on effec--"
Sombra put a hoof on hers, lowering it. "What do you know?" he repeated firmly.
Moondancer shrank away. "I know a pony that is given some freetime will more than make up for it when they're working. They're your people, not your slaves. Let them live."
Sombra reached out just as a tsuki landed, putting a hoof on them before the jack could bounce away. "You. Are you alive?"
The jack looked baffled. "Yes?"
Moondancer rolled a hoof. "What is your hobby?"
The tsuki reared up onto his hindlegs, squatting in place. "Hobby?"
"What do you like to do that isn't your job?" pressed Moondancer, adjusting her glasses. "What are your goals?"
He pointed at Sombra. "Not make angry. Meet nice tsuki. Make more tsuki."
Sombra frowned a little. "And your goals do not... align?"
Moondancer warmed in her cheeks. "I should think not! I'm... I mean..."
The jack tsuki reached and patted Moondancer right on her head. "Not worry. Find nice jack pony soon."
Moondancer awkwardly smiled at the large male tsuki. "Thank you." Her eyes returned to Sombra. "He has a goal, but it's anemic. He wants to do the utter basic of living, and avoid pain. He should be able to aim higher than that." Moondancer suddenly clopped her hooves together as inspiration struck. "You won't strike fear into the hearts of those that spurned you."
"I won't?! Why not?" Sombra's attention was fully engaged. "Tell me."
Moondancer pointed at herself. "Freedom to explore their own interests is what can lead to unexpected innovations. Remember the doe, yesterday? She had that spell? No one showed her how to do that. She broke your rules and practiced it herself after watching Toby and I. Give them room and they'll continue to amaze you, and bring forth their results, ready to impress you, and the world."
"Mmm..." Anger simmered in him. That doe had broken his rules? Terrible. But her magic was clearly useful, and he wanted it. Punishing her would not help... "Very well... But I will be expecting results." He turned to the jack. "Spread the word. One hour before mealtime is to be spent as you please, provided no harm is done." He waved a hoof at the wall. "Carve, practice magic, do whatever you wish." His voice made it clear that practicing magic was a far better option.
"Yes!" He bounded off quickly, shouting the news as he went.
Moondancer sagged. One hour was hardly ideal, but compared to none, it was a huge difference. A little step in the right direction. "Sombra."
He glared at her. "King Sombra."
She flinched before coughing into a hoof. "Yes, King Sombra, sorry. You could use this time yourself."
"I have little need for hobbies."
She rolled a hoof. "Everyone can use a little practice, and you'll impress them, keep them loyal. Show them what you can do, and maybe they'll want to show you what they can do, and you'll both learn something from it."
"Mmm." Sombra frowned a moment before nodding at Moondancer. "Worth consideration. Continue your task." He was gone in a steak of purple and green smoke, leaving her alone.
Toby smiled at Celene. "Is good?"
"Is bad." She shook her head. "Moondancer is good, do stupid things. Sombra says so."
Tsuki tilted his head. "Sombra good?"
"Sombra bad!" She shoved against him. "Toby not listening!" She reared up and put a paw on his head between his horns, pressing him down to the ground. "Toby! Is listening?"
"Is listening," agreed Toby even as he squirmed away and reared up to be on her level. "Stop call Sombra bad. Sombra good. Sombra get better! Sombra friend. Friend help friend." He waved his paw back and forth as if pointing at someone not there and at himself. "
Celene pointed at Toby directly. "Is Toby friend?"
"Celene, Toby, friends, yes." He bobbed his head quickly, ears flopping about.
Celene came down to all fours. "Then Celene listen. Toby say Sombra be good..." She huffed. "Celene no agree, but watch."
As if on cue, excited shouting passed by a tunnel near the room they were in, announcing the hour of freetime. Toby looked pleased. "See, Sombra be better. Help Sombra be better."
Celene poked him right on the nose. "Want Toby help Celene be better."
Toby blinked at that. "How help Celene?"
She ran her paw up his cheek to his horns. "How glow? How magic? Show Celene."
Toby smiled. "Is good trick, will show." He turned for the archway. "Meet before food, practice?"
"Is date." She brushed up against his side as she bounced past, despite the fact that he was sure there was plenty of room for her to go around.
Toby watched her go and sat down on his haunches, trying to figure her out. "Why act funny?" he asked the air.
"Is Toby?" A jack tsuki peeked his head around the corner. "Is! Toby Toby!" He bounced up closer. "Show how do magic!"
Toby blinked. "Just ask that."
"Did?" The jack looked baffled. "Not remember. Say yes?"
"Yes, before food."
The jack smiled brightly and took off in a flash with a delighted cheer.
Toby realized a moment later his error and put a paw over his eyes. He had promised two tsuki to show how to do magic. Oh well! "Make class. Show all tsuki who want know." He nodded at himself and leaped out into the hallway. There was work to be done, and he wasn't getting it done in his room.
Quick emerged from the shadows beside Sombra from their raised platform where they could watch the flow of their subjects beneath them. "Dissent brews, m'lord."
Sombra quirked an ear at his assistant. "Does it?"
"It does. They do not well hide their dislike. They fear you, but not intensely enough. When they think they are free from being watched, they disobey. They speak in the hallways instead of working. They sneak food outside of scheduled times. Their sins are many. Shall I bring one for proper punishment? We can make a fine example of him, return their rightful fear."
"It has been suggested, by the visitor, to allow for--"
"--and you listen to her? She will make you soft, m'lord." He shook his head like a disappointed parent.
Sombra turned on him, hackles rising. "Things have changed."
"They have... Perhaps not all for the better." Quick sighed softly. "Do not lose your edge, m'lord. Your strength will carry you forward, not sympathy for your tools."
Sombra puffed out his chest. "Who is your king?!" he bellowed out to the tsuki below.
They fell en masse, laying themselves prostrate before their dark lord.
Sombra gestured. "Even the ponies would have taken longer. They are good subjects."