//------------------------------// // Luna: For the Night is Dark I // Story: Game of Worlds // by DualThrone //------------------------------// Tending to an entire city, one griffin at a time, was by far the most exhausting task Luna would remember having taken on. Spite had disappeared shortly after they’d begun, saying that since she was useless at tending to the sick and wounded, she could at least try to track Zambet. On the other hoof, Kyra seemed to have an inexhaustible reserve of energy to work with, and when her contingent arrived with the strange artifact they used to carry their camp, Luna was finally able to find someplace to lay down. Throughout the entire process, Fluttershy had remained peacefully slumbering--even, Luna noted with concern, in the midst of enough noise and commotion to awaken anyone sleeping normally. But there had been people to help that were starving, emaciated, and badly drained and Fluttershy did not appear to be in any danger. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this,” Kyra said as she stepped around the door frame and into the cool, dim room that housed the pegasus. “Deep, regenerative sleep certainly, but this is some kind of compulsion. Yet there’s none of the disruption in her emotional state that compelled sleep causes.” “I haven’t been able to find anything magical keeping her this way,” Luna said. “Zambet was entirely truthful in that: she doesn’t appear to have harmed Fluttershy despite threatening to carry her into the Void as casually as if she was suggesting that she take Kindness out for a treat.” “I imagine that’s why her kind are called ‘Evils’,” Kyra said. “I take it you noticed the same oddity about how she spoke that I did?” “The noble accent?” Kyra gave her a sidelong glance. “Noble, yes, but something more specific.” Luna returned the look. “The Pillars accent. Or, if you prefer, palatial aristocratic derived. I’ve also heard it called ‘the royal tongue’.” “Are you not concerned that an evil shapeshifter can imitate it so…” “It’s not imitation,” Luna interrupted. “The training involves vocal exercises to mold the physical form of the vocal apparatus. It also involves rote memorization, turning the placement of the ‘lazy’ letters into a kind of muscle memory. The entire point is that to use it, you must have been trained to use it. Her placement was smooth and unconscious; she underwent the training.” “And that doesn’t worry you?” “I haven’t had the time to consider the various dangers,” Luna said. “Events haven’t allowed for much contemplation. However, her having that accent answers the question of how Twilight’s nursery was recreated so exactly. It doesn’t answer why, but her being able to access the palace without anyone paying her any mind explains how it was done.” “And raises another,” Kyra said. “Why spend so much time being unnoticed within easy reach of yourself and Celestia, and do nothing? She’s strong enough that being thrashed by an Element and one of Vorka’s pets appeared to have done her no harm, and while she claims that Fluttershy avoided harming her while blasting an entire city with her Element, I’m highly dubious.” “She is an exceptionally gentle soul,” Luna pointed out. “She’s an exceptionally gentle soul who keeps omnivores and carnivores well-fed and healthy,” Kyra said. “The unfeeling necessity of the natural order didn’t traumatize her before the Guardian’s rampage forced her to step up to her responsibilities in the aftermath, so I find it hard to believe that she’d treat an Evil nibbling on the life force of an entire city with a gentle touch.” It was, Luna had to admit to herself, an extremely good point. “So how did Zambet escape being in the epicenter of a blast that accidentally punted the two of us hundreds of meters and rang the bells of a creature who treated her jaw being shattered by Applejack with aplomb?” “Neither of the possibilities I can think of are very pleasant,” Kyra said grimly. “Either Zambet is so powerful that being blasted by an Element of Harmony didn’t bother her, or she had some way to compel Fluttershy to restrain her Element.” Luna looked at her, and then at the slumbering Fluttershy. “It seems obvious which of those it is,” she said. “Even though neither of us can sense any compulsion magic keeping her asleep, neither of us understand Zambet either, or exactly how Einspithiana’s powers work.” “But we’ve examined her in every way we can,” Kyra said. “Magically, physically, even her dreams. There’s nothing.” “No,” Luna said. “There’s one thing I didn’t try, because Zambet was looming over me and I didn't think it wise. I could feel the radiance of her dreams, but didn’t delve into them to examine them in detail. The compulsion may be extremely subtle; the only way to spot it is within.” “I could pull my guards off of…” “No,” Luna said. “Continue to help the griffons. If you’ll stand by me, I’ll be safe enough.” “Of course I will, Your Highness.” “Thank you.” Luna lay her head down and closed her eyes. “Despite how deeply I may appear to be sleeping, I can be awoken with relative ease. Do so if you think the situation warrants it.” After the Elements had shoved Nacht into a tiny corner of her awareness, and the seemingly infinite layers of complications that her return caused had been cleared up, Luna had slipped away to Ponyville to thank each of the Bearers in person. She hadn’t needed to be saved, but the six had shown that they were equal to the burden of protecting Equestria, gratitude was the least she could offer them. The meetings were pleasant, and brief… except for one. The resemblance in disposition and appearance between Fluttershy and Queen Amaryss was physically painful. They were both soft-spoken, painfully shy, effortlessly gracious and kind, and both had something that weighed them down. Fluttershy was burdened by her fear keeping her isolated and quite lonely, Amaryss by the responsibility of commanding six mares of overwhelming will and presence outside the council chamber. And both were strong in their way, despite their shyness. Fluttershy resonated with animals in a way Luna had rarely seen, understanding them as if they were fellow ponies, and exercising a presence of quiet and steely authority that made predators live peacefully with their prey.  Amaryss was made of silk and steel under the mask of anxiety, unafraid to look her princesses in the eye and tell them that they would eventually have cause to weep for failing to use their awesome power to halt the events that led to Celestia’s desperate decision. Luna had not seen it herself, but Celestia had made it quite clear that Amaryss had been exactly right. Naturally, her own discomfort around Fluttershy just drove the poor pony to feel even more anxious, and the conversation was almost completely carried on by Luna. She’d honestly felt an urge to give Fluttershy a hug but after seeing Kindness trembling at the possibility of a friendly pat on the shoulder, she’d ended up making very awkward goodbyes and escaped to indulge intellectual topics with Twilight. With that shyness and discomfort around others (although that aspect of her personality had been dramatically diminished by the trauma of the Guardian) It had always surprised Luna when she peeked in on Fluttershy that the pegasus was utterly at peace when asleep. Dreams were Fluttershy’s refuge, a haven of tranquility and peace where Angel was a nurturing giant instead of a spoiled and cruel pygmy Even so, finding the dream Fluttershy sharing a companionable cup of tea with Zambet, both of whose halves were living pony, made her stop and stare. “Good afternoon, Princess,” the fully-alive Zambet said. “Please sit; Lady Fluttershy has a good taste for tea.” Luna stood there, staring. “How… how are you doing this?” “Do you really need her to state the obvious?” The specter smirked. “That if I can poke and prod at your mind and recall memories of the past against your will, I can do it with anyone?” “You’re referring to yourself in the third person. Partly.” “For the simple reason that the momentary sliver of my presence sitting at tea in the butterfly’s dream is not me,” Zambet stated. “She is speaking, but my presence is not me. Please sit.” “It’s good tea, princess,” Fluttershy’s dream-self said. “Lemon peel and prickly pear zest, sweetened with date.” Luna stifled her reaction to the dream Fluttershy casually naming the extremely exotic Saddle Arabian blend that Amaryss had enjoyed, and looked at her. “You’ve actually tried it before?” Fluttershy smiled with her distinctive slightly-hiding-her-face-behind-her-mane shy smile. “Lord Fancy Pants and Lady di Lis served it at a dress showing that Rarity brought me to, as a model.” Luna vaguely remembered her sister mentioning Fluttershy’s brief time being a model for her dressmaker friend, detailed by one of Twilight’s various reports. “That was kind of them.” “Oh, yes Princess,” Fluttershy agreed, beaming. “They are very kind.” The projection replying to a remark about the past with a switch to present tense was a reassuring one: it was definitely Fluttershy, and she was somehow lucid within the dream. Luna caused the fabric of the dream to replicate one of the comfortable dining chairs that furnished the castle, and sat. “You keep some strange company.” Fluttershy took a sip of the tea. “It’s better than having an uninvited guest.” “Is she uninvited?” “She was.” Fluttershy gestured towards the amused-looking fragment of Zambet. “And she’s a clothespin.” Luna blinked and looked at the fragment. “A clothespin.” A moment later, it came to her. “She’s here to pin the dream in place.” “She is,” the fragment said. “Curious that the butterfly tolerates her, but perhaps she wishes to remain in the dream for the moment. I expect you’ll be rid of her?” “So long as I have a conduit to you, I would ask you something.” “And I would answer something.” “Why the long charade?” The fragment was silent for several moments. “That seems a curious thing to ask. But it seems natural that you’d recognize my affected accent and come to many correct conclusions.” “You’ve lived in Canterlot.” “Yes.” “For some time.” “Yes.” “My sister is quite busy but I doubt that murders would have been overlooked, so you must have chosen not to kill ponies for your own amusement.” “Oh my,” Zambet said through her fragment dryly. “It is almost as if I have a modicum of self-control. It is as if I can entirely enclose a city and feast on all who live there--I’m sure Einspithiana explained the dome to you--and yet so spread the drain that they’ll all recover shortly.” “And I made you let them go.” “You did, little butterfly,” Zambet said, “and yet I had all but finished my meal by the time you came entirely to yourself. I recognize your achievement; it is more than an extraordinary mortal has done to me in hundreds of years. But it was not as great an achievement as you might think.” “My name is Fluttershy,” Fluttershy said with more firmness than Luna had ever heard from her. “I know,” Zambet said, “and I am sorry.” The fragment turned her head to Luna. “I did no lasting harm to anyone in Equestria while I was in Canterlot, and so avoided Celestia obliterating me.” “I know, and I am sorry?” Luna mentally set the odd reply aside for later. “What purpose did it serve? Espionage? Sabotage?” “Research. Research, and pleasure.” Luna looked askance at her. “Pleasure.” The fragment shrugged. “I am unwholesomely powerful and have a highly educated mind. Few things challenge me; even fewer amuse me. Speaking with the Pillars accent was something beyond me, a challenge to overcome, and I overcame it. Naturally, mingling with excellent minds and sampling the rarest and finest pleasures Equestria has to offer was a substantial bonus.” “And it gave you a chance to understand Equestria,” Fluttershy said. “Who rules it, who lives in it, the buttons to press and the strings to pull.” The fragment smirked. “How else would I know that needling you over the Element of Loyalty’s choice in mates would produce a reaction? I was in earnest, mind you, but there was no reason to speak of it except as a tool.” Luna looked at the fragment a moment. “Evolutionary fitness?” “Yes.” Luna snorted. “Naturally. I take it you were responsible for helping Vorka re-create Twilight’s nursery?” “After it had been revealed to Celestia, examining it in detail was a simple matter. She was… distracted for a time.” “To what end?” The fragment shrugged again. “Neither I nor Vorka were told, I assume so that if Vorka was cornered, he would throw any enemies off track with a stream of pet theories. I simply do not need to know, and being highly compensated, I’m not very curious.” Compensated. “You’re a mercenary.” It explained a great many things: why Zambet would play all sorts of games to amuse herself, why she would seek idle diversion in Canterlot, why she openly bickered with and threatened Vorka, and why she seemed to have no personal loyalty to her employer.” “Precisely.”  An ornate silver pocket watch simply popped into existence in front of her fragment, and she looked at it for a moment, long enough that Luna could see that it was labeled in 24-hour time, and had five hands. “Speaking of such, I must begin the next task I’m being paid to do. Do whatever you wish with the fragment; I find it curious that both yourself and the butterfly has tolerated it so long.” And then the fragment went limp and its eyes became glassy and dead, looking disturbingly corpse-like. Luna used a hoof to shove it out of the chair and seated herself across from Fluttershy. “Hello, Fluttershy.” Fluttershy smiled to her and took another sip of tea. “Hello Luna.” Luna arched an eyebrow at being addressed simply by name. “No honorifics?” “We are too old of friends to stand on ceremony.” The dream projection of Fluttershy paused. “And despite what the sliver of herself that Zambet left behind called me, I am not Fluttershy. I’m just… borrowing her, for a time.” Luna considered that. It had rarely happened in the past, but the six Elements had occasionally manifested a distinct awareness apart from their Bearer and all had been various types of pleasant to her when she peeked in on their Bearer’s dreams. “Kindness.” “Apoptosis,” the manifest presence of the Element corrected her gently. “Entwined with my chosen, I am Apoptosis, the death from which life springs.” “Apoptosis then,” Luna agreed, just barely preventing herself from giving the manifestation a look as surprised as she felt. This is the first time I recall one of the Elements taking on a different name. “Where is she?” “Safe.” The manifestation sipped. “I am protecting her.” “From what?” “From who,” Apoptosis said. “From Zambet, and from you.” Luna didn’t restrain her expression this time. “From me?” “You remain a dedicated ally to a peer of the one who harmed my chosen,” Apoptosis said calmly. “Unlike Magic, Generosity, and Loyalty, I have barely brushed against Nacht and have no insight into her motivations or your alliance with her. After what Zambet did to Fluttershy, I will not take the chance.” “But you must have some sense of her,” Luna said. “Neither Celestia nor your Bearer had any concept of who Nacht was, so neither could have directed you and your…?” “Sisters.” “...sisters to deal with her the way you did.” “I, Honesty, and Laughter deferred to our sisters, who understood the whole matter. Honesty and Laughter gained a great deal of insight because that is what they are, but I did not.” Luna huffed in frustration, but decided that it would be pointless to argue with the manifestation. “What did Zambet do to her?” Apoptosis sipped again and frowned. “I do not know. Neither does Fluttershy. Only in communion with Magic would I be able to understand what happened, but she and her chosen are far too removed for me to call to her.” “I’m not surprised,” Luna said. “They were going east…” Apoptosis’ expression brightened considerably. “Magic was traveling towards Queen Amaryss’ people.” Luna nodded. “I can hardly imagine a safer place for my niece.” “I agree.” Apoptosis sipped again. “Whatever Zambet did deeply wounded Fluttershy. Her terror has taken hours to quiet, and this caused by a mere polite request.” “A polite request.” “Quite. ‘Fluttershy, please constrain your element from harming me.’ That is what she said, the exact words. So simple, polite, even friendly.” Apoptosis set the cup down. “Yet the moment Fluttershy refused, she began to scream. I am apart from my chosen; I know only that her torment grew by magnitudes, until she fulfilled the request. I do not know the form of the torment, only the fact of it.” “And this was initiated by… asking nicely.” “Yes.” “No spells, no magic, no sign of using some manner of power?” “As a point of fact, she could do none of those things,” Apoptosis said. “She was unnecessary. At the will of Fluttershy, I was turning the Graven Light of Order against her, enough to obliterate her entirely and purge her influence from the city. She is the antithesis of life; I am a source of it. She had no power there, and could gather none. And yet…” “...she simply spoke and exercised gaes-level compulsion on Fluttershy, who was forced to grant her request.” Luna sat with that a moment. “I regret to tell you this the being I was traveling with, an ‘Einspithiana’, believes that Zambet is so orderly of mind and precise that the Light of Order does her very little harm. And… washing the city in Light didn’t dispel her work. The illusion of all the griffons being asleep but unharmed disappeared when she willed it, not before.” Apoptosis considered this visibly. “So I did her no harm.” “If she was in no danger from you, she wouldn’t have used a compulsion to restrain you, through Fluttershy,” Luna pointed out. “Yet she made such a performance of being put out that we might disrupt her doings…” “It seems to be something she enjoys,” Luna said. “She put her heart and soul into a performance pretending to be an ordinary beast on a chain to deceive me, and before me put on a performance as an old-money noble right under Tia’s nose.” “Thus, we are her audience and she a thespian of unlimited talent and variety. But to what end?” “If I could speak to Fluttershy…” “Out of the question,” Apoptosis said firmly. “Even if I was willing--and I am not--she physically cannot speak to you. Something that I suspect Zambet intended, for her serf managed to place some manner of message in my chosen’s hooves.” “Her serf.” Luna pursed her lips. “Lily Shell, Lashaal, or whatever she styles herself?” “I don’t know her name, just that Zambet had a hold on her and that she had contact with Fluttershy within their shared fever dream, some doing of Zambet’s.” Luna gave the manifestation a nod, considering whether to ask, deciding that the question was needed. “If you had to, how quickly would you be able to make her able to speak to me?” “If the greatest necessity required it I could… enable her to speak, for a short time.” Apoptosis raised her cup and gave Luna a hard look over its rim. “I see no greatest necessity here, Luna.” “Do you know of the danger to the same extent that Fluttershy does?” “No, and that is not my…” “It has something to do with lei lines,” Luna interrupted. “Someone called ‘the Voice’ has secured a confluence on one. Vorka believed that he had secured another.” Apoptosis looked at her for a moment before putting her tea cup down. “Well,” she said as she rose to her hooves, “that does change things.”