//------------------------------// // Chapter 28: Lost at Sea // Story: Heir To Darkness // by Leafdoggy //------------------------------// “I’m sorry?” Fluttershy was giving The Visitor a blank stare, which they didn’t seem to feel the need to return. They were staring off into the vast, ever-shifting landscape above, watching intently as the mists mixed and mingled. Then they laughed. It hardly sounded like a laugh. It was closer to the sound of the waves as they crashed lightly against the side of the raft, harsh and disjointed as all primal forces tend to be, but it was definitely a laugh. There was no doubt about that. “You should be,” they told Fluttershy.  They finally took their gaze from the sky and fixed in on Fluttershy. Even now, with shadow as her home and life, Fluttershy saw nothing below their hood but an inky void. “I’ve been sitting here for hours waiting for you,” The Visitor continued. Their voice still sounded hollow and wispy, but there was a sort of playfulness to it now, like a soft spring breeze as compared to a howling storm. “Would you want to spend hours here alone with nothing to do?” “I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said again. “Um, if I may ask, though…” Fluttershy pursed her lips. “Why did you bring me here? I really don’t want to leave Pinkie alone with Dracula.” “Bring you?” They laughed again. “You died, Fluttershy. That was all your doing, not mine.” “Oh.” Fluttershy wasn’t quite sure how to react. “Um… Now what?” “Good question. Usually I just toss you lot back up there when your bodies are healed, but, well, usually you’re real. This…” They gestured vaguely at Fluttershy. “This is new.” “What?” Fluttershy gasped. “New? How is it new? I-I mean, I’m seen Dracula move shadows around, she even had Pinkie hidden in the shadows, wouldn’t she… I mean…” Fluttershy trailed off into nervous muttering. “Dracula commands shadows, yes,” The Visitor said. “She didn’t jump into them, though. She at least has some sense of self-preservation.” “She just…” Fluttershy winced. “I could have just controlled them without letting them in?” “What, you thought every powerful vampire in history had abandoned their existence for power?” “Well, it just felt like what I had to do,” Fluttershy said. “I mean, why else would so few vampires be strong enough to stand up to Dracula?” “Most vampires don’t get to go back if they step too far and wind up here,” The Visitor said. “And you’re still not even Dracula. If I was following the rules, you’d be done.” They thought for a moment, then added, “Probably.” “But you’re not following the rules?” “Well, I made them. I get to break them.” They shrugged. “You’re fun.” “Oh.” “Well, anyway, now that you’re back in one piece you should probably start working on getting out of here,” they said. Fluttershy frowned. “You can’t just send me back?” “To what body? Who would I even be sending back? I’m the only real thing in this boat.” Fluttershy pursed her lips. “Okay, I get it.” She looked down at the old wood under her hooves and thought for a moment. “Well, you brought me here when I fell asleep, right? Could I go the other way?” They shrugged. “Let’s find out.” The Visitor stopped moving and went completely silent. A quiet descended over the little raft, the only sounds being the waves lapping against the side and Fluttershy’s slow, anxious breathing.  Fluttershy glanced around as she waited. The sky whirled above as always. There was no wind, but still the water rippled with waves. They shook the moon as they passed through it one by one. She looked over the edge and was unsurprised to see no reflection. A thought struck her mind, though, and she looked again. This time she looked not for a reflection, but the lack of one, and of course it was there. If there was no reflection, there had to be a shape hidden in the shadows that the reflection could fit, and once she found it she could see in it what the reflection would be, and that was good enough. She frowned at the face that looked back at her. It seemed her new existence couldn’t erase the damage that had already been done. Her mane was a mess. One of her ears drooped, and she couldn’t seem to right it. A deep scar ran down one cheek, narrowly missing her shadowy eye. Her eyes were the one thing that seemed to have changed significantly. The vibrant red that had once filled them was gone, and in its place was darkness. Only the whites of her eyes held back the shadows, and even they faltered. Her eyes were badly bloodshot, but instead of the red that should have run in cracks through them, it was just more shadow, tendrils of shade that slithered out from the pits that centered each eye. “I liked the red,” she muttered sadly under her breath. Before she could ruminate further, The Visitor once again stirred. “She’s coming,” they said. The air nearby started to shimmer as a mirage formed. A tall blue door slowly formed itself, hovering above the water and keeping pace with the raft. When the door opened, it blocked Fluttershy’s view of the other side, although she had a good idea of who stood there. Her thoughts were quickly proven right when she spoke. “Yes, cousin? I’m quite busy,” Princess Luna said in an annoyed voice. The Visitor pointed at Fluttershy. “I think this belongs to you.” Luna opened the door the rest of the way and stepped out into the air. She stood on air, but still she stood, her wings resting at her side. As soon as she saw Fluttershy, she gasped and leaped down onto the raft. It shook violently as she landed with a heavy thud and leaned down to match Fluttershy’s eye level. “Fluttershy, what happened?” Luna stroked Fluttershy’s scarred cheek in a loving, worried gesture. “I thought you were just on vacation, how did this happen to you?” Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile at the tenderness. “I, um… I’ve been staying with Dracula,” she said, “and she kind of… Killed me.” The Visitor snickered. “Yeah, sure, blame it on Dracula.” Luna ignored them. A fire lit in her wide eyes, and a look of anger crossed her face. “That treacherous little imp, I’ll rip her apart for this.” Fluttershy gasped and waved her hooves out in front of herself. “No, no, don’t hurt her! I’m fine, really, I can go back, I just um… Need to figure out how. I don’t really have a body to go back to.” Luna hesitated, but eventually her face softened. “Oh, you poor thing.” She cupped a hoof under Fluttershy’s chin and lifted her head to better look into her eyes. Then she shook her head, tsked, and looked back at The Visitor. “Why didn’t you tell me about this? I could have stopped all of this from happening. You could have stopped it.” “You know I like to see how things play out,” they said. Luna huffed and stood up. “I see you haven’t changed.” She hopped back through the door and waved for Fluttershy to follow. “You should be ashamed of yourself, cousin,” she continued. “Look at her. This is as much your fault as it is Dracula’s.” Fluttershy stood up and stepped over into the door, although she did so somewhat awkwardly as she didn’t want to actually leap the gap. Once she was in, she looked back and waved to The Visitor. “Um, thank you for all the help,” she said. “I hope we get to talk more, just not, you know, on the river.” Luna shut the door before they could respond. “Be cautious, Fluttershy,” she said quietly. “Death has no true friends.” “We’ve helped lots of ponies who had trouble with friendship,” Fluttershy said. “They’re just another pony.” “Mm.” Fluttershy looked around at the place she’d been brought to. The realm of dreams was a strange, spaceless place. It had no true physicality, no measurable depth. Dreams stood outside of space. Even with her connection to the shadows, Fluttershy held no power over the realm. Even shadows needed space to exist, and without that space they simply weren’t there. It felt cold and lonely to Fluttershy to be someplace devoid of shadow. She stared out into the vast void of nothingness, and when nothing stared back at her, her heart ached with an empty feeling. Aside from the nothing, the world of sleep was speckled with tiny lights that looked to be infinitely far away. They were all around, twinkling like stars, and shifted constantly as ponies woke up and others fell asleep. The result was a strange, flickering movement that shifted around her vision in ways that were not quite perceptible on their own, but together formed a picture like no other. “Are you intent on returning to the castle?” Luna asked. Fluttershy nodded. “I have to finish things.” “I’d like to be there to assist you.” Fluttershy shook her head. “I think I can handle it, and having help would make it easier for Dracula to ignore what I have to say. Give me about thirty minutes, okay?” “If you say so,” Luna said. “I’ve found a nearby dream. Are you ready?” Fluttershy nodded. Luna took a few steps, and Fluttershy followed. As they walked, a world shaped itself around them. Dark evergreen trees topped with snow sprung up all around, and fresh snow soon crunched beneath their hooves. The empty darkness changed to the soft blue of night, and a full moon filled the sky. They stood at the porch of a tiny log cabin, nestled so snugly in the trees that even right up against it, it nearly blended into the world around. The walls were a patchwork of old and new wood, and smoke rose from a tall stone chimney. Firelight flickered through the curtained windows, and the smell of a freshly cooked dinner wafted towards them. From inside, they could hear the muffled sounds of a young pony yelling in anger. Luna frowned. “We’ve come at a bad time.” “Is this a nightmare?” Fluttershy asked. Luna shook her head. “No, this is cathartic for him. I just hate to interrupt.” “Oh…” Fluttershy thought of Pinkie, but fought away the worries. “Should we find another dream?” “Your little village doesn’t sleep much,” Luna said. “He’s the only one that knows you well. He’ll understand. Just wait here for me, alright?” Fluttershy nodded, and Luna walked in. The yelling got clearer as the door opened, but she shut it so quickly behind herself that Fluttershy didn’t hear anything intelligible. The yelling stopped almost immediately, and the world got very quiet. Insects chirped in the woods around the house, and for a moment Fluttershy was tempted to go look for them, but she decided against it. After a few minutes, the door opened again and Luna walked out eating a bowl of stew. Shortly behind her was Foggy Vale, his wings folded sheepishly to his side and an embarrassed look on his face. When he saw Fluttershy, he wiped his eyes and forced a smile. Fluttershy smiled back. “Hi, Vale,” she said. “Sorry to intrude like this.” “Nah, it’s cool,” he said. “I got it out of me.” Fluttershy turned her gaze to Luna and gave her a quizzical look, glancing accusingly at the bowl. Luna shrugged and swallowed a bit. “As much as I dislike Alucard,” she said, “he is an excellent cook.” “It’s not even real,” Fluttershy replied. “You’re one to talk,” Luna said teasingly. She smirked and tossed the bowl into the snow nearby. “Are you ready to go?” Fluttershy nodded. “As ready as I can be, I think.” “Good,” Luna said. “I’ll see you soon, then. Vale, just wake up when you’re ready.” With that, Luna stepped off the porch and vanished into the aether. “Guess we’ll just go,” Vale said. “You’re really gonna fight my aunt?” “No,” Fluttershy said, “I just want to talk.”