The runelight of the Dream Den caught the moonstuds in Mistress Faatail's mane with a resplendent shine. Even when just standing, she exuded grace and elegance, both indicative of and apart from that lavish interior. Rainbow Dash could tell that—for all of the opulence of Gibbous Sanctum—the Mistress hailed from someplace further above. She even had a superior scent about her: sweet and otherwordly, flourished with unseen flowers that Rainbow had never smelled before. It pierced the incense of the room like the bow of a ship with a full wind in its sails.
“What is your preferred form of address, Penumbran?” she asked, casually strolling about the Dream Den.
“Well, I'm pretty fine with 'Rainbow Dash,'” Rainbow replied.
“A name true to light.” The elder nodded. “And the bending of it.”
“Uh...” Rainbow squeaked. “Thanks?”
“It's no wonder the Solar Deceiver tricks so many with it.”
“Uh huh.” Rainbow droned. “Thanks.”
Mistress Faatail moved from cushion to cushion, absent-mindedly tidying the place until the arrangement looked more symmetrical—for no reason. “Was the name assigned at foaling or earned at marking?”
Rainbow opened her muzzle—but lingered in confusion. She looked aside at her ghostly companions.
Pinkie shrugged. Rarity also shrugged. Applejack hunched over, deep in thought. Twilight—
“Maybe she means when you earned your cutie mark,” Fluttershy suggested.
Rainbow looked at Mistress Faatail once again. “I was foaled with the name.”
“Ah.” The elder nodded in thought. “So traditions have changed back in the Old Matriarchy.”
Rainbow shrugged. “It has been a thousand years.”
“Epochs and blinks are both the same to those who can measure them. In darkness—that gift is not afforded to everypony.” She pivoted to face Rainbow directly. “'Faatail' was assigned to me at birth. It is the seventh time an elder has carried that name. In the previous six rotations, the Faatails before me have performed their duties of lorekeeping and judiciousness with great zeal. And like the six before me, I am bound to accomplish little to no change.”
Rainbow nodded slowly. “Yeah... sure... but—” Her brow furrowed. “...seems like you know it.”
“Knowing isn't the issue.” Mistress Faatail shook her head with a shimmer of moondust. “It's the doing.” She waved an elegant hoof in Rainbow's direction. “Take yourself, for instance. You may be one pony—”
“I've got friends,” Rainbow interrupted with a devilish smirk.
The elder nodded. She repeated: “You may be one pony, but you've scaled impossible obstacles to reach the realm of your exiled cousins. I greatly suspect the name 'Rainbow Dash' will live on with a grand legacy. And you did not need six prior versions of yourself to boost your potential.”
“Sure, but...” Rainbow shrugged. “What's in a name?”
“Everything.” Mistress Faatail exhaled. “Nothing.” She strolled about the den. “Tell me—did you get to... socialize with Commander Lexxic and his brothers?”
“Not... a whole lot...” Rainbow spoke in a cautious tone.
“Did you interact with them enough to catch wind of how they address one another?”
“Well, sure. They've got names.” Rainbow blinked. Her ears perked up. “They have 'battle names'.”
“That is correct.” Faatail nodded. “Lexxy'kyn. Masser'myn. Myl'sypher'ym.”
Rainbow pointed. “Don't forget Azarias...!”
The elder's muzzle tightened briefly, then relaxed. “The point is...” She looked fixedly at Rainbow Dash. “For the longest time—nine hundred and seventy-eight winters, to be exact—the soldiers of the Dark Vigil fought for the Mother of Nightmares as one. Titles were re-used. Brothers and sisters carried the same names on different battlefields. Names of the militant class were simply a means of differentiating comrades on the warfront. They were never intended to assign permanence. It has been maintained—since the very first moment of the Exodus—that the fabric of night would never allow the stars to spell out our essences until we freed the Mother of Nightmares from her own exile.”
“But now...” Rainbow cocked her head curiously to the side. “...it's different?”
“Lexxy'kyn changed all of that. He changed a lot of things.” With a fuming breath, Mistress Faatail paced along the outer edges of the rune-lit domain. “In many ways, I understand why. And it has indeed been reaping great benefits and rewards for the effort to claim the Sarcophagus. Lexxic is—with every fiber of his being—working to achieve victory. Victory, after all, is the goal that everypony has in mind. It's the reason why the Dark Vigil arrived here to begin with. Acquiring the Harmonic Prism—the tool of the alicorns—is the sole means we have of bringing glory back to the night. The Prism is the Equalizer, and in the hooves of the Mother of Nightmares, it could make her grand vision a permanent reality.”
Rainbow's lips pursed. She looked at Applejack—who gave their anchor a patient glance. Rainbow gazed once again upon Mistress Faatail.
Eventually, the elder continued: “But victory means change. And... if you are here...” She turned, her slitted eyes reflecting the pendant around Rainbow's neck. “...and if the powers that be in the Old Matriarchy have allowed you to bring a piece of the searing weapons here to our realm...” A melancholic exhale. “Then it would seem that after all this time... after all this death and after all this suffering... … … change has happened on its own without us.” Her fangs showed. “And that is far from a victory.”
Rainbow gulped. “Equestria is at peace. Isn't that a victory?”
“What has that 'peace' cost, Rainbow Dash?”
Rainbow was at a brief loss for words. “I mean... we only gained awesomeness, really. Princess Luna's back. There's still a day-and-night cycle. As for the stuff that happened afterwards with—”
“Was the Old Matriarchy embroiled in constant war over the past thousand years?”
Rainbow glanced at her friends. She fidgeted her hooves against the soft floor, then cleared her throat. “Uhm. No. Not really, no.”
Mistress Faatail's ears drooped; she almost looked disappointed at that.
Rainbow blurted: “Look, it can't be... friggin' easy having fought for centuries upon centuries in a goddess-awful bloody war over an alicorn pyramid.” Her voice cracked. “And I know it's really gross and horrible to say that all of that fighting and death and loss was... w-was a lost cause, but—”
“You need not dance around the truth, Rainbow Dash,” the elder said. “Perhaps with the Dream Council, the Captain, and even the clerks—but not with me.” Mistress Faatail was deadpan. “I know quite well that the loss is simply that: a loss. As stated before—so many generations have passed with so much suffering. Rotations of names... buried in darkness... until Lexxic. And even then... even now...” Her words trailed off, as did her gaze.
Rainbow leaned forward. “You know that you're fighting for nothing?”
Silence.
“You're... the highest of the highest, aren't ya?” Rainbow sputtered. “'High-Polished' and whatnot? What's the place you live in even called? 'Full Sanctum?'” She pointed. “I see the mark on your neck! That's the Mare-In-The-Moon! I lived with it above my head throughout fillyhood! You must be the cream of Nightmare Moon's crop!”
“In a manner of speaking—”
“Then if you know that all of this war and fighting and suffering is for nothing... why don't you stop it?!” Rainbow blanched. “Aren't you gals the ones who are really in power?”
“I am one of many,” Mistress Faatail replied sharply. However, the edge in her voice wore off as she spoke further: “And—in truth—I have been... minimized in my authority for the past several winters. Such is a consequence of my outspoken stance, perhaps, but that hasn't stopped me from looking for methods by which I could convince my familiars about an inevitable turn in the pages of history.”
“What kind of turn?”
“The stars have aided in her escape,” the elder stated. “She brought about Nighttime Eternal. And yet...” She pointed at Rainbow's neck. “You're here. And you carry with you a piece of the weapon. That means our Mother is back, and yet there is no way that she would have willingly allowed any permutation of the weapon to remain in tact. That can only mean one thing. Nighttime eternal was never achieved, and the Mother of Nightmares has been defeated.”
“Yeah, but that 'defeat' wasn't a... defeat.”
Mistress Faatail said nothing.
Rainbow took note of it. “You...” She leaned her head aside. “...agree with me, don't you?”
Applejack cleared her throat.
But it was too late. Thankfully, the most Faatail did to show offense was bear her fangs. “I cannot hold sway over that. None of us can. At least—not from here. And not without the Equalizer.”
Rainbow leaned back. “You... somehow knew that time was of the essence.” She gestured nebulously beyond the walls of the Tree. “...you knew that out there—beyond all the fighting and the war with the Night Shard and Changelings—the clock was ticking and the quest that brought the Bloodwings here would no longer matter.” Rainbow Dash exhaled. “Because Nightmare Moon would return and—a worse-case scenario for you—she might actually make friends with her older sister.”
“The greatest fear the Mother's foals have is that she might succumb to the flame of the Solar Deceiver without her entrusted army to be by her side to defend her.”
“Yeah? And what if I told you that the 'succumbing' wasn't really such a bad thing? But the opposite?”
“Such is a debate that has no end. I assure you.” Mistress Faatail breathed calmly. “What matters now—for us, for the Mother's foals, and for all who fight for the cause—is how to bring this war to a close. And what the Equalizer now means to everypony.”
“You... couldn't have just grappled with all this overnight,” Rainbow Dash said. “From the sound of things, the other elders have been pushing you out of the spotlight. You needed something to leverage your position with your sisters.” Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “That's why you're here, isn't it? That's why you pulled that stunt with Captain Xandraa—pretending to be a guard and all.”
“It wouldn't be the first time,” Mistress Faatail said.
“Oh?”
The elder shook her head. “I felt compelled to witness the works of Lexxy'kyn up close. Even beyond the seal beneath Gibbous Sanctum.”
“Is that...” Rainbow leaned forward. “...a big deal?”
“Immensely.” Faatail paced about, gazing towards the floor as if bearing shame befitting a young child. “I have sullied my polish by so much as touching the lower levels.” Her fangs bit into her bottom lip. “Stallions and breeders have gazed upon my visage—albeit masked—without even knowing about it.” She finally looked up with a pale expression. “If the rest of the elders found out, those who gazed upon me would be rounded up and executed.” A gulp. “Much worse... I would be forced into a lower station.”
Rarity and Twilight scrunched their muzzles.
“Yeah...” Rainbow squirmed slightly. “I can see how... th-that's a heck of a lot worse than dozens of other ponies being killed outright.”
“I cannot afford to have any of this revealed,” Mistress Faatail exclaimed. “Captain Xandraa has put herself on the line to assist me in many instances. Her loyalty is priceless, and I shudder to put her at risk as well.”
“Well, no offense, lady, but why in the flippin' heck are you telling me?” Rainbow barked.
This time, Mistress Faatail did frown. She turned to face Rainbow directly. “Your very presence here is a daring act of courage and good-faith and—above all—trust.” She arched an eyebrow. “Is it not fitting that I return the same?”
Rainbow blew out the side of her muzzle. “A'ight. Fair.”
“Besides, there is a great deal more at stake than the livelihood of our traditions. Both mine and yours,” the elder said. “You being here proves that.”
“So now what?” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I'm here. I've got your ear.” She gestured. “Now go yank the leafy ears of the other elders, bring them here, and we can blow the lid off of everything!”
“It... is not that simple.”
“Pfffft...” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “When is it ever?”
Mistress Faatail squinted icily. “Are Penumbrans always this facetious and flippant?”
Rainbow shrugged. “Helps me manage all the madness.”
“Yes...” the elder slowly nodded. “I suppose I can understand that.”
“Well, I'm glad that you're...” Rainbow shrugged. “...so understanding.”
“It would fill me with great contentment to share your testimony with the rest of my sanctum,” Mistress Faatail said.
“How the heck are you going to manage that without revealing the fact that you sneak out for forbidden twilight strolls downstairs?”
“Let me be concerned with that. For the time being, I have more questions to ask of you.” The elder's gaze hardened. “So that I may better ascertain the nature of your arrival—even better, the nature of the Mother of Nightmare's standing back home.”
“Tch...” Rainbow waved a fetlock, nodded. “Ask away.”
“When you confronted the Mother of Nightmares in the ruins of the ancient diarchal palace, why did it appear as though she was wearing her moonsilver armor?”
“I dunno.” Rainbow shrugged. “I never thought much about it—wait.” Her muzzle scrunched as she threw a confused expression in the elder's direction. “How the heck did you know about that? Were you in the dreamscape along with Nat'rdo and the rest?”
Mistress Faatail shook her head. “The Dream Weaver noted every detail.”
“The who did what?”
The elder navigated a heavy breath as she explained: “While it is the Dream Knight's job to steer the dream, the Dream Weaver—a slightly lesser-gifted dreamwalker—spends the entire venture recounting the envisioned details vocally into the realm of waking. A record-keeper, in this case our trustworthy Imperialist Clerk, records the words down into a written testimony of the vision. I assure you, Rainbow Dash, myself and everypony present were quite adequately illuminated as to the passing details of your vision.”
Rainbow looked aside at her friends.
Applejack and Pinkie Pie nodded.
“She's telling the truth, Rainbow,” Twilight said.
“It was... quite enthralling to listen to,” Rarity added with a nervous grin.
“Not to mention very confusing in places,” Fluttershy added.
Meanwhile...
“Rainbow Dash...?” Mistress Faatail addressed her, visibly confused as to why Rainbow was gazing aside into open space.
“Ahem.” Rainbow smiled in the elder's direction. “Okay. Got it. I'm on board. So... uh... Nightmare Moon's armor?”
“Yes.” The elder nodded. “Could you explain why it is that she was so splendidly girded without her actual corporeal armor?”
“You mean the stuff that you've got here in the Tree of Mothers?”
Mistress Faatail jerked back, blinking.
“I mean... I just sorta guessed that it was here.” Rainbow gulped. “Really but not really. But... with the Exodus and all... it kinda makes sense...” She smiled wincingly. “... … ...right?”
“Indeed...” The elder squinted. “It does.”
“After all, you guys scooped it away at the... uhhhh...” Rainbow looked at Twilight Sparkle. “...the Siege of Whinniepeg?”
Mistress Faatail's fangs glinted in the runelight. “Quite fascinating that you of all ponies would remember that.”
“Yeah, well...” Rainbow shrugged. “...you've got books here, right?”
She nodded. “The words of Saros—among many others.”
“Well, we've got a lot of light back where I'm from.” Rainbow winked. “It'd be a crime not to read, y'know?”
The elder was deadpan.
“Right.” Rainbow cleared her throat. “Scratch off attempting egghead humor.” She coughed, pacing closer to the elder. “Nightmare Moon... looked every bit as I imagined her... as any young filly or colt would have imagined her. She was tall, dark, scary—and wearing this wicked cool silver armor. I should know. I dressed as her once for Nightmare Night.”
“Nightmare... Night...?” Mistress Faatail squeaked, her coat hair starting to bristle.
“'Moving on!'” Twilight Sparkle hissed. “'Moving on!'”
“Moving right along!” Rainbow Dash smiled nervously, standing in place. “So... yeah! She was totally wearing armor! Silver with a bluish tinge.”
“I do not see how she could have acquired such...” Mistress Faatail rubbed her muzzle in thought, gazing off across the dim den. “...her especially-crafted gear dwells within safe containment under the Dark Vigil's protection.”
“Well—I mean...” Rainbow shrugged. “She was on the moon for a thousand years. That's plenty of time for an immortal mare like Luna to self-teach blacksmithing and make new armor of her own.”
The elder nodded. “A very logical possibility.”
“But... y'know... Nightmare Moon was always... er...” Rainbow charaded with her forelimbs. “...morphing around and turning into a starry black mist and back into an alicorn again and stuff...”
“How very fascinating.” There were literal stars in the elder's eyes. “It would appear our Mother has learned new gifted abilities since the time we were all separated from her.”
“Still didn't hold a candle to Harmony,” Rainbow said.
Mistress Faatail jerked her gaze towards Rainbow with an angry expression.
“Darling...!” Rarity squeaked, wincing.
Applejack shrugged. “But it's true.”
“Sorry, but it's true,” Rainbow echoed, holding her ground. “Maybe things would have been different if all of you had stayed. But... I-I think we both know that just wouldn't have happened. Not easily.” Rainbow gulped. “Blood being bad between the armies of Celestia and Luna—right at the end of the Civil War.”
“You really... truly participated in an assault on our Mother?” Mistress Faatail's voice wavered, momentarily fraught with disbelief. She pointed a shaky hoof at the pendant beneath Rainbow's neck. “Using that... that thing?”
“This thing is what keeps me alive,” Rainbow Dash said firmly as she touched the necklace in question. “You can thank it for the fact that I've arrived here in one piece—filling you in on all the crud you've missed on the Light Side.”
Mistress Faatail threw her gaze aside. She said nothing.
Rainbow Dash continued. “And... uh... as for blasting your beloved Matriarch with rainbow glitz and glam...” She brushed her mane back as she spoke. “I didn't think nothing of it. She was threatening my home with everlasting night against everypony's will. What's more—Princess Celestia had gone missing. I figured that if zapping Nightmare Moon with the Elements of Harmony might bring things back to normal, then by raisins and peanuts I was gonna make it frickin' happen!”
“Spoken like a true solar defender,” Mistress Faatail muttered.
Rainbow shrugged casually. “Guilty as charged.” She then leaned forward with a serious expression. “But it's only because of what happened afterwards that I can so easily live with what I've done.”
The elder looked squarely at her.
Rainbow said, “Princess Luna returned to her normal alicorn self. She was no longer Nightmare Moon. Once the rage and madness of that... that freaky spirit had left her, she was glad to be reunited with her older sister. In fact, my friends and I watched as she and Celestia embraced. They were so friggin' happy that they were crying.”
Mistress Faatail's slitted eyes narrowed. “I do not recall that detail being conveyed...”
“Uhhhh...” Rainbow held up a hoof. “Cuz your dream gals flipped their gizzards before the vision could even get to that part!” She flashed a look towards the door. “Where's Miss Hottie? Nater-gal! Bring her back in here and we can transcribe it to you—!”
“Cease.” The elder froze Rainbow in place with a gesture. “Desist.” Her eyes hardened. “I believe your account.”
Rainbow couldn't help but squint at her. “... … ...are you sure that you do?”
“We may differ in opinion as to the true nature of the 'freaky spirit' whom you banished,” Mistress Faatail muttered. “But I have faith that you can fully relate the texture of that which you've witnessed.”
“Princess Luna is back, Ms. Faatail,” Rainbow Dash said in an earnest voice. “She's made peace with her sister. She's taken charge of ruling over Equestria. She controls the sun and moon.” She took a bold step forward. “And—if you ask me—she would rather each and every one of her 'children return home peacefully, having left this war behind... having left this stubborn violence behind... and—most of all—having left the stupid armor of Nightmare Moon behind...”
“All of these things...” Mistress Faatail paced her response. “...make a great deal of sense.”
“Then what's the problem?”
Silence.
“I... think I get it,” Rainbow Dash continued when the elder hadn't spoken. She tilted her head upwards with a knowing squint. “All of this—this war, this Vigil, this containment of the armor—it's not about being loyal to Princess Luna. It's about being loyal to Nightmare Moon.”
“Only a victim of the seared lands would choose to simplify things that pathetically.”
“Is it pathetic?!” Rainbow frowned. “Tell me—was it or was it not Princess Luna who performed the first dream walk and brought the very first sarosians into the waking world?”
“It was indeed Princess Luna.”
“See?!” Rainbow nodded, stomping a hoof down. “There we go—!”
“But it was Nightmare Moon who guided our essences along the path into corporeal existence.”
Twilight Sparkle looked puzzled at that.
“What...” Rainbow rocked a confused look. “...kind of a take is that?”
“The only interpretation that matters.” Mistress Faatail looked calmly at Rainbow. “The accounts and testimonials written in the Book of Saros.”
“... … ...'kay.” Rainbow Dash slowly nodded. “And... uh... who wrote the Book of Saros?”
“Why—the sanctified souls blessed enough to have been the Mother of Nightmare's personal company shortly upon their corporeal manifestation.”
Rainbow was already in the process of dragging an exhausted hoof across her muzzle. “Mmmmmmmm...” She managed a muffled: “Just them?”
“Well, no.” Mistress Faatail slowly shook her head, seemingly confused at Rainbow's confusion. “The subsequent generations of our Mother's most trusted allies added further testaments.”
“Right. Got it.” Rainbow started pacing about with a flick of her hoof. “But of course you've got your own sacred narrative.”
Mistress Faatail's brow furrowed. “Is there truly no existing manifest of the Book of Saros in the seared lands?” Her nostrils flared. “I expected the Solar Deceiver's purge to be grand in scale, but not so all-encompassing as to censor such priceless information.”
“Rainbow Dash...” Twilight Sparkle hovered close to her anchor. “Please. Please be delicate about this.”
“Let's not forget the lessons of the past,” Rarity insisted. “I hate to lay in the name so heavily—but I'm certain we all remember the Quade with great vividness.”
“Oh gosh...” Fluttershy visibly squirmed. “Is this how it all started? Somehow, it makes more sense.”
“Sadly, not all ponies make sense, Flutters,” Pinkie Pie muttered.
“Rainbow... if it helps...” Applejack floated into view. “She's dead-set on what she's talkin' about. That's for darn sure. But... she did come here for a reason. She stands to have her head filled.” Applejack's eyes hardened in earnest. “She wants to have her head filled.”
“There's a window of opportunity to be had here, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “Maybe this 'Faatail' is closed off in a lot of places, but she's still our one and only opening to the Maria Matriarchs as a whole.” Twilight shook her head. “We can't risk losing this chance. And neither can they!”
“Just... be patient with her darling,” Rarity said. “We know it's hard—especially after all you've done to get here, but—”
“Lay on sprinkles! Not glaze!” Pinkie suggested. “Pretend she's on a diet! An information diet!”
“Rainbow Dash?” Mistress Faatail remarked after a period of uncomfortable silence had passed. Her slitted eyes followed Rainbow's pacing movements. “Perhaps... there is something you are attempting to process?”
Rainbow Dash scuffled to a stop. She sighed, hanging her head as she gradually pivoted to face the elder. “I don't suppose... I could be lucky enough to read the Book of Saros...?”
Applejack smirked. “There's a good start, sugarcube.”
Sure enough, Mistress Faatail looked pleasantly surprised at that inquiry. “You can... most certainly be granted a copy of it. The sort of manifest that we share here in Gibbous Sanctum and beyond.”
“You mean ponies in the lower levels don't get to read it?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“They are occasional subjects to dictation,” Mistress Faatail said. “When the need for clarity fits.”
“And...” Rainbow squirmed left and right. “...what of the soldiers outside?”
The elder looked as if she was about to vomit at such an insinuation.
“Right. Right. Got it.” Rainbow cleared her throat. She slowly trotted towards the elder once again. “Anyways... long story short... you... uh...” Her eyes narrowed. “...you believe that Nightmare Moon willed the sarosians into the corporeal world? Instead of just Princess Luna reeling them in?”
“H'Luun's legacy roots itself in the seared lands,” Mistress Faatail declared. “Nightmare Moon is the living embodiment of nightmares. She hailed from the realm in which my sisters and I were originated. We share the same essence—albeit Nightmare Moon's is rooted deeper. When H'Luun reached into the realm of nightmares, Nightmare Moon reached back. We were merely a consequence of that spark. The moment we came into the corporeal realms, we formed a bridge between that which was blinding and that which was cleansing. In time, Nightmare Moon and H'Luun became one. She transformed into the Mother of Nightmares, and with great clarity of wisdom and purpose she sought out to bring perfection to the seared lands. Something that could only be accomplished with the pacifying shroud of Nighttime Eternal.”
While Twilight, Rarity, and the others were scratching their heads...
“Ah...” Rainbow Dash merely nodded. “I see. So then Princess Luna—”
“If she is currently robbed of the spirit of Nightmare Moon, then she is merely the alicorn she once was. Nothing more.”
“If that's the case...” Rainbow pointed vaguely out the door. “Then how come every mare I've stumbled across in this place has practically wet themselves over the enchantment that Luna put on my pendant?” She shook her head. “It wasn't Nightmare Moon who made me an avatar.”
“No. It indeed was not.” Mistress Faatail breathed calmly. “And yet—she is still a portion of the Mother of Nightmares. While not perfect and whole, there no doubt still dwells a portion of the Mother's wisdom and power within her. But H'Luun is not complete.” The elder shook her head. “Not without the miasma and the shell.”
“The... miasma and the shell...?” Rainbow breathed.
“The Mother of Nightmares is complete in three parts,” Mistress Faatail explained. “H'luun, the vessel. Nightmare Moon, the miasma. And the armor, the shell.” She gestured with an aged fetlock. “Each of the three portions are equally deserving of reverence, but there lies no divine purpose in them unless they are combined.”
“Oooh! Oooh!” Pinkie Pie bounced in place. “Like a trinity!”
Rarity made a face at her. “That makes absolutely no cosmic sense.”
“I know!” Pinkie Pie stuck her tongue out. “But it sounds cool!”
“So...” Rainbow Dash rubbed her chin in thought. “...if Nightmare Moon and Luna are now separated—”
“The portions are completely apart,” Mistress Faatail declared. “Which puts the Mother of Nightmares in the bleakest position yet.” Her leafy ears drooped with genuine sadness. “Even when banished to her own moon, H'Luun was still the vessel for Nightmare Moon. But now that your... solar weapon has undone the miasma's anchor, H'Luun lies even further from reclaiming the shell and restoring herself to her ancient glory.”
“All this time...” Rainbow Dash gestured. “You guys were keeping watch over the armor of Nightmare Moon here on the Dark Side.” Her eyes narrowed. “You hoped that you could fight your way inside the Midnight Armory, grab the Harmonic Prism, and return back to the Light Side so you could use the Prism to undo the banishment that the Elements of Harmony had done...”
Mistress Faatail nodded. “H'Luun—both the vessel and the miasma—would be rescued from the moon. She would don the armor—the shell—and the Mother of Nightmares would be restored in full. Surrounded by her children, she would retake Equestria and rule the plane under pure moonlight.”
“But... I'm here now,” Rainbow Dash said. “With news of Nightmare Moon's defeat.” She blew out the side of her muzzle. “I must be a real buzz killer, huh?”
“Your presence here is not entirely a portent of doom.”
“H-how so...?”
Mistress Faatail paced slowly around the pegasus. “Perhaps you interpret H'Luun's blessing as merely a means of keeping you alive. There may in fact be truth to this. And while I find it reprehensible that the vessel of the miasma and the shell would be allied with the Solar Deceiver in this day and age, I see all of this as a cry for help.”
“Buh?”
Mistress Faatail scuffled to a stop, staring closely at Rainbow Dash. “You are W'ynlppa yln H'luun. You are an avatar... an extension of the vessel that is H'Luun... clothed in a portion of her glory... thus blessed by a portion of the Mother of Nightmares herself.” Her fangs showed. “By sending you, I believe that H'Luun is seeking to reunite with both the shell and miasma. Even if she never told you as much—even if neither of you believe in that—I am whole-heartily convinced that your arrival is a manifestation of the greater will of the whole. The Mother of Nightmares wants peace and restoration. Even with the stars aiding in her escape and nighttime eternal being curtailed, she is working to restore glory to the plane... through you.”
“That... could be something we can work with, darling,” Rarity said in one ear.
“It certainly puts us in a position for negotiating,” Twilight suggested in the other ear.
All the while, Applejack rose front and center in Rainbow's vision. “We seriously can't pretend to take advantage of their ignorance. It'll just blow up in all of our faces at some point or another. Can we really afford to do that here with Lexxic and the like breathin' down our necks?”
Rarity and Twilight squirmed guiltily, gazing down at the floor.
Rainbow looked past Applejack, taking a firm breath. “Mistress...” She stepped closer towards the elder. “I'm not going to front.” Her brow furrowed. “I have not and will never ever do anything that would bring Nightmare Moon back into power.” She waved a hoof. “I have no intention of helping the Bloodwings use the Harmonic Prism to cover the world in eternal night.” She waved the other hoof. “And I seriously do not believe that Princess Luna would want the same. Not anymore. The Solar Civil War is over. It ended a thousand years ago. The cause? The thing that you and all of your sisters and brothers are fighting so desperately for? Forget it. It's long lost.”
To all of this, Mistress Faatail looked away. She tried to summon anger, but all she managed were trembles instead.
“But...” Rainbow strolled even closer, her voice softening slightly. “...I do believe that I'm here for a higher purpose than all of this. Higher than even Luna knows. Not that she's dumb or ignorant—just misinformed. Just as I've been misinformed for the longest time. But with each flap of the wings, I get further and further clarity.” She pivoted until her vision could make out the faint golden outline of the Armory, twinkling like a ghost in the dismal distance beyond all the layers of the Dark Side. “There's still lots of reasons to get the Harmonic Prism. Just as you want to restore the Mother of Nightmares, I wish to restore an ancient and priceless essence. Only what I'm seeking involves the entire fate of the plane we live on—and then some. There's something older then Solar Civil Wars and nightmares and the essences that anchor to any of that. It's something even older than the Elements of Harmony, but it's used that as a vessel all the same. That's the real reason why I'm here. I'm not just an avatar of Luna... but of something waaaaaay bigger. Something called 'Austraeoh.' Princess Luna knows about it—she doesn't entirely understand it, but she knows about it. Dozens of conversations over the past year or so have helped us understand it more. But at this point I'm convinced that nothing good will come about this journey until I get that friggin' prism and return it to the spot in Equestria where chaos is attempting to tear everything to bits. There's something bigger than all of us that needs to be restored. Something bigger than you, and something certainly bigger than me.”
She turned to face Mistress Faatail directly again
“And even if all of that is a load of haddock,” Rainbow Dash continued, shaking her head. “I sure as heck don't want the Harmonic Prism falling into the hooves of the changelings or the... whatever of the Night Shard. I've already butted heads with Tchern's sister Chrysalis on the Light Side—and even she no longer wants the world to fall under what her sister's Flux-babies have in store. I know very little about the Night Shard, but I do know that something has been messing with the souls' conveyance to the Harmonic Planes. And if the Night Shards are using spirit energy like ammo, then they're the trashiest of trash in my book. I can't have them getting inside the Midnight Armory first. None of us can. But you...?”
Rainbow Dash gestured towards the ornamental architecture of the Dream Den around them.
“...you and I share a common ancestry. You know what's been lost and what's at stake. You know that—even if every war fought was lost—there's still a destination on the Light Side to return to. It's where Luna is. It's the location of where sarosians first set hoof in the corporeal realm. It's where everything first branched off and turned into this stupid conflict that's still murdering millions of your fellow flesh and blood to this day. Well, maybe together we can end it. We can end the Trinary War, hop back over to the Light Side, and make peace with the Solar Civl War as well.” Rainbow threw on a hopeful smile. “We just gotta stop being so... stubborn and bent-out-of-shape about mistakes that were made in the past—mistakes made mostly by alicorns, if we wanna be really honest about it!”
Applejack waved her hoof from side to side.
Rainbow Dash mimicked the gesture.
In the meantime, Mistress Faatailed muttered: “You want me and my kind to accept defeat at the hooves of the Solar Deceiver.”
Rainbow Dash didn't hesitate: “Uh huh.”
Mistress Faatail frowned. “You expect us to pierce the Sarcophagus of Ages and procure the Harmonic Prism—not to restore glory to the Mother of Nightmares—but to accomplish a completely different agenda in the searing lands and beyond.”
Rainbow Dash nodded. “Pretty much.”
“And on top of all that...” The elder's fangs showed as her tail flicked angrily. “...you wish to impose your own nebulous agenda that clouds over everything that the Book of Saros has taught us since corporeal infancy—!”
“But...!” Rainbow Dash pointed with a smirk. “Part of you believes that I'm onto something.”
Mistress Faatail was dead silent.
“How do I know this?” Rainbow trotted so close that she could nearly touch the elder's fangs with her hooves. “Cuz instead of bearing those pearly chompers, you could have dug them into my neck just seconds ago when I first made my declaration. But you haven't. You're holding back. You're listening. That's something that none of the elders would be willing to do, I bet.” Rainbow Dash folded her forelimbs. “Now why is that?”
“... … ...”
Rainbow Dash arched an eyebrow. “You and I both want pretty hopeless things. We're both on stupidly long and impossible quests. It's something I've been adventuring for... and something you've been waiting for. Even if we can't entirely spell it out.”
Mistress Faatail sighed long and hard. Her eyeslits gazed far beyond Rainbow's visage. In a melancholic tone, she murmured: “There needs to be a change.”
“Heck yeah, there does.” Rainbow leaned in, this time whispering. “And there has been some change... but it's all been brought about by Lexxic.”
The elder's jaw clenched.
Rainbow murmured further: “Bet that really steams your beans, huh—?”
“Eee-eee-eee-eee!!!” Mistress Faatail let out a surprisingly loud sonic shriek. Several cushions blew past Rainbow Dash, striking the wall behind.
Rainbow—a little wobbly from the ordeal—watched with blinking eyes as the elder paced angrily on her half of the room.
“It's all going by so fast!” Mistress Faatail sneered, burning lines in the floor of the Den with her angry eyes. “He seeks victory at all costs... but with all his gambles, he may very well achieve defeat at total expense! We only have so few resources, and instead of laying low to restore our strength, he's burning everything at the greatest heat to charge the target in an act of offensive desperation! Yes... yes... it may work, but—”
“What will you be returning the Harmonic Prism to?” Rainbow Dash interjected.
Mistress Faatail jerked to a stop, staring at her.
Rainbow continued, “Nighttime Eternal has been prevented. Princess Luna reigns in Equestria—not Nightmare Moon. The 'miasma' is gone. Even if you brought both the armor and the Prism back, what would it accomplish?”
“...there...” Mistress Faatail seethed. “...th-there is still glory to b-behold...”
“Yes. There is. But face it, ma'am...” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “It's not in what you hold dear. Heck...” She held a hoof over her fuzzy chest. “It's not even in what I always believed in.”
“... … ...”
“I've been sent personally by Princess Luna. I am the closest thing to her avatar—at least the closest that you will ever get.” Rainbow paced closer with each softly-spoken sentence. “You want to win this Trinary War, I understand that. But the deadline has passed and—for whatever reason—you guys have thrown everything onto Lexxic's shoulders. Maybe... just maybe...” Rainbow took a deep breath, then delivered: “Let me shoulder some of that too.”
Mistress Faatail's eyeslits narrowed.
“Lexxic's clearly got skills. So do I.” Rainbow's friends looked at her as she spoke firmly to the matriarchal representative. “But together... we just might be able to do the impossible. With Lexxic's smarts and my 'spark,' we'll not only get the Prism but make the best out of it. Not just for the Mother of Nightmares, but for everypony. Because—like it or not—the sarosians are stuck on this plane. And the fate of this plane is important above all—whether it's lit by a sun or by a moon or nothing at all.”
Silence.
At last, the elder murmured: “I do believe... that you can be of great assistance in procuring the Harmonic Prism.” Her eyes rested on Rainbow's pendant. “And I also believe that such is an opportunity that must not be wasted.”
Rainbow glanced at Applejack—who nodded. “Thanks for...” She smiled back at the elder. “...being on the level with me.”
“But forgive me, Rainbow Dash.” Mistress Faatail breathed sadly. “I do not believe—even for a second—that you represent something larger than the sum of your role as W'ynlppa yln H'luun.”
Rainbow could only nod. “And I respect that. You're the seventh or eighth Faatail born into the teachings of the Book of Saros or whatnot.” She gestured randomly. “I couldn't just... fly in from out of nowhere and convince the thousandth 'Zetta' that her belief system is upside down. For what it's worth, I've been there before... metaphorically speaking.”
“And became of such instances?”
“Well...” Rainbow cleared her throat delicately. “I'm here, aren't I?”
Mistress Faatail merely nodded.
A beat.
“So what happens now?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Nothing happens now,” Mistress Faatail responded. “I must go and speak with the other elders. I will share with them the knowledge that I have acquired here—both from your visions and from your muzzle.”
“I...” Rainbow Dash was already wincing. “...d-don't know if I should find that reassuring or not.”
“Because such was not promised.” Mistress Faatail leaned back with a breath. “At least one divine truth has been echoed in this Den. Change is a rare thing in the Trinary War, especially among the Dark Vigil.”
“But not with Lexxic.”
“Correct.” Mistress Faatail nodded sadly. “A deadline has already been passed—with the return of H'Luun. Only I—seemingly—have had the courage and wherewithal to admit that. My high-polished sisters never accepted the prophecies hinted in the Book of Saros, but maybe now—with the manifestations you bring—they will lend an ear.”
“And if not...?”
“We still have a new deadline. Imposed by Lexxic... and the mission that has been pressed upon him.” Mistress Faatail's eyes narrowed. “Like it or not, we are all short on time. I only hope that the rest of the Maria Matriarchs will see your presence here for what it is—a tipping point.”
“Uhm... what exactly are we tipping over?” Rainbow Dash asked nervously.
“Ourselves into action.” Mistress Faatail clenched her jaw. “And into owning responsibility.”
“Hey...” Rainbow nodded. “I'm all for that.”
“I can see as much,” Mistress Faatail said. “And that's how I'm convinced you aren't here as a treasonous agent of the Solar Deceiver.”
“Well... uh...” Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her head. “...I'm glad we could come to a center of sorts!”
“It's a tiny victory.” Mistress Faatail trotted over and knocked on the door of the dream den. “But every bit—like winters—are worth counting.” She looked over at Rainbow. “Not many bother to measure time as they should.”
Rainbow Dash winked. “Kinda puts 'nighttime eternal' into a less than favorable light, huh?”
The elder had no response to that.
Summoned by her knocking a few seconds ago, Captain Xandraa opened the door from the outside. She peered in, looking patient and calm in her loyal armor.
“I heard you knocking, Madame.” The Captain's brow furrowed under her helmet. “I also heard what sounded like a shriek earlier. Is everything alright?”
“No, but it shall be attended to.” Mistress Faatail reached over and started putting on her guard's costume, bit by bit. “I must go and speak earnestly with the rest of the Maria Matriarchs. In the meantime, Rainbow Dash here will remain under the protection and company of Lexxy'kyn.”
Each and every one of Rainbow's ghostly friends did double-takes.
“Whoah...” Rainbow blinked, frazzled. “Wait, what?”
Mistress Faatail calmly looked over at her. “Was it not you who suggested that mutual triumph for all of us would be achieved if you likewise 'shouldered' the burden pressed upon Lexxic?”
“Uhhhhh... s-sure, but—”
“Then it is most beneficial that you remain in company with the Commander of the Bloodwings.” Mistress Faatail's eyeslits hardened. “Good company. Thusly—if anything comes out of my deliberations with the rest of the Highest Polished, for better or for worse—you will be in the best position to assess your function with him. Mark my words, Rainbow Dash. If change is to happen in our generation, it will happen with Lexxic. Nopony else.”
“I... uh...” Rainbow Dash fidgeted. “Ma'am, I-I just got here, and my friends are sorta split up at the moment. I'll do my best, of course, b-but I'm not certain how well I'll be able to protect your best interests.”
“Who said it was entirely about protecting us?”
Rainbow Dash blinked at that.
Mistress Fataill placed her helmet back on and tucked her moonstud'd mane in, once again becoming a “normal guard” of Gibbous Sanctum. “There is exceeding pressure on Lexxic's shoulders, but it doesn't all come from the Night Shards and the Flux. In some ways, I wish that were the case. But as fate would have it, he is the fulcrum upon which the future of the Mother's foals reside—be they the daughters of destiny or the sons of nightmares. Could they be both? It's hard to say. But if you—the W'ynlppa yln H'luun were to be by his side—then perhaps that will make the fulcrum less likely to shatter upon the turning of the hinge.”
“Ma'am... with all due respect...” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I'm going to need more to work with if you want me to help you. I need to know more about what's at stake here and how it came to be so—”
“You will have to wait for a motion from the elders before I can help you,” Mistress Faatail said. “Be patient, Rainbow Dash. And have faith.” Her eyes pierced from beneath the helmet. “I'm exercising it for you in this instance. Can you not do the same for me?”
“... … ...” Rainbow Dash stood up straight and resolute. “I'll do my best, ma'am. If it'll help things simmer down a bit around here, then I'm all for it.”
“Do not expect it to be easy or simple,” the elder said. “Lexxic and his kind... aren't exactly the kindest to female representatives.”
“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash droned. “I caught on to that.”
Captain Xandraa looked between Rainbow Dash and the elder. “Mistress, if I may...” She bowed slightly. “I'll remain at her side at all times. I'll be sure to protect the W'ynlppa yln H'luun from any wayward actions by the Commander or his fellow Bloodwings.”
“Captain, I appreciate your wisdom and your loyalty. But no.” Mistress Faatail shook her head. “I cannot have you do that.”
“But—”
“You are needed here,” Mistress Faatail said firmly. “In the Tree of Mothers. We live in incendiary times, Captain, and I need you guarding that which is most precious... as well as most flammable.”
“As you wish,” Captain Xandraa sighed. She threw Rainbow Dash a wary glance. “Nevertheless, I feel that there must be some sort of sentry posted. It's not that I question the avatar's loyalty, but she is still a misguided Penumbran and there is much that stands to be properly relayed—”
“And I agree. However...” Mistress Faatail paced a bit by the door. “...giving Rainbow Dash an Imperialist Escort would be an obvious affront on Commander Lexxic's authority, and it would summon too much attention in the time it will take me to speak to my sisters.” A pause, and then the elder brightened. “Captain Xandraa...” She faced the lead guard directly. “I would like to enact the Rite of Census.”
“The Rite of Census...” Captain Xandra shifted in her armor. “Yes. That could work.” Her eyes hardened under her helmet. “But Lexxic and his subordinates could still find that invasive.”
“That depends on who you assign for the task,” Mistress Faatail said with a knowing glance. “I trust that you will use your better judgment. Or perhaps... your worse judgment.”
Rainbow Dash blinked curiously.
But Xandraa appeared to be on level with the elder. “Yes. I understand, Mistress.”
“Then it is settled.” Mistress Faatail turned to face Rainbow Dash directly. “I shall get back to you in less than ten cycles. In the meantime, I suggest you... humor the Commander's customs. I understand that there will be an assembly in the Hall of Honor soon. That will be a good place to start.”
“Er... yeah... sure thing...” Rainbow Dash gulped. “But—like—how long is 'ten cycles?'”
Mistress Faatail sighed as she and Captain Xandraa trotted out the door. “Too long...”
“—so in conclusion, it's really not the ink that's the problem, but it's the prolonged degradation of moon pulp!”
Shriike sat on a couch with Ariel, talking... and talking and talking and talking.
“The material simply doesn't hold together! Especially not long enough for the next two or three generations to read the translated manifests of the Book of Saros! But now...”
Shriike adjusted her spectacles, smiled, and spoke while waving both front fetlocks.
“...if we just switched to spider silk instead—especially the type produced by the song-weavers—then we'd have far more long-lasting material that could not only absorb ink but could also survive a detailed lamination process! But Lexxic and his bloody buddies keep insisting on murdering the spawn of the spider queen! If we could simply lift this hunting-and-slaughtering band—for just a hundred cycles or so—then surely we could procure enough of the silk to improve permanent bookkeeping by five hundred percent! I'm very much a huge proponent of this idea! In fact, I've submitted proposals for it several... several times! But somehow the letters always get lost in the shuffle! Snrkkk... not my doing, mind you. I always do my job. So, in conclusion, if we just ditched the moon pulp for spider silk and began a new lamination process—”
“Twenty-four,” Ariel muttered, leaning her frumpled muzzle into a bored fetlock.
Shriike blinked bulbously at her. “I beg your pardon?”
“That's twenty-four.”
“What's twenty-four?”
“The amount of times you've stated 'in conclusion' since the moment you began talking to me.”
“Well, sounds like somepony gets hung up on filler clauses!” Shriike chuckled. “Believe me, it's a rookie mistake. But I'm certain that by the end of our conversation, you'll have a greater understanding of—”
“Conversation?!?” Ariel blanched, sitting up with a frown. “What conversation?! All this time it's just been you rambling about scroll parchment and the failing industry of moon lumber and putting a pause on the culling of spiders!”
“Well, sounds like you've been picking up on the finer details!” Shriike cocked her head aside. “So what's the problem?”
“You really don't have many ponies to talk to in this Tree, do you?”
“Heh...” Shriike leaned back casually on the seat. “...well, if all ponies of Gibbous Sanctum were like you, politeness would be a rare commodity indeed.”
Ariel's muzzle twisted in disbelief. “...you're actually serious.” She motioned with her head. “Just how much do those glasses weigh and why are they hooked into your cerebral cortex?”
“Pfffft. Shows how much you know.” Shriike's horn flickered with emphasis. “I cast a mild levitation spell on them at all times. But I couldn't expect a presumptuous Penumbran to know that.”
“Rnnnnghhhh...” Ariel face-hoofed long and hard.
“Hrmmfff...” Shriike stuck her nose up while folding her forelimbs. “I think somepony owes me an apology.”
“... … ...y'know what I think?”
“What?”
Ariel looked up with tired eyes. “... … ...I think you'd be much cuter with your muzzle stapled shut.”
“Hah!” Shriike barked. “Is that how you run your harems under the Solar Deceiver's burning gaze?”
“Girl, you wouldn't even step hoof in my harem!”
“I—”
Ariel sat up, snarling. “You wouldn't even be allowed to use your spit to grease the harem wheels that support the harem wagon that carries the harem strawberries to my harem island!”
“Hahahahahaha!” Shriike laughed.
Ariel's eyes twitched. “What is it now?”
“Silly Penumbran...” Shriike waved a hoof, eyes tearing beneath her thick spectacles. “You can't make berries out of straw!”
“Rnnngh...” Ariel plunged her muzzle into her fetlocks again. “Somepony... anypony... just disembowel me now...”
At that precise moment, Captain Xandraa and Rainbow Dash trotted over.
Rainbow whistled. “Hey girl. Up and at 'em.”
“Oh, thank Goddess!” Ariel jumped away from Shriike and hovered felicitously at Rainbow's side. “Please tell me we're going to go charging into a changeling den or something.”
“Nope. But close enough.” Rainbow sighed. “Looks like we'll be hanging out with Lexxic for a bit.”
“A bit?”
“Uh huh.”
“How... long is 'a bit?'”
“As long as it takes for...” Rainbow Dash looked off towards where an unassuming “guard” was trotting across the opulent lengths of Gibbous Sanctum. “... … ...friends in high places to win us more friends.” She gulped. “Celestia-willing.”
Ariel merely blinked.
Rainbow waved a hoof. “I'll explain later.”
“Thanks.”
“Don't thank me yet, bae.” Rainbow shuddered. “Not sure I can even explain it to myself.”
“First thing's first, though,” Captain Xandraa spoke, trotting over to stand above Shriike. “Imperial Clerk.”
“Huh? O-oh!” Shriike's nervous stutters returned as she found herself once again in the shadow of a superior. She hopped awkwardly onto all fours and saluted. “At y-your s-service, Captain, my Captain!”
“At ease.” Xandraa snorted. “I have news for you. The Maria Matriarchs wish for us to enact the Rite of Census.”
“The...” Shriike blinked. “The Rite of Census! Why... th-that's so unexpected! Errr... n-n-not that it's m-my place to expect or not expect things, Captain! Eheheheh...” She adjusted her spectacles and struck a proud pose. “I'm Shriike! The Acting Imperialist Clerk! It's my job to just record things! Not... uh... th-think things.”
“Rainbow Dash will need to be chaperoned while she is in the presence of Lexxic,” Xandraa declared. “It is the will of the Maria Matriarch that she remains in Lexxic's company as often as possible for the time being, so such will be required of the Imperialist representative as well.”
“Oh... s-sure thing!” Shriike pulled out a parchment and pen, levitating them before her licked lips as she jotted the instructions down. “I shall go forthwith to... uh... t-to the central processing and receiving center and summon a volunteer for th-this most illustrious task!”
“There will be no volunteer,” Xandraa firmly said. “I am choosing you.”
The pen and parchment fell to the floor. Shriike trembled, her everything drooping. “M-m-me, Captain?”
“That is right.”
“But... b-b-but...”
“Is there a problem, clerk?”
“N-no! None whatsoever, Captain, b-but—”
“Good. I expect you to enact the Rite of Census with full dedication.” Captain Xandraa nodded. “...if nothing else.”
Shriike swallowed, staring a thousand miles ahead. A deep pit within her squeaked out: “Ishallperformwithutmostloyalty, Captain m-my Captain...”
“Splendid. As it should be.” Captain Xandraa bowed slightly before Rainbow Dash. “Avatar...” And she trotted off.
Ariel exchanged glances with Rainbow Dash.
“What... just happened?” the Heraldite asked.
“I... am officially ch-charged with accompanying the W'ynlppa yln H'luun at all times...” Shriike whimpered, shivering from head to tail. “...as an official recorder of her interactions with the Blood Wings outside the Tree.”
“Yeah. Cool beans. Sounds fair.” Rainbow cocked her head aside. “So what's the problem?”
“I've never d-done it before?”
“What, recorded interactions?”
“N-no...” Shriike's ears folded back. “...been out of the Tree.”
Rainbow shrugged. “So you get a little starlight. So what? Being outside isn't so bad. Just a bit smelly, though. But you look like a versatile mare.” She reached over and gave the clerk a good-natured slap on the withers, accompanied by a wink. “I'm sure you can handle it!”
“Yeah... s-sure...” Shriike wheezed.
Rainbow Dash walked off.
Meanwhile, Ariel leaned in to whisper in Shriike's ear: “Maybe you'll get a chance to ask Lexxic about the spider silk.”
Shriike bit her lip. As the two outsiders trotted off, the Imperialist Clerk begrudgingly did her duty: slowly standing up and following them. As she did so, she pressed a hoof to the tattoo on her lower neck, sighing. “Oh... how I'll miss your beautiful beautiful shine...”