Arc II - Chapter VI - Crying Under the Moonlight
Now, getting out of the forest and entering a desert savanna, the sun is setting, and that means something to Tenebris. After a long, long time locked up inside the magical stone, he will finally take a look at the moon, after all these years. That's why he has to stop. He won't attack under the moonlight. "Stop," he tells his allies, looking at the setting sun. "We'll keep walking tomorrow."
"What?" says Tirek. "Why?" but the ram does not answer, he is only looking at the moon.
"I don't attack under moonlight," he finally answers. "Something from my tradition."
Tirek can't resist his laugh. "Looks like the creature has traditions," he says, taunting him back. Cozy gets scared, because she knows Tirek's intention, and this may not end up well. She looks at him with certain concern, but everything eventually calms down when the ram turns around, with a small grin as a smile.
"I'll act as if I didn't hear your commentary... I don't want to attack you under the moon." Tirek gets surprised at hearing that and Cozy thinks everything's over... until the ram approaches the centaur. " However, I don't attack under the moonlight... but that doesn't mean I can't defend myself from your attacks, centaur. You've been warned, and I won't repeat it."
The maniac centaur smiles. "I listened," affirms Tirek. Then, the ram opens his eyes, surprised, and sighs.
"Oh, what an idiot... I almost forgot." He passes by the centaur, completely ignoring him, and does what he has to do hours ago. He gives Discord and Stone Chisel their mouths again. The colt takes the longest breath he's ever taken and shouts for a second. Discord keeps his mouth shut but closes his eyes, angrily. "And let me walk in..."
A strange orange aura appears on Tenebris again while the gem keeps trembling and changing its colour to now black. Then, a black aura appears around Discord, which he finds out... but doesn't do anything to stop it, and that only makes the ram smile. However, a second later, the beast starts coughing and everything fades out, giving its grey colour to the gem. For the first time in the day, the God of Chaos laughs out loud. "How stupid... you thought some scratches on your necklace could help you to consume me?"
And that only makes the ram mad. The gem is about to come out... and he still can't consume the God of Chaos' powers? Argh! That only can end up in one thing.
SMASH!
A fist so strong in the draconequus' face something comes out from one of his cheeks. A transparent liquid which Tenebris observes with attention. He slowly touches it with one of his hooves and actually tastes it, giving him an absolute surprise. "Water?"
"You..."
"You bleed water?"
Discord now smiles. "I mean... I'm the God of Chaos, so... I can bleed everything."
And that only makes the ram laugh. "First being who made Discord bled, and also..." he says, chuckling while moving a big amount of dirt, creating a small hut with just a hole to enter. Then, his eyes turn green for a second, only to use Sombra's dark magic, and creates two dark crystals inside the dark house. Then, to finish his task, he puts the wire on his hoof all over the dark crystals, chaining both Discord and a stump Stone Chisel to Sombra's solidified dark magic. "The first one who gave all of you a real home. I know it's not the best one..." says Tenebris, laughing. "But it's what we have."
"Hey..." raises her hoof Cozy Glow, quite scared. Tenebris turns around, menacingly... and doesn't say anything. "You... um..."
"What?"
"You said you didn't attack under the moonlight."
Now the ram realizes what he has done... but doesn't care while looking at Discord's cheek. "One punch doesn't change anything."
The villains, still invisible under their aura, take a look inside the dark house. Tenebris gets a silent Discord inside with his magic and then he moves to Stone Chisel, the stump. The ram can't even look at him without laughing.
"Give me back my hooves, you bitch," says Stone Chisel. "Screw you... fuck you... FUCK Y--"
"Shut up."
A long day. Firstly, the trial. Secondly, the break and the escape, and then, the carnage. He can't do anything. He's just a fly around the ram... he can break him in half. Now, remembering the legacy of his enemy, his rival, he remembers how did he sacrifice and surrender to the ram only for the Princesses. He sacrificed himself to don't spill his loyalty with cowardness. A Royal Guard fights for the Princesses... and who does Stone Chisel fight for, then? Will he sacrifice his life to stop this? For himself? For what? He has to do only one thing... just shut up. The ram laughs while moving him with the magic, approaching him to the dark crystals where he is chained. With the few sunbeams that can enter the house, he looks at the dark crystals that went through the improvised hut's roof. He can't come out of there, either the God of Chaos. Meanwhile, Discord's cheek stopped leaking water, which was actually his blood. Then, Cozy Glow, Chrysalis and Tirek get in the hut, only to look at Tenebris outside, observing the moon rising. "Are you going to enter?" asks Chrysalis.
"Give me a second." And then, Tenebris walks away, staying far from the hut, looking at the moon. He lies on the ground, breathing the air he never breathed before, and looks at the full moon in front of him.
Now, in the middle of the night, the ram is looking at the shiny satellite illuminating him... "I haven't seen the moon for centuries."
And after saying that, a light blue orb comes out of his body. "Isn't it beautiful?"
The night ram only raises his eyebrows, not surprised. "Yes, but... it never changes."
"It's always the same... unless you want to change it."
"Yes... that's what I'm doing, dear."
A silent moment where Rushkwa as an orb starts touching softly the night ram's face and fur until she decides to stop. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Always."
The orb starts fooling around, spinning around Tenebris. "It may be quite foolish for you but..."
"Say it."
Now the orb gets in front of the beast. "Do you... do you still think the souklat unáe, our soul union, is still with us?"
The ram raises his eyebrows, surprised at that question. "Are you fooling me, Rushkwa? Of course, we are still united, we are soulmates!"
"Are you sure?"
"Why wouldn't I? And in the first place, why are you not sure about that?"
Now Rushkwa starts spinning around her soulmate again. "I'm still thinking about the involuntary union."
And that only makes Tenebris laugh, so loud the villains can hear him. "Why would you be paranoid about something that your father already verified was not true?"
"I never believed in my father and you know that, Tenebris."
"We saw him finding out that was not true, Rushkwa. Everyone in the community looked at what he did."
"Despite he did it, I still..."
"Besides... if it was something true, which is not... you were the one that got me out of my prison, not the stallion. Your soul was inside that amulet... and that amulet was inside him, and however, I want to change the topic of this conversation, Rushkwa... if that pony consumed you... how are you still alive?"
Rushkwa does not want to change the topic because she still feels there might be something with Tenebris and Stone Chisel there. Nevertheless, she answers. "Well... I've got to tell you the story."
"We have all the time in the world."
The soul sighs. "It all started when that piece of filth unicorn used the Bewitching Bell against me and broke the stone prison. The bell literally consumed me, Tenebris, and left me without my body... all because of ponies. That's why I'm just a foolish light blue orb floating around you. The Bell took my soul and destroyed my fur... my body... my strength..."
"I know... I know... Shadow Star, that was the name the colt gave me... and why are you alive if you were inside that pony who died?"
"He was the leader of a stupid sect and eventually became crazy because, like every kind of pony, he wanted all of the power for him. He even wanted to take the Kingdom, Tenebris, and his followers, who were against his decision of bringing the Princesses down, were so mad at him they literally took all of his power out of his body, turning me into that stupid stone, and then, at that right moment..."
"... What?"
"They killed that unicorn right there."
Tenebris nods his head. "Interesting. Ponies killing ponies. I've never heard anything like that."
"That sect was a bunch of that. All of them were crazy as nobody else, just like your allies."
Now the ram gets confused. "My allies? You mean..."
"The centaur, the changeling, the filly and we could say... the stallion. By the way, if you ever dare to tell one more time that little trash named Cozy Glow she has the same attitude as me... I was inside the stallion but I could hear your voice from far away, Tenebris..."
The beast smiles. "It was just a joke, you jealous. I needed to give her a horn, though, so we had something else with magic, and now that you are saying that... if it wasn't for our soul union you wouldn't be listening to me from inside that stallion, so consider this souklat unáe thing done, Rushkwa.."
The orb stops. "Leave the soul topic aside now."
He snorts. "You were the one that came with it."
"I know, but now that we are talking about your allies, we need to focus on the present. I recommend you, according to what I think, to put them off, Tenebris."
Surprise at that phrase. "Put them off? Don't you mean..."
"Kill them, Tenebris."
If something surprises the night ram, then it must be something very shocking then. "Woah... I thought I was the evil ram in our couple, Rushkwa..."
"No, I mean... didn't you listen to the centaur taunting you? Those looks they gave to you. I've even heard they were whispering something between them inside the forest, and I think they were talking about you. They may be planning to turn their backs on you."
Now the ram sighs. "Maybe, Rushkwa. I've heard them whispering about something... I even heard my name... but I don't know, Rushkwa."
"Don't you see? They were talking about you! And why didn't you kill them all right there?"
The beast shakes his head. "The gem was red, Rushkwa. It wouldn't have let me. Besides, I may be more powerful than all of them together, but it's not bad to have a crew on your back."
"A crew that wants to turn on you, Tenebris. What's going on with you? This is not the young night ram I met... the Warrior, son of Clamoris the Nightcrawler... with a crew that wants to turn his back on him?"
The ram has to take a decision now, but he decides to take a breath. "Rushkwa... you may be right, I may be right... but we still don't know it's true."
Now the orb's light flashes even more. "We still don't know?... I have an idea."
Now the ram raises an eyebrow. "Which idea?"
The orb flies to a dead, spiny bush. "Stay here."
"Behind that bush?"
"We should take a look at them. Right from here."
Tenebris lets a chuckle go. "They can see me."
"Come on, Tenebris. You can only see the bush because I'm emanating light. They can't see it. Despite this, you have dark blue fur. Even eagles won't see you on the night."
The ram sighs, with a smile though, and hides behind the bush while Tirek takes a look outside the hut. "I'm only doing this because I can't fight with you, Rushkwa. I hate it."
The orb gets inside Tenebris, while the ram lies on the savanna's ground, hiding in the darkness thanks to his dark blue fur. "I know, soulmate," she says. "I know."
During the recent night, the Castle of Friendship is almost alone, having the Great and Powerful Trixie messing around the castle, waiting for Twilight, Starlight and the others to come back. She looks at the Princesses coming nearer, something which catches her attention. The Princesses at this time? Almost midnight?
Then, she looks at their faces with concern and anger. Clearly, something has happened and finds that out when she looks at Twilight, Spike and the remaining Elements coming from a portal along with a Rainbow Dash with a broken wing, being helped by Applejack and Pinkie, and something covered in cloth. "Um..." she says, confused. "Trixie would like to know why are you here, and with those faces of concern, princesses... something happened? What happened to Rainbow Dash?"
Celestia and Luna don't say anything while Twilight leaves the cloth inside the Castle, on the throne room. "Trixie," whispers Rarity, with bloodshot eyes due to so many tears, to the magician. "I don't know how to tell you this, darling, but uh...."
"Let me talk to her," says Twilight, with a serious grin. Clearly, something has changed inside the Princess. Trixie knows something is wrong here, and she feels so awkward she can't even say anything.
"W... What happened, Twilight?"
Rarity, in silence, leaves the conversation and enters the Castle. Twilight sighs while looking at her. "I'm afraid we'll have to close the School of Friendship for a while. We'll suspend it."
"Suspend it?" says Trixie, shocked. "Why? Did you... did you tell Starlight, at least?"
Twilight is about to say the truth, holding her breath, but a shout suddenly interrupts her: "Ms Twilight!"
Both mares turn around and look that Gallus and Yona are there, and the young griffon is holding a sheet of paper in his hand. "Gallus?" says the princess. "Yona? What are you doing here, under the moonlight?"
"Please, you have to see this!" shouts Yona, tired of so much trotting. "It has just arrived in Ponyville... Ponies in Manehattan and Vanhoover are all crazy!"
Gallus gives the paper to Twilight, which she only reads the title:
SCOOP
TENEBRIS IS BACK
written by Tabloid
"It says that we have to stay safe, take care of ourselves," says Gallus. "Does this mean...?"
"Yes," says Twilight, while Trixie reads the article. "We'll have to suspend the School for a while. Please, tell everyone, Sandbar, Silverstream, Ocellus, Smolder... please, tell everyone this."
However, Yona focuses on something else. "Princess..."
"Yes, Yona?" she says, raising her eyebrow.
"Your eyes... you... you've been crying?"
Now Trixie focuses on the Princess' eyes, dyed with an almost invisible red. Her cheeks are also darker too. The Princess only looks at the two youngsters and talks to them. "Yona, Gallus... I'm OK. It's just... I feel a bit tired. Go home. Stay safe."
"But..." says Gallus. "Are you sure?"
"Go home. I don't want you outside, things can get serious out there at this point, Gallus. Please... do it for me."
Gallus and Yona feel a break within her voice but, just in case, they nod their heads. "Princess, please, take care of yourself," says Yona. "No one here wants to lose you. Tell Starlight, the Princesses and everypony we and all of the pupils support you."
Twilight lets a chuckle go of her. "Thanks."
Gallus and Yona look behind them, not before hugging both mares and going away. Trixie, still reading the article, gets surprised at everything. "Trixie... Trixie has just found out Tenebris has returned. Trixie did tasks on the School all day... what has just happened?"
Twilight and Trixie now look at the Castle in front of her. "You see, Trixie..." she whispers. "Originally I was going to give Starlight this castle, once I moved to Canterlot because of my work. But..."
".... But?"
The princess, with no changes on her face, starts trotting to the castle. Trixie eventually does the same. "He... he took her away from this world."
Trixie's body freezes while hearing that. "You... you say..."
"He killed our friend, Trixie. Tenebris."
"But... but..." she whispers, stutters, and struggles while covering her eyes with tears. "But... Trixie... Trixie's friend... I can't handle..."
"We are all in the same thing," whispers Twilight, letting another tear roll down her left eye. "And now... we need to focus on him and his allies for her."
Meanwhile, in the Throne Room, a crying, scared Spike opens the grey cloth, which reveals a pale, cold Starlight Glimmer with closed eyes lying on the throne room, only pronouncing pure silence. Outside, Trixie and Twilight are crying under the moonlight.
He has no words. The articles on his desk have been observing him since the first moment they gave them to him. In only one afternoon and now at midnight, Shiny Picks Gem Company has lost all of its credibility.
Iron Pick looks at the articles one more time. A Chiselled Cage and Gems on Fire, both written by Tabloid which only leaves darker, bigger stains behind his back. And last but not least, the scoop which informs Tenebris has returned and his son is next to that ram. At that right moment, Iron Pick lost his way to life. He has been hearing shouts, and curse words from outside. He can't even leave the room, to check out from the balcony of his office, because that would be suicidal. He has even heard there were pegasi surrounding his office, waiting for him to come out and hurt him as no one else did. He feels destroyed, but he doesn't cry. Businesscolts don't cry. Never.
His father taught him there's only one way to escape from this, and that way is right under his desk. He gets out a pile of papers and finds a small wooden box which he opens with his mouth. There he finds a small bottle his father gave to him before passing away. There is only one small letter which he grabs and reads:
"Son:
Analyse all of the situations before making this decision, but, in case you are in the worst meltdown of all and your empire is about to fall onto dirt, drink this hemlock poison my father gave to me. Businesscolts die in honour, along with his business.
- Your father."
The father takes a breath and opens the small bottle of hemlock poison, but everything falls apart when Poofy Lantern opens the door. "Iron Pick, our shares are falling faster than we ever--- WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
Iron Pick instantly throws the opened poison bottle to the floor, where it crashes and breaks into pieces. "NOTHING!"
The white mare gets angrier than ever. "YOU TOLD ME YOU THREW AWAY THAT BOTTLE YOUR FATHER GAVE TO YOU!"
"No, it's not my father's bottle... it's not hemlock poison."
Now the pony, so angry he jumps onto the desk, looks at her husband with nonchalance. "And how did you know that was hemlock poison?" Iron Pick doesn't know how to answer that, and Poofy Lantern only shouts louder: "I KNEW IT!"
"No, this is not--"
"IT IS, IRON PICK! IT IS!" she shouts. "You were going to commit suicide and leave me alone... isn't it? You fucking ego-maniac."
"Ego-maniac!" he shouts. "What did you call me? I'm anything but a--"
"YES, YOU ARE, IRON PICK! YES, YOU ARE!" she shouts, disheveling her black mane. "You are more selfish than anypony else... but it's not your fault, honey, it is not. Your family is guilty of brainwashing you with all these businesscolts' behaviour and dignity BULLSHIT!"
"Don't you dare to talk about my family in that WAY!" he shouts. "My dignity! My honour! EVERYTHING, POOFY! EVERYTHING DESTROYED! MY COMPANY... IT'S JUST ASHES! ASHES OF WHAT IT WAS!"
"DON'T YOU SEE?" she shouts. "VICTIMIZING YOURSELF LIKE A STUPID 3-YEAR-OLD FILLY BECAUSE YOU THINK YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS BEEN AFFECTED BY THIS? Your selfishness, your quest for power and your family drove me crazy, Iron Pick, and that's why our son left us!"
"Don't you dare to talk about that colt!"
Now Poofy's face changes. "That colt?" she says, raising both eyebrows. "Now you are acting like Trustlight, don't you? You son of a bitch... now that he left you, he's doing the wrong... instead of looking for him to help him to find the right way, like I tried to do all of my life under your hooves... now you don't recognise him as your son. Stone Chisel was, is, and will be our firstborn, whether you like it or not."
"The black sheep," says Iron Pick, turning around. "If only he listened to me, listened to what I said, he'd have become the new generation of this company... but no."
"Again and again," she says, furiously. "You bring the company again. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT OUR SON, NOT THE COMPANY!"
"But if he only---!"
"HE NEVER WANTED TO WORK ON A GEM COMPANY! AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, HE DIDN'T WANT TO BE LIKE YOU!"
"LIKE ME?"
"LIKE YOU! AN EGO-MANIAC WHO FORCED HIS SON TO WORK IN SOMETHING HE NEVER LIKED!"
"Excuse me," he says, aloud. "If he listened to me, he would have saved himself. Firstly, he never had a job... All of his life, he spent it messing around empty streets, starving to death, and then... robbing purses like a freak, Poofy. If it wasn't for that time we saw each other, he came to me... and I helped him... he would have died as a cheap amulet dealer on Klugetown," and then, both get scared when a stone breaks one of the office glasses. At that moment, Iron Pick dares to say something. "And well, that clearly didn't work... I saved his life and look at what he did. He turned into Tenebris' minion."
Poofy Lantern knows he can destroy his husband with only one thing. "You bitch... you never talked to your son. You have no idea about who is he like, and I know. I know he didn't set Tenebris free, and I know he's not working for him. Our son is in danger, and if it wasn't for you and your stupid idea of putting gems in those clothes, nothing of this would have happened. You only opened your hooves to him because he and that asshole named Stolen Bag offered you a way of gaining money and power... not because he was your son, and I was so stupid I shut my mouth in the worst moment. You should have been on Tartarus instead of him."
Iron Pick now looks at his wife, with shocked eyes. "Apologize."
"What?"
"You shouldn't have said that."
The mare snorts. "What are you going to do, huh? You try to put one hoof over me and I'll throw your fucking ass through the broken window."
"I never hit you or touched you in that way in my whole life, dear. Apologize."
"Apologize to your son for being such a selfish asshole," she says. "He even told you he did the right thing because he never mentioned our name on that stupid trial and look at him now... you're in the top and he's almost dead, on the ground."
"In the top? Of course not, I'm about to fall to the ground... and you're going to fall with me. There's no way out."
"Actually, there is one."
Iron Pick and Poofy Lantern find out there is a big creature hiding in a tunic. It had a feminine voice. "Who in the hell are you?" shouts Iron Pick. "Don't you see we are in the middle of a conversation? And if you are one of the protest---"
"I'm not a protester, Mr Iron Pick, and please, apologize to your wife for being such a moron."
Now the colt gets mad. "What did you say, you mother---?"
"Wash your freaking mouth before talking to me, because you can't curse this bitch standing right here, talking to you."
"Really?" says Iron Pick. "And who are you to tell me that... bitch?"
The creature takes his hood off, revealing she is a female griffon with dark brown feet and dark green feathers, showing her intimidating light green eyes. Both ponies get shocked while looking at the mysterious griffon. "Mr Iron Pick, Mrs Poofy Lantern, parents of Stone Chisel.... my name is Galloway, and I'm here because Mr LaCrowley needs you."