//------------------------------// // Chapter 31: Candor // Story: The Trinity of Moons: Mending Shards // by Cloud Ring //------------------------------// ∿∿∿ Signal walked over to Solid Line and stood beside her. Storm was menacing, even more so were her last words, but at the same time Solid was intrigued. Strictly speaking, ongoing events were not factored into past-Solid’s plan. A branch that could be used in this case existed and included refraining from application of force; but it did not even truly align with this particular situation; it was merely suitable, with a stretch; for that Solid made a conscious effort to omit a few significant details.  Like a slightly fermented fruit juice; usually it goes to a friend, but could also be a treat for butterflies. Solid smiled at the thought clearly born from the other — long gone — side of the world, and looked down at her cat. Signal gave out a series of quiet rumblings, and Solid again was able to understand the meaning — not without difficulty, through the fading noise, but still, “I told you, this time will come, and Moon will not help us. It was possible. It was always possible." Cursory, after a proper pause, turned to Storm first, “That… that, we were able to understand. If you are not an enemy of the Red, as you said, then you are not a friend of the Moons. There is no other way. If there is ‘Guiding Starfall-TX’, then there must be other ways to sever the connection with the Moons. So... don't be offended. But I don't want to ask ‘how’, I want to ask ‘why.’ What did the Moons do to you that you shield yourself from Them? Why are you hiding from Them?” “Rather, because,” Storm replied. But since her face was concealed, and even what came out of the loudspeakers was not a living voice, Solid Line could not even approximately estimate her mood. “Because once there was a pony who could not bind herself to any of the Moons. She found a way to make other ponies the same. To escape loneliness. To look together for a clean, undistorted world. And so she interfered with the plans and will of the Moons, or did not fit into them, or became a threat to them. I do not know.” Solid Line clarified, “Is this a quote of the Moons’ own words, or your retelling?” “Retelling, of course” Storm moved her head, “The direct words of the Moons are filthy. By the way, Cursory Streak, you just brought up that stardust cocktail once again, and I still have no answer on why you inhaled it twice. Even the first one, as far as I know, is rarely of use among moonlit ponies. It is disgusting how happy you are under their light.” “Why?” Cursory asked with disbelief and wariness, “They gave us a lot of rights and open roads. I was wounded,"  she flinched her left wing, "and was cured, despite…” Storm nodded. "We made inquiries about you, reputable Cursory Streak. Don't you think that this wound…” she fell silent, and resumed much later, while they were walking away from the tower, as Cursory reminded and pushed the pony to finish the line three times at least,  “...we will speak of this again, moonburnt pegasus, when I will be much less busy, but for now: all your wounds and all your troubles are caused by Moons. You could disagree with this fact as much as you like.” Cursory slowed down, then stopped, and slowly replied,”That's right. But almost all the joys and successes and achievements are too. Nopony forced me to be a Herald. It's my choice. It’s a package deal, not a cupcake, from which you can pick out all the raisins. And I will stay faithful to my Moon,” she exhaled sharply, “especially since I could choose again.” Solid Line, with the cat on her back, hurried after their unwelcomed leader, whose pace slowed a bit after that reply. Storm answered without turning around, “I did not say anything about forfeiting your faith; these are your own thoughts. But wouldn't you like to become more powerful? In our domain, even the weakest can do a lot. And of course you could choose again — ‘Guiding Starfall-TX’ does exactly that. Or are you different?" There was a pause, then the mechanical voice went on, "For us above, it leads the user down the memory lane, letting them make another choice, visit what might have been, and return to us renewed. Apparently imaginary, but strong enough to clear out even your moon affliction, once they are made to see all the evil—” Cursory with a flap of her wings darted forward, covering almost a throw so quickly that Solid Line double-checked if it was a jaunt, just in case. Fortunately, it was not. The pegasus stood in front of Storm and breathed out, "By way of this armor, or other tech that can break? By living in some hole where there is contraband and ...what on top of that do you have there, fearing even the slightest bit of light? By betraying my Moon? No,” she paused to make a slow exhale and spoke again, her tone a bit deeper, more calm, “Actually… actually, I think it’s a good thing that the product made by us and for us affects your kin in a pretty similar way. So you are not some aliens from outer space. Makes you that much more relatable.” “Mind you, I'm not suggesting,” Storm said. “This is a freedom of choice too, which you all value so much. But now we're on a different path, and I'm not a hiring manager. By the way, the cocktail is not your invention. And, since you did inhale stardust, you did betray your Moon already.” Cursory snorted, “I hate it when ponies try to slip out like this.” But that was it from her. Time went on; sometimes Storm would tweak the course slightly. White Moon was below the horizon, Blue Moon was rising. “Do you know where we are going?” Solid Line asked. “Yes, for sure,” Storm replied, “There is a trail behind your pink one. Even you will see it if you look closely. By the way, I was wrong. It's not just an object of the Red, it's also one out of the six. And we will have to negotiate with it, as if 'pony' really means anything of note in what it— she is,” Storm paused for a while, "Is there a negotiator among you?” Cursory raised her head, “This is my specialty! What do we need to achieve, reputable Faraway Storm?” “According to our observations, no, you are not suitable for this task,” Storm replied, and the tone was chewed out by the synthesizer’s grumble again, “But I suppose we would be forced to use what we can. So, we ask that she returns to the place beyond mirrors, disarmed. And does not destroy the world. It is already fragile because of your Moons. We will call her later when needed. When we have six out of the six. She will be the last one for the ritual.” Cursory shook her head, "Fragile? You probably don't know what you are talking about at all. Or...” she paused, “...or you are meaning some other world. Ours is stable, maybe too much. Here is Solid, she came to us from the distant past, and there is nothing that confuses her. She understands everything. Do you?” Cursory waved her hoof towards Solid. Solid kept silent, because she did not want to lie, and because Storm was dangerously close to the truth, which she did not want to discuss all the more. Fortunately, Cursory did not press the matter and moved on to another topic, “So, you are also looking for those lost souls?” “Uh-huh,” Storm muttered, “And you are two of them, whether you like it or not.” “For what? To revive Black Moon, huh?” the pegasus asked. There was silence, and once again Storm appeared to be utterly deaf, moving on. Solid Line knew that she herself was prone to similar behaviour while thinking situations through, but she usually was somewhat responsive to external signals even then. This suited pony plainly was not.  Storm followed on a third of a slice later, “Evacuate those whom we still can while we still can. Because, barring a miracle," the synthesizer made a minor noise and Storm was silent for a beat after that, "everything else that could be of hope in the world's circumstances depletes rapidly, and we see it as clearly as a forest fire.” Signal tapped her back three times, meowed, and Solid Line understood it — this was becoming routine now, “Don't give in to her gloomy mood. You and I have our own, now third, goal. It is more important." Solid did not pass these words to others, and they continued on their way along the invisible trail, trusting the stranger. Because everything else, Solid decided, was less efficient.