Chapter 4 explanations
He awoke in a warm, comfortable bed, staring up at a black crystal ceiling. Whilst Fletcher was grateful, this was not the prison cell that he had expected. He looked around the bedroom in confusion at the expensive furniture and the space. He was in the Crystal Castle - he knew that much - but he had no idea where in the castle he would be, or even if this was real. Perhaps it was all just an illusion or a fever dream.
He felt the temperature increasing, and panicked slightly before he realized that it was just Ifrit’s magic. The spirit sat on the end of the bed, looking at him and frowning slightly.
“Get up. We need to find some way that you can escape. Your magic is bound and your bow’s been taken, but-”
“They took my bow?!” Fletcher cried out.
“It’s a weapon, Fletcher. They might be evil, but they’re not stupid.” Ifrit shook his head. “Now, up. The sooner we’re out of this castle, the better.”
Fletcher groaned to himself. That bow had belonged to his father originally, and it was one of the only possessions he had left to remind him of his childhood and his parents. To have such an important relic stolen from him was an outrage, but he had to keep his cool.
He got up and made the bed, then looked at a small alarm clock on the bedside table. It was a quarter past one. His stomach growled in anticipation. However, he was a prisoner, so he didn’t expect the meals to be anything brilliant. Then again, the fact that he was in this room and not in the dungeon had surprised him.
He opened the bedroom door and gasped. Before him was a large lounge, with a red velvet sofa and two matching armchairs arranged around a small coffee table in front of a fireplace. There was a kitchen area with cupboards and a sink in one corner of the room as well, and an additional room that he assumed was the bathroom. Everything was made of precious metals and gemstones, or else solid good-quality wood of a deep red color that had been varnished and polished to a high sheen.
He would have explored his surroundings, but all of the sudden he froze where he stood, an intense chill running down his spine all of the sudden. Occupying the sofa and staring into his soul with those huge purple dragon eyes of hers, holding his bow in her delicate little hooves, was the small bat pony mare with the green coat who had used the mind control spell on him.
“Ah, you woke up.” She spoke with a weak smile, sounding friendly and somewhat sorry in her tone. “You surely have a lot of questions but one step at a time. My name is Moonlight Shade. Strange, I know, but my parents had unusual tastes.” She patted the arm of the sofa, inviting him to join her. “Come and sit down.”
Fletcher eyed her with distrust. “Why should I trust you?” He demanded.
“First, I made sure you got brought to a guest room, rather than the dungeon. And second, I’ve made sure that you’ll get a meal. Nopony can chat with an empty stomach.”
With that, the door open and a servant brought in a plate of warm potatoes with a glass of water. Shade gave Fletcher a slightly cocky smirk as the servant left. In answer to his wary look, she added, “I’m going to quote King Sombra here. He says, ‘If I actually wanted to get rid of somepony, there are far easier ways of doing so that don’t involve ruining perfectly good food.’ Don’t cut your muzzle off to spite your face.”
While hesitating, Fletcher took it to fill his stomach, glad to satisfy his hunger.
The mare waited patiently for him to finish, a smile on her lips to see he enjoyed his meal.
“So, Celestia sent you here to kill me and Sombra.” She started but before he could form any reply, she added, “And in return, she would help you to get back home.”
“How would you know?” He raised an eyebrow.
“I was told everything by Princess Luna, having been one of her guards.” Fray’s eyes went wide in response, only for Shade to raise a hoof. “Now, I know you want to know about me and Luna, but there's something more important I need to say first.”.”
After a short moment, she received a nod from him. Moonlight closed her eyes and took a few deep, calming breaths, as if she were trying to hold back a torrent of sudden emotion. Then, she began to speak slowly and softly, running her hoof along the arm of the red velvet sofa. "Once upon a time-"
"I'm not a foal," Fletcher snapped.
"Please, let me talk." She glared at him with an intensity that he had only ever seen before in Luna's eyes; he stood still as a statue and gulped, knowing what could happen if he upset her. "It might sound ridiculous, but it's the easiest way of explaining things for you."
He nodded and allowed her to tell her story.
"Once upon a time, there was an alicorn princess, a little thestral filly and a unicorn colt. Almost everypony in the whole world thought the princess was perfect, but she was cruel to the thestral and the unicorn, stealing from them their lives and livelihoods, their friends and their families before framing them for terrible crimes and making them out to be villains. They were forced to make some difficult decisions to stay alive, resulting in ponies being hurt, but afterwards they did everything they could to reverse their mistakes. They found comfort in one another and their hatred of the princess, and swore to help others so that nopony else suffer the same way that they did. Then a mysterious stallion from another world arrived and the princess told him the same lies she'd told everypony else. A close friend told the thestral about this, and she realized that she would have to help this stallion find a way home, but first she would have to help him discover the truth."
"And what is the truth?" Fletcher questioned her, finally daring to walk closer.
She looked at him and tilted her head to one side, watching him carefully with those huge purple dragon eyes. "The truth is, Celestia has never cared for everypony equally like she says she does. There are tiers in Equestrian society based on how much she cares about a particular pony or group of ponies.”
He raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard, but he wanted to hear the full story.
“There's the alicorns, the rulers, right at the very top. Just under them are unicorns, so consider yourself lucky.” She gave him a small smile, although he had a feeling it was supposed to be sarcastic. “Then there's pegasi, and after the pegasi are earth ponies, then other creatures who aren't ponies. Those who have magic are always above those who don't.
Bat ponies are below the non-magic creatures because apparently they're 'not normal'," she gestured with her hooves in the air as she said this, "and after bat ponies are those who belong in Tartarus, and finally there's dark magic users. So Sombra and I are right at the bottom of Equestrian society, we're the scum of Equis and we don't deserve to live, according to Celestia. But do you think that?"
"I-" he stammered, still processing everything she had said. "No, of course I don't! It matters more whether they're actually a good pony, not whether they use magic or not! Dark magic is dangerous and I don't particularly like it.” He added quickly in response to her raised eyebrow but as long as it isn't used to hurt others, it should be fine."
"So you and I are on the same page, then." She sat back and relaxed a little. "That's a relief." She looked at him, ever so slightly tilting her head to the side in confusion.
"Is something wrong?" Fletcher growled impatiently, sounding more harsh than he had meant to.
“No offence, but… since I saw you, I've been wondering about your eyes. Were you born like this?” Shade sounded curious and eager.
“Uhh, no, I had hazel eyes. It’s a long story.“ Fray was a bit taken aback.
“Don't worry. I've not got anything else to do all day.” The mare nodded for him to continue. Actually, he had hoped that she wouldn’t ask him for the details, but there was no escaping now.
“You see, in my universe, I am one of Luna’s most trusted guards, called Eternal Knights, owning her a lot, as she helped me to save my homeland from corruption. When she was banned to the moon, not all of Equestria considered it justified. There were those who saw Celestia as the betrayer. Imprisoned for a thousand years, banished from her own kingdom, then of all times Luna found attention...respect...support. Those who were willing to fight to bring her to the throne founded what was known as the Lunar Republic, to overthrow Celestia, bring Luna back and place her on her sister's throne...I was among their command.” He paused for a moment.
The corners of Shade's lips turned upwards. "Sounds kind of familiar, actually. Carry on.”
“The War ended with a truce which eventually turned into peace. There was no winner. As for how I got my…unique eyes, we Eternal Knights swore a vow. To not rest until we placed the Princess of the Night on the throne of Equestria. After Princess Luna returned, that vow could never be upheld, so we thought we should be her Bearers. Back then, there was a sickness named Ceraporosis. There was no cure, so I, together with a friend of mine wanted to find one.
He had the idea of using nanomites. They are are natural organisms, similar to Paraspites. They live in nests and are drawn to, uh, decaying flesh.” The subject wasn’t exactly nice, but Fletcher hoped that she wouldn’t mind too much.
“Nanomites produce chemicals that dispel bacteria and viruses from the flesh they consume which makes dead bodies decompose a lot slower. But when they feed on a live body, it heals and repairs the area they leave the chemicals on. Ceraporosis causes decay in the hooves, wing membranes and horns, so nanomites work to repair the flesh. One simply opens a wound on the area near the infected hooves, wings or horn and brushes it against the nanomite nest, but it requires constant exposure to the nanomites and often, the virus can build up an immunity.”
“Right…”
“So, we both worked to create a magically-enhanced breed of nanomite that can be let into the bloodstream. They are injected as eggs so once they hatch, they treat the body like a nest and work to repair any sign of damage, even those that come from old age. The problem is it can sometimes cause shock or heart failure. Despite this, I… volunteered to test them, and had to remain in a state of… I guess you’d call it meditative repose for half a year to stop the nanomites causing my body to lock down
In the end it worked, I was the only test subject who had lived this long. As for my eyes, nanomites affect the pigment in a pony's eyes, coat and sometimes mane. That’s why my eyes are that way but my vision hasn’t changed. Thanks to them, all my wounds heal quickly, as long as I’m not too badly injured.”
The expression of his interlocutor stayed neutral for a moment before her mouth opened. “Interesting, and I'm surprised. Not many ponies would've wanted to keep working for Luna for that long. Being in the Lunar Guard is great, but it’s not exactly an easy job… Of course, my situation was a bit more complicated.
Shade took another deep breath. “Wrong place at the wrong time - I tried to stop the Royal Sisters from hurting each other and got in the way of the Elements of Harmony. I ended up getting stuck with Luna on the moon.” A faint smile appeared on her lips. “ It gave me a lot of time to think about things, like how much of an idiot Celestia was to banish me. And like you, I could also end up fighting in a civil war.”
“What do you mean?” Fray did not understand.
“I helped Sombra and Celestia isn’t having that. She wants him gone and there’s nothing I can do to change her mind. The reason I saved him is because…I saw past the fact that he was using dark magic, and he saw past the fact that I was a bat pony and was on the moon with the old Queen Nightmare - everypony's fear about bat ponies brought to life. We saw each other as ponies, and we didn't judge each other like everypony else did.”
Her guest let the words sink in, trying to understand. In a way, it was similar to how he tried to give Blue Murder a second chance.
“I can understand you. I also tried to give someone a chance who might have suffered, had it not been for me. And in my universe, Batponies don’t have it easy either. You see, they were created through a virus that is transferred by bite but natural birth is still possible. I got a friend who became a bat pony and was Luna’s caretaker, he had it rough like you.” He explained with slight unease, not wanting to upset her.
“I see…” A weak smile formed on the mare’s face. “Sounds like we aren’t that much different from each other.”
“I hate to burst your bubble, but I don’t trust her.” His ghostly adviser warned him, “And we should get things moving, too.”
“I agree. So…what now? Can I get my bow back, please?”Fletcher asked hopefully. It’s a… family heirloom.”
Now, Shade bit her lip in regret. “I’m sorry, but I can’t. Sombra insisted, you know, for security reasons. But be assured, I’ll do whatever I can to get you back home. “I see,” he muttered.
“I really am sorry, Fletcher. But I have to follow orders too.””
With that, she walked out of the room, making Fletcher hope for the best. For some reason, he felt like he had been watched the whole time.
Not far to the entrance of the guest room, Shade smiled to see her King waiting who returned it. “He seems ok, and he co-operated. Makes a nice change not to have to fight for anypony to listen to me.”
“That is good to hear, though I doubt his cooperation. He was very… hesitant to agree with you.” Sombra said with a dubious expression. “And you saw how skillful he was in combat. Combine that with the fact he’s from a different universe, he might be too dangerous for us.” He explained, “But he might have some use as one of the Elite guards.”
“Sombra!” His lover exclaimed in shock, “You can’t be serious!”
“It is best that we keep the threat he possesses as low as possible.” He countered coldly.
“Sombra,” Shade raised her voice, a tearful expression forming on her face, “He’s an innocent pony and he’s from another universe, having tricked by Sunbutt into doing this. If you do that to him, it doesn’t not make you any different than her. You know how much I hate the fact that you use mind control on the guards already. Please, don’t do it.”
A sigh escaped his mouth, his expression becoming apologetic. “You’re right, my little bat, However, I have a moral duty to keep you and my subjects safe. You can give him his bow back, but keep the arrows until he is proven to be trustworthy.”
She half smiled. “Thank you.” Having his permission, she walked back, seeing Fletcher standing out on the balcony, watching the ponies in the streets outside. She felt a little bad for them and everything she had put them through after helping King Sombra, but she would make up for it one day.
She cleared her throat, and Fletcher turned his head, raising his eyebrows at her.
“It is decided, Fletcher. You can have your bow back but you aren’t allowed any arrows.” He nodded, but seemed lost in thought. Shade could tell that she didn’t have his full attention.
“Are you okay?” Her voice sounded concerned. He was slightly startled, yet formed a weak smile.
“Ah ,it’s nothing. It’s just…” Fletcher sighed and looked back at the Crystal Empire., “Who am I kidding? Seeing the Crystal Empire that way, reminds me somehow of my family.”
Shade trotted over to the edge of the balcony and waited patiently for an explanation.
“When I was a colt, just having gotten my cutie mark, I lost my parents to a traitor, my grand- uncle. He'd treated his step-daughter, my mother, abominably in her childhood and when my father vied for her freedom in a tournament, he tried to have them both killed. After he was banished, he entered my home through a secret tunnel, massacred everypony he found with a group of mercs.
The bat pony gasped as he shivered slightly. “I found him standing over my mother's body, mocking her, kicking her, stabbing her, then he lunged for me. I just held my spear in a defensive pose and…he landed on it.”
In a matter of seconds, he felt himself being hugged by the mare, taking him by surprise. “I’m sorry, Fletcher. Nopony should have to go through that”
“I guess you can understand now why my bow is so important to me. It’s the only thing I have left of my family.”
Shade nodded in understanding. “Before I forget.” She took a deep breath as the whites of, her eyes glowed green and purple mist formed around them, along with a similar purple aura around the tufts of fur on the tops of her ears. Fletcher slightly gasped at a short but sharp pain in his temples. She grinned, a little sheepishly. “Sorry about that, but you should be able to use your magic now.
”Taking a deep breath himself, the stallion concentrated, smiling to feel magic flowing through his horn. “Thank you. So, what now?”
His host opened her mouth to speak before a mare’s scream echoed through the city, followed by the sounds of a magical battle taking place. Both ponies’ eyes grew wide and stared at each other, a million thoughts running through each of their minds. The day was quickly evolving into one of chaos.