//------------------------------// // 1/26: Under a Hunter’s Moon (The Best Night Ever) // Story: Friendship is Deceptive // by Kris Overstreet //------------------------------// A white unicorn and a red-and-white pegasus, both clad in the gleaming armor of the Royal Guard and trailing formal officers’ capes, stepped onto the landing at the top of the tower stairs. It had been a long, tense train ride from Ponyville, but Megatron and Starscream had arrived in Canterlot along with dozens of other ponies, all gathered for the Grand Galloping Gala. A brief meeting with Shining Armor, commander of the guard, had guided them to this tower, the personal quarters of Princess Luna… for what reason, neither one of them knew. Megatron paused in his steps to look at the two guard who stood to either side of the door leading to the tower’s highest chamber. Primus, he thought, looking at the cat-eyed ponies with the tufted ears and the bat-like wings, these ponies have found a way to look even more disgusting. But the moment lasted only a brief moment, and he kept his face firmly neutral as he and Starscream marched up to the doors. “Captain Megatron and Lieutenant Starscream of the Ponyville garrison,” he said, “reporting to Princess Luna as ordered.” The two guards straightened up marginally- they were already standing at attention- and saluted sharply. “You may enter, sir,” one said, not even twitching his eyes from the formal stare-ahead pose. Megatron returned the salute as slowly as the guards’ salute had been quick. “Come, Starscream,” he muttered, leading the way through the door. He ignored the muttering behind him, something about being treated like a pet turbofox. He’d heard it all before, and besides, the time to worry about what Starscream was doing was when the muttering stopped. The interior of the chamber would have been dark in any case, with no windows except the opening to a balcony closed off by a curtain, but the décor left it much darker than anything needed to be. A handful of lamps struggled to light up dark purple walls, deep blue wall hangings, and bedding so purple as to border on the black. Even the crescent moons that decorated everything were only a less dark blue than the rest of the room. Megatron couldn’t stop himself from looking back and forth, up and down, around the room. Every instinct he possessed told him he was in danger of an ambush. Even so, when Starscream bumped into him from behind, Megatron did not whirl on him; his instincts were under his control, not he in theirs. He settled for a quiet, “Starscream, you idiot, watch where you’re going!” “I might if I could see around your mighty rump, oh mighty Megatron!” Starscream’s response dripped sarcasm like a cracked engine block dripped lubricant. The door shut behind them. That actually helped a little, since it allowed the two Deceptiponies’ eyes to adjust to the low light. They walked towards the bed at the center of the room, an enormous bed that looked soft enough to swallow a pony whole. “Your Highness?” Megatron said quietly. “Reporting for duty…?” “One moment,” a voice called from outside. The curtain covering the door to the balcony parted, revealing a purple sky studded with stars… and a dark figure silhouetted against that sky. “Come and see,” the figure said, remaining on the balcony. Megatron walked carefully across the dark room out onto the balcony, Starscream following in his hoofsteps. The balcony afforded a magnificent view, taking in the castle below, other towers around them, a glimpse of the glowing city of Canterlot to the right, the dark rolling fields of the Equestrian plain far below on the left. And there, taking it all in, stood Princess Luna, considerably taller than she’d been when Megatron had last seen her, mane and coat darker than the pale violet filly he’d seen after Nightmare Moon’s defeat. “Quite a commanding view,” Megatron said. “You can see the road from the city and the plains below. A lookout posted here could see virtually any conventional attack coming.” “Really?” The princess turned away from the view to look at Megatron. “Is that all you see? Do you think of everything in terms of war?” Megatron chose not to tell the truth- namely, that yes, he did see everything in those terms. To him the sole value of anything lay in whether or not he could use it for his own ambitions. But this wasn’t the time to reveal that bit of his philosophy to his first patron in this world. “We are in a castle, Your Majesty,” he replied carefully. “What is a castle for, if not preparation for war?” Luna sighed. “When I was young,” she said, “when Celestia and I first became princesses, I was so looking forward to my first castle. I designed all the traps and secret passages myself. I never thought about it as a fortress. It was just a fancy home where princesses lived and worked. And I thought it was beautiful.” Her head bowed as she said, almost in a whisper, “And in the end, the only enemy that ever attacked that castle was me.” Starscream chose that moment to put a screw propeller in the water. “Then I trust you had no trouble with the attack,” he said. “Since you knew all the secrets.” Luna’s head jerked up, and a note of anger crept into her voice. “I am not proud of that moment in my life,” she said. “What I am is ashamed that, in my folly, I destroyed the thing I loved.” “Ah. My apologies,” Starscream said, bowing. “I shall not inquire further.” “No, you won’t,” Megatron agreed. “Leave us. Go guard the bedroom. If we want you, we’ll call.” “As you command, Megatron,” Starscream said. “But I was hoping to visit the Gala this evening. I do so look forward to meeting new people.” I’ll just bet, Megatron thought. “I’m sorry I can’t arrange it tonight, Sir Starscream,” Luna said, “But if you wish it, I can ask Celestia to send you tickets for next year’s Gala. If no way home has been found for you by then, that is.” “I would be most honored, Your Majesty,” Starscream said, bowing. “Then ‘tis decided,” Luna said. “Now, if you please, go join the guards outside. I wish to speak privately with your…” She looked quizzically at Megatron and asked, “Are you his lord or his commander? I confess I cannot remember which it is.” “With us it is one and the same thing,” Megatron said. “You heard her, Starscream. If you want to meet new people, here’s your opportunity.” Starscream’s lips moved as if he intended to say something else, but nothing came out. With a snap to attention and a Decepticon salute across the chest, he walked back into the bedroom. A few seconds later the thick wooden door creaked open, then shut once more. “Your lieutenant has a talent for putting his hoof in his mouth,” Luna muttered. “As it happens,” Megatron replied wryly, “one of his greatest talents is his ability to persuade others with words.” “Truly? That seems rather hard to believe, if you will pardon me saying so.” Megatron affected a shrug. “Well, he talked me into hiring him,” he said, not adding the words, and also into not destroying him for a hundred and more attempted coups. The quip drew a chuckle from Luna. “A sense of humor!” she said. “I must beg your pardon, Captain Megatron, but I had thought you completely incapable of laughter.” Megatron was perfectly capable of laughing; he also knew full well that few others appreciated the humor, especially not his victims. “I have so few reasons to laugh, I fear,” he said as a deflection. “Remember, my people have been at war for-“ Something zipped up into the air from Canterlot town, exploding in the early night sky in a shower of sparks. More objects followed it, briefly lighting up the sky in colors and smoke. “Distress flares?” Megatron asked. “No. Not flares… what’s the word?” “Fireworks,” Luna said. “They announce the opening of the Gala. Look in the courtyard below.” She pointed over the railing at the dozens, possibly hundreds of ponies arriving on hoof, by carriage, or through the evening skies, all gathering in front of the doors to the castle’s main hall. “I’d forgotten the word,” Megatron sighed softly. “It’s been so long since we had anything to celebrate.” The fireworks came faster and louder, forming fancy shapes in the air- a heart, a bell, several kinds of flowers, and showers of brilliant silver sparks. “So you no longer see the beauty in this?” Luna asked. “A clear starry night? Fireworks? Ponies singing without a care in the world?” She gestured down in the courtyard, where a large number of attendees were indeed singing and dancing in a beautifully choreographed pattern. Megatron pondered his answer for a long moment. He didn’t want to waste lies, or to say something that would tangle him up at some point in the future. “For a very long time,” he said at last, “I have had to find beauty in a well-fought battle against a strong adversary, and not much else.” There. That was true as far as it went, but it didn’t go even halfway to the whole truth. For Megatron battle was always beautiful (except when it went against him). But the most beautiful things to him had always been, since his first days in the gladiatorial pits, the cheers of an adoring but fickle audience and the cries for mercy of a broken enemy lying at one’s feet. Stars? Lights? Singing? He had no use for those things if they didn’t bring him a bot crushed under his heel. But that was a side of himself he preferred to hide from these fleshlings… for now, at least. “Then I hope your peaceful sojourn among us helps heal your wounds,” Luna said. “For myself, seeing my little ponies celebrating the night rather than fearing it soothes a thousand years of foolish jealousy and resentment.” “So when will you go down and join them?” Megatron asked. “You summoned us to escort you, or so we gathered from Captain Armor.” “I…” Luna bowed her head again, cringing away from the balcony’s edge. “I can’t. I’m not ready yet.” She gestured at the crowds below, at the city behind the castle. “In a way I am like you and your friends,” she said. “I have been catapulted into a new world, one thousand years into my own future. So much is different. Bigger. Louder. Strange.” Sighing again, she turned away from the balcony. “I still have too much to learn, to get used to, before I can show my face before them.” “Then why did you summon us?” With a glance back into the bedchamber, he added, “And especially why him?” Luna sighed. “I did want to have company for the Gala, even though I do not attend. And why should I not have the company of a handsome, well-built stallion such as yourself?” She said this with a warm smile, one which Megatron did not return. That tone of voice reminded him of events of long, long ago, events which still haunted his sleep cycles. After a moment’s awkward pause, Luna continued, “I also wanted to hear how you were fitting in to our world. But I could not bother my sister about these things, so I could not send you a ticket to attend. The only thing I could think of to bring you here was a guard summons… and as it turns out, you cannot summon just one guard for duty. Guard assignments come in pairs.” She quirked an eyebrow and asked, “Is there some reason Lieutenant Starscream should not be here?” “It… well…” Megatron found himself stammering. For all the uncounted lies and deceptions he’d pulled over other people in the past, something inside him rebelled at the thought of saying there was no reason why Starscream shouldn’t be there. But explaining all the reasons why he should have been anyplace else would take all night, and in any case most of those reasons entered territory he did not want Princess Luna to explore. “We tend to grate on one another,” he said, trying not to wince at how weak the words sounded even to himself. “Perhaps I should have allowed you to pick your own choice for the second position,” Luna said. “Would that have made it better?” No, it wouldn’t, Megatron realized the instant she said it. As annoying as Starscream was in close proximity, that paled to how infuriating it was to have him out of sight. He’d either be plotting some new takeover attempt or getting himself and the other Decepticons in deep slag. “It’s of no importance,” he said. “I see,” Luna said. “So… how do you like Ponyville?” Megatron thought about this for a long, long moment. “Permission to speak freely?” he asked. “Always, Captain.” Megatron nodded. “I do not think we shall ever be fully reconciled to this world,” he said, “leaving aside how alien it is to us, and how alien these bodies are to us. You said you effectively came here from another world yourself, but it’s not the same thing at all. You were displaced in time. For us time is still passing- here, and for all we know, also in the world we came from.” “We know this,” Luna said. “But there is nothing we can do about it at present.” “Tell me, Your Highness,” Megatron asked, “have you ever fought in a war? An actual war, with armies on each side and survival on the line?” “Once or twice,” Luna replied. “Then imagine your most deadly enemy,” Megatron said. “And then imagine yourself instantly transported to the other side of your world. Your allies and subjects fight and die without you, while that enemy seeks to destroy all you hold good and right. Would you be content to settle in to your new home and await rescue?” Luna looked down. “I would not,” she said softly. “And I am sorry I did not think of it in those terms. I had thought being among us would be a respite. I see I was wrong.” “Do not apologize,” Megatron said. “You are fortunate enough to know peace and prosperity in a well-ordered realm. But we come from a war with an enemy that will stop at nothing less than our total destruction. And we loathe every day we let the enemy go unchallenged.” “I can see that now,” Luna said. “And Celestia and I wish to see you returned home as soon as possible. Unfortunately, thus far our researchers have turned up nothing promising.” “Nor has Starscream,” Megatron sighed. “And not for lack of trying.” I hope. It would be just like that traitorous fool to find a way to return only for himself and to close the door behind him permanently… “We will keep trying, Captain Megatron,” Luna said, hard determination shining through her voice. “On that you have my word. Our word,” she added, throwing in the royal Our. “Thank you, Your Highness.” The silence that followed stretched out, broken only by a last fusillade of fireworks overhead as the doors opened for the Gala. After the pops and bangs died down, Megatron looked over at Luna, who still looked a little downcast. “Thus it goes with us,” he said. “How so with you?” Luna sighed. “I am learning quickly,” she said. “And my magic returns to me gradually, though not as swiftly as I would like.” Her horn lit up, and a crescent moon rose above the western horizon. “The moon has been returned to me. But other spells still elude me. And I am not yet regrown to my full stature.” “I see,” Megatron said again, not having any other words to give. “And of course Celly- I mean Celestia- my sister visits me several times a day,” Luna continued. “Sometimes I wish she would fuss over me a little less. But when she’s not here, I only have my guards and a tutor to speak to. I confess I am too frightened to leave the castle… too worried about what my little ponies must think of me.” “It sounds like a lonely existence.” The instant the words came out of Megatron’s mouth, he wanted to call them back. The part of him that wanted more close access to one of the great powers of this world had briefly overridden the part of him that would have been delighted to never see a female of any species or make, ever again. “It is,” Luna said, looking over to him with a small smile. “Why else would I send for you?” Hypercoolant rushed through Megatron’s veins. He had the sensation of a bot who had just put an unwary foot on an antimatter mine and heard the click of the trigger. “I… what precisely do you desire of me, Your Majesty?” he asked. “Only your company for an evening,” Luna said. “Just to be beside me as we admire the night.” She turned to look off the balcony again, at the long, long line of ponies filing up the castle steps. “Two creatures of darkness, enjoying a moment of peace.” Megatron thought about this a moment. “If that is all you wish, I am at your service,” he said. “But…” “But what?” Megatron shook his head. “I honestly have no idea what to say to you.” That was unmitigated truth. He hadn’t had the opportunity to devise any scheme that would let him talk Luna into another rebellion or even get his cadre transferred here to the capitol… and he didn’t know if either of those things would be to his advantage anyway. That left him shockingly bereft of things to talk about. “Then tell me of your war,” Luna said. “When you introduced yourself to Nightmare Moon, you called your faction the Decepticon Armada. It seems a peculiar name. Why do you name yourselves for deceit?” “Ah.” Megatron had forgotten he’d let that slip. Curse this fleshling body and its lack of perfect memory access. “The first war I fought was against the race which had conquered our world and tried to erase our history, falsely claiming to be our creators. We began as a small, weak force, but we won our victories by subterfuge and surprise, deceiving our enemies until it was too late for them. For us the name is a name of honor, in memory of the liberation of our world- and, of course, many worlds that followed.” “So this was not the same war?” Luna asked. “No. The long war we have fought these past nine million years, that came later. I led my faction to power in order to overthrow first the invaders and then the corrupt government they left behind. I wanted a world where beings were ranked by their abilities and not merely by their function or rank, and where anyone was free to seek their own way to the limits of those abilities. And for a brief time, I brought such a world into existence, guiding it by my own hand. “But there was another one of my kind- one of the few beings I ever called friend, who I trusted absolutely.” And he trusted me absolutely, the fool. “At first he supported me in my cause. But then he betrayed me, took up arms against me, and led a group of dissidents in an attempt to destroy all I had created.” “That sounds terrible,” Luna said. “Who was this false friend, then?” “When I first knew him he was Orion Pax, but today he has taken up a new name. Now he styles himself after the beings who first crafted our homeworld… Optimus Prime. He was a menial worker who had worked his way up into archival duties, studying our history and salvaging it from the damage the Quintessons did. He was an example of what I wanted to make possible for everyone… or so I thought.” “What happened?” So far (at least as far as he was concerned) Megatron hadn’t told any outright lies. Omissions, oh yes, so much omission. But “ranked by their abilities” was nothing more than a rewording of his true credo, “the strong must rule the weak.” The Quintessons had been decadent tyrants, and the Council of the Primes and their Senate had been utterly corrupt. And Orion Pax… yes, there had been a time that Megatron had honestly thought the two of them believed the same way. He’d been so wrong, of course, but for a time they had truly been close friends- or so Megatron chose to believe. But now he would have to lie, and make it a good one. “Orion Pax thought the old regime could be reformed and continued,” he said. “I knew it was irreparable. So when I swept away the old regime, he took up arms against me. Now he thinks himself the sole rightful heir to our old traditions, and his Autobot faction seek to restore the old, unjust regime, to return our world to the one that kept a mining robot with no name trapped underground in the mines or fighting for survival in the gladiatorial pits. Now, as Optimus Prime, he has turned against everything he ever stood for when he was my friend. “Since then we have been at war, I to preserve true freedom, he to destroy it. For nine million years we have fought, on too many battlefields to count. He and I, one on one, are equal in strength, I think, but his sentiment and love for the old ways blinds him. And yet, despite all the destruction he has caused, all the lives lost, there is something about him that makes his followers fanatically loyal. His blind courage inspires them to the same blind courage, and it is that factor that has allowed the war to stretch out beyond all sanity.” “But you are both intelligent beings, are you not?” Luna asked. “Surely you could have made peace.” Ha! Prime had tried that many times. For Megatron they had never been more than truces or opportunities for ambush. But only weaklings settled for less than total victory, and for all Optimus Prime’s courage and strength, he was too weak of purpose to see that. “He is bent on my total destruction, as the old regime was,” he lied. “He is a fanatic. A zealot. What basis for peace is there in that?” “You might be surprised,” Luna said. “After all, this being was once your friend, was he not? Surely not all of who he was has been destroyed?” Ha again. If anything, there was far too much of Orion Pax still within Optimus Prime. The bot had barely changed. The war had purified the former archivist to his most fundamental qualities- his courage, his moral code, his absurd sentimentality and humility- while burning away the innocence and ignorance of youth. “I think the better question is,” Megatron said quietly, faking a bit of sadness in his tone, “how much is left of the Megatron who was a friend to Orion Pax?” He shook his head. “No, too much has happened. Too much has been lost.” “So I thought once,” Luna said. “When I rebelled against my sister, I had no such high cause as you had. I cared not about freedom or equality. I was simply jealous of my sister. I thought our ponies loved her and hated me. And so, in my petty jealousy, I succumbed to darkness and became Nightmare Moon. “When I was freed of the Nightmare, I was afraid of my sister because of what I had done to her. I thought my crimes were too great for us to ever be reconciled. But she reached out to me, Megatron. Perhaps you could reach out to him.” “I… I will consider it when I return home, Your Highness.” He would do nothing of the sort. “I wish you luck, then,” Luna said. “And though I hope you find a way home soon, I also hope your time in our world brings you healing, Captain. I cannot imagine nine million years of unending war, or what such a monstrous thing could do to a person.” She put a hoof on Megatron’s shoulder, and he had to stiffen himself not to flinch away from it. “We are both creatures of darkness, you and I. But as I have learned to my sorrow, it is far too easy to be consumed by that darkness. I hope it does not happen to you.” “Your Highness,” Megatron said, “it was almost a million years before I first saw the light of the sun. A million years deep under the ground, mining the core of our world, then fighting in the pits. I know the darkness quite well.” Far better than you, soft pony princess, he thought to himself. Consumed by the darkness? I am the devourer, not the devoured. And everything is fodder for my appetite. The two of them stood on the balcony, one who had descended into darkness and been brought out from it, and one who had been born into darkness and never left it. Together they watched the stars, listened to the music, and then winced at the growing sounds of chaos from below as the Gala came undone at the seams. “Do you think we should go down there and help?” Luna asked. “I speak from experience when I say,” Megatron grumbled, “that sometimes it’s best to let the stupidity run its course. Wait until the building finishes collapsing before you move to pick up the pieces.” Six young mares in seriously rumpled dresses galloped down the steps and out the castle gates below, as the angry shouts and loud crashing sounds continued. And off in the statuary garden, on a particularly ugly statue, a tiny, tiny crack appeared in the stonework.