Chapter Two: Passions And Nightmares
~BlackRoseRaven
Pinkamena had returned after some twenty minutes to find Luna and Scrivener curled up together, and she had loudly banged her wooden hooves against the floor and rattled her metallic, marionette body until the two had sourly glared at her. She had announced there was nothing dangerous lurking nearby: only the usual assortment of Pales, a few Velites, and creatures they referred to as ‘Haunts;’ zombie-like entities that clung so desperately to the delusion they were alive their spirits had yet to shed their rotting physical forms. They were harmless: uncomfortable to look at, distinctly pitiful and miserable, but harmless all the same.
After this, Pinkamena had further complained that they were boring and had left them alone, returning her marionette body to where she kept it in awkward storage in the bedroom. But since Luna and Scrivener spent most of their time in the den, it was better that the creepy doll stayed somewhere out of sight and out of mind than where they would be constantly reminded of their strange roommate, even if now she was floating moodily back and forth above their heads, Pale-like… but the strings of darkness stuttering through her spirit and the variety of strange abilities she had testifying to the fact she certainly was far more demon than pony spirit.
Not that this was any particular surprise, considering how the creature had come to be: manifested first in Pinkie Pie’s mind – or had it really been the other way around, as Pinkamena argued so often? – Pinkamena had eventually been forced ‘into the mirror,’ as she phrased it, and fallen into deep dormancy. She had struggled against her imprisonment for years, creating a terrible schism in the mind of the earth pony that had manifested in schizophrenic episodes… until finally, the touch of a demon had brought Pinkamena out of her imprisonment, giving her the freedom to run wild in Pinkie Pie’s body.
Pinkamena had been stopped, and after the demon was destroyed, Twilight Sparkle had managed to reason with the strange, sad creature… and long after, during the ill-fated march of the Starlit Knights, Pinkie Pie had again been exposed to a demon, and this time, demonic magic and amplification. A spell that brought their fears to life brought Pinkamena out of Pinkie Pie… and yet all the same, the creature had chosen to fought beside them. She was cryptic and difficult to understand and loved to cause friction and conflict… but at the same time, she was a welcome friend to Scrivener Blooms and Luna. She was stained with darkness and blood, but also misunderstood; she was like nature’s cruelty given form, but there was often a method and reason behind her bloodlust and madness.
The half-demon halted in the air upside down, glaring down at them moodily and silently, and Luna and Scrivener both glanced up at her flatly: to Luna, she looked merely like an ivory, mostly-indistinct Pale run through with streaks of darkness, but Scrivy could see the color of her coat, the distinct shape of her body, the glowering moodiness of her face. It was a side-effect of the corruption in his mind, letting him see ‘through the masks,’ as Pinkamena herself phrased it… and Scrivy thought that part of Pinkamena’s lunacy probably came from the fact that she herself had apparently always been able to see the true shape of things, like he now could thanks to the corruption of the Tyrant Wyrm. Not the outside layers… but visions of what was inside.
Over the last eight years of learning to cope with not only living in hell and shepherding souls to another world, but also the poison still working its way through his mind, Scrivy had learned to adjust to this, however: as long as he kept himself calm and focused, he was able to look at things ‘normally’ instead of letting his eyes… stare too deeply. When they were at home, however, he preferred to just let his mind wander… and catching the occasional glimpse of Luna’s dark but comforting aura or seeing Pinkamena’s shape buzzing around didn’t bother him all that much.
“Oh yes, because thou art fond of her, I think.” Luna grumbled, and Scrivener laughed despite himself as she glared at him and checked him lightly, Pinkamena rolling her eyes above their heads as she flitted absently away with a silent grumble. “Sick and twisted Scrivener Blooms. Thou art vicious and depraved and evil.”
“Oh as if you’ve never flirted with other ponies, dead or alive.” Scrivener retorted, and Luna huffed and waved a hoof absently as if this was an entirely different matter. “Besides, she seems to get me, Luna, and you like her plenty too, when she’s not being grouchy and evil.”
“I understand thee.” Luna said quietly, glaring at him moodily, and Scrivener winced a little, feeling the faint pang of hurt as he began to open his mouth, before Luna added sharply: “Thou complains far too much about thy darkness for somepony that always claimed to want to be ‘more like thee, Luna.’ Perhaps it was thee who did not understand what Nightmare Moon was to me.”
Scrivener reared his head back slightly… then he glared at her for a moment before closing his eyes and grumbling under his breath as he climbed to his hooves, Luna now wincing and blushing a bit as she scurried to her own hooves as Scrivener headed towards the kitchen, the winged unicorn saying awkwardly: “I know, I know thou understood well even before this, and I know our situations are… different… Scrivener Blooms, listen to me.”
Scrivy, however, kept his back to her as he stood on his hind hooves and leaned against the counter, pointedly not looking at her as he fumed to himself, and Luna ground her teeth together behind him before she seized him and yanked him backwards, making him stumble before he spun around, beginning to open his mouth… but instead, their eyes locked, and they both growled at one another as sparks sizzled between them, electricity bursting though Luna’s ethereal mane and tail as she leaned aggressively forwards… but as images, thoughts, insults, apologies, and recriminations shot back and forth between their minds, it only worked to further fuel the anger and stubbornness and passion between the two.
Scrivener leaned forwards, and Luna’s head smacked into his as she shoved herself towards him, the male gritting his teeth as Luna gave him a challenging, furious look, their eyes still locked, their minds still swirling violently as Scrivy’s body flexed and his hooves ground into the floor, and Luna’s mane snapped backwards before she winced when Scrivener reached up and shoved her shoulders hard. She staggered backwards, their mental link cutting out as they both winced away for a moment, before Luna looked up furiously, still feeling their mixed frustrations before she leaned forwards and swung a hoof out, punching Scrivy across the face.
The male winced, his glasses knocked askew as his jaw flexed… and then he glared at her, seething, as Luna leaned forwards and pawed the floor aggressively with one front hoof… then her eyes widened dumbly before Scrivener simply tackled her, knocking her flat on her back as he pinned her and she cursed in frustration and pain before kicking him hard backwards, making the cupboards rattle and several bottles on top of the counter fall over before she threw herself forwards, tackling him against the counter with a wince, but the male only shouted in wordless frustration as he brought his hooves down on Luna’s shoulders, knocking her half-sprawling so he could pounce on her.
They rolled together across the kitchen floor, yelling at each other senselessly like children, cursing and snapping at each other as images, memories, emotions lashed violently between the two before Scrivener managed to throw Luna off, sending her crashing into the side wall by the refrigerator with a wheeze before he barreled forwards and rammed his shoulder into her, making her curse even as she grinned violently and seized him around the neck, twisting hard to send him crashing down to the floor on his back with a wince before she leapt on top of him.
Scrivener tried to kick her backwards, knocking her into the fridge, and Luna threw herself with the movement, slamming painfully against the heavy appliance before she launched herself off it to crash down on Scrivener with both weight and strength, the floor tiles beneath his body cracking as his eyes bulged and his breath wheezed out of him, even as Luna felt the same pain spark through her own ribs and body, giving a shout of triumph and anger as she glared down at him with a deep flush… before her eyes widened as Scrivener stared stupidly past her shoulder as the fridge tottered slowly backwards, then rumbled as it toppled forwards.
Immediately, Scrivener shoved all four legs out past Luna, half-catching it against his hooves as he braced his back against the cracked tiles of the kitchen floor, hissing through his teeth in effort as Luna cursed and winced as the fridge landed against her back before she anchored her hooves against the floor on either side of Scrivy, gritting her teeth and shoving backwards, the two equines putting their combined strength into holding up the heavy, cold metal box and their quarrel instantly forgotten.
Luna breathed hard as Scrivener pushed upwards, hooves grinding against the fridge on either side of the winged unicorn’s head as she looked down at him, her breath washing over his face as her horn sparked and her mane fell like a curtain of lightning and starlight around them… and then their eyes locked, and her mouth fell open for a moment as cyan and chestnut irises met before Luna leaned suddenly down and kissed Scrivener firmly, hungrily, back arching and body pressing down even as her limbs and solid frame flexed with the effort of keeping it up, Scrivener feeling the weight increase on his limbs for a moment before loosening even as he kissed her passionately in return, their tongues twisting, jaws working together before they parted with a gasp.
Luna moved down slightly with a soft whisper, kissing slowly down the side of his neck, and Scrivener grunted and shuddered, hooves loudly scraping against the metal front of the fridge as he arched his back, feeling his body grinding up against hers as she flexed under the weight of the heavy refrigerator, the male gritting his teeth before he managed: “Maybe we should… deal with the large, heavy object first, L-Luna…”
Luna cursed under her breath even as she straightened slightly and grimaced, pressing herself back against the fridge as it clanked loudly behind them before she said roughly: “Then be quick about it. On three: one… two… three!”
The winged unicorn gritted her teeth as she threw herself backwards and Scrivener shoved hard upwards at the same time with all four limbs, and the fridge rumbled as it was knocked back to a standing position, Luna wincing as she slammed back first against it and landed heavily on her haunch, making it wobble slightly again for a moment as Scrivener sat up across from her, the two looking at each other for a moment, bruised, Scrivy a bit bloodied, Luna breathing hard as electricity sparked through her mane… and then they lunged at each other, kissing hungrily, Scrivy stroking his front hooves through her mane and Luna grinding down against him aggressively, sharing breath and life and images and wild passion…
Half an hour later, Luna and Scrivy were once more settled in the den, Luna gently kissing along the faint bruising over Scrivener’s jaw as she smiled slightly and the male murmuring despite himself: “You know, we have a few really bad habits, Luna. One day we might actually have to grow up.”
“Liar.” Luna replied softly, and then she buried her face against the side of his neck, adding embarrassedly: “And I do apologize, Scrivener Blooms. ‘Twas an unnecessarily low blow, even if thou wert being an idiot.”
“Yes, well. I apologize too, Luna, it’s my fault more than it is yours. You’re right, after all… how often have I admired darkness? But now dealing with it in my own head, I’m acting like a whiny foal… besides, I shoved you first.” Scrivener gave her an entertained look, wrapping a foreleg around her and squeezing her closer against his body. “I should know that always leads to me getting pummeled.”
Luna laughed, then she gently pushed herself against him, rolling the male onto his back and sliding her body overtop his to gaze warmly down into his eyes, nose-to-nose. “Well, thou can take a beating, and so can I. Besides, when we fight so… I wonder if we aim to really hurt each other or only punish ourselves. We feel the other’s pain, after all… ‘tis a strange thing, passion. ‘Tis strange what emotions and love compel us to do, and dangerous… and I like that, mayhap more than I should be willing to admit.”
They smiled at one another, sliding their bodies against one-another’s, studying each other as Scrivener stroked along her sides and she pressed her hooves down against his shoulders… then she murmured thoughtfully: “And still. Thou makes me admit things I should not. Thou makes me do things I should not. ‘Tis fun.”
“You’re fun.” Scrivener replied mildly, and Luna snorted in amusement before he added quietly: “But we are weird, mixed-up ponies… literally. We both have problems… and while I am usually the one who starts our problems by delving too deeply or getting all whiny…”
“Yes, my reaction is never to let thee apologize or give thee space, ‘tis to escalate the situation. Still, as I prove again and again, it is obviously my tendency to resort to physical violence that lets us vent our frustrations and completely fixes all problems.” Luna said imperiously, arching her body to press herself firmly down against Scrivener even as she rose her head with a grin, a mischievous glint in her eye as Scrivy laughed and shook his head. “I am only so fortunate thou takes such pleasure in being beaten around.”
Scrivener only smiled amusedly up at her, squeezing her sides before he leaned forwards and said pointedly: “I don’t mind taking a hit or two, but as I recall someone here-”
“Shut up.” Luna leaned down and kissed him firmly even as she blushed, and Scrivener closed his eyes with a half-grin even as he kissed her back for a few moments before she pulled back and stroked thoughtfully along his chest… then glowered moodily as there was a loud knock at the door, muttering: “I refuse to entertain company today.”
There was silence… and then another loud two knocks, and Scrivener looked amusedly up at Luna as Luna glowered towards the hall, then gritted her teeth when the door rattled in the frame before she shouted: “Go away, foul cyclops! Thou art not welcome here!”
A shape rose moodily up through the floor as the front door was irritably booted, and then Pinkamena slowly sailed down the hall like a shark, Luna cursing under her breath as she sighed and shoved herself off Scrivener Blooms, the male wincing before he rolled to his own hooves and followed as Pinkamena burst apart into black smog in front of the door before the wood shuddered in the frame… then the handle twisted and the door opened, revealing the figure of falcon-headed once-god Odin beyond as he grouchily looked over his shoulder. “There you are. Took you long enough.”
“Nay, I was ignoring thee.” Luna replied sourly, and then she glared at the door as Odin looked up in surprise, the wood crackling and reshaping itself into Pinkamena’s grinning face near the top of the wooden frame. “Pinkamena, cease this abuse of thy abilities. ‘Tis not thy place to gleefully use thy powers everywhere, that is mine. Now eject thyself from my house and return to thy fetid domain.”
“Hey, why are you so bitchy? Usually after you and Scrivy kick each other’s flanks and then celebrate by doing the nasty, you’re in a much better mood.” Pinkamena’s voice sounded oddly muffled as it spoke from the bulging, twisted-up wood, and then it contorted slightly as the half-demon’s expression became playfully-mocking. “What, did you not draw enough blood or get enough-”
Luna snapped her horn briskly upwards, and the door shook violently as Pinkamena’s spirit was ejected from it, stupidly shooting through the air and over Odin’s head as he only glanced tiredly up before the half-demon crashed into the ground in a puff of frost and dark mist, the Pale climbing awkwardly to its hooves as the winged unicorn said grouchily: “One day, Pinkamena, thou shall be physical again. And I shall roundly, horribly, gleefully pummel thee into a pulp. Nay, I shall not kill thee, only because it would take away the pleasure of doing it all again later!”
She huffed as the Pinkamena Pale glowered moodily at her before vanishing, Scrivener awkwardly stepping towards to gently rub a hoof along Luna’s back before she shook her mane out, wings fluttering once at her side before she glared at Odin as he simply looked at her meditatively. “Now, old lecher. What does thou want?”
“You keep strange company, Brynhild. Then again, I suppose you always were a little strange yourself.” Odin shook his head slowly, then he tiredly stood up and cracked his back with a grimace before reaching into his coat, producing a flask and carefully opening this. He took his time taking a slow drink, grimacing a little at the contents, as Luna only glared at him irritably… and then finally, he sighed and wiped the back of his wrist across his beak, saying quietly: “I wanted to let you know where we stand in regards to… Looking Glass World, as Scrivener Blooms named it.”
Odin nodded towards the earth pony, who smiled awkwardly, still not exactly sure on how he should address a once-god after all these years… and then the falcon-headed being grimaced a bit as he shook his flask, adding ruefully: “I think we’ll make it just in time, too. I’ve been rationing my stores of Ambrosia, but I’m going to run out sooner rather than later at this rate and then all I’ll be is a feeble old fool.”
“Thou art already nothing but a feeble old fool; powers granted by suckling at a magic fruit are not thine own abilities at all.” Luna retorted, and Odin gave her a sour look as he slowly twisted the top back on his flask. “Besides, we require not thy aid to open the Bifrost any longer, and the Looking Glass World is being repaired and built up as we speak from whatever catastrophe had struck it… catastrophe which thou still does not speak of, Odin.”
“Because there is no catastrophe to speak of, Brynhild, I don’t understand why you won’t believe me when I say that.” Odin replied quietly, looking at her with a small smile. “There were ponies once, in that world, yes. But you studied for yourself how ancient the damages done in that world are… and sadly, it was not because of any great war. It was simply because the unicorn, earth-servant, and Pegasus could not find harmony between them. Equestria was eventually abandoned as the tribes moved apart… and then, one-by-one, the tribes collapsed from within as they were ground into by pressures from without. Sadly… it reminds me all too well of what I did to the Aesir, in stubborn pride…”
He glanced up for a moment towards the sky, then shook his head ruefully before returning his eyes to Luna as she muttered: “Very well, Odin, I shall attempt to believe thy words. But know that if thou art lying, I shall break thy arms and legs and head, in that order.”
“Yes, Luna, I’m very well aware of that by now, thank you.” Odin said tiredly, and he grimaced a bit as he rubbed at the scarred side of his face. “And I know the fact we have brought Nibelung artisans bothers you, but they will return to Niflheim or at least the wilds afterwards, and they are the few of the tribe that remember the old way, when they were builders instead of murderers. We have precious few allies and not the luxury of picking and choosing though…”
“Which is why we employ not only them, but the strange, silent creatures that live here and there in Equestria, aye?” Luna looked moodily up at Odin. “’Tis a grand joke and grand folly, old lecher. Ponies should do the work themselves, should build their own nation… not wake up in walls and rooms designed by barbarian and stranger.”
“Again, we have little choice. And both the Nibelung and the Strange Ones are following the same designs they were able to gather from the very cities they’ll be building models after, you know this, Brynhild. You spent a year helping the engineers gather information from around Equestria and cross back and forth over the Bifrost while herding souls from the further reaches of this nation…” Odin replied gently, holding up a hand to quiet her when she began to open her mouth. “I understand your concerns. I understand your discomfort. But again, we do not have the luxury of choice here… we have to make the best of what we have. Or would you rather try and build an entire nation by yourself, Brynhild?”
“Scrivener and I could do it.” Luna said stubbornly, and Odin smiled amusedly and shook his head before the winged unicorn grumbled and slouched, muttering: “I see thy point, doddering old fool. All the same, I do not approve. But does thou have a real reason to be here or art thou simply here to make a conniving, obnoxious nuisance of thyself?”
Odin looked at her for a moment, then he shook his head before he reached a hand into his jacket, muttering: “As impatient and rude as always… some things never change, I suppose. Yes, I was recently in the north, tracking Fenrir… and I found something I thought would be of interest to you, hovering around the mountains. It took some piecing back together, but they are hardy entities.”
Odin removed a large, spherical glass vial from inside his jacket, the thin neck corked tight, and a shape stirred inside the blue-tinted glass… before both Scrivy and Luna leaned forwards to stare in amazement as a tiny Draconequus tiredly opened his black eyes from where he was laying against one wall of the bottle, tiny white pupils focusing in on the two almost curiously from his half-draconic, half-pony features as he rose an eagle talon and waved slowly. “Discombobulation, I believe the creature took as its name, yes? Normally I would send it back to Ginnungagap, but-”
“Give it here!” Luna flicked her horn as it glowed blue, and Odin winced as the vial was ripped out of his hand, Discombobulation bouncing around in the glass sphere and flailing his mismatched limbs before Luna’s eyes snapped upwards and settled on the flask in the falcon being’s other hand, and it glowed as she spun around, yanked free from Odin’s grip as the winged unicorn marched back inside and snapped: “Arrogant, doddering old fool, thou would let the creature suffer? How long has thou locked this beast away in a bottle like a djinn, accursed old goat?”
Scrivener winced a bit and spun around, awkwardly heading down the hall after Luna as Odin only stared, then began to mutter grouchily under his breath as he ducked and wiggled his way into the front hall, saying flatly: “Brynhild, it is a chaos entity. Only long-term neutralization can destroy them, or shattering and being left to rot… I did not torture the creature, I saved-”
Then he cursed sharply as he banged his head against a rafter, wincing and grabbing at his skull as Luna grumbled in the den, putting the glass vial gently down on the counter that separated living room and kitchen as Discombobulation moodily stood up and regarded them with his talon and dexterous, gray-skinned hand behind his back. The Draconequus was chimerical creature, his legs that of a giraffe and a feline, a long, thick kangaroo tail swaying beside him and his lithe, long torso covered in black scales. One arm was thin and like the leg of a bird, the other covered in shaggy red fur, and a fin stood out from either shoulder-blade like wings: one was shark like, the other thin and frilled with small spikes almost invisible in its thinness.
A stiff, short black Mohawk adorned his head and ran down the back of his neck, a ram’s horn curling along one side of his face, a simpler white, J-shaped horn standing out from the other side of his head, as he looked moodily up at them. He sniffed after a moment, the colors of his body distorted by the blue glass, and then he leaned forwards and breathed over his crystalline imprisonment, leaving a fog of breath before he wrote a one-word question: ‘Dead?’
“Nay, Bob, we are alive. We are… the only survivors, though. Twilight Sparkle, my sister Celestia, all the others… they have all passed on.” Luna said quietly, and Discombobulation frowned from behind the glass before he nodded slowly and looked down… then glanced up again when Luna smiled faintly and said softly: “But not all is lost. We cannot restore this world, but we have a new home waiting for us all… and all shall live again there, and ‘tis not madness speaking. And whether thou likes it or not, thou will be accompanying us there too… although it seems that thou art severely weakened.”
Discombobulation glared at her, then flexed his arms, but to little avail as he winced back and forth before huffing silently and crossing them moodily. Then he looked up sourly as Odin slipped forwards, looking moodily at Luna as he said tiredly: “The creature was in pieces and talking to itself when I found him. He’s suffered extreme deterioration, made worse by the fact I was not able to gather up… every piece of his body. That is why he is so small, and kept safe in the bottle, Brynhild. Even being in the air could poison and kill him in this state. He will require a long period of rest and rehabilitation.”
“And until then, what, he should simply ornament my countertop? I think not, Odin.” Luna said irritably, and she glanced at the flask, spinning the top off of it and making the once-god wince before Luna glared at him dangerously when he began to reach for it. “I think not, old lecher. Thou can share thy stash of wonder-fruit.”
“No, wait, you aren’t really going to-” Odin began incredulously, and then he winced as Luna flicked her horn imperiously and the cork popped out of the bottle, Discombobulation staring stupidly upwards before Luna emptied the contents of the flask into this, pouring a mulberry-colored liquid into the spherical vial and making Discombobulation flail and dance around before the waterfall of liquid Ambrosia knocked him over.
He splashed loudly in the half-full vial, and Luna shook the flask briskly a few times to get the last few drops out of it before she threw the container to Odin, the once-god catching it against his chest with a wince before Luna flicked her horn and corked the vial closed once more, leaving it half-full of slowly-bubbling liquid. Then Bob’s head slowly pushed out of the potion, glaring at her, and Luna grinned as she leaned down, saying kindly: “I do this because I am fond of thee, Bob, and thou did a grand, noble thing for us… and I know that Twilight Sparkle, too, will be eager to see you in the other world. Worry not, though shall thank me later. The Ambrosia will be absorbed bit-by-bit into thy body from this luxurious bath I have prepared thee and restore thy strength all the faster.”
Discombobulation only continued to look sourly at her as liquid dripped along his body, and then Odin sighed as he tucked the flask away, saying moodily: “And now what am I supposed to do? It’s a long trip back to Asgard-”
“Then thou had best be on thy way.” Luna retorted imperiously, straightening slightly and glaring at him, and Odin grumbled tiredly and rubbed disconsolately at his temples, looking upwards as if pleading for patience. “Hurry off now, and out of my house, old lecher. Thou art tracking dust and apocalypse grime all over the floor in any event, and were rude enough to leave the door open on top of that. Get thyself hence or I shall roundly bash thee, and I do not think thou wishes to test my patience or my strength.”
“Alright, Brynhild, fine. I’m going.” Odin muttered grouchily, rubbing slowly at his face before he added moodily: “Although I think at least a ‘thank you’ is in order.”
The winged unicorn sighed grumpily, then glared at Scrivener Blooms, who winced a bit before he looked up and said lamely: “Thank you, Odin. From me and Luna. She just doesn’t want to admit how much she appreciates this.”
Luna punched him firmly in the shoulder, making him wince and sway to the side slightly, and Odin sighed again before nodding and turning around, carefully making his way down the corridor as he grumbled: “Once, I struck fear in the mightiest of gods. Now I can’t even get a prancing pony that was once my handmaiden and battle-guard to say a proper ‘thank you…’”
“But I shall say to thee a proper goodbye!” Luna called irritably, striding to the top of the hall as Odin managed to slip outside, and the once-god turned around before Luna childishly blew a loud raspberry at him, then flicked her horn as it glowed and slammed the door loudly in his face, Odin cursing and staggering backwards with a wince as it almost slammed into his beak. “Now give us peace, cyclops, and bother us not!”
The winged unicorn huffed at the closed door, and Scrivener only looked at her back mildly for a moment before she shot him a moody look over her shoulder, saying grouchily: “I do not have to like him, Scrivy, or even act anything less than a child around him. First he attempted to molest me. Then he put me into coma. Then he murdered me in my sleep. And lastly, he sat around, hiding, while Valthrudnir played his sick and insane games. ‘Tis his fault the world is in the shape it is, ‘tis his fault all my family and friends died. And worst of all, ‘tis his fault that I met thee, and a terrible, sick, depraved, wicked part of me insists upon constantly reminding me of this fact and making me actually feel indebted to the old goat for all that has happened.”
Scrivener smiled despite himself, and Luna sighed as she turned around, striding towards him and then firmly kissing him for a moment, and the male returned it affectionately, mouths moving together, tongues twisting before Luna slowly pulled back and let her head drop forwards, foreheads rubbing together as their eyes remained closed and she murmured: “’Tis all twisted up inside me, mixed and mangled. And look, now, now I have to be thankful to him for the fact that we have another old ally returned to us… and another strange roommate, although ‘twill be a long time before Discombobulation may roam freely outside his glass prison.”
The two ponies opened their eyes, gazing towards the counter… and then both stared as Pinkamena slowly rose up on the other side of the countertop as Discombobulation floated moodily on the surface of the liquid in the vial, before he frowned a bit and slowly looked over his shoulder to stare as the Pale of Pinkamena grinned widely down at him and licked her lips slowly, slamming her hooves down on either side of the countertop and making the vial rattle.
Discombobulation flailed and splashed around in the liquid, and then he quickly dove beneath the surface, peering awkwardly up and out at the half-demon spirit as her eyes gleamed before Luna cleared her throat loudly, and Pinkamena looked sourly up as the winged unicorn said mildly: “I shall ask thee not to disturb Discombobulation too heavily. He is a welcome friend in our home, after all, and he did much to help us. ‘Twould not be any fun to kill the fragile soul at this juncture, would it?”
Pinkamena looked moodily up at this, shrugging as she rose a hoof and tilted it back and forth, and Luna rolled her eyes before she said dourly: “Very well, then let me put it this way. Harass the creature overmuch before he has recovered enough to be beaten on freely without concern that it shall actually kill him, and I shall stuff thee into a bottle as well and thou can sit next to each other in matching cells.”
The half-demon glowered at them, then she leaned forwards and moodily chewed at the top of the bottle before sighing silently and nodding once, then she simply flickered out of existence as Luna grumbled under her breath and Scrivener smiled despite himself. “I’ve always enjoyed how it’s the people you beat on yourself most often that you’re the most protective of, Luna. It’s a very cute quality.”
“Everything about me is cute to thee, Scrivener Blooms, even when I pummel thee. Thou art infuriating.” She stopped, then leaned down, studying the vial with the Draconequus inside as Discombobulation sank back into the liquid, looking ruffled and grumpy but slowly adjusting to his new, wet home. “Bob, while I know thou hast a tendency to be stupid, do thy best not to be for at least a week or until the Ambrosia is absorbed into thy spirit and body. ‘Twill greatly speed up thine healing, but miracle or not, ‘tis nothing that can repair a spirit that was left so tattered for eight long years. If thou requires anything, write a message on the side of thy bottle, Scrivener Blooms and I shall check on thee every hour or so.”
Discombobulation looked moodily up at Luna, then he sighed and nodded briefly, rubbing at his face before he gave a thumbs-up, and the winged unicorn smiled softly as she stepped back, murmuring quietly: “Perhaps the next I see Odin, I shall actually thank him honestly. I am indeed surprised, after all, daydreamer… the old lecher must actually be growing a heart to have saved the Draconequus instead of leaving him to rot or killing him out of ‘mercy.’ It has taken eons but it gives me hope, hope that in the new world, perhaps even Celestia will continue on her peaceful path instead of being the scheming, evil, wicked, dangerous pony she once was.”
Luna lowered her head thoughtfully, then she leaned forwards and headbutted Scrivener gently, making him laugh a bit before he turned around as she nudged him insistently. “Come, though. We have had excitement enough for today. Let us retire for a short nap, handsome beetle. Thou looks as if thou could use the rest and I surely can myself, and a short sleep always rejuvenates us both and puts us in better spirits… no matter what nightmares may lurk in our minds.”
Scrivener smiled a little even as he lowered his head hesitantly, striding towards their bedroom as Luna fell in step beside him, gazing softly at the male as she added quietly: “We are linked in mind, body, and soul, Scrivy. I shall be there beside thee, as always… and perhaps today will mark the day thou shan’t have the dark dreams.”
“Perhaps the Black Wolves of Hell will also stop in after we wake up and have a quaint tea party with us.” Scrivener replied mildly, and Luna rolled her eyes even as a faint grin quirked her features despite herself. “Sorry. I know you’re trying to be positive, Luna, since I pretty much never am… and I really do appreciate it, I do. Almost as much as it soothes me to know that you… are always going to be there for me. No matter how little I deserve it.”
“Shush, Scrivener Blooms.” Luna replied softly, giving him a quietly-entertained look as the male pony turned to the door leading into their bedroom, pushing it open and gazing silently up at the ceiling even as he approached their large, circular bed, smiling a little to himself as his eyes roved the constellations and lunar symbols that detailed the black roof. Then he laughed a bit and shook his head as the winged unicorn kissed the side of his neck, nudging him forwards past the pair of dress horses that were each adorned with a set of armor: Luna’s sapphire gear, and Scrivener’s own black and silver light plate. “Let us brave the world of dreams together, even if but for an hour.”
Scrivy nodded, gazing at her affectionately as they both slipped onto the messy bed in their dark room, the curtains swaying softly over shuttered windows and the furniture looming around them, throwing strangely-comforting shadows across the room. For a moment, he glanced towards where Pinkamena’s puppet lay, but its back was turned and it was curled up in a corner, as if asleep itself, like some half-sentient guard dog… and Scrivy smiled amusedly at this thought as Luna half-shoved him down into the pillows, then gently pulled his glasses off and put them aside before she tossed the blankets over them, saying with quiet entertainment: “Disturbing creature.”
“I know, I know.” Scrivy wrapped his front limbs around her as they pressed close to each other, bodies pushing tightly together, eyes closing as their foreheads rested side-by-side, feeling one another’s breath as Luna’s starry locks swirled quietly backwards and her forelegs massaged up his chest, over his shoulders, and then tightly locked around his neck. Her horn glowed softly as they both closed their eyes, but in their minds, they could still clearly see one another as they laid side-by-side in warm comfort, Luna’s voice clearly murmuring through his thoughts: Thou never feared my darkness, Scrivener Blooms. I do not fear thine own… let us descend without fear, side-by-side… as always.
Scrivy smiled faintly, comforted more than he could express by the unyielding loyalty and love of the winged unicorn as they curled tighter together… and almost all too soon, he felt himself falling silently, alone for the moment, but unafraid, as sleep claimed him. The sensation was strange and raw, gazing upwards as darkness swirled around him, as he sailed downwards through black clouds and gazed up at a faint, lost point of light high in the distance, yellow and weakening… and he sighed softly, a faint hint of sorrow touching his soul but no fear as his eyes tightly closed.
His fall began to slow, as he knew it would, like the air itself was cradling and catching him… and Scrivener gritted his teeth as he felt his body ripple, as a feeling like claws tickled over his body and terrible, soulless blue light flashed around him for a moment, forming into grinning teeth and glowing, soulless spotlight-eyes that hovered beside him as a voice whispered: “Welcome back, vassal. Your will weakens; you will embrace us soon.”
“I will not.” Scrivener said quietly, and the voice only laughed softly before the male arched his back and flipped easily, a dark bog appearing beneath his hooves as he landed with a grunt and a flex, looking up with his teeth grit as the sickening, warm ooze pulsed and writhed beneath him, thick, large vines slithering slowly back and forth through the ill mire. “You’re just an infection brought on by the Tyrant Wyrm… you’re just… something that was always there inside me anyway.”
There was a quiet chuckle through the wide, black marshland that surrounded the male, the swirling, obsidian mist that bordered this in on all sides seeming to form into leering faces and distorted creatures before the mud in front of Scrivener bubbled slowly upwards, and a hulking, ominous shape slowly pulled itself out of the muck, dripping fetid ooze and dark poison dripping in long strings off the sludgy, half-reptilian shape as it whispered: “You deny and thank us in the same breath, mortal creature. But beneath it all, we feel your longing… we sense your desire for us… for our power.”
The creature leaned forwards, breathing over him… and Scrivener shivered at the memories that sparked through his mind, mixed with pallid, torturous imagery as the terrible, sludgy beast grinned callously. “We are part of you, now and forever. We are patient: for us, years are mere seconds, and your fight against us fills us with amusement. We are already mixing… you are already tainted and poisoned. You fear us… because more and more, you are becoming like us.”
“No!” Scrivener shouted, and the monster laughed even as it burst apart, raining ooze down around him as the pony staggered backwards through the mire, gritting his teeth and shaking his head even as dark vines and roots began to crawl up along his body, muck and poison and corruption hailing down around the earth pony as he leaned forwards and clenched his eyes shut. “I don’t want to be like you, burning… pointless disease and destruction! You are not my savior or my idol… Luna is, with how her darkness makes the stars and moon shine so bright…”
Then he slumped forwards, cursing, trembling, as the muck ran down his body and the vines and roots crackled and crumbled away to dust around him, trembling as he looked up… before flexing and wincing as pain radiated through his right forelimb, looking down with a shiver as he rose his hoof and watched as it split in half, then into quarters, warping and distorting as it became a draconic, ugly claw.
He cursed under his breath he felt his muscles flexing and bunching, sinew twisting like living serpents beneath his coat as patches of black, dark-colored scale grew here and there over his body. He gasped, spittle falling from his jaws as teeth reshaped themselves, becoming sharp and dangerous, fangs sprouting on one side of his mouth as he cursed under his breath before his left eye clenched shut as pain shot through his face.
On the left side of his skull, an ear crumbled away like dust as his features rippled, the unscarred side of his face warping and distorting, becoming reptilian as his eye snapped open with a gargle of pain as blue, unholy light glowed out of the sunken socket, his teeth larger, crueler, two gnarled horns twisting out of the sides of his head as he fell forwards and his tail burst apart into straw-like white hairs, the pinkish appendage left behind snapping and thickening as it grew and blackened. Spikes ripped out down the length of it as Scrivener arched his back with a miserable howl, one shoulder warping and thickening upwards as three large, bony protrusions ripped their way through his coat near the shoulder-blade as his white mane lengthened and sizzled with black and blue electricity, as a voice whispered: “You are us, and we are you. The same power that let you resist our Black Verse… now makes you kin to us, now ties you to us. You will become us. We will become you.”
Scrivener breathed hard in and out, trembling a bit as he leaned forwards, closing his eyes as his three hooves and single claw dug slowly against the marsh beneath him, long tail snapping back and forth as the bone spikes standing out along one side of his spine moved slowly like pistons, trembling a bit as he felt revulsion, anger, and worst of all, sick and twisted pleasure spilling through his body… before he looked up sharply as a hoof gently touched his shoulder.
Nightmare Moon gazed at him silently… but when he looked into the eyes of the enormous, ebony pony that he now stood almost at head level with, he could see that it was Luna. Luna, draped in Nightmare Moon’s shape and form, as she leaned forwards and whispered quietly: “I am here, daydreamer. I shall not abandon thee to shadows… and thou art not permitted to go on adventures into the blacker realms of even thine own self without my company, not considering all the trouble thou does excel so supremely at getting thyself into.”
“Luna…” Scrivy flushed deeply, glancing away awkwardly even as he slowly straightened… and then he closed his eyes as she almost lunged forwards and wrapped her front legs around him, squeezing him in a fierce embrace. He hated to be seen like this… but he also never needed her presence more than in this state. “This isn’t…”
“Shush, Scrivener Blooms. This is the nightmare. This is our nightmare. I… am a Nightmare.” A faint smile spread over Luna’s face as she slipped backwards, flicking her starry mane as her eyes glowed quietly, with both affection and bittersweet pleasure. “We have gazed long into the abyss… we have hunted many monsters. But if we fear what it may make us… we shall only succumb all the quicker to becoming that which we wish to avoid. Let us… let us face our nightmares with pride and dignity… let us remember that these visions cannot hurt us. Let us recall always that they are only the world inside ourselves… and as thou taught me… we can choose to be who we wish. No one else, not even the Norns… can choose for us.”
Scrivener smiled a little despite himself, glancing up and nodding hesitantly, and Luna nodded slowly back, her Nightmare Moon body flexing as she studied him, and he gazed back at her with his corrupt, half-Wyrm, half-pony features. They looked at one another as the marshes beneath their hooves became cold black stone, as the skies overhead became ebony night, littered with stars and the glowing skull of the moon… and then Luna bowed her head forwards and whispered: “I feel thy thoughts, and thou feels mine. And in the nightmare, I know our desires go further untapped, I know that we are able to see deeper into our strange and mixed and exotic subconscious than we normally can… but thou art handsome to me, even now.”
She blushed a little even as her eyes glinted enticingly, tilting her head to the side as Scrivener smiled despite himself, straightening a bit as he allowed his eyes to draw along her features; the face, the body, the size and strength and shell of Nightmare Moon, but with Luna’s eyes, Luna’s depths… and he leaned forwards, murmuring quietly: “And you are truly beautiful, my Valkyrie…”
Luna laughed quietly, her eyes flashing as she leaned forwards and their jaws met in a soft kiss for a moment, a violent swirl of thoughts and passions passing between them as the kiss went from tender to rough for a short moment, then they drew quickly apart… before Luna gave a seductive, knowing smile as she turned, and Scrivener fell in pace beside her as details filled in around them, the female murmuring: “Our nightmare awaits, beloved…”
They strode silently forwards as shapes formed around them out of black mist and ashes, becoming an entire world in a matter of moments as the two darkness-kissed creatures paced forwards, both faintly-flushed, regrets and recriminations and self-loathing slowly evaporating as they strode through an open set of enormous, wrought-iron gates and into a black city of stone and metal, strange creatures and ponies that had been transformed by the touch of night gazing at them with adoration and respect: but they did not bow, they did not grovel, and most of all, they did not fear.
Earth ponies with darker coats and eyes that almost glowed, designed for seeing by the light of the stars and moon; Pegasi with supple leather wings and bulkier bodies, defenders and masters of the night sky; unicorns, with long, spired horns and glinting, metallic-looking hooves. Warrior breeds, strong and honorable, who lived in comfort in the embrace of shadows.
And the city was home to stranger sights as well: skeletons of ponies that populated the streets as naturally as the dark ponies, working here and there and others simply standing and chatting. They were not Velites, bound by magic and runes and dark charms, but defenders and crafters who stayed of their own choice in this, their nameless black temple city, sworn to defend and serve until either they were no more or their dark kingdom collapsed.
And they saw other fantastic sights as well, as they made their way down the main road that cut through the center of the city: creatures that were half-wolf, half-pig working at forges, assembling weapons and armor and chains and tools. They saw wingless drakes that rested on ramparts, armored with collars and braces around their limbs, side-by-side with enormous, bull-headed minotaurs armored in heavy plate that covered their bipedal bodies, deadly pole-arms glinting in their hands.
Luna smiled, her eyes glowing, and Scrivener felt his own pride growing as he looked over these warriors: ingrained with honor, true equals, truly strong, who protected and watched over the weaker creatures that shunned their beautiful night, who did not see the glory of the shining moon. And then he blushed a bit as Luna gazed at him, half-lidding her eyes as she whispered: “We are the defenders and the destroyers. The first and last lines of defense… we are life-givers and life-takers, as the night has always been, the cloak under which the prey escapes and the predator hunts. And I love this, Scrivener Blooms…”
She blushed as she bowed her head forwards, and they halted at the end of the road: a tall, towering structure loomed ominously on one side of them, and a barracks rested on the other, ponies running through short, disciplined drills in the gravel-floored grounds in front of the building as an instructor shouted short, clipped orders. Then Scrivener and Luna both gazed ahead, to where the road ended, and a long, wide flight of steps began, leading up a rocky mountainside to a looming fortress at the top that was guarded by enormous, stone statues of winged unicorns in full, lunar-stylized raiment.
The two began up this, Scrivener’s long tail flicking as his features tensed and his body shivered, as Luna licked her lips slowly, the steps beneath their hooves almost pulsing with warmth, textured like they were alive instead of heavy stone. They were silent as they made their way upwards, as massive, heavy gates made of ivory metal slowly rolled open like the hungry jaws of a dragon, inviting them inside, eager for their presence… and the two smiled faintly at each other before Scrivener murmured quietly: “The nightmare truly begins now.”
Luna nodded, and she couldn’t repress a shiver of both fear and excitement… although more and more, her passions were winning out over the part of her that whispered this was wrong and worrisome, and for Scrivener it was the same. Primal hunger and unnatural desire tangled in their mixed soul as they strode into the courtyard beyond, looking back and forth as armored ponies bowed to them, and creatures of darkness gazed respectfully, tenderly down at them from their vantage points, framed in starlight against the black sky.
The two made their way slowly forwards through the open square, past brambles and beautiful black rosebushes, past trees from which hung heavy and ripe, verdant fruits. The very air of the fortress seemed to thrum with their presence as soldiers saluted them and bowed graciously, and they nodded in return and smiled as their eyes met the fearless, respectful irises of both ponies of the darkness and entities of shadow.
As they approached the opposite end of the courtyard, a pair of armored black doors swung slowly, welcomingly open, and the two passed without hesitation into the red-stone halls of the fortress. They paused for a moment past the threshold, as the doors slowly creaked shut behind them… and then Luna smiled slightly, a shiver passing through her body as electricity sparked through her mane, her Nightmare Moon form almost glowing as they were faced with a choice: a hall to their left, a hall to their right, and a large corridor that went straight ahead, as she murmured quietly: “Where do we begin, my beloved, my daydreamer, my dark poet? Where shall we let the nightmare lead us first?”
“Luna, I… I shouldn’t choose…” Scrivener murmured, blushing a bit as he looked down, and Luna gazed at him quietly before he smiled a little at the ground, murmuring: “Pinkamena was always right… the nightmares are the good dreams… the good dreams are the bad ones. I feel like this nightmare will last for longer, will hit harder for some reason… I feel all these urges, and this corruption… pulling at me, fusing with me. I feel…”
Scrivener looked up towards her, and the expression was half-pleading, half raw passion as he whispered: “It can be seductive, and exotic. It can be subtle, and alluring. But tonight, it just feels strong, and powerful… it makes me feel strong, and powerful, and like I can do anything I want, it gets in my brain and makes me forget… it makes me not want to remember… it makes me want to…”
Scrivener gritted his teeth, his body flexing, his claw scraping slowly against the ground as he cursed and trembled, fighting for a moment before Luna stepped forwards and pushed her lips to his ear, whispering: “No, my husband. We do not fight this here. Whether it comes from spending too long in Hell’s warping ether, slaying too many monsters, or worst of all, from our own taint of darkness that burns and spread and grows stronger and stronger and wider and deeper inside ourselves… we do not fight it in the nightmare. That is how we survive the nightmare. That is how we master the nightmare. That is how we will master ourselves and learn to use this darkness we now both possess…”
Scrivener’s glowing eye flashed, and then he half spun, seizing into Luna’s ethereal mane with his claw, the starry locks sparking in his hand as his hoof snagged her shoulder, yanking her head back and pushing nose-to-nose with her… but she only grinned, her eyes faintly glowing as a shiver ran through her body and she said softly: “We are connected, and we are one. The same blood flows within our veins… and the same shadows now flood our mind and soul. In these nightmares I taste thine corruption… and thou hast lived and breathed the shards of shadow that infused Nightmare Moon with such strength, such life. I know what thou desires, in the darkest, deepest corners of thy soul… as thou knows… I am eager, too…”
She began to lower her head… but instead, Scrivener pulled her forwards, kissing her again, and their jaws worked together fiercely for a few moments before a single speck of blood spilled from between their mouths, a droplet of crimson that fell towards the floor from a lip cut by a fang… but neither creature of darkness knew which had done the cutting, which had been the cut, as they drew slowly apart and licked their lips. Their blood was the same… their wounds were shared… and Scrivener felt the last of the shackles of his fears and anxieties crumbling away as he lowered his head before looking up and saying quietly: “Then we’ll start slow.”
Luna smiled slightly at this, leaning forwards and licking slowly up the side of his neck, and Scrivener growled in quiet pleasure as he half-closed his eyes before striding down the center corridor, the tall, ebony equine easily falling in step beside him as her mane fluttered and sparked along behind her, a sultry smile on her face and her eyes glowing as she murmured: “I won’t lie, Scrivy… I do fear that left alone, left to soak in these shadows, we could become monsters. But I know all the same…”
“We will always have one-another, we will always have the saving grace of friends and family…” Scrivener murmured with a slow nod, and Luna smiled slightly at this before the warped, nightmare version of the pony grinned towards her, saying quietly: “But there’s no reason we can’t still live by our own rules, no reason we cannot indulge our passions, a bit of hedonism, and the things the sun-kissed shy away from, is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes, Scrivener Blooms, why yes it is. Thou art beginning to learn.” Luna replied with her eyes half-lidded, and then she flicked her horn forwards as they approached an enormous set of iron doors, the heavy, plated metal gates glowing as they both swung backwards and open, revealing a plush, expansive hall beyond littered with pillows and lined with beautiful pillars covered in detailed, spiraling engravings of ancient legends of the night. A soft carpet ran along the center of the floor, leading to a comfortable, plush blue bed covered in pillows and soft blankets, on either side of which rested servants: winged unicorns with ivory bodies and angelic, white wings, horns glowing faintly as they bowed their heads low and respectfully as Scrivener and Luna strode down the hall.
Two were female, adorned with golden chokers and thin, sparkling chains that draped along their bodies like silk… and two were male, with black leather collars tight around their necks, bodies large and powerful, vambraces over their forelegs. All of them had a lunar symbol for their emblem, and they stayed in low, submissive bows until the two stepped onto their bedding and turned around to settle, before Luna looked up and said calmly and kindly, her eyes glowing through Nightmare Moon’s features: “Attend to us, Moon-Blessed. It is thine pleasure to serve, is it not?”
“It is, Lady Luna.” murmured one of the winged unicorns, and on either side, a pony stepped forwards, beginning to soothingly massage the two as Luna smiled and Scrivener Blooms arched his back with a sigh of relaxation. “And how shall we entertain our most cherished, our most adored?”
Luna smiled at this, her starry mane flickering backwards as she laughed quietly and bowed her head forwards, then she looked towards Scrivy as the male tilted his head forwards, closing his eyes in relaxation as the other ivory female servant began to gently massage along his scalp and through his messy mane, as her almost-twin massaged along his back and spine. “Husband, what suits thy tastes for now, in this wonderful dream?”
“Oh, but this is a nightmare, Luna… this is us, given ultimate power… and so easily it could consume us. So deep runs the temptation to ask for awful, terrible things…” Scrivener murmured, arching his back as he added quietly: “And let’s not forget what lays down the other halls… the things that bring us joy, even as they torment us…”
“Thou teases me.” Luna leaned forwards after a moment with a quiet laugh, reaching a hoof over to touch gently against his shoulder, and Scrivener grinned despite himself. “Then shall we ask for more servants, to lay before us and praise us? Shall we ask for gladiators, and a spectacle of violence? Or shall we ask them to bring what lay down those darkened hallways here? Later, yes, I may feel guilt, and worry, and fear… but for now, I feel the part of me that makes even Nightmare Moon seem as tame as a kitten writhing up. I am passion, and I am darkness, and I am a Valkyrie, and I realize how tired I am of acting like a normal pony even in Hell, Scrivener Blooms. I am not giving in to this darkness… I am making the darkness bend and break and give in to me.”
Her eyes flashed as she looked at him… and Scrivy smiled slowly, leaning towards her as the winged unicorn servants all hesitantly leaned away, before he said softly, challengingly: “Prove it, then, warrior princess.”
Luna grinned slowly, widely at this, her eyes gleaming as she slowly stood up, shaking her body out as she leaned forwards and starry mane and tail sparked violently around her, eyes glowing before she stepped towards him and shoved the male onto his back, pinning him down and leaning down to glare into his eyes with delight and entertainment. “What is this? A sign of life from the dead and boring and so-worried poet? Art thou finally relenting, art thou finally ready to face this, and even embrace this new part of thyself, whatever it may bring?”
Scrivener grinned up at her, then he half-rolled as he seized her shoulders, slamming her down onto her back and pinning her as he pounced on top of her, his eyes glowing as he leaned over her and then slowly licked up her horn… and Luna’s jaws fell open as her eyes closed tightly, a shudder of pleasure going through her as sparks twisted along the tall spire. “Look at me, Luna. I’ve spent eight years fighting this. Eight years complaining. Eight years of nightmares… and now my subconscious self is nothing but a mess, a half-transformed freak. You embrace the darkness fully, take on the shape of Nightmare Moon freely, and run with your instincts, your passions… maybe it’s not that I need to have your physical strength… maybe what I need is more of your wild spirit.”
“And thou may have all of it. Thou may have every piece of me… I am thine, thou art mine, we are one…” Luna whispered, her eyes glowing as she looked up at him and nodded, licking her lips slowly as the male reached his claw forwards, sliding it through her mane… and then she leaned up, adding softly: “The nightmare climbs towards its apex. Towards the true darkness. I do not fear what I will become as long as I am beside thee… thou should feel the same.”
“I do, Luna… what I’ve only ever truly feared is what that darkness might compel me to do to you… and I don’t want this corruption… to spill into you. There is evil in my mind… but your soul is like the night… dark, but pure. Embracing.” Scrivener replied quietly, cupping her cheek gently with his twisted claw, and Luna smiled lovingly up at him as she reached up and gently grasped his face with her front hooves.
“Idiot Scrivener Blooms… I am thy queen, and thy slave. I am thy owner, and thy most precious possession. I am everything to thee, and thou art everything to me… good and bad together, but at the end of the day, we are equals. We are soulmates as well as soul-bound. And I will do anything, anything to see thee happy, and know thou would do the same for me.” Luna replied quietly, and then she slowly pushed him backwards and stood up, arching her back and grinning down at him, licking her lips slowly. “Such thoughts run rampant in thine head! Thou truly are a beast. A monster, in fact.” She half-lidded her eyes, leaning forwards, growling hungrily. “Danger excites me.”
“First, we have another danger to attend to, Luna.” Scrivener replied quietly, and the enormous, ebony winged unicorn nodded after a moment before Scrivener smiled slightly as he glanced over his shoulder at the four ivory servants, adding kindly: “Come with us, pets.”
“An audience. Dream fragments are not as thrilling as real ones, but thou truly art on a remarkable and sudden impulse of evolution… and I like it.” Luna murmured thoughtfully, and then she strode towards the open doors, grinning to herself as Scrivener fell into step beside her, reality almost flickering around the two as the four servants bowed their heads and followed. “If only those in reality could witness our dark imaginings and be humbled by them… if only we could see what lays inside the hearts and souls of others, what distortions exist there, my husband, and then wrap them in our black veil with the promise that we shall be there to understand and comfort them…”
Scrivener only smiled slightly at this, however, not needing to speak as they strode onwards, burning with passion, bathing in the darkness… ready to face the shadows that lurked at the very heart of the nightmare world that they both reviled and reveled in.