//------------------------------//
// The Chimera's Loyalties 
// Story: Decretum 
// by BlackRoseRaven 
//------------------------------//

Chapter Twenty Seven: The Chimera's Loyalties
~BlackRoseRaven

Rainbow Dash leaned forwards, cheering loudly from the bleachers that had been set up in the fields outside Ponyville, Applejack grinning beside him despite herself and their foal Avalon comfortably resting in a baby seat, clad in a onesie and a sweater and with a matching cap on her head. A pacifier was in her mouth, and Antares was sitting on the bench beside her, the foal continuously leaning in and hugging Gymbr back against his chest as he stared with awe at the baby between turning his eyes back out to the field and giggling at the competition.
A few weeks ago, while they had been in Ponyville to help Celestia and Odin with a project the two were working on alongside Zecora, Luna had come across Big Mac putting up posters for a tournament that was being held by the volunteer infantry to raise enough money to pay for new equipment and repairs to the shoddy military base in town. Luna had stabbed one of the posters with her horn after inspecting it, then cheerfully run all the way back to the library with the poster flying around her face to show it off and demand that they all enter: her reasoning being that the volunteer infantry – composed mainly of former Starlit Knights – was what kept Ponyville safe.
Celestia plainly refused to fight in what she was fairly certain would be nothing but ponies beating stupidly on each other, and Odin had asked sourly if Luna just wanted the music of a cheering audience while she pummeled ponies pointlessly. Luna had grumbled, bullied them for a while, and then given up and stormed off to find other ponies she could round up.
Eventually, she heckled Scrivener Blooms, Pinkamena, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Big Mac into taking part in the tournament, as well as herself. At this news, many of the volunteer infantry dropped out of the competition and thus left them with a thinner roster, which threatened to lose them attendance. Luna, however, was quite serious about helping out the volunteer infantry, although not because of any reason she had confessed... but because both so many of them had once been ill-fated soldiers, and because if the volunteer infantry fell apart, she knew that Celestia would have no choice but to order the Guard of Equestria to establish a military base in this area... and she direly did not want a law-enforcing military base in Ponyville for a multitude of reasons, least of which was the fact that Ponyville had once more become like her own miniature kingdom.
So Luna had taken the initiative and sent out letters to the largest, nearest cities, advertising the competition. And as hoped, Luna had garnered the interest of a variety of warriors – both who had earned the title and who had simply applied it to themselves – and thus the fighting tournament and business in Ponyville had swelled. Even more, many ponies, Nibelung, and other peoples were coming from all across the nation to watch the fights.
They were at the quarterfinals now, and Luna was gleefully watching from the large tent set up for the combatants to prepare in. They were only permitted to use training weapons – hence why Pinkamena hadn't killed anyone – and unicorns weren't allowed to use past a certain degree of magic – hence why Twilight had been disqualified early in – but the fighters that were left were skilled, calm, and likely didn't need the extra tools to be lethal if they wanted to.
Eight fighters were left, including the two currently on the field and Luna herself: the others were Big Mac, two Pegasi, a Nibelung, and a minotaur. Luna was delighted to see the minotaurs, and even more so when she had spoken to the burly giant at length and found his culture was similar to that of an old, lost friend's. At first he had been wary of her, likely thinking she wanted to probe him for information, but after a few days he had loosened up and they had begun to talk more freely.
Then Luna grinned widely, licking her lips and turning her eyes back outwards to the field to watch as Pinkamena snarled and yanked her buckler off to fling it like a discus at her opponent, and Scrivener Blooms ducked with a curse as it shot just over his head, his armor dented and cracked, his features bruised... but the half-demon was bleeding from the mouth and her own armor had been heavily damaged. Pieces of broken weapon littered the battlefield, and one unicorn had already snuck down and reached over the fence to claim a shattered piece of dagger as a keepsake, as Cowlick shouted cheerfully from where she was sitting with Greece and Ross: “Come on, Scrivener, you put up with beatings worse than this from that wife of yours!”
Scrivener grimaced, and then Pinkamena snarled and charged, and the stallion winced and scurried backwards before the half-demon snapped: “Come on, Scrivener, I should be dead by now!”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Scrivener winced and ducked when Pinkamena lunged at him, and then he cursed as she tried to headbutt him, the stallion sliding backwards and seizing her by the back of the skull with both front hooves when she just missed, her eyes bulging before Scrivener shoved down to send her smacking face-first into the ground. Then he scrambled backwards towards the low, rickety fencing that caged in the fighters, and the half-demon snarled as she shoved up to her hooves and charged at him.
She leapt forwards as Scrivener fell back against the fencing, staring at her before she dived and grinned, stretching her front hooves when Scrivener dropped flat on his back, and he winced as she punched both hooves into the fence to stop herself from plowing into it as the stallion curled his rear legs up against his chest. Instead, she was now leaning over him, eyes glowing as she grinned down at him with a slow lick of her teeth. “Hi.”
“Bye.” Scrivener said calmly, and Pinkamena frowned before Scrivener seized her forelegs with his own front hooves and shoved his hind legs into her stomach, kicking her hard head-over-heels over the fence and flipping her out of the battlefield with a yell of fury, the stallion wheezing in relief as a bell rang and announced the fight was over.
He climbed up to his hooves, grinning brightly at his plan's success... and then Pinkamena crashed angrily through the fencing behind him, tackling him in a hail of splinters even as armored guards rushed forwards as she slammed the stallion's head into the ground, shouting furiously: “Goddamn crowbait, you won't knock me out but you'll win by a goddamn technicality?”
Pinkamena seized one of the wooden slats, then slammed it down and broke it over the back of Scrivener's skull, Luna wincing painfully at this as she blinked her eyes rapidly, only glad that Scrivener had a hard head before the half-demon was finally dragged off the stunned stallion by shouting guards. Then the winged unicorn grimaced, rubbing absently at her features and muttering: “Well, Scrivy always was too smart for his own good...”
Luna turned her eyes back to the other competitors, smiling slightly over them all: Big Mac, looking calm as ever, dressed in heavy plate and using his shield across his lap like a table as he serenely read a book... her minotaur friend, his hands crossed in front of the simple kilt he was wearing, weighted iron charms around his wrists and neck, one horn tall and adorned with silver rings and the other broken off near the base... the Nibelung, moodily polishing his blunted war axe and grumbling about not being allowed to use real weapons. And one of the Pegasi was grumpily adjusting his bracers and lightweight armor, mumbling constantly to himself under his breath as he looked furtively back and forth around at the other fighters.
“Bora Scura and Luna Brynhild ?” a unicorn asked calmly as he pushed into the tent from another opening, a clipboard floating in front of him. “Your match is next... wait, where's Bora Scura?”
Luna looked curiously over at the Pegasus, but he simply shrugged and rubbed at his dark-blue features, saying moodily: “Don't look at me, he's the other Pegasus. Said he-”
“Would be right back, and here I am.” grumbled a bearded Pegasus that shoved in past the unicorn, almost knocking him over. He was dressed only in lightweight armor over his body, but interlocked metal plating protected all four limbs, thick enough to deflect most attacks. Luna thought it was cocky and arrogant, but the Pegasus had made it this far... and she gave him a sour look as he gave her a thin smile, his dark eyes glinting as he shook his pepper-colored mane out and rubbed at his short black beard. “You're pretty good on the field. And you look so cute dressed up in that pretty armor.”
“Oh, is this 'trash talk?'” Luna asked curiously, and then she grinned over at him, saying kindly: “I shall try. Thy face looks similar to my son's used diapers. I would recommend dropping out of the competition before I make thy appearance into something even uglier, but perhaps thou shall be lucky and instead my blows will pretty thee up.”
“What is mommy doing in a fighting competition? Besides, you got wings but you clearly don't know how to use them. I've been watching you and you're all ground-work, babe. That means I get the aerial advantage, just where I want to be.” Bora retorted, and then he glared over his shoulder as the unicorn cleared his throat.
“As long as you remain under twenty feet of height. Another warning and you're out of the competition.” the unicorn said dryly, and then he looked moodily between Bora and Luna. “You have ten minutes to prep.”
Luna smiled and nodded as Bora grunted and turned, leaving the tent again, and the winged unicorn looked meditatively after the Pegasus before her minotaur friend rose a hand and said mildly: “Josef would be happy to break his wings for you, Luna Brynhild.”
“'Tis very kind of thou to offer, Josef, but thou would not steal from this poor mother the chance to break the mighty warrior's wings herself, would thou?” Luna asked kindly, and Josef and a few other warriors chuckled before her eyes alit on Big Mac, who only frowned slightly. “Oh fear not, I shan't kill him. 'Twould be too cruel to the reaper, whom for once I am on good terms with. But I kill this hideous thing, and Death will come after me next for forcing him to drag that sodding wretch all the way to Helheim.”
“Ain't the fight I'm worried about.” Big Mac said quietly, even as Josef laughed and nodded and the Nibelung grinned a little. Luna's own smile, however, died down at Mac's words, and she sighed and nodded moodily before glancing out into the field.
Scrivener Blooms had gone into the stands to sit with Antares, and Scarlet Sage was safe with Apple Bloom and her other friends. Twilight was out there as well, sitting beside Celestia, and even Odin was in attendance today, watching with a nostalgia that was strangely-soft for such a bloody competition. Pinkamena, meanwhile, had likely been thrown off the premises, which was likely part of why Rainbow Dash was obviously gleefully crowing so loudly about the battle.
Luna rolled her shoulders, shaking herself quickly out before she looked thoughtfully over at the crimson stallion, smiling a little. “Thou may have a point, my friend, but... fear not. We are in a safe place here, and Ponyville... 'tis my perfect little kingdom.”
“Perfect little kingdom.” muttered the remaining Pegasus, and Luna tossed him a sour look. “Who... even are you, again? What's your name, Hilda?”
“Brynhild.” Luna said scathingly, and then he pointed a hoof at him, making him wince back. “Call me Hilda again and I shall break thee into tiny little pieces and feed those tiny little pieces to Phooka.”
“Well sorry, miss touchy.” the Pegasus huffed, then he turned around, going back to mumbling to himself as Big Mac gave Luna a pointed look she ignored with a huff, turning her eyes moodily upwards.
After a few minutes, Bora Scura stormed back in and half-shoved past Luna to head out onto the field, and Luna growled and stomped her hooves, muttering: “Oh how I shall relish this. Josef, my good friend, will thou please do me the favor of brokering a wager?”
“Is possible. Ten percent cut?” Josef asked curiously, tilting his head and rubbing at his broken horn as the Nibelung and remaining Pegasus both looked quickly up with interest, and Big Mac slowly rubbed at his face.
“What? Ten percent, art thou a lunatic? Twenty percent, Josef, we are friends, are we not?” Luna asked in an almost hurt voice, and the minotaur smiled at her warmly, bowing his head in agreement and gratitude. “Very good. The deal is thus: I am willing to gamble... uh...” She paused meditatively, looking over at Scrivener Blooms, and the earth pony in the stands winced before throwing his forelegs up with a shout of frustration, earning awkward looks from the ponies around him and a giggle from Antares before the foal mimicked him and fell backwards onto one of the lower bleachers. “'Tis funny, Scrivener Blooms could never be tempted by treasure and yet once he gets it, he clings to it like a damnable Diamond Dog.”
With that, Luna turned and hurried over to the large satchel pack she carried her extra equipment in, shuffling through it before pulling out a large, velvet bag and tossing this to Josef, who caught it easily in one hand and then glanced down in surprise at the weight. “'Tis about two hundred bits of value in there. Bet it all on me pummeling Bora Scura into mush in five minutes, defeat by knockout.”
“Luna Brynhild, five minutes, knockout.” Josef echoed calmly, and Luna nodded firmly once before the minotaur paused and held up a finger, asking curiously: “Josef is curious, also. Last battle... demon pony... how you say, she took a fall?”
“Well, I would say more that she permitted herself to be thrown, but aye.” Luna grinned widely, winking across at Josef as the Pegasus and Nibelung both looked up in surprise. “Well, they are the best of friends, although... 'tis rather obvious that the half-demon did not try her hardest, isn't it?” Luna paused, then licked her lips slowly as a shiver of delight passed through her that made the Pegasus and Nibelung stare. “Ooh, but the thought of Pinkamena and Scrivener brutally pummeling each other in an actual battle... it gives me chills.”
“You make Josef uncomfortable. But in good way.” the minotaur said kindly, and Luna threw her head back and laughed at this before the bull turned with a grunt, tossing the bag once in the air by the strings tying it closed and catching it easily by the body of the cloth as he strode calmly out of the tent, passing by the unicorn with the clipboard as he reentered.
The stallion looked over at Luna, simply nodding in return to her curious look, and the winged unicorn smiled before she turned and calmly strode out of the tent through the flap in front of her and down the narrow corridor of fencing to step into the field to the cheers of the audience as a magnified voice echoed clearly: “Round two of the quarterfinals is Bora Scura versus Luna Brynhild! Fighters, take your positions!”
“Ponyville is so much less boring than it used to be. 'Tis fun!” Luna said cheerfully, trotting easily up to the halfway point of the field before she grinned widely across at Bora, winking at him as the Pegasus set himself and glared across at her challengingly. “Good luck to thee, Bora. Thou hast my promise I shan't kill thee.”
“I promise to try and break your jaw so you stop embarrassing yourself with your ridiculous accent.” Bora retorted, and Luna's eyes slowly narrowed before the Pegasus grinned. “Don't worry, miss mommy. I'm sure your hubby didn't marry you for your looks anyway.”
“I dare thee to make one more remark. One more.” Luna threatened, and the grin of the Pegasus faltered only a little as the winged unicorn set herself, gritting her teeth and ignoring everything around her neck, from the roar of the crowd to the calls of the announcer, listening for one sound, and one sound only...
And then Bora Scura looked up and said clearly: “I'm betting the reason you aren't in the kitchen or the bedroom right now is because you're no good at either, right? I bet-”
The ding of the bell to start the battle sounded, and Luna lunged forwards, slamming a hoof up under Bora's jaw and knocking him reeling upwards stupidly before Luna's other hoof descended in a hammer blow that caught him in the crown of the skull and drove him face-first down into the ground hard enough to send up a puff of dirt and grass.
For a few moments, Bora only lay dumbly in place, the crowd going silent... and then Luna looked down at him with distaste before she stomped firmly on one of his wings and twisted savagely, the Pegasus howling in pain and quickly scrambling backwards as Luna said mildly: “Oh a thousand pardons, I'm just a silly mare. Did I break it?”
Bora only snarled, then he charged towards her furiously... and without flinching, Luna simply slammed her head forwards into Bora Scura's face just as he began to reach his hooves up to grab her, once more knocking him flat as she looked grumpily down at him. “Thou art messy. And an idiot. And rude. I do not like thee very much, is what I am getting at here. Does thou understand or should I put it into even smaller words so thy insectile little mind can process this better?”
Bora cursed under his breath, then he snarled and lunged forwards, but Luna leapt into the air, flapping her wings once to give herself a greater boost before she simply dropped and slammed all four hooves down into the center of his back with a loud crack, Bora howling in agony as Luna looked thoughtfully down at him over her shoulder. “Was that thy spine or one of thy wings?”
Luna paused, then carefully twisted her rear left leg, grinding her hoof firmly down into the base of one of the Pegasus' wings, and Bora gave another howl of pain before Luna hopped off him, grumpily beginning to walk away. “Damnation. And here I was hoping I had broken thee into two pieces.”
Bora snarled, crawling up to his hooves and turning around before charging at her back, blinded by fury and humiliation... and without needing to look, Luna kicked both rear hooves back into his face with a loud crunch, knocking the Pegasus sprawling into a prone position on his side, a bit of drool falling from his jaws as he struggled to stay awake. Luna dropped back to all fours and glared over her shoulder at the Pegasus as he shivered, trying to get up... and then he simply fell flat, and the winged unicorn nodded firmly once to herself as she grumbled: “Vermin.”
With that, Luna simply turned and head grumpily back across the field towards the tent as the audience erupted into cheers, and she smiled primly to herself as she rose her head, muttering: “No good in bed. Mares who are not good in bed do not get such applause.”

The remaining quarterfinal fights pitted Big Mac against Josef and the Nibelung against the mumbling Pegasus: Big Mac put up a good fight, but the minotaur simply smashed through the earth pony's defenses and put his strength and reach to good use. The Nibelung and Pegasus, meanwhile, had both done quite a bit of damage to each other, but the Pegasus had come out the winner with a lucky kick to the head of the dwarf.
Scrivener, Josef, Luna, and the Pegasus drew lots to determine who would face off against who in the second last matches: Scrivener didn't know whether it was good or bad that it ended up being him against the Pegasus, and Josef against Luna. The minotaur and the winged unicorn had smiled at each other and nodded respectfully before going off to prepare in the three hours they had before the semifinals, and Scrivener simply smiled awkwardly at the Pegasus, who glowered back before flying hurriedly off.
Meanwhile, the field and bleachers were cleaned as the audience filtered into Ponyville, which had put on a small street fair as an added incentive for their visitors to spend money and take interest in the tournament. Mayor Mare was eager to profit as much as possible off what was going on and bring in more revenue for Ponyville, after all, sour as it made Luna to see her village turned into a tourist trap for the short time the tournament would be taking place over. Only Celestia had bothered to point out that technically, it was Luna's own fault that things had taken the turn they did... and Luna, ever the mature adult she was, had replied by stealing a foal's cotton candy, taking a bite out of it, and shoving the rest into Celestia's mane.
After that, Luna was left to her own devices, during which she prowled around the street fair and poked at various ponies. Scrivener Blooms followed her around in his damaged armor, grumpily helping her cheat at all the rigged games until she finally helped him fix his equipment, clean up, and prepare for the coming match.
They headed back half an hour before the semifinals: the first match was Josef and Luna, and when they arrived, they found the minotaur polishing an enormous maul in his hands, even as the unicorn attendant and several others tried to convince the enormous male he wasn't permitted the weapon. Luna, however, had cheerfully declared she would gladly allow Josef to swing the oversized hammer against her if he so desired, and they had smiled at each other again as the officials and attendants had traded looks, then hurried off to confer.
Josef and Luna chatted easily as Scrivener paced nervously and the Pegasus muttered to himself in the corner: the earth pony awkwardly tried to wish him luck – and at least get his name, since neither he nor Luna had been paying attention – but the Pegasus had fixed him with a horrible glare until Scrivener had slowly turned on his heel and walked away. Luna had giggled at this as Josef had simply shaken his head, and not long after, the two had gone out to the field, both promising to do their best.
When they returned, Luna had a cracked rib and bruised body, but Josef was dragged out on a stretcher by several Nibelung that groaned at how heavy the minotaur was. They paused only for a moment passing through the tent so Josef could give an awkward thumbs-up to Luna before falling unconscious back on the stretcher, and Luna had whistled a little before smiling over at Scrivener Blooms, saying kindly: “I expect to see thee in the finals, husband.”
The second and last match of the semifinals was eagerly anticipated: Pinkamena had been allowed back in, and grumpily sat with Antares happily bouncing in her lap, the half-demon sharing a large cola with the burbling, excited foal. Rainbow Dash was cheering besides snoring Avalon, and Applejack was sitting back with bruised but calm Big Mac. It all contributed to Scrivener's nervousness as he headed out into the field, and the Pegasus followed.
On the bright side, they announced the Pegasus' name: Frosty Forecast. On a less-pleasant note he was particularly vicious and kept doing quick, nasty attacks until Scrivener felt an odd chill run through his body. A moment later, his hoof slammed into Forecast's face, and then he tackled him backwards with a grin he realized wasn't his own, wincing mentally as Luna laughed in his mind; the winged unicorn herself had her eyes closed, laying calmly in the center of the floor of the tent as she temporarily hijacked Scrivener Blooms' body. Something she had already done more than once to give Scrivener a helping hoof with tougher opponents.
Scrivy slipped gracefully to the side, suddenly light on his hooves despite the armor and his bulk, and then he slammed a precise strike up into Forecast's throat, making his eyes bulge before the earth pony calmly stepped forwards and slammed an elbow into the back of the Pegasus' neck. He collapsed in a broken heap, and Scrivener winced, shaking Luna's mental controls hurriedly off as he worried for a moment the Pegasus was dead before Frosty Forecast groaned and twitched a little.
The audience applauded, even as Scrivener glowered at the tent, feeling a little touched beneath everything but mostly like he wanted to strangle the winged unicorn even if it meant throttling himself as well. Luna did mean well, after all... but she also had long made it clear she was very willing to bend and break the rules in order to get them both to the finals.
The final match would take place tomorrow, and Scrivener glowered at Luna the entire time the unicorn spent explaining to them how it would work as he had them sign forms and papers. The earth pony only grumbled morosely as Luna smiled awkwardly at him until they were eventually allowed to leave.
They had returned to the library, where they were congratulated and Scrivener calmed down a little after he was able to throw off his armor and spend some time relaxing in the company of friends, although he still looked less-than-thrilled about everything. Antares made him feel better, however... and then he sighed when Luna declared cheerfully they should all head out to the street fair together, to play the bad games and eat junk food.
Fluttershy had said quietly she would gladly stay back at the library and watch over Antares, and Rarity and Spike agreed to stay as well. Luna, however, succeeded in harassing Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, and every other pony into coming with them... a decision she would regret in only a short few hours' time.
The night was dark and cloudy, and all of Ponyville's light and attention was focused on the street fair set up on the other side of town and the circus acts taking place in what had served as the tournament field during the day, leaving the rest of the village almost ghostly. Only a few ponies and Nibelung wandered calmly here and there, and many of them were patrols tasked with keeping the village safe in case any of the fighters got out of hand.
Inside the library, Rarity was peacefully knitting, and Fluttershy was quietly playing with Antares, the Pegasus smiling softly as she rolled a ball gently back and forth with the baby, who smiled happily in return to her. Spike was in the kitchen, humming as he prepared a meal and heated up a bottle for the foal, an apron swaying around the lanky dragon's body.
It was quiet, it was calm, and they were comfortable as they waited for their friends to return, feeling safe in the warm, familiar surroundings of the library... and a moment later, a window exploded inwards in a burst of sound and force before a masked Pegasus shot through, crashing down to the ground as silver plating glinted over his limbs, Rarity and Fluttershy both crying out in shock at the sudden invasion.
Antares began to cry in fear as the foal tried to scamper for Fluttershy, but the intruder was fast, leaping forwards and slamming a hoof down into the child's back, crushing him into the ground. Fluttershy yelled in denial as she leapt forwards, some deep, hidden instinct overriding fear as she tackled the intruder, surprising him and freeing Antares for a moment... but then the Pegasus stallion smashed her hard across the face with a hoof before seizing her by the head and slamming her into the floor with a cruel crunch.
Antares shrieked as he scrambled towards Fluttershy, but the Pegasus intruder seized the foal, then snarled when Rarity's horn began to glow and Spike ran out of the kitchen, the dragon's eyes widening before the intruder turned and shot towards the shattered window, leaping out and spreading his wings to fly quickly high into the dark night air before twisting suddenly downwards, darting back and forth through the shadows around the houses as Nibelung and ponies both shouted and charged blindly back and forth.
The Pegasus made only the slightest twist to slip over the walls surrounding Ponyville, for a moment just a black blur above the wall before he dropped low to the field, shooting quickly over the grasses with his rear hooves almost trailing through them, crushing Antares against his body in his forelegs as the foal cried out weakly and shivered in his grip. Without slowing, the Pegasus stallion shot into the forest, following a route he had already planned out to lose any possible pursuers before he finally skidded to a halt and threw Antares hard into a tree.
The foal screamed as he bounced off the old oak, then curled up, sobbing and trembling hard as the Pegasus stallion loomed over him, breathing hard through the dark mask covering his face as the silver armor glinted over his limbs. His wings flapped once, and then he leaned forwards, saying coldly down to the foal: “Turn. And walk.”
The child only whimpered and sobbed in response, and then the Pegasus reached out and seized him by the mane, half-dragging Antares along as he muttered to himself: “Worthless little ingrate. Keep up your pace, we have ground to cover. I'm going to ransom you back to your cheating parents, and then I'm going to cheat them like they cheated me and cut your heart out of your chest and give them back your corpse. I'll be long gone before they figure out who I am.”
Antares whimpered, and then the Pegasus snarled and threw the toddler forwards, sending him crashing into the base of a tree before the stallion leaned forwards and snapped: “If you keep making all that goddamn noise I'm going to cut your tongue out of your head!”
The foal only cried louder, however, tears flowing down his cheeks as he curled up, terrified as the darkness around them grew deeper and denser, as the trees themselves seemed to curl in, forming a cage around the stallion and the foal before the Pegasus snarled and rose a hoof as he stepped forwards, meaning to smash in the foal's skull...
But then Antares went silent, his sobs catching in his throat as he looked fearfully back and forth, trembles running through his body as teary eyes widened. And the Pegasus frowned darkly behind his mask, leaning forwards as he slowly lowered his hoof and looked uncertainly to the right, then the left, before his mouth went dry and he felt himself tensing slowly up.
There was nothing but dead silence around them, and the clouds above had grown thick, deepening the cage of darkness around them. Trees stood like pillars in an almost perfect circle, bent so the canopy caged him in, worsened the growing claustrophobia as the Pegasus began to breathe harder, viciousness quickly becoming drowned out by growing fear and uncertainty as he whispered: “No, no, no way they figured it out already, no way, I made sure of every detail...”
“How dare you...” spoke a soft, strangely-echoing voice from the trees, and the Pegasus snarled as Antares curled up tighter, whimpering and shivering as the stallion cursed and looked wildly back and forth, mind clanking to a halt in horror as a strange clicking filled the air. “Kidnapping a foal... a foal very special to us... how we will make you suffer for this outrage...”
“How did you figure it out? I... hey, don't do anything or-” The stallion spun around to step towards Antares, and a moment later halted with a gurgle, his eyes bulging in horror as a silver claw caught him by the throat. It squeezed almost gently even as it slowly lifted the Pegasus off the ground, the stallion gargling and staring with horror as eldritch green eyes flared open in the darkness only inches away.
“What you shall do now is die. But we will not make it quick.” whispered the echoing voice, a gleam of gunmetal coat showing through the almost-alive shadows that swirled over the strange creature as its eyes glowed brighter. “Sweet Antares, turn away now. Don't look.”
Antares only whimpered weakly... and thirty minutes later, Luna and Scrivener were both rushing through the forest, guided by several Nightmares to their son's side. They had found the foal only a few minutes earlier, attracted by a malevolence, a darkness in reality, and found...
Luna could barely believe it. Antares was pale and rocking silently back and forth, trembling as Atrus stood over the foal protectively, looking silently towards the desiccated, torn-apart body of the Pegasus. The stallion's head hung from a nearby branch by his own torn-out spinal cord, features frozen in a last look of utter horror as blood dripped from empty sockets like tears... but apart from his missing tongue and missing eyes, otherwise undamaged, mask peeled off to reveal the face of Frosty Forecast, and not the obnoxious Bora Scura.
His plan likely would have worked almost perfectly: Bora had been the perfect Pegasus to frame, after all. The only problem was that Luna had clearly remembered breaking both of Bora's wings, while Forecast's talents were very clearly in the realm of flying and acrobatics. Skills he had used to escape Ponyville, along with his obsessive need to plan out every detail.
All the same, finding a trail had been nearly impossible: Luna and Scrivener had been ripping Forecast's tent apart for any clues as to where he could have been heading when the Nightmares had come to them. And now, here they found him, torn apart by something, mutilated and tortured extensively in ways that made it very clear what he had done had upset someone as much as it had upset Scrivener and Luna...
And they thought they knew who that was, too, as Scrivener slowly strode over the bloody ground to reach down with a trembling hoof to pick up the small, stuffed toy laying on its sides, green button eyes gleaming despite the darkness around them as if reflecting some unnatural fire. Scrivener stared at Gymbr, holding it up... and Antares cried out wildly, shaking his head violently as he spun around and pushed himself against Atrus, shrieking: “Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! Hurt!”
It took a long time for Luna and Scrivener to calm their son down, and he would only do so after Atrus had taken Gymbr back to the library for Celestia and Odin to examine by whatever means necessary to find out what secrets the stuffed toy was hiding, and after they had taken their young foal a good distance away from the remains of the torn-apart Pegasus. But still, all Antares would do was shiver and whimper weakly, pale and trembling as they reassured him that it was over, as they did their best to soothe him before taking him on a slow, quiet walk back to their home once they were sure he was okay. They were escorted by Atrus and several Nightmares through the darkness of the woods, and strangely, it seemed to comfort the child further, to see the shadowy creatures and the enormous demon walking beside him, as if he sensed their duty was to keep him safe.
Scarlet Sage and Twilight Sparkle were already both waiting for them at the house, and Antares seemed to take comfort in this. But he was also tired, in pain, and still scared out of his mind, even with his family comforting him as Luna rocked him slowly in her forelegs, nestling him close and safe.
Antares fell into fitful sleep after a few hours, but Luna only continued to cradle him for the entire night, resting against Scrivener with Twilight Sparkle on her other side and gazing compassionately at the foal, Scarlet Sage glad to stay up through the night for her little brother. Antares woke up a few times over the course of the night, whimpering a little, but each and every time he calmed almost immediately, finding himself safe in his mother's embrace, father close beside him, Twilight Sparkle and Scarlet Sage both near and ready to comfort him however they could.
Just as the sun began to rise, Antares finally seemed to settle into real sleep, and Luna finally placed him quietly in his crib, safely tucking him in and leaving him to rest. Scarlet Sage went off to her own bed, and Scrivener went to fix some kind of breakfast, breathing softly, still more shaken up than he wanted to admit by the fact their son had been attacked... and defended by something that for all its good intentions had all the same peeled a Pegasus apart like an orange.
And yet the worst part? The worst part was the fact that Scrivener, as he made tea with only the faintest of trembles, wished that worse things had been done to Frosty Forecast. That he took a sick, dark pleasure in thinking of how the Pegasus had been tortured and mutilated and likely how long he had lived through the process until his head had been plucked from his shoulders like a vegetable, along with the clinging root of his spine.
He knew Luna felt it, too. The same sick, dark gratitude. That same twisted sense of... not justice, perhaps, but retribution... no, revenge. It was mixed in with everything else: with the despair of having failed to protect their foal and friends, the sense of shame and self-loathing, the still-simmering anger despite the fact that Forecast was dead and... so much else. Things that were even harder to describe, even harder to put into proper words and proper perspective. Things that neither pony wanted to feel, and yet they both clearly did anyway.
He breathed softly, making himself focus: what they had to do now was help their child to heal, and keep Antares Mīrus safe. And that also meant getting to the root of Gymbr, what exactly the toy was... yet at the same time, Scrivener couldn't help but think that one way or another... it would be a long time before they found the solution to that particular puzzle. And part of him wondered if they really did want an answer to that riddle... or if maybe some things were better left in darkness, unknown and undiscovered.
Scrivener Blooms lowered his head silently... then flinched and looked over his shoulder in surprise when Twilight Sparkle gently touched his back. He smiled awkwardly, blushing a bit at being startled before the violet mare said quietly: “We're going to figure this out, Scrivy, okay?And look. Everyone's okay... Fluttershy was rattled, but she was a lot more scared for Antares than she was hurt. Gymbr... Gymbr did save Antares. Even if... it... it sounds like...”
“It was horrible, Twilight. It... it was horrible. And that's by my standards, by the way.” Scrivener muttered, rubbing slowly at his face and shaking his head with a quiet sigh. “Gymbr may have saved Antares but... you saw the kid. Antares never cries like that... but just imagining what he must have witnessed is going to be enough to give me night terrors. I can't imagine what my son... must... must be...”
He closed his eyes, shaking his head slowly, and Twilight nodded slowly before reaching up and touching his shoulder gently, and Scrivener sighed before he shook himself briskly out and muttered: “Well, one good thing, at least. Luna and I don't show up for the last match, prize gets awarded to Josef, since... Forecast is... well. Kibble.”
“I don't know if I've always liked or found it frustrating how you work, Scrivy. You say one serious thing, give one glimpse under all that armor you wear, and then... back to the deflecting and the jokes.” Twilight smiled faintly, reaching up and gently guiding Scrivener's face back and forth as the earth pony shrugged a little, a small smile rising over his own features. “You're still kind of bruised up from yesterday, anyway. And your eyes...  visions?”
“No, just... been rubbing at them a lot.” Scrivener said softly, shaking his head with a small laugh before he headed quietly back into the den, glancing down the hall towards the bedroom, where Luna had retreated to after putting Antares to bed. Twilight gazed softly down the hall as well, and then she returned her eyes to Scrivener as he glanced into the sapphire flames burning quietly in the fireplace, saying quietly: “I'm... proud of her, you know. Proud of her for... everything. And do you know what she's doing right now?”
“Talking to Nightmare Moon.” Twilight answered softly, and she smiled a little when Scrivener sat down on the bedding and looked over his shoulder at her, seeming a little impressed despite himself as he gave a slow nod. “I... I recognized the signs. Luna got agitated and... left to check on Antares and... slipped quietly away without you. The only reason she wouldn't want you around is because...”
“Because of Nightmare Moon's... fatal attraction, so to speak, yes.” Scrivener replied softly, nodding slowly over at her and laughing a little. “Especially with how things have recently been, how there have been some...” He cleared his throat, looking down and muttering: “Changes established... in the relationship...”
Twilight softened, studying him quietly as he fell silent, and then she leaned towards him and asked finally: “I still can't get my head around... why she would... want that, though, Scrivener. I mean, before, I... I could understand it. It made more sense... I know it was hard for other people to see at first but I think even they understood after seeing it once or twice, that... when she would always bow her head to you, do every little thing for you, she was... keeping control over you. But... but this...”
Scrivener grimaced a little, glancing towards the fire as he pawed a hoof quietly at the bedding, and Twilight looked over him slowly before he gave her a look and asked softly in return: “Do I scare you, Twilight Sparkle?”
“Don't flatter yourself, Scrivy.” Twilight replied softly, giving a small smile as her eyes drew over him before looking slowly down towards the bedding, hesitating before she said softly: “No. You know what I'm scared of, Scrivener... not of you or Luna... but rather, of the... the fascination I have with you both.”
Scrivener grunted, looking with a small smile down the corridor as he said wryly: “Do I ever understand what you mean there, Twilight. But you know, you're still the sicker one between us... my interest is definitely in Luna, and not in myself.”
“I don't know about that...” Twilight smiled a little. “You're interested in me too, aren't you? And... Nightmare Moon, as well as Luna.”
Scrivener glanced with surprise towards Twilight Sparkle at this comment... and then he simply nodded slowly, giving a small smile, and Twilight blushed a little, looking relieved even as she bowed her head forwards and murmured: “Besides, I've heard from Luna all about how much you enjoy yourself on her little adventures.”
“Okay, don't push your luck now, Twilight, or I'll show you just what a twisted bastard I can be.” Scrivener said mildly, and Twilight blushed a little deeper as she glanced up at him for a moment, then hurriedly turned her eyes away, and Scrivener cleared his throat, blushing as well before he quickly looked towards the fireplace. There was awkward silence for a few moments... but then it lapsed into comfortable quiet, as Twilight quietly dropped her head against Scrivener's shoulder and she closed her eyes, slipping a little closer to the male.
Meanwhile, in the darkness of her room and the deeper shadows of her own mind, Luna smiled faintly at the floor before she shook her head quickly, muttering: “I... apologize, Nightmare Moon. I was. Distracted.”
“There is no need to apologize, beloved Luna.” Nightmare Moon said gently, and Luna slowly drew her eyes up from the dark ground towards the enormous, black-coated equine. Nightmare Moon stood calmly only a few feet away, her starry mane and tail pulsing and yet dim, casting no light over her black coat as she hid back in the shadows. Her eldritch eyes gleamed knowingly out at Luna, grinning teeth gleaming as she said softly: “I am glad we can put our differences aside for our husband's sake. For our son's sake.”
Luna closed her eyes, forcing herself to take a deep breath before she looked up coldly and said moodily: “Believe me, Nightmare Moon, 'tis far from easy for me. A large portion of me direly wishes to mutilate thee and put thee through the most awful torments I can think of.”
“You can if you like, Luna. I won't mind... our King of the Night told me very clearly already that I was to obey you as I do him. And you know that I always listen to our beloved King.” Nightmare Moon replied softly, and her ephemeral locks gave a single firm pulse, enough to make lines of scarring that trailed over her features and bare body gleam distinctly for a moment before her mane dimmed down again, leaving only the wispy glitter of stars dancing through her glowing locks. “All I did before was make a point. You have avoided me since then and I have not pursued the subject... but of course, of course, Luna. As you desire, as you command; I am here to serve you both.”
“I...” Luna shivered for a moment, then she shook her head and looked moodily towards the dark creature, muttering: “Bottled passion... thou art insane, and sickeningly-masochistic. But I do have questions for thou, aye, that I fear only thou can answer... about Gymbr, and about Antares. About...”
“About things you wished to simply bury and ignore, but they cannot be, can they?” Nightmare Moon asked softly, and then she proudly rose her head, smiling coldly as she stepped forwards, her mane thrumming and twisting softly over features that were clearly marked by crisscrossing lines of scars that formed a checkerboard over her beautiful features. She grinned widely even as Luna glanced away with contempt and disgust: not for what she had suffered, but how she wore it like a trophy... how she paraded that Scrivener had done this to her, shared with her what he would never share with Luna. “You hate me, childishly... you despise me because of what I have gained. What I have done. Funny, isn't it? I left you laying alone in the darkness, in the deepest abyss, for days... but it is because I cajoled our beloved husband into practicing his beautiful art upon me that you are so jealous, so furious...”
“Shut up.” Luna muttered, lowering her head, but Nightmare Moon only laughed in response to this... and worst of all, it was not cruel, not mocking, but a kind laugh, as the scarred, enormous creature gazed at her with love and compassion. Two things that Luna absolutely did not want to see from Nightmare Moon right now, especially directed at her... as if she was sympathetic, somehow, as if this passionate beast that lived inside her... “Does thou live to torture me, is that it? Art thou some secret, never-ending punishment?”
“Now stop that, my beloved little Luna.” Nightmare Moon said softly, shaking her head slowly as she gazed kindly down at the smaller, sapphire winged unicorn. “It's not a competition between us, now is it?”
Luna snorted at this, shaking her head in disgust and muttering: “Funny, foul creature, it seems as if thou art the one who has been so intent on competing this entire time... and I do not appreciate the mockery of being told from the beast who thinks she has earned herself first place that there is no competition between us. It makes thee hypocritical and... unwelcome, in my eyes.”
“Now, now, Luna... I am serious. Yes, I have gotten what I desired, but so have you: I'm being a good girl, as you so phrase it, and listening to you and Scrivener Blooms, am I not?” Nightmare Moon asked kindly, and then she gave a slight smile, eyes half-lidding. “After all, I aim to please our King of the Night. And he has asked me to serve you loyally... he is cunning, knowing I have no other choice. So truly, are you not the victor?”
“Of a single battle, perhaps, but this war between us will not end until we die.” Luna replied moodily, and then she rose a hoof, shaking her head with a quiet curse. “Enough, creature. I... do not distract me from the point further. Tell me about Gymbr, what thou knows.”
“Not much more than you... but a sliver, perhaps.” Nightmare Moon paused for a moment meditatively, bowing her head forwards thoughtfully as Luna rumbled, eying the creature moodily before scarred Nightmare Moon looked up with her seductive smile, her almost-gentle eyes, as she said softly: “There is a universal truth, sweet Luna: when you eliminate all other possible answers, it is usually the simplest one you are left with that is correct. Gymbr killed Frosty Forecast to protect beloved Antares. This means Gymbr is our friend, not our foe, however cruel it might be... however it might employ the same murderous techniques as both I do and our King of the Night does at his darkest moments.”
Luna gritted her teeth, bowing her head forwards as she shivered, thinking of the mutilation and damage they had seen, and then she muttered: “Do not call him that. He is no King of the Night. He does not enjoy being referred to as that.”
“On the contrary, he enjoys it greatly. He feels ashamed of it, which I do not understand... do I not stand as proof there is no shame in chasing down one's passions? Do you not believe that he is entitled to such a grand name?” Nightmare Moon smiled wider, leaning forwards and saying gently: “I am not declaring us rulers or usurpers, Luna. I am merely saying that in matters of darkness and shadow... Scrivener Blooms serves well as the perfect example of what a rightful monarch should be.”
“Oh, aye, yes, whiny, obnoxious, delegating his work and doing all the mare's jobs around the house, he is a mighty king in the eyes of all.” Luna said drolly, looking grumpily away, and Nightmare Moon lost her amusement, looking coldly at Luna. The sapphire winged unicorn hated to stoop to mocking her own husband, but it was the only thing that seemed to grind into Nightmare Moon's patience these days. “I think thou just wishes to be ruler of the night thyself. I think thou simply desires... darkness.”
“I think you are a fool.” Nightmare Moon replied coldly, her eyes narrowing dangerously as she bowed her head forwards, eldritch eyes glowing moodily. “Do not speak so disloyally. Especially after I share my thoughts with you upon the very subjects you wished to speak of.”
“And what useful information has thou given me? Guesswork and mockery, that is all. Fallacies.” Luna replied shortly, looking disgusted. “Everything thou knows, I know-”
“And yet still you came to me, because you know that I see in a wider scope than you do. My mind is more open than yours, I do not deny the truth, while you constantly seek to skirt its edges and boundaries.” Nightmare Moon retorted coldly, leaning forwards moodily as she flexed slowly, her mane twisting like a collection of electric serpents. “I delve the subconscious, I see the entire picture even when it is a picture that is bleak and awful, when you can only turn your head away. I see even when you do not wish to see, when you make yourself willfully blind. Gymbr, little Luna, is not a gift or a curse from the Norns, that is simply the easy solution, blaming the easy target. Odin is either a fool or attempting to calm us, but I am sure he too understands the truth. Gymbr is a paradox, an impossibility; and you, little Luna, will not disrespect me again or I shall show you once more that I am capable of gaining whatever I desire while you are only capable of clinging to Scrivener's heels and dragging yourself through the dirt in his wake.”
Luna grinned callously at this, even as a shiver went through her body, but she pushed the thoughts of Gymbr away to instead provoke in a saccharine voice: “Oh, Nightmare Moon, and here I thought thou wert my loyal and humble servant, as Scrivener Blooms decreed?”
Nightmare Moon was silent for a moment, and then she smiled calmly, closing her eyes and tilting her head as she said softly: “Well played, Luna. Very well... you have my apologies for my outburst, but I shall take some time to adjust to my... new role. Not as Scrivener's servant... but in listening to and serving you, instead of guiding you and mentoring you... but fear not, I shall still be there to help you clean up all your messes, fix all your mistakes, and keep you in control when it is necessary.”
Luna's smile thinned until it was only a cold line, and then she finally bowed her own head and said disgustedly: “We are finished talking. Keep yourself in the bowels of my soul, where thou belongs.”
“Oh, Luna, it's not your soul that's ever interested me, and no longer even your body.” Nightmare Moon replied softly, even as she began to fade back into the darkness with a calm, cold smile. “Now I spend more of my time with Scrivener Blooms, basking in his love for me, than I do in your wretched, jealous heart... but I do so love the accents of your bittersweet emotions.”
Luna snarled and leaned forwards, her eyes flashing, but Nightmare Moon only gave a final quiet laugh before she vanished completely from sight, and Luna was left alone in swirling, formless darkness. For a few moments, she only stood, her head bowed, her eyes clenched tightly shut... and then she finally cursed under her breath, shaking herself quickly out as she felt a faint twist of vertigo before she opened her eyes moodily and looked calmly up at the ceiling of her bedroom, returning to reality as she said sourly: “One day, creature I shall bring a horrible, horrible revenge upon thy head.”
She sighed softly, then flicked her horn with a grumble, opening the door before she stood up and strode out into the hall. For a moment, she only looked at the ajar door leading into Antares' bedroom, and then she lowered her head with a quiet sigh, turning and striding down the hall and into the den as she mumbled: “Damn the entire damnable world. Beetle, fetch me coffee, I... I do not know, I require... something.”
“I know, Luna.” Scrivener said softly from the bedding, standing up and smiling at her as Twilight Sparkle gazed quietly towards the starry-maned equine. Luna smiled a little back at them both, and for a moment, her worries, her fears, her frustrations all faded out, leaving her feeling... almost content.
Scrivy stepped forwards, nuzzling her gently, and Luna closed her eyes before the earth pony quietly brushed past her, letting their sides rub gently together as he headed into the kitchen. The sapphire equine enjoyed the caress as her husband passed, straightening and looking now towards Twilight Sparkle before she strode over to the bedding, dropping her head against the violet mare's neck, and decided that for the next little while... one way or the other, she was determined to let everything simply be okay.