//------------------------------// // Chapter 15 // Story: Beyond the Veil of Sleep // by Starscribe //------------------------------// The storm that raged in the land of Bravery was a fierce thing, tearing up the rock and ripping huge holes in the land. The others still found a way to sleep, even the cat. But Mira did not feel tiredness, just as she hadn't since first arriving in the realm of sleep and starlight. She paced back and forth in front of the low windows, watching the world outside through thick glass. Occasionally there was a break in the clouds, and she could see the moon. Well enough to look up, and see its face. Even in the dreaming, she saw the faint silhouette of a mare there, outlined by stars. It was subtle enough that ponies from other tribes often didn't even notice it. But for the bats, it was a mark of failure. It was a reminder every minute of every night that their chosen ruler had failed them, and that they were subjugated before hostile, overwhelming force. The Sun Tyrant's armies couldn't follow me, but her evil magic did. "I'll help you free," she whispered, for no one to hear. "I'm coming, Princess. I know you'll save us." Then she would bring the nightmare for the creatures who had inflicted suffering and death on her children, and the bats would go back to building their cities in peace. Mira could not dream of those days, because she was already in the world of dream—where some force beyond her comprehension had managed to steal away the eternal joy of the dead. Maybe next time. The moon was still high overhead when the storm finally passed, leaving the streets of Chilon greatly changed. The buildings were all still there, but the canyon around them had taken on a completely different shape. Ridges extended in different directions, and a great valley was now spanned by a rope bridge. Cassini didn't question it, or even remark on the strangeness of it. "We'll go straight to the Explorer’s Guild, while the moon is still high. I'm sure there are stories about your arrival. We get so few visitors from the waking world that you will be noticed. Some might even be hoping to hear from you. "That sounds nice," Sandy said. They were less bland and emotionless in their speech than they had been before. "Everywhere can use more hope. I'm sure we will find creatures sympathetic to your mission. Bats once had many friends in the Dreaming." As it turned out, "once" was the operative word. They arrived at the Explorer’s Guild only minutes later, an impressive stone building on the cliffside with docks all around it. There were many ships docked there, as though summoned into being by her need. The building housed many creatures, very few of them bats. They gathered around her in the presentation hall, listened politely to her desperate pleas for help, then dispersed. She was left alone in the hall, with Sandy beside her like a ghost, and the kitten prancing along the stage, oblivious to her failure. They hadn't even done her the dignity of kicking her out of the building in shame, just left her sitting there. "I don't get it," she muttered, pawing angrily at the ground. "I thought this was the land of bravery, Cassini. Why in Tartarus aren't any of the ponies here brave?" He shook his head slowly. "Most of those were griffons. They have a very different definition of bravery than the one you're used to." He hopped up onto the stage, spreading his wings as he did so. "For them, it's less about having a good cause, and more about having an enemy worth facing in combat. You wanted someone to go with you and call for help. That might even seem cowardly to them." She groaned, collapsing to the deck and covering her face in her forelegs. "How am I supposed to win, Cassini? Do they want me to raise an army to fight the Sun Tyrant in the waking world? Even our rightful ruler couldn't do that. We lost!" Cassini spread both wings defensively, backing away from her. "You say that like I don't know! I'm not the one you're trying to convince here, Mira. Though it does make me wonder." He moved up beside her, both wings still lifted over his shoulders. This time to mute what he whispered. "This might be a moment for you to reflect, Mira. Maybe you're fighting a battle that can't be won. Princess Luna lost, even when she was fighting at her best. If you travel to the stars and free her, won't her sister just lock her up again?" Mira froze, eyes watering. She felt as though he had just smacked her in the face. Of course he hadn't touched her, and she wasn't bleeding. Wouldn't she just lose again? The question was so obvious that she hadn't even considered it before. But how could she ignore it? "First of all, it's not just Princess Luna. That version of our princess was elevated by... an oath with the stars, or something." She backed away, waving her wings dismissively. "I don't know the details. But she's much more powerful now. Like... stronger than Celestia!" Cassini settled down onto his haunches on the edge of the stage. There were no others in the audience chamber to overhear them, though past the lobby, stairs did lead up to a balcony with many rooms. Some members of the guild had gone up there, and might still be listening. The other bat kept his voice down. "That's not possible, Mira. I don't know how else to tell you this, but our princess doesn't have the same power as the sun. That doesn't mean she isn't powerful in other ways. Luna is subtle, and her understanding is more graceful. Just as the moon shines gently on the eyes of all who fly by evening, so she can grasp the intricate details of every situation, and judge fairly. But that is not the same as greater martial power." He didn't understand. She backed away from him, both wings flared in panic. As though she would take off and flee, except she was inside. There was nowhere to flee to. "The princess is... she wasn't content to accept the way we were treated. She took power from... somewhere. We don't even call her Luna anymore, we call her Nightmare Moon. She has terrible, incredible power! She could've saved us, if her sister hadn't betrayed her. She was assassinated under a flag of truce!" Mira spoke with total conviction now, though she did not know many of these details for herself. Her parents had died in her service, when she was too young to understand that world. But she didn't need to see most of it for herself to trust the accounts she had been given her whole life. The Sun Tyrant oppressed their tribe, why shouldn't she lie to her own sister? "There is no way for that to be true, Mira. Or no good one. Power always comes with a price, and Luna was so wise. She would never bargain away her service to some... entity. She understands the dangers better than anypony. She's seen beyond the Outer Gates." Mira pawed at the ground, increasingly frustrated. This was getting her nowhere. Even the creatures of Bravery hadn't been willing to help with her mission. Now one of the few friendly bats in the whole world thought her mission was stupid. If she couldn't convince a bat, how could she possibly win over strangers? "What do you expect me to do?" she screamed. "I can't crawl into a hole and hide! The world is broken, and we need somepony to fix it! I refuse to believe that there's nopony out there to help us! I won't live in a world where bats have nothing to hope for but hiding from the other tribes and waiting to be wiped out!" Cassini stared back, stunned. A few faces appeared from overhead, ponies peeking briefly down to stare at them, only to retreat the way they came as soon as they noticed her. So much for bravery. "Sometimes the world is bigger than we are," Cassini said. He reached a gentle wing toward her, as if to pat her gently on the shoulder. But she kept backing away from him, staying out of reach. The kitten scampered towards her, hopping onto her pack without a word. Even Sandy looked up from where they sat by the stage, though their eyes remained unreadable. "Sometimes we need to accept what we can't change, and focus on our own survival. That's what you should do, Mira. Find somewhere you like in the Dreamlands. Peace, Happiness, Hope, Bravery... there are many lands here. With Erebus fallen, you can't go there. But find somewhere you like, make friends, and live here." He followed her, backing her into a corner. "This path you're flying, whoever 'Nightmare Moon' is. It doesn't lead anywhere you want to go. Where it leads is madness at best. Likely it will be much, much worse. Don't throw your life away." Tears slid down her face. Mira's world blurred, fracturing into moonlit rainbows. This was no deep betrayal—she barely knew Cassini. But in his face, she saw thousands of others. He was just like Meridian—one more soul to commend her effort, but judge it doomed. Maybe they were all onto something. Maybe him and Kallisto and Meridian were the wise ones, and she was a selfish fool for trying to prove them wrong. Mira might not know dream magic, but she'd lived as a frightened refugee on the edge of society since her earliest memories. She knew how to get out. She took off in a dramatic vertical leap, then dodged past Cassini, and flew towards the door. The wind of her passing, or maybe some strange arcane force, struck against the doors before she reached them, flinging them open with a bang. She flew up into the air, curving high above Chilon, avoiding the other creatures flying here. She kept going up and up, higher than she had ever dared to fly in the waking world. A bat going too high was obviously up to something, and would draw down the attention of the Solar Guard. But here, there were none of them to capture her and interrogate her about why she had chosen such a path. They couldn't torture her for the location of her hidden jungle home. She flew so high the air chilled her wings, and the moon seemed to swell before her. She passed above the clouds, into a vast floating kingdom of glowing white. Finally her energy spent, she dropped onto one. This was a privilege reserved for the pegasi—only the tribes who had remained loyal to the sun could enjoy the luxuries her world provided. But Mira knew what to expect, and found it even softer beneath her hooves. She collapsed into the clouds, and cried, with only the moon to watch. There was nothing stopping her from living here forever, really. She would be giving up the rest of her life in Equestria, but was that so bad? She had another lifetime of hiding and torment, of growing mushrooms and gathering rotten fruit. If she was very lucky, she would avoid the eye of too many daywalkers, and maybe attract a mate with as few prospects as herself. They could raise a whole family of desperate, starving children, hiding in the dark and only coming up to look at the moon at special occasions. Or maybe they would get discovered by the Solar Army and have their town "dispersed" as a "rebellious military fortification". She curled up into a ball in the clouds, covering her face from the moon. Who was Mira, to think she could change the world? Was she mightier than the Sun Tyrant? Kallisto was right after all. She didn't belong here. Her mission was impossible, and only misery could follow in the attempt. She was doomed.