//------------------------------// // Chapter LXXXIX – Tell Her // Story: Journey with a Batpony // by Gulheru //------------------------------// As life would ironically have it, a good, secluded place to talk was sometimes right in the open. Actually, wasn’t there a saying about the darkest places being under the candle, and things being so overt that they turned covert? Luna wouldn’t have to search her mind for long to come to these particular conclusions. There was, for example, that one portion of the gardens back in Canterlot, which had served that very, clandestine purpose when things had to be shared between her and Moonwarden only. The patrols weren’t moving by that area often, the shrubbery was screening the place from onlookers from the castle windows... Come to think of it, Moonwarden had been, most likely, picking that place for other, better reasons than merely a surreptitious intention. Luna couldn’t deny that the present flowers were always fragrant and their hues were quite magnificent. If she were to imagine a romantic scene from one of the novels she sometimes enjoyed, the location would fit like a hoofshoe to house an assignation between two lovers. Such a shame she hadn’t spotted that before, she would have definitely appreciated it more. And who knew that, for all of his distaste for the romance novels, the unicorn would be so proficient at picking such corresponding spots. No, that wasn’t right. He had eluded that he had had recommendations in regards to such books. Luna had simply failed to pay attention. Curse you, Moonwarden. Curse you in the most wonderful way... Regardless, her meeting place with Sunfall Ordain had not been chosen due to it providing a fantastic backdrop for a tryst of some kind, unless the Captain herself had utilized it before in such a way. Still, the glade was not far away from the Nightguard tower, but remained hidden from it by thick canopies, sprawling and spreading in that direction. Not to mention that it was down a hill from the outpost, a slope which was, quite likely, housing a portion of the underground complex, Luna thought. On the clearing itself, a fallen log of a perished tree could serve as a good enough bench, and while the whole place was certainly not a shrine dedicated to a deity, Luna thought that it provided a proper locale to continue this visitation. Sunfall Ordain didn’t agree in entirety, but it wasn’t hard to understand her stance. “I... I hope this serves Your intentions well, O Mother. This was the first place I could think of,” she tried to explain, kneeling in deference before Luna. “My office in the tower is a little cramped, and my subordinates would be intrigued why I am back already, and could interrupt, a-and as I understand, you wish to keep this a secrecy, and—” “Peace, my child. This will work well enough. The talk we need to have is important and urgent, and so the surroundings will play their part, regardless of how they are and look,” Luna calmed the mare down, trying to sound both serious and kind. “Please, take your seat by me.” She wanted to make this a vital conversation, but a conversation first and foremost. That usually meant having an equal ground with the other pony, but it became immediately evident that Sunfall Ordain found it hard to grasp how she could simply... join her Goddess, as if a partner in a casual chat, and on a piece of fallen wood in the middle of nowhere, nonetheless. “O Immaculate Moon... please, let your servant remain prostrated before you,” she expressed this uncertainty, as if in prayer. “I was found worthy of talking with you like this, directly, but... but I know that I am nothing but dust before you. Let me not fall into vainglory, but remember my place, instead.” Luna pondered for a breath what was the better approach with that request, and decided to grant it, at least for now. She wagered that breaking all of the decorum, traditionally reserved for dealing with the divine, would only cause unnecessary confusion for the batpony. It was hard enough for Sunfall Ordain to grasp that she was being given another chance at directly interacting with the Goddess. “Very well,” Luna spoke up. She then took her time to sit on the log, to retain the regal and heavenly grace despite having come down to be with her child in quite the unlikely place. “Sit before me Sunfall Ordain. And look at my visage, for these matters must be discussed face to face.” The Captain complied with devout humility, taking her place on the ground and maintaining some distance. She kept her bright eyes forward, with some effort, as her gaze still retained the pious fear, and the memory of the awe which had befallen her when she saw her Goddess in power and splendor. Staring into Luna’s eyes was apparently enough to have Sunfall Ordain shudder once more and speak up first, her tone as shaky as her whole being. “O Immaculate Moon... I beg, once more, that you forgive me. I truly should have stopped that message as well, and now... I... I didn’t mean to cause—” “Clean yourself of the shame you feel by helping my cause now, Sunfall Ordain,” Luna offered and ordered at the same time, hoping to strike the balance which would yield her the most results. Considering the mare’s eager nod, it would work. “Yes, O Goddess, I hear and listen, and obey...” Luna nodded from her peculiar, wooden throne. She wanted not to waste time, so she focused on her ultimate goal of her visit, one that was far more important than even judgment, and especially more than revenge. She needed knowledge, information, understanding, and anything Sunfall Ordain could tell her would shine new light on what had happened. There was only one issue that Luna had to deal with, for she found herself wondering if the perception of her godhood would not stand in the way of this objective. For just how omniscient was she supposed to be, after all, in her role as the Goddess, the Immaculate Moon? Thankfully, she wasn’t devoid of adroitness, which could very well be considered a divine trait. “The message, let us begin with that, my child. You have received it some time ago, and you did feel it shouldn’t have been allowed to proceed on its journey. Why was that? Reveal it to me in your words, tell me what feelings came upon you.” The mare replied immediately, almost without inhaling at all. “O Mother, it is hard to explain, as You surely know, I just... I knew that it would bring misfortune. And... And it wasn’t only because it was sent by one of the special bats, and had the puncture mark on the seal. Not all actions in the darkness are dark deeds,” she made a point, nodding to herself. “I’m just... ashamed that I haven’t listened to the feeling in my gut, it was surely You who had sent it and I... I...” Luna slightly lifted her hoof up and that was enough to have Sunfall Ordain fall silent outright. “Do not allow your mind to persist only on that, my child. Instead, do tell me – the mark. What could you share with me about it?” “O Goddess, the mark in the wax, yes, the one which is used by the Lord’s most loyal, clandestine servants,” Sunfall Ordain explained, but it was as if she was simply confirming what Luna should have already known. “Those whose eye are hidden. We’re informed to recognize their orders and... and not stop them. We know their actions are vital for our country’s safety, and that they help to make Your vision a reality.” The mare spoke of it with full conviction, which wasn’t at all surprising, although her eyes filled with fear a moment later. She must have easily recognized Luna’s displeasure at her words. This anger wasn’t caused by the sheer premise that the Captain had mentioned, no. However, in these circumstances, one would be utterly foolish to claim that any of Luna’s supposed plans would benefit from Moonwarden’s demise. If anything, it would stand in direct contrast to her deepest desires. She had to make it clear. “Somepony, my child, issued the order to take the life of my Royal Advisor, my closest, Equestrian servant, and a pony I care about a great deal. And whoever made that choice, who chose that dreadful course of action, that pony is no servant of mine. That pony serves nopony else but themselves, and the betterment of their own, misguided cause. But whatever intrigues they are weaving, they will not survive, just like a spider’s web perishes when merely touched by fire,” Luna made it perfectly clear, barely containing the outrage in her voice. “None standing against my will remain standing. And you shall help me exact my judgment upon them, my child.” Sunfall Ordain nodded in response, accepting Luna’s words as the ultimate truth, as her training and pious dedication demanded. However, something else than pure conviction manifested in her voice. “O Mother, yes, as you shall decree. B-but...” That sudden confusion, so in contrast with the Captain’s readiness, prompted Luna to ask right away. “Yes? You wish to ask about something, my child? My ears are open to your query.” “Thank you, O Goddess, for this favor, but... I don’t know i-if it is truly Your will for me to do so, after all. I am...” she paused, her eyes darting somewhere to the side before returning to gaze at Luna, intently. “I am uncertain if anypony is worthy enough to... to let one’s curiosity pry into the divine designs.” “What question does that curiosity want to ask, however?” Luna pressed on, smiling gently, as the mare’s deference was pleasing to her. Also, she wouldn’t mind granting Sunfall Ordain at least some insight, in gratitude for her conduct, and as repayment for the eruption of ire from earlier. “O Mother, I...” the batpony proceeded to explain herself. “I know Your ways are those of mercy and gentleness, a-and Yours is the plea that stops the Judging Sun from exacting an endless punishment for our sins. Yet, it would be Your will this time to directly pass Your own judgment upon those responsible...?” the mare voiced her doubts, remaining seated, but likely ready to bow down at the first sign of displeasure from Luna. As it wasn’t happening, the Captain continued. “I... I don’t remember hearing or reading that... that You would ever be angered so much as to... as to step in the place of your sister-goddess, O Immaculate Moon...” Luna nodded, recognizing Sunfall Ordain’s point. It wasn’t a moot one, not at all. The batpony surely wouldn’t be voicing her trepidations, if they weren’t touching upon some of the established truths of Noctraliyan faith. And Luna was not going to dismiss such doubts, instead addressing the matter with utmost seriousness, Hopefully, she could provide a good explanation to the Captain, both accurate and not transgressing the established tenets through any lack of knowledge. Actually, that thought gave her an idea. “Tell me, my child... When one sends their foal to be taught, under the watchful eye of the teachers and sages, do they give up their own right to guide and provide knowledge? Do they forget their role, abandon it for the sake of convenience? Especially when a child requires additional help, perhaps a stronger hoof?” she asked, seeing already that her metaphor was bearing fruit, considering the Captain’s thoughtful look. “In the very same way, as much as I trust my sister to fiercely scrutinize, to tally your transgressions, could I overlook my own duty to have in mind your actions?” Luna paused. Her own question gave her a pause, as she recognized that this was exactly what she had been doing, at least when it came to dealing with the batpony matter at hoof. Having been made fearful by her affliction, both of the Nightmare kind and the, very pony, drought of will and emotions, she had hesitated and stayed back, hoping for things to improve on their own. They hadn’t done so, and it had almost caused her beloved his life. This... was her remedying that, and she couldn’t be more convinced of the necessity of those actions. Now it was only the matter of strength and perseverance. She finished her thought. “Especially when the matter becomes crucial – can I remain above, merely looking down on your plights, my child? Or should I step in?” The batpony was left pondering for a while, as she tried to accurately understand the lesson which was being shared. Thankfully, it turned out that Sunfall Ordain was a pony of wit and quick understanding. “I... believe I grasp this wisdom, O Immaculate Moon...” She bowed her head in great reverence and gratitude. “We feel your guidance, we receive your instructions in our nightly life, through our conscience, through the prophecies, but this seems like a situation that warrants more. O-of course, I would never dare to impose boundaries on you, O Mother, tell you what you should or shouldn’t do, no, I would never dare! It is just that I do see that... that...” Luna smiled brightly, and it was that expression which made the last sentence from the Officer melt into silent awe. “You see, most likely, that I am Your Mother, and you are my children. And a mother takes care of her foals. Sometimes with kindness, with gentle care and guidance. Sometimes – by putting her hoof down, so that a sweeting learns well.” “Yes, O Mother, you speak nothing but truth,” Sunfall Ordain replied, bowing her head. “I trust in your words and the meaning behind them, but... they also fill me with fear. I hope you understand it.” Luna took only a second to find the right words of response. “Do you understand it, however, Sunfall Ordain? Do you grasp why is it that you fear?” “I... I believe so, yes,” the Captain told her, looking at her with yet greater resolve. “We have so much to be thankful for, so much to praise you for, O Goddess. You have awakened us, as say our scriptures. You safeguard us, you lead us... but...” There was a second of hesitation from her, but it only served to make Sunfall Ordain’s next words more ardent, simultaneously more fearful and hopeful. “If you will put Your hoof down, O Immaculate Moon... who can stand?” Luna stopped for a second, to think and to consider. She thought... She thought about how a mortal, a common pony, who could make their deity pause and reflect was truly gifted. And deserved to be heard in entirety. So Luna did nothing, remaining seated where she was, motionless bar the shifting of her cosmic mane, granting Sunfall Ordain her full attention. It likely encouraged the batpony further still, as her words came through clear and firm. “O Mother, we remain your faithful servants, even if some of us turned against Your will, and even if we make mistakes while following Your grand plan. Let me, then, speak for the many, though I am but one, humbly kneeling before you, O Immaculate Moon... Your judgment and justice are manifestations of your will, and who am I to dissuade you? Yet when the hoof shall fall down on those who transgressed against You, will You show clemency? You know best these hearts...” She paused to put her armored hoof against her chest, with the metallic clang of the breastplate. “... beating in our chests by Your design, making our blood run on and on, blood blessed by Your care and guidance. Those who have sinned against You, they can expect Your justice, but could they expect Your mercy, as well? Maybe their eyes were blind, and their ears deafened by life’s clamor? Maybe they... Maybe they couldn’t tell what their heart was telling them, because they were scared or desperate?” Luna was listening, engrossed, to Sunfall Ordain’s plea, wondering what brought this forth. Until she recalled, the moment that the batpony brought forth her closing statements, a certain conversation they had already shared. “I, too, have transgressed, O Immaculate Moon... Against my father’s wishes, against the good of my Family. And You have still granted me the greatest honor and gift in my life – Your presence and attention. I’m not a perfect pony, none of us are, but You have found it right and just to... to talk with me, regardless. Will others receive this great and immeasurable kindness?” The extent of Sunfall Ordain’s transgression was still a mystery to Luna, yes, but what she was more interested in were the mare’s current actions and motivation. Whether it was a sense of duty, as a chosen protector of her kin, a member of the Nightguard, or perhaps just the kindness of her heart, the Captain offered Luna insight, counsel and direction. Something that was a most praiseworthy action, especially since she was pleading on behalf of those who had acted vilely, reminding Luna that ponies... Ponies were complex creatures. She thought about Moonwarden, and his own transgressions. She wasn’t willing to overlook them, but she was willing to hear him out, give him a chance of explaining himself, even with due punishments awaiting him. It was because she loved him. She had to love her children, too. Luna couldn’t make any promises so far, but she wasn’t above letting the mare know that she found her supplication most worthy of recognition. “Sunfall Ordain.” “Yes, O Goddess,” the mare responded like the warrior she was, ready to be of service. “Rise, please. Stand before me,” Luna commanded, and the other mare followed without hesitation, and saluted. Her bright eyes were filled with anticipation of what was to come, the good or the bad. Luna straightened herself, then let her magic flow once again. The glade was filled with argent light, as it was proper to let the batpony know that she had impressed her Mother, and the place had to be decorated accordingly. “My child, your plea was made from your heart, and I shall recognize it as a prayer most worthy,” Luna declared. That praise was enough. That was already enough, because Sunfall Ordain’s bright eyes immediately filled with tears. Luna once heard the term ‘liquid pride’, allegedly even Prince Consort Shining Armor used it, and it seemed fitting more than ever. She wasn’t going to stop this outpouring of emotions, however. More than likely she would add to it. “I will make you a promise, Sunfall Ordain, that nopony blameless shall be harmed. My wrath was always to be aimed only at those who had stood against my will, but now I shall make tenfold sure that my actions touch only those that deserve a mother’s scolding. I will look into their hearts and judge them with utmost care.” Luna wasn’t sure if she had ever seen a pony more satisfied with themselves and their conduct. But, no, this wasn’t pride, nothing so shallow. Sunfall Ordain was filled to the brim with the realization that she had done her duty. This mare had enough spirit in her to perform her calling in before her Goddess, the obligation of being there for others, of protecting them and standing against any challenge, even if it meant reminding an ireful deity, ready to scrutinize and punish, that ponies were... ponies. That one could never overlook a pony’s heart and its mysteries. Ruminating, Luna almost forgot that the said, incredible mare was still before her, trying to appear stately even with tears running down her muzzle in a free stream. “My child, are you alright?” “Y-yes... Yes, O Mother, just... overwhelmed.” Luna smiled, making sure to return to her more natural look and extinguish her magic. Truth be told, the light could have attracted somepony’s attention, but perhaps she could still continue the conversation with Sunfall Ordain unmolested. “I can give you a moment, my child, to gather yourself. I would still like for you to tell me more,” she gently encouraged the mare, who wasted no time to wipe her eyes and regain her proper appearance. “Yes, of course, right away!” she added with welcome eagerness, causing Luna to stifle a chuckle. “Please, O Goddess, ask me all!” ‘All’ would perhaps be too much, though there was information to gather still, yes. “We have touched upon those whose eyes are hidden. You confirmed that the message was meant to reach one of them.” As the topic shifted, so too did Sunfall Ordain’s tone and mood. “Yes, O Goddess. The attached note made it the highest priority. Such a message, while I should not have access to the contents, must still be brought before me, as the first postal stop in Equestria. So that I recognize that it passed through and can confirm it, if necessary.” “You can tell me whose hoof was behind the message, my child,” Luna requested outright, but that only caused the Captain to grimace in shame. “No, O Mother, messages like these are not individually marked in such a way. Only the destination is made clear. And the contents are not for me to read.” “And the recipient? Are they mentioned?” “Not by name, it is enough that the mark on the wax is visible, all the bat-handlers know how to deal with such messages . And the right ponies know from where to pick up such letters. They sometimes send them on their own, too. Through specific bats, that are trained to respond to certain calls,” the mare thoroughly explained. “Were it not for the fact that I had to be notified of that particular missive, for the sake of scrutiny and its highest priority, I wouldn’t even know of it in the first place, O Goddess.” Luna bit the side of her tongue, a gesture mortal enough to hide it from Sunfall Ordain’s attention. She would have to find a different approach then, rather than looking for direct information. Perhaps she could lead the Captain into granting her a snippet that would fit this entire tapestry of intrigue. “Your task here is a vital one, Sunfall Ordain, I cannot imagine that you allow yourself to leave matters unsupervised,” she commented, meaning her praise in some part. And found herself receiving interesting results outright. “I do my best, O Mother. I am honored to be given such an assignment. The quarters are all prepared, what corridors we could scout are mapped and cleared,” the officer revealed, rightfully proud of her work. “The tunnel itself has been made passable and we are checking it regularly. The supports are holding, no signs of water or cracks. Stellar work from the Border garrison.” Luna immediately caught onto what Sunfall Ordain meant. “Shades’ Hollow is coming closer and closer to returning,” she commented, more to herself than the mare, but it turned out that the Captain accepted her words as promising. “I hope Your will and design shall make it happen, O Goddess. To stand even in the few caverns we’ve already gained access to, to image what it must have been like before the dreaded Solar Holy War,” she told Luna, shaking her head in wonder. “It’s quite moving. We even found precious marks of our settlers, it’s amazing things survived the destruction, and the passage of time. There were some textiles, a few furniture fragments, as much as we cold deduce what these items could have been...” Luna could tell of the emotions in Sunfall Ordain’s voice, and found it in herself to address the matter outright. “If things are to be made right, they have to be made right,” she said, catching herself on a repetition, but one she could explain. “The story of Shades’ Hollow is a tragic one, but if it is to be restored once again, it has to be an effort undertaken with prudence and justice. I know for a fact that there are forces at play that would want to rush things, endanger what plans I have for the future of Noctraliya...” Sunfall Ordain nodded, accepting those words without hesitation. “I understand, O Mother. But our orders arrive sanctioned by the will of the Covenant, and they follow Your guidance. So whoever acts against Your designs, they try to hide well, weave and pull at devious strings from beneath, yes?” Luna would wish for that, but she knew better at that point. Twilight Sparkle’s letters were clear and transparent in that regard, though it was clear from their contents that at least some Lords were more upstanding than others, regarding the return of the settlement and the Eastern Woods. And that further diplomatic attempts would focus on calming the situation down and finding a mutual solution. The other possibility was very much likely, unfortunately, and Moonwarden had almost become the first victim of it. “O Mother...?” Luna heard Sunfall Ordain’s question, filled with concern. Concern for her Goddess. “My child, my heart is saddened, which causes these moments,” she explained to the mare, with a sad smile, indeed. “You must realize well, that the pony who stood behind the attempt at my servant’s life could very well be bearing the circlet and cloak, no?” Pointing out that possibility caused a reaction from the Captain that could be described as both ireful and sullen, without much of a surprise there. Luna had to present another question to the mare, and a general one, hoping that it would steer them both onto the right track. “Strange times are upon us. And so I will ask you – have you found anything unusual happening lately, my child? Something that caught your attention, made you consider that things aren’t as they should be?” The Captain looked at her intently, surely considering whether these questions were meant to be a test of some sort. Yes, they did sound like Luna was not aware of some matters, which perhaps clashed with the mare’s perception of her deity, but Sunfall Ordain replied with full conviction that she had received the inquiries for a good reason. “Now that I think about it, O Mother...” she began, clearly racking her brain for anything of the sort. “There was one arrival that I have not anticipated. A Nightguardian, one of the two who had accompanied Honored Princess Twilight Sparkle when she had stopped at our outpost, on her way to Noctraliya.” “I had specifically asked for two of them to be granted to her as entourage, to care for her safety until her return to Equestria,” Luna confirmed, immediately latching onto this information. So did Sunfall Ordain, apparently. “Nightguardian Midnight Wind and Nightguardian Deep Mist, yes. The latter was the one who returned, or rather, was on the way to be stationed back to the Bastion. Ordered to do so, apparently.” “Ordered by whom, if it was mine request, for the sake of Twilight Sparkle? I would expect for them to be at her side at all times,” Luna pressed on, instinctively feeling that this was a piece of absolutely vital information. “Who or what would counteract my orders?” “I... I wouldn’t know, O Goddess. But you are of course aware, that even a as member of the Nightguard, Deep Mist has one other authority always above him, as a member of the Family Mist – his Lord, Azure Mist,” the Captain remarked, then something shone in her bright gaze. “But what was also intriguing, O Mother, other than his presence, was that he had actually been tamed by one fang, apparently,” the Captain explained, giving away even more precious knowledge, and doing so with full conviction. “He had a letter of explanation with him, so I didn’t find it right to linger on the topic or ask about it more, as that is not proper and polite, even from a commanding officer.” Tamed. Luna could recall, from distant memories, that there had been a traditional punishment among her children, involving losing one’s fang or two, as a mark of dishonor. The practice must have endured to this night, then. She pondered, as Sunfall Ordain continued, wishing to be wholly transparent. “He was by about the time we have hosted Advisor Moonwarden, actually, though he didn’t come to the feast. His taming was a source of shame, so he decided to stay in his temporary quarters. But, O Mother, as far as I remember, I did ask whether Nightguardian Midnight Wind was still by the Honored Princess’ side, and he confirmed it.” “What does he look like?” Luna asked abruptly, spurred by a sudden thought at the mention of that stallion and Moonwarden. “Midnight Wind? Tall, cobalt mane, usually in a ponytail. Very keen gaze, quite catching and—” “No, my child – Deep Mist. Describe him to me,” she requested again, and strongly. Yes, the mention of her beloved unicorn caused her to go down one, specific route in her mind, and so she needed information, and she needed them now. “O Goddess, Deep Mist is similarly built to Midnight Wind. He has ashen coat, deep amber eyes, his mane is gray. He has a forelock of it, actually, and h—” Luna jumped to her hooves from the log so quickly that Sunfall Ordain almost leaped up herself, stumbling backwards when faced with her Goddess towering over her once more. “A forelock of gray mane...!” That couldn’t have been just a coincidence! It couldn’t have been! Luna wouldn’t accept any other explanation! It was that pony! That was the very pony who had swung the blade, who had tried to take Moonwarden’s life, who had been thwarted only by the unicorn’s love for her, manifested physically in the form of the pocket portrait! It... It must have been! There was no other scenario! ... or... or was there? Luna felt the more infuriated that her anger immediately hit a snag, and the worst kind of, the logical kind! That Deep Mist, allegedly, had but one fang, and Moonwarden’s mind had invoked somepony with two! Unless... Unless that had been it trying to fill in the blanks, to memorize the fact that a batpony had attempted to take his life. That detail, that one, crucial detail was the incredible force stopping Luna from taking off right there and then! Her ire had already shown her the entire scenario, and she wanted to follow it. To storm the Bastion, on her very own, in her splendor as a harsh and judging goddess, even borrowing her own sister’s, divine place for a while, and to demand they give up this Deep Mist so that she could...! So that she would...! Those thoughts were again causing her magic to swell up, to try and burst from her as it had done at the Nightguard tower’s top, but she contained it just in time. This was not the time nor the place for such displays. Not to mention that, when she looked over, having somehow regained her senses, Sunfall Ordain was already on the ground, prostrated and shuddering as if she was expecting the punishment to fall upon her own head. Luna sighed. This wasn’t the way, as much as a part of her wanted it to be. Yet swift, but clueless actions would only cause more harm than good. And she had promised this mare before her something, something important. “Rise, Sunfall Ordain. My anger flared, for I have heard from you words that I have been concerned about,” she explained to the Captain, who cautiously looked up. “O Goddess, I... I do not understand. What is it that I have said?” Luna stayed silent for a breath, but ultimately decided that she wasn’t going to mince words. “The message you have seen, it might have gone to the very same stallion you have just described.” To say that Sunfall Ordain was surprised was an understatement. She was absolutely mortified, and not even her officer’s garb or training could hide that in any way. “But... But that would mean that...!” She hid her mouth behind her hoof. “O Mother, I should not know! Those whose eyes are hidden, they...! They are meant to stay hidden!” Luna both understood and was surprised by just how much worry was there in the Captain’s voice. She would install some courage back in her, but things had to also be made clear. “Nothing and nopony stays hidden from my light, my child, despite what they might falsely believe in,” she spoke, again having to play the difficult role of a displeased Goddess. “If this Deep Mist is indeed one of those whose eyes are hidden, he was the one that received the order to strike at Advisor Moonwarden. And he had been at the side of Princess Twilight Sparkle before, which also makes for a great disruption of my design!” Luna shook her head, feeling her emotions on the rise again. She trotted away from the log, deep in thought. Twilight Sparkle had mentioned surveillance upon her, but she was sparse when it came to details. Perhaps that was exactly why. Perhaps, as she had found out an operative right under her nose, she had decided to be cautious with sharing? Or, perhaps it truly wasn’t Deep Mist who was the agent... but the description was so close to what Moonwarden had remembered! Either something was amiss, or something was painfully clear, and she couldn’t decide which was which. Luna stopped, staring blankly into the dark forest as a thought entered her mind, abruptly. There had been a report that Moonwarden had received, one that the Second Chance had worked at for a while. It had been one concerning the Maretonian situation, and the batpony operatives who had been sent there, for the sake of scouting, and disruption of Equestria’s allocation of units. But why did she just think about it? Why did it strike a chord in this situation, and seemingly made it both clearer and more convoluted? Descriptions of the agents, yes, they had been attached to the report. What had they said? Hadn’t there been something about a pony of...? A gust of strong, nocturnal wind struck Luna from an unforeseen direction. It hit her to her very core, both literally and metaphorically, causing her to shiver. She looked back at Sunfall Ordain, meeting the mare’s concerned gaze, which grew only more frightful when met with Luna’s stare. “Describe him once more, my child.” “D-describe whom, O Immaculate Moon...?” “You have to tell her.” Midnight Wind missed the sentence, initially. Or simply decided not to pay any attention to it, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that he was fuming. He had been frustrated, and constantly, for many nights now, and no amount of trying to center himself could actually cause him to stop. Not when that lout was so close to Twilight, not when he was staring at her in that lecherous way, especially when she wasn’t looking. It was as if the louse was staring at a bowl of ripe fruit, ready to be sucked dry, and that comparison made Midnight feel like he was about to smash something against a wall. Like the table he was sitting at, trying to figure out what to do with himself and his anger, and his pain. He found himself again sequestered to his and Rowan Berry’s quarters, since Twilight was in the chamber above. She told them she needed a good moment to herself after that daring revelry, which, as Midnight presumed, some would attempt to call a ‘performance’, and that she didn’t want to be disturbed. Leaving Midnight to feel sick at seeing her so moved by it, and even more about Ebony Crescent being so self-satisfied that he had showed her something ‘riveting’ and, what had he said? ‘Mouthwatering’? His mouth could use something done to it, and it wasn’t a splash of water...! “Midnight Wind?” Being stuck in one chamber with Rowan Berry also wasn’t helping the situation. After what had happened between them had been revealed, the old pain had returned and was now multiplied by the new. The one of knowing that Twilight had him for a filthy oath-breaker. Deservedly so, Goddess yes, he wasn’t going to be denying that. But the sheer fact of his light, his beloved, learning of one of his darkest secrets was almost sending him down that old, terrible path of numbness and crushing regret. “Midnight Wind.” And the very reason for his greatest shame was trying to desperately get his attention, now that he finally realized it. She received a slight hiss first, his abrupt reply second. “What?” He did finally look at the mare, however. She was sitting on her bed and giving him an intense look. But not the sort that could have once enticed him, no. Her stare was a truly serious and piercing one, which grew only fiercer as she spoke up once more. “You have to tell her.” It sounded like the world’s most obvious sentence, but Midnight had no idea what sort of things were on that mare’s mind. “What are you talking about, and why do you even want to bother me with it?” he decided to ask, though talking with her was currently the last thing on his mind. “You know exactly what I mean, Midnight Wind, though you are pushing it away,” Rowan Berry persisted, though without giving a clearer context. “This is getting nowhere. You’re bitter, you’re confused, you’re—” “I’m confused? Ha, I’m perfectly focused and sound of mind right now!” Midnight told her, feeling like he would make a dent in the table with how strongly he was pushing his hoof down against it. “As opposed to Ebony Crescent! You cannot be blind to what he is trying to do!” “I’m not, and I’m not supporting it, but you know him well. That’s how he is, he gets those... fascinations of his. But he’s not utterly unreasonable. He’ll get over the urge, surely,” the healer told Midnight, though he wouldn’t necessarily agree with it at all. “Besides... I’m not concerned with him right now. But with you, Midnight Wind.” “You’re concerned with me, how nice,” he summoned his most biting tone to respond. “I’m not sure if I’m interested in your concern after what happened recently.” “Of course you aren’t, but you’re going to receive it,” she told him, and even managed to surprise him with how intense that sentence was. “Just... Look at yourself, Midnight Wind. Don’t you see how sick you are with this perceived uncertainty? Do you really think that Twilight Sparkle would really go for somepony like Ebony Crescent? Yes, he’s sly, he’s exceedingly charming when he puts his mind to the goal, he’s a perfect sweet poison. And that’s why he was chosen, but she’s not interested in him or ponies of the sort, at all. She’s been telling you that, again and again, why don’t you trust her?” “I don’t trust him,” Midnight said, and strongly, but Rowan Berry only shook her head, undeterred. “That’s not what I asked, Midnight Wind,” she pointed out, sitting up a little more. “You don’t believe her? You stopped loving her?” “Never!” he exclaimed before he even thought about the answer, or whether he wanted to share. He hissed, looking to the side and baring his fangs for a brief moment. “But I don’t see how any of this is your concern. You’ve made it clear what you think about my ‘affliction’, a long time ago. And I’ve made it all clear back to you,” he reminded the mare, bending one of his hooves up as if he was armed with his claws, and pointing them straight at her neck. Even that didn’t stop her from continuing, even if the memory caused her to pale just a little. “I did so yes, believing myself to be in the right. But I can also see that this situation is not helping anypony, least of all you. And she... Twilight Sparkle definitely does not deserve you like you are right now,” the mare pressed on. “Do you love her?” Midnight blinked. “Haven’t you heard me?” “Then you have to tell her.” This was getting nowhere. It was like being madly stuck in place. And that was definitely not something that Rowan Berry was ever about. She was the opportunistic, resourceful and determined kind, obviously, but she was also exceedingly clever and driven, so talking in circles did not fit her at all. And this actually managed to give Midnight a pause. What was that mare’s plan, exactly? It looked like she was about to tell him. “Midnight Wind, I can see, plain as Mother’s moonlight, that you’re hurting. You’ve been hurting for a long time. I spotted it the first time I saw you, right before I joined Twilight Sparkle’s entourage, though I associated that pain with something else. Now I understand it better, and even purely as a healer I wish to tell you – this cannot continue. It’s eating you from the inside, and now it’s burning her, too.” Midnight shook his head, as if trying to clear his mind of some strange illusion which had been cast upon it. “What in Goldhell are you—?” “No, Midnight Wind, you’re going to listen now, so I can get through to you. To you,” Rowan Berry interrupted him, standing up and taking a few steps towards him. “This is going nowhere. This hasn’t been going anywhere for a while now, and that is because even though you love her, you don’t trust her love in you. Even as we were flying here, you didn’t trust that she would be noble enough, willing enough, to give you a chance, even with our history being told. That... That is why I had to take it upon myself to let her know of what happened in the past.” “Ha, that was very helpful, as you can see,” Midnight managed to get a sentence in, not that his former lover appreciated that. But it wasn’t the old flame which was pushing her this time, at least not in the direction he would have expected. “It was more helpful than what you are doing!” she raised her voice, pointing at him, and approaching even closer. “I always admired you, Midnight Wind, I would be a fool to deny that. That admiration turned venomous, I also won’t hide that, I know exactly in what terrible ways it motivated me. Love was one thing, but I was in awe of your skills, of your drive. But now it’s going too far. You are pulling yourself in all directions, just so that you can retain but that portion of yourself that loves her. The one that you think is the best version of yourself. You try to be only that part of yourself that you think she loves, knowing nothing else. But that is making you tear yourself to shreds, to splinters, and she can sense it now!” Midnight felt like standing up as Rowan Berry came closer still, and even lifted himself up from the seat. Doing so without being cautious, however, inadvertently made him push his injured wing right against the table’s edge. The sharp pain of the still healing tear caused him to hiss and stumble, paralyzing him for a brief second. Rowan Berry was by him in the blink of an eye, and though he didn’t need steadying, he found himself appreciating the gesture. It... It spoke of her intentions, on some instinctual level. Enough for Midnight to let her sit him back down and carefully examine the splints. “Don’t do that,” she warned him with the prowess of the healer, but he realized it also served as a continuation of her point. “Not this time.” He looked into her coral eyes, and nodded, seeing no ill intention in them. He realized this was perhaps the first time he had met her gaze so directly ever since they landed. He held a grudge for what she had revealed to Twilight, he wouldn’t lie, but it looked like her motivation was very different from his. And so he remained where he was, looking at her keenly as she took a step back and sat before him on the ground. Her healer’s garb and her long mane spread around her like a flowing, ethereal dress, and Midnight realized it was as if a scene from an old story he had heard. That of a young maiden, whose love had disappeared among the peaks, who decided to advise a tired, injured, elderly veteran, and remind him of his lost glory. How strange. The mare of this, current tale, spoke with a tone that could belong in a fable, indeed. “You have this incredible ability, you know. Like the wind in the dead of night, you awake when nobody suspects it, reappear after hiding between mountain peaks,” she told him, praise mingling with concern in her tone. “You weave yourself into lone strands of air, each going their own way, but ready to come together when necessary in a ferocious gust. But you’re too weak now, my wind, for you’ve hidden for too long, you’ve parted yourself too many times...” Midnight would grimace at the poetic sentences, but something about them and the memory of that old tale caused him to endure the urge. Though not the one to comment. “I see this Mountain’s affecting you too, Rowan Berry. But... what is your point?” “My point stands and is clear, Midnight Wind.” She leaned in a little. The dedication in her expression betrayed what he had learnt about her a long time ago. That she was always ready to heal or to harm, as it would be necessary for the greater good. She was like the berries from mountain dales, proficiently hiding their properties from all but the most insightful. Did Rowan Berry really mean to help him...? “You need to tell her the truth,” she said it again, with the same conviction and strength. Then she stood up, not waiting for his reply. She trotted over to his travel bag, opened it without hesitation, and retrieved from it one, specific item. One that was heavier to carry than many others, despite its size. Bringing it to him, she then placed it, with this strange yet familiar reverence, into his hoof. She clasped both of hers around it for a brief moment, as if to make sure that he would actually bear it and not let it slip away and clatter to the ground. Midnight finally understood. He finally knew what she had been talking about, though it came to him almost as a surprise. Sometimes it happened that way. Among the many thoughts of every night, he didn’t spare many to actively consider his role, and the obligations coming with it. It was just... that. It was a part of him. One that he had learnt, that he had been trained, to keep away from his mind as much as possible. But it stayed there, always there, to be evoked whenever called to. In some ways it became like breathing. Done on its own, until actively realized. Then it became cumbersome ever so briefly, until other matters hid it behind themselves. But he was always carrying this burden. Always there, hidden from view, but weighing on him. A near-sacred duty which he couldn’t shrink from, regardless of his feelings, doubts... and his love for Twilight. He looked down, seeing his own reflection in the dark onyx. In its esteemed symbolism, the white mark running across it was making his eyes hidden. He grabbed the Eyelid a little firmer, shaking his head. “You must have lost your mind, Rowan Berry,” he spoke up, looking back at the mare with resignation in his eyes. “You want me to commit the most grievous transgression that we can commit? Admission?” The mare chuckled sourly. “I think I’m in my right mind to remind you – I did exactly that, didn’t I? You saw me do it, while playing your part as brilliantly as almost always, and yet I am still here. Honored Lord’s wrath hasn’t touched me to this night, and the Mother’s gaze hasn’t abandoned me. If anything, I think I followed Her great design, by making the choices I did.” “ ‘Creative reporting’ is how I would at least explain Lord Azure Mist not pulling you out of this assignment,” he stated the fact, and would make his initial words an accusation if it weren’t for the fact that neither he had always been wholly transparent in his dealings with the Honored Lord Midnight Eye. Especially those regarding his current charge, whom he had fallen in love with. “But do you know what this would mean, Rowan Berry? Do you know what this would cause, if I were to reveal who I am?” “I believe I do, ‘sir’.” “I’m not the mission leader for you this time, despite you being posted with me,” Midnight told her immediately, putting the dagger with the right amount of respect on the table. “Besides, it makes me think of that time in the carriage, when we were flying to Mountain of Midnight. You were insufferable.” “I was. But do you blame me? You acted not recognizing me so well, that I thought you really forgot about all which we shared,” Rowan Berry told him, taking her place on the opposite side of the table. There was shame in her gaze, regardless of her prior words. “Yet, aside from insufferable, I was grossly out of line. Then and many times later. You have my apologies. I’m... actually glad that you’ve stuck your claw to my throat. I was emotionally compromised, entirely.” “Even in Maretonia you weren’t that absurd, though your mission to ‘rescue’ Ebony Crescent was a fiasco and a half,” Midnight admitted, not without some humor, shaking his head. “I’m glad we got you out in time.” “I’m glad that Deep Mist covered for me,” the healer admitted as a shudder went through her. “We wouldn’t be having this conversation otherwise, as I suppose that the Honored Lord would have put me somewhere in the lower mines, not to mention taming me...” “I was considering requesting that,” Midnight told her. She faked shock, putting her hoof to her muzzle, which even managed to make him smile a little. “But we got what we wanted out of that mission in the end, so everypony was glad. Bar Ebony Crescent, but the Goldhell with him.” A strange silence fell upon the chamber after those words. For a moment Midnight thought it was solely because of his current frustration with his colleague’s fascination with Twilight. He had his reason to be angry, after all. But when he finally looked back at Rowan Berry, he didn’t see solely criticism in her coral eyes. Instead, he spotted those little sparks of joy, not to mention her friendly smile, and that was more astonishing than anything. “... what?” he asked. “You see, this is exactly it. This is who you are. This is the glimpse of Midnight Wind I remember. That glint in your eyes and that crook in your smile,” the mare commented, and her expression turned to empathetic and understanding. “You’ve been trying to hide who you are for so long, for Twilight Sparkle’s sake, that you crippled yourself doing it. And I have a feeling that the more you were by her side, and the more you needed to hide that you serve as the Eyes, the more bitter and resentful you’ve gotten.” “You have no idea how many times I was close, so close to telling her. I think I have resigned myself to doing so even indirectly at some point, through clues and half-truths, but that wasn’t enough. She just... couldn’t see me as a possible spy, right by her side,” Midnight revealed, feeling that he could do that much without losing the last shreds of his dignity. “How many times I felt like... like I was simultaneously a terrible pony for maintaining the mask, and a righteous one for adhering to my sworn duty. But the shame soon began to outweigh any honor retained, the deeper and deeper I delved into this love. I... I cannot tell, however, who I was doing it for. For her, to spare her the pain... or for myself, not to have to endure her hating me,” he admitted, resisting to urge to bury his muzzle in his hooves. He had been wearing a mask for long enough, so... he didn’t mind keeping his tired face visible before Rowan Berry. Common sense was telling him that he shouldn’t show any weakness before the mare, but he decided that she could be trusted with all of this. After all, the suggestion had come from her, to reveal things and admit to them. He chuckled, sadly, to himself. “The longer this lasts, the more jagged are the mask’s edges, and more and more droplets of blood seep out from behind it. Right now I... I know I’m bleeding, profusely...” “What was that about being poetic? Ivory Crescent could give you some tips,” Rowan Berry teased, and that got him to smile, actually. “I do admire you dedication to the task, and I mean it as a fellow professional. The whole ruse with Deep Mist’s attack was one, inspired scheme.” “Deep Mist is one, right dumbass,” Midnight told her, rolling his eyes while not bothering to be elegant or sophisticated in his words. “I give him the Eyelid so that he can take care of correspondence, and the idiot doesn’t hide it in his backpack right. Twilight spots it and we’re suddenly tufts-deep in batshit.” “Yes, he did tell me,” Rowan Berry confirmed. “If it helps, he felt terrible about it.” “He got what he deserved for being an ass, if you ask me,” Midnight told her, chuckling to himself as he suddenly remembered the time back in the Bastion. “Giving him a thrashing for making fun of me developing feelings was one thing... I mean, he wasn’t wrong to mock me, one could call me falling in love, and with a sunpony, deeply unprofessional and uncouth. But not in public, for Goddess’ sake.” “Stallions...” Rowan Berry uttered, trying to hide her amusement. “And yet you worked well together, regardless of that scuffle.” “What’s a shiner between buddies, right?” Midnight shrugged quite overtly, though that only caused his injured side to bother him a little. “Batshit... Yes, I’m not sure how much he shared. We agreed to reveal to Twilight that we exist, but we then wanted to make her rely on us for protection from... us. That way we could hope for her sharing a little bit more about her observations, and her intentions regarding her mission,” he did explain. “I even got him to send a bat while I was with her in Shades’ Hollow, on the tower’s top, which spawned the topic. But then the dunce makes such a blunder, and I have to curse his whole bloodline in front of her to pretend I feel betrayed, and then we need to play this whole scene to salvage the situation...” “... which goes a little too well, when she slams him against the wall with her magic,” Rowan Berry finished the sentence, nodding. “She’s powerful, more than we have initially thought. And she’s smart.” “She’s the smartest pony I have ever met. And she mixes that wisdom, that wit, with so much genuine kindness,” Midnight admitted, and didn’t mind the softness that crept into his voice. “I’ve realized that all the way back when I was doing those interviews with her...” Midnight’s memories returned to the meetings in Twilight’s old house, that library carved right in the middle of a giant oak. He had initially treated it as just an assignment. A mission to monitor the activities of an inquisitive unicorn and a student of the Judging Sun, one of the heroes that had helped the Immaculate Moon... A pony who had then become the youngest Equestrian Princess and a bearer of Divine Aspect. It had seemed such a facile operation, to entertain her curiosity in a safe, controlled way, but it had also soon gone... a little too well. Right when he had begun developing feelings for Twilight, charmed by her intellect, and her pure heart, and her gentleness, and her bright gaze... and... and... He could just keep counting. But every reason that would come to his mind would also make his burden the more crushing. The weight of his hidden profession had begun increasing the moment his blood had started to long for her. Night after night. First it had been negligible, then it had become noticeable, then it had turned manageable, but then worrying... Midnight shook his head, considering all that had happened, all those moments that had almost made him break, be folded in half and pulverized by the guilt. All of those opportunities to come clean, hindered by his own fear, doubt, and, oh irony, fidelity. His father had taught him well, but a little too well in that regard, himself being a trusted operative in his younger nights. Aside from empathy and decency, he had branded Midnight’s very being with the ideas of dedication, opportunism and resourcefulness, and it had served him well. Up to a point. He shuddered at the thought of that one, impassioned moment, when he had almost given in to the red desire. Right there, in that secluded cavern, when they had finally expressed the depth of their emotions? The throes of passion had muffled his conscience, but it returned, with a bloody vengeance, right the next evening. What had been the words? What had he uttered which had made him wince in pain inside and hide it as a chuckle? ‘Defending yourself from your guardian? Why would you do that?’ Why? Because he, Twilight’s very guardian, was a sunscorched spy, that was the quite obvious ‘why’! Midnight sighed, not bothering that Rowan Berry was right nearby. He had wanted nothing more than to be lost in his love and devotion for Twilight. He loved her even without baptizing this feeling in the taste of her blood, of course, but... he had somehow stopped himself from fully indulging in this affection. Was it because she wasn’t a batpony and that gave him an actual choice to abstain? Or simply because he couldn’t imagine becoming bonded to her while harboring this terrible secret. He wouldn’t have survived to this night with his mind intact, torn between love and loyalty. So... perhaps Rowan Berry was very, very right after all. It was like she felt his disquietude intimately. Then again, he imagined that his moment of rumination, his expressions and gestures, they were all telling her a whole tale. “The way you speak of her, Midnight Wind, and the way I see her act around and about you, convinces me to promise something to you. I can promise you, here and now, that Twilight Sparkle will forgive you, if you do admit to being the Eyes. Will she be hurt by learning it, will you cause her pain? Yes, without a doubt. More pain than the knowledge of our previous affair had inflicted onto her? Possibly, as she might be questioning whether your love for her wasn’t merely something to draw her in. Is that what you are so worried about?” the healer asked, genuinely and gently. “Amongst many other things, you know...” Midnight told her, though she was currently making him feel worse and worse about the idea of coming clean. “Hiding facts from her, checking her luggage... Batshit, I almost lost it when I realized I had written a report to Honored Lord Midnight Eye so quickly I had actually gotten ink on my bandages. Twilight was convinced that she had spilled it herself and stained the wraps, but it was the other way around, she got it on her hoof when she squeezed mine!” he revealed, feeling a hysterical chuckle bubbling in his throat. It all made him think of that creature, that Spirit of Chaos, and the pure terror of realizing that this... this thing knew something about him. That it had felt something about him during their sudden meeting. Yes, that had prompted Midnight to almost immediately ask Twilight whether this ‘Discord’ possessed supernatural insight. No amount of training or caution could contest that. Rowan Berry stood from her seat in the meantime and approached Midnight again, staying by his side. He appreciated it, especially since this strange shivering threatened to overtake him, persisting as he was enumerating all of those moments in which he had almost revealed before Twilight this clandestine part of himself, willingly or by slight mistakes. He couldn’t even fathom how many of those were there, and for so long... “I... I don’t know at this point. Were all of those... all of those opportunities granted to me by the Goddess...?” he suddenly asked of himself and his colleague. “Was She trying to get me to confess, to be the opportunist I am supposed to be, and I found a way around it constantly and constantly, using my resourcefulness against its purpose? Have I misplaced my dedication and never realized it was supposed to be towards... towards...” He felt a hoof on his back, and he didn’t care that it was Rowan Berry’s. He was simply glad that he wasn’t alone with all those thoughts. “If it helps, Midnight Wind,” the healer spoke, herself also not caring for the physical contact she initiated, “I have found out that my way was also not to our Mother’s liking. I have received a sign so profound I couldn’t ignore it. I didn’t.” Midnight heard her, though his words were connected to another being at the moment, entirely. “Will she ever forgive me?” Rowan Berry took a second to answer, but when she did so, her response was most genuine. “The Goddess? Of course. If our remorse is true, than Her mercy is even more rightful,” she told him first, and then added, creating a powerful counterargument to her previous warnings. “Twilight Sparkle? Also, yes, I promise you. She will find the strength to forgive you and love you again, because she will understand your hesitation, especially if you shall finally be truthful and honest with her...” Midnight listened to these declarations with attention and hope, finding some strange, unnatural logic in Rowan Berry’s words, but also in the way she was saying it all. She was speaking to him like a friend, like somepony that wanted nothing but help, and that was causing him to listen carefully and openly, despite all the hurt he had every right to feel about the healer. In some way, that served as a potent metaphor for what he could, himself, achieve. And then came the mare’s warning, ringing in his ears. “But you know, as good as I, that she’s far more cunning and artful than she shows. Mostly because her good heart is at play first and foremost, and she bears no ill will towards anypony, if she can help it. But I believe she’s piecing it all together, trot by trot. And if she finishes that puzzle on her own, if she figures out that you have been by her side, since the start, as Eyes, then that will be all that you are. Not a friend, nor a partner, nor a lover... It is then that her love for you will wither.” That exact scenario was what Midnight dreaded the most. Of all the fates which were designed for him, the one without Twilight’s love was the worst of all. Yes, he had been putting on a brave face, telling her that she could hate him all she wanted, and he would still harbor this affection, but... But that had been just another mask. The prospect of losing Twilight was the sole, most terrifying scenario, exactly what had been keeping him from revealing it all, he realized. And yet remaining on this current course would truly make him lose her. The healer made him grasp that, and he couldn’t find a single fault in her reasoning. There was just one more thing to discuss, he decided. “Rowan Berry...” he whispered, but she heard him well. “Yes, Midnight Wind.” “... why are you helping me?” There was a pause, and Midnight wondered if the mare didn’t have to ask herself the same question in her mind first. However, her response came much sooner than he anticipated. “I believe it to be the right thing to do.” He chuckled. “Quite the evasive answer.” “Seemingly at first,” she told him, trotting around to sit on the ground opposite him, once more. “I’m doing right by the Goddess, for She showed me that I was in the wrong. I’m doing right by Twilight Sparkle, because I believe that she deserves to have a loyal, strong and dedicated companion, and I know you can be that and more. She’s a unique mare, one that defeated pretty much all of my presumptions about sunponies, and even my apprehension about her Divine Aspect. I don’t think I am qualified to say it, at all, but I feel like... like she had earned that incredible distinction.” Midnight nodded in full agreement, but didn’t interrupt the mare, as she presented her final argument. “And... I want to believe that I’m doing right by you, Midnight Wind. To this night does my heart hold you in great respect and a part of it still loves you. But I now realize that it is not meant to be, and I’m at peace with that,” she revealed with a small, but most brilliant smile. “And though we have caused each other pain, I wish you every happiness. I believe you can be more than deserving of it.” Midnight found himself dumbstruck for a moment. Of all the things happening this particular night, he wasn’t expecting to hear this. Then again, this entire conversation bordered on a miraculous instance. Rowan Berry had apparently been working through her pain, instead of nurturing it, like he had been doing. And was now giving him a chance, an opportunity. Was this Their Mother’s plan? In this case, it was prudent to show gratitude. Both to the Immaculate Moon... and to the pony before him. In some strange way, he really believed that the healer had been chosen to be a part of the Goddess’ design, here and now. To be a helpful tool in Her grasp, in the best sense of the word. To be a blade, sharpened to perfection on a whetstone, striking true and perfectly when necessary. He took a deep breath, then stood up, cautiously this time, not to hit his wounded body against anything. She followed him, not knowing what was his intention, though it should have been obvious. “I... apologize, Rowan Berry. For everything. We’ve done some terrible things, you and I, and we’ve been paying for them, justly,” he spoke, looking deep into the mare’s coral eyes. She had to know that he meant it all. “I don’t know how much more we shall have to endure until the Goddess’ and her divine sister are satisfied with our penance, but let our score, at least, be settled. I forgive you and ask for forgiveness.” Having said that, Midnight reached out and placed his hoof on the Eyelid, still resting at the table. A gesture he did with no shortage of reverence and respect. This was the symbol of their collective mission, as Eyes, as ponies chosen to do what nopony else would, for the sake of the Goddess, their Families and their Honored Lords. Rowan Berry understood the significance, even before he offered her the blade. She smiled, that sad smile of somepony knowing the exact pain he had invoked, and nodded. “I forgive you and ask for forgiveness,” she repeated and her hoof joined Midnight’s on the blade of office. As they held it together, for a brief moment, their burden became at least a little less crushing. Which allowed Midnight to sigh, then take a deep, cleansing breath. The Eyelid remained in his hoof, as what better proof of his folly could he bring before Twilight. “I... I would rather go now, I think, before my fear gets the better of me again. I hope she will give me the honor of hearing me out,” he told the healer, who gave him a solemn nod of support before he left the chamber. The steps upwards the spire were perhaps the toughest road Midnight had to ever travel. He knew that admitting everything before his love would be a harsh task, and he could already imagine the hurt in Twilight’s eyes. That alone was almost enough to deter him from advancing, but each step he braved with conviction that, if only he would be transparent, things would, in the end, turn out well. Goddess had to be with him. She had to, and his every step he considered a prayer to the Immaculate Moon... And each breath he was exhaling through his clenched throat he treated like one more supplication for the Divine Mother’s forgiveness. In his obstinacy he had wronged His Mother, and he would accept his penance for that. Starting with a knock on Twilight’s door. His hoof still trembled before he followed with the motion, but when he did, the sound was loud and clear. It felt like an eternity, waiting for her to reply. ... but she didn’t. Midnight tried again, repeating the knock slightly louder. He could hear it echo on the other side of the door, as the sound bounced around the spacious chamber, but that mimicry was the only response he received. “Honored Princess?” he asked aloud. Perhaps she was taking a nap? “Honored Princess? Honored Princess, are you there?” her repeated himself, louder still. Something didn’t feel right. Something wasn’t right. He would have heard something, anything, after knocking and the calling thrice, his hearing was sharp enough. Taking the Eyelid with him seemed to have been the Goddess’ plan, too. Between it and Midnight’s expertise, the lock didn’t stand much of a chance, though he couldn’t feel proud about breaking into Twilight’s chambers. He would not have scruples, however, because the silence from inside was ringing in his ears as if a cry for aid. Without hesitation, but rather with gaining worry, he swung the door open, being greeted with a sight of an entirely empty chamber. There was no food on the table, though he could swear that Twilight had requested it. No sound of running water, so she wasn’t in the bath pocket behind the screen. Her belongings looked neatly in their place, no sight of meddling with them. It was just Twilight who was missing. Feeling mounting dread, Midnight tried to flap his wings and powerfully take to the air, to dash towards the mezzanine, where her bed would be, but he was quickly reminded that he still lacked the ability to do so. Hissing from pain, he instead galloped up the ornate stairs to check, but Twilight was nowhere to be found. The only sign of a pony’s presence was a crumpled woolen comforter. Caring only to lock the door behind himself out of an operative’s habit, Midnight rapidly made his way down the staircase, almost tripping over his own hooves. He barged into the chamber below, thankfully using his healthy side, and would have scared Rowan Berry even more, were it not for the fact that she had surely heard him near-plummet down the stairs. “Wha—?” “She’s gone,” he stated the fact, in a tone that would gather the mare’s attention much better than a panicked shout. “It’s almost like she never reached her chamber.” The healer’s eyes widened, but her focus only sharpened. “No forced entry? No signs of struggle?” “No. I had to pick the lock, the place was closed from the inside,” Midnight told her, sounding calm, but knowing he was only getting more and more agitated and disturbed by the heartbeat. “May my blood stop, where could she be?!” He looked about, tussling his mane in desperate thought, as Rowan Berry put her hoof to her mouth, both of them doing a quick analysis of the situation. What, or who, could have made Twilight l— Their alerted gazes met, as they simultaneously reached the same, now obvious conclusion, and then they both rushed out of the chamber.