Roseluck scrunched her muzzle with terrible effort and apprehension. And reached out.
Fighting herself. Fighting more than herself. Realizing in that last, pivotal moment that, despite everything, this was the right choice. That this had to be the right choice. After all... it made sense. It would be for the best, despite all the protests of the world around Roseluck.
That it was the only choice that would allow her to ever look back at herself in the mirror...
... and not see her own reflection tainted by three colors clouding her eyes and mind.
She grabbed the lever by the pipes and pulled down, with one, firm move. A desperate one, as well, as she had to fight against the loud, screaming protest of both the valve and the voice in her head.
It was almost as an ear-shattering of a yell as the one that Cyrus let out, as a cascade of cold water erupted from the sprinklers and showered the entire interior. Falling down, and surely striking him like a thousand, little, icy needles.
Nobody was spared the advance of this attack, however. Roseluck felt herself immediately shuddering and shivering, both from the mental strain and from the water. Soaking her through, washing away the dreadful sluggishness of the mental chains. Still she tried to instinctively cover from it, as against the hot and damp air inside of the greenhouse, at least persisting to that moment, the sprinkling shower created an incredible and almost painful contrast.
But, considering the alternative... Roseluck truly couldn’t be happier. She didn’t think she could ever be more joyous about the, literal, cold shower, banishing the dark thoughts and darker desires trying to fester in her head. She hoped that it would get rid of them for good.
She managed to briefly look up at the Princess, hoping that this form of help was vital and not actually detrimental in the clash against the naga. Thankfully, though the alicorn also took the brunt of the downpour, and despite the sudden shift of the temperature, the magical shield held strong against—
Roseluck felt all too late that something grabbed her by the throat.
She was yanked forward, with incredible force. Pain erupted somewhere in her neck, a searing sensation which lit her nerves aflame, as she was pulled forth by a muscular ribbon of hyacinth scales. Away from the pipes and right towards the great monstrosity.
She could try and fight the strike and the pull, but the naga was simply too strong, even as he was squirming about where he was. He became as if a wounded adder, convulsing and jerking in the dirt. His coils, the color of shining sapphires, especially with the icy water running down them, were in absolute spasms. And Roseluck simply had to fear that their frantic moves would seriously hurt Lily and Daisy, still trapped right among them.
But she had little time to concern herself with her friends. For she found herself right before Cyrus’ scaled muzzle. Twisted into a truly horrifying mask of fury and mounting hatred.
“Treason!” the naga shouted. Screamed at the top of his lungs, an almost pained wail that came deep from his throat. A hiss that made Roseluck shake much more than from the streams of cold water. “You dare to betray me...! She dares to...! T-to...!”
Roseluck saw it in his wide, rage-filled eyes. He wanted to say more, much more. To express his deepest, most profound fury, most terrible loathing, most bottomless... hurt. But he couldn’t find the words.
This stare, this powerful and commanding stare of his, previously so regal and domineering, was, second by cold-wrecked second, losing its clarity and coherence. For the shortest of moments she was convinced that she saw a flicker of azure in that slit iris, but it was washed away almost immediately.
But that did not mean that Cyrus was not a threat. Quite the opposite. Roseluck’s throat getting constricted more and more was enough of a testimony of that. She felt, as much as could hear, the dreadful sound of scales, grinding against each other, pressing against her neck mercilessly. The naga, despite his clearly weakening state, was tightening his grasp on her. She could feel her windpipe almost giving, crushed slowly and hatefully. And every breath became a battle.
Thankfully, not a battle she’d have to face alone.
In the monster’s very scales, as her eyes were frantically darting about, did Roseluck saw a reflection of a raspberry streak, heading in her direction.
A precise bolt of magic struck the tip of the naga’s tail, the very same which was holding her throat hostage.
The Princess! The Princess came to her rescue! The clearly painful spell made the monster release his hold and it looked like, for the second time, Roseluck was going to get acquainted with the greenhouse’s floor. However, another flash of the similar color and, instead, she found herself quite away, on the building’s opposite side. With a slight feeling of nausea and disorientation... but more importantly, with the royal alicorn standing right next to her.
Her mane falling down in wet curtains and her coat soaked through with the cold water... but her eyes fiery and warm.
“Thank you, Roseluck, I knew I could count on you!” the alicorn told to her, though focused firmly on the naga opposite. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”
“I’m a lot better now,” Roseluck admitted, holding her neck and hoping the remnants of the pain would subside quickly, and that the contents of her stomach would stop shifting after such a rapid, magical displacement. She was, nevertheless, merry that she had made the right choice.
Now it was just the matter of stopping the other, terrible consequences of it.
“Lily and Daisy!” she called out, her thoughts immediately returning to her friends.
The Princess, eyeing her foe intently, had not forgotten about them, herself.
And neither had Cyrus. Despite the temperature of the place quickly dropping and his body feeling its effects without a shadow of a doubt, the monster coiled and writhed, still in possession of the two mares. He was doing his best to twist and move his coils constantly, buying himself some time against the onslaught of cold.
Roseluck had to let the Princess know about her own reasoning for having caused the icy downpour. “He needs to stay warm, otherwise—”
But that was as much as she could try and say, as the naga lunged forth with the speed of a striking adder. She had no idea that he was in a position to still do so, yet apparently he had nothing left to lose. Or, rather, everything, which fueled his anger to its limits and allowed his body to still function with deathly speed.
Thankfully, the Princess was there, and a rapid spell brought forth a shimmering shield before the two of them, one which Cyrus slammed against with all his fury. Actually causing a slight fracture in the magical field just with the initial strike’s power.
“I will... I will get her for this!” he threatened, pushing his words out. He was doing his best to continue moving, slithering, shifting, and allowed his fury keep him warm a moment longer. With an imperfect success, but still a success. “Traitor! She... she could have had... had everything!” the monster screamed, hissing violently. The curls of his raisin mane falling down both sides of his head, granting him the look of a wild, furious warrior.
Who wouldn’t go down without a fight, too.
Each strike against the shield held by the Princess was creating more and more cracks. Cyrus’ surely wasn’t greater of a threat than she had had to face, but... Roseluck could only watch from behind the royal alicorn as the naga’s attacks were putting pressure on the magical field. Perhaps the mental focus to battle the Gaze had drained some of the Princess’ power after all. A double slam from above caused one of the alicorn’s legs to buckle, even.
And the rage was definitely fueling the monster’s body still, keeping him from the catatonia.
“I won’t... I won’t submit! I won’t be... be robbed again!” Cyrus declared, filled with prideful desperation. Hissing once more, the piercing sound almost causing Roseluck to cover her ears, so dreadful it was. “She... she will restrain the spellslinger!”
Roseluck shook her head. No. There would be no commands, no demands, no suggestions! Though she felt this strange, slithering sensation pass through her, she remained where she was, observing the naga with intent mixed with utter and genuine fear.
She had no idea she had it in her to speak up, as well.
“You’re not my Master anymore! You never were!” she yelled at him, hoping he could hear her well enough, through the magic and the ire. “I am free!”
The abomination’s roar must have been audible outside, so great was its volume and intensity. Roseluck could have sworn that the entire greenhouse shook, though it might have also been the violent tremor that crossed her own body at the sound of Cyrus’ wrath.
... and then the place most certainly quaked.
Proving that he wasn’t lost completely in the blind rage, the naga wrapped his torso around the Princess’ shield, as if he was trying to lift it from the ground with the ponies inside of it. Instead, however, he used this static point to give himself more momentum. With a terrifying force which traversed his entire snake tail, one that most definitely pressed into Lily and Daisy, causing them to gasp despite their entranced state, Cyrus pivoted himself around like a gigantic whip, striking the main pipe and the lever which Roseluck had used with the might his scaled body.
The metal, met with the naturally armored build, creaked and bent, the mechanism breaking off entirely. The water heading to the sprinklers, meeting such a damaged pipe, instead decided to burst through the whole in the place of the valve, shooting forth right across the greenhouse. Cyrus rapidly slithered away from the jet of coldness, which created a natural barrier between him and Roseluck alongside the Princess.
But while the temperature of the place still lowered, no more cold shower meant no more direct effect upon the naga.
The royal alicorn was aware of that, to Roseluck’s relief.
“I could try to direct the water onto him. But I would have to let the shield down, at the same time. I don’t want to endanger you,” she spoke, quietly enough to hide her words behind the sound of jutting water.
Cyrus’ voice, in the meantime, bellowed with volume. “Enough of the... the charade! I have these two... two young ones right in... in my coils!” he declared, his words dripping with fury and ill intentions. “Surrender and... and submit, or resist and... and see me crushing their spines!”
Roseluck shuddered all over, hearing this ultimatum. The Princess also bore a genuinely concerned look on her muzzle, though her reaction was more contained. As it could have been expected from a monarch and defender of Equestria.
“He’s not bluffing,” she told Roseluck under her breath. “We need to buy ourselves a little time, but not too much, so that he does not go through with anything that might harm Daisy and Lily.”
Roseluck nodded, hoping the jet of water was hiding the two of them well enough. “I can try and keep him talking.”
“Good, until I see the right moment to cast a spell,” the Princess agreed.
And Roseluck had to take a big, big breath, realizing well that she was again endangering herself. But that was much better than having her friends be hurt further by this maniacal monster.
“And what would the Endless Coils say? Their lives would be wasted!” she spoke aloud, hoping that her reasoning was sound. She wouldn’t claim to be cunning, but she had been listening. “Why waste the young ones that could serve as Thralls and Slaves and Servants to rebuild the Endless Empire?”
She heard a hiss in reply. And Cyrus’ torso finally appeared above the running water, his muzzle twisted in cold contempt and hatred.
“She dares to... to invoke the Endless Coils? They teach what... what is the fate of all traitors!” he shouted, as his upper half swayed and kept on moving, trying to preserve heat still. The grinding of his scales against the ground was menacing and constant. “And the life and... and safety of a naga is worth more than... than thousands upon thousands of young... young ones, if the situation is dire!”
Roseluck was expecting an answer like that. Because, ultimately... Cyrus cared only about one creature. Himself. The One Who Bestows Care had only himself in mind after all, no matter his silken hisses. And despite what he had told her about his sadness over Hidden Track, the naga grieved over the mare like one did over a favorite, cracked flower pot. One could always get another, despite the nostalgic displeasure.
And Roseluck was meant to be that “another”.
No. Not again, not ever.
“Cyrus,” she called him by his name only, putting no deference into her voice, which made his face spasm in dismay, “this will get us nowhere. You will hurt my friends, two ponies worthy of being Slaves, and you will forever lose not only a Servant, but also your only chance of escaping. Let them go, and we can talk.”
The naga hissed menacingly. “If I let them go… what position shall I be in… to negotiate? Oh, no, I am no fool! She will… promise me something now, or she will… hear her friends let out their last… gasps, to the chorus of crunching bones, that I promise!”
Roseluck could feel the cold dread gripping her heart at the very thought. Yet her determination had to be greater than that.
Definitely greater, as only one course of action could help here. At least, one single one that had come to her mind. It felt… way too obvious, even as a bait, but what else was there to say? At least it would buy some time to let the water continue its work, and for the Princess to find her opening.
“Release them, and take me back, instead.”
The royal alicorn glanced at her, her eyes filled with momentary concern, but witnessing Roseluck’s gaze clearly addressed the Princess’ concern in entirety.
Cyrus emerged from above the icy spout again to glance down at the two, his chest puffed, his eyes full of fury and indignation, despite the lowering temperature.
“So that she can… betray me again?!” he shouted with indignation. “She said much, but… meant as little as a drop of water means… against the heat upon the Seas of Sand!”
“Then state your terms, Master!” she replied, invoking the honorific to, hopefully, both entice and confuse the naga. “What do you want? To break me, to have me as a mindless puppet again? To constrict me in your coils, until I can breathe no longer? You know I care about my friends, what will make you release them?”
“I… demand my safety! All of the lives of the young ones mount up to nothing… in comparison to a naga’s well-being! If that… must come to pass, then let their safety… pay for mine!” he declared, though Roseluck could have sworn that the one, weak tone of panic made its way through his imperious act.
Good. He knew that he was losing time, and with that, losing himself to the cold.
She hoped that the Princess had a plan to speed up the process soon enough.
“Let them go, and I will convince the Princess to let you go!”
“I will let the young... young ones go by the forest’s edge, not before!”
Roseluck heard Twilight’s whisper somehow. “That’s too dangerous, I cannot allow that happen.”
She would have to concur, but had to keep the act up as well. “How will we know that you won’t just disappear into the thicket with them?”
The naga hissed once more, his coils shifting dangerously. “Enough of those... those questions and demands of me. Cyrus says that he shall do... do it, then he shall do it!”
That was far too good to be true, and Roseluck could testify of that. He was slithering around the truth, his sweet, serpentine lies always hiding in between the words. He would change his stance on a whim, when it would suit him to do so, for the circumstances to serve himself and nopony else.
She felt like challenging that.
“Look me in the eyes as you promise that, Cyrus,” she told him, taunted him almost. “If you do, then I will allow you to take me, instead. You can take me to the border of the forest, and you won’t be stopped to do so.”
That got the monster’s attention, without a doubt fueled by his desire for revenge over her. And so she soon met the naga’s gaze, looking down with contempt and disgust, but also that little shimmer of hope for getting out of the situation.
Or… was that actually the Gaze?
Roseluck wasn’t sure, though she felt it. In a last, desperate attempt, Cyrus summoned just enough power to try and turn the tables, attempt to once again drown her mind in his magic. The pull wasn’t strong, it wasn’t overbearing, no, it was… something else. Something subtle, something slithering, reaching past her defenses and preparedness with guile, rather than force. Speaking to her in a whisper, trying to reach that part of her which she wanted banished, reminding her of the pleasure and the bliss, of the wonderful feeling of submission, and letting her know that nothing, ever, shall equal what she had been receiving from the naga.
There was… hesitation. It slithered into her heart, hid in it deep, seeping into it like poison of azure, purple and periwinkle, and reaching out further and further the longer she looked.
It didn’t last long, however.
The moment that Roseluck felt the need to do something, to follow some unseen and unspoken directive, Cyrus’ very silhouette was gone from her sight, in a flurry of raspberry magic and cold water.
Using that very moment, the Princess poured all of the energy from her shield into a rapid, potent spell which redirected the jutting current straight into the naga, bathing the monster in icy liquid in volume that far exceeded what had been previously falling down from the sprinklers.
Cyrus wanted to scream, Roseluck realized that much, but the most he could muster was a wheeze through the clenched throat at the overbearing strike. Now that she shook away that dreadful and treasonous pull, she could witness the creature writhing and backing away, or trying to, at least. The naga’s movements were erratic and twitchy, as the spasms overtook his control over his own body. Ever so slowly they were subsiding, however, as if life itself was escaping from him. His fate wasn’t that grim, no, but the effect of the cold water was powerful.
Cyrus’ retreat slowed considerably the more he was subjected to the spell and the temperature, and Roseluck was almost certain that the Princess made sure to add her own abilities to the current. Or, rather, subtract a good few degrees from it.
The fearsome abomination that Cyrus was suddenly turned into a shade of itself, as the cold temperature was clearly affecting his senses. The naga looked about suddenly, as if not even recognizing that he was still being blasted with water, searching for something, taking in his surroundings. His pony forelegs were striking left and right, as if he was trying to move through a dense fog, and his stare turned glassy and unfocused. His movements were uncoordinated enough to actually have him drop Lily and then Daisy from his coils, depositing them on the ground without recognizing it. Roseluck almost screamed, seeing that the twitching body was close to actually enveloping them underneath and smothering them, but Princess Twilight’s magic was faster than that, getting both of them to safety.
The rescue did cause a brief break in her attack, but didn’t change Cyrus’ situation. He was coiling in on himself, subconsciously trying to hold onto the last remnants of heat, but the damage had already been done. He even tried to say something, to utter a sentence or two, but only feint hisses came from his mouth, and even those were losing their strength.
When his eyes met Roseluck’s again, there was but a flicker of recognition. Some part of him, some defiant facet of his nature, remaining vigilant even when the rest of his body was shutting down due to the cold, grasped who he was looking at, and in that stare she saw this overwhelming need for revenge. That promise of vengeance that was meant to persist, remain, endure everything, if only he could get his scales on her again.
She dreaded the prospect, feeling fear gripping her heart and that numbness creeping through her mind.
However, that focused flicker died out a few seconds later. The naga curled up, suddenly looking so small despite its grand physique, with the pony-like torso resting in midst of the coils, where it could retain the last speck of warmth. But Cyrus’ eyes seemed entirely empty now, as the lower temperature turned out to be his ultimate downfall.
Roseluck finally felt like she exhaled, after days of holding in that particular breath, almost to the point of suffocation. It was over... It was really over.
Was it?
She felt somepony’s hoof against her, and turned to see Princess Twilight standing next to her. Tired, wet from all of the water, but smiling. “Are you alright, Roseluck?” she asked.
“I’m... not sure. I...” She spared the naga another glance, shivering as she did. “I hope never to go through anything like this again,” she revealed, receiving nothing but understanding from the regal alicorn. And even a supportive hug, one which was gladly accepted.
But Roseluck didn’t allow it to last for long, her eyes immediately focusing on Lily and Daisy on the ground. Her two friends appeared to be sleeping, but who could tell if they weren’t hurt, or damaged in some way...
The Princess’ voice grabbed her attention for a moment. “Roseluck, look at me. We’re ready to help, I’ve already organized everypony outside. I just need you to tell me all you can. Who did the naga managed to enchant, who do you know could possibly remain in his thrall. We don’t know what effects could be lingering.” She paused, looking abashed for a second. “I skimmed through one of my books, but I didn’t have the chance to read all about the Gaze, so I need your aid.”
Roseluck almost felt like giggling at the sudden change of tone from the alicorn, but that was the relief talking. She was, however, genuinely ready to help in any capacity, to make sure that everypony was safe from... from this monster.
Cyrus remained motionless, barely even breathing, right where he coiled in on himself. His eyes were barely open, and even then they didn’t seem to be seeing anything. It was as if he was in a trance himself, unable to maintain consciousness when his body’s temperature fell below a certain level. Was it like hibernation, or anything like that...? Roseluck couldn’t tell.
“What... What will become of him?” she asked of the Princess, whose brow furrowed.
“I could think of a place he could end up in. Though I will consult that with the right ponies,” she said, and Roseluck knew she had the other Princesses in mind. “The nagas are notoriously rare nowadays. I would lie if I were to deny a professional interest in him, as a creature. Though I also wouldn’t want to be naïve about trying to learn anything from him and endangering myself or others.”
“Devious...” Roseluck let the adjective slip her lips. “He’s devious and cares only for himself,” she judged, feeling that strange anger rising in her.
Again, she found support in the Princess’ gaze.
Enough of it to hope that things were, indeed, over.
It was a matter of a few days and things did return back to normal. Or, at least, as normal as a place like Ponyville could withstand.
Aside from the royal alicorn, obviously, Roseluck had been the driving force behind making sure that all the ponies that could have been subjected to Cyrus’ spell were found, examined and cured. Means that she didn’t quite understand, involving spells and modern medicine, had been used, to make sure that the enchantment from everypony had been properly purged. Even psychological help had been provided accordingly. Princess Twilight Sparkle was not one to let anything slip by her, thankfully, so she had immediately contacted every arcane specialist she could have thought of, and even a few ponies from Canterlot that had researched the matter of the nagas, their history and methods.
They had confirmed that the spell of the Gaze was actually breakable, which had been exactly what had led to the collapse of the Endless Empire in the first place. And they had been quite adamant that Cyrus was possibly one of the last remaining creatures of his kind, which explained his drive, desperate self-preservation and near-maddened course of action to see it restored when given even the slimmest of chances.
The same ponies had also brought news of another sort, serving as the main reason for Roseluck’s current trip.
It felt like a mistake, honestly. It had caused a few protests, even, considering the whole situation. From her closest friends, from guards Bulwark and Sortie, considering that they had all experienced the monster’s power the strongest. And yet Roseluck felt that she had to do this one more thing, if she were to ever achieve closure.
That, and giving a promise to herself, as well as Lily and Daisy, that she would not partake in any more bets regarding going alone into a forest to meet a snake-like abomination.
However, she had to attend that one reunion.
She had heard rumors that Canterlot possessed a place to contain dangerous ponies and creatures, the ‘Delves’, as they were supposed to be called, but she never paid too much attention to the topic. However, it made a certain sense for such a place, other than the infamous Tartarus, to exist. Roseluck, despite her recent plights, couldn’t imagine absolutely everypony deserving a bleak fate of being locked away in that grim, far-away place. And, if she had understood Princess Twilight well enough, it was more convenient to have a closer location that could provide enough security and access to certain individuals. It was mostly for gathering information about them or from them, though sometimes only before sending them to their final location of long-term imprisonment, as not everypony was showing promise of being reformed in the end.
Roseluck wasn’t sure yet if that was the fate chosen for Cyrus, but he was still imprisoned close enough to actually ‘visit’.
Not that her travel to Canterlot and to the said location had anything to do with an amicable get-together.
But, yes, there she was. Standing in before a natural grotto, one which was reinforced and secured by mundane and magical means, with thick, metal bars separating her from the inside. An interior which was devoid of many comforts, other than simple bedding and a pulsating crystal, which provided both light and heat to the cell. The latter was very much necessary for the place’s occupant, after all.
Cyrus, the once imperious and autocratic naga, was coiled in place in the corner closer to the warm mineral. His forelegs were cuffed, and his tail was tightly secured in multiple places, not to allow too much movement. More than that, the monster had a thick veil over his eyes, fixed in place also through arcane means, which was meant to keep his Gaze away from others’ stares. And while some could rightly complain about additionally confining a prisoner to total darkness, it was for a very good reason, as Roseluck could testify.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” she heard the Princess’ question, as the alicorn remained close by, having guided her through the maze of the prison.
“Yes. A-and again, thank you for allowing me this, Your Highness,” Roseluck whispered back, truly appreciating the gesture of trust which she had been granted.
She wouldn’t think her voice as loud enough to spawn attention, but the slithering sound from the cell proved her wrong. The lack of sight definitely made the naga’s hearing more acute, it seemed.
“… she,” he hissed, the sound causing Roseluck to shudder strongly, invoking all too recent memories. “She… comes to visit? To gloat? To drink from her supposed victory over a naga? What shame… What unbearable shame. Endless Coils, take me now,” he complained, not like a powerful conqueror he had believed himself to be, but a broken creature, devoid of hope.
It felt like the right fate for him, Roseluck thought, and yet…
She felt bad for him. Yes, she actually pitied him, despite everything. Perhaps it was a flaw of her character, but seeing Cyrus locked up like this, while satisfying her sense of justice, was also invoking compassion from her, like that for a little animal trapped against its will.
Of course, Cyrus was anything but, and was keen on proving just that after her first few words.
“I am not here to gloat, no. I wanted to—”
“She leaves and now. I shall not suffer her presence, even if caged like I am.”
“No. Not until I say what I have to say,” Roseluck stayed adamant, for her own sake.
“My ears have no space for more lies, for more grating voices of the young ones,” Cyrus protested, turning his head in her direction, though in a misaligned way, as he could only use his hearing. “Questions, accusations, attempts at convincing of their fatuous philosophy... No,” he protested, both of his forelegs cutting through the air like a swinging blade. “Let there be silence. Especially from her. I can then at least try and escape into my dreams. The worst nightmares, our domains being swallowed into the sands, our glory being forgotten, none of those is as bad as this…”
“Still, I will speak,” she insisted, and that act of defiance was cleansing in itself, pushing her further away from all the memories she was still enduring. “I will speak, and speak clearly, because I want you to know something. Something important.”
“Silence.”
He tried to command her, but she had a riposte for that. The kindest one.
“I forgive you.”
The sentence resounded among the stone walls and metal bars, a little glimmer of hope and goodness in a place which was a necessary evil in Equestria. Still, Cyrus was unrelenting in his own obstinacy.
“ ‘Forgive me’…” the naga parroted her, and a derogatory hiss resounded from deep within his throat. “She would want to pick me up, dust me off? She is a young one, the lowest of the low, for a traitor to me. She shall not reach down towards me, for she would have to be above me to do so! And no one is above a naga, bar the Endless Coils themselves… So she will spare me her empty words and emptier gestures. And she shall leave the son of Dharhyushs, the grandson of Xhershshes alone, so that he can be scoffed at by his ancestors in peace…”
Roseluck withstood all the insults bravely. They were easier to shield oneself against than anything else that this abomination could throw at her, especially something tri-colored and treacherously enticing.
She hadn’t forgotten the bliss, nor the slithering sensations…
“Still, you will be left with that knowledge,” she told him, regardless, standing tall and proud. “Offering this… It’s what a pony should do,” she added, looking towards the Princess and receiving a nod of approval from her.
Now came the other part, no less difficult, as Roseluck found herself sighing. She had had to discuss it for quite some time with the pony she had met, and finally received permission, though with a caveat that Cyrus would remain in custody. And indefinitely, quite likely. One could not tell if any talks of Harmony and Friendship could pierce his scaly heart, after all.
Well, maybe one attempt was warranted. “I found her, Cyrus.” There was no response, so Roseluck spoke up again, giving more context to her words. “I found Hidden Track. She’s alive. And she’s fine.”
Initially, that too achieved precious nothing, leaving Roseluck to ponder whether the naga was even paying attention to her, petulant and defeated as he was. However, it turned out that the lack of motion or reply was only due to him processing this information at first.
“… the young one survived, after all?” he inquired, and in his tone there was a note of curiosity, at least, as his head shifted. “She didn’t perish in her fall?”
“No. She was taken by the current immediately, and found her way out of the caverns. Though it was sheer luck which prevented her from drowning in her escape attempt…”
“Foolish… Foolish young one,” Cyrus deemed, shaking his head in genuine disapproval. “She could have had it all. She could have had it all, too,” he repeated himself, but only because he had Roseluck in mind this time. His eyes, even while secured behind the veil, still searched for her, she knew it. She could feel it. “Why is she even telling me this?” he inquired, and that was the core of the matter.
“You deserve to know as much. I saw the pain in your eyes, as you spoke of her, as you reminded yourself of what you have seemingly caused once before,” Roseluck explained, taking a defiant step towards the bars.
She saw Princess Twilight leaning in a little, in readiness, and she was grateful for that. However, she had a feeling that the naga would not try anything unreasonable in such a situation, even as she came close to the bars. So she kept talking, feeling as if she was, alongside her words, releasing herself from the last shreds of a hold that Cyrus had on her.
“You might be an self-serving creature of impulse and unbridled despotism, but that hurt in you… it was genuine. That, and the memory of your homeland, filling you with desperation and loss. I empathize,” she told the monster. Not expecting anything in return, but offering this, nonetheless. “How you go about it, your ways – that is all wrong. But the fact that you are hurting? That has my sympathy. And I hope that, despite everything, you can still have a bright future, Cyrus… One day.”
She expected him to laugh. To hiss. To show her an expression of disdain and loathing, to let her know of her naïveté, and to tell her to leave him alone, giving her the final closure through disappointment.
However, the monster said nothing. Only his tongue flickered out once, then once more. And he turned in place, silently. He remained near the heating crystal, but made it absolutely clear that he was not interested in any further interactions. He hid his head in between his scales, whether in shame or one more show of apathy, that was hard to tell.
Roseluck hadn’t expected gratitude, but she accepted the tactful silence as some form of it.
She sighed, leaving behind this last sight of Cyrus, and turned to leave. As she began doing so, her trot echoing up and down the rocky corridors, she felt one of the Princess’ wings gently resting on her back, in a gesture of support.
“I’m proud of you, Roseluck,” the alicorn spoke with a broad smile. “You’ve done us all proud, offering him this chance…”
Roseluck knew. She felt, deep inside, that she had done the right thing. Fighting him, choosing her friends over the monster, and then showing this one, proper sign of compassion.
That marked the end of her adventure. The one, fateful encounter between a rose and a serpent.
And only sometimes, as she was fast asleep, she would find herself dreaming. Vividly and seductively lulled into bliss, by the memory of three colors.
Azure. Purple. And periwinkle.