//------------------------------//
// Chapter XCIII – Confined Within 
// Story: Journey with a Batpony 
// by Gulheru 
//------------------------------//

Lord Bright Crescent’s abode was one of the more luxurious places Twilight had ever visited. She wasn’t planning on doing so on purpose, since she respected the bounds of privacy even in her endless curiosity over Noctraliya, but the circumstances had forced this very important meeting after all.

Twilight wasn’t looking forward to what was to come, but she distracted herself momentarily by appreciating the décor of the chamber she was in. As prudence would have it, the spire which the Lord of the Crescent Family called his home was the most grandiose of them all, and the sheer scope of the place proved that much. As opposed to a single, if spacious room, Bright Crescent had his abode turned into several, separate chambers, and the one Twilight was currently in served as a dining room combined with a private gallery. Sculptures of various nature, from flowers and pony silhouettes to abstract geometrical shapes, were lining the walls left and right, as if a silent jury, while the chandelier above looked like an architectural project, the various gemstones serving as the foundation and frame of a massive cathedral. More so, even the table at which Twilight was currently sitting looked more like a piece of art rather than one of furniture.

And, with the way that things were to happen tonight, it truly was to act like a judge’s bench. The cloth in rich, amethyst hue was covering it in entirety, creating a most vivid barrier between the would-be judges and the accused.

Lord Bright Crescent had decided that Twilight would be sitting on his left side, with only Countess Ivory Crescent in a more important seat on his right. That was fine, without question, as Twilight wouldn’t want to be put on any greater pedestals in this particular situation, even if it was about her and the fate she had barely escaped. Places had been also left at the table for Twilight’s entourage, as well as general Crescent Light. It seemed that, very much on purpose, Count Ebony Crescent would be facing nothing short of a noble tribunal for his transgressions.

Twilight was glad she had spent the rest of last night on resting, and then had a full day sleep. She knew that this meeting would require a lot from her, especially since she would face her assailant head on. Thankfully, she was receiving every bit of encouragement and support from the Lord, as was his genuine want.

“Honored Princess, I take it that this is all acceptable to you?” the haspadr asked her, encompassing the room with his hoof. “I wanted this to be, you know, private but official.”

“Yes, Honored Lord, I believe this will do,” she told the stallion, doing her best to act regally, but without any unnecessary coldness. She wanted to give Bright Crescent the chance to prove his good intentions. She reached for her chalice, taking one more swig, preparing for what was to come.

The Lord recognized something about this gesture, indeed. “Very well, very well… Then, if you are willing, we can start at any time. We can have my ponies bring him in post haste,” the haspadr spoke as he straightened up in his place, spreading his forelegs wide against the cloth, as if bracing for some form of an impact. “Actually, I think I need to still ask myself whether I’m ready, but that’s past the point.”

Twilight understood what lay behind that sentence, however, and nodded. “I trust that you shall lead this case with justice and impartiality, Honored Lord,” she said, and she couldn’t quite shake away the feeling of being in a proper courtroom.

Bright Crescent likewise nodded, accepting her words as both encouragement and a reminder of his promise. Not that it looked like he would default on it in any way. He took one more breath, then took a small comb out from his robe and made sure his milky mane was properly tended to. He then turned to his right.

“Ivory Crescent, Countess of Family Crescent, are you ready as well?” he asked in an official tone, though he couldn’t quite hide hints of worry for the well-being of his niece in these circumstances.

“As ready as I shall be, Honored Lord, uncle…” she replied, and not the calmness of her tone nor the stoic ensemble she was wearing were enough to mask the utter discomfort that the mare was going through.

Still not as great as Twilight’s, but it would be folly to compare the two.

The Lord shrugged to himself, hiding his perturbation behind the comfortable guise of derision, moved aside the chalice he had been drinking from a moment before, enjoying the basic refreshments that had been provided for the gathered, then called out.

“Wartowneci!”

A pair of his sentinels appeared in the doorway, ready to do his bidding, and one, dramatic gesture from the haspadr’s hoof was enough to have them both disappear to fetch the Count Brother.

It took maybe a minute, but the atmosphere was getting denser by the heartbeat. Twilight’s eyes locked with Midnight, then with Rowan Berry, both of them sitting in as witnesses, and both giving her their due, if silent, support in this endeavor. Then her gaze rested on Crescent Light, the one pony that had not spoken a word so far. His silence seemed more terrifying than anything he could have uttered, and it was clear that he was also feeling the burden of the Count Brother’s deeds, as the Lord’s partner. And, most likely, also as the substitute father figure for the stallion. Twilight could imagine that there was perhaps nothing more nerve-racking in life than disappointing a military parent, even if a surrogate one, but the distress clearly worked both ways.

The rhythmic hoofsteps from behind the door announced the arrival of the ‘prisoner’ and, soon enough, the silhouette of the Count Brother appeared at the door. Ebony Crescent was keeping his head down, but it was already blatant that he wasn’t at his best. If Twilight didn’t know any better, she would have bet that he had been subjected to a rather unpleasant bath, as the state of his mane and the edges of his simple, brown gown were absolutely soaked. And yet even his illness was not earning him any sympathy from her, not after what had happened.

She felt gazes on her, all but the one from the stallion at the threshold, and knew that her reaction was observed with care. She wouldn’t give anypony reasons for further worry, as she hid her discomfort deep, actually capable of stopping the shudders which had been plaguing her all of yesternight. But only just.

“Wena hic,” came the sentence from the Lord and Ebony Crescent hesitated for just a second before he approached to stand before the table. It was at that moment that Twilight realized that his forehooves were tied and connected to his back legs, allowing him to move, but not do much else. His wings were, likewise, secured to his sides.

It was a pitiful sight, truth be told, and it was blatant from the way that both Bright Crescent and Ivory Crescent were looking at the stallion. Hurt and disappointment were obvious in their gazes, but also the contempt for the situation and for his state, clearly unbecoming of a Kwadr.

The Lord waited a few seconds before taking a deep breath to start. “Ebony Crescent, Count Brother of the Crescent Family…” he began in a strong voice, but it didn’t last long, at all. “What were you thinking, tu soleespalu duran?!”

It wasn’t perhaps the most professional opening to such a hearing, but at least the emotions from the haspadr were most honest.

The accused stallion said nothing at first, which only made the looming question resound the louder. Twilight wasn’t even sure if he wanted to acknowledge anypony in the room, but surely he wouldn’t be so unapologetic and proud to just remain silent through the entirety of the meeting.

It looked like that at first, especially to the Lord, so he continued with no less chagrin. “You have nothing to say, nephew? You stand before me, as your Lord. You stand before your sister, as your Countess. You stand before the Honored Princess, whom you tried to assault in such a heinous way and have not a word to utter?”

The stallion also found no response to that, his gaze locked down onto the rich, woolen carpet, on which droplets of sweat wear dropping one by one. For a moment Twilight was wondering whether those weren’t tears, but she was soon disabused of that notion.

For Ebony Crescent finally lifted his head, just before his uncle was about to speak up again, and his gaze was terrifying in its apathetic intensity. This wasn’t a stare of somepony wishing to show remorse, nor even one to express an apology over what had transpired. It was just… empty. Seemingly devoid of emotion of any sort.

Was this strange defiance really what the Count Brother was bringing to this chamber? It felt like that was the case, even if his gaze was showing no adherence to any emotion. But Twilight found such a stance most hard to believe in.

And so did Bright Crescent, who got up from his seat and supported himself even stronger on his forelegs. “What say you, Ebony Crescent? How would you explain your utter foolishness?”

“I offer no explanation,” came the reply, finally, and it’s sharpness could cut. “What’s done is done, and nothing I say shall change it. Now tell me what awaits me.”

The haspadr was nothing short of taken aback by such an attitude. But much more so than general Crescent Light was. And it was the officer who finally decided to speak up, for the first time in this room, and with mortifying calmness.

“Say your peace, Ebony Crescent. Say it, while we still can say we actually know who you are.”

That, particular sentence caused Ivory Crescent’s eyes to dart from the warrior to her brother, and then towards Twilight. She was clearly considering, and with quite the perturbation, whether the topic of the katorge was known to everypony in the chamber.

At the same time, Ebony Crescent’s gaze landed on the General, with determination joined with this utter resignation. “I am more than aware of what could await me after what happened,” he stated, and there was no fear in his voice whatsoever, only void. “I had a whole night yesternight, alone and contained, to delve on it, to ruminate on what transpired and what could occur. I suppose it could be considered more fair and convenient not to be remembered at all, rather than to be remembered as a failure.” He closed his eyes briefly, straightening himself up. “I prefer not to have my father’s memory sullied by the fact that his son fell so miserably.”

Even Crescent Light had to look towards the rest of the gathered, as Ebony Crescent was holding his ground via this final, even tragic, stance. It caused Twilight to lean in a little, focusing on the stallion’s bearing. There was a form of noble readiness to him, detachment that could be understood as acceptance of his fate, and yet… something was amiss. It was like he was planning something behind this endmost approach.

So it came to Ivory Crescent at that time to actually step into this situation. She stood up from her seat with grim determination which could rival her brother’s apathy.

“Bratr, I would much prefer to remember that you existed, however vile you acted towards the Honored Princess,” she stated, glancing to the side, as if in hope that Twilight would understand such a sentence. For it seemed to offer some form of leniency from the harshest of punishments. “I find your current course of action hard to grasp. Is this you, perhaps, trying to act bravely when faced with the inevitable, so that your last stand could have a poetic quality to it?”

Ebony Crescent locked gazes with his sister, almost as if trying to convey something in a way that only twins could understand. “What else seems to be left for me, but this? First of all, I failed. I reached out for the stars, and for the Moon, I reached for the Sun itself and my strength wasn’t enough, my cunning wasn’t enough. There’s no place in our history for a might-have-been insolvent,” he claimed, nodding to himself. “Besides, if things are being flouted, then what is there to discuss?”

Whatever this line of defense without defense might have been, it wasn’t really working besides confusing everypony present. Twilight was trying to get to the bottom of Ebony Crescent’s current reasoning mostly by trying to utilize logic, but that was swiftly interrupted when Lord Bright Crescent slammed his hooves against the table. He did so strongly enough to wince and then have to rub them against one another a moment later, though that didn’t lessen his argument.

“Is this really who are you seeing yourself as?! A failure to be left behind, forgotten, obsolete? Very well then, duran, but you don’t get off that easily!” he screamed, shaking his head and causing his combed mane to dishevel quite strongly, giving him the look of a frenzied artist. “History, as I will teach you right now, my boy, is not a collection of winners and achievers, history is about everypony. There, I said it, think of it what you wish,” he pointed out, though Twilight wasn’t sure who was he addressing, precisely. “And that means you are included, you and your short-sighted idiocy, nephew! What do you think this is?!”

Twilight also found herself wincing at the volume, but she could tell that the Lord’s words were coming from a genuine place, especially considering what he had shared about himself.

That was, exactly, his next point. “Look at me. Look me deep in the eye. Look at your uncle, who had to serve a purpose that was meant for another! We don’t get the luxury of being forgotten, that is not how that works. What a twisted reasoning this is!” the stallion shouted, pointing at himself with one of his hurting hooves. “So take off your mask, Ebony Crescent. Nopony here is interested in seeing your ‘grand performance’. You had one already, a most odious one, and it failed, miserably so! That’s more than enough!”

“Yes. That it did,” the Count Brother retorted with some venom, though something behind those words was shaky and crumbling. And it had less to do with his usual health problems. “But I won’t endure being judged for it. I might or might not accept the punishment, and then—”

“No, Ebony Crescent, that is not how that works, either!” Bright Crescent had a response already prepared. “Maybe I have failed, indeed, maybe I have installed within you this belief that you are beyond reproach, as a pony of noble blood, but you forget about one thing! One thing that, it seems, I have to remind you of, regardless of whether I am inclined or even worthy to say it.” The haspadr straightened himself, assuming a true stance of a ruler, even if he was missing his circlet and cloak, as always. But he clearly felt their weight and remembered their symbolism, considering the words which followed. “Bogine is watching. We view Her as an artist sees their patron. Her blessings are our patronage, She inspires our actions, but She despises our recklessness.”

Twilight listened with baited breath whether these arguments would find purchase. Also because she had heard the Lord’s previous statements, regarding the fate which had befallen him, fate he was definitely not thankful for, especially not towards any higher power.

“And, what seems strangely even more important right now,” Bright Crescent added, pointing to himself with all the gusto he possessed, “I am watching. I am the Lord of the Crescent Family, woe is us, but I shall do my duty. Judge your foul deeds and cast my punishment upon you. So stop your histrionic pretense, nopony’s that interested in it!”

“You cannot judge me, uncle.”

A short and stern answer made Twilight cock her eyebrow. It was, by all means, too quick and too firm to be genuine, unless Ebony Crescent was ready to pull some incredible argument. Truth be told, by the look in his eyes, he believed that he had one, finally showing something from beyond the apathy.

Bright Crescent also wasn’t blind to that faux confidence, and while his nephew was faltering in his performance, he seemed all the more assured of his. Almost as if he had read whatever script Ebony Crescent had prepared in advance and created his own, potent retort.

“By what right do you claim that?”

“Tradition. So simply tell me what you are planning on doing to me, dear uncle, for you are clearly keen on making me learn a lesson. Perhaps deal with certain, possible, diplomatic repercussions. But don’t pretend you have the right to judge me,” the stallion stated, his tone maintained through sheer will and an actor’s talent. “Let me be, then, the second pony in our close family to receive an unfair treatment from the universe. I will, actually, be rather glad, connecting like that with my late father.”

Wherever the Count Brother was going with this, it was only causing the Lord’s ire to gather, on the verge of exploding with terrifying power. Twilight was expecting it at any moment, listening in to the key argument from the young stallion, nonetheless.

“The matter is simple, and yet forgotten, seemingly. What happened, happened in my spire. Within the confines of my, exclusive domain. By the Crescent Family rules, I should not be persecuted for any of it. Period.”

Twilight couldn’t quite believe her ears. Where had that shy, introverted stallion with an instrument gone? She remembered quite well his nervous energy and his wonderful music, all that time ago, way back in the Sanctuary. And even, more recently, he had been charming, even seductive, but not so… detached. And hiding behind that ruling? Was that what had been giving Ebony Crescent such self-assurance or was this just a final effort for the sake of a play he was acting out before, mostly, himself?

She looked askance at Bright Crescent. She trusted his previous words, yes, but she was now wondering just how much such a custom would affect his eagerness to dispense justice. He had offered her the same courtesy, having granted her a spire for her own. Would he deny his nephew’s claim, if it was something so ingrained in the Crescent’s culture that the Count Brother actually made a protest out of it during such a hearing?

The Lord felt Twilight’s gaze. And not only hers, that much was blatant. The entire chamber had their eyes on the milky-maned stallion, looking for any indication as to what he was about to do.

Twilight was especially intrigued by what Midnight and Rowan Berry thought at that moment. Their eyes were not betraying much, other than expectation and genuine curiosity. And, for some reason, Twilight had a distinct feeling that if justice would not be properly dispensed by the Lord, then they would take the matter into their own hooves, somehow.

It didn’t seem a likely future, however, for Bright Crescent withstood the silent scrutiny from the room with gallantry. He gathered himself in but a few seconds, his lips shuddering, and cloaked his reply in his vexation. Right before he erupted at Ebony Crescent.

First, with laughter, one almost frightening with its irate derision. “So, that is your trump card, my nephew? Fine! Fine, have it your way!” he shouted, himself adding some theatrics to this, most serious situation, especially as he pointed towards Ebony Crescent and bowed. “You say that you could have been even a monster in your spire and that I am unable to do anything about it, because you are free like a bird while in it? Be my guest! Yes! Be. My. Guest. And be my family, still and forever. You think yourself doomed by Fate, perhaps like my very brother? Let me tell you something, then, about your father – if given the blessed chance after all, he would put himself on his own funeral pyre with eagerness, witnessing you right now. So be, first and foremost, your own prisoner, then!”

There was a split second, right when Bright Crescent said that last sentence, when Twilight spotted worry in the young stallion’s eyes, and, at the same time, felt the haspadr’s gaze escaping to her for a breath before again fixating on the Count Brother.

“You will not be given merciful oblivion, though I see not why you would even reach for it. No, you will be right here, well and remembered. Your tower is your domain? Good, then let it be your only domain in the Mountain of Crescent, Ebony Crescent. Consider yourself under spire confinement,” the Lord decreed, and with a smile, nonetheless. “You can be as dreadful and unapologetic about your behavior in it as you wish, but only in it. I might or might not let your little ponyservants stay there with you. I wonder if you would be able to stomach each other in the end. But that’s about it, I think. And I mean it.”

Whatever the haspadr meant, actually, Ebony Crescent had already discerned it, much better than Twilight. She couldn’t quite deny that the sight of his eyes bulging and his entire, assumed persona wilting was in some way therapeutic and satisfying to her, but the extent of the Lord’s judgment was only beginning to be visible. Especially as the culprit began to stutter, sweat running from his mane like a waterfall.

“But…! B-but, that cannot mean—!”

“It cannot mean ‘what’, Ebony Crescent?” the haspadr asked, leaning in with a sinister expression. “I don’t know what your little play right now was about. Did you want to show courage in the face of the inevitable? Did you think you could be like… like my own, sweet brother and your father? Do you see us as simply some forest demons, ready to pounce on you for your transgression? No, my colt,” Bright Crescent told the stallion, his eyes glistening with tears at the thoughts of his closest, departed kin. “Brilliant Crescent might have transgressed in their, damnable eyes or was simply a victim of circumstances, we won’t know that. I’ve made peace with that, as much as one can. You, on the other hoof…” the stallion paused, but only to point an accusatory hoof forward. “You chose this fate, by your very own actions, and no amount of bravado will ever make you come even close to your father’s tale. Think on that in your very own spire, you’ll have ample time for it.”

Twilight again spotted all eyes on the Lord, and added her own stare to that, varied selection.

There was a mixture of respect and fear in Ivory Crescent’s gaze, while admiration was coming towards the haspadr from the General, laced with their romantic connection. There was even some measure of satisfaction from both Rowan Berry and Midnight, though Twilight would not have been surprised to find them disagreeing with the judgment’s scope. Perhaps they expected something more zestful from the Honored Lord, but if the Count Brother’s failing calm was of any indication, it would be a most painful sentence.

“Uncle, you—!”

“I think I have another title, far more important for you at this time, which you should be using instead,” Bright Crescent strongly retorted. “Not that it will change much. You will remain in your spire for the time being. Perhaps until your dear sister takes the circlet. I don’t think I will feel inclined to change my decision until then. She can then do whatever she wishes with you, but I wouldn’t expect anypony to let you out before you are nice and softened, foal, not even your sibling.”

He nodded in Ivory Crescent’s direction and she responded with lowering her gaze in respect, remaining stoic and reverent.

In the meantime, Ebony Crescent’s expression was twisting and changing between absolute despondence and aimless fury, one arising from the sense of being utterly powerless. He wasn’t trying to break out of his binds, but he was trotting in place as if the very carpet was burning his hooves. He seemed keen on searching for help between Ivory Crescent and Crescent Light, after all, his pear eyes jumping from one to another, but none looked too interested in offering it. And so the Count Brother’s attention then switched to Midnight and Rowan Berry, not that there would be any actual aid offered, Twilight didn’t think. Her entourage was making their opinion clear ever since, and nothing but disapproval was coming from them both.

Twilight recognized at that point, quite easily, that there was one pony whom Ebony Crescent was not acknowledging at all – herself. And she couldn’t for the life of her decide whether it was out of such unbearable shame, or just his heart hardening enough not to even see her as present at this hearing.

The Count Brother finally tried to speak up again, in between his frantic breaths. “You… No! No, no, no, you cannot do this! You cannot just… just lock me up like this?!”

“Why not?” Bright Crescent asked in a mocking tone. “Am I not the Lord? Maybe a silly and disliked one, but still a Lord. I can do as I please!”

“But not something like this! Make an example out of me, or condemn me to being forgotten entirely, but do not keep me contained like this!” the stallion’s protests continued, his knees shaking as if he was ready to fall down to them and scrape for any mercy at all. “You… You are sentencing me to the worst! The worst, uncle! Honored Lord! Ennui! The tedium of existence on my lonesome?!”

“Oh, now you’re just being dramaturgic!” Bright Crescent told the stallion, rolling his eyes with no less theatricality. “I am dealing with somepony who made it perfectly clear that he wants to do anything but to express any sorrow for his actions. One who doesn’t even care for the usage of poison, or putting one’s hooves on blessed minerals for nefarious purposes. You know who doesn’t show remorse or heed in such a way? An animal. And a creature like that should be locked up, lest it will cause more mayhem out of its uncontrollable instinct.”

Twilight would feel much less comfortable with the haspadr’s words, but she couldn’t deny that they were at least somewhat necessary. The young stallion before her was showing no remorse, or at least burrowing it deep enough not to make it known to anypony, which also served no purpose.

She glanced at Midnight Wind and Rowan Berry and spotted them exchanging firmer glances. They seemed to be having some sort of a silent conversation, one that Twilight would definitely not mind participating in, if out of sheer curiosity.

However, there was still one matter to be dealt with, regarding the Count Brother. Yes, the sentence seemed passed already, and inevitable, but she did lack one more thing if she were to consider herself satisfied with this outcome in entirety.

For the moment, however, the attention of the chamber was definitely held by the Lord and his nephew, locked in a pretty one-sided battle.

“I’m…! No, I’m not a mere animal!” Ebony Crescent shouted, sounding like a colt having a tantrum, with his mane wildly flopping around and his muzzle scrunched with anguish. “Cast me out utterly, as a creature to be damned, if you truly think so! But I am a pony, otherwise! I don’t deserve—!”

Bright Crescent actually hissed at his nephew, almost as if ready to present a deadly threat. “What… don’t you deserve for what you attempted? And where did that indifference of yours go? Honestly, I know not what you wanted to achieve with it, or maybe it was just a show of some ‘fatalistic dignity’, nephew, but now I am perfectly convinced by my choice of punishment for you. And if you don’t stop your incessant whining over the fact, instead of taking it all with dignity befitting a Crescent and a pony of your pedigree, I might actually order your spire ‘ransacked’ entirely, down to the furniture. I wonder just how well you will do without any of your instruments, books and the artwork, but I’m not beyond leaving you with but some pelts for your bedding. Might get a little cramped for you and those two ‘instruments’ of yours you shall have left.”

Ebony Crescent’s muzzle screamed injustice, but it was unlikely he would find any remorse present in the chamber. Still, the Count Brother kept looking for it among everypony.

Everypony bar Twilight, of course. And, at this point, it was becoming unsettling and upsetting both. She didn’t think that she was making it known that much, sitting straight and still and observing the situation, but the Lord right next to her must have felt some discomfort coming from her, other than the obvious one. She met Bright Crescent’s topaz gaze, finding in it a certain question regarding him fulfilling his promise so far, and the stallion didn’t need much to understand what was missing from delivering on that obligation.

And so the haspadr, sitting properly in his place and making sure his mane was at least somewhat restored to its proper state, took a deep breath, looking towards Ebony Crescent with a regal expectation.

“And one more thing shall be required of you, nephew. That you offer a sign of your deepest and most sincere apologies to the Honored Princess. And I will take from you nothing short of at least a smidgen of genuine grief over your actions, despite what you are trying to sell with your histrionics.”

As it turned out, that was perhaps even more difficult for the Count Brother than the prospect of being under strict house arrest. It definitely looked like that, for the young stallion began shaking, his breath coming out in warbling sighs. The entire state of him screamed of rejecting the very notion that he would have to face Twilight. That was the source of his greatest shame, without a doubt.

Truth be told, at this point, she wasn’t actually expecting a proper apology. She would welcome it, of course, as insignificant as it would be in comparison to the fate she almost suffered, but she couldn’t quite imagine a pony like Ebony Crescent to be able to do it. In this nervous breakdown that she could see before her there were no signs of remorse that would lead to regret, lamentably. The stallion couldn’t actually see his crime, only his failure. And that would be much more heartrending for Twilight, as a pony believing in redemption, had she not had to fight off his attempts at having his way with her. And even if there had been a sign of recognition for his actions at the end of their last encounter, there was none of it here and now.

Ebony Crescent heaved and shook, shifting in place as if assaulted by an invisible swarm of flies, but couldn’t bear to look at her at all, nor to speak up. It was getting to the point where both Bright Crescent and Crescent Light looked at each other with genuine worry about the Count Brother’s state, both mental and physical. This wasn’t an act, even Twilight was aware of that, it was a mental blockade that he couldn’t break through it, not without almost damaging effort.

Even Rowan Berry shifted in her seat, her healer’s calling almost forcing her into immediate action, for it was hard to say where the young stallion’s state was heading.

Then Ivory Crescent stood up from her chair.

Without saying anything she arose, her pear eyes locked on her brother, and began walking around the table. Her trot had a solemn quality to it, and though she wasn’t of the priesthood caste, with Twilight being well aware that the mare was pretty much the furthest from it, she exuded a dignified aura which was hard to deny. She became charismatic enough at this moment to actually stop anypony else from commenting on her actions, as she stood by her brother.

He reacted to her presence by looking up towards her, letting everypony see his eyes, maddened with fear and defiance that had absolutely nothing to hold onto. The only solace he thought to try and find in this terrible circumstances was right next to him, but Ivory Crescent didn’t look like she was coming to simply support him.

And what a great contrast this was, between the two siblings.

Ebony Crescent was wallowing in his failure, unable to leave the hole he had dug for himself, even against his own survival instinct, and having forsaken his sophistication and elegant quality. Ivory Crescent, however, stood tall. At that moment she was like an imposing tower, a symbol to look up to, her gaze looking down with wise compassion onto the plight of her own brother. And even if she was, deep inside, an adherent of different beliefs, ones that could mark her an apostate to the faith and ways of the batponies, at that moment she exuded a noble, pure quality, one which could only belong to somepony destined to lead the Family into the future, and a better one.

“Bratr… I’m here,” she spoke in a tender tone, though maintaining her distance. “You are not alone, you never were. You’ve done a terrible thing, however, and could have done much, much worse. You need to repay us, your Family, your kin, and the Honored Princess. It is just,” she accentuated, pausing for a breath. “Do you remember our father’s teachings still?”

“What… W-what do they matter? They didn’t save him…” Ebony Crescent mumbled, looking to the side, his eyes watering. “He deserved more. He deserved it all, and I just… I wanted to… I needed to…”

“He imparted them onto us, to help us have a better life,” Ivory Crescent replied, remaining calm and collected, though it was easy to grasp that she had to gallantly fight her own emotions at seeing her twin in such a state. “You stepped away from them. I’m sorry I didn’t see you faltering earlier. But now it is on your shoulders, to work on repairing the damage you’ve done.”

The stallion shook his head fiercely, almost as if having a physical seizure. Rowan Berry’s chair scraped against the carpet and floor, but Ivory Crescent’s gesture stopped the healer from interfering.

“Do you think us infallible, dear brother?” the Countess asked, with a small, kind smile. “We’ve been two, mischievous misfits for quite a long time, you know. Two fireflies,” she almost whispered, sparing her uncle a glance. “But you’ve started a fire, a real fire, a devastating blaze, that which threatens. Put it out, as best as it can be done. Cast but one drop of water onto it, at least, to show that you’re not lost.”

Ebony Crescent’s gaze shifted just an inch in the mare’s direction, but then returned where it was. He attempted again to stare up, this time at Twilight, and faltered once again.

It prompted Ivory Crescent to take a step in his direction, remaining solicitous but fair. “It needs to be done, brother. And I know that, deep inside, you know just how terrible you have acted, regardless of your motivations. You wanted your tale to be an epic for the ages? Then abandon whatever dark thoughts came upon you, instincts which took over. Show that you are a pony of legend here, and now. Step out of the darkness and say it. Apologize. Even your sentence will be lighter, then.”

Twilight couldn’t deny, she was quite amazed by Ivory Crescent’s approach. She wasn’t surprised at her capacity for kindness and compassion, it had been already obvious that the heir of the Crescent Family was a fiercely intelligent and insightful mare, but to see her trying to redeem her brother, at least partially, was a most inspiring sight. One which was definitely adding Ivory Crescent to the list of ponies which Twilight wanted to act in the name of in her quest.

“It will mean nothing…” Ebony Crescent’s next sentence reached everypony’s ears. “I’ve gone too far…”

“So it’s wiser then to drown in the lake, instead of trying to come up for some air?” Ivory Crescent told him. She actually placed her hoof on his back, a gesture of support that was both genuine and breaking social norms. Not that the mare cared. “Yes, you will look very silly at first, gasping for but one inhale, but you might actually survive then.”

There was a lighthearted quality to that sentence which only added to the gravity of the moment. Silence reigned for a good while, one broken only by the stallion’s frantic breathing, until he opened his lips once again.

“I… I couldn’t… I just couldn’t…” he tried to speak up, but his strength faltered until he began again, with a different approach, trying to find the right words in his mind, and the right path through the obvious chaos in it. “Nothing else mattered… This was… This felt like an achievement to reach for, a… an accolade he could be famous for, even…”

“It wasn’t. And you know best that father would have never acted like that,” the mare spoke, and quickly her tone shifted to an even stronger one. “Your motivation is not vital right now, however, Ebony Crescent. Your remorse is expected, so please… brave it all and show it. For me. For yourself.”

The Count Brother looked at her, took a deep breath… and fell down onto his haunches, as if the weight of his crimes finally struck him down. Shaking and shifting uncomfortably he burrowed his muzzle in his hooves, a gesture as theatrical as seemingly genuine. His frantic breathing became a touch more controlled a moment later, though he still needed a good while to be able to speak.

And all that time, Ivory Crescent remained by his side, bravely withstanding all the shame of her brother’s state and deed, as well as the gazes from the chamber.

And, thankfully, a sentence escaped the young stallion’s lips after all. “H… Honored Princess… I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.”

It was honest, Twilight knew that, even if the Count Brother couldn’t quite force himself to look up at her. It was still far too little to be considered a just repayment, but it was a step in the right direction. A drop of water against the fire, indeed.

Perhaps she would reply, but Ebony Crescent’s further words stopped her. “I… You were too perfect, you… I couldn’t have… I had to—”

“Enough,” Ivory Crescent’s sentence happened even before Lord Bright Crescent could react, though Twilight heard him shifting and inhaling already.

And now she truly preferred to stay silent. But she didn’t need to address the Count Brother, she realized, especially after that declaration. Forgiveness was a… complicated subject. And while she would not go out of her way to harbor a grudge against Ebony Crescent, she would not forget. Nor would she feel inclined to hold any sort of warm or friendly thoughts about the stallion from now on, perhaps ever.

But, maybe that was enough for the world to move on.

Bright Crescent, despite Ivory Crescent preempting him a moment before, recognized this moment as a good one to take back the initiative, as he took another deep inhale. “Very well,” he spoke, and that short utterance already felt like it spent the air in his lungs. “Tribun Kwadr Lumn, would you take it upon yourself, and my sentinels, to escort the Count Brother to his spire? I trust you understand my intentions, and the punishment’s boundaries, to undertake the right course of action promptly?”

“Yes,” came the cold reply from the General, who stood up with a heavy thud of his hooves against the table, and with yet heavier gaze which hung upon Ebony Crescent.

Twilight watched in silence as Crescent Light approached the younger stallion, gave a small nod to Ivory Crescent, and then gestured for the Count Brother to get up and leave the room, acting the part of a firm jailer.

Ebony Crescent nodded, his expression fallen and dour. He took one more, shaky inhale and it looked like he wanted to force himself to do or say something, but… didn’t. He couldn’t find it in himself to look back at Twilight still, choosing to keep his gaze locked onto the ground as he left the chamber in silence. Whether he truly recognized the depth of his mistake was disputable, but although he was a symbol of a fall, perhaps a sliver of hope for redemption would manifest in him.

More than in the stallion, Twilight was actually interested in the Countess, who stood in place like an elegant statue, watching her brother leaving to begin his long sentence.

Despite showing such courage and spirit, it was now obvious just how hard Ivory Crescent was taking the whole situation, as her pear eyes were wet with tears and her lips were shaking at the sight of her departing sibling. The familial bond was definitely making it all more terrible for her, and the remorse she had been showing before Twilight so far only became the more genuine. The Countess even had to put her hoof right against her muzzle, to try and hide her perturbation, but it was quite an impossible feat.

The Lord, in the meantime, leaned back in the chair and produced a hoofkerchief of his own, to wipe his brow. Not wishing to disturb to heavy, solemn atmosphere, he turned to Twilight in a soft, gentle voice, still carrying the regal quality which was expected of a haspadr.

“Honored Princess, in accordance to what was agreed upon, I take it that you are satisfied with the outcome?” he asked, clearly expecting an honest answer, whatever it might have been.

Twilight took a deep breath herself, feeling that most of the tension had left her the moment that Ebony Crescent’s silhouette disappeared behind the door. Truth be told, she had been fighting herself the whole time, hiding behind observing the whole room and occupying her mind that way. For her instinct, even being buried deep inside, had still wanted her to get away from the stallion as swiftly as possible. And even despite the fact that he couldn’t have been a threat to her, bound and with her surrounded by other ponies, some part of Twilight had felt spooked and horrified until he was no longer around.

“It’s… hard for me to use the term ‘satisfied’ in these circumstances, Honored Lord,” she clarified, sitting back in her chair and trying to reach for inner calmness. “But I feel that… considering everything, our agreement has been upheld. There’s a part of me, however, that hopes that Count Brother Ebony Crescent can still be redeemed, and healed from his unfortunate problems. Still,” she added, feeling her voice becoming dangerously sharp, “I will be far, far away from his presence from now on if only I can help it.”

The Lord nodded, sadly and solemnly. “That is most natural, I believe, Honored Princess. He…” The stallion paused and shook his head. “It’s not easy for me to act like that towards him, but this is for everypony’s good, his not least of all. Maybe I could get Carnelian to help him out a bit more, maybe… maybe I can find other ponies willing to lend a helping hoof… Yes, I will be harsh, for he needs to repay us all for his erroneous ways, but I don’t want to forsake him… as we have discussed.”

“I grasp that, Honored Lord.”

Twilight’s eyes escaped towards Ivory Crescent, who was still just standing where she was, holding a hoof to her lips and trying her best not to cry. It was obvious that she didn’t want to allow herself a moment of weakness in front of others, though Twilight would dispute whether showing such emotions was actually a sign of deficiency of any sort.

The Countess must have felt her gaze on her, for she turned her head and looked Twilight dead in the eye. “I trust this works for you, Honored Princess,” she spoke, maintaining her composure with gallantry. “I believe… I believe it to be a fair sentence, he…”

Twilight gave her an understanding expression, for she had nothing else but understanding for the mare’s perturbation, with the sense of justice fighting in the batpony with pure, familial affection. “Fret not, Ivory Crescent, I empathize with your feelings. You have a right to have and experience them, despite what your brother had done. You’re still his sister.”

“Yes. I must carry both this blessing and this curse,” the mare uttered, nodding skittishly.

She then turned her gaze to Midnight and Rowan Berry, looking at the both of them with gratitude. Twilight imagined that it was in some way, at least, connected to the fact that they were present, as witnesses, and that they had been the ones to have come to the rescue, definitely stopping the Count Brother from doing something even worse.

Truth be told, Twilight was also very thankful that the two were around, as, despite it all, she felt safer with familiar muzzles by her side during such a nerve-racking meeting.

Bright Crescent sighed once again, spawning attention also by adding but a touch of theatricality to this action. “Well, what’s done is done. However tragic the deed is. I have a strange feeling of an audience upon us, scrutinizing our every move in such a set of circumstances. It’s like they are murmuring in my ear right now,” he claimed with a mocking expression, though Twilight wasn’t sure if by the ‘audience’ the Lord did mean the Goddess or something else entirely. “You know, Honored Princess, I won’t compel you to do so, but… would you like to share a meal, perhaps? Some refreshments in the garden would work out for us all, maybe? I do trust that my dear Crescent Light will handle things for the night, so…”

Twilight wouldn’t mind something to eat, yes. And yet she felt another calling in her that was easily winning with hunger.

“With all due respect, Honored Lord, I… think I would prefer to retire to my spire and rest awhile. Not that I don’t appreciate your company, but—”

“But I am a bit much,” the haspadr finished the sentence for her with a small, if sad, chuckle. “I know, I know, that’s perhaps not your main motivation, but I understand you, nevertheless. You do require your rest after all of that, and a time of leisure of your choosing.” He paused, looking towards Ivory Crescent and then back to Twilight, as if a sudden thought occupied him entirely in an instant. “Actually… and treat it, again, as but a question from curiosity and not a request of any sort – our Mountain has a lot to offer, many more places and much more art and sophistication than you have seen so far. But would you actually entertain the possibility of remaining for a while longer? Or would you prefer to continue on your journey?”

Twilight had to give that question a thought, definitely. There was an urge in her, a strong one, to move on. She had promised Lord Dusk Harvest that she would return to the Mountain of Dusk on the way back to the Sanctuary, yes. And now she felt that she had another reason to leave the Mountain of Crescent.

Perhaps it would be for the better, for her own sake? She had already made sure to strike some form of a deal with Lord Bright Crescent regarding the vote in peace’s favor. Again, she wouldn’t want to insult the haspadr by appearing much too eager to retreat from his caverns, places filled with artistry for the ages.

Twilight knew what she could say. For she could simply be honest, since she had already received plenty of openness and transparency from Bright Crescent. “Allow me to think on that, Honored Lord, and I shall give you my answer this morning. I wouldn’t want to appear in any way ‘motivated’ to leave, but I do feel some inclination to do just that.”

The Lord lifted his hooves up in a calming gesture. “I do understand, and I take no offence, none at all. Regarding everything, it would be very graceful of you to actually wish to stay for longer. Honored Countess, dear Ivory Crescent, wouldn’t you agree?”

The mare nodded, having restored her composure enough to hold such a conversation, though her pear eyes still appeared a little glassy. “I would, yes. And I would also not feel insulted by your desire to move on from… all of this,” she admitted, those eyes saying what her lips didn’t. “As hrabiye, I wish to hope that the Mountain of Crescent hasn’t been… sullied in your mind forever. We’re more than this. We’re so much more than this.”

Twilight stood up, as she believed it prudent to speak her mind in this regard officially. “While I cannot speak with perfect conviction, carrying this unease right now, I shall not allow myself to view your Mountain, nor your Family, only through the actions of one pony. One bad artist can embarrass the troupe, but doesn’t make the rest less talented and worthwhile.”

“Ha, well said,” Bright Crescent admitted, also standing up and taking care of his mane briefly, with a trusted comb. “Do forgive me, I need to look ‘worthwhile’ enough to support that claim. What else is left there?” he asked rhetorically before he turned his attention to Twilight’s entourage. “Thank you two for participating in this judicial occasion. And I’m most grateful for your previous actions. I also trust in your sense of discretion, regarding the happenings of the last few nights. For said, silent prudence, as guests in my Mountain and companions to the Honored Princess, you both shall have my deep, personal gratitude.”

Whatever that promise meant, it looked like both Midnight and Rowan Berry were keen on remaining in the Lord’s good graces, and Twilight knew well enough that the knowledge they had gathered of the Count Brother’s excesses would be enough to bury haspadr Bright Crescent before Lord Midnight Eye and Lord Azure Mist, respectively. She actually had considered, with the Lord of the Crescent Family having asked her to keep what happened to herself, that he would request the same of her entourage.

Soon after all of that, Twilight did find herself back at her spire, and locking the main entrance behind the three of them she took as a sign of reliable safety. She sighed loud enough to have the sound bounce up and down the staircase as they were ascending to their rooms before the arrival of the promised meal.

“Honored Princess?” Midnight asked, concerned about such an overt, if wordless, declaration.

“Tired… Just tired. Exhausted, actually,” Twilight allowed herself the open complaint. “I had no idea how all of this would transpire and I’m still unsure as to what I actually think about it. What are your views? About all that we’ve just experienced? Admittedly, you two know much better how situations like these are dealt with…”

“Firstly, and with honesty, hwalba knaze, I’m very disappointed in the Count Brother,” Rowan Berry said, sounding very much like a dismayed mother. “I do suspect that this wasn’t entirely his own choice, however, to go through with that crazed plan. And by that I mean – that affliction of his. Yes, one would expect some eccentric behavior from a stallion of the Kwadri, but to such extent?” she mused, clearly consulting her own healer’s training. “I wonder what’s the basis of it…”

“The haspadr did mention that it runs in the family,” Twilight remembered as she rubbed her chin. “Something about his grandfather withstanding it somewhat well? I think he called him being ‘a little maddened’, but not stupid.”

“So that would be… Lord Crescentchant?” Midnight invoked the name, thinking out loud. “I think I remember somepony once saying that he had a sort of manic desire to perform again and again, until he could sing a piece without one mistake or false note…”

“That fits,” Twilight replied, remembering that little story that Bright Crescent had invoked during their private talk. “He had the entire palace be silent for three nights, for example.”

“That could mean a… hmm, what do you call it in Equestrian, a… personality disorder?” Rowan Berry mused aloud. “Those can be maintained, in a way. There are some herbs and extracts that can mute certain behaviors. They aren’t miraculous, but help out enough.”

“Could… Could he have gotten his hooves on what he gave me on the basis that it could have helped him?” Twilight asked, curiosity winning against the discomfort in her core.

The healer hissed under her breath. “That wasn’t… the same sort of potion, but similar. Papawe and mak are both poppies, but can achieve slightly different effects if combined with other herbs. Depends on the sort of goal one has. Dealing with pain, lack of sleep, or helping calm nerves is one side of the spectrum, but extracts from those can also make one susceptible to suggestion, unable to concentrate, alter perception and heighten certain sensations…” Rowan Berry explained in a tone of an expert herbalist and a covert agent, and quickly realized that her sentences could have been very troubling for Twilight. “Regardless, I’m not going to gift him with any sort of absolving explanation, or make him not responsible for his actions. He deserved to be punished for that, and I think he is due to receive proper repayment.”

“I, too, think that he’ll be bucking the sides of his chamber by the end of tomorrow night. Perhaps they need to make sure he doesn’t just break out through a window,” Midnight added, shaking his head and supporting the mare’s opinion. “It’s still quite unbelievable to me. I wouldn’t think him so troubled. Troubled – of course, yes, to some degree. But not one that would make him that unpredictable and driven… right?”

Twilight wasn’t sure if he was asking her or the lupule, but she still replied first. “ ‘Driven’ is one word that could be used for what he attempted…”

“I… I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean to make it sound in any way positive, it was just an expression,” the stallion immediately explained himself, genuinely embarrassed.

“Alright,” she responded, nodding to herself as she was still wrapping her head over the Count Brother’s terrifying scheme. “He planned it out quite daringly, still. I’m happy, very much so, that you two came along. And, yes, I’ll say it as many times as I feel like it, I’m also glad that things didn’t go any other way.”

She had to stop her ascent for a second, fighting a shudder that almost caused her legs to buckle. She heard the two batponies stepping forward rapidly, to support her, but she let them know with a gesture that she was fine. Or, at least, fine enough.

“Either he would…” she wanted to continue, but couldn’t finish that particular sentence. She mercifully didn’t need to. “Or I would have managed to rid myself of that ring. And I… I don’t think I would have been quite conservative with my magic. Yes… That’s one way to say that,” she pointed out to herself before continuing up the stairs.

She heard Midnight’s words from behind, as the stallion remained close by while following her. “As far as I can guess, being able to testify about some of your abilities and considering your nature, Honored Princess…” he began, taking a second to ponder on his own judgment. “I… No, I don’t think there would be a spire left right now, one to actually have the Count Brother indefinitely stay in. If there even would still be an Ebony Crescent to punish...”

Twilight wouldn’t have put things in such a final way, but she imagined that she could have done some serious damage to the place and to the stallion, especially if still feeling the aftereffects of the extract and being emotionally unstable. Trauma and arcane power didn’t marry well.

Rowan Berry must have come to the same, logical conclusion, because Twilight could almost hear the shiver that crossed the mare behind. “Y-yes. Now that,” she decided to comment, “would be quite complex to hide in any reports…”

“Oh, I can imagine that Lord Azure Mist would not let a detail like somepony leveling a tower slide,” Twilight told her back, with some measure of healthy derision. She then shook her head, taking a deep breath that had nothing to do with walking up the spire. “But I see that you have both decided to stay silent about the issue. At least you declared that before Bright Crescent. Humor me – had you received any propositions from the Honored Lord, then? I cannot imagine his ‘personal gratitude’ is simply an expression.”

“Well, hwalba knaze,” Rowan Berry’s voice reached her ears as they almost made it to the entourage’s chambers. “I wouldn’t need any sort of compensation from the haspadr to remain silent about this. Not that I have been offered any. But I… Let’s just say that, with all my loyalty to my own haspadre and my attempts to stay true to my calling, this is not the sort of information that would help anypony.”

“I have to second what Rowan Berry says,” Midnight agreed, and wholeheartedly. “Not that I’m a huge pan of Lord Bright Crescent—”

“ ‘Fan’,” Twilight corrected him on a whim, causing the stallion to hiss just a little, upset at his little mistake.

“Fan, yes… But this is such an extraordinary situation, and dreadful, that I am unable to tell what hwalbu haspard Eye of Family Midnight would do after learning about it. And, also, with everything happening…” he lowered his tone, considerably, even if there was a meager chance of anypony overhearing their conversation. “I don’t think you need this to become common knowledge, Honored Princess. You would have definitely earned a lot of sympathy, because some actions go over the boundaries of culture or race, and they demand condemnation regardless of anything. And yet, this would only make your mission more… Alright, I’ll use the term ‘awkward’ this time, because I honestly cannot think of a better word. All of your carefully laid plans would be jeopardized.” A shudder passed by the stallion just when Twilight turned around to face the two. “I dread to imagine what would have happened if he succeeded.”

“Would repeating just how glad I am that he didn’t be redundant?” Twilight asked, sourly.

“Perhaps, but it’s warranted,” the stallion told her back, and she could hear his hoofshoes scraping against the floor below. “I’m glad, definitely. And not only because otherwise I would have blood on my own hooves and fangs at this point…”

There was a part of Twilight that appreciated the violent sentiment, though she tried not to imagine such a scenario at all. Still, it was pleasant to know that he still cared. It… It shone from behind all of the darkness and pain of the last few nights.

She took a deep breath once more, turning to the two batponies for actual advice. Perhaps it was, as well, a form of restoring their relations. They had come to her rescue and had shown remorse for previous actions, one more than the other.

“Now, I am truly interested in giving Lord Bright Crescent an answer, regarding my further stay in this Mountain. Do you have anything to share on that topic? I’m open to your suggestions before making my mind.”

Midnight glanced at the other mare, then back at Twilight, and his tone betrayed conviction. “We will respect your choice, whatever it shall be, Honored Princess, but… I believe it would be better to move on. For your sake. I know you take great pleasure in learning about our culture and way of life, but I think that you will breathe more evenly when you leave Iug u Kwadr behind.”

“I second that,” Rowan Berry agreed. “One could go on and on, visit a gallery after a gallery, but one’s health and stability is more important than mere satisfaction from such matters. The only thing that would worry me is an abrupt leave, which could cause some gossip. Especially with the Count Brother nowhere to be found but in his spire.”

“Not if what happened remains unknown, and one could always say that weather conditions forced such a choice,” Midnight suggested. “Besides, I think that one cannot stop gossip from just appearing, but they will have no substance. None of those who were present at the hearing will say a word, and I imagine that the local wartowneci are the most tight-lipped bunch of all of the Iugs. Things that must be happening behind closed doors around this place…” he added, almost as if in moral disgust.

Twilight would have to agree with their advice, against the demands of a part of herself. There was prudence and wisdom in creating some distance from trauma like that, and she knew that the coming day, and more likely many more days, would still make her toss, turn and worry about even the slightest of noises coming from around her chamber.

“Thank you, that’s valuable insight,” she told the two batponies, ready to advance up the stairs to her chamber. And advance the conversation, for a thought that she couldn’t quite shake away had formulated in her mind and refused to leave until even this point. “Do… Do you want to share a meal, perhaps? I don’t think that it would be actually bad for me, having some company at the moment.”

The said thought, expressed out loud, did cause quite the surprise from the two batponies.

“If you… wish so, hwalba knaze,” the healer spoke up, cautiously turning to Midnight Wind for a moment, as if checking whether he had heard the same proposal. “I… I mean, I would think that, with everything that happened lately, you’d prefer for us to keep our distance. We do understand, we won’t take offence if you wish to maintain that. We can simply perform our duties, and nothing besides that, if that’s still better from your perspective, hwalba knaze. You don’t have to force yourself to endure our presence.”

Twilight nodded. She appreciated those word, as they weren’t only empty declarations, especially when she could spot the stallion reluctantly agreeing with them, with his own, apologetic and honest stare. After the reveals which had shocked her to her core and, inadvertently, made her vulnerable to Ebony Crescent’s emotional machinations, she expected nothing less but such a stance from her companions. True, Midnight Wind had attempted to approach her, not fully adhering to this position, but he seemed much more convinced of its importance at that moment.

She wanted to let them know of that. “I’m appreciative that you see it like this. Yes, I haven’t forgotten a thing,” she pointed out, allowing her voice to become as stern as her gaze was. “And yet, if I am to withstand what is to come in the immediate future and before my mission finishes, and who knows what that might be, I’d like to have ponies that I could at least rely on.” She stood tall and proud, but not aloof enough to have the gratitude taste sour from her lips. “You two came to my rescue in the time of need. I wish to thank you, once more. I also want to believe that it was out of more than just your sense of duty.”

“Of course,” Midnight confirmed that without hesitation, fueling his declaration with unadulterated emotions, and Rowan Berry gave a small bow.

“You were in danger, that was enough for us. None of us cared for anything else, an agenda or something, but to make sure that you are okay,” she explained, looking at Twilight, but battling her eyes wanting to escape just a little. Showing, perhaps, some last amounts of confusion over her own fidelity. “You… You are a most valuable pony to meet and aid. One of principles, worthwhile principles, so it was just… just a right thing to do. Regardless of anything, one’s views, preconceptions or obligations...”

“I see,” Twilight confirmed, trying to make at least a small smile appear on her lips, for there was a lot of weight behind such a declaration. “You say it was the right thing to do. And that is exactly why I believe we should, at least, share a meal. I’m not going to pretend like I suddenly don’t care for what you two have told me, and what you have hidden from me. But, at this moment, we’re in this together, bound by duty or belief, or anything else. So we can at least try to work together, do what needs to be done. So, could we start again, slowly, over an orange or two?”

“I’ll need three,” Midnight decided to comment in a deadpan way, and he actually managed to elicit a small giggle from both Twilight and Rowan Berry.

The healer rolled her eyes at that, but then responded in due seriousness. “I know the importance of maintaining a healthy diet, especially after facing some hardships. To help restore certain balance to one’s life. And I don’t think that the Honored Lord would object to you asking for more than just some oranges, hwalba knaze.”

“Those would suffice at the start, but you are right,” Twilight declared, hoping that the promised meal would bring those and more, actually. “If we are going to be leaving soon, let’s then share this meal, then get ready. Tomorrow night is within the realm of possibility?”

“A bit rushed, but if the same weather reports I mentioned would allow it…” Midnight reminded her, undoing a strap of his hoofshoes. “Of course, I expect that Lord Bright Crescent will have to send a bat in advance, to notify the Iug u Waesper of your return, but that can be arranged without delay. Not to mention that, considering what we have seen already, I doubt we’ll have to worry about Lord Dusk Harvest having to organize a grand welcoming committee,” he added. “We don’t really have a lot to pack, also, so we could move out whenever you so desire, Honored Princess.”

“We’re not a military unit, Midnight Wind,” Rowan Berry reminded the stallion, hearing his stern tone. “But… Well, yes, we can be ready whenever. I take it we shall be returning to the Iug u Waesper for at least a couple more nights, then?”

“Well, such an agreement was made. And now I have a feeling that I know why exactly. I imagine that the Count Brother was just… insatiable to host me here,” Twilight commented, realizing that she was killing the mood in an instant, but allowing herself the comment pointing out the extent of the stallion’s mania.

And, for some reason, she could see that while both of her companions immediately looked more gloomy, Rowan Berry seemed to take that remark even worse than the stallion next to her.

Twilight sighed. Her visit would haunt her for a long time, she felt. But she couldn’t let herself be defeated by even such a danger. Narrowly-avoided, but avoided, thank Harmony and the Goddess and whomever else.

The meal they, indeed, shared soon after was decent. Well, the quality of the food and the taste were as sublime as one would expect, but the atmosphere at the table was a little muted, at least. Everypony felt just a little awkward, and casual conversation was not really easy in these circumstances. The few, exchanged words were mostly about the upcoming journey.

Still, considering that the three of them were actually by one table and spending this time together, one could call this a step forward. Twilight could even spot that, despite their history and the absolute, open disgust that Midnight Wind had held for the lupule lately, they were managing to stomach one another, somehow. Twilight imagined that, with the time they had now had on their own, without safeguarding or accompanying her, they had conversed and perhaps actually explained certain things.

Twilight was of two minds about it. Their previous, amorous and adulterous connection was still a burden upon her mind and heart. And yet, her desire to see Friendship bloom around her meant that she should have been at least somewhat happy that the old wounds had a chance to, at least, scar over.

And also… Twilight felt lonely.

She had been entrapped by the Count Brother so easily because of this sudden gash in her heart, one which had been bleeding after learning of Midnight Wind’s past. Now, with Ebony Crescent having attempted to… Well, she felt that she needed somepony to rely on. And, naturally and perhaps foolishly, her thoughts were beginning to return to the warrior at her table. 

It’s not that she was naïve, even in her pursuit of Friendship, her dedication to Harmony, as well as her experience of love. Things from now on would be… different. Not so breezy and carefree, if they had ever been like that, with maintaining secrecy, breaking cultural taboos.

But she still wasn’t one to hold a grudge, to nurture hurt, and instead hoped to repair some things.

This was… This was something that the batponies had taught her. How easily she could at this point tell that holding onto the past desperately and vengefully hurt. Mulling over it, clinging to it with grim determination wasn’t leading anywhere.

One couldn’t be foolhardy, but one couldn’t be hopeless, either.

She wanted to give noctrali a chance, yes, and so she couldn’t simply rob Midnight Wind of his own. She had every right to believe that he had approached her already, asking for that conversation, to have an opportunity at explaining things. It was now just a matter of her having the strength to hear him out at an opportune moment. Perhaps tomorrow evening, if time allowed? Or during the flight? Ah, but that would have Rowan Berry present around, so perhaps he would not be willing to share…

Still, Twilight considered that she had done the right thing, asking for this meal. Finding herself able to eat, able to look at the stallion in such a controlled environment, it made Twilight believe that there was still hope for them.

Did she want there to be? Yes. Yes, of course. Her feelings for the stallion had been real and… and were real, however pushed away by everything else that had happened.

And she had every right to believe that what they were sharing was honest from his side, as well.

She just needed to hear him out. She wanted him to explain it all to her, to share all that could be weighing him down still. She wanted him to have that courage.

But… But she would be ready to have her own bravery, stockpiled and prepared. For, if by some cruel chance, life demanded of them both to forget their love, to confine it and never have it emerge again, well…

She would steel her heart.