//------------------------------// // Verbatim Royal (Mercy) // Story: Echoes of Family // by I Thought I Was Toast //------------------------------// Deep in the warm and fluffy caverns of solitude I brooded and stared down upon the bane of my current existence. Pushing happily burbled beside me, a frizzy mess of mane and coat. Her hooves waved in the air in the warm winds of the convection currents, more than content to be near me in the darkness as I glared through a hole in the floor at the trio of hot, sexy, scheming backpfeifengesichter. “Traitors.” I muttered as Mettle and Morning threw back their heads to laugh at the Princess’s joke. “They should know better than to let the enemy in the front gates.” Pushing responded with about all the tact expected of a foal, blowing a raspberry and stomping on the clouds beneath her. I appreciated the support, but we were on a stealth mission. Gently rubbing her back with a hoof to calm her, a smile briefly crossed my face as I spared her the briefest of nuzzles. My glowering, however,  quickly returned the instant I went back to spying. “I mean, sure, she just wants to help, but they’re my Nightmares.” “Yes, and if you would bother to come down, you’d realize I’m not here for that. I’m here to see some friends.” I flinched as the Nightmother looked up with piercing eyes. “You may count yourself among them and come down, should thou wish.” Poking my head out, I bared my fangs in a snarl. “Nice try but I heard you and Night. You’re here about— about—“ The words tore at my throat, unable to come out as I put a hoof to it and grimaced. “—the thing.” “Ah, yes…” Luna nodded and reached into her shadow to pull out a scroll case. “It would take more than a few days to go over all the old and ancient laws, and I only have a few hours at most.” She harrumphed with a smile splitting her face as she hoofed the scroll case over. “Now, I know far too well how stubborn you are after these past few months. I felt it best to prepare all my advice in print—just in case. In there you will find both a list of the most pertinent laws still in effect as well as an outline on several options for you and yours to take. Ultimately, however, I am naught but an advisor here, and the choice is for you to make. “Read it whenever you feel ready—preferably after I leave. There are a few options in there you may not like, and I would like to avoid sullying this fine night with a shouting match.” “I thought Honesty was one of the Elements, Princess. If all you were here for was to deliver a list, you would have sent it in the mail.” Pushing was poking at me more and more as I talked with Princess Luna, and I had to briefly pull back in to reassure her. “Uhhh… Mercy? Is Pushing in there with you?” As I poked my head back out, There was a hunky statue of tempered steel arching his brow at me. “What do you think, lunkhead?” I tsked and pulled Pushing close before dropping down through the ceiling to land on the floor. “The only time she’s left my side is when I’ve got a hot date with the two sexiest pieces of flank in town. I’ve stuck to her like glue while living here, and that won’t be changing any time soon.” “This from the mare who runs at the sight of her mother?” Morning smiled and moved over beside me to play tickle monster, her wings flying fast to make Pushing a giggly mess. That deserved the biggest eye roll I could muster. “Pssht! I have never once ran from my mother. I just forced her to chase after me. Every second she spent dragging my kicking and screaming ass around was another second of her life wasted and another victory notched in my belt.” “You know Pushing might grow to be just as rebellious~” Pausing in her assault, Morning turned to stick her tongue out at me. “She’s welcome to try. I wrote the book on being a rebellious piece of angst; there’s no way she can out brood me. If she sneaks out, I’ll just lurk after her and she’ll never know.” I smirked. “Well, unless she’s so bad I’m forced to give her lessons.” “That would only make things worse, dear, but to each their own.” Morning was forced to return to her game as Pushing babbled and batted at her, but she kept one ear towards me. “Quite.” Princess Luna had taken a seat and was watching us with her lips quirked. “Now, if you are firmly out of the ceiling and down here with the rest of us… how about a game of chance and skill~” Levitating out a deck of cards, her horn was faster than black lightning at cracking them open and shuffling. “We have Knave and Fool, Tric-Trac, and even Karnöffel!” Ick. Karnöffel—the game of ‘pure bloods.’ “Knave and Fool, please.” My face twisted as I moved to flounce onto the couch across from the princess. “I’ll have lived a long and happy life if I never play a game of Karnöffel again.” “It’s really not that bad, Mercy.” Tempered laughed like a bellows as he sat to my right. “You should play with my brother Courage and I some time.” “If I’m playing with you and Courage, there’s far better games we could be having.” “Hah! Careful with those sorts of jokes, now~ You wouldn’t want my wife getting the wrong idea~” He waggled his brow in the way only he could. “Ohhhh… now there’s an idea.” Morning tittered madly, and both Mettle and I stared at her in shock. “What? You want to be our fourth?” “No! I wonder if we could set you up with Courage, though! He’s been looking for ages! And you two are both so carefree and wild!” She clapped her hooves together madly before sitting to my left. Luna started dealing, eyes sparkling as she watched us. “Yeah… pass. Last thing I need is another me.” “Oh, he’s not that bad.” “And you’re saying I am?” “Mercy, dear, I love you from the bottom of my heart, but you literally showed up on our doorstep with the intent of muscling your way in as a second wife.” “Yeah, and? You’ve been loving every second of it.” Baring my fangs in a grin, I blew her a wink and a kiss. “We literally had to sit you down and talk about rules and boundaries.” Tempered snorted. “You were this close to blowing things before they even began. Hay, I still don’t get why Morning lets you get away with half the stuff she does.” “Honestly?” Morning shrugged as she looked over at her husband. “I think it’s just that she’s been part of the family so long. You’ve both driven me batty.” She immediately glared daggers at Luna. “No princesses, though. I’ve dealt with enough politics to last me three lifetimes already.” “No princesses and yet you’re fine marrying not one but two nobles?~” Princess Luna laughed as she collected the first point. “Are you willing to abdicate your claim like Tempered did?” Hot damn, Morning was on solfire as she arched her brow at the princess of the night. Luna merely smiled and took the next few tricks in silence. “I suppose I am more than content to stay an Aunt. Verily, t’was little more than a crush.” “With all due respect, Princess Luna, you literally asked me for foals at one point.” Tempered’s grin was smug as a slug as his card won the next round, and Morning promptly thwapped him with her wing. “I told you to never bring that up.” There was a bit of a growl in the pegasus’s throat as her hooves crossed her chest. “No. You said I wasn’t allowed to brag about it.” Tempered’s head rolled back as he laughed and slapped the table. “Talking about it is totally fair game.” “So is castrating you.” I swooped in to take the next point. “You don’t see me chomping at the bit to chomp your bits, do you?” “Woah, woah, woah, Mercy. Don’t even joke about that.” He slugged my shoulder and my head snaked out to bite right back. “Joke?~ Whose joking? You always did need to be knocked down a peg or two!” “Hah! So says the pot, hissing at the kettle~” The big bugger cheated, swooping in to peck me on the lips. My face blazed as black as the abyss at the touch, and my ears steamed as I let out the most pitiful screep. “You— You— You!” With a huff, I turned to scowl at Morning just to avoid that cocky grin. “How have you not pinned and plucked him by now?” “Because I love him, same as you, dear. Don’t make a fuss about foal talk when you’re the one who's here and asking for an in.” Morning snickered and patted my side. “It’s going to be inevitable if you end up second wife.” “Hmph…” I scowled and looked down at the table. Stars above. I hadn’t even considered Mettle might want another foal if I hopped on his train. That… that was future me’s problem. Not even a problem really! I probably would have jumped at that chance ten or twenty years ago… if he had picked me and not her…. “Is that gonna be a problem?~ You were never skittish about that sort of thing before~” Morning fanned her wings as she giggled. “In that case maybe you should be banned from the bedroom? Trust me. It’s the only way to be sure we don’t end up with a happy little accident.” “How about we ban him instead and I get you all to myself?” It was the only obvious counter offer. “The couch is just as fluffy as the bed. He won’t suffer too much.” “Tempting… tempting…” She tapped her chin and hummed. “Don’t I get a say in this?” Tempered leaned back with a stretch and flared out his wings to cast us all in shadow as he yawned. At some point the first round had finished, and Princess Luna had started the second. She was suspiciously quiet for somepony here claiming to want to spend time with friends. Her eyes glinted in the candlelight, full of schemes and little stars as she watched us banter. The silence made the hairs of my neck stand on end. Clearly talking and having fun was all just part of her plan. “So, Princess! You’ve been quiet~” Only way out of that trap was to go on the offensive. “Is something on your mind? Any questions you want to ask?” “I was just enjoying your smile, nothing more, nothing less.” The princess of the night smiled softly, face half hidden by her cards. “So no, no questions. Not unless you count wanting to ask when I’ll get another niece or nephew. I honestly didn’t expect to see you three so close when I stopped by. It is… good to know. Tempered and Morning will give you far better help than I ever could.” Ahhh… horse apples and bug bits. I knew that particular guano-guzzling tone. “Bucking tartarus, Princess. Don’t you bucking tell me you’re feeling jealous. My life is hot garbage not counting these two. You know that.” “Jealous? Mmmm…” Her face didn’t even twitch. No movement broke the serene sea. It was a face that could give Celestia’s poker face a run for its money. “Perhaps a bit. I would say more melancholic. After my talk with dear Nightingale, watching you three is like looking back in time, and I find myself horribly missing it. Perhaps it’s time to start digging through my guard, hrmm?~ There has to be at least one that’ll catch my eye.” “None as top notch as me.” Thumping his chest, Tempered laughed. “In all seriousness, I’ve been keeping a list of all the best candidates I know of—Night, Solar, and Dawn Guard—just in case you ever asked. You want me to set you up?” “Set me up?” Princess Luna’s eyes twinkled but the mask held. “Are you saying you presume to know me better than I do?” “No, but I certainly know most of your guards like the back of my hoof.” Setting his cards facedown, he focused all his attention on Luna. “That includes the jackasses, the stiffs, the ‘single’ ones due for an arranged marriage, and the ones that dream of you but who are too good to ever say so. Look at it like that, and I’m basically offering you a list trimmed of everypony you should avoid. You aren’t looking for all the bull singles have to go through, are you? After a thousand years of being alone… you should skip what drama you can.” “I’ve seen the list, Princess. Added a few names myself. Took off others.” Morning giggled as Princess Luna opened and closed her mouth like a fish freshly snapped from the water. “Trust me if not my lunkhead of a husband. Unlike him, I even kept it updated so everypony on it is still single. The last thing you need is to hit on another married mare or stallion.” “You… worked on him with this? Planned it?” Luna blinked at Morning before her face melted into a warm smile and she chuckled. “Absolutely incorrigible. Both of you. No wonder Nightingale called you meddlesome. I shall take that, and would like to see the list you have for Mercy as well.” “What?!” I huffed. “As if they would ever—” “Deal.” Tempered and Morning—both traitors once more—nodded without hesitation or shame. “It’s out of date, but you’ll get a good laugh out of it, Princess.” “You guys are just awful.” Whoever was pouting, it was totally not me. “Pffft. Why? Do you think we’re gonna need it?” Tempered’s grin was probably one of the most punchable the big oaf had ever given. “No, but I— You just can’t— Why would you even— Hmphf!” I stood and picked up Pushing, muttering all kinds of profanity as I blushed my way out of the room. “I’m going to bed so Pushing can get her sleep.” Up the stairs and into the nursery, I collapsed into my cot and completely ignored Pushing’s crib as I clutched her close and snuggled up. She was quick to hug back and quicker to fall asleep. Feeling the rise and fall of her chest as she pressed close… …it was exactly what I needed to face the Nightmares as I too succumbed. The caverns of the Undercity loomed high, filled with unnatural and murky shadows. An army of slitted and predatory eyes gleamed just out of sight—little stars full of malice and wrath. The sounds of armored hooves thundered and echoed in my ears as I panted and caught my breath under the statue of some long dead idiot who had done nothing of note his entire life. I quietly cursed the day I was born with every profanity I knew, struggling to staunch my bleeding wound with a tourniquet. “Bloody idiots.” I gingerly took a step as the trickle of blood slowed, and snarled as pain lanced up and down my leg. “Who the buck is barbaric enough to use barbed bolts?” It was stupid and spiteful, but I stomped on the piece of shaft I’d broken off and discarded. It splintered under hoof, and the sudden movement only dug the barbs in my other leg deeper as I stumbled and almost tripped. I had to bite my tongue to muffle the scream, but the pain was worth it if it bought me more time; I couldn’t afford to be discovered. “Heh… any chance you’ve got another miracle in you?” I turned to nuzzle the sniffling little bundle of joy on my back. My smile was fractured, and my fangs were grit as Pushing shivered and clutched my back even tighter at the contact. “I guess asking for another magic surge is a bit much.” With a sigh, I sank to my haunches and leaned against the statue, bringing the foal around to cradle her in my good hoof. The hooves were thundering closer; the sound of metal cracking stone and soldiers shouting drowned the last of my flickering hope in a flood of despair. “I swear to the stars… if that blutverräter actually shot you….” It was not the gruff grunt or growl of a soldier that stabbed at my ears, but the icy chill of the heavenly sky itself. My heart froze in my chest as reality crashed down on me with the voice. She shouldn’t be here. She couldn’t be here. Princess Luna would never— A dream, then. But how was she here?! “Liar.” I wheezed out a laugh as I curled even tighter around Pushing. “You said you weren’t visiting to try and get in my dreams. What did you do? Did you spend the night in Ponyville just so you could muscle your way in?” “Don’t delude yourself, Mercy. You aren’t nearly good enough at warding to stop me if I wanted to break in. I said I would respect your dreams, and I will. I am not here for you.” “Bull! Who else would you be here for?!” “Well, seeing as your daughter was finally kind enough to let me in…” The voice drifted, hoofsteps falling, and I twitched as the entire dream went silent save for the Princess, Pushing, and me. The little foal finally looked up and over to Princess Luna, turning her gaze back down immediately after locking eyes with her. “I understand wanting to keep your pain to yourself, Mercy. That’s why I’ve been so patient with you. You aren’t the only one suffering from them, though. It isn’t every night, thank the stars, but you are asking for help whether you realize it or not. You drag Pushing here with you.” Eyes narrowing, for a moment the wrath of the Nightmare itself flashed over Princess Luna’s face. “And I will not have you interfering with my duty to her.” “Are you insinuating something, Princess?” “No. I am merely stating a fact. It is not as if you went out of your way to shield her from me, but her wards have always been a perfect match to your own. She’s been subconsciously copying you, and I needed that to stop.” Stepping over to me, she reached out, grabbed the bolt shaft in my leg and yanked hard. I flinched, expecting it to hurt like Tartarus. There was no pain, though; when I looked there wasn’t even a wound. “For somepony claiming she isn’t here to help me, you’re certainly meddling quite a bit. No guards, no shouting, and now you’re healing my damn wound?” “Your daughter does not like to see you in pain, Mercy.” She answered without looking at me, instead squinting at the bolt. “These… are illegal. Sister was quite clear about that when I tried to pack them for hunting. Did your father’s soldiers actually shoot you with these? Or is your mind just that dead set on making you suffer?” “You tell me, Princess.” I tsked and looked away. “I would if I could, but I have little to go on other than what I can see. I am not going to pry into your memories or subconscious unless you ask me to.” The bolt head clattered as it was dropped to the floor, and Princess Luna’s hoof followed quickly to grind it into dream dust. For a few minutes, I simply sulked to see if it would chase her away, but she refused to move. “I know daddy dead-to-me has an armory full of them, but no… as stupid as he is, he’s not stupid enough to risk using them. I would imagine the bolts shot at me were dipped in sedative, but I was too damn good to get hit. Couldn’t risk Pushing.” “Mmm… I see.” The princess loaded a thousand words into her nod. “And no, I’m still not letting you in.” “I wouldn’t dream of asking.” “I don’t care if every night is worse than the last.” “You were always a bit of a masochist.” “Stop acting like you belong here! What are you?! My mother?!” The princesses eyes narrowed at me as I spat at her hooves. “No, but keep that up and I will drag your mother in here.” “You wouldn’t bucking dare.” I wasn’t sure what sound tore its way out of my throat—something halfway between a snarl and a whimper. Luna’s face was a mask of stone, and the nightmare swirled with indescribable features lurking in the darkness as she kept it from reforming. “My patience has limits, Mercy. I am here for your daughter’s sake, not yours. If I need to drag in a different target for your ire, I will.” We stared daggers at each other for a solid minute before I finally yielded and looked away. “Well, the sooner you clean up, the sooner you can get the buck out. Shouldn’t you be giving us something to play with? This dream is a steaming pile of guano right now.” “Yes… well… I have been holding off as I don’t want to hurt you if I can avoid it.” There was a note of hesitance in her voice, and she hummed as she looked around us. “Dealing with foals this young is difficult. I cannot really guide them through their trauma, only give them comfort. Their nightmares are always messy with the root of the problem being hard to read. Even here… I may know of what happened, but I cannot truly help her until she’s capable of sharing her fears with me herself.” Clicking her tongue, she looked away. “I often give such foals a break from their pain by solidifying the dream and giving them a bit of time with their parents, so seeing as you’re already here…?” “You want suggestions from me, then? I’m not the best at this mom thing.” I peeked at her with my head tilted and a half-frown on my face. “Actually… I was hoping you’d let me look in your memories to give her a bit of time with her father. All she has is memories of you, Tempered, and Morning. It’s… a rather gray area, I know. Some would argue it cruel, but… she’s going to ask you about him someday.” Shaking her head, Princess Luna sighed as I sank to my haunches and gaped at her. “I understand if you’d rather I not; I do not know how deep that wound runs for you. You’d need to stay here and fuel the dream for her, and I wouldn’t want to—” “Do it!” I pounced and snarled like a feral beast. Grabbing Luna by the chest, I shook her with all my strength. “You should have bucking led with that! Anything to see him again! Anything! You can muck with my nightmares! I don’t care! I’ll give you anything if it means I can bucking give her that!” My hoof pounded against the princess several times as I heaved for breath. “Anything for a chance to apologize and say goodbye…” “Mercy, contain yourself.” The world shook and spun as I was wrapped in a feathery hug. “I cannot grant your wish if you wake yourself.” Princess Luna hummed a very old and very familiar lullaby as she held me. “You need calm if that is what you want. Relax~ I can feel your subconscious trying to draw and quarter itself. Just breathe and sink back into the dream. I am not asking for payment. I need no favors. You can still keep me out of your nightmares, if you wish. I only want to look into your best memories of him for Pushing.” “You promise?” For yet another time that night, I totally did not whimper. “You have my word, Mercurial.” The shadows surrounding us shivered and shifted, and the world collapsed inwards with a gentle breeze. It misted, blurred, and eventually cleared to leave us in a cozy little cabin with a crackling hearth. My eyes burned as I looked around to see frost covered windows and several pictures of me and Checkmate. Princess Luna was nowhere to be found, but I could hear somepony humming in the kitchen and smell the rich scent of hot cocoa. Pushing burbled happily by my side as I sat there frozen and unsure what to do; I probably looked like an idiot when Checkmate entered and I started bawling. “Why does love hurt so fucking much.”