//------------------------------// // LXI : Friends Together II // Story: The Steadfast Sky // by Greytercakes //------------------------------// The Steadfast Sky : Friends Together II The Grey Potter http://www.fimfiction.net/story/11495/The-Steadfast-Sky http://cosmicponyfiction.tumblr.com ~Discord~ “Well,” Luna said, “I don’t know if this is more or less than what I was expecting.” I said, “But it’s definitely one, or the other.” “Yeah. I think so.” We had come here on a little dirt road, one that felt a little undercared for, now that I think of it. It was nearly rainwashed away, peppered with weeds, mounds of dead leaves and rain-slicked rot leaving slurries in the ditches. A road rarely travelled, in other words. Yeah, that should’ve been the first clue. Honesty’s tomb was completely abandoned. But at one time, this place looked like it might’ve been a little Illuminator outpost. There was a black stone building, a squat and small complex built around a little overrun courtyard. We poked around there for a bit. Every inch of that black cobblestone was coated in either dust or undergrowth. Didn’t seem ransacked or anything. Nah. Illuminators must have packed up and left. Not a very loyal chapter, I guess. We didn’t dwell long on it. Bookend’s statue wasn’t in there, so the Element wasn’t either. Behind the little complex, encircling a gentle hill, there was a three foot high wall. And it was strange. Wasn’t cobble, not black stone, not marble. No, it was a gray, speckled stone, made out of blocks carefully cemented together. We guessed it was granite, but I guess that doesn’t matter much, besides the strangeness of seeing a new material used in The Holy God’s Construction of Ancient Monuments and Tombs. And beyond that… It wasn’t anything I was familiar with. A bizarre, scattered construction. At first, I thought they had only half-finished the wall. Hidden in tall grass and giant floral patches, cold granite blocks were scattered in even rows, rising all the way to the top of the hill. Fat stones that sat, stuck in the ground like rows of herbivore teeth, topped and crowned with noble beasts, with alicorns, with stars and common cutie marks. It was Luna who stopped to look at them. She was the one to notice the writing on the sides. And she was the one who looked at them for a long time, deep in thought. Slowly, she declared, “I think these are gravestones.” “Oh.” I glanced down at the stone beside me. Pounded carefully into its side was a name, a couple dates, a short phrase, sometimes a few titles… To me, that could have meant anything. A memorial to great heroes or something. Not like I’m familiar with ancient pony construction habits. “It’s an old custom,” Luna continued, “A kind of Earth Pony cult, before the country was founded.” She waded through a patch of yellow flowers, looking down at another stone. “I mean, look at the dates. Seems like a lot of these ponies were born in the Frozen North, long before the country’s founding. Yeah, um.” She looked up the slope at me. “Pony bodies should be buried under here.” “Hm.” I shifted aside a bunch of grass to stare at the soil. “That would be a… cheap way of getting rid of bodies. It’s very sanitary, if the bodies are placed deep enough.” “Deep,” Luna repeated blankly. “Yeah. If you just stopped at a few feet, animals would smell the rotting body and dig for it, exposing the body to other insects. And… Uh,” Luna frowned up at me, shaking her head. “Yeah, sorry. Not something you want to hear.” “Morbid,” Luna said suddenly, “Sorry. I just found the word I was looking for. Burying a body and leaving it to rot. That’s morbid.” Careful to not step directly in front of the markers, Luna made her way up the hill to my side. “Though it’s not like I’ve had to hand a dead body off to a coroner. Maybe that’s just as morbid an act…” Briefly, I remember seeing the coroner processions occasionally in Canterlot. Tiny nighttime parades, with a body held on a black litters or pulled in a curtained cart. What happened after the bodies were brought to a coroner… Well, I knew what happened to them in Canterbury. Bodies, taken or given, all wind up in the same place. But outside that dark city? Who can say. Death wasn’t exactly a polite pony topic. “But you know, she said, glancing further up the hill. “Maybe burial had a different meaning to an old pony like Bookends.” We continued up the boneyard, tall grass and weeds brushing down my belly and around my sides. Luna walked quietly by my side, focused on her feet, trying not to trip. For a moment, I was caught up in the careful motions of her legs, the way her cutie mark shifted as she walked… And I looked away. I wasn’t embarrassed by having her near… well, I was still a little ashamed of myself for looking, yes. But I was able to share my feelings with Luna. The fact that I was being yanked around by physical impulses wasn’t a big, embarrassing secret any more. She knew, she understood, and… well, she teased me occasionally. But with just a bit of honesty, things felt so much easier now. I still wouldn’t dare touch her, but with my problems out in the open, I dunno, I felt comfortable again. Like I could be beside my best friend and not constantly hate myself for it. Luna caught me smiling at her. She smiled back. She gave me a friendly shove with her side. She was blushing. What it meant was unspoken and clear. Yeah, yeah, Discord, stop being weird! We’ve got work to do! Finally, we stomped through enough grass and flowerbeds to reach the top. Here, there was a small stone house, pure white, like it was in Canterlot. It was a small thing, blocky, with wrought-iron gate. At one point, it might’ve seemed grand, but dirt, grass, and dead leaves were starting to creep into the tiny chamber, ruining the effect somewhat. Over the door there were no names, no dates, no declarations about what a valued friend Honesty was. But there was something. A poem. Sort’ve. Scholar in pursuit, the Truth most Honest your purest virtue. The one who could so easily tease a stallion’s Honesty from his Lies. Dare none to think they can take Truth from you. May your naked Honesty rest eternal, in undisturbed peace. “Well that’s certainly laying it on thick,” I snorted. “So that’s…” Luna pointed through the bars at a thick stone sarcophagus. The thing was large, and covered in a jumbled, intertwining mess of carvings. “No idea,” I said, “Entrance maybe?” Luna laughed, “No, no! It’s another kind of grave. You put a body in it.” “Honesty was turned to stone. Why would he have a box for a grave? Did they smash him to pieces to make him fit?” Luna laughed again, and I got to work. There was a chain holding the door in place, but as with everything else, it was old, abandoned, and severely rusted. I just found a weak link, popped an illusion over it, and slowly bent the iron further and further out of shape until… snap!  “There. We’re in.” “Oh geez,” Luna said, smiling nervously, “This feels like stealing.” “Technically, didn’t we take all the other Elements without asking?” She thought about that for a moment. “You know… You’re right. But this still feels worse. It’s weird here…” We both slipped into the mausoleum, and I went straight for the real/fake sarcophagus. I mean, it was obviously suspicious. Was it a dummy grave? Was Honesty held elsewhere? “Hey, Luna, this is the right place, right?” “Huh?” Absentmindedly, I rapped my knuckles against the stone. “You didn’t get a fake map from the Illuminators, did you?” Luna frowned, “You’re only asking me this question after we got here?” “Uh…” I stopped. Tapped the stone again. That didn’t feel, nor sound like real rock… I heaved my weight against it, and it wobbled. Yeah, there’s no way that’s real marble. Just something that looked very, very similar to it… An Illusion. A heavy one. “Okay, sorry for asking about that map. I’ve got something though.” “Ooh, need my help?!” Eagerly… maybe too eagerly? Luna fell by my side and, with a brilliant grin, wrapped her magic around the entire sarcophagus. She laughed, stopped herself. “I shouldn’t be laughing. This is horrible. Tomb robbing, that’s what we’re doing…” “Yep,” I said, “Now help me push this thing over.” With the two of us together, the real-fake sarcophagus fell sideways. Slowly and mournfully, it dropped to its side, fancy design snapping along its curves and lines. Beneath it, a pitch black staircase down to who-knows-where. “Funny idea,” I said, “Hiding Honesty with lies.” Luna stared down the steps, smile light on her lips… She turned to me and asked. “So um. What if there’s more corpses down there?” “Then I guess it would smell bad,” I said with a shrug. ” And I don’t know about you, but I don’t smell anything. So c’mon.” I immediately scampered down the steps. “Let’s get the Element and go.” We started walking down. The stairs were long, and it was getting colder. The walls were slick with water. It was dark as well, but that was barely a problem for the two of us. I could see the glitter of Luna’s horn as she tugged the shadows out from before her eyes. There was a soft giggle behind me, and then… “Luna what in the world?!” I retreated from her as she tried to press up against me. “What?! What is it?” “I was just scared! Thought we should stay close…” under her hoof, she tried to repress a smile. “Okay, but not that close. Please.” “Yeah. Sorry!” She tried to walk beside me, “Man, how deep does this thing even EEP!” “What is— Oh!” “Sorry,” Luna laughed nervously “Just um…” We both looked at our feet, stunned. The stairs continued, and we could see the ground floor beyond. But, there was a simple, horrible problem. We had hit water. Pure, clear water, splashing against the steps from its recent disturbance. “The entire tomb is flooded,” I said flatly. Luna stared. “Do you think the other Elements did that intentionally? To prevent theft?” “It’s possible. But… why? Why even go through the trouble?” I reached an arm into the clear water. “The others weren’t protected like this. Or at least, there was nothing incredibly difficult to get around.” “Yeah,” Luna said, still smiling strangely at me. “The dangerous stuff could be neutralized by earning the Element.” I snorted, “I wonder what’s Honest about taking a swim.” I pulled my hand out of the water, cupping the incredibly clear liquid. I stared at the drops of moisture on my hand, the wobble of the water… I frowned. Let it dribble back into the pond. It fell thickly, in fat blobs. I stared at it a moment more. Shrugged off my bag. And jumped in. “DISCOR—fwumf!” For a moment I floated in the frigid water. It soaked into my fur… no, the feeling was bizarre. It was like hovering in a bed of very loose sand. And in a moment more I dropped out the other side. Fat drops fell after me, sliding down the steps, failing to burst into streams. I grinned, then ran back up the steps, back through the thick layer of “water.” “It’s an illusion!” I cried, smiling widely. “Man, that should’ve been obvious! There must be some serious unicorn spells going on in this tomb. I mean, holy crap, look at this stuff!” I splashed it, the waves wobbling in something very close to the appearance of water. Close enough to fool most… But! “I spend all my time weaving illusions!” I cried, “If there’s more, no way is this tomb going to trick me! Seriously, this is going to be a cakewalk!” Luna laughed, shrugged off her own saddlebags, and we ducked back under the waves, charging down the steps, dropping down on even ground, and charging down that hall too. We abruptly reached the bottom of the stairs, in a flat barrel of a receiving room. The walls around us were like the ones I had seen in Laughter’s tomb, ages and ages past. Halls and walls carved directly into the bedrock, old and faded designs wrapping and spinning around the walls. But, instead of vines and plantlife, it seemed like only lichen grew this deep, in such darkness. Yet, the smell of those plants was still so thick, the air cold, yet muggy and organic, like old animal waste. Two halls led deeper into the tomb one each to both our left and our right. And right in front of us, placed in a curling, papery setting, our reflections sat, quite clear to us, in a field of formless black. “Wow!” Luna said, trotting forward, “What a perfect mirror! Look! It’s not warped or tarnished at all. And so big!” I said, trotting beside her, “I’m not surprised. The First Gods could afford it.” “Could they?” Luna tilted her head back and forth, echoed plainly in her reflection. Sometimes, Luna, you still do some silly things. I hastily looked away. “I’ve never seen anything this clear in Canterlot.” “Probably… magic, isn’t it?” I glanced up above the arch. At the apex of the arc, a book was carved. And what else would be on a carving of a book but a really terrible riddle? “If you’ve come on a pilgrimage, here to fill your mind, Then please, retreat, and avoid the horrors of this place. If you’ve come a pilferer, here to fill your pockets, Then die here, savage dog. There’s nothing here for you. If you’ve come a King or Heir, here to fill your duty, Then your Honesty will make the lies fall before you.” “We’re definitely the last one. I swear,” I joked. The book didn’t reply of course. I mean, it would be silly to just take my word at face value. “So,” Luna said, “Which way should we go?” I looked down both hallways. They both seemed simple and plain. Exact carbon copies of each other. “I don’t want us to split up…” “What? Neither do I!” Again, I felt Luna press close. Saw her in the mirror too. She looked leery. I looked blank, but with a blink, my eyes were staring up at the book again, watching her reflection only in the corner of my eyes. It’s nothing to have her near. Nothing at all. She spoke again, and her breathe seemed to tickly my chin. “We’ve got to stick together!” “Well,” I cleared my throat and reluctantly stepped to the side. Uhg. My smile was really stupid-looking. “The tomb is clearly trying to force a choice on us… But why is this mirror here? And such a perfect mirror? The conditions aren’t exactly…” I briefly waved at the wet, lichen-encrusted walls. Then, I looked into mirror closely, watching my own eyes narrow. “Maybe… we’re supposed see something in the reflection?” “Or be honest about ourselves to, um, our own faces?” Luna nodded up at the riddle. “‘Honesty will make the lies fall before you.’” “Yeah, we’ve just got to find the trick to it. Honesty’s a good start.” I stared dead into my eyes, and my reflection stared back. I liked the expression of determination on my face. I caught myself revealing the smallest flicker of a smile. A good smile. I felt confident. I felt like I could see through any magic. Illusions, shadows, and trickery were my domain. I would not, could not be outwitted by this place! “Honesty.” An embarrassing secret wriggled in my gut. But I had no fear in saying it. I mean, only Luna would hear… I leaned close to the mirror, and say clearly: “I. Eat. Meat.” Mirror-me seemed firm. But. Nothing happened. “Maybe you gotta tell it a new secret, Discord,” Luna said quietly. Strange. She seemed almost excited… “Something I don’t know!” Why did Luna seem so excited for that? I felt a little more of an embarrassed churn, and… yeah, I wussied out. I looked over at Luna. “You go first.” “Awww, geez.” She danced a little in front of the mirror, her double of her spinning around and around… I had to look away. I didn’t know if I was staring or not. I want to stop before I start. “I don’t. Um.” She leaned in close to the mirror, opened her mouth, and her eyes flicked over to me. “Well. Um.” She took a deep breath. “When-I-was-really-little-I-called-Celestia-my-mom-because-I-thought-she-was-my-mom-and, oh, that’s really embarrassing…” I stared at her. “Luna?” I said. “Huh?” “I already knew that.” “Well!” Luna huffed, “Only you and Celestia know that! I don’t go and share that with just anybody!” “So a secret we’ve never told anyone, and nobody ever knew? That’s… Wait.” I frowned at myself, expression echoed by my reflection. “How would the mirror even know that distinction?” “The Element of Honesty would know,” Luna said, nodding, “I think it would understand.” “But that’s such a tough requirement for an Element. I mean, Celestia just shouted ‘Loyalty!’ a lot, and Loyalty was perfectly okay with that.” Luna stared at herself, eyes wide. She had an idea. That was her idea face, and stop staring, Discord. “Do you think…” Luna said, “The Elements themselves have different personalities?” “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s not like they’re conscious, thinking things…” Then again, wasn’t it always me who asserted how alive the elements were? Me who really felt that heartbeat in that little butterfly stone. Briefly, my hand brushed against my Element. Maybe…? “Let’s just focus on the door,” I said, “There’s a way to open this, or activate this, or heck, a way for it to give us a hint. It’s not here for no reason.” I stared into the mirror again, caught my reflection’s eyes, stared directly into its pupils… They didn’t seem to be shining in the dark. They were flat, bright pink, and devoid of light. Strange… But what do I know about mirror mechanics? Maybe it was the effect of a spell, or maybe the light from my eyes wasn’t enough to double back on me. I leaned close. My nose tapped into the cold, hard glass. I could see even the smallest wobbles of my body, the things I didn’t even feel. Slowly, I raised my taloned hand, and mirror hand followed. I spread my fingers across the surface, perhaps to cast something… But mirror me’s hand didn’t unfurl. It remained in a loose fist, laying its knuckles across the glass. I stared at me. Retreated. Both of our eyes locked again. Mirror-me looked just as startled. Then he, and he alone, grinned and stuck out his tongue. “Ya got me, bub!” mirror-me cackled, “Those are some crazy foot noodles you got there! Ahahahahaha!” “Louse!” Luna’s reflection cried. She whipped around and shoved my image. “You ruined the joke! Ruined ruined ruined, I hate you!” “Bub here is the one who ruined it. But geez, funny guy!” My reflection’s arms twisted into a strange contortion, flipping  over sickly and tapping his chin with his elbows. “Let’s shout secrets into a mirror! Eh, bub? That’s the best answer you got?!” “Is the fact that… you’re talking to me…” I said slowly, “Proof that I’ve solved some puzzle?” “Solved a puzzle? Sure bub! You’ve solved a puzzle!” He began to cackle. “Solved the puzzle of how to humiliate yourself in front of company! Good job! Ahahahahahahaha!” “Oooo,” mirror-Luna stomped. “I was having so much fun and you ruuuuiiiiiinnnnneeeeeeeehhhh—“ “Uh, Discord?” Luna said, staring at her flailing mirror-self. “Is the mirror um… reflecting back the dark parts of ourselves?” “Yeah bub! I’m the dark part of you! I like ripping the wings off dragonflies and taking dumps in wishing wells! All your secrets are bare, bub! Now how are you going to impress the ladytype?! Ahahaha!” “That’s not what we plaaaaaned!” Mirror-Luna cried. “This new plan is stupid! You’re stupid! I hate you! Hate hate hate hate—” “C’mon, Luna,” I turned and immediately started walking to my right. “Let’s just pick a path and figure it out from there.” “But um…” Luna still look startled. “Shouldn’t we figure out if it’s really a mirror or…?” “Leaving and coming back should answer that question. The spell will reset, if it’s something like that.” “Alright…” I heard Luna following after me as I walked firmly down the right branch, turning immediately left and going deeper into the dark, musty maze. “Spell’ll reset?!” Mirror-me cackled, far behind me. “Are you listening to this guy?! Thinks he’s some kind of secret-haver!” “Ooo, please come back! Let’s play again, please! Ooooooo!” “Discord…” Luna darted ahead, and leaned in close. Not close enough to feel though… “I hope those idiots didn’t hurt you too much…” “What? No,” I waved the thought away. “I’m fine. It’s pretty weak mocking, all things considered. Just wasn’t worth bothering with them, you know?” Luna nodded and turned away. I could see every hard along the part of her mane… Though I had to wonder. Why was she being so chummy and close since I told her my secret? Always pushing herself against me and getting right in my face… Was it relief? Was she teasing me? I wondered if the ‘Honesty’ of this place would bring that truth out… To nobody’s surprise, a short walk away from the first fork, there was another set of corridors, one heading off in every cardinal direction. All looked the exact same. Even the patterns on the moldy walls seemed to repeat. “Welp,” I said, “Looks like it’s some kind of maze.” “A maze of Honesty,” Luna giggled. “So there’s probably a lot more tricks up this place’s sleeve.” With one finger, I swiped a fat pink line onto the stones, letting it trail into an arrow as I turned right. “But if we keep our eyes peeled…” “Oh! Discord!” Luna, a second Luna, stumbled out from around the next bend, wide eyed. “How’d you get over there?” She trotted towards me, gaping. “I thought we were right next to each other. And who’s that?” Instantly, I tapped the newly appeared Luna on the forehead. “Wrong question,” I said. There was a burst of white light, magic interfering with magic. Luna’s purple fur boiled away from the spot I touched, a slick black skull poking out from the spot, inching up a twisted black horn… It snapped back into place. The New Luna began to sniffle. “That was sooo mean!” she whined, rubbing the spot with her hoof. “Hey Discord?” Real Luna asked, “What’s… uh, going on there?” “Don’t try to outdo the master of illusions himself,” I said flatly. “Your tricks won’t work twice.” “Are they really that bad?” Through a heavy-lidded expression, Luna looked the Luna by my side slowly up, slowly down. “Or are they not really that bad?” I glanced at the Luna beside me and reached out to tap her body, confident. She’s been within my sight this entire time, or at least always close enough to touch. I had faith it was the real her. My hand sunk into her side. She gasped. There was a small flash of magic. And in a wide-eyed shock, the Luna beside me began swirling away into a blue cloud of rapidly disappearing magic. “Um. Discord?” her disembodied voice called. “What’s happening to you?!” ~Luna~ Discord was unwinding, from his head, and down. Though his neck was quickly vanishing, I still heard him shout, right beside me. “Keep talking, Luna!” “Um, bleep bloop hello I’m Luna!” I shouted. “Deeble beeble…I like key lime pie! I also like, uh, necklaces and frilly bowties! Uh… does it have to be the truth, Discord?” “Whatever! Just figure out where I am and use the sound to find me!” Discord cried. “Remember, I’m the only one that can—“ I wasn’t going to get the end of that sentence. The last of the Discord illusion vanished in a whirling puff. I stared down at my Element, still babbling nonsense, but my voice was growing quieter and quieter. Why didn’t we ever learn how to talk through these necklaces? We’ve already run into so many instances where a trick like that would be so useful— “Oh! Luna!” My eyes snapped up. Discord’s smiling face poked around the corner, quickly rushing to my side. “Thank goodness you kept talking. C’mon. Let’s stick close this time.” “So.” I grinned, and said the first, most teasing thing that came to mind. “You think we should walk in lockstep? Hug each other, maybe?” And then Discord would blush and not react as much as he used to but— A coy smile flicked across his lips. Wait. Coy? He nodded firmly, and waved at his side. He said, “Hug? No. But we should walk close enough to touch. I want to make sure you stay by my side this time.” I stepped forward, blushing. Was Discord teasing me now? Had he figured me out and now is using my tricks against me? Counterteasing! He was rising to my game! But here? Now…? S-sadly… this was probably another illusion. I jabbed at it with my hoof. “Ow!” he cried. “Hey, watch it!” I leapt back, a shiver running down my spine. It had hair on it! Prickly, jabbing at my fetlock! I could feel it! Felt, well, pretty much like Discord. A real, here, counter-teasing Discord… Maybe he realized! Maybe he knew, in this place, if we were going to be truthful, that he would have to tell me that he…! “Are you coming, Luna?” He looked at me, concerned eyes, but laughing with his face. It was such a strange look on him, but it didn’t mean I didn’t like it. Our eyes locked… There was no light in his eyes. Whatever this was, it didn’t think to copy it. “I um,” I said quietly. “I think I’ll wait here for Discord.” “What? No.” The thing chuckled in a very Discord-like way. “I’m Discord.” “Oh yeah?” In a flash of insight, I waved at not-Discord’s copy of the Element. “Then how about you use that?” His eyes were blank. “Use what?” “You know. Show me a Harmony Blast.” He rolled his eyes, still smiling. “Luna, we don’t have time for that.” “Why,” I retorted. “Are we in a hurry?” “I just don’t like this place,” He glanced at the cold walls, tapping them with his knuckled. “Look at it! It’s creepy isn’t it?” “Discord didn’t think it was creepy. And it would only take half a second to prove who he really was. So, whatever you are, you can go now.” I forcefully waved at the not-Discord. “Bye-bye.” He sighed loudly. “Luna, I’m hurt.” “I don’t care, really,” I replied firmly. “So I’m not Discord…” “That’s for sure!” “But don’t you want me to be?” He crept closer, eyes heavy. There was a sort of smile on his face, a way that Discord had never smiled. Never. At anything. Yet it was so easy, so attractive, in such a strange way… “Hnnnn? Can I be Discord?” I closed my eyes to the smile and backed away, retreating down the corridor. Firmly, I said “No. Discord’s way better at being Discord than you.” “Maybe he is… But, but.” I heard him creaking closer, the sound of his steps had something wrong about them. They weren’t the mix-match of Discord’s claws and pads. Not the click of pony hooves. But a soft, crunching sound. Like the cracking of plaster. “Is there something you want Discord to be that Discord can’t be? Hnnnn?” The prickling fur and feathers of Discord rubbed against my side, sliding across my cutie mark before I darted away. “I don’t want to change Discord!” I shouted, bumping into a wall. I peeked, wondering where I should run to next. Which way had I come from? Heck, where had not-Discord come from? The hallway seemed to extend into forever, only two directions to go and come from. “Oh, but you do want something from him,” not-Discord oozed, smiling at me, taking up my vision with that easy smile… I yanked the darkness up from all four walls, slamming the darkness shut between us. It was little more than a curtain slammed close, but maybe in the confusion I could get away from this creep! In the meantime… could I teleport him away? But to where? Harmony blast him? Just… just kick him in the jaw?! Could I kick something that even looked like Discord in the jaw? “It’s rude to run away, hnn,” From another corner (where had that corner come from?!) not-Discord slipped in front of me, holding himself proud and tall atop his knuckles. “I can smell that want on you. Smells like a carrot cake, hnnn.” Not-Discord nodded easily, with a confidence I rarely saw on Discord’s face. “You like carrot cake, it’s something you want.” “I don’t really like carrot cake,” I shot. Magic rushed to my horn. A reflex, but I still felt in control. This was weird, but all this thing could do was talk, talk, talk. Should I shadow teleport him? Without a destination? Away is destination enough! “Then think of something you do want, and I can smell it on you.” He grinned. “It’s love!” “No!” My heart panged. My insides suddenly hollowed. Magic popped from my horn, aura fading in the air. I swallowed hard, tried to pull my magic back. But… But not-Discord stared up at me, grinning coyly. And for a moment, I, I knew I did want Discord to look at me like that. I shivered, freezing under my own boiling skin. For a moment the world swirled… Then I stood up straight and marched down the hall, sweat cooling down my back. “O-kay, this is really, actually creepy. Goodbye forever, not-Discord.” “Hnnn, hnnn, don’t think of me as a poor copy.” He hummed, footsteps crunching lightly after me. “I fooled you for a bit, didn’t I?” I refused to answer. Yet. I refused to teleport him. Or even blast him. Or anything… I closed my eyes again, trying to just clear my head. I hadn’t really looked for a way out. This Discord wasn’t really dangerous. I just had to find a way back to the mirror, and I could sit and wait for the real Discord to find me. Or do something so honest that Honesty would be bestowed on me on the spot. Yeah. There’s a smart plan, Luna. Duuur. So smart. I wondered if I could teleport there. I felt nervous, teleporting to a place I barely knew, in a place like this. What if something went wrong? “No answer for your good friend? Hnnnn?” Not-Discord said. Like a bolt from the blue, that voice jumbled my thoughts instantly. “But Luna!” he cried, “I can be what you want!” I heard the crunching feet in front of me, and I had to open my eyes. Just to walk around him. That’s all. But Discord’s face… Again. My insides were seized. I longed for that beautiful, innocent, embarrassed, troubled, funny, enthusiastic, magical— Discord rolled his shoulders, staring at his fingers. “For a long time, I’ve been feeling so strange. I didn’t know what to think. It was so hard to describe. But I knew. Whenever I was close to you, I was so happy…” The only think off was his fingers… Discord always fiddles with his fingers when he’s nervous… “Luna!” Discord cried. I looked up, and he was close now, blushing, eyes flicking towards mine. “I think I love you too! L-let’s make out!” “Oh my god.” Bile rose in my throat. I cried, “I think I’m going to be sick! This is creepy! Creepy creepy creepy get away from me!” There was a bright flash from my Element, and not-Discord’s voice warped as he screamed. For a second I could see a black skeleton under the melting fur… And I spun around and ran. Magic pulsed into my horn and I screamed. “DISCORD. WHERE ARE YOU?!” ~Discord~ “Oh, Discord, there you are, I—“ “Nope.” I tapped on knuckle on Luna’s snout without even breaking my stride. Mirror Luna growled as it covered a black splotch on its face, then slunk away, dejected. “You know, with how many turns I’ve taken, I should be under the graveyard by now,” I said lamely. “Or at least run into Luna. How big is this place?” I tapped a wall, and it shimmered and boiled. For a second, a glittering gemlike frame was revealed, and then snapped back into place. “And how much of this place is illusion?” I stopped at an intersection I swore I had seen before. Actually, I had seen it before, because it was the opposite side of the original black mirror. “Hey, bub!” mirror-me called, squashing himself against the glass and waving. “Welcome back! You get lost?!” I walked silently past the sulking pair, and into the hallways I knew I had marked… But as I suspected, my pink line was gone. I sighed loudly. Would I have to banish every illusion in this place? It didn’t take too much energy to do, but it was independently powered by gems, and possibly the Element itself. I could spend myself entirely and still have not permanently banished a single illusion. I guess I could go back and smash that ‘mirror,’ but I doubt that would have any positive consequences… Suddenly, I heard a scream. I froze. “DISCORD. WHERE ARE YOU?!” “Luna!” I cried. Was that also an illusion?! What had they done to her?! I charged off into the maze, barreling through illusory walls. “Woah, woah, woah!” another mirror me barreled in my path. “Slow your roll!” “Away!” I summoned a wall, and drove it like a wedge between us. “Heeeeey, you’ll never find the girl just running like crazy,” another Luna laughed. “Chiiilll.” I shoved her aside. “There’s a limited number of paths, even with illusion. I’ll just try all of them!” “Too late, hnnnn,” another, Discord smacked his lips, looking rather pleased with himself. “Already made such a good meal, hnnn…” I whipped around, charged for the illusion me, and slammed my head into his side. It made a strangled wheezing sound as I pinned it to a wall. I felt it squirm between my horns, in the grip of my claws. Alive. Very much alive. “That is the LAST thing you want to mock me about!” I growled, formless illusions tightening all around the false… false thing. “Now tell me where she went or I will kill you!” The… the statement scared even me. But deep inside me I wanted it to be true. It was true. “Hnk hnk…”It gasped. Little bits of the creature’s disguise began peeling off in green licks of flame, exposing a slick black midsection, black, platelike segments heaving and rolling strangely as it gasped for breath. “She… ran… off…” “What direction?!” “Headed… Hnk… right…  way… hnk…” One of his legs squirmed, illusion caving around gaping holes. “Right… hnk… then after… hnk… left…” I threw the creature aside. It no longer looked like a copy of me. No. It was like a fat, pony-like beetle. Wings and eyes like an insect, horn twisted and black, too oversized and bloated for its own head— I didn’t dwell, I just ran, letting my Element pulse with my fury. “Luna!” I shouted, “Luna I’m coming!” “DISCORD?!” And ear-shattering shout blasted in my left ear. I whipped around. Solid wall. A lie. I charged through it with ease. “Whoops, I mean, Discord?!” It was somewhere new, a hall covered in sickly green glass and mirrors. I shouted. “Keep yelling, please Luna!” “Discord! Is that your Element?” “Oh life…” Around the corner, Luna stumbled, whole and well, Element glowing in her beautiful blue hue. I couldn’t help myself. My insides churned, and for a moment I completely forgot myself. I barreled into Luna and clutched her close, mutual Elements pulsing between eachother’s skin. Too close. I shouldn’t let myself come this close... Embarrassed, I hoped Luna wasn’t offended. I let my body get away from me… I hoped when I retreated that she wasn’t too disgusted by how forward I was “D-Discord. You…” “I’m sorry…” I tapped her shoulder, and in a dim flash of magic, it remained her shoulder. Good… very good. I laughed and backed off even further. “What, you’ve been gone for all of fifteen minutes? I’m overacting, sorry.” “No, it’s…” She looked up at me, almost shriveled and weak, biting her lip. She looked like she was going to cry. “Did those creatures hurt you, Luna?” “Hurt my feelings, mostly,” she mumbled, glancing around the room. It was a strange one. I wondered how I missed it in my wandering… “Does that sound stupid?” “Oh, a few of them can find ways to get under one’s skin.” I looked firmly at her as she ran a hoof in circles around the misty green floor. On instinct, I move a little string between the two if us, making it hard as steel. Let’s see the illusions separate us now. “So. Did you find anything?” “No. Just dumb hallways and false you’s. It was um…” she shook her head. “One, one of those fakes really wanted me to kiss you…” I nodded firmly. “Probably a dark reason for it.” “Well, what about the riddle…?” Luna said softly. “Honesty will lead you true?” I stared at her. “Did you want to kiss those bug guys?” “Not the, um, bug… guys. No.” “Then there, you were honest,” I frowned at the glass. Some of our mirror-selves had begun moving on their own, reflections wagging their tongues at us. “And nothing happened. Uhg. What do we have to do to get the better of this place?” “Be honest, I guess.” “But we have been!” “Not totally…” I stared at Luna. She was still blushing, still sitting on the ground and tapping her hooves together, staring at them with intense concentration. I tapped her shoulder again, letting a little spark of light flash in this dark place. Still not an illusion. She looked up at me nervously from the contact, her eyes wide and wet. “Geez,” I said. “Did they scare you that much, Luna?” “You are the real Discord, right?” “The Element’s not enough?” I cupped it and made it flash again. “And I’ve got all my fingers.” I wiggled them in front of her. “Oh, Discord!” she moaned. “W-what?” Luna shook her head, tossing her mane around her shoulders. “We can’t fool each other anymore, can we?!” “About what? What’s going on? What’s wrong, Luna?!” My eyes flicked up to the mirrors. Some of them had begun hooting and cheering. There was a strange buzzing in the room. Insect wings, probably… “Wrong?” Luna cried, “It was wrong for me to wait, but I can’t anymore!” I gripped her shoulders, pushing more magic into my dispelling ability, hoping to get rid of whatever craziness had taken over Luna. She didn’t even notice the flashes at her sides, her eyes were screwed so tight against the tears. “I’ll give you one more chance to say it, Discord. Th-then I’m gonna…” “Say what Luna? What have those bugs been doing to you?” I shook her, trying to look dead in her eyes. “Are you okay?” “I think. I think if I’m honest, then it will be…” she breathed. All of this. It was so unlike her. I shook her again, scared. Finally, she opened her eyes. She smiled. “Discord. I… I know you love me!” “Love?!” I squeaked. “But it’s okay! Because… because I love you too!” And with that, she pushed her mouth onto mine. And she just… breathed on me for a moment. I sat there. Dumbfounded. Our own voices hooted and whooped around us. Green light pulsed and flashed in the mirrors. Very bad. That’s very bad. Why is she still sticking her mouth on mine? Finally, I couldn’t take it. Gently, I tried to push her away. She retreated, eyes shining. “This had better not be the real you…” I said flatly. “Wh-what?” Her face folded tighter and tighter and, stupid. I’m so stupid. “Don’t you love me?” “Did you eat anything strange, Luna? Did they do anything to you? Tell me. Please.” I gripped her shoulders tighter, shivering. Overheating. “We have to find a way to make you better.” “Better?! I just t-told you the t-truth,” she sniffled, “Y-you gotta be, be honest t-to, Discord. Tell me th-that you love…” “Oh for life’s sake!” I threw my arms down, a pressure rising in my head. “I told you the truth! I told you about my physical changes, about being a Draconequus! Did you think I was lying to you?!” “I, I thought you w-were lying to you…” “Luna… what the hell do I know about love?!” I spat, shaking from head to toe, “There is no such thing to a Draconequus! We can’t feel that kind of crap, that’s a, a pony emotion!” “So is Kindness, isn’t it?” Luna cried, “Everything can feel love…” “But that’s not what I feel!” I screamed, “I’m here, all torn up inside, and you’re there, telling me, no Discord. You don’t know how YOUR OWN BODY works!” I don’t think I had ever screamed so loud in my life. I could feel my own lungs getting raw, horse taste of torn skin in my mouth. “It’s just love?!” I bellowed. “Well it’s not! Why couldn’t you… why couldn’t you just respect the truth I gave you?! That what I’m feeling IS JUST MY SICK, DISGUSTING BODY, AGAIN.” Luna sniffled, tears shimmering down her hanging snout. The silent air rung between us. “B-but… I love you.” “I don’t—! I mean…” I closed my eyes, still feeling overheated. Feeling… feeling… “I wish I knew… what exactly that word meant.” The room flickered, and the wall behind us suddenly became bare. Behind Luna, an outline of an alicorn statue appeared. Over the cackling laughter and buzzing of our own faces, there was a scraping sound. And with a dull thunk, a head-sized granite orb dropped unceremoniously between us.