//------------------------------// // Shade & Color // Story: The Challenge of Fleur // by PaulAsaran //------------------------------// “I’m going to try again,” Luna announced, closing her eyes and focusing. Fancy didn’t want her to. After what had happened last time, he was getting nervous. He didn’t know what that thing was, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to. Perhaps he was being foolish. Perhaps it had only been a trap set by Fleur to keep them from escaping. Besides, he’d just said something that had too strongly hinted at his personal…interests. He wasn’t about to open his mouth again. Luna’s horn was growing brighter, her face contorted in a grimace. Clearly Fleur’s magic was stronger than she’d anticipated. Fancy braced himself, just knowing that at any mome- The high-pitched howling hit his ears again! This time there was real pain at its unearthly tone. Fancy closed his eyes, muscles tightening as he fought to maintain his stance. He would not fall again! And that faceless head that seemed to be staring from within his mind… Why did it make him feel so alone? Fear was creeping into him, combining with the pain and noise and imagery. He didn’t know what this was, but he hated it! It was gone. He let out a gasp and opened his eyes to find the Princess climbing to her hooves, eyes wide and livid. She was saying something, but his ears were still ringing, and he couldn’t make out her words. He could only watch as she spoke soundlessly, venting her frustration in a manner he assumed was not fit for royalty. By the time the ringing came to an end, so had her rant. She sat on the black ground, seething and glaring up at what he assumed was her paper moon. He barely noted that she now had a shadow, or the dark fog that now seemed to encompass the plain, uninteresting halls. He was interested in her, and her obvious anger. “Princess,” he ventured, taking a cautious step closer, “do not let it trouble you. I am sure Fleur-” “Do not speak of that witch to me,” Luna hissed, turning her head away from him. Witch? Fancy frowned, a spark of anger igniting within. Fleur had been called many things, but this was the first time he’d heard her spoken of in such a manner, and he didn’t like it. “Pardon my boldness,” he replied with a strained attempt at civility, “but are you blaming her for us being here?” “What kind of question is that?” Luna demanded, turning to him with a sneer. “Who else is there to blame? This is not frightening, it’s not interesting. It’s a waste of my time!” Fancy impressed himself by not being intimidated. “Then why did you come?” “I did not want to,” she announced, standing and pacing. “I told myself not to accept the invitation, but I did it, anyway. Perhaps it was curiosity. Perhaps I just wanted to end my sister’s endless encouragements. But I did come, and now I’m stuck in this pointless world with an elitist when I should be out on nightmare duty, or at least preparing for Nightmare Night!” Fancy bristled at her words, watching as she walked through a wall and beyond his vision. “It is not Fleur’s fault you are here. Do not blame her for your decision! Joining us tonight was optional, as you know.” Her head appeared through the wall, eyes piercing. “Of course you would take her side in the matter. She should have been better prepared!” “Or perhaps you should be a bit more patient,” Fancy offered with head held high. “Do not try to pin your mistake upon others. It is not becoming of a princess.” Luna’s eyes went wide, her jaw clenching as she stared at him. “Y-you… How dare you!” She stepped forward, out of the wall, and loomed tall over him. “You presume to lecture me on proper behavior? You forget your place! Mayhap you are ‘the most important pony in Canterlot,’ but you are still naught but a subject!” “And you are not the ideal princess and ruler I’ve been touting for the past few years,” he countered. “I never knew you to be so hotheaded. Truly, the sun and the moon really are entirely different.” They glared at one another for several seconds, neither willing to speak any further. Fancy couldn’t deny that he was a little intimidated by her looming presence, but if she could speak her mind, then so could he. They were alone and this was a private conversation, so he didn’t care at all about her rank! But even so… Those eyes were just a little too harsh… To his relief, she finally turned away. He resisted letting out a sigh and focused on hearing her response, for it was clear she was preparing one. She stared straight ahead, lips pursed in a deep frown and eyes like daggers. “I should leave you to go through this boredom by yourself,” she muttered, “but that is not acceptable.” Her eye locked onto him, making him tense at the anger it revealed. “If I did not have my…suspicions…you would be on your own, Fancy.” He appreciated that; if there was anything he didn’t want to be, it was alone. After all, he always felt alone. But he wasn’t about to reveal that bit of weakness, not after he’d so successfully stood up to her. The silence lingered between them. He glanced around at the pale walls, studying how his shadows played on them. He shifted, coughed, glanced over. She was making a clear effort not to look at him. This quiet couldn’t last. “So,” he said, “now what? Will you attempt another escape?” She sighed and waved a hoof, the fog swirling about at the motion. “I shall wait, and see where this goes. It may be better for Fleur’s health.” Luna fought her anger down by taking slow, steadying breaths. She tried to look at the moon for comfort. It didn’t appear so fake as before; it had a sense of depth to it. But it was still not real. It looked more like the prop for some stage play, and provided no relaxation. Indeed, it only enhanced her frustration. So instead, she turned her eyes upon Fancy. He was lying on his belly, eyes set to his hooves. He was clearly avoiding looking at her. She was frustrated with him, too, and yet she begrudgingly had to give him credit for defending his friend. It was a decidedly noble characteristic. And she’d taken offense. She turned away from him, grimacing as she thought on her conduct and staring deep into the dark fog. She would not apologize, even if she knew he’d been right. She would simply have to admire him in silence, much in the way he seemed to admire her. Oh yes, she hadn’t missed it. Touting her name, was he? She would have to look into that claim; her nocturnal methods made it a little difficult to keep up with public perception, and she had the most difficulty with Canterlot ponies. She simply could not identify with them. Nobility in this modern Equestria was nothing like it had been back before her exile. She raised her head as she noted the hissing. It was faint, so much so that she wondered if she wasn’t imagining it. She glanced back at Fancy and saw him looking about with sharp eyes, his ears perked. No, she wasn’t imagining it. She caught his eye through the fog, prompting him to ask, “Perhaps it is another trick of Fleur’s?” Luna could not be certain. After what she had seen… It was too risky to take any chances. “We must move.” “Move?” he repeated, climbing to his hooves. “Why?” Once again, she considered telling the truth, and once again, she decided against it. “Just come with me.” She began to walk through the woods, the thickening clouds drifting about her body like smoke. After a few steps, however, she realized she was alone. “Are you not coming?” she asked, turning to face him. Fancy was standing in place, eyes shifting in the fog. “I cannot follow. You’re going through walls, Princess.” Luna groaned and rubbed her forehead in frustration; of course, she’d forgotten. Now what? She didn’t want to linger in this fog, it made her anxious, and that hissing sound wouldn’t quiet down. If that thing was around, she had no intention of running into it, then she didn’t dare lave Fancy on his own… “L-Luna!” She blinked, her attention going back to Fancy. “Come back!” He began to pace the invisible wall between them, eyes wide with fear. “Don’t leave me behind.” Why was he so frightened? “I am still here, Fancy,” she claimed, walking forward until she was standing at his side. He jerked away, but then let out a deep sigh. “Thank Goddess. Please, don’t worry me like that.” She leaned forward to eye him. “Are you… Afraid?” His eyes widened, yet he recovered quickly. “But of course not!” He raised his head high with a grin. “A little fog and a few drab walls aren’t enough to frighten me, my lady.” Luna wasn’t fooled, but she also wasn’t about to press him. That incessant hissing noise reminded her that there were more interesting matters at hoof. “Lead the way, and I will follow. This way you will not lose me.” He nodded and began to walk. She kept close behind, watching as he weaved a seemingly random path among the trees. She had wondered about his claims of seeing walls, but only now was she able to fully believe him on the matter. Seeking something to distract from that horrid hissing sound, she studied the fake trees… And realized that they weren’t plain white and green, anymore. The tall trunks, which now had a sense of curvature to them, were gaining a steady brownish shade, and the triangular ‘leaves’ were starting to form distinct colorations. The world was developing, slowly but certainly. Even the ground, she noted, was beginning to take on a unique coloration of dark browns and greens. Fleur was working on the world, gradually and clearly… But to what end? Fancy paused to rub his ears with a frustrated grimace. “I say, what is that wretched hissing?” His words jerked Luna back into the situation at hoof. She forced a smile to her lips and tried to keep her voice steady. “It’s…probably a flaw in Fleur’s spell, that’s all.” But the noise was definitely getting louder. Fancy resumed his walking, head low. From behind, he had the peculiar look of a capsized ship floating through the fog’s smoky whisps. Was it her imagination, or was the fog getting thicker? He spoke, voice quiet and dripping with aggravation. “Where are we even going? I have had just about enough of this place…” The noise was clearly having an effect on his morale. Luna couldn’t blame him; it was making her anxious, too. “As long as we keep moving,” she told him, trying to add some cheer into her voice. “It is better than merely waiting for Fleur to give up, isn’t it?” “If I didn’t know any better,” he ventured, “I’d say this place is getting to you, too.” She frowned and eyed the forest. Her ears drooped as the hissing grew louder. “It is hard to keep one’s patience with that abominable noise.” Fancy sat, the fog roiling away from him. “I’ll not argue that sentiment. Fleur, if you do not shut that infernal hissing off…!” Luna nudged his shoulder. “Now, now. If anypony is meant to be upset with her, it is me.”