//------------------------------// // Warnings and Weariness // Story: Right Behind You // by BleepBloop2 //------------------------------// [Present] The garden was empty but for dozens of statues and myself. The guards were probably busy looking for me. As if they’d be able to find me. A glance at the sky showed it was around noon, I still had between ten and eighteen hours before Luna had enough power to reform. And while that was happening, I looked like one of their Princesses. I was almost untouchable, beyond reproach. It felt like cheating, really. It was just too easy. I walked through the garden, reading the names inscribed on the pedestal they stood on. I didn’t get a statue. I was banished to somewhere filled with an omnipresent white light and absolutely nothing else. I learned a few things while there. The first is that, no matter how hard I try, magic does not have a back to stab. The second is that Celestia counts on sunlight to renew her spells. It’s the only answer I have for how I broke out. Over the course of who the fuck cares how long, the light in my prison dimmed and faded, the walls growing closer together until eventually they crumbled. What was blocking the light, you ask? A house. Someone built on top of me. I doubt she even knew where I was at that point, I’m pretty sure the bitch bound my prison to her seat of power, which she probably thought was her throne (as opposed to her place of Power, which is the Sun). The thing is, when I was bound, her place of power was a mobile camp. Yeah, not the smartest thing to do, is it? Long story short: she lost me. I killed her more times than I can remember, and she misplaced me like a fucking penny. It didn’t take long for me to find the one I was looking for. An amalgamation of all sorts of creatures, this abomination was known only as Discord. As soon as I looked at the statue, I heard a voice in my mind, a voice drowning in boredom and tinged with madness. My, my, if it isn’t the little Lunati… wait a minute. You aren’t Luna. You’re new. I frowned. My disguises were perfect. How did he see through them? Oh, they’re good, don’t get me wrong. I’m simply better. So, new meat, what do I call you? New? I’m hardly new. I’ve been here for a little over a thousand years. Like I said, new. Will you stop reading my mind? No. Look, Celestia and Luna locked you in stone, right? And you’ve had to have been there a while to think a thousand years is still new. He didn’t reply right away. When he did, his voice lost some of it’s bored tone, curiosity in its place, though the madness remained the same. Continue. I’m going to make them suffer. But I need time. Luna is off the board for a few more hours yet, but Celestia is still in play and I can’t counter her directly. You can. Distract her, annoy her, whatever it is you feel like doing, I don’t care. And how will you do this thing? Her sister and her no longer wield the Elements. The new bearers are most likely normal ponies, else they would have been more thrones. I find and kill th- Something slammed into my mind, as undeniable as gravity. It was a thought, a single word. No. Gone was the boredom, the curiosity, even the madness. I was not being told an opinion, or a likelihood. I was being told how things would be. No? I have done many things, over the eons. Committed atrocities enough to make the most devout question their faith, toyed with lives and minds of uncounted millions, perverted nature for my own amusement. But I have never directly murdered or helped a murderer. This is a line I will not cross. So either come up with a different plan or leave before I change your mind. So you’re a coward, afraid to face the alicorn sisters? Thats it, isn’t it? Oh, look at you, trying to manipulate me. It’s almost adorable. But it isn’t going to work. Well, if not out of fear, then why not? Just because I’m not playing with something now is no reason to throw it away. Once something’s dead, thats it, it’s gone. It’s just a waste of resources. Even the Elements of Harmony can’t hold me forever. The bonds weaken already. I’ll be out in a year or so. I heard whispers from everywhere and nowhere when he said the full name of the Elements. Oh, my, this is interesting. What is a little old spirit doing inside that head of yours? They aren’t exactly common. In fact, this one reminds me of little Lunatic’s imaginary friend. It was in my head before it was in hers. I murdered a sigh before it could pass my lips. If Discord wouldn’t help me, well, there were plenty of things in the garden that would. I don’t think you’ll be wanting help from any of them. The way he said them, full of contempt, caught my attention. He must have noticed, because he continued. They aren’t really your style. They’re all about the most destruction in the smallest amount of time, which isn’t what you want. You’re sneaky, smart, skilled, but basically useless in a direct confrontation. I wouldn’t say useless. I have a few tricks up my sleeve. And in my jacket. Whatever. My point is, they’ll double-cross you as soon as they think they’ll get away with it. An, with how arrogant they are, that’ll be pretty soon. So I was on my own, basically. Great. Well, I could give some advice, if you’re willing to listen. I pinched the bridge of my nose, by this point not caring if anyone found that weird. Continue. Don’t kill anyone. Celestia can forgive a lot of things, and I’m speaking from experience here, but she will not forgive a murderer. Find any other way of doing this. I shook my head, smiling slightly. It’s too late for that. If the lives of her little ponies are what she values most, then that’s what I have to take from her. If you aren’t going to help, then I should go. I have work to be about. I moved away from the statue without waiting for a reply. I was on my own, outnumbered, probably outsmarted, but not outgunned. I had a little over six hours to plan before Luna got back and I had to make my move. I had a thousand years of social norms to learn before I could pose as any given pony. And finally, I had to find at least one of the new Element bearers and kill them. Hopefully they would arrive before nightfall. [One thousand and two years ago] “It’s done.” My voice was dull and quiet, my shoulders heavy with apathy, though Luna still jumped when I suddenly appeared in her tent, right behind her. She whirled around, horn aglow and leveled at me. She looked at me. She blinked. “What did thou say?” “It’s done. Celestia is dead, for now.” “So soon?” she asked, her voice full of disbelief. “How?” I shrugged. A little enthusiasm came to my voice, though it didn’t last. “I’m the best.” Her horn lit up again, this time with a soft, almost gentle light, shimmering like distant stars and she pointed it skywards. “You speak true. Our sister is not on this plane.” She turned to look at me. “How did you manage this so quickly?” “Like I said, I’m the best.” She didn’t believe me. I knew, but just couldn’t care. I was tired. This day had been far, far too long. I needed sleep I knew wouldn’t come. “How long do I have?” Luna licked her lips. Was she nervous? Her ears twitched, eyes rolled. She could just be upset about her sister; I had no idea why they were at war. At the moment, I found it hard to care. “With Our Moon in the sky, it should take Our sister two or three days worth of time to reform. If she does so with haste, it will leave her weak, an easy target for thee. Until then, We will have quarters set aside for thee, as befit your new station.” I nodded, not really paying attention. The whispers had stopped, being replaced by a gleeful, maniacal laughter that grated on me like fingernails on chalkboard and foil on a filling. It pounded against the back of my head like it was trying to break through my skull and out into the world. Her horn flashed again, and a guard entered. As soon as he saw me, he charged. I didn’t even look around as Luna’s magic grabbed him, lifting him an inch off the ground, legs still pounding away at air. The guard stopped moving, eyes going wide as he was turned to face his Princess. “We have a guest in need of quarters. For attempting to attack a guest of your Princess, thou shalt prepare them. There should be space within the inner ring. If they do not meet Our standards, thou will be whipped. Are We understood?” The guard nodded, though to his credit he looked sadder to have let her down than he did afraid. Luna set him down. “Away with thee. Begin immediately.” He bowed, then left, keeping to a walk until the tent flap closed behind him. He started sprinting as soon as he was out of sight. Luna lay down on some cushions, facing me. “We apologise for the hastiness of Our guards, but we cannot fault them for their dedication. We will have word of your arrival spread. But until thy accommodations are prepared, thou will tell us of thyself.” “What do you want to know?” “What is thy name?” “Spy.” She frowned. “Not thy alias. Thy name.” “Telling you that would defeat the point of giving you an alias.” Also, I can’t remember. “Very well. Where do you hail from?” “I’ve travelled far enough I don’t hail from anywhere you would recognise.” I certainly think so, anyway. I don’t seem to be on Earth, though I could be drugged. Or it could be aliens. Her frown deepened. “Take off thy mask.” “No.” “Why? Art thou deformed?” “Yes.” I wasn’t. I just didn’t feel taking it off. “Do not lie to me, Spy. We bear Honesty. Falsehoods are as beacons to Us.” “I’m still not taking it off.” She snorted. “Very well. You have earned a small measure of Our trust. Is there anything thou are willing to tell Us?” “Not that you don’t already know.” She sighed. “Very well. Do you have any questions for Us? You are clearly not from Equestria, and you should know those you serve.” Equestria must be the country she ruled. “Where are the king and queen?” “Next question.” Her voice was flat, with no emotion. Next question, indeed. “You mentioned you ‘bear honesty’. Care to explain?” “‘Tis simple enough. As rulers of the realm, we each bear three of the Elements of Harmony.” The laughter in my head cut off suddenly. It started muttering. “Our sister has Kindness, Laughter and Generosity. We have Magic, Honesty and Loyalty.” I grunted. Good to know, I guess. “That’s all I want to know, for now. How long until my quarters are ready?” Tip for fitting in, use the words they use. They use slang, you use slang. They don’t swear, you don’t swear. “I do not know. When the guard returns, We will have him lead thee there.” She moved over to a map laying on a table, covered in small wooden figures in the shapes of ponies and tents. She looked over it for a second, before glancing over at me. “What did you see of Our sister’s camp?” I wandered over to the table. “Not much.” I moved the white wooden tent a little to the side. “It’s closer to there, and it’s a little bigger than yours, I think.” “Indeed it is. Our subjects have always loved her more. Those loyal and honest, however, follow Us.” Glancing down at the map, I asked, “What’s stopping you from taking the camp personally? While you sister is away, I mean?” “We do not wish to kill Our subjects anymore than We wished to kill Our sister. It is a sad necessity. She just refuses to see reason.” I gestured for her to continue. “What reason is this?” “Ponies have grown soft. They fear the night and what lurks in the shadows, not driving them out as they once did. They fear to set hoof in the forest, fear to set hoof out of doors without the sun in the sky. So We refused to lower Our Moon, forcing them to confront their fears. Our sister felt Our methods overly harsh, but We would not relent. Ponies must be made strong to survive, else the world will eat them alive.” ‘Refused to lower the Moon’. I’ve seen, heard and done some odd things, but that just cinches it. I’m not insane, or drugged, or kidnapped by aliens. I’m in a different god-damned universe where magical talking ponies move celestial bodies on a fucking whim. Okay, I can work with that. I can use this. I’m certainly not going to die in a universe populated by magical talking ponies. I do, however, need a bloody drink. Is it really murder if you’re in a different universe?