Luna’s Story 2: Wrath of the Moon Champion
Part 7: The Champion’s Tongue
Stalwart Hide was seated on his haunches in the antechamber of the lunar barracks. He sat before the name wall, studying the endless lines of runes and pictographs laid out before him. A massive tome lay open in front of him, propped over several others. Mumbling with a furrowed brow, he gave a startled flinch when Aegis Shield appeared behind him and put a hoof on his shoulder. “Oh, didn’t hear you coming.” Stalwart said with an embarrassed smile.
“What’re you doing?” Aegis leaned over his shoulder to see.
Leaning down to turn a few pages with his nose, Stalwart Hide poked a series of translation lines. “Well, remember when I said this was a wall of names? I’m trying to find out if maybe I’m descended from one of the original lunar stallions.” He smiled at his partner, who cocked his head and looked up at the wall in wonder.
“But there are hundreds of names here. They all have their own family lines--”
“But you and I were given the only two sets of armor left here at the vault.” Stalwart Hide interrupted. “So, if there are any records of a retired lunar stallion, or maybe one that was dismissed…” he trailed off, smirking at his friend. Stalwart had been dismissed from the solar guard, no doubt there was record of it. “It would be fun to know, I think.” He smiled.
Aegis Shield looked up at the wall, leaning and squinting at the tiny writing and pictographs. It really was an impressive display, for all the symbols were inlaid with silvery filigree. Not only was the stone carved, but somepony had hammered malleable silver into every single individual symbol. It must’ve taken years and years to do. “You’re an egghead.” Aegis Shield smiled playfully, shoving his friend’s shoulder.
“Well fine. If I find one of your ancestors up here, don’t beg me to tell you which one.” Stalwart laughed, shoving him back and leaning over his book again. He shook his head with a smile, eyes racing back and forth over the pages. “Hrm.” He said contentedly, flipping a few pages and looking up at the wall again. “It’s odd, you know. Most of these ponies had titles. Ugly ones, too.”
“Oh?” Aegis said, peering at the book and then up at the lines and lines of old runes. “Like what?” he lifted a hoof and jabbed it at a random ancient name. “How about this one?” he asked.
Stalwart leaned, then squinted into his book, then looked up at the name again. “Red Hoof the…” he paused for a moment, puzzling out the other bit added onto the end. “Red Hoof the Stomper.” Both stallions made a face. That lunar stallion must’ve been scary, with a name like that.
“And this one?” Aegis tried again, hoping for a more pleasant name.
“Cinder Block the…” he flipped a few pages, considering the symbols and their arrangement. “Cinder Block the Immovable.” They both stared at the shining symbols, then shrugged at each other. Everypony on the wall had an impressive-sounding title to his name. Aegis wondered how Stalwart Hide would ever sort through them all. “I wouldn’t mind making a recreation of this wall using our modern alphabet. Then our brothers could enjoy it more, I think.” Aegis smiled wider, nodding his approval. “It would take years to do, but I think it would make a great monument to the original lunar stallions.”
“That was left in the old tongue for a reason, Stalwart Hide.” Princess Luna had appeared behind them both, and both ponies launched themselves to their hooves to salute her. She nodded once and they dropped their hooves. “Tell us, stallion, how far does your knowledge of the old tongue extend?” she cocked her head, eyeing the stack of books behind Stalwart Hide.
The stallion thought for a moment. “W-well, I took it instead of French all through high school, and then again while I was in the solar academy for my culture class.” He trailed off for a moment.
Luna thought for a time, then considered a question. Thinking back to the olden times, she spoke. “Nxuk seceh aj Aegis Shield's mudo?” she asked, gesturing. Aegis Shield frowned, he didn’t get a lick of that except his own name.
“Yellow.” Stalwart Hide said, nodding towards Aegis’ mane.
“And in the old tongue?” Luna pressed.
“0occen.” Stalwart Hide said.
“Nxuk aj kx0 fihfejo ad kxo ciduh jkuccaedj?” Luna constructed a new question. The language was beautiful, but a little biting. There were a lot of k’s and j’s, hard sounds that made speaking it come across as a little aggressive. The princess’ eyes were a little cold, staring deeply into his. Aegis picked up that the new question was certainly not about mane colors.
“Er…” Stalwart Hide furrowed his brow, working through each word slowly. Licking his chops, he came up with a rough translation after a lot of effort. He looked a little startled, his ears turning back in guilt. Aegis looked back and forth between them. Stalwart Hide sank to all four knees, taking her hoof in both of his. The expression on his face could only be described as apologetic. “To serve you, your majesty.” He said quietly, his wings unfolding and spreading them across the ground. Luna eyed the gesture, mildly annoyed that Hammershot’s tradition had spread. But, it was a gesture of submission, and she approved of this in the captain that had been out fraternizing with such a deadly foe.
“Good. We have thy next assignment.” She bade him to rise. Stalwart Hide did so, and the captains stood shoulder to shoulder before her. “Thou will paint a road with a large message, outside the palace for all to see.”
“A message? What should it say?” Aegis asked, feeling a little left out of the conversation.
“Mook ad kxo kxo fuhb uk knacawxk. A nudk ke joo 0ei.” Luna said, reciting slowly so Stalwart Hide could take the words in. Aegis looked at his friend, then at the princess. “It means ‘Come to the park at twilight. I want to see you.’ In Ancient Equestrian.” The princess said, folding her wings.
“You think the Moon Champion knows Ancient Equestrian?” Stalwart Hide furrowed his brow.
“We would be surprised if she did not.” Luna said. “She may not, but considering all the other oddities and circumstances, perhaps she may know a little.” Both stallions didn’t look convinced, frowning at her. Frowning back at her for their hesitation, she snorted and lifted a hoof to her chest. Closing her eyes, she tilted her muzzle up. “If, like the Moon Champion before her, she would seek to be powerful and regal as the goddess she represents, I would hope that she took the time for language studies.” Aegis Shield frowned at his lover. That was about as paper-thin as he’d ever heard.
“No, wait, it does make sense.” Stalwart Hide suddenly looked over at his fellow lunar stallion. “She thinks of herself as high and mighty, so of course she would know the scholar’s tongue to study her lineage and the powers she inherited. I doubt any recent texts would tell her about the armor she’s wearing. She would have to read private logs, old tomes—”
“And thousand year-old manuscripts, from those that came before her.” Luna nodded, glad they were catching on at last. “We cannot simply mail her a letter, we merely need to post up a message only she can read.”
“Won’t some academy students be able to read it? Or old professors?” Aegis said, still doubtful.
“Not using the syntax that the princess does.” Stalwart Hide shook his head. “The only reason I know it is because I’m with her almost every day. She speaks in the old dialect, using the old tongue. Her thee’s and thou’s barely translate at all.” He smiled apologetically at the princess of the night, but she nodded.
“Tiz true. If our guess is correct, thou will have a clandestine tryst by the week’s end.” Luna smirked, turning to go. “Aegis Shield, make preparations with a dozen of thy bretheren to surround the park and capture the Moon Champion. Stalwart Hide…” she turned and looked over her shoulder at him. She eyed him with a critical, feminine gaze. “Take a bath.” She bade. He leaned back and lifted a hoof like she’d just insulted his mother. The princess smirked a little, and was away.
There was a long silence between the pair of lunar stallions. “What the hay is a clandestreia tryfect?” Aegis was wayyy off in the pronunciation, furrowing his brow. His partner winced at the slaughtering of the language.
Stalwart Hide sighed in embarrassment, picking up his books and shoving them into his saddlebags. “It means uh…” he squinted at the ceiling for a better phrasing of the words. “Like uh… secret date.” He said at last. “Or, nuzzling in the shadows.” He said, trying to get across the more shady nature of the phrase. Aegis raised a brow, blink-blinking.
“Well… good luck, friend.” Aegis Shield said, putting a hoof briefly around his lunar brother. The stallion returned the embrace a little stiffly, then they went their separate ways.
=-=-=-=
The Moon Champion awoke feeling like a used piece of chewing gum. She moaned, long and loud. Her hoof came up and tapped the panel on her breastplate. As she moaned and turned over onto her belly, her armor melted away like quicksilver. The medallion around her neck was like a mild weight, but it hide the deadly secret as well as it always did. She stretched a little painfully. How long had she been out? She looked at the clock of the massive bell tower she stayed in. Flipping its hands in her mind’s eye, she moaned a little. She’d been asleep for over a day, at the very least. Hopefully she hadn’t slept through multiple days.
The ancestors mumbled at her from the medallion, sounding much happier now that she was awake. Pulling on her dark purple cloak, she hid the necklace under it to muffle the slight glow. Going to the glass of the clock face she studied herself. She looked like hell. Her mane was sticking in odd directions, her tail was a mess, and her fur smelled like salt and sweat. The drugs and poison she’d swallowed had really done a number on her. Sighing, she resigned to visit a bath house in the city. When she was sure she could move properly, she left the loft. Peeking out and making sure nopony was looking, she slid out into the alleyway and into the night.
The Moon Champion wandered the streets for a bit, then at last found a traveler’s kiosk. She knew the city, but not like the back of her hoof. Frowning at the map, she found all three local bathhouses. The Bounding Bunny, The Heaven on Earth, and The Rising Sun. She decided on the Bounding Bunny, that sounded the least expensive.
The Bounding Bunny turned out well enough. She turned down the lotions, expensive massages, and other such things. She really did just want a bath, and told the attendants she just didn’t trust the tap water in the local hotels. This made a few egos rise, and they didn’t question her logic. She soaked, medallion still around her neck, for hours. The ancestors nickered at her mildly, happy she was at least trying to take care of herself after that dark ordeal. Her muscles were slowly unknotting and relaxing, and she was happy to see the oils of dried sweaty readily come out of her mane and fur. Dunking herself, she came up and shook her head like a dog’s.
“Whoops, I didn’t know anypony else was in here.” A familiar voice made her jolt, ice flowing through her veins. She stared up at him, a rather bashful-looking stallion with a black mane and a portion of a brick wall on his flank. He had a towel draped over his back, and a few one-use shampoo bottles balanced there. Ponies had no concept of nudity, but bathing was something different altogether. The Moon Champion panicked, caught off guard by his sudden appearance. “Is… this pool taken?” he asked her. The hot, steaming spring had enough space to fit a dozen ponies, but it was just her for the moment. She frowned at him. Didn’t he recognize… oh no, he wouldn’t. He’d not seen her in her non-Champion state. Even when she’d lifted her visor, her eyes and fur color had been different. He wouldn’t know her.
“There’s plenty of room.” She said slowly, backing up and going to soak behind one of the boulders sticking out of the water.
“Thanks.” Stalwart Hide said, setting his towel aside and cantering down the ramp into the water. She listened to him moan at the feeling of stepping into the baths. Should she call out to him? Should she do anything? No. No. They were both here for bathing, not for battle or confused sexual escapades. She blushed at the last thought, then peeked over the boulder at him with a scowl. The ancestors murmured at her, a crowd of chuckling mares encouraging just a little bit. She hissed at them angrily.
The stallion scrubbed, then went about his bath. You were supposed to scrub and clean yourself to one side, pour water on your head to get rid of the suds, then soak in the spring to become clean in spirit and mind. Stalwart Hide set his things on the edge of the pool, then found a nice corner to lean against so he could relax. “H’ahhh…” he stared at the night sky, his head tilted all the way back.
“Nice night.” The Moon Champion said before she could stop herself. She sidled out from behind the boulder to look at him. He regarded her, then smiled in neutral way one would with a stranger. “The new moon makes it darker, so the stars are easier to see.” Twas true, the new moon had made the sky much, much darker than normal and all the stars were just radiant.
“Yeah.” He said, tilting his head back to admire them. She continued to quietly study him, splashing in the water just a little as she settled onto her haunches. The water came up to her chin while she was seated, and she tilted her head back. She sighed, enjoying its warmth as her internal body temperature rose a bit. It was nice to just sit and doze in the waters. It wouldn’t cool like a tub or a barrel bath, the springs were magically kept hot.
“So what brings a stallion to bathe so late at night?” she smiled playfully.
“I have a… date. Sort of.” The stallion confessed.
“Oh?” she said with interest.
“Mhm. I’m supposed to get all clean and polished up.” His expression was a worried one, though. She tilted her head, looking into his eyes and studying the troubled downward curve of his mouth. Tossing her silvery mane, she splashed a little to come closer to him. He flicked his eyes at her, but when she stopped at a closer rock instead he relaxed.
“Well that’s to be expected, I would imagine, for going out on a date.” She said in a friendly way, seating herself. “Can’t have you showing up in unshorn fetlocks and straw sticking out of your mane, can we?” she snickered, and he suddenly chuckled back at her. There, she was in with him.
“No, haha, I suppose not!” he fluttered his wings a little, fixing her with a friendly smile. He leaned back to dunk his mane in the hot waters, then shook his head so he could go back to relaxing.
“What’s she like?” The Moon Champion asked, unable to help herself.
“Er well… its complicated.” He said, blushing a little.
“I won’t tell.” She said conspiratorially, chuckling and pushing her mane behind her ears. “Besides, it’ll help to get it off your chest if there’s something bothering you.” She said.
The stallion looked at her for a long time, his smile fading a little. She leaned back, sure he was about to put two and two together and recognize her. She let out her held breath when he shrugged. “Well, she’s uh… overbearing. And strong. Stronger than me.”
“Something wrong with a strong female?” she said a little more hotly than she meant to. She lifted a hoof to her mouth, cursing inwardly. The ancestors nickered with amusement in the back of her head. She cursed them too.
“No, she’s just…” Stalwart Hide searched for a phrase, frowning at the stars. “She’s gotta be in charge. And… I kind’a like that.” He said, blushing a little. “But that’s not something a stallion normally likes.” He said quickly. “It’s weird.”
“You’d be surprised how many mares like to be on top.” The Moon Champion chuckled, thinking of her mother and grandmother. Both very formidable mares who wore the proverbial pants in their respective marriages.
“Oh yeah?” he laughed with her. “And what do you do when you like that sort of thing?” he didn’t know why he was spilling his guts to this perfect stranger. But, given the circumstances, it felt good to actually say it out loud.
“You let her be in charge.” She snickered at him, smiling a bit wider. “If you’re both happy with it, why question it?” she took the stallion’s pride down a few pegs with a haughty smile, but he could tell she meant every word. “So long as your happy, huh?” she offered.
“Yeah…” he said, returning his gaze to the sky. “Yeah, you’re right I suppose.” His eyes saw other things elsewhere, and the troubled frown returned.
The Moon Champion soon rose, quite finished pressing her luck for the evening. “Well, good luck.” She smiled over her shoulder at him. She tried not to laugh when she saw the stallion’s eyes flick between her face and her rump. Her ego inflated just a bit, and she splashed at him with her tail. He smiled apologetically, and she was away. Grabbing her towel as she went, she was gone from the springs.
The mare dried herself, brushed and tamed her wonderful mane down to something more manageable. She felt as fresh as a springtime daisy, and her spirits were certainly lifted. Not a bad stallion, either. She smirked a little, leaving the towel and other things behind for the servants to take care of. She paid for her bath and supplies, and was away. She was about to take off down the road when she came to a jerking halt. The street had been painted red! Ponies had stopped to stare at the massive, messy runes with confused frowns. None of them could read what it said. Tilting her head all the way to one side, she saw ancient Equestrian symbols lined up along the sidewalk. Her brow furrowed. The ancestors suddenly CROWDED forward, murmuring with loud interest. ‘Mook ad kxo kxo fuhb uk knacawxk. A nudk ke joo 0ei, Stalwart Hide’ it said. “Come to the… to the park… at twilight. I want... to see... see you… from Stalwart Hide.” she mumbled through it after sifting to get an okay translation. The stallion she’d taken the interest in? Was that his name? She remembered the brick wall cutie mark. It seemed to fit, considering how tough-as-rubber he was when she’d beaten the every-loving buck out of him in the alleyway. She smelled a trap, for the prickles in her mane told her so. The ancestors frowned at each other, unsure.
The Moon Champion stepped into an alley and out of sight. She had no doubt it was from someone in the palace, no doubt the princess herself. But if they were using Stalwart Hide as bait, it meant they were getting smarter and wanted to see her. She smirked just a little bit as she disappeared into shadow. She mumbled the oath and the armor exploded across her clean and happy body. She would go. She wanted to see how much of a trap it was.
End of Part 7