//------------------------------// // Panic, Shadows, and Love // Story: Her Knight in Faded Armor // by Doccular42 //------------------------------// Luna raced through the castle’s corridors, headed for her sister’s room. A feeling of abject horror filled her mind as she saw the bullet holes that peppered the walls of the long, twisting hallways. The floors around the damaged walls were more polished than the other areas, and Luna shuddered as she realized why. Blood could be remarkably difficult to clean up after it dries. The princess skidded to a stop outside of Celestia’s quarters. “Where is my sister?” she demanded. The guards outside turned to face her. “Princess Luna!” the first said as he bowed. “Princess Celestia is not here right now.” The Lunar Princess gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. “Do you know where I can find her?” she asked quietly. “I think she went down to the Royal Guard headquarters,” the second guard chimed. “I heard her talking to Knight-Captain Dovetail about five minutes ago.” She nodded distractedly. “Thank you, both of you.” “Highness!” declared the first guard as he snapped to attention. Luna spun around and headed back toward the center of the castle. Everything had happened so fast… Servants and soldiers sprinted past her, carrying equipment and frantically moving to their posts. The ponies all hugged the walls as she zoomed past, avoiding the princess’ racing form. She’d come back from her time gaming with Button to see the entire castle in a state of frenzied disarray. It was obvious that some kind of attack had happened, but Luna hadn’t stopped to ask anypony. There was only one who could answer her questions… The walls went past her in a blur, and Luna quickly arrived at the guard headquarters. She inhaled deeply as she nodded to the unicorn who stood vigilantly outside the door. “Princess!” the mare cried as she snapped to attention. Luna waved her away. “I need to get inside, immediately!” The guard moved aside immediately and punched a code into the door. “Of course, Your Highness.” The doors slid open, and the alicorn raced inside. She sprinted past the few guards who remained within the large room. Desks lined the walls and filled all of the open space. Luna ignored the ponies and other obstacles as she rushed to the far office. Opening the door with a quick burst of telekinesis, she entered and glanced quickly around the captain's office. Knight-Captain Dovetail glanced up from her desk and stood to her hooves as she recognized Luna. “Your Highness,” she said calmly. “Dovetail,” the princess replied. “I just returned to the castle, and I need to speak to Celestia. I was told that she was speaking to you. Where is she?” She glanced around the compact office. The papers on the desk were carefully aligned, and all the decorations on the wall, including several Equestrian commendations for various valorous deeds, were all in their proper places. The drawers of a few filing cabinets were open, and Luna could see numerous manilla folders peeking out from the metal containers. Dovetail cleared her throat. “I’m about to be on my way to meet her. The ponies that she incapacitated earlier are about to awaken. We’re going to interrogate one of them and get to the bottom of this.” “Ponies… incapacitated…” Luna’s jaw dropped. Her eyes narrowed as she slowly closed her mouth. “Captain. Give me the thirty second version of what happened.” The guard raised an eyebrow. “Yes, Highness. The castle was attacked at approximately thirteen hundred hours today. The enemy forces were dressed in Royal Guard uniforms, and they had proper documentation. Some of them were actual members of the military. These ponies, now dubbed ‘terrorists,’ attempted to assassinate the Griffonian delegation and massacre the griffon troops present at the castle. They were subdued, but we suffered losses.” She nodded to herself before walking over to one of the cabinets. “Your sister managed to defeat several, but left them alive. We’ve take them down to Section Eleven, and we’ll be interrogating them as soon as I get this… last… file…” The mare ruffled through the folders and then grunted in satisfaction. “Here we go…” Luna blinked twice before turning numbly to face the captain. “How many did we lose?” she asked quietly. Dovetail growled. “Not many, and too many at the same time. We only lost three guards. Eight more injured. The count is far worse for the griffons.” She shook her head. “Last count I saw said about twenty confirmed dead. More than twice that injured. This should never have happened,” she declared as she slammed a hoof down on the desk, her nostrils flaring. “Indeed…” the princess agreed. The captain shook her head and sighed. “Sorry. I just got word that I’d lost two of our guards. I’d known about the first, but we thought that Jam and Sticks were going to make it. They’d been hit by some kind of poisoned crossbow bolts. Our doctors almost got them back, but…” “Was it the same poison that the windigos used?” Luna asked softly, her eyes glancing up to meet the captain’s. “We think so.” Dovetail met her gaze. “No confirmation yet, but it looks that way. Same poison here as the windigos, if we get proof, and also the same as the Zebran attackers who hit Canterlot last time.” “This can’t be a coincidence.” “No,” the captain said. “But we’ll find out soon.” She gestured to the door. “I assume that you want to sit in on the interrogation?” Luna bared her teeth in a fierce smile. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world…” ~~~ Celestia gazed through the one-way mirror and into the interrogation room. A single earth pony stallion lay strapped to a cold metal table. Two pony scientists stood beside him, hooking him up to an intricate machine that sat upon a table beside the pony’s head. His brown coat was matted with dried blood that Section Eleven hadn’t bothered to clean. His front right leg had been carelessly wrapped in a primitive bandage in an effort to stop the bleeding from where a bullet had torn through his kneecap. The scientists standing beside him regarded his unconscious form with obvious disdain. The princess stared coldly down at him. Section Eleven’s databases had identified him as Bronze Mane, a former member of the Royal Guard who had been dishonorably discharged three years ago after assaulting four zebras and three griffons while he had been stationed in the Crystal Empire. He had been identified as a possible security concern due to his involvement with one of Canterlot’s only organized syndicates, the Silver Crowns. Mane had dropped out of public view several months ago, and Section Eleven hadn’t heard anything about him until they found him in the garden after General Chaput had blown a hole in his knee. With a click, the door behind Celestia opened. The princess turned around to see her sister enter the room with a grim frown on her lips. “Tia,” Luna said. “I came as soon as I heard.” The white alicorn nodded. “Thank you, Luna. I’m sorry that I cut your date short.” “It’s nothing,” Luna shrugged. “I should have been here.” “We aren’t infallible, Sister,” she told her younger sibling. “Nopony could have predicted this.” She allowed her words to ring in the air, and Luna nodded slowly. “Still…” she sighed. “I should have helped, or fought them off, or saved some of the griffons, or… or… or something.” “Luna.” Celestia trotted over to her sister. “There’s nothing we can achieve with theoretical statements. What has been is now set. We cannot change the past, but we control the future.” Draping a wing over the shorter mare, she smiled kindly. “So… are you ready to take charge of our destiny?” “Lofty words from such a big softie,” Luna commented as she returned the hug. The chuckles of two princesses filled the room. “Yes, indeed,” Celestia whispered, tightening the hug. “But seriously… before we go… are you mad at me?” Luna’s soft question pierced the air, and the elder alicorn glanced downward. “What do you mean?” she asked. “Why would I be mad at you?” Luna’s lips pursed, and she looked up, eyes wide. “I wasn’t here… again.” She inhaled deeply before continuing. “The wedding… the zebras… this… when I was on the moon…” “Luna…” “I don’t want to do this to you again,” she said, her eyes boring into Celestia. “I won’t leave you alone. Not now, not ever.” “I know.” Celestia’s voice reverberated through the stony room. She smiled softly. “We have each other, and that won’t change. You missed one event today, Luna. It happens. Also…” She smiled lopsidedly. “You were slightly distracted.” Her sister blushed furiously. “I remember what it was like, and I’m sure you do too. The times that Paix and I ran off together, leaving you alone to deal with the mountains of paperwork…” Luna returned a small smile. “Oh, yes. I doubt that I’ll ever forget.” “So remember, and don’t worry. I’ll never be mad, not really.” Celestia hugged her again. “I love you, and you deserve to be happy.” The younger alicorn sniffed loudly. “Thank you, Tia. I love you too.” They stood there, embracing one another. After a moment, Celestia broke the silence. “Oh, by the way. The fake guards tried to use you as an excuse when they attacked, you know.” “What? Really?” Luna asked, pulling back sharply. “Indeed.” Celestia chuckled softly. “They claimed that you needed me urgently. It was an attempt to isolate General Chaput, of course. I told them that you were sleeping.” Her eyes danced. “I’m not sure how they would have reacted if I told them that you were out on a date…” “Oh, stars…” Luna swore. “Thanks. I’d hate to have that get out, even just to prisoners.” The other princess nodded. “Mmm.” “Anyways…” Luna shook herself. “Should we get in there?” “I think they’re ready,” Celestia replied. “Follow my lead, Luna.” “Of course. I’m right behind you.” The two of them opened the door, turned down the hallway to the adjacent interrogation room. Celestia’s magic gently pushed the door open before the two of them stepped through to the other side. Several bright lights up on the ceiling glared down, filling the room with hash illumination. Celestia’s eyes narrowed as she faced the two ponies who were already in the room. “Princess Celestia!” said the cheerful voice of the leader of the two. The light lavender pegasus nodded his head at her. “It’s an honor, as always.” “Dr. Wing,” she said, returning his gesture. “Thank you for making it on such short notice.” “Ah, no problem at all!” He tapped the large magical machine on the table twice with his hoof. “It’s always fun to test out new things. Things are fun!” “What exactly is this device?” Luna inquired. The stallion chuckled. “I’m glad you asked!” He moved over to the side so that the two alicorns could have a better view of his creation. “This is the Delta-Niner-X-Ray-Four-Five-Kilo-Lima Bullshit Detector Mark Seven!” He raised his hooves in a grand flourish. “Ta-da!” Celestia’s eyebrow rose into the air. “All that complicated designation… and then it’s called a Bullshit Detector.” The other scientist, a mare with glasses, cleared her throat. “Dr. Wing…” she said quietly. “I thought that you said its name was—” “Okay, okay…” Wing said. “It’s actually called the Verum et Mendacium. That’s fancy for—” “Truth and lies…” Luna muttered. “Exacta-mundo!” he declared. “Anyways, it basically casts a lies-and-truths detection spell, records an interrogation, prints a readout of the accuracy of the subject’s statements, and makes a visual display so that a whole group and see if the little bastard is full of it or not.” Wing tapped the strapped-down pony, a lopsided grin on his face. “Pretty cool, huh?” Luna cocked her head to the side. “Why not just have a unicorn cast a spell and interpret the results, like we have done for centuries?” “Number one, that’s boring,” he began. “Number two, this records everything and gives a readout on the degree of deception that the spell detects. Fancy!” Wing’s grin broadened. “Plus, it’s not subjective like a lie detector spell. Most of the time, the unicorn casting the spell has to feel the level of truth in a statement and then interpret the results. That subjective shit isn’t gonna fly if we have the capability to make something like the good ol’ VeM.” “It still requires a unicorn to run it,” the other scientist added quietly. “We haven’t managed to implant a self-sustaining runic equation that can convert the ‘feel’ of the truth into a readout.” Wing waved the statement away. “Ah, don’t worry about the minor details, Sere! That’s why you’re here!” “And who is this?” Celestia asked, looking at the mare. She blushed as the princess gazed at her. “M-my name is Serenata, Your Highness.” She gave a shy bow. “We actually met once. It was at my graduation from Princess Twilight’s University.” The Princess of the Sun nodded, and a smile split her lips. “Of course! One of Twilight’s students. If I remember correctly, you specialize in physical manipulation and…” She squinted as she thought back on the award ceremony. “...micro-magical theory?” Serenata smiled broadly and nodded enthusiastically. “Y-yes! Exactly! I’m honored that you remembered.” Celestia inclined her head. “We’re glad to have your talents here, Serenata. How long will it be until you have your doctorate?” she asked kindly. “If all goes according to plan, it should only be two and a half more years,” she replied as she raised a hoof to adjust her glasses and brush her white and pink mane out of her face. “Excellent. I assume from Dr. Wing’s statement that you’ll be running the spell itself?” Celestia walked forward and gazed down at her unconscious subject. Serenata trotted up beside her and nodded. “Yes, Princess. I will.” Celestia was about to speak again, but the re-opening of the door cut her off. She turned to see Knight-Captain Dovetail and Captain Flair walking into the room, their lips pursed and eyes narrowed. Flair flipped her mane to the side and trotted over to the far wall, leaning up against it and eyeing the stallion on the table coldly. “Princesses,” Dovetail said. “I believe that we’re ready. Captain Flair and I have compiled our information on Mr. Mane…” She glared down at the restrained terrorist. “We’ll begin as soon as you are prepared.” Celestia turned to look at everypony in the room. Flair met her eyes and nodded. Dr. Wing hooked the final wire into his machine, Serenata hummed to herself as her magic surrounded one of the three antennas of the device, and Dovetail took her place beside Flair. Luna stood beside Celestia, and the two nodded to each other. “Do it,” the elder princess said quietly. Serenata’s magic flared, and the Verum et Mendacium activated. The blue unicorn’s golden aura arced out of it and raced toward Bronze Mane. Dr. Wing stepped forward and pulled a syringe out of his saddlebag. After removing the cover, flicking it with a hoof, and squirting out any air and some of the liquid, he injected the patient. Celestia stood silently, and the only sounds that filled the room were the hum of the VeM and the steady chug of the printout piling its record into a box behind the device itself. The display screen flashed to life, displaying a meter measuring the truth of Mane’s statements. A moment later, the stallion inhaled sharply and let out an anguished moan. He clenched his teeth and blinked his eyes rapidly. The restraints tugged at him as he tried to break free, and he cried out as the pain from his destroyed kneecap reached him. Princess Celestia strode forward, glowing with golden radiance. “Mr. Bronze Mane, formerly of the Eleventh Royal Infantry. Dishonorably discharged, stripped of all rank, and now branded terrorists for his actions in Canterlot Castle. Mr. Mane. My name is Celestia, and you have disappointed me.” The stallion’s golden eyes widened, and he opened his mouth slowly. “P-p-princess…” he breathed raspily. “Yes.” Celestia reached out with her magic and raised the table to angle his face toward her. “What have to you say for yourself?” she asked quietly. “I… I…” he stammered, wincing because of the glare emanating from the lights and the princess herself. “I… I don’t understand…” The princess moved closer and looked down at him. “You broke into my castle, attacked my subjects, and killed my guests. I do not know if I can clarify any further besides saying this: Your life is forfeit, Mr. Mane. Our law is clear. There is no tolerance for terrorists. Your life, your very existence continues only because I will it. I have asked you a question.” She pursed her lips. “I would encourage you to answer it.” “I did it all for you,” he said before coughing violently. Blood splurted out of his mouth and almost hit Celestia. The princess’ automatic shield spell activated and deflected it away with an invisible burst of power. “Truth,” Dr. Wing said in a monotone voice. He gazed at the display before turning to Celestia. “The bastard is telling the truth…” Serenata chimed in, saying, “Or what he believes to be the truth.” “Why would I lie?” Mane croaked. “I am in the presence of the goddesses themselves… my whole life, laid out before them. This is my dream, my reason for being…” Celestia recoiled and turned away before glancing at the display. The meter pointed toward the word displayed at the top of the screen. Truth. “Holy shit,” Captain Flair muttered. “He’s bucking crazy, isn’t he?” “It was always for you,” Mane whined. “Those freaks, the ones I attacked before I was robbed of my place, they were insulting you! They besmirched your honor, and they had to… had to... “ He gazed pleadingly into Celestia’s eyes. “...die.” Celestia’s expression did not change at all as he continued. “And then… then the griffon spawns of Tirek came here, and I knew that they were going to slay you. Steal you away from us. The voice… he told me so…” Mane’s head twitched sideways. “Always told the truth, always there, always friend… yes… yes…” “Truth,” Wing repeated. “I don’t like this. Not one bit.” Luna trotted up to beside the other alicorn. “Sister… it’s getting colder in here…” Celestia turned, and, as she did so, her breath turned to mist. “It is, indeed.” “Voice speaking to him? His insanity? The cold?” Luna shivered. “And that feeling of dread and… nightmares that I get around him.” “Possession?” The Solar Princess prepared her magic. Her sister shook her head. “It doesn’t feel like it. Possession doesn’t feel like a nightmare. It feels like screaming. This is more like…” She gazed down at Mane. “...it’s like he’s not seeing the world clearly. Influence?” “Well, you’re the expert on this type of magic,” Celestia replied. “What do you think we should do?” The other ponies glanced from one princess to the other uncertainly. Luna regarded the terrorist with a look of pity. “I say we pull the windigo out and talk to it personally.” Captain Flair gasped. “Son of a… there’s a windigo in him?” “Something like that,” Luna replied quietly. “I can feel dream magic, and influence spells fall with my realm. He’s being controlled, indirectly. I’m sure of it.” Dr. Wing sighed. “Damn. Sere, did we put an incorporeality setting onto this piece of junk?” “No,” the mare replied dryly. “We did not.” “Damn.” He shrugged. “I guess this won't help us here.” Celestia inhaled deeply and turned back to Bronze Mane. He glanced around the room unsurely. “What… what is happening?” “This should only hurt for a moment,” Celestia intoned before turning her magic toward him. His eyes opened in horror as the spell engulfed him, and— “Eeeeeeaaaaaaaurgggggh!” His scream cut through the air, ripping through to Celestia’s soul. She grit her teeth and continued to channel her spell, feeling as it ripped something from his body and pulled it away… Bronze’s golden eyes flashed blue, and his lips contorted into a vicious smile. “You call. I answer. Speak, Goddess.” The ice cold voice sent chills down Celestia’s spine, and the words were accompanied by a sudden drop in temperature. “Hot damn…” Wing swore. “That was a possession, wasn’t it?” “It was,” Luna replied slowly. “Should we extract the beast completely?” Celestia shook her head. “Not yet. Wing. Will your device still function if the windigo is controlling Mr. Mane?” The stallion glanced over at Serenata, who nodded. He turned back to Celestia with another lopsided grin. “Seems like it!” “Windigo,” Celestia said. “Will you answer my questions truthfully?” “If able,” the monotone voice replied. The princess narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean by that?” “Not my will. His. He controls. Stops freedom. Cannot speak his name.” Luna hissed. “Chaput… or Dmitri. Or is it someone else?” “Master is irrelevant,” the windigo droned. “Reasons unneeded. Truth a lie. Reality dreaming. Cannot see when blind. Remember the future. Wait for past. All becomes clear.” Bronze Mane convulsed as the windigo cackled. “Why did you attack?” Celestia asked. “Orders. Not choice,” he replied. The princess hummed to herself. “Whose orders?” “His.” A sigh filled Celestia’s ear, and Luna shook her head. “I don’t think he can answer that.” The elder princess grunted. “What was your objective?” “Kill the partners. Blame the ponies. Begin war. Steal all. Power. Glory. Future.” Bronze Mane’s head cocked unnaturally to the side. “Him.” “Why did you possess these ponies?” The stallion controlled by the creature inhaled raggedly. “Willing. Loyal to goddess. Hate master. Hate master friends. Can kill. Available.” “Oh, stars,” Luna swore. “It has to be one of the griffons. ‘Master’ sends the windigos to kill his own accomplices…” “Dark goddess wise. Listen to h—” Another round of coughing cut his comment short. “Losing life. Master calls me…” “Calls you where?” demanded Celestia. “He needs power. Kills. Eats power. Absorbs. Steal my life. Stop my speak. Defeat you. Win. Power…” Wing inhaled deeply. “Bullshit detector says he’s telling the truth.” “Not bullshit,” the windigo chided. “Small time. Goddess. Beware.” “Beware what?” Celestia asked quickly. “Lies become…” the windigo moaned through Mane’s lips. “Must… break… Mane, speak!” The stallion screamed out, tears running down his face. “The voice!” he cried. “H-he says, ‘Lies become truth when the speaker is a fool. Truth becomes lies when hidden in shadow. You’re in danger. He… he wants…” His eyes screwed shut, and another scream tore through the air. Celestia reached her magic out, but something blocked her. She couldn’t get to Mane, and— “Remember us. Avenge us. Restore. Renew. Live.” the windigo shouted once more, using Mane’s voice as his own. After the final word rang through the air, he spasmed. Mane’s legs contorted, and Celestia heard the sickening crunch of his kneecap breaking even further. The pitch of the stallion’s scream rose ever higher, and a blue aura surrounded his body. “Get back!” Dovetail shouted as she pulled the princess away. “Wing, turn off the—” In a brilliant flash, Mane rose into the air, squirming and squealing. Energy reached out in an arc, striking the machine and knocking Serenata and Wing to the ground. The scientists screamed, and— With one final cry, Bronze Mane’s body exploded into a shower of blue sparks. The stallion was ripped apart, but no blood fell as he evaporated into the air itself. The shock wave from the explosion knocked the ponies to the ground, and Celestia found herself lying beside Luna. Luna stood shakily to her hooves, and Celestia followed suit. The younger alicorn gazed at the table where the stallion had lain. “What… what does it all mean?” Celestia narrowed her eyes. “I have no idea…” She turned to look down at the device, which lay upon the ground. The recorder attached to the device was intact, and Celestia levitated it over to herself. “But I’m going to find out.” ~~~ Luna pushed the door to her quarters open and sighed wearily. She trotted inside and flipped on her light once again. With a groan, she flopped onto her bed, tossing her crown onto her bedside table. Two hours. They’d analyzed every word of the windigo’s rant over and over. In the end, she and Celestia had come to the same conclusion: It had to be Dmitri or Chaput. One of them had sent the windigos, and one of them was responsible for all of this. Every death, every bit of damage, all of it. One of them. The princess rolled over and sighed once more. Chaput had the skill to enact a complex plan such as this, but Dmitri seemed more likely as the one that would take a direct approach. As much as it pained her to say so, Luna had told Celestia that Chaput was the more trustworthy one in this situation. He had to have a plan, but it was beneath the surface. He wasn’t this obvious… She flipped onto her side again, unable to make herself feel comfortable. Groaning, she covered her eyes with her hooves. “‘The truth becomes a lie when hidden in shadow…’” she quoted to herself. “What an accurate statement.” After sitting up, the princess ran a hoof through her mane. She knew that she should sleep, but she couldn’t bring herself to close her eyes. Her bed felt foreign, and the night called out to her. The surreal sequence of events of the past several weeks had turned her natural sleep schedule upside down, and exhaustion pulled at her eyes as the drive to remain awake pulsed through her veins. The call of the pillow, the taunting of the dark sky. Luna shook her head wryly. “No use,” she muttered to herself. Standing to her hooves, the princess approached her computer and tapped the spacebar twice. Her lock screen appeared, and she quickly punched in her password. After the desktop appeared, she saw the blinking orange box that indicated that she had received a private message on her chat. She allowed herself a small smile as she clicked the icon. As the logo spun and the program loaded, she activated the launcher for Return so that it could boot up as she waited. The chat finally appeared, and Button’s name flashed on her screen. Luna smiled as soon as she saw his blinking icon and quickly pressed on his avatar, which was a character from some old video game. His text popped into view, and Luna quickly read it. >Fade: hey beautiful >Fade: been missing you. i know that you’ve only been gone for, like, two hours, but still. wanted to let you know that i… >Fade: i just love you >Fade: don’t really have much more to say than that :) >Fade: message me back tonight? maybe we can play! :D Luna smiled and shook her head. “Oh, you wonderful, wonderful sta—” A knock interrupted her thoughts, accompanied by the word, “Princess?” She quickly minimized her chat and spun to face the door. Blushing furiously and clearing her throat, she said, “Come in!” Shady Cove pushed the door open and stuck her head into the room. “Highness… thank goodness you’re here! I’ve been looking for you ever since the attack.” The mare stepped inside. Her face was pale, and her normally perfect mane was in a state of disarray. “I was worried that…” The princess smiled at her mare-in-waiting. “Shady, I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.” Nodding absently, the servant moved closer. “I… I think this attack scared me more than the last… one.” “Why?” Luna asked. “I don’t know. It’s easy to think of griffons or whatever those ghosts were as enemies. But other ponies…” She shook herself. “It…” The princess strode over to the other mare. “I understand, Shady. Don’t worry. It’ll all be over soon.” Shady looked up, her brow furrowed. “What do you mean?” “We’ll get to the bottom of this. Celestia and I will be confronting our enemy tomorrow, and everything is going to be revealed.” She nodded. “Soon, everything will be back to normal again.” “I…” Shady nodded slowly. “I hope so, Princess…” Smiling broadly, the alicorn said, “It will. No more death, no more hiding, no more spies, no more secrets. Everything ends tomorrow.” “Good. Good.” Once more, Shady nodded absently. “Well then, if it is all the same to you, Princess, I must be off to bed. I’m quite glad that you’re safe, but my poor heart… I don't know if I can take any more excitement this evening.” “Of course,” Luna replied cheerfully. She was about to say her goodbyes when a thought crossed her mind. “Oh, Shady!” “Yes, Highness?” the mare in waiting asked. “Did you ever get a chance to make use of that dress?” A large smile crossed Shady’s face. “I did, Princess. I went on a date yesterday, and I was able to wear it. I’ve… never had something like it before.” “Well, I’m very glad for that.” Luna inclined her head. “You deserve it, Shady. Have I told you how glad I am to have you here with me? Not just as a servant, but as a friend?” “Uh…” Shady stammered as she blushed. “Highness, I—” “Really.” Luna walked forward and gazed into her eyes. “You were there for me when I needed you. You been a shoulder to cry upon, and gave me the advice that I needed most in that moment. That is the work of a friend. I can’t even begin to tell you how happy that makes me feel.” The unicorn’s lip trembled. “Th-thank you, Princess…” The alicorn reached out and pulled her friend into a close hug. “It’s Luna. And you’re welcome.” Luna felt Shady tense up at the contact, but then the other mare returned the embrace. For a moment, she stayed there, holding the smaller pony, but then she released her. “Okay... Luna,” Shady whispered. Luna smiled once more. “Okay. I won’t take any more of your time. Stay safe, Shady. Tomorrow is a big day.” “Of course…” she turned to walk out the door, but stopped at the exit. “Oh, and Luna?” The alicorn turned back to see her friend staring. “Yes?” “Be careful.” Shady’s expression was completely unreadable as she slowly shut the door. The clop of hoofsteps resounded through the room, and Luna nodded to herself. The princess narrowed her eyes, but then shrugged before sitting back down at her computer. She pulled up the chat and typed out her reply. >Memory: Oh, you wonderful stallion… Of course I have time! She hummed to herself and nodded slowly before returning to her keyboard. >Memory: Actually, I have a bit of time on my hooves. Maybe I could come over, and we could play at your place? She waited for a moment, and then Button’s icon turned green. At the bottom of the screen appeared the words, Fade is typing… >Fade: that sounds perfect! :D Chuckling, Luna reached down to type once more. >Memory: Good! Is anypony in your living area right now? Seconds later, the reply appeared. >Fade: no. why? With a chuckle, Luna sent her last message. >Memory: Because I’m coming over right now. She reached over, grabbed her laptop, adjusted her glasses and mane, and then allowed her magic to envelop her as she pulled herself to Button’s hotel room. A splash of light filled the room as Luna teleported, briefly illuminating the windigo who had floated up above her computer.