Mercennarius’ eyes opened slowly, groaning as he raised his arm to clear the blurriness from his eyes. But instead of feeling a hand, he felt a soft, yet hard appendage on his face. Regaining his sight a bit, he was met with the sight of his own brown hoof.
“Oh shit… guess the spell wore off.” He thought before looking down at his body, confirming that he was back to his normal Pegasus form. “Fun while it lasted, I suppose..”
Merc hesitantly pushed his body up from the soft surface he was laying on. Looking back down, he saw that he was laying on a velvet, red-colored bed in a very luxurious room, along with the dim light of the moon seeping through the slightly closed curtains on the wall, as if he was in a five star hotel in Canterlot himself.
“Woah… Now this is something…” He whispered to himself in awe, sitting on the side of the bed, closing his eyes and stretching his forelegs and wings out in front of him, sighing in relief and pleasure as he did so.
“That bed felt like a cloud…” Merc said to himself, smiling a bit. “Almost.”
Merc jumped to the carpeted floor, looking around the room, feeling a wave of good vibes before he saw a small basket on the drawer next to the bed with a small note attached to the handle.
Curiously, he walked over to it and picked it up with his hoof, reading it.
“Welcome to Hotel De GOB. Think of it as a congratulations from me, for making it this far, lad! Here. you may find somepony you recognize and some you may meet for the first time. I'm happy to tell you there is no challenge to look forward to in the near future, since I plan on going on vacation to *Classified* anyway, have fun, relax, and mingle. Believe me, you could use some friends….”
-GOB
Merc let out a snort, smiling and shaking his head, knowing this was almost too good to be true. “Maybe he isn't as bad as I thought….
“...Ha.”
Merc set the note down on the drawer, leaning over to look at the basket, his eyes almost instantly noticing the bottle of champagne inside.
With a gleam in his eyes, he picked it up with his mouth, setting the bottle onto the bed and sighing.
“Could be exactly what I need…” Merc said to himself, using his hoof to pop the cork.
Before drinking he hesitated for a second. This drink was special. And thus it needed a special place.
Plus, Mercennarius didn’t want to be disturbed by anyone while enjoying it. He finally had some time for himself and he was going to spend it relaxing at any cost.
The only problem was where to do that.
He tapped his chin with his hoof. The lobby was going to be filled with prissy noble-ponies staring at him, holding their noses high while passing judgement upon him.
“Nah.. fuck that. Can’t stand those kinds. Though Rarity was an exception…”
He would have none of that, so the lobby was out of the question. Going out of the hotel wasn’t too bad, but not knowing where he was it could take time to find the right spot, and in the end he wanted to make full use of the luxury he was offered.
Then it hit him… the rooftop! He could have the solitude he required to enjoy his drink, as well as Luna’s night sky to entertain him. Once he found the elevator he clicked the top floor.
Finding the maintenance stairs, he felt a slight breeze that made him shiver a bit. Had someone forgotten that the door was open? Shrugging the thoughts away, he entered and closed the door behind him.
Moments later, he opened the door to the rooftop. He closed his eyes, and breathed in the air of the night sky as a smile crept up his face. The air was cool, but not too cold, he was alone, yet all the company he needed was now in his right hoof.
Leaning towards the wall, he rested his back as he took the bottle and raised it in front of the moon. The drink inside glinted in the moon’s glow, complimenting it like it was pure gold, and in his mind it was.
“Cheers to the Princess...” He said to himself, laughing as he toasted the moon, welcoming it like a long lost friend.
For a time he sat there. just watching the moon, breathing in and out and taking a few sips now and then. He didn’t want to do anything right now, and the champagne was a cure to the thoughts that plagued his mind.
The alcohol burned away the worries as he took another long drink:like a purging fire, it wiped away fears and sorrow, while also igniting something that reminded him of bravery, or bravado..
Alcohol was his fuel, his motivator, the spark he had lost long ago, the blood he had spilled in combat protecting all who he cared.. especially ‘her’. All of this was now rolling on his head.. reminiscing about his enemies… who were taunting him with their sissy giggles…
Wait, what?
~Trickle-Trickle~ “Pfffft!!!” he heard a muffled sound from above. He turned his head, but he saw nothing but stars. Maybe he had spilled some alcohol on himself?
Merc shrugged once more, positioning the bottle for another few gulps. However, as he did he heard the trickling noise again.
“Pffft… Hhhhhhhhhh.” He heard a gasp as stopped his drinking immediately and jerked his head up. He saw fleeting colors of black and red, he wasn’t alone.
“Alright, alright. I saw you. You can come out now.” He said, bemused, but the silence continued. “C’mon, no point in hiding anymore. I’ve seen you. Your prank’s not going to work anymore.”
Selune ducked back down and put a hoof to her mouth, doing all she could from going on an all-out giggling fit while she set her drink aside, loving the reaction she was getting from the stallion. Even better was the fact that he had no idea what poured on his head.
Merc simply sighed to himself and set the champagne on a table, unwrapping his wings. Then, with a mighty flap, he flew himself up to the balcony and was now hovering over a striped Unicorn.
Selune, curious as to what made the noise, looked over and saw that the stallion she had pranked was no longer there. Until she saw the stallion himself hovering above her, staring at her with a bemused expression and his forelegs crossed.
She gave out a squeak of surprise, stumbling back a bit. “O-oh! Hey there, m-mister! I uh.. I didn’t mean nothing harmful, I swear!” She pleaded, but still couldn’t hold back a sheepish smile.
Merc saw the look on her face, but noticed the sincerity of her voice as well. With a small sigh and a shake of his head, he spoke up. “Alright, sure. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt... “
Selune smiled thankfully, now actually getting a good look at who she had pranked. He was obviously a Pegasus stallion, but had a light brown coat, as well as what seemed to be a jet black mane and some sort of black vest on him.
Merc lowered himself until he was on the floor, face to face with the mare. Due to the brightness of both Luna’s former moon and the dim lights around them, he could now get a clear view of her.
He saw that the mare was striped in several areas of her black-coated body and face, resembling a zebra, but he wasn't sure due to her also having a horn. Her mane was unique, a mixture of both brown and red from what he could see.
“Something caught your eye?” The mare asked with a sly grin, leaning at him in a playful manner before giggling.
Merc quickly shook his head and cleared his throat. “Just seeing if you're a mare or not is all. Not the brightest of places, y'know.”
But the mare was anything but blind. “Oh really? Well I'm sure you could tell what gender I am by my voice, no?” She said, clearly seeing through his excuse.
Merc rolled his eyes and sighed. “Alright, alright. Touché. I was checking you out.” He admitted, before quickly realizing what he said and tried to fix himself. “N-not in that way! Just.. Seeing who you were is all.”
Selune laughed at the stallion's silliness “You’re a funny guy… Don't worry, I get what you're saying! I hope my prank didn’t offend you or anything.”
Merc shook his head before coming back to the prank and why she was laughing. “Wait.. What exactly did you do to me?” He asked.
Selune looked to the side, stifling a laugh while pointing at his jet black mane. Merc, with a confused look, placed a hoof on his mane, before noticing that it was wet.
Bringing down to sniff whatever had been poured onto him, he gave the mare a bemused look and a raised eyebrow. “Seriously? You spilled champagne on me?” He sighed. “Now it’s gonna seem like I was literally pissed on…”
“Well if it’s anything, it seems to fit with your personality~” Selune teased, smiling at him. Merc laughed and shook his head.
“Not even five minutes and you already got me figured out, eh?” He asked with a sly smirk. “I think we’re gonna get along just fine.. Name’s Mercennarius by the way, but just call me Merc. Makes things simpler for everyone.” He smiled.
Selune smiled as well and nodded. “Alright then, seems cool. My name’s Selune Darkeye. Peek-a-boo!” She winked, and before Merc had the chance to blink she was gone. He felt a poke in his back. Turning his head he was greeted by Selune, who had teleported at breath’s range, smiling as she booped his nose.
“Gotcha twice now!” Teasingly, she patted his cheeks while giggling. “Mistakes done twice are not of ponies wise!” She rhymed at him.
Merc looked at his booped nose with crossed eyes before he looked back at her, smiling shyly. Selune’s attitude was infectious, and despite the dark colors of her coat she seemed to be a bright mare.
From his combat experience he knew how other ponies lied in their faces, their eyes, their body language. If someone was a bad person it would be present in their face: their expression, and even their beauty would be affected by their inner self. Just like his mama told him...
A good person no matter his exterior would ‘shine’ brightly and emit a good vibe, and Merc had learned to trust his intuition and his gut more than his eyes. Eyes could fool, eyes weren’t to be trusted, facts could be falsified, evidence could be fake, but the heart never lies. Ironically this mare though she had an eye for a cutie mark she seemed to be more of a “heart” pony.
“So… how come you’re here? I mean, I came here to drink, and I see I’m not the only one.” He tried to wipe some of the champagne that was left on his mane.
“Oh just taking a rest from one of the many challenges life offers me.” She said dismissively, waving her hoof. She didn’t laugh this time, but instead sighed and shrugged as she smiled again.
Challenge? Merc raised an eyebrow quizzically. Did she mean ‘the’ challenges? GOB’s? “Wait a minute…” he said as he saw Selune holding the same type of champagne as him. “You’re one of the participants in the challenge, aren’t you?”
The mare grimaced and there was silence as Selune sighed, “Guess you are one of the challengers too right? GOB sent that champagne to you, didn’t he?” Merc nodded.
“Come sit by me and let’s have a drink. It’ll probably be the last we get, so let’s enjoy it! No sense in wasting our time moping around, right? I think this drink is supposed to help.” She said raising her bottle to horn level and lighting it to see the liquid inside. There was a furrow in her forehead, and she had narrowed her eyes while observing it.
“Seems good, however, I think for our case we could use a stronger drink, don’tcha think?” She cocked her eyebrow at him. Merc responded by bringing his bottle up and looking down and right as he tried to remember and compare drinks.
This was definitely a good drink, but it lacked a punch. It had taste, but lacked that certain something that could knock you out of your senses. Merc had been warmed up by it, but it lacked the ‘effectiveness’ he was looking for. That which could make him forget, the effectiveness that could wipe out the faces of those who’s lives he might have taken as a result of winning these challenges.
“That's for sure.” He grumbled, even the last battle didn’t feel a victory at all. ‘What a joke!’ he thought shaking his head.
"Guess after what we’ve done there’s gotta be a better poison we can choose, right? Was there something you had in mind?” asked Merc.
“You catch on quick! I got some fire whiskey back at my room. Seems like the best opportunity to open it, right? Are you in? I’m willing to share!” She winked before looking into his eyes giving him a kind heartwarming smile.
“After all... we don’t even know if we’ll be alive tomorrow. We might face each other in combat… and I wouldn’t forgive myself if either of us wasted their last moments moping around. Wouldn’t that be a shame?” Selune said sighing, her smile growing weaker.
Merc could see in her eyes that she was trying to convince herself, she wanted to appear happy, to keep the pretenses up.
Maybe there was a reason she made that prank? She wasn’t new to this, so perhaps this was part of her ‘greeting’ ritual, her way of making friends.
Friends… maybe having one wouldn’t be so bad right now. And now was a perfect opportunity, if he would ever get one again.
Merc scoffed playfully and nodded. “You couldn’t be more ri-” He stopped himself and went over what Selune said. Then, his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates with a glimmer in them. “Wait, wait, wait… You got WHAT?”
Selune’s weak smile quickly turned into a genuine smirk. “You heard me right! I got some Fire Whiskey. You know, the expensive, technically-illegal, very heavy and hard drink you can only get from the Badlands?”
Merc was simply dumbstruck, his jaw hanging open. “You’ve been there? And you gotta give me some of that! Damn, Selune!” He chuckled happily. “I’ve been there several years ago and heard about that drink, but even with all my free time, I never found one single bottle of the stuff..”
“I got it from my travels all around the continent. I remember when I almost had to give my own life for the stuff. But the dragons there were surprisingly generous.”
Merc cut her off there. “Generous? I call bull on that.”
Selune giggled and continued. “Believe it or not, they were! Or, the lead dragon anyways. If you really don’t believe me, then let’s head to my room and I’ll not only let you see it, we’ll drink it!” She offered once more.
Merc’s eyes gleamed with happiness. “By all means lead the way, girl!” He said gleefully. Selune simply laughed and started towards the elevator doors below the balcony.
Then, she stopped and turned to Merc. “Oh! Can you also grab my basket with the candles, please? I lit a couple of them, but there’s still some spares in there and I wanna… keep them.”
Merc nodded and quickly flew back to the balcony, picking up the basket in his mouth and carefully flying back to Selune, who was standing at the elevator doors.
“Thanks!” Selune said. “Wait.. Didn’t you get a basket too?” She asked.
Merc put the basket on the ground to respond. “I did. But all I took was the champagne, really. There was some chocolate in there, but I decided to save that for later.”
Selune smirked at him. “Got a bit of a sweet tooth?”
Merc rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure.” He said, ruffling his wings while Selune laughed and they both walked into the elevator, Merc grabbing the basket as they did.
They next to each other while Selune pressed the floor button pad. The doors slid closed while the elevator started to move down.
Merc looked down and checked his pockets on his vest, eyeing his very small zip-up bag filled with cyanide pills. “I wonder if I’ll ever use these.. If this shit goes downhill, I’ll at least have a plan to give myself a quick death…”
He sighed and shook his head. “What the fuck is wrong with me?”
“C’mon Merc…”[i/] His consciousness spoke inside him. “You know this mare won’t do anything. I know it never hurts to make sure, but just go with the flow this time…”
Merc simply sighed and closed his eyes.
Selune saw the odd expression on Merc’s face and spoke up. “Hey… You alright there, Merc?” She asked with a hint of worry in her tone.
Merc coughed and nodded. “Yeah. Just uh… daydreamed is all. Haven’t gotten too much sleep is all.”
Selune saw right through this and knew that there was more to it, but she decided to not push further and let it slide. “Alright. I can understand that.” She giggled. “You definitely look like a mess though.”
You have absolutely no idea…. Merc thought but chuckled anyways. “So? You don’t look any better, y’know. I mean, look at your mane!” Merc teased.
“What?” Selune said worriedly, “My mane is not messed up! I just.. need a wake up is all.”
Merc decided to risk it and put a hoof onto her shoulder. “Hey.. I was just messing with you is all.” He said softly.
Selune looked at him and smiled. “T-...Thank you.”
Merc smiled back gently, until suddenly, the lights in the elevator started to rapidly flick on and off, leaving them in regular light in one second, to complete, empty darkness in another.
“W-what’s g-going on?!” Selune suddenly asked with panic, backing herself up to the corner of the elevator.
“It’s just a power out. Are you okay- holy shit!” There was a screeching sound before the elevator suddenly dropped a few inches as the lights went out. Merc heard a loud scream next to him, his eyes swiveling around. “Selune?! Calm do- ugh!” He grunted as he felt something suddenly grab and press onto him tightly.
“What the hell?”
“S-sorry! I just.. I can’t!” Selune said loudly, holding onto Merc even tighter as he grunted.
“Can’t what? The elevator’s faulty as shit.” He complained. “So much for being in a five star hotel..”
“I-it’s just.. I can’t handle the darkness..” She whimpered, wanting to close her eyes, but knowing that it would only make things worse by bringing in more darkness. Something that she did not only dread, but absolutely feared with every fiber of her being. “Please.. please, please, please light one of the candles!” She begged.
Merc quickly leaned down as best he could with Selune holding onto him. He searched for Selune’s bag, blindly reaching in the darkness. With swift moves, he found what he was looking for, grabbing a candle and match before placing it on the ground and lighting it.
The candle light swiftly came to life, now brightening the elevator, but Merc decided to light two more of the candles in case. It wasn’t too long before the entire elevator was brightened up. They didn’t cause too much smoke, so there was no worry for them suffocating, but he opened the maintenance-hatch on top just in case.
Merc quickly turned to look at Selune. “You okay now?” He asked, unwrapping his wing and holding her protectively, before noticing that she was shivering wildly.
Selune carefully looked around, trying to keep silent as she held her hooves close for comfort. Her heart was racing and a loud heartbeat could be heard. “K-kinda… Thank you… I just..” She whimpered to herself.
Merc eased them both to sit on the floor, the elevator creaking a bit as they did so, while Selune buried her face in her hooves in a mixture of embarrassment, fear, and humiliation of what had just happened.
“I can’t.. handle the dark.” Selune whispered simply, sniffling a bit before adding, “Just.. something I always feared.. It was.. way worse when I was little. But still.. it just.. never goes away.”
Merc nodded and looked at her. “I understand, and I don’t judge.”
“I must look so foalish towards you. Crying to a total stranger like a helpless little bird. I’m sorry…”
“Shh, it’s okay.” He then paused, but seeing as Selune wasn’t out of her comfort zone he continued. “If you want to talk about it, I’m all ears.”
“Not like we have many options.”
He smiled.
Despite what had happened, Selune giggled weakly, before sniffling. “T-thanks Merc… But you don’t have to. I’ll be fine if you give me some time.”
“Nonsense, don’t be ridiculous. Besides, if you’re willing to be so generous to me the least I could do is listen to your story.”
Selune closed her eyes and sighed. “This.. was something I had since I was a filly, Way before I even had a cutie mark, let alone know what they were.”
She grabbed her shoulders and held them closely, gritting her teeth as a cold shiver run down her spine. “Every time I get enveloped in darkness I can feel it in my skin, creeping around me, suffocating me…” She looked at her own two hooves, waiting for the monster that never came.
“I’m a victim of Mortuus Magicae, otherwise known as dead magic. My family’s bloodline has always had ponies whose skills were associated with the magic of sight. But mine…” Her abrupt stop was followed by her hooves tracing the white stripe-like markings she had.
“Why did you stop?” Marc asked.
“I once had a white coat, you know…” Selune smiled weakly at him.
“Wait, you mean?” Selune nodded at his words. Merc was speechless. He’d heard of tattoos, fake cutie marks, transformations, and even body modifications, but he had never heard of a full-coat change like that. This must have been a really serious illness, but one question remained...
“How did you survive?”
“The moon saved me. My magic wouldn’t activate, and I was born with pitch black eyes, and that darkness was spreading to my coat. My mother, my father… they tried everything. My father was a pianist and he immediately abandoned his career, my mother was a blind seer and she put all her effort into saving me.
“This was no normal blindness, this was an infection.” She gulped as her body shivered with the memory.
For a time there was only silence. Merc didn’t interrupt her, and instead waited for her to pick up from where they left her story.
“Even now, after more than twenty five whole years, I STILL feel it when the darkness comes. It’s like a thick fog, suffocating my magic, clouding my mind, my sight, cutting me from the precious light of Luna’s moon.” She turned her head up, as if hoping that she would see it from inside.
“That’s why you were up there?” Merc asked once again. “For the moon?”
“Yes.” Selune replied before continuing. “The moon is the only thing that keeps my fears at bay. The gentle light that illuminates the darkness, Princess Luna’s smile that envelops the world.” She held her hooves close to her chest like a gentle prayer.
“My mother saw a vision. Sun and moon shone, striving to reach each other, to hug one another. Day and night coming together in the sweet dance of life.
“We crossed Equestria and went to the north, to the plains of white, before the Crystal Empire re-emerged to the world. Before the princess of the night returned to us. There the moonlight reflected on the Aurora Borealis, and the solar wind shone on my eyes.”
There was a brief gleam in her eyes as she continued. “The first thing I saw, the first time I opened my eyes I saw the moon, and the mare carved upon its surface.”
“The legend said the mare in the moon was a jealous, evil pony, but something told me that day there was something more to the legend than I knew. I didn’t know what, but I believed, and some called me a fool for questioning her identity.” She sighed.
“Or maybe I was just romanticizing it on top of what my mom told me, but in the end, I was proven right. So it was that I decided to devote myself to becoming the best pony I could be. If anything to repay the debt I owed her.” She breathed out, her heartbeat having gone back to normal.
“I now study the magic of illusions and divination to explore the darkness, to help illuminate where the moon can’t reach. I want to help those lost in the dark like she does! I must sound so cheesy now.”
Merc smiled at her unending enthusiasm and her revisioning of her past. It was definitely something he would not be forgetting anytime soon. “That’s… Damn.. I admire you now.”
Selune was stunned by this and looked at him. “What? R-really?..”
Merc nodded. “I’m not just saying that to make up for the loss of words. I really do mean it. And.. all that for a twenty seven year old mare? Heh, you make me look young.”
“Hey!” She scoffed playfully. “You might have guessed my age right, but I’m not old!”
Merc put his hooves up defensively, laughing. “I never said you were!”
Selune smirked at him. “Suuure. How old are you, then?”
Merc shrugged. “I’m.. actually a lot younger than you. Twenty three.” He admitted with a sheepish smile.
“Twenty three?... Wow..” She said simply. “I honestly thought you were older than me. You seem a lot more mature for someone your age.”
“C’mon,” Merc mused. “Is it truly that big of a deal? You’re acting as if I was twenty years younger instead. If I was fourteen and you were twenty two, now that would be an issue.”
Selune sighed. “Yeah.. Sorry… Just… odd is all.”
Merc nodded. “Don’t feel bad. Trust me, I get this kind of stuff a lot. But oh well, not like anyone can tell the difference unless they ask me straight up.”
“Oh? Like?” She asked.
“Well, I enlisted into the Guards when I was sixteen.” He said simply. “I didn’t want to spend my life in a useless school system that would eventually drive me and my family into the dirt with unpayable taxes and shit.”
“Wait, sixteen?” She asked, tilting her head to the side slightly. “I thought you had to be seventeen to enlist?”
Merc shrugged. “They mistook me for a seventeen year old. I mean, that’s what I wrote on the papers too, and what my parents wrote as well.” He let out a small chuckle. “Even my parents were confused by my true age.
“Not like we had much time and money to do birthday parties… Or anything like that.”
Selune pondered about this for a second. “So… You were.. poor?” She asked simply. “I’m not being rude here, I’m just curious!”
Merc smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry about it. And yeah, in a way, we were.” He answered.
With a sigh, he continued. “We uh.. lived in Mareterrey, Mexicolt. Near the mining facilities, or the mining district, as it’s called now.”
“So you can speak Spanish, right?” Selune asked.
“Cuando yo quiero, si.” Merc spoke in Spanish.
“Huh?”
“When I want to, yeah.” Merc said with a small laugh while Selune giggled. Then, he continued.
“Lived in the slums, to be more precise. Didn’t have any medical shit, let alone the money, so I was born inside a coal mine. Literally.” He laughed. “My dad he... brought mom to work because one of his friends was a doctor.
“Wow, you make me feel lucky to have lived in Canterlot.” Selune rubbed her neck with an awkward smile
“It’s okay. It could have been worse. I mean, for all I know he could have been a drug dealer, y’know?” Merc smiled. “But it didn’t matter before, so why would it matter now? I was born healthy and shit. Then, when I turned seven, my dad took me to the mines so we could work.”
“At seven!? That’s horrible!” Selune’s jaw dropped in surprise as her eyes widened.
Merc nodded. “Yep. My dad taught me how to fly as well. But the main reason was we were dirt-bucking poor. Couldn’t even afford a straw and wood shack, so we made our own. Before a flash flood took it out not even four months later...
“But anyways, we worked, and we worked. And then, when I was 15, my dad was killed in a mining accident.” He said dryly.
Selune kept quiet and was about to speak until Merc continued. “Fell over seven hundred feet down the third shaft. His body was ‘unrecognizable’ they told us. But you know, whatever. Shit happens.”
“But.. Your dad.. I don’t-” Selune was slightly confused by it all and why he was so dry on going into specifics.
Merc cut her off. “Shit happens.” He repeated with a firm tone. “Before that he told me to quit going to school and find some other job. Or anything. Because after that little incident, the mines closed. Foreclosure or something like that.
“So, I took his advice and joined the Guards. Went through training, got shit done, and graduated.” Merc smiled. “And.. I swear man, I have never seen my mom so… proud of me, y’know? Like.. she was crying in happiness! And I had never seen her cry before. Ever. So that was another surprise for me.” Merc sighed as a wave of nostalgia came over him.
Selune smiled softly at Merc, awaiting him to keep going.
“Then I went to work. Did patrols around our borders, did escorts, all that simple stuff, plus sending over seventy percent of my pay to my mom.” He shrugged. “Then, the tensions between us and the Changeling Kingdom grew.
“You remember the invasion of Canterlot during the wedding?” He asked Selune.
She nodded. “Yeah. I remember. Who couldn’t?”
“Well, I wasn’t there during the time. And I felt horrible as fuck that I wasn’t. Because even though Shining Armor requested all the Guards he could get, he left our team out.”
“So after all that, I was sent back to permanently guard Canterlot, but it felt like I wasn’t doing enough. If anything at all. Then I heard that they were doing some sort of special training. For a new section of the Royal Guards.”
Merc sighed. “Next thing I knew, I enlisted for it, graduated along with three others, became part of a special operations unit, did some missions, seen some shit. Then.. I…” He paused.
“Uhm… Merc?” Selune asked, seeing that he had stopped and was staring at the floor, his eyes lost in the memories.
“Just…. I was framed for betraying the Guards during a mission. I was to be put on trial, but then I abandoned the Guards and became a mercenary for money.”
“Oh… But… No, nevermind.” Selune stopped herself immediately.
“What is it?” Merc asked her.
“Nothing. It’s nothing, I swear.”
Merc sighed and nodded. “If you say so… Just.. Did a bunch of missions for cash, assassinations, killings, all that. All around, from Zebrica to Griffonstone.”
Selune kept quiet and listened, regardless of the fact that this was both catching her attention and scaring her.
“It... changes you. Then, the Griffon Empire and the Changelings were getting more and more aggressive on Equestria. Then rumors of a revolution spread. So I came back, I personally talked to Celestia herself and she gave me political immunity in return that I guard the Element Bearers from harm. Along with three other mercenaries, I met and grew on them.”
Merc coughed. “Then, as always, the inevitable revolution happened, the Griffons and Changelings made a coalition, invaded us, and we did our job. I grew on one of the Bearers.”
“They invaded, we defended… And failed.” Merc said, his voice choking slightly before clearing his throat. “We managed to survive, if only by chance. Lots of good ponies were lost that day.”
Merc hadn’t noticed that he had visible tears slowly escaping from his eyes and now slowly dripping down his cheeks, before he closed his eyes and leaned against the wall with a thud, letting out a ragged sigh.
“I-I don’t even know why I’m doing this shit…” He said to nopony in particular, but Selune watched in worry as she slowly scooted over to Merc, who either didn’t notice or didn’t mind.
“I guess the bits got to me. I know money doesn’t buy happiness...but I have nothing else. I guess the thrill of killing and being killed makes me… free.” He said with a choked sob, before wrapping his wings around himself.
“I just... I am so bucking undone. I don’t even know what this will accomplish for me. Maybe I did it because I want to die, free myself from this damnation.” He whimpered to himself.
With a sigh, he unwrapped his wings and looked over to Selune. “Look, I’m sorry, I’m jus-”
Merc was cut off as Selune leaped to Merc, suddenly hugging him tightly. He had a look of complete shock on his face before slowly hugging her back, wrapping both his forelegs and wings around her as they embraced.
Selune wanted to do something, to say something of substance, anything. But her mouth couldn’t open. So she just sat there, hugging him close, if anything to repay the comfort he gave her, the only recompense she could offer right now.
Then there was silence.
Endless silence. Stretching to the infinite void that was the world around them right now. Only their eyes talked, only the eyes could now speak as the two looked deep into each other as they held each other as close as they could.
They say the eyes are the mirror of the soul, a window to one’s true self. If that was true, then Merc was jealous of what he saw in those beautiful purple eyes.
He was jealous of the spark that was within her. The passion that was still alive inside her, fighting the fears. And winning.
Merc couldn’t recall, but at some point in his life, he simply stopped having the same passion about it, he stopped getting so invested in things so foolish and hurtful. As if he had activated an internal off-switch.
Everything felt like a blur, and money served to confirm his way of thinking. Attachments, especially of the emotional kind, were deadly to a mercenary like himself. Yet as he looked in Selune’s gaze he felt a strange compulsion as his instincts told him to cherish, to protect what he had here.
It was his mission, as it was Selune’s, to protect each other, one they didn’t even need a contract for, let alone one they came to expect. One they both had unwittingly signed as they stared into each other.
This mare had told him her story, and he had told his. It had been a long time since he could say he trusted someone, if he ever could. Could he even allow such a thing?
To risk it once more?
Since the stench of betrayal and backstabbing knives hadn’t permeated the world around him. For all he knew...
Was he willing to risk this? Did he want this? Does he want this?
There was the sound of clinking metal, and the crackling of electricity as the lights flickered back up. Selune was the first to break their silence, quickly speaking. “Oh hey, the lights are back! Maybe they fixed the problem? Thank Luna, I wouldn’t like to stay in the dark for a moment more.”
Merc, however, hesitated to move from his position. Even as the maintenance crew brought the elevator back up he was awfully silent, a struggle taking place in his heart along with an all-out war inside his mind. Reason vs Emotion. A classic, yet destructive battle that never ended well for anypony.
But he wasn’t having it. He quickly blinked. As the doors slid open, he proceeded to walk away, hoping that Selune wouldn’t notice him leaving.
A hoof holding him back from his shoulder was proof enough he was wrong. He sighed. “You don’t want to do this. You’re exposing yourself to danger by opening yourself up to me…”
“So did you. So, what’s the difference? Isn’t the playing field equalized now?” She asked gently as she whirled to his front and gave him a smile.
“I might have to kill you... or worse... betray your trust in me. I don’t mind being betrayed anymore. I’m used to it by now, I’ve numbed myself too much to actually care.
“But…” Once again he looked at her eyes, those beautiful purple eyes that both awed and confused him.
“I don’t... want to do that to you. I don’t want to abuse your trust. Treat others like you want to be treated, right? And don’t get too caught up in emotions.” With that, he took the first step, getting ready to leave.
“I’m scared too…” She said quietly.
Merc came at a full stop, feeling that strange pull again. That made him immediately turn to her.
“I’m not as strong, or as experienced as you are despite my age. You’ve numbed yourself so much you can’t feel joy, I can sense it in your touch.” She said. “Even if it was on purpose, or not. You paid a price.”
“I’ve numbed myself to fear and sorrow to avoid getting hurt, to avoid feeling the same… To avoid the darkness from enveloping me again...” She paused. “We don’t have to hide from our weaknesses any longer. Is it so bad to support each other?”
“We need to stop running away from our problems, our weaknesses. You need to give yourself a little break, a chance to feel happy, to live.” Selune added.
Merc’s head dragged down in silence as he sighed. “I tried that before, and it was so amazing. But it never lasts. Nothing does.”
Merc kept his head low, staring at the ground as his jet black mane covered his eyes from view. “I don’t know if I can risk it again…” He whispered to himself.
“I’m tired too, you know.” Selune sighed.
Merc’s ears perked up as he looked back up to her, a curious look in his eyes as he looked at the mare before him.
“I’m tired of feeling scared like a helpless baby in the dark. Tired of desperately seeking friends to keep it at bay. I try to fight it, I really do!” Selune clenched her hoof with closed eyes, angry with herself.
Merc raised a hoof towards her, wanting to help, to touch her, take whatever negative emotion she was feeling and make it either go away, or absorb it himself.
But he hesitated as he did, his hoof mid-air as his mind and heart came to yet another impasse.
“Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. But maybe…” She opened her eyes and looked at his hoof. She quickly took his from mid air and placed it with her own hoof upon her chest “Maybe I don’t have to do it alone. You don’t have to stand alone either.
“We can fight this…” Merc felt a warmth creep into him, gently caressing his heart once more. A similar feeling recurring; one that he hadn’t felt in ages.
“...together.” She added with a squeeze to his hoof.
With his hoof on her chest, he felt her heart beating strongly and calmly. He sensed the warm glow that was inside. Her offer was tempting, sincere, and she made no guarantees or big promises.
But the risks were high. As he knew all too well.
But the rewards were worth more than the risk. So much more worth.
Hesitantly, he looked at Selune, before looking to the side and sighing.
He turned back to her, his expression now confident and brightened up as he gave her a smile. A genuine, loving smile he actually formed.
“Yes… “
“Together.” He said, resisting the urge to hug Selune as tightly as he could. Shivering a bit due to his self-restraint.
“Besides, I do owe you a treat to that whiskey, remember?” Selune shyly smiled. Merc smiled back and nodded.
“You do, don’t you? Well by all means, ma’am, lead the way!” He said, moving to the side and letting the mare lead while she giggled and rolled her eyes.
As Selune took the lead, Merc couldn’t help but feel a small fluttering in his heart. An alien feeling... something he had long given up hope on experiencing again.
It was the same warmth he had felt when his hoof was touching Selune’s chest, and a warmth he had felt so long ago. A warm, kind, gentle and encouraging light that stretched in the darkness that plagued him, a fire both strong and gentle that no drink in existence could ever hope to replicate.
Yet at the same time, it was the most finest, yet foolish and deadly emotions that a living being could ever experience.
Love.