//------------------------------// // Bargaining // Story: Bound by Moonlight // by Indulgence //------------------------------// ‘So, to review: all forces of the Lunar Guard agree to continue their assigned duties’ the voice of an elderly bespectacled stallion droned, in part reading from the extensive parchment levitated before him. ‘This shall entail the maintenance of night-time patrols and their garrisons in Tartarus, speaking of which: said facility and its inmates will remain as their charge…’ ‘On the condition that our sovereign be returned with immediacy after the term of her “prescribed” banishment’ a gruffer voice butted in. Like the preceding unicorn it broke in on, its speaker was beginning to show his age, oak coloured fur starting to grey at its edges. In contrast however the night pegasus held himself (even though seated) in a primed stance, his static armoured form coiled and defensive. ‘We shall not neglect our oaths just so long as the Princess of the Sun does not forget hers. We also repeat the demand that we want our opinions of this matter to remain on record: that we condemn in the strongest terms the extrajudicial prosecution of our royal mistress, and that it is only for our loyalty to Equestria and to her to whom we are forsworn that we do not press our objections… “further”.’ Murmurs of agreement went around one half of the council table, it and its furniture dominating much of the darkened chamber, its curtains closed for the benefit of the nocturnal one’s present. They made up one side of the room’s number, set apart in the segments of their armoured shells, the bat-like wings at their sides and their predatory eyes, more feline than equine in appearance. Most wore fur in some manner of greyish camouflage, above this and their steely carapace clothed in navy tunics emblazoned with a crescent moon in silver. Their counterparts sat opposite sported less imposing attire, mostly dressed in some form of poorly fitting suit, with golden pins denoting their title and office set in their lapels. These obvious courtiers equally carried themselves differently, adopting either a slumped nonchalance or hunched timidity in the face of their glaring military opposites. Only their eldest defied this trend, his teal eyes behind his spectacles conveying only blank, refusing to be bullied and at the same time not needing to try and exert his own dominance. ‘Yes yes this has all been put into the record commander, which shall be binding to all signatories and their associated parties’ he continued, politically letting the interruption slide. ‘Is there anything further that anypony feels has not been fully elucidated or needs raising, clarifying or changing?’ Receiving only silence in reply he concluded: ‘then I invite you all to make your mark against our accord.’ At the nominal head of proceedings Celestia sat, watching two duplicates of the now long debated document begin their circuit around the gathering, accompanied by both inks and quills. In truth she had steadily lost all focus she had maybe originally had at the start of the meeting, retreating ever further back as it went on. Bearing in mind how it had begun, as toxic verbal salvoes and anger being fired across the table (largely shot from the ranks of the Lunar Guard’s corner), this was probably a blessing. She after all had no reasonable defence to set against them, they having all the vindication in the world behind their cutting criticisms, whilst, though paling in comparison to her inner voice’s condemnation, their words stung at her. She was wrong, they were right and that was it, their scowls painful in their reminder of what she had done to incur them. She had ignored what was before her, making any wrong which had come of it her doing alone, with no right to punish the one she had in so grand a fashion. For now though her focus was elsewhere, caught up in the empty chair at the other end of the table. Its presence had been one of the heavier stipulations insisted by her sister’s soldiers in order to bring them to negotiation, so how could she have possibly refused? The threat of rebellion in their ranks had been a very real one, flaring almost as soon as news of the banishment spread, which if looking for a silver lining in everything highlighted their loyalty. In any case getting them here and averting a civil war had been the most important thing, even if the Sun had found the price of achieving this next to unbearable. The uninhabited seat in no uncertain terms screamed at her, as if a ghost remained in the void it represented. She was her younger self and in its place a younger little sister sat, both of them bored to tears in training for court life. They shared a look, each rolling their eyes in unison; meanwhile all around unhearing bureaucrats debated the intricacies of petitioning and etiquette for their education. She pulled a face, forcing the other sibling to suppress a giggle. Quickly this descended into a competition, each trying to force the other into laughter, whilst simultaneously trying to avoid detection. Soon together they failed, falling into uncontrollable giggling, only spurred further as disapproving glowers fell upon them. In reality two documents finally reached the end of their circle, deposited before Celestia, their last required signatory. All else was fluid, her name and seal joining those others already set down on the sheets. What followed were polite exchanges in departure, unavoidably awkward as all had been to some degree at each other’s’ throats not so long ago. One night mare stood out, shooting fiery daggers back over her shoulder from her crimson irises, then everypony was gone and the Sun was set alone with her thoughts. How could you? Slowly Celestia got to her hooves and even slower she crossed the empty room, coming to a stop next to the furniture which had been haunting her. ‘I had to, it was…’ Did you, did you really? ‘Yes, she…’ Really? So there was no other path open to you then, nothing else you could have done? The princess let out a sigh, reaching out a tentative hoof to the vacant chair’s back, but in the end recoiling just at the last moment. She instead turned and moved on, feeling the call of her solar charge beyond the chamber’s windows. In a golden glow she raised the heavy blinds, letting in the tide of tired rays held at their back. Outside, far beyond the palace’s walls, Canterlot was in the midst of winding down, most of the capital’s inhabitants making their way homeward in anticipation of the coming evening. ‘I did it for them, all of them, just as I always have and always must. They are all my responsibility and I only acted to protect them.’ But what of Luna, were you not supposed to be her protector too? Who pray tell was supposedly the older sister? A gold gilding of magic pulsed back into Celestia’s horn, the innocuousness of the action masking the feat she performed. Foregoing the ceremony of her balcony stage, she quietly bedded her sun down below the horizon, drawing up the moon to take its place. ‘I didn’t mean to okay! I was tired and surprised, we fought and I saw red. I was angry and it just happened, I…’ No answer cut in on the princess’ silent thoughts, merely they just petered out, no interjection required to pierce the emptiness of her excuses. Her view was filled with a moon in full bloom, as both unmissable prison and monument high in the sky, glaring down into her. ‘I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.’ --- A tightly scrunched ball of paper sailed through the air in a neat and well perfected arc, propelled by a spark of purple magic to land in an overflowing waste basket. Briefly it joined the mountain of its equally crumpled kin before tumbling from the peak of their unstable mound, falling to the floor, littered with a great many more similar discards. Maintaining its momentum and still in motion it managed to roll all the way back to its starting position, finally stopped as it bumped into a chair leg, on which sat the one who had originally thrown it away. Seated at her bedroom’s desk Twilight slumped, her head kept upright by a stabilising forehoof, looking down on a fresh blank sheet of parchment before her. She was by now onto her second quill, the first having given out from overwork, a collection of inkwells also set to one side, drained almost to empty. For all this obvious work it was slightly depressing to have no fruits to show for her labours, but then again she took some consolation from the fact that she was trying to juggle a superabundance of variables. She had been and was still attempting to make a list, her general coping mechanism for life’s hurdles, the tactic having served her well previously against a plethora of foes. This one however was proving most resistant to being reduced to stages, to be confidently followed and checked off in turn. She remained determined though, having convinced herself that the issue had to be overcome, if for no other reason to free up the space it was occupying in her mind. The problem is trying to produce some structure applicable to any possible social situation. Taking a deep breath the lavender unicorn took up her pen once more, set to working as she thought aloud. ‘Okay, starting again: stage one, or rather stage zero. Zero, for now, remains a floating and unknown variable, consisting of our next meeting, at least until a means of engineering one can be established. Zero is therefore the prime mover, setting in motion further stages, but also covers all preparation which can be made in the meantime.’ The only part of this which made it to the page was a large starting nought. To reiterate: this needs to be closer to a rubric than vague pontification, otherwise it won’t help. ‘Zero is about first real impressions then, which must necessarily be flawless, requiring that I conduct myself at all times impeccably in turn until then. This is essential because, as previously stated, I don’t know when I’ll next see her.’ So in short you need to act and look perfect all the time. No pressure! ‘After this then stage one: small talk…’ Which you’re so good at after all! ‘…to break the proverbial ice.’ Twilight frowned. It was true small talk really was not her forte, always seeming clumsy and forced to say the least. Her brain was simply not very adept at slipping into a passive role and making empty enquiries; it just felt wrong. Making a mental note that stage one would require further pre-emptive practice, she continued: ‘and then stage two… erm…’ Friendship… somehow. Here was where the plan fell down, stumbling a few more paces further in a couple of previous incarnations, but always inevitably succumbing. From the outset it was hard to try and convert the objective of “friendship” into a workable equation, but as she had continued to ponder the issue she had begun to question whether this was even the end her weirdly on edge psyche wanted. When dispatched to Ponyville and ordered in no uncertain terms to make friends she had not felt nearly as stressed about the idea, summing it all up with but a single tick box to be completed. Equally absent at that time was the need that she now had. Although then she had been preoccupied with the prospect of Nightmare Moon’s return the difference was still stark, unhelpfully so. --- Let me out. A shadowy figure stalled in its path, scrabbling to retain its hoofing in the loose dirt of the lunar surface, gripping its guts as its back arched. ‘Now now, play nice’ it grimaced through obvious pain, clutching its sides tighter in falling to its haunches on the cusp of a small crater. Its words evidently went unheard however, being forced to keel forward, any further resistance cut off by coughing. Let me out! Viscous bile rose up from within, coursing its way through the creature’s throat, acid scourging every inch as it went. The figure shook violently as it retched into the hole, armoured adornments thrown away from its form in the process, silver segments cascading into the newly formed pool of muck. Luna awoke spluttering on the lip of a crater, black liquid churning not far below. Her every nerve ending screeched, made infinitely sensitive in their long absence, making her almost a stranger in her own stinging being. With a forehoof she wiped her sored mouth, holding herself in a tightened grip as she tried to regulate her ragged breathing, attempting reassurance. ‘Is… is that it?’ ‘Not quite my dear, not quite.’ Below the exiled Princess of the Night the fluid in the base of the crater surged together, coagulating in a single mass, looking like liquid shadow. It pooled beneath the shell of a discarded helm, forming a face within as it was raised upward, the rest of it picking up other pieces of armour as if donning them in turn. Quickly an inky creature took the murky puddle’s place, in a flash leaping from the pit, with wings in a flap landing it gently on the other side. It took a seat, shooting a fanged grin to its alicorn opposite across the void. ‘To elucidate a little further on your needless question however’ it began, ‘I’m still very much here; I wouldn’t desert you so readily.’ The former princess’ realm was an empty one, grey and featureless, devoid of anything or anypony save for the mere unwanted facsimile staring her down. ‘Haven’t you already done enough damage, why can’t you just leave me be?’ ‘Now why would I possibly want to do that, and why for that matter would you want to be rid of me?’ ‘Why? Why?!’ Luna’s tone swiftly became angered shouts, falling an easy victim to her adversary’s nonchalance. ‘You mean aside from attacking Tia, threatening the whole realm, getting me banished, and in return giving nothing which was promised! You’re right, how could I possibly desire to be rid of you?!’ ‘If I might interject’ the thing came in calmly, entirely unconcerned by its opposite’s outburst, ‘I offered you power and together we had it in swathes. As far as anything else is concerned, you have nopony to blame but yourself for your lack. If you had shut your pretty little mouth for a bit, I wouldn’t have hesitated, Sunbutt could have been dealt with and we wouldn’t have ended up here. Your nerve failed you, not me. We could have had it all were it not for your cowardice!’ ‘Why stay then? If I’m the weak link here, why not just take your leave and go? Just go!’ Luna yelled back, force however blunted as her desperation was there audibly beneath her rage. ‘Just go!’ ‘What sort of a friend would I be if I did that; leaving you in your hour of greatest need.’ The creature remained flippant, pleading mock hurt at the accusations levelled against it, then turning to sniggering. ‘Buck off!’ ‘Oh come on now, it’s a bit late in the day to be discovering your fighting spirit you know! Besides, how exactly were you planning on being rid of me? I am after all a part of you.’ ‘That’s not true…’ ‘The best parts I might add.’ ‘No!’ ‘Well what do you bring to the table hmmm? I bring you strength and power, I excise your weakness! Am I not therefore your only worthwhile characteristics? Your one saving grace might be your ambition, though in truth it would’ve starved without me, without my will to give it flight to soar!’ ‘No!’ Luna repeated her interjection, raising her angry voice still louder, adding further: ‘you are not any part of me!’ ‘Denial won’t get you anywhere, so how about we try a little honesty with one another? We’re both adults and certainly close enough to be truthful.’ ‘No…’ ‘Yes. Don’t try and tell me that I haven’t always been there, because I know I have, and you know it too, no matter what you might tell yourself.’ The twinned creature’s azure eyes flashed, scar-like pupils narrowing thinner, like a predator’s drinking in an approaching kill. ‘As I’ve already said I’m there in your ambition, but more than that I’m there in your jealousy, your constant want to be more than the Sun’s shadow. But what are you other than a shadow? I’m there in every intrinsically darkened part of your being. Even now I’m in your loathing!’ ‘Enough!’ Luna screamed, voice rolling away in a shock wave, carrying before it a plume of dust in all directions. In the same moment her horn ignited with silvery flames, instantly hurling it away as an arc of pulsating light. Only a smouldering crater remained where her demon had been sat taunting her, grey dirt scorched stark black. She waited a moment and then a moment more, hopin g against hope to be gifted with silence. Nice try, but I’m still very much here. I’ll always be here.