Chapter LX – Hear Me
Twilight found herself quite tired later during the night. The two conversations that she had to... “endure”, rather than enjoy, had been rather draining. For different reasons, but the feeling was similar, much to her displeasure. Enough so that she had decided to rest and recuperate for a while on her own. She even had a little nap to help herself. Though she could not recall any dreams, she woke up damp with sweat... which meant the need for a nice, quick and cold bath.
And all of that also meant that Twilight was rather awake and with quite a bit of energy by the time the morning was to happen above the stone walls and cavern ceilings of the Mountain all around her.
She decided to capitalize on the circumstances, then. At least a little bit. She figured that it would not be the worst time to do a little more sightseeing about the place. She imagined that the Mountain of Fang would be less crowded, with many of the denizens getting ready for the day of rest.
... was there much of a “day life” in the Mountains of Noctraliya?
Twilight wasn’t planning on losing her proper time of sleep, no, but a little excursion wouldn’t hurt at all. Besides... maybe her body would actually be at least a little thankful for being reminded again what it felt to be a little diurnal.
“I hope you don’t mind me deciding to rob us of our usual hours of rest?” she asked as she left the guest quarters alongside Midnight.
“Not at all,” he replied, sounding calm and collected.
Maybe too calm and collected...
Twilight had made it crucial in her mind to properly lock her room... and with a little arcane help inside the door mechanism. Even if, at the same time, it was hard to tell if Rowan Berry would even come back for the day.
But Midnight, on his part, didn’t seem to care too much about whether he would have the antechamber for himself or not. It wasn’t due to overconfidence. Twilight could tell that she had managed to banish a lot of it throughout their conversation. And that he was taking it slow to again start conversing with her.
Yes, she knew she had caused him discomfort. Hopefully, it would be one to have healing properties. She would absolutely hate not having more opportunities that day to just spend good, positive time with him.
“Are you certain you’re not against us going out so late?”
Midnight nodded. “Yes, I am, actually. I think we could still manage, even with staying up for a couple more hours. As I understand, we’ll not be taking an early carriage to Tuarie,” he judged. “It’s more likely we shall get there closer to the morning, have a day of rest and only then shall we be flying on... Possibly to Iug u Waesper, unless another Lord decides to usurp your next direction. Not sure what the plans and politics are there...”
Twilight pondered on that for a breath, her eyes escaping to the horn of Radiant Glory. They were within the confines of the courtyard after all, and so was the gruesome trophy. The one last thing she had to cover with Blessed Fang before departure. He, after all, had promised to consider having it removed. Perhaps it could be made into a symbolic gesture in the end?
But there would be a time and a place for that talk. She’d rather enjoy a more casual discussion first. There had been too many heavy-hoofed sentences that night.
Twilight only hoped Midnight was not going to hold a little grudge, enough not to enjoy the walk and talk.
“Come to think of it... There aren’t many destinations left open to go. One already taken, one possibly locked tight. I hope, however,” she pointed out, trotting calmly past the “guardian” bears and other embellishments of Blessed Fang’s palace, with Midnight in tow, “that the Lords’ opinions can actually change, even strongly. And that the Mountains will be more accessible to me through that. Maybe with the local endorsement...” She waved her hoof about.
“Depends. If hwalbu haspadr wrote strong messages of support, those might, indeed, help...” the stallion admitted, stretching one of the bandaged legs a little. “I’ll repeat what I said before, since I wasn’t saying it just to Rowan Berry...” Midnight claimed, a grimace crossing his muzzle. “I want to believe that even Lord Crimson Shade can be convinced. Yes, he’s stubborn. Locked in his ways. You can expect... a ‘conserve approach’...?”
“ ‘Conservative’, Midnight.”
“Yes. Conservative... approach from Umberi. Still... among the Cowene, I see Blessed Fang as the one that could help with just that,” the stallion pointed out. “Lord Crimson Shade puts great trust in the will of Bogine. And he seems to genuinely like haspadr Aldatu Kiel, despite the difference in age and experience...”
Twilight gave Midnight a bit of a side eye. “Are you making a guess...? Or... are you trying to be so transparent?”
He just looked at her. “It’s what I think, what I’m guessing and what I know...” he told her. His eyes were simultaneously most serious and had that... spark in them. “You don’t appreciate it?”
“I’m simply... wondering whether this is your idea of trying to make things up to me to the point of ridicule.”
He blinked very slowly. Too slowly.
“... are you making fun of me?” she was prompted to ask.
“Definitely not of what you have told me,” he replied, taking a glance about for witnesses. “I acknowledge what I’ve heard. And my mistake as well. I suppose I’ll simply end up trying to let go of the tension by being a little irritating.”
“As what, a comeuppance for me?” Twilight replied, trying not to smirk.
“No. As a reminder that I might make mistakes. But make no mistake that I still love you with every drop of my blood...”
She was glad they had turned the corner and found no sentinels down the passage, because it was really hard to stop a smile. Or a blush.
“I know you do. And I love you to. But that is why I need trust...”
“And I promise to keep working on that shortcoming...” he, indeed, swore and she was happy to accept that oath. “Right now, by pointing out that by getting Lord Blessed Fang fully on your side, as I understand, you have made a very solid step in getting through to Lord Crimson Shade.”
Twilight nodded thoughtfully. “I suppose he shall require much more steps. Much like Lord Bright Crescent.”
Midnight almost hissed. “Kuluz would start a war to avoid boredom... At least Lord Sunfall Word can batter him occasionally. He’s simply too old to care for the tluk to try and insult him.”
“By ‘transparent’, I didn’t necessarily mean being vulgar, Midnight,” she told him in return. “But... the relations between your Lords are rather interesting, you know.”
“I think I do know what you mean by ‘rather interesting’, even if it is not a transparent expression,” Midnight quipped back. A little cautiously, but Twilight wasn’t going to rob him of a small smirk. Even if he was only half right.
“I don’t think there’s just distrust and rivalry there. A certain level of respect is necessary to even have a construct like the Covenant work... Well, I don’t know about Lord Bright Crescent finding himself in that arrangement at any rate, but...”
“Nopony knows ‘about’ him...” the stallion responded with a little bit of a discouraged sigh.
She’d have to concur... even if what she had learned from Lord Blessed Fang had shone a little bit more light on the eccentric stallion.
With the help of some of the local militia, Twilight and Midnight did find their way across the tunnels of the Mountain of Fang. She knew that they would eventually end up in the main cavern, considering the layout of the place, but she was not objecting to taking a “scenic” route. Well, depending on how much scenery could be found in the snaking corridors and dark caverns.
Turns out “a lot” would be the right expression there.
Much to Twilight’s surprise, though she should have really been used to it at that point, the interior of the Mountain was ready to receive her with many, fascinating locations and vistas. From a corridor in which the wall lanterns were actually placed inside the hollowed skulls of some big, avian quarries to a staircase done in wondrously carved, dark wood, giving the impression of a huge lizard creature climbing its way up the central pillar as the higher levels were reached.
Exactly that trip upwards did, at one point, leave the two of them standing high above the landing cavern of the Mountain. Right on the wooden walkways overlooking the transport hub filled with different carriages and carts, embellished with many amulets for good and calm travels.
Twilight felt that little bit uncertain about the overpass creaking underneath her weight and that of Midnight, but was swiftly reassured by the stallion. Approximately right when they were at the least stable portion of this bridge.
“Don’t worry, iau lumn,” he uttered, having well and clearly in mind that they were going across between two, rather massive stalactites, with a long drop underneath them, “the fact that you shouldn’t fly in our Mountains does not mean you cannot fly.”
“I would rather skip the part, you know,” Twilight told him. “Not that I doubt the quality of your craftsponies’ work... but I would also have to catch you. And you’re heavy.”
“... heavy?!” Midnight asked, with the shock of a mare with a stocky build. “Are you saying I have gained weight?”
“Why are you being so ridiculous?” she asked, forced to do it by his antics.
The stallion shrugged, but his eyes were most serious.
“Honestly, I... I just feel bad, my light,” he spoke, mindful of his volume. “You were right. Very right, I... I should have been more... I don’t know.” He paused for a while. As they reached the other end of the walkway, he stood by the wooden railing, almost wistfully looking down. “I just... for the longest time I had to take everything upon myself. My duties, my tasks, my... problems and terrible memories,” he spoke.
Twilight joined him. Side by side. She would have come closer, but... they were still out in the open. And the hour was not a factor that would completely assure lack of witnesses.
Midnight continued anyway, though he was particularly mindful of the echo, so his voice was low and somewhat breathy.
“I suppose... I’m used to taking care of things myself. Keeping things, how to say it... for myself. Close to chest?”
“Close to the vest, usually, but I understand...” Twilight assured him. Meaning more than just his choice of words.
And he grasped that as well. “I, too, understand that this is not... fair. For you, most definitely not. My love for you,” he continued, his voice nothing more than a whisper now, “it should suffice to improve myself. Because, trust me when I say, that it is a feeling as pure and clean as Bogineu light.”
Twilight knew it already... but it was sweet to hear such an assurance nonetheless.
Still, Midnight’s brow furrowed and his face suffered a shade passing through it. “And, trust me, I would wish to be as open and honest as you are. What you have done earlier tonight...” He paused, shaking his head. “No haspadr would be ashamed of such charisma.”
She took care not to giggle at the praise. “Please, Midnight... I told you, I was myself and that was it.”
The stallion glanced at her, smiled just a little... but then sighed. With minimal volume, but for a long time, indeed.
“I... I suppose I sometimes wish I could be just like that. Myself and nothing more,” he claimed, sounding quite wistful. “Even Lord Blessed Fang did find that lately. He looked very at ease and natural last night, on the meadows. For a moment... I actually saw him as a young and youthful stallion and not the head of Rodine Kiel.”
“It was a nice thing to witness,” Twilight admitted with no little amount of joy. She felt like she had achieved something very important yesternight. “But... you make it sound like you are an old crow-bait.”
“... I’m not sure if I get that word exactly, but I definitely don’t like to think of myself as nothing more than a bait for wrani,” he replied, shaking his head a bit. “Still... yes, I’m not old, but I sometimes feel much older than I am. Like living more than one life. I have a... luggage, I guess.”
She could understand the idea, yes. Midnight had his terrible moments, with the death of his wife and the prolonged mourning and all of it. Piled high on him and only him. That could add years to a pony’s back, even if the passage of time remained the same as for everypony else.
The stallion continued on, gravity in his voice. “I think what I’m trying to say is... I want to be honest with you. I want you to know that I do trust you. It’s just... it’s a habit, to break,” he said and looked at her. And she knew he meant his words, considering how piercing and strong was his gaze. “It’s... almost more than that. It’s a... barrier, it’s a wall that I need to chisel down, because it’s... Because I... I want to...” He tried to express himself, but had to pause. To hiss. To look, for that one brief moment, more than angry. “Why is this so hard to say...?!” he asked of himself, almost too loudly.
Twilight perhaps couldn’t offer a correct answer in his own stead... but she could grant him something else.
Compassion.
“It’s alright, Midnight... I think I already know what you do want to tell me.”
There was a surge passing through his muzzle. A sudden shudder which moved the side of his lips in a twitch.
“... you... you do?” he asked, moved, shaken, but almost... hopeful. Or so Twilight thought she felt.
“I believe so...”
She looked around quickly. And spotting only a batpony or two below, among the carts and busy with anything but glancing up at the two of them, Twilight rapidly leaned in and pecked Midnight on the cheek. Hoping that encouragement would calm him down.
“I can only imagine what you must have felt after Dusk Stream died. You always speak of her with such fondness, one that I cannot blame you for, nor feel envious about. When she was gone, you had to somehow... manage. That’s the best way of saying that, I think. Manage yourself. Manage the pain. You had to lock it inside and contain it. Dull it, but in so doing, dull your life. To find enough strength to simply continue. Not only with just your duties... Just continue.”
Twilight wasn’t sure if she was being exactly accurate, but... she was trying her best. And the look on Midnight’s face was changing. She hoped for the better.
“And so...” she carried on, looking for any more indications that she was doing well, “... you had to focus on trusting yourself. To get things done, to move on. To get up, to trot on, to lie down and wake up the next night. Because you and only you could keep you going. Self-reliance is not a vice, no. And maybe you had been like that even before, to some extent. Your father... He feels to me like the kind of a pony to be very dutiful and take care of things himself first and foremost.”
“You... are quite correct,” Midnight admitted, now visibly impressed. “That is how he got to where he is now. He rarely left anything to chance, preferring to oversee matters personally, sometimes deal with issues on his very lonesome, without telling a soul. Some would claim that a bad trait in our society, but... that assurance and reliability both have given him the kind gaze of Lord Eye of Family Midnight...”
Twilight nodded. “Unsurprising. Seems like your Family might have that going on, if you don’t mind me saying. I can see a lot of that in you. I mean...” She found herself pausing. And she furrowed her brow. “Actually... I was going to make a point, but you will need to help me with it.”
The stallion looked at her askance. “What would you mean, iau lumn?”
“I know you are a decorated warrior. You have the Silver Star of Extraordinary Service, don’t you? That’s the name, right?”
Midnight himself looked a little surprised at it being brought up. “Oh. Ha, yes, that is right...” He looked away from Twilight for a brief moment, laughing to himself. “I... suppose I do. You know... it’s strange. Being awarded it is like a memory from another life. The, well, I could hardly say ‘ the better one’, because in this one I have you...” he declared. Indeed causing a slight blush. “But... the previous one was when I was decorated.”
“That life... is still you, Midnight, and your achievement is constant,” she told him, encouraging him a bit more. “You surely must have done something amazing. And... I want to bring it up, but I don’t actually know what it was.”
He glanced at her and shook his head with a small chuckle. “Now that’s an argument and a half. ‘Tell me for what I should praise you’.”
“If that’s how you want to put it, I’ll stop,” Twilight warned him. But somewhat playfully. “No pride needed here, just facts.”
“Fine, fine,” he relented and he was sincere in that. He turned to the side, leaning against the railing in a way to avoid pressing against the bandages. “It was the first year after I joined our Mountain’s warriors, actually. Officially, after all the preparation in the caste and everything. It was... truth be told, it was rough in the beginning. I was motivated. Wanted to be the very best. And that, as you know, comes at a cost. Rigorous training, strict discipline and at least one officer that surely deafened me during that time,” he reminisced with a smirk. “Not to mention the whips. I think I could still find a mark or two, but I’m half made of wool right now and that’s giving a much better impression, I believe.”
Twilight wasn’t sure she was appreciating that joke very much, considering Midnight’s state, but she wouldn’t tell him that. She was learning something more about her beloved. That warranted letting him talk.
Maybe it would make him feel more at ease after all.
He continued on, looking over the railing at some uninteresting stalactite. “That was even before the Nocferrat was again fully formed, as we were still looking up at the sign of the Immaculate Moon... marred. But we retained the knowledge and the tradition of the unit throughout the Atrlunee. Elites, the best of the best. Strong, skilled, cunning. Expected to perform well above expectations. Anywhere and everywhere they would go,” he explained. His mind surely returning to some important memories, considering the sparks in his eyes. “My closest group of wampiri, Avalanche and the others, we were all trying to prove ourselves worthy of that legacy. A bit of a... coltish fascination, I guess?” admitted, glancing at Twilight.
“Nothing wrong with that,” she told him and he nodded with a smile.
“Definitely not, considering where I’m right now...” he told her. “But, step by step. Usually a Family’s armed forces remain within its borders, as a peacekeeping force, patrolling the routes, keeping things in order, passing messages... I shouldn’t exactly speak of some of it, due to caste rules, but...” He shrugged a bit, accepting being a little out of order. “Sometimes, as a way to endorse cooperation and exchange experience with the castes from other Mountains, we are sent over to train with local militias, do some maneuvers, that sort of thing. One has to be ready for war even in peace. It’s also a way of, you know...” He looked left and right. “... learning what the other Mountains might have prepared... and sometimes is just a show of force. Or entertainment for the locals.”
Twilight nodded. “I grasp that, definitely. Our Wonderbolts give public shows and performances, aside from being our elite force.”
“Yes, a presence of the best fighters should be something to impress and reinforce morale, right? One of my main roles now. Minus the ‘shows and performances’ bit, I feel,” Midnight clarified with a self-satisfied smile. “I’m the member of the most serious of the most serious, right?”
“Sure.”
He rolled his eyes at her tone, but continued nonetheless. “It was actually at the Mountain of Crescent. Me and a few of our wampiri were stationed there briefly. Lord Midnight Eye was making an official visit to Rodine Kwadr and we were assisting in it, aside from the traditional haspadryi wartowneci. That stay is also why I have a rather... strong opinion on Lord Bright Crescent. Saw his antics back then as well. With my own eyes.”
Twilight cocked an eyebrow at that declaration, especially considering Midnight’s expression. “He... didn’t mention anything about recognizing you at any point.”
“Does he look like the kind of kudz to care about remembering lowly grunts that came to his precious Mountain?” the stallion retorted. “That is when I first met hrabiye Ivory Crescent and her brother. They were far more friendly. But Bright Crescent? Even after... but, I’m getting ahead of myself.” Midnight took a deep breath, returning to the more important thoughts and images in his mind. “At some point, we were actually on patrol around the place. A gesture of cooperation. And making sure we didn’t have too much free time on our hooves.”
“Why would that be a problem?” Twilight asked, genuinely intrigued.
Was it her imagination, or did Midnight’s cheeks flush just a little? “Well... you recall those ‘sensuous’ dances and all that Lord Blessed Fang mentioned?”
“... oh.”
She did recall. And considering the stallion’s glance, she understood that a group of young and healthy stallions could easily decide to be a little... lacking in their focus about the Mountain of Crescent.
Or, rather, focusing on unwanted things.
She must have worn a singular expression, because Midnight shook his head about. “Let’s not go too far there, with all due respect to the Crescents’ traditions. But, yes, it’s all too easy to find oneself distracted from one’s duties there.” It was like he read Twilight’s mind. “But, I can vouch for the clarity of my own head. And our assignments were meant to keep us sharp. Kwarsa Pogledye... The Quartz Panorama, I mean, is a calm region and actually quite pleasant compared to the other parts of our lands... which might explain things,” Midnight pointed out, seemingly surprised by his own point. Quickly, however, his expression switched. “But still as treacherous as any other place.”
“What would you mean?” Twilight inquired further, her mind already beginning to imagine a number of scenarios.
“We were going past a smaller town of the Crescents, Caeryi Alkecedi...”
“Wait...” she interrupted him gently, furrowing her brow in focus. “Something waterfalls? Blue, maybe?”
Midnight nodded, looking remarkably pleased. “Very good, exactly. The Blue Waterfalls. How did you know?”
“Well... there’s your traditional drink, the Family Sunfall... and that strange, blue mushroom dye from the verlupte, Lord Blessed Fang told me the name and I figured the beginning sounded similar...” she revealed.
The stallion mouthed the words she mentioned and his smile grew right afterwards. “Ha! Well done, that all fits. Glad to see you’re getting better and better at our language... Now I just need to be cautious not to call you ‘hormoned’ and such.”
He was lucky they were in the open, otherwise she would have gladly tossed something at him. And he knew it too, winking at her, then returning to his tale.
“So, yes. Caeryi Alkecedi. Not a big town, actually. Just some pastures about but, also, quite the amount of beautiful waterfalls. Reflecting starlight and the night’s sky in a way to look like a cascade of sapphires falling down the slope...” he claimed and Twilight would believe him. Something about his voice at that moment was incredibly honest. “It was a regular patrol, with some of the local Kwadriyi wampiri. We weren’t particularly, you know... focused. Just a flyby which wasn’t going to get us anything, but occupy some of our time until we had another, more serious thing to do. So we were going about, occasionally exchanging quips with the Crescents. Though both of the Families’ officers were trying to keep us in check. Sporadically,” Midnight focused on the funny side of the situation apparently, but then his tone shifted rather strongly.
Into one far more foreboding. “But thank the Immaculate Moon... that our little, pointless patrol happened when it did. It must have been Her guidance and nothing else. Right before our very eyes, we suddenly saw a landslide go down.”
Twilight found herself gasping little, imagining the terrifying sight. Especially in a mountainous region like Noctraliya. “Oh goodness... How bad?”
“Like the whole side of the hill had simply decided to take a walk through the valley. When I think of it, I can still hear the earth rumbling and the trees creaking, uprooted and fallen,” he revealed, his lips tensing a little. “The worst part was... Caeryi Alkecedi has its entrance quite low, right at the vale’s bottom. Due to terrain I believe. Nevertheless... whatever soil and rocks the landslide took with it, we saw them all go straight down towards the gate,” Midnight claimed, shaking his head. “The local warriors by the entrance saw it just in time, yes. But the most they could do was to rush in through the gate and try to lock it fast, hoping it would withstand the wave of earth. No time for reinforcing it... and no time to wait for the few fruittenders, who we somehow spotted on the road to the town, pulling a huge cart towards it. One managed to get out of the reins and was helping the others, but...”
Twilight would be ready to express her outrage at leaving ponies at the mercy of the elements like that... but it was easy to criticize from the comfort of but a listener of the tale. The participants surely had had to make the toughest of calls. Saving a few kin or managing to lock the gate and perhaps protecting more. She could understand the fear and, well... the ruthless calculus that always reared its terrible head in such circumstances.
“You said that you have seen it all happening... What did you do?”
Midnight continued. He definitely wasn’t casual about the situation, but in his voice she heard the confidence of somepony that lived through the scenario and managed to deal with it.
“I was just a simple warrior back then, but I distinctively remember shouting aloud to get everypony’s attention and just diving in towards the gate, not caring for the officers or anything else. I knew that, if the initial impact didn’t outright kill the owocellatani, crushing them and their cart, we didn’t have much time. Not to mention trying to organize help to clear the town’s entrance, you could see only the very tip of the gate from behind all the earth and rocks. And we didn’t even know if it held or whether we were just looking at whatever was left of it...” he explained, looking down at his hooves.
“So... you say that you went straight for the buried fruittenders? Weren’t you worried about the ground still being unstable? Another landslide could have followed!” Twilight warned him, as if that could have changed what had already transpired many years ago.
The stallion only nodded. “There was a risk... but doing one’s duty was more important. And that duty is, to this night, to serve and save. Besides...” He glanced at her with a small smirk. “I wanted to be a hero, you know? And I don’t mean... I mean, I hope I didn’t mean it in a shallow way back then. I wasn’t doing it for recognition or anything... It was an impulse to be like all those legends of our youth. The Nightguard, the defenders of our lands during Soleera Cruziate...”
Twilight could understand that. Then she, too, focused on Midnight’s hooves as she saw his muscles clenching out of a sudden.
He was aware of it and keen on explaining it. “It was like a blur at the time. Also because, truth be told, I did completely forget my training and my place and just... began organizing the effort. Shouting to my fellow wampiri about clearing the landslide. I’m not sure how I didn’t make the situation worse, actually, but I had just clearly enough seen where the fruittenders had been buried. Pointed that out, then grabbed my helmet at the time,” he said, mimicking the movements, “unclasped it and started digging with it like I had the sturdiest shovel in Noctraliya...”
Twilight would smile at the image if the situation didn’t sound so dire. However, Midnight himself have felt it alright to even chuckle.
“Bent the sides to Peraure and back, I honestly was expecting the cadre’s quartermaster to send me right there to get a new one...” he pointed out, finally eliciting a little laugh from Twilight as well. He looked up at her. “So there I was, shouting like I had been hoof-picked by haspadr to lead the effort. Told three of the Crescents to fly the shortest routes to the nearby towns to fetch help, marked the right places for the other wampiri... told my commanding officer to stop shouting like a waryat and help out...” he pointed out.
Somewhat abashed by it all to that very moment, which Twilight found incredibly charming. “Did you manage to get them out?” she inquired, feeling the anticipation giving her a hard time.
And Midnight, indeed, nodded. It was clear that even after all the years he still felt most relieved about it.
“Bogine was with everypony that night, I swear it, by Her. The cart, as it turned out, had some sheers in it and... wool. All the wool they could have packed into it. I mean, they must have jumped onto it to get the crate to close, I guess. It looked like the initial impact crashed the container, had the contents spill out and cushion the three at least a little...” He grimaced a bit. “Still... I mean, broken legs, ribs, crushed wings... but they were alive, miraculously. We managed to dig holes proper enough to let them breathe. And we were very cautiously working from then on... I’m not sure if the middle-aged one, he was called... Coracinu Run, yes, I’m not sure if he recuperated enough to move about without aid. He looked terrible when we got him out... but he surely was happy to see his wife and two daughters again, even if it were to be for the last time. But konzyili did their absolute best over the next nights.”
Twilight shook her head. Both at the tale and at the tone in Midnight’s voice, as the stallion was more than genuinely moved by the pain of his fellow pony.
“How come you’ve never told me anything about it?!” she found herself asking. And rather loudly, so she made a face and lowered her own volume quickly. “I mean... you’re a hero. Nothing short of it. And you kept that under wraps?”
Midnight rubbed the back of his neck a little, almost ruining the usual tie in his mane. “Well... I don’t think there was ever a moment to delve into it. And, besides... I told you, it feels like it was a previous life. Actually... that is when my previous life began. Or so it felt.”
“What do you mean?”
The stallion again looked away, into the depths of his memories... and for a good reason, as it turned out.
“That is exactly when I met Dusk Stream,” Midnight revealed and it suddenly made a lot of sense why he had never touched upon the topic of his honors in detail. “Have I ever told you about her talent?”
“N... no, I don’t believe so,” Twilight admitted, trying to recall anything about that. She had seen the likeness of the mare, back at the Mountain of Midnight. Where the scrolls spoke of bloodlines and familial relations of the batponies. But... “At the Legatuum... I don’t think I focused on her cutie mark.”
“Neither did I...” the stallion admitted, and Twilight knew that his eyes had been far more keen to once again meet the marigold stare and recall anew the amaranth mane of his departed beloved. And she wasn’t going to blame him for that. “Still... Waesper Strumiene was actually a... how to say it... water specialist? She found the rivers and waterfalls of our land to be most beautiful and was always devising how to use them so that they could both serve us and remain as remarkable and whimsical as they could.”
“Oh!” Twilight grasped what he wanted to say. “So, irrigation? Or fountains?”
“A bit of both, actually,” Midnight admitted, smiling widely. “She knew both how to help an orchard and make a courtyard more beautiful, as long as there was the clear, crystalline water to work with. That is why she was around Caeryi Alkecedi, actually,” he continued the tale, leaning against the railing a bit more and staring down, towards the cavern’s bottom. “She was there with a number of fruittenders and caretakers from the Iug u Waesper, discussing with the local Crescents whether the waterfalls in the region could be utilized better in some way, as a part of some sort of a deal. They were returning from the field trip around the nearby valleys when they saw the landslide’s outcome and us trying to help out, so they immediately joined in.”
“Very brave of them to partake without hesitation. I take it Dusk Stream wasn’t afraid to get her hooves dirty?” Twilight asked. With a bit of kind humor, nevertheless.
Midnight visibly appreciated it, chuckling. “Not at all, none of them were fearful of that. But Dusk Stream... She always looked... incredible when she worked. She could be knees deep in soil, but she was so dedicated and so graceful at the same time... There was a fount of spirit in her that one could hardly ignore... not to even mention how it corresponded with her beauty...” He was clearly getting lost in old thoughts, momentarily away from the world around him. But he returned to reality soon enough, looking quite abashed. “I-I apologize, Twilight, I didn’t mean it as if you—”
“Stop, Midnight. You know I am not taking that against me,” she assured him, knowing that she could easily accept that he was remembering that previous love. It only proved to her that his feelings were most genuine and he wasn’t denying ever having them.
Still, Midnight was surely relieved that he hadn’t caused an affront. “I’m glad. You’re precious to me now. She was precious to me then, I will never deny that...” he concluded the thought, closing his eyes for a moment. Returning to the tale a moment later. “Speaking of Dusk Stream’s talent, as that was my point... We were clearing the soil and rocks as best as we could, but having somepony really knowing how to do groundwork helped a lot. So her help and that of the other Waesperi was vital. We saved those owocellatani and then began clearing whatever had hit the gate. It didn’t give way, at least, but there was no way of opening it.”
“It’s a double door swinging outside, isn’t it? I take it your gate designs are quite uniform across Noctraliya.”
“Tac. And a pony that would build an entryway to a town opening in, making matters easier for siege equipment, would have to be a traitor or an absolute kuluz,” Midnight commented, rolling his eyes a little. “A landslide might not be a battering ram, but the principle is the same. The gate bent, but hadn’t given. Yet that entry was, and I believe still is, the only large enough and reliable access point to Caeryi Alkecedi. So we worked until the sign of the Judging Sun would come upon the sky, then some more, to free the town again.”
“Working in the sunlight?” Twilight asked, leaning against the railing, a little closer to the stallion. “I saw how it can affect you. Hadn’t you been taking unnecessary risks there?”
“We’ve just had a landslide happen, I think everypony was aware of the risks and ready to deal with them to help out,” Midnight explained with a smile. “Of course, we were taking turns, not to stay in the light too long. Thankfully, ab Bogine, with the arrival of reinforcements from other, nearby towns and the Iug itself, we set up tents and whatever cover was available for protection and rest,” he explained, squinting his eyes as if he had to endure daylight that very moment. “I took all the shifts I could, while only ensuring I had enough sleep to actually know what was happening around me. During those little breaks in digging, I began chatting with Dusk Stream. She was doing more than remarkably with organizing things and, in return, I was more than happy to lend my hooves and back...”
“And it was spotted?” Twilight inquired, more than prepared to receive a confirmation.
“Actually, I had no idea that it had, at first,” Midnight admitted, in quite the high spirits about it. ”Yes, we finally managed to clear the entrance and ‘free’ the town. Our combined efforts were praised and the dedication of our warrior unit, as well as all other noctrali involved, officially recognized. But I had no idea that Lord Midnight Eye was also conducting a more... thorough investigation into how our wampiri engaged in dealing with this situation. And, apparently, despite the impertinence, breach of conduct and ignoring the chain of command... and that digging helmet of mine,” the stallion listed his transgressions with a chuckle, “I was named the driving force behind the efforts.” He looked back at Twilight, his fangs bared in a somewhat cheeky smile. “I want to believe it wasn’t just the fact that I’m in a closer relation with the Lord’s vein of our noble line.”
“I think you’re more than proving that it wasn’t nepotism that stood behind that recognition, you know?” she gladly made him aware, much to his happy exhale.
“Ha... normally I wouldn’t put it past my father to be whispering a good word or two, you know. But he himself is a noctral to always favor results and skills, regardless of heritage,” Midnight did point that out.
But then... something in his gaze shifted a little. He was happy to continue, Twilight was certain, but, inexplicably, she could almost feel a certain wave of... apprehension from him.
Was he worried he would again sound too proud and arrogant? As far as she was concerned, he had every right to feel satisfied with his achievements, especially of such magnitude. Still, the change in him was discernible.
“So, there I was. Arga Giwazde a Yizredna Obwieze on my chest, on a dark sash...” Midnight went on, glancing at nothing in particular at first. “I would lie if I were to say that I wasn’t beaming with pride, seeing my father and mother moved to tears. And Dusk Stream, who had arrived for the ceremony, witnessing it all as well. At that point, I was well aware that she cared for more than a fancy medal or the proper heritage of a stallion, but... it was nice to impress.”
“You were lauded quite strongly,” Twilight summed up, with a kind smile. To hopefully aid him with whatever darker thoughts might have manifested in his mind. “Considering your caste... I take it that, with the Nightguard being reformed later on, you quickly became one of the a prime candidates.”
Midnight nodded, acknowledging her words, but they did not cause... enthusiasm in him. He appeared a little muted at that point, even. Maybe it was due to the surge of memories of his beloved after all...
“I definitely felt acknowledged. Perhaps more so than I anticipated,” he admitted. In a strange way, Twilight easily took note. “Haspadr Oc u Rodine Maednoc did tell me, having invited me and my parents to a private celebration, that he was expecting great things from me, considering how well I have started...”
“Quite the praise. Especially from him.”
“You don’t have to tell me that,” Midnight responded, a peculiar smirk dancing on his lips. “Don’t get me wrong, I would be deceiving myself by saying that I didn’t feel delight at being commended. When you are offered a chance to join a unit like Nocferrat... Yes, that Star was speaking for me strongly, but...” He paused, then looked at Twilight with that keen stare of his, that seemed to want to transfix her on the spot. “Joining an elite force is not just a matter of a medal. You cannot just trot right in, eyes wide and visibly so. Even if you happen to find a talent for these things, there’s more to belonging to a picked regiment than a fancy, unique accessory. It’s a matter of dedication. Certain resourcefulness. Opportunism too, as it happens. All that, plus the oath one takes, and maybe one can be a useful tool of Boginea will, if Her light does find one...”
Twilight saw him nodding to himself. And, she had to admit, it was a rather intricate way of describing the entirety of his service. Proving once more that Midnight was not a common soldier, but a dedicated, faithful servant of his nation.
And, she had to admit, it made her feel strongly about him with renewed vigor.
She looked about and below, seeing if there was anypony on the walkways or glancing up from between the carts and carriages and then leaned in to nuzzle the stallion a little.
He participated, humming under his breath, before speaking up again. “Came the return of Neskaza Lunee... by your hoof, nonetheless...”
“Not only mine,” Twilight made sure to point out, which did evoke a small laugh from Midnight. She felt it well against her muzzle. A pleasant thing, indeed.
“I know, I know. The names of your friends have not escaped me...” he revealed, then chuckled again. That time the tension seemed away for a moment. “Have you... actually, have you given a thought to how it is going to work? You... introducing me to them?”
... oh, she quickly realized where the anxiety had gone. She had absorbed it, at least a little.
“Uhm... A-actually... I haven’t really thought of it. I... not that I don’t want to let them know, I-I think they would be... quite excited for me! It’s just that... with e-everything going on and us having just been given a silent permission, I... I’d rather... ah...”
Midnight also looked about, then reached out and pulled her in for a strong and quite needy kiss that lasted a good few seconds. Leaving Twilight lightheaded in the best possible way. She was glad she could still hear him.
“We’ll get there, I’m sure,” the stallion reassured her and she had every ounce of trust in his words. “But, since I’m talking with you, my light, I’ll focus on you as the key part of having our Goddess return to us...” He took a step away, just in case. And though Twilight disliked that, she knew better than to risk more in such an open space. “So, Bogine was back and the call was sounded. Our haspadri decided it was time to have the Nightguard restored fully. And, well, I was very keen on joining. To see that the stars had aided Her escape, to witness Her Sign back to how it looked for the grandfathers of our grandfathers of our grandfathers... it was as if we were again living in the times of tales...” he declared, making Twilight realize anew what a profound moment it had been for the batponies. And for Midnight himself. “But to actually be given a chance to be a hero? More so than I ever thought I would be?” he asked of the cavern around, though mindful of his volume. “A colt’s dream? No, ogeru dream, klazeu dream. Every wampiri calling come true...”
“I wonder how many warriors have, indeed, shared it, Midnight...” Twilight thought out loud, looking down at the landing cavern’s bottom. Imagining it filled with eager and ready ponies, wishing to join the most prestigious military order being once again properly organized after a whole millennium.
“You wouldn’t be surprised by how tough the selection was,” he told her, with a half-smile. “But, as I have told you...” He looked at her again. “A certain kind of a noctral is always welcome among the chosen few.”
“And that led you to meeting me...” Twilight was about to grant a conclusion to this, quite engrossing for her, tale... but Midnight just shook his head. For the briefest of moments she could have sworn that she had seen yet more melancholy from him.
“Had to endure much more to finally have the greatest honor of actually getting to know you...” he claimed with a sad smile. “Had to make mistakes that I still bear, had to... had to stand before the pyre of my beloved,” he spoke, his face falling even further for a moment. Which wasn’t surprising in the slightest. “Had to work hard, keep my mouth shut and follow orders, had to give orders which then weren’t followed, had to show strength and had to show lamentable capabilities of cunning... And yet I still feel like I haven’t made much progress within myself.”
“Midnight...”
“I really know what I am saying here, iau lumn...” he told her, with a sad smile. “It’s not me pushing myself into the dirt just because. We did have that talk tonight.”
Twilight felt her ears drooping just a little, but at least she was certain he wasn’t meaning that in a harmful way.
“It showed me more about myself...” the stallion further claimed, closing the distance between them once more. “I want to allow you to see yet more of myself, as well. I’m trying to. I’ll try to do it better. Right now? This is the only way I know how to...” He paused and let out a small hiss.
Twilight reached out and put her hoof against his muzzle. She didn’t particularly care about anypony witnessing it. She cherished him too much to let something like that stop her from this gesture. Especially since Midnight was trying, visibly trying, to reveal a new part of himself to her. Immediately ready to fix the problem which he could now clearly spot.
And she had to let him know she appreciated it.
“It’s alright, Midnight... I know you. I know your heart. We’ll take this step. Then another. Then another... We’ll get to learn one another further and further still,” she assured him, keeping her voice quiet and tender. “And things will only get better, I promise you. Whatever is to happen.”
The stallion nodded, clearly enjoying the touch and the words, which both helped to dispel his worries. “I hope so, my light. I hope so...”
***
Rowan Berry felt a jolt of pain in her jaw. Not that she was surprised by it, all things considered. She had been clenching her teeth for quite some time. Far too long. She had no idea why she would even subject herself to this... discomfort. No. To this torture.
But... since she was witnessing this, this... this travesty, this perversion... and right there, in the open... could she have been entirely composed and relaxed?
And it wasn’t even their... their “relationship” that was the sole reason for her vexation. Much to her exasperation.
Oh, yes, they were trying to be cautious, of course! How thoughtful of them.
Right above the landing cavern, in the most visible place they could think of! It was like they wanted to be caught! Wanted to be seen! Did they want rumors to spread, a scandal to grow?! Was that how they wanted to make this sinful fling appear normal?!
Or maybe, Rowan Berry found herself thinking, they were actually hoping for her to be about... Hoping they could both be witnessed by her, observed well and clearly. So they could push further in this... this dagger, this curved blade. Right into Rowan Berry’s heart!
She... she couldn’t take it anymore. Now, alongside her jaw, her hoof was aching. She couldn’t stop herself from trying to burrow it in the rocky wall, the one behind which she hid. The sheer amount of frustration, the surge of anger and... and loss of hope. She wanted to hurt something, somepony, she wanted to hurt herself, even. One pain to... to deal with the other!
Although the distance was too great to hear anything from the wretched conversation of the two, aside from an occasional echo of a discussion actually happening... that was enough, more than enough to stoke the fury inside Rowan Berry.
It was like the Judging Sun herself had decided to turn her blood into fire!
And through the damned, Divine Aspect disciple nonetheless!
When that sun-scorched mare, that Equestrian witch reached out and cupped Midnight’s muzzle... and he... and he leaned in like she was the most precious creature for him...
Rowan Berry could barely keep looking, her vision blurring... and not due to rage.
She didn’t think she even had more tears to shed over this. But she definitely had no more patience to witness it. She couldn’t bear to realize once again that Midnight Wind, that Midnight Wind had fallen, truly fallen... and for a lesser pony.
She turned around, disappearing into yet deeper shadows of the corridor from which she had been observing it all. Witnessing, before her very eyes, her world breaking into pieces once more. She still couldn’t believe it, and yet... there it was.
She realized that, almost on an instinct, she had reached up towards her neck. To touch the place that the stallion’s claws had marked. Right then, when he had looked down on her in boundless fury and... disgust.
She had seen a number of his gazes, always keen and piercing. He had met her eyes before in rapture. With regret, as well. With frustration, when things between them had gotten... when things hadn’t worked. And things truly hadn’t worked, falling far from what Rowan Berry had once envisioned for him and herself. But to see the stallion of her dreams, the old and newer ones, to witness him glancing down towards her like she was nothing but a pest, some vermin to be squashed...
Yes, that bore right through her soul. It wounded her further than she thought it could.
And it was all her fault.
That thought made her pause.
It actually stopped her dead in her tracks. As a shot, a pang of pain traversed about her, like a bolt hitting her chest. She took a deep breath, than another, leaning against the nearby wall, her hoof sliding down from the wound on her neck to above her heart.
Rowan Berry had to calm down. She had to restore herself. She knew well that such sensations, whilst having less to do with actual ailments and rather with emotional states could actually cause significant maladies. And she didn’t need anything like that, no.
She had already mutilated her whole mission, her whole assignment. The Lord... She wasn’t going to forget this, she wasn’t going to forgive this... That she had already given her another chance was a great mercy, but that was as much lenience as could have been hoped for. And now... and now even Rowan Berry’s inner voice seemed wishing to judge, castigate and confuse her. There was no more chances to be granted.
Right there and then, she felt it harshly. It was most difficult to decide who exactly that “her” was. That “her”, who bore the blame for this whole situation. Was it the sunpony, or... or... was it actually...?
... Rowan Berry felt a shiver up her spine and another surge of pain accompanied it. This was bad. This was worrying... she had to find a place to endure this, to find her center.
There was an obvious one.
The hour was very late, so Rowan Berry was not expecting many supplicants in the spacious naves of the Fang Family shrine. And she would be right. She would also be lucky that, considering the layout, the holy place of worship was easily accessible and deliberately left open all the time, despite the hours of the day.
She glanced about the structure, but... did she truly care about its look? She wouldn’t think so. The shrine was architecturally familiar, but the Fangs insistence on decorations involving trophies and ancient markings Rowan Berry found tedious and overbearing. Chandeliers fashioned out of bones and, what were those, tusks? Bear pelts aside from the prayer cushions? Even the holy symbol of the Goddess framed in a crown of antlers and the like...
It was a place for primitive worship, focused on what was obvious and unrefined. Where were the drapes, the incense? The Immaculate Moon... of the Fangs, not that the Goddess was anypony’s property, was a deity of hunt. Motherly, but in a way that a thistlefox matriarch would look over her vicious cubs. Where in it all was there place for the Goddess’ discretion? For Her great plans, woven so intricately it would be foolhardy to try to discern them precisely? She worked in mysterious ways by Her very virtue, better than anypony else.
Rowan Berry knew that she was nopony in comparison. She was just one pair of eyes hidden in the shadows, where the Goddess’ Light was not always reaching.
But... she still had her uses. And right then? She felt her eyes obscured by more than the gloom, as tears stung them with fierce determination. It was happening far too often than she had ever remembered before. And that , literally and figuratively, made fulfilling her duties all but impossible... so she would have to put her trust in the Goddess and ask for aid.
Rowan Berry really needed it, she would admit. She... she should have been praying more, she knew it well. She could, honestly and truthfully, admit that she had... forgotten a bit about that intricate part of life. For she had found it sometimes hard to let things out of the reach of her own hooves. She was still making the mistake of convincing herself that she could handle everything on her own and she didn’t need...
She didn’t need the Goddess...? No, that was a terrible thought. It was hubris that had to be expelled from her being.
Rowan Berry found for herself a nice, quiet spot. Not that there were other supplicants to be worried about. But she preferred to be less visible just out of habit, as well. She sat down, making herself comfortable enough and lifted her forelegs upwards. In veneration and apology, she hoped. Perhaps the Immaculate Moon... the Goddess, wise, bright, but cunning as well, would grant Rowan Berry the mercy of listening to her...
For... she would have a lot to talk about, definitely. Sharing knowledge could bring even more knowledge, as long as a correct approach was followed. Schemes fed schemes and intrigues could weave yet more intrigues, so were the ancient teachings of her Family.
But... did Rowan Berry have enough to share to be granted inspiration from the Goddess Herself? What was to be shared to pique the Mother’s attention?
“O Goddess, Immaculate Moon... You, who gives us cunning and wit, You, who sharpens our minds like a blade is sharpened on a whetstone... O Goddess, Immaculate Moon... I wish to... I seek... to...”
What did she even want to say...?
Rowan Berry felt like her mind was... fractured. Right as her heart was. That sounded so... so witless, so inordinate to claim... and yet...
To have Midnight Wind reject her, after everything that happened? Yes, a shrine was not the best place to invoke old... indiscretions. Especially since, well, it was glaringly obvious to Rowan Berry that they had both committed transgressions, considering Midnight Wind’s marriage and all. And yet... was she naïve, after all?
Was it her hubris even back then, that had convinced her that these moments of passion between them could have created something better? Something more proper and firm? The stallion’s mind was so sharp, he was a warrior at heart and then some... Couldn’t there have been a wonderful scenario for them both... in some way...?
“I... I know that what happened was... it wasn’t good in Your eyes, O Mother... But... even the greatest of us can falter and yet build something great, something lasting... I’m not... I...”
No, Rowan Berry wasn’t naïve. She knew that she had her worth and she was worthy of having a wonderful bond in her life. She... maybe she had approached it from a very vile angle at first. But... but Midnight Wind was... worthwhile. And so was Rowan Berry, couldn’t there have been... a way to make it work?
“I... I know I’m guilty of sins against you, O Goddess. I am before you, blemished by them, but... is happiness not mine to have? At all? Have I transgressed so terribly?” She found her voice hitching a little in her throat as she battled whether to raise the further questions out loud. She ultimately stopped herself for a while longer. “I... I am aware of my mistakes. They lie bare before me, like a poor plan, discovered by foes and rivals. I know where stumbled, I have done evil in your sight. It’s not like...”
She felt herself biting her lip. She knew the Goddess required more. To give back, She needed more trust to be shown by Rowan Berry. By admission and humble complaisance. By surrendering the scheme of one’s life to Her, the most astute of all.
“I... I realize that I hurt him. Ever since it all happened, I have... I have seen the erosion of his life, of his mind. Of his heart,” came the timid confession. “At first I thought... I thought I’ll wake him out of it. Then... then that I’ll shake him out of it. I... I might have acted in retaliation, I-I admit, I thought... I thought he would be happy, to see me again back then. That we would... start things over. And he... he wasn’t. And... he just got more distant during the travel, despite everything we’ve... And when I saw him, leaving her chamber, this... this burning joy at his sadness gripped me and... It’s just... I’ve tried to...”
Rowan Berry could barely hold in the words now, as if the entire contents of her being were to be spilled out through her lips and from her eyes.
“He hates me. He hates to look at me, to acknowledge that I’m near. I just wanted... I wanted him to live again. With who... who he is. Who he... was, I-I don’t know anymore. I didn’t want him to change, to regret... And I cannot even say out loud that—!”
She could have. She could have walked right to that mare’s muzzle and let her know that Midnight Wind and her...! That they...! All those years ago and...!
Rowan Berry had to. She had to ask. To inquire nopony else, nopony lesser than the Goddess Herself!
“Why... why her? Why would you allow one of your children to be... to be caught by the wiles of a sunpony? You... you have kept our bloodlines pure. You have given us reasons and ways to cherish one another under your mysterious light. And yet... it’s not with any of us, but... but with an agent of the Judging Sun that... that Midnight Wind looks... happy?” Rowan Berry made herself say that, but the feeling accompanying it was nothing but pain. Searing pain, right in her center. “Why? Why aren’t You doing anything about this? Why Twilight Sparkle? Why not...?! Why not me?!”
She worried about how that accursed name sounded in her mouth. It felt... poisonous to speak it aloud. But... it felt even worse to hear it echo. As Rowan Berry realized her volume had been far greater than she would want to. Especially in the empty shrine. Not to mention...
... not to mention the ever so slowly waning sound of accusation, in the tone of her own voice...
She kept her forelegs up, but glanced around cautiously. Thankfully, nopony was there. Nopony but the fading echo... and the presence of the Goddess. As She was clearly in these hallowed walls, despite the garish amulets and charms. Listening...
Rowan Berry took a deep breath. She felt ashamed she couldn’t keep her composure. Again. But... she asked. Would there be an answer of any sort? Would her supplication even be acknowledged by the Great Mother...? Everypony was welcome to come and pray and she was finally doing so again, would that be appreciated? Or would there be punishment for Rowan Berry’s insolence in question and tone...?
So she waited. Still, silent and ready. For anything to come. For anything to happen. To help... or discipline her harshly.
... why... why did she want to protect her?
That question took Rowan Berry by surprise. Strong enough that, even as she had made sure to keep the right posture during her supplications, her wings and forelegs drooped a little. That thought... it invaded her attention with great force.
The sunpony knew that Rowan Berry was a spy. And not an ordinary one. Whether she had realized that on her own or Midnight Wind had told her, it was irrelevant at that point... though the latter filled Rowan Berry with apprehension. Still, having had figured her out, the Princess had decided to extend her hoof towards her. Which was... unnatural.
Because it felt so genuine. So honest. Despite the fact it couldn’t have been. What sort of a pony would wish to befriend their hunter? Their adversary? Their rival for... for the heart of the same stallion...?
... and what sort of a pony would care about what would happen to a faulty spy? Shouldn’t... The sunpony certainly should have been ecstatic at the premise of seeing a pony like Rowan Berry removed from the picture, no? She had been quite firm in dealing with Deep Mist in the first place, considering his unplanned taming at her hooves... or horn rather, with her accursed abilities.
What sort of a pony was she? How did that even work with her?! Seeking to show kindness and generosity to... to an... impaired operative...?
... by the Goddess. That was exactly what—
Rowan Berry’s heart skipped a beat.
Her ears flicked.
A sound.
It was... a trot? Or a crack? She couldn’t tell. It came from behind her. Above her.
She took a breath, holding still... Focusing. Readying. Holding steady.
Who was that? A local priest? An assailant? Somepony else entirely?
She waited a heartbeat, but... she couldn’t really tell whether she was being actively observed. Stalked. There was no sensation against the back of her head. All ponies that dealt in the clandestine knew that cold feeling. That piercing stare of a pony wishing them ill, ready to harm. To assassinate.
Rowan Berry realized her forelegs were down. And her wings too. She... in the meanders of her thoughts she had lost all decorum, sitting before the Immaculate Moon like a puppet without its strings. But... that meant she would be a bit faster, if she could only learn where exactly the threat was.
Another inhale. Slow. Methodical. She could almost feel her irises shrinking, her vision narrowing, but sharpened like a hidden blade.
One... two...
Rowan Berry flapped her wings and rammed her front hooves down, using the pillow to muffle the strike, but giving her enough support to flip herself on her forelegs and turn, stand up and face the possible threat.
Ground level, nothing. Nearby columns, nopony. Above... empty.
... no, wait.
Among the amulets and the markings of the Fangs... one of the strange charms, made out of twigs and bones, was spinning gently. Although there was no breeze inside, minus the one caused by Rowan Berry’s own, rapid movement, the piece looked like it had been gently disturbed not so long ago. She watched it intently, yet without losing sight of her surroundings. Fully expecting an assailant lurking someplace between the offerings.
Where were they? What were they waiting for...?
Rowan Berry kept staring about, hoping to find a trace of somepony’s presence. Taking in more and more of the symbols and fetishes of her wild brethren. They all protected the holy place with their strange meanings, but they would definitely not be interested in safeguarding her.
So her eyes were slowly scouting among the tusks, fangs, bones... Symbols of all kinds of prey, hunted down without mercy. She wouldn’t be surprised to see pony remnants, but even Fangs drew a line at one horn, apparently.
She kept quiet, as the silence was her only ally. Her lips shut, she was allowing only a small amount of air through her nostrils. Still. Ready...
... but nothing was happening. Just that one charm, that one symbol was still gently spinning.
And spinning.
... and spinning?
“What...?” Rowan Berry opened her mouth to whisper to herself.
And that was when the entire offering fell down and came crashing onto the stone floor. The moment that it heard her question that strange, convoluted thing unraveled itself from its bindings and came apart, twigs and branches splayed in all directions. Sending a sharp, cracking echo throughout the shrine.
It spooked her. It rattled her spine. That sound was potent. Like a hoof to the back of one’s skull.
Rowan Berry waited a moment longer... but stillness returned to the place. Stillness which was not reassuring in the slightest. The silence which had been helping so far came back, but haunting. Eerie and sinister.
She inhaled soundlessly. Then decided to trot, with utmost care, to examine the, now broken, symbol. Whatever it was, it came apart utterly, leaving about branches and bones and... and...
... was that blood...?
Rowan Berry took an immediate step back. She shook her head. Again, violently almost. Was she... was she seeing things?
Among all of those materials, she... she clearly had seen something red. Bright and... just red. But how was that...?
Another, shaky breath. She narrowed her eyes. Wishing to, having to inspect what she had glimpsed.
And witnessed again.
To her horror. She... she would have preferred to see blood.
That red and bright thing... was a berry. Dried out and warped, but a berry still. Possibly missed when the offering had been created, or... or something, it would be hard to believe it had been left on purpose... right? But, however one would think about it, the branch it was on was clearly that of...
... a rowan.
Rowan Berry felt herself barely swallowing through her clenched throat, as if a foreleg had tightly wrapped itself around it.
It was just a small, little berry. So insignificant, so easy to miss, so... unassuming. And yet... it had just been squashed. Right before her eyes. When the whole offering had unraveled from its strings and landed down, that poor fruit had been firmly and terribly crushed by... an animal skull.
... but why... was its eye staring back at her?
Rowan Berry wouldn’t know. She really didn’t know. She didn’t want to know!
She just remembered running.
And running.
And running...
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*sees throughout the rest of the chapter that one of those wasn't with Midnight about Dusk Stream*
This can only end well...
Twilight missed her chance to talk about what happened with her beloved in a safe space, though the lore dump we got in exchange was good. Now, in my mind, the revelation of what happened between Midnight and Rowan Berry is back to being a ticking time bomb, waiting to detonate until the moment of maximum narrative tension.
As for Rowan Berry this chapter...
First off, can I just say that I love it when we get "villain" perspective moments like this? Seeing our frequently-antagonists from the inside can be a very interesting experience, and this chapter definitely delivered: the intensity of Rowan's emotions, the bits of personal, experienced-informed preference ("Where was the incense?"), and the growing drumbeat of fear, almost madness, made it very memorable. With regards to the magnificent scene regarding the offering near the end, the rowan berry (hint hint) crushed by a protector of one of the Goddess' holy places (hint hint) such that it looked like blood (HINT HINT)...
Rowan Berry's life has been measured by the Goddess, from beginning to end: she has been put in the scales of justice, and found wanting: and Midnight, the one she wants more than anything else in the world, has been given to another.
Mene. Tekel. Peres. The writing's on (well, technically, off) the wall.
"Lord! Send me a sign!". *crash splat*. "Lord! Send me a GOOD sign! Or lotto numbers or something!"
Funny how prayers can sometimes scare the shit out of you when you get an answer. Also, love the Lover's talk.
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Glad it worked. I was hoping to do a little "perspective talk" this chapter, drop some hints about the place as we're about to move on. Always makes things more fun.
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One needs to be careful and attentive. If you ask, then accept your answer and act accordingly.
I very much enjoyed Midnight's talk with Twilight. Especially his military service... It speaks well of his character.
That bit at the end though with Rowan Berry... Ha. Well, if that is not a blatant sign from the goddess I don't know what else it could be.
As always, eagerly anticipating more.
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And I'm eager to provide! I hope I've put just enough in the chapter to make it engaging.
The part with Twilight and Midnight Wind was very nice and it seems that slowly more about Midnight Wind's past is being revealed. It's clear that Midnight Wind feels extremely guilty about what he and Rowan Berry once had and possibly thinks his wife's death was punishment for that.
The scene with Rowan Berry in the shrine became quite frightening. For Rowan Berry it could only have been a very bad sign perhaps even a threat.
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I was hoping for a nice contrast between the parts. And, well, they both have a lot of meaning, if I do say so myself.
For those who think Rowan Berry couldn’t possibly be redeemed in this story because she murdered Dusk Stream, a reminder that in this continuity Luna/Nightmare Moon leveled the Everfree Capital and killed hundreds to thousands of ponies with tragic ripple effects that last to this day.
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An interesting comparison. Perhaps a little overblown but definitely intriguing one to make.
Yay update! And once again Midnight wind was very close to reveal his past relationship with Rowan berry to Twilight but he stopped.
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The stallion's trying. He's really trying to say what he wishes to.
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Actually, Rowan Berry didn't directly kill Dusk Stream, but rather caused it inadvertently according to Lord Midnight Eye (and it's a horrible coincidence that Midnight Wind both met and lost Dusk Stream in a landslide/rockslide). Neither did Rowan Berry kill Count Mistlock's beloved
Spoonwood, although she did deliverSpoonwoodthe lover to Lord Azure Mist, knowing that the likely outcome of "Ewanecee w opari" would be death rather than imprisonment in an undisclosed location. Rowan Berry duly performed her duties as occultane, since the word of the Lords is considered to be derived from the will of the Goddess, even if the act of murdering an innocent is considered a sin to be weighed when the soul of one of the noctrali is judged upon the lighting of their funeral pyre. However, with the recent sign she received in the shrine as of today's chapter, Rowan Berry is likely now worried beyond reason about how the Goddess and her Sister are viewing her actions.11190131
Just a small correction - spoonwood is the name of the plant from which poison is derived, not the mare's name.
That scene with Rowan Berry really gave me shivers, that was a very dark presage.
Oh, and I waited so long to finally read the story behind Midnight Wind's Silver Star!
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Well, there it is! Let's hope both scenes shine some new light on the characters.
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You most definitely have. The story just gets more and more interesting. Was that Luna's direct will in the chapel with Rowan Berry... or just coincidence? You leave it open enough that I am always left wondering what the truth is!
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And I love to hear the theorizing! I sincerely hope that when my schemes are finally unraveled, a lot of things will make even more sense.
... or not. Who am I to say if I'm any good at this?
Arranging a personal visit from the Night Prinecess for the turnover would neatly solve that problem ...
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When the time comes... and maybe when the said Princess comes to terms with certain things once more.
Well, a more obvious sign of the Goddess's displeasure is hard to imagine. Now the bigger question is where Rowan Berry will run to. Because her Lord is unlikely to be merciful, but there is a certain Divine Aspected mare who claims to have the Goddess's favour who already offered her protection. One can think of worse shields from the Wrath of the Goddess than a plea of mercy from her very emissary.
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That is a reasonable choice. The problem being whether Rowan Berry is still capable of clear reasoning of the sort.
Twilight’s kindness is just like that of the goddess. Hopefully Rowan learns that soon.
So creepy at the end there. Great chapter overal
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I need to write creepy more, apparently I'm doing rather reasonably with it.
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Well, panic can be a wonderful motivator on its own. If nothing else, Twilight is the kind of mare who would become worried about Rowan's sudden disappearance and try to find out what's wrong. Perhaps seeing genuine concern in Twilight's eyes might shake some sense into Rowan?
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Worth seeing whether that shall happen.
Damn, Luna doesn't work in mysterious ways: she straight up whorse-slaps a filly that dun goofed!
No wonder that the batponies are so faithful!
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Sometimes things just happen. Very directly.
did you mean "now"?
its hard to know with Midnight xD
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No, that's a nice catch on your end.
Ah, so good to see Twilight and Midnight Wind talking some more "in private". But for several chapters now and especially after this chapter, Midnight Wind just needs to come clean to Twilight about what happened between him and Rowen Berry. I truly think it would be in his best interest for the future. Listen I know this is tough for him to say because he's ashamed of his actions, rightfully so. When it does happen its not going to fun, not going to be pleasant and yeah Twilight is going to be pissed. But she will be pissed at him, I believe, more from the fact that he kept some very important facts from her. But in the end will still be there for him because he is truly remorseful of his actions and what they lead too.
Know on to Rowen Berry. I'm going to be a bit of a armchair psychologist with this one. From this chapter I'm left to ask, does Rowen Berry also feel a little guilty for what she did and indirectly causing the death of Dusk Stream? I'm asking because it would seem that the only reason she has held on to this want/desire for Midnight Wind is to having something come from this sin of there's.
This quote and all that followed with her confession in the shrine seems to point that her being with Midnight Wind would fix what had occurred and could be a type of redemption for her and Midnight. But yet that is a delusion that she has built up within her mind. Not accepting the fact that Midnight Wind has, not fully, but is trying to live his life anew. He has come to terms with his mistakes and is moving forward. Rowen Berry is stuck it seems in the past and her guilt not allowing her to move forward and that is hurting her and honestly a feel sorry for her. I want Rowen Berry to take the hoof offered by Twilight, to realize that there is no need for this cloak and dagger game. She has the options to accept friendship with a pony that does actually care for her even if Rowen Berry is the more antagonistic one here.
So there are my thoughts, hopefully wasn't too long in my rambling. But also want to point out that I could be very wrong in my assessment and have read to much into things but couldn't help in this case. Great work again author, cant think of the last time I was so invested with some great character.
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"Rambling"? My friend, none of that, your input is most valuable! And knowing that I have managed to engage you with the characters and it results in you granting me such wonderful insights? Pure, unfiltered pleasure for me!
And I do take it all into consideration. Hoping that what I have planned and envisioned shall be to everybody's liking in the end, as well!
Didn't expect quite so many of my thoughts from last chapter to be addressed this soon but it was nice to see. I was concerned that Midnight would not take any steps to reveal his past with Rowan Berry. Even though he didn't quite get there yet, the fact that he is making a serious attempt is encouraging to witness.
Well, this confirms my initial suspicion on what she really wanted to tell Twilight. I'm still not fully sure, though, why she held back or why revealing such would be a violation of an oath. It could be something already mentioned that I'm forgetting but I'm not seeing the correlation. Perhaps opening Pandora's Box would inevitably lead to questions she isn't allowed to answer.
Really sounds like she was about to make a comparison between Twilight's actions and what the noctrali believe about the Immaculate Moon. The thought was interrupted but if it was ever revisited and fully contemplated on, maybe she'd see that Twilight's actions were not so naïve and could actually be genuine.
Quite a bit of introspective thought there from Rowan Berry in the shrine. I could only hope that it eventually leads to self-improvement. Although that is probably not the main thing on her mind right now...
As the proverbial and spiritual saying goes: "Seek and ye shall find". She prayed and hoped for an answer, and she sure got one! That's one of those signs/answers that could shake someone to their core. She was already spiraling emotionally earlier after seeing Twilight and Midnight Wind and that is not likely to help matters in that regard. I wonder where she's running to and how long it'd take for her to regain composure after that. I wouldn't be surprised if she found herself in a situation where she needed saving and the 'cursed sunpony', of all ponies, is the one to answer the call.
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Rowan Berry's definitely a complex mare. She has her own aspirations and a deep sense of loyalty to the cause. However... she's facing a very tough situation from her perspective. Who knows how she will ultimately act...
Twilight seems to be unaware of why exactly one should never leave the grunts bored and unattended.
This is again why I love these two.
I still hope that we can someday find out what really happened to Dusk Stream.
Well, well, well, what do yah know, the spy is actively stalking both of them.
Gonna be honest, even with all she has done --and is doing-- I want to give Rowan a hug here.
Ayo? Is she, is she implying that there was some fornication between her and Midnight? Does this have anything to do with what happened to Dusk Stream? These are certainly questions that I hope we can get the answers to.
Someone's jealous.
Because, Rowan:
And talk about chapter endings, that was definitely concerning.
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Glad you're having fun!