Journey with a Batpony

by Gulheru

Chapter LXXII – Limits of Honesty

“... signed, Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Equestria.”

Luna registered the ending of the letter as if she had just awoken from a dream.

For a moment she was contemplating whether or not she had been actually falling asleep to the strangely soothing voice of her Advisor, despite the fact that he wasn’t doing anything else more than reciting the anticipated response from Princess Twilight Sparkle for the whole chamber. Those present listened to him with bated breaths, hungering for any information shared while also dreading any accusations leveled within the fateful message. Even Luna, almost in a twilight between wake and sleep, found herself leaned forward in anticipation.

Still, Moonwarden’s delivery was causing her to feel strangely calm, for no obvious reason. It was like... like she wanted to listen to him talk on and on, regardless of the topic he would be sharing with her…

Yet, with an act of firm will, Luna rather swiftly dismissed the alien and apart sensation brought forth by the tone of the unicorn’s voice. After all, there were more pressing matters on the table, and she couldn’t allow herself to be distracted by such frivolities, however pleasant.

The message itself had quite a greater effect on her in comparison. It was as if it were a portent, one carried through the realm of dreams and bringing her previously unobtainable clarity and insight.

Considering the atmosphere in the room and the reactions all around it, she doubted she was alone in such thinking.

Celestia’s expression was pensive, betraying the deep, profound thought she was locked in. Thankfully, Luna knew her both well enough and for long enough to actually spot the relief in her sister’s gaze and in the slow, majestic shifting of her aurora mane. Yes, Twilight Sparkle might have presented her strong and, some could say, bold stance on the matter of the two of them having withheld information from her prior to the mission... yet the youngest of the Princesses was not only entitled to that, but altogether morally obliged to express that reproach.

Still, everything else that was conveyed in the parchment was in the reassuring, encouraging tone of a pony, one not seeking vengeance for the position she had been put in but rather further cooperation and the reaching a greater, common goal, yet another example of Twilight Sparkle’s undeniable virtue.

Her message spoke of many things, but the conclusions it led everypony to were doubtless the same. The situation with Noctraliya was tense, but not immediately dire. The worst-case scenarios could happen, but were most unlikely. Luna felt doubly, if cautiously, encouraged at learning that some of the local noctrali leaders were inclined to show at least a measure of support to Princess Twilight and her quest. The Midnight Family, the Fang Family, the Dusk Family, their haspadri were more interested in finding a way forward, rather than taking a step back into the shadow of ancient war.

Luna had to admit, the youngest of the alicorns was not wasting any time.

Honestly, this was almost exactly what Luna had bet would happen when she had picked Twilight Sparkle for this important mission. Her success had always been, at best, a hopeful vision, but now for the first time, it looked like there was chance, however small, that said vision could become real. Luna could now dare to hope that a new form of understanding between Equestria and Noctraliya was possible, that another chapter could be opened in these relations, for everypony’s benefit.

Celestia must have surely considered this optimistic possibility as well, though such a chance by itself was not enough to get anypony to fully drop their guard, relax and become careless, especially not Tia. Her wariness, honed by literal centuries, would serve everypony in this instance. She would not risk her little ponies for a dream, however beautiful, yet she would also guard everypony from those who wished to keep Luna’s vision from becoming reality, despite everything that had happened.

“Thank you, Advisor Moonwarden, for allowing us all to familiarize ourselves with the letter,” the solar alicorn expressed her clearly genuine gratitude to the gray unicorn.

Who had, indeed, volunteered to read out the reply, doing so with a strange mixture of even tone and brisk speed, almost putting Luna under some form of a spell.

She just found herself so very… pleased with hearing the stallion’s voice. Had it anything to do with that moment they had recently shared on the terrace of her chambers? When she... she had brought up the Moon with the stallion in mind? She had often found herself returning to that still-vivid memory lately, trying to fathom her choice, trying to understand why she was so... happy with it.

The said stallion, the one being on her mind much more often lately, offered a polite bow while she was thinking, then placed the fateful letter on the table within easy reach of everypony, a centerpiece for the furniture’s surface and the group’s considerations. He took his seat next to Luna, checked his monocle’s placement, and then quickly conjoined his hooves before his muzzle in deep thought. A mutter of a “private” conversation would surely follow such a level of focus from Luna’s Advisor… but it was Shining Armor’s voice that opened the proper discussion after all.

“I’m... still very much concerned about this whole situation,” he began, trying to sound both strong and reasonable, making it clear that he was being cautious as opposed to fearful. “Not that I don’t believe in Twilight’s abilities, even those besides her remarkable magic, but I think it would be most prudent to still consider and be prepared for the worst possible outcome.” After saying all of that, he turned to Cadance, looking for support from his wife.

Who, while granting it, was a little more positive in her tone and words. “Though I do agree with my husband’s careful approach here, I also think that Twilight is being truly honest and transparent in this message, now that she is also certain that it shall reach our hooves,” she pointed out, receiving a few supportive nods all over. “So if she says that there is a reasonable chance for her success now, then I am willing to give her my trust and more. I would never call her naively optimistic.”

Luna almost instinctively glanced at her Advisor, as she was well aware of his opinions on Princess Twilight. However, Moonwarden squandered the opportunity to denounce that claim, as he was more busy staring into space, his gaze intense enough to beguile even without his signature magic.

What was he so apprehensive about…?

Advisor Raven, up until then almost literally chewing on the temples of her glasses in consideration, spoke up to follow Cadance’s words, publicly sharing her insights unlike her lunar counterpart.

“I will allow myself to deem Her Highness' words here wise. We cannot provoke the batponies,” she emphasized firmly. “If they are ready to strike at us as soon as they receive the order, it also means that they are ready to respond to any open move we make without the need for one. We cannot perceptibly place ourselves in ‘provocative’ territory of any sort, by placing units overtly in the Eastern Woods or anything else... even if we are talking about it being our territory which we are acting on in the first place, not theirs. Whatever costs, advantages, gains that might bring us, the risks are simply too great.”

“A conflict with the noctrali is out of the question,” Celestia stated, and vehemently, drawing all of the eyes to herself, her regal aura gathering the attention easily. “Although Twilight Sparkle is hardly a hostage – on the contrary, it looks like there is a faction in the Covenant wishing to treat her as fairly as circumstances and cultural boundaries allow – we cannot endanger her with an excessive action on our part.” Before anypony could reply, she raised a hoof and added, “Measured actions, however, I deem to be entirely warranted. So… I trust your visit to the Royal Guard captain can be repeated and the topic of your casual discussion adjusted accordingly, Shining Armor?”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” the stallion replied with enough conviction to suggest that he was going to venture there as soon as the meeting was over.

“Good. In accordance with the request that my dear Twilight put before us all, though I believe it was meant most for my sister and I,” Celestia pointed out, finding Luna’s gaze and immediately receiving support through it, “let us not be hasty, unreasonable, or irresponsible. A smart middle ground, formed through Twilight’s hard work and our prudence, shall see us through.”

Having said that, Tia… sighed.

That sound attracted perhaps even greater attention and focus on her than her initial declaration had. Because of all the things that ponies were used to seeing from the Alicorn of the Sun, Luna’s own sister and one of the most, if not the most, powerful pony in the land… wistfulness wasn’t really one of them.

Actually, that sound, natural yet unnatural, insignificant and significant at the same time, caused Luna to perk up the most out of those present. She suddenly felt that she would need to listen to Tia's coming words with incredible heed, to catch both their official meaning and what her sister truly meant by them.

“I’m... honestly relieved that my dear Twilight is doing so well, considering all of the circumstances. Including those that I have, myself, imposed upon her task...”

Celestia admitted as such, in this rare moment of utter honesty that caught even Luna by surprise. She knew that the letter could be a source of great relief for her sister, yet she clearly didn’t understand just what that could mean.

But... she had to amend one thing, first and foremost.

“Those that we have imposed, dear sister, through our mistakes or shortsightedness,” Luna corrected, receiving the silent agreement from her sister by gaze alone, before Celestia gathered herself to speak again.

“I have always known that Twilight Sparkle could achieve great things,” she said, the previous moment’s vulnerability banished from her voice, “and she had proved it time and time again. She is proving it once more, to all of us. But her vital role in this situation does not mean that we can simply expect her to carry it all on her withers without our support. We need to be ready to do our part, as the other Elements of Harmony have done their parts alongside her so many times, so that she can complete her mission and return to us safely.”

Luna decided to add to her sister’s words once more. After all, she herself was the one directly responsible for this “test” for Princess Twilight. Not that her initial actions had been in any way designed to be some form of a challenge for the young alicorn, no, as the talent and potential in her were undeniable already. To scrutinize her further was surely futile. No, the “test” she faced was only due to Luna's... shortcomings. Lack of scrutiny over herself and her plans, the mistakes she had made and the flaws she was still struggling to overcome.

“Princess Twilight is performing above and beyond expectations once more, even in this undesired challenge, and she is giving us all hope for the future that we can look forward to,” Luna declared, believing that she was being as fair, open, and genuine in her praise as her sister had been. The youngest alicorn deserved that recognition and much more. “Though I am not naïve about the difficulties she faces, I am optimistic that we will be able to celebrate Princess Twilight’s success in the end, if only we remain vigilant and cautious, as I think her letter is prompting us to be.”

“Vigilance and caution are crucial,” Raven pointed out with unshakable conviction, a strong approach that, given the circumstances, Luna couldn’t really argue with. “We need to keep a sharp eye out on things, just in case, and we have to make sure that 'eye' isn’t seen. But I trust that we can receive due help from Advisor Moonwarden’s operatives in that regard?”

Silence followed that particular question. Eventually, Luna had to acknowledge the awkward pause and glance at her faithful servant, finding his silver gaze locked on nothing in particular and his expression still displeased, pensive, and... sour, even.

Yet he ultimately addressed the inquiry, breaking his fierce concentration on whatever was troubling him and replying. “Naturally. We will make sure to act with prudence and forethought, my ponies and I.” He assured the room with a firm nod, before almost immediately returning to further ruminations which caused his muzzle to scrunch and his gaze to sharpen even more.

Luna definitely needed to ask about that when the meeting was finished.

Which was to be soon, considering that the morning was in full, bright swing. Those of the nocturnal side of Equestrian duties had to find their rest, while those that had just woken up were bound for their own responsibilities, taking into consideration the new wisdom brought by Twilight Sparkle’s reply.

Celestia was aware of the time herself, standing up and prompting the chamber to follow her example. “We will definitely return to this letter more in the coming days. For now, let us take a moment to consider and plan ahead. We shall meet about this again soon... and perhaps, a little later, after our moves are made, we can inform Twilight of the state of matters and hope that we find her in an even better situation than she is now.”

Luna could almost hear another sentence from her sister following her declaration.

‘For the first time, I believe that it can be so.’

Yet even without that addition, Celestia’s words sounded like the most reasonable course of action, one that nopony had any objections to, marking the conclusion of the meeting.

So, a couple of minutes later, Luna found herself again following the darker corridors of the Palace, with Moonwarden in tow.

Amusingly, she didn’t even have to ask about her servant’s strange expression during the meeting, as he was more than keen to reveal his persisting concerns, which were giving him a much more developed set of wrinkles on his forehead.

“He’s so pleased about something.”

Luna cocked an eyebrow at the vague expression. “Who is, my servant?”

“Discord, my lady,” Moonwarden claimed, clenching his lips a little in further irritation. “I can just… feel it. I could see it in that self-satisfied gaze of his.”

She felt the urge to giggle at the intensity in the stallion’s voice, especially since, as far as she had been informed, it was him specifically that the draconequus had chosen to haunt upon his return with the message. It certainly looked like that meeting had left Moonwarden vexed to his very limits, a rare enough sight that Luna felt the mischievous urge to explore it a little.

“Do you think that he was trying to get under your skin by successfully completing the task without much difficulty... which, if he did encounter any, would have most likely been of his own making… or is there something more behind it after all?” she inquired, causing Moonwarden to exhale shortly.

“Satisfaction from a task well done is one thing, but that was not what I have seen from Discord,” he pointed out and shook his head. “Oh, certainly, he would be most keen on proving me an utter pillock in regular circumstances… Although, come to think of it,” Moonwarden pondered, looking just a little resigned, though irritation was still clearly visible on his face, “I am uncertain what would give him more joy – seeing me angered at him for failing to bring the reply, or witnessing me fuming at the fact that he actually got us the response from Her Highness, despite me having so little respect for him and his antics.” Briefly shaking his head, he clarified, “Not that I have wished for him to fail in the first place, of course, this is too critical of a situation for me to seek a personal, moral victory over him... however strong the temptation to do so might be. Honestly, what is wrong with that creature? It is almost as if he knows something that we do not...”

Now that got Luna’s attention. Not that she wasn’t paying it, for hearing Moonwarden’s annoyance was in some way amusing, but now she had more important things to focus on than her servant’s momentary, emotional shortcoming. If his instincts were on high alert, then surely hers had to be as well.

And Luna simply had to ask the obvious question first. “This isn’t some prank of his? He brought the right message to us, no?”

“Oh, that is most definitely the correct one,” Moonwarden immediately assured her. “The Princess’ magical signature was unmistakable, and Her Solar Majesty broke the seal herself, just to be certain. Still...”

He actually stopped in place briefly, looking to the sides as if the draconequus could just pop up from nowhere at any moment. Which he could, of course.

“No, this… Can this make sense? No, too unlikely. Another no, too bizarre. No, no, that scenario is too much like what we do not talk about,” the unicorn muttered to himself at a rapid pace before his gaze finally returned to Luna. “There are but two possibilities that are not too outlandish to even consider. Either Her Highness did not put something in her message, for whatever reasons she might have had, and Discord knows about it anyway… or he found out something on his very own that he is oh so proud of discerning. Regardless, there is something that he is keeping to himself.”

The sheer vitriol in Moonwarden’s tone made Luna smile when she turned back to him, even though she didn’t discard a word of what he had said. “You hate an undiscovered secret, stored away in somepony else’s mind, don’t you, my servant?”

“It is not as if I am obsessed with peeling away every thought and notion to reach the darkest mysteries of a pony,” the stallion claimed, shrugging a little, though Luna could have sworn that she heard that little tone of passion in his voice after all. “But I can hardly deny that an enigma hidden from me in a mind I will definitely not be probing is… a little vexing.”

Curiosity motivated the next question coming Moonwarden’s way. “I take it you would find Discord’s intellect a little… hard to grasp?”

“Impossible to, I believe,” the unicorn replied, actually treating her question with utmost seriousness, speaking with the tone of a specialist in the field. “From mentalism’s point of view, every pony’s mind has a certain uniqueness to it, but also the same sort of a foundation. One could say that my noble craft is rather egalitarian in that aspect, one more reason it is shameful that it is considered unsavoury… Regardless, a skilled practitioner knows how to navigate those, shall we say, ‘pathways’ in a pony’s mind and, with care and preparation, use them to seek the necessary information, to reach cognitive functions or influence emotive states…”

As he was talking, Luna again felt rather… merry about listening with undivided focus, despite the fact that the topic was a little heavy. The moment also made her realize that, for all of the time that Moonwarden had been in her employ, she had never before sat with him like she would with an expert on an exotic branch of magic, one that even she didn’t particularly grasp, not that she’d really studied it. Perhaps, bearing in mind the nuances of the topic, it would be fun one night to just ask him some deeper questions about it.

… her, Moonwarden, and fun. Now if that wasn’t a peculiar thought to have, then none of them was.

The grey stallion continued in the meantime, rubbing his chin a little bit in concentration. “However, a creature such as Discord would not only be utterly alien from any spell’s perspective, but could also have a certain. shall we say, maddening effect on anypony trying to peek into his mind. We are not dealing with a being of flesh and blood, at least not in a traditional sense. There is no substance there, just a chaotic intelligence manifesting in a specific, though oft random, pattern, in both body and mind.”

That sounded like quite a convincing argument against venturing into Discord’s brain, Luna would have to agree. Merely witnessing the draconequus’ abilities and bearing was enough to understand that even trying to fathom his true nature would be a dangerous undertaking, and she could claim that even being the alicorn she was.

Moonwarden continued speaking, gesturing for the two of them to continue trotting on as he finished his quick explanation of the issue. “If we shall add to it the natural toll that using mentalism spells can take on one, surely magnified by even a short peek into Discord’s mind, which could be troublesome to achieve on its own… no, no, too much effort, too little in return. Though, while I do accept my own logic here, instructing me that an attempt would be an utterly foolhardy thing to do,” Moonwarden admitted, his lips pursed once again, “I shall still graciously allow myself to be harried over it. Troubling oneself about minor problems like this does wonders for one’s mental health.”

“Does it now?” Luna inquired, actually causing her servant to chuckle and check his monocle.

“Maybe not, my lady, but I would be the first to tell you that when things are all going smoothly, successfully, and according to plan, ponies of my profession get very uncomfortable. It means that something, somewhere, at some point has surely gone horribly wrong, we just do not know of it yet,” the unicorn claimed with a smirk. “Yet, speaking of this noble profession of mine, I believe I should still pay the Royal Office a visit this morning. I would like to leave some files there in the secure cabinet, for the proper ponies to use.”

Luna nodded, understanding the ‘what’, ‘where’ and ‘for whom’ Moonwarden meant, the stallion showing caution even when nopony else was about to overhear their exchange. While the hour was growing late for both of them, she didn’t feel so keen on retiring to her chambers yet. She could spare a few more minutes for her servant.

Because, well… she strangely looked forward to that possibility, however trivial and insignificant it appeared. Just a while longer wasn’t life-changing, and yet…

“Very judicious of you to suggest that, my servant. I hope you would not mind me accompanying you there?”

Moonwarden glanced at her, a little surprised. Yet despite his neutral expression, something about his silver eyes lit up in a way that Luna found… most enjoyable.

“That is much too kind of you, Your Majesty, I would not wish to trouble you in any way. It is a simple errand to complete this morn still,” he replied, despite that hint in his gaze, with the words which were almost required of a pony of his station.

His tone was perfectly neutral. A little too much so, however, which suggested to Luna that his response was but etiquette.

“Nonsense,” she told him in return, and quite strongly, wishing to let him know that her will trampled the need for such propriety. “Like I have any other pony that I would rather spend time with,” she added.

Moonwarden only nodded to that, and soon adjusted their route to include heading to the Royal Office first, before reaching Luna’s chambers.

They trotted without speaking, however. Mostly because, a turn of corridor later, it struck Luna how… peculiar her sentence had been, though she hadn’t realized it at first.

It gave her a proper pause in her mind, even as she accompanied her servant through the spiraling staircases and snaking corridors of the castle interior.

Luna had never considered herself a social pony. She was actually rather comfortable with herself and being on her lonesome. It wasn’t ever something that really bothered her, her previous, poisonous inferiority notwithstanding. And yet, the opportunity to actually have the grey stallion by her side for a bit longer, especially after the recent help he’d rendered her, it felt… it felt like a marginally more appealing condition than just being on her very own. Yes, she could still have her comfort and pleasurable solitude, she felt, but…

That evening. Under her Moon, one she had brought up with Moonwarden in mind. The gentle breeze. The moment when it hadn’t been just her silence, but their silence. Together…

Luna still couldn’t quite put her hoof on this change manifesting in her, but… she couldn’t deny it was a pleasant thing, however strange, to experience it.

She glanced at Moonwarden. The grey stallion was trotting next to her with a practiced grace and a stoic expression. One could say that nothing had changed ever since she had picked him as her Advisor, yet for some reason Luna felt that there was something more there, especially lately, a form of kinship that they were reaching only because of the unicorn’s adamant and persistent attempts to help her overcome her personal problems and insecurities, things which had been festering in her for Harmony knew how long.

Or rather… for Nightmare knew how long.

Luna found herself shuddering at that notion, and Moonwarden’s reaction was immediate.

“My lady? Is something wrong?”

“It’s… nothing, really. Just an unpleasant thought, my servant, nothing to concern yourself with,” she told him, but received only a smile in return. One that was remarkably calming and almost out of place in its honesty, especially since coming from her faithful, grey manipulator.

“With all due respect, my lady, your unpleasant thoughts seem like exactly the kind of thing I should concern myself with,” the stallion claimed, his gaze filled with a healthy dose of encouragement. “Are you still concerned about your decision to send Her Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle, to the batponies? I admit, I was not expecting her to include such… potent words in her message, even if she made it clear that she grasps your initial motives.”

“Do you blame her for using that sort of a language?” Luna inquired, genuinely curious.

“If you would mean the Princess reaching for expressions like ‘irresponsible choices’, ‘utterly unnecessary secrecy’, and ‘lack of trust’, not to even mention ‘invoking resentment and disappointment’, then… yes, yes, I would,” Moonwarden claimed, looking at her intently. “For I would not wish for those to push you away from the good road of self-improvement you are travelling nowadays, my lady.”

“If you are concerned about that possibility, my servant, then know that it wasn’t Princess Twilight who made me feel so uncomfortable just now,” Luna admitted, though she found herself biting her lower lip just a little. “But I am still relieved that she found it in herself to at least understand where I was coming from, despite the sorrow she included in her response. Makes me feel... slightly less terrible about my choices.”

“That is still better than just ‘outright’ terrible, my lady,” Moonwarden told her, his voice taking on an almost fatherly quality, “but what you have done was for the sake of the greater good. We have discussed it already, you must not let your conviction be undermined. As we could all hear from the letter, said goal now has a significant chance of being reached. It would not be so without you taking those first few risky but necessary steps.”

“Perhaps you are right, yet one can consider if there was a better way of acting from the start, cannot they?” Luna responded with a question, trying to stop her brain from delving into those countless scenarios which were ready to play before her mind’s eye and make her realize how much better the situation could have been were it not for her little plots.

Yet the grey stallion had a riposte to both the inquiry and the predicament, one which he voiced with envy-inducing belief.

“One could always think matters over, reassess one’s choices, for their whole life if they were so inclined,” he stated, nodding to himself. “The problem then is that none of us would ever get anything done. There are countless better things eternity can be spent on than constantly second-guessing oneself and worrying for what might have been. I am certain you can agree with that, my lady.”

“Lamentably,” Luna admitted, shaking her head. “Yet that does not mean that we cannot criticize ourselves, my servant. How else could we learn otherwise?”

“A fair point, my lady. However, I would argue that one must know when to be kind to oneself as well,” Moonwarden told her with a small smile. “We are our own harshest critics, through our entire lives. We often enough judge ourselves with weighted scales, easily seeing the best in others and maniacally searching for the worst in the darkest, deepest corners of our nature and being. I believe that learning to be a better version of oneself comes through looking back at who we were yesterday and seeing how much more foolish we were in comparison to today.”

“I do not see you calling yourself foolish at any point, my servant,” Luna pointed out, causing the unicorn to chuckle.

“Well, I would never admit it.”

“Even to me?”

There was a slight pause before Moonwarden responded. Or, at least, planned to, because he ultimately just shrugged like the scoundrel he was, sending her the truly disarming smug look of an utter reprobate.

Luna laughed. She was almost shocked by the sound of it, yet found herself remarkably contented with the fact as well.

“Insufferable.”

Moonwarden almost beamed with pride, though of the more positive kind for once. “I would like to remind you, my lady, that it was you who made the decision to accompany me to the Office today still. You have nopony to blame but yourself,” the stallion told her, causing her to fight another laugh. Again, a most pleasing sensation, and one proving to Luna that she couldn’t well call herself foolish for that particular choice.

A minute or so later the two of them finally reached the familiar chamber of the Royal Office, though their stay wouldn’t last long. Their true goal was the lower, hidden room, though Moonwarden grabbed some parchment and ink on the way, to prepare the right instructions for the Second Chance.

However, something caused him to stop in place and scrunch his muzzle again, as if a sudden thought of his own had sullied his mood.

It was Luna’s turn to ask. “Is something the matter, my servant?”

The unicorn said nothing at first, just looked to the side. Towards a familiar chessboard, actually, where their armies were still locked in a fierce battle, one which had reached an increased level of casualties over but the last couple of moves.

Moonwarden trotted closer to the table upon which the battle raged on and put his hoof against his lips, his expression inscrutable. He pointed towards a couple of pieces, as if taking a quick stock of his situation, although the intensity of his gaze belied that simple explanation, almost seeming to suggest that he was deriving some form of an augury from the sight before him.

Luna observed him with mounting interest. She would expect him to give the matter of his next move some thought well before actually reaching the chessboard, but now Moonwarden was apparently actively considering what he was going to do on the spot, as if he had only realized the situation he was in, and what was about to happen, for the first time but a few seconds ago.

His hoof finally rested on a small, black marble piece.

“Pawn will capture the queen’s messenger,” he declared, moving it diagonally with high regard and esteem. The grey unicorn also removed the corresponding crystal figurine, almost with veneration, placing it among his trophies. “Makes the most sense.”

“A very conservative move, my servant,” Luna commented, having come closer to assess the damage that move could have done in the grand scheme of things. “Are you certain it is the wisest action here?”

Moonwarden didn’t say anything at first, surprising her. Surely she couldn’t have made him second guess himself with those few words, could she? Regardless, her servant spent a good few seconds judging his action and its repercussions. His eyes were keen and piercing, as if he was trying to penetrate through a dense fog that had descended upon their monochromatic battlefield, a vapor into which a faithful envoy had just vanished from the board.

“It would seem like it to some…” he finally assessed, though his tone was distant and enigmatic. “When things escalate dramatically and there’s a chance for repercussions to occur, it is better for a pawn to take the brunt of it.”

Luna pondered for a breath. Normally, she would be at least a little apprehensive in general about such pragmatic, utilitarian thinking, especially considering Moonwarden’s capabilities in the real world, but looking at the state of the game before her she could wholly understand it. Here, pieces had their role to play, and sometimes that role involved disposing of another in a sudden, gruesome fashion, only to suffer the same fate soon enough.

Luna could already spot her next move, which she would make in due time. A decisive one, too, as her pieces would be in position and duly ordained to take vengeance upon the dark, marble figures of her very choosing for the sake of her lost messenger.

Yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that her servant had something on his mind as he stared at the game before him, with intensity capable of burning through the board.

“Is something troubling you, Moonwarden? You have that strange look about you and I would like to know where it is coming from...”

The grey unicorn blinked and only then turned his gaze back at her, almost as if he had just returned to the present from wherever else his mind was.

“Oh, I am not really troubled, my lady. Just the regular number of matters on my mind, I would say. Though, perhaps one could say that the night was long and full of chaotic beings keen on overzealously sharing how well they have fulfilled their part of the arrangement,” he claimed, a smirk returning to his lips. “And I am already much older than my line of clandestine work usually allows one to get, so I get tired quickly after sunrise.”

Luna gave him a almost disapproving glance, even if it accompanied an altogether warm expression. “You are going to bring age up in my presence?”

The stallion recognized the joke immediately, but still shrugged as if pushed on the defensive, something his following words showed to be false. “And what is that supposed to mean, my lady? You are surely only half my age and not a breath older, I bear witness to that literally every night, and if it is not true then you continue to fool me over and over again.”

The words by themselves were almost enough to make Luna’s muzzle gain much color and warmth, but she managed to overcome that strange feeling, instead focusing on one particular word that her servant had just used.

“So you do admit to being foolish, Moonwarden?”

One would normally expect the unicorn’s expression to fall, being caught like that, but the stallion’s smile was constant as he continued looking at Luna. In his cold, silver gaze there was warmth that felt both out of place and utterly fitting his grey persona in some strange way.

He finally sighed, shaking his head. “You would definitely not want a fool in your employ, my lady, so I would not dig any deeper into this,” he stated, most thoughtfully, as if he had much more than just some linguistic sparring in mind.

Luna wasn’t going to relinquish her position, though. “Will you not give me the satisfaction? Really?” she asked in return, belatedly realizing that her tone made her sound almost... playful.

Which resulted in a most exotic sight, as Moonwarden appeared to be battling himself quite fiercely in that strange clash between pride and mirth, between preserving one’s dignity and making it the object of a great jest. Yet Luna could have sworn that there was something more to it than him just protecting his ego. She knew he was considered almost conceited by many ponies, but not to the level that he would outright deny her, that much was certain. So why was Moonwarden’s battle still raging, even after her authority had thrown its support behind mirth? Did his pride possess some hidden ally bolstering it as well?

Could that ally be the reason for his trepidation and actions that night..?

Still, when his response finally came it was as enigmatic as one could imagine. “I do hope my service is adequate already, as is proper of a Royal Advisor. If you would wish for it to be yet more competent, instruct me how to make it so, my lady, and I shall act accordingly.”

Luna actually laughed once more, shaking her head. “So I would have to order you to call yourself foolish? That’s not the same as you admitting it!”

Moonwarden’s lips shuddered as he fought a smile. “The less I admit to out of my own volition, the better!” he declared, holding the side of his vest with conviction, as if posing just a little.

“Fine, fine,” she relented, waving her hoof at the subject matter. Truth be told, she was already in great humor thanks to his companionship, and she didn’t need her servant to acknowledge anything to feel like she was the winner of that exchange. The most amusing part was that the grey unicorn surely considered himself the victorious one.

Luna would still have preferred to learn what was bothering him, but if he wasn’t willing to be entirely transparent, then she at least trusted that he had a reason for it. Maybe one which he would reveal in the near future, were she to ask again.

They didn’t waste much more time after that particular exchange, descending down the hidden spiral staircase into the chamber resembling the lair of a scheming spider, between the maps, notes, and documents aplenty within, connected with silver threads of magic into a web of intrigue that could make any spinner or spy envious.

Moonwarden wasted no time and began writing at the main table, his focus immediately shifting to providing the Second Chance with their new set of instructions for the immediate time. Luna, wishing to give him a moment of undisturbed peace, decided to trot over to the nearby wall, to look over the many schemes and plots illustrating it.

Being this close to the magical web of cases made her very quickly realize just how many plans and actions she had been a part of. She had taken part in them almost from the instant she’d returned, her period of recuperation and acclimatizing with this new, modern Equestria notwithstanding.

Luna found herself considering that, as much as she was feeling guilty about her poor handling of Princess Twilight’s mission, since things could have been guided much better, it hadn’t been the first time that her hoof had meddled in things for the sake of Equestria’s safety and prosperity, and not all of those tasks had turned out poorer for it, had they? Her touch must have had proven a blessing, not a curse.

She needed to remember that, remember that she was skilled in these matters, that she wasn’t just a burden outside of raising the Moon. There was plenty of evidence to remind her after all, wasn't there? The many photos, the countless maps and notes, some reminding her of cases she had already managed to forget the details of...

Considering that she and her special unit had not been outright dismantled, that they could still act, undertake their missions and fulfill their obligations despite their clandestine, and occasionally questionable methods... Well, that must have meant that, at least to some degree, they were considered a force for good...?

Or was she being doubtful of it only due to the... weakness that still lurked within her character?

“Moonwarden,” she summoned her servant’s attention at that point, hoping she wasn’t interrupting at a crucial moment after all.

“Yes, my lady,” the grey unicorn responded, ready for whatever her request might be.

“Tell me, if you could, and do so with honesty...” she emphasized, “just how much of an impact have we had on Equestria as a whole in our service here? A positive impact, I mean...”

Perhaps it was a frivolous thing to ask about, again, but she simply had to receive an answer, hoping that her request would be followed to the letter.

The stallion paused his writing, straightening up to look directly at Luna for a brief moment. Then his gaze ventured past her, to the walls, where dozens upon dozens of notes connected plan after plan and scheme after scheme, the very evidence which she was searching for.

“I am uncertain of how one can measure ‘impact’ per se,” he admitted with a smirk, “but I would definitely consider the work of the Royal Office to be crucial and even, I would say, irreplaceable for our country, pushing it in the right direction. But... why are you asking, my lady?”

“Just... thoughtful, I suppose,” Luna admitted to that, her eyes venturing from note to note in this strange... self-introspection. She was the linchpin of this place, whether she liked it or not. It was under her supervision and with her blessing that all of these plans had been and were still enacted. She couldn’t have made mistakes in all of them, even if she felt like she had done in the case of Princess Twilight’s quest...

“This chamber... this place is a testimony to hundreds and hundreds of hours of work we have done. I just find myself in need of reassurance that all of those hours weren’t squandered or misguided.”

Moonwarden nodded in thought, clearly wishing to approach. However, as he trotted over, his muzzle was twisted by a grimace, one that resulted in him reaching up and untying his cape, putting it on the nearby chair. His vest also became undone, showing more of his pristine, white shirt.

“Forgive me, my lady, I suppose my scars are also considering the night too long,” he revealed, stretching a little now that the many layers of material were not putting as much pressure on his back. “But I would allow them to be the first to testify to the necessary and pivotal role of our task.”

Luna couldn’t well counter that argument. The mission that had almost cost Moonwarden his life had definitely been one to prove that Equestria had to stay vigilant and had to have ponies capable of acting in the shadows...

“Have we done a good job, then?” she still asked, surprised at how downhearted she sounded.

Her Advisor immediately addressed that, widely gesturing at the chamber around them, as if he was on a grand theater stage in Elegy's place, an act which made the sides of his waistcoat shift a little.

“Your answer is here, my lady, all around us, and it speaks to you... ‘Without a doubt’, it is saying,“ Moonwarden claimed, changing his voice into a whisper for but a moment. “Every single case about us is a crisis averted, a problem solved, a headache for our country healed even before it could properly manifest...” the grey unicorn declared, looking rather satisfied as he did so. “Putting aside the question of whether the denizens of Equestria deserve our help in the first place, help and aid we have provided.”

He briefly stopped to hide a chuckle behind his hoof. “And here lies the best part of it,” he pointed out, “for were we ever to be scrutinized fully, down to the smallest of our ploys, we have the evidence for all of them, enough to prove that our every move was to the benefit of the country.”

Luna finally smiled, relieved. A little, at least. “Would that be because you have made sure it couldn’t be interpreted in any other way? You are the one assessing and compiling the final reports, after all...”

“I do that, yes, making sure they are presenting us and, most importantly, you, my lady, in the best possible light,” the grey unicorn admitted, but with a smile which bore no malice or deceit, “but my work is hardly ‘jiggery-pokery’, and the reason for that, the reason I lack the need to twist the facts, is quite simple – your leadership, my lady.”

Luna gave him a quizzical look, almost as if he had just uttered something crazed.

Yet Moonwarden continued, without even a shred of doubt. “My lady, for all of your problems and your feelings of guilt, for all the times of weakness and even apathy, all the injuries brought upon you by the dreadful affliction of heart and mind... you have always been the silvery guiding light in our tasks, never shunning away from your duties and never forgetting your vital role. I can only imagine how much of a burden it must have been, sticking to your own, regal tasks, and those you have in the domain of dreams, with so much clouding your mind, pulling you down... but that only makes your achievements...” he claimed, once more showing her the chamber surrounding them, “... the more indisputable, my lady...”

Luna’s smile was now full and constant. She had requested honesty, and she heard nothing but honesty in Moonwarden’s words. Whether it was objectively true was still in question, but her trusted servant believed it to be so. He didn’t tell her any of that for the sake of shallow sycophancy...

That... that meant so much to her. To her mind. To her heart, as well, as surprising as it was.

Or perhaps... not surprising at all?

“Thank you, Moonwarden. You cannot imagine how important your words are to me...”

The stallion gifted her a smile of his own in return, yet it wasn’t one of his self-assured smirks. No, this one was simply an expression of joy and satisfaction, devoid of pride, something that almost didn’t belong on his, usually so stoic, muzzle, but ended up fitting it quite miraculously. An expression not of hubris or smug satisfaction, but one of simply... happiness.

“I could certainly try to imagine that, my lady, but your faithful servant can only fathom and accept so much gratitude at once,” he claimed, his gaze eagerly meeting hers.

That silver stare almost made her blush once more, because... well, she because could tell how affected Moonwarden was, and only by her simple gratitude. It was as if her appreciation and recognition was breathing life and energy into him, like something inside of him couldn’t help but be ecstatic about it.

How come she had never before paid attention to that...?

As the stallion was turning away to finish compiling his notes, something else caught Luna’s attention. A little, round object on a small, silver chain clearly affixed to the inside of Moonwarden’s vest, suddenly dangled out from underneath his clothing, obviously displaced by the stallions’ gestures and the loosening of his waistcoat.

“I didn’t know mentalism used watches after all,” Luna joked, her spirits soaring high. “I thought all the swinging and swaying was a misconception.”

Yet the grey unicorn only blinked at first, not catching onto her comment at all. That is, until she pointed to his side, where that silver and, she had to say, quite beautiful, ornately decorated casing was now on full display.

When Moonwarden looked down at it, however, Luna spotted that his whole form froze immediately, as if he had witnessed something truly horrific.

“Ah! No, uhm... that’s... that is not a watch, my lady.”

If she had ever seen Moonwarden abashed, it was definitely then. He almost caught himself on an abbreviation, and that was definitely not something he ever did, usually being nigh-obsessively pedantic about his speech, and his composure was simply shattered.

“What is it, then?” Luna inquired, now most curious about the nature of that trinket. Especially since, whatever it was, the stallion was rather keen on returning it to the inside pocket of his vest, in a rather panicked motion.

No less panicked than his tone, though it was also seasoned with audible reluctance.

“It is... a portrait miniature, my lady,” he admitted, looking to the side and away from her keen and questioning gaze.

“Oh?” Luna voiced her further interest... just before a sudden realization hit her squarely, right in the middle of her playful inquisitiveness.

More so... right in the middle of her heart.

“Oh. Oh, yes, I see...” she thought she just mouthed.

Now she understood Moonwarden’s sudden reaction. He wasn’t the sort of a stallion to be open and transparent about his private affairs, quite the opposite, and definitely not about ones resulting in him carrying the likeness of a beloved pony with him.

Honestly, Luna felt that... that she shouldn’t have been shocked. Moonwarden wasn’t old, by any stretch of the imagination, and the first signs of aging only added to his suave, noble look, she couldn’t deny it herself. Yes, she had heard some unseemly rumors about her Advisor, but it still made sense that, with his high position and undeniable affluence, and despite the true extent of his tasks and the certain infamy of his very station, his high position and undeniable affluence would help him find himself a suitable mare among the ladies of Canterlot.

“Forgive me, I didn’t mean to be intrusive,” she told him, finding her voice unnaturally calm, gloomy even. “I... think I need to retire for the day. Until sunset, my servant.”

She could have sworn that, for the briefest of moments, Moonwarden wanted to stop her, but that feeling quickly disappeared as the grey stallion restored his composure, as if nothing ever happened, and spoke with a perfectly neutral tone.

“Thank you, my lady. To you as well. May rest find you.”

Without a word more, Luna left the hidden room, wishing to return to her chamber. As soon as possible.

... why could she feel tears in her eyes?

---

Twilight’s day had gone by quite well, she had to admit that much, at least. So seldom during her travels had she actually woken up both rested and relieved, she’d almost forgotten what it felt like, but now she could remember.

The incredible quality of her bedding reminded her of how pleasant actually finding rest was, as the “royal” wool that she was enjoying had carried her off to sleep and gently held her there through her slumber. As for relief, that was, out of all things, due to Discord’s help, as she could hope that with his aid the message had reached the Princesses before the morning’s end.

Which meant that Twilight could finally, even if only for a short moment, breathe with ease. Everypony was up to speed, especially in Equestria, and things could progress from then on in a, preferably, controlled fashion.

Or so she hoped, as sudden and unpredictable issues had a tendency to appear, well... suddenly and unpredictably.

Still, Twilight felt that she had at least some of the matters around her under control, which definitely made her evening far more pleasant, especially as she freshened herself up further with a warm bath. Moments like these, especially lately, had proven helpful in organizing her thoughts for the coming nights… and she already had a point to organize around, one other than being shown around the Mountain. There was something Midnight had wanted to tell her yesternight, but he’d been interrupted by Discord, the chaotic “postpony” wreaking his usual havoc on plans and schedules. Her duties in the Mountain were important, but she needed to tend to her beloved, first.

There was no telling how long it would be before Twilight would be asked to join the Honored Lord, or the Overseer General of the Dusk Family, so she decided not to waste much time. After drying herself off with a quick spell and making sure her mane wasn’t resembling a bush, as well as picking out for herself a more casual dress for herself, she decided to trot over and knock on the door of the next chamber, currently occupied by her entourage.

The entrance opened as if somepony was right by it and already waiting for her, though instead of Midnight’s muzzle it was Rowan Berry’s that manifested in the small crack.

“Hwalba knaze, benu noc!” the healer reacted on instinct, nodding in respect and opening the door wider, revealing her long, glaucous mane and traditional healer’s gown. “I was just about to come and check whether you have woken up. Is something the matter?”

“No, not at all, don’t worry. Good night to you as well, Rowan Berry,” Twilight replied, using that short moment to figure out how to ask about Midnight’s presence without... well, without making the other mare feel like she was planning something, or anything, unsavory. Mostly since, despite her conviction in her love, she wasn’t going to be unkind to Rowan Berry on that account alone. Prudence counseled treating the matter discreetly – the operative’s stance on their relationship surely couldn’t have changed “overday”, even despite the fact that they had shared the last meal yesternight in a quite polite, civil way, if rather quiet.

“I would say that I wanted to ask if any news has come from the Honored Lord so early in the evening... but, honestly, a meal was also on my mind,” Twilight decided to begin.

Rowan Berry’s response changed what she wanted to say afterwards, however.

“Oh, Maednoc Wentr just went to organize some food, hwalba knaze. He should be back, alongside the news, as soon as he gets some palace servant to bring the meal for you.”

“Ah... Very well, then,” Twilight responded, a little annoyed that she must have missed him by literally a minute or less. “Well, good. I hope to share it with you two when he returns, before any summons come. I shall be—”

“My apologies, Honored Princess...”

Rowan Berry interrupted Twilight just before she would have excused herself back to her chamber, catching her attention... the healer’s expression easily kept it. It was filled with polite abashment, a novelty among all the real emotions and looks Twilight had encountered with the operative, which quickly piqued her interest.

“What is it, Rowan Berry?”

The batpony mare bit her lower lip just a little. “I am... profoundly sorry if I shall be occupying you without a reason which you would consider… proper in your mind,” she said, with deference that was yet another surprise to Twilight. “I... was wondering if I could have a moment of your time, to talk briefly, in private.”

Now, that definitely caught Twilight’s attention in a mighty way, and she couldn’t well simply ignore such a request, especially since the mare’s respect didn’t seem to be in any way forced or fraudulent, at least not discernibly.

“Oh! Of course, yes,” Twilight replied. “Should we go inside?”

“Tac, naturally,” Rowan Berry agreed, letting her in without hesitation. Almost. “I mean... if you don’t mind our quarters, hwalba knaze.”

“I think we can manage, no?”

That was the right question to ask, actually.

The chamber, approximately the size of Twilight’s own, had two beds inside of it rather than a single one, as well as a smaller table with chairs, all of which made it appear rather cramped. Actually, it was cramped, that was no matter of appearance but a straight up fact, the two batponies’ belongings being jammed, if neatly, underneath their resting places testified of it. Still, despite the lower quality of furnishings and the limited space, the room was orderly and elegant, at least, as much as possible, though Twilight found it a little awkward just of how impractical the chairs were, due to the difficulty of pulling them out properly with the beds so close on both sides of the table. As if it wasn’t already obvious that this chamber was meant for one pony only...

Rowan Berry spotted Twilight’s trepidation at the accommodation. “We... usually just sit on the beds, and that way we are still at the table. Though, even for us, this is quite small.”

“I think, considering how much of the palace is ‘otherwise occupied’,” Twilight allowed herself the comment, “it is the same sort of a problem for many courtiers.”

“Ita to bid. And point taken, as you do say in Ekwestriyar, hwalba knaze...” the healer admitted, taking her place only after Twilight sat down on Midnight’s bed, finding it at least adequately comfortable.

Silence reigned for only a short moment, since none of them wanted to make things awkward by just staring at one another, especially in such a small chamber.

In the end, Twilight took the initiative. “So, Rowan Berry, how can I help you? What would you like to talk about?” she inquired, looking at the operative with kind curiosity and receiving back a look of intent and purpose. For a brief moment, at least, since the healer’s gaze quickly turned much softer quite quickly as she opened her mouth, her words betraying a certain discomposure.

“I suppose... what you have just said is exactly part of my problem,” Rowan Berry began, shaking her head a little, but still gazing directly at Twilight. “I... don’t get this, I think the expression would be here. I simply don’t get this.”

“What... is causing you confusion, exactly?” Twilight asked, ears perked in further, genuine interest.

“Everything lately. Anything,” the healer revealed, her tone ringing with that additional note of distress. “Even the way that you have begun here, hwalba knaze... How can you help me? What sort of a question is this? Where is it even coming from?”

Twilight tilted her head to the side just a little, hoping that she was understanding the other mare’s motivation correctly. That task was made remarkably easier as Rowan Berry proved quite keen on “helping” her with it, quickly shattering any doubts Twilight might have had about what was driving her.

“Let there be honesty here, because the situation between us should be pretty clear,” the operative declared, crossing her forelegs against her chest. It was not a sign of defiance, however, but defense. “You know… You are, unfortunately, perfectly aware that I am a covert agent of a foreign nation, and not just a simple spy, but a member of a hoof-picked group. You are an envoy from an ancient enemy of ours, taught by the Judging Sun herself, as far as we can describe it... Regardless of the 'correct' nature of your tutelage, discipleship, anointment, however you wish to call it, it doesn’t change the fact that it would be so natural, even logical, for you to see me as a foe, as a threat, as...” She paused briefly, trying to find the right ‘incorrect’ words. “As anypony other than somepony that could be befriended, especially when I'm so close to you! But I heard what you have said yesternight, and that talk we had even before that, and... and...”

Twilight listened with care, making sure to keep any biases or prejudices she had at bay, especially since Rowan Berry seemed to truly be speaking with complete honesty. Following what might have seemed to her a dangerous path, wherever it would take their conversation.

“Perhaps this is yet another moment of my weakness, and Bogine knows how many of those I've had lately...” the healer admitted, and not without trepidation, “but I simply don’t understand this, and I need to. Or else I feel like I will go completely insane...”

“Nopony would like that,” Twilight replied, trying to help ease the tension just a little, though at first she only achieved a hiss from Rowan Berry at first.

“No, nopony, surely...” the mare said with vitriol, before shaking her head again, her long mane shifting like a curtain of falling water, perturbed, even if retaining its beauty. “And this is exactly what I am talking about, too. You haven’t only praised me, yesternight you were actually defending me. From Maednoc Wentr, of all ponies!”

The shock seeping into Rowan Berry’s tone almost made Twilight smile. “Why would that be so surprising to you? I thought that he was being altogether too crude when addressing you.”

“But you two are supposed to be in a... a relationship!” the batpony responded, despite how tough it was for her to even summon the word, so out of place it must have still felt for her. “You are together, and here am I, the...! And...!” she tried to finish the sentence, but something inside of her prevented her from doing so. So she just spread her forelegs wide, as if trying to encompass all of her confusion and vexation and yet failing. “It just doesn’t make sense to me! With all due respect, hwalba knaze, but... you don’t make sense to me.”

Now Twilight simply had to laugh, though she kept it short to avoid making the other mare think that it was a derogatory reaction.

“Thank you, Rowan Berry. I actually find that a rather appropriate judgment,” she told the operative, who was keenly listening in, scouring Twilight’s words for anything that would help her make sense of her predicament. “I can definitely see myself being completely out of place in the noctraliu world. I often feel that way myself, you know.”

She wasn’t expecting the healer to suddenly apologize for the state of things, which was good, for she didn’t. “You certainly don’t fit into what we would consider predictable in a healthy way. I don’t know about Maednoc Wentr, nor shall I speak for anypony else, but, to me, you bring with yourself so much... chaos.”

Now that was a very interesting thing to say from Twilight’s perspective, either extremely ironic... or worryingly deliberate.

“Why would you say that?” she asked, hoping to read into Rowan Berry’s reaction.

“All that I have seen seems to reinforce that!” the other mare responded, waving her hoof as if pointing towards all those witnessed matters, hidden across the cluttered room. “You are trying to pursue a relationship with a batpony, you aren’t willing to return our ancient lands to us, but you still want to find a solution to benefit everypony, allegedly,” the healer emphasized, though it was hard to tell whether she added that word out of habit or anything else. She looked like she was even doubting her own distrust in the matter. “You asked me, a foreign agent, to gather information on the Honored Lord, but not to find an avenue of approach, something to utilize, something to manipulate him with, but to help him. Not to mention that, when I gathered all I could in the limited time frame... you thanked me. You appreciated the effort!”

“As opposed to...?” Twilight asked directly, relaxing as Rowan Berry’s words indicated that she knew nothing about Discord’s appearance, allowing her to focus on what the other mare had actually said. “What is the traditional response here, when seeing that a pony asked for aid shows incredible resourcefulness in such a short amount of time? Poke holes in the accomplishment? Diminish it, as Midnight Wind was trying to do? A good job remains one, and that’s that.”

“How can you say it with such conviction?” Rowan Berry asked, again locking herself behind her forelegs, as if expecting an assault that would need to be repelled.

“Well, isn’t it just a fact?”

“That—!” Rowan Berry wanted to reply, but couldn’t find the words. She just stared at Twilight with those burning coral eyes of hers, desperately searching for a hidden agenda.

As if there was one.

“Rowan Berry,” Twilight spoke once more, deliberately making her tone as calm and kind as possible, “I am glad you have asked for my time, definitely, because I see that you are facing a lot of thoughts and a lot of doubts. If I can address those, then it is time well spent.”

“See, this is—”

“I know what this is,” she interrupted the operative, but with a smile. “Exactly what brings you more unease, but I wish to tackle that. Since... if you are expecting duplicity in my goodwill, you won’t find any. I am far from naïve, at least I believe so. An open hoof might make one vulnerable, but not weak. As to my words yesternight, well, I meant them. You are very good at your job, Rowan Berry,” Twilight declared, trying to convey how much she meant her words as strongly as she could. She had to get the point across if there, indeed, was an opening to speak directly to Rowan Berry’s core. “Though... this all begs a question. Why would you so easily expect my praise to be laced with poison?”

The healer’s face paled at those words, and her eyes widened. It wasn’t necessarily their intended effect, but one could easily tell that they shook the batpony to her healer’s core. Which... wasn't necessarily a bad thing, so Twilight decided to capitalize on it.

“I do not wish to say anything that would bring you even more doubts, but... a part of me considers whether your distrust in the honesty of my praise is somehow connected to the fact that you are unused to such a state of things, Rowan Berry.”

The mare made a grimace of displeasure, though it looked false, as if she was forcing herself to make it. “If you are trying to insinuate—”

“That is the one thing which I am not interested in at all,” Twilight interrupted, trying to clear up both her meaning and her honor. “The game of manipulation and shady maneuvering brings me no joy, nor do I think it best in general. However… I’m not blind to things around me, and I cannot help but I wonder whether my words could be deemed ‘insinuation’ when they could very well simply be the truth.”

Rowan Berry clearly wanted to retort, but she faltered, her lips twisting and curling without any words escaping them. Instead of a verbal reply, Twilight received a visual one, the healer’s body sagging a little, as if she were locking herself in, or, perhaps, realizing the weight of her doubts on herself.

“... I’m an occultane,” she finally muttered, with not one note of pride in that sentence. “I’ve accepted that everything I deal with is marred with deceit.”

“Have you?”

Twilight wasn’t even planning on asking that, but something in her almost forced her to do so, and despite the harsh nature of the question she decided to stand by it, especially when Rowan Berry looked back at her with a dose of sulky resignation. It lasted only a breath before she at least somewhat restored her composure, but it had still been there.

“I’m not sure whether I want to respond to such a question,” came her reply, cold as a mountain stream.

That was already quite the response, actually, at least to Twilight. However, since delving straight into that might have been a little too rough, she decided to shift the topic slightly, hoping it would still help her gather the information she sought.

“Tell me, please, Rowan Berry… your talent lies in healing, doesn’t it? You have told me that you specialize in herbal remedies when we first met, which is why you are considered a lupule.”

The mare, both healer and operative, didn’t respond to that, instead focusing on Twilight’s reasoning.

She would learn of it without much delay. “Is it fair to assume that this is your original task? Your original place in the caste system, among the fruittenders?”

“I am a lupule,” Rowan Berry told her, firmly, almost as if she was insulted by putting her talent into question.

Which definitely wasn’t Twilight’s goal, quite the opposite. “That you are, and nopony should doubt that... but, perhaps, that is exactly where the core of your problem lies.”

“The core of it? What would you mean by that?” the other mare asked, still very much on the defensive.

“The nature of your issue. Or rather, discomfort, if that would be a better word,” Twilight considered, shifting a little on the bed to lean in just a little, but without putting any pressure on Rowan Berry through an overly keen gaze or stance. “As much as I understand it, being a doctor, or a medic, it is a role that requires a certain level of, well, honesty. Straight up honesty. To provide aid and healing to a pony, one needs to know the truth about their ailment, whatever that might be. Physical, mental, spiritual even…”

Rowan Berry narrowed her eyes. She was clearly keen on uncovering Twilight’s meaning, but her expression betrayed that it was still primarily out of professional curiosity. The occultane in her was still suspicious, and she would be extremely difficult to convince with any sudden revelations.

But… that wasn’t Twilight’s goal at all. She wasn’t planning on achieving anything remarkable or life-changing in this little chamber. She simply wanted to help and better understand the mare before her. What she was claiming at that moment she simply thought reasonable and logical… and honest to bring up before the healer.

“Yet, aside from being a lupule, you are also an occultane, and that task, that life, brings with itself a certain demand for deceit and clandestine thinking, acting, feeling,” Twilight pointed out, observing Rowan Berry intently, looking for anything shifting in her stance, her face, her eyes. “I have a guess that you… perhaps got a bit too used to it?”

The operative blinked, her gaze unchanged, but her posture petrified. “I am perfectly capable of being both.”

“That is not what I am saying,” Twilight protested, shaking her head. “I am certain that, despite my personal views on the Honored Lord Azure of Family Mist, she chose you to be her occultane because she believed you possess the right amount of skill and talent. Frankly, you have proved that to me as well during our travels together.”

Rowan Berry didn’t look convinced of this praise either… but something about her sudden stoicism looked rather forced, especially when compared to the bout of utter confusion she had displayed just before.

“However…” Twilight spoke, trying to be as cautious as she could be about her tone, since getting scolded would definitely not sit well with the mare opposite, “do you find yourself fulfilled in your secret task? Or do you find that it made you look for duplicity everywhere? Expect hidden motives and dishonesty from everypony?”

The healer’s lips parted, then formed a grimace that made Twilight feel rather unpleasant. It wasn’t offensive by itself, but made her believe that she was about to receive a scolding of her own, since she was clearly talking about matters she knew nothing of.

However, Rowan Berry’s reply was far more controlled than Twilight’s theory predicted. “You… meant your words, then? You didn’t want to flatter me just because you could, or out of hope that I would ‘warm up’ to you?”

Twilight immediately shook her head. “I wouldn’t force you to do so, nor would I manipulate you to achieve that, no,” she stated, putting as much straightforward sincerity into her sentence as she could.

Immediately, she was given back a lot of it.

“Then how did you get Midnight Wind to fall in love with you?”

Silence fell. On Rowan Berry side, since she quickly realized what she had uttered, on Twilight’s end, for she had to think for a brief moment about an answer and whether a good one, without unnecessary emotion, was possible here.

She decided there was one.

“Honestly, I don’t know, Rowan Berry,” she told the operative, hoping that, as much as she meant to be fair with the other mare, transparency wouldn’t be used against her in the end. “It wasn’t until the first part of my journey that I even considered that I felt something for him. At first, I only thought him a friendly stallion who I had encountered and learnt something about. Your culture was fascinating for me to uncover, and it still is to grasp and accept, the interviews with him were a wonderful delve into it…” Twilight admitted, watching as Rowan Berry’s gaze shone for a brief moment, as if connecting some dots. “I was delighted when I discovered that he was going to be in my entourage, as I thought it meant I would get the chance to talk to one I thought of as a friend. But thinking of him as my beloved, not just my friend, having realized the full force of my feelings for him, I know exactly when that happened. Although… speaking of that moment might be… unpleasant for both of us.”

“Altu Opar. Deep Mist.”

Twilight found herself a little shocked at the accuracy of Rowan Berry’s guess. However, she soon realized why that would be so.

“Of course, you must have been given all the details altogether.”

“What was necessary, I would say,” the operative claimed, nodding. “You’ve given him quite the reminder of his carelessness, though I know for a fact that he received an even greater one after word of what happened came through.”

“I didn’t mean to rob him of his fang,” Twilight tried to explain herself, but Rowan Berry preempted her, lifting her hoof in gesture of calming.

“And… I believe you, considering all I’ve seen and heard,” she admitted, her eyes keenly staring forward. “But you acted like you should have, seeing him trying to skewer Maednoc Wentr,” came the statement, laced with… something, though Twilight couldn’t discern what. Expectation? Or some frustration?

“Deep Mist was really ready to hurt Midnight Wind? Over this?” she asked in response, but that only caused the operative to gaze straight at her, and that stare brought with itself nothing clear. Though a bit frustrating, the lack of answer also helped her a bit, serving as a suitable point for her to end their discussion on the tangent and return to her main point.

“As you see… I cannot really answer your question. I certainly didn’t plan on this relationship,” speaking carefully about the connection out of prudence, not shame. “I… well, he was charming, he was informative and witty, it was very easy to just talk with him, and I enjoyed his company. Apparently, he just... enjoyed mine too,” Twilight admitted, feeling a coy smile on her lips. “I hadn’t really gotten into dating or courtship much beforehoof, so… I suppose he was just the right stallion at the right time for me. And... the other way around?”

It was only after she finished that she realized sharing like that might have been too much for Rowan Berry... but instead of being offended, the mare looked rather thoughtful, as if putting things into order in her mind. However, there was something of a disapproving twitch to her lips, after all, locked as they were in a thin line.

“It simply must have been that,” she finally spoke, and the cold tone of that sentence almost caused Twilight to shiver. “But for him to just… lose himself in this? In this feeling?” the healer asked of herself, in clear disbelief.

“I think he had been lost, truly lost, well before that,” was Twilight's reply to that, referring to what she had learnt about the stallion, though unwilling to give even a sliver of that knowledge to the pony before her.

Who actually chuckled at that sentence, though in her voice were the notes of extreme sourness. She shook her head and put a hoof to her temple, in a gesture of both mounting respect and undeniable pity.

“I will give you one thing, Honored Princess. You are definitely comfortable with honesty.”

Twilight felt her eyebrow cocking. “And… that is a bad thing?”

“Sometimes…” the operative claimed, once again sitting in a defensive position. “You know that my task and second calling require me to safeguard some matters, ensure they remain obscured. Because revealing them…”

Rowan Berry paused. For some reason, that specific stop felt more frigid than any other that Twilight had heard from the operative thus far. Though… what was the reason for it? Why did this pause, out of all the ones Twilight had encountered, chill her so?

And... why were her instincts flaring, and her worry mounting, in the face of it? Why did she feel her spine lock in place and her mouth turn dry in an instant?

“I... know the weight and the cost of truth,” Twilight ultimately managed to say, overcoming the terrible current that crossed her body in a surprisingly fierce battle. “Yet, whatever the price, it’s always better than lies.”

“Sometimes those help preserve other truths,” was Rowan Berry’s reply, though it was hard to tell what exactly she had in mind, only that she meant it in a way that caused Twilight further discomfort. “For a greater good one serves...”

That was an entry to a philosophical debate if Twilight had ever heard one, but... she wasn’t keen on having it. Considering their mutual relationship, it would have a far greater chance of turning into an argument than of being productive. She needed to show the other mare how they were similar if she wanted Rowan Berry to ever see her as more than a foreign dignitary and a possible threat, not emphasize their differences.

“Rowan Berry, I don't want to argue. That’s not why we are here, I believe,” Twilight said, aiming directly at defusing the tension. “What I have said to you yesternight was true... and I am still grateful you have gathered so much on the Honored Lord. I think the Mountain’s situation can be improved, and I might still need your help to accomplish that.”

“I... appreciate your praise, then, hwalba knaze,” the mare responded with a small nod of recognition. “Though, that begs the question... why would I care to strengthen the Honored Lord and Rodine Waesper? As an operative, I could deem that it is better for it to be in a turmoil, as that benefits my haspadre.”

Twilight had a retort to that. “Yet I think that, as a healer, and as a mare striving to do the right thing, you would find it noble to bring aid to the suffering Family, regardless of the nature of their illness or what’s pragmatic...”

Rowan Berry wanted to clearly and quickly reply, yet... something stopped her. For a moment, she just stared at Twilight with the intense glare of an agent. Then, blink by blink and breath by breath, that gaze softened and became one of a pony that, in the end, simply wanted to help. To actually be a healer first and foremost.

Or that is what Twilight thought, because Rowan Berry’s words didn’t seem to fit that vision.

“So you think that you know me so well?”

That stinging question did not change the situation, however.

“No. But I think that we all are noble creatures in the end,” Twilight told the other mare, softly smiling at her. “We might err, we might stumble, we might fall, we might even make mistakes that we believe to be without fixing. We might wear masks, we might hide our feelings, we might twist words and pile faults on others and ourselves. But, deep inside, we just want what’s... good. Not out of egoism, or pride, or narcissism. We just wish for what’s good, for those around us, for those we love, for what we believe in, and, not least of all, for ourselves.”

Rowan Berry stayed silent and still after that declaration.

Actually... that wasn’t true. One clearly visible shudder passed through her, one that almost caused her webbed wings to unfold and her mane to shift like a disturbed current once again.

Twilight pondered what exactly was that about, as she couldn’t really tell which of her sentences had caused that reaction. She would be happy to ask, actually, wishing to learn of the limits of the healer’s honesty, but the sounds of the door handle moving and its bearer opening a second later interrupted her.

“Yazembe Acine, modree tue ce hwalba knaz—”

Midnight’s voice hitched in his throat as, in the small room, he found not one but two mares, and visibly locked in an important conversation. The sight of both Rowan Berry and Twilight startled him, enough to cause him to freeze up a bit in shock, his gaze quickly jumping between the two mares.

And meeting two, differing stares. Twilight could testify for hers, since the surprise of his return quickly gave way to the joy of seeing him, however much she had to moderate it due to the presence of Rowan Berry.

Who, herself, eyed Midnight with anticipation and... regret?

Were those tears in her eyes?

Comments

[Frazikar]

you bring with yourself so much... chaos.

Note to self - do I thank Discord for that comment or not ...

“I’ve accepted that everything I deal with is marred with deceit.”

Ah yes, "Games Ponies Plays" especially from the intelligence side ...

nor would I manipulate you to achieve that ...

... 'though good friends do occasionally butter each other up when a larger favor is needed ... like gala tickets ...

“I will give you one thing, Honored Princess. You are definitely comfortable with honesty.”

"Say wha now?" "She darned well better be !"

[Gulheru]

11431819

I like the word-picking.

[2tail]

Midnight walks in and see two hot mares on the bed.
A few chapters ago Midnight turned down the idea of a Herd, but this shocks him.

Who, herself, eyed Midnight with anticipation and... regret?

A few chapters ago Berry said "herds" are not their thing, but now she is sitting on a bed with the other mare and eyeing Midnight. Is she anticipating that Midnight may have changed his mine about herds?

[Gulheru]

11431920

Haha! I didn't think anyone would head in that direction, honestly. Thanks for the laugh.

[RangerOfRhudaur]

“I won’t be the one to break my oath...” she muttered, though it was hard to tell whether she was reminding herself or Twilight of the fact. “I will be ready for departure... hwalba knaze...” she returned to the proper title, but there was little respect in that. It was training, whatever parts of it the healer decided to return to from then on.

Chapter LIX, Prejudice and Pride

“Sometimes those help preserve other truths,” was Rowan Berry’s reply, though it was hard to tell what exactly she had in mind, only that she meant it in a way that caused Twilight further discomfort. “For a greater good one serves...”

Who, herself, eyed Midnight with anticipation and... regret?

Rowan Berry swallowed, or tried to; something, some emotion, was lodged in her throat, stopping her from swallowing, from breathing. I won't be the one to break my oath. She opened her mouth to no avail, then closed it again. "Rowan Berry, when Dusk Stream, may she dwell in Silverheaven, learned about what transpired, it broke her heart and, consecutively, Midnight Wind’s. It inadvertently caused her demise, even. And only my relative’s conviction, willpower and the extensive help of our priests stopped him from following her to the Goddess’ Realm...” Tears sprang to her eyes. "My promise take, oh my Goddess. I shed the blood of my soul." Images flashed through her mind; the abomination of Maednoc Wentr and the soleerane holding hooves, the treasured moments she'd once shared with that stallion, Midnight Eye rebuking her, drugging a mare and dragging her into the mists, oaths taken and kept, service pledged and done, a charm in the Fang Family shrine coming undone and undoing a Rowan Berry as it did so. "I... know the weight and cost of truth. Yet, whatever the price, it's always better than lies." "We just wish for what’s good, for those around us, for those we love, for what we believe in, and, not least of all, for ourselves.” She couldn't swallow, couldn't breathe, couldn't do anything except fight the war inside her heart. I won't be the one to break my oath, my oath to be opportunistic, determined, and resourceful. ("We just wish for what's good, not least of all, for ourselves.") Lord Midnight Eye told me not to say it, and to be opportunistic, determined, and resourceful. "We just wish for what's good, not least of all, for ourselves." My promise take, oh my Goddess. I will be opportunistic, determined, and resourceful. I just wish for what's good, not least of all, for myself...

She opened her mouth to speak.

[Gulheru]

11431959

A beautiful vision... but will it become reality ever?

[RangerOfRhudaur]

11431963
It's the general feeling I got from the end of the chapter; Rowan Berry trying to keep the secret of her past with Midnight in, but then her talk with Twilight in this chapter simultaneously causes her to doubt that secrecy ("Rowan Berry, when Dusk Stream, may she dwell in Silverheaven, learned about what transpired, it broke her heart and, consecutively, Midnight Wind’s. It inadvertently caused her demise, even. And only my relative’s conviction, willpower and the extensive help of our priests stopped him from following her to the Goddess’ Realm...”, Chapter XXX, How We Dance) is the best way to handle it and that her desire to win Midnight back isn't necessarily evil ("We just wish for what’s good, for those around us, for those we love, for what we believe in, and, not least of all, for ourselves.”), thus justifying her dropping the Dusk Stream bombshell. To me, that's the best explanation for the tears in her eyes at the end; she knows Midnight Wind won't like it, but she feels she has to tell Twilight about their past now, either that or reveal what Dusk Stream's condition was when she died. The truth is coming out, at long last, and it's all thanks to a non-worldshaking conversation Twilight had with another mare.

[Gulheru]

11431973

I cannot promise anything, I'm afraid. But... who knows what Rowan Berry will ultimately decide to do.

[Ocram]

Hello author. I’m sorry but my interest in the story is waning. The pace of the story has been very slow and nothing significant is happening. Even the arrival of Discord and this meeting have not changed things.
When I discovered this story a while ago I was super excited because I was soon expecting a conflict between equestria and noctraliya. I was so much hoping the nightguard to attack a shocked and unprepared royal guard. But there has been no serious talk of war for several chapters now, as if it is now a possibility close to zero.
I expected the princesses and moonwarden now that they are aware of the danger would act to avert a war. But they seem to be doing nothing but wasting time. I don't understand why they seem to go out of their way not to solve the problem. Almost as if they have already solved the crisis and are sure that the forest and canterlot won’t be attacked.
I just don't get the sappy moments between Luna and moonwarden. How can they be so relaxed when the nightguards might suddenly attack the capital? Their country is so close to an invasion and they seem so calm. The tension, the paranoia, the frenzy, the fear and the sadness that you usually have before a war are not present. It is such an irresponsible attitude. No head of state would behave like this and can almost seem like an excuse to make the story last as long as possible.
I hoped that the letter Twilight received would open her eyes a little on the batponies, especially those close to her, but nothing. Midnight wind (occultan or not) has kept the preparations for the invasion of her nation from her and she doesn't seem to care! I expected her to be super pissed or have a crisis like when she found out the truth about radiant glory. Or to suffer from insomnia like when she discovered the katorge but instead nothing. She received an ultimatum, she has evidence that the batponies were ready to begin an invasion and were already in equestria soil even before the negotiations, everything was kept from her by Midnight wind, and she is not angry with him? More actually she seeks comfort and consolation from him of all ponies! It is quite an unlikely situation and definitely not the reaction I was expecting from her.
Lastly I have tried several times to get a definitive confirmation about the identity of the last batpony spy, but it seems that it will never be revealed. By now I am really tired of waiting. Sorry but my interest in this story is over.

[Gulheru]

11432000

Ah, very well. It does so happen sometimes that things move at a pace that disagrees with us, I can understand that.

However, I will stand by my choices. And especially the one of not spoiling things that I have planned ahead in the comments, for the sake of the story and the readers.

Who knows, perhaps your interest shall, one day, be rekindled, and if not, then I thank you for the time you spent with the tale, hoping that it was a pleasing thing to you at least at some point.

[redmar]

This was an interesting chapter I liked the parts with Twilight the most even thugh it was interesting to see Luna thinking about her feelings for Moonwarden. Rowan Berry is clearly conflicted about her different roles and has trouble understanding Twilight in part because of that.
Noctraliya also seems to have rather glaring holes in their information if Rowan Berry is as ignorant about the ideals of friendship that Equestria supports as it seems. Midnight Wind has certainly experienced the positive sides of that philosophy and acknowledges that it could help Noctraliya as well.
Also Rowan Berry's tendency to look for deceit everywhere might be usefull sometimes but it can also be problematic.
In the Discworld the reformed con artist Moist von Lipwig has a similar attitude and actually realizes it can be a problem when he's aware of someone else doing good without expecting something in return even if it does generate good publicity.

[Gulheru]

11432025

I believe it is more a thing of willful denial rather than lack of proper information. Or maybe a bit of both. Enough said that the exposure to the ideas of Friendship through Twilight seems to be working to some degree!

[Stahlseele]

I do not remember if it ever came up but . .
Why does Luna not inception herself into
Twilights Dreams to communicate with her?

[The Great Derpsby]

Twilight's talk with Rowan Berry was a nice showcasing of their viewpoints.
"What's you angle?"
"I don't have angles. If I had angles, I'd be a pyramid."

Luna's growing attraction to her pet mind-raping psychopath is... unfortunate. I mean, he's already kind of an indictment of Equestria, if they need creeps like him to keep the country running.

[RangerOfRhudaur]

11432174
Oh wow, I just thought of a counterpart to Moonwarden; Littlefinger, from A Song of Ice and Fire. They're both politically savvy, both subscribe to the same philosophy (morals only matter to the extent that you let them), and both have massive egos. However, while Littlefinger's pretty clearly doomed to die without introspection, Moonwarden still has the chance to redeem himself, and Luna's burgeoning crush on him (or rather, as I feel, the positivity about herself he provides) provides one potential lever to do so. Moonwarden's actions on the Hollow Shades' mayor (even if Moonwarden didn't just brainwash him, simply reawakened thoughts that the alcohol had dulled, the callous way he treated the mayor is still deserving of censure) might prove to be his affair with Rowan Berry, the burning secret that threatens to destroy all he holds dear. Now imagine if Luna, trying to emotionally open up to Moonwarden, were to discover that, to discover just how much of a puppet master her servant tries to be. I seem to recall a comment on here mentioning how Moonwarden needs to be placed in a situation where he can't just hide behind his status as Luna's emotional support animal; what if that situation ends up being one where Luna's who he needs to hide from, a Luna who, due to his support, has now gotten past the need to lean on him? Moonwarden's a Morally Grey Royal Advisor, acting as a Mentor to a Royal Protagonist who's now begun to see them as Something More; virtually all signs are pointing to Luna playing a major part in his downfall, something that I believe will be followed by a redemption arc given Moonwarden's occasional POV status.

However, if that arc is to be satisfying, Moonwarden doesn't just need to be punished for Stamp Duty (again, not even necessarily because of what he did, but because of the tortuous conditions he did it under), he needs to unlearn his edgy, egoist, "morality doesn't matter" philosophy, because at the moment all it's doing is enabling his worst impulses, leading him to treat other ponies like things. He needs to learn that, just because he's oh-so-smart, that doesn't mean other ponies' thoughts don't matter. Nettlie, Wobble Wink, Tool Box, Stamp Duty, Quill Driver, and Sunfall Ordain all have the same rights as him, including the right to think for themselves and to make their own decisions. Moonwarden isn't a god, and unless he learns that, comes to grips with the fact that he and Luna aren't the only players in a world of NPCs, his redemption won't feel complete.

[Gulheru]

11432161

Because even the Goddess sleeps at day. Also, more seriously, because through what we have seen in the show and what I think can be told by the strange phenomena about Noctraliya, it might be a little difficult to pinpoint Twilight's dreams precisely.

11432174

There are characters without angles, and characters with nothing but angles. I see your preference clearly for some time now.

11432233

If redemption is in his cards. One never knows.

[GCU Poke It With A Stick]

A pony with a backdoor into the minds of every Equestrian in existence looking forward to discussing brainwashing with a proudly sociopathic control freak and not at all concerned that he may be manipulating her is nothing to be worried about, move along citizen.
media.tenor.com/QgUVxhrIDFEAAAAC/internal-screaming-robert-downey-jr.gif

but what you have done was for the sake of the greater good.

“For a greater good one serves...”

media.tenor.com/wiDtdCLJc4oAAAAC/shut-it.gif

“I... know the weight and the cost of truth,” Twilight ultimately managed to say, overcoming the terrible current that crossed her body in a surprisingly fierce battle. “Yet, whatever the price, it’s always better than lies.”

media.tenor.com/1iEihUlQrswAAAAC/chernobyl-anatoly-dyatlov.gif

11432233
Nutty idea I thought of a few years ago, reintroduce Nightmare Moon as a quiet voice in Moonwarden's head. Every time he proudly crosses the edge, the voice tells him to go just a bit further. After all, he is unburdened by naive morality and when defending the nation, lines do need to be crossed, no? Let his ego justify his actions after the fact as only a fool would screw up that badly and as he made quite clear in this chapter; he. is. no. fool. Everyone initially sees his actions as normal (for him, at least) and raises no real fuss. It's only gradually, through the connection they share, that Luna realizes the danger. Heck, have Moonwarden realize it too, but only just as NM seizes full control and is forced to rely on Luna and others to save him. Nightmare Moon gets the opportunity for revenge on Luna by sending one of the only ponies she deeply cares about on the same path she went down on. And Luna can get a final test of sorts to see if she can do the saving, instead of being the one saved. Let her truly earn the title of Royalty.

[Gulheru]

11432462

I'm actually quite pleased how worried everyone is about Moonwarden, even if I know there are also those at least slightly supportive of him.

[Mister Morden]

"Everytime you tell a lie, you build up a debt with the truth. Sooner or later, that debt comes due."

Good chapter, nice to see how Equestria proper is doing. Still have lots of moral objections to Moonwarden. He is too loosey goosey with the mind rape in my opinion.

But I really want to see what Rowan Berry does next.

[Gulheru]

11432539

It's a universal truth, very well shown in "Chernobyl".

Well, there are their choices to make. Let's hope they are the right ones.

[RangerOfRhudaur]

11432450
Actually, would you mind if, like Rowan Berry, I offered an entry to a philosophical debate? Namely, what do you personally think of Moonwarden's philosophy? One thing that I think could be potentially causing some people's distaste for Moonwarden is the fear that his actions, which sometimes seem as reprehensible as those of Azure Mist, appear to be depicted as good, perhaps indicating an acceptance of what, to some, is unacceptable. I believe I understand Moonwarden's purpose - be the Morally Grey Advisor, forcing debate about whether the ends justify the (sometimes abhorrent) means, while offering a sympathetic view of Luna - but I can understand those who disagree about his effectiveness, as it depends on a very fine balance between accepting what he did to further the plot and recognizing the moral costs of it. I believe that those who dislike Moonwarden fear that, in the end, there will be no reckoning for him, no true debate about whether what he did truly served the greater good or if it ended up harming it in some way.

This is all a very long-winded way of asking you, haspadr, do you agree with Moonwarden? Do you think that his actions have served the greater good, or have some of them, like what he did to Stamp Duty (nonconsensual mental surgery without anesthesia, one way to put it), been mistakes like Midnight's affair with Rowan Berry? I understand your point about this story being about growth, about (heh) the journeys we all make through life, but I believe that some are afraid that Moonwarden isn't going on a journey, that he's simply staying still and not changing even though his actions make it abundantly clear that he could stand to; can you confirm for us that he is moving, that he will change, either growing in redemption or being threshed in defeat? You do not have to indicate which direction he will go, I only ask for confirmation that he will go somewhere. His mindset is a highly intriguing one, very interesting to see the perspective of, but in the same way that Azure Mist's is, a window into a worldview that I know to be wrong. This does make him an interesting character, provided that window changes, showing him that that worldview was wrong and either casting him away or building up a new, truer one to replace it.

[Gulheru]

11432853

Hmmm... I would begin by the wisdom often ascribed to Aristotle, though his was a far broader view about one's education: "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." The story, as I envisioned it, was always about trying to explore different views, conflicting personalities, to try and uncover the nuances of many individuals in an attempt to understand them, criticize them, approve of them or condemn them. "Drastic" viewpoints are necessary in a tale, I believe, to create a plethora of interesting characters, which is why I have decided to also include someone like Moonwarden.

Is he controversial? Without a doubt. Is there are certain logic to him? I think many could spot it. Does he mean well? In his perspective, quite likely. Is he misguided? Well, he's far from perfect, that is certain.

Do I agree with him? That is a very simple question to a very complicated matter. Which "I", exactly? His creator? The weaver of the story? A person trying to better oneself in real life? An observer from the MLP world's perspective? A "most friendly, sociopathic madman"? Which "I" should provide an answer?

Which is why I don't think I am willing to give an answer, not a simple one anyway. I know that he is on a journey, one that has an ending, fated for him. Does it contain comeuppance or redemption? Both or neither? Quite likely, however, nothing is "written in stone". And what if he does not move? Or move enough? Would that make him less? Maybe he wasn't destined to move, maybe he was only destined to move another... That's a purpose, too.

Forgive me if it is a vague response, but I can definitely say that I want to believe every character, however insignificant and however grandiose has their part, and their alone, to play in the story. I don't know if everyone will like the part... but it is a part nonetheless, and that's worthwhile in and of itself.

[RangerOfRhudaur]

11432868

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

Haspadr, these few words have answered my question enough. I apologize if the way I worded it seemed confrontational, and I understand your reluctance to answer it (though I might quibble about whether all the personae you mentioned are totally distinct, but that's a topic for another time). It was not really Moonwarden that worried me - again, I find him a fascinating character - it was what I feared he might reflect on you, the author. Your words have relieved me, and I hope will bring relief to others.

On the topic of his "journey," while I would like to see him improve out of the general desire Twilight mentioned at the end of the latest chapter, the desire to will the good of others, I understand that it is his choice to make regarding whether he improves or not; the Ring is in his hooves, to put on or put away as he dooms. While I disagree with the positive note I feel you put on this

but it is a part nonetheless, and that's worthwhile in and of itself.

as some villainous parts are better left unplayed, I am once again reminded of the quote you started with from Aristotle, and remind myself again of the free choice given to others. Moonwarden is unique, and the world is better for him being there, and though I fervently wish that he would show all the world that that is true by being an exemplar of virtue, I know that I cannot force him to do so; "You hold within you the power to change your own fate. You are the author of your own demise" (The Writer, Return to the Path to Carcosa).

[Gulheru]

11432890

Please, I hardly take any offence whatsoever. I do understand that there are folk around that tend to stick to their comfort zone even in writing, though I am definitely not one of those. No, storytelling is the ultimate stage, the open door to many different worlds and many different viewpoints. As long as we know how to step outside our boundaries and how to still retain them, simultaneously, we can explore to the mind's content.

Which is also why I do think that, while some parts we might want to be absent from the world around us, tales can only be enriched by those, however vile and malicious. For, if only done well, with gusto, understanding, craft and intention, they serve their purpose. An example. A lesson.

A stern warning.

[The Great Derpsby]

11432868
11432853
This is a tricky question. I'm more a proponent of Death of the Author when it comes to this. Not the least because a text can convey messages the author never actually intended, yet are still in there.

11432462
11432233

I seem to recall a comment on here mentioning how Moonwarden needs to be placed in a situation where he can't just hide behind his status as Luna's emotional support animal;

Turns out, that was me.

But you both make some very interesting observations. I can't really argue against any of your points, Ranger. I think you're spot-on: Moonwarden treats anypony not named Luna like a thing to have fun with, and he's slavishly devoted to Luna because he has a crush on her that he elevates to quasi-religious worship. Possibly because he can then bask in feeling like a martyr and a victim pining for a goddess instead of just another creep.

Moreover, it's troublesome how Luna increasingly zones out when Moonwarden talks. I'm starting to worry he's unknowingly using his powers on her. Alicorns are not immune, unlike bat ponies.

11432450

There are characters without angles, and characters with nothing but angles. I see your preference clearly for some time now.

And what would that be, if I may ask?

[Revel Montaro]

Luna has a cruuuuush.

[Gulheru]

11433022

Not-Moonwarden, that's for sure.

11433207

Seems it has been developing for some time now.

[The Great Derpsby]

11433248
True. He's just the kind of slimy hypocrite with too much power and not enough opposition I despise to the core. You could say he pushes all my buttons.

[Bregon]

I hate to admit it, but I really think Raven is right: they cannot really provoke the batponies.
If they sent reinforcements to Hollow Shades or started a mobilization, there would surely be an immediate response from the batponies (and I fear the Night Guard as well), thwarting all the efforts made by Twilight. Unfortunately, the only thing to do for now is to play it cool and keep an eye on the Night Guard; I really hope Second Chance is up to the task.

Poor Moonwarden, how I wish he had shown Luna's portrait to Luna. Their moment together was so tender and I was really hoping he would finally confess that he has a crush on her, but once again he holds back. Poor guys, they are really working their butts off to keep Equestria safe, they really deserve a nice happy ending together.

[Gulheru]

11433304

Raven has the same valid reason to be Celestia's Advisor as Moonwarden with Luna, they both offer insight and perspective.

And, well, there are things the grey unicorn allows himself to do... and those he does not. The issue being where the boundaries are, perhaps.

[keroko]

Cadance when she sees Luna run down the hall with tears in her eyes:

camo.fimfiction.net/J1LovY8w4t87VYwgp9IP9oTckVsj1gGyShIfA5yRpcM?url=https%3A%2F%2Fderpicdn.net%2Fimg%2Fview%2F2020%2F2%2F14%2F2274224.png

"I can't get to Twilight, but that doesn't mean you'll escape my attention, auntie!"

And back to Noctraliya, I wonder if this is the moment Rowan realized she never really had a chance. Twilight is just too genuine for such concepts as trying to woo a stallion for politics.

11414446
The hallmark of a regime that strengthens itself by turning all hostility to an outside enemy is that "the enemy" it creates is both so strong that the people must prepare for the inevitable struggle, and yet at the same time so weak that they stand no chance against them. It's a paradox, but a paradox that has its roots in reality.

It is also a paradox that doesn't really stand up to the truth all that well, and really only works in isolated communities who have no way to talk to the outsiders they are taught to hate. Really, the only reason your questions haven't made the heads of batponies everywhere explode is because Twilight is making it a point not to ask these kinds of questions. Just look at what even casual conversation with Midnight have done, he has gone from being entirely loyal to Noctraliya to doubting one of the foundational notions of his home, and that is with Twilight not even touching religion.

[manacar]

The for the update with others not updating glad to know this is

[manacar]

Thank you for the update with others not updating glad to know this is

[Gulheru]

11433742

Oh, Cadance might have a field day if the cards fall just right.

Rowan Berry definitely understood some things there and there. However... understanding something doesn't mean being willing or even able to act upon it.

11433757 11433758

I understand. I'm just trying my best to keep telling the tale until it is done. And then some more, if only I will have the chance.

[The Great Derpsby]

11433742
Very well put. And apropos isolation: we have yet to see hints of anything but batponies living in Noctraliya. Let's not even get into any other tribe, we know they are now welcome because of old, racist grudges. What about donkeys? Cows? Mules? If Zecora had come to their wild forest, would they have not just ignored her but driven her out?

It is also a paradox that doesn't really stand up to the truth all that well, and really only works in isolated communities who have no way to talk to the outsiders they are taught to hate. Really, the only reason your questions haven't made the heads of batponies everywhere explode is because Twilight is making it a point not to ask these kinds of questions. Just look at what even casual conversation with Midnight have done, he has gone from being entirely loyal to Noctraliya to doubting one of the foundational notions of his home, and that is with Twilight not even touching religion.

This, I think, is one of the major reasons Spike was left out of Twilight's journey, together with how it adds to the tension by keeping her cut off from Equestrian aid.

Spike is a child, or at least a teen. He's smart, yet blunt, and fiercely protective of Twilight. The story had to keep him away because he'd most likely get bored with, annoyed at, or just plain not get that they need to bite their tongues and eat crow nearly the entire trip so far. He'd jumpt to Twilight's defence. And who could blame him? He'd surely tear into Midnight Wind, and probably some of the Lords as well, offending them in the process.

So, I know why Spike isn't around. But it would be glorious to watch him poke holes in so much of batpony ideology. Like how they believe they worship the merciful Sister Goddess who does not force anypony—and if you reject her, her chosen champions mutilate you beyond recognition, throw you in the deepest dungeons to slowly starve to death, and have everypony who's ever known and loved you deliberately forget you ever existed.

[Silentwoodfire]

11434415
Yes, quite. Let's NOT go into the details, shall we? You have underlings for that.

[Gulheru]

11434745

Now I'm uncertain of what you would be referring to, but let's leave it at that.

[Thyrrnatf]

Realy good chapter

[Gulheru]

11435064

Happy you think so!

[Advisability]

Damn, hit the ending. Eagerly awaiting more!

[Gulheru]

11436278

Haha, welcome to the terrible world of waiting for more. But! I do promise that more is, indeed, coming.

[The Great Derpsby]

By the way, I do like the names given to the OCs quite a lot so far. Meaningful Names are a staple of MlP works, but it can be difficult to strike the right balance there. You've done pretty well in that regard, I would say.

Take Sated Fang (aka Bat Spencer), for example. He's of family Fang, and he's obviously a bit of a glutton. At the same time, he's one of the most friendly and open of the regular bats so far. He seems quite happy with his life. Content, one might call it. Satisfied, even.

[Gulheru]

11437658

Hah, thank you, I'm trying my best.

[Telos4]

Having started reading this a fair bit of time ago and now being caught up to the present of the story I must say masterfully done so far, I look forward to what comes next

[Gulheru]

11438273

I very much appreciate your kindness. I hope I can continue to deliver.

[The Great Derpsby]

11433742
There's another thing regarding the batponies' understanding of Celestia I'm wondering about. Namely: if they believe Celestia is a vengeful but fair goddess, why not bring their demands for reparations directly to her? The Lords said they were scared, but that ignores Celestia being Equestria's ultimate ruler. You wouldn't be negotiating with a council of Equestrian Lords who hate you, you'd be asking the supposedly fair goddess herself. They already had her signature that what happened was wrong and evil and she never condoned, let alone ordered it.

Instead, they apparently sat in their mountains for nearly a thousand years, quietly hating and fearing all the other tribes who never learned about the atrocity falsely committed in their name. Never talking to them about it either. Like a political version of "You know what you did!".

Honestly, part of me wants to believe the Bat Lords of old just wanted to give a sister time to mourn and that's why they didn't immediately demands payback for what happened.

Hmm... I distantly remember some hint that what they showed Twilight wasn't the actual, full Testimony in the first place... Anyone else remember Midnight Eye making a hint like that?

[keroko]

11441957
Fear, I think. It's one thing to growl about vengeance and reclaiming your destiny from your seat of power in your fortified mountain. It's quite another to do the same while standing in front of the very mare who raises the sun and whom you call a harsh but just goddess. The dual-faced authoritarian excuse of an enemy who is at the same time strong and weak tends to falter at those times. It's worthy of note that even their "safe" battleplans relied on having hostages to keep Celestia at bay.

[The Great Derpsby]

11443541
Very true. Nevermind the opposite way this is problematic for batpony doctrine, in that Celestia just isn't the way they describe her and witnessing this in person would shake those same beliefs; beliefs already cracking from Luna's fall and their own inability to do anything about it.

It would be extremely interesting to know if any contemporary writings are still around in Noctraliya. We have no idea what Equestrians around that time thought. The only hints we have is the Marshall going on a rampage to stamp out anything reeking of "nightmare", a few of the more militant members of society going with him right on over the edge, and little else. Nothing suggests the ponies believed Celestia would snap as well, but maybe the batponies thought that. And why wouldn't they, if the sister who is, in their minds, the gentle and caring one who lost her mind? The Cruziate might have come across to them as the first sign of a Daybreaker emerging next... or already in control of the weak-minded and sinful sunponies.

By the way, I would very much love if the Nightmare Ponies stopped calling Equestrian magics the "Lost Gifts". Oh, they don't like being called Nightmare Ponies? They think it's unfair to be blamed and looked down on for Neskaza Lunee turning evil?

Who would have thought!

[keroko]

11448557
A rebuttal on my tongue would constantly be "if these magic are 'lost gifts' we should not be using, why is the harsh but just Sewira Solee not only letting us use them, but even teaching us how to do so? Does that not mean it is just for us to do so?"

As for ponies from before Luna's fall... we know that the very leader of the dreaded Soleera Cruziate considered himself a friend of the nightwalkers before that time. Noctralyians have always been distant, but they were likely not nearly as feared. Those living on the lands currently being contested would likely have friends among the daywalkers. Few, perhaps, given that night life was not as common as it is in modern Equestrian society, but trade would definitely be a thing. Trade would lead to getting to know them, and getting to know them would lead to friendship.

[The Great Derpsby]

A rebuttal on my tongue would constantly be "if these magic are 'lost gifts' we should not be using, why is the harsh but just Sewira Solee not only letting us use them, but even teaching us how to do so? Does that not mean it is just for us to do so?"

Yes, exactly. Really, the batpony sects we've heard of so far seem to have no real, established place for the Judging Sun in the mortal realm. Their concept deals entirely with an entity who exists only to judge and, potentially, consign to eternal torment, those who died. And I do mean sects, since, as was also noted before, Azure Mist speaks of Celestia like a satanic figure of evil rather than another god worthy of respect.

The entire myth of the Lost Gifts doesn't even mention the Judging Sun. What, exactly, do they think happened to make the other Tribes worship her? The Tale of the Lost Gifts makes it a point that the other Tribes rejected worshipping the goddess out of hubris. So the ponies who were too arrogant to worship the goddess instead turned to worship a different one for no reason? There are huge holes in this system. Holes we have not yet had any opportunity to see properly discussed, if that whole myth isn't supposed to be one giant sour grapes story by ponies who think they should've had all the magic instead.

All of this should make the eventual visit to Family Sunfall quite interesting indeed. They have religious ceremonies directly invoking the Judging Sun. Their Honored Lord also wants peace between the realms, though I think it's also an old pony who's seen a lot trying to leave the world a better place than he found it. They might be the best chance we have at getting some more solid understanding of batpony paradigm outside of the usual orthodoxy.

As for ponies from before Luna's fall... we know that the very leader of the dreaded Soleera Cruziate considered himself a friend of the nightwalkers before that time. Noctralyians have always been distant, but they were likely not nearly as feared. Those living on the lands currently being contested would likely have friends among the daywalkers. Few, perhaps, given that night life was not as common as it is in modern Equestrian society, but trade would definitely be a thing. Trade would lead to getting to know them, and getting to know them would lead to friendship.

Here's something I'd be curious to hear more of as well: Equestrians partly saw batponies as scary because of their association with the darkness and the night. The dark scares ponies because it can hide any number of dangers, so some of that fearful reputation bleeds over to the night dwellers. But look at the opposite: to the batponies, sunlight is torture. It leaves their eyes in pure agony, while the sunponies have no real problem unless they look directly into the sun. What kind of reputation would that logically lead to..?