Journey with a Batpony

by Gulheru

Chapter XC – Command Performance

Twilight was definitely glad when she could return to her chamber.

After the performance which had turned out to be one of the most memorable, if also the most daring, art forms she had ever encountered, her attention was all over the place. The sound of the drums still ringed in her ears, echoing alongside every throb of her heart, in that strange, mystical rhythm that was both natural and designed. And the memory of the sweet drink she had been given by Ebony Crescent also didn’t wish to leave her, as if the liquid itself was still persisting in her veins, filling her with gentle warmth that she couldn’t quite shake away.

She didn’t know if she wanted to, actually. For was that sensation caused by the drink itself... or rather the memory of the stallion, gazing at her with adoration, generosity and want?

Undeniable and powerful want, one that could make her cheeks hot and her knees weak to this very moment. And it wasn’t something she could try and control, she felt, for the very thought of that deep stare, filled to the brim with desire, was making her mind cloud with feelings she wasn’t entirely prepared for. Fascination was one thing, but something about Ebony Crescent that particular night was causing her heart to race and warm, intoxicating butterflies to flutter in her stomach.

She distinctively remembered that she had required a meal to be prepared, which the Count Brother had been happy to arrange, giving her a bow that had made her feel righteously empowered, although it hadn’t seemed to differ from other expressions of kindness he had given her. She could then recall having made her way up the stairs, even if her wobbly legs had remained a little unsteady, locking her chamber, and stumbling her way to her bead, kicking away the comforter. She hadn’t felt like taking off her dress, though the warmth enveloping her body had almost convinced her to do so.

However, she had been told by Ebony Crescent that a surprise was in store for her. She had to be ready for it, because, also for some reason, she couldn’t wait to learn what he had meant.

So there Twilight was, resting on her bed, mentally drifting back to what she had just enjoyed, to the pictures in her mind of all the performers and their movements and... and that strange, wondrous decadence which she had caught a glimpse of. Her cheeks felt hot, almost as much as her stomach, and the warmth of that sensation seemed to course through her without remorse nor respite. When she would close her eyes, the feeling would smother her, as if inviting her to sleep, but keeping her on that wondrous edge between fantasy and reality, invoking before her tired eyes visions of a most daring nature.

Of joining that dance, of partaking in the intemperance that remained separated from indecency by one, frivolous piece of cloth. To feel the heat of another body close to hers, giving her the respect of distance, but inviting her all the same to break the boundaries of tradition and decorum, and drink deeply from this tempting goblet of carnality…?

Since when had she had those thoughts? It didn’t seem like her, but she couldn’t quite shake them away from her mind.

Twilight pressed a hoof against her forehead. She wasn’t running a fever, no, but she wouldn’t be surprised if the potency of her recent experiences hadn’t made her blood run hotter, much hotter. Enough to steer her mind in that, intense and near-maddened direction.

She let out a sigh... and the quiet, but rather indecent coo which made its way out of her throat at the end worried her a little bit.

Her hooves rested against her barrel, as she tried to calm herself down a little bit from this strange high she had found herself in, but it was then when an amused voice reached her ears and made them tingle.

“Did somepony just call out to me?”

Twilight opened her eyes, not remembering when she had closed them, nor even the fact that she had done so, and witnessed none other than Ebony Crescent. He was sitting at the end of her bed, wearing a very enticing smile, and a very lose gown, almost as ephemeral as those of the performers, of light, ashen hue. His eyes and his entire attention were all focused solely on Twilight, with the intensity which was making her feel like she was burning up wonderfully from the inside.

Only after a moment, much longer that it would normally make her realize that she wasn’t alone, did she blink and shake her head, awakening from this strange stupor that this intense gaze was putting her in. She did ultimately grasp that the stallion shouldn’t have been inside her chambers just like that, though she couldn’t quite make herself bolt up on the bed like she wanted to, in surprise and astonishment. She merely managed to sit up, assuming a much more dignified position than one consisting of her being splayed on her bed. Thank Harmony she was wearing her dress still.

“E-Ebony Crescent...” she greeted him with meekness and abashment that felt a little out of place for her. “How... How did you manage to get in?”

“With intent,” he responded with a wink, another one of those that caused her to feel pleasantly tickled. “I hope you have caught your breath, Twilight Sparkle. I could barely contain my impatience, and I was stopped only by necessity. The one about making sure you had a short moment to yourself, to be... in the mood to let things progress.”

“I… I don’t know. I don’t feel particularly… rested,” she admitted, feeling that the spell of the performance was still holding strong. He didn’t seem to mind that she wasn’t at her best, considering the smile he was wearing. “Again, how did you...?”

He trotted closer, and every inch of proximity was making her body feel warmer yet, especially as she was being subjected to his pear stare. It was if the stallion was trying to reach the very depths of her being, searching for something in her eyes.

“I gained my entry the same way I’m going to be asking you to follow,” he told her, enigmatically, as he stood by the bed, not far away from her. “I promised you a surprise, and I am withering to show it to you. To offer it all to you, Twilight Sparkle, and fulfill my promise for your stay in the Mountain of Crescent.”

His closeness and his tone were causing her to feel properly bewitched. She couldn’t shake away this strange fog which was upon her mind, and was left wondering if this was another of the manifold roots of the vampire myth in Equestria. She had previously considered it, but now, at that moment? She felt like she finally understood the depth of this legend.

A comely stallion, appearing in the dead of night. With that stare, that intensity of his presence, and that unknown, yet singularly beguiling intent. Twilight considered herself quite a willful and composed mare, but at that moment she felt like she would be ready to do anything this mysterious intruder would tell her to do. Comply with every instruction, as long as he would keep talking to her in that smooth voice and looking at her with that piercing, alluring gaze.

“Come, Twilight Sparkle.”

Ebony Crescent did play into that scenario as if well aware of her thoughts, and she couldn’t bring herself to deny him. Feeling that this warmth, spreading through her, was strangely muffling any and all apprehensions she might have had, especially about his sudden appearance. She scrambled from the bed, finally standing right next to him, close enough to feel his breath reach her nostrils, with the scent of orange and honey.

The stallion lifted his hoof, and it looked like he was going to run it across her jaw, but instead hovered it just by it. In exactly the distance that Twilight had been envisioning in her fantasies. He followed through with the motion, threatening to touch her at any second and make her melt right where she stood. And Twilight had to suddenly fight the urge to lean into the touch, as if her body was magnetically drawn to it.

Yes, his action almost perfectly copied the movements from the performance, causing her eyes to flutter as the memories returned.

“I see you are still… enchanted by the art,” Ebony Crescent told her, and she couldn’t bring herself to explain her reaction. She felt like she didn’t need to, like he understood what was happening without her uttering a word. “That is good, very good…” he whispered, and the satisfaction in his voice was both alluring and terrifying.

Twilight felt that she was welcoming both sensations, especially as he took a step back, causing her to lean in his direction ever so slightly. He then extended his hoof in her direction, asking politely for her to take it, and yet simultaneously demanding it with his very charisma.

She didn’t hesitate, feeling as groggy as she was. Somehow, despite this muddled state of mind, she could move freely enough when told to do so. And so the stallion lead her down the stairs, mindful not to pull forcefully by even a little. All the time he was making sure to keep his gaze on her, feeling every step with his hooves, instead, as if his stare could have some magical properties, befitting a vampire.

It did, to Twilight. Dominated as she was by it, or merely by the warm thoughts it was evoking in her, she barely realized when they finally reached one of the spire’s windows, hidden behind a thick curtain.

Which was gently swaying.

Twilight blinked. That sight jolted awake a memory, and the recollection made her brow furrow. She was reminded of something, and something inside her, something trying to become alert, made her ask.

“Was… Were you at my window before?” she spoke up, and her question had a strangely accusatory tone to it. One that she hadn’t planned, and definitely one not backed by any current feelings, as they remained sedated and warm.

The stallion smiled at her, and that expression alone seemed enough to distract her. However, he did provide her with a reply, albeit not a clear one, simply going with some suggestions which she absorbed without delay.

“Don’t you worry about anything like that, Twilight Sparkle. Tonight you will be given all the right answers, but be patient,” he instructed her.

She… She accepted it without protest. But shouldn’t she have protested, actually? Some part of her mind was paying a lot of attention to the… the quite logical presumption that Ebony Crescent had been present behind her window. Had that been the day when she had felt somepony watching her? That she had grabbed her gown without delay, not to stand without clothing in her chamber?

Still, Twilight couldn’t quite bring herself to feel concerned by that. Not when that stallion was already by her side, leading her to join him through the curtain. The grand window behind it, also acting as the way to the terrace, was, indeed, open.

“Be ready to fly, Twilight Sparkle. The distance isn’t long, I promise, but I must ask you to be swift.”

“I… I can be, yes, but…”

“Just follow me, and don’t worry.”

That was some great advice, as she could have sworn that she would have been worried otherwise. Especially when Ebony Crescent wasted no time to lead her outside, then swiftly turned and moved his hoof against the window frame in a few places. Twilight heard a little click, one that she could have sworn she could recognize, and the passage was locked shut once more. The Count Brother then offered her his hoof and spread his wings, which served as a strong suggestion for her.

One that she would, again, follow, even without his enticement. “Fly with me, Twilight Sparkle…” he leaned in and whispered before they took off, with a tone which would suffer no refusal, but also wasn’t worried about one.

Especially as Twilight found it pivotal to obey, since that warm whisper promised with itself much more to come. A quick flap of her wings, despite the state of her mind and body, and she was in the air alongside the stallion.

Her thoughts... Her thoughts suddenly wanted to remind her of another instance when she had been following a pony to a location known only to him, but before she could focus on that, she could already feel solid ground beneath her hooves. They had, apparently, arrived at their destination. Had she dosed off during the flight or had it been that short? Or both?

“Swedcitani?”

“Wh—?” she tried to reply to the sudden question, but another voice, a smooth, female one, was faster. It spoke in a whisper, and it too made Twilight feel strange.

“Nye, hwalbu hrabiy bratr. Uai nye videi edn kudz, tsi kuryosyi oci.”

So… So it wasn’t only the stallion making her have those sensations…? What could this mean? Was she just… so responsive out of a sudden...? That couldn’t be right…

“Tuyi ordoni?” the mare whispered again, from a place that Twilight still couldn’t locate, confused as she was.

“Demora. Twilight Sparkle?”

She did register her name, so she turned her eyes towards the stallion, trying to make them focus on his gaze again. Those pear eyes held no magic, but they still possessed a sway over her that she found most desirable.

“Do please enter and wait for me. Feel free to make yourself at home,” he suggested in the same, pleasing tone, and she did nod, agreeing without a second thought.

She could still hear something being said by the Count Brother to that unseen mare, and Twilight could have sworn that the last thing she actually spotted as she crossed the threshold into wherever she was, was a pony silhouette above the entrance, trying to make itself less visible by clinging to the side of the spire.

“Nye edn felbez, tue rozumte? Ia nye cur kwi rogor, kwi pet, ipe nye bide hic, ipe nigd nye bidee hic,” the stallion pointed something out, and with conviction which bordered on obsession. “Ipe bide iaa hacdias. Tilc iaa.”

Twilight didn’t understand the words, but the intensity made her shiver, profoundly. That shudder awoke her a little, and she could actually try to take in her surroundings. For all intents and purposes, this chamber looked quite like her own quarters. Although it was blatant that it belonged to somepony who had taken time and effort to create for themselves a very cozy and opulent nest.

For once, the place had a lot of character, even by the sheer amount of various pieces of art. Among the typical, local furnishings, that were artfully done in dark wood and silver, sculptures and paintings were fighting one another for the onlooker’s attention. And yet, ironically, nothing around the place was clashing with anything else, following the will of a truly sophisticated owner that had made sure to arrange his chambers to perfection. Bookshelves, stacked full and high, were draped over with delicate cloth, to protect the volumes inside from dust, and maybe prying eyes. Among the different souvenirs about the chamber, some of which looked like they could be worth a small fortune, Twilight’s gaze lingered on… pieces that looked oddly familiar to her.

If her eyes didn’t deceive her, though perhaps they could at that particular moment, there were examples of Equestrian art on display in several places. And not only that. Griffon metallurgy, yak craftsmanship, even some filigrees that could have come from Saddle Arabia or Abyssinia, though she would have to examine them to be certain. The case they were in reminded Twilight of the collection which she had encountered back in Canterlot, in Princess Luna’s office…

She shook her head a little, as the memory was a little harder to hold onto than she thought. Maybe… Maybe approaching the display would help?

However, reaching her desired goal would mean crossing the room and, as opposed to her own chambers, it looked like its center had been chosen to serve as a place of rest and relaxation, instead of housing a large table. Still, there was no proper bed here, only a grand, woolen bedspread which was occupying the space where the floor had seemingly been hollowed out a little. The softly inviting material was additionally covered in various others, like satin and silk. And the space around was also organized in a particular, deliberate way, as bowls of fruit and pitchers of drink were readied. Not to mention that there were many, many candles, positioned all about the room, creating a unique, warm and intimate atmosphere.

Twilight blinked. She, again, found herself recalling another scene as she was faced with the sight. Only… that particular display, though on a smaller scale, she could recall from a secluded hot spring. The thought, but more so the implication which came out of it, made her part her lips and let out a sigh, which threatened to turn into yet another, unforeseen coo.

Why was she even…?

“There we go,” she heard Ebony Crescent’s voice once again, and her attention immediately switched to the stallion. He had closed the exit to the terrace behind him, then made sure to cover the window properly with the curtain. It led to the entire room being illuminated solely by candlelight, making it simultaneously romantic and secretive. “Nopony shall interrupt us, as my dear Harebell and Ruby Seam will make sure of it.”

Twilight nodded, accepting those words, though she wasn’t certain if the stallion wasn’t speaking to himself, assuring himself of those facts. But, when his gaze met hers, his attention snapped solely to her.

“It’s daybreak soon,” he stated, smiling widely. “You usually go to sleep quite early, Twilight Sparkle, no?”

“Is… Is it that late?” was the only answer she could muster outright, and the stallion nodded, slowly making his way towards her, not that she had ventured so deep into his chambers.

His every step echoed in her mind. And although his trot was exceptionally light and graceful, it was like that of a hunter, paced and methodical.

“Late enough not for it to feel weird to retire to one’s bed, whether one has solely slumber in mind or not,” Ebony Crescent explained with a smirk that Twilight entirely focused on, actually missing the end of that last sentence.

“I… I actually do go to bed rather early, if… if I can help it,” she told him, feeling the need to be transparent. “I’m not nocturnal, and… and I am sometimes very tired during this visit, so...”

“So…” Ebony Crescent decided to finish that sentence for her, his expression not changing from its warm intensity. “… please, feel free to find your rest and enjoy yourself, Twilight Sparkle. Food, drink… It’s all for your disposal, and only yours.”

Twilight didn’t mind such generosity, as the short flight had made her surprisingly weak and winded. She wouldn’t have even flown in such a state at all, were it not for the stallion having requested it of her.

The said stallion caught onto her trepidation easily enough, actually. As he came close, he gave her a glance, assessing her, but doing so with far greater attention than a once-over would demand.

“ I am sorry for such an abrupt method of transportation, of course. But it is much faster than walking down the steps, then through the corridors, then back up…” he explained to Twilight with a calming smile. “And, for all our talk about our natural caution, nopony ever looks up. I know, I’ve done my research. I’ve done my research very well…”

Again, he lifted his hoof up, barely touching her. Hovering just a hair's breadth away from her muzzle. And, once again, the gesture was making Twilight feel pulled towards it, as her muddled mind felt starved for his touch.

“Marvelous…” he whispered, though she couldn’t quite tell what he had in mind.

So, instead, she focused on his offer. She wondered if it was prudent to thank him, or just to sit down… somewhere. She didn’t seem to have much of a choice other than occupying a portion of this elegant ‘den’, but that felt somehow inappropriate for her. Instead, she decided to ask, gathering her thoughts.

“I’m… I’m actually quite tired, so I would… I wouldn’t mind seeing what surprise you have prepared, Ebony Crescent, and then finding some rest…”

The Count Brother nodded, giving her a very satisfied smile, though the source of that satisfaction seemed a little away from kind intentions. Or, at least, something in Twilight’s numbed head was quite desperately trying to tell her that.

“Twilight Sparkle, don’t you worry your pretty head about that, you will be able to rest to your heart’s content, right here,” Ebony Crescent told her, though the sentence rang badly in her ears, despite the warm numbness and his proximity.

“But…” she tried to respond, though the motion of his hoof made the sentence fail as she found herself trailing her muzzle after it. She hoped it would prompt him to actually touch her.

No… That wasn’t right, was it?

“I… I would not want to impose, I can… I can make it back,” she told him in this moment of doubt, believing it to be the best reply. She wouldn’t want to overstay her welcome, after all.

“Nonsense!” the stallion declared, letting out a melodious laugh. “No, no, no, we’re not doing that. You are a welcome guest in my spire… and, as its ruler, I would prefer for you not to leave.”

Twilight blinked, her brow furrowing a little. “But… But how I w—”

“Hush…”

Ebony Crescent closed the distance between them even further, invading her personal space a little. He calculated his approach methodically, however, as she didn’t yet consider it pushy, instead finding his presence the more intoxicating.

“Please, sit down. Pick something for yourself. Relax,” he spoke, in a cadence that struck all the right cords in her and pleasantly tickled her ears.

“I… I could do that,” she responded, finding it to be the best course of action.

Of course, she still felt herself somehow intruding, sitting down on the very edge of the bedspread, and that earned her a chuckle from the Count Brother.

“Even now you maintain such wonderful decorum…” he pointed out, trotting around the prepared meals. His eyes were on her, she could feel it, as if he was stalking her, and that… that sensation was eerily familiar. “Oh, you are truly a treat. So sweet, so beautiful. So demure.”

Twilight felt herself shudder at the praise, though it also made her blink a couple of times. The warmth in her stomach lessened a bit, and so did the one in her veins. Still, she felt like she couldn’t do much as he so directly told her to sit and not worry.

“Perhaps, nevertheless, you are correct. I suppose there is no use for waiting with some things for too long,” she heard the Count Brother’s further comment.

She glanced back at him, witnessing him making his way to one of his cabinets, and producing a key from somewhere. However, her attention swam from him to the artifacts she could witness around, wondering if he was going to offer her one of them.

It begged a question. “Where… Where did you get all of those from…?”

Ebony Crescent glanced back, gracing her with another pear stare, then smiled sweetly. “Some I have procured through careful handling of trade, some are mementos from various escapades. Like that one, for example,” he told her, pointing out a small figurine of a mare, done out of a pearl material. “Nopony like the Maretonians can create such exquisite forms. Shame it’s one of the few positive memories I have from there.”

“You’ve… been to Maretonia?” Twilight asked, as that knowledge, again, made her mind feel agitated from beyond the warm feeling which was blanketing it.

“Yes… But it’s nothing to write home about. Literally,” Ebony Crescent told her, and his tone became quite biting. So much so that she found it dispelling some of that charm she could feel towards him. “I had such an exquisite… travel plan, but it didn’t quite work out. Some ponies simply live to meddle with the affairs of others. Ruin their grand designs…” He turned around, holding something in his hooves. “You won’t be a pony like that, will you?” he requested, rather than asked.

Twilight paid attention to that question, yes, but also couldn’t quite take her eyes away from what the stallion took out of the closed drawer. From this distance she couldn’t make out the details, but there was almost... a light, shining in between Ebony Crescent’s hooves.

“What… What is it?”

“Ah ah ah! Not so fast, my dear guest,” he teased her with a smile, hiding whatever he was holding behind his back. “Do indulge yourself first. I know you were hungry, and a feast is a crucial part of a splendid evening.”

So he claimed and, as he made his approach, he decided to try and surprise her a bit. With one, swift motion he reached down towards one of those silk sheets, lifted it up slightly and slid his gift underneath. Then, in a show of agility and balance, he rolled forward across the bedding, sitting right by her side as he finished.

“Hello.”

Twilight couldn’t stop herself from a drunken giggle, as this amusing display lead straight to them being right by each other.

“You’re… You’re quite playful, aren’t you, Ebony Crescent?”

“I have a great reason to be, right next to me…” he pointed out with a wink, then reached out and grabbed one of the pitchers. “Thirsty, my fair visitor?”

“A little…” Twilight admitted. Her mouth did feel somewhat dry and she wouldn’t mind enjoying something nice and refreshing. However, a nagging thought caused her to blink and let a question escape her lips. “Will it… Will it be so warm as that… that drink you gave me earlier?”

Ebony Crescent chuckled as well, though something about that sound was discordant aplenty. “I don’t think it would be healthy. And ultimately necessary,” he spoke with a sudden tone of an expert. “I take it that you are feeling quite pleasant? A little relaxed, I hope? Less troubled?”

Twilight thought for a second, even if it wasn’t ultimately necessary. “I… Yes, actually. And I... I think that ever since—”

“Good. Very good. And don’t you fret, please. It’s just something to make things less stressful,” he explained, reaching to pour her some fresh orange juice. “You are always so considerate, so attentive. But also permanently tense, I feel. The performance, I hope, was distracting and inspiring enough for you. And the drink was just something to make you not bother yourself with pressure or pesky thoughts. There’s only thorough and wondrous... unwinding before you. Are you not enjoying that feeling, coursing through you? I think you are.”

Twilight wasn’t sure. She needed to consider that question, and that demand, for a good moment. Something... Something about what he had just said was causing some inside voice to scream at her, trying to get her attention. Still, she couldn’t quite bear to worry about her situation. After all, being a little carefree, allowing herself to just let go, to be taken care of by somepony else, seemed like such a wonderful idea.

“I’m… I’m less burdened, yes. And… And you sound very nice when you tell me things,” she revealed to the stallion, feeling her lips smiling little. “It’s strange...”

“It’s because I am so very nice, you know,” he replied, granting her the chalice. “Drink and enjoy, and don’t worry,” he added.

It served to make his point, and she felt herself fully agreeing, and doing as he asked of her.

Almost fully agreeing. She felt that a part of her really wanted to return to stress and worries right that instant, from behind the warmth. That encompassing feeling wasn’t as prominent as back at her spire, but still held strong.

But, what was the point of being concerned? The refreshing juice, which color and smell didn’t suggest it had any additions, was sweet and clear, with a very pure consistency. It was clearly meant for only the most sophisticated ponies, and Twilight had to appreciate the gesture.

“It’s… delicious,” she praised the drink, and the host, causing Ebony Crescent to smile widely.

“Only the best for you, Twilight Sparkle. You are worthy only the most intricate of performances. And, please, do feel free to indulge, to partake in whatever you desire,” came the stallion’s honeyed whispers, coursing through her alongside that balmy feeling. “Relax, enjoy, let yourself be lead by your most natural needs...”

Twilight nodded, as that felt like a solid idea. And soon after she could choose from a whole plethora of delicious tidbits. The stallion was diligently presenting before her whatever she thought about tasting. She would find herself partaking in only the most delectable treats, and it was hard to worry about anything when one had before their muzzle whole bowls and platters of fruit slices, honey, cranberry syrup, everything prepared to perfection. The smells and tastes were tickling Twilight’s senses, and she felt herself falling further into enjoyment and lack of care. The more she trotted, a little step by a little step, into indulgence’s territory, the better it felt. She could choose, she could savor the flavors, all with the stallion right by her side, his attention solely on her, as he was acting as the host and the server in one.

Twilight found herself shuddering at one point. She didn’t know when it had happened, but she could now feel the digits of one of Ebony Crescent’s webbed wings stroking her back, tenderly at first, then growing more and more daring. Against better judgment, some would say, she found herself eagerly drinking from this delicate feeling, as it was pulling her further into blissful relaxation, into intoxicating abandon.

She could have sworn that she had closed her eyes for only a moment, to enjoy the sophisticated tang of grapes, but when she came to, she did found herself leaning on the stallion a little, encouraged to do so with those precarious, enthralling touches.

It… That didn’t feel right, however.

Twilight manage to straighten herself up, giving Ebony Crescent an apologetic smile. She didn’t mean to invade his personal space, naturally. “Sorry...”

He didn’t react to that at first, though in his eyes she saw something he couldn’t hide well enough. Concern, yes, but also mounting irritation.

Still, his further actions radiated only with a host’s generosity. “Nothing to apologize about, I’m glad the meal is enjoyable to you. More to drink, perhaps? I have gone some lengths to assure the choice is abundant. I even have some Equestrian specialties here, of course. Just like during that breakfast, I want to offer you whatever you palate might desire.”

“Oh…?” Twilight’s attention shifted to that, since his voice was still reverberating in her ears with its warm quality. “Like what?”

“Something stronger than orange juice, and I can tell you could be interested in that,” the stallion jested, opening a silver carafe. “It is grape liquor of special, rich quality, from a place called ‘Unicorn Ridge’, I believe.”

Before she could actually make a choice for herself, he was already pouring both of them a chalice, and she was quite amazed by the rich color of the liquid.

“I… I don’t partake in grape extracts too much. Or... Or alcohol in general, not even in… in your festive one, I’d say,” she wished to explain herself, much to the Count Brother’s amusement.

“Don’t you worry, Twilight Sparkle, I know this is far more sophisticated than gozalke. And serves to make the evening much more pleasant, too,” he stated, convinced in his stance. He passed her the chalice with an encouraging smile. “Besides, I wouldn’t mind learning from the Equestrian very elite whether what I have in stock is worthwhile. I usually dilute it little, but I think it can be better this way.”

Twilight accepted the offering, feeling that it would be rude otherwise, though she didn’t feel like emptying the whole thing, no. Maybe just a sip or two. But, for her caution, even that amount of the extract tasted exquisite.

Ebony Crescent was more liberal in partaking than she was, emptying the goblet proficiently, though also gracefully. As he exhaled in joy, paying homage to his batpony heritage, one of his wings prodded Twilight’s back once again.

It actually caused her hooves to wobble, just as she was going for her last sip. A few droplets escaped the side of her muzzle.

The Count Brother seemed to watch for exactly that. “Oh, clumsy me!”

And that was all that he uttered before he leaned in, and Twilight’s muzzle erupted in a blush that risked spreading throughout her whole body. For she could feel his slow, deliberate lick, and the softness of his lips on her jaw line. Yes, he saved the liquor, but also caused her whole body to be filled with great and earnest heat, as if she had emptied the goblet herself.

She was certain that her eyes crossed behind her fluttering eyelids, as before her mind’s eye she now recalled the scenes from the performance. Only now she could actually feel another’s pony’s touch... and she couldn’t wait for more. She wanted it, she desperately needed it. All of that expectation and tension which had built in her was reacting to the Count Brother’s daring gesture and begging, pleading her to allow for a more direct reenactment of the wonders of that aerial passion she had witnessed.

But... Twilight bit the side of her tongue at the feeling which followed this moment of bliss. Behind that surge of warmth in her veins, something cold settled in her gut. It came so abruptly, so viciously, that it actually made her recoil a little and move away from the stallion, leaving the range of his lips, and causing him to pause, leaned in her direction.

She, deliriously, felt bad about making him petrify in this strange pose, so she spoke up, hoping she could make things better.

“I… I could have taken care of that, but… thank you…?”

Doubt crept through her voice again, something that the stallion definitely heard. And felt, considering his expression growing very vexed.

But his smile bloomed a second later, hiding that grimace. “I... do hope you didn’t mind, Twilight Sparkle. Don’t blame me for this opportunistic gesture. It is hard not to appreciate your closeness and beauty… I would want nothing more than to prove your allure to yourself, too.”

“I…”

Twilight didn’t finish the sentence, because she didn’t know how. She could still feel his webbed wing trying to encompass her back, and she felt torn between the desires of her numbed mind, and that voice, that nagging reminder of reason that was trying to get to her.

It was at that moment that she realized that, for all the warmth in her veins... none of it had reached her core. And that feeling she could definitely recall.

When she looked at the stallion again, his pear gaze was still pulling her, but not with the same strength. She wasn’t sure if that was what he spotted too, but she could quite clearly see a singular drop of sweat making its way down his temple.

His voice, as he spoke up again, trembled just a little bit at the start. “Fear not, Twilight Sparkle. I’m a stallion of breeding. So let me show you that I treat this matter with utmost seriousness… Let my gift speak of that as well.”

He didn’t hesitate to lean back, reach underneath the sheets and finally pull out what he had in mind. He slid away just a little, and as soon as he knew that she was paying attention, he held his offering on his hooves.

It was… a headdress?

It looked like one, made out of the most ephemeral material she could have ever imagined. It did remind her of silversilk, the Saddle Arabian variety, but it appeared even more delicate, to the point where Ebony Crescent looked like he had managed to capture a piece of cloud, or a strand of morning mist, between his hooves. The trims of golden threads were catching candlelight with elegance and grace, and the small, glinting gems of light blue, weaved throughout the material, were acting like the stars on the night’s sky.

All of that was accompanying a ring, which was holding the piece together on its top, and was made out of a marriage of silver and a white, reflective mineral, in a most intricate bind.

Twilight had felt enchanted before, but the beauty of this gift seemed to overtake even that beguiling influence, filling her with pure awe. Every breath the stallion was taking, which was making his body shift only a little, was still causing the strands and the gems to glint and shimmer, as if a blessing of the very Goddess was upon this piece of cloth, Ebony Crescent’s grandiose offering.

“I hope you shall find it worthy, Twilight Sparkle,” he whispered warmly. He then spread the headdress a bit wider between his hooves, making it shine with a dazzle of reflections. “It might be a little… outdated, to offer you this, but I could think of no better gift which could match your grace and your value in my eyes…”

“It’s… It’s beautiful…” Twilight admitted, as the generous gesture was making her whole body shudder. “What… What is it, however? What is the meaning of this?”

“You sound a bit shocked,” Ebony Crescent remarked in a jest, but one that seemed to hide nervousness.

Twilight recognized that the way she formulated her last question had made it sound a little coarse… and she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that she meant it at least a little.

The stallion, in the meantime, decided to offer an explanation, indeed. “We do pride ourselves on our sense of fashion and sophistication, but clothing, in general, always served a lot of purposes in Noctraliya. It’s a symbol of affluence, caste, good taste. It’s practical in our climate. And, of course, there are the matters of modesty,” he admitted with a smile. “Equestria is quite… liberal in that regard. Not that I mind, not at all…”

Again, quite a strange note ringed in the stallion’s voice, making Twilight’s brow furrow. Yet the stallion continued in his explanations.

“Headdresses are not an overly common choice, unless required by one’s station. But there was a time when the Crescents were more widely reaching for such pieces of clothing. Much like during the performance, however,” he pointed out, with growing satisfaction, “some clothing is not to express timidity and chasteness, but to lure gazes and desires. Make beauty something mysterious, bashful, just behind the veil, and yet ready and willing to be uncovered by an eager pony.”

Twilight was trying to grasp all that he was saying, but she felt distracted in several ways. The glinting piece, the softness of the stallion’s voice… It was all making her, once again, too stunned to reply, as he was showing her the intricacy of this design.

“And I have requested this ring from only the most dedicated of craftsmen. Dedicated to me, of course, who else would have dared to create such a work, and from this,” Ebony Crescent gloated a little bit, thought Twilight couldn’t quite understand why. “You do have quite a remarkable horn on your forehead, and it could ruin the whole premise, otherwise.”

By the ‘premise’ he must have meant the headdress, Twilight thought, but… that didn’t quite make sense.

Still, the gift was absolutely breathtaking, so she felt the unobstructed urge to examine it herself. “May I?”

“I have an even better idea…” he retorted with a smile. “Please, the mirror’s right here.”

There was, indeed, a grand, crystal mirror on one side of the chamber, and Ebony Crescent did lead Twilight to it without delay. She could see her reflection in the polished surface, and found herself surprised just how… glassy her eyes were. Were they always so unfocused?

She saw, as well as felt the stallion right by her, holding the piece. In his expression there was undeniable expectation, and she still couldn’t make herself deny him, especially as he whispered, close to her ear. “Allow me, please…”

She would, despite what hungry glints she could spot in his gaze. The gift was still sending glints and glimmers, shimmers and sparkles all over, and the stallion’s motion, as he was aiming to put in on her head, was almost reverential. Twilight wouldn’t deny herself that natural curiosity, to learn how she would present herself in this elaborate headdress, which actually corresponded somewhat with her gown. Of course, it was of much greater worth, but it didn’t clash with the lighter dress.

Twilight observed Ebony Crescent’s slow, methodical motion with anticipation, as he aimed for the ring to go over her horn, letting the sides of the piece flow freely down her face. She closed her eyes as the material tickled her face, waiting for the stallion to place it properly. She wanted to get that first impression, she aimed to open her eyes and witness herself in the rich garment, allowing herself a brief moment of vainglory.

But… something didn’t feel right. Twilight pretty much immediately felt that something was off, and much more potently than with that strange warmth numbing her senses. It took her a moment to register what it was.

“There…” she heard the stallion whisper as he made sure the ring touched the skin of her forehead. The piece fit almost perfectly, but was a little too tight for Twilight’s liking, holding to the base of her horn with... surprising strength. “Wonderful.”

Prompted by that word and her own eagerness to witness the final look, as well as that gathering feeling of unease, Twilight opened her eyes.

She looked amazing, that much was undeniable. The veil of the headdress had fallen over her muzzle, hiding her features only a little, and instead giving her an aura of mystery and allure she couldn’t feel bad about. If anything, she didn’t think she had ever looked more sophisticated and enigmatic alike, and she imagined that if she were to pick a more elaborate of her dresses, she would be able to stun even the nobility of Canterlot, and they were a notoriously picky and demanding crowd.

However, behind that initial thought, suggested perhaps by whatever was coursing through her veins still, Twilight had to come to two more, much more sobering conclusions.

One was that Ebony Crescent, having offered her this gift, was now right beside her, and in his eyes she could see a yearning that was impossible to ignore. She could actually tell that the crimson of her cheeks was only hidden by the fine material and glinting gems, as she could feel the burning sensation well enough.

More than that, however, she found herself realizing that, alongside the headdress, a different sort of numbness had invaded her mind.

She grasped what it might have been. Grasped it perfectly. And that thought seemed to have purged whatever hold the warmth still in her system had on her. It was like a slap to the muzzle, like falling into ice-cold water, and the realization, the awareness of what had been happening for some time now snapped her whole body into a freezing embrace of fear.

It coincided with the very moment when Ebony Crescent, using her distraction, placed his forehooves against her shoulders and began to nuzzle the coat right between the headdress and her own dress, in a display of affection and intimacy that she had never explicitly agreed to.

Twilight immediately took a step away, to create distance and face him, causing the Count Brother to almost lose his balance, surprised by the turn of events.

He tried to regain his composure in record time, though the damage had already been done. “Oh, there’s no need for this, Twilight Sparkle. It’s just me, wanting to show you your worth,” he whispered in that sweet, seductive tone, but whatever hold it had imposed upon her was now gone, entirely.

She guessed what had caused her head to clear so abruptly, even if she could still tell that something, something insidious, was flowing through her, something that had held her in her stunned state and had made her susceptible.

“What... What do you think you are doing?” she asked, and this time the hesitation was caused by shock, rather than any ingested substances.

“Don’t worry. Relax,” Ebony Crescent insisted, but it wasn’t working. Not anymore, though he might have hoped for it still.

“You... You drugged me, didn’t you? And now...!” Twilight reached up with one hoof, but the ring which was holding her horn didn’t want to move. “What is this? What is this made of?”

The Count Brother understood what was happening, and whatever warmth his voice had been so far holding began to morph into something else. Something irked, something disappointed and something dangerous…

“My fair guest, my wondrous goal...” he breathed out in that hoarse, heated breath, taking a step in her direction. “This is all for your sake, you know. So that you can finally let go, relax, find your rest, your due rest… in my embrace.”

Twilight backed away the moment she saw him trying to close the distance. She was also rapidly engaging her logic again, putting all that had been happening together. “That... That was your intent this whole time?”

“I did mean my gestures of generosity.”

“But now what do you mean, Ebony Crescent?” she asked, almost in a taunt, though the situation did not make that the wisest of choices. “You distract me with that... that daring performance, you add something to my drink, and now...! Is this luneeit?!”

She realized that she would need to try and get the headdress off with both of her hooves, if it would even want to come off. The bind against the base of her horn felt very tight. Yet focusing on taking that ring off would mean that she wouldn’t be able to keep moving.

And that was an absolute priority. Especially when Ebony Crescent’s persistent advance continued, alongside other, persistent advances.

“See what lengths I have gone, to make this happen? Just so nothing ruins this moment. Please, don’t you do it, Twilight Sparkle,” he pleaded, his voice somewhere between passion and understanding, as more droplets of sweat began appearing on his brow. “I just wanted you to be here. In the moment. A mare, a beautiful, graceful mare, without equal. Yes, a dignitary, a Princess, a pony of Divine Aspect, but not now, not here. Here…” He spread his front legs and did a twirl which was so surprising that Twilight didn’t even manage to react. “… there’s just us two. A mare and a stallion. No more, and yet no less…”

“So... So you’ve decided that the best way to achieve that is to trick me into it, yes?!” she asked, quickly taking in her surroundings, looking for her avenue of escape from the impassioned stallion. “With deception, poison and force?”

“Merely to facilitate things... but I don’t condone force, no. And yet, for you to share your time, your attention and your passion with me...” he responded, still looking only at her, his eyes filled with intent which was growing yet more desperate and more horrifying with its strength. “I can’t let this opportunity pass, I just... I can’t. You’re a wonder, you’re ravishing, you’re sophisticated… You are like the world’s very grace and goodness put into one, who among ponies wouldn’t be glad to be graced with your affection? And who better than I?”

He wasn’t stopping, and neither was Twilight, praying that she wouldn’t bump into anything behind her. She felt like a cornered prey, stalked openly by a predator, and that realization made her entire coat stand on end. She even tried to summon her magic, focus her power, but the white mineral, the source of the dampening effect, was too close for anything more than some useless sparks around her horn, failing to form a proper, arcane connection.

Ebony Crescent didn’t miss those, however. “Don’t, please. You will hurt yourself, not to mention ruin the gift,” he said with poisonous politeness. “Don’t reject me, Twilight Sparkle. I can and will bring all of the wonders of Noctraliya at your hooves. I have shown my generosity and good will ever since we have met, and had what’s best for you in mind.”

Twilight felt shocked enough to respond to that with unadulterated indignation. “And that, any of that, gives you some right to seek intimacy with me, Ebony Crescent?! It doesn’t work like that!”

“Worked well enough for me so far,” he told her, the intensity in his voice only growing, alongside the agitation manifesting in those pear eyes. “And you… I’ve pulled out all the stops for your sake, Twilight Sparkle. The performers, the dishes, the luneeit… Do you think it is easy to find anypony willing to obtain it, let alone somepony to actually work with it? Sacrilege, some would call it, but I would call it an expensive prop in this grand performance… And I would be willing to do more, name it, say it… If only I can get a taste...”

He rapidly tried to come closer, reaching out with his hoof to touch her muzzle, but she jumped away. She still had her wings, thank Harmony, so she used this opportunity to take to the air, keeping her eyes on the stallion and his craving, which was swiftly turning maniacal. Especially when Ebony Crescent followed her, his strong, webbed wings keeping up pace with her. He didn’t look overly athletic, but there was visible confidence, skill and grace in his movements, as well as his dangerous motivation. Twilight didn’t think she was capable of overpowering him directly, not that she was willing to try.

She could be forced into such a confrontation, however, even if the stallion persisted on trying to find a ‘peaceful’ solution, in his twisted idea of it. “I wouldn’t advise flying for long, my fair mare. Unnecessary physical exertion might have an adverse effect after what I fed you. It would be better if you just… let me take care of you,” he insisted, though that only caused Twilight to grimace. “One should enjoy a sweet exhaustion only later in the day, when all is whispered, said, moaned and done. Your kind has so many, riveting phrases for it... Like the Prench one, ‘la petite mort’, the little death…”

“Spare me your advice and language lesson,” she retorted, but the way he said it all caused sheer horror to manifest in her heart. This was the tone of somepony who was firmly descending into madness, regardless of their attempts at making it sound artistic and enticing.

Twilight knew that she didn’t, she couldn’t, care for anything else right now other than finding a way to pacify and discourage him, or getting out of the spire right this instant.

“I don’t know what you’ve given me, or what you think you ‘deserve’, Ebony Crescent, but your little plan will not work anymore. I know exactly what you were attempting to do, and you will get nowhere, so stop. Now. And let me leave.”

“Oh, no, no, no, don’t you take this away from me,” he pleaded again, but there was little humility in that tone, only pride and mounting mania. “Not from me. Not this. This is my challenge, given from life itself. This is my magnum opus, it still can be. No, I won’t be denied!”

Thankfully, Twilight saw his attempt coming before he had a chance to reach her. With a swift turn, she maintained the distance, even as Ebony Crescent dived towards her, keen on nothing else but grabbing her. Yes, she felt a dangerous bout of nausea after that maneuver, but that she could handle. More worrying was the fact that another, instinctual attempt at summoning her magic resulted again in but strain and naught more.

The stallion steadied himself and faced her again without delay, though breathing heavily, as if he was the one falling victim to exhaustion. Twilight could tell what was going on. His affliction was flaring, further and further, with more and more sweat beginning to drench his head, causing strands of his mane to glue themselves together.

And he was well aware of that, as he ran his hoof over his forehead and growled. “No... No, I won’t let this be ruined... All the favors I used, all the preparations, no, this will not be another botched attempt, I will not have it!” he claimed, his gaze focused solely on Twilight, as if nothing else existed in the world. “Do you know how many days I have spent in agony, dreaming of you? Of the warmth of your flesh, of the sighs of pleasure from your throat? How many nights I planned nothing but this, this moment that we could share, damn the world entire? How meticulously I have chosen the places to go, the sights to show you? And do you know what feelings you have caused in me, feelings that nothing could smother or satisfy?!”

Twilight wasn’t sure if there was an answer to such questions, so she stayed silent and watchful, instead. Him talking meant that she was given time, precious time to figure out her options. She couldn’t rely on strength, she didn’t have her spells… It was such a shame she hadn’t worn that hoofshoe with—

She barely dodged him this time. It turned out that performing a monologue was not going to stop Ebony Crescent from further attempts at getting to her. Though he was again unsuccessful, he wasn’t deterred. He managed to turn in place without much trouble, though the fierceness of his dive had almost made him crash into one of his bookshelves, instead sending some droplets of sweat to strike against the protective cloth.

“Ebony Crescent, don’t,” Twilight tried to reach for reason once more, but she was getting nowhere.

“Yes, indeed, ‘Ebony Crescent’! Me, yes! Why not me?” he asked, slamming his hoof against his chest in reproach. “Am I not a generous host, a sophisticated stallion? Have I not caused your heart to flutter, your eyes to wander?” he kept asking, the desperation in his voice now almost entirely entering madness’ territory. It was as if some beast was awakening inside of him, and Twilight felt a shudder descending down her spine at that. “I know you looked at me like that! I know you wanted it!”

She wasn’t going to feel pressured. He would not manipulate her into admitting and following his reasoning, though she had to be honest with herself – he had managed to sneak his way into her thoughts.

He was aware of that, he had planned it that way. “Feel that again, Twilight Sparkle! Act on that, it’s normal! It’s natural!”

The laugh he let out at the end of that sentence chilled Twilight to the bone. It brought before her mind a distant recollection of a terrifying dream, when she had faced a long-perished stallion and a creature that had been likely responsible for his demise. The similarity was almost too convenient.

Especially when Ebony Crescent also spoke of an eerily similar matter, his voice cracking and breaking as he did. “I deserve this, I need this! He didn’t manage, but I will!” he claimed, screaming at her, screaming at the very existence around. “He could have been on the top of the world! I was oh so little, but he told me fables of his ideas, his plans, and then…!” The stallion’s eyes filled with tears. “A performance cut short, damn the censorship of fate! But I will have greatness, for myself, for the memory of him, lost in the woods! I will not let my dreams be ruined! Damn everything else!”

“Ebony Crescent—!”

Twilight still found herself wanting to speak to him, to explain matters, for she had spotted something in him that she could address. Pain that she could see as clear as day, behind the bout of insanity. It was then, however, when he dived again, and this time his strike was simply too quick. Yes, she flapped her wings to dodge upwards, but the stallion’s grasp reached one of her back legs and the tug was enough to break her balance. She couldn’t well keep herself and him suspended, and so both of them plummeted down. The Count Brother allowed that very much on purpose, using his own wings proficiently enough to have them both land on his den below.

Twilight felt herself screaming and closing her eyes, expecting to find herself in great peril, but, of all things, Ebony Crescent cushioned her fall, positioning himself beneath her. The impact still caused her to feel nauseated and confused. The prepared meals and still full pitchers were scattered by the landing, sending their rich contents haphazardly around chamber. The gust of their scuffle extinguished some of the candles. The terrible clamor, and the scent of smoke, helped Twilight gather her thoughts, however, and she sprang up right away, just before the stallion could lock his forelegs around her.

Still, she found herself far too close to him, and he was already scrambling up, to try and get a hold on her, with all of his might and swiftness and intent.

“Yes, call out my name, put passion into it!” he demanded, as if he was directing a perverse play of some sort, continuing to advance on her once again.

“Stop! Ebony Crescent, listen to me!” Twilight shouted, trying desperately not to let the terrible feeling in her stomach win, and her hooves get tangled up in the material underneath. “Stop!”

“Come, you don’t mean that!” was the only reply, riddled with insanity. “You simply cannot handle my closeness! Don’t fear, I will show you how I treat a mare!”

For how terrifying such a situation was, Twilight couldn’t help to spot just how… how pathetic did the stallion look now. She wouldn’t use such a term casually, but the look and the scenario warranted it. His sweaty mane, his reddened eyes, hidden behind a veil of madness, his ragged breathing. The sophisticated noble of the Crescent Family looked like a toddler that couldn’t get his hooves on his favorite toy. Twilight perhaps could have found a better way of describing the situation, but she hardly had the privilege of focus. The comparison wasn’t making Ebony Crescent’s tantrum any less dangerous for her.

“You are in my spire, you are under my power, listen to me!” he demanded, his muzzle twitching with the share amount of emotions pouring out of him, alongside the sweat running down his temples. “I need this! Don’t rob me of this! This can still be perfect!”

It couldn’t, and Twilight came up with an idea right with those words. Terrifying in its simplicity, dreadful in its application, at least for the stallion. And with everything happening so fast, this was the only way she could think of trying to get some control over the situation.

“What you need, is to listen to me!” she shouted, she screamed at the stallion, with volume that somehow managed to exceed his. “I don’t know what ails you, what drives you to this, I have no idea of what you need, but not this! You’ve lost your father, something that I have not experienced, thank Harmony, but that’s something that I can empathize with. But what do you want? To be greater than him, to fulfill some imaginary scenario you weaved in your head, because you couldn’t deal with the pain? Is this what this is all about?!”

She didn’t wait for him to finish, nor did she care how her words had sounded. Instead she… She took a step towards him. And, having realized that the veil of the headdress had been constantly there, covering her muzzle, she grabbed it with one hoof and pulled with all the strength she had.

She didn’t know what was worse – the sound of the precious material ripping in half, or the wail that left Ebony Crescent’s lips at the sight of his gift being ruined and so barbarically.

Twilight didn’t care. She had to do something to make him come to his senses, and shock might as well have been the right way to achieve that.

For the moment, it worked, as the stallion stopped dead in his tracks. Heaving and hissing, he looked forlornly at the destroyed offering. He could also now clearly see Twilight’s eyes, burning with anger, but also filled with fright at what had been happening.

It managed to get to him, at least partially, though it was hard to look for remorse in his words so far. “No! No, no! Why…? Why have you done this…? This was priceless, this was… This was for you! For you to be yet more beautiful, more pure and desirable…!”

“I don’t know what you were expecting, Ebony Crescent, but things do not work like that. Perhaps somepony needs to tell you that, finally,” Twilight, indeed, told him. She tried to do so strongly, feeling that perhaps she had a chance of finding her way out without risking more of a direct, physical confrontation.

She still shuddered all over, however, and was painfully aware that she was nowhere near safety.

For a second, she thought that perhaps the stallion realized the position he had put her in.

“Yes… This does not work like this,” Ebony Crescent almost parroted her, looking down at the torn veil, shaking his head. But Twilight’s hope was far from reality, as the stallion had only one matter in mind, still. “You’ve ruined it. My plan, my… my performance. You’ve ruined it… Why? What am I lacking, what don’t I have, what cannot I offer you?! Why cannot I have what I want?!”

Twilight recognized the growing frustration, but decided to try and contain him anyway. “Ebony Crescent… This is not how this is supposed to go. You showed me the performance to distract me, to… to make some ideas fresh and appealing in my mind. You put something in my drink, and then you brought me here for one, sole reason. Trying to even rob me of my magic, so that you could have your way. Was that your plan? Was that really your plan?”

The Count Brother kept looking at her now, meeting her gaze, but it was as if he was staring beyond her, at something invisible and unobtainable.

“No,” he finally spoke up, in a tone denoting confession. “But I couldn’t let the opportunity pass… I could not let you go. Not you. You’re too… Too precious, too worthwhile… I couldn’t risk that you wouldn’t… That you would not…” He paused, breathing heavily, wiping the sweat from his brow once again, not that it achieved anything. “Am I not attractive? Desirable? Would you not find me a pony worthy of attention? Is it because I’m a noctral?!”

“No, Ebony Crescent,” she told him, and honestly. She had her reasons. Though her response only slightly slowed him down, as she could witness him again falling into his maddened tone.

She would only have a moment to try and reach up…

“Then what… Why?!” the stallion continued to question her, beginning to shiver. “You think I don’t have the prowess?! That this sunscorched bed isn’t comfortable enough?! Where was my mistake, where have I gone wrong?!”

He couldn’t even see it. He couldn’t even understand, overtaken as he was by his maddened issues, that what he had already done crossed many, many lines. That his imaginary triumph could never happen.

But that was, simultaneously, Twilight’s chance.

The moment he decided to again wipe the sweat off of his head, with an angry hiss, she rapidly reached with both of her hooves, trying to grab the headdress and release the luneeit’s hold over her horn and magic. Perhaps there was another way, perhaps she would be able to actually break it, lift it off with her arcane prowess, with enough focus and time, but she couldn’t afford to spend neither.

She gripped the sides of her horn, reaching for the ring, but she miscalculated. She miscalculated terribly.

Despite his affliction and distraction, Ebony Crescent pounced forward with incredible speed as soon as he spotted her movement. It was enough to grab Twilight’s forelegs and hold them in place before she could move the band an inch. In the same motion, he swept with one of his wings, getting it underneath her own appendage, which served to shift her balance. With the prowess of a skilled combatant, the stallion actually managed to throw her sideways and unto the wool.

She was almost certain that she heard herself slam against the floor below, but… the muffled sound was followed by no pain. What was that?

Still, she found herself merely exhaling at what had happened, as her ability to scream was lost to the shock. She tried to move away, but the Count Brother was now right on her, using his own weight to pin her beneath himself. He managed to get both of her forelegs together above her head, keeping them pinned against the wool underneath. Twilight could try to struggle, but the position was already causing her joints to protest and strain.

She could feel her heartbeat pounding in her ears, while Ebony Crescent loomed over her, looking down upon her like a conquering tyrant above his last victim.

He must have believed himself victorious, powerful and dominating, that much was blatant from his pear gaze, from which the remnants of shame and kindness evaporated for a moment, like dew in the morning sun. Despite the sweat, the exertion, the madness, the stallion surely felt that he was coming close to his great and undeniable victory. In his mind, he was ready to claim his due, and Twilight could see her own, horrified expression in that piercing, villainous gaze, one which could easily rival the worst stares she had ever received from the many enemies she had faced.

And then the stallion’s eyes, brimming with desire… widened. The stare faltered, lessened, and then crumbled, again filling with tears, instead of exultation.

“This…” Ebony Crescent suddenly whispered, looking down at Twilight with a sudden realization, with renewed and returning sanity. The change was so terrifying in its speed, she didn’t dare to even blink, lest she would dispel it. “This isn’t it… No, this isn’t right.”

Twilight tried to keep herself from shuddering, waiting for the right moment to slip away, and it looked like Ebony Crescent would give her an opportunity, even if he didn’t realize it yet.

“This… No, no, this doesn’t feel right, this wasn’t what… What I envisioned?” the stallion asked of himself, putting his hooves to his forehead to move aside all of those strands of wet mane. It freed Twilight’s forelegs, but she remained where she was, biding her time. “But… But why? Why would…?”

He finally looked down, at her, as if finally recognizing that he was dealing with a living, breathing, terrified pony, and the color drained from his muzzle. “No… No, no, no! No, this wasn’t…! This wasn’t supposed to look like this, this wasn’t supposed to be like this!” he shouted, looking at her, examining her not like somepony maddened with lust, but a patron behind a breathtaking show, realizing it was nothing like he had imagined it. It was a relief, however small. “You… You weren’t supposed to fear, you were supposed to adore me, to want this! You’re… This horror is not you playing pretend, being hard to get, you…!”

Twilight thanked all the forces she could think of, the Immaculate Moon not least of all, that Ebony Crescent’s ailment suddenly took him down that road, one leading to him gazing at her with terror that almost rivaled her own. She wasn’t sure whether it was guilt speaking through him, however, since it looked more like he was frightened by the simple fact that his perfect plan had failed and crumbled into dust.

He was still above her, still looming over and deciding her fate. She didn’t know how it was possible, but his sorry state turned even worse the moment he realized what he was on the verge of committing were he to continue. His mane was a mess, his muzzle was soaked and his eyes were darting about, at Twilight, at the mess around them, as if he had just woken up from a nightmare.

“No… No, I didn’t…! I wouldn’t, I—!”

Something happened.

A couple of things, actually, though Twilight actually needed a good moment to discern what exactly occurred the moment that Ebony Crescent seemed to have fully regained his senses.

First and foremost, there was a terrible crack, accompanied with a clang of metal breaking. Twilight immediately turned her gaze the noise’s way, realizing that it came from the side where the actual entrance to the Count Brother’s chambers was.

Or, actually, had been. The weight which had been thrown against the wood had managed to break the lock open. And the violently swinging door was followed first by a body of a stallion, his carmine braid nearly completely undone, slumping to the ground, knocked unconscious by the slam against the sturdy material. Another pony made his way inside, the regular way, stepping over both that guardian’s body, and having left behind another sentinel, a mare splayed on the floor in the corridor.

Twilight felt herself rejoicing, for it was Midnight who had just entered the room, with intent no lesser than Ebony Crescent’s. Though, as she presumed, his intentions were a lot more noble, despite the ponies he had so roughly incapacitated. The warrior was holding his injured side with a grimace of pain twisting his muzzle, an expression that only deepened the moment his gaze fell on the Count Brother.

Who surely would have replied to this intrusion with shock and affront. However, right when he was planning to, merely a sound of pain and surprise made its way through his lips, as his head violently snapped up. He then fell, also unconscious, right next to Twilight.

This time, the appearance of a mare was to blame. Rowan Berry made her presence known in this, direct way, still in a stance which suggested that she had been the one to land right behind the host and slam both her hooves against the back of his head, sending him to the ground.

Twilight never thought that she would be more relieved to see her entourage. She scrambled away from the Count Brother, using the opportunity to also take care of the ring against her horn. With a grunt of relief, feeling the arcane connection with the world around forming once more, she tossed the dreadful gift away, the band bouncing against marble with a sharp, piercing, but useless protest.

Twilight didn’t care. On wobbly legs, still shaking from adrenaline, fear, and exhaustion, she stumbled across to Midnight. She almost fell when she slipped on some spilled juice, but the stallion rushed forward and caught her. Though the sound which he made, as he strained his still recovering body some more to support her, was most upsetting.

Not that he cared for that, focused solely on her. “Twilight! Twilight, we’re here! Are you alright?!” he asked her in a panic, regardless of his own, old and possibly new injuries.

She wanted to respond, she really did, but the most she could manage was to cling to him, as he sat down, letting her press herself against his chest and let out all of the horror she had endured, seeping out of her through tears. She wasn’t ashamed of it, any of it, even as she heard Rowan Berry approaching from behind. The mare also stayed silent, giving Twilight the much needed moment, and surely watching Ebony Crescent’s form for signs of stirring.

Twilight needed that calmness, that moment of stillness, even in the middle of the hurricane around her, and… and despite everything that had happened between them recently, she felt safe in Midnight’s embrace. Deciding to let everything out with her sobbing, trying to center herself, to regain enough composure to actually speak up and answer his worries.

It would take her a good moment, but she finally managed to stop shaking. She cleared her eyes, enough to actually see Midnight’s muzzle back. He was asking her the wordless question, his keen gaze exclusively on her, as he held back his dread and his fury.

“I’m…” She sniffed again. “I’m okay… I’m okay, he didn’t… He didn’t manage to... hurt me.”

She expected Midnight to relax at least a little bit, but he just sat there, looking at her intently, and recognizing that not all hurt was purely physical. He kept holding her close, regardless of anything and anypony.

Rowan Berry also stayed nearby and sat down, the two of them remaining by Twilight’s side until she calmed down entirely.

And yet this day felt far from over…

Comments

[Silver Octave]

Shhiiiiiiiiiittttt bruh

Can't at all wait for the next chapter

[Gulheru]

11800171

I'm almost tempted to take a breather. This was not an easy chapter to write.

[Silver Octave]

11800173
I bet it wasn't. It felt uncomfortable to read. But boy howdy was good to read.

[Gulheru]

11800178

I'll take that, thank you.

[UnknownError]

...I was expecting Roxanne from Moulin Rouge!
...I was dreading it.
...And it arrived.

And, to be brutally honest, it arrived in a lesser form. It hesitated to strike. It hesitated to make Ebony truly vile, and the rescue truly heroic, and the amazing crescendo warbles into discordant notes. I admit, a nice cliffhanger. A suddenly realized I'm a date rapist date rapist, a secret spy barely better than his opponent, the other mare, and poor Princess Twilight Sparkle, the supposed genius stumbling through a spy thriller rolling natural ones on nearly all her perception checks.

But I cannot continue. You had greatness in the palm of your hand. Rowan strikes too hard, Ebony is too frail and pathetic, a body upon the floor with blood cooling in the night. A Count Brother murdered in the act of unabashedly attempting to violate a foreign sovereign in a fanatical nation of zealots. A crescendo. Instead, I fear we may be cursed with more denouement and de-escalation until the stars fade away in the sky. Until we see more of this horrible land and all its seven mountains. Where is it going? To what end? I wish for more, and my bowl has been filled with thin gruel for too long. I must sup elsewhere.

[Astorius]

Can't wait to see what Luna is going to say after hearing about this........... or if Midnight would demand satisfacation.

[RangerOfRhudaur]

Translations of the Noctraliyar:

“ Swedcitani? ”

"Witnesses?"

“ Nye, hwalbu hrabiy bratr. Uai nye videi edn kudz, tsi kuryosyi oci. ”

"No, Honored Count Brother. We didn't see one pony, or curious eyes."

“ Tuyi ordoni? ” the mare whispered again, from a place that Twilight still couldn’t locate, confused as she was.

"Your orders?"

“ Demora. Twilight Sparkle?”

"Later. Twilight Sparkle?"

“ Nye edn felbez, tue rozumte? Ia nye cur kwi rogor, kwi pet, ipe nye bide hic, ipe nigd nye bidee hic, ” the stallion pointed something out, and with conviction which bordered on obsession. “ Ipe bide iaa hacdias. Tilc iaa. ”

"Not one interruption, you understand? I do not care who asks, who seeks, she is not here, she was never here." "She is mine today. Only mine."

[Gulheru]

11800227

Because Ebony Crescent isn't truly vile, and the rescue isn't truly heroic, as the previous chapter proved.

I do get your point, but I'm hardly pressing for an "Equestria at War" scenario here. If it's not to your liking, I get that, and I thank you for your attention and time.

But, if we want to sound grandiose and verbose – greatness is still in my palm. I'm holding and caressing it, until it is its time to shine, when all is said and done, my friend.

[Gulheru]

11800237

Things to come, things to come...

11800238

Fantastic work.

[Silver Octave]

11800181
Uncomfortable with topics of No Consent, hope you understand.

[Gulheru]

11800252

Of course I do, as every sensible person.

[Weeb trash]

'Very sinister' became 'very distressing' very quickly. Looking forward to what comes next.

[UnknownError]

11800244
Oh, this is hardly Equestria at War, nor would I want it do be so in the best circumstances. You have written a wonderful villain in Ebony Crescent, and I applaud it, except you balked on the final notes of his role. He could have revealed Midnight's role, he could have escalated as he was doing the entire chapter. He ordered his guards to stand in the way, to mask her presence and lie. He, a Count of Noctraliya, dared to take advantage of a Princess on a diplomatic mission of their own making while plots and schemes swirl around everything. He is the fly in the ointment that undoes everything the others plan for and hurtles the music into a new stanza.

Will that stanza come? A chapter of Twilight, even drugged, realizing how pathetic and sickly he seems, an illness alluded to for thousands of words, a superficially charming persona hiding a vicious, selfish pony underneath believing he deserves more? He is a great villain. But, as you say, you did not want him to be just a villain.

How can the rescue not be heroic, when all of Ebony's actions drive towards one goal? Only for a parallel last-minute change of heart to mirror Midnight occurs? I would applaud this decision if it had not come after 800,000 words of shadowy plots and vague schemes and daggers in the dark. But much awaits to be seen, and the story refuses to carry choices forward that would bring things into the light.

I fully admit I may be wrong. Perhaps he awakens and reveals something in his change of heart. Perhaps Luna gets a description of Midnight and forwards it to Twilight, stricken by the realization that her beloved bats have been planning things even longer than she believed. Perhaps rampaging through his guards has consequences. But the way this chapter ended, the feint when it should have been a thrust, leads me to believe there's many more stanzas planned before any kind of crescendo. And I look at the word count in resignation.

[Garvanthopy]

Hello, I've been checking up on this story for about 3 years. I love it very much and I can see the effort you put in each chapter.

Congratulation on 90 chapters and over 900,000 words :0. The story seems smaller reading it in chunks for years, only now realizing its more words than Moby Dick, The Count of Monte Cristo, Crime and Punishment, and WAR AND PEACE. My goodness you're story is longer than War and Peace, that's an enormous achievement. If I wrote ever wrote anything even close to the size of War and Peace, I'd be proud - and probably relieved.

It's a lot of effort mentally to be an artist, I know from experience from playing my violin and harmonica. Sometimes when I need to take a breather from playing I feel I lose out on potential improvement, then I push myself to much going crazy improving nothing. If you feel crazy like you are going to break in two, I would take a breather. Or you start snapping strings and pulling hairs out unhygienically.

I've never been bored by your story. Good job so far, sir!

[Snuffy]

It certainly was distressing having to watch this slow-moving disaster play out as a powerless observer over the course of an entire chapter.

Though I had amusingly expected his hot sister, Ivory Crescent, to be the one who unknowingly visited a very lustful Twilight Sparkle. Would have made for a much different scene when Midnight stormed through the doors in an alternate universe.

I was slightly disappointed that Twilight was so easily wrestled into submission. Sure, she was drugged, tired, and wore that anti-magic headdress, but my expectations were that Twilight should be able to overcome these. I still remember when Moonwarden noted how Twilight had moved some sort of anti-magic ball with her sheer magical strength. But I can also buy that Twilight got rescued before she saw the need to use anything potentially very dangerous.

[bkam]

And the memory of the sweet drink she had been given by Ebony Crescent also didn’t wish to leave her, as if the liquid itself was still persisting in her veins, filling her with gentle warmth that she couldn’t quite shake away.

I'm pretty sure that all Ebony did was give Twilight a roofie.

She let out a sigh... and the quiet, but rather indecent coo which made its way out of her throat at the end worried her a little bit.

Her hooves rested against her barrel, as she tried to calm herself down a little bit from this strange high she had found herself in, but it was then when an amused voice reached her ears and made them tingle.

“Did somepony just call out to me?”

Twilight opened her eyes, not remembering when she had closed them, nor even the fact that she had done so, and witnessed none other than Ebony Crescent. He was sitting at the end of her bed, wearing a very enticing smile, and a very lose gown, almost as ephemeral as those of the performers, of light, ashen hue. His eyes and his entire attention were all focused solely on Twilight, with the intensity which was making her feel like she was burning up wonderfully from the inside.

“I hope you have caught your breath, Twilight Sparkle. I could barely contain my impatience, and I was stopped only by necessity. The one about making sure you had a short moment to yourself, to be... in the mood to let things progress.”

A comely stallion, appearing in the dead of night. With that stare, that intensity of his presence, and that unknown, yet singularly beguiling intent. Twilight considered herself quite a willful and composed mare, but at that moment she felt like she would be ready to do anything this mysterious intruder would tell her to do. Comply with every instruction, as long as he would keep talking to her in that smooth voice and looking at her with that piercing, alluring gaze.

Darnit, snap out of it, Twilight!

“I see you are still… enchanted by the art,” Ebony Crescent told her, and she couldn’t bring herself to explain her reaction. She felt like she didn’t need to, like he understood what was happening without her uttering a word. “That is good, very good…” he whispered, and the satisfaction in his voice was both alluring and terrifying.

For most of us reading this, I think this is just terrifying.

She… She accepted it without protest. But shouldn’t she have protested, actually? Some part of her mind was paying a lot of attention to the… the quite logical presumption that Ebony Crescent had been present behind her window. Had that been the day when she had felt somepony watching her? That she had grabbed her gown without delay, not to stand without clothing in her chamber?

On the one hand, I'm glad that we finally know who was stalking Twilight, and the other, I'm glad to see that the logical and intellectual side of Twilight's brain appears to be waking up.

“There we go,” she heard Ebony Crescent’s voice once again, and her attention immediately switched to the stallion. He had closed the exit to the terrace behind him, then made sure to cover the window properly with the curtain. It led to the entire room being illuminated solely by candlelight, making it simultaneously romantic and secretive. “Nopony shall interrupt us, as my dear Harebell and Ruby Seam will make sure of it.”

🚩

“Late enough not for it to feel weird to retire to one’s bed, whether one has solely slumber in mind or not,” Ebony Crescent explained with a smirk that Twilight entirely focused on, actually missing the end of that last sentence.

🚩

“ I am sorry for such an abrupt method of transportation, of course. But it is much faster than walking down the steps, then through the corridors, then back up…” he explained to Twilight with a calming smile. “And, for all our talk about our natural caution, nopony ever looks up. I know, I’ve done my research. I’ve done my research very well…”

Yeah, because I'm sure that's what any totally normal person would say...

“Marvelous…” he whispered, though she couldn’t quite tell what he had in mind.

“Nonsense!” the stallion declared, letting out a melodious laugh. “No, no, no, we’re not doing that. You are a welcome guest in my spire… and, as its ruler, I would prefer for you not to leave.”

It's a red flag parade here today.

“Even now you maintain such wonderful decorum…” he pointed out, trotting around the prepared meals. His eyes were on her, she could feel it, as if he was stalking her, and that… that sensation was eerily familiar. “Oh, you are truly a treat. So sweet, so beautiful. So demure.”

Ebony reminds me lot of Clovis from Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Ebony Crescent glanced back, gracing her with another pear stare, then smiled sweetly. “Some I have procured through careful handling of trade, some are mementos from various escapades. Like that one, for example,” he told her, pointing out a small figurine of a mare, done out of a pearl material. “Nopony like the Maretonians can create such exquisite forms. Shame it’s one of the few positive memories I have from there.”

And like that, the Lighthouse Conspiracy continues to be proven (Hell, this might just be the Smoking Gun).

He didn’t react to that at first, though in his eyes she saw something he couldn’t hide well enough. Concern, yes, but also mounting irritation.

Nice, glad to see that it's getting to Ebony.

It was at that moment that she realized that, for all the warmth in her veins... none of it had reached her core. And that feeling she could definitely recall.

When she looked at the stallion again, his pear gaze was still pulling her, but not with the same strength. She wasn’t sure if that was what he spotted too, but she could quite clearly see a singular drop of sweat making its way down his temple.

And there's the Twilight we all know and love.

“It’s… It’s beautiful…” Twilight admitted, as the generous gesture was making her whole body shudder. “What… What is it, however? What is the meaning of this?”

I think...

It coincided with the very moment when Ebony Crescent, using her distraction, placed his forehooves against her shoulders and began to nuzzle the coat right between the headdress and her own dress, in a display of affection and intimacy that she had never explicitly agreed to...

...“You... You drugged me, didn’t you? And now...!” Twilight reached up with one hoof, but the ring which was holding her horn didn’t want to move. “What is this? What is this made of?”

There's the Twilight we know!

Also, I think I know what that ring is made of...

“My fair guest, my wondrous goal...” he breathed out in that hoarse, heated breath, taking a step in her direction. “This is all for your sake, you know. So that you can finally let go, relax, find your rest, your due rest… in my embrace.”

He wasn’t stopping, and neither was Twilight, praying that she wouldn’t bump into anything behind her. She felt like a cornered prey, stalked openly by a predator, and that realization made her entire coat stand on end. She even tried to summon her magic, focus her power, but the white mineral, the source of the dampening effect, was too close for anything more than some useless sparks around her horn, failing to form a proper, arcane connection.

Yup, it's an inhibitor ring. Let's just hope that Midnight and Rowan can show up quickly.

The laugh he let out at the end of that sentence chilled Twilight to the bone. It brought before her mind a distant recollection of a terrifying dream, when she had faced a long-perished stallion and a creature that had been likely responsible for his demise. The similarity was almost too convenient.

Especially when Ebony Crescent also spoke of an eerily similar matter, his voice cracking and breaking as he did. “I deserve this, I need this! He didn’t manage, but I will!” he claimed, screaming at her, screaming at the very existence around. “He could have been on the top of the world! I was oh so little, but he told me fables of his ideas, his plans, and then…!” The stallion’s eyes filled with tears. “A performance cut short, damn the censorship of fate! But I will have greatness, for myself, for the memory of him, lost in the woods! I will not let my dreams be ruined! Damn everything else!”

Sombra?! Is it being implied here that he either knew/worked with Sombra, or has Ebony been possessed maybe?

“This…” Ebony Crescent suddenly whispered, looking down at Twilight with a sudden realization, with renewed and returning sanity. The change was so terrifying in its speed, she didn’t dare to even blink, lest she would dispel it. “This isn’t it… No, this isn’t right.”

i.imgflip.com/2slo9z.png

First and foremost, there was a terrible crack, accompanied with a clang of metal breaking. Twilight immediately turned her gaze the noise’s way, realizing that it came from the side where the actual entrance to the Count Brother’s chambers was.

Or, actually, had been. The weight which had been thrown against the wood had managed to break the lock open. And the violently swinging door was followed first by a body of a stallion, his carmine braid nearly completely undone, slumping to the ground, knocked unconscious by the slam against the sturdy material. Another pony made his way inside, the regular way, stepping over both that guardian’s body, and having left behind another sentinel, a mare splayed on the floor in the corridor.

Twilight felt herself rejoicing, for it was Midnight who had just entered the room, with intent no lesser than Ebony Crescent’s. Though, as she presumed, his intentions were a lot more noble, despite the ponies he had so roughly incapacitated. The warrior was holding his injured side with a grimace of pain twisting his muzzle, an expression that only deepened the moment his gaze fell on the Count Brother.

Someone's about to get it.

Who surely would have replied to this intrusion with shock and affront. However, right when he was planning to, merely a sound of pain and surprise made its way through his lips, as his head violently snapped up. He then fell, also unconscious, right next to Twilight.

This time, the appearance of a mare was to blame. Rowan Berry made her presence known in this, direct way, still in a stance which suggested that she had been the one to land right behind the host and slam both her hooves against the back of his head, sending him to the ground.

One of if not the most badass entrance in this book so far.

And yet this day felt far from over…

Well that was an unexpected chapter and a half, great job though Gulheru, I look forward to the next chapter, whenever it may come.

[Revel Montaro]

I'm glad for his moment of clarity and in utter awe at Twilight's dedication to restraint because after you find out you have been drugged into a date rape scenario all decorum is out the window and you kick, scratch and, bite your way out of that trap. Such madness. I had a feeling it would be something like this, but at the same time, utter madness.

Next Chapter: Political Shitstorm.

[RangerOfRhudaur]

He finally looked down, at her, as if finally recognizing that he was dealing with a living, breathing, terrified pony, and the color drained from his muzzle. “No… No, no, no! No, this wasn’t…! This wasn’t supposed to look like this, this wasn’t supposed to be like this!” he shouted, looking at her, examining her not like somepony maddened with lust, but a patron behind a breathtaking show, realizing it was nothing like he had imagined it. It was a relief, however small. “You… You weren’t supposed to fear, you were supposed to adore me, to want this! You’re… This horror is not you playing pretend, being hard to get, you…!”

Twilight thanked all the forces she could think of, the Immaculate Moon not least of all, that Ebony Crescent’s ailment suddenly took him down that road, one leading to him gazing at her with terror that almost rivaled her own. She wasn’t sure whether it was guilt speaking through him, however, since it looked more like he was frightened by the simple fact that his perfect plan had failed and crumbled into dust.

More than his perfect plan, I think/hope that this was Ebony Crescent's worldview crumbling around him. He thought that his world ran on story logic, hence the reliance on romance tropes, and that he was the main character. But now the story, in the person of Twilight, is rejecting his attempts to change it, like a body rejecting an organ transplant. This chapter, we can see that the tropes Ebony Crescent leaned on (the Dark Past, the Giver of Gifts, the Friend Who's There When The Breakup Happens) were his active attempts to hack into the story, not outgrowths of his story naturally occurring. But now the story is fighting back, undoing his attempted rewrite, and it works because of how Ebony Crescent tried to rewrite it; without the artificial support of the tropes he employed, his "romance" with Twilight doesn't hold up, any more than Midnight's "romance" with Rowan Berry did. He's a love interest shoe-horned into a story, lacking the history and interaction with the main character to justify their romantic relationship.

In a way, Ebony wasn't even trying to seduce Twilight, he was trying to seduce the narrative, convince it that he and Twilight worked well together, after all, look at all the Moments of Chemistry they shared! But love isn't chemistry, or tropes, or grand moments, it's a relationship. It's waking up together in the morning and telling each other "good night" as you go to sleep, it's making each other breakfast and telling each other where you left your glasses, it's caring enough about someone to accept them, warts and all. True love isn't the "Drama" tag, it's the "Slice of Life" tag, time spent together doing mundane tasks because you care enough about the one you love to endure mundanity with them. Ebony Crescent's focus on the sublime, the exceptional, the extraordinary, blinds him to the fact that love is, at its core, about the ordinary, about enduring another's personhood (strengths, weaknesses, foibles, quirks) and caring about them despite the negative sides. Ebony Crescent might steal the Moon for Twilight, or scale the Mountain of Crescent, but would he be willing to spend time reading with her, or listen to her rant about somepony who returned a book with a dog-eared page, or stay with her even if she steals the covers? I don't believe so. Look at the ways Ebony describes her:

“Even now you maintain such wonderful decorum…” he pointed out, trotting around the prepared meals. His eyes were on her, she could feel it, as if he was stalking her, and that… that sensation was eerily familiar. “Oh, you are truly a treat. So sweet, so beautiful. So demure.”

“Good. Very good. And don’t you fret, please. It’s just something to make things less stressful,” he explained, reaching to pour her some fresh orange juice. “You are always so considerate, so attentive. But also permanently tense, I feel. The performance, I hope, was distracting and inspiring enough for you. And the drink was just something to make you not bother yourself with pressure or pesky thoughts. There’s only thorough and wondrous... unwinding before you. Are you not enjoying that feeling, coursing through you? I think you are.”

“I’m… I’m less burdened, yes. And… And you sound very nice when you tell me things,” she revealed to the stallion, feeling her lips smiling little. “It’s strange...”

“It’s because I am so very nice, you know,” he replied, granting her the chalice. “Drink and enjoy, and don’t worry,” he added.

He doesn't really treat her like another pony, he treats her like a doll, a beautiful, beautiful doll whose interiority is of no consequence to the real ponies, like him. In the last quote, he takes her observation about his niceness and treats it as insignificant. "Of course you think I'm nice, Twilight, I am nice! That's just reality. Your opinion on it doesn't matter." Unlike Midnight, who's fascinated by Twilight's perspective on things, Ebony Crescent explicitly tries to drown Twilight's perspective out, trying to drug, booze, and seduce her into a state of pure emotion. He doesn't view her as a pony in this chapter, he views her as a puzzle, a simple equation that he can solve to get what he wants. Her opinions don't matter; Ebony wants her, and the Count Brother is always right, it's just a matter of convincing her. Whenever she told him "no" this chapter, I got the sense that he heard it as "not yet." After all, she's the Princess and he's the Love Interest, and the Princess and the Love Interest always get together, right? She's the prize at the end of the quest, not an independent pony with her own thoughts and desires, right? The Princess and the Prince will kiss and then the Prince's dead father will be proud and everything will be alright again, right?

Right?

... Right?

Twilight was right; Ebony Crescent was horrifying, but also downright pathetic. The date rapist, in the end, was only a scared little colt who wanted daddy to come home. As much as he deserves our scorn (and, uh, he definitely does, this is not an apology post for his actions, those are indefensible), he also deserves our pity, much like Gollum from The Lord of the Rings. Or, like the poor fool who inspired this wall of text comment:

When he raised his whip, he saw that the lash was burning. His hand as well. All of him, all of him was burning.

Oh, he thought. Then he began to scream.

-George R. R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons

[Gulheru]

11800271

It did, and I'm glad I got that feeling through.

11800280

I get that, I do get that. Perhaps an unfortunate effect of that fact that I have chosen this sort of a scope for the tale. I have received similar criticism before, I do admit, one that was rendered at least partially undeserved by the story progression, but I know this is a long one, so the tempo is not to everybody's liking.

11800289

Thank you, that encouragement means a lot. However, I did mean that "breather" more metaphorically. I am more than capable and willing to continue the tale. It was just that the "topic" of this chapter was most uncomfortable, and required more effort from me than usual.

11800351

Well, she did address it herself. That wasn't picking up an amulet, that was the mineral right by her horn, the source of focus of arcane potency. I still think she used what she could and did it well.

11800352

Thank you, I'll get right too it. But, also – no, this wasn't about Sombra, Ebony Crescent was referring to his late father. But I find it interesting that such comparison stood in your mind.

[Gulheru]

11800440

If things would have gone one step further, oh, I have no doubts that Twilight would have erupted. Fate decided otherwise.

11800479

Great observation! I do think you nailed it. And don't you worry about your "walls", they are a pleasure to read.

[bkam]

11800617
Yeah, I kinda realized that a few paragraphs later, though I forgot to reflect that.

[Legiondude]

11800280

and the story refuses to carry choices forward that would bring things into the light.

I'm still on board with the story, but this does hit close to where I'm feeling with all the uses of dramatic irony at play here

[Gulheru]

11800667

Very well, I get that. Will consider it.

[MathBrony173]

Welp, I feel like I need to cleanse myself after reading that, so it definitely did the job. I can only imagine what it was like on the side of the writer. I see I overthought the dance performance bit in the last chapter, as I am wont to do. The fact that Twilight was drugged makes a lot more sense, though perhaps I was also hoping Ebony wouldn't actually resort to that. I'm more than a little confused about this narrative he has spun in his mind related to his father who in my mind could still be alive. They never found a body, unless I'm not remembering this right. Lots of words between then and now, lol. At least at the end he seemed to be snapping out of whatever that was, though not soon enough. I can only imagine what the fallout of this episode will be.

After the traumatic experience Twilight just endured, now I get the feeling that Midnight will yet again be indefinitely delayed in revealing what he was set on sharing with Twilight before storming off to Ebony's spire. Even if he now really wants to have that discussion, it hardly feels like the right moment. Not that any moment would have been the "right" one, per se, but especially not at present.

[Gulheru]

11800713

Fair point, indeed. The situation was traumatic. And the aftermath...

Well, time and story will tell.

[Bregon]

How disgusting, I have no words to describe how revolting Ebony was in this chapter. He just has to thank the fact that Rowan Berry incapacitated him before Midnight Wind could get his hooves on him.

[Gulheru]

11800717

He might still, you know.

[MathBrony173]

11800717

He just has to thank the fact that Rowan Berry incapacitated him before Midnight Wind could get his hooves on him.

Nah, Midnight is just waiting for him to regain consciousness so he can knock him back out.
Midnight: "Can you hear me, Ebony?"
Ebony: "huh....yeah"
Midnight: "Good" lights out for Ebony

[Bregon]

11800720
and I hope before Shining Armor decides to pay the Count Brother a visit too...

[redmar]

At least Ebony Crescent was stopped before he went way too far. He has crossed several lines already and really doesn't seem mentally stable. Midnight does need to have that conversation with Twilight preferably before they leave Mountain of Crescent which I think will be relatively soon. Ebony Crescent is also lucky that Twilight didn't try to use Earth ony strength to get him away that wouldn't have ended well for anypony.

[Gulheru]

11800806

If anything shall make her more reluctant or more convinced to utilize her strength, it might be exactly this moment.

[UnknownError]

11800667
I remember when this first came out and was following it on and off for years. Original interviews as well. Now that I picked it back up with some spare time, I guess my flowery prosaic disappointment comes from it still being in plot and scheme mode after years and hundreds of thousands of words. Twilight's been there for a month, right? Or around that time? I'm not too good at tracking the timetable. She's gone through a great deal in a short timeframe within the story, less so in real life. I'm still waiting for some kind of explosion to drive the plot into the next gear and the fuse keeps getting snuffed out to build more story and relationship and more schemes.

I really thought this was building towards some epoch shift in the story after it was confirmed that Twilight was drugged and Ebony was going to go there. Hit a point of no return. Something permanent happens that forces the journey to pick up pace.

"This horror is not you playing pretend, being hard to get, you…!”

And the wick is snuffed. Ebony is a manchild that didn't know what he was really doing and was caught up in the moment. It's important he realize this because he is not a villain and this was not a heroic rescue. If it was, we have crossed the point of no return. Someone might die or they might have to run.

Ignore those thousands of words of him scheming to get her into this position. He is regretful. Which means they can talk. Which means, I suspect, that Midnight will not tell Twilight he's the spy due to the circumstances and it will be like the cheating all over again until something forces his hoof in another few thousand words and I remember why I put this story down years ago. I'm tired. I think I hit this same nadir years ago and walked away.

[CopperTop]

Here we see the dreaded, but inevitable, conclusion of what happens when a stallion for whom saying 'no' to is technically illegal(I think?) is finally told 'no'. He pulls himself back from the edge at the end, but it feels like it was only because he's so narcissistic that he can't handle his delusion of desirability being shattered :/ Twilight's just lucky Ebony didn't have a psychotic break and simply start hallucinating the reaction he wanted to cope...

It will be interesting to watch the political fallout from this. Frankly speaking, Twilight now finds herself holding what amounts to overwhelming blackmail material to wield against the Crescents to guarantee their support in the vote. A member of their noble family tried to rape Equestria's representative of the Divine Aspect? You can't tell me the Conclave wouldn't censure the hell out of the Crescents for that, or whatever their equivalent is. Not that Twilight's the type to use that sort of blunt leverage. Ivory has at least come off as the sort to pressure her uncle into voting Twilight's way as an act of contrition, at the very least; so this visit went...well(?) in that respect...

Now we wait and see if Midnight will pony up and finally come clean about everything. Take your lumps, guy.

[Gulheru]

11801126

Very astute thinking, indeed. We all know Twilight is not the scheming type, but... perhaps this time she has a solid reason to be.

[Piemaster128]

I knew she was drugged, but oh my lord that was far more intense that I was expecting. I even delayed my stream just so I could get through the chapter and see what happened.

Seeing it from twilight’s perspective before she is able to realize what is happening was by far the creepiest part for me, and I am so glad that she was able to avoid the worst of the consequences. Though when Luna finds out about this, something tells me she might just say ‘f it’ and go to visit her children personally.

I also hope that this might be what both Twilight and Midnight need to finally start their road to reconciliation.

A phenomenal chapter and I can’t wait for more.

[Gulheru]

11801455

Thank you so much. Yeah, it wasn't the easiest thing to write, but I'm glad I took on the challenge. I think it worked out, after all.

[GCU Poke It With A Stick]

Ebony, who is probably fluent in over a dozen languages
Understands consent in precisely none of them

[Gulheru]

11801667

Nicely put, even if the point is bleak.

[DopplerEffect]

She didn’t know if she wanted to, actually. For was that sensation caused the drink itself... or rather the memory of the stallion, gazing at her with adoration, generosity and want ?

Should it be "caused by the drink itself"

That was... a horrifying read to say the least. I felt like I was pleading and screaming at Twilight to wake up the entire time, hoping she would before its too late. I know tone armor meant it was highly unlikely to actually go through, but for this chapter you certainly made be believe it could.

[Gulheru]

11801687

Oops.

If I made it believable then that's all I was aiming at. Still, rough time for both the writer and the readers, yes.

[Telos4]

I think I made the right decision waiting for a few chapters to build up before resuming reading this story, these last 3 chapters together felt like so much tension is finally starting to let up in the half the story not involving luna, I had a feeling that ebony would go to very reprehensible extremes in order to perform his "magnum Optus" though it is a surprise that he was not so far gone as I thought, him flashing to awareness of his actions not being what he envisioned was a surprise, now back to waiting to see how things unfold from here

[Gulheru]

11808271

If you managed to stomach it in one reading - power to you, my friend.

[Telos4]

11808272
ehh more over the course of a day and a half work has had alot of dead periods this week due to the phase of the current project

[Cavenerd20]

Well, I put off reading this chapter because I knew it'd be a hard read, and I wasn't wrong.

I'm not surprised, exactly, that he got so...pushy, to put it mildly. While his actions towards Twilight thus far did seem to be those of someone trying to woo her the right way, at least mostly, I haven't forgotten the conversation he had with Rowan Berry. And I (unlike a lot of people, I feel) caught on from that that he didn't care about her as an individual so much as a goal to attain. He saw her more as a trophy than a real pony.

I'm not exactly happy, though, that it took this to get Twilight to realize that. Good for him realizing it, but I still think he needs to face more consequences. Psychiatric help would do, since he realizes he has a problem, but I won't lie and say having him face the Twisted Tree wouldn't be darkly satisfying.

I'm not really blaming anyone for overlooking the above details, however. Despite some seeming evidence to the contrary, I'm still not totally convinced the Lesyi are complete monsters. That, however, is mostly because they sound so much like the Fair Folk, who aren't evil so much as alien. Also, my understanding is that Lesyi are supposed to be tutelary spirits of the forests. I could be just as wrong as the EbonLight shippers.

[Gulheru]

11839650

It wasn't an easy chapter to write, either. And I do understand your points, indeed.

[Backlash91]

In this chapter I see a strange yet poetic dichotomy between ebony crescent and moon warden…two sides of a coin…very well written. Deep and empassioned but powerful and honest.

[Gulheru]

11857302

Thank you, I'm glad that my efforts are appreciated.