A Walk by Moonlight
Hold Your Color
by Quillery
Suggestions, Editing and Pre-Reading by :
Siyray, Willsons, Izraill Z, BabySkittleMonster, Legion222, Dreamshadow, edensbane, amacita
Chapter Seventeen
A Walk by Moonlight
Dash was no stranger to death, or the sight of a body. The only really painful memory she had was the death of her grandparents over five years ago. It was a lengthy, emotional ordeal. She recalled the boat ride to Stalliongrad rather vividly. Her father barely spoke. Her mother was quiet, but responsive. They weren’t her parents, after all, but they still had been very close with her inclusion in Khroma’s family.
Aurora was a different mare altogether when they first met her on the docks. She would begin crying at the drop of a hat and look to her big brother for comfort. It was the most vulnerable Dash ever saw her aunt, and would never see her dip so low again since. In a way, at that moment in her life, she became harder, colder than Dash thought possible.
To Dash, the sight of her grandparents side by side in their coffins was a strange and otherworldly feeling. To see the bright and smiling faces of her loving elders lying cold and motionless, never to move again was hard on a teen, especially one who had never thought her family to be vulnerable.
Her grandfather was strong, even stronger than his son. He could cleave rock with his bare hooves and move boulders with his breath, as his stories would claim. Her grandmother was fast, faster than light, than air, and nothing could catch her in her prime. There was no better union of her grandparents, and their love was so strong that they could not be apart for long. It was an uncanny but accepted fact of life on Equus that when a bond between two is so strong, that they will stay tethered into death, even into Elysium.
These feelings and more came flooding back as Shining Armor carefully extracted the frail corpse of a unicorn from its hiding place in the wall. He had to move more stones to accomplish his task, but he eventually set the body on the ground.
The pony was clothed in tattered robes that hung torn and ripped from age. His skin was dry and taut against his bones. The crystalline quality of his flesh was present, but it looked like pressed glass, ground and shattered like a broken window. His eyes were clouded and cold, reflecting like dull gemstones.
The body was holding a book in its legs. Its cover was gilded with the scrivener’s symbol, covered in a thin layer of dust. A lock sealed it shut, but it had no slot for a key. Shining took great care in pulling the book free, slowly prying the legs apart and fighting its stiffened limbs.
Everypony else stared in rapt silence as the body was exhumed. Even Yearling had removed her hat and placed it against her chest. She closed her eyes and uttered a quiet prayer under her breath, and Edweena did the same.
Dash stared at the book. Her mind was racing. This has gotta be it! she thought. This is exactly what Twilight needs, I know it!
“We gotta get this to Twi!” she said.
Shining examined the book. He turned it over, looking at the lock and the pages it held shut. “Maybe we should figure out how to open it first? There’s no place for a key.”
“Twilight will know something, I’m sure of it.” Dash reached to grab the book from Shining’s grasp.
Shining pulled it away, shielding it from her. “Easy, Dash. Just be patient. We’ll get it to Twilight, but lets just have a look ourselves. There’s gotta be something we can get from this.”
Dash frowned. “Well, if you can figure out how to read a book that doesn’t open, then go for it.”
Shining shrugged and went back to the book. “Scriveners are meant to know magic to protect their books. Magic locks, spells that keep ponies from reading the pages, all kinds of things. Let’s see if there is anything like that.”
Shining Armor’s magic glowed around the book. It radiated a calming light that glinted off the golden cover. As the spell faded, a small etching of light remained on the cover.
“Hmm. More old equestrian.” He hovered the book towards Yearling. “If you would be so kind, Miss Yearling.”
Yearling took the book and nodded at him. She frowned very soon after. “For the eyes of the princesses.”
Dash blinked. “Huh?”
Yearling looked up and shrugged. “That’s wot it says, dear. For the eyes of the princesses.”
“What kind of magical lock is that!?” she shouted. “How does that open it?”
Shining was scratching his head. “Well. I have heard of some magical locks that only can open for certain individuals. Its completely possible for a lock to be made only to open for the princesses.”
“Well how does that help us? Luna and Celestia are a thousand miles away!”
“What about Cadence? Or Twilight? They’re princesses too.”
Dash stared at him a second, before she bonked herself on the head. “Of course! Now can we see Twi?”
She went to grab the book from Yearling, but she too held it out of her reach. “Not so fast, luv,” she said.
“Ugh, what is it with the game of keep away?” Dash said. “Just gimme the book.”
Yearling shook her head. “I don’t think its so simple. Think on it a second. Miss Cadence and Twilight are princesses yeah, but there weren't no princesses other than Luna or Celestia a thousand years ago. An’ I don’t think a bloke like a scrivener would let any pint-sized colt or filly with a five bit declaration of ‘princess’ to stumble along and open their books. I’d wager a fair prize that only the real deal will open this here book.”
Dash’s face fell. Yearling had a point, a thousand mile trip back to Canterlot point. A quick glance to her mane signaled that she probably didn’t have that kind of time. At the rate her colors were fading away, the Prism had maybe a few more days at most of color to give off before the world was due for an extended period of colorless, monochromatic gloom.
“How do we do that without just trekking all the way back to Canterlot?”
Yearling shrugged. “Bring Luna to us?”
Dash glowered. “And how do we do that? We don’t have Spike with us, so we can’t send a letter.” Dash sighed. “Poor Spike. He and the others have gotta be so worried by now. We didn’t even say where we were going.” She looked back to Yearling. “So unless you got a direct line to Luna in that big hat of yours, we’re running out of ideas.”
“You could begin by asking politely,” an ethereal voice responded.
Heads turned towards a small shimmering light floating in the center of the hall. The crystal walls twinkled with an otherworldly glow as a shape began to form out of thin air. A silvery border etched out a slender, pony-like shape that stood taller than any in attendance. Deep, powerful shadows filled in between the silver borders, as the standing form of Princess Luna stood before Dash and her company.
Her image blinked while casting slow sweeping glances around the hall. A smirk formed on her lips as she met eyes with the open mouths and the ponies attached to them.
“Princess Luna?” Dash said. “But… how?”
Luna’s expression turned serious. “The threat of Sombra’s possible return has forced my hoof. It is clear we are dealing with a power we cannot yet fully comprehend, and while I may be bedridden here in Canterlot to keep my sister in good health, I will not let that stop me from doing anything possible to keep a vigilant eye on your investigation.”
Luna turned to the rays of silver light that filtered through the crystalline walls. “The moon reflects the light of the sun. It is a little known ability of my sister that wherever the light shines, she may see, with concentration. With the light reflected by the moon, I may do the same. So I choose to keep a close eye on you, in case you found something valuable.”
Luna’s apparition began to glow, as ribbons of silver light ebbed from her horn and washed over the scriveners tome. The lock began to whiz and click from its internal contraptions under Luna’s magic. She nodded her head once, speaking softly. “Reveal your secrets. The princess of the night commands it.”
The book twitched, and with one final snap of the lock, the clasp clicked open and fell off. Yearling’s hooves jerked free from the sudden yank from the lock and dropped the book. It landed on its spine and fell open.
Everypony stared at the open book warily. Yearling was the first to approach it again, her hooves shaking. She whisked through the pages, flipping backwards and forwards through the entries.
Yearling cleared her throat. “Lotta entries in ‘ere, far as I can tell. Probably a couple decades worth, if these dates are right.”
“It might be best to search through the final entry, Miss Yearling,” Luna suggested. “If the contents of this book were worth hiding to the grave, it would be there where we would find answers.”
Yearling nodded. “R-right.” Yearling scooped past a bulk of the book and fell to the last few pages. She glanced at the first few lines and after a moment she smiled.
“What?” Dash said, leaning forward. She tried to look at the pages, but the language was archaic and strange, well beyond her comprehension. “What’s so funny?”
Yearling shook her head. “Jus’ the openin’ line, luv.” She picked up the book and read the entry aloud.
“The king has gone mad,” she began. “I have no other alternative to consider. King Sombra’s delusions have finally begun to get the best of him. He shies from his own shadows, refuses to meet with his oldest friends and counselors. He bars himself in his chambers, only to exit while muttering old tongues under his breath. I shudder to think of the purpose, only dark and foul magics come from the old languages.”
Yearling paused a moment as she read ahead, going suddenly quiet. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened as she tried to shape words on her lips. “That… that don’t make any sense at all…”
Luna tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
“Who in the bloody depths of Tartarus is Nocturne?”
Luna’s eyes narrowed. “What?” she hissed. “What in Equus are you talking about?”
Yearling pointed at the page. “Right ‘ere.” She cleared her throat and continued reading. “I fear that Queen Nocturne might be to blame for the king’s recent behavior. Her mood has only darkened with each passing day. Her disdain for other members of the servants has turned from idle gossip to threats of revenge and outcry. Her interest in the occult and ancient magics of old have always worried me, and I now convinced she is to blame for Sombra’s affliction, though I don’t dare repeat it aloud.”
The room went still as all eyes fell on Yearling. She looked up from the book, an eyebrow raised and turned to Luna. “Well? I never heard that name before. You must know something.”
Luna had dropped her head while Yearling was reading. Upon her completion, Luna’s body was trembling as she snapped up straight, fury in her eyes. “You mean to mock me?!” she shouted. “To play with this knowledge like it is a game?! We are on the cusp of oblivion and you see fit to waste my time?”
Yearling backed away from the shouting image of Luna, dropping the book. Everyone stared at the raging princess, confused at her sudden shift from calm to rage.
“Princess!” Dash said. “What’s wrong? Why are you so mad?”
“Mad? I am not mad! I am furious!” The image stomped the ground and edged closer to the group. “I expend the last traces of my magic to aid you while my sister slow drifts deeper into a wakeless dream, while this miscreant attempts to play games with the one thing that may bring us peace again!” Luna directed her glare directly at Yearling, who was quivering from her tirade.
“I didn’t make it up!” Yearling said. “I swear, thats what it says. The name Nocturne shows up all over the damned book!”
“There. Is. No. Nocturne! There was only Sombra! It was his madness alone that stole the Crystal Empire from us. Do you think me a fool to simply forget somepony such as his queen?! There was no queen! Ever!”
Yearling turned to Dash. “I swear I’m not makin’ it up! She’s gone bloomin’ mad!”
Dash stared at the trembling Yearling as she backed away from the advancing image of Luna. She wasn’t certain what was happening, and it was pretty obvious no one did. What Dash did know was that Yearling, despite the things she had been through so far in the pursuit of the Prism had been for its protection, and she had not steered them off course so far.
With only a few steps left, Dash stepped in between Yearling and Luna. The princess snorted in anger as she stared her down. “Miss Dash, why do you defend this pony who mocks your princess? Where does your Loyalty lie, if not to the throne of Equestria?”
Dash held her ground. “My ‘loyalty’ is to my friends. I don’t know what your problem is, but I’m not gonna stand by and let you yell at her because you can’t face the truth.”
Luna’s rage intensified. “What truth?! I have only heard lies and slander of history in this time of peril, and you stand in the way of justice!”
Dash glared. “Well, why don’t you face the truth yourself!” Dash kicked at the edge of the book and flipped it into her hooves. She swung it open and held it in front of Luna’s eyes. She winced and turned away, hoping something would knock Luna back to her senses.
After a few, lengthy seconds, Dash allowed herself to peek around the book. Luna’s gaze was fixed on the pages of the book. The anger and rage had drained from her face, and was replaced with confusion and loss.
Luna’s gaze went vacant as she stared at the book. Her eyes twitched and her lips quivered as phantom words drifted past her lips. The entirety of her phantasmal form flickered and faded in and out of view as she stood, silent, still, staring.
A cold wind picked up around the room, kicking up motes of dust and stray scraps of paper. The pages of the book flipped and snapped against itself. Pages tore loose and circled in the growing gusts, surrounding Dash and everyone else.
“What’s going on?!” Dash shouted over the wind.
“I have no idea!” Shining Armor shouted back. “But hold on!”
The whirling dust grew in size, encircling them in a vortex of white and grey. The walls of the library blurred away. Dash held her ground against the wind, but felt herself scraping against the ground. It would not be long until the winds took her, no matter how hard she held herself down.
And just as fast as the winds appeared, they began to fade. The dust receded and swirled into the ground and out of sight. The air went still, save for the sound of panicked breathing.
“Everypony alright?” Dash said.
Edweena brushed her shirt. “A few ruffled feathers here, but fine.”
Shining Armor wiped his brow. “Could be better. What the hay happened?”
Dash shrugged. “No idea.” She turned to Luna. “Princess? Are you o—”
She paused. Luna’s image was no longer translucent and instead replaced by what appeared to be the true physical form of the Princess of Night. Her mane rippled in a phantom wind and shimmered with the brilliance of the night sky. The silvery glow around her body remained, ebbing in and out of sight.
Luna’s face was still set in a vacant, distant expression. Her eyes appeared to be staring at multiple things at once, some far away and other impossibly close. Her mouth was open, lower lip trembling as soundless words were shaped but swiftly died in the air. She was transfixed on something directly behind Dash and the others.
Dash turned towards the center of the room and peered through the fading mists. Several shapes wavered into view as the dust cleared. The library was gone, replaced by a large, circular chamber. Dash and her friends stood on the edge of this new room, facing into the middle. A group of dark hooded ponies stood in a circle around the center, chanting in low voices.
In the center, a tall figure loomed. Dash’s breath caught in her throat as her mind tried to form a rational explanation as what she saw. A stallion, grey as the mountain, and nearly as tall towered in the center. His mane was as black as night, held by a steely crown around his face. His cloak treaded on the ground as he paced, trimmed with white fur and lined with sapphire blue. A blue that matched his eyes, deep and endless. Dash lost herself in those eyes, piercing, judging. Her lips struggled to move as it tried to utter a single, terrified word.
“S-sombra…”
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Well..... shit.
Hopefully it's only one of those memory comes to life things, but I get the feeling that something much worse is going on.
Was Nocturne a piece of Luna, perhaps? Affected by the Nightmare even then? She seems very... personally offended.
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I would point out that the narrative states that Sombra's eyes are blue. This could be the sane version of King Sombra.
This has fast become one of my top favorite fics on FimFic. The story is absolutely captivating. You are an amazing writer and I can not wait to see where you go with this. :)
Bloody ancient languages
Lemme guess. Sombra x Luna.
6377858 I would believe that and that she saw something in him once.