Lateral Movement

by Alzrius

885 - The Queen in Yellow

Noble Bright felt as though he were a colt again.

He’d known for some time that a god’s mere presence could have a powerful effect on lesser creatures. Whether it was Kara’s irresistible eroticism, Soft Whisper’s crushing fatigue, or the powerful sense of reassurance that his own goddess radiated, simply being in the presence of the divine – save only for deities who elected to hold the full force of their presence in check, the way the Moon Princess or Luminace did – meant experiencing the authority they exuded over various aspects of the universe.

But he had never imagined what it would feel like to stand in The Author’s presence.

Indeed, the goddess who had created all of Everglow and its beings – as well as personally crafted the brand of destiny for each and every pony – was the single most mysterious member of the pantheon. The Sun Queen virtually never spoke of her, and when she did it was usually only to note that The Author was the one who had laid down the rules regarding how much the other gods were allowed to interfere with the mortal world. Beyond that, she had always been an enigma.

Until now, that had never concerned him much. He’d never had cause to study faiths beyond his own, and other than Luminace and the Moon Princess the rest of the pantheon only visited in rare circumstances, and a few – such as the Unspoken or Soft Whisper – had never visited at all. At least, not since he’d been placed in charge of defense of the realm. So in that regard, it was no surprise that had no real familiarity with The Author or what she could do.

If he had, he likely would have requested a transfer to the Sun Queen’s diplomatic corps, simply for the chance to be in The Author’s presence more often.

Unlike most of the Sun Queen’s faithful, Noble Bright still had his memories from when he was alive. It was a request that he had asked of her in reverence and humility, knowing that to retain knowledge of his mortal ties would make it that much harder for him to move beyond them and one day merge with her. But that had been the very reason he’d requested it; so that he could act in her service – and the service of all her faithful in Soothing Meadows – that much longer. And his goddess had, in her boundless grace and infinite selflessness, granted his desire.

That was why Noble Bright could still remember what it felt like when he’d been a boy of eight, and the wilderness surrounding his parents’ farm had still seemed like a portal to endless adventures. In those innocent days, every loose branch was a magical sword, to be brought to bear against the orcs and goblins that lurked behind every tree, menacing beautiful fey maidens who lived in the nearby glades. His imagination had soared every time a cloud had passed across the sun, dreaming that it was the coming of a dragon that only he could slay, and each rustle of a branch foretold an evil wizard just waiting to be vanquished.

Inevitably, those dreams had faded away as he’d gotten older. By the time he was ten, he’d already been helping out on his parents’ farm for some time, and when he’d gotten it in his head to join the Imperial Army, he’d already forgotten the feeling of those carefree days playing at the edge of the woods.

But they all came rushing back to him now, as he gazed at The Author.

It was such a heady feeling that he couldn’t even bring himself to think it odd how the creator goddess wasn’t a pony herself.

Instead, he could only stare at her humanoid figure, cloaked in xanthous robes that looked as though they’d been spun from pure gold, hiding most of her from sight. A hood cloaked her head, and the hem of her garb reached all the way to the floor. Even her hands were hidden, being folded together in front of her such that each was tucked into the opposite sleeve.

Only her face was visible...or at least, it should have been, the features hidden by a gauzy veil that looked as though it had been woven from the gentlest clouds the sky had to offer. Behind it, he could make out hints of the goddess’s features, the most notable being her two eyes, which seemed to be almost-

Suddenly, multicolored feathers obscured his vision.

“Don’t,” murmured the Sun Queen softly, interposing herself between him and The Author.

It was only then that he’d been moving toward the creator goddess, somehow having moved halfway across the pavilion without realizing it.

And it was only now, when his goddess had stopped him, that he realized just how badly he needed to continue approaching The Author. Even now, there was a tantalizing pull to her that he couldn’t bring himself to resist. As though, if he could just come to the creator goddess’s attention, he’d be off on a wondrous adventure, the kind which tugged at the heartstrings of the little boy still within him. “I...if I can just-”

“You musn’t,” whispered the Sun Queen. “I don’t want you to become like Honeymoon Trap.”

It took Noble Bright a moment to remember who that was, blinking as he turned to look at Kara’s servitor.

Standing near the edge of the divan that Kara was draped over, the bloody bride – the entirety of her body still hidden within her mangled and stained wedding dress – seemed to be lost in her own little world. Even as he watched, she stood up on her hind legs, front hooves held out before her, and began to slowly move back and forth as though dancing with an invisible partner to a tune only she could hear.

Noble Bright’s confusion was absolute as he looked between the broken, disgusting creature that Kara had brought with her and his own goddess. “I don’t understand.”

The Sun Queen paused for the briefest moment, then seemed to make up her mind about something, letting out a soft sigh as she brought her wing up to Noble Bright’s face, tracing her feathers over his eyes. “See her as we do,” she intoned, her voice barely a whisper.

The soft touch made Noble Bright blink, and when he opened his eyes again the Sun Queen had already withdrawn her wing, giving him an unobstructed view of The Author-

And Noble Bright only barely managed to choke back a scream.

The aura that the goddess gave off was no longer one of endless adventure, but instead unremitting horror. It wasn’t like the dread that the Night Mare radiated – the goddess’s presence like being awakened at night by the sound of something moving underneath your bed – but was more like a profound realization of intense aversion. Like being trapped in that single instant when you woke up only to find a spider crawling on your face.

The Author’s appearance only made that sensation worse. Though her figure hadn’t changed much, still being a humanoid figure clad in yellow, the details were profoundly different now, elevating the sensation of absolute wrongness that clung to her.

Her robe was tattered and frayed, its color jaundiced and sickly and its hem trailing loose strands behind her. The sound it made as it dragged along the floor was louder than it should have been, as though the fabric concealed something unnervingly grotesque beneath it. That perception was heightened by the way she moved, the motions beneath the fabric stilted and unnatural, as though her joints weren’t in the right places.

Worse was how her veil was missing altogether.

Instead, covering The Author’s face was a mask.

Its design was like that of the masks on signs used to indicate a theater, where one was laughing and the other was crying. Except the two had been fused into one, with half of The Author’s mask displaying a wailing face, while the other half was frozen in an endless cackle. And behind the mask, through the gaps that were its features, he could just barely make out-

Noble Bright felt something inside himself break then, and something that was either a laugh or a wail came up from his throat as he fumbled for his sword. It was overly large, and much too bulky for what he needed it for, but he didn’t care, bringing the point around to his left eye first-

And then the Sun Queen swept him up in her embrace, his weapon clattering to the floor as – enveloped in the motherly presence of his goddess – Noble Bright began to sob.

---

“First time seeing her without the makeup on, huh?” laughed the Unspoken, parrot’s beak clicking in mirth.

He was the only one so amused, as the hagunemnon he’d brought with him proceeded to metamorphose – changing into a large cube of translucent ooze – before resuming its plasmoid state, causing the Unspoken to huff. “Did you just call me a square?”

Blaze ignored the chaos god’s antics, instead keeping her eyes trained on The Author as Vutok crouched behind her, trying to make himself seem smaller. “What is it that’s going to hatch from this ‘egg,’ exactly?”

“And can it be stopped?” added Luminace, peering from around where Euclase was serving as a living barrier between her and The Author, the dragon making sure to face away from the creator goddess. “I’m assuming that if you’re here, then whatever’s inside there must be dangerous, even to us.”

“̴̧̺̠̽̄W̷͇̼͂͐i̷̗̽̾̓t̴̠͓̱͒̊̾h̵̩̾ï̶͇n̵̡͂ ̶͚̘̮̋ṯ̸̤͎̌̌̔h̵͚̬̿̊a̵̦͖̙̅͝t̷͙̥̒̉ ̴̢̮̗̎c̸̨̛̤̘͊̍ö̴̱͆c̷̞͇̄ö̵͚́͗o̷̱͐͠ǹ̷̳͂ ̴̡͖͆̒͜ŏ̵̻f̵̛̹͕͐͌ ̴͇̂ń̸̛͚̰͚̿ö̵͕́̔t̴̪̪͇́ĥ̵̩̳̿ḯ̷͎̙̀͋n̸͍͕̘̎g̸͈̮̺̎͌͂n̸̡͔̝͗ḙ̶͐̅͠s̵̫̏͐s̶̝̝̟͑̂ ̴̯̘̃d̵̡̲̉̕͜͝ẉ̸̀̓͜e̷̢͓̓̉̚ḽ̸̈́̊l̷̰̋̾s̸͇͈̃̒̕ ̶̟͐͛̓à̴̝͆͐ ̶͈̻̼̀n̴͉̬͆ä̴̮́s̸̙̮̓͆ç̵̯̟͆͋̕ḙ̴̡͉̇̀͋n̵̦̦͔̒͆̓ẗ̶̛̟́̀ ̶͍̙͇̋̈́̑ų̴̱̰̌n̸̡̅m̸̨̥͍̔ò̶͚̎̎r̶̛̜̈̽t̶͍̞͚͐ả̵̝̗̰̓l̸̘̻̰̈́,̷̳͚̽”̴̜̞̟̐͋ replied The Author, the tortured cacophony of their voice causing Sanguine Disposition to wince from his place at the Night Mare’s side, keeping his eyes firmly shut even as he flattened his ears against his skull. “̷̼͂A̶̖͔͛̊̾ ̵̟̻̊̀̅c̶͈̟͒͂h̷̛̲̲͑͛į̴̰̄̂l̷̛̟̭̝̈́d̴̫͒ ̵̖̙̚o̵͓̻͕̔̃f̸͕̘̒ ̵̣͕̔̔̚ͅö̷̬͚́̂̅n̴̺͊͗ͅe̴̗͆̌ ̵̈́͜͝o̴̢̞͓̓f̷̟͂ ̴̤͍̲̓t̸̨̘̫͌h̴̹̣̖̑e̸͈͔̗̽ ̸̻̘̫̈̈́͂a̵͓̰̣̕n̸̥̰̅ṱ̴͕͆̄͐ͅi̵̘̰̼̅-̸̜̻͖̃g̶̡̬͗̈o̸̜̮̮̍͒d̴͐͐͂͜ś̷͍̟ ̷͈̂̉̈́ẁ̴̞h̶̳͎̆ͅő̴̮̖̓̍ ̶̝͉̪͌o̴̳̍p̵̦̮̆p̴̨͓̌͊ơ̷̻̫͙s̶̥̗͓̎̕e̶̠̱͑d̷͎̙̱̉͆ ̷̠͛C̷̯̲͈͋r̶͈̄e̸̯̲͝a̷͒͘ͅt̶̡̮̓͐͂i̸͖̙͚̋̒ó̸͇ņ̸̲̇ ̷͙͎̲͒d̸̙̰͘ǘ̴̜r̶̳͙̽͜͝i̵̜͈͖̽n̸͓̫̈́g̴̭͂ ̵̺͒͑t̵̳͗͌h̵̙͍̱͗ȇ̶͉͖͗̏ͅ ̸̳̭̆̿̊T̷̙͑i̵̩̒̉͆m̴̭͈̭̏e̷̳̭͌ ̸̲̼͌̑͘B̴̩͎̲͌̕e̸͚̣̒f̴͉̺̊̕ȯ̷̱r̸̢̠̞̓̉͒e̴̢͈͆.̴̪̆͘ ̴̡̯̅̆͜N̶̛͔̂͜ö̸͙̹̪́̅̎w̷̘̃ ̵̠̈́̐͌t̸̢̓h̴̡̤̱͐̑̀ā̴̜̱͈̆t̸̨͒̊͗ ̸̮̣̌͑̈́ṱ̸̊ḧ̸̙́͒̽e̶̟̹̥͛̎̔ ̵̬͖̀̇t̸̖̗̖͒a̵̦̠͋ś̸͍͌t̷̘̅͆e̸̡̦̺̊ ̵͎̲̈́ọ̶̋̐͑f̵̘̲̟͋̽̕ ̵̘̞̫̀̍ḋ̷̳̻̫̓́i̵̛͖͐͝v̴̩̿̚i̸͚̾̉n̴̠̈́̏͝i̶̝̮͂t̸̫̳̒y̶̢̭͉͛ ̵̮̱̑̂h̴̖̥̳͆a̸̤͚͍̓s̴̡̿̿ ̵̬͚͖̅g̴͍̍̑̊į̷͈͓͊v̶̖̆̏ë̴̼̕n̶̥͓̺̉ ̶͈͙̄̓͐i̸̢͉̐̎̍ṫ̵̮̺̥ ̷̡̣͗̆͜c̸̛̫̦͎̈́͂à̵̧̤͕u̷̞͐̀͘s̶̘̆͂ḙ̷̔̽̈́ ̷͇̈̾t̴̟̕ͅo̶͍̤͂ ̵̳̀̈g̸̢̪̈e̵̥͌͠s̷̘͑̎ţ̵̼͂͊ă̸͈͎̎ţ̸̠́͛e̴̩̓͗,̵͉̥̽̾ ̵̛̠͚̮͌i̷̡̳͚̇̇͒t̵̢̞̱͐ ̵̡̘͓̏̈́͝s̴̤̅̑̿ė̶͚ḙ̵́͋͒k̷͖̹͌̓͊ŝ̷̡̉̉ ̵̧̢͌͐̾m̶͖̄̑o̵̡̜̟͐̅͂ŗ̵̑̒e̷̡̛͗ ̵͉͖̍̕s̶̗̈o̷̡̩̽̆ ̶̳͎̖̔͂̚t̴̠̲͋h̴̬͖̚a̶̭͖̬̍ẗ̷̤̣́̍ͅ ̴̧̮͋͒ī̶̯ț̵̝͗͆͜ ̸̞̐̚͠m̵̧͛̓̃à̸͎̃y̸̡̧̽̊ ̵͍̯̍e̷͇͎͠s̸̖̞̤̅͝c̴̝̋̎̉å̴̼͛p̴̣͔̺̎̎̂e̶̙̬͛̂ ̸̝̻͔͆͊͌i̷̗͔̇̀t̸̻̮͗͒s̸͕̲͆̈́ ̸̩̪̀̀̄s̵̤͛͂h̶̹͂̍ẻ̴̳ĺ̵̨̼͎͠l̵͓̓́̅.̷͔̱̠̀”̵̯͒̀̈́

Off to the side, Silhouette gave a pained groan as he sank to the ground, murmuring prayers over and over in an endless litany, shuddering as the Moon Princess laid a wing over him. But her attention didn’t waver from The Author. “If this thing devours godhood just to hatch from its egg, does that mean that this...‘unmortal,’ will be a greater threat once it emerges?”

The Author laughed at that, and the sound made even Soft Whisper shiver. “̶̢͍͔͆Ẽ̸̗̳̿͊ṿ̵̽̾̽ȩ̵͓̉͒͝ṅ̶̳̻̊̕ ̸͕̈́̕ā̶̹͛̏s̷̡̟̔̌́ ̴̦͐a̷̮͓̹̋͊ ̷͔̻́n̷̬̾͛̂e̴̹̓̕w̶̧̪͌b̸̨̡͔̊o̸͇͝r̴̙̮͎̈͋͠n̵̟͗̕,̴͕̇͝ ̸̨̜̯̔̎i̸̥̬͉̿̽t̴̳͋ ̸̯̿ͅw̸̱̐͜ͅį̵̀͛̉l̴̘̪͆͐l̴̞̜̓ͅ ̸̠͂p̷̯̖̔̈́ö̷͙́͌ș̴̹͗͒͌ͅs̶̡̻̺̈̋ė̸͔̩͋̾š̷̬̘͌s̶̹̒ ̴̥̣̺͒p̴̢̱̞̓o̶̡̰͆̔͝ẁ̸̺͝e̵̗̖̩̍r̷͖͉͇̒̓ ̴̨̟͖̑͌b̸̡̢̨̏̓͆è̷̝͎̿ý̷̦̗̇͌ò̵̺̗̱̆̋ņ̴̬͉̚̕d̵̽̐͌͜ ̴̦̞̗̓̚̚á̶̧̈́ṅ̴̠ÿ̶͎̳́͂̒ ̴͔̙͗̐̽o̸̳͍͐͝f̴͔͎̑ ̵̜̮͠ỵ̴̊͜o̶͉̐͜ǘ̵͍̝.̶̨̒̇ ̸̳̮̇Ǭ̶̺n̵͓̫̤̒́͘l̴̠̯̎ỳ̵̢̻ ̴̥͖̆͐̇i̸̠̊f̸͖͓͒͜ ̷͓͉̽ÿ̵̙̱̺́o̸̯̱͑̎͝ü̴̠͆ͅ ̶͍͉͓̅̏ú̴̪̲͝ṋ̵̛̖̾͊i̸͔̯͆̈́͌t̶̺͘͝e̸̫̺͆d̷͖̤̈̓ ̷̝͛̐̚i̵̭̿̒̎n̵̡̟̖̐̐̈́ ̴̥̳̄a̶̧͚͕̎̎͗ċ̶̮̠̪͂ẗ̸̗́i̴̝̼͖͑͒ó̵͍̰ͅṅ̵̠̬̺̾ ̵̞͍̈́w̴͕͉̓̾̔ō̴̜̙͖u̵̡̿̀l̶̗̭̒̏̃d̵̖̈͝ ̷̡̰̎̇y̵̛͙͐͗o̴̢͙̝̔u̶̢̠̐̈́ ̴͈̘͍̿h̶̼̍͆͐a̶̜͙͙̎v̸̬͛e̷̳͙̿ ̶͙͐̉̿a̴͙͛̂ ̸̳͉̐̑̓c̷̛̥̹̚͝h̶̝̗͘a̴͎̎͋́n̸͙͑̿c̶͓͛e̴͇̓͠ ̷̘̲̅a̸͕̝̓͝t̷͈̤̚ ̷̭̭̅ͅo̷̗̱̲̐̒̕v̴̧̘̘̄́͛ë̵͚ŕ̴̥͗c̵͙͙̉ͅo̸̧̯͋m̸̝̳̚i̴̪̞̙̒n̷̨͈̱̈́̅g̶̡̓ ̸̲̱͛̏ȉ̵̱̓̔t̶̪̏.̷̮͓́”̴͉̘͈̑̅̚

“And if we tried that, I’m guessing it would feed on our godhood and grow even stronger, right?” For once, there was no teasing lilt in Kara’s voice, her expression subdued. “Meaning that even if we did try and fight it together, we could all still lose.”

“Then we should take action now, before it hatches!” snarled Blaze, stamping her hoof. “If we go down there and make sure to attack it at range-”

“Then we run the risk of causing the very thing we wish to avert,” cautioned Soft Whisper. “We have no idea what this ‘anti-god’ is capable of, even as an egg, and distance might not be the safeguard you think it is.”

“We need more information,” agreed Luminace. “Like, where did this thing come from? I thought it was just a sphere of annihilation, but apparently not...” She trailed off then, her eyes widening. “Or...or are all spheres of annihilation eggs of these creatures?!”

“They’re not,” cut in the Moon Princess. “I’ve heard of mortal wizards creating them before, along with certain creatures possessing powerful magic. They can’t all be incubating these primordial beings.”

̵̡͉̙̀“̵̟̎͒I̷̳̦̋͂ͅn̵̠͘d̴̢͚̅̉͗e̷̡͙͇͂e̷̹̰̯͐͂d̵̟́,̴̤̺̃”̵̡͇̈͑͘ intoned The Author. “̶̬̿̆͠M̶̹͒͒̇a̷̡̘̣̒͋n̵̠͌͝y̵͙̖̑͂͑ ̸̨̹́̃̀a̴̢͑r̸͚̻̪̕e̴͖͌̍ ̸͉̉m̸̨̢̿̉e̸̜̻͐͑̒r̸͈̣̍͋e̶̲̯̳͠ ̸̺̫͑̉̆č̵̺̳̑̿o̸̙̘̗̾p̵̖͎͐̑͘ȉ̷͍͕͗̚ë̴͈͔͙́s̸̤̥̈̍͗,̴͈̹̾͝ͅ ̸̘̈́̽̕m̸̖̲͘a̸̡̦͌d̶̻͕̄̀͘ͅẽ̸͚̰ ̴̜͚̇̌ỉ̶͕̯͛͐n̶͚͚̩̐͆ ̴̧̝̓ư̸͈̊́n̴̮̗̗͝w̸̢̜͙̏į̸̜̘͒͗̐ț̵̿ẗ̴̺i̸̟͊ṅ̶͉͓́̓g̵̟̲̿ ̶̭͔͛͌͗ͅh̸̦̎̊ơ̸̬̆̈́m̴̹̻̮͝ǎ̸̖̙̬̓̎g̷̥̫̫̈́͘e̸̮̲̹̿́ ̵̪̓̀t̶̩̬̉̓̕o̴̫̮̭̓ ̴̭̪͖͌̽t̵̛͎̋͋h̶̲͖͒ê̵̮̞͎̐ ̶̫̮̦̕c̸̩̬̘͛̀̚h̸̳̉͜i̶̳͇͇͝l̶̛͙̟̼̍͝d̶͍͙͑͑̏r̶̢͓̋ẽ̴̙̉ṋ̸̀ ̴̺͉̱̿̀̍o̵͇̲̙̾͝f̴͇̀̏̐ ̶̣̫̓̀t̴̥̗̗͛̈́h̷̜̱̀̽͜͝ē̷̹ ̴̛͇̭̊ȁ̵̫͔̦̂n̴̖̻͈͛̓́c̴̹̫͗i̵͚̻̇̽ḛ̶̭̃n̷̯̜͊̏́ṱ̷̍ ̵̱͝͝f̶̹͓͗̑͑ȏ̴̮̯e̴̘̋͆s̸͈̣͆̾ ̵̼͉̏́͂ò̷̡̍̍f̸̈̋̈́ͅ ̷̛̥̳̓͑C̸̞̦͎̉͐̕ȑ̵̤͍̈́̓ĕ̵̛͉̯̫̃a̸͍̫̟͘t̷̑͜ḯ̷̥͒͒ò̸͈̹n̴͇̬̘̊͌.̶̝̥̇̎ͅ ̷̩̹̑͝T̶̯͒͑h̶̊ͅḙ̴̜̒̽̄ ̵̙͑̈́͝e̵̲̻̽̇͠ǵ̶̞̪̗g̵̙͑̾̒ṡ̵̻̭̈ ̴̰͗t̶̠̖̽h̴̹̲̹͂͆ė̴̪͈̻̇̓ḿ̴͔̪̻s̵̮̉̃̃ĕ̷̱̦́͠l̷͈͝v̴̝̭̪̌̈͋e̷̼̊̚͘s̵̡̟͂̐ ̸̩͔̃ẅ̸̠́͝e̴̜̣͕̋r̵̤̈ë̸̢͘ ̸̼̳͐̆͠i̷̼͋̀m̵̢̟̘͐̐p̵̯̱͛̆r̸̲̋ḭ̸̧̲̏̊̌ṩ̵̰̑͜͝o̸͉͍͌͜n̶͔̕͝e̴͉̻͖̓̒̆d̴̜͍͔͑̄̀ ̷̢͚̔̌ẅ̵̘́͠ỉ̸̏͋͜t̷̹̝̾͜͝͠ḩ̴͚͍̈́͛i̵̧̥̓̒͌n̷̫̮̻͐ ̵̭͉̝̀͛á̷̡͓̟ ̶̪̝̰̎͐l̷͚̃a̷̮͎̔̊c̷̬̥̙̉͛͌ű̴̫n̶͉̈́̒a̷̭̺͆,̴̹͇͆̽͝ ̶̹̤̑̐͊k̸͉͓͆͊̀ḙ̵̮̼̂p̴͖̙͠͝t̸͈͘ ̸̖̘̔̃w̵̠̠̠̓͗̀i̸̦͌̔t̷̛͇͜h̷̪́͋͝į̷̥̀͜n̸͖̰̱̈́͋̚ ̸̘̏t̵̼͉̋h̵̘̬̮͐͆̃e̴̢͉̬̓ ̵̨̹̀̊͂c̴͕͋̃͠ȯ̷̠̪̔͝n̸̥̒f̴̝͈̈́͑i̸͕̰̜͐n̴̨̯̑͂̚e̶̯̘̿s̶͖͕̎̕͠ ̷̡̺̅̚͠ȯ̸̱͖̕f̶̺͑̋̈́ ̷̗͙͐̑͂r̸̘͑̐͛͜e̵̢̹̿a̷̲̤͐́͜l̴͉͈͔̑i̴̝̜̓͋͘t̷͔̖̰̎̚y̷͙͈̓͝ ̴̦̼̎w̶̟͚̪͛h̵̳̩͐̏ḯ̷̡l̷̞͒̓͌ē̶̘̓̿ ̴̩̂̈́̊s̸͓̄̒t̵̘̺̒͜i̵͎̭͉̋l̷̛̹̤͠ļ̴̪̓̓͠ ̷̳̪̈d̵̞̞͉͂ě̴̡̯͒͆p̶̳̪̝̊̋̃r̶̲̊̊̕ĭ̵̙̺͎̿̋v̸̼̑ḯ̶͈̺͝͝n̸̗͕͝͠g̵̞̓ ̴̠̩͍͆ṫ̶̲͔͆͘h̴͙̿͌̌è̵̹̦̞͂m̷̟͕͊̚ ̴̠̻͐͝o̷͎̰̒̑f̵͖̘̂̐̌ ̴̞̟̱̆ä̶͖͈̖́n̴̢̍ŷ̸̙̋̒t̷̨͗͊̓h̸̢͈̳́̈͐i̴̗͔͝͝n̵̜̓g̶̣̫̋̒̕ ̵͖͓̩̓͗͌s̷̹̍ŭ̶̱͘b̷̧̥̮͝s̴̙͋̃ẗ̶̥́a̸̞̜͊ņ̷̉̉t̵͈̠̔̌͝i̷̩̫̮̍͝à̴͖l̷̘͖͎̆̚ ̶̛̩͈̽t̴̢̛̥̹̆ơ̸̼͘̕ ̸̡͠f̷̜̐̇e̶̹̞̥̔̿e̶̝͂̈́͝ḑ̴͓̈́̐͆ ̴͕͍̭̐̔͘ṵ̵̞̜͝p̶̛̘̞̭̀̏õ̴̜͈̽n̷̖̙͓͊.̶̟̒̊”̴̲̳̇̈͜

The Moon Princess’s eyes widened at that. “The Ethereal Plane!” she blurted. “You’re saying that they were placed within the Deep Ethereal, beyond the Color Curtain!”

“̶̢̮͔̑̾Ć̷̢̭̲o̸̠̬͗̆͝r̶̺̄r̵̠̱̈̉ȩ̸̤̉̇̚c̶̨͚͂t̸̝̻̽͝.̸̢̯̪̍͆̚”̷̪̪́

That answer only made her consternation worse. “But-, but how is it here, then?! Even the fringes of the Deep Ethereal are fraught with peril, and the deeper you go the more frequent the cosmic cyclones become, and the ether gaps become progressively larger! It’s why only the most ephemeral creatures are able to venture forth from the failed universes and unfulfilled timelines, being held at bay by the wall of dreams!”

“Unless a dream-binder had something to do with this,” muttered Luminace thoughtfully. “Isn’t that their power? To reach beyond the Color Curtain and bring things out of those failed existences?”

But the Moon Princess shook her head. “No, not like this. Not for something that eats the essence of godhood. Not even the Night Mare’s champion could do this, titan or no.”

“Then who did?” asked the Sun Queen quietly, still rocking Noble Bright as she held him to her chest.

“Whoever gave it to that treacherous little slut Adagio,” growled Kara. “I’m guessing even if they weren’t the one who brought it out of whatever ‘lacuna’ it was in, they know something about whoever did.”

“Don’t you know who that is?” bleated the Unspoken, his head now that of a goat. “You were keeping an eye on her all this time, weren’t you?”

Kara seemed to regain a bit of her impishness at that, chuckling in a self-conscious manner. “I mostly just checked in on her every so often to make sure she hadn’t tried to flee to some other world or anything like that. I only really stopped to watch what she was doing when she was getting busy.”

“Of course you did,” spat Blaze disgustedly.

Kara shrugged. “What can I say? Good porn is hard to find.”

Paying no attention to the love goddess’s banter, the Sun Queen looked at her sister. “If we can’t confront this thing without making it worse, then we need to alert our mortal champions. I will contact Iliana. Sister, you-”

̸̱̆“̴̙̊͂̇Ḭ̵̢̳̄͝ ̴̻̝̂̍ẉ̴̧̓ì̴̖͓̅l̴̥̉͝l̷͓̞̲̐̐͋ ̷̧̍̅͝ǹ̴͍̓̀o̴͔͖͇̒t̷̘͐̈́̈́ ̴̢̆ȁ̵̭̑̀l̵͔͙̜̆̋͐l̸̩̚o̴̠̲̅w̴̩̝̃ ̸̦̂͊i̸̬͒t̸̢͕̽.̴̙̮̀”̸̧̋̅

A stricken look crossed the Sun Queen’s face at The Author’s pronouncement. “But the danger-”

“̷͙̱̕M̷̠̉͝a̴̻͈̓̌̀ḱ̶̨e̷̪͚͊s̷͖̤͓̐ ̷̲͙̈́̿͐f̴̲̤̞̉̄͂ǭ̶͊͝ȓ̷̻̖̀ ̷̥͊̓ā̵̡̏n̴͖͉͉̈͆̏ ̵̗̔i̵̻͖̞̿̂̇n̴͒̈̊͜ͅt̴͈̻̯̃͛̾ę̴̬̕r̴͎̃̈̐e̴̗̹̅ͅs̶̞̬͍̑t̴͕́i̷̝̽n̶͎̩̟̅͌̕g̶͋̄́͜ ̴̺͙̅̽ţ̶͇͆a̶̢̟̽͋͒ͅl̴̹̭̀̀͋ȩ̶̛̘̠͒̆,̶̯͚͔̇̋͝”̵͇̥͑͊ came the other deity’s reply. “̷̺͝Ì̵̢̯͒̋ͅ ̶̢̳̙͊̍͂w̷̜̹͋͐̐ì̸̛̬̝̐ľ̶̥̩̬ĺ̸̫̔ ̶̯͎͆͝n̵̫͌̒̍o̴͓̔̍t̸̩͎̩̊̾͝ ̸̨̛͙̫̔͒ḩ̶̍͂͘a̷̹͕͛̒v̷̫̝̈̌e̸̛̻͇̬͊ ̶͎͔̐̋̄Ĺ̸̼͐e̴̓̓̓͜x̴̺̾͝ ̵̧̡̱͋Ḻ̷̡͊̄͑ẻ̷̢͔̪̌g̴͔̞͐͑̄ḯ̸̥̮̻̓̑ś̸̰͝’̵̨̽ ̷̼̿̓͠ș̴̓͒ṭ̶̢͇̈́͘o̸͙̅r̶͙̅̍̈y̵̨͈̝͊͊ ̸͎̾̉d̶̞͂̋͠i̷̡̧͌̾̈́s̶̬͑ŗ̸̝͒ụ̶̰͊̈́p̸͈͋̑t̶̤̺͛ȅ̴͇̾̅d̴̺̗̳̋̽̌ ̴̟̟̪͒́͆b̶̩̳̀y̸̤̐ ̶̢̙͊̅s̷͚͖̾͂̆u̶͍͚̻͗c̷̞̥͕͒h̷̦̄̑ ̷̹̐̊̕b̷̢̜̫̋͗l̵̲̠̥͐̔a̶̢̗̯͑͌̓t̶̗̿̔͝a̶̤̚n̵̩̋͒̔ẗ̵̘́͐̓ ̴̲͍̖̽͗i̶̭̓̈n̶̫̋̊t̴̨͕̲̽̕ẻ̶͙̥͠ȑ̶͉͔͌̿v̶̼͍̓̒͝ë̴͓̻́n̷̫̫̐̽̓ṭ̴̞͔͌́͝i̸̲̻̪͝͠͝ǒ̶̖͔̹̉ń̷̖͓̪̿̐i̵̳̊͒s̸̩̤̯̎m̶͓̈́̌̑.̶͍͔̀”̴̡̼͍̾̈͠

“You can’t be serious!” The Moon Princess took a step toward The Author then. “This is worse than provoking war with the elves! If that ‘unmortal’ has the power to challenge our entire pantheon fresh from its egg, then Everglow itself might not survive its emergence!”

“̴̡͎̑̍̿͜Ṫ̵̙̹́h̵͕̹̆e̸̙͚̝͝ṙ̴͉̿̅ë̴̟̗̺́ ̶̟͠i̶̟͊̉s̸͔̫̣̍̈ ̷͇̘̝̋͋n̸̛̲̹o̶̝̳͎͗ ̷̠̯͝‘̸͕͊͒m̸̡̜̫̏͊͊i̴̭̼̕͘g̵̨̛̭͎̈́͆h̶͍͇̹͛̔t̴̜̟͒̓̓’̷̨̞̙͋̂ ̸̫̰͌͜à̵̟͓̞b̸͎̖̝̋̂̒o̵̲̕ụ̸̲̉̀ͅt̵̛̟͖̭́̆ ̵̤̔͗͌i̴̦̳̹͊͝͠t̷͎͇̙̓̽͛.̶̪̹̕͘͝ ̴̧̞̤̾̿I̸̘͔̊̉͜f̷̟̘̽̋́ ̸̭̮̏̏̂ṫ̶̯h̵͖͆͗̀e̸̜̕ ̵̡̈͑̓ę̷̗̻̍́g̴̨̼̈́ģ̶͖̃ ̸̢́ḩ̸̱͔͋á̵̖̖͙̂͘ţ̷̢͒c̵̖̃h̶̰̓̍ē̸̟š̸̢̯́̚,̵̠͛ ̶̢͝ṯ̸̦͂h̸̘̠̪̽͐͑i̶̝͓͝s̵̬͠ ̸̧͙͇́͌̏w̸̡̲̜̎o̶̡͚̳̎̽͘r̷̙̭͓͂͛͝l̸̞͍͖̏ḏ̶̜̋’̸͇̊s̷̫̦̞͒ ̶̠͊d̸̜̻̦͐̎o̵̹͒̈ò̸͖m̵͎̚ ̷̧͎̿̍i̴͖͋̈́s̶͔͚͍̿̉ ̵͈͔͖̈́̎ä̵̡s̵̡͉̟̎̏ṣ̷̉u̴̼̳͚͠r̶̩̰͌͑ẹ̷̛͇d̸̰̜̒.̴͎͓͌͗”̴̺̪̃̇͋

“Why are you acting like this doesn’t affect you?” pleaded Luminace. “You have worshipers here too! Ponies who’ve devoted their lives to you, and whose faith feeds you now!”

“̴̟͌̚Ỷ̵͈̼̏͜ö̴̘̮ú̸̩ ̵̡̆c̷̦͈̮̎o̴̗̦͓͊̒̓n̶̘̈́̊͝f̷̱͉̺̈́͆̉ṳ̴͒̔͝s̴͉̬̫͆̓̇e̷̝̓̾̌ ̸̨̾̊m̸͉̜̽e̶̢̧͖̍̉͐ ̸̟̇̄͜f̷͇͉̀̉͊ỏ̶̬͙̮̌ṟ̵̭̤͂̑̋ ̷̤̗͖̂̍o̷̙̱͙̊̏̀ǹ̵̮͙͜e̷̫̒̇̄ ̴̛̦̎̏o̸̟̽̇f̸̯̳́ ̸̨̳͂̆y̴̡̪̫̍o̵̯̅ŭ̶͚͎͜r̴̢͕̉͜ ̴̳̟̣͗ć̴̥͐o̶̝͋n̶͕̭̈́̅f̴͉̕e̵̥̲͔͛d̸̝̊ë̴̡̹̮̊̕r̷̛̺͖͝a̷̻̳͆t̵̘̠͇̒ẹ̷̳̗̅̌̌s̶̪̈́.̴̪̅̀͠ ̷̡͉͇̾̊Î̶̹̫̎̕ ̶̦͔͊͒̈e̵̳͚͑̀͜x̷͕̥͍̉̂i̶̝̍̈ŝ̷̥̰̈́t̶̩̮̿̌ȇ̶̢͒d̵͚̞̑̀ ̸̨͔̫̅̃͝l̶̜̓o̴̫̓͘n̵̻̠͌̚͜ğ̵̪̖ ̶̗̟̇̔b̵͖̈́e̵̩̘͗̌̅f̶̢͈̝̎̊̓ǫ̷̛͚̈́͆ŗ̴͓͎̑̌e̸̟̩̾̉ ̸̢͚̈̐̅t̷̮͕̽ẖ̴͕̜̿̽͝ḯ̴̯̜ͅs̸͓̏ͅ ̸̮̽p̴̺̃̌à̷̕ͅͅn̷̻̫͈͆̇t̵͚̥̀h̴̠͖͂̄ͅe̸̖̿̄̏ò̶̬̞n̸͙̱̱̋,̶̬͎̋̽͜ ̴̙̻̿́̾ā̶̫̤̖̋̎n̷̨̼͗̀̿d̷̬͈̀̓̈́ ̷̨̘̳̋̈́w̸̢̡͙̅̆į̸̺́̕l̴̙͂l̴̀ͅ ̴̦̌͌c̷̼̯̍o̴̠̙͆̕ñ̴̢͙͙t̸̢̡̖̂̅ḯ̷̧̥̔̃n̷̜͎͇̔͠u̵̖͚̎͐ḙ̷̛ ̶̰̃̔͌͜t̶͔̂̽͊o̶̘̘͒͒̂͜ ̷̢̰̈́̈̅e̸̡̖̩͐x̸͚̟̠́ï̴͇̹̐̃s̷̱̋̽͝t̸̡̬͖͊͝ ̵̞̰͑̈́̅ä̷̻́f̶̭͋̕̚t̸̡̛͋é̵̥̙̈̒ͅȓ̵͇̦̗͊͝ ̴̿́̽͜i̴̟̘̩̇͝t̴͉̺͚̓̚ ̸͎͑h̴͕͕̭̾̃̑ạ̸̦͋s̷͚̈́ ̴͔͈̇͑ͅf̴̡̺͚͝ä̶̦͗̿l̷͍̦͋́l̷͚͔̈́̃̃ë̷̝́ň̵̯̍͝ ̴͙̮͊͂̍i̶̞͌͒͠n̵̲̘̯̈́t̴̍͑͜ȯ̶̞͎̤̈́̈́ ̴̡̜̱͊̏s̵͒̌̈͜t̴̾̕ͅą̷̠͇̉̓̀g̸͈̿n̷͎̫̦̅a̴̘̝̽̿͌t̸͈̑͐͊i̵̲̻̥͌̊̄ō̷̘n̸̻͐̍͘ ̷̝̩̺̌ă̴ͅn̸͙̍̌̚d̴̟͓̀̏͊ ̴͈͒̽͊ḑ̴̝̑̑̍e̶̙͈̓̇̍c̶̡̑̇̊a̴͓̣̒̃y̵̯͓̋̀̈͜.̶͎̩́͌̑ ̴̫͂̉̊Ń̶̤̱̟̿o̷͍̍̚r̸̼͂͂ ̵͎̊ͅi̴̪̥̬̎s̵͖̆̎̕ ̴̨̼͐̚t̶̨͉͒ͅh̵̖̀̃̓ȋ̴̮̜s̵̘͍̒̕ ̸̨̼͍̇̓ẁ̴̘̾ȯ̴͖̫̙̓ṛ̵͉̱̍̔͠l̸̤̂́d̶̙̻̎͑͗ ̷̖̠̩̋͘ț̵̟̐̂̕h̵͖̪̅̓̕e̸͉͈̒͘ ̴̪̣̗͌͛͊ṏ̸͕̎n̵̘̝̈́͘͝l̶̩̉ỷ̷̺̻ͅ ̷̻̞͑̿̊͜ö̴̪́͐n̵̮̎̾͜ĕ̵̜ ̸̢̮̻̄̃̔I̶̙̒͋̑ ̴͖̆̐ȟ̷̼͍̭ă̷̫v̶̩̝͖͗ė̵̹̣͙͐̾ ̴̀͌͜t̵̙͈̏̀ȍ̶̡ų̵̲̤̑c̸͙̭͌͝h̶̗̝͉͌͌e̸̲̣̔̽d̶̻̈́̒͠;̶̫͈̫̏͒́ ̷͈̯͆ṫ̴̹̹̬h̸̟̔̐͑é̸̳r̸̯͛͋ȩ̸̺͆̋ ̸̢̮͚̂a̷̼̝̦͐r̵̽̚ͅe̸̺͉̯͐ ̸͔̳͑̋͘m̷̫̑͒̏͜â̵̘̮ň̵̙̿y̵̬̽ ̵͖̣̓̑ͅó̷̬̓n̶͎̯͍͊̐̃ ̷͚͊̍w̴̛̗͔̓̓h̷̗͇͗̍̃ĩ̷͕̗̔̈ͅc̷̢̼̋h̸̫̅̓ ̴̢̲̓I̸̦̤̳̿͒̄ ̶̲͍̓a̴̟̒̾m̴̨͂͝͠ ̸̠̯̭̔k̸̠̂̊n̸̘̗͌̏͋ő̵̬̰̮̽w̵̤͉̽͝ͅn̷͉̮̈́̎́,̴̯̰̀͑ ̴̙̤͂a̶͎̙̔n̴̦̣͔̈̈d̷͚̺̬͛ ̷̰̝͒m̴̯̘̥͛̆ä̴̗ǹ̴̡̨̦y̴̟̜̕ ̸̲̀͑̾m̶͍̝̮͂o̵̯͌r̴̩̦͙̂̔ȩ̶̘͇̒̀ ̸̤̊ş̶̬̰̕ṭ̷̈́̇̓ö̶̙̤́́͝ŕ̴̥̟̿́ḯ̷̤̫e̷̞̪̖͑s̵̙̈ ̸̧͓̓ţ̶͋h̷̙͆a̶̢̹̾̏ť̵̲̠͝ ̶̮̈́͑͝ͅw̷̰̭͠i̷͎͛̂́ľ̷̨͜l̶̥͙̳̍͊ ̴̡̛̲͍̀̈́k̷̦̏̌̎ę̶͉͌ȇ̷̫͋p̵̨̟͔͐ ̴̩̮͎̒͐m̵̮̰̓̕y̶̥͍̒̐̿ ̸̗̙̉͋͌i̴͉̿̑ǹ̵̡̆t̸̲̭̿̾ḛ̸̎r̵̯̀͋̀͜e̵̘͔̊͂͠s̵̯͔̔͆͜t̵͓̮̂̽̀ ̷̝̈́͊̕s̶̱̕͜h̶͙̍̅̀ǒ̸̡͓̮͆u̷͙̱̐̆l̸̝̼̐d̵̫̣̓̋ ̶̑ͅt̵̨̲̭͠h̵̛̯͛i̷̧̪̾̋s̷̬͉̈́̌̏͜ ̷͉̀ö̷̡̨́͌͂n̷̤͓̾͑̈́e̴̦͗̒ ̷̡̳̖̂͊f̶̝̙̍͜ǎ̸̢ḷ̶̐̊l̷͕̩̳̀̊.̸͎͚͓̆”̵̱̐̕̕

“So in other words, you’re betting all of our lives on Lex Legis, is that it?” snarled Blaze. “Either he finds a way to stop that thing on his own, or it hatches, in which case it either destroys the world – and all of the worshipers that we rely on for sustenance – or we fight it and probably die trying to put it down.”

“̴̩̳̟̊A̸̱̫̣͠ñ̵̼̹̟̽ ̷͕͛̉̍ā̶̢̨̠d̶͈̝̞̈́̈́ế̶̺q̵̙͖̜́͘u̵̢̻͚͑ā̵̦ţ̵̠͈͊̾e̴̙͓̟̾̆ ̶͖̀̈͋ṣ̴̨͐͒̈́u̴͔͛̓̀m̶͔̩͊̀m̴͎̂̀͝ä̷̛͉̫̝́r̷͔͐̿͠ỷ̴̺̞̇,̴̰̅”̷̻̫̟̿ agreed The Author, before turning in place to look at Blaze directly. “̴̳͒̓Ŭ̵̬̪̑n̵̘̿͒l̴̹̒̍͝e̴̖͖̳͛s̸̠̠̏̏ͅs̸̭̰͇͒ ̴͛ͅͅy̶̦̱̱̐o̵͉͋u̷̪̬̫̇͝ ̵̠̣̱̈̐w̶̨̜͊̿̚i̵̭͍͛͜s̷̰͑́h̸̢̛͔͛̃ ̴̧͍͕̀͝t̸̞͌͐ơ̷̺͔ ̷͓̮̾̊̍d̷̖̆ê̶͇̲̠̿f̶̧̲̙́̌̎ẏ̴̭̿ ̷̰̄m̵̖͙̖̈̌̈ÿ̴̭̯ͅ ̸͔͕̔̎̿d̴̩͎̟̈́͌e̸̢̬͎̅̎̀c̶̱̲͒̿͝r̷̬͘e̷̳̼̍͂ͅe̴͙̭̔.̷̜̝̎̀͠”̵̨͈͑

That statement was accompanied by the yellow-clad god’s hands unfolding, one reaching up toward their mask.

“That won’t be necessary.”

Silent up until now, the Night Mare didn’t bother to glance at The Author, nor at the rest of her fellow gods. Instead, she kept her eyes where they had been the entire time: directed toward the viewscreen showing where what had now become the battle for all of Everglow was taking place. “We’ll remain right here, all of us, and watch how things turn out.”

Blaze’s wings flared brighter at that. “Oh we will, will we?”

At last, the Night Mare turned away from the screen, joining The Author in looking at the war goddess. “Yes, we will. Or it won’t just be The Author that you go up against.”

The Moon Princess gave the armored goddess a bitter look. “That’s easy for you to say. You have ponies worshiping you on a second world now, unlike the rest of us.”

“It’s easy for me to say,” corrected the Night Mare, “because I know what my champion is capable of. Or have you forgotten how, only moments ago, he did as I foretold and overturned his own demise, predicted by the death goddess herself?”

“And made things worse!” protested Luminace.

“Which is when he’s at his best,” retorted the Night Mare, looking at each god in turn. “Watch and learn, all of you, as my most devoted worshiper overcomes this ordeal, and proves why he and I are the most fit to rule our respective dominions.”

She turned back to the viewscreen then, and slowly, all of the other gods did the same.

All but one.

Sniffling, looking past where the Sun Queen was cradling his head against her chest, Noble Bright frowned in confusion as he saw that Kara was looking at the Night Mare, an unexpected expression on her face:

Triumph.

Author's Note:

The Author reveals the stakes of Lex's battle, which are far higher than even the gods imagined!

With the fate of Everglow, and the entire pantheon, hanging in the balance, will Lex be able to overcome his greatest challenge yet?

Comments

[Not so New Brony]

Okay, the stakes were raised higher than I could have expected and Lex now has a lot more riding on his shoulders than before even though he is unaware of it.

Still, the pony pantheon did put up a good question, how the heck did Adagio's 'partner-in-crime' acquire this egg? I highly doubt they'd be unaware of it's hidden nature which makes me wonder if the one that gave Adagio the egg was from another plane outside of the Everglow or if they're of the mundane and intended for Adagio to essentially suicide bomb Lex so as to tie up a loose end, unaware of the sheer scale of destruction this unmortal could cause.

Regardless, here's hoping that Lex can pull off another miracle and either destroy or remove this egg before it hatches. Wonder if he can somehow punt it into Kyronex's home plane. Then again, even if Lex has that option, would he dare doom its inhabitants just because Kyronex rules it?

[DMDash71]

Sweet weeping creeping Jesus over a million words. END ALREADY.

[Booster Spice]

So some demonic dream walking demigod decided to destroy Adagio through a Deep Void dive, to extract an Un Egg, similar but far more difficult and energy required as Tulpa getting Lexs inverted deific armor?

If Everfree Gods are linear time limited, shouldnt that mean they are susceptible to True Stasis?

[Alzrius]

11744494 Insofar as your summary of how Adagio ended up with a sphere of annihilation that was actually something much worse...yeah, that's about right.

As far as trying to trap a deity with magic such as temporal stasis or imprisonment goes...well, you can certainly try, but both of those spells have two failure modes built in (i.e. they both require you to get past the target's spell resistance, if any, and the target also gets a saving throw to negate the effect), not to mention you need to actually touch the target to discharge the spell in the first place. And that's not taking into account potential immunities, counters, etc. Not to mention there'd be a lot of their servitors who'd have a vested interest in finding and freeing their god.

All of which is to say, you don't really get to the level a god without having come up with ways to deal with someone trying to one-shot you. It's literal god-tier Darwinism in action.

[Alzrius]

11744463 Nnnope.

Although, fun fact, "Sweet Weeping Creeping Jesus" is one of the names The Author (the character from this chapter) is known by on another world.

[Alzrius]

11744414 Lex is indeed fighting for far more than he knows, now. So all he has to do is find a way to overcome the egg of some sort of incipient god-destroying monster while dealing with a hostile demigod and has Adagio waiting to take potshots from the sidelines. Shouldn't be too hard, right?

As it stands, the question of who gave that thing to Adagio, and where/how they got it, will likely be extremely salient if and when Lex manages to win this. Even if he doesn't learn the full scope of what's at stake, the other gods aren't likely to let this go anytime soon. For that matter, there might be some awkward questions if the other pantheons that have worshipers on Everglow learn about this. It's not like the ponies are the only ones there.

Hopefully it won't come to that, but at the moment its kind of hard to see what the path to victory is. Lex has a lot more power now, but he's still the underdog in this fight, and doesn't seem to have many options left. But he's pulled off some stunning upsets before, so maybe he can do it again now?

[SliverKing]

hmm, "triumph" huh? I wonder what that could mean in this context.... I mean the NightMare's MO is loyalty right? so if anything she is just keeping to her own tenants. I am honestly not sure what Kara could be seeing here... great chapter as always lol.

[Alzrius]

11745050 What's the secret behind Kara's mysterious smile? It's hard to say, especially given how she's a goddess for whom honesty is a failing rather than a virtue. Still, there's likely some meaning to it; perhaps we'll find out later on?