Blessed darkness
The gloom did not have a sense of doom. Everything shone with silver, as if kissed by moonlight, and Sundance's altered eyes saw everything with astonishing, breathtaking clarity. Because he was ever-so-slightly tipsy, the effect might have been a little exaggerated, a bit more pronounced than it might have been otherwise. Truth be told, he felt wonderful; even the bite on his fetlock caused him no pain whatsoever. His disagreement with Corduroy seemed dulled and a lot less worrisome.
When he got home, he was going to thank her for being such a good friend, yes he was.
That dusk apple brew had quite a kick and when he started to drink that huge tankard, he worried that he might not be able to finish it. But when he got near the bottom, he'd found that he couldn't even imagine not finishing it, and he rather wanted a second. But Snowtart Apple told him to be a responsible pony and then she sent him on his way. Which was sad, really, because she'd sent him off without so much as a kiss goodbye, and that… that was tragic.
But he would recover, yes he would.
Against all odds.
So pretty. Everything was so pretty. And with his eyes opened, with his new vision, Sundance could not help but wonder if this was how his nocturnal cousins saw the night. Every twig, every leaf, every blade of grass, all of it had a silver hue, a sort of glow. But only living things. Dead things such as rocks had no glow, no silvery luminescence. Which was sad, really, and made Sundance think of his own mortality. His grandmother, now departed, would have no silver glow. Her light had long since faded.
The momentary onslaught of sadness was almost too much to bear.
"I'm a pretty birdy," he said to himself as he examined the shimmering glow emanating from his wings. "Who's a pretty birdy? Me… that's who. Who. Who? If I ask who, am I an owl? I must be an owl. What a revelation. I am an owl, a creature wise and wonderful. Hoot hoot, motherplucker."
A nearby bird scolded him for the crude crassification of his coarse language, and Sundance felt awful.
"I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me. I'm feeling quite peculiar, bird-friend. Please, forgive me. I must be off. No more shall I trouble you, bird-friend."
Then, after a good hiccup, Sundance went zooming off into the gloom.
Sweet, sweet music tickled Sundance's ears and beckoned to him like a siren's song. Just ahead, there was what appeared to be a wall of trees and briars. Bladed thorns glistened with sticky sap and vines along the ground slithered like agitated serpents. There was an entrance though, made of two trees that formed a beautiful peaked arch. It was a thing of incredible beauty, so much so that it caused a tipsy Sundance to get weepy eyed—though the music might also have something to do with it.
As he passed through the naturally formed gateway, he swallowed, and then froze in place because of what he saw. His eyes went from place to place as there was just far too much to take in all at once. Slender, graceful towers made of smooth shaped stone. Curious bulbous trees, also shaped into residences. Ornate bridges and swooping walkways connected overhead. There were domes here as well, but these were made of glass and what appeared to be living wood. How such things were possible befuddled Sundance, and he could do naught but stand slack-jawed as he took everything in.
Water flowed from hundreds of fountains. It poured from shaped spouts in the trees and towers. Ponds and canals streamed around delicate curves. Luminescent lilies cast a pale yellow light and illuminated the water. The sound—the sound—the babble of the flowing water was so soothing that it was almost a lullaby. A nearby unicorn was shaping some water, causing it to dance, shimmy, and sway in time to the rise and swells of the sweet strings that made the most beautiful music.
Nothing in Sundance's life had prepared him for this beauty.
While he helplessly gawped, a blob of water went floating by. No, not just a blob of water; there was a fish inside it and as the fish flapped its fins, the globby blob of water meandered through the air. Sundance gave it all of his attention—and why wouldn't he? He'd never seen a fish take its own water to go on a sightseeing swim. Then he noticed other bubbular blobs of water floating and flowing about, and he knew that these too, also had fish in them.
A lone tear slalomed down Sundance's cheek, but was soon joined by others.
Entranced, his knees almost knocking, Sundance tried to make sense of how something this fantastical could possibly exist in the world. A sightseeing fish almost clipped his ear and Sundance ducked his head, fearful that he might somehow pop a passing blob of water. Unknown to himself, he stumbled toward the music, pulled like a puppet on strings, beckoned by some irresistible, invisible force that could not be denied.
Nearby, a bat-winged nocturnal pegasus mare gave a stern lecture to her two foals.
Soon enough, Sundance found himself amongst a number of ponies that had gathered for the concert. A grey mare, her eyes closed, swayed as she drew her bow over her cello. Beside her, a chocolate brown pegasus colt and a gleaming white unicorn filly accompanied her with stringed instruments of their own. Sundance didn't know what they were, but they appeared to be violins—though one was slightly larger than the other.
As for the golden-maned gleaming white unicorn, when she played her violin, it made the most curious sound, almost as if crickets were chirping. It seemed apropos somehow, here in a land touched by night. The sounds she made were haunting, beautiful, and impossible to describe in any sort of meaningful way. Sundance watched the trio, mindful of sightseeing fish that swam about, and quite without meaning to do so, he lost himself in this enchanted moment.
With his mission all but forgotten, Sundance sat down in the cool, moist grass and made himself comfortable. He was a stranger, but the ponies around him seemed friendly enough. A few looked at him, but nothing was said—no greetings were offered. Whilst he sat in the grass, held fast by the enchanting music, Sundance concluded that he needed to find musicians of his own. He could offer them food and a place to live. Surely somepony would find that offer irresistible. Some down and out musician would probably jump at such a chance.
Unbeknownst to Sundance, a black-cloaked unicorn moved closer to him, creeping up from behind, and dark sunglasses shimmered within the shadows of her billowing voluminous hood. She moved with remarkable grace and silence, her heavy cloak flowing around like silken liquid. Most peculiarly, she did not disturb the grass with her passing, as if her cloak hovered an inch above the ground, and she snuck up on Sundance whilst he remained lost in his oblivion.
"Well… hello, Lord Sundance. It's about time you paid us a visit."
The unicorn's stealthy whisper almost made him jump right out of his skin.
"Phew, how much night cider did you drink? You barely need a thimble-full to get the vision. No wonder you're so mooney eyed. Shh, don't shout. That's rude. I am Desdemona of the Darkness… the Dark Lady… the devourer of souls."
When his blood ran cold, Sundance shivered violently. He turned to face the stranger and saw that she was laughing. A pale yellow-white nose could be seen within the shadows obscuring her face, and her billowing cloak rippled whilst her slight body shook with laughter. She reached out and touched him, placing a pale hoof upon the base of his neck, and he shivered once more at the sensation of her cool touch.
"I'm sorry… I just couldn't help myself. You made it far too easy. I'm Vinyl Scratch. You're Lord Sundance. This is Lulamoon Hollow." She paused to draw in a short breath. "How's things? Nice of you to finally visit. We've been expecting you."
Before Sundance could respond—his barrel still heaving from surprise—the cloaked mare whipped out a frilly parasol from somewhere beneath her cloak, whipped it open, held it over her head, and sat down. Merry laughter shook her body and once Sundance recovered a bit from his shock, he managed to chuckle a bit. Then, quite suddenly, he felt good about everything in existence and had himself a good laugh.
"Pebble will be pleased that you are here," the cloaked mare said to him. "Though I am unsure of why you are here. What brings you here today? We've been waiting for your arrival, but what finally brings you to our moonlit paradise?"
"I need to learn how to fight. How to protect me and mine. It's time to take a more active role and earn my keep."
"Hmm." Vinyl Scratch reached up with one hoof and rubbed her chin. "A baron who worries about earning his keep. Sounds like somepony I know." Pulling her hoof away, she leaned in closer to Sundance. "If you're here to see Sumac, prepare for disappointment. He's off on business. The dead keep him busy."
"Oh, I know," Sundance replied. "When my grandmother died, he was there for me."
She fanned her hoof in front of her face and said, "Wow, you are soused. Don't breathe on me. Whew." Lowering her hoof, she giggled, rather like a school filly, and she pulled her head back. "You poor, poor pegasus. Megara is going to destroy you."
Something about this statement was so unnerving that Sundance gulped.
"Well"—she sighed out her first word—"you've come to the right place. And you're doing the right thing. Learning to fight is wise. The best way to learn how to fight is to go adventuring. That's how Meg teaches. She'll take you on an adventure and mostly keep you safe enough to not die… though you'll probably take some lumps. While you fumble your way through a few fights, she'll assess you, what you can do, what you can't do, and she'll try to come up with the lessons you need to teach you what you need to know. Keep in mind, this is an involved process. There's no quitting… not without consequences. This will be hard."
Unsure of what to say, he nodded.
"Sit a spell. Enjoy the concert. Maybe sober up a bit. I'll take you to see Meg soon enough…"
The two ponies formed a single statue. A closer inspection revealed extensive damage; cracks, chips, fissures, and after a thorough examination, Sundance concluded that the stone statue had been shattered. Even worse, he realised that the two ponies were the Royal Pony Sisters—and he found that he was quite suddenly sober in the absolute worst way. It was shattered. Exploded. Blasted asunder. All of the little bits had been painstakingly put back together, rather like a puzzle, but parts were still missing. Surely, with rock shapers around, the statue could be restored, made smooth, flawless and without blemish. But the evidence of the terrible damage remained.
"This is the Chapel of Night and I am the Herald of Selene," Vinyl Scratch said to Sundance, whose full attention was focused upon the damaged statue. "I am part of the wizarding branch of Equestria's druidic order. I brought you here so that you might see Pebble's legacy. That it sobered you right up is a bonus." When she sighed, the prolonged exhale came out as a heavy sound that conveyed great pain.
"Pebble's gift is that she can talk to rocks and rocks talk to her. When she was still young, she found one of these stones, and it almost killed her. She spent about a week in a slumber that was mere inches away from death. All this time, she was trapped in a nightmare, and in this nightmare, she watched over and over as Princess Luna shattered this statue of her and her sister. All of that hatred, all of her bile… every negative feeling that could be found within her heart, mind, body, and soul… she poured them into her magic and then she unleashed that magic upon this very statue.
"It burst, of course. Shattered. It fractured into fragments. The pieces got scattered all around Lulamoon Hollow. They found their way into gardens. Flower beds. Into the many ponds and creeks and cricks. And so began their lonely isolation as each and every piece longed to be with the others. A little bit of Princess Luna went into the stones. Something good, something pure. To hear her tell the story, she cast aside the best parts of herself before the nightmare took over… at least, this is what she believes. Even today, after so much healing, she's not sure. But when she poured out her emotion into her magic, parts of her departed with it.
"And the story of the statue might have been forgotten, were it not for a curious filly with a gift that allows her to give voice to stone. She found a piece one day… and I've already told you that part of the story. But after she woke up, that's when her work began. Little by little, bit by bit, she's been hunting the pieces down and trying to soothe their ancient but still remembered hurt. This statue is the sum of her labour… but it represents so much more.
"One statue, two sisters. Two sisters, one soul. A soul spread between two bodies. Such is the great duality. Two sisters, with one only as strong as the weaker. You might as well claim to love one eye over the other, but if the truth be told, both eyes work best together to give a clear, whole picture, and both eyes are useless without the mind that gives them vision. This duality will be made clear to you in time, Sundance… but just as there are two sisters… sisters who, just like this statue, were left shattered by a terrible event… there are two lands.
"These lands are less than whole. One can only be as strong as the other is weak. Just as the two sisters have been brought together, so two must these lands. They must be made whole… like this statue, which weeps and mourns its lost pieces. It is a sum of its parts, and it is less than whole. Pebble's legacy, her great work, it symbolises that which is yet to come."
As Sundance stood watching, a tear formed in the statue's eye and rolled down the cracked stone cheek. He did not understand how such a thing was possible, and such miraculous happenings could only be attributed to magic. Vinyl Scratch's words were heavy in his ears, yet somehow far weightier upon his heart, which felt squished and compressed within his barrel. Extending one wing, with great caution and even more reverence, he wiped away the tear before it fell to the floor.
Candles flickered from non-existent breezes and shadows danced upon the ruined surface of the stone statue. About half of Princess Celestia's horn was missing. There were dreadful cracks and chips missing from both eyes. One of Princess Luna's ears was absent. Sundance, his pupils now wide black pools, made himself take in every inch, and as he did so, he felt a curious prickle within his brain, sort of like when River Raider was deep within the recesses of his mind.
"The land has memories, Sundance. Stone and soil remember. Pebble is proof of that. The rocks here will tell you a dreadful tale… and I am certain that the lands of your barony also have much to say. In time, you might know more of this story, if you learn to somehow listen. We've been waiting for you here. Waiting for you to come to us."
After a bit of a pause, it seemed as though Vinyl Scratch was about to say more, but she lapsed into silence as her ears went rigid. She listened intently for a moment, her narrow nostrils rounding themselves with each inhale and exhale. In front of him, the statue shed yet another miraculous tear, and this one too was wiped away by Sundance. A strange prickle could be felt in his feathers now, the tingly kiss of magic.
"Ah, she comes," Vinyl Scratch said to him. "Lord Sundance… I present to you Lady Pebble of Lulamoon Hollow…"
- Oh, his life is about to be ruined.
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Sir. You never cease to amaze me. To write of something so sad that it makes a stone weep and make us feel it.
This was a wonderful chapter. I loved the ethereal, dark beauty you described :)
Basic combat training will ALWAYS kick your arse, but it's worth it. I speak from personal experience. Granted, 40 year-old experience, but still.
Sundance will look back upon this with both regret and satisfaction.
IF he survives, that it.
Does the stone weep from the knowing, or the telling of the tale?
Reminds me of comic-Sombra and the Shattering of the Empress.
Poignant and gorgeous~!
The way this chapter ended, it left me iwth the impression that Pebble's got so much magic to her now, that she can generate a gravity field.... not what's actually happening, I know, but that was the mental image that flashed through my mind, Powerful stoic Pebble, with a ring of orbiting stone advisors, note takers, and aids... felt like sharing is all xD
i’m so excited for what’s to come. i just reread ‘Suckle and Conversation today so seeing those two here was a special treat. i’m jazzed, i tell you. can’t wait to see Pebble and Meg
Oh dear. Lady Pebble, The Dominator approaches.
"Another" tear? I don't see where you said the first one came.
10252575
It's right there.
10252514
Only, she's not a ruler. Not yet.
She's a kid. A kid that makes mistakes and still has a lot to learn.
If she were a perfect, flawless character, with no faults, and no space for development, she wouldn't be interesting or compelling in the slightest.
There is more to take in this chapter than I was expecting! ^^
Learning to fight is time-consuming. U.S. Army basic training is 10 weeks. But from the sound of things Sundance wants to learn far more than just "the basics." How much time can he spare away from the barony to do this?
10252778
Whew, good thing he's not joining the army!
10252990
Does Megara have Montage Mentor powers where her students can cram months or years worth of training into two weeks?
10253463
Nope. Though that would be spiffy.