Chapter 60: Friendly Ghost
Magpie caught them up on everything she’d seen and done, though she was light on the details that had led to her void compass. At least she could save her pride, since the specifics of how she’d “stolen” it from Polestar didn’t matter very much.
She went through the attack on the tram, then what Bauble had decided in just a few more minutes.
“We could be worse off,” Silver declared, as soon as she’d finished. He wore a breastplate made of scavenged Alicorn air-armor, along with a belt of shotgun shells across his chest and a knife on one side. More importantly to Magpie, he hadn’t been shattered in the defense.
After their initial greeting, he’d returned to watching the hallway barricade, but he was obviously still listening. “We have a way of finding them. We know our enemy, and we know what they’re after.”
“That only makes us equals,” Luna muttered. She perched on the kitchen counter, the only way to make her the tallest creature in the room. At her size, there was neither weapons nor armor she could easily wield. But if it wasn’t for both wings and horn, no creature would’ve taken her for anything but a helpless filly. “They know our goals, and we know theirs. They know where I’ve been hiding, and they know how to shut down our life support and kill every pony living in Tranquility.”
“Where’s Penumbra?” Magpie asked. “Not that I don’t trust my husband’s aim.” She didn’t, but that was why he’d opted for a shotgun. He hadn’t really improved in three centuries, but he also didn’t have to when he shot a dozen pellets at once. “But Penumbra is our most experienced fighter. Without Nightmare’s magic on our side, she’s probably the best we have.”
Luna slumped down on the counter, covering her head with her hooves. “Nightmare is precisely the issue.”
There was a moment of awkward silence, before Silver finally spoke up. “Penumbra started… losing it. Halfway attacking us, obviously fighting it. She’s the one who did that.” He gestured at the broken chairs, and a deep gash in the metal wall beside the stove. The little model of Starseed was on the floor too, crushed into a thousand pieces.
“Nightmare was trying to take control of her,” Luna continued. “She can’t survive without it, so she can’t ever be out of its reach. I have wondered why it let her live all this time, when it could’ve withdrawn its power at any time. Now I know.”
“She flew away,” Silver finished. “Up towards the airlock. I think she was going to fly off into the sun.”
Magpie fell silent. She knew better than anypony else in the room what torture that would mean. To be simultaneously alive and dead, inanimate yet awake—the journey across the lunar surface had left her frozen in sunlight more than once. Even after the number of times she’d suffered through it, Magpie could never wish it on anypony else.
“So we’ve lost our only skilled fighter,” Goldleaf said, exasperated. “This is beginning to look more and more impossible the longer we wait.”
Something blurred across the room, fast enough that even Magpie was stunned. Her mouth fell open as Luna smashed into him, knocking him forcefully to the ground and levitating a kitchen knife at his throat. His own rifle clattered out of his magical grip, and Goldleaf was completely frozen.
“Tranquility’s greatest warrior is before you, pony. Nightmare might’ve withdrawn its power, stolen my years… but I retain my memories. My mind is filled with magic and martial training long forgotten. I will not be a victim cowering in a tower and waiting for the demon to steal my kingdom from me.”
Goldleaf nodded stiffly, trying to pull away. But for all her size, the princess still had the strength of an earth pony, and easily overpowered a unicorn.
“Don’t hurt him, he’s just an idiot.” Magpie pulled over a chair, settling down across from her as though nothing at all unusual were going on. “Time isn’t our ally, so he’s right about one thing. Ponies are terrified out there. When we first got here, the other Voidseekers and I saw the ponies turning on us and we fled in terror. But that was when half the ponies in the colony were soldiers, and they all knew our weaknesses. Now…”
Luna finally let go, tossing the knife so forcefully to the side that it sunk into the wall, sparking as it went. But she didn’t care, and Magpie thought better of criticizing her for it. “Whatever they are trying, it will coincide with the first nightfall. The coming of night has always brought power to Nightmare. Potentially enough power to bring some new, terrible goal. This means we have until then to kill my friends.”
Magpie reached down into her satchel, removing the compass from within and settling it on the counter. It flashed and pulsed in the low light, darkness within pointing vaguely towards Moonrise.
The princess turned it over in her magic, looking thoughtful. Somehow, Magpie knew it would’ve been pointing to her only recently. Right up until the moment she’d been rejected by Nightmare for good.
“We have a path, then. Follow this to the Nightmare’s slaves and release them.”
“That isn’t what we’re here to do, Princess,” Goldleaf said. How he could declare his intentions so opposite to what the princess had just said, seconds after seeing Nightmare Moon’s temper for himself, Magpie couldn’t guess. She wouldn’t have been as brave.
“Oh?” She raised an eyebrow. “What do you know that you haven’t shared with the rest of us, pony?”
“Your life is the most important thing,” he answered. “If they kill you, all of Moonrise is doomed. We came to help protect you, and to warn the pony Penumbra that we suspected Nightmare could see through her eyes. That’s why we’re here.”
“And you, Silver?” the princess asked, voice high and petulant. “You love telling me what to do. What do you think?”
Silver glanced back, hefting the shotgun over his shoulder. “It would be smarter to hide. But if you did that, who would keep Tranquility safe? We’d all fight for you, but… five Voidseekers. They’ve had centuries to plan this.”
“Far longer,” Luna interrupted. “Nightmare comes from a realm outside of time. Its cognition is not infinite, but it doesn’t perceive the same linear progression of cause to effect that we do. It had exactly as long as it required to plot for this attack. It is our responsibility to ensure that all its planning counts for nothing.”
She hopped down off the counter, nudging Magpie with a hoof. “What other weapons do you two keep here, anyway? Is it just the shotgun?”
“They shouldn’t even have that much,” Goldleaf muttered. “They aren’t active duty constables. There’s no other reason to own weapons.”
Silver laughed. “You passed the reason on your way down the hall. Safe is in the restroom, Princess. There’s a latch behind the plumbing.”
The princess nodded. “Give me a moment to arm myself, then. I will do better than hide from this enemy while my city is destroyed. I will risk my life as much as any of my creatures do.”
She reappeared a moment later with Silver’s heavy saber slung over her shoulder. It was so long she had to tighten it to her back, or else it would drag on the ground beside her. She tossed something onto the counter in front of Magpie, grinning weakly. “Well, thief? Let’s see if you chose the winning or losing side in this engagement.”
It was Magpie’s old dagger, with a handle wrapped in real leather. The blade had been sharpened many times over the many years, strengthened with True Lunarium along its spine.
She shrugged it on, settling the straps over her shoulders. Even after being transformed into a being of crystal, it still fit perfectly.
The princess levitated over a kitchen towel, unraveling it with a faint blue glow from her horn. Once she’d wrapped enough thread, she took the compass and settled it around her neck.
“If you refuse to hide, then… I will fight beside you,” Goldleaf declared. “It is not the wisest choice. We should wait long enough for the other constables to reach Moonrise. That should divide their forces, so we don’t face too many at once.”
“I would order Magpie to assist at linking the Tower with the rest of Tranquility,” Luna said. “But I know she would refuse. I didn’t recruit a thief for her obedience.”
Magpie nodded. “I’ve already done what I can for the army. They’ve got unicorns, they can make it back whenever they want.”
Luna rolled her eyes, but didn’t actually argue. Which was good, because Magpie probably would’ve gone if she’d been pressed. They were going to fight, the one thing she’d never really learned.
But just because that’s our purpose doesn’t mean they won’t need help with other things. Even not being very good I’m probably more useful than Goldleaf.
“I assume you want me to join you?” Silver asked, hefting the shotgun again. “I’ve never fought Voidseekers before, but I’m pretty good at killing cultists.”
“No.” Luna spread her wings to get his attention, though there was little sharpness with Silver. Probably because he actually does what he’s told. “I need some creature I can trust defending life support. It will be less important to the Voidseekers than whatever magic they’re planning, but if they have cultists to send against me here, I expect more will be coming for the core. Protect what we cannot replace.”
Silver nodded, tightening his belt of ammo. “That’s assuming they’re planning any magic at all, Princess. Maybe they just want to kill everyone in Tranquillity.”
“They’re planning something.” The princess was already halfway to the door, and she spoke with absolute confidence. “You don’t know Nightmare the way I do. Killing all these ponies would be a waste of power—Nightmare never wastes. But you should travel with us as far as the core. If the compass points us both in that direction, then we’ll fight together.”
The princess demonstrated her power again before they left, though of course it was nothing new to Magpie. She took one of her old unicorn identities, tall and beautiful and apparently identifiable enough that Goldleaf stiffened as the illusion settled around her.
“Stars above!” he exclaimed, eyes widening as he retreated. “Secretary Dreamscape? How the… buck are… you’re the princess.”
She nodded. Her voice had changed, going much deeper and more mature. Her confidence was as firm as ever. “I’ve been taking an active role in my city for centuries now, though only the Prime Minister ever knew. Them, and now a random constable.”
“I’m Goldleaf,” he insisted. “First Precinct Captain. I’ll be Chief Constable when Glossy Bauble retires, Princess. You haven’t shared this information with a creature who will spread it recklessly.”
Luna loosened the compass around her neck, then reached up to adjust her mane. “You’re willing to help us fight for Moonrise, anyway. For now, I’ll accept that as enough.”
Magpie lingered at the back as they made their way down the deserted stairs. Not so much because she expected an attack from that side—with the help of the compass, at least they’d know if any of the Voidseekers got too close.
“You shouldn’t go by yourself,” Magpie whispered, wrapping one leg around Silver’s for a moment and embracing him. It wasn’t something she did often where others could see—their relationship had always been private. “There might be fifty ponies attacking the heat core. What then?”
Silver held her for a few seconds, subdued. Long ago, a hug like this had filled her with warmth she’d been missing ever since she died. Now she lived again, but there was no warmth for him to share. Even if their bodies might be hard, Silver’s grip still seemed soft.
“Then I die for a good reason,” he said. “I’m not worried about me. You’re not a fighter, Mags. You’re trying to find the most dangerous creatures on this moon, and you won’t even be able to help when you get there.”
She shrugged. “What the princess said. Maybe I don’t know that much about fighting, you’re all right about that. But if we lose, there’s no more Moonrise. I’m not gonna hide, or run off somewhere far from the fighting. Besides, I can shoot straighter than you.”
“You didn’t bring a gun,” he snapped back. Then she kissed him—not for very long. The others were gaining ground on them.
But whatever hope she might’ve held that they would be fighting together was soon dashed. The princess was right—the compass didn’t point towards life support, but distinctly down into the lower sections of Moonrise.
She managed one last halfhearted wave to Silver, and he vanished down the maintenance passage.
“The Airmaker’s Guild has their own protection,” Goldleaf muttered as he left. “He won’t be alone. I can’t say they’ll let him in.”
“They will.” Magpie watched him go, then hurried to keep up with the princess. They weren’t alone in the halls, though at least their obvious weapons meant other creatures gave them a wide berth. They’d barely had to look at creatures to get them to move out of the way.
At least their whole group knew Moonrise well enough that there were no arguments about direction. The princess followed the compass, but not in a straight line. When they reached the lower levels of Skytower Graymoon, the sound of voices echoing from outside made them turn to another bridge, where they could cross to place them at the outskirts of the undercity.
They passed through halls lined with rusting metal plates, where heat-vents creaked and protested as they activated in anticipation of the coming night. So either the Voidseekers hadn’t tried to kill life support, or at least they hadn’t succeeded.
The princess slowed as they neared the exit airlock. It was broken from lack of use, stuck open and leaking warm air from above in a steady hiss. Frost had condensed on the metal frame outside, covering the windows.
For all that Nightmare’s cultists had been demanding creatures join it or die, Magpie could see very few other creatures lurking between the buildings.
Unlike the days of her first arrival, few lived down here anymore. Even after their population had recovered, most creatures had preferred new developments in connected caverns than the shelters of their impoverished ancestors. It was mostly city maintenance down here now, with the smoke of production always thick in the air.
Amber streetlamps were all dark, meaning the alleys between skytowers were lit only with the occasional glow of an emergency flasher, or the faint trace of ancient glowstone wedged into some construction.
The demonic chanting was new, though. The princess marched straight towards it, but this time Magpie stopped her with a wing. Not that the princess couldn’t force her way through if she wanted, but she didn’t. “We don’t have to walk right into them,” she whispered. “Sneaking is my thing, Princess. Let me lead the way.”
Luna considered silently for a moment, then gestured. Magpie slid past her, lowering her head as she advanced from shadow to shadow.
The habit had served her well in centuries of burglary, though it would probably betray her now. The shadows didn’t belong to her the way they had so many times before. And if they had, she’d be as helpless as Penumbra.
At least the nightmare wasn’t all-knowing. Its servants could move to any darkness they wished, but they couldn’t feel anything more about it than any other creature. But the instant they had reason to investigate her direction, they might appear nearby to look.
Magpie glanced back every block or so as they followed the gentle slope of the cavern downward, waving her companions onward. She didn’t have the compass, but she didn’t need it. The sound of chanting was heavy on the air, echoing strangely through the thick metal pipes and wire building supports.
Magpie stopped dead as she caught a shape lurking in the gloom just ahead, with the same purpose she apparently was.
As soon as she saw feathers she relaxed, advancing curiously. Then a nearby emergency flasher pulsed, and she caught a glimpse of the face.
Solar Wind? She gasped, loud enough that the bird turned to stare in her direction. She wasn’t armed with anything more than a notebook—other than her razor-sharp beak and talons, anyway. “Who’s there?”
“Magpie,” she whispered. “The buck are you doing out here?”
The bird glided over, landing a few steps away. Magpie could hear rustling behind her—Goldleaf and the princess hurrying to catch up. Maybe they thought she was in danger. But that fear would be in vain this time. “Being the only reporter brave enough to chronicle whatever the buck is going on down there,” she whispered. “Every creature in Moonrise has run and hide, including the constables. Did the tram really derail?”
She shook her head. “Much worse. The ones I’m hunting did it, probably to cut them off while they did…” She gestured vaguely down the slope with one hoof. “Whatever that is.”
The princess stopped beside her, eyes flashing briefly in the light of her horn. “Who is this creature, Magpie? She should get to safety and leave us to our mission.”
Solar Wind spun, chest feathers inflating as she spread her wings slightly to either side. “Who do you think you are to be bossing me around, pony? Ain’t no constables left helping, far as I can see. Someone’s got to be down chronicling for the history books.”
Luna choked back a laugh, smothering it with a leg. “I change my mind, Magpie, I like this one. She can stay.”
“Good, I was gonna follow you anyway,” Solar Wind said. “Wherever Magpie’s going, probably it’s right into the heart of this mess.” She reached to her side, holding up a camera. “I’ll make sure the rest of Tranquility gets to see it.”
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Ever one of my guesses on this story lately have been wrong. But I'm starting to find someone constantly being in the right place at the perfect time suspicious. Thieves instincts and journalistic ones shouldn't line up this flawlessly.
How long have they been on the moon now? 800 years? If I remember correctly, when Silver was a normal pony he said they had been on the moon for 500 years, and he's been alive for three centuries now, so 800 years? We're actually almost near the end.
Solar Wind and Luna? Oh noes.
10294022
Yep, hmm, could they conquer Equestria?
Hah!
They are so incredibly fortunate that Penumbra was strong enough to retain control long enough to remove herself from the Princess' presence.
Fantastic. Can I ship them? I want to ship them.
Release them? By death, or is there another option?
Also fantastic.
Thank goodness for small favors, if the Nightmare's plan was just to kill everyone it would be hard to prevent.
I definitely ship it.
Yeah, he does seem trustworthy enough aside from the bad attitude.
Figures.
Figures.
10294022
10294697
This is assuming time is flowing normally. Or, rather, that they’ve tracked it accurately. They’re on the moon, so tracking time would be difficult given the whole idea of a day is the rotation of the planet 360 degrees (or close enough to 360, more like 361 or whatever degree it is to keep the sun in the same position). When on the moon it becomes significantly harder to track time. Especially given they weren’t on the surface for a good amount of that time. For all they know, it’s actually only been 200 years.
From what I gather, it seems like they’re currently tracking their night/day cycle based on when they can see the sun (so basically, same way we do it on a Earth, except on the Moon) which would mean a shorter day (<24h) and frequent (weekly) variations in sun visibility (fluctuating the length of the day, and causing periods where there simply is no sun).
Of course that’s assuming heliocentric. MLP is assumed to be geocentric, and while it’s probably the case here (p sure it was said as much earlier in the story) it seems as though the moon and sun are being rotated at different speeds (otherwise they shouldn’t be able to see the sun at all unless the moon was following 90 degrees behind the sun, or similar angle, which is probably given the depiction in the show).
Tl;dr they might not have been on the moon as long as they think.
Solar Wind has the right spirit.
We can only hope she will be able to tell others once it is over.
Well, this is certainly getting intense. The question isn't whether something will go wrong, but what, when, where, why, and how badly. And given the journalist, we may as well add "who" to that list, both perpetrator and victim. Looking forward to finding out.
10294697
My money is on Luna taking back the Nightmare as a means to remove its influence from the others, then Silver and Magpie ejecting Nightmare Moon back to Equestria, then episode 1 happens with an unknown lunar colony left behind. Maybe an epilogue where the moon ponies get rediscovered.
10300160
Sounds acurate
Why did Silver take a random shotgun instead of his mighty pony-splatter gun? That thing would make a short story of any voidseeker.
10357791
Limited ammo and the fact that the only creatures coming to attack him were mortal