The Trinity of Moons: Mending Shards

by Cloud Ring

Chapter 28: Dissociation

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Gentle Touch carefully listened out their agreement — Cursory Streak had been changing her voice, still pleasant nonetheless, meeting even the tone and accent of Black Moon, with crystal clear diction and short pauses after click consonants, one of the common mistakes of a voice synthesizer — and waited for the story to reach its climax.

But Cursory was silent, smiling a little. Signal sat on her withers, as if on a perch; Solid Line leaned forward, peering into Cursory's face. Pink, too, was almost silent, singing a counting rhyme under her breath: “Eight, seven, six / climb to the stars’ sharp flicks / Five, four, three..."

Gentle Touch intervened, interrupting Pink — the pause was becoming too heavy, and even the whisper of the wind and the rustle of small animals in the grass did not dispel it, ”And? So what about Rapid Fire? This is clearly not a love story, at your age. Have you been deceived? Or forced to duel with other unbounds, or…” Gentle saw that Cursory was holding back a nervous laugh and made a rushed apology, “This is too stupid, right? There, behind the mirror, they show movies of the other sort.”

Cursory replied seriously, “Actually, it’s not too stupid. We met with him almost as soon as I rested. Black Moon did not want to postpone training, and I was not going to cancel the condition I set. He survived and was not injured. Once he felt weak, he immediately took cover below the surface, where he then was found among the delivery lines. The problems started later.”

Solid nodded, “Nothing which would make the story unacceptable for me yet. Mixed training is not unheard of, and not too rare. Mixed alignment is a different story — rare by itself, moreso stable enough to function reliably. But I don't see yet what your problem is with Black Moon or Her aspects.”

Cursory smiled, and Gentle could see the fear hiding behind the smile, “I insisted on regular dates with him and friends. Thrice a luster. The lessons were routine. We talked with Black Moon, flew out for sightseeing together, played — more than just skyrow — and I soon realized that I was drifting away from them. They became uninteresting, sluggish, predictable. I saw what they would say. I saw what Rapid Fire would say and what I could answer him. A network of options. And at the same time I was always wrong, do you get me? I was almost right in my perceptions, but only almost. The only thing that never let me down was that I felt that they were hiding something or the other. They hide the truth, trying to be too polite. Only with the Moon and her entourage I felt comfortable.”

Gentle Touch breathed out, "So you were becoming a Herald."

Solid sharply objected, “It’s not how it works for Black Moon. No steps of ascent, no alternate worlds. It is impossible to become a Herald simply by communicating with Black Moon and without your own desire, especially without clear and conveyed steps on the road of knowledge.”

“What about your Lavender Blight?” Pink wedged in sarcastically.

“Not mine, and that’s why it’s impossible,” Solid replied evenly. She did not explain.

Cursory nodded with a sigh, “I thought about that too. I asked direct questions, and received answers that seemed to suit me, ‘I am not training you as a Herald,’ she said, ‘In this age, I do not make or summon Heralds,’ ‘This is a matter of minor importance. The choice will be yours,’ And each time, lying awake in the bed — I slept less and less — I realized that there was a void in every answer. Which could make it not so much a lie…”

Cursory took a deep breath. Solid commented, “This is not surprising. Doubt is Black Moon’s aspect. You probably knew this and took it into account, reputable Cursory Streak.”

She just nodded and went on, looking at the ground.

“I took a course. I went through it completely. And when the term came to an end, I no longer had trust in the Black Moon; any at all. And not only in Her. In nopony at all. I saw an omission in every word spoken. I was broken and fit only for Her, and only for Her ponies, who were transparent and pure to my eyes, and always meant exactly what they said. Everypony else — everypony outside, and many of the 7-S residents — were disgusting to me. I was happy defeating them — I was faster, stronger and smarter than all of them. Moon knew how to keep me motivated with competitions and duels. She picked rivals for me that made me grow above myself and become stronger. She did everything right and exactly the right way to leave me under Her wing. And therefore, out of a sense of contradiction, I chose the White Moon.”

Solid Line nodded, “Strange, but expected. Was your mentor offended?”

“I think so,” Cursory replied, “But even this I cannot say for sure. She portrayed something very similar to an offended look, but accepted my choice. And only then I was able to directly say what worried me; before that I was too afraid that Black Moon would throw me out and leave unfinished. And She… no, She never admitted that she was making another pony out of me. But She gave me ‘Guiding Starfall-TX’.

Gentle gasped, "I... it's practically a confession. Yes, Black Moon changed you. For everything else, such a remedy is overkill. I am sure. Speaking as a medic.”

Cursory sniffed and didn't answer right away, glancing at Pink— at Gentle. Pink commented, “Do you need a hug?”

Cursory stepped forward, looking down again.

“I didn't use it right away. I had three doses. Now I have one. These two uses are…”

Solid raised her head sharply and interrupted, “You have one?! Now?” the unicorn almost shouted those two questions, and Pink jumped in place, turning to her. Gentle noted that the beautiful and immovable golden mask had changed, became softer, more confused, with a share of hope — and anger. However, the web of her feelings was still almost the same as that of Black Moon — extra dense, shifting through green and purple ciphered waves, and, like with Black Moon, Gentle could not grasp its meaning.

“Hey, what happened? Did the blue mushroom bite you?” Pink asked.

Cursory tilted her head, “I have one. Not here, at home. What for?”

The unicorn let out a noisy breath, "The only non-magical way to separate Pink and Gentle. And you were hiding it!”

Cursory thought for exactly one beat, “I didn't know. And that means there are magical ones that you know?”

“There is one. But it’s dangerous — I might botch it. By comparison, ‘Guiding Starfall’ is relatively safe.”

“Yes, about as safe as you sharing your bed with three snakes. Totally out of the question, Solid Line.” Cursory replied with a tone lower, fluffing up and spreading her wings.

“I said relatively,” Solid Line said calmly.

Pink and Gentle tried to intervene, almost interrupting each other, "I say, find me a mirror and that’s it, everything is fine with your sweet Gentle!" and “You seem to have forgotten to ask me!”, but neither the miniature unicorn, nor the pegasus who was trying to seem even bigger than she already was, heard them.

Because at that beat a directed beam of pale bluish-white light fell on them from above, the soft rumble of the auxiliary engines of an aviette — it should be much louder, Gentle thought — filled the air.

A low voice from above, dispersed and projected to have no clear source, told them, “Ponies on the hill! Cursory Streak and an unidentified unicorn! Next to you is the object of the Red. Reasonable care is advised. The Neutralization Inspection Corps intends to take action. You have the right to make decisions and actions, and in order to avoid possible casualties you are advised to move three times nine steps away from the object of the Red that is due to inspection. You have nine beats to decide and act. Nine, eight, seven…”

Pink looked up, staring directly in the blue light. Cursory and Solid approached her, still breathing deeply and angrily; Signal continued to hold on to Cursory's back, and also looked up.

Cursory snorted, “Fat chance. I won't leave Gentle.”

“It’d be better if you do,” Pink snapped, “I can cope — and be better off without you. It's not hard.”

“I've already left behind enough ponies,” said Cursory, quiet but firm, and they kept looking at the sky under a bluish glow, only vaguely reminding of the kind and attentive Blue Moon’s light.

“Four, three, two…” Pink counted in a whisper, in sync with the voice from the sky.