The Trinity of Moons: Mending Shards

by Cloud Ring

Chapter 3: Remembrance

∿∿∿

"Mom, why do you keep leaving? I keep waiting and waiting for you, and then you leave again."

Igni leaned over to Solid, rubbed her nose over her foal’s cheek.

"For the Moon's deeds. It should be so. Do you like playing with other foals? And two cycles before you and I went to the pool. Next cycle, I promise, we will go to Underrock Mountain. In order for you and me to have all this, I must sometimes fulfill White Moon's requests."

Solid frowned, “You always say that. I've already tried to count the slices when you are away. Somewhere in the second nine I get confused."

Mom did not answer right away. She tugged her under her wing of sparkling, pure gold and sat down.

"You will understand later, dear. You will choose your Moon and you will understand," Igni said.

Solid coughed and winced, and tried to reconcile, "Oh... okay. But can you at least not smell of blood when you come back? And buy me dewberry ice cream."

∿∿∿

“Mild confusion is typical for those who have just passed into adulthood.” The cream-colored pegasus looked directly at Solid, hovering on the far side of a green line on the floor, her face full of respectful sympathy, “Welcome to society. Do not rush to answer but this is an important question: would you like to return to your relatives, or, conversely, write to them that you would rather sever all connections? If preferred, you can also hide from their searches without such notice. Still, the last letter is more traditional.”

Solid hesitated, “I don’t remember them— I don’t remember anypony. Is that how it should be…?” She blinked, trying not to give out how scared she was.

“Well… you came up from the unbound age less than a cycle ago, right?” Solid nodded, and the pegasus gave her an encouraging smile, “It would be a miracle if you remembered. Personal memory can return, within one luster. It may never come, but this does not mean that you are by any means less capable. Rather, statistically, the opposite is true. So, take your time. In this luster of your life, Metropolis is especially sensitive to you, and She would especially like you surviving.”

Solid lay down on the opposing bench, looked at the pegasus and smiled timidly, “Tell me, is it possible to quickly check what my abilities are and what I am in fact capable of? Also, were there among my relatives those who wanted to find me when— if I get out of the unbound age alive? If so, can I find out their addresses?”

∿∿∿

"Would you like to come home?" Solid Line turned her head away, afraid to look at her brother. She knew that he would refuse, even as the road to his place took her more than seven cycles from the very center of Metropolis to Her outskirts.

"My home is here," Dotted Line hoofed around his apple orchard, "And, most importantly, here," he playfully pushed the beige earth mare next to him with his forehoof; she smiled awkwardly and reached out to hug Solid Line. The unicorn swiftly retreated; they both laughed, and Solid Line blushed involuntarily.

"But I need you. I never found our father. I need... somepony from our family by my side," Solid Line said.

"I see. You can stay here. We will be really happy to have you around," he replied, smiling.
Solid Line closed her eyes and sighed, still not making direct eye contact.

"There are no schools of my level here. I’d like to repeat my question. Please reply." She side-stepped, and at the same moment turned her head to Dotted Line, the point of her horn a bit lower than it should be in a less tense conversation.

"I could invite you in a less shrouded way instead. I already looked the school up for you — the University of Remnant Sciences looks promising."

Solid Line glanced at him. I do not want to refuse straight away.

"I'll think about it. If I agree, I’ll write to you. I want to look into an S." she said.

Dotted Line walked over to her, and this time she did not pull away. He poked her with his nose, forcing her head up.

"Yes, please, think about it. I understand that you want to remain 'in sight of Electra,' so to speak. But S sectors are in exile, frankly.”

"Do not press her," the beige mare interrupted. “The poor filly, albeit an adult, is already one step from turning around and running away," She went to Solid Line and stood in line with her, against Solid’s brother.

Then she spoke to Solid directly, "We will be glad to see you. Always, whenever you come and whoever you become."

∿∿∿

"Turn her over onto her stomach, put her head slightly below the level! And watch her breath, if it starts to get troubled, place vanadinite in a triad around and direct—"

"I know!" Solid Line shouted in reply.

The mare in the blue robe on the other side of the projection nodded, "Good. Now wait, and the team will arrive soon. We are doing our best, but the number of afflicted by the ongoing infusion of the Red is above all reasonable expectations."

She disabled the connection and walked into the room where Igni Line’s listless body was sprawled. Solid’s legs were shaking at every unsteady step. Everything was blurry and swaying slightly.

Why? The Red, why do you hate us so? And why did this happen to us?

There was a knock on the door. Solid Line turned awkwardly, opened the door without asking who had come. Signal Line gave her a stern look through her glasses from top to bottom and marched past her into the apartment.

"To the bathroom, wash and tidy yourself up. I will come and check," Signal Line growled.

"But, auntie..."

"No 'but'. You will not help her with your tears. And, as we will stabilize my sister and send her to the hospital, I will immediately start teaching you. I hope you will do your best. And mind you, for breakfast — every breakfast — I love croutons."

"Teach what, and for what reason?" Solid Line lowered her voice. "Don’t even start to pretend that you know how to deal with the Red. And why can even Blue Moon do almost nothing against it? Aren't healing arts in Her domain? Or, I don’t know, could White Moon burn it to cinders and cinders to nothing? Isn’t that what She has to do?!"

"Yes, They cannot win against the Red; and my knowledge will not guard you against the Red either. But it will help you. When you will become useless for and rejected by your chosen Moon, my lessons will stay with you," Signal Line replied calmly.

Solid Line barely found the strength to keep her voice relatively calm too, "Yes, and let all the Moons go away! What is the point of every one of them while there is the Red?!”

The aunt looked at her, coughed, but said nothing. Glasses on her nose gleamed faintly.

"I would do anything to ensure this doesn't happen ever again," Solid Line exhaled.

“Me too,” her aunt said quietly. "Me too. But there are things that we cannot change."

∿∿∿

Her memory of the ocean was sparkling. Soft sand lay under Solid Line's hooves, bright stars shone above and directly in front of her, a gentle hum of dark waves carried all over the beach, and little blue spots of fluorescent plankton were left on it by the waves to wither and eventually dim to nothing.

She walked closer to the ocean's edge. One step after another, hearing the soft hum that rose and fell with each new wave in an eternal cycle.

She looked down to the water, and saw that it was the abyss stretched far, far down and full of stars. And among them — the undeniable presence of Black Moon, the clear-cut circle of absolute darkness in the starry sky, all-seeing and eternally curious, Electra's eye, as it was sometimes called.

∿∿∿

Solid Line woke up on the floor of the office. There was no double, nor a mirror. She was unharmed, and only the faint smell of rot reminded her that the doppelganger was indeed here.

Now Solid knew she began to lose her memory even before she moved to 14-S. The cat, her body heat a tangible contour pressed to Solid’s back, was there. Solid knew what Signal Line had looked like before, when aunt was still a pony.

She tried to get to her hooves and realized that she was unbearably weak. Her body was a dead weight and every movement could be conceived in theory; in practice she just could not force herself to actually make it.

Well, yes, what did you expect from the creation of the Red, she chuckled to herself, then asked the cat to call somepony in for help and passed out.

∿∿∿

Black Moon lay next to her, the alicorn’s head resting on Her front legs. No armor, no artifacts, no lightning — just a very thin dark alicorn with deep-set purple eyes in a bony skull. A cup of nutritious broth in a greenish aura sank in front of Solid's nose. She did not refuse the treat.

Solid raised her head — they were in the same office where the double met her.

Was that Your plan? she tried to ask and the Moon answered her in her own thoughts, Your meeting with a double? No. Other things that were related to you since entering 14-S? In a few cases, yes.

Solid did not even have time to formulate the question about memory, and Black Moon had already been answering in a calm and even tone like a second voice at the edge of consciousness, All mortal inhabitants of the S sectors have the problem of the dissipating past. Usually you lose what you do not really want to remember. It is interesting that you have supplanted from your memory both what you considered to be My invitation and your anger at the Red. In your case, I did not make any conscious interventions in your memory.

Would you like to accept me as your Herald? Solid thought, And thanks for saving me from the Red!

I would be honored, there was no smile in the thought, But you deserve more, Solid Line. You are one of those mortal ponies that I have been waiting for generations and I do not want to lose again.

Waves of weakness were rolling over, spots of color floated before her eyes. She tried to look around in search of the cat, but turned her head in the entirely wrong direction. The Moon's voice in her head became a little faster; more alarmed.

You can awaken a miracle. You can defeat the Red, even though the Trinity of Moons cannot. But you will need the help of other souls. And before that, a very long sleep.

Will we talk again? I have so many questions! Solid asked. What about Signal? And what's the catch?

We will, Black Moon assured her. More than once. Signal will stay with you, it's her own condition to participate. The catch— the alicorn fell silent and Solid thought that she would not get an answer.

Yet she got one later on, This path will not do without losses, by the very nature of the path. You will understand later. And, unfortunately, we — both of us — will have to wait for your fellow travelers on the road for a miracle. It takes time. You will find out the details later and there will be more than one choice for you. Until then — sweet dreams, Solid Line, and know that you deserve them.

Okay, Solid thought and fell asleep. In this last beat she had one more question about the Moon’s exact quoting from the book that she had taken for the meeting as a talisman. This question, too, had no answer for now.

Her dreams were long, colorful and outlining her possible new purpose; without any actual change at first, just exploring options for the seemingly-impossible along the minor fault lines of reality that, if properly cultivated, could damage and break it. That was one of Black Moon’s aspects, after all.

A little later, they ceased to be dreams.

Signal always remained at her side, even when she once again parted with her memory, willfully and for greater purpose this time.

But neither in this round nor in the next nor nine rounds later, did Solid Line return to 14-S.

Author's Note:

It's possible now is the time to return to the marked spot. If you don't know which one, no worries, keep reading as usual. Thank you.

Comments

[Chatoyance]

Some more corrections:

"Well, at least you admitted [admitted it]. It's a stupid decision but [I suppose / I guess / sadly, ] you just can't be better than that,"

If we'll die, we'll do it together this time. (if we die, we'll...]

"Do not press on her," [Do not press her] the beige mare interrupted. “The poor filly is already one step next to [from] turning around and running away from." [turning around and running away."]

I am curious, but currently perplexed - this is Enigmatic Ground. The moons are a puzzle, as is the Red, and I am eager to learn more at this point in the story!

[AxelFones]

I honestly have little clue what’s going on but I’m seriously enjoying it. I’m getting the gist of things even if I’m definitely not getting spoon fed, which is always a legitimately fun experience when done well. For now there’s something about their word choice and cadence in dialogue that reminds me of Tron lol.