The Blind Sun

by Dragonfire2lm

Meandering

For Hearth, waking felt like getting doused in ice water. Her senses were sharp, raw in their level of sensitivity and her cocoon felt several sizes too small. Instinct guided her newfound power to crack the hardened shell of magic she was encased in, her magic sputtering out shortly after the first cracks began to form.

She stumbled out on stiff legs, eyes adjusting to the early morning sunlight and blinked at the four bugs in the room with her.

“Uh….?” She said as Grimm smiled and one of the small bugs with a set of curved horns waved at her from where they sat on a couch.

“Welcome back friend. How do you feel?” The Troupe master asked.

“Different,” she replied, experimentally moving the long antennae on top of her head and was amused at their heart shaped, fuzzy ends.

She noticed that most of her body, except for her head, neck, and legs, was covered in fluffy red fur. Her wings rested on her back in the form of white tendrils. They unfurled at her whim, revealing white membrane like her original wings. She noticed that she taller now, at her best guess, by a rough comparison to Grimm’s own tall stature, she estimated she was as tall as the average changeling queen.

The most startling change was the power that hummed beneath her chitin. A sense of strength and will Hearth had never known before.

She wasn’t sure if she was afraid of her new strength, or worried about it. Feeling her legs protest their lack of movement for hours on end, she took a few unsteady steps around the room.

A horned shade walked over to support her, letting her lean up against them.

“Oh, uh thanks,” she said awkwardly, and the being nodded. “Sorry, I’m still a bit out of sorts.”

Grimm spoke up as she focused on getting feeling back into her legs. “Perfectly normal but I believe introductions are in order,” she looked over at him as the moth gracefully gestured to the other three bugs in the room with them. “My dear Mothling, these are my children, Ghost, Petal, and my eldest, Hollow.”

Oh.

What Scarlet Changeling hadn’t heard of The Royal Siblings the children adopted by The Nightmare King? Every ‘ling knew of them, yet very few knew them, such was the extensive measures Grimm took to ensure his children loved the lives they wished, free from the public eye and free to pursue their own interests and hobbies.

Hearth looked up at Hollow, the bug looking at her curiously. She wasn’t quite sure what to do with the information.

“Hi?” she said uncertainly and was met with telepathy in return.

It was strange, she expected spoken words and instead got writing directly implanted into her mind. It was jarring, but not overwhelming to her still adjusting senses.

Hello.

“Now then,” Grimm’s voice drawing everyone’s focus back to him. “We have some time yet before I am to meet this Princess Cadance. What shall we do in the meantime?”

Hearth smiled at the sight of Petal tugging on Grimm’s cloak.

gardens? please?

“I will show you them in time, my child,” Grimm promised, offering the child a fond smile before turning his attention to the rest of his children. “Ghost, Hollow, any ideas?”

Ghost hopped off the couch and wandered over to their older sibling and pointed at them, almost insistent.

Grimm chuckled at their antics. “Where they go, you go. I know my little shade. Perhaps we should split into two groups?” At Hollow’s nod and Ghost’s indifferent shrug, he elaborated. “I will show Petal around the gardens while it is still quiet out, and the two of you may go where you wish… so long as you don’t cause any trouble.”

“I could keep an eye on them.” Hearth suggested.

There was a niggling feeling, a drive, a sense that where Hollow went, she should follow. An instinct as sharp as her empathetic senses.

“I don’t want you to strain yourself-” Grimm began.

“I need to stretch my legs anyway and there won’t be too many people around at this hour,” she said and glanced over at Hollow, who was still offering her support as she stood on her still unsteady limbs. “… I get the feeling they would be better off with me there…”

Grimm nodded, accepting her reasoning. “And do you agree Hollow?”

The shade nodded. Their words chosen carefully.

It would appreciate the company.

Grimm looked worried at the way Hollow referred to themselves as It and from the emotions Hearth could pick up from the family, it was a conversation that had been brought up numerous times.

But before she could interject, Ghost spoke.

Hollow likes being an It…

The moth’s red eyes grew sharp as he looked over at the small bug. “Only because that is all they have known since they climbed out of The Abyss…. Damn that wyrm and my sister…”

Hollow crouched closer to the ground and Hearth could sense how much they wanted to disappear into it. She laid a comforting claw on their back and watched as Ghost stubbornly refused to budge on the topic.

So? Is it such a bad to want to claim something for yourself, even if it came from a bad time in your life?

Grimm blinked, shoulders sagging as Ghost stared at him. Hearth had the distinct impression this was more than conversation between parent and child. There was something more to Ghost that she wasn’t ready to look into.

“And yet I worry that their quirks will be to their detriment. Others could very easily try to manipulate any of you, and I would be powerless to stop it.”

Ghost crossed their stubby arms across their chest.

Just as Hearth was about to step in, Hollow rose to their full height, the mothling they were supporting readjusting her stance to stand without their aid, and snapped their fingers to get their attention. A small red flame danced in the palm of their hand.

And their words were brimming with purpose, a strength of character that would cow the weak willed.

It is not weak.

It is not foolish.

It knew chains for too long.

Never again…

Hollow glanced down at the flame and then over to Hearth. Whatever courage they had was gone, replaced with an unwavering sense of calm. Grimm and Ghost both silenced by their statement.

Hollow leaned down to hand the flame to her.

You eat these, yes?

She nodded, bewildered at the sudden change in atmosphere. Wordlessly she snapped up the small piece of nightmare essence, already beginning to feel more like herself as its power refreshed her.

“Thank you.” She said gratefully.

Hollow nodded and looked back over at their father.

Do you not trust The Sun to keep her word? Or is it her subjects you worry could cause a scene?

“In truth, I do not know. Both I think,” Grim admitted. “Celestia knows very little about me and my duties… And I fear her obsession over reuniting with Luna has driven her to lose her Purpose as a Higher Being.”

“Purpose?” Hearth asked. “Like her job or special talent or something?”

“A Higher Being holds vast amounts of power within them, aligned to one of the forces of nature. Be it dominion over nature, a certain area, or in my case an entire realm of the mortal soul,” Grimm explained. “Our Purpose is what we do to maintain and control that power, what or who it is tied to. The various rituals and connection to mortal kind that gives our power focus. Should a Higher Being be threatened to the point of losing that focus, their Purpose… They go mad as they latch onto a new purpose in an effort to reclaim control… and often with destructive results.”

“And you think Celestia’s Purpose was tied to her sister?” Hearth asked.

She grew up hearing the stories of the other Higher Beings. The rage and insanity The God of Dreams succumbed to, the almost Tartarusian bargain The Pale King struck with The Nightmare King and Lord of Shades just to keep his kingdom alive, to even the madness that The Moon fell prey to and forced Grimm’s hand. The grandiose, the major pieces of information were all spread and shared by The Scarlet Hive, but Hearth had never known the why or how behind the events.

“They gained their power at the same time. The Royal Sisters have always been connected on some level…” Grimm mused. “I had no choice but to seal Luna away, if she is to be saved either both sisters must see reason or…”

Petal tugged on his cloak again, drawing him out of his musings.

father? can we go now?

“Hm? I suppose this is a conversation for another day.” Grimm said.

Hollow nodded in agreement.

Go have fun, we will be fine.

Ghost nodded.

Yes, go... wait, can I have my nail back?

“No.”

…Please?

Grimm smirked at them. “Can I trust you to not start a fight?”

…I won’t hit first.

“Ghost.”

…But The Sun could hurt you…

Ghost’s words were tinged with worry, a deep-seated fear born from experience. Grimm walked over, Petal trailing behind him, still gripping the ends of his cloak. The Troupe Master knelt to look Ghost in the eye, a reassuring smile on his face.

“I assure you, even if Celestia chooses to raise her magic against me, I will be fine. Hollow is more than capable of fending her off and I know you little shade, you will not let a lack of weaponry stop you,” he smirked, the glimmer of something sinister in his glowing eyes. “And though confined in this shell, I am not as powerless as I appear…”

Definitely The Nightmare King Hearth thought as she felt the short burst of power Grimm let out to accompany his words. It was easy to forget that the moth was one of the oldest Higher Beings with power that spanned the entirety of the globe and brushed against every soul to ever walk the land.

This display of power, however brief, eased Ghost’s worries and they darted forward to hug the moth before returning to Hollow’s side.

Stay safe father…

“And I wish the same for you,” Grimm replied as he stood up. “I do hope the three of you can get along. I understand how sudden all of this is.”

Hollow shrugged. It just wants to see the stained-glass windows this place is known for. Something peaceful.

Hearth could understand the sentiment. “That sounds like a good idea actually, we can stay out of the way, and we can all meet up later.”

“Very well, if everyone is in agreement then I shall see you this evening at the carriage. Enjoy yourselves.”

---

The Hall of History was a long hallway chronicling the history of Equestria with beautiful stained-glass windows. Each colourful display had a plaque beneath it detailing the events that took place.

Nary a soul was out in the early hours of the morning, so Hearth was free to stumble about following Hollow’s leisurely stroll.

Her new height was taking some getting used to.

Her new everything was taking some getting used to.

Ghost meanwhile, was darting about the hall, flitting to whatever caught their eye, and then doubling back to check on the other two before zipping off again. They seemed to have boundless energy and insatiable curiosity.

From the kingdom’s founding over one-thousand-five-hundred years ago, to the various feats of heroism performed by The Pillars of Equestria, these windows showed it all. Hearth stood by Hollow’s side as they stopped before one from a little over a thousand years ago.

The mismatched visage of The Lord of Chaos, puppeteering mortal ponies for his own twisted amusement, was an unsettling sight no matter how eye catching the craftmanship was.

“We had our own history with The God of Madness,” Hearth said, and Hollow looked her, tilting their head in curiosity. “My memory is a bit fuzzy on the details… but the fear he instilled in mortal kind carried into their sleep, the world was plagued with suffering and nightmares, and it was growing out of control. To prevent the new nightmares from crossing the boundary into the waking world, The Nightmare King created servants that shared his affinity for nightmare essence.”

The first Scarlet Changelings? Hollow guessed.

She nodded, little details coming to mind as she focused on the tale. “My ancestors didn’t look like changelings, they looked like the very nightmarish monster’s mortal kind had dreamed up in their torment. Over time we adopted traits more in line with mortal changelings.”

Hollow nodded and gestured at her. And yet your lineage as a being of nightmares remains.

They were right and it was something openly known and accepted by The Scarlet Hive, another form and facet of their lives that rarely affected the day-to-day running of the hive.

“True, but aside from needing nightmare essence as a staple food alongside physical matter from the waking world, it only really comes up when the hive or The Nightmare Realm is in danger,” she replied. “The Scarlet Hive hasn’t been in any real danger since The Old Light tried to burn her way into The Nightmare Realm.”

And if the hive were in danger?

“Every ‘ling that can stomach being on a battlefield sheds their physical shell and embraces the nightmare to defend the hive,” Hearth replied. “There are defence plans, evacuation routes, emergency orders and everything else the hive could need if something big enough to threaten us came along though.”

It was at that point that Ghost returned to them, staring at them curiously.

You don’t change for fun? The small bug asked.

The question took the mothling by surprise. There was nothing that said a ‘ling couldn’t shed their physical shell whenever they wanted, but the process wasn’t pleasant, and the energy expended to both take on their ancestral form and reform their physical shell afterwards did not make the ability viable for constant or casual use.

And in truth, most ‘lings weren’t too keen on leaving the shell they’d been born in, that mix of a semi-mortal form and the more mystical nature of nightmare creatures gave her kind the resilience needed to traverse The Nightmare Realm unbothered by the nameless horrors and twisted creatures that roamed the darker pockets of the realm, the very same monstrosities their ancestors had been made to hunt.

“It takes too much energy to transform to and from that state,” she explained to Ghost, “Sounds fun in theory, ends up being a hassle in practice.”

Different from Void then, Hollow and I can change whenever we want.

“Oh?” she looked over at Hollow. “Is that why you’re a shade and your siblings have physical forms?”

Hollow nodded. It can make Itself a body, It prefers being a shade. Taking on a physical form brings up… unpleasant memories.

They looked away, hesitant. Perhaps It could share those memories with you in the future?

Ghost nodded in agreement. Yes, do it!

Hollow gave their sibling a sharp look. Only if she wishes to hear of such things.

Do it!

“Calm down Ghost,” Hearth said, foreseeing the seemingly harmless prodding turning into something that would only upset Hollow. “I’m honestly glad they want to tell me about themselves, and I wouldn’t mind talking more.”

Friends? Ghost asked and Hearth got the impression that they wouldn’t let up until a bond of friendship existed between her and the two siblings.

She was confused by their insistence, but they seemed harmless enough. “Sure? I don’t see why not.”

That satisfied them and with a nod, they went back to exploring the hall. Hollow shook their head at their sibling’s antics.

Do not mind them, for all their quirks, they are a kind soul. They only wish for It to find joy in the same way they have, with trusted friends.

With her bafflement gone, Hearth was left amused by the situation. “They’re earnest and you seem nice enough,” she paused, wracking her brain for the last time she had people she could consider friends and was unfazed when her last friend was a schoolmate, she’d parted ways with them once she’d graduated. “I’m not really much of a people person, but I don’t mind, might even do me some good.”

It appreciates this. Hollow made a sweeping gesture around the room. Very few have indulged It’s hobbies over the years.

“What sort of hobbies?” she asked, more than happy to continue the pleasant conversation and unable to recall the last time she was able to enjoy such a simple thing.

Whatever has It’s interest at the time. Hollow explained. Though reading is a pastime It greatly enjoys. It finds comfort in the written word.

They went to explain as the two them continued their amble down the hall, the early morning light spilling through the windows providing an enchanting backdrop to Hollow’s musings.

When reading, there is no pressure to act, to interact. It can simply exist, connect, and feel for those the words bring to life. A book does not judge, a book does not expect anything of It, other than to read the contents within.

Writing in turn, gives It time to think, a blessing when conversation are purely reactionary for the most part. And very few are compatible with It’s form of telepathy and no one aside from father and our siblings speak Krik.

“You can speak Krik?” Hearth asked and Hollow leaned back a bit in bewilderment.

She didn’t blame them. Krik was an ancient tongue that was comprised of simple sounds and vocalisations to convey emotion and intent. Less a language in the modern sense, and more a means of communication.

It was once used by bug kind before the invention of Invertae, the written bug language, and long before the translation spells interwoven into the population were first created.

Hollow trilled at her in surprise. Ghost echoed their call from further down the hall, a curious note to their short chirp.

Hearth let out a warble, a greeting, and soon the three of them were trading chirps, trills, whistles, and calls. They weren’t really saying much of anything and simply taking joy in calling out to one another.

So caught up in the moment, the trio completely missed a stained-glass window depicting a dark blue mare framed by the familiar red fires of nightmare essence, a red full moon above her armour-clad form.

Author's Note:

I think I'm going to stick to the alternating POV chapters for this story, as the dramatic ro serious is more Grimm's ballpark. Let me know fi there's any typos I missed or if I accidently used he/him/his instead of they/them/their when referring to Hollow or Ghost, as the vast majority of this chapter was written over a couple of late nights and sometimes my terminology slips as I lose steam.

Originally this chapter was going to feature more, a meeting with Spoke, Twilight and Princess Cadance as well as the siblings being cute. However, I'm still trying to smooth out the main conflict of this story (Celestia Boss Fight, yay or neigh? let me know in the comments!) and the interactions I have planned best fit another Grimm POV chapter.

A scene I wanted to write, but didn't go ahead with was one where everyone was in the gardens, with animals flocking to Hollow and Hearth and neither of them sure on who's causing it. Imagine Hollow in shade form sitting in the grass petting a bunny. (disney princess Hollow, lol)

Did some art showing off Hearth's mothling form a while ago. I'm posting it here in case new readers didn't see the original blog post.

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