1. Darkness

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Down goes the dark spiral, down to the bottomless abyss. Down… and into the black heart of the void that calls all living things back to where they began. A black unicorn with white markings on its coat was there. A single lamp provided a small light in the room she was. She was sitting quietly on her haunches, with her purple eyes wandering over to the table with the lamp. There was a small note on it.

It took a few moments for Selune Darkeye to actually register that she was looking at it. The absent minded mare shook her maroon mane as she read again. She shook her head, why was she there? Who wrote this? Where was she? Thousands of questions stormed her head as she couldn’t recall how she got here. None had an answer, but the pattern was clear. She was awake, she didn’t remember where she was, or how she got there. She realized she was in a dream.

There was an eerie feeling about this place. The air was too stiff, and the silence was almost tangible. Something was out there in the darkness, watching her quietly, waiting for her. She felt its presence, its aura; the promise of a nightmare. Selune gulped as she shook the shivers off. Taking a deep breath, she bit her right hoof, but besides the sharp pain nothing happened.

This was not a normal dream. Acknowledging the dream didn’t work, nor did pain wake her up. Once again, her eyes wandered, falling on the note. Something in the back of her mind told her this was the key to everything. She grabbed the paper and read it out loud. “Everybody is scared of something, so tell me… What are you afraid of?”

There was no point avoiding it, no reason lying. It was all around her after all, it was in the corners of this box of stone that she was in. It cowered from the now dimming light of the lamp, a serpent that crawled in circles all around her, enveloping her in its coils.

“Darkness…” As she said the word a soft breeze blew out of nowhere and the lamp’s light was snuffed out, the very edges of the room around and above her melted into pitch black darkness. Selune’s hooves started shaking uncontrollably as her breath quickened. There was a low whistle, and an unnatural coldness rushed her. As she gasped, Selune instinctively cast the first spell that came to her mind.

-Sssssslik-

Two red slits opened as steel made contact with the flesh. But no death rattle was heard, nor blood spilled. Instead, Selune’s form dissipated into glittering mana.

The creature shrieked angrily as Selune’s form shimmered when her Mislead spell faded. Her horn lit up purple as she cast True Sight and conjured a runic eye just in time to see the creature jerking its head towards her.

“Petty tricks will not save you…” Its voice was like two serpents, one layered above the other. Its eyes, two red slits, gazed upon her, causing the unicorn mare to gulp as cold sweat rolled down her forehead.

“What… what are you? Who are you?” The black unicorn made out of concentrated darkness approached her, letting its curved hoofblades make a metallic screech as they dragged on the ground. It had a build similar to her own, and a black fog emanated from where its mane and tail should have been.

“Your future…” with a puff of smoke it disappeared. Selune’s eyes shot wide open as she felt its aura behind her and she ducked. Two strands of her maroon mane dropped to the ground as she rolled away from it.

“Why do you fight?” The phantasmal mare asked “You don’t have what it takes to defeat me. So why?” Selune grabbed her heart, gasping for air, hoping for a respite from the creature’s assault. “Are you not afraid? How can you hope to defeat me when you dread me so?” Its words rung true in her ears: her racing heart, her trembling hooves.

“Yes… indeed I’m terrified. But that’s exactly why I fight you!” Selune took one deep breath as the creature approached her once again. Her hoof loosened over her heart “Princess Luna once saved me… She is the reason the darkness didn’t swallow me at birth. I have to live, live and repay her the debt, and I can’t do that if I’m scared.” She lifted her head and stared back at the creature, gritting her teeth “So I can’t dishonor her domain by dying to a creature like you…”

The creature ignored her, and lifted its hoof, leaning forward.

“WHO DISRESPECTS THE NIGHT OF THE PRINCESS LIKE THIS!” Selune cried out.

There was a momentary flash as metal clashed with metal. The creature’s eyes widened as Selune held two curved metal blades clenched in her hooves. Using all her strength she used her illusionary blades to make an arcing swing in front of her, deflecting the creature’s blow and pushing it back. Within a purple flash she disappeared, teleporting behind the creature. Her horn glowed as she launched an arcing wave of purple magic . Casting a similar spell, the creature triggered an explosion as both spells clashed within the air. Charging through the smoke, Selune’s blades once again clashed with the creature’s hoofblades. Selune’s horn glowed as she launched a stream of glittering arcane pollen at the creature’s face. The creature’s form pulsed as it threw her off balance and pushed back her spell.

“Bwahahhaha… are your spells really that weak? Or does your mind simply make your fears so strong?” The creature’s voice echoed in the void. A small shockwave pulsed around the creature’s feet as it made a dash enhanced by magic. Selune’s horn glowed once again as she raised her hooves, summoning a shimmering barrier.

“IT’S USELESS TO RESIST!” The creature’s blows struck down the barrier, with its left hoofblade shattering it to pieces. Slashing at her neck with the right, the creature widened its eyes as glittering mana emerged from the wound. Looking around, the creature frantically searched for its victim.

-Sssssslik-

“Mistakes done twice, are not of mares wise.” Behind its back Selune’s camouflage was dispelled, revealing a smiling unicorn holding a blade firmly planted on the creature’s back. “You didn’t think I’d charge through the smoke blindly now, would you? Simulacrum and Camouflage. You hit a clone of mine while I was invisible. For an incarnation of my fear you really don’t know me at all…” Black drops of blood spilled down from the wound. She twisted the knife, causing the creature to gurgle in response.

“You aren’t simply my fear of darkness. You are my fear of the unknown, and only wits and will can conquer you.” As Selune spoke the creature’s form started dissipating into thin air.

“I know you’re not yet completely defeated. So long as unknown exists as a term I will always be afraid of it. But that doesn’t mean you’re not conquered. After all, being fearless isn’t to ignore fear…” Her surroundings melted and flowed down into a whirlpool of darkness.

As she blinked, Selune found herself once again in her room, looking at the ceiling. She’d have to report this to the Night Princess next thing in the morning, but for now she turned towards her nightlight and smiled as she closed it.

“But to press on in spite of that fear.”

2. The Maze

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Cold. Sabien’s coat was cold and he was shivering. He gritted his teeth, he clearly remembered having put a blanket on himself. He mumbled angrily under his breath as his hoof frantically extended left and right to grab the fleeting piece of cloth. His hoof touched something soft and fleeting. As he grabbed it he noticed it was heavy, and as he tried to place it over him he realised it had a pulse.

Wait what?

He opened his eyes only to see a sleeping mare’s hoof above him, and his head tucked beneath her chin, covered by her long maroon mane.

“Oh… Zzzzz... Terra I love you so. Zzzz…” she snorted as she tried to push him closer with a smile spreading on her face. Sabien tried to pull himself away from the black coated mare, but she seemed to seek his warmth, mumbling all the while.

“No… please don’t go…” She said as Sabien started pushing with all his strength.

“Grr… let go of me! By the bloody Tartarus below, release me mare!” Shoving the mare away, Sabien checked himself, shaking the dirt off. He looked around only to realize he was surrounded by walls of shrubbery. As he stepped forward he felt something smooth and, looking down, he noticed a piece of paper. Picking it up, he shook it and rubbed it on his crimson coat to clear it of dust and dirt.

'Welcome to my little maze! You must use teamwork to find the exit. This creature will be your partner. Get to know them, make their acquaintance. As you can tell, you have a horn ring on! Which means no voodoo, magic, or trickery is allowed! No cheating! Good luck to you... Also, don't try to break through the hedges, that'll be the equivalent to trying to break through a metal door. It just won't happen! Tootles! P.S if you make it without any problems, you'll have a little gift basket awaiting you when you exit the maze! Expect it to be full of assorted cheeses and expensive shampoo and soaps. Anyway, smell ya later! -GOB'

He couldn’t see it, but as he raised a hoof to his horn he felt it. He concentrated but instead of magic gathering on his horn he felt a sharp pain. It was true…

“No…”

He approached the shrubbery walls, tensing his muscles he punched them only to receive another dose of pain. The magic on his hooves was also disabled then?

“No…”

He turned towards the mare that was now shuddering from the cold in her sleep. She had an eye for a cutie mark, with a white outline. Who was she? Was she to blame? Was she this ‘GOB’ person? And who the heck was ‘GOB’ to command him to do something? He was Sabien! Second of the Order of Balance! He was the one giving orders, not the other way around! This… fiend thought that he could force him to play his little game just like Greymane?

“No… NO! I SHALL NOT BE YOUR SLAVE! YOU HEAR ME? RAAAAAAAARGH!!” He roared, slamming his hooves on the ground.

“Wha.. who.. what? Where?” The mare jumped from her slumber, shaking her head wildly as she looked left and right. She looked around curiously, and first noticed her horn. Looking around she picked up another scroll that Sabien had missed behind her. Reading it she sighed.

“First the dream, now this? Oh well… No point in crying about it I guess.” Sighing, she stood up and trotted towards Sabien, who was silent throughout her reaction, his jaw half open, his eyes wide-open. The mare raised a hoof and was about to say something, but then rethought.

“So… hello!” She gave him an awkward smile while giving him her hoof.

He didn’t shake it.

“Hello? HELLO? You just read a paper that said we’re probably trapped here by a sadist with our magic sealed, and that’s all you say?” His eye had started twitching “Do you think this is a walk in the park or something? Or maybe you’re the one that set this up?” He scrunched his nose as he went face to face with her.

“Woah woah woah!” Selune backed down as she tried to explain to Sabien that she was just as confused as he was: she could see in his eyes that he was not the type to simply listen. Finding herself being pinned to the wall; Selune could feel that though it acted like a simple hedge, its branches were cold as ice and felt like iron.

Sabien took hold of her as he continued to shout and rant

“Where is he? When did he send you? Tell me everything or else I’ll gouge your eyes out and fry you alive!” Instinctively, Selune kicked him in the crotch; finding it easier to make him stop that way. He was starting to scare her, and it wasn’t just that he didn’t have a cutie mark.

“Look I don’t know what’s going on either. And Greymane? Come on, do I look like some foal, he’s just an old ponies tale. A story that parents read to their children at night…” As Sabien stood back up he slammed his hoof into the ground and cursed while she looked around, “...on another note you’ve given me an idea. Go figure ‘Greymane’,” she said in a mocking manner, “has saved us. One story to lead us to another.”

Taking a moment to look at the hedge maze, she smiled at the crimson stallion who was more than a little peeved, “The Myth of Theseus and The Minotaur, in the story Theseus had a clue to aid him in getting out. Though his clue was a ball of twine to help lead him out I think we can use a trick that’s just as old as that story. We can hold onto the wall.”

Placing her right hoof on the labyrinth wall, she started to walk away, looking back she could see Sabien was less than enthusiastic. To be more accurate his expression in the dim moonlight made a hydra look happy by comparison.

“And uhm… sorry I kicked you. You scared me a bit. Heh.” She let out a nervous chuckle, but he only looked at her for a second before continuing on.

As they walked, Selune did as she suggested, but she couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that Sabien was giving her, his eyes as crimson as his coat gave off an unfriendly feeling, even though he appeared to be in deep thought.

“My name is Selune, what’s yours?” Being given a disgusted glare she stopped only to snap back at him in a playful manner, “Hey, I just thought that if we are going to be stuck in here for a while we may as well get to know each other.”

He was unsure if he should tell her his name. Figuring that they were stuck together and had to cooperate he decided to play along… for now.

“Sabien. Don’t get any ideas. We’re not friends here, we’re partners from necessity alone. I don’t have to like you, but as long as we’re here I’m working with you. However, I call my shots, and decide my own battle policy. You can do whatever you wish, just don’t get in my way. We clear?” He narrowed his eyes, his face having a firm, strict expression.

Taking the time to read his body language left a slight touch of fear in the back of her mind, she had come across a few ponies who had the same attitude as Sabien but never once were any of them like this. She almost wanted to question what happened to this stallion that made him this way.

“If you say so…” Wanting to change the subject, Selune kept moving. Looking up at the night sky she spoke once again, “Wonderful night, don’t you think? Stars are shining, the moon is full...” Looking back she only saw him glare as though he said to get her head out of the clouds, “but I guess you’re not the type for conversation either.”

Walking in silence was rather awkward, but the night’s glory seemed to induce a strange calming sense as though no harm would come to either of them, it made her feel at home as though she were surrounded by friends and family.

The seemingly endless maze tired Sabien. He kept following Selune, though his patience was waning. Why was she not taking this more seriously? He shook his head, but followed, tapping his hoof when they reached the same intersection again in order to try the other way.

This was taking too long.

Treading through the maze Selune felt a firm hoof stop her in her tracks. Turning her head she realised it was Sabien, who was now looking intently ahead. He stepped in front of her and stretched his hoof midair.

“You see this? Do you? I mean come on, you have an eye for a cutie mark right?” He rubbed his forehead, scrunching his nose as he breathed in and out. “Did it not occur to you this place might be booby trapped?”

Letting out a chuckle as she blushed, Selune looked closely, spotting a ‘web’ of wires, “Well not quite, I had thought the maze would have a trap or two but this was something I didn’t think about.” Watching as Sabien tugged on one wire, they watched as a section of the maze became a roaring flame, yet nothing other than the ground seemed to burn.

Tapping her chin, Selune let out an enthusiastic ‘Ah’ as she started to dig. Though the idea was not lost to Sabien, he failed to see her logic in this, “Well?” She shot him a confused look with an annoyed tone to accompany it, “If we have to work together, we can try and dig under the wires till we get to the other side.”

Trying to be an example for the headstrong and rather rude stallion, all she seemed to get out of him was a grunt and a grumble about how they stood a chance to run into traps under the dirt. The thought was not lost to Selune when she started digging, but this did little from trying it anyway… after all, it was better than sitting on their flanks doing nothing.

Sabien prepared his hooves and started digging as gently as he could. He didn’t want to set off the trap, but at the same time his hooves were moving nervously, eager to get out of this mess, and it was all because of this ‘GOB’ guy. His train of thought about the ways he would punish the fiend behind all this were put to a halt as his hoof encountered something metallic. Dusting it off, they encountered what seemed to be like a mechanical contraption with a white gem in the center of it. It gave off a magical vibe and it quickly hit him that this was the power source of the trap. The only problem was… how could they remove it?

Looking at the odd gem, Selune thought about one of the classes her friend Terra Lionmane had taken back in school; it was an engineering class that mixed the use of enchanted items to power hoof built mechanisms. Though it was mostly a basic level course, the concept was still the same: while the gem stayed in place it fueled the contraption but had an obvious flaw that was put in as a safety feature.

Reaching for the gem, Selune was violently pulled away by Sabien who questioned if she was trying to get them killed, “I know how this works I took a class on it in school.” Being given an odd stare filled with fear for his mortality, Selune pointed back at the gem, “It’s no use, the gem is set in there in such a way that it powers everything. But to keep it from overpowering and causing it to go out of control, the gem is never held too tightly in place. It’s a common safety feature so if the magic starts to go out of control the gem simply falls out, in this case we can remove it.”

As Selune went back over she heard Sabien rush out of the hole as he said ‘Your life not mine.’ Reaching back out for the gem, Selune gently took hold of it to give it a little wiggle, as she had thought the gem was loose allowing her to pull it out, disarming the trap.

Pulling on one of the wires that sat above her, she laughed as she mocked Sabien, “Poor little colt afraid of a little trap, so much for showing how brave you can be.” Though her mocking was just a bit of witty banter to lighten the mood, Selune could see that Sabien was not taking it too well.

“I… you… well if you get yourself killed that won’t be my fault now, will it?” He harrumphed, shaking himself back to the matter at hoof. “We need to remove the gem and put something in its place. I don’t think I have something on me, what about you?” He waited a bit, only to see the mare bite her lips, and blush while smiling and rubbing her neck as if put to an awkward situation.

“Come on I know you mares like to keep lots of stuff hidden in your manes and tails. So what’s it gonna be? Out with it!” He clapped his hooves together impatiently and extended his hoof, while waiting for Selune’s reaction.

Sliding back into the hole, Selune mumbled something about her tail, Sabien demanded she speak up., “I have a bauble on my tail, but somepony else has to remove it for me.” They stood there in silence as Sabien jumped back into the hole and walked up towards her.

She half expected him to show some kind of manners and try to come up with another option, a rock perhaps or something they may have overlooked that could be nearby. Sadly, this was not the case as Sabien took hold of her and began to fiddle with the trinket, taking advantage of the situation, he snickered while rubbing her hips as he moved down to the bauble. This was far more than uncomfortable in many ways, and his mocking didn’t help either.

Once the bauble was removed, he held it out for her as he complimented how nice and firm her flank was.

Flicking her tail towards him, she blushed while yelling “Pervert!” However, she found her tail being held onto as Sabien rubbed his cheek into it, complimenting its feel, “Let go of me!” Sabien laughed and shrugged innocently as he let her tail slingshot back into her flanks. For the first time since this encounter he was the one laughing, and he wasn’t even upset once Selune grabbed it from his hooves. He watched her fiddle with it a bit, crunching over the mechanism.

“Will you help me stick it in?” They both froze as Selune realized what she had said, they both burst down laughing with Selune covering her face with her hoof “Oh you! Get your mind out of the gutter!”

Sabien kept laughing for a bit, though his laugh was beginning to recede “If only I could! If only!”

Recalling how his attitude was about an hour ago when she said Greymane had saved them gave Selune an idea to get them moving, “I bet Greymane would have already found his way out of this by now.” Though she was right, Selune was unprepared for the 180 degree turn that his mood took.

He crunched to the hole they had made around the mechanism and positioned himself to remove the gem.

“On the count of three, I will remove it and you’ll shove the bauble in. Otherwise it won’t work, got it?” He punctuated the last two words, and when Selune nodded he started counting.

“1… 2… 3!!” Within an instant they made the switch. Though the mechanism still tried to function it had no power source, and shut down almost instantly. Tearing the wires, Sabien smiled as he motioned Selune forward. The maze run seemed to proceed smoothly, but quite often there was a loud thumping noise. Sabien was so focused to noticing any more traps that he was only now hearing it. A rhythmic sound of stone clashing with the ground, never coming from the same place, what could it be? Then it hit him, this was a creature and it was moving.

“Something’s coming our way. Big, stone, Golem Guardian maybe.” His ears were perked, focused on the noise its steps were making.

Trying to have a quick peek around the corner, Selune let out a light chuckle at his guess, “A golem guardian here in a maze, please, why would there be one here?” As she looked around the corner, she saw nothing as she gave Sabien a light tap on his shoulder, “Golems are magical creatures constructed to do as they are told, for there to be one here would mean there’s something worth hiding, I bet it’s another pony performing some manual labor. With any luck, they may know the way out.”

Trying to catch her as she trotted off following the noise, Selune called back, “Come on, or is the big strong stallion afraid of being wrong again?”

Her banter was a good change to the mood in her thoughts, but she knew that this angered him, and strangely enough was the best motivator to get him moving. As they drew closer to the sound it grew louder as well as heavier with each passing moment, before Selune could round another corner Sabien tackled her into the wall and quietly pointed up.

Looking up at what he was showing her, Selune could see the black marble stone that sat atop sandstone. As she followed what she saw down to the tops of the hedges, she questioned why they had not seen whatever it was sooner. Selune watched as Sabien lowered his body slightly and moved along the ground, almost as if he was gliding like a pegasi, though she could clearly see his hooves it seemed rather odd to see a pony move like he did.

Nearing the construct, Sabien nearly gloated about how he was right only for Selune to marvel in amazement as she almost shouted, “A Sphinx!” Being pulled back before the golden brown creature could notice Selune.

As it continued to move around, both Sabien and Selune took a moment to examine her, though for different reasons. Selune looked at the lovely creature of living stone as it paced back and forth, its lion tail almost seemed like it had hair, and though the jewels that it was adorned with appeared to be painted the arrangement of them was beautiful and were an achievement of the master artist. Even her eyes which should have been stone clearly told Selune this creature had true sight. As it smiled Selune picked up on the notion that the sphinx could not be fooled and seemed to track them while showing a playful side like a cat with a cornered mouse. This creature was surely far more complex than what they could understand.

Not wanting to stay in hiding for long, Selune stepped out to try and get a better look as the sphinx started to lie down, “Come out into the light, there is much to say when in sight. So let us see each other eye to eye, lest you want to sit there to cry and cry.”

Sabien sighed, planting a hoof on his face and tracking it down. This creature seemed to have the ability to sense other life forms, and it was probably the reason that he felt this shiver on his coat, like an eerie gaze transfixed on him. Step by step, the duo walked towards the Sphinx, who in turn greeted them by making a slight bow.

“This servant has come here tonight, to aid you in your plight.
But first this servant you must pay… if you want to win the day!
Abu is my name, and riddles are my game.
But if you wish to fight, just try and pierce my hide!

The exit can be yours, so you don’t have to crawl on all fours.
Answer correctly, use brawn or might! I am to entertain any kind of fight.
That is my place, the reason I wonder this maze.
That is what GOB has commanded, and what Abu shall do…

So speak your mind, and speak aloud, the wheel spins round and round!”

Sabien’s eye twitched once again as he heard that name, that acronym. He didn’t know what it meant and that frustrated him to no end.

“Where is your master? Show yourself right now! I tire of your games, if you wish to kill us then come out right now!” He yelled left and right, hoping that his elusive captor would hear his taunt. Instead, the sphinx responded.

“I am sorry sir, it is all for naught!
I am afraid my master shall appear… NOT!”

Sabien heard a giggle from Selune and jerked his head towards her, instantly silencing it. This creature emitted a powerful vibe, he could feel the life-force coming from its soulstone. Whoever this ‘GOB’ was, he was definitely potent with magics. He clenched his hooves, tightened his teeth, mumbling something incomprehensible under his breath. He would have taken this construct right here and now, but without his magic he felt naked, weak. It was a thought that made his face grow redder and redder. His breaths were now a whistle of ever-growing volume, his face seemed ready to explode. Roaring with all his might, he slammed his hooves down, breathing, as well as shooting some spit, in front of the Sphinx’s face. The Sphinx seemed unfazed by it, watching the flustered unicorn gasp for air.

“I hate you…”

“So is that yay, or nay?
Is it a riddle, or a fight you wish this day?”

Before Sabien could spout off about how he would destroy the Sphinx if he had his magic, Selune stepped up as she shoved a bit of dirt into his mouth to silence him for just a moment. Letting out a nervous chuckle as she smiled, Selune concluded that Sabien’s outburst centered around how powerless he was at the moment, and given her combat skills were also near voided it came down to one option.

“Please forgive my acquaintance, he’s had a long and hard evening, we will gladly take a riddle from you.” Giving a bow out of respect for the creature, Selune knew that showing some level of respect was worth almost a mountain of bits when done right, “A riddle is what we choose so please share with us what it is so we may work together to solve it.”

As Sabien spat and scraped dirt and grass out of his mouth, Selune could feel his hate for having to hear another set of rhymes radiate off of him, though even he had to agree as to what other choice they had.

With a smile, the Sphinx began to think, giving Selune a chance to turn around and have a quick conversation with Sabien, “Please tell me you know the answer to a few riddles, I know of a few but there’s no telling what she may give us.” Though Sabien gave an angry stare she could see in his eyes that they could be out of luck, “Don’t tell me you’re just some brawn over brains type of pony!”

Before Sabien could reply, the Sphinx let out a playful hmph.

“Moving forward never back, it has the world in a sack.
Means everything to some, nothing to others.
Its value changes from one to another, but has never once appeared differently.
A hint I give to you if you wish, but think carefully before you have a fit.”

As Selune tapped her chin, she thought of what it could be but questioned the answer herself as she looked at Sabien, “I want to say the answer is money, currency has often held the world at a stand still and doesn’t go back. It’s always moving forward, being exchanged between ponies.”

“Rrrgh… wait. We can print and make money, besides what does it mean ‘The world in a sack’? Can’t be a purse can it? A purse has money INSIDE of it. But if we take your logic how does that work? How can something be inside and outside of something at the same time? No… it’s definitely not money.” He tapped his hoof, his face furrowing as he tried to concentrate. “It’s gotta be something that encompasses the whole world… Ugh! I hate metaphors! Why can’t riddlers be literal for once! Do I have to drill into this Sphinx’s mind to learn what it means with ‘world’!?”

Having a stroke of genius, Selune took hold of Sabien, nearly shaking him, “Literal you say? You’re a genius!” Pacing back and forth she talked to herself, “If whatever the Sphinx is asking is not a metaphor for anything, then gravity. It encompasses the world so in that sense of things it would hold the world in a sack because it is the sack.”

Turning around to face the Sphinx, Selune nearly blurted out her answer only for her to stop and question herself again, “But then again, gravity doesn’t move, things move within it and it can move objects but gravity itself doesn’t move at all. At least we haven’t found out yet, scientists still wonder how gravity can transmit its influence instantly.” Slowly pacing back and forth, Selune thought about something else that could cover the world while also moving, “What about water, it covers about 80% of the world and it’s moving in rivers, streams, oceans, and seas. Even in ponds and lakes it still moves.”

“Will you actually FOCUS for a second and think your answers through before you give them, or are you just going to blurt out whatever answer comes to mind? Huh?” Sabien sighed in disappointment “I may not be that smart, but even I know that water doesn’t hold the whole world in it! I don’t know what kind of logic forces you to be excited, or so relaxed in this situation, but I would REEEEEAAALY appreciate it if you started WORRYING for a second and focus! You’re supposed to be the smart one after all!”

Taking a moment to think again, Selune frowned as she looked up at Sabien, “At least I show some kind of optimism at our situation despite how bleak it seems to be for us right now.” Rubbing her neck, she thought long and hard about it and almost wanted to ask if it could be the wind, “No that can’t be it, sure it’s all over the world and moves on its own but it moves all over the place. Wait… it can’t be something material, alchemy’s job it to change the nature of all things material. Hmm... ” Though she spoke under her breath, Sabien slightly smiled to know she was giving a little more thought to her answer.

As Selune continued to think, the Sphinx tapped her chin,

“If you wish to hear it, all you need do is ask for it.
A hint awaits you for use, my patience do NOT abuse.”

"Yes please. A hint would be nice." Said Selune. They watched as the Sphinx slightly waved her paw around,
“It’s as free as the wind but controls so much more. The very flow of nature bends to its will.”

Smiling as she let out a laughing sigh, she turned to look at Sabien, whose jaw was hanging as if he had been slapped with a fish and had a hard time processing it.

Though one shouted in joy, the other shouted in frustration, “TIME!!”

With a bow and a slight step to her right, the Sphinx gestured to them they could pass as a section of the maze opened, showing them a path out.

As they came to the door, Sabien grumbled about how he was glad to be done with all of this, only for Selune to stop him as she pointed at an inscription on a door, “I congratulate you for making it this far, but here is where you may fall. To pass this test you must guess how well you know your fellow guest. Speak to me a fault you see, within yourself if you please. Then to show your teamwork, tell me what your partner gave you that you had not. Only those whose learned enough will make it past this test. ‘GOB’.”

Thinking back, Selune blushed as she started to draw circles in the dirt, “Well I know I’ve been a bit stubborn and a little too eager at times hoping to lighten the mood, and make things easier for us and I know it has caused a few problems. But Sabien has been rather reserved and spotted the trap when I could not. And if not for him poking holes in my logic earlier, then who knows what could have happened with the Sphinx. I guess it would be easier to say he helped me to keep a calm and level head when it counted the most.”

Sabien held back for a bit, but realising that wouldn’t help he took a deep breath and sighed. It was no point daling any further, that much was obvious. “I was angry beyond belief to a random innocent mare. She tried her best to help me yet I pushed her away… if I was calmer we would have both been more efficient. She has a cool head in tense situations, and it gave me the ability to think when I was angry. She is a good soul… one that I wouldn’t mind partnering with again. We... complement each other. She’s the wits and I’m the will, and those are the two things that will get us out of here.”

As their statements came to an end, they could hear the locking mechanisms creak as they came undone, with a slow yet loud thud of a weight the door started to swing open. At first they were blinded by a bright light that seemed to welcome them, as they stepped through the doorway and into the light they found themselves standing at the entrance to the hedge maze, causing Sabien to nearly shout in frustration as Selune noted how wonderful the Canterlot garden looked at night. Looking around, both Selune and Sabien could see that they were not near the same maze they had finished. Clearing his throat as if he never lost his composure Sabien complimented Selune one last time before turning to leave.

Stopping for a moment he sighed, “If I ever have use of your talents again… I’ll send for you.” The hesitation in his voice nearly spoke volumes of how much of his pride he had to set aside for a simple thank you. Selune blinked for a moment but smiled, nodding back at him.

Smiling as they began to part ways, Selune watched as Sebien engulfed himself in a light aura of magic and took off faster than anything she had seen before.. Silently thanking him for the new experience in life, Selune and Sabien knew they would have to report this to their superiors.

This was clearly not the last time they would ever cross paths with this ‘GOB’ guy.

3. Boxing

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Darkness falls.

Night calls.

Another night.

Another contest to fight.

Selune couldn’t say she was used to it. No, she couldn’t say this was easy for her. Dealing with the murderous intent of her incarnations of fear, crossing a maze with a troublesome yet well-intentioned stallion. Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that she was in an anthropomorphic body.

Actually, the last one wasn’t so bad. Sure it was somewhat alienating to see in the mirror, but it wasn’t much trouble to get used to it. After all, fighting with projected weapons often required her to stand on two hooves.

But the hands?

The hands were something new, but instead of fearing them, a warm and fuzzy sensation had tingled her stomach when she saw them. She had a new kind of appendage, a new form, new things to discover, to find, to catalogue. Knowledge was a treasure in and of itself, and she was happy to discover how they worked. She knew of creatures like Minotaurs that had hands, and she had studied them in her attempt to learn how to properly wield projected weapons. One thought scared her though.

She’d have to use them in a fight.

She gulped, it was unfortunate that she had to fight another pony considering the series of contests she was in was bound to be deadly in some form. Every challenge so far had proven to be so. Perhaps if she wasn’t the winner here, she would die...

No.

She shook her head. She didn’t want to die, but neither did she want to kill. However, the choice was clearly taken from her, as well as her magic courtesy of mister GOB, who had put an inhibitor on her horn. She had been warned it would shock and kill her if she attempted to leave the building or use magic. Selune sighed and stood up: having her choice to fight taken didn’t mean they would take down her spirit, or her dignity!

She walked through the halls around the boxing arena as ponies gathered for the show. She ignored them all and focused on her destination, the room where her opponent was. It didn’t take her much time to find it, and now she was standing outside the door, with two enchanted suits of armor surveying her moves with their magical eyes. They made no attempt to stop her and she knocked the door.

“Coming!”

There was a small pause, and after a few moments the door opened. Selune was greeted by a white coated mare, or maybe she should say humanoid mare, with black mane, bright blue eyes, and a black plus sign on her bottoms. When she opened the door the mare was stunned for a moment as she didn’t expect to be greeted by her opponent.

Selune smiled awkwardly and coughed a bit, clearing her throat before she spoke “May I come in?” She made sure her voice was soft and non-threatening. She had no ill intent towards this earth pony mare.

After pondering her choice for a second, the mare looked at the possessed suits of armor in her room and entrance, and seeing as her opponent had an inhibitor on her horn she nodded approvingly. After Selune entered, she rubbed her neck, continuing to smile as the door closed behind her.

The room was quite luxurious, as much as her own. It had a fridge with food: pears, apples, oranges, and every vegetable you could think of. There was a boxing sack and heavy weights one could use to practice. Selune also saw the “Anthro: A guide to your humanoid form” guidebook she had been given. Though she didn’t need it, this mare seemed to have had quite the interest in it, seeing as it was left open on a table. Perhaps she was reading it before she opened the door? Maybe her delay was also due to getting used to it.

“Sorry… I really don’t want to appear creepy, and I realise I’m not helping my situation by coming early to see my opponent, and my form isn’t helping butineededtoseeyouand…”

She kept rambling so quickly, trying to convey a thousand thoughts into words but she couldn’t. She was too fast, too stressed to make her speech coherent, and she was failing at what she wanted to do: not creep out her opponent. Selune started sweating as she tried to think in her clouded mind, but it didn’t seem to work.

“Woah woah woah, take it easy.” The mare grabbed her shoulders as gently as she could. She was able to read body language and speech, and she seeked to console her. Perhaps she had studied psychology?

“Take a deep breath and calm down. Let’s start at the beginning I’m Lucky Stars, what’s your name?” Her speech was clear, her tone was motherly. This was definitely a mare that had experience in handling ponies. Selune took a deep breath and then spoke.

“I’m Selune Darkeye. Nice to meet you.” She extended her hand, and the mare took it.

“So… not to sound rude Selune but… Why are you here?”

“Well, I figured I’d like to know my opponent more. I mean, just because we’re pitted against each other doesn’t mean we have to hate each other? Right?” She asked, waiting for confirmation. Lucky Stars put her hand below her chin, thought about it for a second and shrugged.

“I guess not… but I don’t think we should meet each other. Others might consider it cheating, and I wouldn’t like to be giving away my potential of winning…”

“You have problems with your hands, right? Have you fought before?” Selune interrupted. Lucky Stars ground her teeth a bit.

“See? Is it that obvious? I thought…”

“I can help you.” Selune interrupted her again with an eager smile on her face. Lucky Stars furrowed her forehead in thought. She raised her eyebrow suspiciously, and looked at the smile, the glint in her eyes. This mare wanted to help her even though she was her opponent… in a matter of life and death?

“Why…” asked Lucky Stars. “Why do you want to teach me? It’s ironic enough that my job is being a teacher, but you seem so… eager. I mean, after all,” she paused for a moment and her mane dropped down. In a moment’s notice, her characteristics got dragged down with it, “One of us might die in here. Or after it, I don’t know.” She paused for a moment “I won’t be able to see my students… I won’t be able to help them anymore.”

Selune felt a cold chill pass through her spine and immediately she hugged Lucky Stars. For a moment the mare gasped, thinking she was being attacked. “Shhhhhh!!” came the response from Selune, who held her close to her heart.

“I too am afraid, I too am scared I might die here, you’re not alone in this Lucky Stars. I want to earn Princess Luna’s respect and I fear the darkness of death.”

“Why do you want to teach me how to use my hands, what if I defeat you?” She asked.

Selune pulled away a bit, holding her shoulders as gently as Lucky Stars had before. She leaned her head to the side, and giggled innocently “Because if we’re going to die, then let us go down smiling, defiant of the fate that awaits us.”

“Huh?” Lucky Stars was speechless, her mouth hanging agape, her eyes staring at Selune’s happy face.

“There’s nothing saying that we have to be grumpy and gloomy about this fight, that we don’t have to enjoy it. There’s nothing stopping us from claiming the last drops of happiness life has given us. I…” she hesitated and gulped, but after a heavy breath Selune continued. It was hard airing those words as it was “I don’t want you to hate me if I defeat you. I don’t want you to leave this fight hating yourself as you defeat me either. I certainly DON’T want you to be sad if I do lose, or I die. Okay?” She bent her head forward and looked straight into Lucky’s eyes.

Lucky Star seemed to struggle on the inside, her eyes watering a bit before she wiped her face. She gave Selune a weak smile to which Selune beamed at. They spent the rest of their break learning about hand-leg coordination. Selune even had learned a few punching techniques by her good friend Terra Lionmane, who was in the royal Guard.

“MAY THE CONTESTANTS GATHER AT THE RING PLEASE!” Before they knew it, their time was up and the megaphones blasted through the building. Selune and Lucky noded at each other and parted ways.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“TAKING BETS! PLACE YOUR BETS HERE LADIES AND GENTLECOLTS!” Ponies from the crowd raised their hooves and yelled the names of either Selune Darkeye or Lucky Stars. From her corner of the boxing ring, Selune grunted behind her teeth. Did these ponies know what they were betting at? Did they not? Should she hate or pity them?

“Tsk!” She turned to see at the opposite side Lucky Star, who stood up, letting the black blanket on her fur fall down to her chair. Selune stood, punching her two gloves together as she let her own purple blanket fall down. The referee, a grey-coated earth pony with a white mane wearing a black and white striped shirt, had a bell on his left hoof.

“READY? GET SET… FIGHT!!”

~RIIIING~

With the bell signalling the beginning of their fight, the two mares nodded as they charged each other. Selune started with two quick jabs and moved back as Lucky Star’s punches drew close to home. Selune was able to avoid them but just feeling them pass near was enough to understand that the mare’s earth pony strength was considerable.

“AND WE’RE OFF LADIES AND GENTLECOLTS! SELUNE BEGINS WITH QUICK MOVES, AND LUCKY STARS RESPONDS IN KIND!” The commentator was a brown unicorn with a black mane, and a microphone as a cutie mark. He had a headset with a microphone poised at his mouth, while his voice blasted through the speakers at the edges of the ring. The crowd roared enthusiastically as their eagerness to see violence shook the building.

Selune ignored the crowd and continued to punch twice with her right, followed by a powerful jab with her left, but there was something more than the honorable fight she was in that made her smile.

She was right hooved. Although unicorns for the most part used their horns or their mouths, as a humanoid she understood that only one of her arms was the strongest one, and that she could use the other for quicker moves. While she had shared this information with Lucky Stars, she hadn’t shared in her agility, or which hoof she had used.

As the fight continued, Selune kept dancing, smiling and winking at her opponent. Of course, she had no intention of taunting her, but this was her fighting style. She’d smile on the battlefield whether she was fighting friend or foe, whether she had the crowd behind her or not. However, a punch landing on the left side of her mouth was a nice alarm clock to keep her focused.

“LUCKY STARS SCORES A HARD PUNCH ON HER OPPONENT! WILL SELUNE BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND IT?” The commentators went wild as Selune received the earth pony mare’s blow.

“LUCKY STARS! LUCKY STARS! LUCKY STARS!” The crowd chanted her name from their seats. Lucky Stars let out a shy smile as the crowd pushed her forth.

“Nice one!” Said Selune as she rubbed her cheek. As she stood, up she noticed her glove. There was a drop of blood on it.

“UNBELIEVABLE SHE STILL STANDS! WHAT A FIGHT!”

“Thanks… I guess. You’re not too bad yourself.” Lucky Star winced as she took her fighting stance once more, tightening her punches. Selune had managed to land multiple blows, but none of them were strong enough to deal significant damage. She was a unicorn, Lucky Stars was an earth pony. If only Lucky Stars had been trained more, maybe by a professional, and maybe had a little bit more speed… Selune wouldn’t stand a chance.

“IT’S A MATCH OF SPEED VERSUS STRENGTH! AGILITY VERSUS POWER! WITS VERSUS WILL! WHO WILL PERSEVERE? WHO WILL COME THROUGH? LET ME HEAR YOU ROAAAAAAAAR!!” The crowd responded with a deafening cheer filled with whistles and screams.

Selune focused, trying to think her strategy. She had the advantage of having a black coat, and her distracting stripes didn’t allow Lucky Stars to spot if she had done much damage. Selune kept her stance as firm as she could, for she could allow no trembling or shaking to betray her condition. On her opponent’s coat were several dark marks where Selune had landed her blows: shoulder, cheek, and chest, but she had to finish this.

Selune hadn’t switched to her good hoof, her right, just yet. She had been waiting for the right time, the time to learn her opponent, her weak spots, her weaknesses. She fought with a smile on her face, seeking to retain her dignity, her honor, but… at the same time she was smart. That last punch was the conclusion of her observations.

Lucky Star had a strong left hoof. It was now time to unleash her secret weapon.

Charging at each other, the two mares once again went at it. Selune let Lucky Stars strike first and made a backstep jab as she fended off her attacks. When it was her time to attack, she punched twice with her left followed by a strong forward jab. Lucky Stars opened her eyes wide, realising her mistake, but Selune was not going to allow her a single moment to breathe. She continued pressing forward, taking advantage of Lucky’s surprise and forcing her on the defensive. As Lucky desperately went on the offensive she stepped to the side, throwing another flurry of punches followed by a strong one as her body pivoted out of harm’s way.

“OH MY CELESTIA WHAT CUNNING STRATEGY! ONLY MOMENTS AGO LUCKY STARS WAS WINNING BUT NOW SELUNE IS IN THE OFFENSIVE! WILL SHE BE ABLE TO MAKE IT? THE PUNCHES COME RAINING, HER FIST SEEMS UNSTOPPABLE! WILL SHE BE ABLE TO MAKE IT?!” The commentator, enveloped in the enthusiasm of the crowd, had grabbed his microphone. He seemed to be enjoying over-exaggerating every moment, enjoying the noise, the hustle, the energy of the crowd.

In the meantime Selune was dancing in between attacks, forcing herself to push forward. Her breaths were becoming quicker, but she had to finish this off now before she ran out of energy. Though Lucky Stars was on the defensive she wasn’t taking as much damage as expected, and she kept her weak spots out of harm’s way. However, she was becoming desperate and Selune realised she had to lure her out of her zone of comfort.

She had to let Lucky attack.

She started aiming her right punches lower, exposing her own right shoulder to her opponent. When Lucky Stars saw it she took a step forward, intent on taking advantage of this chance. As her hoof extended, Selune bent down instead of sidestepping, and followed with an uppercut.

“OOOOW! THAT HAD GOT TO HURT!”

Selune continued as she let loose a barrage of strong punches, taking advantage of her flinching opponent. Blow after blow Selune roared, gathering strength for a final right punch.

“RAAAAARGH!” She roared as it landed. Lucky Stars was pushed back against the ropes, and proceeded to fall on her face. Though Selune wanted to take care of her she had to make sure she had won first. She gasped for air as the referee went close for the count.

“LUCKY STARS IS DOWN! SHE SEEMS TO BE OUT FOR THE COUNT, WILL SHE BE ABLE TO PICK HERSELF UP?!” The commentator literally screamed into his headset, ready to eject himself from his seat.

“1… 2… 3....” Selune kept taking breaths as Lucky Stars’ eyes fluttered open.

“4…. 5… 6…” She was trapped in a dilemma. On one hand she wanted to see how she would be defeated should Lucky Stars get up, on the other hand she couldn’t back away from victory.

“7… 8… 9…” Lucky Stars pushed herself a bit up to look to Selune. Everyone gasped as the ring and the surroundings went silent.

Lucky Stars looked at Selune for just a moment while struggling to make a smile.

“I did my best… didn’t I?” She asked with water-filled eyes. Selune simply nodded, closing her eyes as Lucky Star fell down with a relieved sigh.

“10!” The crowd erupted in a deafening cheer, but Selune didn’t smile, she didn’t cheer. She stood there for a few moments, looking at her unconscious opponent. She truly deserved a medal for this fight, of that there was no doubt. She was a worthy opponent. One that Selune would not soon forget.

4. Love is in the air

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Mercennarius’ eyes opened slowly, groaning as he raised his arm to clear the blurriness from his eyes. But instead of feeling a hand, he felt a soft, yet hard appendage on his face. Regaining his sight a bit, he was met with the sight of his own brown hoof.

“Oh shit… guess the spell wore off.” He thought before looking down at his body, confirming that he was back to his normal Pegasus form. “Fun while it lasted, I suppose..”

Merc hesitantly pushed his body up from the soft surface he was laying on. Looking back down, he saw that he was laying on a velvet, red-colored bed in a very luxurious room, along with the dim light of the moon seeping through the slightly closed curtains on the wall, as if he was in a five star hotel in Canterlot himself.

“Woah… Now this is something…” He whispered to himself in awe, sitting on the side of the bed, closing his eyes and stretching his forelegs and wings out in front of him, sighing in relief and pleasure as he did so.

“That bed felt like a cloud…” Merc said to himself, smiling a bit. “Almost.”

Merc jumped to the carpeted floor, looking around the room, feeling a wave of good vibes before he saw a small basket on the drawer next to the bed with a small note attached to the handle.

Curiously, he walked over to it and picked it up with his hoof, reading it.

“Welcome to Hotel De GOB. Think of it as a congratulations from me, for making it this far, lad! Here. you may find somepony you recognize and some you may meet for the first time. I'm happy to tell you there is no challenge to look forward to in the near future, since I plan on going on vacation to *Classified* anyway, have fun, relax, and mingle. Believe me, you could use some friends….”

-GOB

Merc let out a snort, smiling and shaking his head, knowing this was almost too good to be true. “Maybe he isn't as bad as I thought….

“...Ha.”

Merc set the note down on the drawer, leaning over to look at the basket, his eyes almost instantly noticing the bottle of champagne inside.

With a gleam in his eyes, he picked it up with his mouth, setting the bottle onto the bed and sighing.

“Could be exactly what I need…” Merc said to himself, using his hoof to pop the cork.

Before drinking he hesitated for a second. This drink was special. And thus it needed a special place.

Plus, Mercennarius didn’t want to be disturbed by anyone while enjoying it. He finally had some time for himself and he was going to spend it relaxing at any cost.

The only problem was where to do that.

He tapped his chin with his hoof. The lobby was going to be filled with prissy noble-ponies staring at him, holding their noses high while passing judgement upon him.

“Nah.. fuck that. Can’t stand those kinds. Though Rarity was an exception…”

He would have none of that, so the lobby was out of the question. Going out of the hotel wasn’t too bad, but not knowing where he was it could take time to find the right spot, and in the end he wanted to make full use of the luxury he was offered.

Then it hit him… the rooftop! He could have the solitude he required to enjoy his drink, as well as Luna’s night sky to entertain him. Once he found the elevator he clicked the top floor.

Finding the maintenance stairs, he felt a slight breeze that made him shiver a bit. Had someone forgotten that the door was open? Shrugging the thoughts away, he entered and closed the door behind him.

Moments later, he opened the door to the rooftop. He closed his eyes, and breathed in the air of the night sky as a smile crept up his face. The air was cool, but not too cold, he was alone, yet all the company he needed was now in his right hoof.

Leaning towards the wall, he rested his back as he took the bottle and raised it in front of the moon. The drink inside glinted in the moon’s glow, complimenting it like it was pure gold, and in his mind it was.

“Cheers to the Princess...” He said to himself, laughing as he toasted the moon, welcoming it like a long lost friend.

For a time he sat there. just watching the moon, breathing in and out and taking a few sips now and then. He didn’t want to do anything right now, and the champagne was a cure to the thoughts that plagued his mind.

The alcohol burned away the worries as he took another long drink:like a purging fire, it wiped away fears and sorrow, while also igniting something that reminded him of bravery, or bravado..

Alcohol was his fuel, his motivator, the spark he had lost long ago, the blood he had spilled in combat protecting all who he cared.. especially ‘her’. All of this was now rolling on his head.. reminiscing about his enemies… who were taunting him with their sissy giggles…

Wait, what?

~Trickle-Trickle~ “Pfffft!!!” he heard a muffled sound from above. He turned his head, but he saw nothing but stars. Maybe he had spilled some alcohol on himself?

Merc shrugged once more, positioning the bottle for another few gulps. However, as he did he heard the trickling noise again.

“Pffft… Hhhhhhhhhh.” He heard a gasp as stopped his drinking immediately and jerked his head up. He saw fleeting colors of black and red, he wasn’t alone.

“Alright, alright. I saw you. You can come out now.” He said, bemused, but the silence continued. “C’mon, no point in hiding anymore. I’ve seen you. Your prank’s not going to work anymore.”

Selune ducked back down and put a hoof to her mouth, doing all she could from going on an all-out giggling fit while she set her drink aside, loving the reaction she was getting from the stallion. Even better was the fact that he had no idea what poured on his head.

Merc simply sighed to himself and set the champagne on a table, unwrapping his wings. Then, with a mighty flap, he flew himself up to the balcony and was now hovering over a striped Unicorn.

Selune, curious as to what made the noise, looked over and saw that the stallion she had pranked was no longer there. Until she saw the stallion himself hovering above her, staring at her with a bemused expression and his forelegs crossed.

She gave out a squeak of surprise, stumbling back a bit. “O-oh! Hey there, m-mister! I uh.. I didn’t mean nothing harmful, I swear!” She pleaded, but still couldn’t hold back a sheepish smile.

Merc saw the look on her face, but noticed the sincerity of her voice as well. With a small sigh and a shake of his head, he spoke up. “Alright, sure. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt... “

Selune smiled thankfully, now actually getting a good look at who she had pranked. He was obviously a Pegasus stallion, but had a light brown coat, as well as what seemed to be a jet black mane and some sort of black vest on him.

Merc lowered himself until he was on the floor, face to face with the mare. Due to the brightness of both Luna’s former moon and the dim lights around them, he could now get a clear view of her.

He saw that the mare was striped in several areas of her black-coated body and face, resembling a zebra, but he wasn't sure due to her also having a horn. Her mane was unique, a mixture of both brown and red from what he could see.

“Something caught your eye?” The mare asked with a sly grin, leaning at him in a playful manner before giggling.

Merc quickly shook his head and cleared his throat. “Just seeing if you're a mare or not is all. Not the brightest of places, y'know.”

But the mare was anything but blind. “Oh really? Well I'm sure you could tell what gender I am by my voice, no?” She said, clearly seeing through his excuse.

Merc rolled his eyes and sighed. “Alright, alright. Touché. I was checking you out.” He admitted, before quickly realizing what he said and tried to fix himself. “N-not in that way! Just.. Seeing who you were is all.”

Selune laughed at the stallion's silliness “You’re a funny guy… Don't worry, I get what you're saying! I hope my prank didn’t offend you or anything.”

Merc shook his head before coming back to the prank and why she was laughing. “Wait.. What exactly did you do to me?” He asked.

Selune looked to the side, stifling a laugh while pointing at his jet black mane. Merc, with a confused look, placed a hoof on his mane, before noticing that it was wet.

Bringing down to sniff whatever had been poured onto him, he gave the mare a bemused look and a raised eyebrow. “Seriously? You spilled champagne on me?” He sighed. “Now it’s gonna seem like I was literally pissed on…”

“Well if it’s anything, it seems to fit with your personality~” Selune teased, smiling at him. Merc laughed and shook his head.

“Not even five minutes and you already got me figured out, eh?” He asked with a sly smirk. “I think we’re gonna get along just fine.. Name’s Mercennarius by the way, but just call me Merc. Makes things simpler for everyone.” He smiled.

Selune smiled as well and nodded. “Alright then, seems cool. My name’s Selune Darkeye. Peek-a-boo!” She winked, and before Merc had the chance to blink she was gone. He felt a poke in his back. Turning his head he was greeted by Selune, who had teleported at breath’s range, smiling as she booped his nose.

“Gotcha twice now!” Teasingly, she patted his cheeks while giggling. “Mistakes done twice are not of ponies wise!” She rhymed at him.

Merc looked at his booped nose with crossed eyes before he looked back at her, smiling shyly. Selune’s attitude was infectious, and despite the dark colors of her coat she seemed to be a bright mare.

From his combat experience he knew how other ponies lied in their faces, their eyes, their body language. If someone was a bad person it would be present in their face: their expression, and even their beauty would be affected by their inner self. Just like his mama told him...

A good person no matter his exterior would ‘shine’ brightly and emit a good vibe, and Merc had learned to trust his intuition and his gut more than his eyes. Eyes could fool, eyes weren’t to be trusted, facts could be falsified, evidence could be fake, but the heart never lies. Ironically this mare though she had an eye for a cutie mark she seemed to be more of a “heart” pony.

“So… how come you’re here? I mean, I came here to drink, and I see I’m not the only one.” He tried to wipe some of the champagne that was left on his mane.

“Oh just taking a rest from one of the many challenges life offers me.” She said dismissively, waving her hoof. She didn’t laugh this time, but instead sighed and shrugged as she smiled again.

Challenge? Merc raised an eyebrow quizzically. Did she mean ‘the’ challenges? GOB’s? “Wait a minute…” he said as he saw Selune holding the same type of champagne as him. “You’re one of the participants in the challenge, aren’t you?”

The mare grimaced and there was silence as Selune sighed, “Guess you are one of the challengers too right? GOB sent that champagne to you, didn’t he?” Merc nodded.

“Come sit by me and let’s have a drink. It’ll probably be the last we get, so let’s enjoy it! No sense in wasting our time moping around, right? I think this drink is supposed to help.” She said raising her bottle to horn level and lighting it to see the liquid inside. There was a furrow in her forehead, and she had narrowed her eyes while observing it.

“Seems good, however, I think for our case we could use a stronger drink, don’tcha think?” She cocked her eyebrow at him. Merc responded by bringing his bottle up and looking down and right as he tried to remember and compare drinks.

This was definitely a good drink, but it lacked a punch. It had taste, but lacked that certain something that could knock you out of your senses. Merc had been warmed up by it, but it lacked the ‘effectiveness’ he was looking for. That which could make him forget, the effectiveness that could wipe out the faces of those who’s lives he might have taken as a result of winning these challenges.

“That's for sure.” He grumbled, even the last battle didn’t feel a victory at all. ‘What a joke!’ he thought shaking his head.

"Guess after what we’ve done there’s gotta be a better poison we can choose, right? Was there something you had in mind?” asked Merc.

“You catch on quick! I got some fire whiskey back at my room. Seems like the best opportunity to open it, right? Are you in? I’m willing to share!” She winked before looking into his eyes giving him a kind heartwarming smile.

“After all... we don’t even know if we’ll be alive tomorrow. We might face each other in combat… and I wouldn’t forgive myself if either of us wasted their last moments moping around. Wouldn’t that be a shame?” Selune said sighing, her smile growing weaker.

Merc could see in her eyes that she was trying to convince herself, she wanted to appear happy, to keep the pretenses up.

Maybe there was a reason she made that prank? She wasn’t new to this, so perhaps this was part of her ‘greeting’ ritual, her way of making friends.

Friends… maybe having one wouldn’t be so bad right now. And now was a perfect opportunity, if he would ever get one again.

Merc scoffed playfully and nodded. “You couldn’t be more ri-” He stopped himself and went over what Selune said. Then, his eyes widened to the size of dinner plates with a glimmer in them. “Wait, wait, wait… You got WHAT?”

Selune’s weak smile quickly turned into a genuine smirk. “You heard me right! I got some Fire Whiskey. You know, the expensive, technically-illegal, very heavy and hard drink you can only get from the Badlands?”

Merc was simply dumbstruck, his jaw hanging open. “You’ve been there? And you gotta give me some of that! Damn, Selune!” He chuckled happily. “I’ve been there several years ago and heard about that drink, but even with all my free time, I never found one single bottle of the stuff..”

“I got it from my travels all around the continent. I remember when I almost had to give my own life for the stuff. But the dragons there were surprisingly generous.”

Merc cut her off there. “Generous? I call bull on that.”

Selune giggled and continued. “Believe it or not, they were! Or, the lead dragon anyways. If you really don’t believe me, then let’s head to my room and I’ll not only let you see it, we’ll drink it!” She offered once more.

Merc’s eyes gleamed with happiness. “By all means lead the way, girl!” He said gleefully. Selune simply laughed and started towards the elevator doors below the balcony.

Then, she stopped and turned to Merc. “Oh! Can you also grab my basket with the candles, please? I lit a couple of them, but there’s still some spares in there and I wanna… keep them.”

Merc nodded and quickly flew back to the balcony, picking up the basket in his mouth and carefully flying back to Selune, who was standing at the elevator doors.

“Thanks!” Selune said. “Wait.. Didn’t you get a basket too?” She asked.

Merc put the basket on the ground to respond. “I did. But all I took was the champagne, really. There was some chocolate in there, but I decided to save that for later.”

Selune smirked at him. “Got a bit of a sweet tooth?”

Merc rolled his eyes. “Yeah, sure.” He said, ruffling his wings while Selune laughed and they both walked into the elevator, Merc grabbing the basket as they did.

They next to each other while Selune pressed the floor button pad. The doors slid closed while the elevator started to move down.

Merc looked down and checked his pockets on his vest, eyeing his very small zip-up bag filled with cyanide pills. “I wonder if I’ll ever use these.. If this shit goes downhill, I’ll at least have a plan to give myself a quick death…”

He sighed and shook his head. “What the fuck is wrong with me?”

“C’mon Merc…”[i/] His consciousness spoke inside him. “You know this mare won’t do anything. I know it never hurts to make sure, but just go with the flow this time…”

Merc simply sighed and closed his eyes.

Selune saw the odd expression on Merc’s face and spoke up. “Hey… You alright there, Merc?” She asked with a hint of worry in her tone.

Merc coughed and nodded. “Yeah. Just uh… daydreamed is all. Haven’t gotten too much sleep is all.”

Selune saw right through this and knew that there was more to it, but she decided to not push further and let it slide. “Alright. I can understand that.” She giggled. “You definitely look like a mess though.”

You have absolutely no idea…. Merc thought but chuckled anyways. “So? You don’t look any better, y’know. I mean, look at your mane!” Merc teased.

“What?” Selune said worriedly, “My mane is not messed up! I just.. need a wake up is all.”

Merc decided to risk it and put a hoof onto her shoulder. “Hey.. I was just messing with you is all.” He said softly.

Selune looked at him and smiled. “T-...Thank you.”

Merc smiled back gently, until suddenly, the lights in the elevator started to rapidly flick on and off, leaving them in regular light in one second, to complete, empty darkness in another.

“W-what’s g-going on?!” Selune suddenly asked with panic, backing herself up to the corner of the elevator.

“It’s just a power out. Are you okay- holy shit!” There was a screeching sound before the elevator suddenly dropped a few inches as the lights went out. Merc heard a loud scream next to him, his eyes swiveling around. “Selune?! Calm do- ugh!” He grunted as he felt something suddenly grab and press onto him tightly.

“What the hell?”

“S-sorry! I just.. I can’t!” Selune said loudly, holding onto Merc even tighter as he grunted.

“Can’t what? The elevator’s faulty as shit.” He complained. “So much for being in a five star hotel..”

“I-it’s just.. I can’t handle the darkness..” She whimpered, wanting to close her eyes, but knowing that it would only make things worse by bringing in more darkness. Something that she did not only dread, but absolutely feared with every fiber of her being. “Please.. please, please, please light one of the candles!” She begged.

Merc quickly leaned down as best he could with Selune holding onto him. He searched for Selune’s bag, blindly reaching in the darkness. With swift moves, he found what he was looking for, grabbing a candle and match before placing it on the ground and lighting it.

The candle light swiftly came to life, now brightening the elevator, but Merc decided to light two more of the candles in case. It wasn’t too long before the entire elevator was brightened up. They didn’t cause too much smoke, so there was no worry for them suffocating, but he opened the maintenance-hatch on top just in case.

Merc quickly turned to look at Selune. “You okay now?” He asked, unwrapping his wing and holding her protectively, before noticing that she was shivering wildly.

Selune carefully looked around, trying to keep silent as she held her hooves close for comfort. Her heart was racing and a loud heartbeat could be heard. “K-kinda… Thank you… I just..” She whimpered to herself.

Merc eased them both to sit on the floor, the elevator creaking a bit as they did so, while Selune buried her face in her hooves in a mixture of embarrassment, fear, and humiliation of what had just happened.

“I can’t.. handle the dark.” Selune whispered simply, sniffling a bit before adding, “Just.. something I always feared.. It was.. way worse when I was little. But still.. it just.. never goes away.”

Merc nodded and looked at her. “I understand, and I don’t judge.”

“I must look so foalish towards you. Crying to a total stranger like a helpless little bird. I’m sorry…”

“Shh, it’s okay.” He then paused, but seeing as Selune wasn’t out of her comfort zone he continued. “If you want to talk about it, I’m all ears.”

“Not like we have many options.”

He smiled.

Despite what had happened, Selune giggled weakly, before sniffling. “T-thanks Merc… But you don’t have to. I’ll be fine if you give me some time.”

“Nonsense, don’t be ridiculous. Besides, if you’re willing to be so generous to me the least I could do is listen to your story.”

Selune closed her eyes and sighed. “This.. was something I had since I was a filly, Way before I even had a cutie mark, let alone know what they were.”

She grabbed her shoulders and held them closely, gritting her teeth as a cold shiver run down her spine. “Every time I get enveloped in darkness I can feel it in my skin, creeping around me, suffocating me…” She looked at her own two hooves, waiting for the monster that never came.

“I’m a victim of Mortuus Magicae, otherwise known as dead magic. My family’s bloodline has always had ponies whose skills were associated with the magic of sight. But mine…” Her abrupt stop was followed by her hooves tracing the white stripe-like markings she had.

“Why did you stop?” Marc asked.

“I once had a white coat, you know…” Selune smiled weakly at him.

“Wait, you mean?” Selune nodded at his words. Merc was speechless. He’d heard of tattoos, fake cutie marks, transformations, and even body modifications, but he had never heard of a full-coat change like that. This must have been a really serious illness, but one question remained...

“How did you survive?”

“The moon saved me. My magic wouldn’t activate, and I was born with pitch black eyes, and that darkness was spreading to my coat. My mother, my father… they tried everything. My father was a pianist and he immediately abandoned his career, my mother was a blind seer and she put all her effort into saving me.

“This was no normal blindness, this was an infection.” She gulped as her body shivered with the memory.

For a time there was only silence. Merc didn’t interrupt her, and instead waited for her to pick up from where they left her story.

“Even now, after more than twenty five whole years, I STILL feel it when the darkness comes. It’s like a thick fog, suffocating my magic, clouding my mind, my sight, cutting me from the precious light of Luna’s moon.” She turned her head up, as if hoping that she would see it from inside.

“That’s why you were up there?” Merc asked once again. “For the moon?”

“Yes.” Selune replied before continuing. “The moon is the only thing that keeps my fears at bay. The gentle light that illuminates the darkness, Princess Luna’s smile that envelops the world.” She held her hooves close to her chest like a gentle prayer.

“My mother saw a vision. Sun and moon shone, striving to reach each other, to hug one another. Day and night coming together in the sweet dance of life.

“We crossed Equestria and went to the north, to the plains of white, before the Crystal Empire re-emerged to the world. Before the princess of the night returned to us. There the moonlight reflected on the Aurora Borealis, and the solar wind shone on my eyes.”

There was a brief gleam in her eyes as she continued. “The first thing I saw, the first time I opened my eyes I saw the moon, and the mare carved upon its surface.”

“The legend said the mare in the moon was a jealous, evil pony, but something told me that day there was something more to the legend than I knew. I didn’t know what, but I believed, and some called me a fool for questioning her identity.” She sighed.

“Or maybe I was just romanticizing it on top of what my mom told me, but in the end, I was proven right. So it was that I decided to devote myself to becoming the best pony I could be. If anything to repay the debt I owed her.” She breathed out, her heartbeat having gone back to normal.

“I now study the magic of illusions and divination to explore the darkness, to help illuminate where the moon can’t reach. I want to help those lost in the dark like she does! I must sound so cheesy now.”

Merc smiled at her unending enthusiasm and her revisioning of her past. It was definitely something he would not be forgetting anytime soon. “That’s… Damn.. I admire you now.”

Selune was stunned by this and looked at him. “What? R-really?..”

Merc nodded. “I’m not just saying that to make up for the loss of words. I really do mean it. And.. all that for a twenty seven year old mare? Heh, you make me look young.”

“Hey!” She scoffed playfully. “You might have guessed my age right, but I’m not old!”

Merc put his hooves up defensively, laughing. “I never said you were!”

Selune smirked at him. “Suuure. How old are you, then?”

Merc shrugged. “I’m.. actually a lot younger than you. Twenty three.” He admitted with a sheepish smile.

“Twenty three?... Wow..” She said simply. “I honestly thought you were older than me. You seem a lot more mature for someone your age.”

“C’mon,” Merc mused. “Is it truly that big of a deal? You’re acting as if I was twenty years younger instead. If I was fourteen and you were twenty two, now that would be an issue.”

Selune sighed. “Yeah.. Sorry… Just… odd is all.”

Merc nodded. “Don’t feel bad. Trust me, I get this kind of stuff a lot. But oh well, not like anyone can tell the difference unless they ask me straight up.”

“Oh? Like?” She asked.

“Well, I enlisted into the Guards when I was sixteen.” He said simply. “I didn’t want to spend my life in a useless school system that would eventually drive me and my family into the dirt with unpayable taxes and shit.”

“Wait, sixteen?” She asked, tilting her head to the side slightly. “I thought you had to be seventeen to enlist?”

Merc shrugged. “They mistook me for a seventeen year old. I mean, that’s what I wrote on the papers too, and what my parents wrote as well.” He let out a small chuckle. “Even my parents were confused by my true age.

“Not like we had much time and money to do birthday parties… Or anything like that.”

Selune pondered about this for a second. “So… You were.. poor?” She asked simply. “I’m not being rude here, I’m just curious!”

Merc smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry about it. And yeah, in a way, we were.” He answered.

With a sigh, he continued. “We uh.. lived in Mareterrey, Mexicolt. Near the mining facilities, or the mining district, as it’s called now.”

“So you can speak Spanish, right?” Selune asked.

“Cuando yo quiero, si.” Merc spoke in Spanish.

“Huh?”

“When I want to, yeah.” Merc said with a small laugh while Selune giggled. Then, he continued.

“Lived in the slums, to be more precise. Didn’t have any medical shit, let alone the money, so I was born inside a coal mine. Literally.” He laughed. “My dad he... brought mom to work because one of his friends was a doctor.

“Wow, you make me feel lucky to have lived in Canterlot.” Selune rubbed her neck with an awkward smile

“It’s okay. It could have been worse. I mean, for all I know he could have been a drug dealer, y’know?” Merc smiled. “But it didn’t matter before, so why would it matter now? I was born healthy and shit. Then, when I turned seven, my dad took me to the mines so we could work.”

“At seven!? That’s horrible!” Selune’s jaw dropped in surprise as her eyes widened.

Merc nodded. “Yep. My dad taught me how to fly as well. But the main reason was we were dirt-bucking poor. Couldn’t even afford a straw and wood shack, so we made our own. Before a flash flood took it out not even four months later...

“But anyways, we worked, and we worked. And then, when I was 15, my dad was killed in a mining accident.” He said dryly.

Selune kept quiet and was about to speak until Merc continued. “Fell over seven hundred feet down the third shaft. His body was ‘unrecognizable’ they told us. But you know, whatever. Shit happens.”

“But.. Your dad.. I don’t-” Selune was slightly confused by it all and why he was so dry on going into specifics.

Merc cut her off. “Shit happens.” He repeated with a firm tone. “Before that he told me to quit going to school and find some other job. Or anything. Because after that little incident, the mines closed. Foreclosure or something like that.

“So, I took his advice and joined the Guards. Went through training, got shit done, and graduated.” Merc smiled. “And.. I swear man, I have never seen my mom so… proud of me, y’know? Like.. she was crying in happiness! And I had never seen her cry before. Ever. So that was another surprise for me.” Merc sighed as a wave of nostalgia came over him.

Selune smiled softly at Merc, awaiting him to keep going.

“Then I went to work. Did patrols around our borders, did escorts, all that simple stuff, plus sending over seventy percent of my pay to my mom.” He shrugged. “Then, the tensions between us and the Changeling Kingdom grew.

“You remember the invasion of Canterlot during the wedding?” He asked Selune.

She nodded. “Yeah. I remember. Who couldn’t?”

“Well, I wasn’t there during the time. And I felt horrible as fuck that I wasn’t. Because even though Shining Armor requested all the Guards he could get, he left our team out.”

“So after all that, I was sent back to permanently guard Canterlot, but it felt like I wasn’t doing enough. If anything at all. Then I heard that they were doing some sort of special training. For a new section of the Royal Guards.”

Merc sighed. “Next thing I knew, I enlisted for it, graduated along with three others, became part of a special operations unit, did some missions, seen some shit. Then.. I…” He paused.

“Uhm… Merc?” Selune asked, seeing that he had stopped and was staring at the floor, his eyes lost in the memories.

“Just…. I was framed for betraying the Guards during a mission. I was to be put on trial, but then I abandoned the Guards and became a mercenary for money.”

“Oh… But… No, nevermind.” Selune stopped herself immediately.

“What is it?” Merc asked her.

“Nothing. It’s nothing, I swear.”

Merc sighed and nodded. “If you say so… Just.. Did a bunch of missions for cash, assassinations, killings, all that. All around, from Zebrica to Griffonstone.”

Selune kept quiet and listened, regardless of the fact that this was both catching her attention and scaring her.

“It... changes you. Then, the Griffon Empire and the Changelings were getting more and more aggressive on Equestria. Then rumors of a revolution spread. So I came back, I personally talked to Celestia herself and she gave me political immunity in return that I guard the Element Bearers from harm. Along with three other mercenaries, I met and grew on them.”

Merc coughed. “Then, as always, the inevitable revolution happened, the Griffons and Changelings made a coalition, invaded us, and we did our job. I grew on one of the Bearers.”

“They invaded, we defended… And failed.” Merc said, his voice choking slightly before clearing his throat. “We managed to survive, if only by chance. Lots of good ponies were lost that day.”

Merc hadn’t noticed that he had visible tears slowly escaping from his eyes and now slowly dripping down his cheeks, before he closed his eyes and leaned against the wall with a thud, letting out a ragged sigh.

“I-I don’t even know why I’m doing this shit…” He said to nopony in particular, but Selune watched in worry as she slowly scooted over to Merc, who either didn’t notice or didn’t mind.

“I guess the bits got to me. I know money doesn’t buy happiness...but I have nothing else. I guess the thrill of killing and being killed makes me… free.” He said with a choked sob, before wrapping his wings around himself.

“I just... I am so bucking undone. I don’t even know what this will accomplish for me. Maybe I did it because I want to die, free myself from this damnation.” He whimpered to himself.

With a sigh, he unwrapped his wings and looked over to Selune. “Look, I’m sorry, I’m jus-”

Merc was cut off as Selune leaped to Merc, suddenly hugging him tightly. He had a look of complete shock on his face before slowly hugging her back, wrapping both his forelegs and wings around her as they embraced.

Selune wanted to do something, to say something of substance, anything. But her mouth couldn’t open. So she just sat there, hugging him close, if anything to repay the comfort he gave her, the only recompense she could offer right now.

Then there was silence.

Endless silence. Stretching to the infinite void that was the world around them right now. Only their eyes talked, only the eyes could now speak as the two looked deep into each other as they held each other as close as they could.

They say the eyes are the mirror of the soul, a window to one’s true self. If that was true, then Merc was jealous of what he saw in those beautiful purple eyes.

He was jealous of the spark that was within her. The passion that was still alive inside her, fighting the fears. And winning.

Merc couldn’t recall, but at some point in his life, he simply stopped having the same passion about it, he stopped getting so invested in things so foolish and hurtful. As if he had activated an internal off-switch.

Everything felt like a blur, and money served to confirm his way of thinking. Attachments, especially of the emotional kind, were deadly to a mercenary like himself. Yet as he looked in Selune’s gaze he felt a strange compulsion as his instincts told him to cherish, to protect what he had here.

It was his mission, as it was Selune’s, to protect each other, one they didn’t even need a contract for, let alone one they came to expect. One they both had unwittingly signed as they stared into each other.

This mare had told him her story, and he had told his. It had been a long time since he could say he trusted someone, if he ever could. Could he even allow such a thing?

To risk it once more?

Since the stench of betrayal and backstabbing knives hadn’t permeated the world around him. For all he knew...

Was he willing to risk this? Did he want this? Does he want this?

There was the sound of clinking metal, and the crackling of electricity as the lights flickered back up. Selune was the first to break their silence, quickly speaking. “Oh hey, the lights are back! Maybe they fixed the problem? Thank Luna, I wouldn’t like to stay in the dark for a moment more.”

Merc, however, hesitated to move from his position. Even as the maintenance crew brought the elevator back up he was awfully silent, a struggle taking place in his heart along with an all-out war inside his mind. Reason vs Emotion. A classic, yet destructive battle that never ended well for anypony.

But he wasn’t having it. He quickly blinked. As the doors slid open, he proceeded to walk away, hoping that Selune wouldn’t notice him leaving.

A hoof holding him back from his shoulder was proof enough he was wrong. He sighed. “You don’t want to do this. You’re exposing yourself to danger by opening yourself up to me…”

“So did you. So, what’s the difference? Isn’t the playing field equalized now?” She asked gently as she whirled to his front and gave him a smile.

“I might have to kill you... or worse... betray your trust in me. I don’t mind being betrayed anymore. I’m used to it by now, I’ve numbed myself too much to actually care.

“But…” Once again he looked at her eyes, those beautiful purple eyes that both awed and confused him.

“I don’t... want to do that to you. I don’t want to abuse your trust. Treat others like you want to be treated, right? And don’t get too caught up in emotions.” With that, he took the first step, getting ready to leave.

“I’m scared too…” She said quietly.

Merc came at a full stop, feeling that strange pull again. That made him immediately turn to her.

“I’m not as strong, or as experienced as you are despite my age. You’ve numbed yourself so much you can’t feel joy, I can sense it in your touch.” She said. “Even if it was on purpose, or not. You paid a price.”

“I’ve numbed myself to fear and sorrow to avoid getting hurt, to avoid feeling the same… To avoid the darkness from enveloping me again...” She paused. “We don’t have to hide from our weaknesses any longer. Is it so bad to support each other?”

“We need to stop running away from our problems, our weaknesses. You need to give yourself a little break, a chance to feel happy, to live.” Selune added.

Merc’s head dragged down in silence as he sighed. “I tried that before, and it was so amazing. But it never lasts. Nothing does.”

Merc kept his head low, staring at the ground as his jet black mane covered his eyes from view. “I don’t know if I can risk it again…” He whispered to himself.

“I’m tired too, you know.” Selune sighed.

Merc’s ears perked up as he looked back up to her, a curious look in his eyes as he looked at the mare before him.

“I’m tired of feeling scared like a helpless baby in the dark. Tired of desperately seeking friends to keep it at bay. I try to fight it, I really do!” Selune clenched her hoof with closed eyes, angry with herself.

Merc raised a hoof towards her, wanting to help, to touch her, take whatever negative emotion she was feeling and make it either go away, or absorb it himself.

But he hesitated as he did, his hoof mid-air as his mind and heart came to yet another impasse.

“Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. But maybe…” She opened her eyes and looked at his hoof. She quickly took his from mid air and placed it with her own hoof upon her chest “Maybe I don’t have to do it alone. You don’t have to stand alone either.

“We can fight this…” Merc felt a warmth creep into him, gently caressing his heart once more. A similar feeling recurring; one that he hadn’t felt in ages.

“...together.” She added with a squeeze to his hoof.

With his hoof on her chest, he felt her heart beating strongly and calmly. He sensed the warm glow that was inside. Her offer was tempting, sincere, and she made no guarantees or big promises.

But the risks were high. As he knew all too well.

But the rewards were worth more than the risk. So much more worth.

Hesitantly, he looked at Selune, before looking to the side and sighing.

He turned back to her, his expression now confident and brightened up as he gave her a smile. A genuine, loving smile he actually formed.

“Yes… “

“Together.” He said, resisting the urge to hug Selune as tightly as he could. Shivering a bit due to his self-restraint.

“Besides, I do owe you a treat to that whiskey, remember?” Selune shyly smiled. Merc smiled back and nodded.

“You do, don’t you? Well by all means, ma’am, lead the way!” He said, moving to the side and letting the mare lead while she giggled and rolled her eyes.

As Selune took the lead, Merc couldn’t help but feel a small fluttering in his heart. An alien feeling... something he had long given up hope on experiencing again.

It was the same warmth he had felt when his hoof was touching Selune’s chest, and a warmth he had felt so long ago. A warm, kind, gentle and encouraging light that stretched in the darkness that plagued him, a fire both strong and gentle that no drink in existence could ever hope to replicate.

Yet at the same time, it was the most finest, yet foolish and deadly emotions that a living being could ever experience.

Love.

Intermission - The Mastermind reveals himself

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They think of me as a villain, they think of me as a beast with no compassion. All it is is a simple game, nothing terrible!

Then again, I did force them to face their deepest fears, escape a maze with twists and turns, and I did put them against one another in boxing matches. But I’m innocent, they just don’t know how to play the game, they think they’re in serious danger… Well, I do have the ability to wipe them completely from this universe, but it’s not like they have countless other universes they can be written into!

Just moments ago, I announced the winners of round four to my audience. I’m grateful for my ever growing audience, I honestly didn’t think this small project would take off so successfully. Now with the first season’s winner taking over my company and running it pretty well, I can do more of these. However many wonder why I’m doing this, what will be in it for the contestants others ask me.

It’s simple really, although I gave away the only open position of my company to that Candle Light gal, I can offer the winner one wish. A wish of power, wealth, knowledge. Practically anything… Anything other than the power to defeat me of course. Tonight, I take the eliminations into my own hands. I offered this power to anyone who would participate in describing me in their own way. Yet none of them wished to participate! So, I must show them I mean business!

I have my shiny precious in my hand. Oh how I love it. The loud bang it makes whenever I pull its trigger is music to my ears! The rolling of the bullet chamber is majestic to listen to and the clicking of the hammer being pulled back is like liquid gold. Now some may call me a dick, with balls of rage after tonight. But I’m GOB. And GOB does things for the sake of business.

Oh? What’s that I hear? A fearful gasp? She’ll wake the others, I’m sure. Just a little longer, and I’ll finally present myself… Or, my voice to them at least. Poor simple ponies, mere animals in my eyes. Animals I can slaughter and roast over an open fire. Instead I offer them a job and eternal wealth. What is wrong with me?

"What? Where am I!? Hello? Somepony help me!"

Oh! The teacher’s awake!

"What the fuck!? Where the hell am I?"

So is he mercenary, with his foul mouth.

"TOO DARK! Merc!"

"Where am I!? What is this place!?"

"Okay! Okay, I get it you’re all awake! Welcome to the elimination room kiddies! I do apologize for the sacks over your heads, but it was quite necessary. Were you all retrieved peacefully? If not, I’ll be sure to punish Knucklehead for his ungraceful nature."

"Wha-Who are you!? What am I doing here!?"

"In due time Kaiber, I’ll explain in due time. First off, I’d like to introduce myself. I am GOB! Now, now, don’t try to get me all at once now. Oh wait, you can’t you’re all tied up!"

"You’re lucky I’m tied up you bastard! Or else your brains would be painting the walls around us!"

"Oh, a feisty one! Listen here Merc, I’ve been hearing about your threats, they’re quite adorable really. I mean, a drunken, money hungry mercenary threatening a god who could end him in the blink of an eye. It’s like listening to a child threaten a grown man, it’s very entertaining!"

"What do you want with us!? Why are we here!?"

"That’s a good question Coalstone. Let me answer with this. You all like wishes right? Well, since the last winner of the games, Kaiber I’m sure you’ve heard of her, her name was Candle Light. Anyway, since she took my place as CEO of my company, I’ve been left with a lot of time on my hands. So, I’m willing to grant the winner of this contest one free wish."

"So what you’re telling us is you’re willing to put us in the face of danger all because being in retirement is too boring for you!? And you’ll compensate for all the pain we’ve endured for you with a measly wish!? Where’s the fairness in that you freak!"

"Now now First Spark, no need for rude words. We’re all grown adults here, we can solve this in a civil manner."

"Please get this sack off my head! For the love of Luna get it off now!"

"Hey, hey Selune it’ll be OK. I know the dark can be scary, but you faced your fear remember? You have to be over it by now! Plus, you praise Luna! The so-called “Princess” of night. More like princess of idiocy. Same to her sister as well. Thinking they control the sun and moon, please! But, we’re not here to talk about their false powers. We’re here to cut the loose ends from the competition. Are you all ready!?"

"You’re a sicko! A mad man!"

"Hold your tongue Kaiber, didn’t the “Jedi Council” teach you to not speak unless spoken to? Please child, you’re nothing but a nerd who can swing a sword."

"You shut the fuck up about him!"

"And you, the drunken mercenary! Let me ask you something."

"What the hell was that noise!?"

"Oh, I’m glad you noticed it too! The sound of a hammer being pulled back satisfies me too. Anyway, I’ve noticed you’ve taken a liking to Selune."

"Don’t you fucking touch her!"

"Ah-ah Merc, remember. I have the gun to your head."

"Go ahead and kill me you freak! I don’t care if I live or die, just leave Selune and Kaiber alone!"

"Hey! What about me!?"

"Yeah, and me!"

"I don’t know either of you people!"

"You might recognize me."

"Oh, you’re that one who broke my hand in the boxing challenge! Hey, I have a present to give you, it’s my hoof up your ass!"

"Woah woah Merc, language. We have children in the audience! Now I’m not going to kill you… Well, yet. But that depends if you can last long enough."

"What do you mean?"

"Well it’s simple really. You have two more challenges to look forward to. If you beat them both, you’ll be able to ask me for one wish, it can be anything and I’ll answer it."

"Can it be for the power to bust your skull in?"

"No, no. But it can be eternal wealth, great knowlegde, or anything else your heart desires. But let me give you a news flash. You can’t share this prize with your lover, or your friend here. Which is why we have to cut a few loose ends away."

"What do you mean by loose ends?"

"Oh, it’s quite simple Kaiber."

"Holy fuck!"

"Gahhaaaha!"

"Shit!"

"Did you just shoot him!?"

"What the hell just happened!?"

"That’s what I mean by cutting loose ends."

"You monster! I’ll fucking kill you!"

"You shut your mouth young filly! That silly wing of yours won’t be around for long if you keep up your attitude! Now, as I was saying- Hey, hey! Selune, I said stop crying! Now, we just have one more end to cut, and you all will be sent back to the hotel."

"Is he dead?"

"Oh, don’t cry Lucky… Of course he’s dead, in our universe, but everywhere else he’s more than healthy and alive."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It’s simple really. You are all not from this universe of mine. Sure you may think you came from a specific universe with it’s own happenings, but in reality, you are one of many copies of the same pony in many different universes. Each having their own timeline and history."

"That makes no sense…"

"Well, let me put it in perspective for you Lucky."

"Oh sweet mother of mercy!"

"You shot her!?"

"This isn’t happening, this isn’t happening!"

"Holy shit, you’re insane you devil!"

"I know, but look at the bright side! She now knows her answer, and she was sent back home. In fact, she should be waking up in her bed in her own universe right, about now!"

"You’re a freak!"

"And you’re an antisocial stone carver who talks to statues. Your point is? Anyway, I’ll be off! Tootles!"

"Are they dead? Is he gone?"

"I think he’s gone. Shit, what the fuck is wrong with this psycho!?"

"Guys, I honestly think we’re fucked. I mean, one of us is next!"

"But who’ll it be!?"

I don’t care who it is anymore! All I know is I’m gonna bash his fucking skull in for killing Kaiber! Curse these bindings!

5. Playgirl

View Online

~BANG!~

...

~BANG!~

The sounds of gunshots echoed from Selune’s dreams even after she had woken up. She stayed in her bed, looking up at the ceiling as thoughts and memories rushed back. They had met ‘GOB’ yesterday and he had promptly revealed his nature to them. As expected, he was a manipulative bastard… but Selune had no idea he was that powerful.

Knowing the princesses and having witnessed them raising the moon and the sun at certain ceremonies, Selune knew very well that they possessed great power. They weren’t unbeatable, infallible, or almighty, but they were no common unicorn, or a pushover for that matter.

This guy?

Claiming the princesses were nothing more than frauds angered her. But being able to mess with the multiverse, and pulling several ponies out of their respective worlds just to have fun at their expense? That was cruel. Despite his reassurances that they would all end up alive and waking up in their respective realities, Selune was no less angry about making them experience death, especially when it was her own victories that benefited this wicked masochist.

It also meant, however, that she might never be able to see Merc again. If this shared reality lasted for as long as the contest was going on, then Selune would never be able to live with him.

Oh, she was prepared for something like that. She was prepared to accept the fact that her victory or loss might be the reason they were set apart, the reason they never saw each other again. The feeling that hung over her heart when they said “goodnight” and parted ways.

Inevitably she woke up with a heavy stomach, her feelings weighing her down. There was, however, something positive in all of this…

A wish. If she won, she would be granted a wish.

Selune didn’t have many things to wish for, and most of the things she would wish for she could achieve on her own. She would certainly not trust a sly being like “GOB” to make her Princess Luna's right-hoof mare when he could easily act like a mischievous djinn and twist her wish. Besides, this was something that she wanted to earn, to have the satisfaction of having gained the position herself.

As Selune rose from her bed she realised she was a human again, or at least anthropomorphic pony. Selune lived in a small apartment in the center of Canterlot, three rooms: bathroom, kitchen, bedroom. Small, but adequate, and affordable since it was near her job. She worked as an archivist in one of Princess Luna’s recent projects to organize all documented Equestrian history prior to the events of ‘Hearth’s warming Eve'. As Selune soaked up the heat of the morning sun’s rays through the windows, she considered herself a lucky mare to have a dark grey coat. She rubbed her horn, shaking her head as she tried to brush off the lingering sleepiness, unaware that two lumps on her chest were missing. As she walked towards her dressing room where she conveniently had some clothes ready in case such “unfortunate” transformations happen, she thought on the subject of her wish. As she opened her eyes in front of the mirror and inspected herself she realised one thing.

“Okay, this beats every prank I made in my lifetime a thousand times over, “ she had a lot of things to consider wishing for… but being the opposite gender was not on the top of the list! Not even in the top hundred of it! Actually it was a hundred and first… but that wasn’t the point!

She laughed with her face resting on her palm, although she didn’t know if this was worthy of tears or laughter. Well, laughter at least was a better choice, so that’s what she did. Sighing, she opened her eyes once more, and looked around for the note.

There was always a Tartarus-damned note from this “GOB” person, who Selune was now convinced was worse even than reformed Discord himself. So there it was, a yellow note glued to the side of her bathroom mirror. Picking it up she read:

'As you already know, you're lacking a few... parts that make you a female, and instead find a different part that makes you male. Tonight, you will be... Presenting yourself for a famous magazine viewed by many devious readers! Be sure to smile for the camera. So be sure to look extra... Naughty... Also I do want to apologize for the actions that happened prior, with the shooting and whatnot. I knew I should have stayed in office... Anyway, good luck.
-GOB'

~DING-DONG!~

The timing of the bell ringing at her doorstep was impeccable. Walking to the door, Selune creaked it open and saw a bronze-tanned earth pony mare with a purple mane and a cutie mark of two theater masks. Holding a clipboard in her left hoof she asked the… guy in front of her.

“Selune Darkeye? My name is Face Check. I trust the transformation spell was executed correctly? Are you decent?” She looked back at Selune, who gave a half-hearted smile as she, or maybe “he”, was peeking through the half-open door. Not waiting for an answer, Face Check continued: “I’ll wait. Be quick though, we have a lot of work to do.”

Selune wasted no time putting some clothes on, appearing at the door wearing a pair of blue jeans and a purple t-shirt. Face Check was still there, ready to get down to business.

“Alright, now that we can talk I suppose you were informed about the photoshoot you were booked for?”

“Photoshoot? Yeah, I think so. What clothes do I need to bring?” Remembering the note, Selune nodded back at Face Check who sighed.

“I suppose Mr GOB was vague and mysterious as always? Guess I’ll have to explain myself,” she mumbled, gritting her teeth as she scribbled something angrily on her clipboard. “Anyway, I’m from Playgirl magazine and you’re arranged for a nude photoshoot with us…”

Nude Photoshoot. Nude Photoshoot. Nude Photoshoot…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No.

One word echoed in Selune’s mind as she silently followed Face Check. She had said something about duty, contract, fines, and though Selune followed, the words fell on deaf ears. She suspected what the note from GOB might have meant, but this?!

Of course, she had no problem with magazines like “Playgirl”. As a teenager she’d sneak some issues in her room whenever she could in order to… play with herself, but being in one? Being a model for it?

No.

A side of her found that naughty thought of being in such a magazine intriguing, maybe even enticing, but it was nothing more than a thought, nothing more than the innocent dreams of a mare discovering her own sexuality, learning about the “spicy” side of life. But then she would look herself in the mirror and there would be one word in her mind.

No.

“Hello? Mister?! Are you paying attention to me?”

Selune blinked as she snapped back to reality. Lights, panels, luxurious furniture, and a grey-coated humanoid mare with a purple mane holding a camera that matched the one on her cutie mark… ‘he’ was definitely in for a photo shoot for “Playgirl”.

“S-s-sorry.” Selune stuttered, shaking ‘his’ head to shake off the shivers.

“Come on, we don’t have all day, you need to give me some good pictures! How else am I going to help you win the games? Come on, give me some sexy poses, I know you have the body.” Snap Shot tapped her foot as she circled around Selune, who was sitting in a silken bed covered with red roses to complement her mane. The make-up artists had done their best to bring her to top shape, though admittedly there wasn’t much they could do with her coat. Their groans of frustration had caused her to cower in embarrassment, using her mane to hide her face.

Just like she was hiding behind the blankets right now.

“Ugh!” Snap Shot grit her teeth. “Sweet mother of mercy, stop being such a bucking wuss and stop hiding!”

“S-sorry, so sorry…” Selune lowered the blankets exposing “his” back. Snap Shot chased the muscles of the guy standing before her.

“There we go, finally growing some balls for real… now show me some more.” But when she tried to zoom in her markings, Selune hid once again. Snap Shot groaned, she had met a lot of shy models, but this was beyond ridiculous! How could she perform even the most basic of poses when her model was cowering from the lens in an almost fetal state?

“I said more, not less, what part of more don’t you understand?!” Snap Shot’s eyes twitched in frustration as she raised her voice. “Are you that afraid of showing your ass to the world? Is it so hard?” She turned the other way and flicked her tail up, showing her marehood straight up in Selune’s face “THERE! See? What’s so hard about that? This is Playgirl, not Vogue, Selune!”

Selune’s eyes watered and ‘he’ shivered as she backed away from the mare. She tried to whimper back a response but was met with a mocking imitation by Snap Snot.

“Oh look at me! I’m so shy and cute… I’m so terrified of the dark, twenty seven and still a BUCKIN virgin drooling over the princess of the night...” She put her hooves next to each other and pretended to have a mock conversation between them.

“Shut up…” Selune’s voice was ignored.

“...I have a ton of tattoos on my black body that make me sexy…”

“Shut up.” ‘His voice was now steady and firm, an ordering tone in her, but it was still ignored. Red was building up as her face was distorted by her emotions.

“...Oooooh they are from a birth defect? Edgyyyyyyyyyyy…” Snap Shot raised her hooves and let them flop in surrender “What am I going to do with you?”

“SHUT…” Snap Shot’s breath was cut short as she saw Selune’s face in breath’s distance, malformed and twisted in anger, veins visible all over it. “...UP!!” As Selune screamed in front of her face she felt the spit inevitably fall on her.

“Do you think this is funny? Do you think this is cool? DO YOU?!” Selune screamed once more, bearing her teeth, eyes gleaming with hate. Everything was red now for ‘him’, anger was heating ‘him’ up. ‘He’ clenched ‘his’ fists, eager to harm in whatever way possible.

“Look! Look closely…” Selune bared ‘his’ neck, pointing at some of the white markings “Don’t you dare back down now, LOOK CLOSELY!” She yanked Snap Shot’s hoof towards her, bringing her closer “See this? These aren’t simple markings, these aren’t tattoos! This infection once was like choking tendrils for me! My very skin remembers it and I cower LIKE A LITTLE BITCH!” ‘He’ let her hoof go and pushed Snap Shot away. Mouth hanging agape, Snap Shot watched with regret as she saw the anger turn into sadness. In her frustration to win, to get a good shot she had made a very sensitive subject surface. The guilt took hold of her stomach and dragged it down.

“I look at my body every day and I see the reason I can’t act like a normal mare, the reason that makes me act like a helpless baby!” She paused “I’m always the weirdo… and now I have to advertise it for some random horny teenagers to wank their dicks over? You think I want to be pointed at in the street while ponies talk behind my back? BUCK THIS!” Everything was a blur as Selune rushed through the room, not bothering to listen or look behind her.

“Wait, Selune! I’m…” but she was already gone, around the corner, not listening, not looking back, a whimpering sound fading as the distance increased “...sorry.”

Turning to the right of the set, Selune noticed the toilet only a few paces away. With only a small silken blanket covering her basics Selune opened the door and slammed it shut behind her. Holding the only warmth she had closer to her chest, Selune sat in the corner, tears flowing like a river down her skin.

But there was someone else…

Selune raised her head as she spotted a reflection opposite her. Approaching, she noticed it was a mirror. Now her own male self was looking back at her, eyes red, and two rivers flowing down her body. She saw what she hated, what was there, what couldn’t change.

“I’m beautiful.” There was a stabbing feeling in his chest, and Selune cringed but remained still.

“I’m beautiful.” She fought, she wanted to have the confidence, she needed it, she craved it so desperately. But the echoing judgements of the past were slimy hands making her shiver, dragging him down.

“I’m… b-beautiful?” There was a tremble in her voice, doubt clouded her mind. The words aired from her mouth, but not even she believed them.

“I’m… I’m… I…” she struggled, she moved her mouth, but no sound would come out The air was tightening, it seemed stale, heavy, and it was getting hard to breathe. Her feet gave up on her and she knelt on the ground as her watered eyes started pouring rivers again, sobs echoing in the room.

There was a knock outside the door, and a soft, calm voice followed: “Selune? Are… are you there?” Snap Shot sighed as she sat down with her back against the door.

“I’m sorry. I know it might not mean a lot right now, but I’m sorry.” She waited, listening carefully. After a whole minute two words came from behind the door.

“Go away.” A shiver ran down Snap Shot’s spine as she felt the sadness in Selune’s voice. She sighed, this was going to be hard.

“I will, but before that, allow me to say my piece. If you don’t want to talk to me after that I’ll leave you alone, alright? If need be I can forge some really good pictures for you. I’d hate to do that, sure, but I still care about you winning. What do you say?” She paused and waited, holding her breath as she did.

“Kay.” Snap Shot let out a relieved sigh.

“Listen. I’m sorry for pushing you so much. I… I sometimes encounter such fake individuals in this industry. Fake personalities, fake boobs, fake smiles.” There was a momentary pause, and she felt something against the door, just standing there, not pushing.

“I get frustrated so much at those fake-shy girls that keep a cute cover, while behind that they’re the world’s greatest whores. Bucking public uteruses!” Snap Shot slammed her left hoof down the floor, and held her nose with the right. “When I read your profile, I thought you were one of them: acting all cute, but hiding behind a mask of pretentiousness. I’m sorry. I let my expectations interfere with my judgement. I shouldn’t have.” Silence followed her words, and as it drew on and on she thought she had failed. Standing up, she got ready to leave, but then she heard it loud and clear.

“You’re not entirely wrong.” Snap Shot froze in place “I never was too popular in school to begin with, and having these stripes didn’t help, but I managed. The way I managed, however… it wasn’t healthy.” Selune’s voice shook at the last phrase.

“Want to open the door and talk about it? I promise I won’t do anything improper.”

“Kay.” Selune’s voice barely had any strength, or spark in it. This frightened and compelled Snap Shot to enter even more. Once the door opened, Selune backed down once more. Snap Shot sat as close to Selune as she could, making sure she didn’t cross her boundaries and push her away. They continued saying nothing, until Selune finally broke the silence.

“I always wanted friends. Always. I wanted to make everyone happy, but that’s easier said than done…” Selune’s eyes stared down ahead, a blank expression on her face “I became a social clown, making all kinds of jokes, humiliating myself if need be, just to feel accepted. Yet despite all that I hypocritically couldn’t accept myself.”

“You felt ugly.” Stated Snap Shot.

“Yes. A classic teenage fear really, but teenagers try and do something about this stuff. Instead, I ignored it, I ignored it thinking that since there was nothing I could do about it, there was nothing wrong. I thought, if that was true, then this phase, this fear should go away. Yet as logical and as simple as this conclusion was, I never believed it.”

“Why?” Snap Shot asked.

“I was a social clown, if there was any feeling of self-respect, self-confidence that I had.., it wasn’t there. I still struggle with that, I try some methods every morning like… I talk to the mirror, and I repeat that I’m beautiful like a mantra over and over and over. I’ve had improvements since then, and I’m more assertive than I was when I was younger…”

“You can say that again!” Snap Shot smiled awkwardly, thinking of her previous outburst, and for the first time Selune aired a small laugh.

“But it still hurts me at times.”

“Know why I joined this business? The world of photography?” Selune’s ears perked with interest, and as she raised his head Snap Shot gave her a shy smile.

“I wanted to take pictures of others doing their best. Noone thought I’d be happy doing that, but look where I am! I’m successful, I’m happy with making others successful because that means I’m doing my job well. But the greatest joy of all is working for models like you.”

“But you said that…” A hoof was placed on Selune’s mouth.

“I know what I said, but your body… this is an opportunity Selune!”

“Opportunity?” Selune cocked a brow. This was too absurd to be true.

“Yes! Think of how many boys and girls out there are like you! How many girls hate themselves over the smallest pimple, the tiniest freckle, the faintest scar!” Snap Shot extended her hooves, touching Selune’s hands gently and bringing them closer “Those girls don’t even have the courage to get out, let alone be a social clown to begin with! You can help them.”

Snap Shot placed the hands on Selune’s bare chest “You can show them that it’s okay to have scars, it’s okay to have pimples, it’s okay to have your coat marred. You can STILL be beautiful!”

A small spark made itself present in Selune’s eyes. “I never thought about it that way…” she said.

“You have a coltfriend, don’t you?”

Selune blushed once again, “How did you…”

“Word goes around. Back to my point, this means that someone loves you, despite that coat color. Most girls like that don’t ever get the chance to get a coltfriend. They live in their own little worlds, with closed doors, shutting themselves out from any form of interaction. They grow fat, old, lamenting their own lives, wondering if they could have changed them. Some… some even kill themselves from the peer pressure.” Selune shuddered at the thought and scrunched his nose.

“You can help them.” Snap Shot’s words struck a chord in Selune’s heart, and her face lit up a bit.

“If they see you, if they learn about you, they’ll gain some of that confidence, and in turn they’ll give you confidence back. Just like with each successful photoshoot I gain money, fame, and recognition, so will this help your own confidence! So… what do you say?” She bumped Selune’s shoulder with her hoof. “Are you up to show Equestria that a healthy mind can exist within a healthy body? Wits, will, beauty, all in one!”

A small fire lit up in Selune’s heart. Snap Shot’s words rang true, and this brought a smile to her, and shot a ray of hope in her weary heart.

“Yes…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Beautiful!”

~SNAP!~

“Awesome gimme more, work that body, come on!”

~SNAP!~

“Flex those muscles honey, show them your strength!”

~SNAP! SNAP!~

The flash snapped twice more. “Hmmm…” Snap Shot smacked her lips together and stroked her chin, thinking “Wiggle that bubble butt of yours, flex those cheeks together!”

Snap Shot watched as Selune stretched her back and tensed the muscles around her bottoms, striking a sexy pose with a rose in her mouth, and a sly grin while she winked to the camera.

“UNF! So help me Celestia, I’d buck you right here and now if I wasn’t working.”

“W-what? I’m…”

“Oh chill, I was joking! Jokes aside though, you have a mighty fine ass. Girls love that kind of stuff as well.”

Selune’s face grew red in response.

“Besides, with a body like this I imagine your coltfriend will be jealous later, hmmm?” Snap Shot gave Selune a sly smile.

“Heh… or maybe I’ll be the jealous one. You said he’s scheduled with your friend in Appleloosa later, right?” Snap Shot simply nodded. After that, she checked her camera, making sure she got all the necessary photos

“Alright, let’s see… we did back shots, frontal, oooh this one is my favorite I’ll save it for personal use.” Selune scrunched her nose as Snap Shot waved her hoof dismissively, laughing, “Pffft! Gotcha twice! You need to step up your game! You should be pranking me, not the other way around!” The two of them laughed heartily together, their past worries gone for the moment. As the laughter died down, Snap Shot took a deep breath and asked.

“How do you feel now?”

“A little better. You’re right, it does make me happy to think I’m helping others.” Selune smiled and continued, “The most important thing is I’m doing this because I genuinely want it, not because I want something in return.”

“The reward will come on its own.”

“Guess it will. But for now…” She could feel the warmth inside her heart, the desire to feel Merc’s touch once more, to see him, to find him in her world. The thought that she had others to help and care about, that others were helping her, cared for her. It was a bright flame that guided her, and even though Merc was far away now...

“I’m happy that I have someone to love.”

He was with Selune, inside her heart.

Meeting between GOB and Selune

View Online

This was it.

The beginning of the end.

Selune was standing outside GOB’s office, sitting on a bench quietly. The very thought alone was capable of pushing her to hyperventilate, but she had to keep it together. Selune took a deep breath. In, and out, she repeated until her heartbeat slowed down, and her mind was clear. There was so much to think about, and so little time.

So far the challenges were… unique to say the least. Facing her fears, coordinating with an unknown stallion to escape a maze, boxing with another, she wasn’t sure but falling in love felt like part of a challenge too. They had varying levels of difficulty, and that was what worried Selune the most. It wasn’t hard to think on the move, since comedy and pranks required knowledge of timing and quick wit. Knowing the time to make a move, and acting on instinct when the moment came had proven useful for her so far. She needed her quick reflexes, her wits, and every last drop of her willpower to adapt to each situation and pull through.

GOB hadn’t just challenged their physical strength, or speed and intellect. He had gone out of his way to challenge their very morals, their souls, their minds and throughout all of this Selune couldn’t help but feel like a puppet moving in accordance to her master’s commands… if only to entertain him with her struggles.

She gritted her teeth, grinding them into each other, and felt her own blood boil inside. She HATED it, she hated being a puppet, hated being used like a clown for the entertainment of others. She’d willingly been through it enough in her childhood and regretted every moment of it, but at the same time it wasn’t that she was doing anything bad.

She just wanted control.

She wanted to be able to entertain others in a manner that was healthy for herself as well. To help those lost in the dark, to give them just a little bit of the brightness she had within her. Looking back to the challenges she had been through, she realised that, though the reason they happened was questionable, they had aided her a lot. Looking at her own hoof, and at her markings, Selune realised that neither darkness nor her own image bothered her as much as they did before.

Those problems weren’t gone fully, not by a long shot, but now she knew she had the mind, body, and heart to get through them.

The nude photoshoot, facing the incarnation of her fears, boxing, and even falling in love; as far as she was concerned she was a winner already. So the biggest question of them all now was…

What was she fighting for?

There was that sense of things being incomplete, like something was left to do. The ponies she had met through these challenges nagged Selune in the back of her mind: a teacher, a mercenary, a member of the Order of Balance. There were more of course, but she hadn’t gotten to know them too well, though she knew for sure that in the last challenge another couple had been separated.

Would they find each other again? Would they get to experience love? Would she still meet Merc after this? What if she lost? And if she won, then what? What would be her wish?

Selune continued her breathing exercises. There was no point in worrying too much, for when the time came the answer would present itself. The sound of hoofsteps approaching snapped her out of her thoughts. She wished they would never come, she wished that the turquoise mare with the clipboard cutie mark and wearing glasses wasn’t looking at her. She wished GOB’s secretary would take more time, enough for her to sort things out in her mind.

“GOB wishes to see you now, Miss…” This was it. The final moment. The moment in which Selune would be able to see this demon first hoof. She wouldn’t muck this up if she knew what was good for her. Standing up from her seat, she began walking towards GOB’s closed office door. As she moved to open the door, it opened itself, revealing a Victorian-styled office. Although she didn’t wish to admit it, the office was nicely decorated and furnished. The wooden flooring was a nice touch, along with the older looking shelves and chairs. But what really caught her eye was the figure who sat behind the large wooden desk.

This figure was anthropomorphic and instead of fur, he had a flesh. On his head sat a shining crown, but there was one shining green gem in the center, with what looked like two missing gems on either side of the final gem. The creature also wore a light blue vest with a pink dress shirt underneath. Running up his left arm were countless amounts of wrist watches. Selune stood before this figure, who didn’t seem to notice her presence and continued to work on whatever paperwork he was working on. She stood there, not knowing what exactly to say or do until the figure called out her name.

“Selune Darkeye?” The creature called out. His voice sounded eerily familiar. It sent chills down her spine just like in their previous meeting.

“No it’s the cleaning services.” She answered sarcastically, trying her best to maintain a poker face. She wasn’t sure if she should laugh at the ridiculousness of the question. As she waited for a response, the creature looked up, revealing electric blue eyes, bright as flashlights, almost glowing. He also had a faint five o’clock shadow on his lower face.

“I’m sure you know who I am then, Miss Darkeye. And I’m sure you know why I called you in here. Unless you havn’t a clue as to why you’re here. Then you may ask why.” GOB answered in his chilling smooth voice.

“I’m aware of what I am here to do. At least as far as it concerns me, I am here to compete, and this meeting is to prepare me for the next round. Not sure as to why I am competing, but if I can take a wild guess it is your entertainment? You and whatever other individual enjoys this kind of thing, I suppose.” She humphed. “Wouldn’t be hard to find individuals with similar interests. There’s all kind of weird creatures out there, but I’ve reached a point in my life where I can pretty much expect anything, and I’ve deleted the word “impossible” from my vocabulary. So…”

She motioned to him with her hoof “I’d really appreciate if you could ‘spill the beans’ per se. I think I deserve as much since I’ve reached the finale… right?” She raised her brow quizzically.

GOB paused his work, and leaned back in his chair.

“I believe you’ve earned the right to know what’s going on, and though it may sound weird, my explanation is quite simple. See, if you read that note carefully, it had my apology for the shooting. It also stated; vaguely I admit, my reason for doing so. Which was because of my boredom. But it’s not like I did anything terrible. All I did was send them back to their universe. Which we need to talk about, by the way.” GOB mentioned.

“What do you mean?” Selune wondered “Is there something wrong? Let me guess… you broke the time-space continuum again and you need to call the plumber to fix it?” She snickered, stifling a laugh with her right hoof. GOB laughed back, but his laugh was louder and sounded thick.

“You got spunk kid, I’ll give you that. Wouldn’t have thought sarcasm of all things would come from a girl who was bawling her eyes out when I ‘shot’ two ponies that night. Anyway, no I don’t need a plumber to fix the universe… That’s what Juan is hired for. No, it’s about Merc. See his wish is simple, but it does require you. Maybe it’s something you’d enjoy, too. But I’m not you, am I? No, so only you can tell me how you feel about his wish. See, Merc’s wish was to live a normal, peaceful life… With you. His wish was to live a peaceful life, and to be able to start a family with you.” GOB admitted, almost in a very serious tone.

“He… does?” Selune just stood there, mouth open wide, trying to comprehend the magnitude of the love she was experiencing. “Is that even possible? Are you telling the truth?” She asked, looking at GOB, whose eyes opened wide as if hurt by her question.

“Miss Darkeye, I’ll inform you I’m no liar. I may joke about a lot of things in this world, but if there’s one thing I don’t joke about, it’s romance. And being with someone who you love… That and patriotism and the troops. I don’t joke about those either, but mainly romance. He wants to be with you, Miss Darkeye, that’s why I have a feeling he’ll pull out all the stops for his final challenge. A challenge I also presented First Spark, and now you. But we’ll get to that later, now we must discuss your wish. I’ll offer you a wish, but I’d like to hear what you have in mind Miss Darkeye. I’m curious, do you share the same wish Merc has at all? The same desire to be with him?”

Selune paused for a moment, letting the question sink in. She’d considered it herself, and now was the time to decide, to make the final step.

“To be honest? I never had a wish to begin with. I could wish to become the greatest magician in all of Equestria, but I don’t know what I’d do with all the power. Money doesn’t interest me either, I like working for what I have, because there’s a sense of satisfaction and achievement, same thing with knowledge. So…” She stroked her chin thoughtfully “My wish would be either something really really stupid, or so grand and crazy that it would inevitably end up being stupid. You see, I’m self aware.” She turned her head to look out the windows of the office. Luna’s beautiful moon greeted her, and her thoughts turned to those close to her heart.

“But with Merc in my life?” She sighed and closed her eyes as her imagination flew, and their future unfolded before her eyes. A warm smile spread on her face as it lit up despite her black coat.

“I’d like that. To live a peaceful life with him, I mean. I know it sounds simple, but yes. I would be satisfied with that wish. To never have to bother myself again with these kind of challenges? To live a life in love? Now that I know what it feels like, I’m not letting it go. Besides, whether that wish could come true or not I’d still search for him.” GOB smiled at Selune’s words. Then, something happened, his electric blue eyes began to dim, almost to a dull blue instead of their illuminated form. Selune tilted her eyebrows in confusion.

“In this line of business, it’s always nice to see and hear things such as this. It’s always so nice to hear a pony or creature request something more than riches and fortune. I respect you and Merc for that.” GOB sighed. pausing, thinking of something else to say. “Yet, that is Merc’s wish. I still yet to know your own. Perhaps I could present my idea, that I frankly think you won’t need since the last challenge helped you so much. But, it’s still worth asking…” GOB paused, letting Selune wonder what he could possibly be offering.

“You really do like keeping me wondering do you? You cheeky little dick-waffle.” She placed her hoof in front of her mouth and coughed “You look like you’ve done this… ‘business’ before.” She mentioned.

“Oh I have… I’ve been doing this for a while now. Anyway, my deal was to… help you, in a sense. See, it’s come to my knowledge that your, er…” GOB hesitated, almost as though he didn’t wish to speak of it. “Pardon me if it’s rude to point out your fur color, but I learned it’s not natural, but a disease. Is this correct?” GOB asked, giving a serious face.

“What are you playing at?” Selune narrowed her eyes, a stern tone in her voice.

“Selune, my offer is simple. If you can complete the task I give you successfully, then I shall… cure you of your disease. Thus turning you back to how you should look without that pigmentation. I know you may be over it now thanks to the last challenge, but like I said, it’s worth asking.”

“No.” Selune responded immediately. She shook her head, almost disappointed at GOB for proposing this.

“You just don’t get it, do you? I didn’t want my coat changed. I wanted respect, I wanted acceptance, I wanted to have friends. I could go change my coat, and still not have any of that. Through this pain I was able to gain so much more, I was able to grow as a character, as a person, pony... whatever.” Selune found the nearest chair and sat down, looking between her hooves.

“This coat was never an inhibition, and if it was it was all in my head. Besides, if I wasn’t weird because of it, it would be something else, like my cutie mark. This coat is more than ‘what’ I am, it made me ‘who’ I am, pushing me to overcome my limitations, to try harder, to be better than what my appearance told others. So thanks, but no thanks.” She stated firmly, looking GOB in the eyes. GOB nodded, his eyes turning back to normal.

“Not every deal can be accepted. I know that. But as I said, it was worth asking. So, since you’ve denied my suggestion, have you at least thought of something you’d want to wish for? Anything at all?” GOB asked, and in that moment Selune’s eyes gleamed as her wish presented itself in her mind.

“Love is life. A life without love is no life at all. I love Merc, I really do, but in the last challenges we became the reason for two other couples to be separated. I won’t accept that!” She punctuated the last sentence with a grim determination “If Merc wishes that we live a life in love, then I make the same wish, and extend it to the other two couples. So wishes Selune Darkeye, daughter of Azure Melody and Lumina Oculus, so does she declare!” Selune said, pumping her chest in pride. GOB smiled a bright and large smile.

“Ha! Wonderful! I like your pride, and your willingness to help others! I don’t see enough ponies like you! So, with that out of the way, let’s discuss the final challenge. It’ll be a heist. Since Merc chose the weapons heist and Spark chose the cash heist, you’ll be assigned the artifact heist. Don’t worry, it’s nothing illegal. It’s just stealing back something that was stolen.” GOB informed.

“Yea…” Selune smiled awkwardly while rubbing her neck, “I think I’m entitled to more info than just that. I mean it still doesn’t sound nice, stealing never is nice, and I’m pretty pretty sure I’ll be making some individuals angry, which miiiiiiiiiight make it hard for me to live in the open later.”

“Actually, it would be a lot easier than you think. First of all, this mission should be held at night. Late at night. Second, these are not ponies you're dealing with. Actually, they’re not of your world. They, well, look like me. Believe me, they’re not like me, but they look like me. If that makes sense.” GOB paused. He glanced at Selune who made a grimace, puzzled by what he said. “See, these ‘humans’ have recently found a device of mine. The year is 1947. An easy year for you, since their technology isn’t as high tech as it would be now. Anyway, they found what they foolishly call a ‘UFO’, or ‘Unidentified Flying Object’, and are holding scientific experiments on it. I want it back! And you’ll be using this, to get it back!” GOB presented a small potato sack before Selune who eyed the sack with a bit of confusion.

“What’s in there? More important, what is this device you want, and what does it do?”

“Here’s a photo of the device.” GOB handed a small picture to Selune. She saw a large disc-like thing the size of a carriage, and GOB was standing next to in the picture. “I won it off some punk in a poker game. I got drunk that night and I thought it would be fun to fly it over ‘Earth’, the planet the humans live on, for a sec. You know… give ‘em a scare and whatnot. Well, we know not to drink and drive and I got in a nasty accident. I escaped without getting caught, but my ride wasn’t so lucky. I need you to get it back for me.” GOB informed.

“So… this is just a vehicle? Really? No catch? One could easily replicate it if that was the case. Either that or there’s something in it.” Selune’s brow furrowed as she was fishing for more information. GOB groaned.

“Fine! Fine, it has a nuclear reactor. If those apes poke and prod at that thing some more, it’ll surely wipe them out. As a god I can’t have that happen! So I need you to get it back before something bad happens, because as you can see even gods get swamped with bureaucratic matters. I know it seems too big to fit in this small sack, but it’s special. It can fit anything of any size inside and will still have room for a little extra. Now I will warn you, these humans do have firepower and will shoot on sight if they see you, so try to be stealthy about it.” GOB informed.

“You have a ‘Bag of Holding’?” Selune gasped as her eyes fell on the bag and glinted with glee, but then she remembered what GOB had said, and shook herself back to the matter at hoof. “Wait firepower? What kind of firepower? Are they magic resistant or something?”

GOB chuckled, which escalated to laughter at Selune’s question. “Please Selune. You’re giving them too much credit. Sure, they did master the power of atoms and wipe out two cities with said power. They’re not magic resistant, but they have the tools to wipe you out instantly. Like bullets of steel and lead that shoot as fast as lightning.”

“Hey, I gotta cover my flanks now, don’t I? Questions like this have to be asked.” She said, tilting her eyebrow.

“That’s why I’m giving you this bag!” GOB then handed her yet another potato sack. “Think of any inanimate object, and it’ll be in that sack. To prove it, think of anything. Think of, say, a rock. Go ahead, try ‘er out!” GOB said with a smile.

“Hmmm…” Selune took the sack, closed her eyes and thought of an anvil. To test it out, she kicked it with her left hoof and immediately retracted it, holding it with her right. “Sweet mother of mercy that hurt! Where do you get this stuff? I need something like that next Nightmare Night!”

“Here, I’ve got a bunch of them. The potatoes I buy come in these sacks!” GOB handed Selune three extra potato sacks. “Have fun. Anyway, these sacks will help you during the mission. For example, if you find yourself in the middle of a shoot out between those monkeys, think of a gun or bow and arrow and shoot away. Or if you need something to blind the cameras, think of some spray paint or stickers to cover the camera lenses.”

Selune smiled as this reminded her of her projection magic. Conjuring blades was hard enough, but maybe after the mission she could study those sacs and learn more about them? “Hmmm, alright if that’s all you have that’s okay. Otherwise, I’ll need a map of the area, patrol schedules, any security codes if they have them, and last but not least, a means of transportation. Unless these sacs can procure those items as well. They look small.”

GOB only chuckled. “You really think so?” GOB then took a sack and reached into it. Seconds later, a large wooden limb stuck out from the sack. “This here’s a coffee table. Want me to spawn a car next? Or maybe a building? We’ll have to go outside for that, though.” He said with a chuckle. He then put the sack on the floor and came back up with a small map in his hand. He placed it before Selune.

“The location is called ‘Area 51,’ be cautious, they don’t have Equestrian guards protecting this shiz, they have dangerous troops with guns that can kill you in an instant!” GOB warned once again.

“Just another day in the life of Selune Darkeye, I guess? No point in whining about it.” She said, shrugging and letting out a sigh.

“That’s the spirit! So, you have your wish, your job, your sacks… The last one can be taken wrong, but you still have them! Is there something else you need?” GOB asked.

“No, I don’t think so. Wait what do you mean ‘taken wrong’?”

“Must I explain? You’re a grown mare, you’ve graduated middle school and high school. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about, there was always that one kid who made those nasty jokes. Anyway, I feel like this meeting is complete! Any questions?” GOB asked as he began to wrap up his work on the desk.

“Just the one: when do I start?”

“Tonight… Well, technically tomorrow. You’ll go to sleep tonight, but at midnight, you’ll wake up in the human world just a mile or two away from Area 51. You’ll still be a pony if you’ve been wondering that.” GOB said.

“Jolly. No offense but I wouldn’t like you messing with my genitals again.”

“I had no intent… Unless…” A devilish smile graced GOB’s face as he held up his two fingers and got ready to snap.

“NOPE NOPE NOPE!” She waved her hooves dismissively as she backed down in her seat.

“Fine, fine. Oh! Before you leave…” GOB took his crown off and turned the lone gem towards himself. He took a breath and smiled at the shiny stone. He took the gem with his fingers and began to pinch and pry it from the crown. After some effort, GOB pulled the gem from the crown and held it in his hand. Amazingly, a single tear fell from GOB’s face as he smiled at the gem. He handed the gem over to Selune who took it in her hooves. “This will be the thing that makes your wish a reality. Trust me,” GOB smiled.

“Don’t I have to succeed first?” She said, examining it and spinning it around.

“Yes, but if you don’t it comes right back to me. But something tells me I won’t be seeing this one again. If you play your cards right, of course.” With that, GOB stood and held his hands behind his back. With a toothy smile, he spoke one last time.

“Good luck, Miss Darkeye.” GOB then held his fingers up once more and snapped them. Selune began to fade away. Knowing she was leaving, she made sure to quickly grab the sacks GOB gave her along with the green gem. Before she was fully gone, she heard GOB mutter ominously: “Thanks for playing…”

6. Artifact heist

View Online

Forty, forty one, forty two… wait, did she forget that one? Now she’d have to start over again.

One, two, three… once again, Selune started counting the stars in Earth’s night sky. Even away from Equestria, Selune still admired the night sky, she still loved Earth’s moon. She would have spend hours and hours observing the sky, looking for which stars Equus could see, or if Equus itself could be seen from earth.

She would have, if she had time.

Unfortunately for her, the night was a fleeting thing. Her shadowy veil wouldn’t cover the area for much longer, and considering her task she had to make the most of her time.

She wanted her wish to be granted.

Selune jumped up, dusting herself off as she grabbed the sacks and the Bag of Holding that were laid next to her. She poked her head out of the bush, and thankfully no one was there to disturb her preparations.

Time to set the plan in motion, she thought. She focused her thoughts and placed her hoof inside the sacks, pulling out a pitch black latex suit with night goggles. This thing, these sacks, were impressive. Overpowered, true, but impressive nonetheless.

GOB, his somewhat sadistic nature notwithstanding, was clearly smart enough to be able to craft items such as this that could project a nigh infinite number of items to incredible accuracy. The only limitation was living things, which she wouldn’t summon either way out of principle. Perfect, she thought as she inspected her new spy gear. This would do nicely for this operation and camouflage her accordingly. Selune carefully looked the suit over, testing its elasticity, smiling as she found the size to be a perfect fit. She folded the sacks and the Bag of Holding, placing them in the slots of her utility belt for later use.

Slithering into the shadows, Selune moved from cover to cover, ever nearer to the place known as “Area 51”. Her horn glowed slightly, her eyes glowing as she cast a Far Sight spell. Through her night goggles, she saw what appeared to be a military facility for aircraft beyond the fence, just like the warning signs said. There were multiple hangars and storage rooms, but which of the hangars was it? Where was the flying saucer GOB was talking about? It could have been pretty much any of them.

Luckily for her, atomic energy and radiation left a pretty distinct mark, and a skilled unicorn like her could easily detect it. Though it seemed without a source, the radiation levels were more concentrated below the northeast hangar, by far the biggest one of them all.

With silent steps, Selune narrowed her eyes in grim focus. The guards she slipped past were a blur. Their faces, their expressions, their skin color, all inconsequential. Only their vigilance and their weapons mattered, only their eyes that observed the darkness around them, their flashlights illuminating the darkness of the night as they patrolled. They held their rifles tight, their hands twitching, their fingers ready to pull the trigger at the unseen threat.

Were they that scared of alien lifeforms?

It didn’t matter, they didn’t matter. Selune had a goal, and none would stand in her way, not unless they wanted to taste her magic. Their mighty aircraft, their guns, their bullets… they would all fall to her enchanting illusions.

The lights of cameras heading her way disrupted her thoughts. “Curses!” She said as she ducked behind some crates. Their surveillance network was a nag to get through. She’d have to disable it first, or otherwise throw them into disarray. It would also help provide a distraction should there be any complications in her mission. With skilled eyes, she tracked the source of the cables just 50 meters to her west: a carefully camouflaged storage house.

Sticking to the metal walls, Selune placed her ear on the side and heard blues music, together with a small humming sound. She touched the metal door with her horn and the interior of the room appeared in her mind. She saw a bearded man wearing a uniform, sitting at a desk, sifting through the cameras while looking for inconsistencies. Using her magic, she pulled a hairpin out of her hair and started carefully picking the lock. A few moments later she heard the satisfying clicking sound grace her ears, and she jerked her head, sighing in relief as the man hadn’t noticed her.

Like a snake, Selune crept through the door, closing it behind her. Patiently, she approached the man, and lunged from behind, placing one hoof on his mouth, and another tightly around his neck. The muffled complaints of the man didn’t register on her ears. She kept suffocating him until his flailing arms dropped, and his eyes rolled back as he fell unconscious.

“I’m sorry,” she said coldly as she pushed him and the chair to the side. Inspecting the controls, she realised that shutting this thing down would cause far more trouble, as the guards would be on high alert, making it even more difficult to sneak past them. No, the cameras had to be functioning, if only pretending to do so. Her eyes shot wide open, an idea coming to her. She pulled out one of the sacks, focused, and grabbed a floppy disk from it titled “Time Alter”. Carefully, she placed it inside the computer handling the cameras. As long as the program ran, and until it was countered, the footage received by them would rewind every fifteen minutes, equal to the rotation of the guards. Even if she was seen by them now, there would be no alarm. The man was placed once again in his position, with head leaning forward. It would buy her a few more minutes should one not notice he was sleeping.

Resuming her primary task, Selune’s actions came to her calmly, as if guided by instinct. Her mind was an autopilot, and her eyes had blinkers. Once she faced the hangar doors she focused and teleported behind them, since opening them would cause way too much noise. She rushed to the nearest wall and ‘hugged’ her only friend in this mission, the shadows. But as she turned to inspect the room, she gasped in awe from what she saw.

“What in Luna’s moon?”

Behind the hangar doors was something she could only describe as a mobile miniature airport. An incomplete giant flying airship with four huge fans, each the size of a small house. On the side of it was an inscription in white saying “S.H.I.E.L.D”. All around it, humans were inspecting the giant aircraft and yelling orders, or handling huge cranes and other machinery, assembling the necessary parts.

This huge aircraft was surely not a simple feat, and more importantly to power up such a thing was pretty much impossible with their current technological level. This had already been confirmed when she had seen their rudimentary security systems. Which meant only one thing.

They planned on using the reactor from the saucer to create a power source for this craft. Selune couldn’t imagine how destructive the force of a flying airbase like that could be, or how destructive the wars it could wage would be, but it was surely something she couldn’t let slip that easy. Now more than ever she needed to steal that saucer. There would surely be an elevator, or stairs of some sort going to the lower levels.

~Ding!~

Turning her head to the source of the sound, Selune spotted the elevator ten meters to her right. With eyes darting left and right, Selune carefully made her way to it. Hiding on the sides she waited for the humans to get out, then used her agility to enter the box. Her horn glowed once more as she illuminated the number pad of the elevator, and clicked number 5 -the bottom floor- which judging by the multiple fingerprints, was the one mostly used.

The machine responded with a low metallic rumble as she descended deeper within the confines of mother earth. Selune tapped her hoof impatiently. Judging by the time and speed of their descent, she guessed this elevator went at least fifty meters into the ground. With each level taking around 10 meters, Selune couldn’t imagine what sort of secrets and technology the humans were hiding in here. The doors opened and Selune noticed the gazes of the guards turning at her, their mouths agape as they saw the incarnation of children’s fairytales. Even the scientists with the white lab-coats tampering with the metallic disc-shaped aircraft directed their attention to her.

This was it, her goal was straight ahead, glimmering in silver. She looked at the humans stunned by her appearance.

They were in her way. There was one thing clear besides the end of her subterfuge.

“THIS ENDS, NOW!”

A booming sound echoed through the halls as Selune launched a black cloud of glitter dust from her horn. She heard the confused cries of the humans who found themselves covered from top to bottom by sticky black glitter. Fortunately for Selune, security was hesitant to use lethal force as they were unwilling to risk friendly fire, or even risk ruining the experiments of the scientists who had worked so hard on them.

“Sound the alert!”

“Was that a friggin’ unicorn??”

“Where is it!? I can’t see anything!”

“Are we being invaded by unicorns now? SOUND THE DAMNED ALARM!”

“Eeew this is so degrading, get it off me please! Get it off, GET IT OFF!!”

Selune was never more thankful that parkour existed. Being agile, and with a principle behind her movements reaching the saucer was an easy task. She focused and emitted a magical pulse that pushed the scientists back. Opening the Bag of Holding, she hovered it in front of the aircraft.

“Command: Absorb!” She said as the aircraft quickly turned into a glowing mass of energy and entered the Bag of Holding.

“She’s taken the disc!”

“Use the tasers, tranq darts, DO SOMETHING DAMN YOU THIS IS MY LIFE’S PROJECT HERE!”

Selune jerked her head back and raised a telekinetic barrier, screaming as the magical feedback from the electric shock caused her to recoil despite having blocked the projectiles. Unfortunately she couldn’t just teleport to the surface, especially when she couldn’t focus, or see her destination.

She had to escape, and she had to do it now.

“Es Ist groβ. Es ist klein!” Her hooves shone with magical energy as she dashed, “Voxx Gott Es Atlas!” Jumping in the air she used the human’s heads as stepping stones, causing some of them to trip and fall. Thank goodness she knew how to parkour. With a final jump she landed, her hoof at the controls, in the meantime some of the humans had gotten partly clean from her glitter dust and were now firing at her. Gritting her teeth in anger, she used all her concentration to maintaining a kinetic shield until she heard the magic sound.

~Ding!~

Music graced her ears as Selune stepped back and pressed the zero button repeatedly. When the doors slammed shut she fell against the wall, placing a hoof over her chest and laying back as she tried to stop hyperventilating.

A blaring sound threatening to shatter her eardrums interrupted her moment of peace. The humans had finally sounded a base-wide alert, and now Selune was up against a thousand of them. Sneaking in and taking the saucer was easy, but sneaking out would prove to be a challenge.

The true heist was just beginning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fingers on the triggers, revolvers cocked, safeties off. About fifty humans were gathered outside the elevator, weapons ready. Beneath the commander’s black hair, his brown eyes locked on the elevator as he raised his hand, his white complexion visible in the electric lights.
“Ready…”

The humming sound of the elevator was heard coming up.

“Aim…”

Weapons were raised, grabbed tightly as they waited for the signal. The sound that would tell the commanding officer that it was time. He let his hand fall as he screamed the word.

“FIRE!”

The door to the elevator opened and a roar of fire and steel overshadowed every other sound, even that of the sirens, as guns blazed with killer intent. As their guns emptied and the dust around the elevator started settling, they heard it. The strangest sound graced their ears, reminding some of the obscure styles of pop that found itself in the countries of the east.

And then they saw it. An alien, an actual slimy, humanoid form with big black eyes and everything, was casually laying with elbows on the floor, bobbing its head as a black unicorn with white stripes, a maroon mane, and an eye on her flank stood on her back hooves with the alien beneath them. Then, to their surprise, the unicorn mare spoke; or sung, more precisely, while moving her hips back and forth.

“Oppa alien style

Alien style”

“What in the world?” The commander backed down, scrunching his nose. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief. This… this had to be a joke.

“I’m a girl who is warm and humble during the day

A classy girl who knows how to enjoy the freedom of a cup of coffee

A girl whose heart gets hotter when night comes

A girl with that kind of twist!”

The mare trotted forward, rocking her flanks in circles, waving her hooves and clapping them together with a smug grin. She pointed at him, winking her purple eyes with a cheeky smile.

“You’re a guy

A guy who is warm during the day

A guy who one-shots his coffee before it even cools down

A guy whose heart bursts when night comes

That kind of guy!”

“Just… just shoot her dammit! RELOAD ALREADY!” The soldiers shook as they were commanded back to normal. As they moved, the mare continued dancing and singing nonchalantly.

“Beautiful, loveable

Yes you, hey, yes you, hey!

Beautiful, loveable

Yes you, hey, yes you, hey!

Now let’s go until the end…”

As they started shooting once again her form flashed with blinding light and turned into smoke that filled the room. The soldiers coughed and rubbed their eyes, trying to breathe.

“SEARCH FOR HER! SHE CAN’T HAVE GONE TOO FAR! COME ON MEN! DOUBLE TIME!!” Selune heard the commander’s voice and felt a jolt of electricity pass through her spine. She had to run, to make it to the open so she could teleport away, and to do that she had to find a safe spot to concentrate, away from the hail of bullets and the blaring sirens. An interrupted teleport spell could drain her out of mana completely, and make her fall unconscious.

Run, be silent, run, evade the flashlights, run, avoid the now-reset cameras, and run some more. Up until she jumped over the towering fences surrounding the facility, this was Selune’s course of action. It was what her body cared for while her mind repeated the same thing over and over again.

“Escape with the artifact, make your wish, Merc’s waiting.

Escape with the artifact, make your wish, Merc’s waiting.
Escape with the artifact, make your wish, Merc’s waiting…”

What did it matter that she was a thief? What did it matter that she had hampered the technological advancement of another species? Did it even matter that she humiliated them all?

No… Nobody did. She had a wish, and that wish had to be granted, that wish was more important than the humans. More important than their faces, their jobs, their stories…

~BBZZZING!~

She felt a searing wave of heat as a bullet grazed her cheek. As drops of blood dropped on the ground, Selune jerked her head back and saw a lone soldier firing at her. The sound of bullets would soon gather more attention, and she was close, so very close. Once more she tried running while raising a barrier behind her, but doing both taxed her concentration and she tripped and fell.

“AARGH!” The good news was she was now behind the cover of the rock formations she had tripped on. The bad news was she now had a wound in her back right hoof, and the soldier was approaching her position.

Grunting, she focused,pulled a morphine injection out of the sacks GOB had given her and slammed it in her hoof. As she peered beyond her cover there was another wheezing sound as bullets rained from the human’s weapon. Selune was breathing heavily, adrenaline pumping through her veins as she did.

Why

A clicking sound reached her ears as the soldier emptied his weapon. There would not be another chance: if he reloaded she’d certainly die. Gritting her teeth with determination, she jumped behind her cover. It was a young soldier, around his twenties, with tanned skin, wearing khaki desert-camo pants and a black military vest. He was trying to reload his assault rifle. Once he saw her he dropped his weapon and pulled a knife. Selune lunged at him, and the soldier’s helmet fell off revealing his black hair, and the two wrestled in the dirt.

Why…

She tried to muffle him but she could hear footsteps in the distance. Despite all that, despite the magic that this soldier had seen her cast, despite how overwhelming her advantage was, this one persevered. His honey brown eyes were locked into her as his knife came down, making yet another cut on her face.

WHY WAS HE SO PERSISTENT?

Of all the obstacles she had faced, of all the bullets she had avoided, of all the annoying things she had to face why was this one human going to such lengths? He wasn’t important to Selune, he really wasn’t! So why was he still fighting?!

Slamming his hand down she finally managed to pry off the army knife from him, and spun the blade his way. The young soldier froze as the moonlight gleamed on the knife. Selune saw within his now calm eyes the composure of a man who saw death coming his way, and yet stared back at the grim reaper casually acknowledging that his time had come.

And in that time the clock stopped for Selune. For the first time during this heist, she asked the question she ignored for so many other humans before him.

Who is this guy?

Unwittingly, her eyes noticed a small silver chain around his neck. It led to a locket that had a photograph of a smiling woman with wrinkles and grey hair.

“Don’t.”

His voice was a whisper, almost stuttering.

“Please...” Selune gulped as she was taken aback by his words.

“Don’t take it.” His eyes were no longer filled with fear, but a single wish, a single voice, a single desire to protect something more precious than his life, more precious than the stupid secrets he was bound by duty to guard. A treasure that was a hoof’s reach away from Selune.

As human and unicorn glanced at the knife, a single thought passed through Selune’s mind like a lightning bolt. A single terrifying thought that sent chills down her spine. An eerie silence filled her mind as it all became clear, and she awoke from her apathy.

She was going to kill him.

“What am I doing?” She said with wide-eyed shock to herself, her ears falling down, her breath cut short. After a pregnant pause, Selune’s ears perked as the sound of steps intensified in the background.

A blur, her hoof moved down, and everything went black for the young human.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Death is just a sea.

A sea that friends cross to join their loved ones on the other side.

There they join the heroes and villains of old, as new adventures, new mysteries, new challenges begin on the opposite side of river Styx.

That was not where Dennis Hackett was.

He heard the crackling and chirping of wood burning. The smell of fire reached his nose, and he felt its heat. Opening his eyes he was greeted by the rocky emptiness of the Nevada desert. He felt a small weight on him and noticed it was a small blanket that fell to the side as he sat up. Turning to the source of the fire he noticed “her”, the weird unicorn-zebra thing watching the fire with his back turned to him. Instinctively his hands searched around for his armaments.

“I took them…” Dennis heard a female voice coming from the unicorn’s side and stopped.

“And I wouldn’t try running or shouting if I were you. I’m reeeeally not in the mood to knock you out again… or turn you into a newt for that matter.” Dennis gulped. She knew magic, and no doubt was capable of realising its threats.

“Why?” Came the question from him “Why did you do it? Why steal, and more importantly… why spare me?” The unicorn turned to him for a moment, then back at the fire.

“Come sit with me.”

“Huh?” Dennis raised his eyebrow quizzically.

“I said come sit with me.” Dennis obeyed the strange mare’s command and sat next to the fire, carefully keeping his distance from her. “I don’t bite you know?”

“No offense, but until I can get used to one of my childhood fantasies being real, let alone the wacky colors of your coat, I’ll be keeping my distance. Plus, I’m pretty sure you’ve kidnapped me.”

“Sorry…” the mare muttered.

“Excuse me?”

“Sorry for getting you into all that trouble. It’s not like I do this stealing business for a living.”

“You’re going to try the sympathy for the devil thing? Really? With all those fancy tricks I bet your life is sweet. I really can’t imagine why you’d steal.” Dennis turned, raising his eyebrow in disbelief.

“I think sparing your life warrants at least some sort of belief in what I say. As for my magic? Trust me, you don’t want to have anything to do with that if giant demonic centaurs are chasing you around to suck it all out!” Selune shook her head, trying to forget the times Tirek drained all the unicorns out of their magic. It was like losing part of your soul.

“Touche.” Dennis admitted, shuddering at the last one. Coughing, he tried to change the subject, “So what land are you from? There are no unicorns here as far as I know.”

“My homeland is called Equestria. We got all sorts of races that are considered myths here. Minotaurs, Earth Ponies, Pegasi, Unicorns, Changelings, Yaks and more. The planet is Equus, it’s a long way from here. I mean, I haven’t even found stars that are familiar to me. Makes me think it’s on the other side of the galaxy.” Dennis started laughing a bit while shaking his head. This was way over his pay grade.

“Yea, the horse puns are endless in my land trust me. I bet you’ve never even ‘herd’ so many!” The two of them broke in laughter, and as they relaxed the tensions faded away. Dennis looked at the fire, not knowing what else to say. After a minute of waiting, Selune finally broke the silence between them.

“You look a lot alike.”

“Huh? Who?”

“The woman in the locket you have around your neck.” She clarified. Dennis blinked, a jolt of electricity causing him to check if it was still there. Searching, he found the chain was still around his neck and the locket had fallen behind his back. Inspecting it he breathed out and relaxed. A small warmth filled his heart as he looked at the picture of the woman with the toothy smile. Though age had taken much from her, and she now wore glasses, to him she was still beautiful.

“She’s my mother. She’s the only one I have left…” He said, holding the locket dearly near his heart. He stood there for a moment, his heart focused on the memories of those he loved. “Thank you, Miss…”

“Darkeye. Selune Darkeye.”

“I’m Dennis Hackett. Thank you for not stealing my locket,” he paused for a moment, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, “It’s one of the few things that helps me get through the routine of a soldier. Guarding top-secret projects apparently doesn’t give me much time for family visits.”

“You love her a lot, don’t you?” Selune turned her head to him, looking for something, or perhaps seeing something.

“She’s got Alzheimer’s. She often acts like she doesn’t know me, like I’m not her son. But even if that were true the kindness she raised me with will always make me feel like her son.” As he said it, his face contracted, the bitterness and anger filled his watering eyes.

“God damn this job!” Dennis slammed his hand down. Gritting his teeth as he sniffled, his shallow breaths were audible as he let his frustration water the sand. “Aliens, weapons, experiments and all this bullshit!” Selune remained silent, because she knew how that felt. It was by Merc that she had learned what it was to fight for money, to have your life be measured in cash.

How different was she now? How different was she than a thief getting paid in cash? How low had she stooped just to ensure a happy future for herself? She’d even used her own quirks and jokes for her own selfish desires…

She’d become a cold unfeeling tool of her own wish.

She understood that these were the harsh realities of worlds filled with conflict. The conflicts that drove brothers and neighbours to kill one another. The loss in the crime others called “battlefield” and the victory paid by the blood of the dead who fought for their loved ones. Selune’s mane fell on her face as she realised why this soldier fought, and once again it struck her like a thunderbolt how just an hour ago, she was ready to kill him.

“I’m sorry…” she started, and Dennis saw the mare’s tears fall to the sand along with his, “I know how it feels to fight for money, I know because I’ve met someone exactly like you.” She wiped her tears and moved her mane away so they could look eye to eye.

“You have?” He asked, and Selune nodded. She extended a hoof, reaching out for his hand. Dennis hesitated and retracted it a bit, but Selune was patient and showed no signs of aggression. His mouth was half open, and he was conflicted. Finally, he gave in and let her have it.

The two of them felt an eerie warmth as hoof and hand joined in together. It was then that Dennis understood, it was then that it dawned on him.

“This person you were referring to... Are you in love with him Selune?”

She nodded again. “He’s a mercenary for hire. Young, passionate, reckless…” She caressed his hand with a smile, “Yet... considerate with a brilliant heart.”

Dennis shivered as the words struck a familiar chord. “So… What now?” He started “I can’t go back without that saucer, and something tells me you’re not going to give it.”

Selune frowned, his words ringing true. “I need to achieve my dreams.” She had a wish, a wish that was still important, but something was nagging her, a dirty little worm was eating her from the inside. Something that told her - no obligated her - to do something about this human.

Selune put a hoof in her mouth and looked up at the night sky as she thought. The stars were endless, so beautiful, so many galaxies, so many precious gems she wanted to take home. Her mind flew for a moment as she thought of the reaction of other ponies if she did that, and then, she found it.

Her eyes gleamed as she flicked her hoof in the air. “I got it!” She said, “Here’s what we’re going to do…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Come on mare, MOVE IT!” said Dennis as he tightened his grip on the rope. Pulling it, the alien mare behind him was forced to comply. With mouth tied shut, horn covered in cloth, a blindfold on her eyes, and a knife under her neck she couldn’t make as to cast a spell without him instantly killing her, let alone run and escape.

Selune kept being dragged by the human and heard multiple humans run towards her, multiple weapons and triggers being armed. Dozens of steps were heard storming around him with guns ready.

“Hey weapons down! I caught her!” Dennis yelled at his comrades once he came within range.

“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE SOLDIER!” The commander came rushing from the crowd of soldiers that gathered around Dennis. He was furious and his uniform was ruined, partly in his own frustration to find the mare that mocked him before.

“What happened here?”

“Commander George Priestjohn. I, Dennis Hackett, have caught the thief, sir! She was exhausted and she couldn’t use her fancy tricks to escape anymore.” Still, the commander kept his thoughtful frown, not entirely convinced by his explanation.

“Then why did you go all alone? And why did it take you so long?”

“I tried to contact you sir, but she kept throwing her fancy magics at me. She had this weird sack and kept pulling things out of it!”

“Where’s the saucer?”

“I… I don’t know sir. One moment I was fighting with her, the next she zapped her belongings and they were gone.” After a moment of silence the commander spoke.

“Secure the mare! I want a watch on her twenty-four/seven! Move it!”

“YES SIR!”

As the mare was directed into the facilities she had hoped to escape, from the commander motioned Dennis to stay. When he realised they were alone he turned to him.

“Well done, Corpotal. You did a great thing today. No matter what, I’ll never forget that. The stunt you pulled off today was risky, but you have my respect. If there’s something you need, just tell me.”

“Thank you, sir. I don’t need much, I joined to help my mom, and I’ll always want to help her however I can.”

“Well, no matter what happens after this, I think with your skills you deserve a promotion.”

“You honor me, sir.”

“Nonsense… with the amount of effort you put to salvage this you deserve it. Well, off you go now, I’ll call you in the morning to report what happened.”

“Yes sir!”

Dennis watched the commander leave, no doubt getting ready to question the alien that he had ‘arrested’. A smile spread on his lips, the truth being known to him, that the mare he had brought to them, was nothing more than an illusion.

He turned towards the borders of the facility, saw a small twinkle and smiled, remembering the name of the strange unicorn that helped him make his life just a little bit more bearable.

“Thank you, Selune Darkeye....”

Author's Notes:

Catch the references. If you do... you get a cookie.

"The Loyal Patriot" has been very cooperative with me and has provided tons of support both moral, editorial, e.t.c

So has http://www.fimfiction.net/user/NorrisThePony
http://www.fimfiction.net/user/kildeez and all my other friends who I have been thankful to have during this contest. Patriot's confidence in me and himself sometimes astound me. I honestly can say that these three people have been a treasure to have in my writing experience.

It's been... a blast. I don't regret it in the least. I don't regret the sleepless nights, I don't regret the thinking, the editing, or the people I've met and learned to love in this. In these dark times I'd also like to thank my followers for being here for me. Thank you... you are all heroes.

Epilogue

View Online

GOB sat quietly in his office. The only noise being the constant ticking of his clock that hung on the wall behind him. He twiddled his thumbs as he glanced around his office, taking in all his decorations he took the time to add to his workspace. From his prized moose head to his prized red and black OC head that hung on the left side of the clock. With the moose on the opposite side.

“I remember that day… What a day it was.” GOB said to himself as he conjured a small glass of what seemed to be a light brown almost golden colored liquid. “The day I shot down my first red and black! I believe his name was Venom Rain… Quite cheesy really, the things juvenile authors come up with… It’s so ridiculous…” He took a sip of his drink and sighed after his drink. He looked at the glass and smiled.

“That’s some good apple juice…” He heard a knock at his door. “It’s open!” He called out, and seconds later the door opened to reveal Candle Light. GOB’s co-chairwoman and apprentice.

“Sir, the three contestants are here to see you!” She informed.

“Wonderful! Let them in!” Candle responded by stepping aside to let the three contestants who were in their anthropomorphic forms. Each of them wearing formal attire. They each took a seat in the three chairs that were placed in front of GOB’s desk.

“So, here we all are! You three did a wonderful job in completing your jobs. But as you all know there can only be one winner. Each of you wished for something, two being the same thing. Ms. Darkeye, Mr. Veterani, both of you wished to have a normal life with one another. Which I find not only beautiful but inspiring. All you two want is to live a normal life with one another. To live in a world where you, Mr. Veterani don’t need to kill for money, and you, Ms. Selune can cuddle with a loved one.” GOB preached. He took another swig of his drink and continued. “It’s quite lucky too since one of you only made third place…” GOB informed, causing Merc and Selune’s eyes to widen with shock.
“Who was it then?” Selune asked. GOB slowly looked at her and sighed.

“Miss Selune, you’re a very smart and might I say, a beautiful mare who worked very hard to get here. I respect your spirit and personality. You’ve managed to find love and make friends and I’m glad for that, but I’m sorry to say you made third place. Your wish will not be made true. Keep the gem I gave you as a token of gratitude…” GOB said. As he finished he noticed tears begin to form in Selune’s eyes, he couldn’t help but feel bad for the mare. He pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to Selune. “Now now, no tears Ms. Darkeye. Chin up, everything will be fine. Trust me.” GOB reassured. Somehow, this was enough to help Selune to stop crying a little and only hiccups and whimpers escaped the mare. Merc did his best to comfort his lover while GOB turned to First Spark.

“Ms. Spark… You’ve done an amazing job getting here. You’ve worked very hard and overcame so many obstacles. I hope you know I have so much respect for you. Especially after your selfless offer to assist me, and even though I do need your help in some cases, I know that these problems are mine and mine alone. I thank you for your offer Miss Spark. I’m sorry, but I have to tell you that you did not make first place. You’ve placed second. My apologies, your wish will not come true. You can keep the gem, however, as a little souvenir.” GOB stated, to which First Spark only nodded. Every fiber in her being wanted to protest and insist she help, but GOB gave her a smile, a smile that reassured her that things will be fine. She took his word, and he knew it. GOB finally turned his attention to Veterani who waited with his arms crossed.
“So that’s it then?” He asked.

“You already know, do you?” GOB asked.

“Kinda gave it away when you were talking to Selune… I know.” Merc explained.

“I still have to announce it,” GOB informed. Merc nodded in agreement. Basically knowing how the whole procedure will work. He winked at Selune and arose from his seat. GOB approached the young stallion and put his arm around his shoulders.

“Come along lad. We have things to discuss.” GOB said as he led Merc out the office. As the two went down the hall and into the lobby, he turned to Candle Light and requested her to entertain and show the remaining contestants around the building. Give them a small tour. GOB led Merc through a series of halls and rooms until they reached an elevator.

“You ready for this?” GOB asked.

“Ready for anything you throw at me,” Merc replied, seemingly ready for anything and everything GOB could think of. GOB smiled and waited for the elevator. Eventually, the elevator arrived and opened. GOB pressed the roof button and the elevator began to rise all the way to the roof. Moments of silence passed until they reached the roof and the elevator doors opened. Immediately Merc noticed the large helicopter from his heist waiting for the two with Barrel Roll in the pilot’s seat.

“We’re going on a little trip,” GOB said with a smile. Merc eyed GOB for a second but proceeded to follow him to the aircraft. GOB led Veterani to the helicopter where Merc and Barrel exchanged welcoming glances. GOB took a seat across from Merc and moments later, the chopper began to lift into the air.

“So, you’re the winner. Congratulations, your wish will come true, and everything you’ve ever wanted will become a reality. You’ll live a happy life with Selune and live in a world where you don’t need to kill for money, and there is no violence. But there’s one catch… I may or may not have mentioned this before…” GOB said which caused Merc to give a serious, concerned look.

“What is it GOB?” Merc asked, wishing it wasn’t what he thought it could be.

“Well… You, Selune, and First Spark won’t have any memory from what’s happened here during this tournament. You and Selune will still be an item, but how you two met will be an entirely different story. Instead of meeting during a contest, you two met during a small vacation at a luxury hotel. You met her on the roof and the rest is history. Kinda like how you two actually met, but without the memory of having to retrieve weapons or a nuclear reactor. First Spark will also have her memory wiped, will she be in your universe? Well, if you’re willing to look for her, that’s all on you.” GOB informed. Although it worried Merc when GOB first began to explain what would happen, he would, at least, remember who Selune was and they would still be a couple.

“Will I know the things she’s told me still? Like her disease and whatever else?” Merc asked.

“As I said, you’ll still remember everything about HER, but you won’t remember me, or this whole tournament. You do get to keep the gem I gave you, however, it’ll be nothing more than a precious stone. Speaking of which, do you still have it on you?” GOB asked. Merc presented the gem GOB had gifted him before. GOB smiled a toothy grin and exclaimed ‘great’ and arose from his seat. The chopper itself was pretty high up, higher than the clouds even. GOB told Merc to arise too and he obliged. GOB finally put his arm around Merc and began to speak to him one last time.

“Merc, I wish you luck with your new life. Spoiler alert, you and Selune will have tough times here and there, but those times will be the best, for they will strengthen your relationship. You two will live to be old ponies, still together, bonded with love… I don’t want to give away too much Mr. Veterani, but I will say this last thing… Make sure to hand down the gem as a family heirloom… I’m sure you know what I mean. Anyway…” GOB led Merc to the opening of the chopper, and Merc suddenly realized what was happening. “Remember to hold on tight to that gem! Oh, and don’t nose dive this! It will hurt more! Try to land on your back!” Suddenly, GOB pushed Merc out of the chopper, sending his hurdling towards the ground. Although Merc was very angry at GOB for pushing him out of a chopper, he still took his advice and turned and rotated so he would land on his back.

Suddenly, when it felt as though he would hit the ground any second he blacked out. Everything was dark and silent. Moments passed until his eyes jerked open to find himself on a carpeted floor next to what seemed to be a bed. Confused, he got up and looked around and noticed a lump under his covers. A smile graced his face as he crawled over to the right side of the bed. He gently shook it until the mare beneath the covers woke up.

“Morning, babe…” Merc whispered as the mare with white stripes against her black as coal coat glanced at him.

“Morning Merc…”

The trials of Selune Darkeye

by nioniosbbbb

1. Darkness

2. The Maze

3. Boxing

4. Love is in the air

Intermission - The Mastermind reveals himself

5. Playgirl

Meeting between GOB and Selune

6. Artifact heist

Epilogue

Author's Notes and Alternative routes