"My princess,"
"I lost your helm and damaged your cuirass. Clouds cover your land rich and powerful, but they can't hide your sun. Tartarus is near. My princess, is it true I was stone? Did I take hooves against your reign? I can't remember if friendship is worth an entire kingdom. Your promise is my hope, your word is my will. I am the pawn, you are the queen. It is your duty to betray me."
"One night I fell in deep sleep and saw a hamlet with doors shut. On doors were the black crosses. I kept on walking in this silent hamlet. Grass and plants were growing behind me. I kept on walking. My princess, I should be scared, I know I should be, I want to be. But it is your blessing that no enemy should stand before you, and your hooves should fear none."
"Once I am gone, you will be left with this traitor, that false student. If she was to harm you, if you were to fall while I stand! No, my princess! She broke the chains, and said it was you! She forced me to go and leave you undefended! She never obeyed you, she... (I think she is angry)" Derpy's note added, "or she says the truth, but it musn't be."
"I have been told there was a star guiding me. I know only one star. I will follow you no matter what you ask, as far as you will allow. I beg you to betray me, and silence Twilight Sparkle, so the past is left behind. Le me protect you one more time."
She didn't know if it was day or night, eyes open the young pony contemplated the pitch black around her and all around her was quiet and silent. With her legs she touched the soft cover, thought she was in bed and searched for the blanket. There was none. The silence began to worry her, as was the deep darkness.
Touch by touch when she finally understand what that soft contact was Fluttershy fretted. Her body was still numb, herself on the shores of awakeness blinked in the dark, felt lost. Fear, pure fear was building on her that her dreams had kept at bay, as if a shield, and she looked for anything on which to hold, anything. Her sight caught but a tiny spark, almost nothing that seemed miles away from her, then the glow growed and she almost got blinded by this tiny glimmer. It seemed a night falling on the cave, as she saw the royal blue horn and the flowing mane, the many stars blinking. She saw the muzzle and those eyes closed in deep sleep. And as the light expanded it drew the lines of her hooves, further on the silk revealing the many fillies asleep, untouched, the many spiders asleep.
She thought to yell, felt her voice broken at her lips. The glowing light, so light, touched the pillars and reached even the monstruous beast, spider hanging on her thread, the thin legs clenched on her abdomen.
And the horn moved, eyes still shut the princess got up, escaped from the hanging webs.
She paced towards Fluttershy, touched the creamy mare who finally felt free, as if dreams had relinquished her to reality. She got up, watched the alicorn skim each pony's shoulder with her toe. At that the filly or would look and wake up, surprise on her face, and the colt would shake and gasp. Slowly but slowly the younger ponies gathered around Fluttershy and with faint voices they asked, "what happened", "are you okay" and more worries. They could see the many spiders around, some as big as them if not more, black and inert at the edge of the glow. They had to watch where they stepped.
"We should help her" Sweetie Belle wondered, watching the princess of night. "Right?" And Fluttershy nodded.
Then as the last of the young ponies were waking up she paced towards the tall alicorn who had stopped and sit before Widowline, at just two or three steps from it. Luna's eyes were still closed, her head lulling slowly. She seemed a sleepwalker. "I failed" Luna muttered for the shy mare. The princess had hoped it would be settled peacefully, but she had let anger and fear take the best of her. And, head still up facing her now enemy, she wished she had let Fluttershy speak first. "My sister..."
"I would have been terrible too..." Fluttershy whispered. "Oh uh I mean, you didn't fail, you did, you were, uh, scary." And she raised brightful eyes: "But I'm sure you tried your best."
"That is... comforting." Luna guessed.
Before them the fillies had gathered, waiting to leave but the princess still kept sit, her eyes shut and at Fluttershy's question about it she said she was keeping the spiders asleep. Then, after some seconds, she told the creamy mare in a lower voice that she had been scared. "Like a fear spell" she wondered before getting up and turning away from the sleeping monster.
Along her all followed, left the vast cave and trotted through the passageway, up and up until the glow fainted at the exit, at what seemed to them the brightest of day. It was late evening, over them the clouds were rolling dark and black preparing somewhat of a storm that wouldn't break yet. The Everfree around them was looking petrified, leaves and branches stuck by the many webs, somewhat colorless. What few spiders they could see wouldn't move, fretted faintly at their muffled trot. Farther away, even surrounded by webs the group found itself alone, isolated in an empty forest. If not for the princess, they wouldn't tell if this was the right way; but she would look up to the clouds and walk with resolve.
Her eyes opened vividly.
"Where are you going with my preys?" Widowline's voice hissed, high-pitched, with something acid and venomous in it
A few fillies shrieked, as would Fluttershy and the mare, shaking, was ready to hide among them before their scared faces forced her to be brave. She looked around, saw the woods take live and shake, then the trunks blacken under the many small creatures. "Stand back!" She shouted as much for the spiders as for the group. The shy mare was feeling uneasy facing those spiders, not because of their number and threat, but soon she realized because those had no eyes. Then a spider stopped fast and on her back opened one big pupil, beastly and sick. She shrieked even more feeling observed by this enormous glare.
"So young, so innocent!" Widowline's voice exulted, "so terrorized. And yours, so old and cold... Watch me take your kind helplessly."
Dozens of eyes opened at the same time, surrounding the ponies. The entire forest was glaring viciously, the stare more and more oppressing at each instant, forcing them to crouch and whimper. "Stop it!" A filly shouted, mane of silver before the beasts, and she fell and curled, agitated, wailed for it to stop. But Fluttershy couldn't hear it, couldn't see it, crushed by the sight of such fury. She didn't feel weak, fearful or tiny, she didn't feel judged but threatened, thousands enraged, about to hit her and she was surrounded. It was as if they were already hitting, she put her hooves over herself and begged.
Luna's horn had flared, one bright flash leaving trails of flames like will o' the wisp on the many trees and the cover of clouds swept and scattered. The moon was low, filled the early night with its lunar beams in which the alicorn fulminated.
All in vain, as the ponies were falling around her, wailing or mad, she was fighting just to save herself. Magic had engulfed her very eyes, burned over her bristle and her heart was beating harder and harder as she was devoured. "Poor pony." The high-pitched voice mocked. "You are only making it easier." Trees took flames, a furnace hurling over the black furry spiders and their sick eyes. The grass, the silk, bark and leaves hurled in light blue fires while the glares kept fixing the group of ponies and push them more and more to the edge of insanity. Only at the very end did Luna realize what was happening, when the last barrier of her mind cracked. She looked at her moon one last time.
There was the silhouette, black on the white disk, clearly cut. She was tiny, wings open, dove like a bolt of lightning. "Confidence?!" The monster yelled as the clouds scarce were wiped from the sky. The fierce pegasus broke the barrier, made a bang roar far over the Everfree. Spiders fled under the deflagration and in a matter of seconds the woods were quiet, flames extinguishing in the starlight.
"I spoiled it again!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she landed. "Everypony's okay?"
None were, still sobbing and terrorized, but through the veil of consciousness they saw the many colored mare and began to recover. Luna, first, turned to her and calmed, her horn finally going to rest. "You saved us."
"Yeah, sure." She said, unimpressed. "Who cares about rainbooms anyway..."
A secret smile appeared on Luna's muzzle as she watched the pegasus go to her friend, turn to the fillies and try and calm them, get them to move. Ponyville was close, she was ready to lead the way, wondered what could have happened to them. The ponies were still shaking, looking lost and dazed, almost mindless. But they were still responding. Among them Fluttershy was still catching her breath, looking around and heart broken, could barely move. Dash nudged her and asked for her help, to get the younger ones to safety and she tried to nod. Then she gasped, asked: "You didn't leave ponyville?"
This was the thought, the tale shared, that the shy mare would hold onto.
"I did" the fierce mare answered, happy to see her friend finally react. "Cloudsdale is... not in its best shape. So I gave a kick or two and got back for the festivities!"
With a slow pace Fluttershy followed, called for a few fillies to follow and her shaken voice did miracles. She looked around at the trees covered by darkness, before her muzzle plunged to the grass. She hadn't even noticed the lack of white fabric. "Come on!" The fierce mare encouraged, floating just behind the princess who was leading with her glow, as if the very night was moving with her. They had little time left if they wanted to be there in time. "Where?" The shy pegasus wondered. And Rainbow Dash, rolling her eyes, got patient with the trembling mare.
"To the repetitions where else? We're cheerleaders, remember?"
So ends the tenth episode. Why did I think that an entire arc without Victory would be a good idea...
First draft had Luna go alone, when I modified it I had a whole scene where Fluttershy would speak. Lots of explanations and philosophy. Scraped that. When I reread chapter 46, I was surprised at how the hospital scene was... and calling a basement a cave was funny too. Well, all five chapters got little care, and the next fifteen probably too.
I am currently translating a fanfic' in French. Said fic' is the lengthiest of the fandom. It has priority over my texts so Lesson None will get delayed a lot. Ponies need S.V.A.G., not thoughts.
