Chapter 2 : Neutral Evil.
Out in the lobby, the packages that were scheduled for delivery had arrived and were waiting to be unboxed. Luna stepped outside. The bats on the roof flew down to her back, transforming into a cloak once more. Biggs and Wedge were where she had left them. Another citizen was in the company of the two guards, waiting expectantly to be addressed.
"Ma'am, you have a visitor," Biggs said.
"This is Zecora. She's like a voodoo alchemist priestess, or something," Wedge added.
Zecora lifted her head at the mention of her name.
"We've met," Luna told Wedge. "Zecora, you have my attention, but do be brief as I am in a hurry."
"This morning has found me rather bleak for the magical barrier over the Everfree Forest has grown quite weak."
"What?" Wedge shouted, looking frantic.
"Wake up the whole town, would you?" Luna asked.
Zecora did not need to elaborate. The Everfree Forest was vast, deep, and had yet to be fully explored. A few years ago, a group of esteemed cartographers and geologists had made a royally commissioned journey to get an idea of how far it spread. They were in the company of soldiers hoof picked by Celestia and they had walked along the edge of the forest. There was no way around the forest on land. Bad things would often happen to those who tried to fly over it. They would lose their sense of direction and become lost for days if they were lucky to live through the ordeal. Celestia did not believe it was entirely wise to send a boat around the lake that branched into the ocean so they could sail around it.
Celestia and Luna used to scare themselves silly by having their father tell them stories regarding the forest. Their grandfather had once tried to cut a path through it, but failed and barely escaped with his life. Back in those days, it was not uncommon for hostile creatures to come wandering out of the forest. Citizens had also noted that the forest was actually growing towards them. Something needed to be done. A court mage named Nicodemus offered to sacrifice himself by channeling all of his energy into a single spell that would keep all the evil beasts within the forest and offer a small measure of protection to any pony who wandered inside. His idea was accepted and a shrine was built in his honor within the forest itself where his body currently resided.
Luna had once been to his shrine when she was a filly. It was possible to see Nicodemus sleeping in his sarcophagus, which was prominently displayed in the middle of the main chamber. The entire experience disturbed her greatly. He probably still hadn't aged a day. She had lost her taste for honey that day since the shrine was full of it. Nicodemus had been rather fond of the sweet nectar while he was alive, so it had become a tradition to leave jars of honey in the shrine in recognition of his sacrifice for Equestria. She didn't sleep for three days after that field trip.
"Five ponies did I also find, each who seems to have lost their mind."
This probably had something to do with the weakening of the magical barrier. Luna wasn't sure what creature could have managed to do that, but it would have had to have been extremely powerful. Most beasts that got a little too close to the shrine were automatically turned into stone, a rather popular form of punishment throughout Equestria since it was so easy and permanent.
"We're having a problem with that right now, actually. I'm sending soldiers down the moment I get back to Canterlot. Have Gesundheit and Redheart help you bring those ponies here. Try to be discrete about it. Do you have any idea what might have caused this?" Luna asked.
"In this area I am quite proficient, but I regrettably know nothing sufficient."
"Ma'am, may I ask what's going on?" Biggs asked.
Luna explained the whole situation to them. They took it a little better than she expected.
"What if it's airborne? We're already doomed!" Wedge said, covering his nose.
"Calm down. Gesundheit believes it might be magical and I am inclined to agree with him. Zecora, your home is actually inside the forest, is it not?" Luna asked.
Zecora nodded. Though the spell Nicodemus had bound himself to was extremely powerful, it was still a generally poor idea to venture into the forest without some form of protection. This did not stop Zecora from living inside of it.
"Have the inn give you a room on my credit until I have solved this issue. If they refuse, tell them I will deal with them personally."
Luna was racking up so many virtue points that she would be able to write about the same day for two weeks.
"It pleases me to see how you have recovered, a great deal I am sure you have discovered."
"If you say so. Good day, Zecora."
She left with her two guards while Zecora headed towards the local inn.
"Where to now, ma'am? The library?" Biggs asked, getting a little more comfortable with talking to Luna.
"I do not believe that Twilight Sparkle has been entrusted with a book that has the knowledge we seek."
"We're gonna have to go to the shrine and investigate, aren't we?" Wedge asked nervously.
"Thanks for volunteering. Take Biggs with you."
"Good one, Wedge," Biggs remarked.
"Oh, rotten apples!" Wedge groaned.
Luna stopped and faced them both with a stern look on her face.
"So this is the might of the Royal Army of Canterlot?" Luna demanded.
They straightened up, their fear gone.
"No, ma'am!"
Luna left it at that and continued on her way. Biggs and Wedge hastily changed their formation so they were in front of Luna and tried to act like they had signed up to do more than just mind the store. Luna knew she had to act very quickly to take advantage of the situation. A visit to the Forbidden Archives kept beneath the royal library was out of the question as that would take far too long. Besides, that might call unnecessary attention to herself. Celestia's council was already leery around her. What she had in mind wasn't any better. Desperate times called for desperate measures and she was not looking forward to the next step in her plan, which she had not completely thought out yet. Luna took everything one step at a time.
It did not take long to make their way back to the castle. They did so in silence. Her guards were obviously still embarrassed and did not know what to say to redeem themselves. One of the soldiers at the gate attempted to take her cloak, only to get a face full of bats as they disengaged and flew to a nearby cave where they could rest. Luna stood in the courtyard and looked up at the sky. It should have been morning, but the clouds were blocking any sunlight from shining through.
The door to the castle opened ahead of them. Athena, Celestia's personal adviser, came out to meet Luna. She was dressed garishly, wearing an outfit that looked like the world's most hideous rainbow. Athena was not fond of Luna and the feeling was mutual. She had been appointed to her current position after Luna had been banished and was a mere earth pony possessing nothing more than her intellect. It had become clear very quickly that her position was mostly for show. Celestia never failed to keep up her appearance. It was sickening. According to multiple sources, Athena hardly ever suggested anything Celestia followed through with.
"Welcome back. Taking a stroll, I presume?" Athena ventured.
Athena never addressed Luna by her name or her title.
"They say it's bad to exercise right before you go to bed, you know."
Luna kept quiet while Athena circled her. She could not think of anything to say that Athena wouldn't counter with scathing snark.
"Do you even sleep?"
Humility was the only thing keeping her from knocking the spit out of Athena's mouth.
"The Princess is feeling restless," Biggs said confidently.
"Yeah, jet lag and all that. There's like, what, a six hour difference between here and the Ar. . .arca. . .Buncha Little Islands of Faith?" Wedge pitched in.
Athena had to laugh at that. It was an arrogant, haughty laugh that made Luna's hair stand on end.
"It certainly is taking her a while to recover, is it not?" she asked.
"Lag sticks with you," Wedge replied.
"I can see why you are on third shift," Athena said. She then turned to face Luna. "Please don't let me keep you from anything."
She gestured for Luna to walk passed her back into the castle, which was exactly where she didn't want to go. In this manner, Luna could clearly see that Athena was trying to keep her boxed up inside until Celestia returned. Luna humored Athena for the moment and went inside the castle with her guards.
"Sometimes I wonder if she's really a gelding," Wedge muttered.
Biggs stifled a laugh and Luna smiled. She stopped in the main hall. The front door was still open and Luna could see Athena watching her from the exact same place she had been before. If her powers as a princess had been restored, it would be relatively easy to stop the meddlesome adviser from acting this way.
"You two are dismissed. Keep quiet, I can handle this myself," Luna said quickly.
"Ma'am," they both said with a slight bow.
As Luna walked up to her room, her ears picked up something Wedge whispered to Biggs.
"That was pretty cool. I think she's all right," Wedge said as he closed the entrance to the castle.
"Can't say that I could argue. I hope she thinks of something quick, though," Biggs replied.
Luna walked to the window overlooking the gardens. From this point, she could see the statue of Discord. If Athena wasn't riding her back, she could go out there right now, get this matter of business finished, and send soldiers to Ponyville. Discord's face was still frozen in a horrified expression. It looked just like he had finally realized how overconfident he was. His mouth suddenly closed and he winked at Luna, who gasped and backed away. Luna shook her head and looked again. The statue was still once more.
She went to her room and waited a full hour before making her next move. It was agonizing. Luna was tormented by the thought that the information would leak out prematurely. They would then begin to wonder why she had not said something sooner. Why did she refuse to notify her sister? To take all the glory for herself? Pride was not a virtue or an element. Was it pride? Was wanting her people to have faith in her a bad thing? Could she not impress them by doing the responsible thing and sending word to Celestia?
Those were horrid thoughts. She was trying to display valor by being brave in the face of danger. It was honorable for her to risk this much to show all of them what she was truly capable of. Then again, she could be wrong. The virtues could be twisted and turned in a thousand different ways. Before she went insane debating morality with herself, Luna cast a spell that provided her with a surge of adrenaline. This would keep her weariness at bay for six hours and make it difficult for her to sleep the following morning. When she believed enough time had passed, she opened her window and jumped out, using her wings to keep herself in the air. Luna closed the window and floated down to the area below. Nopony had seen her do this.
The guards on patrol didn't mind that she was out and about. Whatever the princess wanted to do was her business and her business alone. She made sure the garden was empty before she went to Discord. He probably wasn't going to make this very easy for her. She needed to be close to him for this to work. Normally this sort of activity would have been monitored by Celestia and several other higher ranking members of her precious court. Unauthorized visitations were strictly forbidden. In order to confer with him, she would need to join him in the Ether, a purgatory of sorts that all beings found themselves in when they were magically incapacitated.
Love and toleration. There was no death in Celestia's Equestria that was not caused by old age. From across the way, she would be clearly visible from the hall overlooking the gardens near the room where Celestia had previously stored the elements. It served no purpose other than that and was not exactly visited as much as many of the other rooms inside the castle. She hid herself as best as she could and laid down on the ground. Luna could say that she fainted, but that might not fool everypony. That was also lying. So much for honesty.
Luna lowered her head. She began the spell and directed it at Discord. Her heartbeat slowed. A fog of haziness overcame her. Luna leaned towards the statue and felt herself move into it as her physical body collapsed in a sprawled heap. She needed to make this quick. If Athena found out she was speaking with Discord, Luna would have to explain to her sister why she had done so in the first place and why she had withheld information regarding the current situation at Ponyville. She would likely be giving this speech behind bars. In the dungeon.
This really needed to be worth the risk.
X
Creatures in the Ether were free to control the dreams they had in their endless sleep. Discord was currently at rest, which was evident by the void Luna found herself floating in.
"Discord, hear me!" Luna shouted as loud as she possibly could.
The veil of blackness suddenly became outer space. Luna looked down at the familiar lifeless gravel. She was once again on the moon. Discord was obviously wasting no time connecting with her. That was fairly dangerous. She looked around and could see nothing, although she did note with fair disdain that her planet had been replaced with a giant block of mozzarella cheese.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Princess Luna," Discord said.
Luna turned around. He was sitting on a throne a great distance away from her. Luna began walking towards him, but as she did he went farther away. She narrowed her eyes and stopped entertaining him.
"This place is absolutely awful. You were really here for a thousand years? Let's spice it up."
Discord snapped his fingers. It suddenly began raining bits of ground cinnamon, which was impossible primarily because the moon had no atmosphere, but this was Discord and she was in his world now.
"Let me introduce you to my jester."
Twilight Sparkle abruptly appeared. She had the same eyes as Mail Mare.
"I'm going to defeat you, Discord!" Twilight declared, drooling slightly.
"Oh, I doubt that."
She began sneezing profusely as the cinnamon got in her nose. Luna held a hoof over her own nose to keep it shielded from the attack.
"I never tire of this," Discord said, watching Twilight Sparkle try to get at him. "So, how's your father doing?"
It took all of her resilience to remain indifferent towards that comment.
"You know why I'm here," a different voice said.
Luna blinked. She had said the words, but they had not come out of her mouth. To her left was Applejack, complete save for one detail.
"You forgot to add the freckles," Applejack said in place of Luna as Luna gestured to her face.
"A minor detail. What makes you possibly think that I would want to help you?"
Applejack exploded into confetti. Luna's voice was once again her own.
"For starters, I could tell Celestia that you can still use your magic despite being encased in stone and she would put you on display somewhere else in a room that nullifies magic. Secondly, I could also ask her to lighten your sentence."
"What, from an eternity to a lifetime? Luna, you are bargaining very poorly. If you don't try harder, the readers are going to be disappointed. They're right! I'm not that easy."
"Who are you talking about?"
"Never mind. Continue with what you were saying."
"You know how Celestia is. She would grant a reprieve."
"For you, perhaps. Not me."
"My resolve is not shaken!" Twilight exclaimed.
Twilight's face was swollen since she had been sneezing so much, but she was still trying her best to reach Discord. He waved his claw dismissively. The moon underwent a beautiful transformation from a barren wasteland to a forest in the middle of autumn. Twilight was no longer with them. Leaves fell all around them and a cool breeze blew through the area. It was shocking that Discord would create such a scene, but it gave her some ideas for her argument against him.
"Exactly when did she grant me a reprieve?" Luna asked.
"No wonder you had to come to me for help! Fine, I'll give you this one free of charge. You owe a lot to Twilight Sparkle. If not for her, Celestia would have put you back on the moon again. Neither you nor your sister can use the Elements of Harmony, but Twilight Sparkle and her friends can. They are the only ponies who can. That's key. The Elements dispelled your curse. See? You're her sister, for goodness sake! Are you not aware that she is very manipulative?"
It made perfect sense, but at the same time she couldn't believe it. Discord was trying to distract her. Luna struggled to remain focused.
"I might be able to convince her that you are not entirely evil."
Discord had a great laugh at that, rocking his chair back and forth.
"If you really were chaos personified, you would destroy everything you had power over. Instead, you are a simple draconequus, perhaps the last of your kind, who happens to be quite adapt at the lost form of chaotic magic, a talent you use purely for your own amusement. Tell me this. Why did you never kill anypony? Allow me to answer that for you. That would spoil the fun. Am I wrong?"
"Maybe, but I am intrigued by your point. Go on, if you would please."
"The use and appreciation of logic suggests you are not a true spirit of chaos. If such a thing existed, it would be a Lich. I actually tried to persuade Celestia to keep you on as an adviser because your perception of the world is insightful. There is no point in order. We only follow the rules to keep from getting into trouble by those who set the rules."
"Exactly! However, you and Celestia both know what I would do if I were released."
"Make water sprout up from the ground so we could expand into the Desert of Despair without the aid of the Pegasus ponies? Assist in the examination of the relics recovered from the Cave of Confusion? Still the Sea of Wrath so we can see what lies beyond the vast ocean to the east?"
"No, more like turn Celestia into a pig with one wing so I can watch her try to fly when I throw her off of small hills and condemn Twilight Sparkle and all of her friends to sneeze continuously until I can think of something worse. You obviously know very little about chaos magic, but you may be right about a shred of altruism still existing somewhere within me. Obviously I am not a true master of this form of magic as I once thought. It has been a while since I have been treated to a conversation like this and while your argument does need work, I suppose I can help you just this once since you have sympathized with me so generously. However, if you ever come back, you had better have something more to offer me or I'll make you work to get out of my Ether and I do expect you to put in a good word for me with Celestia."
A couch came out of nowhere and crashed into Luna, flipping her into the air a couple of times against all the laws of physics before she landed on her back in a daze. While she waited for her eyes to adjust, she wondered if this was how Mail Mare saw the world. Discord's throne moved closer to her. He put on a set of reading glasses and took out a clipboard and a pencil.
"Tell me what you know and I'll see what I can do," Discord requested.
Luna relayed her experience to him with as much detail as she possibly could. Once she finished, Discord took a brief moment to think about what he had been told.
"Your search brought up ten hits in the bestiary, which is somewhat outdated as I have been in the Ether for quite a while. If I had to hazard a guess, I would assume that it is a Malum. At least, that's what they're supposed to be called. It's part of the old tongue. I'm not certain what the modern translation would be. Anyway, they absorb souls like a sponge in order to obtain knowledge and the Everfree Forest would be the best home for one of them. It is speculated that they are not of this world and encounters with them suggest that they are part of some sort of collective hive mind, which is potentially malevolent and most certainly indifferent."
"Sounds like the perfect pet for you."
"Indeed, but they are rare, much like many of the things that threaten your pecking order."
"What do you mean when you say that they might not be of this world?"
"Who knows? Perhaps somepony summoned one here. Maybe one of them found its way to Equestria through some rift in another dimension. Is it really that important to know why, Luna?"
"What kind of a stupid question is. . ."
Luna sat up on her rear, an awkward position for a pony. A leaf fell on her muzzle, which she quickly brushed off.
"Hold on. They absorb souls? Does that not imply that the soul and brain are separate?"
"Ah, an argument for the ages. From what you described the victims were following rudimentary brain functions. Those could have been left behind because they were not needed or yes, the soul and brain are indeed separate. Hey, what if all your knowledge is a part of your soul? Now there's a thought. You would have to ask the Malum, although I wouldn't recommend trying to negotiate with it. What intrigues me the most is that the marks of those ponies vanished. I wonder if that means that your marks are tied to your souls."
"They define us. It would make sense."
Discord was clearly enjoying this. He suddenly grinned deviously as he thought of something else, but he chose not to say anything. Judging by the expression, it had to be something important.
"Any other clues, Discord?"
A clock began to chime from somewhere unseen. Discord smiled arrogantly. The world around them began to darken slowly.
"I'm afraid that's all we have time for today. Do mention to Celestia that the Ether could be considered a form of torture as life gets quite boring without challenges. Remember, you had better bring me something better than an argument the next time you visit me, which might happen sooner than you think. I'll let you go without a challenge this time. Do take care, Luna. It would break my heart to see you reduced to a zompony."
The world became a black void once more. Discord had gone back to sleep. Luna broke their connection. She fell from the statue back into her own body, waking up gently. That had taken longer than she thought. Luckily, nopony had come by and she would have been hard to see from the castle due to the position of the statue.
"A Malum," Luna whispered to herself.
At least she had a name. She went over everything Discord had said for a moment and then recalled something about a curse. What had that been all about? Did her jealousy not have anything to do with her transformation into Night Mare Moon? If only there were other beings she could converse with who knew as much as Discord did. Luna was aware that some censorship had been involved in the history of the ponies. Initially that did not seem very virtuous or harmonious, but like anything a case could be made for it. It was kind to keep certain things from the ponies that might upset them. It was compassionate to ensure that they were free from worry. They weren't lies, they were selective truths.
She was getting distracted. Luna narrowed her eyes in determination. She was getting closer to her goal by the second. Ponyville would respect her if she could fix this problem.
"Be here now, Luna," she ordered herself. "You can't afford to second guess everything right now."
With that, she galloped toward the castle. Now that she had a name, her destination was the Forbidden Archives. It was time to learn what Discord wasn't telling her.