The sounds Luna was making in her fit of laughter woke up Fluttershy, I could only watch as she lifted her head and blinked owlishly at the pair of us. She blinked once then barely on the edge of my hearing she says. “Thats just silly, definitely a dream.”

I can only watch with amused grin as she tried to roll over only to land on the floor. Her muted eep of shock was lost to Luna’s continued laughter. With my own muted amusment I watched as the shock of hitting the floor woke her up completely.

Luna finally stopped laughing when Fluttershy hit the floor. I watched as Luna cantered up to the small pegasus and began speaking to her in a gentle voice.

I just watched a small smile playing across my lips. ‘One down, five to go.’ With that thought I ended my red queen trap on Rainbow Dash. Watching the screen I witnessed her fail to realise the end of the loop and got to watch her run head long into the wall.

With a cat like grin I settled back upon my throne to watch. My former prisoner now had a choice left or right. Either path would take her to my in the long run but the path of loyalty had this fork. Which path would she pick? Honor or Betrayal?

Rainbow Dash sat on her haunches panting heavily. She had been running for hours and felt every minute of it. This made the rather large lump growing on her head feel all the worse as every beat of her heart made the knot pulse and throb.

Looking up she took a good look at the wall she hit. More importantly the grand tapestry that was just above the level of her head.

It depicted several beings like her captor. Each either glaring at another being, attacking another, or some starting down various paths leading into the distance. It was an inspiring and terrifying piece of art.

The far left walked a man. The coverings upon his feet were battered, scuffed and worn. He was dressed in faded clothes. A old and battered hat covered his head, and upon his hips slung in great belts with gleaming bronze striping the middle were two objects she could not begin to name. Before him fled another man clad in black. They stroded upon a long and winding path with several doors upon it. The twisting path leading to a great dark stone tower standing like a sentinel in a field of roses.

Further to the middle two walked side by side. Both with blue hair their backs to the viewers perspective. One wore a high collared red cape and carried his sword like it was a yoke Slung over his shoulders his bandage wrapped wrists laying over the top. The other wore a greatcoat of navy and scarlet walking with a staff with a drill at its head. Upon both of their backs was a immense skull seemingly made of flames wearing black sunglasses. Before them in the distance stood a great and terrible figure wearing red, yellow, and black armor wreathed in glowing green flames, but bearing a white standard with that same skull motif in red and black.

The next image to capture her attention was the figures of three beings. One was clearly female and of a beauty that was clearly not mortal. She wore a loose covering of semitransparent material covering her chest and hips and where it hung from her body it seemed to flow like water. Before her knelt a man in gleaming armor. His crowned head bowed not in subjugation but in awe and respect clearly receiving the sword in his upraised palms. Upon his back a kite shield bearing the image of a red dragon bound in chains. Beside him an old man leaned upon a gnarled staff. Upon his back a mantle of black glossy feathers making his wild white beard and hair stand out all the more starkly.

The middle was dominated by the scene of a black knight in wolf like armor with bloody tears falling from his only eye with a look of utter grief and rage fought with a sword larger than himself against a bird like white knight with a haughty expression before a field of swords, blood, and fallen bodies behind the black knight humans. Behind the white terrible beasts and shadowy horrors.

The next image was different no where near as terrible but just as evoking. Standing before a dark army was a man cloaked and bathed in green. His outfit was green from his boots to his great cape. Behind him casting most of his visage in shadow was a great glowing green pool with what appeared to be a coffin hung by chains above it. While most of his face was lost to shadow she could see parts his hair was black on top but a stark bone white starting at his temples and circling around his head. His eyes and smile where wolf like.

Immediately to the right was a pink and white animal that appeared harmless. It had large hanging ears and before its tiny paws a scroll. What made the creature look disturbing was what lay before it and behind it. Behind the cat like animal was an enormous shadow with cruel eyes and a malicious smirk. Before it writing upon the scroll in what looked like blood were several female forms all in different colors all clearly young and all clearly broken in various ways.

The final being depicted upon the woven cloth was a being with one black wing and long silver tresses. In his right hand a sword longer than he was tall, thin and with one gently curving edge. His left hand was closed around something that seemed to glow black with a light that shone like oil. He was clad in black. Black boots, black pants, and a black armored trenchcoat. His head thrown back in laughter his long silver hair blowing in the wind as he watched a small village burn. In the sky above him a burning meteor was falling from the heavens.

Below in bronze was an epitaph laid into the dark stone.
“A choice lies before thee,
Fidelity, or betrayal,
To honor one's oath or to abandon the path?
Pick carefully for this decision can never be remade.”
She had come to the end of the hall. She could only go either to her left or right.

I snapped out of my daze when I heard something. Turn my head to regard the pair off to the side. “I’m sorry. One more time please?”

Fluttershy swallowed. Before raising her voice. “What was that tapestry?”

“It depicts the struggle of fidelity. Each picture shows a different type of loyalty.”

Luna seemed to ponder this for a moment.

I let her unlike my former conversation partner in Rainbow Dash, Luna had proven to be an exceptional conversationalist.

Finally she asked. “What methods of loyalty?”

I gave her a smile it made Fluttershy shiver with how cold it was. On my face was a very predatory smirk. Something you would see on a cat playing with a mouse.

“Loyalty to: Restoration, Freedom, Sovereignty, Comradery, Home, Preservation, and Militarism.”

“How could being loyal to your friends be a bad thing?” Just what I expected for one of Twilight’s little friends.

“It depends what you do with those friends.”

Luna seemed to go a little pale she seemed to get it, but the little pegasus who cannot seem to see the darkness at night had ask. “Do with them?”

I pointed to the middle image and asked. “Tell me which one is the hero and which is the villain?”

“I don't know. What is their story?”

“The one in black is named Guts. Once upon a time in his story he was one of the fiercest swordsmen in Griffith the White Hawk’s mercenary band. He would become Griffith’s right hand and during the tail end of a century long war they would gain much: fame, money, and most importantly legitimacy. They would become a proper army under the king and Griffith became the commanding general and Guts his field lieutenant. Had the war last another year or two his ultimate goal could have been reached he could have asked for the princess’s hand in marriage and become king.”

Luna stopped my story there with one sentence. “Griffith betrayed them didn’t he?”

“I was turning raconteur wasn’t I? My apologies. Yes, he did. He traded their friendship and devoted loyalty to him for power. He sold their souls and became a dark god. Of the hundreds that followed him only three survived in you could call it surviving. One survived by chance, a young squire sent out of the camp to fetch water. The other two his sword and shield should have died. One tortured and brutalized until their mind fled. The other Guts fought his way to save the other cutting off his own arm and losing an eye to save the other.”

Fluttershy shuddered and I just on to finish the story as far as I knew it.

“The two who were there at the camp had been branded as sacrifices and so became living borders between the worlds living and dead. Mundane and mystical. Never to know peace even in death.” I tapped a finger on my chin. “I never did get the chance to read the end of that story.”

Fluttershy had begun to tear up, seemingly unable to stand such a tale. ‘Wonder how she’ll handle my library?’

Luna I think was trying to bunt to a happier note. “Sovereignty?”

“Arthur Pendragon, son of Uther, the once and future king. Leader of the knights of the round table. Counseled by the wizard Myrddin Emrys. Blessed with the sword Excalibur by Nimue, the lady of the lake.”

Fluttershy seemed to brighten, Luna smiled, and I just kicked them back to the ground.

“Betrayed by his greatest champion Sir Lancelot du Lac by his affair with his wife Queen consort Guinevere. Finally he was slain by his illegitimate son Mordred upon Arthur’s own ceremonial sword.”

And down went the mood. They looked like they wanted to ask about another image so I just cut them off.

“As much as I am enjoying summarizing some of my favorite cultural works for the two of you and watching your emotional raises and falls. I feel, I should tell you my people’s stories focused mostly on tragedies. Epic betrayals and cruel twists of fate, and I have all of these stories in one form or another in my library.”

The silence that followed that statement was oppressive. It seemed to hang between us like some immense curtain. Before Luna finally broke it.

“Why would any culture focus upon such dark and terrible themes?”

I paused to ponder my response before giving her what I felt was an acceptable response. “When the world around you seems dark, seeing a deeper shadow can make you notice the light. Seeing how much you could lose makes you appreciate what you already have. Perspective is key to all understanding.”

They both seemed rather shocked to hear a cohesive and eloquent counter argument to what I expected to be a rather lengthy verbal duel. I took the chance to look for a way to break the tension. I decided to check the time. ‘Celestia is in the closet. So it’s morning now.’

I turn to the pair of mares and ask. “Breakfast?”

They could only nod so I lead them out of my throne room and towards the dining hall.

Author's Note

Yeah work has been a bitch. The place I'm working at is getting shutdown after the trail production run so back to the job hunt.