Luna's Lacunae

by kudzuhaiku

Rating: teen
Tags: Prince Blueblood, Princess Celestia, Slice of Life, Human, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Romance, Princess Luna, Original Character
Length: 96828

Lacunae: an unfilled space or interval; a gap. A place left unfilled. And Luna discovers one within herself.

Following the events of The Night Mare's Nightmare, both Princess Luna and Maeve recover, with Maeve now back at home in Equestria with Princess Luna. Now that they are home, the healing can begin.

Maeve, a strange human girl with mysterious magic that she should not have, is now learning how to control her magic. Her very existence is a riddle, but no answers seem forthcoming. Isolated within Canterlot, she has become Princess Luna's student, and her best friend is an earth pony colt name Red Russet.

While trying to help Maeve, Princess Luna, beset by her own past, must confront the emptiness that lurks within her, lest she be consumed by her own past transgressions.

Together, both of them will face their pasts.

Published 2015-05-27 13:40:02 UTC
Last updated 2016-05-15 16:56:15 UTC

Chapter 2

Pushing open her door, Maeve entered her room and found Princess Luna staring at Lann na Gealaí Dubh. Maeve, somewhat startled by seeing Princess Luna in her chambers, staring at her sword, let out a little frightened squeak.

All of the feathers on Princess Luna’s wings ruffled and the alicorn turned to look at Maeve.

“I came to get a book… Red has hurt himself once more and I thought I’d read to him to pass the time,” Maeve said in a low voice as she stood in the doorway of her room, looking in at Princess Luna. After a moment, she entered and walked to were the night blue alicorn was standing.

When Princess Luna raised her hoof and got too close, Maeve offered a warning. “I wouldn’t touch Lann na Gealaí Dubh... it will zap you again.”

The dark blue alicorn turned her head to look up at Maeve, her teal eyes flashing with pain. “I cannot shake the memory of you covered in blood and using that sword… you freed us.”

Shuddering, Maeve’s left hand extended; it had three fingers and her ring finger was missing. She placed her hand upon Princess Luna’s side, where a faded brand was still healing, still fading, but it could be felt in sharp relief from Luna’s smooth skin under her pelt.

“What they did to me… treating me as if I was livestock,” Luna spat. “As if I was some common beast of burden. Like I was a common curiousity, a circus attraction… almost a year of humiliation and degradation and I cannot seem to shake it.” The alicorn trembled with rage and she lifted her hoof up near Lann na Gealaí Dubh once more. “I understand all too well what it felt like for you… to be held down and forced… to be powerless…”

The sword was a most curious weapon. The handle was made of magical chalk, wood, and silver. The guard was a bramble of living thorns. The blade was forged from moonbeams. It was a fantastical weapon; Lann na Gealaí Dubh, the Black Moon Blade. The Sidhe folk were allergic to iron and made weapons from more exotic materials.

“That sword cost me a finger,” Maeve said in a low whisper.

“But you made it submit to you… no one else in that horrible place had done so,” Luna replied in a cold, angry voice.

“Almost a year as a slave. Scrubbing floors and cleaning that wretched castle. Worrying about you and all the things they did to you… I’m so sorry, Luna… I wish I could have saved you sooner…” Maeve’s shoulders slumped.

“They forced me to breed with their horses and those ugly horned monstrousities they called unicorns. I am glad that I am sterile.” Luna felt her skin crawl and for a moment, she heard the lashing of a whip. Her whole body tensed as she remembered the feeling of the lash upon her skin, upon her ear, the horrible taste and the pain of the spiked bridal in her mouth.

“Because of Lann na Gealaí Dubh we made our way home.” Maeve reached out her left hand and placed it upon the silver pommel. The sword was warm to the touch, it was always warm, and she felt a strange energy coursing up her arm as her fingers lingered over the chalk handle. “The blade and the crown allowed me to cut open a door and bring us home.”

Unable to stop herself, Luna was compelled to touch the blade. She did so, laying her hoof upon the scabbard. Energy arced from the sword and into Luna’s leg. She jerked her foreleg back and then stepped away from the sword shaking her head as she limped. “I still do not see how you did it.”

“It cost me a finger. Burned it right off.” Maeve puckered up her lips and blew a raspberry at the sword hanging from its mount upon the wall. “I still think it was the sword that protected me from their magic… my owner told me stories sometimes as I was cleaning his chambers… the blade was prophesied to bring about their doom. The smith who made it was some mad femorian. Thankfully, nobody could touch it or bear to wield it. It killed everyone who gripped it and refused to let go.”

“It was certainly their end.” Luna’s voice was cold and emotionless. “I am sorry that you had to endure what you did in Tír na hÓige.”

“How was I to know that we would end up in Tír na hÓige and that it would be such a nightmare?” Maeve shook her head. “I thought it was the realm of dreams, like in the story books. Turns out, not all dreams are good ones.”

“No, Maeve, not all dreams are good ones.” Luna’s eyelids drooped and she looked sleepy. “You should go be with Red. I think I might try to get some sleep. Dear, please, do not be troubled.”

Returning to Red Russet, holding a book, Maeve saw his mother, Rose Gold kissing him. Both of them were named after potatoes, and Maeve found his a little comical. Rose Gold was a solid, stout mare, heavy set even by earth pony standards, and she helped her husband, Quickie Cob, who was the royal gardener. Quickie Cob’s family were named after types of corn. Maeve placed her book down upon a small table that was by the sitting room’s doorway.

Unable to help herself, Maeve giggled as she listened to Red begging his mother to stop smothering him. The girl covered her mouth with her hand as she tittered.

“Sorceress Maeve,” Rose Gold said as she stepped away from Red Russet and bowed her head.

“No need to call me that. Red doesn’t,” Maeve replied.

Scowling, Rose Gold shot her colt a dirty look and Red flinched away from his mother’s disapproval. The heavy set mare nickered, making a low rumbling in her barrel as her nostrils flared.

“Look, Red is my only real friend that is about my age. I’m just a girl… in a land full of talking ponies. I’m the least special thing there is around here. If he started using titles and being formal, I’d have to toss him out and we wouldn’t be friends for very long.” Maeve crossed her arms over her chest.

Rose Gold’s expression softened and her lower lip quivered for a moment before it went still once more. “He’s an earth pony with brittle bones disease… good etiquette and manners along with education were our best hopes for him having a good life. He can’t do the sorts of things that earth ponies normally do. I wasn’t trying to be too hard on him… I just want him to have a future… I hope that you will understand. The fact that he is given free run of the castle is an act of kindness from the Royal Pony Sisters and it is because he is so well behaved that he continues to enjoy this privilege.”

The earth pony colt’s eyes went from his mother to Maeve, and then back to his mother. He let out a short, nervous whinny and then he snorted. His mouth opened as though he might say something, but then he remained silent and his mouth closed. His ears pinned back against his skull.

“I don’t get any of this.” Maeve stomped through the room, almost tripped over the long flowing skirt of her dress, pitched forwards, flung out her arms, shrieked in terror as she almost fell on her face, regained her balance, and then flounced into a nearby chair in the gawky manner of adolescent girls everywhere after the failure to look graceful. She smoothed her dress out over her legs. She folded her head hands in her lap, sat up straight, tilted her head back, looked over at Red Russet where he was on a sofa, and said in a haughty voice, “You didn’t see anything…”

Red Russet, still nervous about the exchange between Maeve and his mother, began to chortle and shook his head. He covered his mouth with his hoof and tried not to laugh. His mother on the other hoof, did laugh. Rose Gold lost her composure and began to giggle in spite of her best efforts to hold it all in. The stocky mare wheezed as she chortled, she snorted as little laughs escaped, and there was nothing she could do to make herself stop.

“Rose Gold, Red Russet is my very bestest friend in the whole wide world. He understands me. I understand him. Nopony likes him because he’s fragile and he can’t play. Most ponies don’t like me because I’m weird and creepy. And let’s be honest. When you first found out about me and Red being friends, you didn’t want us spending time together because I was that ‘weird, hairless monkey thing’ and you were scared about what I’d do to your colt. Luna told me that you were worried that I’d eat his eyes because you read in a book somewhere that monkeys eat each other’s eyeballs.” Maeve turned her green eyes upon Rose Gold and stared the mare in the eye.

Blinking, her ears burning with shame, Rose Gold dropped her eyes down to the floor and looked away. “That’s true. And not a day goes by that I don’t feel bad about that. Red has been happier than he has ever been during his whole life. I almost took that away from him.”

“Princess Celestia keeps telling me that a Sorceress needs a trusted assistant and I do believe that she is dropping hints at me once more,” Maeve said as a faint smile teased at the corners of her lips. “If a Sorceress must have a trusted assistant, I can think of no better assistant than Red Russet.”

Red Russet’s eyes focused upon his mother and he looked hopeful. His ears perked up and his amber eyes went wide. He turned and looked at Maeve, a faint grin at the end of a muzzle.

Taking shallow breaths, Rose Gold went and sat down upon the couch beside her colt, her breath coming in heaving gasps as she settled onto the cushions beside her son. She raised one thick foreleg and wrapped it around Red Russet’s withers.

“Oh for the love of string beans,” Rose Gold gasped. “Will you look at the time!”

Grunting with effort, Maeve pushed Red Russet’s chair in closer to the table, earning her a raised eyebrow from Princess Celestia. Maeve had insisted on pushing Red’s chair in by hand. She wiped her sweaty hands upon her grass stained dress, flopped down into a chair beside the earth pony colt, and heaved a noisy prolonged sigh.

Princess Celestia’s eyebrow inched ever higher, it was as if she was filling up with disapproval and her eyebrow was some sort of indicator or a gauge. Based on the eyebrow’s placement upon Celestia’s forehead, the alicorn was nearing full.

“I’m flattered to be invited for tea, but I don’t know if I belong here,” Rose Gold said in a nervous voice. “I’m a gardener.”

“Now now, your manners cannot possibly be any worse than Sorceress Maeve’s.” There was a faint almost impossible to see smirk upon Princess Celestia’s face as she spoke. “Raven will not be joining us, she had things she had to look after and Princess Luna is finally asleep. So it is just us.”

“I have the manners of a pig.” Maeve smiled and snatched several baby carrots off of a plate. She turned away from Princess Celestia for a moment, giggling, and when she turned back around to face the table, she had orange tusks sticking up from her smile because she had stuffed two baby carrots in between her lower lip and her teeth. For added effect, Maeve oinked.

Unable to help himself, Red covered his mouth with his good fetlock as he giggled.

“Sorceress Maeve… do be a good little piglet and eat your carrots,” Princess Celestia said as she poured tea. The alicorn’s smirk was visible now by those who knew her best and her eyes had a merry twinkle.

Pulling out one of her carrots, Maeve flicked it at Red, who snatched it out of the air with his mouth and crunched it up, forgetting for a moment where he was. He was snapped back into reality by his mother’s baleful stare and he paused mid-crunch. He gulped, but not to swallow his mouthful of carrot.

Maeve took a bite of carrot and then, with her mouth still full, she said, “Wow Red, you’re getting really good at that.”

“Sorceress Maeve, it is very important that you do not treat the ponies around you as pets. Tossing them carrots might be seen as degrading.” There was a look of soft concern in Princess Celestia’s eye.

“Look… Red and I… we’re kids. Well, he’s a foal, but it’s the same thing. And we’re gonna keep doing stupid stuff and playing and being silly. I do not treat him as a pet.” Maeve’s eyes glittered and the muscles of her jaw clenched. “I do not treat ponies as pets… not after what happened to Luna… and never again accuse me of such a thing.”

“My apologies, Sorceress Maeve… it was my intention to help you be aware of how others around you might see such an action.” Celestia made a slight bow of her head.

Her face beet red, and not just from her sunburn, Maeve slammed her fist down upon the table, causing everything to rattle. “Please, for once, can’t we just be ourselves? I spent almost a year locked away in a castle as a slave, forced into doing all kinds of horrible things, and I get here and I still feel like a slave and I am still forced into doing stuff!”

Letting out a low nicker of concern, Rose Gold leaned forwards and looked Maeve in the eye. “Calm down, dearie.” The stocky mare looked at Princess Celestia, a pleading expression upon her face. “Princess Celestia, I don’t mean to be forward, but she’s just a filly. A girl… she’s young. Let her have time to be silly. She and Princess Luna both have been through a great deal of trauma. Now I know she has some responsibilities and that a lot is expected from her, but she’s still a little filly. Girl… she is what she is and she is still healing. Let her have a bit more time to play.”

Heaving a sigh, Princess Celestia nodded. “Perhaps you are right Rose Gold.” The alicorn turned and looked at Maeve. “It was my hope that by getting you into a routine and giving you responsibilities, it would give you a sense of purpose, a sense of focus, and would give you something to distract you from your troubles.”

Slumping down in her chair, Maeve folded her arms over her chest. “Thank you for trying to do what was best for me. I didn’t mean to be snotty.”

The corner of Princess Celestia’s mouth quivered at the word ‘snotty’ and the alicorn’s ears perked forwards as a merry twinkle lit Celestia’s eyes. “Maeve, you are very dear to me. I know more about what happened to you than I do about what happened to my sister, Luna. She still has told me very little and has remained tight lipped. I want what is best for you and I want good things for you. You brought my sister back to me, and for this, you will always have my gratitude.” Celestia’s mood changed and her face darkened, almost as if there was a cloud passing over the sun.

Maeve did not reply, but she did grab several cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches. She crammed a whole sandwich into her mouth and started chewing, a pained expression upon her face.

“I am so very grateful to have my sister back,” Celestia said in a hoarse, raspy whisper as her eyes misted over. “I thought I had lost her forever once, and it broke my heart. This time, my heart shattered when I got the news that she had stepped through the mirror and then had vanished.”

“There… maybe what was needed was a little heart to heart. Now no more sniffling. Dry your eyes and eat up,” Rose Gold said in the voice of a natural born mother. “Maeve, be a good filly and chew with your mouth closed and don’t make me tell you twice.”

Author's Note

I bet there are so many questions.

Good. :raritywink:

Chapter 3

Standing still, Maeve’s face held a vacant expression as she stared at her crown. Choróin ar an Bitseach. She didn’t understand what the title meant, but she had heard the crown’s name many times during her extended stay in the castle of the fey. The crown was magical; it chose the wearer, the wearer did not choose the crown.

Maeve had picked up the crown up off of the floor right after she had lopped off Queen Oonagh’s head and then Maeve had placed it upon her own fiery orange tresses. After a contest of wills, getting herself a splitting headache in the process, Maeve had lived to wear the crown. She had made herself Queen of the Fey, and not long after, she had abandoned her kingdom, absconding with Princess Luna as the army was entering the castle to find her.

The power of the crown was unknown; all Maeve knew was that her magic grew stronger while wearing it, too strong, making it unpredictable and dangerous. The crown also made her feel aggressive, irritable, and rather crabby. She was not a nice girl when wearing Choróin ar an Bitseach.

Sighing, Maeve turned away from her crown and headed to the bathroom to take a bath.

Pony tubs were wonderful things, deep, wide, a human could get their whole body down in there for a good soak. Maeve’s face was bright red from the sun, as were her arms, and the rest of her skin had turned bright pink from the hot water. She worked herself over with her scrubbing brush, mindful of her tender skin. She had grown a lot in the past year, her legs becoming longer, her arms gaining a little length, and her neck seemed too long and ugly. Maeve knew that she was a gawky girl, but that was okay. She was the only human in this world, and that was fine. Maeve much prefered ponies. Most of them were better company.

Maeve’s height was a bit of an issue though. She was taller than Princess Celestia. The ponies here were little. Little, little ponies. Maeve had grown past the five foot mark, making herself just a little bit taller than Princess Celestia.

The ponies were odd creatures with many weird human artifacts. There were doorknobs, teapots, silverware, all kinds of things a human might find in their own house, and Maeve had no idea what all of this was doing here in a land of magical talking ponies.

As she scrubbed, the brush slipped from Maeve’s fingers and sunk down into the depths of the tub. As Maeve reached down to get it, she looked down into the water and saw clotted blood. She stared down in horror, realising that she was bleeding from there once more, like she sometimes bled after… Maeve shuddered, unable to finish the thought, and her whole body tensed as terror took over.

Unable to deal with the sight of her own blood, Maeve screamed as loud as she could and then fainted, her head slipping down beneath the water, bubbles rose up to the surface of the water as Maeve sank down into the depths of the tub.

Dressed in a robe, wrapped in a blanket, Maeve coughed up more water from her lungs. It splattered to the floor as Princess Celestia made an equine sound of worry, a low rumbling nickering.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle said that this would happen. She will be here in just a little while to talk with you, Maeve. Just try to stay calm and please do not worry,” Princess Celestia said in a low, worried voice.

“Why am I bleeding?” Maeve asked, her voice raspy and more of a gurgle than anything else. She shook her head, blinked a few times, and then pushed her wet hair out of her face with her left hand. She sat back in her chair and tried taking a few deep breaths.

The white alicorn closed her eyes for a moment so that she might gather up her calm and her serenity. She opened her eyes and looked at Maeve. “Please, try to wait for Twilight. She has experience in being a human girl.”

Recovering some of her usual plucky self, Maeve looked over at the guard. She raised her left hand, waved, and then smiled. “Thank you for saving me from drowning. You’re very kind.”

The guard, a unicorn, bowed his head low but said nothing in return. After raising his head, he resumed being a statue, standing near the door with a stern expression.

“One of these days, I’m going to get one of them to smile.” Maeve huddled down into her robe and her blanket, a scowl spreading over her freckled face. “If it is the last thing I ever do…”

“Might I give you some advice as a Sorceress?” Princess Celestia asked in a low whisper, her muzzle close to Maeve’s ear.

Scowling, Maeve sighed and waited for the lecture. “If you must…”

A terrible, horrible, frightful smile spread over Princess Celestia’s lips, a smile that Maeve did not see. “Most ponies are very ticklish just behind their front legs and upon their flanks, the soft stretch of skin that exists between the ribs and the hips… the soft place where you like to lay your head upon my sister, Luna.” Celestia banished her smile before Maeve could turn to see it, as Maeve was turning to head to look up at Celestia. “A Sorceress must know the weakness of her foe, whomever that might be.”

Looking up from where she sat in her chair, Maeve gave Princess Celestia an incredulous, wide eyed stare. Her mouth opened but no words came out. Her brain tried to process the fact that Princess Celestia was telling her how to make mischief and be a naughty girl.

“Twilight Sparkle will be very soon. Just hold on and be patient, Maeve…”

Halting, Princess Twilight Sparkle bowed her head and then looked at Maeve. “Hello again, Sorceress Maeve.” Twilight glanced at Celestia and then locked eyes upon Maeve once more. “Maeve, might I try to give you a hug?”

Startled, the girl took a step backwards. She folded her hands behind her back, and her lower lip quivered with worry. Her whole body trembled and her green eyes narrowed as she looked down at Twilight. “I don’t know what will happen if you do. I don’t know how I’ll react.”

A soft, gentle smile appeared upon Twilight Sparkle’s face. “I know, Maeve. I know that a lot of bad things happened, but not all touches are bad. You and Princess Luna touch—”

“That’s different,” Maeve said, becoming defensive. “And that don’t always turn out so well either. I can’t help how I spook.” The girl’s nostrils flared and she took another step backwards. “If you want to hug me, I won’t stop you.”

After taking a deep breath, Twilight Sparkle took a cautious step forward. Her wings unfurled and she took another slow step towards Maeve. After waiting for a moment, Twilight closed the difference, wrapped her wings around Maeve’s middle, and pressed her face against Maeve’s stomach. Feeling bold, Twilight, using her wings, gave Maeve a squeeze.

After a moment, Twilight let go and stepped away.

Maeve, who had been holding her breath this whole time, let it out in a huff. She stepped backwards once more and fell back into her chair, sinking down into the soft cushions, a look of relief upon her face.

Smiling, Twilight lept up into another chair and sat down. “See, everything went okay.”

“I am going to leave the two of you alone for this girl talk,” Princess Celestia said in a soft whisper. “I will return in a little while with cookies and milk. Thank you, Twilight Sparkle.” With a gracious smile, Princess Celestia made her exit.

Leaning forward in her chair, Maeve asked, “Could you just tell me what is going on?”

With a ruffle of her wings, Twilight took a deep breath and cleared her throat. “Menarche.” Twilight’s eyes focused upon Maeve. “Menses. Human females ovulate monthly once they begin their reproductive fertile period. When the egg is not fertilised, the body disposes of it, and there is some blood. I experienced it after I became a human girl for a while. It scared me to death, I thought I was dying. I had some friends explain to me what was happening. I was very, very shaken up by the experience. I think you are about the age that you should be when a human female normally starts, if I recall the book I read correctly.”

“So I’m becoming a woman?” Maeve asked.

“Yes!” Twilight nodded. “You’re growing up. It’s all normal and natural.”

“My mother never told me about any of this. I don’t understand,” Maeve said, hunching down into chair. She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, and curled up into a miserable ball in her chair.

Wondering what to say, Twilight’s mind turned over the different possibilities of what might happen if she tried to explain more. Maeve, being traumatised the way she was, might have a bad reaction to certain topics. Twilight felt an ache in her heart and a tightness in her throat.

“Maeve, you’re growing up and becoming a woman. This means that you could, if you wanted to, have children of your own someday, if you found a human male… now wait, before you get upset.” Twilight raised her hoof when she saw Maeve’s mouth opening. “You are the only human in Equestria. There are no human males. And I know that you don’t want anything to do with human males, this is just a brief explanation about your body. Okay?”

Glowering, Maeve nodded.

“I’ll leave out all the reproduction mechanics.” Twilight sighed and took a moment to collect her thoughts. “You’re female. You have eggs inside of you. So do I. Males have sperm. When you combine the two, you make offspring. Foals. Babies. Under normal circumstances, it is a very loving act, it makes the two ponies or the two people involved very happy, and the cycle of life continues. And that is all I will say because you don’t look so good… you okay Maeve?”

“I feel sick,” Maeve replied, closing her eyes.

“Uh oh, that’s not good. Want help getting to the bathroom?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

When Maeve gagged, and then clamped her hand over her mouth, Twilight Sparkle did not wait for a further reply. She lifted Maeve in her telekinesis, slipped out of her chair, and hurried for the bathroom.

Holding up a glass of water in her telekinesis, Twilight Sparkle helped Maeve get a drink. The girl was huddled up in the corner of the bathroom, her knees pulled up to her chest once more, and her arms folded around her shins. Maeve sipped some water, and then pushed the glass away after raising her right hand.

“You gonna be okay?” Twilight asked.

“You don’t talk like the other princesses,” Maeve replied. She held her head up and looked at Twilight, who stood by the tub, giving Maeve the space she needed.

“I’m not like the other princesses. I was born a unicorn and I became a princess after a whole lot of hard work.” Twilight smiled and shook her head. “I made a lot of messes, mistakes, and had to do a lot of learning to get to where I am.”

Groaning, Maeve stood up, her legs wobbling, and then she steadied herself. She took one shaky step, got her balance, and walked out of the bathroom. She headed for her comfortable chair, her stomach gurgling every step of the way.

Twilight Sparkle set the water glass down upon the edge of the sink and then followed, returning to the sitting area in Maeve's’ room.

“So this is going to happen every month?” Maeve asked as Twilight sat down.

Getting herself settled in a well cushioned chair, Twilight Sparkle’s head bobbed. “Yep.”

“Is it like a chicken egg? Am I going to lay an egg?” Maeve’s green eyes were almost as wide as saucers as she asked her question.

“Oh no… human eggs are very, very tiny. You can’t see them, not really.” Twilight Sparkle was serious, solemn, there was no trace of laughter in her voice, no amusement, there was nothing that would betray Maeve’s trust.

“My mother always told me babies came from storks,” Maeve said in a low mumbled whisper. “I never believed that, it seemed silly. I heard another woman say that babies came from the cabbage patch.”

“That’s funny, the earth ponies sometimes say that to curious little foals that ask too many questions, like ‘where do foals come from’ and the parents are too embarrassed to explain the messy truth.” Twilight tilted her head and her ears both dropped over to one side.

“So fairies are real, magic is real, magical talking ponies with wings and horns are real, but babies definitely do not come from storks. I don’t know what to feel about anything anymore.” Maeve unfolded her body and allowed her legs to hang off of the chair. She sat up and looked at Twilight. “I don’t even know what is a lie anymore.” She lifted her left hand and tapped her index finger upon her chin. “I wonder if Saint Nicholsby was real?”

“Who?” Twilight’s head tilted in the other direction.

“Saint Nicholsby was a tall skinny man who gave gifts to good girls and boys during the winter yule holiday. Bad children got rotten black eggs and good children got toys. Some of my dolls came from him… if he’s real. I think my mother bought my dolls… I don’t know what is real anymore.”

“Hmm, that sounds familiar… when I went through the mirror, there was a jolly fat elf named Caspian Krangle that delivered toys to children. Good children got toys… bad children got rancid sauerkraut left in their shoes. He supposedly flew through the sky on a magical rowboat and left presents all over the world in one night.” Twilight Sparkle shook her head. “It sounded like utter nonsense but so many humans believed in it.”

“Sounds like Saint Nicholsby… but he flew around the world in a magical cart pulled by dogs,” Maeve said, looking at Twilight Sparkle. “He also delivered presents all over the world in one night.”

“Fascinating… many worlds, many myths, but the stories seem so familiar…”

Author's Note

Choróin ar an Bitseach - Crown of the Bitch.

And Maeve wonders why it makes her crabby.

Chapter 4

“Princess Celestia?”

“Please, Twilight, we are in private, call me Celestia,” the tall white alicorn replied.

“Right. Sorry. I forget sometimes.” Twilight lifted her head as she walked beside Celestia through the royal gardens. “Celestia, Maeve needs to get out of the castle. It took some effort, but I got her to talk last night. She feels like a prisoner here.”

“But she has free run of the grounds…” Celestia shook her head and frowned. Her tail twitched in a most unusual way. “I do not understand.”

“She was a prisoner in another castle for almost a year. A slave. She feels trapped here.”

“But she is treated well… she is shown every kindness. Every need of hers is met… what else can I do?” Princess Celestia asked as she glanced down at her former pupil. “Surely you are not suggesting she goes to Ponyville again, not after what happened the last time.”

Cringing, Twilight Sparkle shook her head and tried not to think about what had happened last time. It reminded her of a time that seemed so long ago when Zecora could not come to town, only the reaction had been so much worse. Twilight Sparkle nibbled on her own lip as she thought about the problem.

“We have to keep her safe, Twilight. We are obligated to care for her and see that she is protected,” Celestia said as she rounded the corner. The rhododendrons were in full bloom and Celestia found the colours breathtaking.

“More than anything, she wants a chance to be a girl. She wants to run around barefooted. She wants to play. She says she wants to play in a creek and catch frogs, just so she can feel kind by letting them go. Before living in a castle, she lived in a big bustling city that she hated. It was a smelly, dirty place and she misses being in the quiet of the countryside.” Twilight halted to look at the rhododendrons for a moment, frozen in place by the riot of colour.

“How long will her private issue last? I know you told me, but I cannot remember,” Celestia asked in a low voice as she turned her head to look at Twilight, who was staring at the bushes.

“About a week or so. Unless something is wrong,” Twilight replied. She took off at a swift trot to catch up to Celestia. “I spoke with the royal seamstresses this morning. They’re, uh, working on a solution that will be hygienic and comfortable.”

“I have an idea, but I need to speak with Quickie Cob and his wife Rose Gold.” Celestia did not slow her stride as Twilight hurried to catch up with her. “Perhaps what Maeve needs is some time with some quiet, loving, peaceful earth ponies.”

A short distance away, a pegasus in golden armor landed upon the garden path. He approached, his head high, and when he was near Princess Celestia, he bowed his head. After his bow, he said, “Your Majesty… Sorceress Maeve has been injured yet again.”

Sighing, Princess Celestia pushed open the door to the infirmary. She was growing weary of the constant visits to this place. As she entered, a nurse bowed and then hurried out of her way. She rounded the corner and came into the infirmary proper. As she did so, she heard Twilight’s hooves clicking right behind her.

Maeve was sitting on an examination table, holding an ice pack to her face with her left hand. Doctor Greycrest was looking at a gash on Maeve’s right arm and frowning. Blood dribbled down Maeve’s arm and trickled over her hand. The front of her dress was torn near the bottom.

Standing there, and knowing that she looked quite cross, Princess Celestia took a deep breath and looked Maeve right in her right eye, the left eye was covered by the ice pack. “What did you do this time?”

“Sorceress Maeve has once again used the banister on the grand staircase as a slide. When she lept off near the bottom, she stepped upon the front of her dress, lost her balance, went stumbling through the room, took a tumble, and then smashed into the suits of armor that are on display in the entryway of the great hall,” Doctor Greycrest said to Princess Celestia.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle, if you are smiling or smirking right now behind me, so help me, I will send you to research mosquitos in the Froggy Bottom Bogg...”

Celestia heard the sounds of hooves clippity clopping on the tile as Twilight Sparkle took off running, fleeing the infirmary. There was laughter as Twilight Sparkle made her escape, and Maeve chuckled in full defiance of Princess Celestia’s heated irritation. Celestia could feel the corner of her eye twitching.

“The laceration looks worse than it really is. I don’t think it will need stitching and Sorceress Maeve has certainly done worse things to herself in the time that I have known her,” Doctor Greycrest said in a reassuring voice, trying prevent an outburst from Princess Celestia.

“It is not even nine o'clock in the morning yet.” Celestia had made a great deal of effort to say something; this is all that would come out, but it was like pulling a cork and she felt more words coming out, almost unbidden. “Do you plan to swing on the chandeliers by ten? Fetch a stick of butter to slick up the marble floors and go slip sliding all over by noon? What mayhem do you have planned and how much of my home do you plan to destroy? Will I still have a castle by teatime?” Celestia’s lips trembled as she shook her head. “Or will you hatch one of your more devious plans and commit to them, like farming spiders?”

“Look, nobody knows if you can farm things like spiders until you try it,” Maeve said after she pulled the ice pack away from her mouth. “It was Princess Luna that told me to try it when I told her the idea.”

A frustrated whinny escaped from Celestia and when she realised that her emotions were getting the best of her, Princess Celestia turned around and walked out of the infirmary, saying, “Please, excuse me, but I need time so that I might calm down.”

“I guess I stepped in the pony flops once more,” Maeve said as Princess Celestia stormed out of the room. “I’m sorry… I can’t help myself… I was just trying to have a little fun!”

Creeping down the hallway, Maeve tried not to make a sound as she went from place to place, looking for Princess Luna and trying to avoid Princess Celestia. She felt ashamed of herself, she had been a bad guest in somebody elses’ home.

She had a very childish thought about running away, but there was nowhere to go, at least not here in Equestria, and she had no desire to gamble about opening a door to another place. She had seen enough of other places, and while there were some problems here, Equestria was not a bad place.

It was the only place she knew of that had no human males, and that was a good thing.

There had been no sign of Princess Luna in her bedroom, which meant the Princess of the Night was awake once more during the day. Maeve shook her head, feeling sad, she and Princess Luna had so much in common, insomnia being one of many things they shared together.

She crossed though the entryway into the glassed in arboretum. The indoor gardens were one of Princess Luna’s places of refuge, and Maeve knew that the mare loved staring down into the reflection pools that could be found here, tucked away among the greenery. This was a place made for contemplation.

Moving around the indoor hedge, Maeve saw Luna. Luna was laying down in a bed of crocuses, her neck was bent and she was staring down into a pool of water. Tiptoeing, Maeve made her way to Luna’s side, sat down beside Luna, and place her hand upon Luna’s back.

“Hello Maeve,” Luna whispered in a low voice, a voice that was more like a breeze rustling through the greenery of the place they were in. “I’m glad you are here. I was missing you.”

Luna turned and looked at Maeve, noticing the black eye and the bandages. Luna sighed, shook her head, and then resumed looking down into the reflection pool. Looking up at her, she saw a terrible black version of herself with slitted eyes, hideous fangs, and a demented expression of hatred.

“I tripped over my dress again,” Maeve said, offering an explanation in reply for Luna’s unspoken question. “I picked a fight with a suit of armor. I lost. I’ll show them next time though… next time.”

A faint smile appeared upon Luna’s lips, but she did not laugh. She did however, shake her head. “Maeve, you are a silly creature. The suits of armor are merciless foes. You would do better taking on hedges once more, or perhaps trying to catch Philomena.”

“I’m going to catch that bird!” Maeve, sitting cross legged with her legs folded up inside of her now torn flowing skirts, crossed her arms over her chest.

“You will never catch that bird. Philomena is wily and has lived for almost as long as my sister and I.” Luna’s smile broadened. “Philomena has a great and powerful mind. Just because she doesn’t speak much of the language that we do does not mean she is a dumb beast.”

Upon hearing the words leaving her mouth, Luna felt a stabbing pain inside of herself and she thought about her own treatment at the hands of the fey. She had been a talking beast and they had done nothing to respect her body. Their cruelty was all the more biting because she had begged and pleaded with them, trying to end it, she had tried to protest it, she had tried to reason with them and had only provided them more amusement instead. Luna thought of Nilzebog, one of the goblins that been her caretaker. Maeve had cleaved him in twain, cutting him from shoulder to groin in one stroke.

“Luna, what do you see when you look into the reflection pool?” Maeve asked as she scratched Luna’s back, dragging her fingernails over Luna’s skin in a light touch.

The inky blue alicorn sighed. “I see nothingness,” she replied as she saw the horrendous nightmare version of herself staring up out of the pool as as Luna gazed in. “Just nothingness. An empty void. I have come to a terrible realisation, Maeve.”

Peering into the reflection pool, perhaps hoping to see what Luna saw, Maeve asked,” “And what have you realised?”

Reaching out her front hoof, Luna touched the surface of the water; she touched Nightmare Moon, their hooves touched together for a moment before the surface of the water broke and Luna’s hoof went in. The reflection pool rippled outwards from her hoof. “I am no better than your father or your captors. I committed unspeakable cruelty. I brought grievous harm to my subjects and to my sister. I am no better than the heartless monsters that ignored my own pleas for mercy as I was tortured and made to submit. I cast a moral judgment upon your father and I had no right to do so after what I had done. I am the worst of all things; a hypocrite.”

Squirming, Maeve did not know how to reply. She had not expected Luna to open up like this. She felt a terrible pain in her chest, a low thudding in her ribcage just behind her budding breasts, and she felt her stomach turn.

“I cannot condemn any of them of anything without also condemning myself of the same things. I was cruel, I was heartless, I gave no thought to how much it might hurt, I paid no heed to the damage I might cause, or how I might have killed almost all life on this planet had I banished the sun away and made it eternal night. I was blinded with hatred and consumed with need. I let my own selfish desires get the better of me.” Luna shook her head. “Maeve, I no longer know how to live with myself or what I have done.”

Scooting closer to Luna, Maeve wrapped her arms around Luna’s neck, taking Luna into a loose half-hug. She could feel Luna’s body hitching as the mare tried to hold back sobs.

A short distance away, Princess Celestia, who had overheard everything, stepped away and retreated upon silenced hooves, leaving the pair alone and hoping that there was some way they could help one another out of the darkness that plagued both of them.

Author's Note

Hopefully a few readers are still with me. How is the story so far?

I understand it is set at a sedate pace. It is meant to be a bit more slowed down sort of story. Healing takes time.

Chapter 5

“Sorceress Maeve Rosethicket, are you feeling better?” Princess Celestia asked as Maeve seated herself at the breakfast table.

“I was feeling bad?” Maeve replied, raising one thin, fiery orange eyebrow.

“Your -ahem- private issue.”

“Oh… that...” Maeve blinked a few times and she looked over at Princess Celestia. “That, uh, cleared up yesterday and it seems to be gone. There goes four days of my life I don’t want to remember.”

Clearing her throat, Princess Celestia held her head high. “Sorceress Maeve… Red Russet’s family is going to be taking a little vacation. They have been working very hard, and they are in need of a respite from their daily toil. There is a vacation cottage off in the Unicorn Range where I sometimes go when I need time to myself. I have made arrangements for you to go with them. Would you like to go?”

“I’d love to go… wait… will there be guards?” Maeve asked.

“Yes, guards are necessary, but they will remain out of the way and you will seldom see them. The cottage is secluded and the guards have their own guard tower. It is a very restful place, so it is a chance for a few lucky guards to get away as well,” Princess Celestia replied.

“I guess Luna won’t be going?” Maeve picked up an orange and began to peel it, pulling off pieces of rind, her nimble fingers making short work of the task.

“No, Luna would not be going. But she and I have talked about this. She wants you to go.” Celestia watched as Maeve peeled the orange; the girl did not even need to look at what she was doing, her finger dexterity was marvelous, which made it a real pity that the rest of her was so clumsy.

“Are you sending me away because I keep wrecking your castle?” Maeve pulled off a wedge of orange, slipped it between her lips, and stared Celestia in the eye as she chewed.

“Yes, that is the reason I am sending you away. You have wrecked my castle for the last time and you are hereby banished, never to return,” Princess Celestia said as the corners of her mouth curled upwards towards her ears.

Maeve swallowed and then pulled off another orange wedge. “I see.” She popped the second wedge into her mouth and chewed with noisy abandon. After gulping down her half chewed food, Maeve said, “I’m sorry about yesterday. It really was an accident. I sneezed and fell down the stairs… I don’t know why you have to have tables with expensive vases at the bottom of a staircase.”

Unable to stop herself, Celestia tittered. “The vase was fixed. With a little magic, the pieces were all put back together and mended. How is your knee?”

“Purple, blue and green,” Maeve replied around a mouthful of orange. “Like your mane. Only ugly bruise colours.”

“Princess Twilight Sparkle, when she was just a little unicorn, was the clumsiest creature I had ever met in my long existence, until I met you.” The smile upon Celestia’s face was full of warm affection and her eyes glinted with emotion as she reminisced. “There was one occasion where Twilight Sparkle tried to get a book off of the top shelf in the royal library. Her telekinesis surged; she ended up knocking the bookshelf over. That bookshelf hit the one next to it. After that, it was like dominoes and there were thousands of books upon the floor. I was quite cross as I recall.”

“So there have been other castle wreckers?” Maeve asked.

“Yes, Maeve my dear, there have been other castle wreckers. And each of them have gone on to do extraordinary things. Well, most of them anyway. I am still waiting on one to redeem herself, I know that she will, she just needs a little time,” Celestia replied.

“So hopefully I don’t wreck your vacation cottage.” Maeve picked up a hard boiled egg sprinkled a little salt upon it.

“I will be understandably grumpy if you do.” Celestia watched as Maeve stuffed the whole egg into her mouth. “Several shorter skirts and tunic tops have been made for you, as well as a few dresses that aren’t quite so long. The cottage is nestled under a great many trees, but the sun is still an issue for you. I have already had a suitable bed sent to the cottage—”

“I don’t need a big bed. I like sleeping all curled up.” Maeve looked Celestia in the eye.

“You are a tall creature. Should you ever desire to stretch out, you need a bed of suitable length.” Celestia shook her head and lifted up her steaming teacup. There had been many times that Celestia had found Maeve curled up in the seat of an overstuffed chair, sleeping. Maeve was catlike in some of her habits, but not in her movements. Celestia had never seen a clumsy cat.

“When are we leaving?” Maeve asked.

“Mid morning,” Celestia replied.

“Thank you… for doing this… for making this possible,” Maeve said.

Clearing her throat, Maeve announced her presence to Princess Luna. One did not sneak up on Princess Luna and startle her, the consequences were disastrous. Maeve was the same way, and the pair shared a mutual understanding of one another’s feelings.

“Maeve.”

“Luna.”

The alicorn lifted her head, turned, and looked over at Maeve, who stood in the doorway. “You’re leaving. Good. You need time out of this wretched castle. I am happy for you.”

“I don’t know how I feel about being apart from you,” Maeve said as she entered the room.

Luna bit down upon her lip, turned away from Maeve, and then her mouth opened a bit as she released her lip. “Maeve, I will not always be here. There are times when my duties will take me away from this place. You will need to learn to get along without me.”

The red haired girl scowled and shook her head. “And who will look after you?”

“Maeve… I do not know,” Luna replied.

“What do I do if I have a nightmare?” Maeve asked.

“Rose Gold will be there to comfort you. So will Red Russet and Quickie Cob,” Luna replied.

“And who will comfort you if you have a nightmare?” Maeve wished that Luna would turn around so that Maeve could look into her eyes.

Luna did not reply right away. She sighed and peered around the table, looking for possible places to place her piece of the picture puzzle, or possible pieces that could be picked up and placed somewhere. So far, only part of the outer edges were finished. When she found an edge piece, she lifted it in her telekinesis and put it aside with other edge pieces.

“How many pieces this time Luna?”

The night blue alicorn sighed. “Ten thousand pieces,” she replied in a huffy voice.

Wincing, Maeve shook her head. Princess Luna’s moods could be measured in puzzle pieces, and this was not a good sign. Luna would be a prisoner in her room for days, weeks even, and Maeve began to suspect that it was because she was leaving.

She thought about not going.

The only way to get Luna to come out of her room while she was working on a puzzle was to help her finish the puzzle, which was easier said than done, bribing her out with treats, which might not work if Luna’s mood was bad enough, or physically dragging her out, which Princess Celestia had done several times.

“This one is double sided, meant to confound mere mortals…”

“Luna!”

“I need something to distract me!” Luna stomped her silver shod hoof. “Some ponies drink. Others smoke tobacco. Some ponies do various alchemical concoctions of dubious quality… I do puzzles. Puzzles keep me sane. While I was chained up in that horrible stable I daydreamed of being able to do puzzles once more.”

Cautious, Maeve approached the table. “Luna, come with us… please?”

“I cannot. I have duties here,” Luna replied.

“Hard to do your duties when you are stuck in your room working on a puzzle.” Maeve folded her arms over her chest. “You can move the moon from anywhere you know.”

“Maeve, I would be a bad time waiting to happen… I would be a wet blanket. I would dampen everypony’s spirits. I would bring misery to all around me,” Luna said, trying to explain to Maeve all the reasons why it she could not go.

“Then don’t be miserable. Come and have fun.” Maeve, now standing beside Luna, was tempted to do the unthinkable and horrendous act that she had thought of, but had never dared to try.

“No Maeve, I will remain here,” Luna replied.

“You leave me with no choice,” Maeve said in a low determined voice. Reaching out her hand, she snatched a puzzle piece from the table and then took of running, hoping that Luna would not cheat.

Using magic was cheating, and cheating was dirty pool.

“RAPSCALLION!” Luna thundered as her wings flared out from her sides. “PUZZLE PIECE STEALING CHURL!” Princess Luna, now incensed, took off after the wretched thief that had stolen one of her puzzle pieces. “I cannot solve the puzzle if there is a piece missing!”

“Come back here, wastrel!”

Her arms pumping, Maeve ran faster and hoped that she would not trip over her flowing dress. Reaching down, she grabbed her skirts and hiked them up. Luna was fast, but Maeve was more maneuverable. Maeve rounded the corner at full speed, almost took a tumble, hopped on one leg sideways a few times, her teeth gritted as she braced for impact, recovered, and took off running.

Luna’s hooves cast sparks from the floor as she ran.

Maeve let go of her skirts with one hand, reached down into a pocket on her bodice, fished out a handful of hard, sour lemon candies, and tossed them down upon the ground as she ran. She let out a breathless giggle.

“Oh you dastardly child!” Luna cried as her hooves scrabbled around on the floor and she struggled to keep herself upright. “Come back with my puzzle piece!” Try as she might, Luna lost her balance because of the little round candies and she went tumbling down to the floor in the most unprincesslike manner one could imagine.

Being a smart girl, Maeve did not slow, she used this time to get some distance between her and Luna. She sprinted away, pulling up her long skirts with her free hand once more, and didn’t even bother looking back.

“GRRRRRRRR!” Luna, now up on her hooves once more, took off at a full gallop. Celestia’s rule about no running in the castle was now forgotten.

Hanging a left, Maeve went down the stairs, taking two or three at a time, hoping she wouldn’t trip again and fall on her face. Near the bottom, she vaulted over the banister, landed on the tile floor, caught her balance at the last moment, and took off running.

Princess Luna lept from the top of the stairs, soared through the air, her wings only half unfurled, and lept down the entire length of the staircase. She crashed into the tile floor with a -THUD!-, snarled, and then took off running once more with her teeth bared.

A poor hapless maid, who happened to be dusting, took one look at the charging human girl with the snarling Princess of the Night right behind her and she fainted, falling over limp.

Maeve crashed through the double doors, lost her footing, and went sliding. The floor was being washed and waxed. Everything was wet and slippery. She tossed out her arms, windmilling them around as she struggled to keep balance.

Behind Maeve, Luna hit the wet floor and began to slide, skating over the tiles.

It was then that Maeve saw the most horrible sight in the whole wide world. Princess Celestia came around the corner with Raven. Maeve shrieked, waving her arms, but she was unable to stop sliding.

Behind her, Luna had the same problem. Luna had turned herself around and was trying to run in the other direction, but her hooves found no traction on the wet floor.

Just as Maeve thought she was going to crash into poor Raven, Princess Celestia’s secretary, she felt her body stop, held in place by magic. She gave Raven and Princess Celestia a sheepish grin. Behind her, she heard Luna as Luna tumbled down to the floor with a clatter of silver shod hooves and a splash.

“She stole my puzzle piece!” Luna cried.

Author's Note

I dunno what happened. This chapter just turned out funny.

Chapter 6

“I cannot believe that my sister banished me from the castle,” Princess Luna said a flat monotone. She turned and looked at Maeve. “This is your fault. This is all your fault. I blame you.”

Maeve made no reply. Flying terrified her. It wasn’t natural to fly, and flying by sky carriage that was pulled by pegasus ponies unnerved her. She felt her stomach doing flip flops and she wondered if perhaps she might die before they reached their destination.

“Maeve, you do not look well.” Princess Luna leaned forwards, one eye was squinted, and she peered at the girl sitting beside her. “Maeve, I would like for you to tell me the major schools of magic.”

“Telekinesis,” Maeve said, beginning her reply. She took a deep breath. “Telepathy. Pyrokinesis. Hydrokinesis. Electrokinesis.” She paused and waited for her nausea to pass. “Floramancy. Faunamancy. Umbrakinesis. Somniomancy.”

“Very good.” Princess Luna looked out the window, something that Maeve refused to do. “We will be landing soon. Just hold on a little longer and this will be over. Be strong.”

“Luna?” Maeve asked in a weak voice.

Turning her head, Luna looked Maeve in the eye. “Yes?”

“What is an animal? Faunamancy… my studies trouble me. We humans don’t think of ourselves as animals, but we do think of ponies as animals… here in a world of magical talking ponies though, many ponies don’t see themselves as animals at all, but do see the lesser beasts around them as animals. The books I am reading say that faunamancy is useful to control the lesser animals and to help nurture the natural world around me, but couldn’t that control also be placed over ponies?” Maeve’s green eyes closed and she rested her head back against the cushioned seat back.

There were no words that Luna felt comfortable saying in response. Maeve’s insight into the nature of the world around her could be troubling at times. Ponies were animals, and the ponies who argued otherwise were fooling themselves. Luna wondered if human beings had the same sorts of arguments.

“I would never want to use magical control over another… that’s just awful,” Maeve said in a raspy whisper.

The carriage shuddered as it was buffeted by wind, causing Maeve to whimper, and Luna looked out the window once more. After looking outside, Luna turned her head towards Maeve and offered the girl a reassuring smile.

“We are coming in for a landing…”

Stepping out of the carriage, which had seemed all too stuffy, Maeve sucked in a lungful of cool, moist air. The ground was soft beneath her thin soled slippers. She stood on landing strip and there were trees on both sides. Bugs flew overhead.

“Red!” Maeve almost tripped over her own feet as she stumbled forwards, glad to see her friend. She plopped down on her knees, kneeling before the colt, and took his face into her hands, giving his cheeks an affectionate squeeze.

“Hi Maeve,” Red said as Maeve smooshed his cheeks.

“Hello, Sorceress Maeve,” Quickie Cob said, bowing his head.

Beside Quickie Cob, Rose Gold gave her husband a soft kick in the fetlocks and narrowed her eyes at him. “Quickie, we talked about this!” she said in loud whisper. Rose Gold moved to Maeve’s side and stood close, but not too close, not wanting to crowd the girl. “Good to see you, dearie.”

“We have everything ready for the both of you.” Quickie Cob pointed off into the trees. “The cottage was has every comfort you could ask for, and there is a nice unicorn named Mulberry that serves as the cook. Mulberry is a nice sort, but he don’t say much.”

“Mulberry!” Luna cried. “Oh I like Mulberry! Everything really is better with gravy!” Luna’s wings fluttered at her sides while she spoke, her voice loud and almost echoing among the trees. “Mmm, thick, creamy gravy, with lots of pepper, delicious when served on biscuits or slices of cornbread.” Licking her lips, Luna took off at a trot into the trees, following a narrow trail.

“Mulberry’s cutie mark is a gravy ladle… He’s an older stallion, word has it that Princess Celestia allowed him to retire a little early after Princess Luna started to become… pleasantly plump.”

“Portly is more like it—”

“Quickie Cob! Don’t make me end you!” Rose Gold cried, looking mortified from hearing her husband’s words.

Covering her mouth with one hand, Maeve began to giggle as she stood up. She gave Red’s ear a gentle tug with her other hand as she got to her feet. Still giggling, she peered through the trees, trying to get a glimpse of Luna. Maeve recovered from motion sickness in the way that only young children could recover, her experience now forgotten.

“Come on, both of you, it will be time for lunch in a little while, and we should be going,” Rose Gold said to Red Russet and Maeve.

Looking around her room, Maeve fell in love with it. It was small, compared to her room back at the castle, but it was also cozy. There was a small cast iron stove against the far wall, a tiny thing, but it got cold here at night, or so Celestia had said. The door was almost oval shaped and both of the windows were shaped like keyholes. There was a thick, heavy looking patchwork quilt upon the bed.

Stepping out of her room, Maeve returned to the central room of cottage, which was much larger than she thought it would be. She had been expecting a tiny cottage for some reason, this place was of good size. The wooden rafters overhead were all carved and there were a million epic tiny scenes to study. The central room was an elongated oval. It seemed that Celestia liked circular things rather than sharp corners and angles. One half of the main room functioned as a dining area. The other half had no sofas, no couches, nothing of the sort. There were several bowl shaped basins on the stone floor filled with cushions.

In the center of the room was a massive stone fireplace that was open on both sides, so that the dining area and the sitting area could be heated. Maeve stood staring at the fireplace, it was thousands of stones of all shapes and sizes mortared together.

Maeve had slipped off her dirty slippers and was now going around barefooted, enjoying the feeling of the cool, smooth stone against her feet. She made her way to Luna’s door and pushed her way inside.

Luna’s room wasn’t much different than her own. It was about the same size, had a tiny cast iron stove against the wall, two windows, the only thing different was the bed, which wasn’t as long as Maeve’s bed was.

Looking up from her bed, Luna sighed and smiled at Maeve. “It feels good to be here, I must confess, I am glad I came.”

“This place is wonderful,” Maeve said as she stepped out of Luna’s room to continue having a good look around the magnificent stone cottage.

There was a plop as a fat frog lept into the pond. The water looked a little green, this was not a pond suitable for swimming, but Maeve was enchanted by it anyway. There reeds and cattails in one half of the pond and open water in the other half. A stone jutted up out of the water, forming a natural shelf, and there was a big box turtle sunning itself.

There was an island of sunlight around the pond in the middle of a sea of sun dappled shadows from the many trees all around. When the wind picked up, the moving leaves and branches caused the beams of sunlight to dance upon the spongy loam of the forest floor.

“Everything is soft,” Red said as he walked around the pond, poking his head into the long grass. “The earth feels so alive here, compared to Canterlot.”

“So much cooler here.” Maeve sat down on a rock near the pond. She inhaled through her nose, filling her lungs with moist air fragrant with the scents of the forest all around them. Something buzzed near her head, but she did not turn her head in time to see it.

“Canterlot gets cold because of the high altitude.” Red lifted his head and watched bugs skating over the surface of the pond. “But you’re right, it does feel so much cooler here.”

Reaching out her hand, Maeve placed her fingertips on a tree and closed her eyes. The land, the trees, everything was different here. Everything was alive here in Equestria… or perhaps her magic had awakened her to the world around her. Maeve could never quite tell. The tree caused a strange tickle-prickle in her fingers as she touched it. The tree was a simple thing. She could sense that it wanted to grow taller so that it could get more of the sun.

“Maeve… you’re glowing,” Red gasped.

Opening her eyes, Maeve saw a faint silvery blue light around her hand. It dimmed, faded, and disappeared as her concentration was broken. She smiled, blinked, pulled her hand away from the tree, and stared at her fingers. She still had no clue how or why she could use magic. The fey seemed to understand something about her, knowing some detail about her that Maeve did not know or understand, but they had told her nothing.

Her magic was strong, capable of reaching through to other realities and touching others, as she had done with Luna. But she had no comprehension of how or why her magic worked. It was baffling, mystifying, and something she wished that she could have answered.

There were no answers and it left Maeve feeling bitter.

“Maeve?” Red, who was sitting down in the grass, looked over the human girl that was his only friend, his muzzle contorted with a flood of emotions.

“What is it, Red?” Maeve replied. She dropped her hand and looked over at the earth pony colt.

“I heard my parents talking before we made the trip here.” Red looked down at his front hooves, his eyes narrowing and his mane spilling over his face. “Does it bother you that I’m a colt?”

“What?” Maeve blinked a few times and felt a peculiar sensation welling up inside of her, some unknown and unidentifiable emotion. Something about the question bothered her.

“Look, I know that something really bad happened to you. I mean, we’ve talked a little, I know you have troubles being touched, and you don’t like feeling weight on your body.” Red looked up, a pained expression on his face. “And I heard my parents talking. I heard some things that have really bothered me and left me worried about… us… being friends. I’m male… and some awful things were done to you and I’m so scared that you might be afraid of me or might not want me to touch you at all or—”

“Red, stop,” Maeve held up her hand. “You’re not human.” She shook her head.

“I’m still scared, Maeve. I feel so bad for you that it hurts me. There are times I want to hug you and make you feel better and I can’t and I understand a bit more about why now and I don’t see how you are ever going to heal up and get better from this and I’ve been wanting to talk to my mom and my dad about this but I don’t know how and I’m worried I’ll get in trouble for eavesdropping, which is a big time no-no.” Red sucked in a deep breath and let it out in huff.

For Maeve, the pond between her and Red now seemed more like an ocean, an impossible distance. She could hear him snuffling, but she did not know how to comfort him.

“Maeve, Red, it is lunch time! Come back for lunch!” Rose Gold called from the cottage.

Author's Note

It feels nice to write this.

Chapter 7

“Concentrate, Maeve. Remember what I told you. Deep breaths and retain your focus,” Luna said, offering gentle instruction. Luna, who was smiling, looked down at Red Russet, who was watching Maeve with slack jawed expression.

Whispering, so he would not disturb Maeve, Red asked, “How does she do that without a horn?”

Wrapping a wing around the earth pony colt, Luna replied in a low whisper, “I do not know. It is a great mystery to me. But she has power.”

The pair watched as the stone that Maeve levitated above her hand began a gentle spin. Red relaxed against Luna’s side, realising that she was just another pony and she was nothing to be afraid of.

“Maeve, if you train yourself, Red never need to fear stumbling around you, you will be able to catch him before he brings harm to himself. The same energy can be used to shield yourself and those you love. Feel it flowing through you. The stone has no weight unless you believe it does,” Luna said in a soft whisper to her student.

A rivulet of sweat trickled down the back of Maeve’s neck. The stone felt heavy, no matter what Luna said. The weight was in her mind, it caused her brain to strain and she could feel a headache coming on as a dull, pulsating throb began to happen between her ears.

“Mind over matter… what the mind can conceive, your magic can achieve,” Luna said, noticing that Maeve was starting to sweat. “You have held the stone in your hand, so you know it is heavy. The memory lingers in your mind. Banish it. If your belief is firm enough, the stone will be weightless. It is how my sister and I move celestial bodies, it is because we believe that we can.”

As Maeve’s concentration broke, she let out a pained cry as one exceptional thud struck her between her ears. The pressure inside of her head made her worry that her eyes would pop out, so she squeezed them shut. She felt a shortness of breath and it seemed that every inch of her skin was now soaked in sweat.

Opening her eyes, she looked down at the stone and saw that it wasn’t a single stone. It had cracked in two. Maeve’s gaze rose, slow, uncertain, and her eyes met Luna’s. Maeve saw admiration, pride… and fear.

“I think that’s enough for today,” Luna said, her eyes dropping back down to the split stone. “We will continue this lesson tomorrow, if you are feeling up to it. I think I shall go and take a nap. I am feeling sleepy.”

“Sleep well, Luna.” Maeve wiped sweat from her face with her hands, then blinked blinked when the sweat got into her eyes and made them sting.

“Maeve, this entire place has a wall around it. Feel free to go anywhere you wish, just do not go over the wall,” Luna said to Maeve.

“I have no intention of going over the wall.” Maeve, still blinking the stinging sweat out of her eyes, remembered Ponyville and shuddered. “I think I’ll go find the creek that is supposed to be around here somewhere. You coming with me, Red?”

Ahead, the trees parted, and Maeve saw the creek that she had been listening to as she walked. A small pool had been made, filled with small rocks, and the water looked clean and clear. The creek was narrow, widened out for the pool, and then narrowed out once more.

It was idyllic. The late afternoon sun shone down and most of the pool was in partial shade. A long, flat, broad stone lay upon the shore and stretched down into the water, providing a natural ramp into get in and out. The pool did not appear to be too deep, perhaps just above waist deep on Maeve.

After staring at the pool, Maeve realised it was too deep to stand in without getting everything wet. She raised one hand and began to tap upon her chin with her index finger as Red Russet walked to the edge of the pool and stared down into the depths. He stuck out his leg and touched the water, dunking himself in up to his fetlock.

Poking down at the water with his hoof, Red looked at Maeve. “This is too deep… I could drown in here. Plus, if I slipped on the rock getting in, I could break something.” Sighing, the colt took a few steps backwards and sat down upon the grass.

“If I got in there, my skirt would get wet.” Maeve frowned and looked at the sparkling water, unable to stop thinking about inviting it looked. The pool glittered as though it was filled with diamonds. It was just about the perfect depth for a large alicorn in need of a good dunk. “I really want to go for a dip.”

“This is why I never wear clothing.” Red looked up at Maeve, feeling a peculiar feeling as he looked at her. He watched as she took off her sun hat and her fiery orange hair began to spill out around her shoulders. “Some ponies wear clothing, I never understood why.”

Maeve looked around, looked at Red, and had a troubling thought. Red Russet was a pony. An animal. Yet, so was she, she supposed. Red was not human, but he was male. Maeve suffered a mental conundrum that she did not know how to put into words. She looked at the water, then at Red, and then at the water once more. Red was an animal, but he was an intelligent animal. He was aware of concepts like embarrassment and feeling awkward and he knew about nakedness. Maeve tossed her hat down into the grass and sighed.

Feeling very awkward, Maeve pulled off her tunic, folded it, and placed it into the grass. She stood wearing her chemise and she could feel the breeze blowing through the thin fabric. She was all too aware of the fact that it was almost see though and she tried to tell herself that Red was only a pony. Popping a few buttons, she took off her skirt, then her slip, and then she stood there in her knee length bloomers. She folded her slip and her skirt and placed them down upon her folded tunic.

Clambering up onto the rock, she took a few careful steps, felt a shiver when her foot touched the cold water, and then continued down the incline until she was knee deep. The water was much colder than she thought. Closing her eyes, there was only one way to deal with cold water. She fell forward into the pool.

The water was cold. So very cold. When her head broke the surface of the water, Maeve gasped and blinked from the shock of her body being dunked in the cold water. She stood, her feet braced against the bottom, and she could feel small rocks and fine sand between her toes.

Waiting in the water, hoping that some of the chill would go away, Maeve felt her teeth begin to chatter. Sometimes, when one dunked themselves, the initial feeling of cold would subside and the water would be tolerable. Maeve was beginning to understand that was not the case here. She could feel her muscles cramping, there were painful stabbing sensations as the cold crept into body, like right behind her knees. She pushed her way through the water, got a foothold on the incline of the rock ramp, and climbed up out of the navel deep pool. Once clear of the water, she sat down on the rock, which was hot from the sun. She pulled her knees up to her chest and began to shiver.

“The water didn’t feel that cold,” Red said as he listened to Maeve’s teeth chattering.

Maeve did not reply. She could not reply. Her jaw clenched as she tried to make her teeth stop chattering as she fought her need to shiver.

“I don’t think you are as durable as we ponies are. You burn in the sun, you freeze at the slightest hint of cold, I think it is because you are a mostly hairless monkey-thing.” Red cocked his head to the side and watched as Maeve tried to warm herself up.

Mostly hairless monkey-thing, Maeve thought to herself. If Red wasn’t so frail and she wasn’t so weak, she’d toss him into the pool and show him what a mostly hairless monkey-thing could do.

“I never realised your mane was so long… it comes down to the middle of your back when it's wet. Usually it hangs at your shoulders. You’re mane must be really, really frizzy,” Red said, oblivious to what it was that he was saying to Maeve and its effect upon her.

Scowling, still shivering, Maeve sat on the sun warmed rock, hating her hair. It was always a frizzy unmanageable mess, and it was red. Other people had called her ‘Ginger’ and all manner of awful names. There were only two beings that could make Maeve’s hair behave. One was her mother, who was gone, and the other was Celestia, who had infinite patience along with powerful magic.

“Maeve? Maeve, I can see something on your back, are you okay? I can see through your shirt thingy.” Red got up and trotted a little closer to Maeve, his eyes squinting to see through the white fabric.

Feeling ashamed, Maeve closed her eyes and focused on repressing her need to shiver. “It’s a brand. Princess Luna has one too. When we were captured, they branded us. I was kept as a slave. Luna was kept as livestock.” Behind her, she heard a choking sound and she turned her head. She saw that Red’s eyes were damp with tears and there was a pained expression upon his face. She scrabbled over the rock, scooting along, until she sat in the grass beside Red. Reaching out, she patted the colt upon neck as he was overcome with sniffles and then began to stroke his ears.

“I don’t understand how somepony could do that to somepony else,” Red said as he squeezed his eyes shut and struggled to hold back tears, his barrel heaving as his struggle intensified. “I’m so sorry you were hurt.”

Still stroking Red’s ear, Maeve scooted a little closer. “It’s okay… it doesn’t hurt very much anymore.” Maeve realised that Red, for all of his seeming maturity, was still a colt, and a soft hearted one at that. As she thought about this, she felt Red’s head brush up against her. She froze, feeling panicked, all of her muscles tensing from the contact. She didn’t want to shove Red away, he was grief stricken and sad. Maeve struggled with her rising panic and fear. A wave of nausea hit her and for a moment, she thought she was going to be sick. Reaching out both arms, she wrapped them around Red’s neck and pulled him close to her, clinging to him, hoping her fear and panic would pass, while also hoping that Red would feel better.

The colt was warm against her chest, his body heat felt good against her cold skin, and Maeve could feel the soft velvet of his hide through her thin chemise. She felt his nose pressed up into her neck, pressing in against the curve of her jaw, and she could feel his hot, moist breath against her skin. After the initial panic, which was now fading, Maeve discovered that this hug felt nice. She pulled Red a little closer into a gentle embrace, and with one hand, she stroked his withers. He was also very, very warm, and Maeve was still very, very cold.

“You’re wet,” Red said in a muffled voice, his words tickling Maeve’s neck.

Feeling reluctant about her actions, Maeve pulled away and looked at Red. It had felt nice to hug somepony and Maeve wished that such a thing was not so difficult for her. With one hand, she brushed his mane out of his eyes and then gave his ear a tug.

“Now I’m wet,” Red said, complaining so he could ignore his awkward feelings that he was experiencing. Reaching upwards with his trembling hoof, he pushed aside a soaked tendril of fiery orange hair from Maeve’s cheek, revealing a wealth of freckles, making certain that he did not scrape her skin.

“Thank you, Red, for always being so nice to me, and for being my friend…”

Author's Note

Hopefully there are people reading. :unsuresweetie:

Chapter 8

Tiptoeing, Maeve crept along the hallway, hoping that she would not be seen. It was nighttime, most of the inhabitants of the castle were sleeping, but not all. In the pocket of Maeve’s filthy smock were several carrots, carrots she had saved from her own meal, little, wilted, sad looking things, somewhat wooden as old carrots tend to be, but still carrots. Her stomach rumbled and made squelching sounds as she crept from shadow to shadow.

A terrible stench filled Maeve’s nostrils, the smell of pigs. Many, many pigs. She hated the smell, she hated everything about this place. She hated her master, she hated his wife, and she hated Queen Oonagh. Tír na hÓige was not a pleasant place.

Cracking open the door to the stables, Maeve peered through the crack, looking for Nilzebog. It was late and Maeve hoped that the goblin was passed out drunk and not awake. There was no sign of him, so she crept through the door, alert to danger.

She passed the horses, which were sleeping, moving from shadow to shadow, pillar to pillar, moving to Luna’s stall. She opened the door and slipped in, her eyes straining to see in the dim light. All four of Luna’s legs were chained to the floor. The skin around her shackles was bloody and raw. One of Luna’s eyes was swollen shut and crusted over with blood. She lay on her side, one teal eye glittering in the near darkness.

“You should not be here,” Luna whispered when she saw Maeve. “They’ll beat you again.”

“I brought you some carrots,” Maeve said to Luna, kneeling down on the filthy stones of the stable floor. She reached into the pocket of her smock and pulled out the carrots she had, grabbed one in her other hand, and held it out for Luna.

Ravenous, Luna began to devour the carrot, not caring it was dirty, that it was wilted, or that it was a bit wooden. Famished, she bit her own lip by accident, drawing blood, and did not notice as she continued to gobble down the carrot that Maeve held out for her.

Patient, Maeve held out each carrot for Luna, not wanting to place them down upon the filthy floor. While Luna was eating, Maeve kept turning her head, listening for the sounds of footsteps upon the stone floor, fearing that she might be discovered.

When Luna had finished eating, Maeve took off, silent as a mouse, off to look for a bucket and some water. She moved around the stables, slow, cautious, wary for danger, and she returned with two buckets of water. One so Luna could drink, the other so that Maeve could clean Luna up a bit.

When she put down the first bucket in front of Luna, Luna stuck most of her face into it and began to drink, sucking down as much water as she could, almost choking as she swallowed. Maeve waited for Luna to recover and drink a bit more. When Luna had finished, Maeve dipped her hand into the other bucket and then tried to wipe away the encrusted blood over Luna’s closed eye. She dipped her hand into the bucket again, cupped this time, and scooped out some water, which she dribbled over the crusted blood, hoping it would soften.

“Maeve, if you could help me,” Luna said in a soft pleading voice, her good eye closing. “They bred with me one of their horses again… they tied me to a tall bench… Maeve, I am torn up back there, I need your help.”

Saying nothing, gritting her teeth, Maeve nodded and continued to try and remove the crusted blood from Luna’s eye. She dribbled more water over it, wiped with her thumbs, and then, after much effort, Luna’s other eye opened. The eye itself was bloodshot and could only open a tiny bit, so much was the swelling. Luna blinked a few times and then rested her head down upon Maeve’s lap. Maeve shook her hands off, trying to get them somewhat clean, dipped them into the water bucket, and then tried to clean the filth out of Luna’s ears, which were hot to the touch.

“Thought I heard sumptin.”

The voice chilled Maeve’s blood. She looked up, fearful, and saw Nilzebog. Her eyes narrowed as she stared up at him in defiance, and she held Luna’s head in her hands.

“I’m gonna have me a good time floggin’ you… when I return you to your master, you won’t be sittin’ down or sleepin’ on your back for a week,” Nilzebog said. The goblin grinned, revealing blackened broken teeth, teeth broken by Luna, who had kicked him in the face during their first meeting.

Moving with surprising speed, Maeve picked up a bucket and hurled it at Nilzebog, who ducked. She watched as he toppled over, slipping on the now slick stone floor, the fat gross creature was a bit too top heavy. She sprung away from Luna, darting out through the stable door, and then looked around, desperate to find anything that might help. She spotted a shovel leaning up against a doorframe.

Leaping past the thrashing Nilzebog, Maeve snatched up the shovel, gripped it in both hands, whirled around, and then she swung with as much strength as she could muster, striking Nilzebog with the shovel. There was a loud metallic gong sound as she shovel came down upon Nilzebog’s head.

“Damnable tart!” Nilzebog shouted as he got to his feet, rubbing his head with his hand. “I should skin you alive for the headache you just gave me, ya bint!”

Maeve swung again, trying as much force as she could muster into the blow. The shovel was snatched by Nilzebog, who tore it out of her hands and then tossed it away. A second later, Maeve felt something strike her in the side of her head, which caused white explosions in her vision. Everything went silent as she tumbled down to the floor, she was unable to hear anything for several agonising moments, and then low ringing sound began to fill her ears as she lay on the ground, flailing about, unable to do much of anything.

A sharp kick landed in Maeve’s ribs, knocking the wind out of her. She gasped, struggling to breathe, her mouth open, her ears still ringing. She rolled over and tried to squirm away, but wasn’t able to do more than just lay there, gasping for air.

“How dare ye fight back, you grotty little fire haired cunt, I have half a mind to tear yer dainty little asshole a new one, I don’t care what your master says!”

Something impacted with Maeve’s stomach, striking her with terrific force, and now the starbursts in her vision were red. She flailed around, unable to defend herself, and then another blow struck her in the stomach. Choking, unable to breathe, Maeve retched, vomiting up what little dinner she had eaten a few hours ago.

Uncoiling the leather whip that hung from his belt, Nilzebog stood over Maeve, leering down at the helpless girl on the floor who was gasping like a fish out of water. “I’m gonna take my time workin’ you over… your master said you were to learn a lesson if you ever snuck out again…”

Falling out of the bed and kicking around on the floor, Maeve woke up. She struggled to breathe, each breath ragged and painful as she sucked air into her lungs. Gasping, almost sobbing, Maeve lay on the cool stone floor, her cheek pressed against it, glad for the cool sensation against her skin. As she lay there, she heard hooves on the stone floor.

“Maeve?”

Unable to answer, Maeve focused on breathing. She closed her eyes, turned her head, and pressed her other cheek against the floor. Both hands were clenched into fists and blood trickled out from between her fingers as her fingernailed pressed into her flesh.

“Are you okay? What did you dream about this time?”

Rolling over, Maeve curled up into a fetal position on the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees, hugging her legs to her chest. She inhaled through her nose and exhaled out of her mouth. After doing this several times, she opened her eyes and said, “The night I fought back for the first time.” Maeve felt a somewhat damp nose press into her neck and give her a nudge.

“I was very proud of you, hitting that goblin in the head with a shovel. It did not do much good, but you showed spirit.” Luna’s voice was gentle, reassuring, and she gave Maeve another gentle nudge. “It was far more satisfying when you killed him, cutting him in half.”

Her eyes still closed, Maeve thought about the feeling of Lann na Gealaí Dubh in her hands, both hands, and the feeling of the blade striking Nilzebog in the shoulder and her clumsy downward chop cutting him from shoulder to groin, slicing through bone, gristle, and guts. She recalled the way the grip of the sword relayed the sensation of cleaving through bone to her hands. She had felt it in her elbows and hot blood had spurted onto her face.

“Would you like for me to fix you some of your calming tea?” Luna asked, her lips inches away from Maeve’s ear. She saw Maeve nodding and once more, Luna gave the girl lying upon the stone floor a reassuring nudge.

The teacup trembled in Maeve’s hands as she took a sip and then, with great care, Maeve set the cup down upon the table. Looking up, her eyes met Luna’s. Maeve sat up and straightened out her shoulders. “Red saw my brand today.”

“Did he now? That would mean that you took your clothing off.” Luna’s brows lowered by a fraction of an inch. “I must assume that you went swimming?”

“The water was too cold. I still had on my underclothes.” Maeve’s gaze dropped back down to her teacup. “I had some strange thoughts today when I got undressed and went for a swim.”

“Such as?” Luna asked.

“I got to thinking that Red is a male and he’s intelligent and I was getting naked in front of him and he understood what nakedness is and I felt funny when I thought about it. Red is an animal, but he is a smart animal, and I suppose I’m an animal too… and I was kinda worried about him looking at me and seeing me naked,” Maeve replied.

Luna began to chuckle and her wings fluttered at her sides. “Why would a pony care about what a human looks like naked?”

“I don’t know.” Maeve shrugged. “It felt very strange… it sort of hurt. I didn’t want him seeing my scars and thinking I was ugly.” Maeve picked up her teacup and stared down into the sloshing brown liquid as she held it in her trembling hands.

The chuckling ceased and Luna leaned forwards over the table. “You want Red to think that you are pretty? Maeve, your face is turning quite red, are you okay?”

Feeling sulky, and not knowing why, Maeve muttered, “Every little girl wants to know that they are pretty. That’s what my mama said. There are no human boys around and I don’t know if I’m pretty or not and it kind of worries me. I have all of these horrible scars and this brand on my back. I don’t think I’m very pretty at all.”

“And you hope that Red thinks that you are pretty?” Luna’s tone was serious and held no trace of teasing. Her intense stare was focused upon Maeve’s face.

“He’s my friend, he’ll be honest with me,” Maeve said, trying to explain her feelings.

“But he’s a pony, and you, you are very different.” Luna expression became one of concern. “I understand what it is that you want, or at least I think I do, but he is going to have very different ideas about what is pretty.”

“When I was hugging him today, I realised how alone I am here. There are no others like me. It makes me hurt sometimes when I think about it.”

“You were hugging Red?” Luna’s head tilted off to one side.

“It just sort of happened. I was cold, and wet, and miserable, and he could see my brand through my chemise because it was wet, and he felt bad for me, but earlier he called me a hairless monkey thing and talked about how frizzy my hair was and I kinda wanted to toss him into the water for calling me a hairless monkey thing, but then after he saw my brand and I felt ashamed because he had seen it, then he started crying and I didn’t know what to do… He touched me and I thought I was going to get sick but then I grabbed him and I pulled him close to me and I was still soaking wet and freezing and my teeth were chattering so hard and I don’t know what happened, but it felt really nice to hug him.”

“Oh…” Luna lifted up her teacup. “Well then, that explains everything.”

“What do you mean, Luna?” Maeve asked, one eyebrow drifting up towards her hairline as she peered over her teacup at Luna.

“Nothing. Do not worry about it. For now, just be happy that Red is your very best friend,” Luna replied.

Author's Note

Nilzebog is an anagram for Ze Goblin. I just thought I should point that out.

Chapter 9

After pulling the blankets up to Maeve’s chin, Luna stepped away from the sleeping human girl, feeling very alone and unsettled. Stepping backwards, she made her way to the door, her eyes never once leaving Maeve, and a dreadful heaviness settled in Luna’s heart.

Luna knew she was no better than their captors and the knowledge pained her.

They had arrived at the castle, stepping through a doorway and into the dining room. Maeve had been as limp as a rag doll. Luna had asked for help, had asked for hospitality, and the fey had offered their own particular hospitality in return, talking about debt. With the fey, it was all about debt. Maeve and Luna had nothing to pay in return for their host’s hospitality, so Maeve had been taken as a slave and Luna had become livestock.

Maeve and Luna had no say in the matter, there was no arguing, no begging, no pleading. Luna whimpered when she thought about it, her cry was a soft agonised sound. Luna had once tried to plunge the entire world into darkness, had tried to force others to obey her, to worship her, she had once tried to take away the free will and the choices of an entire world. What the fey had done to her and Maeve, she had tried to do to the entire world, to take every living thing and make all of life a slave to her whims, forced to do her bidding or perish in the dark of the night. The fey demanded that Maeve be subservient and submissive if she wanted food and water; Luna, when she had become Nightmare Moon, she had held similar plans, knowing that life would not thrive during the endless night. Life would have been contingent upon pleasing Luna and satisfying her twisted desires.

Closing her eyes, Luna took a final step backwards, closed the door, pressed her face against the cool wood, opened her eyes, and then started to weep, soft silent sobs, hoping that she wouldn’t disturb anypony.

Sobbing against the door, Luna whispered, “I am so sorry…”

Quickie Cob was a tall solid looking earth pony, his pelt was a mossy green, and his mane was like fine cornsilk. He stood out in sharp contrast against Rose Gold, who was shorter, stouter, and a bit more heavy set. He leaned over, pressing against his wife, and watched as Maeve and Red Russet watched ladybugs.

“I think I like her—”

“Cobby, don’t be terrible!” Rose looked at her husband, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

The stallion heaved a powerful sigh and then chuckled. “Okay Rose Nose, all jokes, aside, I do like her. Even if she is strange looking. She’s good to Red and that goes a long way in my book.”

“Cobby… don’t test my patience…”

“My beloved Rose Nose, you wound me.” The stallion dropped his head and kissed his wife upon the cheek, leaving behind a somewhat slobbery smooch. “She is funny looking, but I like funny looking. I married you, didn’t I?”

“Cad!” Rose Gold took a swipe at her husband with her hoof, but he was already running. She let out a whinny and took off in pursuit of her husband.

“I wish I could run,” Red said as he watched his parents. “It’s awful, being a pony and not being able to run. Running is such a big part of what we are.”

Reaching out her hand, Maeve gave a gentle tug on Red’s ear and then began to scratch just behind his ears. Barefooted, she flexed and wiggled her toes in the damp grass, inhaled, enjoying the smell of damp earth, lush forest, and the smell of wood smoke.

“They still act like foals together.” Red sighed and watched his parents. “They still play tag. I like watching them play… it gives me a chance to imagine that I’m running alongside them.” He leaned over a little as Maeve’s fingers moved onto a itchy spot and worked their magic. “I am going to be a foal forever.”

“What are you talking about, Red?” Maeve turned her eyes away from Quickie and Rose Gold to have a look at her companion. “How can you be a foal forever?”

Red Russet’s whole demeanour changed. The colt swallowed, cleared his throat, and then stared down into the grass. “At the end of the summer, I’m going to go to Manehatten and I’m going to be staying there for a while and seeing some doctors. They want to stop my growth and keep me at about this size. They say my legs will never hold my weight as an adult and I’ll constantly have stress fractures and hairline fractures and little breaks in my bones and when that happens I’ll be stuck in the bed.” The colt fell silent and and he lifted his eyes to watch his parents as they ran. “Other ponies have had this brittle bones disease. This is a new means of treatment. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very, very grateful that Princess Celestia had sponsored me and has offered to pay the bill, and this is going to help me out a whole lot, but I don’t want to be foal sized forever. I’m approaching the limit of what my bones can deal with though and they are already under a lot of strain.”

“Being small doesn’t seem so bad.” Maeve gave Red’s ear another tug.

“I can’t play. I can’t run around. Now, I’ll never grow up. I’ll never be adult. No filly, no mare will ever, ever be interested in me. I’m going to stay a little colt forever and my mother is going to use this as an opportunity to baby me until I die.” Red eased himself down into the grass, got comfortable, and rested his head upon his crossed front legs.

“I’m sorry, Red. I really am.”

“Why are you sorry? This isn’t your fault.” Red’s eyes glanced over at Maeve.

“But I am your friend—”

“You are my only friend,” Red muttered, his gaze returning to his parents, who were still galloping around the trees. He felt tears sting his eyes and a burning feeling of frustration welled up within him, but no trace of what he was feeling showed upon his face. He said nothing about only ever having a friend. He said nothing about never finding love, or getting married, or being a father, he said nothing about any of these things. Red was the quiet sort, and he kept certain things to himself. Instead, all he said was, “You’re the best sort of friend I could hope for… thanks, Maeve.”

“You have other friends.” Maeve’s face contorted in a frown of concentration. “Princess Celestia likes you, Doctor Greycrest—”

“All of them are adults. They are nice to me because they are polite and they feel pity for me.” Red lifted his head and then shook it as his ears pinned back. “Can we talk about something else? I don’t want to ruin what might be a nice day.”

“Sure, Red, we can talk about anything you like,” Maeve replied.

Looking down from her tree branch, Maeve checked up on Red. He was laying in a spot of sun, napping, and sunning himself. He looked a little happier. Maeve returned her attention to the serious business of tree climbing. She glanced upwards and then reached up with both arms. She grabbed a branch overhead, got a good grip with her fingers, and then pulled herself up as she kicked and used her feet against the trunk to help her get a grip. Once she got herself up to the point where the branch was at her waist, she folded herself over the branch, lifted one leg, hooked her toes onto the branch, and then raised herself into a standing position on the branch. She looked down and felt a little dizzy. The ground seemed quite some distance away.

The easiest way to fix this problem was to just not look down. Maeve looked upwards instead. Reaching up, she grabbed another branch and began to pull herself up higher, determined to get up as high as possible. She shimmied up the trunk, pulling herself from one branch to the next, and it was getting easier now that she was higher up and the branches were closer together.

At last, she found a comfortable fork in the tree to sit in. She rested her back against the trunk and propped her legs up on a curved branch. It was wide enough to sit upon in safety and so Maeve relaxed. She also looked down.

Looking down was a mistake. She realised just how high up she was, and she felt her stomach start doing flip flops as her bowels quivered. She gulped, forced herself to look down for a few seconds longer, and then closed her eyes.

“No more looking down,” she said to herself as her whole body trembled.

Contemplating her situation, Maeve came to the realisation that there was no way she could get down without falling. Climbing down would mean looking down to see where to place her feet, and looking down brought about a dreadful feeling nausea inducing vertigo.

“Oh… fudge.” Maeve pondered her options. Trying to get down was right out. Which meant that she had to send Red for help. Red getting help meant that a guard might be summoned, which was bad, because a pegasus might mean being grabbed and picked up, which meant that she have to endure severe panic as she struggled with being grabbed. The other option was sending Red to go wake up Luna, who had been sound asleep in her room.

There was still the option of falling and plunging to her death, which was starting to become an appealing option. Luna would never let her hear the end of this, and no doubt, Princess Celestia was would hear about this as well at some point. Maeve sighed in defeat.

Maeve cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “Hey, Red!”

The colt awoke with a snort and began to look around, his sleepy blinking causing him to look rather adorable, all things considered. He yawned, blinked a few more times, and continued looking for his friend.

“Look up!” Maeve commanded.

Red craned his head and began to peer upwards. He let out a terrified squeal when he saw Maeve and began to tremble as he stared upwards, open mouthed. “Maeve… what are you doing up there?”

“I’m safe enough for the moment, but I can’t get down. Could you please go wake up Princess Luna?” Maeve replied.

Red squealed again, panted in panic a few times, and then let out a low moan. The colt took off, taking careful steps so he wouldn’t injure himself. “Stupid hairless monkey… getting stuck up in a tree…”

Looking down, Maeve saw quite a crowd of ponies approaching. The cook was down there, Mulberry. She saw Quickie Cob and Rose Gold. She could see Red Russet riding upon his father’s back so the group could move with more speed. She saw several royal guards, which did not seem necessary at all. And she saw Princess Luna, who did not look awake. Some days, Luna could be awake in the daylight with no problems. Other days… not so much.

Not knowing what else to do, Maeve waved at the crowd when they approached.

“Maeve Rosethicket, don’t you move! I want you alive when you come down here, so I can lecture you to death!”

Cringing, Maeve felt a spike of panic. Red’s mother, Rose Gold, sounded very, very angry. Her face was twisted into a furious scowl that Maeve could see from her lofty vantage point. Maybe getting down was a bad idea. Maeve wondered how long she could stay up here. Spending her entire life in a tree didn’t seem so bad.

“Is this some sort of innate primate need?” Luna asked in a sleepy voice as she peered upwards, squinting in the sun. “Most of us equines have an innate need to keep our hooves upon the ground. Have you decided to return to the trees? Shall I have an arboreal bedroom constructed so that you might satisfy this newfound desire to live in a tree? Do you plan to hoot at us and fling feces?”

Groaning, Maeve closed her eyes and allowed her head to fall back against the tree trunk. She had this coming, no doubt about that. She was going to have to endure whatever sarcasm Luna had to offer.

“Answer me, you silly simian,” Luna demanded.

“Look, it seemed like a good idea at the time,” Maeve replied.

“You have to be over fifty feet upwards… tell me, silly simian, how did that strike you as a good idea?” Luna asked. “You have no wings, and you seem to lack the arboreal nature of your simian cousins. Specifically, you lack the means to get down.”

“I know I have this lecture coming, but could you please lecture me on the ground? Pretty please?” Maeve tried to sound as polite as possible as she made her request, hoping that she could hurry up and get down. She would never say it out loud, but she needed to pee.

“Very well. I am coming up there to get you. But you and I are going to have a long, long talk about common sense… you silly simian.”

“That’s Sorceress Silly Simian, and don’t you forget it!” Maeve shouted.

“Oh… Sorceress… by all means, magic yourself down!” Luna replied.

“Look, please, just come up here and get me! Luna, help me, I gotta pee! We can talk about this later!”

“Very well, do not move, I am coming up there to get you,” Luna said as she spread her wings and took flight.

Author's Note

Maeve could live in a tree if she wanted to... but how would she pack her trunk and leaf?

Chapter 11

“You know Red, I like living dangerously,” Maeve said as she wiggled her toes into the cool, moist grass. She could feel the blades of grass tickling the bottoms of her feet. Reaching up, she pulled her sun hat down over her eyes to keep the sun off of her face.

“Huh?” Red, who was following a large blue beetle, lifted his head up to look at Maeve.

“Going barefooted in a world of little ponies, exposing my toes to untold dangers, hardships, and sorrows. Little pony hooves… the most dangerous of all foes, capable of squishing my toesies like grapes.” Maeve’s face broke into a dopey grin.

With no warning, Red’s tongue went dry and he felt queasy. The very idea of toes popping like grapes left him feeling uncomfortable. He looked down at his hooves, felt faint, and then looked over at Maeve’s bare feet. She had five weird little toes on each one of her strange, flapping feet. It was a horrible thought. She had strange little hoof thingies growing on her toes, hoof thingies called toenails, and she had them on her fingers too. They were excellent back and ear scratchers. Maeve was a weird creature. Shaking his head, he went back to following his beetle.

“I think it’s wonderful that you got your cutie mark.” Maeve lifted her arms out to shoulder height and tried a pirouette. The clumsy girl stumbled, almost fell, recovered most of her balance for one glorious moment, let out a cry of triumph, slipped on the damp grass, and then she fell over, landing hard on her backside. Now sitting in the grass, her lower lip protruded into a pout and her fingers clenched into fists. “Fudge.”

“You know, sometimes I wonder if that calming tea of yours also makes you a clutz.”

Gasping, Maeve’s eyes went wide and she placed both of her hands upon her cheeks as her brain processed the horrible words spoken by Red Russet. “Do you think that’s true? I’ve always been a little clumsy, is the tea really making it worse? I can’t live without my tea… oh Red, this is just terrible!”

Looking up from his beetle, Red glanced at Maeve. He had trouble telling if she was being silly, dramatic, or serious.

“I feel like I’m freaking out… and if I freak out, I’ll need more tea to calm down… Red, this is a horrible state of affairs for a Sorceress to find herself in.” Maeve pulled off her hat and ran her fingers through her hair. “Do you really think the tea is making me worse?”

Red shrugged. “Maybe.”

“That’s just not fair.” Maeve shook her head. “I’m growing up, turning into a woman, something I don’t want to do, I have problems, I’m a jumpy nervous wreck, and to make everything worse, the one thing that helps me turns me into a clutz.”

The curious colt took one last look at his beetle, watching as it did whatever it was that beetles did. He then went over and sat down beside Maeve. “Life isn’t fair for either one of us.”

“You know, sometimes, I wish I was a pony. What’s the point of growing up and becoming a woman if I am here in this wonderful place, free of men? There’s just no point. I don’t see why I can’t stay a little girl forever,” Maeve said to her companion.

“I want to grow up. I want to be an adult. I don’t want to be a colt forever.” Red shook his head.

“I’m sorry Red… I don’t want to grow up and you… you’ll be stuck forever being the same size you are now.” Maeve pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, and then rested her chin on them. She wiggled her toes and glanced over at Red. “If I could, I’d stay a little girl and I’d be your friend forever. I mean, I’ll always be your friend, but we could stay little together and we could spend our days sitting in the grass together, just like we’re doing now.”

“Maeve… I want to grow up. I don’t want to be a colt forever. I want what everypony else wants. I want to grow up. I want to get married. I want to be a father. I’m never going to have those things.” Red slumped over, heaved a sigh, and then eased himself down into the grass. He curled up into a fetal ball of misery.

“Red, I don’t know what to say… I wish I knew what to do to make you feel better.”

Limping, Luna followed after Maeve. The girl was almost unrecognizable. She was covered from head to toe in blood, some of it fresh, some of it dried. The blood on her face had been rubbed away a number of times, leaving behind streaks that had formed a strange sort of war paint. Her hair was stiff, spiky, and crusted over with blood. Her left hand was bloody, missing a finger, and held a strange sword.

The distant sounds of boots on stone made Luna’s ears perk. She stopped and bit down upon Maeve's smock, giving it a gentle tug. The girl grunted, startled, and then stood there with her sword raised.

“Trouble coming,” Luna whispered. She saw the girl nod her head and then drop into a crouch. Luna backed into a doorway as the blood soaked fae slaying terror crept forward. Luna’s heart pounded in her throat. She had no magic here, just her strength.

Two figures walked into view. One was tall, one of the fae lords, the other was short and squat, a goblin. The taller figure, almost human but with long fingers and pointed ears, held a sword in his hand, a bronze sword lacking any trace of iron. The goblin held an axe with a head made of copper and a long wooden handle.

Letting out a vicious shriek, Maeve lunged at them, her sword raised over her head. The goblin staggered backwards, let out a gurgling cry, and almost tripped over his own feet. The taller figure raised his sword and rushed forward to engage Maeve.

Maeve’s overhead chop cut the bronze sword in half. The tall figure shouted, lept backwards, and then stared at the remains of his weapon. Maeve shrieked again and then ran forwards, her blade held out in front of her.

The goblin let out a terrified cry, dropped his axe, and then took off running just as Maeve tried to stab the tall male figure. The tall male sidestepped Maeve and then tried to grab her.

Luna winced, unable to look.

“NEVER AGAIN!” Maeve cried as she lept away from the grasping hands. “NEVER AGAIN! NO MORE SHINING YOUR BOOTS! NO MORE PEELING YOUR POTATOES!” Maeve swung her sword in a clumsy arc and hacked off an arm. Hot, salty red liquid spurted out, spraying all over both the wall and Maeve. She raised the sword up over her head, the handle held by both hands, and then she brought it down, cleaving into the shoulder of the tall male figure.

The blade sliced through flesh and ribs; a moment later, an arm lay upon the floor, twitching. Maeve hacked again, this time removing a leg. The tall male fell over, screaming as he went down. Crimson jets of blood spurted from his wounds.

Maeve wailed like a blood soaked banshee as she lept up into the air and then came down upon the male’s chest, the impact causing even more blood to come spraying out of various severed stumps. She sliced downwards, aiming for the neck, but she missed. The blade connected in the middle of the ear. The top half of the male’s skull was lopped off and a long gash was sliced down deep into the stone floor.

Bloodied, dripping, Maeve let out another banshee scream and took off running after the goblin, waving her sword over her head. Luna came out of the doorway, took one look at the carnage, and then threw up for the third time that day.

The male was still somehow alive, his dismembered torso was thrashing about. One arm had been hacked off below the elbow, the other at the shoulder, and one leg was gone gone, lopped off just above the knee. Luna, horrified, realised that cutting off the top of the skull had left behind enough of the brain stem for basic body functions.

The dying male continued to flop about as death took its time to finish him off.

Gagging, Luna took off at a limping run to follow after Maeve, not know what they would do next now that Maeve had gone upon a bloody rampage of death and dismemberment. It was unlikely that the fae would be forgiving of this trespass, and Luna figured it would mean Maeve’s death.

Being an immortal, Luna knew a far worse fate awaited her.

Maeve emerged from the room, her sword held in her left hand. She was limping now and there was a ragged gash upon her forehead. Her red hair was so caked with blood that it now formed a crude helmet around her head. Luna gave Maeve an expectant look but said nothing.

“Both Lord and Lady Nraig will not be coming for tea,” Maeve said in a weary voice. The whites of her eyes stood out in sharp contrast to the bright crimson, dark brown, and black gore that caked her face. She shook her her sword and slung away some blood. It spattered over Luna’s legs and neck. “I’m getting tired Luna… I don’t know what to do.”

Faced with grim reality, Luna did not reply, her teeth gritting together.

“Before she died, Lady Nraig told me that Queen Oonagh knows that I’m coming. She’s waiting for me.” Maeve stood there with a dull expression on her face and her eyes were glazed over from shock. “I’m sorry Luna… I couldn’t be a good girl anymore. I know they’re going to kill me for this, and you’re going to be all alone… I’m so sorry… I just can’t keep living like this… they’re going to kill me and I’m going to be happy.”

Almost strangling, Luna watched as tears fell down Maeve’s cheeks, soaking into crusted over blood and vanishing. “It’s okay Maeve. We’ll face this together. It would have come to this anyway at some point… you would have grown old… it is better to have faced death upon your own terms.”

“I’m so sorry Luna… you’re going to be all alone.”

Shivering, Luna awoke, covered in a cold sweat. Her whole body trembled. I’m so sorry Luna… you’re going to be all alone. Luna could hear those words in her head even now in the waking world. She had always feared being alone, but being alone as a prisoner of the fae… the thought was almost unbearable.

Shaking, almost as though her body was afflicted with a violent palsy, Luna got up out of bed. Her night blue pelt was soaked with sweat. Her mouth fell open and Luna sucked in a deep breath, filling her lungs with much needed air.

Alone.

It took every bit of will that Luna had not to scream. Real panic was overtaking her now, she felt as though her heart was going to explode at any second. Her stomach lurched, and she tasted bile in the back of her throat. Her legs wobbled and she felt her anus clenching and flexing from fear.

Almost falling, Luna staggered forwards towards the door, lost her balance, smashed into the door, her wings flapping as she tried to keep her balance. She saw stars after her head had slammed into the heavy wood.

She had trouble getting the door to open. Her magic failed her with every attempt. She gagged and feared that she would be sick upon the floor. Much to Luna’s surprise, the door opened. She saw Rose Gold, and the earth pony looked terrified.

The wise mare also stepped out of the way, allowing Luna to lurch forwards. Stumbling, Luna took off for the bathroom, her teeth and lips pressed together, hoping that she would not humiliate herself by being sick upon the floor.

Author's Note

I dunno... she seems so sweet and harmless with Red...

Chapter 12

“Princess Luna?” Maeve pushed open Luna’s door, not bothering to knock. A worried expression lingered on Maeve’s face as the human girl pushed into the room of the pony princess. The drapes had been pulled to a close and the room was dim. Maeve felt Red brush up against the back of her calf.

“I miss my sister,” Luna whispered as she lifted her head.

“We can always go home.” Maeve crossed the room at a slow, cautious gait.

“No, you are supposed to be here, getting better, having fun, being a girl—”

“And not wrecking the castle?” Maeve stopped and stood beside Luna’s bed. Reaching out one trembling hand, Maeve touched Luna’s cheek. She saw Red rise up and place his front hooves on the edge of Luna’s bed.

The colt let out a startled cry when Luna snatched him up and drew him into a fierce hug. Closing her eyes, the Night Princess tried to squeeze back tears as she clung to Red Russet, her whole body shaking and spasming from fear.

Saying nothing, Maeve climbed up into Luna’s bed. It smelled like sweaty horsey, but now was not the time to say anything. She sat down, doing so crosslegged, and then pulled out a curry comb she kept in her pocket. She placed the comb upon Luna’s back and watched as Luna’s supple pelt quivered from the touch. She applied a little pressure and then pulled back with the curry comb, pushing the points into Luna’s flesh with a gentle amount of force. The corded muscles of Luna’s back rippled with each stroke.

“I almost ruined everything,” Luna said in a shuddering whisper.

“What do you mean, Luna?” Maeve asked as she continued combing.

“I’m no better than Queen Oonagh.” Luna shook her head. “I did terrible things.”

“Maybe, but now you’re making up for it. You helped Red get his cutie mark. You saved me. Now you do good things.” Maeve could see that poor Red was being hugged almost to the point of suffocation, but she did nothing to save him.

“Maeve, every time I dream about you cutting them down… every time I dream about the night that we escaped, I think about the hatred on your face. I think about the rage you held towards our captors. I think of how much it hurt you… and I’m no better than they are.” Luna closed her eyes and rested her chin atop Red’s head, and felt two little ears twitching against her cheeks. “I am no better than your father, who took away your free will and committed terrible crimes against you.”

Squirming, Maeve continued combing, not certain what to say. “Maybe at some point, but that was the past. You… you came and you saved me. Because of you, I am here and I have Red and I have you and I have Princess Celestia even though she’s bossy and she gets on my nerves and I have Red Russet’s mother, Rose Gold, who loves me and kinda reminds me of my mother and there is Twilight Sparkle, and I think we’re friends because she’s always been so nice to me…” Out of air, Maeve’s voice tailed off and she took a deep breath.

“It was very brave of you to step through the portal and rescue Maeve. You have no way of knowing what was on the other side or if you could even come back again. Because of you, I have a best friend,” Red said in somewhat breathless voice.

“I had not thought of that…” Luna’s voice was hesitant, slow, her words almost, but not quite halting. She spoke as if she was undergoing some great realisation. She squeezed the colt a little more, glad for his warm body, his reassuring warmth, the feel of another equine against her. The sensation of the curry comb and its rhythmic strokes against her flesh was calming.

Very much against her will, Princess Luna began to feel sleepy.

Curious, cautious, Rose Gold pushed open Luna’s door. She knew that Maeve and Red had gone in there, but they had not come out. Now, feeling a mother’s worry, she had to set eyes upon her foal to make certain that he was okay.

The room, darkened, was hard to see in, and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. She blinked a few times and then made out a few dark indistinct shapes. After a few more blinks, she was just able to make out Luna and Red; Luna was using her colt as a pillow. Maeve was sitting up on the bed, her back against the wall.

It took several minutes of staring to realise that the three of them were sound asleep. Backing out of the doorway, Rose Gold shut the door and leave them be, hoping whatever dreams they had would be undisturbed.

Reaching into the bowl, Maeve grabbed a peapod, looked at it for a moment, and then popped it in her mouth. She chewed, making a great deal of noise, smacking her lips and drawing a look of disapproval from Rose Gold, who shook her head.

Maeve grabbed a whole handful of peas still in their pods. She tossed one to Red, who caught it, and then held out one to Luna, who used her lips to pull it away from Maeve’s fingers; afterwards, Luna crunched it up with an enthusiasm that matched Maeve’s.

“My sugar peas!” Mulberry cried when he realised that his dinner ingredients were in danger. He stared at the trio of invaders in his kitchen, not knowing how to shoo away a Sorceress and a Princess. As he watched, the human girl flipped another peapod at the colt, and the colt caught it out of the air, an impressive feat of dexterity.

Passing another peapod to Luna, Maeve offered the older stallion a winning smile. “These are really good just the way they are. No need to cook these.”

“I was going to make a somewhat spicy sweet and sour stir fry, served with rice—” The stallion’s eyes went wide. “No no! Stay away from the baby carrots and the baby corn! There is a whole pie in the fridge, eat that and leave my fresh ingredients alone, you bandits!”

“Bandits!” Luna blinked and her sleepy expression became something resembling amused indignation. “I have dealt with bandits and highway ponies… I am no bandit!”

“Go away, you pantry plunderer!” Mulberry lifted the bowls of produce from the counters and levitated them over his back.

“Harrumph! We shall take the proffered pie and depart forthwith!” Luna huffed. She took a step closer to the fridge, pulled open the door, and stuck her head inside. A moment later she emerged with pie, a container full of whipped cream, and a waxy cardboard jug of chocolate milk.

“You are going to spoil your appetites,” Rose Gold said as she eyed the food in Luna’s telekinetic field.

“Fallacy!” Luna replied. “I have in my company one human girl and one earth pony colt. Pray tell, have you ever observed either one of them to ever stop eating?” Luna turned her head and gave Rose Gold a serious gaze. “Even now, the human girl is grazing upon her pilfered vegetables and sharing her ill gotten gains with your son.”

Lowering her head, Luna sniffed the pie. Her nostrils flared as she drew in a lungful of air. Her ears swiveled forwards and her eyes narrowed. “What is this? This smells most pleasing, but I cannot place what I am smelling, do tell me, if you please?”

“Goat cheese lemon custard, with a streusel crust,” Mulberry replied as he set his produce bowls back down upon the counter. “There is a second pie setting up in the pantry and cooling.”

“Marvelous. I shall now depart and leave you in peace, good sir.” Luna took off for the kitchen table, a red colt following at her heels, and a human girl walking at her side.

Quickie Cob ignored his wife’s grumbling and sat down at the table with Luna, Maeve, and his son, Red Russet. He smiled and gave a polite nod as Luna served him a slice of pie and then slid him a glass of chocolate milk. A moment later, Maeve slapped down a large dollop of whipped cream on the pie.

“Did you sleep a little better?” Quickie asked as he took up a spoon with his hoof.

“Yes, yes I did,” Luna replied. She turned and looked at Red. “He makes for a fine pillow. How much for the colt?”

“I beg your pardon?” Quickie raised his eyebrow.

“The colt… how much for the colt?” Luna’s eyes gleamed with mischief.

Quickie Cob looked at his son, who looked up from his pie with an alarmed expression. “I don’t know, I hadn’t thought about it really… his mother is fond of him.”

“So, sentimental value… I have an entire treasury at my disposal. Surely we can reach some agreement?” Grinning, Luna took a bite of pie.

“What?” Red blinked and began to look worried. He was silenced by Luna placing a dollop of whipped cream on his snoot. The colt tried licking it off, his long orange tongue lapping, trying to clean his muzzle.

“He recently got his cutie mark in what I was told was quite a valuable skill,” Quickie Cob said. “I have to take his potential earnings into account.

“But I want him as a pillow, that is all. He makes for a fine bedfellow. Quiet, polite, well mannered, and a still sleeper. These are all good qualities in a pillow pony.” Luna glanced over at Maeve and saw the girl was smiling.

His muzzle still covered in whipped cream, Red started to protest, “But I—”

“Hush son, you can make a good living as a pillow pony. And all you have to do is lie around in bed all day… an ideal career for you, I think,” Quickie Cob said to his son, cutting him off.

“Daddy, I—”

“Hush son, daddy is conducting business.” Quickie waved his hoof at his son.

“He is a little rude,” Luna said, a shrewd expression upon her face.

“Son, look what you did, you cost me money!” Quickie Cob looked at his son, shook his head, and then snorted.

Scowling, Red licked his muzzle one last time and then crammed a big bite of pie into his mouth. He chewed and watched his father through narrowed eyes. The corners of his mouth twitched and the colt struggled to maintain his mock-angry expression.

“Don’t worry Red, I’ll steal you away,” Maeve whispered after placing her head close to Red’s ear. She patted Red on the neck.

“There will be no felonious Sorceresses stealing my pillow pony. I shall have to double the guards. This whole venture is becoming mind bogglingly expensive… the cost of one good night’s rest.” Luna shook her head as a wide grin overtook her muzzle.

“I could take the Sorceress off of your hooves,” Quickie Cob offered. “I understand that she is skilled with a brush and makes a great back scratcher.”

“She does!” Luna nodded, her head making an enthusiastic bob. “But she must be treated gently. Also, you run the risk of having your home ruined. She was born with the unfortunate condition of not possessing a shred of grace.”

“Hey!” Maeve pointed her spoon at Luna. “One more word and I’ll wreck your castle!”

“Again?” Luna asked.

Maeve’s jaw dropped open with mock-indignation. She lifted her spoon, armed herself with a dollop of whipped cream, and threatened Luna with her now loaded weapon.

“Thou wouldst not dare, thou frizzy maned urchin!” Luna’s eyes narrowed.

The two males at the table held their breath, watching both Maeve and Luna. Quickie Cob was grinning and Red Russet was chewing on his pie, his eyes wide, wondering if Maeve would do it.

With a flick of her wrist, Maeve launched her dairy based projectile at the Princess of the Night. With a plop, the dollop of whipped cream landed upon Luna’s nasal bridge. Princess Luna went cross eyed as she looked at the offending dollop of dairy upon her nose.

“Thou, thou art a churl,” Luna said in a melodramatic whisper. She lifted up her own spoon and armed herself with ballistic dessert. “Face my wrath, impudent Sorceress!”

With a shrill cry, the battle between the Sorceress and the Pony Princess started…

Author's Note

Those pony princesses... so majestic.

Chapter 13

Fire. The most dangerous of all elements. It took passion, it took anger, it took Maeve spelunking into the parts of her mind that she would rather not go. The air around Maeve smelled like woodsmoke; a sneezy, nose tickling smell that was distracting and made it even harder to perform magic.

“Keep concentrating. We have spent almost a week at this.”

Making no reply to Luna’s verbal encouragement, Maeve thought about the past few days. Almost perfect days. Wonderful days. Since Luna’s last nightmare, something had come over the alicorn mare, and she had been in a much better mood. A more playful mood. She had even been sleeping a little better. Distracted by happy thoughts, Maeve’s attempt at magic fizzled.

“Keep trying, Maeve. Now is not the time for giving up,” Luna commanded.

Closing her eyes, Maeve focused once more on summoning fire. She had done it before, using Lann na Gealaí Dubh. The sword made all of her magic easier. Not effortless, but easier. She thought about the anger she had felt when she had first held that blade. Winning the contest of wills had cost her a finger, her ring finger. Not long after, the killing had started.

A peculiar sensation went through Maeve’s left arm, it was almost as if she had struck her funny bone. A horrible tickle-prickle traveled up and down her arm, through her hand, and into her remaining fingers. Another shock wave went through her funny bone. Grimacing, she ignored the sensations and allowed her mind to go into dangerous places.

The little girl’s mind began to think about her blood soaked rampage. All of the death and all of the killing. All of the things she hated to think about. She thought about the whippings, the punishments, she thought about Luna’s horrible mistreatment. The scent of woodsmoke was strong now, almost overpowering, and it made Maeve want to sneeze.

Opening her eyes, Maeve pointed her left index finger at the pile of kindling and tinder. Her left arm was surrounded by a nimbus of silver blue light. It felt as though something was hammering away upon her funny bone now. Every hair on Maeve’s head stood on end.

Manifested by will, there was fire. Flames burst from Maeve’s fingertip, extending forth in a chaotic burst. There was a massive rush of heat followed by the scent of burning flesh. Not even a moment after, Maeve began screaming as her arm was engulfed in flames.

Reacting in a split second, Luna, using her magic, shoved Maeve over and began rolling her in the dirt, Maeve’s shrieks causing Luna’s ears to twitch and pivot. The pile of kindling and tinder blazed and Maeve continued to burn. Desperate, Luna contained all of Maeve’s left forearm in a telekinetic bubble and then sucked out the air, suffocating the fire.

Feeling sick, Luna surveyed the damage. The skin was blackened near the hand, covered in blisters, and it looked as though the tip of Maeve’s finger was missing. Gagging Luna, lifted the girl in her telekinesis. Maeve needed medical attention, the faster the better. The night blue alicorn turned her head towards the direction of Canterlot. Her wings unfurled and her eyes turned white as adrenaline flooded her body, triggering her strongest magics.

Maeve was still shrieking, writhing in agony, but Luna kept her still, kept her from clutching her arm and further damaging the burned tissues. One scream that came out of Maeve was so terrible that her voice cracked, and then there were only raspy cries and gurgles.

Kicking off from the earth, letting out a fierce scream of determination, Luna flew off to Canterlot, knowing full well that every second mattered.

Her vision blurred with tears, Luna looked at her sister. She felt sick to her stomach and it was a struggle just to remain on her hooves. Luna felt as though she had failed. Maeve had been hurt, maimed even, and Luna had been unable to do anything to prevent it. Swallowing several times, Luna freed her voice and spoke:

“Sister, how is she?”

Celestia’s ears drooped down, falling down beside her face. Her eyes closed as she took a deep breath, and remained closed as she pondered her words before making her careful reply.

“Luna, she is heavily sedated and will remain so for quite some time. Her hand is burned, the tip of her finger has been burned away, and the skin on her arm has been seared.” Celestia took another deep breath and her eyes opened, so that she might look upon her sister. “As you know, our restorative potions and other alchemical treatments do not work very well on Maeve. We have healed some of the damage, but we cannot regrow what has been lost, as you already know.”

“I wish to see her.” Luna took a step forward and then stood there, a pained expression upon her face. “Can I see her?”

“Doctor Greycrest has Maeve inside of a high oxygen environment. She is resting and the best thing that can be done for her right now is to allow her to rest.” Seeing the look upon Luna’s face, Celestia worried that her heart would shatter.

“Sister, please, I need to see that she is okay… just a peek through the door… I will do nothing that will disturb her, I promise.” Luna gave her sister a pleading look. “Please?”

“Very well, a peek through door. You will not be able to see her very well. There is a tent around her bed to keep in oxygen,” Celestia replied. She had hoped to spare Luna the worrisome sight, and now felt a heavy heart, knowing what Luna would see.

Pacing the hallway just outside of Maeve’s room, Luna found herself missing Red. Was Red her friend? Luna didn’t know. Do I even have friends? Luna asked herself. You keep yourself secreted away from everypony to punish yourself for what you have done. Princess Luna shook her head. She didn’t like that voice. You do not deserve friends—you tried to put an end to everything and you would have been alone, just like you deserve!

“No…” Luna gasped, her eyes flooding with tears. “I made a mistake.”

Deep down, you know exactly what you deserve… you are no better than the fae… no better than Maeve’s brutish father… you flaunt your superiourity every chance you get and you detest others for the weaknesses they have. You see their dreams. You see their sickness, you see their sick desires, you see their depravity, and you despise them all—

“I do not despise my subjects… I do not despise my subjects!” Squeezing her eyes shut, Luna shook her head. Between her ears, she could hear the caustic, sarcastic laughter of Nightmare Moon.

You loathe them, you find yourself repulsed by them, you are sickened by their perversions, yet you want their love, their acceptance, you want their approval… you are pathetic… wanting the affection of these… lesser creatures. They are not even whole entities, but three parts of a broken greater whole, yet you crave their favour—

“Shut up!” Luna whipped her head around in a violent frenzy, gnashing her teeth. She could hear the insane laughter of Nightmare Moon all around her now.

—and the doting affection upon that disgusting ape… you think by helping her that somehow you will absolve yourself of the transgressions you have committed… you foolishly think that somehow, you will silence ME!

“You… you are not even real… the Elements of Harmony destroyed you… you… you are just a voice in my head… a psychosis… you are just a voice that is the manifestation of my guilt… you are not real… you are not real!”

Is that so? We shall see… I cannot be banished. I cannot be destroyed. As long as you exist, as long as you live this lie you have chosen, I will exist—

“No,” Luna whimpered. “No, that cannot be… you were banished… you are a figment of my imagination.” Luna’s head exploded with even more laughter, maniacal, murderous laughter.

Just as that disgusting ape was powerless to stop her father’s brutish lusts, you are powerless to me. Submit to me now and make it easier upon yourself!

“No!”

Luna took off running down the hall, her hooves clattering upon the linoleum floor as she tried to run away from the mocking voice inside of her head. Fresh memories of the things done to her during her time with the fae danced inside of Luna’s mind and became part of her reality as she ran. The scent of stallions, horses, the sharp smell of salty sweat. The painful nips, the bites to the back of her neck and her ears. The crushing weight of the much heavier animals upon her back. The spearing pain that lanced through the very core of her being, the fear that she would be split, torn asunder, ripped in half, or skewered. And then the terrible reality as those fears came true. When the fae had learned that she was immortal, and that she could not die, she became a source of entertainment. The pain manifesting from memories was almost more than Luna could bear.

It was a pain that Luna knew she deserved.

On the surface, Princess Celestia seemed as calm and tranquil as always, but on the inside, she was almost overcome with stress, fear, and worry. She looked down at Doctor Greycrest and a small herd of nurses standing behind him.

“What happened?” Princess Celestia asked. “Spare me no detail, and do not try to spare my feelings either. Just tell me everything.”

“We don’t know what happened exactly. Princess Luna refuses to speak. She’s almost catatonic.” Doctor Greycrest swallowed and looked up at Princess Celestia. A bead of sweat trickled down from his mane, rolled down near his eye, and continued down his jaw to his neck. “When the guards found Luna, she was weeping. She had torn out many of the feathers from her wings, she had smashed a large stained glass window, and was using the glass to injure herself. The guards tell me she was shouting the words ‘shut up’ over and over. When the guards confronted her, she started to attack them, but then fell to the ground screaming, mumbling incoherently. The guards could not make out what she was saying. When I was called in to examine her, she fell silent, and has not spoken a word since.”

Closing her eyes, Celestia drew in a shuddering breath, a breath that almost revealed her inner turmoil and ruined her outward appearance of tranquility.

“She is healing of course, but for whatever reason, the healing process seems slow. I don’t understand it. Many of the superficial wounds and minor lacerations should have been healed already. I am at a loss for a reason why.”

“Thank you, Doctor Greycrest.” Celestia lifted her head high and summoned forth her best outward appearance. “I shall go in and try to speak to my sister. I do not wish to be disturbed. I demand privacy.”

“Of course, anything you ask, your Majesty.” Doctor Greycrest stepped aside.

Pushing open the door, Celestia looked at her sister. Luna was in the hospital bed, under a blanket. Her head was not on the pillows, but hidden beneath the blanket. Celestia entered the room and allowed the door to shut behind her.

“Luna, what have you done? Why are you not healing? Do you want to be in pain?” Celestia strode forwards toward the bed, hot tears now spilling down her cheeks. “What brought this on? Do you blame yourself for Maeve’s injuries? How come you will not talk to me? I know you have been suffering but you remain silent… why?”

Lifting the blanket, Celestia looked down upon her sister. Luna was wrapped in bandages. With horror, Celestia realised that Luna was earless. Why had Luna severed her own ears? What would she hope to accomplish with such a terrible act?”

“Luna, what has come over you? Why, why would you do this?” Celestia shook her head. “Luna, please, stop holding back, heal yourself, I cannot bear to look at you in this state.”

The large white alicorn eased herself down into the bed to lay beside the smaller blue alicorn. It was a tight fit, and parts of Celestia hung over the edge of the bed. She pressed herself up against Luna, closed her eyes, and began to sob.

“I wish you would just talk to me…”

Author's Note

For those of you still reading, thank you.

Chapter 14

Trying to be quiet and respectful, Twilight Sparkle crept up on a very frazzled looking Princess Celestia. She made a little noise with her hooves, wanting to make certain that Princess Celestia knew that there was a pony present, but not too much noise, too much noise might disturb the distraught alicorn, and Twilight Sparkle did not want that.

Coming to a full stop, Twilight Sparkle waited in a patient manner as Princess Celestia signed some piece of paper and then sent the unicorn attendant upon their way. Twilight heard Princess Celestia sigh. She waited and watched as Princess Celestia inhaled, preparing to greet her, and that was when Twilight Sparkle acted upon her master plan to make Princess Celestia feel better.

“A wand, Princess Celestia, Sorceress Maeve needs a wand. I got to thinking about how we know she can cast magic with that sword of hers, and I think I have figured out part of it, and with the recent injury to her finger, it occurred to me that Sorceress Maeve does not have a point of magical focus upon her body like we unicorns do, which is to say our horns—”

“Twilight… Sparkle… what?” Princess Celestia’s eyes squeezed shut and the noble alicorn shook her head.

“A wand!” Twilight repeated in a manner most helpful. “Trixie Lulamoon has a wand as part of her cutie mark. Unicorns use wands when we wish to focus dangerous magics as far away from our bodies as possible if we do not have the means to protect ourselves from them. Maeve, being a human, lacks a proper terminus point for preternatural projections—”

“Twilight, slow down, I am utterly lost,” Princess Celestia said in a low voice as she opened her eyes to look upon her former student. “How did you arrive at this conclusion? Who told you to research this problem? I am greatly confused.”

“Nopony told me to research it, I did it on my own. Maeve is kinda stubborn. As bad as this is, I know she’ll continue to try and learn magic. Since I couldn’t do anything else to help her, I put all of that nervous energy to work trying to solve the problem she was facing, which I first had to figure out the cause of said problem, then the nature of the problem, the best approach to the problem, then I launched a multi-staged investigation into magical projections, and after a long night of studying the mating habits of giant firebreathing salamanders, I came to the conclusion that Maeve needed a wand—”

“Giant firebreathing salamanders?” Princess Celestia shook her head once more.

“Princess, do try and keep up. I did the investigation, and then to make certain I could think about the issue, I studied the excessively boring mating habits of giant firebreathing salamanders, thus assuring that I thought about everything but the subject matter I was studying. It was during my study of said salamanders that I arrived at the needed conclusion that Maeve needed a wand—”

“Okay, okay, I do not need to know the intricacies of how your fantastic mind works.” Princess Celestia sighed and then gave Twilight Sparkle a gentle smile. “Thank you, thank you very much for your efforts.”

“You’re welcome!” Twilight Sparkle beamed, her eyes squeezed shut, and her whole body trembled as she absorbed Celestia’s praise, looking very much like a blooming flower absorbing the golden love of the sun. Twilight ‘s eyes opened. “I’m going to visit Princess Luna now and try to cheer her up. Try not to work too hard, Princess Celestia!”

It was the edge of evening, the time of day that was Twilight Sparkle’s namesake. She made her way through the large double doors that exited out into a small private courtyard, a courtyard with the charming name of the Lunar Closet. It was a place that existed between two sections of adjoined wall, between the old part of the castle and the new part of the castle, and the small parallelogram shaped space had been turned into a garden at Princess Celestia’s request. Tall shrubs grew along each of the stone walls. Gardenias bloomed everywhere. In the middle of the small, intimate space, there was a small fountain with three ponies, one from each tribe, each of them a stallion, and all three of them standing on their hind legs, peeing into the fountain. It was said to be Princess Celestia’s favourite fountain sculpture and the penalty for attempting to remove it was rumoured to be banishment. Growing up, Twilight Sparkle had often snuck into the Lunar Closet to have a peek at the three peeing stallions, which made her feel funny to look at.

A lone figure was sitting in the grass, staring into the waters of the fountain. All around her were the picked apart petals of gardenias. Seeing her made Twilight Sparkle feel odd. For almost a year now, after helping Princess Luna to reach Maeve, Twilight Sparkle’s relationship with Princess Luna had changed, but she could not say how.

It had started in Princess Twilight Sparkle’s crystal castle, when Twilight had taken Luna in as a guest, looking after all of Luna’s needs. Sitting at Luna’s bedside. Working through the difficult task of determining the truth together. The feeling of closeness… and then the feeling of almost soul crushing worry as Luna had gone through the mirror… and had not returned. For almost a year, Luna had been gone, for almost a year, Twilight had waited, and each day was agony. There were days when Twilight had camped out near the mirror, hoping beyond hope that Luna would step through. Twilight had tried looking for Luna, trying to latch on to Luna’s magical signature. There had been nothing.

Seeing Luna by the fountain, Twilight felt her breathing quicken. Parts of Luna were covered in bandages. Important parts. Without even realising that she had reached this conclusion, Twilight Sparkle concluded that all of Luna was catagorised under ‘important parts.’

“Hello Princess Luna…”

“There is no need for titles in such intimate confines,” Luna replied.

“Gardenias are everywhere. It almost looks as though somepony was pulling petals off, wondering if somepony loved them,” Twilight Sparkle said in a low voice. She inhaled, breathing deep of the scent of the many gardenias and their intoxicating perfume.

“You are not far from the truth.” Princess Luna did not look up from the waters of the fountain. “I had a visitor, a young curious colt, who is very worried right now. He asked me some very difficult questions and we had a long talk.”

“Where is he now?” Twilight asked, feeling curious.

“His mother came and collected him so that she might lavish affection upon him before it is his time to go to bed,” Luna replied.

Twilight Sparkle took a step forwards. “Questions?”

“I do not wish to violate his privacy. Perhaps I have already said too much.” Luna shook her head and then turned to look at Twilight Sparkle. “Sometimes, it takes tragedy for us to realise what is important to us in life. Take me for example. I have been trying to be Maeve’s friend this entire time, when apparently, I am nursing some deep seated need to be her mother and my growing mental unease is because of my avoidance of the issue. If I would just address my maternal concerns, I would feel better and cease being such a moody worrywart.”

The doctors told you this?” Twilight Sparkle took another step forwards, the scent of gardenias strong in her nose, and the sound of the running water was hypnotic. This was a relaxing place.

“No, my sister, the master psychiatrist of our age, arrived at this conclusion and lectured me,” Princess Luna replied, making a sour expression as she spoke. “Sometimes, my sister is a veritable symphony of tactile stimulation in the semitendinosus muscle.”

Her ears pinning back in surprise, Twilight Sparkle gasped in shock and surprise. “Did you… did… you… did you just call your sister a pain in the… plot?”

“A pain like no other.” Luna turned her gaze back into the water to resume her staring contest with Nightmare Moon.

“I’m certain that Celestia means well… I guess she reached this conclusion after you talked with her?” Cautious, Twilight Sparkle crept forward, edging closer to Luna.

“No. My sister reached this conclusion on her own, with no input from me.” Luna let out an annoyed sniffle and her brows furrowed.

“If you don’t talk to your sister, all she can do is guess. You’re not giving her much to work with. She loves you, she worries about you, and she just wants to help you,” Twilight said, still creeping forward. Having reached Luna’s side, she sat down. “Would it just be so awful to tell her what is going on?”

“Yes!” Luna snapped. She whipped her head around to look at Twilight. “I shall spill my guts forthwith! I do so love being lectured about letting go my past and being told how weak I am for continuing to punish myself for my previous transgressions!”

“I am certain she doesn’t mean for it to sound or feel like that,” Twilight whispered.

Scowling, Luna turned away from Twilight Sparkle. In the water below her, she saw Nightmare Moon’s smug smirk and hateful eyes staring up at her. Of course Twilight would take Celestia’s side in this, how could she not, being Celestia’s student?

“How is Maeve doing?” Twilight Sparkle leaned forwards and looked at Luna’s reflection in the water. The alicorn looked sad and Twilight could see that her eyes were red.

“The poor girl is losing her left hand once piece at a time. First, what she calls her ring finger is burned clean off by that sword of hers, and now the tip of her index finger. The doctors are worried that they might have to cut away the second knuckle. They are experimenting with various types of ointments and salves meant for healing different sorts of creatures with the vain hope that something will work better for her.” Aware that Twilight was now sitting beside her, Luna gave the smaller alicorn a cool stare.

“She’s a tough little girl.” Twilight looked up from the water and saw something squirting water in her direction at eye level. She felt a hot blush bloom in her cheeks. Did they have to be so gifted? she thought to herself. The pegasus was winking one eye and he had a forehoof hooked under his rather meaty—

“Twilight, are you okay?” Luna asked. She watched Twilight Sparkle tense and shake her head. She could see the fiery glow in Twilight Sparkle’s cheeks. Turning her head, Luna examined whatever it was that had startled Twilight. Ah, Luna thought to herself as she saw the perverted little pegasus. “You know, my sister once told me a funny story.”

“She did?” Twilight Sparkle felt herself start sweating. Celestia would never…

“I was still little… it was not too long after my return,” Luna continued.

Oh no… Twilight cringed, realising that Celestia had in fact told the story.

“My sister told me this gut busting story of how she went looking for her most devoted student and found her, in this very garden—”

“Um, Luna, you know, there is a million other things we could be talking about. Like you, for example. We could be trying to help you… I could be trying to help you!”

“—and she found you, bent over the edge of this fountain, all stretched out, trying to get a drink from one of the ponies—”

“Noooo! Luna, enough! Please, this is so embarrassing!” Twilight Sparkle squeezed her eyes shut. “I was a filly… I didn’t know what I was doing!” Twilight Sparkle covered her eyes with her wings, mortified that such a private detail was being discussed in such a frank fashion.

“Which one was it?” Luna asked.

“No!” Twilight replied from behind her wings.

“Twilight Sparkle, I see your dreams, this is not the most embarrassing thing I could talk about,” Luna said in a low voice that was full of promised playful menace. “Now tell me. Confession is good for the soul.”

“I can’t!” Twilight Sparkle shook her head.

“Perhaps Rainbow Dash would like to hear this story, what little bit of it I know…”

“You wouldn’t!” Twilight jerked her wings away and looked at Luna with wide eyed horror. “You wouldn’t! That would be horrible!”

“Rainbow Dash would find it interesting.”

“Fine.” Twilight Sparkle bit her lip and closed her eyes. “It was the earth pony. He has that smile. He looks very kind and friendly. He was approachable.”

“I see.” Luna cleared her throat. “Do not worry… your secret is safe with with me.”

Author's Note

A little mood music for Luna...

Yes I am alone but then again I always was
As far back as I can tell
I think maybe it's because
Because you were never really real to begin with
I just made you up to hurt myself

I just made you up to hurt myself, yeah
And I just made you up to hurt myself

And it worked.
Yes it did!

There is no you
There is only me
There is no you
There is only me
There is no fucking you
There is only me
There is no fucking you
There is only me

Well the tiniest little dot caught my eye and it turned out to be a scab
And I had this funny feeling like I just knew it's something bad
I just couldn't leave it alone, I kept picking at the scab
It was a doorway trying to seal itself shut
But I climbed through

Now I am somewhere I am not supposed to be, and I can see things I know I really shouldn't see
And now I know why, now, now, now I know why
Things aren't as pretty
On the inside

Chapter 15

“How is she?” Princess Celestia asked in a low voice. She looked down, watching as the nurse glanced at Maeve’s door. The nurse looked nervous, and Celestia found herself wondering what was wrong.

“Well, we’ve been trying different healing salves… we found one that sort of worked, but there were side effects.” The nurse cleared her throat. “A healing compound that works well on minotaurs worked well for Maeve, but there was some kind of allergic reaction. The burns look better but now she is covered in hives and a terrible rash.”

“I see.” Princess Celestia offered a kind smile to the nervous little pony before her.

“No restoration of lost fingers though. A shame really. But there is new skin already growing over the stump. The salve did a pretty good job of stimulating new tissue growth.” The nurse, seeing Princess Celestia’s smile, felt a little better and some of her nervousness eased.

“Thank you, nurse.” Princess Celestia began to push open the door.

The room was sunny, cheerful, had several floral arrangements, including some meant to be eaten, but Maeve only ate flowers to be silly. The oxygen tent was gone, much to Princess Celestia’s surprise. She stood in the door, taking in all she saw.

Maeve was sitting up in the bed, her bandage wrapped arm propped up on a cushion. The girl looked groggy and she was having trouble holding her head up, but that didn’t stop her from trying to look at her visitor. One eyebrow was missing, the left, and some of Maeve’s frizzy hair had been singed.

Beside Maeve, comfortable in a chair, Red Russet was curled up. There was a faint smell of something almost like candy, and Red was chewing something. He looked at Princess Celestia, his mane spilling down over his eyes.

“Don’t be angry with Luna,” Maeve said in a wavering voice.

Confused, Princess Celestia could not figure out what Maeve meant. She blinked, trying take in Maeve’s words, trying to ascertain their meaning, and failed. She shook her head. “Why would I be upset with my sister, Luna?”

“She didn’t mean for this to happen… she was trying to teach me magic,” Maeve said as her head fell back upon her pillows.

“We’ll give you some super sour taffy if you’ll forgive Luna.” Red’s head turned and he looked at a small paper bag on the bedside table.

“Princess Luna is not at fault for this. This was an accident. There can be no blame.” Princess Celestia strode forward, entering the room, allowing the door to shut behind her. “But I will take a piece of candy, if I may.”

Opening the bag, Princess Celestia pulled out something wrapped in green paper. On the green paper, there was a crying green apple, it’s face contorted into a grimace. The words Apple Anguish! were printed on the wrapper.

Indifferent to such advertising, heeding no warning, Princess Celestia committed an act of hubris, unaware, believing that candy was candy, and that being eons old, she had seen everything under the sun. She peeled away the paper, took one final glance at the cartoonish apple, and then popped the piece of taffy in her mouth.

Princess Celestia heard a soft giggle, she was not sure who it came from. Her mouth went dry as desert sand, and then flooded with slobber in a most unprincessly way. She could feel terrible tension in her jaws, her cheeks felt tight, and it was so sour that it almost felt like it burned. Experiencing a terrible loss of control, Princess Celestia’s whole face contorted, her lips puckered, and she experienced full body shudders that caused her wings to snap outwards.

Undaunted, refusing to be beaten down by a piece of candy of all things, Princess Celestia began to chew, while trying to keep from slobbering all over herself as her lips went numb. The regal alicorn became aware of the fact that her ears were flapping in a manner most befitting a hummingbird. There was more giggling now, lots more giggling, and there could be no mistake, there was girlish giggling mixed in with coltish giggling.

The sourness was electric; it was like licking a thunderhead and getting shocked. Princess Celestia could see that Maeve was smiling and laughing in the bed, and, as much as Celestia was suffering, she was glad that Maeve was feeling better. Determined, Princess Celestia continued chewing, the taffy was a worthy foe and Celestia was not one for surrender.

What were foals eating these days? Princess Celestia asked herself as she squeezed her eyes shut. There was something in the center of the taffy that was even more sour, it made her whole tongue feel as though it would shrivel up and die. There was nothing apple flavoured about this taffy in the slightest. The giggling little hooligans had offered her a piece of candy to forgive Luna… this candy was almost an act of war.

“I like the Ghoulish Grape flavour,” Red said as he watched Princess Celestia have fits. “Maeve likes the Raging Raspberry ones.”

Fearing the unknown, Princess Celestia wondered what sort of horror the lemon flavoured taffies must hold. Still chewing, Celestia could feel her gums tingling and there was a strange buzzing in her sinuses. She watched as Red unwrapped a purple piece of taffy and pop the square of chewy candy in his mouth. Celestia felt her heart sink as the colt suffered no visible ill effects, gnawing on his candy, slurping, and smacking his lips. How?

At long last, Princess Celestia swallowed, which did nothing. The flavour lingered behind. She swallowed again, cleared her throat, and then was seized by a morbid desire to try another piece of candy.

“I feel bad,” Maeve said in a weak voice. “I ruined our vacation.”

“Yes, and now, you will be back to ruining my castle.” Princess Celestia cleared her throat again and then let out a tiny, polite cough.

“I can try to be careful,” Maeve offered.

“Maeve, this place was far too quiet while you were gone. For a time, I thought I was going to have to take on another personal student to liven the place up. I am glad you are back.” Celestia paused and endured the clenching muscles in her jaw. “Just do try and be careful, dear. It pains me to see you hurting.”

Author's Note

Somewhat shorter chapter this time. I didn't have 2k of material ready, and I felt that the chapter stood well enough on its own. Awkward Celestia is best pony.

Chapter 16

“What do you mean, ‘Luna is gone.’ How does Luna just disappear? Is she okay?” Maeve asked in a somewhat whiny, groggy, annoyed voice. “Why did Luna leave? Is she coming back? Did I do something to upset her?”

“My sister went with Princess Twilight Sparkle to the Crystal Empire. I do not know why they departed.” Princess Celestia paused. “At least, I am not certain.” The noble white alicorn thought about what Twilight Sparkle had mentioned, a wand. The Crystal Empire would be a good place to start looking for the right kind of crystals.

“Well… fudge.” Maeve slumped down in her chair, her bandaged arm propped up on the arm of the chair. She was itchy all over, covered in hives, groggy, frustrated, and now, on top of everything else, Luna was gone. Maeve felt a pout coming on. “Why can’t Red keep me company?”

“Maeve, I told you, Red has started his lessons to learn about tea, alchemy, and basic herbology.” Princess Celestia summoned her patience, reminded herself that Maeve was drugged, and that Maeve was not herself right now.

“Well, why can’t I learn with him?” Maeve asked.

“Because, right now, you are injured and you need rest.” Celestia lifted her head higher. “Also, Red needs to be able to concentrate upon his lessons. A lot is expected from him. He will only be in his classes for a few more hours. You must be patient.”

“I’m trying to be patient… I’m so alone though… so alone it hurts. And I’m bored.” Maeve’s face contorted into a sour scowl and her lower lip protruded. “I’m not trying to be bratty… I’m just miserable.”

“Bored are you? Is that a good reason to harangue the maids?” Princess Celestia frowned at Maeve, giving the girl the full brunt of her disapproval.

“I don’t need rest. I can’t spend another minute in the bed, and the moment you leave this room, I swear, I’ll be out of this chair unless you chain me down… but you wouldn’t do that because you’re nice.”

“Try me.” Princess Celestia’s eyes narrowed.

Maeve gulped and stared upwards at the angry, alicorn matron. She heard Princess Celestia cluck her tongue and what little bit of courage Maeve had dissolved. After staring for what felt like hours, Maeve averted her gaze and stared down at the floor, sighing in defeat.

“Get up,” Princess Celestia commanded.

“What? I thought I was supposed to be resting… what are you going to do to me?” Maeve asked in reply, looking fearful. She dared a glance into the alicorn’s eyes.

“Perhaps you do not need as much rest as I thought.” Princess Celestia smiled a soft smile. “I am going to put you to work as my assistant. You are going to help Raven and I with daily administrative duties, Sorceress Maeve.”

“Oh no—”

“Oh yes.” Princess Celestia nodded with such vigour that her ears flopped around. “Now get up. I am going to help you get dressed into something more presentable. A bored sorceress is a hazard to my castle and a menace to my maids. I prefer a productive, working sorceress. Now put a chipper smile on that face, Sorceress Maeve.”

Following along behind Princess Celestia and her personal assistant, Raven, Maeve felt herself being tugged on by the warm tickle of magic to help her keep up and it helped to prevent her from falling over.

It was approaching the autumn quarter; the first year students for Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns were now arriving in batches, each week a new batch arrived. There was now the time consuming process of enrollment.

The only consolation for Maeve was that the little foals, the littlest of the little foals, were adorable. Maeve wobbled after Princess Celestia, waving with her good hand, smiling, and tried her best not to be terrifying, as she tended to be to most ponies.

“You’re doing a fine job, Sorceress Maeve,” Raven said in a cheerful voice. “You are being quite helpful to the students… learning magic, they need to learn how to deal with terrifying things that spook them, and you are doing an excellent job of causing them alarm.”

“Great!” Maeve mumbled as she almost toppled over and then lurched forwards like a rag doll, yanked upright by Princess Celestia’s telekinesis. “I’m taller than Princess Celestia… that makes me scarier!”

“Princess Celestia?”

“Yes, Raven, what is it?”

“I think that Sorceress Maeve is more susceptible to opioid painkillers that we equines are,” Raven said as she cast a glance over her shoulder at the staggering girl behind her.

“What might give you that idea?” Princess Celestia asked and then began to titter.

“I’m hungry,” Maeve said as she leaned off to one side and then was pulled forward.

Laughing, Princess Celestia kept Maeve upright as she trotted forward, moving with perfect, regal poise. “It is not yet time for lunch. Do try to keep up, Sorceress Maeve.”

Reaching a long table, Princess Celestia lowered Maeve into a chair, nudged her upright, and then sat down in a chair herself. Beside her, Raven climbed into a chair and got comfortable. The table was covered in useful materials for new students, including a map, a dining schedule, a list of names for each of the instructors, enforced bedtimes, the time one was expected to awake, and a whole plethora of other useful facts.

“I feel light headed.” Maeve’s head tilted back and she smiled. “By the way, I am still hungry. I just thought you should know.”

“Oh dear, there is going to be a big crowd beyond the doors.” Princess Celestia cleared her throat, took a drink of water from a glass she summoned, set the glass down upon the table, cleared her throat a second time, and then said to the guard, “Release the stampede!”

Sitting in her chair, Maeve watched as Princess Celestia and Raven worked to greet the new students. For the most part, she just sat there. That was all that was expected of her. She would wave on occasion, and a few brave ponies came up and talked to her.

The drugs were wearing off a little. Maeve could feel pain in her arm now, as well as her hand, it was dull, it stung, but Maeve was glad to feel something other than grogginess.

“May I please get a map?”

Maeve peered over the table at the colt. He was small, not very big at all, a soft shade of purple, had glasses, and a single, long eyebrow that stretched across his forehead. Smiling, Maeve reached out with her right hand, grabbed a map that was sitting in front of her, and passed it down to the colt.

He took it in his telekinesis, rolled it up, and stuffed it into his bookbag. He cast one final glance at Maeve, narrowed his eyes, and then backed away, never taking his eyes off of Maeve. As he departed, Maeve lifted her right hand, smiled, and waved goodbye.

A quiet voice in the back of Maeve’s mind reminded her that she should be having a shy-girl meltdown right about now. It nagged for a few seconds and Maeve, in a stern internal voice, told it to shut up.

“I beg your pardon?” Raven asked.

“Oh… what?” Maeve blinked and looked around.

“You just said ‘shut up’ in a very cross sounding voice,” Raven replied.

“Oh, I wasn’t talking to you… something in the back of my mind reminded me that I was shy and that I should be freaking out right now. I told that part of my mind to shut up. I said it inside of my head. It’s rude to intrude on a girl’s private thoughts… stop that.” Reaching up, Maeve rubbed her cheek and gave Raven a smile.

A wry smile appeared on Raven’s face and she returned her attention to the students.

“If you will excuse me, I need to go find a little fillies’ room,” Maeve said in a hissy whisper to Raven. “Don’t worry… I feel much more steadier. I can walk just fine, just you watch.”

Coming out of the bathroom, Maeve leaned up against the wall for a moment, feeling the cool stone through her various layers of clothing. She was sweating now, feeling itchy, and in some pain, but she didn’t let it bother her. She was also a little shaky, which worried her. Maeve could deal with everything but shaky; feeling shaky caused her to feel as though she had lost her confidence.

She had splashed water on her face in the bathroom and she could feel the cool dampness on her face now as a faint breeze blew down the hallway. She was far, far away from the students, off to a small, private restroom intended for castle staff and other residents.

As Maeve stood there leaning against the wall, enjoying the most pleasant cool sensation, she heard the sound of muffled crying. Maeve, being a good-hearted sort, lurched away from the wall, tilted her head, and tried to focus on where the sound was coming from.

Her walk had an almost drunken swagger to it. She traipsed down the hallway, her ears straining, trying to figure out if she was getting closer to the sound of crying. Each stifled sob stabbed Maeve through the heart. She didn’t like it. Nope, not one bit.

She turned the corner, headed down the hallway, moving at a slow, cautious pace. The sobbing was louder now. She was near the Hallway of Antiquities now, or at least she thought she was.

“Hello?” Maeve called out. Maeve heard a gasp, and she assumed it was done out of fear. “Hi… I’m Maeve… Sorceress Maeve. And I’m a really, really nice girl. I’m silly and not someone you should be afraid of.”

Maeve waited, her ears still straining.

“I got lost… the others moved too fast,” a squeaky voice said.

“Can you come out?” Maeve asked. She looked around, trying to find the voice.

“No!”

“Okay, fine… you just stay where you are and we’ll talk. Like I said, my name is Maeve. I am… Princess Luna’s… well, I don’t know what I am. Kinda a student.” Maeve smiled and sat down on the floor. “Do you have a name?”

“My name is Fuschia.”

“Hi, Fuschia, nice to meet you. Would be nice to see you, too. But you’re invisible. How do I know that you aren’t an imaginary voice in my head?” Maeve asked in as serious of a voice that she could muster.

“I dunno.”

“Hmm.” Maeve rubbed her chin with her right hand, missing the use of her left hand. “Why are you here, Fuschia?”

“To come to school… I have scary magic. Scary, scary magic. My parents are scared and I’m scared and I don’t want to get hurt,” Fuschia replied from her hiding place.

“I have scary magic too. I’m still learning. I got burnt pretty bad because a fire spell went right. That’s why I look so ugly.” Maeve looked down at her bandaged arm and felt a pang of loss for her missing fingertip.

“Ouch.”

“Yeah, ouch.” Maeve frowned. “And now I only have one eyebrow, and I’m scared that everypony I see will tease me.”

A small purple-pink filly emerged from behind the drapes that hung down on either side of a massive window. She had a dark green mane and curious blue-green eyes. She stood there, trembling afraid, staring at Maeve.

“Oh my… you’re just a yearling… you’re so tiny and cute… come here, I promise I won’t hurt you,” Maeve said as she looked at Fuschia.

“What are you?” the filly asked in a small, squeaky voice.

“A girl.” Maeve reached into her pocket and then pulled out a few baby carrots. She held them in her hand, but extended one outwards between her right thumb and index finger. “Want a carrot?”

Fuschia licked her lips, but did not move.

“I always keep a few carrots around for Red. He’s an earth pony. He’s my best friend.” Maeve waved the carrot around. “He can do a neat trick. If I throw a carrot, he can catch it. Princess Celestia is worried that other ponies will think I’m treating Red like a pet. He’s just my best friend and we like to play.”

The earth pony filly moved a little closer, her eyes now locked upon the carrot in Maeve’s fingers. “The others moved down the hall too fast. I got left behind. I didn’t mean to wander off, I wasn’t trying to. I don’t want to be in trouble.”

“Hmm, I can help you with that. I can take you back to Princess Celestia, and then I can look really, really sad, and Princess Celestia will lecture me about being a con artist, and she’ll forget about you and you won’t get in trouble.” Maeve grinned and waved the carrot around a little more.

The filly, overcome with desire, came forward, snatched the carrot out of Maeve’s fingers, and then backed away. She crunched it up and watched as Maeve extended a second carrot. Realising that she wasn’t about to gobbled, she came up and sat down in front of Maeve, still chewing. Reaching out, she touched Maeve’s skirts and felt the girl’s leg.

“I have two more carrots here. You eat these, and then I will carry you back to Princess Celestia, and we’ll work on making sad faces together. Deal?” Maeve smiled down at Fuschia and stared into the filly’s eyes, which were wide-eyed and filled with wonder.

Wobbling a bit, Maeve regained her balance. Fuschia was now held in one arm, and the filly’s little forelegs were around Maeve’s neck. Maeve found that she rather liked holding the filly. Fuschia was teeny tiny and adorable. Fuzzy. Snuggleable.

“I don’t know why I thought you were scary,” Fuschia said as Maeve began to walk down the hall. “You’re really nice.”

“I’m kinda surprised, actually.” Maeve smiled. “Normally, huggy stuff makes me panic. But this is nice. Real nice. I’m not squeezing too hard, am I?”

“No, I’m good.” Fuschia looked up into Maeve’s eyes. “You are missing an eyebrow.”

“My magic got me.” Maeve was tempted to press her nose against the filly’s.

“How can you do magic? You’re not a unicorn.” Fuschia reached up with one hoof and touched Maeve’s cheek, brushing her hoof over endless number of freckles. “Are you a giant?”

“I’m not that big, as far as humans go,” Maeve replied as she strode down the hall. It was getting easier to walk now and the pain in her arm was increasing. “It’s tough coming to school for the first time. You don’t have any friends. I guess it is even harder for you, you have to live here and stay at the school, and I bet that’s scary.”

“Uh huh,” the filly agreed.

“Well, you made your first friend. If you get lonesome, you talk to one of your teachers, or one of the guards, or whoever it is that looks after you, and you tell them that you want to come and see Sorceress Maeve. Now you don’t have to be scared or lonely anymore, okay?”

“Okay,” Fuschia replied.

“We’re almost there… those doors just ahead. Quick, try to look scared and sad!”

Stepping through the door, Maeve felt a bit nervous walking into the crowded room. There were lots of little faces looking up at her right now. Lots of larger faces too. Teachers and guards were all looking at her. And one very important face.

“I found one of your students.” Maeve, unable to read Princess Celestia’s mood, decided that drastic measures were in order. “One of your teachers didn’t do a very good job of looking after all of her students. This one got left behind. I found her crying her eyes out near the Hall of Antiquities.”

“Oh dear… I shall have to have a word with whomever is responsible.” Princess Celestia’s brows furrowed. “You seem to have won her trust, Sorceress Maeve.”

“Maeve said I could come and visit her any time,” Fuschia said in a low, squeaky voice to Princess Celestia. “She was really nice and she gave me carrots.”

“Carrots you say… what a lucky filly. Maeve only shares her carrots with her friends.” Princess Celestia beamed and her eyes glanced up to meet Maeve’s. “You did good. I am very proud of you. I treasure those who look after my students. Thank you, Sorceress Maeve.”

Blushing, Maeve kicked one foot against the other. “This is Fuschia, by the way.” Maeve paused. “Fuschia, this is Princess Celestia. She’s really very nice.”

The filly extended one hoof and waved. “Hi.”

“Sorceress Maeve, how would you like to look after our yearlings? There are only a few and they all need to be taken to their quarters. I suspect that with you looking after them, all of them will get there and be accounted for. Will you look after my yearlings?” Princess Celestia tilted her head to one side and gave Maeve a hopeful expression.

“I’d love to… I can do that. I don’t think I can carry them all at once though…”

Author's Note

A long chapter, to make up for the short one.

Chapter 17

Woozy, Maeve eased herself down into a chair. Her head ached somewhat, she felt a little tired, a little cross, and a little happy. Her arm ached, the pain was becoming unbearable now. The infirmary smelled like disinfectant and nose-tingling soap. There was something comforting about the smell; Maeve spent a lot of time here and the smell was familiar.

She settled in to wait for Doctor Greycrest. He was busy, but Maeve didn’t mind waiting. She was weary from looking after all the yearling first year students. Maeve’s stomach gurgled and she felt a moment of nausea. Maeve closed her eyes, leaned back in the chair, and then tried to relax.

She thought about Fuschia. An earth pony with magic. Maeve had never heard of such a thing, but then again, she didn’t know much about ponies. Unicorns had magic, pegasi flew, and earth ponies were strong. At least, that is what Maeve had been told. Human girls weren’t supposed to have magic either. Magical pony princesses didn’t come through closet doors and rescue little girls from unspeakable nightmares. Maeve yawned and gave thought to these impossibilities.

“Sorceress Maeve, wake up… wake up, sweet little one…”

With a most unladylike snorgling sound in the back of her nose, Maeve jerked her head up, awakened by a voice. She blinked, waiting for her blurry vision to focus. For a moment, she thought she had heard her mother’s voice, but realised she she might have been dreaming. Something white loomed in her vision.

“Princess… is that you?” Maeve reached up and rubbed one eye with her right hand and then the other eye. She blinked. “I must have fell asleep, I’m sorry.”

“Do not be sorry, Sorceress Maeve. How are you feeling?” Princess Celestia asked.

“Mouth dry,” Maeve replied, now rubbing her head. “Hurting more… hurting bad.”

“The doctor is preparing an injection. I know how much you hate them, but I am sure that you will agree that it is necessary. Burns are very painful.” Princess Celestia’s face became one filled with concern and she lowered her head down almost nose to nose with Maeve. “I wanted to thank you.”

“Thank me?” Maeve blinked and then winced. She could feel a thudding inside of her head now and her stomach spasmed, causing an intense moment of discomfort.

“You looked after my yearlings, my most vulnerable and precious students. Almost all of them come here due to tragic circumstances, usually magic that they have no control over.” Princess Celestia frowned and then shook her head. “A foal should not be separated from their mother at that age, but sometimes, it is regrettably necessary.”

“I liked looking after them, but I got a little panicky near the end.” Maeve covered her mouth after she was done speaking, and then yawned, her eyes squeezing shut as she did so.

“I spoke to Fuschia, the foal you rescued. I worry for her, being the lone earth pony. I do not get earth ponies or pegasi often in my school, but it has happened in the past.” Princess Celestia raised her head, took a step backwards, and then cleared her throat. “It can be very difficult being the only one of your kind, as I am sure you know. Maeve, I would like for you to spend time with Fuschia, to be her friend if possible… her foalsitter.”

“Like Princess Cadance was Princess Twilight Sparkle’s foalsitter?” Maeve looked up from where she was sitting and looked Princess Celestia in the eye.

“Yes, Sorceress Maeve.” Princess Celestia took a deep breath. “Can you do this for me? It would mean the world to me, you said you wanted more to do, and you said that you wanted some responsibility. Here you are. Have some responsibility.”

“Can I ask a few questions first?” Maeve smiled a dopey smile and tried to be congenial, hoping she did not sound disrespectful.

“I would be delighted to answer any questions you have,” Princess Celestia replied.

“Fuschia says she has scary magic. What happened and why is she here?”

Princess Celestia’s smile vanished. “That is the very heart of the issue, I suppose. Very well.” The alicorn cleared her throat, took a deep breath, looked thoughtful, lifted one hoof, lowered it, and then took another deep breath. “Fuschia is a natural floramancer. Almost all earth ponies are, to some extent. But Fuschia… she causes more than just plant growth. She makes them come alive in terrifying ways. The first incident was with her older brother, who teased her. He pulled on her tail, hurting her. A nearby willow tree became quite animated and whipped her brother across his backside several times, leaving behind a some severe welts.”

“Serves him right.” Maeve’s lips curled into a scowl. “Hair pullers are the worst.”

“There were some other incidences. Minor ones, but her family began to suspect that she was gifted in floramancy.” Princess Celestia’s face became pained. “There was an incident with Fuschia’s older sister. Some harsh and ugly words were said. Fuschia began crying. The family’s rose bushes came to life, thorny brambles grabbed Fuschia’s sister, pulled her into the rose bush, and tried to strangle her. She was almost killed. Not long after, Twilight Sparkle was called in to investigate.”

“I see,” Maeve said. “So scary magic. Scary, scary magic. Poor thing.”

“Sorceress Maeve, you are a soft gentle sort… which is why I want you to spend time with her. I believe that you have her trust. You can understand why I am worried about her spending time with the other students. Foals are not always the most logical of creatures. They tease. They say hurtful things.” Princess Celestia looked around the room, trying to think of what to say next. “Things like this will be part of your duties as a Sorceress. I think that you are responsible enough to begin your duties.”

The human girl sitting in the chair felt her eyes tearing over. “Thank you.”

Doctor Greycrest cleared his throat. “Should I come back later?”

“No, Doctor Greycrest. Sorceress Maeve and I were just finishing up. She appears to be in considerable pain and with her stomach gurgling the way it is, I suspect she is having gastric issues from the opium extract,” Princess Celestia replied.

“I suspected that she would. I’ll look into it. Maeve, may I have your permission to give you an injection?” Doctor Greycrest looked at the girl, saw tears, and felt bad for what he had to do. These were always hard on her, sometimes even causing a terrible state of panic.

“Yeah… get it over with. I’ll try not to freak out.” Maeve fidgeted in her chair, now looking nervous as she sniffled. “I wish you didn’t have to use big horse needles!”

“I think I will stay and help,” Princess Celestia said.

Still no sign of Red. Maeve began to feel a creeping sense of worry, but there wasn’t much she could do about it at the moment. Staring up at the ceiling, Maeve realised that she couldn’t feel much of anything from the neck down. Even the itchiness was gone.

Everyone that she depended on was gone. Luna had vanished, having gone north with Twilight Sparkle. Red Russet was still not returned from his lessons. Maeve figured that her companion would have come to see her when he was done, but that did not seem to be the case.

Bored, drugged, Maeve yawned, and her heavy eyelids began to settle over her eyes. The bed, a comfortable one, was somehow even more comfortable. It was great. It was like laying in a cloud. She yawned again, and without realising it, she drifted away, carried off into dreamland by the ghosts of long dead poppies.

“You are a most interesting little girl… most interesting.” The towering figure looked down at Maeve, his face a stone mask. “I can be a cruel master, if that is what you desire. Do as I say, follow my instructions to the letter, obey my every word, and I will be a fair master. Make no mistake though, I own you. I had a good streak of luck gambling. You are quite a prize. You do not even realise what you are.”

Maeve, kneeling on the floor, did not bother to look up. She was sore, in pain, her bottom hurt. Her mind was a fevered, confused jumble of thoughts, memories, and she couldn’t tell if she was dreaming or having a nightmare.

“My name is Lunn. You may call me Master, except for when you are sick, like you are now. As a kindness, you may call me Master Lunn. Mind you, this is not my real name… names have power girl… Maeve!”

His last word was a strange growling hiss, and Maeve felt her whole body contort from pain. She fell over, going from a kneeling position to a prostrate position, her chains clattering on the floor.

“Those chains annoy me. The clatter is offensive to my ears.” The tall figure made a dismissive wave with one hand and the chains fell away from Maeve. “You cannot escape, those chains are pointless trinkets intended to break your spirit.”

Maeve felt broken, there could be no doubt about that. She lay on the floor, unmoving, not even trying to rise. The stones were cool against her cheek.

“You are filthy. And you appear to be bleeding. How grotesque. Well, I cannot have my servant dying on me. It would be… uncouth.” Lunn shook his head. “Get up.”

Maeve struggled to pick herself up. She got up on her hands, her elbows wobbling. Without warning, the floor rushed up to meet her, and she smashed her mouth against the stones, her teeth lacerating her already swollen lips.

“I said to get up.” Lunn’s voice sounded low on patience.

“I can’t,” Maeve whimpered, her hands slapping against the stones.

“Don’t make me use the Wyrding Voice upon you again.”

“I can’t even walk.” Just trying to talk caused Maeve severe pain, her bloodied lips trickled on the floor, and she could feel sticky blood on her face.

Heaving an exasperated sigh, Lunn reached down, grabbed Maeve by her hair, jerked her head up to waist height, and then began to drag her across the floor, ignoring the spluttering screeching that came out of the blood caked lips of the girl he yanked along.

He pulled her through the room, her body almost limp, her legs making a few feeble kicks, and then with a powerful motion of his arm, he whipped her whole body around, lifted her, and then threw her down upon the stones.

Maeve did not move. She lay there, stars in her vision, hoping that she would die.

She became somewhat aware of the fact that her clothing was being torn off. She tried to scream, but couldn’t tell if she had screamed or if she only imagined it. She felt herself drifting away, her mind disconnecting from her body.

As if in a dream, for a moment, Maeve could feel hands upon her naked flesh, and then she was flying, flying as swift and free as a bird. Through the air she flew, a marvelous feeling. And then, she became a fish. She felt wet. Warm water was all around her body and she came to her senses for a moment. Like any fish, she gulped in water. She felt a painful tugging on her scalp as she was picked up once more by her hair and lifted pulled up out of the water. Coughing, sputtering, Maeve tried to get the water out of her mouth and lungs.

“I am many things, I have engaged in my many acts of depravity, but the acts done to your body disgust me. Whomever did this needs to feel the hospitality of our dungeons.”

Maeve, drifting in and out of reality, had trouble making out the voice or what was being said. She only had some small awareness that she was being bathed, scrubbed clean. She tried to kick and struggle, but there was no strength left, it was too much trouble just to keep breathing.

“I am doing you a favour… you do not know it yet, but one day you will understand. For now, you are a plaything. A slave. One day, I might use you as a pawn. But for that to happen, you must become strong. Cruelty is kindness in this place. I will cut away your weakness and one day, if I do my job right, you will be as kind as I am.”

Maeve had no idea what her captor was saying, and only heard some of his words.

“If only I could wash the human stink off of you, but for now, I suppose you are stuck this way. Perhaps we can fix that…”

Maeve did not hear the rest of what was being said. She slipped into utter blackness, her consciousness failing, and she went into a place where she could feel no hurt, suffer no humiliation, and could not be touched.

Author's Note

More of the past revealed.

Also, there are a few hints here.

Chapter 18

“Luna is still not back yet. It has been four days!” Maeve huffed as she threw herself down into a chair, mindful not to bump her arm. She scowled for the sake of scowling, her eyes narrowed, and she let out a frustrated groan.

There was a terrible itch in Maeve’s arm. It had reached the point of being almost unbearable. At least the medicine was no longer giving her a rash or the hives and she wasn’t walking around on itchy feet.

Red, who had spent the morning with her, was now gone, off to attend his own lessons. Princess Celestia was busy looking after new students and getting them situated so that when the fall came, they would be ready when school started. There was no one around. No one to go to. No one to talk to.

Maeve suffered one childish thought of going out and causing trouble, but thought better of it right away. Heaving a sigh, she realised that she was going to have to entertain herself, something easier said than done.

She rose from her chair, wobbled to regain her balance, grabbed her sunhat, stuffed it down upon her head, and then made her way to the door. There had to be something to do, and Maeve was determined to avoid trouble while she went looking for it.

Feeling a little lightheaded, Maeve wondered what it was they had given her for pain relief. They had ceased the injections, but had started something else. It came in the form of a brownie, baked to perfection. It was easier to deal with than whatever had been in the injections.

Maeve watched as a butterfly went fluttering past, an enchanted grin of delight upon her face. She lurched after the butterfly, following as it went on its butterfly errands, and Maeve waited, patient and calm, while the butterfly stopped to sample a flower.

Still following the butterfly, Maeve passed by a guard standing in a cubby that existed in the castle wall, a little nook that kept the guard pony out of the sun, out of the rain, and comfortable. She reached out and patted him on the nose, smiling as she did so, and kept going after the butterfly.

“Have a nice day,” Maeve said to the guard as she departed.

This section of the garden was unfamiliar to Maeve. It was distant from the castle, out closer to the hedge maze. The hedge maze confused Maeve a great deal. Standing down below Canterlot and looking up at the city perched near the top of the mountain, it didn’t look like there was very much room at all. She had seen Canterlot from Ponyville.

Ponyville. Maeve shuddered. That was an unpleasant memory.

Walking along the wall, Maeve found a gate. It was a narrow gate, rather short. Maeve seemed to recall that there were gates called servant’s gates. Looking around, Maeve checked to see if she was being watched. She couldn’t see anypony, but she suspected that she was being watched.

Reaching out her right hand, she pushed down on the latch of the gate, something that would have been easy for a hoof to open. It was well oiled and didn’t even squeak. Maeve pushed the gate open. The gate only rose to Maeve’s hips, it was just big enough for a pony.

Hunkering down, Maeve squat-walked through the gate. On the other side she found a hidden garden that was well cared for. It was shady, there were trees, and the sound of flowing water reached Maeve’s ears. There was a dirt path that meandered through the grass.

Maeve decided to follow it. Eyes wide, she started forwards, enjoying the coolness of this hidden place. The plants were all overgrown here, but still cared for. It was almost like a jungle, or perhaps some other kind of forest that Maeve wasn’t familiar with, but some place exotic, like she had read in a book.

On the side of the path there was a wooden sign. Looking down, Maeve read the words on the sign out loud. “Sunset Shimmer’s Sanctuary. No colts!”

Reaching up, Maeve scratched her chin with her right hand. After a moment’s reflective pause, Maeve continued forwards, walking between the trees, her nose and lungs filled with the scent of vegetation.

Peeking out from between the trees ahead there was a teeny, tiny stone cottage. A playhouse, the roof coming no higher than Maeve’s chest. It seemed as though it was in good repair. The wooden shingles on the roof were all in order and none of them looked rotted. There were windows, each of them had glass. There was a little door with a curved top half. The cottage even had a thin chimney sticking out from one side.

A few feet away from the front door was a water well, which was also in good repair. There was a winch and a bucket. The rope looked well preserved. The wooden shingles on the well’s roof were all in good repair.

Seeing how well everything was made, Maeve began to realise this wasn’t a playhouse. This was a miniature house, made with love and a high attention to detail. It was also being maintained, or at least, Maeve thought it was. The crimson and gold paint on the door as well as the windows didn’t look dried out and cracked.

Maeve could hear burbling, running water, but she didn’t know where it was coming from. She looked around, feeling a little slow and sleepy. It was nice and cool here. The trees formed a canopy that blocked the sun. Maeve took off her hat, rolled it up, and stuffed it into a pocket.

Maeve hoped that Sunset Shimmer, whomever she was, didn’t mind a little look around. At least, Maeve reasoned that Sunset Shimmer was a she. Having a sign that said ‘no colts’ didn’t make much sense otherwise.

Kneeling down, Maeve tested the door. It opened without effort on well oiled hinges. Maeve peered inside. There was no way she could stand up inside of this place. Some ponies would even have a hard time. This place had been made for a foal. Hunkered down, Maeve waddled forwards into the tiny cottage.

Against the far wall there was a brass bed, still made. A quilt and sheets were visible. A pillow with a pillow case rested at the head of the bed. There was a small sofa, a loveseat, two cushions side by side, and beside the sofa was a bookshelf, which still had books. There was a fireplace and a large stone hearth. There were a few small pieces of iron cookware and a kettle. There was a table in the far corner and cushions on the floor around the table.

In the center of the room there was a fine rug that was only somewhat threadbare.

“Somehow, I am not surprised to find you here.”

Shrieking in terror, Maeve stood up, moving at great speed, and smashed her head into the ceiling. She felt something hot and wet running down the back of her scalp. She saw an explosion of stars, let out a cry, wobbled, and started to fall over.

And then, there was nothing.

“I think she’s coming around.”

That voice was familiar. That was Doctor Greycrest. Maeve blinked her eyes and the light made them sting, filling them with tears. She was laying in a bed and her head was on a fluffy pillow. She was covered by a thin blanket.

“I don’t think she’ll need stitches for that laceration on her scalp, but I reserve the right to be wrong. I don’t want to cut away her pretty hair. I rubbed some restorative elixir over the wound, the same stuff we’ve been using on her arm.”

“What happened?” Maeve asked.

“You hit your head and it is entirely my fault. Sorceress Maeve, I am so sorry,” Princess Celestia replied as she stepped closer to Maeve’s bed.

“I was in a cottage… how did you know I was out there?” Maeve’s vision cleared up a bit and she could see Princess Celestia looming over her. The princess looked worried and she was chewing her lip.

“There are alarms on the gate.” Princess Celestia paused for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. “Sorceress Maeve, that is a very special place. One of my former castle wreckers stayed there when she needed time to herself, time to think, time to get her thoughts together, time to study. I keep the place in good order because I know that one day, she will return home, and she will need a secure place, a place of refuge, so that she can heal. That is a place familiar to her.”

“I understand.” Maeve gave a little nod, causing the pillowcase to crinkle beneath her head. “It is a nice place. I wasn’t going to mess anything up, honest. I was just having a look.”

“Do not worry, little one.” Standing beside Maeve’s bed, Princess Celestia felt a few tears lurking in the corners of her eyes. “She is very dear to me, that castle wrecker. Every day I worry for her and long for her return.”

“You must really love her.” Using her right hand, Maeve lifted herself up into a sitting position and looked around. Doctor Greycrest was gone now, Maeve was not certain when he had left. She felt groggy and her head hurt quite a bit. She groaned as as she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her right arm around them.

“I do.” Princess Celestia heaved a sorrowful sigh. “Just like I love you. I feel bad for causing you to hit your head. Maeve, you keep getting hurt. This has to end somehow. I think I am going to have a suit of armor commissioned for your protection.”

In spite of her pain, Maeve giggled. She looked up at Princess Celestia, a smile on her face, and reached out her right hand. She touched Celestia’s cheek, her fingers lingering, feeling the soft, warm, fuzzy velvet of Celestia’s muzzle.

Leaning her head into Maeve’s touch, Princess Celestia was glad for this moment. Moments like these were rare, and she cherished Maeve’s affection. “Sorceress Maeve, would you like to come and have a late lunch with me?”

“Food sounds good. I’m starving. Been kinda hungry for a while.” Maeve let her fingers continue to linger on Celestia’s cheek. “What happened to Sunset Shimmer?”

“Sunset Shimmer one day decided that a little mischief was not enough. She gave an earnest effort towards wrecking my castle. Her mind was clouded by anger, hate, jealousy, and the lust for power. I could not save her from herself.” Princess Celestia heaved a sigh and took comfort from the touch of the hand upon her cheek, the soft kneading movement of Maeve’s fingertips. “She is gone now, but I do so hope that she will return one day. I have nothing but high hopes that she will come to her senses.”

“I don’t want power.” Maeve shook her head. “But I will admit, I do get a certain thrill from my magic sometimes. I would never want to hurt anybody though.”

Princess Celestia’s mind thought of her first meeting with Maeve. Maeve had just stepped through the glowing rift with Luna just behind her. Maeve was covered in blood, drenched, soaked from top to bottom. The blood had scabbed into a rust coloured mess, and the whites of Maeve’s eyes had stood out in sharp contrast. Maeve’s hair, thick with blood, had turned into a sort of crude helmet, and there was a crown upon her head.

The words ‘I would never want to hurt anybody though’ rang in Celestia’s mind. Maeve was capable of doing it, but still had a gentle soul. Princess Celestia hoped that Maeve would never be placed in a position where Maeve had to hurt something, because Princess Celestia knew that Maeve would, and would do so without hesitation.

“Can you get out of the bed, Maeve?” Celestia asked.

“Yeah, I think so,” Maeve replied. She looked up at the alicorn standing at her bedside. “I’m sorry that you lost your student. I know that I am Luna’s student, but you teach me a lot of stuff as well… I don’t think that Luna would mind sharing me. I could be your student too… I would never turn on you. You’ve been really good to me and while Luna is a very dear friend to me, you act sort of like you’re my mother.”

It was difficult to breathe all of a sudden. Princess Celestia felt a tightness in her barrel. She gasped a few times, trying to contain her emotion, and then felt her eyes watering. It took effort to maintain her serene mask and calm demeanour. “Maeve, let us go and get some lunch, shall we? We can talk while we are eating. Let me help you get out of bed.”

Author's Note

Mmm... brownies.

Chapter 19

“Sorceress Maeve, there is something I wanted to talk to you about,” Princess Celestia said in a low voice as she set down her fork after having finished a large bowl of salad. The alicorn lifted up a napkin, wiped her already clean muzzle, and then put the napkin down.

“Yeah?” Maeve looked up from her own salad, which was colourful with many different types of vegetables and had pieces of hard boiled egg in it. Maeve found that it took effort to eat and consuming her salad was taking a bit more time than usual.

Celestia cleared her throat and then looked Maeve in the eye. “I have a nephew. His name is Blueblood. I do not wish to speak ill of him, but he was known for being a bit boorish at times. As it turns out, he was part of the advanced grip the changelings had upon this castle and they subverted his mind and his loyalties.” Princess Celestia sighed and her face fell. “He shall be returning home soon. I have received word that he is ready to come home.”

“And you are worried about me meeting him?” Maeve asked. She watched as Celestia nodded. Maeve stabbed her fork into her salad, speared a red bell pepper piece, some onion, a bit of egg, and a few spinach leaves. “I just hope that he doesn’t freak out.”

“That is my sincere hope as well.” Princess Celestia poured herself a glass of iced tea, added lemon, and then lifted the glass to her lips so she could sip it. She stared down the table, looking distracted and perhaps a bit sad.

“”So Bluebad—”

“Blueblood,” Celestia corrected, the corners of her lips twitching upwards.

“So Blueblood was kind of a bad pony but it turns out his mind was being controlled by something making him bad?” Maeve asked with her mouth full. Her eyes narrowed. “That’s not nice. Who would do such an awful thing?”

“Changelings. They had a plot to take over Canterlot. Blueblood has always acted just a little entitled… which I suppose is my fault. I spoiled him. The changelings took advantage of that and under their control, he became quite a jerk. Ponies grew to hate him. He has been gone for years now. He joined a cloister of mental aesthetics.” Celestia set her tea down and stared off through the window. “Sorceress Maeve, I know it is a lot to ask, but could you try to be his friend? You were not here during the unpleasantness. You did not see him at his worst. As such, it is my hope that he might open up to you. He will have no shame of mistreating you or guilt over previous interactions.”

“I guess I can try, but a lot of ponies are weirded out by me.” Maeve ate another bite of salad chewed in a thoughtful manner, looking at Celestia as the white pony princess stared out the window. Still chewing, Maeve asked, “What are changelings?”

“They are wretched creatures that assume different forms, stealing the likeness of others. They destroy trust, feed on love, and have no redeemable qualities of any sort,” Celestia replied. She turned to look Maeve in the eye. “I hope that you never meet them.”

Maeve awoke with a headache. She blinked, looking around, her vision blurry. Beside her bed was a brownie. She had laid down for a little nap after lunch and she had no memory of falling asleep. Sitting up in her bed, she looked around her room. She looked at her sword and her crown, yawned, and then thought about going back to sleep.

She swung her legs out over the edge of the bed and her bare feet touched the cool stone floor. She wiggled her toes on the floor, enjoying the coolness against her sensitive feet, and eyed the brownie on her bedside table. She looked at her pillow, expecting to see blood, but there was nothing but a few frizzy orange hairs.

Standing up, Maeve wobbled off to her bathroom. As she neared the door, she came to an irritating conclusion. If she kept growing taller, she was going to have to start ducking her head to get through the door. The ceiling was getting closer too.

Passing through the doorway, Maeve remembered her mother. Her mother was a giant, tall, thin, beautiful. Her mother had been so very tall. Maeve wondered how tall she would be. She knew that she was taller than most girls her age, at least, she had been over a year ago back when she still lived among the humans.

There was a somewhat painful memory of being teased when she was little, other children teasing her that her mother was a giant. Being teased for having red hair. Being teased for freckles.

In the bathroom, Maeve remembered her mother’s gentleness. Her mother was fair and beautiful, but also strong. Maeve had hazy memories of her mother splitting wood with a maul and doing strenuous things that men would do. There was also the time when her mother had lifted a wagon; the wheel had broken, Maeve’s mother had grabbed the wagon by the back end, and with a powerful heave, she had lifted the wagon up, holding it long enough for a new wheel to be attached to the axle. Maeve had only realised her mother’s strength later on, when she was older, and had been exposed to more people. People who were weak and couldn’t just lift up a wagon full of goods.

When Maeve passed by the mirror, she saw her mother’s face and her red hair reflected back at her. Maeve smiled at the freckled face in the mirror and then set out to finish her business in the bathroom.

After emerging from her room, Maeve strode down the hallway, enjoying the feeling of her skirts swishing around her legs. She walked with as much elegance as she could muster, placing one foot in front of the other, walking heel to toe, wobbling as she went.

The brownie had been delicious.

The world around her felt alive somehow, the colours were far more vibrant and everything was beautiful. Maeve felt beautiful, a peculiar sensation. She could feel a cool breeze circulating around her knees and thighs as her skirts swished. Maeve felt as though she was floating more than walking, boosting her confidence, giving her a feeling of grace and poise. She walked with her head high, her eyes wide, a smile upon her face.

She raised her right hand as she walked, her eyes narrowing in concentration. Multicoloured lights began to dance around her fingers, cool light, illumination without heat. As magic surged through her body, her hair stood on end, but Maeve was unaware that this was happening.

Almost skipping down the hall, Maeve giggled as she made the globes of light dance around her right hand. Maeve felt light, not just light headed, but almost as if she would start floating at any moment. She could feel the magic coursing through her body now, it caused a heady rush that made Maeve feel giddy. Maeve could feel a growing pressure behind her eyes, but it was a pleasant pressure, almost like a sneeze.

The hallway was filled with dancing lights now, globes of glowing faerie fire. They swirled around Maeve and the girl began to giggle. The glowing orbs crackled with strange energy and Maeve reveled in her control over them.

“You do not even realise what you are.”

That was Lunn’s voice. Maeve paused, wondering why she was remembering his voice. She did not like having her happy moment tainted by his voice. She had killed him, cut him down, she had made him screech for all of his cruelties.

Overcome by a strange compulsion to return to her room, Maeve reversed her direction and headed back towards her door. Magic. The magic was flowing now. It took no effort at all. Raising her hand, Maeve made a gesture at her door. It shuddered, it rattled, and then it did her bidding, opening wide to allow her entrance. Maeve began to giggle as the intoxicating thrill of her magic filled her mind.

She entered her room, not fully aware of what she was doing, giggling, her eyes wide and manic looking. All of her hair stood on end. Static electricity crackled all up and down her clothing.

Extending her right hand, she waggled her fingers at Choróin ar an Bitseach, willing her crown to come to her. She needed her crown. Somehow, she knew that the crown would relieve the strange pressure in her head. She beckoned at her crown once more, making a gesture with her hand. The crown flew from its stand, engulfed in faerie fire.

The moment the crown touched Maeve’s head, settling into a wild nest of hair like some small bird, Maeve felt the flow of magic become overwhelming. She could feel her guts writhing and there was strange pressure in her chest. Her heart was thudding and she could feel the forceful pounding in her throat.

Extending her hand, she gestured at Lann na Gealaí Dubh. The sword sprang to life, soaring through the air, illuminated by a multicolour aura of magical fire. Maeve clutched the handle in her right hand, it was warm and it seemed to have a pulse.

“Lann na Gealaí Dubh... I know your name… I know your name,” Maeve said in a strange, raspy voice that was not her own. It caused everything around her to vibrate. She lifted the blade up, raising the hilt to her lips. She kissed the crossguard, her eyes closing, and Maeve felt a thousand strange thoughts filling her mind.

She heard voices, strange voices. Lunn’s voice. Oonagh’s voice. Nilzebog’s voice. She heard their mocking laughter. She heard their cruel words. And then, as a smile spread across Maeve’s lips, she heard their screams. Maeve had been their end. Maeve had been their ruin. The girl opened her eyes, her body now consumed in cool, flickering purple flames.

The bandages upon Maeve’s right arm burned away, consumed by fire that did not burn Maeve. The scorched flesh bubbled like wax, but Maeve did not cry out for there was no pain. Entranced, Maeve had no idea what was going on, but it felt good.

Words were said in Maeve’s mind, words that she did not know, a language that she could not speak. Maeve felt her body moving, but she had no control over it. She backed away from the wall, moving towards the center of the room, her burned arm still bubbling. Somehow, her room seemed smaller, the ceiling seemed closer, and the floor appeared to be farther away.

Strange words began to tumble out of Maeve’s mouth, words she had no knowledge of, words that made her tongue tingle and her lips go numb. It felt good. Maeve closed her eyes, lost in the rapture of magic. Her feet no longer touched the floor.

She raised her sword, the blade vibrating, and held it out in front of her. Her right arm flexed and quivered as she clutched the grip of Lann na Gealaí Dubh. With a fluid motion, she sliced downwards in a chopping arc, cutting open reality in front of her. The room filled with a bright, piercing, blinding light.

Maeve floated back from the rift, her feet still hovering above the floor. Her eyes were still closed, she was unseeing, blind, and the flesh of her left arm grew darker as the skin bubbled like stew in a pot. There was an almost deafening droning sound now.

In the distance, hooves could be heard clattering over the stone floor.

Consumed by magic, almost mad laughter spilling out of her mouth, Maeve made a gesture towards the rift with her sword. Blue and purple light began to spill out of the rift.

A tall figure stepped through the rift and as it entered, Maeve fell silent. The rift vanished and Maeve’s sword clattered to the floor. Maeve, suspended in the air, went limp as the magic all around her died.

Before Maeve could fall to the floor and injure herself, the tall figure caught her, sweeping her up in long arms, clutching her, and pulling her close before kissing her upon the cheek.

Author's Note

Cliffhanger!

Chapter 20

Princess Celestia, seeing a tall human hunched over Maeve’s bed, almost went blind with rage. Reaching out with her mind, she grabbed the human male and slammed him up against the wall with terrific force, hoping to stun him, but not kill him. Next, she disarmed him, pulling away a long sword from his belt, a short sword, and a dagger, tossing them aside.

Then, Celestia placed a band of telekinesis around his throat as she moved forward. Flames flickered from her eyes and danced along the length of her horn as she drew closer. She was worried about Maeve, but did not dare take her eyes off of the stranger, who was looking at her with bright violet eyes.

It took Celestia several moments before she realised, this was no human. Taller, thinner, more slender of build. Chiseled features… and pointed ears. Not human at all. Celestia drew in a deep breath. She was prepared to kill if necessary, but hoped that bloodshed could be avoided.

“You will answer all of my questions. You will do as I bid. If I am not satisfied with your answers, make no mistake, I will kill you for your intrusion and for harming something I hold dear. You will die… slowly.”

“I did Maeve no harm, I assure you. I give you my word,” the figure replied.

“I WILL BE THE ONE TO DETERMINE THAT!” Celestia roared, almost spitting.

“I am grateful that Maeve has such dedicated protectors,” the figure said in a raspy voice as the telekinetic band around his throat tightened. “Kill me if you must, but then you will get no answers, and I have many.”

“Who are you? Tell me your name! Now!” Celestia stepped closer and applied painful force to her telekinesis. “If you lie to me, I will know.”

“Names have power… but I see that I have very little choice.” The tall figure, held in Celestia’s magic, began to squirm and gag as the pressure upon the whole of his body increased. “My name is Bjarke.”

“What are you?” Celestia’s voice was now a low, dangerous sounding hiss.

“I am one of the very last of the ljásálfar…” Bjarke closed his eyes and struggled to draw breath, his face now turning a painful shade of purple. When the magical force around his throat relaxed just the tiniest bit, he sucked in a much needed bit of air and then locked his eyes upon the strange horse creature in front of him. “In many worlds, my kind are known as elves… the ljásálfar are the Elves of the White… we are the mortal enemies of the Dokkálfar, the Elves of the Black. We are also at war with the Unseelie Court, the wretched monsters responsible for hurting Maeve… we are losing these battles… if you… kill me… there will be one less ljásálfar in existence, and the darkness will grow stronger.”

“Who are you that you know Maeve?” Celestia asked, her eyes narrowing.

Bjarke blinked and sucked in a little more air. The pressure upon his ribcage was still almost too much to bear. “I am Maeve’s uncle… I am her mother’s brother… there is a long story here and it will be much easier to tell if you are not slowly crushing me to death… you know my true name and I give you my word, I am not here to harm you… I have come to look after my niece, and to tell her of her heritage.”

“How did you come to be here?” Celestia demanded as she relaxed some of her hold upon the frail looking hominoid she had pressed against the wall.

“I am a wizard of some skill… I confess, I did something untoward and I plan to beg forgiveness for it as soon as I can… I was able to touch Maeve’s mind a few times, but she was not strong enough to pull me through. Not until just recently… her mind became less guarded and I was able to reach through the astral realm to place a compulsion spell upon her,” Bjarke replied, offering a sparse explanation of his actions.

Scowling, Princess Celestia realised that Maeve’s current medicated state had allowed this to happen. So far, Bjarke had been utterly honest in each of his replies and Princess Celestia could sense no trace of malice in him, no hostility. She saw his eyes dart over to Maeve’s limp form and then look back at her.

“My sister fell in love with a mortal. She gave up her gift, her blessing… it left her shamefully weak and without magic. She loved him though, for whatever reason. I tried to tell her that it wasn’t worth it, that these things always end in heartache, that mortals cannot bear to love our kind, it always drives them mad and ends in tragedy. She refused to listen to me.”

Tears fell from Bjarke’s eyes and Princess Celestia felt a pang in her heart. She did not relax her guard however. She heard the shuffling of her guardsponies all around her.

“I know that she died, I felt her passing, I was in another realm at the time, another world. I was engaged in something that I gave my word that I would see through.” Bjarke’s eyes squeezed shut. “I was mad with grief… I disgraced myself as a warrior… I killed unworthy foes rather than grant mercy and I acted without honour… but I finished my task. When I went to the world where my sister Maeve had settled, I found a madman left rotting in an asylum and little Maeve was gone. I have spent the last year trying to reach my niece… your realm is very, very far away from everything else.” Bjarke opened his eyes. “I know what happened to Maeve… I pulled his thoughts from his mind… I am sickened by what I saw… all he could see was Maeve’s mother… she haunted his thoughts. I killed him as an act of mercy, but I will confess to taking some satisfaction in the act of killing him for what he did to my niece.”

“I am very sorry that you found out the truth,” Princess Celestia said as she lowered Bjarke down to the floor and allowed his feet to touch the stones.

“You have looked after my niece… been her caretaker… been her guardian. I know that she was trapped in Tír na hÓige… I owe you a great deal… for the kindness you have given her, I offer you one hundred years of my life,” Bjarke said to Celestia as he balanced on his feet.

“I cannot accept—”

“It is already given. I pay my debts… I must pay my debts, you know my name… you do not understand how much I will suffer if you do not accept my service,” Bjarke said in a now frantic voice. He kneeled down at the strange horse creature’s hooves.

“We can talk about this later,” Princess Celestia said. She backed away from the strange human-like figure that kneeled before her. She lifted a wing, made a gesture, and the gathered guards began to back away. “For now, Elf of the White, you are my guest until I figure out what I wish to do with you.”

Turning her head, Princess Celestia looked down at Maeve. The girl had a blissful smile upon her face. She was also different. Taller. Maeve had sprouted a good half a foot in height by the looks of it. Long pointed ears poked out from her frizzy orange hair. “What did you do to her?”

“I did nothing, I assure you… it was her magic, it burned away some of her humanity, exposing her half-elven heritage… I would never bring harm to her,” Bjarke replied, still kneeling.

Princess Celestia lowered her head. Maeve’s left arm looked funny. It had turned brown and it looked rough, like brown paper. Peering through squinted eyes, Princess Celestia had a closer look. Maeve’s arm was covered in tree bark, or it appeared to be that way. It was confusing, to say the very least. Even more confusing was the fact that Maeve had all of her fingers once more. She lifted her head and looked at Bjarke.

“Maeve’s arm was badly burned… she lost a finger in a battle of wills with her enchanted sword and she recently burned off part of another finger trying to use magic. Now she is covered in what appears to be bark. What do you know of this?”

Bowing his head, Bjarke swallowed, closing his eyes, and then replied, “We ljásálfar descend from tree spirits… when Maeve awoke her slumbering elven nature, her body regenerated what was damaged. She is lucky… half elves rarely recover… this was likely a once in a lifetime occurrence.” The kneeling elf opened his eyes and looked at his niece.

“But why does it look like wood?” Celestia asked, still confused.

“Because… it is wood,” Bjarke replied.

Celestia took a step towards Bjarke. “Do you mean to tell me that Maeve’s arm is now made of wood from the elbow down?”

The still kneeling elf nodded. “Living wood. If you were to cut it, she would bleed sap.”

“Suddenly so many things about Maeve make sense,” Celestia said, thinking of Maeve and her affinity for earth ponies. Celestia thought of Fuschia and Red Russet. She stared at Bjarke. “Stop kneeling. Get up.”

Doing as he was bid, Bjarke rose. He stood still, unmoving, awaiting further instructions. He was a tall figure, thin, almost fragile looking. After a long few moments of studying the horse creature, he dared to move, he raised his right hand and brushed his long, silky, silvery white hair away from his face. “Might I ask you what manner of creature you are?”

“I am Princess Celestia, Alicorn of the Sun,” Celestia replied.

Bjarke bowed, bending at the middle, his arms lifting away from his sides in a courtly manner. He rose, moving slow, a creature of lithe grace. “Majesty, you appear to be a type of horse.”

“I am a pony.” Princess Celestia sniffed. “You are ignorant so I will forgive you for calling me a horse.”

“Majesty, I would never slight you on purpose. I am your dutiful servant.” Bjarke folded his arms behind his back and stood straight. “You must be a kind and benevolent ruler to have taken in my niece, as strange as she must be to you. For this, I am grateful. I owe you much.”

“Sorceress Maeve has proven her worth. She freed my sister from the grip of the fae.” Princess Celestia felt flattered by the charming old fashioned mannerisms of Bjarke, but she would never admit it.

“Unseelie… fallen fae. Bad fae.” Bjarke’s face contorted with revulsion and disgust.

“You have not yet asked for your weapons back,” Princess Celestia said as she stared Bjarke in the eye. “For a warrior, such things are of importance. I am surprised that you have made no move to reclaim them.”

Bjarke’s unfolded his arms from behind his back and lifted his hands. Blue flames danced from his fingertips. “I am not unarmed. Plus, I am surrounded by dangerous looking ponies wearing armor. I believe I am quite safe. You will tell me to pick up my swords when it is time.” He wiggled his fingers, the flames died, and then Bjarke folded his hands behind his back once more.

“Bjarke, I want you to sit in a chair and then I would like for you to guard Maeve until she wakes. I will be sitting here with you, and we shall continue talking. Before you make yourself comfortable, please, pick up your swords and place them on that table, but whatever you do, do not touch Maeve’s sword. It will hurt you,” Celestia said.

“As you command,” Bjarke replied as he unfolded his arms and moved to collect his weapons.

Princess Celestia watched as the elf picked up his long sword, his short sword, and the long dagger. He made no effort to put them back on, but did as she asked, setting them down upon Maeve’s table.

“Guards, you may leave us. I wish to speak to our guest in private,” Celestia said in a commanding tone. “Four of you may position yourselves outside of Sorceress Maeve’s door.”

The guard began to file out of the room, hooves thudding, armor clanking.

“Now, Bjarke, I wish to know more about you…”

Author's Note

Funny story... Bjarke is old Norsk. Who can figure out what it means...

Chapter 21

Princess Celestia watched as Sorceress Maeve hugged her knees to her chest. Just as the alicorn suspected, Maeve was still drugged from the brownie she had eaten. Overall, Maeve was handling this rather well. She had only screamed a little and was now quiet, more or less. Bjarke was sitting in a chair, a pained expression on his face. Celestia felt pity for him—it was clear that he longed to rush over and comfort his niece, but he restrained himself from doing so. As Princess Celestia continued to watch as everything unfolded, she saw Maeve’s hand slip from around her knee and go up to touch her pointed ear. The other hand, the one made out of living wood, was an issue that still had to be addressed. Maeve had noticed, but she had been screaming at the time, and nothing had been said about it since.

“My mother wasn’t human?” Maeve asked in a scratchy voice.

“Your mother… my sister… was ljásálfar. The Elves of the White. She gave up her blessing and chose a mortal life because she loved. My sister was very dear to me… I did not agree with her decision, but I did not stop her. She was free to make her own choices,” Bjarke replied in a low, soft voice that was filled with sorrow.

“Lunn was always going on about me not knowing what I was… what a prize I was.” Maeve closed her eyes and shook her head. After a long moment, she opened her eyes and then she looked at her now strange to her left arm, flexing her fingers, trying to take it all in.

“Bjarke says your arm and your hand are now made out of living wood.” Princess Celestia took a step closer to the bed. If she could engage Maeve’s natural curiousity, if she could keep Maeve asking questions, everything would be okay. At least, this is what Princess Celestia believed. How all of this would turn out remained to be seen.

“What am I?” Maeve lifted her head, sat up a bit straighter, and looked at Bjarke. “Am I fae? Are we fairies?”

“No.” Bjarke shook his head. “We are elves. Extradimensional beings. We have long been the allies of the Seelie Court, the good fairies, but this war has been costly and we have lost. I will explain more of this later.” Bjarke took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “We are nature spirits. We descend from tree spirits. Our role is to heal the ground and everything that grows out of it. There are many species who leave the ground soiled. Humans, goblins, orcs, ogres, giants, the fallen fae, all of which spread from place to place, trailing filth and polluting all they touch.”

Maeve shook her head, overwhelmed, and unable to reply.

“None of that is important right now. What is important is, I have found you. I can teach you about your heritage. I can teach you about magic, but your magic is much stronger than mine, even though you are half-elven—”

“Why?” Maeve asked.

“Why is your magic stronger?” Bjarke replied, raising one eyebrow.

Maeve nodded.

“Because you are female.” Bjarke shrugged. “That is the way of it. I do not know why that is. We males tend to be bigger, stronger, faster—more dexterous and nimble. Females tend to be more magical. It all balances out.”

Maeve, relaxing, dropped her knees from her chest and sat in a more relaxed position, while still keeping a wary eye on Bjarke. “My magic set me on fire… my magic caused this.” Maeve lifted her left hand and then wiggled her fingers. “At least I got back the finger I lost.”

“For certain spells, having an extended terminus point is wise,” Bjarke suggested. “I use my dagger or sometimes my short sword. Maeve, you must listen to me. We descend from tree spirits… we are vulnerable to fire. Exceedingly so. We are vulnerable to fire in the same way that the fairies are vulnerable to cold iron.”

“Oh.” Maeve blinked and then looked over at Princess Celestia. “Is this why your sun keeps burning me?”

Confused by the question, Princess Celestia let out a startled gasp. Her sun was almost Maeve’s most hated enemy, always burning Maeve. The alicorn looked at Bjarke and then back at Maeve. “That is a very good question Maeve. I do not know… my sun is somewhat different than other suns in other worlds.”

“I don’t mean to be rude, but I am feeling very hungry. I would like some food,” Maeve said in a low voice. “I feel lightheaded and dizzy.” Maeve reached up and rubbed her eyes with her right hand and then pinched her nose. “Bjarke, I don’t know how to feel about you. I will try to give you a fair chance, but you must not touch me. I do not always deal very well with being touched. I’m sorry, it is nothing personal.”

The elf bowed his head. “I understand. What was done to you was… disgraceful.”

“You seem very nice. Thank you for being respectful towards me and answering my questions.” Maeve looked at Celestia. “Can we please get something to eat?”

“Of course.” Princess Celestia smiled at Maeve. “Do you need some help getting up?”

“Yes please. I don’t feel steady.” Maeve scooted to the edge of her bed and placed her feet upon the floor. She rose, wobbled, and then was caught by an unseen force. “Bjarke, would you care to join me?” Maeve, her expression fearful, looked at her strange guest. “Could you tell me more about my mother?”

“I would love to share memories about my sister with you.” Bjarke rose, bowed his head, and then stood with his hands folded behind his back. “Princess Celestia, am I permitted to join you?”

“I think that would be a splendid idea. Before you leave this room, please make certain to secure your weapons… you know Bjarke, I think I will accept your offer. As of this moment, consider yourself one of my personal guard.” Princess Celestia reasoned that if Bjarke was obligated to follow her around, and if Princess Celestia spent time with Maeve, then that would be a good way to bring the two of them together in a way that Maeve might feel safe.

“As you command. My life for you,” Bjarke replied, bowing his head. He raised his hand, made a gesture, and then his weapons hung once more upon his belt. “You have my gratitude for looking after my niece.”

Maeve, looking confused, looked first at Bjarke and then her gaze focused upon Princess Celestia. She blinked, looking groggy, and then sighed. “I’ll ask questions later.”

“Before we go, Sorceress Maeve, you should put your sword away,” Princess Celestia said. She looked at Maeve. “Such a thing is just too dangerous to leave lying around on the floor.”

While Princess Celestia was none too pleased about the conversation, she was happy that Maeve and Bjarke were talking with one another. Maeve was shy, she was cautious, she was fearful, but at the same time, Maeve was also fearless, she was bold, and forward. Maeve was a body made of contradictions.

“—and then I sliced her head off. That sword will go through anything. I took her crown… the crown helps my magic and it makes me feel a little funny when I wear it. Kind of cranky.” Maeve crammed a big spoonful of macaroni and cheese into her mouth, chewed once or twice, and then swallowed. “The crown is called ‘Choróin ar an Bitseach.’ Do you understand that name?”

Bjarke began to choke, his eyes going wide. He coughed, still choking, and then began to laugh even as he struggled to breathe. He glanced at Maeve, then at Celestia, and then covered his mouth as he tried to recover.

“What’s so funny?” Maeve asked and then filled her mouth with coleslaw. For a time, the sounds of her noisy chewing was the only sound present.

“The name translates to ‘Crown of the Bitch,’ so it is no wonder it makes you feel cranky,” Bjarke replied. Looking over at the strange pony creature that he was indebted to sitting at the table with him, he gave her an apologetic smile.

“Oh.” Maeve’s eyes widened. “So that is why Queen Oonagh was the way she was, because she was a real bi—”

“Sorceress Maeve, do not dare utter that word!” Celestia said in an urgent shout. “A Sorceress must keep a civil tongue!”

“Fudge.” Maeve slumped down in her chair. Pouting, she gobbled down more macaroni and cheese, chewing with a scowl that caused the corners of her eyes to crinkle.

“Your mother once turned me into a warty toad for uttering a profane word.” Bjarke’s shoulders drooped and he stared down at his plate.

“My mother gave up her magic… I don’t understand… you said you are immortal… how can she just become mortal again and die?” Maeve asked in a low voice as she studied Bjarke.

“Maeve, powerful magic was used. Your mother, my sister… she and I lived for thousands of turns of the seasons on many, many worlds. She began to feel that our existence was meaningless. Some of our kind, we are not cut out for immortality. She chose to be mortal… to fall in love. She loved your father.” Bjarke fell silent as a pained expression crept over his face. “The less said about that, the better.”

“So you are immortal… can you die?” Maeve asked.

“I am only immortal as far as aging goes. I can be killed. I can die. If you run me through with a sword, I can be killed. I can die from disease or poison,” Bjarke replied.

Princess Celestia inhaled and held her breath for a moment. Very few beings understood the pain of immortality. The long stretch of centuries and how they turned into eons. She looked at Bjarke, feeling a growing sense of respect.

“How long will I live?” Maeve asked.

“That is hard to say.” Bjarke closed his eyes, heaved a sigh, and then opened his eyes so he could look at Maeve. “You are distressingly mortal. One day, I will lose you, and then everything I had of my beloved sister will be gone. Half elves can live for a very, very long time though. Or they can live short lives.”

“I don’t know if I want to live that long… I don’t want to see all of my friends grow old and die… what would I do without Red?” Maeve set her fork down upon the table, then she reached up and she wiped her eyes with the back of her right hand.

“Red?” Bjarke, glad to have the subject changed, leaned forwards. He saw the curious pony creature glancing at him. “Who is Red? Tell me more about this friend of yours.”

“Red Russet is an earth pony. He’s my best friend. I tell him my secrets. He’s named after a potato and he has a talent for blending tea.” Maeve smiled as she thought about the colt she called her friend. She had fond feelings for him. She started to blush, a peculiar feeling coming over her. She didn’t know why she was blushing. She looked at Celestia, then back at Bjarke. “I would do anything for Red. He has my trust.”

“I would like to meet him and thank him for looking after my niece.” Bjarke’s thin, delicate brows furrowed. “Earth pony… is there some kind of connection with the ground? Are they like us, we tree spirits?”

“Yes, actually,” Princess Celestia replied, glad to have an opportunity to share knowledge. “Earth ponies have no horn and no wings. They tend not to have active magic like unicorns, but there are exceptions. Earth ponies tend to have extraordinary strength. Everywhere they go, they purify the land and the water benefits from their touch. They are the foundation on which my entire kingdom is built. They are gentle, loving spirits, natural empaths, and I find them to possess healing talents that cure the mind, even though I cannot yet explain this phenomenon.”

“Fascinating… it sounds as though Red is an ideal companion for Maeve.” Bjarke looked at his niece. “I am relieved that you found this place of healing. I like this place.”

“This is my home. I have no desire to ever leave.” Maeve’s face took on a troubled expression and her cheeks became drawn as her lips pressed into a tight, thin line. “If I live for a long time, at least I will have Princess Luna and Princess Celestia.”

“Princess Luna?” Bjarke asked. “I keep hearing her mentioned. Maeve said her name several times.”

“My sister,” Celestia replied. “I suppose there is still so much more to tell you…”

Author's Note

This is a story about healing.

Chapter 22

Staring down at her wooden arm, Maeve’s mind filled with a thousand different questions. She was both relieved by her uncle’s existence, and terrified of his presence. While he seemed nice enough, he was a man. Or was he? Bjarke was not human. Princess Celestia had quietly whispered into Maeve’s ear that she should give him a chance, because he was not human.

Maeve realised that she didn’t know who, or what she was anymore. She clenched her wooden hand into a fist. The bark was smooth and supple. It almost looked like beech bark—it was pale white and pleasant to touch. The place where the bark and the skin merged together transitioned in the most curious way.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about her new hand… she could feel everything. Running her fingertips over her skirts, she could feel the soft, smooth, combed cotton. She flexed her fingers and stared at them, wide eyed. She no longer had fingernails.

Bjarke was gone, off with Princess Celestia. He had bowed to her. Maeve found that she wanted to give him a chance… Bjarke knew her mother, and for that reason alone, Maeve was willing to risk dealing with her own hurts and the painful memories of her past.

Hearing a knock upon her door, Mauve paused. She heard a gruff voice say, “Sorceress Maeve, you have a visitor. Might he come in?”

Acting without thinking, Maeve made a gesture with her wooden hand, a come hither motion with her fingers. The door opened and Maeve saw a familiar red colt. She wobbled, feeling lightheaded, and then shouted, “Red!”

She lurched forward, clumsy as always, her now longer legs not helping at all. She sank down to her knees, banging them against the stone floor, and grabbed Red’s face in her hands, squeezing his cheeks. “I’m so glad to see you.”

Red, not used to Maeve being this grabby or affectionate, didn’t know how to respond. He stood there, looking up at Maeve, his amber eyes flashing. She was squeezing his cheeks, kneading his face as though it were made of dough, and truth be told, it kind of felt good. “I heard about Bjarke… one of the guards explained everything to me.”

Unable to help herself, Maeve wrapped her arms around Red’s neck and pulled his head to her chest, squeezing him, clutching him to her. She blinked, not realising that she had been crying, but now feeling the hot tears upon her cheeks. Leaning her head down, she kissed Red upon the top of his head, right between his fuzzy ears.

She sat down upon the floor, falling back off of her knees, sat crosslegged, and then pulled Red into her lap. For some odd reason, she was not bothered by having him close. She ran her right hand along his neck, feeling all of his muscles tense, and then she heard a giggle. Red was ticklish.

“You’re my best friend.” Maeve shook her head. “I don’t know why I missed you so much… you were just gone to your classes… but with everything that just happened… I needed you.”

“Your hand is funny,” Red said, trying to angle his head so he could see.

“It’s made out of wood now,” Maeve replied.

“What?” Red looked upwards, his muzzle bumping into Maeve’s chin.

“I’m not human… I can’t remember the name, but I am some kind of half elf… I don’t know. I don’t understand all of it. I am part tree spirit,” Maeve explained as she ran her finger’s though Red’s close cropped mane. After a moment of feeling Red’s silky mane, she let go of the colt, freeing him from her embrace. He was heavy in her lap and she realised that he had no intention of climbing out of her lap. He was staring up into her eyes with a look of fervent adoration.

It unnerved Maeve to see it.

Now feeling somewhat uncomfortable, Maeve didn’t know what to say as she stared down into Red’s amber eyes. She had to say something. “It is like some kind of fairy tale. I get whisked away to the land of evil fairies, I was forced to be their chambermaid, I escape from the evil fairies, and now I am living in a land of magical ponies, in a castle with magical pony princesses, learning how to be a Sorceress… and I have my helpful assistant… who is going to be an accomplished tea blender someday.”

Red nodded, his nostrils flaring. “My dad has the title Royal Gardner. I get to walk around the inside of Canterlot Castle. I’ve had tea with Princesses… and my best friend is a Sorceress. Sometimes I have trouble taking it all in.”

“Red, would you like to go out to the gardens with me? I think I need some fresh air.”

“I’d like that.” Red smiled and then with cautious steps, he climbed down from Maeve’s lap, backing away from her. “My mother was telling me about Fuschia. I don’t mind helping you if you have to foalsit. My mother says that we earth ponies have to stick together.”

“I wonder how she is…”

Wandering through the kitchen, Maeve filled her pockets with carrots and, using her telekinesis, filched a small box of raisins from off of the shelf in the perishable goods pantry. She noticed ponies staring at her—it made sense, she was even stranger looking now than she was, with the pointed ears and the tree arm. She was also taller, a good deal taller.

She emerged from the kitchen into the service hallway, a plain, unadorned corridor intended for castle staff. It was surprisingly full of ponies, far more than usual. An army of maids moved up and down the hallway. Furniture was being moved, hauled in small carts. Maeve remembered what Princess Celestia had said, that Prince Blueblood was coming home. Perhaps all of this hubbub was to prepare for his arrival.

Perhaps some of this bustle is for Bjarke, said a quiet voice in the back of her mind. Maeve watched as the maids and castle staff passed her by. Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, even a few of the strange bat-winged ponies that Luna was fond of; it took an army to keep this castle running. Maeve watched as the passing maids gave her a respectful nod and gave her a wide berth. Princesses, and by extension, Sorceresses, were supposed to use the regular hallways.

At an intersection, she hung a left, following the signs that said she was heading for the school custodial and kitchen section. This way was shorter and a far more direct route to where Maeve wanted to be. These halls were underground for the most part and were a straight, direct path to where one wanted to be. The main halls were rambling, looping back and forth upon themselves, built more for show and to display artwork than to be practical.

At long last, she came to another intersection and this one had a ramp leading upwards, useful for moving carts and other supplies. She emerged in the custodial area, which was full of all kinds of stuff as the school prepared to go into session.

After a bit of looking around, Maeve found what she was searching for. One very lonesome looking purple-pink earth pony filly. She was in the communal nursery, sitting by herself, off in the sleeping area, lying in her bunk. It was easy to see from her tear-stained face that she had been crying.

Maeve kneeled down and touched the filly, who had her eyes closed. “Hi there.”

“Sorceress?” Fuschia opened her eyes.

“Why are you all alone?” Maeve asked as she brushed the filly’s dark green mane out of her face with her fingers.

“Nopony wants to play with me,” Fuschia replied in a hoarse whisper.

“That’s not true. Red and I both came to play with you. Would you like to come to the royal gardens with us?” Maeve grabbed her skirts, lifted up the outer one, and then began to wipe the filly’s face, scrubbing away the eye boogers that were crusted up in the corners.

“Maeve, that’s a long walk from here for her… she’s a yearling,” Red said in a low voice as he looked around the sleeping area. “If I was taken away from my mother at this age I would have bawled my eyes out.”

“Colts don’t cry,” Fuschia said to Red.

“They do if you hurt them bad enough,” Red replied.

“I’ll carry her. I’ve carried her before—”

“You look different,” Fuschia said, interrupting Maeve.

“Yeah I do. I’ll tell you about it while we’re walking.” Maeve gave the filly a pat and began pulling her out of her bunk. She hefted the filly into the air and then propped the filly up against her chest, with Fuschia’s head resting upon her shoulder. Maeve felt a moment of panic; she waited for it to pass and as she did so, she felt two little fuzzy forelegs wrapping around her neck.

“Sorceress Maeve…”

Standing, rising to her full height, Maeve turned around. She saw a pegasus mare looking up at her. Maeve smiled and tried to look friendly—the pegasus mare looked alarmed.

“I was just coming back here to check up on Fuschia… she’s having a hard time fitting in. Some of the other fillies have been a little heartless. We’re trying to correct the problem.”

“I am taking Fuschia with me to the royal gardens.” Maeve patted Fuschia on the back with her free hand. “We’ll be back in a few hours.”

“Oh, I think that is a fantastic idea. The royal gardens would be a wonderful place for a little earth pony filly to go and feel better,” the pegasus mare said in a warm voice. She stepped forwards, her head high, and smiled at Fuschia. “You be on your best behaviour for Sorceress Maeve, do you understand, Fuschia?”

“Yep,” Fuschia replied.

The pegasus mare, who came up to Maeve’s navel, took another step forward. “Do you remember your lesson in protocol?”

“Always use a proper title.” Fuschia looked down at the pegasus mare and rather enjoyed the view from where she was. “Be polite. Don’t burp in front of the royals.”

“Yes, good filly.” The pegasus mare stepped aside.

“I’ll bring her back in a few hours.” Maeve began to step forwards, but stopped when the pegasus mare stepped in front of her.

“Actually… Sorceress Maeve, if I might make a humble request?” The pegasus mare dropped her eyes down to the floor and dipped her wings, which almost looked like a curtsey.

“Just ask,” Maeve replied.

“School hasn’t started yet… so there is no good reason to bring her back. If you could find it in your heart to look after her, maybe let her spend the night with you, I think it would be good for her—”

“Oh, can I?” Fuschia wiggled in Maeve’s embrace.

“Not every night… just… occasionally. Just to give her a chance to be happy,” the pegasus mare said as she lifted her head and looked up at Maeve with pleading eyes.

Maeve didn’t know how to answer. She didn’t know what Princess Celestia would want. Maeve realised that this was something she had to make a decision about—the wrong decision might mean trouble, or just a somewhat irritated alicorn.

“I could keep her for tonight.” Maeve’s lips pursed together. She was going to have to figure out where Fuschia was going to sleep. “I’ve never looked after a foal before. Is there anything I need to do?”

“She’ll need a shower or a bath,” the pegasus replied.

“No I won't!” Fuschia squirmed in Maeve’s grasp. “I don’t need a bath!”

“She’ll need to be brushed so she doesn’t get tangles,” the pegasus continued.

“I don’t need no brushing!” Fuschia snorted and rolled her eyes.

“And she’ll need to eat a sensible dinner.” The pegasus looked Maeve in the eye. “This is a pretty big responsibility. Princess Celestia tells me that you are more than up for it. Also, see that she brushes her teeth.”

“No! This won’t be any fun at all!” Fuschia kicked her hind legs and wiggled.

“Maeve, if you get into trouble, I can fetch my mother,” Red whispered.

“Good plan, Red… this is why you are my assistant,” Maeve whispered back.

“Good luck, have fun, and don’t bring her back until, oh, I don’t know… noon tomorrow. Maybe even after lunch.” The pegasus mare smiled, turned, and then trotted away.

Chapter 23

Feeling an odd protective need, Maeve stood watch while Fuschia poked around a cluster of snapdragons. There was nothing here that could hurt Fuschia, or Red for that matter, but that didn’t stop Maeve from having her peculiar feeling. Her head was clearing up and she was feeling better. The dizzy feeling was going away and she was no longer in pain.

In the distance, she saw Princess Celestia leading a procession; Bjarke, her uncle, walked just behind Princess Celestia, his arms folded behind his back, Raven walked beside him, and a group of school aged unicorns trailed out behind them in double file. Bringing up the rear was a lone elderly unicorn with an excessive amount of grey hair in his pelt, his mane, and his tail.

“That must be Bjarke,” Red Russet said in a low voice as he stood beside Maeve.

Maeve nodded. “That’s him.”

“He looks a little bit like you.” Red Russet tilted his head to one side and squinted so he could see better. “His face is like yours. Is he nice?”

“I don’t know.” Maeve shrugged. “He seems kind, but I don’t know him.”

“If you would like, if it makes you feel more comfortable, I could be with you when you visit him,” Red offered as he turned his head around to look up at Maeve.

“Would you?” Maeve tore her gaze away from the group in the distance.

“Of course… I’m your friend.” Reaching up with his foreleg, Red brushed his mane out of his eyes. “I’m your assistant.”

The seriousness that Red spoke with surprised Maeve. Red tended to be a bit more relaxed and rather playful most of the time. Something had changed while they were at the cottage. She recalled the time at the edge of the pond when she held him close. How cold she had been, how she had shivered, and how warm he had been. A fire ignited in Maeve’s cheeks and a peculiar feeling overcame her. She looked down at Red and the fire spread from her cheeks to her ears. She tore her eyes away and looked at Fuschia instead.

The little filly was rolling around on her back and kicking her hind legs up in the air. She was also getting dirty; dirt that Maeve was going to have to scrub off. Maeve stared, her mind overwhelmed with different thoughts. She wasn’t taking care of some barnyard animal. She wasn’t taking care of some pet. She was taking care of another thinking being, something with feelings, something that could talk, something that had all of the same emotions that Maeve had. Realising this made Maeve feel very small and insecure. She no longer felt quite so grown up, but rather, she felt as though she was a little girl once more, and the world was a large and frightening place. This wasn’t like taking care of a dog or cat, making certain that the dishes were filled with food and water. This was not some mindless, mute animal. Fuschia could speak.

Maeve, standing very still, had an epiphany, some great realisation that she could not express or put into words. Maeve’s mind raced with a million thoughts. She felt a little smarter, a little wiser; she felt like she had grown. She opened her mouth, but nothing profound came out. Instead, all that came out was, “Fuschia, stop rolling around in the dirt, you’ll track it inside of the castle and the maids will fuss.”

“Aaaaw…” Fuschia rolled over, got to her hooves, and stared up at Maeve as her lower lip protruded. “Meanie.”

“How am I a meanie?” Maeve hunkered down to get more at eye level with Fuschia. “I’m not being mean to you, I’m trying to be nice to the maids. Goodness knows I cause them enough problems as it is. I am the castle wrecker.”

Lower lip still protruding, Fuschia stared at Maeve. She began to flick her tail around, brushing herself off and cleaning herself up a bit. When Maeve’s hands touched her sides to brush away the dirt, Fuschia touched her nose to Maeve’s nose to say thanks. When their noses bumped, Fuschia’s lower lip was pulled in and she smiled.

“You know what, I bet Fuschia would like to see Philomena.” Red lifted his head and looked around. “You know Maeve, you could take Fuschia to go and have a look. You could get us past the guards. They have to listen to you.”

Still trying to brush away dirt and smooth out Fuschia’s pelt, Maeve nodded. “That’s a good idea. Fuschia, would you like that?” Maeve looked at the filly she was trying to clean up and saw the filly’s face crinkle in concentration. Using her right hand, she wiped some black dirt away from Fuschia’s face.

“How did you become a Sorceress?” Fuschia asked.

“I rescued Princess Luna,” Maeve replied, leaving out the details. “Princess Celestia said I was a hero. She called me a Sorceress and said that Equestria owed me a debt. I just did what needed to be done.”

“You sound like my father,” Red said to Maeve.

“Princess Luna and I were in a very bad place… I didn’t just rescue Luna, I rescued both of us. But Luna rescued me first.” Maeve felt an odd pain in her lower stomach as she recalled the hazy memory of wrapping her arms around Luna’s neck and Luna dragging her through the closet door. “I was trying to repay a debt.”

“If I was in trouble, would you save me?” Fuschia asked in a squeaky voice.

“Of course.” Maeve extended her finger and tapped the filly on the nose. “I look after my friends. And one of my duties as a Sorceress is to look after ponies in trouble.” Extending her arms, Maeve embraced Fuschia, cradled her hindquarters, and lifted the filly up into the air. Maeve wondered if she was a little stronger than she had been. She was taller. She felt stronger; Fuschia didn’t seem quite as heavy and Maeve was able to carry her with very little effort. She felt two fuzzy little forelegs slide around her neck and a damp nose pressed against her jaw. “Let’s go have ourselves a look at Philomena.”

Holding Fuschia in her arms and with Red walking right beside her, Maeve approached the guards that stood in front of the doors leading to Philomena’s arboretum. Philomena lived in a glassed in enclosure that had a golden apple tree in the middle of it. As Maeve approached one of the guards stepped forwards and bowed his head.

“Sorceress Maeve,” he said, his head held low. “It is an honour to see you.”

“Hello… my apologies, but I do not know your name,” Maeve said to the guard.

The guard lifted his head. “Sorceress Maeve, my name is Storm Blitz. How might I be of assistance? Do you need help?”

“We came to visit Philomena.” Maeve gave the pegasus a fetching smile.

“Of course. These doors will open for you,” Storm Blitz said to Maeve. He stepped aside, then stepped backwards, resuming his position by the door. “Have a nice time, Sorceress Maeve.”

“Why thank you,” Maeve replied. She bowed as much as she could while holding Fuschia, as she was unable to curtsey. “I’ve seen you before. You’ve stood guard near my door.”

Storm Blitz smiled, showing square, perfect teeth. “I have high clearance. I guard what is most treasured by the Royal Pony Sisters.”

Maeve blushed so hard that she was certain that new freckles had just formed, blossoming like flowers beneath the radiant sun. She watched as the pair of pegasi opened up the large double doors for me and then she stepped inside.

Upon entering the arboretum and seeing Philomena, Maeve was gripped with a strange fear. Philomena was a phoenix… a creature made of living fire. Maeve froze in place as a growing sense of dread overcame her. She felt Red brush up against her leg.

“Maeve, you okay?”

“I’m fine, Red,” Maeve said, feeling bad about lying to her friend. She didn’t want to worry Red or cause Fuschia to feel afraid. She watched as Philomena preened her feathers and fluffed herself out in an attempt to look pretty.

It took all of Maeve’s will to set Fuschia down upon the path made of flat, smooth marble stones. She gave the filly a pat and then stood up, never once taking her eyes off of Philomena. Maeve’s wooden hand clenched into a fist, remained closed for a moment, and then her fingers flexed open. Maeve took a deep breath and then willed herself to walk forwards, so she could sit down upon a nearby bench.

Already, Fuschia was nosing around the large golden apple tree. The apples didn’t look like golden apples, like the sort that would go into a pie; they looked like golden apples and had an odd metallic look to them. Maeve stared at the tree while she sat down. The tree was not on fire. Philomena was roosting in the tree and it was not burning. Maeve’s tension melted away as relief overcame her and she began to relax.

“She’s so pretty,” Red said as he sat down in the soft grass beside the stone path.

Hearing the word ‘pretty,’ Philomena lifted her head and stared down at Red. She fluffed her breast feathers and fanned out her tail while flaring out her wings. She began to strut along the branch where she had perched, all while making cooing noises.

“This place is amazing.” Red, comfortable in the grass, had a good look at his surroundings. “I’ve never been in here before. the ground here feels different. I wonder why.”

“I don’t know, Red,” Maeve replied. As she spoke, Fuschia fell over onto her side and laid down in the grass, causing Maeve to smile. Maeve rose from the bench, walked forwards, and then sat down beneath the golden apple tree.

Trotting forwards, Red joined her and sat down at her side. After looking around and seeing nopony else, he eased himself down upon his side and got comfortable, laying in the cool, damp grass.

“My mother read me a storybook about a little girl and a phoenix.” Maeve leaned back and rested herself against the trunk of the tree. “The little girl’s name was Maeve… I think my mother changed it… but the little girl ran away from home because she had a cruel stepmother… she ran away from home and ran far into the woods… she ran into the fog.” Maeve paused for a moment and thought about her mother, missing her.

“And then what happened?” Fuschia asked.

“Well, the little girl was lost. She was hungry, she was cold, and she was thirsty. She had no idea how long she had been roaming the woods,” Maeve replied. She reached down and began to stroke Fuschia’s mane, tousling the fine, soft hairs with her fingers. “Eventually, when she thought she would faint with hunger, she came upon the phoenix.”

Red lifted his head and looked at Maeve. He could see tears in her eyes but he said nothing. He did scoot a little closer though, and even though he knew it was risky, he placed his front hoof alongside Maeve’s knee, touching her skirts.

“The phoenix, who could talk, offered the girl a wish.” Maeve shook her head as tears trickled down her cheeks, the memory of her mother now quite painful. “But warned that the wish would come at a terrible price. The girl would know an agony unlike any other. But the little girl was brave. She accepted the phoenix’s terms.”

“What did she wish for?” Fuschia asked.

“The little girl asked for wings so she could fly away and be happy forever,” Maeve replied. She reached up with her right hand, the one she had been using to stroke Fuschia, and wiped her eyes. “The phoenix set the little girl on fire and she burned. It was horrible. The little girl screamed and screamed while she had to endure the horrible pain of burning to death. Eventually, she died and all that was left of her was ashes.”

“That’s awful.” Red squeezed his eyes shut and tried to get the mental image of Maeve burning to death out of his mind.

“That’s not the end of the story.” Maeve took a deep breath and cleared her throat. “Out of the ashes came a new phoenix. She was as beautiful as the dawn, rebirthed from flame, her mortality gone and her old life was now burned away. She spread her wings, let out a cry, and then, after she shook the ashes from her feathers, she flew away, happy as the day is long.”

Maeve felt something on her shoulder, startled, she saw Philomena. Somehow, Philomena had perched upon her shoulder, without sound, without movement. Maeve stared, almost cross eyed at the phoenix hen. Philomena began rubbing her head against Maeve’s cheek.

“I dunno if I like that story,” Fuschia said in a low voice.

“It had a happy ending, but what a horrible price to pay to be happy.” Red opened his eyes and saw Philomena. He gasped and then fell silent. He tilted his head so he could have a better look at the beautiful bird.

“Mother told me that sometimes there is a terrible price for what we want… she read me that story a lot when I was a little girl… usually at bedtime.” Maeve thought about everything that her uncle Bjarke had told her and she realised what her mother had given up for love. Maeve felt more tears coming and Philomena was pressed up against the side of her face now.

Sitting beneath the golden apple tree, Maeve realised that she had also faced her own trial by fire. She had survived a year with the fey. Almost a full year of misery, of pain, of agony. Now she was here. She had grown wings and had flown off to be happy. A sad smile crept over her face as more tears slid down her cheeks.

Somehow, without saying how or why, Maeve felt better.

Author's Note

Yay... new chapter. Whew.

203 sentences
2373 words
9 minute read time on average
A grade five reading level
19 of 203 sentences are above average difficulty
6 of 203 sentences are very difficult compared to the average difficulty
Seven uses of passive voice
8 adverbs

Chapter 24

After living around ponies for a time, Maeve had discovered one curious habit that most, but not all of them shared. When the sun went down, most ponies became sleepy. Both Red and Fuschia shared this trait.

The sun lingered near the horizon and Fuschia was already yawning. Maeve had just pulled her out of the bathtub, had dried her, and was now brushing her. Nearby, in a chair, Red watched, his eyes half closed. Red had tried to leave, had tried to escape before the hard work and the bath, but Maeve made a good natured threat to have the guards bring if him back if he left her alone with Fuschia.

The little red colt was worried about his mother coming to collect him as he sat yawning in his chair. He was far too full, he had eaten too much at supper, and then had eaten too much dessert. Not having his mother about to tell him what to do, he had eaten several slices of raspberry and rhubarb pie topped with ice cream.

The filly that Maeve was trying to brush had suffered the same fate. Fuschia kicked and wiggled, made little grumpy grunts, and did her best to test Maeve’s patience. Maeve on the other hand, even though she had endured a long day, was in a good mood and her patience seemed infinite. She hummed as she worked Fuschia over with a brush, sometimes poking the filly in her pudgy, full belly if Fuschia became a bit too fussy.

“I think it’s time to put you to bed,” Maeve said as she set down the hair brush.

Fuschia yawned, stretching as she did so, and then replied, “I’m not sleepy!”

“I know that you’re not sleepy.” Maeve stood up and then lifted Fuschia from the sofa. Maeve cradled the foal in her arms, a peculiar feeling overcoming her. She bounced the foal around. “But I would bet that you’d like to sit down someplace comfortable, and this little bed that the servants brought looks very, very comfortable. Too bad I’m too big to climb into it, or I’d join you.”

Reaching the bed, Maeve hunkered down and set the filly down. She patted Fuschia on the head and with a reluctant huff, Fuschia laid down as Maeve pulled the sheets and the blankets up over her. The filly yawned again and nuzzled her pillow, almost causing Maeve to succumb to paroxysms of adoration. Red could be cute when he wanted to be, even though he would never admit it, but Fuschia was adorable to the point of it being painful to look at.

“I had a nice day,” Fuschia said after she recovered from her yawn. “Thank you.”

“It was a lovely day.” Red spoke in a sleepy voice and he had trouble keeping his eyes open. “It was nice showing Fuschia the castle.”

“And seeing Philomena,” Fuschia added.

It had been a long day for Maeve. She thought of Bjarke and wondered if he would be by at any time soon. A part of her looked forward to seeing him and hearing his voice, but was also afraid of him coming anywhere near her. It was an odd dilemma to be stuck in.

There was a soft knock upon the door and then a voice said in a low voice, “Sorceress Maeve, you have a visitor.”

“Send them in,” Maeve replied. She turned her head and watched the door open. She could see nothing for a moment, heard a clank of armor, and then watched as Rose Gold stepped in.

“Mom, I can explain—”

“Quiet Red, can’t you see a little foal is trying to go to sleep?” Rose Gold smirked at her son, causing Red to become even redder. She crossed the room in a few light steps, her hooves making light clicks upon the stone floor, and then kissed her colt upon his head. “Red, I’m proud of you. I had a messenger tell me where you were and what you were doing. You did a good thing.” Rose Gold kissed her son a second time, and Red shied away, looking embarrassed.

“Princess Luna has returned,” Rose Gold said to Maeve. The earth pony’s brows wrinkled somewhat. “I would expect a visit.”

“Oh… she’s back.” Maeve gave Fuschia a final pat upon the head and then stood up, her head now almost hitting the ceiling.

“Oh my… you have gotten taller,” Rose Gold said, craning her head to look up.

“And her arm is made out of wood.” Red closed his eyes and yawned, then shook his head. “She also has funny ears.”

“Eh, you have funny ears, Red.” Rose raised one eyebrow at her son. “You have Quickie’s ears, you poor dear. Looks like two barn doors sticking out on the sides of his head.” Rose lowered her voice. “Come on Red, time to go home. Get up, we must be going. A little filly has been tucked into bed and she needs her sleep so she won’t be cranky.” Rose glanced over at Fuschia, who was already sound asleep, her barrel rising and falling beneath the blankets.

“Okay,” Red replied. He looked over at Maeve and gave her a sleepy blink as well as a smile. “Good night, Maeve.”

“Good night, Red.” Maeve lifted her right hand and waved. “Good night, Rose Gold.”

“Good night, Maeve.” Rose Gold looked up at Maeve and grinned. “Good luck…”

Maeve sat on a sofa tucked away in an alcove that was located not too far from her room. There were two guards near her door with instructions to inform her if they heard anything, anything at all from Fuschia. Maeve was reading a book, sort of. She was turning pages every now and then, but her attention was elsewhere, thinking about the events of the day.

Hearing hoofsteps, Maeve looked up, expecting to see Luna, but upon seeing the maid, she dropped her nose back into her book. It was a little odd to see maids working at night, but it happened, typically when the castle was expecting guests.

The past few days were blurred together into a haze from the drugs that Maeve had taken. She was now free of their influence however, and her mind, her thinking, was much clearer. She thought about her mother, how little she remembered, and as much as she tried to avoid it, she thought about her father.

Her father, while her mother had been alive, had been a good, loving man. He was kind, a hard worker, a farmer who had become a factory worker like so many others. He was patient, he was the quiet sort, the sort of man who valued action more than words. Maeve remembered his hands; they were rough hands, calloused, his hands were so abused that they would snag clothing, damaging the clothing and the fine stockings of Maeve’s mother. Maeve could remember her father tousling her hair when she was younger, and his rough hands would snag her fine, frizzy hairs, causing pain when he pulled away.

Heaving a sigh, Maeve shut her book and set it down. Reaching up with her right hand, she rubbed her eyes, the right one one first and then the left one, wiping away the stinging tears.

She heard hoofsteps again, but this time she did not look up, not wanting to show her face. She shook her head and allowed her hair to spill around her face, hiding it from view, no more embarrassing tears that could be seen as the maid walked by.

“Maeve?”

Sniffling, Maeve looked up when she heard Luna’s voice. “Oh Luna… there is so much to tell you… you were gone for so long.”

“Twilight and I had a nice time in the Crystal Empire.” Luna cleared her throat. “I am sorry if my departure caused you some distress, that was never my intention. I have felt bad this whole time.”

Brushing her hair out of her face and her eyes, Maeve saw Luna’s eyes focusing upon her wooden hand. “I don’t care that you were gone, but I am really happy you are back.” Maeve took a deep breath. “Do you know about Bjarke?”

“I have been spoken to briefly about him, with instructions that I am not to blast him into oblivion.” Luna’s eyes narrowed. “I suppose I should wait to pass judgment. How are you dealing with his sudden appearance?”

“I don’t know.” Maeve shrugged. “I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to feel about it. He knew my mother… I miss my mother.”

“So long as he is kind to you and does nothing to harm you, I suppose I will let him live. For now. But truth be told, I am not happy about the fae being here.” Luna tilted her head and looked at Maeve, her eyes going wide. “Your ears…”

“We’re not part of the fae… we’re part of something else… I can’t remember the name, I’m sorry.” Maeve placed her palms together and then touched her fingertips to one another. “This is all so overwhelming… Luna, I want to believe that he is good. He knew my mother. He’s family.”

“My goodness, have you grown taller?” Luna asked as she tried to size Maeve up. Luna watched Maeve give an enthusiastic nod. “Stand up, let me see you.”

Doing as she was bid, Maeve rose and brought herself up to her full height. She heard Luna gasp and Maeve felt a bit self conscious about her size. She wiped her sweaty right hand on the front of her blouse.

“Raw intimidation.” Luna craned her head back to look upwards. “You have grown several inches and have changed a bit.” Luna paused as she looked up at Maeve. “Would you like to go for a walk and talk about it?”

“I can’t.” Maeve shook her head.

“You cannot go for a walk?” Luna asked.

“I’m foalsitting,” Maeve replied. She lifted her wooden hand and pointed at her door. “Inside my room there is a sleeping filly named Fuschia. Leaving to go on a walk would betray both her trust and Princess Celestia’s trust in me.”

“So, my sister has enacted her grand plan to make you responsible… she has made you a foal sitter, just as she once did with Princess Cadance.” Luna smiled a wry smile. “You do realise that you are doomed, correct? I mean, you do know what happened to Cadance.”

“What happened to Cadance?” Maeve asked, a growing sense of fear creeping up her spine and making her shiver.

“Cadance proved to be a capable foalsitter,” Luna replied as she stepped forward. She extended a wing and brushed Maeve’s cheek. Luna felt a brief moment of sadness when Maeve flinched slightly at her touch. “When Cadance proved that she was a responsible pony, Celestia kept giving her more and more responsibility, more and more foals to look after, until at last, Cadance was made the foalsitter for the entirety of the Crystal Empire—”

“Oh no, I don’t want that!” Maeve gasped, covering her mouth with her wooden hand as she spoke. She backed away from Luna, the back of her knees hit the edge of the couch, and she fell back, sitting down. She could hear Luna’s soft laughter and Maeve struggled to recover her dignity, not that she had much.

“Too late.” Luna’s voice was one of playful teasing, but she did worry that Maeve might have a real sense of worry. Luna cleared her throat and became serious. “Maeve, you have powerful magic. You are a Sorceress, in very much the same way that both Twilight Sparkle and Cadance are Princesses. As such, you have obligations, duties, you have power, thus, you are obligated to do what you can with it.”

“I know.” Maeve’s voice was soft and her green eyes were locked upon Luna’s. “I get that. But it scares me. I’m a mess of a person, Luna. I can’t even hug others. I jump at the slightest sounds. I don’t know what I can—”

“You are fit enough to look after a filly, much as my sister said you would be. You are healing, slowly and over time. You are getting better. My sister believes you are showing improvement, and I believe that she is correct. You are.” Luna moved and then sat down on the couch beside Maeve. After a moment, she flopped down upon her side with her head raised up high. She folded her legs against her belly. “Talk to me, mine apprentice, and I shall turn mine ears to the sounds of your delicate voice.”

“You sound happy.” Maeve looked down into Luna’s face, wondering why Luna was being so poetic.

“I am happy.” Luna heaved a sigh and thought of Twilight Sparkle. The Crystal Empire had been lovely. “Tell me your troubles, and speaketh to me of the issues of thine heart.” Luna looked up at Maeve. “Also, your teacher bids you to put those fingers to good work. Scratch me behind mine ears, and your teacher will be most pleased.”

Unable to help herself, Maeve giggled and raised her hands.

Author's Note

Oh look... a wild 3 AM chapter has appeared.

If there are any edits, I shall get to them in the morning. I've been awake for way too long, I am going to try and get a few hours of sleep if I can. If I can't... well, I guess I'll be back to writing. We shall see.

Chapter 25

Rubbing her temple, Maeve was ready to be an irresponsible, carefree little girl again. Fuschia was a wonderful little filly, but was best taken in small doses. Standing there, her fingers on her temple, Maeve wondered if she had done the right thing, bringing Fuschia back. It was that time of the day when everypony she knew was busy, she was going to be alone and without company.

Alone with her headache, she reached the conclusion that she was ready for some alone time. She started off from the school dormitories, ready to be away from the piercing, squeaky voices of little foals, and headed for more quiet realms, such as her room.

As she walked, her flowing knee length skirts swished around her. It was nice having good skirts, even if she hated them sometimes. Back home, sometimes, her clothes were little more than old rags sewn together to make something new. After her mother had died, her father did his best, but had trouble understanding that little girls sometimes needed new clothes and shoes… like after having a growth spurt. Her father’s solution had been a practical one—buy some large, heavy shoes and stuff the toes with newspaper.

She was going to need to new clothes after this last growth spurt. She had grown several inches in mere moments, all due to her powerful magical outburst. The skirt she was wearing had once hung down past her knees, and now, it hung down to knee length.

Today, her head had been clearer than it had been in a long time. She was free of pain killers of all sorts. She could think, but she was having a few tummy troubles as her body adjusted to life without the pain relieving drugs.

As she walked, she thought of Luna and their time together last night. Luna seemed happier than she had been in a while. They had talked about many things, Bjarke among them, and Luna was insistent on Maeve stepping up her magic lessons. Today, her head clear, Maeve realised that she wanted to focus more upon her magic. As she understood it, she had somehow brought Bjarke into this world, even though she did not understand how.

Perhaps it was time to grow up and take things a bit more serious.

“Princess Twilight Sparkle, what are you doing here?” Maeve looked at her visitor, feeling surprised. She had not been expecting Twilight, when the guard had announced that there was a visitor, Maeve had expected any number of ponies, or even her uncle, Bjarke, but seeing Twilight Sparkle surprised her.

“Hello Sorceress Maeve.” Twilight’s greeting was warm and affectionate. She stepped forwards, looking up, her eyes widening for a moment as she registered how much taller Maeve had become. Saying nothing else, Twilight wrapped her wings around Maeve’s middle for a brief hug. She felt Maeve freeze, going still, and Twilight worried for a moment if the girl was going to panic. Then she felt Maeve start breathing again. Twilight relaxed as well, gave one final squeeze, and then stepped away.

“I cannot help but notice that you have a wrapped present,” Maeve said in a sheepish voice, her eyes darting off to the paper wrapped box held aloft in Twilight’s magenta coloured magic.

“I do.” Twilight’s smile grew ever wider. “It is for you… but… you can only have it if you can unwrap it without your hands… Princess Luna insists.”

“Oh drats.” Maeve’s face fell and she rolled her green eyes when she thought of the daunting prospect of having to unwrap a gift. This was going to be a challenge. At least Maeve wouldn’t be bored, not for a while. Looking down, she saw Twilight studying her wooden arm, Twilight’s eyes were locked upon the place where the wood and flesh merged together around the elbow.

“Fascinating,” Twilight muttered as she set the package down upon a table in Maeve’s room. She stepped away, moving aside, allowing Maeve to come forwards. “I have spoken with Bjarke… I like him. He confirmed the theory that Luna and I had… well, I don’t want to spoil anything, but you’ll find out in a while. He has powerful magic… you would do well listening and learning from him.” Twilight paused while clearing her throat. “Maeve, I know it will be difficult, but I am begging you to give him a chance. He seems like a good—” Twilight’s words trailed off and her muzzle crinkled as she concentrated. “Well, a good whatever he is. I suppose calling him a man is wrong, because he’s not human.”

After pulling out a chair, Maeve sat down and made ready to pull open the package using nothing but her telekinesis. Twilight was standing right beside her, and she could hear Twilight’s excited breathing. Maeve felt a tug on her frizzy orange hair, a gentle tug, not a painful one, and then she realised that Twilight was looking at her right pointed ear.

“Oh, sorry, I hope you don’t mind, but you’re fascinating!” Twilight gave Maeve a sheepish grin. “Your ears got all long and pointy along with all of your other changes.”

“I don’t mind,” Maeve said, not being completely honest. She did mind, but Twilight was a friend, a friend that meant no harm. Maeve needed to trust Twilight—Maeve needed to learn to let go. She took a deep breath. It was nice hugging Twilight, and others. It was nice holding Red close. Maeve came to a somewhat painful realisation that she wanted gentle affection, she was starving for it, but was far too afraid of it. Not knowing what to say or do about the new thoughts in her head, she gave them a mental shove to move them aside and focused instead on bringing up her magic. She lifted her left hand and felt a peculiar sensation.

Magic flowed through the wood. She could feel it tingling in her fingertips. A silver blue glow illuminated the length of her arm. She heard a gasp from beside her, but Maeve did not allow her concentration to be broken. She lifted the pretty package from the table with nothing but the force of her will, shocked at how easy this was.

“Maeve, put the table down,” Twilight said in a low whisper.

Startled, Maeve struggled not to drop everything. She had in fact, lifted the table without realising that she had done so. She had been too focused on the package. The legs of the table were several inches above the floor.

“Slow and easy Maeve… just ease it down.” Twilight blinked and concealed her vague sense of worry. Twilight Sparkle understood the consequences of too much power, she had grown up dealing with them. She glanced at the table and then at Maeve. The girl had just reached the age where she had her monthly issue and now there was a massive spike in her magical abilities. She made a mental note to ask Bjarke some questions.

The table hit the floor with a clunk while the package remained held aloft. Maeve’s wooden fingers flexed, all four of them. It felt good having her fingers back, even if her arm was now a tree branch with sticks for fingers growing out of it.

Hearing a crackle, Twilight glanced around, looking for the source. Sitting in its display case, Choróin ar an Bitseach was now illuminated with an eldritch glow. Twilight, after having spoke with Celestia and Bjarke, knew what the crown was and what it did… the horrible crown that caused extreme irritability in the wearer. It was Maeve’s crown, and while Twilight supposed that a Sorceress needed a crown, this crown was unpleasant—crass even. Twilight didn’t like Choróin ar an Bitseach at all.

“Twilight, I feel funny…”

Turning her head, Twilight looked at Maeve; the girl’s frizzy coppery hair was now standing on end. Biting her lip, Twilight gulped down a laugh, not wanting to betray Maeve’s hard earned affection. It looked as though Maeve had stood out in an electrical storm.

The red ribbon tied around the package came undone, slipping away, and drifting down to the table like a falling leaf. The gift was surrounded in the same silver blue glow as Maeve’s arm, but there was no aura connecting the two. It seemed that Maeve had somehow learned to extend her will beyond herself and could now reach across some distance.

The shiny yellow paper around the package began to twitch and crinkle. Twilight could hear Maeve’s heavy, but focused breathing. Twilight felt her hooves lift from the ground. Whoops! She said nothing, not wanting to break Maeve’s concentration. All around her, Twilight could see other things lifting away, but the table remained rooted to the floor. Twilight’s eyes glittered and glinted, reflecting the silver blue glow of magic in the air.

The paper peeled away, tearing at one end, and then sliding off from the long, rectangular box with ease. As the shiny yellow wrapping paper fell away, a box of warm, almost glowing rosewood was revealed. There was a brass latch holding it shut. With a soft clunk, Maeve set it down upon the table.

“It’s beautiful,” Maeve gasped. “Is it a music box?”

“No,” Twilight replied in a soft, loving whisper. “Open it.” She felt her hooves touch the ground once more and Twilight was glad to be set down in such a gentle manner. She wondered if Maeve was aware of what she was doing.

Almost holding her breath, Maeve made a motion with her left hand. The latch popped open, the lid rattled, and then, with slow movement, it opened. Maeve tilted her head, trying to see inside the box.

Laying on a bed of velvet, there was… a stick. But it wasn’t like a wooden stick. It was made of metal, many different metals, all twisted, braided, and woven together. At the end was a crystal, a pink crystal that glowed with a faint light.

“Luna and I made you a wand,” Twilight said. “We had a hunch that you’d need it, and we were right. Bjarke said this is perfect… he uses his swords as a terminus point for dangerous spell energies.”

“It’s so pretty.” Maeve reached out with her left hand, wrapped her fingers around the wand, and lifted it out of the box. Touching it caused her arm to tingle.

“Luna and I took the major magic conducting metals, gold, silver, copper, steel, nickel, platinum, and palladium… we made thin metal rods out of each of them, and then wove them together to form the wand. Luna did most of the braiding, she can move solid metal like it was string.” Twilight paused. “The ends were all twisted around a piece of magically charged rose quartz from the Crystal Empire. Princess Cadance bestowed a blessing upon it, giving it a connection to the Crystal Heart. It will act like a focusing crystal… the more of your friends and those who love you are present, the stronger the effect of the focusing crystal will be.”

“Thank you!”

Without warning, Twilight felt two arms lock around her neck and she was pulled into a tight hug. It took Twilight a moment to recover, but once she did, she wrapped her wings around Maeve, hugging her back.

“Inside the box, there is a sheath for your wand and a belt. Keep this with you at all times, Luna’s orders, not mine,” Twilight said, whispering into Maeve’s ear. “Don’t get burned again… please, I could not bear it.”

“Thank you so much… thank you.” Tears of gratitude began to spill down Maeve’s cheeks and she let out a snotty sniffle as she pulled away from Twilight Sparkle.

“Princess Luna loves you… she crossed between worlds to help you… she has trouble expressing herself sometimes, but she thinks the world of you. While she and I were together, she spoke of you often, and how much she wants you to get better… how much she wants you to be happy.” Twilight took a step backwards and then looked Maeve in the eye. “Luna loves you in very much the same way that a mother loves her daughter… but truth be told, Luna is so hurt that she has trouble showing it. Help her if you can, Maeve, please?”

“I will.” Maeve nodded. “What do I do?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight replied, shaking her head.

After pushing her chair back, Maeve stood up. She leaned over the table, peered into the long wooden box, then reached in with her right hand and pulled out the folded belt that was inside. It was made of some kind of material that Maeve did not recognise, smooth, supple, almost rubbery, thick, and strong. The sheath was made of the same material. She strapped it around her middle and then slid the wand into the sheath. After staring at it for a moment, she pulled the wand out in a smooth, fluid motion, raised it, waved it around, and then slid it back into the sheath once more.

“I suppose I can start by taking my magic lessons a little more seriously.”

Author's Note

I do believe I am going to try a schedule for this story. How do updates every Sunday sound?

Chapter 26

Nervous, but also excited, Maeve ran her right hand through her frizzy hair, then with a sweaty palm, she tried to smooth out her flowing gown. It was a fantastic gown, dark blue like Luna and covered in tiny, glittering silver stars, and Maeve both loved and hated it. With each step, she was afraid of tripping over the hem. Taking a deep breath, Maeve pushed open the doors to Princess Celestia’s throne room. She was late, but not too late, and it wasn’t her fault.

Today was the day of Prince Blueblood’s return and Maeve was supposed to be in the throneroom to welcome him. She was aware of many eyes upon her. She scared a lot of ponies. She closed her eyes for a moment and tried not to think of Ponyville. Not thinking of Ponyville caused her heart to flutter, there was a tightness in her chest, and she began to have some trouble breathing. Panic gripped her. Opening her eyes, she continued forwards, wondering if she would need to excuse herself before all of this was over.

Glancing around, Maeve took in all of the faces. There was Princess Twilight Sparkle and Princess Luna, the pair of them standing together, Luna looking sleepy, and both were smiling. There were a whole bunch of unicorns that Maeve did not know. There were guard ponies standing along the edges of the room. Several unicorns had gathered around a punchbowl and had been chatting, but had gone silent when Maeve had entered. This did not help Maeve feel comfortable.

Princess Celestia sat upon her throne, looking somewhat amused and talking to Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor. Of Bjarke there was no sign. Maeve felt a spike of disappointment. Next to Princess Celestia’s throne was an adorable, small, fuzzy brown bear sitting down upon the floor and being very well behaved.

“Sorceress Maeve,” a guard announced as she passed through the door.

At that moment, Maeve wanted to turn around and flee. She thought about doing it too, but she could feel a gentle nudge of magic in the small of her back. Fleeing would get her tugged back in. She wondered who it was. Well, if she had to be here, then she would have to find a spot where she wasn’t bothered. She moved along the wall, where the guard stood, the place she knew she wasn’t supposed to walk, all those boring protocol lessons had taught her that.

She approached Princess Celestia’s throne. She was one of the few that could do that and not immediately be surrounded by guards. Almost tripping over her hem yet again, Maeve muttered, feeling embarrassed and awkward. She met eyes with Princess Cadance for a moment, blushed, and then stared down at the floor.

Leaning over, Maeve lowered her voice to a whisper and then asked Princess Celestia, “Where is Bjarke?” She heard a soft tittering from the white alicorn and a nervous smile crossed Maeve’s face.

“Oh, Bjarke is here,” Celestia replied.

“Where?” Maeve looked around. There was no sign of her tall uncle.

“Oh, ponies could not bear having him around.” Celestia paused and then more giggling slipped out. She looked at the bear beside her and then at Maeve, her eyes glittering with good natured mischief.

The bear made a whuffling sound, snorted, and then sneezed.

“Preserve you!” Celestia said to the bear.

“Thank you,” the bear replied. “Everywhere I go, sneezes are acknowledged as near death experiences. I never understood that.”

Blinking, Maeve came to a slow understanding of who the bear was, recognising the bear’s voice. She stepped around the back of the throne, moving to the other side, and stared at the small brown bear.

“Ponies are okay with a bear and not an elf?” Maeve asked.

“Oh, Fluttershy regularly has tea with a bear. Bears can make for marvelous company, but sometimes they can be a little boorish,” Celestia replied.

“Is Bjarke?” Maeve rested her right hand upon Celestia’s throne.

“Is Bjarke what?” Celestia turned around to look at the girl beside her.

“Boorish.”

Maeve heard what sounded like an indignant snort from the bear and then laughter from Celestia. She managed a bit of nervous laughter herself. Looking at Bjarke, he was easier to be around as a bear for some reason. She didn’t feel as nervous and threatened. Lifting her right hand from the throne, she stepped forward, her whole body trembling, and patted the bear on the head, feeling his fuzzy softness on her fingertips. She then stepped backwards, pulling her hand away, and took a deep breath.

“You know, Sorcerous Maeve, you could do this,” Bjarke said in a low voice.

“Turn into a bear?” Maeve drew in a hitching, nervous breath.

“Maybe not a bear, but something. For each of us, it’s different.” Bjarke paused and scratched the side of his face, enjoying it, his eyes closing for a moment. “Your mother turned into a boar. Well, she did before giving up her blessing. And not just any boar either. A big cantankerous boar. She once chased a dragon and gave it what for because the dragon called her a hedge witch.”

Eyes wide, Maeve stared at the bear, her chest rising and falling from her slow breathing. She folded her fingers together, her right hand and her left hand clutching one another.

“It seems there is a lesson to be learned here,” Princess Celestia interjected, snapping Maeve out of her stupefied state with her words.

“And that is?” Maeve asked in a girlish whisper.

“Do not go around calling others a hedge witch,” Celestia replied, giving Maeve a wink. The alicorn turned back around on her throne, facing her subjects, a wide, sunny smile upon her face.

There was a palpable tension in the air when the white stallion with the golden mane walked through the wide double doors. He stood just inside of them, peering around, looking overwhelmed, frightened even.

“Prince Blueblood,” the guard announced.

For a moment, the stallion’s expression changed, becoming one of pain. He cringed at the words, looking anguished. He walked forwards, looking around, approaching Princess Celestia’s throne. His eyes glittered with tears, and he appeared as a stranger to all that knew him. His walk was not the proud walk that other’s remembered, but a slumping gait that made it look as though Blueblood carried some great burden upon his back.

“Welcome home, Nephew,” Princess Celestia said to Blueblood.

A tear rolled down his cheek as Blueblood averted his eyes. “I am not worthy of such titles of affection. I’m sorry, I did not expect a big to-do upon my arrival home.”

“Nephew, there is no need to torture yourself over what took place,” Celestia said as she rose from her throne. “It was mind control from the changelings.”

“No… no it WASN’T!” Blueblood’s forceful tone caught Celestia and the others in the room by surprise. “They worked with feelings and thoughts that were already there. Things I hid because I wanted to remain in your good graces, so I could continue to take advantage of you and exploit your generousity.” Blueblood’s sides heaved as he panted. “They took those tiny seeds and made them grow… made me a monster… but make no mistake, I gave them plenty to work with. You saw me for what I really was on the inside… and I beg for your forgiveness… I beg forgiveness from all of you.”

Princess Celestia’s head turned and she glanced at her sister Luna. She could see Luna’s teal eyes shimmering with tears. With a slow, graceful turn of her head, she looked at Blueblood. “Of course you are forgiven. Come with me, Nephew, so that we might talk in private.” Celestia looked at the room full of ponies. “Please, you must excuse me. Family issues… I know that you will all understand, and I thank you for your patience.”

Not caring for the party at all, Maeve slipped away, making good on her escape. Much of the crowd in the throne room was also leaving, going off to other places, like the ballroom or to where a buffet had been set up. Maeve was so nervous that she was itchy. Tired of almost tripping over her long, flowing skirt, she grabbed it in her hands, bunched up the cloth, and pulled it from her ankles almost up to her knees, revealing purple and blue striped stockings.

She was glad to be away from the crowd. The little ponies, foals, weren’t so bad, but she didn’t much care for how some of the adults stared at her. It reminded her of Ponyville. She shuddered. Pinkie Pie. Just thinking of the pink pony caused Maeve to feel a growing, gnawing panic.

Maeve passed by a mirror. Her fiery orange tresses had been combed this morning, but now, they looked as wild as ever. Her tight, frizzy curls stuck out in all directions, rising up from her head, making her at least a dozen inches taller. Ringlets of blazing orange hair clung to her pointed ears.

She needed a place to be away from all of this commotion, all of this hubbub. She ducked down a hallway, not knowing where she was going, but thinking of heading back to her room. She heard a giggle, a laugh, and a snort. Not in the mood to face anypony at the moment, she ducked behind a tapestry hanging on the wall.

She walked the length of the tapestry, a good ten yards or more, brushing up against the wall as she made her way through the darkness, and then peeked out of the other end. She saw two ponies that she had not expected to see. Twilight Sparkle and Luna.

Both Twilight and Luna had been acting very strange lately. They had been acting weird since going to the Crystal Empire almost two weeks ago. Eyes narrowing, Maeve peered out from behind the tapestry, her breathing shallow, fearful of making a sound.

The two alicorns were close to one another. Very close. Luna was whispering something into Twilight’s ear, which caused Twilight to let out a coquettish giggle. Luna began humming a tune that Maeve did not know, her hooves tapping upon the marble floor, and Luna’s muzzle brushed over Twilight’s ear, causing Twilight to let out a little squeal.

A strange thought occurred to Maeve. They were acting like they were flirting, like how boys and girls acted when they liked each other, or how men and women acted in the movies shown upon the silver screen, when the music swelled and there was a big rush of emotion and then the man and woman start dancing or maybe kissing.

This concept was unknown to Maeve, who had never even heard of two women, or in this case, two mares flirting with one another. It made no sense. Males and females yes, female and female, no. Maeve bit her lip, trying to understand the conundrum. It didn’t seem so bad; Luna looked happy, and Luna deserved to be happy, but this… this was confusing. What would two women kissing one another hope to accomplish? It was kinda icky…

But it was also kind of sweet. Entranced, Maeve listened as Luna hummed a tune and stood neck to neck with Twilight. Luna’s silver shoes tapped out a rhythm on the floor. Twilight’s cheeks were dark, the colour of spilled wine, and Twilight’s eyes were blinking in a rapid, erratic way.

Twilight had been coming to Canterlot to visit a lot lately, and now, Maeve understood why. She and Luna were… well, whatever it was when two mares liked each other. It was all so very confusing and it made Maeve feel funny as she watched it.

Unaware that there was a voyeur behind the tapestry, Twilight extended her wings, placing them around Luna’s neck for a moment, hugging the somewhat larger alicorn, and then pulling away, turning her head to one side, nervous, still giggling.

“You understand the majesty of my night,” Maeve heard Luna say in a low voice.

“Oh, I have a lot that I could still learn,” Twilight replied.

Maeve blushed—this was getting weirder. She felt hot and flustered. As she listened, she heard Luna say, “I could teach you… I have much I could teach you if you would let me. I could show you the stars… or perhaps make you see them.”

“And how would you make me see stars?” Twilight asked.

With a sharp intake of breath, Maeve gasped as Luna pressed her muzzle to Twilight’s. Maeve felt disgusted, but at the same time, she couldn’t turn away. It was gross, but also beautiful, and it was very confusing. Why would two women kiss one another? Or mares for that matter? Maeve watched as Twilight’s knees trembled and knocked together, her wings flapped, and her tail whipped around her hind legs.

Without understanding why, Maeve felt angry. She let out another loud gasp, not realising that she had done so. Her loud gasp caused both Luna’s and Twilight Sparkle’s ears to perk. Luna turned her head.

“Maeve!” Twilight said in a very surprised voice. “Sorceress Maeve!”

Feeling betrayed, feeling angry, not understanding what she was feeling, Maeve hiked up her skirts around her knees once more and took off running, tears streaming down her cheeks as she fled from the confusing, painful scene.

Author's Note

Later, a pink alicorn was heard to say, "I shall have to see if I can help her."

Chapter 27

Stealing one last glance at her husband and her sister in law, Cadance hoped that Shining Armor would be able to make Twilight calm down. Luna had gone silent and stony, never a good sign as far as Cadance was concerned. Taking long, confident strides, Cadance departed from those she loved and went off in search of Maeve.

Sorceress Maeve was a girl that had endured having her love and trust injured in the worst way possible. It had sickened Cadance to find out what had happened, leaving her in a state of physical illness, depressed, and horrified.

Her hooves clicked over the floor as she trotted, moving about the castle. Her target was on the move. Cadance stopped, her ears perking forward, and she tried to focus upon the painful ache of a broken, injured heart with her magic. This was no easy task. Cadance, a natural empath, had an idea of how to help Maeve, but she wasn’t certain if a connection between the equine mind and an alien mind was possible.

Her idea was bold, maybe even reckless, but then again, Cadance wasn’t like Celestia or Luna. She did impetuous things on occasion. Celestia and Luna tended to go with sure bets, careful gambits, and calculated ventures. Cadance tended to go on gut instinct, her own natural empathy, and on hunches that she somehow knew would turn out okay… most of the time. She had a good track record for having things turn out mostly alright.

It was good that Twilight was in the throes of first love, and it pleased Cadance that Luna was the target of Twilight’s affections. Luna, perhaps more than anypony, needed love. Luna had been suffering a worrisome level of depression as of late, ever since her return home after being held prisoner by the fae.

Having a lock on her target, Cadance teleported.

“Just… stay away from me!”

Cadance, her own heart aching, looked into Maeve’s green eyes, regretting what it was that she was about to do. It was like making a foal take their medicine; it was an unpleasant task that had to be done for the good of the foal. It would, however, make the foal angry and leave them unsettled for a while.

“Sorceress Maeve, please, just let me near you so we can talk.” And let me touch you so I can work my magic upon you. Cadance took a cautious step forwards. She had once dumped a whole bottle of worming medicine down Twilight’s gullet and Twilight had stayed angry for weeks, but Twilight had forgiven her. Cadance’s slender, graceful form took another step forwards, and she felt keen disappointment as Maeve backed away.

“I know that you’re upset, and I guess in the time and place you come from, you’ve never seen two females kissing like that. It’s okay to be confused.” Cadance paused and she took another step forwards, thinking about the few words that Maeve had said so far. “Let me help you… you’ve had something terrible done to you. I want to help you. Please? I think I know of a way to help.”

“Leave me be!” Turning on her heel, Maeve stomped off.

“Fine… we do this the hard way,” Cadance said in a voice filled with weary resignation.

Horn glowing, Cadance grabbed Maeve, taking the direct approach. Cadance, having once been a pegasus, liked taking the direct approach. The direct approach got results. Cadance’s ears pinned back as Maeve howled. The cotton candy pink alicorn felt a weak telekinetic slap, but she ignored it. Maeve just needed to feel loved. To be overwhelmed with love. It would make things better. Love made everything better.

Cadance extended her wings, ready to pull Maeve into a full body hug. Cadance’s body glowed with a brilliant, warm, pink light. She pulled Maeve closer, ignoring Maeve’s whimpering cries of protest. Much to Cadance’s surprise, Maeve still had some fight left in her. She saw Maeve’s wooden hand swinging forwards, fingers extended, and then the wooden hand was wrapped around Cadance’s horn. Cadance felt a weird sensation, the world around her grew blurry, and then, everything went pink.

Cadance found herself in a very different place. She stood in a long hallway that seemed to stretch on for an absurd length. It was some place old, like some place out of time. There were gas lamps on the wall that provided flickering, feeble, yellow light.

In front of her there was a girl. A very tiny girl. Cadance had no reference for age or state of growth, but the little girl was little. She had frizzy orange hair, freckles, and chubby cheeks. She was a wild looking little thing, with nervous, twitchy, fearful eyes and long pointed ears.

Ears perking, Cadance heard the sounds of sobbing. It was coming from all around her. She turned about, having a look around, and found a door just behind her that had the word ‘exit.’ Cadance hit the latch, expecting it to open, but the door seemed locked.

“Maeve?” Cadance said as she looked down at the little girl.

The little girl nodded, her frizzy hair swaying, and then stuck her finger into her ear to have herself a dig. “Get help.”

“Get help?” Cadance asked, the slow realisation that she was in over her head now creeping up on her. Was this a dream? Cadance didn’t even know where she was. Cadance had only intended to create an empathic link into Maeve’s mind to allow Maeve to feel pure, unpolluted love. Wholesome love. It had been Cadance’s intention to flood Maeve with all the pure, positive, healing love that could be mustered. But something had gone very, very wrong.

“Find Luna,” the little girl said to Cadance.

“Find Luna?” Cadance shook her head. Find Luna in this place? Or… Cadance, feeling rather stupid, realised that she had better ways of finding Luna. She extended her empathic link to her fellow alicorns and called for help.

The little girl began humming to herself and then started to pick her nose with her pinkie finger, her face contorting as she mined for nose gold. She blinked when she saw Cadance’s disgusted expression and then, the little girl gave Cadance a troubling smile.

There was a faint crackling sound and then Luna appeared, looking startled. A moment later, Twilight Sparkle materialised, and then, with a painful to the ears pop, a bewildered looking Shining Armor appeared.

“What the…” Twilight fell silent and went to work studying her surroundings, taking note of everything, counting doors, lamps, and observing every detail that she could, knowing that all of it might be important, even if she didn’t know what was going on. Her face held an expression of confused sadness.

Shining Armor, spying the little girl that was picking her nose, laughed and then looked a little embarrassed when the three mares present all gave him The Look. He cleared his throat and did his best to look serious.

“This… this is the place I could never reach in Maeve,” Luna said as she looked around. “This place remained out of my reach. How did you get here?” Luna smiled down at Maeve’s inner child. “Please, be a dear and pull your finger out of your nose.”

The little girl did as she was asked, pulling out her finger. She extended her arm, holding her finger and her found treasure out to Luna. “Want boogey?”

Shuddering, Luna shook her head. “No thank you, dear.”

Shrugging, the child stuck her finger into her mouth, much to the disgust and horror of everypony present, except for Shining Armor, who laughed again. Seeing The Look once more, Shining Armor fell silent.

The little girl toddled off, heading for a nearby door. She stopped, touched the door, and then looked at the four ponies in the hallway. “Find Maeve.”

“But you’re Maeve,” Cadance said, now confused.

“No Cadance, this is a manifestation of Maeve’s innermost child.” Luna gave the little girl a sweet, loving smile. The night blue alicorn stepped forwards. “Cadance, you never did tell me how you got here.”

“Sorceress Maeve… I… she… I tried to give her a hug. I was going to make her feel loved. She grabbed my horn with her hand,” Cadance replied.

“Oh.” That was all Luna said. No further elaboration, no comment, no speculation, just a simple, single word of acknowledgement. Luna pushed open the door that the little girl had touched, and it swung wide with a creak. Luna was surprised by what she found inside.

Through the door was a little girl’s bedroom. For Luna, it was a familiar bedroom. She saw the closet door where she had entered and found Maeve pinned under her father. Her eyes lingered upon the bed. Luna heard a whimper and a cry; these were echoes, memories, and they pained her. In the corner of the room there was a pile of stuffed animals that Luna did not remember.

“Find Maeve,” the little girl repeated as she scratched her armpit.

“Maeve is somewhere in this room.” Luna glanced at her companions. “At least, part of her is in this room. She might be difficult to find. Spread out and examine everything. Look at the dolls, there are a number of them. And perhaps the stuffed animals as well.”

“This room reminds me of the Era of Steam,” Twilight said as she began to study her surroundings. “Take note of the gas lamps and the decor. If Maeve’s society parallels our own, and others, and I suspect that it does, at least in some ways, then Maeve’s world was undergoing rapid industrialisation and transitioning from an agrarian society, with all of the troubles that come from rapid urbanisation, probably bringing with it wars, territorial conflicts, and disputes over available, easily consumed resources. Under these conditions, it was unlikely that a sexual revolution had happened yet, as parity between the sexes probably didn’t exist.”

Sighing, Luna shook her head. “Egghead.”

Cheeks red, eyes wide, Twilight stood there with her mouth open.

“Only my sister could determine the state of society by examining the interior design.” Shining Armor, who stood near a shelf that had dolls on display, snorted and shook his head.

“I’ve been reading books from the human world,” Twilight said in a low voice. “Their history… I was hoping to understand them so I could help Maeve. The world where Sunset went… they had something called ‘the enlightenment.’ They had revolutions of all kinds. Women did not have suffrage and had to fight for the right to vote. For a long time, women were treated as property. Maeve grew up during a very bad time of human society, at least, I think.”

Cadance began to dig through the pile of stuffed animals on the floor. Stuffed dogs, stuffed cats, stuffed ponies, and she found something curious that didn’t seem like it belonged there. She lifted it up, touching it with her magic made her feel very confused. She held it out and said, “Luna, look.”

Turning about, Luna looked, and there was a night blue alicorn with shiny button eyes in Cadance’s telekinesis. Luna realised that she was looking at herself. She took it from Cadance and felt a weird tingle. Disturbed, but unable to say why, Luna set the stuffy down upon the bed. She recalled that she had been a stuffed animal during one of her visits to Maeve, and the memory disturbed her. It seemed that a part of her had been left behind inside of Maeve’s mind. Luna had appeared as a tiny stuffed doll just before the end, when she had given instructions to Maeve to draw an outline around the door with chalk.

Cadance continued to dig through the stuffed animals. She had found the disturbing Luna doll in the pile, so perhaps Maeve was hiding in there as well. She had no idea what she was looking for, but the Luna doll had given her a weird feeling, so she kept digging through the pile, hoping for another object that was strange to touch.

“These dolls… the eyes… I don’t like them,” Twilight said, backing away from the dolls on the shelf. “I can’t explain it, but every one of these dolls… the eyes… it’s like looking into Fluttershy’s eyes after something scares her.”

“Every one of these dolls has borne silent witness to the horrors of what took place and what was done to Maeve.” Luna moved beside Twilight, placed a wing over Twilight’s back, and then moved closer, until the pair of them were touching, standing side by side. “They’re not dolls. They’re a part of Maeve’s mind.”

“I don’t like this place.” Twilight leaned up against Luna, shivering, and closed her eyes, unable to bear looking any longer.

“Before this is over, all of us might see things that we do not wish to see,” Luna warned. Against her side, Twilight trembled, and Luna was overcome with a need to protect her, a feeling that was similar to Luna’s need to protect Maeve.

“Any luck, Cadance?” Shining Armor asked as he glanced at the little girl watching him.

Cadance, lifting up a stuffed toy, clucked her tongue. “Yes, actually.” She held aloft a small brown stuffed rabbit with long, floppy ears. It was unremarkable, had black button eyes, and pink velvet lined the inside of its ears. It did not give off a creepy feeling, but there was one thing that set the rabbit apart from the other toys.

It was breathing.

Author's Note

Hang on, things will be dark, but not grim dark. But do not fear. We progress towards the light.

Chapter 28

The breathing stuffed rabbit made no sound, did not speak, nor did it move, other than breathing. Luna examined it, looking at it, trying to understand it and what it represented. She cocked her head, her analytical mind engaging, all of her own troubles forgotten for the moment.

“Bun Bun?” Little Maeve reached out both of her hands for the stuffed rabbit.

“Say please,” Luna said.

The little girl frowned, her lower lip protruding. She waggled her fingers. “Pwease?”

“That’s better,” Luna replied. She lowered the stuffed rabbit down to the little girl, who took it, snatched it to her chest, and began to hug it while she bounced in place. “Do you have anything to say?”

“Bun Bun?” Little Maeve squeezed the rabbit once more and looked at Luna with wide, almost luminous green eyes, the same shade of green that a stormy sky held over the ocean.

“Luna—”

“Hush, Shining Armor,” Luna commanded. “Maeve, are you forgetting something?”

“Um… Thank you?” Maeve, clutching Bun Bun in her left arm, reached up and scratched her head with the right. She smiled at Luna, blinking her bright green eyes, and did what little did girls were best at, which was being adorable.

“You are welcome.” Luna bowed her head and gave Maeve a smile.

“I don’t understand what is going on,” Shining Armor muttered.

Cadance, who was now looking around the room, said to Luna, “I think I understand.”

“Care to elaborate, Cadance?” Shining Armor asked.

Turning to look at her husband, Cadance shook her head. “No.”

Sighing, Shining Armor stepped out of the bedroom and back into the hall. He didn’t understand dream rules or how to traverse the dreamscape. He hardly understood his own dreams. And being inside of the mind of an alien creature? Shining Armor decided that he was out of his element and that it was time to fall into the role of a guard. Just go with things. Don’t question. Just do. Everything would be better this way. This is what he understood.

Twilight, also confused, and disturbed by the room, followed after her brother. She stood beside him, silent, not knowing what to say, not understanding what was going on, not certain she wanted to understand what was going on.

Luna stepped out into the hallway next, followed by little Maeve, and then Cadance stepped out. The door slammed shut on its own and there was a clicking sound as the door was locked. Luna scowled as she remembered the stuffed version of herself left lying on the bed. A part of her was going to be left behind in Maeve’s mind.

The night blue alicorn sighed, feeling frustrated. She knew that the door, now locked, wouldn’t open, no matter what she did, unless she resorted to desperate measures to force her way inside. Doing so would hurt Maeve though, so Luna accepted the loss of herself. Maeve was as good of a place as any to leave behind a fragment of her psyche.

“What do we do next?” Cadance asked, because somepony had to say something. The silence was unbearable, uncomfortable, and unpleasant.

“Find Mommy,” Little Maeve replied.

The door opened up into a stone hallway that reminded Luna far too much of the castle of the fae. Tír na hÓige. Something smelled bad, like rot, old sour wine, and cinnamon. It was dark and dim.

Standing at the door, Little Maeve balked. “No go.”

Luna, nodding her head, looked Maeve in the eye. “You wait right here with Bun Bun until I return. You are not to leave this spot, do you understand?”

The little girl, who was holding her rabbit clutched in her left arm, was now picking her nose with her right hand. She nodded as she continued to dig about for hidden treasures, causing Shining Armor to laugh yet again.

Head high, Luna entered first, followed by Twilight, then Cadance. Shining Armor, unable to help himself, stretched out his neck and kissed Maeve on the cheek, causing the little girl to giggle. Tail swishing, Shining Armor followed after Cadance.

The moment that Shining Armor stepped through the door, it slammed shut and vanished, causing Twilight to let out a little scream of panic. Twilight, embarrassed, composed herself. She flapped her wings a few times, lifted her head high, blinked, and then skulked off after Luna, who was striding ahead without her.

Cadance ignited her horn and walked with a fierce stride. This place felt dangerous somehow. She didn’t like it. It smelled awful. Her ears perked, straining to hear, and without realising it, she fell back into her earliest training as a princess. “Captain Shining Armor, to my side.”

Hearing Cadance’s stony command, Shining Armor felt compelled to obey, not even knowing why. He scooted ahead until he was walking abreast with Cadance, his own horn ignited, ready to protect Cadance and do her bidding. He had pledged his life for her.

The sound of hooves approaching caused Luna some alarm. She peered ahead, having trouble seeing, understanding that whatever was ahead was obscured by forces beyond her control. She had to play by the rules, such as they were. She lifted a wing, signaling a stop. Twilight, not versed in military lore, bumped snoot first into Luna’s backside when Luna came to a halt.

Ahead, a tiny figure approached. Luna recognised him at once. She felt a smile threatening to show itself, but Luna’s own harsh nature lept up, snatched the smile, clubbed it with a truncheon a few times more than necessary, subdued it, and dragged it back down into the darkest depths of Luna’s mind, the place below the dungeons.

“Hello, I am Sir Red Russet, the Knight. I am looking for my Lady Faire, the Sorceress known as Maeve. She’s enchanting.” The little red colt looked up at Luna.

The colt was small, far too small, a trick of the mind. He wasn’t much bigger than a potato. Luna lowered her head, bowing, and then kept her head low so she might look the tiny representation of Red Russet in the eye. “Greetings, noble knight.”

“Wait, Red Russet has a crush on Maeve?” Twilight asked.

“Well of course he does… and it’s a lot more than a crush,” Cadance whispered in reply. “It seems that a part of Maeve’s mind knows it. Now be respectful. We’re deep inside of the mind of a little girl, looking at all of her innermost thoughts, feelings, desires, hopes, and dreams. We’re learning her secrets.”

Twilight, blushing, flapped her wings and danced around on her hooves, looking nervous and agitated. “Oh my gosh, you mean to tell me that he loves Maeve?”

The little red earth pony colt, no bigger than a potato, glared up at Twilight. “I’m standing right here, by the way. I can hear every word you are saying.”

“It is only proper for a knight to love his Lady Faire.” Shining Armor lifted his head high and gave his mane a good shake. His ears leaned forwards. “There is no cause more noble than for a knight to find a good Lady Faire to live in service of, doing good deeds, being charitable, being virtuous, and all in the name of the object of his heart’s fondest desire.”

As Luna rolled her eyes, Twilight uttered one word: “Shiny?”

Cadance let out a demure sigh. “Shining Armor actually believes this… you have no idea how many times I’ve heard this speech and others like it. Look, please don’t make fun of Shining, um, this is, uh, well, um, this is actually the reason I fell in love with him okay, just… don’t tell anypony… do you have any idea how difficult it is to find a stallion that actually believes in this in this day and age?”

Shining Armor, looking smug and satisfied, smiled at Red. “We can help you find your Lady Faire. We should check for towers and look at the top floors. Princesses and Sorceresses by extension tend to be kept in towers, and not dungeons. It’s because they’re pretty.”

“Good advice,” Red replied, nodding his head.

“I thought we were looking for Maeve’s mother?” Twilight asked in a low voice.

“We are.” Luna turned her head and looked over her shoulder at Twilight. “I suspect that we’ll find them both together.” Luna, clearing her throat, whipped her head back around to look at Red. “Remain at my side.”

“As you wish,” Red replied.

Somewhere, during the long walk through a dark, spooky, foul smelling hallway, Twilight Sparkle found herself. She moved out from behind Luna, a look of fierce determination on her face, and walked at Luna’s side, opposite of Red. Much to everypony’s surprise, Twilight’s light drove back the darkness, dispelling the thick shadows, and allowing them to peer ahead a good deal further than before. Twilight walked with her head low, her hackles up, her teeth bared, and her tail whipping around as though she was whipping away invisible flies.

Twilight Sparkle, small, unassuming, quiet, introverted Twilight, looked every bit as dangerous as the blue alicorn that she walked beside. Peering ahead, Twilight saw shapes in the darkness, something was moving. She couldn’t make out what it was, but Twilight was already charging up her horn.

A roar filled the hallway, a terrifying roar. It echoed up and down the stone passage, the sound was almost deafening in the tight confines of the hallway. Twilight’s horn grew brighter, too bright to even look at, the brilliance of it was making it difficult for Luna to even see.

The first of the armored figures came into clear view, and a swarming, teeming horde appeared to be right behind him. Luna recognised the fat, bloated figure right away, a creature that she hated more than anything else. A creature that she reviled.

“NILZEBOG!” Luna spat. Even the words left a bad taste in her mouth. She felt strange pain all over her body as the squat figure approached. Fear crept up her spine, taking the form of slithering, crawling cold. She was paralysed with fear at the very sight of him.

It was at this moment that Twilight unloaded her stored up charge. A blast of energy surged forwards, the beam itself as wide and and as tall as the hallway. There was a brilliant flash of light that blinded the companions.

When Luna was able to see again, she squinted ahead, her ears perked, trying to see or hear danger. There was a soft pattering sound, like the sound of heavy snow falling, a faint whispery sound that few ever paid attention to. She squinted a little. Ahead, in the hallway, it was snowing. Luna shook her head. No, not snow, what was falling down was clouds of ashes. The hallway ahead was thick with falling ashes of disintegrated goblins.

A wisp of smoke curled up from Twilight’s horn.

Puckering her lips, Twilight blew upwards, blowing the smoke away from her horn tip. “You don’t have to be a stallion to fight for your Lady Faire.” Twilight’s words slipped out of her mouth as a harsh, angry, guttural mutter. “Bring it on… I got more… that was the warm up shot. The next shot will actually have some power behind it.”

“Twilight, sometimes, you worry me,” Cadance whispered.

“Go Twily.” Shining Armor looked impressed.

“That was amazing!” Red shouted as he pranced at Luna’s side.

“We should keep going,” Twilight said as she noticed the disturbed look on Luna’s face. Twilight, feeling worried, actually stepped into the lead. She moved ahead, her head low, horn humming as it charged up again.

Luna scooped up Red, ignoring his protests, knowing that he would vanish in the ash ahead. He was, after all, no bigger than a potato. However indignified this might be for him, she was obligated to carry him. She followed after Twilight, feeling a curious mix of love, flattery, and self worth.

Cadance and Shining Armor moved together as one, Shining was almost glued to Cadance’s side. Cadance, who had watched Twilight grow up, felt a stirring of pride. She had played a role in how Twilight had turned out, and Cadance could not help but feel that she had done a fine job. Beside her, Shining Armor was having similar thoughts.

There was still much dark ahead.

Author's Note

Potato.

Chapter 29

“Who or what was that?” Twilight asked as she stood over the unmoving body of something that appeared to be a very tall, very thin human. Twilight, trembling, looked at Luna and noticed that Luna was bleeding. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“I am uncertain. It was like being back in Tír na hÓige again. My magic departed from me, leaving behind only the barest essence of what I am. The rules here are unfamiliar,” Luna replied. She reached up and wiped at her face with her wing, bloodying her feathers.

Crimson spilled out from the body on the floor in an ever growing pool. Cadance turned away from the unpleasant sight, while Shining Armor snorted in contempt. The torches on the walls flickered, throwing shadows around the room, which made Cadance jumpy.

“That was Lunn… Maeve’s master. Not his real name, but the name she was forced to call him. He was fantastically cruel to Maeve. One night, in a fight of rage, he ripped away all of Maeve’s fingernails from her right hand one at a time because she scratched his book cover. He would beat her with a cane or whip her. It does not surprise me that he haunts Maeve’s psyche.”

Hearing Luna’s words, Twilight squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “No more… please, don’t tell me any more. I can’t bear to hear it. I can’t bear knowing that there is any being that cruel.”

Twilight’s words slashed deep into Luna’s soul, causing Luna to flinch. Luna had been that cruel. She had brought great harm to her sister. She had tried to murder her sister. And her plan of eternal night would have ended life as it was known.

“Luna, I can feel you hurting… are you okay? I feel so much hate… it makes me cold,” Cadance said to Luna, stepping closer. She reached out and touched Luna with her wing.

Hissing, Luna jerked herself away, not wanting to be touched. Hating herself even more as the lie bubbled up from within her, Luna said, “It is only the hatred I feel for him. Leave me be.”

Blinking, a hurt expression on her face, Cadance backed away from Luna, shaking her head, and her tail tucked between her legs. “That much hate isn’t healthy… it can hurt you.”

“More than you know,” Luna snapped.

“Please, don’t fight,” Red said. He sat on Shining Armor’s back, a pleading expression upon his face. “No more fighting. We’re supposed to be the heroes.”

“Not all of us are heroes.” Luna turned away from her companions, staring at the wall, trying to blink away tears. No, some of us are villains and not heroes at all, little colt. If only you knew. What would you think of me if you saw me as I was?

The companions fell silent when they heard the sound of something coming. Something that sounded like… hoofsteps. Twilight Sparkle stepped away from Lunn’s body and began to charge up her horn. Her magic worked here, even if Luna’s was acting a bit spotty. Twilight was discovering her confidence in this place. She was also discovering that not only did she have strong feelings of affection for Luna, but a good deal of love and affection for Maeve as well.

“Why must you keep messing up my castle?” A white figure rounded the corner, causing Twilight to gasp. Cadance let out a squeak of terror. Luna dropped her head and her ears pinned flat against the back of her skull. Shining Armor began to back away, looking guilty.

“Look at the mess you made! Why do you insist on wrecking my castle? Look at the ruination you have caused!” The tall white alicorn was much, much larger than she was in real life. Celestia was a giant. She had the scowl of an angry matron or a spank-happy schoolmarm. “You hideous little naked ape! I invited you into my home and this is how you thank me? GET OUT!”

Twilight, frightened for reasons she could not explain, began to back away, wanting more than anything to hide behind her brother. Princess Celestia’s form shifted for a moment, and Twilight saw her mother, Twilight Velvet. Twilight blinked, shook her head, and tried to make the terrifying doppelganger go away. “Celestia’s not like this… how can Maeve think this?”

“This is what Maeve fears will happen… that she won’t be loved any more,” Cadance said as she cowered. “She loves Celestia but she’s afraid… she lost her mother once and she fears that she’s going to lose Celestia… that Celestia will stop loving her for some reason.”

“Be quiet you!” the giant Celestia roared.

“Look, I’m very, very sorry.” Shining Armor stepped forwards with his head low and his tail tucked between his legs. He crept towards Celestia, letting out pitiful little whimpers of apology.

As Shining Armor moved forwards, Red Russet abandoned him, leaping off, running away, and then hiding behind Cadance’s hind leg. A pony the size of a potato stood no chance against a giant Princess Celestia.

“And just what are you sorry for?” Celestia demanded, growing larger and towering over Shining Armor, who appeared to be shrinking and growing smaller.

“When I cut off all of Twily’s mane, I lied to you. I never told you what happened… I’m really very sorry. I got chewing gum in her mane…” Shining Armor’s voice became a coltish squeak. “When I tried to cut away the gum there was a big chunk missing from her mane. So I tried to trim everything up and make it even… I never meant to leave poor Twily almost bald! I’m so sorry!” Shining Armor threw himself down upon the floor and began sobbing, covering his face up with his forehooves.

The big giant Celestia blinked, her eyes going wide. “You are sorry. Very well then, I shall forgive you for now.” The big giant Celestia began shrinking, becoming smaller and smaller, until there was a pop, almost like a soap bubble. The white alicorn matron vanished.

“Shiny?” Cadance stepped forwards and Red followed behind her.

“I really am sorry… I still feel so bad about it! I left my sister almost bald!” Shining Armor blubbered as he lay on the floor, refusing to look at anypony present.

“This place is weird,” Twilight said as she stepped forwards to comfort her brother. “Shining, get up. We have a lot to do. My mane grew back. Everything is okay.”

“But I still feel bad about it… I feel so guilty!” Shining Armor peeked out from beneath his foreleg. “Promise you’re not angry?”

“I promise,” Twilight replied. “I still don’t know what just happened.”

“I felt so guilty looking at her.” Shining Armor, sniffling, stood up. “I think I felt the same way that Maeve must feel sometimes. Maybe Maeve just wants to apologise to Celestia for wrecking her castle.”

“That is a very good guess, and seems likely.” Luna, looking a bit more composed, began to walk forwards. The place where Celestia entered had a short hallway and a spiral staircase. Luna looked at her companions, and then started forwards once more, heading for the stairs.

The companions stood at the base of some sort of tower. The stairs, steep and narrow, spiraled upwards. There was no rail, making them somewhat dangerous for a pony that didn’t have wings. The stairs were impassible for a pony the size of a potato, and poor little Red stood at the very bottom of the stairs looking crushed.

“Think we’ll find Maeve at the top?” Twilight asked. She craned her head to look upwards and the stairs continued upwards beyond her ability to see. “Looks pretty tall… I think we have the tallest tower, but then again, nothing about this place makes sense. Everything is all wrong here.”

“Luna, are you okay?” Cadance asked as she touched Luna with her wing.

“I… I am unsure,” Luna replied, being honest this time. “This place is doing something to me. I am sorry for my outburst back there. Maeve has a small part of me locked away in her mind. I suspect that she knows much of my internal workings… my secrets—”

“All of the darkness you hold within to keep punishing yourself,” Twilight said. When Luna turned to stare at her, Twilight started to look away, but then, feeling defiant, she stared back, even going as far as getting up in Luna’s face and glaring.

“Twilight—”

“Stay out of this, Cadance,” Twilight told her former foalsitter. Twilight took another step towards Luna, who stood at the base of the stairs. “In the Crystal Empire, you told me that you loved me and that you would work to get better. You are not keeping your promise.”

For a moment, Luna looked angry, she sucked in a deep breath, getting ready to tell Twilight off, but then, she deflated. She let out her breath in a huff and her angry expression turned to one of sadness. Luna shook her head. “Yet another failure of mine.”

“Oh no, you’re not getting out of this with self pity… you and I are going to talk about this later.” Twilight backed away from Luna, looked down at Red, scooped him up in her magic, ignoring his protests as she did so, and then began to climb the stairs.

“Um, Luna, let me give you a little love advice.” Cadance moved to Luna’s side and bumped up against her. “This family… is best described as proactive. Shining Armor might look like a loveable, somewhat scatterbrained oaf, but very much like his sister, he is aware of and in charge of everything around him. He is a master tactician. I have found that when there is an issue, it behooves me to deal with it right away, rather than allow Shining to have the time to build up the entirety of the situation in his favour. If I chose to be passive and not deal with an issue, Shining Armor will make the issue manifest, usually in the worst possible way… and it is something that I treasure about him. He keeps me accountable and makes me a better pony. There is a reason he was made Captain of the Guard, and it isn’t because he is a bumbling oaf.”

Blinking, Luna watched as Cadance went up the stairs, following after Twilight.

Shining Armor waggled his ears at Luna as he approached and gave her a smile. “Princesses first. I’ll bring up the rear.”

Taking a deep breath, Luna nodded.

The stairs ended at a landing, and on the landing, there was a door. There was no visible doorknob, no keyhole, just a flat, featureless door. The companions stared at it, none of them knowing what to do. Twilight began taking measurements and examining the whole of the area. Cadance watched as Twilight worked. Shining Armor began to look at the edges of the door, looking for some sign of weakness. Luna stood back, giving the others the room they needed to work.

Red meanwhile, he sat down upon the floor near the stairs and stared at the door.

“The door appears to be made of wood, but isn’t,” Twilight said.

“Of course it isn’t, this is a little girl’s imagination,” Shining Armor replied.

“Then there has to be a way in, we just need to find the means of entry.” Cadance looked at the siblings, both of them ponies that she loved a great deal. She watched as Twilight used her magic to try and shove the door open. The door didn’t so much as wiggle. She watched as Shining Armor backed up to the door and gave it a good kick. The door didn’t budge. Of course the door didn’t budge. Cadance let out a sigh and hoped that somepony could make the door open.

Letting out a tiny snort, Red Russet trotted forward, his head high, the potato sized pony marching up to the door. He waited for a moment, tossed his head back to get his bangs out of his eyes, and knocked upon the door with his teeny, tiny little hoof.

The door shuddered for a moment and Red backed away. So did Twilight and Shining Armor. There was a creak as the door began to open. Golden light spilled out of the doorway, and from behind the door, a tall, thin figure became visible.

Luna, wide eyed, stared at the figure. Tall, willowy, thin, red haired, freckled, oh so very freckled, green eyed, it took Luna a moment to realise that she was not looking at a grown up version of Maeve, but of Maeve’s mother. When this realisation settled into her mind, Luna felt her heart leap up into her throat.

“My name is Maeve Rosethicket, and I’ve been expecting you,” the woman said.

Knowing something, feeling something, knowing this was more than a figment of imagination, Luna shook her head. “What are you?”

“I am the echo of a memory of a dream, kept alive by a spark of magic in Maeve’s mind.” The woman let out a musical, bubbling laugh. “Won’t you come in? We have much to discuss, you and I. There are some affairs I need to set in order.”

Red, standing down at the woman’s feet, looked up at the giantess. “You’re pretty.”

“And you… you’re adorable!” Maeve reached down, scooped up the colt, and carried him inside, leaving the stunned companions on the landing.

“Is this a dream?” Shining Armor asked.

“No… this is actually Maeve’s mother,” Luna replied.

Author's Note

Next chapter will be out by Sunday at the latest.

Chapter 30

The room at the top of the tower was circular, but much larger than it should have been. Of course it was. Luna looked around, hoping to spot clues that would help her. Maeve’s mind was alien, but there were similarities. There were shelves lining the wall, shelves filled with books and… stuffed animals. As Luna stood there, staring, Maeve’s mother picked up Red Russet, kissed him, and the tiny potato sized colt turned into a tiny potato sized stuffed colt. The tall, wild haired woman placed the colt on a shelf next to a little stuffed rabbit, and next to the stuffed rabbit was a stuffed version of Luna that was overshadowed by a large stuffed boar.

Luna once again had found herself in Maeve’s mind. She watched as Maeve’s mother patted the stuffed Luna on the head. There were others, many others; Twilight Sparkle, Celestia, Cadance, Shining Armor, Rose Gold, Quickie Cob, Raven, Fuschia, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, the Cakes, and a whole host of other ponies. Confused, Luna tried to put the pieces together and found that she couldn’t. Why would there be stuffed representations of all these ponies inside of Maeve’s mind?

“That’s a lot of stuffed ponies,” Twilight said as she made herself right at home and began to examine the shelves, going right up to them to have a look.

Maeve’s mother turned and looked at the group. “Names have power. None of you do anything to protect your names. Because Maeve knows your name, she keeps a tiny piece of your soul in her essence. For good or for ill. It is our magic, the magic of the ljásálfar, and also of the fae. Knowledge of the name allows for the use of the Wyrding Voice.”

“Um, what does this voice do?” Twilight, who was looking at a stuffed version of Shining Armor turned and looked at Maeve’s mother. “Is this how a part of you is still alive?”

The tall, almost feral looking wild woman nodded. “But I prepared for my own end, long before I lost my blessing.” Maeve’s mother sighed as she went to a chair and sat down. “The Wyrding Voice is a terrible power. It can be used to cause pain. It can be used to compel a person to do things against their will, to make you do things that you’d never do otherwise. But it is also a boon. The Wyrding Voice can be used to dispel fear, remove doubt, and break the magical hold of others. It is not evil magic, but nor is it good. It simply is.”

“This is why Lunn kept his name from Maeve,” Luna said.

“Yes.” Maeve’s mother looked at the blue alicorn. “If Maeve had known his name, she might have forced him to drink a glass of acid, or told him to walk off of a cliff, and he would have been forced to do so, providing that Maeve’s will was sufficient to compel him.”

“That’s horrible!” Twilight shuddered and then stared at Maeve’s mother with wide, frightened eyes. “So Maeve has all of our names…” Twilight turned her head and looked at the stuffed version of herself, her eyes unblinking and her ears folded back against her head.

“Before having Maeve, I saw much and traveled a great deal. Never in my journeys did I encounter a species such as yours before. Such potential for good.” Maeve’s mother, who had been looking at Twilight, turned her head and looked at Luna. “Such potential for evil.” The wild woman’s eyes continued to Cadance. “Or the potential for such rampant emotional destruction.”

Shining Armor, having observed this, said nothing, not wanting to know what the strange woman had to say about him. He glanced at Cadance, worried for her, and saw that she looked disturbed.

“This isn’t exactly how I had hoped that this would happen, but given what I had to work with, this works well enough for my purposes.” Maeve’s mother rubbed her hands together; she had long, skinny fingers. “It took all I had to exert what little will I had to have Maeve grab one of you by your horn. It is as I suspected, your horn has a direct connection to your souls. It was originally my intention to have Maeve grab you.” The wild haired woman pointed at Luna.

“Me?” Luna shook her head.

“I took a gamble. I knew that my brother would search for Maeve once something happened to me. It was a matter of time… the human experience was not what I had hoped and dreamed of, but, I did get Maeve, so it was worth it. I knew that Bjarke would find Maeve somehow and would cause her blessing to manifest. After Maeve had her magic, it was just a matter of getting her fingers around one of your horns. The circumstances I needed finally presented themselves and now, now I have what I wanted here in front of me.”

“I am confused. What is it that you want and what does it have to do with me?” Luna asked as she tilted her head and locked eyes with Maeve. “You show a remarkable ability to manipulate events and keep going even after your death. Your actions begin to concern me.”

“I am her mother.” Maeve’s voice was low, but fierce. One hand clenched into a fist. “Maeve is an extraordinary creature. She has the human strength of spirit and the ljásálfar sense of purpose. Nothing will stop me from looking after my daughter.” The wild haired woman rose from her chair and towered over the others in the room. “Maeve needs a mother. She needs someone who will guide her… keep her moving forwards. Someone who will push her towards some greater purpose so her talents, her gifts are not wasted.”

Ears back, trembling, Luna backed away from Maeve, retreating until she bumped into the door behind her. “I am not the one you are looking for—”

“And who are you to tell me otherwise?” Maeve’s mother stepped forwards, towering over Luna. The giantess seemed to be growing larger, while Luna seemed to be shrinking and becoming smaller.

Twilight let out a frightened squeak while Cadance ducked behind Shining Armor.

The giantess stomped towards Luna, causing the whole room to shake and tremble. Books fell askew in their shelves. Knick knacks rattled. The many, many stuffed animals bounced around, some of them falling over upon one another.

“I have examined the depths of your soul, I have seen your measure, I know of your mistakes, I know of your past, and yet I still determined you to be worthy!” Maeve’s mother reached down and snatched up Luna, who was now little more than a foal. She lifted the tiny blue alicorn up and held her at eye level. “You made a mistake. You did something bad. You seek redemption, but you will not find it, no matter where you look, no matter how much you search, because you are looking in all of the wrong places!”

Luna whimpered and her four stubby little legs kicked as she tried to get free.

“Redemption is not an external force. It must be found from within. You look everywhere but within yourself because that is the one place you cannot bear to look. You fear your own darkness. You are like a foolish girl that loses a trinket in a dark cellar, flees, and then refuses to turn on the light to look for her trinket! Every day you continue to pay for your mistakes, punishing yourself, continuing in your self flagellation, mewling and whining about the wrong you have done!”

Maeve pulled the small foal close, crushing filly Luna to her bosom.

“You crossed an ocean of time and space to rescue one little girl because you thought she needed help. You did so with no thought of yourself, your safety, or of the consequences of such an impetuous and foolish action. These are not the actions of an evil soul, these are the actions of a good and virtuous soul, one who would sacrifice anything to help others. Can you not see that?”

Luna let out a frightened squeak, shook her head, and then whispered the word, “No.”

Cadance, whose soft heart ached, listened as Luna wailed while being held by Maeve’s mother. The giantess had sat back down in her chair was now holding Luna while the foal wept, stroking Luna’s ears and her neck while trying to comfort her. She glanced at Shining Armor, a questioning look in her eye, and she watched him shrug after a moment of silent, wordless communication.

Hearing the rustle of feathers, Cadance watched as Twilight approached Maeve’s mother, her head low, her ears back, a curious look in her eye. Twilight was ever the curious one. Cadance, who was holding her breath but didn’t know it, watched, wondering what would happen next.

When Twilight got too close to the chair, there was a loud crackle and suddenly Twilight Sparkle was filly sized once more. Cadance let out a worried gasp and watched as Twilight was seized by a silver glow. She backed up, bumped into Shining Armor, and then she sat down beside him, her legs wobbling too much to stand.

The giantess had both of them clutched against her bosom, and was squeezing them together. As Cadance watched, Twilight wrapped her legs around Luna’s neck and held her as she wept.

“This one loves you. Of this, there can be no doubt.” Maeve’s mother gave Twilight a pat on her back and then looked at Cadance, almost as if she was daring the pink alicorn to come closer to her chair.

Cadance felt Shining Armor’s leg slide over her withers and she leaned up against him. She was glad for his touch, grateful for his presence, and she realised that Shining Armor wasn’t scared, worried, or upset in the slightest. His breathing was calm and regular. Cadance worked to get her breathing to match his.

“Don’t you want to love her back? This one is special. She sees your potential.” Maeve’s mother lowered her head and spoke into Luna’s quivering ear. “You will never be able to give your heart to her or give her the love she deserves until you learn to love yourself. Eventually, your self loathing will tear the two of you apart. Give her a chance to love you. Give yourself a chance to love.”

“Luna, Maeve loves you. Celestia loves you. I love you. Give us a chance. Please?” Little filly Twilight pressed her snoot into filly Luna’s cheek. “We want to help you. Just… give us a chance, please? I’m begging you.”

“What do I need to do?” Luna asked. “How do I fix this?” She sniffled and her face was snotty. “How do I fix me?”

“You start by forgiving yourself. Then you begin the difficult process of loving yourself… after that, it gets easier. You let others love you. This room is full of those who love you. They’ll help you if you let them,” Maeve replied.

“How do I help Maeve? I have struggled to make her better… I cannot bear her suffering… is there something I can do to help fix it? Is there some way to ease her suffering? How do I ease her pain?” Luna squeezed her eyes shut and continued to cry, letting everything bottled up inside out, shedding tears of pain, remorse, and sorrow.

The giantess shook her head. “You cannot.” Maeve’s mother glanced at Cadance and Shining Armor. “But you might be able to ask for help, if your pride will let you. Sometimes, a mother, for whatever reason, becomes helpless. She can do nothing, and as much as it hurts, she must sit and watch as others help her child. This is a hard lesson I’ve had to learn for myself. I have to ask you to do what I cannot. Raise Maeve and see that she becomes a good person. See that she is educated. See that her potential is explored.”

“So what do I do?” Luna asked.

Maeve, clutching both Twilight and Luna in one long arm against her bosom, reached down and began to dig around in a pocket with her right hand. After a moment, she pulled out a key hanging on a silver chain. She gave the key a wistful glance, her eyes sorrowful, and then slipped the chain over Luna’s head, allowing it to slide down the alicorn’s neck.

“What is this?” Luna, still snotty, looked down at the key. “It’s warm.”

“This is the key to my daughter’s heart. Her most innermost place. The place that you have tried to reach so you could help her and have been turned away from. This will let you in, but I must warn you, you will not like what you see,” Maeve’s mother replied.

Blinking, Luna lifted her head. Maeve’s mother was pointing at a door in the far wall. Luna stared at the door and felt a cold prickle in her heart. Something about the door terrified her. Looking at the door, she knew that she couldn’t do this on her own.

“If I go through that door, will I be able to help Maeve?” Luna asked.

“Hard to say.” Maeve’s mother shook her head. “It could be the beginning of real healing. You might give Maeve a real chance at happiness. She wants to love. She wants to touch others. But as long as her heart remains injured, she will be unable to recover.”

“She loves Red,” Twilight said in a low voice, her cheeks turning beet red.

“I know.” Maeve’s mother looked at the stuffed red colt on the shelf. “Bjarke fell in love with a sapient, talking skunk. He’s very embarrassed about it, but love is what it is. He loved her, she loved him, they roamed the woods together and they were happy. Sometimes, I joined them. But she grew old… and Bjarke didn’t. He was with her right up until the very end and he buried her under a cairn in a field of flowers where they loved to frolic together.”

“That… that is the saddest thing I’ve ever heard!” Cadance wailed as she burst into tears. She clung to Shining Armor, sobbing, her barrel hitching, each sob causing a sorrowful moan to escape.

“I loved a human. Not much different than Bjarke’s skunk in the bigger picture of things. After watching Bjarke mope for almost two hundred years, I wasn’t sure I could deal with immortality any longer.” Maeve’s mother shook her head as she scooped up both Luna and Twilight, then set them down upon the floor. “Poor little Maeve is going to have a tough time looking past the body differences. She’s going to need a very patient, very loving mentor to see her through the many questions and issues she’s bound to have.”

Staring at the door, Luna grew larger, becoming a tall blue alicorn once more. A grim look of fierce determination settled over her face and her eyes narrowed. “I am going to need help,” Luna whispered, her words scratchy and full of pain. She hated asking for help, but knew it was necessary.

“What are friends for?” Twilight replied as she moved to Luna’s side.

“I’m still sad about the skunk… I need to give poor Bjarke a hug!” Cadance said as she rose to her hooves and trotted to Luna’s side. “It takes so much courage to love something so different from you, to look past how different they are on the outside and see the beauty within.”

“I’m in.” Shining Armor also moved to Luna’s side, joining Cadance and his sister.

“Good luck. I doubt that we will meet again, but who knows. I’ll be here inside of Maeve. Please…” Maeve’s mother rose up from her chair, took a few steps, and touched Luna. “Be the mother that I couldn’t. Keep her safe from harm.”

“I will do everything in my power to do so,” Luna replied, closing her eyes and then taking a deep breath after she spoke. She opened her eyes again, turned her head, and looked Maeve’s mother in the eye, noting the many freckles. “I do not know what you see in me, but I hope I do not let you down.”

“Maeve needed help and you answered… that’s all I needed to see,” Maeve’s mother replied. She lifted her hands and gestured to the other ponies around Luna. “Be good to my girl.”

Twilight nodded as Luna took her first step towards the door.

When Luna touched the door, the round room vanished. It was now dark, so very dark, and it was difficult to see. Luna heard a shriek, which caused her ears to perk and made her heart start thumping in her chest. She took off at a run, her hooves clattering over dingy grey stones that were illuminated by the light of her horn, and she let out a fierce cry of anger as she surged forwards.

Luna was an alicorn, a being of immense power, strength, and mystical ability. She was a force of nature, in very much the same way that Maeve was also a force of nature. She moved with austere beauty as she tore down the hallway in a full out gallop. Her silver shod hooves struck sparks, her long neck was extended forwards, her ears were folded back against her skull, and she moved with terrific fluid grace. Each hoof striking the floor was a thunderclap.

As Luna charged forwards, her appearance changed. Silver armor manifested, beautiful, of ancient design, the armor she had worn long ago had finally returned to her as it was, before Nightmare Moon’s taint had corrupted it, turning it black and ugly.

Luna was swift moving death, a terrible force that prowled the shadows and punished those who hid their crimes in the darkness. Her teeth were bared as she barreled forwards down the hall, picking up speed, her ears ringing with the sound of Maeve’s terrible, agonised shrieks.

Ahead, Luna saw the stuff of her nightmares. She saw Maeve’s father. Her heart in her throat, Luna screamed and somehow coaxed a bit more speed out of her hooves. She could see him beating Maeve. One hand was around her throat, strangling her, while the other punched her in the stomach over and over.

Luna’s wings flared out and her hooves lifted from the floor. She glided forwards like a dart, her lips curled back in a terrible snarl, her nostrils flaring, and she let out a nightmare scream. She braced herself for impact with Maeve’s father and—

Luna flew right through him. Luna smashed into a very solid wall and bounced off. She fell to the ground, her armor clattering, and she shook her head as she tried to clear the stars from her vision. Growling, Luna sprang to her hooves and moved to attack again.

Screaming with enough force to almost shred her vocal cords, Luna lept at Maeve’s father. Once more, she passed through him, unable to land a blow. She landed on her hooves, balanced herself, and then decided to try and protect Maeve instead. Luna’s horn flared with brilliant light and she tried to pull Maeve away, but her magic found nothing she could grab.

“NO!” Luna stomped down on the floor with enough force to shatter the stone. “NO!” Luna let out a long wordless yell of rage as she stood there, unable to do anything to help. As she stood watching, Maeve’s father kicked her, punched, her, slapped her, and then, much to Luna’s horror, began shoving Maeve down to the floor.

“NO!” Luna ground her teeth together with enough force that for a moment, she feared that they would shatter in her mouth. Luna stomped and raged, but there was nothing she could do. Maeve was fighting back, but she was powerless against her father’s assaults.

“Luna… I don’t know if we can stop this,” Twilight said in a soft whisper.

Hearing Twilight’s voice, Luna looked at the smaller alicorn with pleading eyes.

“Luna, he doesn’t even have a face. Neither does she. Look at them.”

Breathing hard, Luna forced herself to look. She made herself look as she choked back her rage. Just as Twilight had said, the male figure had no face, no eyes, no nose, no mouth, yet somehow, Luna could hear him grunting. Maeve was the same, featureless. Furious, Luna let out an equine snarl and snorted, but there was nothing she could do. She could not stop this from happening.

And then, much to Luna’s surprise, a magenta bubble surrounded Maeve, causing the male figure be bounced away. Maeve’s father, at least his representation, howled in frustration and then began to beat his fists upon the magenta coloured bubble.

“How?” Twilight asked.

Shining Armor strode forward. “I can protect anypony or anybody from anything. That’s what I do. I didn’t think about whether or not it would work, but I just assumed that it would. I don’t understand any of this dreaming nonsense. I’ve been lost since we came here.”

With a loud pop, a stuffed pony that looked just like Shining Armor materialised in the air in front of his nose and then fell to the floor, bouncing a few times before landing upon the stones. He stared down at it, thinking about what Maeve’s mother had said, that Maeve knew his name, and that by knowing his name, a part of him was forever bound to Maeve. He didn’t mind. He could share a little bit of himself.

“You have a job to do,” Shining Armor said to his tiny stuffed doppelganger. He lifted up the toy, examined it, admired its shiny button eyes and blue yarn mane, and then began walking towards Maeve. He ignored the angry, furious brute that was beating his fists and kicking at the shield bubble around Maeve.

Shining Armor stepped through his own shield spell and looked down at the girl, who cowered before him, her whole body trembled as she sobbed. She was covered in bruises, scrapes, scratches, and lacerations. She also had a face now… something had changed. Shining Armor, who understood nothing of the dreaming mind or how these things worked, looked down at the girl, feeling pity, feeling an ache in his heart, and he shook his head.

“He can’t hurt you anymore,” Shining Armor whispered. “Here, take this.” He held out the stuffed version of himself. “This little version of me will keep the shield up. Trust me when I say that I’m a vigilant protector. He can’t hurt you ever again, just so long as you hold on to me.” Shining Armor gave the stuffed pony a shake with his telekinesis.

Maeve, who now had a face, stared at Shining Armor, her lips quivering, her bright green eyes fearful, and she snatched the stuffed pony. She clutched it to her chest, hugging it, and then let out a wordless sound of sorrow.

“You’ve been hurt, but it’s over now,” Shining Armor said, almost crooning, as if he was trying to put a foal to bed. He sat down on the stone floor, turned his head, and watched as the faceless male figure continued to thrash against the shield bubble. “I think in time, he’ll go away. But I don’t know for certain.”

“Shining Armor, how did you do this?” Cadance asked as she approached.

The stallion, sitting beside the hurt little girl, shrugged. As he did so, Maeve threw herself at him, wrapping one arm around his neck, hugging him, and crying into his fuzzy pelt.

“Even I don’t understand how this is working,” Luna whispered as she watched Shining Armor return Maeve’s hug.

“I don’t get hung up on complicated things. I don’t try to understand the complexities of the universe. I just do whatever feels like the right thing to do,” Shining Armor replied as he wrapped his foreleg around Maeve and gave her a squeeze.

“What do we do now?” Cadance looked at the furious male figure, then looked at Luna, who seemed to be recovering, and then looked at Shining Armor, feeling more love for him than ever.

“You say goodbye,” a voice answered. “You’ve done what you can for Maeve. What she does now is up to her. The endless hurt has stopped. In time, if Maeve choses, she will move out of this darkness and into the light. In time, her tormentor will fade away, unable to feed upon her hurt. What she does now is up to her.”

Luna knew that voice. It was Maeve’s mother. “Can you not go to her?”

“No.” The disembodied voice paused. “I cannot. But in time, she may chose to come to me. She is the only one that can lead herself out of that room she has locked herself in. She has to want to come out.”

“I cannot leave her in the darkness like this!” Luna shook her head, trying to appeal to the voice, hoping for some different outcome. “When we leave, this place will return to total darkness… and she will be alone.”

“The you must coax her into the light. Do so by example. Leave your own darkness behind,” the voice replied. “It is really very simple. Be a good mother. Lead by example. Send your own tormentor away, learn to embrace others, and show her how to be happy.”

“But… I… but—”

“BUT NOTHING!” The matronly voice bellowed.

Luna shook her head, uncertain if she was capable of this. She watched as Maeve hugged Shining Armor some more, and some of her weeping had subsided. Shining Armor’s shield bubble seemed solid enough, and the little piece of Shining Armor that had been left behind would continue to protect Maeve. But Luna could not bear leaving Maeve in the darkness.

“Maeve?” Luna’s voice was almost foalish, pleading, and it echoed in the amorphous darkness all around her, outside of of the aura of light she radiated.

“What?” the voice replied.

“I need that little part of me… please?” Luna begged.

Luna blinked when the stuffed version of herself appeared in the air before her. She caught it in her telekinesis and then, after staring at it, she gave it an affectionate nosing. “I have a job for you… hold back the darkness.”

The stuffy said nothing, but its horn began to glow. Luna nosed it once again, which caused the toy to glow even brighter, and then extended it out while looking at Shining Armor. “Could you give this to Maeve for me?”

Giving Luna a solemn nod, Shining Armor took the toy into his own telekinesis and pulled it through the shield bubble. The Luna stuffy continued to glow and Maeve seemed delighted to have it.

“Wait!” Twilight yelled. “I—” Twilight’s words died in her throat as a small stuffed version of herself appeared. Much like Luna, she caught it, smiled, and then passed it to her brother.

“I can do no less,” Cadance said. She caught the stuffy version of herself after it manifested and held it aloft. Her mouth opened and it appeared that she was about to say something, but then, Cadance remained silent. The pink toy took on a pink glow and Cadance passed it to her husband.

“All four of these are extra special to me.” Shining Armor watched as Maeve hugged all four of the stuffies in her arms. “It pains me that I can’t stay with you, but I have a kingdom to run along with Cadance. A little piece of Cadance and I will be with you though, and we can be a family. If you ever need to get away from Canterlot, come to the Crystal Empire.”

“Come out of the darkness, Maeve, we’ll be waiting.” Cadance felt a growing lump in her throat. This wasn’t goodbye, but it sure felt like it.

“Maeve… I am a terrible pony… I am selfish. I suffer from extreme jealousy. I can be short tempered. I am quick to anger. I think I just proved that when I came charging in here and did nothing to try and understand what I was getting myself into. But… I could be your mother… if you think I am worthy,” Luna said.

The little girl said nothing, but let out a wordless sound of relief as she hugged her stuffed toys. She glanced up at Shining Armor, then turned to look at Luna. After staring at Luna for a moment, she stared at her tormentor, who was still beating and kicking on the shield bubble.

Twilight watched as Maeve stared at the faceless entity that had tormented her, wanting to say something, wanting to give words to this meaningful moment, but she had nothing to say. She moved closer to Luna and stood at the blue alicorn’s side, deciding that they could help Maeve together.

Luna, feeling sorrowful, decided that it was time. She extended her wing, placing it over Twilight, and then looked into Maeve’s eyes, staring through the magenta shield bubble. Maeve had a protector, a comforter, a source of love, and now, a mother. It was time to go. It was time to say—

“Goodbye.”

Author's Note

There is a lot to talk about.

Chapter 31

Cadance arose on wobbling legs, very much like a newborn foal. She stumbled, staggered, and then was grabbed. She felt pressure on her neck, immense pressure, and she was pressed against a warm body, her cheek pressed against soft cotton.

She realised that Maeve was kneeling down and hugging her. Cadance, overwhelmed, wrapped her wings around Maeve and held the crying girl. She still wasn’t sure what was going on, but she was back in the real world. Maeve was trembling, but not letting go.

“I had a funny dream,” Maeve whispered. “I touched your horn and everything went weird.” She took a deep breath. “And then I was inside of Luna’s head, seeing everything that she saw, feeling everything, I could see through her eyes… but there was something I couldn’t see… something at the top of the tower, at the top of the stairs.”

Cadance, who now had her legs braced beneath her, rubbed her cheek against Maeve, wondering where the others were. She and Maeve were alone together. Just as suddenly as it had started, the hug was over and Maeve was pulling away, her whole body shaking so hard that Cadance could hear her teeth clattering together.

As Maeve pulled away, Cadance could feel Maeve’s right hand lingering upon her cheek. The pink alicorn looked up into Maeve’s eyes and saw Maeve’s freckles. She was almost, but not quite, the mirror image of her mother.

“I’m guessing that you’ll want to talk, but probably don’t know where to start,” Cadance said, her sharp foalsitter instincts kicking in. Maeve, however grown up she might be at times, was still a hurt little girl on the inside. Cadance had seen that with her own eyes. She watched as Maeve nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks, and a quivering smile on her strange, but still somehow attractive flat face.

“Well for now, talking is not important. Let’s just take a moment and recover, shall we? And then maybe we can get you some of your calming tea before you chip your teeth, you poor dear.”

Princess Luna, who was now recovering, shook away the last effects of the strange spell that had been cast upon her mind. She had been left weak and powerless, more like a foal than anything else, even her wits had been dulled. She shook her head, which turned into a powerful full body shake that ended with her wings snapped out and fully extended. She felt like herself again.

The horrible depression that she had, which Twilight Sparkle had eased, was the furthest thing from her mind. She thought about Maeve’s mother, Maeve, or as Luna would now refer to her, Maeve the Older. She gave herself another shake, looking more than a little birdlike.

“Luna…” Twilight, still recovering, pointed at Luna.

“What?” Luna danced about on her hooves, getting a feel for her own legs again.

Twilight’s eyes narrowed, she blinked, and then, when what she saw didn’t go away, Twilight knew that she wasn’t dreaming. “Luna, there is a silver key around your neck.”

Luna, angling her head to look downward, heard the clink of metal. She felt it before she saw it. A silver chain with delicate silver links, and a small skeleton key. Luna shook her head in disbelief. “This is not possible. This was only but a dream. This key should not exist.”

“But it does,” Twilight said to Luna as she took a step closer. “The key to Maeve’s heart.” The smaller alicorn looked up at the larger, and then her eyes focused on the key again. “We need to find Maeve and Cadance.”

“Yes, I need to find my daughter,” Luna agreed, her eyes narrowing. Luna, feeling more like herself than she had for a long time, looked down at Twilight. Once, a long time ago, Luna had been the Element of Laughter. She raised her eyebrow. “Tell me, Miss Sparkle, how do you feel about dating a single mother?”

Twilight, flummoxed, stood agape, staring up at Luna, unable to reply. She watched as Luna waggled her eyebrows. Her cheeks bloomed with heat and her throat went dry.

Lowering her head, Luna placed her lips near Twilight’s ear. “I have a child… she’s problematic. She’s a confirmed castle wrecker. She might also have some intimacy issues and some problems with two mares being together, at least until she can get things sorted out. Is this going to be a problem for you?”

Unable to reply with words, Twilight Sparkle, flustered, let out a whinny, followed by a nicker, both of which were punctuated by a snort.

Pushing her way through the doorway, Luna stepped into the small, intimate kitchenette, one of many to be found within the castle. A little nook filled with snacks, tea, coffee, and other refreshments. Like every other kitchenette in the castle, it was stocked with Maeve’s medicinal tea. Standing in the doorway, she saw Maeve sitting on a cushion, clutching a steaming mug that she held in her wooden hand. Shining Armor was fixing something to eat on the counter and Cadance was sitting beside Maeve. Luna sniffed, smelling tea, smelling peppermint, and… chocolate hazelnut spread? She saw Maeve’s green eyes focus upon her.

“Maeve, what do you remember?” Luna asked as she made her way to the table.

“She remembers everything,” Cadance replied. “She saw everything through your eyes. She was inside of your head. But she did not see inside the room at the top of the stairs.”

Luna froze, biting her lip for a moment, trying to think about the why. Then, Luna nodded and sat down on a cushion that sat on the floor beside the low table. She decided to talk to Maeve about it later, the contents of that room. Maeve needed to know. But first, she needed to heal.

“Something is different,” Maeve whispered after she took a sip of tea.

“It is?” Luna asked.

“I just feel different,” Maeve replied.

“How so?” Luna grabbed one of the delicious but plebian teabags out of the container on the table, poured boiling water into a mug, which was a far cry from a proper teacup, and then dropped the tea sachet into the hot water.

Shrugging, Maeve blinked a few times. “I don’t know. But it felt nice hugging Cadance.”

“Shining Armor’s shield has changed something.” Cadance looked over at her husband and then at Maeve. She looked into Maeve’s bloodshot and bleary eyes. “Where is Twilight?”

“She will be with us in a moment,” Luna replied. Twilight had gone into the little fillies’ room. Luna looked around the kitchenette, her eyes lingering on sugarcubes, the jar of honey, the collection of tea sachets, a little Fancy press coffee pot, and little plastic disposable spoons. Luna detested plastic spoons and heavy, clunky mugs. She liked fine silver and delicate teacups, but she was in no mood to complain. This would just have to do.

Blueblood’s welcome home had not gone as planned.

Shining Armor set a platter of toast with chocolate hazelnut spread down on the table and then sat down; not beside Cadance, but beside Maeve, which surprised Luna. She watched as Maeve’s right hand reached out, trembling, and touched Shining Armor’s neck for a moment, her fingers lingering upon his blue mane.

It was a start. It was a good start. Luna thought of Red and the time that Maeve spent with him. Maeve had moments of affection with the sickly colt already, but things would be easier now.

“So what was in the room at the top of the stairs?” Maeve asked.

Luna’s ears perked. She saw Cadance and Shining Armor both look at her. Luna wasn’t certain how to broach this subject. Luna wanted to tell her, but something inside of her refused. Maeve needed more time, but Luna felt that Maeve needed to know.

“Maeve, do you remember anything that was said in the dark room? The place where Shining Armor shielded you?” Luna asked. She saw Maeve shake her head and a troubled expression crept over the girl’s face. Luna sighed.

“I just saw stuff… I can’t remember much of what was said anywhere. I remember a little version of me picking my nose and offering you a booger,” Maeve said. “I saw… him beating me, over and over… I can remember a version of Red. He was the size of a potato.”

“Inside of the room at the top of the stairs is the most innermost part of your mind. A special place. A protected place. It holds your memories.” Luna paused, not wanting to lie, but not certain if Maeve was ready for the truth. “It holds your mother’s memory.” Luna glanced over. Maeve seemed satisfied with that answer.

Pulling the tea sachet out of her tea, Luna added a bit of honey and some milk, trying not to scowl at how improper this was. “In time, the doors in your mind will open and you will know more. You have something to work towards.”

“I wonder where Twilight is?” Cadance asked.

Luna shrugged. “She said that she would join us.” She watched as Maeve set down her mug and picked up a piece of toast with chocolate hazelnut spread on it. The girl folded the toast in half, then folded it again, and stuffed the whole thing into her mouth. Luna, smiling even though she knew that she shouldn’t be, shook her head.

“Hey, that’s kinda impressive… I thought only Twilight could do that,” Shining Armor said, turning his head to watch Maeve chew.

“Shining!” Cadance gave her husband The Look, but he ignored her.

“Twily went through a stage when she was little… she thought eating was inefficient and a waste of time. She got frustrated having to eat all the time, it cut into her studies, you see.” Shining, still ignoring the glare he was getting, continued: “So, she’d take foods that she could fold up, like peanut butter and toast for example, and cram the whole thing into her mouth. She also drank a lot of her meals. Developed a fondness for soup.”

Lifting up her mug, Maeve let out a weak giggle.

“Princess Celestia cured Twilight of this problem though. She gave Twilight some enchanted food. The food looked like normal food, in this instance, a slice of cake, but in Twilight’s mouth, it was just like super sticky taffy. It was almost impossible to chew. While Twily was stuck chewing, Princess Celestia gave her a lecture about enjoying the simple pleasures in life and told her how lucky we are to have them. I was guarding the door when this happened. I got in trouble because I couldn’t stop laughing.”

“You got a lecture later about the importance of remaining silent as a guard, even when your little sister is being lectured,” Cadance said.

“There needs to be a club… ponies who have been lectured by Celestia.” Luna took a sip of tea, grimaced at the weakness, and then set her mug down upon the table. “Well, ponies and little girls too.”

“Twilight Velvet, my mother, she got lectured by Celestia apparently.” Shining Armor sighed and grinned. “Twilight Velvet and Night Light, my father, were caught kissing in one of the many gardens.”

“What happened?” Maeve asked.

Shining Armor picked up his toast, raised one eyebrow, and replied, “My mother didn’t listen to Celestia’s lecture. Not quite a year later, a little colt was born. Nice pony. Has a weird sister though.”

Maeve blushed so hard that her freckles all connected.

Snickering, Cadance looked at her husband but was unable to give him The Look. She had heard this from Twilight Velvet as well. When Shining Armor had announced his intentions to court the lovely princess, his mother had sat down and had told Cadance a story.

“That’s what marriage is for, right? Having babies? Or foals?” Maeve asked in a low voice. She looked at Cadance and then at Shining Armor. “I mean, that’s how I came about, right?”

“Well, that is one reason to get married, but that’s not the only reason,” Cadance replied. The pink alicorn became serious. This was her domain, and she felt the need to provide clarity if it was needed.

“I don’t think two women could make a baby… so why would they get married or fall in love?”

There it was. Cadance took a deep breath and glanced at Luna. The blue alicorn seemed unphased by the statement. Luna looked calm. Cadance saw Luna looking back at her, and it was almost as if her expression was saying, “I’m the Princess of the Night.”

“Love is a funny thing, Maeve. You can fall in love with who or what somepony is on the inside.” Cadance cleared her throat and took a sip of her somewhat cooled tea. “You can be so in love that the outside doesn’t matter. Love has a funny way of finding a way.” Cadance thought for a moment about Maeve’s budding affection for Red. Love was going to have to find a way. That was going to be tough. Getting Maeve used to the idea of love for the sake of love shouldn’t be too hard though, or so Cadance believed.

“What about having babies? Or foals?” Maeve blinked, her expression dark. “Twilight explained the basics to me. She called it a ‘biological imperative’ and said that our bodies place a priority on passing along our genes, whatever those are.”

“Well, there is adoption, there are ways for mares to have foals without, well, without the usual ways of making foals,” Cadance replied in a soft whisper. “Love finds a way.”

“Cadance?”

“Yes?”

“What if a pony and something not a pony fell in love? Could they be happy?”

“Of course, Maeve. Love finds a way…”

Author's Note

Next chapter: Blueblood.

Chapter 32

Princess Celestia looked at her nephew, not quite certain what to say or do. He told a strange tale, one that she believed, but the sadness in his words pained her. He had changed during his long absence. She cleared her throat and tried to rid herself of the feeling that she was sharing a private room with a stranger.

“So, nephew, let me get this straight,” Celestia began, each word coming out slow, almost as if the words didn’t want to come out at all. “After everything that happened here, after the changelings, you went off to the east, joined a group of mystical monks, learned to meditate, learned to turn your mind into a fortress, learned to see through illusions, and endured harsh deprivation as well as degradation, all while learning advanced combat techniques.”

Celestia blinked and shook her head while trying to let an expression of disbelief show up on her face. She somehow remained stony. It certainly wasn’t the strangest story she had ever heard, and she had no reason not to believe Blueblood. It was just... just… Blueblood had been so… spoiled. The idea of him suffering, of being humiliated, of sleeping in dirty straw, the very idea of him being beaten bloody so he could be conditioned for combat.

“I wanted to be a better pony,” Blueblood said in a low voice. “I needed to find myself.”

“I see.” Celestia blinked in astonishment at her nephew. “So… now… you want a position within the guard.” The white alicorn folded her forelegs in front of her and adjusted her body so she could be more comfortable upon the bright red sofa she was sprawled on. “I suppose I could find you a nice captain’s—”

“No!” Blueblood barked. “No, no, no! I do not want a position just given to me just because of who I am. I do not want rank or title. I want to atone for what I have done, do you not understand?”

“No, I do not understand,” Celestia replied in a low voice.

Blueblood closed his eyes and for a moment, his jaw clenched. “I wish to abdicate my position as a prince. I am unworthy of such privilege. There is much that I have done wrong and that I need to answer for. If I cannot find my atonement here… then… I shall have to leave again, become a vagabond, and perform my penance on the road.”

Much to Celestia’s shock and surprise, she realised that Blueblood was serious. She engaged her mind, trying to think of a suitable position, something where Blueblood would be satisfied. She didn’t want him guarding latrines or stood in front of the palace where the tourists would make funny faces at him, trying to break his statuesque pose.

Being a very clever monarch, Princess Celestia had an idea. She stared into Blueblood’s arctic blue eyes. “Nephew… I have the perfect task for you.”

“You do?” Blueblood looked doubtful, all too aware of his aunt’s many clever ruses.

“Sorceress Maeve… she is… well, our laws restrict who or what can be given the title of ‘Princess’ so I gave her the title of ‘Sorceress’ instead.” Celestia paused and chose her next words with a lot of care and consideration. “She requires a lot of care and looking after. She lacks… grace. She is always getting hurt, getting into trouble, getting into scrapes… she is high strung and has a terrible nervous condition as well.”

Blueblood raised an eyebrow.

“Her companion, Red Russet, who is being groomed to be her assistant, has brittle bones. Together, they are quite a pair. I have guards that shadow their movements at all times. They are both very, very dear to me. Sorceress Maeve brought Princess Luna back… I will tell you more of the story later… but I would appreciate it if you could watch over what I hold most valuable in my heart.” Celestia gave her nephew a warm, sincere look and her ears splayed out sideways once she was done speaking.

“I don’t know about this—”

“Nephew, please, consider this… this is not busy work. Sorceress Maeve is fragile… she needs a male figure that she can learn to trust after everything that has happened to her.” Celestia saw that her words had an impact on Blueblood, once more, he was the nephew that she remembered. She saw anger in his blue eyes and his ears quivered.

“Did some loathsome churl take liberties with her?” Blueblood asked in a voice that was filled with scarce contained rage. “I do hope there was punishment!”

“Nephew, it is in her past.” Celestia’s eyebrow raised. “Red has been a good companion for her, he has done much to help mend her heart. Be the good pony that I know that you can be. Earn her trust. Protect her. Do not allow harm to come to her. Be there to comfort her when she has one of her spells. Do good, Nephew.”

Blueblood gave a submissive bow of his head. “Yes, I can do as you ask.”

“Very good, Private Blueblood. You will begin tomorrow at dawn and you will look over her throughout the daylight hours.” Celestia smiled. “Oh, and welcome home, Nephew… I have missed you.”

Princess Celestia looked upon her sister, Luna, along with Cadance, Shining Armor, Maeve, and Twilight Sparkle. Something had happened. Something had changed. She had wanted to speak to Maeve about the arrangement with Blueblood, but now, Celestia had to get down to the bottom of whatever it was that was going on. She suspected conspiracy with the way that nopony wanted to look her in the eye.

“Did something happen?” Celestia asked.

“Um… what would give you that idea?” Twilight replied, hoping to catch Celestia off guard with a question. It seldom worked, but it never hurt to try. She felt Celestia’s piercing gaze upon her. Uh oh… those eyes. Twilight backed away and hid behind Luna.

“Twilight, if this is about you and Luna, I already know. A little pink bird told me—”

“Cadance!” Luna said in a sour voice as she gave a sidelong glance at the pink alicorn beside her. “I stayed in the Crystal Empire to avoid my sister’s all seeing gaze!”

“I’m sorry, you know how she is,” Cadance said in the most apologetic voice she could muster. Cadance, realising what she had just said out loud and in front of Celestia turned to look at her aunt with horror. “Um… whoops.”

“Whoops indeed,” Celestia agreed as one eyebrow raised and Celestia squinted at her pink niece. “As I recall, it you was you who contacted me and began gushing about how funny both Luna and Twilight were acting and how everything would be better if they would just hurry up and kiss.”

“Cadance!” Twilight’s mouth dropped open in shock and she stared at her sister in law.

“Shining Armor was spying on you and Luna and he came back and he told me everything!” Cadance said in her own defense.

“Cadance!” Shining Armor looked at his wife, turning away from Celestia, who was shaking her head at this whole mess that was developing.

“Shining Armor!” Twilight Sparkle and Luna both said in unison.

“What?” Shining Armor said, becoming defensive. “I am your big brother, best friend forever… it is my right to spy on you and watch over your love life. I have to check and make sure that any pony you date is worthy of you—”

“Just what are you implying?” Luna demanded, her eyes narrowing in a most dangerous manner. She watched as Shining Armor backed away from her and she took a step towards him. “Do tell, little prince.”

Gulping, Shining Armor ceased his retreat and stood his ground. “You might be the Princess of the Night, but I had to check your intentions. I’ll not have my sister felt up by the Princess of One Night Stands. And you’d better believe I’d have something to say to you if you didn’t meet my approval. As it is, I’m okay with this. I think my sister is the sort of mature pony that you need in your life.”

Eyes narrowing, Princess Luna gave Shining Armor a cold, imperious stare.

“Um, that came out sounding wrong, I didn’t mean it that way,” Shining Armor said in his most apologetic voice.

“Oh, Shiny, you really stepped in the horseapples just now,” Cadance huffed.

“I’m nervous and it just came out sounding wrong… I meant to say that Twilight is a mature pony… she can deal with heavy issues—”

“So now I have issues,” Luna said in an icy monotone. “Was that a crack about my recent weight gain?”

“Shutting up now, can’t win.” Shining Armor clamped his mouth shut and backed away.

Prodding Luna, Twilight Sparkle gave the blue alicorn a few gentle nudges to get her attention. “Stop looking at my brother like that. He respects you.”

“Too tense for me,” Maeve said as she turned on her heel and took off at a sprint.

“No running inside the castle!” Celestia shouted. Alas, it was too late. Maeve was gone as fast as her bipedal legs could carry her. Celestia could not help but feel that this entire outburst was a clever ruse to distract her from some other issue. All ponies present were known grandmasters of improvisation. Something had happened and now this was happening to distract from it. Celestia’s ears perked forwards. Perhaps she was being paranoid.

“You are being a bit too harsh on poor Shiny.” Cadance stepped in front of her husband, standing between him and Luna. “He has long been your friend, your defender, and your trusted confidant.” Cadance cleared her throat. “When The Elements of Harmony brought you back, when you were a curious little foal once more, Shining Armor was your playmate and your friend, just as I was. He was very patient with you… even though you were a very, very spoiled little foal that always demanded her way.”

Luna’s ears drooped and she took a step back from Cadance, but Celestia was not certain that all of this drama wasn’t just subterfuge. She watched as Cadance glanced at her, and something about Cadance’s brief eye contact left her wary. Celestia pursed her lips.

“I’m suddenly very thirsty. Really, very thirsty. Dry mouth. You know how it is,” Twilight said in a very exaggerated raspy voice. She coughed. “Excuse me, I’m parched. I am off to find a drink.”

Before Celestia could also warn Twilight about running indoors, Twilight teleported away. Celestia, a clever mare, took note that Twilight had just teleported into the general vicinity of Maeve. What made things interesting is that Twilight had hidden her magical signal, or at least she had tried to do so. Celestia, who had spent almost nine hundred years running a school for little unicorns, could see right through most attempts to be sneaky.

One sneaky little sister, one sneaky niece, one sneaky little prince that she loved like her own colt, one sneaky former student that Celestia loved a great deal, and one little not quite as sneaky as the others sorceress that had fled the scene before possibly giving herself away. Oh, Maeve was in fine company… she was learning from the very best.

“Is somepony going to tell me what really happened?” Celestia asked.

“Nope.” Shining Armor, all too aware of Celestia’s soul piercing gaze, gave a forthright, honest answer. He hoped that Princess Celestia wouldn’t give him a direct order. He might crack. Just thinking about it made him start sweating. Shining Armor liked following orders and being a dutiful defender. It pleased some noble part of his soul deep within him. He liked being the gallant knight.

“Way to go, Shining Armor… plausible deniability,” Cadance muttered.

Shining Armor winced at his wife’s words as Luna moved to stand in front of him. He heard the blue alicorn clear her throat and stand tall.

“Sister, I have come to a decision after a great deal of thought. It is my desire to formally adopt Maeve… I am no longer content to have her as my student, I wish to have her considered as my offspring.” Princess Luna, standing at her full height, still had to look up at her sister. It galled her. What she wouldn’t give to have her sister’s height.

“Something has happened,” Celestia said in a low voice. She lifted her head and looked down upon her sister. “Tell me.”

“No.” Luna broke eye contact with Celestia. “At least, not right now. Not until I get everything sorted out. I am not keeping a dangerous secret and nopony is at risk. I need time to reflect upon all of this.”

“Fine.” Celestia let out a tiny snort and lowered her head until she was at eye level with Luna. “I can respect that. Come. You and I have much to discuss regarding Blueblood and Maeve. I have commissioned him as her personal guard.”

“What?” Luna blinked and her mouth fell open. “Excuse me… what?”

“There is much to discuss.” Celestia looked at Shining Armor and Cadance. “I plan to deal with you two later… there will be interrogation over tea.”

“Oh… we’re horned, Cadance,” Shining Armor said in a whimpering voice.

“I know,” Cadance replied.

“There will be hot scones,” Celestia added, causing both ponies to gulp. “Now Luna, come with me… there is much to tell you about Blueblood…”

Author's Note

Next chapter... the beginning of an unlikely friendship.

Chapter 33

Humans (and by extension half elves) were strange things. Blueblood looked at the photos shared with him by Princess Celestia. Maeve was a curious creature. Her face appeared to be highly expressive. She was bipedal, and Blueblood had been warned that having only two legs did nothing to slow her down. She had fingers, which were sometimes sticky and left smudges all over everything. She was pretty, Blueblood supposed, in her own way. She had an abundance of freckles which were somehow different than pony freckles, yet also familiar. Her skin lacked a full covering of hair and she had bare flesh over most of her body.

She wore dresses out of necessity because she had a thing about modesty and hiding her body, not to mention lacking a fine pelt to protect her from the elements. She was frail looking, lacking the strength of ponies, but Princess Celestia had stated that she was not weak. She had her own inner strength and she shone in other ways.

There was a cryptic warning about having caution if Sorceress Maeve happened to be wearing her crown, because the crown made her cranky. Blueblood snorted. How did a crown make such a sweet looking little creature cranky?

It was time to get dressed and get going, it would be dawn soon. Blueblood sighed. Common guard armor. He had asked for this, yet something about the armor of the common low ranking soldiery galled him. He paused and checked his thinking, annoyed that the old thinking was creeping in. He gave the feelings a forceful mental shove, they were unwelcome.

He had been given an honourable duty, he was protecting one of the Crowned Heads of Equestria. It was more than he had asked for, more than he deserved. A part of him believed that he deserved to guard latrines or to stand watch in front of some meaningless closet.

It didn’t matter where he stood or what he did; this was a chance for him to reclaim his honour.

“You must be Blueblood,” Maeve said as she looked at the pony standing at attention by her door. The tall white stallion stood tall and proud, he was somehow different than her other guards, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“Private Blueblood,” Blueblood replied in a low voice.

“And I am Sorceress Maeve.” Sticking out her tongue, she blue a raspberry and crossed her eyes. “Yet ponies still call me Maeve, if they can get away with it. I like just being Maeve. Celestia gets her feathers ruffled about it though. She’s… um…”

“A fair, wise, and just ruler, who always does what is best for her subjects?” Blueblood finished.

“She’s also silly, can make funny faces, and really likes extra sugar in her tea if she thinks she can add more without somebody noticing.” Maeve grinned and flexed her fingers. “She worries constantly about gaining weight and somebody snapping another embarrassing photo of her enjoying cake. She says she has nightmares about the press snapping photos of me during my finer moments.”

“I have spells that disable cameras.” Blueblood lifted his head and let out a snort. “If any of those ruffians were to invade your privacy, I would give them what for.”

“That’s nice of you… um, really, it is. After what happened in Ponyville and all.” Maeve stared down at her feet and fluffed her long skirts to make certain there was plenty of swish around her calves as she walked. How did her lower legs end up getting called calves? She didn’t know.

“What happened in Ponyville?” Blueblood asked.

“I’d rather not talk about it,” Maeve replied.

“Forgive me.” Blueblood bowed his head.

“There was Pinkie Pie… and there were ponies who freaked out because I’m different, there was a lot of ponies with cameras… nope. Still don’t want to talk about it.” Maeve paused and gave thought to her words. Maybe she did want to talk about it. Sometime. With somepony. It might be nice, if the right pony was found. An understanding pony. A pony who didn’t dismiss everything that had taken place with, “Oh, that’s just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.” Maeve felt a shiver and then a shudder wracked her body.

“Sorceress Maeve, are you okay?” Blueblood asked.

“I’m fine, thank you, I just… I just need my breakfast,” Maeve replied, “then I’ll be fine.”

“Do you really have to follow me around?” Maeve asked.

“Yes.” Blueblood kept his reply short and simple.

“I know I have other guards, but they keep their distance. I don’t feel that I’m being guarded.” Maeve turned and looked at the white stallion following after her and heard the sound of his armor jangling.

“Other guards don’t take this job as seriously as I do. Princess Celestia treasures you. She adores you. If something were to happen to you, she would suffer. So by protecting you, I serve her needs.” Blueblood struggled to walk in an appropriate fashion; the armor was standard issue, ill fitting, and pinched him in all of the wrong places when he moved.

“Oh, well, just try not to spook Fuschia. She’s skittish. The guards tend to scare her, I think it is the clanking of the armor that spooks her, but I’m not sure. She won’t talk about it, she just cries.” Maeve rounded the corner and walked into the school wing where Fuschia lived.

“Sorceress Maeve,” an elderly unicorn mare said as she peered at Maeve through her glasses, “so nice of ya to do what you are doing. You reminds me of Princess Cadance, you do.” The old mare bowed her head. “My name is Starbright Sprinkles and Princess Celestia asked me to give you a task that you are to do with Fuschia today.”

“Oh?” Maeve’s eyebrow raised.

“Fuschia’s been a good filly. Poor little dear, she doesn’t have a doll of her own.” Starbright’s horn glowed and she dropped several golden bits down into a pocket on Maeve’s outermost skirt. “Since she’s been so good, she is going to get a doll. You are going to help her. You are going to leave the castle, find a toy store, and secure a doll for poor little Fuschia.”

“What?” Maeve’s eyes bulged. She lifted up both of her hands and shook her head. “No.”

“You would deny that poor dear a doll?” Starbright asked.

“Um…” Maeve rocked back and forth on her heels as her face contorted in concentration. Oh, this was just fighting dirty… so dirty. This was just another nefarious act by Princess Celestia. “But if I go outside, the ponies might freak out because I’m weird.”

“You have a guard,” Starbright said as she pointed her hoof at Blueblood, “and he looks almost capable, as far as guards go.”

Standing at attention, Blueblood let out an indignant whinny.

“Oh, don’t tease him, he’s nice. Besides, that’s my job,” Maeve said to Starbright. Maeve wiped the palm of her sweaty right hand on her skirts, grabbed a handful of fabric, squeezed it in her fist, leaving the fabric all rumpled, and then let go. She turned and looked at Blueblood. Somehow, Maeve suspected that she wasn’t the only one being tested by Princess Celestia this morning, the clever alicorn was up to no good.

Being outside of the castle wasn’t something that Maeve was fond of. She didn’t see a way out of this. She could say ‘no’ but at what cost? Leaving the safety of the castle walls though. This was possibly the worst thing that could happen. Princess Celestia was forcing her to go outside and face her fears. She turned and looked at Blueblood. She had a dutiful protector. Already, she felt the panic growing inside of her.

“You’re looking a little peaked,” Starbright said as she narrowed one eye and squinted up at Maeve. “You okay?”

“I might need some of my calming tea before I go,” Maeve said to Starbright.

“Mmm hmm, Princess Celestia said you might. You and Fuschia can both have a little tea time together before you go. I have some of your tea here with me… poor dear. She does expect a lot from you, doesn’t she?” Starbright reached out one hoof and rubbed her neck. The older mare turned and looked at Blueblood.

“You there… you look after her. Enough bad things have happened to this little girl. I want you glued to her side on the other side of the castle walls. Am I clear?”

Raising an eyebrow, Blueblood wondered who this mare thought she was, giving him orders. He almost bristled, but then shoved the thoughts and feelings out of his mind. His calm outward demeanour never changed. He bowed his head. “Of course, I will do what is expected of me.”

“Good.” Starbright turned to Maeve and then pointed down the hall with her hoof. “Down that way, two doors down, tea has been laid out. Fuschia will join you in a while. You must excuse me, I’m very busy. Lots of foals to look after.”

“Do have a good day, Starbright,” Maeve said as she bowed her head. She took off and heard Blueblood moving behind her. She waved as she walked away, and gave Starbright a grin.

Watching Maeve go, Starbright Sprinkle turned to look at another unicorn that had appeared beside her. “Sister, I do believe she intends to do it.”

“Starbright Sprinkles? Really? That was the best you could come up with?” the other mare said.

“I improvised. All of this was done on short notice,” Starbright snapped. “I do not like doing this. I feel as though I am putting her at risk. I do not like this at all.”

“Every mother must encourage her young to leave her side,” the other older mare said.

“I am absolutely terrified about sending her outside of the castle walls. I think I need some calming tea. I can feel my heart racing in a most uncomfortable way.”

The two mares stood side by side, watching as a few students passed. The students were talking about the strange human creature that had passed them in the hall. The two mares took interest in what the students were saying, listening as the students passed. When they were gone, one mare turned and looked at the other.

“I remember a filly… who was afraid to leave the castle walls. She was worried about how other ponies might receive her. She was scared that other ponies might remember the terrible things she had done. This filly refused to act like she was afraid though, she put on a big front, acted fearless, and drove into Ponyville one night with the most terrifying chariot you ever did see—”

“Enough, Sister.” Luna, in disguise, bowed her head. “I understand the lesson. I will shadow Maeve and Blueblood. I still feel awful for this deception.”

“This is how we work, Sister. Always in the background, giving little nudges to guide ponies back into the light and to bring out the best they have to offer.” Celestia, also in disguise, let out a sigh. “Blueblood took the ribbing I gave him quite well. I am surprised. A common plebian ordered him around and he kept his cool. He has changed.”

“He seems very attentive of Maeve. This is good. She needs more male figures that she can trust,” Luna said, glancing at her sister, “also, this disguise is awful. It has wrinkles and it sags in the most horrendous of places.”

The two old mares began to titter together.

Beyond the wall was an explosion of colour and life. Maeve halted and stared. Ponies of every imaginable colour were going about their business. A mare walked by, a unicorn mare, and several small foals followed after her, walking in a line together.

A band was playing music near the castle gate with somewhat battered looking hats placed out in front of them. As ponies walked by, some of them tossed bits into the hats left on the ground.

The air smelt of cinnamon, of fresh baked bread, of perfume, the air was alive with the scent of the city, a city of ponies. Maeve clutched her skirts once more, squeezing it in her right fist.

“Can we get a cinnamon bun?” Fuschia asked, her voice squeaky. “I’ll be good!”

“Um…” was all that Maeve was able to get out.

Canterlot was a city of beautiful buildings, towers, and it was overwhelming in the extreme. Maeve felt a soft nose in the small of her back and heard the muted clank of armor. The gentle touch helped her to regain her senses.

“I have no idea where to get a cinnamon bun,” Maeve said to Fuschia.

“We can look,” Fuschia replied.

“I suppose we can.” Maeve took a few shaky steps forwards and then noticed that Blueblood was by her side.

“Sorceress Maeve, if you place your hand upon my back, I can guide you.” Blueblood bowed his head. “It might be easier that way.”

Reaching out her right hand, Maeve placed it upon the smooth, ornate metal armor that plated Blueblood’s head. His back was far too low. She drew in a deep breath, held it, and then let it out in a slow exhale. She did that again, then again, and then again.

Then, she nodded. “Okay, find a toy store and then find a place that sells cinnamon buns. We’ll have an adventure. Fuschia, stay very close to me, okay?”

“Yes, Sorceress Maeve,” Fuschia replied and then moved a step closer to Maeve’s skirts. “Yay!”

Walking together, the three took off on their adventure.

Author's Note

Next chapter: Adventure in the big city!

Chapter 34

Canterlot was quite unlike any human city that Maeve had seen, not even taking ponies into account. Built on top of a mountain, space was limited. Most of the buildings were towers, either circular or square, many were quite tall, and there was a confusing maze of walkways all over the city, with sidewalks along the roads and skywalks connecting the buildings at different levels. There was a little bit of a method to the madness, from what Maeve had been able to gather. Shops and businesses on the ground level were new businesses or businesses that were poor, at least, that was what Maeve had pieced together. The higher up one went, the better the businesses available.

Stairs were everywhere and Maeve had wondered how ponies had moved goods from the ground up to some of the loftier shops, until she remembered just how powerful unicorn magic could be. The boutiques and shops at the top of the towers sold everything, from pianos to frilly dresses. Maeve didn’t think it was very practical to sell a massive piano from anywhere but on the ground level, but then again, she was human and she didn’t come from an upbringing that involved a lot of magic.

The ponies of Canterlot were different than the ponies of Ponyville. They were kind, they were friendly, and while some of them looked, they were far too polite (and as Blueblood had mentioned, had far too good of breeding) just to stand there and stare at Maeve. She was seen as a curiousity, just one more interesting treasure to be counted among the wealth of Canterlot. Ponyville had gone quite wrong, between Pinkie Pie and some of the more easily spooked ponies. Much to Maeve’s surprise, she found herself far more comfortable in Canterlot. Not one pony screamed or fainted. Not one pony ran up to her and began trying to grab her, to hug her, to check her out and see what she was.

While Ponyville had the three tribes living together, and from what little bit that Maeve understood, that was important, Canterlot was a world city, as Celestia had called it. While most of the population of the city were unicorns, there were a lot of non ponies in the city. A family of minotaurs worked as silversmiths in an open air shop, pounding out silver teapots, spoons, forks, and knives. Maeve had stood and watched them, holding Fuschia in her arms, standing there for so long that her elbows had begun to ache from holding Fuschia’s chubby, solid little body for far too long. Griffons lived in the city, strange half bird, half cat creatures, who had hands of a sort, just like Maeve, or the minotaurs. There was a large dog creature that Blueblood had called a diamond dog, and he was a haberdasher. Maeve had watched him making felt that stylish hats could be made from.

A dragon roamed the marketplace, not a big dragon, but a little dragon, called a drake. Blueblood had patiently explained that this dragon would never get all that big and that made it very clear for Maeve that this was not a bone crunching dragon, but a gem crunching dragon that worked as a wainwright.

Maeve realised that she was one more oddity in a city full of oddities. She might be a human, well, half human, half elf, all of which was still oh so confusing, but here, in Canterlot, she was just one more odd species. As she roamed the streets, she wished that she had left the castle sooner and explored. She had let her experience in Ponyville colour her perception of this world, and she had missed out because of it. She had done something foolish, and she knew that now. When she returned home, she would need to have a long talk with Princess Celestia.

“It’s funny, it’s all so very funny,” Blueblood said to himself as he took a break with a cup of tea. The unicorn had removed his helmet and was sitting down at a low table with Maeve and Fuschia.

“What’s so funny?” Maeve asked.

Blueblood took a sip of tea, swallowed, and his ears perked forwards. “Why, having a cup of tea in a common cafe, of course.” One eyebrow raised and Blueblood’s nostrils flared. “Why, there was a time in my life that doing this would have caused me to fly into a panic.”

“Huh?” Maeve set down her own teacup and looked at Blueblood. She clapped her hands together, her fingers intertwining, and she placed her folded together hands down upon the table as she sat staring at Blueblood.

Unable to meet Maeve’s gaze, Blueblood stared down at the table, looking at the tray of little teacakes. He had to search to find the words, but no matter which words he chose, all of them made him look like an awful pony. He cleared his throat and decided to just be honest, to let it all out. “I had very high standards. I would only drink the finest teas, usually infused with the finest essential oils, prepared in teapots made from a special clay that only came from one mountain in the whole wide world, a mountain infested with dragons—the unpleasant kind of dragon. The water came from glacial ice untouched by pollution. I drank from porcelain tea cups that had a fine gold lining no thicker than a mare’s fine, silky hair. I had these standards, and if things did not live up to my standards or my expectations, I would become quite unreasonable. In short, I would have never ventured beyond the palace gates in search of a cup of tea.”

“When I was little, I would ask for the crusts be cut off of my sandwiches because I didn’t like them.” Maeve’s fingers unfolded and she lifted her right hand to brush her frizzy orange hair out of her eyes. “My Ma would cuff me and tell me that I was being wasteful.”

“I guess that was the difference between us,” Blueblood said to Maeve, “when I made demands, I was indulged. No demand was deemed too unreasonable. I was seen as cultured, as educated and worldly because I would make such specific requests. I do believe it might have been better if somepony would have… cuffed me upside the ears and corrected my thinking.”

“Funny thing is, I like crusts now. They’re chewy and they’re satisfying because you have to spend so much time gnawing on them.” Maeve drummed her wooden fingers upon the table and watched as Fuschia ate a teacake.

“I don’t know what I like anymore,” Blueblood muttered.

Standing on a skywalk, Maeve looked down and then looked up. There were skywalks below her and above her. She had walked up so many flights of stairs that she couldn’t remember just how far up she was. Her legs were getting tired, again, and she was going to have to be in better shape if she wanted to go out walking through Canterlot on a regular basis.

“I’m getting tired,” Fuschia said to Maeve as she sat down with a plop on the stone skywalk. “I want to keep looking, but I can’t.” The little filly’s features became downcast and let out a forlorn sigh.

“We’ll start looking for a doll and then head back to the castle.” Maeve reached down and patted Fuschia on the head to cheer her up. “We’ll go out again, I promise. I want to see more of Canterlot as well.”

“Okay.” Fuschia heaved out a sigh, wiggled her ears as she did so, and then let out a whining yawn that lasted for several long seconds.

“I do believe that somepony needs a nap,” Blueblood said in a low voice.

“No I don’t!” Fuschia’s chirpy voice sounded indignant. She frowned, her ears still wiggling, and she fought to hold back another yawn. After a moment of struggle, she lost the battle and the yawn escaped, this one even longer than the one previous.

“Looking for a toy store?” a young unicorn mare asked, her eyes wide and almost unblinking. She smiled as her ears perked forwards. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but overhearing. If you keep moving in this direction,” the mare paused and pointed with her hoof, “three buildings over there is a toy store on this level. They specialise in stuffed animals of all types and species, and can even make stuffed toys that can be made to look like the foal or the recipient they are intended for.”

“Thank you,” Blueblood said, moving closer to Maeve and Fuschia, so he could stand between them and the strange mare. He justified his behaviour with a few quick thoughts, he wasn’t trying to be rude to the stranger, he was trying to keep his charges safe.

“I know who you are,” the mare said, tilting her head back so she could look at Maeve. “Sorceress something or other. You have an very attentive guard. You should have him commended.”

“I am Sorceress Maeve.” Putting on her best smile, Maeve wiped her sweaty right hand on her skirts, feeling nervous. “Commended?”

“Formal praise or recognition for a job well done… it is how the royal guard get promotions and gain ranks.” The mares eyes narrowed and she gave Maeve a stern look. “Too many nobles and those with privilege never give a commendation to the guards that are assigned to them to protect them. Those poor guards give their lives in service, never once seeing a raise or a promotion or even a rise in rank because some inconsiderate oaf never once thought to offer some form of thanks.”

Maeve lifted her wooden hand and rubbed her chin as Blueblood let out a soft cough. Blueblood looked bothered, ashamed even, his ears, which stuck out through the holes in his helmet, were drooping. His tail was sagging. Yep, Maeve could see it plain as day, she had lived around ponies, Red in particular, long enough to spot shame and guilt.

“I mean, I’m a total stranger and he moved between you and I to protect you. He’s very attentive. Most guards are too aloof now, they just stand there like a hat rack. Of course, if more guards got commended, all of them might do their job better. What a conundrum.” The mare lifted her head high and a perplexed expression settled over her face.

“I think I’ve been taking my guards for granted,” Maeve admitted in a low voice. “I just sort of expected them to be there. I never thought about going to Princess Celestia or Princess Luna and telling them that my guards were attentive or good.”

“If you make a mistake, it is never too late to correct it,” the mare said.

“You know my name, but I do not think I have yours.” Maeve took a step closer and placed her right hand upon Blueblood’s back, her right fingertips coming to rest upon the smooth, somewhat cool metal. The mare paused, looking thoughtful, blinking, which Maeve thought was peculiar. She didn’t seem to remember her own name, which was puzzling.

“You may call me Miss Lullabye.” The mare bowed her head for a moment and then lifted it high once more.

Maeve couldn’t help but notice that the mare was now very, very formal. Familiar too, somehow, which was unsettling. Maeve dismissed it as nobles acting however it was that nobles acted, and most of them probably all acted the same, which would explain why it seemed familiar. Princess Celestia’s school taught etiquette classes and most of Canterlot had most likely graduated from her school.

“Miss Lullabye, thank you for your assistance.” Maeve felt Fuschia pressing up against her leg. “I do believe that we must be going. You have been most helpful.”

“You are most welcome,” Miss Lullabye replied. “The little one looks as though she needs a nap—”

“No I don’t!” Fuschia squeaked in protest.

“Miss Lullabye, you have been most gracious, we thank you,” Blueblood said, wishing to get moving soon. There was the stuffy to purchase and the promised cinnamon roll. He suspected that the tiny teacakes were wearing off, he was feeling quite hungry and he suspected that Fuschia was getting crabby for reasons other than just sleepiness.

“You are welcome, Blueblood.”

Freezing in place, Blueblood couldn’t remember if he had given Miss Lullabye his name. Something about her familiarity with him bothered him a bit, but he said nothing. It wasn’t his place to say anything, it was his place to do his job and keep Sorceress Maeve safe. He gave the strange mare a wary stare.

“Goodbye,” Maeve said, lifting her hand from Blueblood’s back and waving.

Author's Note

It updated! Praise the ~~Sun!~~ Moon!

Chapter 35

The toy store, while rather small, was packed with toys. Beside Maeve, Fuschia let out an excited squeal that was almost ear piercing. Maeve, still young enough to see the appeal of a good toy, was almost as entranced by the displays as Fuschia. Blinking, Maeve took a moment to take in all of the wonder around her.

Model trains moved on tiny tracks, some of them electric, others were steam powered. Miniature engines huffed and chugged along tiny scale mountainsides and over bridges that spanned rivers that were filled with actual water. Some of the train displays had real weather. Clouds dumped rain and snow down upon the cities, mountains, and valleys below. Magic was a wondrous thing, and Maeve, even though she was a girl, found herself wanting a fancy train set. Maeve didn’t think it should matter, girls could play with trains and boys could play with dolls, it shouldn’t be an issue. As Maeve stood watching, a tiny thundercloud flashed with lightning and let out a crack of thunder.

Little castles sat upon miniature mountain tops ringed with real fog and actual snow. Dollhouses held the most amazing level of detail. Maeve was almost certain that the furniture had been made at full size and then shrunk down with magic. Each chair, each table, each desk, each lamp, each bed, every piece was more marvellous than the last. It was a feast for the eyes and Maeve found that she could not look away.

“Up! Up! Can’t see!” Fuschia cried as she ran in a circle around Maeve’s legs.

Bending down, Maeve scooped up Fuschia and cradled the little earth pony filly in her arms, lifting Fuschia up so the foal could see. Together, the pair looked into the dollhouses, the castles, and at the trainsets with wide, entranced eyes while Blueblood stood close, keeping an eye on the other ponies in the store.

Fuschia’s excitement crested and the foal let out a squeaky, adorable yawn as she rested her head against Maeve’s chest. She still looked at the displays, but did so from the comfort of Maeve’s embrace.

Tearing herself away from the displays, Maeve gave Fuschia a little hug and said, “Let’s find you a doll, sleepyhead.” She moved through the store, heading to the stuffed pony displays.

“Not sleepy,” Fuschia replied. “Nope.”

“So what kind of pony would you like, little Miss Not Sleepy,” Maeve asked, which caused Fuschia to let out a shrill whine of protest. Maeve smiled and gave the filly another squeeze. Fuschia’s pelt was smooth, touchable velvet beneath the fingers on her right hand and she stroked Fuschia’s neck.

“That one,” Fuschia said, pointing at a vibrant blue earth pony with a bright orange mane and tail. “That one is pretty.”

“Are you sure, there are lots of other dolls to see…”

“No, I like that one.” Fuschia waved her hoof at the earth pony and then yawned once more. The filly covered her mouth and then sank into Maeve’s embrace. “She has a mane just like yours.”

Bright orange and frizzy, Maeve thought to herself. With her arms full of filly, she wasn’t sure how she was going to get the stuffy off of the shelf. She shifted from one foot to another, and then saw a golden glow around the stuffy. Turning, she saw Blueblood give her a dutiful nod.

The toy, surrounded by a golden glow, was placed into the waiting embrace of Fuschia, who gave the doll a squeeze. Maeve redoubled her grip on Fuschia, the filly was as heavy as a sack of potatoes. The filly let out another yawn, squeezed her toy, and looked upwards at Maeve with a sleepy smile.

It was time to check out, pay for the doll, and head home. The cinnamon rolls would have to wait until another day, as Maeve did not believe that Fuschia would be awake long enough to enjoy them. Perhaps Red could come along and join them.

The filly had grown heavy in Maeve’s arms and it was difficult to keep a hold on her. Fuschia was asleep, her chin resting upon Maeve’s shoulder, and she drooled as she slumbered. Her arms ached and Maeve felt a painful twinge in her spine, but she was determined to carry Fuschia home.

Maeve was at an age where she was still young enough to have an interest in toys, but was also old enough to have a strong maternal feeling of responsibility for anything left in her care. As she walked, she could feel Fuschia breathing against her neck and she realised that this little pony was very dear to her.

Red Russet was also very dear to her. Maeve felt a closeness for the equines in her life, it was a joy to know them. Red had been with her almost since she had arrived here. He was her near constant companion, her friend.

During her moment of introspection, Maeve realised that she was alone, save for Bjarke. She wasn’t human, as she had been raised to believe, and it had become clear that she didn’t belong with humans. Her left arm, now made of living wood, was proof of that, as well as her long, pointed ears. Of course, there was also her magic to take into consideration. How could she live around other humans with magic? Somehow, her mother had rid herself of her magic, and the thought of doing so made Maeve feel rather sad. To have such a wondrous, miraculous thing, and then to cast it aside.

Shaking her head as she walked, Maeve came to an understanding that she belonged here, if she belonged anywhere. Here, there was magic. Here, the world was fantastical and even the toys were almost beyond belief. Here, imagination came to life.

Walking beside her, Blueblood was silent, and Maeve wondered what he was thinking. He was somehow different since their meeting with Miss Lullabye. Maeve, unable to put her finger on what it was, could only think of the silence as evidence that something was different.

Or maybe, like Fuschia, Blueblood was just tired.

Nervous, anxious, Maeve wiped her sweaty right hand upon her skirts, further messing up the now very wrinkled garment. She was tired, her feet hurt from walking, and her back ached. The thin slipper like shoes she wore were fine for around the palace, but were terrible for traversing the many streets and walkways of Canterlot.

As she walked, she thought about other pairs of footwear, like a pair of boots she had to wear that were far too big and newspaper had been stuffed into the toes. Or clothing made from scraps. Used dresses and skirts. Now, at least, she had nice clothing. For a brief second, Maeve wondered if she was rich or poor. She never really saw any money, or bits as they called them. Things she needed were just provided for.

She wiped her sweaty hand on her skirt yet again, leaving behind a faint mark upon the fabric. Fuschia was tucked away in her bed, sound asleep, and she had been tucked in with her new stuffy. Much to Maeve’s surprise, Blueblood had performed a bit of last minute detail work, making certain that Fuschia was covered, comfortable, and her pillow had been properly fluffed. Watching him fuss over Fuschia made Maeve feel funny, and she didn’t know why, but the scene touched her, of that there could be no doubt. Maeve thought of her father, before the change had come over him. Then she thought of the change. Blueblood had been so kind and gentle, just as her father had once been. She felt a rising lump in her throat and the icy claws of panic grazed her spine.

“Sorceress Maeve?” Beside her, Blueblood came to a halt, his face, what little bit of it that was visible beneath his helmet was lined with concern. Maeve lifted her hand, gave herself a shake, and took a deep breath.

“I’m fine… I just had an unpleasant memory, that’s all.”

“I am sorry, Sorceress. Had I the power, I would protect you from those things that torment you.”

For whatever reason, Blueblood’s words made Maeve feel a little better. She looked at him, noticing a curl of golden mane that had found it’s way out of his helmet, and she found herself liking Blueblood, at least just a little bit.

“I think I need a bit of a break, a nice sit down, and some of my tea.” Maeve reached up and brushed her frizzy, curly orange hair away from her face. She took a deep breath, had a moment of thought, and realised that she had experienced a good day so far. She had liked getting out of the castle. Canterlot wasn’t so bad. The ponies had not panicked, freaked out, or even paid her much mind. She had encountered griffons, minotaurs, and even some diamond dogs. She was just one more oddity in a city full of oddities.

She wondered if Red would like to get out, but then thought of Red’s brittle bones. The walk would do him in. The many stairs would be a hazard for him. Reaching up with her hand, Maeve stroked her chin and then began walking, distracted as she was. Maybe a nice ride around the city in a wagon would be a good way to get Red out to see the city.

As Maeve stumbled down the hall, she did not realise that she was thinking about a date.

“Hello, Sorceress Maeve… did you have a nice adventure?”

The sudden sound of Princess Celestia’s voice startled Maeve, causing her to jerk, to jump in her chair, and her wooden hand flexed, crushing her teacup. Before the hot, steaming liquid could even fall into Maeve’s lap and scald her, Celestia’s magic surrounded the shattered cup and it’s contents.

As Maeve sat watching, the cup reassembled itself and the tea was sloshed back inside. It was a neat trick, as far as magic went. Maeve composed herself, taking a deep breath, and then set her cup down upon the table.

“I did not mean to startle you, my apologies. Might I join you?”

Lifting her right hand, Maeve gestured at the cushions around the low table that sat in the middle of a cool, shaded section of the garden. A vine covered canopy was overhead, white flowers bloomed, and bees buzzed all around. “I tried to get Blueblood to sit with me, but he refused. He’s standing over there and doing a statue impression.”

“Blueblood, really…” Celestia clucked her tongue, rolled her eyes, and sat down upon a cushion. She made herself comfortable, wishing that Blueblood would at least give her an indignant whinny, but no protest seemed forthcoming.

“I want Blueblood commended,” Maeve said to Celestia as the white alicorn poured some tea. “He was very attentive today, he was kind, helpful, and he protected me from strangers without being rude.”

“Oh, really?” Celestia lifted up a cookie off of a tray, looked at it, stared at a raisin protruding from its edge, and then took a dainty bite. As she chewed, she looked at Maeve, studying the strange little girl that had grown so much in the short time that Celestia had known her.

“Fuschia wore herself out and I had to carry her back. She fell asleep. She never woke up once the entire way home, not even when I tucked her into her bed. She was very well behaved.” Maeve lifted up her teacup, feeling reassured about her ability to hold on to it, and took a sip.

“I am glad that you had a pleasant time.” A faint, teasing smile crossed Celestia’s lips. “There is a little red colt that wishes to see you, when you get the time. He did very, very well on his lessons and he is quite proud of himself. He is currently with his mother in the orchid greenhouse, telling her of his accomplishments—”

Sighing, Celestia watched as Maeve scrambled away, her skirts swishing around her legs. She raised an eyebrow as she watched Blueblood move from the spot where he had been rooted, and took off after her.

Now all alone, Princess Celestia sipped her tea.

Author's Note

Theme music for this chapter and this story in general.

Chapter 36

The scent of orchids was strong and made Maeve’s nose tickle. She stood, looking down at Red, while Red was looking up at her. Something was different, but Maeve wasn’t quite sure what. She felt funny, jittery, but not in the normal way she was jittery, but different. This was a happier jittery.

Unbeknownst to Maeve, another had joined Blueblood in watching her, and a small brown bear peered out from around the shrubbery on occasion, not wanting to be seen. Blueblood stood guard near a marble pillar, and while he was attentive, he was also looking around at the orchids.

“I understand that you had an exciting morning,” Rose Gold said to Maeve in a voice that contained more than a hint of laughter. “How is Fuschia? She is a little darling, isn’t she?”

As Maeve flopped down into the grass, she nodded. She folded her legs, trying to sit cross legged, her skirt spreading over the grass around her. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a carrot, and offered it to Red, who took it and began crunching it up.

“Carrots are supposed to be sweet treats.” Rose smiled as she took a step closer. “Carrots are supposed to be a reward for doing something exceptional. Maeve, you just pass them out. It’s no wonder that foals love you. It’s almost cheating.”

Lifting his head, Red Russet swallowed. He looked at Maeve, peering through his spectacles, a broad grin upon his small, somewhat squarish face. “Today I guessed three tea types by smell alone. My teacher says that what I did was exceptional for somepony who just started.” Red scooted over to Maeve’s side, sat down, and whipped his short tail around until it was resting against his cutie mark.

“I keep wondering, if I had a cutie mark, what would it be?” Maeve reached over and with her fingers, she pushed Red’s mane out of his face, and then adjusted his glasses, which were crooked.

“Maybe a magic cutie mark? Like stars, or a moon… sometimes earth ponies get moon cutie marks. My mother won’t tell me why though, she just says they're blessed with special lunar cycles.” Red peered up at his mother, hoping that she might say something. When no explanation seemed forthcoming, he heaved a sigh of disappointment.

Maeve, who figured it out right away, began blushing. She didn’t want to imagine having extra lunar cycles. She shivered, looked at Rose, got a faint nod of understanding, and then looked back over at Red as Rose sat down in the grass.

“Red, don’t forget, you have something to tell Maeve,” Rose said, reminding her son of what to say. She gave Red a patient, maternal smile and then watched as Maeve pulled out another carrot. Rose sighed as Red began crunching up another sweet, sugary carrot. Why couldn’t Maeve carry around more nutritious foods, like stalks of broccoli?

“In the near future,” Red said around a mouthful of carrot, “I’ll be going to the Crystal Empire for my first tea sorter’s convention. This is a chance for young colts and fillies to learn more about the trade and find out about supply chains and a bunch of stuff I don’t understand.”

“You’ll be leaving me?” Maeve didn’t like the sound of this at all. She felt butterflies in her stomach and the palm of her right hand began to feel sweaty. The tips of her pointed ears began to feel warm, uncomfortable even. There was a sinking feeling in her breast.

“Come with me?” Red’s eyes narrowed and he swallowed. “You’re a Sorceress… I mean, you can do what you want, right? Surely you can come with me.”

“To the Crystal Empire?” Maeve felt a tightness in her chest just thinking about it. “Leave Canterlot? Where I’m safe? But I… I mean, well… I…” Maeve’s words trailed off and she ran her right hand over the grass, tickling her itchy palm.

Seeing Canterlot hadn’t been so bad. She had rather enjoyed Canterlot. But the Crystal Empire? What if it was like Ponyville? Maeve shuddered hard enough that Rose raised her eyebrow in worry. Then there was Fuschia to worry about. She had Fuschia to think about and that was important. She was responsible for the little filly, because a Sorceress needed responsibility, for whatever reason. Maeve became so lost in thought that she didn’t notice Red’s hopeful, sad-eyed begging expression, or how the corner of his mouth quivered as he waited to see if Maeve would produce another carrot.

Reaching up with her left hand, Maeve rubbed her left temple with her wooden fingertips, massaging the skin and trying to think. She was beginning to feel anxious again. She didn’t want to disappoint Red, but she also didn’t want to shirk her newfound responsibilities either.

“I’ll ask Princess Celestia about it,” Maeve said, deciding that asking was the best and safest course of action. As Maeve sat there, still thinking about the whole thing, she had a worrisome thought—what if Princess Celestia said yes? Maeve did some impressive mental gymnastics, trying to figure out which side of the coin the issue would land upon. She was supposed to be responsible, but what if Celestia wanted her to get out and see more of the world?

“Maeve, try not to worry… if you do go, I’ll be going with you. Everything will be fine, I promise.” Rose’s voice was soft, gentle, and pulled Maeve from her intense worry. She could see the change already, as Maeve didn’t look quite so frantic.

Extending his hoof, Red poked Maeve in the stomach. “Worry takes precious years off of your life. A calming tea can add years back to your life.”

“Red, darling…”

“What, Mom?”

“You’re talking like a tea salespony.”

“Uh…” Red’s face split into a wide, toothy grin. “Mom, someday, I might be a tea salespony.”

Reaching out, Rose booped her son on the nose and shook her head. “I thought you were going to be Maeve’s assistant. Do you plan to abandon her?”

Red went cross eyed as his mother’s hoof touched his snoot. He then looked up at her, his eyes wide. “No… no… but I can be a tea salespony on the side. I’m keeping my options open… I’m allowed to do that. Ponies might want to buy tea blended for a Sorceress.”

Covering her mouth, Maeve giggled.

“Some ponies,” Rose said in a voice that contained a hint of laughter. “Some ponies get their cutie marks and it goes right to their head. It changes them.” She reached out her hoof and booped her son once more, then turned to Maeve and smiled, glad to see Maeve distracted from her worry. “I’m thinking about having Red’s last name changed to Rooibos. He started off as my little spud and as he grew, my little potato sprout became something quite unexpected.”

“Mom… embarrassment…” Red squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.

“Little ponies grow up and things change. Red, you have your whole life ahead of you, and it’s going to be a good one.” She reached out and stroked her son’s cheek. “Your father and I put in so much physical labour for so long… and we still do. You’re going to know a completely different life than we did. You’re going to do a different kind of work, the sort of work that takes your mind.” Rose Gold smiled, a beatific smile of motherhood. Turning her head, she looked at Maeve. “You as well… from what I know of you, you came from poverty with deep roots in farming.”

“I did.” Maeve’s head bobbed and her frizzy orange hair bounced on her freckled cheeks.

“Both Quickie Cob and I, we come from families who broke their backs as we worked to make a name for ourselves and better our lives. For me, my first family members in Canterlot worked with night soil—”

“What’s night soil? A special kind of dirt?” Maeve asked.

Rose Gold cleared her throat and one eyebrow made a graceful, perfect arch. “Night soil is a euphemism for feces, Maeve… pony poo. Horseapples. Pony flops. Meadow muffins. My family collected the night soil from sump holes, chamber pots, and and other receptacles around Canterlot. Now, that is an awful job, and nopony really wants that job, especially not ponies with a knack for growing potatoes, but we took that job because this is Canterlot. We took that job and we made something of it. We took the richest, most nutrient dense night soil in the world and we sold it. We sold it as fertiliser to anypony that would buy it. When Ponyville was founded, we had regular buyers in the Apple family. Ponies off in the Unicorn Range couldn’t get enough of what we offered. After a lot of hard, smelly work, we had a name for ourselves, a reputation, and we had Canterlot.”

“Ew… yuck.” Red, who now had his eyes open, stared at his mother in disgust.

“Red, darling, nopony likes digging out an outhouse basement, but there is a reason that you are here, living a very comfortable life on the castle grounds. There is a reason you get to enjoy a little privilege. There is a reason you have the ear of the princesses and have the friendship of a Sorceress. I am very, very thankful that you have what you have.”

Reaching out, Maeve poked Red with her finger. “Because you have brittle bones and I don’t think you’d be very good at digging out an outhouse.”

“We have toilets now.” Red shuddered and shook his head. “I am a lucky colt.”

“I didn’t work to get where I am now—”

“Maeve, that’s nonsense!” Rose Gold had trouble believing what she had just heard. She frowned and felt a brief surge of anger, shocked and surprised by Maeve’s thick headedness.

“But I didn’t… I was brought here and all of this just sort of happened.”

A low rumble of equine frustration crept out of Rose Gold’s throat. “Horseapples!” As she spoke, Red’s ears pinned back against his head and he flinched at both his mother’s harsh words as well as her frustrated tone. She ignored his reaction and focused on Maeve. “You chopped, hacked, and sliced your way out of a castle full of very bad things. You saved Princess Luna and brought her back to us.”

Maeve shook her head. “But I… but that wasn’t… but that… I was only doing what needed to be done… I didn’t have a choice. It’s not like I—”

“Maeve,” Rose broke in, her voice both stern and loving. “That is the point. You did what needed to be done. You did the work required. You went about the bloody business of securing your own freedom and Princess Luna’s. You could have just saved yourself, or you could have just accepted your fate. But you didn’t. You picked up that sword of yours and you carved your way to freedom. Maeve, sometimes, sometimes a hero can do an entire lifetime’s worth of hard work in just one day… just one night… just one battle… just one encounter. Never, ever discount what you have done. Princess Luna would be furious with you.”

The sinking feeling in Maeve’s breast returned. She sighed, knowing that Rose was right. She tried smoothing out her skirt but the wrinkles persisted no matter what she did.

“Being a hero is a tough occupation… it takes honour, courage, sacrifice… it means giving all you have to give, and then sometimes, it means giving your life. Equestria honours its heroes. That is why we have Hearth’s Warming Eve. Maeve, if you had a cutie mark, it would be whatever a cutie mark is for being a hero.” Rose shook her head and a sad, pained expression came over her face. “Heroes hardly ever get a happily ever after. They’re often troubled souls, pained by what they’ve done, haunted by violence, they have scars on both the outside and the inside… and every scar is a reminder, a mark of bravery, every scar is a testament to courage. Sadly, for most heroes, just because the battle has ended, it doesn’t mean the fight is over. Most of them struggle for the rest of their lives to be normal, to be happy, to find acceptance and fit in. Being a hero changes a pony… and no doubt, it’s changed you as well, Maeve.”

Nodding, a single tear rolled down Maeve’s freckled cheek, but for some reason, she felt better. She felt sad in a good way. Lunging forwards, she threw her arms around Rose’s neck and squeezed the earth pony mare, holding her, and Maeve’s chest hitched. But she felt better.

“Thank you, Rose Gold, thank you so much,” Maeve said in a voice strained with emotion. She gave the earth pony mare another squeeze, took a deep breath, and let go. She wiped her eyes, wobbled a bit, and got to her feet. “I think I want ice cream. I’m going to go to the kitchen. Who wants to join me?”

“I do!” Red replied, glad that the mushy moment was over.

Rose, who felt a little misty eyed, smiled at the pair. “You two go ahead. I have orchid bulbs to tend to. Go and have a nice time.”

“Come on Red,” Maeve said to her companion, “we’ll go and eat ice cream and ruin our appetites.”

“That sounds like a plan…”

Author's Note

Little brown bear...

Chapter 37

Lucid dreaming. The strange in between state of dreaming and consciousness, when one realises they are dreaming and the dreamer attempts to take some control over their dream. Some dreamers might fly, others might re-experience a terrible situation and emerge triumphant, having finally changed everything that went wrong.

For Maeve, the past few nights had been filled with dreams that she was a curious little rabbit with a cute, adorable twitchy nose, long ears, and a fluffy, fuzzy-wuzzy tail. She quite enjoyed these dreams, and it was getting easier to take control.

For all intents and purposes, lucid dreaming was Maeve’s homework, given to her by Princess Luna, to help her learn to control her own dream magic. She had gone from being able to turn herself into a bunny to being able to manifest carrots in her dream—overall, a most enjoyable and pleasurable experience. Certainly better than carving her way out of a castle full of horrible goblins and treacherous fay.

The nightmares were becoming fewer in number and Maeve was learning to forcibly exit a nightmare, a difficult, but not impossible feat. With the fewer nightmares, Maeve was becoming a much happier girl.

In Maeve’s dream, she had endless green fields, blue skies, thickets, tall trees, perfect, white, fluffy clouds, with nothing troubling or upsetting. These were the dreams she had always wanted, these were the happy, life affirming dreams she had always desired.

There could be no doubt, things were getting better.

Blueblood awoke to the sounds of strange screaming, a piercing high pitched squealing screech that dove deep into his ear and right into his brain. He was out of bed in a second, on his hooves, and then he ran. He burst through the door to his chambers, out into the hallway, almost skidding, and right to Maeve’s door, which seemed to be the source of the screaming.

He didn’t knock, nor did he hesitate, but he threw the door open and stormed inside, his horn blazing with eldritch fire, his teeth bared, and murder in his eyes, ready to give whatever was hurting his ward a good what for.

He looked around the room and found nothing. His eyes narrowed and he glanced about, wary and cautious. His gaze fell upon the bed, which had something moving in it. He crept forward, horn glowing, ready for anything, or so he thought.

He was not ready for what he found when he pulled back the blanket.

There was a gasp from Blueblood when he saw the rabbit in the bed where Maeve should have been. A black rabbit with strange pink eyes, long, floppy ears, and a fluffy, fuzzy tail. The rabbit was screaming, it’s mouth open, its eyes wide with terror.

It took several long seconds, but to Blueblood’s credit, he did realise that Maeve was the rabbit. He heard other guards arriving and he let out a sigh, wondering what to do, how to fix this, and how to make the rabbit stop screaming.

“Maeve, can you hear me?” Blueblood asked, unsure if Maeve would be able to understand spoken language. Bjarke could understand spoken words in bear form, but Blueblood was making no assumptions. “Maeve… it’s me… be calm.”

Relaxing his magic, Blueblood reached out and scooped up Maeve from her bed, lifted her, and cradled her in a bubble of telekinetic energy. He had a closer look at her. The inside of her ears were pink with tufts of white fur. Each of her four little paws were white.

“Shh.” Blueblood lifted up a blanket and wrapped it around the terrified rabbit, and much to his relief, it began to calm. He could hear heavy breathing and a few muffled, whimpering cries, but the horrible screaming ceased.

He glanced around the room, spotted Maeve’s clock, and noticed that it was about three ‘o'clock in the morning. At this time of night, there was only one thing to do, and that was to find Princess Luna. He hoped that she would know what to do. Ears perking, Blueblood realised that Bjarke should also be consulted as well. He turned to leave the room, carrying the still whimpering rabbit pressed close to his neck.

Blueblood, nervous, stood at attention while Princess Luna examined the rabbit, fearing that somehow, he would be blamed for this. He and Luna did not always see eye to eye—there were things from the past that caused a bit of a rift between the two of them.

“Well, this makes a lot of sense,” Princess Luna muttered as she stroked the rabbit’s ears with her wing.

“Sense, Majesty?” Blueblood asked, curious about how this could possibly make sense.

“While inside of Maeve’s head, inside of her own private dreamscape, I encountered a small, breathing stuffed rabbit. It was a most curious living thing, one of the many curious things that exist within her mind. At the time, it was puzzling, but now, now it all makes sense.” Princess Luna turned and looked at Blueblood. “At ease. It is too late at night to stand at attention.”

Blueblood relaxed a little, but held on to his formal, starchy posture. He looked at the rabbit, which seemed calm and relaxed now. It was sitting in the middle of a wadded up blanket, looking around the room, its pink eyes glittering, and its cute little nose twitching.

“Is she stuck this way?” Blueblood stood rooted to the spot, but he tilted his head as he studied the rabbit sitting on the blanket.

“That is a good question. I know absolutely nothing about lagomorph shapeshifters.” Princess Luna returned her attention to Maeve. “Since entering adolescence and puberty, her magic is becoming stronger and a bit unstable, just like a unicorn.” Princess Luna moued, looking concerned. She thought of Maeve’s accident, setting her arm on fire. With sudden movement, she whirled about and faced Blueblood. “If she does become human again, she is going to need a nightgown. She has a real fear of nudity. I know you are not a common servant, but could go and fetch her bedclothing?”

“I don’t mind at all.” Blueblood nodded, turned tail, and left the room at once.

When Blueblood returned, he saw Bjarke. Bjarke, whatever he was, mystified Blueblood, but he rather liked the stern fellow. Bjarke had purpose, he had honour, and from what Blueblood could tell, Bjarke was now a faithful, devoted follower of Princess Celestia, a fellow guard.

He carried with him Maeve’s clothing, which he had found in her bed, tangled up with her blankets. He had done his best to smooth them out, fold them, and he had dutifully carried them back to Princess Luna. He set them down upon the edge of the blanket where bunny Maeve was still sitting, then backed away to the door to stand and watch.

“Our magic isn’t always controllable… especially when we are young. Maeve is becoming a woman, which is a wild, tumultuous time for our kind, and I’m not sure what having human blood is going to do to her.” Bjarke stood, ramrod straight, his hands folded behind his back. His blades, all of them, hung from his belt, and he wore a tabard emblazoned with the seal of the Royal Pony Sisters, a half sun, half moon merging together, the symbolic balance of light and darkness.

“All the more reason to crack down upon Maeve and her magic lessons.” Princess Luna’s gaze fell upon the rabbit, which was grooming itself, rubbing its face and being adorable. “I have been far too lax. She exists in such a fragile emotional and mental state. I worried about putting too much strain on her. I fear I have made a mistake.” Luna glanced at Bjarke. “Tell me about the ljásálfar, how does your kind deal with magic and its instruction?”

Bjarke shifted, looking a bit uncomfortable. He blinked, tilted his head back, and looked at the ceiling. His hands unfolded from behind his back, and one hand came to rest upon the pommel of his sword, the other began to rub his thin, pointed chin.

“Our ways, our rituals, they have all but died out. The war has not been kind to us. We are refugees now… Alfheim was destroyed and laid to waste by the dokkálfar and the svartálfar, along with their allies in the Unseelie Court. I watched the fall of everything, but I have a long memory.” Bjarke closed his eyes and swayed from side to side. “As children, when our magic began to develop, we would be made to drink a draught made from the sap of sacred white oaks. It would give us visions. Make us see things.” Bjarke shuddered and his eyes opened. He looked at Luna, his expression one of intense pain. “I saw the utter end. That was my vision. I saw the fire, the blood, the burning, I saw it all end. It had a profound effect upon me as a child.”

“I would imagine,” Luna said in a soft, gentle whisper.

“I trained as a warrior, hoping that I could change the future somehow. Not all visions come to pass… I was assured that the future isn’t certain, but I cannot help but feel that I was lied to… to ease my mind.” Bjarke stiffened and his hand clenched the pommel of his sword. “After experiencing the dreaming way, we would begin magic instruction. For us warriors, it was harsh, brutal even. The weak were thinned out. Not killed, there were too few of us, but only the strongest, fittest, and the very best would earn the title of warrior. Near the end though, desperation drove us… our standards fell… and so many died in those battles.”

Bjarke shook his head. “For the girls, their various gifts were divined, discovered… they were tested. Some became healers. Some became enchanters. There were spellcasters of every stripe, but the most important were the battle arcanists. They were the spellcasters equal to us as warriors. The defenders of our kind. They were few and far between. Only the greatest among us became battle arcanists. Maeve’s mother was slated for this path…” Bjarke’s words trailed off.

“What happened?” Luna asked.

Bjarke looked at Luna, his strange violet eyes locking onto hers. “Maeve, my sister, she knew of my vision. She knew the end was coming. She knew that there was no force in existence that could stop what was going to happen. She refused to take part in the mass suicide that my race committed, throwing themselves against impossible odds and dying terrible deaths on the many battlefields.”

Luna let out a sad sigh and shook her head.

“We left. She convinced me to betray my own honour and to go with her. Her reasoning, at the time, was sound. We had to live. Our kind had to continue. Otherwise, the light would extinguish and the darkness would conquer all.” Bjarke shook his head. “She kept her hope for a long, long time. Much longer than I thought she would. But with time and many passings of dear friends, loved ones, and with the destruction of Alfheim, Maeve slipped into hopelessness and despair. She could no longer bear the crushing weight of an immortal existence. She stopped believing in her own inspiring words and pithy phrases.”

“Immortality is both a curse and a blessing,” Luna said in a solemn whisper. “Many seek it, and such an act is folly. Very few are capable of dealing with such long stretches of time. It requires a special sort of strength.”

“It does indeed.” Bjarke relaxed a little bit and his hands folded behind his back once more. “If I may be honest, I am quite glad to have found this place. Princess Celestia is wise and kind. She knows the soul crushing weight of immortality. She knows the pain of loss as the eons stretch ever onward. The comfort she offers is sincere and spoken from the lips of one that truly knows the pain of so much loss.”

“It helps to have a fellow immortal about,” Princess Luna said. As she spoke, she felt the crushing guilt of betraying her sister pressing down upon her. One thousand turns of the seasons, Celestia had been alone. Luna felt a painful lump in her throat, the old ache, the old pain that never seemed to go away. She blinked a few times and hoped that Bjarke did not notice the tears welling up in her eyes.

“I have Maeve… at least for a while. She might live a hundred years, she could live for thousands. I am content with any precious time I might get from her.” Bjarke looked down at the rabbit sitting on the blanket. “When the end comes, and it will come, she is part human, I think I will stay with Princess Celestia… and you of course. I like this place and I do believe I can be a dutiful guardian.”

Standing in the corner, Blueblood sighed. Immortals. He felt a strange pang of regret. Death would interrupt his duties and he would no longer be able to serve and protect his ward, his charge. The thought made him sad. Old age would rob him of his ability and his will to perform a meaningful task.

“Bjarke,” Luna said in a low voice as she gestured towards Maeve, “tell me more about your kind. The more I know, the more I can help Maeve… she needs instruction… otherwise, we might be stuck with a thousand year old rabbit…”

Author's Note

Happy ~~Sun~~Bunday!

Chapter 38

“Come on, you can do it, you must improve your concentration, Maeve.” Princess Luna watched as Maeve stood, hands extended, her wand clutched in her left hand. The girl was illuminated by a faint silver blue glow. Some of her frizzy curls were plastered to her face as she sweated.

Much to Luna’s surprise, the large, heavy book that Maeve was suppose to lift didn’t move, but Maeve did. Her feet rose several inches off of the floor and Luna could feel gravity relaxing in the room around her. But the book did not budge—Luna had placed a bit of a spell on it that would cause it to stay rooted to the spot where it had been placed, a prank intended to help instruct Maeve.

Before Maeve could turn the room topsy turvy, Luna said, “Stop.”

The girl dropped several inches, her feet hitting the floor, and she wiped her sweaty brow with her right forearm. Maeve eyeballed the book with a suspicious look and then looked at Luna, again with a suspicious look.

In return, Luna gave Maeve the most innocent look she could muster. Fair was fair after all for stealing puzzle pieces. If one did that, all bets were off. Maeve was learning, growing stronger, and turning into a bunny while she slept. Control had to be established. Luna was willing to use extreme methods to achieve this end.

“Luna?”

“Yes, what is it, Maeve?” Luna tilted her head and looked up into Maeve’s face.

“Now that you’re like my fairy horsemother—”

“Maeve, if you keep calling me that I am going to lock you up in the tallest tower and you will need a prince to come and rescue you.” Luna’s deadpan delivery held no trace of laughter but her eyes had a twinkle of merriment to them.

“How is it that you love Twilight?”

This question again, Luna thought to herself. She sighed and prepared for a different class to take session. Maeve had so many questions, so much curiousity. This issue had been brought up so many times already.

“Males and females were made to fit together… two females…” Maeve’s voice trailed off and her face took on several wrinkles of concentration. “Or even two males…” The girl shook her head as she spoke, trying to put her thoughts together. “So it’s like two puzzle pieces that don’t fit together deciding that they want to be together anyway and somehow make everything fit.”

“Yes Maeve, something like that.” Luna watched as Maeve continued to wrestle with the issue, wondering where Maeve would go with this line of thought this night.

“But it can be more than just two of the same who figure out a way to make things work, right? What about two who are different? How does that work? What if a bird fell in love with a bumblebee?”

Wings rustling at her sides, Luna began to think of a reply, wanting to choose her words with great care and consideration. Luna thought of Twilight and felt her spirit buoyed by the very thought of the cheerful, good natured pony.

“Maeve,” Luna began, “as I have told you… there are different types of love. You can love the physical part of somepony… or somebody, but a far greater love awaits those who love what lies on the inside. You can focus upon a physical attribute and love that, but to love a mind… a personality… to fall in love with somepony elses thoughts, their ideas, their laugh, everything that makes them who and what they are… the outside doesn’t matter as much. Now, there are some concerns if you wish to express physical love”—Luna paused and took a deep breath—“there can be size issues and other factors to take into consideration, but love is possible.”

Maeve nodded and then looked away from Luna. “Am I lovable?”

“Of course you are, you silly girl,” Luna replied right away, “what could possess you to ask such a thing?”

Long ago, Luna had asked that very question as she had tried to face the growing darkness welling up within herself… and with no satisfactory answer to be found, the darkness had found purchase in her heart…

“After what happened… after what my father did to me… I don’t feel desirable. I feel soiled and dirty.” Maeve’s breast rose and fell as she took a deep breath. “I feel like garbage sometimes and who would want to love garbage, who would want to love what he made filthy—”

“Maeve…” Luna rushed forwards and plowed into the girl, causing her to let out a startled gasp. Luna wrapped her wings around Maeve’s middle, and Luna’s face was pressed against Maeve’s stomach. Maeve tried to squirm away from her, but Luna persisted and refused to let go. Maeve’s wand clattered the floor, falling from her fingers.

Unbalanced, Maeve went down to the floor, landing on her backside, but she recovered in the way that only gawky girls can, her legs folding, and she sat down on the floor cross legged. She pulled Luna into her lap, but Luna was also a gawky creature in this circumstance, all legs, wings, and long, slender, graceful neck. After a few moments of fumbling, it was as if Maeve was holding a very large dog in her lap, and she had her forearms around Luna’s barrel, ruffling and rumpling her wings.

Luna could feel Maeve’s face buried against her neck, which meant that Maeve had to be holding her neck and her upper body at an odd angle. She struggled for balance as she sat atop Maeve’s folded legs and hoped that she was not hurting the girl. Luna had no idea what to say, but she knew that she had to try.

“Who could love me after what happened? Why would anyone have anything to do with me? How do I get away from my past?”

Maeve’s words ripped the scab right off of Luna’s heart. Luna too, asked those very same questions. How did one get away from the past? Why would anypony have anything to do with her? How could she be loved, no—how could she be forgiven—after what had taken place?

“I don’t know how to face whatever is ahead… the past hurts so much… how could anybody love me and how can I possibly love anybody else after what happened? I don’t like being touched… every time it happens I think of him and I feel so ashamed”—Maeve let out a gasp and then a sob— “I feel so hurt by everything that has happened that sometimes I don’t think I can get better. I feel like a snotty handkerchief… nobody wants a snotty handkerchief. It’s dirty and disgusting and slimy and nobody would ever want it.”

Luna felt a crushing weight as Maeve let out a wordless wail, Maeve’s words striking home, piercing through her, giving voice to Luna’s own feelings and fears. She squirmed and managed to get one foreleg around Maeve’s neck. She crushed Maeve closer to her, feeling closer to her now than at any moment previous, she could feel her own heart coming close to breaking.

She had asked herself the very same questions, and still did. Luna’s own fears often manifested. She wondered how Twilight could be infatuated with her after what she had done. Luna too, felt soiled and dirty after Nightmare Moon’s violation, and no mistake, it was a violation.

“I don’t even know what I am anymore,” Maeve wailed as she clutched Luna. “I might live forever and that means watching any friend I make die… it makes me not want to make friends… like I just want to hide myself away!”

Gasping, Luna could feel icy claws raking over her heart, she knew that feeling all too well. That had been the beginning—she had pushed everypony away, they would all die, they would all be so short lived, and their passing would bring about so much hurt. Luna felt a crushing pressure around her barrel, but it wasn’t Maeve’s arms that made her ribs feel as though they were breaking.

“I just feel so unlovable,” Maeve said as she squeezed her eyes shut.

Luna’s thoughts turned to Twilight, wishing Twilight was here, and then, Luna’s thoughts went to darker places. Twilight would be short lived… mortal. Unless Twilight did something to achieve immortality, Luna would be forced to watch Twilight grow old… she would be forced to watch Twilight suffer… Luna would be forced to watch the only pony that might ever love her grow old, wither, and die, and with Twilight’s passing… any hope of a happy future would go as well. Luna felt a stabbing pain go through her heart and she thought of Maeve, who might have to endure the very same thing.

The future stretched ahead, an endless thing, and it’s weight threatened to crush Luna, who knew the pain of centuries all too well. An uncountable number of seasons had gone by on parade… so many leaves had fallen in Luna’s life that autumn had almost lost its meaning.

The future somehow seemed even more unbearable when one could not escape the past. Sometimes it seemed that there was no happiness to be had, no respite, no moments of bliss to make the long centuries bearable.

Luna and Maeve both were haunted by their pasts, and Luna knew this all too well. She realised that this was the reason she felt so much kinship with Maeve. She angled her head, twisting around, and pressed the top of her muzzle down onto the top of Maeve’s head. She kissed the girl that she loved so much, the girl that might even understand her own pain more than her sister, Celestia might.

Again, Luna’s thoughts turned to Twilight and the realisation that Twilight had not been turned away or deterred by Luna’s inner darkness. Twilight had seen it as a challenge, and a challenge was something to be conquered, like a difficult puzzle or running a marathon. Luna had tried to send Twilight on her way, but the plucky, pesky purple pony perfectionist persisted.

“Maeve, you might be surprised who will love you,” Luna said in a strangled whisper, “and how far they will go to love you. Some ponies never give up… as much as it hurts, as difficult as it can be, you have to let somepony love you, no matter how much it hurts.” Luna’s words were as sincere as she could muster, she tried to make herself believe in them, she needed to believe in them. “You’re not garbage… you’re not a snotty hanky… you’re a girl that had something bad happen, and it wasn’t your fault… it doesn’t diminish you…”

Luna fell silent, tears slipping from the corners of her eyes. For her, however, it was her fault. She had opened the door and had let Nightmare Moon in. Luna’s heart ached as she wrestled with everything inside of her head and the guilt threatened to topple her.

“How do we get better?” Luna asked, speaking her thoughts aloud.

There was no reply from Maeve, only sobbing, as Maeve rocked back and forth as she sat on the floor, clutching and clinging to Luna. There seemed to be no end in sight for the suffering caused by the past—for Maeve, a suffering she didn’t deserve, and for Luna—a suffering much deserved.

The pair held one another in silence, each one grieving, each one feeling the excruciating pain of a past that had been exceedingly cruel to them, each one of them understanding one another in a way that few could. They lived in parallel to one another, an understanding rooted in misery.

But a shared misery meant a shared solace. Solace meant comfort. And even now, as they both held one another and sobbed, there was comfort. They had each other. If Maeve’s life stretched into centuries or even eons, they would still have one another, they would have their understanding, and that shared misery would root them together. In centuries, it would be an unbreakable bond, a shared strength.

“I wish Twilight was here,” Maeve said between sniffles.

“So do I,” Luna replied, her own heart aching for Twilight’s presence. Twilight would know how to make both of them feel better. Twilight would fix things. Twilight would have sensible, meaningful words that would soothe old hurts and make facing future hurts a bit more bearable.

“I wouldn’t mind having two fairy horsemothers… I think it would make me happy,” Maeve said as she wiped her snotty face against Luna’s fuzzy, but sopping wet neck. “That sounds an awful lot like a happy ending for this messed up fairytale.”

“Yes it does, Maeve, yes it does…”

Author's Note

Next Sunday there should be another update. MFD is coming out on Sundays too. Should be a chapter of that today.

Chapter 39

Curious, as well as being a bit concerned, Maeve made her way down the long hallway leading to the throne room. It wasn’t often that she was summoned; oh, she was called to the throne room or other places often enough, but to be summoned, that was something else. She wasn’t going to the throne room as Maeve, but as Sorceress Maeve.

She went down the hallway with as much grace as she could muster, her long skirts swishing around her ankles, and Blueblood was almost glued to her, moving along scant inches behind her. As she walked, she began to feel some worry—what was happening, what was wanted from her, what was going on—she had been told nothing by the pegasus guard that uttered the words, telling her that she, Sorceress Maeve, had been summoned.

Turning into the main entrance hall, she saw a group of guards had formed a living wall to keep others out. The throne room was being secured, which meant that this was important. The guards stepped forwards, then all moved aside as one to allow Maeve to pass and gain entry into the throne room. As Maeve approached, the door opened, encased in the glow of cherry red magic.

Somewhat surprised, Blueblood was allowed inside the throne room with her. She stopped, sucked in a deep breath, and drew herself up to her full height. Right away, her heart began to race. Twilight Sparkle was here! There were three alicorns in the throne room. Princess Celestia was pacing the length of the room, the weight of centuries of rule showing on her face, she looked pensive… and afraid. Princess Luna was sitting upon a decorative cushion, looking a little sleepy. Princess Twilight Sparkle appeared to be talking to Bjarke.

“Sorceress Maeve,” Luna began, “it is good that you are here. We have a crisis.”

“A crisis?” Maeve replied.

Twilight turned around to face Maeve, her expression stern and serious. “Princess Luna, we have determined that there is a crisis but we have not yet reached a decision on what we are to do about it just yet.”

“But something must be done,” Bjarke said in a voice that was almost a pleading whisper. “We cannot ignore these cries of help. We cannot—” Bjarke fell silent when Twilight raised her hoof in a gesture for silence.

“What is going on?” Maeve asked as she wiped her sweaty right palm against her skirts. She folded her arms over her chest and waited for someone to explain what was going on to her.

“Bjarke and Princess Celestia were in the astral realm together when something contacted Bjarke. It begged for help. Now we are trying to figure out what to do.” Twilight Sparkle eyed Princess Celestia. “We are going to do something, right?”

“This is very risky.” Princess Celestia stopped in place, no longer pacing to and fro.

“Doing the right thing often involves risk.” No sooner had Maeve spoken, every eye in the room was locked upon her. The girl squirmed, unfolded her arms from her chest, and once more, she wiped her sweaty right palm upon her skirt. “I keep being told that the right things are never easy, but still must be done.”

Ears drooping, Princess Celestia’s head hung low. She looked at Bjarke, then at Twilight, then over at Luna, and then at last, she looked at Maeve. “I suppose that settles it. Something must be done, but the risk galls me.”

There was a loud exhale of relief from Bjarke, who trembled as he stood there, his hands resting upon the pommels of his swords. His eyes closed and his whole body shook. The faint, soft clanking of metal could be heard as his swords clapped against his legs.

“Some concerned entity contacted Bjarke in the astral realms, I do not know what it was, but it relayed the fact that a collection of creatures were in trouble… in another realm. Dire trouble.” Princess Celestia took a step closer to Bjarke, her expression one of worry and concern. After pausing for a moment, she went to his side. “Bjarke, are you okay?”

His almost luminous violet eyes opening, Bjarke slumped, no longer able to maintain his rigid posture. He looked at Celestia with wide, pleading eyes. “The years of war have not been kind. There have been so many that I have failed to save. The numbers of those who serve goodness and light continue to dwindle.”

The white alicorn nodded. “I understand.” She took a step closer to Bjarke. “Who, or what are we saving? What are we dealing with?”

“We’re saving a group of gnomes,” Bjarke replied, speaking in a strained voice. “Think of them as sapient potatoes… earth spirits. They talk, sing, and dance… they make merry in the moonlight… during the day they sleep in the soil, purifying the ground and making green things grow.”

“And who are we saving them from?” Celestia asked.

“A dealer in curios and magical artifacts. I wasn’t told very much. But he deals to the dokkálfar and the svartálfar… the gnomes can be ground up and turned into potions that make one better at magic… stronger.” Bjarke’s voice dropped into a scratchy whisper. “They are also turned into fertility potions that make the chance of conception better for my evil brethren.”

“We have to save them,” Maeve said as she stepped forwards. “What do we do?”

“We use your magic to open a rift,” Bjarke replied. “Oh, don’t worry, I can help you… you can do this, Maeve, I know that you can… you brought me here.”

Maeve took a moment to think about what this entailed. She looked at Bjarke, her jaw muscles tensing, and then she looked at Luna. After a moment, she looked over at Celestia. “It means going through the rift and rescuing them… it means going into danger… it means going to someplace else.” Maeve’s fiery orange eyebrows furrowed. “If the gnomes are there, it will mean that I will probably have magic there, meaning that this falls on me.”

“So smart, so clever…” Bjarke’s words came out as a breathy whisper. “So much like my sister.”

Blushing, Maeve could feel her cheeks and her long pointy ears burning. She had been about to say something, but now, the words were caught in her throat. Her eyes fell and she stared down at her own feet.

“We will need an expedition. We cannot let Sorceress Maeve go alone.” Princess Celestia looked at her fellow alicorns. “She will need protectors if this becomes dangerous.”

“I’m going.” Blueblood lifted his head high and stood at attention, his eyes straight ahead. The stallion looked resolute and his tone of voice made it quite clear that he would not be argued with.

“I am Sorceress Maeve’s teacher and these gnome creatures… they are creatures of the night. I am obligated to help them.” Luna moved to Maeve’s side and gave her sister a cool stare. “I understand the risks, but there is a lesson here and I will not be a poor teacher. I have made far too many mistakes already.”

“Bjarke, you must stay,” Princess Celestia said to Bjarke.

The tall elf bowed. “I understand… Maeve might need help returning home. I can pull her through in much the same way that I pulled myself through, using her magic.”

“I’m going.” Twilight stepped closer to both Luna and Maeve, gritting her teeth as Celestia inhaled. Before Celestia could argue, Twilight was already on the defensive. “I’m going, and that’s final. I will not let my dear friends go into danger without me. I am aware of the risks. Two alicorn princesses and one elven sorceress gone through the portal. Do not lecture me, Princess Celestia. I love them both and I am going, and that is final.”

Gasping, Princess Celestia deflated. She looked at Twilight, their eyes locked together, and after a long silence, Princess Celestia said in a low, quavering voice, “I would expect no less from you, my most faithful student. Never abandon a friend during a time of trouble.”

“Maeve will need her sword and crown.” Princess Luna glanced at Blueblood. “We do not know what sort of world we are going to. We do not know what forms we will have. We could end up in very different bodies. We might have no magic at all, or very little magic.”

Nodding, Blueblood said nothing, but continued to stand at attention.

Maeve, who felt sweaty all over, stood squirming. Every life was worth saving, even the ones that seemed inconsequential. She thought of Red, her best friend and companion. He was a small, frail creature, he had a disease, brittle bones, and his condition had left him crippled. But he was a good and worthwhile creature. He had purpose. He was very dear to her. In her moment of reflection, Maeve realised that her relationship with him had given her some much needed compassion.

Yet, even as she thought about lives that were worth saving, she thought of lives worth taking. She thought of Lunn and his cruelty. She had cut him down without a second’s hesitation. She thought of Queen Oonagh, another that she had killed, cut down, cleaved in into chunks with her sword. Perhaps not every life was worth saving, some were worth taking, but Maeve had the vague notion that such things were necessary. She would save the ones that she could and end the ones that she had to.

“Uncle, what are these gnomes to us?” Maeve asked.

“Creatures that long ago, our kind made an oath to protect. We gave our word. That oath has long since died. Everything has fallen and nothing is as it was.” Bjarke took a step closer to Maeve. “There is so much I wish to tell you… about your mother and her views, but I fear it would be seen as emotional manipulation or pressure.” Bjarke paused and his lips pressed together. He studied Maeve with an intense stare as the silent seconds passed, and after some time, he broke his silence. “All I will tell you is to search your heart, my Niece.”

Nodding, the tall girl began to feel the pressure of what must be done settling upon her shoulders. She appreciated her uncle’s words and drew strength from them. She felt her stomach twisting around inside of her. Fear and tension began to have its way with her. She gritted her teeth, realising now was not the time for weakness. She squared her shoulders, sucked in a deep breath, her delicate chest rising inside of her tunic.

“We should hurry. We have much to do,” Maeve said.

Seeing the pained expression in Red’s eyes, Maeve knelt down and then lowered her head, coming almost nose to nose with the small, frail equine colt. She watched a tear roll down his cheek. A short distance away, Rose Gold stood watching, her sides heaving, a terrible look of worry upon her face.

For a second, when looking into Red’s eyes, there were no other ponies in the room, only Red. Maeve reached out her right hand and using her thumb, she wiped away the tears on Red’s cheek.

“Don’t do it,” Red begged, his whole body trembling. “Please don’t go… it’s so dangerous.”

“I must,” Maeve replied in a soft voice as she ran her thumb over Red’s damp, velvety cheek. “It’s time I grow up a little and do what I can to make things better.” Maeve blinked, feeling her own eyes tearing over. “Look after Fuschia. See that she is happy.”

“Yes, Sorceress, I will do as you ask.” Red bowed his head for a moment, then looked back up at Maeve. The colt looked frantic for a moment, panicked even, and then his ears pinned back against his skull.

Giving Maeve no warning, Red pressed his lips against Maeve’s and gave her a quick, clumsy kiss, his own fuzzy lips brushing up against her smooth, hairless ones. Her face was soft and had some give to it, and as he lingered against her, he could feel the firmness of her teeth just behind her soft, somewhat plump lips.

Stupefied, Maeve sat there in shock, her eyes wide, and she made no response.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me… please don’t panic, please!” Red began to back away, his ears drooping, his tail tucked between his legs. “I’m so sorry… I’ll never do it again, I promise!”

Recovering, Maeve looked at her best friend, realising that something had just changed between them, something that could never be undone, things could never go back to how they were. She thought about the soft, fuzzy feeling of Red kissing her. It terrified her, scared her something awful, but she could not deny that she enjoyed it. Rising, she stood, balancing on her wobbling legs.

“We’ll talk when I come back, Red.” Maeve’s hands fell down to her waist and came to rest upon her wand and her sword. “Goodbye, Red… I’m coming back.”

Red retreated to his mother’s side, looking confused, sad, and hopeful all at the same time. He clung to his mother’ leg, and unable to bear it any longer, began weeping, pressing his face into Rose’s knee.

While all of this had been happening, two sisters had been saying their own goodbye. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stood together, with Princess Twilight standing near Luna’s side. Princess Celestia’s worry was visible upon her face as she was sending away both her sister and her former student.

Turning, Maeve walked towards the table where her crown lay waiting. Choróin ar an Bitseach. The crown that made her cranky. Extending a trembling right hand, she lifted the crown and then placed it upon her head. Right away, she could feel her mood changing. She felt irritated, hostile… she felt mean. She pitied anything that got in her way. She became all too aware of the supernaturally sharp sword hanging from her waist.

“I’m ready, help me, Uncle.” Maeve bowed her head and waited, knowing that this would be the difficult part. Perhaps the most difficult part.

Hearing his niece's voice, Bjarke moved forwards, doing so with caution, and he stood beside Maeve. He lifted his hands, saying nothing, and placed them both upon Maeve’s temples. He could feel her trembling and he knew how difficult this had to be for her. He could hear her breathing quicken as he pulled her closer.

Their foreheads touched, Bjarke had to bend his neck to make it happen, and he could feel Maeve wanting to pull away from him. He saw her teeth clench, he knew that she was struggling. In that moment, Maeve was so much like her mother, his sister, that Bjarke felt his heart breaking. He squeezed his eyes shut and concentrated as tears began to slide down his own cheeks. All of his training as a warrior had not prepared him for this pain.

Maeve felt her uncle’s mind touching hers. All of her fear, all of her terror, it began to flow away from her. All of the thoughts and memories of her father and what he had done retreated from her mind. She leaned forwards, pressing her forehead against Bjarke’s, and without realising it, her right hand clasped around Bjarke’s wrist, clinging to it.

Inside of her mouth, Maeve’s teeth began to vibrate, and she could feel the buzzy sensation in her long, slender, pointed ears as well. The knowledge of what she needed to do filled her mind. The crown upon her head thrummed with magical power. She knew what magic had to be performed.

Pulling away from her uncle, Maeve drew her sword from its sheath. Gritting her teeth, her body surrounded by a glowing silver-blue nimbus, she slashed at the air with her sword, cutting open a rift. She stabbed her blade into the rift and held it open.

“It is time to go,” Maeve said to the others as she made a gesture towards the portal.

Author's Note

Red got brave.

Next chapter... we leave Equestria.

Chapter 40

This world was gritty. Almost right away, Maeve had trouble breathing. She was disoriented and confused from stepping through the rift. She had almost dropped her sword and now, in her muddled state, her wooden fingers gripped tight around it as she coughed.

Eyes watering, lungs burning, Maeve turned to check upon her companions, and was quite surprised. There were no small, fuzzy, goat sized equines with her. Twilight Sparkle was almost as tall as she was, strangely dark skinned, with dark brown hair. Twilight looked nothing like her equine self, and Maeve was confused as to how she knew that it was Twilight. Perhaps the most peculiar of all things was the fact that Twilight was wearing clothes. She was wearing a dress that was a vibrant lavender colour, about the same shade as her equine pelt.

Then there was Luna, for whom Maeve had to look up at. Luna was a giantess. Maeve, who failed to understand just how tall she was now compared to regular humans, now felt rather small compared to Luna, who towered over her by a good head and a half. But that was not the worst of it. Maeve had been living around tiny equines for far too long, and she had forgotten certain aspects of life around humans.

Princess Luna was gifted with the most enormous bosoms. Absolutely enormous bosoms. Maeve felt underdeveloped and inadequate standing next to Luna, she felt like a flat chested little girl. Without even thinking about it, Maeve raised her free right arm and covered her chest, a frown appearing upon her face. She glanced at Twilight and realised that Twilight was rather flat chested as well in human form, and while it did not make her feel better, at least Maeve did not feel worse.

Then there was Blueblood, whose transformation was also shocking in its own way. Blueblood wasn’t very tall, indeed, he was the shortest out of all of them, but he was heavyset, stocky, muscled, barrel chested, his arms were bigger than their necks, his legs were broad and sturdy.

His skin was a deep, dark, chocolate brown and his hair was a pale golden blonde. Maeve had never seen another human being that looked quite like Blueblood did during all of her years as a human girl. He was beautiful—no, he was handsome and seeing him made Maeve feel funny. She was already light headed and woozy from stepping through the portal.

The others were also taking a minute to recover, and that was when Twilight Sparkle also took notice of Princess Luna’s ginormous bosoms. The now very human Twilight Sparkle froze, wide eyed, and stared at Princess Luna’s cleavage, which threatened to go bursting out of the night blue dress that Luna was wearing.

“My eyes are up here,” Luna said in a low voice as she drew herself up to her full height. When she inhaled, the fabric of her dress strained to hold everything in, and several buttons appeared to be contemplating suicide. “Ugh, I seem to have an excess of big, pillowy mammaries. These are going to do nothing but get in way… how horrible.”

“Yeah, horrible,” Twilight muttered, her wide eyes unable to fight the strange gravity that held them in place. “So horrible… if you need some help with those—”

“Twilight Sparkle, now is not the time,” Luna snapped.

“Guh…” Twilight gasped.

Feeling a pout coming on, Maeve turned away and continued to feel her teenaged inadequacy. She slid her sword into its sheath, adjusted the crown on her head, coughed, and then focused on not rubbing her eyes, which she knew would make the problem worse.

Wobbling, Blueblood took a few steps, and his shoulder length pale blond locks bobbed around his face. He was wearing a white frock coat that was already getting gritty black flakes on it. When he tried to wipe the flakes away, the soot smeared his coat.

“I say, this is quite disorienting,” Blueblood said to himself. “Sorceress Maeve, are you well?”

“I’m fine,” Maeve blurted out, not wanting to admit that she was currently being eaten alive by jealousy of the worst sort.

“Twilight, are you well?” Blueblood asked.

“Uh, fine… Princess Balloona… uh…”

Rolling her eyes, Luna snorted. “When we get home, you are going to get what is coming to you, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna wiggled around inside of her dress and tried to get the fabric straining around her chest to relax a little. It looked… strained to say the very least.

A strange sound came from Blueblood, almost a cough, which was understandable, but then, Maeve realised that he was chortling. He was enjoying himself, a rare display of emotion, some reaction to the circumstances. For some reason, even though she did not understand why, hearing Blueblood’s repressed laughter made her feel better. She coughed, fanned the air in front of her face, and wondered what the falling soot flakes were going to do her hair.

“How did we get clothing?” Blueblood asked.

“I do not understand the magic of stepping from one world to another,” Luna replied as she began to have a look around. Luna, now a very, very tall human woman, made a gesture towards a group of humans now approaching. “I do not like the look of them… ruffians and ne’erdowells incoming.”

Maeve’s left hand settled upon the pommel of her sword. A scowl crept over her face. She was getting a bad feeling from the group of men approaching them. She didn’t trust men—well, she trusted Blueblood, but he was a pony. Maeve quieted her mind, everything was far too confusing right now.

“‘Ullo ladies… fancy meetin’ ya ‘ere in our alley,” one of the men said as he approached. “I is afraid t’ere is a bit of a toll for safe passage.” He smiled, revealing a black grin, many of his teeth were broken or missing entirely. “Oh by the gods… I’ve never seen anyt’ing like t’ose.” The man’s gaze was locked upon Luna.

Several of the other men began to chuckle.

Offering no warning, Maeve drew her sword. The laughter stopped and the men stood staring. One of them pulled out a dirty, rusty looking cleaver from inside of his waistcoat and stepped forward.

“Little lady, you’d better put that way before you get hurt,” the man warned.

Making a strange sound in his throat, Blueblood stepped forwards, his hands balled up into fists. He stood on wobbling, unsteady legs. An erant breeze blew through Blueblood’s golden locks.

One of the men, the man that had made a remark about Luna’s cleavage, eyed Blueblood. “We ‘ave ourselves a gentleman ‘ere, me boyos.”

Blueblood, a walking slab of muscle, scowled and a rumbling sound could be heard deep within his barrel chest. Blueblood’s shoulders were almost twice as wide as every other man present. The former pony, now musclebound brute, had fingers like sausages, large fingers, with broad, wrinkled knuckles.

“Oi, you better back off, darkie,” the man with the cleaver said. “Just walk away… or I’ll start cuttin’ off things’ you’ll miss. See if I don’t.”

Princess Luna stepped forwards, shoving Twilight aside. The giantess jiggled enticingly as she moved, and every head turned to look at her as her night blue dress made a valiant effort to keep her voluptuous, buxom body contained. She shoved her way past Maeve, eyeing Maeve’s sword as she did so, and she looked down at the short human male in front of her. Maeve was taller than he was and so was Twilight.

“Do these fascinate you?” Luna asked, and then inhaled as much as she dared. The fabric of her dress made a strange sound as it strained. “Are these the object of your desire?”

“Oi, boy ‘owdy,” the leader of the gang replied, his eyes now focused upon Luna’s heaving bosom. He raised his hands, wiggled his fingers, and went to grab himself a handful.

Moving with what had to be supernatural speed, Princess Luna raised a fist that was the size of a toaster, something that hadn’t been invented yet in this reality. Never once losing her peaceful, calm expression, she straight armed the grabby, would-be bosom snatcher. He was lifted bodily into the air and flew backwards for a good twenty feet, slammed into a brick wall, slid down the bricks, and then went still on the ground of the filthy alleyway. Luna might’ve looked human at the moment, but she still had every bit of her alicorn strength, which was considerable.

“Who else wants to touch?” Luna asked in a haughty voice. “Come at me, you mammary molesting miscreants!” She raised her other toaster sized fist and assumed a more combative stance. A button at the top of her dress made a heroic struggle to hold everything together, but was pulled taut across Luna’s heaving chest.

There was a clatter as the rusty, filthy cleaver one of the men was holding fell to the cobblestones. Maeve waved her sword around as she stood beside Luna. Blueblood had grabbed Twilight, pulled her closer to him, and was now looking rather menacing as he held one burly forearm around Twilight’s midsection, his jaw was clenched and he was every bit musclebound as Luna was busty, which is to say a lot.

With a cry, the men scattered, leaving the reality hopping travellers in peace.

Without knowing how she knew, Maeve knew which direction to go. It was like something tugging at her insides. She felt unsettled, a bit panicked, but was trying to hold everything together. She wanted to take deep breaths, fill her lungs, and calm down, but the air here was far too filthy.

Twilight let out a startled cry, which almost caused Maeve to jump out of her skin. The young girl looked up to see what the source of Twilight’s concern was. A silvery zeppelin drifted overhead, black smoke billowing from exhaust ports along the sides. Maeve had seen one before, a long time ago, when she was little. She remembered her mother saying that zeppelins would one day replace the big ships on the ocean.

The sky was an odd shade of pinkish green and the sunlight had trouble piercing through the smog. Massive smokestacks could be seen standing over the buildings all around them. Coughing, Maeve turned to her companions. Luna was eyeing her surroundings, now gloriously free of ruffians.

“This isn’t at all like when I stepped through the mirror and visited Canterlot High,” Twilight said to no one in particular. “I still sort of looked like me. The humans there were different… or maybe the humans here are different, I don’t know.” Twilight, now a human woman, let out a frustrated sigh. “My skin is a strange colour, I look a bit like Maeve.”

“You look normal to me,” Maeve said as she shrugged.

“Princess Luna has black hair.” Twilight reached out one hand to touch Luna’s hair, and then let out a hiss of surprise when Luna slapped her hand away. She cringed away from Luna, rubbing her slapped hand with the other.

“You… you have the same fixation with my ridiculous mammaries as those… those… hideous snaggle toothed brutes.” Luna’s eyes narrowed and her fingers twitched.

“We should focus upon the task that we are here to perform.” Blueblood took a step closer to Maeve, glancing around for danger as he did so. “We should not be focusing upon Princess Luna’s zeppelin sized mammaries.”

“Blueblood!” Luna stomped her booted foot and there was a splat as it struck the filthy, gunky cobblestones. “Has the world gone mad? I do not understand the fixation… these are awkward, in the way, and make my back hurt! I do not even understand what strange magic is holding them up!”

Maeve glanced down at her own chest, felt a pang of regret, jerked her head back up, and eyed the entranceway to the alley in which they stood. There were several doors here, some stairs, and the buildings were made out of red brick that had been stained a rusty grey from the soot that fell like dirty black snowflakes.

What they came for wasn’t very far away, Maeve could feel it. They were close. She felt something else… something that unsettled her. She didn’t know what it was, but she had the same feeling of revulsion going through her body as she did when she sniffed spoilt milk.

Maeve took off, which caused Twilight to let out a worried cry. Blueblood hurried after Maeve, fell into place at her side, and followed her. Luna and Twilight both took off, Luna’s long legs allowing her to move with a confident swiftness.

Standing in the alley entryway, Maeve came to a halt and took it all in. The streets were filled with wagons, cabs, coaches, and carts, all pulled by horses. Whips cracked in the air, urging the horses to hurry along. There were vendors on the sidewalks. Men and women walked along the sidewalks, some of the men had swords hanging from their belts, others had pistols. Many of the women had parasols to protect them from the falling soot.

The street was filthy, filled with sewage, garbage, and horse manure. Little shops could be seen, shops with filthy, sooty windows. An unpleasant stench hung heavy in the air. A cart filled with ash covered cabbages went rumbling past, pulled not by a horse but by a pair of donkeys.

“The Avonshire slasher kills another!” a paperboy shouted as he waved a dirty newspaper over his head. “Another strumpet found hacked to bits in the city of Avonshire! Read all about it! It’ll only cost ya two dings!”

It had been a long time since Maeve had been in a city like this. Crossing the street was going to be intimidating. She worried about her companions, and felt fretful for herself. She could feel her panic rising, welling up inside of her, threatening to overcome her.

Wearing a crown, Maeve expected to feel out of place, but her clothing and even her sword didn’t feel too out of place. None of the other women seemed to have swords, but the men did, so being armed seemed to be a common enough occurrence here. The only thing that made Maeve feel out of place was her height. Something had changed with her since her growth spurt. She was taller than most of the men around her. Her half elven heritage stood out now that there was something to contrast it with. Maeve thought about her pointed ears and hoped that the long tips were mostly hidden in the frizzy mess that was her hair. Luna was even taller than she was, Luna, by all appearances, was the tallest being in the entire crowd. She towered over all others and Maeve could not help but wonder how tall Celestia might be.

Filled with a strange sense of urgency, Maeve started forwards, Blueblood at her side.

Author's Note

More is coming. Soon.

Chapter 41

Maeve came to the slow, plodding conclusion that she wasn’t on a human world. Oh sure, there were humans here, and she could spot them, they looked human, more or less, the sort of humans she was used to… but… there was also the massive man that was almost as tall as Princess Luna and had strange, mottled, almost pebble-like greyish skin. He looked as though he was made of rocks. He was lumpy and misshapen and something about him wasn’t very human at all.

Another woman had green grass growing where her hair should have been and her skin looked like pale brown bark. Seeing her caused Maeve to look down at her own living wooden hand and check out her own bark skin. The woman, thin and graceful, was beautiful in a strange way. Maeve was enchanted by her appearance, and because of this, she had some inkling, some understanding of the attraction that Luna and Twilight shared with one another.

For whatever strange reason, the crowds gave Blueblood, her protector a wide berth. He moved beside her as she tried to navigate the crowd, her panic growing stronger by the minute, and he encouraged people to get out of the way. Maeve’s pale freckled skin was now smeared with greasy soot.

In the street, a whip cracked and a horse whinnied with pain, causing both Twilight and Luna to turn and look. A sneering scowl of anger was on Luna’s face, and on Twilight’s face was an expression of pain. This was not a kind place to horses nor people.

After a short journey and one perilous crossing of the street, the companions came to the door of a shop and Maeve knew that this was the place they wanted to be. What they came to find was here. She turned and looked at Blueblood as her hand reached out for the knob of the door. She saw him nod. Taking a deep breath, Maeve pushed open the door and hoped for the best.

Upon entering the store, Maeve paused. The store was filled with all manner of curious items and there was a man behind the counter that sort of looked like a goblin. He had a long nose, oversized ears, and a severe underbite with upwards pointing buck teeth that pressed into his upper lip. He was wearing a somewhat battered looking suit, a top hat, and he was greasy looking. Maeve was flooded with revulsion just looking at him. He reminded her of Nilzebog for some reason. Maeve didn’t like Nilzebog. There was a reason she had killed him.

As Maeve stood in the doorway, the man stared at her and her companions. After a moment, he scowled and shook his head, causing his jowls to wobble. He let out a raspy gasp of what sounded like anger.

“Mister Groglegarch, we have unwelcome visitors. Please show them out.”

Turning her head, Maeve saw an actual giant approach. He was even taller than Princess Luna and bulkier than Blueblood. He had dark green mottled skin and a broad, flat nose. His lips were oversized, blubbery, and were curled back into a hideous grin filled with corn yellow teeth. With every step that Mister Groglegarch took, the whole of the store rattled.

Maeve felt like screaming, her panic was approaching the breaking point and she didn’t know what to do. She was sick of being passive. She was sick of having bad things happening to her. She was sick of being scared of everything. She decided right then and there that it was time to take a stand for herself. There was a silken sounding hiss as Lann na Gealaí Dubh was pulled from its scabbard. She held the sword in her left hand and her wand appeared in her right hand almost as if by magic.

Her left arm changed, as did her fist. Long barbed thorns sprouted all along her arm, dripping some kind of terrible greenish sap. Wicked looking spines sprouted from her knuckles. Her arm became like a rosebriar straight out of the nightmares of some slumbering eldritch entity. There was a creak of wood as her fingers redoubled her grip on her sword.

The man behind the counter, seeing Maeve, pulled out a long, thin, delicate looking wand tipped in copper. He pointed it in Maeve’s general direction and scowled. Mister Groglegarch paused in place for a moment.

“Ah, an elf of the white. You’ll fetch a good price to the right buyer. Perhaps our guests are more welcome than I thought, Mister Groglegarch. See that she is subdued if she tries to cause a problem.”

With a cry, the massive, hulking brute charged forwards…

Recovering, Princess Luna brushed herself off. The front of the store was in ruins. The big green bruiser had engaged Blueblood in a fight and Blueblood had shown himself capable. The two had wrecked the front of the store, collapsing the wall, and the battle was now out here on the street. The crowd screamed and fled as the two burly brawlers hammered away at one another.

Twilight Sparkle and Maeve were still inside the store, which worried Luna a bit. Scowling, looking more annoyed than anything else, Princess Luna reached out one toaster sized hand, wrapped it around a twelve foot long wrought iron lamp post, and with a swift jerk, she snapped the lamp post, breaking it near the base. She hefted it in one hand, testing it for balance, and then held it in two hands.

Princess Luna smiled, a disturbing smile filled with gleeful mayhem. It wasn’t often that she was able to cut loose without her pesky sister around, shouting at her to behave like a princess. The twelve foot long length of wrought iron had a good heft to it. Luna darted forwards, swung the long length of iron up over her right shoulder, and then swung it like a club right at the head of Mister Groglegarch, coming at him from behind.

“HUZZAH!” Luna cried.

Blueblood ducked and got out of the way just as the lamp post connected with Mister Groglegarch. There was a ringing sound like a bell and the iron lamp post, swung with terrific force, bent and folded to a ninety degree angle around Mister Groglegarch’s head. Luna froze after the impact, a curious pouty pucker upon her lips, as her makeshift weapon had not had the effect she had hoped for.

Mister Groglegarch did not look pleased with the recent developments. Opening his mouth, he roared with fury and gave himself a shake. Luna let go of the now bent wrought iron lamp post and realised that she was going to need something bigger, something better if she hoped to subdue Mister Groglegarch.

Twilight Sparkle seemed oblivious to the flying spell that passed a few inches away from her head. Her eyes were narrowed and a scowl of concentration was upon her face as she studied Maeve’s wand. The wand was held just in front of Twilight’s nose. Twilight’s lips were moving, but no words could be heard.

After a moment of concentration, Twilight pointed the wand at the counter where their attacker had ducked down to take cover. A blast of magenta light flew from the tip of the wand and an enormous chunk of the counter exploded into splinters.

“Damn you! That was mahogany! Do you know how much that will cost to replace!” an angry voice shouted. “You insufferable trollop!”

As Twilight powered up another spell, Maeve turned around to check out the crashing sound behind her. She saw Blueblood grappling with the big green skinned giant in the wreckage that had been the front wall of the store. Biting her lip, Maeve wondered what to do. Gripping her sword with both hands, she made a decision.

Shrieking with redheaded fury, she launched herself out from behind the ruined shelf she was hiding behind and made a clumsy chop at Mister Groglegarch. Her downwards chop missed, so she reversed her stroke and made an even clumsier upwards chop. The blade bit deep and a second later, a large green six fingered hand flopped down to the floor.

The green man bellowed and the severed limb turned to wood on the floor, strange, weird looking distorted wood that looked sickly. A new hand began growing from the stump that spurted green goo.

Blueblood took this opportunity to punch his opponent in the face a few times, but his punches didn’t do much to hurt the big green behemoth. Maeve made another swipe with her sword as Mister Groglegarch tried to retreat. She caught him a glancing blow and took off more of his arm, this time right below his elbow.

Princess Luna, armed with a massive cast iron skillet she had picked up from the wreckage out in the street, gave Mister Groglegarch a solid blow the head, a two handed thump to the skull with all of her strength thrown into it, which was considerable.

The cast iron skillet bent, deforming around Mister Groglegarch’s skull just as the wrought iron lamp post had. The big green bruiser let out an angry shout and Luna let go of the skillet as an explosive blast caused a shelf near her to burst into flames. There was a cry from Twilight as she returned fire with Maeve’s wand.

Luna, realising that swift action was needed before the magic users destroyed everything around them, including the creatures they had been sent here to rescue, snatched a large vase in her hand, held it, and waited, her eyes on the ruined remains of the mahogany counter.

When she saw a head pop up for a second to lob off a spell, she hurled her vase, just as Maeve was taking another whack at Mister Groglegarch. The green behemoth toppled to the floor as Maeve lopped off his right leg with a frenzied hack with her sword. The man behind the counter let out a pained cry as he slumped to the floor and ceased to move after the large, heavy vase had smashed him in the face, crushing his nose.

Mister Groglegarch’s missing bits were growing back with alarming speed and Maeve kept stabbing and slicing at the big fellow, refusing to allow Blueblood to be hurt. Twilight let out a crow of triumph as she charged the counter to check up on her fallen foe. Princess Luna turned to face Mister Groglegarch and she looked thoughtful as she considered her regenerating foe.

Just as things appeared to be going in the companions favour, five men appeared in bright flashes of light, bursting into existence with explosive pops. Twilight let out a cry, Blueblood bellowed, Luna turned and raised her eyebrow at the five men, and Maeve stabbed Mister Groglegarch in the crotch, wondering if that would grow back.

“NOBODY MOVE! WE ARE THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC AND THIS IS A BUST!”

“Sorceress Maeve, stand down,” Princess Luna commanded in a pleading voice.

Waving her sword around, Maeve let out a feral growl, her teeth were bared, and she eyed the five men pointing wands at her. Twilight took a step forwards, a soft smile upon her face, and she cleared her throat.

“There is a good explanation for all of this,” Twilight said as she moved in front of Maeve. “We came to recover some gnomes—”

“Who are you?” one of the men asked as he stepped forwards. He lowered his wand and made a gesture to his companions. “If you lie, things will go badly for you.”

“I am Princess Luna of Equestria.” Luna drew herself up to her full height as she spoke. “I am not human.” She pointed at Twilight with her hand. “That is Princess Twilight Sparkle.” Her finger moved in Blueblood’s direction. “And that is Prince Blueblood.”

One of the men, the one that had subdued the big green behemoth, pointed at Maeve. “And her?” he asked before Luna could say anything.

“She is Sorceress Maeve,” Luna replied.

“I see.” The level headed man’s wand vanished up his sleeve and he gave a worried glance to the figure bound in magic on the floor. “One illegal troll. Mister Plumb’s Emporium of Oddities is going to have to have a going out of business sale I think.”

“What do we do, Grime?” another man asked. “Regulations frown on arresting royalty from other places.”

“We could arrest the sorceress,” another suggested.

“No you cannot.” Luna’s hands clenched into fists. “Our laws, our traditions, because of some complications, we did not have the means to recognise a human as one of our princesses. She was given the title of ‘Sorceress’ instead.”

“She’s not human… she’s elven, a light elf by the looks of her hand. One of the last.” The man who spoke looked a bit depressed and he made a gesture at Maeve, who had lowered her sword. “There is no way I am arresting and processing that. I’m not contributing to the decline of the universe.”

“We learned about her elven heritage after the fact. When she came to us, she appeared human.” Luna’s eyes narrowed and she relaxed a bit as she began to study the five men, wondering what sorts of beings they were, and hoping they were reasonable beings.

Grime, who appeared to be the leader, folded his arms over his chest. “Look, we just need to ask you a few questions about what is going on, maybe learn a little bit about you, and we’ll help you any way we can if you can cooperate with us. If there are gnomes here as you claim, we’ll give them to her, but only her.” Grime gave a nod towards Maeve. “Out of the lot of you, she is the only one entitled to have them, as stated by our own laws.”

“We’ll be happy to cooperate,” Luna said in a warm, kind voice. Much to Luna’s relief, Maeve slipped her sword back into its sheath.

“The poor girl looks frazzled, Grime… look at her… make no mistake, as big as she is, she’s still a girl… look at the eyes, she’s haunted.” One of the men took a step closer to Maeve. “My name is Jargander Tartan.” The man bowed a bit. “I’ve met your kind before. Not many left. Miss, would you like a cup of tea or something soothing?”

Maeve took a step backwards and retreated behind Blueblood. She stared at the man who had spoken to her with wide, terrified eyes. Her dress was stained with green blood and soot. Her face was smeared with green ichor and grease.

Jargander smiled. “If I may, I am very, very happy that you put that vorpal sword away. Looks like you carved some pieces off of that troll. That’s impressive.” The man, slight of build, grinned at Maeve.

Maeve’s scowl softened a bit at Jargander’s words.

“Well, this is pleasant… I hadn’t come here with the expectation to make friends.” Twilight gave the men a warm, inviting smile. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I am the Princess of Friendship where I come from.” Remembering her time in another world full of humans, she extended her right hand towards the man named Grime.

After a second, Grime took her hand and shook it.

“I’m hoping that we can be friends and work together.” Twilight’s smile widened. “We’re real sorry about the mess, but we were attacked after we entered. This isn’t how we wanted this to end. We came here prepared for trouble, but honestly, I was hoping that we could talk our way out of this situation. We did not come here seeking violence.”

Grime nodded, knowing that Twilight wasn’t lying.

“Right now, Sorceress Maeve is wearing a crown that makes her a little cranky. You’ll have to forgive her. Magical influences… heh!” Twilight let out a nervous laugh as she pulled her hand away.

“Okay, Jargander, let’s get this mess cleaned up and sorted out.” Grime took a step towards Princess Luna and looked up at her. “You appear to be in charge. As of right now, you are our official appointed diplomat to this Equestria place. Do you accept?”

Princess Luna inhaled, nodded, and replied, “I do.”

“Good.” Grime glanced over to where Mister Plumb lay unmoving on the floor. “Let’s get this sorted out. Haskil, Hobart, search the store and find those gnomes. Zennik, secure the store to keep out onlookers and thieves. Jargander and I will take our new friends back to the station. I’ll have reinforcements sent.”

Reaching out, Luna pulled Maeve closer, worried how Maeve would deal with all of this stress. Much to Luna’s relief, Maeve did not resist, but instead, threw her arms around Luna’s waist and hugged her.

“Let’s get a move on, Jargander, we have visiting royalty to look after,” Grime said.

“And one of the ljásálfar,” Jargander replied, sounding excited. “We’re going to get promoted for this.” The overly cheerful man snapped his fingers and let go a smile that showed all of his teeth. “I’ve been working for my offworlder badge for a long, long time now.”

“Jagander, just do your job.” Grime gave Luna an apologetic smile. “You’ll have to forgive him. He suffers from excessive cheerfulness due to the love of his job.”

Luna smiled. “So I’ve noticed.”

Author's Note

Friends are made... because friendship is universal.

Chapter 42

Jargander Tartan set down a tray loaded with battered looking old relics of a bygone age. The teapot had seen better days, the teacups were both chipped as well as mismatched, and none of the spoons paired with one another. Maeve’s crown sat upon the table and she rested both of her hands beside it. The half elven girl watched as the affable man began to serve tea.

“So what happens now?” Maeve asked in a hushed voice as she tried to keep her hands from trembling. She glanced over at Blueblood, who stood in the corner, trying to keep out of the way, but also trying to be protective. She was thankful to have him near.

“Well, I reckon that Grimes and this Luna of yours are working on a deal,” Jargander replied. He stood up straight, placed his hands into the small of his back, pushed in against his kidneys, and there was an awful crackling sound as he leaned over backwards. “I once had me a real throw down against a troll, ‘scuse me.”

After watching him wince, Maeve looked around the tiny break room. It was small, dirty, cluttered, and the walls were covered in wanted posters. Many strange creatures stared back at her as she studied them.

“Thank you,” Maeve said as she picked up her teacup. The tea had a wedge of crystalised lemon floating in it and it smelled familiar, but also different. Different worlds, different teas. Maeve gave a little shrug. At some point in her life, being on a different world might have been a cause for alarm, but that moment had long since passed. Something about the tea smelled like a pine forest in the winter, a holiday smell.

“Hoi, the tea, it’ll calm ya, it comes from the sylvan elves. They’re all a bunch of hotheads… real angry types, those sylvan elves. It’s always battle this, and shoot something with an arrow that, and I don’t like how you’re looking at me, I take exception to you breathing… and they’re wee little short folk with big attitudes. Almost as bad as dwarves.” Jargander sat down in a battered chair that wobbled as he eased himself into it.

“There are other elves?” Maeve asked as she inhaled the steam from her tea. It was soothing.

“Hoi, there’s lots of elves of all types… but your type is almost gone. Makes me sad, it does.” Jargander shook his head. “Bad business, that. One day, the darkness will come for us.” The tall, thin man reached up, brushed his hair back on his head, and picked up his own teacup.

“Why are trolls illegal?” Maeve asked as she waited for her tea to cool.

Jargander’s eyebrow raised and he stared at the girl sitting across the table from him. “Curious about trolls, are ya?” His eyes narrowed and he licked his lips with a thin, quick tongue. “Trolls are horrible, dangerous brutes. Certain bad types use them as guard dogs, but the mind control spells you cast had better be good ones. Trolls are unstoppable, almost unkillable, you chop them up and you only get more trolls. One troll gets out of control, you try to stop it, and you can end up with more trolls than you know what to do with. Course, trolls is real hard to chop apart. You need a magical weapon… they heal fast enough that you can’t rip through them with regular steel.”

“Really?” Maeve took a sip of tea, found that she quite liked it, and took another sip.

“When you somehow chop up a troll, you get troll coal. If it’s left alone, it will become another troll in time.” Jargander shook his head and his hand trembled, causing some of his tea to slosh over the edge of his cup. “Our entire civilisation is made possible because of the trolls. It’s pretty horrid. We use the troll coal to power everything.”

“What?” Maeve held her teacup steady with both hands. “I don’t follow.”

“Everything you see around you, our airships, our factories, everything is powered by burning troll coal. We keep the trolls magically bound in special prisons and we chop them up every day, and we take the bits we chop off and we burn those. They burn hot, far hotter and longer than regular coal or wood, and our entire way of life depends on the farming of trolls for their coal.”

“That’s horrible!” Maeve cried in a shrill, disgusted voice.

“Hoi, it is, but we justify it because trolls are horrid, mindless brutes that would kill us all and eat us if they could. And trolls are an endlessly renewing resource. They’ll never deplete, never run out, never go away. Regular coal started to run out a long time ago.” Jargander took a sip of his tea and then shook his head.

“That’s awful.” Maeve’s eyes narrowed. “Even if they’re horrid, they don’t deserve that.”

“Hoi, Miss, you might be right, but that’s how it is.” Jargander gave Maeve an apologetic glance and then pushed a cracked plate forward. “Care for a biscuit?”

“No thank you,” Maeve replied. She looked around the room and then focused once more on Jargander. “So all of that dust outside, that’s… that’s—”

“Troll coal dust,” Jargander said, finishing off Maeve’s words.

Without warning, Twilight Sparkle burst into the tiny break room with a wide grin upon her now human face. She almost ran into the table, struggled to keep her balance, reached out, and grabbed Maeve by the shoulder.

“They have amazing technology here!” Twilight blurted out in a voice that was far too loud for the small room. “They have a communications device that allowed me to talk to Princess Celestia and tell her that everything is okay! They’re giving me the schematics so I can make one when we get home so we can stay in touch with our new friends and this will allow me to stay in touch with my other friends and this place is amazing!”

Taking a deep breath, Maeve prepared to tell Twilight about the troll coal.

Hunched over in a chair, Blueblood sat with a grim expression on his face as Grime stood reading a report of what his officers had found after the raid. Maeve, who appeared to be almost calm, sat beside Blueblood, with Twilight beside her, and Luna standing behind the three of them. The ceiling, which was quite tall, allowed for Luna to stand without ducking her head. This place was made for giants.

This world was a terrible, savage place, a mix of magic and technology. It was a nexus, a place where many worlds crossed, many realities protruded, and mythical creatures of all kinds could be found. Technology and magic grew together, like a parasitic weed wrapped around a tree. In this place, Luna saw the future of Equestria if things went wrong.

“We found the gnomes,” Grime said in a voice that was a gritty growl. “We also found some fairy tree spriggans… they’re still pine cones, so they’ll need to be planted soon so they will survive—”

“What’s a tree spriggan?” Maeve asked.

Reaching up with one meaty hand, Grimes scratched at his grey temples and blinked at the girl who had asked him a question. “It’s hard to imagine that you know nothing about this stuff, forgive me, Miss. I understand that your circumstances are unique.”

The big man took a deep breath, but before he could say anything, Jargander made himself useful. “A tree spriggan is a tiny, humanoid creature, about as tall as my hand. They’re wood spirits, have bark-like skin, mossy hair, and butterfly wings. Spriggan sap is used for all kinds of alchemical applications, but the sap is their blood and harvesting it usually kills them. They’re tiny, so they don’t have much sap, and alchemists squeeze them in a press, like one does cider apples.”

Maeve cringed, shuddered, and grabbed Twilight’s hand, so she could hold it in her own. It was nice having a hand to hold. Twilight squeezed her back, and Maeve regretted the fact that Twilight would soon have hooves again.

“You have a world rich in ambient magic from the sounds of things, so if you plant them, they’ll recover and grow. Spriggans are mostly harmless, but they do play pranks. They sing, dance, and have a tendency to make merry. They farm bees and make honey.” Grime lowered his clipboard and eyed Maeve. “They will serve you… they’ll know who you are and they’ll bring you gifts like honeycomb and offer to comb your hair and if you have enemies, they’ll harass them and stab them with poisonous thorns.”

“I thought you said they were harmless,” Luna said to Grime.

“I said mostly harmless,” Grime retorted. “I understand your worry about invasive species, but I assure you, the spriggans are harmless in the way that matters. They’re just protective little blighters over what they hold dear.”

“And the gnomes?” Luna asked.

“Will do your gardening, fertilise your ground, tend your plants, wage war upon weeds, and will sometimes play pranks,” Grime replied.

“I’m seeing a pattern here,” Luna said.

“What do you expect?” Jargander gave Luna a grin.

Shaking her head, Luna heaved a sigh, which caused her bust to expand to the point where it began to defy physics and caused gravitational fluctuations. Twilight in particular was susceptible to the effect and her head was turned by some irresistible force towards Luna’s heaving bosom.

“Given what I know of Maeve, I am not surprised that everything associated with her is impish.” Luna blinked, lifted her hand, and watched as she waggled her own fingers. Then, without saying anything, she reached over and closed Twilight’s mouth, which hung open.

“Hoi, this is your birthright… your culture, your heritage, these are the things that belong to you,” Jargander said to Maeve. “Your kind were stewards… protectors… these little ones were your, well, your subjects. They lived in your houses, in your gardens… your kind protected them, sheltered them, and in return, these creatures lived in worship of you. Your kind… they were like… they were like, well, they were like gods and goddesses to these little fellas.”

“What Jargander is trying to say is, Maeve, you have a responsibility to look after these creatures. They will no doubt be happy to have one of your kind watching over them once more. If you serve them, they will serve you. They are good, loyal servants, and a wise master always looks after their servants and treats them kindly.” Grime set down his clipboard and gestured over at an ornate strongbox.

“A princess must look after her subjects,” Blueblood said in a low voice to Maeve, “and never fail them.”

“I don’t know about all of this.” Maeve’s voice was hesitant and her eyes showed her fear. She began to drum her wooden fingers upon the edge of the table and she glanced over at the strongbox. She could hear the sounds of everyone in the room breathing. Grime and Jargander sounded raspy and a bit wheezy, which wasn’t surprising, given the quality of air they breathed.

“Maeve, darling,” Luna said, as she placed a hand upon Maeve’s shoulder, “give it a chance. You were meant for greater things. You’ll have help. Reclaim your birthright. Be what you were meant to be.”

“Okay.” Maeve’s whisper held grudging acceptance.

“In the future, we might contact you, should we find creatures like these. Your kind are getting harder and harder to find. There are so few of you left.” Grime glanced over at Jargander and then focused his hard, flinty eyes upon Maeve. “I for one look forward to working with you in the future. If you ever need help, if you ever need advice, call us. Contact us. Jargander will gladly come to you. He wants his offworlder badge.”

“Hoi, would I become a pony?” Jargander’s brows furrowed. “I was a chicken once. I just remember stepping through the portal and then buck-buck-buckaw! I was a chicken! I still feel the need to cluck sometimes.”

Covering her mouth with her hand, Maeve giggled, and Twilight as well. Luna had an amused expression upon her face, while Blueblood had no reaction. Grime began to rub his temples with his fingertips as Jargander flapped his arms like wings.

“I think our business is done here,” Grime said as he ignored Jargander. “You are free to go at any time. We have a portal generator that can send you home without any fuss. It has been wonderful to meet you, and we are glad for allies. If only first contact could be so pleasant with everyone.”

Bowing her head, Luna smiled at Grime. “I look forward to future diplomacy. New friends are always welcome. Equestria thanks you for your hospitality.”

Jargander, grinning, glanced at Maeve. “I still want to find out what it is like to be a pony…”

Author's Note

A wild update has appeared!

Chapter 1

“That one looks like an elephant. I saw an elephant in the newspaper once,” Maeve said as she pointed upwards at the clouds above. “It has a big long sneezer.”

The little girl lay with her head resting upon the ribs of Red Russet, a young earth pony colt. Her shoulders ran parallel to his spine and her head was planted just behind his front shoulders. He lay on his side, his legs kicked out, and his head turned so that he might gaze upwards.

“I have never seen an elephant, so I will take your word for it.”

Red Russet peered through his glasses, straining to see the clouds overhead. He twisted his head around to look at his companion and felt a moment of worry. “Maeve, you’re turning as red as I am red. We’ll both be lectured if you get sunburned again.”

Groaning, Maeve sat up. “I don’t get sunburn. All of my freckles just connect. Painfully.” The young girl stretched and then yawned. “I wonder what time it is?”

“I dunno, we’ve been out here for over an hour,” Red said he struggled to get to his hooves. The colt winced in pain and then cried out as he got up.

Maeve was at his side at an instant, her hands steadying the colt as he wobbled about on unsteady legs. “You didn’t break anything again, did you?” Maeve ran her hand down the colt’s neck, smoothing out his mane, and she adjusted his glasses with her other hand.

“I’m fine. Just hurt to put weight on my fetlocks,” Red Russet replied.

Her lower lip protruding in a sulky pout, Maeve said, “Stupid brittle bones disease.”

Frustrated, Maeve bent down, snatched up her broad brimmed hat, and smooshed it down upon her head to protect herself from the sun. She brushed the grass off of her long dress and smoothed away the wrinkles. She reached into her pocket and pulled out two long gloves. Saying nothing, she slipped them on over her hands and then pulled them up to her elbows. One of the fine white gloves was stained with grass; it matched the grass stain upon her elbow. Now protected against the sun, Maeve sighed and hated how much clothing she was wearing.

The sun was very different here than where she came from, the biggest difference being that the sun rose and fell because there was a magical pony princess controlling it. Her pale, bone white freckled skin was vulnerable to the sun, and the sun here was far, far sunnier, the sunniest sunny sunshine that Maeve had ever seen.

Turning to her rusty red companion, Maeve patted him on the withers as she said, “We should go inside. Do you care for tea?”

Princess Celestia moved through the indoor gardens, looking for somepony, and knowing that she would find them here if she kept looking. The glassed in arboretum was a riot of colour and an oasis of tranquility. After moving past the collection of orchids, Princess Celestia found the pony she was looking for. She saw her sister, Princess Luna, gazing into the reflection pool that was nestled in a bed of crocuses.

“Having trouble sleeping?” Princess Celestia asked of her sister in a gentle voice.

Her head low, her eyes focused upon the water, Princess Luna did not reply.

“Luna, dearest sister, do you feel any regret?” Princess Celestia asked in a soft voice flooded with sisterly concern. “I know I keep asking, but I feel it is my duty as your—”

“No… I still feel no regret for what I have done and I would follow the same course of action once again. I feel no guilt whatsoever,” Luna snapped in irritation as she looked up from the reflecting pool. Her teal eyes were bloodshot. “And do not bring up the fact that I would sleep better if I would just clear my conscious! That is not what troubles my sleep!”

Taking a step backwards, Princess Celestia looked her sister in the eye. “You potentially killed her father and you abducted her from her rightful place. You stole her away and now there is no means of putting her back, even with Twilight Sparkle’s best efforts.” The regal white alicorn shook her head. “You have broken so many rules… violated so many ethical stances—”

“I have ceased to care!” Luna bellowed, her lips and her ears quivering. “Do you not understand that? I no longer care! I did what needed to be done! I feel no guilt for what happened. The troubles in my mind come from what I saw… you were not there… he had her by her hair and he was pushing her down to drown in her own vomit puddle just so he could keep her silenced as he satisfied himself! I will NEVER feel a shred of remorse for what I have done, but I will be haunted for the rest of my impossibly long life by what I saw!”

Taken aback, Princess Celestia’s ears pinned back against her skull and she studied her sister’s eyes. Luna had changed. Whatever Luna once was, she was no longer. “I suppose that some good has come out of this, at least Sorceress Maeve is learning to control her powers,” Celestia said, feeling the need to change the subject before Luna became even more upset. Luna’s moods had always been mercurial, but now, with her troubled sleep, Luna spent far more time being irritable. “How goes the healing of her mind? Do you think the girl will know happiness in time? Will her burdens ever ease?”

Princess Luna deflated, drooping down, going from angry to miserable. Her eyelids drooped, now hanging half open, her ears went limp against her face, and her wings were limp against her sides. “Her mind is alien to me still. She can jump into our minds so readily, but I am still having trouble with hers. I have dulled the pain, softened it, I have muted the memories of what happened, blurred the details, but I have not been able to heal her and take the memories away completely. I would give anything to be able to heal her, to take the hurt away, so that she might live a happy, untroubled life.”

“Luna, she is happy… I mean, she is still a very troubled girl, but have you seen her with Red Russet, the colt of the royal gardener?” Celestia gave Luna a sad smile. “She has friends—”

“Her only friend… a sickly colt with brittle bones disease and bad eyesight. She is too afraid of everypony else and everypony else is too afraid of her, being the weird little alien that she is.” Luna heaved a sigh and shook her head.

“Luna, I think you are forgetting somepony,” Celestia said in a soft, demure, reassuring voice. “You… you two became quite close when battling your way out of the courts of the fey.”

A faint glimmer of happiness appeared in Luna’s teal eyes and they moistened with tears.

Maeve hustled along the path, her long dress swishing around her legs, and the brim of her broad, floppy hat bounced up and down with each step. Behind her, Red Russet followed. Maeve’s slippered feet made only faint sounds as she traipsed over the stone tile walkway. She had been out in the sun too long, and was now starting to feel it. Red Russet’s hooves clopped against the stone path in a well timed rhythm.

With a cry, Red stumbled over the raised edge of one of the stone tiles and stumbled forwards. Maeve, reacting with alacrity, moved in a swift but gawky manner. She turned and tried to keep Red from stumbling, knowing even a minor fall could break many of his bones. Red pitched forward and his bulk brought Maeve down.

They both tumbled to the path, with Maeve cushioning Red’s fall. They both lay there for a moment, and then with a terrible, soul rending screech, Maeve curled up into a fetal position, her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms folded over her knees.

Red disentangled himself, now almost crying himself, knowing that Maeve had some issues. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to!” He backed away a few steps, limping on his left front leg, unable to put weight down upon his hoof. “HELP!”

Within moments, the guards converged, seeming to come out of nowhere, both unicorns and pegasi in golden armor. Only a few moved near Maeve, but they kept a bit of distance. Only one unicorn drew closer, and he moved with his head down low.

“Sorceress Maeve, can you hear me? Are you alright?” the unicorn asked.

The girl gibbered and squeezed her knees to her chest even tighter. She trembled and the sounds of faint muffled sobbing filled the royal gardens. She reached up with one gloved hand and wiped her nose.

Feeling awful, Red Russet crept forward, limping on three legs, his glasses now askew upon his face. Almost crying, he nosed away the brim of Maeve’s hat and then pressed his muzzle into her cheek in an affectionate gesture. “I’m so sorry… I know how you are… it was an accident…”

Crying, Maeve reached out her other hand, the one that did not have a snotty glove over it, and patted Red’s cheek. “I couldn’t save you… you’re limping… I’m sorry too…”

“Take both Sorceress Maeve and Red Russet to the infirmary. See that Maeve gets a cup of her calming tea. Carry them both,” the unicorn commanded.

Clutching her teacup in her trembling hands, Maeve made her best effort not to slosh tea everywhere. Princess Celestia insisted that sloshing tea was behaviour not befitting a sorceress. She watched as the doctor pony bent and flexed Red’s fetlock, feeling very nervous as well as out of sorts.

“Just a bit of a bruise and some tenderness,” Doctor Greycrest said in a reassuring voice. “Lots of swelling though. Try to stay off of it Red… what have I told you about watching where you put your hooves?”

“I messed up,” Red admitted, his ears drooping from guilt.

“Why weren’t you paying attention?” Doctor Greycrest asked.

“Well, I, uh, I was watching Maeve’s dress swish around her weird little legs and feet. The movement was hypnotic… so much flowing fabric,” Red replied.

“Uh huh.” The doctor nodded. “I see.” He turned to look at Maeve. “Ponies are silly creatures. I don’t see how you manage to live around us.”

Even though she felt awful, Maeve began to giggle, causing her to slosh her tea, and adding yet another stain to her dress. She covered her mouth with one hand and tried to hold her giggles in. Giggles were another behaviour ill-befitting a sorceress.

“You had one of your spells, Sorceress Maeve. Are you feeling better?” the doctor asked.

“I just… I just don’t like feeling any weight on top of my body. I’m fine. I did it to myself trying to catch Red. He’s not very big, but he sure is heavy,” Maeve replied, pulling her hand away from her mouth.

“Well, Sorceress Maeve, I hate to do this, but once again, I am assigning you as Red’s nurse. Please, make certain that he stays off of his bad leg as much as possible. The more rest he gets, the faster he will heal, but Red doesn’t seem to understand that.” The doctor turned his head and his stern gaze fell upon the rusty red-brown colt.

“I wish you’d stop calling me ‘Sorceress’ all the time,” Maeve said, her mood turning a bit sulky. She lifted up her teacup and took a sip of the strong medicinal blend.

“Here in Equestria, we recognise those with powerful gifts that have done extraordinary things. Like Princess Cadance, or Princess Twilight Sparkle. You have exceptional magic and you battled alongside Princess Luna against the fey. You are the rightful holder of the Sidhe Crown. You were given the title ‘Sorceress’ to reflect your position. You should feel honoured and proud.” Doctor Greycrest smiled, revealing perfect teeth.

“I’m just a girl. I don’t know how I should feel.” Maeve made a dismissive gesture with her free hand. “I have a magic crown and a magic sword that slices through anything. So what. I live in a land full of magical talking ponies. I am the least special thing that exists here.”

“I’ll get you some burn ointment… your face looks like it has been scorched yet again,” Doctor Greycrest said as he wandered off. “Sorceress Maeve, you returned our beloved Princess Luna to us. For this, we are forever in your debt.”

Author's Note

I felt inspired... anyhow... tell me what you think. If there is enough interest, I might continue this as a story. Otherwise... this will become a one shot.

Chapter 10

Rose Gold, who had a troubled expression upon her face, overcame her initial hesitation, stepped closer to Maeve, and then surprised the human girl by pressing her ear against the girl’s midriff in an almost half hug. “You foolish, foolish girl, do not do that again.”

Frozen, almost dumbfounded, Maeve stood there, not quite knowing what to do, feeling panicked. With a gasp, she sucked in a lungful of air, resisted the urge to run, and then wrapped her trembling arms around Rose Gold’s muscular neck. She gave one light squeeze, she was still holding her breath, let go, and then stepped backwards.

Knowing that a threshold had been crossed, Rose Gold, who was by all accounts, a good, wise mare, turned her head to look at the girl who was pale, frightened by a hug, but not so much by a what had been a terrifying descent from a tree. At least from Rose Gold’s perspective, such a descent would have been terrifying. Being that high up would have also been terrifying. The very thought of being more than ten feet up in the air made Rose Gold dizzy and nauseous.

“I’m alright,” Maeve said as she took another step back from Rose Gold.

Luna, who knew Maeve’s moods better than perhaps anyone, could see that the girl was not alright. Much to Luna’s dismay, Luna had to renege upon her plans for a good, thorough scolding and sound verbal thrashing. The simple touch had done more to Maeve’s mood than the entire tree climbing incident. Luna could see all of the tell tale signs. The trembling fingers. The quivering lip. The quivering in the corner of Maeve’s eye. She turned and looked down at Red Russet, who stood beside her, his face covered in worry wrinkles.

“Red, would you like to learn how to prepare Maeve’s special calming tea?”

Startled, almost spooked, Red had been so engrossed in watching Maeve and his mother that he had not expected Luna to say anything. He stepped away, stumbled, and would have fallen if Luna had not caught him. She held him in a telekinetic field, steadied him, set him on his hooves, and waited for him to steady himself.

“Are you okay?” Luna asked.

“Yeah,” Red said, forgetting to use his best and most formal speech around the princess. He looked up at Luna, his eyes wide, and saw something that most ponies did not see. Kindness. Her eyes were kind… and rather sad. Haunted eyes, even though Red lacked the wisdom or the vocabulary to express such a sentiment; they were entirely too similar to Maeve’s eyes and what he saw when he gazed at her. Red was so caught up in the act of staring into Luna’s eyes that Maeve was now forgotten and he failed to notice his fretful mother approaching his side with a worried mother’s expression upon her face.

“Red, would you like to learn the secret of preparing Maeve’s special calming tea? You could be of serious help to her when she is in one of her panicked states… in such states she is sometimes incapable of making decisions or even making a simple cup of tea,” Luna said to Red.

“I would like to learn,” Red replied.

“Good, come with me back to the cottage and I shall teach you.” Luna lifted her head and looked Maeve in the eye. The girl deserved a good scolding, but Maeve’s chest was rising and falling in an all too familiar way. Scolding her at this point would be cruel, heartless even. Luna sighed. “Come on Maeve, come have a cup of tea.”

“I’m sorry,” Rose said to Maeve.

“Why?” Maeve turned and looked at Red’s mother.

Rose Gold took a deep breath and prepared to explain herself. “The hug… I wanted to hug you… I wanted to hear your heart beating and I needed to know that you were okay. I did not mean to make you panic.”

“I liked the hug… I hugged you back. You just surprised me, that’s all,” Maeve said. The girl wiped her sweaty palms upon her skirt and took a deep breath. “I’m okay.”

Her eyes narrowing, Luna did not approve of Maeve lying, but said nothing.

Using her telekinesis, Luna set the tea tin down upon the wooden counter. It was a simple thing, metal, a soft pink in colour, and had a raised wooden handle extending from the top that would allow an earth pony to use their teeth to pull the lid off. The tin was old, battered, and rescued by Maeve herself, who had taken a liking to it when she had found it in the Canterlot kitchens, set upon a table and made ready to throw out along with all of the other old worn out things in the kitchens.

Looking over at the table, which was some distance away, Luna could see that Maeve was sitting in her chair, her arms were folded over the table, and her head was resting upon her arms. Luna returned her attention to the task at hoof.

“The primary ingredient for Maeve’s tea are green tea leaves. I have the ratios written down, I shall give them to you. These give the tea a flavour that Maeve likes and help to hide the bitterness of the other ingredients. There is valerian root, which has a sedative effect. There is an abundance of widow’s rest—”

Forgetting his manners, Red blurted out, “Isn’t that poisonous?”

The Princess of the Night smiled a gentle smile. “Yes. Yes it is. Widow’s rest can be quite toxic, but only if the extract is turned into a tincture, with a great many plants boiled down into a concentrated syrup. For Maeve’s tea though, we use a few dried leaves, which I assure you, will do no harm to her at all. In low doses, helpful doses, widow’s rest slows the heartbeat, reduces the blood pressure, dulls anxiety, causes a mild drowsy effect, and sometimes leaves behind a feeling of hunger. This is why it is called widow’s rest. The plant has helped many a grieving pony get over the loss one they love, dulling the ache of separation, and easing the tenderness of a shattered heart.”

“I see,” Red said, looking up at what Luna was doing with wide, curious eyes.

“We also have a touch of chamomile, a few grave dancer petals, and the final, most important ingredient; mentha arvensis, which is a κ-opioid receptor—”

“A what?” Red looked up at Luna, blinking, his expression was a request for an explanation. The colt was intelligent, very much so, and his interest had been gained.

Luna, both surprised and delighted to see Red’s interest in the subject, felt glee that her word bait had proven that the colt had a hunger for knowledge. “It acts as a painkiller. It dulls the nerves, calms the stomach, eases nausea, can help soothe a sore throat, and on top of all of this, it has a pleasant, minty taste that Maeve likes a great deal. Along with the green tea leaves, it counters the unpleasant bitterness of widow’s rest and the somewhat foul, smoky flavour of the grave dancer petals…” Luna’s words trailed off. She lifted her head, tilted it to one side, her ears perked forwards, and then she bent her head down to have a better look. “This is interesting.” She reached out her wing and pointed at Red’s backside. “I regret to inform you that despite your namesake, you will not have much of an interest in potatoes.”

“Huh?” Red began to turn himself around, chasing after his own tail, and he noticed something different about his back half. There was a teacup back there, which had not been there before, and some kind of leaf. “Did I just get my cutie mark?”

Upon Luna’s face was a wry smile. She watched as the colt tried to get a better look. “That is a tea leaf. Congratulations.”

“I don’t understand what just happened,” Red said in a low voice. He stopped to look up at Luna once more, and after staring at her for a moment, he glanced up at the wooden counter.

“You have just discovered your life’s passion and have unlocked a gentle future well suited to your delicate nature. Those who specialise in tea blends are rare, treasured souls. A pony can specialise in so many things, alas, so few specialise in something practical and useful, like blending a good batch of tea. I have always lamented the shortage of such individuals. Once you have learned your craft, I might have to hire you on as one of my personal staff.”

“Oh… oh… I can’t do that,” Red replied. He watched as Luna began adding tea into a mesh basket that went inside of the teapot.

“What do you mean that you cannot do that?” Luna asked, playing it straight and enjoying Red’s squirming. “I am the Night Princess… who are you to refuse me? Do you know what I could have done to you for refusing me?”

Nervous, the colt gulped and then his ears perked forwards. “I’ve offered to be Maeve’s assistant.” The colt looked over at the human girl slumped over the table and then back at Luna with somewhat fearful eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“How dreadful.” Luna raised her eyebrow as she poured hot water into the teapot. “Perhaps I can lure you away with better pay? Maeve will never be able to pay you as much as I can. She might be Sorceress Maeve, but I am Princess Luna, the Princess of the Night.”

“It isn’t about money,” Red replied, his brows furrowing. “You… you’re having a go at me, aren’t you? You’re teasing me…”

“I am,” Luna admitted. “Just a little. But I was being serious when I said that you have a bright and promising future. You have a rare and valuable talent. It will certainly be useful for Maeve.” Luna fell silent and looked down into Red’s wide, staring eyes, and considered the colt’s future. “I shall see that you are educated, finding both an instructor and covering the cost of such an education. There is a rare opportunity here, and it would be shameful if it was not carefully nurtured.”

“Thank you.” Red swallowed, his mouth was dry and he felt nervous.

“Think nothing of it, I am glad that I had a part in this moment,” Luna replied. Luna felt an odd sense of happiness that she could not fathom, could not explain, a feeling of joy that banished away the other bleaker feelings that lurked deep within her.

Red sniffed, his nostrils flaring, smelling the fragrant air. His ears laid back in a more relaxed position. He smelled something minty, and now he knew what it was, as well as something pungent in the background. Steam rose from the teapot where the tea was steeping. He looked up at Luna and noticed that she seemed more relaxed, her expression was now serene, calmer. She looked sleepy.

“Are you going to go back to bed?” Red asked.

Somewhat surprised by the question, Luna blinked a few times as she looked down at Red. “Why yes, I suppose that I will.”

“You don’t look as tense as you usually do,” Red said, daring to be forward. So far, Luna had been acting like a common pony, more or less, and she had even teased him, which made it hard to be rigid and formal. He waited for Luna’s reaction and he felt the muscles in his back tense as he began to worry.

“Something about this encounter has left me with a much needed sense of calm. The tension that has been plaguing me feels as though it has lessened. You are observant to have noticed, Red,” Luna replied.

Relaxing, Red grinned, basking in Luna’s praise. He felt like pronking around the kitchen, but knew that such a thing was a bad idea. He was forced to stand there and remain still as his happiness bubbled within him. At least standing still and doing nothing made him look dignified, perhaps even important. His grin widened.

“You look as though you are going to burst.” Luna felt a smile appear upon her muzzle. “I am going to serve Maeve her tea. You should go and show your mother your cutie mark. I think she will be most pleased about this development and it should help to put her mind at ease about your future.”

“Thank you, Luna, for everything,” Red said to Luna.

“Think nothing of it,” Luna replied.

Author's Note

Writing this story causes a delightful, sedate feeling. At least, this chapter did. I hope you like it.