The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Mare

28 May 1187 AU / 1003 PL

I threw the book out of my window.

I went to get it back, then did it again.

It's three in the morning now. No one would be wandering around at this time. Some would raise their tails in these circumstances. Moondancer, however, would rather try to destroy an indestructible book.

Good use of your time, you dumb bitch.

It's seven now. I tried to set the book on fire. Lost my favorite sweater putting it out after it spread to the curtains. The book exists yet.

Then it occurred to me. If she really did die, I would be tampering with evidence. Let me rephrase: I got Twilight’s friend and an Element killed and, as my first instinct, am now attempting to cover it up purely to save my own ass. No one said I was a good pony.

Nine. I wrote the previous entry last night at eight. At around ten thirty, Tal began writing those events. At two thirty, after many pauses, his tale ceased. I stared at the pages for an hour, then panicked until four.

I need sleep, oh, I do.

Unfortunately, I got an idea.

I wrote to the monster.

Good job crafting this absurd tale, creature. You can try spooking me with that peeping tom act, but you have no way to prove any of this.

In fact, Tal, you could be that unicorn for all I know. A child could see that you just tailed the pegasus this whole time. You wrote that bullshit thinking I'd buy it all. You want to scare me away from your book, or perhaps you want me to bring you to Princess Celestia, make me an accessory to this assault on Equestria. Makes no difference to me. I'm not a Royal Librarian for nothing. I'll crack your book wide open and free the pegasus. Rainbow Dash. If that even is her.

I'll figure out this trick of yours, mark my words. If you really did kill the pegasus, then you better be prepared to face the consequences. I'll turn you in myself. I'll dump you at the Princess’s hooves.

Ten thirty.

They made a response.

How about you join me for tea, Miss Moondancer?

I'll prepare the table. Just give the Codex a touch of your magic to enter the guest room.

I'll set the time for 4 PM. Until then, be my guest and try to destroy the Codex. I will not protest should you somehow succeed.

~ The Avatar of Hospitality ~

~ Fréon Ádfýr ~

Eleven. I turned away the neighbors. They just got home and happened to notice my singed curtains. I said ‘candle fumble’. Well, ‘fandle cumble’ the first time.

I now realize how idiotic my message was. That unicorn came before I met the pegasus. Unless she, dunno, snuck out past me just to tail the pegasus…

That killed a few brain cells to write.

Still, I meant what I said. I don't believe that story.

Eleven forty-six. I found the book embedded on the roof of an expensive carriage. My “shred it in a wind tunnel” spell wound up launching upwards and half a mile away. I didn't think I could run so fast, but I managed to recover it (hopefully) undetected.

One oh-two. I'm at the alchemy lab of Celestia’s School. I just remembered that I forgot to date my entries. Let me fix that. I can at least live my life knowing of my ability to cram things at the top of a a page.

One thirty-eight. I submerged the thing in molten iron. The stuff ran off surface like water. I then exposed it to the furnace itself. Nothing.

I'm now in the cafeteria. There's talk of someone vandalizing the Prince’s enchanted carriage. Apparently, it should have been immune to such a thing. Given my research on Equestrian security, it didn't give me any hope that this book wasn't secretly a magic vacuum.

Two fifty. I ate four bowls of salad. Don't judge. It's my stress food.

I suppose I have nothing to lose now. Twilight is all I have left. Was. It's pretty liberating to think about. If that really happened, if she's really dead, then my life is more or less over too. My only ray of hope is to take the bait.

Maybe the unicorn will kill me? Then, just maybe, the tale that will be told will cast me as a helpless victim. Can't really feel shame when you're dead, ha ha.

That tears it. It's three fifty. I tried looking through the thaumaturgy archives for any clues about this book, but I'm too clouded. I can't focus. It continues to dawn on me how royally bucked I am.

I'm going in.

***

stable enough. You could hardly detect the doorway from two meters away. How in Equestria is this possible?

“What is this place?” I say aloud.

The skies up above swam with letters. Words. So many that it appeared unintelligible. It created an illusion of sloshing ink. The empty spaces between the words were tainted with a gray color from the density of it all.

Speckles of light danced around the wooden floor before me. The word clouds almost seemed to be passing ships over my head with how close they were. I craned my head along, drinking in the sky, then wound up looking whence I came.

Punching into the fog of letters up above — likely beyond — was a slope of timber. A little horizontal shelf upon its otherwise round surface comprised the the area I stood on. I took the time to scrape my hoof across the floor. Smooth as can be. Just where the shelf ended, I could see the material became much rougher, more raw.

A massive tree trunk. Though natural in texture, the lack of any imperfection or of any branch put me off.

I turned back around.

A little pink table. Seated on either side, two cushions with backs shaped like hearts.

I rubbed my eyes.

“Please, have a seat.”

I teleported away upon reflex. Away from the voice, away from the table. “Get away!”

I kept my horn flared, painful as it was, but the moment I laid my eyes on the creature…

I wasn't sure why I was angry.

Where I once stood, he hung above. His hooves rested upon some invisible surface. He turned his head towards me, which cued a low, metallic whine. Those lips shifted into a smile. The checked skin comprising his face stretched with each motion. My spine tingled.

Something covered his eyes. The fidelity of that mask suffered from the lack of eye contact. Almost like a practical joke. Those ears appeared fleshy, but their hinges were exposed, supplementing otherwise natural twitches with his unnatural vibes.

Six loops of metal adorned his back. I traced from their bases to jagged, angular hooks buried into his back, just short of the spine. His golden body bore purple stripes down the side, which I found to be his own dried blood.

Unless this was some illusion, the size of his horn dispelled any notion that he could have been the unicorn I met before. The shape was not unlike the hands of a clock pointing away from each other, and at the tip floated a little green gem.

His throat bobbed with idle motion, enough to catch my eye. Quickly, it proved far from a normal neck. A series of veins, maybe tendons, bundled by ornate chokers with as much distance between them as could be allowed. The bones or mechanisms or whatever there could be pressed into the tendons, forcing a white nub out from the center into the open air. That was what caught my eye.

The ‘neck’ slithered itself into the rest of his body, wrapped tight with golden scales and a duller hide. Here and there, serrated lumps protruded from his unbroken skin. The creature lifted a leg, then entered an upside down bow.

“Though I’m not certain what it is I’ve done, I’m glad you’re so breathtaken.”

I set my gaze upon the dainty chair closest to me. “Don’t flatter yourself. So you were actually serious? You weren’t going to just kill me on the spot? Try anything other than throw a tea party?”

He chuckled, then trotted towards the table. Despite how it looked, I clearly heard his hooves collide with something. “Oh, Miss Moondancer. I do not have it in me to harm a pony. It goes against my nature.” With a pause in his trek, he gestured a hoof across his chest. “I am Hospitality, as the letter said. My duty is self explanatory. Killing you would not provide or reinforce a positive impression of the Codex within you, no? Do you want me to kill you?”

I didn’t immediately protest.

“Oh? I don’t think you’d want that, Miss Moondancer. Not if you knew better.”

At last, he hung over his seat. Given a little trick of magic, his seat lifted off and angled such that it was on the same level as him.

He sat down.

The world turned. I doubted it at first. My stomach lurched, but nothing looked different. Not until timber slowly replaced the sea of words above. I crumped to the ground as the dizziness overtook me. All the while, Hospitality simply lowered himself into the seat. My eyes grew blurry when trying to stare at him for too long. The underside of the chair passed by, settling down on the floor not long after.

I looked up. The timber up above suffered a large, spherical pit where the floor below me once was.

I scrambled to my hooves. Laced with his sugary smile, Hospitality pulled my seat back with his magic.

I took it.

Cinnamon wafted into my nose. The admittedly appealing stream of tea tumbled into the cup. Like a doomed climber, the steam reached out to me in the otherwise stagnant air. The cup he’d prepared for me slid over in short order.

“Drink up, Miss Moondancer. It won’t bite.” He tipped the cup between his lips and took a dainty sip. “See? Harmless.”

“Of course, of course. Your physiology compared to mine is clearly not important.” I pushed the cup away. “I bet you have an idea of what I want to talk about, monster. So, start talking. I get the feeling that’s all you’re good for.”

His ears pinned back. Still, he maintained his smile. “You’re not pleasant at all, Miss Moondancer. Quite rude, I’d dare to say! But you are correct, and I apologize for my accusations.”

My magic took the cup, tilting it to and fro lazily. I felt for my sweater, but remembered better. My lips pursed. “You must be far from harmless if what you showed me was true.”

I flung the cup at him. Magic poured from my horn, knitted to imitate all kinds of potent spells.

It shattered upon his temple, just as planned.

He didn't flinch, didn't react outwardly. Instead, a trick of magic lifted the pieces off his face and off the floor. In his outstretched hoof spun a spell. The shards swirled round and round, then fell into place, one by one, until a perfect recreation of the cup settled onto his hoof. He deposited it gently to the table, then flicked it at me.

I watched the cup wobble on its way. With the sound of a tossed bit, it came to rest within my reach. When he noticed my grimace, he did me the courtesy of wiping the thing clean with the corner of the table cloth.

I huffed. “I'm all yours, monster. I know I can't escape. Not like out there is any better.”

“You're free to come and go as you please,” he said with an eager lilt. The teapot danced its way to the air, then trickled its contents into my empty cup. “Please, don't feel obligated to stay here. In reality, I’d prefer it is you left, once our business is concluded of course. I need you to out there to best be of help.”

Of help? Teeth gnashed in my mouth. “You think I'll just do whatever you say because you have Rainbow hostage? Have her corpse to send a message with, if you're really that ballsy? No. I just got a better idea. I'll just hoof over the book to the princesses, accept my fate, then watch them kill you as an enemy of our country.”

His jaw hung a tad during my rant. A hum, then he cocked his head. “I knew Miss Dash was special, but I didn't predict… well, what you make it sound like. You must be under the impression that I knew of Miss Dash prior to my abduction of her.”

For a split second, his face became empty. Void. His smile kicked up the moment his folly sunk in.

“So why did you lie?” I bit. Then, my eyes widened. “S-she’s not dead? Why else would you manipulate her like that?”

His sister. He pinned the whole thing on her, whoever she was. All his actions, he blamed on her. The reason he attacked Rainbow. The reason he used me to get to her. But why? Was he appealing to her sense of importance? He said he had no idea how special she was, but why else would he take her? It couldn't be a coincidence.

I needed to know more about this monster.

Hospitality whistled, sure that my deep thought wasn’t going to end anytime soon. “I didn’t even have to confess. You definitely meet my expectations . I knew your cavernous cranium wasn’t just for show,” he taunted. “I definitely wanted to appeal to her ego. Even heroes need one, after all.”

My breath hitched. That was true too?

“Yes, it is. In fact, the moment you set hoof in this place, I began reading you. I was a little hesitant, but I also modified your journal.”

I pulled it out promptly. In it, it read: “I pulled it out promptly. In it, it read: “I pulled…”” ?? —

I put it away.

He snickered. “I don't advise doing that very often. I do advise reverse engineering my spell once that one fills up.”

I eyed him. My stomach sloshed with ice.

“W-what do you want me to do?” My voice proved weaker than a filly’s. “Just tell me. I'll do it.”

That face of his went blank once more. “I already told you before. Destroy the Codex.”

The unicorn came to mind. Her words.

“She too knows what's coming. That mare is deeply embroiled in this feud of ours.”

“‘Ours’?”

“Younger brother, elder sister, and myself. There's three sides to this story, and mine is for the good of everyone.” Hospitality sighed. “There are two ways I can win, if it even be called such. Either Rainbow Dash kills my sister, or the book is completely destroyed before my younger brother discovers a way to kill me and her himself.”

“Why must it come to that?”

“As it is, I can no longer let my sister’s tyranny stand. If fanning the flames will change that, then I will fan with all my strength. It's just a matter of manipulating which sibling takes the throne.”

The teacup met his lips yet again. I felt him looking at me.

I took my cup, and along with it the first taste. Delicious.

He eased his back against the chair. Those metal loops scraped against the wood in a noisy manner. “I suppose I should make another confession, Miss Moondancer. For all my charm, my talents, my personality… heh, all of that. All of that, and I am powerless. Where my sister is a blind, ignorant creature who suppresses the kingdom under her weight, my younger brother is endlessly cunning. He has more freedom than even I do, where I cannot even speak to our subjects. Not since the Reprocess.”

All his words left me confused. Fuzzy. All these faceless things, fighting over what?

I got an idea. “Show me, ‘Tal’. If you want to rope me into this, then at least do me the courtesy of showing me what I’m working against.”

Hospitality stared at me. And stared. I shifted about. I damn how awkward I look when a pony is given the chance to size me up. To my surprise, he stepped from his cushion and approached me. A bead of sweat ran down my temple. With how close he got, he probably could have tasted my anxiousness. But hey; maybe that would be too weird for him.

“My word. Is this what they call nostalgia? I just realized how much you look like her,” he said, voice airy unlike before. “The colors are all wrong, but you speak like she did. Your manes were equally unimpressive. I only wish Mother took my styling tips seriously.”

I jumped away, taking an aggressive stance. “Watch it. I didn't say I was going to get friendly.” I blinked. “I look like your mom? Um, thanks?” I bunched my shoulders. I couldn't say for sure what his appendages were, but he had a presence, one I was all too familiar with. “I'm not an alicorn, though.”

He made no response. After looking at him funny for a few seconds, I heard a familiar sound. Like rigid pages being flipped through with a hoof.

Up above, letters spiraled in a formation, descending in increments. The steps coiled a way’s away from our little tea party. At first, I thought we had another guest, but then Hospitality waved to the stairway.

“I have taken enough of your time. I must attend to other matters.” Oddly, his hooves shuffled. “I mean, you're welcome to stay, but you'll be all alone in here.”

I shook my head. “You can't seriously expect me to waltz on out now. ‘Oh, my lab rat isn't settling for the cheese anymore. I better just dump her in the grass while all the snakes are closing in!’ I refuse to be just another pawn!”

Hospitality turned his back on me. Before him stretched the clouds of madness, likely a sight he'd been used to for many lifetimes more than mine. Just how old was this place?

“That is your first task, Miss Moondancer. I wish for you to do both of us this favor. Learn the place of the Codex in your world, a world so far removed from mine. If we are to find anything my Mother left behind, we could potentially solve any crisis my siblings would present.”

Close to the edge, his forehoof hung over in preparation for flight. I stomped in one last attempt for his attention.

“And how am I supposed to find anything? All this crockery you’ve spun at me hardly seems real. Unverifiable! What year was this ‘Codex’ bound? Did your Mother somehow create a convenient, planet-sized pocket dimension just for shits and giggles?” I clapped my hooves together, then drew them apart. “Oooh, but wait. As a pony who almost went into Equestrian history for fun — might add, she also has the most sterling credentials to boot — hasn’t the first clue where to even begin your wild goose chase. The only reason I’ll even humor this moronic mess I’ve gotten myself into is because Rainbow depends on it. You’re lucky you didn’t kidnap some random schmuck, or you’d be out of luck! You...”

All the while, he barely turned his head enough to look me in the eye. Lost in my grievances like I was, I hardly noticed. Magic flowed from his horn. Some spell cooked up out of sight, and just the first of many thrums gave me pause. The generous bastard stepped aside at last to show me his accomplishment.

A tear. A tear in space.

The pitch black spider web around it robbed the view it presented of my attention right away. As weird as the day became, I still had to take these kind of things in. He underlined the view with his hoof when my fixation became apparent.

I looked insi—

A village.

Barren. Stained.

Tiny little homes with a surreal polish. Painstaking care, perfect coats of paint. Elaborate curtains fit for a king. The doors hung on the hinges. Tatters.

The perfectly white skies at high noon. Black plumes billowed from the homes, just like any other day surely. Blood and limbs glistened in the lively sunlight. Limbs? Bloodsoaked stones? No clue. They cast little shadows in the dirt.

Hospitality pulled the tear with his hoof. More of it unfolded.

Bodies circled each building. Not too far. The wide open square in the center of it all boasted its share of carnage, but no body laid far from a home. A mare caught my eye. Crumpled to the ground, doubled over like her stomach were in pain. Ghastly still. Her mane, rather clean in appearance, hung clumped and stringy over her shoulders. Fresh out of the wash. Interrupted, most likely. Like a fetching rug, her own blood encircled her. Not too far from—

She moved. The mare rolled over, unsteady. Her legs packed tightly. Her brow glistened with sweat. Ugly with tension. Everywhere I looked, her body trembled.

...Not too far from her, another pony did their best to crawl over to her. I could argue they had an easier time without any hind legs weighing them down. With each herculean dig of their forehooves, the deep brown brushstroke following them grew.

My throat threatened to choke me. So dry. That little scene only began the story. All around, ponies, fractured and whole, wormed in the dirt. Pathetic, stricken. Enraged. Blinded by pain. The visceral before me couldn’t scratch the surface. My gut tightened the longer I stared, but I had the privilege of merely watching what came of this disaster.

They all should have been dead.

Hospitality moved in my way. Bless him.

He set a hoof into the tear.

“I wish they were too.”

***

I cried on the steps.

***

The book shut when I set my last hoof on the library carpet.

My first instinct led me to the window. Down below, a decent crowd of ponies lounged in the courtyard. Most of them had buried their noses into a book. Some milled about one of the three fountains. One or two couples leaned into each other for comfort in the setting sun.

All the things you could hide under the moonlight. I needed the sun to set. I wanted to run home at my leisure. I wanted the chance to stumble over my hooves, to sob and get lost in the city, to come across a trash can and beat the life out of it until my hooves bled. They all sounded better than watching these blissfully ignorant children.

I just missed my sweater. And my mane — it itched my cheeks. I forgot to tie it up this morning. No wonder I felt like vomiting every time I dipped into my work, my reading. I hate the feeling. Hate it. I hate. It. If I couldn’t care less, I’d shave my mane off. I can’t. I couldn’t stand the weird looks. I’d regret losing such a core of my appearance. Oh yes, I would. I barely wash it, barely style it. I cut it myself. The split ends. I care so much about my appearance. But as soon as part of it’s under threat, I panic.

Would I be able to handle losing a leg or two? Not like I need them. Walking is overrated. Heck, self-levitation would be easier with less surface area.

I slumped into the uncomfortable chair. My wing has better chairs.

I stared at the Codex. Vague name. Surprise, surprise. Was that all a fever dream? The Haycartes spell gone wrong? None of what I saw matched how I understood the spell, ever since that invader almost a week ago.

A heinous case of mind magic? You can’t know if you’re the victim of mind magic. Maybe I’m not. Maybe I hate believing this is my life so much that I constantly question if anything is real. When me and Twilight hugged for the first time… I didn’t care what was real.

I felt wanted. I felt worthy.

Like the worthy mare I am, I spent that very night having fantasies about that one little contact. I felt ashamed afterwards, sure. But at the time…

Sweet as the real thing.

I could use that again. No one was around the Alchemical Wing this time of night. Those snotty freaks went to bed at eight o’clock. I scanned the area just to be safe. Jogged around the wall of shelving partitioning this cozy little nook I found. Only the librarian was accounted for, dozens of meters away. I felt safe enough to slither back to my hole.

I pulled the chair against the shelf. Like I was moving to reach higher up on the shelf. I sat next to it, the side away from the only other body in the room. I took a deep breath. My mind already felt clearer.

The sense of falling before sleep could take you hit me. Was this a good idea? I'm sure I could find a cheap joint and just down away this day. No, that would take too long. My eyes drooped again.

Warm. Lavender. Pooling pink. My stomach tightened. Limbs squirmed on their own, like a foal not yet used to them.

I choked back a loud moan.

Too much. I fell on my side, curled into a ball. My hind legs buried it in further. I needed it. Need.

My eyes fluttered by chance. Dark legs came into view. The warmth drained. The lukewarm state of my body before drained next. I dared to look up. My ears and cheeks went ablaze, then succumbed to an ice age.

Her flowing mane of stars. Her dull, emerald eyes turned down her nose. I attempted to skitter away from her, but only succeeded in tangling with the chair. A jolt of realization hit. I clamped my hind legs together. My tail folded over me, and for dear life I crossed my legs to keep it there.

Moondancer writhed on the ground before the Princess of the Night, doing her best impression of a horny teenager.

I adjusted my glasses as soon as I parked my ass in that chair. “H-hello! Greetings, Your Highness! Beautiful sunset today. Yeah.”

She cleared her throat. “You seem have busied yourself. I'm honestly impressed with how quiet you can keep. Not a stranger to such activities, I assume?” Princess Luna overtly eyed the Codex while speaking, but bulge shifting between her cheeks said enough.

I laughed. I shouldn't have, but I tried. “Haha. Ha. Yeah, I sure have stumbled upon quite the troublesome reading material.” I felt bile rising. Any hope the Princess would have given me died away. There was no way I could top off that meeting with any of the madness surrounding the Codex. I had to try, but…

Princess Luna coughed. I was staring into space again. She offered me a small smile. “I do apologize for my intrusion. If it wasn't for me, there'd be no harm, no foul. You picked a good time to study in this manner.”

My eyes bulged. Was she serious? She wasn't going to call me a disgusting pervert? Report me to her sister? “Y-You're too kind. Really.”

She waved me off when I clamped my hooves over my mouth. “You may speak freely, Moondancer. I only demand tact in my court. Honesty is quite bracing, no?” The princess chucked in a manner I'd call… beneath her? “I'll get right down to it. I'm looking for a mare.”

My eyes burned. My head spun.

“Do you know of one Rainbow Dash?”

I bit my lip. Iron bloomed in my mouth.

“I was tasked with monitoring her as she recovers from her accident. Unfortunately, one of my guard reported to me that she was unaccounted for two days ago. No one home. No one to say her whereabouts. 'Tis uncanny that a mare in her state didn't lapse often enough for me to track. While my guard scours the streets, I took it upon myself to follow her last signal.” The princess raised her brow at me. Transparent as I was, I expected she got her answer already. Yet the mare went on as before. “There was something strange with her signal. Rarely have I sensed one that corrupted. Weak. My initial triangulation covered hundreds of kilometers, to wit. That's how damaged the signal was.” Slowly, without breaking eye contact, she settled on the floor.

“So where does she stand on your side of the story?”