The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Mare

28 May 1187 AU / 1003 PL

It seems my plans were entirely derailed today.

It took a little while. A weird haze had gripped my senses. Everything felt perfectly. Fine.

I can’t remember what it was now. Blue hooves had shook me, and I had to wake up from it.

That’s all I can recollect.

Those stern emeralds greeted me.

“You’re in a dream still, Moondancer. I could see the magic afflicting you, given my mastery over dream magic.”

My eyes fluttered. “D-dream? I’m what?”

She exhaled through her nose, perhaps as a sigh. I could feel her breath battering my face. Unpleasant, it was.

“A dream. ‘Tis the only way to subvert the mental effects of a curse. I suppose it could also act as escapism, if you were afflicted with a flesh melting curse.” Her foreleg shifted and brushed my cheek on its way. She tapped her chin. “I suppose that was not the best thing to say now, but the danger could be very real.”

My heart quickened, and my eyes focused. Indeed, Princess Luna loomed above me. She had me pinned to the floor. I glanced around, quick as I could, in case taking my eyes off her proved a mistake. The room looked just the same as we left it. That is, disregarding the shadows that had been painted on everything that wasn’t in the immediate vicinity. Almost like someone bottled the scene, leaving the rest of the world out.

To my relief, she stepped away, then settled herself onto the floor, just out of hoof’s reach.

“It’s important that you tell me where the affliction came from. I cannot safely dispel it without being aware of its nature.”

“A glowing unicorn who licked me all over threw it at me in a box.”

I grasped at my neck, eyes wide.

“Ah! The cookie cutter curse, it seems.” She wiped her sweatless brow in relief. “I believe you shall be safe, then. In a dream, your mind is akin to sand. The cage upon it cannot hold, nor harm, you while it is in this state.”

I didn’t know what to say! Well, my excitement dwindled some immediately. A dream. I was asleep. Unless she put me in a coma, I couldn’t call it a cure. Even so, the fact that I could let this out made me feel so, so good.

“Thank you, Princess!” I cried. “Heavens, thank you. Not being able to scream about it with my head in a bucket made me feel so… helpless.”

The Night Princess returned a beatific smile. My face warmed. Was that the smile she gave to dreamers she’d aided every night? I would have been envious, had it not required a horrible nightmare to precede it. The Princess brushed her bangs from her eyes, whilst watching me with her calm demeanor. “I am glad to bring you relief. It has likely been forgotten, but I had made it known to my subjects a millennia ago the reason why I practice the magic of dreams.”

I situated myself onto my stomach, losing my hesitation when she nodded assent. Random locks of mane swept my eyes and snout. Hopefully, my mane wasn’t too horrendous. Or my breath. Oh, why now? I gave an awkward smile. “So, um, what was the reason?”

Her horn twinkled. A gentle star in a black sky. The sourceless light of my dream shifted behind her, funneling into a large pool of white, until it hung over the Princess like her beloved moon. Holes opened up inside of it in fluid motion. At first, the lone silhouette of a pony took shape. Incision after incision in the light cascaded to its left, and it became clear that it was a row of ponies.

“”Twas the eve of war, young one. The Crystal Civil War.”

I stared at the images above her, mouth dry. The ponies stepped in unison. Their forms shifted, as if their battle regalia fell onto them. A stripe soared above the soldiers, just as a much larger equine moved into view. The giant placed their hooves upon the stripe, the table, as they watched the march unfold.

“Initially, Equestria refused to take part in the conflict. The New Unicorn Kingdom, isolated in the far reaches, wished to expand. King Sterling had attempted to extend an olive branch to the Crystal Empire, in the hopes that the Empire would elevate their tiny kingdom to an equal esteem. It was known, his hatred of submitting to such an ‘inferior’ power. The Empire, you see, allowed both crystal ponies and unicorns to coexist.”

On the opposite side, another battalion took form. Just like it, a shadowed giant took the helm.

“Where the Crystal Empire is a haven of warmth in a desolate land, the New Unicorn Empire exercised their cold magic to master the North, rather than defend themselves from it. Many believed that a the Unicornians were cold-blooded demons, or even Windigoes in disguise. The seclusion of the Kingdom has since been compared to the inhospitable lands surrounding it. For generations, adventurers and infiltrators have tried, yet all but a few found the Outer Ring to be their frozen tomb. Only a Unicornian could trek the land safely. Thus, despite its crushing size disadvantage, the Kingdom proved a formidable foe.”

The left battalion marched ever on. A jagged wall bisected the scene. Swirls of wind lanced through the brave soldiers, and though they tried, their numbers dwindled, one by one.

“Not until the two powers met on the battlefield had the Kingdom’s true nature been witnessed. Terrifying magics, suited only for bringing harm to its victims. If the biting cold did not slay them, the cryomancers would command the ocean of frost to chew through the legs of the invaders.”

I cocked my head back down. From the edge of my vision, I could see it happening. I watched Princess Luna instead. Her brow arched at my reaction. I searched for something upon her face. She must have seen it all with her own eyes. Why wasn’t she bothered? How could anyone see death and not feel?

“The Empire grew wise to this. However, as soon as the heavily armored troops stepped forth, their own armor betrayed them. Metallomancers, the most elite of the Kingdom’s sorcerers, punished any attempt at surviving the Outer Ring. Monuments stood in the field of battle, monuments to the mangled corpses inside of them. They, however, spared a hoofful of the Empire’s stricken soldiers.

“With their mind cages, they could subvert their one true weakness. The horror of seeing one’s comrades marching on the other side, tears in their eyes… it was more than enough, at times. The hatred that fostered within the Empire itself proved torture. In a land that subsists off of happiness, the war scarred their hearts deeply. They begged Equestria for aid in crushing this abominable Kingdom.”

She, despite her blank expression, began to tremble. “The Kingdom’s cunning nearly did Celestia and I in as well. Their mind magic, that dark art they had resurrected… I vowed to destroy it, as did my sister. I had hoped that I could tend to the painful nightmares plaguing the Empire once the war ended, but you must know what came next.” Her eyes hardened. “Yours is the first time I have seen such a curse on our land since that time.”

I nodded. The desert in my gullet felt as a scab. “I-I guess I should get to talking, then.”

“If you please. The fact that my charge has gone missing already worries me, but to discover this heinous curse upon you? I must end whoever did this.” Princess Luna frowned, deep. “Know that this is your realm, Moondancer. Whatever you say will be unencumbered. You shall have no reason to lie or mince words. The truth is imperative, so I beg that you trust me. I speak openly in the hopes that it will put you at ease.”

Lie? Why would I lie?

Oh, I don’t know. I kinda sent a crippled pegasus into the hooves of a soulless construct.

@Princess Luna watched me like a hawk. The felt insanely nervous. I kept my lips sealed. And, to my relief, she simply watched.

I had to take stock. Like in any survival situation, this action is key. The predator loomed before me. I was on her turf. My resources were few.

First, Rainbow Dash. Her presence confirmed it, if it already wasn’t confirmed. Considering what Tal did to her, as well as the scene of death and destruction he showed me, prospects weren’t good. I had a feeling she was alive. I doubted how alive she was wouldn’t endear me to Princess Luna.

Second, I knew that Princess Luna knew that I knew where she was. My behavior already incriminated me. I needed to play it like so: Oh, Princess! I feel guilty about this, but actually, my guilt is unwarranted because I had nothing to do with any of it! I’m a victim! I’m just another meek commoner before your radiance!

Third, that wouldn’t work for long. Tal was a wild card. Princess Luna likely knows magic better than I do. Either way, she could force a meeting. He had no reason to lie for my sake. Or did he? He wasn’t equine. He wouldn’t care about incriminating himself, would he? In fact, he might try to bait the Princess into siding with him. He’d give her reason to destroy the book. But would he guarantee Dash’s safety before that happened?

I swallowed.

“You see, Princess. Your Majesty. Your Radiance. I did happen to meet a pegasus mare not too long ago. I-I’d guess that Rainbow Dash is a pegasus’s name? Could that have been her?”

Her eyes drooped as I spoke. “Spare me the flattery. And yes, that is indeed a pegasus’s name. Do go on.”

“Of course, of course! Well, she actually had the advantage between us. I hadn’t known of the mare, but she came to me and knew my name. She said another of her friends told her about me. Isn’t that funny? Hah, anyways. She came to me in the hopes that my supposedly noteworthy handle of magic academia could lead her to an unconventional solution to her injuries.”

Her lips pursed. She looked me over. I could feel her staring at my vile hoof. I shifted about. Couldn’t restrain the wave of shame entirely, after all.

“I find that a rather likely motivation for her departure, if I’m to be honest. I admit that I’m not aware to what extent her knowledge of my monitoring technique reaches. It perplexed me that a mare in her state didn’t lapse a single time on her way to Canterlot. But now, if I have learned anything about Miss Dash, it would be to not underestimate her. For the moment, I find your answer to be a satisfactory theory in my investigation.” She cocked her head and gave me a… twisted smile. “Do go on, please.”

The corner of my mouth twitched as I smiled. “O-of course. You see, we may have stumbled upon… a cursed book.” My everything screamed the contrary, but my magic pulled the Codex from the stack of books in my saddlebag. I placed the thing between us. Equally in either party’s reach. I scrutinized the thing as best I could. Sure enough, looked almost exactly like it did when I was awake. I would think that, since my dreams were my interpretation of reality.

She remained statuesque. Her eyes rolled to observe it instead. “Cursed? I sensed nothing amiss earlier.” She stared at me. “Furthermore, this object did not exist in this dream until now. I suppose that should underscore only the unpleasant memories attached to it.”

I winced. Even with all that sympathy, she still didn’t quite want go easy with the suspicion. “Who or whatever created this thing intended for it to be invisible under most circumstances.” I bit my tongue. Should I have mentioned the glowing mare? Best be honest. “You see, Your Majesty, I encountered a strange pony before Rainbow Dash hunted me down. She used an array of runes to form a thaumic compass. She claimed that the Codex’s signal was so negative that she could pick it out from my entire cultural library. I’m not sure her claim is true, but she did find the—”

“The Codex? You know what it is called?”

Fuck.

“Y-y-yes, Your Majesty. The strange pony waxed poetic about it.”

She hummed. “What sort of character do you make this strange pony to be? Friend or foe?”

“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “She gave me an ominous warning. She said that ‘one last taste of you ponies wouldn’t hurt’, and that ‘no one will care soon enough’ about what she… what she did to me.” My ears pinned back. “‘You ponies’. I can’t be sure what she meant. The pony was otherworldly, Your Majesty. Her body turned into magical energy. Should I take that as a threat to Equestria? Was it just a vague taunt about the kind of pony I am? I doubt that that’s what she intended. A terrible creature attacked her on her way inside this Codex. I can only assume that something more is going on here.”

“Like the part where Rainbow Dash entered this Codex?”

I couldn’t help but gasp. When I thought about it, that conclusion was rather obvious. Call me jumpy. “Y-yes, that’s more or less what happened. I kept the Codex close after that incident, and when Rainbow Dash and I were conversing, it suddenly sprung its trap. I assume my physical contact with it allowed the magic from within to t-take control of m-me.”

Her expression lost humor. She looked me over again. “I suppose this is the main cause of your stress. Mind magic is a disgusting thing, especially in multiple doses. Do you blame yourself for what happened to Miss Dash?”

I nodded. Hey, it was technically the honest truth. “I know it wasn’t me, but I was still the middlemare. I could have done something, you know? I could have sabotaged the creature that used me. I could have tried harder.”

“There is no shame in this, Miss Moondancer. Falling victim to such evil does not mean you lack strength. The actions you’re forced to take are not a reflection of your character, nor should you feel guilt.” The Princess’s eyes almost seemed to sink as she looked away. “Mind magic’s cruelty lies in those feelings. How does one distinguish one will from another, when one’s entire existence before was ruled by just their singular will? ‘Tis nearly impossible to comprehend.”  She placed a hoof upon the Codex. My stomach seized my breath. “Considering the grave nature of your allegations, I shall investigate this item. If Miss Dash is within, then I doubt it would be in her best interest to destroy it. I shall refrain from doing so for the time being.”

I bet he could hear all of this. While his curse had no power here, that wasn’t to say he couldn’t know. Maybe he couldn’t hear, but he could see. He could see that she had put me to sleep. He was going to send her his message, surely. I couldn’t get in her way, however. If I was on the fast track to treason, I might as well do my best to make it easier upon myself.

Sleep?

I couldn’t put my hoof on it, but I knew it. I knew I was awake again. My eyes lagged behind, but soon enough, the blackness surrounding this nook of the library had vanished.

Before me remained Princess Luna, as if the dream simply dissolved her into that exact spot. She watched me expectantly. My erratic observation seemed to satisfy. My poor lip endured more gnawing, and I met the Princess’s eye, silent. As I hadn’t offered anything further, she flipped open the Codex.

Her eyes danced upon the page. She looked between me and the words I assume were appearing before her. Suspicion? The manner of her brow betrayed her surprise.

“So you were truthful. Something resides in this ‘Codex’,” she said. Her hoof traced along the page. “‘Greetings, Your Majesty. I am not aware of your name at this moment in time, so forgive my potential disrespect. I am the being who borrowed Miss Moondancer’s magic. You may call me Tal. I had not realized the commotion my actions would cause. So please, do forgive me.’”

She paused. I parted my lips to speak.

Princess Luna cleared her throat, throwing me a sharp eye. “It appears you've been eavesdropping, creature. My scrying magic tells me that you are no mere puppet. No conceivable leyline exists in the space around this object. Am I right in saying you are a construct? A puppet, able to think independent of its creator? If so, I would demand to hear your directives. I refuse to believe that a mare of Rainbow Dash's station would be a random target. You must. Know. Something. I am confident I could rip your encoding to pieces without damaging this object, so please. Do forgive me.”

Damn.

I was scared to death of Tal. I should have known the Night Princess could walk all over him with ease.

She gave me a playful smile. Now I knew not to speak. The mare wanted to keep him in the dark.

The page turned on its own. It only took a couple of seconds for her eyes to scan the page. I could tell. The next few motions were her rereading it.

She glared at me. I shivered.

“He would like for you to show me inside.”

***

— finally, finally over. The tension is — was killing me.

I didn’t ever expect to see that look on Princess Luna’s face. Her burning eyes scanned the area, as if she expected a beast to jump from somewhere. The familiar timber landscape offered no such place for a beast to hide. Up above, the clouds of gibberish sailed by. She gave even that her intense glare. A dragon hiding in the nook of a letter? I doubted it, but… anything could happen.

The search seemed to put her at ease. A little bit. She looked ahead to the dinky table set in the middle of this featureless void.

Was he really going to try and make an entrance?

“Where are you?” she said aloud. “I have not the patience for any games.”

Nothing.

She turned to me.

I shook all over. “H-He’ll be here. He said he doesn’t get enough visitors.”

“Is this the strange pony you spoke of?” she said, low.

“No, that was someone else entirely. This one, he’s... not r-really a pony, Your Majesty.”

“Do not play games with me as well, Moondancer.”

I gulped so hard that I gagged. “No, he’s not the one.”

“Who, then? Do not weave a fantasy for me, Moondancer. If you try to hinder me in finding an Element Bearer, then I shall have to stop playing nice.”

My face heated up. I guess she made me angry. “If you did a better job keeping track of her, you wouldn’t be impeded by a faceless nobody so easily, now would you?”

“Excuse me?” Her chest puffed out. “Ignorant foal! Dost thou realize—”

I caught the first of the black webbing in the air. I couldn’t say what made me do it, but I did. I must have snapped a little more on the inside.

As loud as I could, I shouted.

“Rrrrrrrrrrip!”

Her eyes widened more than a mortal’s could. She looked ready to slap me out of this pocket dimension. But, as I had hoped, Tal’s rickety body caught her attention.

His golden hoof set upon the ground from the tear he created. This cable-wing things bobbed like an elegantly crafted mane. Perfume filled my nose. And, as always, he offered us his picture perfect smile.

Luna stepped back and, to my surprise, used her magic to nudge me along with her. The rest of him slithered into this place. His horn shimmered, and the tear resealed itself. He must have been quite the sight.

“Am I interrupting?” he said. “I suppose it's just as well. Conflict brings me discomfort, especially given my directives.”

Luna sneered. “Are we being open already? I suppose you rightfully found my threats to be real.”

I could feel it coming. Just like last time, everything around us shifted around. It didn't throw me off so much, but the Princess sure took it the wrong way.

Her wings flared, her hoof stamped. She watched the smiling freak. I expected a stand off.

His room spell-thing came to an abrupt end. I felt a chair against my ass. We all sat around this pink table. Luna stomped it, thinking the ground was still there.

Tal’s side flicked dangerously, but he caught it almost instantaneously with his hoof. The tea set, thankfully, was unharmed.

The Princess blinked. She looked around. She looked at the tea pot.

“Mind your manners, if you please. The ceramics were quite expensive. Circa Two Thirty-nine, B.U. to be precise.”

She gasped. “T-two thirty… elaborate, simulacrum.”

I, too, was taken aback. The year rang many bells, and if it rang mine, it most definitely was recent history to the Princess.

“I believe we should introduce ourselves, no?” Tal took a sip from the cup he had prepared while we were distracted. As I figured, he had made one for both of us as well. He dabbed his lips. “I am Hospitality. You may call me Tal, however. A lifetime of formality teaches one how silly the idea is.”

The Princess paled. Dread crept over me.

“That, what you said. Was it not a saying of the Unicorn Jester, Pixie Dust?”

“Pixie Dust?” I asked aloud. I quickly stuffed a hoof in it.

She obliged my question. “She was a bit of a celebrity amongst the nobility in my time. I certainly recall my sister becoming a follower of her philosophies, even if she herself doesn't remember in the present.”

“Oh?” Tal’s smile became more subdued. Yet, more real. “I was certain that the name was lost to time. I held Little Sister’s playmate in high esteem.”

Her jaw trembled a little. “C-C-C—”

“Indeed.” He leaned closer, and so did Luna. “How are you acquainted with such ancient history?”

“I remember my lessons like they were yesterday,” Luna said hastily. “Not even my own sister remembered after my return. No one did. I thought that I was…”

“Alone?” I said.

She jumped. The Princess looked at me as if I were a spider. Unwanted, unexpected. “W-we appear to have gone on a tangent.” She placed a hoof to her chest and took a quick breath. “Thank you, Miss Moondancer. I am Princess Luna.” The wings on her back ruffled. “I'm here to retrieve one of my subjects, the one you have imprisoned in this pocket dimension. I assumed your directives are the reason you targeted her. Enlighten me, simulacrum.”

“I'm afraid you're not making sense, Princess.” He shrugged. “Mother died — most likely — before you were born. I hold her in high esteem, but I still cannot believe that she looked so far ahead in time to expect a specific Rainbow Dash of a specific station to exist thirteen-hundred  years from that moment.”

Princess Luna scowled. “Are you insulting me? I speak of the Tree of Harmony. I'm quite certain that scholars contemporary to your ‘mother’ knew of it. Such an elaborate mess of spells and constructs, hidden perfectly inside an unassuming tome? What use could this possibly be? The base of a secret cabal, I assume. The Tree was once thought to be wicked in nature, given its location at the heart of Everfree forest, once known as the Dread Forest.” She smirked. “Is it not a common theory that the Unicorn Kingdom had dabbled in forbidden magics before the Union? They certainly maintained a track record during the Civil War of the North.”

All the while, Tal’s face settled into a blank expression. “What do you know of Mother? I can answer for you. It's pure conjecture. Your suspicions are based upon the lack of mention she has received in any historical text.”

“She died only a century before I was born. ‘Tis the fate of a dissident or a disgrace… or something much worse, if even her daughter's reputation couldn't save her.”

I bit my ragged lip. I didn't care to imagine Tal angry, if only because it seemed impossible. I hadn't imagined I'd bring him a pony like Princess Luna anytime soon.

Tal and Princess Luna. Both dwarfed me twice over. Both commanded incredible power. They stared each other down across a pink table.

“Moondancer.” Tal’s lips tightened. “I would ask you to leave for the time being. Go and enjoy Dame Dash’s journey whilst we converse.”

I was in over my head. I could feel it. A simple scholar, caught between two ancient beings. Whatever I knew to be true would falter before them. Still, I was enraptured. I wanted to be the fly on the wall.

“Dame?” Princess Luna snorted. “You have no right to call her such. She is my subject.”

“Oh, it's not me who conceived of it,” Tal replied. He offered a playful grin. “Do run along. The answer to that question will be more of interest than us fossils.”

A wing brushed my back. My neck tingled. Luna kept her head high. Disdain marked her, disdain at Tal’s tone. Her brow narrowed. “Please, Miss Moondancer. I do not think you should be here for this. Continue your investigations outside of this place for me. Guard the book. Do not let anyone know I’m here until I return.”

“B-but! But!” I choked. With the Princess of the Night staring me down, I couldn’t object. Objectionable it was. She was asking me to hinder her own investigation, more or less. No doubt they’d catch up to me. Would I be absolved for obstruction after the Princess explained it to them? Would she throw me under the carriage?

Why? The questioned burned my tongue. Did she see something I didn’t? Was the matter truly so delicate that we couldn’t funnel the situation throughout the Palace? Did she not want her sister to find out that she failed? Stupid. Idiotic. I wanted to believe she wasn’t so petty, and yet…

No. Rainbow Dash was in danger. Above all else, that was the most important thing. Princess Luna wanted to control the situation. Tal, this abomination, held her in his hooves. She couldn’t risk anything like that. She couldn’t force him to act rashly. That must have been it.

My eyes focused in. I was already halfway up the staircase. From my bleary eyes, I could see the two still down below. Both leaned over the table, speaking in a hushed manner. They were waiting for me to leave.

I gazed up towards

At

I looked at

Damn it. This spell he put on me made it impossible to stare at. The

My way

I growled. Implication will have to do.

I kept my head down as I approached. I am no dog. I didn’t to admit defeat. His magic forced me to. Now? A plan hatched.

A simple spell. Took my entire life to refine. Not even a professor of deep thaumaturgy could detect the tiny enchantment. Years of trying to study more than there was time in a day culminated into this. Right where my left forehoof settled, magic pooled. The frog of my hoof against the timber step left a hair of room. The spell took one-hundredth of that room.

Just like that, I took the next step. I was gone.

***

I stuffed the Codex into my bags. The corner of the dark library was just as we left it. Nothing out of place. The librarian must have been caught up with something, if she didn’t notice the peculiar mare with the eyebrows, nor the Princess of the Night, hadn’t left.

I trotted forth with confidence. It felt like confidence, given the growing pit in my stomach doing everything it could to bring me down. My magic lit the way. All the knickknacks on the front desk shined at me as I approached. I scanned the thing for any sort of rack. I felt a touch of humiliation. Looking for a stupid newspaper? Wanting to use the classifieds to find someone who could crack this ancient pocket dimension’s codes? This was the range of an inbred earth hick in over her head. Not a high ranking unicorn in Canterlot.

Official channels were off limits, however. If I began making strange inquiries like this, it’d definitely start rumors about me. It could lead to me defying the Princess’s orders unintentionally.

I unfurled the rag across the counter. Dreck, dreck, crud, sludge, scandal. Fronting, backing, sidewinding, gaffes, the usual. Reminded me why I never kept up with it. Buried under all the refuse, I found my goal.

The classifieds. Dun dun.

Land exorcist for hire. Looking for exorbitant pay to handle equally exorbitant poltergeists. If you’re in it that deep, it’s time to pay the pied piper.

Nope.

Professional mane styling. Correspond to schedule an appointment. Will work any time of day, night preferred. All hair will be donated to Goops for Stuff Charity.

I cut my own mane, thanks.

Need expert advice in dealing with the paranormal? Ex-Royal Hunter available. Meetings will be at a time and place to my discretion. Put in your request, formatted as below, at Ponyville Central Post Office, box 12b. Check it in 24 hours.

R-R-Royal Hunter? Fucking. Jackpot.

But soft. There was little to verify this claim. Why the hell would a bona fide Royal Hunter post in the classifieds? Then again, why in Equestria would I be browsing this? Maybe they were in deep debt. Or bored.

Either way, the format included a down payment. Seemed like a scam. But Ponyville? I knew better. That was no ordinary hick town.

Well, everyone knew now. There’s a fucking castle there. But I knew for real.

I glanced to my saddlebag. The Night Princess, by some twist of fate, was in my pocket. Her vespers would be looking for her soon. I needed to move. One way or the other, I'd need to evade them. Lastly, Rainbow's story. I could read it on the train ride.

Bits. I needed bits. Even an Ex-Royal Hunter wouldn't be cheap. That left two questions: Would a scammer have the balls to ask for more bits than the real deal? And how much lip service would I need to give to pay it off?

Snip, snip. I folded up the paper, then slipped my handy scissors into my bag. The ad rolled itself up and followed suit.

I hurried to the door. It rattled and jeered to my face.

Was this real? Did that boob actually lock up before making a sweep? More important things to do, huh? A hot date to attend to? I can't stand ponies who think with their cooters. Her job was mine. I swore on it.

A growl. I bucked the door for good measure. I hated doors. I always left them open in my apartment. The scum of our society made it so I had to keep the front one locked. Scum like that negligent librarian.

I galloped over to the windows. Hugging the wall, I peeked around. Dusky figures circled in the sky. As I had predicted. I couldn't teleport my way out. Any squadron worth their salt would have some way to detect it.

I hoped Twilight knew that she had a gift for making the spell thaumaturgically subtle.

Like anything fun, you couldn't just do it whenever you wanted. Clunky teleportation spells are like blowing a dog whistle in a diamond dog cave, but to a smaller percentage of the population. Definitely a shadier spell to know. Only the most talented mages could use it undetected.

Thus, my predicament. Whether she knew it or not, Princess Luna had asked me to out-stealth her vesper soldiers. The sane deduction would be that she expected me to stay put, to limit my research to within the confines of the library. I couldn't, though.

My heart raced as I approached the library door once more. I felt relief.

Being doomed makes normally insane things seem… fun. I have nothing to lose. Why not just take this once in a lifetime task? How many could brag that they outsmarted the Night Guard?

My magic fumbled with the guts of the door. The important thing was to stay perpendicular. The enchantments only detected tampering from the other side. Why would they consider that someone would try to break out?

Goodness. I felt so naughty. Subverting the routines of my life, one step at a time.

Click!

I was free. Out of the frying pan. The ‘witching hours’, as the students whispered. Ponies about this time of night in the School were surely up to no good. To a Guard, it most certainly looked like it. They'd see me if I wasn't careful. They'd probably just ask if I've seen the Princess. I knew I'd crack even from that. Or I wouldn’t. They probably wouldn’t ask. Right? The paradoxical lack of self-confidence made me feel more confident. The risk versus reward! One-hundred percent game over if I were to be caught! The drama!

I shuffled down the hall. Doing so ensured no one would be hear me clopping. The stair came up. I wish I had my sweater, or at least some socks. This was important. If I did get caught, I needed my whereabouts to be open ended. Made for easy lying. Any suspicious tapping that caught a single ear could spell my doom!

Aha! Statistically, the less steps I took, the less chance of my steps being heard. I stepped back, and counted the steps.

Then I realized that the height didn’t matter. I’d have to jump every single step in order to have the best odds. With a little magic and physical aptitude, that would be possible.

Moondancer lived for the impossible, however!

I charged the steps and lept. I immediately regretted the decision.

One kick of magic kept me from touching the steps. A kick, a literal physical assault. I did all I could to keep from wheezing, as my magic bounced me along the air like a hackey sack.

Acoustics, I told myself. As long as I wasn’t touching the ground, they couldn’t hear me getting kicked repeatedly. Genius!

I caught myself at the ground floor. A gentle pillow spell. I envisioned an easy glide, but the immediate regret and panic stole my focus. Yeah, that was it. Practice makes perfect.

I whimpered in a ball on the ground for a couple minutes, as a treat to myself. The room proved dead quiet. Not a soul in the building. The small number of watchponies must have started patrol near the more sensitive wings. Fine by me. I'd spend the rest of my time here as the butt of their jokes if they caught me like this now.

I felt rested at last. Quickly, I scrambled to my hooves. The distant walls echoed the tiny rustle of my body against the floor, which made my blood run cold. No time to freeze up. As fast as I could, I shuffled along. Not even a run. It still made me sweat something fierce.

I moved at an angle to the main thoroughfare. The mostly glass region of wall proved bad for my stealthy ways. I hugged the actual wall on my way to the nearest door.

A swallow. I stuck my head out for just a moment. Success! The exit! This made my life easy. The exit doors here could only be opened from the inside, so they didn't need to be locked. So many kids burying their noses in a book while walking. The less talented of us facilitated this traffic system.

Like that lascivious librarian! Good luck seeing where you're going with your face buried in ass.

I took a deep breath. No need to get heated.

The door opened easily. I was out. The weather cooled me some. Moonbeams touched me like cold steel. Like a sword to my neck. No, glaive. Princess Luna’s preferred weapon. The joint where the pole met the blade caressed my shoulder. The light went to infinity, or further than I could even conceive, back into her glorious moon.

I never felt so connected to it before. The demigoddess herself, involved in my blunders. In my pocket.

I stumbled between the shrubs lining the way to the courtyard. I hoped I was out of sight. I really, really did. What if they thought… I was holding her hostage? No way in Tartarus, right?

In a way, it was true. I was seeking the next best thing to a Princess in order to destroy the Codex, all while an Element of Harmony and the Night Princess were inside. An ex-Hunter? Totally likely to be in cahoots with a godless wench like me.

This was stupid. This whole fucking thing. I was. ME.

The shrubs danced next to me, not a care in the world.

Taunting me.

I seized the Codex. I pushed it inside the shrub. I could walk away.

I did.

It took my everything. Had to fight the simple desire to finish a novel, all the way up to the guilt of endangering my country's heart and soul.

Moondancer made it to the fountain. The boulevard leading back to Canterlot yawned in greeting to her. Success was just—

“Miss! Wait up!”

I whipped around. My neck popped from the force. My eyes bulged from the momentum.

A vesper guard. Female. Short in stature. That butch manecut I saw on most of them. She had a disarming twinkle to her eye. Like she was a good girl. Never skipped class.

She waved at me. “Hey there! I couldn't help but notice that you left your dairy — uh, diary, over there. It looked like you lost your balance. Are you alright?”

She stepped closer and closer. Her nose nearly touched mine.

“Need a doctor?”

I blinked. “Do you?”

Her eyes widened. Somehow. “Do I? Why? Do I look sick? I promise, I eat an orange everyday.”

“Ascorbic acid doesn’t prevent illness,” I said. “It’s important for other reasons, but it’s no substitute for a real doctor.”

Her face paled. “Y-You’re, like a professor from the School? And you’re saying I’m terribly ill?”

Was this for real?

“Private!” barked a masculine voice. This kid squeaked, heel-turned, and saluted. I bet she got a lot of practice doing that.

“Sir!” she barked back.

I peeked over her shoulder. A burly vesper stallion stood amidst the trees of the boulevard. Despite his tone, he looked rather relaxed. I could picture that face on a tourist, knee deep in one of Canterlot’s famous spas.

“Private Crepuscule. You were ordered to patrol between Whinnypeg and Fourth Street. Is that correct?”

“Yes, sir!” She stepped closer to him.

“Oh? So I take you’ve gotten lost?”

“No, sir! I’m a Canterlot native!”

“Elaborate, then. Why did you leave your post?”

“Because, sir! An old stallion requested I escort him to this place. He said he went by the name of Memento.”

“Did he say what his business was? The School is currently closed.”

“Mister Memento said he had traveled from the south, and he wanted a—”

“A tour guide? That is not your job, Private Crepuscule.”

Sure enough, she stood right in this guy’s face. Likewise, I assumed he had a lot of practice dealing with it.

“Apologies, sir!” She scratched the back of her head. “‘Times of peace’, as the Princess said. I thought, at the time, that being friendly was the correct decision.”

He hesitated. That’s all I needed to know.

I cleared my throat. “Well, officer. If it’s just so, I’ll be taking my leave.”

“Why are you here at this hour, if you don’t mind me asking, ma’am?” he all too hurriedly asked.

“I’m a librarian here. I was doing some paperwork, and before I knew it, the hour became late.” I raised my hoof, just as this Crepuscule opened her mouth. “Sorry for the scare, by the way. I was actually requesting a vacation. Barely any sleep lately.”

Despite my efforts, Crepuscule waved her hoof, as if she were volunteering in class. “Oh, Corporal! I could escort this mare home! I couldn’t leave her be in good conscience!”

His brow furrowed. “Very well. Be sure to return to your post as soon as possible.”

I gave him a pleading look. He sniffed, then took to the skies.

It was me and her.

“Hi!”

I gritted my teeth. Her gray, fluffy chest replaced my forehooves as I stared downward. “How kind of you, Private Crepuscule.”

“You can call me Pusky, Miss.” She hopped next to me. “Lead the way, if you would. I do have important, boring nightly patrolling to attend to, after all.”

My brows shot up. “Patrolling? That oaf made it sound like you were doing something actually important.”

“Nah, not really. Well, really. It is important. But it’s the same old. He said to be alert tonight, but that’s about it.”

My ear twitched. This was real. An actual Night Guard, gullible as could be. No doubt, I could borrow her for awhile. I did have her boss in my pocket. Tal’s curse wouldn't let me speak of her most likely, but...

“Actually, Pusky, could you escort me to Ponyville? I might as well begin my vacation now.” I wobbled on my hooves. “Oh, I can't wait a moment longer.”

Pusky chewed her hoof. She looked over her shoulder, then to me and then back. “S-sure, Miss! Corporal posted me in the most pointless spot, honestly. They only save it for—” She clamped her yap shut. “Um, I have a partner. She'll keep an eye on it.”

I smiled really wide. “Excellent! With a Night Guard by my side, I feel much better about this vacation. In fact, I'm a huge fan of you guys.”

“Really? Most ponies find us off-putting.”

“I see past superficial things, such as appearance and intelligence.”

It hurt. Pusky here was dense enough to take it as a mere smile, rather than a painful rictus grimace. That, or she was desperate.

“Do you? But you're…” She scrunched her nose. “Isn't your job to care about intelligence?”

“I'm a librarian, remember? I provide it to those who seek. What makes us ponies great is our drive to improve. Our cutie marks codify our growth, not restrict it. Equestria as a whole depends on an individual’s drive to fulfill the role offered to them.”

The kid’s eyes glistened. Something about them made me pour more and more of that crock on. The little grin that bloomed to a genuine smile, it egged me on.

“T-Thank you for the words, Miss. I’m really glad someone thinks that way.”

“Someone like yourself?”

She nodded. “But you’re an accomplished mare. I’m just some newbie.” When I cocked my brow, she raised her hooves. “Never mind. Um, shall we?”

Damn, my eyelids felt heavy. I suppose I really was tired. I hummed in assent. “Let’s head off, then. I don’t want to keep you away for much longer. I’m imposing enough as it is!”

She did a mock salute. “No trouble, Miss! Times of peace!”

And so, we trekked through the city. The cloudless night proved relaxing. My head cleared much like a teapot at a fierce boil. Behind me, Pusky had begun to whisper lyrics to herself. She eyed me every now and then as she did so, and I guess my lack of dissent gave her confidence.

Her singing voice was, well… I have to admit it. It was fantastic. Warm, a touch nasally. The girl kept it under wraps, perhaps from a paranoia of being caught by a superior officer. I could see her passing the dull nights practicing at it.

While the weather soothed me, it was her company that really lifted the ache in my joints, if only a for a little while. The girl was a fairy, in my mind. Something to watch. Something to envy. We chatted. Said she was just seventeen. As fresh a recruit as you could get.

The armor looked too big for her.

A comment here and there said enough. She was insecure. She had something to prove. Just like me. Yet, somehow, the girl held hope. Nothing about her rang in defeat. She just about skipped along, the more relaxed she got with me.

“Escorting old mares isn’t so bad,” she said to herself.

I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t argue the point, even if I was twenty-two. I had no childhood. Had no friends, and still don’t. My parents already booted me, and I had enough dignity not to go crawling back. This short week uprooted my life. I felt like I should have been an old mare. Pusky’s atrocious ability to gauge a pony’s age, in some way, helped me come to terms with that.

We reached Central Station soon enough. Pusky’s legs carried her faster, once the place came into view. My funeral procession followed her gallivanting. Huffed and puffed I did as I tried to keep up. The girl stood as close to the tracks as she could. A gargoyle’s perch, as she longingly stared into the horizon.

I bought two tickets.

She held hers between her hooves, like it were a slug she picked up off the ground.

“I couldn’t, Miss. I’d get in so much trouble if I up and left the city!”

“It’s for tomorrow. I was hoping my new friend could stop by? I’ll treat you to something over in Ponyville, even.”

Her enthusiasm dwindled rapidly. Worry sloshed in my stomach. She reminded me of Minuette. Must have been it. I couldn’t see myself feeling for a mare like this.

Right?

She hoofed back the ticket and hung her head. “Father will hear about this tomorrow. I know something weird’s going on tonight, but I still bee-essed my way out of my post. Again. He’ll punish me for sure.”

I wanted to be angry. The plans in my head placed her on the train with me. Important information mining was to be! This naïve mare, a witness in case Princess Luna tried to dispose of me. Or something! Princess Luna’s shady handling of the situation put me on edge.

But Crepuscule wasn’t supposed to be like me. I’d be dragging her into this fucking mess by leading her on like that. She had a future in the Night Guard. If not the Guard, she didn’t need anything from her time in it holding her back. Not just to be a stepping stone for a selfish fool. Me, or Luna? I wasn’t sure who was what, who stood where. I just knew that my saddlebags ached my back, and that Pusky’s armor was much too big for her.

My magic took Pusky’s ticket. I nodded to her. “I hope I can repay you one day, kid. I didn’t mean to get you into trouble. Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

She blushed. “W-Well, I don’t mind getting into trouble. I just don’t like wasting all these beautiful nights. Father says that the grind is important if you’re ways up. He wants me to be like him, a national hero.” She pouted at my hooves. She didn’t look good, with her head hanging like that. “If he really did want me to follow his hoofsteps, he wouldn’t be so damn nosy.”

“National hero?”

She put a hoof to her lips. “Shh. It’s a secret. I don’t want my fellow officers knowing about it. My dad’s name is Silver Wind. He used to be the Night Guard Captain, and now he’s Princess Luna’s advisor!”

I whistled. “The Silver Wind? No wonder you want that under wraps.”

Pusky whined. “I know! I’d totally go with you to Ponyville, because, like, I’m Princess Twilight’s biggest fan. Daddy will destroy me if I do, though, and I don’t want to make friends with Princess Twilight only to get destroyed for it!”

I giggled. The oncoming train drowned it out mostly, which I was thankful for. My giggles always sounded awkward as heck. The machine whizzed by, yet came to an abrupt stop. Always got me.

I patted Pusky on the shoulder. “Well, I guess this is goodbye for now. I’ll let Twilight know she’s got a fan over here. It’s the least I could do.”

Her jaw dropped. I turned away from her with a smirk and swayed over to the nearest cart.

“W-Wait! Who are you? I never got your name! Are you friends with— Wait! She’s friends with everyone! Omigoooosh!”

Slam!

I felt bad immediately after that exit. Thus, I waved to her from the window. Oh, the cheese felt so wrong. But it felt so right.

I settled against the highback seat. I gave this journal a quick once over. As I thought, Luna’s spell created a new entry. The words before she put me to sleep filled half a page, and it continued on the next. I scribbled over the old titles myself.

Burning bridges, indeed.

I steeled my nerves.

The Codex floated into my lap.

My hooves went cold. Gingerly, I flipped it to the first page, just like the last time.

The hammock felt just fine this time.