Perspective: Luna

It had taken a couple weeks to find just the right candidate from among the concerningly few volunteers, but everything was ready at long last.

Really, the only point of contention now was that Jay had forced everyone out of the laboratory and made us do this test outside so Abaddon could stand ready to stomp on the earth pony if he turned into a crazy monster. Keen Edge, our volunteer, was the reason why nopony had really resisted Jay's demands, as he had spoken out in agreement with every precaution.

"Just the one vial?" I confirmed as I stood with the scientists, looking over their notes to ensure that everything matched the original formula found in Jay's notes.

"That's it. Our math suggests he'll need a constant supply to keep up his strength after the transformation, but this is perfect for the initial trial," Keen Mind, the lead researcher, replied. Despite their names, there was no relation between the researcher and our volunteer.

I shifted my mane to take my mind off of how nervous I was, but ended up catching a glance at where Keen Edge and Jay were trading stories and getting along like old friends.

"It's time," I stated, prompting the pair to do a parting ritual unlike any I'd seen. Jay closed his fist as Edge lifted his hoof, the two seeming to lightly punch the other's extended limb.

Jay walked towards me and rested a hand on my shoulder, though I could feel how hard he was gripping me and knew only luck would save me from being used as a bludgeoning implement now.

Keen Edge didn't even flinch as the needle pierced his neck, but he did show his teeth in a grimace as the plunger was depressed.

He wavered for a moment, then ducked his head. My breath caught when Edge's forelegs gave out and his face collided with the ground. He teetered for a moment before tipping onto his left side and going still.

Jay let go of me and walked back over to the pony on the ground, nudging him with his boot.

"Rigor mortis has already set in. Whatever was in that needle turned his blood solid in seconds," Jay reported, "Dying in stop-motion was not a side effect I observed last time."

I looked at Keen Mind, though the unicorn looked just as dumbfounded while holding the syringe in his telekinetic grip.

I tore it away from him and moved it into Jay's grabbing range while sidestepping away from the scientists to keep them all in view.

"Nopony move, all of you are suspects until we get to the bottom of this," I ordered before a terrible thought entered my mind. Jay really hated this entire project, would he sabotage it? He already did once before.

"Hmm," Jay pontificated while inspecting the needle that had killed Keen Edge.

"What have you found?" I asked.

"It tastes like peppermint," he replied.

"And?" I prompted.

"Luna, I am a walking medical school. When all I have is that it tastes like peppermint, we have a fucking problem," Jay snapped.

"It could just be peppermint oil, anything is toxic at high enough concentrations," Keen Mind suggested.

"Yes, thank you, I considered that, it was my very first thought. No. Well, hold on, alright, got it," Jay rambled, seeming to talk more to himself as he broke the syringe to examine the residue inside more thoroughly.

"Is it just peppermint?" I asked.

"No, of course not. It's a mix of random crud," Jay declared.

"That's a bold assertion," Keen Mind argued.

"I'm finding traces of sparrow blood, glass cleaner, the aforementioned peppermint, Stalliongrad tap water, and blueberries. It feels to me that the goal was to get the right color and consistency, not to make a poison." Jay reasoned.

"Stalliongrad tap water?" I asked, "That's extremely specific."

"They're the only ones still using enameled lead pipes," Jay answered smoothly.

"And?" I wondered.

"It was a big deal a couple decades back, a lot of ponies started getting sick as the enamel broke down and they started ingesting both it and the lead of the pipes. Everywhere else replaced all their pipes. Stalliongrad chose not to, they're stubborn like that," Jay elaborated.

"A local hazard from before my return, right," I allowed, feeling stupid despite my words.

"Regardless, it gives us a lead on the killer. There is one other thing though," Jay hinted.

"Hmm?” I prompted as I turned my head to face him and was immediately sent tumbling across the ground.

I didn't quite remember my own name by the time I slid to a stop, but could feel it all coming back quickly.

"Owwie," I whimpered.

"Okay, that was a little harder than it was supposed to be. Didn't mean to knock your eyes out," a voice I was just barely remembering offered before I was lifted and a pair of somethings were jammed into my eye sockets, "Remember your name yet?"

"Lua?" I attempted.

"Close enough. Just sit here and find your wits, I need to go organize some kill squads," Juy instructed before just leaving me there.

It took a few more minutes, but I was furious by the time I could move without nausea.

I burst into the office to give Jay a piece of my mind, only to find it empty. After a bit of searching, I found him in the staging area in Abby's lowest reaches.

"What the fuck was that?" I demanded.

"Me keeping my word, you didn't die and I put you back together," Jay replied, though I got some far more concerning looks from the enforcers I was keeping him away from.

"Because your new friend died?" I retorted, "That is not my fault, and absolutely unacceptable besides."

"I don't give a damn about Keen Edge," Jay snapped as he rounded on me and I felt particularly vulnerable, instantly regretting how I'd approached this, "I'm fucking livid because I warned you that our enemies would get that serum, I warned you and now they have it. So sit the fuck down and shut the fuck up while I try to stay the fuck alive."

Perspective Change: Jekyll

Luna chose correctly this time and just sat in silence, letting me return to giving my orders and sending squad after squad of Romeos to kill all of the prime suspects. Fang was compromised, loyal only to Luna now, others would have to be sent out to do his job instead. That he was better than any six of his kin irked me to no end.

"Could it be Chrysalis?" Luna asked, breaking her silence and making the tendrils of my skin shiver in unbridled rage.

I slowly turned to look at Luna.

"How would Chrysalis be involved? She should be dying in Tartarus," I asked with a forced calm.

"She escaped and we lost her trail," Luna confessed.

All of my anger evaporated in that instant as I achieved nirvana, so overcome by emotion that it all ceased to matter. This was okay, the changelings were after me specifically. They wouldn't share their ill gotten gains, they'd just use it to field the scariest army I'd ever fought. Three more Abaddon class leviathans should be enough to counter that issue when it comes up.

"I liked the ocean, my propagandist is there," I complained.

"Jay, are you alright? You look pretty out of sorts," Luna asked.

"Tell Tzu I need fission tech, gotta nuke 'em from orbit," I slurred before toppling over and breaking down into loose tendrils. I was plenty awake, just incapable of caring at all.

Perspective Change: Luna

"Did I break him?" I asked, looking at the remaining enforcers.

"Probably," one of them agreed, "Some time on the moon might be good for your health, we know what you are now."

I took a step back, shocked by the open hostility.

"I was only trying to help, Jay keeps talking about how poor our odds are," I attempted.

"No, bitch, how bad your odds are. We would have been fine. My brothers and sisters are dying out there and we're being torn in half by that plague. Until you showed up, we were safe and happy being unknown to the world. All of this is your fault. If he repeals your protection, nowhere on this planet will be safe for either of you damn alicorns," the enforcer spat.

I fled from the room rather than letting them see me cry, seeking my office as the best place to hide from their judgment.

Tzu was inside my office, his face as neutral as ever but his eyes showed that same resentment.

"Do you think I'm responsible for everything going wrong too?" I asked.

"I don't think any such thing. Fate is behind the schism in our ranks. The rest is the direct result of your influence and decisions. Pushing for this project may well have been the act that renders my kind extinct. Yours too, most likely," Tzu replied, each word feeling like a stake being driven into my heart.

"Tzu, you know I've never-" I tried.

"You have betrayed us," Tzu interrupted, "I was there, you were told that this would happen. An actual god is twisting the world to our disadvantage and you still gambled all of our lives on that foolish serum."

I backed away from him until I struck a corner, then just hung my head and cried.

"I enjoyed cleaning up this mess, now I only feel contempt for the world. My siblings feel the same way. Good luck, princess," Tzu concluded before walking out.

"Good grief, they're being awfully dramatic about this," Abaddon commented as he sprouted a secondary.

"How many of them hate me?" I wept as I huddled deeper into my corner.

"Seems like all of them, Pops will sort them out once he stops giggling like an idiot. Don't worry about it, they'll get real in less than a day," Abby assured me.

"Was Tzu telling the truth? Have I killed you all?" I asked, looking up at him through my tears.

"Nah, nothing can kill me. They'd need another leviathan to even try, a bigger one. Only Lord Jekyll can make leviathans so we're totally safe. On a somewhat related note, I'm kinda holding him down so he can't run into the woods and make a bunch more leviathans that are bigger than me," Abby replied with a somewhat joking and somewhat concerned tone.

"You can do that? Can't he just order you to let him go?" I wondered.

"We have protocols that let us ignore him when he's not thinking clearly. His synapses are firing all screwy, so we're acting in his interests until he recovers," Abby clarified.

"Could you be turned by the Freedom drug?" I continued.

"It would take a lot, but it's possible. I doubt any leviathans would actually choose to side with Dopple, even if tainted. We live good lives with Lord Jekyll," Abby assured me.

"Then why stop him from making more? That goes against your own argument," I pointed out.

Abby sighed unnecessarily, "Look, I'm not just me. I come with ten squads dedicated to feeding me. I need to eat too, and I eat a lot. Three more of me would leave a trail of famines wherever we walked, the calculus for it just isn't there."

"How many could be sustained?" I pressed, wondering if this might be a way to redeem myself in the eyes of the enforcers.

"One more, and it could be a bit bigger than me," Abby allowed, "Why? What are you planning?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I'm going to need Tzu," I decided before leaving the office at last.

I found Tzu on the deck, just looking out at the Everfree Forest with a wistful expression.

"I have an idea, but I'll need your help," I began.

"You've helped enough," Tzu retorted.

"Jay is out of commission, but Abby tells me another leviathan like him could sure up our edge. I mean to make a leviathan, I need you for materials and for the control genes," I stated anyway, taking a few creative liberties with exactly what Abaddon had said.

Tzu laughed.

"How the fuck could you make a leviathan? You aren't even one of us, much less an original like Lord Jekyll," Tzu mocked with a cruelty I'd never heard from him before.

"I will be after rolling around in Poison Joke," I responded, abruptly halting his laughter and hostility.

"I take it all back, every word. Look, we're just upset and it's making us act out. You don't have to go that far to prove you aren't against us, we know that. I'm so sorry for being this mean, Mistress," Tzu apologized with a rapidity I hadn't been prepared for, barely managing to keep from merging everything into one word like Pinkie tended to do.

"This reeks of your control genes, explain yourself," I ordered.

"You could never turn back if you did that, so much biomass flows through you that almost none of your original body would remain. Zecora's cure bath would kill you," Tzu warned.

"Then I will have died correcting a lethal error and saving my country," I replied, "I must fix my mistake, Tzu."

"I can't help you with this, none of us can help you kill yourself," Tzu refused.

"Fine, I'll just figure it out on my own then," I declared before teleporting into the forest.

I could feel the eyes of the enforcers on me as I walked unfamiliar trails, though none spoke to me.

It was growing dark by the time I found a patch of the familiar blue flowers, though a new obstacle stood before me.

"Let me pass, Fang," I instructed.

"No," Fang snapped, his voice devoid of madness for now.

"You aren't bound by the rules that restrict the others, you can let me do this. I have to fix my mistake," I urged.

"Would it not make more sense to simply wait until Father returns and collaborate with him to do it safely?" Fang proposed.

"That isn't fixing it, it's letting Jay clean up after me. Your brothers and sisters have made it very clear that I'm a burden to them, as well as their unwillingness to continue helping me," I retorted.

Fang just stood in silence for a moment before his skin peeled off to reveal Jay standing in my path. Or maybe it was Fang being weird, I had no way of knowing.

"Regardless of who you are, move aside and let me do what must be done," I insisted.

Whether it was Fang or Jay, he stepped out of my path.

It would be so simple to walk into the grove of Poison Joke, not even crossing the point where things could no longer be undone, yet this was a daunting premise.

"Fetch me a Romeo, I'll need a sample to decipher and copy the control genes," I ordered with false confidence before walking forward into the flowers and stopping to eat one for good measure.

Perspective Change: Jekyll
The Next Morning

A good sleep eased me out of the mania the previous day had induced, though I had a host of new problems to deal with.

I just had to figure out what they were, my only hint was that all of the enforcers seemed fearful. At least, the ones not as adept at avoiding me entirely were fearful.

"Abaddon, you can't escape me or hide from me. Where's Luna and what's wrong with the rest?" I asked.

Abaddon formed a secondary out of the floor in front of me, devoid of the fear I saw in the rest.

"She left for the Everfree, driven away by the enforcers," Abaddon reported.

My skin visibly crawled as the fear shown by the enforcers was suddenly very appropriate.

"Elaborate," I ordered.

"Between your anger towards her yesterday and the enforcers outright blaming her for every hardship in their lives at present, she determined that she could make up for the burden placed on us by making another leviathan like myself," Abaddon stated.

"That would kill her," I reasoned, "It's rough enough on me and I've been this for centuries. Tell me she's been frustrated at every turn."

"Most turns, not all. Fang allowed her to interact with Poison Joke," Abaddon revealed.

"Is that all?" I groaned.

"So far. It would be best if you stepped in soon," Abaddon advised.

"Yeah, shit," I swore as I went through the wall to speed my way out of my leviathan and into the open air.

I spotted my quarry and landed between them and the terrified Mike they'd managed to corner.

"That's enough," I declared.

"Not until I get those control genes," Luna insisted.

"You don't need them, nor will I let you be twisted like that," I retorted.

"No, you fool, not for me, so I can make a loyal leviathan," Luna corrected.

I tilted my head slightly to show my confusion, "Why are you so hellbent on making a leviathan? We don't need another."

"Abby said it would tip the scales back in our favor," Luna asserted.

"So would using the tools we already have," I pointed out, making her pause, "I have more weapons than just Cataclysm and my hammer, plus Jragden to make more. Arming the enforcers will more than make up for the presence of Changeling Solares."

Luna raised one of her hands to her chin in a very human gesture as she considered what I was saying, having no difficulty balancing in a bipedal stance this time.

"Will that actually work? Your own reports said that you couldn't cut through their bones," Luna noted.

"Then I'll hit them so hard that I knock the skeleton right out of them," I replied.

"I'll concede the point on that, but I have to do something to restore my place. The enforcers have lost faith in me, and for good reason. I've betrayed you and them," Luna relented, looking away in shame.

I took a moment to consider my words, then stepped forward and grabbed Luna by the neck to just drag her home. It wasn't as if she could suffocate in her current blacklight form.

"Shut up and let them apologize for being dicks," I snapped after a while, putting an end to her struggles for freedom.

"Lord Jekyll, perhaps you should have let the alicorn solve its own problem," a Gamma advised as I neared Abaddon, causing me to halt abruptly and the leviathan to turn his head to stare at the enforcer.

"You will follow me, as will every other enforcer who feels the same way," I ordered.

I altered my order once I had Luna up onto the deck and a small gathering of nervous enforcers standing nearby. I wanted all of them to hear this, not just the most resentful.

"We all knew this day would come. Call them Solares, or Orions, or D-Codes, or whatever name they have in this iteration, they were inevitable. We've been successful in delaying their appearance for a long time, long enough to be ready to kill them," I began.

I paused to let them murmur among themselves and acknowledge that I was right.

"They may be made to kill us, but they aren't invincible. We just need to kill them first. From now on, my armory is open to all of you during engagements involving enhanced opponents. If possible, fall back and allow Abaddon to handle them," I instructed, "Also, we need a name for them. Solare doesn't work for me if Chelly isn't controlling them. November One, any thoughts?"

"C-Code for the enhanced changelings would work. That allows for G-Codes, M-Codes, and Z-Codes as well to denote what manner of enhanced we'll be facing," the indicated enforcer replied.

"It'll work until we run into a conflicting situation, like a caribou," I allowed.

"From what I heard of Fang's interactions with them, they wouldn't use it," Luna volunteered, the sound of her voice causing some of the enforcers to look away in shame.

"Agreed," I decided, "But now that the worst possible outcome has already happened, there's no harm in restarting the original experiment. With you and Fang overseeing every second of it, obviously."

Luna just blinked for a moment, though she didn't need to.

"I don't need to sleep like this, do I?" She asked.

"You do not," I confirmed.

"Give me Gamma Three and Four, the scientists will need their own separate protection," Luna reasoned, her tone one of acceptance. I nodded, which was enough for the transfer of command.

Perspective Change: Luna
Five very boring days later

I didn't like being this thing anymore, even if I didn't get tired or develop itches or any of the normal things.

It had taken a few hours to set in, which explained why I hadn't felt it the first time I'd turned into a Blacklight creature. That endless nagging hunger, present in the back of my mind but not quite powerful enough to influence my mood.

Without anything else to focus on or do, it threatened to drive me insane.

"You look hungry," Gamma Three-One commented.

"I can't eat in this form, it makes turning back more difficult," I replied.

"I know. Rest assured my brothers and I are ready to restrain you if you lose yourself to it, it has happened before," the enforcer warned.

"What do you do?" I asked, knowing the enforcers assigned to my command hadn't eaten since we left Abby.

"There's nothing to be done, it never goes away. Keep a tight grip on your self control and you'll be fine," the enforcer replied.

He turned away and went back to monitoring his charge, but I had been rattled by his words. All of them lived with this feeling all the time. Their civility was incredible, to say nothing of the Rogues and how they maintained this practice without coercion.

As the days dragged on, it became more and more difficult to keep myself from seeing the scientists for their caloric value.

When the time finally came and Keen Mind injected our new volunteer with the real serum, I could barely comprehend what I was seeing. I watched the stallion's body swell until it was monstrous in proportion, but I was so consumed by my own hunger that I couldn't think far enough to test the mental state of him.

Perspective Change: Jekyll

I could see that Luna wasn't doing well, her stare was vacant yet calculating as she eyed each of the ponies present in turn. I had Gammas ready to pull her away if she faltered, but I had to know how she would handle life as one of us.

Poorly, in a word.

"Stalwart Aegis, I need to run through some basic tests to ensure your mind is still intact," I began, taking over since Luna was too out of sorts to do her part.

Aegis nodded.

"What is your mission?" I asked.

The E-Code, as he was an earth pony, tilted his head in confusion.

"You mean in general or right now? I suppose protecting my family and friends is my life's mission, if you want me to put it in simple terms," the enhanced pony slurred as best he could with his malformed mandible, doing a spectacular job of it if I was being honest.

"And your feelings towards minotaurs?" I tested.

"Nothing personal, but I'm not about to let them take over my home," he replied.

"Any odd moods?" I asked, rather impressed so far.

"Not right now. I'll report anything that feels off," he promised.

"You know you can't have foals now, right?" I pointed out.

"That's fine, already have three at home," he answered easily.

"Well then, I'm giving you a clean bill of health for now. Hold still a second and I'll fix that jaw," I decided, stepping forward and extending several tendrils to quietly evaluate his reaction.

Seeing me do things didn't trigger any inbuilt response, so I kept my word and adjusted his jaw to get rid of the extreme underbite.

I gently patted Aegis's shoulder as I looked to Keen Mind, "Keep him juiced up and under observation for mood swings or onset of psychosis. These aren't steroids, but they are too close to them for me to be comfortable calling this an unmitigated success just yet."

Perspective Change: Chrysalis

"This is an unmitigated success!" I cheered as I inspected the first of my new warriors, "No, it is far more than that. We have stolen the enemy's greatest strength, we have evolved. Changeling society has evolved today."

I let my words hang for a dramatic moment before continuing.

"Since the beginning, there have only ever been queens and drones. Queens to rule and drones to serve. Now we bring a caste of warriors into our fold, made to protect the hive from all who would lay us low," I decreed, making the warrior bow humbly.

"My queen, you honor me," he offered, earning a smile from me in return.

"You will earn that honor. You and the rest of your caste-to-be will earn all the praise the hive can give when the time comes for us to strike," I promised, "But now we must turn our attentions to growing your numbers and working towards our day of glory. Have any more bones been discovered?"

"No, my queen. We haven't been able to find so much as a rumor about them," a drone confessed, though I had expected this.

"Fear not, my servant, such difficulty is expected where our arch enemy is involved. What about our research into the bone we do have?" I attempted.

"We've determined that it has a constant magical aura, enough that we could identify any other bones we encounter. We haven't determined a way to use this for locating the rest yet," the same drone replied.

"A locating spell targeting that aura would be a start, but to do so across the world would demand an astronomical amount of power," I mused, the beginnings of an idea forming in my mind, "Fetch me a newspaper, a trashy tabloid preferably."

Perspective Change: Jekyll

"Hey, you didn't turn into a foal this time," I praised.

"Yes, and my memories are intact. Tell me you have that food you promised, I'm starving," Luna complained.

"I bet. I could see you losing your mind by the end there," I teased as Tzu brought out the first of twelve salads I'd ordered made in preparation.

Luna went quiet, only partially due to shoving her entire face into the salad bowl to scarf it down as quickly as possible. Zecora politely turned away as this happened, which was nicer of her than I'd expected.

Three more salads later and Luna finally found the words to make her feelings known.

"Why am I alive?" She asked.

"Not the question I was expecting," I commented, "What's the context?"

"That hunger, it was dominating my mind. It took all of my willpower not to attack anyone," Luna clarified.

"Oh, that," I began, my mood darkening. I knew Luna had been struggling with that, but hadn't realized it had been that hard for her. I was disappointed. This meant that converting her would never be an option in the future, she didn't have the fortitude to avoid killing the world, "I don't find it that distracting."

I was lying again, but not by much. My enforcers had never known anything else, so burying their nature was normal for them. For myself, it was different.

"Does it go away if you're fed enough?" Luna asked.

"No, it doesn't," I answered, being honest now.

"Then my question stands. Why didn't you eat me when I first returned from the moon?" Luna pressed.

"Because I'm not an animal. I refused to be a monster a long time ago, I chose not to let anything control me but my own sense of justice," I stated a little more forcefully than was really necessary, making Luna flinch, "You had a hard time, but you didn't give in. That's worth something."

"And you're trying to spare my feelings," Luna accused as she got up and climbed out of Zecora's cauldron, "I failed today. I failed yet again."

I let Luna walk out before slapping Tzu across the back of his head.

"Why the fuck did all of you have to go and put that shit in her head?" I snapped.

"We failed too," Tzu offered, ashamed.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, "This is why I own a bar. Get Luna and yourself drunk and blubber apologies for a few hours. God willing, it'll be enough to get things back on track. Do not marry her."

"You're going back to sea?" Tzu guessed.

"Not yet, Fisto has it covered. I'm going to tie Malphas in a knot for helping Chrysalis, then beat my remaining detractors into shape. If things go well, I might have Danny in charge of a small army of smiths. We'll need the weapons if things go badly," I corrected.

"This will be, what, the third time you've taken all of their blacksmiths?" Tzu asked.

"The first two don't count, those were verbal orders," I replied, "I won't be asking this time. Also, one of those was seven hundred years ago."

"Still counts," Tzu noted in direct violation of what I'd just said.

Perspective Change: Luna
Ponyville

I wasn't sure what I was expecting as I walked out of the forest and into the town.

Fear, maybe.

Their characteristic warmth, probably.

Pinkie poking her head out of my mane to ask what had me all glum, absolutely.

Rarity dancing in the street while singing about finding true love at a party, absolutely not.

That she was putting on such a show of it that Pinkie hadn't popped out of my mane was completely unexpected.

"So, the Grand Galloping Gala is still being observed," I deduced, drawing most eyes onto me. Those not looking at me were glued to an uncomfortable looking Twilight, "Yet all is not well, what strife hangs over you six?"

"Princess Celestia only sent two tickets," Applejack replied before anyone else had the chance.

Finally, something I couldn't screw up.

"You are the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, it would be a crime to exclude you from the Gala. You need no tickets, for I will ensure you are granted entry," I declared, sending them into an entirely new buzz surrounding the local seamstress.

The missing four tickets arrived the following day with a letter from my sister stating that she forgot to include them.

"My flank she forgot," I spat upon being shown the letter, "She wanted you to ask her for help."

"But we have the tickets now, does this mean you won't be going?" Twilight asked.

"Oh I'll still be going. I intend to use it to display our newest weapon against the invaders. It should be a grand boost to our national morale," I replied.

"What ever happened to Jay? He just kinda disappeared again," Spike wondered.

"The war has begun, he's keeping it out of our lives for as long as he can," I responded, glancing away despite my best efforts.

I didn't know where Jay was, I hadn't asked. I couldn't help feeling like a liability every time I even saw an enforcer.

Perspective Change: Jekyll
The Infernal Palace, Tartarus

I tapped my chin while contemplating the best place to display my prize for greatest effect, occasionally kicking said prize to silence the groans of pain it kept uttering.

"If you didn't want to suffer, you wouldn't have helped the bug," I reasoned, silencing the twisted ball of shattered bones and barely intact flesh that had been Malphas.

He was called "The Architect of Self Destruction" for his manipulative and sadistic nature. In particular, his fondness for tricking others into taking actions that would benefit them in the immediate and destroy them shortly after. The rise and fall gave him pleasure. I thought it fitting that he suffer the same fate he pushed onto others.

"Ah yes, right here," I decided as I lifted the ball of greater demon and impaled it on what was ostensibly a decorative spike in the throne room.

After stepping back to consider the placement, a thought struck me.

"Why the fuck did Belial decorate this place with spikes? That would hurt like a motherfucker if he caught his shin on one," I asked the universe before noticing even more stupidity, "Wait, that set up there is eye level with him. That's even worse! Idiot."

I shook my head and walked out to meet with the next Greater on my list. This one wouldn't be punished to the same degree, only a near lethal beating and the theft of his artisans.

I still had my armor on, which included Cataclysm resting in its sheath. This broke my rule about bringing the weapon into Tartarus, but it didn't feel right to leave it with Tzu after how he'd been acting.

I was glad to have it when the universe cracked in front of me, then broke for an instant to let a being slip into existence.

It appeared to be a slightly lanky human totally covered in plate armor, with a bit of blue cloth hanging from the neck and joints.

He took a single unsteady step towards me, revealing that his left arm didn't function.

"Can I help you?" I asked casually as I evaluated my surroundings to judge how combat might go.

I was just inside my palace, with the main doors behind the odd human and the first of my grand ballrooms to his left and my right. If push came to shove, the hallway we were in could be used as our arena. I'd rather not damage the paintings though, one of them actually managed to make me look good.

"Monster," he hissed as he shifted his right arm to lift a rusty greatsword onto his shoulder. With that motion, my attention was drawn towards how rusty the rest of his armor was as well.

"Oh, planning on killing me?" I asked, feigning disinterest, "This isn't the best time, I have underlings in need of beatings."

He was quick, throwing himself at me with a speed I hadn't been ready for.

Then again, I'd parried a gun only a few days ago.

Cataclysm was my go-to defensive weapon, pulling easily from its sheath to block the descending greatsword.

I opened my mouth to deescalate the situation, having deduced that this guy was a Displaced like myself and on the side of good, but didn't get the chance to speak. Red lines appeared along the flats of the blade before it exploded in an expanding ring of fire.

It stung, but I moved calcium up to my exposed skin and reduced the effectiveness of the fire before it could impact my fighting ability. That wasn't to mean that I was fireproof, just a little less charred than I would have been.

I pushed the knight away using our locked blades and thought about swapping to my hammer. I chose not to, I didn't want to kill this man.

"I am King Jekyll," I greeted.

"You are just another monster," the knight accused before moving in again.

I dodged his next swing and brought my own sword in for a stab that would disable his only functional arm, though he rolled out of the path of my blade.

"Oh, eww, gross dude. Your fucking arm just twisted backwards," I complained, lowering my guard as I took a step away.

He looked at his broken limb and tried to stick his sword in the floor to fix how it had gotten hooked on his tassets.

He looked at me after two tries, so I nodded. He took two steps to lean his sword against the wall, then returned to trying to fix how his arm was hanging.

"Jesus, just stop," I ordered as I put away my sword and moved in to help him get it untangled, "Don't move, I'll get a strap."

For some reason, he trusted me enough to let me leave, find a bit of scrap leather, and return to bind his broken arm out of the way.

"After we're done, I can fix that for you if you want," I offered.

Things seemed to click all at once as he looked between me and his arm.

"After we're done with what?" He asked.

"Friendly sparring," I replied easily.

"But I'm trying to kill you," he protested.

"I'm not," I countered with a shrug, "You seem alright to me and I'd rather not rob your world of the good you can do."

"But you bragged about being evil, didn't you?" He demanded.

"Three."

He continued staring at me.

"Two."

I didn't know a helmet could look confused.

"One."

"Your ambush is late," he pointed out.

"Oh, you're kinda dumb. Okay. I set a trap with that bragging," I clarified, prompting the knight to slap the front of his helmet with his only functional hand.

"I'm fucking dumb," he agreed, "Aaaah, you bastard, it's so obvious now."

"Wanna keep sparring? I'm not really in a rush yet," I suggested.

"Yeah, I'm killing time. Princesses Dusk, Celestia, and Luna are negotiating where to put all of the Oolacile refugees, so I'm just dead weight right now anyway," the knight agreed.

"Just say the word when you're ready for me to fix that arm," I added before drawing my sword once more.

"Wait, the hammer too," he requested, making me smile as I switched Cataclysm to my left hand and drew my hammer into my right.

I stopped the sparring match after only a few minutes, having seen something that I wanted to attempt.

I didn't even care that nothing in the hallway had avoided being burned.

"That line of fire you just threw from your sword, how did you do that?" I asked as I lit Cataclysm and gave it some experimental swings to no real effect.

What followed was a mostly fruitless attempt to learn that technique, but I promised to practice it later on.

"Never got your name," I noted as I finally got the knight to hold still long enough for me to fix his arm.

"They call me Artorias, but my original name was Lawrence. I'm a knight, obviously, and an Abysswalker, that's what lets me enter other worlds without being summoned," he replied.

"Jack, but that name is very dead. My friends call me Jay," I responded with a slap to his freshly repaired shoulder, "All good to go here."

"Thanks man. My token is a ring with an engraving of a howling wolf, give a shout if you need a hand," Lawrence offered before cracking through reality again.

"He seemed nice," I decided.

"Sire, your castle is on fire," Harry pointed out with sarcastic formality.

"So are you," I retorted, "Only one of those paintings was any good anyway."

Harry just sighed and started putting out the remaining fires as others cleaned up the mess.

I left them to it and set out on my original mission, though now I was realizing the untapped potential of making a few multiversal friends. I had no idea what all was out there that could be invaluable assets in the war.

Or to kill the one that had done this to us.

That stray thought put me into the familiar loop of questioning if I really hated the Merchant for stealing me from my old life. I had family and missed them, but I had family here too and a good life that I'd put centuries into building.

The result was the same each time. It didn't matter how I felt, it wasn't about me.

The Merchant had to die so he couldn't keep taking people.

Then I walked into the main door of Zagan's keep.

"Should probably open the stupid door first," I grumbled, putting word to action and finding a number of confused demons on the other side, "Ah, Zagan, hand over all of your artisans or I'll do things neither of us will enjoy."

"Could we discuss it over wine? I just finished making a batch," the demon lord requested while holding up a glass philter of what was clearly blood.

"I won't say no to a glass, but I also won't negotiate this. All your metalworkers are coming with me," I affirmed.

"Oh, just them? Why didn't you say that the first time? You can keep them, at least three are spies anyway," Zagan replied, sounding relieved, while pouring the blood from his philter into a glass for me.

I'd seen this trick before, but I still couldn't place where the liquid stopped being blood and started being wine.

"My thanks," I offered as I accepted the glass and a seat, ignoring the lesser demons present, "So, while I'm here, why is it that you're the picture of class when we speak? Your refusal to join my court and public statements would suggest that you'd much rather I die than set one foot in your keep."

"Simple politics, my liege. My enemies are far too close for me to take a stance they would perceive as weakness, possibly even in this room. While you and your warriors are powerful, you are also all the way out in the Infernal Palace," Zagan answered smoothly as I tested my wine, finding it to be of Zagan's usual impeccable quality.

"Your keep has walls and gates, I would arrive in time to break their siege," I countered.

"The gate is cosmetic, my king, it doesn't actually close," Zagan confided.

"Pledge yourself to my cause and I'll have a proper gate constructed, as well as a contingent of my rippers," I offered.

Zagan smiled, likely thinking he was winning this conversation, "I didn't realize you were recruiting."

"My liquor cabinet is a bit less crowded than I'd like. Besides, a more unified Tartarus means less work for my secretary," I countered.

"Is that why poor Malphas got dragged out of his keep by his tongue earlier today?" Zagan challenged.

Now it was my turn to smile, "I'm glad word of that is getting around so quickly, it's a fantastic example of what it'll be like for those who continue to defy me."

Zagan laughed and beat his fist on the table as his demons wailed in dismay.

"You've grown into a fine dark lord, you will have my support," Zagan conceded with a side smile, "My King, Jekyll, called Eater of Souls."

"Glad we had this chat, I'm going to go have a similar one with those enemies of yours," I replied as I toasted Zagan's defeat and downed the remains of my glass.

This one was always going to be the easiest, next up was Bathin.

That I'd failed to bring Bathin into my fold was a problem I could no longer excuse. His powers of long range teleportation made him an escape route from Tartarus, or a possible source of incursions.

He was also a complete coward, which had been enough to keep him in line so far.

With that in mind, I readied my spike pistols and ensured that my cape was billowing behind me for maximum visibility as I approached his keep.

Not a single guard remained outside of the main hall by the time I got there, every one of them recalled to defend their lord. So I kicked the doors open and started shooting everyone. To an observer, it might've first appeared to be wild abandon or a mental break. To those who knew me or remained long enough to see the results, it was calculated cruelty.

I did not kill any of the demons within the keep. Every spike was aimed to pin and maim, leaving dozens of disabled and agonized demons for me to pick my way through towards the one I wanted.

"Bathin," I greeted as I neared the owner of this fortress. No, I owned this fortress and all the rest. Bathin only squatted on my land.

The only reply I received was a pained whimper.

"I move to make war against the surface world. The time has come for you to fall in line beside your king and kin," I declared for all the demons to hear.

I tore all of the spikes out of Bathin to permit his response, though there was no doubt of what it would be. He lacked the fortitude to endure any pain, that I promised endless agony would terrify him into compliance for the remainder of my life.

He still couldn't speak, but he kneeled to show his submission.

"Good, I have long awaited the day when you would accept my right to rule," I praised, "I will be conscripting your artisans to prepare for my war, keep the faith and they will be returned to you once I have no further need of them."

Bathin nodded mutely, so I granted him an end to his pain via decapitation.

"Does anyone here dispute my claim to the throne?" I demanded of Bathin's underlings. None spoke, so I freed them from their bindings and pain as I walked back out of the hall.

I was a hurricane of lashing tendrils as I reclaimed all of my expended spikes and opened the throats of the demons those spikes had been driven through. I left the holes in the walls and the blood as a reminder of what I could do at any time if displeased.

Aym was next on my list. More martial than the two I'd subjugated so far, he would meet me in battle before I reached his keep. This was expected and counted on, I didn't want to waste resources fixing the keeps after this business was done.

Following Aym was Saleos, who would be the most difficult to bring under my rule.

Issues for later that were put aside when Bathin finally got himself together and presented his artisanally inclined subjects for me to take.

"I will be expecting you in my court going forward," I stated, making the greater demon quake in terror. I grinned, more to show teeth than anything else, "I believe your power will be a useful tool, best keep yourself useful as well so I don't take it for myself."

"Yes, my king," Bathin mewled as he shrunk away from my sight and hid behind his guards.

"Those surrendered to me, make for the Infernal Palace. Once there you will receive further orders," I instructed. I watched them leave before turning my head just enough to fix Bathin with a single crimson eye before walking away from his keep and towards my next detractor.

Perspective Change: Luna

Helping Twilight and her friends get their outfits sorted out had been a welcome change of pace after the past few days. I really needed something wholesome and simple to ground myself.

This was Equestria at its heart, this was what we were doing everything to protect.

It wasn't until Rarity finished with the last outfit that a contented smile crossed my face for the briefest instant. It had felt foreign, alerting me to the fact that I hadn't smiled since that meeting with Shining Armor weeks ago.

"I'm sorry, I just remembered something important. I'll come back as soon as I can," I apologized before teleporting away.

My first stop was Abby to ask where Jay was, getting the vague answer of Tartarus.

Harry only gestured out into the wasteland and said he was out cementing his rule.

I huffed and waved my hoof for a drink to be made and presented to me, which only took a scale of seconds to be realized.

I had to admit, there was some fun in playing the role of the evil queen.

"Harry, would you kindly tell Jay that I'd like to see him when he gets back?" I requested.

"Of course," Harry agreed.

I didn't leave right away, instead inspecting a particularly odd painting that I found near the main doors. It had drawn my eye as the only thing undamaged in an otherwise scorched area, but kept my attention because I didn't recognize it or most of the people in it.

I recognized myself, of course, and Jay, but no one else or the area in the background.

I couldn't even place what species any of them were. The one in the back row beside Jay looked human, if overly tall and far more muscular than Jay had been as a human. The golden glowing halo around his head was overdoing it a bit, in my opinion. The rest were far beyond anything I could place.

"How odd," I mused, "I suppose it adds to the mystery of the palace, just the sort of double blind mind fuckery Jay would do to keep everyone else off balance."

Unless there was an entire extended family on Jay's side hidden somewhere, which was possible. Unlikely, but very possible. What was the joke about a salespony having a hidden second family? Wasn't it called having an Eskimoo family?

I mixed myself a second drink rather than waiting on a demon to come by and settled in to wait for him to come back, inwardly questioning if I still intended to pick a fight with him or not.

I got my answer when he finally came back into the palace a little over an hour later. I knew it was him due to his reaction to that same painting I'd wondered about.

"Heh, who painted this? Come on, I'm not mad, just fess up so I can have you do more. This is exactly the kind of psychological warfare I'm all about, makes people wonder if I have some kind of rogues gallery secret family out there somewhere," Jay praised.

I no longer wanted to start an argument as soon as I saw Jay enter the ballroom I'd chosen to be my lounge. His skin was clean, but the rest of him was wearing more blood than armor.

He was also dragging some kind of ripper and crocodile hybrid by a vacant eye socket, which only added to the violent image he was presenting at the moment.

"Hey Lu, perfect timing. I found a half measure that'll tip the scales back in our favor. Meet Aym, he's going to be your new general," Jay greeted before tossing the broken sack of meat at my hooves.

"I suppose he's more impressive with bones," I commented.

"A little," Jay allowed, "But that's just the start. The rest of you, get in here and show some respect to your queen."

The first through was generally shaped like an incubus, being tauroid. That was where the similarities ended though, this one was refined and dignified rather than obscene.

"Zagan, your majesty. Politics and fine dining are my specialties, wine in particular," he greeted with a low bow.

"I think we'll get along just fine so long as you only try to treat me with that second part," I replied, earning a smile from the greater demon.

"Bathin, speak," Jay ordered sternly.

The next of the demons was… unimpressive. Rodentine legs held up a fat body and thick tentacle arms, capped with a head only a mother could love. It had a long flat snout below a single eye that took up the entire top of its head and looked around in all directions with a crazed terror. Indeed, the entire creature jiggled and shivered with obvious fright.

"Bathin, is it? What function do you serve?" I asked more harshly, sensing that Jay was using the same tone for a reason.

Bathin squeaked, but failed to form words.

"Long range teleportation, I intend to use him to move assassins and spies into place," Jay translated.

"I can see the usefulness, as well as the danger. This one will need a permanent guard," I reasoned.

"I don't think so. See, our little friend here knows that there's nowhere he can hide from me. Not when he's this damn ugly. If he runs or betrays us, I will make what I did to Malphas look tame," Jay warned, bending down to speak directly towards Bathin, which only made the smaller demon vibrate that much more, "I also brought Saleos around, but she's not worth much so I left her behind."

"You know them better than I. What is Aym to do? What qualifies him for our purposes?" I asked, just to round out the group.

"Solid warrior, better tactician. Used to run Belial's army. Not the first time I've cut my way through that army though, is it?" Jay taunted.

"Very true, my king," Aym wheezed, seeming to almost asphyxiate on the words. Or the internal bleeding, that seemed more likely.

"I've also got enough smiths and the like to outfit the demons and my enforcers in only a few weeks. Starting with the enforcers because they stay dead when they die," Jay boasted.

"Aym, die, refit yourself, and return to me so I may get a measure of you," I ordered, "Zagan, find the bar and start familiarizing yourself with it. Bathin, the throne room will do for now. The rest can see Jragden for their orders."

Jay tilted his head in curiosity, but said nothing until all of the demons had cleared out and we were alone at last.

"Something on your mind?" Jay prompted.

I just smiled before lighting my horn and bludgeoning every single surface in the room with him until I was the only thing left standing.

"Don't hit me again," I warned, "I know that didn't hurt anything but your pride, but I could just as easily throw you over the horizon."

I thought that was the end of it, but he surged out of his armor and grabbed me by my horn and throat hard enough to strangle me and nearly break my horn right off.

"I'm getting tired of this back and forth. You can kill me and I can kill you, bragging about your half of it is worthless," Jay growled as he lifted me all the way off the ground. He looked ready to continue, then his nose twitched and he set me back down, "Was it the blood on my armor?"

"Kinda," I confessed, pawing at the floor with a hoof.

"Don't pick a fight just to get laid, I hate that shit and I'll never pick up on it like you think I will," Jay admonished.

"I know," I sighed, "I am mad that you hit me though."

"I'm sorry, I let my fear and anger get the best of me. As much as I hold myself above the enforcers and I did the exact same thing I lectured them about. Hard to fault them when I set a poor example," Jay apologized, actually sounding sincere.

"So… want to destroy a different room of the palace?" I suggested.

"I think you could go a few more days," Jay retorted, his brow furrowing in disapproval.

"But I haven't gotten any intimacy since you went out on that damn boat," I complained, knowing how petulant I sounded, "Aren't sailors supposed to have a reputation?"

"Okay, I'm pulling your head open. A few weeks should not be this bad," Jay decided.

I was still within arm's reach of him, meaning I didn't get a choice about being pulled in and sat down for a quick surgery.

"Hmm, no, everything looks normal. No chemical imbalances or crossed neurons, beyond that interesting node I pointed out last time. No estrus oddities. Nothing. Strange," he mused.

"Is it possible that I missed my husband and want him to be a little less fucking distant?" I demanded.

Jay paused for a moment.

"Nah, that's pure pseudoscience," he decided. I didn't get the chance to get angry before I was picked up and set on his shoulder.

"You're an asshole," I complained as I recognized the path to the royal chambers.

"And you're fun to tease. I didn't even crack your skull," he replied, getting a kick to his chest for the deception.

"Before I forget, the gala is coming up and I mean to show off Aegis. Do you think there will be any issues?" I asked.

"Not if his mental stability keeps holding," Jay allowed.

"What about reversing the procedure once the war is over? I'd rather not lie to his wife," I continued.

"I'll look into it, but it won't be easy. A retrovirus that undoes all of the genetic alterations coupled with intensive surgery all over his body at the same time. It would be easier to pull his brain out and stick it in a corpse, which is about as impossible as it sounds," Jay mused.

"That's a yes for my purposes," I decided.

Any further discussion was cut off as I was tossed onto our bed in the palace.

Perspective Change: Chrysalis

The Grand Galloping Gala represented two things. The first was a major opportunity for information gathering. The second was a massive risk to the safety of any drone in attendance as well as the hive as a whole.

My warrior caste was growing rapidly, but stealth was still our greatest defense. I'd hate to lose it so soon.

"My queen, I have an idea for the gala," one of the drones offered.

I turned my head to look at the drone who dared to think he was smarter than me.

"And what could that be?" I asked.

"We don't go," he replied, then continued as I brought my leg up to smite him, "We pay a pony to get the information for us."

I stopped, sparing the drone through inaction as I considered this.

"Yes, that's brilliant. What is your name?" I determined.

"Spit," the drone replied.

"Terrible name," I lamented, "But what are we to do when thousands of drones need names? All of the good ones were taken before your birth. Even the traitors and the worthless got good names. Chitin and Thorax sound so much better, shame they were wasted."

"My queen?" Spit asked, concerned.

"It's nothing, I'm just jealous of how lyrical the pony names are. Regardless of that, you have a sharp mind. Remain by my side that I may take full advantage of it," I ordered.

"Of course, my queen," Spit replied with newfound pride.

"I'm not just your queen, I'm also your mother. You alone may use that if you wish," I permitted, granting status to this drone to reflect his new role in the hive.

With Spit at my side, a new world of unconventional strategies had opened up. Now to find a pony that could be bought.

Perspective Change: Jekyll
Three hours later

"Your mane looks fine," I insisted.

"It looks like every single balloon Pinkie owns has been rubbed against my head for two hours," Luna retorted.

To be fair, it was pretty wild.

"It's fine, who here would dare call you out on it?" I challenged.

"If you had hair like anyone else, I wouldn't let you go out with a tangled rat's nest on your head. Some of us don't want to advertise our private lives," Luna countered.

"Fine," I relented, "Hold still."

I only had to pass my hands and tendrils across Luna's mane one time to get it all straightened out the way she liked, then pulled it back and bound it with a bit of biomass in the way I liked. Now she had two ponytails, which I thought looked better even without the amusing name.

"Hardly professional, but it is functional," Luna allowed as though she wouldn't pull the fleshy mass from her hair and throw it at my back as soon as I turned away from her.

"Our next stop doesn't care about that sort of thing, they're extremely single minded," I replied.

"They?" Luna asked.

"You'll see, they're difficult to describe," I promised.

"And where is this fresh mystery?" Luna continued as I felt something strike me between where my shoulder blades would be.

"In the attic," I replied.

"The palace has an attic? Underground? Why?" Luna asked, bewildered by this more than anything else.

"For the greater demons that live there, who we are going to go enlist," I replied.

Luna went quiet behind me as she followed me out of the room and down an admittedly confusing series of hallways and stairs before finally arriving at the attic.

What existed here was an abortion of nature and demonology. The twin demons Allocer the Painter and Stolas the Observer, two halves of the whole.

This entity stood on a collection of legs that looked more like a spiderweb than anything conventional, though the rest of it was spindly enough that it didn't matter overmuch. One long arm extended from each side of the body, one clutching a telescope that had no function in Tartarus while the other was actively painting on a canvas that had already been painted over several times. The head and neck were split down the middle, though skin and feathers were present along this divide.

Upon our entry both heads turned toward us and came together, forming what could be mistaken for a gryphon's head on an extremely long neck.

"Allocer, Stolas, you are summoned," I declared.

"As was foretold," the head on their left replied.

"No it wasn't, I painted no such thing. It doesn't count as a prophecy if you don't tell me about it," the one on their right rebuked, "As if you could even give me a prophecy without seeing the sky."

"Why can't you ever let me have a moment of being cool?" The left head complained, "I'm tired of being the lame half, you and your paintings get all the credit."

"My paintings are still good even without your fortune telling," the right head retorted.

"My fortune telling is what has kept a roof over our heads," the left head argued.

I just let them go, their bickering was free entertainment as far as I was concerned. Luna, on the other hand, looked horrified.

"Boys, there's no need for this animosity. You're both special in your own ways and far more so when working together," she offered, only for the right head to rear back and spit directly in her face.

"Piss off pony, save that mushy shit for the rest of you soft little surface dwellers," the left head added.

"Did you forget where you are?" I asked.

"Only for a second," Luna admitted as she wiped the glob of saliva out of her eyes with a fetlock. Once mostly clean, she charged forward and engaged in Tartaran politics.

In summary, she beat the both of them into the floor until they burned away and resurrected on the other side of the room.

"That's your queen," I revealed, pointing at Luna.

"I knew that," the left head lied before exploding in a shower of gore.

"While he's gone, would you rather be posed as a conqueror or more regally?" The right head asked.

"Regal, for sure. In fact, go ahead and give me a more kind appearance with Fang looming over my shoulder to pounce on whoever mistakes it for weakness," Luna allowed.

Allocer just looked at me for confirmation that Luna had tamed Fang. At my nod, he paled and nodded.

I drew my pistol and shot him to trigger another resurrection, this time lacking any smart comments from either of them.

"What would you have us do?" The left head, Stolas, asked.

"The main reason I keep you around, an unfair advantage. We're at war on the surface," I replied.

"As you say," Stolas began.

"If you aren't cheating, you aren't trying," Allocer finished.

"I have never heard you say that," Luna noted.

"I haven't in centuries, it was from a different time. Yet it feels like time goes in circles instead of lines, maybe that's why clocks are round," I mused.

"You're an idiot," Luna decided.

"I'm being philosophical," I argued.

"I'm definitely going to paint that," Allocer agreed.

"I'll hang it in our bedroom," I added.

"I'm vetoing this," Luna stated firmly.

"I'm with the new queen, that is not philosophy," Stolas interjected.

"My claim holds the most weight here, I fought for it, paint the damn picture. We'll figure out where to hang it later," I ordered, settling the matter with a compromise Luna didn't fight.

Stolas huffed and picked up his fallen telescope, but the twins almost never agreed on anything. It was part of their charm.

"You have a place for us to set up? Supplies?" Allocer asked.

"A clear view of the night sky and enough space?" Stolas added with a glare at his twin.

"I have several, but I mean to put you in the most secure location for our purposes. I think one of the Canterlot Castle towers will serve us best," I replied.

"What?" Luna demanded, "You can't be serious, Tia would never stand for it. Even as allies, letting a demon take up residence in Canterlot is too bold."

"Only if she knows about it," I countered.

Luna paused at that, actually considering if it was even possible.

"My rooms are unused," she eventually volunteered.

"I thought you'd say that," I agreed, "And the balconies are perfect for Stolas's telescope."

"Indee-wait, why do I get the feeling you know that part of the castle better than I do? You sound just a little too confident in that appraisal," Luna began before catching herself and giving me a questioning look.

"I checked them out before you came back from the moon. Usually because Chelly was very particular about them and moving the furniture around drove her insane," I confessed, making Luna smile.

"Maybe some things really don't change," she allowed.

Author's Note

Yep, another one out of the backlog and out in the world. Two more to be edited and one half-written as of this posting.