Descendant of the Night: Eyes of the Nonexistent

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

Chapter 1

Death was a concept foreign to Equestria, and as I learned it was too foreign. The death of a single pony was met with outcry, and I’ve seen even doctors faint from the sight of blood. They were events so sad that I could remember every one of them vividly in my mind, despite how rare it actually occurred. Every funeral, every sickness, it was so foreign that it now seems strange to here how common it is. That’s the thing though, even with such similarities, this isn’t Equestria.

This is a place where death isn’t feared, but welcomed. His hooves wrap around you and carry you to the farplane where your soul would rest in peace. All of that started with a war one thousand years ago, caused by two regal sisters with the power to bend the very universe to their whim. That was the event that showed death was not to be feared, but no one knows how it started. No one but me, and a history that was long abandoned.

The connection wasn’t immediate; ponies didn’t suddenly except death as soon as the war started. That was merely the finishing touch, not the start. I’m the only one who remembers what really started the war, as I’m the only one around who ever saw what happened. The fall of another Canterlot, the one that I had grown up in my entire life, was when death truly became accepted. I was right there in the middle of everything, holding my mother’s body…

… watching the pony I loved most die before my very eyes.

————

Clouds of smoke rose from the burning city of Canterlot, the streets all but abandoned. Houses were empty, those inside them having escaped the battle while they could or met their end trying. It was the first time anyone had seen the sky turn red, thunder clouds blocking the sun's rays, but the sun wasn’t the cause of the sky’s coloring. Never in Equestria had such a horrible moment ever been created, and by the very heroes who once protected it.

“Mama?” A young unicorn colt called to the mare who was leaning over him. He could hear her breathing, but the many arrows sticking out of her back told him it wouldn’t be for long. “Wh-what is this mama? What is this red stuff staining-“

“It… it’s going to be okay... Swift,” The colt’s mother told him, though they both knew it was a terrible attempt to make things better. “Keep moving… while my body isn’t… limp. I won’t let them… hit… you.”

“I-I can’t, don’t you understand?” Swift told his mother, the very idea horrifying him. “I can help you, and I’m not gonna… gonna,” The word he was looking for was on the tip of his tongue, but it felt impossible to say. “I just need to get you some help, than everything will be fine and… and than we can live w-with Twilight as a family.”

“Swift Spell... please look at my eyes,” The colt did as asked, meeting the eyes of a mare beyond repair. Someone who could no long walk, and eyes that could barely see. Yet even than Swift’s mother stroked his mane, vision to fuzzy to tell the difference between his body and the marble ground. “You will… have a family… despite how much I’ve gone… away. Twilight isn’t going to win, and so many others…” She suddenly found herself unable to carry her own body, her organs starting to shut down on her. “Remember… how I became her… apprentice?”

“It was that time spell, but you told me to never touch it.”

Swift watched as her mother desperately tried to pull herself up, even just a little bit. None of her hooves could move, and as Swift could tell from his place buried under her body, her chest and stomach were starting to expand slower and slower. With nothing else to resort to, his mother resort to magic, bringing out a spell that she had been hiding with her. It was the spell that Swift Spell had just mentioned.

“She’ll kill you… like me,” His mother said, and despite the constant shaking of her sons head and his frantic mumbling, she continued. “All I can do… is keep you safe… from ever witnessing… my funeral. Please Swift… go and-“

Her body suddenly lurched, the scroll falling to the ground beside them as such a motion suddenly cause her and her son to come in contact with each others lips. Yet what Swift was focus on was what he saw on the back of his mother's neck, and as her head fell to his left side, he found himself tearing up. Right in the middle of his mother’s neck was an arrow, easily an inch deep into her body. Suddenly, that word that was impossible to speak became clear to him: dead.

“No… no… no no no no no no no!” Swift repeated to say that word as the scroll suddenly lit up. A vortex formed above Swift as he did his best to cling to his mother, the sight of guards rushing down the steps. “Please don’t leave, please don’t leave. Everything is going to be okay.”

Yet no matter how many times he said it, her eyes didn’t move. Breathing had stopped, her face in horrific shock as she studied the ground attentively. As the vortex grew, the ground around Swift shook, making him think that her eyes or hooves were moving. This only strengthened his denial as his body started to get pulled up, holding onto his mother’s hoof as if he was right above a pit of lava. He looked to the guards running down towards him, and that was enough of a distraction to make his grip dissipate. The scroll flying up with him, he was pulled into the vortex above, watching as his mother lied on the ground dead. Before it closed, he only had time to scream for her.

“Mom!”

————

Sweetie Belle shuttered, fear ran down her body’s metallic spines as she tried desperately to sleep. She couldn’t stop thinking about Rarity and how worried she must be, or the creatures that walked in the darkness surrounding them. Everytime she felt the faintest hint of sleep the face of the monster that tore her body apart appeared, immediately jolting her from her rest. It was like this every night till Psyche came back from her daily responsibilities, holding the filly close to her body for comfort. Despite the rough introduction between the two, or the one that the older mare had seen, things have since calmed down a bit.

Yet that didn’t lessen the pain the Psyche felt as she remember how she acted, taking over the body of Arthis and yelling angrily at her dear friend Luminous. It was the first time the two of the had met in any shape or form, at least as paradoxes. In another time, they were ponies who had known each other well - the closest of friends - but now she found herself wondering if that could ever happen again. Luminous was so different from Twilight, not only having a much calmer head but also lacking much of the knowledge her former self had. Psyche couldn’t get that fact out of her head as she sat in the entrance to a cave.

“Stupid!” She cried out, the blindfold across her eyes hiding the tears that had formed. Knowing well what was to her left, she proceeded to turn and run her head into the cave’s wall. “Stupid! You are so freaking stupid! You had one chance to see your friend again, to tell her everything, and you mess it up! Why do you cause everyone around you to hate yourself Psyche?! Why?!”

Sweetie Belle looked up, and while the sight would have scared her a few days ago, the sight of Psyche physically harming herself had become normal. The first night, after they had returned to the wolf pack that Psyche had been placed in charge of, she disappeared for absolutely no reason. It wasn’t until two hours later that she returned, body bruised and beaten from charging her body into a rock wall for a significant amount of that time. She explained that it was her way of venting stress, and that she didn’t care what happened to her body as long as she could still walk. If there was one thing Griz had made clear to Sweetie Belle, it was that this happened a lot, to the point where Psyche actually dented her skull.

“Can’t you go one stupid greeting without making someone afraid?” The paradox asked herself, forcefully throwing her body into the cave walls. “Can’t you do anything right? Why oh why do you caused me so much pain?! All I wanted... was my dearest friend back! Ah!”

With that she threw herself against it one last time before collapsing in pain. Her forehead was bleeding, as well as the left side of her lower back. She wouldn’t have been surprised if she had shattered one of her ribs, or multiple of them. This amount of pain was something she was all to familiar with, and while it was to relieve her of stress, it was all to punish herself. She punished herself so that she would not make the same mistake again, and Sweetie Belle knew that she couldn’t stop it. If she told Psyche punishing herself was wrong, it would only make her punish herself even more.

Sweetie Belle could hear the chatter of wolves outside, once again reminding her that she and Psyche were the only two ponies here. At least they were the only ones who had experienced the fear and pain of the Equestrian countryside. Before Psyche had shown up the wolves hunted for paradoxes, who they believe would destroy the world if were left alive, calling themselves paradox hunters. It was quite a shift when Psyche showed up and, if the older wolves were to be believed, killed the alpha by merely looking into his eyes. It was the reason she wore the blindfold around her eyes, in order to make sure it never happened again. However, her use of that power was the very reason that she was now punishing herself.

“Psyche, you passed your limit again,” Came the deep, powerful voice of a wolf as they walked into the cave. He sat down next to his friend as she did her best to muffle her cries of pain. “This is the third time today, and the sixth in the past week. Do you really want to injure yourself anymore than you already are?”

“I have to, don’t you understand that Griz?” Psyche reminded him as she looked up, showing him how bad the bleeding on her forehead was. “Bad fillies like me are suppose to be punished when they do something wrong, and if none of you are going to do it then I will do it myself.”

“You aren’t in the Solar Empire anymore,” Griz told her, though he knew it wasn’t enough to ever make her stop. “No one is going to hurt you here except yourself, you said that to me the day you became the pack leader. Besides, I’ve heard the young ones spreading rumors of you dying soon, which I know isn’t true.”

“If I don’t fix things, I might as well be dead,” Psyche told him, Sweetie Belle doing her best to act like she was still asleep. “I’m promising all these paradoxes we’ve saved that I’ll bring them to a world where they can see the sun and moon. If I can’t do that… what purpose even is there for me?”

Griz couldn’t answer, knowing the exact same thing that Sweetie Belle did. The amount of pain Psyche put herself in was based on how bad the mistake was she made, and that ranged from a simple bump and bruise to knocking herself unconscious. That’s why the rumors had spread, and the gravity of the situation only made it more possible. Psyche had turned killers into saviors, and hoped that in the end she could bring back the ‘Equestria that once was’ or Dawn as she tend to call it. The weight that failure would put on her would lead her to more than just terrible pain.

“Have you found Alferiea?” Psyche asked, turning to Griz.

“Yes, but the possibility of dragging him back to answer for what he did is… not very likely,” Griz told her, his words putting a smile on her face. “He has started acting like a lunatic, shouting nonsense about absolutely anything and everything. In other words, he’s possessed.”

“Than I guess we need to do what we can,” Psyche explained. “Gather anyone willing and head out, after he’s dealt with we can get to finding Rarity. As long as he’s got a banshee in him it’s too dangerous to search for anyone, and I’d rather let him rest easily despite what he did.”

Griz nodded before starting a low howl, his eyes closed and mind focused on the bruised mare in front of him. Sweetie had been told of the power held in a wolf’s howl and how there magic differed from that of ponies. It was no surprise to her when the bloody and bruised areas on Psyche slowly vanished, her breathing evening out slowly. When the wounds on her body had healed Griz stopped, bowing as Psyche whispered a thank you to him before leaving. Now with her strength back, she turned away from the cave entrance and to Sweetie Belle, who did her best to convince Psyche she was asleep.

“Sorry you had to see all of that,” Psyche said as she trotted over to Sweetie Belle, who continued to fake her sleep despite knowing she had been caught. “I need to remember that you’re still young. I shouldn’t be doing things like that with you around.”

“Just… don’t kill yourself, please?” Sweetie asked, as she finally started to drift off, Psyche laying down right next to her. “I don’t want someone like you to die.”

————

Rarity watched the void of darkness that surrounded her companions, a flame lit on her horn. Her mind kept on thinking back to her sister, the fear of her safety overwhelming every sense she had. She could her the cries of her sister from when she was young, remembering how painful it was to see her mangled body. The price she paid for Arcane to save her sister was high, but she was more than willing to pay it, even if she didn’t want to remember it.

“At some point you gotta look where you’re going,” Vinyl told her, noticing the frown that seemed to be stained on Rarity’s face. “Your sister is going to be fine, I’m sure of it.”

“How can you be so sure?” Rarity asked, finally looking away from the pitch black surrounding them. “I’ve almost lost my sister a few years ago, and after our parents disappeared I was scared. I would have been all alone, and then Arcane showed up in my life and… it’s hard to understand.”

“Well if I worried about every little thing that happened to Melody do you think I would be talking right now?” Rarity looked at her with an expression saying ‘you don’t know what it’s like’. Vinyl simply turned her attention to Melody, who was walking alongside Ralf and Soarin. “I know how dangerous it is to let her stand there next to Ralf, being a paradox hunter just like his sister, but he saved us. I couldn’t bare the idea of Melody dying, not when she has become a piece of my life, one that I feel I was missing.”

“If you’re worried than tell her it’s dangerous, isn’t it that simple?” Rarity asked, her response coming in the form of a sigh.

“Yes, it might be dangerous, but keeping a foal isolated and safe can create things you don’t entirely want in a child,” Vinyl explained. “At least that’s how I see it. It’s good to give kids experiences, and for them to have adventures. If we don’t do that then how can we expect for them to act when they grow up? That’s why I let Melody talk with Ralf, even if wolves are a threat. This way I let her get a general sense of how she feels about them, and not how I feel.”

Rarity looked to Melody, who was bouncing around like any normal filly her age. The fashionista couldn’t help but see a lot of Sweetie Belle in the filly, remembering how curious her sister had been all those years ago. Then, when she almost lost her to the creatures of the darkness, Rarity had isolated her in there home. She didn’t want to take a chance at truly losing the only pony she still had in her life, but hearing what Vinyl said made her doubt her intentions. Unable to grasp the reality of the idea she shook her head in an attempt to get rid of it.

“Well I don’t think it’s smart to put a foal of any age in danger, even by the slightest amount,” Rarity said, trying to act proud. However, her thoughts easily wavered back to her sister, ears folded back in worry. “I… I shouldn’t have brought her along, because now she is completely lost! She’s probably all alone or wandering off trying to find me.”

“Your her sister not her mom, don’t act like she’s a newborn foal,” Vinyl told her before picking up speed to talk with the others. “Besides, I’m sure Sweetie Belle is more than capable of dealing with things by herself.”

————

“Are you suuuure that miss Psyche is going to be okay?” Griz turned to the young foal, a filly with a light brown mane and grey coat, who had asked the question. They were one of the paradoxes that had been saved recently by the pack, and like most of them had quickly grown attached to the eldest paradox.“I heard she was hurting herself again, in front of that robot foal she saved no less.”

“If only I could answer that with a yes,” Griz replied, watching the deep frown that appeared on her face. “I… don’t think you ever told me your name. I don’t remember seeing any paradoxes like you around.”

“Oh um aaaaah, I figured someone like you knew!” The pony went through at least a hundred different expressions until finally landing on shock. “I… don’t think I ever got a name. I’ve heard other foals call each other strange things but I didn’t exactly know what they were doing. Is Psyche a name?”

Griz couldn’t help but chuckle at the idea of anyone not knowing what a name was, but this was stranded for paradoxes. Typically a paradox doesn’t have any emotions, personality, or natural knowledge when they are first found. The older hunter had seen this enough recently to know that this was the case; no other reason would easily explain any of what she had just said. A paradox as young as her would probably not know anything about names, despite having used one moments before.

“Well, yes, but usually it’s the one who looks after the filly that gives them a name,” Griz explained to her. “A name is something you call someone that isn’t an insult, and is the only thing that truly belongs to you. A name is what you are, and what you believe, so when choosing a name you should choose one that describes you.”

“Names are weird,” The filly said, once again causing the wolf to chuckle. “Why do I get to choose my name though? Aren’t you the one looking after me right now?”

“Do you know what half those words mean?” Griz had fully expect her to say something along the lines of ‘what is half’ but she instead nodded. She was right him watching her right now. With Psyche resting and a group of hunters out looking for the possessed Alferiea he really had nothing else to do. “Well, I’m not much good with pony names, so I won’t try any of those. You… kinda remind me of this wolf many years ago. She was so old that her entire fur coat was at least a dozen shades lighter than any other in the position.”

“You’re going to name me after some old lady?” The filly tilted her head, a small part of her mane falling in front of her eyes and obscuring her vision. “That’s not very nice, I expected something cool from a wolf like yourself.”

“Trust me filly, the day I name you after my mother is the day that these old bones fail me,” He joked, though the look on the filly’s face told him that she didn’t get it at all. “Are you really sure you want this old dog to be the one to name you? I’m sure someone else would probably think up a better one.”

“Nope, you said that the one who looks after the filly gives the name, so you do it!” She then proceeded to touch his nose with her hoof, an action which gave him some really strange sensations. “Please, pretty please? Will you pleeeease be the one to give me a name?”

Griz was more than accustom to puppy eyes, and the filly’s attempt to sway him was far from effective. He’s seen plenty of pups pull it on him before in hopes of one thing or another, and in time he had gained an immunity to it. While he did have to admit that the filly’s attempt was more powerful than he had seen any pup pull, it was only enough to get another chuckle out of him. Yet he understood that he would probably be stuck with the tiny creature until he gave her a name.

“How about… hm, this is harder than I thought it would be,” He muttered, running through a list of names he had in his head. After a desperate attempt to think of any pony names, he gave up and decided on a wolf name instead. “Mazia, she was one of the earliest known alpha’s that come to my memory, and one of the few who were female. I’m sure a filly like you would do her proud by carrying her name.”

“Mazia, Mazia, Maaaaziiiiiaaaaa,” The filly tested the name to see how it sounded, before smiling. Finally, she smiled as she said the name one last time. “Mazia… I like it. See, I said that you could make a good name for me. Thanks you so much!”

“Just so you know, the name is Griz,” The wolf told her, a smile on his face. “I don’t want to here a mister or sir from you. I’m not that old, and I ain’t one of those stupid elders,” He leaned down to meet Mazia at eye level. “If you really want me to look after you, I’ll do that, but please stop worrying about Psyche. I don’t know if she’ll ever be able to get over what happened, but as long as I live she won’t die.”

“How are you sure?” Mazia asked Griz as he started to walk off, the filly starting to follow him.

“Psyche might not be the most stable, but she’s not insane,” Griz told her. “I put my faith in her when she became our leader, and I did the same when I became her friend. If anyone can make this all possible, it’s her.”

As Griz walked through the clearing that made up the pack’s dens, he looked back to see if he was still seeing followed. He wasn’t surprised to see Mazia following him, doing her best to hide whenever he turned around. On the one paw he was happy to see the filly following him, but on the other he felt a slight breach of privacy. He kept telling himself she would turn around eventually, but that didn’t happen. Mazia kept on follow him all the way back to his den and laid down right beside him.

“What have I gotten myself into?” He muttered, knowing he could hear the sinister laugh of a pony somewhere in the distance.

Author's Note

And so begins Eyes of the Nonexistent.

Both of these first two chapters had the same two goals for them: The first is to fix the problems I saw with the first two chapters of Beginnings, which were basically exposition dumps. The second is to establish how this story is going to work in terms of swapping between all the different stories going on. If one has Psyche in it then Luminous won't be featured in it, and vice versa with me switching every chapter.

Also, for those of you who never read the first part, I hope I made this easy to jump into without having to go back and read Beginnings. I want you to be able to enjoy the story from where it currently is and not have to read what came before. Anyways, hope you all enjoy Descendant of the Night: Eyes of the Nonexistent

Chapter 2

I find it kinda funny how history, no matter how fake it is, can turn you into a completely different pony. It was alway fun playing the villain, even if you weren’t actually the villain to begin with, but stuff like that can be a severe wound in one’s reality. Nopony likes having their world tampered with, and even more so they don’t like it when you stick a metaphorical dagger in their view of it. That’s when you end up becoming the ‘villain’ to them, and a constant thorn in their side. The difference between me and most ponies, however, is that I don’t really care for what shape history shows me as.

No matter how much I hate Celestia I have to applaud her on thinking up somepony as terrifying and evil as Sombra. Not saying that I rather enjoyed her description of me but what can I do about it being trapped in ice for a thousand years. When I learned about king Sombra from eavesdropping on an unsuspecting couple, I decided to humor Celestia with giving her the horrible pony she so desired me to be. I was use to ponies giving me weird looks from my time at Luna’s side, but there was some form of joy I got out of scaring the living tartarus out of the princesses’ six puppets.

Sombra, Arcane, Umbrum, the amount of names I’ve had are numerous, and I’ve decided to leave it to those around me to decide who I am. Luminous is intriguing, wishing for me to be myself rather than what she wants me to be. So many roles over so many hundreds of years on this planet and she is the only one who wants me to choose who I am. That’s the problem though: I’m an imposter. I am all of those things, even if they started out as lies. At least she has a better feeling of common sense then her counterpart…

… I don’t care if he sang her a song or helped save Equestria, Twilight is a foal for trusting individuals like Capper.

Arcane stared off into the sky, something that to those around him thought was due to a trance of sort. However, Arcane was watching one thing in particular, though it wasn’t a cloud or star, as none existed anymore. There was a slight glow in the darkness, like a flashlight’s light under a blanket in the dark. It continued to get brighter and brighter before cutting open that veil of darkness, and a pegasus mare with a coat as dark as the world around her appeared. She wore a strange blue masquerade that was made out of pure magic, seeming to have a mind of its own if the mare was to be believed. Behind her, ghastly spirits with a large, open mouth gave chase, created by Arcane for the sole purpose of getting the mare prepared.

“Now, remember what I said,” Arcane told the pegasi, “The enemy believes you’re on the run, and nopony but your allies know what you can do. Find an opening, and strike.”

“Are you sure she could handle this?” Asked a rainbow maned earth pony to the pegasi next to her, looking at the sky with a mix of fear and longing. The pony next to her was a pale yellow pegasus suited in heavy armor with a spear attached to one wing and a shield attached to the other.

“If Luminous is in danger, Moondancer and I step in,” Thunder Shield reminded her compatriot, looking behind the earth pony to a unicorn wearing a fleece sweater and glasses. “However, I have a feeling her highness knows exactly what she is doing.”

Thunder’s gaze turned back to the sky, watching as her friend and comrade in arms lead the spirits in circle. She knew that Arcane was keeping them back, but she also knew that he wasn’t here for any other reason then to keep alive Princess Luminous Oracle. At first Thunder saw Arcane as what everpony knew him as, the mad king Sombra, and while she hasn’t grown to appreciate the umbrum he has more than piqued her curiosity. She did her best to not take her eyes off of Luminous, but they had already drifted to the villian in front of her. It was at that moment her friend, captain, and fellow paradox found her opportunity to strike.

Stopping instantly in the air, Luminous focus on the masquerade around her face, gaze locked onto the spirits coming after her. As they made their way towards her, the masquerade quickly started to shift forms. It detached itself from around her eyes as it elongated into a blade with a hilt. Luminous opening her mouth as it seemed to guide itself to her, biting down as it came within distance of her muzzle. With her weapon ready, she turned around and with one flap of her wings sliced the three spirits chasing her in half. As she clear the last one she angled herself to the ground and within seconds landed. Targets destroyed, she let go of the sword and watched as it once again took the shape of a masquerade.

“Even by a millisecond, each time you get faster you have a better chance of survival,” Arcana Glyph explained to Luminous, words she had become use to in the past few days. “However, those enemies were only an illusion. Here, in reality, they will try and kill you. You need more than just speed when that time comes.”

“Then put me in more dangerous scenarios instead of having run that same damn formation everytime,” Luminous swore, her response being a firm slap from Arcane. It wasn’t the first time, but each time she saw it Thunder wanted to punch somepony. “Is the slap really necessary?”

“I don’t expect a paradox like you, born to be an opposite of the other worlds greatest genius, to understand, but I’ll say it again,” Arcane growled at the princess. “Not only are you not physically ready, but you also aren’t mentally either. I can see how you try to go into your own world and slow down every few moments,” His muzzle was touching herself, but the glare that Arcane gave to Luminous made her shrink back. “As long as I see terror or wandering in this exercise, you aren’t ready for a real fight. Take a break, but we start again in ten minutes.”

With that Arcane Glyph wandered off, Luminous sighing as distance grew between her and the tyrant. She looked to see four figures running up to her, three of which ponies but the last far different. Behind Thunder and Moondancer stood a Silvia, a large wolf with an amulet hanging around her neck. Her coat was extremely shaggy, the knots under her ears and on her chest and stomach especially bothersome, but she refused to have anyone touch it. Silvia was the only one didn’t seem immediately concerned about the princess, instead looking to Arcane.

“Does it hurt?” Moondancer asked Luminous, checking the area that Arcane had slapped her. “He literally left a hoof print on your muzzle.”

“It stings the more you touch it,” Luminous replied, swatting the royal archivist's hoof away. “Other than that, the biggest blow is probably more mental than physical, though it was expected. The biggest difference between me and Twilight are our intelligence.”

“Something that actually works out for the better in this case,” Silvia stated, giving a side glance to the ponies next to her as she sat down and watched whatever Arcane was doing. “They say that geniuses, despite being incredibly inventive and creative, lack a certain amount of common sense. You might not be the smart pony around, if what I’ve heard is anything to go by, but you are certainly not a vegetable.”

“Do I look like a carrot to you?” Luminous replied, a sigh remanating from the group around her.

“It means that you still have the brains to do all the normal things a pony can do,” Moondancer clarified. “Calling somepony a vegetable is along the lines of saying they are mindless or have zero ability to do anything without the help of others.”

“Oh, yeah. I guess I’m glad not to be that,” Luminous nodded and looked away in shame. She knew she wasn’t as smart as the others around her, as they had said without any feeling of offense, but learning about her origin made her far more conscious of this fact. “Promoted to captain just because I’m royalty, treated like I can’t do anything without the help of the staff, my mother dying because-”

“Luminous,” Thunder interfered. “How many times do I need to tell you that you didn’t kill Nova. She saved your life, even if it did mean taking the fall for you.”

Luminous didn’t say anything in return, giving a glare to Thunder signalling just how little she cared about her friends words. The glare hurt Thunder, and it hurt even more as Luminous walked away from the group. She wanted to follow but Moondancer blocked his route. She turned to Silvia, who gave a nod before getting up a follow Luminous.

“Oh, you’re going to let Silvia talk but not me?” Thunder asked.

“Do you think you can really solve this problem?” Moondancer questioned back. She carefully chose her words before responding, knowing this was going to hard to get Thunder to understand. “Yes, I understand that Silvia was once a paradox hunter, but she has already sworn to not kill Luminous. She and Rainbow have been doing their best to help the princess right now. You, on the other hoof, have done nothing and decide that this was a good time to bring up her dead mother?”

“It wasn’t her fault Moondancer, you know that,” Thunder replied, trying to reason with the made unicorn in front of him. “She’s been carrying that weight for so many years and we only just learned that she still thinks she is responsible. I’m just trying to help her understand that she's wrong about being wrong about being the pony responsible.”

“Actually Thunder, you’re wrong about that,” Moondancer told him. “Luminous might not be smart in the same way Twilight was, but she is smart in an entirely different sense. What you’re doing from her view can only be seen as an attempt to sugarcoat the event,” Moondancer turned away from Thunder, still looking at him out of the corner of her eye. “No matter what you think, no matter how good your intentions are, you’re wrong about what happened to princess Nova. Luminous is responsible for her death, and she has accepted that more than anyone.”

————

“Mistress, he’s here,” A white pegasus said, entering a rather elegant room.

The pony she addressed put her brush down as she heard this, knowing well that she had spent way to much time on her mane. It was braided from top to bottom, dozens of jewels mixed in as a way to further show her class. It wasn’t something she usually did, but no doubt her visitor expected it. A ruler must uphold an image after all, even in the Lunar Republic.

“Thank you,” She said calmly, her voice smooth and refined. “Has he been shown to the gardens? That is where I promised to meet him if you don’t remember.”

“He’s probably there as we speak mistress,” The pegasus told the pony in front of her. “Mister Thorn was grateful that you were willing to hear him out.”

With that, the pegasus left her mistress to her business, giving her a few more seconds to collect everything. She took a deep breath, exhaled, and then repeated the motions a second time. This was her one chance to finally put to rest one of the darkest actions her family had ever taken. She knew her ponies wouldn’t forget, but she wasn’t trying to erase it. All she, Silver Glow, newly crowned queen of the Lunar Republic, wanted was to get a chip off her chest.

“‘The trust of one will gain the trust of many,’” She recited, the words belonging to her deceased father. “‘The many will blindly follow you, doing everything they can to take what we gained away. If you value this fortune, do whatever you can and know they only trust you for your own advantage.’ Sorry father, but that is not how I’m doing this.”

————

Rose Thorn waited in the wonderous gardens of the Lunar Hall, the palace and birthplace of the entire Lunar Republic. Nopony really knows, but it is believed that these gardens were the first thing ever layed down, which was rather strange considering it was on the Hall’s third floor. The flowers and plants never changed, as the deceased Princess Luna had made it more than clear that replacement was illegal. It seemed like a silly law to most, but Rose Thorn was different from certain nobles of the court.

Willow trees, black roses, hedges cut into the shape of the three pony races, including the earth ponies that had long ago vanished. To many it seemed like any ordinary garden, but spends as much time as the royal family did in here and you feel connected. Connected to the invisible moon and stars, and to the afterlife as well, just like Princess Luna had wished for it to be. The only thing that reminded Rose Thorn of this being in a palace was the opening and closing of the doors as Queen Silver entered.

“It’s too bad the commoners aren’t allowed to enjoy this, I’m sure they would have more faith in Luna if they came in here,” Thorn commented, his relax tone coming from the lack of threat he saw in the grey unicorn in front of him. “Of course, if it was that simple to destroy their faith than your family wouldn’t have been far more successful.”

“Mister Rose, I didn’t come here for insults,” Queen Silver told him, not being anywhere near happy enough to enjoy a light jest. “Our citizens faith in Luna, the royal family, and nobles is why you wanted to see me. Was I wrong about this?”

“Certainly not, but if you want the common folks trust than you must first get that scowl off your face,” Thorn teased, getting an eye roll from her majesty. Nevertheless, Silver Glow still did her best to give a light smirk. “There we go, that’s the Silver I remember from foalhood. Always the optimist of the family, weren’t you?”

“If you mean the only one who didn’t think it would be fun to take control of the republic after the Oracle’s left there station as royalty here, than yes,” Silver responded. “My family only wanted to fortunes of the republic for themselves, not caring about the conditions or needs of the common people. That’s why I have no remorse for my parents or any of my siblings for getting killed.”

If it was anyone else Silver had said that to, it would have felt like a sledgehammer had been dropped on their head. Thorn, on the other hoof, was more than use to this from his oldest friend. Even if she was more kind hearted than the rest of her family, the Glow house was known for power and money, and they didn’t care much for anything else. Silver was a far cry from what the rest of her family was, but there was still a heavy lack of sympathy for certain ponies.

“This is why us nobles have faith in you, Silver,” Thorn told her, making sure she knew exactly how much this meant to not just him, but to the entire republic. “You care about the common folk and the nobility, yet won’t hesitate on grueling decisions. We may have been betrayed when the Oracle family went and left us but you are no doubt a welcome replacement.”

“No need to butter me up, I know how much ponies are expecting from me,” Silver assured her friend, finally deciding to sit next to him. “You know, they say this garden not only reflects the state of the farplane, but also the state of our citizens. It may not look bad from a distance, but look closely and you’ll see how much rot and decay there is,” As she thought about this, she realized something. “I’m probably gonna need to hire a gardener or four if I want this place back in peak condition. I’ll make sure to ask the nobility about that during the next house meeting.”

“Yes, speaking of the meeting, they are the reason I’m here,” Thorn reminded her, noticing how off topic they had gotten. “Now, as the new master of the Rose family, I of course have my own ideas, but the main reason they sent me was their own wishes. More specifically, quite a few houses want you to not only open up trade but also your families old silver mines.”

She didn’t need to press for information in order to see why the nobles wanted that. Trade would get them started on getting an economy back up and rolling, but even more so it would deal with a lack of certain necessities not readily available in the republic. She knew the houses didn’t want to open their doors to the Solar Empire, but Silver knew they were the more approachable than Canterlot. The mines were another thing, as silver was used to make not only currency, but plenty of other things in the republic as well. The problem there was, due to her family being cheap, the safety equipment was low quality.

“Some have also suggested reopening the military to commoners, despite others not approving it in the slightest,” Thorn continued, Silver giggling at this news. She knew exactly who those disapprovers were. “And, um… nevermind.”

“What? That’s it?” Silver asked with a sly smile. “Sounded like you had more than just three things when you first called for this meeting.”

“I did but, well, the next one you won’t might not really agree with,” Thorn told her, taking a few letters out of a bag next to him and handing them to Silver.

Silver started reading the first letter, only to immediately discard it as soon as she finished the first line. She went to the next one, only to do the same thing but gritting her teeth at the same time. Her horn was glowing even brighter than before, her eyes gaining a silver tint to them as she realized what was going on. Her magic subconsciously started to turn the grass around her into steel as she flipped through more of the letters. After a few minutes, she tore the letters still grasped in her magic apart before burning them. She looked around her, seeing the now metallic grass around her point straight up.

“Thorn, what age do I need to marry at again?” Silver asked.

“Fourteen, which means you have two months to be wed before the moonlight law takes effect and…” He trailed off, hoping that his friend wouldn’t make him finish that sentence.

“I have to leave just like Queen Nova Oracle did when her husband died.” Silver finished.

————

Silvia knew how afraid Luminous was to cry, especially since she seems to be the only one the paradox was willing to do it around. She had no idea why the pony was so scared of the others seeing this, but it wasn’t her place to ask. It was already strange that she was the one most comfortable Luminous was around right now, as two days ago her past almost got them killed. Either way, letting the princess cry into her fur was the least the paradox hunter could do.

“Not my fault she says, take responsibility she says. How can I do both at the same time!?” Luminous exclaimed through her tears, Silvia having heard this line multiple times over the past few minutes. “Why does Thunder keep bringing it up? Why does she want me to deny what I did?”

“I… can’t answer that one,” Silvia commented, looking away in shame. “I’ve done some things I’ve regret but… death is more second nature to us wolves than it is to ponies.”

“Jeez, still at it,” Silvia turned to the speaker, seeing Rainbow behind her. “She always looks so confident in front of everypony but in front of us she just… breaks.”

“Well I’m sorry if you want me to just get over it, but I barely ever have time to vent,” Luminous replied, pulling her head away from Silvia’s soft fur. Tears we’re still falling from her face, but it was nowhere near as bad as when she had started. “That didn’t come out right, sorry Rainbow. It’s just that Thunder isn’t the best pony to talk to about these things. The mare is practically married to her duties as my guard, and that isn’t going to change soon. Even when I’m not around her the castle doors aren’t the most soundproof things in the world.”

“I see, you don’t really have the ability to express this at home like I do,” Rainbow said. “My parents don’t really talk to me or anything, and the last time I tried to approach them about the whole losing my wing thing-”

“Rainbow, I don’t think you really understand what Princess Luminous is saying,” Silvia stated. Luminous winced as she heard the title Silvia used for her, but it wasn’t something the wolf would easily stop doing. “She might not have complete rule, but she is still royalty. The common pony probably expects her to be both physically and mentally strong. Even more so, the expect perfection. Would something like crying or feeling shame, both of which show weakness, be something the common pony want,” Silvia saw the mix of confusion and sadness on Luminous’ face. “You learn a thing or two when living with a family like Dash’s here.”

“That’s not why I’m confused,” Luminous explained. “Twilight, or the small part of her that is still inside of me. I don’t know how to explain it but she’s yelling at me for some reason,” She shook her head, thinking it would be enough to stop those thoughts. “Anyways, thank you Silvia, and Dash, don’t feel bad about not understanding. I don’t think many ponies know what it’s like to kill somepony… especially when the reason their dead is something so stupid as plummeting off a tower.”

“Luminous, why don’t you tell us what happened,” Dash suggested, instantly getting a death glare from Silvia. “W-w-well, if it’s okay with you at least.”

“Dash, I’m only going to say this once, but I’m never revisiting the exact events of that day,” Luminous told the wingless pegasus, not even looking at her as she started walking back. “Besides, Arcane is probably going to start drill me again soon. Training to fight the creatures in the dark is more important than my mother's death.”

Rainbow was taken back by those words, but Silvia could smell the fear emanating from Luminous’ body. That last sentenced was forced, she could feel it, and she had no idea why. She looked to her amulet, using one of her paws to lift it up over her muzzle. Rainbow saw her focusing on the top of the amulet, watching as a familiar blue glow appeared around it. Her curiosity instantly got the better of her as she peaked over the wolf’s shoulder.

“So, what’s the plan?” Rainbow whispered to her honorary sister, a mischievous grin wide on her face.

“Every paradox I’ve saved from the other hunters is inside this amulet, with the exception of my first,” Silvia told her, lowering the amulet back down to her neck. “I’ve done this before with varying levels of success depending on the pony, but if the souls are willing I might be able to go into her memories.”

Rainbow put her front hoofs around Silvia, that smiling not leaving her face. “Sounds dangerous.”

“It is,” Silvia confirmed, refusing to return the smile. “But I have someone I need to talk to anyway.”

Author's Note

It feels good getting back to this story, not just because I’ve been ignoring it but because I forgot how much love I put into these characters. I’ll admit, the entire love thing with Silver wasn’t something I knew how to do before, but it was part of my plan so I’m gonna stick to it. Also, if that section of the chapter wasn’t clear, I’ll be looking into characters not directly connected with Luminous or Psyche. I want to get a bit more world building down and introducing some of these characters now means I won’t be too much on just one story. That was another complaint I had heard from some people through Discord and the Reviewers Cafe.

Anyways, glad to be getting back to this, and I hope you are all just as excited to see this up again!

Chapter 3

Secrets, they are the birth of so much good intention and so little great reward. We make secrets for the sole purpose of hoping that the best circumstances will undoubtedly happen. They always end with that secret being turned on its ugly head, whether by choice or fate. It doesn’t take just dealing with it yourself to understand that, it has to be seen between others for that understanding to truly settle in. Of course, we never learned.

I’ve never learned, and I guess that’s partially because I was ‘born’ with a lack of understand. Kindness, logic, care, so much of the world follows the ideas of understanding others and I am physically unable to learn it. Impossible for a normal pony, but more than possible for a paradox like myself. Though, in my case, it simply effects my understanding of other ponies, not everything.

Truthfully, that it is better than some paradoxes like me get. There are far worse things than lack of understand others. Perhaps that's why I never understood Sweetie Belle’s wish to stay with me. I was a danger to her, but for the life of me I couldn't make since of the reason she gave me. All I hope is that she learns quickly, because I don’t want her to see what happens to those around me.

————

The Canterlot dungeon, an area almost devoid of life, sound, or wind as far as one could tell. The public believed it was all but abandoned below the castle, no guard standing watch since there was no prisoners to call it home to. It didn’t matter which noble family rose to the throne, as all of Canterlot’s citizens were willing to follow rules. The only reason needed: protection from the world outside city walls. As long as they were safe, nopony would dare do something to break it.

Swift Spell was the first in a thousand plus years to have spent a night in one of the cells. No one needed to tell him how old it was, the horrible state it was in more than showed. Like the equestrian countryside, darkness as thick as boulders surrounded him. The cell didn’t have bars, a bed frame, or even a mattress. No chain held him, but it wasn’t needed; the darkness more than made up for this. It was simple, but no less tortuous.

He was starving, alone, afraid, and far too aware of the horrors surrounding him. He had heard stories of ponies leaving the city, and they all the same ending. The pony went out and never returned, presumably killed by whatever haunted the darkness. Nopony knew what it was that killed them, or even if they died, but it seemed like the most obvious conclusion. Swift Spell sat there, no idea what to do with himself.

“Neon, what did she do to you?”

“Exactly what I wanted her to do,” A figure suddenly take shape in the darkness, revealing the standing ruler of Canterlot. Her pink and green coat were covered in a strange aura, one that Swift Spell was very familiar with. “Honestly, how many times could you have been wrong in a single monologue. Thinking you’ve won only to end up here. You’re lucky I decided to even talk after what you pulled.”

“Look, I don’t mean to joke or anything, but I can’t tell if you or Celestia is talking right now,” Swift Spell stated, his words causing the princess to sigh in disappointment.

“If you really need to know it’s Neon right now,” The princess answered. “Celestia is resting right now. That gives me enough time to get a complete understand of exactly what you did,” She pulled a scroll out from under her wing. “Let’s see, use of illegal spell usage and evading law for a good thousand years, followed by attempt murder of the royal family. If you don’t understand why you’re down here or deny any of that, I might just need to remind that I was there for the later and Celestia knew about the former.”

“Royalty or not Neon, I don’t think you are in any condition to have that crown on your head,” Swift argued, as Neon paced back and forth. “Celestia nearly ended Equestria due to a wish of absolute control and the fact her soul has taken resident in your body could mess with you. Not to mention you tried to kill your own sis-”

“You realize the reason Luminous is even here is because of you, right?” Neon asked, a smug expression on her face. “Ponies not supposed to exist, that can only mean some sort of event happened in the past to change the course of history. If that is the case,” She looked to Swift, who knew all too well the princess had him figured out. “Who else but the pony from another dimension to cause such a stupid mistake.”

————

In the middle of nowhere, stumbling around like a newborn pup, a single wolf walked. It had no reason why it wanted to go this way, or what destination it would lead him to, but it was the only direction he knew. He felt something waiting for him, but didn’t know what it was that kept him moving. In truth, his mind was a hundred different feelings with none having a clear answer as to why and what it was. They were everything he could think of, but it all seemed meaningless.

He suddenly stopped, looking directly forward as something caught his eye. It was a figure, but not in the shape of a wolf, but rather a figure with hooves and long hair. The figure became more detailed as it moved closer, before stopping suddenly and staring forward, a cloth covering its eyes. He recognized the shape, but at the same time he couldn’t. The wolf had seen it before, but all of that was meaningless as the hundred thoughts suddenly merged into one. His teeth suddenly started to foam, something acting up inside of him as his featureless eyes bulged. The figure looked interesting, bulking, but more importantly, it was what he was looking for.

“FoOooOod!”

The wolf darted forward, it’s body suddenly twisting itself around like a hallucination. Fur and skin started melting, revealing muscle and veins underneath pulsating uncontrollably. Fangs started out growing the muzzle they were encased, ripping through both the roof and underside of it slowly and agonizingly. The creature was no longer a wolf, but the husk of one controlled by a strange parasite. A parasite that had been name by wolves as the banshee.

The husk quickly reached the pony, jaws up in a completely vertical line causing the foam in it’s mouth to fall out instantly. With the pony not moving it quickly and noisily bit down on the head, only to find the pony had vanished. The force from the bite caused the husk’s entire muzzle to break like a shattered window. It screeched in agony as muscle and bone fell to the ground until it’s entire jaw was on the ground. Confused, the husk looked around, looking for where the pony had gone, but it found something worse.

The sound started as a low hum, suddenly finding it’s legs locked in place. Then another voice joined it and it’s body locked up more and more. The sounds grew as more voices entered, until finally it broke into a low howl. The parasite, realizing what it was tried to squirm out of the invisible grasp it was held in, but didn’t have the ability to overpower the howl. It couldn’t scream, muzzle on the floor, and try as it might escape was impossible. Finally, it was unable to move, the howls keeping it as still as possible. It couldn’t even blink.

Once again the figure of a pony appeared, but it didn’t stop moving this time. It was the same pony, the one that had only moments ago disappeared. The husk was terrified, feeling something incredibly wrong with this pony, and suddenly found itself shock to be scare at all. Behind the pony was something else however, a small group of wolves all howling as the walked closer to the husk.

“Oh hunters of old, back when the sun and moon still shined,” Griz spoke as he looked at the figure in front of him. “This body’s soul has burned away, leaving a skeleton in its place. Now, even though the soul is gone, we ask you to accept the death we now give it, and allow it to rest,” He closed his eyes and bowed, the other wolves behind him doing so as the howling stopped. “Let this cursed child bring it’s rest.”

“Let this cursed child bring it’s rest,” The other wolves echoed as they finished they’re prayer, now looking forward to see if their wish was accepted.

Psyche, garbed in a robe covered in moss, walked toward the paralyzed banshee. She had prepared herself for this, knowing exactly what was expected of her in this situation. To the wolves, one can only rest if given permission by their ancestors, and it is believed a so called “curse one” is the only thing able to give this peace. Psyche wasn’t about to tell them the truth of her abilities, and it did make things easier when it came to explaining actions.

Psyche, now less than an inch away from the banshee possessed wolf, stopped. She couldn’t see what monster was in front of her, but in seconds it would make itself known to her. That didn’t stop her from making guesses, having stepped on what was once the husk’s muzzle, and needing to hold in the urge to gag at the thought. That was all she needed to know these next few moments was what the body in front of her needed.

“You should sleep now,” Psyche said in a soft voice, using one of her front hooves to pull down the cloth from her eyes. “This wasn’t supposed to be your final moments, they were long ago. How long has this been inside of you?” She didn’t expect an answer, and didn’t get one at all. “Now, if you still can, rest.”

With that last word, Psyche looked up, gazing into the husk’s featureless eyes. The moment she did, the rapidly contracting muscles stopped all movement. To the wolves behind her, it seemed like she was staring at the husk. What they didn’t see was the static forming in both the husk’s and Psyche’s eyes. With warning, the husk reeled back, causing the hunters obtain a ready stance in case it broke completely free. Instead, the husk collapsed, it’s body falling in on itself as the parasite unknowingly perished as well. What was left of the body would have scarred any city pony, but Psyche was more than familiar with this.

“Alferiea, if any remnant of you is still in there, I’m sorry it had to come to this,” Psyche said, putting a name to the now crumpled body before her. She wanted to cry, but held back the tears so the wolves didn’t see it. “You taught me how the pack works when I showed up and defeated the old alpha. You were the kind where the elders were not, and made sure everyone here accepted me. I’ll never understand what made you think to kill your own daughter, but I’ll make sure an apology reaches her.”

“We can save the words for him back at the pack grounds,” Griz told her as she put the cloth back around her eyes. He looked back to the wolves behind him, seeing that they had each brought a stick. “A great hunter deserves fire, and let's hope that the thing that destroyed his soul can mend it together again. As we have no way to bring the body back, we shall send him off here.”

Psyche picked a stick out of her robe and placed it on Alferiea’s corpse, bowing and then stepping to the side so the others could do the same. One by one, the wolves placed sticks of various sizes on the body in front of them, followed by a quick word before standing behind her. When they had all finished Griz was the only one who hadn’t placed anything. Instead, he sat down and howled, this tune different than the one from earlier. The other wolves joined in, followed by Psyche, who instead sung the lyrics. As they did, fire suddenly sparked on the gathered sticks.

Farewell, good hunter
Let this be our pray for you.
May your soul find its place
And let your body rest in peace.

Whether your years were short or long,
Your pray many or few,
Let you join your ancestors.
Rest, good hunter, rest.

They repeated these lyrics till there voices tired, the flame growing bigger has their song grew in volume. This was the first time Psyche had done such a thing, and as she sung tears started to fall. Those words, “the first time”, reminded Psyche of the position she had undertaken. Once, she was powerless, unable to even say goodbye when someone passed away. Now, she had the ability to change that and save the lives of many.

She had seen dozens of paradoxes die, but all she need to save them, were another pair of eyes like hers.

————

Silvia stopped walking and looked behind her, feeling something was amiss. She couldn’t place her claws on it, but that feeling was messing with her. It was like she could hear wolves howling in sorrow, honoring the death of a pack member. It wasn’t uncommon for blood relatives in the pack to know of others passing without seeing it, but she refused to believe that was the case. She didn’t know what it was, or why it was happening now, but it hit her in a way she couldn’t explain.

“Silvia, are you okay?” Rainbow called from behind her, the rest of the group stopping as they heard this. Rainbow walked up to Silvia, only to stagger back in disbelief at what she saw. “Silvia, you’re tearing up.”

Silvia couldn’t see the tears building up in her eyes, but she definitely felt them. She wanted to hide it from the others, try and hide how weak she really felt at that moment. That attempt faltered, and she felt her legs buckle under her, collapsing to the ground with tears falling around her muzzle. Ears folded back, muzzle hanging in disbelief as an unfamiliar feeling washed over her. If it was grief or relief, she couldn’t tell.

“Wh-what’s happening to me?” She muttered, unable to understand what she was currently feeling. “I have no reason to being crying right now. What happened? Ralf, dad, are you okay?”

Luminous watched from some distance away as Rainbow did what she could to calm Silvia down. It hurt to watch what was happening in front of her, mostly because she had gone through the same state before. It was the same reaction she had when her mother died, Thunder doing her best to comfort her. She didn’t understand what loss was then, but that feeling was stuck inside of her now. It haunted her, especially know her mother was dead because of her. It was too much for her to look at, but for the life of her she couldn’t stop staring.

It was like she was attracted to the horror of death, as if it was so unfamiliar she felt the need to experience it forever.

————

“How do you know somepony died,” Melody asked Ralf, the later staring off into the darkness.

“Somewolf, not somepony,” Ralf corrected. “And I don’t blame you for not understanding it, I barely do myself. I guess you could say it’s like a force. One that tells the pack that it is time to grieve,” He looked down to the earth pony next to him, his face filled with concern. “Though, why do you want to know about something like death? That should be the last thing on a fillies mind.”

“I know,” Melody replied looking away from Ralf as she spoke. “It’s just… Vinyl is so scared of you wolves killing me that I can’t help be scared myself.”

“Those around the paradox effects it at their will. I guess it only makes since you took Vinyl’s fear as a trait.”

Despite feeling a little hurt about the entire thing, Ralf had expected it. If Ralf knew one thing, it’s that ponies would do anything to keep their loved ones safe. Behind city walls things like death seemed nonexistent, but in the countryside it surrounded what little settlements had managed to survive. Foals were taught to hide or run away at the very sight of danger, but even than death was certain if anything ever came.

“I promised my sister to keep you safe, so I’m gonna do exactly that,” Ralf told Melody, rubbing the paradoxes mane with his paws. “I know more than anyone else here does about what lies in the darkness, and she wouldn’t have trust me to do so otherwise.”