“Alright, Rainbow – I’m all dressed up,” Fluttershy said, turning to her companion. “Can I just ask you something first, though?”
“Uh huh,” the other Pegasus said distractedly. She was too busy angling her binoculars down the street. Their hotel room was down the street from their target, and Rainbow Dash was monitoring those coming and going.
Fluttershy frowned. “Rainbow.”
“Huh?” Rainbow turned to her. “You look fine, Fluttershy. You’ll blend right in.”
“Why do I have to be dressed in all black?” She turned to the floor mirror in their hotel room, turning this way and that to look herself over. The dress was long-sleeved and black – some lacy thing that would’ve given Rarity a heart attack. Combined with the mascara, the dark purple eyeshadow, and her mane and tail dyed mauve, she hardly recognized herself.
“Because.” Rainbow huffed. “All worshippers who go to Catedral de la Luna wear black. Something to do with worshipping the night or whatever. You’ll fit right in as a newcomer, and they won’t recognize you as one of the six ponies who saved Equestria a dozen times.”
“Reminds me of that time I minded Rarity’s boutique in Manehatten,” Fluttershy remarked with a frown.
“As long as you don’t gain the same personality, you’ll be fine.”
“But why’d it have to be me?” Fluttershy turned back to Rainbow, her ears drooped in mild fear.
“Because, A.K. Yearling is pretty much retired from adventuring and her secret identity is out there, and I’m not wearing a dress, much less dyeing my mane, plus I’m sure I’d be recognized. Applejack’s too honest to steal, Pinkie Pie would get distracted, and Rarity would probably get caught up in some sort of drama. Twilight’s the princess, so she’s out, and Starlight’s still busy with the friendship school,” Rainbow Dash listed off. “You are literally our best option.”
Fluttershy shook her head. “’Best’ seems a little… strong.”
Her friend walked over and set a hoof on her shoulder, smiling encouragingly. “Hey, remember when Starlight took our cutie marks in Our Town? Who’s the pony who helped get us out?”
“Me…” Fluttershy muttered quietly.
“Who’s the one who managed to keep the Lord of Chaos himself in line?”
“Me.”
“And who’s the one who is going into that cathedral, finding out where they keep the Jewel of the Moon, and then coming back tonight so we can steal it?”
Fluttershy gulped. “Me?”
Rainbow nodded firmly. “You’ll do great, Fluttershy. And it’s not really stealing – Luna just needs one of her old artifacts back, that’s all. It’s basically returning something somepony lost.”
Fluttershy reluctantly nodded and took a breath to steel herself, letting it out slowly. “Okay. I’ll do it,” she said, with the most serious face she could muster.
Between a mixture of Southern Equestria’s daytime heat, her dark wardrobe, and her anxiety, Fluttershy sweated profusely as she walked up the steps to Catedral de la Luna. The towering structure boasted a large rose window in the front, depicting Luna – or perhaps Nightmare Moon – in heroic ascension.
Taking another breath to steel herself, she opened the wooden front door and was greeted by cooler air that wafted from inside. A mixed scent of stone, worn wood, and old paper came with it. Stepping inside, she sighed softly with relief.
That was, until, the door banged shut behind her with a boom that resounded through the worship hall. She retreated against the door, eyes shut tightly and shivering as if she were in a freezer. Fluttershy sneaked a peek, and to her relief, no one seemed to notice her entry.
Well, no one except a stallion walking up the main aisle to her, wearing dark blue robes with silver drawstrings. Fluttershy gulped and stood upright to try to force some bravery into herself.
“Welcome, sister,” the stallion said with a warm tone and an accent that revealed he was from the region. Upon closer inspection, he had a grey coat with trimmed black mane and a beard that reminded Fluttershy of Chancellor Neighsay. “Welcome, to Catedral de la Luna.”
“Thank you,” Fluttershy said softly.
“Have you come to worship the deity of the night, She who protects our dreams?”
“I was just, um, curious,” Fluttershy lied. “You still worship Luna, even though Twilight – I mean Princess Twilight Sparkle – now raises the moon?”
The stallion chortled. “While her highness rules Equestria, the symbol of the night shall always remain the keeper of the dream realm. She who ascended for raising the moon.” He looked Fluttershy up and down. “You look familiar, sister.”
Fluttershy held back her nervous shudder. “Um, I don’t know why. I... don’t live around here. I’m just visiting.”
“Well, visitors are always welcome here, under the eye of her moon. Tell me, what is your name?”
Fluttershy’s eyes darted around in thought, scanning the rib vault of the ceiling before sliding down to the rows of stained glass windows on either side of the worship hall. They stopped at a silver familiarity: a trio of silver butterflies over a white trumpet flower under a full moon.
“Moth Flutter,” she said quickly, smiling nervously.
The stallion nodded. “I am Moonstone, the head priest of Catedral de la Luna. Will you be joining us for our worship service tomorrow afternoon?”
“Worship service?”
Moonstone stood a little taller. “Yes, it is on the eve of the full moon. We shall be unveiling this cathedral’s greatest treasure – the Jewel of the Moon – to present to the setting sun, so that we may bask in its rays. It is written that we will gain prolonged youth for such dedication.”
Fluttershy nodded, then frowned. “The afternoon? Are you sure it’s not at the full moon itself?”
With a sigh, Moonstone nodded. “I, too, am perplexed, but the manuscripts that She has written state that it must be the setting sun, not Her moon.”
“I would love to join you. This Jewel of the Moon sounds important – I sure hope it’s stored safely away.”
“It is – deep within our vault. It can only be accessed by my office in the back,” Moonstone said proudly. He took a step back and gestured to the rows of pews in the worship hall. “Would you care to pray while you are here, Sister Moth Flutter? She always has time to listen one’s prayers.”
“I think I’d like that, thank you,” Fluttershy said with a smile, nodding to him and walking down the aisle.
“I pray I’m doing the right thing…”
Fluttershy sighed with contentment as she laid out on her bed, her head rocking rhythmically as Angel Bunny, ten times his normal size, brushed her mane with a hairbrush. Next to him, Discord was working to massage her wings and tense back.
“This feels heavenly,” she muttered. “And I’m finally out of that stuffy dress.”
“I see you are most anxious.”
Fluttershy sat up abruptly. Behind her, Angel and Discord evaporated into wisps of mist. From the darkest corners of her bedroom came a piercing teal eyes, belonging to a dark blue allicorn with a flowing mane like the night.
“Oh, Princess Luna,” Fluttershy said, blinking. “Oh, right. I must be dreaming.”
Luna nodded as she stepped out into the light. “I am no longer a princess, Fluttershy – just Luna will suffice.” Fluttershy hopped to her feet. “What makes you so anxious that’d you pray to me?”
Fluttershy’s face flushed. “You heard that?”
“I hear all my subjects wishes – those within places like Catedral de la Luna especially. You are hesitant about your assignment?”
The Pegasus looked away, ashamed. “I want to help you, I do, but… stealing from ponies who worship you just sounds so wrong.” She looked back to her, tears brimming in her eyes. “They believe in you so much, even after Twilight became princess. Why would you be so cruel?”
Luna gave a soft sigh and delicately wiped away Fluttershy’s tears. “I cannot reveal my reasons, Fluttershy – not yet. This is a private matter, but I promise you, once you retrieve the Jewel of the Moon, I will explain myself. On my word.”
Fluttershy looked down, but nodded. “I trust you, Luna.”
“That is all I ask of you.”
Silence came over the dream, leaving Fluttershy awash in her feelings. On one hoof, Moonstone and the other worshippers had seemed so kind – they weren’t doing anything malicious or evil, at least not on the surface. And if they were following Luna’s instructions, what harm could they do?
On the other hoof, Luna herself had requested the Jewel of the Moon’s retrieval, and it was important enough to keep it quiet. It was also important enough that she herself could not simply ask for it back – which Fluttershy felt she should have done in the first place. Anything so she didn’t have to do it.
Upon raising her head, she found Luna had already gone. With a sigh, she returned to her bed and rested her head back on the pillow, staring at the end of the bed solemnly.
No brushing from Angel nor massage from Discord alleviated her anxiety.
The Catedral de la Luna was quiet that night, but not deserted. As Rainbow and Fluttershy, both clad in all black and armed with headlamps, peered through the stained glass windows along the building’s side, they could see the warm dots of candlelight in the worship hall.
“Figures a place dedicated to Luna would be open at night,” Rainbow Dash whispered. “We’ll have to be extra quiet. Should be easy for you, right Fluttershy?” She chuckled, but when she got no response, looked down at her friend. “Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy sat slumped against the building, looking at the cobble stone of the alley they were in. “This feels wrong, Rainbow Dash,” she muttered. “We’re stealing from such nice ponies, who were so kind to me. They didn’t do anything wrong, and their service is tomorrow.”
“Get it together, Fluttershy,” Rainbow hissed. “Look, while we were napping this afternoon, Luna visited my dream – she said we have to do this tonight. We can’t wait any longer.”
“I still don’t know…”
“Look, I know kindness is your thing, but loyalty’s mine – and right now, we have to be loyal and get this done for Luna. She made it sound pretty urgent. So are you in, or do I have to do this on my own?” She offered her hoof down to Fluttershy with a serious face that Spitfire would’ve been proud of.
Fluttershy looked up at her friend, and with a defeated sigh and heavy heart, took her hoof. “I’m always there for my friends… no matter what,” she said as if she regretted it. It was lost on Rainbow, who shook her hoof with a smirk.
“Come on, you said Moonstone said his office was in the back?”
Fluttershy nodded, and followed her swift friend to around behind the cathedral. The glass windows in the back weren’t stained, allowing Rainbow Dash to check each one before settling on one in particular.
“Alright, looks like an office with a big wooden door – should be the vault,” she said. Carefully, she pushed on the window and it opened. “Awesome, not even locked. Come on, Fluttershy.”
“Of course not, they trust ponies here…” Fluttershy thought inwardly as she followed Rainbow Dash inside, shutting the window behind her.
The pair was careful to avoid the scant furniture in the office, taking care to not even disrupt a single paper on Moonstone’s cluttered desk. When Rainbow Dash tested the big wooden door in the office, it too opened with a groan.
“What’s the point of a vault if you don’t even lock it?” Rainbow Dash remarked quietly. “This’ll be easier than I—“
She was cut off by approaching hoofsteps outside the office door. With a squeak of fright, Fluttershy was grabbed by Rainbow, all but thrown through the vault door, and followed by her friend who shut the door behind her.
Neither of them even breathed as the office door opened and the hoofsteps entered. They waited as there was some shuffling from within the office. Fluttershy prayed internally that whoever it was, wasn’t going to the vault – Luna said she heard prayers in places like this, after all.
Not long after the hoofsteps entered did their sound fade away and the office door shut behind them. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy exhaled loudly.
“That was a close one,” the blue Pegasus said. She looked around before turning on the headlamp on her forehead. Fluttershy did the same, lighting up the dark room, with a set of stone steps spiraling down below the cathedral.
As Rainbow Dash flapped down the steps, Fluttershy glanced back at the door. “Too close,” she muttered, before following her friend.
The steps spiraled down for what seemed like a hundred feet before they stopped at a long corridor. As Rainbow and Fluttershy followed it, they noted several pedestals topped with glass cases flanking each side of the corridor. Each one held some ancient artifact – helms, tomes, pieces of jewelry. None of them looked like the Jewel of the Moon, so they pressed onward.
At the end of the corridor was another room – a large, round room lined with shelves, stocked with yellowed scrolls and thick, worn books. In the center of the room was what appeared to be their prize.
The pedestal itself was like a small column. The front was adorned with a tablet depicting the phases of the moon in a great arc, with the full moon in the middle and a new moon at either end. On a velvet pillow, the shade of Luna’s coat, was a silver gemstone. It was roughly the size of a small plate, perfectly smooth, and seemed to have its own glow in the dimness of the vault.
“Alright, this looks like our stone,” Rainbow Dash said, carefully removing the glass case and setting it aside. “Let’s get it and get out.”
“Are you sure we should do this?” Fluttershy asked, eyes locked on the stone with trepidation.
“I’ve told you a dozen times, Fluttershy – its Luna’s orders. I know she’s not a princess anymore, but she knows what she’s doing.”
Fluttershy gulped as Rainbow Dash picked up the stone, admiring it in the light of her headlamp, before offering it down to Fluttershy. The yellow Pegasus took it, and swore she saw her own reflection in its smooth surface – she hated it.
Rainbow Dash carefully replaced the glass case and dusted her hooves off. “Now, all we have to do is get out of here.”
Fluttershy remained quiet the entire flight back to the entrance of the vault, eyes looking squarely at the Jewel of the Moon in her hoof. She hardly noticed Rainbow listen for movement at the vault door before opening it and beckoning her through.
Soon, they were out in the night air. “Woo!” cheered Rainbow Dash, shutting off her headlamp and throwing her hooves up in the air. “We did it!”
It took her a moment to realize Fluttershy wasn’t with her. She looked around before noticing her friend was seated on one of the cathedral’s flying buttresses, sobbing audibly. Rainbow quickly flew to her side and wrapped a hoof around her.
“Hey, Fluttershy, it’s okay,” she said soothingly. “We did a good thing.”
“Did we?” Fluttershy asked with a sniffle. “I’ve… I’ve never stolen anything before… and from such nice ponies who did nothing wrong… for somepony they worship!” She broke out into more tears, leaning into Rainbow’s shoulder.
With a sigh, Rainbow Dash held her close, patting her on the back before rubbing it in slow circles to help soothe the Pegasus. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy,” she said softly. “I’m sorry I dragged you into this.”
“So am I.”
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash’s attention snapped to just in front of them. Luna herself flapped before them, a frown of concern on her muzzle.
“Luna, we got the stone for you,” Rainbow Dash said with a frown. She glanced briefly at her crying friend. “I hope you’re happy.”
Fluttershy sniffled and held out the Jewel of the Moon to Luna, who took it in her magic and examined it. She watched the alicorn turn it this way and that, nearly dying from the wait – she said she’d explain herself!
Luna’s gaze passed the stone and looked between them. “I do indeed owe you both an explanation for this – for both the theft and its urgency.”
“Please…” Fluttershy croaked.
“The Jewel of the Moon is not what it appears,” Luna explained. “It hails from my… earlier days.”
“Huh?” Rainbow tilted her head.
“The stone does not do as the manuscripts I left says. It does not promote prolonged youth, but an affliction: those who bathe in its rays of the setting sun will be in great agony should they step into sunlight,” Luna explained. “I made the Jewel of the Moon, and other trinkets like it, to sway ponies into my court. To worship my night and turn their backs on my sister’s sun.”
“So…” Fluttershy slowly perked up, a hopeful smile daring to cross her muzzle. “We were taking the Jewel before that could happen to Moonstone and the others?”
Luna nodded solemnly and bowed her head in shame. “I could never tell anypony what I had done, that’s why your mission was so urgent and secret. Though I have shrugged off my self-hatred for Nightmare Moon, some shadows of my oversight remain.”
Fluttershy leapt out of Rainbow Dash’s forelegs and hugged Luna tightly, crying with relief. The alicorn smiled and patted her on the back. Rainbow Dash breathed a sigh of relief herself.
“You have done well, both of you,” Luna said softly.
“But what’ll happen when the worshippers realize they’re missing their Jewel?” Rainbow Dash asked. Fluttershy pulled back to look at the alicorn, who nodded in agreement.
“My worshippers must have their Jewel,” Luna said. “And a Jewel they shall have.”
In a flash of pale blue light, another gemstone materialized beside Luna and was caught in her magic. It looked exactly the same as the Jewel recovered from the vault. It floated over and landed in Fluttershy’s hoof.
“It would be my honor if you would replace this, Fluttershy,” Luna said with a warm smile. “For you have suffered much through this. I trust this good deed will be much easier to do.”
Fluttershy nodded enthusiastically. She grabbed Luna in another, briefer hug before flying like Rainbow Dash down to the office window. Rainbow Dash smiled as she went, before turning to Luna with a puzzled look.
“Luna, does that stone do what you wrote it does?” she asked.
Luna chuckled, vanishing away the malevolent gemstone. “An object of worship is not gauged by its true power, Rainbow Dash, but the faith of those who worship it. If they believe it does what I say it does, then that’s good enough.” She smiled after Fluttershy as well. “As Fluttershy has shown, keeping one’s faith is important.”
Author's Note
Date of Creation (D.o.C.): 12/15/19
There are many ways to interpret a word, and there are many ways to interpret wording. For example: the second definition of "gothic" refers to the architecture style. Hence why we find Fluttershy in a cathedral. But I knew Zontan wanted a dark-clad Fluttershy, so I dressed her up as well. I was originally going to title this piece "Jewel of the Moon," but the ongoing theme of faith changed my mind.
The song that powered me through this is "Have Faith" by Aviators. I can't recommend it enough. Also please note: this story is unedited. What you read is what I wrote for the speedwrite. I may add an edited version in the future as a chapter.
-yours truly,
The Legendary Bill Cipher, Equestria Enthusiast and Secret Santa
