In Pursuit of...

Chapter 6: The Bargain

Princess Luna mustered all the magic she could into her horn for the fifth time that day, making one last attempt to create light. Despite her efforts, only a small spark formed along the horn, which went out almost immediately. The cave she was in remained as dark as ever.

“Ha,” Eclipse’s voice said, chuckling, “it seems you’ve been out of touch with the night for too long, my dear.”

“Vile creature, unhand me at once!” Luna demanded.

“Hmm,” the voice said, “interesting idea. Would you like to be free of this cave?”

Luna’s eyes widened, surprised. Of course, she suspected a trap, but Eclipse’s words sounded surprisingly sincere.

“What dost thou mean, villain?”

As before, Eclipse materialized inches from her face, smiling. “I mean what I say, dear princess. Perhaps you’d care for a walk with me?”

“Thou speakest lies,” Luna said, turning her head away. Eclipse vaporized in front of her and reappeared in her field of vision.

“I do not lie, Luna. Not to family.” He offered her his hoof. “Come with me, and I’ll… explain myself. Not everything is as it seems.”

Hesitantly, Luna took the hoof, and turned to Eclipse. “If thou meanest to trick me, thou shalt regret it.”

Eclipse merely smirked. “Hold on,” he said. In a flash of blue, the cave swam before Luna’s eyes, and shifted into a new image. Now she was standing on top of some kind of tower, looking out over the land. The sun was setting, and for a moment, she could almost pretend she was home.

“Welcome to my humble abode,” Eclipse said, “what do you think?”

Luna looked around. The tower appeared to be quite tall, and it was attached to a castle, built of stone as black as night itself. She looked over the rim of the tower and nearly fainted in surprise. The ground was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the castle seemed to fade into the clouds below.

“Were art we?” she gasped.

“Skywatch Tower,” Eclipse said, “an old Alicorn stronghold, as it were, and the stuff of legends. It floats in the sky on a field of magic, which makes it impossible for most ponies to discover.” He turned to Luna. “The magic here is strong, to have held for so long, do you not agree?”

Despite her lingering distrust, Luna was impressed. The Alicorns of the past had obviously been very powerful and skilled.

“Verily,” she said, “but thou must have some purpose for bringing me out here. Let us not waste time. What dost thou want with me?”

Eclipse turned to her. “In time, you will know. There is more to see first.”

He took Luna and led her down the tower’s twisting spiral staircase, and into a large room, a throne room, perhaps, Luna observed.

“When I returned to this world, I sought out this place, seeking refuge from those who had harmed me,” Eclipse said, walking past an elaborately carved dining table and up to a tall throne. “I rested here, regaining my strength-“ he looked at Luna, “you must not realize how hard it is… being only half of someone, I mean. Breaking free of the bonds created by the Elements of Harmony was hard.” He stopped and looked sideways at Luna. “Then again, perhaps you do know how hard it is to be a half of someone. After all, you’re in that very same predicament now.”

“What dost thou mean?” Luna asked, turning away from the exquisitely-crafted silver chandelier she was looking at.

“Well, perhaps I should give you a little background,” Eclipse said, stepping down from the throne.

“Spare me,” said Luna, “thou already explained thine story.”

“Then you must understand why neither of us is complete, then,” said Eclipse. “As long as the other exists as a separate entity, neither of us will be whole.”

“Dost thou mean that we are both mere shadows of ourselves?” Luna asked, suddenly worried.

“Yes,” Eclipse said, nodding, “and that is why I’ve brought you here.”

“To join us together,” Luna confirmed.

“Yes.”

“Well, I shalt have no part of this plan!” Luna said.

Eclipse walked her towards a nearby door and opened it. “Of course you won’t, knowing me as I am right now, but give me some time before you truly decide.”

Luna couldn’t tell, but Eclipse’s horn was glowing faintly, just faintly enough to indicate that he was mustering some magic. She didn’t know yet, but her failure to realize this would be her most costly mistake yet.

…

“Right,” said Rainbow Dash, as she, her friends, Nimbus, and Mecha walked out of the Canterlot location of “Mecha’s Metalworks,” “now we need to split up if we want to get going. I’ll go with the rest of the mares,” she said.

“Okay,” said Nimbus, “and I’ll stop by my rented room. I have a few things I need to pick up.”

“We’ll meet back at the gates to the palace in an hour,” Twilight said, “and let’s try to hurry. We can’t afford to waste much time.”

“Okay,” said Nimbus, “see you in an hour, then.” He and Mecha walked down the road, Nimbus leading this time.

“Hey,” Nimbus said, turning to Mecha, “sorry about how I acted back there.”

Mecha shrugged, brushing it off. “It’s no big deal, really. You just need to think about what you say before you say it. Ponies who’ve just joined the military tend to be a bit highly strung,” he said, the quickly added, “not that it’s a bad thing, but you’ll learn to calm down and relax now and then. Trust me when I say you’ll be better off learning early.” He glanced down at the helmet still dangling at Nimbus’s side.

“Why are you carrying that?” he asked.

“Believe me,” Nimbus said, “I would have put it down a long time ago, but-“ he picked up the helmet by the strap and showed Mecha his amphibious hitchhikers, “I’ve kind of got company.”

“Frogs?” Mecha inquired, “with cutie marks?”

“Not exactly,” said Nimbus, “they’re the rest of my security detail. Eclipse did this to them.”

“Hm,” said Mecha, “I don’t know any way to cure them for now, but I do know a way to keep them safe while we’re gone.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” Mecha said, “let’s stop by the school on the way out of town.”

“Fair enough,” said Nimbus, turning and walking up the steps to a small Bed and Breakfast. “Here we are.” He opened the door for Mecha, and the two walked in. Nimbus headed upstairs with Mecha following, and unlocked a door at the top. Inside was his room, which contained a perfectly-made bed, as well as a few military journals and a chest.

Mecha looked at the bed with a raised eyebrow. “Not half bad,” he said, “those hospital corners are excellent!”

“Thanks,” said Nimbus, “I’ve been doing that since I left the Academy. It seems like the polite thing to do. One less task for the room cleaners.”

Mecha nodded, “well, that’s certainly commendable.” He looked over at Nimbus, who had just opened the chest and was now digging through its contents. “Watcha got in there?”

“Oh, not much,” Nimbus confided, “just my gear, mostly- there we go!” He pulled about what appeared to be two streamlined sheathes with two leather straps on each, and began fastening them to his front legs. Mecha was intrigued.

“What exactly are those?” he asked. “I’m kind of amazed to say I’ve never seen anything like them before.”

“Well, I can show you,” said Nimbus, “but I’d ask that you stand back.”

Mecha complied, stepping to the corner of the room. Nimbus nodded, then reared up on his back legs, raising his front ones in the air. He flexed them inwards slightly, and before Mecha could so much as blink, a shiny, sharp blade slid out of each sheath, making a sort of “shing” noise.

“Impressive,” Mecha said, as Nimbus pressed the blades back into the sheathes by setting his hooves back on the ground, “do you mind if I give it a look?”

“Sure,” said Nimbus, handing him a sheath. Mecha took it, studied it for a moment, found the pressure point, and pressed it, extending the blade again.

“An effective air-to-air weapon,” he mused, “concealed and streamlined, but sharp and light enough to cause damage in flight.” He looked to Nimbus. “I do see one flaw, though.”

“What’s that?” Nimbus asked. Mecha motioned for him to come closer and examine the blade. When Nimbus was close enough, Mecha indicated a few small pockmarks on the blade’s tip.

“These,” he said, “are from your sheathing methods. There’s no way to retract the blades.”

“Can that be helped?” Nimbus asked.

“Actually,” said Mecha, “it can. If you’d let me tinker with one of these on the road, I could probably improve it.”

“Well, thanks!” said Nimbus, “I’ll pay you for it, too.”

Mecha shook his head. “Not necessary. If it’s for the military, I’ll do it for free.”

“Well… thanks again,” Nimbus said, in awe.

“Is that all you need?” Mecha asked, throwing the sheath into a bag.

“Yep, that about takes care of it,” said Nimbus.

“Great, then let’s get moving.”

On the way out, Nimbus threw down a few more bits to cover the room’s payment for the next few nights. He had a feeling that he’d be gone for quite a while.

…

“Come on, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing around Twilight’s room, “it’s time to go on an adventure!”

“I’m going as fast as I can,” Twilight Sparkle responded, packing a select few necessities into her bag, “I just have to finish packing!” She reached into the wardrobe containing her belongings and pulled out a jeweled box. “Whoa,” she thought, “how did I forget that?”

“Spike!” she called. Her dragon companion waddled out of the bathroom. “Yes, Twilight?”

“Spike, I need you to keep the Elements of Harmony safe while I’m gone!” Twilight said, shoving the box into Spike’s hands.

“Okay,” Spike said, “but-“

“Also,” she said, dumping a handful of bits on top of the box, “I need you to pay for this room for a few more nights.” She thought for a moment, then added a few more bits. “These are for you. Go have some fun in Canterlot while I’m away.”

“Really?” Spike asked, looking at Twilight with delight, “thanks!”

“Don’t mention it,” Twilight countered, going back to her packing.

“How long are you going to be-“

“I don’t know, Spike,” Twilight said, cutting the dragon off. “I just know that those Elements need to be really safe for the next couple of days.”

“Alright, so when-“

“No time! Bye Spike!” Twilight said, patting the little dragon on the head and walking out the door. Pinkie Pie bounced out after her, leaving Spike utterly confused.

At the building’s entrance, the rest of Twilight’s friends were waiting.

“Ready?” Rainbow Dash asked, flapping her wings and lifting off the ground.

“Ready as I’ll ever-“ Twilight froze, looking at Rarity. The pony was wearing a large, shiny, gold necklace.

“You’re bringing that?” she asked, disbelieving.

“But of course, darling,” Rarity crowed, “isn’t it simply marvelous?”

“Not for this!” Twilight said. “Suppose we have to hide. You’ll give us away! Remember what happened when you wore that festive dress when we were watching the Great Dragon Migration?”

Rarity blushed. “Oh, well I suppose-“

“Just put it inside with my things for now,” Twilight said.

Rarity walked in, and inside, Twilight could hear crashing noises, followed by mumbled swears. Finally, Rarity trotted back out, bruised and battered, but satisfied. “Done,” she beamed. Twilight was about to ask where she’d stored the necklace, but thought better of it.

“Well,” she said, “if that’s everything, then let’s get on over to the palace.”

…

Nimbus and Mecha stopped in front of the Canterlot schoolhouse.

“My daughter’s class is on a field trip here,” Mecha explained. “They all got tickets to the Gala for their service to the Ponyville community. Too bad the darn thing got canceled because of Eclipse.”

“Yeah,” Nimbus said.

“Come on,” said Mecha, “let’s go find my daughter.”

He led Nimbus into the little one-room schoolhouse and was instantly engulfed in a sea of little fillies and colts. The place was certainly packed. Cherilee, the teacher, was up on the blackboard, writing something about the Grand Galloping Gala’s history when Mecha and Nimbus walked in.

“Mecha!” she said, “so pleased to see you! How’s my favorite cripple?” she teased.

Mecha grinned. “Just fine,” he said. “Can I see my daughter for a second?”

“Of course,” Cherilee said, “Sugary Spice?”

A little orange pony stood up and ran over to Mecha. “Hey, dad!” she practically squealed with delight.

“Hey there, Sugary Spice!” Mecha said, giving her mane a friendly rub, “I’d like to talk to you, if that’s okay.”

“Sure, Dad!” Sugary Spice said, leading Mecha and Nimbus out.

“Now Sugary,” Mecha said, after the schoolroom door was closed, “how’d you like to take care of a few…” he looked to Nimbus for a word.

“Pets,” Nimbus mouthed.

“Er, take care of a few pets while I’m gone for a couple of days?”

“Pets?” Sugary Spice asked in excitement. In response, Nimbus held his helmet out in front of her so she could see the frogs inside.

“Wow, cool! Frogs!”

Nimbus winced on the word “frogs.” He still knew them as his comrades, and referring to them as pets was just plain weird.

“That’s right,” said Mecha. He pointed to Nimbus. “This is Nimbus, a friend of mine, and these are his frogs. I want you to take good care of them, and don’t let them near the explosives!”

“We’re gonna be staying in the Canterlot shop for a little while longer, then?” she asked.

“Yeah,” said Mecha, “but we’ll get back to Ponyville when I return.”

“Cool!” said Sugary Spice.

“By the way,” Mecha added, “where’s Wolfgang? I thought you were taking him to class today.”

“He’s around here somewhere,” Sugary Spice said. Suddenly, Nimbus was thrown to the ground by an unseen force. Pinned on his back, he whipped out the sheath he’d kept and extended the blade… then stopped. On top of him was a young Timberwolf cub.

“And there’s Wolfgang,” Mecha said to Nimbus, “it seems he likes you.”

The wolf licked Nimbus’s face, causing the Pegasus to laugh. “That’s fine by me,” he said, “you’ve got a great pet here!”

The dog’s eyes suddenly narrowed, and he slunk off of Nimbus.

“What?” the pony asked, “was it something I said?”

“By Fenrir’s grizzled chin, of course it was something you said!” the dog spoke.

Nimbus froze. “Did you just-“

“Yes, I just talked. How many ponies do I have to explain this to?”

“Take it easy,” Nimbus said, retracting his blade, “I meant no insult.”

“Wolfgang,” Mecha said, and the wolf turned to acknowledge him, “watch over Sugary Spice and the shop, will you? I’ll be gone for a little while.”

The wolf nodded. “It’s as good as done!” He then took off in the direction of the shop. Mecha chuckled.

“Alright then, Sugary Spice, let’s get you back to class.”

He opened the door and escorted the little Earth Pony back to her seat. He then proceeded to Cherilee at the front of the classroom.

“Hey, Cherilee,” he said, “I’m going to be gone for a few days. Think you can help out Sugary Spice if she ever needs somepony?”

“I sure will,” said Cherilee, giving Mecha a quick kiss on the cheek and eliciting an “aww” from the class.

“Thanks,” Mecha said, walking out, “you’re the best.” Nimbus started following him when the purplish-pink pony spoke.

“Oh, and Mecha-“

The black pony turned around, as did Nimbus.

“I didn’t know you had a friend in the EDF. Perhaps you both can come to class next week in Ponyville to tell everyone how your respective branches work together!”

“That’d be great!” Mecha said.

“Er…” was all Nimbus could say.

“Next Thursday should do,” said Mecha.

“Alright, see you then!” said Cherilee, as Mecha dragged a very shell-shocked Nimbus out the door.

…

It wasn’t long before Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy spotted Nimbus and Mecha walking up the road to the palace gate.

“You ready?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Sure am,” Nimbus replied.

“Good,” said Twilight. “I understand we’re going to your family’s home first,” she said to Nimbus.

“Correct,” Nimbus said, “but we can’t go by conventional means: no flying, walking, or magic.”

“Then how are we supposed ta get there?” asked Applejack.

Nimbus grinned, almost wickedly. “By boat.”

…

Eclipse led Luna into a dimly-lit corridor. At the end of it was something huge and green, catching whatever light was in the room. Luna squinted at it. It appeared to be some kind of gem.

“This,” said Eclipse, taking Luna into the corridor, “is why I returned.”

“What is that strange object?” Luna inquired.

“That, my dear princess, is the answer to all of Equestria’s problems. It is an artifact, older than the Elements of Harmony. It is… a kind of focus for the Elements, taking their power and purifying it, so to speak. When I was dormant, trapped by the Elements, I gained knowledge of this wonder. It wasn’t hard. As a tree trunk has rings, which can allow one to see its history, so too could I see the history of the Elements of Harmony I knew something much more powerful had created them. It took much searching, but I finally found the creator here, locked away in this castle. It stands before you now. If one could tap into this power, Equestria could be freed of all evil, forever. You see, Luna, I’ve changed. I’ve strove to become more like you, like the personality I was always jealous of. There is only one thing which prevents me from using this power. You see, I cannot wield it in this form, incomplete as I am. I am too weak. I need you to join your spirit with mine once more, and we can save Equestria.”

Luna didn’t say anything. Instead, she moved closer to the gem. It was, in fact, green, with a hexagonal shape, and gold trim bordering it. There were also three symbols on the gem: a horn, a feather, and a hoof. Three gold handles also protruded from its side.  Luna exhaled, seeing her breath in the cold air. Her friend, Mecha, had theorized about this artifact’s existence, and now she was standing right in front of it!

She turned around, and Eclipse was standing right behind her, eyes and horn glowing. Immediately, she felt at peace. Eclipse, it now seemed was her friend beyond any doubt.

“Now, my darling sister, what is your answer? Will you allow yourself to be joined into my being so that I may be made whole and able to wield this powerful artifact?”

“Of course, brother,” Luna said, her eyes now glowing a bright blue, like Eclipse’s. “I would do anything for you.”

Eclipse smirked. Mind controlling someone like Luna was difficult, but not impossible. She had a strong will, but given even a sliver of doubt, even the strongest mental defenses couldn’t stand an expert mind-controller’s influence.

“Then let the ritual begin,” he said, laughing.

Once again, more characters from Itchy. I thank him again for Sugary Spice and Wolfgang, two members of Mecha's little family. Please comment if you wish!