My guiding moonlight

“Ludwig?”
Hearing that voice come out of that beast shocked me. I knew he would look different, but I had expected a more canine like appearance. he looked more like a deer than any beast I have seen. Then again, I was a malformed horse hybrid, and I had never seen one like me before. However, before I let my guard down, I had to confirm it was him.

“What was the adage Laurence taught me?”
If he answered this, then I know that it is truly my old friend.
He looked relieved, as if he was glad I had asked this question.
“The same one that master Wilhlem taught me. We are borne of the blood. Made men by the blood. Undone by the blood. Our eyes have yet to open. Fear the old blood. Though I suspect we didn’t fear it enough.”
With that, I knew it was him. I sheathed my sword before grabbing him in a hug.

“Thank the moon you are alive, Laurence. It is good to see you again, after all these years.”
“It is good to see you too old friend. Tell me, what happened to you? Last I heard, you disappeared, and before anything else could be discovered, I…”
“You fell to the blood. Just as I had. That night, my blade had gone silent. My hunters and I were alone, fighting beast and citizen alike, as they had gone mad. The things I witnessed that night… they broke me, and the faith I had in the church had been shattered.”

“Tell me, old friend, did you know what the choir had done in old Yharnam?”
“Not until that night. To think that they had gone behind my back, poisoned the water of my old home, and done those… inhuman experiments in the sacred clocktower.”
“I am relieved to see that you were just as in the dark as I, but it disgusts me that they would go behind our backs like that.”
“I had made the church to heal the sick and save the dying. And they decided that meant they got to do whatever sick projects they thought could reveal the answers. I had sent Lady Maria to investigate what exactly they were doing, but I eventually lost contact with her.”

My heart sunk as he mentioned the fair lady. A friend of us all, what I saw that night had been devastating.
“I think I know what happened to her. That night, as we searched old Yharnam, he had entered the clocktower. Many of the “patients” had gone mad, so had to be put out of their misery. A few, however, called out to her. She had been comforting them, to help ease the pain they felt.”
“That does sound like her, but why do you look so forlorn? What happened after you encountered the victims?”
“We made our way up the tower, and into a lime wood garden. Within, were giant, malformed blue creatures with deflated heads. Living failures of their experiments, which had to be put down as well. After that, we entered the room of the clock face and found… her body. Her neck was slashed, and her rakuyo was laid in her lap. Either she ended her own life due to the guilt of what those patients suffered, or she was killed during her investigation, and they staged it to look like a suicide.”

I watched as the news hit Laurence. He slumped to the ground, a look of shock on his face.
“She… she was one of the last survivors of the hamlet. She was Gehrman’s best student, and probably one of his closest friends. She was my friend as well. After he disappeared, she was all I had left of him, and I, all she had left of him. And now… killed by my actions. Like so many before her.”
“It is not your fault Laurence. You did not see what the choir had done within the research hall. How they had twisted the once sacred place into that.. disgusting blasphemy of what we stood for. You couldn’t have known, and thus, couldn’t have done anything.”

“You’re right, Ludwig. I have blamed myself for so much already, when so much has not been entirely my fault. While I am still saddened that my mission killed one of my friends, I know that her death had not been in vain. We were able to discover the corruption within the church, and hopefully after our falls, we were able to scrub the corruption clean.”
I give a hearty laugh before grabbing his shoulder, giving him another hug.
“Thats the way to think, my old friend! Not what harm your actions caused, but who your actions saved. Our discoveries could have saved hundreds of lives from those bastards in the choir. And thank the moon for that.”

We continued to chat well into the night, until I noticed the sun start to rise.
“It been well chatting with you Laurence, but I believe it might be time for us to get moving.”
“Its morning already? Damnit, I was supposed to be back by six. The princesses will be annoyed.”
Confused, I raised an eyebrow before I spoke.
“Princesses? Who are these princesses?”
“They are the two rulers of the land we found ourselves within. They are equine like you, only with all hooves.”
“So we are in a world of talking equines, where myths and legends are real, lumber can come to life, magic is more plentiful and is run by a diarchy?”

“Yes. This is a strange world, yet a welcoming and friendly one, not including this forest. I believe that you will enjoy their company.”
“Oh? Why is that?”
“They are not like many other rulers. They truly care about their subjects, And they try to enjoy themselves when they have the time. I hear that Celestia and Luna have started a prank war within the castle, and most of the servants are terrified.”
What was the name of that second princess? Luna? Could she be…
“Is there anything else about these princesses I should know?”

“Of course! They are very friendly, and enjoy spending time with others they view as friends. Celestia is more of the scientific and political leader of the two, while Luna is a military genius, and protects the dreams of her subjects from nightmares.”
“Interesting. I notice their names are rather… cosmic in nature. Why is that?”
“Oh! That is because in this world, the gravity of the sun and moon were damaged many eons ago, before the planet even existed, due to a strange phenomenon that cut this universe off from all but the most powerful of influence of the great ones. Thus, they have to move the celestial bodies, otherwise all life would cease to be.”

For my entire life, I have looked to the moon for guidance. And for my entire life, it has never steered me wrong. It has gotten me through thick and thin, and saved my soul many a time. It is thanks to its guidance I found some of my greatest friends, forged a strong fighting force, and even return my humanity. And to find a world, where my guide has been personified? This has been an opportunity I could have never seen coming. But is she truly as benevolent as my mentor? As Laurence and I head towards a mountain in the distance, my mind races . Shall I continue to serve the moon, under a different face, or shall I have to face this impostor?