The Voice of a Stranger
Prologue
Dusty Trails
======
It was a quiet, calm night in Ponyville. The sky was clear and the air was warm. It was a typical summer night. The shops had closed and the street lights had come on. The only sound was the chirping of crickets.
It was uncommon for the streets of this quiet little hamlet to be empty on nights such as this. Secret lovers trying to escape the public eye. Artists seeking inspiration from the still night air. Delinquents and ne’er do wells making secret plots under the cover of dark. All of these took solace in the calm still air. Tonight though, the streets were silent. Every pony in this quiet village had sought the comforting embrace of sleep. Everpony, except a certain purple unicorn mare.
Twilight Sparkle, ever the diligent student, had once again neglected sleep in favor of her studies. Nights such as this were perfect for stargazing. A clear sky provided an unobstructed view of the world above. An unfettered glimpse of the unending void and all its wonders. An opportunity such as this was a special treat for the unicorn, as stargazing was one of her great passions, second only to magic.
The meticulous scholar diligently mapped the stars above, noting their alignment and position. She recorded the notable constellations and each visible planet. Tonight’s map was identical to many she had made over the previous months. This was a typical night for stargazing as no uncommon celestial phenomena had yet occurred.
Suddenly though, a disturbance streaked across the sky. A bright flash of light to the north indicated that perhaps tonight would not be such a quiet night. The lavender astronomer hastily swiveled her telescope, causing the quill that was creating her constellation map to slip, mucking up Orion’s belt. This was of no consequence, as the constellation had remained relatively unchanged for the past several months. No, a chance to map a shooting star was much more intriguing.
Twilight’s horn glowed bright lavender as she excitedly scratched her quill across a fresh scroll, taking note of the star’s exact position and trajectory. An unpredicted shooting star was a very rare occurrence, and all the more exciting for it. Tracking the star’s exact location with her telescope while simultaneously taking notes required a level of magical focus that was beyond most unicorns; however Twilight Sparkle was not most unicorns, she had received top honors in all of her magical courses at the Canterlot Academy for Gifted Unicorns for a reason.
As the star approached the opposite horizon Twilight’s eyes drooped. As its light dimmed, so did her consciousness. Twilight yawned as she jotted down the final coordinates of the star. She released the magic in her horn and her quill dropped. As the star faded a foalish thought entered her mind. If she hadn’t known better she’d have sworn that the star had landed in Canterlot. However Twilight Sparkle knew that shooting stars didn’t land. No, these wondrous ‘stars’ were mere chunks of space debris that ignited and burned in the planet’s upper atmosphere.
Twilight’s eyes slowly drifted shut as she mumbled to herself about stars and dust. With a soft thud she landed on her side. Spike, her dragon assistant, groggily stumbled over and tried to push her off to bed, to no avail. He begrudgingly pulled a blanket over her still form, and shuffled off to his own sleeping space, meanwhile rubbing the sleep out of his own eyes.
======
Pain. That was the first sensation to hit the stallions mind, dark was the second. Pain and dark. Not exactly pleasant sensations, but they would have to do, as they were all he could feel. Rather quickly another sensation joined the pain and the dark, removing his previous notions of silence, noise. Not just any noise, but voices. Several of them, and they were quite loud, or so he assumed. The very confused stallion decided they weren’t particularly nice voices, as nice voices would have known to keep quiet when somepony’s head was trying to split itself open. Still, maybe it would be a good idea to at least listen to them, regardless of their obvious rudeness.
The stallion opened his eyes, upon realizing he had them, and took in the sight of two pegasi. Both were clad in golden armor and neither looked very happy to see him. One of the two was noticeably shorter than the other. This shorter one spoke, using the same not so pleasant voice from earlier.
“I’ll ask you one more time, what are you doing right in the middle of the princess’s rose garden at this time of night?”
The stallion blinked, looking down he realized he was in fact sitting in a rose bush. That would explain the sharp pain in his side. He shifted slightly to dislodge several of the more annoying thorns and turned his thoughts to the pegasus’s question.
He opened his mouth to answer but as he searched his mind he found he did not possess one. The stallion had no memory of what had happened or how he had gotten here. He stared dumbly at the two pegasi. His mouth hung open and his eyes boasted a look of deep confusion.
The shorter Pegasus looked to his companion and spun his hoof around his ear several times. His partner responded by tilting his hoof in front of his mouth, miming the motion of drinking. The shorter turned back to the stallion and sighed.
“Since you’ve clearly got no idea what you’re doing here, could I get a name?” The pegasus’s voice shook a little, clearly not in the mood to deal with a potentially drunk possible lunatic.
The stallion searched his mind again. No name could be found. In fact, no memory at all could be found. The stallion stood there, mouth still agape, eyes still blank and confused. The Pegasus shook his head. He’d had enough of this.
“Looks like we’ve got us another loony,” he said reaching out a hoof to pull the stallion out of the rosebush. “I suppose it’s off to jail with you pal.”
“Wait,” the tall one’s voice rang out clearly, low but quiet, evidently a voice that didn’t see much use.
The shorter one whirled to meet his eyes; his eyebrow was raised and his nostrils were on the verge of flaring, violently. It was obvious he was in no mood to wait.
“Yes?” he responded, the anger of his tone was nearly palpable. His wings had extended and his eyes burned bright with barely restrained malice.
The taller one backed up a bit and his eyes betrayed a hint of hesitation, it was clear from his expression he’d learned this short little Pegasus was not one to be argued with. He shook himself and stepped forward again, regaining his confidence. “Weren’t we supposed to report to Celestia, anything we’d seen, no matter what?” His voice shook but it was clear he was affirming his stance. “I mean, we’ve got our orders… Sir.”
He hastily added in the title, almost as an afterthought. The shorter pegasus glared intensely at him, only mildly pacified by the mention of rank. He walked up to the taller and stared him down.
“Listen, Runt,” he growled. “I’m your superior, I give the orders here. You obey my orders and don’t question me. Got it?” He emphasized this last bit with a jab to the chest.
Runt, as he was apparently called, clearly didn’t seem to get it, as he pressed on regardless of the short one’s anger, and anything that could be defined as logical thought.
“You wouldn’t want to upset the princess, would you sir?” A hint of slyness shone under the previously dull note of Runt’s voice.
The shorter Pegasus was trapped, he knew Runt was right yet he didn’t want to admit defeat. He stood there glaring, trying to think of a way out of this, you could almost see the gears in his head turning. After several moments of this he gave up. He turned to the stallion and extended a hoof, pulling him out of the bush. The stallion fell out, rather clumsily and landed with an amusing plop.
“Looks like it’s your lucky day,” He grumbled, clearly displeased. “Runt here’s saved you from a night in jail and probably a quick release in the mornin’. Instead, you get to pay a little visit to ‘her exalted majesty’ Princess Celestia and make all of our lives more difficult.”
======
Celestia sighed, it was late. Night court had always been such a trivial matter to her, as late as it was. It wasn’t that the princess had a need for sleep, no, no mortal function held any necessity for the alabaster lady of the dawn. Sleep, food, drink. All of these were mere matters of triviality to her. Still though, she enjoyed engaging herself in these frivolities. They were a point of curiosity to her, one she enjoyed indulging in.
Celestia sighed once more. It was necessary for the princess to remain vigilant. To always be on call for the needs of her subjects. Even when they were sound asleep. The princess shook her head. What harm could a short rest cause? Catching a few winks between dusk and dawn? It wasn’t as if anypony ever visited night court anyway.
Celestia dropped her head and closed her eyes, surrendering her mind to sleep. A shroud began to form over her consciousness.
“Your majesty,” A gruff voice broke out, shattering the veil.
Celestia’s head snapped up and her eyes flew open, she looked out to greet her visitors. Before her stood two royal guardsmen with a pony she did not know. The guard who had spoken was a short one with a bright red mane and a perpetual scowl fixed upon his features. She recognized him as the guard captain Fomorian, an ambitious and slightly arrogant individual. He was a Trotland resident who had moved to Canterlot years ago to join the royal guard. On more than one occasion he’d been brought in for alcohol abuses. The other guard stood back a ways, slightly hunched in a more submissive position. Celestia recognized him as a recent recruit. Runt was the name he’d come to be known by. This recruit showed promise, despite his lack of ambition. She hoped one day he’d rise up in the ranks and take on more responsibility. The third pony that stood before her was not one she recognized.
This was a tall black pegasus. His coat and mane appeared full of some sort of gritty, particulate matter, almost like dust. A pair of wings stuck out at his sides, refusing to rest in the way most pegasi could manage. They were larger than the wings of most pegasi, and clearly would not take such a position comfortably. Atop this stranger’s head sat an odd sort of hat, one Celestia could not name but certainly recognized, it had been quite popular at the Grand Galloping Gala but she couldn’t for the life of her remember its name.
Still though, there was something familiar about this odd pegasus. His height, his gait, even the unusual hat atop his head, each stuck o chord of memory. Most of all though, she could feel his presence. This pony had a certain air to him, an aura that affected the space around him. Every pony had one, but few were aware of it. Most ponies lacked the perceptiveness to feel it, and the residual magic that flooded the air around those that had such gifts would often drown out all but the strongest of signals, but not Celestia. The ivory alicorn held an affinity for magic, one born of thousands of years of experience. She could use this affinity to look within the hearts of ponies, and see into their minds, to a somewhat limited scope, but she had learned many years ago the danger of prying magic. Despite its limits, this was certainly a useful skill, and it was one that had served her well on numerous occasions.
This stranger though, the presence he held was no ordinary one. His was a presence far more powerful than any she’d felt in many years. A presence wished not to remember, but could never forget.
======
Confusion was becoming a constant for the stallion. It’s enough of a shock when one wakes up in a rosebush with no name or memory, but throw in an encounter with two royal guardstallions and an audience with a princess and you begin to wonder what sort of madman could be running this circus act.
Still, he couldn’t deny that he was enjoying himself. From first impressions it looked like the world was shaping up to be a very exciting place. One thing was a bit odd though, the way the princess was staring at him, regarding him, studying him even. But who was he to judge? He had no frame of reference, for all he knew this was perfectly normal behavior. She sat a while, looking at him, clearly in deep thought.
Finally the princess spoke.
“And who might I have the honor of addressing?” This was a voice the stallion deemed nice, not like the angry little pegasus. The voice was unnecessarily saccharine, but nice. Soft and clear, but it carried well. The stallion opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the guardsmen, the short one.
“This here’s an intruder ma’am. Caught ‘im in the rose garden, says he ‘as no idea who ‘e is or ‘ow ‘e got there.” The military bravado was almost sickening. The stallion certainly preferred the syrupy sweetness of the princess to this forced stiffness.
The princess’s eyebrows rose at this.
“No memories you say?” Again she spoke with exaggerated sweetness, almost like a mother to a child.
“Indeed ma’am. Highly suspicious if you ask me.” The guard once again spoke, his voice still overly stiff and brusque.
The princess smiled.
“Perhaps this is an assassination plot.” Her playful sarcasm was almost impossible to miss.
“It very well may be ma’am,” Almost impossible, not quite.
The guard’s point was valid; the stallion was suspicious of his own motives, but missing such blatant sarcasm was an act of unforgivable stupidity.
Where the stallion found irritation, the princess found amusement.
“My dear captain, there is no need to fear this pony. I was only joking.” Her voice was calm, and the laughter that followed was oddly soothing. Could there possibly be a hint of magic behind it?
“Now then.” Back to business, any trace of magical sweetness was gone. “My dear visitor, who are you really?” Her words carried no hint of accusation but her voice held a note of trepidation.
The stallion shook his head and frowned, his memories remained elusive.
“I’m sorry your majesty.” The stallion felt his voice resonate in his throat, it was an odd sensation. “I really have no idea who I am.”
The princess frowned, not out of anger but more out of disappointment.
“Are you sure?”
The stallion nodded.
“Well we’ll just have to see what we can do about that.”
The genuine nature of the princess’s offer was certainly surprising. A pony of such suspicious nature as him should, and in a sane world would, be thrown into a dungeon, or banished, or banished and thrown into a dungeon in the place he was banished to. Still, nothing he’d seen so far gave any hint at all that this world was in any way sane.
“First though, I’m going to have to ask you to remove your hat.”
The stallion frowned, he hadn’t been aware of the hat until now. He stretched his wing out and removed it with a casual flick.
The reaction was immediate.
It’s a funny thing to watch a pony jump. All four legs spread out, seeming to defy gravity for an instant. As an added effect, a pegasus’s wings would pop straight out. It was quite a sight.
Still, these ponies had good reason to be startled. When the stallion looked up he understood that. For extending out from his forehead, appearing bit by bit, was a unicorn’s horn.
======
The stallion stared at his reflection. The quarters he’d been assigned were certainly spectacular, he’d even been provided a mirror. It was surprising that the princess had given him such nice quarters, given the events that had so recently transpired.
After his horn had been revealed, things had gone… interestingly. The two guards hadn’t taken it very well. The smaller one had been the one to jump, a humorous sight to remember again, so dramatic. The other one merely stumbled backwards and tripped over his own hooves.
The princess though, her reaction was quite strange. The two guards had shown evidence of shock and terror. Presumably reasonable responses, after a being so similar to their princess had become apparent, and they had quite recently displeased the aforementioned being. The princess showed no such shock, she didn’t seem frightened or in any way surprised. It seemed as if she’d been expecting this. She seemed a bit apprehensive but that was the general air she gave off. Not a moment had passed where she seemed truly at ease.
Still, her composure was remarkable. Her true feelings were quite well guarded, they had nearly gone unnoticed, and the stallion wouldn’t have been aware of them at all had it not been for a nagging sensation in the back of his mind, a curious little buzzing, relaying tiny bits of information. It had been present since he’d awoken, at the back of his mind. He hadn’t noticed at first, a quiet little hum, coming in irregular patterns. It was truly unimportant at the time. Slowly it had become louder, more ordered. A pattern had emerged. Almost like a voice.
The stallion dismissed it. He presumed it was normal. Regardless of normality this voice was certainly useful. It told him things, little things, but certainly very interesting ones, things such as the princess’s true feelings. Perhaps this was unimportant perhaps not. The stallion really had no idea what to think, so he stopped. He tucked the information about the voice away and instead returned his mind to the throne room.
The princess had remained silent for a moment, regarding the stallion. She looked him over, clearly deep in thought. Her lips had pursed before she jumped to her hooves. She then began to lay out arrangements for his future. She declared he’d stay in the castle; a solution to his memory loss would have to be found. She’d assigned him quarters among the royal servants and sent him on his way. He turned to leave the throne room and began on his way when she stopped him. She’d said he’d need a name if he was to live in the palace. She looked him over and declared his name Coalblack.
A very fitting name, it suited his charcoal coat and mane quite well. It was also a great convenience, as referring to him as ‘the stallion’ would grow tiresome quite quickly.
The stallion, or Coalblack as he must now be known, looked himself over once more. Dirty charcoal coat. Dirty charcoal mane. A set of overly long legs and a pair of ridiculous oversized wings. Even a ridiculous top hat on his head. He didn’t cast quite the same regal figure as Celestia.
He looked more like a bumbling chimney sweep than a royal figure. Perhaps that’s who he was, a chimney sweep. He really had no idea. That was the pain of memory loss though, you had no idea who you were.
Coalblack decided he’d better get some sleep. If he kept at it he could continue thinking on this all night. If his memories did return and he was actually a chimney sweep he’d rather put off knowing it for as long as possible.
He walked over to the bed he’d been provided and lifted the covers. He climbed underneath them and closed his eyes. He tried to think calming thoughts but this is a tricky feat when calm is an emotion one has never experienced before in one’s life.
======
Luna stood out over the castle terrace admiring the beauty of her night. The mysterious nature of the heavens, the soft chirping of crickets, the gentle light of the moon and stars. Night was truly a time full of life.
It was a shame, really, that ponies chose this time to sleep. The soft light of the moon and stars gave everything a sense of peace. The still night air was perfect for self reflection. After a day toil and drudgery under the sun, the gentle moon cast her soft light over the land, inviting all beneath her to rest.
Night was the time of scholars and of artists, of poetry and music, of lovers and of dreamers, those both waking and sleeping. Night was a time of respite, a time for the world to relax and turn its thoughts inward, a time of introspection and self discovery, a time of peace. Why then did so many waste these precious hours in bed? Why not indulge in the wonders of the dark? Why did so few truly appreciate her night? When one did not share in the gift of immortality why waste even a single moment of one’s short span on the triviality of sleep? Why did the ponies of Equestria shun her and accept her sister instead?
Luna sighed. Thoughts like these were dangerous. A thousand years ago such dissent had quite nearly plunged Equestria into eternal night. A thousand years ago, such thoughts caused her to burn with fury. But now though, these thoughts simply filled her with despair, they had once served as a liquid fuel for the fires of rage, and without the spark of hate she’d felt so long ago, they served no purpose beyond drowning her in sorrow. She felt no anger or jealousy. No, such feelings were behind her. She had her night and that would have to be enough.
Still, Luna wished she could enjoy some recognition. A sense that her subjects cared for her, loved her. She had one day set aside for her, every year. And this was no day of admiration. This was a day of fear, of subtle mockery. The ponies did not know it, but by their terrified shrieks and cries, they reinforced Luna’s feelings of self loathing. They told her once again that she was a monster, a being of evil and terror, one to cower at the feet of and beg for mercy. But that wasn’t the kind of ruler Luna wished to be. No, Luna wished to be known as a kind and gentle ruler, much in the way Celestia was known.
But no, that’s not who she was. She was not the benevolent ruler of all. That had never been her. Even a thousand years ago, she’d been the reserved one. Celestia was the face and the voice of Equestria. She was the one who basked in the glory of their subjects while Luna watched from the shadows, the silent queen of the night.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
In her state of melancholy Luna had failed to notice she had a visitor. She turned her head to see a tall black Pegasus next to her. He blended in quite well with the night. His appearance though, wasn’t what stood out to Luna. It was his voice. He had a kind and honest voice, but also a sad one.
This was an old voice speaking the words of a new soul. This was a voice that spoke of sorrow and of loss. A sense of power and of wisdom could be heard, but it was faint, a mere echo. This voice was ancient, had known much, carried many secrets and many burdens. Yet it had set them down, given up. This was a tired voice that had taken a chance to rest.
======
Coalblack stood on the terrace, overlooking the kingdom of Equestria. Fields and forests, hills and rivers, all were laid out in front of him under the moonlit sky. It was quite a sight. It instilled a sense of lordship inside the somber stranger. It was quite a feeling, standing over it all, able to see for miles, he could see why the princess chose to retreat to here.
Aside from the sense of power Coalblack also felt a sense of responsibility. The sight of the wider world really put things in perspective. Coalblack imagined it would be easy to disassociate things, rule dispassionately. Things like this though reminded you of the outside world.
Whose thoughts were these? Where did they come from? What was this voice? It came to him without his accord, the words of a stranger. Were these his words, the words he’d had before? His memories? They certainly didn’t sound like the words of a chimney sweep.
He shook his head and turned to the princess; that must be who this other alicorn was. She stood quietly regarding him, much the same way he was doing to her. She was less scrutinizing than the other princess had been. Her stare carried more of a kind curiosity than a harsh analysis. Celestia’s eyes had carried a sort of guarded knowledge while this princess carried no such secrets.
Was it more a sense of honesty or did this one merely lack such information? Either way, Coalblack liked this one better. Her eyes were softer. Celestia’s eyes had burned, not in a hostile or malicious way but they were certainly intense.
This princess though, the light in her eyes did not come from flame, no, her light was of a gentle incandescence. It was a more subtle power.
Hers was a quiet intensity, not overbearing, more of a background influence. She was more the quiet observer than the powerful monarch.
Again the words of this strange voice returned. Who was this, with such deep insight into the royalty?
The voice was persistent, Coalblack could give it that. It exerted its own will, dominating its hosts and filling his mind with ideas.
It was mysterious though. Shortly after it had said its piece it would retreat to a dark corner of his mind. It was impossible to track as this corner was sealed to him, a part of his mind not even he could access.
Coalblack sighed. This voice was a mystery and intended to remain so. He turned his head back to the princess, and back to her silent gaze. She jumped a little, startled by this small gesture. He could tell she wasn’t used to this, equine interaction that is, but then, neither was he. He tried to smile, not in a mocking way but in a warm, encouraging manner.
The princess burst out laughing. Coalblack caught a glimpse of himself in a polished vase and immediately saw why. Smiling is a tricky business, especially when one isn’t used to it, and the expression on Coalblack’s face looked more like the pained expression of a deranged madman than a friendly and inviting look. He started laughing as well and the tension was dispelled, a shared laugh is a fantastic ice-breaker.
The princess reached out a hoof, still smiling.
“We are the royal Princess Luna,” She declared, her voice was strong and regal, yet there was a nervous undertone.
Coalblack looked down at her hoof. He stared at it, wondering what the purpose of it was.
Luna’s smile faltered, ever so slightly. The warmth and sincerity remained, but Coalblack picked up a sense of awkward confusion, mainly in the eyes. Suddenly those eyes widened, as at a sudden realization.
“It is known as a ‘hoofshake’,” She said, accurately having read Coalblack’s confusion.
Coalblack continued to stare at her.
“Here,” she sighed, clearly amused.
She reached her hoof out and nudged his into the position hers had been in. She then connected their limbs and began to vibrate hers up and down. Coalblack mimicked this motion, still confused.
“Now you provide introductions,” she explained, once again smiling.
“Coalblack,” Coalblack said.
The Voice of a Stranger
Chapter 1
Dusty Trails
======
Coalblack rushed down the hallway, swerving past, dodging around, and even jumping over servants as he ran along. He was late and he knew it, that’s why he was running.
It was his lessons, it was always the lessons. For the past six months he’d been working with some of Equestria’s finest scholars, trying powerful magic, mysterious potions, and suspicious herbs, really everything anypony could think of to restore his memories. Hours upon hours were spent at these lessons, and very little was ever accomplished, but it was the will of Celestia, and it was by her orders he attended these sessions.
Not all of his time was spent among these dusty old stallions, with their dusty old books and dusty old bottles. No, when these dull meetings had run their course, he spent his time with Princess Luna.
Through these frequent rendezvous the two had become fast friends. The princess shared her experiences of life as co-ruler of Equestria and of time spent banished for a thousand years on the barren surface of the moon; of ancient history, and of bitter solitude on the lunar wasteland; of joyous times, and of her slow descent into madness as nightmare moon. Of the joy of finally returning to her place on the throne, and of the feelings of isolation that shortly followed.
All this she shared, while expecting nothing in return. She knew that no matter how many stories she told, she would never get one in return. She knew Coalblack had no stories to share.
She didn’t mind. She was tolerant of his inadequacies. She understood his lack of knowledge in the fields of Equestrian culture and social interaction. To be honest, Luna found herself lacking in these areas as well, still adjusting to normal life after her time spent on the moon.
Despite his lack of a history, Coalblack was no dry font when it came to conversation, no, he had a good deal to say. These words were not directly his though. They came from deep within him, from a place even he didn’t truly understand. Ever since he’d first woken up, with those thorns piercing into his side, he’d heard a voice. It started as an inane buzzing that had slowly grown into coherent thoughts, sharing little bits and pieces of intriguing information.
The source of this voice was unknown to him, yet he could somehow tell it was internal. He and Luna often spent hours on end speculating its source. She often suggested it may be his memories resurfacing. He would always tell her that was a ridiculous notion.
On the matter of the princess, that’s what Coalblack was late for. They had planned to meet after Coalblack’s most recent session with the scholars, once again an unsuccessful venture. However the old foals had kept him longer than intended, something about proper refocusing of his latent magical energies. All he knew was that it was a very complicated spell, and that it had failed.
It seemed that everything was failing. Spells, potions, simple exercises. Each meant to restore the memories he’d lost, but none had succeeded. That was a bit obvious he supposed, if any had worked the lessons would have stopped.
He turned his thoughts from this digression and back to his meeting with the princess, and once again remembered that he was late. He decided to put on a little extra speed to make up for lost time and began a quick trot, right into a solid stone wall.
He fell back on his hindquarters, cursing his mistake. He’d neglected to keep an eye out for walls and paid the price. This was a frequent occurrence for him, he quite often found himself lost in introspection and would find himself running into things, notably walls and centuries old priceless art.
Coalblack’s eyes had crossed after the impact and as the world in front of him came into focus he noticed one of the palace servants was staring at him. She was a member of the maid staff, as was evident from her uniform and the feather duster perched comically in her mouth. It was evident from the crinkling of her nose and the expression in her eyes that she was suppressing laughter, and just barely so. It was against etiquette for a servant to laugh at a royal guest, this policy was not one Coalblack approved of.
In an effort to dispel the tension, Coalblack began to laugh himself. He shook his head and looked to the maid. She still wasn’t laughing, just standing there staring at him. He decided to press the issue.
“I must look ridiculous lying down here,” he said. “Don’t I?” He looked into her eyes, hoping to get a response.
She looked away nervously, mumbling something indecipherable with the feather duster in her mouth.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that,” Coalblack pressed.
The filly sat the duster down on a nearby table and mumbled again, this time it was slightly more understandable.
“It’s not my place to say, sir,” Her dockney accent was quite common among the palace servants, most were immigrants from Trottingham. Her reserved nature was even more common. Few servants were willing to talk to him, hoping to avoid a confrontation with the princesses’ guest.
The only staff member truly open with him was the palace chef. The old zebra would only talk to order someone out of his kitchen, or to not dip their hooves into the soup he was cooking, no matter how delicious it smelled. He and Coalblack did not get on well at all.
Coalblack shook his head and jumped to his feet. He’d given the maid up as a lost cause. He rushed off, swearing to himself that he would keep his eyes open this time. As he galloped off he heard a soft cackle, hardly suppressed behind a hoof. He marked that up as a victory, a small step in winning over the castle staff.
======
Luna stared at the clock. He was late. It wasn’t unheard of for Coalblack to be late, and it wouldn’t normally have bothered her, but today was different. Today was a day special to her, the worst day of the year. Ironically it was also the one day dedicated solely to her. Yes, it was the day of nightmare night. The day young foals across the land would dress up in costumes to shield themselves from her eyes and offer treats they’d spent the night gathering in an attempt to appease her hunger for souls.
Today was a day of fun and joy for the children, yet a day of dread and pain for her. A day for communities to come together in a greatly beloved festival and enjoy feelings of love and friendship, but also a day for her to lock herself away and avoid the public eye.
She looked over her kingdom and thought, as she often did, about how much things had changed. The land she saw was quite similar to the one she had known. Much of the area around the castle had remained unchanged. The town of Canterlot had remained relatively untouched; a bastion of the old world, but beyond that though things had changed very much. Things like the Everfree forest were of course untouched by time, no force of nature or ponies could affect that dark and ancient place. Even the technology had remained relatively the same, a few innovations could be seen here and there, something that was no trouble at all for Luna, she was always one to encourage progress, but things had remained relatively similar to the archaic practices she remembered. No, the true change was in the ponies.
Culturally they were much the way she remembered, eager to accept the doctrine of friendship and love Celestia gently pushed on them. They were still trusting and also trustworthy, even the least morally upright of them still an upstanding citizen. They even clung to the old art and architecture she remembered so well. No, the change was deeper than that, more internal. They were afraid.
Afraid of her, afraid of the pony that had scorned their beloved day and tried to push the night; afraid of the change she could bring, despite all the change they’d seen so far.
But their fear was of no concern to her, for deep within her heart she shared and also reciprocated their fear. She feared the mare she had become those thousand years ago. She feared the pain, the anger, and the jealousy she had felt. She feared the disaster she could have brought on Equestria, and she feared another thousand years of banishment.
More than any of that though, she feared her subjects; she feared their scornful glares and mocking laughter. Not that she had experienced scornful glares or mocking laughter, it was just something she expected after all that had transpired.
No, it was better to remain locked away, isolate herself from her subjects. Better to protect herself from those ponies she feared, and who feared her back, at the cost of friendship than risk injury at their hooves, or a return to her madness as nightmare moon.
In the middle of her introspection Luna heard a clatter and a rattle and turned to see Coalblack stumbling through the doorway, evidently trying to be stealthy but quite miserably failing.
He paused, one hoof pushed forward, the other raised, obviously he was caught but still he jumped into a more natural standing position to cover his mistake.
“S-Sorry I’m late,” he stammered, trying to regain his composure. “I er ran into a pressing engagement on the way.”
“By 'pressing engagement do you perhapse mean, 'wall'?”
“Maybe.”
Luna sighed, it was typical of Coalblack to avoid responsibility with these little mind games of his, and most days she found it at least a little endearing, but today was not the day for it. Today was not the day for anything.
Coalblack walked up and put his hoof on her shoulder, he looked deep into her eyes and she could feel him probing her soul. He had an odd way about him. She could feel his eyes piercing deep into her. She brushed his hoof off her shoulder and turned around. She was not in the mood to have her innermost thoughts examined.
Luna sighed and turned around again, it was unfair to take her hostile feelings out on Coalblack.
“We apologize for that act of coldness, we are currently experiencing an absolutely dreadful mood,” It would do her no good to alienate her one true friend; in fact, his assistance may prove quite useful in overcoming these feelings of dread.
“Is something wrong?”
Typical of him to offer assistance without proper understanding of the situation, Coalblack always sought to be helpful to her. This was one of his more endearing qualities, but at the same time she occasionally found it quite annoying. Still, she was trying to be open to support today.
======
Coalblack could never understand Luna, one moment she was cold and reserved the next she seemed ready to open up, now she was staring at him, absolutely silent. To describe her behavior as erratic would be quite the understatement. He knew there was nothing truly wrong; he’d have seen it in her eyes. Over the past several months he’d noticed a certain sort of empathy between himself and the princess, the two could understand each other’s feelings with remarkable accuracy. She was often curious about it, but he dismissed it as an oddity, and he saw no sense in worrying over such small matters.
No, whatever this was must be far simpler than any problem he would have detected. This was both wonderful news, and horrible news. It meant that Luna’s problem would have a simple solution, but also that Luna would have to be open with him for that solution to be found.
“Today is… not a good day for us, we must admit,”
Perhaps Luna would be cooperative on this issue.
“Could I get some eh- details?” Coalblack pressed, hoping she’d elaborate.
Luna sighed again; she furrowed her brow and once more stared at Coalblack. Coalblack stared back. He was getting a little sick of this start stop conversation, and was considering giving it up as a lost cause, something he’d only ever done twice before, when Luna finally spoke.
“It’s nightmare night.”
Coalblack didn’t know how to respond to that, honestly. He had no idea what she meant by ‘Nightmare Night’, but apparently it wasn’t good.
“Nightmare night is an Equestrian festival,” Luna explained, accurately reading Coalblack’s confusion, how did she always manage to do that? “Once a year, the children all across the land don their costumes and go around their communities, stopping at each house to collect a small portion of candy; they then offer this candy to a statue of us. All this is done in an attempt to save their souls from our supposed ‘hunger’ for them.”
Coalblack stared at her.
“That… has got to be the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
“And how would that be?”
“Well, for starters, I’ve never seen you eat a soul, in fact, the only thing I’ve seen you eat was soup, and that was only once, on a dare.”
“Well… I-er-we have to maintain the royal figure, it is important for the princess to look presentable.”
Luna stumbled over her words, obviously mortified at the thoughts Coalblack must have had of her. Truth be told, Coalblack had no such thoughts, he simply enjoyed seeing the princess’s reaction to such accusations.
“Y-you really feel that their fears are unfounded though?”
Luna’s small moments of apprehension were one of Coalblack’s favorite things about her. For an immortal god-ruler, she truly was absolutely horrible at conversation.
“Absolutely,” He reassured. “If there were anypony I knew who ate souls, it wouldn’t be you. No, it would be that creepy zebra in the kitchens.”
Luna laughed; she was always susceptible to even the worst of Coalblack’s humor.
“Don’t let Wapishi hear that, or you may well find he really does eat souls.”
Coalblack smiled, he’d finally broken down the mental wall she’d built up. She was now truly open to conversation.
“So you really feel those ponies have nothing to fear in me?”
Coalblack sighed; this was probably Luna’s greatest fault: when something came to her mind, it really stuck. Things like this ‘everypony’s terrified of me because a thousand years ago I tried to take over the world and blot out the sun and almost destroyed everything’ kick she was on were quite common, such drama.
“Without a doubt,” Coalblack promised. “In fact, if you were to head over to one of these celebrations, you may be able to convince them there’s no need to fear you.”
“You really think so?” Luna beamed, her smile had grown so wide in such a short span of time Coalblack was worried her face would literally split open.
“Absolutely, why don’t you head off to one of these celebrations and show them the real you, I’ll be fine here.”
Luna smiled even wider and thanked Coalblack. She whirled around on the spot and spread her wings wide, and with a single, powerful, surge she was off. Coalblack watched as she flew off, waving and smiling widely at the thought he’d helped a friend.
He dropped his hoof when she was out of sight, and turned to walk back along the hallways. He’d gone a measurable distance down the quiet hall before he realized this left him with nothing to do. Luna was the only pony in the castle he could speak to. The only pony he could confide in. The only pony he called a friend.
Coalblack shrugged, as best as he could while still maintaining his balance, and decided he’d branch out. It did him no good only ever seeing one pony outside of his lessons, and those hardly counted as interaction. Perhaps he’d track down that maid from earlier…
======
Coalblack groaned, he was bored. It had been hours since the princess had left and he hadn’t found a thing to do. He’d tried tracking down the maid who’d laughed when she believed him out of earshot, but to no avail. She was nowhere to be found and the few inquiries he’d made as to her location were met with awkward stares, it was quite difficult to find somepony when you had no details to give about them.
After that little disaster Coalblack had retreated to the library, the public access section, not the special private areas he often visited with the scholars. But he found no entertainment there, any books of any real interest to him had been checked out already and the only remaining texts were dull informational texts, census accounts and tourist guides for the city of Canterlot, typical nonsense that would be left after any tome of any interest had been snatched up from the library.
After that he’d paid a visit to the kitchen. Partly in hopes of getting some small snack, but more that he’d exhausted any avenue of amusement and even spending time aiding the royal chef seemed more interesting than the alternative of doing nothing. This particular attempt was met with less success, if that were possible, than his two previous attempts. The minute he stepped into the kitchens and was spotted by the less than hospitable zebra chef he was forced out. To be more accurate he was chased, with a large cleaver, and followed by a stream of what he assumed to be obscenities in a language he didn’t understand.
After he’d tried every possible thing he could imagine, within the bounds of the castle of course, Coalblack had resorted to pacing the halls, faintly hoping someone would stop him to strike up a conversation. His efforts, however, proved fruitless, all due to the damnable shyness of the palace staff.
So, over course of the past several hours, he’d made a complete loop around the entire castle and found himself once again in the hall just outside that familiar terrace. As he neared the end of that empty hallway he could see quite clearly through the door he had neglected to close that it was indeed late, much later than he had realized actually. The sun had set hours ago and the moon was already high in the sky, and Luna hadn’t come back yet.
It wasn’t that he’d expected her back so early, it was just a faint hope he’d held, a faint hope that had now been dashed quite completely. Coalblack stepped out onto that familiar balcony and looked out over that tired view and realized that this terrace made a horrible meeting place. It was near neither his nor Luna’s personal quarters and there really was nothing to do here. So why did Luna choose to meet with him here, despite…
A distant pinpoint of light broke Coalblack’s train of thought. A beam of moonlight had cast itself over a distant figure, reflecting shades of midnight blue and illuminating an already brightly glowing mane of pulsating energy. It was… Luna! Coalblack beamed out as his friend finally made the return journey from Celestia knows where. She had clearly caught sight of him as she put on a good deal more speed and quickly closed the gap between the two of them. She snapped her wings back at the last second and pulled off a landing that would have put the greatest of Cloudsdayle’s fliers to shame. Luna’s flying skills always impressed and mildly disturbed Coalblack, where did she learn to be that good?
Luna snapped her wings back and smiled up at Coalblack. Something had clearly happened that she was happy about and Coalblack doubted it was as simple as her successful landing.
“You seem happy,” He said, bluntly revealing his internal musings.
Luna nodded, smiling even wider.
“It was wonderful! It was fantastic! It was… it was… fun!” Luna declared, now literally beaming. Her mane had begun to glow with a brilliant light in a way it never had before. Never, not even since the bizarre shift in her coat and mane a month ago, had her mane done something quite so odd.
Luna didn’t seem to notice, still caught up in her happy reverie.
“There was candy, and games, and…”
But Coalblack wasn’t listening, still staring at the odd glow coming off her mane, what was causing that?
“And… are you listening?” Coalblack shook his head turning his attention from the odd glow and back to the princess herself, whatever it was, Coalblack was sure Luna would explain it if it were important.
“I’m sorry,” Coalblack apologized. “Could you tell me again, from the beginning?”
“Of course,” Luna smiled. “Well when I first arrived there was this mare, she was dressed as Starswirl the bearded you see, and was the only one who didn’t flee at the sight of me.”
Coalblack nodded, only barely registering Luna’s sudden drop of her usual formal tone. He was more focused on the story his fellow alicorn told.
======
Coalblack stirred as a soft light broke across his face. He opened his eyes wondering where it could possibly be coming from, for his room had no windows. As his eyes slowly fluttered open he saw the source of this light. A unicorn mare stood there, conducting some decidedly necessary maintenance on the cleanliness of this room. The light of her magic was quite intense as she had to simultaneously juggle several objects through the air. One facet focused on a comically large feather duster, another on a pile of refuse left from Coalblack’s ignorance as to the purpose of a wastebasket, and one final spell was centered on a rag cleaning several smudges off of Coalblack’s mirror.
When she caught sight of Coalblack’s open eyes she jumped a little and the yellow brilliance of her magic faded, causing the things she was levitating to clatter to the floor. Coalblack chuckled when he saw her shocked expression, she clearly had orders not to disturb the princesses’ guests, and she was worried about the repercussions such a breach of contract may bring.
“No need to worry,” Coalblack reassured, making the mare jump once more. “I won’t tell the princesses about this.”
Coalblack’s smile nearly faltered when she just kept staring, nearly, but not quite. He reached a hoof up to his head, ready to dismiss it as a casual scratch if his suspicions proved heedless, and patted down on his uncovered mane. He quickly shot his other hoof up to join the first, patting around his head for the hat he knew wasn’t there. With a quick glance to his left he saw the hat in question sat, mockingly, on the small table next to his bed. He slowly reached out a wing and balanced it over his unruly mane. As his horn slowly disappeared under its magic the unicorn mare simply stared at him, her mouth wide open, absolutely confused.
Coalblack jumped out of his bed, steadying his hat as it was in danger of tipping off, and made his way towards his door, nodding his head at the still very confused mare on his way out. He stepped out the door and into the hallway and immediately stopped at the sight he saw. A clock on the wall showed the time to be noon, far later than Coalblack was normally woken, and long after his lessons were to begin, so why hadn’t he been woken?
Coalblack poked his head through his door towards the mare still inside his room. She had returned to her work and seemed almost over her horribly frayed nerves, Coalblack felt bad about what he had to do next.
“Excuse me, miss?” He called in, seeing her jump, a little less this time, and turn her head to face him.
“Yes sir?” She replied, clearly not wanting to speak with anypony right now, but also not wanting to seem rude by ignoring him.
“I was expecting a wakeup call a few hours ago but one never came, do you have any idea why that might be?” Coalblack tried to be calm, it wasn’t that he was particularly irritated, just that were he to startle this mare one more time he feared the consequences it would have on her health.
“Didn’t hear nothing ‘bout a wakeup call mister, I was just told by the princess to clear this here room out.”
Coalblack opened his mouth to speak then paused. Clear the room out? What in the name of… Celestia would Celestia do that for?
“Do you have any idea why you were ordered to clear out my room?”
“Princess said the previous occupant was ready to clear out. From what yer sayin’ sounds like yer the last to hear it.”
Coalblack shook his head, still in the dark but deciding there was nothing more to be gained from this particular mare. He pulled his head back out of the door way and decided he’d speak to Luna, perhaps he’d learn something about this horribly confusing situation.
As he made his way down the empty hall Coalblack heard the unicorn mare release a sigh she’d clearly been holding for a while. He heard the faint echoes of a mare whistling a cheery tune as he walked along.
======
Luna focused her magic on the pile of books before her, reordering them into a neat stack. She took careful notice to ensure that they were alphabetized, something the librarian would be quite thankful. Truth be told, she could really get away with just about anything, the work she was performing was fully of her own intention, she’d never been asked to aid in the reorganization of the library, she simply wished to.
Luna inhaled deeply through her nose, savoring the dusty smell of the old books. Luna loved books. Each was like its own small world, containing a collection of the knowledge and information of the pony who wrote it. Each was like a little friend, one who could be visited over and over again with no fear of change. For the words within a book were static, unchanging, only the observer was prone to change. Different experiences could bring on different ideas about what these old friends were truly saying, allowing a million facets to the same idea, and this was something Luna loved. The constant mental struggle over the true meaning of the author’s words between herself and nopony else was something greatly beloved by her. There was no condescension between the pages of a book, no judgmental remarks, no negative opinion of her character, unless the author chose to write that way, and if that were the case Luna could simply close the pages and leave the book where she found it, with no second thoughts. Books held no expectations of their readers, allowing her to be herself with no fear of mocking, not something that could be said about ponies. No, ponies did judge, ponies did mock, ponies were to be feared.
Luna was pulled out of her reverie by a loud crash at the library door, followed by a muffled voice shouting something unprintable. The door swung open and Coalblack stumbled in, his legs a chaotic tangle of activity. She watched as he righted himself and slowly began to make his way towards her.
“Luna,” Coalblack stammered, obviously trying to calm some horribly frayed nerves. “I’ve been looking everywhere, what exactly are you doing here?”
Luna looked about sheepishly; a little embarrassed she’d been unable to tell Coalblack about this change in plans.
“I-We volunteered to assist in the library. We’ve always held a passion for this room, something about the smell of books, and hoped for an excuse to make ourselves useful and also spend some time in here.”
Coalblack frowned, processing this information. Luna knew she couldn’t properly express her feelings for this room, that would take hours and most likely end in Coalblack’s utter confusion, something she was hoping she wouldn’t have to deal with anytime soon.
“I just wanted to ask you a question,” Coalblack finally said, causing Luna to release an internal sigh, her fears of having to explain her internal feelings to Coalblack were unfounded.
Luna smiled and, after checking to make sure they were alone, turned her attention to the stallion before her.
“Yes, what is it?”
“Well,” Coalblack began. “There was a bit of odd business this morning. Firstly I never received my morning wakeup call for my lessons, and then the mare who finally did come to my room said she was there to clear it out. She said something about me clearing out today. Have you heard anything about this?”
Luna scratched her head, thinking on this for a moment. Suddenly the realization struck her, without any warning. She did know what the meaning of this was, and she had hoped to put off this conversation for a while, get some work done and clear her head. That was why she’d really volunteered to aid the librarian, in hopes of distancing herself from Coalblack for a while. Had she been at their regular meeting spot he’d have found her almost immediately. As she thought back the library was not the best place she could have chosen to hide. No, that would have been the kitchens, and she had no wish to go there, not after the threats she’d received the last time she’d been caught there uninvited.
But the issue here wasn’t how she’d intended to avoid Coalblack. No, it was why. The time had come to explain the predicament, and there was to be no more hiding, or cowering in fear of this pony. If she couldn’t even confront the pony she considered her closest friend she’d never be able to confront anypony again, a flaw that could be fatal to a princess. She steeled herself and stood up straight, facing Coalblack directly.
======
Coalblack stared at Luna, utterly nonplussed. She’d been sitting there, with an expression of utmost confidence for a while now, and Coalblack had started to worry about her. He waved a hoof in front of her and tapped it against the ground a few times in an effort to gain her attention. It seemed to work as she shook herself and began to speak.
“My dear Coalblack, We are afraid we have some bad news for you,” she began. Coalblack sighed; bad news most likely meant he’d be moved to a new room, a smaller one, probably with no mirror. “We are afraid Celestia has ordered that you must depart from the palace.” Perhaps it was worse than a smaller room. “No need to worry, arrangements have been made. You are to stay in a small little town called Ponyville.”
Coalblack’s ears perked up at this, he’d heard that before, he was certain of it.
“Wait,” Coalblack said. “You’ve mentioned Ponyville before. Last night, that’s where you went, wasn’t it?”
“Indeed,” Luna confirmed. “It is the home of one of Celestia’s students, a promising young unicorn named Twilight Sparkle. You may remember that name as well; she was the mare from that same night.”
Coalblack nodded, he did remember hearing that name the night before.
“You will be staying with her,” Luna continued. “And your lessons will continue there, as a part of her own studies.”
Coalblack nodded, it made sense for Celestia to do this, she could save resources by consolidating her educational efforts, kill two birds with one stone as it were.
“There is one… complication though,” Complication? “You’ll have to leave immediately, and we cannot spare a royal chariot.”
Coalblack grimaced, he’d been hoping complication had meant a small delay, or something equally inconsequential, but to fly from the castle all by himself? That was ridiculous!
“We have packed some supplies for you,” Ever thoughtful Luna, of course she was concerned for him. “And we have a map, which should make your journey much easier.”
Coalblack smiled; perhaps this journey wouldn’t be so bad. Suddenly his expression dropped, wiped clean off his face by the sudden realization of what was really happening. He was leaving the one home he’d ever known, and the one friend he’d ever known. His head dropped and his hat tipped, coming dangerously close to falling off, but it was saved by quick action on Luna’s part. Her wing reached out, catching the unstable headwear and securing it once more on her friend’s head. Coalblack looked up to see her smiling sadly. He realized this must be affecting her as well, and if she could put on a brave face, then so could he. He smiled back and stood up just a little straighter.
Luna’s horn glowed and a pair of saddlebags floated up from the wall they were resting against and set them across Coalblack’s back. She began to fasten the clasps but he reached out a hoof to stop her, he wanted to do this on his own. His own horn glowed, momentarily freed of its magical shroud, clumsily fastening the straps of the bags. The work was messy, Luna could have done it much better, but it was good practice. Coalblack wished to get as much practice in magic as he could, his experiences with the scholars had taught him that the key to his memories may lie in some hidden facet of his magic, and if such a secret existed he hoped to discover it through careful practice, and if he hoped to manage such a complicated feat of mental manipulation he must first understand basic telekinesis.
With the saddlebags secured Coalblack knew there would be no delaying his departure any longer. He leaned out and kissed the princess on the cheek, meant only as a gesture of mild affection as he’d seen many of the palace staff show each other and their children. Luna, however, didn’t seem to take it the same way, for she blushed a deep crimson, and even her glowing mane changed colors, lightening into a soft pink. Coalblack stepped back, he was more than a little confused, this wasn’t his intent, he had only meant to show his friendship, not to hurt or embarrass the princess. So why did she react in such a manner? He reached out a hoof to draw her attention but she only squealed and jumped back. She levitated out the map she’d mentioned before and just waved him off while stammering something incoherent. Coalblack shrugged and tucked the map into his left saddlebag; he turned and trotted off to the palace doors, ready to make his exit, leaving Luna behind, a twitching, stammering mess.
