Chapter Nine: As The Moon Rises

There was a tang to the air, that afternoon. A cloying taint that sat upon Celestia’s tongue, a fluttering leathery taste, like dying butterflies trapped in spoiled honey. The bizarre phenomenon had begun roughly an hour into morning court. She looked up from her paperwork to stare into the sun, her immortal gaze undefeated by the brightness of her creation. The air shimmered slightly in the heat, and time congealed momentarily, the scent -the taste- becoming almost overwhelming. Then the passage time simply continued, as if nothing had happened. It was a small thing, really, unnoticeable to all but the most powerful unicorn, but it spelled trouble. She let out a soft whinney of displeasure, turning in the direction of the library tower. Through the window of her pleasant study, the afternoon sun turned the library roof a brilliant amber, but the light’s movement was wrong. Stilted, and warped.

Twilight... or perhaps Terminus? Worry creased her brow at the thought of her student. I should not have asked. She shook her head at that. Useless... what good is this power, after all, if I cannot exercise it as I need?

A thought took her to the door of Twilight’s quarters, a seamless teleportation, although she remained wary of her student’s privacy. Soft voices penetrated the thick wood, some kind of rushed conversation. Celestia frowned, and peered into the room. Twilight’s purple-white aura, shot through with black vines, almost overpowering a smaller, leaf green presence. The maid... what was her name? Star Charmer, that was it. Twilight’s aura seemed to bleed magic, the air warm and thick around her.

“Mmh... just a little further. To the left.” Twilight sounded tired, and slightly pained, to Celestia’s ear.

“Yes, Lady Sparkle, are you sure?” A second voice, quiet and anxious.

“As sure as I’ll ever be. Just... be gentle, please.” Celestia backpedaled furiously from that. Just what am I listening t-

“Oh, Star Charmer... that... more, further...” She heard Twilight let out a little whinny, and there was a creak of stressed wood. A... not-so-failed seduction then. A strange emptiness settled in her stomach, an irrational little corner of her mind yelling that she should be the one to make Twilight whine like that.

“M-m-more... ah!” Wood splintered, then all fell silent in the room, save for little whimpers from her student. Celestia realised with a start that she had shamelessly pressed her ear to the door, and pulled away with as much dignity as she could manage. Her face was warm, flushed, and she felt uncomfortably... moist, despite the hollow sensation. A tail of fluffy rainbow hues rubbed between her legs most wonderfully, and she let out an involuntary gasp. It... it feels so good. Her tail gently parted her, fluttering gently over her outer lips, and Celestia forced a hoof up to her mouth.

“It is curious, how alike in manner thou hast become to our creations.”

The memory jolted her out of her daze. No. I am not a pony, sister. But... it feels good. Why should I deny myself? Celestia bit her lip, and forced herself to stop. Because I must talk to Twilight. She cannot simply... ooze magic into the palace grounds. I won’t stand for it.

She spelled her stifles clean, clamping down on her urge to continue with iron control. There. Now, to business...

She sauntered into the room as casually as she dared, taking in the view. Books were scattered across the floor, as were splinters of wood. The writing desk in the corner was utterly ruined, and in the wreckage sat a curious heap. Star Charmer was half straddling Twilight, who was inexplicably holding a crowbar. Both seemed flushed and short of breath, Twilight’s eyes widening, her face twisting into a horrified grimace, as if she were staring down an oncoming train.

“P-p-princess... it’s not...”

Celestia smiled her gentle smile, a tinkling laugh at her lips. “Hard at work I see, Twilight Sparkle?”

~~~

Oh sun, oh sun... why? Why now?

Twilight wriggled out of the wreckage of the broken desk, scattering precious tomes in her wake. “I-I’m so sorry, I’ll fix it, I promise, I-I’ll w-work extra hard-”

Star Charmer scrambled away from her, nervous energy radiating off the maid, who somehow managed to land the motion in a deep curtsy.

A hissing chuckle from behind her ear. “Princess, please, do not leap to conclusions.”

Celestia fixed her with a piercing stare, her entire demeanour shifting in an instant, and for a moment those pink eyes filled her world, cold and unforgiving. “And which conclusion in particular should I be avoiding, Terminus?” The princess’s tone was cool and measured.

“I know how this little... episode, must have sounded from the outside. That much I have learnt. Explain, please, dear one?”

Twilight nodded shakily. “I-I got my horn stuck in the desk, Princess.” Celestia eyed the crowbar for a moment, then nodded, her entire countenance brightening. Twilight breathed a soft sigh of relief. She... understands. How did that sound? Soft whimpers, creaking wood, cries of ‘more!’... Equestria, swallow me.

“It will be fixed, do not worry. There is, however, a matter of importance we should speak of.” Celestia glanced at the prostrate maid. “Please, would you wait outside? I must talk to my student in private.” Star Charmer nodded, and left the room with a bow.

Purple lips quirked, and she quickly shook splinters out of her coat, gingerly rubbing her aching horn. “I’m sorry, Princess.”

Celestia walked over to the bed, sitting primly upon it, before regarding her with a quizzical eyebrow. “I assume that you have not, indeed, seduced your personal servant?”

“I... no, Pr-Celestia,” She corrected herself at the last moment. She moved, almost automatically, to sit with her mentor. After a moment of slight awkwardness, she hopped up onto her bed, resting her side against Celestia’s belly. Fiery warmth, followed by a tingling numbness, raced through her. It felt right, for lack of a better term, and she snuggled into the smooth white fur.

She looked up, meeting the princess’ gentle gaze. “Twilight, you must take a firm grasp of your magic. Use it. Exercise it. Please, just cease this maddening... radiation.” Celestia smacked her lips oddly, an expression Twilight had never seen from her, as if trying to clear her mouth of something unpleasant.

W-what?

“You are releasing large quantities of raw magic into the air, my student. It is most unpleasant.”

Twilight rapidly shook her head. Terminus, what’s happening?

“A hysterical magical reaction, as far as I am able to determine, dear one.”

Not enough time... I don’t have time for this, I need to know how to help Princess Luna.

Celestia flinched, her face taking on a greenish tinge. “That. Stop that, please. Whatever you are thinking about, stop.”

“Luna...” the barest whisper escaped Twilight’s lips. Was the air shimmering? She swallowed. “I-I can't. You want me t-to help her... I have to help her. Please, Celestia, I can't let you down. I just don't know how I can help her. I need more time!”

The room seemed to shudder in her vision, the air congealing in her throat.

Give me more time, Terminus.

“Dear one, calm yourself! You will destroy us both!” The spidery voice hissed, clearly alarmed.

“Twilight.”

A delicate white hoof found her chin, and she felt soft lips against her forehead, spreading a tingling warmth up into her sensitive horn. Her breath left her as Celestia's strong forelegs pressed her close, and her thoughts stilled, until all that remained was the sensation of Celestia's warm mouth at the base of her horn. A-ah...

~~~

Celestia closed her eyes as she felt the cloying aura began to dissipate around them. Holding the little unicorn close to her, she pulled away, a dazed smile crossing her face as her actions caught up with her. Why? I just... Slick coolness pooled in her chest as Twilight gave a breathy little sigh, nuzzling Celestia’s neck. She licked her lips, the aftertaste of Twilight’s magic still filling her mouth, tempered by a cold, sharp sensation, as if she had just kissed an ice statue. I... kissed her. Celestia cast her mind back, to the times when Twilight was young. We hugged, yes, but never... why? Especially not there... The forehead was quite an intimate spot for a unicorn, the horn particularly sensitive, especially during active spellwork. She looked away from Twilight to vacantly study the room, rather than regard the mare. I... should not be doing this. She cannot be compromised. My Twilight, why do you matter?

“Ah, Celestia...” Twilight caught her gaze, small purple hooves cupping her cheeks. I should not be here. This... this whole plan was a mistake. Glowing eyes widened, a dark blush staining Twilight’s cheeks. Celestia’s mouth was suddenly far too dry, her stomach seeming to drop from under her. She is safe. Why am I tempted to linger?

“No.”

She pulled away, landing on leaden hooves. “Princess!?” Twilight let out a confused cry, tipping backwards on the bed. I’m sorry, Twilight. Celestia turned her back on her student, her throat feeling almost too tight for words.

“I must broach the subject of your visitation with...” She choked slightly at that, “with Luna. Be well, Twilight Sparkle.”

A thought of winding stairways, and a black lacquered door. In an instant, Celestia stood before the looming entrance to Luna’s domain, the library fading around her. She let out a wistful sigh, her head low and bowed. I am a coward, sister. A bitter little chuckle at that. She is young and innocent, what do I have to fear? She paused, examining the feeling as her heartbeat slowed from its frantic peak. Because she cares... foolish, stupid Twilight. Thoughts of glittering purple eyes, wide in adoration, above an almost luminous blush. Cute little lips, so close to her own with a distance she herself had closed. Silken cold on her skin, against her face. Celestia shuddered, her mind turning upon itself as she lingered in the threshold. I... want it. I want it, but... why? She is but a pony in her mind, even with the aid of the voidling. It will hurt her more than I could bear...

“Luna?” She called softly, tentatively. The door swung open upon silent hinges, and an equally quiet voice answered her implicit question. Celestia looked back once, a brief glance at the empty corridor behind her. I am sorry, my Twilight.

“Enter.”

~~~

Twilight gingerly traced a hoof over her horn, which still tingled with Celestia’s magic. It was an idle motion, indicating that the owner of the hoof was currently not at home, sprawled like a starfish with her face in a pillow.

She kissed me. She kissed me. She... kissed me, and now she doesn’t want to be near me...

Her heart sank as the sight of Celestia’s back retreating from her played over in her mind. The princess’s words, cold and formal- no, attempting to be formal, hurt her deeply. Her horn was cool and smooth under her hoof, but she could still almost feel those soft lips against her forehead.

I-I... I almost kissed her, Terminus. Why do I want to kiss my teacher? I m-mean... the way she looked at me last night...

Wrapping her forelegs around the pillow, she pulled it out from under her, hugging it tightly the way she’d hugged Celestia’s slender white neck mere minutes before. Those pink eyes had, for a moment, held such warmth for her she feared her heart might burst. Then, as it had done the night previous, the barriers had suddenly sprung into place, and Twilight was once again left alone. A quiet cough broke her contemplations.

“I am afraid romantic relations between your kind are not my area of expertise, dear one. Romances between Beings of significant power are rare, complicated, and vary wildly depending on the compositions of the Beings in question.”

I am not one of them, Terminus. I’m a pony, that much is still true.

The voice became silken, almost sarcastic. “No? Perhaps not, dear Twilight. But she is, and that is what is truly the problem. Her expectations of you may be vastly at odds with who and what you are. She may not even realise her own feelings, or you may be mistaken as to how she feels about you. It is... difficult, to love above your station.” A hint of bitterness there. Twilight’s ears twitched, eyebrows quirking.

I-It’s obvious it’s not just... admiration, now. Her aura... Twilight shivered, nuzzling the pillow. It’s nice.

“Just nice, dear one?” returned a smug whisper. Her cheeks flushed hot, and she buried her face in the bedcovers.

It feels so good, but... she seems sad... am I pushing her too much? Oh, Terminus... I don’t want to hurt her... Her eyes stung as she remembered

“She was the one to kiss you, do not forget that.”

I... you’re right, I-I’m being silly. What can we do, though? Twilight twisted the problem this way and that, trying to see a solution. Hmm... she’s been alive for over a thousand years, surely she’d have taken at least one consort in that time. Whoever that was must’ve been noteworthy—

Twilight stretched, pushing herself upright, before hopping down from the bed. Let’s get to reading.

~~~

“Thou wouldst ask what of us?” Luna’s voice, quietly incredulous, pierced the gloomy silence of her tower. On the rafter beam opposite her, Celestia stared implacably back, but a slight shifting of her wings betrayed her nervousness. Please, Luna... this state of affairs cannot continue. Shifting her grip on the wood, she settled herself primly. Spiders skittered around her, though the darkness was no barrier to her sight. Far above the flagstones of the tower floor, Luna’s perch creaked ominously with every small movement.

“I would ask that you permit a visit from my student, Twilight Sparkle, tonight at moonrise. Please, Luna, tru-”

Turquoise eyes blazed, “thou wouldst dare ask us to trust thee!?” the Moon Princess took a deep breath, settling herself more firmly, before continuing in a softer, calmer tone, “No, ‘Tia. We shall not permit access to our sanctuary. We... we have no desire to spend time in the company of ponies.”

Celestia smiled a small, secret smile, warm and sweet. So said I, once, Lulu. “I would have said much the same, a thousand years hence. She is... different, please understand.”

Luna shrugged faintly, turning away. “Limited. Foolish and weak, like-” She faltered slightly, “-like all our creations, ‘Tia. Transitory as the swell of tides. What wisdom could such a creature wish to share with us? Perhaps the proper manner with which to buff our hooves? The suggested method to farm rocks, perchance?” Luna glared back at her, eyes bright and tearful.

Celestia shook her head, looking down at the floor below them despairingly. How can I explain this to her? I... I do not know myself. Why do you matter, little pony? What place do you occupy, beside Luna? How do you compare? At that moment it struck her.

“She has bound herself to another, a spirit of the void that goes by the moniker 'Terminus'. She will last as we have, Luna. I... I believe she would be capable of traversing the gulf beyond,” her smile turned bitter at that. Without meaning to, she has succeeded where we have failed, dear sister.

Luna’s piercing gaze faltered, and for a moment Celestia caught a glimpse of a mare utterly lost in her own suffering. It pained her to see, a burning ache that had almost become part of her very being. The mare she became when I... when I broke her. No turning back, Luna.

“And thou expectest us to believe that thou simply allowed this interloper to bond itself to thy... apprentice?”

Celestia made a sharp negating movement with her horn. “Of course not! She... did so without my knowledge, nor my consent. The spirit was unusually stealthy. I believe it may even have been able to preemptively detect my scryings.”

A sharp hiss of released breath. “Foolish. And what part of this wouldst thou have us play, ‘Tia?” Luna shot her a calculating glance. Celestia nodded once, her decision made. I must simply wait and see. I cannot force her, I can but ask.

“I would ask that you merely take a few hours of an eternity to speak with our visitor. You always were the persuasive one, Lulu.”

Her sister’s face contorted into a pained grimace, internal conflict clear. Celestia looked on, gently biting her lip, while the silence stretched out between them. A small sigh from the blue alicorn, and then Luna began to speak. “Very well. Two hours, at moonrise, so that we might converse with this... Terminus. No more, sister.”

Celestia nodded at this, her heart heavy. “Thank you. I think they are both greatly anticipating this, in their way. Go in peace, sister mine.”

In a flash of golden light, Celestia reappeared in her study, nodding once to Rock Steady, who snapped a brisk salute in return. The royal paperwork pile sat, proud and monolithic upon her desk beside a pot of cold coffee. Her regrets stood taller, their deepening shadow threatening to eclipse her.

A jet of green, streaking across the evening sky, caught her attention. Spike... what reason could the little one have to write to me? The hatchling was a rare and precious creature, one of the few dragons raised among ponies such that he could empathise with them. One of the first responsibilities I placed upon young Twilight. She remembered the day fondly, explaining the importance of looking after the wyrmling to a very serious purple filly. She could still see the cute frown of absolute attention on Twilight’s chubby little face. She let out a sigh. Perhaps Luna is right. She is just a pony... but why can’t I let her go?

A letter puffed into existence before her, and she caught it midair out of sheer habit. Within mere moments, she had absorbed the letter’s contents, and carefully placed it back upon her desk.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Hello, Your Highness, Spike here. I wasn't sure exactly where Twilight would be, but you're always in the palace, so it seemed the easiest way to get in contact. I don't wanna be a bother, but could you please let Twilight know that I'm fine with staying at Fluttershy's. That's not the problem! Her... whatever that spell she did, broke all the windows in the library! And all the glassware! I got letters just fine when you sent them, but whatever she did to send the last one was a doozy. Um... anyway, I'm staying with Fluttershy, as requested,

Spike

There had also been a small claw print on the paper, by way of signature, the serrations matching what she remembered of Spike's exactly. An experiment. I wonder, which of them came up with this particular test? Certainly not Terminus... then what cause could it have to appear ignorant of such matters? Why would it encourage her to experiment with teleportation?

Her chin resting on one hoof, Celestia eyed the open letter idly. Perhaps I shall save Twilight time, and order the attentions of a glassblower. Her gaze turned lazily toward The Monolith. Yes, that will do nicely. She penned a short letter, stamping it with the royal seal.

“Rock Steady, be a dear and take this down to the courier chute,” She turned to her personal guard, who returned a look of absolute seriousness.

“Aye, highness.”

Celestia smiled softly as she heard the study door click shut. She brought forth the might of the sun, withering heat bearing down upon the room for fraction of a second, and her form blurred into accelerated movement. The massive in-tray seemed to melt beneath the might of her pen, but the thrill she had once felt from fulfilling her duties was missing. It felt hollow, as it had for the past millenium. It was in times like this that she almost missed Celestia of the Iron Sun. That mare would not have wallowed in feelings, would not have consented to the weakness of partisan thoughts. Judge, jury... executioner. She shuddered. Never again, Luna.

Scrawling a note to Twilight, she attached it to Spike’s letter with a conjured adhesive, before spelling both to seek their intended recipient. The spell was wasteful and lazy, but for an alicorn that mattered little, as a familiar ache settled in. Moonrise, then. I wish you good fortune, my student.

With thoughts of Twilight, Celestia stepped onto the balcony of her tower, her voice raising into a song as primal as the turn of seasons. A moment later, a second joined her, soft and haunting, while hers evoked a blistering intensity. Her magic stretched out, the words of creation branded onto her very soul burning brightly as they called to her other half.

The sun answered in kind, filling her with its warmth as it dipped below the horizon. A sense of renewal flowed through her, as it always did, and with a soft sigh she released it, allowing the sun to finally set. The song of the moon echoed on, silvery light streaming out across the gulf of beyond. Great shining roads lit the sky in a familiar pattern, like the weavings of some delirious cosmic spider, but they held no promise to Celestia. In the past, they had been signs of another, a threat to all they had worked for, but now they lay forlorn and decaying, as they had for over two millennia. For a time, Celestia had thought to end their isolation, to bring herself forward into the wilds of the galaxy, but in the end she had found herself too tightly bound to the sun. It was almost enough for her to resent her pact. Almost.

What good is this power if I cannot use it as I please? A bitter smile. She was here, as she had always been. Unable to move forward, unwilling to look back. A good night to you, dear Lulu.

~~~

Silvermoon the Bronzehorned... nothing. Argh! Surely she must have had some kind of consort!?

Twilight closed ‘Apprentice to Archmage: Students of the Sun Princess’ in disgust at its lack of important details, her head sinking down to rest against the table, which had been dragged across the room to act as a replacement desk. She felt tendrils of hair attach themselves to random pieces of stationary beneath the illusion, causing the awkward appearance that objects around her were spontaneously levitating.

“U-um... is there anything I can do to help, Lady Sparkle? Some tea, perhaps?”

Twilight stared dully at Star Charmer’s cheerfully smiling face. She gave the maid a rather tired grin. “Yes, please.” The words barely left her mouth before Star Charmer had left the room, humming quietly to herself. Twilight gave a relieved sigh. I thought I was going to have to order her to give me some privacy...

“There is no reason to suspect that the princess would deign to have... relations, with a pony. You must remember, as much as she appears to be one, she is not a pony, dear one.”

She hurled herself to her hooves, pacing back and forth. So you keep saying. You tell me she’s a Being, like she’s some great and mystical creature from beyond... I-I’ve known her my whole life, Terminus. She’s as kind a mare as any I’ve known. Worryingly normal towards her subjects, compared to the gryphon kings. I’d thought, maybe... maybe she was lonely. It can’t be easy, to live alone for so long.

A sudden image of herself, Celestia and Luna, sat together around a small campfire, watching a blood-red sky above a world of fire and bone. She heard a silken chuckle from beside her, and flinched. No, no... what was that, Terminus?

“A side effect of your mind calculating the implications of immortality. One cannot expect this world to last forevermore.”

The library tower’s courier chute emitted a sudden clunking noise as a cylindrical pod was clamped into place. The console let out a tinny whistling noise, accompanied by a blinking red light, signalling to all and sundry that a message had arrived. Twilight’s head snapped in the direction of the chute, before trotting forward to place her hoof against the recognition plate. A tingle shot through her leg, magic and lightning both, before the pod’s magnetic seals released. A scroll, bearing the royal seal, was spat into her face before the pod hurtled back into circulation about Canterlot. Twilight caught the scroll in her telekinetic field, cracking the seal immediately out of sheer force of habit.

Her eyes widened slowly as she read down the short note from her assistant,

Oh... ponyfeathers! I’m sorry, Spike. Well... I won’t be using that spell to teleport objects in the future, certainly. Sun! This is going to cost so much to fix!

“What is cost, to those such as us? Conjuration is the lifeblood of the art, the raw conversion of magic into matter. We can afford anything a simple joinery pony would ask of us, if you know of the correct spells.”

Twilight mentally tallied up the spells she knew. Her eyes widened, “Oh! Number twenty-five! I can conjure moustaches!” she blurted out. There was an awkward silence, and Twilight felt her ears grow hot.

“...anything useful, dear one?”

A-ah... no. It wasn’t my preferred field of study. Conjuration always just seemed so... crude! More might than finesse, and the way you have to... force the product into existence always made me feel ill. Besides, wouldn’t the conjured money disappear after a few days?

“What if I told you that true creation was possible? What then, dear one?”

There was a pause. Twilight felt her jaw drop open, and she unconsciously sank back on the bench. What!? But that violates Copperhoof’s law of flux stability! If you could bind magic permanently into such a form... wouldn’t that remove magic from the flow of all things?

“Well, yes... but magic is removed from the flow quite often, actually, if one knows where to look. And it is added, constantly, leaking in from the Outer Paths. To a certain degree of accuracy, magic represents the taint of the Outsiders upon a place in real space, dear Twilight.”

Her head swam as she attempted to process this strange hypothesis, which ran counter to much of the work of ponykind. Then... why is this influx not observed here?

“Perhaps it is because your princesses actively shut down intrusions from Outside... I believe I am quite lucky that the conduits do not reach quite as far as Equus, for if I had travelled here directly, my presence would have been discovered immediately,” The voice mused, soft and contemplatory, “In any case, we are here now, and there is much work to be done. Not least of which, the conjuration of adequate funds with which to repair your dwelli-”

The door clattered open, revealing a levitating tea set, followed closely by a grinning green mare. Twilight whirled, horn glowing brilliantly, before relaxing minutely at the sight of Star Charmer.

“Tea’s ready, ma’am,” the maid said brightly, and Twilight stifled a disappointed groan, her mind whirling through the implications of using magic to create true objects. It just... doesn’t make sense!
Her eyes caught a second note attached to the first, and she grabbed it with her magic, pulling it up to eye level.

“Hmm... thank you, just give me a moment please,” She muttered distractedly to Star Charmer, her eyes roaming over the paper.

Dear Twilight,

Allow me to first convey my sincere apologies for the way I behaved earlier. I was not fair to you, and I understand perfectly if you are angry with me for it. I am sorry, Twilight.

In relation to my other inquiries, I believe a visit on the moment of moonrise would be most beneficial. As you may not be aware, there are numerous defenses layered around Luna’s tower, such that finding the doorway may become troublesome to the unwary. In order to locate the entrance to the midnight stair, you must...

What followed was a rather complicated series of directions which involved moving to various areas of the palace in a precise order, while thinking of the crescent moon, before the doorway would reveal itself in the upper reaches of the guest quarters. As magical rituals went, it was remarkably straightforward, requiring neither reagents nor much preparation on the part of the visitor. Distractedly, she reached for a teacup, sipping the hot liquid carefully. Her eyes widened, and she let out a soft groan.

“This is really good!” she blurted, immediately taking another sip.

The maid gave her a modest nod, “Yes’m, imported from Zebrica last week.”

Twilight wracked her brain on the topic of tea, “That must cost the treasury a fortune, to move tea so far,” she mused.

Star Charmer merely shook her head. “New track opened up on the underground, just for this shipment. If... you don’t mind me saying so, it seems a little strange, even if her Highness does enjoy her hot drinks.”

The librarian paused over this information, rolling it over in her head in addition to her earlier problems. The ritual will be easy enough, just simple movement patterns in combination with symbolic imagery. True creation spells... if they even exist... would allow me to pay a builder, and replace my glassware. Perhaps I could get Big Macintosh to do it on the cheap? And now a new underground route to Zebrica... most interesting, if we ever want to take a holiday.

The barest muttering at the edges of her hearing, buzzing like static. She attempted to filter out Star Charmer’s voice to focus on the sound.

“... useful if we shoul- need to leave t-- country.”

I’d rather not think about that right n-

“-And that’s strange because Wok ‘O’ Gold down in the kitchens says they’ve been getting timberwolves on the tracks... I say, did you hear that?” She quickly realised that she had zoned out completely over her tea, and that her maid had continued to talk to her in the meantime.

“I’m sorry, hear what exactly?” She murmured, doing her best to look bewildered. It seemed to work, although Twilight was certain her acting skills were less than stellar. Star Charmer looked around nervously, ears twitching.

“I thought I heard something. I-it sounded horrible, like somepony scraping their hooves on a chalkboard, but r-really quiet... I’m sorry ma’am, I guess I must just be hearing things.”

Terminus, meet my psychic maid who makes excellent tea. Star Charmer, meet the alien Being who lives in my head, who apparently sounds like the death rattle of a thousand baby rabbits. No, no no... that would never turn out well. Hmm... if only I had a pot of noodles, I could maybe...

There was a rather pointed cough from Star Charmer, who blushed and cringed a little when Twilight turned to her.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me at the moment, I just can’t concentrate. Why don’t you take a break, while I take a look around to find the source of this noise you heard? Perhaps the palace plumbing is acting up, and your ears are sensitive to it.” Twilight said, attempting to sound comforting. The maid gave her a fearful glance, but nodded.

“Please be careful ma’am... whatever it was, it sounded alive.” Star Charmer shuddered, turning towards the library door. Twilight smiled tiredly, waving her off.

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me. Thank you for the tea, Star Charmer.”

When she was finally satisfied that the green mare was out of earshot, Twilight closed and locked both doors, peering out through the library tower’s viewing slot to ensure that no more tea services might sneak up on her. In an instant, books on the subject of conjuration surrounded her, pulled from their shelves by powerful telekinesis and held in place by ropes of silky black hair. It was a subject she had thus far neglected, and now she meant to change that. After all, there was much work to be done.

~~~

Unshod purple hooves struck a staccato beat on a winding staircase, unlit by torches, illuminated only by strategically placed windows which allowed the light of the moon to stream through, casting the stair into blue and silver gloom.

Clitter-clack, clitter-clack. It felt as if she had been climbing for hours, the noise drumming itself into her brain. Clitter-clack, clitter-clack. Terminus, how much further?

“A mere stone’s throw away, dear one. Around the next bend in the stair, then... the third left.”

Twilight sighed softly, attempting to calm her heartbeat. The staircase seemed far longer than could feasibly fit within the palace, and she cursed her habit of skimping on physical exercise. At last, the dimly lit staircase gave way to a darkened corridor, stretching out to her right, branching into three separate paths.

Third left, third left. She could barely make out two doorways in the gloom, graceful marble archways which seemed to have been unceremoniously bricked up. The third... she shivered. Jet black, carved into a likeness of the crescent moon. The tower was cold, dark, the walls cracked and covered with encroaching ivy. The door opened before her upon silent hinges, cool air flowing forth, and she caught faint strains of a haunting melody. The sound defied description, seeming to crawl through her bones, settling into some deep part of her and filling her nose with the scent of night flowers. Twilight swallowed, staring into the darkness of Luna’s tower.

With me, Terminus?

“Always, dear one.”

Her horn lit with purple white fire, she stepped forth into the unknown.

Author's Note

Hey, sorry this took so long, I've been moving house in the past month, after which I've become rather distracted by real life. I'd been working on this for a while, but I kept deleting it and starting over because I just couldn't get the flow/pacing right. I think I've got it, finally, but that doesn't really excuse the two month wait. So... sorry guys.