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Chapter 1 of 23 |
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Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | Epilogue | ||
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The winged unicorn grinned, feeling exhilarated as she always did as she ran down the arch of the Bifrost: a bridge of crackling, luminescent energy that thrummed beneath her hooves, the edges burning with ethereal ivory fire. It was like running on a rainbow made of fire… and what made the experience all the more exhilarating to the dark sapphire female was the fact that her soulmate, her husband, her best friend ran alongside her.
She looked up, cyan eyes flashing, tall horn almost glowing: not with magic, but with pure excitement as adrenaline thundered through her veins as they charged towards the ground… and behind them, the rift in the sky slammed shut as the rainbow bridge began to disintegrate rapidly, shattering into shards of light as her broad, proud wings fluttered once, the tall, enormous equine laughing as she threw her head back and her mane and tail – made not of hair, but instead of swirling, ethereal starlight that flickered and danced of its own accord – swayed and snapped backwards, shouting cheerfully: "Faster, Scrivener Blooms, 'lest we both take another tumble!"
"Luna I hate you!" the charcoal earth pony beside her half-retorted, half-laughed despite himself, his messy white mane and tail all-but-glowing as his powerful, large frame flexed, chestnut irises glinting behind glasses over features that were half-covered by a hoof-shaped scar. "Oh hell!"
"That's where we're going, daydreamer!" Luna winked at him as they charged down the end of the slope, the bridge behind them rapidly dissolving before the two leapt forwards just as the rainbow beneath their hooves began to dissolve, Luna landing neatly on her hooves and skidding through the dirt as Scrivener landed in a stagger and then flopped forwards, rolling several times with a wheeze of pain through the fine sand, his glasses falling askew as he landed in a sprawl on his stomach.
Luna grinned widely as she looked down at him, shaking her head briskly as she turned towards the male, the only adornment she wore clinking quietly against her chest: a beautiful black pearl engraved with the shape of a rose blossom, strung upon a woven cord of thick green vines. "Oh, 'twas fun as always! But tell me, Scrivy… is it good or bad that when we return now to our home in what is essentially an extension of Hell, I feel peaceful?"
"Well, Luna, you are the evil Nightmare Moon." Scrivener said dryly as he carefully picked himself up, brushing himself off as Luna rolled her eyes with an amused smile. "Besides, look at me. Not only did I chase you into exile, marry you, survive having my brains blasted by pure evil and follow you on a quest that saw the world as we know it turned into this… I still feel this undercurrent of twisted enjoyment in our life."
"Aye, there always is, and always will be… because there is always hope." Luna said softly, and then she stepped forwards suddenly and hugged him fiercely, Scrivener looking surprised before he smiled and returned the embrace, the two leaning together as she murmured softly: "I love thee, Scrivener Blooms. My sick, twisted, evil beetle."
"And I love you too, Luna. My horrible, arrogant, nightmare Valkyrie." Scrivener replied gently, squeezing her closer… and then the two parted, studying each other with smiles before the male glanced absently back at the cutie mark on his flank: a black rose blossom with a raven-feather quill overtop it. "You ever think my special talent isn't actually writing, but more like masochism?"
"All the time." Luna agreed emphatically, and then she glanced over her shoulder at her own mark: a splotch of black that covered much of her hindquarters, with an ivory crescent moon. "And of mine, Scrivy, what does thou think my emblem really means?"
"Considering what a good job you're doing herding souls along the Bifrost and the fact that you seem to enjoy living in Hell – not to mention your bad habit of pummeling anything that gets in your way – I think it means you really were meant to be a reaper." Scrivener said dryly, winking as he strode past her, and Luna gave him a sour look before the male grinned as he reached up and slapped her flank playfully with a front hoof, making her snort in amusement. "Now come on, let's go home."
"That we shall, Scrivener Blooms, but do not go making promises thou has no intention of keeping later." Luna replied mildly, turning around and half-lidding her eyes as she quickly fell into pace beside him, the two striding easily side-by-side together as they both looked back and forth, surveying the world that had been their home… and that despite everything, they did both still feel a deep sorrow for, buried in their heart of hearts.
Sand became rock beneath their hooves: rock, gravel, and shale was what chiefly made up the ground now, as well as frozen chunks of ice here and there. Molten slag burned in fetid-reeking holes, and the skies above were only ever one of three shades these days: glowing, terrible crimson in which burned a sickly sun, terrible, dark gray and black when the great, unpredictable storms of acid, poison, and ash rolled through the skies, or depressed purple-blue, when Hell's uneasy night settled silently in. But night and day came unpredictably, sometimes lasting hours, other times lasting what would have in the past been referred to as periods of 'days,' were the day and night not measured by times of light and darkness respectively.
The world had changed: where they walked now, there had once been forest; to the north, Canterlot Castle was a destroyed hulk amidst mountains that had been warped, ripped into and smashed apart, and now crawled with both vermin demons as well as a great and terrible monster that took the shape of a wolf, snarling and frothing. A little to the southeast, there had once been a beautiful village called Ponyville… and now it was only an empty ruin, a few buildings still standing amidst the decay, haunted by shades and good memories turned bittersweet and painful.
It had all once been beautiful, even after the shadows had first begin to rise in Equestria: green fields, verdant forests, and best of all, understanding ponies… at least here, in Ponyville. It had been a little utopia… and Luna lowered her head a bit with a quiet sigh, shaking her head slowly before she paused and glanced towards Scrivy, and the male looked back at her softly as he halted, their eyes meeting, thoughts swirling between them as their linked minds, hearts and souls pushed together in that gaze, sharing thoughts and emotions in a wild hurricane.
Luna and Scrivener Blooms: they were soulmates and soul-bound in a literal sense. Lovers who had gone into exile together, they had ended up fighting a demon known as Ignominious, who had possessed Scrivy… and to save Luna, Scrivy had guided his wife's horn into piercing his own heart. Luna had refused to lose him, however… and instead of letting him die, had bound their lives, their souls, tightly together. Now they shared one life, one mixed soul, and felt one another's joys and sorrows, pleasures and pain, and could share thoughts and emotions and ideas and images at will and often unconsciously.
Even more, Scrivener could access Luna's countless years of experience, of knowledge and wisdom and brash passion… even if sometimes the last could outweigh his own thoughts and drive his body – still, even after the years they had spent together, not nearly as strong or durable as Luna's – to do things well-past his limits that would leave him aching. And likewise, Luna could root through Scrivener's modern day mind to allow herself access to his own modest talents… something that she had never underestimated no matter how often Scrivener grumbled embarrassedly about how useless he was compared to her.
Luna smiled a bit as these thoughts whispered through her mind… and then she leaned forwards and kissed him gently, and Scrivener's eyes fluttered closed as he returned the soft kiss, before the winged unicorn pulled away as their mouths gently parted, saying softly: "Stubborn creature. Thou clung to me as I fled into exile, and helped build our home in what was then the Everfree Forest. Thou hardened thyself, learning the art of war, fighting by my side against the Velites, and then against Nibelung and demons and worse. Thou spent years with me then, until the world ended in Ragnarok… and thou has spent eight years beside me since those cursed days, helping me shepherd souls across the Bifrost and into what we hope will be a better world for all, a new Equestria. Thou has never faltered… thou art… admirable."
She blushed a little, pawing at the rocky ground… and then she gazed up towards the crimson sky as Scrivener only lowered his head with an awkward smile, touched. "Besides, how many others would live in Hell beside Nightmare Moon? 'Tis not all altruism on my part, Scrivy, there is much selfishness here… for I want thee by my side, always have, always shall… as does Nightmare Moon, as does every part of me. Thou fears too much, and thinks too deeply… and I cannot help but find it incredible how thou fears so much that is ridiculous whilst we walk through a world that has been destroyed, ravaged by demons and the Black Wolves of Helheim, treating the undead, the demons, the Pales as calmly as thou would treat any mortal pony!"
She shook her head with a grin, turning and striding onwards, and Scrivener rolled his eyes as he followed behind her, saying awkwardly: "Like you said, Luna, I've had… eight years. Furthermore, I was a poet, as you'll remember. Writers, like you always say, are a sick breed. And you know on top of that I'm a little twisted, too."
"Yes, but 'tis why we get along so well." Luna remarked as she strode over broken terrain, grimacing a bit as she glanced to the right: in the distance, a massive wall of ice stood, a cliff made of steaming, glacial frost that twisted and had been formed from the rampages of the chaotic monsters that had destroyed the world. "I swear that the Frozen Reef moves closer to us, Scrivy. I do not wish to awaken one day to discover it lurking outside our home."
"Don't be paranoid, Luna, that's my job." Scrivener said mildly as they strode onto a worn path through the rocky wastes, and Luna grumbled at him as they began to pass tall, blackened trees that stood here and there, the bark twisted into shapes that looked horribly like faces: once, this had been the Everfree Forest… now, they called it the Empty Forest, with the only trees being these haunted, withered, lifeless ash. "So how did we do today?"
Luna looked thoughtfully down at this question, and then she glanced up and murmured quietly: "Better than I expected, perhaps. Aye, at first, Scrivy… it felt awkward and strange and admittedly, a little nostalgic to herd souls… and it hurts. I know thou feels it too, the hurt that comes when we gather the Pales of the dead killed in and around the time of Ragnarok… seeing those sad souls of ponies who have managed to stay on their hooves, wandering endlessly across this world but lingering most often near their home, or where they died. We shall have to make another grand journey soon, I think, another pilgrimage to gather up more souls far and wide… they come to us naturally sometimes, aye, because even spirits gossip and whisper of hope, and the energy emitted by the Bifrost must be as flame to a moth… but I have not seen as many faces as I would like.
"And I know. I know we cannot save every last Pale… just as not all Pales cling to this world. Some have become lost and despairing and been drawn back into the Pit. Some have been destroyed, the prey of demon, Grimm, and other terrors of this broken world. Some lucky few have perhaps realized that there is another path, a path into the light, and risen to the Vale of Valhalla as Odin works to fix what was broken and offer peace to the departed… and some simply cling so desperately to delusion and loss that they refuse to leave this plane, this place." Luna halted, shaking her head and murmuring: "I cannot blame them, not any of them. They died in the apocalypse we should have stopped, but failed to. We lost all our friends… we lost our family. We lost everything, Scrivener Blooms…"
She stopped, then smiled a bit, looking up and continuing in a quiet but firm voice: "But I know we are fortunate all the same. We survived. We stopped Valthrudnir… thou, Scrivener Blooms, epic bard, defeated the monster at his own game." She smiled across at him, and the earth pony only blushed and mumbled a bit as he lowered his head awkwardly. "Oh, insipid creature, thou art insufferable and impossible. All the same, it has led to us being given this chance… and while I wholeheartedly wish we had allies apart from whiny, lecherous, grabby fallen god Odin, I am… happy, at the same time. He gave us the tools by which to use the Bifrost to move back and forth between this world and others – and we have had the most remarkable vacations with the abuse of this knowledge, have we not? – and although I am sure he will snatch it away and seal the Bifrost out of our hooves the moment our job is accomplished, it has given us hope and serves us well.
"Yes, why despair? The Pales of our friends survived… we saw Celestia, Twilight Sparkle, and all the others." Luna closed her eyes, smiling faintly. "So beautiful and bittersweet, to see the very souls of those thou hast loved, standing and waiting for thee… and listening to thy guidance as thou leads them into a new world, where with luck and effort, their souls shall be reborn, given anew the chance at life they deserved. Aye, Scrivener Blooms. 'Tis insane. 'Tis horrible. 'Tis beautiful. 'Tis like thy poetry, bittersweet and serendipitous and awful all at once."
"Thank you, Luna, you always know just what to say." Scrivy said mildly, glancing ahead, and Luna laughed and shook her head out before she checked him gently, the male smiling as he swayed in mid-step before bumping back against her as they slowly made their way down the rocky, often-trod path. "But we're getting close, aren't we? And the Pales seemed… to understand what was going on. Well, most of them… some, it seemed, thought they were in Valhalla when we led them across the Bifrost… and as always, I wonder what we're doing. On a philosophical level, is this the right thing?"
"Oh, shut thy traitorous mouth, thou art just looking to be beaten now." Luna said flatly, and Scrivy shrugged meditatively as the winged unicorn rolled her eyes before she leapt forwards and pounced on top of him, Scrivy wincing before he wheezed as the larger equine scrambled over the male and wrapped her front legs around his neck, pressing her body firmly overtop his as she muttered into his ear: "We are fixing what should never have been broken, Scrivy, that is all. Be not so selfish: think not of what we are doing, but what they deserve. I swear thou just wants to live in Hell forever, sick and twisted poet."
Scrivener rolled his eyes at this as he continued forwards, Luna making herself comfortable on his back as the earth pony rolled his shoulders and smiled despite himself, feeling the black pearl pressing quietly between their bodies as he murmured: "Doesn't matter where I am, Luna, because as long as we're together, even Hell is wonderful. Really, all I worry about at the end of the day, is what's best for them… what would be kinder."
"Thou art far too kind, then. Let them suffer mortality a second time, I say, be not so 'nice' in thy twisted way." Luna retorted imperiously, leaning her head slightly up, and Scrivener laughed despite himself as he carried onwards, smiling and leaning forwards as the winged unicorn added quietly: "We have a chance to save them, that is all I care about. That… and we have a chance to escape this hell ourselves by doing this, by fixing this. Thou should be proud, though… how many poets can say they have been reapers of souls, with the chance of being a guardian of a world in the near future?"
"If a writer does his job properly, he creates a world in the words on his pages: and since writers and poets constantly kill those people in the worlds, subjecting them to his every whim and stupid idea, I'd say a lot." Scrivy remarked, and then he winced when Luna leaned down and bit his ear, flicking his head wildly to the side as his faintly-glowing white mane tickled against Luna's face. "Hey!"
"Thou deserved it. Sick creature." Luna grumbled, her mane twisting backwards before she settled herself against him and squeezed him slowly around the neck, adding grouchily: "I swear thou takes pleasure in arguing with me."
"And who likes to start arguments all the time?" Scrivener asked pointedly, and Luna cleared her throat and then pushed her face firmly down against the side of his neck, making him smile before he glanced to the side and softened a bit at the sight of the three glowing ivory ponies standing and silently watching them, frost sparkling quietly around their bodies as details flickered through their forms.
Pales: the spirits, the souls of ponies who were trapped in this broken world, wandering silently, unable to move on… no longer because of unfinished business, but because the connection between the worlds had been severed. Some few still managed to worm their way up to the ether, found their way off this shattered world… but the rest, Luna and Scrivener Blooms would gather up into large herds that they would lead across the Bifrost and into what they both had begun to refer to as the 'Looking Glass World.'
It was a reference that would have been appreciated by a chaos entity that had been a friend and ally… and Scrivener smiled faintly as he bowed his head to the Pales as Luna gazed up at them, softly, sadly. But the Pales only watched as they walked by, manes and tails floating and incandescent with cold mist, before they flickered quietly out of reality one after the other, vanishing back into the ether, the spaces between reality where souls found solitude and rest.
Luna and Scrivener both gazed ahead, moving onwards in silence: Pales, demons, undead, and all sorts of other creature made their home here… and occasionally, they even saw what looked like a battered survivor of Ragnarok, but they had never had much luck contacting these ponies. They were often insane, or fled and hid, or attacked them out of terror and almost-feral aggression for defending their territory; it was strange how the survivors had become the most unpredictable part of their hellish dystopia. Then again, everypony knew the stories of Nightmare Moon… and to see her and Scrivener Blooms walking so boldly through what had become Hell, it was obvious what conclusions they would draw.
They were quiet as they made their way deeper into the barrens, until they crossed over a shallow, dried-out bog-trench and stepped in front of a quaint, patched cottage: behind it stood the broken shards of a collapsed mountain, and Luna carefully slipped off Scrivener, sighing a little as she gazed reflectively over the peeling wood of their home. "Well, home at last. I remember when I had once thought the worst had befallen us because thralls brought the mountain crashing down upon our cottage. I was foolish then."
"You're still foolish, Luna. But it's a good quality." Scrivener said softly, and Luna smiled wryly at him before he walked forwards, stepping up onto the patio and pushing the door open as the winged unicorn paced after him, still looking moody. The male paused inside the corridor beyond, looking down for a moment, and Luna softened as she felt his thoughts before he murmured: "Funny what you remember, huh? What you miss. What hits hardest."
"I know, Scrivener Blooms. I know." Luna stepped quietly up beside him as she kicked the door closed, kissing the side of his neck tenderly before she glanced towards the door to their bedroom… but then only smiled a little and motioned down the hall, saying quietly: "We have a week before the Bifrost recharges. Perhaps tomorrow we shall go scavenging, if thou feels up to it. But 'twill lead to a good meal, and in times like these it can have wonders upon our morale, can it not?"
"True, Luna, but we're running out of luxury resources… and your magic can only make so much." Scrivener glanced over his shoulder at her as he headed towards the den at the end, then he gazed down at their patchy bedding, marked with wear and tear and crudely-sewn rips as he smiled despite himself. "Amazing how you can handle yourself so well in a fight but can't sew in a straight line to save your life."
"That is why I have thee, Scrivener Blooms. Thou art a perfect housewife, with thy knowledge of sewing, cleaning, and cookery." Luna responded with a quiet laugh, and Scrivener gazed amusedly over his shoulder at her as she stepped forwards and pushed their foreheads together, looking with entertainment into his eyes. "Dark thoughts away. We have a bright future, do we not?"
"We always will." Scrivener replied softly, and then he laughed a bit as he glanced up, looking slowly around the room: a bit dusty, a bit damaged here and there… but a fireplace stood with logs piled in it, and above the mantle hung a beautiful, slightly-blurry painting of Scrivener himself, charging through a forest of indistinct shadow. Pillows were cluttered around the room and a few other paintings hung here and there, including one of a violet winged unicorn standing and laughing with Luna on one side and Scrivy on the other, and a desk rested against the far wall, piled high with manuscript pages.
The room was separated from the kitchen only by a thin, cracked wall and more prominently, a wide countertop, which was stacked with boxes of supplies. Neither winged unicorn nor earth pony needed to eat: it was one of the perks of Luna's immortal vitality, but at the same time it didn't mean neither of them ever got hungry, even if it wasn't the hunger of necessity, but the simple desire to have something around to snack on.
The two smiled at each other, then headed towards this room, Luna immediately walking over to the coffeemaker as her horn glowed and she flicked it absently to open a cupboard with telekinesis, revealing no less than five large cans of coffee inside. "And speaking of the bright side of things, I do honestly believe that it will not be much longer before-"
She halted and looked up with a frown as there was a rattling behind them, Scrivener turning quickly around as he looked back and forth sharply… then he glanced up as he thought he caught a flicker of movement along the ceiling, whispering out into the den. He glanced at Luna, and she scowled immediately, saying distastefully: "Reveal thyself, creature, we are in no mood for games."
For a moment, there was only silence before the air sparkled… and a moment later, a Pale faded into existence in front of them: unlike the other Pales, however, this one was run through with streaks of darkness and shadow, and Scrivener made a face as he and Luna both glared at it before it flickered violently in the male's vision, solidifying into a grinning, sharp-toothed pony with a straight mane that fell in a waterfall over her face, her eyes rimmed with red and glowing a faint blue. "And still, thou persists in haunting us."
Scrivener smiled despite himself as the Pale stuck its tongue out at Luna, then looked towards him with a wink: the more he allowed his eyes to linger on her, the more he could see her details: the dull gray-pink of her body, the tautness of her coat against her form, the awkward mix of entertainment, narcissism, and perhaps relief in her eyes as Luna looked dryly at the male and said moodily: "Continue to stare at Pinkamena so and I shall be forced to accuse thee of being fond of her. Then I shall have to bludgeon thee."
"Just letting my eyes adjust, Luna, that's all." Scrivener glanced amusedly over at his wife, adding mildly: "You're cute when you're jealous."
Luna only grumbled in response, turning around as Pinkamena laughed silently before she strode forwards with a wide grin, purposefully bringing her ethereal, icy form through Luna's, making the winged unicorn shiver a bit before she gritted her teeth and stepped sideways, saying irritably: "Thou can be fine company, Pinkamena, and I am touched that thou chose to remain here with us, even though thy sister and thy friends have all safely moved to Valhalla… but think not that I will hesitate to exorcise thy half-demon self all the way back to the bowels of Helheim if thou continues to be such a nuisance."
Pinkamena laughed silently again, then her eyes flashed as she grinned over at Scrivener, who looked at her dumbly for a moment before he winced as he realized what she was about to do, and a moment later the Pale burst apart into black smoke that rushed violently at him, hammering into the male's face as Luna groaned and rolled her eyes, dropping her head forwards with a loud bang against the counter. "Oh thou wretched monster. Fine, fine! Scrivener, art thou still in control?"
Scrivy grimaced, his teeth grinding together painfully as he felt the spirit of the half-demon Pale slithering through his body and mind, hearing her darkly-cheerful giggles through his brain as he muttered: "Yes, but not for long. I'm going to go and lay down, you don't have to come if you don't want to."
"I shall put on coffee, and then join thee in the conversation. The idea of leaving thou alone with Pinkamena in thy head ruffles me." Luna said sourly, and Scrivener smiled a bit despite himself before he winced at a series of short stabbing pains through his head, and then he grimaced as a voice whispered through his mind: Ooh, poor Nightmare Moon and her easily-hurt feelings. And here I thought the world being destroyed would end all the drama.
"Shut up, Pinkamena." Scrivy mumbled under his breath, and Luna stepped forwards and gently touched his shoulder with a front hoof, gazing at him with concern, but the male only smiled dourly. "No, it's fine. I'll go deal with our… tenant."
With that, the equine turned, heading back into the den and closing his eyes as he flopped forwards onto the bedding with a grumble, allowing the alien presence in his mind to snare him and drag him downwards into the depths of darkness… before a moment later, he opened his eyes to find himself standing in a stone room across from the now physical-looking dull-pink pony, Pinkamena striding leisurely forwards as she glanced back and forth. "Minimalist as always, huh, Scrivy? God you suck, you know that?"
Scrivener only looked moodily at her, and Pinkamena grinned widely, shrugging as she stopped a foot or so away from him and showing off her sharp teeth. "Hey, being half-demon needs to have some advantages other than bloodlust, right? Possession is a nice trick I picked up, and ain't like you guys don't encourage it every now and then. Besides, you've been gone for the better part of a week or so. I just want a little face time, that's all."
"You know, if we took you across Bifrost, you could hang out with the Pales of your friends and Pinkie Pie and harass them instead of us for a few years." Scrivener said dryly, but Pinkamena only snorted in distaste at this before the male grimaced a bit and twitched as a short, quiet pain throbbed through his head… but this wasn't from the half-demon, as he reached up and muttered: "Besides, we told you not to possess me. It stirs up… things that should better be left alone."
Pinkamena, however, glanced up at him with strange sympathy shining in her eyes despite her ruthless mask of a grin, saying softly: "Like that corruption from the Tyrant Wyrm? Still bothers you, doesn't it… all that knowledge of torture, suffering and evil… bottled up inside your poor, damaged mind. Corruption that flows through you, mixed with that taint of darkness passed on from Nightmare Moon – both Nightmare Moon and the real Nightmare Moon, that is – and your own… evil, as you like to say."
"I don't like to say it, but it's true, isn't it?" Scrivener glanced up sourly, glaring at her a bit, but the pony only laughed as she shook her head and strode away from him, the charcoal pony looking moodily after her. "I survived having eons of evil crammed into my brain all at once. Most other ponies would have died. I survived because some sick, depraved part of me actually admired it-"
"And what isn't to admire about all that power and prestige? Besides, you aren't alone in the madhouse, Scrivener Blooms." Pinkamena said in a strangely-comforting voice. "I'm here with you, and it's nice to have a cellmate now. Two, maybe three, really, because Luna's plenty dark and evil herself, isn't she? The point isn't that we're good or evil, those are stupid, flawed concepts and they're fairy-tale words good people apply to us so they can pretend we don't have feelings, that we aren't just like them, that they could never become us or worse than us if the right pressures were applied. Don't be a freaking idiot. But tell you what, if it bothers you so much, let's all break each other down into pieces, and we'll see who can put humpty-dumpty together again right first.
"Except what would that accomplish? It'd just be running away, I've had the time to see that now, and I've had the experiences to know that even if friendship is based upon nothing but one pony pretending to like another pony so they can get what they need out of them, necessity only increases value." Pinkamena licked her lips slowly, leaning forwards as she murmured: "I've listened in plenty to you and Luna talking, and to that big old guy, too. We're going to be in a world that'll need defenders. 'Defender' is only a fancy term for 'kills people so other ponies don't get their hooves dirty.' I look forwards to being needed. To having lots of friends."
Scrivener only sighed and shook his head slowly, saying moodily: "Sometimes I think you almost believe yourself, Lemon Drop. The rest of the time I just think about what a pain in the flank you are and look forwards to when we finally drag you over the Bifrost, because Luna and I both know by now what you're really scared of."
Pinkamena glared at him moodily, and then she stepped forwards and almost shoved their faces together, saying irritably: "I wouldn't talk, Scarface. You and Luna have talking about wanting a foal for how long, and it's how important to her? And yet for the last eight years, both of you have been doing quite a bit to avoid having a foal, haven't you?"
"Well, Pinkamena, we figured it would be rather irresponsible for me to bear a foal in Hell, especially given our current obligations." Luna said drolly as she appeared in a swirl of blue mist beside Scrivener Blooms, and she gave a dark look to the dull-pink earth pony as she stepped backwards and grumbled a bit. "Also, I shall ask thee to refrain from thy savagery. Thou art becoming as nasty as a full-blooded demon."
Pinkamena snorted at this, then she flicked her straight mane to the side, saying distastefully: "And sissy was always an angel, right? Anyway, I just call what I see, that's all. By the way, Nightmare Moon, I saw an old friend of ours wandering around, a Pale that's a lot more demon than I am… I think you know the only pony I could be talking about."
"Sol Seraph?" Luna looked disgusted, shaking her head slowly and muttering: "Of course, when the Gates of Helheim were blown open, she would have been quick to escape the wrath and suffering she had rightly earned. Worry not, though, Pinkamena… the monster will not be able to enter our home here. And should we come across her, she will brook no threat to myself or Scrivener Blooms. Her blows will lack the substance to give them dangerous force."
"I hope so." Scrivy muttered, rubbing absently at his throat for a moment and remembering the vicious battle they had fought against the awful, Pegasus-turned-predator, then he shook his head slowly and glanced towards Pinkamena as the pony turned her eyes back to him, sighing and saying distastefully: "I am not… going to do it. I… look, Pinkamena, we all share similarities here. We are all touched by darkness, but you and your… half-demon stuff is one thing, and Luna and Nightmare Moon is another, and me and this… this poison in my mind is different from both, okay? It's poison. It's corruption."
"But it makes you stronger." whispered a new voice, and the three ponies looked up as a nearby wall shuddered before dissolving into a black archway, and an enormous, dark winged unicorn strode out of this, smiling benevolently at them as she added softly: "I hope you do not mind me intruding upon this little palaver… but tell me, my children, who better than me to help offer guidance?"
Her eyes glowed with eldritch light as her reptilian pupils gleamed knowingly, and her sharp teeth were half-revealed by her cunning smile. Her features were beautiful, and like Luna, her mane and tail were ephemeral, made of shimmering blue starlight but kissed deeper by night's shadow as she strode forwards, enormous, imposing: she towered over them, with long limbs and a regal frame, her body black as night, her hooves glinting like metal… and around her neck hung a rope of ivy, with an engraved black pearl like Luna's dangling from this, but ornate black rose blossoms woven through the cord of vines as well.
Nightmare Moon: the fearsome force of darkness that had once taken over Luna entirely, driven by jealousy and passion and rage before a blast from the artifacts known as the Elements of Harmony had driven the poisons from her system and freed Luna from her grip. But Nightmare Moon had remained inside of her, passion given sentience, regaining her strength and forging an alliance that had first been uneasy… but now she was almost a mentor with her dark knowledge, her ability to delve for answers into the deep subconscious for Luna and Scrivener's connected soul, and her strange, honest wish to bring happiness to her 'precious treasures.'
Pinkamena grimaced a bit, half-bowing towards Nightmare Moon as she slipped carefully sideways, and the enormous equine laughed quietly as she murmured gently: "Oh, worry not, half-demon. I know you respect me. I know you wish well for my treasures… and you are precious to me too, are you not? I will not bring any harm upon you… especially as in your own way, I know you are trying to help."
She paused, then half-turned towards Scrivener Blooms, adding softly as she leaned down to gaze eye-to-eye with him: "We have discussed this many times over these years, have we not? Part of the reason it still poisons you even now is because you insist upon treating it like poison… do you disagree, my husband? What about you, my darling child?"
She glanced towards Luna with a soft smile, and the winged unicorn blushed as she looked uncomfortably away before leaning down and burying her face against the side of Scrivener Blooms' neck, murmuring quietly: "We do not wish to disagree with… either thee or our husband, Nightmare Moon. We are together in all things… play us not against one-another."
"Now, Luna, you know I never would. After all, I want to see you both happy…" Nightmare Moon half-lidded her eyes, saying softly: "Making you argue would be a childish act of self-destruction. But Scrivener Blooms needs reassurance, that is all… and most of all, confidence in himself. He worries too much, thinks too deeply… so let me instead remind you that we will love you no matter what you do. As you have followed us into Hell, we shall follow you, whatever path you may choose, beloved poet… it is our darkness that gives light its meaning, after all, and our darkness that will save the sun-loving ponies."
She reared back, smiling serenely, imperiously down at them as Scrivy only closed his eyes, swallowing thickly… before Nightmare Moon calmly looked back and forth, saying softly: "Our husband is in no mood for quarrel or such unpleasant conversation, however. Let us speak another time. Pinkamena, please leave our mind… and little Luna, do not worry so deeply, and think not so heavily."
Luna mumbled as Pinkamena grunted and stepped backwards, bowing her head again before she simply vanished in a puff of black smoke… and Scrivener finally glanced awkwardly up to meet Nightmare Moon's eyes, the female smiling down at him tenderly, lovingly, as she said tenderly: "It is a gift, my husband. It is a blessing. Perhaps it is even destiny… know only that we will be there with you, as beloved Luna said. We shall always be at your side…" Slowly, she leaned down, kissing Scrivener's forehead before she whispered into his ear: "Now go, my treasures. Rest and relax in one another's company. We will discuss this more in time."
Scrivener closed his eyes as he felt the world around him swirl… and when he opened them, he was once more in the den, tiredly looking at the ground as Luna squeezed a foreleg around him with a faint smile as her horn glowed, lifting a mug of coffee from in front of the empty fireplace to the male… and Scrivy glanced up at her quietly, at her faint blush as he felt a tugging inside of his chest, beginning quietly: "Luna-"
"Say it not." Luna murmured, looking down and shaking her head quickly, and the male only smiled faintly as the coffee mug stuttered in midair before he reached out and caught it between his front hooves, then leaned up and kissed her cheek, as she closed her eyes and laughed faintly. "I shan't cry in front of monstrous Pinkamena. The foul creature has enough to mock us for as it is."
You don't have to blame yourself. Scrivener thought clearly, looking quietly at Luna as he sipped slowly at his coffee… and Luna smiled faintly as she saw this in images, in memories, as well as heard his mental voice, gazing at him and then simply kissing the side of his neck as she pushed her side close against his.
She glanced towards the fireplace, her horn glowing brightly… and a moment later, the logs burst into sapphire flames before she sighed and muttered: "No wonder we are perfect together, Scrivener Blooms. Either we are children who act like idiots or we are children who act like crying foals. This is all thine fault, beetle."
Scrivener began to open his mouth to reply… and then they both grimaced and looked up as their bedroom door swung open, and there was a loud clattering as Pinkamena's voice echoed eerily towards them: "Are you two done your pretty little princess session yet?"
"Oh, wonderful. Our roommate approaches in her fancy dress." Luna said sourly, and Scrivener snorted in amusement despite himself as he sipped at his coffee moodily. "Forget not that I can bash thee into pieces."
"And I'll put myself back together." Pinkamena retorted as she strode into the den… or rather, the marionette they had built for her and inscribed with runes so the half-demon could possess it at will, allowing her to interact physically with the world around her for periods of time… even if it was awkward for a wide variety of reasons, including the fact the puppet was built out of an old dress pony they had hammered several rusty joints into, then layered here and there with armor and cemented on gemstones for eyes… although the sharp slivers of metal in its working mouth Pinkamena had added herself. "I kind of enjoy that. It makes me feel like I'm one step closer to finding the right combination."
"Thou art sick." Luna muttered, and she turned back around to moodily pick up her coffee as the wooden mannequin strode forwards, rusted metal glinting over its lower limbs and back. "While I do admire in a way thy tenacity, and admit thou art a very useful ally in this terrible world, thou should understand by now thou art no replacement for our lost pet, even if that is apparently what thou aims to be."
Scrivener grimaced, and Luna winced and glanced at him awkwardly as he rubbed at his face with a mumble, but Pinkamena only snorted, her gemstone eyes flashing as her voice echoed out of the unmoving jaws of the mannequin: "Please. You know you two are just fun for me to be around, that's all, even if you have all kinds of dumb rules. Don't possess this, don't write on that, don't spy on us, don't bring dead bodies in the house. Must suck for all the pony-Pales, who seem so stupid and lost all the time… being a half-demon no longer seems so bad now that I get to experience all the positives of being removed from my meat-bag body."
"And yet thou seems to long for nothing more than to be in a body again all the same." Luna commented dryly, and Pinkamena growled from where she stood as she leaned forwards in the wooden mannequin. "Or is it just because that when thou possesses an object, thou manifests in a physical enough way that thy annoying voice can be heard by all?"
Pinkamena glared at them… then she suddenly threw her head back and laughed, leaning away and the puppet's body language falling loose. "Alright, alright, you win for now, Nightmare Moon. How about I go make myself useful then and do a patrol? Maybe you two will be in a better goddamn mood by the time I get back and we can play a depraved party game or two."
Luna and Scrivy both looked thoughtfully towards the possessed puppet… then the winged unicorn finally nodded and said quietly: "It is… greatly appreciated, Pinkamena. And I do apologize should we seem… shorter… than usual. Perhaps thou art right. Scrivy and I can be… moody, at times."
"No moodier than sissy." Pinkamena shrugged, her body language grouchy before she shook her head and said distastefully: "But fine. I'll give you two lovebirds some space. Sickens me that after a decade you're still acting like teenagers who just learned what Rod A and Slot B are for."
Luna glowered moodily as Scrivener Blooms snorted in amusement despite himself, and then he sipped slowly at his coffee as he looked back towards the blue flames, saying in a light singsong: "You know you gotta share, you gotta care…"
"Oh, shut the hell up." Pinkamena grumbled embarrassedly, and then she spun around and stomped down the hall, muttering: "Sissy's stupid songs get stuck in my head sometimes, that's all… stupid sissy, stupid losers, hope the goddamn mountain falls on you again…"
There was the sound of the front door opening and then slamming shut, and Luna gave the male an entertained look, saying quietly: "Thou really can be crueler than me, Scrivener Blooms. I admire and respect that."
"Well, like you're always saying. All writers are evil." Scrivener replied after a moment with a small smile, and Luna laughed a little as they both sipped at their coffee, studying one another for a few moments before the male added softly: "She does kind of have a point though. Most other couples by now would be in the 'arguing about everything' phase or the 'long periods of silence' phase. Not still the… well. I don't even know how to describe us. We're weird."
"Then thou hast described us perfectly, has thou not?" Luna smiled a little at him, then she took a slow, thoughtful sip of her coffee as she squirmed a bit closer against his side, adding meditatively as she looked into the blue flames of the fireplace: "And it is not as if we are perfectly-perfect. Perhaps it is due in part to the corruption that now taints the atmosphere and the very earth beneath our hooves… or perhaps it is because… as a couple, we are maturing, despite how impossible that may seem. But I know not. I know little more of relationships than thou does."
Scrivener grunted at this, nodding after a moment but smiling amusedly all the same: "Maybe it's because when we actually disagree on something, you get your passion and desire to settle pretty much any problem physically… mixing with my stubbornness and bad habit of letting my sarcastic mouth run at the worst of times."
"Yes, but it would be boring otherwise, Scrivener Blooms, and we always reconcile, or sometimes our aggressions lead to… other aggressions." Luna grinned slightly, half-lidding her eyes, and Scrivener rolled his eyes with a snort of entertainment. "Passion is a strange and wondrous thing. And thou knows well that even when we argue-"
"Or, more properly, start arguing, then start beating on each other?" Scrivener said pointedly, and Luna cleared her throat even as she nodded, looking embarrassed and resolute all at once. "You know, you're an awful influence. Starting fights, making me hit people, leading me down the path of wrongness and darkness and depravity."
Luna rolled her eyes at this, then bopped him firmly with her horn, saying in an entertained voice: "Hush now, Scrivener Blooms, thou wert no fragile butterfly before I came along. According to all sources, including thyself, thou lorded thy position of Court Poet around Canterlot and made grand abuse of the fact thou worked directly under Celestia. Not that I would have done any different mind thee, but that in and of itself perhaps tells the tale."
"Yes, well, before you came along I was much more hesitant about pummeling ponies. You just like to break things." Scrivener replied dryly, and Luna grumbled and headbutted him lightly, making him wince before he sipped at his coffee and added softly: "Thank you, though, Luna. For being here. For the good coffee. For… everything."
The winged unicorn only smiled a bit, however, sipping quietly at her own mug of coffee as she studied him and he gazed back at her, trading thoughts and memories and affections in mind and heart and soul as the two rested together, turbulent emotions settling as they found a space of calm in their quiet home in derelict Hell.