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Post by Luna on Jan 21, 2015 1:01:10 GMT -5
Herein find the log of a scene that took place just before the Solstice, and was directly responsible for Diamond Dancer getting a star grafted to her butt. This scene destroys any number of ongoing RPs, thus proving once again that Equestria only functions so long as nobody tells Luna anything.
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Post by Luna on Jan 21, 2015 1:01:20 GMT -5
/#\-/#\-/#\ *** ROYAL PALACE *** /#\-/#\-/#\
The Royal Palace is the crown jewel of Canterlot, spiking like a system of stalagmites from the Ponyville side of Canterlot Mountain. The palace is surrounded by a lush botanical and zoological garden and also adjoins a world famous sculture garden and hedge maze. Its exterior is rich and impressive, made of white stone and ivory, mixed with a dazzling array of other colors and patterns. The various turrets and towers are built in peaks, onion domes, gables, and more, and many of them bear balconies, parapets, awnings, flags, or flower ornamentation.
On the inside, the palace is no less astonishing. Its tremendous foyer is crisscrossed with red carpet and hung with tremendous tapestries. Throughout the palace, unbelievably tall stained glass windows provide an air of solemnity and gaeity at once. In the Hall of the Elements, these windows are especially haunting, telling the stories of battles with Discord and Nightmare Moon. The palace has countless rooms, from the guard halls to the guest rooms to the throne room. Finally, Princess Celestia's private suite, done up in swirly purples, is furnished with a hearth, rug and bolster, ornamental window, and miniature trees.
Softly dreaming stillness seeps about the grounds of Canterlot Castle late at night. The moon is high and the icy midwinter winter wind cuts like the finest of blades, which is exactly what the guards on the grand door are complaining about to one another when, to their utter shock, a pony walks up to them out of the night. "Halt! Who goes there!?" says the first, as they both level their spears. "State your business!" says the second. When she reaches the light, the pony is revealed to be Applejack, looking tired and drawn. "Uh. Evenin', yer, uh, guardships. Name's Applejack. An' Ah need ta see Princess Luna real quick-like. It's urgent." The guards stare at one another for a moment and lift their weapons, but make no move to the door handles. "It's late, citizen. Return in the morn- oof!" says the first guard, who then turns to glare at the second who poked him in the ribs. The second guard whispers something to the first hurriedly, and suddenly the both snap to attention and pull the doors open. AJ trots inside. "Huh. Well now. Thank y'all kindly."
The Great Hall is empty at this hour. Well, there are still a bunch of guards standing in rows. A number of them look suspiciously like cardboard cutouts of Fluttershy, but most of the 'Crazy Clydesdale's Ornamental Armor Emporium' signs have been ripped off. A servant scurries in one door and out another every few seconds. But no official business is happening until Applejack's arrival. Even then, there's only a princess attending because Luna flutters down out of the starlit winter sky behind her as Applejack's shoes cross the threshold. Long royal legs carry Luna past the earth pony, strolling towards the throne as Luna asks over her shoulder, "Why need thee an audience with the Princess of the Night, goodmare Applejack? Have we damaged aught purging the spirits of thy farm that needs restitution?"
One does not often see an Earth pony hop straight up in the air (barring perpetually pronking Pinkie Pie), but that is exactly what happens here when Luna suddenly lands from behind Applejack with no warning. "GAH! Wha-!? Oh! Yer Highness!" AJ quickly collects herself and bows deeply to the Princess, then straightens up quickly. "No, no, nothin' like that, farm's just fine an' dandy far's Ah know. This is... somethin' else." The orange mare swallows and suddenly seems less sure of herself; the actual immediate presence of the Princess of Darkness has that effect on her. "Reckon Ah better ask this 'fore Ah waste any more o' yer time.... Princess, can ya tell me exactly what a 'nightmare creature' is, an' if'n that sorta thing would be of int'rest to yer... royal self?"
Luna stops, her regally blank expression becoming a puzled frown, although her sharp-featured, impossibly elegant princess face gives that frown an unintended 'somepony is going to die' cast. Her voice remains impassive, at least. "The name is literal. Dreams are a place as well as thoughts in thy head. If a nightmare crosses from there to here, it becomes a living, hostile thing, creating and harvesting fear. They vary considerably in form and power, but are usually easy to identify. As long as ponies prefer to sleep through the moon's hours, an escaped nightmare is very much the Princess of the Night's interest. Know thou of one?"
Applejack rubs the back of her head and nods slowly. "Ah got a notion maybe Ah do. But, uh, first, please... don't do nothin' too rash? Uh! Ah mean-" AJ blushes hard, realizing she just accidentally accused Luna right to her face of being temperamental. "-what Ah mean is Diamond Dancer was worried y'all might... might do somethin'... Oh lordy Ah am makin' a mess o' this." She puts a hoof over her face and tries to focus.
Luna repeats, "Diamond Dancer," and her frown deepens. She raises one foot... and then sets it gently back on the carpet. Instead, a wing unfurls, its fluffy indigo feathers curling around to lay atop Applejack's hat. "Calm thyself, Element of Harmony. The Star Seeker's loyalty has at least earned that we will listen to thy entire story before making any decisions. Rest assured, she is high in our esteem and we shall judge her as gently as possible if she has done wrong."
Applejack takes a deep breath and nods quickly. "That's... kinda what Ah though. Okay. Ahem. What happened was this: Coupla days ago, Diamond Dancer suddenly showed up at Sweet Apple Acres. Wham inta th' ground, usual kinda thing fer her, but she was all in a kerfuffle, scared outta her wits seemed like. Ah sent her inside with Apple Bloom, then after dealin' with a visitor Fluttershy an' Ah - Flutters just happened by, think she said somethin' 'bout hearin' th' crash? Dunno. - went in too, an' Diamond was tellin' this strange story... Ah didn't even understand th' whole thing, but she said there was a nightmare creature, that it had 'cursed' her ta stay alive or somethin'... ain't rightly sure how that's a curse, but anyhow... an' now it's hauntin' Dinky- that's Dinky Doo, she's th' Ponyville mailmare's daughter? - an' she's all afraid if'n y'all kill it she'll die too or somethin', an' then... then Apple Bloom started goin' on with all this cockamamie business about makin' a magic trap outta gold or somethin', an' there's NO way she should be messin' with that kinda thing... An' then TONIGHT Bardigan does this whole thing with truffles an' candlelight an' tryin' ta convince me not ta tell y'all nothin' even though he thinks there's lives on th' line other'n Diamond's, so whatever's goin' on HE thinks it's a huge deal too, an'... an'..." She sighs, and when she meets Luna's gaze again, her eyes are just a little too shiny. "An' Ah'm real scared fer mah family, Yer Highness. If... if there's anythin' Ah can do ta help, just tell me what ta do."
Luna's frown has a certain inherent threatening quality to it. This becomes an icy glare of onrushing death when she hears that Dinky is being threatened, but it fades back to merely royal solemnity in a couple of seconds. The faintest of smiles softens her face when Applejack talks about her own fear, and the soft wing curls around the back of AJ's neck. Luna's voice is soft, gentle now, as though speaking to a scared foal. "Calm thyself, goodmare Applejack. I am the protector of the innocent and the keeper of dreams. Thy family is safe, for this nightmare shall not live to see the dawn. Tell me the details that you have, now. Did thy sister create this trap? Did she spring it? Is the nightmare caught inside it? If thou know where the nightmare is, I can deal with it faster. I must know the location of the trap as well. I cannot allow amateur meddling in the facets of the world gem. It will have to be destroyed."
Applejack smiles a little. "Thanks kindly, Yer Highness. Ah'm afraid Ah don't know too much more. That was only a coupla days ago an' Ah ain't seen no more weird equipment or nothin' an' Ah KNOW we didn't have tools fer forgin' gold an' stone, so Ah'm reason'bly sure Apple Bloom didn't make whatever that was she was jawin' 'bout. Hoo boy, Ah do wish she hadn't gotten that royal charter, she's startin' ta mess with more an' more dangerous stuff an' she STILL ain't outta Cheerilee's classes... anyhow... from what Diamond said, Ah got th' idea that th' creature's s'posed ta be hangin' around Dinky Doo, so... wherever she is, that'll be where th' creature is, Ah reckon. Ah can take y'all ta Derpy's place in Ponyville if'n ya like, that's 'bout all's Ah could do fer findin' Dinky." She finishes, then frowns. "What in tarnation is 'the world gem'?"
Luna slowly withdraws her wing, answering distractedly, "The world is like a diamond, the same object seen through many facets. Nightmares are meant to be thoughts seen through this facet, not beings. To force one to remain a being by tampering with it magically threatens to let other nightmares slide from one state to the other. Thy sister is clearly clever, but these are the traps fallen into by those who do not study and learn meaning before action. As for the charter..." She looks back at Applejack again, her frown even more puzzled. "I was assured that thou had approved it. Thy sister takes ownership of her airship and becomes a Royal Explorer only at the day her family releases her from their care and approve her majority. If thou approve not of her charter, she HAS no charter." Her wing gives an impatient flap before refolding. "If I am needed to intervene, it must be later. The nightmare CANNOT see the dawn. DIAMOND DANCER!" At the princess's resonant yell, a flash of blue light blinks the filly into being in front of Luna's face, trapped in... well, a floating hamster ball of blue light. Her tone almost monotone flat, Luna tells Diamond, "Speak swiftly. A nightmare is loose, and I must destroy it immediately. Tell me where it is, and make thy case that I should not kill it now."
Taking refuge from the weight of trying to save the world, Diamond has been hiding out in the castle, trying to figure out a solution to her current predicament. Regardless of the situation though, Luna still comes first, and it's her mystical call that pries Diamond none to gently from the depths of the castle, and sprawls her out haphazardly onto the floor in front of her princess. She's up immediately thought, giving her practiced salute with back straight and ears perked. "Princess Luna! Night Errant reporting for duty! Still working on da Wumpus but I buried the horn just like you..." Her voice trails off, dying in her throat as she notices the orange vestige of Applejack in the room, and the filly's cheerful demeanor turns to jagged ice. Her ears fold down helplessly and she tries to shrink herself down as small as she possibly can, visibly trembling in front of the princess of the night with pin prick eyes. "I-I'm sorry..." Is the first and only thing that she manages to slip past her lips. She tries to shrink back even further, squeezing her eyes shut, regardless of the fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. She's fairly sure she screwed pretty bad. "D-Dinky...D-Dinky. It's haunting Dinky. I think it wants to take her body to use her necromancy. But it possessed me once, to before I was the Errant. Let a piece of it inside me. I-I-I-can't get sick anymore. It wanted to come back to use my body when Pinkie and Fluttershy drove it off. If, if destroyed I get real sick real quick...I won't...I won't be able to h-help you'se anymore." She babbles as best she can through the palpable fear around her.
Applejack scratches her head. "Th' whole world's just a g-" is as far as she gets before Diamond Dancer is yanked into the room in a blaze of eldritch light! "WHOA NELLY!" AJ yells and covers her eyes with a hoof! She watches Diamond drop to the floor, then Diamond's spirits do likewise, and Applejack's face falls. "Diamond, sugar, Ah'm real sorry. But... lives are at stake. Ah had ta tell her, no matter how bad it goes fer us." She's not sure Diamond heard any of that, and, essentially, there's not much more she can do her. The farmer takes a couple of steps backwards away from the Princess and the Night Errant, then stands there, hoping to find out what will come of all this.
Luna goes from 'emotionlessly alert' to 'still as a statue' as Diamond Dancer talks. Even breathing stops. The only movement is her eyes. When Diamond says the words 'take her body', Luna's pupils collapse into reptilian vertical slits. Those eyes can't be helpful with Diamond's babbling terror during the rest of her speech, but they don't last for long. When Diamond gets to the end, Luna closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and floats Diamond's blue bubble up to her chest. Both princess wings curl around, dissapating the bubble and clasping the tiny filly to Luna like a newborn. Very quietly, Luna murmurs, "I shall not let thee die, nor dissolve into an invalid, unless thou choose that fate, Star Seeker. Thy service has been great, and I forgive thee this lapse, but for those in my service the lives of innocents are paramount. Return to thy bed. I will destroy this nightmare, and if thy condition worsens, we shall discuss treatments. Know this, filly: I am not blind to thy suffering. I have a cure, a full and permanent cure, waiting for thee. It hath its own terrible price, and it may be thou shall prefer less extreme measures, but like all innocents, thy life is worth more than mine. I shall not let thee fall." Then, very slowly and gently, she slides down to her knees and sets Diamond Dancer on the red carpet. And with that, the Princess's patience is over. She rises back to her hooves only to disappear in an immediate blue flash.
Diamond_Dancer squeaks at the hug. This was not at all what she was expecting, but ...but it makes her feel dumb, to have worried so much. Dumb, and at the same time, convinced that Applejack is NOT coming to her next birthday party, if she has one. "Wait! WAIT! I gotta save Dinky! Let if have my body! It can't have Dinky's but let it return to me! We can trap it, like you did wif da Crimson Maiden! Put inta annudah vessel! I keep my coyse, I keep living and we trap it forevah!! We can't let a nightmare have da powah of Necromancy, but if it has my body you can at least 'deal' wif me!" She begs- Diamond's plan all along was to sacrifice herself for Dinky's sake, even if it drove her to unthinkable levels of terror at the prospect. Now everything is upside down, though...
Luna quick-mails "Well, the cat is out of the bag. I don't know if we need an RP scene or not. The nightmare is gone by the morning. Luna is going to wait in the dream world next to Dinky's dreams, and the moment the nightmare shows so much of a hint of itself in either world, she is going to grab it and eat it. No discussions, no giving it a chance. Yoink, swallow." to Diamond_Dancer and Dinky
Applejack watches this, eyes wide and shining. An overt display of affection from Luna is rare, as rare as the star around Diamond's neck, and the orange mare knows it. When the Princess disappears while Diamond Dancer is still begging, AJ walks up behind the filly quietly and lays a hoof on her shoulder. "It's too late, she's gone. Ah'm sorry. Is there anythin' Ah can do fer ya? Y'all... need help here, or if'n ya like, if ya don't wanna be alone, yer welcome ta come back ta Ponyville with me an' stay at th' farmhouse..."
Diamond_Dancer Takes a deep breath. A deep, deep breath. All hope is lost, and her body is screaming that reflection. "No. I don't have time for dat. I haft ta go and say g'bye ta Bardigan. Cause now I'm gonna die. Dat Nightmare was da only ding dat was keepin me alive. I'm sorry I bought you'se inta dis. I am SORRY, I involved you'se and Apple Bloom. I'm sorry apple Bloom's life is woyth more den mine. You'se get to keep you'se family. I get to lose mine, but dats ok, as long as you'se ain't affected, right?" She hisses quietly- emotions running wild. "I hate you. " She spits venomously. "I could have made it work! I could have FIGURED SOMEDING OUT!! It wasn't much of a life, but I was clingin' to it!!! I'll be dead in a coupla days...maybe weeks. Trust me. I'm gonna haunt you. "She huffs- and the little filly stomps off down a hall way.
Applejack calls out "What? No, Ah'd-" and starts to follow after Diamond to tell her that's all wrong, but slows to a stop. She watches the little pegasus go for a moment and says quietly, to nopony in particular, "Ah'd have done th' same if it was me..." After a moment, AJ turns the other way instead and, ears down, makes her way out of the castle. It was the right thing to do, she's sure of it, but boy howdy it'd be nice if doing the right thing didn't hurt folks so much. Applejack trots out into the gentle snow, intending to catch the last train back to Ponyville. The temperature hasn't changed, but somehow, to her, everything feels much, much colder.
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