//------------------------------// // Ch.3 Easy times // Story: Nightmare's Redemption // by ninjanaut1000 //------------------------------// It was around noon when we arrived at Ponyville. After the train pulled up to the required drop off for the guard we started unloading the train of our gear. About halfway through unloading I noticed that we had more gear than guards to move it all. Looking around for Shining I spot him talking to Sgt. Nightshade and make my way over. Upon noticing me Nightshade snapped a salute. “Hey Shining, We have a slight issue. Too much gear, too little guards to move it. And I know you have to meet with the mayor to inform her of our presence and Operation. But due to our lack of not having enought unicorns with us we will need a cart.” “Yeah, sorry about that, I honestly thought I assigned enough for the first wave of guards. Go to Sweet Apple acres and see if my sisters friend Applejack, or her brother can help, I know they have at least two.” shining armor replied. “Alright” I turn towards the rest of my team, “O’Reilly, You’re in charge until I return with a cart. Make sure no one slacks off and gets everything ready.” “YES SIR!” He shouts as I turn away from him and head in the direction I saw the farm in on the way here. Arriving at the front gate of the Apples farm I immediately start my search for Applejack. Getting directions from Big Mac and short walk later, I spot Applejack bucking trees and moving the full baskets onto a small cart. Leaning against the tree she just bucked, She set up more baskets under the next tree not noticing me. She gets into position And delivers a swift, sharp kick to the tree. As the apples fall I let out a whistle and she jumps from me startling her. “You’ve got one hell of a kick there Applejack.” As she pick herself up off the ground she looks over to me. “You gave me one heck of a scare there Sugarcube. What brings you here to farm?” she asks. “Well, The guard and I need assistance. We have more gear than unicorn guards to move it. So we were wondering if we could borrow one of your carts to move our remaining gear with. We will return it once we’re done moving everything so we don’t interfere with what you are doing here.” I state. “Sure, That won’t be a problem Sugarcube. Let me get these here baskets loaded and we can go get Mac to finish up while we get the cart.” I make my way over to help speed up the loading of the baskets. Once the last one was put on the cart She excused herself to go get Big Mac. Once she returned with her brother we set off to one of the barns and retrieved the cart. Once she finished hooking herself up the cart we made our way to the station. Half-way back I get that feeling of being watched and stop walking. I turn towards the Everfree and just barely make out the silhouette of a pony before it disappeared. Applejack noticed I’m not with her stops and turns. She sees my strange behavior and asks, ”You okay there? You look like you just saw a ghost.” “I’m fine. Just thought I saw something.” We start moving again and I give the forest one last look. I make eye contact with the unknown at the forest's edge and notice their eyes widen as they realized they had been spotted and they disappeared again. Turning back to applejack I ask, “Is there anypony that lives out in the Everfree that is a unicorn?” “Nope. Only pony I know of out there is Zecora. But she is a zebra. So unless she got an apprentice, then there is no one out there except her.” Applejack said. We make it back to the train station when it finally clicked. that had to be Nightmare Moon. I hold that thought for later for when Shining Armor returns. “Alright everyone, Once Applejack gets the cart into position start loading the excess gear that can’t be carried onto it.” I shout. Everyone gives me a quick nod and starts loading everything onto the cart. I turn towards the sound of approaching hoof steps and spot Shining armor. “So the mayor is a bit upset at the short notice of our arrival, but after explaining why we were here she calmed down a lot. She told us we can set up in the open field south of Applejack's farm.” He looks over at Applejack “I hope your family doesn’t mind us being so close to your orchards, not many ponies take a liking to have the guard being so close.” “It’s no problem Shining, Everypony is welcome at our orchards as long as they aren’t rude. Besides, It’s not like we are going to be getting in each other's way bein’ so far away. So nothin’ to worry yourself with.” Applejack replied with a smile. “Hey, Shining, I need to talk to you for a sec.” I motion for him to follow me. “I believe I spotted Nightmare when I was walking back here with applejack, But something wasn't quite right. When I made eye contact she seemed startled or surprised that I noticed her and then disappeared. I don’t think it’s anything to worry about but still thought it would be important to mention to you. Also, I need to send a letter to Celestia as fast as I can about our potentially problematic situation regarding Nightmare moon. Only problem is that our communications aren’t set up.” “Don’t worry about that, Just write the report and head over to Twilight’s tree library, Spike can send letters directly to the Princess with his fire breath. If that’s everything you wanted to talk about then I’ll head out with the troops and applejack and let you go take care of that message.” I lift my Duffel bag and sling it over my shoulder “I’ll see you at the camp in a while, I have one more thing I want to take care of after I send the report.” I turn and and start heading in the direction of town. Hearing the three sets of hoof steps behind me I say “You guys stick with Shining and help set up base, I have some things I need to take care of.” I hear them change direction as I keep walking into town. Making my way through town I receive a few stares as I arrive at twilight’s. one of of them more intently than the others. Opening the door and entering I hear the pattering of footsteps approaching. “Whoa.” I look over in the direction of the voice and see a small dragon in a doorway to what I make out as a kitchen. “Are you Spike?” He nods as he stares up at me, “Shining armor said you would be able to help send a letter to Celestia.” He nods again, Still staring. “Spike! Who is that?” I hear Twilight call from the kitchen. “It’s me, John.” I yell back. I hear the scrambling of hooves as she frantically makes her way out of the kitchen. “WHOA. Calm down Twilight, there isn’t a fire. I just need Spike to send a letter to Celestia. Also, I need you to show me the way to Rarity’s shop ‘cause I have no idea how to get there from here.” She blinks, “OH, okay. Spike, help out John while I go finish eating my sandwich. John, I’ll be back in a minute to take you to go see Rarity.” I nod and look over to spike who already has a pen and paper ready. “I’m ready to write when you are” spike says. I nod, “Celestia, Spotted Code: Midnight at edge of Everfree, But something seemed off. Requesting advice at earliest convenience. Captain John Stone, Royal Stealth Force.” “Is that all?” spike asks. I give spike a quick nod as I look over to see twilight heading over to me. “Ready to go?” Twilight asks. “Yup, let’s go.” I give one last glance to spike just as he finishes rolling and burns the letter, watching the green smoke make its way out the window. Spike then hops on Twilight’s back as I walk over and head out the door. Twilight takes lead as we make our way to Rarity’s shop on the southern edge of Ponyville's market square. I turn to Spike in hopes of striking up conversation during our walk. “So. Spike, What’s your relation to Twilight? Shining never mentioned you before.” he looks up and over to me. “Well, When Twilight was a filly she had hatched me as part of her entry exam into Princess Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns. So I guess that would make me a half sibling? I’m not really sure what it would be called, But Twilight and her family considers me family. So the best answer I could give you would be Younger brother.” “Well, it’s nice to officially meet you Spike.” I raise my fist in his direction and get a fist-bump back. “Hey john. Knowing you aren’t native to Equestria, how did you end up here?” He asks. I notice Twilight’s ears perk up at that. “I don’t remember the specifics that the princesses told me, but I do know that when I first arrived it went from strange to awkward very quickly.” I say scratching the back of my neck with an awkward chuckle. It was at that moment that twilight just HAD to ask the question, Screw you Murphy's law. “Care to explain?” She asked. “When I appeared in Equestria I was submerged in warm, shallow water. Slightly panicking because, Well, I was under water. Anyway, so once I realized I was only in about two and a half feet of water I sat up quickly and wiped the water from my eyes and realized I was in a fairly large bathtub.” I say leaving some details out hoping she doesn’t ask more questions, But it’s never that simple when it comes to twilight. “I don’t see how it would be awkward, strange yes, but not awkward. Can you elaborate more on it?” She asks. I have a short internal debate on whether or not I should tell her. You know what, screw it. She asked, so she’s gonna get an answer whether she likes it or not. “I did leave out a few details, So don’t complain when I tell you them. Anyway, so the reason I could tell it was a bathtub was the fact that I was face-to-flank with the solar princess of Equestria.” I let out a little whistle, “I got the best view any stallion could wish for, Even where the sun don’t shine.” I look over at Twilight and see the scarlet blush on her cheeks through her fur, ” And I gotta admit, She’s got the best flank I have ever seen. One hundred out of ten. I’m getting way off topic. So, After a minute goes by she asks if I could was her back for her. So I was like, Eh, why the hell not. I’m already there. So while I’m scrubbing her back we had a pleasant conversation and she made me an offer. I declined of course but said I would still keep it in mind, And before you ask, No I will not tell you what that deal was. So that’s my tale of how I arrived in Equestria, Met the princess and washed her back.” “Okay, Now I understand why you said it was awkward.” twilight said. I could see she was visibly uncomfortable at hearing me talk about Celestia like that. I could understand why she was like that. I notice Spike with a wide-eye stare with his dropped jaw. “Dude, Nice!” he thrusts out his fist and I return the bump. Twilight just rolls her eyes and mutters ‘stallions’, “Here we are, Rarity’s Carousel Boutique.” She Exclaims. I make my way over to the door and enter, Twilight and spike following. “One second” I hear her yell from upstairs. A minute later I hear the clopping of hooves making her way to us. “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique, Where every garment is chic, Unique- Oh, Hello John, Twilight, And my Little Spikey wikey, what brings you here to my shop?” She asks. I put my duffel bag on the floor, open it and pull out my SSDU. “Would it be possible to get my dress uniform pressed for tonight?” She give it a quick look and nods. “Sure thing, darling. I shall get it done once I finish an order for another pony. It shall be ready in two hours, And don’t worry about pay. I always help a friend in need, no matter how small or large the problem.” She says with a smile. “Thank you Rarity. That means a lot.” I close my bag and sling it over my shoulder again. “Now that that’s taken care of, I need to head over to where the guard is setting up camp. I’ll See you in a few hours Rarity.” I smile and wave as I turn to leave. She returns the gesture and says “See you then John, And don’t be stranger.” I say my Goodbyes to Twilight and Spike as we part ways. ========== NIGHTMARE’S POV, One hour Earlier ========== Flying over the Everfree to give my wings a stretch I spot a shorter than usual train approaching. It wasn't the fact that it was shorter, more as how early the train was that was strange. I cloak myself with a spell and fly closer to investigate. A large group of royal guards funneled out of the the passenger car and made their way over to the car behind the first. Duffel bag after duffel bag were tossed out of the car and then promptly sorted and stacked. “Hmmm, they must be searching for me.” I mumble to myself. I quickly lose interest and start to turn away, But notice something strange. The bipedal creature I had seen earlier exits the passenger car with four other ponies. I become curious as to what it is and where it came from. Being familiar with all the native species in Equestria I can tell it doesn’t originate from here. I notice it start moving towards an orchard at the edge of town. I follow from a distance and observe. It moved over to one of the ponies I recognize from when I gave my sister a surprise visit. I can’t help but chuckle as I see her fall on her face after being startled by him. A few minutes later I see them heading back towards the train station with a cart. About halfway back I notice it stop and turn towards my direction and make eye contact with me, I panic a little after realizing I wasn’t invisible and that I could be seen. I recast the invisibility spell and keep watching. He, or what I can assume is a male, lost interest, turned away and kept moving towards the station. An hour later he headed towards town while the guard went towards the orchard and make a left to a large open field. They start to unload and construct a temporary barracks, mess tent and officers tent. Another hour later I see the creature return and give a quick inspection of the camp with a white unicorn. When they finished they entered the officer’s tent only for the creature to stop halfway in the door frame and turn again in my general direction. By then it was already dark enough that my fur blended in with my surroundings so I wouldn't need to cloak myself, only I forgot about my eyes. “He’s a high ranking military officer, that might be a problem if I wish to meet him. But something seems different about him as compared to the rest. Oh well, It’s just a risk I’m going to have to take.” I teleport back to my castle and make my way to my chambers. Upon entering my room I make my way to my desk and levitate a quill, Inkwell, and paper over to me. I pen out a simple letter stating I wished to meet him and that he can find me at the old castle at the southern border of the Everfree forest. Letting the ink dry I put it in a midnight blue envelope and take a small amount of black wax and seal the envelope with a wax seal of a crescent moon. I teleport back to the edge of the forest and wait for it and the unicorn leave so I can leave the note. As the evening draws closer I spot him and the unicorn leave and enter the town. “Now’s my chance.” I say as I turn invisible again and fly into the camp. I look around to make sure no one is looking and enter the tent. After a quick observation, I determine which collapsible desk was his and place the letter dead center. I make my way back to my castle with hope of meeting him. ========== JOHN'S POV ========== As I’m walking into camp I meet up with Shining and he gives me short tour of the camp and where everything was located. After that was over we went to our tent. Shining went in and i paused with the same feeling from earlier. looking at the forests edge again I spot a familiar pair of eyes staring back. Shrugging it off I entered and went to the right side cot and started unpacking my things. When I was done I turn and see Shining in his dress uniform. “Damn Shining, looking good. You’re gonna have to fight off the mares tonight looking like that. Speaking of uniforms, Want to head over to Rarity’s shop with me to pick up my Uniform?” I ask “Sure, I have nothing else better to do.” Shining says. “Then let’s head out.” We head out and towards town. A while later we arrive at Rarity’s shop. We enter and I call out, “Hey Rarity, I’m Back!” “I’m in the back. First door on the right darling.” She calls out. We make our way to the back of the store and enter the room. I glance around and notice mannequins everywhere with some form of dress or suit. “Your suit is on the rack to your right, when I first gave it a look over I noticed a small tear. So I went ahead and patched it for you.” I walk over and pull it off the rack. “Do you have someplace I can change?” I ask. “Indeed I do. Over by the far wall to your left there is a privacy wall that I got so ponies could try on their order before leaving to make sure everything fit right.” I nod and walk behind it. I quickly change into my uniform and use the body mirror to give myself a quick look over. I nod to myself and walk back around. Shining gives a quiet whistle upon seeing me. I turn towards Rarity who was still hunched over her sewing machine. “Hey Rarity, How do I look?” She stops and turns to look, She gives the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. “You look absolutely Smashing Darling. You too Shining. You stallions are going to have to work together to beat back all the mares that will undoubtedly swarm you tonight at the party. Speaking of which, Would you mind waiting while I go get ready? That way we can all head over to Sugarcube corner Together.” She asked. “Sure we don’t mind, And just so you know, If you wanted two Handsome stallions to escort you the party all you had to do was ask.” I tease. She sputters a bit before heading upstairs. A few minutes later she returns wearing a black form fitting dress. I notice she also touched up her make-up too. We then head out of the shop and pause so Rarity can can close her shop, Once she finished we make our way over to Sugarcube corner. I spot Pinkie Pie bouncing over to us with a smile. "Hiyyah John, Rarity, and Shiny!" She waved ecstatically, She looks back at me "I talked to Princess Celestia and she said you weren't really a fan of parties anymore, But I wanted to throw you something to welcome you to Equestria. Even though I'm a few years late on that, So I got Rarity to help plan this. " I ruffle her mane a bit. "Thank you for throwing this, even though it was a bit unnecessary. I still really appreciate the gesture." She smiles wider. "They don't call me the number one party pony for nothing!" she turns and we all enter the party room that is joined to the main lobby of the bakery. "Hey everypony! John arrived!" Pinkie shouts. Everyone turns and cheers. I give a slightly embarrassed wave. A few ponies would walk over to greet me or ask a few questions like how I like Equestria or what I do for a living. I got a small group of ponies surrounding me as I retell a few of the operations I was on that were declassified. They would also ask what the places I was deployed to were like. They were enraptured by the descriptions of the landscapes and foodstuffs, I notice that a grey mare with a charcoal mane complete with a white collar and pink bow-tie had walked over. "Excuse me, I have a question about one of your Operations, but did you happen to know a lance corporal Cobalt?" She asks. everything goes silent and I immediately clam up. "I don't want to talk about it." I state, a slight shake becoming ever more present. "But I was just asking if you knew of him." she kept pressing, while I'm trying to get a hold of myself she asks one more question and I snap. "I don't understand what the prob-" I cut her off. "I SAID I DON'T WANT TO FUCKING TALK ABOUT IT, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT. I'LL TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED. HES FUCKIN' DEAD!", at that point angry tears form and fall, "HE WAS IN SO MANY PIECES I COULD BARELY TELL HIS FACE FROM HIS ASS. I STILL GET NIGHTMARES FROM THAT SHIT ME, HIM AND THE REST HAD TO GO THROUGH, BUT NOW YOU KNOW. YOU FUCKIN' HAPPY?!?" The mare cowers back a little, She chokes up and starts crying. she realized she crossed a line, Everyone else in the room stops talking and looks my direction. Some looked green in the face, while others looked sad. I make my way over to the beverage table and grab a case of hard ciders (courtesy of the Apple family), threw open the front door and stormed out to one of the outside tables. A few seconds later everyone resumes what they were doing. I shotgun the first cider and pop the top of the second, half way through it Pinkie makes her way over. She puts a hoof on my shoulder. "You going to be alright?" she softly asks. "Yes...no, I don't know...I just need a few minutes alone. Could you do me a favor? Find that grey mare and tell her to come over here in say 20 minutes." She quietly nods and goes back inside. I look up into the sky holding back tears of the memories of my fallen brothers, I silently toast to them and finish the drink. As I crack open the third of four ciders I hear someone clear their throat behind me. I look over and see her standing there looking visibly upset, I wave her over and she sits across from me. "I want to apologize for yelling at you, I should have had better self control." I say. "No, it is I who should be apologizing." She looks down to the table as she talks, "I didn't realize I overstepped my bounds when I kept pressing for answers." "Whats your relation to him?" I ask. "At the time he had been sent out on a mission, we had been currently dating." "Shit." I mutter This just got a whole lot harder to tell her. I am already breaking protocol by even telling her about what actually happened to him. You see, We aren't supposed to talk about operation: Slipknot, Even though some of it was okayed for public viewing . Well he was apart of my squad during the initial infiltration before it went to hell. Any members who were killed in action during that operation were labeled MIA in the reports as to satisfy the curiousity of why they were gone and to cover up the absolute hell they went through. "Well, he was a part of my infiltration squad during Operation: Slipknot. I assume you read what was available from the reports?" I look her dead on in the eyes. "Yes, they say he was missing in action and I haven't heard word since." I take a long swig of the cider. "There is a reason why you haven't heard anything else, Because what actually happened has been red taped and kept from public records for a reason. That's the most I can tell you about it, sorry. There is one more thing I could do though. You ever been to Canterlot?" She nods. "Yes, I live there. The reason I'm here right now is because my friend vinyl scratch wanted me to come, and when I heard that you were going to be there I just had to come, to try and get answers." "Hey, Pinks. Can you get me a piece of paper and a pen?" within seconds they appear in front of me. "here ya go!" I mutter my thanks as she disappears back inside. I write down my address on the paper. "Meet me here two days from now, If I'm not there by noon there is a spare key under the potted plant by the door." I slide the paper over to her, she takes it an stores it in a small pocket in the collar. "I'll tell you more then, for now I just need some air." She nods and heads back in. After the party was over Shining and I said our goodbyes and I thanked pinkie for throwing the party. I gotta admit, I did have fun, up until the the end. We then went back to base. Upon our arrival I was greeted by a messenger who gave me a reply from celestia. Thanking the messenger, I enter the tent and sit at the table completely oblivious on the envelope resting on it. Reading Celestia’s correspondence, Thanking me for informing her of the situation and told me that I should be cautious, but to not worry too much about it. There was a short note telling me to give shining this message to shining so he can read the message she wrote for him. I hand him the letter. “Celestia has a message for you.” As he reads I notice he slumps a bit and looking a bit upset. I turn back to the table and am about to stand up to change when I see the letter. “Whoa.” I lift up the envelope. “When did that get there. Hey, Shining. Check this out.” I lift up the envelope so he could see it. “Who is it from?” he asks. “I have no idea. But there is a wax seal on it that might tell us, or at least give us an idea on who.” I give it a closer look and make out a crescent moon. “I have a good Idea on who it is. Just by looking at it, I would say it’s from Nightmare moon.” I flip it back over and pop the seal. “Hey, careful man, it could be booby-trapped or something.” Shining states. “Well, then scan it if it will make you feel better.” I hold it up so Shining could cast a few spells on it to make sure it was safe. He finishes and gives me a nod. I open the envelope and pull out the small letter. “I would like to invite you to my castle at the edge of the Everfree. I have never seen a creature like you and would like to learn more about you. I am aware that you are a part of the guard, so I would like to make a proposition. A temporary treaty of sorts that will be voided after said meeting is over. The decision is ultimately yours. Should you choose to, you know where to find me. If not, then oh well. Nightmare.” I read aloud to Shining. “Well, it’s pretty much confirmed now. Now the only problem is what to do. Should I take the risk and go, Or not and use this opportunity to bring in the guard and apprehend her. What do you think?” I turn towards Shining. “I personally think it’s a trap, but at the same time she did sound sincere enough about the meeting. But like she said, it’s ultimately your decision. So do what you feel you should. Also, I don’t know if Princess Celestia told you or not, but she wants to use the element of harmony on her to try to purge the darkness from her sister. So when the meetings over we are going to have to make our move right after if we want to use them. So either way our troop will still have to go with you.” He said with a neutral expression. “I understand that. I just wish I knew why she would call me out for a meeting if she was powerful enough to just waltz right into our camp and talk to me directly. Well the only way we’ll ever find out is for me to go and talk to her. So, here is the plan. I’ll send a message to operations back in Canterlot to notify Celestia that we know where Nightmare is, so she can offer support if we need it. I’ll head out a hour before all of you so Nightmare and I can get our information we need. I’ll get her to the throne room so there will be enough room to deal with her. During our talk you guys move into position using noise canceling spells and wait for my signal. When I give the signal, send in the Elements and Celestia, then the rest of you fall in shortly after. From their if everything goes well the situation should be under control. My team and Celestia will escort Nightmare to Canterlot While the rest of you teardown and pack up. From that point on we’ll interrogate Nightmare and see if we can re-integrate her into society or not. Anything you wish to add?” “Nothing I can think of. Oh! Do you have any magic nullification rings?” He asks. “Yeah, Three to be exact. It’s part of our standard kit.” Shining nods. “Well, then I guess that’s all. I’ll set up a spare cot at the end of our tent for Celestia if she decides to come here after she gets my message. I’ll talk to you tomorrow before I head out.” Shining nods and takes off his dress uniform. I make my way over to the barracks and enter, Immediately getting the attention of everyone in the room. They all start scrambling to stand at attention. “Calm down everypony, I’m just looking for an extra cot.” I give a quick look around and see a guard gesturing to me. “There’s an extra over here sir!” He calls out. I make my way over and grab it. Heading back over to the door I shout, ”Get as much rest as you can, it’s gonna be a long day for you tomorrow.” As I exit I hear a chorus of replies, returning to my tent I notice Shining asleep, moving quietly as to not disturb him I set up the cot and send the message. I quickly change and lay down and drift off to sleep. ========== CELESTIA'S POV ========== As the last petitioner exited the throne room I told the guards to Inform any remaining ponies that the courts are now closed for the day. I let out a tired sigh, some ponies just don’t realize how insignificant some things are, Especially the nobles. I don’t want to hear you complain that a shop owner raised the price of a food item by two bits because they were low on their stock, I want real problems. I’ll just have to make some rules for court to weed out the personal complaints over actual issues. I nod to the guards as I enter to retire for the night. Walking over to my balcony I lower the sun and raise the moon. Satisfied with my work I turn and walk over to my bed. Only to hear a knock at my bedroom door. I turn and open the door with a half-smile “Hello, can I help you?” I recognize the mare as one of the stealth ops messengers. “Message from Captain Stone!” She exclaims holding up a hoof with a envelope on it. “Thank you, lance corporal spade.” with a nod the mare took off down the hall. Closing the door I open the envelope. On the paper it read ‘was invited to have a chat with your sister, going to stage our operation right after she and I finish taking. Would like you to be there in case we are overpowered. Have an extra cot in Shining and I’s tent if you feel inclined to be here for the set up before I head out to the meeting. By the time this reaches you I’ll be asleep, so G’night Celestia.’ HE does make a good point, it would be more convenient to be there in the morning. I walk over to my door and crack it open, ”could one of you send a message to my adviser and tell her that court will be closed tomorrow and that I’m heading out to Ponyville tonight.” With a nod the right guard to leave to go inform my adviser. I close the door and make my way to the balcony. I jump off and spread my wings, gliding to Ponyville. After an hours flight I arrive and the temporary base. A few patrolling guards salute me as I walk by, I give a slight nod and continue my way over to right most officers tent. Looking at the name Designation I confirm its shining and Johns. I quietly enter and make my way to trying to make as little noise as possible. I set my crown and regalia on John’s table, I look at the letter my sister left for John. I let out a sad sigh before climbing onto the cot. I quickly fall asleep due to exhaustion from that day. A few hours later, what I assume was 3:00 A.M., I was startled awake by a shout. I cast a dim light over the tent and notice John drenched in sweat and slightly shaking, he had his hands digging into and covering his face. he was sobbing. I get up and make my way over to John. “Bad dream?” I quietly ask. John nods, Still shaking I pull him into a hug and wrap a wing around him. He relaxes enough to stop shaking. Shining sits up and looks at John with a look of concern. I levitate over a discarded shirt and gently dab the sweat and tears from his face. “Want to talk about it?” I offer. He remains quiet for a minute before responding. “I’ve been having the same reoccurring nightmare for the past year.” I give a comforting smile and reassure him that everything will be okay. “It was that damn fucking nightmare of a mission back in Stalliongrad. Operation: Slipknot, Remember that one?” I nod, Cringing at the memory. It was one of the bloodiest battles a stealth team had to deal with. They were severely under equipped and out numbered for a head on assault. ”When we arrived everything was fine, But someone had tipped off the enemy to my first team's presence, and they hit us with nerve gas. One didn’t get his mask on fast enough and inhaled too much of the agent. They somehow managed to make a non-lethal form of a type of sarin gas that only targets certain parts of your body, inhaling a small amount was enough to cause permanent paralysis. It still had a chance of killing you though, Death rates from it were three in ten. Poor bastard had a bad reaction to it and it ended up dying from asphyxiation. We then fought harder than we had before, later they ended up damaging our masks with magic. I remember collapsing to the ground unable to move, but could still feel everything. They decided that death was too good for us. So they tortured us. For days the Changelings would beat, electrocute, Burn, you name it, they fuckin' did it just to try to get information. The rest of my team died one by one over the next few till I was the only remaining one left. They decided that they would let me see my friends again as a reward for surviving for so long. As a sick joke they dragged in and dumped their mutilated corpses into my cell and left them to rot in front of me. If it weren’t for the massive assault team that arrived a month or two later that cleared house and freed me I would have been dead. I still can’t get those images out of my head even with the memory blockers, they still sometime make it through. I am really thankful that your healing magic is as strong as it was.” He looked down at his arms and chest at where the scars would have been if I hadn’t healed them. “You guys are the only other ponies other than that psychiatrist that was assign to me I have talked about this to.” I give him a little squeeze before saying “We should probably try to get more sleep. I can stay here if it makes you feel better.” I say. He nods a scoots over a bit. I lay down next to him and pull him into an embrace, “I want you to know that I will try to assist you in anyway possible to help you forget that hellish nightmare.” "Same here" Shining says with a soft smile. John nods half asleep. I drape a wing over him as he snuggles closer and I begin humming a song that always calmed Twilight down when she had a bad dream. Feeling him grip my barrel tighter I look down. A placid, almost content, smile graced johns face and he fell into a more peaceful slumber. "My dad used to sing that to me as a kid when I had nightmares. He was a big fan of a musician named Johnny cash. It was the only version he felt was good enough to play on his guitar as he sung it." John mumbled drowsily before a soft snore escaped him. As I drift off to sleep I can’t help but picture the state in which I found him after my assault team cleared the bunker. Bruised and bloodied, with the look of a tortured mind and soul. A hybrid of human and changeling. From the information we had gathered he was just about halfway through their process of total genetic modification, an attempt at turning him into the first bipedal changeling. Tears filled the corners of my eyes. I wrap myself around him protectively as a mother would a foal. I’ll try my best to find a way to save him from these nightmares, from His own personal hell. I think back to my sister. Maybe she might be able to help him... I hope.