//------------------------------//
// chapter 27 
// Story: vengeance at nightfall 
// by NightSugar pone 
//------------------------------//

vent and calm


Nightshade paced the shining floor of the deep cave, while Sapphire and Pyrite stayed at a safe distance. with a fuming and emotional alicorn in front of them, it just seemed like the best option they had. 

“I spent months trying to work out this entire plan, and throughout all the mistakes and hiccups leading up to this point he never told me,”
She stomped a hoof hard, cracking the ground beneath her hoof, 
“that is vital information, there was much more important information to worry about anyways, why be an emotional dick about it now?! Ugh!” 
Both the dragons flinched, and Pyrite held on to Sapphire in a more protective way. 

“mommy? Can we just worry about this later? You said I could spend time getting to know Pyrite, and he clearly hasn't seen a sea dragon either,”
Nightshade stopped and sat down, sighing as her ears drooped slightly, 

“you're right, we came down here for you and not me, you two can tell each other about yourselves until you get bored,”
She lied down and felt how cold the ground was, before rolling onto her back and looking up the ceiling, and began to slowly fall asleep. When she woke up Pyrite was sitting beside her, cradling Sapphire in his arms with an excited warm smile on his face. 

“I can't believe a pony could raise such a spunky and tough little dragon, and I didn't even think changelings were a problem for them either, how did you even get her to like that changeling of yours?”
Nightshade rubbed her eyes after sitting up, and just looked up at him, 

“in all honesty, he was just nice enough for her to be interested in learning more about, and he loves taking care of her anyways,”
She smiled but as she began to remember how she treated him it turned back into a frown, 
“he'll probably hate me now,”

“what happened anyway? All you've said about it up to this point is how annoyed he had made you, and that's too vague to assume anything,”
Nightshade looked up at him and took a deep breath. 

“he tried to explain why he didn't like dragons like you, but when I asked about why he wouldn't give you a chance he turned into a dragon that looked like you, and I hit him across the muzzle,”
She stared down at her hooves, and her whole body just seemed to deflate a little more, 
“I've been in so many broken relationships that I know what mistakes can change the outcome of the relationship, and yet, I keep finding myself in these horrible situations,”
Pyrite lowered a wing to her, and she jumped slightly before looking up him. 

“relationships are hard, being with a changeling is probably going to be difficult either way; they are pretty much Equestria's punching bags when it comes to it, even more than gryphons and they're more aggressive. Either way, you're going to have to make decisions, and you've made a huge one already.”
He sat down beside her and looked at the light spilling into the depths of the cave. 
“and that was to bring everyone together, and maybe giving him some time away from you is a good choice too, but you won't know until you try,”
She looked up at him and her ears slowly perked up with his honest and kind words. 

“how many relationships have you been in?”
She said bluntly, and the scales around his face seemed to become redder, 

“well, when you're as small as me, not many, but I learned a lot from the few I've been in. What about you?”
Nightshade giggled and looked down, 

“15, they mostly didn't last because of work or the amount of toxicity it had, I've learned quite a bit in my years,”
When she looked back at him she was met with his stunned expression. 

“wow, why haven't any of them come back to try to marry into your wealth? I mean, it would probably happen a lot right?”
Nightshade smirked, 

“I had a fake identity back then, after our coronation the existence of the mystery mare they liked just ceased to exist, and the only ex I've had come back has turned into an out of town ally and friend,”
He sat back and looked impressed with her planning skills, even before the whole plan for Equestria was even brought up. 

“you really thought of everything, haven't you? It's so impressive how you hid so well within Equestria for so long,”
She just shrugged and looked away, 
“how did you even do that?”
He said as he leant in a little closer to her. 

“easy, I just looked for a gem that could Change the physical appearance of a pony, and just tried to keep my past and lifespan a secret, and that worked for me,”
He gasped and looked at his stomach with an excited expression, 

“why haven't we heard about this before?”

“gem magic is still being tested, and it hasn't been written down in a book because there are too many gems and variables for them, plus I kept it to myself and my team until now,”
Nightshade held out her front hooves and he gently handed Sapphire to her. 

“is there a way you can teach me about how it works?”
He asked as he lied down and basically surrounded her with his body, 

“of course, since you're going to be here you need to know what spells are dangerous or helpful for your kind, and I'd be happy to teach you,”
She moved a little closer to his naturally warm scales and leant on his shoulder, humming the lullaby Luna sang to her and her sister, and slowly began to nod off with Pyrite. And as they slept the moon slowly lifted into the sky, giving the cave a faint and beautiful glow.