//------------------------------// // Chapter 21 // Story: Changing Lanes // by AutoPony //------------------------------// "Care to explain what the hell that was all about?" Nightmare Moon's demanding voice cuts through the darkness as you reenter your own personal dream realm, before it even comes into focus. As you step forward, what was once the interior of Twilight's home in your memory has changed to a scenic landscape, framed by the waning light of a summer sunset. Nightmare Moon sits nearby, perched at the edge of a grassy area near a cliff. As you shuffle forward and kneel down to sit next to her, Nightmare turns away from the sky to stare at you. Despite her angered tone, Nightmare looks concerned, eyeing your form as you sit back and relax. Her eyes - normally showing at least hints of the simmering, pent-up anger she seems to always possess - have a calm, almost sympathetic gaze to them. Quite frankly, it throws you through a loop, making you reconsider whether this is actually Nightmare Moon or a dream you have conjured up yourself. "Well?" she asks, impatiently. You realize at that point you've just been staring at her for close to a minute. "'Well' what?" you ask right back, not sure what she is expecting out of you at this point in time. "You left in dramatic fashion, all you did was fall to the floor and complain about a fire, and up and disappeared," she explains, slightly irritated and impatient with your lack of forthcoming answers. "I got woke up, I thought that was obvious," you retort. Your response merely makes the black alicorn shake her head. Slowly you see the normal Nightmare Moon disposition return to her. "You know what I mean. I'm not in the mood for games," she growls. "I don't really know what it was. Felt like I drank a gasoline martini with a lit match chaser. Literally felt like I was burning from the inside out." As you explain the scenario to Nightmare Moon, her nose wrinkles in disgust, but she remains silent throughout. "It started right after you showed me that memory where I stabbed Chrysalis with.... what the hell was that blue glow?" Nightmare's ears perk up as she gives you a deadpan stare before your question registers with her. " You really don't know what that was? I thought that was easy enough to figure out." "Sorry, I'm a little slow," you respond sarcastically, making a face akin to someone trying to eat their own tongue. "Now humor me, what the hell was that?" Surprisingly, your shenanigans coax a small chuckle out of Nightmare, despite her attempt to hide it. She shakes her head, trying to save face before she answers you. "Well, allow me to be the first to congratulate you on your very first dabble in magic," she gushes, before quickly following up her statement. "My magic, by the way." To be fair, you had already assumed the energy was magic. But to hear it confirmed as such it still shocks you down to the core. After all those stupid lessons with Twilight and embarrassing attempts to coax even a spark out of you, it finally pays off in saving your own hide. "If you're thinking this is all some sort of miracle, I'm going to burst your bubble," Nightmare Moon continues, her voice flat and devoid of emotion. "It's not uncommon for foals to unleash their first spell in a time of raw adrenaline coursing through the veins. This doesn't make you that special." Her last sentence really rubs you the wrong way as you try to keep yourself from snapping back and turning this conversation into an argument. Or a session of name calling. "Whatever, so you think it was just a one-time thing, fine. Could that at least have something to do with what I felt? Reliving that memory?" Nightmare Moon is silent as she ponders your question. Her demeanor is jarring, to say the least, flip-flopping between her normal antagonistic mood and comments, and this.... rather calm, more curious version of her. It makes no sense to you at all. Finding yourself now curious, you make a note of what to bring up after you get an answer. "I suppose you could have managed to zap yourself when you gave Chrysalis the shock of her life. Considering your rookie status and the punch alicorn magic can have, yeah, it's feasible," she responds, rubbing her chin with a hoof. "But I would think something like that would cause harm, much more than just mere pain. I'm assuming you aren't actually fried to a crisp since you managed to wake up." You shake your head no to quickly answer her question, before delving into your next mystery. "I guess it's not a big deal anyways. I managed to screw up bad enough that Twilight isn't Twilight anymore. Whatever Chrysalis cast on her to make Twilight her pawn, it didn't wear off after I stabbed her." As you finish, you focus on Nightmare Moon, eager to see her response not just in words, but body language. If this is the same vindictive alicorn you've grown accustomed to, news of Twilight's trouble will at least be of no interest to her, if not a smile. You recall Twilight was the one that stopped Nightmare upon her return from a thousand-year exile. "So even the little purple runt can meet her match from time to time. I'm surprised," Nightmare says, mulling the bombshell over as she averts your gaze. "What about Luna and Celestia, do they know any way to undo the damage?" "Uh, not yet, no," you hesitate, waiting for some sort of outburst or celebration from Nightmare Moon. But all that follows is an awkward silence between the two of you. At this point, you can't bear it any longer. "Alright, I've filled you in on my situation, now it's time for you to spill it. What the hell is going on?" you demand, your tone jolting Nightmare's head upward as she gives you a look of complete confusion. "Going on, as in..." "With you. Why are you not being an asshole like normal?" You rather blunt question rankles Nightmare the wrong way if her ears suddenly pinning back is any sign. Her face droops into a scowl. "Excuse me for not living up to what is expected of me," she shouts back, as you kick yourself for being the antagonistic one. You hold your hands up in a sign of surrender, and Nightmare holds her tongue. "That came out wrong," you admit, in perhaps the understatement of the year. The alicorn in front of you huffs in response but otherwise remains silent as she calms down a bit. "What I meant by that was, normally you have - well you just have a lot of sarcasm and attitude to throw at me. But not now, you actually seem keen on listening and trying to help put this puzzle together. Why?" Nightmare merely shrugs at your question. "What else do I have to do to bide the time?" she replies, attempting to avoid the conversation. Her comment rings hollow, at best. "I don't buy it, Nightmare. I'm serious, what made you suddenly care?" you ask quietly. "Hell, you saved me back in the castle before all this other stuff went down. I could be changeling chow right now if it hadn't been for your warning." "Considering that if you bite the dust, I follow suit, that would give me a reason to care for your well-being, no?" she retorts, her voice growing slightly agitated. yet, it's quite obvious by this point she's putting on a show to dissuade you from continuing to ask her. But you're not going to back down, not now. "I'm not sitting here saying you love me, Nightmare. But I saw your eyes before I woke up when I was writhing in pain. You were genuinely fearful of whatever was going on. You can at least acknowledge that much before you go back to this tough mare facade you got going on." Nightmare Moon merely scowls at you for the moment, studying your face for any sign of a bluff on your end. Eventually, she gives up, rolling her eyes as she sighs. Rather than answer, she turns away from your piercing gaze and lays down on the ground. "So that's it, you're just going to ignore me?" you shoot back in frustration. "I actually show some interest in you, and that's just too much to bear for the self-proclaimed Queen of the Night?" "I don't know how to answer your questions," she finally responds. "All I've felt for the past...... thousand some years is just pure, unadulterated anger, rage. And I've just kept that bottled up to myself, even fed more the past few years." "Well, you were basically formed from anger and jealousy, right? Not trying to be a dick here, but that's basically what you told me," you interject, reflecting upon your first talk with the black alicorn on Nightmare Night a few months ago. The quip draws Nightmare's eyes to you once again, as her scowl has disappeared. Instead, she seems somber, fatigued. "No," is her quick response. You start to protest, but the mare puts up a hoof, requesting your silence. "I told you what Luna would feel more comfortable with as far as an explanation. The simple truth is, Luna and I are not the polar opposites she believes, or even I believed at one point." "That's a.... one hell of a confusing way to answer," you confess, scratching your head. "How about translating that into English for me?" "That's about all I'm willing to divulge, Anonymous," she replies, void of emotion. "All I'll add is I'm beginning to let go of my anger, but Luna is not. And she has not learned from the past." "Really, you're going to leave me hanging with that?" you protest. The cryptic answers provided to you only fuel your burning desire for more information. But true to her word, she goes no further. "It's not my place to say," she says. Her ears suddenly perk up, swiveling around as her eyes lose focus, diverting all concentration to her sense of hearing. Likewise, you remain quiet and listen, even though you have no idea what has abruptly piqued her interest. But try as you may, the silence is too bothersome for you to stand. "What's wrong?" "I should go," Nightmare responds, hurriedly rising to her hooves as she turns and heads away from the cliff where you still sit. Your legs cramp up as you attempt to follow suit, the length of time spent sitting causing them to fall asleep beneath you. "Hang on, what the hell is going on? What were you listening for?" you call after her. Nightmare doesn't stop or spin around as she continues her trot. "Now is not the time, Anonymous," she shouts. "Why don't you stay for a while longer?" comes a loud, booming voice. It seems to echo from every direction, startling you as the volume is literally loud enough to make the ground tremble. In fact, the shaking grows stronger as the voice falls silent, fissures opening up in the ground around both you and Nightmare Moon, forcing the two of you to backtrack towards each other. Eventually, the fissures widen enough as to create a gap way too wide to jump over. "Oh, crap," laments Nightmare Moon, looking up at the sky. You follow her gaze to see the sun has disappeared over the horizon, the ink black sky pockmarked with stars and constellations. But they aren't staying still. Instead, the formations shift and swill, rearranging themselves in a particular order as the two of you stare in fascination. Well, you in fascination, Nightmare in reserved fear, as she seems to understand what this dance of the stars actually means. But it becomes clear the more you think about the voice, and as the light show begins to take a familiar form and solidify. Luna. As she becomes fully materialized before you and Nightmare Moon, Luna towers above, easily over 100 feet. Her teal eyes, normally warm and inviting, glare downward in anger upon the two of you, disapproving of what they see. "Uh, hi Luna," you gingerly call out. The giant princess has her attention drawn squarely upon you with that simple greeting, as your stomach twists and churns. "You have some nerve to speak up when I have caught you conversing with this... this fiend!" Luna's temper finally erupts as she responds, her voice growing louder even as her form begins to condense. Quickly, she shrinks to her normal size, though it seems even more uncomfortable than when she was towering over you. But for the moment, she steps past you, her ire now drawn to Nightmare Moon, whose face has twisted into a scowl. "It's nice to see you, too," snapped Nightmare. The two alicorns glared at each other for a moment with matching frustrated expressions. Luna is the first to break up the staring contest, turning her attention back to you. "So I must ask, why is it you decided to not heed my warning and talk to Nightmare Moon?" she asks. "I think I owe it to her considering she saved me from the changeling back in the castle," you answer without hesitation. But Luna's disapproval is still evident as she glances back over toward Nightmare. As if wanting to make the situation worse, the black alicorn gives a smug smile, offering a little wave of her hoof. "It was nothing, really," she gushes, heavy with sarcasm. "Yes, clearly she deserves the attention she seeks," Luna growls, turning back to you. "How can you not see she is trying to catch you up in her web of lies? You are making the same mistake as I did many years ago." "Isn't it even remotely possible Nightmare Moon may have changed? You gave Discord a chance, why can't you do the same for her?" you protest. Instantly you regret opening your mouth, as Luna's temper only boils over. She takes another step towards you, her eyes lit up with a wave of fiery anger you have never seen before, and wish you still hadn't. "Discord is hardly what I would consider a reformed individual, but he at least never attempted to take a life," Luna shouts. "Somepony that does something so horrendous, so evil, they do not deserve a second chance!" Behind her, a short burst of laughter rings out, startling the both of you for a moment, all eyes drawn to the black alicorn seated on the other side of the small island, as Luna whips around. "You really have created the perfect delusion for yourself, haven't you?" Nightmare Moon taunts. You can only drop your head into the palm of your hand, silently begging her to just shut up and not make the situation worse. Nevertheless, Luna takes the bait, as she storms away from you and over to Nightmare, who seems all too amused. "I do not recall asking for your input of opinion," Luna says with a surprisingly reserved voice. "But pray tell, what is this 'perfect delusion' of which you seem to have knowledge?" The arrogant smile Nightmare once had drops away, her expression grim and serious for the first time since Luna appeared. "You know what I'm talking about," she says. One of her hooves rises and points towards you. "There are things I know that I will not say aloud, because I will not be the one to break it to him." "How noble of you, keeping your, as Anon would say, 'bullshit' to yourself." "You haven't changed a bit, have you?" Nightmare retorts, stirring the pot. The battle of words between the two alicorns makes you feel sick to your stomach, but you can't look away as Nightmare presses onward. "You haven't learned a single thing from the events in the past, and you're falling into the same trap you did so many moons ago. You're sinking down into the depths, Luna, and you don't even sense it at all. How sad." Without warning, Luna raises a hoof, striking Nightmare across the muzzle with enough force to create an echo from the hit. "You will silence your tongue before I do it for you," Luna warns. "If there was a way I could vanquish you from existence, I would not hesitate for an instance to do such a thing. You were and always will be nothing but pure evil, no matter how hard you try to convince others." "Getting rid of me doesn't erase what you did, Luna, remember that," Nightmare Moon quietly responds. "History will eventually repeat itself and-" Abruptly, Nightmare's voice is cut off, as Luna's horn glows brightly. What comes out of Nightmare moth now is nothing but a series of barks and growls, more akin to a dog. "As I said before, silence your tongue or I will do it for you. I would say this is an improvement for you, really." Luna flashes a smug grin for Nightmare Moon to take in, who is understandably none too pleased. She growls angrily, her ears pinned back and teeth bared in a rather appropriate display. Luna turns away from her and heads back to you, returning to her scowling, disappointed expression. "I am shocked and disturbed that you would be willing to defend her, Anonymous," she says, her voice dripping with shame upon you. "My one request was that you stay away from her, and you could not even do that. I find it hard to even look at you right now." "Luna, will you just let me explain a little bit?" you protest. But Luna shakes her head, raising a hoof. "No, there is nothing to say. Your actions have spoken much more than your words have, and right now you are lying in a hospital bed, while Twilight lies in Canterlot, a husk of who she once was. Nothing you have to say will overcome those sobering facts. Goodbye." With that, Luna vanishes in a flash of light, leaving you alone in the dark. Nightmare Moon strides over to you, clearing her throat repeatedly. "That went well," she snidely comments, her voice returned. "What did you mean by history is repeating itself? What were you going to say?" you ask her. She only looks at you with a somber expression, shaking her head after a moment. "As I said, it's not for me to say, and I will leave it at that," she says. "I'm sorry." With a jolt, you suddenly sit upright, sweating profusely. Looking around with wide eyes, you find yourself once again in the confines of your hospital room. Catching your breath from the shock of waking up, you try to let everything sink in, looking out the small window to the outside. By this point, night has fallen over Equestria, the sun having turned in and the moon hanging low over the horizon, blanketing the landscape with its pale light. While the dream may not have lasted that long, you estimate you were out for a good six or seven hours. No, not a dream. A nightmare. You don't feel that whole discussion could have gone any worse. Luna had a point, she asked you not to speak to Nightmare Moon, that's a given. But your mind can't shake the banter that went on between the two of them. Nightmare being calm and collected, and Luna shouting and letting her rage get the best of her, hardly something you would expect from her. At this point, you consider Nightmare Moon truly does know something she is unwilling to divulge, and not just hanging a carrot over your head to keep you moving along. It makes your head spin, trying to make sense of the whole mess. One thing is for certain, you weren't finished talking to Luna when she left your dream. And judging by the lack of activity in the halls, the hospital is lightly staffed right now...