//------------------------------//
// Chapter XIII: The Worst Night Ever (Part 2) 
// Story: Prism Star and the Nightmare Winter 
// by CherryRush 
//------------------------------//


Southern Storm


For a time, Southern Storm flew in awkward silence with Cloudrunner, sharing the deepening twilight with him and trying to think of what to say. But soon, he heard a cracking noise like distant thunder and turned back to the manor. At first, he feared that his cloud had gone stormy, but what was actually happening was worse. Beams of blue energy crackled back and forth across the yard, and he could see pegasi taking chunks out of the cloud beneath. He hadn't been there when his parents were taken, but he wondered if it looked something like this. Soldiers were everywhere, and it didn't look like it would be long before the few Order guards were overwhelmed. 

Cloudrunner put a hoof on his shoulder. "I... I can't believe it. They're actually attacking."

"I've never seen this many crystal soldiers," Southern Storm said, feeling a cold sensation spreading through his chest. "I... Cloud, I'm not a fighter. I don't know what to do!"

Cloudrunner took hold of Southern Storm and turned him so they were facing one another. "I think you know exactly what to do. You have one of the Elements of Harmony - the others need you!"

"I-I'm not sure I can do it. I'm just a singer!"

"And by herself, Rarity was just some fashion pony." Cloudrunner kept holding on. "But I know that you can be so much more with your friends. We're Cloudsdale ponies, Stormy... our families are Loyalist to our bones. We grew up on all the same tales about Twilight Sparkle and the Companions. A student, a seamstress, a farmer, a party pony, a hermit, a ne'er-do-well dreamer... do those sound like heroes to you? But they were. The Elements didn't make a mistake choosing them, and they didn't make a mistake choosing you. We've all been waiting so long for the Elements of Harmony to come back - you can't back out when we're all so close to being free!"

Southern Storm had no idea what to say to this. He had a point about the Companions, but how didn't Cloudrunner see how much pressure he was putting on him? "Cloudrunner... I..." Whatever reply he was going to manage was cut short when Cloudrunner pressed his mouth to Storm's, and his mind went momentarily blank from the electric intensity of a first kiss. Fear disappeared along with the world itself as he eagerly reciprocated, and he felt warmth spread from the Element between them into his whole body as it responded to their emotions.

By the time they pulled apart, Southern Storm had no words whatsoever. Thankfully, Cloudrunner was as talkative as ever. "I'll help get the guests out of here, don't worry about that. You need to get to your friends." He gave Southern Storm one more hug. "Go save the world, hero."


Prism Star


Prism held her ground in the main ballroom with Shimmer and Talon, drawing sunfire into her body as much for the confidence as for the boost to her magic. She'd calmed the guests some with her Royal Canterlot Voice, but she wasn't nearly as calm inside as she was pretending to be on the outside. In fact, she was very close to panicking before she felt the rush of energy flow into her and take her fear with it. 'You're Celestia's heir, the Sun Princess,' it seemed to tell her. 'You can do this. You and your friends can save all of these ponies.' She started taking deep breaths in the meditative technique Solar Flare had taught her, visualizing the breaths inward stoking a flame inside of her, and the breaths outward taking her fear and nerves away. "All... Alright." She took one more deep breath. "We can do this. We need, um..." 

She was momentarily at a loss, but thankfully Shimmer had a better grasp of tactics. "I want all of the guests staying here in the ballroom. No pony wanders off, no pony tries to hide. Spearhead, Mattock," she said, addressing two of the guards who had stayed instead of going to hold off the boarding parties, "You'll stay with them and keep them safe. When it's clear, you get them to the skiffs and make a run for the surface."

Prism shook her head. "No, that's not safe. The city itself is safer."

Shimmer turned back to her. "Everypony here is a target, Prism. The city isn't safe if Finders and soldiers are looking for them."

"IF Finders and soldiers are looking for them." Prism took another deep breath. As scary as it might be, she realized what she had to do - make herself the target. "If I reveal myself and start fighting, I'm the only thing any pony will care about. I know you want to keep me safe, but we can do this together, Shimmer. You and me and Talon and Sour. If we work together we can push the soldiers back and put the target on ourselves long enough for the others to escape."

"I hope you haven't forgotten us," Southern Storm said from the doorway. He flew in with Midnight trotting behind him.

"Yeah," Midnight said. "I've had the exact same combat training as you, Prism, and I'm the one who pushed you into revealing yourself to begin with. I'm not sitting out if you're going to fight."

Prism sighed in relief and smiled. At least they were unharmed. "Thank Twilight you're here, Mid. You're the only one of us who can teleport reliably. I know you want to fight but I think you should focus on the guests, get them to safety."

Shimmer nodded. "And Stormy, you find the fastest skiff out there and get it ready to leave. As soon as Midnight gets the civilians away, we're leaving. Mid, try to teleport them in the largest groups you can take. If Prism starts fighting openly, then it's only a matter of time before Nightmare Winter takes notice and shows up. We need to move fast and try to be out of here before then."

"All right, every pony knows what to do." Prism nodded back at Shimmer with a confident grin. Having a plan certainly made this easier to face, though it did surprise her how quickly she'd taken charge. She lit her horn with magic and quickly sketched out her hoplon construct in orange light. "Let's do it, then!"


******


When they reached the front yard, there had already been heavy casualties on both sides, but Sour Apple and the few remaining Order guards seemed to get a fresh burst of energy from seeing Prism, Shimmer, and Talon join the battle. Prism would later wish she could claim the battle to be a heroic stand, but in truth the fight that followed was chaotic and desperate. The moment their counter-charge began, it was every pony for themselves. Prism Star quickly lost track of her friends amidst the chaos, and she soon was too busy maintaining her spells to think about where they were. She had to maintain her shield construct and keep it moving, balancing between attack and defense while simultaneously maintaining the warding spell that protected her from the lance beams going back and forth, and all of this while being careful to control how much sunfire she was using. Ever since she'd fully bonded with the sun to raise it, Prism had found that her tolerance for its energy had risen... but she still knew she had to be careful not to burn herself up from the inside out.

Worst of all of it, though, was the feeling that she might be starting to enjoy the fight. Every pony she knocked out with her shield seemed to send a rush of adrenaline through her... but underneath the thrill Prism could feel something darker. It was like a lifetime of repressed anger coming to a boil in her gut, and she could feel something else waking in response. It almost felt like her bond with Shimmerwing, another mind just barely separated from hers, from which she could get flashes of thought and emotion. But this felt much darker and more alien. As strange as her changeling psyche was, Shimmer felt like a calming, reassuring presence ready to wrap her up in a blanket and give a hug at a moment's notice. This other presence felt jagged and cruel. It relished in the pain she was inflicting on the Crystal Army soldiers and in turn urged her to go further, to abandon the discipline Lancing Ray had taught her to maintain in combat and show them all what she could really do. 'Give them a little fire,' it seemed to say. 'Make them pay for what they've done to your friends.'

She resisted, of course... but it was hard to deny how much she wanted to. She wanted to hate them and let out all of her anger and frustrations on them. But that temptation was squelched quickly as she felt a sudden cold clamp down on her. She vaguely heard Shimmer shouting, "Run! Get to the skiff!", and responded by summoning all of the power she had left into a massive shockwave directed at the soldiers that left her staggering with fatigue and the strange other inside of her howling with cruel glee. She tried to run, but her hooves felt like they were made of lead, and soon she found herself instead being carried over Sour Apple's shoulders like a sack. Southern Storm already had a long, two-masted barge waiting and ready, and the soldiers gave them no trouble pulling away from the cloud island that was starting to crumble at the edges... but then she appeared.

Nightmare Winter teleported directly onto the bow in a flash of blue light, clad for war in black plate armor. She truly was monstrous in person, but instead of fear Prism felt anger. Burning anger and hate so deep that it was a miracle she'd ever felt anything else. The queen froze all of them in place on the deck with barely a thought of effort, but Prism knew that if she unleashed all of this emotion inside of her, she could melt all of the ice in an instant. So what was stopping her?

"Oh, look at you all," Nightmare Winter said in a taunting tone. Her voice was like shards of ice pounding into Prism's ears. "Aren't you all so brave? Such a valorous little band of rebels to stand against me." She shook her head. "I thought perhaps you were some terrible threat. A new Celestia and her loyal knights come to overthrow me and restore the summer. But you're just frightened children, aren't you?" She approached Sour Apple and smiled in a sickly sweet way that didn't meet those cruel blue eyes. "Poor colt... A brave little soldier in a war that ended centuries before he was born. Starlight Glimmer is dead, colt. Twilight Sparkle will never return, and this little one is no Celestia. You're fighting for a hopeless cause when you could be so much more... I saw you hold off my soldiers- you have a natural talent that's wasted in this rebellion. You could be a knight of my Royal Guard, with all of the power and privilege you could want. All you have to do is forsake this little crusade and swear to me." Sour couldn't say anything with the ice creeping over his muzzle, but his angry glare told her everything she needed.

"He'll never betray us!" Shimmer shouted angrily. "He's the most loyal pony there is!"

"Silence, insect!" Nightmare Winter silenced Shimmer with more ice. "You're the most deluded of any of this little band, changeling. Why are you even here, princess? Do you think this little filly will help you? Do you think she'll beat your real sister and give you your happy ending?" She sneered and leaned in to whisper, only loud enough for Shimmer and Prism to hear. "Even if she does everything you want, you'll never get what you want. You're the last of your worthless friendship cult, and no changeling will ever follow that pathetic Thorax again."

Prism should perhaps have felt surprised or even betrayed to hear what secrets Shimmer was keeping from her... but seeing her adoptive sister treated this way only stoked her fire more. "Who does she think she is?" Prism nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise, seeing a double of herself appear in front of her. No pony else seemed to notice,  and Prism tuned out Nightmare Winter taunting Talon as the double smirked cruelly. "We can take her. We should take her. You don't need the Elements, Prism. We're powerful enough if we work together."

"Who... who are you?" Prism managed to ask. Shimmer and Sour Apple both looked at her in alarm as best they could with their bindings, but weren't able to say anything.

"I'm you." The apparition shrugged, fluffling wings that Prism hadn't noticed before. "What you could be, at least. You don't need your friends to beat her, or a bunch of old rocks. If you really wanted to, you could be stronger than Celestia ever was. Strong enough to beat her and rule this land. Ponies would never have to be afraid of night or winter ever again if you were in charge. Just a beautiful summer day that would never end, and for saving them those ponies wouldn't call you queen or princess." Her eyes flared red and her teeth grew sharp and jagged. "You would be a GOD! And all you have to do is let me in."

"No.. no!" Prism knew who it was, now. This was the Nightmare, tempting her just as it had tempted Luna and Flurry Heart. She had to be better... she had to be strong enough not to listen, or her friends were doomed. "I'll never do it! I'll never let you in! NEVER!" Prism's Royal Canterlot Voice tore through the railing on the bow, and now Nightmare Winter finally took notice.

"Oh, and what is this?" She smirked and stepped over to Prism. "You see it, don't you? Just like I did." She lifted Prism's chin up with a broad wing and looked into her eyes. "Oh, I see it now. They didn't cure you after all. It's been in you this whole time, and you finally got powerful enough to wake it up." In a flash of light not unlike Shimmer's transformations, Nightmare Winter seemed to change, and instantly she was the beautiful Queen Flurry Heart that Prism had seen on all the portraits and newsreels. Her fur was the palest pink and her multicolored mane tumbled down in luxurious curls now that it was freed from that old helmet, and her smirk had turned into a gentle, sweet smile - but the eyes didn't change. They were still cold and icy, the pale blue irises glowing faintly with power. "Oh, poor dear. You must be so confused." Flurry shook her head, and her kindly voice sent a wave of warm sleepiness through Prism, rather like the Hearth's Warming when she'd tried a mug of hot cider. "You've got all these powers you don't really understand, and you've been thrown into all of this fighting just on what every pony else is telling you. The Nightmare isn't something to be afraid of. You have so much power locked away inside of you, and all it wants is to help you meet that potential. I can help you, Prism. Come with me and I can teach you what you need to rule at my side, summer and winter together. Just like I wanted for your mother."

At the mention of her mother, Prism felt the burning hate inside her come back, and then the spell broke. Once again, she was facing Nightmare Winter, not Flurry Heart, and the ice melted around her limbs as the sleepy lull left her. "You want to talk about my mom? You killed her! You killed her, and I'll kill you for that!"

Prism pulled in all of the sunfire she dared to and began charging a blast of light power, but Nightmare Winter just laughed. "Oh, is that what you were told? You poor little filly. I was going to make your mother a princess, a strong right hoof to raise the sun and rule the day in my name. But your father was afraid of what she was becoming. It was Thunderbolt who murdered your mother." Nightmare Winter laughed again and began charging her own horn with power.

Just as Prism was about to release her spell, Midnight Shine appeared with a pop on the other side of Nightmare Winter. He charged at her, and then everything seemed to go wrong at once. He tackled into Nightmare Winter and both ponies disappeared into a huge flash of silver light, and then Prism's spell let go and blasted through the mast, destroying the front half of the skiff. She felt a newly freed Shimmer grab her and take off flying, and then blackness took her as she heard the Nightmare cackling faintly in her ear.


******


Prism Star woke by a fire with a tarp draped over her like a blanket. Her head was pounding, and she looked around to see that she was in a little cave. Southern Storm and Talon were sleeping on the far side of the campfire, and even though she couldn't see them, Prism could hear Sour Apple and Shimmer talking in hushed tones.

"He's still alive, Shimmer," Sour was saying. "My danger sense is going crazy. Mid wouldn't be in danger if he wasn't alive, right?"

"I don't know how much better constant mortal danger is. We have no idea what she's doing to him... you saw the mind game she tried to play with Prism." Shimmer sounded exhausted.

"That's my point, though! She's doing Twilight knows what to him and you want to stick with the plan and go back to Ponyville?" Sour Apple sounded like he was angry.

"There's nothing we can do without the Elements!" Shimmer said back. Prism groaned softly and tried to stand, though her knees seemed to want to buckle. She felt like she'd just raised the sun a dozen times after running Blazing Wing's obstacle course, but a quick light spell at least verified that her horn was still working. There were far worse things that could have happened after channeling that much energy.

Sour replied, "There are no Elements without Midnight! Six Elements for six creatures! Get it into your head!"

Prism tried taking a few steps, and after nearly falling on the first few she found that she could, just barely, walk. She started heading towards the voices as Shimmer said, "What's your plan, Sour? Charge into Canterlot all at once so she can just snap up both of them? Whatever she does to him, she's going to keep him alive for whatever bizarre plan she's trying to do for Prism."

"So we're just going to let him suffer?" Prism walked, slowly, towards the mouth of the small cave as Sour Apple raised his voice. They'd partially barricaded the entrance with snow for concealment, and were standing just inside. "Yours is safe! You don't get it, I have to-" He suddenly turned and looked at Prism as she slipped and fell on some packed ice. "Prism! You should be lying down."

Prism huffed at him and used her magic to help herself to her hooves. "Clearly not. You two are going to call down the windigos if you keep arguing like this. Listen, you're both right... we do need the Elements of Harmony if we're going to beat Nightmare Winter. But we can't find them without Midnight. Even if we somehow get hold of the Element of Kindness, I don't think the Element of Magic will appear without all six of us together."

Shimmer chuckled and picked Prism up with magic, carrying her back to the fire. For her part, Prism didn't really bother to resist. She'd said her piece, after all, and she did feel pretty tired still. "When did you start making the big decisions?"

"Well, isn't that what a princess does? Listen to both sides and try to make her own decision?" Prism sighed. "You guys were going to argue forever if I didn't say something to break the tie."

Shimmer frowned at her. "It's just a lot of responsibility. I kind of think I've let myself forget how young you are." She shifted back into her soft-furred unicorn form and snuggled in with Prism. "You've got a lot more to worry about than anypony your age ought to."

Prism sighed at this. "This is about that stuff Nightmare Winter said to me, isn't it? Look, I'm fine, Shimmer. I want to have some words with Princess Twilight when I get the chance, but... I'm not going to let it get to me. She was casting some kind of weird spell on me, I don't have any reason to believe she was telling the truth." She shook her head, cuddling in under the improvised blanket. "Nightmare or no Nightmare, whatever happened to my mom... we have something we can focus on, and that's not it. Midnight Shine is being held prisoner in Canterlot somewhere, and we have to help him. I just have to trust that everything else will work itself out along the way."