//------------------------------//
// 196. Gentle Breeze II. 
// Story: Short Shorts 
// by Coranth 
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She'd known things had gone horribly wrong when the utterly agonized scream had echoed up from the Dungeon -- the Dungeon where the Unicorn, Gentle Breeze, was being held for life imprisonment. Calling her mighty Custodes of the Dawn unto her side, Celestia raced down, down, down to said dungeon... and therein the Solar Diarch beheld a terrible sight indeed. Nightmare Moon was there, and the Cold Mare was standing over the - quite literally - broken body of the criminal Unicorn! Horror gripping her guts, Princess Celestia steeled her magic, then with silent command, beckoned the greatest of her Guards to prepare for an attack -- but then, to her surprise, the Dread Mare turned to Celestia, and through fanged maw hissed "We hath it, mine Sister; torn from her ruined mind, wrested by glorious torture of mine Night Terrors! Hath We the Cure for HIM!"

Horn aglow with the deathly unlight of her dreadful power - before Celestia could do anything to stop her - Nightmare Moon swept herself, her sister, and her guards up in shadow, then transported all to the room of their beloved human, David. The human - who was being gently fed by the two nurse-ponies forever tasked to help him since the damage to his hands - gasped upon seeing the retinue in his room -- but the Nightmare had no time for pleasantries. Casting terrifying gaze upon the nurse-ponies, and Celestia's Dawn Custodes, she brusquely hissed, "Get. Out." Before Celestia could say a word, they did. Fast. With them gone, the Death Mare turned to her sister and growled, "A song of silence to cover his head, now!" Celestia nodded, then cast the appropriate spell, after which Nightmare Moon knelt by David's bed and took his hands gently in her hooves, eyes misting with sorrowful tears...

... and then, poor Celestia cast her own silencing spell--just in time, too--as Nightmare Moon cast something horrible. The world seemed to slow, things warped and twisted, all became darker and - despite the silencing spell she'd cast upon herself - the Solar Diarch heard voices she oughtn't to have ever heard with mortal ears. The Cold Mare spoke several words backwards in a tongue never meant to be heard by any living creature, and Celestia wept, as she felt things crawling under her fur, on her skin... -- and then, with the tick of the room's clock... all went still, all went quiet... and suddenly, the world was normal again, sun shining, birds singing, palace life bustling! Well... almost normal...

Their human, David - his hands fully healed - gently held Nightmare Moon, the mare having draped herself all over him, she herself a shivering, sobbing mess as she tried to mold herself to him, to cuddle as close to him as possible, hooves tangled with him, wings wrapped all about him. As David softly whispered reassurances to her, petted her, roamed his hands about her coat, scratched her behind the ears, poor Nightmare Moon cried, and cried like a foal desperate for the love of her Mother -- and Celestia - called by age-old instincts, obliged. Hopping up onto the bed, she cuddled up to David's other side and hugged her dark counterpart, gentle but firm, nuzzling, singing a wordless, soothing lullaby as their human roamed his hands over both their coats and manes, hugging their heads, kissing snoots, nuzzling with his nose, sharing breath.

Later - when all had awoken from a deep, restful sleep - Nightmare Moon bade Celestia cast a cleansing spell upon her of holy magic; not too powerful, however, as it might 'cleanse' the Dread Mare entirely! Still, the spell she cast was enough -- Nightmare Moon retched and then spewed her guts up, purging a vile, black, oily substance into a hastily conjured bucket, a substance that squirmed and writhed, that caused odd visions if looked at... Celestia annihilated it with holy fire. Later still - as poor Nightmare, shivering, cuddled against Celestia for warmth whilst David stroked both mares - despite Celestia questioning her as to what exactly she'd done - just what she'd 'pulled' from David with her magic - the Princess of the Night utterly refused to speak of it; instead, she reverted control of the shared body back to poor Luna who, shivering, looked at her sister with deeply haunted gaze...