//------------------------------// // 03 - Of Friends and Nightmares // Story: Black Feather // by Recon777 //------------------------------// -- Three Years Later -- Run!! It felt like she had been running for her entire life. Her muscles burned as she tried to stay ahead of the beast chasing her through the winding path of the dense night-time forest. The sounds of snapping twigs and splintering wood never let her forget that the deadly creature was nearly upon her. She dared not even spare a glance, the hope of escape threatening to slip away at any wrong move. Nyx weaved and dodged between clawing branches that reached over the path. Her hooves thundered over the damp soil, nearly tripping over a fallen log. If the forest had an end, it refused to reveal itself. She tried once more to take flight. “Ahhh!” she cried out, wincing as pain shot through her broken wing and nearly caused her to stumble. The sky offered no escape this night. There was no choice but to keep running, though complete exhaustion was not far off. Must keep running. Always running. How long could she last? With muscles on fire, Nyx changed her course several times in an effort to shake her pursuer, yet its hot breath was still on her flanks. Out of options, the pit of fear in her belly threatened to entirely overwhelm her when finally, the thorns and branches gave way to a clearing. Beyond the trees, a dark, swirling fog called out to her. Time slowed in the cooler air, and Nyx felt a shiver run down her spine as she ran. Off to the side, she thought she caught a glimpse of dimly glowing eyes watching from within the blackness. The creature chasing her had fallen behind, but it was still mere seconds away. From within the mist, the shape of a pony emerged, standing tall upon a small rise. An alicorn! Not daring to slow for a moment, Nyx sprinted up the hill. Within seconds, she reached the summit, the alicorn figure standing perfectly still before her. Surrounding the figure were dozens of flaming crystalline objects, circling her like an impenetrable barrier. Her head tilted as she looked toward Nyx with a dispassionate gaze. “Help me!” Nyx cried out in desperation. The brightly glowing crystals slowed to a stop, parting just enough for Nyx to enter the sphere. The alicorn who had been standing there was now gone, leaving only Nyx to stand in her place. She gazed out over the landscape from the top of the little hill, toward the dark shape of the pursuing deadly beast. It was not merely one. Hundreds of the creatures approached from every direction, some close, yet many still crashing through the dense forest beyond. Her pursuer reached the summit, gaping maw open, fangs dripping and claws bared, ready to rip her apart. Time slowed to a crawl. Suddenly, the pain in her wing was gone. Nyx spread her wings wide and held a forehoof outstretched toward the menacing creature before her. “Stop,” she spoke, barely above a whisper and yet carrying the force of a thousand lightning strikes. The creature shattered like glass, each tiny piece flashing into a brief flame before vanishing into smoke. The forest in every direction toppled like matchsticks in a hurricane. Every one of the vile monsters chasing her was obliterated. It was over. She was safe. Safe, at last. In the chill of the night air, Nyx drew in a long breath as she surveyed the surrounding landscape. She could see towns in the distance. Pony towns, villages, and small cities being consumed by the wave of destruction. All shattered. All aflame. Off to her side, in the far distance, Canterlot burned like a torch in the night, orange flames licking hundreds of canters into the night sky. Everything was gone. Only Nyx stood as the world burned around her. She crumpled to the ground in despair, tucking in her legs and curling into a ball. Tears streamed from her eyes as she realized she had lost everything she ever loved. She lay there for some time, tears soaking into the pillow her head rested upon. How could it end like this? Had everypony been killed? The air was warmer now, the chill of the open sky absent. Only her sickening, empty grief remained as she tried to process the depth of the tragedy. Nyx brought a hoof to her eyes, wiping away the tears as her heart continued to bleed. She reached over to her nightstand and grabbed a tissue to blow her nose. Hooves sank into plush blankets as she struggled to stand. Blinking a few times, she glanced around in the dark. She was in a windowless room with steel grey walls, a large bed, a vanity, and two nightstands. She could barely make out the pleasant decorations in the dim, ambient light given off by crystals embedded in the walls. Shelves displayed various familiar items. Her things. His things. Framed photos, books, and treasures collected over the years.  It began to dawn on her that none of it had actually been real. She understood now—she was home. Still, why did her heart ache so much, even after waking up? With a sigh, she let her head fall back to the pillow, looking to her left at the sleeping light-grey pegasus snoozing all cozy beside her, oblivious to her torment. Nyx felt such a relief that he was here, alive and safe. She envied him, as he was likely dreaming about something much more pleasant. Here, beside her, was all the proof she needed that the nightmares didn’t matter. They were a temporary terror. What was real was right here at her side: her husband, lover, and refuge. Nyx gently traced the line of his shoulder with a hoof, following along his toned muscles, down his foreleg, which was tucked in as he slept. She leaned forward, letting her lips play across Rumble’s neck, along the base of his charcoal-colored mane, planting little kisses as she went. Nyx thought about the adventures they had together, going all the way back to their childhood. He had been a treasured friend since long before this terrible war, back when life was filled with love, happiness, and hope for the future. No, the nightmares could not take him away. That much was certain. She reached a foreleg over his ribs, beneath his wing, cuddling close and savoring the soft warmth of his body. She considered whether or not to tell Rumble about this in the morning. He was a pretty smart pony, but he might not understand why the nightmare was much more distressing than a mere bad dream. Sigh. The wound on her neck still hurt. As cozy as it was, cuddling with her sleeping lover, she just couldn’t sleep. She carefully released Rumble from the embrace and rolled onto her back again, letting her thoughts drift to the events of the previous day. The unexpected failure of the new threat detection spell had led to an encounter with an entire platoon of zebra soldiers. That battle had left Rumble a little grumpy about his remaining grenade count but a lot more upset about what had happened to his wife. Checking the time, Nyx knew she had to put these thoughts to rest. She needed to try and get back to sleep. As she closed her eyes, visions from the nightmare haunted her mind. She tried replacing them with pleasant thoughts. Thoughts of Rumble and their modest, private wedding five years ago. The joy on her mother’s face. Hugs from her closest friends. All of it wonderful, but as soon as her mind relaxed, glimpses of burning, shattered cities returned. Nyx banged her head against the soft pillow repeatedly, causing Rumble to smack his lips and mumble something incoherent about food. Fine, she thought, bitterly. If this is how it was going to be… Carefully, Nyx got up out of bed and plodded down the hallway, into the kitchen. A magical spark from her horn flashed as she lit the pair of tall, slender candles at the center of the dining table. The dim light was just enough by which to make herself a cup of tea as the scent of sandalwood from the candles wafted over her. Seated alone at the dining table, Nyx telekinetically swirled a spoon through her hot tea. It was chamomile, of course. The cup rose with grace and precision, into the air, meeting her lips in perfect timing for her to take a sip as she pondered the nightmares. Damn those things. One would think the former princess of nightmares shouldn’t have so much trouble with them. Was it payback? Some sort of cosmic joke? She was well aware of the innumerable nightmares she herself had given fillies and colts all across Equestria over what she considered her ‘former life’. And now, her own nightmares were coming much more frequently. But why? Nyx sipped her tea again as she stared into the dark lounge room beyond the kitchen. Oh, how she hated the insomnia that followed a nightmare. It wasn’t fair! She pouted silently. Here she was, an alicorn, stronger by far than any mortal pony—why should something as ridiculous as a bad dream get the best of her? And the dream itself was absurd. What had she been running from, anyway? She tried to remember the details as they rapidly faded into her subconscious. Whatever it was, the worst part was the terrible consequences. It made Nightmare Moon look tame by comparison. Nyx was simply not the type who could harm other ponies. No. Not again. Not after fifteen years. That legacy was long behind her. Out of curiosity, she checked her magical reserves with a thought. A subtle glow emanated from the small, stylish horn ring which rested at the base of her forehead. A translucent bluish-green numerical value hovered in the dark, a foreleg’s reach in front of her face, prompting a groan to work its way from her throat. It was her mother’s groan—one which had often accompanied her frustration. “Shit,” she said, a little too loud. Only twenty percent??! A sudden chirp and rustle similar to a large winged insect sounded from the couch in the lounge room. It was a brief sound, followed by the shifting of blankets and a light snoring. Nyx winced, having forgotten that Flitter had planned on spending the night on the couch, as her room was temporarily full of boxes. She peered into the darkness toward the sleeping form of her former foalsitter and childhood friend, mentally chiding herself for nearly waking her. It had been three years that they shared a home, and she still wasn’t quite used to the creepy form Flitter reverted to in her sleep. The stringy, teal mane and crooked horn. The dense mesh of tiny dark-grey chitin plates making up her skin. The fangs, which were more than twice as long as Nyx’s. As unsettling as Nyx herself was to many ponies, not many could accept the natural form of a changeling without feeling the urge to run the other way. There were many types of deadly monsters which looked less disturbing than this. Nyx regarded the numbers which hovered before her, near the dancing flame of the candles. She couldn’t risk another burnout. That was the whole point of wearing this thing, really. She rolled her eyes. Perhaps the spell matrix was inaccurate; that happened once in a while. Despite Starlight’s assurance that they worked properly, these things were experimental after all. Having finished her tea, Nyx blew out the candles and made her way back to bed. The soft glow from her horn lit her surroundings just enough so she didn’t bump into anything. As she climbed into bed, she paused, noticing a framed photo on her nightstand. It was of her and Twilight Sparkle, her adoptive mother, fifteen years ago. Nyx was just a child. They were eating ice cream together at the park. Such happy times. She remembered what Equestria was like back then, filled with joyful ponies without a care in the world. She wished she could bring the world back to a time when the greatest worry a filly had was wondering what cutie mark she might get. Nyx let the light fade and flipped over in bed toward her studly pegasus, holding him close beneath the warm blankets. She contented herself, listening to the sweet sound of his breathing as her conscious thoughts began to give way to peaceful sleep. Eggs? Nyx took in the scent through her nostrils with her eyes still shut. It was fried eggs, she was sure of it. The abstract dreamscape faded, consciousness once again claiming possession of her mind. Ears flicking about, she listened as the faint echoes of her friends talking and dishes clattering drifted in from down the hall. Cracking her eyes open just a bit, she tried to focus on her surroundings. The wall crystals were glowing brighter now—bright enough to remind her not to fall back asleep. They were a poor substitute for the morning sun but a substitute nonetheless. “Mmmmm,” Nyx groaned and closed her eyes again in protest of the morning’s arrival. But it was no use pretending. The smells and sounds from the kitchen compelled her to peel her body off the bed and get up. Still feeling half asleep, she stretched her muscles, spread her wings, and gave them a quick flap. Nyx yawned and rubbed her eyes. She began walking toward the vanity to make herself presentable when Rumble poked his head through the bedroom doorway. He intercepted her, planting a kiss on her lips. “Breakfast’s almost ready, hon. Hope you’re hungry.” She nuzzled his cheek for a long moment, letting out a contented sigh. Rumble turned to go. Looking back at her from the doorway, his eyes held contact with hers. “You’re beautiful, you know,” he said before returning to the kitchen. Nyx’s heart skipped a beat, and she felt a warm tingling in her belly. Walking idly over to the vanity, she stared for a long moment at her reflection. Was something wrong with Rumble’s vision? She rubbed her face and thought idly about which was more frightening: traditional Nightmare Moon or Nightmare Moon with bleary eyes, an old blood-soaked bandage on her neck, and a massive case of bedmane. “You didn’t tell me I looked like crap,” Nyx called out as she worked a levitated brush through her thick violet mane. “I prefer not to risk my life until we’re outside,” came the sarcastic reply from the kitchen, bringing a smile to Nyx’s face along with a slight chuckle. Outside… Right. Her thoughts drifted while she continued to work her mane with the brush. She much preferred to be outside than here at home where she couldn’t see the sun. It wouldn’t be so bad if ‘home’ was a normal… house. A mare deserved a nice house, didn’t she? Someplace she could lean out the upper balcony window and wave to her friends as they passed by on the street. Someplace where there were friends. Or streets. Hell, someplace above ground would be nice. With a sigh, Nyx put the thought behind her, rinsing her face off in the sink before plodding wearily to the kitchen where Rumble was making breakfast. He was wearing his favorite tinker harness, spatula and whisk attached for cooking, along with the multi-tool she had given him last Hearth’s Warming day. A quick glance over his shoulder, and their eyes met, drawing her forward like a magnet. At the nearby kitchen table sat Flitter, in her usual form—a pegasus mare with a greyish lilac coat and mint-green mane and tail. “Hey, Nyxie,” Flitter greeted with a friendly smile. “Hey, Flitter,” Nyx replied, giving the mare a brief hug. “Hope I didn’t wake you last night.” “Hm? Nope. Thanks, though. How you feeling today?” “Stiff, sore, and I slept like crap.” She wasn’t in the mood to sugar coat things. What she was in the mood for, however, was nearly within her reach. With the smooth motion of a leopard, she scooted to the other side of the black marble-top bar where Rumble stood. She gave him a deep kiss, lingering a moment before pulling back. Flitter was sucking on a nectar stick, staring at Nyx’s neck with a flat expression on her face. “You got pretty banged up yesterday. Let me take a look at that gash.” Nyx rolled her eyes. She never did like this kind of attention, even when she was a child. “Sit,” Flitter insisted, tapping a hoof on the chair next to hers. Nyx sat. Her eyes widened a bit as Rumble approached, placing a cup of hot coffee in front of her. “Ooh, you read my mind.” Flitter grabbed a medicine cloth while taking note of Nyx’s sudden change of expression. “Relax, this isn’t a scalpel.” She carefully removed the old bandage, examining the wound. Nyx still flinched when Flitter dabbed the medicine cloth on the cut along her neck where the zebra’s blade hadn’t quite missed yesterday. She thought about how that went, trying to take her mind off Flitter’s ministrations. As distractions go, it wasn’t helping. The few times she had fought with zebras had always caused her terribly conflicted feelings. They were real people after all. This wasn’t like fighting Everfree monsters. She remembered their faces. Terrified—not of her, but of what they thought she was. And yet, would it have helped them to know that she wasn’t the demon they believed her to be, if she ended up having to kill them anyway? “So… you got up a bit late today,” Flitter remarked as she finished bandaging the wound. “Yeah—ow!” Nyx winced again. “I really didn’t sleep well last night.” She groaned as she stretched her neck back and forth, getting used to the new bandage. “We figured. Rumble decided to make your favorite!” Just then, Rumble presented a plate of yummies before her. Fried eggs and a bowl of oats with sliced apples, a glass of orange juice, and one of Pinkie Pie’s famous cupcakes. Nyx’s eyes drank in the scene. She looked up at Rumble with gratitude. “You didn’t have to… Thank you. You’re the best.” Despite her words, Nyx’s expression betrayed her troubled feelings, though she tried to hide it by clearly enjoying her meal. Rumble sat down beside Nyx at the table with his own breakfast, studying her for a moment rather than digging straight into his meal like usual. Nyx avoided the eye contact at first, feeling a little bit vulnerable. “Rough night, huh?” he said before taking a bite then speaking with his mouth full. “Wanna talk about it?” Nyx suppressed a smile at his table manners. And no, she really didn’t want to talk about it. Of course she trusted Rumble and Flitter with her troubles, but these nightmares were… well, they each struck hard at the core of who she was. And in every one of them, she had failed in some way. This latest one had been the worst. “I’ll tell you later.” Nyx dived into her food, stuffing a slice of apple in her mouth. “But yeah, not one of my favorites.” Rumble waited a moment for her to elaborate. He scratched behind his ear and raised an eyebrow. “Because of the battle yesterday?” Nyx glanced toward him from her plate, uncertain she was ready to go there. “No… It was another nightmare,” she said with resignation, staring at the table as she ate. Rumble regarded her. He seemed like he was about to say something, then thought better of it as he continued to eat. After a while, he spoke up. “Thunderlane tells me he’s available for some more war games this week if we want to do some training.” Her eyes flicked to meet his for an instant before returning to her plate. She said nothing. “I was thinking today we could do a scouting run,” he continued. “Maybe work out the bugs in the T.E.I. detection spell. Then maybe head back to that zebra camp we cleared out by Appaloosa and scavenge for supplies.” “Mhmm.” Nyx didn’t look up. Rumble studied her for a bit longer. “Or… we could take the day off and have a picnic.” Nyx stopped eating and paused a moment before looking up at him, a smile finally overcoming her serious mood. “I love you so much,” she said. He really was trying. Why was it so hard for her to open up about this? “Listen, I just… need to work out my feelings about some things. I need some time to gather my thoughts.” “Nyx, why don’t you go lie down on the couch. We’ll wrap up here.” Rumble gestured toward the lounge, opposite the kitchen. “No, I couldn’t. You’ve already—” Nyx protested. “Nope. Go on, we got this,” Rumble insisted, glancing at Flitter as he began collecting plates. After turning to leave, she grinned mischievously as she felt her stallion’s eyes following her jet-black rump. With a swish of her tail, she heard a whistle of appreciation then looked over her shoulder to meet his gaze. Rumble let out a happy sigh. “You know I’ll never get over that sight.” A glance toward Flitter showed that the changeling was getting her breakfast as well, the love in the air producing a contented look on her face. Her family was awesome. Stretched out on the couch, Nyx stared up at the ceiling, deep in thought and trying to ignore her stomach tying itself in knots. As she thought of her recent dreams, especially last night’s, she felt an overwhelming sense of dread. It was as if something terrible was lurking in the shadows of her consciousness, just out of sight. Would her friends understand? How should she describe it? Maybe she was making too big a deal and should just forget about it. It wasn’t long before Flitter and Rumble joined her in the lounge. Flitter took the plush chair across from her, while Rumble grabbed a grenade from his tinker table and plopped down on the beanbag chair at the far side of the room. He idly twirled the explosive device between his hooves. Flitter looked at him sideways. “You do realize you make other ponies nervous when you do that, right?” “Hm? Oh, this?” He tossed the grenade to Flitter. “That’s part of the fun.” Flitter caught the weapon, shook her head with a smile, then tossed it back. “Not everypony knows you like we do, featherbrain.” Rumble feigned offence and preened a flight feather between his teeth. “I’ll have you know my feathers are firmly attached to my wings. And my safety latches are firmly attached to my grenades.” He clipped the weapon to his tinker harness with a grin. Flitter laughed. “Same colt I knew all those years ago, clearly.” The soft chuckle from Nyx attracted Rumble’s gaze, his expression petitioning her to side with him. At this, she sat upright on the couch and scooted over, patting the cushion next to her with a hoof. Rumble eagerly hopped up off the beanbag and joined Nyx at her side. “How you feeling?” Rumble asked as he settled into the couch, close to Nyx. “Better,” came her reply. She was better, wasn’t she? They could all just move on with their day. No big deal. “So, what happened last night?” he asked. Well, it was worth a shot. She stared at the floor in the middle of the lounge, unsure how to say it—unsure if she should say it. “It was worse this time,” she admitted with a sigh. “Same nightmare pattern as before. It’s like I’m in some kind of terrible danger that I have to get away from. Only no matter what I do, I can’t escape.” “Like the one in the maze?” Flitter asked. “No. This time, something was chasing me through a forest. Something horrible. I just couldn’t get away.” She could feel Rumble softly leaning into her before he spoke. “Did you get out?” he asked. Nyx looked back at him with tears in her eyes. “Yeah.” “Well, that’s good,” Rumble said. A pause, then he glanced back to Flitter. “That’s a good thing. Right?” A subtle scowl from Flitter, along with a head gesture, told him to pay attention. Nyx wasn’t mad at him, of course; she loved him too much for that. Rumble once again turned to face her, concern written on his face. Should she tell them? Nyx wrestled with her feelings, aware that her changeling friend could sense them. A tear rolled down her cheek, her hoof wiping it away as she directed her gaze into the distance. “I did get away,” she began. “But I don’t remember everything. Something changed. I became… something else. And yet, something that already I am. I’m not sure how to explain it.” “Nyx, really, you don't—” Flitter tried. “I was able to destroy what had been chasing me,” Nyx continued, cutting her off. “It was so easy. Like a thought, and I was safe.” Safe, at last… The memory flashed before her, causing more tears as her body shuddered. Rumble put his hoof over Nyx’s shoulder and pulled her close, looking into her eyes. Nyx locked her gaze onto his. “Everypony. All dead. All the towns were… I think… I think I made it happen.” Rumble held her close. “A dream, hon. It’s okay. You didn’t hurt anyone.” Nyx leaned into him, looking across to make eye contact with Flitter before looking down toward the floor, feeling awkward. “I feel like these dreams are trying to make me question who or… what I actually am.” “Because you did things you wouldn’t do in real life?” Flitter asked. Nyx gave the question some thought. It wasn’t like usual dreams where one does strange things. There was a pattern to them. “Not really,” she replied. “It feels… I don’t know. Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe I’m trying to rationalize something that just isn’t going to make sense.” “Dreams are like that a lot of times,” Rumble commented, pulling back to look into her eyes once more. “One time I dreamed I was running down a hill from a giant donut. I didn’t realize at the time how absurd it was not to use my wings.” Nyx studied him for a moment before snerking in laughter and toppling over into him. She came to rest on her back with her head nestled in the crook between his belly and thigh, looking up at his face. “If you’re struggling with keeping your identity grounded, that’s why your mom taught us how to visit your old memories, right? Maybe we need to spend some more time in that pretty head of yours.” He brushed part of her mane out of her eyes with a hoof. Nyx blushed. He was sweet. And yes, the memory therapy had helped; he may have a point there. She closed her eyes, basking in the comfort. Maybe she had just been pushing herself too hard lately. She rested there, cuddling for a few minutes, and comforted herself with his presence while he stroked a hoof through her mane. “You know,” Flitter spoke up. “If you keep having these dreams, maybe you should talk with Luna about them. I bet she could help.” “That’s actually not a bad idea,” Nyx said, smiling as she reached up to run a hoof along Rumble’s jawline. “Although we’re not exactly… Well, I haven’t seen Luna in months. I’m sure she’s got much more important—” A tap on her forehead from Rumble’s hoof reminded her not to think like that. “Sorry. If there’s a chance, I’ll talk with her. Deal?” “Feel better now?” Rumble asked with a knowing grin. “I do. I just need one more thing—a change of scenery. Let’s go flying!”