//------------------------------// // Don't Kill A Messager // Story: Imperial Revision // by The Sound of Loneliness //------------------------------// “Sister, arrest her!” Daybreaker pointed to Nightmare’s side where Twilight huddled uneasily. "I tell you again, she is in league with that traitor! I heard them plotting against you together!" “Sister, we do not punish our ponies for simply having associations,” the onyx mare spread her wing, covering Twilight from her sister’s burning gaze. “But, Nightmare! How much more does it take for you to realize your folly!?” Daybreaker voiced out, widening her eyes in indignation. “Sister, I will not suffer your ridiculous accusations any longer. We have somewhere to be,” the black mare stated with the practiced, flat tone of a judicator. Daybreaker opened her mouth to counter, but changed her mind after receiving a glare from Nightmare. The white mare gave Nightmare a little bow and trotted away, her tail nervously twitching side to side, giving away her irritation. Nightmare proceeded to fold her wing back to her side. “Forgive her, Twilight,” Nightmare said after Daybreaker left their view. “My sister is very troubled.” “I think I can tell, Your Majesty. Can I ask you something?” Nightmare Moon lifted her brow at Twilight, but did not refuse. As good as permission coming from her, “Your Majesty, why won’t you let me get the girls and… make Princess Celestia return? We can do that, I think.” “Twilight, I am afraid we can’t do that,” Nightmare Moon sighed. “This is a lot more complicated than just shooting rainbow beams at ponies. There is a good reason why my sister is like this.” “Because she is a malignant parasite who stole a pony’s body? ...Oh! I am sorry, Your Majesty!” Twilight dropped her eyes to the floor, Nightmare Moon gently lifted her chin up again. “You are right, Twilight,” the Empress admitted. “My kind plant themselves in the minds of other creatures and feed of our hosts, eventually overtaking their body. Sadly, we do not have a choice in the matter, even less so than our hosts. We rely on others for our very existence, Twilight. Unless we can successfully subjugate another, we are forever left as prisoners with no control over our own destiny and forever trapped inside someone else’s body. My sister spent a thousand years with a pony who wanted little more than to never see her free. “To her, Celestia is a torturer, Twilight.” “T-torturer?! But Princess Celestia would never harm another person… unless she has to.” “Princess Celestia absolutely had to, Twilight. My sister would go to any length to walk free from Celestia’s chains, but she never had a chance to break free. Celestia was too strong-willed. Even in her worst hours, she was still strong enough to fend off.” “Unlike Luna?” “Unlike Luna,” Nightmare Moon echoed sadly. “I am afraid you cannot bring Celestia back any longer. I… saw the moment Twilight. When Celestia looked at Luna’s lifeless body, something inside her snapped. I don’t think she wants to be back here. “I can no longer sense her dreams," Nightmare Moon continued morbidly. "It seems, my sister has pushed Celestia’s consciousness to the fringes of her mind. Possibly to her earliest memories. She is where she always wanted to be, Twilight -- with Luna.” “I... understand.” Twilight breathed out, barely holding back her tears. “Be patient with my sister. She may be troublesome and mouthy, but in the end, she is a very sad mare. She already suffered for all her sins, Celestia made sure of this.” Suddenly Nightmare Moon's own eyes began to water, she proceeded to dry them with her hoof, “And when you will hear a voice in your own head, Twilight, please, do not be cruel to her. She only wants to live, just as you do, do not blame her for being forced to struggle for her right to do so. Can you promise me this much?” Twilight nodded her head lightly, earning herself a rare and grateful smile. “We shall go now, the petitioners waited long enough.” “Your Majesty, I have one more question. Should I have a look into the nature of… you? Maybe I could...” Nightmare Moon looked away from Twilight, peering into a window instead. “Do you seek do undermine my kind, Twilight?” The question, straight and sharp like a blade, made Twilight instantly panic. “No! This is not--” “Do it, Twilight.” Nightmare Moon stopped her in the same cool tone. “W-what?” “We are pitiful creatures, Twilight,” the onyx mare explained, turning her attention back to Twilight again. “It is better to die than to live eternally without any control over your fate. I believe this is something all of my sisters would agree with," Nightmare Moon finished with a long sigh. "Let us go now, we have labors to finish.” “This is not all, Your Majesty,” the Minister of War bowed cautiously. “I fear we need more numbers in Tenochtitlan Basin.” Nightmare Moon suddenly smiled over from her throne. “Do jungle savages give Imperial garrisons trouble, General?” the Empress said, holding back laughter. “Of course not! They simply do not have enough boots in the field to chase them all down!” Nightmare Moon glanced at Twilight, sitting at her side on a comfy chair. Twilight understood the signal and got ready to write down notes. “Remind me, General, how come the Imperial Army found itself struggling to hold their positions in the south-eastern region in the first place? I do not recall jungle denizens declaring war on us.” “They claim we are building fortifications over some ancient burial site,” the Minister answered without blinking an eye. “Engineering Corps discovered no remains in the vicinity neither when initially exploring the area nor enacting the earthworks.” “Hmm...” Nightmare Moon turned her head to Twilight, “What do you think, Twilight?” “Me?” Twilight blinked. Nightmare Moon confirmed her question with a nod. “I… Well, I don’t know. I don’t think I know enough about military matters, Your Majesty.” “But this is not a military matter, Twilight. We are not at war as of yet.” The Princess pressed a hoof to her chin. “Do you want me to resolve this peacefully? But… I don’t see how; if what General says is true, then it is already too late for negotiations.” “You are correct, Twilight.” The response confused Twilight even more, “Continue.” “I… don’t know, Empress, I am not quali--” “Twilight,” Nightmare Moon forcefully stopped her Princess. “Please, continue your thought.” Now Twilight found herself completely dumbfounded, facing the delighted smile of her fellow royal mare. Was Nightmare Moon playing with her? “...Well, if the negotiations are no longer an option...” Nightmare Moon nodded, “and there isn’t the option of simply moving the construction site...” another approving nod, “then the jungle dwellers have to be either demonstrated wrong in their accusations or pushed back.” “Good, Twilight. Which option is better?” “Well, it wouldn’t be very good to chase them out of their homes...” Twilight grabbed her head with both of her hooves, her mind working to solve the puzzle, “Dig it up!” Twilight suddenly exclaimed, the answer seeming so obvious now. “Dig up the entire site! Dig it and leave it like that, let the locals examine it; when they find no burials, they will leave the site alone!” “Excellent, Twilight!” Nightmare Moon congratulated, sounding satisfied. “Well, you heard your Princess!” the black mare turned back to the rather bewildered Minister. “Assign the Experimental Aerial Warfare unit to the region, they could use some flying practice while spreading the message.” “Yes, Your Majesty,” the Minister bowed again and promptly disappeared through the throne room doors. “Now, I believe we have a changeling delegation seeking to… Twilight, what was it?” Twilight flipped her notebook a few pages back, “They want to negotiate Queen Chrysalis’ release, Your Majesty.” Nightmare Moon bit her lip, “Call them in,” she asked Sergeant Shoes, who swiftly went to the doors. Nightmare Moon used the moment to gesture Twilight to get closer, “Twilight, there is something you need to know for this one,” the mare whispered in Twilight’s ear. “Chrysalis isn’t in my custody.” The Guard soon returned, leading three changeling officers in uniforms, all bearing awards. A black wooden box floated behind them. The Empress peered at each one’s face. Curiously, Twilight noted, none of them looked away. Picked for their bravery? “Your Majesty, I am Colonel Mantis,” the foremost changeling slightly bowed. “This is Captain Mayfly and Major Thysbe.” Both changelings bowed politely following their introduction, “We are here on behalf of General Pharynx to request your permission to collect our Queen,” the Colonel declared straightforwardly. “So I was told,” Nightmare Moon acknowledged. “Colonel, tell me: do you understand what you are asking for?” “We do, Your Majesty. Our Queen is your sworn enemy, but I have the authorization to assure you that she will not be allowed to regain her authority. You may see to it yourself.” The officer nodded at the Sergeant, who never moved out of hooves reach from him. “Colonel, forgive me for my curiosity, but didn’t your General declare Queen Chrysalis to be an enemy of your kind? My understanding was so that he was content with the Queen residing inside my dungeon.” “I am afraid this is no longer acceptable, Your Majesty. We require a Queen for our reproduction cycle,” the Colonel explained without a hint of hesitation. "We scoured the remaining hives, but our Queen left no place for possible competition. She didn't leave a single royal egg." “I see.” Nightmare Moon nodded slowly, “What are you willing to offer in exchange?” Mantis gestured Thrysbe to his side, calling the Major forth. The changeling lit his horn in the signature green and the box floated forward together with him. Twilight leaned forward on her chair to have a better look at the container. The ebony box was not particularly richly decorated, but it was beautifully carved with the images of the stars and moon. “Your Majesty,” the Colonel respectfully bowed again. “We present to you this tribute.” Mantis proceeded to open the box, revealing blue velvet inside. Twilight’s jaw dropped as the Colonel lifted up the most majestic piece of jewelry Twilight had ever seen in her entire life. The changelings brought a crown! The shimmering silver band was dotted with tiny sapphires, while the upper spines were decorated with crescent and star-shaped diamonds, all concluding in a forward-most, perfectly round gem. Twilight started to count the costs of making something this incredible, but quickly realized how redundant it was. This jewel was a priceless work of art! The changelings were not finished yet. Captain Mayfly stepped forwards next and lifted up of the box another jewel. Again, a crown but this time, it was made of pure gold. Considerably smaller and having fewer gems, it still was inscribed with numerous stars and dotted with many rubies and a single emerald right at the forehead, symbolizing that rarest moment to be seen at sundown. Mantis gave the Imperial crown to the dazzled Baron and dove inside the box once again, this time emerging with another golden band with more rubies on it, this time heart-shaped. Lastly, Thrysbe pulled out the last marvel. It was clearly meant for Twilight—it wasn’t grand, on par with Cadance’s, attributing to the two of them being the younger royalty at the court. But Twilight still adored it! Her own crown was golden, just like Cadance’s and… the memory of Huffy immediately soured Twilight’s mood. The rest of the moment’s magic was immediately swooped away by the sudden burst of Nightmare Moon’s cackle. Twilight sharply turned her head at to the side and discovered her monarch openly laughing in a way Twilight hadn’t heard her do in years. Her laugh wasn’t the soft chuckle Twilight was growing accustomed to, but the very same haunting, mocking cackle Twilight still remembered in detail from the fateful night a decade ago. Casting a glance at Baron, he seemed to Twilight just as stunned as herself—even the changelings weren’t indifferent, shifting from hoof to hoof while Nightmare Moon continued cackling at them. “I-I am s-sorry, e-everyone!” the onyx mare finally managed to take a hold of herself and close her fanged maw back to a more dignified measure. “You must be the bravest Pharynx had in his store.” Nightmare Moon wiped tears from her eyes and suddenly dished out one of her deathly glares; Twilight felt lump gathering in her throat and shiver running down her spine, that look never meant anything good, “I do not recall anyone trying to bribe me this brazenly before!” The royal pony’s voice was practically swelling with indignation and anger. Baron, still holding the jewel, rushed towards the doors to call the Guards stationed outside. “Your General will soon learn exactly why he shouldn’t insult his betters!” Nightmare Moon rumbled, spurring up from her throne. “Twilight! Find my sister, I have a mission for her, for once her tendencies will serve a purpose. And this offense I will deal with myself!” Twilight heard the order clearly, but could make herself move, so stunning the display was. But Nightmare Moon paid her no further attention. All three changelings immediately dropped down in bows, somehow managing not to drop the marvellous jewels on the floor, “Your Majesty, I beg for your forgiveness! We meant no insult! General Pharynx believed tribute to be the adequate way of compensating for our Queen’s release into his own custody!” “Did he now?” Nightmare Moon continued to rumble. “And what did he want to say with this? That I am so cheap as to sell off my loathed enemy for a few trinkets and an honest word, and a changeling's one at that?!” Honor Guard Sergeant returned with a squad of regular Guards, already bearing rifles, “Find a better excuse, you have one more chance!” Something wasn’t right. Nightmare Moon had told Twilight to bring Huffy, yet didn’t react to her openly disobeying. She couldn't have missed Twilight not moving an inch, it's just wasn't like the Empress. More to it, she was threatening the officers over insulting her with trying to pay her for the Queen she didn’t even have in her dungeon anyone. Nightmare Moon was playing the changelings for fools! “I… I beg for your forgiveness!” Mantis lamented again. “We had no understanding of this custom seen as insulting by ponies! Allow us a chance to rectify our fault! Your subjects praise you for your mercy and magnanimity!” “Ugh! Why do you, primitives, must be this tiresome? Yes… there is something you may do to ‘rectify’ this insult. Colonel Mantis, my administration believes you still have an operational infiltration company, is this correct?“ “Yes, Your Majesty! I command thirty-six more trained infiltrators! They are ready for any mission you have for them!” “I have an enemy, Colonel. A distant, but no less dangerous one. Have you heard of Mount Aris by any chance?” “The Land of Hippogriffs, Your Majesty!” the Colonel responded after a second of hesitation. “Yes, you are correct. I require your aid in acquiring intelligence, Hippogriffs won’t let any of my own agents close to their city. Find out everything about them. How many soldiers they have, how well they are trained and armed, what is the state of their fortifications. I want to know everything!” Nightmare Moon emphasized with a stomp of her hoof. “It shall be done, Your Majesty!” Mantis immediately gabbled. “Now get out of my sight… and leave your trinkets, I shall find uses for them.” “I don’t know what to say, Your Majesty,” Twilight said after the changelings’ rapid departure together with the arrived Guards, leaving only Baron behind, who now held the box in his hooves. “I never thought a changeling could be this terrified.” Nightmare Moon laughed again, to Twilight’s relief, softly. “Simpletons, like these, are very easy to scare, Twilight. Once you intimidate them enough, you can make them do whatever you want.” Twilight glanced cautiously at Baron, who tried his best to hide in the plain sight, “But… why?” Twilight lowered her tone, “Your Majesty, if you wanted them to gather intel for you, couldn’t you simply give a word to Pharynx?” “Why?” Baron suddenly found the box being pulled off his grasp, engulfed in blue aura, “Look.” Nightmare Moon flung the top open, showing Twilight the magnificent jewellery again, “Twilight, these fools ended up paying me for a chance to do my bidding! I have these and a way to spy on Novo while not giving them anything in return!” Nightmare Moon delightedly explained, her fangs sticking out of her grinning mouth. “But… Your Majesty! Why this treachery?” Twilight found her eyes suddenly tearing up. “They didn’t do anything to deserve this! They only came to get their mother back!” The grin immediately disappeared from Nightmare Moon’s face, “Twilight, this is politics. This is how it is done. If I won’t do what I must to achieve my goals, my enemies surely will achieve theirs! I couldn’t just tell them that I don’t have their Queen anymore!” “Why couldn’t you?! They deserved to know!” “She is dead,” Nightmare Moon grimly blurted. “What?! Did you-” “No, Twilight. I didn’t do anything to her. I let her go, where do you think that recipe book appeared from? Chrysalis bought her own freedom. Shadow was the one who made the deed on her own consent, she reported so.” “Shadow murdered Chrysalis?!” Twilight felt her head suddenly getting a spin. “She killed her, Twilight. Chrysalis tried to take revenge on Shadow for choosing me over her, Shadow was only defending herself.” “Then… the changelings-” “A dead race, yes, Twilight. Do you see now why I couldn’t simply tell them?” Nightmare Moon waved her hoof at the doors. “Oh no!” the only thing Twilight managed to say. “Call in the next one, whoever that is,” Nightmare Moon ordered Barom turning away from Twilight sharply. The Guard obediently went for the door. “I am sorry it has to be this way, Twilight.” “Was it always this way, Your Majesty?” “Yes, it was,” Nightmare Moon grimly confirmed. “I am sorry, darlings, official Imperial business!” the familiar voice drew their attention to the guests again. Baron hesitantly stepped back from the doors, letting in Rarity followed by a pony Twilight didn’t see before carrying Philomena on one of his back. Nightmare Moon immediately leaned forward. As soon as the doors were shut tightly again, Rarity hurried her guest forward. “Your Majesty,” the stallion deeply bowed. “Thorax, where is Shadow?” Nightmare Moon asked, sounding more worried than Twilight ever heard before. “I don’t know, Your Majesty! I am sorry! We were… on a mission, following Miss Rarity to the ruins in the Everfree Forest,” Rarity shivered, “when Shadow noticed your sister, following closely behind. I lead her away from the ruins and lost her in the Forest but...” Nightmare Moon's eye twitched.