//------------------------------// // Two Wardens Stuck in a Prison of Their Own Design // Story: Fractured Moon // by DefiantPosition //------------------------------// Starry Glory is nervously pacing back and forward inside the communication centre of the Lunar Castle. Nightmare Moon had made it very clear to him that she wanted to see Rarity's corpse. This presented a big problem for Starry because he had ordered the Night Guard to just take Rarity and Stars Whirl into the Everfree forest and shoot them, he never specified a specific location. So he has no idea where they are. He watches outside through on of the the windows, sweat slowly dripping down from his face. Starry had sent a message to Colonel Speck of the Night Guard asking for Rarity's location and Starry is anxiously waiting for a reply. He still cannot understand why Nightmare Moon is so angry at him. Everything he has don he has done to help the batponies of Equestria, this is also the reason why Nightmare Moon accepted his help, why she choose his path instead of Rarity's. Yet now Nightmare Moon is mad at him for that same reason. But altho Starry can't understand why Nightmare Moon is mad at him he isn't stupid, he knows that making her even more angry will only decrease his chances of surviving this ordeal. He again starts to pace back and forth nervously, waiting for some information he can give to Nightmare Moon. After a couple of minutes that feel like an eternity to Starry Glory one of the radio operators calls out to him. Meanwhile Nightmare Moon is standing in the hallway. She is completely still, like a statue, but it would be a mistake to think that she isn't doing anything. The all-powerful queen of the Lunar Empire is silent grieving the loss of her only friend. Sure she has colleagues that she gets along well, but they are just that, colleagues, creatures that she has to work with. Other than Rarity there isn't anyone else that she can just talk to. Nightmare Moon wonders if she ever told Rarity how much she means to her. She did give Rarity that expensive bottle of wine a couple of days ago, but other than that did she ever express her friendship towards Rarity? Did she do anything to help Rarity? She did promote Rarity to governess of the Crystal Empire and she did give her a place on the Night Guard counsel. A slight smile start to appear in Nightmare Moon's face, maybe she wasn't such a bad friend after all. Her smile quickly disappears as she remembers that Rarity's involvement in the counsel was what lead to her death today. Nightmare Moon stomps the floor violently and gazes angrily at the door to the communication centre, behind which is the one responsible for Rarity's death. Nightmare Moon looks at the floor where a large crack is protruding from underneath her hoof. It doesn't matter anymore, no amount of violence will bring Rarity back. All she can do now is pay her respect to Rarity and give her the proper burial that she deserves. Then she will deal with Starry Glory. Nightmare Moon's ears twitch as she hears the sound of a door opening. Starry Glory walks out of the room and towards the queen. He is nervously shuffling his hooves, unable to say even a single word. He can't even bring himself to look Nightmare Moon in the eyes, instead they are constantly darting around the hallway, everywhere but her. Nightmare Moon scowls at Starry Glory. "Well? Are you finally going to say something or will you continue to waste my time." She spits with venom in her voice. Starry Glory is still unable to look at Nightmare Moon. "We- uhm we are experiencing some unforeseen problems that have prohibited us from carrying out the assignment you have given to us." Nightmare Moon's frown becomes even more pronounced. She steps closer to Starry Glory and lifts his face up with her hoof, forcing him to look her in the eyes, and she begins to speak in a very soft but also emotionless way. "You are going to tell me what is wrong right now. If you don't then I will make you suffer more than any creature in the history of this world has ever suffered. Do you understand?" Starry Glory nods and gulps. "The problem is that we can't find Rarity's body." "What!?" Nightmare Moon's eyes widen for a split second before turning into an angry gaze directed at the batpony in front of her. Starry Glory quickly begins to walk backwards as Nightmare Moon is stepping closer and closer to him. She looks more intimidating and angry than he has ever seen her before. It doesn't take long before his hooves hit a wall and he can't move backwards any more. "I-I-I have lost contact with the unit that killed her. But I can send someone to go look for them and reestablish contact." Starry stammers. Nightmare Moon takes a few steps backwards, giving Starry Glory some space. "We will both go but remember this, if we don't find Rarity's corpse then I will make sure that your's will also be lost forever." She snarls before marching off. Starry follows her very closely. As the two walk through the forest Starry Glory finds that it looks a lot more intimidating than he remembers or maybe it is just the very angry alicorn walking next to him, he can't tell which. The thick foliage of the different trees and bushes form an almost impregnable wall around him and the branches of the trees arc up above him, trapping him on the ground. He is trapped. Realising the severity of his situation and that he may not get another chance to ask, the batpony decides to finally ask a question that has been bothering him from the beginning of this great undertaking of his. Nightmare Moon is stoically looking forward. Starry takes a deep breath before speaking his mind. "I know Rarity was your friend but surely you of all creatures should know how important it is to prioritise the cause above any kind of personal attachments. After it was you who overthrew you own sister because she was getting in the way of all of our plans. And you made me a part of your cause because you realised that the tools of war are stronger than the magic of friendship and violence was the way forward." At this point Starry Glory has Nightmare Moon's undivided attention for better or for worse. Yet he can't yet make out how she feels, her face is as emotionless as it can be. Starry realises that he can't stop now. "So why then are you so angry at me when I am doing the exact same thing as we did three years ago and what you wanted me to do?" Nightmare Moon stops. "Don't you dare blame this on me! You murdered Rarity not me!" She yells Starry Glory wonders if he should continue but decides that since Nightmare Moon is already angry he can at least properly explain why he did what he did. "But you wanted me to use violence. When I approached you and Rarity that is all I brought to the table, blood and the promise of a new empire, and you said yes. You never stopped me once, you always allowed me to wage war how I saw fit. Because we both realised that we needed to be ruthless to win the war. Never did you cry for Celestia's soldiers dying in the fields and streets of Equestria because they where the enemy. Rarity was doing exactly what Celestia was doing, stopping us from achieving our goals, and I handled her the same way I handled Celestia's soldiers. Yet now it is suddenly wrong. What changed? "What changed!? Back then it was necessary, we needed to overthrow Celestia because, although it brought me great pain doing so, it was necessary to help all those batponies living in the gutter and being mistreated by their bosses. I choose to listen to you instead of Rarity because peaceful solutions didn't work and I wasn't going to do nothing. But what you did today wasn't necessary and even if it was you should have come to me first, Rarity was my friend and I should have been the one to decide what happens." Deep down however, Nightmare Moon feels the complete opposite, but she isn't going to give Starry Glory the satisfaction. She is suddenly reminded to what Celestia told her, "You on the other hoof have taught them violence so violence they will use and unless you change you teachings no creature can change that." The words keep echoing through her head. Was Celestia right? is she herself responsible for Rarity's death? Is this perhaps a cruel punishment by fate? to see the empire that she build tear itself apart and being unable to stop it because she is the cause of it all. Is this also what Celestia experienced with the treatment of batponies? simply being unable to stop it from happening no matter how hard she tried. It pains Nightmare Moon to realise that right now she just as much of a prisoner as Celestia in her cell. They are both alone and unable to change anything. She wonders if this is way Celestia doesn't break, she may be in the most horrible prison imaginable, a place designed purely for suffering, but she is finally free from responsibility. Whereas she herself living in a luxurious castle is more imprisoned than her own sister. Nightmare Moon shakes her head. NO!. She refuses to be a prisoner, as long as she lives she will try to do good, she will not sit idly by and do nothing. Rarity would have wanted her to continue and try to make the Lunar Empire a better place for all creatures, so that is what she will do. Nightmare Moon stoically begins to march forward again, looking for Rarity.