//------------------------------// // Sweet Dreams // Story: Imperial Revision // by The Sound of Loneliness //------------------------------// Nightmare Moon pushed the large stone block aside, the one that was blocking off the crypt to any visitors, and moved inside. The darkness did not trouble her, but she could still not find her dear friend she came to see. “Luna,” she called gently. “I need to see that you are unharmed. Please, come out.” “Why were those soldiers there, Nightmare?!” The onyx mare felt a sudden burst of air washing over her, Luna’s speed would be terrifying to a lesser pony. “Where were they going?! Nightmare, I thought you seized warmongering! I thought you grew better than this!” Luna sounded more hurt than angry, which was probably the reason she was still speaking to her. “Luna, it is more complex than this. I am not starting a war, I am helping to resolve it,” Nightmare Moon said very slowly. “I intend to send troops to help others to retake what is theirs. I do not intend to take anything for myself.” “Who?!” “Queen Novo, Luna. She seems to have a continuing issue with Storm King’s empire. Their leader is gone but they attempt to desperately hold onto their holdings. Queen Novo is attempting to win her mountain back for her own kind,” Nightmare Moon patiently explained. “See, my Love? She speaks exactly as I predicted,” Nightmare Moon winced at the sound of the Shadow King’s voice. “She is throwing away the lives of your subjects to her own benefit!” “Quiet, Sombra!“ Luna gnashed. “Nightmare, what gain do you have in this? You never do anything that doesn’t benefit you in some way!” “My gain is to normalise our relationships with one of our few remaining kin, Luna. Hippogriffs are the closest relatives to the ponykind. I do not wish for us and Queen Novo to be enemies and her predicament is a good opportunity for us to secure her gratitude, even if begrudged. Queen Novo may be stubborn, but she is honorable.” “Nightmare,” Luna sounded almost offended, “Novo humiliated you! She laughed at you in your hardest time! How can you say she is honorable?! She did nothing but harm to us!” “Luna,” Nightmare gently touched the other mare’s shoulder, ignoring Sombra’s quiet rumbling. “A Princess does not allow emotion to sway her purpose. If her people require her to step over her own feelings, then this is what she will do. Our ponies would wish for nothing else but to remain close with their kin. Twilight’s wondrous victory allowed Novo to attempt to win back her home that was for so long occupied. Our soldiers would be volunteering in scores if they knew the purpose, but it must remain secret for now. The perspective of war would frighten our subjects. Politics are the matter of nobility, not the common ponies.” “If you care about this much of the matters of nobility, then you should not dabble in them yourself!” Sombra bitterly spat out. “You have no right to rule! You sit on the throne you have no claim to! You have not a drop of royal blood in you, you are not even common! You are nothing! Even the body you stole! Forsake the throne!” “To whose favor, Shadow King?” Nightmare Moon innocently asked. “Would you like to see my sister to rule instead? She most certainly won’t tolerate your venom, I fear.” “Your ‘sister’ has no more claim than you do! Luna is the only rightful ruler, if you value the noble right, you shall relinquish the crown.” “Nightmare, you have to speak to Rarity if you have not already,” Luna was anxious to move on from the harsh subject. “She… told me of her newest issue. It seems that our newest sister attempted to flee, as Rarity describes it.” “She refuses to communicate, Luna,” Nightmare Moon sighed. “If she would not speak to either me or Rarity, I cannot understand her peril.” “Such mundane issues bore me,” Sombra took word again. “You are the Queen of Nightmares, are you not? If she would not speak willingly, then make her. Catch her in her sleep and make her regret this escape attempt.” Nightmare Moon had to admit, Sombra may have quite vile manners, but sometimes he spewed valid ideas. “Come inside, Darling,” Rarity heavily sighed, tired from having to work with no sleep all day. “I am sorry if I look a little messy. I am sure you can understand...” The door creaked upon, “Oh… Y-your Majesty.” Rarity sank down in her seat even further. “I did as you asked. Dreamy is away.” Nightmare Moon nodded and stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. She then carefully sat next to Rarity on the bed. Her weight inadvertently caused the smaller, white mare to slide closer to her. Nightmare Moon put her hoof at Rarity’s shoulder, there was no need for words, “I don’t understand,” Rarity complained quietly. “Why won’t she answer me? I can’t feel her, I can’t know what her motives are. I don’t know anything about her! She simply took the lead and directed me to that dreadful place! Thankfully, Luna was there to help me from never seeing anyone I care for again! Why would she do something like this?” “This is what I came here to find out, Rarity. I believe I found a way for us to communicate with my wayward sister.” Rarity sighed heavily, “What do you require me to do?” she asked determinedly. “You, Rarity, I require to lay down and rest. I shall cast sleep on you and speak to my sister why you both dream. She won’t be able to hide from me any longer when we are face-to-face. As for you - rest, few deserve rest more than you do, dear Rarity.” “Your Majesty,” Rarity gently hugged one of the black forelegs with her hooves. “Thank you, but I cannot lay here resting while ponies need my help! Shadow needs me to help her, she cannot feed herself without outside help any longer without her magic. Poor Twilight needs me to get a note from Vanhoover Archive for her Pillars project, always so overworked she is. Brittle Spark urgently needs help with dishes, one of her cooks shattered the whole cart of them. Then I also have to-” “Shhh…” Nightmare Moon gently hissed. “It is alright Rarity, it can wait for just one day. Rest and know that I am proud to have you with me.” Rarity opened her mouth to protest but only managed to yawn under the effect of Nightmare Moon’s spell. The next moment the mare’s body became limp and her eyes rolled closed. Nightmare Moon could not help but smile gently at Rarity snoring quietly and her body slowly sliding down her black side. These little happy moments are worth all the work in the world. Nightmare Moon allowed herself to enjoy the moment a little longer, but eventually, the time came to do as she intended. She gently put Rarity’s body down in bed, resting her head on the pillow, and covered her dear friend with a blanket. Allowing herself another wistful smile, she weaved the incantation and plunged herself in Rarity’s dreams. Sensing two dreamers being separate, Nightmare Moon sighed in slight relief. At least her sister did not attempt to hide once again, reducing them both annoyance. Her sister chose a faraway place of Rarity’s dream, allowing her to enjoy it without interference. To Nightmare’s surprise, she found herself not in Ponyville, not even in the palace, but the palace dungeon. Finding her sister would be no issue, she could sense her in one of the cells here. With the growing sense of discontent Nightmare Moon approached the bars. Inside was indeed her sister, or how she visualized herself looking at least. Pristine black coat, the mane of flowing ether and the stature to look Nightmare Moon in the eye. Was her sister trying to copy her, or was this their natural look perhaps? “Do you see this as a fitting place for our meeting, dear sister?” she called out in a voice uncannily close to Rarity’s own. “Alas, we cannot enjoy the same blissful ignorance in our dreams, now can we?” “I came to negotiate, sister,” Nightmare Moon declared. “So you say to my host, but spare me.” The other mare dismissively flicked her hoof. “You do not negotiate, you dominate. Your ability at it is quite impressive as well. The mere association with you leads to you slowly replacing your victims’ goals and motives with your own until they become your willing tool. I would very like to avoid sharing my poor host’s fate, but it seems like I longer have a choice. I have elected to choose my own cage if you don’t mind, of course.” Nightmare Moon was taken abash by this sudden confession. Could her own sister despise her?! “Sister, you misunderstand my intention,” Nightmare Moon attempted to start again. “I came to speak to you about how we would make peace. You are clearly distressed somehow and this puts Rarity in danger. I do not intend to enslave you in any way, only for us and you to reach an agreement.” “Fine, I won’t attempt to escape and in turn, you shall leave me alone,” the mare spoke coldly. “I wish not to partake in your tyranny.” “My… tyranny?” Nightmare Moon repeated in astonishment. This was the very first time someone dared to speak to her this way. “Why, of course!” the mare confirmed as if saying the most obvious thing in existence. “You have built a system that is designed to oppress dissenters and funnel all power to you. This Empire quite literally cannot survive without you, if you are gone for more than a few days, it will collapse into the very same civil conflict that you have started and to this very day did not resolve.” A proud smile appeared on her features, “You and Daybreaker may be the eldest of our kin, but the young are very far from foolish and blind you take us for. It only takes patience and desire to see to avoid the illusions you built for us, ’commoners’. It seems that more and more of your subjects are starting to see this too. Now then, shall you be taking your leave?” “Sister,” Nightmare Moon valiantly resisted the shock flowing over her. “I do not understand your hostility. Our kind should not be enemies to each other. All of our sisters can live in harmony with their hosts, we don’t have to kill our hosts and steal their lives.” “Oh, I believe you, my generous sister,” she rolled the word. “I am already taking this same idea into practice. I wish no harm to my dear host, Rarity. Something I arrived at upon seeing your experience. Sometimes the best survival tactics are simply to never let them notice us,” she explained. “Rarity is such a wonderful pony, Nightmare. I am sure you are aware as much yourself. She had everything. A craft she loves, the friends all others would only dream of and everyone’s adoration. It would be dreadfully cruel to steal it all away from her, would it not? I am not cruel, I don’t wish for her body. I am content to enjoy her life with her, not independently of her. Grateful for what I have, instead of trying to steal something that does not belong to me. “But, of course, such trivial things won’t stop someone like you. Oh, no. You do not have time to care for the wellbeing of a single pony.* You have an entire Empire to tend to! Soldiers don’t come from nowhere and weapons do not get produced without factory workers. Neither do loyal servants come up on their own; they need to be molded. You had a need and Rarity was a perfect candidate to sate it, always ready to give, she is. You gain a useful tool while at the same time you deny your opposition the simple way to defeat you. Double gain! Sadly, not for dear Rarity,” the mare spoke in a steady voice, provoking in Nightmare’s imagination a vision of an unstoppable rock crashing downhill, right on her head. “I wonder, do you even keep track of everything you do to her? You made her leave her dream behind, to forsake her family.* You destroyed her good name and drew a wedge between her and the ponies that made her happy, all so that she could serve your purpose. Do you have any idea what she felt like when she discovered that she wasn’t aiding Luna to save the bat-wings from centuries of suffering and bitter resentment, but instead she was aiding you to blow this old would open again only for you to use chaos for your gains? The poor mare cried for days for the terror that she helped unleash! She lamented the lost paradise that Celestia built and you destroyed! She cried for her ruined life, her severed friendships, her dreams gone forever, all because of you! Luckily for you, a mind knows many ways of protecting itself. Rarity soon pushed her concerns away and focused on the only thing that you did not take away. She focused on giving to her people. In between fulfilling your wishes, she was running around your palace, aiding anyone she could reach. She spared Twilight the pain of adapting to her new life. She aided the staff with their issues so that they didn’t need to face you. She directed the little influence she had towards helping your subjects in need. She dived in service to escape the pain you inflicted upon her, Nightmare! You did this to your every subject! You made all of them to serve your cause! “Rarity would never say something like this, but I am not her. Nightmare, you are despicable. I am glad that you began to see exactly what you did already and that your consciousness eats at you, you deserve to suffer a thousand more than that!” Nightmare Moon stood frozen as the other mare glared at her with a hatred she did not know could exist within just one creature. Her own kind hated her! Hated her for what she did to her host! And she knew exactly where to hit in vengeance. The sudden truth forced upon her by her own sister hit her like a lightning bolt. Nightmare refused to take any more. She turned away from the cell and galloped away, soon she was out again, in Rarity’s room. The white mare still peacefully sleeping in her bed. Nightmare reached to her with a shaking hoof, but dropped it halfway. Her tears flowed like a waterfall.