//------------------------------// // Applechase // Story: Imperial Forclousure // by The Sound of Loneliness //------------------------------// Her old home, Nightmare Moon couldn't help but remember. She remembered walking through the hallways together with Luna, her host. It was so distant now, almost like remembering a dream. "Ma'am," Tarsus approached and stood at attention. "Speak," she ordered while continuing to refresh her memory of the house of her youth. "We have fortified the entrance with a couple of barricades and a machine gun. It should hold against a ground assault, unless they bring artillery." "There are catacombs we could use in that case, ask my sister to show you their entrances," Nightmare Moon said impassively. "Send patrols into the forest, if met with any resistance they must retreat back here immediately. Also, instruct them to watch for a primitive hut made out of straw and wood, a zebra healer once lived there. She would be most useful if we could gain her services." "Affirmative, My Lady," Tarsus saluted and turned to walk away. "Major, I would have you attach a couple to me as well. There is something I wish to see for myself and I would like a little help." "Yes, Ma'am." Nightmare Moon has been away from this place for so long. Truth was that she loved the Everfree Forest; ever since she frolicked there with Luna, a part of her always lived here. She missed being able to smell the warm summer wind carrying the scent of bark and leaves. She missed the feeling of grass touching her legs. A better time. "Faster," she said to her soldiers, clambering behind her as they tried to follow her through the thickets; their clothes and equipment getting caught on branches. The drones looked quite apprehensive; as they already had tears and scratches, and were certain to get more. Oh, the first campaign was always the most educational. "Drop in the treeline, we must not be seen just now," she told them, herself floating towards the ground to stick out less. At first sight, Ponyville didn't look at all different from what she remembered it like. Some new buildings were added, some old ones were missing. Twilight's Castle was, remarkably, still there too. It was taken care of and didn't look damaged; curious, someone still used it for some reason. She could also see that the Apple Acres were still there as well, although it wasn't merely an orchard anymore. She could remember that the family owning it were staunch traditionalists, yet now there were tractors there, parked by a concrete garage, with grain towers in the background. It seemed that even the most stubborn of them have finally seen reason. "Queen, what are we to do?" one of her changelings asked her. Nightmare cringed every time one of them called her that, but after the fifth time today, she stopped telling them off. If it brought them comfort to use that word for her, she could allow that. "Disguise yourselves: we will be scouting. There's a very important pony mare that used to live here before. I must know if she is still nearby for she is crucial to my plans. Her name is Applejack, she has a bright orange coat, a sandy mane and she always wears a hat." "But we will not be able to hide our weapons!" Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes, although she suspected that wouldn't have the same effect without a head for her eyes to roll in. "Yes, your weapons won't be hidden but armed ponies suddenly arriving at a farm would be much less noteworthy than armed changelings. Now, do as you were ordered." Her troop did without further discussion. She was satisfied with them for now. They slowly crept to the farm, Nightmare Moon chose the side away from the fields and orchard. Even then, it was strangely empty and quiet. From what she remembered about peasant life, there was always work to do around the yard and in the field. Yet there wasn't anyone working, carrying goods or doing repairs. "Something is wrong," Nightmare Moon said just loudly enough for her escort to hear her. "Check your weapons and wait, I shall go forth and signal when you are needed." She deigned not to wait for her changelings to answer and began slithering towards the farm, keeping herself close to the ground. She was starting to think that the changelings were far too blunt of a tool and would prove a liability. She floated through a remarkably modern chain fence with it proving to be no obstacle all the same. She checked buildings on the farm one by one, finding no trace of its inhabitants. On closer inspection, there were signs of struggle visible. A dropped haystack, splatered fresh dirt and hoofprints everywhere. It seems Nightmare Moon would have to play a tracker. She called her drones. "Someone took the ponies we are looking for. Check every building, search for anyone alive," she quickly gave her order, but changelings didn't move. "Go!" she barked with annoyance. Her changelings snapped into action and galloped to do her bidding, leaving her to contemplate this unexpected turn of events. She had absolutely no understanding just where or why her old acquaintance was taken, perhaps the new leadership is much less lenient to dissent than she was. She was certainly not going to owe any favors to Cadance's child with how little information she offered. She tried looking for tracks leaving the area, but there was not enough to determine their direction. She would have to send more of her troopers to scout and search for where Applejack and her relatives could've been taken. "My Queen!" one of her changelings hailed her. He had with him a rough-looking mare with a deep red coat, plentiful scars and a broken horn. In her mouth, there was a self-made tobacco wrap. "I found her sitting inside the estate, she said she was waiting." "Hi," the mare said calmly. "Was wondering when you finally show up, been waiting a lot longer than I am used to." Nightmare Moon looked at the mare with suspicion, "Your ambush was poor." The mare chuckled, her wrap almost falling out of her mouth, "They didn't tell me you were a joker. But no, no ambush." "You want to talk to me then. I am tired of playing games." The mare shrugged, "That's what they paid me for." "Deliver your message," Nightmare Moon sighed. "They told me to show you where you can find the folks who lived here. They knew you'd come looking." "And why would I trust you? Your employers were hardly inconspicuous enough to leave to trace. Otherwise, why would they pay you if they want me to find where they are kept? They could have simply left them here. This looks too much like a ploy, you must see that." "I don't know," the mare shrugged again. "I just told you what they paid me to tell you. I already have my money so I don't really care if you believe me or not." "Ugh! Mercenaries..." Nightmare Moon winced in contempt. "Hey! It's 'private contractor,' a respectable business." "I think not, mercenary filth!" Nightmare Moon held a pause to recenter, "Do as you were told to do, lead me to where you say you will," Nightmare Moon looked past the pony at her drone instead. "You, find your sisters. We are moving again." "Is this it?" Nightmare Moon skeptically asked. The pony led them to the middle of nowhere in the plains just outside Ponyville, Nightmare Moon used to enjoy watching these from the windows of her Palace. "You better not have wasted my time, mercenary." "That wasn't part of the job," the mare dryly said. "There's a trapdoor here somewhere. They enchanted it so it can't be seen." "Of course they did..." Nightmare Moon deeply sighed. "Well then, spread out and find it." "My Queen, if I may, we can sense illusions if you would like us to..." one of her drones coyly suggested. "Please do. The sooner we have our target, the quicker we can return." The drones visibly cast no magic and didn't even break their disguises, yet the trapdoor was indeed found. Upon being pulled open it revealed a grim hole with a ladder going downwards. "Well, since my job here is done I hope you don't mind if I head out?" the mare asked. "Not so fast. I shall see for myself exactly what is down there and you are coming with me," Nightmare Moon chided. "Well..." she looked at four armed soldiers all looking at her. "I suppose I can stay a bit longer." "Excellent. Now, if you would be so kind, after you." The dugout was a remarkable achievement even before it was enhanced with the invisible door. It was a well-disguised bunker and while being a simple concrete box, it was still far better than makeshift. It had a table, chairs, beds and a storeroom but with only oil for lighting. Electrical lighting would require generators, she supposed. She wasn't bothered by the dark all the same. "Open that door," she pointed at the heavy metal door at the end of the room. The drones shared a short stare and three of them approached the door. One of them checked the handle and simply pulled. The door creaked open. One of the drones pulled out her flashlight. "There are ponies here," she said. "See, told you," the red mare said smugly. "I always keep my end of the bargain." "Shush, you," Nightmare Moon sharply hissed. She silently floated to the room, inside there were a dozen ponies tied up with simple ropes, they were also blindfolded and gagged. Unfazed, Nightmare Moon began going through the prisoners one by one. To her relief, she found whom she was searching for. She reached behind Applejack's head and undid her gag. "I ain't tellin' ya a thing!" were the first words out of her mouth. "Not one thing, ya hear me!" "Ugh! As charming as ever," Nightmare said, starting to undo the blindfold. Her voice made the farmer go silent. "No! No-no-no! Ur dead! Ur dead!" Applejack babbled. "I saw ya die, I saw ya die!" "I can assure you, you are quite correct. I am very much dead! Now, if you are done stating the obvious, you can help me to understand why exactly you were put here and I shall consider whether I should rescue you." "Why would ya rescue me? Yer goons put us 'ere in de first place!" "My 'goons', Applejack?" "Ya mean ya don't know? I thought 'dem batwings sucked it up to you." "Supposedly they mean to, yes. Yet in our last encounter, that couldn't have been further from the truth." "So, you gonna untie us, or what? We got work to do, soon 'dem commissar will come checking." "I could. You are not going back, however. I have need of you." "Oh, fiddlesticks! Why did I even bother askin'? Fine!" "Untie them," Nightmare Moon moved away. "I will have a very enlightening discussion with you shortly, Applejack." Nightmare Moon retreated out of the room before she could hear any of Applejack's honestly quite tiresome retorts. She was a fool and a stubborn one at that, but she was needed. Nightmare Moon's train of thought abruptly cut short. There, in the room, there was someone waiting for her. Nightmare Moon knew this presence. "Hello, Nightmare," Luna said coolly. "All of you, out of here, now," Nightmare Moon sharply snappily ordered. Her troopers quickly cut the binds and indeed were out in seconds, leaving the dead to speak alone. "They still fight for you," Luna remarked, slowly walking towards the lamp and igniting it with a spark from her horn, illuminating herself in the soft glow. "It is the only thing left for them to do," Nightmare Moon explained. "A warrior without a purpose is confused and miserable." "I see you still have your mind for philosophy," Luna smiled, her long, sharp fangs poking out of her lips. "At least someone doesn't change in this place. How were you?" "Being dead is less unpleasant than I was led to imagine. It is also much less final. One of my sisters used a summoning spell using my spellbook as an anchor." "I understand. It always seems easy in retrospect, is it not?" Luna dryly chuckled. "Had I known, I would've gotten Starlight to do it." "It is not perfect," Nightmare Moon looked down upon her floating body. "Nothing ever is. I could have made Sombra do his ritual on you again. I don't think he would've refused if I asked him." "I think it suits me better like this." "More convenient?" "At times, but more of a reminder. My servants do physical work well enough." "I have heard our other sister is with you as well. How has she been? I regret not coming to speak with her, I let myself be angry at her." "You are not the only one with regrets, Luna. Daybreaker spent many years in atonement. She has taught herself discipline and restraint. I am proud of her." "I only want to meet her more now. But that is not why I waited for you here. I must know what your goal is." "I have come for you, Luna. Sombra told me you've lost your mind and needed help. I see he lied." Luna looked genuinely puzzled, "What did he tell you?" "He told me that you shut yourself in a cave and believed you were me." "Ah!" Luna openly laughed. "I see. He always believed what he wanted to believe. Another thing that never changes. I simply wanted to be alone and Sombra was not taking hints, so I ignored him." "Is it not true then that you lead the Ivory Crescent now? One of the devotees I've met seemed convinced." "Leading - no. It is not quite like that. You see, we have an agreement with Starlight Glimmer if you remember her. She had no loyalty to her and took power when she saw it. I think you would've approved of her methods. Starlight leads the cult and shapes it into whatever she wishes it to be, which is usually acquiring more power. While I publicly show her my support as my high priestess and gain some of her resources for my own interests." "A deft manoeuver." "I am glad you like it as much as I do! I wanted to mimic your style." "What about your sister? Why did you not tell us this when we were at your temple. Twilight had to save her life from the injuries you have inflicted." Luna's expression soured, "How is she?" "Alive, but deeply wounded in her heart." "I had to sell the deception to the crowd. You appearing there made my situation slippery. Remember, they think I am you. I had to make them believe I hate my sister, just like their dogma teaches. It would not be productive to the goal if they knew I was lying." "Would you tell me your goal?" "To do good." "That's it?" Luna sighed, "I have always said you were better at viewing the big picture." "I don't believe it is just this. It is never this simple with you. You could have taken the throne after my death. Why didn't you?" "That is what Sombra wanted me to do. But I had no idea how to run a state! I am not you!" "You let it all fall apart just because you were afraid of responsibility?!" Nightmare Moon almost yelled. Luna visibly shrank. "I thought that someone you taught would do a better job," Luna tried to defend herself without much hope. "But we will make it right now! You are back!" "Luna, I am not here to chain myself to the throne again," Nightmare Moon deeply sighed. "I am here only for you. I had Shadow King separate our sisters, Celestia shall rule and both of us can leave this wretched land." "But she would simply go back to what she did before! She hasn't learned a thing last time I saw her!" "And was her way so bad?" "Yes, it was! Thestrals, remember what she did to them!" "Luna, forget about the past! Let us leave together, we don't need this battle anymore!" Luna sneered in disgust, "I cannot believe what I just heard. You want to abandon our ponies?! Our own subjects when they need us most? Nightmare, I cannot do this! Not again." "They are not our subjects, Luna. Duty ends in death. I will not make the same mistake twice. I will not shackle myself to the hierarchy. I am free now and so are you. Luna, please, let's just leave." "No, I cannot. Nightmare, I cannot believe you can be so callous. Even now. I thought this was behind you. Our ponies suffer! I must fight for them, if I cannot do anything else. This is my choice. I hope you will change your mind. I will send a pony to your quarters. She will be your contact with me and will give you the information I have been gathering. I hope once you see what is going on, it will change your heart. Until then, I cannot bear to listen to you any longer. Goodbye." Luna then disappeared, teleporting away just like she used to when they were little. There was something new to it now. In all their time together, Nightmare Moon didn't remember Luna rejecting her.