//------------------------------// // Epilogue - Gliding At Midnight // Story: A Flurry of Problems // by MelodyMori //------------------------------// “Well, that dinner could have gone better.” Cadence sighed as she cleaned up before bed, wiping the last of her makeup off at the sink. She couldn’t help but frown at the reflected sight of her altered cutie mark, now with a faint purple splotch behind the crystal heart in a strange mirror of her Aunt Luna. “What are you talking about? I think it went great, dear.” Shining poked his head into the bathroom, an adorably dumb grin on his face. “I mean, other than the obvious, but still.” “Shiny, I don’t know how to feel about all this.” Cadence’s ears flicked back as she gazed into her husband’s eyes. “Our daughter is g-gone, and I almost killed her again because I couldn’t handle that.” Shining stepped into the bathroom proper and pulled his wife into a hug. “Don’t worry Cadance, we’ll get through this together. I know it will take a while to get used to Flurry Heart being...being gone.” Shining kissed his wife’s forehead and nuzzled that same spot. “Celestia mentioned that she wants to make some kind of press release announcing Flurry Heart’s passing at the hooves of that damned changeling.” Cadance growled slightly, her muscles tensing at the word ‘changeling’. “Yes, she told me too. I don’t like the fact that she’s not letting the public know that it was Twilight.” “I don’t like it either, but with an alicorn dead I guess it wouldn’t do to shake the public’s faith in their safety anymore.” Shining shook his head in frustration. “It doesn’t help that the assassin escaped custody as well. I promise you, honey, I and my team are going to find that changeling and make sure nopony ever has to deal with her again.” Cadance couldn’t help but blink owlishly in surprise before narrowing them in concern. “Are you sure that’s a good idea, Shiny? She took down Twilight without a scratch and was able to easily escape custody.” Shining laughed and shook his head, a small smile creeping onto his face. “I may not be an alicorn, but I can handle myself. I promise honey, I will be fine.” He kissed her on the nose, earning a scrunched nose from his pink wife in response.  Nightshade sighed in some relief as she once again stepped into her abode. Once the door was locked (an oddity in Cloudsdale) and the blinds were closed she dropped her pegasus form. The pain of walking on a limb that she no longer had was getting to her, so while the phantom pain lingered at least she wasn’t walking on a stump. “For all the poking and prodding that Quick Fix did, he better come through with a nice prosthetic.” She grumbled, walking on her three legs with a bit more confidence than earlier that day.  With a huff, Nightshade passed into her living room to check on her petrified family, all three of them still sitting exactly where they were earlier. Where they’ve been since the beginning of that month. She couldn’t help but let out a tired sigh at the sight, her heart once again slowly breaking. The changeling let herself flop onto the couch, its cloud cushions cradling her exhausted form in magical softness. There was another couch perpendicular to the one she was laying on, but she preferred this one for no real reason. Her harsh glare spat from her one working eye (and her now mostly blind right eye) to the framed photo on the living room wall showing the happy family on vacation to Sandy Shores. Nightshade Midnight Strike stood in the middle, her face beaming with pride as she held her son North Star in her forehooves. The colt was trying to squirm out of her grip but thankfully once she flew up a touch to balance holding her foal and standing he calmed down. Her wife Ocean Sky sat on her left, smiling peacefully and holding a glass of wine while Nightshade’s husband and sister-in-law were much less peaceful. Sky Stinger had a foreleg around Lightning Dust’s neck, the headlock allowing him to noogie the younger pegasus at his leisure. Nightshade let out a small tired sigh, closing her eyes and letting the exhaustion deeply embedded in her form carry her off to sleep. While napping like that was counter to her usual drive, it was needed for the next phase of her ‘errands’. So she drifted off into a fitful sleep, shivering in response to her dreams. Or, more accurately, nightmares. “So, what do you think, Tia?” Luna asked her older sister in almost a whisper, one of her ears flicked back in nervousness. “I must admit, thou...you have more experience with fillies than me.” Celestia closed her eyes for a few moments, the various options weighing on her mind as she decided which one to take. With barely a moment’s thought, she levitated her teacup up and sipped the calming concoction to help her relax and eventually go to sleep. “It is quite a predicament Lulu.” Celestia opened her eyes, gazing down at her sister with a warm mix of love and concern. “Hearing and seeing things is not a situation most ponies would wish to be in. Thankfully there has been quite a lot of advancement in the field of Psychiatry, so once Storm has a chance to see a psychologist worst comes to worst we can make sure she gets the help she needs.” “That is good to hear, sister.” Luna sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “I was worried it was some kind of harbinger of her own fall to her Nightmares, or simply her revival going wrong somehow.” “I had a similar thought, what with her apparent deal with this... ’shadow figure’.” Celestia sighed, repressing the urge to rub her forehead with a hoof. “Between that and Cadance’s own account it sounds like the Nightmare Forces are making a resurgence. Although why it would make Cadance a Fallen Alicorn but simply turn Storm into a Thestral I do not know.” “And where did her alicornhood go?” Luna shook her head, taking a sip of her decaf coffee. “This doesn’t quite add up.” Celestia nodded and gave her sister a calming smile. “All we can do is wait and prepare for the best and the worst. For now, with us having to release Flurry Heart’s death to the public, I have a plan to make sure our Summer Storm doesn’t get too much attention from the press while she acclimates to living in Equestria.” Starlight let herself into the Castle of Friendship, her body killing her after so long spent observing the Tree of Harmony in the Everfree Forest. Despite what Fluttershy may say, camping in the Everfree wasn’t as fun in the slightest.  “Twilight, I’m back!” She yelled, her voice reverberating off of the crystal walls. Once Starlight slung her pack off her back she started heading deeper into the castle, a warm bath calling her name. Despite the several minutes it took to find the bathroom, there was no response from Spike, Twilight, or anypony else. “Huh. Where is everypony?” Starlight muttered under her breath. Underneath her professional stoic demeanor, Captain Gleaming Spear of the Solar Guard couldn't help but roll her eyes at the newest prisoner she was forced to lead to her new accommodations. One Night Glider, guilty of not just foalnapping but assistance to regicide. As insane as that was Gleaming knew that her Princess wouldn't lie to her, even if no alicorn had died in, well, forever. The prisoner herself was an unassuming pegasus with a dark coat and light green-ish mane, currently growling around her muzzle and pulling tight against her bonds. While ordinarily, a prisoner of such low ability wouldn't call for a captain of all things to bring her to her cell, the recent escape of the other surviving member of the band meant that more security was required. After all, it wouldn't do if not just Nightshade escaped but also Night Glider. Gleaming tossed the pegasus into her cell with a grunt, her superior earth pony strength winning out over Night Glider's own pegasus one. The prisoner slid into her cell with a hiss of frustration before laying in her coat, glaring at the guard. Gleaming rolled her eyes and gave a nod at the unicorn guard assigned to watch the cell itself. "Have a good day, Private..." Gleaming narrowed her eyes slightly as she tried to remember the unicorn's name. "Private Hope, ma'am." The unicorn nodded before assuming her normal guard position. Gleaming made a mental note to remember the name before turning around, making her way out of the prison proper. After a long talk with Celestia about how they can properly help Storm acclimate to her new life, along with writing and sending the required letters, Luna couldn’t help but feel excited to finally get some rest. While her duties usually required her to be up during the night and rest during the day, this week was...special and so required she take a break from her usual schedule. Thankfully her aides were able to deal with the majority of problems that come to her Night Court, while a few days' break from dealing with her subjects’ nightmares wouldn’t be the end of the world. Before Luna could rest herself, first she had to check on her little raincloud to make sure she was sleeping alright. She gave the door a soft knock, and with no response opened it gently so as to not wake Storm. The alicorn poked her head in and gave a soft gasp at what she saw. Storm was curled into a ball, shivering and whimpering in her sleep. Luna cautiously stepped over to her adopted daughter to see what was going on, what was bothering the thestral filly. “いいえトワイライト、私の心が鼓動している、あなたは何の話をしていますか?” Storm muttered under her breath, her strange Apple-like drawl faint as she mumbled a language Luna did not recognize.  “That sounds like Neighponese...odd,” Luna muttered under her own breath, reaching out a hoof to pet Storm’s mane, hoping that soft touch would help alleviate what was hopefully just night terrors. In response, Storm flipped over and wrapped her forehooves around Luna’s outstretched hoof like it was a lifeline saving her from drowning. Luna couldn’t help but frown a bit at the situation before simply shaking her head at her own foolishness. With some creative use of her horn and imprisoned hoof, she was able to nudge Storm over enough in the bed that there was room for the much larger alicorn to fit herself. Luna used the newly made space to lay down in the soft guest bed, her wings outstretched towards her daughter. She used her embraced hoof to pull Storm into the soft embrace of her wings and other forehoof, wrapping her in a protective hug. Storm quickly buried her muzzle into her mother’s chest tuft, still shivering a bit but otherwise much more relaxed. Her breathing softened, going from the fast rush it was before to a much more leveled amount. Luna let out a soft breath and nuzzled Storm’s mane, happy that her foal was much calmer and hopefully get some rest. Hopefully, these night terrors weren’t a frequent issue, but if it was she knew that they would get through it. Together.