//------------------------------// // Chapter 45: Changes 8 // Story: Piece by Piece // by Eltirions //------------------------------// 14 December 1008 News had arrived shortly after the Heart’s magical burst that Flurry Heart had been rescued and was on her way to the Palace. It had also revealed the following facts that caused Rarity no small number of thoughts: one, that Rainbow was grievously wounded with multiple broken bones; and two, that Twilight Sparkle was gone. Given what had happened to Sombra when the Heart triggered and how far Twilight had gone, it was safe to assume that she was dead. The full realisation, surely, would sink in later. For now, she could focus on Flurry Heart’s arrival and let that drive away the creeping sense of sadness, guilt, relief, horror and so many other emotions she couldn’t even name if she tried to. Two trucks arrived before the Palace; awaiting them alongside Rarity were Nightmare Moon, Twinkle Sprinkle and Sweetie Belle, as well as the doctor. Lilac, unable to transform back into her normal Pony disguise, had stayed inside the Palace. That could be solved later. From one of the trucks emerged a pair of familiar Night Guard - if memory served her right, those two were the ones who had guarded them in Rainbow Falls - and on the back of one of them was Flurry Heart. ‘’Your majesty, madams, sir,’’ the stallion greeted. ‘’The Princess is unharmed, but exhausted. Commander Dash is being moved to a hospital to treat her wounds. Magician Shimmer and Captain Darkheart are cleaning up the factory that Twilight Sparkle was using as hideout.’’ ‘’Well done, soldier. Any casualties?’’ Nightmare Moon inquired. ‘’A few soldiers were lightly wounded, but aside from Commander Dash no one has more than a few bruises, ma’am.’’ ‘’Very well.’’ Nightmare Moon’s horn leapt alight, carrying Flurry off the mare’s back and through the air onto the older Alicorn’s own back. ‘’You are dismissed.’’ The soldiers saluted and then moved away, but Rarity cared little for that; her gaze was focused on the sleeping filly. ‘’She looks fine,’’ she said, so softly that it was almost a whisper. ‘’Thankfully,’’ Nightmare Moon agreed, ‘’though I shall still have her checked by the doctor. Now, back inside.’’ Without waiting for a response, she spun around and began to walk away, forcing Rarity and the others to speed up if they wanted to maintain pace with Nightmare Moon’s great steps. The trip back into the Palace and towards a suitable location for the doctor to examine Flurry was done in silence. The suitable location, it turned out, was the same room that Nightmare Moon had stayed in just now. ‘’Check her for any injuries,’’ Nightmare Moon ordered the doctor as she placed Flurry into the bed. ‘’Then issue your conclusion and depart.’’ She glanced at Lilac, Sweetie and Twinkle. ‘’You may also depart. Only Rarity and myself will stay.’’ ‘’As you wish, your majesty,’’ Twinkle replied before bowing. Sweetie just gave a short nod, and Lilac also bowed.  Rarity quickly stepped over to Sweetie and gave the younger mare a hug. ‘’We’ll talk in the morning, darling. There should be enough rooms in this palace for all of you.’’ ‘’Be careful, Rarity,’’ Sweetie replied as she returned the hug. ‘’You just got out of bed yourself.’’ ‘’I will be, Sweetie.’’ ‘’Good. Good night, Rarity.’’ ‘’Good night, Sweetie.’’ Those words said, Rarity stepped away from her sister and turned back to the bed. The doctor was still looking over Flurry, and Nightmare Moon had settled in beside the bed. Even when on the floor, she still cast an image of regality and authority that Rarity was certain she could never match. ‘’Rarity,’’ the Alicorn called out, as if she could hear her inner thoughts, ‘’come sit with me.’’ ‘’Of course.’’ A few steps later, she settled on the ground before Nightmare Moon, the crystal floor pleasantly warm to her coat. ‘’In the morning,’’ Nightmare Moon began, ‘’Flurry shall hopefully be awake. I plan to speak to the nation - not just the Crystal Empire - and inform them of the events of the past few days.’’ ‘’Will you tell them what Twilight did?’’ Nightmare Moon’s mouth drew into a thin line. ‘’That is where I am uncertain. We cannot conceal her involvement forever, no matter what we try. But few will believe that Princess Twilight went insane and tried to kill her best friends.’’ ‘’She didn’t try to kill me,’’ Rarity said before she could stop herself. ‘’If she had tried, I wouldn’t be here.’’ Nightmare Moon tilted her head. ‘’Perhaps. It remains a fact that she assaulted you, your sister, Rainbow Dash and her own adopted brother, as well as countless other innocent Ponies. Were she not gone, I would have placed her on trial. I still might.’’ ‘’An Alicorn on trial?’’ ‘’Unprecedented, but deserved. I am not a petty tyrant bent on domination, Rarity. You should know this already.’’ ‘’Do the people know?’’ ‘’That is the question I am asking myself.’’ Nightmare Moon sighed. ‘’If this news is published, there shall be uproar. Many shall denounce it as lies.’’ ‘’But if you cover it up, it will leak out and make you look no better.’’ ‘’Exactly.’’ I don’t know what she wants. I don’t know what I want. I don’t know. ‘’Are you going to sack me?’’ Nightmare Moon blinked. ‘’What?’’ ‘’I failed at my job of protecting Flurry. Until a few days ago, I wasn’t even really speaking to her. The country is still in shambles. And now this. I have been nothing but a disappointment, and what good I have done - if anything - has been overshadowed by all of my mistakes.’’ It was the truth, or the start of it, but before Rarity could continue Nightmare Moon placed her hoof against Rarity’s muzzle. ‘’Rarity, you have not failed. I do not think anyone could have kept Flurry safe from Twilight, and you did better than most, I would say. As for your governance, I have heard only good things from all my sources, and do not presume to think that you can control all the information that reaches my ears.’’ Rarity opened her mouth to protest, but Nightmare Moon continued before she could speak. ‘’When I chose you to assist in the campaign for Thestral rights, I did not know we would end up here. But while I have many regrets, few of them involve you; you have been as true a friend and ally as anyone could have asked for.’’ For a moment, the black coat and diamond pupils of Nightmare Moon seemed to shift back into the blue coat and round pupils of the Princess Luna who Rarity had campaigned with, and she smiled softly at her. ‘’I am glad to have had you on my side since the beginning, and I do not see any reason to punish you for anything. Be at peace, my friend.’’ Then the Nightmare’s appearance returned, but the smile remained. ‘’Now, I think you should head to bed. I will think about what to do with Twilight Sparkle.’’ Rarity tried to answer, but the words would not come. ‘’Thank you,’’ she finally said, a tear rolling over her cheek. ‘’You are welcome.’’ Rarity rose a moment later. ‘’Good night, my Empress.’’ ‘’Good night, Rarity.’’ |-x-X-x-| 14 December 1008 ‘’Apologies for making you wait,’’ was the first thing Nightmare said to the doctor after the door closed behind Rarity. The doctor simply smiled and shook his head. ‘’It is no problem, ma’am.’’ ‘’The diagnosis?’’ ‘’The Princess appears to be physically fine, though she is tired and could use a bath or shower. I have not found any signs of magical exhaustion or other causes for alarm, so she should wake up in the morning. Perhaps the early afternoon at the latest.’’ Nightmare let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding in. ‘’Good. That’s good. Thank you. Is there anything else I should know?’’ ‘’Not about the Princess,’’ the doctor answered, ‘’but, if I might be so bold, I would advise you to rest as well. Your wounds will heal better if you are resting, and you have done much today.’’ Nightmare inclined her head in acknowledgement. ‘’I shall have my rest, doctor. Thank you. You are dismissed.’’ ‘’Certainly, ma’am. Good night.’’ ‘’Good night,’’ she returned. The doctor gathered up his items and left, but Nightmare’s gaze had already settled on Flurry and would not move away from it. Now she could finally look at her niece properly for the first time in months. She looked… healthy. A bit bigger than what Nightmare remembered, but that was to be expected. She did look a little bit dirty, but that was - indeed, like the doctor had said - nothing a shower or a bath couldn’t fix. At four years old, Flurry had experienced so much already. It hurt Nightmare’s heart to see her like this, and to remember her in the first days after Tall Tale. How cruel was the world, that one so young would experience such terrible things? And yet, none of it appeared to have broken her spirit. Perhaps it was a quality of youth, that they had so much of their life left that it would dull the memory of such horrible events later in life. Especially in Flurry’s case. During Cadence’s pregnancy, Celestia had worried that the child would not be a true Alicorn, or even an Alicorn at all. The realisation that one was destined to outlive their own child was horrifying, she had said, and Nightmare could only agree. It was why they had never taken children, or indeed permanent partners. Would Flurry be faced with the same troubles in her life? Would she pick a partner only to watch them march towards death while she stood by, unable to join in? It was the curse of Alicornity, or at least a part of it. Nightmare had coped with it through warfare, until that had led her into banishment; Celestia had coped with it through distancing herself, until she grew so out of touch that it became too easy to topple her reign. Twilight and Cadence would never have had to cope with it. Two years ago, there were five Alicorns. Now, only two. Nightmare sighed, and gently pushed a stray hair out of Flurry’s closed eyes with her telekinesis. I can never replace Cadence, or even Twilight, she reflected. But I am the only other Alicorn left, and I shall not - I cannot - allow her to make the same mistakes that I made. She thought back to her conversation with Rarity, and how she had let show - for just a moment - Luna’s appearance. But she was no longer Luna. Luna had failed to become anything more than a warlord. Nightmare had taken her place, but she had fallen anyway; and then banishment, and Luna had returned. But while that Luna was not any longer a warlord, she had still failed at being a Princess. It was only when Nightmare returned again, and took the position of Empress, that she achieved her full potential. Celestia was the Princess. She always was. I was the warrior, and now I am the Empress. Twilight was the Apprentice, and then the Princess, and then the enemy. Cadence was a Princess and then became a mother.  What is Flurry, and what shall she be? That question, she realised, could not be answered now. No matter what she mused about, in the bed before her was still just a filly. A traumatised filly with powers that surpassed all but the mightiest Ponies, but a filly all the same. Nightmare sighed again. ‘’I am sorry, my dear,’’ she said softly. ‘’I cannot be your mother. I can only be your aunt, and even then I am not able to spend my time with you properly. I would care for you as my own child if I could, but I cannot. Whenever you realise that, please forgive me for it.’’ She almost turned away from the bed, but at that moment she recalled her last conversation with Twilight. The memory block. Before she could stop herself, her horn was already glowing with a spell designed to find such blocks; but she found nothing. Strange. Twilight had gone mad, yes, but she would not have come up with all of that without some cause. Determined, Nightmare switched over to another spell, a more powerful version of the first one. No results again. She growled, and tried a different technique: instead of trying to find blockers, she simply sought for a space where memory seemed to be absent. That did the trick. That a piece was missing was quickly found, but where it was and what it contained was not so easily discovered.  When she did discover it, she swore. It was indeed Alicorn magic, like Twilight had said, but it was not from Nightmare at all; it was from Celestia, cleverly disguised. What did she hope to achieve by this? Why would Celestia block Flurry’s memories? The block was battered - Twilight’s work no doubt - but it had held strong. But where Twilight’s skill and ingenuity had failed her, Nightmare was able to do the trick with experience.  After all, she had taught the technique to Celestia after discovering it. It was meant for fighting nightmares, but it worked for ‘normal’ memories as well. Carefully, Nightmare removed the block, disentangling the memory from the strands of magic that chained it. Then, once it was free from its containment, she looked into it. She saw a throne room - the throne room, here in the Crystal Palace. Flurry was sat on Cadence’s lap, who herself sat on the throne, and Shining stood by its side. Before them was a single Pony. Everything besides that was quite unfocused and blurry. Starlight Glimmer. ‘’Princess Mi Amore, Prince-Consort Sparkle, thank you for receiving me.’’ ‘’You are always welcome here, Starlight.’’ Cadence answered with a warm smile. ‘’What can we do for you?’’ ‘’Join Princess Celestia in fighting Nightmare Moon.’’ Shining Armour let out a low chuckle. ‘’At least you’re honest about it.’’ ‘’I have told her,’’ Cadence said more formally, ‘’that I cannot justify our entry into the war on either side. We will accept refugees who come here, but both sides are not just. Thus, I cannot in good conscience assist either side.’’ ‘’Nightmare Moon is leading a violent insurrection against the rightful Princess!’’ ‘’Princess Luna is also a rightful Princess,’’ Cadence simply answered, ‘’no matter what she calls herself. Though I condemn her violent actions, I cannot disagree with her cause of equality for Thestrals.’’ The conversation might have continued there, except that the ground shook. ‘’Mummy, what was that?’’ Flurry asked. Oh no. The whole world turned extremely blurry, and it seemed to Nightmare that even without the block Flurry would remember very little of this part. All she could discern was shouts, screams, gun- and spellfire and then suddenly there was Starlight Glimmer, soot-stricken and bloodied, standing over Flurry. ‘’Yield,’’ the voice of Sombra called out, ‘’and I may spare your life.’’ ‘’And serve as a slave in your armies?’’ ‘’From what I have heard, you were little better once. It would be a fitting ending.’’ ‘’Fuck you!’’ Starlight spat out, before her horn disappeared into a corona of turquoise light. Instantly, the darkness - only now noticed by Nightmare - leapt at her, but it seemed to recoil from her magic wherever she turned her horn. ‘’I have killed an Alicorn today already,’’ Sombra said. ‘’You stand no chance.’’ Nightmare knew, from witness reports, that Cadence and Shining had been tortured for days after Sombra’s appearance. But Flurry didn’t know that, and the older alicorn could feel her niece shaking in fear and confusion. ‘’Maybe not,’’ Starlight admitted, ‘’but you’ll be damned if you think I’ll let you kill another Alicorn!’’ The world turned white, and for a fleeting second Nightmare experienced weightlessness, then she - and Flurry - were on the floor in the middle of a well-decorated room. ‘’Flurry?’’ a far too familiar voice questioned. That was everything Nightmare needed to know. She stepped out of the memory. Stars above. Flurry appeared to be completely untouched by Nightmare’s intrusion, still sleeping soundly. A small mercy, at least. Nightmare let out a long sigh, then reached out and placed a soft kiss under Flurry’s horn. ‘’Sleep well, my niece.’’ With those parting words, she settled back onto the floor. She would rest here tonight. It was the least she could do.