//------------------------------// // The New Lunar Republic // Story: Nightmare's Weapon // by Requiem17 //------------------------------// The black sheets rose up and down steadily as the strange creature, or ‘human’ as Nightmare had learned, continued to breathe in its slumber. The new queen watched the human from the side of the bed, waiting patiently for him to wake up. She mentally ran through the cover story she planned on giving the human as he would no doubt be confused about his situation. Memory wipes were nasty spells that left the victim in a mass state of confusion and, if not handled properly, could cause the subject to panic, endangering their own life along with any bystanders. Moon thought over everything she had learned. After Nightmare had brought him back three days ago she attempted to look into his memories, intent on learning about these new creatures and how they could be of use. The memories had flashed by incredibly fast, the alien world and its inhabitants confusing her greatly. She had remembered watching his life through his eyes, the torments and struggles of this ‘Earth’ pleasing her greatly. She had just gotten to the good part when Adam joined the ‘Marines’ of his country when a very strong will pushed her out. She struggled to push past it and all she received was his name, rank, and service number. After listening to the same infuriating sentences and failing to break past his will, she decided to wipe his mind. From what she had experienced he was too big of a threat if he remembered where he came from. Besides, with a little guidance he could become a very powerful ally. A low moan broke her thoughts as her eyes flicked towards Adam. The marine lifted a hand to his face and rubbed his head. After a moment he stopped. He slowly lowered his hand and gazed up at the ceiling. He blinked a few times before rapidly propping himself up on his elbows. He locked eyes with Moon and froze. Nightmare held his gaze for a minute, watching his muscles clench as he tensed up. Deciding to test the waters she slowly stood up, Adam watching her every move intently. She slowly walked over to the beds edge and stopped. She went to lift a hoof up and climb onto the bed when Adam suddenly pushed himself up against the headboard. Nightmare smiled internally at his cringing form before remembering that she needed to gain his trust. “Shh, it’s alright.” She slowly pulled herself up onto the bed and inched closer to him. “I’m not going to hurt you.” She stopped when his eyes filled with the intent to run. Moon decided that she was close enough and lied down near his feet. “I am Nightmare Moon, Queen of Equestria and mistress of the night.” She shivered with delight when she heard that said out loud. Adam stared at her with confusion, slowly calming down as she had made no move to hurt him. He struggled to remember something, anything to help him out in this situation. Finding an empty void, Adam thought over what she said carefully before replying. “Is that where I am? Equestria?” Moon smiled and nodded. “Yes. Canterlot to be more specific.” The name didn’t ring any bells. A drilled instinct forced him to ask the next question. “What happened?” Adam noticed the dark pony deflate a bit. “You don’t remember?” Nightmare was extremely proud of her acting skills as Adam shook his head. She went forward with the next step of her plan. “Your kind, humans, have lived in harmony with us Equestrians for a very long time in a neighboring country. My sister however, became corrupt by an evil spirit and attacked your kind. She turned the whole of Equestria against you causing war for many years. After reasoning with Celestia failed I separated from her rule and started a new order, The New Lunar Republic. We fought alongside the humans and, with your technological superiority and guerilla tactics, started defeating the numerous and well resourced Solar Empire. Unfortunately, Celestia harnessed the power of the sun and with a single strike razed your country and its people. This left her incredibly weak and allowed me to banish her, stopping this fruitless war.” An unending sadness seemed to radiate from Moons eyes as she continued. “When we returned to your country, there was nothing left. I sent out rescue teams and we found nothing. Dust, ashes, and echoes were all that remained. You, on the other hoof, we found in a Solar Guard camp in the middle of the Everfree Forest. After arresting them we hospitalized you. Your wounds sustained from torture were numerous and you were on the brink of death. While magic was able to fix your physical wounds we are unsure how the trauma affected your mental health. The doctors think you may have memory loss. I… I wish I could help you, but I don’t have that kind of power.” She looked away in a false show of shame. “You’ve been asleep here for a few days. I promise that I’ll do anything in my power to help you.” Adam stared at her for a very long time, breathing in and out slowly as he thought carefully. ‘I’m the last one?’ He stared forward with a blank look, feeling emotionless. There was nothing to feel emotion over, especially since he didn’t even know his own name, much less if he had a family. Moon smiled internally as he bought every word. While he did look lost and confused she was intrigued by his eyes. They were clear and lacked emotion. ‘Perfect.’ Nightmare decided to take a gamble and shuffled closer to him. Adam’s eyes flashed towards her instantly, but he made no move to escape. She continued to crawl towards him until she was right next to him. With a wing she draped him in a sideways embrace. “It’s okay. Nopony can hurt you now.” They stayed that way for a while, Moon rejoicing as she solidified her position with Adam while the human simply tried to remember anything. They were interrupted when a loud grumble erupted from Adam’s stomach. He looked towards Moon sheepishly while she just smiled at him. “Hungry? I’ll have somepony come right up.” Adam watched as her horn lit up with a very dark blue purple aura. It only stayed that way for a few seconds before disappearing. Moon saw the look of interest on his face. “See something you like?” She smiled at his look of embarrassment. “N-no. It’s just that I’ve never seen… whatever that was before.” “Really? Well, let me ask you this. Do you know your name?” Moon silently let out a breath of relief as he shook his head no. “I’m sorry. You must be suffering from memory loss. You’re name is Adam Larson.” That rang some bells. “You’re a United States Marine and served in Recon Team Echo. That’s all I know I’m afraid. Any records of your life were destroyed.” Adam nodded. “So, where does that leave us now?” “Us? Well, I have a new and reformed country to run. I would say you’re welcome to do whatever you like but I think in light of your situation and the war with humans so fresh that you should stay within the safety of the castle.” A sudden thought struck her. “After you eat I’ll show you around. You’ll be an esteemed guest here so don’t hesitate to ask the staff anything. They know their place.” “I don’t want to be a problem. Is there anything I can do to make myself useful?” Moon smiled as she came up with an idea. “You can become my assistant if you so wish. That way you have something to do to keep your mind off of things. I could use the company as well.” She suddenly got up and walked off the bed, heading for the door. “Your food is here.” She opened the door right as a brown mare dressed in a chef’s robe and hat raised her hoof to knock, stumbling backwards in fright. “H-here’s your food as you ordered y-your highness.” She shakily pushed the cart in and withered under the alicorn’s gaze as she awaited further instructions. “That will be all.” The mare disappeared at inhuman speed. Nightmare shut the door with her magic before turning towards Adam. “I hope you find everything to your liking,” she gestured towards the cart, “you can have whatever you like.” Adam lifted the blanket off of himself and realized that all he was wearing was his skivvies. He quickly wrapped himself back up and looked at Moon. “Um, do you have any clothes?” Nightmare smirked as she replied, “Why? Do you need them?” Seeing Adams deadpan stare only sparked further amusement. “We do not have any human clothes. I’ll call a tailor to come take measurements.” Adam frowned for a moment before he came up with a solution. He stood up and held the blanket out in front of him. He gripped one corner and tossed the rest of it over his shoulder and wrapped it around, tucking the loose end away. He effectively made a toga and looked over himself with a self satisfied smile. He looked up to see Nightmare frowning ever so slightly. He walked over to the cart and opened one lid. His mouth watered as a slight steam wafted from the dish in front of him, carrying the scent of bacon, eggs, and freshly baked bread. He picked up the dish and walked over to the bed’s edge before sitting down. He unrolled a cloth napkin that he had picked up and grasped a fork and knife before digging in with a religious vigor. He had just reached for a piece of bacon before it levitated away from him and towards Nightmare. He watched as she opened her mouth, a set of fangs greeting him as the strip of bacon disappeared down her gullet. She licked her lips with her eyes closed before opening them and regarding Adam with a very small smile. “I uh,” Adam cleared his throat, “I thought ponies were herbivores?” “Most of us are, but some of them are different.” Adam nodded, still spooked by her smile. He continued eating, Moon still watching him intently as he finished up. With a muffled burp and, “excuse me,” he wiped his lips with the cloth before attempting to take his plate back. He jumped when the cart, his plate, and napkin disappeared in a quick white flash. Nightmare giggled a bit before she spoke, “Don’t worry about that. Now then, you won’t need that.” Her horn lit up and his makeshift toga vanished, revealing his skivvies in all its masculine glory. Startled, Adam clumsily covered himself. “Why’d you do that!?” Nightmare laughed. “The tailor will be here any second.” Just then a knock was heard on the door. “Come in.” A jet black stallion opened the door. He stepped in wearing a tight black vest with a golden monocle. “Good morning your majesty. You require my services?” He seemed to hold himself a lot more confidently than the room’s previous visitor, a small frown at his lack of respect gracing Moon’s lips. “While I myself do not, my new friend here does.” The stallion looked towards Adam, his eyes wide with surprise as he took a step back. Nightmare raised an eyebrow. “Is there a problem?” “N-no! I mean, nothing is too big a task for me your highness.” “Good. Don’t take too long as we have a very busy day today.” The earth pony nodded before stepping closer to Adam, pulling out a tape measure from a hidden pocket. Adam glanced towards Moon and found her busily looking over a piece of parchment on a writing desk located in the corner of her chambers. A sharp metallic rattle distracted him as he found the stallion standing on his hind legs, measuring Adam’s torso. “Leg- er, arms out please.” Adam complied and scrunched his face as the hot breath of the unnervingly close stallion brushed his face. The tailor didn’t seem to notice as he focused intently on measuring the humans form. The stallion soon finished before peering at his feet inquisitively. “I suppose you’re going to require shoes? Your feet don’t look all that hard at all.” Adam nodded once, glad that he wasn’t ticklish as the tailor maneuvered his feet one at a time for sizing. “Interesting. I’ll have to see what I can come with. What’s your name?” “Adam.” “Well Adam, I’m Silver Thimble. I’ll have some clothes sent up by this evening. The shoes will take some time however as I’ve never seen your kind before. Speaking of wh-“ “That will be quite enough!” Nightmare suddenly appeared in front of the stallion, standing in a fairly aggressive stance. “I believe you said you had some work to do?” Nopony, not even Adam, could have missed the threatening undertone in her voice. The tailor quivered as he bowed lower than physically possible. “Y-yes your majesty! I’ll b-be on my way!” The stallion crept backwards as fast as possible, his chin practically dragging across the floor as he continued his bow. The doors slammed shut, Adam shocked that splinters of wood haven’t started peeling off of it yet. “What did he mean by that?” Adam gulped as Moon slowly turned around, a tight lipped smile that almost looked forced planted on her face. “What ever do you mean?” Adam shook his head, fearing for his own safety as a look of silent murder entered her eyes; who it was for he did not want to find out. “Nothing.” He cleared his throat and crossed his arms while trying not to look at her directly. “You said something about a tour?” She took a little longer to answer as she was distracted by his arms, broad shoulders, strong chin, burley chest… She blinked rapidly, banishing her thoughts and the dizziness that accompanied it. “Oh, right. This way.” She opened the door before stopping suddenly. “Um, you’ll need this back.” Her horn lit up again as the previously stolen toga was returned to Adam. “Uh, thanks.” He rewrapped himself before following Nightmare out the door. They were too far away to hear a slight creaking sound in the room as the portrait overhanging the fireplace shifted ever so slightly, a single strand of black hair falling into the fire.