After watching my father's defeat, I did one of the only things I knew (or could do); I took a walk. I needed time to think, to recollect my thoughts. I can still remember the fields I walked through, empty. That was the only word to really describe them, empty. Even without the constant chatter of nearby birds as I blankly walked for who knows how long, thinking about what to do next was one of the hardest things I've done. I couldn't think; I was angry, confused, and I wanted to have dad back. I remember thinking that he was gone... not dead, but he may as well be. Even if I were to talk to him, would he answer back? Would he be able to hear me at all? A millennium of being trapped in his own body. Would he even be the same when he returned?
"Trapped in his own body? What do you mean?" Nightmare Moon asked.
"Well the unicorns that attacked him... used a spell."
"But a paralyze spell would have worn off in a few hours."
"Well, these unicorns had these... gems that focused a spell. It paralyzed him indefinitely."
"Being trapped in your own body, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy"
"Yeah... of course you wouldn’t." Strife softly whispered.
If someone was watching me, I can only imagine what they saw. My eyes narrowed, burning with fire. 'Who would do that? Knowing what's going on, but not being able to do anything about it?' I thought, body slightly shaking in anger. 'But an eye for an eye... right?'
So I just kept walking, minutes turned to hours and hours to days.
“Days?”
"Just listen to the story!"
I didn't talk, I didn't even divert from my path. All I wanted to do walked and let my mind think. I don't remember when I finally fell asleep but when I awoke I was in bed.
'Was it all a dream?' I thought as I looked around. 'D-did dad change my room? O-of course he di-d' My eyes went wide as they darted around the room. My tail curled up in between my legs and I held it in my arms. I couldn't hold it back as my eyes started to water, and I silently cried myself back to sleep.
"You cried yourself to sleep? How old were you?"
"Hey! I was only seven hundred!"
"Yeah, hundred!"
Strife slapped a paw to his face. "In Draqonoques years I was seven... it's NOT that hard to understand. I was also the size of the foal. I was just a little kid."
"...Oh..."
When I woke up I was being held in the arms of a griffin (to this day I still don't know how she held a foal like that...). She smiled, "Don't worry, it’s okay, I'm here." Her voice sounded like an angel’s.
"Really?"
"Of course," a calm and much deeper voice said. I looked over to see a grey pegasus, his mane a darker grey.
"Who were they?"
"If you let me finished I'll tell you!" Strife said, irritated. "Well... to make a long story a bit shorter, for some of the more impatient ponies." Strife shot a glare at Nightmare Moon before continuing. "They were together for three years, but could never had kids. They prayed over and over again, but then I came. They said I was their own little gift from Faust. They became a second family to me. Grey Cloud was like a father and Elizabeth a mother. Every day we sat down at the dinner table like real family, every Sunday we went to church. But they got older and older, and I stayed the same." *sniff*
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah... I'm fine it's just back then I never really thought about the life span of ponies. One day Grey Cloud got sick he was only thirty-six... But I'll never forget what Elizabeth said to me..."
She was crying, I could hear it from my room. I couldn't stand to hear her cry. I creeped out into the hallway. It was after sun down, and I should have been in bed... but I couldn't stand it... When I got to her door I slowly pushed it open. I saw her on her bed crying her eyes out. "Mom?" I asked weakly "You okay?"
"H-Honey! I didn't *sniff* hear you come in."
"Are you okay?"
"Yes of course d-dear."
"A-are you sure." At the time I thought about how my mom would never tell a lie, but how could she seem so sad if she said she wasn’t? I hopped onto her bed and lay on her lap. She started to pet my mane, her breath was shaky.
"H-honey?"
"Yeah?"
"When I grow old, will... will you buy me a house of gold?"
"Anything for you!" I said cheerfully, she laughed at that.
"A-and when your father die- turns to... stone, will you take care of me?"
"Of course..."
"Of course at the time she didn't know it, but the stone struck a little too close to home. Then years later they both died... and I tried to make friends but soon they died too. I couldn't go through anyone close to me dying anymore so I stopped making friends..."
"I'm sorry to hear that... If I can do anything, just ask."
Strife was shaking slightly, his paw clenched. He took a deep breath, "Thank you, it means a lot. You have no idea." He smiled, "But I wont be needing it, had nine hundred years to deal."
"Alright then..." Nightmare Moon leaned back, together she and Strife watched the Equis float across the sky. Strife looked over to Nightmare Moon, his mind couldn't help but drift to the first time they met.
The Moon, Seven hundred year back.
Nightmare Moon sat on the moon, no one else could be seen for miles. It was an empty wasteland. It was around six hundred years into her banishment. She just sat there and talked.
"So I walked up to her and told her exactly how she feels! we say 'Did you really expect me to sit idly by as they all basked in your precious light?!' and at this point I am pissed 'There can be only one princess in Equestria, and that princess IS ME!' and then I attacked." she stared at the pale of rocks(that happened to be in the vague shape of a pony) and waited for an answer. "*sigh* I should really stop doing this."
"Well I think you have a bigger problem."
Nightmare Moon spun around, eyes wide. "Who goes there?!" Her voice was strong yet had a slight waver.
"What? You don't want to know what your 'bigger' problem is?"
"Tell me who you are!" she demanded, looking around the empty landscape.
"Right behind you," the voice whispered.
Nightmare Moon spun around, blind firing.
A draconequus stood in front of Nightmare moon, a large burnt hole through his stomach. He looked down at the hole then at the pony in front of him. He then proceeded to stick a paw through the hole. "Do you think that's gonna need stitches?"
"Wait?" .
"I said 'Do you think'-"
"I know what you said!"
"Oh! Sorry, I can be a little thick at times," he said, snapping his fingers and turning into a brick wall.
"What in tartarus are you anyway?"
"Really?" he deadpanned.
"I think I would remember a walking mosh pit of animals."
"Well then it looks like you have two problems then..."
"And what, pray tell, are they?"
"HA!" He snapped his claw. "Bet you would like to know that!" he scoffed. "That's for me to know and you to find out."
"How long?" she asked coldly.
"Huh? 'How long' what?"
"’Till I find out, or you tell me."
"Straight to the point I see..." he sighed, pulling out a calculator. "Givin' you obviously don't like me, and I'll be giving you clues... a couple hundred years... Or weeks... days? I really don't know." He shrugged.
"Oh Faust... How long are you going to be here?"
A non-evil-what-so-ever-definitely-just-a-regular-grin formed on his lips "As long as I need to. The name’s Strife by the way."
"I don't care!" she called as she began to walk away.
*Poof* *THUD*
Nightmare Moon turned around to see a queen sized bed, the sheets a dark purple, the bed posts went up higher and connected into a square frame with view covers hanging off the top frame. It was truly a bed fit for a queen. Nightmare Moon looked out were strife last stood, and said quitly “Maybe this wont be so bad...”