//------------------------------// // Chapter Five - Behind Midnight // Story: Ice Fall // by Bluespectre //------------------------------//   CHAPTER FIVE   BEHIND MIDNIGHT   “Get your foul, rotten little hooves off me!”   Nightmare Moon’s horn glowed with the purple light of her magic, it’s aura effortlessly surrounding Bracken and flinging him away like a ragdoll, “You miserable stinking maggot, I should gut you and leave you screaming in a writhing heap of your own reeking intestines!” The midnight coated mare towered over him, her earlier demeanour vanished like morning dew. She slammed a silver shod hoof onto his neck, pinning him to the ground as she leaned down, her azure eyes filling Bracken’s vision. Her voice had dropped to a low menacing growl, so low it felt like the ground was vibrating in resonance, “If I want you to touch me, I will tell you, do you understand me?”   Bracken opened his mouth to speak but the princess’s hoof was pressing so hard on his windpipe he couldn’t breathe. Instead all he managed was a choking gasp.   “I said, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?” the princess bellowed.   The black coated pony nodded, “Y...yes…ma…majesty.”   Nightmare Moon harrumphed, removing her hoof and turned back to the entrance, “Pick yourself up, we’re leaving.”   Obediently, Bracken pulled himself to his hooves, his mind a fog of confusion. Every part of his being screamed at him to do something, anything, to just try and get away, and yet his sense of self preservation demanded he be obedient to this powerful creature. He was in the enemy encampment, unarmed, confused and, goddess forgive him, feeling as if being here with such a terrifying creature was the most natural thing in the world. Magicking her cloak around her shoulders, the princess strode out of the tent, the guards snapping to attention either side of her. Bracken followed her out obediently, daring to look up as the wind caught her mane, whipping the luxurious smoke like hair around her and adding an incredibly alien yet exotic air to the mare. As if sensing his gaze, Nightmare Moon glanced back at him and he lowered his gaze quickly. Smiling demurely, she walked on. Bracken quickened his pace to keep up.   Dusk was fast approaching, with the magically enchanted sky from earlier dissipating as the princess rested following her encounter with her sister. She looked tired, yet still bore a noble, if somewhat cold presence that had everypony nearby standing to attention or bowing respectfully. Bracken followed; quietly, obediently. Part of him hated himself for this, for so quickly becoming the lapdog of the enemy, her…pet. But…no! He could still escape! He could get away, slip out one night and head back towards his lines and leave this place. The first thing he’d do would be to find Chalky and…   Bracken’s breath caught in his throat, “Oh goddesses…”   They’d passed a large tent sat off to one side of the main camp. Behind it, a scene he could never have imagined in a thousand lifetimes. His stomach lurched and he had to quickly cover his mouth with his hoof. Dear goddesses, why…why would they do this? He tried not to see, he tried to look away from what he knew simply couldn’t be, and yet was all so terrifyingly real. His horrified gaze fell upon the block of wood, stained and gouged from use, the minotaur standing over it with a blood stained axe. Bracken sank to his haunches just as the pony’s head fell, dropping wetly onto the muddied ground. Staring in horror, he watched as another minotaur kicked the lifeless head over to a pile of others, then dragged the still warm corpse over to another pile…a pile of multicoloured pony corpses. Bracken’s eyes went wide. The cutie marks were still visible, even as they vanished down the gullets of the hungry dragons waiting impatiently for their meals. The foul scaled creatures bayed and snapped at each other, fighting for the right to be next to eat, and all the time, that smell…the smell of death, hung in the air like a miasma.   Bracken could feel tears slowly seeping down his muzzle,   “No…”   He shook his head. This couldn’t be real, it wasn’t happening, none it was! A fly landed on his face making him jump, and then his stomach emptied itself. Heaving and gagging, Bracken shook in shock and in horror. How could such a thing be happening?   “They are all given a chance.”   A black foreleg appeared before him, the silver shod hooves, so beautiful earlier, now made him feel nothing but anger, anger and a sense of…shame.   “What chance?” He coughed, “What?”   “To join me” the mare said quietly, “If they do not, then they cannot be allowed to go free. They would rejoin the army of my sister and fight us once again. I cannot take that chance.”   Bracken looked up into her large azure eyes, the light in them as radiant as the first moment he’d seen them, “Why princess? These are your people too. They loved you as much as they loved Celestia!”    Nightmare Moon spread her wings with an ear popping snap and dropped into a fighting stance, her teeth bared, “My people?! They would see me dead! Driven from my home by their obsession for their damnable, precious, ‘princess’ Celestia! They’ve placed her so high on her damned pedestal, they cannot see that they are living in naught but the shadow of that pretentious prig!” Nightmare Moon shook with indignation, “Do not seek to lecture me, pony. I am the princess of the night, I am the goddess of the moon, the nightmare that will bring in a new order to this sickening utopian folly that misguided fool has created. A lie cannot stand in the light of the truth and her kingdom will fall, I promise you that!” She nodded her head as if affirming something to herself, “Like a deck of cards in a thunder storm, her reign of lies will come crashing down and I will be there waiting when it does; to rebuild, to bring hope back to those who had none.” Nightmare Moon shook her smoky mane and gave a low laugh, “I shall usher in a new future, and bring in true justice…for all.”   Involuntarily, Bracken’s eyes locked with those of the princess. A maelstrom of emotions raged through him befuddling his mind and riveting his hooves to the ground. The midnight apparition before him, the goddess of the forces of the night, terrified and intrigued him in equal measure. Was this still Luna? His mother had worshipped her and even had a small shrine to her in the hallway, but this was Nightmare Moon, Luna was…gone? He shook himself free of his fear, desperately trying not to look at the killing ground nearby. Maybe he could convince her to stop, to listen to reason. But he was just a pony, just a simple lad from a nowhere village; a bloody stupid foal who’d run off to join the army because it would be ‘fun’. Bracken shook his mane angrily. What an idiot he’d been! He’d even dragged poor Chalky into his ill conceived endeavours.  His mind wandered back to the image of his friend. Where was he? Was he back with the remnants of the army, or…   He blinked. The light had suddenly changed from the relative brightness of outside to the dark interior of a tent. Here, inside the cloth covered bubble, he felt oddly safe, safe from the stomach churning reality not far beyond its insubstantial walls. Bracken waited respectfully as Nightmare Moon took off her helmet and armour, dropping them unconcernedly on the floor before collapsing onto her chaise longue and burying her face in the numerous pillows. Letting out a groan, she stretched her wings out behind her and sighed loudly,   “Bracken, attend to me.”   Obediently, the black pony walked over to the princess, bowing low, “Yes, your majesty?”   The princess snorted, “Majesty…” lifting her head slightly, she peered back at him, “The correct way to address me is ‘your divinity’ or ‘divine majesty’.” Nightmare Moon yawned, “I’d normally have you flogged for such impudence, but right now, I’m too tired to make the effort.”   Bracken swallowed. Flogged?   A light chuckle emanated from the princess; soft and lilting, “Do you see the box in the corner of the room?”   “Yes, your divinity” Bracken replied carefully.   “Bring it over here.”   The box in question was rather nondescript at first glance: a rosewood, brass bound casket with ivy leaves engraved into its sides and lid. Further inspection revealed the intricate individuality of each carved leaf, every swirl and turn. A high degree of craftsponyship had gone into it alright and it was something he would have been proud to have made for somepony. Bracken smiled, opened the box and marvelled at the smart ‘click’ as it popped open with the mere flick of his hoof. Inside, a variety of oils, brushes and combs sat neatly arranged awaiting use. He furrowed his brows. What in Equestria was he supposed to do with this lot?! He leaned down and took one of the brushes in his teeth trying to determine its purpose.   The princess gave a soft groan behind him, “Don’t you groom yourself at home?”   Bracken put the brush down and bowed, “I do, but I just have one brush, not…all these!” He nearly choked, quickly adding, “Your divine majesty…”   Nightmare Moon chuckled, watching him intently, “The curry comb is first…yes, the stiff one there, that’s it.”   Bracken lifted the wicked looking thing. The bristles were more akin to tiny metal spikes, looking for all the world like it belonged in some torture chamber, rather than a box of grooming supplies for a mare.   The goddess reached down and took off her silver hoof covers, dropping them onto the floor with a heavy thud. Bracken quickly tidied them to one side and nearly shrieked in surprise when a pair of hooves suddenly gripped his neck,   “Pay attention, Bracken, I’m going to instruct you on how to groom a mare.”   “Yes, your divine majesty” he gasped.   “Good boy.” Nightmare Moon sighed, shifting position on the long piece of furniture, “I believe you will do well. You are good with your hooves are you not?”   He was, or rather had been, “My…My father was a craftspony, your divinity, a maker of metalwares.”   “And you took after your father?” The princess’s eyes took in every detail, every movement. Bracken squeezed his eyes shut, dreading the mares reaction to his words,   “I helped him, in the workshop until…”   The princess’s voice was inquisitive, “-You joined the army?”   “Yes”   Nightmare Moon rested her head on her forelegs, gazing back at him, her eyes twinkling in the light from the flickering lamp beside her, “I know…I have seen your dreams, young Bracken.” She said slowly, “You could say, I know you better than you know yourself.”   For a moment, Bracken felt like his heart had stopped. His mouth went dry and his body locked up. How? How could she know him? She’d seen his dreams?   “Oh don’t look so surprised,” Nightmare Moon said clucking her tongue, “I am the princess of the dream world, or had you forgotten that like the rest of Equestria?”   Bracken looked down at his hooves, “I…No, I haven’t forgotten. Mother worshipped Lu…” He looked up suddenly, covering his mouth, “Sorry, your divinity, I…”   She held up a hoof, shaking her head slightly, “I am still who I am, my little black pony.” Nightmare Moon’s face took on an almost whimsical expression, “I am both Luna, and Nightmare Moon. We are two parts of the whole. Together we are stronger, altogether more powerful than that…” She sighed, “Never mind, it matters not.” A long midnight leg stretched out, tapping the curry comb, “Use that to remove any loose hair, but be careful not to use it on my legs or head, understand?”   “Yes, divinity.”   Nightmare Moon lay back down as Bracken approached and gingerly began to brush her, “A little firmer…that’s right”, she groaned, her muscles visibly beginning to relax, “I think you may have quite the hidden talent there, Bracken.” The princess sighed, closing her eyes, “If you become proficient I may even…” she let out a long tired breath, ”...reward you.”   ***********************   Chalk sat huddled with the others, their conversations unheard. All he seemed capable of now was staring intently at the ground. There was a heavy oppressive atmosphere in here, not helped by the way the cold air fused with the smell and heat of so many ponies penned into such a small space. There was latrine of sorts though, if you could call a hole in the ground a latrine, but at least it was something. Water was provided too: a large barrel of fresh water, with drinking bowls and a ladle. For such uncompromisingly brutal warriors, there was something strangely noble about the thestrals, but whether this was due to them having ponies as allies or some other reason, he couldn’t say. The contradiction to this was the tent; the large, ominous, dark purple thing that sat there unmoving, solid, awaiting the next pony to walk in, then walk out. Right, or left…what did it mean? Whatever it did, it didn’t bode well; they never came back to the enclosure.   Nopony ever did.   Letting out a snort, Chalk snugged his hooves underneath himself subconsciously. Ever since foalhood, whenever he’d felt frightened, alone or hurt, he’d curl up as tightly as he could and imagine the world around him had simply disappeared, forgetting he ever existed. Mother would usually find him like that, hiding quietly, and take him into her loving embrace and hold him. She never spoke; she just held him, stroking his mane and would sing him an old tune to soothe his troubled heart. He missed her, he missed his home…goddesses, how he wanted to go home. It was all he could think of; not the war, not Nightmare Moon and her dreadful horde of creatures, just home, and the crackling logs of a warm fire, a hot cup of cocoa and a fleece rug for him to snuggle into. If he concentrated hard enough, he could smell the sweet chocolate drink, his mother’s perfume, the…   “Hoy! Somepony’s coming. Heads up you lot!”   The compound lock clanged and the gates were pulled noisily open. The ponies went silent as a straw coloured mare was pushed in at spear point. Behind her, as fast as the gate had been opened, it was shut again, the lock slamming back into place. The terrified mare backed up into the enclosure, her eyes wild with fright.   “Welcome to our little home”, Gretel said with a sarcastic bow, “You’re a little late for the party.” She took a step towards the newcomer who squeaked in fright, “I’m Gretel, what’s your name?”   “M…Mandarin Cream” the sand coated mare sputtered.   Gretel smiled, “Well, Mandy, I can’t offer you anything other than pond water and the crap they’ve been calling ‘food’ here, but you’re with friends now.”   The mare nodded, opening her mouth to speak, then slammed it shut hurriedly as a blast of trumpets caught everyponies attention. Gretel pushed past the others to reach the far end of the enclosure and peered down the slope toward the distant forest, “Looks like something’s going on, crew. Lot of smoke down there.”   Stock’s rumbling voice echoed out from the throng, “The forest’s on fire. Wouldn’t like to be in there.”   “Obviously” Doc replied, “Smoke’s a bit of a giveway.”   The large pony gave him a rye grin, “Really?”   “Pack it in, you two” Gretel snapped, standing on her hind legs for a better view, “I can hear shouting…oh goddesses…” Her voice fell to a near whisper, “…there’s ponies in there.”   “Nothing we can do about that” Stock huffed, “We’ve got enough problems of our own.”   Chalks ears twitched. He could hear it too, distant but distinct on the wind and echoing out across the valley…screaming, shouting, the howls of those burning alive in the flames. He could feel his heart beginning to race and he huddled up even tighter, willing the images from his mind, trying to forget the terrible sounds, the screams…dear Celestia, it was always the screams…