The Nightmare

by Cirrus Sky

Chapter 12

“Mother?!” Shining and Twilight exclaimed. Looking between the light and bright haired Cadence and the navy starscape headed woman. They looked like there wasn’t a year in age between them yet the pair embraced like family.

“Yes, Princess Luna guide of the moon. My mother.” Cadence said, absently returning a kiss on the cheek from Luna.

“Indeed, I sent her to the city and our extended family when she was nearly a teen. To broaden her horizons and teach her of the modern world.” Luna placed an arm around her daughter, keen to remain close to the woman.

“Mother was getting worried that there was too much risk from explorers and treasure seekers, putting me in the position to act a little like a gate keeper.” Cadence looked over at Shining and Twilight. “I had been very successful until lately.”

They were about to ask her more but she turned away and gathered the two other strangers in a warm embrace. “Mēi. A’triet! It is so wonderful to see my cousins again.” The tall woman gladly returned the hug but the dark haired man looked a little uncomfortable.

“Oh Cadence, we did miss you but things are a bit busy right now.” The woman identified as Mēi said as she gently separated herself from the hug.

“Yes, this was just for the benefit of those two.” Cadence stepped over to Shining and Twilight. She started to speak but an angry Appleoosan voice cut her short.

“It’s all nice to make how d’yah do’s but Ah’m more concerned with Rarity. So if someone could take a little spit o’ time to take a look at her Ah’d be very grateful.” The blonde was sat holding the archaeologist who had gone limp, her eyes closed and sunken looking.

The group congregated around them quickly, Mēi removed a bag from her belt, her first aid kit. “I am a healer, maybe I can help.” She touched the icy cold woman and flinched back, concern writ large across her face. “Oh my, this is not very good.”

Luna came close to take a look at Rarity, her face paled further. “It is bad indeed; she has been wounded in spirit...” She cast a small spell, ignoring the scowling Jack who held the ill woman. “It is a serious thing for a mage Ms. Apple.” She cut off a complaint from the trigger woman.

“So patch her up!” Jack’s anger and frustration began to falter, giving way to worry and even fear. The willowy Mēi sat beside her and put an arm around the tense woman.

“That is what I am hoping to do.” Luna calmly replied, the other mages in the room felt her change in spell, the power it used and the nature of the magic. “It is a wound well known to me.” She moved around, running the spell over the prone archaeologist.

“The Nightmare...” Cadence said in a hushed voice. She drew closer to Shining who gallantly did not take advantage of the proximity.

“What do you mean?” Twilight said, she had been observing the spell casting with great interest. “The Nightmare is just some myth, for goodness sake, the Flare Prison must have just been some place with natural deposits of flammable material...” She trailed off when she realised just how stupid she sounded. She had been faced with flame monsters and undead people. “Ok, so the Nightmare from the stories has done something to Rarity.” She looked at the paled woman. “What can I do to help?”

“Stop interrupting Twily dear.” Cadence said, stepping over to move the girl away. “Mother knows what she is doing.”

Rainbow stood far back from the rest, she was still feeling the effects of the unexpected teleport coupled with the shock from seeing her friends animated corpses menace Twilight. She didn’t really know what to think about unseen injuries to Rarity or an angry Jack. She just saw, over and over, the image of Twilight cowering back, the rotted bodies of Green Ray and Nimbus making to hurt her.

Pinkie was the only unoccupied evacuee from the tomb, she had made a head count and was now a little concerned. The one sky man had flown away as soon as the flame things had burst out. Though the other was not here either... “Hey, where's Hoops?” She asked no one in particular.

-*-

Hoops knew that the whole area of ruins couldn’t have been as large to justify the time he had spent running around, though it was a well known fact that when closed off from the sky he was useless at navigation. Here in the dark tunnels underground he was completely lost and confused. “Dammit, dammit. Stupid Rainbow Crash, stupid Hick farmer and purple haired whore...” He cussed and complained, tramping through the dust.

Soon he reached a wide area, a creepy huge doorway stood at the far end of the room, sealed with wood and runes that made his wings tingle. It wasn’t a nice feeling.

It felt even worse when a shadow unfolded and stood before him. “Hello little human...” it hissed, teeth appearing in the darkness to form a sharp grin.

“Uh... Hi?” Hoops squeaked, wracking his brain for the prayers and platitudes he had been taught as a child.

“I have a job for you... If you are interested...” Its voice was rich but cold, undertones of nails on a chalkboard echoed about it. It proffered an arm towards the sky man, gold appeared from the blackness. Gold that was very solid looking.

“What do you need done?” Hoops asked, entranced by the yellow metal.

“I need someone collected...”

-*-

Twilight paced the hallway of her boss’s home across the road from the museum. They had retired to the building when Luna’s initial spells had little effect. Now the Princess, Cadence and the tribal healer were taking care of the stricken archaeologist, her partner Jack keeping vigil.

The librarian was trying not to dwell on the earlier events, of facing the dead creatures and the thought of her life ending there... It was hard. Every time she stopped distracting herself a vision of the sand shrivelled faces filled her mind, increasing her heart rate and setting her into panicked breaths. She didn’t want to worry the others; Rarity was worse off after all and Rainbow was avoiding her.

“Hey Twily.” Shining said as he passed, carrying another armful of books Cadence had sent him after. Her private library was extensive but she did not trust her bookworm employee to fetch any, concerned that Twilight would get distracted and read. Guiltily the indigo haired young woman had to admit it would be the case.

“Hi BBBFF, what are those ones about?” She looked at the dusty tomes, grateful for the distraction.

“More dream spells I think. Cadence has been looking after them for her mother.” He half hesitated on the unusual reference. They had never questioned why their friend lived with extended family, especially after their own loss. “Princess Luna thinks something attached itself to Rarity’s psyche while we slept in the ruins. She hopes some of her old notes might help figure it out.” He shrugged and hurried off into the room.

Twilight began her pacing anew. Reaching one of the many other bookshelves of the house, she was concerned enough that she nearly passed it by, but a tome caught her eye a moment. “Elements of Harmony. A Reference Guide.” She read aloud. The librarian took the book and sat on a chair to read.

-*-

Rainbow Dash felt ill at ease in the unfamiliar and quite grand house. Their hostess had left her well guests to their own devices as she concentrated on the afflicted. Shining had been drafted in as help and the gunner was conflicted over Twilight, she had elected to remain in the kitchen and adjoining dining area. So had the warrior tribesman, while she fiddled with bread and sandwich fixings, the well armed man was simply examining his sword.

“The dead ones were your comrades weren’t they?” He said aloud, shocking the sky-woman. His dark eyes were piercing.

“Yeah. Yes, they were.” She replied, caught out a moment by his unexpected question. After a moment a thought occurred. “How could you know that?”

“I saw you, many months ago at the ruins.” He shrugged. “It is our solemn task to guard the area and turn back all who venture there, after all.” His casual attitude rankled with the gunner.

“So you watched three of us face down a cadre of mad cultists just to make your job easier?!” She slammed down the bread knife, her sandwich forgotten and turned on the warrior. “You left two brave people dead in the sand and someone else to the sands of the desert?” She advanced on him, heedless of his blade. “If it weren’t from a lucky thermal I would have died out in that desert.” Her index finger jabbed his chest, Rainbow was pleased that she was nearly as tall as the man.

“You should not have been there Captain Dash.” He simply said. Her title gave her pause.

“I’ve not been Captain since they died.” She spat, turning heel on the tribesman and stalking out of the kitchen.

The other side of the dining room was a drawing room, couches and low tables were scattered across it. Rainbow slumped onto the nearest seat, pensive. The faces of her friends, what was left of them anyway, haunting her mind but always changing to the mortal fear upon Twilight’s face.

Twilight... Rainbow thought of the girl, she found it hard to think of someone quite so naive as a woman, all the varying shades she had encountered on their journey. The slightly out of place bailer, earnestly seeking the assistance of a guide. The shocked girl, unsure how to act after an unexpected kiss. The researcher lit by magical light as she read a book on the boat. The determined to be brave girl racing through flames and taking a leap of faith. Her despair at her lost belongings and the new look she had been forced to adopt. The angel of fury scattering a hundred enemies and once again the scholar, excited by potential new discovery. Despite her mood, Rainbow smiled.

She looked across the room and saw photos on the mantelpiece; there was one of a young Shining, Cadence and Twilight with an older couple, Twilight and Shining’s parents she guessed. There was another of the three, Shining and Cadence proudly flanking a gowned Twilight with a scroll clasped in her hand. She walked over to the shelf to take a look at the smaller pictures, her back to the door.

“Are you avoiding me Rainbow?” a voice said from the doorway. Twilight had found her.

“Uh, not really?” Rainbow said, her tone faltering a little. “Ah, maybe a little...” She left the mantle and sat back down on a couch, waving Twilight over. The librarian approached cautiously and sat down at the opposite end of the seat.

“Have I done something wrong?” She did her best to suppress a blush, remembering the tipsy kiss from earlier in the night. Rainbow looked surprised.

“No, no... It’s just... I. Those dead things, they were the friends I lost. Before, you know, the first time I was at the ruins... What I had to do...” Rainbow looked down, she had finally said it. A soft hand covered her own. Twilight had shuffled closer.

“I’m sorry you had to do what you did.” She shuddered a little from the memory. “But I am grateful... I was so scared. Not the sort of scared you get from something you dislike... The scared that comes with what might be...death.” Twilight mumbled at the end, her plan to gain further distraction by seeking out Rainbow had failed; she was focusing on the events now, not avoiding them. She felt herself shake as tears pricked behind her eyes.

“Hey now, Twilight... Things could have happened but they didn’t.” Rainbow soothed, “I, well it didn’t sit well to shoot them, they were my buddies once... It felt like I was betraying them.” The gunner shrugged, defeated, “I just, heck, I lost them and wasn’t about to lose you.” Her rose eyes focused on the watery amethyst of Twilight’s. The librarian looked adorable right then. “I was kinda more bothered by some, ah, stuff.”

“Stuff?” Twilight said, her eyelids drooping a little. For some reason the bogeymen in her mind had been chased away when Rainbow had looked at her. Now, the fear had fled and the limited sleep of the past few days had collected its toll.

“Yup, stuff.” Rainbow wasn’t bothered when the smaller woman laid her head against her. Pillowing herself a little. She would deny that she blushed when the librarian twined her fingers around hers.

“Well, we can sort stuff out later,” She yawned, Rainbow yawned too, “After we’ve helped Rarity ‘n’ Jack.” Her words were slurring as she snuggled against the gunner. Soon Twilight was breathing gently in sleep.

“G’night Twilight.” Rainbow whispered, watching the girl sleep a while before succumbing to her own tiredness.

Author's Note:

More and more I write, even now I am ahead a few chapters at least, though I have reached close to the climax of our story.

Maybe I should make The Nightmare Returns too eh?

The Crystal King sounds like a good sub-heading yes?

Comments

[This Account Is Dead]

I saved this story for a while now and I must say it really is a great one. The human thing might not be everyones cup of tea but you do tell an ensnaring story, so I don't really mind.

It's also cool that you somehow kept the original capabilities of everyone and refined them to fit to the human forms.

That said, I'm looking forward to the grand finale and some more romance!

[Tim the Planes-pony]

“You should not have been there Captain Dash.”

And they did not know they should not have been there. The death of those men is on him. This is part of the problem with the whole 'benevolent conspiracy' that is all so common, inevitably someone that you DON'T want to find out is going to find out, and when they do those might be able to stop them are vastly ill prepared to do so.