Chapter 15: Nightmares
Chapter 15
Nightmares
Shining Armor tossed and turned as he slept in his bed. It was Sunday night and it was going to be late before Cadence could return to the Crystal Empire, so he decided to get some sleep. Unfortunately, he was beset upon entering the realm of sleep by a nightmare.
A nightmare he had been having for twelve years.
But there was a difference to the nightmare this time. This time, it had an addition.
It was the same setting. It was the wedding rehearsal and once again, the moments he had last seen his sister replayed like a cruel nightly play. Every night, he would watch himself get controlled by the Changeling Queen disguised as his beloved Cadence. Every night, Twilight would burst in and announce that she was evil. And every night, he would angrily give her logical answers for the events that had happened concerning "Cadence's" behavior before casting out of his wedding before storming off with the other Element Bearers and Princess Celestia while Spike reluctantly trailed behind.
Then, the scene becomes dark as if all light was extinguished that not even starlight remained. Only he would carry some aspect of light whether it be his body or the light of his magic. And as he looked around, he would hear the Changeling Queen's evil cackle.
"You were a fool! Because you were so determined to marry your 'beloved' Cadence, you put yourself over all of Equestria."
Every time, he would reply.
"Shut up! YOU took over my mind! YOU manipulated me to focus more on the wedding than your invasion! YOU made me make Equestria vulnerable!"
Her cackles echoed in the darkness, taunting him.
"I may have twisted your mind a bit, but I was not the one who managed to kill his own sister."
Another figure appears in the abyss. One he both wanted to see and was terrified to seek out.
His little sister, Twilight Sparkle.
Unlike the earlier vision of her, this Twilight was different. Instead of a clean, healthy mare like he left her, this Twilight was a shadow of her former self. Her fur was matted and even gone in some places. Gashes of various sizes and depth covered her body, the red life-giving liquid that is inside every pony pouring out each gash like a crimson waterfall. There were three gashes on her Cutie Mark on both sides, the magenta star they shared torn in half. One of her amethyst eyes was gone along with the flesh on that half of her face, revealing her skull. Not even her mane could hide that broken face. Her remaining eye cried blood as she spoke sorrowfully at him.
"I thought you were my B.B.B.F.F, Shining Armor. I thought you were supposed to love and protect me. How could you do this to me, Shining? How could you just leave me to die at their hooves?"
Shining Armor's mouth ran dry at the sight of Twilight and the sound of her words. He had to swallow some of his own saliva in order to try and speak.
"I-I didn't mean to, Twily! I never wanted this to happen to you!"
"Yet you did! Look at your work, Shining Armor! Look at it!" She gestured to her maimed self as her voice continued to rise.
Shining Armor griped his head, determined to shake the image out. He remembered the news he had received days earlier and struggled to shatter the nightmare.
"T-This is not real! You're not real! The real Twilight is alive! She has a filly to prove it!"
"A filly you refuse to see." A new voice spoke up.
His pupils shrinking, Shining Armor turned his head to face the source of the voice next to Twilight. He didn't know her voice, so the voice was a distorted version of his younger sister's voice from when she was a foal. The source of this distorted voice was a being who had the body of a pony, but where a neck should start was instead replaced by a torso of an unfamiliar creature. The shirt the creature wore was tattered and it looked like the creature was cold by the fact that it was hugging itself.
Correction: herself.
The being before him was the only recent member of his family he had seen a picture of: his niece, Aurora.
Her head down with her wavy hair shading her eyes to the point where he could not see them.
"I'm lost. I am alone. My father's dead. My mother's gone. And I am a freak. I'm lost. I am alone. My father's dead. My mother's gone. And I am a freak. I'm lost. I am alone. My father's dead. My mother's gone. And I am a freak. I'm lost. I am alone. My father's dead. My mother's gone. And I am a freak. I'm lost. I am alone. My father's dead. My mother's gone. And I am a freak."
The child repeated her words over and over like a ghastly chant with no change in her posture or her voice.
"No! No, you're not! You're not a freak! You're not alone!" Shining Armor called out to try and comfort the specter, only to have her continue to chant the words.
Nightmare Twilight approached her foal to try and comfort her. She, however, did not express comfort to Shining Armor with her next words.
"How can I trust you to take care of my foal when you couldn't save me?! How can she be safe and happy when you can't even get on a train to see her?! How would she know she is loved when you fear her?!"
Any words Shining Armor wanted to say turned into mumbles as he watched in horror as rusted needles sew his muzzle shut while an unseen force made him immobile. He screamed through his sewn lips as he struggled to get free. Twilight screamed at him with the same sound and tone as a banshee.
"YOU HAVE FAILED ME, SHINING ARMOR! YOU HAVE DESTROYED ME! I WILL ETERNALLY DESTROY YOU FROM THE INSIDE! I WILL SHATTER YOUR MIND BEFORE I WILL LET YOU DESTROY MY FOAL! DAMN YOU, SHINING ARMOR! DAMN YOU TO OBLIVION!"
As it looked like the world was going to collapse on him, a new voice broke through the darkness.
"Begone, foul creature! Thee shalt torment his dreams no longer!"
Before he could even blink, Shining Armor watched as a blue light burst forth from the darkness. The light spread like wildfire, the entities of the nightmare disintegrating like fine sand. As the apparitions of his sister and niece disappeared, a new figure appeared. One who had been trying to help him during the past twelve years.
Indeed, the Princess of the Night was responsible for defeating his nightmare. A much-welcomed aid, but he also knew that she'll want to talk to him about it. And he wasn't sure how she would react.
"Prince Shining Armor. I see that the retched nightmare had begun to plague you again. Tell me. What has brought it back this time?"
Shining Armor looked at his hooves guiltily. Luna had tried now and again to cure him of his nightmares. But every time she did, the nightmares would return within on average a month. He felt guilty every now and again about how it seemed that he was hogging the Princess of the Night from others who were experiencing nightmares such as him.
But Luna never showed disapproval or contempt. Only concern that seemed to grow every time his mind called for help. That concern appeared as Shining Armor bit his lip as he struggled to find the words.
Luna, truthfully, didn't need him to explain himself. She kept a constant surveillance of the stallion's mind ever since the nightmares began. She saw the key difference in the nightmare: Aurora. Still, she wanted to hear from the stallion's own voice about what was wrong. Both as a respect of his privacy and a coping mechanism to get him to open up to himself. Sometimes, it took a little longer for him to speak. But Shining Armor knew Luna wanted an honest answer and she wouldn't leave his dreams until he talked to her.
"Cadence went to visit Aurora this weekend. She told my parents and me that it would be a great help for her and us if we met on weekly visits. Both for her to get comfortable with us and for the three of us to get to know one another."
Luna seemed to have an interested approved look as she spoke.
"That is actually a very good idea. Since Aurora is going to be under your care, it would make sense to try and get to know her before her arrival. But how exactly did this idea cause the nightmare?"
Hearing the question, Shining Armor looked to a spot on his right, trying not to look at the princess nor to show his ashamed face.
"…I'm scared, Princess Luna. I am scared of my own niece."
This made Luna's eyebrow rise. How could this stallion be afraid of his niece?
"How are you afraid of her? Did my sister not send you a photograph?"
Hearing the implication, Shining Armor quickly turn his gaze to Luna as he attempted to correct her.
"She did, and it is not her appearance that I am afraid of. In fact, I don't have a problem with her appearance."
"Then why are you afraid of her?" Luna asked simply.
While the question was simple, it was clear the answer was difficult for Shining Armor to speak. She waited patiently with non-judgmental eyes as Shining Armor managed to get the answer out.
"I am afraid that she knows what happened between me and her mother and paint me in a terrible light. I'm afraid she'll criticize me harshly for my blunder and inadvertently letting the changelings into Canterlot. I'm afraid of the possibility that Twilight may have told her about me and said things like that I was a terrible brother, which I am!"
As Shining Armor went over his list, Luna got the gist of it and summarized it.
"You are afraid that she'll hate you and blame you for any suffering her mother has and may be going through right now."
Ashamed, Shining Armor lowered his head as if waiting for the chopping block. Luna was not angry at him. Only pitied him. She knew the psychiatrists' reports. She knew that Shining Armor was going through a possibly permanent Survivor's Guilt. She had seen the effects of Survivor's Guilt in many ponies. Sometimes, the guilt was so severe that the pony would be committed to an asylum for a chance of medical help. But the realm of the mind was Luna's specialty. She could enter the psyche of various ponies and check on their "Wonderlands" as she liked to call them. The less horrifying the Wonderland, the better the pony was.
Shining Armor's Wonderland had been deteriorating over the years. Transforming from the image of a land of brave stallions rescuing damsels in distress transforming into a hellish land where every step you would take you would anticipate a powerful foe or a jump-scare. Cadence and the psychiatrists had been slowing down the process and struggled to recover some of that Wonderland, but Luna knew Shining Armor needed other sources of strength.
And she knew just where. But for now, she needed to focus on the reason behind this latest "dark siege of Shining Armor's Wonderland."
"I can assure you, Shining Armor, that Aurora does not know what had transpired at the wedding rehearsal nor does she show any dislike towards you. In fact, she is quite curious and is actually afraid herself."
Hearing this, Shining Armor looked up in curiosity.
"Afraid?"
Luna nodded as she showed an image of Aurora with her friends and aunt earlier that day. They were playing a game of ring toss and were enjoying it.
"Aurora had long thought our world was a fantasy created by her mother to put her to sleep at night. When they were attacked, fear took root like any normal filly would feel. When her mother vanished, despair and anguish laid siege to her mental state. Now, she has learned that her mother was never human and Equestria was the land Twilight was born in. Everything Aurora knew about her mother and of her own life was tossed out and is in disarray. She is alone in a world where she is the only one of her kind and misses her mother terribly. Not to mention she had recently lost her father, making her fears of losing her mother grow.
"To put it simply, Shining Armor, she is lost, alone, and afraid."
Hearing this, Shining Armor felt guilty about being afraid of Aurora and wanted to kick himself for feeling that way. He also wanted to give Aurora a much-needed hug. How could he think so selfishly about himself that he failed to assess how scared Aurora must be feeling. Aurora didn't truly need guards and an impenetrable fortress to protect her from the evils of the world. She needed the love and support of family just like any foal. Why would he be so cruel as to deny her of such necessities?
Seeing him in this state, Luna placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder.
"Just try, Shining Armor. I know the Element of Magic's words still haunt you and you have not forgiven yourself over the debacle that made Twilight Sparkle lost to us. But while she may be her daughter, Aurora is not Twilight Sparkle. She does not hold a grudge over the incident like what you believe Twilight feels. She has never experienced torture like you fear for her mother. She is a blank slate. An innocent. A lost lamb that needs the care of a shepherd.
"I know it is difficult to forgive yourself, Shining Armor. But at least try to be the uncle your niece needs."
End Music
The sound of the bedchamber door opening brought Shining Armor's mind to the intruder. Cautious and still scarred over the failed Changeling invasion coupled with his recent nightmare, Shining Armor opened one of his eyes to find his beloved wife unpacking her luggage with a happy smile on her face. Careful, he sat up and looked at Cadence.
"So? How did it go?" He asked, though he was thinking,"If she answers about politics, then it's a changeling. If it is about Aurora, then it is Cadence. After all, only Mom and Dad knew she was going to see her."
Cadence already knew what he was thinking and knew her answer. Every time she leaves Shining Armor's sight for more than a day, he would check to make sure she wasn't a changeling imposter like twelve years ago. Even though it was understandable, Cadence had to give a lot of effort not to roll her eyes at her distressed husband's paranoia. Sarcasm was the last thing he needed. Maintaining her smile, Cadence answered him.
"It was wonderful! Aurora is a sweet and brilliant foal. It started awkward at first, but I expected that. But when she took the first step in asking me about my foalsitting her mother, that's when she opened up to me."
As Cadence went on about her weekend, Shining Armor took in every detail relieved that this was indeed his wife. When she got to the part about finding a missing foal, Shining Armor raised an eyebrow.
"Her local Scouts taught her how to track a foal?"
"Partially. When we were alone again, Aurora admitted to being a fan of her mother's mystery books and her late father's adventure books in their personal library. She read them so much that she picked up a thing or two. Twilight even bought her reference books on famous adventurers and detectives as well as books on how to be both properly." Replied Cadence.
As Cadence continued to relay her weekend, Shining Armor found himself learning about what was happening to Twilight while she was locked away at the other side of the Gate. He wanted to meet the male who not only saved his sister, but made her happy during her time there. And when he died, Shining mourned mentally for his late brother-in-law. And when he learned about Twilight's mental state about being widowed, he was ready to jump out of the Crystal Palace's window and turn the world upside-down to find her and give her the tightest hug he could muster.
After hearing Twilight's partially uncovered story, he heard about the activities that Cadence did with Aurora. Apple sorting, walking lessons, Aurora's shell collection, the outdoor activities. It was crystal clear that Aurora was the Sporty and Explorer-type when Cadence relayed to Shining Armor about Aurora's likes, such as her love of exploration and surfing.
"What does she dislike?" he asked her curiously.
Cadence giggled as she went over the list Aurora gave her.
"Well, she told me she is not the girly type. She likes to have fun in the water and sand instead of having tea parties like stereotypical fillies. She does have an idea of fashion, but prefers comfort over style. And while some fillies would scream at the sight of a bug, she picks it up. The only exception, however, is arachnids. But that is because of a spider bite she had when she was 4 that she had to go to the hospital for."
Shining Armor gaped at that information and when she saw it, Cadence continued.
"According to Aurora, the spider that bit her was a venomous spider that was found on the islands. They were lucky they were on the main island when she was bitten, otherwise, she would have been very sick. Possibly even die. Since then, Twilight kept vials of anti-venom in the house just in case it happened again, though Aurora has made it a habit to avoid spiders as much as possible."
Shining Armor understood too well, though he wondered if Fluttershy would try and help Aurora cure herself of her arachnophobia. The Pegasus was knowing to having various creatures under her care, though she had yet to cure Twilight of her Ophidiophobia (Fear of Snakes). Still, he made a note not to scare Aurora with spiders when Nightmare Night comes.
He remembered Luna's message from his dreamscape. As he listened to Cadence about her weekend, Shining Armor found himself wanting to meet his niece personally.
Luna was right, after all. Aurora needed a family. He just wished he had more courage to be that family.
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good on you shiny
Yay, you're back! Continue the story, it's great!
Shining'll get there.
8696054
Trying. School and Life get in the way.
Right now, I am stuck on how to do the next chapter. The focus is back on Aurora and her friends.
Nice.
8698760
I just hope I scared some people with the first section (Shining Armor's nightmare.).
8698785
Yeah... Sory but it didn't for me. When you have a sister that is into creepy pasta it takes a little more scary stuf to scar me.
8698801
I did not know that.
8698808
Lol
8698810
And how is that funny?
8698873
Its nothing sorry if I upseted you.
8698895
I wasn't upset. Just confused.
8698901
Okay
this chapter has reveled so much about family and fears.
8772783
Goooood.
How goes the next chapter
8867760
College has been keeping me busy. But I have been working on it gradually. Did hit of a stand-still after the incident in the Brony Community in January. Couldn't get inspired after that.
Yeah... don't try to cure someone of something that has likely saved their life on more than one occasion. It's counterintuitive.