The cursed resident.

by Sylif Daring Doo

A wedding to remember.

*Canterlot, Equestria.*

"So Miss Moon, please help me to understand the events that led to this point." A calm and composed voice said, belonging to a middle aged unicorn stallion with green fur, a short yellow mane and tail as well as a Cutie Mark of a piece of paper with a quill writing on it.

Nightmare Moon sat across the table from the stallion, for once she was not disguising as Silver Wing, instead she simply made herself the same size as an ordinary mare, her cyan cat-like eyes bore into the stallions brown eyes for a few moments before she sighed and rubbed her temples with her forehooves. "Ok, so it was the day before the wedding, and I spent most of the day keeping an eye on the fillies, Sweetie Belle, Rarity's sister, Applebloom, Applejack's sister, and Scootaloo, a friend of the the others." She explained.

The stallion wrote something down on a piece of paper. "Where were the four of you that day? and was anypony aware of your activities?" He asked, his voice and tone were neutral, almost unreadable.

Nightmare Moon nodded and thought back to the day. "Yea, I was asked to chaperone the fillies for the day until it was time for the rehearsal." She stated before starting to recall the events.

*Two days ago.*

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Rarity asked with worry.

Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes, she was disguised as Silver Wing once again, she had saddlebags on and was getting impatient. "For the last time, it's fine, I'll keep an eye on them, I won't let them do anything stupid, so please stop panicking and go, you have very important work to do." She said.

Nearby, the Cutie Mark Crusaders waited impatiently for Rarity to stop worrying and let Silver Wing go, but so far there has been no luck, the three fillies each had a small pouch of bits to spend on anything within reason, which was probably the source for Rarity's panic.

Finally though, Rarity relented. "Alright, but if there is any problems, don't hesitate to come get me, Applejack or Rainbow Dash alright?" She said, she left after Silver Wing nodded.

Once they were alone, Silver Wing walked over to the fillies. "Alright, let's get going before she comes back to stall again." She joked, earning a snort from Scootaloo and a stifled laugh from Sweetie Belle, Applebloom however sighs.

Silver Wing led the three fillies out of the castle, they passed a few guards and maids along the way but there were thankfully no interruptions, after about ten minutes the mare and the three fillies were walking through the streets of Canterlot. "So, where to hmm?" She asked.

"Hmm... how about that place?" Apple Bloom said after a few moments of silence, Silver Wing looked to the filly and followed her gaze until she saw a store for alchemy supplies named The Silver Cauldron.

"Very well, let's see what they have." The mare said, she led the three fillies into the store where they split up to look around and browse, though Sweetie Belle stuck close, looking at the more bizarre ingredients.

About ten minutes passed before the four left the store, the only one to buy anything had been Apple Bloom who bought a few vials and various ingredients for potion making or whatnot.

Next was Scootaloo's choice, she had dragged the group into a sports shop where she quickly bought some replacement wheels for her scooter and a new helmet.

And finally, Sweetie Belle brought them to a rather interesting store, it was a music store that also had various antiques for sale, it took several minutes but the filly finally bought an older music record and an interesting copper goblet with three inlaid emeralds around the outer rim.

*The present.*

"So Miss Moon, you spent the day chaperoning for the three fillies, but what about the rehearsal? were you present?" The stallion asked calmly.

"No, I had no personal involvement in the wedding itself, I didn't find out what happened until the following morning." Nightmare stated truthfully. "From what I was told, Rarity had a conversation with Twilight a few hours after that incident, I don't know the specifics myself but it was clear they both needed space." The Alicorn explains.

The stallion nodded and wrote down on his notepad. "And what of the wedding? what was your role in all of that? accounts are varied and inconsistent because of the panic." He asked, curiosity and patience were written all over his face.

"Well, at first I was just a bystander, I figured it would be better to not cause confusion and panic so I let Celestia handle the Changeling Queen, and if it wasn't for that power spike that Chrysalis gained, the invasion probably wouldn't have happened." Nightmare replied truthfully.

The Stallion hummed. "What happened after the Princess was captured?" He asked blandly.

*The previous day.*

Nightmare kept a low profile as Silver Wing near Rarity and the other Element Bearers, she took a deep breath and watched as Chrysalis gloated because of her victory over Celestia, the Changeling Queen formed a solid magical dome over Cadance who didn't have the strength to break it open.

"Nightmare, now would be a good time to do something." Rarity whispered.

"Celestia is stronger in terms of raw power." The disguised Alicorn stated quietly. "If she couldn't beat Chrysalis in a contest of raw strength I won't be able to do anything." She explained.

Rarity looked at Nightmare with wide eyes. "Then... is there nothing we can do?" She asked.

Nightmare glanced from Rarity to Chrysalis who looked out to Canterlot City triumphantly, and just as Nightmare was about to speak, she heard the stifled sobs of a filly, she looked to her right and she saw Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, the latter of the three was crying and her friends looked ready to cry as well.

"I... I have an idea, it's not a good one but I might just work." The Alicorn whispered.

Rarity nodded. "What is it?" She asked, trying to be discreet.

Nightmare bit her lip as her mind waged a war within itself. "I'm in the middle between Luna and Celestia in terms of overall power, but I have one ability neither of them have, and I think you remember it." She whispered, and upon seeing the white unicorns confused face, Nightmare spoke. "I can take another's body for a host and gain increased powers, but it's not exactly a good idea." She explained hesitantly.

Rarity looked around and Twilight spoke up in a whisper. "No way! we can't risk that! if it's a permanent thing, then that means we will need to use the Elements in order to seperate you!" The purple unicorn hissed in objection, her friends silently nodding in agreement.

"Like I said, bad idea." The Alicorn retorted.

"Can you win?" Rarity asked quietly.

Nightmare looked at Rarity and saw the mares eyes, they were aflame with nothing but determination and defiance, a look that the Alicorn didn't see in her before. "... Rarity... this could be perm-"

"Can. you. win?" Rarity asks persistently.

Nightmare stared at the mare for a few moments before looking at Chrysalis. "I can..." The Alicorn sensed that there was no deterring the mare and stood up to stretch her limbs non threateningly before sitting down, she spoke with an air of finality. "Rarity... will you be my host?" She asked, holding a hoof out to Rarity.

Rarity glanced at her friends who were silently begging her to say no, none of them wanting to lose either of them, the unicorn smiled before looking at Nightmare. "Yes." She stated without hesitation as she tightly gripped the Aliicorn's hoof.

With that single word, Nightmare Moon turned into mist and flowed rapidly into Rarity, the white unicorn changed rapidly before the eyes of everyone paying attention or watching, her pristine white fur darkened to a charcoal black and her bright blue eyes changed into the shining cyan cat-like eyes of Nightmare Moon, her mane and tail colors became a deeper purple and her horn changed into a more crystalline blue.

"My Queen! the hostages!" A Changeling Called out before being pinned to the wall by a bench.

Chrysalis turned to face her hostages and was greeted with the sight of one less hostage and one who she recognized as the dress maker but darker. "Really? a darker color? that will not scare me little unicorn." The Queen stated as her Changeling's charged at Rarity.

Rarity, or of you want to be technical, Nightmare Rarity's horn lit up in a furious blaze of magic and magical bolts fired from her horn, the bolts flew through the air and each one hit their mark, rendering several Changelingms unconscious, behind her, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Twilight and Pinkie Pie fought off the remaining Changeling's before promising to return and leaving, presumably to get the Elements of Harmony.

"Just you and me now Chrysalis." Nightmare Rarity remarked, her horn lit up and the remaining hostages and the fillies were covered by a blue protective barrier. "You beat Celestia, but I wonder how you'll do against me?" She wondered, more to herself than anything.

Chrysalis growled and her jagged horn lit up, a small volley of sickly green magical bolts flew towards Nightmare and before they reached, the bolts suddenly began to circle the altered unicorn for several moments before launching at random times and high speeds, Chrysalis also threw in some more magical bolts for good measure.

Nightmare Rarity conjured several small magical shields resembling mirrors that blocked all the shots, and not only was Chrysalis surprised, the unicorn was also shocked but for a different reason.

'Woah, a willing host is so nice to work with, you've been holding out on me you know that Rarity?, why didn't you tell me your magical control was absurd?' Nightmare questioned mentally.

'You didn't ask.' Rarity replied, Nightmare could feel the smirk on the mares face.

"Let's change the playing field to be more... appropriate." Nightmare Rarity grinned and her horn lit up once more, Chrysalis readied herself for an attack but to her surprise the room as well as the outside darkened, everyone able to do so looked outside and saw that the moon was now in the sky and it was full.

Nightmare Rarity's grin grew in size and she cast a series of spells in quick succession, the first spell fired a small barrage of magical bolts at Chrysalis who was able to block, the second conjured magical spikes to erupt from the floor, forcing the Changeling to go into the air, and the third spell created a large dome of magic with numerous holes, Chrysalis formed a shield quickly as hundreds upon thousands of small magical darts threw themselves at her over and over.

Nightmare Rarity teleported out of the Changeling Queen's view and unleashed a beam of pure white energy from her horn, it impacted the magical shield surrounding Chrysalis with a notable boom, the possessed made teleported again and fired another beam, repeating the process several times.

Chrysalis growled and cast her own spell, and in an instant the shield surrounding her expanded and then broke apart into around a thousand magic bolts, the bolts of magic then fired in every direction, Nightmare simply formed a quick barrier that blocked several shots and allowed her to not be harmed.

Nightmare Rarity took a deep breath and lit her horn once more, the room grew brighter and the possessed mare bathed in the moonlight, she felt its power surge through her and she let out a breath of relief as a plan formed in her mind. 'Try not to blow up the castle Nightmare? I would rather you not get arrested for destruction of Royal property.' Rarity said with a hopeful yet tired tone.

'Unless you want to fight the Changeling Queen, I kindly ask you to shut it.' Nightmare countered.

Nightmare lit her horn and formed a few magical shields and blocked the furious blasts that Chrysalis was sending her way, though as she focused on her defense, Nightmare failed to notice the magical shackles quietly slithering towards her from behind.

Nightmare Rarity grunted as the ruthless attacks of Chrysalis pounded away at her shields, she did not relent however as she slowly built up her reserves for a final spell to put an end to this fight. 'Nightmare behind you!' Rarity called out.

The possessed mare looked over her shoulder and immediately teleported away, she fired another beam of pure white energy and Chrysalis was forced to block this one as it was aiming for the connected to Celestia's cocoon, Nightmare smirked as she discovered a weakness and a perfect distraction for her plan.

"Whatever you are thinking mare, it will not work." Chrysalis growled.

Nightmare rolled her eyes and teleported away, she appeared a few feet away from a window opposite Chrysalis and fired one more beam of energy at the cocoon connector for Celestia's cocoon, she then unleashed her spell at her intended target, a massive beam of white light flew at the same destination as the other two and Chrysalis formed a powerful shield to block it, the beam impacted and drilled into the shield viciously for a few seconds before splitting apart, it soon faded and Nightmare panted from the exertion of using so much magic at once.

Chrysalis grinned in triumph when she noticed that she was alright, she lit her horn up and gripped Nightmare Rarity, she threw the possessed mare into a wall and magical chains flew quickly and pinned her to the wall, the Changeling Queen laughed maniacally as she flew up to Nightmare Rarity's face. "You may have fought better than Celestia, but in the end I still win! that last attack of yours did nothing but cause your downfall you stupid mare!" She taunted.

The overconfident Changeling laughed even more gleefully as Twilight and the others were brought before her, defeated and tired, all the while though, Nightmare had a smirk on her face, and she soon chuckled.

Chrysalis heard this however and faced the quietly laughing mare, she flew up to her and glared. "What is so funny mare?" She questioned menacingly, her horn flared to like and the chains tightened, making the possessed mare wince. "Your precious Princess Celestia has been defeated, the city is overrun, Princess Luna doesn't even know what's going on and your strongest spell did nothing!" She taunted with a grin before it turned into a frown at the smile Nightmare didn't lose. "So what could you possibly have to smile about mare?" She questioned, her tone threatening.

Nightmare didn't lose her smile even as Chrysalis tightened the chains again. "Y-you... are such an idiot." She whispered. "Did...d-did you think that I was aiming for you?" She asked mockingly.

Chrysalis' eyes widened as realization struck her like a sack of bricks, she flipped around just in time for Cadence to rest her horn on Shining Armor's own, the result was a explosion of magic that slammed into all the Changeling's, they recoiled in pain before being magically raised into the sky forcefully and then launched away.

Nightmare fell to the ground as the magical chains faded away. 'I must admit Nightmare, that was a good plan.' Rarity commented.

The possessed mare rolled onto her back and chuckled while grinning. 'If I'm totally honest, I had no idea that would work.' She admitted as she stared at the ceiling.

Nightmare Rarity stood up a few moments later and walked to a window, she looked out to the city and noticed a very open and empty roof, she teleported to it without a word and conjured a blue blanket that she laid down on, she rested her head on a conjured pillow and stared at the stars. 'You know Nightmare, this is going to come back to bite you especially with you abducting my body.' Rarity warned.

Nightmare gave no reply and instead just looked over the night sky, she soon heard her friend speak up again. 'Then again, I'm not sure I mind that much, just don't make a habit out of it.' Rarity said quietly.

*The present.*

"So you teleported on the roof of Renholm's Diner and just... went stargazing?" The stallion asked.

Nightmare nodded. "And slept, we slept for a good long while before waking up, when we did we awoke to the sight of Twilight Sparkle and her friends looking down at us." She answered.

The stallion nodded and wrote this all down. "What happened next?" He asked.

Nightmare stretched and sighed. "We went back to the castle, I seperated from Rarity... I checked on the fillies, and then I was called here, that's it." She stated.

The stallion nodded and stood up. "Very well miss Moon, your account matches that of many witnesses and statements and clears up much of the confusion, you are free to go, I apologize for taking up your time." He said before leading Nightmare Moon out of the interrogation room.

Nightmare Moon left the guards station and was greeted by Rarity, Sweetie Belle and a unicorn guard. "So... how did it go?" Rarity asked curiously.

"Well, I'm not being arrested, I'll tell you more later ok?" The Alicorn replied.

Rarity nodded. "Alright, come on, let's go find some food, we did miss breakfast after all." She said, leading the way to the rest of the city.

Sweetie Belle followed between her sister and the former villain, she was still shaken by the invasion but the knowledge that she wasn't losing a friend and mentor was very calming for her, she didn't speak the entire trip, and Nightmare didn't prod her to do so.

'Well, that could have gone worse.' Nightmare thought to herself.

'Yes it could have, for instance you could have forgotten to sever the mental link.' Rarity replied with irritation.

'... crap.'

Author's Note:

So uh... no excuses, no bullshit, I will openly admit that I was taking a long break from Fimfiction, it's not that it's a bad site, but I was tired of writing Mlp stuff, even Righting Wrongs didn't give much relief for that.

So I kinda stayed on Quotev to write for a while, it helped a lot and I finally felt ready to finish this chapter up, I hope I'll be able to finish this at least before the year ends, I might end up cutting a large segment out though, because when I put enough thought into it, I realized that the ending I originally planned wasn't very good, so uh... yay, I have more thinking to do about an ending.

Comments

[THERDSTORYWHISPERER]

Great chapter!

If the large segment/segment does get cut, could you tell us what it was please, if you don’t mind that is?

[Sylif Daring Doo]

10423744

Sure, though I'm not sure if I'll have it as a type of bonus chapter or if I'll just put them in the Author notes, I'm undecided mostly.

[THERDSTORYWHISPERER]

10423892
Thank you!