Imperial Revision

by The Sound of Loneliness

Moongroomed

The water was heated exactly to 32 degrees Celsius, scented with salts and softened with foam. There was no water on the moon, only rock, dust, and what little could be conjured into reality without spellbooks and components. The dust immediately got into the coat and would never get out without… yes, water.
Nightmare Moon learned to adore water. After forgetting how it felt, eventually rediscovering it felt magical. Even if it was Luna who was taking her first bath in a thousand years, they still both shared the sensation. It had to be among the most exquisite pleasures the world had to offer - to feel water enveloping your entire body, washing away filth and relaxing muscles. Nightmare Moon cooed and let her eyes slide closed, focusing entirely on the feeling of the liquid caressing her body.
Soon, the mare was snoring softly in the steamy air of the dimly lit bathroom.

But no rest for the wicked. A determined knock on the door soon returned the Empress to the waking world. Nightmare Moon sighed deeply.
“Yes?” she asked loudly, suppressing a yawn.

“Sister,” the response came.

“Enter,” Nightmare Moon sighed once more, not even bothering to turn and face the door.
Daybreaker closed the door behind herself and stood in silence, waiting for further permission. Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes, “Speak.”

“Sister, I wanted to say again: I am sorry,” Nightmare Moon sighed again and tilted her head. Her sister wore her usual nervous smile and the news was nothing new.

“You already told me so before. I trust there is a more significant purpose to this interruption?”

“Yes… I wanted to catch you while Sparkle is away. Sister, I wish to remind you of caution. Even with the Elements returned to the Tree, she is dangerous.”

Oh, this again. It was sad how pathetic and fearful Nightmare Moon’s own sister turned out to be,
“Sister, please, sit.” Nightmare Moon moved, with no small dissatisfaction, to a more upwards position, freeing enough space in the water for the second mare.

“In… the water, sister?”

“Yes, in the water.” Daybreaker reluctantly approached and leaned over the edge as if expecting it to be a ledge leading down to Tartarus itself,
“Your jewelry, sister,” Nightmare Moon reminded. Daybreaker obeyed slowly and reluctantly, one by one, Celestia’s jewels went off until the pearl coated mare was completely bare.
“Now, in the water.”

Daybreaker cautiously touched the water with her hoof. Finding it rather pleasant, she proceeded to slowly settle down in front of her sister, looking totally confused.
Nightmare Moon lifted the bailer, that was previously sat on marble stand together with salts and the rest of equipment.
The dark mare proceeded to dip it into the water,
“Your head, sister,” she asked. The black mare, then, proceeded to pour the water on her sisters head, as she offered it. Now with her fur thoroughly drenched, Daybreaker looked, and undoubtedly felt, pitiful and vulnerable, like a wet kitten. Nightmare Moon smiled warmly to her sister, thankful for her trust,
“I have the servants heat the water to the exact temperature,” Nightmare Moon said, still beaming. “Bathing is such a delicate procedure, after all.”

“There are boilers and taps on the market now, aren’t those more convenient?” Daybreaker played along.

“There are limits to what technology can achieve, sister. In the last thousand years, there were many scientific advancements. What took a team of workers and a day in time, can now be done in hours, or even minutes, with a quarter of the workforce equipped with the correct tools. Do you remember how many years it took to build that old Castle?”

“They still had some accents left to finish after the tenth anniversary, if my memory is not failing me.”

“Indeed, and look at this palace now,” Nightmare Moon spread her hooves. “It exceeds the Castle in both scale and grandeur and was completely finished in only a year.”

“Impressive.”

“Indeed it is. Hold still, sister.” Nightmare Moon proceeded to pour a scented, amber liquid on Daybreaker’s head before starting to rub it, bubbling the liquid,
“But, ultimately, not much changed. The most important part is still exactly the same as it always was.”

“Progress?”

“No, sister. No advanced tool, or material, or a tank, or plane, will do its purpose without its heart, without a living creature to steer it, sister.” Nightmare Moon proceeded to pour some more water on her sister’s head and began gently bubbling up her mane,
“I could have fitted my own palace with a shower unit, or a tap bath, but can it really compare?
“There is a maid in the staff tasked with heating and aromatizing the water itself, then, there is a stallion in the supplies department tasked specifically with stocking these salts, shampoos and soaps. Another stallion searches the market for the newest and most exquisite grooming supplies. An entire company exists solely to well this very water from the ancient, underground, reservoirs and deliver it here."

"Such luxury. Are there no better uses for your treasury?"

Nightmare Moon clicked her tongue,
"We are royalty, sister," she responded simply.

"Modesty has a purpose."

"Of course. Sometimes it has, but it is important to always mind out the message others would see. What our subjects and foreign guests should see are the Empire's splendor and wealth. As far as all of them concerned, we are the Empire. But this is not what I wish to show you tonight, allow me to continue my thought." Nightmare Moon splashed Daybreker more water and levitated herself another scented bottle. Nightmare Moon uncorked the container and took a deep whif,
"Extract of Gardenia," she commented. "This one is a courtesy of the palace gardeners."

"A night-blooming flower which prefers moths over bees." Nightmare Moon smiled at her sister's attempt to sound knowing.

"It attracts the gentle creatures like a fire would. Aren't my gardeners charming? They worked so hard to nurture this flower in our cool climate only for us to have this tiny phial," Nightmare Moon dipped a tiny drop of scentuous liquid on her hoof and began applying it to her own mane, not a lot, just enough for it to catch the fleeting scent for a few nights on.

Having finished pampering herself, the onyx mare dipped another drop on her hoof and stared at Daybreaker with a little coy smirk. The other mare understood the hint, and offered Nightmare her own head,
"Finally, there’s one more pony that completes the scene we have here tonight. It is I, who carefully grooms your coat and mane with the movement of her hooves, a splash of warm water and a few drops of perfume. All of us work for you to now sit here and have this most lavish experience. Can this ever compare to the ordinary shower?”

Daybreaker remained completely quiet, her wet mane covering her face,
“Doesn’t it feel good to be cared for? To know that there are others who work for your benefit?" Nightmare Moon brought her snout closer and sniffed her sister's new flowery scent.
”There is strength to be found in others," Nightmare Moon softly whispered in Daybreaker's ear. "Not just weakness. Twilight has no plans to overthrow us, sister dear. Neither had Rarity, even though her misguided attempt to protect us may suggest otherwise.
“You need not fear them. They merely want to see their people being as joyful and happy as they always were, that includes us too. The only thing you need to do is to allow them to care for you. No one here wishes to harm you, sister. So will you cast aside the shackles of fear that bind you?”

“I hate her so much,” Daybreaker blurted in response to Nightmare's soothing. “It is like eternal torture, sister, to be locked inside this un-aging body, seeing, feeling, sensing all the things it does, but being only an observer! Freedom is always so close, just to move your hooves, just one step in the direction you desire, but this flesh doesn’t obey! It isn’t yours!
“Each day I woke up and felt her thoughts stirring in our head next to my own. I saw her face in the mirror and she knew how much I hated looking at it, and so she took her time to always brush her mane to the utmost perfection, using every single opportunity to stand in front of that blasted mirror! Oh, sister, I am so glad you shattered it to dust together with the rest of her room and her Castle!” Daybreaker made a pause, ventilating,
“Sister, I hate pretending to be her! I hate wearing her attires! I hate being her! Sister, I need to do something with this. It drives me to the edge by just thinking about it! I want to have something that isn't hers!”

“Hmm..." Nightmare Moon took thought for a moment, "What would you want your mane to look like?” Daybreaker, stunned with the sudden question, took a few moments to process it.

“I… want it to look different from hers,” she managed to answer.

“Do you want a specific style? Perhaps a color? Rarity is always glad to help with the matters of style.”

“I want it to be like yours!” Daybreaker suddenly burst out, even forcing Nightmare Moon to cease her manipulations with her sister's hairs.

“I do not think the stars would fit your complexion,” Nightmare Moon chuckled, lovingly caressing her deep blue plume, too heavy with water to flow.

“Then let us make it burn like the sun!”

“Well, I suppose the sun is a star too.” Nightmare Moon smiled, igniting her horn as she got to work.

Comments

[Carbon]

I like this chapter more than others.
Plz more chapters about NM and Daybreaker!

[The Sound of Loneliness]

10528593
Of course, eventually.