Nightmare Mom

You spend two hours in the doctor's office having the damage from your beating fixed; too much time for your tastes. And there was nothing he could do about hearing the mare that gave you life never wanted to in the first place, a truth you had long suspected. Your thoughts race, pushing the stinging of the healing ointments, potions, and other magic out of your awareness. And through those two hours, you reached a conclusion: you'd had enough. It was time for her to face a justice she had long avoided and greatly deserved. The only question left in your mind was how you would bring it about, and those are the thoughts that occupy you as you patrol the streets of Canterlot, your remaining task for the evening.

You are in the midst of running through a particularly brutal plan in your head when something gold catches your eye. A unicorn mare is giving a blanket to another shivering pony. Ordinarily, you wouldn't notice this, but something on her neck glinted in the torchlight. You stop and look, seeing a glimpse of a pink gemstone, quickly covered by her cloak as she moves. You approach this pony, your anger driven from your mind.

The pony sees you, light pink eyes widening in horror as she tries to run. You reach out with your magic and hold her in place. The pony that holds the blanket stands to protest, but you silence him with a glare. You make sure to magically gag the mare, dragging her with you behind the furniture shop they were in front of. You pin her to the wall with your foreleg, careful not to hurt her and push aside her thick cloak with your magic. She cringes as you do so, crosses her legs, and you hear her whimper through the gag, “Please... no...” You take a moment to cast a shield around the two of you that blocks all sounds, in and out.

The necklace she wears is simple, yet still incredibly valuable for a pony who otherwise looks very poor. If it hadn't glinted, it might have matched her coat quite well. The gemstone was pink, cut masterfully into the shape of a butterfly. Your eyes widen as you whisper, “It can't be...” You look at the mare. Her hood has fallen away, revealing an icy blue mane. She's crying, on the border of sobbing. “Where did you get this necklace?”

The mare only looks at you. “Wh-what?”

“The necklace you wear. Where did you get it? It's too expensive for anyone other than royalty to have.”

“I-I-It's a... a family heirloom-”

“Don't lie to me!” you snap, pushing her into the wall harder. You reign yourself in and ease back. “Tell me the truth of where you found this, and you will not be harmed. I promise.”

She looks you in the eye, and seems to calm down a little. “I-I found it.”

“Where? No pony outside this bubble will hear you.”

She swallows and notices the faint shimmer of the audio shield. “E-Even her?”

You nod. “Even her.”

“You promise?”

You fight down a surge of impatience. “I assure you, only we will ever know of this conversation.”

“Could... could you let me go?”

“No. If any guards should see us, I want it to look like an interrogation. Just tell me about the necklace.”

She looks you in the eye again, and takes a breath. “I-I found it down in Ponyville. There's this old cottage, near the remains of the forest. I was just looking around for some things I could use to help make life here a little better: extra blankets, firewood, anything really. It's horrible, some of the things I've seen here. I just want to help, bring a little light into this dark world, and-”

“The necklace,” you remind her, keeping your voice even.

“I found this gem in the cottage, sitting under an old couch. I couldn't believe something like that would have just been left behind, even by the other scavengers. I went to touch it, and it flashed really bright, and then was gone. The next thing I knew, I had this necklace.”

Your heartbeat picks up as ideas start forming in your head. “This gem you found, how big was it?”

“I don't know, about as big as my eye, maybe? I didn't get a good look.”

You nod, a smile tugging at your lips. You push it down. “You live in Canterlot, correct?”

She nods.

“Does anypony else know you have that necklace?”

She shakes her head. “I live alone, and none of the ponies I've helped have said anything about it.”

You release her and pass her your scarf, the same light blue as your armor. “Tell no one of this conversation or that necklace. Hide it. If Nightmare Moon knew you had it, it would be the end of you. If that's what I think it is, I'll be back for you, miss...?”

“Mint Drop. And why? What's so special about it?”

“Better you don't know yet.” You stride back to the palace, your mind swimming with ideas now. All the pieces fit with what you've read about the Elements, but you had to be sure. And if it really was one of them, you might just have a way to pay Mother back for twenty-five years of torture. It wouldn't be by YOUR hoof, but none of the plans you had come up with before guaranteed your success. Survival was a secondary consideration for you.

You stop in the castle long enough to get some dinner. Mother wasn't present in the dining hall, so either she was busy or you missed her completely. All the better. You finish quickly and head straight for your room to find a pink mare laying on your bed. You groan inwardly. Of all the times to be in heat... Mother never usually sent you mares unless she was in heat or thought you needed to work out some stress, and it was about time for her to be the former, you realize.

The mare gets up and saunters towards you, flashing you bedroom eyes. “Well look who it is. My prince, returned from the dirty streets.” She drapes her forelegs around your neck. “Beat up any more rebels today?”

You push her away. ”No. Get out.”

She gives you puppy eyes. “I just want to help. You seem so stressed, love.”

You glare at her, barely restraining your anger. “A whore doesn't know what love is, especially one who was sent by my mother. Now get out before I throw you out.”

The mare steps back. “I-I'm sorry, my Prince.” She scurries out without another word.

You close and lock the door. Normally, you might have been willing to rut her, but not now, not with this new information. You take off your armor, clean it, and put it away, then pull a book out from under your bed. A simple place to hide forbidden things, and obvious, but it worked. It had six gems on the cover, each a different color, with a unicorn head in the middle.

You place the book on your bed and begin to flip through. You begin to mumble to yourself, reading random parts of the book. Your mumbling ceases when you find the passage you wanted. “'The Elements of Harmony are six magical artifacts..'” You skim over the rest. “'-Accounts vary, but many have said that they take the shape of large gemstones, about the size of a pony's eye, until they are wielded by a pony who represents their element, and is theorized to take the shape of some sort of jewelry. The form of the Element of Magic is unknown, and only reveals itself when the other five are united and create a spark.'”

You close the book and put it back, your plan cemented in your mind: find the Elements, bring them to Nightmare Moon, and trigger them to destroy her. Mint Drop was they key to finding the others, you just had to find her again, and then create the spark somehow. You lay down to sleep, smiling.