Nightmare Mom

“Get up.” Your bed jostles, and the voice of your mother cuts through the dream like a sword. She doesn't seem as angry as yesterday, judging by her expression, a cool neutral. You must not have been late today.

You roll to your belly, stretching out. “Hello, Mother,” you reply dutifully, trying not to spit out that last word. “What brings you to my chambers?”

“I need you in Manehattan.” She tosses a scroll on your bed. “Clean up. I'll have a carriage waiting for you.”

You wonder why she couldn't have just had a guard give you the message, but you take the scroll and read over it. You hear the door close a moment later. Rebels needed hunting in Manehattan, according to the scroll. You go about your morning routine, including the workout you missed yesterday, and head out. The hours it takes to get there pass uneventfully.

Like most of the major cities that remained, Manehattan had become home to many ponies who fled their small towns in search of food and warmth, and the cities had been rumored to have much of both. The city had expanded rapidly to accommodate, then contracted when the shortages hit. Things had leveled out since then, and Manehattan sported one of the highest city populations in Equestria. Most of the abandoned buildings had been converted into farms, as they had become ideal areas to contain heat for growing food. Many of them were in the outer areas of the city, and you decide that's a good place to start.

You notice ponies giving your carriage dirty looks as you pass them. Manehattan, as you recall, had long been theorized to be the rebel base, but it could never be proven. All you ever got for evidence was that the leader, the former Princess Cadence, was supposedly sighted here from time to time. You were fine with staying here for a few nights, using your presence to scare any overt rebels back into their holes for a while, and make a small show. If luck was with you, you'd find one of the Elements here.

You stop in front of one of the complexes and survey the surrounding area. You notice an abandoned building up on a small hill, seemingly sound structurally and defensible. You walk up to a pony pulling a cart. “You. Is that building inhabited?”

“Um, as... as far as I know?”

You walk away, rolling your eyes. You approach the captain of this group, a soft yellow-orange pegasus with a blue mane. “Secure that structure for us.” The pegasus doesn't respond immediately. You clear your throat.

The pegasus jumps. “Apologies, my Prince. We'll get right on it.” He hops down and sets to work.

You shake your head as you approach one of the farm buildings. Blasted memory spells. I hope Nightmare enjoyed her toy. This building was much like the others, a re-purposed house, single floor. It looked like there would be some sort of attic to it, but these buildings could be deceptive. You notice two of the guards had followed you, out of your escort of eight. “You two. Wait outside,” you order them. You knew they were a formality, but it was one of your pet peeves that they followed you.

You step inside, noticing there's only a sand-colored pony with a brown mane and matching scarf doing runner stretches. He notices you and comes to his hooves. The hatred is visible in his dark blue eyes. “So the prince of the night comes to our humble little farm. How may this mere mud pony serve your majesty?” He does a mock bow.

“You can drop the sarcasm, first,” you reply, looking around. You see quite a few sprouts in the ground, bags of fertilizer against the walls along with assortments of farm equipment. The windows are sealed tight, with several walls that once denoted rooms knocked out, and the entire floor pulled up to make room for the farming. The weight bearing columns remain untouched, oak pillars rising from the ground like squared trees. Artificial lights line the roof, providing the warmth. You walk up to the pony, a bit shorter than the average stallion. “Second, why are you alone? I thought these were manned by at least two.”

“My buddy's coming back. Had to grab a few things.” The pony turns away, returning to his exercises.

“You seem to have no love for me, but also no fear.”

“Why should I be afraid when I have nothing to hide?”

“Everypony has something to hide.”

“Nothing interesting to hide, then.” As he stretches, you catch a glimpse of gold underneath his scarf. You approach him and pull his scarf off. “Hey, what-?”

You see a necklace just like the one you saw on the pony in Canterlot, only the gemstone is a red running pony. You lock eyes with him, his face a portrait of shock. He bolts for the door, which you lock magically before he gets there, but just barely. He lunges for you, but you swat him away, then walk over and place your hoof on his throat. You cast a soundproof shield around the two of you.“You're quick. I'll give you that. Is it because of the necklace?”

The pony only growls at you, squirming and trying fruitlessly to remove your hoof.

“I didn't think so.” You take a breath to calm yourself a bit. “Now, where did you get that necklace? Most stallions I know wouldn't want to be caught dead with one.”

“Wouldn't you like to know?”

“I would. And I would like to know without having to beat the information out of you.”

“Do your worst.”

“Clearly, this isn't your first interrogation. You must be quite suspicious.”

“I'll take that as a compliment.”

You apply some pressure to him. You can hear him straining to breathe. “I know what that is you wear. An Element of Harmony, an artifact that my- the Queen,” you correct yourself, “would be very interested to know you have. And, if I were as dutiful as she would like, I'd have you arrested right now, and we would get all the information we need from you. However, I bear no more love for her than you bear for me. So I need to know where you got that Element, and if you know any other ponies who have them. I assure you, this conversation will not leave this room.”

The stallion responds by kicking at your stomach, loosening your hold on him. He squirms out from under you and makes another dash for the door. You seize him once again with your magic and pin him against a wall. You punch him a few times before you manage to suppress your anger. “Come on, impress me,” he says.

“At least I know what Element you are,” you snarl. “And if you're so loyal to your friends that you won't speak, they must have at least one more Element among them. But you don't have all of them, or you would have used them by now.” You look the pony in the eyes, a bright green. “I know where one is.”

“Oh, I bet. You tell me some made-up story, I tell you about my friends, and the next thing I know half the city burns and we're all rotting in Canterlot's dungeons, right next to Celestia's old guard captain.” He spits in your face. “And that's if we're unlucky. I bet you don't even know what the Elements are.”

You wipe the spit away and grind it into the dirt. Your next words come from behind clenched teeth. “I know you need six, one of which only appears under certain circumstances. And I know they were used against the Queen before.” You take a few breaths to regain your composure and check to make sure the audio shield was still there, which it was. “I want to use them again. This time, to destroy her.”

“You can't do that yourself?”

“I could try, but I cannot guarantee my success. The Elements are the only certainty.”

The stallion thought for a moment. “If I take you to them, will you agree to meet them alone?”

“I will meet the entire rebel army alone if you will show me what you have.”

He smiled. “I like that answer. Let me go and I'll get things started.” You step back, releasing the shield and unlocking the door. He stretches out and looks at you. “By the way, my name's Dune Runner. I thought you might want to know.”

You nod, and walk to the door. “I have guards outside. I'll inform them that it's clear.”

“You'll get word of where we want to meet.” He flashes you a self-assured smile as he steps over to a table to fix himself up.

“I don't plan to stay longer than a week.” With that, you walk out.