Somewhere in the dark forest, a lone timberwolf howled.
Nothing answered its sad wail, since the local pack had been disintegrated by the will of the Queen the previous week. Rainbow Dash tsk’ed quietly to herself, kicking the tig remains of one of the creatures out from under her hooves and into the nearby scrub. The forest gave her the hebejebes, but she wasn’t about to let something like fear keep her from her duty.
For the millionth time in the last minute, Rainbow wished the canopy here wasn’t choked with vines and old growth branches as thick as an earth pony’s leg. She’d give just about anything to be in the air and not on the ground, picking her way through the underbrush and timberwolf detritus. But here she was again, night after night, pressing onward regardless.
Up ahead, Rainbow could see narrow shafts of moonlight where it pierced the leaves and creepers to illuminate a small clearing. She slowed as she reached the edge, pausing in the shadow of the last gnarled tree. In the center of the clearing, like something out of a fairy’s tale, sat a low table made from a single amethyst. On the table, like out of a haunted dream, reclined Queen Nightmare Moon.
“You keep coming back here.”
Nightmare Moon’s teal eyes were the only thing that moved to register Rainbow Dash’s presence. “Would you rather I gave my attentions to the castle and staff again?”
Rainbow snorted, stepping into the clearing as gracefully as the root churned loamy soil would allow her. “The ceiling has almost been repaired and Rarity should be out of the infirmary anytime now. So...yeah. Saves me having to come out into the middle of nowhere to find you wanning here on that stupid table.”
“Your Queen does not appreciate your tone.” Moonlight glinted off perfect, sharp teeth.
“My apologies, your Highness.” Rainbow meant it, but she also meant for the dark goddess to see the accompanying smirk. “What I should have said was ‘find you here wallowing in melancholy rage over some pony that magicked herself into non-existence just because she believed that old hag Celestia could be saved.’”
Rainbow walked up to the side of the amethyst table and rested her elbows on it. “Sorry I misspoke the first time.” She grinned, finishing her climb up onto the cool crystal to lay next to her Queen. “Any luck tonight?”
“You are quite lucky that you are cute.” Nightmare growled hungrily. “Do you know that?”
“You keep reminding me.”
“So that you never forget your place.” Nightmare snarled, unfurling her wings to lay one across Dash’s back. “Beneath me.”
Rainbow grinned harder, snuggling her body against her Queen’s. “It’s where I belong.”
“You may stop plying me with compliments. I find myself...distracted...now.” Nightmare sighed, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. “Though my efforts to destroy this wretched crystal have met with continued resistance, I have had some...luck.”
She gestured with a faint nod of her regal horn, those teal eyes tracing a spider’s webbing of cracks through the table’s semi-transparent interior. “Soon it will break. I just require time and power. Both of which I have in infinite supply.”
“But not patience.” Rainbow spoke softly, knowing where to press her warmth into Nightmare for maximum effect. “I know you’ll do it. Eventually. I believe in you, your Highness. You’ll erase every last scrap of the old ways, the old Equestria. We’ll be reborn and be better than ever.”
The mare reached forward with her wings and unbuckled the harness that kept her armor on. It rattled dully against the stone table and she pushed it away so that she could press even more of her sky blue coat against the midnight blue of Nightmare. Rainbow nuzzled Nightmare where leathery wing met feathers and fur alike, kissing along that powerful muscle.
“Don’t let that nutter pony get you off your game.” Rainbow left a trail of wet kisses from Nightmare’s wing to shoulder, her voice husky. “She was nutters back in Cloudsdale, she was nutters here and now she doesn’t even exist anymore. You checked yourself.”
Nightmare nodded, stretching one hoof out to the edge of the table, extending Dash’s journey to her neck. “Yes. I believe you are right, my captain. That purple one was...nutters. A world where my sister still rules? Preposterous.” She sighed when Rainbow started to kneed the juncture where her wing attached to her back, the former pegasus continuing to kiss along in tiny increments.
“Nonetheless...this thing, this crystal table...it is somehow attached to my sister, and I will not stand this affront on my kingdom.”
Rainbow murmured in agreement, lifting herself until she could just reach the under side of Nightmare’s jaw. She nipped at the soft skin there, nickering playfully when Nightmare pulled away. She bit harder and was rewarded with a soft growl and a swift trip from Nightmare’s wing claw that spilled her on her back. Rainbow gasped and smiled up at the dark shadow blotting out what little moonlight made it into the forest clearing.
“Want to desecrate it again?”
Teal pools and gleaming fangs flashed in the night above the prone pony. “With you? Always.”
The Queen’s temper tantrums were never a good thing to behold.
Magic fire raked the walls of the castle. Waves of pure force shattered windows, knocked pictures off the walls and sent debris flying all around the room. And permeating the torrent of power lashing out, emanating from the eye of the storm, were the screams of pure rage. A noise that would usually herald something parents would threaten their foals with if they misbehaved.
Commander Rainbow Dash stood at attention, flanked by her fellow senior officers. She had already sent most of the recruits to patrol the outer walls of the castle tonight. It was the officer’s duty to wait until the queen had calmed down, ducking the odd brick or magic projectile, while preparing to explain the failure of the guard in the face of the strange alicorn that had shown up and disappeared again.
She made a mental note to inform the royal architect that he could expect to be working overtime.
And just like that, the storm stopped. The only indication that the throne room had been intact this morning was the settling dust cloud the queen stepped out of.
Her coat was as impeccable as usual, and there was no sign of exertion. She looked as if she had just completed a spa treatment. Perfect, cat-like elegance, bundled with the raw power of an alicorn.
“Commander Dash, with me,” she said calmly. The other officers, who already knew the routine, bowed deeply and scurried off, carefully avoiding eye contact with both Rainbow and their Queen.
It stung her pride to be, as usual, the one singled out as the guilty party. Years ago, she would have challenged her queen, like she did initially. She would have told Nightmare that SHE had been the one to believe the purple one’s story. She was the one who had refused Rainbow’s insistence of keeping the foreign alicorn in chains and magic restraint. Had Rainbow guarded the foreigner herself, nothing would have happened.
But she knew. She had learned. While the Queen found her opposition refreshing in the beginning, the novelty wore off quickly. And more than novelty, the Queen valued her absolute authority.
She followed her queen through the corridors towards the private quarters. The few servants they met, the ones who had not retreated somewhere out of sight, did not meet their eyes. Even bowing to the Queen was unwise when she was in one of her moods.
The heavy doors thudded closed behind Rainbow after they made it into the private quarters.
Nightmare Moon did not acknowledge her presence for a good while. She sauntered to one of the shelves, pouring herself a glass of wine. She did not drain it in one gulp, but savoured it.
Rainbow could do nothing but wait at attention.
“So, Commander. Please, tell me the reason our little… guest is not here anymore.”
Her tone was friendly, bordering on saccharine. None of the boiling rage Rainbow knew was bubbling away inside of the Queen showed on the surface. She even managed a genuine-looking smile.
“My Queen, I am sorry…” Rainbow began, but before she finished her explanation, magic glimmered. Rainbow’s legs buckled from sudden weight on her back, and the air was pushed out of her lungs with force.
Coughing and wheezing, she barely noticed that the Queen had leaned down next to her. “I do not want to hear that you are sorry,” the alicorn said calmly. “What I want to hear is an explanation.”
Sputtering, still fighting against the magic force on her body, Rainbow managed to stand up with one leg. Her body protested, and she could hear the blood pumping through her body.
And just like that, the pressure disappeared.
There was still pain all over her body, but Rainbow got up on shaking legs. The only thing worse than drawing the ire of the Queen is showing weakness in front of her.
“You are supposed to be the best, Commander. I hope for your future that this does not start and end with your pain tolerance.” As Rainbow looked up, she caught a small smirk playing on Nightmare’s lips. “Then again, at least you have two positive qualities going for you. Speaking of which…”
Rainbow managed not to shudder under her Queen’s appraising gaze.
“You will make up for your blunder by lifting my mood. To my bedroom.” Nightmare waved her hoof idly in the direction. “I will follow shortly.”
~#~
Rainbow awoke alone. As usual, the Queen did not stay for any intimacy, and had left the bed right after…
Shaking her head of unwanted thought, Rainbow got up and started to make her way around the room, collecting the discarded pieces of her uniform and armor.
In her mind, she was already planning the day. Organize the patrols. Meeting with the military high command for a possible invasion of the dragon lands. Stand guard in the throne room.
For a second, she thought about the purple alicorn. The world she had told them about.
If only Rainbow would have heard her out.
