Nightmare's awakening

Dusk Shine against Four Mothers

Nightmares’ awakening

A gasp awake, panting… heavy cold breaths and fear tingling up the spine. Cold, unlike anything before trickled over the flesh, that would be impossible. It shouldn’t be possible, for cold was its nature. Its very being was defined as cold… cold as the moon, dark as its backside and ever locked in eternal frozen prison, where madness and insanity joined. The time ticked madly as every waking second was spent conscious but stilled in body.

To watch the world above in rage, to witness its bright colors from above, tormenting the mind of an unreachable habitat that would not be met for a millenium. The mind raged, the voice was screaming in rageous silent fury in the blackness of space.

Nightmare was not there. Her own horrid prison was no longer there. This new horrid night terror was here in Equestria. She believed it was a sort of Equestria but… it was not. Why? Where were the warm, bright colors she sought? Where were the blue skies, the warm air, the green grass and the smell of a physical utopia?

It was absent. It was gone. Torn apart. Red clouds stormed above with air blowing winds that carried the smell of death; carrying the torment right before her eyes that reached the heart and tore it into million pieces. The thousand years of isolation was nothing compared to what she was witnessing. Not the pain of her body being broken in many places, not her ripped wings, nor her broken horn.

The bodies of the many could be seen all across around her. Ponies, dragons, changelings, griffins and many more. The smell of death was so toxic, it begged for the body to defecate whatever it could but… there was nothing in her belly to release.

Not far from her, Celestia and Luna laid in pieces. An unrighteous deaths not of her own doing. Next to her, the other alicorn, Cadence was stripped of her wings and horn, chained to the floor. Not far from the princess’s bodies laid the others. The Guardians of the Harmony, either badly beaten or dead. From there, the other villianesses seen, or what remained of them. Eris, Chrysalis and Silhouette. Dead.

The true horror was the figures on top of the mountain of corpses where the heart was ripped. Still beating with pain but active and whole.

Her son, her beautiful foal… was now a monster. Corrupted, distorted and filled with rage worse than her own. A tall alicorn like her, but evil dripped from every pore of his body. His body was wrapped in malicious armor, intent either for war or execution.

Next to him were his siblings, much like himself, corrupted and robbed of their innocence. Screwball, now a twisted amalgamation of dark, horrible creatures taking over old silly body parts that made her look more monstrous and evil than her own mother, with her intent to create pure unrestrained tainted chaos.

By her, Mirage stood almost as tall as their mother. But their horn was sharpened to near sword-like sharpness with dark sickly green magic fell from their body. Corrupted drones flew around or near her; mindless and vile swarms ready to hunt, eat and kill.

Lastly was Umbra. A twisted stallion as tall as her own son, with sickly green dark magic falling from his eyes like a poisonous waterfall. Each step left a cracked floor of green fire, with spikes of black onyx having impaled numerous creatures around him.

Her eyes then looked at the taller alicorn that stood amongst them. Taller than Celestia, darker than herself and more powerful than all of them combined. Near godlike levels radiated from him. Razor wing tips, a twisted spiral horn that crackled dark magic and electricity. Eyes colder than ice and steel.

His eyes locked onto her; she froze, broken and unable to move; for what she saw was this is the future. A dark future that she and the others caused. The end of the world, end of everything because of her and the revenge they wanted to inflict.

And to make this horrid future any worse… Nightfall accessed portals to other realms where he would bring his pain, his horror and his rage to other realities. As he opened the doors, screams and cries of creatures from other universes cried out in despair as he made his way through with his foals.

They deserved this… she deserved this… this agony was all her fault and she deserved to suffer for it.

“...I wish I could agree with it… but even I wouldn’t want you to suffer for this…”

That voice… she recognized it. It was… Luna’s… her counter, her opposite… her true form. Blinking, her eyes turned and saw the blue form of Luna, breaking the realm in her sleep and causing the nightmare to freeze in track.

Her pain was… still there but it was lessened as Luna stepped into her dreamscape. Blinking away tears, she was staring at her other half in fear and shock, with Luna looking back at her with pity and concern.

She saw all around her that everything had frozen and that the edges slowly began to bleed away. “I-I-I do-don’t understand?”

Luna stayed silent, her gaze hard but slowly softening. “You are in nightmare… Nightmare Moon... how ironic.” Despite the dark chuckle that left her, Nightmare kept her focus on Luna. Her body began to regain its senses and the background and everything began to disappear. Slowly and surely, she rose in her height and saw everything fade away. The only thing that remained was the form of Nightfall, standing menacingly at her, with his draconic eyes still filled with rage and power.

Luna gave a sad stare at the frozen figure. “This is… what he would have become. If he would return… Your premonition is not invalid, especially if you continue down your dark path.”

Nightmare knew this, she didn’t want it and she would sooner sacrifice herself then let this future become a reality. Shaking her head and tears away, she turned to Luna. “I deserve this,” she whimpered. “I deserve to be in pain, in this hellish landscape.” She looked down in despair and hopelessness. “I deserve to live this way.”

Even so, Luna replied, “You do.” She didn’t blame her true form for that but the question came up.

“Then why did you stop it?” she asked, meeting her true form’s eyes. “Why bring my mesery to an end?”

For a few moments, Luna remained silent, staring at her darker half intently. A soft, almost bitter sigh left her.

“We need you to awaken and help your foals. I believed that… they would be better raised with others… loving and caring parents but Dusk decided that you are needed to help raise them.”

‘Dusk?’ He asked her to stop her torment? Not only that but to help raise their son? “I-I don’t understand.”

Luna sighed. “Neither do I,” she said slowly before she vanquished Nightfall and the dreamscape reformed to stars and clouds.

Nightmare knew where she was at but she had little if any power here. She was… helpless and it showed. Luna gave a small nod. “Dusk Shine believes that you four can be reformed and that instead of using your powers for evil, that they could benefit Equestria. Your foals would be used to help bring an era of peace and prosperity but the cost would be to forsake your evil ways.”

Nightmare gave a small shake of her head. “The others… they still believe that they can do better, but now that they have his foals, they want his heart.”

Luna acknowledged this but didn’t say it. Instead she asked, “And what do you want… Nightmare?”

Silence reigned and she lowered her head. She didn’t say anything but she was trying to think. Time passed differently here so while it felt like an eternity, a moment finally passed and her head lifted where her draconic eyes met Luna’s blue eyes.

“To live,” Luna blinked, not prepared for that answer. Nightmare swallowed and she looked to her right. Slowly she conjured what she could an image of her foal Nyx, short for Nocturnal Night. “To see him… live. I want… what you had wanted as well.”

Dusk appeared next to Nox, a smile on his face as he pulled Nox close for a fatherly hug. Luna blinked. Then… both Dusk and Nox walked towards Luna, almost happily reunited despite not being part of their lives.

Luna almost jumped at the sudden interaction and her eyes turned to Nightmare, who had a saddened gaze. “Family… we wanted a family.”

Luna felt a visible shiver run down her spine and it felt like she was no longer in control of the dream realm. The feelings, the response, the ever tight and closeness of someone she wished she had the will to say that she cared for…

Denying it was not an option but neither was the pain that came from her doppleganger. She withheld any negative emotion towards her, choosing to keep a steady look at her, though pity still etched into her face. “You know that it’s impossible for us… you, I… to ever live a life with foals and…”

“And love?” She finished with a steady look. Luna gave a nod. Nightmare merely sighed. “I thought so as well… but when they were born, when he was born… I forgot everything about revenge or pain. I forgot what happened to us on the moon, I forgot loneliness or rage. When he entered my life, when he took his first breath…” A teary and painful smile formed on her face, none of which looked evil or negative in any way, surprising the Princess of the Night. “-It was like I had taken my first breath as well. Like for the first time… everything that we were trying to achieve, all the evil, all the plotting and so on was gone.”

She gave a half sob, half chuckle and looked at her better half with teary eyes and a pained smile. “If… if I can’t return, If I can’t live, then live for us.” Luna blinked, caught off guard by this. Nightmare then turned serious with desperation. “Please… Luna, I beg of you, that If you get rid of me and the others, then please, give our foals the chance to do what we could never do. Take them under your wings and raise them to be the benefactors that you and Equestria need. And my son…” More tears fell but an earnest smile once more graced her mouth. “Tell him, that with all my heart I loved him, that I gave him all my magic so he could live and have a proper life.” She then came close to Luna. She was apprehensive at first, ready to defend herself from her darker half but instead… found herself in a hug and felt the tears of Nightmare on her coat despite the dreamscape.

“Raise him… He is essentially your son too. We share blood, we share magic, and he will recognize you as your mother… in time.” Luna was frozen in a state of shock, unable to speak but her heart clenched and grew tight. She was trying her best to fight back emotions but Nightmare only poured it on.

“I told him that I was your darker half, that I was your lesser. Should something happen to me, you would be there as me. But you would give him more love than I possibly could. You would be able to show him to the world without fear, without regrets of what was done to Dusk. He would see you as his mother because… we have wanted this for so long.” Another bitter chuckle of sadness left her. “You and Dusk would be wonderful parents and I know that in the end… he would be just like you.”

Luna tried her damn best to hold strong, not wanting to let it happen. To not shed tears as her darker half poured her heart out, giving her the choice of family and love she felt she would never have. Through eons of living, she wanted to live and love with someone much like her, to appreciate her night and love her like any other. To not grow old but to rule by her side and explore the modern world. In any sense, when Dusk freed her from her darker half, she felt like her savior was an incarnate of the romance novels she had recently read.

He would hold her, love her, tell her that she was the most beautiful mare in the world and that they would have a family together. Foal or foals would run around them without fear or ridicule of the world around them. She would live eternally in paradise.

And now that it was within her grasp, the hope, the dream… it was being given by the part of her she hoped to get rid of. Oh… how unfair it was. So damn unfair! Her darker half was now behaving like the better half and it was unfair!

She wanted to scream, she wanted to shout, she wanted to destroy everything and nothing at all. Yet she didn’t. Instead, she slowly and surely raised a hoof and held her other half. Nightmare flinched but felt the hoof run up and down her back. With a steady, still tear stained and quivering face, she whispered.

“I want to hate you so much, I really do. But… it would only lead me back to where we all began, where it all started and I will not succumb to hate.” She then rubbed her head against her. “And… while I know that I would do well to raise him… it would be best to rest by his mother.” She pulled away and looked at Nightmare.

“Right now, you need to awaken, but in order to regain your magic back, you must be infused with nightmarish magic once more.”

“No… I won’t do it!” She pushed away, shaking her head. “I… I can’t go back to feasting on the terrors of others!”

Luna didn’t like that idea either but Nightmare only gained her magic through night terrors or bad dreams. “Then… what do you suppose I will do then? Your abilities lie in absorbing and gaining magic through them.” She gave a small sigh. “It’s how we manifested you in the first place.”

Nightmare wouldn’t dare call out that she was just something not real. A manifested being or an artificial creature or creation. Things like that could not give birth to foals. Shaking her head, Nightmare responded. “I don’t know… I want to go back to see my son but… I can feel my weakness. No terrors of others for the time of my absence have been draining, especially to keep Nocturnal Night and the others alive.”

Luna blinked at that name. “You… you named him after…”

Nightmare gave a small sad smile. “It was the only one I could think of. He was… the only one that ever cherished our nights and I would never forget him, even after a thousand years.”

Luna’s first follower, her first one to stand by her side amongst everypony else. He was her first… A bit of a smile graced her lips in memory though she then refocused on her other half. “So then… if you wish to see your son, what will you do for magic?”

Nightmare didn’t have an answer and while she was hesitant to even respond to Luna, eventually she settled onto something simple. “Perhaps… if I was to draw magic through other means as ponies sleep, then I could syphon that magic, slowly withdrawing upon it to build my magic until I can restore myself fully.”

Luna waited, registering the words before she clicked her tongue and asked, “And what means would that be?”

Nightmare gave it a moment to respond before responding lowly. “Pleasant dreams.”

Luna had a few reactions play across her face, though despite the dreamscape they were in, she tried and played the stoic character continuously, even though Nightmare understood her better half at times. Anger or annoyance were perhaps her higher emotions while confusion or perhaps interest were the secondary while denial or outlash are the last.

Not sensing a positive vibe from her counter, she nodded as if she knew the answer. With only sadness, her mind slowly began to fade away. “Please… I beg that you and Dusk just raise him with as much love and hope as you can. He will see me in your eyes.”

A sharp stab to the heart.

‘Bitch’ was the modern version of one that would be called something foul to another mare and she wanted to scream it. Instead, Luna swallowed her anger and her pride, going so far as to give an accepting nod. “I will help in recovery, but… if you want to do this, you will only syphon from those who I give permission for.” A nod was given with a small bit of hope twinkling into those eyes. “Not Dusk’s however.”

The light died and… it was until she looked into Luna’s own eyes did she see why that was given. Luna cared for Dusk much more than she probably had. Her infatuation was perhaps… no it was mirrored exactly to the point where she would love Dusk like no other. Outside of her son or his siblings, Dusk was her epicenter and perhaps now her whole reason to live and continue to exist. Knowing what that meant, she remained quiet and just accepted with a slow nod. Another thought came up though and she then focused Luna with a light gaze.

“Then… I asked that you and I visit my son’s dreams… together.”

Luna gave a small jerk of her head as if thrown off. “Explain.”

Nightmare’s nose wrinkled a little before she manifested a sunny day of Equestria, something never ever done. What little control she had, allowed her to play a scenario. It showed Ponyville with Nox’s siblings along with their parents. Dusk Shine was there but so was Luna, Celestia and the Elements of Harmony.

“While I know that I will try my best with my son, I still want you to be the surrogate in case something happens to me.” She swallowed, seeing her son having the time of his life as he played not just with his siblings but other ponies and creatures in joy and unison, none showing signs of fear or hate. Watching not from a far, Luna and Dusk stuck next to each other with happiness of their own. “And should I fail then Dusk and you…”

“We are not compatible as parents nor are we together!” Luna almost said sharply.

A small predatory grin appeared on Nightmare’s face. “I never said you were, I said to raise him together.”

Luna’s face grew red and all that left her was a simple word. “Bitch.”

That actually got a reaction and Nightmare laughed out loud. Not manically in any sense but it was a pleasant laugh that sounded easy on the ears. Luna couldn’t help but smile and titter lightly at the small name calling.

When she finished, Nightmare actually felt relieved and she seemed to find some reconciliation in her other half. Feeling the end coming soon, Nightmare gave Luna a bow. “I will… only take what I can, nothing else, though I still wish for us to interact with my son… so that he becomes acquainted with us.”

Luna cocked her head to the side. “What will we gain from this?”

Nightmare gave a measured shrug. “Insight what it would mean to be a mother?”

The moon princess gave a small hum in thought, though before she could respond, a flash of blue and purple came over them. Something was interrupting the dream and about to end it. Both looked at each other.

“Was that…”

“Did you…”

Nightmare was suddenly yanked from her dream and Luna was shoved out of it. Both let out a perfectly timed swear as they were pulled or thrown out.

Luna was almost thrown back in her bedroom at the sudden backlash. “MOTHERBUCKER!” Her head and horn collided with her bedframe, sending a sharp pain across her body. Had it not been for her demi-goddess status, she would have blacked out from the pain or worse had a concussion, but was instead left with a throbbing headache and magic drain. She opened her eyes and tried to reconnect with the dreamscape but her horn only fizzled out and she gave another swear. She waited for her magic to return but found nothing. Giving annoyed yell of frustration, she went to her stash in her closet and fetched moon pies and hard cider to slowly regain her magic and figure out what just happened.

Back at Ponville General, a large pulse came over the comatosed form of Nightmare, causing a massive magical surge in the area. A second pulse came and from her own body, a deep inhale followed by a large exhale left her form. The doctors rushed upon getting a signal but when they arrived, Nightmare had yet to stir nor change. However if one were to look closer, Nightmare’s aura changed and a low glow surrounded her body.

The morning came and Dusk awoke to a heavy feeling over his body. First off, he was a lot warmer than usual, second was that his vision was blanketed by something not his blanket. It was heavier, warm and it rose and fell like a breathing pony. The second was as he opened his eyes, from the bottom of his vision, he saw that three of his four foals had, somehow over the course of the night, all moved from their bed onto his.

Nocturnal Night was sleeping to his left, Umbra to his right, and Mirage on his belly. This left the one on top of him to be Screwball. From his lowered vision however, part of Screwball had also wrapped her form around Spike in a weird looking embrace of cuteness.

If not for the fact that his daughter was wrapped around her… well, should she consider him her uncle if they were the same age? Or the same species? Or even blood related? That required further study and… even further proof that chaos incarnate would awake first. No wait… too early to start thinking about relationships with his foals. Way too early.

(Damn straight you weird fuck of an author!)

He wondered if he should even move to wake them, for they were too adorable and too cute to bother. The way each of them laid against him, each of them laying or curling in their own unique way. The males slept against him like a normal foal would against another body. Mirage slept tightly against herself on his belly. While he could tell that part of his head was covered by her tail, Screwball still slept like a normal pony.

He shouldn’t have to question how his foals slept, he should accept the fact that they were adorable as all Tartarus and that was it.

Still, the question now was, what was he supposed to do? While he had nothing really going on today other than to hopefully raise and heal their mothers, independently of course, he still was taskless today.

Perhaps he could just… spend the day with his foals? Like a normal father would? It still felt weird to think about how it's been less than 24 hours since they appeared in his life and he still felt slumped. He could prepare and plan for a lot of things in life but foals this early was never one of them, let alone four.

But that didn’t mean anything. Life threw a lot of surprises at everypony and you just had to do the best you could with that situation. For now… perhaps sleeping in was an option?

A knock from downstairs down said otherwise. From the light shining through the window, it was just a little after sunrise and he felt like it was perfectly okay to wake. The little ones however… they could sleep in. Using his magic, he lifted all of them gently off his body including his brother(so as not to disturb Screwball’s form that wrapped around Spike’s.) and he removed himself from the bed. They gently floated in the air in his violet aura, just as he finally got off the bed.

Now on his four hooves, he gently lowered them back onto his bed, against one another to be next to each other to feel another body. Smiling affectionately, he teleported downstairs to the front door.

Opening it, he expected Derpy with the morning mail, but was instead shocked to see the doctor, Dr. Horse standing there. Several reactions came to mind and more flashed across his face, but the Dr. seemed to be a step ahead. “Good Morning Prince Dusk Shine. While I know it’s unorthodox to receive an in house doctor’s visit, I believe that it was best to come get you personally.” A pause, letting some of that information sink in before he continued. “Nightmare Moon has awakened.”

A powerful burst of magic suddenly filled the area just outside the doors of where the villianesses were held. Dusk and the Doctor arrived, though the doctor shivered and shook his head to get rid of the nauseous feeling, giving a small glare at him. “Please…. warn somepony when you are about to teleport them, Prince Dusk Shine.”

Dusk gave a small sheepish nod before looking into the room, finding one less occupant in the room. “Where is she?”

Doctor Horse pointed to the hallway. “She’s in recovery down the hall, room 203.” He also pointed towards the two guards that were posted right outside. “I was also told by Celestia and Luna themselves should any of them awaken, that we place them under protection… and security.”

Dusk grumbled lightly but nodded. “Thanks Doc.” He then looked back at the other three. “Any change on them?”

Doctor Hosse shook his head. “Other than the massive blip on the draconequus yesterday, the others remain the same. Nightmare is the only one where she awoke. We aren’t sure how but it was around the early morning.”

Dusk blinked and thought. “What time?”

The doctor thought about it and a small look of concern or fear passed over him before he shook his head and said slowly. “3:30 A.M”

Dusk couldn’t help himself but say what the Doctor was thinking. “The Witching Hour.” The stallion in front of him nodded. Both waited for the odd moment to pass before Dusk made his way to the room. “One final thing Prince Dusk Shine.” The alicorn stopped and turned to the Doctor. “While it’s in my field to keep any and all patients safe within these walls, I know that there are those who seek revenge, I advise you to protect them. While they may awake eventually, they are starting to change into something more… pony like.” He paused before adding. “As far as we can tell, they are becoming mortal.”

Whether that is a good thing or bad, he wasn’t sure. Losing your immortality was definitely a bad thing, but he wasn’t even sure what that may be like. After all, he was not immortal now… right?

His heart began to beat heavily upon reaching the door. The two guards that were posted, both were thershals, no doubt Luna’s guards, though it looked like they were on shift with the Royal Guards. Seeing his approach, both saluted. “Prince Dusk Shine! We were told that you would be coming sir!” The one on the right proclaimed.

He was used to his brother’s military training as well as his friends so much that he did his own salute back in respect before nodding. “Thank you, both of you. I understand that you are near your shift’s end?” Both nodded. “Good, let no one enter unless it's the Princesses,” He was about to add, ‘Or her son’, but he didn’t need to spread rumours or anything yet. “When the other guards come, tell them the same thing. I’ll be in here with her.”

“Yes Sir!” Giving a final nod, he opened the door and entered, noticing immediately that it was far darker then normal. The lights had been dimmed and heavy shades prevented most of the light from coming in. Then just as the corner of the room, laid Nightmare. Her eyes were closed, her breathing was low and her posture was eased. She still looked fragile and weak, almost so alien that it bothered him. At the same time, she seemed so equine in her state; the burdens of mortality suddenly implemented on her.

Still, it was a part of him that made him feel sorry for the others. The question now was what would happen between them? Forgiveness? Exile? Punishment? He had no idea and it didn’t help that he had to not only think about them but the foals as well.

A sigh escaped, but not from his lips, rather they left her own. Her eyes slowly opened as they stared straight up. Dusk froze. For a moment, he thought she hadn’t noticed yet but the corner of her eyes met him and they met.

It felt like this was the first time for them both, though in truth, this would be the fourth time. The first time she returned after a thousand years of imprisonment. That was rage and hate that filled those eyes years back. The second time they met, it was her return and to make him suffer for beating her and the others. That was of vengeance and jealousy and perhaps… lust. The third was when he became Nightfall and through the pain and agony that the four had done to him, he saw her eyes. When his size surpassed her’s, his power, his magic and his sheer will to do anything to get rid of that pain and them, he saw her fear and regret.

Those tears, that dread, and sheer horror of what he could do to her… was the last thing he saw from her before they were sent away.

And now… they were meeting again for the first time in six months, or in her case, years. And despite the immortality… or rather formal immortality, it looked like she had aged. Perhaps the magic to keep her son alive or the fact she had no access to alternatives, was the reason. Or maybe it was something else?

It became a tense moment and neither knew if they could talk to one another yet, but it was her that began, that let a soft albeit heavy rasp left her. “W-W-Where i-s-s h-he?”

Dusk felt a knot form on his stomach at how sickly she sounded. He remembered that sound clearly, when his grandmother Twilight Twinkle was in her final years. It was raspy, somewhat sickly but despite it, she tried her best to make sure she was heard and that she still could show how much she cared for her little colt and her family. It was uncanny that despite how much deference they were, Granny Twinkle was still strong, up until her gentle end.

Nightmare however, looked like she was willing to surrender. She was going to give up and allow herself to fall. Thorax said that she was punishing herself and he knew why. But he would not allow it.

Swallowing whatever regrets, or rage or anything he wanted to tell her, he approached cautiously towards her. “He… Nox is fine. He is sleeping at home with his siblings. They are safe.”

She blinked at his use of her son’s shortened nickname. It was nice to hear it from him. Another sigh. “And… t-the others?”

He gave a small shake of his head. “Still comatose. You're the only one who has awakened. But… I will try to find a way to wake them up.”

Another blink and she turned her head towards him as best she could. “W-Why?” It was more than a simple question. It carried pain, it carried meaning, and it was a shallow-filled demand that neither she nor the other’s deserve it.

He came closer, approaching her bed. As he did, she finally noticed that he seemed… much different than before. He looked… stronger than before. She couldn’t describe it, as if something far more powerful resided within him. His attitude, his eyes, his stature… his wings! She blinked, thinking she had been misled or was hallucinating but he had wings! Perhaps in her return, her tired and ill state had not seen them but here he was… an alicorn, just like her. Immortal? She wasn’t sure but he would be around longer and perhaps, he would grow alongside his son.

Tears pooled from her eyes and she began to sob. “I-I-I don’t d-deseve to l-live.” Now that was a twist with the knife and he flinched as she broke down. “I-I never wanted this! N-Not this p-pain, not t-this anger…” She swallowed and stared at his face. “Where is it?” Her voice changed into bitter tears. “Where is your anger?!” she demanded.

He jumped at the change of emotions but he felt more pity right now than anger or fear. In fact, ever since he met his foals, he lost almost all his anger towards her and the three mothers. What was six months ago where they raped and tried to kill him, felt like a long distant memory. The torture and mental anguish upon his mind seemed like a messy background noise at worst. While he would never forget it, he knew that with the foals around, he would find a way to push it down and away, or find some release later. For now though, there was a mother in need.

He pushed past his insecurity and stood at the foot of her bed, standing tall and keeping a steady gaze. She expected him to finally lash out, while she was weak and vulnerable. She hoped that Luna would take care of her son and give him the love she gave him.

Dusk Shine didn’t lash out however and instead laid a hoof upon her own. She flinched, expecting pain but instead, he wrapped it around hers and his violet eyes met her deep blue ones. “I… don’t know,” Was his response, which further confused her more with his hoof around her. “I-I-I thought that when you came back or the others, I would unleash it.” He swallowed, still holding her hoof. He could feel the slight quaking in her arm, unsure of what his true response would be. “But… I can’t and I won’t. Not when we have foals to take care of.”

Another tear fell from her and her heart beat rapidly. To hear those words, to hear his calm voice, to feel his sincerity, it broke her more and she only held on tightly. “I-I beg that… this isn’t a dream,” she said softly, closing her eyes. “P-Please don’t let this be another dream. I-I need my son, I want to know he and the others will be safe. That you will take care of them...”

He leaned in, his fear and caution all but forgotten, pressing ever closer. “I promise, this is no dream and that Nox, Umbra, Screwball and Mirage will be safe. I will try to help the others too. I… don’t like the idea of them being raised without their mothers. Even after what you four did, I will not abandon any of you for their sake.”

The fear that had previously plagued her had all but let go, replaced by remorse, sadness and pain. “W-We don-n’t deserve-”

“Yeah, you already said that,” Dusk stated, still holding her hoof tightly. “Whether or not you do, I will continue to try and help you four. After you recover, then we can worry about everything else, but for now, there are four foals that need their mothers and I am still unsure of what to do.” A comical, low whine left him. “I’m honestly scared of what to do.”

Had she not been in an already depressed state or in recovery, she would have found it amusing to see a powerful uni- alicorn like him, fall to something as fatherhood.

In truth, it was her fault as well as the others too for springing on him out of nowhere… literally.

Speaking of nowhere, she glanced at his wings. “You ascended?”

He glanced at his wings and gave a small shrug. “Not like you would expect.” He gave a small shuffle and spoke lightly. “After…” That was the only word he managed to get out, causing them both silence but understood the implication. Once the moment finished, he swallowed and continued. “When I lost all the magic that I stole, I returned back to normal… sort of.” He slowly flared his wings, causing Nightmare to gaze at them in beauty and… astonishment. “I guess… some of the magic remained with me, though I have yet to figure out why or how I missed my ascension date.”

Nightmare continued to stare at him, remaining silent. “I’ve struggled for months now to come to terms with it, though before you get the wrong impression… I am not a full legit prince.”

A small smile threatened to show across her face. “I a-am sure… the p-princesses and h-half of E-Equestria would disagree, let alone the m-mares everywhere.”

While she gave the honest response, she inwardly growled at the thought of mares around him.

Why?

Dusk didn’t notice her inner turmoil. Instead he groaned, subconsciously letting her hoof go. Something tortured her internally but she listened as began a small rant, as he used his hoof to rub his forehead. “Like you wouldn’t believe. Mares came all over to propose or to swindle their daughter’s to me. That was just after the first few months, along with some… stallions. Canterlot had lines of ponies from all over just to try and get a chance to see me.” A small blush formed on him, but a frown remained. “Though the stallions were less troubling… except Blueblood.”

The first loud response from Nightmare Moon was not one he expected, for she let out a low grunt. “How is he still a part of your life?”

He chuckled, placing his hoof back on the bed. “I don’t know, but I do know that the wings haven’t been that great to handle, even after six months.”

Nightmare blinked at those words. “S-Six m-months?” she rasped uneasily.

He shifted slightly, giving a small nod. “Yeah… that is… how long ago that we’ve…” Once more he ended it there. Nightmare gave a small sigh and stared up into the ceiling.

“I-It felt longer… than that.” She closed her eyes and spoke slowly and as clearly as she could. “We… We had no idea how long we would be there or how time flew. Days and nights were… non-existent. At first… we were angry with one another, fighting amongst ourselves and tried to find a way out. Eris kept trying to find a way out but her magic was still recovering. The same went with the rest of us. The realm was… different, something we were not used to and it began to wear on us. Our magic was enough to keep us alive for a while but eventually… We began to show signs. What magic we had, we tried to help each other… with the births.”

Dusk listened closely, daring not to imagine what pain they went through, despite the pain they caused him.

“Eris,” she continued. “Had her first… and it was painful for her.” Some confusion etched across her face as she recalled the draconequss’s labour. “She screamed far louder than any of us, we thought she was going to suffer or lose the foal. Instead… only until after she gave birth did we realize that she would give birth traditionally like a pony but she expected the birth of an egg or some other crazy way.”

“She was… surprised that she gave birth like a pony but it also dawned on not just her but on all of us… that our magic was draining and it was to keep the foals alive. There was… no food or water, so what we did was just give them our magic to feed… nothing else.”

A pause, she opened her eyes with slow tears falling from her eyes. “I-I-I gave birth next… and when Nocturnal Night was born, I… I wanted to curse you,” She couldn’t look at him, she dared not to. “I-I wanted to hate you… for giving me this pain, for making me do this by myself. But I knew that it was my fault, that I needed to suffer through this because it was my fault. Slowly but surely, I welcomed the pain and I cherished it, because I had needed it to make sure that if we got out, I would take it with me, remembering that this was all our fault. We should suffer for your pain.” He wanted to comment on her words but she continued on without stopping.

“Next was Silhouette and she was less affected than we were.” A small scoff left her and a frown etched over her face. “Her sheer will and pain tolerance was far more than the three of us and it showed. Having died multiple times and been through more pain than us, her birth was far more pleasant than anything. She even had the galls to say to the three of us… ‘Well that sucked.’ and brushed it off!”

He inwardly winced at those words and while he can’t say he understood what foal births were like, he knew that Silhouette still hadn’t had it easy. But then again, dying multiple times was a lot harder than foal birth, right?

“Chrysalis… was messy.” Okay, that threw him off and a bit of horror showed on his face. Nightmare caught it from her peripheral vision and she gave a half nod of understanding. “It wasn’t painful for her, but… pony/changeling hybrid was new for her… and her body. It was complicated, messy and-” She paused, as if waiting for some kind image to be planted in his mind. “Let’s just say the details are best left spared.”

He gave a shutter and half nod in appreciation. Once they decided to leave the painful reminder of the births, Nightmare finished up. “After we gave birth, we supported each other as best we could. Our foals became an anchor to reality; a painful but beautiful reminder that this was our penance to what we had done to you, that we would do our best to raise them to be… better than us. We would spend what waking time we could to make sure that they would understand that we were at fault, we are the reason we are here and should we ever return, that we would forsake our ways… just to make sure that Equestria would give them a chance to live.”

Fresh tears washed over her as she closed her eyes tightly. “W-We didn’t know how long we would be there or how long we were gone but… we knew that there was only a limited time before… our magic was gone. We used what we could feed them, to keep them alive. Eris had Screwball learning as much magic as she could, we hoped and prayed that it would be enough. Her chaos reality warping didn’t kick in until she was… twelve years of age… or close to it.” She tried her best to use her horn but had a simple glow at the tip, it was just that.

Dusk knew how weak she was, but understanding why, it filled him with despair. “In a final attempt to leave, we gave our remaining magic to them and to Screwball, so she had enough to help us leave the realm.” A sigh of relief seemed to leave her and her horn ceased its glow. “We were on the verge of death when we came. But… it was because our return to Equestria did the magic return. Though it was not enough to stop us from…”

She finished and opened her eyes once more to look at him. She didn’t see any anger nor distaste nor hate. She saw… regret, remorse, sadness and finally acceptance. He was part of this pain, despite not intentionally causing it and he nearly killed them. Despite not wanting to kill them, they didn’t deserve to be condemned to isolation… especially without magic and without help in giving birth.

Both of them had regrets, both of them had pain but it was their hearts that finally allowed them to come together and accept that their past was in their past. Now they had to focus on the future and that future was with their foals.

The moment between them was interrupted by a knock on the door. Their hooves disentangled quickly and from the knock, came… Nocturnal Night?

Both parents were surprised by this, but the alicorn colt wasn’t. He immediately saw his parents together and that was all that he needed. “Mother!” The colt quickly charged towards the bed and leaped towards her.

But before he could reach her, he was instantly surrounded in a violet magical field and held promptly in place. Dusk quickly stopped the colt, holding him in the air, making him flail around in the air to reach her.

“Whoa, hang on there Nox!” The colt continued to squirm in his father’s magic. “Your mother is still recovering, you don’t want to cause her any pain!”

The colt finally stopped squirming in his father’s grasp and looked towards his mother, seeing her still frail and weakened state. He was instantly crestfallen, though it rewarded him with a soft padded landing on the bed next to her. Nightmare was thrilled to see her son and when he came to her unharmed, intact and actually healthy, her heart knew that, despite her ‘past sins’, Nox was in the care of Dusk, regardless if she lived or not.

Lack of energy and weakened state, she pushed her body enough to slowly reach out and bring her colt to her chest. Nox wrapped his small arms around gently and brushed against her breast. “I’m glad you are well, mother.”

She gave him a small kiss atop his head. “As am I with you, my little Nocturnal Night.”

Dusk was happy with the exchange before his brows furrowed and he briefly looked towards the doors. Without turning to them, he asked out loud, “Nocturnal? How did you get past the guards?”

Before the colt could answer, the two thestral that were currently on duty, pulled in and gave Dusk a small nod of blame. “Forgive us, Prince Dusk, but when we saw that it was the foal of Nightmare, we had to quickly let him in before other ponies would see him.”

Dusk understood the why, but the ‘how’ remained. The one on the right gave a nod towards the foal. “It was best that he remained with her at least… to help her recover perhaps faster.” Dusk blinked and he wanted to get further elaboration, but Nightmare accepted and gave a small appreciated nod.

“Thank you, both of you.”

Both guards gave a small bow, not to Dusk but to Nightmare. “Aeternus est tuus Nocte, Madre.” Nightmare paused upon the old tongue, while Nox cocked his head to the side at the language, confused but intrigued. Dusk’s ear flickered at the old pony tongue but kept silent. With that, the two left without another word, closing the door behind them. A few extra footsteps were heard, indicating their replacements had arrived.

Dusk turned back to Nightmare, though he did not bring up what he heard. Instead, he focused on Nox. “Nox, did you follow me here?”

Nox nodded, though he slumped a little. “I… I had a dream that something was happening to my mother, someone was with her, and I wanted to help her, though I think that it was somepony I know, I’m not sure.”

A flash of recognition came over Nightmare, outside the view of Nox but Dusk caught it. Filing it for a conversation later, he gave a small sigh and approached the bed. “I suppose that is fine, but I still want you to be careful out there. While Ponyville is a very friendly place, it would still help to be vigilant with those around you. I can’t risk having you or your siblings out in public… yet.”

The alicorn colt nodded in understanding. “Okay Dusk. Are you here to help my mother?”

Dusk felt a small tense situation come up, with his idea to help her was in full thought, he needed to see where the problem was right now. “Yes, but it would help if she rested as much as possible and figured out what I can do to help.” He slumped. “I have an idea, I just don’t know where to start.”

“I do,” Answered Nightmare though her eyes turned to her son. “While I know that you wanted to see me son, I am thankful; however you need to obey Dusk and stay at his home for now. It is much safer there.”

The colt fidgeted, not wanting to leave his mother. “What about you? What if someone comes to attack you?”

“That won’t happen Nox,” Assured Dusk. “I’m going to be staying with your mother until then.” He placed a gentle hoof on his shoulder and gave him a smile. “For now though, please just stay with Spike and the others until I come back. If he is already up, tell him to make you breakfast and to show you around the library in the meantime. I might be here for a couple of hours. ”

The gesture and the words had worked almost right away. The smile that his father gave, the confidence in his voice and the fact that, despite their paths, Nightmare and Dusk were in close proximity with fear or ridicule. It brought hope to him, small it was but it still burned just enough to know that perhaps, things would work out. He felt relief on that end and gave a small nod. Turning to his mother, he gave her a quick hug. “Hope you feel better mother.”

She wrapped a hoof around his barrel. “I hope so too.” She wanted to say more, assure him of better times but that would be a lie. The hug lasted for a few moments before he seperated and looked to Dusk.

“Okay Dusk.” The alicorn gave him a small nod.

“Keep out of trouble, I’ll be there soon and hopefully we can fix your mother and the others quickly.”

The colt believed his father and smiled. With a small flash of his horn, Dusk teleported the colt back to his home and left the two alone once more. A sad sigh left Nightmare as soon as he did.

“I love him so much,” were her first words. “I love them all… so much and I would do anything for them.”

“Then… what do we do to keep them with you?” asked Dusk. “How can I be convinced that you or the others won’t try and turn on us the moment that you all return fully powered?” Fatigue seemed to pass over him for a moment. “I am not sure that I can survive if I have to fight the mothers of my foals… or my foals.”

Silence echoed in the room and it was louder than anything. A chill creeped through Nightmare and she was trying to remain impassive. Dusk could see her turmoil but he needed to know. “I know that you have regrets, the others too though it may not seem like it right now. Whether you still want to conquer or control Equestria or even kill me,” She flinched as he mentioned himself. “-I just want to know if I can trust you and the others.”

Nightmare wanted to say ‘yes’, to scream it out and to confirm that she was trustworthy, but she didn’t know how. Her return had been only back for the day, with the majority of it being in the hospital, so there was no real convincing. Not only that, but he was probably pressured by the others to not forgive them.

It took a while before she could even come up with an answer. That answer was only for him to gain his trust. But how does one do that when you tormented, rape and nearly killed him?

...Do you do an eye for an eye?

Having not gotten an answer from her, Dusk gave a sigh. “I’m going to help you recover, I think I have an idea on how to get you fully recovered but I need to run a test to…”

“Penance.” Dusk stopped and blinked. Her slit eyes instantly met his. He wasn’t sure he heard her right.

“I’m sorry?”

Nightmare gave a hard, stern nod. “Penance. You say that you cannot trust me, that I need to make up for what I did to you, then I should be punished for it. It should be known to the public, the princesses… whoever it has affected, that I suffered or paid for my punishment.”

Dusk wasn’t sure how to respond, since it sounded so… foreign and wrong. To face penance is not unheard of but most would do it privately. He studied her, seeing her steady, unwavered determination. It kind of scarred him and what the consequences would happen if the public were to demand of them.

The alicorn prince swallowed and responded. “And… what do you have in mind.” She was about to answer but he quickly stopped her before she could continue. “No… wait. I’d rather not do something to the public because I don’t want Nox nor the others to see their mothers be targeted or even attacked by an angry mob of ponies.” Nightmare slumped but she remained with her motive.

“Then… I want you to punish me.”

Dusk’s eyes went wide and just like he stopped her, she stopped him before he could retaliate. “No, I need to suffer for what I did to you. And that is the only way I can gain your trust back.

“And what do you suppose I do?” He asked bewilderedly, still trying to find out what this really would accomplish.

Then the situation became different and unpredictable. With her eyes staring straight at him, she unflinchingly said, “I want you to do to me what I did to you.”

His heart stopped as did his breath. His eyes froze as he stared in shock at her. Her own eyes remained steady and showed no regret for what she had said. There was a chill that came over him and he didn’t know if it was because of her tone or the fact that she said it without regret. He couldn’t even respond because he was breathless.

Seeing his shocked state she gave a nod with a small swallow. “T-The same thing I-I did to you, do it to me. Let that be my penance.”

Saying it again didn’t help Dusk and it took all of his will not to react negatively, to scream at her and call her ill or some form of it. Instead, he inhaled deeply, closing his eyes and holding it in for a few moments. With his lungs filled, he felt all that rage and distaste for her words linger in his chest until he finally released his air. It came out slow but heavy. Once he expelled it all, he inhaled once more, opened his eyes and glared at her. His nostrils flared and a low growl left him. “No.”

While it was almost impossible for equines to growl like a predator, Nightmare shivered as if he was one. The glare, the tone and the stance made him for a brief moment… predatory. Strong but not overzealous with it. He was far stronger now than he was before and it showed because she knew that he could and would be able to get away with anything.

He was a prince, he was an alicorn and he was in his damned right… to do what he pleased to her. Torture, rape, imprisonment and kill her were amongst the many things he could do to her and she would be powerless to stop him. No one would stand against him; the princesses, his family and so many others would probably allow whatever he did to her and the others as fit punishment. Not only that but he needed no effort on his end to make it seem like they were still evil and needed to be dealt with.

But he did and would not do any of that. Not because he was just an alicorn; an ideal or a symbol that needed to stand for something good, but because he also had a heart. He was good from the start and herself and the others nearly took that away. Even when they corrupted him, his heart was still strong, far stronger than she gave any credit for and it was the will of it that made him far more powerful than her and the others.

Magic was strong, but the will to control it with the mind, heart and soul to wield against gods, was limitless. Despite the rage he still held, he was calm and serene. Hidden pain that he remembers, was a distant scratch and haze. And that power that allowed him to control reality on a whim, was not but an afterthought of the true potential he was capable of.

But all of that was nothing to him. His heart was the beacon that many wished to strife for.

She was about to open her mouth to retaliate but he cut her off. “Just because you want to be punished, doesn’t mean I will do it, let alone do to you what you did to me. I don’t want to play the ‘eye for an eye’ game.” She stayed silent but was still in reconciliation for what she had done. Dusk pushed on though he turned away from her. “I would never do anything like that to you, to any of you. It would end no differently than before.”

The two sat in silence for a few moments and it bugged the tartarus out of both of them that it happened often, though when no solution came, Dusk decided to switch the topic to something different.

“I wasn’t aware that you still had followers.” He turned to her, wanting to see what she looked like.

Nightmare’s reaction was actually calm, albeit with an enigmatic look upon her face. “Neither did I,” she spoke truthfully, her eyes avoiding him. “Though I didn’t know that you could understand the old tongue.”

Dusk gave a half shrug and pulled close. “While I know little, the rough interpretation I got from that was… ‘Long’ and ‘Night mother.’ That’s about it.”

“Hmmm,” She bobbed her head lightly, though seeing as there was no point in hiding it, she responded, “Close, but what they said was, “Eternal is your Night, mother.’ The closest to modern language that is.” Her eyes finally met his own once more and she gave a steady look. “I believe I still have some influence in the night, despite Luna being the current ruler.”

Dusk’s brow furrowed lightly. “Should I be concerned?”

Nightmare stared at him, contemplating a proper response and whether or not she actually had acknowledged that she still had followers, begged the question would there be a conflict not just between him and her, but Luna and herself regarding their ‘Night Children’ and the rest of Equestria. Plans had been formed, made and prepared upon her return to throne and power. She knew of them.

But all of that changed when she was defeated, exiled and powerstriped. Now that she had a son, lost most of her magic and is waiting for punishment, it was left to wonder if they would do anything to make sure she returned to power.

With not much to go on but her own voice, she responded to him. “I don’t want anything to endanger my son or cause any more damage than what I have already done. I still wait for my punishment.”

“That’s not a ‘no’, Nightmare!”

While not loud, it did alert the guards outside. The door opened slightly and poked the head of a Royal Guard. “Is everything alright, Prince Dusk Shine?” Turning his head, he saw it was the replacement guards.

Dusk gave a small nod. “Yes, sorry just… trying to settle things. Back to your post, please.”

A quick salute and the door closed. Turning his head back to Nightmare, he gave her a small glare. “That was not a ‘no’, Nightmare.” He repeated albeit more evenly and a lower tone of voice.

She gave a sigh. “No, but I cannot say for sure if those who still worship have their own plans or not. For all I know, they could have something planned to rescue me or maybe they just believe that me and Luna are still two of the same beings. What plans may involve her.”

“Or, they could involve Nox, now that they know he is your son.” Nightmare’s eyes went wide at his words, seeing concern cover his own face. “If they have plans for you, now that they know he is here, what will their plans be for him with or without you?”

Finding some energy in her, a small growl rose within her, something only a mother can produce when their young were endangered. “If they dare try and corrupt my son-”

“-Then make it so that they can’t.” He started with a firm tone. “You want Nox safe, as do I, regardless of who is the one that wants to use him or his siblings.”

Nightmare’s anger vanished, witnessing the side of Dusk she would never have seen. It was almost… primal like herself and it showed. He cared for the foals, only knowing them barely a day and was willing to do what he could for them. It could be seen as the most fatherly thing out there and the fact that he did so quickly and effectively, she would say that it burned her heart with so much joy and hope that she would hug and kiss him if she had the energy.

But none of that would happen…

Instead Dusk settled with the time he could spare. “Right now, I need to know where to begin to help you and the others. You gained your power through… well ‘nightmares’ or ‘bad dreams’, right?” A slow nod came from her though guilt etched across her face. He sighed and nodded. “Okay, well then perhaps if I can have a nightmare, would that work with you?”

She wanted to tell him that Luna had made it so he was off limits in sleep, but what if it was volunteered? Since he was offering, would that count? Not to mention that it was morning approaching noon, could she even pull it off? Still, what he was suggesting may help her… or damage the small underlining of an amicable relationship with their foal.

“What would give you enough to restore you?”

She thought and knew that perhaps, this was her way to get her penance and her strength, though she hoped that Nox would not be aware of what was happening.

Hoping she would gain enough for the few moments of the ‘night terror’ from him to keep her son out and perhaps second parties, she gave a small glance to the door.

“Can we… be left alone?”

He cocked his head. “Now?”

She gave a small nod. “Nox interfered with my dreamscape earlier. That is to say, he may have inherited my magic to detect or control part of the dreamscape when he was asleep. Perhaps now that he is awake and distracted, it would be better. Same with Luna though she would be asleep only to have access to those who may sleep in day time.” She paused and then motioned to the door. “Also if you do experience something, will they do anything to ensure your protection?”

Dusk gave a small grunt in acknowledgement. “Right, though I can’t just tell them if they hear me crying out in fear or terror not to do their jobs?”

“Then tell them you are interrogating me-” she responded with firm assertions. “-That they do not disturb you and to make sure that if anything happens, they can trust that you will take care of it. After all, you are now more powerful than I.”

She sounded so confident in her plan that it disturbed 1him how she could be so calm about accepting punishment or how others would treat her. While he knew that he could ask the guards to do anything, he didn’t like that he had to lie or be dishonest with them. His brother told him that lying to a guard was punishable by imprisonment or a huge fine. Not only that but it would be that they would lost trust in that pony, in his case a prince, later on.

This situation did call for something unorthodox however and it needed special attention. With not much else to go on but her words, he turned to the door and opened it.

Two guards immediately stood at attention and he spoke as confidently as a prince like him should, especially when it came down to Equestria’s enemies. “Guards, I am going to be interrogating Nightmare Moon,” he swallowed, not liking how he sounded, both as a prince or as a pony. “I need my magic to be in full concentration and I am not to be disturbed by anypony,” A paused before he added firmly. “And I mean anypony. Unless it's an absolute emergency by the princesses themselves, I remain unbothered. Am I clear?”

Both guards straightened and gave a sharp salute. “Sir, yes sir!” Their voices echoed through the hallways and alerted anypony around them with it.

Sensing no hesitation, he gave a nod and closed the door. Turning around he then gave a small sigh and walked back towards the bed. Nightmare waited for him, though she quickly pointed to the large. “Perhaps if you are seated or lying down, it would help as well.”

A small sparkle from his horn and the chair came to her bed. It was made big and comfy for those watching over somepony, so if he were to go to sleep, then at least he would be comfortable. Pulling close, he sat near her, though there was a bit of a pause as he saw how really close and comfortable he was getting around her. Ignoring any false sensitivity he had about her, he laid back and stared at her.

She turned her body over to the side as much as possible to face him. Feeling some light comfort in her trust, she spoke with as much truth as possible. “In order for you to completely have the ‘night terror’, I will make you forget how you got to your dream and you will not have control over it. You may even try to get out of it, but I want to draw enough out of you, I will release you when I can siphon it safely without resulting in some unwanted… after effects. What little magic I do have, I may have to draw more from you and something else.

He gave a worried look towards her. “And those would be?”

She gave a small shrug. “Depends on the psyche of the pony.” She held anything else back and gave a small sigh. “I want to gain your trust and I know that if I want my son to have a proper life, he needs to know that his mother will do anything for him. That should mean reconciliation between his parents, by any means.”

Dusk was about to question what she meant by that, but she quickly silenced him with a raised hoof. “Please, I know, but I will make it up. For now, I don’t have enough magic in me to help, so touch your horn to mine and I can take enough to work with. After that… Well, if you trust me enough, we can go from there.”

He was still apprehensive but he knew that when it came down to her son, she would do anything to help. She would not lose his trust anymore.

Closing his eyes, he tried to succumb to a sleep as close as he could. Doing this, Nightmare quickly touched her horn with his and everything went white.

"What the fuck! Booooo!!!!! Show us her boobs!" ~ Eris "I waited months for this fucking chapter and we only got a tease!"

"Mom! She is quadruped, she is not an anthro pony!" ~ Screwball "And... yeah its been awhile since the last chapter."

"Well then show us her crotch boobs!"

"... is that even any better?"

"...To be quite honest I don't know, just a weird fucking fetish that even half the perverts don't understand themselves."

"So then... for realizies... next chapter is the clop?"

"Yep and after that, the rest of the chapters will be clops with your father trying to nail the rest of us too..."

"Hehe... Kinky!

Author's Note

Sorry this took so long, but I got a new schedule, which means instead of a night shift, its now an evening shift... way better!!! So weekends off and more time with family plus the new adjustment to time.
And yeah I know that i promised clop on this one but it got distracting during the day time, so, in return, each chapter after that, will have each villianess awaken and with clop! So hopefully it would be worth it.

For those wondering the status of other stories like Death likes me rough, I am going back to the original idea prior to the bandemic since its coming to a soft close but things have been changed. The next chapter should be out by the next holiday and lead into a nice half series. Dragon Lord legacy is due this week or next.

Thank you all for reading and I hope this new shift makes writing things so much easier from here on out.
(Sorry for lack of edit)