Nocturne

Nocturne
Chapter Ten
Warmth in the Darkness

“They all think they know so well as to what I am…” Nightmare spoke to herself angrily as she lay in her bed, on the verge of sleep.

“They don’t know him…” She drifted off, a tear in her eye, remembering the one that mattered most to her, her king. Her equal, her love, her husband.

When she awoke, everything was off. Not everything being wrong, just off. She rose from the bed and looked around the room. The entire room seemed different, like someone woke before she did. Only she sleeps in her room though. She walked into the bathroom. The tub was wet, as was the sink.

Nightmare Moon had been known to be paranoid at times. She outright imprisoned ponies if she felt they conspired against her. Such occasions were very rare though, but this made her feel as if there was something or someone else here. She opened the large doors and walked down the staircase leading down to the throne room. There were two thrones. She remembered everything now. It was her husband. She walked down the staircase to the second floor war rooms where he normally was.

As Nightmare Moon entered, all rose and bowed to her, and returned to their works.

Standing at the balcony was a Unicorn larger than Nightmare Moon. His mane and tail were stationary and gray, unlike Nightmare Moon’s. He stood with tall and proud, his head held up high and his back straight, watching the moon. His boots ran up to his knees with links that connected his greaves on both pairs of legs, which had links connected to his cuirass. Though it was damaged, beaten, and scarred, it still held the magnificent blue finish it shared with Nightmare Moon’s armor. His coat was a deep blue on his ‘top’ half and progressively changed to deep purple at midway of his torso with hairs that shone like stars in the night sky spotted around his coat. His cutie mark was a dark moon with a bright corona, the sun being behind it.

“Hello, mein Wunderschone Auptraum…” He spoke with a gruff voice and an accent similar to photographer in Pony Ville.

“You would not believe the nightmare I had last night…” It felt odd saying her name not as her name.

“I know, I could feel; you kept kicking me out of the bed, so I just decided to start my day early.” He said this not with blame, just as a statement.

“Sorry…” This was said with a sense of apology said to none other than her light through the night.

Aureole… this was his name. There are only two others that ever meant near what he meant to her.

“Give it back, Umbra!” A small voice cried out from outside the door. The scampering of eight feet could be heard clearly, as well as the screams of two colts running up and down the marble halls. The echoes were sure to be heard upstairs, and bless the souls of those on the first floor.

The war room doors burst open two nearly identical colts ran through and jumped on top of the granite table that ran the length of the room. As the two tore across the table, they scattered papers, quills, inkwells, and books. As one lead reached the end of the table, he let out a small grunt, he fluttered his wings with all his might, and landed on Nightmare Moon’s back.

“Hemmo mudder nightare.” He had something in his mouth. Nightmare looked back.

“What is the means to all of this?” she demanded of the two foals.

“Umbra took my Ursa Teddy!” the smaller one yelled out, distressed. Nightmare looked farther back at the creature sitting on her back and saw that he was indeed in possession of the Ursa. Nightmare lifted the colt off her back and onto the ground, a few feet away from the smaller one.

“Umbra, why did you take the Ursa?” Nightmare spoke with motherly sternness.

“Because…” his view wandered around the room as he spoke, avoiding the two adults in the room whom towered over them.

“Because I wanted to play with it.” He looked up at Nightmare as he finished where he trailed off.

“You know you aren’t to take things that aren’t yours without permission.” Nightmare’s tone held firm, but soft.

The small colt placed the Teddy on the ground.

“Now what do you say?” Nightmare asked.

“Sorry, Nox…”

“For?” Nightmare pushed him to finish the statement.

“Sorry for taking your Teddy…” Umbra looked down, guilty.

Nox picked the teddy up in his mouth, and nearly ran out of the room, but was stopped by Nightmare Moon.

“Uhp. Nox, what do you say now?”

“I forgive you, Umbra,” said Nox with almost the same tone as Umbra.

“Now, away with you two, before I gobble you up,” Nightmare said playfully pushed the two colts out of the room, the two continued running, but they were laughing and squealing delightfully.

“How we have put up with those two so well?” Nightmare said with a chuckle, bringing her hoof up to her head, shaking it.

“The body is capable of great things under duress,” Aureole replied with a chuckle.

Nightmare chuckled back. She looked into the disaster-piece the two created as they made use of the table as a raceway. There were some ink hoof-prints and spills being wiped down, papers still being collected, and maps being mended.

Nightmare shook her head as she laughed in half in despair, half out of humor. How two things so small could create such a big mess was beyond her.

“I can only imagine those two when they grow older.” Aureole read her mind completely.

Nightmare smiled in horror at the thought of those two in adolescence.

“I swear I’m not the mother,” she laughed. He laughed too.

“They would make wunderbar warriors.” He said this with pride.

“I am not letting them fight in the war when they get older,” she said protectively.

“Eh, you cannot blame me from trying.” He said casually. He has asked many times before, she has declined many times before.

Aureole had been raised from a long line of warriors; he would like to have somepony carry on the traditions of his family.

“How about a fresh guard for a personal student?” Nightmare questioned.

“It just wouldn’t be the same,” he said sentimentally.

“I can respect that.” Nightmare kissed him on the cheek, and took her leave of the room.

Nightmare rose in a cold sweat. She looked around; Aureole was not next to her. Nightmare often had trouble discerning the real world from dreams oddly enough, for she resided in both worlds. She promptly went returned to her sleep.

Nightmare awoke once again to hear the sounds of Aureole readying for the day, shower running, sink running, and the clinking of armor joints connecting and clinking. Today is the day he leaves for his tour to take Marenich, his hometown from Celestia’s Empire. There have been skirmishes to take Marenich before, but because of its size and proximity to Canterlot, it has been five years since the front reached the Marenich boarders.

“Welcome back to the Bereich des Lebendigen, Auptraum.” Aureole said from the bathroom, drying his mane. Nightmare stretched as she rose.

“Today is the day, isn’t it?” Nightmare said mournfully. He has left for tours before, but none lasted more than two months.

“Do not worry, I will be safe.” Aureole looked into Nightmare’s eyes. He could feel her worry. She could feel his sympathy.

“I have left for more dangerous tours before,” he reassured her, “This one shouldn’t last too much longer than three months.”

“A lot can happen in three months,” Nightmare said woefully.

Nightmare sat alone on her throne. Aureole returned this day from the front. He had been away six hundred days, far longer than previous expectations. These days have been tough on not only Nightmare, who had not only wrangle the two foals who have grown substantially and take up the jobs that Aureole had around the hold, but on the two Umbra and Nox, both of whom ached to see him again.

“Mother Moon! Mother Moon!” An officer came charging through the doors urgently. “It’s Father Aureole… he…” The officer could hardly manage his breathing.

“What, what is it?” Nightmare demanded with urgency.

“Father Aureole has been mortally wounded on the front!”

Nightmare’s eyes widened, her mouth fell agape.

“Take me to the front!” She demanded forcefully.

“I do not believe it is wise for you to be-“

“Take me!” She demanded of him.

It was dusk, as the fronts always. Winter had gripped the landscape with snow and ice. Though it was cold, it could not numb the pain of knowing her most loved is nearly dead.

As the chariot landed, she leapt off it, rushing over to the medical tents, tearing through them looking for Aureole. She finally found him. He was alone in his own tent with four medics surrounded him. Nightmare held her breath as she saw him. Her heart nearly stopped. His helmet lay at the side of his head, his cuirass was broken at the chest, and it was bloodstained. There was a bloodied spear in the corner of the tent. He lay on his side, bandages blooded on the front and the back. He was conscious, just barely.

“No… no, no, no, no…” she began to weep as she inched closer to a scene she wished she would not wish on Celestia herself; the one you love most near death.

Aureole heard Nightmare. His ears perked up, his eyes opened, and he took a breath of air. “Mein Wunderschone Auptraum…” he said weakly, trying to get the words out with a groan.

“This can’t be happening…” Nightmare began crying completely.

“I am sorry mein fraulein, it is…” A tear arose from his eyes.

“What happened?” Her voice began to break.

“A Pegasus took by surprise from behind with that spear…” he motioned his head to the corner of the room. “I got him regardless…” He uttered these words with a pained groan as he attempted to stand up.

“Sir, it would not be wise to stand,” one of the medics stated.

“If I am to die, I will do so standing…hnng… up…” Aureole stood to his feet. He stumbled over to Nightmare who walked over to him and embraced him in her forelegs and wings.

“Do not mourn me…” Aureole said as if such was possible for Nightmare.

“You are asking a cricket not to chirp…” Nightmare burst into a full-blown cry. How he could ask her to do such a thing?

“You must be strong…” He said this weakly and pained, trying to hold on. Nightmare could feel his tears down her neck.

Aureole began to tremor greatly.

“This can’t be happening…” Nightmare gripped him harder.

“I am sorry…” his voice was a whisper. He collapsed. Nightmare let him to the ground slowly.

“How I have found a mare such as you is a mystery…” This was said with his final breathe. These were his first words to her and his last.

Nightmare awoke once again with tears in her eyes. She wiped them from her eyes, made sure that this wasn’t Aureole wasn’t beside her, unaware of her sadness, and fell back to sleep.

It was now the day of Aureole’s funeral. Does Nightmares mind ever cease torturing her?

Behind the hold’s structure, there was a garden filled with beautiful flowers of purples and blues and blacks and greys. Beautifully sullen willow trees that ravens, nighthawks, and nightingales sat upon and sang songs of the night. This was Aureoles favorite place in the entire hold.

In the center of the garden, there sat a fountain. The fountain had been replaced with a mausoleum. On the arc of the entrance of the was inscribed with the words ‘Vater der Nacht, Vater der Finsternis, über uns wachen im Schlaf’, translating to ‘Father of Night, Father of Darkness, watch over us in your sleep’.

Just in front of the mausoleum, every pony in the entire hold had congregated for the funeral of their lost comrade and leader. So many had attended, that many ponies had to watch from balconies, and many could not watch at all.

A general that had learned from Aureole himself, and whom Aureole considered a son, stood on a podium in front of everypony in the hold.

“My Brothers, my Sisters, we are here on this dreadful night to mourn the passing of our Father, Aureole,” He could not hold the tears that fell back. “A fearless leader, who would not let anything between him and victory,” His voice began to tremble. “And though he could not see it…we…we…” The stallion burst into a full cry now. “We took Marenich! I am sorry!” He ran from the elevated position in uncontrolled sobs.

Umbra who was at this point had turned 11 little more than a week ago, walked up to the podium and struggled to look up it, so he climbed and stood atop it.

“I think what General Shade is trying to say, is that Aureole was a Father to all of us, not just the ones that he loved.” The tiny colt sniffled back the tears. Though he was young, he was very mature for his age. “And he… and he…” Umbra had become crying now. Nightmare Moon had been silent and motionless the entire time, trying to comprehend whether this was real or a horrible nightmare.

Nightmare walked over to the podium, picked up the sniveling colt, and comforted him.

“Thank you, Nox…” Nightmare said silently in his ear.

“Thank you all for fighting for the Night…” She herself began to cry.

The casket in the mausoleum had begun to lower into the seemingly infinite hole. Nightmare could not bear to watch, and retreated to her quarters, alone.

Nightmare woke in a cold sweat yet again. She was not only sweating, but also had broken out into a full cry. She could not control her sobbing. At this point, she is glad her room is soundproof.

“Do not mourn me…” Nightmare said spitefully as her horn began to glow. The sound of stone sliding on stone filled the room as the bed slid out of the way. Below the bed, laid long staircase that extended below the base-floors of the entire Hold.

She began her descent down the staircase. She had not been down here since before she was exiled to the Moon. Only she, Umbra, and Nox knew of this place. As she passed, torches lit with a purple light.

As she descended further, she grew closer to tears. Last, she had cried was the day of the funeral, as Aureole’s body slid into the ground for eternal slumber.

She finally reached the bottom of the flight of stairs. The torches lit and a small room, about half as big as her bathroom had none but one thing in it; a stone sarcophagus with the bust of Aureole on it.

“You have not died forever my love…”