07-22-2015, 06:15 AM
Chapter 8: A Chance
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"I really don't see why we're talking this over," Rainbow Dash cut in, a hoof smacking down onto the arm rest of her throne in Twilight's castle, still not really accustomed to having a throne...but that wasn't really relevant at the moment. It was still dark, sunrise would be due in only a few hours, fortunately the cover of night had allowed them all to sneak back into Ponyville undetected, despite the fact they were accompanied by Nightmare Rarity and her still unconscious defender.
"I say we lock 'em BOTH up in the dungeon!" Rainbow finished her thought, scowling.
"I agree," Rarity piped up, holding a cup of hot tea in her hooves, still looking very unhappy about the whole situation and the fact Nightmare was only a few rooms away. "Did you see what that monster did to poor Luna?
"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash cut in, "and I kinda doubt I have to remind anypony of the stuff she's done in the past!"
Princess Celestia raised a hoof from the perfect, glinting floor, silencing any other voice in the room. Cadence briefly glanced at her aunt, curious as to what she had to say.
"Normally I would readily agree...however this situation isn't as easy to solve as you might think. Her companion, the one who jumped to her defense is a human."
Twilight Sparkle gasped collectively with Cadence, the others just gave the princesses a collective baffled look. The purple alicorn's eyes were as wide as dinner plates as she stared at her mentor with a look of wonder, her intellectual curiosity soon taking over as well.
"A human? But there haven't been humans in Equestria for thousands of years!" Twilight spoke.
Celestia nodded, closing her eyes for a moment of two before opening them again, glancing at the smooth purple floor beneath her beneath her shoed hooves.
"This a very significant event. Which is why we must act carefully when we speak with them both."
"Uhh...Princesses?" Applejack adjusted her hat anxiously with a hoof, the other still raised slightly like a child in school, "beg pardon but what in the hay is a human?"
----
The room they had been told to stay in was quite lavish, to say the least. Floor a perfect shiny purple, smooth and cold underhoof. Nightmare paced steadily back and forth, her beautiful tail dragging along the ground, occasionally catching a glimpse of herself in the floor. Annoyance plain as day in her deadly eyes. Michael lay still on the bed they had placed him on when they were brought to the castle, his fainting having effectively stopped the fight and left the ponies baffled, even Nightmare. But not for the same reasons they were. She was stunned by the fact he had defended her, going so far as to place himself in front of her, and the look of shock and disbelief on his face when they had told him of her true nature...she stopped in her tracks, a mixture of a scowl and a curious look on her face. Her true nature? Ever since he'd came into her life...
She smirked in remembrance at their first encounter in the park, when she'd levitated him and he had the gall to tell her to "Piss off." If anyone else had spoken to her in such a manner they'd be thrown into the dungeon or punished for their insolence outright!
Her eyes shifted to the unconscious human, resting on the plush covered of the bed, he stuck out like a sore hoof amidst the purple-"Must everything in this room be purple!?" She liked the color very much, absently brushing a strand of her lovely mane out of her face as she continued to stare at Michael in contemplation, but a little variety would be nice. Nightmare scoffed when she remembered she had picked some of the fashionista unicorn's personality ticks, that including a good sense decoration. Not that she really let anyone know that. Michael's head rested against an enormous, soft pillow, so soft it was that his head had sunk into it and obscured his face from her view. Nightmare Rarity made her way over to him quietly, her eyes never leaving his face.
The memory of how she caught him as he fell in her castle still fresh in mind, she felt a tingling on her forelegs and chest as she recalled holding his body in her grasp. She'd never really held anyone close before, save for that time she had assumed the guise of Rarity herself to try and manipulate the annoying dragon. But she'd never lingered on it.
"I liked holding him," she admitted to herself mentally. His face looked peaceful for the moment, for whatever reason the sight gave her warm feeling in her chest and she felt the corners of her lips being tugged at into a smile. Nightmare gently caressed his forehead with a hoof, contact with another was an unfamiliar experience, not that she had ever really cared before. But she enjoyed the feeling of his warm skin-
"Nightmare?" His voice sliced into her contentment and she withdrew her hoof like she had just touched a hot stove. Michael's eyes showed his bemusement at her reaction, his hands absently gripping and tapping the bed he lay on. He then began to look around, shooting up and out of the bed and looking around in shock as to where he was.
"Where are we?"
"Twilight Sparkle's castle," Nightmare Rarity kept the sneer out of her voice that the former socially inept unicorn had a castle.
"A-are we prisoners?"
"Of sorts, your appearance rather caught them off guard, as did your defense of me. They're deciding what to do with us."
She observed his reactions carefully, eyes never leaving him. "Taking it rather well," she thought. There was anxiety in his eyes but he kept himself under control on the outside, at least.
A knock on the door jarred them both out of their thoughts as a guard pegasus, adorned in gold armor and equipped with a sharp spear.
"The Princesses will see you both now," he cleared the way to allow them passage, Nightmare Rarity strode past him as though he didn't even exist, Michael simply followed Nightmare, briefly glancing at the guard who had a less than friendly expression; he followed them both but kept his distance. The hallway of the castle was large, not as large as Nightmare's but it was still feasible that one could get easily lost. He stayed close to Nightmare, keep his eyes ahead.
"Turn to the left," the guard commanded, they both did as they were told, and found themselves in the apparent throne room of the castle.
-----
There were six thrones in total, each of them occupied by a pony, the big white one with wings stood in the center, a relatively neutral look on her face. However I noticed the others, save for the small purple pony with wings were blatantly hostile. Glaring and scowling angrily, particularly the white unicorn who's slight resemblance to Nightmare again caught my eye. The room like everything was purple, like every other freaking thing in the castle, with some stained glass windows, the thrones were all identical save for the fact each one had a unique mark on the top part that a specific pony sat in.
"Well, isn't this just adorable?" Nightmare Rarity broke the silence, placing a hoof on her chest in mock surprise, "you all have thrones?" She inspected them closer, not leaving my side. "With emblems matching your cutie marks?" She looked like she was about to double over laughing at any second, a chuckle escaping her. The blue pegasus looked like she was about ready to bolt out of her seat at the snarky insults, but managed to keep herself under control, but her glare looked like it could set something on fire with its intensity at the present time.
"Enough," the white pony with the multicolored, continuously flowing mane and tail spoke, not loudly but decisively enough to silence anyone who might speak. Nightmare only glowered at her, but apparently decided to allow the other pony to speak.
"Do you know why you are here right now?"
"Enlighten me," Nightmare replied in a bored tone. I glanced over at her nervously, hoping she wouldn't piss them all off even more, but the other pony kept an even temperament.
"In any other context you would be imprisoned, however," I froze up when the pony fixed a magenta colored eye on me, "your companion complicates matters greatly."
"Because there hasn't been a human in Equestria for a very long time," Nightmare spoke again, looking over at me.
"That, and why the hay he just jumped to your defense like that," the blue pegasus interjected, glaring at me, "either he's on your side or he doesn't know what a horrible pony you are!"
This time I found myself glaring back, before I could stop myself I protectively wrapped my arms around her and felt a deep sense of rage building up in me.
"Well for the record," I spat back, "she's been nothing but kind to me." I was glad I was holding onto her, my hands would be shaking from the feeling of anger and anxiety that had been building up in me. I didn't always handle conflict so well.
"We find that difficult to believe given Nightmare's history," the white pony said calmly, but I noticed a quick look of something akin to disdain flash in her eyes. But to her credit she kept her composure. I only held onto Nightmare, her warm body and soft fur proving to be very soothing even in this tense moment.
"But it is true," I stated, firmly. "She stopped fighting after I passed out, right?" Surely that must've showed some concern for my well being?
"One act of concern doesn't redeem a lifetime of wickedness!" The white unicorn replied, "and who's to say her concern was...," Nightmare Rarity simply fixed her with a an icy stare that caused the unicorn to shrink down in her throne. Looking like she wanted to run away screaming at any second.
"And who says I'm out for redemption?"
"You're not helping!" I shouted, causing Nightmare to rear her head back, clearly shocked I had shouted at her.
"Fluttershy, is there something you'd like say?" The purple pony asked kindly, looking at the yellow pegasus who was quite obviously afraid of Nightmare, but still the room quieted to a point where a pin being dropped might sound loud.
"Well...um, if I could reform Discord, then who's to say he can't do the same for Nightmare Rarity?" Her voice was delicate and soft, but she spoke her mind in these few moments with clarity.
"No offense Fluttershy," the blue pegasus spoke up, "but there's kinda a difference between making chocolate milk blowup-"
"Ooooh! And making it rain yummy chocolate milk from cotton candy clouds!" A pink pony cut in excitedly, the pitch of her voice and startling loudness making me cringe somewhat. The blue pegasus looked annoyed at being interrupted for a moment or two but continued anyway.
"Yeah, and that, between all the things she did," the pony pointed an accusing hoof at Nightmare.
The white pony, the princess, held up a shoed hoof to silence any further speech, her eyes closed in a fast but meaningful contemplation before opening them again. Looking at both of us, me, holding onto Nightmare protectively. Nightmare looking at the princess, icy curiosity in her eyes.
"Either way...I feel as though something has changed inside you," she was speaking only to Nightmare right now as though there was no one else on the planet, "that is why I have decided to give you one chance."
Silence hung in the air like a thick fog until Nightmare Rarity spoke again.
"To do what?"
"To show how much you've changed...or at the very least prove you are no longer a threat to Equestria so that our two kingdoms may coexist peacefully."
Nightmare looked at the princess, eyebrow raised, I silently pleaded for her not to say anything rude...nearly sighing in relief out loud when she did not.
"W-what about me?" I stammered.
"You are her companion," the princess spoke in a gentler tone with me, "stay with her. Tomorrow morning we will inform Ponyville."
-----
"I really don't see why we're talking this over," Rainbow Dash cut in, a hoof smacking down onto the arm rest of her throne in Twilight's castle, still not really accustomed to having a throne...but that wasn't really relevant at the moment. It was still dark, sunrise would be due in only a few hours, fortunately the cover of night had allowed them all to sneak back into Ponyville undetected, despite the fact they were accompanied by Nightmare Rarity and her still unconscious defender.
"I say we lock 'em BOTH up in the dungeon!" Rainbow finished her thought, scowling.
"I agree," Rarity piped up, holding a cup of hot tea in her hooves, still looking very unhappy about the whole situation and the fact Nightmare was only a few rooms away. "Did you see what that monster did to poor Luna?
"Yeah!" Rainbow Dash cut in, "and I kinda doubt I have to remind anypony of the stuff she's done in the past!"
Princess Celestia raised a hoof from the perfect, glinting floor, silencing any other voice in the room. Cadence briefly glanced at her aunt, curious as to what she had to say.
"Normally I would readily agree...however this situation isn't as easy to solve as you might think. Her companion, the one who jumped to her defense is a human."
Twilight Sparkle gasped collectively with Cadence, the others just gave the princesses a collective baffled look. The purple alicorn's eyes were as wide as dinner plates as she stared at her mentor with a look of wonder, her intellectual curiosity soon taking over as well.
"A human? But there haven't been humans in Equestria for thousands of years!" Twilight spoke.
Celestia nodded, closing her eyes for a moment of two before opening them again, glancing at the smooth purple floor beneath her beneath her shoed hooves.
"This a very significant event. Which is why we must act carefully when we speak with them both."
"Uhh...Princesses?" Applejack adjusted her hat anxiously with a hoof, the other still raised slightly like a child in school, "beg pardon but what in the hay is a human?"
----
The room they had been told to stay in was quite lavish, to say the least. Floor a perfect shiny purple, smooth and cold underhoof. Nightmare paced steadily back and forth, her beautiful tail dragging along the ground, occasionally catching a glimpse of herself in the floor. Annoyance plain as day in her deadly eyes. Michael lay still on the bed they had placed him on when they were brought to the castle, his fainting having effectively stopped the fight and left the ponies baffled, even Nightmare. But not for the same reasons they were. She was stunned by the fact he had defended her, going so far as to place himself in front of her, and the look of shock and disbelief on his face when they had told him of her true nature...she stopped in her tracks, a mixture of a scowl and a curious look on her face. Her true nature? Ever since he'd came into her life...
She smirked in remembrance at their first encounter in the park, when she'd levitated him and he had the gall to tell her to "Piss off." If anyone else had spoken to her in such a manner they'd be thrown into the dungeon or punished for their insolence outright!
Her eyes shifted to the unconscious human, resting on the plush covered of the bed, he stuck out like a sore hoof amidst the purple-"Must everything in this room be purple!?" She liked the color very much, absently brushing a strand of her lovely mane out of her face as she continued to stare at Michael in contemplation, but a little variety would be nice. Nightmare scoffed when she remembered she had picked some of the fashionista unicorn's personality ticks, that including a good sense decoration. Not that she really let anyone know that. Michael's head rested against an enormous, soft pillow, so soft it was that his head had sunk into it and obscured his face from her view. Nightmare Rarity made her way over to him quietly, her eyes never leaving his face.
The memory of how she caught him as he fell in her castle still fresh in mind, she felt a tingling on her forelegs and chest as she recalled holding his body in her grasp. She'd never really held anyone close before, save for that time she had assumed the guise of Rarity herself to try and manipulate the annoying dragon. But she'd never lingered on it.
"I liked holding him," she admitted to herself mentally. His face looked peaceful for the moment, for whatever reason the sight gave her warm feeling in her chest and she felt the corners of her lips being tugged at into a smile. Nightmare gently caressed his forehead with a hoof, contact with another was an unfamiliar experience, not that she had ever really cared before. But she enjoyed the feeling of his warm skin-
"Nightmare?" His voice sliced into her contentment and she withdrew her hoof like she had just touched a hot stove. Michael's eyes showed his bemusement at her reaction, his hands absently gripping and tapping the bed he lay on. He then began to look around, shooting up and out of the bed and looking around in shock as to where he was.
"Where are we?"
"Twilight Sparkle's castle," Nightmare Rarity kept the sneer out of her voice that the former socially inept unicorn had a castle.
"A-are we prisoners?"
"Of sorts, your appearance rather caught them off guard, as did your defense of me. They're deciding what to do with us."
She observed his reactions carefully, eyes never leaving him. "Taking it rather well," she thought. There was anxiety in his eyes but he kept himself under control on the outside, at least.
A knock on the door jarred them both out of their thoughts as a guard pegasus, adorned in gold armor and equipped with a sharp spear.
"The Princesses will see you both now," he cleared the way to allow them passage, Nightmare Rarity strode past him as though he didn't even exist, Michael simply followed Nightmare, briefly glancing at the guard who had a less than friendly expression; he followed them both but kept his distance. The hallway of the castle was large, not as large as Nightmare's but it was still feasible that one could get easily lost. He stayed close to Nightmare, keep his eyes ahead.
"Turn to the left," the guard commanded, they both did as they were told, and found themselves in the apparent throne room of the castle.
-----
There were six thrones in total, each of them occupied by a pony, the big white one with wings stood in the center, a relatively neutral look on her face. However I noticed the others, save for the small purple pony with wings were blatantly hostile. Glaring and scowling angrily, particularly the white unicorn who's slight resemblance to Nightmare again caught my eye. The room like everything was purple, like every other freaking thing in the castle, with some stained glass windows, the thrones were all identical save for the fact each one had a unique mark on the top part that a specific pony sat in.
"Well, isn't this just adorable?" Nightmare Rarity broke the silence, placing a hoof on her chest in mock surprise, "you all have thrones?" She inspected them closer, not leaving my side. "With emblems matching your cutie marks?" She looked like she was about to double over laughing at any second, a chuckle escaping her. The blue pegasus looked like she was about ready to bolt out of her seat at the snarky insults, but managed to keep herself under control, but her glare looked like it could set something on fire with its intensity at the present time.
"Enough," the white pony with the multicolored, continuously flowing mane and tail spoke, not loudly but decisively enough to silence anyone who might speak. Nightmare only glowered at her, but apparently decided to allow the other pony to speak.
"Do you know why you are here right now?"
"Enlighten me," Nightmare replied in a bored tone. I glanced over at her nervously, hoping she wouldn't piss them all off even more, but the other pony kept an even temperament.
"In any other context you would be imprisoned, however," I froze up when the pony fixed a magenta colored eye on me, "your companion complicates matters greatly."
"Because there hasn't been a human in Equestria for a very long time," Nightmare spoke again, looking over at me.
"That, and why the hay he just jumped to your defense like that," the blue pegasus interjected, glaring at me, "either he's on your side or he doesn't know what a horrible pony you are!"
This time I found myself glaring back, before I could stop myself I protectively wrapped my arms around her and felt a deep sense of rage building up in me.
"Well for the record," I spat back, "she's been nothing but kind to me." I was glad I was holding onto her, my hands would be shaking from the feeling of anger and anxiety that had been building up in me. I didn't always handle conflict so well.
"We find that difficult to believe given Nightmare's history," the white pony said calmly, but I noticed a quick look of something akin to disdain flash in her eyes. But to her credit she kept her composure. I only held onto Nightmare, her warm body and soft fur proving to be very soothing even in this tense moment.
"But it is true," I stated, firmly. "She stopped fighting after I passed out, right?" Surely that must've showed some concern for my well being?
"One act of concern doesn't redeem a lifetime of wickedness!" The white unicorn replied, "and who's to say her concern was...," Nightmare Rarity simply fixed her with a an icy stare that caused the unicorn to shrink down in her throne. Looking like she wanted to run away screaming at any second.
"And who says I'm out for redemption?"
"You're not helping!" I shouted, causing Nightmare to rear her head back, clearly shocked I had shouted at her.
"Fluttershy, is there something you'd like say?" The purple pony asked kindly, looking at the yellow pegasus who was quite obviously afraid of Nightmare, but still the room quieted to a point where a pin being dropped might sound loud.
"Well...um, if I could reform Discord, then who's to say he can't do the same for Nightmare Rarity?" Her voice was delicate and soft, but she spoke her mind in these few moments with clarity.
"No offense Fluttershy," the blue pegasus spoke up, "but there's kinda a difference between making chocolate milk blowup-"
"Ooooh! And making it rain yummy chocolate milk from cotton candy clouds!" A pink pony cut in excitedly, the pitch of her voice and startling loudness making me cringe somewhat. The blue pegasus looked annoyed at being interrupted for a moment or two but continued anyway.
"Yeah, and that, between all the things she did," the pony pointed an accusing hoof at Nightmare.
The white pony, the princess, held up a shoed hoof to silence any further speech, her eyes closed in a fast but meaningful contemplation before opening them again. Looking at both of us, me, holding onto Nightmare protectively. Nightmare looking at the princess, icy curiosity in her eyes.
"Either way...I feel as though something has changed inside you," she was speaking only to Nightmare right now as though there was no one else on the planet, "that is why I have decided to give you one chance."
Silence hung in the air like a thick fog until Nightmare Rarity spoke again.
"To do what?"
"To show how much you've changed...or at the very least prove you are no longer a threat to Equestria so that our two kingdoms may coexist peacefully."
Nightmare looked at the princess, eyebrow raised, I silently pleaded for her not to say anything rude...nearly sighing in relief out loud when she did not.
"W-what about me?" I stammered.
"You are her companion," the princess spoke in a gentler tone with me, "stay with her. Tomorrow morning we will inform Ponyville."