>Be Sepia, unicorn
>Too scared to move from your spot
>Too tired to try and stop the ill-fitting maid outfit from slipping further down
>The small crowd of not-pony children are busy flailing around socks filled with marbles, knocking down towers of blocks and smashing clay figurines to pieces
>You dare not move, lest they notice you and decide to try those flails on you
>These children only see you as another toy
>One that can move, talk in a strange language, even cry out in pain, but still just a toy that their head-nanny found wet and lost in the forest
>How long ago was that?
>At least a month, maybe, there is no calendar in this mansion
>It has been at least several nights since Nightmare Moon appeared in your bouts of sleep

>Nightmare Moon
>You cannot understand why you are seeing her
>Before you somehow ended up here, she was just a threat your parents used when you were a filly to keep you from misbehaving
>Those simple times of staying awake in your bed, praying to Celestia that those aquamarine eyes never appear in the darkest corner of your room, seem blissful compared to now
>Now these,
>What?
>Humans?
>Yes, humans, that’s what those two aliens that looked like these ones called themselves
>These cruel humans threaten to feed you to the monstrous parody of a griffon in their stables
>You were getting nightmares of that beast, until suddenly that dreadful mare appeared before you
>She did not speak, only observe the terrible dream around you
>She watched you dream of the manor and its master that you were made a slave for
>The next few nights had you trying to run away and hide from monsters throughout the whole house
>Last night, that mare watched children thrice their normal size chase after you through the halls
>You can sense her presence now, like she is watching you just out of sight
>You have been looking over your shoulder all day today whenever your tormentors were not paying attention


>The children remember you
>You are too lost in thought to dodge the weighted sock
>It hits you on the large silver ring locked at the base of your red-brown horn
>One moment has you standing as still as a statue
>The next has you writhing on the thick carpet, trying to stem the steady trickle of blood now staining the carpet
>You can hear the children crowd around you, laughing
>Some kick at your barrel while some grab at your horn
>They might be trying to pull it off
>You flail at the many stubby hands, but you cannot fend them all off
>Then the head-nanny bursts into the demented playroom, her booming voice silencing all others
>The blows cease for a wonderful instant, but then a massive hand engulfs your horn and lifts you back onto your hooves
>Through the skull-splitting headache a single thought breaks through:
>You want to die, because wherever you end up cannot be worse than this
>The head-nanny, still yelling at you in her foreign language, shakes your head and forces you to open your eyes and look up
>You do not care about her wrathful look anymore
>The absurd makeup on her craggy face makes her look like a clown

>She stops shaking you and looks around
>It takes you another moment to notice that the room is losing light
>The evening sunlight dims to nothing
>The head-nanny loosens her grip and looks at your horn-ring
>Despite being smeared in your blood, the thick silver band is undamaged
>The darkening shadows that are appearing along the walls and ceiling are not your doing
>The air itself seems to darken
>As if shadows are deciding to form all around you
>The children retreat to a corner, not daring to make a sound
>The head-nanny lets go of your horn and backs away, staring at the now pitch-black shadows growing around the room
>Your shaking legs just barely keep you upright

>You are the first to see the mare of your nightmares open her aquamarine eyes
>In front of you
>Out of the floating shadow
>Half-lidded, the pair eyes with slit pupils scan the room quickly before spotting you
>They widen to the point of looking manic
>Then more eyes appear besides the first, then along the walls, then on the ceiling
>Hundreds of pairs of aquamarine eyes in the void, directed at you
>Everypony in the room but you screams
>Your eyes roll into the back of your head and your legs give out

>You jerk awake when something in dark clothing picks you up
>Her eyes are still there, wide and watching 
>In panic you try to break free, but the tall human holds your legs with one arm
>You are desperate enough to try and stab him in the neck with your horn, but he pins your neck to his chest with his other arm
>He then whispers gently to you in your own language,
>”Sepia, we’re taking you back to Equestria.”

>You recognize his voice and you finally relent
>It is one of the two humans who befriended the Royal Sisters
>You forgot his name, it has been so long
>”Now close your eyes and hold on.”
>He bolts through Nightmare Moon’s eyes and towards the playroom’s only entrance
>Before you are aware of what happens a man wearing a steel curiass runs through the open doorway, only to be knocked back into the hallway by a bone-jolting kick
>More of her eyes are in the hallway, looking everywhere
>You heed your rescuer’s advice and shut your eyes
>You hear others screaming in terror throughout the mansion as your are carried swiftly down to the ground floor
>Nopony tries to stop you
>You do not want to imagine what waking nightmares are occupying their attention
>When cold air whips around you, you open your eyes to see the evening sky
>Your rescuer leans into a dead sprint towards the forest as shadows surround you
>When you enter the woods they condense further beside you, taking the shape of an alicorn galloping 
>Black fur
>And those aquamarine eyes that have tormented you for many-a-night
>This dark character is with the man who had been friends with Luna years ago
>And they are rescuing you
>What has happened while you were away?

>Nightmare Moon glances at you while darting through the ancient tress
>”Sean, that ring on her horn.”
>That was his name
>The other was Jane, right?
>Still running, Sean reaches up with one hand and tugs at the ring once, making you yelp in pain, but it stays
>”Magic?” he asks
>Nightmare Moon answers for you, her horn and the ring lighting up in an aqua glow
>”Suppressor.”
>”Can you get it off?”
>”When we reach our equipment.”
>Within a minute of running the two of them round a large oak with exposed roots and stop
>Without a word Sean sets you down on the grass in front of Nightmare Moon, then ducks into a hole beneath the leaning trunk
>The mare leans down, pointing her lighted horn towards you
>”This may hurt, Sepia.”
>Her magic engulfs your forehead
>Your horn tingles at first, then the tingling turns into needles of pain
>You grit your teeth, imagining hundreds of tiny pry-bars wedging between your horn and the ring
>The sight of Sean walking over and hefting a leather saddle laden with bags and scabbards over Nightmare Moon’s back distracts you
>Her eyes flash cyan and the pry-bars heave-

>You wake up with your cheek mashed against the back of somepony's neck
>You feel muscles work in a steady rhythm underneath you and the wind gusting around you
>You can hear her breathing heavily with every cycle of her hooves
>When you open your eyes, you can barely see the dark bark of trees blurring past, one almost scraping your nose
>You jerk back, only to tip over the other side of the black-furred mare you were riding
>A folded wing shoots up and stops you
>Human hands grab you by your chest and rump and pull you back between the mare's neck and the saddle
>Sean tells you over the rushing wind,
>"Stay with us, ma'am. We don't want to leave you with these bastards."
>You risk looking up at him, and he is looking behind himself and up past the canopy
>Then you hear a piercing cry far above
>It is that griffon
>You cling to Nightmare Moon’s neck, glad of her speed
>Sean reaches down to a long scabbard at his side
>"Fast response, huh?"
>He pulls out a long device with two black barrels, one over the other, and a middle section of dulled bronze capped with a stock of dark wood
>It reminds you of the massive weapons he and his companion had brought with them
>"Ring must’ve been a tracker, too."
>With a swing of his legs, the man turns around in the saddle
>He actions a lever forward and back underneath the brass, and the weapon utters two mechanical clicks
>"Do you sense any spells?"
>"Plenty," breaths Nightmare Moon, still darting through the trees at full speed
>"Find a clearing; we'll deal with the master of the house now."

>The alicorn of your nightmares leans into a sharp turn
>You hang on for dear life, but Sean merely leans with her, not caring about the trunks or branches that could rip him off of her back
>He focuses on the silhouette of a huge wingspan flying above the treetops
>Another angry screech makes you bury your face into Nightmare Moon's neck
>You do not want to see this monster diving on you
>Sean announces, "Hold on, ma'am."

>There are several seconds of nothing happening
>Then Nightmare Moon unfurls her wings
>A single beat launches her into the suddenly-open air
>You are no stranger to flying with Princess Celestia in a pulled chariot
>But this is insane
>It is when two simultaneous blasts thump through your chest that you start screaming
>Another beat of the alicorn's wings jinks you aside and another blast slaps your chest
>You cannot hear anything but ringing in your ears now
>You can feel boom after boom
>Your head spins as you invert in the air again and again
>One last time, you are pressed into Nightmare Moon's neck as she rises into a split-s
>Upside-down, you feel Nightmare Moon get pushed up and a presence leaves you
>She spins back upright and-

>Flies straight
>When you stop screaming, she dips into a gentle downward spiral
>You risk opening your eyes
>The foreign sun is still above the distant mountains, but already it is turning the sky to gold
>You realize how high you are and, against all judgment, look down
>Way down below, in the darkening clearing of trees you had flown out of, the griffon lays sprawled in the grass
>As the two of you descend, you see a human figure step on and over the bleeding body of the beast
>Another tries to stand, but the first moves to him quickly and kicks him in the hip
>Nightmare Moon's neck rumbles against you, but your ears are still ringing so you cannot hear what she is yelling
>The standing figure looks up at you, then back down at his opponent
>He kicks him onto his back, then kneels down and lifts him up by the steel breastplate he’s wearing under a leather coat
>You look away when your pursuer receives a fist to his nose

>Nightmare Moon stops descending
>You look up to ask her why, but the massive craft of green and silver metal answers you
>With the ringing in your ear, you cannot hear it or hear yourself yelp in surprise
>Your rescuer yells something at the sleek and curvy flying machine
>It reminds you of the many airships that came and went around Canterlot, though the top of this thing cannot possibly hold any gas
>Yet here it is, presenting its broadside to you
>The silver side under the curved top hinges down, revealing a large cabin that takes up most of the craft
>You see several ponies crowded inside
>Nightmare Moon flies into the middle of the dark space without hesitation, landing in the midst of them
>Before your eyes adjust, the open side closes up again
>Now instead of the golden sky, there are several dim blots of blue light refracting all throughout the dark cabin

>The craft immediately turns in the air before stopping again
>Nightmare Moon braces herself, then lowers herself onto her stomach
>Other ponies help you off of her and onto your own shaking hooves
>In the back of the cabin’s floor, a large ring opens up, bathing the space in white-blue light
>Sean floats in, as if a unicorn had brought him in from the ground
>The ring closes, dimming the cabin back to almost-nothing

>”Sepia?”
>You know that voice, muffled as it is
>You turn to the unicorn doctor who’s holding you steady
>He is wearing a mask and full-body disposable suit, but you know that is Doctor Decon’s preferred outfit
>You’ve known him long enough to know he’s smiling
>”Sepia. You’re safe now, Sepia. We’re going home.”
>You stare at him for a moment, then collapse into him
>He and several other ponies hold onto you as you begin to cry

()()()

>You are Spartan B094
>The multi-panel door slides shut behind you
>You pivot to the terminal beside it and navigate through the jury-rigged user interface
>Checking twice, you make sure the door is locked
>Only the biometrics of certain people--or ponies--can bypass the lock now
>It is only then you lean forward and rest your forehead against the purple alien metal
>You take several, slow, deep breaths
>In
>Out
>You can rest your mind and body for a while, before the next mission comes
>Even though this is an ex-Covenant ship, you can simply relax
>This is a feeling you haven't felt in a long time

>You wait for Nightmare Moon to respond to all of your thoughts and feelings, but she doesn't
>Right, you're not sharing your body with her anymore
>You push away from the wall and look at the black alicorn who has walked in with you
>She stands there in the soft light of the small room
>You watch her barrel expand and contract with her steady breathing
>Her eyes are closed and her nebulous mane droops down towards the floor, like a sparkling blue-violet flag that has lost the wind
>Slowly, she lowers her head and her back sags
>It is a look of fatigue that you have never seen before
>Then again, it has been only a couple of weeks since she "gained" this corporeal body
>This mission was the first real test of her physical strength

>You take silent steps over to her side 
>Despite being taller than her, her presence has your back tingling
>You ignore the urge to look over your shoulder and check the far corner
>Instead you kneel down beside her and lay a gentle hand on the base of her neck
>She sighs and leans toward you
>Her wings open with a shudder
>One brushes soft black feathers against the back of your head
>You respond by massaging taut muscles up and down her neck
>She allows it for one long minute, each exhale from her a quiet sigh, before she tells you,
>"We must confess, we-"
>She stops herself
>Ever since she half-possesed you years ago, she had been trying to stop using "The Royal We"
>Now it is in vulnerable times like these that it slips out
>"I was jealous of Sepia; seeing you spirit her away in your arms. It is unbecoming of me, yet-"
>She stops when, gently, you let go of her relaxed neck
>You stoop down and wrap your arms around her legs, just under her chest and rump, and lift her up without difficulty
>Despite herself, you hear a small 'eep' catch in her throat
>You make sure to keep your stride as smooth as possible as you walk over to the king-sized bed
>Its low wooden frame is a rush job from Canterlot
>The sheets are new and devoid of color or embroidery, just simple white
>You turn and sit on the firm mattress, sliding off the flimsy sandals given to you for the improvised showers
>With a push of your feet, you jump back onto the bed with Nightmare Moon on top of you
>The both of you kick some more so that you can prop your head onto one of the two pillows
>A little more shuffling around to straighten out the sheets and you stop

>Silence
>Well, not total silence, there is some subsonic humming that may be the alien circuitry behind the walls
>Peace, that is a better word
>You have not used it in a long time

>You almost fall asleep right then and there, but Nightmare Moon whispers,
>"Peace."
>The weight on top of you shifts
>You lift your head up to watch as she twists herself so straddles you
>Her nose is centimeters from yours
>Her half-lidded gaze warns that she is close to slumber herself
>When she speaks, it is less you hearing her and more feeling her throat rumble against your chest
>"Is this peace?"
>You breath silently, then answer
"A moment's peace."

>And the two of you spend a moment staring at each other

>"We never knew peace."
>There she goes again with 'we'
>Unless she meant-
>"Luna and I."

>Your heart aches suddenly
>She lowers her gaze, remembering the horrible sight the two of you shared
>You feel her exhale shakily in an effort to keep her composure
>Her eyes still water up
>You follow instinct and raise your hands
>Slowly, you cup her jaw with both hands
>She closes her eyes and tears run down your hands
>Without thinking you start stroking your thumbs under her eyes and across her cheeks, feeling her soft black fur
>As softly as you can, you tell her,
"We will find her, Moon."
>She hums, uncertain
"We /will/ find her. We'll bring her back."
>Nightmare Moon, her head tilting to one side, replies,
>"I hope she has found peace. Wherever she may be."
>She takes a relaxed, deep breath
>"If she dreams, then I can find her."
"Like how she did for me for all of those years?"
>"Yes."
"Then we better sleep."
>You continue stroking Moon's cheeks

>Eventually, she opens her eyes to look at you, one last time
>An urge strikes you, but you resist
>Nightmare Moon opens her eyes a bit more, curious
>You resist a moment longer
>You have been training each other in your dreams for so long
>You have been pushing each other, and have become strong together
>You both trust each other
>You take the plunge and lift your head up
>With delicate slowness, you lean forward and kiss her on the tip of her nose
>It was a quick kiss
>Chaste
>You rest back on the pillow and wait
>Nightmare Moon smiles, then leans forward and kisses you on your forehead
>Quick, chaste
>She then shifts back so she can rest her head on your chest
>Still smiling, she closes her eyes
>Shortly after you close your eyes too
>You feel both of your heartbeats slow down as you drift of into a well-earned slumber