Nightmare Moon stood at the edge of her private balcony, which looked over the mountains from the gleaming white spires of Canterlot Castle. Her mane flowed majestically on the gentle night breeze as she studied the stars in the sky above her. She belonged to the night and the night respected her will, but this did not mean that she owned it. Her eyes moved slowly from one bright point to another, searching the emptiness between them. She could see far more than any normal pony could. She saw the distant stars too faint to light Canterlot, and she saw the far-off galaxies and the mysterious clouds of colored gas. For all that she could see she still searched.
"What answers do you seek from the stars, my liege?"
Nightmare Moon started at the sudden voice. Her magic reached out and quickly confirmed her initial suspicion that it belonged to the wolf who had been helping out around the castle - Ulfrid. She was surprised that he had again managed to approach without her notice. She regained her composure quickly so that she could take her time in responding.
"I think that the stars owe me some answers…" she responded, smirking.
Ulfrid's voice came back level, but Nightmare Moon thought she sensed a smile behind the words all the same. "Do the stars not bend to your will already, Highness?"
Nightmare Moon turned her head and looked directly at the wolf. "And how is it that you come to my tower, creep through my room, and arrive at my own balcony without my notice?"
Ulfrid bowed and spoke gently. "No intrusion was intended, my liege. I serve."
"So you are fond of saying," mused Nightmare Moon, turning her attention skyward once again. "I trust that you are well?"
"Aye, Highness, I am quite well, thank you."
"And you have completed your rounds for the evening?"
"Aye, I shall circle again in an hour or so. But for now the White City sleeps peacefully."
"But as always, you shall not sleep?"
"Nay, Highness. I do not need to rest tonight."
Ulfrid sat and waited patiently. After a few minutes, Nightmare spoke again, without turning her head from the sky.
"Do you think that I am ruling Equestria well, Ulfrid?"
Ulfrid responded in his usual gentle voice. "It is not for me to judge, my liege."
"But why not?" asked Nightmare, her head turning down and her eyes locking onto the wolf. "Everypony in Equestria has had time to judge me. Do you simply fear my response?"
Ulfrid bowed low, "Of course not, Your Highness."
Nightmare made a thoughtful sound and frowned. "Rise, then. I order you to speak openly."
Ulfrid stood again and smiled just a little. "Of course I will, but what would you have me say?"
Nightmare's frown deepened. "I have already told you to speak your mind."
Ulfrid dipped his head just a little. "If Her Majesty were to ask me of any issue known to me throughout the land of Equestria, I would be happy to speak all that I know. But I am not here to speak of my own opinions, for I have none."
"Then why ARE you here?" demanded Nightmare as she leaned closer to Ulfrid and spread her wings threateningly.
"I serve," replied the wolf simply, his head still lowered.
Nightmare snorted and stomped, chipping the concrete beneath her hoof. "That is all you ever say," she complained. Ulfrid did not flinch, but simply raised his head to meet her gaze calmly. At last Nightmare snorted and turned away again. She looked out over the land, keeping her wings spread wide. Her eyes scanned from Canterlot to the horizon as she surveyed her kingdom.
"Fine, then," she began anew. "Tell me instead what my citizens think of me."
"A difficult question," replied Ulfrid. "Opinions vary widely. I could not claim to know every heart, but much of what I have heard concerns fear and frustration. Many find it difficult to do the things that they once enjoyed, and even if they have what they need to survive they are concerned about long term stability."
Nightmare Moon closed her wings slowly. Although Ulfrid could not see her face, her frown softened and her eyes creased slightly. "So," she responded. "They do hate me."
"It is not so simple as that, Your Highness," responded Ulfrid. "There are those who adore you, but there are many more who simply fear you, or more correctly, they fear not knowing what you will choose to do. Those who would openly oppose you have been driven into hiding, but those who simply want life to return to normal remain the majority."
"You mean to return the Sun?" asked Nightmare with a hint of annoyance.
"Many would applaud that move, my liege," responded Ulfrid.
Nightmare shook her head. "I swore that Eternal Night shall cover these lands. So long as one pony remains who denies the night to wait for the sunrise I shall not allow it to return."
"There may be other things that you may order which would ease the lives of your citizens, Your Highness."
"Such as?"
"Many traditional crops do not perform as well under moonlight as they would with a little more light. Improving the yields of these crops would both relieve the food stresses in some areas and provide more comfort food to the ponies."
"More light?" asked Nightmare Moon. "And how would I do that? I cannot simply brighten the Moon into a second Sun."
Ulfrid shook his head. "That I cannot advise, but perhaps there is a more direct solution available to your magic. There are also the feelings of fear. To relax that would offer tremendous relief for many ponies."
Nightmare turned back towards Ulfrid. "How do I do that? I do not even know what it is that they fear!"
Ulfrid bowed as he replied. "With apologies, Highness, the list is large, but I would suggest three main areas worthy of attention. They fear the monsters of the night that now roam the lands freely where once they were contained. They fear the uncertainty of leadership that they cannot see. But the largest fear they have is the fear that they may not speak."
"Of course they may speak," snapped Nightmare. "I did not order silence across the land."
"Nay," responded Ulfrid. "But should they speak the wrong words, the Royal Guard has been known to arrest them on the spot. Furthermore, the Guard has not had a history of gentle handling."
"What do you suggest, Ulfrid? We cannot allow treason!"
"I do not mean to instruct, Highness," responded Ulfrid as he rose once again. "But 'tis not treason to complain of the darkness when one wishes to see, nor to recall a fond memory even if the sun was up whilst it occurred."
Nightmare turned away again and stepped closer to the edge of the balcony. Again her eyes scanned from Canterlot to the horizon, and then scanned across it. Ulfrid waited without a further word as she searched deep across the darkened land. Here and there a light flickered and her eyes would hold on that light for a moment, to see if she might see any hint of that pony's actions. She could not, of course; the lights were mere points and although she could see to the stars and beyond, that talent extended only to the night sky. Five, then ten, then fifteen minutes passed before she sighed deeply.
"I could offer limited magic to light the fields," she mused, very softly. "Not enough to brighten the sky, but perhaps enough to help the crops. Two orders for the guard: first to drive the monsters back to where they belong, and second to permit unrestricted speech once again. Would that be enough?"
"I do not see the future, my liege," responded Ulfrid. "But it would seem to be a good place to start."
Nightmare turned back towards him and smirked. "That sounds almost like an opinion, Ulfrid."
Ulfrid managed a toothy grin in response. "I speak only what appears to be true, to the best of my ability to determine it."
Nightmare hummed and looked back up to the sky again. "'Appears to be true'," she echoed. "To many ponies, that is the very definition of an opinion."
There was silence between them again for several minutes, as Nightmare studied the glow of the moon.
"When I was trapped in the moon," she began, "time did not pass normally for me. I had only limited ability to recognize reality, and I was often forced to relive my last thoughts before being imprisoned. I would not say my own now, but I wonder what Celestia's thoughts were, what she is being forced to relive."
"I could not say, my liege," replied Ulfrid. "But… it is within your power to return her and find out."
Nightmare dipped her head and looked at the balcony beneath her hooves. "I dare not," she replied. "If she felt any of the rage that I felt, it will have been echoing in her mind for years now. She would most certainly destroy me."
"But she might not?" asked Ulfrid.
Nightmare paused and then shook her head. "I will not take that chance. I promised Eternal Night and there is no need to return my sister. I will correct these issues on my own."
Ulfrid bowed low once again, and then nodded. "Of course, Your Majesty. Shall I leave you to your planning?"
Nightmare paused to consider for a moment. "No," she responded at last, "you may stay for now. And should you choose to offer advice in the future," she added, "I would be very interested in hearing it..."