//------------------------------// // Too Close // Story: An Alternate Nightmare // by PirateCattheShipper //------------------------------// Finally, after a long day of housework that had seemed to drag on for days, Princess Twilight and Nightmare Moon were done with the housecleaning. Yet, Nightmare couldn’t believe her eyes when she looked outside and at the time, because the sun was not even setting and on top of that it was only five twenty three PM. “Twilight?” Nightmare asked, her jaws gaping into an enormous yawn as her tongue curled up against the roof of her mouth, of which was armed with sharp teeth. “Yes, sweetie?” Twilight wiped dripping sweat from her forehead with a clean towel she had found in Fluttershy’s bathroom. “Why isn’t the sun sleepy? And why did the time take longer?” Nightmare’s voice was high-pitched and puzzled. “Well, love, the sun does not get sleepy. In fact, the sun is much, much larger than the moon and is made up of an ionized gas called plasma. Plasma is not the same thing as lava or fire, and is very hot. The Earth is always moving, and overtime it moves around the sun, causing the sun to look like it is moving. Thus, we have day and night, and through out most of the night the moon goes up. But, in Equestria, Princess Celestia raises the sun and Princess Luna raises the moon. Except for in the Everfree forest, in the Everfree forest everything grows and light is provided on its own. A real wonder, huh?” Nightmare Moon stared up at Twilight, her pupils moving slightly side to side and her ears flattened, her face screwed up confusedly, as she tried desperately to grasp what Twilight was saying. Alas, she could not understand, and so she perked her ears up and huffed; “No idea what the hay you’re saying.” "Sh, sh, honey. Make sure you stay polite. You will make more friends that way." Twilight advised softly, like the fur on the skin of a puppy's ears. "I don't need friends." Nightmare hissed. "And, on top of that, it's not like anypony likes me." She gently ran a hoof down her swollen eye, which was actually healing very well and in a few days would be gone. "Not even my own 'father'." She grunted, looking down with her ears flattened disconsolately. "I'm sure you might hate me, too. Everypony whose ever been nice to me always leaves. I'm almost positive you will, too." With that, Twilight felt her heart crumble like a human hand squeezing cheese. "No, no, Sweetie, I will always love you." Twilight put a chipped forehoof on Nightmare's chest plate, where her heart would be under the heavy metal, fur flesh and bones. "Well, in that case, I will love you always too, Twilight." Nightmare flapped her wings to get off the ground so she was level with Twilight and rested a forehoof on the mare's withers as she put her head in between Twilight's head and neck. Twilight swallowed hard as she felt her throat start to throb. "Do you want to go for a fly?" She choked out. "A fly?! Oooo, I'd love to!" Nightmare plopped herself onto the ground and spun in circles, her wings spread wide with excitement. Twilight giggled, love brimming in the violet depths of her eyes. The steady flap of Twilight's large wings and the somewhat fast flap of Nightmare's accompanied the silence that hung like mist in the crisp air. The sun was hanging low in the middle of the sky, and Twilight knew that after a few more slow pushes, Celestia would lower it completely. "We ought to make this fly quick," Twilight said aloud, fluffing up her fur against the chill, "we don't want to get stuck out in the dark." "Why? I love the dark!" Nightmare piped up, and her wings went down harder, lifting her higher than Twilight. The full-grown mare heaved herself to Nightmare's length from the ground. "Wanna race?" Nightmare looked down at the ground, which was about fifteen feet below them. She placed a hoof on her chin, and was surprised by the cold touch of metal on her warm body. "Eh, why not." Nightmare shrugged, looking back at Twilight. "Oh, fun!" Twilight tapped her forehooves together. "Now, we've got to keep going str--" Twilight was cut off abruptly as a black and silver blur sped past her, stirring the fur on Twilight's right side. Blinking in surprise, Twilight "reared back" before pushing off of the air and bolting up to Nightmare. Yet, the small black filly seemed to always stay in the lead, always at least four feet in front of Twilight. I wonder how she's so fast? Twilight narrowed her eyes and flapped her wings harder, but she wobbled a bit, seeing as she wasn't the best flyer. Flashbacks corroded Nightmare Moon and fear that her "father" would come back mentally abused her. No! Go away! Twilight will protect me! No, she won't! She's weak and she doesn't care about you! A voice lashed back, it's tone scathing. Tears clotted in Nightmare's eyes and hopelessness glimmered in the icy-blue depths. She recalled all of the times she'd attempted to run--or fly, rather--away from her so-called home. She'd gotten so used to it that she got much better each and every time she had tried to. Nightmare shook her head and then glanced back over her shoulder. Twilight was far behind her, about seventeen feet behind, exhausted and panting. "Okay," Twilight breathed, gulping air hard, "that's enough, you"-she panted hard and swallowed-"win!" Nightmare stayed where she was for a moment, her heart thumping and one of her ears twisted back as she breathed a little hard and contemplated what to do. Then she remembered her "father" yelling at her that he had had enough and she would never win. Perhaps Nightmare had heard Twilight wrong, and she had really said that Nightmare would never win. Fear shuddered through Nightmare, starting at her haunches and shivering the tip of her nose briefly. Driven by fear and her past, she suddenly fled into the woods below her and Twilight. "Hey! get back here!" Twilight panicked, zooming after Nightmare, her heart fluttering with wings of anxiety. Nightmare angled her wings so that she landed on her hind legs and fell gently to all fours, dashing into a nearby bush while trembling like crazy. Her icy blue, cat-like eyes reflected in the darkness and glowed eerily. The only sounds were the blood pumping hard and coursing through her racked nerves and her rapid, shallow breaths that were shoveled from her body very quickly. Her eyes were wide like moons. Suddenly a robust stallion stamped across the woods, his brown fur silhouetted silver in the pale light of the moon. His deep blue eyes glinted malevolently as stars twinkled across them and his spikey yellow hair looked white in the darkness. But then there was the heavy flap of Twilight's Alicorn wings, followed by the sounds of her hooves meeting the ground with an anxiety-filled thud. Her eyes were also wide, and magic flowed around her horn and she prepared to teleport herself a few feet away. But the Unicorn Stallion stopped her. "What are you doing here?" He demanded, slamming a hoof on the dirt and his spit spraying Twilight's muzzle. "I could ask you the same question." Twilight's voice was stony, but a small quaver accompanied her assertiveness as fear was slowly crawling up her spine, and it's menacing whispers of a doomed future got closer and closer to her ears. "I'm looking for my daughter, Nightmare Moon. Have you seen her?" Nightmare trembled even harder at the Stallion's words, tinkling a little in blinding fear. Twilight suddenly felt very light-headed. "N-no. What does she look like?" "She's bratty, black, wears Armour. . .Her Cutie Mark is black stuff and then some little moon." He practically scoffed. "Ah, no. I'm sorry, sir. I wish that you find her." Twilight lowered her head and forequarters in mock sorrow. "Teh. You'd better." And with that, he stomped away, brown fur bristling.