//------------------------------//
// Disorder Part 2 
// Story: The Night's Stars 
// by SC_Orion 
//------------------------------//

There was the flash of light and the crack of magic. It wasn't accompanied by a double-image this time since Twilight's eyes were closed. She opened her eyes and saw, to her immediate left, Nightmare Moon's black coat. In front of her, the steps leading up to the town hall.

She felt a twist in her stomach, and out of some kind of instinct, she looked up at the portico. She stared at the depiction of Princess Celestia's cutie mark. Then, she held her breath and glanced back at her teacher.

Nightmare ignored it. She couldn't tell whether her teacher forced herself to ignore it or just paid no attention to it; Nightmare's head was turning back to the right from looking off somewhere to the left.

Twilight turned her head to the right and surveyed the street. It looked almost the same as it had before, and with that, she felt a mixture of relief and anxiety. There were, from what she could see, no signs of the problems Nightmare had told her of. There were no herds of ponies screaming, shouting, and yelling, no ponies galloping around being chased by guards, no ponies trying to burn buildings or break into buildings to steal anything.

She glanced to the sky, then looked back down before looking up again. Pegasi flew through the air just high enough above that they wouldn't fly into any buildings. With the light of the moon, it was impossible to miss the golden gleam of their armor, and as she watched, she noticed a pattern: the pegasi flew either alone or with a partner, but they always followed the street. They never flew over the tops of buildings.

'They're patrolling...' came to mind.

Maybe there were problems. But if there were problems, they weren't nearby.

She turned her attention back to her teacher. "Um... what exactly are we going to do?" she asked.

Without looking back at her, Nightmare answered, "Restore order." Her teacher stepped to the left and turned away from the steps.

She slowly walked forward and turned to the left until she was at her teacher's side. "How, exactly?" she asked.

"It will depend on the extent of what is transpiring," was her teacher's answer. For a few seconds, Nightmare was silent, and her eyes gradually drifted over the buildings and street before her. "I am hoping that this will be easy to remedy, but I do not expect that to be the case."

Nightmare inhaled, then exhaled and turned to face her. "Manehattan is large. From what reports I received, the bulk of the dissent is transpiring outside of the city's core. Provided it remains this way our task shall remain much simpler, however, if it spreads or threatens to spread I will put a stop to it."

Twilight was afraid to have her question answered, but still asked, "How?"

Nightmare didn't immediately answer. Instead, her teacher turned away from her. "It is important that I ensure this does not spread and does not linger. It would be detrimental to my rule. And likewise, I recognize that I must react carefully to this situation. I am unsure if using fear would be wise to use in this situation as it could very easily make matters worse. However, if it comes down to it, I will use force to restore order if it is necessary."

Quietly, Twilight warned, "Only as a last resort."

Nightmare turned her head to face her. Her gaze was intent but not malicious. There was no immediate backlash nor retort, only contemplation. Her teacher slowly inclined her head and then nodded. "Overreacting in this situation would not be wise," she agreed. "And I do not desire to make matters worse."

A second passed before Nightmare continued, "And in truth, I do not know how best to address this situation. Circumstances are different from the experience I have."

Twilight inhaled and nodded. "Okay, um... so... you're wanting advice, right?"

"I believe I said as much," Nightmare acknowledged.

Twilight shifted her weight in an attempt to ignore her teacher's tone, but the tone lingered. So flat: like she was asking a stupid question, like she was wasting time. She inhaled, then nodded to herself. "Okay, so... um... if ponies are out and acting in herds, then... um... it needs to be stopped." At the flat expression Nightmare gave her, she continued. "Um, maybe a curfew? If you keep ponies inside then hopefully it will help..."

Nightmare turned away from her, but she still caught a glimpse of a scowl. "Such would be useful, but then what of ponies who are already out?"

"Get them to go home and stay inside," she answered. "Or- or maybe address them! That might help if you talk to them."

"It did not help before," Nightmare retorted.

Twilight winced and turned her head to the left. "It's worth a try?" she squeaked out.

Nightmare glanced back at her. "Perhaps," was all that she said, and then after a moment of contemplation, "But given the current circumstances, it could be unwise to have so many ponies in one area."

Twilight winced. 'That... probably would end badly.' She inhaled and then mumbled, "Look, I don't know what to do here..."

Nightmare inhaled, then exhaled. Under her breath, "The feeling is mutual."

Twilight squinted at Nightmare. "What does that mean?" she huffed.

Nightmare turned to face her. "It means that I do not have experience in situations like this," was her curt response.

She flinched and her right hind hoof stepped back. "I-I'm sor-"

Nightmare closed her eyes and shook her head. "We do not have time for apologies; you are forgiven," was rushed out. And more cautiously, "And I... apologize for snapping at you." Then Nightmare opened her eyes. "We are wasting time... perhaps we will know how best to act when we see the extent of what is happening. Come."

With that, Nightmare strode forward at a brisk trot. An intent, meticulous trot. Her gait was one that displayed power and told anypony who looked at her, 'Stay out of my way.'

Twilight nearly had to gallop to keep up with Nightmare Moon. Unlike at Sweet Apple Acres, moving now left her feeling anxious. It wasn't a way for her to use that energy, instead, it only made the energy swirl around inside of her chest and stomach. She knew that the movement would eventually bring her into situations she didn't want to be in: Nightmare confronting ponies who were, most likely, doing stupid things as a herd. Ponies who were, possibly, actively disobeying and spiting Nightmare Moon.

Ponies who would, quite assuredly, experience Nightmare's wrath first-hoof.

'Better them than me,' whispered in her mind.

But she still had to do what she could. Advise Nightmare Moon, and perhaps she would be able to intervene and prevent anything worse from happening. Princess Celestia would never forgive her if she let Nightmare Moon hurt ponies without trying to stop her. The thought weighed down on her mind.

"What about Cadance?" she voiced. And for some reason, it was enough to make Nightmare come to a complete stop, then turn her head to look at her. An odd expression of bewilderment crossed her teacher's expression, but she almost missed it from stumbling to a stop.

"Cadance?" Nightmare asked.

She nodded. "She'd have better advice for you than me... I mean she doesn't exactly have experience with this but she has experiences similar to this..."

"Cadance," Nightmare said again.

Twilight quizzically tilted her head. "Yes?" she asked. "Or have you already asked her? I, sorry-" she winced, then said, "sorry," again.

There was a pause before Nightmare spoke, and during that pause, Nightmare looked contemplative and agitated. "I have not."

And she felt certain she mishead what her teacher had said, yet she also knew that there was no reason for her to have misheard that: "You haven't asked her for advice..?"

"You are correct," Nightmare answered.

And it was Twilight's turn to be silent for a moment, then she asked, "Why?"

Nightmare shifted her weight, and for the briefest moment, looked away, but not before she saw a slight hint of bitterness crossing her teacher's expression. "I did not think of it."

"You didn't- what?" was all Twilight could voice.

Nightmare turned back to face her. "The thought of Cadance helping never crossed my mind."

"But this is exactly why you..!-" Twilight shifted her weight and her enthusiasm died for the next part, "-you know."

"Yes," was Nightmare's response. Much more hesitantly, her teacher said, "But I did not think of it..."

And she couldn't fathom that. The thought that Nightmare Moon, her teacher, an alicorn, somepony who was so intelligent and logical, had completely missed such an idea. "Why?" was all she could voice.

Nightmare inhaled. "I am but one pony, Twilight Sparkle. I can make mistakes. You know this because of how I reacted to you upon my return." The memory made her shuffle her hooves all closer together. "I am not perfect, I am not all-knowing," Nightmare chastised.

It went unsaid, but the implications fell into place in her mind. Nightmare Moon had defeated her sister, and that combined with Nightmare's admissions along with the fact that they were sisters meant that the same could be said of Princess Celestia. Princess Celestia wasn't perfect. Her ears drifted back slightly. She felt tired at the thought.

But then she already knew Princess Celestia wasn't perfect: Princess Celestia lied to her. Princess Celestia had to banish her own sister for a thousand years. Princess Celestia hadn't stopped Nightmare Moon when she returned. Princess Celestia, as evidence proved, could not have been perfect, nor had Princess Celestia ever been perfect, despite what she had believed.

"I cannot think of everything," Nightmare added.

The voice broke through the resignation Twilight felt, and as she refocused, she found her eyes staring at Nightmare's cyan chestplate. She nodded timidly.

"Twilight Sparkle?" Nightmare called.

Twilight blinked, then looked up to find Nightmare looking down at her.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention," Nightmare said.

And a part of her relished and cherished that praise. Perhaps it wasn't much, but the praise was still there, in the form of a thanks. She had pointed something out that her teacher had missed, and she felt a bit of pride. Any droop in her ears was forgotten as they perked back up. Although she didn't smile, she nearly did.

"Remain here and I will retrieve Cadance. I believe she will be of great use in this situation, however, I still wish for your assistance in dealing with this unrest." A pause, then her teacher added, "I will not be long."

She nodded. Nightmare teleported away.

And that left her there alone in the dead of night in an unfamiliar city. As the realization sank in, accompanied by knowing that in theory, the city was dangerous, she felt a jittery energy fill her body. She sucked her lip in between her teeth, then slowly rolled her teeth back and forth over her lip. Her eyes darted left and right, and she slowly swept her head back and forth.

There wasn't anypony else around from what she could see. Aside from the pegasi patrolling above, but that wasn't what she was worried about. No, for all she knew, now that her teacher was gone, that blanket of protection Nightmare gave her was gone too. Maybe Nightmare was still just a teleport away, still listening in. But Nightmare would still have to teleport back.

Somepony could have been stalking them, just waiting for a moment when she was alone for an opportunity to strike. She didn't see anypony lurking in the shadows. She didn't feel like she was being watched. And Nightmare hadn't said they were being followed.

Surely, it was a silly thought. But then it didn't stop her from being nervous. There wasn't anypony around who she knew. No mentor, no parents or brother or foalsitter, no Spike, no friends. No protection.

'You're overreacting,' she told herself. 'There's no reason to be afraid,' she told herself. 'Nightmare Moon will protect me if anything happens,' she knew.

The seconds felt like they lingered on, each one longer than the last. With each pulse of her heart, a wave of that jittery energy throbbed in her chest, rushing outward. Her ears swiveled about, trying to pick up any faint sounds in the silence that could have betrayed the approach of anypony, but there was nothing to be heard.

She saw the flash of light from a teleportation spell and heard the sharp crack. As soon as she heard that sound, she knew her mentor had returned; she felt a wave of relief wash over her body. She saw Cadance first, standing at Nightmare's left side, looking at Nightmare Moon. She smiled at Cadance, but Cadance didn't smile back. No, Cadance was focused on Nightmare Moon too much to put on a smile. It was enough to make her smile fade. Then she saw her teacher, who was looking at her rather than Cadance.

And almost dismissively, Nightmare faced Cadance and nearly growled, "You have your task," then looked back at her.

Cadance gave a quick, timid nod, then pulled away and took a step to the left. For a moment, Cadance looked at her and hesitated. For a moment, Cadance gave something reminescent of a smile. She knew it was supposed to be a smile, but it just wasn't a smile. It wasn't warm like Cadance's smiles were, it was a choked smile, a strained smile. A forced half-smile, half-grimace.

'Did I do something wrong?' was the first thought that came to mind, but it was so brief it was forgotten. Cadance glanced at Nightmare out of the corner of her eye, then walked over to her. She watched Cadance approach, then stop in front of her. When Cadance leaned down, she smiled, and as Cadance gave her a hug, she returned it.

Even if it felt like Nightmare Moon was impatiently watching them hug, she returned it. She knew that in her teacher's mind, there were more important things to do, and arguably, Nightmare Moon was right. The hug was wasting time, and in that wasted time, things could grow worse. But the hug was still something she welcomed, and she held onto Cadance as long as Cadance held onto her.

Eventually, Cadance broke the hug and pulled back. "Be careful, Twilight..."

"I will," Twilight said, then added, "and you be careful yourself!"

Cadance flashed a genuine smile and let out a soft giggle. "I'll be fine..." she trailed off and sighed. "I wish ponies weren't..." She looked away, and her gaze drifted off to the right, into the night sky. "I hope ponies aren't..." she whispered. A moment passed, then she shook her head. "I should probably hurry. The more ponies I can talk to, well..."

Twilight nodded, and then Cadance took off at a brisk trot. She turned her head to watch Cadance for a few seconds, then she heard her teacher's boots clicking against the pavement. She turned back and faced Nightmare.

"Shall we continue?" was her teacher's question.

Twilight nodded but asked, "What is Cadance doing?"

Nightmare turned, then took a step forward as she said, "We will talk as we walk." And then Nightmare strode forward intently once more as if she had never broken stride in the first place. Twilight had to gallop to keep up again, but she managed. "Cadance will be doing what we are doing: searching out the unrest and addressing it as she does so," was the explanation.

"No speeches or anything?" she asked.

"Perhaps she will do so, but I do not know," Nightmare answered. "How she chooses to address it is up to her, provided she does not make it worse."

And she knew Cadance wouldn't make it worse. It wouldn't be on purpose, and it wouldn't be an accident either; Cadance simply wouldn't make matters worse. Ponies liked her. It would be good for the city for Cadance to be here and help. Ponies would see her, and it would calm them down and reassure them.

Twilight looked left and right as they galloped on, but the only pony constantly there with her was Nightmare Moon. The only other ponies she saw were Royal Guards, and she only saw them in passing.

After a few more minutes of galloping and seeing nopony else save for Royal Guards patrolling the streets, she could convince herself that it was, just like before, Nightmare Moon overreacting. Perhaps there were isolated problems, but it wasn't as widespread as her teacher believed. Cadance wasn't even necessary; getting her had been a waste of time.

She could almost convince herself of that, right up until she heard the distant cacophony of ponies. Screams and shouts and yelling, all rolled into a distant, nerve-wracking roar. She couldn't hear any voices, only noise in the distance. She couldn't make out words, but knew the sources were ponies.

Twilight smelled the stench of smoke. It wasn't the almost pleasant smell of burning wood that she barely knew, no, it was a heavy, choking scent: materials burning that were not meant to be burned, materials burning that shouldn't have been burned. The streets were thick and heavy with the scent of smoke, and over the roofs of buildings, she could make out columns of smoke billowing into the night sky, blotting out the stars.

The columns of smoke were far between, but they were there: a dark blot on the otherwise beautiful night. As the choking scent of smoke grew stronger and the shouts protests of ponies neared, so too did the number of Royal Guards on the street increase. All of them walked with a quick gait that wasted no time. They didn't bother to acknowledge either her teacher or herself at best, and at worst, actively ignored them. But so too did Nightmare ignore the lack of recognition or acknowledgment; it would have wasted time.

She risked a glance at Nightmare's expression. Her lips were a hard line, and in her teacher's eyes, she saw anger. Behind the anger, she saw intellect, somepony trying to find the best way to correct a mistake, the best way to change course.

As the roaring crackle of fire made itself known, Nightmare's gait slowed to a quick walk, and she was able to keep up just by trotting. The smell of smoke plagued the air, lingering heavy and blanketing the streets. She fought back the urge to choke and gag on that putrid scent and mostly succeeded, but breathing it in made her feel sick. Her eyes watered from the sting carried by the smoke.

Her teacher wasn't phased by it in the slightest.

They walked out into an intersection, and that was when she saw the fire. It had to have been a building at one point in time, she knew, but now, it might as well have been a building-sized torch. It had either been an apartment or some kind of multi-story building. It might have had five stories at some point, but the building had collapsed in on itself and there was no way to tell. She only knew that it had been a building because it was in Manehattan.

The flames lanced into the air like spears or bolts of magic. Every pegasus Royal Guard in the vicinity was keeping a healthy distance from the inferno for safety's sake: there wasn't much they could do. Flying too close would have been progressively more difficult because of the smoke, flames, and rising hot air making flight dangerous at best. There were no clouds in the sky that she could spot, and the Royal Guard pegasi rarely had the training required to produce clouds to deal with a fire of that magnitude, to say nothing of most likely being spread too thin to help.

She felt the draft of air rushing past her coat as it was sucked up into the fire to fuel the flames even higher. She felt the searing heat of the burning building, drying her lips out, drying her eyes, and warming her chest enough to make her, futile as it was, step back away from the source.

And then she realized that Nightmare had stopped alongside her. Looking into the edge of Nightmare's eye, she saw an expression of near-fascination with the inferno. Yet beyond the fascination, she saw something that caught her entirely off-guard. Anger and reminiscence, both somehow twisted together and so thoroughly intertwined that Nightmare looked pained as if some unknowable memories had seized control of her mind, refusing to back down, forcing her to watch and hear as they played out before her in the light of the fire. And seeing and hearing those memories kicked Nightmare Moon harder than an earth pony ever could.

'Anguish,' whispered in her mind.

The reflection of the flames danced in Nightmare's eyes. In a way, it was almost mesmerizing. Watching that shimmering flicker, she could almost picture it in the sky as a star. Almost.

Nightmare exhaled, then turned to the right.

She stared at Nightmare for a moment longer, then swallowed. Only then did she turn to the right, and the sight made her clench her jaw as her stomach tightened. A line of Royal Guards crossed the width of the street near the next intersection. It was a mixture of earth ponies and unicorns, where the unicorns were doing their best to shield the entire line. In front of them, she could just barely see a mob of earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi. There wasn't any organization or order in the crowd, and the line of Royal Guards barely knew what to do in that situation.

And seeing the Royal Guards not knowing how to handle the situation? It made her legs tense. They were the Royal Guard, they were supposed to be able to handle this! They were tasked with protecting Princess Celestia, and now Nightmare Moon. Maybe this never would have happened under Princess Celestia, and the thought of it happening was simply silly, but to see them so incapable? It wouldn't have happened under Princess Celestia, but if it had, they would have been just as unprepared as they were now!

She was glad Nightmare Moon was there with her. She was glad that the batponies seemed to be more competent than the Royal Guard, even though that meant the Royal Guard was less capable. At the very least, Equestria wasn't unprotected. Her teacher, like Princess Celestia before her, would make sure Equestria was protected.

After all, it was in her teacher's best interest that Equestria was protected.

Running her eyes over the line of Royal Guards again, she found that mixed in with them were ponies wearing dark blue, if not black, uniforms and caps. They were ponies who actually had a better idea of what they were doing and who were more familiar with the city.

The mob hadn't noticed them yet. She couldn't comprehend how their arrival went unnoticed, but it did. Were they that intent on the guards trying to stop them that they did not notice the Queen and her student?

She flinched when she finally heard and realized what the ponies were shouting: demanding the return of Princess Celestia, insulting Nightmare Moon, raging against the eternal night, and demanding that the guards do something about Nightmare Moon and restore Princess Celestia. They demanded the return of the sun, they demanded a return to normalcy. And that was just the tip of it all. There were ponies who just screamed and yelled at the top of their lungs for no apparent reason, save for that other ponies were doing the same. There were ponies who cried out that Princess Celestia had failed them. There were ponies who cried out that the Royal Guard had failed Princess Celestia, that the Royal Guard had failed them. There were ponies who swore and cursed, and ponies who shouted out calls to battle, calls to attack the Royal Guard, calls to overthrow Nightmare Moon, and calls for revolution, anarchy, or destruction. Ponies shouting out obscenities that foals shouldn't have heard.

Ponies weren't supposed to be like that. Naturally, ponies weren't like that. Ponies were kind and friendly. Peace-loving. It wasn't in their nature.

Yet these ponies were insane. They were animalistic, acting on instinct. Acting out of fear and uncertainty.

It scared her. It terrified her. The mob of ponies was the culmination of nearly everything that could go wrong when fear overrode logic and reason, the culmination of what fear could do to ponies.

It was a monument to what Nightmare Moon had brought; a glimpse of what could happen to Equestria without harmony and order.

Unicorns from the mob found whatever they could and launched it at the guards. Earth ponies tried to rush in, only to retreat when they realized they were alone in trying to push the line of Royal Guards. Pegasi hovered above the crowd only to swoop down to find something to throw at the line of guards.

She stepped back, and her teacher took a step forward. "Remain here," was her teacher's growled order.

Twilight had no objections to that order. Approaching the line of Royal Guards would have been dangerous as any objects that missed the guards and their shields flew behind them and crashed into the street, sending debris rolling closer to the intersection.

Nightmare strode on past her with a walk that wasn't going to stop for anything. That walk wasn't directed at her, but it didn't stop her from feeling cold, gripping fear. Ice washed over her body, and the heat of the raging inferno was forgotten. Fear locked her legs in place.

Nightmare Moon lit her horn. It only took a few more steps before the shouting went silent, like a wave washing over the crowd. And she watched and saw, even if it was just barely for the line of guards and their shields, as that waved washed over the crowd. It wasn't fear. It was terror. She could feel the silence it brought, and the silence was even more pronounced than what they had shouted. She could see the guards all going rigid. But the crowd? The crowd was even worse. Pegasi forgot how to fly, so they landed and backed up. Earth ponies kept their distance and tried to put other ponies in front of them. The glow from unicorns' horns went dark. The only sounds she could hear was the roaring crackle of the fire and the intent clicking of Nightmare's boots striking the road.

And she was certain dragons would have fled to avoid that approach.

Nightmare's wings shot out, then in one powerful motion, swooped down, launching her over the line of Guards. She took a step back, and how the guards didn't break the line eluded her. She saw the panic washing over the crowd. The crowd grew smaller. Ponies weren't running away. They were huddling together as if they thought it would somehow protect them.

Nightmare landed. She heard the click of her teacher's boots hitting the street over the roaring crackle of the fire, and Nightmare didn't break stride. One step forward, then stopping. Twilight silently stared at her teacher, watching as her head and muzzle drifted left, then right, sweeping over the crowd in a calculated, meticulous motion. It was a controlled motion, there was no haste or panic in Nightmare's action. She was in control, and nopony would ever deny that.

She saw Nightmare's chest expand, then deflate. "Disperse and return to your homes," was her intent order, spoken with authority, power, and regality. Princess Celestia never would have spoken with the same authority and power than her teacher demanded, yet Nightmare somehow spoke with even more control than Princess Celestia. The crowd was frozen at her words, and they might as well have been statues. "And I will pretend," Nightmare growled, "that I never saw this."

She was grateful that she wasn't in that crowd. She was grateful that voice, that threat, wasn't directed at her. Nightmare's head swept left and then back right again in another calculated sweep. And then Nightmare spoke again, and as she spoke, she saw individual ponies seized with panic, like a predator was staring at them and only them, and they were alone, "Will you continue to act like foals? Or will you prove that you're better than this? My dear sister, I am sure, would be so very proud of how you're acting, of how you're treating her sister."

And to her amazement, she actually saw ponies' ears drift back. From what she could see of the ponies at the front of the crowd, a few seconds passed before they looked away from Nightmare Moon. Even her own ears drifted back. But not every ear drifted back, not everypony in the crowd felt the shame that she felt. She couldn't see how they looked, but she could almost feel and picture it, the ponies who wouldn't be dissuaded by Nightmare's mocking, the ponies who would still continue to cause problems.

"Go home," Nightmare told them, and with that, she turned around.

And then she saw the blue glow of a single horn from the crowd, followed by a brick being levitated up into the air in that same blue aura, which finished with it being launched at her teacher. Somepony, who she assumed to be responsable, screamed out against Nightmare as the brick flew towards the alicorn. The mare screamed out obscenities and cursed Nightmare and her eternal night.

The situation might have been okay. It might have been diffused by what Nightmare had said. Nightmare might have left after diffusing the situation and the crowd dispersed. And both of them might have forgotten about it as they moved on to the next problem. The crowd might have departed to go back to their homes without any objections.

It might have been, up until that happened.

Nightmare didn't even turn around. Twilight stared at her teacher, and her teacher stared back at her, looking at her with an expression that all but outright said, 'Do you see what I have been saying? The ponies will never love me!' And there was so much bitterness in that expression. So much disappointment, and so much resentment. Yet the anger was controlled. She looked away. She still saw that impenetrable dark blue shield flash to life around Nightmare, then as she stared at the street, she heard the brick thunk against the shield before thudding onto the street.

And as if it clicked, she realized what had happened. Somepony had actually assaulted Nightmare Moon. Somepony had made the same mistake that she had. Somepony had just signed their own death warrant. Her chest locked up, her legs froze. Ice barely began to describe how cold she felt. Everything was distant. The heat of the fire felt like a biting cold as if it had somehow turned into a blizzard that would never stop until every last degree of warmth had been sucked out of the entirety of Equestria.

She heard the click of Nightmare's hoof. She assumed Nightmare was turning around. She heard the crowd scatter in panic. Hooves so frantically scraping on the pavement, scattering like a herd of some prey animals when a predator burst out from the bushes to hunt them down to devour.

Somehow, she managed to look up. All she saw that remained of the crowd were tails whipping in the air as they all dispersed in utter terror. Nopony remained. No unicorns remained, either. Whoever launched the brick had escaped. The line of guards tentatively relaxed, unsure if something worse would now happen, so they kept alert. Their bodies remained tensed as they gradually broke the line. They were ready to flee just like the crowd if Nightmare did anything.

One of the guards managed to find something that resembled courage or perhaps stupidity and shuffled over to Nightmare Moon, who was watching the crowd flee. "Do you wish us to track her down, Queen Nightmare Moon?"

"No," was hissed through clenched teeth. Nightmare tilted her head back towards the guard and continued, "Unless she causes problems again, ignore her. It is not worth tracking down one such pony when this chaos is unfolding."

The guard quickly nodded and retreated even more hastily.

Nightmare turned her head back, and then she couldn't see her expression. Nightmare just looked away from her, staring down the street, or perhaps looking around without moving her head. She wanted to move but she was still paralyzed in fear.

The guards gathered into a group, then left. Once the sound of their hooves was drowned out by the crackling of the fire, Nightmare turned around and walked back to her, walking at such a casual pace that made her even more nervous. How could Nightmare Moon be casual after that? It had to be a lie.

And Nightmare looked at her, practically staring at her, except her eyes drifted left and right, all over her body. She craned her head up as Nightmare stopped and stood in front of her. For a few seconds, both of them were silent as they stared at each other. Nightmare turned to the right and looked at the inferno.

She couldn't look away from her teacher.

"They will be able to take care of that," Nightmare asked, turning her head back to face her before adding, "correct?"

She managed to look away from Nightmare. Lances of fire still struck out at the sky, and the flames were threatening to engulf nearby buildings, yet still hadn't. Guards and fireponies, but mostly fireponies, were trying to fight it and pegasi were coordinating or doing whatever it was they were doing, which excluded making clouds, as flying above that inferno was something only somepony as insane as Rainbow Dash would do.

She found her voice and said, "They should be able to... if not then it should burn itself out..."

"Good," Nightmare acknowledged.

And for a few more seconds, nothing was said as they watched the fire burn while ponies scurried about to fight it. To her, it felt like both of them actively ignored what had transpired, and it brought a question to her mind, 'Did she hold back because I'm here?'

The uncertainty returned. Was she the only reason things hadn't gone worse? If she hadn't been present, would her teacher have snapped? Had Nightmare held herself in check solely because she was there? Was that unicorn still alive because of her? Were the ponies in the crowd still alive only because she had been there?

The questions twisted in her gut. She felt queasy.

It wouldn't have been a problem if Cadance had been there with them. She hoped Cadance was safe, she hoped Cadance wasn't having to deal with what she had just seen. She hoped Cadance was managing to calm ponies down.

But she still felt the irrational fear that Cadance wasn't managing to help matters.

Nightmare's silken feather brush along the length of her back. She closed her eyes. She felt her lips lift up into a smile. The knot in her gut flew away. One stroke and the feather left. She opened her eyes and watched her teacher, who watched her right back.

Her legs didn't tremble, she didn't feel like she was walking on eggshells, or that her teacher was going to just snap. She felt calm, though still uneasy.

"I am sure this was not the only such crowd," Nightmare said, "and we should not linger."

She nodded. Nightmare turned around, then looked left and right. "Perhaps it would be better to see things from the air," Nightmare mused. Her teacher looked back at her and said, "We would have a better idea of what we are dealing with from above."

She nodded, "Yes," then stopped before realizing what Nightmare said: "Wait, we?"

Nightmare inclined her head. "Yes," was her flat response. "We, as in both of us-"

"I'm not a pegasus! I can't fly!" Twilight protested.

Nightmare tilted her head and looked at her as if she was oblivious to some very important detail, then as if to emphasize that detail, spread her wings. "Then how expedient it is that I can," was sarcastically delivered.

She winced and turned away from her teacher. "Right, sorry, I just... I-I wasn't... expecting that," she stuttered out.

Looking back at Nightmare, she said, "Princess C-" wincing before correcting, "your sister wouldn't have, um, done this."

"I am aware of that," Nightmare said. Then, she turned to face away from her and sat down with her back to her. "But it does not matter. This is most efficient, and I do not feel comfortable leaving you here while I search, and your help would be beneficial in this matter."

And she couldn't believe that this was happening. She could believe that Nightmare Moon was sitting down, waiting for her to climb onto her back. She couldn't believe it. Sure, ponies sometimes rode on the backs of their pegasi friends or pegasi they had paid, but this was entirely different! Nightmare Moon wasn't a pegasus, she was an alicorn. Nightmare Moon was Queen. And she was just a filly. Nightmare Moon had better things to do than carry her around, things that were less demeaning for her. Nightmare Moon could have had one of the Royal Guard pegasi flying around carry her, but no. Nightmare Moon herself was there, sitting down so that she could climb into place on her back.

It was intimidating, to say nothing of the fact that she'd be in physical contact with her teacher, and that her life would be so very dependent on Nightmare's wings.

"Come," Nightmare called, her mane moving to the right so it would not impede her. "I will not drop you if that is your concern."

Somehow, she managed to walk over and stop behind Nightmare Moon. She stared at the alicorn's back. Her black coat was so intimidating, she was afraid that those hairs weren't actually fur, but needles that would stab her if she touched them. They were smoothed back like metal, and it convinced her that this would be the single most unpleasant experience of her life.

And yet at the same time, she was terrified that, despite being metal, Nightmare would be so fragile that she would hurt her teacher, and that in turn would be the last accident that happened. Reason couldn't fix her concerns: even if she knew that Nightmare Moon was the furthest thing from fragile, she couldn't help but see her back as a thin pane of glass that, if so much as a quill fell on it, would shatter and send her plummeting to her death.

That was if it wasn't throwing her to her death.

Somehow, she managed to reach out with a hoof and touch Nightmare's back.

Her coat was so incredibly soft and rich, silken to the point that the most expensive silk, enchanted with the most powerful magic, would never compare. She felt like she could melt into that rich softness. It was just like Princess Celestia's coat, and if she closed her eyes, she could imagine that she was touching Princess Celestia and her white coat instead of Nightmare Moon's black coat. She didn't close her eyes though. She knew it was Nightmare Moon.

And finally, feeling how soft Nightmare's coat was, the memory of Nightmare hugging her came back to mind. She felt calmer, yet still so intimidated by the prospect of riding on Nightmare's back while she flew.

She bit her lip and managed to wrap her forelegs around Nightmare's withers. Compared to Nightmare's coat, that chestplate she never took off was painful to touch. It didn't hurt, but it wasn't comfortable. It felt like an uncrossable chasm, like something somehow permanently separating them. She slid her abdomen into place against Nightmare's back, then wrapped her hind legs around her teacher's underbody. She held on, and Nightmare stood up; her weight might as well have been the weight of the air for Nightmare Moon.

And knowing and feeling Nightmare supporting her body was even more intimidating than the idea of Nightmare carrying her. The thought was one thing and experiencing it was entirely different. It was actually happening, Nightmare was carrying her. She felt so small, smaller than she had felt when she was a filly and just getting used to Princess Celestia.

Nightmare stretched her wings out, then left the ground.

She stared down and watched as the pavement shrank away. She felt the wind ripple through her mane and tail, and felt a sinking feeling in her stomach like her stomach was dropping out beneath her or like she had left it below. There was no ground to support her, and what ground there was, was too far away for her to safely land. If she fell, if Nightmare dropped her, if Nightmare let her fall, she wouldn't survive.

She held onto the alicorn with as much strength as she could manage. Her muscles hurt. Nightmare surely knew, but for some reason she said nothing.

They didn't fly that high. just high enough to avoid the roofs of buildings. Her heart still pounded in her chest, thumping against Nightmare's back. If Nightmare didn't already know how little she trusted her, then her teacher would easily tell from her grip and heartbeat.

"I will not let you fall," Nightmare called back to her.

She nodded. She believed her teacher, but she still held onto Nightmare for her life. Sure, Nightmare wouldn't throw her. Sure, Nightmare wouldn't let her fall. Sure, Nightmare could catch her with magic. But that didn't mean she wanted to experience what falling was like from that high up, even for a second!

Nightmare flew above the streets, and both of them surveyed the chaos below. The large crowds of ponies were isolated, and the chaos was sporadic. Some parts of the city were entirely untouched, other parts were just gigantic messes of ponies and Royal Guards and debris. Never once did Nightmare stray anywhere near the lances of fire shooting up into the air, never once did she drift near the columns of thick, choking smoke.

And because her muscles ached, she managed to lessen her grip on Nightmare. She found her heart wasn't hammering in her chest, trying to beat its way out so it could get back to the ground. And if it wasn't for everything happening below, then maybe, just maybe, she could have enjoyed it. After all, she had only flown on Cadance's back before, and that had been a rare, special treat that always made her laugh and smile.

If she ignored the heavy scent of smoke in the air and clinging to their coats, if she ignored the raging infernos, and if she ignored everything that was happening below, it was nice.

Nightmare shook her head. "I am quite... perhaps bewildered is the right term. The unrest is..." Another shake of her head, accompanied by a groan. "It makes no sense," she muttered. "The city is..." A stronger shake of her head accompanied by an exasperated sigh. "The pattern makes no sense. I would expect it to be more widespread. Not pockets of unrest, but regions."

Twilight pondered it but had no answer for her teacher.

She barely heard Nightmare mutter, "So much of this doesn't make sense..."

"The unrest?" she asked.

Nightmare turned her head and looked back at her. There was hesitance in her expression like she wasn't sure if she should say anything. Reluctantly, her teacher answered, "Many things I have found since my return do not make sense... and it is... I do not understand it."

She remembered Nightmare mentioning something like that before, and so she gave a slow nod.

Nightmare studied her for a moment longer, then went back to scanning the streets below them. "It is... so different from what I expected."

"What did you expect?" she asked.

For a few seconds, there was just the sound of Nightmare's wings and the wind. "Not this," was Nightmare's delayed answer. "Do you have any suggestions on how to best address this unrest? Addressing each crowd would take time, although this is what Cadance is successfully doing, and then there is not necessarily an assurance that they will not depart and reform given that it is us. Addressing the whole city as you suggested, given its current state, is most likely an unwise decision."

"And there aren't enough Royal Guards to go around..?" she asked.

"I do not believe there are enough to restore order if it came down to it. If the unrest was more widespread than it is, it would likely escalate out of control even further," Nightmare answered.

Twilight shifted her weight on Nightmare's back, but very timidly. Falling would have been bad, plus she didn't want to annoy the pony carrying her. "Um... this might be a stupid question," she admitted, "but could you have some batponies come help?"

"There are some on their way, but it will take time for them to arrive. And in truth I am concerned they would make matters worse," Nightmare answered, then turned back to face her. "Ponies are not familiar with them, and seeing them show up to restore order could look bad, which could make matters far worse."

She grimaced. "Right..." she muttered. Nothing came to mind. No ideas, no grand solutions. Princess Celestia would know exactly what to do. Princess Celestia would probably give everypony some comforting words, and that'd be the end of the matter. But Princess Celestia wasn't here, and Nightmare Moon wouldn't have the same effect. She let out a sigh and whispered, "I don't know."

"Then we shall have to work this out as we go," Nightmare said.

She thought about it, then asked, "Isn't that more or less what we're already doing?"

"Yes," was Nightmare's nearly-instant answer.

"So... you're just going to... keep addressing crowds as needed..?" she ventured.

"It is not something I would prefer to do," Nightmare answered, "but I do not have many options available right now. If there were more guards present, then I could enforce a curfew or match the unrest with enough of a show of force to stop it from spreading while not resorting to using force that could make things worse. I can only be in one place at a time so this may prove somewhat difficult to control, however, Cadance does appear to be easing the unrest. At least what groups she has encountered."

Twilight shifted her weight again on Nightmare's back. "You'd rather not use force..?"

Nightmare looked back at her and said, "There is a time and place for force. If I have no choice then I will use force to stop this, but I am not so naive as to think that I can solve every problem with force. It is the same way with fear. Ponies need to know that unrest will not be tolerated, but I cannot act so forcefully as to cause further harm."

Nightmare continued to watch her, and she gave a slow nod. Almost reluctantly, her teacher looked away from her and went back to scanning the streets below. "If excessive force would benefit me in the long run, then yes, I would use that, but I know that excessive force can only work so long before problems become worse. I will not have my rule weakened by instability caused by excessive force."

She looked right down at Nightmare's coat, and her eyes nestled in between her teacher's shoulders. "You'll do whatever benefits you, whatever is in your best interest..." she murmured.

For the briefest moment, Nightmare's eyes darted back to her. "Yes," was said, and then her teacher's eyes darted back away.

'If it's in your best interest...' whispered in her mind, and she shivered. Perhaps she could trust her teacher, but then there would always be the risk that it would be in her teacher's best interest to abuse that trust, take advantage of her, or betray her.

Twilight kept quiet, and likewise, Nightmare said nothing more as they continued their flight.

Eventually, she forgot about the chaos below- at least as best she could with the distant roar of ponies screaming and shouting, the raging fires and billowing smoke, and the scent of that smoke in the air. She almost managed to relax, but she was still timid, so entirely aware of Nightmare carrying her. But Nightmare hadn't dropped her, Nightmare hadn't let her fall, Nightmare hadn't thrown her. Nightmare had been careful, giving her no reason to hold on so tight.

And it was nice to fly with her, at least as nice as it could be. The circumstances were still lingering in the back of her mind, poisoning it, but if it hadn't been for those circumstances, she wouldn't have had any complaints. She knew that the only reason Nightmare was carrying her was because of the circumstances, and a part of her regretted that. If she could get over her timidness and unease about riding on Nightmare's back, along with who Nightmare Moon was, then she would have liked to do this again, without the constant knowledge of the chaos below ruining it all.

But it was wishful thinking. It was silly; Nightmare Moon would never agree to something like that unless circumstances demanded it. And there was no way she could, let alone would, ask that. She was just a filly, and of course, Nightmare Moon was Queen. And Nightmare Moon had better things to do. Even if Nightmare Moon was her teacher, there was no reason for her to agree.

And then there was the fact that it was Nightmare Moon.

"Two ponies just went into... I believe the term is an alley?" Nightmare half-asked. "I am going to land."

She blinked and refocused on the circumstances instead of her thoughts. Nightmare's head was tilted left, back towards her, and her gaze was on her. "Um, okay?" she asked. There was a moment of silence as her teacher banked to the left, and out of instinct, she gripped the alicorn tighter so she wouldn't fall. "It's just two ponies though? Shouldn't we be... focused on larger crowds?"

"I would agree," Nightmare said with a nod, "however they seem to be painting a wall with something I'd very much rather not have painted."

And without looking, 'Celestia's cutie mark...' came to mind, and she clenched her jaw.

And as if to test her, Nightmare asked, "This will not do now, will it?"

She couldn't answer that. To agree would be to betray Princess Celestia even more. To disagree, she could not; the only acceptable answer was agreement. She turned her head to the right. It wasn't like it mattered at this point. Her ears folded back and she barely managed to whisper out, "Of course..." But even she heard just how disheartened her own voice was.

But it wasn't like it mattered, not now. Princess Celestia wasn't coming back. She was resigned to that fact.

She wanted to cry. Maybe it was the smoke, but she doubted that was why.

She felt Nightmare land and heard the click of her hooves striking the pavement. Her teacher took a few steps forward as she landed, and the steps felt almost like a continuation of the flight. There was a certain grace to those steps that she didn't understand. Then Nightmare sat down on her haunches. She let go of Nightmare's back and slid off, then stood up.

She hadn't noticed it before, but now that her underbody wasn't on top of Nightmare's back, the air felt so very cold in comparison. She missed Nightmare's warmth. Ears still folded back, she timidly walked to the right and came to stand beside Nightmare as her teacher stood up.

And they stood there silently for a time, listening. And she heard the hushed, conspiratorial whispers of ponies plotting and sowing rebellion, ponies who were being so brave and so very, incredibly stupid.

It was, from what she could hear, a stallion and a mare. They were young, of course, but they were still older than her. The whispers were quick, no more than what had to be said. She looked around and saw no guards nearby; it was a section of the city that, aside from the two ponies speaking in hushed whispers, was free from the panic that fueled mobs elsewhere. Ponies stayed inside. Perhaps out of fear of the eternal night, or perhaps they were smart and knew what was happening so they choose to stay inside to avoid being caught in the unrest.

And those two ponies continued whispering to one another, occasionally broken by the rushing, airy sound of something spraying. If she had to guess, going by what Nightmare had said, it was paint that they were spraying. And the two ponies whispered more than enough evidence against themselves that Nightmare would have reason to act.

She wasn't sure how they hadn't heard them land. They both listened, trying to stay alert for guards. Neither of them realized just how close Nightmare Moon was.

And Nightmare crept forward. It was a slow, silent step. Her metal boots didn't make a single sound as they touched down on the pavement, it might as well have been that Nightmare's boots were padded with feathers. There was no magic involved, only Nightmare's own skill that kept her approach silent.

It was a predator stalking her prey.

She hadn't noticed Nightmare moving at first, how silent it had been. But when she noticed, she lifted a hoof up to step forward, only for Nightmare to extend a wing as if to say, 'Don't.' So she didn't step forward. She held herself still, keeping her forehoof lifted in place. She didn't set her hoof down, out of fear of making a sound. She held her breath, and Nightmare crept past her, walking closer and closer to the alley.

Her heartbeat felt slow, and the seconds seem to stretch on and on, each one feeling longer than the last. Each time Nightmare's hoof touched the pavement, she expected a click, she expected a scream of some kind, either fear or rage. But each step was still so silent as before.

'The batponies are just as stealthy as this...' came to mind as she watched. If not entirely as stealthy as Nightmare could be, then very close.

She couldn't look away. Nightmare's head passed the edge of the brick building, and the whispering went silent. Even without seeing them, she could almost feel their fear, how their hearts would suddenly feel so big and so small at the same time, how their guts would twist, how their stomachs would suddenly feel a jittery energy that wouldn't go away. How they would feel that predatory gaze of her teacher, how it would paralyze them.

How they wouldn't be able to escape their fate.

"I do hope," Nightmare called out, taking another silent step forward, then turning so her body faced into the alley. She somehow made the mistake of glancing at her teacher's eyes, and she found an intent gaze, one presumably directed at the two ponies inside. "That this is meant to defame my sister," her teacher finished.

And she felt a shiver go down her spine, accompanied by feeling a coldness take a hold of her body, as Nightmare continued, "Because if it is not, I will be quite displeased."

And both ponies were silent. They had no answer, but then how could they have an answer? They would be paralyzed in fear, and it was just the two of them. There was no crowd for them to hide in, no crowd to give then anonymity. No crowd to empower them.

Or maybe they were resolute in their defiance, refusing to answer, refusing to back down. She couldn't picture that, though. How could anything defy Nightmare Moon and survive?

She felt the cold of the pavement against her formerly lifted forehoof. She glanced down and found her hooves carrying her forward without her permission. And her heart pounded in her chest, banging against her ribs in an attempt to break out of her body to escape. But it was trapped, just like the two ponies in the alley.

Her hooves carrier her to Nightmare's side. She turned and saw the two ponies: a mare and stallion, just barely. Neither could be more than five years older than her, and that would have been pushing it. Both unicorns with unlit horns. The stallion had a dark-colored coat. Perhaps blue of some kind but in the shadow of the buildings, she couldn't tell, and likewise, his mane and tail were both dark colors, perhaps black or dark gray. The mare had a pink coat and her mane and tail were light yellows with darker highlights mixed in. Both ponies were wide-eyed, and although they surely saw her standing beside Nightmare, both were staring only at Nightmare Moon.

A spray can of paint laid on its side on the ground, with yellowish paint dripping from the nozzle. She didn't even have to turn left to see their work: taking up the bulk of the wall, it was a mural of Princess Celestia's cutie mark. It couldn't be mistaken for anything else. And it was so expertly painted, it didn't look like spray paint had been used, but that a professional had meticulously gone over the wall with a brush, stroke by stroke. The paint was applied so smoothly that she was shocked it had been painted onto a wall instead of canvas.

It was something that should have been in a museum, not on the street, not in an alleyway.

And the two unicorns responsible for it had been caught red-hoofed. They had nowhere to run, as the alleyway was blocked off by a wall. Not that running would have helped them any. And there was no way either of them could have been capable of teleporting. No, that was too complicated and powerful a spell for just about everypony: she would have recognized them. Probably, anyway.

Neither said anything in their defense, even as Nightmare waited. Then Nightmare lit her horn, and her dark blue magic enveloped both unicorns. She saw the terror that washed over them as that magic took a hold of them. It was a primal terror that couldn't be fought off, couldn't be resisted. A terror that somehow existed before time itself, a terror that was ingrained into ponies by their very nature.

And Nightmare cut their magic off, just as it had been with her and Rarity: they couldn't fight back even if they somehow could manage to overcome that need to run away. Then, as if to mock them, their hooves were bound with summoned magical bindings. The mare squeaked, the stallion grunted, and both fell onto their sides, with the stallion's weight landing on the mare's side.

Nightmare inhaled, then calmly exhaled.

"D-don't hurt us!" the mare finally bellowed into the night, nearly shrieking.

"I will consider it," was Nightmare's short response. And with that, Nightmare turned to face her, then extended a wing out and motioned for her to walk back to the right.

So she hastily trotted out of sight from the two bound ponies, and galloped until she was at the entrance to the building immediately to the right of the alley. She heard Nightmare's clicking hoofsteps following her, and she turned around as Nightmare approached.

Then Nightmare stopped in front of her and asked, "What shall I do to them?"

The question took her by surprise. It wasn't a question she had expected. She had expected Nightmare to state what would happen to them, and that would be it. Their guilt would have been found by Nightmare Moon, their verdict would be delivered by Nightmare Moon, and then the execution would have been at Nightmare Moon's hooves.

And the way it was asked: no malice, but rather, genuine curiosity. It wasn't asked out of anger, it wasn't demanded of her. It wasn't a tone that screamed, 'Choose or I will kill them.' No, it was the tone of one who wanted to choose carefully, one who knew that slipping up would spell disaster, and one who wanted another opinion.

It made her heart leap into her throat, nearly choking her, and she felt so much bubbling energy racing through her chest, infinitely more than she could picture Pinkie Pie having. It was energy that made her need to gallop away, energy that made her need to release it somehow.

Then, Nightmare extended her wing and touched one of those divine feathers against her shoulder. The touch, the feeling of that feather, it worked against the panic consuming her mind: the bubbling, roaring energy in her chest deflated. The feather stroked back along her side, and she shivered.

Calmness overtook her, and she felt tired.

She inhaled, then exhaled. Nightmare folded her wing to her side and said, "I cannot tolerate such dissent. If I do not act, then this will undermine my rule; but likewise, if I am too harsh, they could become martyrs and spark even greater unrest."

"H-have they actually committed a crime?" she voiced, then bit her tongue when she realized what she said.

Nightmare stared at her, and that gaze felt so intent, as if her misspeaking had been challenging the Empress's authority. Nightmare Moon's word was law, and her misspeaking had challenged, if not undermined it.

She managed not to step back out of fear.

Nightmare slowly took in a deep breath, then exhaled and said, "Vandalism." And it was spat so bitterly because it was vandalism, yet so much more than just vandalism. "However given the circumstances, this could also be taken as an act of treason or a call to rebellion. I have not called a curfew, so I cannot punish them for violating that without causing uncertainty."

Nightmare closed her eyes and shook her head. "The punishment for vandalism is hardly punishment. The punishment for treason or inciting rebellion is far more severe." Her teacher opened her eyes. "I am inclined to lean towards the later. I will not tolerate this insult. To not act would be foalish, as it would invite questions of my rule and encourage dissent."

There was a pause, and Nightmare grimaced before begrudgingly muttering, "Yet I also recognize that I could very easily turn them into martyrs, and that is assuredly not in my best interest."

Another pause and Nightmare's eyes jumped back and forth a few times. She just barely made out Nightmare mumbling, "A thousand years ago I would have thrown them in the dungeon or killed them and been done with it." Nightmare's eyes jumped back onto hers and her teacher inhaled.

Without thinking about it, under her breath Twilight muttered, "Couldn't you just make them disappear?" And when she realized what she had said, she cringed, knowing she might have just been directly responsible for the deaths of two ponies. Her chest twisted and tightened, and her gut knotted. And when word of that inevitably got out, Equestria would demand her blood. If by some miraculous means Princess Celestia returned after that, she had to hope that Nightmare Moon won again, and that Nightmare Moon wouldn't just betray her.

Nightmare looked at her with bewilderment. "You-"

"I-I mean-!" she tried to backpedal, but there really wasn't any reasonable argument she could make there about meaning something different.

"I will assume that was a slipup and that you are not suggesting I make them disappear," Nightmare stated carefully. Then, said even more carefully, "But that is an option."

And it made her shiver, because Nightmare Moon could very well do that same thing to her. "It-it would cause uncertainty," she rushed out, scrambling to sway the option out of Nightmare's reach.

"Would it?" Nightmare inquired genuinely. "Who would notice two such ponies going missing, and who would suspect I had anything to do with it? I could make them disappear, to a dungeon cell or..." she trailed off as a frown twisted onto her face. Something went over her teacher's expression, then Nightmare's frown grew more pronounced and disgusted. Hastily, Nightmare stated, "No. I could, but I will not. I will not do something so underhoofed."

Twilight felt relief wash over her like a tsunami, and it left her feeling tired. Her eyelids drifted closed as that blissful feeling consumed her. She wouldn't have blood on her hooves. She didn't know how much time passed before the anxiety slowly pulsed back to life inside her chest, but when it did, she opened her eyes. Nightmare Moon still stood there, waiting for her answer.

She wanted to ask if her teacher would make her disappear if she betrayed her. She didn't want to know the answer, and she wasn't sure if she knew it or not. She didn't voice the question.

"C-can you just... punish them for vandalism?" she squeaked out, wincing and shying back from Nightmare's inevitable rage at her suggestion.

But Nightmare didn't snap at her. Nightmare's eyes hardened, but there wasn't an immediate retort. "What is your reasoning?" she asked.

Twilight bit her lip and looked left, then right. There had to be some logical reason why they shouldn't be thrown in a dungeon, banished, or worse! And then it came to her, and she felt more confident. Her gaze locked on her mentor and she answered, "Because there's nopony else here! It's not inciting rebellion because there isn't anypony else here to be incited!" It had to work.

She held her breath and chewed on her lip.

She watched Nightmare ponder it, almost mulling it over in her mind, swishing the words around in her mouth. "You make a valid point, yet I could still charge them with treason-"

"And wouldn't that be almost the same as just making them disappear?" she questioned.

Nightmare was silent again, and Twilight watched her teacher ponder the thought once more and felt her anxiety rising.

She had questioned Nightmare Moon's authority.

"Very well, Twilight Sparkle," was said carefully, "I will adhere to the punishment for vandalism. Nothing more."

She nodded quickly.

Nightmare's expression softened. "Do not think that I am angry at you," she said.

"Y-you're not? B-but I questioned your authority!" she blabbered. And it was silly to think that she was making that argument. She knew it was; it wasn't in her best interest to say that, yet she did. It was foolish to say that she had questioned Nightmare's authority. It would have been better to pretend it hadn't have happened, and it would have been much better to never have said anything. She cringed.

Her teacher's expression neither softened nor hardened. "As I have said, I desire your advice. I may wish for greater punishment on them for this disrespect, but I do not wish to cause more uncertainty, and turning them into martyrs would be stupid." Nightmare Moon studied her for a moment, then added, "And do not think that I consider this questioning my authority. We need to be able to talk about this openly. It would not do for you to be afraid to bring up a point that I have not considered, out of fear that I will punish you for doing so. It would be like refusing to listen to ponies voice concerns about problems. Ignoring problems until they become worse. It would be unwise."

Twilight nodded, this time more slowly. Her teacher turned away from her, then walked back to the alley. She heard a crack of magic as Nightmare teleported something as she walked beside her teacher. When she saw into the alleyway, her teacher was writing out a scroll, and then Nightmare finished, rolled it up, and bound it with her seal before picking both unicorns up with her magic and carrying them out onto the street.

She watched her teacher set them down well within sight, and then her teacher left the scroll with them. She could only assume that it was orders for whatever guard would find them.

She could only hope that the orders were what she thought, and that Nightmare Moon did not leave an order to kill them.

Although maybe it was unlikely the guard would obey such orders.

'No... she wouldn't do that...' Twilight told herself. But she wasn't sure.

Nightmare walked back to her, then stopped and stared at the mural. Her teacher scowled, yet she found some semblance of reminiscence in her teacher's gaze as she stared at that mural.

And then the reminiscence was gone. Nightmare faced her and asked, "Shall we continue?"

She glanced aside at the two ponies. Neither were going anywhere until the Royal Guard showed up. And even then they might not be going anywhere. She looked back at Nightmare and nodded, wondering, 'Are we going to fly again?'

But to her disappointment, Nightmare said, "Then I shall teleport us to the next crowd."

Twilight didn't get a chance to say anything, not that she would have, before Nightmare's magic enveloped her. She tried to close her eyes but was too slow. There was the crack of the air and the flash of light that accompanied the teleportation spell followed up with the disorientating double image.

It still wasn't as bad as it had been. She was used to feeling Nightmare's magic. She was used to being teleported around, at least compared to what it had been like before.