Nightmare Moon needed a plan.
Now that Discord was gone, order was restored- but perhaps only to an extent. Ponies would not so run in terror as the world itself turned on itself and them while reality fractured, but the damage was already done. Even if her student wiped away all traces of his chaos magic from Equestria, there was still the world beyond. How far had Discord gone? What had he left untouched? And had her student managed to wield the Elements to dispell whatever chaos magic Discord had brought upon not just all of Equestria but also the lands outside her own empire?
Other nations were a concern and priority. Her head twitched to the right and swept over the plains, forests, and rivers blanketed in her moonlit night. 'I must reassure the Deer.' It would not do to lose an ally over this matter. Her head turned to the left, gazing towards Manehattan. The city was too far for her to see; it lay just below the horizon, and so her eyes jumped to the forests of Hollow Shades. The city itself was undetectable. 'I must ensure the Minotaurs do not take this as an act of war.' The thought made her clench her jaw. Perhaps they would recognize it was something beyond her control, or perhaps they would not. Perhaps it wouldn't even matter, and perhaps they would see Equestria as weak, either because of Discord's escape or because his chaos had passed. Or perhaps they wouldn't even know of Discord's escape because he had not taken an interest in them.
The Zebras wouldn't be a problem. They were cautious enough and, judging by what she had determined, informed enough to recognize it was not her own doing. They wouldn't attack her for something out of her control. They would not attack unless she provoked them.
But those were just the nations. There were yet still more creatures that had formed pseudo-states that weren't quite worthy of the qualification of a nation, or other states that had collapsed. The griffons needed to be informed, lest the aftermath of Discord's chaos bring more chaos that ignited problems for the griffons that spilled over into Equestria. The dragons needed to be informed and, perhaps, put back in their place if they forgot who she was and thought Equestria was weakened.
Her head drifted back towards the Everfree forest and that quaint little village on its outskirts. There was no way to know what affect Discord had on them; there was no way for her to be sure the monsters would not strike out more boldly. They were a threat she needed to deal with, or perhaps the batponies stationed in Ponyville and the surrounding towns could contain those beasts.
Her own subjects needed tending to as well. Discord was gone, but his not-brief enough reign would have only worsened the state of Equestria. His chaos magic was gone and sealed away, but the scars and wounds would still be there, compounding on top of her already strained subjects.
And then there was the most immediate problem. The problem that made her clench her jaw; the problem that left her anxious. 'You took Cerberus's ball,' growled in her mind. Discord knew exactly what he did, and she had an idea as to why. Cerberus would have undoubtedly fled Tartarus in search of his beloved ball, which would leave Tartarus unguarded. An unguarded Tartarus meant its prisoners might have been able to escape.
And that would not do.
'I will not have my work undone by the likes of you!' growled in her mind. She stamped her hoof down on the balcony then flared her horn and teleported back to the castle's courtyard. Cadance and Captain Shining Armor stood together in nearly the same spot where she had left them. That lesser alicorn let out a squeak and jumped before spinning around to face her, while her future mate whipped around to protect her, only to straighten at her sight. "Cadance," she greeted. The pink alicorn fluffed her wings, then swallowed. She ignored it and snapped, "There are important matters I must tend to. As such, I will be rather inconvenienced if scrolls suddenly appear in my face while I am dealing with them."
Gradually, Cadance turned her head to the right towards the captain but kept her eyes locked on Nightmare Moon.
"I would assume," Nightmare continued, tilting her head to the right, "that sister ensured you were capable of handling certain matters."
Cadance shied back from her, taking a small shuffle of a step back. It was enough that the captain noticed, but not enough for the alicorn herself to notice. "W-what sort of matters?"
"Handle incoming reports. Under normal circumstances, I would simply redirect and reallocate them to staff, but given the situation, I feel it requires..." Nightmare trailed off as her lips curled up to show her teeth. Cadance was subordinate to her and an ally, but simply the thought left her uncomfortable: "Certain authority." She leveled her head back, then took a step forward and, as much as it pained her, emphasized, "Princess Cadenza."
Cadance was hardly worthy of that title, but the alicorn was useful and letting her retain that title was beneficial, even with the risks it brought.
For the briefest moment, Cadance's eyes flicked up to her tiara, as if scared by the reminder. "Okay..." was her following mumble.
Nightmare inhaled and held her head high. "I do not know what to expect, which is why I desire you to manage any problems that arise in my absence. I do not expect you to entirely quell any such problems, but it would be best for one of us to be aware." 'Even if you're a weak alicorn, you still have your uses, and ponies love you,' her mind finished. She jerked her head at an angle and added, "Do try to maintain order, dear Cadance." She paused for a moment to let it sink in, then turned to the right and looked aside at Discord's statue being unceremoniously pulled back towards the castle's garden. "So long as you do not do anything stupid I am sure it will be fine. When I return, inform me of the most pressing matters. After that, I will send you to handle whatever dissent has arisen if you have not already dealt with it." She turned back to meet the lesser alicorn's gaze and said, "Since you can handle that much better than I."
"You could handle it yourself if you tried and didn't lash out..." Cadance muttered.
Nightmare's nostrils flared and her tail flicked, cracking the air like a whip. She set a glare against Cadance, but Cadance had enough backbone to stand firm. "We will discuss this later," she stated. Her eyes snapped onto Captain Shining Armor. "The same goes for you: Maintain order in my absence. I do not know how long this will take."
Looking back at Cadance, she gave one last warning: "Do not abuse this," then lit her horn and cast a spell to redirect scrolls to her so that they would instead go to Cadance.
"What about Twilight?" Shining Armor asked.
Nightmare's eyes fell back on him and she answered, "She is resting safely. Do not worry over her," which only made his jaw tighten enough for her to see his muscles through his white coat. She could see his unease and concern over his sister, and for a moment, it gave her pause. It subdued the agitation coiling inside her body and mind as she took it in. 'The love of the elder sibling for the younger,' bitterly assaulted her mind.
Something else Twilight had that she did not.
She forced the bitterness aside, looked away from them and cast a passing glance at the jeweled sky above, then channeled her magic into another teleportation spell.
The flash of light from her arrival lit up the canyon and nearly blinded her, but it wasn't enough. The crack of magic accompanying the flash bounced off the rocky walls and echoed. When the echo faded, she was left with a sense of unease welling up inside her. The silence was something she was used to from her time on the moon; it was something she was used to because of the fear her presence inspired. Something even Luna had been used to.
Yet the silence here was different. It was almost intimidating. The world knew what this place was and wanted nothing to do with it. Looking left and right, she took in the barren, rocky ground and battered canyon walls. The reddish-brown and orange-tinted rocks lining the walls would never support any kind of life, and the gravely, rocky ground beneath her boots only allowed sparse, spinely cacti and low bushes to spring forth, and only because they had some magical properties. No birds chirped, no owls hooted. Nothing called out its dominance, and nothing sought to claim this wretched land. The whole area was permeated with an aura of dread that made the air thick.
Casting her gaze to the sky, even her stars were dulled by the prison's presence. No clouds spoiled the bone-dry air that already sucked the life out of her lips and burned her eyes, but the stars appeared as dim, hazy halos of light so far above: distorted and twisted by the magic at work. The craters of the moon were blurred with the rest of the moon's surface, rendering the moon with a smoky gray surface that still made her scowl.
She begrudgingly lowered her gaze back to the canyon before her. Her eyes darted back and forth across the expanse, and her ears twitched as she listened. Nothing moved and no sounds broke the utter silence blanketing the land and permeating the very rocks.
She took a step deeper into the canyon. The map of Equestria came back to mind, and a slight scowl pulled at her lips. Tartarus was technically in the unclaimed badlands, but Tartarus and the surrounding region was undeniably used by Equestria. At least, it had been in the past. The creatures she had locked away there, she would have killed if Sister had not intervened. The thought deepened the scowl on her lips. 'You left Equestria at risk, Sister,' her mind accosted. Letting those things live had been a mistake.
But the blame wasn't solely Sister's. Luna had made the mistake of listening to her. Luna had made the mistake of being naive when she should have made certain those things never again would have posed a risk to her subjects.
'Not again,' her mind declared as her hoof hit the ground with her next step.
Unsurprisingly, from what she could tell, Information about Tartarus was limited amongst her subjects. Most may have very well been entirely oblivious to its existence. Only a hoofful of ponies outside of her sister, Starswirl, and herself had seen the prison to her knowledge, and that number was likely just as limited during her banishment. The magic enchanted into the surrounding lands made certain of that. Beyond that, from her encounters with the School for Gifted Unicorns, she had determined that Tartarus was relegated to myth or legend which only told of its existence and purpose. Sister had erased all mention of her work to keep Equestria safe, and as she walked on, it left her feeling that familiar sense of betrayal.
Ahead, the canyon twisted to the right. She refocused her thoughts as she approached the turn, then as she stepped beyond the wall and beheld the doors to Tartarus, her jaw clamped down while her lips twisted apart in disgust to show her teeth. The door was open, and she could see inside that infernal prison.
Anger and rage filled her mind. The cavern beyond the massive arched doors was lit by a dim orange glow from deep within the cave. She channeled magic into her horn and strode toward the door; anything from Tartarus that stood in her way or tried to escape would be put down. Peering into the dark cavern, she could see empty cages lining the walls that made her lips twitch down: the doors weren't open, but the cages were neither occupied by anything living or dead. The cages simply had no occupants. No bones remained.
But then, it had been centuries since anything had been locked away in Tartarus. Centuries before her banishment. Centuries with no new prisoners, unless sister had used it in her absence, but she found that unlikely. She doubted Luna had missed anything, or that anything worthy of Tartarus had arisen in her absence. Sister wouldn't have been able to handle it on her own. Sister was too incompetent.
Sister hadn't sent her there, either.
As she approached the wide-open doors, the deep rumble of the cavern made itself known: that quiet, distant roar of echoes that constantly rolled through underground chambers and caves. A certain warmth drifted out through the doorway, bringing with it the stagnant stench of stale air.
In the distance, isolated from the many cages lining the walls near the door, three pillars of rock that stretched up from the cavern's floor. Only one pillar had a cage, and it was empty. The air drifting out of Tartarus was warm. The dry desert air enveloping the region around Tartarus was slightly cooler, but still warm: akin to a warm spring day but without a breeze.
But the warm air didn't stop her from feeling a wave of cold race out from her heart to envelop her whole body. Her cheeks felt frigid and her legs locked up. Her stomach churned and her heart tensed as her eyes bored into the open cell door.
She'd be damned if she let that bastard centaur roam free.
'Lord Tirek!' snapped in her mind. Before she knew what she was doing, her right forehoof launched into the air, then whipped back down, slamming into the gravel. The air and ground cracked from the force of her impact, pebbles struck her underbody and bounced her chestplate and the sides of the ravine. She winced as a rush of pain surged up through her leg, leaving her feeling the tingling sensation of pins from her forehoof to her knee.
She let out a low growl and leaned left, shifting her weight off her right forehoof. A grimace pulled at her lips as her leg throbbed. She glanced at her injured leg, then used her magic to heal herself. When the tingling faded away, she lifted her gaze back to that empty cage and leaned her weight back onto her right foreleg.
'I am wasting time!' hissed in her mind, making her lips pull up. She glanced over the cave, searching for any signs of the centaur. Every passing second without any signs of him made her gut coil and twist. The only comfort she found was in that Cerberus's ball was lying idly near one of the unoccupied cages. Her gaze lingered on the ball far too long, and the thought, 'You even managed to return Cerberus's ball?' distracted her.
And that thought led to another thought, 'Your control is impressive. Do you remember what you did?' She wondered, 'Do you know of Tartarus?' but yet still knew, 'Sister would not have told you, even if you're aware of the myths and legends.'
The anger subsided as her thoughts lingered on Twilight. The filly managed to direct the Elements of Harmony to summon Discord, imprison him, and wash away his chaos infecting Equestria. It was impressive; it was worthy of praise and celebration. It demanded contemplation. But she was still wasting time by just standing there. Every second she wasted was more chance that Lord Tirek would escape her grasp and come back to cause problems. Every second she delayed increased the chance that there would be another nightmare to deal with.
Her thoughts still lingering on Twilight, she calmly turned around and surveyed the canyon. Reaching out with her magic, she scoured the canyon for any traces of Lord Tirek's magic or of Cerberus, but there was none to be found. Oddly enough, Tartarus likewise was devoid of captives beyond what she could see. Glancing back into the cave, she reassured herself that none of the other cages were opened: the captives had not escaped alive. Her head drifted back into place and a scowl worked its way onto her lips as the thought, 'This will not be pleasant,' slithered through her mind.
But she would find him. She would find him and kill him before he could cause problems. She would stop him before her student awoke. Twilight would not wake up to find herself alone as she had the last time the Elements were used.
She filled her lungs with the dry air and found her mouth likewise dry, but she paid it no mind. She cast her gaze left and right and hastily surveyed the cliffs to make certain there were no routes Tirek could have taken that she missed, and once she was satisfied, she strode back towards where she started.
Each step served to focus her thoughts on her goal of locating Lord Tirek before he could cause problems. 'You will be weakened, and I will not have problems dealing with you so long as I find you.' Killing him would be a simple matter since his time in Tartarus would leave him weakened.
The problem was finding him.
She unfurled her wings, then launched herself into the air. As she ascended above the rim of the canyon, she cast her gaze over the surrounding, desolate wastes, searching out any signs of movement that would give Lord Tirek's location away. The time that had passed since Discord stole Cerberus's ball gave Tirek ample time to escape, but he couldn't have managed to walk too far. He would have been too weakened. Cerberus, on the other hoof, could have managed to wander to Equestria by now. The difference was that Cerberus would come back, and perhaps would not be needed when he returned, because Tirek wouldn't return.
The desolate landscape was a blight on her eyes, one that reminded her all too much of her torment when she was locked away on the moon. The colors, less monotonous, were more welcome than that disgusting, all-encompassing dull white coating the surface of the moon, but it did not alleviate the agitation the lands caused. There was a reason ponies weren't well informed about Tartarus besides her Sister's doing, and there was a reason why Tartarus was where it was. It was for the same reason the Badlands were unclaimed.
As far out as she looked, she saw nothing but the same barren, rugged wasteland: flat plateaus and mesas, shallow canyons and ravines, broken by spinely cacti and dead shrubbery. There were no grasslands, let alone forests, for hundreds of miles to the north and west, and the distance to the south and east were far greater than that. Immediately to the west, however, mountains and even more inhospitable terrain made attempting to go towards the coast nigh impossible by hoof, which meant Tirek would head north.
To Equestria.
'If you remember the way there,' grumbled in her mind. It had been centuries since Tirek had been free. For centuries, like herself, he had been imprisoned. But they were nothing alike. Tirek was a monster who would devour all Equestrian magic, including her own. Stopping him was imperative. If she did not, it was only a matter of time before he came to steal away her subject's magic, then her own. And that would not do.
But it didn't agitate her as it had so long ago, and as it had earlier. Now, she regarded the thought almost curiously as she flew over the rugged ground. She was focused on searching for Tirek, yet her thoughts continually drifted back to her student, which stopped any more anger and agitation from simmering in her mind.
For some reason, it gave her confidence and reassurance: 'I will not let you steal our magic. You will not steal her magic, nor my own.' She would not fail to stop Tirek. She would not let him steal Twilight's magic. To fail her student, to let Tirek steal her student's magic, was unacceptable. Twilight's magic and destiny were intertwined, of that she was sure. If anything wanted to try to stop that, she would be glad to put it in its place.
Tirek would not take that away from her student.
She silently glided on, silently beating her wings only when necessary to maintain her altitude. The height gave her an advantage: her dark form against the night sky made her hard to detect, and even then it was unlikely Tirek would have been actively searching the sky for her. Beyond that, the height let her peer down into the ravines' gulleys, making it harder for Tirek to evade her.
Passing over another gulley, her eyes snapped onto a shadow: a familiar, dark outline that made her heart skip a beat. Her head whipped back as the shadow moved. Wasting no time, she banked left and angled her wings back, silently diving into the crevice. As she passed the rim of the gorge, she flared her wings out to slow down. The shadow froze, then recoiled as Tirek turned to face her.
As soon as her boots clanked against the ground, she lit her horn and stepped forward, a glare already bearing down on the bastard demon. "Tirek," she spat.
The centaur pulled his head back and squinted at Nightmare Moon. His glowing yellow eyes ran over her body, tracing over her form before finally meeting her gaze. He turned to face her and took a step back before lifting his still-bound claws and asking, "Who... are you?" Breaking eye contact, his gaze jumped between her spread wings and her glowing horn, but recognition escaped him.
Nightmare grinned as she took another step forward and delivered the answer, "Your executioner." Immediately, an orb of orange-red magic burst to life in between his horns, but the whirling mass of magic flickered. Almost as soon as it formed, Tirek let out a grunt and his arms trembled from strain, making his chains rattle. Her lips pulled back in a scowl to show her teeth. She let out a dismissive snort at his pathetic attempt at resistance, but refused to look away: she would not let him catch her off-guard. He was weakened, but she would not take foalish risks.
"I do not know you, pony," Tirek stated, then cautiously asked, "What do you want?"
Ignoring his question, she jerked her head down, aiming her horn at his chest, then fired off a spell. Tirek threw himself to the left as her horn flared and a pulse of magic shot towards him. He grunted as his body collided with the ground, and the orange-red mass of magic between his horns flickered out. Before the spell even passed through his prior location, she had already aimed again. The magic from her first spell hit the rock wall and let out a sharp crack! that sent small pebbles pelting her chestplate, stinging her face, neck, and legs. A wave of dust exploded out into the air, but it wasn't enough to stop her.
He tried to push himself up, but all he managed to do was turn to face her right before her next spell collided with his side, shoving him a few inches away from her and drawing an enraged groan from the centaur. His lips twitched up in pain as the pulse of magic dug into his side, leaving broken bones and a gash that left a growing trail of blood on the gravel. His claw jerked to clutch his side, bringing with it his other arm, dragging a short trail in the gravel.
Nightmare was content to watch him as the realization that she had drawn his blood sunk in. Seeing the way his eyes widened in shock gave her a sense of victory that her sister had ripped away from her. When he looked away from his wound and met her gaze, his eyes narrowed. "You'll pay for that, pony..." he grunted.
Still glaring at him, she smiled and retorted it with a simple, "I think not."
And if he thought she would, then he was delusional.
His claws pressed against the ground to push him up, only for Nightmare to send another pulse of magic into his back. Tirek grunted as the force of the spell threw his body back against the ground. He screamed from pain and cried out in rage and anger. The screaming faded, leaving his body shaking and trembling on the ground from pain. He managed to face her with a glare and croak out, "You would kill a defenseless-"
"You are far from defenseless!" she snapped. She took a step closer and cracked her forehoof down on his back, pinning him in place while he screamed a song of agony. "Letting you live was a mistake in the first place!" she screamed. "When Scorpan told you of us, we should have killed you!"
Recognition replaced the pain filling his eyes, and for a moment, they widened in shock before narrowing again. "Luna?"
The name didn't draw her to rage more, for some reason. For some reason, it gave her pause. 'I am overreacting,' occurred to her. Her eyes jumped to the cliff and a grimace pulled at her lips. Her head leaned to the right as the thought, 'It is good you are not here,' went through her mind.
For more than one reason.
And with that, yet again, her thoughts went back to Twilight. The anger drifted away. She leveled her gaze back on Tirek's bleeding form. 'You would not be able to kill to defend yourself,' occurred to her. Twilight simply didn't have it in her. Sister had left her incapable of that, and Twilight was young.
She would not scar the filly by forcing her to kill. She would never force that onto her. Her mind drifted back to her memories: the reasons why she fought to protect Equestria so long ago from the griffons. To protect ponies from monsters, to protect them from having to face the horrors of war, the horrors of killing. A sacrifice to protect her ponies.
A sacrifice they ignored. A sacrifice they spat on.
But there was still a chance something would face her student and give her no choice. The thought was almost demoralizing. Twilight needed to be able to protect herself, even if it was simply incapacitating her opponent.
She wouldn't make Twilight have to kill; she would do what she could to ensure such a thing never happened.
Whatever scowl or smile had been on her lips was gone. In its place, a neutral, expressionless line: her lips just were. She had almost been enjoying killing Tirek: he deserved it. It brought her a sense of accomplishment. 'It is not good to enjoy such a thing,' her mind grumbled, making her lips pull into a scowl.
To enjoy killing, to draw it out, that was the work of a monster.
She was not a monster. She would not be a monster.
She inhaled then licked her dry lips. Meeting Tirek's gaze once again, she declared, "I am Nightmare Moon. Not Luna. Luna is dead."
He squinted. "You... would not kill me," he ventured.
Nightmare snorted dismissively. "Sister is not here to save you, Tirek," she answered, "and you're too much of a threat to let live." She didn't give him a chance to try to summon his magic this time. She didn't give him a chance to throw her off of him, not that he could have. She simply ended his life: a quick surge of magic to his neck, followed by a lance through his heart. Blood splattered her boot on his back, and some of the red speckled her black fur, making her scowl in disgust at the taint it brought. It wasn't enjoyable like spilling Sister's blood; she didn't delight herself in it. He let out a gurgled groan before falling silent. The yellow glow of his pupils faded, and his eyes glossed over, drained of life.
Silence reigned.
She watched his body for several minutes, making certain he didn't move. But even then, she would not take any risks. She wrapped her magic around his broken form, levitated him up, then teleported herself and his corpse back to the gates of Tartarus. She glanced left and right, making sure she wasn't about to be ambushed, then strode into the cavern. The distant rumbling grew louder, and the uncomfortable heat soaked into her fur. The rhythmic clicking of her boots on the stone floor accompanied her walk back to Tirek's isolated cage.
Once she was there, she simply threw his limp body inside. His corpse rolled and flopped over until it thudded against the far side of the cage, leaving a smeared trail of blood on the floor. Using her magic, Nightmare Moon forced the door closed, then heated the lock until the metal melted together into a single mass: the door would never be opened again. Satisfied that he would never escape even if he was alive, she nodded to herself, turned around, then walked the distance back out of Tartarus.
The rumble grew distant as she stepped outside. The cool night air, dry as it was, washing over her coat as she left that wretched prison was welcomed. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the silent chill of night. A low growl made her open her eyes.
Cerberus, the black, three-headed guard dog stood watching her from the bend. The massive dog easily dwarfed her in size, so much so that he would put the buildings in Ponyville to shame. From each of his mouths, two massive fangs protruded from his upper jaw: fangs that would have gored her body had he so chosen. He was physically imposing and meant to guard Tartarus, yet at the same time, he was more friendly than he looked. And now, he stood there, staring at her, watching her. Regarding her as a curiosity, wondering if he was meant to keep her from escaping Tartarus.
"Cerberus," Nightmare greeted. Watching his posture, the dog stood tense, ready to strike if it proved necessary. But she wasn't worried; Cerberus knew Luna. She turned her head to the left and looked back inside the prison, then picked up Cerberus's ball with her magic. She levitated it over and held it up beside her head. Immediately, Cerberus's posture relaxed. His three tongues dropped out of his mouths and his tail wagged eagerly behind him. "I believe," she declared, "this is yours."
Cerberus gave a hearty "Woof!" and then jumped in place before rushing over to her.
Nightmare winced as he came to stop over her. She flared her magic into a quick barrier to block his slobbers. He playfully barked a few times, and in response, she teleported the ball outside of the barrier, then tossed it back inside Tartarus.
Cerberus took off running after the ball, completely ignoring her. She watched him run inside and pounce on the ball, then Cerberus grabbed the ball in his middle mouth and turned around to look at her.
Recognition. Respect. Thanks.
Nightmare slowly inclined her head, then looked at the doors and pushed them shut with her magic, once again sealing Cerberus and Lord Tirek's body inside.
Discord's laugh echoed through her mind. Fear seized her body as that maddening laugh made the very air fall in temperature. He slithered through the air, snapping his talons, wreaking chaos.
Twilight couldn't stop him. All she could do was stand and watch, whimpering and crying.
Snap. A tree spouted eyes and a mouth. Its roots ripped out of the ground, and it marched towards Sweet Apple Acres, roaring like a manticore. It hammered buildings with its branches as it shambled along.
Snap. Buildings inverted and imploded under their own weight.
Snap. Molten chocolate gushed out of her library, stabbing her heart and ruining her books.
Snap.
Snap.
Snap.
The world fell apart and she couldn't stop it. She wasn't enough. Her friends weren't enough.
Princess Celestia couldn't save her.
Nightmare Moon rose into the air, horn blazing with magic. Discord snapped his talons, and Nightmare Moon ceased to exist. Her heart froze over in terror.
Nightmare Moon couldn't save her.
Rainbow zoomed through the air beside her, shouting something as she furiously glared at the draconequus. He laughed it off. Rainbow shot at him, spun around, and kicked him square in the chest. Discord snapped his talons, and Rainbow ceased to exist.
Nopony could save her.
Her friends screamed. She screamed. But their screams didn't drown out Discord's carefree laughter.
She trembled and fell to the checkerboard ground, sobbing as, one by one, each scream was cut short by a snap. She clenched her eyes and buried her head in her hooves, trying to block out the insanity, trying to block out the agony and shattered hope. The screaming all ended, and all she could hear were her own whimpers and Discord's laugh slowly dying. She could feel Discord's eyes slithering over her body.
"Enough!" Nightmare's voice bellowed from somewhere behind her. The feeling of Discord's gaze vanished.
A spark of hope surged to her mind. 'Maybe,' she thought, 'it will be okay.'
Everything fell silent. Discord and his maddening laughter were gone. The world was still. She managed to crack open her eyes. Gone was the broken, twisted world that broke her mind. A grassy hill with one tree off to the left and a star-filled sky laid out before her, greeting her with a comforting welcome. The moon rose just over the horizon, free from that dark blemish of Princess Celestia's banishment: it looked pure and pristine compared to how she had known it, and the moon left her mesmerized. It was how the moon was meant to look. How she had seen it for that one moment before Princess Celestia was etched into its surface. How it had been before Nightmare Moon's banishment.
A gentle breeze blew by, tickling her mane, comforting her coat, carrying with it the calming scent of a distant shower that she couldn't see. Soothing peace and quiet suffocated that anxiety. She relaxed, though her brow folded down. She cast her gaze back towards her surroundings. A short distance away racing up the hill towards her, she saw her five friends, all smiling and grinning. She smiled as joy welled up inside her. She cried again, but not out of fear.
"G-girls..." she croaked out. 'Everything will be okay,' she knew. She felt a warmth in her chest.
Nightmare Moon was there too. She could feel her mentor's presence, not through radiated fear or a predatory gaze, but rather comfort: like somepony was looking out for her, protecting her. There was something else there too, whispering in a soft voice she couldn't quite make out; whatever it was, it felt like a familiar friend giving her a hug.
She turned her head back, searching out the source of her mentor's voice.
For the briefest moment, she caught the outline of Nightmare Moon watching her, standing against the fuzzy backdrop of a forest. The alicorn's lips pulled down in a frown and her eyebrows scrunched up in concern. Then surprise and bewilderment flashed across Nightmare's expression as if she caught her mentor unprepared, and Nightmare Moon recoiled, stepping back before her horn flared. And with that flash of magic, the image of her mentor faded away, like a reflection in a puddle of water that had been disturbed.
Yet even as her friends all tackled and embraced her, she was distracted by the memory of the fear woven across Nightmare's expression, directed at her.
Twilight inhaled and opened her eyes as she awoke. The calming scent of lavender greeted her, making her smile. Her eyes drifted closed and a soft, content sigh escaped her lips as she exhaled. The bed was warmer and more comfortable than she remembered, and with her eyes closed, it felt perfect. The bed and the relaxing scent nearly lulled her back to sleep. It was peaceful, but the fur around her eyes felt cold and wet. The feeling distracted her from the lulling comfort of the bed's embrace. She opened her eyes again and found everything blurred and distorted.
She pulled her right foreleg out from under the blankets and rubbed her eyes with the back of her forehoof. Her face was wet and cold. She looked at her forehoof and frowned. The thought, 'I was crying?' left her confused.
As she thought about it, she realized, 'I was dreaming.' Her eyes jumped up to the ceiling: white marble and golden swirls. Familiar, yet unfamiliar: she recognized it, but it wasn't right.
The barest flicker of a memory drifted through her mind: it had been a nightmare, and the memory of what Discord did left her feeling cold. But then something else had happened, and the chill faded. She had dreamed about Nightmare Moon. Not for the first time, but it felt so completely different. Nightmare Moon hadn't been the source of her nightmare, rather, Nightmare Moon had saved her.
For some reason, 'Luna,' whispered in her mind, and then the thought burst to the forefront of her mind, 'Your name is Luna.' The frown faded. She wanted to ask about it, but at the same time, Nightmare Moon was emphatic that her name was Nightmare Moon. But she had never found mention of Nightmare Moon before her banishment! 'I don't recall reading about a Princess Luna either, though.' Discord said Nightmare Moon's name was Luna, that Nightmare Moon was still Luna.
Discord was a liar, but that was still Nightmare Moon's name.
There really was only one pony she could ask about it.
She sucked her lip in between her teeth and nibbled on it.
'Discord!' slammed into her mind. Her eyes widened, and for a moment, she wanted to jump out of bed. The name was enough to banish all thoughts of drifting back to sleep, even after remembering wielding the Elements of Harmony to defeat him. The tension the thought caused faded as her thoughts drifted away from him and onto the feeling of the Elements' magic. Her eyes drifted closed and her lips pulled up into a smile: the feeling was indescribable. Warmth, comfort, and reassurance wrapped in with feeling the bond she shared with her friends, and so much more.
They loved her, and she loved them. She had felt a part of each of her friends when she used the Elements, but she wasn't sure she really used the Elements. She knew she used the Element of Magic, she felt it and its magic weaving in with her own, somehow almost feeling like it was becoming her own magic, like a loving, guiding force that wanted nothing more than to encourage her like a friend or a parent, but with the other Elements syncing with her Element, it felt more like they were lifting her up or giving her a helping hoof. Like they yielded to her, rather than her using them. She couldn't quite wrap her mind around the feeling, like how she still couldn't quite understand why she cared so much about the idea of friends or wanted friends at all.
She smiled and laid there peacefully. Nothing could take away that solace the Element of Magic left her with. Discord had been tearing the world apart, but the Element of Magic, the Elements of Harmony, and her friends were more than enough to banish the fear he induced.
While it lasted. While they held the Elements. She felt the distinct lack of the Element of Magic and its tiara on her head, and even though the weight was unfamiliar, it felt like a part of her was missing. Without needing to think about it, she knew the answer was simple, 'You took them again.'
Her smile faded with the passing seconds. The feeling was most of what she remembered. Her friends' love for her and the comfort. It felt somehow right, almost perfect as if nothing could surpass it. 'I love you all,' whispered in her mind, bringing that smile back to full force.
She closed her eyes. Falling back asleep once again sounded good. Nightmare Moon had been right: they had managed to stop Discord. Somehow. She couldn't remember what she had done; she couldn't remember how she had done it, but she knew that she had. They had, together. But maybe it didn't matter that she couldn't remember how, because Discord was defeated. She knew it would be okay.
Even if she didn't remember how to use the Elements, it would be okay. After all, it wasn't like there was going to be a next time when they needed the Elements, right? Surely not!
A tinge of anxiety tickled her mind as she thought about it.
But maybe she'd know what to do when- if- the time came again.
She opened her eyes again and stared up at the ceiling. Something about the golden swirls made her frown. Her eyes drifted left, then right, and as she looked, around, she realized she wasn't in her own room. More anxiety bubbled in her heart, and it only grew worse with each passing second as she took in the room before she realized, 'I'm in Nightmare Moon's bed.'
It really was a nice bed.
She laid still, looked around the room, and listened. Searching for any sounds she could hear, she finally managed to just barely hear a chime of magic coming from the study, and if she had to guess, it was Nightmare Moon's magic. Who else could it have been? 'Okay! She knows I'm here, right? Well, she should since,' the thought trailed off as her eyes jumped down to her covered chest. She used her own magic to lift the blanket up so she could look at her chest. The necklace was back, and the crescent moon shimmered. The weight of it resting on her chest was comforting. 'You know I'm here,' she told herself.
The sound of Nightmare's magic stopped. She heard the click of her mentor's boots and dropped the blankets back onto her chest. The thought, 'I'm not in trouble, right..?' made her wince. She had no memory of coming here, let alone lying down in bed! Surely she hadn't done that!
Nightmare Moon had to have brought her here! It was the only thing that remotely made any sense. 'It wouldn't be the first time you moved me when I was sleeping,' she knew. The thought mellowed out the concern of Nightmare walking in and seeing her. Besides, Nightmare already knew she was there because of the necklace, and Nightmare hadn't moved her out of the bed or woke her up. 'You promised you wouldn't hurt me,' whispered in her mind.
Logically, she reasoned Nightmare Moon wasn't going to hurt her. If she was in Nightmare Moon's bed, rather than a dungeon cell, that was enough proof.
She took in a deep breath, then let it out and waited. Nightmare's steps grew louder, then she saw her teacher walk into the room through the open doorway. Nightmare stopped a few steps inside and watched her: no anger, no contempt, just curiosity. Seconds drifted by before Nightmare finally blinked, then leaned to her right and gradually meandered over to the bed. She followed Nightmare's approach with her eyes. Nightmare stopped at the bed and then opened her mouth. There was a moment of hesitation, then her teacher's mouth twitched shut before Nightmare finally asked, "Are you alright?"
Twilight broke eye contact and studied Nightmare's chestplate. 'Everything considered? Yes.' She nodded and answered with a drawn-out, "I think so... at least... right now."
Nightmare inclined her head and said, "Good."
She looked back up to meet Nightmare's gaze. They weren't as hard as they normally seemed; Nightmare regarded her with concern, her eyes continually darting over her exposed fur as if checking for any imperfections. Nightmare actually cared about her. A small part of her felt surprised by it, even when she already knew Nightmare did. It was just more confirmation. She licked her lips and finally asked, "We... did it?"
Nightmare's eyes met her own, and her teacher immediately answered, "Yes. You and your friends defeated Discord."
'We defeated Discord,' echoed in Twilight's mind. Knowing they had was one thing, but something about the confirmation felt surreal. She felt relieved, then her fear twisted in her mind, making her lips pull back in a wince. Her eyes glided over the bedsheets before returning to meet her teacher's. Logic was forgotten; She needed to know for sure. "And... you're not going to-"
Nightmare's eyes hardened, though a flash of disappointment crossed her face making her ears edge back closer to her mane. Nightmare snorted dismissively, though her eyes traced up to Twilight's ears. "Of course not," was her mentor's retort. Her mentor's gaze jumped back to meet her own. "I will not turn on you for this. It would be foalish."
Twilight's eyes drifted back to the bedsheets, and her head turned to face her covered body as her lips relaxed and her ears lifted back up.
"I meant what I said," Nightmare emphasized. "I gave you my word that I will not hurt you nor your friends, and I will not." A moment passed. "I do care about you, Twilight."
Twilight's gaze flicked back to Nightmare's, then returned to the bedsheets. Nightmare didn't say anything about what would happen if she betrayed her mentor, but nothing needed to be said. She was convinced, 'You'll keep that promise.' She could see it in Nightmare's eyes. For a few seconds, her mind lingered on that new promise. It felt surreal, like defeating Discord did. A shiver raced down her spine. She looked back at her mentor and asked, "Um, why am I... here?"
"It is safer for you," Nightmare answered dismissively. "Nopony would think to find you here, and surely nopony would try to hurt you since you are here." There was a slight pause, then Nightmare added, "It would not do to leave you so defenseless while you were incapacitated."
Twilight mumbled a timid, "Um, thank you?"
Nightmare inclined her head. "Your friends are likewise residing in the castle for the moment. And before you ask, they are fine."
"Oh, okay..." Twilight replied. She closed her eyes and let out a relieved sigh. The thought, 'If you all weren't okay, I don't know what I'd do,' brought a grimace to her lips and made her open her eyes. 'Friends...' It was such an insane thought, but here she was. It wasn't the most insane thing that had happened as of late, either.
Hopefully, that wasn't the new normal.
"How did you sleep?" Nightmare asked.
Twilight pursed her lips and rolled her head to the right. Her eyes trailed over the wall as she thought about the question. "Fine, I think?" She rolled her head back to the left and looked up at her teacher. "I feel well-rested, although I had weird dreams and a nightmare." Her lips pulled into a wince. "Discord..." she murmured.
"It... is to be expected," Nightmare replied cautiously. Her teacher looked away from her. "Do you..." Nightmare stopped and faced her again. "Other than that, you slept well?"
Twilight nodded.
"Good," Nightmare said. "And-" her teacher hesitated noticeably for a moment, "-the nightmare? What of it?"
Twilight turned away from Nightmare and looked down at the bedsheets. "I... would rather not talk about it."
There was a brief silence before Nightmare answered, "I see. Very well. If you... would like to talk about it, I will listen. I... shall we say, have experience with... such matters."
Twilight turned back to Nightmare. Nightmare Moon having nightmares? A part of her thought that it made sense. After all, with what Nightmare had told her she had seen, it made sense, even if she felt more convinced that Nightmare Moon couldn't have nightmares. 'Maybe Luna did...' But something about it felt off. Nightmare's hesitation, how calculated the answer was, it felt wrong. 'You're not telling me something...' flickered through her mind. 'But what?' What more was there to her mentor that she didn't know? And how much was there that she could really claim to know, given that Nightmare Moon was Princess Celestia's sister and centuries older than her?
She pushed the thought aside. 'Maybe talking about the nightmare would help?' she wondered. Thinking back on the nightmare, it had been horrible, but now, she looked back on it knowing it was just a nightmare. It didn't provoke the same fear as it had. It didn't weigh down on her mind, rather, it left her wondering. Even more than the nightmare, the dream immediately following the nightmare left her perplexed. Perhaps the dream wasn't even following the nightmare, but a continuation of what had been a nightmare. The memory of hearing Nightmare shout, 'Enough!' replayed in her mind.
Something about that seemed off. It was such a jarring, sudden change compared to how the nightmare was.
'Maybe I'm imagining things,' she relented. "How long was I asleep?"
"About eighteen hours," Nightmare answered.
Twilight's heart skipped a beat and she felt something balloon up inside her chest. "What!?" she shrieked. Nightmare winced. "But I-"
"The Elements," Nightmare preempted. Twilight squirmed under the blankets, but Nightmare continued, "Using them to defeat Discord took a lot out of you and your friends. However, interestingly enough, you are the last to awaken."
She frowned, then scowled in disbelief and agitation. 'Again. Of course.' No, not only did Fluttershy recover faster from a sleep spell but nooo, Fluttershy just had to recover faster from using the Elements of Harmony, too. 'Fluttershy!' She closed her eyes and groaned as she pressed her head back into the pillow.
"It is not a problem that you were asleep so long," Nightmare commented.
Twilight opened her eyes and rolled her head over to face her teacher. "What about you? Where did you sleep?"
Nightmare pursed her lips and, to her surprise, the alicorn's wings fluffed at her sides. "I... have not," was her reluctant answer.
Twilight squinted at the alicorn. "Why not?"
Nightmare tilted her head. "I have been busy," was her defensive answer. "Dealing with the aftermath of Discord's defeat." The answer only made Twilight's squint deepen. Hastily, Nightmare added, "I am fine. It is no problem that you are here."
"You still need to sleep, too," Twilight pointed out.
Nightmare leveled her head, looked at her with disinterest, then flatly answered, "You are correct. But I will be fine for the time being. I have experienced worse."
Twilight's squint faded into a frown.
Nightmare lingered for a few more seconds, then pulled away from the bed and walked back towards the door to the study. About halfway there, Nightmare looked back at her and said, "I need to finish something and then we may bathe together and continue talking if you so desire. Following that, your friends will join us for a meal."
Twilight just gave a nod and kept watching Nightmare walk to the doorway. A question burned in the back of her mind, demanding she ask it. She bit her tongue to hold it in, but each step that took Nightmare further away made it more unbearable than the last. As soon as Nightmare's forehoof passed through the doorway, she couldn't take it anymore, so she mumbled, "He called you Luna."
Nightmare froze: her foreleg stopped midstep, and she would have sworn the masses that were her ethereal mane stopped shimmering for a split second. In the wake of what she voiced, she felt so very aware of just how quiet the room was. She could just barely see the edge of Nightmare's face, but from what she could see, it looked as if memories were flooding through her eyes. She thought she even heard Nightmare inhale.
Gradually, Nightmare's forehoof lowered to the floor. Then, almost timidly, Nightmare turned, step by step, to face her. Her mentor exhaled then inhaled quickly, took a step back towards her, and hesitantly answered, "He... did." With that said, Nightmare's head turned to the right, and her eyes swept over the wall.
Interest piqued, Twilight pushed herself towards the pillows, then pushed herself up into a sitting position on the bed. The bedsheets slid across her body making her shiver, but it didn't distract her. "That's what the batponies were going to call you," she stated. "Before you stopped them."
Only then did Nightmare's head drift back to face her. "You..." Nightmare mumbled, shuffling another step closer to her as her eyes drifted to the floor. After another step, Nightmare's eyes snapped onto her own. With less hesitation, Nightmare declared, "Are correct."
Still looking Nightmare in the eye, Twilight said, "That's... that was your name. Luna. Princess Luna."
She saw an uneasy hesitation in how Nightmare took another step towards the bed. Uncertainty and discomfort, as if her mentor was somehow torn by the revelation. Finally, Nightmare admitted, "Yes," and slowly walked back to the bed. Agitated and uncomfortable, but not angry. "That... was my name."
Nightmare turned to face the door to the balcony. Her expression hardened, then she declared, "But I am not Luna." With no hesitation, Nightmare turned to face her and then said, "Luna is dead."
'That's not what Discord said.' Twilight frowned and felt her ears against her mane. 'You grew jealous of Princess Celestia... or you were betrayed,' drifted through her mind. 'Princess Celestia killed Princess Luna... or a part of her.'
Before there was time for the thought to sink in, Nightmare voiced, "I would rather this stay between us."
Twilight nodded slowly, but voiced, "The girls heard him say that."
"As did Cadance," Nightmare replied, "but I do not-" Nightmare's head drifted back to face the balcony door, "-wish to talk about such things. With them." Nightmare faced her again, then said, "Perhaps... I would not be opposed to talking of it with you. But... another time." Nightmare turned back around and walked to the study, saying, "I will finish this and then join you for a bath. It should not take long; you may get one started if you so desire, or simply wait. It does not matter to me." Then Nightmare passed through the doorway and disappeared.
For a few seconds, Twilight sat there in the bed, staring at the doorway, then she inhaled and climbed off the bed. She bent her back down and nearly touched her chest to the floor, letting out a content sigh as she stretched. Once she stood back up, she turned her head to the right and peered into the study. Her teacher was out of sight, but she could once again hear the chime of Nightmare's magic.
There was a lot they could talk about, a lot she wanted to talk about, and a lot they would talk about. She was certain of it; after all, Nightmare Moon was her teacher, and there was so much she could learn from Princess Celestia's sister. Nightmare Moon cared about her. Nightmare Moon wasn't going to just throw her away or kill her.
The hug came back to mind and her hooves fidgeted beneath her. 'You hugged me... again.' And just like before, it was somehow comforting, just like Princess Celestia's hugs. But unlike last time when the hug felt forced and awkward, it felt more genuine and more meaningful: that hug was a part of Nightmare's new promise to her, perhaps meant to seal that promise.
She had felt safe, or at the very least, safer. She had felt that Nightmare would have been there to protect her had Discord come for her, and she remembered Nightmare standing between her and Discord.
It would be okay.
They still needed to talk.
She turned to the right, then walked into the study. As she walked through the doorway, she turned to face Nightmare who stood at her desk, then stopped and watched her. In her magic, Nightmare held a quill, and with it, she hastily wrote something out on a scroll. She looked to see what it was, but couldn't make it out. Without breaking stride, Nightmare glanced back at her but said nothing before returning her focus to the scroll.
She took a few steps towards her teacher and asked, "Shouldn't you have ponies to help you with things like that?"
"Yes," Nightmare answered, "and I do. However, given what has transpired, I am less inclined to delegate this task." There was a pause in her writing, and Nightmare looked back at her to say, "I should assign batponies to assist me. I... do not..." Nightmare trailed off and looked back down at the scroll. "I do not like your brother, and I do not trust him."
Twilight frowned, then leaned to the right as she walked to Nightmare's side. Nightmare looked at her. "He's my brother."
"Yes," Nightmare stated succinctly. "He is-" her eyes jumped to the wall, then returned to meet Twilight's gaze a moment later, "-useful to keep around. But I do not trust him not to sabotage my efforts."
"He won't," Twilight stated. "He took his job very seriously under your sister, and I'm sure he takes it very seriously now!"
For a moment, Nightmare was silent, then she replied. "Perhaps. But I still do not like him. Though I suppose the feeling is shared."
"You're not going to hurt him, are you?" Twilight asked.
The quill stopped and Nightmare turned her head back to face Twilight. "Of course not," was her dismissive answer. "As I said, he is useful." There was a pause, and Nightmare shifted her weight as Twilight sucked in her lip and nibbled on it. "And... as you say," Nightmare mumbled, "he is your brother."
Twilight released her lip and gave a slow nod, still watching Nightmare.
"What about Cadance?" Twilight asked.
"Cadance handled things while I was... otherwise occupied." Nightmare looked back at the scroll and went back to writing. "She has been... quite useful. Ponies love her, and she has managed to smooth things out far better than I had thought possible." She went silent and stood there watching Nightmare finish the scroll. Once the message was written, Nightmare rolled the scroll up, bound it in her seal, then teleported it off before turning to face her. "As I have said, betraying one's allies is foalish, and I have no intention of doing so." Nightmare Moon turned around, then walked on past her. She craned her neck to watch Nightmare, then turned and walked over to Nightmare's right side, passing behind her. "There are a few things, in particular, I would like to discuss," Nightmare commented as they walked back into the bedroom.
"Like what?" Twilight followed Nightmare into the bathroom, then stopped while Nightmare walked over to the tub, turned on the water and shut the door.
As the water crashed into the tub, Nightmare looked back at her and admitted, "I am... unsure of where to start." For a few seconds, Nightmare studied her expression, then her mentor blinked and lifted her hooves, one at a time, to take her boots off.
Twilight's eyes darted over each hoof as Nightmare took her boots off, then her eyes drifted up to Nightmare's head as she took the helmet off. The armor clinked as touched the floor, and for a moment, Nightmare's muzzle drifted down and she looked at her chestplate contemplatively. 'Are you going to take that off?' she wondered, once again trying to picture Nightmare without the chestplate on, but unlike before, she could picture it this time: the same black coat as the rest of her body, unscared and unblemished. But it still seemed so foreign and alien compared to how Nightmare Moon normally looked.
Nightmare glanced over her chestplate, then looked at Twilight. "There are still things I must tend to now that Discord has been defeated, but I am going to make time to actually teach you." Nightmare turned away from her as she muttered, "I... should have made more of an effort to make time for this beforehoof. I... did not teach you as I should have."
Twilight winced and looked down at the floor. 'I call you my teacher but you've not really taught me anything yet...' Other than as Discord said, fear. "It's... alright," she replied as she looked back up at Nightmare. "I know you're busy-"
"Yes, but I have-" Nightmare turned back to face her, "-not done as I have promised. I must fix this."
Twilight smiled and shuffled over to the alicorn. "Well... I'm not going to say no to that..."
A faint hint of a smile crossed Nightmare's lips. "Good. I would like to start with teleportation. It would have been-" Nightmare winced, "-quite useful for you to have been able to teleport." Nightmare sighed and shook her head. "We will discuss this later. For now, there are other matters to discuss, and since you have been sleeping, I presume you would like to bathe." Nightmare climbed into the bath, then sat down on her haunches, then beckoned her over with a wing. "Come."
Twilight once again approached the bath, then climbed into it, closing her eyes and smiling as she sat down in the water. It felt almost too warm, but at the same time, it was so incredibly relaxing. The warmth seeped into her coat, then into her body, drawing a content sigh from her. She relaxed and let the weight of the water push against her body to enjoy its embrace. She felt safe, and with how relaxing the warmth was combined with the soothing scent of lavender, she yawned, then opened her eyes.
"You are still tired?" Nightmare asked with a slight crease in her brow. "The nightmares-"
Twilight shook her head preemptively. "No. I'm not tired, it's just nice. Well, okay, maybe a little bit tired, but it's relaxing. I did just wake up..."
"Ah," Nightmare said with an incline of her head, "I see."
"I slept well," Twilight said again.
Nightmare nodded slowly as she studied Twilight. "I was... shall we say, concerned, that you would not sleep well, given that..." Nightmare trailed off, her lips pulling back as she looked at the wall. She finally looked back at Twilight after a few seconds and half-growled, "Discord. And everything else as of late." A brief pause later, and the wince faded. "But I am glad that you are otherwise fine."
"Well, I'm just glad... we stopped him," Twilight said. Her gaze drifted down onto Nightmare's chestplate as she whispered, "I was... scared." She swallowed and licked her lips as the memories of Discord's voice haunted her mind. Her eyes jumped back up to meet Nightmare's eyes, and then after a moment, Nightmare fidgeted before slowly unfolding her wing.
Nightmare's gaze unfocused as if she pondered some idea that perplexed her, then her eyes refocused on her and she extended her right wing to beckon her. "Come here," she coaxed.
For a moment, Twilight nibbled on her lip, looking over the extended wing. For a moment, there was a flicker of uncertainty, a reminder of just how insane the entire situation was, but then that was crushed out by the thought, 'She cares. She doesn't want to hurt me. She promised.' She inhaled, then stood up. The air felt cold against her wet fur, and it made her shiver for a moment as the water's warmth abandoned her; Nightmare's wing remained extended for her. She nudged herself across the distance to her mentor awkwardly in an attempt to avoid splashing any of the water, then she sat down in front of Nightmare on her haunches. Her body sunk into the water, then Nightmare's wing brushed up against her back and dipped under the water to pull her close. She lifted her forehooves and rested them on Nightmare's chestplate to avoid falling over, and reluctantly, as Nightmare slid her closer, she let her forehooves slide around the metal plate.
Twilight turned her head to the left, then reluctantly laid her head on Nightmare's shoulder. The wet metal cooled her cheek and was far too uncaring, yet it was subdued by feeling Nightmare's feathers nearly flowing against her back: the water made it feel as if Nightmare's feathers had intertwined with her fur in such a way that made her almost feel giddy at the touch. She felt safe, but that had to be a part of whatever it was that Nightmare did with her feathers to comfort her.
She felt Nightmare's other wing wrap around her and complete the hug, then Nightmare gradually lowered her head and lifted her right foreleg to drape it around her withers. Her mentor's chestplate still separated them, but they still shared a hug. A hug and a promise.
"Are you," Nightmare mumbled, "alright?"
"I think so..." Twilight whispered. "It was hard and... I was... well, terrified-"
"I do not blame you for that," Nightmare said. "Discord is..." There was a noticeable pause. "As I said, I cannot stop him."
Twilight felt like her vision twisted as her heart skipped a beat. "You're afraid of him?"
"Not him, but what he can do," was all Nightmare replied. After a few seconds, Nightmare squeezed her, then let up on the hug, lifting her head back up and sliding her wings down Twilight's body before lifting them back out of the water and folding them to her sides.
Twilight shivered from feeling Nightmare's feathers brush against her coat, then she lifted her head up and opened her eyes. Looking back up at Nightmare, she met her mentor's gaze and said, "I think I know what you meant by saying it's hard to describe the Elements."
"I imagine you would," Nightmare replied.
Twilight smiled sheepishly, then glanced around before slowly scooting back to where she had been, Nightmare watching her curiously the whole time. "I don't really remember what I did... or how I did it." Her eyes fell down to stare at the shimmering reflection of the magelight on the surface of the water. "But it felt-" she looked up at Nightmare, "-indescribable."
Nightmare nodded.
"Almost like a part of me?" Twilight asked.
For a moment, Nightmare's eyes twitched down, then her mentor answered with a cautious, calculated, "Perhaps."
That made Twilight frown, but only for a moment. Something went unsaid, or Nightmare Moon thought of something. 'Maybe I'm overthinking it...' She shook the thought off and changed the subject. "Uh, what did you want to talk about again?"
"I will need to speak with representatives from the Minotaurs and Zebras soon, as well as the Deer if they come. If the Deer do not come, I will need to visit them," Nightmare answered. "I am not looking forward to it, but I thought you might be willing to assist me in such matters?"
Immediately, Twilight pictured herself standing, or perhaps sitting, beside Nightmare Moon while the two of them faced a minotaur or a zebra. She didn't like the idea: whoever they dealt with would probably prefer to speak with Nightmare Moon alone. "I don't think I'd be any help with that-"
"Perhaps not," Nightmare agreed, "But I think it would do well for appearances." Her mentor tilted her head. "Would it not? You are my student, and if I am intending to give you authority, then you should be seen at my side in a position of authority," her mentor reasoned.
Twilight hesitated. The logic seemed sound, but it spurred on the memory of looking out across the sea of ponies that had gathered to hear Nightmare's proclamation about her. She sucked in a deep breath, then exhaled sharply. 'It will be okay...' she told herself, only to some success. She licked her lips, then said, "Why not Cadance?"
Nightmare wasn't phased by the question and immediately countered, "You are my student. Cadance is not."
Twilight leaned forward and retorted, "But she's a princess! She's an alicorn! She's-" and she bit her lip when it occurred to her: 'You don't know Cadance is your niece, do you?' The thought made her freeze up. The thought made her want to laugh. How could she take it seriously!? A month and a half and Nightmare probably still had no idea Cadance was her niece! Oh, it was downright crazy! Although, most things were crazy anymore.
And the thought was horrifying. Nightmare Moon had no idea Cadance was her niece. Nopony had told her mentor, to her knowledge. And well, maybe it was understandable, but still. She felt her lips dropping down as the thought left her horrified.
This was bad.
And she didn't catch herself before Nightmare caught on that something was wrong. Carefully, Nightmare acknowledged, "You have more to say," then commanded, "Speak."
'Well! This sucks,' shot out in Twilight's mind. Nightmare wanted to know what she was going to say, but Nightmare also had no idea what she knew! That meant she didn't have to tell Nightmare that little detail. 'Although I probably should.' She grimaced. Not telling her would be lying. Nightmare did need to know. Probably.
Telling Nightmare, surely, wouldn't cause problems. Surely, Nightmare wouldn't react badly to learning that Cadance was her niece, right? And surely, it would be okay since it was only through adoption. Besides, it would be better for Nightmare to find out sooner rather than later. And surely with it coming from her instead of somepony else, the chances were greater that it wouldn't end badly, right?
Cadance would be fine.
She hoped.
She inhaled, forced a smile, then turned her head to the left, still meeting Nightmare's gaze and asked, "Has anypony told you that Cadance is your niece?"
The completely blank expression on Nightmare's face was a clear answer.
Gathered around the dining table sat Twilight, her five friends and dragon, Cadance, and then Nightmare Moon at the end farthest from the door. To Nightmare Moon's immediate right sat Twilight, then spike, followed by Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Across from them sat Cadance at Nightmare's immediate left, followed by Rarity, then Applejack and finally Pinkie Pie.
Twilight's friends talked amongst themselves, mostly about everything they had gone through to defeat Discord and while it was interesting, Nightmare Moon was far too preoccupied to pay more attention to it: she stared at Cadance. 'Cadance is your niece,' she could hear Twilight saying again, even picturing that incredibly forced smile that said, 'I'm going to regret this, aren't I?'
Cadance's eyes darted between her plate of food and Nightmare Moon, just barely avoiding eye contact. Twilight, for her part, stared at Nightmare Moon, only occasionally looking down at her food, across at Cadance, or over at the rest of her friends.
'How,' Nightmare Moon could not comprehend, 'is this possible!?'
'A month and a half and I am just now finding this out! How?' The insane thought left her stunned. As it was, hearing Twilight tell her that had been one of the least expected things she'd ever heard, even more so given Twilight's prior explanation of Cadance's origins. It caught her so far off-guard as to side-swipe her; had she been in combat she would have lost as her mind ground to a halt.
Without looking away from Cadance, she levitated her spoon up to her mouth and drank down the soup before lowering the spoon back into the bowl.
But even with how much it caught her off-guard, even with how much it agitated her, it made sense, if only that it was kept from her. 'To protect you, I am sure...' Twilight's explanation and blabbering after that accursed question was proof of that and then some.
What she had said next raced back into her mind, bringing with it a shudder as the last thought she ever wanted to consider was forced back into her mind: 'Sister took a mate in my absence!?' And of course she just had to picture that at the time before she could stop herself, and of course, that thought absolutely horrified her.
It was the last thing she wanted to think about.
Twilight put that agitation to rest, but not before the thought did its damage, lingering in her mind far, far too long. 'She adopted Cadance!' She could still picture Twilight's horrified blush as well, and if she had to guess, Twilight might have pictured nearly the same thing she had. Twilight wasn't that young.
Or perhaps it was simply the idea. Twilight had put Sister on a pedestal, after all.
And that revelation came with sweet, blissful relief. 'She is not my flesh and blood niece.' How could she have been, for even a moment, connected to Cadance, such a weak, naive foal of an alicorn, by blood! But it was not the case, and it was a comfort.
But it still needed to be addressed, and that made the discomfort return. 'You did nothing to warrant Sister's sins falling onto you,' she knew, and so she would not regard Cadance in the same light as her sister. To do so would have been foalish. Besides, it changed nothing: she had already been, by adoption, Cadance's aunt. The only difference was now she knew. Cadance was still useful, still an ally.
Still a symbol and a potential threat, but still an ally. Turning on a useful ally for something so pointless was foalish.
She still struggled to believe it and comprehend it, and so she stared at Cadance silently. Everypony noticed, of course, but the focus of her attention, while nervous, wasn't on the verge of trying to escape. Her gaze wasn't focused enough for that, she didn't put the same intimidating pierce into the look that she normally regarded others with.
She inhaled, broke eye contact, looked down at her soup, then drank another spoonful of it. 'Were I a thousand years younger, I would have killed you to hurt Dear Sister,' was an unhappy truth she couldn't suppress, and an unhappy truth that brought her to bite back a grimace. 'Though you did nothing to deserve it.'
Knowing that left her without much of an appetite, but she needed to eat. Besides, brooding all day over the unwelcome revelation was a waste of her time. It didn't stop her from letting out a low growl that drew all eyes onto her as she exhaled. Her gaze flicked away from the soup and met each of their eyes for a moment before passing to the next set of eyes. Everypony squirmed, of which Cadance was, unsurprisingly, the most agitated. 'She has done nothing to warrant my anger,' she reminded herself. 'She has been a useful ally. Holding sister's sins against her is wrong; she has done nothing wrong.'
'This certainly isn't how I expected this meal to go.' She sat up straighter, levitated her napkin to her mouth to wipe away the remnants of the soup still clinging to her lips, then glanced over each of them again, this time forcing back the agitation. 'It would not do to lose their trust.'
And it occurred to her, 'They are the only allies I truly have, if I can even consider them that.'
Turning on her few allies was unacceptable. It was beyond unacceptable, it was outright stupid.
And they were her only ones. The only ponies she could call 'ally'. The closest thing she had to what she wanted. She felt disappointed.
Nightmare tested her voice, "You all," and satisfied that she wasn't about to snap, she continued, "have done a great deed by imprisoning Discord once more, and for that, you have my thanks," she declared, pausing for a moment to meet each of the six bearer's eyes. "This deed is worthy of recognition." With that said, she turned to Cadance and continued, "And as such, I would like to celebrate your success."
"Heck yeah!" Rainbow bellowed. Nightmare's eyes jumped onto the pegasus and found her just barely in her seat with her left foreleg shot up into the air, her head lifted victoriously and a brash grin on her lips.
Amusingly, from what she could see of Twilight's expression, her student was mortified by Rainbow's response. Then, Twilight glanced back at her before sinking back into her seat and turning her attention back to her plate of food.
"You'll have to forgive Rainbow's enthusiasm, Queen Nightmare..." Rarity hastily commented.
Nightmare heard Rainbow huff, then the pegasus followed up with, "Oh come on! You saw how awesome we were!"
"You have a point, dear," Rarity admitted before turning to face Nightmare, and adding in a much lighter, more calculated tone, "but... perhaps tone it down a bit given the... present company?"
"It is fine," Nightmare cut in. She nudged her muzzle up higher and added, "It is something to be proud of, and something worthy of celebration, as I have said." She looked back at Cadance, then said, "As such, I would like for an event to be put together to-" her head drifted back to the right, and her eyes locked with her student's. She couldn't look away, and didn't look away as she spoke, "-celebrate the success of my student and her friends."
For a moment longer, Twilight stared into her eyes, then lowered her head in embarrassment, shifting her weight uncomfortably and glancing aside at her friends, yet Nightmare Moon continued to watch her. 'You shy away from such praise..? Is this because you are not confident in your abilities? It is a remnant from Sister, isn't it?'
It was something she would fix. Twilight needed confidence in her own abilities, and that confidence would go together with her student's authority.
Nightmare reached out with her wing, then tenderly brushed her feather across Twilight's cheek. The filly relaxed as her feather brushed across her fur, and her eyes jumped to her student's back as she saw her muscles relax. A slight frown pulled at her lips. 'I did not realize you were so tense...' Her eyes flicked to Cadance, who flicked her gaze between the two of them anxiously, 'And I presume this would be why.'
Twilight closed her eyes, and then too soon for Nightmare's liking, the stroke ended. She folded her wing back to her side, Twilight opened her eyes and looked at her without turning to face her. She then turned her attention to the other mares at the table, taking a moment to meet each of their gazes.
Frowns and concern and horror looked back at her. Rarity turned her head away as a scowl crossed her lips and she muttered something to Applejack that made the earth pony cringe and look at Rarity. Rainbow squinted at them, then squinted at her, as if silently judging her worth or intent for having touched Twilight. And worse yet, Rainbow's wings bristled at her sides, prepared to snap open to launch the pegasus into the air to attack her.
In order to protect Twilight.
Her lips twitched in discomfort. 'Do you truly think I desire to harm my student? Foals!' But she kept the thought to herself. Bringing it up wouldn't change their pointless opinion, and it was a sign of the bond they shared with her student: that they cared for her.
And that was important.
'It is hard to believe the Elements chose you six as their bearers...' Yet the Elements had, and those five mares and filly were. There was no doubt in Nightmare mind that if they turned on her, they could succeed if she wasn't fast enough. Her eyes flicked to Twilight and the thought, 'You will not let that happen,' came to mind.
And she wouldn't turn on them. They were who she could call allies, and keeping them that way was imperative, even if calling them allies was being generous.
Turning her attention back to Cadance, she continued, "I presume you can handle this?"
With a nod, Cadance answered with a reserved, "Of course..."
'Perhaps... I should not bring up what you hid from me...' Nightmare mused. 'Bringing it up now would only cause further problems,' she reasoned.
"Why?" Cadance asked curiously. "I'm..." Cadance mumbled, bobbing her head and looking down at her plate, "surprised you'd want to celebrate that."
Nightmare scowled at her Cadance. Quickly refuting her niece, she answered, "It is something worth recognizing. My student and her friends are worthy of such praise for having defeated Discord, and celebrating it would give my subjects something that they could take comfort in." Pausing, she forced the scowl away and recomposed herself. "And on that note, I think it would be beneficial to encourage ponies to celebrate some new holiday. It would be beneficial to encourage them to not remain inside at all times."
As if to pop the tension, Twilight half-jokingly put in, "Hug a Batpony Night?"
As Nightmare turned to face her student, she caught Cadance looking at Twilight as well. 'That could be very useful... assuming ponies do not immediately reject it...' A bitter scowl threatened to split her lips, but she kept it to herself.
Twilight gave another forced, awkward smile similar to the one earlier.
Nightmare turned back to Cadance and said, "It is an idea."