Casting her gaze to the sky, Nightmare Moon could see the twinkling stars through the tree canopy as she walked on. The forest was quiet in her presence, but it wasn't an oppressed silence. No. It was a calm, peaceful silence. The silence was not brought on by fear, but rather, out of respect. As a branch blocked the stars from her gaze, she looked down and to her right. She smiled.
Twilight walked alongside her, wearing a care-free smile, unoppressed and unafraid. Her student was calm and unblemished by fear or doubt. The filly carried herself with confidence as they walked along, sharing in the peace and silence of the night.
Nightmare Moon's gaze drifted over Twilight's form, lingering on the tiara atop her head, then drifting down her back before landing on that starburst cutie mark that was so familiar. Seconds passed on as she watched, then her gaze drifted back up along her student's back until her eyes settled on the tiara again.
'It suits you,' came to mind, and she inclined her head in agreement with the thought, as the Element of Magic was bound to her student, and her student was bound to the Element of Magic: destiny intertwined and woven together.
Once again, her gaze drifted down Twilight's back, only to stop in the middle of her side. Her lips pulled into a slight frown, and her brow folded down. Staring at her student, like always, something felt off and wrong. Incomplete, even, despite the near-perfection that she sensed with her magic.
Despite that tiara, despite the bond with the Element of Magic, Twilight was still incomplete. She felt it and it weighed on her mind. The thought, 'You are still missing something,' left her agitated, and her wings fidgeted at her sides, rubbing up against her coat as she struggled to grasp at whatever it was that left her student incomplete.
Nightmare unfolded her right wing, then slowly brushed her feathers across Twilight's coat. The filly's lips pulled up into a warm, happy smile, and her eyes closed. Gradually, she stroked her feathers down from Twilight's withers, down her back, and along her sides before finally folding her wing back to her side.
Twilight opened her eyes, still smiling, and turned her head to face Nightmare. Nothing was said, but as they watched each other, Nightmare felt the bond they shared: teacher and student, trust, and friendship. The bond felt wonderful, and it made the walk all the more enjoyable to know that she trusted the filly, and that Twilight trusted her. The bond had to be stronger than whatever bond Twilight had shared with her sister, and the bond felt entirely right: not unlike the bond she had felt with her sister when they wielded the Elements of Harmony to defeat Discord.
Yet the bond was untainted and more meaningful; Twilight was not her sister.
A breeze blew by, rustling the leaves and bringing a gentle warmth along with the scent of lilacs and lavender. She looked away from Twilight and let out a content sigh.
The peace was soothing and welcomed. It left her feeling free. Free from the anger that plagued her mind, free from the worry and dread that something worse would happen, free from the binding weight of her armor, and free from the hatred and spite and mockery of her ponies. Free to feel the breeze against her chest, free to feel the wind against her bare cheeks, free to relax and let her guard down, knowing that nothing was going to betray her.
Free to enjoy the peace she had fought so hard to bring.
Free to enjoy the praise, friendship, and love of her subjects. Of Twilight.
The tree canopy faded away as they walked out into a meadow filled with lavender, morning glory, purple violets, and poppies. She smiled at the flowers, and the smile grew warmer as Twilight let out a giggle and rushed out into the meadow. Though the filly left her side, she took solace in knowing that Twilight was safe and free.
She cast her gaze towards the sky, and the sky felt right: the stars twinkled down at her, and the unblemished, pure surface of the moon almost smiled at her and her student. For a moment, she stopped and wondered as she looked at the moon. Wherever Sister was, it did not matter; Sister no longer mocked her. Her head drifted lower and her eyes fell on Twilight. The filly pranced through the field of flowers as a young, carefree foal would, despite her age.
She could only smile at it before calling, "Twilight?"
Twilight stopped and looked at her, answering with, "Yes, Luna?"
"I wish to try something," Nightmare called back, gradually walking towards her friend.
"Okay!" Twilight eagerly agreed, turning to face her and then prancing back over to her, then walking as she neared.
When Twilight returned, the filly instinctively nuzzled her chest, and Nightmare smiled as she leaned down to return it. The feeling was pleasant yet so alien to her; it felt genuine and was untainted by deceit. When their shared nuzzle broke, she turned to face the moon, then sat down on her haunches. Without saying anything, Twilight sat down at her left, her coat brushing up against her own.
Nightmare turned to face Twilight, bowed her head, and likewise, Twilight bowed her head, and their horns crossed. Without saying anything, they wove their magic together, and the moon gradually ascended further into the sky. With each passing second, she left more and more of the task to her student, until the filly finally bore it all on her own.
Once the moon was at its apex, they uncrossed their horns and looked up at the moon. Glancing back down, the wonder and awe in her student's eyes filled her with a sense of pride and accomplishment: her student raised the moon of her own magic, with no help from any other unicorns.
Her student surpassed Starswirl the Bearded.
A mark of Twilight's destiny, perhaps fulfilled. Yet just a dream. Had it been real, perhaps she wouldn't have felt sorrow building up inside her.
Twilight giggled giddily, jumped for joy, and pranced through the meadow. For several seconds, she watched the filly, then she gazed back up at her pristine moon.
Their pristine moon.
Then Twilight screamed, and the peace was shattered. Her chest seized up and her head whipped to where her student's scream came from. She bolted to her hooves and lit her horn, but it was too late: an orange burst of magic slammed into Twilight's chest, throwing her into the air and tossing the tiara from her head. She barely noticed the Element of Magic shatter down the middle. Splinters of crystal broke off and shot towards the ground. The Element spun in the air before sinking below the sea of poppies. Her eyes locked on her student. She froze in place. Twilight flailed around in the air, screaming in agony. She watched on, paralyzed into inaction. Twilight slammed into the ground. Everything went silent around them.
And the very air felt like ice clinging to her coat, sliding into her skin, then dousing her bones in the same cold. A sharp, high pitched whimper, followed by a choked groan from her student made her ears pin back. She felt a stab of betrayal strike her core. She had not intervened to save her student as she had promised. She hadn't acted. She let Twilight get hurt. A knot swelled up in her throat. She went to call out for her student. The knot stole her voice.
In a blur, she was standing beside Twilight. Her student's body lay in a bed of lavender and morning glories. She felt her own body shift, as if splitting right down the middle, and the world responded in kind, shifting around her.
The freedom from moments before was stolen from both of them: in Twilight's eyes, Nightmare saw fear, anguish, and tears. Wet trails ran down Twilight's cheeks. Blood leaked from the gash left in Twilight's chest, pooling in the flowers. Staining them crimson with her student's blood. And she hated those flowers so stained with her student's blood. For how could she tolerate such a thing!
Yet all she could do was watch as the flowers drowned in that dark crimson tide, watch as the lavender blossomed into poppies and the morning glories wilted and died.
"P-please h...p me, L...na," Twilight croaked out, making Nightmare's body feel even colder.
Nightmare focused her magic on her student's wound. Nothing happened. Twilight whimpered and squirmed before her. She tried harder, pouring more magic into the spell. Twilight bit her lip. Her horn glowed bright as she put all she could into healing her friend.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't heal it. The wound refused to heal. Trying only made the wound worse. Her magic tore her student's body even further. Twilight's face scrunched up as she let out an agonized scream that cut off Nightmare's magic.
Blood stained her hooves.
A bolt of orange raced past her, and everything snapped back into place. She swiveled around and crouched down low, covering her student with her own body. Armor be damned, she wasn't going to simply leave Twilight to her death! Her wings lifted from her side, further sheltering Twilight's body as she channeled magic back into her horn.
Lord Tirek shambled closer, an orange mass churning between his twisted horns while Discord swam in the air around him like a snake, grinning. Never looking away from her.
Nightmare's lungs deflated.
"You didn't think you were rid of us so easily, did you?" Discord mocked.
"Or that you would keep us from Equestria," Tirek followed up.
"And without her," Discord bellowed before clutching his stomach, spinning around and cackling madly.
"You can't stop us!" Tirek stated.
Nightmare bared her teeth and held her ground as they approached. Discord alone was enough of a threat that retreat was her only option, and with Lord Tirek, retreat was necessary.
She tried to pick up Twilight with her magic. Her aura just slid across Twilight's body, unable to find purchase. The only thing to come of her attempt was more pained whimpering from Twilight that disorientated her worse than Discord's maddening laughter.
And just like that, retreat wasn't an option. Fear pulsed through her body and her legs trembled, but she held her ground. "You'll not," she growled, "get away with this!"
Discord laughed, and with a snap of his talons, Twilight's tiara appeared on top of his head. The crack in the pink crystal had turned black, and the Element itself was darker for it. "But we already have!" he declared.
And she snapped. Enraged by the way the dream twisted into a nightmare, enraged by the sight of Discord stealing the Element of Magic from her student, and enraged by the betrayal, she snapped. "ENOUGH!" her voice boomed, ripping the dream to shreds, like a pane of glass shattering and falling to the floor and shattering again. And then she was standing, surrounded by wisps of teal light and dozens of orbs that were windows to ponies' dreams.
Her body trembled, her lungs heaved, and her jaw clenched down, barely holding back a scream.
She stamped her hoof down and the dreamscape faded to black.
And even with the dream fading, Nightmare awoke unnerved and angered. For a few seconds, she glared up at the golden swirls, then cast the blankets off of her body and jumped out of bed. The air hit her body like a brick wall, so cold it felt that it made her shiver. Her lips twisted into a grimace as the air chilled her wet body.
The grimace lingered as she looked back at her damp bed. She let out a growl and went over the bed with her magic, cleaning the sweat from the sheets and mattress, then from her own coat.
And when that was done, the grimace faded, but the dream returned to her mind. The image of Twilight's broken body returned to her mind. Even with her body warming back up now that it was dry, she could still feel the lingering chill from seeing Twilight in such shape.
And with that, a tinge of anxiety twisted in her chest, drowning out the anger.
She sucked in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and told herself, 'It was just a dream. Tirek is dead. Discord is imprisoned.'
But more importantly, 'You are safe.'
'Why did I let that dream linger so long!?' her mind demanded, and to her unease, the answer came, 'Because it caught me off-guard... I reacted poorly.' Her wings twitched at her sides as the thought lingered in her mind, coiling around her like a snake. 'Fool!' her mind chastised. 'I am too fond of you. Even knowing it was a dream... I reacted poorly. This...' But she couldn't complete the thought. She was unwilling to.
Opening her eyes, she found herself staring at the door to her balcony. In silence, she listened to the sound of her niece and her student's breathing: calm and unlabored, which eased her mind. But the nightmare still unnerved her. 'Perhaps I need to reestablish my connection with dream magic further,' came to her mind.
But that was a simple lie, and she knew it. The truth was just as simple and left her heart twisting in concern: even knowing it was a dream, she had been unwilling to abandon her student. To abandon her was to betray her.
And she would not do such a thing. 'Loyalty...' whispered in her mind, bringing back the memory of wielding the Element of Loyalty.
Something now born by Rainbow Dash.
She shook her head. To think that they both were familiar with Loyalty? The thought was hard to comprehend, and yet, she could not deny it nor would she deny it. The pegasus was brash and rebellious, yet she could see that spark of Loyalty in her, and because of it, she respected the pegasus. Even if Rainbow Dash was a nuisance. 'Rainbow Dash will not betray my student.'
Her thoughts meandered back to Twilight, and a part of her mind whispered, 'Perhaps I should check on you...'
But she knew Twilight was okay. She heard her student's calm breathing, and she felt that her student was sleeping peacefully. There was no reason for her to take the time to go check on Twilight, and perhaps it was even a waste of time that she could have been sleeping or tending to other important matters. It was silly and it was pointless. Frivolous and banal. Twilight was safe, and her student was dreaming happily.
Yet the urge remained. She let out a growl and tossed her head to the side. 'It will not take long,' she reasoned. Besides, she was Queen, and it was within her right. With that, she strode to the balcony door, opened it, spread her wings, and flew off into the night. Gliding across the courtyard towards her student's tower, she took comfort in the silence and the breeze washing over her wings and body. It wasn't enough to wash away the remnants of the dream, but it helped. Breaking her gaze from her destination, she looked into the moonless sky and watched the stars. 'Perhaps,' she thought, 'you would watch the stars with me sometime when the moon will not ruin it...'
The idea had more appeal to it than watching the stars with Twilight while the moon was out. It brought the dream back to the front of her mind. Her head drifted back down to face her destination as she glided towards it. 'We moved the moon. You moved the moon,' she remembered. 'We shared that.'
Nightmare banked to the left and glided down to land, pondering the thought. And the idea of Twilight moving the moon, her moon, left her feeling that all-too-familiar discomfort and unease. The moon was hers, yet if anypony aside from her sister and herself could move it alone, it would be Twilight. And surely, if Twilight managed to move the moon on her own, her student would grow far more confident in her abilities, would she not?
But a part of her still dreaded the thought, even if it had value. The thought of letting Twilight touch her moon made her uncomfortable. The moon was hers. Her birthright, and the crown jewel of her night sky. Sister had stolen it from her, and to yield the moon to her student so easily? Things could go wrong, and perhaps, there was the risk that it would be her undoing. There was the chance that Twilight figure out how to free her sister, and the worry tore through the idea, making her wince. 'You will not betray me,' her mind growled back, stamping out the spiderweb of concern.
But of course Twilight couldn't move the moon. With her help, perhaps, but not on her own. The same was true of Cadance.
She landed, and four quick clicks from her boots broke the line of thought. She opened the door with her magic, then walked inside and closed it. Looking around the library, the thought, 'This room is becoming familiar,' came to mind.
Nightmare walked off to the left, then calmly ascended the stairs to the upper level as she had many times before. Approaching the door to Twilight's room, like a ritual, she slowed down and held her breath. Slowly creeping forward, she gradually peered into the bedroom and then saw the form her student resting in bed, her body covered and her head uncovered.
She felt her body relax, and she let out her breath. For a moment, she closed her eyes and stood there, letting the relief banish the lingering fears of seeing Twilight so hurt, then she opened her eyes and quietly walked into the room, keeping to the wall once inside. She was close enough to see that Twilight was safe: her bedsheets were not reddened with blood, she was not squirming in pain or discomfort, she was not whimpering in fear or agony. Twilight's expression was, truly, peaceful.
Twilight laid on her right side, facing the window as she slept and dreamed. Nightmare was content to sit down and watch her, to sit down and watch over her. 'You would be able to move the moon,' she felt assured as she watched her student, 'in time.' Seconds passed on in blissful silence as the thought wafted through her mind. She could even picture the moment, not unlike her dream: shared together on the balcony, mixing her magic with Twilight's magic, showing the filly how, and then letting Twilight bear up the moon with her magic as she pushed it into the sky.
And it would be wonderful to see.
Her eyes flicked down to the floor, then after a moment, she looked out the window, searching the jeweled night sky for that which wasn't there. Her gaze drifted back across the wall, then settled on her student, and more of that all too familiar, defeat-inducing disappointment made her wings slump from her sides: for now, Twilight wasn't ready. Her magic wasn't strong enough to move the moon on her own. Not yet. But if she tried, she could teach and grow Twilight, and then Twilight would be capable of doing it. After all, Twilight Sparkle was her student, and her student bore the Element of Magic. If anypony else could move the moon on their own, it would be Twilight. With effort on both their parts, it would be in Twilight's reach.
And maybe, just maybe, as insane as the idea was, it was something to try. It would be another accomplishment for Twilight, something that would help grow her confidence. Something they could share together. It was something that could perhaps, in time, prove useful for her student to be able to do.
If something happened to her.
She squirmed at the thought, 'If something happens to me...' And oh, how that thought left her grimacing with agitation and scoffing in anger! Her mane and tail roiled with anguish at the mere thought! She was the Queen and Empress! Equestria was hers! There was no way she could be defeated in such a way that her sister hadn't been involved! And she was not about to give up Equestria to that damned sister of hers or anything else without a fight!
Equestria was hers.
But if something did happen to her, even if it only temporarily incapacitated her, somepony needed to be able to make sure Equestria didn't fall apart if sister wasn't there. 'Leaving Equestria defenseless... is unacceptable. I did not sacrifice so much to protect her just to see her fall apart...' It would not do to let a temporary absence on her part steal Equestria away from her, either.
Besides, if it was not Sister who reclaimed Equestria, then she needed somepony to make sure she would be able to reclaim the Throne. There needed to be somepony to make sure Equestria survived and that her sacrifices hadn't been in vain. 'It would be better, if something happened to me, that Equestria would be protected. If Equestria dies then nopony will remember or care of me...'
Her lips pulled back in disgust as she squinted at the sleeping filly. A part of her wanted to laugh. It was insane! Absolutely insane! 'Perhaps... you would make a good regent...' her mind wondered. And yet, the thought was logical, perhaps even more so than it was insane, and so she didn't laugh. She contemplated the thought. To be unprepared was unwise, and if there was anypony she could trust, it would be her student. Especially over her niece.
But surely that would never have to come to pass. She would make sure it never did. But in the chance that something did happen, it wouldn't do to be unprepared.
And Twilight was unprepared.
'For now,' her mind declared.
A thousand years ago, at the height of her anger, the idea was unthinkable. If she couldn't have Equestria, then nopony would.
Such a foolish notion.
Nightmare took a deep breath, then slowly stood back up. Her gaze never drifted from Twilight's sleeping form as she slowly crept closer to her, then as she stopped at the bed, she reached out with her left wing and slowly brushed her feathers through the filly's mane. She welcomed the contact.
Twilight smiled in her sleep. Nightmare tilted her head to regard the smile, and it was one that reminded her so much of her own dreams, but she knew she was not dreaming: it was real, and just like in her dreams, that smile soothed her soul. It was a calm, peaceful smile. A smile that she welcomed seeing. The smile was one that whisked away the agitation at the thought of something happening to herself. It was a smile that helped soothe the anger Sister left her with. 'You have the potential and capability,' she knew.
Nightmare traced her feathers down along the outline of her student under the bedsheets and watched her feather as it went along Twilight's back. She yearned for feeling Twilight's coat against her feather rather than the blanket, but it would not do to break her student's slumber. She would not betray her student so, nor would she scare her so. Suppressing a sigh of disappointment, folded her wing back to her side and turned to the door. As she made her way out of the bedroom, her mind lingered on what needed to be done.
'I will teach you... and I will make certain you become what you are meant to be,' her mind declared, and her head nodded in agreement.
Consequences be damned.
Nightmare Moon kept her distance as she watched and listened to Twilight and her friends. The steam whistling out of the train was a new sound for her to hear in person. It wasn't the most pleasant sound she had heard, either. 'Useful, yet agitating,' her mind affirmed. Tilting her head, she pondered the thought, 'Had we this one thousand years ago...'
How much simpler things would have been.
Although the train itself was an eyesore that she was certain her sister had some say in. Looking at the brightly colored engine and cars left her squinting in disdain. She wouldn't argue against trains being effective and efficient, but she would argue against how it was painted. The military applications of it were not lost on her. They weren't lost on Sister, either: the tracks to the Crystal Empire were proof enough of that.
She shook the thought aside and looked on the far-more pleasing sight of Twilight's coat. Though she couldn't see Twilight's face, she knew her student was smiling at her friends by the smiles her friends wore back at her.
They all shared a laugh together, one that both served to reaffirm that her student would keep those five mares in line, and that those five mares were good for her student. Twilight's friends would lift her up and help her grow into what she was meant to be. Nightmare Moon was certain of it.
She could call them allies, and perhaps eventually, she could call all of them friends. Though the idea of being friends with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash left something to be desired, they all had her respect. And soon, they would have the respect of her subjects, as well.
Rainbow flew over to Twilight and wrapped her in a hug. She heard her student wheeze from the force, and it brought a smirk to her lips. Nonetheless, Twilight returned the hug, causing Rainbow to nuzzle the filly, and in turn, Twilight nuzzled Rainbow Dash back.
The rest of Twilight's friends stepped over to her, and they all joined together in a group hug that made her inhale deeply. In the back of her mind, she felt a tinge of jealousy towards them all. It was mostly directed at Twilight. 'Your friends love you,' she knew.
And she was pleased because Twilight was loved.
And she was jealous because Twilight was loved.
And she was agitated because she was not.
The group of friends shared a nuzzle, followed by another cheerful laugh, then they gradually broke from the hug.
"Are you sure you can't come back to Ponyville with us?" Applejack asked, her voice free from both malice and sadness.
"Sorry, but I need to stay in Canterlot for a little bit longer," Twilight answered in a soft mumble that wasn't quite happy, but wasn't unhappy either. Nightmare felt her ears twitch back ever so slightly. "But I'll be back soon," Twilight added, her voice more cheerful.
"Do take care of yourself, Twilight," Rarity addressed in a chipper tone. "We'll all look forward to you returning to Ponyville, dear. And when you do, we need to go to the spa together."
"Thanks, Rarity," her student replied, "but-"
"No buts!" Rarity shrieked. Nightmare and the rest of the ponies winced. "We're going to the spa after everything that's happened and that's final!" To emphasize the point, Rarity lifted her forehoof and then clicked it against the platform, raising her head in the air, defiant to any further protests.
Rainbow covered her eyes with her forehooves and let out a disgruntled groan. "The spa!?" the pegasus retorted, then grumbled, "Seriously..?"
"Oh, I think it sounds lovely, Rarity," Fluttershy whispered.
"I reckon I can probably find some time for that, although I imagine Big Mac and Granny Smith might not be quite so happy about it," Applejack commented with a shrug.
"Absolutely-dootly!" Pinkie declared in agreement.
"Oh, I can probably, uh, help out with the farm if you need?" Twilight offered.
"Sure," Applejack replied.
"Then it's settled," Rarity stated with a warm smile that ignored any and all protest. Beaming, the mare declared, "As soon as you get back to Ponyville, we're going to the spa!"
Rainbow groaned again, which went ignored by everypony else. "Alright, fine," she relented, "but I'm not doing any of that frou-frou stuff!"
"Yes, yes, of course, Darling," Rarity dismissed.
The train whistled hoarsely, drawing her attention back to the unsightly behemoth. 'There is room for improvement, I am sure.' Even if that improvement was simply expanding the rail system and infrastructure to further connect Equestria, rather than making the train look more pleasant. 'That... is a good idea that warrants consideration,' she thought with a nod to herself. 'Goods and ponies would be able to travel more freely, and that would be beneficial to the economy... and it would allow for quicker guard deployments.'
Another thing to tend to.
"Ah, well..." Rarity drawled, drawing Nightmare's attention back to the group. "I suppose we should get going, darling."
"I don't think we ought to keep the train waiting on us any longer. We'll see you back in Ponyville, Twilight!" Applejack said with a smile that then faded before she flatly added, "Or back here in Canterlot if you stay here until the ceremony."
Twilight glanced back at Nightmare Moon.
Nightmare inhaled and then stepped closer to the group before saying, "I will send her back to Ponyville before the ceremony." She met each of her student's friend's eyes and made certain they knew it before adding, "I give you my word."
They nodded uncomfortably, and she was unsurprised. She could see the apprehension in the mares' eyes. 'You still do not trust me, but... hopefully you recognize that I keep my word.' It was the start of trust, and it was something she could work with.
Gradually, Twilight looked back at her friends, though Nightmare felt that Twilight was more somber than before, and it carried into her voice. "I'll be fine," Twilight offered.
Rarity quickly shifted her weight and tossed her head to the side. "Er, no offense, dear, but..." she trailed off, meeting Nightmare's gaze.
Nightmare ignored it, and as Twilight turned back to look at her, she looked down at her student. Twilight's eyes darted back and forth across her features, then her student turned back to Rarity. "I'll be fine," Twilight repeated more firmly.
Rainbow jumped into the air, flew past Twilight, making her student cringe, and then hovered in front of Nightmare Moon. "You better not hurt her," the pegasus nearly growled.
Nightmare Moon snorted and jerked her head at an angle. Matching Rainbow's gaze, she quipped, "I assure you, I have no intentions of hurting my student." To even suggest it was an insult. She could forgive it, if only because of the reason for Rainbow's concern.
Rainbow hovered there for a few more seconds as her eyes drew into a squint, then finally, Rainbow nodded tersely and flew back to the others before landing.
"Would you stop doing that!?" Twilight hissed, throwing an accusatory hoof at Rainbow.
Rainbow threw her head back, flapped her wings to hover in the air, threw her forelegs out wide and countered, "Hey, I'm just looking out for you, okay!?"
Twilight shifted her weight in agitation.
Nightmare tilted her muzzle upward and voiced, "It is fine." Twilight turned back to face her, so she met her student's gaze and continued, "Rainbow Dash bears Loyalty." She met Rainbow's gaze, then inclined her head once.
Rainbow landed and eyed Nightmare cautiously.
"I recognize your concern for my student and I appreciate it," Nightmare specified.
Rainbow mumbled an unconvinced, "Right..."
"Well!" Twilight cut in, forcing a broad, pleading smile, "Enjoy your trip back to Ponyville!"
And with that, the group gathered together again for another hug. Rainbow still glared at Nightmare Moon from within the hug- at least until somepony hit her, making her grunt, then Rainbow turned her full attention back to Twilight.
The whistle blew again, and the group broke apart. Twilight's five friends mumbled their goodbyes, then boarded the train and took seats near the windows. They watched Twilight as they left, and Twilight and Nightmare watched them in turn. The train steamed away, and then Twilight let out a sigh as her head drooped.
Nightmare walked up to Twilight's left side and looked over the filly's crestfallen form. "You miss them," she calmly noted.
Twilight sucked in a breath, lifted up her head and turned to face Nightmare before nodded. "Yeah..." she admitted, her head lowering once again. "I do." The filly's lips pulled into a grimace and her head bobbed back. "I don't know why," she muttered, then more resentfully, "but I do."
"They are your friends," Nightmare commented. "You love them. It is natural."
Twilight's head jerked up and the filly squinted at Nightmare. "Yes," she agreed, then groaned, "but I'm me."
Raising an eyebrow, Nightmare asked, "Pray tell?"
Twilight groaned and rolled her head to the right to look away from her. "I don't understand it." Twilight looked back up at her with a scowl. "Do you know how I was before...-" the filly bit her lip and puffed out her cheeks while her head fumbled every which way as she struggled to find the right way to phrase it. "This?" she finally finished.
"I have read some of the letters shared between you and my sister, yes," Nightmare answered. "Come," she coaxed, draping her wing onto Twilight's back and turning away from the tracks. "Let us-" she declared, stepping forward, "-walk and talk." Twilight sighed but nonetheless walked alongside Nightmare Moon. Nightmare stroked her wing over Twilight's side, then folded her wing back to her body, and as a result, she caught a slight frown tug at her student's lips.
She kept her gaze on Twilight's expression as they walked out of the mostly empty train station and headed down the stairs to the street. By the time they reached the street, Twilight's lips had settled into a scowl while her lips folded back not quite halfway. "I don't understand why," Twilight complained, then lifted her head up to look at Nightmare.
Nightmare Moon slowly nodded her head and gazed ahead. To her surprise, like the trip to the train station, there were actually ponies out on the streets of Canterlot. Not as many as she expected would have been out had it been day, but there were ponies out. It was a sharp contrast to both what she expected following Discord's defeat and what she had experienced prior to Discord's escape. They were nervous, of course, but they were there. As they passed by, some of them stared at her and her student in bewilderment or fear, but they didn't run away. Instead, they stood there, craning their heads to watch the two of them walk past before resuming their own walk, only slightly more unnerved than before. Turning away from the pony she was watching, she mumbled, "There are things I do not understand myself, Twilight."
"What!?" Twilight nearly hissed. "But you're..." She heard Twilight grunt, then the filly continued, "You."
Nightmare casually turned her head to regard her student with a raised eyebrow. "I am certain I have related to you before that I am not all-knowing, Twilight Sp-" she cut herself off, drawing a squint from the filly. "Twilight," she emphasized.
"You have," Twilight begrudgingly admitted, then huffed.
Nightmare licked her lips. "You were..." she trailed off. 'Very focused on your studies, yet you did not manage to make it further than what you have. This blame rests on sister, yet perhaps not entirely so. You are still young, Twilight Sparkle...' She pursed her lips, then scowled as it came to her, "A scholar."
A few seconds passed in silence before Twilight succintly said, "Yes. I suppose that's an apt way to describe the way I was before... you returned."
"I would argue it still describes you," Nightmare commented, casting her gaze back on Twilight.
The filly's scowl leveled out into a neutral line. "Maybe, but not as much as I used to be."
"Perhaps," Nightmare mused. "Although, I would argue the fault is..." And for whatever reason, thinking about it made her muzzle slip a few inches lower. 'I have not taught you as I should have,' she knew, and so she finally voiced, "My own."
Twilight inhaled, turned right and looked over the ponies they passed. "It's fine, you've been busy," her student replied. "Besides, it's not like... your sister was always there managing my own studies." After a few seconds, Twilight looked back up at her almost pleadingly. "I don't understand why I... love them. The girls. My friends."
Nightmare inclined her head and voiced, "They are your friends."
Twilight blinked slowly and then looked at her flatly. "That's not helpful."
"But it is the reason," Nightmare countered. "You may be studious and a scholar, but you are still a pony, Twilight. Do not forget that. It is natural. Herd instinct, and more." She regarded the street ahead of them for a moment as her mind ruminated on the thought, 'Though perhaps this is a part of your destiny...' She grimaced. 'But perhaps that is not a bad thing...' Her student would, after all, keep her friends in check.
Assuming Twilight didn't betray her.
Nightmare mentally kicked herself. 'You're not going to betray me. You've proven that much...' She looked up at the sky and watched her stars, ignoring the crescent of the moon she could see at the edge of her vision that was still enough to pull her lips into a disinterested line. 'We will have to stargaze when the moon is not here,' she affirmed.
And it would be perfect.
"You share a bond with your friends," Nightmare continued, gradually lowering her head and turning back to look at Twilight. The filly's head slowly drifted away, and her ears drooped. Nightmare found her gaze drawn to her student's folding ears: they left her with a feeling she didn't particularly enjoy. Unfolding her wing again, she reached out and brushed her feathers along Twilight's side, and at her touch, Twilight's ears lifted back up while the filly turned back to face her. She met Twilight's gaze and simply said, "Do not forget that."
Twilight broke eye contact, her eyes dropping down onto Nightmare's chestplate. She gave a slow nod and her head drifted away again. "Yeah..." she mumbled. They walked on in silence again for a time, and Nightmare once more found herself looking up at the stars until Twilight said, "Your sister..." Nightmare looked back down at Twilight and found the filly already facing her. "She wanted me to make friends. I think. When she... sent me to Ponyville. She told me to meet some ponies..."
Nightmare inhaled and grimaced before grumbling, "Loathe as I am to admit it, she... has a point."
Twilight squinted at her.
"I am not so foalish as to say that allies are not useful, Twilight," Nightmare chastized. "Do remember that I led Equestria's armies to victory against the Griffins many times before. I know the value of teamwork because I have seen it first hoof." She slowed and carefully said, "Friendship," then nodded as she continued, "is a powerful thing, Twilight. Do not underestimate it."
Twilight's squint faded into a sober, almost pained look of regret. For a moment, Twilight's eyes jumped down onto the street, then her student whispered, "You don't have any friends..." Nightmare stopped walking as the comment jarred her stride. A moment later, Twilight stopped and looked back at her, meeting her gaze. "Do you?"
Hesitantly, Nightmare stepped back into place so that Twilight was at her side, and even more reluctantly, she answered, "I... do not." Looking back at the stars, her mind wandered back into her memories, and the stars nearly faded away. "It... was not always the case. A very long time ago, I had... friends," she admitted.
Nightmare looked back down at Twilight, and Twilight simply stood there, watching her silently and patiently. "You are..." she trailed off. But the thought still came to mind, 'You are very lucky to have such friends.' Shaking her head, she steeled her resolve. "I did not have friends as you do, however. The ponies I called 'friend' were comrades in arms."
Twilight frowned at that.
"There was always a certain distance between myself and them, if not because our companionship was based on our struggles, then because of my status," Nightmare continued.
"Being an alicorn princess," Twilight surmised.
'Luna...' Twilight's voice whispered in her mind. 'Princess Luna.' To think back on that left her unnerved, and yet, that was more often than not what Twilight addressed her as in her dreams. 'I am... too fond of you,' came to her mind again, but fie to the though! Twilight was hers, so it mattered little. "Yes," she mumbled.
"What about your sister?"
A spark of ire burst inside her mind to replace the unease. She scowled as those damned smiles and laughs came back to her mind, and her magic rippled in anguish in her mane and tail. "I do not," she declared, "wish to speak on that matter."
"I'm sorry..." Twilight muttered, her eyes once again resting on Nightmare Moon's chestplate.
Grimacing, Nightmare stroked her wing along Twilight's backbone, brushing her feather through the filly's soft coat. As she stroked her feather along, she followed the indent it left in her student's coat with her eyes. "It is..." she trailed off and snapped her eyes back onto Twilight's eyes. "You are forgiven," she stated. She slid her wing over Twilight's back and pulled her student to her side. Twilight leaned into the hug, resting against her, then after a few seconds, leaned away. She slid her wing over Twilight's back again, then folded it against her body. Twilight took a small step back to where she had stood before and glanced over at the ponies who watched. "Ignore them," Nightmare commented. "I would not allow them to harm you."
Twilight glanced back at her without facing her. After a few seconds, Twilight's head drifted back until her muzzle pointed straight ahead. Carefully and quietly, Twilight drawled, "I know..."
A few seconds passed in shared silence, then Nightmare looked away and walked forward again. Twilight lingered behind for a moment, then strode forward and fell in step with her, walking at her right side. Walking on in silence, Nightmare found her gaze drawn to the ponies along the sides of the streets, rather than the stars above. More ponies walked about than she recalled seeing out before.
They were out in her night, they were free to see the same beauty she saw, but yet their heads were not lifted up unto the stars and the moon, but rather focused on her student and herself, or other ponies, or the path they walked.
The sight left her conflicted. Ponies were out in her night, but yet they did not look at the stars and see the same wonder she did. They did not love her. 'And they will never love me...' came to her mind. A soft sigh escaped her lips, and for the briefest moment, her head twitched down. Her eyes fell on the street.
She was Queen and Empress! Looking down was beneath her, yet she did not feel the need to lift her gaze. She felt her ears starting to pull back and corrected the problem. Steeling her resolve, she inhaled and lifted her head back up. She would not let them make a mockery of her. She lifted her gaze once more to the stars overhead.
And oh, how she wished that damned mockery of a moon wasn't there to ruin it all!
How she wished to simply gaze at the stars with her student at her side, free from the moon's blight overshadowing her.
"Um," Twilight mumbled delicately, "are you okay?"
Nightmare's eyes snapped back down on the filly, who looked at her with an expression that she nearly shared: ears held halfway back. The sight caught her off-guard, and her response was pushed back by hesitance. Her lips pulled into a thin line. The hesitance lingered seconds too long. She blinked, then turned away from her student, casting her eyes left and right to look over the minuscule crowd of ponies walking around, then she turned back to Twilight. "I am... merely thinking," she answered quietly.
Twilight's brow creased, though the filly's ears lifted back up. For a moment, Twilight looked away from her and studied the streets as if searching for something she had missed, then Twilight looked back at her and asked, "There are ponies out now?"
Nightmare nodded and turned away from her. "Yes," she acknowledged. "There are."
"Isn't that what you wanted?" Twilight questioned.
And Nightmare Moon grimaced at that. "It is," she answered, "and yet it is not." With that said, she went silent and listened to the quiet clicking of their hooves and the hooves of other ponies, and nothing else broke the silence.
For a long while, Twilight said nothing. They walked on through the moonlit streets of Canterlot, making their way back to the palace. Ponies meandered about in the subdued light rather than locking themselves away, but it did not fill her with the joy she sought. It didn't give her peace as her dreams did. It didn't leave her feeling free.
She found her gaze torn between the sky, Twilight, and the ponies and buildings she passed. Houses and shops and restaurants were all well kept, with some of them having light flooding out into the street, causing ponies standing in the light or passing by to cast long shadows that nearly stretched to her or her student. But not all of them were. More were darkened than lit, and the ones that were lit weren't lit bright, rather dimly by magelights. While none of the buildings were in disrepair, possibly because to let such a thing happen would be a blight on the entire city, many of the stores and restaurants had signs reading 'Closed' or 'For Sale.' Some darkened windows were even boarded up.
And it brought her to feel a discomfort in her chest: seeing the effects of her return, of her permanent night, of ponies' stupidity and fear. That they did not go out and live in her night, that they refused to spend their bits. It was bad for the economy, and because of ponies' foalish fear, more ponies suffered, and because more ponies suffered, even more ponies suffered.
It was a cycle that fed on itself. A cycle that made her scowl in disgust. A cycle that was not her fault, and a cycle that would hurt Equestria and make it that much harder for her to outshine her sister. If it continued, she would have to take action of some kind.
Yet as they walked on in silence and drew closer to the castle, the buildings grew more extravagant and the rundown businesses grew less frequent. Mansions cast luminous glows into the night that outshined the stores and restaurants and homes, making her squint as she walked by. Ponies started to wear dresses and suits and kept their heads held high, as if to spite or mock her with their indifference, until she passed them by and they realized it was her, and then she saw the looks of fear that shattered their foalish self-righteousness.
And then as they drew even closer to the castle, the number of ponies dwindled as they feared to venture into the streets so close to her castle. Ponies walked along ridigly and tense, even before they spotted her, and when they did spot her, they changed direction to avoid crossing paths with her, sometimes going so far as to turn around and walk back where they came from.
She sucked in a deep breath as annoyance ate at her mind. But there wasn't a single damned thing she could do about it. Nothing would change how they looked at her. So she turned to look at Twilight, who wore a discomforted, perhaps almost sad frown as she slowly looked around and took in her home city and the ponies who lived there.
And the silence between them felt heavy, as few ponies talked to each other, and those that did, talked in quiet whispers to try to avoid being overheard.
Only once they climbed the stairs to the palace and walked through the gates did Twilight finally say, "I know this is probably silly..."
With the silence finally broken, Nightmare turned to face her student. "As I have said, if there is something you desire to talk about, I will listen."
Twilight nodded rigidly, wearing an anxious half-smile, half-grimace. "I... know we've not exactly been on the, uh, best of terms-"
"It is fine," Nightmare dismissed, turning her head back towards the castle. "I will not hold it against you; you are forgiven. As I have said, the blame does not rest solely on you."
"Right," Twilight mumbled. A few more steps passed in silence. Twilight inhaled, then reluctantly offered, "But... would... you maybe... want... to be friends?" Her student squeaked at the end.
Nightmare stopped. 'Would you want to be friends?' echoed in her mind, and her mind was torn asunder by the question. Undeniably, she wanted to grab onto that. To have somepony she could call friend, and it was her own student! Oh, how the thought brought her to reminisce on the peace those dreams where she could call Twilight 'friend' gave her! Undeniably, she wanted to just laugh at the sheer absurdity of the thought! To call a filly her friend! Somepony who would always be so young compared to her! Somepony who had been Sister's student! Somepony who could be her undoing!
Somepony who she was obsessed with. Perhaps the only pony she shared any form of a bond with. A pony who was capable of so much more than she knew; a pony destined to do great things.
A pony she was too fond of, but that didn't matter. She was Queen, and she could be as fond of somepony as she wanted.
Nightmare still squirmed where she stood. 'This... is sudden,' came to mind. They had been growing closer, but yet Twilight still surely felt some form of fear towards her. 'You're just going to kill me,' she remembered Twilight saying, and it stung at her core. For her student to not only think that but also know that not so long ago, and simply turn around and ask for friendship?
It had to be some kind of lie! There had to be something hidden in it!
But it was Twilight, and such was not in her nature.
Nightmare licked her lips and gradually turned her head to the right until her gaze fell on Twilight. "I would..." she voiced, mulling over the words she would say. "I would not be opposed to your companionship," she answered, "though..." she trailed off and looked back at the castle, her brow creasing. "Though I am, shall we say, hesitant, given..." She didn't know how to word it. That damned unease left her not knowing how to continue that Twilight so often gave her. She turned her body to face the filly and studied her expression: hopeful, but nervous, perhaps even worried. Twilight chewed on her lip and kept shifting back and forth on her hooves while waiting for her answer.
'This is wasting time,' her mind groaned out, and a grumbled growl escaped her throat. "Given that you were convinced I was going to kill you," she voiced.
Twilight cringed and looked away from her. "Ah... well, uh..." she stuttered. A few seconds passed as Twilight's ears pinned back, pressing down on her mane. "I'm sorry. I wasn't quite thinking right and-"
"It is fine," Nightmare countered. Looking back around, even if there were few guards around, she still felt exposed. "Perhaps we should speak in private?"
Twilight waited a few seconds, then nodded.
Nightmare lit her horn, then in a flash of magic, teleported the two of them to her chambers. Twilight jerked slightly, then blinked a few times before turning to face her. Before her student could say anything, she said, "You were convinced that I was going to kill you and your friends." She inhaled and extended her wing to brush a feather down Twilight's mane. "And this is not Discord's fault."
Twilight's ears drooped, and almost immediately, Twilight slumped and sat down on her haunches. Nightmare felt her own ears twitch back ever so slightly. Looking down at the floor and refusing to look at Nightmare, Twilight nodded and mumbled, "Yeah. I was..."
Nightmare sat down on her haunches and slid her wing around Twilight's back, then pulled on the filly's body. For a moment, Twilight resisted, then with a sigh, she relented, and Nightmare pulled her close. Almost instinctively, Twilight turned her head to the left and rested her head on Nightmare's shoulder.
"I was... scared," Twilight admitted. "And, well, Discord... kept saying exactly what I was afraid of and- and..." She sucked in a breath.
Nightmare felt Twilight swallow. "I will not hurt you," she reaffirmed, pressing Twilight more firmly against her chestplate and once again wishing it wasn't there. "And I would welcome your friendship."
"I've... thought about it a lot," Twilight mumbled. "Being, uh, friends. With you."
'Truly?' Nightmare wondered, though kept it to herself. She felt Twilight breathe in, then exhale.
"I just... I was afraid. I didn't trust you," Twilight admitted.
Reluctantly, Nightmare nodded in agreement. 'That much was obvious.' "What changed?"
"You... promised not to. And... well, using the Elements, I guess," Twilight answered. "I don't feel... as... scared now? I feel more comfortable around you."
"I see," Nightmare replied. "And do you trust me?"
Twilight shifted against Nightmare's chestplate, and Nightmare let up on the hug, but rather than pull back, Twilight remained in place. Cautiously, Twilight answered, "I think so..." Her student paused for a moment, then clarified, "I... know you're not going to hurt me, and I know you'd... keep me safe..."
Nightmare smiled. "Of course," she put in, then with her smile growing more, she added, "I care about you, as you are my student, and..." As insane and frivolous and banal as it was, it was welcome: "My friend."
Calling Twilight 'friend' was certainly pleasant. There was something calming about the thought that helped cast away the disappointment that everypony hated her because there was at least one pony who did not.
Twilight lifted her forelegs, wrapped them around Nightmare Moon and returned the hug. Nightmare felt assured that Twilight was smiling, even if she couldn't see her face.