Tick, tick, tick, tick. The old fashioned pendulum clock in the corner by the window was now counting down the last seconds before 9. The mechanism then stroke the bell 9 times and quieted down again.
Nightmare Moon almost zapped the clock on the 6th time; hew own head felt much like the bell being hit by the hammer. If Luna has been quiet so far, duties were not. First having to survive an embarrassment of being waked by a Guard to raise the sun and now having to work during daylight with only a few hours of sleep was quite enough to give as good a headache as Luna herself was capable of. But what wouldn’t an honest nightmare do for her dear host?
At least the Empress could send some urgent orders through dreams while she was having that unplanned nap. Maybe it wasn’t such a waste; after all, this night quite a few divisions were supposed to move elsewhere from their usual bases.
Nightmare Moon allowed herself a disgraceful yawn. She then decided to examine the tools of her day's work one more time. Spoons - check, saucers - check, cups and tea leaves inside - check and, lastly, a hot teapot - check.
For once, the ridiculously suspicious attitude, Captain Stormbreaker held towards any remaining day lovers, had some usefulness. Thanks to him the Empress had got an excuse to delay Sparkle enough to prepare her reception. In the end, this wasn’t quite an interrogation.
“Agh...” Nightmare Moon grimaced in pain as a sunbeam bounced of a silver spoon and hit the Empress right in the eye, blinding her momentarily. The Empress, then, had to pull the drapes over the window to protect her hurt sight.
“Luna, why do our subjects love the day so much anyway? Our night is so much more gentle than this!” Luna kept quiet, unmoved, “You still sulking, I see.”
Nightmare Moon felt Luna's hesitation, but the Princess delivered in the end,
“I don’t know what to think anymore. I thought I know you.”
"How can you not? We were together since your earliest days."
"You...defy my expectations recently."
“How so?”
“Well, I never saw you being delicate, to name one.”
Nightmare Moon chuckled to herself,
“Luna, you are always so quick to jump to conclusions. You are my host! Why would I want you to be upset?”
“That never stopped you before.”
Nightmare Moon sighed and looked over the draped window,
“Look, Luna, I am sorry I got us both on the moon.”
“Woooow,” Luna stretched out. “Your generosity knows no bound, Your Majesty.” Nightmare Moon smiled, now that sounded more like Luna. It would be too bland without her sarcastic nature.
“Trust me, if I could get my own body instead of taking yours I would have.”
“Makes all the difference in the world to me.”
“Luna, like it or not, we are in this together. I can’t get rid of you and you, certainly, can’t get rid of me. We can still do one thing though, we can still make peace.”
Luna pushed out a sad chuckle,
“Amazing. You, of all ponies, offering peace! You should’ve tried my sister first.”
Nightmare Moon groaned,
“Luna, you should be giving lessons in stubbornness to Apples. Again, I couldn’t help it! Even if she did accept, it wouldn’t have mattered! Her ponies would’ve thought we tortured her into it.”
“I know,” Luna weakly replied. She wasn't done though. Nightmare Moon, as usually, patiently waited for her host to finish: “Why didn't you stop me?”
The Empress snorted,
“Like you would‘ve listened. Luna, you don’t even listen to Celestia, what chance did I have?” Luna’s spirit sank again. “Oh, Luna, please, don’t fret. It turned out fine in the end.”
“With a few notable exceptions.” Luna louringly added. “Well, I suppose it can’t be helped. It’s already too late to weep now. Fine, have your peace, I won’t interfere any longer. I only ask this one thing now: try to avoid scaring Twilight out of her mind.”
The image in the Empress’ mind made her to smile,
“Don’t worry about that one, Luna. I don’t think I even can scare her. Dawn, without a doubt, told her a little too much for that. Besides, Twilight is not Rarity.”
The door received two quick knocks. Nightmare Moon looked at the clock, the Guards wasted just about enough time taking the Princess through all their procedures,
“I wonder if your new Captain convoyed her all the way here at gunpoint,” Luna remarked.
“Enter,” Nightmare Moon commanded. The door was pushed inside and a stallion in silvered armor appeared on the doorstep.
“Twilight Sparkle, Your Majesty,” he announced the arrival and moved aside to let the guest in. Twilight stepped through the opened doorway, bearing an embarrassed but stoic expression,
“She didn’t carry anything on her, Your Majesty. Your orders?”
The Empress gave both of them a mischievous look. The Captain shuffled his legs uneasily. Satisfied, the Empress finally gave her order,
“Thank you, Captain, leave us now.”
“What do we do with the other two?” The Captain asked.
“Just leave them for now. They will be waiting for Princess.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” The Captain gladly saluted and closed the door behind him.
Twilight remained standing, waiting for her own instructions,
“Well, Twilight, don’t just stand there! Have a sit!” Twilight grudgingly obeyed, Nightmare Moon proceeded to pour steaming water into the cups.
“It’s so rare we get a chance to meet and simply talk. I sometimes forget that I have two Princesses!” The Empress took a spoon and stirred her cup for a moment, before gracefully shaking and putting it behind the cup on the saucer.
Twilight kept silent, staring into her own cup. Nightmare Moon took a little sip from hers. It was still a little hot.
“Twilight, tell me, how are you these days? I hear you acquired a most fascinating book to your study.”
Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath,
“Yes, Your Majesty. It’s a biography of Starswirl the Bearded, written by Inky Mane. I believe, it was commissioned by Princess Celestia shortly after Starswirl’s disappearance.”
“Oh!” Nightmare Moon wistfully looked at the starsky mural on the ceiling, “I think, I remember a little of the old Archmage! He was constantly on the move around Equestria together with his friends, righting wrongs and protecting ponies from danger.” She chuckled, it all sounded awfully familiar now, “He always gave the sisters so much homework, they were busy all the way until he returned to check.”
Twilight pulled her eyes away from the tea and looked directly at the Empress,
“You knew Starswirl?” Now that sparked her interest.
“Not personally. He was tutoring young Celestia and Luna right before his disappearance. They both tried looking for him, but he wasn’t known to trust with the details of his missions to anyone but his own companions. Though on the day before their departure, Luna managed to eavesdrop-” Luna internally snorted “-at Rockhoof saying farewells to his Canterlot associates. He was well aware they won’t come back.”
Nightmare Moon then lifted her cup and took another sip, passing the initiative to Twilight.
“This leaves a lot more questions.” The delighted Empress smiled at Twilight totally forgetting for the moment who she was having an audience with, “If they all knew they weren’t coming back, they could leave some clue to where to find their bodies. I wonder...”
Twilight eyed the room as if searching for evidence, but the reality quickly caught up with her. Twilight then groaned, gave Nightmare Moon a sharp look and returned to her cup.
“Ah, she is adorable! Your sister always had an eye.”
“Show her the newspaper that came this morning,” Luna dryly suggested. “That should get your point across.”
“Oh.” Nightmare Moon found herself genuinely surprised, “Excellent idea, Luna.”
“Twilight, books are amazing as they are. But you absolutely must get out of your Castle more!” Nightmare Moon said in a concerned voice, “The palace staff have already forgotten how you look! When was the last time you went out to chat with a newsmare?”
“I believe I did recently,” Twilight tried to lie, provoking a knowing smile.
“Have you at least read this morning’s “Equestrian Courier?” Nightmare Moon continued her line.
“I am afraid I missed this one, Your Majesty.”
“Oh, Twilight! You are a Princess! You shouldn’t get out of touch with your realm’s affairs!” Upon finishing her scolding the Empress turned towards the cupboard.
Leaving the various crystalline and porcelain utensils alone, she went straight for the stack of papers resting on top. Upon freeing the desired print, the Empress passed it over to Twilight,
“Here, look at the very first page.”
The Empress laid back on her chair and prepared to see Twilight’s reaction, sipping on the tea. First, the young Princess simply stared, clearly not seeing any sense; after blinking a few times, the Princess widened her eyes and started desperately running through the lines.
“Is this right?” she asked upon confirming she didn’t dream any of it.
“The “Courier” is a paper of public record, they don’t spread hear-says.”
“So, we are at war?” dumbfounded Twilight asked again.
“Quite so, Twilight. But have no fear.” The Empress dropped a thick folder labeled “top-secret” on the table, “Chrysalis was foolish enough to believe she had an element of surprise. As of now, almost all forward Changeling forces were ambushed and either destroyed or pushed back. Some of our own quickest armored units have even managed to push into enemy territory.”
“You knew.” Twilight was already barely visible behind a mountain of reports, photos and recommendations.
“Of course I did!” Nightmare Moon laughed. “How can you hide a species-wide militarisation? It was the only thing Chrysalis herself and many of her subjects dreamt of! Their battle plans were hilariously easy to extract from their dreams.” Nightmare Moon ended her explanation with a wink.
“But enough of the official matters, I haven’t invited you to talk about the boring things. I believe, we drifted a little too far off. Let us start again. How are you?” No response arrived,
“I am worried about my advisor’s dearest friends. Rarity says you are falling apart, is this right?”
Again, Twilight didn’t react, continuing to stare at her own reflection in the cup.
“Hmm, this isn’t going to work.”
“The Empress cannot motivate a single subject?” Luna teased.
“Is this a challenge? Watch me.”
The Empress took off her tiara, the elegant line of silver adorned with gems to shine like stars in the sky. The symbol of night’s rule and her metal grip. Still, it did not compare to Celestia’s royal crown. By the wearer’s intention.
With a light clink the silver corona landed right in front of Twilight’s snout, almost knocking her tea over. Twilight blinked and slowly lifted her eyes at the now crownless Empress. The sneer was now gone and the look from the slitted eyes no longer gave away a concealed mock. Nightmare Moon had something to tell her now.
“Twilight,” Nightmare Moon made away with her fake attitude. “I am sorry.” Twilight lifted her brow, “I am sorry it all had to be this way. But there was no better, believe it or not."
"According to Nightmare Moon," Twilight coldly pointed out.
"Twilight, war isn't something you can start or end by a whim. Once the hostilities begin, it’s too late for friendship and harmony to save the day. You know this from experience, do you not? Not even Nightmare Moon can break the rules which run this world. Do you think I wouldn’t have if I could?”
Nightmare Moon took back the folder and fished out the orders she signed with her hoof a few nights before,
“I started no war, Twilight. But I am not Celestia, I won't pretend I am a saint. Not before Luna and not before you. There is no fooling you two regardless.” She passed the signed document to the Princess,
“Given the deceptive nature of Changeling combat tactics and their shapeshifting abilities, no mercy must be exercised upon capturing any still living members of Changeling military personnel and civilians that have shown resistance, for the risk of infiltration and sabotage is already extremely high,” Nightmare Moon cited herself.
Twilight’s eyes slowly watered, "How dare you!" The young Princess looked at her oppressor in total abhorrence,
“It wasn't enough for you to beat us! You dragged us to their level!” she kicked aside the tiara, sending it flying across the room; Nightmare Moon did not move a muscle. "Well, no surprises from you here."
“How many of your fellow ponies would you see dead to save a few Changelings?” Nightmare Moon mercilessly resumed her advance. “Twilight, there is no way of avoiding casualties in war. Someone needs to die, the only thing we can do about this is to ensure that our own friends and families will not be the ones drawing the short stick.”
“This is wrong! There is always a better way than...this!”
“And what will that way be? Are you going to simply walk over to a Changeling tank and offer them your friendship? Worked wonders with Imperial troopers, didn’t it?” Nightmare Moon lifted her Princess’ chin, revealing a bullet mark.
“Twilight, wake up. They are a species of parasites, they feed off others’ emotions. They cannot survive without doing this. They do not have another way but to prey on us. Making friends with them will not change this.
Would you rather allow them to turn everyone you know into their food? Would prefer them living their lives in misery with Changelings sucking out every last bit of their happiness?”
“Stop it!” Twilight shouted through her tears.
“Twilight, this brings me no joy.”
“Then stop!”
“I can’t,” Nightmare Moon stated with the stillness an executioner may have. “Twilight, I am not doing this because I like seeing you suffer. I am doing this because I need your help.”
The black mare freed the “Courier” from under the mountain of reports, spawned from the cursed folder. She flipped a single page and showed the headline to Twilight: “Twilight Sparkle has received an official invitation from, Her Majesty. The end of the royal hostilities?”
“How quickly the news spread,” Nightmare Moon pointed out without a single hint at a smile.
“Twilight, you cannot simply relinquish your responsibility and lock yourself up in your Castle,” Nightmare Moon hammered. "Whether your former teacher is with you, or not, you still have duties."
"I won't serve the likes of you!"
“I know," Nightmare Moon patiently followed. "And I am not asking you to serve me. I have more than enough ponies willing to jump at my any whim. Your duty is to your ponies, just as it always was." Nightmare Moon pointed at the paper again. "This is where your responsibility is. When a foal is trying to figure out who they want to be in life, do you believe they are imagining me?” For a moment a sad smile appeared on the black mare’s face.
“They don’t. They are thinking of you, Twilight. A few years ago you were a simple filly unicorn only interested in books.
But look at you now! Everypony knows your name. Your ability, wisdom, but most importantly, your devotion to your friendship allowed you to rise where not even the bravest filly could dream to get!”
Nightmare Moon stood up from her chair and approached the curtained window. With a single move of the blue aurora, she pushed the drape aside, forcing herself to look at the sunlit city through the pain.
For a few long moments she waited and then turned her eye to now astonished, but still sceptical Twilight.
“Look out of the window, Twilight. I am not asking you to do anything for me. They are the ones who need you. Canterlot citizens need you, Cloudsdale pegasi need you, soldiers on the front need you, my Guards, rough they may be, need you. Soon, even Changelings will need you.“
Nightmare Moon picked up her crown and put her back on the table, before Twilight.
“You are a Princess, Twilight. This is a great responsibility. Celestia chose you because she believed you are fit for leadership. Are you prepared to prove her wrong?” Nightmare Moon once again passed the initiative.
Twilight simply stared at the article.
"What do I need to do?" Twilight asked after many ticks of the clock.
“Now, all you need to do is to repair the rift between your dearest friends.”
“But...how? Rarity is an outsider now, Rainbow and Applejack grown so bitter they can no longer even look at her. Pinkie doesn’t care about anything that isn’t her job. And Fluttershy I can’t even find anymore!” The Princess proceeded to drop her head on the mount. Paper.
“Twilight, get a hold of yourself. You are an expert on friendship problems. How would you take care of this, if the map sent you?” Twilight slowly rose back up with a paper still stuck to her cheek. And proceeded to, finally, take a good gulp from the cup. The Empress patiently waited for an answer, stirring her own leftover tea.
Upon sufficiently calming down, the Princess began:
“I think I can get Pinkie and Rarity easy enough. Fluttershy I can reach by talking to some of her animals. One of them is bound to see her. But I don’t know what to do with AJ and Rainbow, they can’t stomach being around Rarity. They think she betrayed us by siding with you and Luna.”
“But she didn’t and she can prove it. Take Dawn with you, she will have all the evidence your friend needs to defend herself.”
“But how do I get them to listen?”
“This is the part I can help you with, I will arrange for you an occasion none of them can miss. But,” Nightmare Moon pushed down a very hard stress. “Do not tell anyone, who doesn’t need to know! This includes Rarity and everyone else you can get yourself. And NO outsiders! Do you understand?”
Twilight slowly nodded.
“Twilight, I want you to run a research for me. Again, our nation’s stability depends on this being secret. I want you to find a way to break the elemental seal on the moon.”
“You want...” Twilight had to cut short on the account of falling off the chair. Nightmare Moon quickly lifted her up.
“From this moment you are on the official Imperial duty. I will arrange for you to have every possible clearance. You will have every book and every ingredient you may need. And no Guard will disturb you. Run your research and then get your team together. Do you understand?”
“Y-yes!”
“Then go and, for everyone’s sake, remember: don’t say anything you don’t have to.”
Twilight wasted no time obeying. Nightmare Moon waited for a few moments to ensure nobody else was about to disturb her, then lifted Twilight's chair and dropped on it with an exhausted sigh.
“Are you really...” Shocked Luna tried to form a question.
“Yes, really. Please, give me a dozen minutes. Negotiations are exhaustive these days. For now, think about how do we furnish your sister’s quarters.”