The night wasn’t dreamy for Twilight Sparkle. Oddly enough, she had no dreams, neither good or bad. Nightmare Moon seemed now done with weaponizing dreams, but none at all was just lazy of her. It took Twilight a little while to realise she wasn’t even sleeping anymore.
Twilight Sparkle proceeded to yawn and sit up in her bed. The outside was still dark. She lifted up the trusty alarm clock she brought with her to the palace. The arrows pointed 2 hours, 5 minutes and 6 seconds. The longest arrow wasn’t moving.
“Ugh, you broke again,” Twilight murmured to the clock. “Spike was right, I should get a new one.”
Well, no harm in starting the work a little earlier. It’s not like she minded the dark anyway. Twilight got into her new, stupid, uniform and got herself slightly fixed up. No reason to flatter Imperials any more.
Twilight, then, took the file containing clearances and IDs from the nightstand and walked out of the room. The palace looked like it didn’t have much sleep this night either. The Guards were anxious, more than usual; as were clerks. Twilight decided not to give anyone a reason to ask where she’s supposed to be and walked straight to the palace archive. Nightmare Moon didn’t lie, she did, indeed, give her goons the order to leave Twilight alone. They were simply opening and closing the doors for her and that's all. Not even laughing and mocking her in the process. Well, one good thing at least.
The archive, though, was far from good, or even enough. It didn’t compare to the Royal Library of old. The shelling and the subsequent fire destroyed it completely. The new staff did their best to find Twilight the books she needed, but there wasn’t much they could do. Some books in the Library were the only ones of their kind, while the manuscripts… Well, no point dwelling on that.
Twilight went straight to her table, it was filled to the brink with books, notes and drawings; she explicitly told the archivists not to touch anything. This was all she had now. Twilight sighed and prepared to get back to work, the day promised to be even longer than usual.
Maybe even longer, Twilight heard some fuss being made behind the door. Twilight turned her head just in time to see Rarity’s white hoof disappear back through the door.
“Ma’am, Empress’ orders. The Princess is not to be disturbed under any circumstance.” She heard a Guard saying.
“Just let me through, you two! This is urgent!” Twilight rolled her eyes. Isn’t everything urgent these days?
“Ma’am, we have our orders! The Empress was very explicit-”
“This IS on the account of the Empress!” Rarity hammered, surprising Twilight with rare assertiveness.
“Ok, fine!” the guard bent. “But I am not taking responsibility for this.”
Rarity hastily entered, closing the door behind her. And looked over the room before stopping her sight on Twilight. She then quickly trotted to the table.
“Twilight, there’s no time! Something is very wrong today,” Rarity sounded extremely worried, on the verge of panic even. “We have to do something, quickly!”
“Eh? What is the problem this time exactly?” Twilight asked, rubbing her still sleepy eyes. Rarity simply pointed at the window, “What? You mean the hour? Rarity, can’t I now get over with my “mission” a little early?”
“Twilight! It’s 12!”
Dumbfounded Twilight stared back at the window, “So… where’s the sun?”
“That’s it, Twilight! She didn’t raise it!”
“She what now?!” Twilight sounded out. “Why?”
“Twilight, ponies are already starting to panic. Cloudy had to censor a few morning papers so they wouldn’t stress everypony even more! The Imperial Guards are fortifying the palace! Twilight, they are assembling machine guns on the eastern side! We have to do something!” Rarity stuck it to Twilight.
“You might want to chill a bit. You panicking isn’t helping anyone. Breath in, breath out, ok?”
Rarity followed the advice, but continued the same:
“Twilight, I’ve been to the throne room. There’s something very wrong with the Empress,” Rarity continued.
“When Stormbreaker told her the Guards are entering combat alert there was something in her look. Just for half a second, I don’t think anyone else noticed. Twilight, she’s afraid!”
“Nightmare Moon is afraid?” Rarity nodded, Twilight blinked and shook her head to throw away the remnants of sleep, “Ok then. Did you see anything else?”
“Well, no… I am not sure what’s wrong exactly. Everything else about her is exactly like it always was.” Twilight scratched her chin.
“I have to see this for myself.” Twilight started gathering her notes, “Let’s go give her a progress update.”
Twilight took her trusty saddlebags from another chair at the table and tucked the papers inside. Both ponies were soon trotting in the direction of the throne room.
Nightmare Moon was, as usually at this hour, sitting on her throne and receiving visitors. There was a clerk with some papers talking to her. Light Shed, Twilight managed to remember his name.
“Looks normal to me, Rarity,” Twilight said, unconvinced.
“I know, it’s very subtle. I can’t explain.”
“Huh, the gut feeling. That's familiar,” Twilight gave an encouraging smile to Rarity. “Well, we still need to figure all of this out. Let’s go.”
“If they can’t bear fighting for their Empress, I suppose we can draft someone who can. Raise the requirements. I want my soldiers to be strong, if not numerous.”
“Of course, Your Majesty. I will see that it's done.” Light Shed bowed. Nightmare Moon turned her eyes to the approaching mares and smiled at them.
“Ah! And here two of my most exemplary subjects!" Twilight rolled her eyes, "You have something to report?”
“W-we do, Empress,” Rarity answered, bowing. “Her Highness has a progress update for you, it’s regarding her project.”
“Marvellous! Lieutenant!” She turned to the guard in a silver helmet to her left.
“Yes, Your Majesty?”
“Close the reception for now. I will be back shortly,” upon giving the order Nightmare Moon immediately stood up and led her two servants to the tea room.
“Make yourselves comfortable,” Nightmare Moon instructed, sitting down at her usual place, with her back facing the cupboard. Rarity pulled over another chair and Twilight used the one already there.
“Empress, r-regrettably, we have a more urgent matter on our hooves n-now. Y-your Majesty, the Ministry of Communication reports steeply rising unrest. Your s-subjects are unhappy with the extended night.” Nightmare Moon sneered at her and looked at the window.
“Is not the Empress allowed to enjoy her beautiful night a little more before she ventures to the Dreamscape? The world won’t die from a single day without the sun.” the black mare, then, stood up and walked over to the window, giving it a dreamy smile, “Princess Sparkle, what do you have to report?”
Twilight almost gave it to her right there but bit her tongue. She, then, leaned over to Rarity,
“Dead lead, Rarity. Now we have to sit here chit-chatting with Nightmare Moon and losing time!” Twilight angrily whispered.
“Twilight…” Rarity whispered with a hint of panic. ”This isn’t her.”
“What?”
“She doesn’t talk like that! Her Majesty almost never uses names together with titles when addressing. The only time she does is when she mocks you.”
“Is she mocking me?” Rarity shook her head.
“Why the whispering, my dears?” Nightmare Moon said coming back to the table, she sounded almost offended. “No need to hide, you can always talk aloud. Now, what about that report? You’ve got something to say, are you not?” Nightmare Moon nodded at the bags.
Twilight took a deep breath. Well, if there was a good reason to end up in a dungeon, insulting Nightmare Moon was one of them. It was time for the boldest gamble of her life.
“You are not Nightmare Moon, are you?” Twilight bluntly took it to her. Rarity covered her mouth.
Nightmare Moon’s gaze wandered the room in uncertainty for a split second.
“Oh, Twilight!” she laughed. “I enjoy it when my subjects are trying to find reasons, I really do! But sometimes there is no hidden reasons! I assure you-”
“Drop your act already! You are not fooling anyone here.” Twilight jumped up at the table, flaring her horn up, “Who are you and what did you do to her?”
“Careful now, let’s not do things we all might regret...” Nightmare Moon leaned forward to face Twilight.
“So be it!” Twilight hissed. Rarity closed her eyes.
“Wait!” Nightmare Moon called out. “Fine, you caught me. No reason for anyone to get hurt.”
Nightmare Moon took off her tiara and sent a green wave from her horn down her body. The impressive stature, the ponies got used to, disappeared, leaving behind stooped and short creature both Rarity and Twilight hoped to never see again.
"Should've guessed," Twilight hissed.
Rarity immediately reached under the table to the alert button.
“No, don’t!” Shadow Crest reached to Rarity with her hoof, “They’ll kill me!”
“Back off!” Twilight rumbled, advancing with her glowing horn aimed like a lance. The changeling promptly obeyed, “What did you do to Nightmare Moon?”
“Nothing!” Shadow blinked her green eyes and shook her head, “I would never harm Her Majesty! I am her Shadow!” she pointed down at her purple uniform.
“I made this!” Rarity voiced her indignation. “Take it off, you disgusting, treacherous, roach!”
“Rarity! Wait!” Twilight had to suspend her friend in the middle of her leap, “Who are you? What in Tartarus are you doing here? And where in Equestria is Nightmare Moon?”
“I…just let me explain myself. My name is Shadow Crest. I am the night’s servant, like you two…one, sorry. I serve my Mistress in guises of others.”
“She has a pet Changeling now?!” Twilight dragged her hoof down her whole face and dropped Rarity down, “That’s it, I am done. Next time we are bringing Cloudy!” Twilight managed to get herself back on the chair, “Well, mind telling us how did you end up here? You know, we are not exactly friends for the moment.”
“This is why...how I got here. All Changelings are adepts of shapeshifting, but the Queen hoof picks the most talented hatchlings to personally train them to be her finest tools. ...My former Queen sent me to kill the Empress.”
“You are an assassin?” Twilight lifted her brow. The Changeling nodded.
“But I was no good at my art, not good enough. Thank the stars.” Shadow blinked, “I watched the palace from a distance in search of any holes in defence I can exploit, eventually, I found one. Or I believed I did.” She looked at Rarity. Rarity, seeing the reference, looked like she was either going to try another leap or die from embarrassment, “Sorry. You are just the only one who can come and go whenever you please. Well, before, Your Highness arrived.”
“Agh...” Twilight groaned, “Please, don’t call me that!” The Changeling bowed in apology.
“Sorry, the protocol.”
“So, what happened when you got to her quarters?” Twilight hurried her up.
“She was there, alone, waiting for me. I realized there was no vulnerability, she lured me in. I thought I was going to die, but she didn’t harm me. She just… talked to me, and then she simply told me to leave her room, and I did. I’ve been watching ponies for her ever since. I’ve seen so much of her and her kingdom! She is amazing!” Shadow gasped. “I cannot even imagine hurting her now!”
“Ugh… This sounds too familiar for comfort.” Twilight looked like she was going to puke, "So, I take it she left you in charge and you don't have a single idea where she is?"
"None, she only told me she was going after an artefact from 1000 years ago."
"Well, this is just wonderful! She can be anywhere at this point! We will never find her ourselves!" Twilight hit the table with her head.
“Your Highness, if I may, why do you hate her so much?” Shadow asked with genuine concern. “Can’t you see the wonders of her way?”
“I can, Shadow. This is exactly why I hate her.” Twilight rubbed her forehead.
“Darling,” Rarity finally decided to have a word. “Her Highness-”
“Stop calling me that!” Twilight shouted at both mares. Shadow blinked, but Rarity almost fell off the chair, “Sorry.”
“T-twilight, It’s just the protocol! No reason to get upset.”
“It doesn’t end there! Rarity, how can you be so blind?! It’s so obvious! This damn protocol, the uniforms, her laws and policies! Rarity, it’s all like shackles! She doesn’t even try to hide it, she openly mocks us with it! Everything she gives us she uses to control us!” Twilight drummed on the table with her hoof out of frustration.
“Rarity, please! We can’t get rid of her, sweet Celestia, we cannot go a single day without her; but please! Don’t talk like her another tool!”
Rarity stared at Twilight in shock.
“Look at her!” Twilight pointed at Shadow. “She is a willing slave! First to Chrysalis and now to Nightmare Moon, and she is happy to be! She openly says so!” Twilight lifted her hoof to wipe her tears,
“We can’t break free from her, Rarity! Nopony here can! But we don’t have to be willing tools, Rarity, I can’t swallow this!”
“Miss Sparkle, if I may,” Shadow lifted her hoof. “I think, I understand your feelings for my Mistress better now. But… weren’t you doing exactly the same things for Princess Celestia?”
“You...actually…compare?!” half-angry, half-surprised Twilight asked. The Changeling bowed again.
“Princess, I am not trying to dispute. But there’s something I don’t understand. If my Mistress upsets you for your presented reason, why Princess Celestia does not?
I may not understand how the pony way of ruling works, but from where I stand...there is almost no difference.”
It came Twilight’s time to blink, the speech has failed her,
“I mean, didn’t Princess manipulate you and your friends into defeating my Mistress for her? She, essentially, tutored you from since you were a filly you to do that one thing. From that point, you, more or less, became her personal henchmare. Why my Mistress is so different to you? Well, Princess Celestia must have been gentler. But does the Empress, really, deserve your hatred simply for not showing you the same affection? I haven't seen ponies treating others the same before.”
“Eh… S-shadow,” Rarity called. “This isn’t the topic...”
“But...why?” The Changeling mare cluelessly asked, “Princess, is this because of the War? ...Yes, I think, I understand now. Miss Rarity, Princess Twilight, If I may, I think, I have something to say on this.”
She stood up from her chair, walked over to the window and turned back to the completely frozen mares,
“If I knew that a Changeling hive is being hunted for supporting some rebellion 1000 years ago, and my Queen tried to reform our bonds: I would gladly die for that vision.”