The chariot rocked and lurched as the batponies pulling it took off, and a moment later, two flights of four batponies each fell into a formation at the left and right sides of the chariot. Twilight looked passed Cadance to watch the batponies flying on their left as they departed Canterlot, then turned her head to the right. As they rose higher above the city, she turned her gaze down to look at Equestria below.
The snow-covered plains and icy rivers that crossed the Equestrian Heartland looked so cold, so far below. The world almost seemed to glow from the moon's light reflecting off of the perfect, pure white snow. Of course, if she fell, it didn't matter how soft the ground looked. Maybe the snow would help cushion the fall, but it was still a long ways down. Even though the thought crossed her mind, it was barely worth considering: there were eight batponies to catch her.
And then there was her sister-in-law. Twilight turned her head back to look at Cadance, to watch her mane wave from the brisk wind that chilled their fur. Cadance's head was tilted back slightly, turned to the left, her gaze set on the scarred moon. For a while, Cadance simply stared at it, her thoughts unknowable—although Twilight had some idea of what they could be.
Her sister-in-law blinked, then faced Twilight with a serene smile, one reminiscent of the ones Princess Celestia gave. And maybe, one a little warmer, a little fonder, than the ones the Princess gave.
"It's a nice view, isn't it?" Cadance asked.
"Yeah," Twilight agreed, gradually turning to look off at the horizon.
The city of Cloudsdale, still so far away, stood out as a large, blurry mass of clouds. Silver-white tops, and darker gray bottoms, mixed with the hazy, faint glow of a few rainbows that reminded her of her friend's mane.
"So, now that we have time to talk," Cadance ventured, her voice rising with specific inflations that Twilight recognized as playful, "how is my favorite sister-in-law doing?"
Twilight smiled sheepishly and turned back to Cadance. "I'm your only sister-in-law," she pointed out.
Cadance's smile warmed even more, and her former foalsitter laughed a soft, happy laugh. "That doesn't mean you can't be my favorite," the alicorn pointed out.
They shared a silent smile for a few seconds. "I'm doing okay," Twilight finally said. Her smile faded and she turned back to stare at the far-distant pegasus city. "Nervous. A little worried too." She faced Cadance. "But okay."
Cadance's smile had had on a softer, sadder expression, and her sister-in-law nodded solemnly. "I wish we could do this under better circumstances, but I guess we hardly have the choice anymore," Cadance sighed.
"Yeah..." Twilight whispered. She wasn't sure what else to say, so she turned back to Cloudsdale. 'I should talk to you about the Resistance and... my infiltrating it.'
Twilight pursed her lips; the thought that she had infiltrated the Resistance just seemed so odd.
Shaking the thought from her mind, Twilight turned back to Cadance and charged a spell, then cast it; nothing they said would leave the confines of the chariot. Cadance noticed and looked at her questioningly. "So we can talk privately," Twilight said.
Cadance smiled playfully once more. "Oh?"
Twilight shifted where she sat. "Yes. Um..." she tailed off. 'How do I approach this the best?' "Right, uh, has Nightmare Moon mentioned the Resistance to you?"
A little of Cadance's playfulness died, wilting like a plant in the desert would; the alicorn nodded. "She has."
"And that I uh... infiltrated a group? Or the group. It's the only one we know of—including the Resistance itself. Though I suppose there are probably other groups that are less organized still resisting Nightmare Moon's rule to some extent..." Twilight trailed off with a grimace.
Cadance frowned.
"Anyway," Twilight breathed out hastily. "I uh, I haven't really had the chance to talk to you. But basically, they wanted me to talk to you—which..." she trailed off and paused. "I'm... not sure why I am, other than so that... you're... aware that I'm..." her muzzle scrunched up, not sure of what to say. "Infiltrating it?" she settled on.
A moment passed. 'Yes I could word that better.' "They wanted me to ask you if you'd help—"
"And you've infiltrated them for Nightmare Moon," Cadance added.
"Er, yes..." Twilight mumbled. "You know, when you put it like that, I'm not sure why I'm asking. Other than... maybe it's important to... talk to you? About it? So that you don't stumble into some kind of trap and the whole thing explodes in our faces.” Cadance grimaced. “They also wanted me to talk to my brother to see where the Royal Guard stood on the matter, and if the Royal Guard would help them when the time came."
Cadance's lips pulled back into a grimace. "This isn't going to end well, Twilight," her sister-in-law cautioned.
"Yeah..." Twilight muttered, turning back away from Cadance. "I figure this is probably going to blow up in my face, but..." she turned back to Cadance. "I have to try, right? If I can influence them so that fewer ponies are hurt—I have to try, right?"
Cadance didn't immediately answer, rather, she turned away from her to look at the moon again. "Is that what you want to accomplish?"
Twilight nodded. "Yes. I don't want ponies to be hurt."
"Do they want to hurt ponies?" Cadance asked.
Twilight opened her mouth, only to hesitate. A few seconds passed. She closed her lips and looked at the railing. "I don't think they want to hurt ponies... but if they have to in order to achieve their goals, some of them are... less concerned about it than others. Some of them also think that the only way to fix things is by killing Nightmare Moon." It probably didn't need to be said that, "I don't agree with that."
Cadance turned back to her. "Are you actually going to help them?"
Twilight hesitated again. 'They might be able to help get Princess Celestia back, but I can't just give up on Nightmare Moon.' She felt her lips pull into a strained grimace. "Maybe. It depends. I'm not going to betray Nightmare Moon, but..." she trailed off and looked over at the batponies flying escort at the right. "I want Nightmare Moon and Princess Celestia to make amends. Nightmare Moon needs to forgive her, and Nightmare Moon needs to bring back the sun. If I can keep ponies safer by helping the Resistance, and if I can convince Nightmare Moon to bring back the sun and forgive Princess Celestia, then..." she trailed off.
A few seconds later, Twilight felt the tips of Cadance's feathers against her back and turned to look at her sister. "I'll help you however I can," Cadance murmured, then her expression stiffened with rebuke. "But I would be upset if my favorite sister-in-law got herself hurt."
Twilight smiled again. "I'm being careful."
Cadance's wing pulled her close, and Twilight leaned into her sister's side, accepting the hug. A moment later, her sister leaned down to nuzzle her neck and then hold her there. 'This is nice...' Yes, Cadance's hug felt warm and loving. Like Nightmare Moon's hugs, but different. Warmer? More loving? Closer? She wasn't sure.
Maybe it was that Cadance didn't carry around everything Nightmare Moon did. Maybe it was that Twilight had known Cadance since she was a foal.
Cadance's head lifted away from her, but her sister's wing stayed in place to keep her held to her side. "So what do you need me to do?"
Twilight breathed in deep, then exhaled. "I don't know yet. Uh... just... keep talking to Nightmare Moon like you already do."
Cadance looked at her and smirked; her sister's eyes caught the moonlight just right so that her eyes had a predatory glint, but one so different from what Nightmare Moon used to have. "All right," her sister happily agreed.
Twilight licked her lips, which only made the wind dry them out almost immediately. "And um..." she looked at Cadance's shoulder. 'How should I approach this?'
"Mhm?" Cadance softly hummed.
Twilight looked back up and met Cadance's gaze. "My birthday is coming up."
Cadance smiled fondly and nodded. "That it is. Is there something you were wanting?"
Twilight shifted uncomfortably. "Um. Maybe. But... you make it sound..." she trailed off, thinking, 'You make it sound like I'm still a little filly.' "Um. Right. I was thinking about it, and... I'm wondering what Nightmare Moon is planning—" she winced, “—if anything—" she shifted her weight, "—for my birthday."
"Not that I um, think she has to do anything. Really, I-I'd be fine with nothing," Twilight hastily amended.
"But there's something you want," Cadance stated. And knowing her sister, Twilight suspected Cadance already knew what that was.
'My face feels warmer than it should. I'm blushing, aren't I?' Twilight fidgeted again; Cadance's wing tightened to hold her still. Likely not to prevent her from falling out of the chariot. "I was, um, just... wondering about... if Nightmare Moon would..."
Twilight fidgeted again.
"...ask..." she mumbled, her voice falling even quieter.
Twilight couldn't finish the sentence she had in mind. Not that she needed to. She felt Cadance breathe in, felt her sister's wing gently brush down her back to comfort her, then stroke back up and hold her once more. "Do you want her to?"
Twilight hesitated, then swallowed, and finally nodded. "I um, I've thought about it and... yes. I want her to, um, well, at least... ask."
Cadance hummed softly and thoughtfully. "But you don't know if she will."
Twilight grimaced and nodded, then forced herself to look at Cadance. "She's..." 'Reserved. Worried. Afraid. Scared.' Her eyes jumped to Cadance's shoulder. "Yeah..." she relented.
"Do you want me to talk to her?" Cadance offered.
"If—um, you can do it... subtly," Twilight answered.
Cadance grinned. "Mhm. I will try to convince her to convince herself to ask you." Her sister casually turned her head back to Cloudsdale. "I'm sure she'll ask for my advice. Probably... talk to me about it."
A few seconds passed in silence. Twilight breathed in deep, then exhaled and felt relieved, either from the breath or having told Cadance.
"A lot," her sister added.
Twilight glanced at Cadance; her sister faced Cloudsdale but looked at her with that playful glint in her eyes. "Thank you."
Cadance turned to face her and nodded. "Of course, Twilight. We're sisters now. If you ever need anything—and really the same applied before—just ask, okay?"
Twilight breathed in and nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Cadance."
Her sister hummed fondly. They both turned to look towards Cloudsdale and they fell into a peaceful, shared silence.
Approaching Cloudsdale by Chariot gave Twilight a great opportunity to look over the city from above. The view was breathtaking; the pegasus city caught the moonlight just right to softly shine as if the surfaces of the clouds had the faintest touch of silver to them, and despite her expectations, the structures weren't solely composed of cloud—or if they were, the pegasi had methods that somehow made their clouds able to resemble similar materials that other ponies would use, meaning the city was not a monotonous white-gray-blue.
Despite the pegasi's ability to fly, giving them far-reaching vertical access, the city was not stacked on top of itself but spread out to take up an area that looked comparable to Manehattan. The pegasi that flew about between the city's different districts and varying buildings kept their distance, either recognizing them, or because of the escort accompanying them. Yet despite the pegasi's dedication to flying, there were still 'roads' and plazas adorning the city's surface that pegasi still used, some pulling carts carrying various supplies Twilight couldn't make out from receiving areas deeper into the city, some seemingly just enjoying walking on the surface of the clouds.
Twilight even spotted a few unicorns below, wearing bright orange vests and carefully being supervised by nearby pegasi wearing what looked like blue vests, but it was hard to tell.
Even on the most practical of the structures—the ones which weren't residential homes, at least—she could make out below was the telltale pegasus aesthetic. Other than being made from clouds, they wove columns together to support porticos, though whatever passed for 'engravings' in the clouds was impossible for her to make out given the limited light and distance. The tops of the buildings were almost exclusively puffy clouds that almost seemed more like a fog than anything more substantial.
The chariot started descending as they neared the city's center, towards a mostly-deserted street, though she still saw a few Royal Guard pegasi lining the edges of the street.
The landing was a little smoother than the take-off; the reinforced structural cloud that made up the 'street' that they landed on was still far more absorbant to shock than stone was, even if it had similar properties to stone, namely, that anypony could walk on it. A few more steps from the batponies, and they were stopped. Half of their escort landed almost perfectly in sync, all of them turning so their backs were to them, while the other half stayed in the air.
It seemed silly to Twilight, as the street—and sky—was deserted. She didn't even hear any ponies, not even distantly, aside from the batponies surrounding them and Royal Guards. Cadance looked at her and lit her horn, and a moment later, she felt the tingle of a spell—a cloudwalking spell, just in case—take hold of her. Her sister stood and turned, and she followed. Cadance stepped off the chariot first, and she followed.
The reinforced cloud had some give to it compared to solid ground, but nowhere near as much as normal cloud would if she were only using magic.
Cadance and Twilight walked around to the front of the chariot. She glanced over the four batponies hitched to the chariot as they walked by. For the most part, they remained stoic, aside from bowing their heads as Cadance and her passed.
A trio of Royal Guard pegasi came to a stop and bowed. "Princess Cadance. Lady Twilight Sparkle."
'Still not used to that title.'
The three guards stood back up. "How is it?" Cadance asked.
The Royal Guard at the head of the group stoically answered, "There’s a crowd at the Capitol Building, but they haven't caused any trouble."
"That's a relief," Cadance sighed.
"This way, your Highness," the Royal Guard said. They walked forward while the Royal Guard escort turned to lead. Their batpony escort followed closely, equally distributed between flying, their sides, and following behind them.
"I've never been to Cloudsdale before," Twilight commented.
Cadance looked at her and hummed. "I suppose you wouldn't have been here before. It's a lovely city, most of the time."
"Most of the time," Twilight echoed.
Cadance breathed in and looked straight ahead. "Before Nightmare Moon's return. And it's still nice most of the time, but it's not the same as during the day."
"Nothing is," Twilight agreed.
The pegasus in front of her glanced back at her uncomfortably before looking ahead again. 'Right. You're probably nervous now, with my having said that since there are batponies around.' She held in a sigh. "How far is it to the Capitol Building?"
"About ten minutes," the Royal Guard leading answered.
"It seems... quiet," Twilight commented. "Quieter than I'd expect for this time of night."
"Cloudsdale isn't as busy anymore, and we also cleared out this area for your arrival."
"Oh." They walked on in silence and Twilight pondered the answer while she let herself take in the city. In a way, the architecture reminded her of Canterlot. Even though the walls were made out of cloud, she could tell it was reinforced cloud, meaning that the structures had comparable permanence to Canterlot. And that pegasi couldn’t just fly through the walls On accident or on purpose.
"So, how is Thorax getting along?" Cadance asked.
Twilight turned back to her sister and answered, "Well enough. Most ponies are warming up to him besides just my friends."
"That's good," Cadance hummed sweetly.
"Yeah. I was worried that ponies wouldn’t like him but it's not so bad. Especially once they get to know him."
They walked on.
"And once they get over some of his... quirks."
Cadance tilted her head towards her. "Oh?"
Twilight looked aside at Cadance. "It's..." she trailed off. "It's hard to explain. Just how he acts, I guess. Which there's nothing wrong with it, it's just... unusual."
Cadance hummed in thought. "He is a changeling." Her voice had hesitation in it that she recognized as Cadance’s concern. Given what had happened, she could hardly blame Cadance. If it wasn’t for being around Thorax as much as she was, Twilight would probably feel the same way, if not worse.
Twilight breathed in and nodded. "It still shows. Granted, he's not trying to suck the love from anypony, which is nice. It was actually almost funny, one time Cranky Doodle and Matilda were eating outside and we were walking by and—uh, well, I didn't think anything about it, and the next thing I know he's sitting at the table with them while they're trying to kiss."
Twilight hesitated. “You... kind of had to be there, I guess.”
“Ah... well, I hope that nothing bad happened.”
Twilight shook her head. “No. It was fine. Awkward, yes, but we sorted it out.”
"Did you ever figure out a solution to his... diet?" Cadance asked carefully.
Twilight grimaced and shook her head. "No. But he's... said it's not been a problem yet." She hesitated and looked aside at Cadance. "I'm worried it's just a matter of time, and I haven't exactly found anything that can... suffice. He can eat pony food, but it doesn't do what feeding on love does."
"I'm sure you'll figure it out," Cadance said softly.
Twilight turned away from Cadance and breathed out. 'I hope so.' “Some of the changelings imprisoned in Canterlot aren’t doing as well. It’s... I...” she trailed off, her body slumping and her eyelids closing. “I don’t think I’m going to find a solution before...” she trailed off and bit her lip.
And a moment later, Twilight felt Cadance’s wing resting on her back. She swallowed and turned her head, then reluctantly opened her eyes. Cadance looked at her with a soft, reassuring expression. “As hard as it is to admit, Twilight... sometimes there’s nothing anypony can do,” her sister murmured softly.
And it was almost enough to make Twilight stop in her tracks. She forced herself on and breathed in, then shook her head. “I don’t... I don’t understand it. I’ve tried magic and I’ve tried potions. I even had Zecora help, but... but nothing’s worked.” An idea occurred to her; she lifted her head back up. “Or-or maybe it has and we just didn’t realize it, since... since he’s not been having any problems...” ‘But... what would it have been?’
She needed to review her notes, which were back in Ponyville.
She sighed, her mood decidedly worse off than before.
"What about Shining? How's his replacement coming along?"
Cadance rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I think he's trying to sabotage him on purpose so that he can stay Captain of the Guard, but he's doing well enough."
"Sounds like a demotion to me, going back to Captain of the Guard from Prince."
Cadance hummed. "As he puts it, they're his family too."
Twilight grimaced again. 'Yeah...' "What about the army?"
Cadance raised an eyebrow at her. "I'd think you would know more about that than me," her sister said. "Nightmare hasn't discussed it very much with me."
"Right..." Twilight breathed out. "Uh. It could be worse."
"But it could also be better," Cadance caught on.
Twilight grimaced. "It's not a surprise, really. Even with the changeling attack on Canterlot," she muttered.
Cadance hummed. "I still don't like being used as propaganda for recruiting."
"Well, you know, if Nightmare Moon was in it, everypony would join some organization or another to oppose her."
"Fair point, but still," Cadance sighed.
"I think I know what you mean," Twilight agreed. "I don't like the militarization. It could definitely be worse, but I don't like it."
"At least she's not planning to take over the world with it," Cadance mumbled. A moment passed in silence and Cadance warily tilted her head toward Twilight. "She isn't planning to take over the world with it, is she?"
Twilight frowned pointedly. "Of course not," she flatly retorted.
"Just making sure..." Cadance muttered.
Twilighyt pointedly lifted her head to the sky. "Besides, I wouldn't let her," she said matter of factly; then smiled.
Cadance rolled her eyes and smiled. "And how's your, I think the term Nightmare Moon prefers to use is training, going?"
"Well enough, I guess. I keep having to remind her that I'm not a soldier when she's pushing me, but she keeps pushing me anyway. Which doesn't surprise me. I’ve been landing more spells on her, but she has started to favor getting... close, instead of keeping her distance.” Twilight groaned and shook her head. “And I’m struggling to deal with that. I know she has plans for me, and I know she wants to see me..." she trailed off. "She wants to see me reach my potential."
Whatever that was.
Twilight shook her head again. "It’s frustrating though. Nothing I do seems to actually work or it just barely slows her down. And I think she's not telling me something. I don't know what. I know she's not lying to me, but I don't think she's telling me everything. Which is strange since she's normally... extremely open with me." 'Maybe too open,' she mused. But if Nightmare was too open with her, it was a good thing, for so, so many reasons. And she was grateful for it. "She always seems to stop herself from saying something. I think she's afraid to say it."
Maybe she was overthinking it, or maybe it was something that Nightmare Moon had already told her.
Cadance frowned but said nothing on that matter. "How are the rest of your friends doing, anyway?"
Twilight smiled; it was a much better topic to discuss. "They're doing pretty good for the most part. Rainbow Dash is still frustrated at the permanent night—along with the rest of the weather pegasi—but she's holding on. Applejack is... well, I've not seen her as much as I would like. Always busy with her farm and all that... the snow hasn’t really helped anypony, either." she trailed off, unable to stop her mood from souring again. "Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are doing mostly okay, and Rarity's business has been doing better lately since it's almost Spring."
Cadance hummed. “Hopefully things will get better with Spring. It’ll be a nice change of pace.”
“I hope so too.” Twilight could see a plaza ahead, or more accurately, a roadway encircling a large, prominent structure—the capitol building, she presumed. It was still quiet, and she didn't see anypony else, either, aside from a few Royal Guards. They seemed to be approaching from the side, rather than the front.
"Any idea what to expect?" Twilight asked.
"I’m not sure. Pegasi striking and protesting, maybe some more prominent pegasi wanting to speak with us, and maybe they'll try to get concessions other than bringing back the sun and Princess Celestia," Cadance listed off. "For the most part, just listening to what they have to say and helping with those problems is usually enough to keep things civil."
"If only Nightmare Moon was better at that," Twilight muttered.
Cadance hummed in agreement. "Maybe you should tell her that?"
Twilight flexed her eyebrows up and leaned her head to the right. "I have," she admitted. "But..." she trailed off and shook her head as she inhaled. "It's easier said than done. Especially when she's... rather entrenched in her beliefs about certain things."
Cadance sighed softly and nodded. "She is. But I think you could get through to her.” A few seconds passed; Cadance bobbed her head to the right. “Although, I could be entirely wrong about what to expect since everypony knows we’re visiting tonight. They may just want to hear what I have to say."
‘And they’d listen to you because they love you, while with Nightmare Moon they would listen because they’re afraid.’
“Of course, there are some issues with working conditions to be addressed as well,” Cadance commented.
They crossed the street; Twilight looked right and saw a crowd of pegasi gathered in front of the building. Some held signs reading, "Free our Princess!" and "Bring back the day!" Most others simply stood in the crowd. All of them were silent, and none of them flew. A thin line of pegasi and batponies blocked off their street from the crowd, but there were gaps between them large enough for one or two pegasi to fit through.
"Well, at least they're peaceful compared to Manehattan," Twilight commented as they climbed up the stairs to the building's side entrance.
Cadance hummed in agreement. "It's always better when ponies are reasonable and peaceful. Hurting other ponies doesn't help anypony and just makes things worse."
"Princess. Lady Twilight Sparkle," greeted one of the two Royal Guards at the doors; they both bowed before them. "The Mayor is waiting for you." The two of them opened the doors; the three Royal Guards who had led them stopped and took the place of the two Royal Guards who now walked inside to lead them. Twilight followed Cadance, and their batpony escort followed after her.
The hallway was warmly lit from lighting fixtures attached to the walls, and the floor reminded her of wood, though it was only reinforced cloud with a red rug laid laid out for them to walk on. She suspected that the rug was usually there, and that it wasn’t set out for the occasion of their—mostly Cadance’s—visit. While the roofs of the buildings seemed like a fog, the walls and ceilings inside looked solid; were it not for the color and knowing it was cloud, she might have been convinced it was wood paneling or stone.
The Royal Guards led them to a stairwell, then up to the second level, and to another hallway deeper into the building. A few secretaries noticed their approach and hastily ducked into side rooms as they passed; a few of them even bowed at their passing from the doorways. Cadance made sure to smile at each and every one of them. Eventually, they arrived at a double doorway with one pegasus Royal Guard standing on each side. The Guard leading them knocked on the door, and then went ahead and pushed it open. "Princess Cadance and Lady Twilight Sparkle are here," the Guard announced.
The room beyond was easily distinguishable as the Mayor's Office, given first and foremost the desk centered towards the back of the room and a large rug in the middle of the room bearing the seal of Cloudsdale. The Mayor, an older pegasus stallion with a light blue coat and grayed, slicked-back mane, wore a tan-brown suit as he sat in his chair, facing the window behind the desk. He perked up at the announcement of their arrival, and he swiveled around in his chair to face them. His wings, folded to his sides in a relaxed manner, were well-preened. "Ah, Princess Cadance." He climbed down from his chair, smiling. "Please, come in," he beckoned as he walked around the desk.
Cadance walked inside. "Mayor Air," was her sister's calm, kind greeting. Twilight followed Cadance; the door closed behind her, leaving the three of them alone.
The Mayor fell into a short yet respectful bow. "A pity that we have to meet like this again. One of these nights, it would be far preferable to be able to simply sit down and have a meal together without having to discuss politics."
Cadance smiled sadly and nodded. "At least it's peaceful from what we saw coming here."
The Mayor nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes. Very good indeed. Your last visit certainly left a lasting impression," he offered. His eyes gradually slipped to the right and he tilted his head to the left. "Though..." he trailed off, seeming to ponder his next words carefully. "It leaves—" he looked at Cadance again, "—something to be desired."
With that said, the Mayor breathed in and set his gaze on Twilight. "Twilight Sparkle. Lady. Twilight Sparkle," he said, then approached her with a seemingly calculated, yet frail stride. "When Queen Nightmare Moon informed me that you would be accompanying Princess Cadance on this visit, I was pleasantly surprised."
Twilight smiled uncomfortably. "Well, she thought I needed experience in seeing Cadance addresses this sort of thing."
The Mayor hummed gruffly and nodded. "I think it'll do you good. One of these days your generation will be taking over, you know," he said thoughtfully. "I suspect Princess Celestia, were she here, would agree that ponies could learn a lot from sitting down and listening to what other ponies had to say. She did it often, you know."
Twilight nodded.
"Listening does wonders," he added absently, then turned and walked back around his desk before sitting down facing them again. "You, of course, have my full support, Princess. And that of my staff. If there's anything you need, just let me know and I will make it happen."
Cadance nodded. "Thank you—" her sister turned to look at Twilight, "—though I don't think we're going to be staying all that long."
"Of course," the Mayor acknowledged, drawing Cadance's attention back to him. "Everything should be ready for your address, if you're ready, Princess."
"Thank you, but I wouldn't exactly call it an address," Cadance said.
The Mayor offered a casual shrug. "With respect, Cadance, I've been in politics long enough to know that you can frame things however you want with wording. You're still talking to them to convince them to support the Weather Factory and Nightmare Moon's rule, which they're not happy with, even if they're not protesting like before. Yes—" he bowed his head, "—you're going to listen to what they have to say—" then he lifted his head back, "—but again, with respect, you're here for a purpose, Princess."
Cadance's lips drew into a strained line as the Mayor spoke, and when he finished, Cadance reluctantly nodded. "Will you be accompanying us?"
The Mayor breathed in quickly and shook his head. "No. I'm afraid not, Princess. I have a few meetings to attend to while you're speaking with everypony." He shook his head tiredly and cast his gaze to his desk. "You would not believe how many nightmares this is causing here in Cloudsdale." He gave a half-grunt, half-huff. “And the rest of Equestria, for that matter. The weather does not order itself.”
Cadance grimaced in sympathy. "We'll leave you to it, then. It was nice seeing you again, Hot Air."
He looked up from his desk and smiled genuinely. "You too, Cadance. Stay safe."
Cadance nodded and turned, and a moment later, Twilight followed Cadance back out into the hallway. The cloud doors closed behind them with hardly a sound, and their batpony escort followed closely. "I take it you know him personally?"
Cadance bobbed her head to the left. "Somewhat." Her sister breathed in deep, then sighed, "Believe me when I say it helps to have good relations with the ponies running things. Nightmare Moon is the Queen, be she can't run Equestria without ponies willing to support her."
"She doesn't have a very good relationship with anypony," Twilight muttered.
Cadance hummed. "She has a good relationship with a few ponies. Us."
"And nopony else," Twilight acknowledged.
"She has warmed up to Raven."
A few steps in silence.
"Somewhat," Cadance clarified.
Twilight shook her head and sighed. "Yeah. She doesn't open up easily. At all. Though she is open with me..."
Cadance hummed again. “I think that’s an understatement.”
Which, Twilight agreed, likely was.
The rest of the trip through the capitol, this time heading for the grandiose lobby where they would exit from the proper front entrance to greet the crowd, was silent. Like the architecture of the Canterlot Castle, the lobby had pillars, though the castle was nowhere near as spacious and open. Two of the batponies hurried ahead of them, then two Royal Guards opened the double doors.
Cadance led outside, and after a few steps, stopped on the porch to look over the crowd: a few hundred pegasi, stretching from one side of the street to the other. The line of Royal Guards and batponies that held separated from the capitol looked even sparser than before, meaning that there was very little actually stopping the crowd from coming closer if they wanted.
And knowing that made Twilight nervous, even if nopony looked like they were about to attack them. She fidgeted on her hooves; Cadance noticed and looked at her with a calming smile that she tried to take to heart, but it didn't help. 'It seems like every time I've been on this side of a crowd lately, it's ended badly.'
Fortunately, that was only a few times. Namely, when Nightmare Moon declared to the entire world that she was her student, and Manehattan.
Both of which were terrible experiences.
'I'm being paranoid. Like Nightmare Moon.' Twilight wondered if that was ironic; was Nightmare Moon inadvertently teaching her to be paranoid? 'The ceremony honoring us went okay. But everything else more or less hasn't.'
Twilight put it aside and lingered back as Cadance continued forward; Cadance was, after all, the Princess, and she was only there to watch and learn. Their batpony escort fidgeted uncomfortably, looking amongst themselves as Cadance pushed forward and she stayed behind. In the end, they split into two even groups, with four of them accompanying Cadance and the other four staying beside her.
'It's almost like when I've been with Nightmare Moon and she's addressed crowds.' Aside from the whole, nopony cowered in fear or backed up at Cadance's approach. Really, it was a nice, welcome change of pace. And Rather than Nightmare Moon, who would approach the crowd cautiously, Cadance walked towards them with genuine openness that she wasn't sure Nightmare Moon was even capable of.
Cadance paused and looked back at her. Expectantly. Twilight shifted uncomfortably as her jaw tensed, but relented and walked back to Cadance's side, closely followed by her escort. "You do need the experience Twilight," came Cadance's musical, yet somehow playfully pointed voice.
"Yes, well, I didn't want to be in the way," Twilight defended.
Cadance hummed fondly. "You're never in the way. Now come on."
They descended the stairs and walked out into the street, approaching the line of guards. Cadance paused and looked at the batponies, nodding once to one of them. "Wait here. We'll be fine."
The batpony that Cadance addressed shifted uncomfortably and offered a terse bow. "As you wish, Princess."
Cadance smiled reassuringly, then they crossed the distance to the line of guards. "Princess," the closest guard cautioned, "I don't think—"
"We'll be fine. None of them want to hurt us," Cadance repeated as surely as before while they walked passed the line of guards. The pegasi in the crowd started bowing to Cadance, slowly at first, but gradually sweeping through the ranks. Not all the way to the ground, and some with more resistance than others, but they respected and loved Cadance in a way that Nightmare Moon didn't have.
A way Twilight wasn't sure Nightmare Moon could have.
And for it, Twilight looked at Cadance, feeling a touch of disappointment. 'There has to be a way to make this right,' she reaffirmed.
"There's no need to bow. Rise," Cadance said. Her voice came soft and musically, neither condemning nor ordering, filled with compassion. It carried over the light breeze to touch the ears of everypony in the crowd, who rose back to their hooves as one. "Thank you," Cadance said genuinely.
One of the pegasi in the front shifted, squirming where he stood before taking a step forward. "Princess—"
A little pegasus filly ran out between his legs, staring up at Cadance with wide eyes. "Princess?"
"Hello," Cadance greeted the filly, leaning down closer to her face, smiling even more warmly. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to meet you,” the filly answered innocently. From the crowd, she saw a few heads moving about hastily, then saw them gradually pushing their way to the front. “My parents said this might be the only time I ever get to see you.”
Cadance’s smile flickered for a moment before settling. “I don’t know about that,” Cadance replied.
The filly puffed her cheeks out. “You’re a busy pony!”
Cadance nodded solemnly. “It’s true,” came as if it were an admission of guilt. “I have to take care of a lot of ponies in Equestria right now.”
The crowd separated at the front and two ponies—a stallion and a mare—pushed their way out, wincing and wings bristling with agitation and possibly anxiety as they made their way to the filly. “F-forgive us, Princess.” The filly looked back at her parents.
“That’s alright,” Cadance murmured softly. “Why don’t you run along with your parents, now?” Cadance suggested sweetly.
The filly sighed. “They’re just going to make me go home and then I won’t get to hear what you have to say!”
Cadance laughed sweetly. “That’s okay. I tell you the same thing that I’m going to tell everypony else, just... put a little differently. How does that sound?”
The filly’s eyes widened and her wings buzzed eagerly. “Really?”
“Mhm,” Cadance said with a graceful nod. “It’s very important, too,” her sister said with just a hint of sternness in her voice. The filly stiffened, focused on what Cadance had to say. “Treat other ponies the way you want to be treated. Remember to be kind, be honest, stick up for your friends. Always smile. Find good wherever you can, and help others to see it too,” her sister spoke softly.
Cadance breathed in and solemnly shook her head. “And never hate. No matter how much you may want to, hate doesn’t help anypony. It only hurts others, and it can hurt yourself too. I know a pony who is filled with hate...”
The filly’s face scrunched up for a moment, then her mouth parted with realization. “Nightmare Moon?”
Cadance nodded gracefully. “Yes... and she’s unhappy all of the time because she has so much hatred and bitterness. She resents her sister for hurting her and now a lot of ponies are angry at her... Because she was hurt, she’s hurting other ponies.”
The filly looked at the cloud beneath Cadance’s hooves for a few seconds, then looked up at Cadance’s face and nodded. “She shouldn’t be doing that.”
Cadance nodded gently in agreement. “She shouldn’t be. But she is, because she’s still angry.”
“Because she was hurt..?” the filly ventured. Cadance nodded. The filly looked at the cloud again. “I wouldn’t hurt anypony...”
Cadance hummed softly. “I’d hope not. I would be sad to see you hurt anypony.” Her sister’s eyes lifted to the crowd. “Or anypony hurt another pony.”
The filly nodded.
“Come along, dear,” the filly’s mother beckoned, and after some coaxing, the filly walked over to her mother’s side. As the trio walked to the crowd, ponies parted, cleaning a straight line for them to make their way to the other end. The aisle it created lingered, and the filly looked back at Cadance, smiling happily before bounding off with her parents.
‘That was... a nice way to say that.’ Yes, and for it, Twilight smiled. ‘You’re good with foals.’ Which was a given, considering Cadance had been her foalsitter. And Cadance herself seemed a little happier for having the chance to talk to the filly.
Another pony, a stallion with a hard set expression, forced his way to the front of the crowd. Looked Cadance right in the eye. “How can you defend and excuse Nightmare Moon like that? After all she’s done.” Quiet and forceful, intent, not unlike how Nightmare Moon could threaten.
“I don’t defend her, and I don’t excuse her actions either,” Cadance answered in a soft, calm voice.
“And yet you’re here,” the stallion retorted. “To make us fall in line for her. The fact that Nightmare Moon isn’t here herself just shows how weak and how much of a coward she is!”
Twilight glanced back; the batponies and royal guards were visibly uncomfortably, almost all of them focused on the stallion rather than the crowd. And turning back to the crowd, most of them likewise looked at the stallion with mixed expressions—but not agreement.
“And you defend her,” the stallion stated. “She took the sun, took the day, and forced this night on all of us! She killed her own sister!” he shouted, then quieter, “Your aunt. Your family.” His words dripped with anger and disgust.
For a while, Cadance stayed silent. Twilight wasn’t sure if Cadance was trying to figure out what to say, or if Cadance was giving the stallion an opportunity to say more or calm down. “What Nightmare Moon has done is wrong,” her sister agreed, then nodded her head. The stallion scowled bitterly. “I don’t defend what she’s done. I don’t excuse her actions. But I understand why she does what she does.” A moment passed; her sister shook her head. “That doesn’t make it right. That doesn’t mean I defend her.”
“You’re still here to make us fall in line. To make sure we don't cause problems or speak up,” he spat. “You still support her. You could stand up to her but you don’t. You’re just as guilty as she is.” A lot of ponies in the crowd visibly frowned at him; he looked at Twilight. “Both of you are.”
Twilight frowned but said nothing, knowing Cadance could handle it better than she could.
“Do you want to me do nothing?” Cadance asked genuinely. “Do you want me to make her come here herself to talk to you? You say that I support her, yet I don’t condone what she’s done. It’s wrong. Why do you think I support her?”
He said nothing, only standing there, muscles tensed as he seethed.
“If I didn’t support her as you call it, do you think you would be better off?” her sister asked genuinely.
“You could stand up to her! You’re an alicorn princess!” he argued. “And the fact that you don’t just shows that you’re a coward who doesn’t care about anypony except herself!” he yelled at her sister.
Twilight heard metal shifting behind her, saw two, then four batponies step forward. Slowly and cautiously. And then watched her sister pointedly and slowly turned her head back to look at them. And at her look, the batponies stopped where they stood. After a few seconds, Cadance turned back to the stallion.
“If you had a spine, if you deserved to be our princess, you would stand up to her and bring back the sun!” The stallion’s head whipped around and he glared at her; she stepped back. “And you! You were Princess Celestia’s student! How can you just betray Princess Celestia by being Nightmare Moon’s student!? Did she mean nothing to you? Do you just take her for granted? Or do you care more about your own studies, that you sit idly by doing nothing? Or worse yet, support her!”
It hurt, but Twilight didn’t have the words to answer him.
He didn’t give her the chance either. “Traitors,” he spat. “Both of you!” he yelled. Stepped closer and yelled again, “Traitors!”
The batponies moved. Somepony in the crowd whispered, “Treason,” but she couldn’t tell if it was in agreement or dissent with the stallion.
Cadance turned back to the approaching batponies. “Stop,” was her command, and they obeyed.
“And them!” the stallion growled, drawing Cadance’s gaze back to him. “They’re just as guilty as all of you!”
Cadance shook her head. “You can’t just blatantly condemn them all—”
“They support her! If it wasn’t for them enforcing her rule we could have our Princess back!”
‘You think they’re all evil or something?’ And he did, Twilight could see it, hear it in his voice.
Would he think Midnight was evil, simply because Midnight was a batpony? Or what of their foals? Just as evil, just as guilty, for something they had no choice in?
How could he think he was right!? “What did they do to you?” Twilight demanded.
He faced her. “So you admit that you’re on Nightmare Moon’s side,” he retorted. “Traitor. Damned traitor!”
Twilight clenched her jaw. “How can you stand there and blatantly condemn ponies you know nothing about?”
“Twilight,” Cadance cautioned.
“How can you stand there and defend the pony who killed Princess Celestia?” the stallion asked, his voice quiet and intent.
“She didn't kill Princess Celestia. Do you really think that if she did, I’d still be around?” Twilight demanded. “She took me as a prize.”
“Twilight.” Her sister again, more firmly.
“Maybe you shouldn’t still be around then!” he argued. “Instead of helping your new teacher, you could have stood up against her—”
“Do you really think I had any choice? I did stand up to her, along with my friends! I’m a unicorn! I’m not even an adult! We lost! She would have killed me if I said no!”
“Then she should have!”
“That’s enough.” One of the batponies; one of them strode over to her side.
“Is it?” he hissed. “Will it ever be enough? Go tell your bitch of a Queen—”
“Enough!” Cadance’s voice boomed, making her, the stallion, and the batpony flinch. The wince on her lips gradually faded, and with no small amount of reluctance, she faced her sister. “Return to your post,” her sister commanded the batpony.
Cadance glanced at him, and he only straightened. “With all due respect, Princess, I will not abandon my liege.”
Cadance shook her head. “Nightmare Moon isn’t here, Sergeant. And I can take care of myself. He isn’t a threat.”
Without looking at Cadance, the batpony answered. “I was not referring to you or the Queen.”
‘What?’ A moment later. ‘Me?’ Twilight shifted uncomfortably; ponies looked at her, and it reminded her of what she had been presented to Equestria as Nightmare Moon’s student. Another batpony walked over and stood at the right side of the first.
What did that even mean!?
“Traitors,” the stallion spat again, tossing his head to his right and scowling. “The only way this is going to end is when we’re all dead, or she is.” He faced her and Cadance again. “You know that. You both know that. And you’re either complacent or supporting her.”
Strikingly calmly, “Some of us are just going to die before everypony else so that maybe they have a future.”
A blinding flash of white; the feeling of her fur standing on end. CRACK-BOOM!
The air tore around Twilight and knocked the breath out of her; something hard slammed her right side. Screaming. Ringing. She felt nauseous; a grunt from beneath her and a pained groan a few feet away from her.
Twilight sucked in a deep breath, and the feeling of air returning to her lungs made her cough several times. Something under her shifted. She blinked, but everything was a bright white blur.
And just as quickly as it happened, the ringing was gone and Twilight’s vision returned. The crowd was running and flying away, scattering in fear. There was a batpony under her—and he hastily slid out and stood up, shaking his head as if disorientating. The other batpony was standing on her left side, crouched down as if prepared to strike at anything that got too close to her. She looked—the stallion was laying on his back, unmoving, his chest smoking and coat charred. Cadance was on her back, a few feet away from where she had been standing. Her mane was frayed as if—’Lightning!?’
Three batponies shot through the sky. A pegasus had a cloud—
CRACK-BOOM! The bolt of lightning struck the closest batpony. His body seized up and he dropped like a rock. The other two batponies fumbled in flight, shaking their heads and gliding back towards the cloudtop.
Royal Guards took flight; two landed at Cadance’s side, two went after the pegasus—
CRACK-BOOM! Another lightnight strike; the pegasus guard yelped and his mane smoked but he kept going.
“Princess! Get her...”
Two batponies landed beside her. “My Lady!? Get her to...”
CRACK-BOOM!
Twilight reached out with her magic and caught the batpony before he hit the reinforced cloud, then stood back up; her body still tingled but nothing hurt. She levitated him over; one of the batponies around her darted over to look at him, only to stop about halfway there.
“Traitors!” the pegasus shouted, struggling against the two Royal Guards that slammed into him. “You won’t get away with this! She’ll kill us all like she killed Princess Celestia!” The three of them hit the cloud, pinning the stallion down with their strength and weight.
One of the batponies set a forehoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “We need to get you—!”
“I’m fine,” Twilight preempted, then turned back to watch the Royal Guards force him to stand. She pressed forward, ignoring the grunts of the batponies surrounding her—they hastily followed her like they expected somepony else to try to attack her—and strode over to the pegasus. He kicked the two Royal Guards with his hind legs and struggled; the Guard’s strength and armor gave them an advantage, but he still fought back.
Twilight lowered her head and charged up her horn.
“Lady Twili—”
Twilight ignored the batpony’s protest and grabbed the pegasus in her magic. He grunted and his body shuddered as he tried—and failed—to fight against her grip. And realizing that she had him, he looked at her. The two Royal Guards still held him close, but let up slightly. She came to a stop a foot from him.
“What was that?” Twilight hissed.
He sneered. “You made your allegiance clear, traitor! Supporting her when she’s going to kill us all because of the eternal night!”
Twilight clenched her jaw and bit back a shout. “So you decide to try to kill my sister-in-law, the one pony who could possibly bring back the sun, other than Nightmare Moon? Somepony who did nothing wrong?” she growled.
‘Is this how you feel all the time? Is this the way ponies make you feel?’
Twilight wanted to lash out. Would it be justice?
“You’re the one who said Nightmare Moon didn’t kill Princess Celestia. I don’t see you or Princess Cadance trying to rescue her, if that’s the case! She’s just as guilty as Nightmare Moon for doing nothing! You both are!”
It took all of her willpower not to scream at him, not to throw him into a wall. “You could have killed her,” Twilight said quietly. “You could have killed me.” And worse yet, “You killed ponies when trying to kill us.”
“Hardly worse than what she’s done!” he hissed.
Twilight lifted her head up and breathed in, then exhaled. “You’re right. And now you’re just as bad as her for having hurt, no, killed innocent ponies because you hate her so much.”
“It’s only a matter of time. If nopony stands up to her and stops her, she’ll kill us all. I hope you’re happy with where your allegiance lies, traitor. What would Princess Celestia do if she saw you now? And what fate would Princess Celestia sentence you, her own student to, if she returns? Or would she even call you her student?”
‘Sometimes, there is no choice,’ Nightmare Moon had said.
Maybe her mentor was right.
Twilight sent a surge of magic through the pegasus’s body. He spasmed once before falling unconscious as her spell took hold. Glaring at his now-limp form. she released him from her magic, then turned and strode towards the capitol, flanked by her batpony escort. Two Royal Guards flew over to her and landed, then bowed. “Lady Twilight—”
‘You’re wasting time!’ she wanted to snap. “Where’s Cadance? Is she okay?”
Both Royal Guards hastily rose from their bows. “She’s unconscious. We took her inside and have medics treating her.”
Twilight bit her lip. “And what about Nightmare Moon?”
“We dispatched a messenger—”
Twilight tossed her head back and turned to the right, grumbling, “And that’s going to take a while...”
“Yes, Lady Sparkle. We need to get you inside. It could still be dangerous out here. There could be more of assassins.”
Twilight looked back at him. “Fine.”
They hastily turned and then took to the air, leading the way to the capitol. She followed, still surrounded by the batponies. She looked at them; none of them looked at her, they all had their heads turned, mostly still turning, keeping watch. Four more batponies had joined in, bringing her escort up to ten ponies.
Twilight clenched her jaw and strode up the stairs, then headed inside the lobby. She looked back and watched two batponies stopped at the doorway and stand guard, joining the two Royal Guards and two batponies already there.
Twilight looked around but didn’t see Cadance anywhere. Secretaries, Guards, and batponies darted about, with the secretaries staying well out of the way.
“Lady Twilight Sparkle!” The mayor’s voice. The older pegasus strode into the room surprisingly quickly, given how he had walked before. Alongside him walked a Royal Guard Captain and a batpony who bore the rank insignia of Colonel. She didn’t recognize either of them. He came to a stop a few feet from her. “Are you alright?”
“I’m—I’m fine,” Twilight answered as she stopped.
The Colonel continued a few more steps, then bowed, stretching his left foreleg out and bending his right, going so far as to touch his chin to the floor. “My Lady—” he didn’t even look up at her; for some reason, it made her anxiety worse, “—Princess Cadance is being tended to by our medics, but is incapacitated. As per Nightmare Moon’s orders, with Princess Cadance incapacitated, command of this detachment falls to you.”
Twilight felt like Nightmare Moon had kicked her in the chest; her lungs deflated. “W-what?” she croaked, her eyes jumping between the Colonel and the Mayor.
The Colonel finally rose from his bow. “Until we receive word from Nightmare Moon, or Princess Cadance recovers, you are in command. What are your orders?”
‘What? Why me!?’ Well, thinking around it reasonably—which was hard to do given the situation—Nightmare Moon trusted her. ‘How much do you trust me? How much faith do you have in me?’
‘No, focus. It’s probably only going to be half an hour or so for somepony to contact Nightmare Moon. And Cadance could wake up before then! It’s not that bad. It’s not that bad,’ Twilight told herself. “Right, um...” she licked her lips. “Secure the pony responsible for this... “ ‘Right, you would do that anyway.’ She winced and shifted her weight before nibbling on her lip. “Secure the area... Um... C-can you take me to Cadance?”
He nodded. “Of course. If you will follow me.” He turned to his left, but looked at the Royal Guard Captain. “Take care of the prisoner and makes sure there are no more assassins in the area.”
“Right away,” the Captain answered.
The Colonel started off, and the Royal Guard Captain nodded at her in acknowledgment. “Lady Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight offered him a smile, though it felt like it was a grimace instead, and followed after the Colonel. It didn’t take long to find Cadance; her sister was in one of the rooms just off from the Lobby. Four batponies stood guard, and two Royal Guard medics and a batpony medic were inside.
It felt like Nightmare Moon had kicked her in the stomach. Cadance’s chest was burned, and there was a burn down the inside of her left foreleg. Beyond that, a large spiderweb of signed fur crisscrossed her body and neck. Her sister’s golden shoes and tiara were set aside for the time being while the medics put ointment on the burns.
Her mouth felt dry.
“How bad is it?”
“There was a lot more charge in the lightning strike than they normally have,” one of the Royal Guard medics answered, still focusing on rubbing a pad covered with ointment over Cadance’s leg. “Otherwise it wouldn’t have done this much.”
Twilight bit her lip.
For a moment, he looked back at her. “She’ll be okay.” Then he turned back to Cadance.
She nodded quickly. “Good.” She fidgeted uncomfortably. “Um, thank you.”
“Just doing my duty, Ma’am.”
‘How many of you would do the same for Nightmare Moon, though?’ she wondered. She stepped back into the hallway, then looked at the Colonel. “I don’t know what to do.”
“We should be in contact with Nightmare Moon within an hour. So far, this has been the only attack.” He bowed his head. “And with luck, it will stay that way.”
“I hope so.”
He lifted his head again. “If nothing else happens, then you shouldn’t have to do anything.”
Twilight nodded calmly.
“You should probably have a medic check you. You were pretty close to the Princess when she was struck, and the stallion wasn’t as lucky.”
Twilight grimaced. “I—” ‘I feel fine. Rattled. Nervous...’ And now that she thought about it, her legs had a tremble to them. She took in a deep breath, then let it out. She looked at Cadance and watched the medics tend to her for a few seconds. There wasn’t much she could do there. She sighed. “Okay... That’s reasonable enough.”
The Colonel looked at her batpony escort and nodded once, then turned back to her. “If anything comes up, I’ll find you.”
Twilight licked her lips. “Tell me when Cadance recovers or Nightmare Moon shows up.”
He bowed his head. “Of course, Lady Sparkle.”
‘Still not used to that...’ Twilight held in a groan and looked at the batponies surrounding her, specifically, for whichever one of them had some semblance of command.
It ended up being the first batpony who had walked over to her side. She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, he preempted with a nod and turned. “If you will follow me.”
Twilight turned and let him take the lead. “So um...” she trailed off as he tilted his head back to glance at her. ‘Do I even want to know the answer?’ A few seconds passed as she pondered the question; the Captain turned his head away from her once more. She looked at the other seven batponies surrounding her. Even inside, they retained their alert, ready-to-act postures as if they trusted nopony else.
Their unease seemed contagious, as it made her nervous. She swallowed and looked back at the Captain. “You said... you weren’t referring to Princess Cadance or Nightmare Moon.”
He tilted his head back to look at her, then nodded once. “I was referring to you.”
Twilight frowned. “Why?”
He turned his head about, looking around, specifically at the other batponies, then at other ponies in the lobby as they passed through it, heading to the hallway opposite the one they walked out of.
And the way he watched the other ponies, specifically the secretaries and Royal Guards, anypony who wasn’t a batpony, made her realize, ‘You don’t trust them.’
They crossed the lobby and entered the hallway, then he stepped into another side room. It seemed to be a lounge, not unlike the room where Cadance was being tended to. Notably, there was nopony else in the room aside from her escort and her. He walked in, looking around. Twilight followed, and once she was well inside the room, he turned back to face her. “Echo, go find a medic.”
“Yes, sir,” one of the batponies behind her said. Twilight turned and watched him leave, along with two other batponies who stopped and stood on each side of the doorway, then turned back to the Captain.
“Is it the same reason I’m supposed to be in charge or whatever now?” Twilight ventured.
He tilted his head up. “Yes and no.”
“So...” Twilight gradually turned her head to the left, hoping he would catch on and elaborate without her needing to ask. “It’s part of the reason but not the whole reason?” she ventured.
He nodded succinctly. “You’re the Queen’s student. You’re very important to her, and she has made this clear. We are to protect you with our lives. We willingly do so. It is how we can best serve our Princess. That you’re in command is Nightmare Moon’s order; given the situation, you have more authority than the Mayor, and as Nightmare Moon’s student, the Colonel answeres to you and is in command with your consent as Princess Cadance is incapacitated and Nightmare Moon is not here.”
Twilight shifted her weight on her hooves as she listened to what he said. It made her lips pull into a strained line. “So she meant it when she said she was going to give me a lot of authority...”
The Captain nodded once in affirmation.
“Sir?” It sounded like Echo’s voice.
Twilight turned back and looked at the doorway; the batpony she thought was Echo stood there as a batpony mare walked in. Below the mare’s wings were two white saddlebags, one on each side, bearing a medic’s patch.
“If you’d come sit over here,” the mare instructed. Twilight walked around and sat down on one of the couches while the batpony unstrapped her saddlebags and set them on the floor. The mare pulled out a few instruments and took her vital signs, then looked her over thoroughly. “How do you feel?”
“Shaken. Angry,” Twilight answered.
“Headache?”
“No.”
“Confusion?”
“Uh... I don’t think so. It happened fast but...” she trailed off.
“All right.”
The mare flashed a light in her eyes; Twilight had to stop herself from wincing. She patiently waited for the medic to complete her examination.
“I think you’re fine,” the mare finally said, beginning the process of packing back up. “You might want to check with a doctor back in Canterlot though.”
“Right.” Twilight grimaced. “Nightmare Moon is probably going to send me back to Canterlot after this, isn’t she?”
“I wouldn’t know,” the mare answered casually.
Twilight puffed out her cheeks as the mare turned and left. Once the mare was gone, she sighed and stood from the couch, then turned around and looked over the batponies. “I guess now I just wait for Nightmare Moon to show up.”
“I suppose so,” the Captain answered. “If you need anything, just ask.”
“Thanks,” she said.
Aside from the whispers of secretaries, Guards, and batponies as they walked by the room, mostly about what had happened, which left Twilight’s stomach churning progressively worse each time, her wait was in silence. The batponies stayed to watch over her. Neither Guards nor batponies came to tell her that Cadance had recovered or worsened, nor did any come to tell her that anything worse had happened while she waited.
So time passed her by slowly, leaving her anxious and worried, dreading each passing moment, fearing that it would bring some Guard or another to warn her that something terrible had happened. After all, somepony had tried to kill a princess.
Princess Cadance.
Her sister-in-law.
Twilight had expected chaos. She had expected Guards to hurriedly warn her that riots or panic had struck Cloudsdale in the wake of attempted regicide, and ask her what to do about it. She had expected some disaster to strike the Weather Factory, perhaps coordinated by some other group affiliated with the pegasus who tried to murder Cadance.
None of it ever came.
And so she was left to her own fears and worries and thoughts. ‘Was the stallion he killed working with him?’ she wondered, remembering his last words. ‘Or was he taking advantage of a distraction? Do either of them have families? What’s going to happen to them now? What’s going to happen to Cloudsdale now...’
What would Nightmare Moon do when she arrived, other than take control of the situation? How would Nightmare Moon react to the attempt on Cadance’s life, whom Nightmare Moon had known ponies loved.
Twilight could picture Nightmare Moon saying, ‘That they would do this to Cadance,’ and what implications it brought, which would only harden her mentor’s stance that ponies would kill her if they had the chance. ‘Maybe you’re right. Maybe ponies would kill you as soon as they had the chance. But not everypony. You can’t just... you can’t just blame everypony for the actions of one pony. It’s not right.’
Twilight steeled her resolve, vowing to make certain Nightmare Moon understood that.
For so, so many reasons.
‘The only way this is going to end is when we’re all dead, or she is.’ And how the memory brought her to tense, afraid that he was right. Twilight hoped and believed he was wrong; there had to be another way. She knew there had to be another way.
‘But what?’ her mind grasped for any ideas, but they came incoherently and half-formed. Could she convince Nightmare Moon to bring back the sun? Could the Elements of Harmony somehow make everything right? Why had the Elements banished Nightmare Moon in the first place, if they could fix everything!? Was it Princess Celestia’s wish to banish her own sister!?
‘Why?’
The sharp, distinct crack! of a teleportation spell snapped her thoughts into focus. ‘She’s here.’ And just like that, Twilight jumped off the couch and strode to the doorway. She wasn’t even sure the batponies realized that she had moved with how they lagged behind her.
And just as soon, she was out in the hallway, turned towards the lobby, trotting with purpose. She heard the batponies all following her, and the Captain hastily caught up and walked beside her.
“Where is my student and Princess Cadance?” came Nightmare’s distinct, intent demand.
‘You asked where I am first, even though it was an attempt on Cadance’s life.’
“Your student is guarded by several batponies, in one of the lounges, and Princess Cadance is...”
Twilight came to a stop in the doorway of the lobby; Nightmare Moon’s head turned to face her, completely ignoring the Royal Guard in favor of meeting her gaze.
Intent and focused, predatory, almost sparking with anger and vengeance. Such was the look she saw in her mentor’s eyes, framed by her helmet and familiar armor. Her mane and tailed seemed to coil in agitation, swirling behind her as if barely held in check, wanting to lash out of its own accord.
And yet, seeing her, her mentor’s expression cooled, softened by relief from seeing her unharmed. Her mane and tail calmed, as if in the wake of some storm that has passed. Nightmare broke eye contact, her eyes jumping about to search her body to prove that she was indeed unharmed.
Accompanying her mentor was her brother, clad in his armor, along with his future replacement, Captain Bulwark, and half a dozen Royal Guard unicorns.
“Your Majesty—”
Nightmare didn’t even look at Twilight’s brother before preempting him with, “Go.” And her brother darted off, accompanied by two of the unicorns, heading for Cadance.
And Nightmare Moon turned her body to face her, though tilted her head to Captain Bulwark, who took that as his cue to begin, and set off with half of the remaining Royal Guard unicorns.
Her mentor strode over towards her, flanked by the two remaining Royal Guards. Stopped in front of her, studied her more intently as if worried her eyes had deceived her.
“I’m fine,” Twilight preempted, then swallowed and licked her lips before breathing in. “I’m shaken up, but I’m fine.”
Nightmare reluctantly nodded. “I did not...” her mentor trailed off and glanced over her batpony escort, then turned her head to the left and gazed at the main entrance. “This was not supposed to happen.”
“I know,” Twilight comforted.
Even with her armor on, even as focused as she was, she watched her friend’s ears twitch back. Just for a moment, before righting themselves; the Queen didn’t want it to show. “I am teleporting you back to Canterlot. Wait for my return.”
“Wait—” but it was too late; Nightmare’s magic wove around her and the world flashed as her mentor cast the teleportation spell.