"Lady Moon?" Sky Star asked her directly. "You seem to be lost in thought."
Nightmare Moon looked at the Queen that she was meant to give advice to. She sat at her usual table, quaintly sipping on afternoon tea and reading a newspaper. That was before she took interest in her.
"Yes, I apologize, Milady," she answered politely. Sky Star was an excuse for a monarch, as laughable as she was naive. Queens in times past would've been striving to inspire their people to glorious deeds, or perhaps busing themselves with reforms. Sky Star spent her days listening to petitioners and delegating the actual work to her government. At other times she went out to attend lectures, but she rarely ever gave them, or rather no one was talking about her doing so. Nightmare Moon doubted that she could do anything for the Queen outside of outright stripping her of her responsibilities. She did not see Sky Star as weak, no. She had a subtle strength and plasticity, akin to hard rubber. She was clearly educated and mannered enough to be a Queen, albeit of a very humble kingdom. Sky Star simply lacked the initiative to apply herself and that was something Nightmare Moon did not know how to teach. But she needed time to do something not related to her family and what transpired mere hours ago.
"You look concerned," the Queen observed. "I won't pry if you wish to keep this to yourself, but it seems to me that your search brought poor results."
"I would rather not speak on this just now, you are correct, Milady."
"Very well, then, shall we perhaps return to our day's duty? Blue Streak, what was is it next in the schedule?"
"Your yearly visit to the royal academy of arts, Milady. I believe, this year your rector had a few particularly inspired students," Queen's usual servant responded from his head without even needing to look at the document. Nightmare Moon quietly noted him for his exceptional memory and professionalism, if only it still was her time...
"Oh, yes-yes! Most wonderful time of the year!" Sky Star softly clapped with her claws, emphasizing her excitement. Nightmare Moon, however, was less than excited. She only spent hours with the Queen and she was already bored to death by Sky Star's nonsensical routine.
"Your formal attires are prepared for your choosing, Milady. As per usual, they are waiting for you in the dressing room," Blue Streak continued.
"Very good, shall we then?" Sky Star beckoned her guest. For the first time since she was raised, Nightmare Moon was glad that she lacked any ability to articulate, otherwise the Queen would've noticed her lack of excitement, and it would've been impolite to frown.
"Of course, Milady. The time of choosing a dress is perhaps the second most important moment before an occasion," Nightmare Moon said in a tone devoid of any perceivable intonation.
The back and forth continued all the way to their destination, the dressing room. Their dialogue was meaningless and Nightmare Moon only continued it out of etiquette. The dressing procedure went similarly boring, with Nightmare Moon only giving small remarks, as the servants had already picked suitable for the occasion outfits. In the end, Sky Star chose a modest, blue dress with a suitable hat with a large brim. Nightmare thought that it could do with a flower, but kept that to herself. If Sky Star noticed her lack of interest, she didn't show it.
"What do you think, Lady? Would this fetch an eye on one of your galas?" Sky Star said, making a rather clumsy pirouette in her dress, making it fly slightly.
Nightmare Moon blinked several times, did the Queen just... flirt with her?
"It would be among the simpler ones, Milady," Nightmare Moon answered honestly.
"I suppose it was more of a rhetorical question. Galas never became a tradition for us, water tends to ruin cloth, especially silks," Sky Star quickly changed the subject, leaving Nightmare Moon to wonder if that little snippet that she dropped was intentional or did the Queen just realize how oblique she really sounded. Wait... no galas?
"Milady, did I hear you quite right? Did you say that your mother never hosted galas?" Although Celestia did use the word rather incorrectly... "What about balls? Surely you host balls to socialize with your fellow nobles once every year, or perhaps a quarter?"
"Not so, I am afraid," Sky Star slowly shook her head, wary of the sudden interest and tone change. "The roughly analogous event would be the New Year celebration. It is customary for common people to wait until midnight and then celebrate until morning with games, feasting and singing. It is a lovely event."
"No, Milady, you misunderstand! 'Tis a festival, not a ball! A ball is an occasion for Sirs and Ladies to wear their finest dresses and don the most precious jewellry. Guests arrive at the palace in drawn carriages and walk through the courtyard under the looks of the guards, wearing their finest uniforms, who check their invitation papers. The interior is meticulously cleaned the entire week for the guests to not spot a single dust particle in the air. When they make it to the grand hall, they are greeted with a servant who asks to take their umbrellas and unnecessary accessories. They spend the evening in the circle of other distinguished guests, chatting, laughing and dancing with the music of a live orchestra. The hostess then makes a speech, detailing her gratitude for everyone to bless her with their presence and then proceeds to lead the evening with toasts and a few select dances with the most distinguished and deserving stallions. It is an occasion to wait an entire year for, a whirlwind of satin, velvet and exquisite perfumes!" Nightmare Moon wistfully recounted, slipping into the memories of better times.
"You must have enjoyed these occasions," Sky Star noticed, amused by the suddenly vivid description.
"It was a very, very long time since I could enjoy one, sadly," Nightmare Moon continued morbidly. " The last time was before I was exiled. There were a few occasions of Celestia trying to host something remotely resembling a ball, but Luna always was against attending. She never was social, you see, struggling to speak to others she didn't know."
"Surely you have hosted some yourself later?" Sky Star asked, even though she knew the answer well enough already.
"Alas, there could be no ball with no guests. No one would've willingly accepted my invitation. They all would've still attended, of course, but that would've been the most pitiful event indeed."
"Ah, I see. You resented having to force them," Sky Star nodded.
"The beauty of a true ball is that it is a voluntary event, there can be no joy if there is compulsion involved. It will simply be another meeting, just as bland and forced as any other."
"Surely, you had some social events? A monarch cannot really rule if no one sees them."
"Well, I had some unofficial events," Nightmare Moon lightly chuckled. "At one time, my guards noticed me being upset and 'organized' a little surprise party with the rest of the palace staff. Well, not quite a surprise that was, but they did try their best to hide it. It was absolutely lovely, I hadn't that much fun since before my exile! I also, of course, had official speeches and proclamations, but I preferred to limit them unless necessary. Sometimes it is required to state your intention clearly, but usually, official addresses are a waste of words only serving to appease one's own ego."
"If you are interested in seeing them again, Twilight brought a few of your guards with her here. They live regular lives in the city," Sky Star offered, hoping to steer the conversation away from its somber theme.
"Yes, I suppose I would have to speak to them at some point, but I'd rather not if I am frank," Nightmare Moon finished with a long sigh for a better theatrical effect, she didn't normally breathe.
"You led me to believe that you used to be quite fond of them," Sky Star sighed in response.
"This is exactly why I would like them to never see me again. Milady, I must confess, I ruined a great many lives with my selfish actions. My guards may not have realized, but they suffered more than others. I don't want to do them any more harm by re-appearing in their lives so many years later. I love my loyal custodians and this is why it would be best if they never see me again. They deserved their peace. Some of them would want nothing more than to join with me again, but the duty of a monarch is to care for her subjects wellbeing, even if they themselves would not agree with her decision. As my last deed as the Empress, I shall ensure that my subjects live without my shadow looming over them."
"Milady, it's half-past three, you will be late," Blue Streak's voice pierced the door.
"Yes, we'd better get going, Milady. We cannot make the noble gathering wait," Nightmare Moon quickly supported the notion, eager to progress with the schedule.
They continued onward in silence. Nightmare Moon was glad for it. Despite her intention, she found herself returning to her familiar place: a courtroom. At least she was no longer carrying the brunt of responsibilities. She did however carry full responsibility for her extended family and everyone else who followed her here. She knew where they wanted her to lead them, but that is not where she wanted to go. The obvious conflict of interests here wasn't visible to the unaware, but it was as inevitable as death itself. There would soon come a time to make choices. But for now, she had a moment to rest from all of this. Compared to having to make decisions for so many of those she dearly loved, serving as an object for Sky Star to vent herself on was a rest, she believed.
The assembly at the academy seemed just as bored as Nightmare Moon was, at least before they arrived. The academy staff were told in advance that the Queen was bringing a friend, but judging by the awestruck stares everyone was giving her, they didn't expect quite the persona that appeared to them that day. Nightmare Moon never attempted to hide who she really was, but it seemed that the news was spreading throughout this city with unprecedented drag. After the proper introductions, she also felt tinges of panic sparkling in the air. The artists and the lecturers, as well as the rector himself, were scrambling to put up their best looks. It was quite amusing to watch, much more so than she expected when she first heard about this event. The art itself was sub-par, as expected from such a... remote nation, but she was admittedly a very poor critic. Her tutelage was over a thousand years outdated, it was so long she didn't even remember how to draw a landscape. Queen Sky Star, however, seemed delighted. The only one present actually interested in the actual paintings. Queen Novo had her educated enough to understand the technicalities of painting, allowing her to vividly chat with the artists about their technique and style. If only all of us could only be concerned with art forms.
"Did you enjoy the exhibition, Lady?" Sky Star excitedly asked on their way back. "I particularly loved 'The Ascent,' such an interesting take on the landscape! It is almost like a historical painting combined with a landscape."
"Yes, it was very interesting indeed," Nightmare Moon retorted. Truth be told, she didn't even remember the one Sky Star was talking about. There were at least three landscapes of Mount Aris and they all were rather similar.
Sky Star was silent for a whole minute before addressing her again,
"I can tell that you did not like it," Sky Star said, no longer excited, simply stating the fact.
Well, she wished an honest response, so shall it be then.
"I am rather bored, if I am entirely frank, Milady. You must understand, I am not used to the monarch spending her day so idly. I understand that your realm has a different distribution of power than mine had, but this calls into question the purpose of your title's very existence."
"Is that so? How did you spend your days then?"
"Well, my schedule was significantly busier. It started already at breakfast, I received the most urgent reports and tended to the needs of my inner court. It most often involved advising Twilight in some matter, listening to Rarity passing news and rumors, my Guard-Captain detailing drill results, and more.
After breakfast was concluded, I spent a few hours reading and signing orders in my study. Close to midnight, I usually had an hour-long break to hear any petitioners in the throne room. This was the time for meeting my various officials that were not privy to have a seat on a council. During the last few months of me-time, Twilight would join me there as my secretary. Afterwards, I spent another hour reading through ministry reports and other correspondence which did not require my response.
Then I had my dinner. It was much like breakfast, but less private. Earlier years involved meetings with diplomats and business owners, but later years I mostly spent chatting with Rarity or any other staff member that happened to be present. After a while there simply wasn't anyone I needed to speak to, I suppose. From that point onwards I had no specific event planned for the rest of the night and used the time for dealing with any emerging issues, but mostly I still did paperwork. There was always more paperwork needing my attention.
Lastly, two hours before dawn, I saved for supper and my personal time. I used to enjoy reading at that time, but the sheer amount of work that I had to do nightly quickly pushed it outside my sphere of interest. I ended up spending that time with my friends. Mostly with Rarity and Luna, but later with my sister, Twilight my Shadow, or occasionally with one of my staff members. The most well-performing ones could always use some encouragement from their Empress. Particularly bold ones would even bring me gifts as if we were on a date! Ah... such a charming hour It had become in the late year."
"Was that your average day?" Sky Star asked with a hint of disbelief.
"Why, yes. Although I preferred night over day. I hope you see now why your daily schedule can be rather uneventful in comparison."
"Your productivity is very impressive, Lady Moon. I can scarcely imagine how working the whole day could feel like," Sky Star reverently complimented. "I am afraid there's not nearly this much work to do here as it was in your land. My role is to determine the general course and perform ceremonies."
"Quite inefficient, if I may say so, Milady. But I suppose it has to be, otherwise, the government would be unstable. The more... hooves on approach is far superior in the reaction time but breaks down as soon as the leader is gone. Even if they never intended to go," Nightmare Moon intended to speak on differences of both political systems more in-depth but she found it to be of little consequence. It would be degrading to hold the Queen in such low regard, as she no doubt knew as much.
"Such a beautiful day..." Sky Star sighed happily, breaking the silence. "Let's walk a bit more, such calm, warm summer days are a rarity in our part of the world. Summer is usually the time of monsoons. Although sub-tropical rain doesn't impede us that much, since we are partially aquatic, but we still prefer the sun over any amount of rain."
"It's... weird to see the weather have its own way. We are used to shaping it ourselves. We can even schedule the weather in advance or have the landowners decide when they wanted it to rain. Farm ponies were delighted to have that option."
"It sounds truly wonderful to have an option to choose the weather. So many prevented draughts and floods! Equestria was long since hailed as the land of wonder, oh what wouldn't I do to see it at the time of its peak!" Sky Star wistfully smiled. Her mind quickly caught up with what she just said: "Oh... I am sorry, Lady Moon! I didn't mean to suggest anything."
"It is nothing, Milady. After all, you are more right than you are wrong," Nightmare Moon said with a sigh. They continued up the streets with the sun slowly rolling downward and starting to paint the walls in bronze.
"I think my mother gravely misjudged you, Lady. You have nothing in common with our own enemy. You are no tyrant, your willingness to give your power away is proof. We should've never been enemies."
"I agree, Milady. That was very non-productive. But I must warn: you make judgments far too quickly. It is good to be suspicious for someone in your position."
"But I am right, am I not? Lady, I want to make you a proposition," Sky Star suddenly stopped and looked directly at her ethereal companion. "If you have no commitments besides your numerous sisters, there could be a place made for you here, with us. Think about it. It solves problems your and mine. You would no longer need to take an active leadership role which you came to find burdensome, while we get your ancient wisdom and expertise. As you rightfully remark, we suffer from a lack of experience in most fields due to our isolationist politics for the last few hundred years. My subjects might find you queer or even intimidating now, but they will see your merits in time. Perhaps, eventually, we could even carve some level of acceptance for your kin, many can sympathize with your kind's predicament if only they would speak of themselves clearly."
Nightmare Moon took a long moment to find her response. Even if Sky Star was hopelessly naive, Nightmare Moon couldn't deny that this trait of the young queen was charming. She couldn't help but remember Twilight.
The offer was very generous in her position. But she already vowed to share her wisdom and so she shall.
"Milady, you honor me with your offer. I could not have hoped that you would value me so highly when I first arrived. I would have accepted without delay, but I already offered you my service and as such I must decline. Milady, you are far too impatient. You cannot simply make such decisions on a whim. Subjects do not appreciate sudden changes, appointing me, an infamous dictator, to a public position would immediately provoke accusations of treason or being ensnared with a foul spell. I pose no physical threat to any creature now even if I were to decide to harm them. But make no mistake, I still could pose danger even without my powers. Raw power is a crude way to attack, it is obvious and is expected. There are far more sophisticated and insidious means to do damage. Milady, I urge you to be cautious. Not for our sake, but for the good of your realm. Choose your friends carefully and never trust them completely. It only takes a single successful attempt to take advantage of your kindness."
"Well... I respect your decision, Lady," Sky Star gloomily answered.
Nightmare Moon looked down at the queen with genuine compassion, perhaps there was a way she could help after all,
"Forgive me for my bluntness, Milady. But it is obvious that you feel lonely."
Sky Star gave a sad chuckle, before returning to her slow trotting pace again,
"Is it really that obvious? Although I suppose hiding it from you is rather pointless. Unlike you, I wasn't blessed with much of a family. I only had my mother and a few relatives from other branches that I barely know. My seneschal is not much of a conversationist at the best of days and usually, he is just too busy. At the worst of your times, you still had Luna to speak to. I wonder, have you ever been alone in your life? How bizarre it must be, to live longer than my entire dynasty and never to have been left with no one to speak to."
"I suppose I couldn't understand you. It is true, I never was truly alone. Even when my named sister left me, I still had my dear court to keep me company. I am ashamed to admit that I was in rather... unpresentable state a few times when they visited me."
"Have you cried?" Sky Star asked with a weak, knowing smile.
"Yes..." Nightmare Moon answered simply.
"Then perhaps you understand more than you think, Lady Moon."
"Or perhaps we have much more in common than we initially perceived."