Nightmare Moon laid down in her room, letting nothing but her memories animate her mind. The ponies with the eye-straining strings left in a very 'noble' fashion while the thestrals refused to leave, even when Moon called on the guards. They put up enough of a fight and fuss that she realized that they would just sneak back in like they had done before, so she gave them the freedom to stay in the throne room while she waited for the sun to rise so she could recover Sunny Dimples to act as a translator and help her with her continued studies. The mare didn't lie to herself: She commended loyalty, adored it even! But these thestrals...they were something else. It was a devotion that she found rather...uncomfortable. The bat ponies didn't even know her, and they considered her the alicorn of dreams, just because she was linked to the night? They were a strange bunch that needed to be watched.
It was possible that they were just very easy to manipulate or were simply far too passionate, but if Nightmare Moon was really part of their legends... Well, that would mean that the thing that attacked her in her dreamscape wasn't able to stop or simply wasn't aware of the legends passed down by word. With some luck, she would be able to trace one of the legends down to the location of Canterlot and go from there.
Morning came after what felt like weeks, and the thestrals had all fallen asleep. How cute, Moon feigned.
"Wake up!" she bellowed. The startled thestrals all jumped in fright. "We go to your home after I bring translator."
The bat ponies protested, citing the time of the 'night', but Nightmare Moon wasn't accepting it. It was already cringey to her that all they did was replace 'day' with 'night', but she wouldn't have any delays. If her interlocutor was too tired to perform, then there would be no point to the trip. Besides, she could always make it night artificially. The unicorn was intercepted on the way to the castle, and, without warning, he was grabbed by the alicorn's magic and lifted high into the air. Kick and scream as he like, she wasn't going to let go.
Nightmare Moon hadn't taken to the skies since she had arrived. She had been training her body as well as her magic as much as she could. At this point, the only way she would be able to properly navigate the mountain air currents was with experience. This was going to be her home, after all. It wouldn't do for the future ruler of a unified Equestria to be unable to even fly where she lived. She was just really eager to see the castle finished and finally be able to add her own, personal touches.
Patience, patience. She was trapped for ten thousand years. There was no reason she couldn't wait any longer than she already had.
The scenery was quite astonishing to her. She thought the city had been built onto one of the lesser slopes of the mountain, or at least carved into it. It seemed she was partially right. With the use of some bizarre magics or expert sculpting, the city grew and raised on a very steep slope of the mountain. The alicorn had trouble discerning how that worked. It appeared that the ponies had added to the city to make it 'grow out' of the mountain, explaining the wide, flat areas. That said, the mountain range stretched far and wide, and it was difficult to see any end to it. Why would ponies even choose to live in this location?
A few trees were dotted about the landscape, breaking the monotony of the stony cliffsides and mossy land. The small patches of green gradually began to increase, however, as the group lowered themselves to the ground. Eventually, grasslands formed and went as far as Nightmare Moon could see. Trees were still dotted about the landscape, but instead of being thin, spindly things trying desperately to survive, these ones were mighty and thick towers of wood and leaves. Well, leaves, if it weren't winter, but to Nightmare Moon who had been in the mountains since she was freed, it felt like she was cooking in the 'heat'.
Sunny seemed to have calmed down and just accepted his fate, much to the alicorn's amusement, and the thestrals were doing their best not to fall out of the sky from their fatigue. Shouldn't have stayed up so late. Moon spotted several small villages of a few houses or a farming community near the base of the mountains. Some quarries were scattered about and lumber mills next to some small groves. The alicorn could see the ponies working on them, but still no signs of the new tribes. Some ponds and small lakes were sparse around the base of the mountain, and the alicorn could see no signs of a river anywhere despite the proximity to the mountain range. Unfortunate.
A sight caught the mare's eyes. Hidden beneath vast amounts of dirt and overgrowth were shiny patches of land reflecting all the sunlight that hit them.
Glass.
The land had been glassed, although how far was up for debate. Looking closely, Moon could see that someone had set up a log cabin near them. A log cabin which now laid in ruin, likely for a very long time. An intriguing event. Was that the remnant of a war? No regular spell could glass the land in such a manner. It couldn't have been a natural occurrence, or else nothing else would be growing. She grunted in pain. The sun had nipped at her again. Why was it so aggressive? She noticed that some small plumes of smoke were coming from the thestrals and listened closely.
"The sun is angry again," one of them commented.
"At least it isn't burning everything to the ground this time."
"You know that never really happens."
"But it almost burned Lemony completely last month!"
That proved it. The sun was out of control, but it didn't explain the anger and hatred the alicorn felt whenever she was struck by its beams. Were they dregs of her sister? She wouldn't display these sorts of emotions, though. Always so 'caring and 'delicate' and 'loving'. Repulsive. The group would end up traveling for half a day, reaching a thick forest of trees with blue leaves.
"This is the northernmost point of our territory," one of the thestrals explained. "It would have taken us several days of travel to reach the main part of our home."
The forest looked like an ocean of colors that stretched far and wide. Despite the winter conditions, there were patches of trees that had retained their leaves regardless of the species. However, they possessed many different colors, and there were a few of the plants that towered above the others dotted about haphazardly.
"What is with huge trees and leaves?" Moon asked.
"Some think it's just the plants themselves, but they're like the others around. Legends passed down say that it was an alicorn that made these patches of forest like this."
"A forest alicorn or alicorn of the wilds. Varies," another shrugged.
Naturally, magic was involved. Naturally, none of them could hold a candle to Nightmare Moon herself, but to know that there were other alicorns and to see their accomplishments was astonishing. What could Celestia have done if she didn't squander her gifts just to monopolize the attention of their people? Considering the state of the sun, she might have done too much already.
Moon followed the thestrals down past the treeline and near a village. There was practically no movement around, leaving Moon slightly disappointed. The huts were mostly made of wood, straw, and other forest materials that the bat ponies had gathered up. Not only were the homes on the ground, but many had been built at varying levels on the trees, causing them to resemble little mushrooms. Wooden constructs such as spiral slopes and bridges were built all around the village, connecting every hut on every level. They had all been grown over by an assortment of vines...vines that were bearing fruit like bananas and melons.
"Another skill by the alicorn who created this forest, most likely," Nightmare Moon thought to herself.
Sunny Dimples collapsed on the ground when they had finally touched the mossy ground. Most of the thestrals did the same. Moon raised a brow at this.
"We're tired. We sleep during the day," Mango complained.
"Really now?" Nightmare Moon pondered.
She chuckled quietly and looked at the sky. Her eyes started glowing very brightly, and a growing vortex of dark magic started swirling about her horn in expanding patterns. The group watched as the sky seemed to distort as if it were a body of water that had something dropped into it. They all stared with mouths agape when the sky seemed to peel away, leaving place to the darkness of the night sky with no moon and only multiple, sparkling stars.
"Now it is night," she said with a smile.
The loud, crackling noises that Moon had created with her spell had awoken the sleeping thestrals who looked to the sky in confusion. The escorts were quick to start rushing through the village, reaching everypony around and pointing them to Nightmare Moon.
Sunny was in shock. He quickly forgot his fatigue and sat upright, staring at the night sky and seeing the regular blue far away, bordering this artificial night. "How did you do that?" he asked the alicorn.
"My sister and I controlled the celestial bodies," Moon explained. "It stands to reason that something like this wouldn't be too straining, wouldn't it?" she asked with a smug grin.
The unicorn made a quadruple take. "You moved what?! That's impossible! Even with all your power you can't do something like moving a body in space!"
"And yet here we are," Nightmare Moon said smugly. "Although I find it disconcerting that I still can't get a grasp on the moon. It should be the easiest body for me to move because I'm linked to it, but..." She frowned and looked up at the empty night sky. "It's like it's fighting me or just isn't really there, but I'm tugged away by the other moons."
"Other moons?" Sunny wondered.
Moon eyed him from the corner of her eyes and shook her head. "Don't worry about it. It isn't important."
A plethora of thestrals appeared in front of the two, all of them looking at Moon with awe and admiration.
"Did you do that?" one of the bat ponies asked. Moon nodded. "Amazing! the alicorn of dreams and the night has returned to us, finally! After long last!"
"I came here not for your admiration but a pledge of loyalty as the first segment of Equestria to bow to me, and to share with me the old tales passed down by your ancestors of times long past," Moon explained while Sunny translated.
"You want a whole section of Equestria to just bow down?" Sunny whispered to the alicorn. "Are you mad? They'll never accept that!"
"Well, we would have to convene at our capital city far to the south, but I'm certain that, after seeing you, the leaders of the main cities would be more than willing to let you take your rightful place," the stallion thestral stated with much joy. "As for the stories, I find myself at a loss for words. Why are you so interested in our legends?"
"Because I believe that they can lead me back to Canterlot," Moon declared.
She was met with gasps of astonishment.
"I doubt that our humble tales could lead you to such a place of legend, but if the alicorn we have awaited for so long requests it, then we would be more than willing to accommodate your request, but..." The stallion looked away and rubbed the back of his head. "I'm not sure with which tale I should begin. There's so many."
Nightmare Moon spared no time thinking. "Begin with tales about an alicorn of the sun."
She noticed that grumbling came from the thestrals gathered around, be they on the ground or in the constructs in the trees. The old stallion in front of her seemed disgusted.
"Are you sure you want to know about her?" he asked with disdain.
The alicorn felt a tinge of pride. These ponies she was apparently linked to hated Celestia too. How invigorating!
Nightmare Moon nodded. "Yes. It would likely aid me since she was the one who finished Canterlot and most likely lived there."
The elder thestral sighed. "Alright. We have many tales of the Solar Tyrant."
Moon's giddy smile gradually devolved into horror.