//------------------------------// // 1:7 - The Nightmare's Gaze (Edited) // Story: Timberjack: Season 1 - Heart of Oak // by True Edge //------------------------------// The sound of hooves upon ancient stone echoed through the night, as the six mares made their slow, cautious way into the castle courtyard. What Applejack had at first taken as a single large building, turned out to be a much larger complex, which boggled the mind to think was built who knew how many centuries ago. They walked through one gate, passing the old, rusted iron hinges where a huge wooden door had once stood, and passed into a deep, dark tunnel, lit dimly by moonlight shining through cracks in the stone and the rotted wooden ceiling above them. The group passed nervously through the dark tunnel, moving quickly under the remnants of an iron portcullis, which hung in its frame, one chain broken and the whole thing caught at an angle that made Applejack fear it might suddenly fall on her as she went under. As they exited the tunnel, or gateway, rather, they found themselves within the courtyard, and they all paused, gaping at it. Spanning several acres, just at a glance, the wall, though broken down and fallen in places, clearly still encircled the entirety, and small piles and stacks of stone and brick hugged the interior of the wall in places. Ruins of small buildings, Applejack figured, looking at how they were laid out. The ground of the courtyard, though overgrown with weeds and, in some cases, even small trees that had managed to push up through, had once been paved in cobblestone, and it had a noticeable incline, leading up towards an ancient statue, a planetarium it seemed, and beyond that, the main keep. Several of the planetarium's planets, stone orbs with little definition left after so long in the elements, lay scattered about, fallen from their braces. It seemed an odd sort of ornamentation for a castle courtyard, but then, Applejack didn't know a lot about castles, anyway, let alone ones from so long ago. The keep stretched up, high into the air, silhouetted against the face of the moon and casting the whole courtyard into deep, dark shadows, its sweeping, elaborately tiled roof gleaming in the moonlight, even after centuries of neglect and wear. It had probably been even more awe inspiring, once, before some great calamity, or just the passage of time, had left a massive, gaping hole in its surface. It was from the building, from the ancient, broken windows and fractured walls, that the feeling of magic emanated most strongly. With a deep breath and a small shake of her head, Twilight Sparkle began moving forward, towards the high stone keep. The others, slowly, cautiously and, in Rainbow Dash's case, painfully followed, eyes wide and staring. Applejack found herself moving over to walk alongside Rarity as they moved further into the coutryard, towards the keep. She glanced over at the mare and cleared her throat. "Uh . . . Rarity?" She asked, and the ivory unicorn glanced over at her with a blink. "Hm? Yes, darling?" She asked, blinking her sapphire blue eyes at Applejack, who bit her lip. "What, uh . . . What'd y'all do to that feller, back there?" She asked, frowning at the mare, who blinked, frowning in return. "Hm? O-Oh! You mean . . .That dreadful pegasus." She said, eyes turning down for a moment as she looked almost ashamed. "Well . . . You see, I took a first aid course, a few years ago. Thought it would be the smart and sensible thing to do, with as often as I go out alone into the gem fields." She said, missing the look on Applejack's face. The Gem Fields, east of town, were notoriously rough terrain, and the idea that Rarity went out there at all, let alone often, was a surprise to the farm pony, for sure. "You see," Rarity continued, "it included a course on setting broken bones and, as they're notoriously fragile . . . it included a full map, or whatever it is called, of a pegasus' wing bones, including the small flight bones, along the outer edge. I've always been good at remembering images I've seen and such, so . . . With that, it wasn't too hard to apply a bit of pressure in the right spot." She said, looking truly ashamed as she admitted this. Applejack whistled, nodding. "Welp, I figure Dash ain't gonna hold it against ya, but . . . What would yer instructor think?" She asked, half smirking, and saw the look on the ivory unicorn's face turn even sadder. "Ah. I very much doubt Redheart would approve." She said, biting her lip, and Applejack figured she might have to let the mare know she was just teasing. Honestly, the fact she was bantering as she was surprised even the farm mare, but she felt lighter than she had in a while, even with her Wolf growling from somewhere inside, and everything that had happened . . . She should be terrified, angry, upset, and she was! She was all of those things, but she was also . . . She didn't know. She just felt like something had found its way into her heart. Something that had been missing inside of her, and she hadn't known until it was put back. "Oh, given the circumstances, I'm sure Nurse Redheart wouldn't mind. She's a lot stronger than ponies give her credit for. You have to be, to do what she does." A soft voice spoke up, interrupting Applejack's thoughts, and making her and Rarity look around behind them at Fluttershy, who blushed, looking down at the ground, mane falling over her face. "Oh. Sorry. I should just be quiet." She said, and Rarity fell back to walk alongside her. "Nonsense, darling! You know Redheart? How, praytell?" She asked, smiling slightly as she quirked an eyebrow in curiosity. Fluttershy's eyes went a bit wide behind her mane, and she glanced at Applejack, before turning back to Rarity. "Oh, um . . . She helps me with my . . . Prescription." She said, swallowing hard, and Applejack smelled the lie a mile off. "Prescription?" Rarity asked, frowning slightly. "Um, yes." Fluttershy said, blushing brightly. "For my . . . . Um . . . Condition." "Condition? What condition?" The ivory unicorn asked, and Applejack could see the panic growing on Fluttershy's face. Nothing for it, she'd have to step in, but . . . bad as she was, the yellow pegasus was a better liar than Applejack, by a long shot. What was the best way to distract Rarity, while still being honest? "Rarity?" Applejack found herself saying, stepping back to walk nearby, and the ivory unicorn blinked, looking over at her. "I, er . . . I just wanted to say somethin', important." Applejack said, biting her lip and looking down at the ground. "What is it, Applejack?" Rarity asked, stepping closer, curiosity about Fluttershy forgotten, or at least put aside, while she focused on Applejack. The orange farm mare cleared her throat and nodded. "Welp . . . I figure I've been . . . thinkin' wrong about you . . . about all y'all, for a while, now. I took you fer a . . . Prissy little dressmaker that'd fall apart, first sign o' trouble." She said, not meeting the other mare's eyes, though she could feel them on her. "But, well . . . I was wrong." She said, finally looking over and being a little surprised to see a small smile on the mare's face. "I guess . . . I guess yer a lot tougher than I thought. And not just you, neither." She said, looking over to where Rainbow Dash leaned on Pinkie Pie, while trying to make it look like she wasn't. "I took Dash for a lazy, no account braggart. Turns out, she's a lot more'n that, too." Looking back again, she saw that Rarity's smile had grown slightly, her eyes shining, and the farm pony quirked an eyebrow in question. Rarity spoke, after a moment's thought. "Darling . . . It is understandable, for you to have such thoughts. To be totally honest . . . You are much what I always thought you were. You're a strong, capable mare, Applejack. But, I suppose it is simply who you are, that you would be yourself and nothing more. But, perhaps I'm wrong." She said, tilting her head, smile taking on a teasing air. "Perhaps there is more under that old hat of yours than it seems. And I, for one, would like to learn more about you." She said No, ya wouldn't. Applejack thought to herself, while tipping her head down, hiding her eyes behind her hat's brim, hoping Rarity took it as bashfulness. "Hey! We're here!" Pinkie called out, and Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy looked up. They were at the foot of a stone stairway, flanked by walls, intricately carved with bas reliefs, that were now crumbling, but no doubt had once stood twice the height of a pony. Applejack, looking at them, figured that, while they were pretty, they also made it so ponies on the stairs had no where to go but up or down. She wasn't a soldier, had no training, but it didn't take a genius to look at the layout of the castle and figure, for all it's grandeur, that it was meant to serve a very specific purpose: Anypony that tried to attack this place would be in for a world of hurt. At the top of the stairs was a doorway, all that was left of the oaken door a few broken bits of long dried, rotted timber laying about. Part of the stone wall to the left of the door had a gaping hole in it, and bits of stone and debris littered the cobblestone of the courtyard below it. It almost looked like something had burst out through the wall, from the inside. This close, Applejack could feel her fur standing on end from the magic that was seeping out of the building, and her Wolf was pacing back and forth inside, making it feel like she was going to throw up, or worse, soon. Applejack grit her teeth, closing her eyes for a moment, trying to focus on herself, and the here and now and why they, why she was here. She could not allow this to continue. Not with how it made her Wolf snarl and fight to get out. Besides that, as well, if the sun never came up . . . She was a farmer. She understood what a world without plants meant, maybe better than most. Nightmare Moon, legendary monster or not, had to be stopped. Not for her, or the others, but for her family. For Apple Bloom. Applejack had to keep her little sister safe, and give her a good home and a good life to grow up into, no matter what. She had promised. And so, she grit her teeth, forcing herself to straighten up, and open her eyes, and move forward, up the stairs and to the door, following Twilight and the others into the unknown. Twilight felt it the minute she walked through the door, a power greater than any she had experienced before. The closest she could get would be Princess Celestia, and the feeling of pure, raw magical energy that coursed through the air around the Princess when she moved the sun. Arguably, Celestia's felt more powerful, stronger, but this . . . this was different. This magic was wild, untamed, uncontrolled, and all of Twilight's many years of study, both on her own and under the counsel of the Princess, told her that was a very, very bad thing. The unicorn had to fight not to turn and run. She almost did when a pair of sounds startled her from behind. One was a guttural grunt, almost a growl, and the other a high pitched, keening whine, almost on the edge of what she could hear. She, along with the others, turned to look, and saw Fluttershy and Applejack, just inside the door. The butter yellow pegasus was frozen in place, wings held out to her sides as though prepared to take flight, each and every feather trembling, a sense of magic drifted along from her, tainted by the thick, dark power that flowed through the air around them. Her head was down, face hidden behind her mane. Applejack looked much worse. The mare had staggered away and was leaning against the wall, half in the dark, legs quivering under her own weight while little flickers of static magical energy raced over her fur. "AJ?" Rainbow Dash asked, frowning while limping over towards the pony, slightly. "NO!" Twilight snapped, jumping over to stand between them, making the pegasus mare blink and step back in confusion. Pinkie Pie stepped up, putting a hoof on the blue speedster's wither, while frowning through her smile, looking at Applejack a bit sadly. Twilight looked from the pair of them to Rarity, who was frowning in confusion as well, then back to the pair of mares behind her, who looked like they were only getting worse. "Um . . . Look, just . . . I'll check on them! I'm sure they're fine, but, um . . . ." She stammered, feeling her mane starting to frizz as an excess of magical energy began to build around her, her horn sparking to life with a glow, as the first stages of a panic attack started to set in. "Oki Doki Loki!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, smiling, before turning and grabbing Rainbow Dash and, somehow, pushing her away without hurting her. "You heard the unicorn we only met yesterday, everypony! Let's go check out that doorway over there, it looks cool, right?!" She said, tail grabbing Rarity and tugging her along before the ivory mare could do more than give a little gasp of distress. "Ohhh, look, Rarity! Drapes!" Twilight stood, staring and blinking as Pinkie Pie single-hoofedly drug both the other mares away before they could say anything. She did not understand the pink mare, and that enfuriated her, but right now . . . she could almost kiss her! A building growl snapped her back to the present. Even as she wanted to take a look at the room around her, even as her mind told her that Rarity and Rainbow Dash would not let this rest so easily, and there would be questions to answer later. Right now, that didn't matter. She turned back, looking between the two. Of the pair, Fluttershy seemed the less volatile, simply standing as still as a statue, shivering slightly as the dark magic washed over her, though her wings were starting to look a little bare, as though the feathers were melting away, even as Twilight watched. Applejack, though, had collapsed against the wall, her legs finally giving out from under her, and her tail had come loose from the simple ribbon that held it tight, the blonde hairs looking bushier, less pony like. Her fur, as well, looked thicker, darker. . . . "Applejack?" Twilight asked, softly, stepping towards her cautiously. The figure in the shadows turned, sharply, and a pair of burning, emerald eyes locked onto her, glowing brightly in the darkness. She couldn't make out the rest of her face, though, but she could imagine . . . "Don't!" The mare's voice spoke, more a growl that a word. "Stay . . . Back . . . I . . . Grrrr!" She shuddered, falling forward slightly, eyes turning away from Twilight. "Applejack!" The mare said, shocked the farm pony was still sensible. "Please . . . I need you to calm down, okay?" She said, but saw the figure shudder, and shake its head sharply. "Can't! Burns! Gah! Hurts! Need . . . Out!" She shifted, one way then the other, twisting and turning in place, only succeeding in burrowing herself further into the shadows. "No! Can't let it! Let it hurt! Nngggg!!" With a groan, the mare collapsed into the shadows again, and Twilight felt tears pricking at her eyes. "Applejack! Please! I need you! If I'm right . . . If I'm right, we can beat her! We can stop Nightmare Moon and end all of this! Maybe even bring Celestia back! But . . . But I need you here! WIthout you, we'll fail!" She said, pleading, desperate. She felt something akin to hope stir in her heart, though, when the figure in the shadows slowed its writhing, turning those burning eyes on to her again. "I . . . We . . . I . . . It hurts!" She whined, a sound that shifted into a growl, as those eyes shut again. The figure scrunched tighter into a ball in the dark, and Twilight felt her hopes crumbling. She turned to the pegasus. "Fluttershy?" She asked, shaking, and the mare turned, only her eyes, gleaming red in the moonlight streaming in through the ceiling high above. Her ears were tufted, wings leathery and batlike. She looked . . . Well, honestly, she looked adorable, but also terrifying, at the same time. "Fl-Fluttershy?" "Yes?" The mare said, softly, jaw working as she shook. "Are you okay?" Twilight asked, hearing a growl building behind her, the sound sending a jolt of terror through her system. The vampire in front of her nodded her head slightly. "Yes." She then shook her head. "No. I don't know. I've . . . Never felt this way, before. It feels like . . . I feel like I've come home after a long trip? And I've never felt that way before, least of all when I've changed like this, and it's scary." She said, voice soft, as she looked at Twilight, then glanced behind her. "Applejack's coming." She said, and Twilgiht felt her heart stutter in her chest. Twilight spun around, eyes wide, as the form of the earth pony rose up in the shadows, still shaking. "A-A-Applejack?" Twilight asked, softly. The orange mare stamped a hoof, hard against the floor, and Twilight's eyes shot down at the sound of stone cracking. The floor under the earth pony's hoof was shattered, the once polished marble spider-webbed with cracks. With a final shake and a deep growl, the mare stepped forward, eyes glowing in the darkness, and Twilight uncosciously took a step back, bumping into Fluttershy. With a sudden hiss, the former pegasus wrapped both forelimbs and leathery wings around Twilight, pulling her up and back, off balance as she rose to her hind legs. Twilight panicked, horn trying to light, even as she felt Fluttershy's breath, hot and tepid against her neck. She opened her mouth to scream, only to feel the air squeezed out of her by the legs around her chest. Then, as suddenly as it started, the wings were pulled away from her, the grip of Fluttershy's legs breaking and sending Twilight tumbling to the ground. She spun, trying to scramble up to her hooves, horn glowing brightly, ready to fire off a spell, only for her to freeze in surprise and confusion. Applejack stood on her hind legs, looking . . . fairly normal, all things considered, though her eyes were still glowing brightly. She held Fluttershy in one hoof by the scruff of the neck, like a naughty kitten, and was glaring at her angrily. Fluttershy hissed at her, inch long fangs flashing inside of her mouth and a long, narrow tongue flicking out over her bottom teeth. Applejack lifted her lips, baring her own, sharp looking teeth, and gave the other mare a hard shake by the neck. "Snap out of it!" The orange mare snarled, voice deep with a growl that seemed to settle just below the surface of her voice. "We got things to deal with! And if she needs me, I reckon Twilight needs y'all, too! So, wake up!" Fluttershy flicked her wings, shaking her head and blinking, mouth slowly closing, before her red eyes went wide. "Oh . . .Oh, my! I'm so sorry! I'm not sure what got into me! I've never felt this way before! Please!" She begged, tears in her eyes as she looked between Applejack and Twilight. The latter rose up shakily to her hooves. "Applejack?" Twilight said, uncertainly. The farm pony stood for a moment, before nodding severely and lowering Fluttershy to the ground. "She's tellin' the truth, I reckon." She said, turning to look at Twilight, eye twitching slightly. "If she ain't . . . I'll make sure she don't hurt nopony." In the moonlight, it was much more obvious that Applejack wasn't okay. Her fur was thick, scruffy and darker than normal, almost a sienna color, her mane and tail both thicker as well, less pony like, more lupine or even leonine in appearance. Twilight frowned. "Applejack . . . I thought . . . " The mare nodded. "I know. She's still right there . . . And it still hurts. Bad." She said, swallowing roughly. "But . . . If y'all're right, and ya need me there, then . . . It's too damn bad." She growled, narrowing her eyes. "It'll just have ta hurt. I ain't lettin' this carry on, and if I c'n stop it . . . Keep my family safe, then that's what I'll do." She said, eyes hard. She looked over at Fluttershy, who was staring at the floor at her hooves, looking for all the worled like an ashamed puppy. "Understood, Fluttershy?" She said, and the mare glanced up, red eyes flickering, tears still matting her fur. "Yes, Applejack. I'm sorry." She said, looking over to Twilight. "I didn't . . . I wasn't going to . . . I . . . I'm sorry." She said, voice cracking, and Twilight nodded. "It's okay, Fluttershy . . . The amount of dark magic I can feel flooding this place . . . It's unbelieveable. I've never felt this much power before. I was feeling it before we ever came in, but it's like crossing the threshold removed a damper that was lessening its effects. I'm surprised either of you are still able to hold it together, to be honest." She said, looking between them, before a voice from the other end of the hall brought their attention there. Pinkie Pie was sticking her head out of the door, looking urgent. "Hey, you guys! Dashie says she's gonna come drag you in here, if you don't hurry up! Come on!" She shouted, and Twilight nodded. "Right." The lavender mare said. "If you both think you're in control . . . We need to keep moving. But . . .What about . . . There's no way they won't notice the way you look." She said, frowning at the two of them. Applejack gritted her teeth, a hint of fang showing over her bottom lip and snorted. "I . . . Nothin' fer it." She said, face hard, determined, even as her eyes flickered with some suppresed emotion. "We gotta stop this. Now ain't no time now to hold back." She said, nodding. Fluttershy lightly bit her lip, just enough to let the tip of one fang dimple her skin. When they weren't being used to threaten, her teeth were almost cute. Of course, Twilight really couldn't forget how close she'd come to having them used on her, only a moment earlier, and it made her shiver slightly. The butter pegasus . . . bat pony? Whatever she was, now. The vampire finally took a breath and nodded slowly, a sad look on her face. "It won't be the first time I've had to leave somewhere. And . . . I guess, if I can help stop Nightmare Moon, it might make it worth it, this time." She took another breath and smiled sadly. "It's okay." She said, nodding a little more certainly, this time. Twilight nodded slowly. "Okay. If you're sure . . . " Receiving nods from both, she nodded back, and stepped past the Werewolf and the Vampire, leading the way to the door that would take them out of the foyer and into the main hall of the keep. "Let's go, then." She said, feeling the other two fall into step behind her. "Oh, heya, girls! Aww, Fluttershy, your ears are so cute!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she turned, grinning at them as they stepped out of the foyer and into the larger room beyond. It was a grand throne room, the rotted, broken down remnants of old mahogany pews lining either side and running down the length of the near hundred foot long room. This left an aisle down the middle which led up to a sweeping, raised stage, upon which rested a pair of thrones, one carved of marble, the other of what looked like onyx, or obsidian. Once, both had stood tall and proud, gleaming and no doubt draped in finery, but now only the dark throne stood intact, the top half of the white one laying, shattered, on the ground, and the seat broken as though something had hit it, hard. The walls swept upwards, decorated with stained glass windows which had had been shattered, long ago, to a vaulted ceiling that was crumbling around the edges of a massive hole, which looked scorched in places, the stone melted and slagged and reformed into an almost crystal like substance. Twilight recognized the aftereffects of spellfire, and wondered what had happened here, before she remembered the story. Celestia and Nightmare Moon had fought, before Celestia used the Elements to banish the Night Mare to the moon. The amount of spellfire required to blow such a massive hole in such thick, well built stone was frightening to think on. Her thoughts, however, were interrupted by Rarity's shriek and Rainbow Dash's gasp. "What the fuck?!" The blue pegasus snapped, staggering away from Pinkie, wings trying to open in her natural fight or flight response. She moved too fast for her state, however and, with a grimace of pain and shock, nearly fell over. She would have hit the old marble floor if Pinkie hadn't shot over and caught her, helping the lithe, young pegasus back to her hooves. "A-AJ?!" Dash questioned, eyes wide as she looked the mare over. Rarity was being much less calm about the whole thing, and had taken off for the nearest window after taking a single look at the pair, only for Twilight's aura to snare her out of the air and pull her back to the group. "Calm down! Both of you!" The purple mare snapped, and Dash, who had been about to speak, snapped her mouth shut, while Rarity scoffed, shaking her head, but stopped struggling against the lavender mare's aura. The unicorn's tone had been severe and commanding, far different from how it normally sounded. As though realizing how strong she may have come across, Twilight softened her tone, frowning. "I'm sorry. I know, this must seem shocking, but please . . . I will explain everything . . . We will explain everything, won't we girls?" She said, looking back to Fluttershy and Applejack. The former looked like she was about to cry, head hanging low and face half hidden behind her mane, while Applejack simply stood, jaw tight and eyes staring forward, tense and nervous, though she was doing a half decent job of hiding it. However, at her words, the pair of them looked to her, blinking. Fluttershy took a breath, and nodded. "Yes. I promise." She said, softly, voice meek and quiet. "I reckon . . . I owe y'all that, at this point." Applejack said, stiffly. "Don't much like it, though." She grumbled, looking down at her hooves, tugging her hat down over her eyes. Twilight sighed. "Look, we'll explain, but right now we don't have time! I have an idea of what . . . Of what's happening and how to stop Nightmare Moon, but if I'm right, then we all need to be here. And we all have to work together!" As she had spoken, the rest of the group had focused on her, and so they had all been unaware of the room around them subtly growing darker, the shadows extending and deepening, flickering with little blue motes of dust, like tiny, far off stars in the inky black of the night sky. They did, however, very much notice when those shadows suddenly reached out and entangled all of them, one of them lashing out and easily shattering the simple telekinesis spell that Twilight was using to hold the still frightened Rarity. The six mares yelled out, Rarity and Pinkie screaming, while Fluttershy squeaked and flailed, wings trying to spread, to help her run. Rainbow Dash yelled out in pain, trying to struggle, but the pain of her injuries made such difficult. Rarity screamed and sobbed and thrashed, her fear receiving a sudden boost from the surprise attack, and she attempted to light her horn, only for the shadows around her to flicker, and her horn simply ceased glowing. Twilight screamed, flaring her horn to life as well in an attempt to fight back, only for the tendrils of shadow that held her to flare back, briefly, with a deep indigo hue, and just like that, she felt her magic simply stop working. That shouldn't have been possible. She was unaware of any such spell, to stop a unicorn from using their magic, and yet this . . . no, She, had put a stop to it, with barely a flicker of power. Of them all, though, Applejack seemed to worst off. She simply stood, the shadows wrapping around her legs and neck, pulling taut while blue magic hummed through them, flickering over her body, through her fur like static discharge, while her eyes burned brightly in the darkness. And, over the sounds of their struggling, a soft laugh rolled out of the deep dark, blanketing the room in its sound. It wasn't evil, really, not the sort of laugh one would expect a villain to make, if all they'd seen were saturday morning cartoons or comic books. It was but a soft chuckle, as of somepony mildly amused by the antics of a small child or animal, and that, more than anything, was what made it truly terrifying. The power that lay under the sound of that laugh, which fell over them, around them, in the form of shadows and mist, made it clear that was exactly what they were to the one who laughed: Children. Nothing more, nothing less, and even less of a threat. And, from the shadows, a figure materialized, stepping forward into the beam of moonlight that fell through the hole in the wall. Tall, statuesque, all long legs and flowing, ethereal mane and tail, like the sky at night. Her fur was as black as a moonless night, standing in contrast to the much lighter, indigo blue of her mane and tail. Cruel, cunning, sapphire eyes, pupils narrow, like a cat's, or a dragon's, perhaps, stared out from the visor of an ancient styled helm made of blackened steel. Similar armor graced her pectoral and her forelegs, down over her stifles and across her pasterns. Armor graced her flank, as well, covering where her cutie marks would be in segmented plates, and a cloak, itself seemingly made from the shadows that surrounded her, and which entangled the six friends, fluttered out behind her in an unfelt breeze, the same which moved her mane and tail. The sheer amount of raw, uncontrolled and dark magic that flowed off of her was like a flood, or a tidal wave. It beat against Twilight's mind, making her feel as though it was trying to flay the skin off of her breain while it was inside her skull, or else make her horn burst. The Night Mare's hooves clacked on the stone floor, due to the sharp, pointed studs on the bottoms of her shoes, and her magic, a light, indigo aura, held a weapon at her side, an old, but well kept and beautifully detailed halberd, an axe head, with a spear point above and a billhook behind, once the pinnacle of weapons technology, in the centuries before gunpowder made such things obsolete on the battlefield. Her icy, reptilian eyes looked over each of them in turn, before coming to rest on Twilight, who quailed beneath her gaze. When the she spoke, her voice edged its way into the air, soft, almost gentle, yet with a sharpness to it that was keener than the edge of her weapon. "How astute of thee. . . " She said, stepping forward as her magic lifted Twilight off the floor, bringing her up to the Night Mare's eye level. Her mane shifted, reaching out as though alive, and touched the unicorn, leaving a tingling trail of raw magical energy in its wake as it lifted her chin, forcing her to meet the alicorn's gaze. "Twilight Sparkle." Nightmare Moon said, the name rolling off of her tongue with an odd, old fashioned cadence. "Pupil . . . of our Sister."