Nightmare Moon turned to look at Twilight while she let the crack and flash from her teleportation spell fade. Twilight, though already knowing their destination was the Castle of the Two Sisters, looked around the courtyard curiously. Nightmare Moon momentarily looked away from Twilight to scrutinize the courtyard.
As per her orders, a large section of the Castle's courtyard had been cleared, so there was enough open space to work with. Twilight shifted at Nightmare’s side, then turned her head to the right and continued looking around.
Nightmare heard the click of metal boots on the stone come from her left, so she turned to face the approaching batponies. The three of them stopped and bowed to her. "Your Majesty," they acknowledged.
Nightmare nodded in response. In turn, they arose while she turned back to Twilight, who likewise noticed the trio of batponies. "We will be starting shortly," Nightmare said, drawing Twilight's eyes to her and making her student's lips pull into a line.
With that, Nightmare turned and walked back to the edge of the cleared arena, giving the four of them plenty of space so that she wouldn't intrude on their battle.
The three batponies bowed respectfully to Twilight, making her fidget uncomfortably and glance aside at Nightmare, then the batponies stood back up.
Nightmare turned to the left again. The present contingent of batponies were not working on the castle as much due to the Winter, but they were still encamped at the castle. They were, for the most part, keeping themselves occupied, although some had gathered at the left edge of the arena to watch as she had.
Pushing the passing interest aside, Nightmare turned back to look over Twilight and her student's opponents. Where Twilight was unarmored, the three batponies each had their usual steel armor, enchanted for resilience, to resist magic, and alter their appearance, and while Twilight's only weapon was her magic, the batponies had spears and hoof blades that shimmered with magic: enchanted so that they would do little more than shock and stun whoever they hit.
Even standing a good thirty feet away, Nightmare could spot Twilight's nervousness. The way Twilight squirmed where she stood, and though it was harder to tell, her muscles seemed tensed.
'How will you fare against them?' Nightmare wondered. There were three of them, but Twilight had magic that they did not. 'You should win easily.' Yes, it was hardly a fair fight for her batponies. It should be simple for Twilight to best the three of them.
'How many batponies would it take for you to lose?' Nightmare pondered, gradually running her tongue over her lips. 'Perhaps you would fare better against them than I since you can teleport quicker than I can.'
Twilight looked over at Nightmare, but the three batponies kept their gazes on Twilight. 'Of course, you would make that mistake.' Twilight would learn soon enough. She gave the word, "Begin."
Twilight's head whipped back towards her opponents who had already broken formation: one dashed left, one right, and one jumped into the air, all three arcing towards her. Twilight looked side to side, tracking them and considering her course of action while her horn glowed.
Nightmare observed as a flash of light radiated from where Twilight stood, signaling her student teleporting. An accompanying crack! and a second flash put Twilight a few steps behind the batpony who had gone to the right. His head whipped back to see Twilight behind him, her horn already aimed. He made to stop and swung his spear, only for a quick discharge of magic from Twilight’s horn to strike his unprotected wing.
The batpony let out a sharp eek!, his wings flaring wildly as the shock shot through his body, ultimately making him convulse and fall to the ground, twitching.
The two other batponies shared a look during the brief moment before another pair of flashes and crack! signaled Twilight teleporting once more.
More on instinct than reacting, both batponies dove out of the way which saved the grounded batpony from a blast of magic to his back. The bolt of magic sailed through the air before burning itself out.
Wasting no time, the batpony jumped back to his hooves and lurched at Twilight, who grunted as she jumped back.
Another pair of flashes and a crack!, this time putting Twilight far beyond the reach of either of the batponies. Having put both batponies on the defensive and throwing them off their hooves from her opening teleport, Twilight pressed her range advantage. The two batponies had no choice but to rush towards Twilight, attempting to weave between her spells. Even disorganized, they coordinated well enough that Twilight had to alternate between firing at each of them while backing up. Most of Twilight’s spells missed at first, but as they grew closer, Twilight’s accuracy improved as the batponies had less time to react.
Bolts of magic struck their armor, rippling over the enchantments and making the batponies’ dark appearances flicker to betray their true colors as the magic nearly burnt out the enchantments.
Her batponies never truly stood a chance. Before they even got close to her, Twilight had teleported again, once again putting adequate distance between herself and the batponies. A lucky bolt of magic struck on of them in the wing, making him jump and stagger. It wasn’t enough to knock him to the ground, but as he attempted to charge at Twilight, he fell over his hooves. A few more spells struck his armor, eventually culminating in a sharp crack! as the enchantments broke.
He yelped and spasmed before letting out a staggered grunt and falling unconscious.
Nightmare could see that the last batpony realized it was a lost cause, yet as was his nature, he still held to his duty. Rather than blindly charging at Twilight, he shot into the sky. Bolts of raspberry magic raced towards him, but he nimbly dodged them. Twilight fired more sporadically as the batpony nearly disappeared in the night sky.
Nightmare held back a smirk and set her gaze on Twilight. Her student bit her lip, nervously scanning the sky and timidly pacing around in a short circle. Twilight knew he would be back, but couldn’t see him now.
Nightmare looked back to the sky. It took her a few seconds to spot the batpony silently gliding down at a lower angle than Twilight was watching, and coming for Twilight’s side. By the time Twilight noticed the dark shape streaking towards her and turned, she only managed to get off a single spell that completely missed.
Twilight grunted as the batpony slammed into her, throwing her to the ground and pinning her. While Twilight struggled to free herself, the batpony made sure to strike her horn. Twilight yelped and winced. The strike was followed by a second strike to her side, which made her jerk and squeak before groaning.
Twilight’s horn went dim. For a few seconds, the batpony laid on her, unsure if she had well and truly given up or not.
Nightmare breathed in and frowned before nodding. 'How disappointing.' She walked towards them. The batpony noticed and quickly climbed off Twilight, then stood at attention while Twilight just groaned from the ground. She stopped in front of Twilight and leaned down.
"Why do I have to do this exactly?" the filly groaned.
"Because you need to know how to deal with multiple opponents at once," Nightmare answered. She watched Twilight's chest expand, then deflate. She heard Twilight's sharp exhale.
"I think it was easier to deal with the changelings," her student grumbled.
"You had help," Nightmare pointed out. "Though with that said, I would not expect you to consider this harder. The changelings were more numerous and had magic, though I suppose they were unarmored.”
Nightmare paused for a moment, then bowed her head. "And you lost track of him."
Twilight scowled.
Nightmare breathed in and washed her magic over Twilight's body, dispersing the stunning effect and accelerating her recovery. Twilight's eyes fluttered closed, then stayed closed for several seconds. She watched her student's chest expanded, then Twilight opened her eyes and reluctantly stood back up.
"You're going to make me keep doing this until I win, aren't you?"
Nightmare smiled. It was the only answer Twilight needed, and it was enough to make her student sigh. "Perhaps you would rather spar against me?" she suggested.
A moment passed. Twilight's expression refocused. "As a matter of fact, yes, I would rather spar against you than them."
"Very well," Nightmare said, then bowed her head, "but you will still be sparring with them after this."
Twilight jerked her head about; she turned and walked a good distance away, then turned back to face Twilight. She stood at her full height, breathed in deep, then calmly exhale. Twilight grimaced as she shook herself back into focus.
'You will open with teleporting. Likely... to one of my sides, or behind me.' Yes, Twilight was predictable—at least to that point. 'And then you will cast a stun spell and teleport again...' "Whenever you are ready," she bowed her head, "you may make the first move."
Twilight lit her horn and Nightmare mirrored her.
Twilight teleported. 'Left.' The chime of Twilight's stun spell. Nightmare forged her magic into a shield. The second teleport. 'Behind.' The next stun spell. The first struck her shield. Nightmare dropped her shield and they both teleported nearly in sync.
Twilight startled as Nightmare threw herself into her much smaller opponent. Twilight grunted and found herself on her back. After a moment of confusion, her student's horn glowed to life-until her hoof connected with it.
Twilight winced and grunted as Nightmare pressed her horn to the stone. She looked at Nightmare with some kind of disgusted, confused grimace.
Nightmare tilted her head. "Predictable." And Twilight scowled.
"Normally that works."
"Yes," Nightmare agreed. "Shall you try again?"
"I have the feeling you're going to make me try again anyway," her student muttered.
"You are correct," Nightmare stated, then lifted her hoof from Twilight's horn and stood up. Twilight rolled onto her stomach, then stood back up and walked back to her original position, then faced Nightmare while she walked back to her starting position. "How about we... make this more interesting?"
Twilight frowned. "More... interesting?"
"Yes," Nightmare said. "Don't hold back. Use whatever spells you have at your disposal. Aside from the obvious, 'Let us try not to kill each other,' no rules?"
"I really don't like the sound of this," Twilight muttered.
"Ah, come now, Twilight. 'Twill be a fun challenge," Nightmare offered. A smile pulled at her lips as she thought about it.
Twilight squinted at her. Nightmare barely heard, "Fun," muttered, but couldn't miss the way Twilight's eyebrows flexed up and her head jittered about. "You do realize I'm not holding back when we're sparring, right?"
"You are," Nightmare countered. "You stick to a very limited, rather predictable set of spells and strategies. You are quick, but... we have sparred enough that I was able to defeat you as I did."
"You win every time," Twilight pointed out. "It doesn't really matter what I do. It only determines how long it takes for you to win."
"Eventually—" Nightmare bowed her head, "—you will win."
Twilight's expression shifted. Nightmare couldn't make out what it meant, although she thought the filly's body relaxed. Eventually, Twilight shook her head. "Fine. So, use whatever spells I can think of?"
"Yes," Nightmare said.
"Alright. And what about you?"
"You will see," Nightmare answered.
"Yep." Twilight nodded at length for several seconds. "I really don't like the sound of this."
Choosing to ignore Twilight’s comment, Nightmare bowed her head and said, "Whenever you are ready," then lifted her head back up.
Twilight breathed in and flexed her eyebrows up, then gradually lowered her head and crouched down, aiming at Nightmare, but not casting yet.
'What are you planning?' Was her student going to open with casting rather than teleporting?
'I can fly. Perhaps this is how I can force you to face a variety of opponents at once.' Yes, Twilight hadn't really fought her when she was flying, and if the batpony was anything to go by, Twilight needed more practice there. Nightmare broke eye contact to glance around the arena. 'Although there is perhaps not enough room... when we battle next in a forest, or perhaps a field, I shall fly,' she decided.
Nightmare looked back at Twilight, who hadn't moved. 'Unsurprising, but you should capitalize on it.'
"In an actual battle—" Nightmare bowed her head and aimed at Twilight, charging her magic, "—you would not have such time to think and plan."
"This isn't meant to be an actual battle," Twilight retorted. "You giving me the first move is proof enough of that."
'Perhaps...' Nightmare pondered a few thoughts and settled on one of them. "Then I shall make the first move." She saw Twilight's body tense just before she cast her first spell, and though no bolt of magic lurched towards Twilight, her student's magic formed into a shield. 'Good, you didn't flinch.' Still, the fact that Twilight did not try to teleport out of the way came as a surprise.
Nightmare cast her second spell, cloaking herself from sight. Twilight visibly cringed. Nightmare breathed in deep, then calmly walked off to her left, never looking away from Twilight, who listened intently—not that her hoofsteps were audible, courtesy of the first spell—and gradually swept her head left and right.
Twilight timidly backed up, realizing she was at a disadvantage.
'Surely you are better than this!' Twilight, even if she didn't know how to cast her spell, should have been able to figure out how to counter it. Even just casting spells randomly stood a chance of working! But no, Twilight did not even bother trying. She held in a groan. 'What are you doing?'
Twilight breathed in deep. Nightmare crept towards her student.
A slight twitch in Twilight's eyes. Another step. Twilight's horn jerked towards her.
Nightmare dove to the side as the bolt of magic raced through the air and dispersed at the edge of the arena. A second bolt followed it towards her. She rolled out of the way and the bolt of magic struck the stone.
Twilight teleported.
Nightmare jumped to her hooves, swiveled around, and dropped low before casting her own spell. Their spells hit in midair and detonated—she barely heard the double crack! of Twilight's next teleport, but Twilight had not timed it perfectly. 'So you can detect me now. Good.'
Nightmare turned—
—disorientation. The world flipped around her in an incomprehensible way. Up became down and down up, as gravity reversed.
Nightmare grunted and flipped onto her back, then dove back towards the ground, only for gravity to right itself and send her tumbling in disorientation. She teleported to the ground—the sound gave away her position—and the impact made her grunt.
Nightmare rolled and jumped to her hooves, then leaped back and matched Twilight's bolt of magic with her own.
'If you wish to fight like that...' Nightmare teleported to Twilight's side and threw herself into her student again. The filly yelped and turned to face her. Nightmare dispelled her cloak and lunged her right forehoof at Twilight's horn. Twilight teleported before she could make contact.
Behind her. Nightmare swiveled and several bolts of magic flew past her side. She fired back. Twilight dropped to the ground and matched her spells. She strode forward. Twilight teleported to her left.
Nightmare grabbed Twilight with her magic—the filly yelped in surprise—and threw her student towards her while she swiveled around to face her rapidly-approaching student. Twilight winced and teleported past her, fell to the ground and rolled. Nightmare turned to face Twilight and watched her student pick herself back up off the ground.
Twilight coughed a few times, then licked her lips, still staring at the ground.
"You should not simply stand there," Nightmare chastised.
Twilight looked back at her with a scowl. "I didn't expect you to just grab me like that."
Nightmare pointedly tilted her head. "As I said—"
"No rules, yes," Twilight hissed, immediately casting several bolts of magic towards her.
Nightmare turned her body towards Twilight and forged her magic into a shield that took each spell in stride.
Twilight grumbled something and turned to face Nightmare, who noticed her labored breathing.
A beam of magic lurched from Twilight's horn. Nightmare braced herself. The beam struck her shield head-on. She squinted from the brightness and exhaled sharply as her body tensed.
It reminded her too much of her fight with Sister.
Twilight wasn't that strong. Not yet.
Nightmare’s shield shrugged it off—for the first few seconds. Against the blinding raspberry-white light, she saw cracks forming in her shield. She bared her teeth and forged more magic into her shield, reinforcing it against Twilight's magic.
And a second later, the beam stopped. Twilight's legs wobbled as she heaved for breath.
'You are not spent yet.'
Nightmare dropped her shield and charged forward. Twilight's body jerked; her student straightened and teleported.
Nightmare spun around and fired off a blast of magic. Twilight fired a spell in return. Nightmare charged at Twilight—the spells hit and detonated—and raced through the spells' wake.
Twilight teleported again. Nightmare stopped and turned, casting a stun spell as soon as she could. Twilight's magic formed into a shield. Crack! as the shield took her magic and shrugged it off.
Twilight shuddered and winced.
Crack! Crack! The next two spells struck the shield.
Nightmare fired again and Twilight's shield popped. Twilight let out a hiss and grunted. Her horn sparked a few times before the crack! and flash of another teleportation spell.
Nightmare turned and fired.
Twilight fired.
Their spells detonated and they both followed up with more.
Where Twilight stood her ground, Nightmare strode through the spellfire to close the distance. Twilight stopped firing to teleport. When Twilight reappeared, Nightmare grabbed the filly in her magic—only for it to slip off as Twilight fought it off.
Nightmare turned and ducked under Twilight's spell, and from her crouched position, lunged forward and focused her magic into a beam.
And Twilight made the mistake of shielding against it.
Nightmare’s beam struck Twilight's shield, and after barely a second, shredded it.
A surge of dread, anxiety, and panic crashed over her body. Nightmare cut the spell but the magic still slammed into Twilight's body, sending Twilight flying through the air for a moment before crashing into the ground and rolling side over side before stopping.
No magic. Twilight either chose not to move or was incapable of it. Three batponies rushed over to her student's side and the ones who watched on tensed as if they were ready to strike at some unknown enemy.
Nightmare darted over and stopped at her student's side. "Twilight?"
Twilight groaned and her face scrunched up.
Nightmare closed her eyes as a wave of relief washed over her body. She opened her eyes and washed her magic over Twilight's body, numbing her pain and healing the cuts, scrapes, and bruises she had caused. After a moment, her friend cracked open her eyes, blinked a few times, and looked at her.
A protracted silence lingered between them while Twilight watched her. Eventually, Twilight's eyes jumped to the sky. "Note to self..." Twilight breathed out at length. "Don't try to do that again," her student muttered.
Nightmare clenched her jaw. "I expected you to teleport."
"I was going to." Twilight rolled her head to face her. "But I decided I'd try to shield against it." A long pause. Nightmare frowned. "And try to reverse gravity around you while shielding against it," her student finally said.
Nightmare’s jaw relaxed, but her lips pulled into a grimace. "Ah."
"It seemed like a good idea at the time."
"This explains why your shield failed so quickly. I did not expect that to happen," Nightmare admitted. "Normally you can deal with that... far longer than what you did."
Twilight grimaced and breathed in, then glanced at the three batponies, who took that as a sign to back off.
Nightmare glanced at them and watched them retreat back to the crowd, then surveyed the batponies, who watched them intently.
Nightmare frowned. 'Something does not seem right.' But what? She reached out with her magic and checked, but none of them were changelings. Perhaps it was her imagination, or perhaps it was simply their concern for Twilight. She set her gaze back on Twilight. "Perhaps we should not spar here, but rather, in the forest."
"Yeah, I think I like that idea better."
Nightmare frowned. "Even though the same lack of rules would apply?"
Twilight rolled her head over the ground, flexing her brow up. "You normally play with me as it is anyway."
Nightmare shifted her weight uncomfortably. "So I do," she admitted.
Twilight looked at her.
"As I have said—" Nightmare bowed her head, "—I am trying to help you improve. If I held myself back none, you would hardly improve." She paused, then nodded. "You are getting better. It is more challenging for me to battle you."
"Even though you could wipe the floor with me if you really wanted to," Twilight muttered.
Nightmare hesitated and turned her head to the right. "'Tis... not that simple," she replied. Twilight squinted at her; she turned back to meet Twilight's gaze. "I am not used to battling an opponent who applies magic as you do. I can overpower you rather easily, but you..." she hesitated; why was it so hard to admit? "You are capable of... perhaps not outsmarting me, but..."
"I do not know what I am trying to say," Nightmare finally admitted after a few moments’ thought.
Twilight breathed in, then gradually pushed herself up into a sitting position. "I think I know what you mean."
Nightmare watched Twilight stand up, then likewise stood up. "I—" Twilight looked at her, "—you seem to fare better under... normal circumstances. More... proacted battles, perhaps?"
"Having cover helps," Twilight muttered.
"I see," Nightmare mused. "And I suppose a field would be better as there is grass... Though there is something to be said for at least being exposed to this so that you will have some experience in case you have to battle in such an environment." Twilight grimaced. 'Though I suppose you have fought in Canterlot against the changelings.' "Very well. Shall I teleport us to a forest, then?" Twilight nodded. Nightmare wrapped her magic around both of them and teleported.
Nightmare gradually turned her head left and right upon arriving, double-checking to make sure it was the right area and to make certain there were no animals to attack them. 'Good.' She turned to Twilight and watched her student take in her surroundings for a few seconds.
Eventually, Twilight faced her. "So... still the 'no rules' thing?"
Nightmare bobbed her head and looked at a tree. "More or less." She looked back down at Twilight. "Do not hold back, though I will again ask you not to use fire or mind magic."
Twilight shifted uncomfortably. "You already told me not to use that before."
Nightmare lifted her head towards the tree canopy. "Yes—but, I was not certain you would refrain from using such magic given I said not to hold back."
"I won't," Twilight said.
Nightmare waited a few seconds, then breathed in and lowered her head before nodding. "Very well. Thank you."
Twilight gradually walked away from her a good ten feet, then turned back to face her, lighting her horn.
Nightmare likewise lit her horn, then bowed her head before lifting her head back up so her horn wasn't pointed at Twilight.
"So, what am I trying to do, exactly?" Twilight asked. "Sparring and trying to beat you or am I trying to evade you and beat you?"
"Whichever you think is necessary to defeat me," Nightmare answered. "I have not decided how much I will hold back. I will not go down easily, of course."
Twilight's lips pressed into a line, but her student stayed silent.
"You may begin whenever you are ready," Nightmare said.
Twilight's horn grew brighter as it charged with a spell and, rather than opening with a teleport, a bolt of magic shot from her student's horn towards her.
Nightmare forged her magic into a shield. Twilight teleported away, but as Nightmare listened, she did not hear the second crack. Her shield took the blast of magic in stride, shrugging it off.
Nightmare still felt the impact, still saw the faintest hint of a crack where the blast struck.
'You are improving.'
Nightmare gradually turned her head left and right, swiveled her ears around to listen while she looked. Wherever Twilight had teleported to was far enough away that she saw no signs of her, and it was either far enough away for the sound of her hooves not to carry, or Twilight had muffled her hoofsteps.
'You cannot have teleported too far, as you would be teleporting blindly and uncomfortable with that in a forest.' Nightmare licked her lips and sent her magic out, searching for any traces of Twilight's potent, easily recognizable magic.
'There you are.' Twilight's magic stood out like a beacon in a void, much like she imagined Niece, Sister, and herself would.
Nightmare tracked Twilight for a few seconds, anticipated where she would go, then cast her own teleport spell.
Twilight yelped in surprise.
Nightmare lunged into Twilight's side, throwing her student to the ground. Twilight looked up at her with startled, wide eyes and her forehoof connected with her chest. Nightmare couldn't tell if it was an intentional attempt to stop her or if it just happened.
Twilight teleported before hitting the ground. Nightmare landed without Twilight beneath her. Crack! behind her.
Zap! Zap! Two spells.
Nightmare rolled to the right—several twigs stuck into her coat and leaves clung to her body—and jumped and turned around to face Twilight, keeping herself low to the ground.
Zap! Zap! Zap!
Nightmare lunged forward and shielded herself. Twilight backed up to keep distance between them.
Zap! Zap! Zap!.
Twilight kept casting.
Four feet.
Two feet.
Twilight teleported.
Nightmare dropped her shield and spun around, casting a spell to muffle her steps and another spell to cloak herself from sight.
Zap!
Nightmare sidestepped the spell and dashed towards Twilight.
The filly glanced around quickly before aiming at her and casting. Zap!
A quick shield blocked the blast but gave away Nightmare’s position.
Twilight swiveled to face her and ducked low. Zap! Zap! Zap!
Nightmare dropped her shield, then teleported.
Before Nightmare had a chance to capitalize on her new position, she was thrown into the air as gravity reversed. Leaves rustled and branches scratched her coat as she fell through the treetops. With a grunt, she teleported again and cast a counterspell. Shaking her wings free from a few twigs and leaves, she went ahead and dispelled her cloak while she lowered her horn to fire a beam.
Twilight dropped to the ground. Nightmare easily tracked her student. The filly rolled before realizing that Nightmare could just as easily track that.
The crack! of a teleport.
Zap!
Crack! Another teleport.
Nightmare shielded herself against the spells and swiveled around and crouched down. Aimed-zap! zap! and fired another stun beam.
Crack! Twilight teleported; she rolled out of the way from her student's spells.
Crack! Twilight stood over her, lowering her head to aim.
Too slow. Nightmare grabbed Twilight in her magic and threw the filly into the air.
Twilight yelped.
Nightmare jumped back to her hooves. Her student's horn sparked several times, then another crack! marked another teleport.
Twilight reappeared in front of Nightmare, the flash momentarily blinding her.
Nightmare felt Twilight's horn against her neck, felt the imminent surge of magic, and threw herself into Twilight's body, knocking the filly's horn out of position.
Twilight grunted. Zap! The spell flew into the tree canopy.
Nightmare Crouched down and lurched up, throwing Twilight off her forelegs. Twilight lost her balance. Nightmare capitalized and threw herself on top of Twilight to hold her down.
Crack!
Nightmare grunted as Twilight disappeared from beneath her. She looked back over her shoulder to see Twilight a few feet away from her.
"You're not usually this physical!"
Nightmare stood back up and swiveled to face Twilight. She fired three spells at Twilight in quick succession. "You do not usually teleport this close."
Twilight shielded herself; each spell detonated harmlessly against her student's shield.
Twilight panted and licked her lips. Her shield faded and a crack! marked another teleport.
Nightmare sent her magic out in search of her student, then shortly followed with a teleport of her own.
Twilight was running away from her, though startled at her teleport, and looked back with a yelp. In her panic at Nightmare’s rapid reappearance, Twilight tripped on some exposed tree root or brush and hit the ground with a dull thud and grunt, followed by a groan.
Nightmare dashed towards Twilight, who scrambled back to her hooves and bolted away from her.
In her haste to catch Twilight, Nightmare failed to notice the rock Twilight launched at her. The rock nailed her shoulder hard enough that she hissed in pain and stumbled, buying Twilight a few seconds while Nightmare processed what had happened.
'Clever.' After making sure nothing more than a welt would come from it, Nightmare resumed her chase, firing a few spells in retaliation.
Twilight wove between trees, using them to block Nightmare from having a clear shot at her.
Truly, Twilight had learned from months of practice how to use the forest to her advantage, or at least fight Nightmare in it. Aside from her student's continuous struggle with brush—thorn bushes, Nightmare realized when she herself bounded through them and felt them cut into her legs—and the rare trip up on roots or branches, Twilight navigated the forest well and used the trees to her advantage.
And, of course, Twilight had another advantage: size. Even just being almost imperceptibly smaller than an adult unicorn mare, that gave her student a significant advantage over her in the forest, making Twilight more nimble.
Still, Nightmare was faster, stronger, and had much more magic and mass to bring to bear if Twilight gave her the opportunity to, which meant combat was still mostly one-sided. Mostly.
Nightmare teleported ahead of Twilight, facing the filly, who stumbled to a stop. She aimed and cast her spells.
Twilight dove under Nightmare.
Nightmare quickly sidestepped, expecting Twilight to attack from under her, but rather, Twilight raced on past her, unobstructed. She cast her spells and Twilight ducked behind a tree; her spells continued on, burning themselves out or striking trees or shrubbery that went unaffected by the stun spells.
Nightmare stopped and listened to Twilight's panting. It was an obvious giveaway that her student was still hiding behind a tree, and quite possibly, nearing her limit. 'Catching your breath and planning. But you are still not as athletic as you should be.'
Nightmare decided to let her student catch her breath and use the time to plan her own actions. From what she could remember, there should be a river nearby, though it was unlikely to factor into their battle. Twilight would simply teleport, and she would either teleport or fly.
Hoofsteps still muffled, Nightmare crept towards Twilight's tree, staring at the trunk, carefully watching for any signs of Twilight's movement. Listening in to the gradual calming of Twilight's panting, growing quieter and quieter.
Four feet.
Two feet.
At the tree.
Nightmare jumped around the left side of the tree-zap!
The brilliant raspberry bolt struck her neck before she could react; her body momentarily tensed, her neck tingled, and then a faint numbness washed out from where the bolt struck. “Gah!” she grunted as she stumbled back.
Zap!
Nightmare dove under the spell.
Twilight stumbled back. "Oh come on! That's not even slowing you down!" Twilight hissed.
"As I said,” Nightmare stood back up to face Twilight, ”my body is resistant to magic, and stun spells in particular. You will have to try harder than that."
Twilight puffed her cheeks out.
Nightmare used Twilight's lapse in focus to her advantage: She lunged at Twilight. The filly yelped as their chests hit. Nightmare Moon, weighing more, easily knocked Twilight off her hooves.
Twilight, being better at teleporting, easily teleported behind Nightmare, leaving her to land on a tree root.
"I am never going to be able to beat you, am I? The best I can do is just... draw it out." Twilight muttered.
Nightmare breathed in deep and frowned as she stood back up. "In terms of raw magic, not yet.” She turned around to face Twilight. “In terms of skill, not yet. You have landed spells—"
"And they've done nothing," Twilight groaned.
Nightmare pointedly tilted her head. "Then put more magic into it. You have the potential and the magic to spare. And regardless, you are fairing far better against me than the changelings did."
Twilight scowled at Nightmare. “You were trying to kill them.”
“And if I were trying to kill you now, if this is the best you can do, you would already be broken before me,” Nightmare stated. She bared her teeth and accosted, "You are better than this!"
Twilight recoiled and frowned. "What do you expect me to do!?" Twilight retorted. "There's only so much I can actually do."
Nightmare straightened herself. "You are being inflexible. You are only using stun spells, teleportation spells, and gravity reversing spells. Even without fire, there are more spells you can apply to this situation!"
Twilight flexed her brow up and tossed her head left. "Detection."
Nightmare closed her eyes for a moment, then pointedly opened them to look at Twilight. "Which you have used well," she stated flatly. "But you are holding yourself back." Twilight grimaced and pointedly turned her head to the right. "Why?"
Twilight looked back at Nightmare. For a few seconds, Twilight was silent. For a few seconds, Nightmare studied the way Twilight's face caught the reflection of her magic, shining slightly: sweat. Her mane even clung to her forehead and neck, and from what little she could see, Twilight's tail seemed to hug her legs more than usual.
Red lines dotted her sides and legs from where thorns had cut into her body, and though none bled enough to worry her, they were enough to make her grimace from simply knowing it had to, at least for Twilight, hurt. Looking down at her own legs, she noted that the thorns were not kind to her either, but at least it did not bother her.
"I think you overestimate what I can do," Twilight finally answered.
Nightmare looked back at Twilight and shook her head. "I do not think so. You fight well enough, but you should be better than this. You should be—"
"I'm not a soldier," Twilight put in. "I'm a student."
Nightmare gradually closed her mouth and breathed out, letting a few seconds pass in silence. "So you are." She slowly shook her head. "You should still be better at this. I know that you have more spells you can use for this, even if they are indirect such as reversing gravity. Why do you not use them?"
Twilight turned her head to the left. "I don't want to."
Nightmare frowned, letting a few seconds pass, giving herself enough time to ensure she wouldn't lash out at Twilight. "Why not?"
"Because I don't want to accidentally hurt you." A few seconds passed; Twilight gradually looked back at Nightmare.
'You do not wish to hurt me?' Why would Twilight be worried of that if she always insisted that she was being overestimated? "I did not..." Nightmare trailed off. "Why are you worried about hurting me? I assure you I will be fine."
"I still don't want to," Twilight repeated.
Nightmare grimaced. "I promise that I will be fine. Do not worry about hurting me. I assure you I have been through worse than whatever you can do to me."
Twilight grimaced and turned away from her, muttering something under her breath that Nightmare couldn't make out. Twilight's lips gradually relaxed, as if she were thinking of something she didn't like, and Twilight looked back at Nightmare, almost haunted.
Nightmare frowned more; Twilight blinked a few times, then looked at the ground before meeting her gaze again. "I do not understand why you are worried about hurting me if you think I am overestimating what you can do," she admitted.
Twilight's body tensed and the filly straightened. "An overcharged stun spell can still kill." And having said that, Twilight turned away from her. Nightmare watched her friend's ears fall back. "I don't want to do that," came quietly.
'There are times when there is no alternative to killing.' But that wasn't the right thing to say, not now. No, Twilight needed reassurance. "Twilight—" Nightmare bowed her head and waited for her friend to turn back to her, "—do not worry about hurting or killing me. You would have to want to kill me in order to actually succeed at that, and you do not want to." Twilight's lips pulled into a line and the filly's jaw tightened. "And regardless, I have the utmost faith that if you did stop my heart, you would be able to revive me."
Twilight shifted uncomfortably. "I don't."
Nightmare breathed in deep and stepped over to Twilight. "Have confidence in yourself, Twilight." She bowed her head to emphasize, "As I do." Then she lifted her head back up. "And do not hold back. It only hampers your improvement."
"And you're, um, sure?" Twilight stuttered.
Nightmare nodded. "Put everything into our sparring that you can. Do not go easy on me or hold back."
Twilight's brow flexed up and her student's head turned left. "And you're still going to hold back and I'm still going to lose..." was muttered.
"You will eventually win," Nightmare reminded, drawing Twilight's head back to hers. "I expect no less."
Twilight offered some odd, perhaps horrified, and definitely forced smile.
Nightmare nodded again, then paced back several steps until there was a good distance between them. "Whenever you are ready," she offered and aimed her horn at Twilight.
Twilight breathed in, then threw herself to the left and cast two spells.
Nightmare stepped to the right, avoiding both spells. Aimed where Twilight would be. Cast.
Twilight yelped and scrambled back onto her hooves.
Nightmare’s spell impacted the ground and washed over it with a shimmer.
She cast. Twilight cast. The spells detonated against each other. Crack! A teleport.
'Left—' Zap! Nightmare swiveled her body to the right. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the brilliant raspberry bolt of magic struck a tree.
She aimed and cast. Twilight strode towards her. Zap!
Boom!
Zap! Zap!
She countered with her own spells.
Boom! Crack! Boom!
Another teleport, at her right. Twilight's horn aimed and charged—Nightmare threw herself right—Zap! Her body jerked from the discharge—Zap!—another jerk; Twilight grunted as she was knocked out of position—Zap!—the spell missed.
Nightmare landed with her shoulder on Twilight's chest; Twilight laid under her for a few seconds, breathing heavily, though strained from her weight. Eventually, Twilight picked her head up from the ground and looked at her.
Nightmare tilted her head and aimed at Twilight—Crack!—her student teleported.
Zap! Zap! Zap!
Nightmare scrambled back to her hooves. Her body spasmed slightly from the first spell but the next two spells harmlessly washed over the ground.
'How many spells have you landed?' Nightmare had lost count.
Enough that parts of her body still tingled. It was far preferable to burns.
Nightmare swiped her tongue over her lips and stared down her student, who likewise stared her down but with much less focus.
Twilight cast and strode left. Nightmare cast and charged at her student. Boom! Another set of spells, another boom!
Crack! as Twilight teleported—
—on top of her? 'Wha-' Zap! The spell struck the back of her head; making her whole body tense and shudder. Zap! She threw her head to the side and the spell missed.
Nightmare grabbed Twilight with her magic and threw her into the air. While Twilight was momentarily disabled, Nightmare fired off a few quick spells to capitalize on Twilight’s disorientation.
One of the bolts struck Twilight's chest. "Ahh!" her student yelped. Crack! Thud. "Ugh." Twilight groaned from the ground a few steps away from Nightmare.
Nightmare waited a moment, then approached her student and set her right forehoof on Twilight's back. She tilted her head and pointedly pressed her hoof down just enough to make a point, and certainly not enough to hurt—
—Twilight lifted her head and aimed her horn at Nightmare’s neck, then immediately fired.
Nightmare grunted as she jumped back. The brilliant bolt flashed just in front of her face, leaving a white streak in its wake. Had it been one of the changelings’ spells, she was sure she would have felt its heat.
Crack! Twilight teleported and took off running.
Nightmare grunted and bounded after her.
The river was fast approaching. Nightmare could see the large clearing up ahead along with Twilight looking back at her. Nightmare cast more spells. Twilight winced and turned ahead, only now noticing the river, and skidded to turn right to follow the riverbank.
Nightmare broke out of the forest seconds behind Twilight, skidded to a stop, and took aim at Twilight. Zap! First spell, straight. Zap! Second spell, to Twilight's right. Zap! Third spell, to Twilight's left. Zap! Aimed at Twilight's hooves. Zap! Aimed above her student.
Twilight stumbled and shielded herself—Crack! The first spell detonated against Twilight's shield. She charged towards Twilight. Crack! Crack! Boom! Pop! The shield shattered. Twilight yelped and stumbled back, then scrambled back as Nightmare quickly closed the distance.
Zap! Twilight jerked and yelped as the spell struck her chest. The filly fell back and her hooves crossed every which way before she slipped and fell.
Towards the river.
Nightmare stopped—Splash! followed by a spray of water as Twilight hit the water.
A moment later, Twilight surfaced, and jumped to her hooves, eyes wide, coat, mane, and tail absolutely drenched, horn unlit, and entirely tensed.
'Dry yourself. Warm yourself!' Nightmare clenched her jaw, watching as the tension in Twilight's body morphed into uncontrollably shaking and a slow, drawn-out wince and whimper.
The filly dragged herself to the shore and collapsed, then curled up in a wet, shaking ball. Nightmare galloped down the bank to Twilight's side. "Twilight—" she powered up another spell and used her magic to dry Twilight's coat. She set her forehoof on Twilight's body. It was cold to the touch.
Nightmare glanced at the river. 'Winter. Damnit...' She tightened her jaw and turned back to her friend. Levitated her up in her aura and set her against her side. She nearly recoiled from how cold Twilight’s body was, but it was her own fault so she forced herself to take it unflinchingly. She blanketed her friend with her wing and pulled Twilight close, still using her magic to warm Twilight's body back up. Twilight pressed herself into her coat almost desperately, and in response, she tightened her wing around Twilight's body.
And even once Twilight's body felt warm like normal, the filly continue to tremble. Every once in a while, even stronger trembling set on, rocking Nightmare’s body along with Twilight's. 'Why did you not warm yourself? Why did you stand there so long?'
Twilight closed her eyes.
"Twilight?"
No response, other than another strong burst of trembling.
Nightmare brushed her wing down Twilight's side, then back up. More shivering, though weaker.
Eventually, Twilight's shivering subsided.
"Are you alright?" Nightmare asked.
Twilight blinked open her eyes and looked up at her for a moment, though it quickly passed as the filly's eyes darted back to the river. Her friend squirmed. "No."
"I am—" Nightmare hesitated; her head ventured left until she couldn't see Twilight, "—sorry."
Several seconds passed; the only sound came from the rushing water. 'Perhaps I should have... let you run back into the forest. If you had fallen into a deeper part of the river, or the water had carried you away...' Her body tensed at the idea.
'This could have ended much worse for you.'
Especially if her stun spell had been much stronger.
'And it would have been my fault.'
Nightmare turned her head back to Twilight. Opened her mouth, and hesitated. Closed her mouth. Let several seconds pass. "We are done sparring for tonight," she decided.
Twilight looked at her, then looked back at the river, saying nothing.
Nightmare wrapped her magic around both of them and teleported them to her chambers in her castle. Twilight leaned her head away from her and looked around, then looked at her questioningly. "I... presumed you would be more comfortable here, than out in the open."
She looked away from Twilight again. "I... presumed you would feel safer here." Nightmare felt her ears dip back. "Perhaps... perhaps I should simply return you to Ponyville and..." She turned back to face Twilight, who looked up at her with a soft, unreadable expression. "And... leave you be, for—"
Twilight frowned. "I don't want you to just leave."
Nightmare caught herself, closed her mouth, then breathed in and nodded. "Very well..."
Twilight straightened her head and looked at the fireplace. "I'm just..."
Nightmare watched Twilight, took in the way her friend's eyes gradually drifted back and forth across the fireplace and wall, waited for her to continue. The filly breathed in and turned back to face her. "You try falling into an ice-cold river in the dead of Winter."
Nightmare shifted and looked at the wall. "I have. It is... not pleasant."
When she looked back at Twilight from the corner of her eyes, she saw Twilight frowning with concern. She reluctantly tilted her head over. "Why did you not... why did you not warm and dry yourself?"
Twilight grimaced and turned away from you. "You try thinking of that when you just fell in an ice-cold river. In Winter."
"Ah, yes..." Nightmare mumbled, turning her head to the left. "Though... that it is not instinctual for you is a bad sign."
"You're not throwing me in another river to try to teach me to react that way," Twilight stated.
Nightmare shifted her weight and rolled her wings at her sides. "I would not throw you in a river, least of all in the middle of Winter. As you continuously remind me, and perhaps as I continuously forget... you are not a soldier."
'Perhaps training you and teaching you can only go so far. Perhaps it only needs to go so far...' Nightmare considered. Her lips pulled into a grimace; she sighed and turned back to face Twilight.
"And... I suppose I would not want you to be a soldier," she mused. 'Yes, you would lose too much if you were a soldier...' She sighed and shook her head. "I suppose I continuously prove that I am a fool, do I not?"
Twilight hesitated.
'So you do think so.'
Twilight gradually turned her head left, then right, before finally sighing and looking back at her. "Can we talk?"
She bowed her head. "Of course."
Twilight grimaced. "It's that one thing I mentioned a few weeks ago."
"The conversation you said we would not enjoy?" she ventured.
"Yes. That," Twilight answered rigidly.
"Ah."
Several seconds passed; Twilight breathed in deep. "Okay look. Like I said, neither of us are going to enjoy this conversation. But it's important. And I'm supposed to advise you and help you, and if we don't talk about this I'm not doing that very well, nor am I being a very good friend."
'You are procrastinating on starting,' Nightmare realized.
Twilight shifted and seemed to steel herself for what would follow. "You’re not a fool, but you need to bring back the sun," her friend declared firmly, matching her gaze with intent and dedication.
Nightmare’s jaw tightened; she did not speak.
"I know you don't want to hear it, but you need to. How many problems from your return exist only because of the permanent night?"
Twilight searched Nightmare’s eyes, looking for something. And then Twilight's lips twisted in a scowl as she shook her head. "The weather is harder for the pegasi to control. Earth ponies can only do so much with farming. Ponies are still scared, even if they are getting better. It's caused problems for the Minotaurs and the Zebras. The Deer and the Griffins. I think if you brought back the sun, ponies would like you a lot more, and you wouldn't have so many problems to deal with."
And Twilight pointedly finished, "You know all of this."
'You are firm in your beliefs. You show confidence. Yet you are naive.' But Nightmare would not so easily lash out at her friend. She pointedly tilted her head left, kept her eyes locked on her friend's. "I will not bring back the sun, Twilight."
"Why not?" Twilight asked softly.
'You are my friend. You... do not wish to hurt me.' The ire Nightmare felt towards the thought softened. 'You mean well, but you are naive.' "It is a part of who I am, Twilight. I spent one-thousand years banished on the Moon. Even including Luna's lifetime, that is well over half of my life."
Nightmare shook her head slowly. "I did not suffer that banishment, nor endure Celestia for centuries, to just give up this night. Giving up this night now would only mock and insult me. It would be telling everypony that I am nothing more than a fleeting shadow of Celestia—just like they always thought I was. It would be telling everypony, neigh, everyone that I am weak."
"And what do you really gain from the permanent night?" Twilight asked. "Ponies hate you for it. They want the day back—"
"And they want Sister back as well, and they want my head on a pike," Nightmare snapped.
Twilight's jaw tensed, and her brow folded down. "You're being irrational. The permanent night is hurting ponies. You've seen that—"
Nightmare tossed her head back. "It is hardly my fault they act as foals!" She leveled her head on Twilight again. "It is hardly my fault that monsters attack them!"
"And what causes both of that?" Twilight posed, then answered, "Your eternal night."
And more directly, "You're hurting them."
Nightmare held back a growl, felt the pressure of her bite in her jaw. "I will not bring back the sun, Twilight."
Twilight's brow shot up. "And what if you have no choice? What if you're killing everypony with your precious night. What then?"
"It will hardly kill—"
"Think about it, Nightmare Moon," Twilight hissed, followed by a punctuated silence.
Nightmare let out a growl and jumped to her hooves, folding her wing back to her side as she paced towards the wall. A few steps from the wall, she turned around and faced the filly.
"What about the temperature?" Twilight pressed. "Or the weather?"
"What about the monster attacks?" Twilight pressed. "Or the unrest?"
"What about the constant fear you force upon everypony?" Twilight pressed. "Stay in line or else."
Nightmare turned her head to the left. "Do not mock me, Twilight."
Twilight breathed in, then slowly stood back up. "I'm not."
Nightmare turned her head back to Twilight.
"You wanted my advice. You wanted my help. You want me to be open with you, and you want me to be your friend. If I don't tell you when you're making mistakes, then I'm not doing what I need to do as your friend. The eternal night you so badly want is a mistake. It always has been."
Twilight slowly shook her head. "And you need to forgive Princess Celestia."
"I will not!" Nightmare snapped, leaving her teeth bared. And for Twilight's part, the filly just stood before her, looking at her.
With disappointment.
And doubt.
Like she was a lost cause.
Like she was not her friend.
'She was blinded by the praise ponies gave her, and you're blinded by your hatred for her.' Nightmare let her lips close. "I will not bring back the sun, Twilight," she said more calmly. "If I do that, then I have nothing. I will have no purpose."
"What about me?" came softly, yet it might as well have been a dagger thrust into her heart, then twisted.
Nightmare turned away from Twilight, unable to bear looking at her. ‘Dammit. Using that against me like Sister would!’
"You're hurting," Twilight said softly.
Nightmare lowered her head.
The click of a hoofstep. "You've said it yourself that you're unhappy." Another click of a hoofstep. Click. Click. "Hating Princess Celestia for what she did to you—and Luna—won't change anything." Click. "What happened, happened." Click. "But don't take it out on everypony else. That's not right." Click. Click.
"What if ponies hated the batponies and took out their anger for you on them?"
Why did she feel so empty, so hollow, so meaningless? She turned back to face Twilight, who was just a step away from her, head tilted back to look up at her, expression so soft and genuinely caring that it hurt.
"Bring back the sun. Don't take your hatred for your sister out on everypony else. We didn't do anything to you."
Nightmare’s head started to shake left and right, growing stronger with the passing seconds, but still calm. "I will not," she said. "I cannot."
Twilight's ears drifted back, her eyes dropped to her chest, then lifted back to her face. "You and Princess Celestia are meant to rule together. It's not supposed to be this way."
"I am not Luna, Twilight." What else was she supposed to say? “Perhaps we were meant to rule together, but she made her decisions.”
"If I brought the sun back, ponies would immediately think Celestia had returned and would turn on me. If I brought Celestia back, she would turn on me. I will not be banished again, Twilight."
"Even if I sided with you?" Twilight asked softly.
And for it, Nightmare felt the stab of guilt striking her heart; her ears folded back. "Ponies would turn on you as they would me, and Celestia would turn on you as well for helping me. I will not let them—or her—hurt you or take you away from me."
Nightmare turned her head to the left. "If I were banished again, I would be gone for another one-thousand years at the least. I would be even more displaced than I am. I would be alone." She turned back to meet Twilight's gaze. "I would not have you. And I would not return to find you."
"You're afraid to lose me," Twilight said.
"Yes," Nightmare admitted.
Twilight hugged her. Nightmare laid her head on Twilight's withers, set her neck against Twilight's neck, and sat down. Twilight wrapped her forelegs around her neck and sat down with her. "I should not have snapped at you as I did."
"It's okay. I knew it wasn't going to be a conversation we would enjoy, and... I got frustrated too. I'm sorry," Twilight murmured.
"I still should not have snapped at you like that," Nightmare reaffirmed. "You mean well, and I know that you mean well."
"It's okay," Twilight repeated softly.
Nightmare sighed. 'Perhaps it is. Perhaps it is not. I should not take it out on you; you are only trying to help me.' Yet another failure. Yet another flaw. Something bitter to swallow.
"You know that..." Twilight paused, but their hug continued. She listened to Twilight breathe in, felt the way Twilight's head shifted to turn to face her, only to be impeded by her neck. "You know that I want to help you, right?"
Nightmare reluctantly lifted her head from Twilight's neck and turned back to face Twilight, then nodded.
"And you know that I... want you to be happy too, right? As much as you've done wrong—and yes, I would consider the eternal night wrong—I still... want you to be happy," Twilight continued.
A frown pulled her brow down. "Why?"
"Because you're almost always unhappy. You're hurting."
'Yes.' Nightmare turned away from Twilight. But it still remained, "I do not want your pity."
"I still want to see you happy," Twilight murmured. "You... keep doing the same things, don't you? And you're still unhappy? Then why don't you try something else?"
"Because I have tried and it did not matter," Nightmare answered, careful to keep the bitterness out of her voice. She turned back to Twilight. "Luna did so much. For a time, they appreciated her. Then they grew to hate and despise her."
"And you still carry that pain," Twilight said.
Nightmare didn't respond.
"It's been a long time. You say that things haven't change, but... you still barely give anypony a chance. Because you're worried. Because you're afraid."
"So I am," she acknowledged quietly. "But I have reason to be. They would turn on me—"
"You don't know that, and you won't unless you give them a chance. Yes, yes it can end up hurting you. But we're friends. And there's still that risk that I could end up hurting you, isn't there?"
Nightmare turned back to the wall.
"You've said being friends with me is worth it."
"It is." And saying it hardly did it justice.
"And you do want to fix your mistakes," Twilight continued. A pause. "Let me help you."
"I won't bring back the sun."
"Not that," Twilight put in.
Nightmare turned to look at Twilight. "Then what?"
"A lot of things," her friend said softly. "The way you treat ponies. How you expect ponies to respect and love you without doing anything to earn it." Nightmare clenched her jaw, but said nothing. "How quickly you lose your temper." Disappointment made her jaw relax.
"I think you could be a good ruler," Twilight finally finished.
"But I am not," Nightmare surmised.
Twilight hesitated, then drew in a deep breath and nodded. "You're not," she agreed. "You're... effective. Focused. But you don't have the same touch Princess Celestia had."
"I never have," Nightmare admitted. "Celestia was... always better at statehood than I. Far more patient at it. Though I was the Princess of the Night, she could be far more... subtle... than I as well."
"I also think your appearance is..." Twilight trailed off and looked at her shoulder, though didn't really focus on it. A few seconds passed and Twilight looked back up at her. "I don't really know how to put it, but you said it yourself: you designed it to inspire fear."
Nightmare grimaced. "You do not approve."
"I think it's misplaced. I don't think it helps you any, now," Twilight countered. "You frighten ponies, and maybe they shouldn't be, but you are intimidating. Your eyes and, well, fangs."
Nightmare gradually turned her head to the left. "So you think I should change them."
"I think it would help," her friend offered.
"But it is—" Nightmare bit her tongue and turned her head to Twilight. Paused to search the filly's soft eyes.
Found herself wanting: just to sigh, just to bow her head and cross her horn with Twilight. But she couldn't share that moment with her friend. Not now.
"This is who I am. I am not Luna. I cannot be Luna; Luna is dead."
"I'm not saying you have to be Luna. As much as I would love—"
'Love?' Nightmare squirmed at the thought. 'You throw it around so carelessly.' Yes, her friend hardly gave it any thought, she was certain.
"—to see Luna in person, I still..." the filly trailed off, seemingly unsure how to continue, judging from her perplexed look and pursed lip. Twilight bowed her head. "This is how I'm used to seeing you. I think Luna was beautiful, and I think you're beautiful too. But I think you would look better, and that ponies wouldn't be as afraid and intimidated by you—maybe even like you more—if your eyes and teeth were normal."
"I shall... consider it," Nightmare mumbled. She shifted her weight; Twilight gradually pulled out of the hug. "If—" she bit her lip and looked at the fireplace for a split second. 'Coward.' Hard as it was, she forced herself to meet Twilight's gaze to say, "If you would like, I would... perhaps not be opposed to... showing you how I looked when I was Luna."
"You mean now?"
Though she dreaded the act, Nightmare gave a single timid nod.
"I would like to," Twilight softly answered.
Nightmare sighed and bowed her head. "Very well." She breathed in, little that it did to help comfort her from the thought as she prepared her magic. 'Twilight will like this. I know she will appreciate it. But... why? It is not who I am...' She cast the spell and sighed; her magic wrapped around her body, infused her body, and she felt her legs and neck shrink and shift as her body morphed into one so much younger and weaker. And then the light of her spell died, and Twilight stood before her so much taller than normal.
Nightmare turned her head left and looked back at her body, taking in the unfamiliar midnight blue of her coat, the brilliant blue and vivid lilac outline of her mane and tail, the black splotch surrounding her white crescent moon cutie mark, contemplating the foreign feeling of her body, mixed in with the memories of centuries.
She turned back to Twilight; the filly's soft eyes darted back and forth over her body, taking in her chest and sides, her coat, her legs, her mane, her neck, and her face. Twilight's head gradually tilted to the right—just a touch—and her friend looked up at her.
"Don't you think ponies would react better to you this way than the way you normally look?" Twilight asked with such a genuine, foal-like innocence that Nightmare could hardly feel angry at the question.
"I am not Luna," but her voice was Luna's.
A few seconds passed. Twilight started to shake her head. "You are now. Your body, your appearance? Luna's. You always have Luna's memories. But you also have your memories as Nightmare Moon. Maybe Princess Celestia killed the idea of Luna, but you are still Luna, just like you are still Nightmare Moon."
A moment passed; Twilight frowned. "How do you define yourself as Luna, or as Nightmare Moon? What makes you, you?"
What indeed. For a while, Nightmare had no answer, and it showed.
"Anger? Resentment? Bitterness?" Twilight asked softly, shaking her head sadly. "If you keep carrying that around, I don't think you'll ever be happy."
Nightmare turned her head to the left. "I do not know," she admitted. She swallowed and turned back to Twilight. "I... would..." she sighed and shook her head. 'I feel defeated, even now. Why is it that I cannot have what I want? Why is it that I am damned to my fate?'
For all her freedom, for all her victories and successes, for her triumph over Sister, what did she have?
Nothing.
A hollowness. An emptiness. A want for more that she couldn't satisfy. Not with revenge. Not with praise. It could be masked, but it was still there.
"May we..." Nightmare trailed off, searching Twilight's soft features. 'Perhaps we should not. Perhaps not yet. You are still young. I would be taking advantage of you.' She grimaced and turned away from her friend. 'Yes, we should not sleep together again. I should not.' So she turned back to Twilight, and instead of asking what she wanted, asked, "May we stargaze?"
Twilight nodded a slow, genuine, caring nod. "Of course."
Nightmare wrapped her magic around both of them and teleported them to the top of her tower, set out a blanket with her magic, and laid down on her back. A moment later, Twilight laid down at her side, and after that, Nightmare summoned a blanket on top of them to help hold off the night's chill.
Nightmare searched the sky, saw neither batponies watching nor clouds brooding. Saw stars twinkling, but somehow they felt as if they shunned her.
"You said that you were the Guardian of Dreams, right?" Twilight asked.
"Yes," she answered.
"Do you still do that?" her friend asked softly.
"No. Only for... only for a few ponies." Nightmare turned her head to look at Twilight, found her cheek resting against Twilight's muzzle. Hesitated from the feeling of warmth, hesitated seeing how Twilight didn't think anything of it. Looked down at the blanket covering Twilight's chest. Turned her head back to look at the sky. "Mostly you. Sometimes your friends, sometimes Cadance, though most of the time I do not intervene, and beyond that, they rarely have nightmares."
"Why not more ponies?"
'Because there are so many. Because I would only be shunned more. Because they would turn on me.' "They would not welcome it," Nightmare answered.
"Try," Twilight coaxed. "Try it. Give it a chance. Show them that you're not out to get them. Let them see you helping them, let them see you as a pony, like you've let me see you."
Nightmare held in a sigh and shook her head. "They would not—"
"Try it," Twilight repeated. "Please?"
"Very..." Nightmare swallowed and licked her lips. "Very well."