It was interesting living with her aunt even if she didn't deserve to call her that.
Most days were the same. Wake up, prepare yourself, and come to a meal with the princess. This was a very interesting part of the day. Even if she tried to eat in peace princess would find some excuse to eat with her or just talk. She sure could talk about anything but the most irritating was the fact that she desperately wanted to become close to her. Who in the right mind would talk about his or her obsession with cakes on their first meal? Well, maybe not first but in the first ten. But here she had to give her some credit she intertwine it with other facts about this city.
It was shown that she was an experienced politician.
The only rescue Twilight had was an excuse to study and read a book. Because of this, she was constantly on full alert. Not many would stay silent to good-natured-and-probably-not-important small talks from the nice princess. It was quite an effective strategy, for sure. Make somepony talk and listen closely. It was a matter of time before they said something that they shouldn't.
Then she had lessons with the princess about magic or with another professor teaching at her school. It wasn't as good as she hoped. Nearly half of them were born and raised nobles from the city and they despise everypony who wasn't noble. They criticize her whenever they could even if they make mistakes, gave impossible tasks, and then complain that she didn't do them. They had no shame in showing their 'superiority' of the 'high-born' over the common folks.
Twilight was sure that if faced with worthy foes nobles would faint from pure fear.
But not everything was bad. Because of their difficult tasks and not wanting to anger the princess they hide what they were doing quite well. She could focus on improving faster without alerting Celestia. Besides, not all nobles were that bad. Fancy Pant was a good pony with a good heart.
At least she thought.
After a few weeks, she learned that Celestia knew what was happening. She, like everypony else, wasn't happy about nobles. Their neverending clashes about their precious families and fortunes prevented many of the reforms needed for ponies. From their schemes nopony was safe. That's why the sun alicorn was monitoring them. Trying to stop their plans before they could ruin everything.
This was funny because she was the only one responsible for this mess. She was the one and only princess who created them in the first place. Luna was against it from the start, but knowing Celestia she didn't listen to her.
Back to the topic, after lessons, she had dinner and free time to do what she wanted. To escape the nobles she often chooses the library. Somehow nobles didn't like visiting it. She could study in peace.
And spy on others.
She tried to spy on Celestia in the first week but, she had too much time to erect her defensive and contr-measures to spying. Probably not in so small amount thanks to nobles. So she moved to others. While Celestia was no-touch no-know, others were free games. Armory, military structures, and tactics, captain and vice-captain and their families. They had practically no measures to repel alicorns. Sure for normal ponies that would have problems but for Twilight? It was nothing.
So whenever she had a chance or/ and time she would use it to gather whatever she could to survive if it went wrong. Some technics developed after Luna's banished to fight, improved magic in some disciplines, or just general knowledge of how the world changed in 1000 years. Everything was priceless.
Still, some things kept her uneasy in the nights. First was her nature. She was the daughter of the night princess. She was much better accustomed to the night that day. In Ponyville she could nap when a day was slow in turns with her mother. Here? A full day of activities under the watchful eyes of the Princess, she was sure she was watched by her, and no time for a nap. She was quite groggy because of it and it wasn't helping with connections.
Another was Celestia. Every moment she could discover her and the game was over. Luna was too far away to help and many guards would make it difficult to lose Celestia.
The last was the forbidden section of the library.
So many books with forbidden knowledge just asking for her to read them. The wisdom of the times past. Knowledge so dangerous that Celestia forbade ponies without special permission to even enter. Maybe some time manipulation spells created by Starswirl The Bearded. Or dark magic so dangerous that it could rival the infamous King Sombra. Or even better a spell to turn normal unicorns into alicorns. Well maybe the last was too extravagant but it was interesting how this Cadenza become an alicorn.
Nevertheless, it was heaven to Twilight closed behind the doors and guarded with Celestia's guards. What happened to make her put some many ponies to patrol just it?
What's worse she could just enter it even if she was Celestia's Student. Only Celestia could freely pass that door, and any attempt made by anypony else was soon thwarted.
The whole building was coated in multiple spells, some to paralyze the enemy and others just to monitor them. It was probably the second most protected place in Canterlot after Celestia's chamber. Still, she was sure that truly dangerous spells were kept hidden by Celestia in a special, not known to the public, place but it was the best for now. Furthermore, it should be more updated to the current times than what she had so she would kill two birds with one stone.
She still needed to enter first to study what was inside.
Or maybe not.
And who could know that it would be thanks to Celestia's nephew Blueblood?
It was about seven days ago when she had one particularly strange lesson about dark magic or in better terms how dangerous it was. Whole three hours of listening to what would happen to the pony if he tried dark magic. Sure, dark magic is dangerous to untrained unicorns, but for alicorns specializing in magic and trained for nearly a thousand years? It was more like a different flavor of cookie than you would normally eat.
While she was contemplating her decision about becoming Princess Celestia's student she run into him.
"You really don't look where you are going." She already has the unpleasure of meeting him earlier, but today she had a bad day. She stood up and turn back, without even biting an eye.
"The same goes for you, it seems. I would recommend looking somewhere else than your nose." How easy it is to enrage a noble? Talk back to him.
"You, commoners, don't have a place in this castle" He didn't like her response but was too stupid to find a proper retort."I don't know what Princess sees in you."
"I will guess not you." Retorted Twilight.
"You better watch your mouth, you beggar." Twilight turned around to look at him.
"That's all, what you can say to me? Please 'common folks' have a better vocabulary than you. You should visit them sometime. And I'm not talking about just traveling through them, it doesn't count"
"Well, you are the best example of them, penniless, worthless. Even your father couldn't stand you and your mother." Twilight was a very patient pony and normally would be easily angered, but he crossed the line.
"My father died protecting my mother before I was born! Don't you dare talk about him that way!" She stepped closer to him, with her horn ablaze.
"Sure, sure keep telling yourself that. Your mother probably just cheated on him and then run away." It was too much.
Her spell hit him straight in the chest, making him see the stars. While he was recovering from the assault, she kicked him in the ribs. "You made a mistake!"
But before she could do anything else, guards, alarmed by shouts, came to the rescue. A shield was erected, separating both Twilight and Blueblood. Guards seeing her unharmed with a lying prince on the ground concluded that she was the responsible one for this.
"Stop you two!" Even the captain of the guards, Shining Armor came to see, what was happening.
"You are going to pay for this" Blueblood was not in the best shape, even after that short fight. Blood poured from a cut lip and had a big bruise under his eye.
"I can fight you whenever you want" Came the answer from Twilight.
"Ha! I will never step to your level. My acquaintances will take care of you. You will see"
"Hey! You two, stop before you will said something you will regret later!" Interrupted captain."You Blueblood will be taken to the infirmary, and you, Twilight." He looked at her."Princess wants to have a word with you." Two guards surrender her and let her to the Throne room.
And it goes keeping a low profile, but at least he deserved it. The silence followed Twilight to Celestia, but when she thought about what she could do better next time interacted with him she came up with an idea for the forbidden library.
She just needed time.
And time she had.
Princess Cadence didn't know how long she was there. She could see the light of day and she had no idea how much time passed between meals brought by Nightmare. There wasn't a clock indicating the hour or a magic spell telling her time, since she had a magic inhibitor.
Besides that, it was okay.
The proper bed was moved to her cell after a few nights in an improvised sleeping bag. It was a hoove-made bed with few cushions. enough for comfortable sleeping. Homemade meals were good and nutritious and served probably in the same amount of time. There wasn't any poison or drugs added as far as she could tell. Her previous injuries were cured and she was kept in good condition.
Still, she was a prisoner of the dangerous Nightmare Moon.
Speaking of the devil, she just arrived here with the next portion of food. Truly, they haven't spoken much since her waking up here. She waited, scared that she would do something to her, but it never came. No torturing, no sacring, no nothing.
She was bored out of her mind.
"What are you planning to do with me now?" Asked Cadence. Nightmare Moon put her food on the table next to her bed, before replaying.
"Still nothing" And like it was all she turned around preparing to leave.
"Like Tartarus nothing!" Shouted pink pony. She finally exploded. her curiosity and boredom won against fear. "You kept me here for Celestia know how long, treated my wound, and even fed me nice meals. I would say that you are changeling if I have felt you feeding on me, but there is nothing. What is your game? Why are you planning to conquer the world and cast eternal night on us all!? I'm dying here from fear and you just go on like nothing is wrong." She took a breath. "Just why" She pleaded."Just why are you doing it?"
"Why?" She answered. "Why I would want to live?" Nightmare looked in her eyes."Why would I hide before my hunters and haters? You just said that you fear me to the point of dying. Then let me ask you what I should do?" This caused quite shock to the smaller princess.
"What?" She blinked, not understanding the question."I-i don't understand." Nightmare Moon turned her eyes to the cell.
"Everypony is afraid of me, they despite me. I'm portrayed as a monster who eats fillies if they don't behave. There is nothing that I did to deserve a second chance in their eyes. So I'm asking you what should I do?"
"Well, you tried to cast eternal night to the world..." She started but was soon interrupted.
"And who said that? Did I ever say that or it was Celestia? And before you say that it can't be proved, I already had a chance to do it and yet I didn't." She let her word sink in.
"But, Celestia wouldn't..."
"What? Wouldn't lie? Please, she lied more times than it should be possible. She had no shame when it came to getting what she wanted. "
"That's not true! Celestia would never do that. You attacked her first that night!" This caused an unexpected response from Nightmare. She started laughing.
"Me? Attacking her first?" She abruptly stopped laughing and looked at her with a serious face. "I was the first who was assaulted by her guards and then when they couldn't finish their job she came. Fully prepared to battle me and not even listening to wherever I was saying. That night I lost more than anypony should and it was mostly thanks to her." She barely controlled her anger and it was shown."So you better stay far away from it, because you don't know the truth."
"B-but I can't she is my aunt" She whispered, trembling from fear."A-and I'm still your prisoner."
"And that's why you are lucky. You are my safety card in case something goes wrong. So like I said earlier, nothing for now, but if something happens then I can trade you with Celestia for something." She started to leave."You are more valuable to me well and alive." She then stopped and exhaled. "Besides, alicorns are rare and it would be a shame to hurt innocent." She said it like it was inadvertently.
Nightmare Moon left Cadence to her questions.
And she had a lot of them. Some she could answer no matter how hard she tried.