//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 - Onward to Destinations // Story: The Adventures of the New Nightmare // by hmaf43 //------------------------------// As Celestia and her guard captain, Shining Armor walked together in a hallway of Baltimore Asylum, they were accompanied by a cheerful and talkative pony who served as their guide. The pony couldn't stop praising the facility, going on about how good it was. "Wow, Princess Celestia, you won't believe how amazing this place is!" the guide exclaimed. "The bed is soft, the neighbors are incredibly friendly, and the staffs are very professional. You'll feel right at home here!" Shining Armor looked concerned and turned to Celestia. "Are you sure about this, Your Highness? You can still turn back. We can find another way to handle your sister." Celestia, wearing a serene smile, replied confidently, "Yes, I am quite sure, Captain. We need to make it look convincing to my sister. She will suspect something if we're not fully committed to this, trust me." Shining Armor sighed exasperatedly, realizing that there was no changing Celestia's mind. "I hope you know what you're doing, Your Highness. This seems like an awfully messy way to go about it." As they walked down the hallway, the guide stopped at a particular empty cell and announced, "This is your room, Princess! It's been prepared just for you." Celestia and Shining Armor glanced at the sparsely furnished room, exchanging bewildered glances. It was far different from any rooms they were used to. The room had a peculiar design, with walls made of soft, fluffy materials. The guide explained, "The walls are designed this way to prevent patients from hurting themselves. The cushioning layers are made from many different types of the highest quality specialized pegasus-made clouds, providing a comforting and safe environment." "They look so fluffy!" Celestia exclaimed, unable to resist the temptation. She extended her hoof and gently pressed against the wall, sinking into its softness. Shining Armor watched, surprised and slightly amused at a childlike fascination from the thousand years olds sovereign in front of him. "You do realize you're supposed to be acting like a patient, right?" Celestia chuckled and withdrew her hoof. "Of course, but who can resist the allure of pillow walls?" Shining Armor couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Well, this is certainly going to be an interesting stay." Pinkie Pie bounced happily down the streets of Ponyville, her curly pink mane bouncing along with her. She was absolutely elated at the moment - the second one is coming! With a sense of purpose in her stride, Pinkie marched forward. She knew she had to collect all materials she would need for her party and set everything up before the guest arrived. As she walked, she couldn't help but tell every pony she passed about the upcoming party. "You're invited! We're having a party today! It's going to be so much fun! You should come!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with enthusiasm. Pinkie had just rounded a corner when she spotted a certain rainbow-maned pegasus sleeping on a cloud. "Rainboooow!" Pinkie shouted, her voice carrying up to the cloud, but the pegasus only stirred and didn't wake up. "Rainbo--" she started to say again, but then stopped abruptly, her face grinning like a Cheshire cat. Without hesitation, she hatched a plan to play a prank on Rainbow Dash that would surely wake her up. With a sly smile, she crept up, tiptoed over to the cloud, and leaned over Rainbow Dash, being careful not to make too much noise, and then blowing a raspberry in her ear. Rainbow Dash bolted awake, flailing wildly as she tumbled off the cloud and plummeted toward the ground. "Hey, not cool!" she yelled as she fell, her wings flapping frantically in an attempt to regain control. Pinkie giggled mischievously as she watched Rainbow Dash fall. The rainbow mane pegasus gets up and rubs the sleep from her eyes. But then, she noticed something odd, she had spotted the equipment Pinkie Pie was carrying, and she was clearly confused. "Hey, Pinkie, what's going on? Why are you carrying all that stuff?" Rainbow Dash asked as she finally regained control of her descent and landed on the ground with a thud. "Oh, silly! It's for a welcome to Ponyville party I'm planning!" Pinkie's grin widened even further as she explained the upcoming party to Rainbow Dash. "Didn't you hear me telling everypony about it? We've got balloons, streamers, cakes, and moonpies! It's going to be so much fun!" she exclaimed, her voice bubbling over with excitement. Rainbow Dash's eyes widened in surprise as she realized what was happening. "Wow pinkie, another party. Who's it for?" Pinkie giggled mischievously, enjoying the intrigue. "It's a secret, Rainbow! But I promise you're going to love it." Rainbow Dash couldn't help but try to guess who the party was for. "Is it Princess Celestia?" she asked excitedly, wondering if Pinkie had somehow managed to plan a surprise party for the hospitalized ruler of Equestria. Pinkie just grinned and shook her head. "Nope, not the princess, she left Ponyville yesterday," she said, still keeping her secret tightly under wraps. Rainbow Dash racked her brain, trying to think of who else it could be. "Is it that guy with the cool armor that come that the new purple mare?" she asked. "Are they a couple?" Pinkie just laughed. "Nope, and also Nope, not him either! They definitely are not a couple!" she said, enjoying the guessing game. Rainbow gave up with a chuckle, realizing that Pinkie wasn't going to give anything away. "Okay, okay, you win," she said. "So, where's the party going to be, then?" Pinkie just winked. "At the town hall, Rainbow! Trust me, it's going to be amazing. You won't want to miss it!" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes but couldn't help feeling excited. Pinkie's parties were always so much fun, and this one sounded like it was going to be even better than usual. She couldn't wait to see what Pinkie had in store, even if she did have to wait a little while to find out where it was going to be held. Rainbow Dash's mind raced with possibilities as she thought about who the mystery guest at Pinkie's party might be. She had this gut feeling that it was someone special, someone important, but she couldn't quite put her hoof on who it might be. As she watched Pinkie trot away, still giggling and bouncing with excitement, Rainbow's thoughts turned to the one pony she couldn't shake from her mind: Nightmare Moon. She knew it was a long shot, of course. The evil mare who hurt the princess is gone. A bully who runaway with her tail between her legs because she fears Rainbow Dash, the mare of pure awesomeness. But still, there was something that made Rainbow's mind jump to other possibilities. Shaking her head, Rainbow pushed the thought aside. She didn't want to get her nerve up for nothing. Besides, even if it was someone like Nightmare Moon, what harm could she do now with the mare as cool as her around? With a shrug, Rainbow Dash spread her wings and took off into the sky, eager to enjoy the rest of her day. Whatever Pinkie had planned, she was sure it was going to be amazing. The sun was shining bright in the sky, casting warm rays of light as a gentle rustle of leaves accompanied the duo's steps, creating a soothing ambiance for the two mares walking together. Nightmare Moon's mane flowed gracefully behind her as she follows the lavender mare, their hooves crunching against the dirt path that led from Everfree Forest to Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle stepped with purpose, leading the way for the mare of the moon. smile filled her muzzle. Yesterday, she was definitely nervous about 'asking' Nightmare Moon to come with her, but even with her initial reluctance, the mare agreed. They had been walking for a while now, and despite Twilight's initial worries, the two of them had fallen into a comfortable silence. Not only that, but she had also brought some books from the ruin to research on. There are a lot of interesting things left in there, Books from the Centre of ancient Equestria, she wants it all! She had always been used to doing things on her own and had never expected anyone to offer her help. But here was Nightmare Moon, one of the most powerful and feared beings in all of Equestria, offering to carry her books for her. It was not something she expected from the black mare. As they walked, Twilight couldn't help but sneak glances at the imposing figure walking beside her. She was struck by the mare's imposing presence and aura of power, which seemed to emanate from her like a dark and foreboding mist. Yet, despite her fearsome reputation, there was something about her that Twilight found strangely captivating. Nightmare Moon was carrying in her magic a royal guard's armor, and many heavy tomes, filled with information about the ancient ruins from millennia long past. Twilight would have been struggling to carry them all by herself, and she was amazed at how effortlessly Nightmare Moon was able to handle them. Twilight's mind wandered to her childhood, remembering the stories that involved the black alicorn. The tales always portrayed Nightmare as a villain, a monster who would snatch children from their beds and take them away forever. Even as she grew older, like many young adults, Twilight had always held a sense of fear and apprehension for her bedtime monsters. The bedtime stories that Twilight had grown up with had portrayed Nightmare Moon as a boogiemare who would come to get children in the night. They said that she would take them away to the moon, or worse, that she would eat them. Then there was Nightmare Night, the one night of the year when everypony had to disguise themselves as ghosts and monsters to hide away from the Mare of the Moon. But now that she was walking alongside Nightmare Moon, Twilight realized that those stories couldn't be further from the truth. The black alicorn had been so gentle with her, it was hard to believe that she was the same pony who had once terrorized Equestria like that. She was not a monster at all! She is just a mare, a complex, intelligent sentient being with a fascinating history. The mare was kind and thoughtful, and genuinely interested in what Twilight had to say. She even let her cuddle last night! As they walked, Twilight found herself eagerly sharing her knowledge, explaining everything she knew about the flora and fauna of the Everfree Forest they had just left behind. A moment like this was rare for Twilight. As Celestia's protégé, she always had something to do - books to read, spells to learn, lessons to attend. Her free time was usually spent with her nose buried in a book, lost in the world of words and knowledge. She was no different than a fly lured in by the light, unable to resist the allure of new information. But with a companion like Nightmare Moon, Twilight found herself enjoying this slow moment. She had always considered such moments to be a waste of time, but now she realized that there was something to be said for simply taking things slow and enjoying the company of another. "Your Highness, do you know what Timberwolves are?" Twilight asked, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Timberwolves?" Nightmare Moon repeated, sounding somewhat amused. "I cannot say that I do. Pray, tell me more." she arched an eyebrow, clearly intrigued, genuinely interested in what Twilight had to say. "They are creatures exclusive to this forest, it's theorized that the manifestation of their physical form is possible only with the unique composition of energy in the atmosphere. They actually harness energy from their surroundings allowing them to function more like self-improving spell matrix than mere living beings as they do not actually consume flesh." With every passing moment, Twilight could see the curiosity in her eyes growing, the same bottomless hunger for knowledge she has. The alicorn listened intently as Twilight spoke sharing her knowledge, asking questions, and showing a genuine interest in the subject. It was truly a rare opportunity for Twilight to be able to share her passion with someone who truly appreciated it. "Their aggressive behavior as a pack is also a result of their evolutionary process, with each generation maximizing their chances of survival by being stronger, faster, and more efficient than their precursors.” Twilight take a breath, then continue. ”Each timberwolf is shaped by the survival of the fittest, with the strongest and most adaptable traits being passed down to the next generation. This has resulted in a highly coordinated and efficient pack mentality, with each individual working towards the survival of the group." She spoke of their behavior and habits, their pack structure, and how they hunted. To her surprise, Nightmare Moon smiled warmly at her, the same one Princess Celestia gave her. The alicorn listened with rapt attention, showing a genuine interest in what she had to say. Twilight thought about the ponies back in Canterlot, only a few had ever offered to help her carry her books, or even asked her about her research at all. As they continued on their journey, Twilight smiled, despite all of her doubts, she was exactly where she was meant to be - walking alongside someone who she can share her hobby with, a friend. Perhaps the princess is right after all, She needed to make friends.