Chapter 3
Nightmare sat upon the platform from which her and Celestia’s chariots took off and landed, watching her chariot, with a certain purple unicorn, who happened to be fast asleep, fade into the distance. That was a wonderful night, she thought happily, rising from the cold marble. Though I find myself wanting to spend more time with her... Nightmare sighed as she entered the castle. Five bits says Luna takes over within a minute, she mumbled cynically under her breath.
Nightmare brought a hoof to her mouth, stifling a yawn as she trotted down the hallway. Luna put her hoof back down, slowly working her jaw. “That was a wonderful night,” she said to herself, making her way to her office.
Where’s my five bits, universe?
“I wish Twilight could have stayed longer, twas truly a wonderful conversation,” Luna thought aloud.
Wait, she remembers the conversation? But? Which parts? What?
“Oh well,” Luna mumbled, making her way to her room. I believe it’s time to retire for the night.
No, she can’t, there wouldn’t be any reason for the switching otherwise. She must be only aware of it on the surface, no real memories of it. And those were her thoughts. Great... I’m interested to see what she does remember though.
Luna made her way to her bedroom with a smile on her lips, happily greeting the guards she passed. Tonight was lovely, [she thought to herself as she entered her room.
I should have set up some kind of weekly meeting with Twilight. I’ll ask Celestia tomorrow.
Luna happily climbed into her bed, curling up under her covers. With a content sigh she drifted off to sleep.
Great, now I’m in control, Nightmare thought as she sat up. And I’m tired. Do I force through the day? I could. It’s not that long, and I did get some sleep. Nightmare got up slowly, her mind made up. First, breakfast with Tia.
Nightmare calmly made her way to her private dining room, which she shared with Celestia. The older alicorn already sat within, blearily munching away on a bagel. “Good morning Tia,” Nightmare said gently as she entered. She could tell her sister had just awoken.
“Morning” Celestia replied, taking another bite of her bagel. “How was your date with Twilight?”
“I would hardly call it a date, Tia,” Nightmare replied quickly. With a smile she thanked the chef who brought her a sandwich. “It was nice though. We talked of many things.” Nightmare turned to level a cold glare at her sister. “She also informed me that the Royal We has been out of use for centuries now.” Celestia froze, mid-bite. “A very interesting tidbit of information, I must confess. You had assured me that it was still in use not three days ago.” Nightmare raised an eyebrow.
“Yes, well, you see.....” Celestia mumbled, fully awake now. “I was merely trying to ease your transition back into the world. I figured having you make small changes would be better...”
Nightmare continued to look skeptical. With a flash of her horn, she stole Celestia’s bagel. “So rather than having me make all the necessary changes at one, you would have had me mocked... Brilliant.”
Celestia looked at her sister, a pleading look in her eyes. “I’m sorry, may I have my bagel back?”
“No,” Nightmare replied with an evil grin. “But I will return it, after we have a long discussion, Tia.” Celestia sighed, nodding. “First, what is the Summer Sun Celebration? It was mentioned a few times in some of the books I’ve been reading through, but never explained.” Nightmare brought her sandwich up and took a bite, waiting for an answer.
Again, Celestia froze. She turned to look at her sister, her face an expressionless mask. “It’s a holiday to commemorate the defeat of Nightmare Moon,” she whispered.
Nightmare twitched. She made a holiday to celebrate WHAT? “I’m sorry, what?” Nightmare stared at her sister. “You made a holiday to celebrate banishing me? I mean, it had to be done,” Nightmare admitted. I had done some horrible things. But still! “But to make it into a holiday?”
Celestia cowered at her sister’s sudden, yet justified, rage. “I didn’t want it Luna!” She cried back, on the verge of tears. “The ponies wanted it. It was the end of one of the worst wars in our history. To the ponies, it was the best day they had had in almost a decade!” Celestia’s sorrow got the best of her, tears streaming down her face. “Every year it served as a reminder of what I did to you. Every year I put on a smile and faked my happiness. Every year, after the spectacle in the morning, I locked myself in my room, and spent the rest of the day coming up with ways I could have saved you. That was the punishment I gave myself.”
Nightmare’s anger quickly deflated. Ohh. So she didn’t want to celebrate it.Nightmare sat back down, looking away from her sister. “And the calendar?”
"Another reminder. Each year was both a step closer to you, and another year to remind myself what I had done to you, my own sister. I put as many things in place as I could, so that no matter where I looked, no matter what I did, there would be something to remind me of what I did to you... I never forgave myself,” Celestia whispered.
The two mares sat there, quietly. With a small poof, Nightmare returned Celestia’s bagel. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize-”
“Don’t be. You have every right to be upset with me... What I did was horrible.”
The two sisters sat in silence for a while, before Celestia spoke up. “Luna, can you ever forgive me?”
Nightmare remained silent for a time, thinking. Her face a mask for her emotions, she looked at Celestia and replied, “Ever? Yes. But not yet.” Celestia’s face fell, as a few tears dripped off her muzzle. “I was stuck there for a thousand years.... It just... It hurts to think about still.” Celestia nodded. Silence once again reigned, and the two mares ate. “So, what do you have planned for today?” Luna asked, trying to change the subject. Celestia looked up, slightly confused. “Well, I assume you still plan to perform your daily duties.”
Celestia smiled weakly. “I’ve got a meeting with the nobles in an hour. After that I expect it will be lunch time. Then the minister and the rest of the heads of state want to have a budget meeting, so I’ll be there. You?”
“I may try to sleep, but I think I’ll just end up reading again...” Nightmare replied with a small sigh. “Also, do you think you could ask if Twilight would like to make our meetings a weekly thing? It was very nice.”
Celestia smiled. “I’m sure she would love that. I’ll ask her later.” With a mutual smile the sisters embraced. Nightmare smiled as she left the room, her horn gently flashing to lower the moon as Celestia raised the sun. Slowly Nightmare made her way down to the library. She gave a smile to the librarian who waited inside, who returned the smile in kind. Though she only looked for a few minutes, Nightmare quickly had a large stack of books floating behind her. With a nod she checked them out, the librarian rolling her eyes at the stack of books. Nightmare carried her books back to her room. With a yawn she sat down, pulled the top book to her, and began to read.
The next few days passed in kind, Nightmare Moon reading through the day and sleeping through the night. She ate with Celestia when she could, and each time the two sisters talked. Neither brought up Luna’s banishment again, neither wanting to relieve bad memories. Luna, for her part, was spending more and more time doing her paperwork, seeming to retreat into it. Nightmare awoke each morning, scanned Luna’s memories, and each day worried a little more about Luna.
The day before Twilight’s next visit, Nightmare had an unexpected knock on her door. She glanced at the clock on her desk, which told her it was barely past noon. “Tia didn’t mention any visitors,” she mumbled to herself, regarding her door with confusion. “And Twilight’s letter came yesterday.” When the knock came again, Nightmare blinked. “Ohh, right. Come in!” she called out, doing her best to sound pleasant.
A somewhat young pegasus mare, with a rich sky blue coat, and a cutie mark of a brain with a few Zs coming off it, walked in, bowing low. “Good afternoon, princess. My name is Quiet Thoughts, and I am the royal psychologist.” Quiet Thoughts stood, smiling happily at Nightmare, as if her actions were perfectly normal. “I believe Princess Celestia set up this meeting.”
Nightmare, in return, raised an eyebrow. “The royal what?” she asked, completely at a loss.
“Psychologist,” Quiet repeated. “It is my duty to make sure that both princesses are sound in mind, and to help when they stray.” The mare continued smiling at Nightmare, perfectly pleased with herself.
Nightmare nodded slowly, closing the door to her room. “So, you are a doctor of the mind?” Nightmare inquired. Quiet happily nodded her head. “So, what is it you intend to do? I, for one, will not be allowing you to cut my head open-"
“Ohh of course not, Princess. Those treatments are reserved for only the most serious of cases.” Nightmare stared at the pegasus, unable to determine if she was joking or not. “No, for now, I wish to simply talk with you.”
Nightmare sat down on her bed, pulling out her comfy chair from behind her desk and offering it to her guest. “So, does my sister meet with you?”
Quiet Thoughts nodded, her smile relaxing as she realized the princess of the night wasn’t going to do anything rash. “I meet with her on a bi-monthly basis. Though, to be honest, I don’t need to be meeting with her that often. Unless I had some specific worry, I’d be content to meeting just once every six months, or even once a year.” Quiet Thoughts finally relaxed into the chair, smiling gently.
Nightmare nodded, racking her mind for more ways to stall. She was very uncomfortable with the idea of somepony trying to figure out her mind. What worried her most was this pony discovering what was going on. “What about the rest of the staff? And the guards?”
“Ohh yes, I regularly meet with them as well,” Quiet replied. “I make sure to meet with everypony working in the castle every few months. The guard, however, has their own psychologist, somepony who specializes in helping those who serve or have served.” Nightmare nodded, keeping up her fake smile as Quiet finished. The two sat and smiled at eachother before Quiet spoke up again. “So, is there anything you would like to talk about, your highness?”
Nightmare balked. She hadn’t expected the pegasus to be so focused. “Well, ummm,” Nightmare tossed about her mind, trying to find anything. “Well, yes. But, first, everything I discuss with you stays in this room, correct?”
Quiet nodded. “Of course Princess. Unless it concerns harm to yourself, intent to harm others, or a matter of national security. Though i’m not worried about the last one too much.”
Nightmare let out a soft chuckle. If you knew who I really am you wouldn’t be so calm. “Right, well, you see.... this is hard to admit.” Quiet simply waited, not pressuring Nightmare in any way. “Well, I’m horny.” Might as well start with something truthful.
Quiet blinked. That was not at all something she had expected. “Oh. Well, do you know why?” she asked tactfully, hoping the princess wouldn’t let her mood cloud her judgement.
“Oh, I know exactly why,” Nightmare sighed. “It’s been over a thousand years since I’ve so much as touched another pony, much less had any intimate contact.” Quiet’s eyes grew wide. “While Nightmare Moon may have been trapped in the moon, my body couldn’t be. Magic doesn’t work quite like that. And so, I spent the thousand years with none but that mare for company. Walking the surface of the moon. It was incredibly boring.” Nightmare looked up at her guest. Well, that’s mostly true at least. If I can trust this pony, I’ll need her to trust me.
Quiet nodded slowly, processing this new information. It had never occurred to her that the princesses would have such basic needs. “Well, have you tried, well, self stimulation?”
Nightmare’s expression immediately deadpanned. Yes I’ve tried- “Yes, I have. It’s like giving a starving mare an appetizer. I want the buffet. With all the trimmings.” Nightmare glared out her window, in the direction of the throne room. “Tia disbanded the royal harem a few hundred years ago. Had she not, this little problem of mine would have been solved.”
“Have you tried just finding a pony willing to have a purely physical relationship?” Quiet asked delicately, noting Nightmare’s rising tension.
“Ohh, right, like I can even have a normal conversation with a pony, much less casual sex!” Nightmare replied venomously. “Even you, the mare who’s supposed to be helping me sort out the issues in my mind, is unwilling to be frank with me! Is it too much to ask that We be treated the same as you would treat any other patient? Must We order you to drop the formalities and be blunt with Us?” Nightmare cried out, her voice raising close to the Royal Voice, her eyes glaring daggers at Quiet Thoughts. “You’re barely out of school, and you think yourself skilled enough to handle the royal sisters! You’re a foal compared to Us. What makes thou thinkest thou hast enough knowledge to begin to fathom the depths of Our mind and Our problems?” Nightmare’s voice echoed around the castle as she shifted into the Royal Canterlot Voice. The pegasus sniffed, trying to hold back a cascade of tears. “Ohh begone with you, snivelling foal.”
Quiet Thoughts stood her ground, slowly bringing her emotions back in check. “Life is pain, highness,” she said through gritted teeth. “Anyone who says differently is selling something,” she added, glaring at the princess. “I make no pretense about life. It sucks. Everything in life tests us in some way, and we get almost no reward for it.” Quiet sighed deeply, calming herself. “Look, I stayed formal because I wanted to show you respect. I don’t know you, or anything about you. I know your sister because I’ve spent years talking with her. I didn’t want to offend you on our first meeting, so I stayed formal. If you would rather I didn’t, I won’t.” Nightmare nodded, still frozen from Quiet’s sudden forcefulness. Quiet nodded in return. “Alright. Now, coming into this meeting I knew you had problems. Everypony does. Some are just more serious than others.” Nightmare sat quietly, chewing on her bottom lip. “Would you like to talk about the problem you brought up earlier?”
“Is that what you do?” Nightmare asked, stalling for time. “Talk with ponies about their problems?”
Quiet smiled. “Mostly. I talk with ponies about their issues, and help them find ways to deal with them. Most of the time, just talking is enough for ponies to make progress. Sometimes however, there are chemical imbalances in the brain that cause the issues, and for those, I prescribe medication.”
Nightmare blinked. Medication? What- Nightmare took a calming breath. “What do you mean by medication?”
The pegasus chuckled. “Pills containing a set amount of chemicals in them. When taken in the correct dosage, by the pony requiring them, they serve to fix the physical issues with the mind.” Quiet let out a small sigh. “Now, I know you’re stalling. Celestia has done it many times. I won’t force you to stop, but understand you’re not doing a good job of fooling me.”
Nightmare blinked, taken aback. “Oh, you noticed then.” Quiet nodded. “Alright, well, yes I am. You must understand, I’m scared. The idea of somepony trying to pick apart my mind, well-”
“I understand, princess,” Quiet interrupted, holding up a hoof. “However, I hope you can understand the good that comes of it.”
Oh yes, so much good would come of anypony knowing who I really am. Nightmare nodded, smiling softly. “I’m sorry for my outburst. May we continue where we were earlier?”
Quiet nodded. “Certainly. Now, I understand how hard it must be to just talk with somepony, let alone build a meaningful relationship. But, how, pressing, is your need?”
Nightmare’s face slumped as she thought. “Well, on a scale of one to ten, one being ‘eh’ and ten being I’d pounce on you and be done with it,” Nightmare gave a noncommittal shrug. “I’d say somewhere closer to a four. But I have had years of experience controlling myself. A five for me would be a ten for a normal pony.”
Quiet’s eyes grew wide. “Okay, so you’re-”
“Ready, willing, and wouldn’t say no to a reasonable offer.”
Quiet nodded again, biting her lip. “Well, I know it would take time, but it seems developing a relationship with somepony, and hoping that it develops into something more may be your best option. That, or finding a pony who is willing, and able, to have a purely physical relationship with you.”
“Well, there are only two ponies, other than my sister, who are willing to at least have a normal conversation with me,” Nightmare replied. “And most of the rest are too terrified of the thought of Nightmare Moon to even talk to me.”
“I wish I could say it was otherwise,” Quiet replied. “I myself came in here a little worried about Nightmare Moon.” Almost as an afterthought, Quiet added, “and I would have to decline if you asked.”
“I could order you to. I am a princess after all,” Nightmare replied, an eyebrow raised.
“True, but one, that would be rape,” Quiet quickly replied, “Two, you would feel incredibly guilty afterwards. And three, that would be a breach of my code of ethics. Which would get my license to practice suspended, and likely revoked, and, of course, I would be fired.” Quiet Thoughts chuckled lightly. “And I’m pretty sure one and two would apply to most ponies.”
The lunar princess grumbled to herself. “Why do you have to have a valid point?”
“Actually, it’s in my job description.” Both mares chuckled happily. “Now, sadly, I have to go. I don’t have all day to talk with you, though I wouldn’t mind.” Quiet rose from her chair and trotted towards Nightmare’s door. “And princess?” Nightmare looked up. “Do try to get some sleep.”
Nightmare watched as Quiet left her room, smiling softly to herself. Well, I guess I can talk to Twilight about that tomorrow..
While Nightmare did not in fact bring up her problem, fearing that such an intimate topic would end their budding friendship, she enjoyed their talk nonetheless. It again started with what Twilight had been up to, before quickly turning back to the stars. Nightmare was more than happy to teach anyone about Luna’s work, and with how rapt Twilight was, she couldn’t but begin to grow fond of the little unicorn.
Two nights later, just after Luna had raised the moon with Celestia, the older mare asked her to hang back for a moment. “Yes, sister? Was there something you needed?”
“I’ve been thinking it over,” Celestia replied, a warm smile on her face. “I think it’s time we, well you, started the night court again.”
Luna’s face lit up at the prospect. “Are you sure, Tia?” The blue alicorn’s face fell slightly. “But, what if nopony shows up?”
That would be horrible, Nightmare realized. Court is supposed to last for two hours. If Luna ends up sitting there, doing nothing for that long, she’s going to feel abandoned.
Celestia opened her mouth to say something, then shut it. Luna raised an eyebrow, confused. The older sister repeated her actions a few more times before eventually looking down, scuffing a hoof on the floor. “I’ve taken care of that, Luna,” she whispered softly. Both Luna and Nightmare raised an eyebrow, curious as to what she meant. Before the silence could stretch too long, Celestia continued. “I asked a few ponies who I wasn’t able to see during my day court to see you tonight instead.”
Oh, so we’re just getting her overflow? Nightmare thought bitterly. Better than nothing, but still...
“Oh, thank you sister!” Luna replied, jumping forward and giving Celestia a hug. “I promise I won’t disappoint you!” With that, she took off for the royal court room, not giving her sister a chance to explain anything further.
Luna, calm down! You have to enter as a princess, not an eager filly! Nightmare yelled out, briefly forgetting Luna was unable to hear her. You have to do this right!
Luna wound her way around the castle, rushing to make it to her first Night Court on time. She skidded to a halt just outside the room behind the royal court room. With a massive grin, she gently pushed the door open. The small room allowed the princesses a moment to breath or collect their thoughts before or during their respective courts. Alright, this is going to be great!
Or it’s going to end in a horrible disaster, Nightmare thought cynically. For Luna’s sake, I hope it goes well.
Luna glanced down at herself, running through a checklist for court. I need my royal vestments! She realized with a start. With a quick flash of her horn she teleported them from her room and began putting them on. The tiara fit just fine, but the shoes conformed themselves to her actual form. Luna stared as the shoes, seemingly two sizes two big, moved around as if stuck to her hoof.
Ohh, not good. Does Luna-
Luna let out a happy laugh before dropping the glamour. With her full size now apparent, the shoe fit just fine. Ohh of course! Luna smiled to herself as she donned the rest of the royal accouterments. The glamour wasn’t applied to them! How funny that looked!
Well, I guess she remembers the glamour. And doesn’t seem to have a problem with how we really look... Nightmare mumbled to herself. So long as she puts the glamour back up, it’s no problem.
Luna shifted and stretched, having grown accustomed to the glamour. “Oh, I’ve missed this,” she whispered to herself. Lifting a hoof, Luna smiled down at her ink black coat. “One day they’ll accept me,” she mumbled to herself.
With those words, a twinge of sorrow coursed through Nightmare. I really hope they do, Luna. But please, don’t walk out there without the glamour. It will only cause pain.
Luna glanced over towards the mirror, admiring herself. “Well, don’t I look amazing?” With a shrug she reapplied the glamour. Once again shrunken down to the size of a regular pony, Luna sighed softly. “Well, time for my first court since my vacation!” With that, Luna swept into the royal court room, carrying herself as a mighty and powerful princess.
The Hall of the Heavens was a massively long hall, capable of housing well over a thousand ponies. Along each wall was a gilded box, one made of a rich ebony, with silver trim, the other white pine and trimmed with gold. Each box contained an assortment of nobles, though neither was full. On the far side of the room from the throne was a large crowd of ponies, milling about. The rest of the room was filled with advisers and guards. The nobles had been chatting between themselves, but quickly fell silent as Luna entered. With a broad, welcoming smile, Luna strode up the dais to the single throne. The throne had been made of a rare white-black marble. Tia thought of me when she made it Luna thought happily. She sat on the throne, shifting until she was comfortable.
Beside her, a slate gray unicorn stepped forward. “The Royal Night Court is now in session! Your Highness, Princess Luna, do you have any words before we begin?”
Luna stood slowly, taking a deep breath. “We are most pleased to once again preside over our Royal Court.” Luna spoke with the full force of the Royal Canterlot voice, her words echoing around the chamber “It hath been far too long since we last spoke with our subjects. For many years, We presided over the Night Court, a time for ponies to bring thy requests and concerns to Us. Our sister’s court traditionally dealt with matters of state, whilst our court was more intimate, allowing our subjects to have more personal matters addressed by the crown. It is our hope that this once glorious tradition might continue.”
Great, she’s using the royal We and the voice... Nightmare grumbled inwardly. I’ll have to keep that in mind if I take over... Hmm... I wonder just what her memories of the chat with Twilight include. Nightmare’s thoughts began to drift away from the task at hand, and concerned themselves with the split between reality and Luna’s memories.
“Would the first petitioner step forward!” the gray unicorn called out.
A noble with a white coat, and blue mane, wearing a suit jacket and monocle, stood up in the Lunar box. “I would speak first, if your highness will allow it,” he said plainly, holding his head high.
“What is thy name, noble?” Luna responded, eyeing the stallion suspiciously.
At a twitch of Luna’s cheek, Nightmare took over. The nobles had been some of the cruelest in the years before her banishment. They had been amongst the first to turn against her, and some of their words had been the cruelest. It was a faction within the nobles that had originally decried her as a monster, and had been the first to refuse to attend her court.
The stallion blinked. While Celestia knew all of them by rote, for the Princess to specifically ask for one’s name was quite the honor. The noble bowed low. “I am Fancy Pants, Your Majesty,” he answered. “I am patron to house Pants.”
Darn. The Lulamoon’s were the only house to stand by me, and I doubt they kept their titles after that. I guess it was too much to hope for, Nightmare grumbled inwardly. Well, the Pants were not one of the houses calling for my imprisonment at least. With a sigh, Nightmare nodded. “What doth thou ask of Us, Sir Pants?”
Fancy Pants gave a brief smile. “Your Highness, Canterlot has not had a proper introduction to our returned princess.” Fancy Pants stood tall as he spoke, no hesitation in his voice. “Many of the noble houses wish to meet you, in a less formal setting. To that end, I ask that you attend a gathering, in your honor, in two weeks time, that I will be hosting.”
He is quite the confident stallion as he invites Luna to a party. What is he playing at? “Thy request is reasonable, Sir Pants.” Narrowing her eyes, Nightmare studied Fancy Pants. He stood strong and proud, but kept his gaze down at the base of the dais. “Thou hast respect for Us. We shall take thine offer into consideration.” Despite Nightmare’s desire to go, it would be the perfect opportunity to meet the new generation of nobles, she knew that it could easily be disastrous, if there was even the time.
“I thank you for your time and consideration, Your Highness,” Fancy Pants replied. With a bow he sat back down, a content smile upon his lips.
As Fancy Pants sat, Nightmare slid back, making way for Luna again.“Would the next petitioner step forward?” the slate gray unicorn to Nightmare’s side called out.
A lime green pegasus stepped out of the crowd of commoners, strode forward and bowed low before the princess. “I thank you for seeing us this evening, Your Highness.” He kept his head low as he spoke, not allowing himself to make eye contact with the princess. “I, and many others, have but a single request.”
“What doth thou ask of Us, little one?” Luna replied, letting her voice drop to a more measured level while keeping her warm smile on her face. I hope he isn’t afraid of me, she thought.
I doubt Celestia has kept these things this formal all these years. How long has Tia spent coaching these ponies? Nightmare wondered cynically.
“Many of us would like to hear, from you, why Celestia banished you, and what happened upon your return.”
Nightmare blinked, the word banished having pulled her back to the forefront. She stared down at the pegasus, confused. I’m sure Celestia spread the word so- no, Celestia specifically chose these ponies to attend the first Night Court. She wanted this asked. She wanted us to tell them ourselves. Nightmare nodded. “That is quite the tale to tell. Are thou not satisfied with Our sister’s tale?”
"Princess Celestia told us that you are her sister, and asked us to give you our trust and respect,” the pegasus replied. “There are stories and old mare’s tales which speak of the events a thousand years ago, but we wished to hear it from you.”
Nightmare slowly shook her head. “Very well.” A pause before, “We allowed our anger to control us,” she began, her voice booming to ensure everypony in the room heard, before staring up at the ceiling. “The ponies of the era chose to ignore our gorgeous night, among other sins.” Nightmare’s voice was the only sound in the room, everypony else having quieted so as not to interrupt her.
“We had worked hard such that our ponies, thy ancestors, would never have to spend another night in fear. In thanks, we were ignored. Reviled. Our court was abandoned in favor of our sister’s. Our proclamations fell upon deaf ears. So, we lashed out. Our dear sister did what was necessary, and sealed us away.”
The hall was silent while Nightmare took a breath. “One month ago, upon our return, we were still consumed with rage and pain. So, six ponies, wielding the Elements of Harmony, did what our sister could not. They calmed our rage, and allowed us to find peace.” At least, that’s the line Celestia and I are following.
The hall was silent as Nightmare finished. “Your Highness, surely-”
“That is all we will disclose tonight,” Nightmare snapped. “Whom shall speak next?” Calm down, there is no need to rage at them. And I don’t want them thinking Luna is still full of anger.
Luna let out a slow sigh. “We apologize. Our temper is still a little short. Whom shall speak next?”
A slow murmur went through the crowd before two earth ponies stepped forward, one pale orange, the other a light cream. The pair walked forward and took their place before the throne. “Your Highness, Princess Luna, we thank you for taking this time to speak with us and hear our request.”
“What is it you ask of us, my little ponies?”
The earth ponies took a deep breath before speaking. “We humbly ask that you bless our marriage.” The stallion shook with fear as he spoke.
Nightmare laughed inside Luna’s mind.Oh, thank you Celestia. Luna always loved blessing these unions.
Luna stood, grinning broadly. “It would be our pleasure,” she replied. Taking the steps two at a time, Luna bounded over to the couple and stood over them. “Stand.” The couple did as commanded, hesitantly smiling at the princess. “Thy union is strong,” she began, her horn glowing softly. “We feel no hesitance, for thy love is true. Thou asketh for our blessing, and We gladly provide. What art thy names?”
“My wife’s name is Flower Field,” the stallion replied.
“And my husband is Grassy Field,” the mare finished.
“Then, Flower Field and Grassy Field, We gladly bless thy union. May thy share in triumph and stand strong through despair. May thy love never waver, and be ever reaching.” Luna cast her spell, a gentle blue aura glowing around the pair before fading. “Thy union is blessed. Go, young ones, and let the stars guide thy hoofsteps.”
Wide grins spread over the couple's faces at Luna’s words. “Thank you, your Highness!” Flower Field exclaimed. The two gave one final bow before happily turning and leaving.
We should make an extra effort to watch over them, Nightmare thought to herself. Wouldn’t do any good to have Luna’s first blessing end in tragedy.
With an equally broad smile, Luna returned to her throne. “Whom would speak next?”
The next hour passed in peace. The common ponies waited respectfully for their chance to speak, and each gave Luna the proper respect. Nightmare watched through Luna’s eyes, happy to see Luna being treated so well. She was not pulled out again, as most of the ponies had come just to pay their respects to her. After each spoke their piece, they bowed and left, the crowd slowly diminishing.
When the last pony had left, Luna stood, prepared to leave. “Doth any of the nobles desire to speak?” A noble in the solar box stood, bowing. “What is thy request?”
“We, a group of nobles, have a request for our esteemed Princess Luna.” The noble stood with a smile, staring down Luna.
Nightmare narrowed her eyes as she took over. The noble’s tone may have been relatively neutral, but her eyes shone with a level of malice. Nightmare stood and strode forward, keeping her gaze fixed on the noble.
“Several of us have gotten together to discuss what should be done concerning you and your history.” Nightmare’s eyes narrowed further, not liking where this was going. “We have come up with a proposal we have deemed satisfactory.”
“And what doth thou propose?” Nightmare all but growled. She better watch her words carefully. And I need to keep my anger under control. They’re scared of my temper, wouldn’t do to lose control. She took a small, calming breath, before letting the noble continue.
Unrolling a scroll she had brought in with her, the noble spoke. “Our proposal is for you to, with all due haste, remove yourself from any and all positions of power.” The hall was silent as the weight of her words began to sink in. “Second, you will accept a magical inhibitor ring, for the safety of those around you. Third, you will submit yourself to a trail where you will be tried for your crimes against Equestria. At that time-”
The mare stopped when a light blue aura surrounded her, lifting her into the air. “Thy honestly thought this deception could work?” Nightmare’s voice oozed malice. Her eyes began to glow green as her horn was wrapped in dense purple smoke. “Over a thousand years ago We wrote a specific law against what thou hast just done.”
“Princess! Please, I merely meant to-” the mare stuttered, her eyes wide in fear. The look in Nightmare’s eyes and tone of her voice had made it clear that she was livid. The aura surrounding the young mare slowly changed from a calm blue to a more violent purple. A small whimper of pain escaped the nobles mouth as the aura began to slowly squeeze her.
“Silence! Thy meant to insult Us!” Nightmare screamed back, stalking down the steps towards the mare. “If thy proposal was true thy would have taken it to Our sister, or to the minister of defense. This matter is their purview.” With a jerk of her head, Nightmare brought the noble to float before her. “A thousand years ago We would execute you on the spot for such insolence. But today, we will show mercy. Guards!” A half dozen guards sprang forward, forming a semicircle behind the floating noble. “Take this insolent wretch to the dungeons. Come the ‘morrow she shall stand trial before the crown.” With that, Nightmare dropped the terrified unicorn to the ground. The guards grabbed her and immediately dragged her out. “The Night Court is ended!”