“W-what?”
“No way!”
“We're not helpin' you stop our own sisters!” Apple Bloom shouted. The three fillies stood shoulder-to-shoulder as they glared up determinedly at the Nightmare Princess in front of them.
Nightmare's smile did not waver. “Really, now? Are you sure you don't want to help? You don't want the opportunity to decide just what dangerous creature your little band of heroes will face next? There's no limit to what you could dream up, you know. You should try it – perhaps you'll find monster creation more enjoyable than you imagined.”
“Don't be dumb!” Scootaloo flared her tiny wings in defiance. “We're not going to help you hurt our friends after you beat up our Princess and foalnapped us!”
“Oh? Well, that's a shame.” Nightmare picked up the bracelet once more and rubbed it against her chest, pursing her lips slightly. “This really is an opportunity for you, you know. With just a bit of clever thinking, you could make it so easy for them. But I suppose I'll just do it myself. Let us see... How about we start with a crocodile?”
At Nightmare's words, the bracelet glowed with a violent violet light, and with a rush of air and warping of space, a full-grown crocodile appeared on the stone floor in front of her. The fillies stared wide-eyed at the creature, which was nearly four times the length of a pony, and had a mouth big enough to swallow a foal whole.
“No,” Nightmare sighed. “Not good enough. How about we make it a bit bigger?”
The bracelet glowed once more, and the fillies all took a step back as the crocodile grew until its head was larger than their entire bodies. For a moment, the idea of those massive jaws enveloping a pony was too strong to ignore, and Scootaloo caught her legs starting to shake.
Nightmare smiled.
“A good start,” she said. “Now, then. Next, I'll add a little venom... Star Spider would be appropriate, don't you think? It merely stunned Celestia, but then, she is an alicorn. Imagine what it will do to your sisters. And after that, I can add something really danger–”
“Wait!” Apple Bloom cried.
Nightmare paused. She lowered the bracelet and glanced lazily in Apple Bloom's direction. “Yes? What is it?”
Apple Bloom scuffed the ground.
“Y- you said we could make it anythin' we want, right?”
Sweetie gasped. “Apple Bloom! What are you doing?!”
“Anythin' we want,” Apple Bloom repeated. “As in, as safe and weak as we want, too?”
“Hmm...” Nightmare tapped a gauntleted hoof to her chin. “I suppose it does mean that, yes. Anything you want. But it's so much more exciting to make them dangerous. Oh!” Her face lit up. “I just had the most delicious idea. Don't you worry your little head about it, I'm sure I can take care of this by myself if you don't want to-”
“No!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Ah'll help, Ah'll help!”
Nightmare grinned. The others were silent as the dark alicorn slipped the bracelet from her cannon once more and held it out to Apple Bloom in her magic. The filly gingerly took the bracelet in her hooves, and the magic faded away, leaving behind an unassuming band. Slowly, she slipped it on her own hoof – the device contracted until she could just feel the cold metal sitting against the underside of her wrist. She stared at it for a moment with a frown on her face.
“... Um...” She waved the bracer around slowly. “How do I get it to work?”
“Never fear,” Nightmare cooed. “It's quite easy to use. Just tell it what changes you want to see, and they will become real before your eyes.”
“Okay...” Apple Bloom turned to where the crocodile rested on the dais, its deep, growling breaths the only sound to go with her hoofsteps. Its beady little eyes stared back into hers, unimpressed, and the great beast blinked with a slovenly arrogance.
Apple Bloom took a deep breath.
“Grow smaller!”
The bracelet flared, and the crocodile began to shrink until it was half the size – still much larger than any pony, but so small in comparison to how it had been. Sweetie Belle gasped in surprise, and Scootaloo lunged forward and grabbed at the bracer with her hooves.
“No teeth! No teeth!” the pegasus cried, and the crocodile's massive teeth receded into its gums.
“Oh! Um, smaller!” said Sweetie Belle, stepping up to the other two. “And with cushy, soft scales instead of hard ones!”
“Make it dumb!” Apple Bloom said. “Real dumb. The dumbest an alligator has ever been!”
“Even smaller! With stubby legs, and a short tail, and googly eyes!”
“And big, strong wings like a dragon!”
“Scootaloo!” Apple Bloom scolded. “We're supposed to be makin' it weaker.”
“Oh, right. Sorry. No wings, then.”
“Well, maybe if they were just small wings...”
As the fillies squabbled and the crocodile shrank and changed and shifted before them, Nightmare Moon sat quietly to the side, a small smirk forming in her eyes.
“Okay, this is starting to hurt. Could we- could we stop, for just a moment? I have to catch my breath.”
The party came to a halt, and the others turned to look back at where Rarity was struggling, face flushed and with a hoof clasped to her forehead. Twilight frowned.
“Oh, Rarity,” she said, moving a step towards her fellow unicorn. “I'm so sorry. I should have given my share of the toll. You didn't have to take it all on yourself.”
“Nonsense, darling,” Rarity replied. “All that would have accomplished would be making it so neither of us could use magic. I just- need a moment to rest before we press on. That's all.”
“We can't stop,” Applejack said. “The fillies are counting on us to get there in time.”
“I know that,” Rarity moaned, “I just- never mind. I can press on a little longer, I suppose.”
Rainbow Dash grit her teeth. Without saying a word, she slipped under Rarity's barrel and lifted the unicorn up on her back. Rarity let out a less-than-dignified squawk.
“Rainbow Dash! I can walk on my own quite well enough, thank you.”
“Don't act tough,” Rainbow said. “You got us out of a mess; now let me help you.”
“My injury's on my head,” Rarity argued, “not my legs.”
Dash sighed. “Look,” she said, arcing her neck to stare Rarity in the eyes. “I know it sucks. You knew it was gonna hurt when you did it, and it's not gonna hurt any less anytime soon. We're going to get you out of here, get those fillies back, and rescue Princess Celestia so she can bring the Sun back and fix this whole mess. Then you can rest. But for now, we need to keep moving – quickly, not at a limp.”
Rarity's eyes fell. Rainbow Dash stepped forward at a trot, and the others slowly fell into line as she passed.
After a minute of walking in silence, Rarity sighed.
“Perhaps you should all just go on ahead,” she said softly. “I can make my way back to Ponyville on my own.”
“What?!” Pinkie Pie cried. “No-no-no, no way Rare-i-tay! Pinkie's Party leaves no pony behind!”
“I, um, I don't think that's a good idea,” Fluttershy whispered. “A pony in the woods, alone, with an open wound... I can usually reason with predators, and I don't mean anything bad about them – they're really such sweethearts, and they do need to eat, but- for somepony else...”
“Maybe I could go back with her,” Twilight said. “If she's in so much pain, she shouldn't be coming with us to confront an angry alicorn.”
“No!” Pinkie said sternly. “Nopony's leaving!”
“We can't afford to lose two ponies,” Applejack said. “Bad enough we're losin' one. Maybe Rarity could just hole up here, where it's safe, and we'll pick her up on the way back?”
“It's the Everfree!” Rainbow shouted, wheeling round to butt heads with Applejack, who stumbled back in surprise. “Nowhere's safe!”
Applejack frowned and stepped forward so that she and Rainbow were in each other's faces again. “Back off, Rainbow. Ah know the forest's dangerous. Ah've lived next to it my whole life.”
“You have no idea how dangerous this place is,” Rainbow hissed. “We're not leaving Rarity to fend for herself, no way! I'm not going to sign somepony's death warrant, even if that makes our job harder.”
“Ah don't want Rarity hurt either,” Applejack said, “but we need to get to the fillies – me and her's sisters – as fast as we can, before they get hurt. Or worse.”
“Ponies, ponies!” Twilight said, stepping between the two and forcing them apart. “We all need to just calm dow-”
There was a flash of light, a whining of noise and a gust of wind, which came all at once from just around a bend in the path. The leaves and bushes rustled as the light died down, and everything returned to the Everfree's eerie silence.
The ponies glanced between themselves. Quietly, they drifted over to peer through the foliage at the source of the disturbance.
Sitting in the middle of a wide section of path, unmoving save for the slow, asynchronous blinking of its large purple eyes, was a housecat-sized parody of a crocodile.
“Aww, look,” Pinkie whispered, “It's such a small, defenseless, completely wild and feral animal. I just wanna run up and give it a great big hug!”
“I wouldn't do that,” Fluttershy whispered hurriedly. “You might startle it.”
“What is it?” Rainbow asked. “I've never seen something like that before.”
“I don't know,” Twilight said slowly. “It's not just a small crocodile. The proportions are different – it has a bigger head than it should, and smaller legs.”
“And no telling what sort of nasty secrets it might be hiding.” Rainbow frowned. “What about you, Fluttershy? Do you recognize this thing?”
“Um – well, no, not exactly. I could try talking to it, if you want...”
“No,” Rainbow said. “It's too risky with little Miss Nightmare running about, messing with things everywhere. That was her magic that caused that flash – probably what put this thing here. And just look at that thing. It's so small and pathetic-looking, it's like it's just screaming, 'oh, don't worry, I totally won't devour you in a single bite if you just come a little closer.'”
“Can I take it home with me?” Pinkie asked. “Can I? Can I?”
Rainbow frowned deeper. “Pinkie, none of us has ever seen this thing before. It's something strange, in the Everfree. That means it's probably at least three shades of dangerous. You can't trust things you don't understand out here. No, you can't take it home.”
There was silence as Rainbow turned back around to stare at the creature again.
Then Pinkie stepped out of the bushes.
“Hey, little guy! How're you doin'?”
“P- Pinkie!” Twilight squawked. “Come back! We don't know what that thing is!”
Pinkie waved a hoof dismissively. “It's fine, Twilight! Just watch.” She turned back to look at the alligator, and crouched low down so her face was on its level. “Come here, little guy,” she whispered. “Mama Pinkie won't hurt you. Let's show everypony that there's nothing to be afraid of, okay?”
The alligator snapped its jaws shut on Pinkie's face.
Rarity let out a cry as Rainbow let the unicorn slip from her back, and Rainbow Dash leapt out of the cover of the bushes, followed closely by Applejack. Rainbow had only taken a few steps before she skidded to a stop, narrowing her eyes.
Pinkie turned to face them, a thin smile on her face, and her hooves wrapped around the small green alligator, which was quietly gnawing on her foreleg.
“See?” she asked. She held her limb out, with the creature still attached. “He's cute, and cuddly, and he doesn't have any teeth. It tickles when he bites, look! He's harmless.”
Rainbow stepped forward, jaw set and wings half-clenched and trembling.
“What the hay was that?!?” she roared. “The only thing we know about this thing is that it's different from everything else we know about out here. Different is dangerous – that's practically the credo of the Everfree! You could have gotten us all killed.”
The smile dropped from Pinkie's face. “You don't know that!” she shouted. “Just because something's strange doesn't mean it's bad!”
“Haven't you been paying attention?” Rainbow snarled. “This little trip isn't out of the ordinary in regards to dangerous creatures. Everything that isn't you in here is out to kill you!”
“That's not true!” Pinkie cried. “It's not, it's not, it's not! Just because something's weird doesn't mean it's out to get you! And besides,” she sniffed, “this little fellow here isn't a normal Everfree-ian. He's got all sorts of enchantments and stuff on him to hold him together like he is – I'll bet it was Moonie who did it to him. He's a victim, just like us.”
Twilight's horn lit up, and her eyes widened. “She's right,” she said. “This alligator isn't natural at all. It's layered in all sorts of enchantments.”
“That just makes it worse!” Rainbow cried. “If Nightmare Moon messed with it, it's definitely a trap! You can't just go jumping at things like that for no good reason!”
“I had a plenty good reason,” Pinkie argued.
“Oh yeah?” Rainbow asked. “Then what was it? What was your big important reason you had to risk all of our lives?”
“It wasn't a risk,” Pinkie protested. “This little guy's harmless.”
“And how'd you know that before you just ran out here? In fact,” Rainbow added, “How are you sure he's not just biding his time even now?”
“I know because my-”
Pinkie paused.
“I mean – because...”
Rainbow glared.
Pinkie whirled around to where Fluttershy was standing at the edge of the path. “Fluttershy! Can you tell what the alligator is saying?”
Fluttershy started. “Oh! Um, I think so. Maybe? He's very... Um...”
She stared at the alligator, who looked off in two directions with unfocused purple eyes. The eyes blinked out of turn.
“He's very... slow.” Fluttershy flinched immediately at her own words. “Sorry, that was rude. I meant...”
“Good enough!” Pinkie's attention snapped to the alligator, and she got right up in its face. “Mister Alligator! Do you promise not to devour us, mutilate us, attack us, enchant us, injure us or impede our progress in these or any other ways, on pain of pain?”
The alligator blinked.
Fluttershy coughed. “Uh... I think... yes?”
“Repeat after me,” Pinkie said. “Cross my heart and hope to fly.”
The alligator blinked again. His mouth opened slowly in a yawn to reveal a marked absence of teeth.
“... Yes.” Fluttershy squinted. “I mean, he said it. I think. It's hard to understand him...”
“No no no!” Pinkie shook her head. “You gotta have the movements, too. Cross your heart.”
The alligator just stared back.
“Fluttershy,” Pinkie barked. “Help him out.”
Fluttershy moved around behind the alligator and took his front legs in her hooves. Pinkie started again.
“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
Fluttershy followed through with the motions with the alligator's limb.
“Did he do it?” Pinkie asked.
“... Yes.”
“Great!” Pinkie beamed, and then turned around to glare at Rainbow Dash. “There, you see? He's harmless.”
Rainbow glared back. There was a grinding from her teeth, and her face started to turn a shade of purple.
“How'd you know it was enchanted?” Applejack asked.
“I can feel it,” Pinkie said, waving her hoof around vaguely. “It's sorta a wispy, tingling enchant-like feeling. It's obvious.”
“Is that something the Princess taught you?” Twilight asked.
Pinkie hesitated, then nodded slowly. “Yeesss... It's sort of an earthpony –”
“AGGHH!”
Dash screamed, and lunged at Pinkie Pie. The two ponies went down in a heap, Rainbow swinging at Pinkie with heavy hoof-strikes and Pinkie retaliating hotly with vicious bites around the ear. As Rainbow managed to get Pinkie in a pin on the ground, the others tried to intervene.
“Oh dear, oh dear...”
“Rainbow, control yourself!” Rarity cried.
“Buzz off, Rarity!” Rainbow snarled, jabbing a hoof at the unicorn. “You're almost as bad as she is, and you've already gotten yourself –”
Dash was cut off as Pinkie wrapped a foreleg around her elbow, and she was pulled off balance as her leg collapsed.
“Hold on now,” Applejack said, sticking a leg in to try and pry the two fighters apart by force, holding Pinkie down when she refused to stop trying to get at Rainbow Dash. “Ah may not know as much about the Everfree as some of us here, but Ah do know it's not the place to be fighting each other in. There's plenty of creepy-crawly strangeness to be doin' it for us, so ya'll just calm down before somethin' bad happens.”
She was shocked when Pinkie slammed a hoof into her jaw. Applejack stared down at the pink pony, almost expecting some kind of explanation. Pinkie just lay there with wet, angry eyes, before resuming her struggles to get up and back in the fight.
On the other side of Applejack, Rainbow Dash leapt into the air. “Stay out of this, Applejack! The puffball needs to be taught a lesson.”
“No way, no how,” Applejack replied, sending a firm glance in the hunter's direction. She pressed down harder on Pinkie's withers as the earthpony redoubled her efforts.
With a frustrated howl, Rainbow jabbed a hoof at the farmer. “Applejack, stop getting in my way! You have no business being here at all. You have no skills that can help out. You don't even have a basic understanding of how to survive in here. You're just here because you have some stupid fantasy of storming in and rescuing your sister like some sort of big hero! Well guess what? Those big, flashy, invincible heroes don't exist!”
“Nuh – uh!” Pinkie argued, squirming around under Applejack's hooves. “Celestia's – totally real! I should know – I'm – her student!”
“And look how well it turned out for her,” Rainbow snarled. “She must have taught you all about it. You keep jumping in harm's way so much, it's like you're trying to get killed!”
“Listen here, Rainbow,” Applejack said. “Ah've had enough of your 'better than y'all' attitude. There ain't a one of us what knows anythin' about this here Nightmare Moon we're supposed to fight – not even you – and sure, she's a heck of a lot stronger than all of us, but Ah ain't backin' down just because it looks bad. Not when my sister's life is on the line!”
“Girls,” Fluttershy said, “we really should stop fighting...”
“Farmers and craftsponies should just leave this to the professionals, and stay the buck at home where it's safe!”
“Oh yeah?” Pinkie growled. “Well, I'm the one who set this all up, so I'm the one who decides who goes. It's Pinkie's Party, and I chose everypony here to come with me. So they're all coming with us!”
“You mean those professionals who got their tails thrashed up on stage? Ah'm comin', whether y'all want me to or not! – Pinkie, you just simmer down, alright? Yah ain't goin' anywhere until you do.”
“You idiots!” Rainbow cried. “This is exactly how the Wonderbolts –”
Applejack stumbled slightly when Pinkie's body disappeared from beneath her. She turned back and stared dumbfounded at the place Pinkie had been.
She had vanished completely.
There was a crashing in the leaves above the group. Rainbow Dash squawked as Pinkie's falling elbow caught her in the spine, right between the bases of her wings, and she fell back to the ground under the earth pony's weight.
The forest was quiet as Pinkie Pie stumbled to her hooves. Everypony just stared at her, even Rainbow Dash, craning her neck from where she lay as Pinkie's eyes turned from rage to fear, and she cowered in the middle of the clearing.
The alligator blinked twice.
“You just- what did-” Applejack stammered. “What just happened?”
“She disappeared!” said Rarity. “She was there on the ground, and then she just vanished, and came down from the trees. She teleported!”
“That's impossible,” Twilight protested. “Pinkie's an earthpony! Earthponies can't teleport.”
Pinkie's eyes drifted over the whole party, and as they did, they began to water. Fluttershy flinched as they passed over her.
“I'm not- different...” Pinkie choked out, tears starting to spill down her face at an alarming rate. “I'm not...”
Applejack stepped forward a pace. “Back when you dropped all your gear all over the place... that wasn't...” She shook her head, and her eyes narrowed. “Ah don't know what Ah thought that was, but it wasn't natural, was it? What exactly are you?”
“It explains so much,” Rarity mumbled. “How she got into my house. How she knew my name...”
“You're the one who was leading us all on this mission in the first place,” Rainbow said as she stood up. She jerked forward, eyes blazing with renewed anger. “What the heck are you? Are you a spy? One of Nightmare Moon's minions? Is this whole thing just some wild goose chase to buy her time to do whatever it is she wants with the fillies?”
“Rainbow Dash, don't be ridiculous,” Twilight chided. “I was the one who approached her. If you're going to blame me as well...”
“But she was the one who made all that big talk about the Elements,” Rainbow argued. “Who here had even heard of these things before now? And they're supposed to be strong enough to take down an alicorn?”
“You're being paranoid,” Twilight said. “My brother knew her, and he's in the Royal Guard. That supports her story of being Princess Celestia's student. Pinkie's done nothing but give us hope so far, and I don't think this- this whatever it is makes any difference.”
Applejack shook her head, her face set in a scowl. “She's been hidin' things from us. Ah'll just bet she knows a whole lot more than what she's lettin' on. What exactly did Princess Celestia tell you 'bout all this?”
“She didn't tell me anything!” Pinkie cried. “I'm just as lost as you are!”
“Then how did you know about them Elements?” Applejack asked. “You understood Nightmare Moon's whole speech, unlike the rest of us. How is it you know so much about her?”
“T- the Princess has talked about the Elements before,” Pinkie admitted. “But just as a sort of history project. She didn't say any of this was going to happen!”
“Pinkie seemed to catch on to that trap Nightmare laid quite quickly,” Rarity said with a frown. “How did she understand the concept of a space-time bubble just by hearing it described?”
“Of course I understood,” Pinkie choked out. “I bend space all the time. We spent six months –”
“Bend space like Nightmare Moon does?” Rarity pressed.
“No! I'm nothing like Princess Moon!”
“... Why do you keep calling her Princess?” Fluttershy interjected.
“Be- Because...”
Pinkie's voice sputtered and died. She curled up in a ball at the center of the clearing, shivering on the ground which was rapidly growing muddy from her absurd, fountain-like tears, which only emphasized her strangeness. The others looked down on her with hurt, tightening expressions.
All except Twilight Sparkle.
“Nightmare Moon, the Mare in the Moon, is the imprisoned sister of Princess Celestia, also known as Princess Luna.” Twilight stepped forward. “'Luna' is an old unicorn word, which translates to Moon. Ergo, 'Princess Moon.' It's recorded in many old pony tales, and in the few history books that go back that far. I'm sure the Princess would have mentioned something like that to her personal student.”
Hesitantly, Pinkie glanced up at Twilight's kindly face. Pinkie nodded slowly.
“All that shows,” Twilight continued, “is that Pinkie is well-read and has a good sense of humor.”
Applejack gripped the brim of her hat with a hoof. “Even so,” she argued, “we can't exactly trust somepony who's always goin' around and callin' the enemy her Princess, now can we?”
“Of course we can,” Twilight replied. “She never said Nightmare was her Princess. And even if she had, Luna is technically Princess to all of us. That's not going to stop us from trying to get Princess Celestia back, or the three fillies Nightmare foalnapped. Pinkie is our friend, and she hasn't done anything to earn our distrust.”
“Even if she can drop into nothingness and fall upon us from the trees?” Rarity shivered. “What else might she be hiding?”
“I can't say for sure,” Twilight replied, “and I don't know how she does the things she does. Yet. But she's our friend. Just because we don't understand her doesn't mean we can't believe in her.”
“... We're friends?” Pinkie asked.
Twilight glanced down. “Of course, Pinkie. We're all friends now, on this journey together.”
“Really friends?” Pinkie levered herself up on one elbow. “Not just 'there's a party, so we'll have fun together and drink punch and eat cake and play games and go away in the morning and never see you again' friends?”
“Of... course.” Twilight nodded. “I mean, how could we not be? We're all in this together. Just look at us.”
She turned to Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow,” she said, “You're completely right. We're all in over our heads here, and some of us have never been inside the Everfree before. Maybe there were other ponies more suited for what we have to do out here, but we're the ones who decided to come, and we're the only ones we can depend on to solve this. None of us can turn back – we're all just going to have to rely on each other, and look out for whatever dangers lie ahead. Your skills and determination are going to be a big part of getting everypony out of here alive, and beating Nightmare Moon.”
“Applejack,” she said. “You didn't know what dangers there were waiting for you when you said you would come help save your sister. You knew you didn't know; that just makes you even braver for trying. Things are going to be hard for you, but you knew that coming in. And I promise you, we will get your sister back. You can count on that.”
“Fluttershy, you're so soft-spoken that sometimes I feel like I forget you're there. I'm sorry for that. But whenever you speak up, you've got something kind to say, or some part of your huge stores of wisdom to impart about the creatures here. Don't be afraid to talk to us – your advice is definitely worth listening to, and your heart is perhaps the kindest of us all. Thank you for coming with us.”
“Rarity. You've already given up so much, and you're still keeping up a brave face about it. I don't know how you do it, but I'm glad to have such a strong friend here by my side. I only hope that if I end up needing to do anything like what you did I can do half as well following your example.”
“Pinkie.” Twilight turned to the pink mare. Pinkie had started crying again, waterfalls of tears pooling in a puddle around her haunches. Twilight paused for a moment at the sight, but the almost-hopeful tug at the corners of Pinkie's mouth convinced her to press on.
“I'm... not really sure how you fit into this. You're Princess Celestia's student, and you're the one who brought us all together, who told us about the Elements. And yet, sometimes, you act so clueless about things it's like you're completely lacking in common sense. I just know that without you, none of us would have a hope at beating this Nightmare. Rainbow and Applejack would have probably gotten themselves killed going off to fight her, and I'm not sure what Rarity would have done, but Fluttershy and I would probably have never left the village. We would never have known what to do without your help – so I'm glad you came to Ponyville.”
Twilight glanced around, looking at each of her companions in turn. “I'm glad you've all come with us on this journey. I'm sure that, working together, we can make a difference tonight. We can rescue those fillies, save Princess Celestia, and set everything right. Together.” She smiled. “And I couldn't have asked for a better group of friends to save the world with.”
She was cut off as Pinkie wrapped her in the tightest, warmest hug she had ever had, which was also somewhat damp where Pinkie's face was nestled into her coat.
They stayed like that for a while before Rarity coughed politely from where she stood behind them.
“I still don't know quite how to feel about this...”
“Well, I guess it doesn't make a difference to me, anyway.” Rainbow Dash stood up. “I mean, even if she is a Nightmare spy, she's one of our group. What are we going to do, leave her here? No way.”
“Ah suppose it's not likely she's a spy,” Applejack admitted. “And it's not that Ah don't like you, Pinkie. Ah do. It's just... Ah don't know...” She shivered. “Could you not do that again? It's ain't natural-like.”
Pinkie flinched a little. Fluttershy walked up on shaky hooves, and laid a wing over the earthpony.
“... It's okay,” she said. “We're all just a little bit frightened. I'm scared, but... we'll get through this together, okay?”
“That's the spirit, Fluttershy!” Twilight said, and Fluttershy jumped at the voice so near her head – in gathering her courage to approach Pinkie, she had completely forgotten that Twilight was there next to her.
Rarity sighed.
“Well then, I suppose that's settled. May we please get on with this as fast as may be, so that we can get this whole thing over quickly and I can get some medicine for my horn? This headache is simply dreadful.”
The trio of fillies watched, relieved, as their rescuers picked themselves up and began to move on. But the queasy feeling of guilt in their hearts was slow to fade. Nightmare laughed warmly behind them.
“A fascinating choice,” she said. “You three must know your sisters quite well. I'm sure I wouldn't have set upon the idea of breaking their team spirit so badly with such a harmless creature. You really do have a talent for this sort of thing.”
Scootaloo caught herself turning around to check at her sides – the foals at school had been getting their marks for a while now, and it bothered her that she hadn't found anything she was good at yet. The feeling of guilt resurged as she realized that her desire for a cutie mark was so blind that, for a moment, she was even willing to accept one in the creation of evil monsters.
Beside her, Sweetie Belle spoke up in a cracking voice. “We didn't do it to help you, Nightmare. We were trying to make things easier on them, so they could get here faster and take care of you!”
“And I'm sure they're grateful,” Nightmare said. “What did they do to deserve such dutiful sisters?”
The fillies didn't answer. Nightmare Moon let out another long, slow laugh.