//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: The Worst Nightmare Of My Life // by Spacecowboy //------------------------------// Twilight was in a daze, her mind mostly occupied with the scene that had just unfolded before her. Was it the smartest decision to bring Nightmare Moon, or Tempest as the mare had claimed to be, to her library, her home? Perhaps not, she idly thought to herself as layers of spells fell upon the library, ensuring that nopony could enter, and should Nightmare attempt to leave, well… Twilight had put plenty of magic into that first barrier, enough to incapacitate her long enough for Twilight to react and follow up, should the worse come to pass. Her spellwork finished, she wasted no time taking to the air, once more to Sugarcube Corner where she had just dropped Spike not even thirty minutes prior. While she had promised him a night filled with fun, she had need of his dragonfire, for Celestia and Luna both needed to be alerted. Not to mention that there was nopony quicker at gathering her friends than Pinkie. During the short flight, her mind was still attempting to process the odd situation that had presented itself. Certainly, this ‘Tempest’ character did not seem to pose much of a threat, she seemed to have had a hard time simply walking. There had been no indication of magic being used, and the normally large reservoirs that were present within alicorns was so small within Nightmare Moon that it put her on the same level as an average unicorn. Certainly, in her current condition anyways, she simply could not pose a threat. Landing outside of her destination, Twilight nearly took a tumble from how distracted she was by her thoughts, catching herself barely at the last moment and preserving her dignity, this time around. Ignoring the looks from the ponies around her, wondering what would bring her around so quickly once more, Twilight entered the store and looked around. Those looks she was receiving were warranted, as Twilight’s expression had slipped into one that the entire town had come to quickly understand. It was the one that caused ponies to scurry out of her path and pray that nothing exploded. “Spike!” Twilight called out, her eyes falling on the small drake who was currently chatting quietly with Sweetie Belle. Using her magic, she lifted him up as he was in the middle of a sentence, depositing him on her back. “Hey, Twi, what gives?!” he demanded, more than a touch annoyed before he saw her face and let out a small gulp. “Umm, Twilight… what’s going on?” he quietly asked, looking at Sweetie and mouthing a quick apology to her. “You’ve got that scary face going right now.” Twilight paused and took a deep breath, that expression slowly bleeding away as she parsed what Spike had said. “Can’t talk about it here, but I need you for a bit, sorry. I know what I promised you, but this is important, I swear… do you know where Pinkie is? I need her too,” Twilight quietly spoke as her eyes darted around the interior, not seeing Pinkie anywhere within. Spike let out another gulp, usually things prefaced with ‘not here’ when in public turned out to be a bit bigger than he liked them to be. “She’s upstairs getting into her costume, I think. She said something about this year going as, umm, what was it…” he trailed off, even as Twilight started towards the stairs. “Oh yeah, something about a pirate, I think? Claimed Gummy would be her parrot.” Twilight simply nodded somewhat absentmindedly as she flew up the stairs, moving to Pinkie’s door and knocking on it a bit harder than necessary. “That’s nice, Spike… be ready to pen a letter for me, okay?” Twilight asked as the door opened up to reveal Pinkie, who looked at her quizzically. “Back so soon, Twilight? Did you teleport all over the place or something? Pop pop pop!” Pinkie cheerfully remarked, grabbing Twilight by the neck and dragging her into the room. “Or did you need something else?” she asked, looking at Spike on Twilight’s back. “Pinkie. Gather the girls outside of the library as quickly as you can, please? I, uh, found Nightmare Moon. As in, she’s in the library right now. But don’t worry, she can’t get out! Or, she shouldn’t be able to anyways, and she’s kinda off in a weird way…” Twilight kept tacking on more, even as Spike’s eyes went wide and Pinkie let out a loud, dramatic gasp. “Consider it done!” Pinkie remarked, giving Twilight a quick salute before looking over to Gummy and tossing aside the pirate outfit she had prepared. “Sorry, Gummy, I gotta leave you here looks like. Ninja’s don’t have pets, and this calls for,” she dramatically spoke before disappearing into her closet for a few seconds, “a super duper quick ninja!” Pinkie was dressed in all black, Twilight idly noting how it nearly reminded her of that one time she’d snuck into the castle. Pinkie disappeared in a flash of smoke, leaving Twilight and Spike alone in the mare’s room. “Okay, Spike, take note… Spike!” Twilight spoke up, knocking him out of his stupor as she teleported the quill, ink and parchment she kept handy for situations such as these to him. “I need you to write this down!” Spike shook his head a few times. “Uh, sorry, Twilight, but… did you say that Nightmare Moon is in our house?!” he asked in disbelief, grabbing the provided items. within seconds he was ready to go, nodding. “Um, okay Twilight, ready.” Without wasting any time, Twilight launched into her dictation. “Celestia, Luna, Twilight here. I’ve found Nightmare Moon, and currently have her secured in the library. Currently gathering friends outside in preparation for whatever may come, although things are quite off. The mare who appears to be Nightmare Moon claims to be named Tempest, and her mannerisms are almost a complete opposite of the Nightmare that we are all familiar with. She’s also extremely weak, her magic nearly depleted to the point that she poses no threat.” Twilight paused, taking a breath as she mulled over those odd mannerisms and phrases that Nightmare Moon had used. “New paragraph, Spike. We will be waiting with the elements outside of the library, awaiting your arrival. Signed, Twilight,” she finished, craning her head to look at Spike just in time to see him cross the last t. “Got it all?” Spike rolled his eyes and nodded. “Of course, I am the best assistant, after all. Now, to dry the ink real quick and send it off…” he trailed off, carefully using a short burst of flame to rapidly dry the ink before rolling it up and sending it to Celestia via his dragonfire. They both watched the ashes float out the window and rapidly disappear from their sight. “So, now what, Twi?” Spike asked somewhat hesitantly. Making her way outside, she took to the air once more before finally answering Spike. “Now, we meet with our friends and wait for Celestia and Luna before deciding on our course of action. She seemed quite exhausted in her current state, and when I came across her, well… think Applejack and Dash after an hour long wrestling match without a winner.” Spike let out a low whistle as they landed outside of the library, the magical barriers clear for all to see. As Twilight landed on her hooves, Dash landed, setting Pinkie down on the ground, who let out a small whoop of delight. “Oh yeah, nothing like the Dashie Express!” she giggled, looking around before settling her eyes on Twilight. Before anypony could speak up, Twilight held up a hoof, a somewhat grim and confused look on her face. “Girls, roughly thirty minutes ago I got a letter from Celestia saying that there was a possibility that Nightmare Moon was back…” “Oh, I cannot wait, Tia! Last year was a most joyous event, the ponies of Ponyville truly respect and appreciate us like no other. Plus, I cannot wait to have more of that delicious candy, last years the fillies and colts practically threw it at me, it is most delicious!” Luna excitedly spoke as she stood next to Celestia, looking in the mirror as she worked her illusion for Nightmare Night. She needed to look the part for her dramatic entrance. “I hope that tonight is going to be a blast, as they say, but…” she trailed off, her excitement bleeding away as a frown creased her brow. “I cannot help but shake the feeling that Nightmare is indeed back… I know you think that I might be overreacting, but I swore that something touched my moon, much like one might brush a feather over one’s coat… it was barely perceptible, but present nonetheless,” Luna brooded, a large frown marring her face. Celestia rest a hoof on Luna’s shoulder, a small and reassuring smile on her face. “Do not fret, Luna. I believe you, and Twilight and the other Elements will be aware of the potential of her return. We will ensure to end the threat before it can truly become one, yes? I will not let that foul creature have you, nor any of our ponies for that matter.” Celestia embraced Luna in a tight hug, nuzzling her cheek. The frown flew as Luna let out a rather long sigh, slowly nodding her head. “Yes, I suppose you are right. And, if it should come to pass, Twilight truly is a most capable pony, even before she found her way to alicornhood,” Luna remarked, her tone lightening as the words poured from her mouth. “Besides, I cannot let anything ruin the one night of the year meant for me, now can I?” she giggled ever so slightly, her enthusiasm once more bubbling back to the surface. “Exactly, that’s the spirit to have, Luna!” Celestia remarked, opening her mouth before a pile of ashes coalesced into a rolled letter. “Huh, I wonder what Twilight could have sent, it hasn’t been that long since our note…” she mused as Luna grabbed the scroll in her magic. Celestia’s look of curiosity shifted gears to full blown concern and dread as she realized how Luna’s expressions had rapidly shifted. Enthusiasm fell before the onslaught of anger, which rapidly transitioned to pure, unadulterated rage, her eyes showing signs of bloodlust within them. Before Celestia could utter a word, Luna disappeared in a rather loud and violent pop, the letter caught in Celestia’s magic and brought to her face as she quickly read it. Luna reappeared just outside of the library as Twilight was finishing her explanation of the circumstances of her run in and subsequent sequestering of Nightmare Moon within the library. “Luna, thank goodness you’re here, where’s Celest-” The last bit of her question got caught in her throat as she froze, becoming aware of the smouldering look of hatred and anger contained on Luna’s face. “WHERE ARE YOU AT, FOUL MONSTER?! HAVE AT THEE” Luna’s voice vibrated the very air, even as her magic, or perhaps it was her voice, shattered the barriers surrounding the library before she quickly ran inside. Her eyes fell on the source of one thousand lost years, all of the repressed feelings that she had yet to deal with bubbling into hatred and rage as well as many other toxic emotions. Before Tempest could even fully take in the new arrival, Luna’s magic encased her entire form and lifted her like a ragdoll, leaving her unable to even speak, let alone move. “Finally, we are able to give our thanks for thy treacherous trickery that led to our imprisonment for a millenium. You. Shall. Pay,” Luna growled out, accenting her last three words as she made Tempest intimately familiar with the floor, ceiling and wall of the library. Twilight's words of shock fell on deaf ears as pained whimpers came from Tempest, Luna boring into her with those twin orbs promising an eternity of suffering at the mare’s hooves. “We’re just getting started, you and I,” Luna growled again, breaking the known laws of gravity as she accelerated Tempest nearly to the speed of sound by the time her body impacted the far wall, audible snaps filling the air from the impact as a golden field of magic washed over Luna, who turned and growled. Before Luna could speak a word, Celestia met that gaze and glared at her. “That's enough!” Luna struggled in her sister’s field, nearly breaking free until Twilight joined in, securing the berserk alicorn. “LUNA! CALM DOWN!” The air vibrated, the enclosed space causing Celestia’s voice to reverberate and echo many times over. The fire slowly bled from Luna’s eyes, and although anger and rage were still present, the bloodlust was gone. “Twilight… check on her, please, while I talk with my sister and explain why she should have read the entire letter, first,” Celestia quietly remarked. Twilight nodded in return, scampering off as the rest of her friends peered in somewhat anxiously through the door. However, their focus was quickly drawn outside as they started to perform crowd control, the royal screams drawing the attention of those foolish enough to not run and seek shelter, as was the norm for Ponyville. “Sister, thou cannot surely mean to believe that you would take the road of caution when dealing with this threat! The foul creature had tricked us, deprived us of a millenium together! Swift action is the only response, I cannot simply idly stand by while it is-” Luna was cut off as Celestia glared at her and raised a hoof. “Now, Luna… while yes, the mare does seem to be Nightmare Moon, and is most likely the cause of the touch you felt earlier, Twilight went on to explain how in her current state, she is completely harmless, bereft of almost all her magic… I understand your personal issues with the Nightmare, I truly do, and do not think that you are the only one with a grudge. However, your actions were entirely uncalled for, as well as being out of line for a ruler of our nation. This will not end with a mere scolding, but we have more pressing matters. How is she, Twilight?” Celestia asked, slowly releasing her magic holding Luna in place as she shifted her attention. Twilight met her gaze with fear, shaking her head, a hint of green present in her cheeks. “Celestia, it’s, she… we need to get her to the hospital. Now,” Twilight stuttered out, her eyes dropping to Tempest even as she fought off the bile in her throat. “She’s breathing, but… that’s about the only good sign right now,” Twilight added on, looking at the massive dent in the extremely thick wall where Tempest had collided with it, bits of fur and other, less savory masses mingling with the splinters. Tempest herself limply laid in a heap where she had fallen from that impact, passed out from the massive spike of pain and multiple broken bones throughout her body. “Oh, my… Twilight, go ahead and tell them to prepare for my arrival, I’ll be a minute behind you. Even if she truly is Nightmare Moon, no pony should be left in such a state…” Celestia trailed off, lifting her head to look at Luna, who was still stewing, eyes defiantly meeting her own. A few moments of silence passed between them after Twilight’s departure before their gazes relaxed ever so slightly. “I was just in my actions, Tia, whether you want to believe it or not. Perhaps I let myself lose control just a little bit, however…” she trailed off, letting her head drop in emotional exhaustion. Celestia walked over and rested a hoof on Luna’s shoulder for a few seconds as her magic was gently and slowly surrounding Tempest. “I understand, I truly do, but times have changed, remember that. We do not let ourselves fall into a rage and summarily execute justice on whomever we deem needs it. Be assured, Luna, if this mare truly is Nightmare Moon, she will pay for her actions… and if it seems she isn’t, then we will go to extensive lengths to ensure that is indeed the truth,” Celestia grimly remarked before nodding, teleporting to the hospital.