//------------------------------// // Dawn - Reunions // Story: Nightmare Moon's Tiny Adversary // by CommanderX5 //------------------------------// Nightmare Moon's Tiny Adversary - Chapter 6 Part 1 A tired party of heroes and heroines lumbered through the dangerous forest back to Ponyville, led by an equally weary princess. Celestia spared the occasional glance behind her to ensure none of Twilight's friends had wandered off and that Steel Blade was keeping up his tired trudge at her side. Overwatch was draped over his back and maintaining a levitation spell over a few guards, though the strain seemed to be telling from the constant rubbing of her temples she had begun a little while ago. Twilight had the best of the situation, as she was nestled into the hollow behind Celestia's neck and covered in flowing mane, but even though she only weighed as much as a few acorns, she still felt like an anvil to Celestia's guilty conscience. It seemed to be ages later before they finally encountered another friendly face. Shining Armor and a few of the relatively uninjured guards had been searching for wounded and unconscious soldiers to return to Ponyville before he found them. He and his subordinates joined the returning party, and he explained that though a majority of Equestria’s elite had sustained numerous injuries, there had not been a single death, much to the surprise of Celestia, who snuck a grateful sideways glance at Luna. The sun princess didn’t hesitate to update Shining Armor on recent events, and the Elements were handed over to the Captain of the Guard at her request for safekeeping. Shining Armor had requested to see his little sister, and were it not for the fact that Twilight was still sound asleep on the princess’s back, he would’ve immediately swept her up and hugged the stuffing out of her, all the while chewing her out for her reckless behavior. With nothing much else to do, he sent one of the pegasi scouts to inform the mayor of Ponyville about the arrival of very important, tired, and injured guests, as well as to explain the events that had taken place that night. When the tired group finally arrived in Ponyville, they were met by a small escort party that Mayor Mare had been able to gather with the brief amount of warning she had been given. Silently, they guided their princess to the ruined Town Hall, most of the tired townsponies unable to do much more than just stare in disbelief at the battered alicorn. The princess' golden regalia were missing from her sore hooves and wounded neck, and loose feathers stuck up in all directions from her disheveled wings. Some of the feathers were just bent, while others were charred and scorched. Several broad gaps showed where entire sections were completely gone. Still, despite the state of their princess, other townsponies turned their attention to the smaller, midnight blue alicorn who trudged along at Celestia's side, seemingly torn between curiosity and fear. A few even rubbed their eyes in disbelief, as if to clear up any hallucinations caused by sleep deprivation. “Y-your Highness,” a braver male citizen ventured, his attention focused upon the solar princess’s glowing horn. Celestia turned to him with a weary smile, the bags under her eyes showing an exhaustion that her demeanor didn’t. “Yes, my little pony?” she asked, resisting the urge to yawn. Her sore legs trembled almost imperceptibly under the heavy pressure weighing on her. “Umm…” he started, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably before pointing a hoof above the princess’s head. Celestia looked up at the flying group of levitated guards behind her before turning back at him, her smile never leaving her face. “N-no disrespect to your power, Princess,” he continued, “but would you let me err… us… carry some of your guards?” Celestia chuckled lightly, shaking her head, “There is no need for that, my little pony. I am quite capable of carrying them for a few minutes longer until we reach our destination. Besides, I am not alone,” she added, motioning with her head at the pink unicorn with the tri-color mane, whose horn was also lit. “B-but Your Highness! It is not my place to ask what happened out in the forest, but you're injured! There's no need to strain yourself any further now that you're safe, Your Highness. Let us help you!" The citizen lowered himself into a low bow on the path in front of Celestia. "Please, Princess Celestia.” “Heeeey,” Overwatch said with a half-hearted wave of her hoof, draped over Steel Blade’s back like a wet rag. “I’ll gladly take some assistance over here. I feel a bit bad saying ‘no’ to somepony’s help when they offer it so readily. You may be able to do a lot of things, Princess, but you’re only stressing them out when you try to do everything yourself. Well, mostly everything.” Celestia rolled her eyes, a smirk on her muzzle. Oh Twilight, you’re such a bad influence on me. When did I start getting my hooves messy all the time? The princess levitated two guards over to the helpful citizen. “Thank you for your concern. I will gladly accept any assistance you all wish to offer,” she said, sparing a tired smile towards the rest of the gathered townsponies as they drew closer and offered to carry a guard or two each themselves. However, even after distributing their burden, Celestia and Cadence still carried the majority of the unconscious Royal Guards in their magic. The white alicorn took a moment to wipe a trickle of sweat from her brow before resuming her slow pace through town, relieved that the weight pressing on her had been lessened somewhat. Mayor Mare and a small crowd of ponies emerged from the Town Hall to greet the princess, but they stopped in their tracks at the display of magical might before them, staring at the legion of levitated guards floating through the air. The princess strode confidently into the wrecked building, the ponies of Ponyville parting from her path as she made her way to the rows of beds waiting there. Cots, blankets, pillows, and anything that could be described as comfortable were already set up around Town Hall for the arriving group to carefully lay down their burdens down upon, alongside a rough collection of medical equipment and food. Celestia set down the last of the sleeping guards, and with her horn no longer lit, she turned towards her staring subjects and spoke, her sonorous voice projecting across the crowd. “Greetings, my little ponies. I understand that you are all very confused, but I ask that you please be patient. Many events took place tonight, and it will take time to fully explain everything that happened. “As much as I would like to share the wonderful news with all of you...” She paused, gesturing to the ponies next to her, several of which were dozing on their hooves, “we are all very tired, and we would be very grateful if we could partake in some of your hospitality. First, however, I believe I should extend recognition to a group of five mares from this town who displayed incredible bravery in assisting my student in this time of need.” Celestia smiled proudly as she motioned towards Twilight’s group of friends, who, with the exception of Fluttershy, unsteadily waved back at the sudden attention they were getting. She dropped her hoof, dipping her head slightly towards the gathered townsponies as she added, "I hope that my late sunrise will satisfy you all for now.” Mayor Mare stepped forward and returned the bow quickly before she looked up concernedly at Celestia. “Princess, you’re hurt and tired. I’m sure everypony in Equestria wouldn’t mind waiting for the sun for a few more hours.” Celestia chuckled, her expression relaxed as she looked back at Mayor Mare. “I appreciate your concern, but I assure you that I am more than strong enough to perform my duty.” She turned to her sister, who had been hiding behind her the entire time, and inadvertently drew the attention of the ponies around her to the blue alicorn filly. “And who is this, Your Highness?” Mayor Mare asked curiously against the growing murmurs in the crowds. A small gesture from Celestia quickly silenced them. “There will be time for explanations, my little ponies, but for now, all I ask is for a bit of trust,” she said, to which the growing crowd replied with understanding nods. The princess turned her head towards Luna again, placing a hoof on the smaller alicorn’s shoulder. “Would you like to assist me, sister?” The residents of Ponyville stood stunned at the word ‘sister,’ but they said nothing, watching as the small midnight blue alicorn with the crescent moon cutie mark stared at their ruler and stammered, “We… we do not feel strong enough to lower the moon just yet, sister, but we can still assist. Even now, we find it hard to believe that thou hast managed to move it every single night during my banishment.” Celestia gave her sister a warm smile before she trotted outside and ascended into the air, Luna following close after, and the townsponies were finally able to watch as the pinnacle of the Summer Sun Celebration came to pass. Princess Celestia’s power radiated over the crowd as if the events of the past night had never transpired, and the sun slowly rose from its resting place with a note of finality. The white alicorn smiled. With the new day came an ending to the night. An ending to the waiting. An ending to the heartache. And a sign of a brighter tomorrow. Twilight’s blissful and well-deserved nap was interrupted when she felt something prodding her, followed a moment later by a hazy voice. “W..e up sug...ube.” She let out a loud yawn, stretching out like a cat on the cot she found herself on. Her vision quickly adjusted as she turned to Applejack, who pointed a hoof ahead of her. Twilight turned to where the farm mare was pointing, watching as her giant mentor and far smaller sister flew up into the air, the moon descending at their command. Twilight smiled and watched as the moon slowly disappeared behind the horizon. Luna gracefully followed suit, descending slowly towards the ground. The tips of her hooves brushed lightly against the grass, and with a few more flaps of her wings, she made an easy, soft landing. It took only a moment before she noticed the crowd that had followed them outside, and the diminutive alicorn quickly tried to hide behind her foreleg. Almost immediately after the moon made its exit, Twilight felt the strength and energy that had been empowering her the entire evening leave her, and she let out a long yawn. She resisted the urge to flop down and take another nap, clearing her head with a shake. So whatever Nightmare Moon did to me is connected with the moon. Can’t say I didn’t expect this, but it’s something to take note of. Twilight looked back to her mentor, whose horn was ablaze with a familiar glow. The very sight of the princess performing her duty after such a long, exhausting, and eventful night was inspiring, filling the tiny unicorn with pride. The sun peeked up from its hiding place, casting its rays over Equestria. Twilight quickly covered her eyes with a foreleg, allowing them to adjust to the sudden brightness before she began to admire the spectacle as she always had for the last thirteen years. The little mare gave Luna a quick glance. The blue alicorn was still looking to the side, seemingly in refusal to make eye contact with the audience. I hope Luna will be able to provide me with some more information on what Nightmare Moon did after all this is over. Twilight began searching for her brother and her friends, but the crowd blocked most of her vision. Considering the avalanche of questions that my mentor, my brother, and I bombarded Luna with, especially during the time and energy consuming task of waking up and transporting all those guards, I’m not surprised that she pled for us to wait until we had settled down back in Ponyville before she would answer any of them. Twilight rubbed her chin thoughtfully. I wonder how many guards she managed to free from Nightmare Moon’s spell after I exhausted my magic and fell asleep. Considering that she managed to wake up one guard about every ten minutes, she should— Her thoughts were interrupted when everypony around her exploded into applause, causing her to instinctually cover her ears. After taking a moment to regain her orientation and realize that the ceremony had been completed, she joined in, clapping her tiny hooves as hard as they were worth. In retrospect, her applause was perhaps directed more towards Luna rather than her mentor. Most of Town Hall was packed with Royal Guards, and at least half of them were still sleeping. Among their lines, ponies and nurses tended to those wounded in combat. A small section of the space, however, was prepared more comfortably for Celestia and her company, who were given the best and most comfortable beds the ponies of Ponyville could find in their haste. The Princess of the Sun had initially expressed a few reservations in accepting their offering, but after seeing how much effort they had put forth, she gracefully accepted. Celestia had perched herself comfortably across two beds, gesturing next to herself with a hoof and saying, “Come and rest next to me, Luna. It’s been such a long time.” Celestia attempted her best impression of Twilight’s puppy dog eyes, but the smaller princess did not share her enthusiasm. “We would… rather not,” Luna replied somewhat sternly, pulling over a separate bed. “We have not forgiven thee yet, and besides, we—” She jumped when a rather tall pink unicorn suddenly popped up in between her and her sister. “C-Cadence, dost thou wish for anything from us?” The pink unicorn smiled in response. “I sure do!” she said with a chuckle. “Your sister wasn’t the only pony waiting for your return, Auntie Luna. We have a lot of catching up to do!” Before Luna could say a word, Cadence grabbed her hoof and swiftly carried her away, the smaller pony exiting the Town Hall in a jumble of hooves. The blue alicorn eventually freed herself from Cadence’s grip, stumbling for a short distance before she finally found her balance again. “If thou wishest to speak with us in private, thou couldst simply ask,” Luna said, rolling her eyes. Cadence simply shot her a smirk before she continued walking, and Luna let out a sigh as she quickened her pace to catch up with her foalnapper. “Furthermore,” the small blue alicorn continued, “Lun—I mean I… we swore to our sister and our savior that we would answer their questions once the guards had been transported to the safety of this village. We do not feel right in delaying this fulfillment of our promise.” The pink unicorn involuntarily let out a giggle before she caught the questioning glance from Luna. “Oh, my apologies! You sounded a bit funny when you were figuring out which pronoun to use, but I shouldn’t be laughing at you when you’re only trying to get used to today’s vernacular. As for your promise, there’ll be time for that. Surely, feeding you after your long banishment takes much greater priority!” Cadence said, leading the way towards a nearby restaurant. The disguised alicorn’s horn lit up as they approached, surrounding her little companion in a light blue aura only briefly before she finished her spell. Luna blinked, shooting another questioning glance at Cadence before turning to look over herself. Her wings were still attached on her sides, and she still felt her horn on her head. It didn’t seem like there was anything out of the ordinary. When they arrived, her niece hopped into a seat at one of the more secluded mushroom tables there and gestured with a hoof in invitation at the other side. Luna looked back at the disguised alicorn, her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out what Cadence had done. She opened her mouth to speak, but her old friend was faster. “I used an illusion spell, Luna,” Cadence stated with a chuckle, “You can still feel and use your horn, but to everypony else, you’ll look just like a pegasus.” She lifted her hoof towards the waiter. “Excuse me!” An elegantly clothed unicorn with a mustache trotted over to their table, his notepad and pen levitating in front of him. “Greetings, ladies, and welcome to our humble restaurant. May I take your order?” Cadence smiled innocently at him as Luna cautiously slipped into the proffered chair. “Two hay sandwiches, a vegetable salad, and two glasses of water, please,” she said cheerfully. The waiter nodded, looking between her and the blue pegasus before walking away. Luna had been sitting in silence when Cadence quickly turned to her again, the pink unicorn’s grin giving way to a more serious expression as she leaned in towards her companion. “I know that as alicorns, we can live purely off of magic, but I cannot even imagine how hard it had to have been not to feel food in your mouth for a thousand years!” Cadence said with concern. She suddenly gasped, putting her hooves over her mouth. “How did you live without a single drop of cold water for so long? It must have been terrible!” Luna considered Cadence’s words for just a moment before she shook her head, waving her hoof in dismissal. “‘Tis not so bad. It was a bit hard for first few years to adapt, but after a while, we stopped feeling hunger and thirst. Water and food were luxuries we could live without,” she said tersely. It wasn’t long before the waiter levitated their food and glasses of water onto the table. “Bon appetit,” he said with a bow, before he departed to check up on a few other tables. Luna eyed her food suspiciously, as if she had never seen a hay sandwich before, which in a sense was quite true. She certainly hadn’t seen one like this before, in any case. The night princess began to levitate the food up, but Cadence pressed it back onto the plate with a hoof. “Illusion spell. Remember, you need to act like a pegasus for now.” Luna let out a huff, but she switched to using her forelegs to grab the sandwich and raise it in front of her face. She appraised it for a moment longer, looking curiously at it before she made up her mind to try it out. However, the moment she opened her mouth to take the first small bite, Cadence’s hoof shot out, pushing the sandwich into her mouth before she could react. Luna made an indignant noise through her full mouth, flailing a hoof angrily at the alicorn across from her. The pink unicorn snickered. “Ah ah ahhh. You should know better than to speak with your mouth full, my little pony.” Luna scowled at her niece, but begrudgingly began to chew. Her first bite was slow, but the following ones quickly gained momentum. Cadence could’ve sworn that she saw stars in Luna’s eyes, similar to those that were now appearing in her blue mane as the small princess delighted in every bite before straight up swallowing the entire sandwich. Before Cadence could react, Luna had climbed up onto the mushroom table, reaching over to snatch up the other sandwich as well before instantly devouring it. The glass of water was next, going down in less than a second before Luna plonked it solidly back down onto the table with a satisfied sigh. Cadence looked at the display with a smirk, failing to completely contain her laughter at the sight of a pony barely larger than a filly gorging on so much food. “Well,” she said, swirling her glass of water around in her magic and levitating over the salad as a replacement for the food lost to Luna’s appetite. “I take it that you enjoyed my welcoming gift.” Luna jumped up joyfully in her seat with a squeal before lunging up onto the table itself to grab both the salad and the other glass of water, causing the pink unicorn to fall onto her back in surprise. Cadence stared at the smaller pegasus, whose wide eyes had started to produce tears of delight. Luna finished the salad quickly, and Cadence let out a little yelp when the blue filly leaned over the side of the table to look at her with thin, draconic pupils. “Oh, that was most delicious!” The pupils soon returned to normal, and a visible blush appeared on Luna’s cheeks. She raised her head proudly and cleared her throat before she spoke, “We find thy gift to be more than satisfactory. If thou wouldst consider celebrating thine achievement by pleasing thy princess further, we would suggest expanding this feast in celebration of our rightful return!” She straightened her foreleg to Cadence, helping her stand before returning to her own seat. Despite her best efforts to restrain her emotions, saliva started to drip from Luna's mouth as she looked back at Cadence, her draconic pupils once again visible. "I... we are very thankful for all you've done for us, so..." Luna tapped her hooves together eagerly, looking at Cadence in pleading as she licked her lips hungrily. "Wilt thou provide us with more of this food? Please?” “For the last time, I’m fine!” Twilight said, a frown on her face as she tried to shoo away the pony called Nurse Redheart from carefully examining the bite marks on her tiny body. She tried to point at the wounded guards on the cots around them, saying, “They need your help waaay more than I do.” Nurse Redheart frowned. “Now listen here, little missy, I couldn’t care less why you’re so small or why you went into the Everfree Forest in the first place, but I can’t turn around and leave you without medical assistance after you’ve been bit by an animal.” “Manticore.” Nurse Redheart’s brow furrowed. “Excuse me?” “I got bit by a manticore,” Twilight said simply. “It tried to eat me, but I set up a barrier around myself before his teeth did any serious injury, so there’s no need to—” The tiny mare was suddenly upended by the nurse, who had become markedly more frantic in examining her for injuries. “H-how can you be so calm?” the nurse nearly shrieked, whipping a box of emergency medical supplies out from nowhere as Twilight climbed onto the white pony’s free forehoof and sat on it. “You almost get eaten alive by a manticore, and you’re acting like it’s nothing? I’d be a terrified wreck if something like that happened to me! I still remember the last time somepony got attacked by a manticore, and she was all but incoherent when she flopped out of the Everfree! How can a tiny pony like you end up inside the mouth of that beast and not have a mental breakdown?” Twilight, noticing the panic on the nurse’s face, decided to just play honest. “Uhhh… well, I guess it was a bit scary. I was really afraid for a while, but I got over it quickly once my new friend Fluttershy came and rescued me. Besides, I’ve had worse.” The nurse blinked a few times. “Worse? Worse? You don’t mean that, right? What could be worse than being eaten alive by a manticore?” Twilight rolled her eyes. “I meant exactly what I said. Being eaten alive by a manticore hasn’t been the worst experience I’ve ever had. I haven’t said anything confusing, have I?” she said innocently. “I’m not new to injury, and I’ve ended up in the hospital in Canterlot quite often.” Nurse Redheart looked at her suspiciously, taking in a deep breath pausing for a moment before she cautiously ventured, “H-how often?” “At least twice a week for the past thirteen years. Sometimes more,” Twilight said, before raising a hoof to her chin in thought. “Actually, I think I’ve ended up in the hospital wing over a thousand times by now, give or take. I’m pretty sure they have a whole procedure for whenever I come in for treatment, and even they don’t try to lecture me on staying safe anymore, so please, could you spare me the pointless lecture and leave me and my minor injuries alone so you can focus on helping ponies who really need it?” Nurse Redheart took a step back, stunned for just a moment, her eye twitching. She cleared her throat and spoke again, “Well, I umm… I suppose I could direct my attention elsewhere, but don’t think I won’t be keeping an eye on you. You may be off the hook for now, but I’ll still have to check up on your injuries sooner or later.” Twilight did a short celebratory dance. “Thanks! Later then!” she said quickly before leaping off the hoof and running into the crowd. The medical pony let out a huff. “Before that though,” she said as she turned to find her next patient. “I need to figure out why I don’t have a proper medical history on you from Canterlot.” *** “Breaking down another nurse, I see,” Shining Armor said, catching his sister’s attention. “You really shouldn’t give your doctors and nurses such a hard time, Twilight. They’re just trying to help.” Twilight immediately swiveled to face the source of the voice, shouting in glee as she jumped to embrace her brother’s neck. “Shiny! It’s so good to see you! I mean, good to see you again when I’m not being healed or interrogated and you aren’t trying to hunt the Princess of the Night,” she remarked. Shining Armor returned the hug, his armored hoof pushing Twilight against his neck. “Yeah. We had a heck of a day, Twiny. Or rather, you had a heck of a day. I missed most of the action.” “It’s alright, Shiny, I’m sure you’ll get your chance to play hero one of these days, saving all of Equestria from some spooky, terrifying threat,” Twilight joked before she gave her brother a challenging look. “First to ten?” Shining shook his head, smirking as he brought his little sister up to his face. “Twilight, you’ve spent most of the night awake, first getting badly injured by Nightmare Moon, accident or not, then getting chewed on by a manticore after you fled into the Everfree, and then using some ancient artifact to free Princess Luna from her corruption. Not only that, according to Cadence, you also assisted your mentor by levitating at least four unconscious guards on your way back before you finally fell asleep from your exhaustion. After everything today, you still want to hoof wrestle?” Twilight scoffed, rolling her eyes. “I’m fine. That short nap I had recovered some of my stamina, and I really miss the little wrestling game we had whenever you were about to leave.” Shining scoffed, a smile on his face. “Another time, Twiny,” he answered. “Listen. I don’t know how you did it, but thanks to you, Princess Luna is free and everypony got out of today safely. I’m so proud of you, little sis.” Twilight blushed. “Thanks, but if it weren’t for my new friends, I wouldn’t be here today talking with you, let alone wielding the Elements to heal the princess.” Shining Armor blinked. “Oh, right… there was a manticore, wasn’t there. I’ll have to thank your friends for taking care of you and saving your flank,” he said, before fixing a stern glare at Twilight. “Also, the only reason why I’m not reprimanding you for rushing into that dangerous forest on your own is because you’ve already learned your lesson. That, and those bite marks are punishment enough.” “Don’t worry, Shiny. From now on, I won’t try to do everything on my own,” Twilight stated before she paused and added hesitantly. ”At least, I’ll try not to.”