//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: How long were they dead? 
// Story: Equestria Alternate: The Nightmare Republic 
// by Dark Amulet 
//------------------------------//

	Nightmare Moon simply shed a tear as she soon dropped the golden spear back into the pile with the rest of them. "I'm sorry," she said to her Nightmare Six, "but it's true. You see now why I resurrected you all?" Twilight at first punched a wall with her strong hoof but then she heard Nightmare and calmed down.
"Why would she do this to us?" Twilight asked in a sad tone. Her friends hugged her in order to comfort her. "Maybe this is all a dream and we gotta wake up."
"Sorry Twilight Sparkle," Nightmare Moon said to her, "but this dream is reality. We all must face it. But don't worry," Nightmare began petting her mane, "You're safe with me."
Twilight was going to plan to swipe the hoof away but then noticed something. "Nightmare Moon? I got to ask...... how long were we dead? Cause it felt like just only for a few minutes, but we look older now."
Nightmare smiled weakly, "Cause you all are. You see, that spell was so complicated, it took forever for you all to come back alive, but I treated you all during your recovery. How long? Uh........... several years."
They all gasped and yelled together, "Several years?!" They began hesitating and pacing hard, wondering what might've happened to their friends and family. Applejack wonders about her family and the farm, Rarity about Sweetie Belle and her own family, Twilight about Spike, Pinkie about everypony, Rainbow about Scootaloo, and Fluttershy about her animals, even Angel.
"I told you," Nightmare replied, "The spell was complicated. It took that long for you all to get your wakeup calls. What about your families and friends, you may ask? Well you all can go to Ponyville and see what has happened to them, but if it's not good, come back here to discuss on some things. I even got some names to fit you all." 
"We'll be back, Nightmare Moon." They all said and they then simply ran out of the castle, ran past the remains of the obstacles they encountered long ago, and then out of the Everfree Forest to a sight of Ponyville. All of the windows and doors were shut as if the small town was abandoned. However, Twilight saw a light in her home at the Ponyville Library, so she knows the ponies are still around. "Alright everypony," the new purple Alicorn said, "Split up and reunite at Town Hall to find out what happened to our kin and friends." They all nodded and ran off in different directions.

When the purple dark Alicorn approached the front wooden door to her home, she simply knocked on it and waited. And waited. And waited. After waiting for too long, she simply touched it to reveal it was open. "That's odd," , she said in her mind, "Usually Spike would lock the door. Oh well." She simply walked in to see the place seems all clean until she noticed Spike in her room upstairs simply putting a book back where it belonged. "Spike!" She yelled with a smile on her face to see her #1 assistant still alive, but also a little bit bigger as he is a dragon after all.
However, her smile turned into a frown when Spike simply replied, "What are you doing here? You were gone forever. You can leave now."
Twilight was confused. Why would Spike even say something like that? It's something he wouldn't say. "Leave why, Spike? Did something happen while me and my friends were gone?"
"Of course yes, Twilight." Spike replied while now looking at her with an angry face. "While you and the pony gang was gone, I had to tend to myself. Most of the books here aren't the ones from long ago as thieves came in and stole a majority of them, forcing me to need to work with other ponies or steal bits to buy new books. Of course it was hard to find a job around here as everypony became harsh after Nightmare Moon let it be eternal night. I even had to murder some thieves since I had no other choice. So now leave cause it hurts how after so long, you now came back at the right place at the wrong time." He then simply pointed at the door.
Tears began to form in Twilight's draconic eyes. "But Spike please listen. I can explain. You see, Nightmare Moon-" but before she could continue, Spike grabbed her by the neck, opened the door to outside and threw her out like if she was trash.
"Face it Twilight. No one is happy that you or your friends have been able to save Equestria from Nightmare Moon. And if you're saying it's Nightmare's fault, then why don't you and them just join her?!" Spike asked angrily as he simply slammed the door shut and walked back upstairs.
Twilight then began to cry heavily as she then ran back to Town Hall. There she saw her friends waiting, tears also in their eyes. "So you all got nothing but hate from the rest of your friends and family?" She asked between cries. They simply nodded.
Rainbow explained, "I-It was horrible! Scootaloo, the filly I cared a sister and leader of my fan club turned it into a "I hate Rainbow Dash" club. They simply told me to leave and began throwing stuff like apple cores and other junk at me, forcing me to leave."
"Speaking of apples," Applejack intervened, "M-m-my family hates me! During our recovery, the apple orchards died off quickly due to a plant disease only I knew the cure to and thus, they lost the barn, their belongings, and Granny died of old age and Applebloom and Big Mac blame me for it. I simply left crying before I heard anything else bad."
Rarity's face was a bit dirty to her makeup getting wet by her tears, "Out of all of the worst things that could, this is the Worst. POSSIBLE. THING! The boutique is a mess, the dresses were all awful and old, cobwebs and spiders were everywhere and worst of all, I found Sweetie Belle dead in the kitchen. Cause of death was that the stove exploded and she got caught in the blast radius. I-I." She simply dropped her head down before saying anything else.
Fluttershy was in a puddle of her own tears but also had some signs of scratches on her, but her wounds seemed to have healed due to being immortal and durable as Nightmare Moon. "T-t-they....... hate me! All of the animals simply attacked me while Angel was the worst out of all of them. I tried calming them down, but it didn't work. I thought they would kill me until I realized what I was again."
Pinkie simply said not much but, "When I walked around, all the windows and doors closed, especially at Sugarcube Corner, so I know none in Ponyville wants us there." until her mane and tail drooped more than usual.
Twilight stopped crying for a bit. "Lets go back to Nightmare Moon like she said. Come on girls." They all simply nodded, picked themselves up, and walked back into the Everfree Forest. When they approached the castle ruins, they saw Nightmare Moon at the entrance waiting for their arrival.
"Nightmare Six? Is that all you? I was able to see what happened to you all by looking into your minds by a spell. But don't worry, I'm not like them. I care for you all like you all were my daughters as you all sort of are."
No longer need to hate or be afraid of her anymore, the Nightmare Six simply ran to her, hugged her long legs and cried on them. Nightmare manage to free her front hooves and used them to grab and hug them all. "We're sorry for leaving you, Nightmare Moon. We're sorry!"
"That's ok, girls." Nightmare simply said, now looking much better. "My soul finally healed and now I am better than ever now. So you want me to escort you all to your rooms I made in the castle?" 
They simply had huge smiles on their faces and said altogether, "YES!" Nightmare Moon nodded and gestured them to follow her. They did and she led them to a hallway and nearby was six rooms with their cutie marks on each door. "I managed to spawn comfy beds for you all to sleep in," Nightmare explained, "I'll be on all night (pun intended) to fix up the entire castle. When you all wake up, you'll see this place like it was before me and my sister abandoned it. Good night my creations." She then kissed them all on the forehead and walked off to continue fixing up the place. The Nightmare Six smiled, went to their rooms, took off their armor, and fell asleep on their beds.

"Yes,"  Nightmare Moon said after they all fell asleep and she left them, "Thing are going according to plan......"