//------------------------------// // Interrogation // Story: Once there was morning... // by EbonyDanger //------------------------------// Nightmare Moon's coat was darker then Celestia's, despite having a similar size. It stood in a strong contrast to the Moon in the mare's name. Still, Twilight did not have to ask how she came by her name. She felt her darkness like a shadow on her fur and for a short moment the Alicorn felt her fear increasing rapidly. Keep it together, Twilight. Keep it together! You can do this! She had faced Nightmare Moon before. Blimey, she had fought changelings, went through Sombra's mind-trapping spells and had defeated Tirek. So why was she so scared? Maybe because here were no friends to back her up. There were no Elements of Harmony. Twilight had almost forgotten how it felt to be forced to rely on yourself. Nightmare Moon was wearing a helmet, which covered her face partly and smoothly. Her chest piece shaped partly like a mixture of spikes and the crescent moon and her long horseshoes gleamed in the dark room like liquid silver. Her shivering mane and tail shimmered blue and glittered as if the night sky itself had lend its mistress a few parts of itself. Nightmare slowly walked down the hall and stopped before Twilight Sparkle. She was moving slowly and calmly how you probably can only do it if you own half the world. Turning her head, her cyan eyes glared down on Rainbow Dash. “Leave me alone with her, Captain”, she ordered quietly. Rainbow saluted stiffly. It was hard to read her face with that helmet. Twilight searched in the ruby red eyes for empathy and the friendship she knew so well, but there was nothing. Rainbow turned around and left and Twilight followed her friend's purple tail, until she could no longer see her. “You gave everything and you lost”, whispered Nightmare Moon. Her dragon-like eyes followed the Alicorn's movement. “Equestria has lost”, responded Twilight merely. She was so tired. How would Nightmare kill her? With a spell? With a blast of lightning? With some kind of curse? “How can you be so grumpy?”, asked Nightmare and lifted a brow, “My kingdom is blossoming under my rule. I never had a greater reign.” “But it is not right”, responded Twilight. “What?” “It is not right”, repeated Twilight and looked up. She furrowed her brow. “As a filly I loved to watch the night sky. I am actually pretty good at astronomy. But still, the night is not meant to be eternal. Just like day is not supposed to be. They are a pair, working off each other. If you have not both, you have no balance, no harmony.” “No balance?!”, repeated Nightmare Moon. Her body shook violently and a crackling sound escaped her throats. Twilight narrowed her eyes. Did the dark mare have a fit? It took her a few seconds to realize that the shadowy Alicorn was laughing. “Hahahahahaha!” Nightmare's head snapped upwards and her mouth widened, revealing the white, catlike fangs. Even her eyes narrowed like the one of a cat, that was about to purr. “No balance!” Nightmare stopped in her laughter and her eyes widened. “Don't make me laugh! Why do you regard my nocturnal reign as something bad? It has maintained itself over the time and lasts since four years by now. My subjects have changed their behavior and no longer long for the blinding light of day. I feed them with the same food, they used to have in the tyranny of my sister. No balance and harmony? I would not say so.” She pushed her head forwards. “However, it seems like you know it a different way”, Nightmare Moon stated, “If it is true, what you say, and you do come from a different time. Which leads me to the point, why I am actually here. You did not really thought, you could trick me, did you? So it is up to you, if you want to make this easy for me and you or unnecessarily difficult: Will you reveal to me the source of your time magic?” Twilight did not responded. Instead she demanded to know: “Where is Spike?” Nightmare smiled and looked like she had to swallow a chuckle. “Your dragon friend?”, she said, “Funny, you mention him. Do not worry: He is in good hands and taken care off. However” – her eyes narrowed and she grinned mischievously – “your response might change that.” Twilight gulped. What to do, Twilight? She still did not know, where Spike was. And how would somepony like Nightmare Moon understand the phrase taken care off. She could only hope, he was still in the castle. However was it worth to tell Nightmare about the scroll? She could bring a factor in the game, which had unforeseen consequences. Curse you, Starlight Glimmer. Why did you have to alter Starlight's spell? Without her none of that would be real. And if Twilight showed Nightmare the scroll, she could use it too. What would change, when another pony altered time even before Starlight? This could lead to the extinction of every pony. Besides Twilight had to acknowledge that she did not really know, how this spell worked. Sure, it brought you back to a certain part in time, but the Alicorn had never chosen that part. She knew, whenever she used the scroll, she was brought back to the exact same place at the exact same time. But this most certainly was not the only thing the scroll could do. Starlight had stated it herself: “Sorry to disappoint you, but I created that spell to send myself back in time. So even when you cast it, I'll still get send back here.” Adding Nightmare Moon to this time triangle would not only make it difficult for her to stop Starlight, it could endanger all of Equestria. As if it is not already endangered enough. She simply could not reveal to Nightmare Moon where the scroll was. Let alone, that she needed one. But on the other hand by resisting Nightmare Moon's command, Twilight endangered Spike's safety. If there were not these bars between them, the anti-magic collar around her neck and the chains around her hooves, Twilight would have loved to blast the dangerously calm grin of Nightmare's face and knock these ridiculous fangs out. Did Celestia ever had such a problem? Weighing the safety of many against the safety of one? Twilight suddenly could imagine pretty well, how Celestia must have felt when she decided to use the Elements of Harmony against her sister. The similarity was striking as Twilight knew what her next words would be. “I am waiting”, whispered Nightmare and put her head aside. Twilight looked into the mischievous eyes. Her brow furrowed and she said: “No.” “What?”, snapped the Alicorn. “I said no”, responded Twilight once more, “I won't let you endanger my world. Be glad with what you have.” A sharp intake of the breath. Nightmare snarled: “You dare to resist me. You dare to reject my command, despite knowing that your action will have great impact on your friend's mental health?” Her eyes turned into glowing slits. Her wings unfolded and she stamped on the ground with her hoof. “Reveal to me the source of this time magic! Now!” But Twilight remained irrevocable. Her ears were folded back as she said once more: “No, I won't.” Nightmare bared her teeth in an angry growl and for a short moment the purple Alicorn feared her opponent might slash her throat in anger. But then Nightmare Moon regained her composer. “Fine”, she responded, her lips hardly moving, “Be it that way. But I will get, what I want. I can wait. Believe me, I can be very patient. I waited a thousand years for my return. I can wait.” Nightmare gave her a glare Twilight could not read as she turned around to leave. “Unlike you and your friend.”