//------------------------------//
// Chapter 21: To Trap A Nightmare  
// Story: When Snow Falls 
// by Prophet Of Doom 
//------------------------------//

     How could I have been so foolish She screamed internally.
Steel Wall had been standing right in front of Stern Wing when Twinstar walked up to him, her former obelisk prison on full display.
Now she was using Steel Wall to skulk around outside Canterlot's research building in the dead of night, searching for a quiet way in. The grand building was situated within spitting distance of Steel Wall's barracks, she had slipped past it many nights during her 'visits' to the library.
Peering into another room, she searched for Twinstar's office' and hopefully the obelisk.

I can't believe I left it there Nightmare Moon continued to berate herself. I should have stamped it into dust' if not at least taken it with me. 
She moved over to the next set of office windows and discovered that one was slightly ajar. Whilst gently trying to coax it to open wider, Nightmare Moon's gaze was drawn to a pair of saddle bags sat in a chair with the obelisk pieces poking out.
Steel Wall's eyes narrowed in suspicion. They were in plain view and were the only things lit up by a single office lamp at the centre of the room, with most of the other desks and chair pushed up to the walls.
It had all the tale tell signs of a trap and she knew this fully. Nightmare Moon extended her magical presence into the room, gingerly probing interior for signs of life or triggers for the trap, both magical and physical. Nothing. She'd extended herself to furthermost corners of the room and found no evidence of a trap. 
Withdrawing her magical presence' she returned to glaring at the saddle bags for a long while, still not convinced that all was as innocent as it seemed.
After a few more moments of patient observing, she decided that the risk of leaving it was too great and outweighed the risk of this potential trap. With the window now wide open, Steel Wall slipped inside with a graceful silence not associated with an earth pony of his bulk, for even now she was still wary. Every hoof step on the dusty floor was well placed, his eyes darting from side to side.

Once within reach of the saddle bags, she stopped Steel Wall. Making him take a good long sweeping glance. Again Nightmare Moon found nothing amiss and was tempted to use her magical presence to confirm this but she feared that may trigger a magic based trap.
I wonder if I overestimated their caperbilites She mused. Willing Steel Wall's movement, she reached for the closest obelisk piece.
Just as his hoof was about to touch the piece of granite, the lights of the room came on. Steel Wall reeled back and turned to pony now visible sitting in the corner, Twinstar. She had concealed her presence expertly, only alerting Nightmare Moon when the Dr used her magic to illuminate the room.
"Good evening Steel Wall," The Dr commented. "Or should I say' Nightmare Moon."
Steel Wall let out a contented smile, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, they had turned the evil indigo snake eyes giving him a disturbing visage.
"Well played," -Nightmare Moon's voice flowed through Steel Wall's lips in the creepiest of fashions- "Dr. Twinstar."
Before any more words could be exchanged, Twinstar stood bolt upright from her crouched hiding spot, her head arched back and horn glowing brightly. All around Steel Wall hooves, strange markings glowed on the floor.
Runes!!! She screamed inside. Ancient runes had indeed been marked in the thick layer of dust on the floor, hidden in plain sight. 
Nightmare Moon willed Steel Wall to move but was unable. Powerful magics were keeping her host anchored to the spot and more runes were now appearing in the air around him like swirled up dust in a beam of daylight.
Twinstar then levitated the two pieces of the obelisk above Steel Wall's head, then channeled even more of her magic into them. The two pieces fused together until they were whole again.

Nightmare Moon was on the verge of panic, like then all those years ago she could feel her very essence being exercised from her host. 
But something was different. It didn't feel as strong as before. She probed the seals encircling her and the newly reformed obelisk prison.
The seals were poor imitations of the ones that had contained her for so long. She should know, she'd been staring at the real deal for hundreds of years. The obelisk too was weak with noticeable cracks, a result of forging one from broken pieces. If I were to apply some pressure here She reasoned to herself.
Twinstar increased her flow of magic into the runes, beads of sweat forming on her brow. The seals increased its pull on Nightmare Moon being but she had her tendrils deep into every part of Her stallion host. Now she had a gauge on the sealing runes, she began channelling what magic she had into the obelisk itself. Entering its cracks and forcing them to widen until new fractures spread throughout the limb of granite.

Dr. Twinstar looked up in time to see the fractures cover the last of the obelisks surface.
"No!!," Was all she had time to say before the granite obelisk bust apart, sending thousands of tiny stone fragments. She watched in horror as the seals she had constructed break one by one, and the glowing runes fade away. At the centre of it all' stood a Royal guard with menacing indigo eyes, wearing a triumphant grin.
Nightmare Moon was in a bad way. She had used almost all of her magic to destroy her former prison and now she was incredibly vulnerable.  
"So what now?" She smirked. "Dr. Twinstar."
Steel Wall took a step forward. Twinstar took one back. The grin on the stallions face grew. She now knew that they both had nothing left to give but the Dr did not. Then came a moment where neither of them moved. Nightmare Moon was waiting for Twinstar's next move and yet it did not come. The Dr was waiting for Nightmare Moon to end her there and then, fear manifesting in her eyes.
"Oh," Nightmare Moon said, hanging on every vowel. "No backup plan? I'm kinda of disappointed in you Dr. I had heard such good things about you."
She giggled, brushing some of the granite dust off her host's mane.
"I'm also very surprised you did this alone," She mocked. "No other ponies, royal guard, or even your very own princess Celestia."

And there it was, for the briefest moment there was a look on Twinstar's face. So fleeting that many lesser mortals would miss it but not Nightmare Moon. She knew that look. Revulsion.
"Oh, what have we here? A pony who disapproves of their beloved sun princess."
Twinstar who was trying to regain her composure, I was thrown off by this last comment.
"Whatever do you mean?" Twinstar tried to bluff, Nightmare Moon just giggled at her attempt.
"I'm far older than that mare," -Nightmare Moon started walking towards Twinstar, who intern backed up into a corner- "I have seen many faces in my time and I know the look of someone who serves a ruler they despised."
It was indeed a look she was familiar with many of her conquered subjects. She did not resent it, she kinda enjoyed it.
"Indulge me, Twinstar," Nightmare beckoned, Steel Wall's snout inches from Twinstar's.
"Do not misunderstand me," She said. "Equestria has prospered  under her rule."
"But?" Nightmare cooed.
"She soft hearted' maybe too soft," 
Nightmare Moon then pulled her host back, allowing the Dr space to breathe. "Do tell' Dr"
"Well," -Twinstar rubbed the back of her neck- "You heard what happened recently in Yakyakistan?"
"Hmm, if I heard right there was a little insurrection there."
"An Insurrection!" Twinstar blurted out. "It was almost a full-scale rebellion! The grand chief is very old and is not long for this world and his heir, prince Rutherford is deeply unpopular. A group against Rutherford's appointment attempted a coup, which was only half successful. Things ground down to a stalemate and the land was on the brink of civil war."
"Until Celestia intervened."
"Yes' she managed to settle things down between them and avert a war," -Twinstar had started pacing up back and forth- "But it still leaves Rutherford as heir!"

Nightmare Moon grin shown through her host's lips. 
This Twinstar has a temper She cackled inside. And is a ranter at that. Interesting. Tell Me More Twinstar.
"And why is that a bad thing?"
"Why!" Twinstar almost spat out. "He is thicker then his own hide and is totally unpredictable. Do you know he declared war on us over a self-playing piano!! To have such an unstable leader in charge of a land that we share a border with is unacceptable and if we had kept out of it, we may have been rid of him. But no, allowing this war to happen was not acceptable to Celestia."
"Is that all?" Nightmare Moon asked' cocking an eyebrow.
"No' only the latest event. Her handling of Tirek was borderline insane. While yes her prized student did carry the day, it was a closer call than it needed to be," Twinstar ranted, now pacing up and down the room. "Then the was the changeling invasion, Celestia was taken out in a matter of seconds!! It was only through sheer luck that they were defeated!!"
Nightmare Moon was enjoying the spectacle that was a Twinstar rant' the sudden outburst from a pony was satisfying to watch, this species had started to bore her.
"With Yakyakistan, the Griffon Kingdom & the Dragon Lands as our neighbours and countless other threats just from Equestria's own wildlife!!" -She held a hoof to her mouth as her voice grew to a yell- "As well as some homegrown threats...."
"She can no longer adequately protect the land," Nightmare Moon summed up for Twinstar.
The Dr narrowed her gaze at Steel Wall, trying to read the being inside the stallion.
"And you can," she replied sarcastically.
Nightmare Moon shook her head, tutting. She manoeuvred her host towards Twinstar till she was in her face, her indigo eyes blazing. Twinstar couldn't help but cower from whilst being transfixed by them.
"In the world that I came from, the various populations were almost in a state of constant war with each other," She slowly whispered into Twinstar's ear. "And after my reign' they were back at each other's throats almost immediately but when they were my subjects under my rule, there was no war and they prospered."

Twinstar with her back up against the wall, studied the face of Nightmare Moon's host. Trying to keep her quickened breath in check.
"How?" Was the only word she could muster.
Nightmare Moon just grinned sinisterly through Steel Wall.
"A good question Dr," -She withdrew her host away from Twinstar and back towards the open window- "But the answer will have to wait another night. I other things to attend to."
In truth, she did not but her Twister's trap had left her weak and she needed to recover. If she stayed any longer, there was a risk of her fragility being exposed. The dumbfounded Twinstar watched as Steel Wall learned out of  the window' checking the alley was clear.
"You're letting me go?" Twinstar said, her voice shaky.
"For now," -Nightmare's looked back into her eyes- "Good night' Dr. Twinstar."
She slipped through the window with surprising grace and she was a few steps away, the gentle sound of Twinstar sobbing hysterically found Steel Wall's ears.
You still got it Nightmare Moon She grinned maniacally.