Disorder Part 1
Sweet Apple Acres was certainly that: looking around, even with the softer lighting of the moon, it was impossible to mistake it for anything except an apple orchard. The trees, while not anywhere near as tall as other species, were still tall enough that the leaves and branches blocked most of the moonlight from hitting the ground. The shadows cast by the leaves and branches hid the apples growing on their branches, so Twilight had a hard time making out their details, but she could just barely see them. She knew the apples were there from the dark masses where the texture looked smoother than the mass of leaves and twigs, but unless the apples had the white shine of reflected moonlight striking them and almost making the curve glow, she couldn't make out the details.
Even if she couldn't see the apples and didn't know what kind of trees they were, there was another detail that would make it impossible to not realize what kind of trees they were: the smell of apples. It filled the air; it was impossible to miss. That crisp smell that dared not scream out and demand attention; it was a comforting, soft smell. One that whispered on the breeze, conjuring memories of spring and of summer and of autumn in her mind.
She felt a gentle breeze blow against her coat, carrying with it the scent of more apples. If she closed her eyes, if she ignored the darkness enveloping the orchard, she could almost convince herself that it was just a normal summer, that Princess Celestia hadn't been banished to the moon, that she wasn't Nightmare Moon's student. She could almost convince herself that everything was normal if she closed her eyes and ignored the darkness. But the breeze carried with it a certain ominous chill, one so different from normal summer breezes. It completely broke the illusion, and just like that, the memories of normal summers, the memories of the warmth of the sun against her back, and the memories of bright, sunny days disappeared. She saw the darkness through her closed eyelids, and she knew.
Twilight opened her eyes and turned her gaze back to Applejack, then took a moment to watch her prop herself up on her forelegs, pull her hind legs back, then buck straight backward with those powerful hind legs. Both of her hooves connected with the tree, and in a display of mastery of earth pony magic, the tree didn't even shake, yet dozens of dark blurs that she knew were apples fell from the branches. In the darkness, the apples were dark streaks shooting towards the ground. She reached out with her magic to catch as many of them as she could, but with the darkness, it wasn't easy, and she missed most of them.
But that was okay. Applejack had said so, telling her that normally they don't try to catch the apples as they fell; they simply let them fall and hit the ground. The apples didn't bruise because of their earth pony magic.
Looking back at the tree, she stared at where Applejack's hooves impacted. True, there was no imprint from the buck, but the thought, 'I am glad that's not me,' came to mind. She had never been on the receiving end of earth pony strength. She had no intention of changing that. No, getting kicked by an earth pony like Applejack applebucking? That wouldn't be fun. Sure, she wasn't much smaller than Applejack, but nor was she by any means that large. And she wasn't strong, she was neither fit nor active. No, she was a scholar, a student. She studied. And so if she was ever on the receiving end of such a kick, it would, at the absolute least, send her flying. It wouldn't help that she was a unicorn unless she managed to get a spell off before the kick landed.
As Applejack walked over the next tree, she turned her attention to going over the grass with her magic and levitating the apples that landed into the air. They were about as hard to see as the apples in unbucked trees, although the grassy ground was smooth and short enough that the apples easier to distinguish from the grass as spherical lumps. Once she was certain she had every fallen apple in her magic, she levitated them over and gently placed them in buckets.
It was about the extent of help Applejack would accept. She offered to do more, of course, but the mare wouldn't have any of it. No, she wasn't allowed to use her magic to pluck the apples from the trees. And she was certain she could do it quicker than Applejack after a bit of practice, but Applejack was content to just have her pick the apples from the ground and then put the buckets in the cart. And of course she didn't have earth pony magic, nor did she have the same kind of strength Applejack did, so bucking trees was out of the question. 'If I tried bucking a tree like Applejack I would just end up hurting myself,' she knew.
Still, she didn't complain about how little she was doing. Even if it wasn't that much, at the very least, she was helping.
She looked over the ground again, searching for any apples she missed. Either she didn't miss any, or the shadows of the trees hid what them. She glanced at Applejack, but Applejack didn't say anything, so it was probably safe to say she found them all.
"So... you do this every day?" she ventured.
Applejack barely paused to glance at her, then nodded. "Not every day. The apples don't grow that fast..." she trailed off and frowned, then lifted her forehoof to rub her chin. "There's a few weeks in between harvests for the apples to regrow, but it keeps us pretty busy. There's a lot of apple trees here, you know. And we're still busy during those weeks when we're not harvesting apples, too."
She nodded. She was somewhat aware of just how large the orchard was from her pegasus chariot ride to Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration, but still, she knew Applejack had a much better idea than her.
Applejack turned to face her as she lined up with a tree. "Say," she paused as she kicked back. Her hind hooves connected with the tree, sending a solid whunk into the night. This time, she heard the rustle of leaves and then saw the falling apples.
She reached out with her magic and caught as many of them as she could before they hit the ground. She heard several thuds from apples she missed. After the thudding stopped, she went over the grass with her magic and levitated the fallen apples into the air.
"Have you studied earth pony magic?" Applejack finally finished.
She winced. "Ah, no. Sorry. Or at least not that much." She let out a laugh, but even to her, it sounded awkward, forced, and nervous. "I don't really have a reason to since I'm a unicorn." Applejack nodded. "Although it is quite interesting just how quickly you can grow plants."
Applejack gave a hearty nod. "Eyup! I don't know what Equestria would do without us."
She felt inclined to agree with that, though just nodded instead of voicing it. She glanced over the few dozen apples she levitated in her magic, then directed them into the buckets set about the tree.
"Thanks again for your help, Twilight. This'd take a mite longer without your help," Applejack commented.
"Oh, it's no problem, really. I'm glad to help," she answered. And a part of her still wanted to scream. 'Exactly why am I glad to help? Why am I even here!?' It really made no sense to her. She could have been studying! Granted, there was nothing on her level, but she could have refreshed herself on what the library had to offer. Or even practiced her magic! 'But she's my friend,' was the answer.
A part of her was still so perplexed by that. Her. Twilight Sparkle. With friends!? Before Nightmare Moon's return, she would have laughed off the notion and thought anypony who suggested that was crazy. But here she was. So maybe she was crazy.
And she had no idea how being friends was supposed to work. There weren't any books on it she could study, or at the very least, she hadn't found any in the library she was staying in. 'I am doing the right thing, right?'
Looking at Applejack, she watched her line up with another tree. There was no malice or anything that conveyed, 'You're doing it wrong,' so she took that as a good sign that she was somehow succeeding at being a friend. 'And why do I want to be their friend!?'
Instead of helping here, there was so much more she could do! But she would have felt guilty. Applejack and the rest of her friends had spent time with her. And for some reason, apparently, she treasured that time. She was glad when they came over. It was somehow nice. She somehow enjoyed it. And they had stuck with her, even though they hadn't needed to.
'Is this what I've been missing this whole time?' she wondered. The thought made her clench her jaw. Applejack bucked the tree. She caught the apples as they fell using her magic, only missing those that fell on the other side of the tree, then scooped up those with her magic and guided them into buckets. As Applejack walked to the next tree, she lifted all of the buckets up with her magic, then levitated them over to the cart.
'Did you want me to make friends because of what I was missing out on?' she wondered. As she thought about it, she found herself nodding. Yes, that was something that Princess Celestia would want for her. And thinking about Princess Celestia again made her feel homesick. She longed for her princess, but it wasn't to be. She sighed under her breath. Applejack wouldn't have heard it. Nightmare Moon would have.
She found her head turning towards the rising moon, but the leaves and branches of apple trees blocked it from sight.
'But... my studies were important, right? They are important! I wouldn't be here if I hadn't studied so hard... It was worth it, right?'
And no answer came to her; she felt torn. But even with that feeling drawing her to her friends and to her studies, she wouldn't have stopped her studies. No, studying was important. She had dedicated her life to studying magic. She would just have to make revisions as necessary. Revisions for dealing with everything that had happened, like her old teacher lying to her and then getting banished, and Nightmare Moon taking her as a student. And friends. She hadn't planned for friends, either. But no, she wouldn't give up on her studies for friends. That would have been a stupid idea. She was sure she could do both.
Another solid whack. She turned her head towards the source and caught the apples as they fell. Only a few slipped through her grasp to thud against the ground.
"You doing okay, Twilight?" Applejack asked.
"Oh, um, yes. I'm just thinking..." she replied.
Applejack squinted at her. It was the sort of squint that said, 'Now I know there's something more that you're not telling me,' but all the mare said was, "You sure do that a lot."
She gave a hesitant nod, then turned to face Applejack. She took a few steps towards her. "I do..." she agreed.
"Anything in particular?" Applejack ventured.
"Uh, not really. A lot of things..." she answered.
Applejack gave a slow nod, then walked over to the next tree. "How many more buckets you think we can get on the cart?"
She glanced back at the cart and bobbed her head. "Another tree," she turned to face Applejack and winced, "maybe?"
Applejack raised an eyebrow for a moment before turning her attention to the buckets on the ground. As Applejack surveyed them, she glanced over them, then finally filled them with the apples. Once the buckets were filled, she lifted them up and brought them over to the cart. The buckets were filled well beyond capacity, with apples piled up over the rim to the point that they were visible above the sides of the cart. With the way the cart leaned towards the front, she was partially concerned that apples would just start rolling all over the place and spilling onto the ground. She turned to face Applejack. The mare glanced over the load, then looked at her. "I don't think we can get any more on there now," she offered.
Applejack walked over to her and scrutinized the cart. She nodded and said, "Alright, I guess we can take this back and then get the next batch ready," then walked around the side to the front.
She pursed her lips as a thought occurred to her, 'I could take it back while you keep working?' She dreaded that idea. She wasn't that strong. Pulling that cart? No. "Uh, one of us could take the cart back while the other works?" she voiced.
Applejack stopped and looked back at her with a strained grimace. "It ain't safe," was all she said. "I appreciate the offer, but it ain't safe."
She frowned, then shifted her weight as Applejack donned the harness. "It isn't safe?" she asked.
"Nope," was Applejack's frank answer. "Not since the whole eternal night thing."
She squinted at Applejack, then turned her head left and then right, scanning the shadows. Nothing stood out, no dark figured, no glowing eyes. It only just comforted her, so she turned back to Applejack and asked, "I thought the orchard was safe?"
"Most of the time, it is," Applejack answered. She inhaled, then took a step forward. The cart lurched right behind her. "But not all of the time," was added. After another step, Applejack stopped, then turned her head and looked back at her. "I don't want to take the risk with you, Twilight. After we faced Nightmare Moon and all that... I wouldn't feel right to have you all alone out here," she said softly.
She stared at Applejack for a few seconds. 'I... could protect myself... right?' she wondered. 'She doesn't think I can... Nightmare doesn't think I can...' whispered back. It made her uneasy. Against something small and not that dangerous, she probably could protect herself. She shifted her weight on her hooves, then dashed to Applejack's side. "You remember that Midnight's here, right?" she squeaked.
Applejack paused to shrug, then continued. "She's flying somewhere up there. I can't see or hear her-"
A dark figure silently landed in front of Applejack. She flinched and jumped back a few inches before she recognized the batpony, but Applejack didn't react. "Hi," was Midnight's quiet, cheerful greeting.
Twilight nodded to herself and looked at Applejack again. "She has very good hearing."
Midnight smiled and nodded eagerly. "Mhm!"
"Eyup," Applejack agreed.
"And yeah it's safe," Midnight affirmed. Her smile faded and she frowned. "I didn't see or hear any, uh, timberwolves, I think is what you called them? How exactly do those things even work?" Midnight's cheeks pulled up close to her eyes. "Made out of wood..?"
Twilight lifted her muzzle a few inches into the air and answered, "Magic."
Midnight glanced at her. "Oh, okay. I kinda figured that. But still. It doesn't make sense."
Applejack shrugged. "Beats me. All I know is that's what they are."
"I think they're native to the Everfree Forest?" Twilight offered. "I don't think they exist anywhere else. So it's probably just the Everfree Forest."
Midnight looked at her, nodding casually. "Huh."
"You live in a forested area, don't you?" Applejack asked.
Midnight turned to her and nodded. "Mhm."
"Well, what sort of things do you have to deal with?" was Applejack's next question.
"Normal flesh and blood wolves. Sometimes bears," Midnight answered casually. "Of course it's not really that big of a deal for us. They keep away from the cities."
Twilight perked up. "Cities? Plural?"
Midnight nodded at her. "Mhm. You didn't think Hollow Shades was the only batpony city, right?"
"I thought there was only one city in the Hollow Shades," she specified.
Midnight giggled, then reached out with her hoof and touched her muzzle. "That'd be about as silly as calling a single city a whole empire!"
Her muzzle scrunched up and she jerked her head back. The metal boot was cold, and even without the boot touching her, she still felt the cold lingering on her nose.
"But yeah," Midnight continued. "Hollow Shades isn't just one city. There's a lot more than just it. Well, Hollow Shades technically is a city and a region, but there are other cities."
"Where?" she asked.
Midnight shrugged. "I dunno. All over the place, really. In mountains and forests, mostly out of sight. We keep to ourselves. I've never really been anywhere else. And not just the Hollow Shades region, either. All over Equestria."
She inhaled, then let out a sigh. "Right..."
"So, can you move so I can get this back to the barn?" Applejack asked. "Then we can walk and talk."
Midnight looked at her. "Oh! Right. Sure!" She stepped to the left, out of Applejack's way.
"Thank you," Applejack said as she walked on.
Twilight waited a moment, then walked alongside Applejack, followed by Midnight, who strolled along at her left side.
"So, see anything interesting in your flight?" Applejack asked.
Midnight shrugged. "Other than Rainbow Dash sleeping in one of your trees?" was her cheerful question. Midnight barely paused as if contemplating something, then just smiled and shook her head. "No, not really... no..."
There was an audible pause in Applejack's stride, mostly because it stopped, and with that, the cart stopped. "Where is she?"
"I can show you," Midnight answered. "Why?"
An annoyed, flat voice answered, "I'm gonna knock some sense into her."
She frowned at Applejack and Midnight squinted. "Why?" was all she felt compelled to ask.
Applejack rolled her eyes. "Rainbow knows she's not supposed to do that." A pause, then a firm, "I don't appreciate it. My family doesn't appreciate it."
She slowly turned her head away from Applejack. "...why?" she asked again, this time more slowly.
"If she's gonna be here, she could at least help instead of being lazy," was Applejack's answer. As soon as she finished, she started pulling the cart again. "After I get this to the barn, I'm gonna give Rainbow a piece of my mind."
"I'm sure she has her reasons," Twilight offered. Applejack didn't even look at her and continued pulling the cart along. She waited for a few seconds to see if Applejack would say something, but then walked back to her when it was clear that she wasn't. Midnight followed at her side, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw the batpony's tongue hanging out of her mouth in between her fangs.
"You know, you could help out too," Applejack commented.
She glanced aside at Applejack to see who that was directed at and found her looking at Midnight.
"Batponies don't do applebucking," Midnight stated in a warm, friendly tone. It almost sounded like teasing.
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Why not? You keep saying how strong you are; prove it."
She turned her head to look at Midnight.
"Don't need to," was Midnight's cheerful response, followed up with a bright smile. "Besides, I'm here to keep Twilight safe. I'm not free labor like she is."
She frowned and glared at her 'guard.' "Hey!"
Midnight turned to face her, then just closed her eyes and smiled oh so happily.
"She's not free labor..." was Applejack's defensive retort.
She turned and squinted at Applejack. The earth pony shifted her weight uncomfortably and looked back at her, then looked at Midnight again. "She volunteered to help," she explained. "As a friend," was added far too quickly.
"Free labor!" Midnight sung out, followed with a carefree giggle.
With that, she inhaled, then all but threw her head down so it was level with her back. "Well gee, thank you so much for thinking of me like that," she muttered.
"Sorry, Twilight. I, well, and my family, really do need the help though. We've been having trouble with the whole eternal night thing. It ain't easy!" Her eyes shot towards Applejack. She wanted to give her a glare, but found that she couldn't: Applejack looked at her with a solemn grimace. "I really do appreciate the help. We all do," Applejack added.
She let out a sigh, then closed her eyes and nodded. "It's," she lifted her head back up, "okay." Opening her eyes, she looked around again, searching the shadows. Surely, it wasn't necessary since Midnight was there, but she still felt safer for having done so, especially since she didn't see anything stalking them.
Looking down at the dirt path beneath her hooves, she immediately knew one fact: 'Rarity will never set hoof out here.'
A few seconds passed while she pondered the thought. 'Then again, I guess you did venture into the Everfree Forest with us... Although the fate of Equestria was at stake there.'
So maybe it wasn't a fact. Still, she couldn't see Rarity ever coming here of her own free will. She couldn't picture it. She didn't think it was likely. At least as long as Rarity had a choice. And it wasn't like the fate of Equestria would ever rest in their hooves again, right?
'Really, that's an insane thought,' she knew. There really was no reason why a filly and five mares would ever be the only ponies who could save Equestria from utter destruction. It really was an absurd thought. A crazy thought! Why would the defense of Equestria fall onto the shoulders of a filly and five young mares? She took comfort in knowing just how silly the thought was!
But as she thought about it, she found a feeling of dread welling up inside her chest: 'We stood up to Nightmare Moon...'
They were all three walking at a casual pace, but for her, she felt like she was shuffling along beside them. She knew her hooves weren't dragging in the dirt, but it still felt like they were. She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. 'You forgave me for standing up to you... you forgave us for standing up to you...' She felt better, at least until the next thought constricted her body, 'Right?' She let the breath out.
She glanced at Midnight. If she asked the batpony, then she would probably tell her she was overreacting and worrying too much; Midnight would probably say that Nightmare Moon wasn't holding that little stunt over her head like an executioner's ax, just waiting for the right moment to let it drop. But thinking of that didn't help; the thought made her stomach twist into a knot. But even as her stomach twisted against her, she knew, 'You wouldn't do that.' No, Nightmare Moon wouldn't act in such a way. She hadn't asked Nightmare Moon about that stunt, but the way her teacher acted somehow reassured her that it would be okay, somehow.
Nightmare wasn't just waiting for her to slip up. She closed her eyes again, then sucked in another deep breath. She held it in, and as the seconds passed, her stomach untwisted. Once she felt fine, she let the breath go.
'It's fine to relax around her,' she told herself. Yesterday had been proof of that. She had opened up to Nightmare, and Nightmare had opened up to her. Nightmare hadn't attacked her for what she said and asked. She had been certain it would happen, but it didn't.
She felt safer for it. But she still wouldn't push her luck.
With nothing else to do as she walked on, as both Midnight and Applejack had fallen silent, her thoughts lingered on Nightmare's unscheduled visit. But that also seemed to be how Nightmare liked her visits: unscheduled. She had some general idea of when Nightmare was coming, but there was never any advanced warning. There'd be the crack of the teleport spell, and then her teacher would be there. She would either come or would not come.
But she was, somehow, getting used to it. Maybe.
'How did ponies treat you back before...?' whispered in her mind. She felt her ears fold back, then pin down on her mane. She felt her heart beat slower, and her stomach felt bigger. Assuming Nightmare Moon didn't lie about it, then she didn't know how to feel. How could she have known what to feel? Nightmare Moon had banished Princess Celestia! Nightmare Moon had conquered Equestria!
But Nightmare Moon had, assuming she wasn't being lied to, protected Equestria so long before her fall. Nightmare Moon had, assuming it wasn't a lie, been mistreated. She had seen the unfiltered bitterness as Nightmare told her of her treatment, of her experiences. The words were vague, but the feeling? The feeling was there in full force. How could Nightmare Moon have been lying, with that bitterness and rage that smashed through those words she spoke? It had scared her. She did her best not to let it show, but it terrified her. It wouldn't have taken much for her to run off.
But she didn't, because Nightmare deserved better than that. Nightmare deserved a better student. Nightmare needed somepony as, and the thought made her grimace, a friend. It made her heart twist uncomfortably. The idea of being Nightmare Moon's friend. It made no sense, it was absolutely insane, and it was in no way proper or safe, yet she felt the need to somehow take that role.
It made no sense. A part of her felt exasperated by it. But it would be good for Nightmare Moon. It would be good for her, or at least her survival.
She frowned and stared down at the ground. 'You have the batponies, but why isn't that enough?' It was a thought that weighed on her, a thought that left her feeling concerned: the batponies were Nightmare Moon's, and surely there were more than enough that her teacher would feel the batponies' quite obvious adoration and respect of her, but it wasn't enough. 'Why isn't it enough?' repeated in her mind.
It worried her because it meant that it was possible nothing would ever be enough for her teacher. It meant that it was possible that Nightmare Moon's jealousy and hatred of Princess Celestia was beyond anything she could imagine, beyond anything she could reason away.
It worried her because it could mean she was the student of a psychotic alicorn. It worried her because it could mean she was contemplating trying to be the friend of a psychotic alicorn.
There had to be tens of thousands of batponies, if not more, and if Nightmare Moon felt that their adoration and love wasn't enough? 'Will anything ever be enough for you?' was whispered in her mind, and fear wanted to reply, 'No...'
Even with the creaking of the cart, the silence felt oppressive. She looked up and straight ahead. Neither Applejack nor Midnight paid any attention to her. They were both there, but she felt alone. Neither of them understood her position.
It took a while, but eventually, the dirt path gave way to a dirt yard. The trees gave way to an open view of the night sky, and with that, she felt a bit more comfortable and confident. She didn't feel the same constriction as earlier, and as she stepped into the yard, she felt like a weight was lifted off her back.
Looking around, she recalled how everything looked the first time she had been to Sweet Apple Acres. Ponies had been everywhere, at least after they had been summoned by Applejack. Now, in the dark of night, it looked almost like a graveyard, and the thought made her shiver as the night felt that much colder.
Sitting on the porch of their farmhouse in a rocking chair, Granny Smith rocked back and forth. She couldn't tell from the distance, but it looked like she was sleeping. She assumed Apple Bloom was in school, though she wasn't certain. As for Big Mac, Applejack had said he was in the market, or what was left of it.
The market really hadn't been the same since eternal night had fallen. She hadn't seen it before Nightmare Moon took over, but she had briefly visited it since her return. It was a very open, deserted plaza with ponies and stalls few and far between.
'How are ponies coping with eternal night? How are ponies surviving this?' she wondered. After all, ponies hadto go out sometime: they had to to get food and other goods, but she never saw it.
Then again, she was in the library most of her time, so she wouldn't know. Maybe Nightmare Moon thinking that ponies hated the night was just a case of bad timing?
But she knew it wasn't that.
They walked on into the barn and Twilight used her magic to unload the buckets, carefully piling placing the apples in an ever-growing pile so they didn't bruise. Without anything being said, Applejack took the lead and headed back out into the yard, heading for the same path they came from, still pulling the cart behind her.
As the trees once again flanked them, Midnight asked, "Soo... do you really want me to show you where Rainbow Dash is?"
"Eyup," was Applejack's firm, unwavering response.
"Okay," Midnight said with innocent joy.
She felt a rush of air against her side and turned to watch Midnight lift off the ground, hover in the air almost silently, then fly forward with the same near-silence as hovering. Flapping her leathery wings was so much quieter than the feathers of a pegasus. Midnight casually took the lead, flying ahead about a pony's length at the same speed they walked.
About half of the way back to where they had been working, Midnight veered to the left, following another branch of the dirt path. She slowed to let Applejack and the cart go first, then she followed. From there, it was just another minute of walking before Midnight landed, turned around to face them, and pointed a hoof at the top of a tree.
She looked where Midnight pointed, but even squinting at the tree, she couldn't see any hints of the pegasus. No sky-blue coat, no rainbow mane or tail, and no rustling branches and leaves that would give away her friend's presence.
Applejack didn't even bother checking; she just unharnessed herself, then walked over to the tree wearing an amused expression. The earth pony turned around, kicked her hind legs up, then bucked back into the tree.
Unlike most of the times before, this time the tree shook, almost violently. The leaves rustled as they shook back and forth, then she heard the sound of a pegasus falling out of a tree: fur scraping against wood and leaves, a cry of alarm, some shouts of "woah" and an assuredly pegasus squawk, all wrapped up with a thud and grunt as the mare landed on her haunches, her wings stretched out in alarm.
She lifted her hoof and pressed it against her mouth to stifle a laugh. Several twigs were stuck in Rainbow's mane and tail, and she took great delight in the sight. It felt like justice for how she met the pegasus, or rather how the pegasus crashed into her.
A blanket and pillow fell down on top of Rainbow. The blanket draped over her left wing, and the pillow landed bounced off her head before landing on the grass beside her.
Midnight giggled in delight. Applejack smirked. "Hey there, sugarcube!" she called.
"What was that for!? Applejack!?" Rainbow demanded. In a dark blur of color, she jumped into the air and shook the blanket off her wing, then shot over and hovered in front of Applejack's face, glaring at her.
Applejack matched the glare. "You know you ain't supposed to be doing that, Rainbow Dash!" she admonished.
Rainbow opened her mouth to say something, but an all-too-familiar sharp crack stopped her. She recognized that crack. There was no way to mistake it as anything else: a teleportation spell. The air felt a few degrees cooler, and her body felt several degrees colder. The silence was almost palpable. She felt Nightmare Moon's gaze land on her back. Applejack and Rainbow's glares faded as they stared off behind her body, back where she knew Nightmare Moon was, back where she couldn't see.
Midnight bowed, "My Queen," she greeted.
Nightmare's gaze left her back for a split second, then returned. Another moment passed, then that feeling of being watched by a predator disappeared. She exhaled, then inhaled and licked her lips. Rainbow Dash's wingbeats slowed, then she landed and turned to face her, or Nightmare Moon. Likewise, Applejack turned to face her, or Nightmare Moon.
Her teacher's predatory gaze landed on her back again. "There is something we must attend to," was all that was said.
She barely registered what was said before she felt Nightmare's magic wash over her. Then, there was a blinding flash of light, the sharp crack of the teleport spell, and the disorientating double image: Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Midnight, apple trees, and then Nightmare's study over top of it.
The double image faded. She stared at Nightmare's desk. There were three scrolls scattered about over its surface. Two were opened, and one was rolled up.
She heard the click of Nightmare's boots against the floor, jerked to the right and turned to watch as Nightmare rushed past her over to the desk. She followed Nightmare with her eyes, and Nightmare looked back at her without turning her head. "What's-"
She didn't get to finish before Nightmare cut her off, "Civil unrest in Manehattan." Then Nightmare unrolled the scroll and lifted the lone quill from the inkwell on the desk. "The Royal Guard is attempting to reestablish control but I am not assured by their efforts. We will be going."
She swallowed and shifted her weight. "Um, how bad is it?"
Without looking away from the scroll she wrote on, Nightmare answered, "Disorganized, but widespread, and spreading. But I am unsure of the entire extent." There was a pause a Nightmare turned back to face her. "And they have decided that it is a good idea to burn buildings," was delivered in the most sarcastic tone she had ever heard.
"They- what?" she stuttered. "But ponies-"
"Wouldn't normally do this, yes, I am aware," Nightmare stated. "I thought that was obvious."
She winced and turned away from her teacher. She whispered, "Sorry-"
But Nightmare cut her off, "We do not have time for apologies. We are only still here because I retrieved you before sending out orders so I could inform you of the situation."
She shifted her weight. Her teacher ignored it and turned her attention back to the scroll. She sucked her lip in between her teeth, then bit down lightly, just enough to pin it in place. She rolled her teeth back and forth as that all-too-familiar dread took hold of the air surrounding her body. 'Why do you need me? What do you expect me to do!?' screamed out in her mind. Why was she needed for this? 'Is this just an excuse to-' she stamped the thought out before it could finish. No, it wasn't Nightmare Moon trying to find an excuse to dispose of her. Her teacher wouldn't do that. She swallowed and licked her lips.
Her teacher held that quill so firmly in her magic, and even though the sweeps and strokes against the paper were rushed out, there was still an undeniable precision that she could see from the distance. She couldn't see her teacher's eyes, but she knew just from the writing that Nightmare was intent on writing as quickly as possible, but meticulously enough that it couldn't be misunderstood. Her teacher was busy. She had questions. She didn't want to interrupt. But Nightmare didn't preemptively answer, either.
She leaned left and gradually brought her right foreleg up into the air. For a second, she watched the quill scratch at the scroll, then she grimaced, stepped forward and leaned to the right, and carefully shuffled closer to her teacher. "Why," she drew out the word as long as she could before continuing once she was certain Nightmare wasn't going to chastise her for asking, "do you need me for this?"
The quill paused after one last sweep. Her mentor's muzzle turned back a few inches, and then those eyes fell on her. "You are my student," was her answer.
She took another slow step closer to her mentor and leaned her head to the left, bringing it even closer. "Yes I'm your student but-" she stopped as her cheeks and lips lifted up. She paused to suck in a breath, then she continued, "Your sister wouldn't have... brought me along."
The quill lifted from the scroll, suspended in the air by Nightmare's dark blue aura. Her teacher turned her head in full to face her, then nodded once and answered, "You are correct. She would not have."
She heard a certain finality in her teacher's voice, but also thought she heard annoyance like Princess Celestia was doing something wrong by not bringing her along, and Nightmare didn't approve.
The pause lasted for a second: no more, no less. Then, Nightmare broke eye contact. Her teacher's eyes drifted along her mane, then down her back before settling on her cutie mark. She felt the way Nightmare's gaze glided over her body. Not predatory, but curious. The anger she would have expected in her gaze from unrest in Manehattan wasn't there, or perhaps it wasn't directed at her. Maybe Nightmare didn't let it out, maybe her teacher kept it in for her.
She knew it wouldn't have been the first time her teacher had acted so carefully with her.
Or maybe Nightmare was acting rationally and logically, knowing what was happening. Nightmare would know that she had to respond to this unrest just right, otherwise the results could be disastrous. If she responded too harshly, things would fall apart. If she failed to respond firmly enough, things would fall apart. It was a balancing act, and surely, Nightmare Moon knew how to balance that. The question then, was if she could balance that without snapping.
The second passed, and as Nightmare's eyes glided over her back, she said, "But you are my student, and I expect you to be there with me. Appearances, and it will be a good experience for you." Her teacher's eyes jumped back to meet her own before she said, "And your help and advice would be appreciated."
With that said, Nightmare turned her head back to face the scroll. The quill pressed back down into the scroll, and the hasty strokes and sweeps resumed.
She stared at where Nightmare's eyes had been. A few seconds passed. Her gaze drifted further to the left, into Nightmare's ethereal mane. It didn't whip in anger, it didn't billow like a tempest. It was controlled and calm. Calculated.
She managed to pull her gaze away from Nightmare's mane. She looked down at her hooves, then the floor. She lifted her head up, glanced over the side of Nightmare's chestplate, then her wing, and finally, her gaze returned to Nightmare's face. "My advice?"
No pause in the quill's strokes this time as Nightmare answered, "Yes. Your advice on how to best deal with this would be welcome. I would not expect you to have dealt with such before, but I assume you are competent enough to offer suggestions on how best to proceed."
Cadance was more qualified to help with this problem than her. Cadance was better around ponies, and surely ponies would see her and it would calm them down. For a moment, she considered voicing such, but she knew better: it would waste time. Surely, Nightmare Moon already knew Cadance would be more help than her, and surely Nightmare Moon already had Cadance doing something important to help with this problem. Perhaps Cadance was already in Manehattan working to calm ponies down. She wondered why it was then, that Nightmare hadn't mentioned Cadance to her, and despite Nightmare telling her why she was going, she still wondered what help she could possibly be. But perhaps Nightmare didn't mention it because it would have been wasting time.
She nodded timidly. "Is... um, there anything else you can tell me?"
There was the briefest moment where she thought the quill broke stride, where she thought it had slipped or stalled, but it was over so quickly she was certain it was her imagination. "We will be going into a situation I have little information on. A situation which could prove dangerous. I will protect you but do stay close. If we somehow get separated-"
"Wouldn't you just know where I was?" she blurted out.
There was a pause before her teacher answered, "Yes, but you could have lost the necklace. In which case I would not." She shifted her weight as Nightmare's gaze jumped back onto her for a split second before returning to the scroll. "If we are separated, either remain where you are or find a Royal Guard. Avoid crowds."
She lowered her gaze onto the floor and muttered, "Right..." Crowds would be bad. If ponies recognized her, then that had the chance to go very badly.
It was very easy for her to imagine just how badly that could go.
The quill came to a stop. A moment passed, then she looked up and caught a glimpse of her teacher's eyes rolling over each line she had written. When Nightmare's eyes finally came to a stop on the last word, she held her gaze there as if thinking, then looked up and swept the scroll up in her magic in one motion. Her teacher rolled the scroll up, bound it with her crescent moon seal, then sent it off in a flash of light.
With that done, Nightmare's magic pressed another scroll into place on the desk, and her magic dipped the quill into the inkwell before returning it to the new scroll.
She blinked as a thought occurred to her, and then voiced it, "Why are you even writing orders? Can't we just teleport there and you can give them?"
There was another pause of Nightmare's quill, which was accompanied by a glance back at her. "These orders are not destined for the Manehattan garrison," was all she answered. Nightmare's gaze shot back to the scroll, and her writing resumed. A moment passed; nothing more was said.
Reluctantly, she took another step forward to stand right beside her teacher's wing. Quietly, she hesitantly asked, "So you don't really know what's going on, then?"
"Correct," was the succinct answer.
She leaned her head away from Nightmare and tried to look at her eyes. It was a futile attempt: Nightmare's attention was focused on the scroll, and although she could see her teacher's eye, it wasn't what she had wanted to find. "So," she began, pausing to lick her lips and let out a slow mixture of a huff and a sigh, "how do you know that this isn't like before?"
"Fires," her teacher answered.
She frowned. "And how do you know it isn't just a-"
Nightmare scowled and let out an exasperated breath. "It is not just a fire, Twilight Sparkle. The captain indicated that there was rioting, and yes, before you ask, I did briefly visit the city before retrieving you to be certain this was not uncalled for," Nightmare snapped.
On instinct, she flinched back, pushing her body back and lifting her right forehoof. She almost took a step back before she caught herself.
Nightmare saw it, of course. She saw Nightmare look back at her, but only after she flinched. She didn't know how Nightmare had seen her flinch. Or maybe she hadn't. Maybe she had simply chosen to look back at her, and it had simply been a coincidence that she had looked back at her after flinching. She doubted it. Regardless, Nightmare saw it. Nightmare saw her, Nightmare saw how she flinched back.
She thought she saw Nightmare clench her jaw. Gradually, she pushed herself back to where she had been. Nightmare's gaze lingered on her.
Nightmare's eyes jumped off of her and looked somewhere to her right, then she opened her mouth and inhaled. "I know that you have issues trusting me," she stated.
With that said, once again, she felt as if she was the center of attention. Ponies were staring at her from all directions, even if the only other pony there with her wasn't looking at her. She was exposed. Nightmare looked back at her. She felt it, and a twinge of panic raced down her back. In the wake of that panic, she felt a coldness gripping her.
Nightmare's feather brutes along her side. She glanced back and watched that feather. She stared at it as Nightmare so delicately stroked that feather along her side and back, brushing it from just below her shoulder down to the end of her rib cage.
"It would be beneficial to both of us for you to trust me during this. I will not take action that will intentionally result in injury to you," her teacher said in a calm voice. She turned away from the feather to meet Nightmare's gaze. She couldn't see any deception in those eyes. There wasn't any glint of a predator. There wasn't anything that whispered of deception, there wasn't anything that called out, 'You should not trust me!'
She slowly lowered her muzzle a few inches, then brought it back up, then repeated the action more quickly a few times to nod.
Nightmare's right foreleg lifted up, then in a slow, drawn-out motion, her teacher turned to face her. And she would have sworn that turn was unsure and uncertain. It made her cautious. Nightmare looked her over, and her lips parted. After a few seconds, Nightmare gave a shake of her head, then met her gaze once again. "We do not have time for you to apologize. Mistakes will likely be made tonight."
She felt her chest tighten at that. 'Mistakes? But...' She hated the idea. Mistakes were bad, mistakes meant failures.
Mistakes meant disappointment.
Nightmare inhaled, breaking her thoughts. "And we do not have time for you to second guess yourself," was stated. "Do not be paralyzed into inaction," was her teacher's warning.
And for a few more seconds, a few more seconds that things in Manehattan could have been getting worse, Nightmare continued to face her. Then, Nightmare blinked and returned to writing the scroll.
She just stared at Nightmare. The scratching and chime of magic continued, only interrupted by a few pauses followed by the sound of scrolls being rolled up. Her mind went to Manehattan, and a dozen progressively worse scenarios played out. The best case scenario was like the time she had been in Manehattan with Nightmare Moon before: it turned out to be nothing, or perhaps the fires were just accidents that happened, and maybe the 'rioting' was unrelated. Her imagination twisted from there. Just how bad would Manehattan be? How would Nightmare Moon react? How would her teacher address it? Would Cadance be able to help at all?
The thoughts that plagued her borrowed from her memories: instead of her teacher acting rationally, perhaps she would overreact. Ponies would be hurt, at the very least. Would she have to stand there while Nightmare did things that shouldn't have been done? Would she have to stand there, unable to do anything except watch on as her teacher snapped? Would ponies escape, then tell the tale of how she had been there, right beside her teacher? How she was just as guilty as Nightmare Moon?
Her stomach and gut twisted and tightened at the thought, and it wasn't even the worst of the thoughts assaulting her. No, there were worse thoughts: having to stand beside Nightmare, unable to voice any objections as her teacher slaughtered ponies. She hadn't seen Nightmare kill anypony, but she knew Nightmare could. She had heard what had happened to one Royal Guard. Her teacher could kill oh-so-easily. And then Equestria would know that she had been there. Equestria would know she hadn't stopped it. Equestria would know she was the student of a monster. And then she wouldn't have any choice or any hope. If Nightmare was somehow defeated, Equestria would turn on her.
Princess Celestia would turn on her for letting something like that happen.
Unless there was nopony left to tell those tales.
And then there was the blood-freezing fear that Nightmare would react to the rioting poorly and that ponies would only struggle harder. There was the fear that ponies would say something without knowing what she knew, the fear that ponies would throw insults that would spell disaster. The fear that Nightmare Moon would revise her plans: instead of ruling Equestria, leveling it.
Her teacher could follow up on something like that.
The fear twisted in her mind. She couldn't breathe. She pictured Equestria as nothing more than a barren wasteland: dirt and ashes covering the ground, dust and ashes blanketing the sky, blocking out even the moon and stars. And she pictured being there to see it, she pictured herself standing there right beside Nightmare Moon in that desolate, lifeless wasteland. And then she saw Nightmare Moon turning to face her, wearing that same intent, predatory gaze as before.
'She wouldn't do that,' shot out in her mind. The voice cut through the desolation she imagined. In its place, she saw the black of Nightmare's coat and the cyan of her chestplate. She exhaled, then sucked in a breath, only to exhale again and finally inhale one last time.
Panicking wasn't good for her. Panicking and overreacting was exactly what ponies were doing in Manehattan. Panicking would only make matters worse.
A wave of calmness washed over her body. She swallowed and let her eyes drift over Nightmare's body, then she took a risk and glanced towards Nightmare's face. Her teacher was intent on writing out those orders. 'She wouldn't do that, would she?' a part of her asked. And it was asked in a timid, quiet voice. It was a question she wouldn't voice. It was a question she didn't need to voice.
She already knew the answer, 'No, she wouldn't.' She was letting her fear get the best of her. Her teacher was rational! Most of the time. And if something went wrong, maybe her teacher would still remember the promises made to her, and then maybe she could prevent everything from going worse.
'Stop worrying about it. It doesn't help any, it won't change anything. She hasn't hurt me...' she reasoned and told herself. Another part of her was quick to counter, 'Yet, and if I betray her, she will.'
She couldn't argue with that knowledge.
The sound of magic stopped and it broke her thoughts. She refocused on Nightmare's coat, then looked towards her head once more. At the same time, her teacher looked back at her, and their eyes met. Nightmare's lips were parted, then they closed. A second passed as they watched each other, then Nightmare said, "If you are ready."
She swallowed and blinked, then hastily nodded.
But Nightmare didn't immediately light her horn and wrap her magic around her. There was a pause, one long enough for her teacher to reach out with her wing and brush a feather along her back again. She closed her eyes from the feeling. The dread and anxiety washed away with that so gentle stroke. It was reassurance and comfort.
She felt Nightmare's magic wrap around her: it wasn't as it had been so soon after they met, it didn't threaten to crush her, it wasn't the sort of grip that made sure to remind her of how fragile her existence was, of how tenuous their relationship was. It was a gentle grip, it didn't press down on her; it enveloped her.
She could almost convince herself that it felt protective.
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*Cough* *Cough* Crystal Empire *Cough* *Cough*
Chekhov: *Walks in room*
Me: "Don't do it..."
Chekhov: *Places down gun*
Me: "Remove that gun."
Chekhov: "... No."
Me: "Dammit"
9561808
9560732
See what I did there?
9561774
The law of conservation of detail states that if something is mentioned, it is important. A good example of this is, if there is a gun above the fireplace in the first act, it needs to go off during the second or third act. If it does not, then it should not be there, however, this entirely overlooks the fireplace that inevitably burns the building down.
Not to be “That Guy” *Proceeds to be that guy*, but when is the next chapter?
9591788
It's been delayed as my prereader has been busy, and with the new season, I'm not sure when the best time to publish chapters is. But rest assured the next chapter is finished, aside from edits!
9560732
Yeah, quite a dig at it.
Twilight you are starting to get it. NMM isn't a crazy mate but one that has had it with everypony ignoring her hard work. The Vietnam veys know exactly how she feels.
I actually love larger chapters. I once read a chapter that was nearly 40k words, best. day. EVER!
9615825
I like longer stories, but I'm not sure how I'd feel about a chapter being 40,000 words long or so. I don't quite have an opinion on that from a reader's standpoint, though I dislike it when chapters are so short as to be a single scene: in example, when a chapter is 1,000-2,000 words long, that is not a chapter, but a scene, at least in my opinion. However I'd probably still read it, it'd just bother me a bit.
Now from an author's standpoint, writing a 30,000-word long chapter is a nightmare. The story UI on Fimfiction started lagging to the point where it would freeze as I wrote out a sentence, then two seconds after I stopped writing it would update. That was the first reason as to why I broke said chapter into three parts, the other reason being that way I'd have three chapters instead of one.
May I ask what story that was?
9615836
.
I completely forget it was ages ago tho sorry
On another note I also abhor 1000-2000 long chapters , I know their easier to write but I see no point of it being so small when in the next chapter there's the next scene. Lol
I love this story and can't wait for the next chapter.
9615888
From an author's standpoint I'll admit I can see the point of such short chapters. It allows you to artificially inflate how many chapters there are and thus allows you to inflate the odds of more people finding your story. If you write 4,000 words a week, you could publish 1 chapter per week, or 2 per week of 2,000, or 4 per week of 1,000. The smaller chapters maximize "Recently updated" visibility and thus allow more people to potentially see the story.
Edit: Although I should also say that this is not necessarily why they are doing this. There could be other reasons behind it that I haven't thought of.
Will there be any world building in this? I'm 200k words in and the world is dark, Hollow Shades isn't just a town, and Manehatten may or may not be burning to the ground...lots (and I mean LOTS!!!) of internal angst, but no backdrop.
I'm not a fan of comparing writers, but you started with complaining about short chapters. Ray Bradbury writes in vignettes, snapshots of time, and it's brilliant. 1200ish words to evoke an emotion or paint a moment. On FIM Fiction, Cold in Gardez wrote some short pieces about forgotten places and they're some of the best writing I've ever read; I still go back and reread that story when I'm feeling too mundane. Short Skirts and Explosions wrote some very long stories, his extras, his short, sometimes 300 word, vignettes buried in a 20,000 word chapter build a world you want to explore (or run and hide from).
I'm really trying to appreciate what you're doing, your prose is very well written, but it's an absolute slog reading about how frightened and young and homesick for Celestia Twilight is. This chapter showed some signs of change, some attempt to advance her as a character, but we're still stuck with her being scared and finally trying to improve.
200,000 words is a lot of time with very little progress and no world being built...
9615836
I love long chapters as well. The more insanely long it is, the more I look forward to it. The longest chapter I've read on this site was 87k in Songs of the Spheres. That story also has a few more in the 40k-50k range.