Discord Part 3
Nightmare Moon strode back and forth in her study, the agonizing feeling of having no control twisting inside her body and sickening her. She held her jaw clamped shut, and each step came as a jerk. 'Where are you!? What has he done!?' her mind demanded, and her jaw clenched tighter. Her eyes trailed over the floor, but she paid no attention to it: her mind was consumed with the agony of Discord's return. And even worse, nothing could erode the churning unease that ate at her mind: Discord had broken or suppressed the enchantment on Twilight's necklace.
Or worse.
She had no idea where her student was. She had no idea what Discord was doing. She didn't know if her student was safe or in danger. She had no idea and no control; she could not intervene, she couldn't do anything. She couldn't even distract Discord. He had lost interest in her, though perhaps only for a time.
Her legs trembled as she marched back and forth, seething. The anger was still secondary compared to her concern. 'He will not kill you,' she told herself.
She still knew there were worse things he could do. If he truly wanted to, he could do things to her student that she couldn't even imagine. Things far worse than what the griffins of old had done. Things far beyond simply breaking her student. Unspeakable things, and things that had no name.
And she couldn't stop it.
The worry, 'I have made a mistake,' plagued her mind as she marched back and forth. 'I have left you defenseless against him. I have not taught you as I should have,' twisted her gut into a tight knot. 'And he knows your importance.'
It wasn't lost on her how much it plagued her mind. Her student was in danger; her only means of stopping Discord! Almost as bad as that was knowing that she had failed her student and broken that promise to protect her. And now her rule was falling apart.
'This is worse than the first time,' simmered in her mind. For a moment, her stride slowed and her eyes jerked up to the wall.
Ages ago, it had been hopeless. When Discord showed up, Luna had confronted him, only to find her magic useless against him. She still remembered their confrontation and how he laughed off everything Luna threw at him. Luna had called on her sister for help, and even then, their combined magic did little more than tickle him. And he tore their world apart, bit by bit, piece by piece, shred of sanity by shred of sanity, until nearly every last trace of order had been rewritten. And that was exactly what was happening now. Discord was remaking the world for his own amusement.
There had been no way to stop Discord until they discovered the Elements. They weren't even sure they would work, but they did. And now, though she knew that the Elements would work, it felt worse. The feeling of powerlessness was worse than before; there was nopony there to tell her it would be okay. Her empire, her world, was being torn apart. She couldn't wield the Elements to stop Discord once again, and should she find herself on the receiving end of those same Elements she once called ally, it would be her end.
Assuming Discord didn't stop them. Even more agony welled up in her chest, constricting her heart with an icy grip she hadn't felt in centuries. It was the same feeling of powerless as whenever she watched one who she called 'friend' killed in battle; the same feeling of powerless when she had gazed upon a 'friend' and saw a mortal wound that even her magic could not undo. The feeling of powerlessness when she saw such a wound, and the pony looked into her eyes: both of them knew, and nothing was said between them. And then she watched, sometimes longer than it took for the pony to die, leading another pony to come break her stupor.
It was torture. It made her doubt and feel uncertain. It made her hesitate and it made her question her own decisions. Already, she had wasted hours, but there was nothing that she could do. She could not reassure ponies with her presence nor words like Cadance did: they would not believe her, and her attempted reassurance could have been lies; her trying to reassure ponies would have only made things worse.
'If Sister and I could stop you, retrieving her would be worth it,' growled in her mind. Discord was an existential threat to her empire and to the world! She had not sacrificed so much for Equestria so long ago and born so much hatred to see her prize ripped away from her by another! If she had to make some agreement with her dear sister in order to defeat Discord, then even fighting alongside her would be worth it. 'Stopping Discord would be worth it.' And after Discord was dealt with, she could deal with Sister again.
It was almost tempting. It was the one option where she had some semblance of control; she could retrieve her sister, but then after that, that semblance of control would be gone. 'We would agree to stop Discord,' came with a snort.
'The one thing we can agree on,' she thought. A smile pulled at her lips and she shook her head. The price of having to suffer through her sister's presence to stop Discord was heavy, but to stop Discord and to ensure she could regain control of her empire, it would be worth it. But even together, she knew they wouldn't be able to defeat him. Not now. Now, only her student and her student's friends could defeat Discord by wielding the Elements of Harmony. She had no control because she had to rely on somepony else to do what she could not. It left her powerless.
'We would agree to protect Twilight.'
For the first time in over an hour, she stopped pacing and lifted her head up. Her smile vanished as she stared ahead at the bookshelf in front of her. Seconds passed as the thought lingered in her mind, churning and repeating. 'We would agree on two things, then,' she mused. She inhaled, then looked left and right. She was alone, but that did not mean Discord wasn't there in secret or paying attention to her- but if Discord was there, he wasn't interested in her to an extent that she could distract him.
She scowled, then turned around and strode out onto her balcony. She passed through the doorway, then cast her gaze to the sky. Her gaze fell on the moon and her sister's scarring. She despised it. Her scowl deepened.
She averted her gaze, then strode back inside. She couldn't stop herself from glancing over the city as she turned, and as she stepped back through the doorway, the image lingered in her mind, bringing the thought, 'It would not matter what I build, you would tear it down and remake it...'
The palace was, for whatever reason, the only thing remotely untouched. Perhaps Discord left it alone simply to mock her: he tore apart her empire, but left Sister's palace untouched.
She walked back into her study, then stopped. 'What can I do!?' her mind demanded. 'Pacing back and forth does nothing! I cannot stop him and I cannot assist my student!' All she could do was wait.
She could be patient.
She had been patient.
Time wasn't on her side.
Being patient while Discord roamed free was impossible.
Unease twisted in her chest once again. Her head drifted low, then to the left before gradually pulling to the right. She stared at her desk. 'Her dragon is likely with her.'
She bolted to the desk, swept up the quill and a scroll in her magic, then nearly slammed the scroll to the desk. She forced the quill over to the paper to write. True, Discord would know, but she doubted he would consider it 'helping' Twilight to make sure that her student was unharmed.
A quick knock on the door interrupted her. The quill dropped from her magic, and ink splattered over the scroll. She scowled and threw the scroll and quill aside with her magic as she spun around. 'This had better be useful,' snapped in her mind.
She marched to the door, then practically ripped the door from its hinges as she opened it. The guards had better be about to inform her that Discord had either been defeated or her student was there! "What is-" she snapped, only to go silent.
Twilight flinched back and bit down on her lip.
Nightmare's gaze lingered on the tiara atop her student's head, and that familiar pink starburst gem set within. The unease in her chest sank lower and lower as she stared at it. The urge to run flooded through her mind, and she felt her legs start to shake.
She averted her gaze and quickly looked behind her student. 'Your friends are not here; I do not need to worry,' cautiously came to mind. 'But where are they!?' They should not be wasting time!
Her shaking stopped. Reluctantly, she looked back down at her student. Twilight refused to meet her gaze; her jaw was clenched and her student's eyes were locked onto her chestplate. The necklace was gone.
"C-can... I talk to you?" was Twilight's quiet stutter.
Nightmare felt her ears twitch back. The silence in the wake of that one, simple question was unbreakable. The tone her student had taken was enough to force the thought, 'You are scared,' to her mind.
Standing there was wasting time. Discord was free and destroying Equestria, if not the world, while her student acted like a foal.
But her student was scared. 'I am sending you against Discord, how could you not be scared?' came to mind, and her lips fell into a strained line. Addressing that fear was not wasting time; it was necessary. To send her student against him without addressing it would have been a mistake. She inhaled, then inclined her head and asked, "What is wrong?"
Twilight released her lip, looked left, then right, then scampered into the room, her legs trembling even when standing still. Nightmare saw a red cast to Twilight's lips, and her eyes snapped onto it: blood. A part of her wanted to scoff at her student for injuring herself so, yet the reason for the injury kept her in check. 'You are not okay,' she knew.
She frowned and took a step forward, only for her student to recoil. She barely heard Twilight stutter a weak, "D-don't..."
So Nightmare stopped. 'Something is wrong,' she knew, and the knowledge set her on edge. She listened closely, but Twilight stayed silent. "Twilight Sparkle?" she asked cautiously. Carefully, she lifted her gaze from her student, then gradually pushed the door closed with her magic. It clicked when it shut, and her student flinched again. It was the kind of fear somepony had when they were trapped with a predator. And with that fear coming from her student, it stung. "What is wrong?" she asked slowly.
'Her friends are not here...' repeated in her mind, and a sinking feeling ballooned in her stomach.
Twilight's lips wobbled into something of a twisted, sarcastic smile.
'No!' Nightmare's mind demanded. Discord wouldn't kill them! Surely he had not! Then what had happened to them!? Her head turned to the right, but her gaze lingered on that sarcastic smile. It was a wrong smile that unnerved her. She hated that smile. She forced her eyes back to her student's, then, masking her fear, asked, "Where are they?"
Twilight blinked. For a few seconds, her student didn't seem to comprehend the question. "T-they're... waiting," she answered.
The ballooning feeling popped with relief. 'They are fine. He did not hurt them.' Nightmare's eyes darted down to her student's bare chest. Her lips twitched down, then lifted back up. 'I will have to fix this another time.' She looked into her student's eyes again. Fear.
'You're terrified.'
'What am I to do?'
"You are safe here," she spoke slowly, "I will not let him hurt you." And she wouldn't. Discord wouldn't lay a claw on Twilight so long as she had any say in the matter. Not that she could stop him, but she would certainly try. She carefully lifted her right forehoof, then took a slow step towards her student.
Twilight backed up and snapped, "I-I said don't..."
Nightmare stopped and studied her student's expression. 'Discord did this...' her mind finally voiced. Anger sparked to life and she had to force back a growl, knowing that she could not snap now. She couldn't let Discord have that victory over her, and if she snapped, Twilight would break. She could see it in the filly's eyes. She licked her lips, then inclined her head as she carefully said, "You need to gather your friends and stop him."
Her student's sarcastic smile grew worse and Twilight shook her head, then met her gaze. "It-it doesn't matter," was her broken declaration.
Nightmare's heart sank and her wings dipped lower. The anger bled out and her mind went silent.
"Y-you're just going to kill us all anyway," was the next thing her student said. And then Twilight's tears came. Her student sniffled and whimpered, backing up until her haunches were against the door.
And when Twilight's haunches touched the door, she knew exactly what her student was thinking, 'I am trapped in here with you.'
Nightmare's jaw clamped shut. 'Discord...' seethed in her mind. 'What have you done to her!?' screamed out.
And yet, she felt cold. Why would Twilight possibly think that!? To kill a foal!? To kill her own student!? To betray her like Sister had betrayed Luna!?
In response, she could almost hear Discord's maddening laugher, she could feel his twisted, victorious smile.
'No!' she declared. Every part of her being demanded she go and end his existence. Her blood boiled and her legs trembled.
But anger would get her nowhere; Discord had proven that time and time again. If she acted in anger as she had wanted to so long ago, she would undermine her own plans and make things worse. If she acted in anger now, it would just make a mockery of her. Discord would just laugh and laugh in amusement, watching her react so. No matter how much she hated Discord, that hate wouldn't help her stop him. Snapping as she wanted would only hurt her student. Snapping as she wanted was exactly what Discord wanted.
Twilight was terrified, whimpering and sniffling, pressing against the door. And she just stood there. She didn't try to help. She didn't try to make things right, nor comfort her student. She betrayed Twilight with her inaction. Nightmare swallowed back the bitter bile brought on by the mixing of her pride and anger. 'You need me.'
"Twilight Sparkle," she called. Her student flinched back and her body wilted, sinking towards the floor. For a moment, seeing Twilight's reaction confused her. Then it clicked, and then it hurt. She went silent, and seconds passed with even more inaction. 'You are convinced that I am going to kill you. You think I am a monster.'
She took a slow step forward; her boot clicked on the floor, and Twilight whimpered in fear. Cowering before her, even worse than before. She was supposed to be Twilight's teacher! And it didn't look that way. Anypony who looked at this would condemn her, immediately jumping to the conclusion that she did this to the filly. 'What am I supposed to do!?' Her head bobbed side to side as she took another step forward that was punctuated with another high-pitched whimper from her student. She felt her ears twitch at the sound. She stopped and called, "Twilight."
Her student didn't flinch back this time. For whatever reason, the informality of not using her last name seemed to penetrate through that fear and worry. It sparked some form of hope in her mind; she felt her heart beat faster. She sat down on her haunches, perhaps too quickly. "Twilight," she emphasized, leaning forward.
And then her student just shook her head. Nightmare watched whatever recognition there had been in her student's eyes die. Twilight closed her eyes and shot back, "Y-you're just going to kill me! Discord said so!"
'You did this to her...' her mind accused, but she didn't know if it was directed at Discord or herself. She wanted to snort. It was insane! Her student was better than this! To listen to Discord!? But that didn't change the fact that Twilight needed her, and that it was still her own fault. She didn't even need to fight the urge to snort dismissively at Twilight's fear; she couldn't have forced herself to in the first place. Twilight needed her.
"Discord is a liar..." she said carefully, just barely managing to stop herself from hissing it out, then waited a few seconds for it to sink in before adding, "I am not going to-"
Twilight's tear-filled eyes snapped open. Her student stared at her with almost a glare, and it was enough to send her into silence. How many glares had she seen in her lifetime? And not one of them came close to Twilight's glare. Broken, betrayed, angry, scarred. "You said you would!" Twilight screamed.
For a moment, silence lingered in Nightmare's mind. Not a single thought. Twilight's chest heaved as the teary glare matched her gaze. 'I did promise that...' came to mind. She stared at her student's broken expression. The memory of watching her student lying in bed in Hollow Shades came to mind, followed by the words she had heard her student say in private to Midnight. Then the memories of every time her student had shied back from her. Everything she had put her through.
The glare was accusing. Even her mind turned on her to side with that glare.
Twilight was just a foal. Twilight had no right to accuse her of anything! She was queen!
But that didn't matter, especially not to the guilt that gradually slithered through her body, leaving her disgusted as the thought, 'I have hurt a foal,' growled in her mind. 'I have hurt my own student.' And how was that not a betrayal like her sister had betrayed her?
She couldn't keep looking at that glare; she blinked and turned away. 'I did this to you... I let him do this...'
'It is my fault.' Nopony else was to blame.
She looked over the wall as that all-too-familiar bitterness claimed her. Her heart thumped in her chest and her jaw hurt. That bitterness made her want to lash out. She needed to teleport to some distant forest and make a new clearing like before. But to do that would show Discord just how much he was getting to her, and he would just laugh and laugh and laugh at her. And it would be abandoning Twilight, just like her sister abandoned her. "You," she started, only to stop herself. Her mouth was dry and her throat tightened.
Twilight needed her.
For whatever reason, she felt a sudden urge to laugh. It was absurd. As it was, she smiled and snorted. 'This is my doing...' growled in her mind again.
The smile disintegrated. She turned back to take in her student's terrified expression. 'And we were doing so much better... I am deluding myself, aren't I? We will never have that bond of teacher and student that you shared with my sister...'
She felt disappointed.
Nightmare inhaled, then calmly exhaled. Failure felt worse than defeat. Sister made sure she was intimate with both feelings.
The thought, 'I should have told you this before...' chastised her, constricting her throat even tighter with that damned bitterness.
Maybe she would end up regretting this. It gave Twilight too much wiggle room. Maybe it would encourage her student to disobey her. But it didn't matter, did it? Truly, the only thing of importance was that Discord had to be stopped. Consequences be damned.
And Twilight was hurting, because of her doing. She had made the mistake.
The latter held more sway. "I will not kill you," she said quietly.
Twilight's head whipped back and forth. "I-I don't believe you! You're lying!" was her near-scream.
Nightmare leaned closer to her student and, without looking away from her eyes emphasized, "I give you my word, Twilight, that I will not kill you. Or your friends."
"You said you would kill me if I betrayed you! You promised! Wouldn't that," her student paused as that sarcastic smile split her lips, "be in your best interests!?"
Nightmare's jaw tightened. 'Have I truly hurt you this much? This is not working...' And there wasn't a thing she could do. Defeat wasn't nearly as bitter as failure.
Nightmare lifted her head back up and she extended her right wing a few inches from her side. "Come here," she called.
Twilight wasn't convinced; she stood there trembling, just staring at her as if she was insane.
And maybe she was.
"Come here," she called again, unfolding her wing further. "Please... I will not hurt you."
And Twilight just kept staring at her unfolded wing, the same confusion, bewilderment and disbelief as before flooding her face. She could see the recognition in Twilight's eyes, yet she also saw a refusal to accept the offer, as if her student thought it was some sort of trap. She opened her mouth to call again, but before she did, Twilight whimpered, clenched her eyes shut, lowered her head and nearly ran over to her.
Out of fear.
Nightmare hated it. She extended her wings all the way, then carefully reached for her student. At first, Twilight squeaked when Nightmare's feathers touched her coat. "I will not hurt you," Nightmare said again as she slowly reached her wings around her student's body. Her feathers glided over Twilight's sides and slid through her student's soft coat, then she wrapped her wings over Twilight's back and coaxed her closer with a gentle pull.
Twilight didn't resist, but her hooves stumbled when Nightmare pulled. She coaxed Twilight to her chestplate, then her student sat down on her haunches in front of her, crying and whimpering. She held Twilight tight in her wings and glared at the door. 'You will pay for this Discord.'
He would not win. He would not hurt Twilight again.
And she wouldn't either.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on it, even more so because the fault was more her own for leaving her student vulnerable to him. Twilight needed her to be there for her; her student needed reassurance and comfort. She brushed her left wing up her student's back, feeling Twilight's fur part around her feathers, then wrapped her wing around the back of Twilight's head to coax her closer.
Perhaps she was a thousand years out of touch; perhaps ponies would look at her with hatred and distrust, but she still remembered how to comfort; she could still comfort her student if only because of that fragile, nearly non-existent bond they shared. And sometimes, all it took was a little kindness: a hug could do so much more than a thousand words to comfort somepony.
She remembered that, before it was a lie.
Reluctantly, Twilight let Nightmare coax her head closer, then, as if on instinct, Twilight turned her head to the left and laid her head on the armor of her right shoulder, with her muzzle pointing away from Nightmare. For a moment, Nightmare's body tensed as she felt the Element of Magic press against the back of her neck, but nothing happened. Its presence felt almost familiar, and its magic reminded her of Twilight's magic. The Element of Magic didn't try to strike out at her, so Nightmare relaxed, yet her heart beat faster and harder while her legs threatened to tremble.
The Element of Magic touching her was forgotten as she felt Twilight's trembling body through her wings. She could even feel it shaking her chestplate, making it rub uncomfortably against her chest. Each shake was a painful reminder that she had betrayed Twilight, almost like her sister had betrayed her. Each shake was a painful condemnation; that she hadn't protected her student as she had promised. And so she felt guilt.
She embraced her student tight, holding her close, trying to put an end to that trembling. She forced herself to listen to the filly's whimpering and croaking. All the while, forcing herself to know it was her own doing. Discord had simply used her against her student.
And she hated that Discord had used her against Twilight. It almost brought a scowl to her lips, but she forced it down, if only for Twilight.
A part of her wanted to say, 'We are wasting time,' but each shake, each sob, each whimper, silenced it better than she could have herself. 'We must talk,' she knew, 'and I must apologize to you.' But the weight of guilt and disappointment kept her silent. So she gave Twilight her shoulder to cry on, somethat that the filly needed.
Minutes passed before her student's whimpers and shaking grew distant, and as they did, she started to stroke her left wing up and down her back while still embracing Twilight with her right wing. With each passing stroke, she felt Twilight's trembling ebb away, replaced with a quick shiver. Only once those whimpers had been silent for several minutes did she stop and say again, "I do care about you... and I will not hurt you. I do not want to and... I will not."
Twilight sniffled and shuddered as she inhaled, and she felt that shaking against her chest, almost like an accusation, then Twilight croaked out, "Y-you promise?"
She hesitated as the thought, 'I cannot go back on this,' came to mind. As it was, to say yes would be to go back on other promises she had made.
Unnecessary promises that only hurt her student. For a moment, her lip twitched in disgust. 'Why did I do that!' her mind snapped. She still knew the reason. She wanted to curse herself, but it would wait for another time.
"I promise that I will not hurt you," Nightmare said. Then she licked her lips before voicing the hardest part, "Even if you betray me." To punctuate it, she squeezed Twilight with her wings for several seconds, then relaxed her grip. As insane as it was, she felt relief. Her chest felt lighter for some reason, and she welcomed it. "I do not desire to hurt you," she mumbled. She inhaled deeply and mulled over how to continue, but everything she thought of felt somehow wrong. She felt Twilight breathe in deep against her chest, then drawled, "I am..." only to stop. 'Too fond of you,' her mind finished.
Voicing the rest would have been a mistake, so she settled on, "Despite what you may think, I do care about you."
Twilight didn't try to pull back, but she said nothing either, so she just sat there, wings wrapped around her student to protect and reassure her. 'Rushing this would get me nowhere... and this is not intolerable.' No, it was actually pleasant, at least as long as she forced herself to ignore why she was holding her student close. Had she been holding her student, had they been free from the oppressive curse of what Discord had done, then it would have been almost like her dreams: peaceful and refreshing. Had it not been for Discord, perhaps she could have held her student without Twilight haunted by fear.
The longer they lingered like that in silence, the more uncomfortable her chestplate felt. It wasn't that Twilight's weight was uncomfortable against it, it was simply that the uncaring metal was between them. Yet to have taken it off would have been insane. Discord could show up, and to simply tell her student, 'I am taking my armor off to give you a proper hug,' was out of the question, as was pushing her away to do so. And simply teleporting her chestplate off would have ruined the moment by unnecessarily startling Twilight.
But she still longed to feel her student's coat against her bare chest. 'Another time, perhaps...' fleetingly whispered through her mind. If Twilight would accept such an offer.
Memories flittered through her mind. 'How many times did Sister hold me like this when it was a lie?' The thought nearly ruined the moment, already tainting the memory she was making with those she had made. A scowl threatened to twist her lips down, but she held it back. She wasn't lying to Twilight as her sister had lied to her. It was more like those rare 'friends' she had. 'Friends...' whispered in her mind, and her eyes fell down onto the filly she held beneath her wings. Her eyes glanced along her student's back and over her wings; most of Twilight's body was hidden, but she could still feel her student beneath her wings: a pleasant warmth that she wished to feel against her chest. 'Perhaps.... eventually,' she mused.
But then, that was probably just a lie she told herself to make herself feel better.
'I'm too fond of you...' whispered in her mind once again, then followed by, 'But it is not a bad thing.'
"I-I'm sorry," came her student's weak voice that broke her from her thoughts.
"Do not apologize," Nightmare immediately countered.
Reluctantly, she felt Twilight lift her head from her shoulder and pull back. She looked down at Twilight, but Twilight looked at her desk to avoid her gaze.
Even with that, her eyes ran over the damp fur on her cheeks. She pulled her right wing back, then brought it close to her student's face. Twilight closed her eyes, then Nightmare carefully brushed her feather over them to wipe the remnants of the tears away. Once she finished, Twilight opened her eyes and looked up at her for a moment, then her eyes snapped back onto her chestplate.
"I..." she drawled, drawing Twilight's gaze back to her own. "It is fine," she said. "There is nothing to forgive."
Twilight's brow twitched down and her ears pinned back. "I-I screamed at-"
"Stop," Nightmare sighed, closing her eyes as Twilight looked down and went silent. "The fault is my own. I am sorry I put this on you. Do not let Discord get to you." She opened her eyes once more and looked down at Twilight, who was looking back up at her. She met Twilight's eyes. For whatever reason, it made her uncomfortable. Perhaps it was how they glistened, reminding her of the tears Twilight had shed. Nightmare shifted her weight and struggled against the urge to look away. Perhaps it was guilt or regret or shame, or perhaps it was all three.
But it didn't matter. She inhaled, then exhaled, forcing herself to remain calm. "I cannot stop him. Only you and your friends can," she reminded. "Do not let him win."
And Twilight looked back down at her chestplate and gave a weak nod.
Her student was still hurting. She still could not send Twilight against Discord like this. 'I will not sacrifice you to him...' She leaned her head to the right and looked over the filly's features. "Are you," she ventured, "alright?"
"I-I don't know..." Twilight whispered back.
Nightmare wrapped her wing back around her student and pulled her to her chest again. "If you so need, we can talk. To send you against him in such a state..." she trailed off and shook her head. Doing that would be stupid. "I will not."
Twilight gave a timid nod but kept silent. Eventually, Twilight laid her head back down on her shoulder. Once again, she hated the feeling of Twilight's weight on her armor; she would have rather felt it on her body. 'It would be more comfortable for both of us...'
But the weight of Twilight's head resting on her shoulder was almost peaceful now that the filly wasn't crying. The world may have been falling apart at Discord's command, but it wasn't consuming her, rather, the thoughts of her student were. Her student's fur against her wings, the warmth of her body, just how fragile she felt, spurring some need to protect what was hers in her mind and body. Twilight's potential and how incomplete she was.
She would like to share such an embrace with her student more often. It would be something special that they could share as teacher and student.
Or perhaps as friends.
Images from her dreams flittered through her mind; she inhaled deeply, then slowly exhaled. 'Would you be willing to call me friend?' she wondered. There was an undeniable appeal there, to be able to call somepony friend outside of comrades in arms. To be able to call her student, Twilight Sparkle, Twilight, her friend. A taste of what she should have had from her subjects for so long.
There was a pleasant ring to it. And then, if they were friends, perhaps Twilight would not fear her so! Perhaps that weak bond they shared could grow further and deeper! It would be pleasant.
'It would be good for both of us,' came to mind mixed with a sense of calm. Yet, to call Twilight her friend would have been insane, banal, and frivolous. But none of that stopped her from feeling that desire to call Twilight 'friend.' That sense of calm washed away as the thought, 'But now is not the time,' came to mind.
Reluctantly, she let her wings slip down her student's back, and at that, Twilight lifted her head from her shoulder. Looking down at her student, Nightmare saw her swallow, then head her mumble, "I... should... go get my friends and we should... stop Discord." Then, her student shifted her weight and looked up at her as her ears fell to her head before pleading, "We can stop him, right?"
Nightmare inclined her head. "Using the Elements of Harmony, yes," she answered.
Twilight nodded timidly and looked back at her chestplate. For a few seconds, her eyes jumped left and right across the metal. "You'll... help if we need it, right?"
"If it is so necessary, I will... try," Nightmare answered slowly.
Twilight gave another timid nod, then slowly stood up.
Nightmare lifted her head up, then carefully said, "You need to be more confident in yourself." Her student glanced at her but said nothing, then took a step back and turned around.
Nightmare stood up and tilted her head into the air. "If you are ready," she said, "I wish you luck, not that I am inclined to believe you will need it."
Twilight looked back at her with an unsure half-smile. Nightmare nodded, then opened the door with her magic and called, "Go to your friends."
Twilight waited for a few more seconds, then lifted her right foreleg only to hesitate several more seconds. "I... don't suppose you'd be willing to," she drawled, gradually turning her head back to look at Nightmare, "walk me there?"
Nightmare hesitated. It could have been a trap; Twilight leading her to the rest of them so that they could use the Elements against her. But surely that wasn't the case! Surely her student would not stab her in the back in such a way, and surely her student knew it would be better to stop Discord first in any case. She knew Twilight wasn't faking being so terrified. She still had to tell herself, 'You are not trying to use the Elements against me,' before she could nod. 'You are simply scared.' She wouldn't betray Twilight and abandon her to her fears. "If you desire it," she agreed.
Twilight shifted her weight, then took a quick step forward out into the hallway, mumbling a quiet and embarrassed, "Thank you."
For the briefest of moments, Nightmare smiled; Twilight's thanks was once again genuine, and that meant something to her. She strode out into the hallway and came to a stop at her student's side. "It is fine," she answered.
Twilight nodded timidly, then turned and reluctantly stepped to the left. The filly's eyes glanced back at her, and once again, she saw her bite her lip, then flinch from pain.
Nightmare's lips pulled down. "You should stop doing that," she chastized.
Twilight stopped and cringed, then her head drifted to the right to face away from her. "It's... hard," was her mumbled admission.
Nightmare reached out with her right wing and calmly stroked her feather down the length of Twilight's back. Her eyes followed the path her feather took, even as Twilight turned back to look at her. Just below her rib cage, she lifted her feather from Twilight's back, met Twilight's gaze, then folded her wing back to her side. "You should not worry as much as you do. It is not good for you," she advised.
Twilight's head fell several inches, almost like her neck had gone limp, then her tail flicked and her ears pinned back.
It made Nightmare frown, and in response, she stroked her feather down the length of Twilight's back again. "I believe," she paused to lick her lips and turned her head to face down the hallway, then her eyes darted back and forth over the walls, the floor, and the ceiling as she said, "we should talk. We need to... be open with one another." With that said, she inhaled quickly and looked back at her student. "But perhaps... not now." She paused to wait for Twilight to meet her gaze, but it didn't happen, and it left her feeling disappointed. She relented and said, "After you stop Discord."
Twilight gave another timid nod, then lifted her head back up. She saw the barest hint of the tip of Twilight's tongue run over the edge of her lips, and it drew a pained wince.
'You ought not have to deal with that,' her mind groaned. On instinct, she channeled her magic into her horn, then channeled her magic into a healing spell. For a moment, Twilight's face scrunched up at the feeling. It wasn't fear, but rather, as if it was a new feeling for her. Once she had healed her student's lip, she let her aura disperse.
Twilight ran her tongue over her lip again, then faced her and asked, "A healing spell?"
Nightmare inclined her head and answered, "Yes."
"Um, thank you," was her student's mumbled reply.
"I do not mind," Nightmare said, "but would prefer that it does not become a habit."
For a moment Twilight was silent, then she looked to her right, then back to the left. "They're uh, waiting in the Throne Room..."
Nightmare nodded and waited, only for Twilight to remain standing still, unwilling to proceed. "I presume you would prefer I lead?"
Twilight nodded quickly.
"Very well. Follow," Nightmare said as she stepped forward. Almost immediately, Twilight was at her side. Close enough that her feathers brushed against her student's side as she walked, and it made her eyes dart to Twilight's body. 'You are still scared of him.'
It was something she could not blame Twilight for, and it was something else that they shared in common.
Without looking away from her student, she lifted her wing up, then brushed it over Twilight's back before sliding it down over her student's right side, sheltering Twilight with her wing. Perhaps to Discord it was a meaningless gesture, but it was still one more thing that she could do that would help comfort and reassure Twilight.
She walked on, but her gaze lingered on where her wing met Twilight's body. It drew too much of her attention, and for some reason, it fascinated her. The feeling of closeness to another pony and knowing it was genuine, rather than a lie. Eventually, she managed to break her gaze from Twilight's back. As she looked forward, she saw Twilight staring at her. Her student's stare lingered as they walked on, then, after a few seconds, Twilight's gaze drifted off her body as she looked ahead.
Twilight reluctantly stepped closer to her body as if seeking out more of that protection she offered. For some reason, she smiled as Twilight's coat touched her own. 'You are not so afraid of me now... perhaps this will continue,' she hoped.
But still, that embrace wasn't enough to make things right between them. She couldn't have alleviated all of Twilight's fears so easily. But it was a start, and it was enough for now.
"Um... why are we walking?" Twilight asked. "You could... teleport us, couldn't you?"
"Walking is far less interesting and is thus less likely to draw Discord's attention," Nightmare answered, "and it gives us time to talk if you need. It also gives you time to..." she trailed off. What was the best way to put it that wouldn't stab her in the back and hurt her confidence? She pursed her lips because there was no good answer. "It gives you time to... relax," she finally mumbled.
"Relax?" her student asked.
Nightmare glanced at Twilight and saw her frowning. "Yes," she answered, then looked back down the hallway. She looked right, then turned, pressing her body against Twilight's and coaxing her along through the turn and into the next hallway. "You worry too much," she elaborated.
"It's Discord," Twilight grumbled.
"And I know him far better than you," Nightmare replied. "Though I do understand your... hesitation and fear of him." She glanced aside at a guard standing in front of a door, and the guard went rigid, staring straight at the wall and ignoring her approach. She kept her eyes locked on him as they passed, then she looked ahead once more.
"He kept saying you were just going to use me and then get rid of me because I'd be a threat to you if I stopped him," Twilight spoke in a quiet, timid voice.
Nightmare scowled. "Discord," she barely stopped herself from growling, "is a liar. Never forget that."
"I know..." Twilight whispered back.
The scowl faded and Nightmare's eyes jumped onto her student. Twilight held her head low, with her ears folded back and her eyes focused on the floor. Her student looked as if she was ashamed to have believed him, and for a second, she just stared. Her student shouldn't have been ashamed, but then her student also should have known better than to trust Discord. But she wouldn't hold it against her. She inhaled, then exhaled; Twilight needed further reassuring, and she wouldn't back down from the challenge. "There is something to be said for allies, Twilight Sp-" she cut herself off as Twilight looked at her. She looked away from her student and asked, "Would you prefer I called you by only your first name?"
For a few seconds, the only sounds she could hear were their combined hoofsteps, then Twilight timidly answered, "I think I would prefer that... Using my full name is..."
Nightmare waited a few seconds, but her student said nothing more, so she inclined her head. "Very well, Twilight, I shall... attempt to break that habit."
"Thank you..." Twilight mumbled.
"I did not realize it bothered you," Nightmare commented. Twilight didn't reply, even when she glanced back at her. For a few seconds, she studied her student's features and found herself clenching her jaw. 'You are still worried.' She slowed to a stop and slowly stroked her wing down Twilight's side. Twilight closed her eyes and smiled almost calmly; that nervousness and anxiety temporarily banished by her feathers. She gradually lifted her wing up into the air and watched her student's smile fade while her eyes opened.
She wrapped her wing back around Twilight's side, and Twilight turned her head to face her. "As I was saying," she ventured, "there is something to be said for allies."
"And... what's that?" was her student's question.
Nightmare met her student's gaze, then answered, "One should never betray their allies." It was a fact, and she made certain it sunk in with how she said it; it would not do for her student to doubt that.
Twilight's eyes broke contact and fell onto the side of her chestplate, then rolled back and forth. Gradually, Twilight's head turned away from her, and she saw her student's brow creased. "Is that what-"
"You are my student," Nightmare preempted, "but yes. I count you among the few allies I have."
Twilight looked back at her, genuinely curious or surprised.
"I would not betray you for defeating Discord, nor will I," Nightmare affirmed. "It would be stupid," she spat, "to do so. To go back on my promises to you, to betray an ally," she elaborated with a shake of her head, "all that will do is signal potential future allies and even enemies that you cannot be trusted to hold to your word. One should not backstab their allies. It is not beneficial."
For a few seconds, Twilight didn't react, then eventually, her student started nodding and turned her head away from her.
"I would very much prefer to keep you as an ally than needlessly turn you into an enemy," she added. "And the same can be said for why one should not betray allies. Do not turn those who you call 'ally' into your enemies." She looked back down the hallway before adding, "And as I have said: I do care about you."
She waited a few seconds before glancing at her student and saying, "If you are ready, let us proceed. The longer we delay the more headaches Discord will cause all of us."
Twilight nodded timidly, so she walked forward again, making certain to keep Twilight close at her side. Perhaps to Discord, the shelter she offered her student meant nothing, but to her, it was right. She kept Twilight close as the walked along the rest of the journey to the Throne Room; it wouldn't do to let Discord touch the filly, and she knew Twilight welcomed the protection she offered.
As they walked the length of the hallway immediately before the last to the Throne Room, she scowled at the mockery that assaulted her eyes: just beyond where her Dear Sister's themed hallway ended was that damned hallway adorned with her own wonders, yet done by her sister.
She hated it. She would never set hoof in that accursed section of the castle, and if it wasn't a waste of resources to do so, she would have torn it all out and had it replaced. As it was, the thought twisted in her mind, still tempting her. How dare her sister mock her by reminding her of her own domain that she had stolen!
Her jaw was clenched and she wanted to look away, but was left with no choice. She held herself in check for her student's sake, so as much as it pained her, she kept a scowl from slipping onto her lips. When they finally turned down the last hallway, she was relieved, even when still faced with some remnants of her sister's decor.
Twilight's head lingered behind, staring at the hallway, then at Nightmare's body, as they turned. It was enough to make her look at Twilight and know her student was thinking about something. But what that something was eluded her, and now was not the time to bring it up.
Eventually, Twilight glanced up at her face, met her gaze for a fleeting second, then looked away.
Her gaze lingered on the filly as, 'You would know more about that than I,' slithered through her mind. For a moment longer, she watched her student, then she leveled her gaze on the door at the end of the hallway.
She opened it with her magic as they approached, and almost immediately, dread cascaded over her body. Not enough to paralyze her, but enough to slow her pace and force the thought, 'I cannot go in there!' to hiss in her mind.
Those five mares, along with Spike and Midnight all stood in the center of the Throne Room. Their heads all whipped around to face her and her student, and for a moment, their gazes darted between the two of them, then seemed to linger on how she held the filly beneath her wing. And they seemed surprised. She held back a snort as the thought, 'Do they not think I wish to protect you? Do they not think I care about you?' growled in her mind.
Yet most of her mind felt nearly paralyzed with fear. She stopped at the doorway. A part of her, deep inside her, wanted to shake and tremble, and another part of her wanted to lash out in rage: those five mares wore golden necklaces, almost like regalia, around there necks within which sat those five Elements of Harmony.
And her student wore a tiara.
For a moment, her eyes jumped between those five regalias, then landed on her student's tiara. 'Interesting...' came to mind, just barely above the fear their presence induced. 'Your destiny...' wandered through her mind, only to fade as Twilight turned her head to face her.
Waiting on her.
Without turning her head, she glanced at her student's five friends. She was in peril in their presence, if only because they wielded the Elements of Harmony. 'If you turned on me... I would not be able to stop you...' crawled through her mind. It was more than enough to keep her from entering the Throne Room. It would not do to stupidly get close enough that they could turn on her! It would be stupid for her to leave herself so vulnerable!
As it was, she may already have been too close. But Twilight made no effort to turn on her, nor did she see anything in her student's eyes that made her fear the filly would turn on her. 'You will not,' mumbled in her mind.
But still, to be so close to those damned Elements!? They locked her away for a thousand years!
Yet they had been her allies, once upon a time. The thought was almost calming, yet left her feeling almost dissociated from her body. She could feel the Elements; she could feel their magic.
Twilight and her friends would stop Discord. They would not turn on her.
Everypony continued to stare at her. Had it been a crowd of ponies she was addressing, it wouldn't have bothered her, but for some reason, those eight stares agitated her. She shifted her weight on her hooves, sucked in a deep breath, then strode forward.
Twilight finally looked away from her and turned her head towards her friends. She felt a jitter run through her student's body: a wave of excitement. A bit of a smile pulled at her lips, even as she felt Twilight's desire to leave the protection her wing offered.
Her student wanted to go to her friends.
Twilight sucked her lip in between her teeth, making her frown, then Twilight turned to face her and opened her mouth. She preempted it with an incline of her head. "Go."
Twilight didn't need any more encouragement and simply bolted out from under her wing and raced the distance to her friends, and in response, those five mares and Spike ran to her, then they all gathered around her student and shared an embrace.
Midnight calmly walked over to the group as she approached, but didn't join. The batpony nodded at Nightmare, and she returned it. Nightmare stopped a few steps away from the group hug, and she let her gaze wander over the six of them.
Her gaze kept being drawn back to the tiara atop her student's head, then jumping down to her student's cutie mark.
Eventually, her student's friends pulled back, and with that, Nightmare managed to break her gaze from the Element of Magic. They all meandered back and turned to face her, and likewise, Twilight stepped a pace closer to her before turning to face her.
A tinge of panic twisted and pulsed in her chest as Twilight faced her, but it was relieved when her student asked, "Um... what do... we do? How are we supposed to... um, use them?"
"It should," Nightmare voiced, pausing to swipe her tongue over her lips and swallow, "feel natural. An..." she trailed off and glanced at those five regalias, the memory of wielding three of the six Elements as gems with her sister so long ago flowing through her mind. "Extension of your own magic, as it were."
Her answer only made her student give a bewildered frown. "What? That's not helpful! I-I don't-"
Nightmare tilted her head and leveled her gaze on her student before saying, "When the time comes you will know what to do."
Twilight's lips pulled into a wince as she took a step back away from her. Then, to her surprise, the filly scowled and huffed. "That's not helpful," was her groaned mutter. "You'd think there would be more information to work with! Of course not!"
"To my knowledge," Nightmare retorted, "Sister and I are the only ones to have ever wielded the Elements prior."
Twilight winced, but the scowl faded. "Sorry, I just-"
"It is fine," Nightmare dismissed.
Rainbow Dash beat her wings, hovered in the air and folded her forelegs over her chest, then looked at her with a flat expression that made her eyes snap to the pegasus. "And uh, you don't have anything else you can tell us about these things? No offense, but, like, you want us to face Discord without telling us what to do?"
"She has a point, dear," Rarity noted.
'Why do you six have to wield the Elements? Why cannot it simply be my student!?' Nightmare's exasperated mind demanded. It would be so much better if it was solely Twilight! Yet having five friends to help her was perhaps a good thing. She stepped forward and admitted, "I can only tell you what I have experienced." She sent Rainbow Dash a glare. And of course, Rainbow Dash was as defiant as ever and refused to back down. Nightmare's tail flicked behind her in agitation. 'They are allies,' she had to remind herself, but even then it was still maddening.
Still, Rainbow Dash had her begrudging respect: the pegasus bore Loyalty. "And from what I can tell you it is like an extension of your own magic and you will know what to do when the time comes."
Twilight's head turned to face her friends, then she mumbled, "We'll figure it out," though the filly didn't sound convinced of it. "Which is more or less what we decided would happen..."
'Would you know how to use them against me?' she wondered. 'Or do you already know how to use them against me and are hiding it?' Did Twilight already have an idea of how to use the Elements but not want to admit it? But if that was true, then Twilight wasn't betraying her, even when presented with the opportunity.
'It will be fine.' With that, she gave a tentative nod. "We will go to the Courtyard and attempt to draw Discord close," she declared.
The six friends gave uncertain nods. 'It would not do to leave them vulnerable to Discord's manipulation,' growled in her mind. "I assure you, the six of you will be able to stop him."
It didn't help. Predictably, the six of them didn't believe her. Or at least five of them didn't, and one was reluctant to. She took a step forward, then extended her wing and stroked a feather over Twilight's back, against her coat and brushing it up her neck, then over her cheek. It was easily more than enough to make her student face her and meet her gaze.
"You can do this," she told her, then folded her wing back to her side.
Timidly, Twilight looked back at her chestplate, but her student nodded.
She looked at the other five. "I will teleport us there. It may draw Discord's attention or it may not," she said. She looked at Spike, then at Midnight. Neither of them could help. If anything, they were liabilities. "Remain here with Spike," she ordered.
Midnight gave a quick, serious nod, then walked behind the other five mares towards Spike, who then climbed up her hind leg and sat down on her back. 'I never would have imagined a dragon hatchling riding on one of my batponies so long ago...' drifted through her mind. The thought was simply insane back then: the dragons would have fed themselves with her soldiers. It would have costed them dearly, and it had until she ensured they ate gems instead.
And they still ate gems, even with her having been gone for a thousand years. 'It would seem that I left a lasting memory on your kind,' brought a smile to her lips. Or perhaps Sister had something to do with it, unlikely as it was.
But there was time for reminiscence later. She channeled her magic into her horn, wrapped it around her student and those five mares, then teleported to the courtyard. She shivered, feeling her magic brushing up against that unspeakably powerful magic of the Elements.
The six of them varied in how disorientated they were from the teleport. She gave them a passing glance as they recovered and drew close to huddle together, then she turned around and cast her glare on that damned mid-day sky. The sun was blocked out by a thick layer of dark gray clouds, but it wasn't enough for her to miss its presence.
It made her seethe. Even worse, Discord was nowhere to be found.
"Where is he!?" Twilight called out.
"I do not know," Nightmare answered.
She heard that damned, maddening laughter, then saw the clouds swirl together before they formed into something akin to his damned head had he been made out of clouds. And those clouds grinned and laughed, mocking her, sliding through her coat and skin as if it was nothing, drawing her nigh-infinite rage to bear.
"Oh, Luna, Luna, Luna," the clouds sighed. "Do you really think I'd just come here and sit around waiting for them to turn me into a statue again?" was his mocking. "I can be anywhere I want right now, really," he said dismissively, going so far as to roll his cloud eyes.
And of course, that was true and drew her ire.
The clouds peeled away from the main body and formed a smoky form of his body that descended towards the ground. He lifted his claw to his chin and stroked his cloud goatee as he cast his gaze towards the sky. "Although I have to admit I'm rather surprised that she's not still whimpering and cowering in fear of you," he said. "It was positively de-lightful to watch that."
Nightmare let out a growl and her tail twitched. She ground her boots into the stone.
In a gust of wind, the clouds shot over towards her. Past her. She jumped back and swiveled around as the clouds slithered and coiled around her student.
Something that ought not have been.
Her horn flared and the clouds exploded into a mist of water. Twilight squeaked and her friends all jumped back.
Discord's voice huffed. "That was rather rude," he grumbled.
Nightmare growled as she turned around. "I do believe I recall telling you not to touch her," she spat.
"Oh, Luna, silly filly, the adults are talking now. Go throw your temper tantrum somewhere else."
Nightmare tasted blood before she felt the pressure in her gums. It was all she could do not to explode at him, just because she knew that's what he wanted. How could it not have been? Her exploding would simply demoralize and terrify her student all the more! He wanted her to lose control and then he would be able to whisper honeyed lies into her student's ears, convincing her not to stop him, or convincing her to turn on her teacher.
And he would simply enjoy watching her reaction.
She would not let him win. She would not let him use her against her student. She would not betray her student in such a way, and her student would not betray her in such a way.
But he was still so far under her skin that she'd be damned if she didn't want to shatter his statue to dust with her bare hooves! Her muscles ached from how rigid she held herself.
"Twilight," she barely managed to say in a quiet, forced-calm voice, "use. The Elements."
"I-I don't know how!" she heard Twilight cry out.
Nightmare's head snapped back to face the filly. Discord just laughed. "Oh! As if she could do anything against me!" he declared. "She couldn't even stop you! Why would she possibly think she could stand a chance against the Lord of Chaos!"
And her student shied back and wilted at that. Likewise, her friends grimaced and pressed their bodies against Twilight. Twilight clenched her eyes shut and her lips wobbled.
"You have it in you to stop him!" Nightmare declared.
Twilight's eyes snapped open, met her gaze, then jumped to that darkened sky as she trembled. "B-but he's not even here! I-I don't know-"
Discord laughed, then cackled out, "Of course you don't! Oh, just how wonderful it is! Think, a filly stopping the Lord of Chaos!?" His laughter came back even worse than before.
And that drew her ire. Twilight was her student. Perhaps her student was just a foal, but Twilight was her student. And her potential? If Discord was blind to that, then she would have the last laugh.
She would prove him wrong. Consequences be damned.
"Twilight, you and your friends can stop him!" Nightmare said as she turned to face them. "Twilight," she implored, drawing the filly's eyes back to her own. "Your friends will not abandon you. I will not betray you. Stop him."
She stared into her student's eyes, and with each passing second, with each chorus of Discord's laughter, coldness crept further through her body: it wasn't working. Her student didn't believe her, and there was nothing more she could do.
Perhaps giving up would be better. Sister had already denied her so much. Sister had crippled Twilight so much. Perhaps then, Sister had purposefully left Equestria in such a state. Just to spite her, just to ensure she couldn't rule Equestria. 'She would not do that. Not Discord. Not to her ponies.'
Perhaps she was wrong and Twilight couldn't handle it. Her throat felt tight. Twilight was her student! Twilight was capable of so much more, but she didn't believe it! The filly lacked the confidence that she needed and deserved.
Perhaps it was her own fault. She hadn't done what she should have. Bitterness settled over her mind, replacing that coldness.
Twilight broke eye contact, then blinked several times. Her student swallowed and clenched her eyes shut. Her friends pressed closer.
She felt it before she saw it. She flinched and nearly jumped as that mounting power rose up, freezing her heart in terror, paralyzing her like the last time she had felt it. There was nothing she could do. It sent her heart racing, crushed her chest and deflated her lungs in fear, stopped her from breathing in. Made her gut twist and churn. Nearly knocked her to her knees.
Defenseless.
Powerless.
It wasn't focused on her.
Twilight opened her eyes, but Nightmare didn't see her student's pupils. Instead, they were pure white, glowing with that unfathomable power of the Elements of Harmony. A brilliant, pure white glow enveloped her student and her five friends, sending a shiver down her spine as her body took another step back.
Staring at her student, she saw a calmness permeating the filly's body that she couldn't comprehend, one so different from the terror that had seized her minutes before. And it was nothing like when her sister and she had wielded the Elements; nothing like when her sister had betrayed her. All she could do was stare as they lifted off the ground; all she could do was watch as Discord snapped into existence, lounging on his back, suspended in the air in front of those six ponies.
And he was defenseless.
And he was powerless.
And it was focused on him.
She grinned as Discord pushed himself up into a sitting position, seeing the genuine confusion flooding his expression. No more laughter, no more amusement.
And there was nothing he could do, either. Powerless, just like her. That all-too-familiar multicolored rainbow beam launched into the air and cascaded down on a gasping Discord. He tried to stop it by reaching out with his paw and talon. He tried to snap himself away.
He failed.
And it was wonderful to watch. Seeing that fear and shock in his eyes, watching his body petrify once more as he was powerless to stop it. She wanted to step forward and grin so that he was forced to see her smiling victoriously in the face of his defeat.
She was still too paralyzed to act on it.
Finally, Discord's whole body was sealed away in stone. The rainbow beam faded, and there was a blinding flash of white light. She let out a sharp gasp; she couldn't close her eyes fast enough, then she felt the magic of the Elements rush outward. It washed over her body, and the second she felt it, she felt the same unconquerable fear she had felt the first time she had felt it.
But it didn't betray her like before. It washed over her body, leaving her coat tingling, rather than the searing pain of the banishment spell.
She still collapsed to her knees and let out a sharp exhale. And as quickly as it came, it was gone. The light faded as it raced outwards, and as her vision returned, she saw the wave erase the traces left by Discord's return. Her gaze was drawn towards the sky and the now-visible sun, and in an instant, her magic wrapped around her horn, surged forth, caught the sun and shoved it back below the horizon where it belonged while she lifted her moon back into place overhead.
The near-silent darkness brought with it a feeling of infinite relief.
She heard stone clatter to the ground and her eyes snapped onto Discord's state. Unbroken, cast down on the ground, and laid low. His shock etched permanently into the stone, an eternal testament to her student's success.
'Victory tastes sweet, but you wouldn't know that, now would you?' came forth in her mind as her lips twisted up into a smile.
She turned to face the statue and lifted her right forehoof to step towards him, only for the glow enveloping her student and her friends to flicker. Her eyes snapped onto the group, and almost immediately, the glow vanished. And they fell.
She forgot about Discord and caught each of them with her magic before they could hit the ground, then carefully laid them down. Their bodies were limp. Running her magic over them, she found to her relief that they were unharmed, only unconscious. A grimace replaced the prior smile. 'That took a lot out of you.'
But that was what she expected.
She looked at Discord's petrified statue for several long seconds and thought, 'You will remain like this for some time. I will deal with you later.' She nodded to herself, glanced at the sky and her moon, then turned to face the victorious mares and filly.
They wouldn't be able to use the Elements on her. She had time to take the Elements again.
'They're vulnerable now...' mumbled in her mind. Her grimace grew more pronounced, pulling her lips back. She took a reluctant step towards them, then closed the distance. She came to a stop and looked them over, reassuring herself that they truly were unharmed. She saved Twilight for last, then let herself stare at that defenseless, unconscious filly.
It ate at her mind, but she did nothing but stare, taking in her student's limp form until the sound of metal boots striking the courtyard broke the silence of her night. She blinked, inhaled deeply, then looked back and watched one Princess Cadance and Captain Shining Armor, accompanied by a trio of Royal Guards, trot towards her.
"Is-!" was the captain's frantic declaration.
"I assure you: your sister is fine," Nightmare answered calmly, "and Discord is defeated."
Both Cadance and the Captain were relieved. The group all slowed as they approached, then stopped. "Is it- is it over?" Cadance asked.
"Yes," Nightmare said with an incline of her head. She flicked her gaze to the trio of guards and said, "See to it that he is returned to his proper place."
They gave nods and then rushed past her to the statue, leaving her facing Cadance and the Captain. Cadance stared at the unconscious friends past her body, then met her gaze and asked, "They're... unconscious?"
"You are correct," Nightmare answered.
Cadance nodded slowly, then looked back at them. "What... happens now?"
Nightmare turned her head back and regarded those six ponies. 'How long will you remain unconscious?' she wondered. While they remained so, they were vulnerable. Vulnerable to anything that wanted to hamper her ability to defend Equestria and vulnerable to her enemies. 'That will not do,' hissed in her mind. But they still needed their rest to recover; to interrupt their rest was unnecessary and would only harm them. "See to it that Twilight's five friends are given rooms in the castle to recover. Have them guarded; I do not want harm coming to them," she declared, then turned her head back to face the Princess and Captain. "I will... tend to my student." She focused her gaze on Cadance. "I will likely send you to the cities to reassure ponies in the following weeks. Given..." her lips pulled into a scowl, "everything that has transpired, you would be of most use ensuring nothing worse happens."
Cadance's wings shifted at her sides, but the lesser alicorn gave an obedient, almost understanding nod, then looked aside at the Captain. The two of them shared some strained look as she watched, then their gaze went back to her.
"There is... much to be done," Nightmare drawled, then turned around to face the unconscious pony pile. She glanced at the three guards who had managed to get Discord's statue upright. 'Your shock is fitting,' her mind snapped.
But mocking Discord would have to wait. Too much had happened in such a short while, and there were far too many things to attend to: ensuring nothing escaped Tartarus as a result of Discord stealing Cerberus's ball, calming her subjects and ensuring nothing worse happened, making certain all traces of Discord's chaos magic were dealt with and erased, and then making certain Discord's interference did not result in foreign problems. It was almost overwhelming, but she needed to start somewhere, so she lifted her student from the group with her magic, then teleported the two of them back to her chambers.
The silence following the crack of her magic was welcome: no maddening laughter, none of that damned, twisted voice to mock her. Just peaceful silence; a blissful reprieve from what had been, and what she knew would come.
She took only a moment to enjoy it, closing her eyes and letting the inferno of anger directed at that twisted draconequus subside. Her thoughts drifted to the unconscious filly she held, then she opened her eyes and turned her gaze to her student's limp form.
'Will this success help your confidence?' she wondered. The answer of 'yes,' would be more than welcome, yet in the back of her mind, she dreaded that the answer would end up being a simple 'no.' Would Twilight take pride in her accomplishment? Would ponies give her student the respect she deserved for this victory?
And would they, in turn, give her their respect, for once again having protected them, or would it fall on her sister?
Or would they think she had let Discord roam free in the first place?
A hint of bitterness ate at her mind, but she managed to push it back: 'They will give you the respect you so deserve as my student, Twilight, and they will respect me in turn.'
But before she could give Twilight the celebration she so deserved, her student needed to rest and recover, and other more pressing matters had to be dealt with. She could not take her student with her, and leaving her unprotected when she was so defenseless was unacceptable.
She pulled her gaze away from the limp filly and looked into her bedroom, then calmly strode through the doorway and approached her bed. 'No one will think to find you here,' she knew, and because of that, 'You will be safe here while I am away.' She pulled the blankets back with her magic, then carefully laid her unconscious student down on her back on the bed, then covered her body up with the blankets. Perhaps it was unnecessary to go to such lengths; she could have simply laid Twilight on the bed, but surely she would feel more comfortable covered up. It would aid her recovery.
Twilight needed it. Twilight deserved it.
And she stood there in the silence, staring at her sheltered student. 'Will you dream?' she wondered, but then the thought twisted into something worse: 'Will you have nightmares?' For a moment, her mind was silent. Twilight would have nightmares. She was certain of it, and the knowledge brought back some of the earlier dread of not knowing where Twilight was. Her student had faced down Discord, and everything that had been thrust on the filly over the past week was too much.
'Then I will intervene,' she affirmed. 'It will not do for you to have nightmares,' she thought as she nodded. She was the Queen of the Night; the realm of dreams was among her birthrights. To leave her student so defenseless in her nightmares, letting her fears get to her?
'I will not. Not again,' growled in her mind. 'I will not betray you so.'
But she would have to be careful. There was no way for her to know how badly Twilight would react to learning she could enter her dreams or the dreams of other ponies. To slip up and let her student find out would only unnerve her, and to add onto all of the stress her student already carried was not an option.
And neither was leaving her defenseless. Her eyes flicked onto Twilight's bare chest, and a moment later, she replaced the lost necklace. She watched the silvered crescent moon for a moment to make sure the enchantment took, and made certain her connection with it was strong, then nodded to herself.
And feeling it brought relief.
Nopony would know Twilight was there. Nopony would find her student. Nopony would enter undetected. Nopony would harm her.
She would make certain of that.
She inhaled, then stepped closer as she studied Twilight's face. Almost peaceful, almost worry-free, yet she was still troubled and unconscious. It wasn't truly restful as it should have been. A simple spell fixed that, and her student's expression relaxed. Her eyes darted to that tiara and she stared at it for several seconds. 'Your destiny...' her mind mused.
But now was not the time to consider what that tiara meant. It wasn't the time to linger on how the Element of Magic had touched Twilight's magic, nor how her student felt somehow more complete for having stopped Discord. There was plenty of time for that later. She closed her eyes, let out a sigh, then teleported the tiara away. Likewise, she teleported the rest of the Elements away, back to the safety of a new pocket dimension only she could access, and with that, the strain of containing their power returned, weighing down on her magic.
She opened her eyes and strode out onto her balcony, then cast her gaze out across Equestria. Her empire. It looked like the madness Discord had inflicted had all been erased as far as she could see.
By five mares and a filly. Surely, Equestria was more important to look at, yet her head still turned back to search for a glimpse of her student. That the filly had done so much, that the filly had so much potential, and that the filly had so much magic already. She pictured the future, of seeing what would become of her student, and she smiled.
'You will be concerned when you wake up here,' was a thought that made her smile grow. It was simply insane! After everything that had happened, her student would undoubtedly be concerned when she woke up in her bed.
How entertaining.
Yet it wouldn't be good to scare her student. Twilight needed to wake up to something familiar, something to reassure and comfort her. 'I will be back before you awaken.'
She cast her gaze back out on Equestria.
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How many chapters long will this story be?
I don't know this was pretty deep.
An excellent chapter, and a nice conclusion to this arc. Nightmares comforting of Twilight was pulled off relatively well, and hopefully will improve their relationship moving forward.
It's interesting to note how Nightmares attitude towards Celestia has changed as the story has progressed. Earlier on, it seemed like she never would of considered working with her sister, for any reason. Now, though she might still hate her, she was still willing to consider it as a possible course of action. It's a definite change, and I look forward to seeing how that progresses from here.
And there it is... Finally! NMM and Twilight have reason to trust each other! I've waited a long time for this, but it's finally happened...
yay
9868289
I feel the same way you do. I definitely messed up the pacing with Twilight's, well, Twilighting, but things are, for the most part (and in my opinion) progressing well enough. I'm currently working on rereading the chapters I don't have published yet, making notes, and doing minor edits. One chapter will be partially rewritten but it's unrelated to Twilight freaking out.
I'm halfway just waiting on my prereaders, though I'll admit rereading what I haven't published yet is going slowly. I am certainly enjoying rereading it, however.
The magic of friendship has taken hold, it's all over for NIghtmare's cold and distant ways, truly it is.
None can resist the Twilight
Love this story keep up the great work
Damn. One of the best evil bastard discord’s I’ve read.