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Queen Nightmare Moon Saves Foal From Fiery Fate!
Holding that damned newspaper in front of her with her magic left Nightmare Moon feeling the same detachment that it had before. 'How? Why?' her mind demanded, unable to comprehend any form of sense in the article.
How could it have made any sense!? Ponies hated and despised her! Ponies refused to love and respect her! They would seek out whatever they could and use it as reason to hate her, regardless of whatever she did! Centuries had taught her that bitter lesson! Centuries had pressed that lesson in, rubbed it into her wounds, ground it into her bones, and infused it into her soul.
'Ponies will never love me,' she knew. 'They will find any reason, or if need be, make up their own reasons to hate me!' And Sister would help them if they needed the help.
But the newspaper left her feeling a cold twist in her chest, a churning, bubbling sensation in her gut. 'Why does this article exist!?' her mind begged, but there was no answer for her. Like so much else since her return, it made no sense.
Not a thing in the article was presented to put her in a negative light. No loaded words or phrasing, nothing subversive, nothing to put the blame of it all on her shoulders. Oh, she had tried to find that minuscule thread of disrespect that had to be there. She had read it again and again, digested each and every word until she couldn't stand to keep looking through the article.
It felt wrong. It felt wrong to the point that it reminded her of Sister. Of how Sister had just given up, rather than fighting her. Of how Sister had denied her revenge. It felt empty, and she felt hollow for it.
And she wasn't sure how to feel.
The article was positive: she saved the life of a filly. The journalist had even interviewed the mother, and the mother had nothing but praise and gratitude for her. No spite, no condemnation, and it seemed that somehow, the journalist felt the same way. The mother, the filly, and the journalist didn't hate her. At least not entirely, but she was certain it would pass.
She found her head shaking as the newspaper drifted lower and lower, then folded up. She swallowed and levitated the paper back onto her desk, setting it down with the picture in view. For a few seconds, she stared down at the front-page and her mind was silent. She held her breath, then flicked her gaze onto the wall.
'I am wasting time,' cut through the madness. She sucked in a breath, then turned around. She walked to the door, only to find her hooves carrying her into her bedchambers. At that, she grimaced, though the grimace faded as she turned and headed to the balcony.
She slowed to a stop as she approached the open door. Staring out into the moonless night, she found peace: no moon there to haunt her with the reminder of all her sister had taken from her. No moon out there to mock her with its imperfection. No cacophony of screams or laughter.
Just silence.
In the sky, the stars were still: pinpricks of light that neither blinked nor shimmered nor twinkled. They were a constant for her.
Always there, and yet so very distant.
'And you want to... no, you said that we are friends,' drifted through her mind.
The silence was peaceful and calm. It was a welcome comfort. The peaceful, moonless night was so different from those hundreds of thousands of days and nights she had spent trapped on the moon. Yet something was still missing: companionship. Her student was not there with her. Her friend was not at her side.
Her hooves once again carried her forward, and as she slipped out onto the balcony, the slight chill carried by the wind washed over her coat. She stopped at the railing, and her head drifted to the right until it settled on Twilight's tower. Once again, she stared at it, trying to peer through the marble to gaze upon her student's sleeping form, but it wasn't to be.
Her head drifted back, and her eyes flowed onto her side, then rested on her wing. For a few seconds, she just watched herself, then she lifted her wing, letting the air flow over and in between her feathers, letting the night's chill embrace her. And as her head drifted back towards Twilight's tower, the thought, 'It does not have the same appeal to it as it once did,' mumbled in her mind.
It simply couldn't compare to Twilight's warmth, and even attempting to compare the two was insane.
She snorted and shook her head. 'I am far too fond of you...' she knew. But how could she not have been obsessed with the filly? Her only student! Her only friend. Already, they shared something more than she had shared with any of those comrades in arms she had called 'friend.'
She nodded to herself. "I," she declared unto the night, "am going insane." Looking down at the courtyard below, she mumbled, "Though this is hardly the first time."
But it wasn't worth contemplating. Not now. Instead, her thoughts drifted back to the coming moonrise, and the night that it would bring. In response, she grimaced.
Oh, there were things to look forward to! Just not everything. She could look forward to teaching Twilight, and even thinking about that idea, of finally imparting her knowledge on the filly, of finally helping her strive for her true potential, left her anxious! For she could hardly wait to see what all her student could do and would be able to do in time. And a part of her mind continued to wonder, churning over her student's potential and destiny, knowing that she was yet incomplete.
But mostly, she was dreading the matter of discussing what had happened with other nations. Namely, the minotaurs.
Her grimace deepened into a scowl. "This will be most unpleasant."
Twilight inhaled deeply. Eyes still closed, she knew she wasn't alone. She was being watched, but it didn't provoke the normal fear. No, she wasn't being watched or stalked by a predator, nor were dozens if not hundreds of eyes staring at her, but rather, it was something more peculiar. She couldn't quite place it, and it left her uncomfortable, but not afraid.
Of course, it wasn't enough to make her want to wake up yet, either. Nope. Not at all. She let out a sigh and tried to block out the feeling, trying instead to focus on the warmth and softness of her bed, trying to let it lull her back to a peaceful, rejuvenating sleep. It almost worked, too. The feeling of being watched lingered, though what finally broke the lulling spell of her bed was feeling Nightmare Moon's magic.
She didn't jerk, but for a brief instant, it startled her. She blinked open her eyes and stared out the window into the night sky. She could see the edge of the moon creeping above the horizon, and after a few seconds, it finally clicked in her tired mind: 'You're raising the moon.'
"You are awake?" Nightmare asked. The non-threatening, familiar casual tone of her mentor's voice made her smile; the voice made no demand of her. The tone Nightmare used only with her, one of patience and understanding that was void with anypony else. Something Twilight couldn't fully understand.
"Now, yes," Twilight mumbled. She closed her eyes, sighed in defeat, then rolled over onto her back. 'I guess there's no use in trying to go back to sleep now.' She opened her eyes and lifted her head up to look at her mentor. "Oh."
Midnight waved her forehoof at her, wearing a bright smile. A very, very bright smile. One that made her uncomfortable. And Nightmare Moon was looking out the window, rather than at her. The two of them stood close together, though Midnight was still farther from Nightmare's side than she normally stood; that spot between the two of them was reserved for her.
"Good morning, Twilight!" Midnight greeted in her usual carefree voice.
It was far, far too early for that tone. How could anypony have been so happy this early!? Except for Pinkie Pie, who was always happy.
'Well, I suppose that explains why it didn't feel like Nightmare was watching me,' her mind commented. She pursed her lips, then frowned at the thought. For a few seconds, she contemplated how it would feel to wake up with Nightmare Moon watching her. 'It wouldn't be the same. She doesn't make me as uncomfortable as she used to,' she knew. Granted, the thought still made her uncomfortable, though it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it had been. It was, while unnerving, tolerable.
'I might prefer Nightmare Moon watching me to Midnight...'
Midnight continued to smile oh-so cheerfully at her. She continued to stare back at the batpony.
It was just a bit creepy, was all. And it was too early.
Midnight didn't seem to mind, of course. She wasn't the one waking up to being watched.
"Uh..." Twilight mumbled out. 'What am I supposed to ask, exactly?' She wasn't sure. It was just too early. Her head drifted back to the right before settling on Nightmare Moon, then she asked, "Is there a reason you're both here?"
Nightmare turned to face her. "I simply desired to speak with Midnight, so I had her accompany me here," was her teacher's dismissive explanation. Then, with a hint of a pleasant smile gracing Nightmare's lips, her mentor requested, "Join me for a meal?"
"Sure," Twilight answered. She yawned and pushed herself up into a sitting position. "Can I, uh, shower first?"
Nightmare inclined her head. "Of course. I..." her teacher trailed off as a grimace crossed her lips, and her head drifted to the left until she looked out the window. "I must speak with delegations from the minotaurs, zebra, and deer today. I am-" Nightmare looked back at her, "-not looking forward to it. I would... appreciate your company."
Twilight winced. Keeping her teacher company wouldn't be that bad, but really, she had no business being there for any form of official diplomatic meetings! She was a filly! And Nightmare Moon was, of course, the Queen. Then again, she was Nightmare Moon's student. That didn't stop her from answering, "Ah... I'm not sure I should be there."
Curiously, Nightmare tilted her head to the side and asked, "Pray tell?"
Twilight fidgeted and use her magic to pull the bedsheets off. "I'm... me. I'm a filly. I'm... well, I'm not..." she trailed off as she slid off the bed and stood on the floor. "I'm not qualified for this," she summarized.
Nightmare leveled her head. "Perhaps this is the case, yet you accompanied me to speak with King Aspen."
Twilight sucked her lip into her mouth and gently bit down on it as the psychotic laugh echoed in her mind. Nightmare saw that, and she thought she saw Nightmare squint at her for the briefest of moments. She was almost convinced that Nightmare's ears flicked as well, but surely they hadn't.
Then again, they were supposed to be friends, and so the thought, 'You remember how uncomfortable you made me, don't you?' whispered through her mind. So then there was a chance Nightmare remembered as well, and perhaps Nightmare even regretted it. She released her lip. 'Maybe we still need to talk about that?' But she wasn't sure. Maybe there was a book she could read that would help her figure out what exactly she needed to do, or if they needed to talk. "Uh, well, yes," she admitted. She took a step forward, smiled, and declared, "But! I'm a filly. I'm not qualified to negotiate with-"
"You are my student," Nightmare countered, methodically tilting her head in such a way that emphasized how obvious said point was. Nightmare turned to the right to face her and continued, "And you will not be negotiating. Just... there."
Raising an eyebrow and tilting her head to the left, Twilight mumbled, "To keep you company?"
"Ah... that is one reason, yes," Nightmare admitted. "Though it will be good for you to be there as well. I believe the experience would be beneficial for you, and as you are the one who defeated Discord-"
"My friends helped!" Twilight put in, folding her ears and scowling. "I didn't do it on my own." 'And I couldn't do it on my own...'
"I am aware of that, but you are my student, and you bear Magic," Nightmare dismissed. "The experience would be good for you," Nightmare repeated with a nod, "and I believe it would be wise for you to be there since-" Nightmare squinted at her, "-you are one of the six who defeated Discord."
Twilight smiled at Nightmare, and Nightmare's squint faded.
Slowly shaking her head, Nightmare continued, "Your company would make it much more pleasant. Or at the very least, tolerable." Twilight frowned as Nightmare bit her lip, tossed her head to the side and took a step towards her. "And... I did not handle meeting with them well last time..." Her teacher's eyes snapped onto her own. "I am... shall we say, hoping you can... keep me in check, as it were."
Twilight frowned. "I don't mind keeping you company, and... maybe it would be a good experience for me, but, uh, I'm pretty sure I couldn't stop you from-"
"You underestimate yourself," Nightmare cut in. The next second dragged on as the two of them stared at each other in silence. "I would welcome your advice, as usual." Breaking eye contact, Nightmare turned her head away from Twilight and gazed out the window. "I... tend to hold myself in check better when you are present," was mumbled.
'You do, don't you?' Twilight watched her teacher as her mind drifted back to Manehattan. Maybe, just maybe, her being there was why things didn't end badly. 'Why?' she wondered, though kept the question to herself. The most likely answer that her mind settled on was, 'We're friends. You want ponies to like you. I'm your student...' She nodded. "Okay." She looked at Midnight, then looked back at Nightmare. "Well, I'm going to go shower and then I'll be ready, I guess. You can wait here if you want. It shouldn't take long."
Nightmare inclined her head. "I shall await your return, then," her teacher replied, turning back towards the door, then walking out of the room, accompanied by Midnight. "May I look through your library?"
"Sure?" Twilight replied.
"Thank you," Nightmare called back as she turned to the right and disappeared behind the wall.
Twilight stood there for a few seconds after her teacher left her field of view. Shaking her head, she walked to the bathroom, closed the door with her magic, and started a shower. She stepped under the stream of hot water and let the warmth roll down her body. She closed her eyes and relaxed under the lulling warmth, but her mind kept thinking back on Nightmare Moon.
'We're friends. I'm friends with Nightmare Moon.'
Just stopping to think about that, it was entirely insane. She had assuredly gone crazy, but she already knew that. Given everything that had happened since Nightmare Moon returned? Well, it was pretty much a given that retaining her sanity was out of the question.
And yet, she felt better for it. Not for losing her sanity, of course, but the thought, 'I'm friends with Nightmare Moon,' gave her a little flicker of joy, confidence, and assurance deep inside her core. She felt more in control because of it. It helped banish those clouds of doubt and anxiety: Nightmare Moon had a friend now. Something Nightmare Moon might not have truly had before. Oh, it was exciting! Maybe even more exciting than having five other friends!
And it was her. Twilight Sparkle. Assuredly, she had lost her sanity at some point along the way. 'Friends...' whispered in her mind, but that part of her that wanted to scream and rage against the idea before was now silent. In its place, she felt a deep-seated calmness that brought her to remember the feeling of sharing the Elements with them all.
She felt happy.
Besides, being friends with Nightmare Moon was something special. She could call Princess Celestia's sister her friend; she could call her teacher friend. It was special, and she knew it meant something to Nightmare. 'How much does it mean to you?' she wondered. A moment later, she heard Nightmare's voice in her mind, repeating, 'I would appreciate your company.'
She levitated a bottled of shampoo over, then stepped out of the stream of water and poured soap out over her body and worked into her mane, coat, and tail before stepping back into the spray to wash the suds off.
She felt reassured, and yet, some small part of her was still uncomfortable and worried. She mostly silenced the dissent, but yet it still whispered in her mind, 'She banished her own sister. How much can a friend mean to her if she was willing to do that to family?'
She still knew, 'Princess Celestia banished her first for a thousand years,' and it fought back that dissent. Neither of them were perfect; they were both, somehow, still ponies, just like her.
She sighed and blew little droplets of water off her lips. 'You need to forgive your sister. You're not happy...' occurred to her, and she grimaced. "Almost every time you look at the moon," she whispered, "you're unhappy." A frown wormed its way onto her lips, and her ears pressed back against her soaked mane.
And before Nightmare Moon's banishment, the moon had been so pure. Pristine white, unblemished. That was how the moon was supposed to look. That had been Luna's moon.
Nightmare Moon's moon was but a shadow of its former glory.
She sat down on her haunches and turned off the water. Her eyes drifted down the wall, then to the floor, then finally drifted onto the crescent moon that hung from her neck, resting so peacefully on her chest. In all honesty, she felt that the necklace was nice. It was comforting. Not a leash, but a link between the two of them: Nightmare was just a whisper away, ready to come to her aid. She had just looked at it the wrong way before.
She stood back up, inhaled, and stepped out of the shower. Using her magic, she warmed her coat and dried the water from her fur, mane, and tail, then set walked in front of the mirror. Her eyes lingered on the reflection of her necklace as it swayed back and forth, brushing against her coat, then her gaze jumped to her mane and she scowled.
She levitated a brush over and started working it through her mane while she brushed her teeth. When she finished with her mane, she hastily brushed her tail, then finished up and walked back into her bedroom.
Her eyes twitched to the moon. She could see the barest hint of the Mare on the Moon, and it made her stand still and stare. 'I'm friends with the pony that banished you.'
Guilt welled up inside her, leaving her squirming as her eyes fell to the floor. Her lips wrinkled in a cringe as she felt like Princess Celestia was staring at her from her prison, begging and pleading for help that she couldn't give. 'I wish you two could get along,' she thought, and her wrinkled lips pulled into a whisper of a smile.
It was a thought that, though it would never happen, sounded almost perfect. For both of her mentors to be free so that she could learn from them both, for Nightmare Moon to be free from that disappointment and bitterness, for the feeling of the sun warming her back to return. For them to get along and for Equestria to be better off.
She longed for it, but it wasn't to be.
Her eyes drifted back to the moon. 'Maybe,' she thought, 'there's a way to...' The Elements could do it. They could bring back Princess Celestia. She was sure of it. But as she pondered the thought, her ears folded back against her mane. To bring back Princess Celestia was to betray Nightmare Moon. All it would do was trade one for the other. And it was wrong. Even if she was given the opportunity to, it was wrong. Even if Nightmare Moon wouldn't turn on her, it was wrong; she would have been betraying Nightmare trust. Hurting somepony who had already been hurt.
Nightmare Moon banishing Princess Celestia was wrong, but so was betraying Nightmare Moon to bring back Princess Celestia.
'My friends would say I'm insane for thinking that,' came to mind, and she shook her head as a smile wormed its way onto her lips.
It really was silly.
'You think Princess Celestia betrayed you. I don't want to betray you like you think she did. I don't want to lose your friendship.'
But maybe there was still some thread of hope. Maybe there was still some way it could happen. Bringing them back together, reuniting the two sisters, healing that shattered bond between them.
Perhaps that's what Princess Celestia had intended for her to do.
Perhaps that's what would still happen.
Twilight stood back up and shook her head, casting the silly thoughts aside. She turned away from the moon and walked out of her bedroom. She stopped at the railing and looked down into her library. Nightmare stood facing a bookshelf with her back turned to her student, an opened book hovering in front of her. She watched her mentor for a few seconds as Nightmare turned a page and skimmed it, then put the book back in its proper place.
That gave her a smile, if only becasue it meant Nightmare had better library manners than some ponies she knew. Namely Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.
Twilight looked to the right and found Midnight casually standing at the far side of the door, wearing her usual less-than-serious expression where her tongue dipped out of her lips. 'Batponies would know more about Luna... I should ask Midnight about Luna,' she thought. Since she hadn't found mention of Luna in any history books, there was the chance that Princess Celestia had, as Nightmare was convinced, entirely erased evidence of her existence. 'But the batponies would know,' she knew, for the batponies remembered. 'Maybe they even have books about her!' she hoped.
But yet that was still a far cry from the best source to learn about Luna. She looked back at Nightmare Moon. At Luna.
"If you are ready," Nightmare called as she looked back at Twilight. "We should not linger. I do not wish to keep them waiting, and I would prefer adequate time to enjoy breakfast."
Twilight forced a smile as she turned to the right, then started down the stairs. "Right," she mumbled. 'Still going to have to be there for that...'
As she walked to the door, Nightmare walked over to her and offered, "I am certain it will be fine."
Diplomacy, Twilight had thought, was the skillful art of negotiating between two or more parties, where the desired outcomes of at least two parties were mutually exclusive, to the stated goal of coming up with a compromise where all parties were happy.
Oh, how naive she had been.
Maybe it was having been sheltered from it by Princess Celestia- and really, she had no experience with diplomacy; she was just a foal, just a student, so of course she had not been present during Princess Celestia negotiating anything- and maybe it was how books she had read tended to gloss over specific parts, but this had not been what she expected.
No. Diplomacy, Twilight had discovered, was the art of at least one party making a list of demands, where the desired outcomes of at least two parties were fundamentally opposed, to the point that none of the parties would reconcile and all parties would leave frustrated and unhappy.
"Your list of demands is absurd!" Nightmare snapped. And simply from the tone of Nightmare's voice, she knew her teacher thought the Minotaur was insane. It was the sort of tone of disbelief that would herald in laughter when somepony couldn't take something seriously.
The laughter, of course, didn't come.
She risked a glance at Nightmare, found her leaning her head forward, eyes wide with a glint of insanity. Insanity that, if she was being honest, could understand.
"Equestria will not capitulate to extortion!" Nightmare declared.
The minotaur 'diplomat-' Steel Bar- slammed his fists into the table with a solid thud! that cracked the wooden table. "Your return is directly responsible for the situation we're in!" he shouted.
Her ears folded back and she bit her lip. Watching the minotaur, who stood taller than Nightmare Moon, who was already in her own right intimidating, was even more intimidating. The minotaur looked as if he could rip a pony in half, and if he couldn't do it on his own, then his two guards helping him would surely succeed.
"Raising our voices will only-" the zebra tried to speak up, but, of course, her mentor cut in.
"You cannot lay blame for this at my hooves! I am not responsible for these-"
Raising his voice above even that of Nightmare Moon's, Steel Bar shouted, "Your eternal night is directly responsible for this! Dragons, rocs, bandits, and other monsters raid our settlements! Equestrian weather may be fine, but do you have any idea how the lack of day is affecting our weather!? Do you have ANY idea how this is affecting our crops!?" He snorted, then mocked, "You make the excuse that we can trade with Equestria for crops or the zebras for potions to overcome this, but that doesn't change the fact that Equestria profits from our destruction! And you call our demands extortion!"
She tried to block out the anger in both of their voices, tried to block out how she should not have been there. Tried to block out how badly she knew this was going to end. It was just escalation after escalation. This was not diplomacy. This was two parties doing their best to make the other snap.
The worst part was that both parties were skilled at that art.
Steel Bar leaned over the table, glaring at Nightmare Moon with the same hated intent that burned in Nightmare Moon's eyes.
While she glanced at her teacher, she purposefully avoided looking at Nightmare's eyes. Yet the result was the same, Nightmare's chest rose and fell as if she was hyperventilating from anger. And she had to wonder if that was Steel Bar's goal: Make Nightmare Moon make a fool of herself by losing control, because it was close.
She had half the mind to do nothing. Paralysis, fear that Nightmare would lash out at her if she did something. Twilight swallowed back the fear.
"Do not pretend to-!"
She brushed her forehoof against Nightmare's foreleg. Nightmare stopped, then glanced at her. She took a risk and met her teacher's gaze for a moment, gradually inclining her head ever so slightly. 'Please stop...' she silently pleaded.
And for a moment, she watched something pass through Nightmare's eyes. The alicorn growled in frustration, then turned back to Steel Bar. "What you ask is unacceptable."
And it came without the rising anger from before. Calmer and more collected. More rational.
Steel Bar gradually pushed himself away from the table and stood up at his full height. "So you say, but that doesn't change any of the facts about your return, nor does it ease any of our problems."
"Those facts are not my problem," Nightmare stated. "You will not extort Equestria. Your bandits are not my concern, so long as they ignore Equestria. The blame is not mine. If you wish to blame anypony, then blame my dear sister for her transgressions."
"She's not here, though, is she?" Steel Bar mocked.
Twilight watched Nightmare's lips twitch apart, baring her teeth, but her teacher didn't lash out. The minotaur, she decided, was not very bright.
"Perhaps we should tone things down," the zebra offered in a calm voice. "We are not gathered here to levy blame, rather to discuss the aftermath of Discord's reign."
Steel Bar snorted, then folded his arms over his chest as he turned to face the zebra. "Which again, I will remind you, is directly because of Nightmare Moon."
"You cannot lay his actions-!"
Steel Bar turned to face Nightmare and defiantly declared, "Not his actions. His return. Would he have broken free if rioting had not happened in Manehattan? Rioting that was a result of your return."
Nightmare clenched her jaw shut. Twilight saw the alicorn's wings twitching at her sides. A few seconds passed. Nightmare contemplated her answer, then declared, "We dealt with him."
Steel Bar looked away in disgust.
"Do not underestimate magic. Pony or deer," King Aspen stated.
"Yes," Steel Bar said, rolled his head to turn back to face Nightmare Moon. "A filly and five mares, wielding powerful magic to stop the Lord of Chaos."
"Do not," Nightmare warned, "insult my student."
The zebra looked at her and nodded. "Her magic is potent and her potential immense."
And she watched the zebra watching her, saw the glint of something passing through her eyes, wondering, 'What do you know that I don't?'
Steel Bar let out a series of grunts and huffs. "Then give me something to work with. Your return is causing more problems than we've faced since the Minotaur Republic broke away. The Emperor is pissed. He's questioning whether we should even continue exporting coal and steel to Equestria at this rate! And our navy is already stretched thin, so if our trade ships were raided, we wouldn't be able to protect all of them!"
Nightmare inhaled, then exhaled. "If dragons raid your trade ships, then I will deal with them. If the dragons become too much of a problem raiding your settlements, then I will deal with them."
In Steel Bar's eyes, Twilight saw some form of reluctant acceptance: he neither liked it nor was he happy, but it was better than nothing.
"And what about our weather? What about bandits and other monsters? What about our crops?" Steel Bar asked.
"I can do nothing for that," Nightmare Moon stated, lifting her muzzle a little higher.
'No, you can, but you won't,' Twilight knew. Because it would have been simple for Nightmare Moon to fix it: just bring back Princess Celestia. But that wouldn't happen. 'If the minotaurs threatened war, would you try to appease them?' she wondered. Nightmare had said war wasn't good, and of course, nopony would disagree with that. But to what extent would Nightmare cave to stop a war?
Steel Bar had something to say, but he didn't say it. If she had to guess, he considered bringing up that Nightmare Moon could bring back Princess Celestia.
And oh, how she wished she was anywhere else.
Crack! The blinding flash of light faded and Twilight opened her eyes.
The next sound she heard was Nightmare letting out a groan. "I," Nightmare declared with an emphasized nod, "have forgotten how pointless diplomacy can be."
Twilight frowned at her teacher as the alicorn walked over to her desk. "How can you call it pointless?"
Nightmare paused and looked back at her with a flat expression. "Diplomacy was always Sister's realm. Not. Mine," was the mumbled answer. Nightmare closed her eyes, inhaled as she turned back to face the desk, then sighed. More happily, if it could be called that, Nightmare quickly added, "Though I do appreciate your company. That was... far more tolerable than last time."
Walking over to her teacher's side, Twilight asked, "Was last time that bad?"
Facing her with a completely serious look, Nightmare flatly answered, "Last time I wanted to kill that zebra by the time it ended."
Twilight stopped. "Oh."
Nightmare shook her head and turned to face Twilight. "Obviously I did not," she muttered before tilting her head. "Though the urge was there," her teacher added thoughtfully.
"Uh, I'm glad you didn't?" Twilight asked, wincing.
Nightmare's head drifted lower, and her eyes fell onto the floor. "It was worse than that but..." was the barely audible mumble. Then looking back up at her, Nightmare continued, "But enough of this. The meeting is over, so we can put that behind us."
Twilight leaned to the right, then walked the rest of the distance to her mentor. Reluctantly, she lifted her right forehoof, then paused. She studied Nightmare where she stood and wondered, 'How is the best way to do this?' Her hesitation, however, resulted in Nightmare sitting down on her haunches and giving a strained smile.
Twilight wrapped her foreleg around Nightmare's back, then pulled herself close so that her chest was pushed up against Nightmare's armor. The cold, hard metal was unpleasant against her body, but Nightmare needed it. Her teacher returned the hug and from it, Nightmare let out a sigh. Her heart fluttered as she felt Nightmare's feathers run down her back in that oh-so-pleasant stroke, then Nightmare's wings wrapped around her body. She smiled; the feeling was pleasant. Pleasant was an understatement: she felt safe in that embrace, like nothing could possibly hurt her. Nightmare Moon wouldn't allow it.
Gradually, Nightmare leaned down, then rested her head on Twilight's shoulder. "I appreciate this," Nightmare mumbled. "It is..."
Seconds passed by in silence. Twilight laid her head down on Nightmare's shoulder and looked at the wall, waiting for her teacher to finish speaking.
"It is... nice to have a friend," Nightmare finally spoke.
Twilight smiled. "Yeah..." 'Is this what I've been missing out on because of my studies?' she wondered, and with that thought, her smile dimmed. 'My studies are important, but... this is nice.' She let out a sigh. Slowly, the metal armor started to warm from her own heat, and the chill no longer bit into her body, but it still kept them apart.
"I am," Nightmare gradually admitted, "thankful... that we can do this."
A slight frown pulled on Twilight's lips as she lifted her head from Nightmare's shoulder. Nightmare lingered on her shoulder for a few seconds, then lifted her head up. The wings and forelegs stayed in place, holding Twilight close. "Hug?" Twilight asked.
Nightmare bobbed her head and looked at the wall behind Twilight. "Yes, and just... that you are-" Nightmare looked down to meet Twilight's gaze, "-more comfortable around me."
Twilight smiled up at her. "Well, it's nice to not constantly feel like..." she trailed off as Nightmare winced and turned away from her, squirming in agitation. "Sorry, I didn't-"
Nightmare quickly shook her head and hastily voiced, "It is fine. The fault is my own. I cannot hold that against you." Reluctantly, Nightmare met Twilight's gaze again, then her eyes jumped to Twilight's sheltered back, and her eyes almost glossed over as she stared.
'What are you thinking about?' Twilight wondered as she looked into Nightmare's unfocused eyes. After a few seconds, she laid her head back on Nightmare's shoulder, and then in a few more seconds, Nightmare did the same. "This is nice," she admitted.
"Yes," Nightmare agreed. "Hugs are... pleasant. I... had forgotten just how pleasant they can be."
Twilight snickered a bit. "Yeah... I... didn't think I was missing out on that much by not having friends, but...-" at one point in time, she would have hated to admit this, but now, she could admit it with a happy smile, "-I was wrong."
Nightmare stayed silent.
Twilight's eyes wandered over the wall, then eventually drifted onto the desk. A folded-up newspaper sat in the center. She couldn't make out what it said, but her heart nearly jumped out of her chest when she saw the picture. Frowning, she lifted her head off Nightmare's shoulder and asked, "What's that?"
Nightmare lifted her head up, then looked back. As soon as Nightmare saw the paper, she winced. "It's..." Without finishing, her teacher levitated the paper over and unwrapped herself from Twilight.
Twilight missed the warmth against her back, but the newspaper made her heart race and twist. "They... made an article about that?"
Sitting down at Twilight's left side, Nightmare answered, "They did."
Twilight glanced aside at Nightmare, then lit her horn and wrapped her magic around the newspaper. For a moment, her magic intertwined with Nightmare's, and the feeling left her uneasy. 'So much magic...' Nightmare could have overpowered her own with hardly any effort, and she halfway expected that to happen.
But it didn't. Nightmare's magic withdrew, relinquishing the paper to Twilight's magic. She brought the paper closer and read through the article. Once, then twice. Nightmare stayed silent. Finally turning to face Nightmare, she smiled and declared, "This is great!" She jumped to her hooves.
Nightmare simply turned away from her.
A bit of the smile faded. "Ponies don't hate you! They can read this and-"
Nightmare shook her head. "It will not matter," Nightmare quietly mumbled. Twilight watched Nightmare turn her head to face her, and that look of disappointment and bitterness made her ears wilt. "It does not matter what is said. They will hate me."
Quietly, Twilight offered, "No, they won't... If you'd just try to-"
Nightmare groaned and stood up, once again shaking her head. Her mane and tail coiled in agitation. "You saw how ponies acted in my presence. You have seen their hatred of me!" Nightmare looked back at her. "They hate me. They always have, and they always will."
"I don't hate you. The batponies don't hate you," Twilight offered softly.
Nightmare's lips twisted to a grimace and her head leaned to the left until her face was hidden. Gradually, her teacher's head lowered until she faced the floor. Quietly Nightmare replied, "You are correct."
"I think you can get them to love you like... they love your sister. Or Cadance."
Nightmare snorted and lifted her head back up. When she turned back to Twilight, there was a twisted, bitter smile on her lips. A smile that spoke of betrayal and anger, of loss and something missing. "I do not see how."
"You want that, don't you?" Twilight asked.
"Foalish as it is, yes," Nightmare grumbled. But before Twilight could say anything, she snapped, "But it will not happen. To hope for it is even more insane."
Twilight frowned as her ears pressed against her mane. 'You're hurting.'
Nightmare's anger faded away, and she turned away as a look of disgust wormed its way onto her features. "Let us... not speak of this," she said, her voice still infected with bitterness.
Twilight stepped over to Nightmare and hugged her teacher again. Gradually, Nightmare turned back to face her, then lifted her right wing and laid it over Twilight's back.
"I am sorry," Nightmare apologized. "I... should not snap at you. I know you mean well..."
"It's fine," Twilight whispered. "I know it's a sore spot, but I think-"
A knock on the door cut her off. She shot a scowl at the door, not that it cared. Nightmare's wing disappeared, and she missed the comfort and warmth it gave her. She stepped back, suppressed a sigh, and watched Nightmare turn to face the door. For a moment, Nightmare looked back at her, almost regretfully, then march over to the door before pulling it open. The two Royal Guards facing her went rigid. "What is it?" Nightmare demanded.
The Royal Guard on the right fidgeted. "Ah, there is a... representative of the, well, griffins, here to speak with you, your majesty."
Twilight saw Nightmare's expression blank. A sudden, "What?" was all Nightmare could voice.
The two guards shared an uncertain look before facing Nightmare again. "A griffin has arrived claiming to represent the, uh, Griffin Cities... wishing to speak with you."
A moment passed. "I see..." Nightmare forced out.
Twilight shivered at the tone. The room felt colder.
"And this representative is waiting now?" Nightmare inquired.
"Yes, your Majesty," the guard answered.
Nightmare glanced back at Twilight and bade, "Come," then looked back at the two guards as Twilight walked over to Nightmare's side. "Take us there."
The guard gave a quick nod and then both of them scrambled back while Nightmare and Twilight stepped out into the hallway. As soon as they were out of the room, the guards took the lead, and Twilight walked close beside Nightmare.
Looking aside at Twilight, Nightmare said, "We will deal with this and then get to your lessons."
Twilight grimaced as Nightmare looked away from her and scowled, like the only thing that kept her teacher from scowling was herself. "You don't seem happy about this," Twilight noted.
Nightmare's eyes darted over to her just long enough for her to say, "I am not."
Twilight's grimace fell into a frown. 'You're not disappointed, your upset.' With that thought in mind, she asked, "Is it because it's the griffins?"
"Yes," Nightmare said succinctly.
"You don't like the griffins," Twilight summarized.
Flatly, Nightmare answered, "You are correct."
Twilight winced. "They haven't caused Equestria any problems in centuries!"
"Perhaps so," Nightmare dismissed.
"You can't just hold what the Griffin Empire did so long ago against the griffins now! That was centuries ago!" Twilight retorted. Nightmare tilted her head to look at Twilight. Her teacher's gaze was agitated, yet she could still see that part that was willing to listen to what she had to say. She swallowed and licked her lips, then inhaled before continuing, "Look, I know you dislike the Griffin Empire and... everything that happened because of them-" Nightmare's gaze slipped into a bitter scowl, "-but that's in the past!"
"You are correct," Nightmare stated flatly, once more turning away from Twilight.
Twilight groaned. "Look, we don't even know what they want-"
"Presumably," Nightmare countered, "it is in response to Discord."
Twilight glared at Nightmare and muttered, "Gee, you don't say?"
Without looking at her, Nightmare commented, "I do."
Twilight huffed, and she saw the edge of Nightmare's lips twitch up into a smile. "You did that on purpose."
"I did," Nightmare admitted, her smile still in place. "It is..." Trailing off, Nightmare tilted her head to the side and looked at the ceiling. A few seconds passed in silence as Twilight's frown grew into a scowl. Then Nightmare looked at her and said, "Pleasant to see you react such a way, rather than-" the smile faded, regret took its place, and Nightmare bobbed her head unsurely, "-afraid." A few steps passed in silence as the regret washed away. "It tells me that you are comfortable around me and that we can be more open with one another. I welcome this."
The scowl faded from Twilight's lips and she looked away from her teacher, letting her eyes drift over the passing walls and marble columns. More seconds passed on with only the clicking of their hooves between them, and as those seconds passed, she felt her ears falling back. She would have sworn she felt Nightmare's ears falling back too.
"I did not intend to upset you," Nightmare apologized.
Twilight blinked and turned her head back, only stopping and opening her eyes once she faced her teacher. Nightmare's ears were folded back ever so slightly. Her chest didn't like the position Nightmare's ears were in. She inhaled, then let out a drawn-out sigh. "It's fine," she forced out.
Nightmare's head drifted away from her, though Nightmare's gaze remained locked in place. Reluctance crossed Nightmare's features as she opened her mouth, only to wait a few more seconds before voicing, "It does not sound that way."
"I'm just frustrated," Twilight replied as she turned away from her teacher.
"I can tell," Nightmare mumbled.
"Just give them a chance? You wanted my advice, right? That's my advice. Give them a chance," Twilight remarked. "Going into this meeting already deciding not to help isn't going to help anything. Give it a chance and maybe something good can come of it!"
A few more seconds passed in silence. Twilight's gaze drifted over to her teacher, and she watched the internal argument play out on Nightmare's features. Eventually, Nightmare shook her head and relented, "Fine."
Twilight turned her head to Nightmare and put on a smile. "Thank you!"
Nightmare sent her a glare. Not quite the same cold, predatory glare that went to everypony else and made her shiver, but a glare nonetheless. Twilight's smile wilted under the glare. Nightmare's gaze dropped onto her lips, and then the glare faded. Bitterly, Nightmare looked away from her. "I do not like this," Nightmare stated. "Though," Nightmare forced out as if it was something bitter lodged in her throat, "you make a fair point that I should not hold the sins of the Empire against them now."
"And... I suppose I should not be upset at you for giving your advice," Nightmare added, then swallowed. "Forgive me?"
"Everypony makes mistakes..." Twilight replied as she offered Nightmare a small smile.
Nightmare looked over the smile, then met her gaze. "Thank you." Once more looking away from Twilight, Nightmare drawled, "I do appreciate... that we are friends."
Twilight giggled, and Nightmare stared at her for it. "I can tell," Twilight replied.
Slowly, Nightmare turned away from her again.
As the doors parted down the middle to open, Nightmare found herself staring at the lone griffin. The griffin's amber eyes snapped from her right claw to Nightmare's body. They met each other's gaze and the griffin squirmed where she sat while her large brown wings shifted against her sides.
And for her part, Nightmare Moon was surprised. 'You cannot be much older than my student's friends!' her mind cried out in disbelief as she squinted at the young griffin. 'Perhaps about Cadance's age...'
Nightmare had expected an older griffin, one akin to the griffins she was familiar with: clad in the cold, unpainted steel armor, or at the very least, wearing some form of uniform to mark her prominence. Instead, none of that. The griffin wore nothing, save for her brown coat, white fur on her breast and neck, and white feathers atop her head. Nothing extravagant, no gold nor jewels. A simple young griffin.
Who was supposed to represent the 'Griffin Cities.'
It was disappointing. 'Why? How am I supposed to take this seriously! Is this the best they can send?' Suppressing a growl, she walked into the room with Twilight close at her side. As she approached the table, the griffin stood from her chair at the opposite end. No bowing took place as the griffin approached, though likely because the griffin had no idea what how to act in her presence. As the griffin paced towards her, her cat-like tail flicked back and forth in agitation.
"You are the griffin representative, yes?" Nightmare asked. The griffin stopped in her tracks. Her sharp beak betrayed no emotion, but her eyes told another story as they flicked between her student and everywhere else in the room. Everywhere except her. Nightmare's tail flicked in agitation, cracking like a whip. The griffin looked at her and Twilight winced. 'You are here alone. And you are young. Why?' Yet another thing she could barely understand.
"You said you'd give them a chance," Twilight whispered.
And that was entirely correct. Nightmare would give them a chance, not that she wanted to. But Twilight was right: to hold the Empire's actions against the griffins now was wrong; they did nothing to warrant the Empire's sins falling on them. The same could be said of Cadance and her ponies. Besides, Twilight made another valid point: good could come from it. To ignore that in favor of holding the sins of the Empire against the griffins now was foolish.
But it didn't make it easier. Even if it was a young female griffin, seeing her still brought back memories. She could picture the griffin standing there with a blood-stained beak and blood dripping from her claws. And the room faded away as the memories came back in full force: rushing through forests alongside her soldiers, only for the battlecries of screeching griffins to catch them off-guard. Battles in open fields, where pegasi, batponies, and griffins fell from the sky to their deaths.
The screams of the dying, the clash of metal on metal. The horrors of war; the horrors the griffins inflicted.
Nightmare Moon's forelegs shook and her heart hammered as the memories raced through her mind. She swiped her tongue across her lips. 'This is not then,' she told herself. To react poorly now would not benefit her any. 'The griffins are not a threat, they are disorganized,' she knew. 'But they could be!' still snapped back.
Nightmare refocused herself, took a deep breath, then commanded, "Speak."
The griffin's head jerked back. "Uh, right. Sorry... You're Nightmare Moon, right?" was the griffin's question. Her voice was rough and sharp, yet distinctly feminine in a way that somehow reminded her of Rainbow Dash.
But any reminiscence was pushed aside. "Queen Nightmare Moon, yes," she snapped.
The skin where the griffin's beak met her face flicked back in a wince. "My apologies, Queen Nightmare Moon."
Nightmare dipped her head lower. "And pray tell, you are?"
"Gilda," the griffin answered.
Nightmare tilted her head. "Title?"
A blank look was her answer. "Uh, just Gilda."
Nightmare blinked. "I see. And why are you here?"
Gilda relaxed, then tossed her head back as she related, "Oh, I ended up with the short straw. I went to flight school in Equestria for one summer, so I was one of the candidates for coming here to speak with, uh, you."
'So you are not a diplomat. You are not trained for this,' Nightmare's mind summarized. Her lips pulled into a flat line.
"You went to flight school in Equestria?" Twilight questioned.
Nightmare glanced aside at her student, and Twilight looked genuinely curious and interested. Looking back at Gilda, the griffin ignored her to answer her student, "Yeah. In Cloudsdale several years ago."
"Huh. I knew that some griffins go to Equestrian flight schools but I've never met any before." Sheepishly, Twilight added, "Or, well, any griffins at all." Then as if nothing had changed, Twilight asked, "What was it like?"
Gilda shrugged. "Fine, I guess. Different from Griffin flight schools. Not as focused," was her disinterested answer.
"I suppose that makes sense given the differences between pegasi and griffin magic..." Twilight mused.
Gilda fluffed her wings. "I suppose Equestria is a bit more effective. At least they don't push you off of clouds and shout-" Gilda reared up, made air quotes with her claws as she rolled her eyes, "-'FLY!' with no warning."
"What!?" Twilight shrieked as Gilda went back to all fours. "Griffins do that!?"
Gilda shrugged. "Eh, most of us get used to it, but yeah. They don't particularly care enough, so we're mostly on our own."
Twilight gawked at her. "That's horrible!"
Gilda shrugged in response. "Like I said. You get used to it."
'That is a far cry from what I recall.' How disappointing. 'Another reminder of how long Sister imprisoned me for.' At least before her banishment, things made sense. But surely Gilda was exaggerating. Surely the griffins did not do that to their young! Shaking her head, she asked, "So why have you come to speak with me?"
The skin around Gilda's beak twisted in that odd way that griffins scowled, and the griffin's head leaned to the right. "Help," was her strained, begrudging answer. "After that-" Gilda squinted, "-thing showed up, we pretty much held a vote on what to do." The squint faded, and Gilda turned her head fully to the right to avoid Nightmare's gaze. "In the past, Equestria has helped us under Princess Celestia." Nightmare suppressed a growl. "We were hoping you would be willing to help too."
"I see." Nightmare breathed in, then exhaled sharply. 'So long ago I would have loved to wipe your kind out...' flickered through her mind. 'And helping you? Fie! All those years ago I would not have considered it...' She turned her head to the right and looked at Twilight. The filly stood there calmly, though looking at her with a hopeful, encouraging smile. Not quite a full smile, but a soft, disarming one that left her agitated. 'I am too fond of you...'
Her gaze was drawn into Twilight's eyes, and there really was so much there to look at. Almost mesmerizing, akin to a mind control spell, yet entirely natural. The calming sensation soothed the anguish she felt, and she welcomed it. But there were more important matters to tend to; there was time for her student later. She fought off the draw and turned back to find Gilda's tail impatiently flicking back and forth. "Pray tell, what help is it you seek?"
Gilda sucked in a breath and puffed out her chest, then answer, "To put it bluntly, Griffinstone is a pile of trash. Most griffin cities are for that matter. That thing-"
"Discord," Twilight corrected, drawing a squint from the griffin.
"Discord," Gilda grumbled, "made things worse."
"Yes, I figured as much," Nightmare commented. 'This is a waste of time! I could be teaching Twilight!' her mind snapped. Her tail coiled and flicked; her wings bristled in anticipation. And the griffin just stood there, holding her wings close like a chick. Jerking her head at an angle, she snapped, "Are you going to elaborate further or continue to waste time?"
The griffin's skin around her beak pulled down and her brow creased. "A lot of homes were destroyed, so there are a lot of griffins who are homeless. As it was, our crops aren't fairing well because of the whole-" Gilda rolled her eyes as the phrase slipped out, "-permanent night thing. Although I suppose it's not that much worse than what it was before..."
"I see," Nightmare commented. "So, from what I am to gather, your kind desire assistance rebuilding and trade for food."
Gilda shrugged and answered with a dismissive, "I guess."
'Well... at the very least this presents opportunities... and I did say we could trade with the Griffins if such problems arose...' Nightmare looked at the wall behind the griffin, just over her head. 'Perhaps... I should not dismiss them so quickly. The Empire was Equestria's enemy... but the griffins are just a shell of an empire now. Trade has its place... and helping them could undermine any attempts to cause problems in the future.'
After all, business was better than war. Why would one rush into a war that sought only destruction when trade would benefit both parties? War only destroyed. Nopony was better off when their loved ones were in danger. Her tail flicked again in agitation, and she looked back down to meet the griffin's gaze. "I believe we can work something out," she offered.
The griffin perked up, her ears twitching ever so slightly. But of course, even with that, all Nightmare received was a dismissive, agitated, "Great."
For a moment, Nightmare continued to watch Gilda, then her eyes slid to the right and her head dipped lower. Twilight wore a small, calm smile. As she looked at her student, Twilight turned to face her, and that smile grew wider. Reassuring. Approving.
Nightmare looked back at Gilda and let her mind wander. 'Knowing the state of the griffins, they will not have much of value to trade... however the griffins did possess great quantities of natural resources so long ago... perhaps they still do, and perhaps they are untapped.' A bit of a smile pulled at her lips. 'That would be beneficial... and perhaps there could be even more benefits in the future.' "Are you authorized to negotiate for these terms?"
Gilda shrugged dismissively and looked at her flatly. "Yeah. I'm sure they'll all be pissed no matter what, but yeah."
Twilight flinched. 'You are... sensitive. Sister sheltered you...' flickered through her mind, pulling the smile from her lips. She tried her best to put it aside, but she still nudged her wing out and touched Twilight's side with her feathers. Twilight's eyes snapped onto her, then jumped back to Gilda, and Gilda cocked her head at an angle like a bird, staring at her wing. Ignoring the attention, she slowly brushed her feathers along Twilight's side, up to her withers, then back down. She folded her wing back to her side.
It really was pleasant, feeling Twilight's coat against her feathers. She smiled. Gilda's head leveled again, and once more, the griffin met her gaze. 'I hold all of the cards here,' she knew, and her smile grew further. The griffins were at a disadvantage: they had no empire and limited infrastructure. Gilda was at a disadvantage: she was young and inexperienced.
It would be so, so simple to take advantage of that. It would be so simple to twist and play the cards she held to obtain the most favorable terms of the deal for herself. It would be so simple to exploit the griffins.
Just like Sister had exploited her.
The smile faded.
"There are details I am going to need to know before we get into further discussions, but I have a few ideas in mind," she declared with a nod. "Population... how many cities, their names, and locations... resources..."
"I don't know," Gilda admitted.
"I am unsurprised," Nightmare acknowledged. "If it is acceptable, I would like to send a contingent of batponies to..." She tilted her head as she thought of the best way to describe it. She settled on, "Assess the situation. And provide assistance."
Gilda squinted at her for a few seconds, then just shrugged. "Fine."
Nightmare smiled. "Good. In the meantime, you are... welcome to stay in the castle as my guest... I will have chambers prepared for your stay."
"Thanks," Gilda replied with the same dismissive tone as normal. "Although I did intend to pay a visit to Ponyville-" Twilight's ears perked up, "-since I have a friend down there."
"Oh, really? Who?" Twilight asked.
"Her name's Rainbow Dash. We were in Flight School together. She was, ah, my only friend. Made it easier to adjust," Gilda answered.
Twilight smiled. "Oh, Rainbow Dash? Huh. She's one of my friends."
Gilda squinted at Twilight. "Right..." was muttered. "You don't seem like the type of pony Rainbow Dash would hang out with." A second passed and Gilda blinked. "Then again," she groaned, reaching back to rub her head with a claw, "she's friends with Fluttershy..."
"You know Fluttershy too?"
"Yeah, she went to Flight School at the same time as Rainbow and me."
'Interesting,' was all that came to Nightmare's mind. That her student's friends knew the 'griffin ambassador' was a curious development. 'Perhaps it is simple coincidence...' After all, it was unlikely Sister could have planned something like this. She shook her head. "We will have to meet again soon, but as for now, my student and I have other matters to attend to. I will have the guards show you to your chambers."
The flash and crack from Nightmare's teleportation spell faded, but in its wake, the world went eerily silent. The wind continued to drift through the trees, rustling the leaves, but the chirping of insects and hooting of owls ceased. The trees surrounding them stretched into the sky, blocking out the stars and the moon, casting the ground in darkness, aside from the light of her horn.
"So... what's the plan?" Twilight asked.
"I do not have a lesson plan worked out, if that is what you are asking," Nightmare answered. She turned her head to the right and looked at her student. The filly's eyes shimmered with eagerness, though her smile was strained. "There are several things I have in mind, however, most important of these is teaching you to teleport."
The eagerness faded as Twilight winced, then scowled. "Right," came out almost bitterly. "Teleporting."
Nightmare frowned and tilted her head. "What is wrong?"
Twilight forced a smile. "I should be able to teleport! I-"
"Yes," Nightmare agreed with a nod. "Yet you can not. You have the magic and skill, this I know."
The forced smile dwindled as Twilight turned her body to face Nightmare. "I do exactly what the books say!"
Nightmare glanced to the left, used her magic, and teleported a book from Twilight's library. She glanced over the title, then looked back at Twilight. "This one, I presume?"
Twilight stared. "Yes. How did you-"
"I located it while you were showering," Nightmare answered.
Twilight blinked, then looked left and right before meeting Nightmare's gaze again. "Oh."
Nightmare inhaled, brought the book close, then opened it. A few turned pages later, and the teleportation spell was laid out for her to read. "You form both matrices, correct?"
"Of course!" Twilight bellowed. "But nothing happens!"
Lowering the book, Nightmare looked at Twilight. "And you are certain you're-"
Twilight scowled. "Of course I'm doing it right!"
Nightmare squinted at her. "I see," she mumbled, then levitated the book back into place. She read through the spell and studied the matrices, but there was nothing wrong. The spell was correct. Her lips parted as it occurred to her, 'It is slightly more efficient than my own...' Not much, but slightly.
Yet still, nothing stood out to her as a reason Twilight wouldn't be able to teleport. If anything, Twilight should have mastered this spell months if not years ago! 'Why can't you teleport?' her mind demanded. She sighed and lowered the book again, shaking her head. "The spell is correct."
"I know that," Twilight grumbled.
Raising an eyebrow, Nightmare pointed out, "Yet you still cannot teleport." That scowl returned to her student's expression and it brought a smirk to her lips. 'That you are relaxed enough to scowl...' In a way, it was wonderful. Yet it was still a sign of her student's distress that she could not ignore. "I am certain we will work this out," she offered.
The scowl remained and Twilight huffed.
"Perhaps attempt the spell so that I may see what you are doing?" Nightmare suggested.
Twilight's scowl slipped away as she sucked in a deep breath and nodded. "Okay."
Nightmare watched as her student's horn flared to life with her brilliant aura, one bright enough to put her own to shame. For a few seconds, she stared, simply watching the magic as it danced around her student's horn. It almost felt like it called to her. Shaking the thought aside, she reached out with her own magic and brushed it against Twilight's. For a moment, Twilight's aura flickered and sparked, then stabilized. "Do not worry," she mumbled.
'So much potential!' her mind shouted, and her heart raced in her chest, leaving her legs and wings trembling. Oh, how potent the filly's magic was! How much she could accomplish now, and how much more she could accomplish when she reached her potential! She could even feel a link between Twilight's magic and the Element of Magic!
It was wonderful. And it was terrifying. 'You have so much magic, and you do not even realize it...' It was nearly on par with Starswirl at his strongest! Or perhaps her memory was twisted, and she already had more magic than her mentor. Her eyes snapped to Twilight's side.
'You could become so much more...' fleetingly drifted through her mind.
She shivered at the thought. Fear, excitement, and anticipation. She swiped her tongue across her lips, then met Twilight's gaze.
"It just surprised me," Twilight replied, entirely oblivious.
A bit of disappointment crept in and strangled the excitement Nightmare felt. Her body stopped trembling. She suppressed a sigh and inclined her head to nod. "Attempt the spell," she directed.
And so Twilight tried, forming both of the matrices. Forming them both so perfectly, as if it was her own instinct: sharp and pristine, without any waste, like something snapping into place. More potent than her own matrices, more complicated in subtle ways, yet almost geometric and inorganic. Instinct and yet rigid and forced, perfectly controlled. She could understand Twilight's matrices, but they were out of her own grasp. But from there, Twilight stopped. She went no further with the spell, simply holding the matrices as if she had no idea what to do. 'Link them!' her mind screamed, but it wasn't to be. And both matrices lingered, just waiting to be activated to complete the spell. Just out of reach.
Twilight stood there awkwardly, so close to completing the spell, yet so oblivious to the mistake. Nightmare felt exasperation welling up inside of her, she felt her mouth parting as her cheeks and brow twisted into a squint. The way her student stood there like a foal so out of place, one missing their mother, left her wanting to scream. It was her student, and her student could teleport!
Yet Twilight didn't.
The spell flickered out, and Twilight scowled yet again. The glow of her horn faded away. "Nothing happens."
Nightmare let out an exasperated groan. "You," she scoffed, "can not be serious." Throwing her head back, she let out an agonized groan. "Please," she pleaded, lowering her head, closing her eyes, and shaking her head in refusal, "tell me you are not serious!"
Nightmare opened her eyes and her fears were realized: Twilight just looked at her with confused bewilderment. 'Why?' her mind asked. 'Why did you not tell her!? And why do you not realize your mistake!?' Her wings fell from her sides, and she didn't care.
Twilight shifted her weight. "Um... am I doing something wrong?" was her quiet question.
Nightmare closed her eyes again, lifted her head up and inhaled. "Yes," she answered simply. She opened her eyes and nodded emphatically. "You are."
Twilight stared at her blankly. A few seconds passed, and Twilight's head drifted to the right. "And... that is..?"
"You're not linking the matrices," Nightmare answered flatly.
Twilight blinked. "What?"
Again, Nightmare answered, "You are not linking the matrices."
Twilight's muzzle scrunched up. "The book doesn't say anything about linking them!" she argued.
'You ignored natural instinct that would have let you teleport in favor of doing exactly what the book said.' It was infuriating. 'To think! This entire time, I could have corrected this problem in but five minutes!' She wanted to scream in anger, but of course, she held it back. Instead, she let out a low growl. "You," she admitted in a low mumble, "are correct."
She hated admitting that. Her eyes snapped onto the book. She had half the mind to incinerate it out of anger, but knowing it was Twilight's book was its only salvation. Instead, she teleported the book back to where it belonged and leveled her gaze on her student. She sucked in a breath and folded her wings back to her sides. "Do you not feel the instinct to link the two matrices?"
Twilight fidgeted on her hooves and tilted her head. "No..?" she drawled curiously.
Nightmare blinked. She must have misheard. "You do not feel the matrices pulling at each other and your magic?"
Twilight just looked at her as if she was crazy and then shook her head.
'You do not feel it? Why would you not feel it? It should be natural! Even more so to you!' Her wings twitched, drooping ever so slightly from her sides. She studied Twilight's features, hoping, foalish as it was, that it was just some kind of joke. But it wasn't to be. 'Although your matrices are much better than the ones in the book and more precise. Perhaps your problem is that they are too precise and controlled?' But she couldn't be sure, because she had no experience with anything like that before. Nightmare flatly said, "You are supposed to link them."
A moment passed while Twilight continued to stare at her, and then Twilight blushed. It caught Nightmare off guard, and a bit of the anger melted away as her eyes jumped down to the reddish coloring. A few seconds passed. "The book doesn't-!"
"It is instinct. It is implied," Nightmare countered, flicking her gaze back to meet Twilight's eyes.
A few more seconds passed in silence. Twilight squirmed back and forth, her eyes jumping everywhere else to avoid Nightmare's gaze. Eventually, with nowhere else to look, Twilight lowered her head and met Nightmare's gaze. "So... I should... link them, then?"
"Yes," was all Nightmare needed to say.
Another second passed. They stared at each other. Twilight's magic wrapped back around her horn, then Nightmare winced as the blinding flash of a teleportation spell erupted from her student's horn. The crack hit next, followed by another flash and crack a few feet to the right of where her student had been.
Twilight stared at her for a second, then smiled. Smiled and beamed and squeaked in delight as she pranced back and forth in circles around Nightmare. And Nightmare felt uncertain as she stared at her student, watching her celebrate in such an innocent, joyful, foal-like manner. "I teleported!" Twilight cried out, jumping into the air and grinning like she had accomplished some insurmountable task.
And it was worth celebrating.
A smile tugged at Nightmare's lips. Even with how frustrated it left her, there was something there for her to take comfort in. Something she could share with Twilight, and so that joy of Twilight's pulled her lips into a smile. 'This,' her mind whispered, 'is almost like my dreams...' She licked her lips and felt that same fondness for Twilight that she did in her dreams when her student was so free from everything that held her down. The success was good for her student; it uplifted her student. And she welcomed it.
Watching Twilight prance around so carefree was pleasing and amusing as well.
Completing another circle, Twilight came to a stop in front of Nightmare, still smiling. They watched each other for a moment, then Twilight closed the distance and wrapped her forelegs around Nightmare's body before laying her head against her neck. "Thank you." And her student meant it, and that meant something to her.
Nightmare held back a content sigh, wrapped her forelegs around Twilight to return the hug, and sheltered her student with her wings. She sat down on her haunches and held her friend close. Twilight nuzzled her. For a moment, the feeling shocked her, making her chest twist in surprise, then she relaxed.
Feeling Twilight's fur rub against her fur felt wonderful. The proximity and joy it brought her weren't rivaled by anything else. It far outdid the joy of defeating her sister, and nothing else came close. 'You,' she knew, 'are my friend.'
Banal, frivolous, and insane as it was, she was still a pony, just like Twilight, and so the nuzzle was wonderful. Having a friend was wonderful; it soothed her soul as it did in her dreams.
Her stomach and chest twisted as the nuzzle drew on. 'Return it,' her mind snapped, making the dread and anxiety grow that much worse. 'Twilight is my friend. She has accomplished something wonderful.' The dread only grew worse. until the thought, 'You are my friend. I can share this with you,' pierced the madness.
Nightmare returned the nuzzle and held Twilight closer. Twilight let out a calm sigh, and she felt herself relax as the fear drifted away. 'Yes... you are my friend. I can trust you... You will not betray me...' She swallowed and brushed her wings down Twilight's back.
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Maybe also raw power overtakes instincts?
Ah, this is just wonderful.I can't wait for the next chapter!
Love the story, love the chapter! I can't wait to see what you're planning for the Griffin Kingdom and also when will the dragons will show up? I want to see Twilight face against a dragon.
Also fyi: Twilight had a hard time teleporting in the premiere. Twilight would have lost to Nightmare Moon if she didn't teleported at the moment that Nightmare Moon was going to hit Twilight. I love what you did with the teleporting spell by having Twilight be too precise due to the book not stating it needs to be linked.
Also I couldn't help but smile at Nightmare's thoughts when she realize that she could have taught Twilight how to teleport in just 5 minutes. More romance please! I want them to kiss!
Ah, Twilight. By the Book, For the Book, Become the Book.
9954150
I did talk about this with at least one of my prereaders, and I think what we ended up figuring out for it to make the most sense was something along the lines of, "Twilight's special talent being magic combining with her nack for perfection causes the spell to not have the organic pull that would otherwise happen."
...Although I must admit I'm more inclined to say it's because she followed the book too closely.
9954267
With how I've written them, the Griffins don't have much of a kingdom... I have also written a dragon encounter, but that's more so Nightmare Moon facing the dragon right now... I do, however, want to write Twilight facing a dragon, but I don't know where that could come into play yet.
...I'm working on the romance. As I joke with myself, "Orion, buddy, there's slow-burn, and then there's whatever it is you're writing." In all seriousness, though, I am working on it. It's just problematic because I have to get both Nightmare Moon and Twilight into the proper place for this to happen, otherwise it can be awkward and have undertones of Stockholm syndrome or Stanford wife syndrome, or just general creepy vibes along the whole, 'you feel in love with the pony who threatened to kill you.' I am getting there, however. There are a few more hurdles I need to address first.
Why didn't you respond to my comment?
9954327
This one?
I don't know how many chapters long the story will be. I've never been very good at estimating how long my stories end up being...
I might have forgotten, or I might have decided not to respond since I don't have an answer for you yet. I apologize if I slighted you by not replying.
Sometimes the more powerful and impressively skilled a person is, the easier it is for them to overlook what others would consider common sense or instincts. What I find amazing though is that its through a lack of said common sense that sometimes the greatest understandings can be found.
People might complain about the pacing, but in terms of prose this story flies by. When you drop a 12k chapter, I bomb through it like it’s 2k.
9955103
I've responded to other comments with the admission that I messed up the pacing regarding how much I dragged out Twilight's freaking out, so I'm trying to improve on the pacing, in general, moving forward. As to whether I'm successful at this or not, I think I am, but of course, I'm biased. My prereader has likely helped with this issue as well. The problem has been that I have enough written ahead that it takes a long time for the feedback to filter into improving how I've written, and I didn't have anyone to slap me and tell me that I went off the deep end with Twilight's insanity until the past few months or so.
The chapters after Deepening Bonds/Help shouldn't be as repetitive, or whatever it is you want to call it. Granted, I could be misremembering.
One day there's a chance I'll come back and edit the story to fix up the pacing/insanity issues...
So we needed 25 chapters for the teacher to start teaching his student.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
9955165
Well, look on the bright side: you did warn us at the beginning it was gonna be a slow-burn.
We all expected something like slowmatch.
We got smoldering punks for a bit, instead.
Things do seem to finally have begun moving towards the fireworks, though!
having finished reading the story in bindge since friday, I am now again out of anything else to read...
so...
I need more!
I demand more! :D
I need to know!
This story is awsome!
9957646
I don't find it problematic that this story is slower developing than others, I quite enjoy this even.
It gives the author the opportunity to punctuate, to underline and to differentiate.
The characters develope slowly, I know, but they develop steadily and understandable.
Some stories are out there, where entire trains of thought are skipped, relationship changes forgotten and or overlooked... I do believe this is not the case here, at the price of having it develop slower.
I am willing to "pay" that price.
9957646
I suppose this is true. On the plus side, I can confirm I am making very good progress, or at the very least, despite being sick right now, I am quite optimistic.
The Minotaurs certainly aren't wrong about the effects, but Nightmare moon denies their effects. Much like her nights on the ponies she blames them rather then her actions.