Grand Galloping Gala Part 2
Their shared hug had lasted for several minutes, and even now as Twilight looked through the crowd out in the courtyard, the hug distracted her. Even with the chill of the night against her fur, she remembered Nightmare's warmth. She could almost feel it lingering on her coat as something that the night couldn't steal away. And so she looked over the crowd almost aimlessly, only partially paying attention to the faces of ponies who drifted through her vision.
She felt reassured and content, and knew Nightmare felt the same.
Rainbow Dash flew passed her. Twilight almost missed it, but her friend's telltale rainbow-wake gave it away. She blinked and turned her head left to watch the pegasus race across the courtyard, stop at a table and grab something she couldn't make out, then race back into the Ballroom. Tracking Rainbow's movements almost gave her whiplash.
'Right, focus,' she told herself. Although focusing probably wouldn't help anything. Whoever she was supposed to meet would find her, not the other way around. That much had been clear. She didn't know anything about whoever she was supposed to meet. Nopony she saw looked like they were acting suspiciously, although she wasn't certain she'd be able to tell anyway. There were still Royal Guards around, and while there wasn't that many of them, it might have still been enough to make the pony who was supposed to meet her more cautious.
Then again, whoever it was that was supposed to contact her should have known that.
'I cannot protect you from them if you follow through with this,' Nightmare's warming repeated in her mind.
She had said she would be fine.
'There is no way for me to know where you are; they would likely detect any enchantments, and there is the distinct possibility that, given you are my student, they will disable your magic.' And there was no way for her to miss the unease in Nightmare's voice when she said as much. Unnatural unease from the alicorn: concern and worry. Something that months ago she couldn't have pictured. The unease left Nightmare almost squirming where she had stood. Uncomfortable. Wanting her not to go, out of fear for her safety.
And it weighed on Twilight's mind. She felt convinced that it would be okay. 'They wouldn't want to hurt me,' she had argued. Besides, she had been Princess Celestia's most faithful student. The 'resistance' probably viewed her as their best chance to get Princess Celestia back.
And regardless of how they thought she could, she was.
She could almost hear Discord's voice in her mind, saying, 'With the Elements of Harmony, you could bring her back.' She could almost feel his lips twist into an unnatural, almost predatory smile crossed with a smirk.
She doubted Discord had been lying about it. After all, simply thinking about it she could reason that, if the Elements of Harmony had banished Nightmare Moon once before, and if they had summoned Discord and then trapped him in stone, then they had to be capable of bringing Princess Celestia back. But how? Would she just know how to use them to free Princess Celestia? When she had used them against Discord, she just somehow knew what to do, but there was nothing there involving Princess Celestia. How would it work?
She looked at the moon. Her lips pressed into a thin line. Was Princess Celestia okay? What was it like, being trapped up there? Did Princess Celestia even know where she was?
The comfort, reassurance, and contentedness of the hug faded as she took in the darkened craters of the moon. The darkened craters that marked Princess Celestia's banishment.
And a single thought tore through her mind: 'Why?'
Why had all of this happened? Why had Luna and Princess Celestia fallen away from each other? What caused Princess Celestia to push Luna away, push her into such a state of hatred that drove her to do what she did? Why didn't they talk? Why didn't they make amends? Why didn't Princess Celestia see? Why didn't Luna ask for help?
Or had Luna asked for help, and Princess Celestia had turned her away?
They were sisters.
She couldn't imagine anything like that happening between her and Shining Armor. The barest consideration of something like that separating them hurt. She swallowed. Her throat was tight.
And how much worse had it been for Luna? And how hard was it for Nightmare Moon to endure that thousand-year banishment? But there was a difference between Nightmare Moon and Celestia's banishment: Nightmare Moon had been consumed by anger, and Princess Celestia was not.
She blinked and found the edges around her eyes chilled more. Lowered her head, went back to looking through the crowd, searching for any familiar faces but not quite paying enough attention to recognize anypony.
'You need to forgive her. You two need to make amends.'
Maybe all Nightmare Moon needed was a friend to show her the way.
She nodded to herself and knew, 'I'm procrastinating.'
Well, standing around awkwardly while she waited for somepony to come talk to her wasn't accomplishing anything. Although social events still weren't something she was used to, even with Pinkie's insistence on a party of some kind almost on a daily basis. Still! She didn't know any of the ponies she saw, and she didn't want to either!
Somepony cleared their throat behind her. She blinked, then turned her head back to see who it was.
"Hey, Twilight," a warm, familiar voice greeted her.
Twilight grinned and spun around. "Shining!" Her brother smiled and pulled her into a hug that she readily returned. His armor wasn't as comfortable to hug as he was, but she tolerated it for a few seconds before pulling away. "I was beginning to think I wasn't going to see you tonight!"
Shining squinted at her. "Didn't you and your friends just get here not even half an hour ago?" His voice was cautious and almost suspicious.
She blushed. "Um, well, yes," she admitted. "So... I guess I shouldn't um, be surprised."
He laughed softly and shook his head. "Though I'll admit I'm kind of surprised it took so long to find you. I thought for sure you'd be with Cadance..." he trailed off and his smile faded.
'I don't like where this is going.' Her smile likewise faded. He didn't voice it, but she knew he wanted an explanation. "I uh..." she trailed off and looked at the ground. "I was visiting Nightmare Moon."
"Cadance said you were going to," Shining acknowledged. His voice had lost its familiar warmth, and in its place, there was worry and concern that made her chest feel tight.
She looked up at him. "I'll be alright," she murmured.
His jaw clenched, then relaxed. He opened his mouth but stopped himself, closed his mouth, and then sighed as he bowed his head. "Yeah," he mumbled neither fully convinced nor fully doubting. "I don't trust her, Twilight. You shouldn't either. I have orders from Princess Celestia to obey her command, but..." Shining shook his head. More firmly than she expected, Shining stated, "She's not Princess Celestia."
Twilight felt her brow fold down. "I know that. But she is Princess Celestia's sister."
Shining winced and leaned his head to the right. "Cadance told me about... about that." He almost sounded disgusted. He shook his head almost angrily. "I can only do so much to protect both of you, Twilight. Nightmare Moon doesn't like me, and I don't like her."
"She likes me, though!" Twilight retorted.
Shining grumbled something under his breath before finally saying, "Mom and Dad are worried about you too."
Twilight winced and turned her head to the left. She looked over the crowd of ponies. Rarity was on the edge of the crowd, talking to some stallions she didn't recognize. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. "I know that..." She turned back to look at her brother. "All of you are."
Shining sighed heavily, then nodded. "And knowing you, you're set on being her student because you want to learn..." he said at length, his voice coming out with a mixture of annoyance, concern, and strained familiar friendliness that felt hollow and forced.
She smiled sheepishly. "Yes. But really, don't worry about me, okay? You saw her when-" and it occurred to her how bad of an example it was, so she winced, "-we were sparring..."
And yes, that had been a terrible example to use. Surely there could have been no worse example, bar when Nightmare Moon first returned.
He looked at her with a pointedly flat expression. "Yes. I did."
"Okay, yes, that was a bad example," she admitted. "But still!"
"I have every reason to be worried about you, and, as your brother-" he closed his eyes and lifted his head up just as pointedly; Twilight rolled her eyes, "-I have every right to be worried about you."
Twilight smiled at him. "She's not that bad once-" and more accurately, if, "-you get to know her." And, of course, if Nightmare Moon gave the opportunity to get to know her, and opened herself up.
Shining turned away from her, his eyebrows jerking up and then falling back as he mumbled, "And she doesn't give anypony else a chance..." His eyes were heavy with worry, and for several seconds, she just watched him. All worried for her, without reason. Or perhaps it was reasonable for him to worry about her. And what else did he have to worry about that she didn't know? He worried about Cadance, he had to worry about the ponies under his command. His friends. His comrades.
But his worry was misplaced. She was sure of it. "You're worrying too much," she said.
And he looked at her in feigned shock. "Twilight? That coming from you? Are you okay? Did she cast a spell on you?"
In Shining Armor's defense, Twilight did recognize, 'Given how terrified I was of Nightmare Moon before, I can see why you would think that.' She smiled sheepishly. But, of course, the thought was silly. Nightmare Moon hadn't cast such a spell on her, and from what she knew of the alicorn, she suspected Nightmare Moon would never do something like that. But it was still a big change. As she thought back on it, she wondered, 'It changed after we defeated Discord, didn't it?' Yes, that seemed correct. Perhaps the Elements of Harmony had something to do with it, but she wasn't sure.
"Of course she didn't," she finally answered.
And, of course, that didn't appease him. "That's exactly what somepony who was under a spell would say."
Twilight, for her part, did the only thing reasonable: she stared at him flatly. "I'm not under a spell. I know she's not Princess Celestia. I know she's not a good pony." Shining Armor's eyebrows twitched down. "But I'm giving her a chance."
Her brother hesitated at that. After a few seconds, he shook his head. "Just promise me you'll be careful?"
Smiling again, Twilight nodded. "I promise." And she would be careful, and he wouldn't have to worry about her. "Have you seen Mom and Dad around?" she asked.
He nodded. "They're around here somewhere. I saw them talking to Cadance earlier."
"I'll keep an eye out for them," Twilight replied.
Shining shifted his weight, then hugged her again. The hug was much stronger than before, meant to be protecting. She laid her head on the armor on his shoulder and let him hug her while she returned it just as eagerly, though not as forcefully. "I know we're both busy, but try to stay in touch, alright? I'd feel a lot better if you did," her brother said.
Twilight nodded, rubbing against his armor in the process. As far as she was concerned, it didn't quite count as a nuzzle. "Okay," she replied.
He squeezed her tighter, then let go and pulled away. "If you need anything, let me know." She nodded. He forced a smile. "I'll uh, see you around I guess."
"Alright." She watched him turn and take a step away. "Oh!" He paused and looked back at her. "My friends and I are going to meet up later and head out to get something to eat. Do you want to join us?"
He smiled apologetically. "I'd love to, but I don't know if I'll be able to. Guard duty and all that."
She took a step towards him, smiling, "Well, you are the Captain of the Guard. I think that you should have some leeway there..."
He rolled his eyes with a warmer, less apologetic smile. "Yeah, I am the Captain of the Guard, and that's why I have to be here. In case anything happens."
"Hmm," she hummed thoughtfully, then smiled playfully. She raised an eyebrow as she playfully suggested, "Maybe Cadance will come and ask you to guard her?"
He blushed faintly and lifted an armored forehoof to cough into. "Maybe," he rushed out.
She giggled happily as her lips pulled all the way up. "I'll be sure to invite Cadance and our parents, then."
"I'll see what I can do," Shining replied with a nod, then turned and walked back off, returning to his patrol.
She watched him for a few seconds, then turned back around. 'Maybe I should go check on my friends,' she wondered. After all, that would be more enjoyable than awkwardly standing around or awkwardly attempting to mingle. Then again, she didn't want to draw her friends into her meeting with whoever it was, assuming it was avoidable.
She looked around again and saw Rarity chatting with those stallions from before, and after a few more seconds, spotted Rainbow hanging out with Soarin and Spitfire. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Spike were nowhere to be seen, but she had some idea where the latter three were.
She briefly wondered why more ponies weren't attempting to talk with her, given that she was one of the ponies responsible for stopping Discord, but she was glad they weren't.
Then again, there were several nobles looking at her with disdain and annoyance. 'Well, I did teleport, so that probably didn't earn me any friends.' She grimaced but put it out of mind, ignoring them as she looked over the crowd again.
If it wasn't for it being night, then she could have easily mistaken it for any other Grand Galloping Gala. Granted, she hadn't paid that much attention, but it seemed like as many ponies were there as before. That said, ponies were unmistakably more cautious and on edge: they huddled closer together than she remembered in the past, and fewer ponies meandered around the castle grounds and garden.
She shook her head and decided to visit Cadance and then Applejack. 'Inviting Cadance to join us after the Gala shouldn't take too long.' Which was good, because the line of ponies gathered to greet her former foalsitter was twice as long as before. She found herself frowning at that, but nonetheless walked over to the end of the line this time instead of cutting in this time.
She watched Cadance talking with a mare at the top of the stairs, nodding her head and smiling, but the smile wasn't as warm as it should have been. It was forced and slightly strained, not joyful like she remembered from her foalhood when they played together.
Or when Cadance teased her brother.
Thinking back on the times they shared together made her smile, and as she thought about it, she found herself missing it. Simpler times. Back when Princess Celestia was her mentor and she studied magic and didn't have to worry about anything but still worried about everything.
She might have blushed; her cheeks felt warm but there was no mirror for her to check.
The line moved at a snail's pace, with each pony in front of her eager to spend as much time chatting with the Princess as they could. It took a solid half-hour, and she was watching the clock on the wall to be certain, before she finally arrived at the top of the stairs. Cadance smiled with relief to see her, and she smiled back. "I promise I won't take as long as everypony else."
Cadance rolled her eyes. "No, please, I insist. Take as long as you need, Twilight."
Twilight stifled a giggle. "I just wanted to invite you to join the girls and me after the Gala for dinner."
Cadance tilted her head a little and looked at her fondly. "I'd love to!" was her happy agreement.
"I invited Shining, but he said he was stuck on guard duty."
A playful glint entered Cadance's eyes, making them sparkle. "Leave him to me," the alicorn nearly sang. Cadance hummed thoughtfully. "Are your parents coming?"
"I plan to invite them but I've not seen them yet," Twilight answered.
"Well if I see them again I'll let them know," Cadance replied.
"Thanks!" Twilight smiled brightly and gave Cadance a hug that was eagerly returned. They parted after a few seconds and she left again. With a glance back, she watched the next pony, this time a mare, step into place, and Cadance's smile immediately grew strained once again.
But Cadance would be fine, so she put it out of mind and trotted back outside. After about a minute, she made her way through the crowd and approached Applejack's stall. The mare smiled at her, but it looked slightly off. "Is everything alright?" she asked.
"I suppose," Applejack replied. "Just not a lot of business is all."
Twilight smiled sheepishly and looked around. The stall was probably not set up in the best spot to attract attention for one; it was in the courtyard quite some distance away from the rest of the tables with refreshments and even further away from the Ballroom. Only a few ponies walked by, leaving it relatively isolated and unnoticed. It also probably didn't help that there were 'fancier' foods available, for free, closer to the gathered ponies. Applejack really probably should have set up somewhere out in Canterlot instead of the courtyard. "Any way I can help?"
Applejack shook her head. "Don't you worry none, Twilight. Although if you want to keep me company, I'd not mind that."
Twilight smiled and trotted around to the other side of the stall.
A few seconds passed with both of them watching the crowd. "This is uh, not quite what I expected," Applejack flatly drawled. "Guess you were right about that."
Twilight turned to face Applejack, who watched the crowd with a look of distress. "Have you ever been to a Gala like this before?"
Applejack's lips pulled up into a grimace and she shook her head. "I can't say that I have. Closest thing's probably been family reunions, which aren't anything like this."
Twilight tossed her head to the right. "Well, it's something of an acquired taste."
"Hmm. I suppose so. Seems right up Rarity's alley, though," Applejack commented.
Twilight nodded. "Yeah. She seems to be enjoying herself from what I've seen. Rainbow Dash too."
"Heh, kinda surprised by that," Applejack said.
Twilight looked at her sheepishly. "Well, she is with the Wonderbolts. Well, two of them anyway."
Applejack squinted at her. "Which two is that again?"
Twilight nudged her head a little higher. "Soarin and Spitfire."
"Ah." Applejack turned back to the crowd. "The two she gushed about for days after the first time she met them..." Applejack drawled. Twilight smiled. Applejack nodded, then sucked in a deep breath and more politely asked, "So how many Galas have you been to before?"
Twilight winced. "Well... I uh, was eight when I attended my first Gala. Being Princess Celestia's student and all that." It was not her best memory, but it wasn't the worst memory either. "It... was not fun. I didn't exactly want to go, since, well, I would rather have been studying..."
She smiled sheepishly as Applejack let out a good-natured chuckle. "Eyup. Sounds like you."
Twilight tossed her head to the side. "Since I was so young I went with my parents, of course. And Princess Celestia." She shifted her weight. "And Cadance. But, well, there were still ponies who wanted to..." 'Take advantage of me to try to get closer to Princess Celestia.' But bringing that up was pointless. "Anyway..." She paused for a moment. "Oh, er, I've technically been to eight Galas now, though some of them I was here for longer than others. I tried to avoid them. I mostly went since Princess Celestia invited me and my parents."
Applejack nodded. "So, I guess you came to this one since Nightmare Moon invited you?"
Twilight smiled sheepishly and nodded. "Yes. Although I'm halfway enjoying it because you're all here. It's not the same as it used to be, but still. Having friends makes it more enjoyable."
"I take it you talked to Nightmare Moon already?"
Twilight nodded. "Yes. I, uh, was with her for a while already."
Applejack nodded again and looked back at the crowd.
'I wish you'd give more ponies a chance.' She frowned.
"Something bothering you?" Applejack asked.
She looked over at Applejack and smiled sheepishly. "A little, I guess."
"If you need to talk about anything, I'm all ears."
Twilight smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Applejack. I think I'll be alright, though."
Applejack nodded once, smiling back at her. "Alright."
Twilight thought about it for a few seconds as she watched Applejack turn back to look at the crowd. 'I might take you up on that offer sometime, but for something else.' After all, Applejack had a little sister. Maybe Applejack could help her figure out how to get Nightmare Moon to forgive Princess Celestia!
'Sweetie Belle is Rarity's sister, so maybe Rarity could help too,' she wondered.
And, well, Rainbow Dash didn't have a sister but Rainbow could probably help. Did Princess Luna really once bear the Element of Loyalty? If that was true, and she didn't think Nightmare Moon had a reason to lie about that, then what did that say about her mentor? She had the suspicion that some of that loyalty was still in Nightmare Moon, somewhere, and with how she had seen Nightmare Moon act, she thought she could see it.
Pinkie Pie could make anypony smile.
And Fluttershy? The softspoken pegasus seemed to be always happy to listen. 'Maybe I should talk to Fluttershy about Nightmare Moon, too.' Yes, that sounded nice. Spending more time with Fluttershy, perhaps a picnic with tea and sandwiches. Just the two of them. And maybe Fluttershy and Nightmare Moon could become friends?
It surprised her how much she enjoyed Fluttershy's company. The pegasus was, of course, an introvert like her. Granted, much more so than she was, and much more nervous, but Fluttershy was good company. A kind and caring pony.
If there were any groups of ponies that could somehow get Nightmare Moon and Princess Celestia to reconcile, it wouldn't be petitioners pleading or rebels fighting. As insane as it was-and it was insane enough that she had to hold in a laugh which made her feel very uncomfortable-she was certain it would be her friends.
'Why,' she couldn't stop herself from wondering, 'does it seem like we're all so important?'
Before she could give it much thought, a mare she vaguely recognized as somepony from Ponyville approached Applejack's stall at a leisurely trot.
"Huh. Well, howdy, Bon Bon! I wasn't expecting to see you here," Applejack called out warmly.
The mare-Bon Bon-had a two-tone mane: pink and blue, while her coat was cream-colored. Her mane was parted in two so that if she had been a unicorn, her horn would have been set right between the two bobs, splitting the pink half of her mane on her right and the blue on the left. Her tail was curled slightly at the end, with two shorter blue sections and a longer pink section.
The earth pony's shoes were a light bluish-silver in color, and her dress loosely hung from her body, swaths of cyan and teal, with a ribbon hanging from her neck, wrapped around the right side of her neck to drape across her back.
"Hello Applejack. Twilight Sparkle," Bon Bon acknowledged in a sweet voice once she stopped in front of the stall. Bon Bon smiled warmly at Applejack, then, for a moment, met Twilight's gaze before looking back at Applejack.
"So, you here with Lyra, then?" Applejack asked.
"Actually no," Bonbon answered, he smile fading slightly, "just me."
"Huh." Applejack nodded once. "So how'd you get a ticket, then? I thought you and Lyra were inseparable."
Bonbon's smile returned. "Oh, I've wanted to come for years, but I never had the opportunity until now!"
Twilight frowned. 'Haven't I seen you here before?' She thought she had, but wasn't sure. 'Maybe I'm misremembering,' she decided.
Bonbon's ears fell flat against her mane and her head bowed low. "I wasn't able to get two tickets for both of us, though..." Bonbon lifted her head back up and winced. "I wasn't going to come, but... Lyra insisted."
"Heh." Applejack smiled. "Well, it's good to see a familiar face 'round here. What can I do for you?"
Bonbon's ears perked back up. "I'd like an apple fritter, please," Bonbon replied. A moment later, the mare turned her head to the right, leaned back and pulled out two bits from somewhere Twilight couldn't see and dropped them on the table.
Applejack pulled out an apple fritter, and Bonbon happily took it and munched on it, chewing it up then swallowing it and licking her lips. "Mmm... this is good!"
Applejack puffed out her chest. "I reckon my family's the best when it comes to making apple fritters and apple pies!" Applejack blinked, then turned her head. "And apple jam..." she added thoughtfully. "Uh, well, probably anything apple-related, really."
Bonbon giggled, then looked at Twilight. "Hey, you grew up in Canterlot, right?"
Twilight nodded as she shifted her weight. "Yes."
"Do you think you could show me around?" Bonbon asked.
"Uh..." Twilight turned to face Applejack, who shrugged casually. She looked back at Bonbon. "I don't know if I should. I uh, should probably stay around the castle and Canterlot is a pretty big city-"
"Oh, we don't have to go far! It'd be silly to expect you to show me the whole city!" Bonbon giggled sweetly. "Just show me around the castle? Or the courtyard?"
Twilight thought about it for a few seconds. 'It's probably fine. I may not know Bonbon but I guess this is an opportunity to get to know her, and that wouldn't hurt. Maybe I can learn more about Ponyville, and maybe this will help ponies in Ponyville get used to me.' Bonbon seemed nice enough. "Sure," she agreed, then turned to face Applejack. "If that's alright with you?"
Applejack nodded. "Go on," was her warm encouragement.
Twilight smiled sheepishly. "We're still on for after the Gala, right?"
Applejack tipped her out-of-place stetson and nodded. "'Course."
Twilight turned and walked out from behind the stall to stand next to Bonbon. "So, where do you want to see first?"
"Oh, I heard there's a lovely garden..." Bonbon answered, sighing wistfully as she looked off at the sky.
'Fluttershy should be there. Maybe we'll run into them.' "Alright."
From her balcony, Nightmare Moon watched, considering the ponies as they mingled and chatted. They looked almost relaxed-at least almost relaxed as nobles could be. Elsewhere in Canterlot, there would be more ponies gathered who had not received invitations to the castle for the Gala. Ponies less noble and more genuine than the ones below who flaunted their supposed wealth, power, and connections.
They didn't care about her, and she didn't care about them. She watched on from her balcony, following Twilight and her friends' movements. More often than not, she couldn't see Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy was elsewhere in the garden. Twilight walked toward the garden with another mare. She studied her student's awkward gait and wondered, 'Do you know her or do you not?' She suspected it was the latter.
Rarity, despite being from Ponyville, fit right in, mingling with a select few ponies who she vaguely recognized.
Applejack was mostly alone at her stall, with very few ponies approaching her. Watching the lone earth pony made her grimace. 'You have taken time to come here for this and you are not fulfilling your intent.' Twilight had been helping Applejack a lot. Perhaps then, Applejack had problems with her orchard that the batponies were not helping with. 'Tending to your trees, undoubtedly.'
Perhaps it was something to keep an eye on. Even if their magic was keeping the trees alive and producing, it took more effort to do so and to harvest them. Prices, then, would likely rise. And so she felt her lips strain further. 'Perhaps more action is necessary.'
Rainbow zipped over the crowd and landed at Applejack's stall. Just a few seconds passed, and then Rainbow flew away carrying an apple pie, leaving Applejack to scoop up the bits on the counter.
'There are things I could be doing, yet I am here watching.' She held in a growl and forced herself to turn around. Walking back into her bedchambers, she felt an edge of worry return to mind: 'I cannot protect you if they attack you.'
For several seconds, she stood still and contemplated returning to the balcony so that she could keep watch. 'I'll be fine,' Twilight was convinced. She inhaled and lowered her head, muttering, "I hope you are correct," to herself.
The thought of them hurting Twilight? It made her chest tighten and made her squirm where she stood. She tossed her head back and then strode into her study in an attempt to escape the thought.
It didn't work.
She wasn't perfect. She wasn't all-powerful. Even though she was an alicorn, she was still just a pony.
She drew in a deep breath, held it for five seconds, then slowly let it back out. The anxiety faded, but what lingered reminded her of a phantom of the dread she had felt when Discord was free.
Dread spurred on by knowing there wasn't anything she could do.
She had made a promise.
And now she had to wait and hope that they didn't hurt Twilight.
She trusted Twilight. She did not trust who the filly was going to meet.
But it wouldn't do to be unprepared, and so her mind churned over the possibilities. Surely it was unlikely they would kill Twilight! If they wanted her sister back, then surely they would not kill Twilight to attempt to attain such a goal! If they wanted to use Twilight as leverage, then perhaps they would threaten to kill Twilight, but it would be a hollow bluff!
She hoped.
No, they wouldn't threaten Twilight. They wouldn't try to use her as leverage. They would not know how much the filly meant to her, only that Twilight had been Sister's student. They had no reason to hurt Twilight or threaten her.
If they did make such a threat, then she would do everything in her power to prevent such a thing from happening.
With two exceptions.
Her gut tightened and her stomach churned. She clenched her eyes shut, lifted her head up, and quickly stamped her right forehoof down on the floor. "Enough!" she hissed. "Worrying over this is pointless!" She opened her eyes. 'Worrying over this will get me nowhere. It is a distraction.'
Yes, whatever would happen would happen, and worrying about it would not change anything. A team of batponies would be ready by now should something go wrong. And of course, if something went wrong, she would intervene. Momentarily, she glanced down at her bare chest and her lips fell into a flat line.
'I will be more prepared if I am wearing my armor,' she knew, and with only a moment's hesitation, she spun around and made her way into her bathroom. In a flourish of magic, she donned her armor, then turned to the mirror to look at her familiar form.
And she found it wanting. The familiar weight almost felt constrictive, rather than protective. She pushed the discomfort aside and strode back out to her bedchambers, then walked out onto her balcony. She stopped at the railing and went back to watching the crowd-
-somepony screamed. A wave of gasps erupted out of the crowd. Ponies jumped to turn towards the Ballroom, and the gasps turned into shrieks. Drinks and plates were dropped, shattering on the ground. Ponies froze.
Her mind raced, her wings flared from her sides as she readied herself to jump off the balcony. She readied her magic and-
BOOM!
The castle shook and her lunge rattled. Everypony screamed.
"We're not exactly hard to spot, you know," Twilight grumbled under her breath. She held her lip in place between her teeth, careful not to press down too much, lest her rapid pace make her bite too much. A few steps ahead of her, Bonbon led her away from the castle.
Bonbon glanced back at her with a flat, dismissive look. "What? Did you expect us to wear cloaks or something? Or did you expect us to ponynap you? Throw you in a bag or something? That's a lot more noticeable and draws a lot more attention than two ponies walking-"
"More like galloping," Twilight mumbled.
"-through the streets, during a celebration." Bonbon turned her head back around to see where she was going. She heard the mare mutter something under her breath, but couldn't make out what. "So no, we're not wearing cloaks since that would be suspicious. Yes, ponies might recognize you and see you going somewhere, but are they really going to suspect anything?"
Twilight huffed. "This would be easier if you'd tell me where we're going and I teleported-"
"Which," Bonbon pointed out, "would draw a lot more attention since only a few unicorns can teleport."
She had half the mind to argue that, no, it would not draw more attention, because she could teleport them somewhere out of sight. Probably.
Fortunately, as she looked around, most ponies ignored them in favor of focusing on their friends. The looks cast their way were passing at best. Fortunately, there just weren't that many ponies out on the streets anyway. Whether that was because of Nightmare Moon and the night or some other reason, she wasn't sure. And as much as she wanted to groan about it, Bonbon was correct: they didn't draw that much attention to them.
Yet the earth pony still continued to sweep her head around in short twitches that she recognized from Midnight as her attempt to make sure they weren't being followed or ambushed, or anything else like that. 'Which is entirely unnecessary.' She wanted to sigh, but instead, just groaned. She half wanted to voice that it wasn't necessary to make sure they weren't being followed, but she could picture how that conversation went and kept it to herself.
It probably wasn't a good idea to admit that she told Nightmare Moon she had agreed to this.
"When you said you wanted me to show you Canterlot, this isn't what I had in mind," Twilight stated flatly. "When you said you wanted to meet with me, this isn't what I had in mind."
Looking back at Twilight over her shoulder, Bonbon dismissed, "Can't be too close to the castle."
"Nightmare Moon can teleport. Distance isn't really-"
"Guards. We'd draw more attention and be more visible. Not really the best idea," Bonbon retorted.
Twilight held in a sigh. 'It's for a good reason,' she told herself. "Then why are we doing this in Canterlot? Why didn't you approach me in Ponyville?"
Bonbon looked back at her. "We're going to be meeting somepony who doesn't have a good reason to visit Ponyville, so it would be suspicious."
She grimaced and looked away from Bonbon. 'You're too paranoid. Then again, maybe you're not. If you're trying to overthrow Nightmare Moon, maybe you can't be too paranoid.' She tried to ignore it.
Besides, it was almost slightly exciting! But not really. Compared to venturing into the Everfree Forest to fight Nightmare Moon, compared to stopping Discord, and compared to sparring with Nightmare Moon? It was rather tame, and yet the anticipation and curiosity brought her to feel excited.
How long had they been trotting for? Fifteen minutes, probably. Without any stops or breaks. Compared to sparring with Nightmare Moon this was a vacation, but still. It was starting to frustrate her, even more so since she was certain Bonbon had led her in circles more than once. Add in the fact that the dress she wore wasn't meant for galloping in, and well, it wasn't fun.
They trotted passed a plaza, then passed a park that reminded her of one of the parks in Ponyville. Tall trees, short grass, and vibrant flowers, all so soft in the light of the moon. Dozens of ponies gathered in the park, both young and old, some wearing dresses and suits while most wore nothing. Tables were set, covered in tablecloths, food, and drinks. Foals ran and played, laughing together while their parents talked together, keeping an ever-present watchful eye over their young.
Had it been day, she was certain the foals would have roamed further from their parents. Had it been day, she was certain the parents wouldn't have kept such close watch of their foals.
She grimaced as a building blocked her sight. She looked back at Bonbon. "So, do you want to tell me-"
"When we get there," Bonbon stated. "I don't want to risk being overheard."
Twilight turned left and right. Nopony paid attention to the two of them. Nopony was close enough to overhear their whispers. She looked back at Bonbon. 'Right.' "Are we at least close?"
Bonbon stopped and swiveled to the right. With a sideways glance at Twilight, Bonbon said, "Yes." With that, Bonbon looked at the building she stopped in front of and walked up the short path to the door.
Twilight shifted her weight, then followed behind Bonbon, studying the mansion. Like the rest of Canterlot, the building was built primarily of marble. There was a single step up to the porch, and on both sides of the elegant, arched double door, there were hooks from which lanterns burned. At the right end of the building was a roughly square area walled in by a marble wall a head taller than most ponies. Evenly spaced, tall arched windows broke the exterior, each one with curtains drawn to block the view inside, and the mansion was encircled by colorful flowerbeds.
Bonbon climbed onto the porch and stopped at the door, then knocked: three times in quick succession, a short pause, then twice more, followed by another pause, and then a final three quick taps. Twilight was almost convinced she heard several locks unclick while latches slid back, and then it stopped. A moment passed as she climbed onto the porch, and then the left half of the door cracked open. No light came from inside, but the lanterns outside the door gave enough light that she saw somepony's eye in the gap.
She shifted her weight as the eye blinked, looked at her, then back at Bonbon, then pulled away. The door swung open more. Bonbon jerked her head left and right, then calmly walked inside. "Quickly!" somepony's hushed voice called from inside. It sounded like a mare.
Twilight couldn't help but think, 'This is ridiculous.' Nonetheless, she obliged and followed Bonbon inside. Once her dress was all the way inside, the door slammed shut and several locks and latches clicked. And so she stood there in the darkness, looking around and trying to make out her surroundings. But like the moonless night, there wasn't enough light to see. Perhaps a hallway, but she couldn't be certain if she was seeing the outlines of the walls or imagining it.
"Were you followed?" the same voice from before asked.
"No," Bonbon answered dismissively.
"Good!" the hushed voice called out. "Twilight Sparkle?"
Twilight perked up and turned to the source of the sound. Through the darkness, she thought she could make out the outline of a horn: the pony stood much taller than her, albeit not as tall as Cadance. "Yes?"
"It's nice to finally meet you. I wish it were under better circumstances, but I suppose it can't be helped." Unhushed, the voice was definitely that of a mare. There was a hint of an accent she couldn't place, and the voice had a refined elegance like Rarity's, but more prominent, and almost musical.
"Uh, I didn't catch your name," Twilight replied.
"Fleur," the mare answered.
Twilight didn't recognize the name. "Okay."
A moment later, the unicorn's horn glowed to life with a pale yellow aura that gave off just enough light for Twilight to make out her surroundings. The hallway she was in had two side rooms, and along the walls were pictures that she couldn't quite make out, aside from the decorative, golden-trimmed frames.
Turning her attention back to the unicorn, she found Fleur's coat was white while her bangs were long and graceful, dull pink in color with two soft white stripes matching her coat, while her mane draped over the back of her neck was mostly white, with dull pink stripes along the outside edge. Her purple eyes were softer than most nobles she had seen, and likewise, the mare was taller than almost everypony, with a few notable exceptions. Her build was slender and sleek, graceful as if she should have taken the front page of magazines.
"So, um," Twilight ventured, shifting her weight on her hooves, "are we just going to stay here, or-"
Fleur shook her head. "Come," was her coax, and with that, Fleur turned back and walked to the end of the hallway, then turned right and opened a door. Twilight and Bonbon went inside the room, and Fleur closed the door behind them.
Twilight looked around the dimly lit room. There was a single window blocked by curtains, and a long wooden table was centered in the room, its glossy surface shining under the glow of Fleur's magic. The surface was inlaid with lighter colored wood, pressed into elegant swirls that served as stems to flowers and leaves. In the center of the table was a tray with a teapot and three cups.
"It's just going to be the three of us tonight," Fleur said as she pulled out a chair on the other side of the table to sit down in.
Bonbon likewise walked around and sat down beside Fleur, so Twilight gradually walked to the table and pulled out the chair across from Fleur while the unicorn poured three cups of tea and distributed them. Twilight sat down. "So..."
Fleur took a sip of her tea, then set the cup back down. To Twilight's surprise, Bonbon cleared her throat, then spoke, "We need your help."
Twilight inclined her head as she looked at Bonbon. That was how they wanted to start? By stating the obvious!? She held back a sigh. "Your letter said that much," she flatly acknowledged.
Bonbon shifted her weight. "Er, right. Regardless, thank you for agreeing to meet with us."
So far, she was not impressed.
She glanced at her teacup, lifted it up in her magic and brought it under her nose to smell it. She didn't recognize it, so she lifted her head back up and took a small sip to sample it. A bit on the sweet side for her liking, and a little heavy, but palatable. "Other than the obvious," Twilight acknowledged as she set the cup of tea back down on the table, leaving her horn lit, "what exactly do you want me to do?"
Fleur and Bonbon shared a glance and their lips pulled into strained lines. "It's no secret that you stopped Discord."
Twilight nodded and voiced, "My friends helped." More firmly, "I couldn't have done it without them."
Fleur sat back and levitated her teacup up to her lips and took a small sip. For a few seconds, the mare held the teacup just under her lips, then she set it back down on the table. "Nightmare Moon honored your friends and yourself for defeating Discord."
Twilight shifted her weight as both mares look at her with contemplative and expressions that almost looked suspicious. "Yes, she did..." she admitted.
"She called you her friend," Bonbon said.
And for a few seconds, Twilight sat in silence, feeling anxiety bubble up in her chest, feeling her hooves grow cold, feeling her muscles tighten. They didn't look at her accusatory, but that didn't stop her from being nervous. She swallowed, looked down at her teacup, then slowly levitated it up, took a small sip, and set it back down. 'What can I say to that?' How did she respond to that? Would they turn against her if she told them that they were? Admitting that was stupid. She took a deep breath, inclined her head, and said, "She trusts me."
Because Nightmare Moon did trust her, and so it was the truth.
"Besides, you already knew that when you contacted me," she said.
Fleur and Bonbon shared a look, and Fleur closed her eyes and nodded sympathetically.
"This could work in our favor," Bonbon commented.
Fleur opened her eyes and turned to face Bonbon. "If she agrees to help us," was pointed out. "It's still risky."
Bonbon groaned. "No matter what, it's going to be risky."
Fleur waited a moment, nodded, then breathed in and turned back to face Twilight. "We need your help to dethrone Nightmare Moon."
Twilight grimaced and looked off to the side. 'Well, that was another given.' She turned back to look at Fleur, then glanced at Bonbon before facing Fleur again. "Look. I don't know if I can help you," she said. Her grimace grew more pronounced and she sat up straighter. "I don't even know anything about you. How do I know that this isn't some kind of trick?"
Other than the obvious, 'Nightmare Moon isn't testing my loyalty.'
Bonbon's head twitched to the side. "Right. I guess you wouldn't have a reason to trust us. I'm guessing you wouldn't want to jeopardize being Nightmare Moon's student, considering she defeated Princess Celestia-" Twilight winced, "-and did... something with her."
'Something?' Twilight wondered. 'You don't think she banished her?'
The two mares shared a grimace. "What do you think?" Fleur asked.
"She is Princess Celestia's protege," Bonbon replied. The mare turned back to face Twilight. "I work for Princess Celestia," Bonbon said. "I've worked for her for several years. Indirectly."
Twilight raised an eyebrow. Maybe Bonbon could have worked for Princess Celestia, but she didn't exactly trust that claim. Sure, Bonbon looked about Cadance's age, but still. 'Wait, was that why I recognized you?' "Doing what, exactly?"
Bonbon tossed her head to the side. "Dealing with monsters. Cockatrices, manticores-" Bonbon grimaced, "-bugbears..." the grimaced faded as Bonbon shook her head and looked back at her. "Those sorts of things, among others that I can't say."
Inclining her head, Twilight asked, "On your own?"
Bonbon shook her head. "No, I had help."
"Who?" Twilight asked.
Bonbon winced for a moment. "I can't say." Then Bonbon nodded once. "And with that said, it's better not to tell you the full extent of what we have. Right now, anyway. We're not ready to act."
Twilight grimaced. "Compartmentalization..?" she ventured. Bonbon nodded. "In case somepony gets caught, they won't be able to out everypony..." 'That's smart, and that could be a problem.'
"Exactly," Bonbon said. "Once we're in a better position, we might have to drop it in order to coordinate."
Coordinate stuck out in her mind. "To do what, exactly?"
"Overthrow Nightmare Moon," Bonbon answered. "Which should be obvious."
Twilight jerked her head slightly, "Other than that," she specified. "What exactly are you planning?"
"If we destabilize her rule enough, she should be vulnerable. Of course, there's the risk of causing more damage to Equestria if we do that. We're still working out the details, and we're still trying to figure out what exactly to do," Bonbon said. With a sigh and a shake of her head, she continued, "This would be a lot easier if Princess Celestia left instructions. Or if she actually told us this was going to happen."
"So your goal is to dethrone Nightmare Moon and bring Princess Celestia back," Twilight summarized.
Bonbon bobbed her head. "Yes. Alternatively, if we can't rescue Princess Celestia, overthrow Nightmare Moon and replace her with Princess Cadance. Hopefully she can handle the sun and moon, but if she can't, we'll have to figure something else out."
'Would Cadance be able to do that?' She wanted to say yes, but at the same time, she had no idea. That wasn't something that was ever brought up. 'Do you even know how to move the sun and moon?'
She shook her head; there were more questions to be asked. "How?" Twilight pressed. "How do you plan on defeating Nightmare Moon if Nightmare Moon defeated Princess Celestia? And then how do you plan on bringing Princess Celestia back? Or are you planning to free Princess Celestia first?"
Bonbon looked away from her, grimacing. "We're still working on that." Reluctantly turning back to face her, Bonbon looked her in the eyes. "We have access to the Royal Archives, so we're trying to find spells or artifacts that can help. We're also looking for any information about how unicorns used to move the sun and moon before Princess Celestia took over." She frowned slightly at that; it wasn't common knowledge. "But, like you said, defeating Nightmare Moon isn't going to be easy. It'd be a lot easier if we had somepony with your magic potential on our side."
Fleur nodded once and emphasized, "And somepony she trusts."
Twilight felt her lips press together into a line. Rather than feeling cold, angry, or annoyed, she felt disappointed. And oddly enough, at ease. 'You have access to the Royal Archives?' In theory, that wouldn't be too difficult for them. There were more ponies who had access to the Royal Archives than she could name, but the list was still manageable. But more worryingly, "What about the Forbidden Section?"
Bonbon's brow twitched, then she glanced at Fleur before looking back at Twilight. "It's better if we don't say."
'You do, don't you?' That list was much shorter. There was a reason it was forbidden: the knowledge was dangerous. Spells and artifacts, and even her knowledge of what all was in the Forbidden Section was limited to that. Princess Celestia had not discussed it further, only saying that she wasn't ready for it, probably because of her age. 'Would Nightmare Moon let me have access to the Forbidden Section?' she wondered. But it was something to think about later. "Do you have any more concrete plans?"
"We're not at liberty to say right now," Fleur answered.
She grimaced.
"It will probably be a few months before we're ready to do anything," Bonbon commented.
Twilight grimaced. 'Well, at least we have time to figure something out.' Because it seemed like the 'resistance' was going to be a problem.
Maybe.
Whose side was she even on? She wanted Princess Celestia freed! But not at the cost of Nightmare Moon. They were meant to rule together. She looked down at the table as she thought about it. 'We should be on the same side, but I'm also not just going to betray Nightmare Moon.'
Because it would be wrong.
"Will you help us?" Fleur asked, her voice a soft murmur, a soft plea.
Twilight lifted her eyes up and looked at the mare. Without agreeing, she asked, "What do you want me to do?"
Bonbon spoke, "You said she trusts you." Twilight looked at her. "You're her student, so you're close to her, right?" Twilight nodded. "Then you can be a lot of help to us."
And that idea left her uncomfortable. "Doing what, exactly?"
"If she trusts you, then maybe you can use that trust to gather information that could help us out a lot," Fleur said.
Twilight's lips twisted into a grimace. It wasn't actually a problem, but it was a flaw she felt like pointing out. "She could find out it was me."
"We can make sure she can't hurt you if she finds out," Bonbon offered. "Your parents and your friends, too."
She seriously doubted that. "And what about Cadance? What about my brother?"
"Princess Cadance would be a lot of help if she would help us, but we can't approach her without problems. You can. The same with your brother," Fleur continued.
"Cadance is being watched by Nightmare Moon," she said.
Bonbon and Fleur shared a look. "That's what we were afraid of. That complicates things," Fleur murmured.
"We were hoping you could talk to Cadance and coordinate with her. Act as a go-between for us since we can't talk to her directly," Bonbon said. "But if Nightmare Moon is watching her, we're going to have to figure out something else."
"What about your brother? Is Nightmare Moon watching him?" Fleur asked.
She tilted her head to the side. "Not... exactly. They're not on the best of terms, which is probably obvious... Nightmare Moon doesn't trust him but keeps him around."
"Do you think you can talk to him for us?" Fleur asked. "If the Royal Guard can help us, that's all the better. It'll make dethroning Nightmare Moon much easier. The batponies outnumber the Royal Guard, but the Royal Guard have unicorns. At the very least, they could make all the difference when the time comes. Getting the Royal Guard involved is a big risk..."
Bonbon nodded in agreement. "If you can talk to your brother, maybe find out from him how the Royal Guard feels about Nightmare Moon and... discretely ask if they would help us if something were to happen, that would help us out a lot."
"Knowing where the Royal Guard stands will make it easier for us to overthrow Nightmare Moon, aside from the batponies," Fleur murmured.
Twilight inhaled, then licked her lips. "So, you're wanting me to gather information, basically?"
Bonbon nodded, but specified, "Yes. When we're closer to being ready to act having somepony who was Princess Celestia's protege on our side would help a lot. Especially if it's somepony Nightmare Moon trusts. So would having another alicorn, and of course, the Royal Guard."
Twilight grimaced and turned to face the wall. "And what about when you're ready to act? What do you want me to do then?" She turned back to face the two of them. Fleur lifted her teacup to take a small drink.
"That depends on what we figure out, and what you're willing and able to do," Bonbon answered.
Twilight thought about it for a while before licking her lips and saying, "You know this is risky, right?"
Bonbon snorted. "Of course it's risky, but what's the alternative? Wait for Nightmare Moon to destroy Equestria? Wait until nopony remembers Princess Celestia? We can't wait that long."
Twilight turned back to face Bonbon. "Ponies will get hurt."
"We know," Fleur said, "but ponies are already being hurt."
Twilight frowned. "How?"
The two mares shared a grimace, then Bonbon straightened and breathed in deep. "Manehattan, for example. Ponies were rounded up and imprisoned."
She shook her head. "I was there, it wasn't that bad-"
"Monsters are attacking ponies in villages near forests. Killing them," Bonbon added. "I've seen it and its not pretty. The batponies can't be everywhere. It's only a matter of time before the lack of sunlight causes food shortages. Earth ponies are having to expend a lot more effort, and maybe it's fine for now, but for how long?"
She pursed her lips and gradually turned her head to the right at a slight angle. "Nightmare Moon said that her magic would be enough to sustain-"
Bonbon raised an eyebrow. "And you believed her?"
'Yes,' but she didn't say anything.
Bonbon frowned. "You're smarter than that, Twilight."
She grimaced and turned her head the rest of the way to the right to look at the wall.
"Do I need to bring up the weather? Cloudsdale?" Bonbon asked. She looked back at her but said nothing. And realizing she wasn't going to say anything, Bonbon said, "It's just a matter of time before things get worse."
Twilight sighed.
"I don't think I need to bring up the dragons," Bonbon said.
Twilight winced. 'No, you really don't.'
"Have you been out in Canterlot recently?" Fleur asked softly.
Twilight looked at her and weakly nodded.
"Then you've seen the way ponies act. You've seen the businesses suffering. Fancy Pants told me how bad things are looking. Nopony really wants to admit it, but it's bad. Businesses are closing. Ponies are losing their jobs. He expects things to get worse."
She grimaced. 'The economic problems you've mentioned.' How bad would it really get? Was Nightmare Moon blind to it?
"If that happens, then ponies are going to lose more hope than they already have. And when that happens, things are going to get a lot worse," Bonbon said. "The griffins are proof enough of that."
"There's also the disappearances," Bonbon added.
Twilight frowned. "What disappearances?"
Bonbon tossed her head to the side. "A pony goes missing here, and there, sometimes it's not noticed for a while..." Bonbon leveled her head at her again. "And no, they're not on vacation and for the most part, nopony has seen them since."
'You're not behind that, are you?' Would Nightmare Moon have told her about that? Maybe not, but she thought that Nightmare Moon would have asked her advice on it. She remembered Nightmare Moon considering making ponies disappear back in Manehattan, but the alicorn had quickly backed down. "I don't... I don't think she's behind that."
Bonbon frowned. "Who else?"
"I don't know, but that... that's not really something she'd do," she answered.
Bonbon and Fleur looked at each other, then back at her. "She may trust you, Twilight, but I doubt she tells you everything."
She grimaced. 'You're right about that, but I don't think she's behind the disappearances.'
"Did you know Nightmare Moon was going to return?" Fleur asked.
"Kind of..." she admitted.
"Princess Celestia told you?" Bonbon hastily asked. "But-"
"No. I uh, read it in a book." Both Bonbon and Fleur blinked, though the latter frowned.
"What book?" Fleur asked.
"Predictions and Prophecies?" she offered.
Neither mare recognized the name. "And Princess Celestia didn't tell you anything?" Fleur asked.
She tossed her head to the side. "Well, the last letter I got from her told me to go to Ponyville to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration and make some friends, but otherwise no, not really."
"And Ponyville was the first place where Nightmare Moon was seen," Bonbon commented.
She hesitated, then nodded in agreement.
"And you and your friends defeated Discord," Bonbon added.
She wasn't sure she liked where Bonbon was going.
"That was another thing we wanted to ask," Fleur said. "You said that you and your friends defeated Discord, and Nightmare Moon honored you for that. How is it that you and your friends were able to stop Discord where Nightmare Moon and Princess Cadance couldn't? We know that both of them tried and failed to stop Discord when he was free."
She was going to regret this. Still, she didn't have much of a choice, so she sucked in a deep breath, then asked, "Do you know about the Elements of Harmony?" They both looked confused. She shifted her weight. 'I shouldn't tell them this.' But since she brought it up, she didn't have a choice now. "It's what we used to defeat Discord."
"If they stopped Discord, they can stop Nightmare Moon?"
She wasn't sure if Bonbon was asking or saying that. She nodded, remembering, 'It's how Princess Celestia stopped you before.' "They can. The problem is that Nightmare Moon has them."
Bonbon grimaced and Fleur frowned. "It seems unlikely they will be easy to get, then," Bonbon mused.
She nodded tersely. "Yes."
"What about Princess Cadance? Did Princess Celestia tell her anything?" Fleur asked.
She slowly shook her head. "No. Cadance knew about Nightmare Moon, but that's it."
Fleur grimaced and Bonbon grunted.
"We know we're asking a lot of you, Twilight," Fleur murmured, "but you and your friends defeated Discord. With you on our side, we should be able to dethrone Nightmare Moon and rescue Princess Celestia." And Fleur looked at her almost pleadingly, her eyes glistening from the glow of their horns. "And then everything will get better."
"We need you," Fleur murmured.
"Equestria needs you," Bonbon said. "Princess Celestia needs you."
'I know she does.' Twilight felt her ears pin back, pressing her mane down. "I need some time to think," she said in a quiet voice. Of course, she still knew it was just procrastinating, but it wasn’t technically lying, was it? She did need to think. She also needed to talk to Nightmare Moon about it. She just did not specify that particular part. And yet she still suspected, 'You're going to want me to agree, aren't you?'
Because then Nightmare Moon would have somepony she trusted inside of this 'resistance.' And really, 'joining' them was probably a good idea. She might be able to convince them not to do anything stupid! She hoped. 'Oh, this is going to come back and bite me in the flank, isn't it?'
But that was a problem for another time.
"Of course," Fleur said. "We will contact you eventually for another meeting once we have more worked out. For right now, you don't need to do anything, unless you want to go ahead and ask your brother where the Royal Guard would stand."
"It's probably best that we don't see each other too much," Bonbon added, then shook her head. The mare stood from her chair. "Thank you again for meeting with us. I wish it was under better circumstances."
"I do too," Twilight said.
Bonbon nodded. "We've been gone a while. I might not be missed, but I'd imagine you would. You should probably head back to the castle before Nightmare Moon realizes you're gone."
She gradually rose from her chair. "What about you two?"
"We need to talk," Bonbon said.
As soon as had Twilight reached the gates to the castle courtyard, she stopped and gawked.
Everywhere she looked, tables were overturned, glass was shattered, and drinks and food were strewn about. Servants-mostly unicorns-were attempting to sweep up the debris, while Royal Guards ran about chasing down rabbits and birds. Aside from the Royal Guards and servants, she didn't see anypony else. None of the nobles from earlier, and none of her friends.
"What exactly happened here!?" Twilight demanded in exasperation. Of course, nopony was there to answer her question. The gate was unguarded, as the Royal Guards seemed to be preoccupied.
And for a brief moment, she considered that, perhaps, the resistance had tried something in her absence. The lack of blood on the ground, however, appeased that worry. So no, probably not an attack then. The general chaos reminded her of Manehattan. She didn't quite worry that Discord had escaped and done something, but only because if Discord had escaped again the chaos he would have caused would have been far worse.
She shifted her weight and looked towards Nightmare Moon's balcony; it was empty, but everypony else was busy. Granted, Nightmare Moon stood a good chance of being busy too, if this had happened, but she still needed to talk with Nightmare Moon. And find her friends.
She channeled her magic into her horn and cast her teleportation spell, and a moment later, the double image snapped away to reveal Nightmare Moon's bedchambers. Seemingly empty, though she heard a chime of magic from the study, which went silent not a moment later. She turned around and listened to hoofsteps approach, then saw the alicorn walk through the doorway. And she felt disappointed enough that her ears might have folded back, because Nightmare Moon once again wore her armor. Nightmare's ears twitched slightly.
And then she was worried. "What-what happened?" she asked as she took a step closer.
And Nightmare rolled her eyes, tossing her head to the right with a mix of annoyance, exasperation, and an almost careless lack of concern. "Let us just say the Gala went as expected, though ended..." Nightmare trailed off, leveling her head and then bobbing it side to side before settling on, "how it was expected, but not from what I expected."
"What?" was all she had to ask.
Shaking her head, Nightmare walked over to her. "We are still trying to figure out entirely what happened, but it goes something along the lines of..." Nightmare Moon trailed off and squinted, then lifted her head as she breathed in. "Actually, I imagine you do not want to know. The short version is that your friends happened."
Unease welled up inside her, twisting into a knot in her chest and gut. "A-are they okay? Is everypony okay? Did anypony get hurt? Where are they!?" she blabbered out as quickly as she could, then finished with biting her lip.
Nightmare grimaced. "To my knowledge, there were only minor injuries. I believe Rarity would argue against that," Nightmare dropped her head low, turning to the left, "since she is willing to consider the ruined dresses casualties." Twilight shifted her weight and Nightmare looked back at her again. "They are all fine. To my knowledge, they left to go eat and, perhaps with luck, draw less attention to themselves."
"Um, are you angry? At them?" Twilight asked, her voice high-pitched and sharp with worry.
Nightmare frowned. "In truth? No," was the surprisingly calm answer. "I expected tonight to be a disaster of some sort. Granted," Nightmare nodded once, "I did not anticipate this being the reason why."
Twilight looked away from Nightmare and stood there, feeling awkward from not knowing what to say.
"How did... your meeting go?" Nightmare cautiously ventured.
Twilight winced as she turned back to face the alicorn. "Right. That," she muttered, making Nightmare tilt her head. She forced a smile and looked up at Nightmare, taking in a deep breath before saying, "Uh, well enough..." Her voice sounded high-pitched. Nightmare tilted her head and lifted an eyebrow. Twilight sighed and rolled her head side to side. "They wanted me to help them." And pausing for a moment, she realized Nightmare Moon probably knew as might. "Right, they asked me to join them."
"And did you agree?" came Nightmare's calm question.
"I told them I needed time to think about it," Twilight admitted. She smiled sheepishly at the alicorn. "And I wanted to talk with you about it, but, obviously, I didn't mention that last part."
"Of course," Nightmare agreed.
A few seconds passed in silence. Twilight shifted her weight. "Right, um... do you want me to?"
Nightmare inclined her head. "While I see the benefits of this, I will not force you to because it has risks."
Twilight grimaced and turned away from her. "Yes... risks."
Nightmare stepped closer and reached out with her wing, then brushed her feather along Twilight's cheek. Twilight turned back to look up at her mentor.
"I think I should do it," Twilight said.
"But you do not want to," Nightmare summarized.
Twilight grimaced. "It's not that, it's just... complicated."
"I see," Nightmare replied. "If you need time to think about it then I will not press you for a decision."
Twilight frowned. "And you're okay with this?"
Nightmare tilted her head and folded her wing back to her side. "Of course." Straightening her head, "Why would I not be?"
Twilight blinked once. "Because I'm telling you that a resistance group that wants to dethrone you and rescue your sister wants me to join them so that I can help them achieve their goals," she explained in a flat monotone.
Nightmare's lip twitched up for a moment. "As I have said, I trust you, and you infiltrating this group would be beneficial."
Twilight looked down at the crescent moon in the alicorn's chestplate. "Right," she muttered.
Nightmare breathed in. "So, what did they have to say?"
"Well-" Twilight looked up to meet Nightmare's calm gaze, "-they're compartmentalized and have access to the Royal Archives. They're looking for any spells or artifacts that they can use against you, and they're looking for anything that could help with bringing the sun back." Nightmare's brow twitched down. "I asked about the Forbidden Section but they didn't give an answer. I think they do but I could be wrong." Nightmare frowned but said nothing. "They wanted me to talk to Cadance but I told them you're watching her, and they wanted me to ask my brother if the Royal Guard would help them if they tried something. I don't think they have any immediate plans, other than-" she winced and broke eye contact, "-gathering support and trying to find a way to rescue Princess-" she caught herself and her head jerked. Nervously, she looked up at Nightmare.
"You... may speak her name," Nightmare said at length.
Twilight shifted her weight. "Um, your sister," she finished. Nightmare didn't react. "They're trying to figure out how to dethrone you, but they seem to want to try to weaken you before they act."
"I see," Nightmare said. After a moment, Nightmare walked towards the balcony. Twilight hesitated a moment, then followed behind her. Nightmare stopped at the railing, and Twilight sat down beside the alicorn at her right. The alicorn looked aside at her, opened her mouth halfway but didn't say anything. After a moment of hesitation, Nightmare closed her mouth and sat down beside Twilight. And then Nightmare went back to looking out over the courtyard.
"They also seem to think that your magic won't be enough to sustain crops, that you're rounding up ponies and imprisoning them, and making ponies disappear."
Nightmare Moon didn't say anything, rather the alicorn silently contemplated something.
"And, um... unfortunately, they kind of know about the Elements of Harmony because I told them." Twilight waited several seconds, expecting Nightmare to say or something, but it didn't happen. "Are you doing okay? I was expecting you to ask more questions."
Nightmare nodded. "I am... distracted, but otherwise fine." Twilight watched her mentor turn her head to look down at her; Nightmare's lips were parted halfway, showing that familiar hesitation that didn't fit the alicorn. "I am glad that you are unharmed."
Twilight smiled a little. "I told you I'd be fine."
Nightmare turned away from her and nodded once. "So you did," was her admission.
Twilight's smile faded away. "You don't seem like you're fine."
Nightmare Moon bowed her head. "I do not wish to discuss it." Twilight waited a few seconds, then looked out over the courtyard. Several ponies worked on cleaning up the mess. She made the mistake of looking for Applejack's stand and found it ruined. She felt guilty about it, even knowing there probably wasn't anything she could have done.
She heard the chime of Nightmare's magic and saw the glow. When she turned to face her mentor, she watched the alicorn levitate her helmet off, then teleport it away. A moment later, Nightmare bowed her head lower, looked at her chestplate, then simply teleported the rest of her armor away and let the glow of her horn fade. And then Nightmare lifted her head back, holding it higher than before as she gazed out at the stars.
And for a while, Twilight watched her. Nightmare Moon was not bound in chains by her armor, but neither was she free. A certain weight lingered in her features as she looked at the stars. Disappointment. Her mane billowed behind her head, yet it was not graceful like Princess Luna's had been in her dream, rather, it looked somehow tainted. Roiling with power and agitated. Neither graceful nor serene.
She eventually looked away from her mentor and let her gaze wander around the courtyard below. She glanced over Ponyville, so far away, just barely visible from lights. She looked over at her tower, reminiscing on days and nights past. Looked at the garden, contemplating Discord.
Nightmare's voice eventually broke the stillness, saying, "This is peaceful."
She looked back at Nightmare and found the alicorn looking at her, studying her. She nodded in agreement. "It is."
Nightmare met her gaze for a moment, then looked at her mane. "I would... enjoy doing this more often."
Twilight smiled. "We can," she offered.
The corners of Nightmare's lips twitched up, but then it was gone. "I would like that." And then Nightmare turned away from her, lowering her head once again. The alicorn's eyes jumped back and forth. She saw Nightmare's chest deflate and almost thought she heard her sigh. "But you made other plans," Nightmare said, turning back to face her again. "I believe your friends are waiting for you."
Twilight felt her brow and lips pull down. "Come with me," she said.
Nightmare immediately looked away and shook her head. "They would not welcome me."
And it was a fact that both of them knew.
Nightmare turned back to face her and inclined her head once. "Go. Be with your friends."
She hesitated as she looked into Nightmare's eyes, but gradually nodded before breaking eye contact. She slowly stood back up and channeled her magic into her horn, forming the two matrices for a teleportation spell.
And Nightmare's parting words before she teleported were, "Enjoy the rest of your evening, Twilight."
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First Comment!
This is amazing, can’t wait for more!
I am a bit...annoyed? that Twilight didn't mention that Celestia ordered the Royal Guard to obey Nightmare Moon. That seemed pretty important.
And that Twilight just nonchalantly reported the disappearances to Mon, without so much as a "Could you investigate this?"
I wonder how powerful the resistance is right now? It's been almost a year at this point I think, and they've split into splinter cells to they are at the very least somewhat competent and organised. It'll be interesting to see how they develop.
Could it be changelings? Twilight is tight making ponies dissapeared would not help Nightmare's rule.
"Reviewed and edited/rewritten on 3/25/20
The Resistance grows less gimmicky!"
I'm curious as to just how gimmicky they were before the rewrite, considering they were still pretty darn gimmicky
10302404
Oversight on my part (and possibly my prereader's part). Yes, this should be addressed. Based on this I will likely work on including this in the following chapters, since they've not been added. Thank you for commenting about this.
The in-universe explanation is them, or mostly Twilight, having a lot on her mind and thinking, "Maybe the resistance is blowing it out of proportions."
10302427
Haha, it's not even been six months yet... How powerful are they? They're still amassing power as far ahead as I've written. They're still a relatively minor plot point, but this will soon change. The second-year (or the year following her return, from Jan. 1 onward) is going to be utter hell for Nightmare Moon.
10302460
Flips through script, glancing at chapter titles. Uhhh... uhhhh... Well yes, it could be changelings, but I can't actually answer that because of spoilers.
On a completely unrelated note, I need to either draft a chapter or edit in some things to chapters leading up to something important. I forgot about this, and now I remember how this story is halfway falling apart at the seams. Flex tape can't fix this.
10302514
You probably don't want to know how gimmicky they were. It was cartoony. It was, in my opinion, somewhere around "Over a Barrel."
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I thought I remember reading something about 8 or 9 months somewhere? Maybe I’m going mad. Or maybe it was something unrelated, like how long it would take to fix the castle or something idk. Probably madness though.
10302681
I may not be good in the grammer area. but in story you can use me to help any issues you are having.
10302725
Thank you. I appreciate the offer. I may send you a DM sometime in the next week or so.
Nice update. Keep up the good work!
Been a while since I been on here.
Love these past few chapter! Finally we are getting more TwixNM romance/affection here and we'll be getting more soon. (Still waiting for that first kiss...hehehe).
It's really good to see Twilight and Nightmare Moon argue and then resolve their arguments. I'm hoping to see either Twilight or Nightmare Moon go berserk because the resistance (or Changelings or anything bad) harm the other one. Also I would like to see Twilight mind being broken down at the thought of losing Nightmare Moon. (I don't know why but I like stories with dark theme to have mind breaks in them....maybe I'm the evil one?)
Now about Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash involvement. There's not a lot of their view on Nightmare Moon. Yes I know they think Twilight is being brainwash but I would like to get their interaction with Twilight and either be for or against Nightmare Moon in more detailed. Because Twilight never really had a right with them and I think that would be interesting to really see. It might drive her to see Nightmare Moon view as to everyone hates her or to show that even if they don't trust Nightmare Moon, they don't hate her like Nightmare Moon thinks they do.
Anyways great chapter and I can't wait for more chapters!
10323265
I’m still not sure when the best time for this to happen is. One of my original ideas was for Nightmare’s confession of her having a crush on Twilight translate into
(Written this in the comment; it is not something I have written for the story.) Needless to say I have dropped this idea.
I could comment on this section... but spoilers.
I think one of the shortcomings of the story (which comes into play here) is that I limited myself to only two characters’ points of view. If, for example, I could show other characters’ points of view without the whole, “Wait, you’re only doing this now?” issue (and possibly other issues I can’t think of off the top of my head), I could build a better world by showing it through the lens of other characters, such as Twilight’s friends, Shining Armor, Cadance, or random ponies on the street. It would give the world a lot more life, but I think that the only way I could work that in would be from a pseudo-poetic narration point of view, not too dissimilar from The Dream.
I really wanted to build a world when I started imagining this story. Turns out, limiting yourself to two points of view makes that difficult when those two characters’ are this thoroughly intertwined and the worldbuilding isn’t a huge focus of the story. Maybe next time I write a story I’ll succeed at this.
Thank you. I will try to start mashing these keys on my keyboard in semi-random orders again, hoping that viable horse sentences will come out that don’t end up needing to be put out of their misery. (Translation: When you write a scene, then halfway into it, you think, “This is a mistake,” and after finishing you realize, “I could just skip this entire scene; it adds nothing to the story,” and then backspace the whole scene, is not productive.) The scenes I will be moving on to are ones I’ve envisioned for quite a while now. About seven months or so. The transition leaves much to be desired...
It's been two months! Where's the next chapter! WHAAAA! Take your time but I hope you'll update it soon otherwise I think you might be dead IRL....
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Rest assured that I am very much alive.
I’ve been debating making a blog post since having an update on where the story stands would be a good idea. Dunno when I’ll get around to it though.
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It’s still one of my favorite chapters to have written, if not my most favorite chapter to have written.