The Night's Stars

by SC_Orion

Broken Bonds

Staring out into the pitch blackness of the moonless night, Nightmare Moon found her gaze directed off towards the horizon, focused on the nearly black splotch that was the Everfree Forest. Above the forest, the sky was speckled with dots and pinpricks of constant light, light which neither sparkled nor shimmered, as the cool mountain air was dry. Even with her nearly unmatched nocturnal eyesight, she could barely make out the features of Equestria's heartland. Ponyville, in the distance, was only visible from the faint glows of lights emanating out into the night from the insides of houses, lit by fires and candles and magical means.

Canterlot stood in contrast to Ponyville and the Everfree Forest. Where because of their distance and relatively small size, Ponyville and the Everfree were dark, nearly imperceptible to her, Canterlot shined out into the night before her, unmistakably a beacon that was visible for dozens if not hundreds of miles around. The light from the capital's numerous mansions and towers fought back the dark blanket of the night which she had tucked Equestria in. But yet, that resistance seemed all so futile from where she stood upon the balcony.

After all, that light only shined out so far, and the city was not constructed of mirrors, nor reflective surfaces, nor glistening gems. Canterlot was not, then, lit up in its entirety. Each window through which light shined was like a golden lance, shooting out into the night, yet even as that lance spread out into the darkness, the streets of Canterlot were still cast in darkness, akin to that of the moonlit night. But even with that, what served to emphasize just how fragile those lights' resistances were, was the sharp contrast of the windows through which no light shined. Darkened bedrooms where ponies slept, unoccupied or unused rooms where lighting them up would be wasteful, even by the nobles' standards.

Her grip of darkness over Equestria, Canterlot, even, was secure, and no ponies could break that no matter how much light they shined out into the night. They would never banish the moonless darkness, nor could they ever outshine the soft glow of moonlight.

Inhaling of the cold night air, she cast her gaze upwards, into the speckled sky. As she stared up at the beauty of the stars which adorned her domain, she felt that something was missing. She longed for something which she did not have, nor could truly have. Victory over her sister was her first thought of that she longed for, but that did not fit with what she felt. True, her sister had denied her the ecstasy of total victory, the ecstasy of breaking her and rubbing it in, and as such, her victory felt hollow, but what stood out more was that she stood there all alone.

Nopony else was there to gaze up and see the beauty of the darkened night sky with her. Without her moon, each star seemed to take on new meaning, to hold some far greater importance, a subtle importance, that was lost whenever her scarred moon dominated the sky. Nopony was there to see and behold the subtle masterpiece that was her night sky, nopony was there to admire the grand work, nor to see the raw emotion which it evoked.

With a growing bitterness at the thought, she looked back down and glared at the city of Canterlot. Beyond the gleaming towers of nobles' mansions, in the distance, she could see the darkened apartments and homes that melded in with the blackness of night, unlit and completely submissive to her power over them.

And yet, it struck her: 'Ponies will never truly love my night, they will never spend time seeing the beauty that I see!' How many ponies were outside on this dark night? How many were out of their own free will? How many of those ponies, whether outside of their own accord or without option, willingly chose to look at the beautiful night sky? How many of those ponies gave the stars more than a passing glance? How many of those ponies looked into the sky and saw its beauty and majesty, that which the sun hid from view?

Would her student enjoy such a thing? Did her student even enjoy the moonlit night which had since replaced the day? Try as she did to find that answer which she so desperately wanted, it eluded her. She simply did not know, nor had Twilight told her. In their time together outside, she had never caught sight of Twilight pausing to admire the beauty of her night. And ever since her display at the recognition the deer held for her, she had seen Twilight even less. Her student was actively avoiding her, she knew.

That made her bitterness increase several times over. Her own student, willingly and intentionally doing all that she could to avoid her. But that bitterness was only partially directed at her student. No, to direct all of that bitterness, all of that anger and disappointment, at Twilight would have been wrong. Twilight wasn't at fault for it; her student was merely reacting to what she had done. It was her own display that had pushed Twilight away, and now, any progress she had made at nudging Twilight out of her shell, at coaxing her into more confidence, had been undone.

No, her bitterness was focused and directed nearly entirely at herself. She had only herself to blame for how she acted, and now she knew she was reaping the consequences of those actions. Undoing what she had done in one minute would take longer than she could determine. She hated it. She hated it because she damaged her relationship with her student, which would take time to repair. Time that she didn't necessarily have. From a purely logical standpoint, she hated it because of that time that it cost her. She gained nothing from that display.

And besides the logical reason, she hated it because deep down, she felt as if she had somehow betrayed her student by her reaction. It was an absurd thought, perhaps even an obscene one. She was Queen and Empress, the ruler of Equestria, Twilight's teacher. Who was Twilight to judge her? Twilight was a unicorn filly, and she was an immortal alicorn. Yet she still felt that she had betrayed her promises to Twilight; her promises to protect her and keep her safe. Twilight did not trust her, and her reaction gave Twilight no reason to trust her.

When they had returned from their trip, as she had watched Twilight while they walked back to her chambers, she found that the oddest urge had overcome her. Rather than wanting to snap at Twilight and demand her to calm down, she had found the urge to comfort her student. It was an absurdity! She was a Queen! And there she had been, desiring to comfort a foal! Such a thing was beneath her, yet the urge was still there. She was split on it, of course. Twilight was her student and she felt the urge to comfort her, yet she also knew that, while Twilight was still just a foal, she needed to grow up. To coddle her would be to lie to her. To protect her from the realities of the world would be to betray her.

Yet, in the end, she had still comforted her student. She had stroked Twilight's back with her feathers occasionally, but even that, though it comforted and calmed her, did not banish or undo what she had done. Why she had comforted her student was simple: she had promised to protect Twilight. She could not always be able to be there for her student, but that did not mean she would not try. Protecting her and comforting her would serve to help bring out that unmatched potential that her student harbored.

She turned around, then walked back inside her bedchambers. Almost silently, her armored hooves fell on the marble floor. As she crossed the doorway, then cleared the door, she closed it behind her with hardly a sound. After closing the door, she stopped and looked at her bed.

She had not slept well since her return. She could not delight herself in her victory, and her fantasies of crushing Celestia remained just that. And, of course, the bed still held her sister's scent. That wretched smell of her sister permeated every inch of the bed. The blankets, the mattress, the pillows. Even the curtains smelt of her dear sister. Yet the scent of her sister had an odd effect on her. Rather than provoke her to anger and demand that she incinerate every last trace of her sister, she found that it left her feeling almost empty inside.

The scent reminded her of the good times, back when she had been able to say her sister's name in a familiar manner, back when they had hugged, and the scent of her sister filled her nostrils from their proximity. It brought back the reminders of how things had been. It tormented her, yet she hadn't changed the bedsheets or anything. She took it as a small victory over her sister, taking her sister's bed and making it her own.

The scent plagued her mind, yet while it brought back good memories and haunted her, she still, in the back of her mind, hated it. That scent was one that she wished she could erase from her mind. She had been so blind, all those centuries ago, foolishly thinking that her dear sister loved her. That love had been nothing more than a lie.

She bared her teeth and growled. Fuming, she stomped across the length of the bedroom, then walked into the study. With but a flick of her mane, she slammed the door shut behind her, sealing the room and locking that accursed scent away from her.

She would sleep later. For the moment, sleep still would not come to her, and as such, she used the time to the best of her abilities. She turned her attention to the study's desk, then crossed the short distance to it, pulled back the chair, and sat down. With a flash of her magic, the map of Equestria and surrounding lands appeared on the desk, unrolled, before her.

And she studied that map intently, just as she had every night for the past few weeks. Each and every detail was so important, and so many little things held her attention. Looking at the map, she could see in her mind's eye the way Equis looked from the moon. The way that the continent curved in such a way that a flat map just couldn't replicate.

She pushed the thought aside as her gaze fell on Hollow Shades. It made her heart beat faster. The back of her mind screamed out at her, demanding action. It was a pressing matter, but one that had to wait, at least for a time. There were many pressing matters occupying her mind as it was.

Looking to the right, along with the coast of Equestria, her gaze settled on Manehattan. That city of power and of trade, the massive, strategically important, woefully undefended port city upon which so much of Equestria's power rested. Canterlot was the capital of Equestria, but if anything happened to Canterlot, Manehattan was the obvious backup, and de facto, capital of Equestria.

Anything happening to Manehattan would be a near deathblow to her empire. Even just looking at the map, staring at that minuscule, impersonal black dot that represented the massive city that was home to millions of ponies, she could practically picture the city on fire. Burning, in literal flames of rebellion and anarchy. Thick black smoke that put a dragon's smoke to shame, billowing up into the air, blackening the moonlit sky. Smoke thicker than the ash that a volcano spewed.

It was imperative to keep Manehattan under control. And that imperative put strain on her and her limited military resources. Even with the Royal Guard patrolling the streets of Manehattan, the reports were clear: the city was restless even as they refused her night, and they wanted their Princess back. Subterfuge happened in the shadows cast by the moon, crime happened in the black of night. For now, it was, as the Guard said, "under control." But she knew it would not take much for that to change. In the back of her mind, she could almost picture a clock, the second hand steadily ticking toward midnight. But while she could see the clock and knew it was ticking, the numbers were missing, and she had no idea how the clock was rotated.

It was a matter of time, and she had no idea how much time remained.

She took a deep breath, then sharply cast the air out of her lungs. Looking down and to the left, her gaze settled on Cloudsdale, the pegasus metropolis. The city where nearly the entirety of Equestria's weather was made. It was so centralized. It was efficient, but it also meant that Cloudsdale was another imperative city to hold. To lose Cloudsdale, or to lose control of Cloudsdale, would mean losing control of the largest pegasi population center in the world. On top of that, losing control of Equestria's weather. The ramifications of that could spell a sudden end, not only to her reign but also to Equestria as a whole.

Fortunately, Cloudsdale, despite the pegasus warrior heritage or perhaps because of it, wasn't suffering the same dissent as Manehattan.

For a moment, her eyes meandered further to the left. Ponyville was the sort of village on the map that unless you specifically knew where it was and were looking for it, you'd miss. It was such an oddity compared to the rest of what she had seen of Equestria. But it was still an important town to keep an eye on. After all, five of the six Bearers of the Elements of Harmony called it home. That in of itself was enough reason to watch it closely, to say nothing of investigating the cause behind this.

So far, there was no word of the bearers causing any trouble. It helped soothe her nerves, but only just. They could have been, after all, hiding it well. 'I need to check up on them,' she noted. Spurred on by that thought, she grimaced as her mind drifted to the statue of Discord. 'I must ensure the bearer's loyalty,' she affirmed.

She could hold the bearers on a tight leash, but restricting their freedom as she had done, by holding Twilight hostage, was not the best course of action. For one, they could call her bluff, or perhaps Twilight would call her bluff. But then, perhaps the best course of action was to use Twilight to ensure their loyalty. Not as a hostage, but to convince them to help her, should the need arise, or simply keep them from rebelling.

She looked up from the map for a minute as her thoughts drifted to her student. She, along with Cadance, both slept soundly at this hour. Cadance slept in her room in the castle, and likewise, Twilight slept in her own personal tower on the castle's grounds.

The only real difference was that Twilight was alone, and Cadance was not. It was not the first time she knew that Captain Shining Armor, Captain of the Guard, and her student's brother, was spending the night with her- although fortunately it never amounting to anything more than sleeping- but it was not all that common, either. Disposing of Captain Shining Armor would not be easy if he continued to resist her. Fortunately, his resistance was mostly lip service. Still, if she needed to, she could, although she knew she would alienate her two pseudo allies by doing so.

But Cadance and Shining Armor's relationship did give her an idea, and at the thought, she somehow managed to smile, 'Were you two to be married, Equestria would celebrate... and that is something that would be very useful...' Yet the thought still seemed so odd to her. And of course, she had yet to hear them talk about such a thing. Perhaps, however, in time, it would come up. Her smile grew into a smirk; she could picture Cadance's reaction to asking, then hearing her response that she would allow their marriage.

She forced her thoughts back to Twilight, and with that, found herself once more considering just how much of a curiosity the filly was, and how much that drew her interest. 'So much potential... and you are so blind to all of it...' whispered in her mind. 'I must bring your potential out,' she affirmed with a nod.

Idly, a portion of her mind wondered how her student slept. With the barest application of magic, she reached out to check on her student. Twilight slept soundly, peacefully, even. She took comfort in that knowledge, knowing that Twilight slept soundly, unafraid, unblemished by what she had done. And yet, at the same time, knowing Twilight slept peacefully ate at her. Her student was at peace while she slept- her student was at peace, now that she was not near to intimidate her.

It left a bitterness in her mind that she had grown to hate. 'Why can't you just relax around me!?' was asked with exasperation. She had said to Twilight, time and time again, to relax. She had promised Twilight, time and time again, she would protect her. She had even made progress, at least before she had shattered that progress.

Bringing Twilight out of her shell, growing her into her full potential, would take a very long time.

But she was patient. After all, she had waited a thousand years for her revenge on her sister.

She shook the thoughts aside, then directed her attention to the Whitetail Woods. For a moment, she pondered the deer and King Aspen. So long as they did not try to undermine her rule, they were not a threat. She looked to the north, and her eyes lingered on the frozen wastes where the Crystal Empire had been. A thousand years had passed, and the Empire had not returned. 'Perhaps,' she thought, 'it will never return.'

However, she would not take the risk of leaving Equestria undefended. And in her time since she returned, she had discerned that her sister had even set up an outpost in the frozen north, along with having constructed train tracks that would allow rapid mobilization in the case that the Empire did return. Knowing that, she knew that at the very least, her sister knew better than to risk having no advanced warning.

Looking southeast of the frozen wastes, she took in the shattered Griffin Empire. Supposedly, no longer a threat. According to the pegasus scout she had sent, no longer a threat. In fact, what he had reported left her feeling off-put and odd. The Griffin Empire had, undoubtedly, collapsed. Their once grand cities were run down, mere husks of their former glory. Rather than proud legions standing at the ready, petty griffin theives stood in their place. No grand armies, fitted with polished steel armor. No great vaults of gold and jewels. Their cities barely stood on flimsy supports. And from what she had found out, a great many griffins had integrated into Equestria, in a manner similar to the deer, although they tended to move into cities, while the deer tended to keep to the forests.

A part of her rejoiced at this knowledge, for it meant one less threat to her reign and to Equestria. It also meant that the Griffin Empire was no more and that it had finally received what it had deserved for all of those years of bloody conflict they had caused. And yet, another part of her felt disappointed. The Griffin Empire had been, aside from her sister, her greatest rival.

She pressed the concern from her mind and let her eyes drift south. For a moment, they hovered on the Everfree Forest, which did not show her old castle. This pleased her, yet also disappointed her. It was beneficial that her castle remained unknown at large, yet it also further reinforced how her castle was but a shell of its former glory.

Looking further south still, her gaze lingered on the Badlands. As with every time she had looked at the vast rugged desert, a part of her mind screamed out that something was wrong, that something was missing, but she could not place what it was that was wrong or missing. The scouts she had sent reported nothing of interest, but the Badlands were vast, and she was stretched for guards as it was.

After a few more seconds, her eyes darted back to Hollow Shades. She slowly dipped her tongue out from her lips, then ran her tongue to the left before bringing it back to the right, stroking her sharp teeth. Feeling the ridge of each tooth sent a slight shiver of delight down her spine, and only one word came to mind, 'Soon.'

It was quickly becoming the most pressing need, but now was not the time. It was the dead of night, so she would wait until she raised the moon, so that her student would be awake, so that she did not have to wake her. Besides, her student needed rest. After all, she had great potential. Potential that would not thrive if she was denied her rest.

Likewise, she too needed to rest. Though she was an immortal alicorn, sleep was something she still needed and desired, even if her need for sleep was less than that of normal ponies. So rather than sustain herself with her magic, she stood up from the chair, then approached the door to her bedroom with a calm, steady gait.

Without slowing, she opened the door with her magic, then walked on inside the room. She closed the door behind her and approached the bed and pulled the covers back. Without taking her armor off, she clambered onto the bed and laid down on her back. The softness of the bed contrasted so sharply with the rough rigidity of her armor- she sank down into the mattress, and the mattress, in turn, enveloped her, embracing her.

But she was used to sleeping in her armor, and so wearing it did not impede her sleep. She pulled the blankets back over her body, and with it, a wave of air rushed forward, chilling her exposed muzzle, and bringing it with her dear sister's scent. That scent that she so hated, yet at the same time, brought her to reminiscence.

She scowled as she closed her eyes.

---

Nightmare Moon awoke several hours later, almost perfectly in sync with the rising of her moon breaking the horizon. That same scent that had been there when she had laid down was still there to torment her as she awoke. She took a deep breath, and while she struggled not to gag from her sister's scent, she took comfort in the strength the cool air gave her. She knew that in time, the scent of her sister would fade, and she welcomed that knowledge. It had been three weeks already and the scent still lingered, though it was not as strong as it had been.

At the very least, surely it would not be long before the staff changed the bedsheets. If they did not, then she would make it a point to bring it up and ensure that it was all changed. Then, she knew, her sister's scent would no longer plague her.

She opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling above her. In the pitch blackness, she could still see some of the golden swirls above, yet she could not truly see the features. It was more of a vague feeling of knowing that the swirls were there. She continued to stare up at the ceiling for several seconds, and with each passing one, she could see the subtle, almost imperceptible shift as the soft, unassuming light of her moon gradually drifted into her bedroom from the window. The soft glow barely did anything, as she knew only the faintest sliver of her moon had broken past the horizon.

The darkness of the night filling her room without the light of the moon was all consuming and all-enveloping. Equestria, she knew, had never known anything like it since long before her ascent to taking the mantle of the moon. Even before she claimed the moon as her birthright, unicorns had moved the sun and moon in the day-night cycle. Only before then was the night ever so black as it now was. Moonless, unlit, save for the stars, which did nothing more than mark the sky.

Ponies had never seen anything so dark as the moonless nights were now. They, she knew, had always known her sister to guide the moon into the night sky after the sun set. The thought of her sister's magic touching her moon made her lips pull back, showing her teeth in disgust. Her sister had no right to the moon, even less right after betraying and banishing her.

As she thought about the darkness that enveloped Equestria, a part of her felt concerned by it. While it was true it was a necessity to give the ponies some semblance of a day-night cycle for them to follow and to keep order, as without the movement of the moon, they had no way to mark how much time had passed, she still felt a concern in the back of her mind regarding it. The moonless night, she knew, evoked terror in everypony. And perhaps it was not without due reason. They could not see, and predators that lurked in dark forests could have crept out to strike at them.

So yes, she had reason to be concerned as she thought about it. There was the chance that the moon cycle could backfire, and rather than ensuring stability, would result in greatly increased instability. How long would it be until those imaginary predators actually did leave the confines of their forests and strike at her ponies? Those predators would be fools to do so, but perhaps they would be emboldened by the black, moonless night to attack. That was one threat, and of course, the other was that ponies would act out of fear.

She shook her head, then rolled over onto her side. Facing away from the windows and door to the balcony, she stared ahead at the wall. No trinkets adorned it, nor did any gifts. It was so barren and empty, as she had nothing to decorate the wall with. It would have been vain, of course, to waste bits on decorating the wall for her own personal enjoyment. Those resources would better serve her being spent on other necessities. Yet the emptiness bothered her. She had her victory over Celestia, yet she had so little to show for it.

What she did have gave her pleasure, however. With that in mind, her thoughts drifted to her student. And at that, a memory stirred to life in her mind, gradually seeping into the forefront of her mind to play out in her vision. The memory was one that gave her pause and left her pondering.

She had dreamed of Twilight Sparkle as she slept. It was not the first time she had dreamed of her student, either. The dreams with her student were always so sharply different from the rest of her dreams that she could remember. Where her normal dreams usually involved her victory over Celestia, or the occasional nightmare spurred on by the horrors she had seen so long ago, the dreams involving Twilight Sparkle felt almost peaceful.

In her dream, it had been a moonless night. They had been in a forest, and she was watching Twilight perform her magic. Twilight held herself in a relaxed, fear-free posture- she was not scared nor terrified of Nightmare, and Nightmare was pleased by this. There was no atmosphere of fear or hostility between them. Twilight was not paralyzed by fear, but instead, she radiated confidence. When Twilight looked at her, there was no ill intent nor did she freeze up in fear; Twilight looked at her with respect, but more than that, with the sort of gaze that spoke of friendship. Not as teacher and student, nor as servant and Queen, but a bond that two normal ponies would share. The bond where one would comfort the other in times of need, and where they could talk pointlessly of a day's happenings.

It felt so incredibly odd to consider this dream. It was absurd to think about. For one, Twilight had no confidence in her own abilities, and after what she had seen, she was no longer able to relax anymore. Another reason this dream felt so off was just how casual it had felt. There was a bond between them in the dream, one which she could not imagine herself ever having with anypony- a certain closeness and casualness, void of any formality. She was an immortal alicorn, and as such, any bond like that was absurd.

She realized that, as she thought about the dream, a certain essence of the dream returned to her mind. That calmness which she had felt, the relaxed, casual atmosphere now filled her. She could breathe in her sister's scent, yet it did not infuriate her. She could think of the countless problems that plagued her nascent rule, and it did not draw her ire.

She felt calm.

She pursed her lips, then lit her horn, flooding the bedroom with the soft blue light of her magic. With a quick tug from her magic, she pulled the bedsheets back, then pushed herself up into a sitting position with her forelegs. For a moment, she lingered on the bed, then she leaned forward and climbed off the bed. Her forehooves connected with the floor first, providing two quick clicks to break the silence as her boots met the marble. Her hind hooves hit the floor, but there was a more distant delay between them.

She took a deep breath, then stepped away from the bed. She turned to the right and started arcing around the end of the bed, walking towards the balcony while she used her magic to tidy the bed up once more. As she walked around the bed, she gave it a passing glance to assure herself that the bed was in pristine condition, then she turned her attention to the balcony door and opened it with her magic.

Walking outside, a cold breeze blew over her coat. Despite the chill to the air, she didn't react, and her march out onto the balcony continued without any hindrance. She slowed, then stopped at the railing. Looking out across Equestria, she took in the subtle, unassuming interplay of the moon's soft glow as it slowly embraced Equestria. The moon was slow to rise, and there was still the barest sliver of the moon visible, but with each passing second, she could see how the darkness lightened. Looking out across Canterlot, she watched as the darkness begrudgingly gave way to the fuzzy outlines of shadows.

After a moment, her head turned to the right, and her gaze settled on a lone tower. The tower was nowhere near as tall as the castle's highest spires, but it stood out with importance in its own right. It was tiny compared to the castle, yet it looked so secluded. Sleeping inside that tower, she knew, was her student. Her gaze turned into a stare as she watched that tower, almost as if she was trying to see past the solid marble to gaze upon her student.

In an instant, the memory of seeing Twilight's disappointment when she realized that Celestia lied played through her mind. Her lips twitched down and she glanced down at the railing. 'We are perhaps not so different, Twilight Sparkle...' she mused. After all, they shared that much in common, that Celestia lied and betrayed both of them. Not only did Celestia leave Twilight unprepared and lied to her, but Celestia also told Nightmare of her student's existence.

Had Celestia not spoken those last few words, perhaps Twilight would not have been under so much stress.

Nightmare clenched her jaw. 'If there was one thing that I could change, Twilight Sparkle, I would not have been so harsh with you upon my return,' she affirmed. At that thought, she looked away from Twilight's tower. Her gaze eventually settled on the railing, which she examined, though did not bother to consider any of its details. Instead, her mind was preoccupied with that thought and thoughts of her student.

The thought had come without doubt, and a part of her was surprised by that. She was Queen and Empress and ruler of Equestria. Her power was nearly absolute. Yet, for all of that power, she knew that how she treated Twilight had been a mistake, and she had been consistently dealing with the consequences of that treatment for the better part of a month now.

'How different would things be if I had not scarred you so?' she wondered. 'Would you be confident? Would you not be so terrified of me?' She sucked her lip in between her teeth, then pressed her teeth into her lip to hold it in place. She could feel the barest hints of pain, accompanied by a faint tingling sensation as she held her lip in place.

She took a deep breath, then let her chest deflate. In the same manner, she released her lip and let it roll back into place.

And the entire ordeal felt so odd! She could scarcely understand, let alone comprehend it all. Had this been a thousand years ago, she simply would have killed Twilight Sparkle, as that filly was the greatest threat to her reign she knew of. Even more a threat than Discord and King Sombra. And in a way, it amazed her that she not only did not kill Twilight Sparkle but made Twilight Sparkle her student. It was simply impossible for her to ignore Twilight's potential now. And a small part of her was entirely certain that her fascination with Twilight Sparkle would be the death of her. And while she knew it, it did not phase her, which was another thing she could not wrap her mind around.

She felt compelled to grow Twilight Sparkle into what she was meant to be. Not to force Twilight to her potential, but to guide and coax her along. It was entirely absurd! She was Nightmare Moon! A thousand years ago she would have laughed at herself now for taking a student. Something had changed.

She inhaled again, then looked up. Her head drifted back to the right, and she stared at Twilight's tower yet again. A part of her felt at a loss of what to do regarding Twilight. She felt like she had no good options available to her. She needed Twilight Sparkle and her friends. The threat posed by Discord meant that it was imperative to keep Twilight alive and on her good side. The potential Twilight possessed meant it was imperative to keep Twilight alive and to grow her.

She clenched her jaw. 'If you call my bluff, I cannot do anything about it...' she knew. Her status as Twilight's teacher was fragile at best. If Twilight betrayed her, no matter how bad it was, killing her was not an option. If Twilight betrayed her, punishing her was barely an option. If she punished Twilight, that fragile status as her teacher would be shattered, to say nothing of the fact that she would shatter Twilight Sparkle, and then she would never reach her full potential.

And of course, she knew threats were not an option either. No, the only thing she could do was guide and coax Twilight along. Anything else would break the filly beyond repair. Knowing that fouled her mood. She glared down at the balcony beneath her hooves, and a spark of anger lanced through her body. She wanted to stamp her forehoof down on the balcony, to break and shatter that marble as a way to vent her anger and frustration. She wanted to pulverize that marble beneath her hooves.

She didn't let herself though. Instead, she lifted her head up and closed her eyes. For a few minutes, she just held herself there with her eyes closed, feeling the gradual, meek ascent of her moon. Finally, she opened her eyes, and to her surprise, she found that the first thing she saw, rather than the Equestrian heartland, was Twilight's tower. Her anger felt like it wilted like a flower in a desert in the burning light of day.

Her eyes glanced down to the base of the tower, then almost immediately lifted back up. She stretched her wings out, then jumped over the edge of the railing and beat her wings. Rather than propel herself into the sky on her black wings, she glided. At first, straight, then, she banked to the right and silently glided towards Twilight's tower. As she glided, she cherished the carass of the wind, sliding between her feathers as she descended towards the tower.

The only sound that signaled her arrival was the four, quick clicks of her metal boots on the marble platform atop the stairs. The two Royal Guards protecting Twilight from harm went rigid at her arrival. She gave each of them a quick glance, then folded her wings as she stepped toward the door. They both stared straight ahead, standing rigidly as she approached them. She opened the door with her magic, then without saying anything, slipped inside the tower.

She swept her gaze around, taking in all of the massive, towering bookshelves that filled the room she entered. In the center of the room, near the ceiling, was a white magelight that provided enough light that she did not fear tripping in the unfamiliar setting. She took a few steps forward, then silently closed the door behind her. Searching the room again, she found a set of stairs, and after reaffirming where Twilight was, she quietly walked to the stairs, then ascended them.

With each step, a nagging seed of doubt pulsed and grew in her mind. By the time she reached the top of the stairs, that seed had grown, and now she felt an uncertainty deep in the back of her mind. It was enough uncertainty that her forehoof hesitated to touch down on the last step that would bring her onto the second level where Twilight slept. She was not used to feeling such uncertainty, and for it to bother her so, it only made the pull to leave and pretend she never entered feel that much stronger.

Certainly, she could leave now and tell the guards never to say a thing of it, and it would be like it never happened. Yet even knowing that, she still knew she would remember, and to come so far, just to give up in defeat was not in her nature. She fought back the uncertainty and set her hoof down on the last step, then pulled herself up. She walked forward, and as she approached the door to Twilight's bedroom, she found that each click of her metal boot on the marble floor seemed to grow even louder than the last. Logically, she knew that it was not the case, yet it still sounded that way.

She found the door to Twilight's bedroom open, and at that discovery, she paused and hesitated. From where she stood, she could see into the room, but it was a shallow angle, so Twilight's sleeping form was just out of sight. She took a step forward, and only then did she realize how fast her heart beat in her chest. Only with that step did she realize that her legs trembled.

At that realization, she felt a wave of shock wash over her body. She looked down at her lifted forehoof and saw it shaking. For a few seconds, she did not act. Then she took a deep breath and crushed her body's dissent, forcing the trembling away. She put her hoof down, then slowly closed the distance to the doorway.

With each step, more of Twilight's bedroom came into view. Finally, the bed itself, and then the sleeping filly, came into view. She stopped and stared at her student, tucked under the covers, with her muzzle dipped under the blankets. Twilight's horn pointed nearly directly at her. She watched in silence as the covers rose and fell with each breath her student took.

As the seconds passed while she watched on, she felt a sense of dread inside her body. A part of her wanted to run away and cower like a little foal, afraid of being caught. Another part of her wanted to walk into the room and wake Twilight to speak with her.

'Why am I even here?' a part of her wondered. Immediately, the answer was clear: 'I want to see her.' Yet, 'But why?' plagued her mind. Continuing to watch Twilight, she found her brow creasing. It occurred to her just how vulnerable Twilight looked while she slept, and that brought back memories from their first encounters where she knew who Twilight was.

A part of her hated that, just how vulnerable Twilight was. And her mind screamed out against it. Here her student was, so unprotected, so weak, so vulnerable. Defenseless. It would have been remarkably easy for something to happen to her while she slept, and she would have been unable to protect herself. Nightmare wasn't sure she would have been able to intervene either. And of course, Twilight was completely unaware of her presence, leaving her that much more vulnerable.

Nightmare could have done anything to Twilight now, and Twilight would not have been able to do a thing about it. Even less than when she was awake. While Twilight was awake, at the very least, she could have reacted. But now? She could not even react if Nightmare did something to her.

Nightmare felt at a loss from the thought. She looked away from her student and gazed over at one of the massive bookshelves. 'I will not hurt you...' growled out in her mind. And she knew that growl was directed at herself. To hurt a filly in her sleep, even if she was nearly an adult, did not sit right with her. Even if it wasn't her student, even if it had been somepony she had never met before, it left a sense of complete wrongness deep inside her.

To hurt a foal in their sleep, that was not her. That wasn't Nightmare Moon. That would have been the work of a monster. That would have been the work of a griffin. For a split second, in her mind, she heard the terrible cry, that terrible scream, one which a foal or fawn would let out right before-

She clenched her eyes shut and clamped her jaw down tight, deliberately forcing that thought away. She inhaled, then exhaled sharply. She felt her legs trembling, though this time, not out of uncertainty.

She had some vague idea of a minute passing before she opened her eyes again. Once she did, she looked back at her student. 'Perhaps Equestria and you think I am a monster, but you do not know what a true monster is...' echoed through her mind, as if it had been a whisper spoken in a deep, empty cave.

Twilight shifted under the blankets, and her muzzle slid out from under the covers. Nightmare continued to watch her, then Twilight went still again.

In an instant, Twilight's eyelids drifted up in one smooth, almost unconscious motion. Twilight stared at her. She watched her back and felt a knot twist in her stomach. Twilight laid perfectly still, and she could see, even in the darkness, her eyes widening. She could feel Twilight's fear, the way her heartbeat suddenly shifted like the earth from an earthquake- peaceful one moment, then suddenly and without warning shuddering and racing uncontrollably, shaking as if an attempt to level mountains. She could even see that the blankets no longer rose and fell with her student's breathing, as she had stopped breathing.

But, in Twilight's defense, she did not scream, nor cry out in fear. No tears flooded her eyes, either. Her expression was afraid, terrified even, but there was a certain grim acceptance to it, knowing there was nothing she could do about it.

She couldn't keep looking at that expression, and her eyes dropped to the floor. After a few seconds, she turned her head to the right to look away from her student. What was she to do? The filly truly acted like one, yet she was Nightmare Moon's student. The filly was practically an embarrassment or source of shame for her. If ponies knew just how fragile her student was, what would they say of her? Would they mock her and her student? Would they say, "Behold! The powerful and terrifying Nightmare Moon! Now look and see her student! The way she can't do anything! See how pathetic and worthless the foal is! Nightmare Moon's folly knows no bounds!"

The thought angered her, but she refused to let it show. To let her anger show now would be far too destructive for her student. Instead, she exhaled, casting that anger out. "Twilight Sparkle," she acknowledged.

"Y-yes?" her student squeaked out.

She felt her ears twitch back at that but caught them before anything came of it. "If you are not too tired, would you like to join me to watch the moonrise?" she asked.

"O-of course," her student answered obediently. It wasn't an answer that came off sounding like she had made a willing choice to do so, but rather, the answer one gives when there was no choice or only one option.

As much as she wanted to scowl at that, she didn't let herself scowl. "You do not have to if you do not want to, Twilight Sparkle," she preempted.

"Y-you want me to so-"

She turned back to face Twilight. "Yes, I would like for you to, but I do not want you to simply do this because I am telling you to. I want you to..." she trailed off as she realized what she was going to say. She looked down at the floor and continued, "I want you to choose to do this. I want you to want to do this. I am not telling you to do this, Twilight Sparkle. You have the choice. If you would prefer it, I will leave you be until later. I will not be upset if you so choose to avoid me, as you have been."

It wasn't entirely accurate, of course. She would be upset if Twilight said no, but she would not retaliate against her, nor anything like that. To do so, she might as well had simply not given her the choice. And that would only further foul their relationship. It would take small steps in order to undo the damage she had done. Those steps would have to compound on each other, and the slightest misstep would undo all of her work.

It took a few seconds, but eventually, she heard the sounds of the covers sliding back and Twilight's coat sliding against the sheets. Likewise, she felt Twilight's movement. She turned her gaze back to Twilight, which made her hesitate for a brief moment, then continue. Ever so slowly, Twilight rose from her bed, then tentatively, oh so vulnerably, stood on the floor.

She lifted her head back up and turned to face Twilight. With hesitant, nervous steps, her student approached her. She wasn't sure whether it was truly willing or not, and because of that, it did not give her the joy that she sought. Nonetheless, she took what she could get.

Twilight's steps were slow shuffles, but she eventually stopped in front of Nightmare Moon.

Nightmare looked her over, and as she did, she found her gaze drawn to and lingering on Twilight's mane and tail. Truly, sleeping did not do either any favors, as strands of her mane and tail stuck out. A large section of her mane was lifted up as if a cow had licked her head. Likewise, it left her looking disheveled, unorganized, and vulnerable. Her pink and purple highlights, rather than being so distinct in her mane and tail, were now mixed in with the rest of the indigo strands.

And it seemed that she wasn't the only one to notice, as Twilight stared up at her and just sort of shifted her weight in a timid, small way as if she wanted to hide, not out of fear, but out of embarrassment.

Nightmare extended her wing, then slid her feathers across the top of Twilight's mane, gently pressing down in an attempt to flatten the rebellious tuff of her student's mane. It didn't really work, and while she did press Twilight's mane down, as soon as her feathers slid off, it bounced back up.

Glancing back down, she found Twilight's eyes closed. She took a deep breath. "Come," she coaxed. Without saying any more, she lit her horn, then teleported the two of them back to her balcony. In an instant, the double image faded and she beheld the barest sliver of her moon rising above the horizon. Twilight appeared beside her, and with a quick glance at her, she caught the foal stepping to her right to put more distance between them.

It hurt, but she did not chastise her for it. She could not blame Twilight for that action, as she had given her reason not to trust her. She sighed softly, then used her magic to create a brush for Twilight's mane. It had been a very, very long time since she had seen one, let alone use a mane brush. After all, when one had an ethereal mane, one tended never to have to worry about brushing it.

With the brush complete, she turned to face Twilight, who stared straight ahead at the rising moon. For a moment, she stopped to simply watch her and take in her form. In the soft glow of her magic, she could easily make out her distinct features- her mane and tail were a dark blue, sprinkled with pink and purple strands, just like her tail, and her coat was just a few shades lighter and so much softer. Looking down at her flank, she could make out her cutie mark, that pink starburst, surrounded by rays of white light and white stars. Twilight glanced at her, then at the brush before looking back at the rising moon. Looking at Twilight's neck, her eyes glided over the metal necklace, which reflected the light of her horn, causing it to stand out so much from the rest of her body. Her eyes fell on the crescent moon on her chest, and she admired the way it glowed and shimmered from its enchantment.

Turning her attention back to Twilight's mane, she levitated the brush over to her, then hesitated as the absurdity of what she was going to do hit her. Here she was, the Queen of all Equestria, taking time to brush her student's mane! It was so trivial and frivolous that it was ridiculous! It made no sense, it did not fit who she was. Yet, while she shook her head, she still lowered the brush into Twilight's mane, then started slowly gliding the brush down the length of her neck.

Twilight, for her part, looked back at Nightmare in utter bewilderment. She still stayed silent, however. Eventually, she looked back at the moon again.

Nightmare tilted her head a bit, watching the back of Twilight's neck as she ran the brush down the length of Twilight's mane. It was almost mesmerizing, seeing the way which the brush parted and realigned the indigo, pink, and purple of her mane. Eventually, she could not see any of the strands separated from the streaks, so she stroked the brush through the length of Twilight's mane one last time, then lifted it up and brushed the top of her mane.

And the top of her student's mane? Oh, that was a challenge. She ran the brush forward and down, on the left side of Twilight's horn, where her mane stuck up. It wasn't just a challenge, but rather, it was an entire war. Using the brush, she fought back against the rebellion that was Twilight's mane. She glared intently, as with every pass of the brush, her mane refused to submit and stuck back up. Her progress was slow, but eventually, she could notice that it did not stick up as much as before.

It was around this time that she also noticed that, with each stroke, she pulled on Twilight's head and pulled her head forward and downward. Twilight, of course, said nothing about it, though Nightmare could see her blushing faintly. She only glanced at that blush before returning to achieve victory over the rebellion in Twilight's mane. Eventually, she succeeded, although the success was partial. No more victory would be claimed, however, unless Twilight took a bath or showered.

Having finished with Twilight's mane, she looked ahead and regarded the rising on her moon, which was by now, about a quarter of the way past the horizon.

"Um... thank you?" Twilight squeaked.

She glanced aside at Twilight, who had her head turned towards her. She could see Twilight's lips pulled back awkwardly, and she couldn't tell if Twilight was trying to smile or grimace. Twilight's head was leaned away from her to keep her distance. She studied Twilight's expression for a few seconds, then returned her attention to the moon. She glanced at the brush, then casually laid it down and let go of the magic in her horn.

Nightmare let a few more seconds pass between them in silence before asking, "Are you enjoying this, Twilight Sparkle? Watching the moonrise?"

With that question asked, she could feel Twilight tense up even more and become far more guarded than she wanted. It disappointed her and was all the answer she needed. No, her student did not enjoy sharing such a moment with her. No, her student did not enjoy the night as she had hoped. No, her student would have rather sat with her sister and watch the sunrise. She felt bitter.

To her surprise, however, after a second, some of Twilight's guard lowered, and her body relaxed, even though it was faint. "It's... um, nice," was her timid answer.

She glanced at Twilight, who continued to star at the moon. She could see her biting her lip, and she felt like there was more to be said. She turned her head to face Twilight. "Speak," she coaxed.

Twilight glanced at her, then swallowed and straightened her back. "I-I, um... I've never... um, taken the time to watch... this before," she said.

Nightmare was not surprised. She turned her head back towards the moonrise and nodded. "I am not surprised," she stated.

"It-it's just not the same as, um, when the sun is setting t-too," Twilight elaborated.

"Which you would prefer," Nightmare acknowledged.

"N-no! I, just, um... it... It's not really fair to compare them that way! They're all... unique and special."

"Perhaps," Nightmare stated. She watched the moon for a moment longer, then scanned Canterlot, letting her eyes dart back and forth across the city. Finally, she licked her lips, then turned her head towards her student. "Tell me, Twilight Sparkle, do you hate me?"

She could see Twilight's body tense up, and she had grown to hate seeing that. Twilight nervously glanced at her but refused to meet her gaze, then her eyes returned to focus on the moon.

"After all, I imprisoned your former teacher and took over Equestria," Nightmare added.

For a few seconds longer, she could see Twilight's tension, then as if a wave washed over her, the tension faded. Twilight's head drifted lower, almost limply. She heard Twilight sigh, then saw her slowly shake her head. "No... I... don't hate you..." she answered in a somber, quiet voice.

Nightmare regarded Twilight and went over the way she spoke that sentence in excruciating, intricate detail. Yet, no matter what she tried, she couldn't find any spitefulness, nor deceit in what her student said. Deep inside of her, she felt relieved at that. Yes, there was pain and sadness in what her student had said, but Twilight did not hate her.

"Do you hate anything?" she questioned.

Twilight looked up at her. "No..." she trailed off and her eyes fell onto Nightmare's chestplate. After a moment, her brow scrunched up. "Well, uh, those ponies that..." she trailed off, swallowing and shifting her weight. "Um..."

Nightmare raised an eyebrow. "Your five friends?" she inquired.

Twilight nodded in a perplexed manner. "Yes... them."

Nightmare frowned. There was a certain bitterness in Twilight's voice that was unmistakable, and it surprised her. "Truly? Why do you hate them?"

Twilight scowled at that and looked up at her. "Are you kidding me!? They're crazy! They're insane!" she nearly pleaded. "Rainbow Dash tried to kill me when we met, then again after you showed up! Applejack tried to kill me by forcing me to eat enough for a whole army! Pinkie Pie is just... ugh! And Fluttershy!? Oh, Fluttershy? You think she's all sweet and shy, but then bam! When you least expect it, she knocks me into the ground to talk with Spike! Spike!"

Nightmare raised an eyebrow at her outburst. Twilight's chest heaved and she trembled. After a few seconds, she seemed to regain her senses and realize what she had done, and who she had done it in front of. Immediately, she paled, then crouched down, throwing her forehooves over her head and covering her eyes. "Please don't kill me! I-I'm sorry I didn't mean to get worked up like that!" she whimpered.

Nightmare felt her ears fold back. She turned away from her student and faced the moon. "I'm not going to hurt you, Twilight Sparkle," she muttered.

"B-but I-"

Nightmare sighed, then stretched out a wing and touched Twilight's back with her feathers. She could feel Twilight's trembling through her feathers and wing, and deep down, it hurt. Slowly, carefully, she brushed her wing back along Twilight's back, letting her feathers carass Twilight's coat. Though she would never admit it to anypony, she found herself somewhat fond of doing this. With the stroke, Twilight's trembling subsided. And with another stroke, she felt Twilight's tense muscles relax under her coat. Eventually, she felt and heard Twilight move her forehooves off of her head. Spurred on by that, and despite knowing what she would see, she turned to look her student in the eye.

Tears flooded the edge of her student's eyes, and her lips quivered. Her ears were pinned back against her mane. Looking at her in such a state, a part of her screamed out about how pathetic she was, how unworthy Twilight Sparkle was to be called her student, let alone actually be her student. Yet that part was small, as she knew Twilight's potential. Even with as hard as that potential was to see, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt it was there.

And another part of her hated seeing Twilight so distraught. Slowly, she lifted her wing from Twilight's back, then brought it around, close to her face. Twilight closed her eyes, and after that, she brought her feathers close, then gently, carefully wiped the tears away from her eyes.

When she removed her wing, Twilight opened her eyes, and for a minute, looked up at her, almost pleadingly. Then, Twilight's head turned and pointed down at the balcony.

She folded her wing back to her side. She felt unsure of what to say to her student now. She wanted to tell Twilight not to hate her friends. She wanted to tell Twilight that she wasn't going to hurt her. She wanted to remind Twilight that she had no problem talking to her about her problems since she was her teacher. She asked, "Why do you hate them?" in a calm, quiet voice.

Twilight swallowed, then ducked her tongue out and swiped it over her lips. She inhaled and her chest shuddered, then she exhaled. Reluctantly, she lifted her head up, and while she turned to face Nightmare, she stared at her chestplate. "I... maybe... hate isn't the right word... I-I mean, I... love them, I guess, but... It-it's just so ridiculous! I only just met them! They're insane, and..." She trailed off and slumped down slightly. "And they made me do stupid things..." she said quietly. "I... didn't run away from you, because of them... When I should have!"

Though she knew it would have been futile for Twilight to run, as she would have hunted her down, she did not voice that knowledge since it would not help her any. "I am surprised that you have not asked to visit them," she said.

Twilight's head shot up to look at her with an expression of confusion. "What!?" she demanded.

Nightmare tilted her head to the right. "I had expected either them to come visit you or for you to ask to visit them by now," she elaborated.

Twilight's muzzle scrunched up at that. "Why would I want to..." she trailed off and winced. Slowly, her head drifted back down until she stared at Nightmare's chestplate. "Right," she muttered.

"I will see about having you go visit them soon, if you'd like," Nightmare said.

Twilight's eyes darted up to meet hers. "Um... I... I think I'd like that?"

Nightmare nodded. "Then I will arrange it. However, there are a few things I would like to do first," she said. "Tell me, Twilight Sparkle, what do you know of Hollow Shades?"

"It's... east of Canterlot. It's a forested region..." Twilight trailed off and looked up at her. "Um, what exactly do you want me to... tell you?" she cautiously questioned.

"I have not been able to learn much about the region and city, but I do consider it quite important. Tell me, do you know of the inhabitants?" she asked.

Twilight nodded. "Yes. It's the home of the largest population of batponis in Equestria?"

Nightmare nodded but frowned. "It should be," she stated, "although I was under the impression that it was the only location they inhabited."

Twilight hesitantly shook her head. "Uh, no... Not from what I know, anyway. The batponies tend to keep to themselves, but there are a few cities they've built. Uh, I've never seen one before."

"They still exist?" Nightmare queried.

Twilight nodded. "Yes..? Why wouldn't they?"

Nightmare looked away from Twilight and glared at the moon, or rather, the Mare on the Moon. "Sister," she growled.

"W-what? What would Princess Cel- Uh, I mean, what would... she have to do with them not existing!?"

Nightmare sighed, then looked back at Twilight. "The batponies were my creation. But I suppose such knowledge no longer exists now, does it?"

Twilight was silent and stared at her.

"I thought not," she muttered as she turned back to face the moon. "I had created them centuries before... my banishment. During the wars with the Griffin Empire. During such times, the batponies were... respected. After all, they were some of Equestria's finest soldiers. However, whenever there was peace, sister and her ponies hated the batponies. I am glad to hear that they were not wiped out following my banishment."

"Th-that's awful! Why would... why would anypony want to wipe out an entire species-!?"

"Because they are mine," Nightmare answered. "Ponies have always preferred my sister, so when I dared to create ponies for myself, the same hate they had for me naturally fell on them. And the batponies are- or at least were- loyal to me first, then to Equestria second. Sister might have seen them as a threat, and of course, they may have caused trouble because of my banishment."

"I-I've never read any history books th-that said anything about them causing problems or Pri- your sister trying to wipe them out!" Twilight retorted.

Nightmare faced her and casually lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, and pray tell, Twilight Sparkle, how many history books have you read which spoke of my existence?"

Her student was silent, simply staring at her. She watched on, seeing as Twilight's expression all but twisted as the realization of what that could mean set in. In that twisting, she could see her student's horror and disgust at the idea. And yet, at the same time, Twilight's expression was so empty, so blank, as she pondered the implications. She was vaguely aware of several seconds passing before Twilight visibly, consciously, reacted, blinking, and her head turning away from her. Her head lowered, and her muzzle pointed towards where the floor and railing of the balcony met. For a moment, she could feel Twilight's guard slipping.

But her guard wasn't slipping out of understanding or respect for her, nor any bond they shared. No, the crack in her defenses was simply spurred on by knowledge. Realization. Knowing the truth in what Nightmare had told her. The implications and connections, that her sister had erased essentially every trace of her existence. So then, why could she not have done the same to any attempts to wipe out an entire pony subspecies? The knowledge haunted her, and the implications, that broke her guard. Her guard was not lowered, but rather, it was broken with solemn acceptance. A failing of her will.

"H-how did... you make them? I-I mean, Pr- your sister isn't..."

"I did not create them out of dust if that is what you think," Nightmare answered. Before continuing, she turned back to face the moon. It was so much the same as it had been all of those centuries ago. She just had to ignore the scarring of her accursed sister, and then it was exactly the same. "My sister and I may be able to do much with our magic, but rest assured, we are not goddesses. There were some ponies who accepted my offer, and I transformed them into the first batponies... At first, their population was quite small, limited to the few dozens that I had transformed. Eventually, of course, there were more as more ponies accepted my offer and I transformed them. They had long lifespans too, and they were quite adept at fighting, so their numbers grew. And, of course, they did take mates and had foals." Without looking at Twilight, she could feel the filly's blush. "I do not know what state the batponies are in now, but I do wish to find out. Equestria's military is in a pitiful state, and they would be very helpful."

"W-we, um, at least to my knowledge, don't really know a lot about them... They do keep to themselves. B-but I know that ponies don't hate them like... they used to!" Twilight offered. "A-and they still exist!"

Nightmare pursed her lips. "Perhaps you are correct," she said, "though I doubt ponies love them anymore now than before. I suppose we will soon find out, however." She turned to regard her student again, hoping beyond reason that when she saw Twilight's features, her guard would be lowered, like it had been after she had first established a connection with her. She hoped beyond reason that talking and sharing this moonrise would be enough to break the wall between them, and coax Twilight to lower her defenses around her. But it was unreasonable, and her hope was misplaced. The chasm between them was still there. Twilight looked at her with a cautious timidity, holding her body tensed. Twilight appeared to try to make herself look as small as possible as if reasoning that doing so would make her seem like less of a threat than she actually was, and that by doing that, Nightmare would cease taking interest in her.

Nightmare Moon knew that she was Twilight's teacher, and likewise, Twilight knew that she was Nightmare's student. Yet, it was undeniable, that Twilight seeing her outburst- that her slipping up in such a way- only caused her student to rebuild the wall that she had worn down. Once again, in Twilight's eyes, she saw fear. A fear that, were it anypony else, she wouldn't have hated. Yet, seeing that fear in her student's eyes left her feeling so disappointed. Disgusted, even. But those feelings weren't directed at her student, but rather, herself. She could only blame Twilight so much for being so weak and vulnerable, so unconfident and fearful- her student was, after all, still a filly, even if she was nearly an adult. No, she had herself to blame for Twilight's current state.

Twilight quickly looked away from her, and she could see her student's ears twitch back, as if in shame. Nightmare pondered why her student would act in such a way, but nothing truly seemed to fit. Not even it being unintentional intimidation.

Feeling a bitterness growing in her throat, she turned away from Twilight to look at the moon. She wanted to reassure Twilight, to tell her student that there was nothing for her to fear from herself. Yet, a part of her was all too happy to remind her it was untrue. She could not simply tell her student that she would not punish her if she rebelled, as that would invite rebellion. At least for the moment, her hooves were tied. And so telling Twilight that she would not hurt her, she knew, Twilight would view as nothing more than a lie. To Twilight, the truth was simple: if she did something wrong, then she would experience first hoof Nightmare Moon's outburst, directed at her, and she would not survive.

Oh, how she regretted being so harsh with her student when first dealing with her. Yet, her promises were made, and Twilight, once again, ignored all of them with the exception of her last. The promise which, at the time, she had meant wholeheartedly. Now, however, she doubted she could fulfill that promise. Knowing that gave her a strange feeling of bewilderment, as it was such an odd duality: Twilight was her student, and as such, she needed Twilight to act the part- to not fulfill said promise was to set a bad example. And at the same time, Twilight was her student, and as such, to do such a thing to her felt wrong. The idea of killing her student for treason did not sit with her. Perhaps it was because she was yet a filly and that killing a foal did not sit well with her. Perhaps in a few years, such an idea would not bother her as much as it now did, yet at the same time, she recognized that in a few years, she would have a closer relationship with her student, which, she knew, might make her even more unwilling to fulfill that promise.

Thinking about the problem of that promise ate at her mind and body, making her chest feel tight and uneasy. Her chestplate nearly felt constrictive, rather than protective.

She glanced aside at Twilight, who once again starred ahead at the rising moon, sitting with an uncomfortable, tensed rigidity that spoke of complete formality and the physical impossibility of relaxing or letting her guard down. 'A thousand years ago, I would have never taken on a student. A thousand years ago, I would have killed my sister's student, given the chance. And yet, here we are, Twilight Sparkle...' she mused.

Almost like she knew what Nightmare was thinking, Twilight's eyes flicked over to look at her. For a moment, their gazes met. That instant passed so quickly that, as soon as it was gone, Nightmare wasn't sure if it had actually happened or not. Had their eyes met for that brief second or had it been her imagination? Once again, Twilight stared at the moon, though now, she could see her student's jaw muscles clenched tightly beneath her coat.

Slowly, she let her eyes glide over Twilight's outline, studying her body. Eventually, her gaze drifted onto her cutie mark. 'You are too fascinating to kill...' whispered in her mind. Looking back at Twilight's face, she once again saw her student for who she was: A filly. A filly who was incomplete. A filly who had unparalleled potential. A filly who had once been her sister's student. But that had changed. She had seen the pictures of Twilight at her sister's side, yet she could not view Twilight as her sister's student. Twilight was her student. She did not wish for her death, nor did she wish for Twilight to join her sister's side on the moon. She wished for Twilight to stand at her side with confidence in herself, she wished for Twilight to fully grasp her potential, and she wished for Twilight to fully embrace being her student. She didn't want to hurt Twilight; she wanted to protect her.

Looking away from Twilight did nothing to help with the conflict and inner turmoil she felt regarding her. In a way, it only made her hatred for her sister that much stronger: Who was her sister to have taken Twilight as her student, then to lie to Twilight and leave her defenseless and unprepared to face Nightmare Moon, the Queen of the Night? Twilight should have been a formidable opponent, but instead, her dear sister practically sacrificed Twilight's life for nothing. All of that potential could have been so easily destroyed, so easily wasted on nothing had she simply killed Twilight.

The thought made her blood boil, and she became aware that her legs were trembling from anger. She took a deep breath and held it in for several seconds. Only once her legs stopped shaking did she relax and let the breath go. A quick glance aside at her student brought her even more relief: Twilight hadn't noticed, or if she did, she did not show it.

She knew sacrificing Twilight could not have been her sister's intent; her sister cared for Twilight too much to simply waste her life so pointlessly. But it still enraged her.

But she kept herself calm. She didn't let the anger seep out as it had before. To do so would be to risk further crippling her relationship with her student. Perhaps even permanently. Assuming she could somehow fix their relationship, she knew there was so much she could do with Twilight. Twilight just had so much potential.

Even the idea of Twilight recognizing her potential and then using it against her, which would surely spell her end, was but a fleeting thought by now. It was the sort of thought she only considered in passing, as an off-hoof comment that held no importance. A minor detail, like the exact spot one raindrop fell amidst an entire flood.

She wanted to teleport far away into a forest and scream and march around venting her frustration. She wanted to unleash her magic and create another clearing, as she had done before. There was just too much conflict inside her regarding her student.

She exhaled heavily, then shook her head. Continuing to focus on it would do nothing for her now. Perhaps in the future, she would have answers and solutions, but she would not find them without some kind of action in the present to repair and rebuild her bond with her student. And repairing that bond was imperative.

An idea came to her, and a moment later, she felt like a wave washed over her body. She couldn't place the wave- was it shock? Was it cold? What was that feeling, which seemed to cause her very vision to suddenly shift, like that which happened during a teleportation spell? The idea was so opposed to who she was, so absurd for her to act on! She was an immortal alicorn, the Queen of the Night and Empress of Equestria.

Yet she was also intelligent, and such an idea wasn't entirely beyond her. To outright reject such an idea, to bend to her pride and refuse to acknowledge it as a potential option, she knew, would be foalish. To cling to ideas, when faced by knowing that those ideas were failing and would ultimately result in destruction when she could adapt, was blatantly insane.

In truth, while the idea came as a shock, she did not regard it as an impossibility. Only when dealing with her sister would it have been an impossibility. And as Twilight was not her sister, it was a course of action which did not make her irate.

She took a breath, then slowly turned her head around to face Twilight. Perhaps it was an insane idea, to think that such a thing would have any effect on their relationship, yet, perhaps it would do so much more. After all, talking to Twilight had helped her student lower her guard and let her in. Talking to her in an equine way had shown her that she was equine, just like her. So perhaps, even if it did not fix everything, it would help. "I..." she trailed off, suddenly finding herself feeling silly.

It truly was absurd! What she was going to say! Was she not within her right to react so blatantly when faced by the realization that the deer remembered her while her sister had expunged evidence of her existence from her own subjects!? She wanted to laugh. Twilight's eyes were focused on her. There was a reluctant, reserved curiosity in them. She saw Twilight's vulnerability. She didn't laugh. She felt a bitter disappointment directed at herself. She almost felt ashamed.

How could she even word such a thing? Yet, as she struggled with it, a part of her came to the realization that she was simply procrastinating. She groaned and shook her head. "I am sorry that I... snapped," she apologized. On the inside, she cringed. There was an unmistakable bitterness in her voice- she had not wanted to admit such a thing, as it was admitting that she was in the wrong. Yet, it was undeniable, and she knew it: she had been in the wrong. She would admit it, and she had. That did not make it enjoyable. She had not meant for that bitterness to seep out.

Whether it was the bitterness in her voice or the reminder of how she had snapped, she wasn't sure, but she watched as a wave of panic seemed to cascade over Twilight's whole body. She could almost feel Twilight's heart skipping a beat, she could almost feel Twilight's blood temperature plummeting. Twilight held herself with even more tension and rigidity as if even a feather landing on her would be enough to snap her and release all of that built up panic in a fit of panicked, primal fear-fueled screams and sobs as she begged for her life.

She hated it and looked away from the sight. But, the image had already been burnt into her mind's eye. 'Will I ever stop hurting you so?' growled out in her mind.

Perhaps it was her lack of reaction, but eventually, after several long seconds, she felt Twilight's tension subside. But it almost felt like nothing happened. Hesitantly, she glanced back at Twilight. Twilight stared at her chestplate, and she found that nothing looked different from how she held herself before. She felt a sudden urge to give up in defeat, and that urge manifested itself in a sigh.

For a thousand years, she had fantasized of what her victory over her sister would look like. For a thousand years, she had fantasized about how she could enjoy that victory.

This had not been what she pictured. Not once had such an idea crossed her mind, even as she considered how to best shape Equestria to overshadow her sister.

"You may leave and return to your tower if you so desire," she said. A few seconds passed with no reaction. Turning to look at her student again, she saw her paralyzed with fear. How could she not take pity on her student? She reached out with her wing and slowly brushed a single black feather across Twilight's lavender coat. As her feather slid down, she felt Twilight's muscles relaxing underneath her touch. Twilight blinked several times, then finally exhaled before inhaling. "I do not wish for you to fear me so, Twilight Sparkle," she said. Yet, that fear which she induced was everpresent, lingering over their relationship as student and teacher.

Twilight finally looked up to meet her gaze, and in her eyes, she saw fear, nervousness, and anxiety. Whether those emotions had just returned, or had never left, she couldn't tell. She did, however, feel tension return to Twilight's back. Slowly, she reversed the course of her feather and slit it back up along Twilight's spine. She dragged her feather upward, over Twilight's shoulder, then lifted it from her coat and folded her wing. The lingering sensation of Twilight's fur stayed on her feather: a slightly pleasant tingle.

"I am not out to hurt you, Twilight Sparkle. You are my student. I do not expect perfection. Please, remember this," she continued.

Twilight broke eye contact, once again looking down at her chestplate. Timidly and quickly, Twilight nodded as she swallowed.

"Go rest, or study," Nightmare said. "I will call you sometime in the next few days, and we shall go to Hollow Shades together."

Silently, Twilight nodded. Unsurely, slowly, and with caution befitting somepony in the presence of a predator that could kill them faster than they could blink, Twilight stood up. It was a slow enough stand that gave Nightmare ample opportunity to tell her to sit back down. It was a submissive stand, entirely lacking confidence.

On the inside, Nightmare sighed. Outwardly, she nodded. "And after we see what has become of Hollow Shades, I will see to it that you can return to Ponyville for a few days to visit your friends. After this, we can begin your training in earnest."

Author's Note:

When proofreading takes so long because you're distracted, but more importantly, end up really, really getting sucked in to what you've written: 37 minutes late edition.

Comments

[Durnstaros]

I'm always glad to see new chapters. Will we be seeing Twilight's parents at some point? I imagine they'd be rather worried.

[SC_Orion]

9423278
There's a short scene with them in a future chapter; it'll be a few weeks before it's out. Should be, assuming nothing goes wrong, in 3 weeks.

[Sir Budginton]

This story is quickly becoming one of my favourites, I love it so much.

[Metalblaze]

Hey glad I came across this story I really like it, awesome job with the story, hope to see more chapters in the future.

[SC_Orion]

9423877
At the absolute least, the next 5 chapters are written and almost ready for publishing, so there will be more!

[Metalblaze]

9423890
Awsome, look forward to read themヽ(^。^)丿

[Vaguely Demented]

Have to wonder if Moony will realize it’s hard to avoid fear when it involves actual primal instincts, as it certainly seems like Twilight has an awareness to her in much the way prey to a predator.

[Empty Shelf]

To hurt a filly in her sleep, even if she was nearly an adult, did not sit right with her. Even if it wasn't her student, even if it had been somepony she had never met before, it left a sense of complete wrongness deep inside her.

This bothers me, and it kind of ties into the growing discomfort I'm feeling towards this story.

Nightmare Moon, as portrayed in this story, at the very least suffers from some form of Narcissism, verging on outright Sociopathy. Other people (or ponies, in this case) are, at best, regarded as tools; at worst, person-shaped cutouts that exist solely to satisfy her whims. Her casual consideration of hostage-taking and indiscriminate civilian slaughter to achieve her goals, her inability or unwillingness to consider the value of anyone else's inherent value, and her massive ego all reinforce this. There really isn't anything until now that indicated an alternative explanation.

So her suddenly expressing this view is a bit jarring. It's not impossible for someone like her to feel this way, but it feels out-of-character.

What worries me a bit more is that sociopaths and narcissists are basically incompatible with romance. They can go through the motions, but by definition they can't really reciprocate. At best, they might see their significant other as a prized possession. As such, I find myself very nervous about the Romance tag on this story...

[SC_Orion]

9464373
I've noticed in my writing ahead in this story that I feel a bit leery about Nightmare's development for the same reason you point out. She has a sort of dual conflicting nature, and she recognizes it: if it is in her best interest, it is beneficial, and if it is not, it is not beneficial, yet there's still some part of her that isn't fully devoted to that idea, such as in later chapters her not wanting to be a "monster." There are lines she doesn't want to cross when she's thinking straight (for both beneficial and personal reasons: if she's viewed as a monster her rule will likely be less stable, and she's experienced things that have struck to her core when she was Luna), but her anger can overpower her rationality. She's not entirely rational- as shown by how she reacts to her sister- despite her claims.

She also weighs her calculations differently depending on circumstances: at her return, there was less thought/concern given to citizens because 1, her own victory is an overriding interest and 2, she was still overwhelmed with anger at her sister and hadn't had time to think.

I'm not sure that I've worded this response well or that it properly conveys what's going on. In later chapters which are already written but not published, Nightmare realizes that this is going on.

[Empty Shelf]

9464615

She has a sort of dual conflicting nature, and she recognizes it: if it is in her best interest, it is beneficial, and if it is not, it is not beneficial, yet there's still some part of her that isn't fully devoted to that idea, such as in later chapters her not wanting to be a "monster."

On this subject, I feel I need to point out that this distinction doesn't really pertain to morality so much as it's rooted in her self-image. This chapter shows her thought process directly, and it's not "I don't want to hurt children because that would make me a monster, and being a monster is bad." The thought seems to be "I don't want to hurt children because that would make me like a griffin/monster, and I don't like griffins/monsters." It's a subtle distinction, but the former is a moral argument, and the latter is an amoral argument.

She also weighs her calculations differently depending on circumstances: at her return, there was less thought/concern given to citizens because 1, her own victory is an overriding interest and 2, she was still overwhelmed with anger at her sister and hadn't had time to think.

That's fair, but if that were the case, I would think she'd feel some sense of guilt at her actions once the heat of the moment has passed. But even days after her victory, her thinking hasn't changed. For instance, NMM feels "bad" this chapter for scaring Twilight earlier; not because Twilight's feelings matter, but because NMM feels she betrayed her promise to Twilight, and that damages her self-image. NMM regrets her actions only insomuch as they made NMM feel bad. Again, this isn't a moral consideration; she's still not regarding Twilight as a person/pony.

I'm still very interested in seeing what comes next, because both of the main characters are fascinating, but a lot needs to happen before a relationship between looks appealing.