The Sixth Alicorn

by ShadeNightingale

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Queen Chrysalis smiled. “You did well today, Nightmare.”

Princess Nightmare Moon the Younger beamed. Her hunt tonight had been a good one—she caught a pheasant all by herself! Mommy was so pleased, she took the pheasant back to the Hive and roasted it up just for her!

They were seated on cushions at a low table in Mommy’s chambers. The pheasant lay on a dish on the table. Mommy plucked off all the feathers and roasted everything, including the head and claws. She had also pulled out the organs and set them, raw, in a dish beside the bird.

Mommy went on. “You’ve come a long way since I took you in. You used to be very reluctant to hunt with me, weren’t you? Now you’re catching pheasants all by yourself! How does it taste? Is it good?”

Nightmare swallowed. “It is yummy, Mommy! I like pheasant! It tastes better than quail!”

“It does, doesn’t it? I imagine you’re sick of quail by now, aren’t you?”

Nightmare nodded. The Badlands made poor hunting grounds; very few animals could live there. But quail could survive almost anywhere. And the fat little birds were easy targets for Nightmare, easier than the bunnies were. She typically ate them right where she caught them. This was the first time Nightmare ate in Mommy’s chambers.

Mommy’s mouth tightened. “We take what we can get, my daughter. But small prey like quail and pheasant can only feed you for so long. You’re going to grow bigger, so you will require more meat.”

“Will I get to be as big as you?” Nightmare asked.

Mommy smirked. “Why, yes! I daresay you’ll grow to be as big as me one day.”

Nightmare gasped. As big as Mommy? “You think so?”

Mommy tapped her hoof on her chin. “Hm, yes. I think it’s quite likely.”

Nightmare clapped her hooves together and giggled. “Goody goody!”

Mommy’s smile broadened. “Nice to have something to look forward to, isn’t it? But for that to happen, you’ll need a lot more food than what my kingdom can offer. To-morrow, we shall hunt in the Forest of Leota.”

Nightmare’s eyes widened. The Forest of Leota! Nightmare had always wanted to go there, but Mommy said it was too dangerous. “Really? Aren’t there lots of monsters in there?”

Mommy nodded. “Yes. Creatures such as basilisks, chupacabras, and Timber-Wolves dwell in those woods. Yet junglefowl, hares, and even monkeys thrive in there. And so do bears, feral goats, and wild boars.”

Nightmare’s eyes shone. “Do elves live there too?”

Mommy blinked. “Elves?”

“Yeah! They sound like the kind of woods the elves live in!”

“I see,” Mommy said. “And what do these elves do in the woods?”

Nightmare thought about that. “They play games there.”

“Really? What sort of games?”

“Elf games!” Nightmare exclaimed, jumping up and down in her seat.

Mommy snickered. “Elf games, hmm? Is that so? Well, they must be very good at hiding, because I haven’t seen any. Where did you hear about elves?”

“I just know about them,” Nightmare said, awkwardly. Mommy looked at her, but said nothing more about it. Sometimes, Nightmare knew about things without being told. Like how she knew many of the animals Mommy had mentioned without having seen them before. “Are those animals good to eat?” she asked, wanting to talk about something else.

Mommy smiled. “O yes, sweetie. I’m sure you will have many fine hunts in Leota.”

“Even though the woods are full of bad stuff?”

Mommy nodded. “The Forest of Leota can be very dangerous if a girl is careless in her approach. But we shall be fine, as long as you follow my instructions. At any rate, I doubt you and I shall have anything to fear—we’ll be the scariest creatures in there!”

She suddenly snarled and hissed. Nightmare shrieked, giggled, and snarled right back. Mommy pretended to be surprised, and then they snickered together. Mommy was the better-est Mommy in the history of all of everything! She was smart and pretty and tough! She knew all sorts of amazing things. Mommy knew how to fight, and cast powerful spells, and even talk in other tongues. She taught Nightmare how to pounce and pin, how to create small fires, and how to bite the prey so they bled out faster! Only the really good Mommy’s taught you that!

Mommy continued. “We shall visit the forest to-morrow afternoon. Now it’s time for lessons. Eat, whilst I look over last night’s assignments. Before we begin, I see your sippy cup is running empty.” She pointed at a yellow sippy cup sitting on the table. “Want more blood, sweetie?”

“Yes!”

“Very well. But this shall be our last draught of blood for to-night. After this, it shall be plain water for us both. Blood is good, but it is important to stay hydrated as well.”

“Okay, Mommy.”

Mommy picked up the sippy cup, unscrewed the lid, and filled it with warm blood from the blood pitcher. She screwed the lid back on, and made to give the cup back to Nightmare—but then she noticed the spout. “Nightmare Moon! You have been chewing on the spout again.”

Nightmare’s ears wilted. “Sorry, Mommy.”

““Sorry” does not fix the lid. These things are hard to steal from the ponies. And this is not the first lid you have ruined.” Her voice was firm and steady. It was the voice she used whenever Nightmare did a Bad Thing, like rolling around in mud, or going potty on the futon while they were sleeping on it. “I understand that you need to teethe. But these are meant to be sipped on, not chewed on. If you must teethe, use bones instead.”

“Like this, Mommy?” Nightmare asked, picking up a pheasant bone and biting down. Her fangs broke through it almost instantly.

Mommy arched a brow. “Okay, maybe something a little harder than that. Let’s see if we can catch a boar tomorrow, that should work. Just promise me you won’t chew on these anymore.”

“I promise.”

“That’s my girl.” Mommy set the cup before Nightmare, who picked it up with her forehooves and drank eagerly, enjoying the sweet, coppery flavor. Mommy said that there were “him goblins” in the blood that were good for her. Nightmare wasn’t sure what they were doing there, but Mommy told her they’d help her grow, so Nightmare made sure to drink those goblins.

Mommy grinned. “Good stuff, isn’t it?” Mommy drew her wooden goblet close and poured blood for herself. She raised it in her magic, toasted Nightmare, and took a long drink from it. “Ah! That hits the spot.” She wiped her mouth with the back of her hoof, and then glanced at Nightmare.

“You have blood stains all over your muzzle. Let me get that.” She licked her hoof with her long, forked tongue, and then leaned forward, wiping Nightmare’s muzzle vigorously. Nightmare whined a little, but otherwise bore her toilet with patience. “That’s better. Now then…time for lessons.”

Her horn lit. Several slates and books flew off the desk and settled on the futon, which sat next to the table.

“Let me begin by saying you’ve made incredible progress ever since I brought you home from those bushes. Would you believe that was only a moon ago to-night?”

Nightmare shook her head, her mouth too full of pheasant meat to answer. One moon! A lot of exciting things had happened since then! Those early hours in the bush felt like an old memory now.

“I can’t either,” Mommy continued. “You’ve learned many wonderful things, haven’t you? And your magic is developing nicely. Your grip is stronger…your transformations are improving dramatically!” She reached over and gave Nightmare a playful boop on the nose. “You will become a fine mage someday!”

Nightmare giggled. “Thank you, Mommy! But I’m still turning into baby animals, though.”

Mommy nodded. “Yes, that is something we need to work on. Even so, I think you’re at a point that we can start working from that painfully alliterative transfiguration text.” She nodded at the desk, where Terribly Trying Transfiguration sat, along with several other books. “I know it’s a bit heady, but you’re a clever girl, you’ll figure it out. Make sure you eat the liver,” she added. “It’s good for you.”

Nightmare fished the liver out of the organ dish and ate it up, enjoying its smooth, gamey flavor. The liver was her favorite organ, just ahead of the intestines.

“That’s my girl,” Mommy said. “You’ll grow up strong if you drink your blood and eat your liver every day. Of course, that isn’t all you must do to become strong.”

Nightmare became very interested. “There’s more?”

“Indeed, my daughter. It is time I taught you to fight properly. To-morrow, I shall start training you in our Changeling Jujutsu.”

Nightmare giggled. “Chew-jet-sew? That is a funny word!”

Mommy smiled. “Do you like it? I picked it up on a trip to Neigh-pon. It’s what they call their fighting arts.”

“Wow!” Nightmare exclaimed. “Did you learn all about fighting from them?”

“No. I heard the word and decided it sounded right. I never bothered infiltrating any of their silly little dojos. That wasn’t what I was in Neigh-pon for.” She tossed her mane back. “In any event, I have little doubt their methods are inferior. We learned fighting on the battlefield, not in some remote temple in the mountains.”

“How does chew-jet-sew work?”

“Our combat art has several components,” Mommy explained. “Kicks, naturally. Thrusts with the sole of the hoof. Biting, which you’ve become rather good at, I must say…also, horn attacks and body slams. And of course, attacking with magic. But we also deal with grappling maneuvers to a fair degree.”

“Like wrestling?” Nightmare asked.

“Like wrestling,” Mommy agreed. “We’ve had plenty of practice in that, haven’t we?”

Nightmare giggled. After hunting, she sometimes played games with Mommy, like “Chase” and “Seek.” But her favorite by far was “Wrestle.” Mommy was really good at it, and taught Nightmare some basic pins. Nightmare loved wrestling! It was so much fun!

“But wrestling is not the only component,” Mommy added. “There are also takedowns, sweeps, and throws. All of which you shall find very useful in your hunts.”

“Wow!” Nightmare exclaimed, her eyes shining. “I can’t wait to learn all of those things!”

Mommy grinned. “All in good time, sweetie.”

“Does that mean you’ll teach me those, too?” Nightmare asked, pointing at the
Weapon Wall. It was loaded floor to ceiling with every kind of weapon, from swords and spears to maces and bows. Nightmare thought they were very interesting! But Mommy said she was never to touch them without her permission.

“Yes, that includes weapons training as well,” Mommy replied, her smile faltering. “We don’t focus too much on those—our magic, cunning, and strength are usually enough to carry the day. But every campaign is different, and it is important to learn about war in every aspect. In any case, I think you’ll find things such as archery and javelin throwing very useful.”

“And sword fighting?” Nightmare asked excitedly.

Mommy harrumphed. “I suppose. In my experience, a sturdy lance in hoof is always better than a sword. The lance can keep the enemy some distance away, while the sword is only good for short range. Show me a duel between the world’s greatest fencer and the world’s greatest lancer, and I guarantee the lancer will prove the victor.”

Mommy thought for a moment. “Of course, there are other things you need to know. You are the Princess of Changelings, and as a princess you have many responsibilities. One day, I shall need you to help me lead the Hive into battle!

Nightmare’s ears wilted a little. “You go to war a lot, don’t you?”

“Life is war,” Mommy said. “Remember that always. Everything that lives does so at another’s expense. Nothing is ever given. If you wish to survive, you must take what you can, however you can. Did you ask your pheasant if it wanted to be food?”

Nightmare looked at her pheasant, feeling a little guilty all of a sudden. “No, Mommy.”

“No, of course not. You need meat to survive. The pheasant was food, so you took it for prey. We Changelings are no different. We need the love of living creatures to survive, but they aren’t going to give it up willingly! So, we make war, hunting for love so that we might live.”

“That sounds really hard,” Nightmare said.

Mommy nodded. “It is. Making war with our limited resources is my greatest challenge. I must constantly plan our next move. It’s an important task that I entrust to no-pony else. But you are my daughter. And as such, I think it important to teach you about strategy.”

“Do the other Changelings learn about strategy?”

“Certainly not!” Mommy answered. “Their place is to obey my orders. The drones need to have their minds on the battle at hoof, not worthless questions. But you are my daughter, so it behooves me to teach you. I know you can handle it—you’re a clever girl, aren’t you?”

Nightmare beamed, proud her Mommy thought so highly of her. “Uh-huh!”

“I thought so,” Mommy said, smiling. “Let’s speak now of subterfuge.”

Nightmare tilted her head. “Sub-ber-fuge?”

“Subterfuge. It means things like spying on the enemy. Infiltration. Deception. And what,” Mommy added, “Does Sunny Shoes say about deception?”

““That all war is based on deception,”” Nightmare quoted, giggling. Mommy made Nightmare memorize quotes from Sunny Shoes’ The Art of War every night. Nightmare knew the entire first section by heart.

“Correct. See? Your lessons are bearing fruit already.” Mommy thought for a moment. “And conditioning. I know plenty of exercises to make you stronger. But they’ll only work if you do them every day. Do you promise to keep up with them?”

Nightmare bounced on her cushion. “Yes, Mommy!”

Mommy’s eyes glittered. “Excellent. It makes Mommy very proud to hear you say that.” She picked up a chalk slate. “But that’s for tomorrow. For now, let’s have a look at your spelling.”

Mommy took another sip of blood, and carefully examined the slate.

“Your writing is getting better,” she said at last. “It’s legible, at least.” She turned the slate around so Nightmare could see. Mommy had written words on the top, with Nightmare’s own attempts to copy them written below. Nightmare’s sinistral scribbling looked really sloppy compared to Mommy’s ornate cursive.

Mommy tapped on one of the words. “You’re missing a letter here, sweetie. The word was “slaughter,” not “laughter.” But not bad, on the whole…you just need more practice.”

Nightmare’s ears wilted a little, but she nodded.

“I also have some passages I should like you to read,” Mommy continued. “I have some notes on a flash charm that you might find…illuminating.” She smiled at her own joke. “And this. An article about photosynthesis.”

“Photo…sinny-sis?” Nightmare asked. “What’s that?”

“Photosynthesis. It’s the process by which plants convert sunlight into food.”

Nightmare tilted her head. “You have me read a lot of things about the sun, Mommy.”

“Well, of course! The sun is a very useful thing to have about! It helps plants grow, keeps the world warm, and helps us track time.” She gave Nightmare a meaningful look. “Why, things would be very difficult if the sun went away! No creature could live without it!”

“Wow!” Nightmare said. “I did not know the sun was so important!”

Mommy smiled. “See? You’re learning all sorts of wonderful things with me! Now, let’s see about your Maredrish.”

She picked up the second slate. Nightmare leaned in eagerly. Maredrish was her favorite language! Mommy made it sound so pretty whenever she spoke in it.

Mommy examined the slate. “Not too bad. Plenty of room for improvement here. I see some issues with your verb conjugations…you’re also leaving the tildes off the top of your eñes. But not bad, on the whole. Your Maredrish is coming along exceedingly well, Nightmare. At this rate, I might get you started on Prench before the winter. Now, let’s have a look at tonight’s passages.”

She took Historia de Magica into her magic. Mommy had been using it to teach Nightmare Maredrish, as well as the history of Equestrian magic. Finding their last stopping point was very easy, because whenever they finished a page, Mommy would tear it out and burn it away. That way their enemies would be unable to use the information against them.

Mommy’s mouth tightened. Nightmare knew at once that she disliked what she was reading. “It looks like we’ll be discussing larvae next.”

“Larvae?” Nightmare asked. “Aren’t those baby bugs?”

Mommy shook her head. “No. Larvae is an old word for revenants. Re-animated corpses and such.”

Nightmare’s eyes widened. “That is a real thing that happens?” She eyed the pheasant on the table, suddenly wary of it.

“Only sometimes, under certain conditions,” Mommy said quickly. “It doesn’t usually happen. Your pheasant isn’t going to leap off your plate and attack you, I promise.”

Nightmare felt better. “Okay, Mommy. Why does that happen sometimes?”

“Depends. Sometimes, the corpse re-animates itself because it has a grievance that demands sorting. Or a mage has elected to summon the dead for her own purposes.”

Nightmare tilted her head. “Why would some-pony want to raise the dead up like that?”

“Information. It is said the dead are privy to knowledge hidden away from those of us among the living.”

“Do they?”

Mommy scowled. “One can never tell. The dead can and will lie. If they do choose to speak the truth, it’s either wrapped up in a riddle, or phrased so ambiguously that it could mean anything. That reminds me,” she added. “When we go to Leota, there are certain ruins we must avoid. They’re crawling with restless spirits.”

“Wow!” Nightmare exclaimed. “Can we go there?”

“Certainly not!” Mommy cried, her pupils thinning. “The undead are dangerous! You must stay away from them!”

Nightmare tilted her head, studying Mommy carefully. “You have met these larvae before?”

Mommy’s mouth thinned. “I’ve had encounters.”

She said nothing else, and Nightmare sensed that she did not want to talk about it anymore.

“Now then,” Mommy said, stiffly. “Let’s discuss your mathematics next.” She summoned another chalk slate. This one had addition problems written upon it, with Nightmare’s answers written under horizontal lines.

Mommy turned the slate so Nightmare could see. “Your adding has come a long way, sweetie. But I see you are still troubled by adding with zero.”

Nightmare nodded. Adding nothing to something sounded weird to her.

“We’ll study that later. But before we do, there is something I should like to discuss with you.”

Mommy set the slate aside, and pulled out a brown envelope, from which she pulled a stack of photographs. She laid them on the table.

“As Princess of the Changelings, it will be your duty to protect the Hive against our enemies. And what,” Mommy added, arching a brow, “Do we do to enemies?”

Nightmare giggled. “We kill them! Kill them all dead!”

“That’s right. What a good girl you are.” Mommy’s eyes glittered. “You will be a good help to me, I know it. You want to help Mommy, don’t you?”

“Yes!” Nightmare replied, bouncing on her cushion. “I like helping! I am a good helper!”

“That’s my girl. Let me introduce you to the Enemy.”

Mommy held up a photo. It showed a white alicorn mare with a flowing, tri-color mane. On her head sat a golden tiara. “This,” Mommy spat, “Is Princess Celestia.”

Nightmare’s eyes narrowed. “This is her?” she asked coldly. “This is the one who hurt you? At…Trot?”

“The very same!” Mommy snarled. “She descended down from on high and shot me and every-ling she could find with fire from the sun!” She held up her right hoof. Nightmare could see through the holes. “We were permanently scarred. Worse, every single member of our Hive since then is born with these!”

“That is bad!” Nightmare snarled. “How dare she hurt you like that!”

“O, it gets even worse,” Mommy said. “Not only did she scar us, but Celestia sealed us inside a volcano! Forever!” Chrysalis tossed her head back. “But I did not let that stop me! I led our Hive out of that volcano! I bear my scars with pride!”

“Yay!” Nightmare exclaimed, her eyes shining with admiration. Mommy was so brave! When Nightmare grew up to be a big Changeling, she wanted to be just like her!

Mommy went on. “Of course, Celestia was not pleased when she noticed our escape.” She sighed deeply, and lay a hoof across her face. “Ever since then, Celestia has made it her mission to stop us from feeding!”

Nightmare’s nostrils flared. “That mean old witch!” she yelled. She glared down at the photograph and growled at it. She failed to spot Mommy peek from under her hoof and smirk at her.

“But, alas, Celestia isn’t the only Princess we have to contend with,” Mommy said, with another loud sigh. Nightmare’s eyes narrowed. Who else was hurting her beautiful Mommy?

Mommy laid down another photo. It showed a deep-blue alicorn with black regalia. “This one is Princess Luna.”

“Princess Luna,” Nightmare murmured. “This is the creepy one? The one who sneaks into dreams?”

“The very same,” Mommy said. She stared intently at Nightmare. “What do you make of her?”

Nightmare shuddered. “I do not like her. She’s spooky!”

“I quite agree,” Mommy said, her eyes still fixed on Nightmare. “She’s a very sneaky mare, who creeps into our dreams to spy on us. I have little doubt of this. After all, she does the same thing to her own subjects. Thankfully, we have strong defenses against her. My throne keeps Luna at bay, at the cost of our own dreams. That should be enough—but I taught you that mental-shield spell to be doubly sure. You have a good handle on that, I must say. Very impressive.”

Nightmare giggled. Mommy smiled back and laid two new photographs on the table. The first showed a third alicorn, this one much younger than the Sisters. She had a long, flowing mane and wore a small golden tiara on her head. The other photograph showed a muscular white stallion with a blue mane. He wore an ugly jacket pinned with medals.

Mommy scowled at them. “These two are Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and her husband, “Prince” Shining Armor.” She made air quotes with her hooves when she said Shining Armor’s title. “It’s because of them that you and I are dining here in the Badlands instead of Canterlot Castle. Our latest campaign there was thwarted by them.” She arched a brow. “I may have mentioned that once or twice.”

Nightmare nodded. It was one of Mommy’s “favorite” topics.

“It was one of the most humiliating defeats I ever suffered,” Mommy growled, more to herself than Nightmare. “She and that fool of a groom of hers pooled their love together and cast us out of Canterlot!”

“Pooled their love?” Nightmare asked, puzzled. “But don’t Changelings eat love?”

“Yes. But the wave they generated was so powerful it overwhelmed us. It’s rather like how all living creatures need water to live, but a tsunami can decimate an entire village.”

Nightmare’s eyes widened. “Wow! How did they make all that love?”

“Cadenza styles herself the “Princess of Love,”” Mommy answered, rolling her eyes. “She can produce an endless supply of love, but she hoards it all to herself!”

“That is mean of her!” Nightmare shouted.

Mommy nodded. “O, she is. But it’s to be expected, really. Cadenza is a spoiled, selfish mare. Her refusal to share her love is yet another example of the innate cruelty of ponies.”

“What about him?” Nightmare demanded, pointing at the picture of Shining Armor.

“Armor? He’s an imbecile.”

“He looks strong.”

Mommy snorted. “Looks are deceiving. Armor is actually useless in a true fight. His shield spells, I admit, are impressive. But he’s nowhere near as talented as his precious younger sister.” Her eyes blazed. Nightmare knew instantly whom she was talking about. She mentioned her a lot, too.

“So, he and Cadenza got together and blew all of you out of the city?”

Mommy came back to herself. “Yes, that’s right. And we were so close too! We had Celestia trapped in a cocoon and the Bearers captured! Shining Armor stood under my influence! The city was ours! But then Cadenza got Shining Armor out of his trance. They combined their powers and blew us all out of Canterlot!”

Nightmare tilted her head, puzzled. “How come you couldn’t stop them?”

Mommy huffed. “They powered up behind my back while I was personally supervising our forces.”

“Didn’t the guard drones see?”

“I—I sent them off to feed,” Mommy replied, flustered.

“How come you didn’t put them into cocoons, like you did with Celestia?”

Mommy stared at her. “That appears to have been an oversight,” she said slowly. “Perhaps we should bear that in mind for future endeavors.” She went quiet, as though she were thinking really hard. Nightmare resumed eating, until a new question came to her.

“Does this mean we can beat them if we keep them apart from each other?”

Mommy came out of her stupor. “Yes, that’s certainly one strategy we can use against them. They are not particularly strong by themselves. Shining Armor is only slightly harder to beat than a normal guard. Unicorns fall rather easily if you can get your hooves on them.”

“But what about their magic?”

Mommy grinned. “Unicorns need focus to charge their magic, and they can’t focus while being kicked in the face. Do you remember that time you hit your horn while learning to pounce?”

Nightmare nodded. It had hurt a lot!

“Unicorn horns are like that,” Mommy continued. “They are very sensitive. A hard strike is more than enough to cancel any spell the unicorn is preparing. The trick is getting close enough to deliver such a blow.”

Nightmare pointed at the photo of Cadenza. “What about alicorns?”

Mommy’s mouth tightened. “Alicorns are much harder to deal with due to their greater magic, enhanced strength, and extreme durability. But they can be taken by surprise. That’s how I was able to capture Cadenza.”

“I wish I were strong like them.”

Mommy smirked at her. “O? Don’t worry too much about that, my daughter. I have no doubt you shall become as strong as The Sisters. Perhaps even stronger!”

“You think?” Nightmare asked, wide-eyed.

Mommy’s smirk widened. “O, yes, I think so. If you train diligently, I have no doubt you will surpass them someday.”

Nightmare clapped her hooves and giggled, pleased to hear Mommy say such wonderful things about her. “And then I will be a real Princess?”

“Yes,” Mommy replied. “If you take down one of the Princesses, you will become a true Princess. You will claim their crown for your own. Like my defeat of King Orion.” She pulled off her crown and held it so Nightmare could see. “I took this from him, and made it my own. That was when I became a true Queen.” She nodded at the photos. “Do any of their crowns interest you? This one, perhaps?” She pointed at the photo of Princess Luna.

“I like hers better,” Nightmare said, pointing at the photo of Cadenza.

“Really?” Mommy asked. “How come?”

“Because her crown looks like yours!

Mommy smiled at her. “That’s nice of you to say, sweetie. But let’s speak of the Bearers now.” She laid six new photos on the table. “These are the six mares that wield the Elements of Harmony.”

She pushed forward a photo of a pegasus mare. She had a pale-yellow coat and a long mane that hid part of her face. “This one is called Fluttershy. Bearer of the so-called “Element of Kindness.””

“Kindness?” Nightmare asked, arching a brow. “Why is it called that when it is a weapon?”

Mommy shrugged. “I wonder that myself. Remember though, ponies are very duplicitous. They like to use euphemisms to hide what they really mean.”

“So, kindness is actually meanness?”

“O yes,” Mommy said quickly. “Fluttershy is very mean indeed. She pretends to be kind and sweet, but that’s only her ruse to lure you into her trap! She also has the power to control animals. She makes them do whatever she wants!”

“Like what?” Nightmare asked, amazed.

“Serve her every whim, of course. Why, I hear she even forces predators to eat plants!”

Nightmare gasped. Making predators eat plants? What a mean thing to do! She stared hard at the photo. Fluttershy looked as if she were trying to hide behind her own mane. But there was no way Celestia would entrust Equestria’s greatest weapon to a timid pony! Nightmare would be sure to stay on her guard against this Fluttershy.

Mommy chose another photo. This one also depicted a pegasus mare. She was caught in mid-flight, a determined look on her face. She had a cerulean coat, with a multi-colored mane and a thundercloud cutie mark.

“This one calls herself Rainbow Dash,” Mommy explained. “Her element is “Loyalty.” As you might expect, she is fanatically devoted to Celestia. From our reports, it would seem she is the most fearless of the Bearers. She is certainly the most aggressive, and ranks as one of the fastest fliers in all Equestria.” She sighed. “I wish I had an entire legion like this mare. We’d take Equestria in a single night!”

Nightmare studied the photo. Rainbow Dash had a lithe, athletic body. She looked more like a proper warrior than Fluttershy. “She looks tough.”

Mommy nodded. “Yes, the drones who fought against her during our takeover attempt can attest to that. However, she isn’t particularly intelligent. She’s reckless. Her courage is admirable, I suppose. But courage without cunning leads to a quick death. I suspect she will be the first of the Bearers to die.”

“Are most pegasus ponies like her?” Nightmare asked.

“In my experience, yes. Of the three pony tribes, the pegasi are by far the most martial. They also control the weather, making them especially dangerous. But I think you could do that as well,” Mommy added thoughtfully. “Yes. I daresay you could.”

“Are pegasus ponies the hardest to beat?”

Mommy thought for a bit. “I wouldn’t say that,” she said at last. “Any-pony can be defeated, if you’re clever about how you go about it.” She took a sip of blood, considering carefully. “Pegasi have more endurance and speed, but they aren’t as durable as Earth ponies. They have lighter bones to make flying easier. But the trade-off is that they are more susceptible to injuries. So, the best way to defeat them is with hoof-to-hoof combat…if you can catch them, of course.”

“What about magic?”

“That also works,” Mommy said. “Bear in mind, most pegasi can out-maneuver magical beams. But if you can land a spell, they have no answer for it. I find them especially vulnerable to ice magic.” She set the photos of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash aside. “That’s enough talk about pegasi. Let’s discuss Earth ponies next. There are two of them in this little group.”

Mommy held up another photo. It showed a muscular pony with freckles and a yellow mane. She wore a funny-looking brown hat.

“This one is called Applejack. A common laborer. She specializes in growing apples.”

“Eew!” Nightmare squealed. “I do not like apples! They’re yucky!”

“Nasty things,” Mommy agreed. “So dry and bitter. They’re nowhere near as good as a nice, juicy nectarine.”

“I have never eated one of those before.”

“Eaten, sweetie. And right now, it’s early spring. We shan’t see any until summer rolls in.” She arched a brow. “Though with your diet we’ll have to see. You don’t care for fruit, do you?”

Nightmare shook her head. Most plants tasted bad to her. They made her tummy feel yucky.

“What is this Applejack like?” Nightmare asked, turning her attention back to the photo.

“She is a compulsive liar!” Mommy said. “She is undoubtedly one of the most deceitful ponies in all of Equestria. Why, she even lies to her own allies!”

Nightmare gasped. Lying to an enemy was okay, because they were bad guys. But lying to ones you cared about was truly wicked! Was there no low these ponies would not stoop to? “She must be the worst of all!”

Mommy’s lip curled. “O, they’re all bad, sweetie. Bad in their own despicable ways.”

“She does look strong,” Nightmare commented. She licked her lips. “I want to have her for my supper! She looks like she has good meat on her!” She looked up and gave Mommy a questioning look. “Ponies are yummy, right?”

Mommy gave Nightmare a searching look, as though she were trying to figure out what to make of her. But then she started laughing.

“O, Nightmare. They’re delectable. Spend enough time with me, and you’ll have ample opportunity to savor their flesh for yourself!”

“Yay!” Nightmare cheered, clapping her hooves again. She could hardly wait to try pony meat! It sounded delicious!

Mommy set the photo of Applejack aside, and pushed forward yet another photo. Her brow creased into a frown. “Now, this one is bizarre. Her name is Pinkamina Diane Pie. A baker.”

She turned the photo around. It showed an Earth pony with a poofy, curly mane and a wide, unnerving smile.

“What’s wrong with her?” Nightmare asked.

“She’s insane, to begin with,” Mommy said. “I have never encountered a being more untethered from reality in all my life! But it is her powers that I find the most disturbing.”

“Powers?” Nightmare scrunched her nose, studying the photo. “Isn’t she an Earth pony?”

“Yes, and that’s what makes her abilities so peculiar. She possesses an innate sort of magic unlike anything I have encountered before. Do you recall what I told you about the daemon, Discord?”

Nightmare nodded.

“Well, Pinkamina exhibits powers of a similar nature. Nothing close to Discord’s,” Mommy added, spotting Nightmare’s anxious expression. “But the normal laws of physics suspend themselves around her. Some of my most able and level-headed drones reported they saw her pull a cannon out from nowhere during our campaign.”

Nightmare’s eyes widened. “Wow! How can we beat a pony who can do that?”

“By outthinking her. As I said, she displays signs of insanity. She doesn’t seem to have matured much past the age of four.” She scowled. “And all this pink! She’s such a vibrant shade…it almost hurts to look at her.”

Nightmare scrunched her nose. “Pink? What’s that?”

Mommy frowned. “Pink. That’s the color this pony is.” She tapped the photo, as though expecting it to suddenly become clear.

But Nightmare was even more confused. “Is pink a kind of green?”

Now it was Mommy’s turn to look puzzled. “Green?” She turned the photo around and looked at it closely. “What sort of green is she?”

“Like the mint plant!”

Mommy stared between her and the photo. After a long moment, she held up the photo of Princess Cadenza. “What color is she?”

“Green.”

“I see.” Mommy tapped the blood pitcher. “And this? What color is it?”

“Green,” Nightmare said again. Her ears wilted. She sensed she was saying something wrong, but she wasn’t sure what it could be.

“Interesting.” Mommy looked thoughtful. After a moment, she pointed at a very dark corner. “Can you tell me what you see over there?”

Nightmare looked. It was very dark in that corner; Mommy didn’t keep a light crystal over there. But Nightmare saw clearly in the darkness. “Your praying mantis clock.”

“Good girl. Read the time for me.”

Nightmare squinted. She was still learning to tell time, and counting up all the minutes was hard for her. “Eight…seven-four?”

“Eight thirty-nine, sweetie. Remember, the seven becomes thirty-five when the minute hand points at it.”

“How come?”

“Because clocks were invented by imbeciles. You can recognize Pinkamina’s face, right?”

“Yes, Mommy,” Nightmare said. She glared at the picture. “I will remember that face. When I see that face again, I will strike it.” Nightmare hissed at the picture and slapped the table. It shook from the force of the blow.

“That’s my girl,” Mommy purred.

“But did I say something wrong?” Nightmare asked. “You acted funny when I told you what color the ponies were.”

Mommy looked as though she were thinking carefully. “It’s nothing for you to worry about right now,” she said at last. “Merely one of life’s little trade-offs. Come, I have more I wish to show you.”

She held up the second-to-last photo. It showed a white unicorn mare with a fancy violet mane. “This one is called Rarity.”

“That one is a unicorn,” Nightmare observed. “That means she has magic.”

“Correct,” Mommy replied. “Though her magic doesn’t appear to be especially strong. I could easily overpower her. You could too, I imagine.”

“What does she do?” Nightmare asked.

“Nothing important. Apparently, her occupation is dressmaking.”

“What’s a dress?”

“It’s a garment pony mares wear to fancy galas and such,” Mommy answered, rolling her eyes. “They have no defensive value whatsoever.”

“Then why do they wear them?”

“Because ponies squander resources,” Mommy said, scowling. “They like to flaunt their wealth to show how important they think they are.” She sighed. “Meanwhile, the rest of us have to starve out here in the barren wilderness.”

“That is very bad of them!” Nightmare growled. She glared at the photo of Rarity. “She must be very selfish to waste so much!”

“O, she’s terribly selfish,” Mommy said. “And immensely vain! She is obsessed with making herself look more beautiful than any other mare.”

“No-pony is as pretty as you, Mommy!”

“That’s sweet of you to say,” Mommy answered, smiling.

“Or as nice!” Nightmare added. “You’re the nicest mommy ever! You’re way nicer than this Rarity pony!”

Mommy’s smile faltered a little. “Of course.”

Nightmare beamed at her, and turned her attention back to the photo. “Are unicorns hard to beat?”

Mommy came back to herself. “Yes, sometimes. Remember, they possess magic. But this Rarity is dangerous even without it. My drones inform me she used some sort of fighting art against them during our occupation. It took four drones to finally subdue her!”

Nightmare’s eyes widened. This Rarity must be a great warrior indeed if that many drones were needed to stop her!

“So, a good deal of caution must be exercised in dealing with her,” Mommy finished. “But now I have one last pony to show you.”

Her eyes flashed. Nightmare knew at once whom the next pony would be, and leaned forward to get a closer look. Mommy held up the final photo. “This,” she spat, “Is Twilight Sparkle.”

Nightmare studied the photo. The unicorn featured on it was light violet, with a navy-colored stripy mane. She did not look very tough, but as Mommy kept saying, looks were deceiving.

“You talk about this one a lot,” Nightmare said. “You hate her above all the rest. But what did she do to make you so mad at her?”

“Everything!” Mommy fumed. “She’s why we lost Canterlot!”

“I thought Princess Cadenza was why we lost?” Nightmare asked, puzzled.

“Certainly, Cadenza and her fool of a husband delivered the final blow,” Mommy admitted. “But Twilight Sparkle was the one who freed Cadenza and brought her to the wedding hall.”

“Freed? Does that mean you captured her before?”

“Yes, I did. Very astute of you to pick up on that. I captured Cadenza and posed as her during their wedding preparations. I used the opportunity to extract as much love as possible from Shining Armor. In the meantime, I imprisoned Cadenza in the caverns below Canterlot.”

“Wouldn’t it have been easier to kill her instead?”

“She was more useful to me alive,” Mommy said. “I needed to learn about her behavior, in order to make my façade more convincing.”

“And this Twilight Sparkle found out where she was and got her out?”

“Yes! And then they stormed into the throne room where the ceremony was taking place. Thanks to Twilight Sparkle, Cadenza was able to thwart our plans!”

“That’s bad!” Nightmare exclaimed. “How were all the Changelings supposed to feed then?”

“They weren’t,” Mommy answered. She sighed heavily. “I even told them why we were invading, and none of them cared. No-pony will ever lend us a hoof, I can assure you of that!”

Nightmare was furious. “Those mean old ponies! They are so selfish!”

Mommy nodded. “O, indeed. But what else can we expect from the creatures that left you all alone in that nasty thornbush?”

“They left me in the thornbush?” Nightmare asked, stunned. “All alone? How do you know this?”

Mommy turned and hoisted up the saddlebags she had found by the bushes. She lifted a flap and pointed at a label sewn on the inside. “Are you able to read this?”

Nightmare read each syllable carefully: “Pro-per-ty…of...Twi-light…Spar-kle.” Her eyes widened. “This was Twilight Sparkle’s bag?”

“That’s what the name says, sweetie. My guess is that she forgot about it after they made you in their ritual.”

“The ponies made me?” Nightmare asked. Her eyes suddenly felt watery. “Then why didn’t they take me home with them? Didn’t they want me?”

Mommy shrugged. “Who can say? The ways of ponies are strange. Perhaps it’s because you are different from them.” Mommy bowed her head. “I guess they hoped you would die.”

Anger overtook Nightmare. “Those wicked ponies!” she cried, slamming her hooves against the table. It gave way easily, collapsing into a pile of wood and sawdust. The blood pitcher tipped over, spilling blood all over the photos. Pheasant meat splattered across the floor. Nightmare’s sippy cup rolled under the futon.

Mommy gasped and backed away, surveying the damage with wide, astonished eyes. “That table was solid mahogany,” she said, dumbfounded. “And you smashed it to pieces!”

Nightmare came back to herself. She looked around at all the damage she had made and felt guilty. She did a Bad Thing! She broke Mommy’s table and made a big mess! Worse, she scared Mommy! That meant she was a bad daughter!

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to break your table!” Nightmare cried.

“It’s fine. It’s…accidents happen.” Mommy surveyed the mess, a peculiar glint in her eyes. If Nightmare were not so upset, she might have wondered why Mommy seemed pleased.

Nightmare’s eyes watered again. “I’m sorry, Mommy! Please don’t be angry!”

“I told you, it’s fine,” Mommy snapped. “Dry those tears at once. Weeping is for the weak.”

But it didn’t feel fine to Nightmare. She did a Bad Thing, and the sharp tone in Mommy’s voice made it clear Mommy was unhappy. That made Nightmare cry even more!

Mommy’s eyes narrowed. “I said that was enough! Stop that crying this instant!”

Now Mommy was really angry! She would not want to have a crier for a daughter. She would take her back to the forest and put her back in the bush! Then she would be all alone again!

Nightmare broke into a full-on wail, sobbing and screaming and apologizing over and over. Mommy was taken aback by this. She tilted her head and stared, perplexed. It was as though she had never seen a child cry before, and had no clue how she was supposed to respond.

“Nightmare,” she said finally, after Nightmare’s wailing started to quiet down. “Come here.” She spoke in a very quiet voice, only just above a whisper. Nightmare obeyed, sniffling as she approached her. Mommy reached out with her forehooves and pulled her close. Nightmare suddenly felt very warm and safe. She nuzzled into Mommy’s chest, feeling less upset than she had before. Mommy cradled her, and hummed a gentle tune. It carried no distinct melody; yet just hearing Mommy’s voice made Nightmare feel a lot better. She stopped crying, and rested her head against Mommy’s chest.

“Now Nightmare,” Mommy said, in that same quiet voice. “What’s all this boo-hooing about, hmm?”

Nightmare sniffled. “I did a Bad Thing, Mommy. That means I am a bad daughter.”

“No, you’re not,” Mommy said. She reached over and brushed Nightmare’s tears away. “You just smashed up my table. That can be easily remedied.” She lit her horn. Green magic surrounded the table’s remains, and then it pulled itself together. It looked good as new.

“See?” Mommy said. “No harm done. In fact, I shall teach you that repair spell. Then you can clean up your own messes. Sound like a plan?”

Nightmare looked up at her. “You mean you’re not going to put me back in the bushes?”

Mommy looked surprised. “Certainly not, sweetie! You’re going to stay right here with me and be my daughter. Okay?” She leaned down and kissed Nightmare on the forehead, in front of her horn.

“Okay,” Nightmare said, smiling. “Does this mean we’ll always be together?”

Mommy hesitated. “Certainly, sweetie,” she said at last. “Always.”

Nightmare snuggled up against Mommy’s chest, feeling a little silly. Mommy wouldn’t leave her—how could she think otherwise? She and Mommy would always be together! And how well she loved being wrapped up in Mommy’s hooves! They were so cold, so thin, so—

No, that wasn’t right. Mommy’s hooves were warm and safe. And now that she thought about it, hadn’t she done all this before? This had happened a long time ago, long before the ponies destroyed their Hive and Mommy—

Wait.

Nightmare’s eyes snapped open. She was no longer in Mommy’s chambers. Instead, she was curled up inside the hollow of a tree, her hooves wrapped around a moldy stick.

At first, she wondered where she was. Then she remembered the last few days. How she had awoken to find her home destroyed. How she had raced to what remained of the Atrium, only to see Mommy chased away by the ponies. How the Changelings had been horribly transfigured by evil pony magic. How they made that slimy worm Private Thorax a king. And how they stole her away from her home, and made her a prisoner of war. These memories, along with the one she had seen in her vision, prompted tears to run in Nightmare’s eyes. That memory of herself with Mommy felt so real! It was almost like being back with her again.

Nightmare huffed and coughed, and wiped the tears from her eyes. She needed to stop this crying. Mommy would not want to see it. Not when Nightmare could be helping her instead! ¡Ahora era el momento de actuar!

She breathed deeply, calming herself so she could think. The vision puzzled her. It was a memory of the day Mommy showed her the faces of the Enemigas. But why had she remembered that? She recalled flying into the forest, and stopping to rest. Then she saw images! But what happened? Was that a dream? Nightmare had never dreamed before, so she didn’t know what they were like. Mommy’s throne made dreaming impossible. And when the ponies stole her away, Nightmare cast the mind-barrier charm whenever she went to—

Sleep.

A jolt ran through her. She had fallen asleep! How much time had passed? She had made such a good start after slaying the torturer Rarity and fleeing into the woods! She flew far in. But her eyes were sore and tired. She meant only to stop and rest, but then she took a siesta instead! ¡Estúpido!

It was all that Twilight Sparkle’s fault! She wouldn’t feel so sleepy if that old nag didn’t keep waking her up at the wrong times! And she kept feeding her such yucky food! It was all plants! How stupid were these ponies? Could they not see she was a huntress? She needed meat!

But worst of all was the name they forced on her. Nyx! What kind of a stupid name was that? Not only did the ponies ruin her life, but then they insulted her by giving her a dog name! She was not Nyx! She was Princess Nightmare Moon the Younger, daughter of Queen Chrysalis, and Princess of the Changelings! No-pony was going to tell her different!

She glared at the stick. Normally, she slept with Mommy. But because of the ponies, all she had was this stupid stick! She hurled it away from her with a snarl. The stick hit some of the bramble on its way to the forest floor, and she stiffened; noise was a bad mistake in the woods, but she had been too upset to remember that.

Nightmare stuck her head out of the hole and peered up at the canopy. She could see sunlight filtering through at the very top. She must have slept for only a little while. But a little while could spell disaster. The ponies would come after her because of Rarity. She needed to make her getaway before they could catch up. Tiempo de moverse.

She exited the hole and walked over the thick bough of the tree she had hidden herself in. The forest was cold, but Nightmare felt plenty warm in the leather coat Mommy made for her. She paused, flicking her ears around, listening for any sounds that might indicate the approach of ponies. Nothing. Satisfied, Nightmare spread her wings and flew to the next tree.

She glided from bough to bough. It would have been easier to fly over the forest, but that posed far too great a risk. The ponies would surely send pegasi to comb the forest canopies for her. She was a fair flyer, but there was no way she could out-speed adult pegasi. And she dared not run along the snow-covered forest floor, either. That would leave tracks. The safest path, therefore, was among the boughs and branches of the trees. Sentido común.

Nightmare’s mind wandered. While she had been successful in escaping from the ponies, she had no idea where she was going to go next. She needed to find Mommy. But where had she gone? They had never discussed where to meet in the event of a coup. And why didn’t Mommy summon Nightmare when the ponies attacked? That puzzled Nightmare the most.

There had been no warning. When she went to sleep the night before the attack, Mommy tucked her in with the Bear-blankey and told her a funny story about that old rascal, Grogar. Then she sang a sweet little tune and brushed Nightmare’s mane. Mommy seemed very happy for some reason. She had been very busy with the Hive in recent days, but she promised she would show Nightmare a wonderful surprise when she woke up. Then she kissed Nightmare good morning and left the room.

Nightmare had been asleep for a short while when she was jolted awake by a tremendous explosion. The roof was caving in! Boulders fell onto the other side of the futon, crushing it beneath their weight. A good thing Nightmare slept on the opposite side, or she would have been crushed too!

She cried out for Mommy. The door opened, but it was only the guards. Lieutenant Elytra was quick to ask if she were alright. Nightmare assented, and asked them what had happened. Captain Pharynx reported that there had been an attack on the Hive by the ponies. Nightmare’s fear was quickly replaced by anger. Ponies, attacking her Hive? How dare they! They would suffer for hurting her little Changelings! ¡Muertas a las enemigas!

She took flight—over the protests of the guards—and soared to the Atrium, hoping to find Mommy. She saw that a great deal of destruction had been wrought, but nothing prepared her for the sight of the Atrium in ruins! And among the rubble stood the very ponies Mommy had warned her against! All the Princesses were there. They must have led an invasion force against Mommy, to get rid of her for good! The Bearers were also there, along with the dragon slave, and several unicorns whose names Nightmare did not know. They even had the daemon, Discord, with them!

But what surprised Nightmare the most were the dozens of creatures hovering above the ruined Atrium. It took her a moment to realize that they were her own subjects. But what had happened to them? They were all bright and colorful and shiny. How awful! The poor Changelings must be suffering under this terrible curse! And standing beneath them was the ugliest creature Nightmare had ever seen in her life! He stood as tall as Mommy, but with bright colors, and big antlers like a moose. The mere sight of him made Nightmare want to barf!

But where was Mommy?

A pile of rubble shifted, and Mommy burst out from underneath. Nightmare’s tummy turned over—the ponies buried Mommy alive! But she seemed unharmed, and unaffected by the ponies’ evil magic. She snarled at the invaders. She was so brave! But they prepared to fight her—even the Changelings! Nightmare knew then they were under a spell. There was no way they would ever betray their beloved Queen of a thousand years! ¡Qué crimen tan terrible!

Twilight Sparkle’s servant, Starlight Glimmer, stepped forward and gave Mommy some lame speech. Nightmare heard little of what Starlight said, but it sounded as though she were offering Mommy’s own throne back to her. It was clear what was happening; the ponies were taking over the Hive, and they wanted Mommy to be their puppet! Nightmare knew Mommy would understand it that way. But for a moment, it almost seemed as though she were thinking about it. Then she spotted Nightmare.

They stared at each other. Mommy looked as though she did not know what to do; it was the first time Nightmare had ever seen her at a complete loss. But then Mommy remembered herself. She smacked that ugly old Starlight’s hoof away and promised she would have revenge on her, as well as Thorax! Of course, the ponies became very angry when she refused them. That mean old Shining Armor yelled for them to “get her.” They charged, but Mommy threw Starlight Glimmer at them. This tripped them up enough for Mommy to cartwheel over the cliff and fly away.

And just like that, Mommy was gone.

Nightmare stood there, stunned, while the ponies congratulated themselves over their victory. Celestia went over to the moose-monster, identified him as Thorax, and announced he was the new leader of the Changelings.

Then she spotted Nightmare.

Nightmare quickly dropped her head, to avoid showing her fury to the ponies. She wanted to attack, to slay every single one of them! But that would fail. What could she do against a force such as this? Their side had all the alicorns, powerful mages, and the Daemon! All Nightmare could do was act defeated, and hope the ponies didn’t decide to execute her.

The ponies discussed what to do with her. That was when Private Thorax suggested that the ponies take Nightmare away from her home. Of course. The usurper must have realized that Nightmare would oppose him. He knew that she would never rest until he was dead. So, now he needed to get her out of the way as well. Then he would be free to corrupt the Changelings as much as he liked, while she became a prisoner of war in a pony prison. They would torture her for information. But she would hold firm! She would say nothing! ¡Nada! Then they would kill her, leaving Private Thorax to reign as a puppet-king over a mind-controlled Hive. ¡Que maldad! The evil of the ponies knew no bounds!

She listened while the ponies squabbled over which of them would claim her as their prize. Her eyes burned, but she shed no tears—she refused to give her captors the satisfaction of watching her cry. Finally, that nasty old bruha, Twilight Sparkle, “volunteered” to take her. For some reason, the other Princesses seemed reluctant to allow this. She suspected it was because they thought her inept. But then Twilight gave a really boring speech and asked her servants to help her. They agreed, and the Princesses relented. Then they stole her away, leaving Private Thorax in charge!

The ponies acted friendly, but she was not fooled. Their niceness was just a pretense to pump her for information. And their tone annoyed her, especially Twilight Sparkle’s. She talked down to her, as though she were too stupid to understand anything. Nightmare was a Princess! She could understand big words, because she was a big girl now. Twilight Sparkle kept trying to wake Nightmare up when it was daytime, and fed her the wrong food. And then Twilight Sparkle did the worst thing imaginable. She told Nightmare that she was going to be her new mother now! Her! The nerve of this nag to say something so repulsive drove Nightmare’s temper over the edge. Nightmare decided then that she wanted to kill this evil bruha herself!

The castle Twilight Sparkle lived in was awful. At the Hive, Nightmare was often lulled to sleep by the buzzing of countless wings. But in Twilight Sparkle’s castle, there was only silence. What did her captor need with such a vast, empty fortress? She had few servants, and ruled no territory. What was the point?

At least it was easy to track the ponies. When she awoke the following afternoon (after being constantly woken up by Twilight Sparkle “checking” on her) it had been a simple feat to find the ponies, just by listening for their voices echoing around the fortress. They were gathered in a strange room with tree roots hanging from the ceiling. They acted glad to see her, but Nightmare overheard them saying mean things about her Mommy. They decided to take her to a kitchen to give her food. But it was pony food, full of yucky things like hay and flowers. Blech!

Sitting in that kitchen was a very trying experience for Nightmare. They pressed around and stared hungrily at her, expecting her to do some kind of trick. Nightmare made herself look as weak as possible. It hurt her pride to display weakness, but it ensured the ponies would underestimate her. If the ponies wanted to believe she was weak, she saw no reason to prove otherwise. N’interrompez jamais l’ennemi lorsqu’il fait une erreur. And it worked! Somehow, the ponies bought that she was weak and flightless. Meanwhile, she studied the ponies, waiting for her chance to strike.

The perfect moment came the very next day. Twilight Sparkle got Nightmare up extra early and tried to feed her breakfast, but Nightmare took none of it. She listened, eyes drooping, as Twilight Sparkle went on about some sort of “surprise” for her. Then she drew Nightmare and Spike close together and teleported them away. Nightmare only had enough time to process she had arrived someplace with snow, before being rushed inside someplace else.

They had come to visit Rarity. She welcomed them in, and treated Nightmare as though she were some sort of honored guest. Nightmare ignored these overtures, and studied the large room with all the fabrics. She wondered what any of it had to do with her.

Rarity showed Twilight and Spike a dress, and then Rainbow Dash burst in unannounced. This startled Nightmare, and she ran beneath a fancy-looking futon to hide. The ponies were very upset with Rainbow Dash for this behavior. But Nightmare noticed Twilight Sparkle locking the door back, and saying something about needing to keep “Nyx’s” presence a secret. Nightmare’s stomach turned over. What were they planning to do with her?

Then Applejack knocked on the door. Again, Nightmare noticed Twilight Sparkle acting strangely; she only opened the top door until she saw who it was. Applejack told them that her trees were being attacked by frost weevils, and then she, Twilight, and Spike left to go and find a way to repel them. Now Nightmare was alone with just Rainbow Dash and Rarity. Sola con Las Enemigas.

Rainbow Dash wanted to stay and help, but then Rarity acted weird, and asked Dash to hold the “pins” for her. And then Rainbow Dash suddenly became very anxious, and said that would be “torture.” Nightmare’s blood froze. That was why she was there! Rarity was going to torture her for information! Nightmare started panicking. She didn’t know if she could stand up to torture! It sounded like the “pins” hurt a lot!

Rainbow Dash left in a hurry. Rarity closed the door behind her, and then turned and smiled broadly at Nightmare. Nightmare shrank away from her. Did Rarity think she was deaf? She had no intention of letting this torturer harm her!

Rarity started talking gently then, as though trying to reassure Nightmare. She then asked her to take off her coat, which Nightmare agreed to reluctantly. Rarity took the coat and examined it. Something about the coat puzzled her, but she said nothing more about it, and hung it up on a rack. Next, she attempted to take Nightmare’s peytral, but Nightmare refused flat out. That was far too important to let a pony handle! Rarity was confused, but waved it off. She pulled out some sort of tape, and attempted to wrap it around Nightmare’s throat. Nightmare backed away, worried that it was some sort of noose. But Rarity wrapped it around her own throat and explained that she was only going to measure her with it. Nightmare wondered how this would help her with the torturing. But she allowed the measurements to continue, ready to strike if Rarity made to harm her.

Rarity ran the tape all over Nightmare’s body, stopping only to write things down on a piece of parchment. She said little as she worked, only asking Nightmare to lift her hoofs now and again. Finishing that task, she pulled some sheets off a nearby rack and ran them along Nightmare’s body without a word. Nightmare had no idea what Rarity was trying to do, but she could detect hesitation coming off of the pony. She smelled of fear. But that went away when she noticed her cat, and started teasing Nightmare about being one too.

Then Rarity turned away, rummaged in a drawer, and came out with a pair of red-handled blades. They looked just like Mommy’s gelding clippers! O no! The torture was starting! Rarity was going to cut off Nightmare’s maiden-head, so she couldn’t lay any eggs! Then she would cut off her tail, and her nose, and her ears too!

It was time to fight. Nightmare snarled at Rarity, surprising the mare. She froze, giving Nightmare enough time to snatch the weapon away and stab her with it, pinning her to the floor. Blood burst from the wound. Sweet wonderful blood! The scent made Nightmare’s mouth water. She stooped down, ready to lap up the blood, when a knock came on the door. She heard a voice on the other end asking for Rarity.

O no, more ponies! Nightmare needed to get out of there, fast! She grabbed her coat, knocking over the rack Rarity hung it on. She leaped out the nearest window, without sparing a glance at whoever was at the door, and flew straight for the forest. She flew deep into it before stopping to rest. She was only going to take a breather. And then her eyes got heavy, and she closed them for a bit…

And now she was in the woods, gliding from bough to bough. She still wasn’t with her Mommy, but at least she had escaped the clutches of those vile ponies! She slew one of the Bearers—now only five remained! But she did feel a little guilty, leaving Rarity behind to bleed out on the floor like that…such a waste of good meat…

No matter. She would find her Mommy, and together they would re-take their Hive, and free their subjects from the evil pony magic! And Private Thorax would die—Nightmare would kill him herself! She’d mount his head on a pike! And after the Hive was saved from that wicked usurper, they would turn their attention to the remaining Bearers and their Princesses. Their act of war would not go unanswered! They would all die for daring to lay a hoof on her beautiful Mommy! Especially that bruja, Twilight Sparkle! Why, when she got her hooves on her, she’d—

There was a rumbling sound. Nightmare froze; there was a thundering beyond the trees, as though many hooves charged wildly on the underbrush. The creatures the sounds belonged to were very noisy, and Nightmare knew from experience that animals that made such noise were dangerous. She leaped several branches higher and peered down, waiting for the owners of those hooves to pass by. She sniffed the air, trying to determine what they could be. Whatever they were, they had a strong, musky odor. It was too strong to be ponies, but it smelled familiar…

She realized what they were almost as soon as they crashed through the foliage—wild boar! At least a dozen charged below her, oblivious to her presence in the trees above. Nightmare watched them, her eyes dancing. Wild boar was Nightmare’s favorite prey. Their flesh was so sweet and tasty! Their bacon was the best part; whenever she and Mommy hunted boar in Leota, Mommy would harvest the bacon and fry it for her.

But the boars of Leota paled compared to these! Their massive bodies were almost entirely muscle. Their tusks were long and sharp; their bristles glossy, in spite of the twigs and branches tangled up in them. Nightmare’s mouth watered at the thought of all that meat. These boars looked like they should make a fine hunt. It would be such a joy to clamp her jaws into their throats, to taste the blood gushing hot and fresh from their bodies! ¡Muy dulce!

For the first time, Nightmare took stock of the forest. It was like Leota, but better! The vegetation here was thick, even in the dead of winter. Many of the trees retained their leaves. Vines hung from the higher branches; countless shrubs, herbs, and bushes grew on the misty, snow-covered forest floor. The canopies above her were thick and voluminous. And there were more creatures here besides boar. She could hear the padding feet of small woodland animals, scurrying just out of sight. She smelled bears, deer, junglefowl, and other animals that would make fine game for her. But there were creatures besides these in the woods: she detected the lingering scents of magical beasts, such as manticores, hydras, and ophiotauruses. Even better! Hunting them should make for fine sport!

Maybe when Mommy was Queen again, they could come and lay claim to this forest. O, how she wished Mommy were here, exploring them with her! They could hunt, and then go and find rare plants for potions. Perhaps they might even find elves here! These seemed like the kind of woods they would like.

The sounder plunged deeper into the forest. Nightmare’s tummy gurgled. What an opportunity these boars presented! She had not eaten since yesterday evening. The mice she trapped had been enough to get by, but it would be a joy to have a bigger meal at last! ¡Que comience la cacería!

She took off after the sounder, staying in the eaves while keeping good pace with them. The boars took no notice of her. They charged through the forest with no clear aim to their stampede. But Nightmare noticed the trees thinning, and the forest growing brighter. She could feel sunlight shining in her eyes, but she blinked it away. This was no for sleep! It was Bacon Time now!

The trees grew thinner and thinner, until at last the forest opened into a sloped clearing, a hard, rough terrain split with a vast canyon. There was little in the way of vegetation, aside from patches of shrubs and several craggy willows. The boars spilled downslope toward an unknown destination. But Nightmare no longer cared about them. She had seen something more important: there, on a plateau beyond the canyon, stood an enormous castle!

Nightmare’s face brightened. This could only be one place—this must be where the elves lived!

The castle had the feel of an Elf-place. It had damaged turrets and crumbling walls; the roof fell in a long time ago. The castle was overrun with ivy. And yet there was a power to it. She could feel it drawing her closer. Her spine tingled—she had a strange feeling she had been there before. But she had no memory of ever visiting such a place. Perhaps this was an effect of Elf magic?

Nightmare hid her eyes in her hooves and giggled. Everything was going to be alright now! She would visit this castle and ask the Elves for help. No way they’d turn down a fellow fae! They would help her find Mommy, and then help them reclaim their Hive from the evil ponies and the usurper. Then, they would help them wage glorious war on the ponies for their crimes against the Changelings! ¡Todo estará bien ahora!

Nightmare tossed her head back and prepared to take flight for the castle. But just before she launched herself off the branch, she caught a familiar scent on the winds.

Ponies.

Nightmare looked at the castle. There was no way she would be able to make it without being spotted by the ponies. And then they would find the Elf-place too, and that would be bad. They might inflict their evil magic on the Elves! It was clear she would have to go back and head them off, before any of them found this place.

She slunk from tree to tree, stopping now and then to smell for the ponies’ location. The forest became dark again as the trees thickened, and the branches closed together. The smell of pony grew stronger. They were getting close. But how? Even if she fell asleep, the forest was still a big place. How were they catching up?

Nightmare suddenly became aware of approaching voices. She leaped several branches higher, squinting her eyes so their light would not betray her location. In the distance, she could see the pink glow of a magical aura.

It was Starlight Glimmer, holding aloft Mommy’s bag. She was accompanied by Trixie, who bore a large piece of parchment in her magic. Behind them trotted Applejack and the dragon Spike. Above their heads hovered the pegasus, Rainbow Dash. None of them looked happy.

Nightmare’s heart skipped a beat. They found her! But how had they traced her? She could not have napped long enough for them to have caught up so quickly! And why did they have Mommy’s bag with them?

She did not have to wait long for an answer. “Ya sure that spell’s workin’ properly?” Applejack asked.

“It should be,” Starlight Glimmer replied. “Princess Twilight showed me how to work it. All we needed was a map and something belonging to Nyx. It’s the best means we have to track her down.”

“Then we can get answers about Rarity!” Rainbow Dash thundered. “Why did she attack her like that?”

“We’ll just have to ask her,” Applejack said, grimly.

“Perhaps it was an accident?” Starlight Glimmer suggested.

“Right, an accident,” Spike growled. “She “accidentally” stabbed Rarity to death with a pair of scissors. Honest mistake. Could happen to any-pony.”

“She ain’t dead, Spike,” Applejack said. “Them folks up at the hospital said she was still alive. Mind you, those were some mighty serious wounds she had. They were fightin’ to keep her stable.”

Nightmare huffed. So, the evil torturer lived. O well, it could not be helped. She needed to remember to slash instead of stab, it left more serious wounds that way.

“It looks like we’re getting close!” Trixie declared. “She should be around here somewhere…”

“Where?” Rainbow Dash demanded, snapping her head around. “Tell me where she is, right now!”

“Close-ish,” Trixie answered, waving a hoof. “Seriously, do you realize how much territory this map covers? We’re lucky it narrows it down this much!”

“But we’re closing in on her,” Starlight added. “The point on the map is getting brighter.”

“Then she can probably hear us,” Applejack said. “Nyx? Can ya hear me? We need ya to stop hidin’ and come on out. We ain’t gonna hurt ya.”

“Speak for yourself,” Spike grumbled.

“Not helpin’, Spike.”

“It’s all right, Nyx, you aren’t in any trouble!” Starlight Glimmer yelled. “Just come out and tell us what happened. You don’t need to be scared!”

Nightmare scowled. She would not give herself up to the ponies. This time, they would make sure to cast their evil mind-control magic on her. But fleeing was impossible—they could follow her anywhere as long as they had her bag. She was going to have to fight. She had to protect herself, her Mommy, and the elves. But could she hope to win against such powerful warriors as these?

Nightmare steeled herself. All she needed was a plan. She took a deep breath, and studied her targets. The first priority was to take them out. Her second was to seize the bag, so the ponies could no longer track her. The problem was that there were five of them and only one of her.

She remembered what Mommy told her about facing multiple opponents: Find the leader. Take her out first. The body dies without its head. From what she had seen, that leader must be Applejack. She was the one giving orders and keeping the others on track. She even had a deep leader voice! It was almost a pity Nightmare had to kill her. Pero así es la guerra.

Then there was the matter of the unicorns to deal with—Starlight Glimmer in particular. Nightmare was unsure what purpose she actually served. Mommy called her out for the overthrow, so she must be a powerful mage. She would be hard to beat. Luckily, Mommy had hurt Starlight Glimmer already. Injured prey was easier to take down. Without her and Applejack, the others should fall in short order.

But how to launch her attack? She couldn’t just leap out at them; they’d see her. And who knew how strong they really were? Did she even have enough magic to beat them? She might have enough to at least take out Applejack. The others she would have to fight in hoof-to-hoof combat.

What she needed was some sort of diversion, a way to attack them without being seen. Like when Pinkamina flashed that light in her eyes! That had hurt a lot. She was blinded, and struggled to see afterward. If only there was a way to do that to the ponies! Wait…

Nightmare suddenly realized how dim the forest was, and how little light those magical auras actually gave off. She smiled, realizing she had a plan, and the means to carry it out. She just had to execute it.

She let them draw closer, and just when they were right beneath her, a brilliant burst of white light shot from her horn. The flash charm blinded the ponies and the dragon instantly.

“Aaargh, my eyes!” Spike shouted, rubbing them furiously with his claws.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is blinded by the light!”

“What’s happening?” Starlight Glimmer cried, covering her eyes with a hoof. She dropped the saddlebags. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know!” Applejack exclaimed, staggering. “But we just need to keep calm and—”

Applejack did not finish her sentence. As she was talking, Nightmare charged her horn and shot her full in the face with a magical beam. The Earth pony fell with a scream.

“Applejack!” Starlight Glimmer yelled, staggering around. “What just—”

Nightmare pounced. She landed on Starlight Glimmer’s head and tackled her to the ground, knocking the breath out of her. Nightmare bit her on the tail, and threw her overhead.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie can see again!” Trixie exclaimed, triumphantly. She looked up. Her pupils shrank when she saw Starlight Glimmer’s body hurling towards her. “O, cra—”.

Starlight’s head collided with Trixie’s, and both unicorns collapsed into a heap on the ground. They did not get back up again.

Nightmare’s heart overflowed with joy. She took three out already! This was much easier than expected. All she had to do now was take out the other two and—

She was suddenly tackled to the ground, knocking the wind out of her.

“I got you now!” Rainbow Dash snarled. “You aren’t getting away from me!”

Nightmare tried to stand, but Rainbow Dash pinned her wings, so she could not move without risking them. She felt angry with herself. She could imagine what Mommy would say: “Foal! Celebrating your victory when there is still a battle to be fought! Now the pegasus warrior has you pinned!”

Rainbow Dash leaned closer. “Why are you doing this?” she demanded. “Come on, what’s your plan?”

Nightmare growled at her but did not answer. What kind of dumb-dumb told their enemy their plan?

“Are you all right, Dash?” said a voice. It was Spike. “Where’s Nyx?”

“Relax, I’ve got her,” Rainbow Dash said. “Uh, she’s putting up quite a fight here. She’s a lot feistier than I—Oof!”

Rainbow Dash had slackened her grip slightly while talking to Spike. That gave Nightmare just enough play to bring her head up and smack the bottom of the pegasus’ chin with her horn. Nightmare’s horn wasn’t sharp enough to cut yet, but it was effective nonetheless. Rainbow Dash, out of instinct, brought a hoof to her face. Nightmare turned her head and sank her fangs into the other leg’s fetlock, slicing through the pony’s flesh and striking the bone within.

Rainbow Dash screamed. Blood gushed from the wound and into Nightmare’s mouth. The flavor was so sweet! ¡Muy dulce! She had almost forgotten how sweet pony blood was. She took a deep draught, making loud slurping noises as she did so.

“Wha-What are you doing?” Rainbow Dash asked, shocked.

Nightmare remembered herself. She was in a battle! Now was not the time to savor the taste of La Enemiga—that was for later. She realized her wings were free, and quickly kicked out and grabbed Rainbow Dash’s throat with her hind legs. The pegasus only had enough time to cry out before Nightmare rolled and threw her against the ground. Rainbow Dash went down at once, blood oozing from her wound.

Nightmare paused, her heart pounding after her fight with Rainbow Dash. That had been close. She turned around—only for the dragon to jump her. Nightmare lit her horn, but Spike slapped it with his claw and she recoiled, hissing in pain from the blow. Spike grabbed Nightmare in a tight bearhug, pinning her wings and hooves against her body.

“I’m not letting you go!” Spike roared. “Not after what you did to—huh?”

Nightmare’s eyes glowed white, her violet mane subliming into a misty starfield. Indigo flames suddenly lit at her feet, and traveled up her entire body. The flames dissipated, and Nightmare was now transfigured into a young she-dragon. She was long and lean, her scaly body the same deep-midnight as her normal form, and her belly the same color her mane had been. And unlike Spike, Nightmare had proper dragon wings. Only her eyes remained the same.

Spike’s eyes widened. “Wha—?” he sputtered, before Nightmare breathed indigo flames into his eyes.

“Aaargh!” Spike wailed, releasing Nightmare and burying his eyes into his claws. Nightmare did not waste her opening—she seized Spike by his tail and hoisted him into the air. She swung with all of her might, and slammed him headfirst into the forest floor, knocking him out instantly.

Flames flickered up Nightmare’s body again as she regained her normal form. She panted, surveying the bodies sprawled out around her. She was winded, yet her heart practically sang; she won her very first battle! Mommy would be so proud of her! Too bad she was not here to see it.

She surveyed the bodies around her. They were all knocked out; Nightmare could see the slow movement of breath in their bellies. They would be out for a while.

Nightmare found her bags and paused to examine them. They were damp and cold from lying in the snow, but otherwise untouched. She opened the bag and saw that the insides were intact. Nothing was missing. Nightmare frowned. Why hadn’t the ponies emptied the bag out and then cast the tracing spell on it? Then if they lost the bag, they could use the other items to trace her. Maybe it made the spell work better? There had to be a reason…the ponies were too clever to make stupid mistakes.

Her tummy growled, louder this time. She looked around at the bodies surrounding her and licked her lips. She needed meat, and now she had a whole buffet to choose from! And two of those choices were Element Bearers! Nightmare could make sure they no longer posed a threat and get a good meal out of it!

But which one should she eat? Nightmare licked her teeth; a faint trace of blood remained. Rainbow Dash had very sweet blood. She must have very sweet meat, too. But Applejack had big muscles, so there was plenty of healthful meat on her. But unicorn meat was the sweetest of the pony meats, and Starlight Glimmer looked delicious! And then there was the dragon; Nightmare had never tasted dragon meat before, and now she had a rare chance to try it!

A thick mist enveloped around her. Nightmare shook her head, re-focusing. She was wasting time. It would be simpler to kill them now and decide later. She could sample a little of each, and then be on her way to see the Elves.

She rummaged around inside the bag, and came out again with her beloved sicca knife. She slipped it out of its sheath, its sickle-like blade gleaming in the scant light of the forest. Both sides of the blade were very sharp. Perfect for slitting the throats of the Enemigas! Mommy was going to be thrilled when she learned her daughter had slain so many of their foes! “Very good, my daughter,” she would say. “I’m very impressed. You shall have my permission to hunt alligators now.”

The fog grew thicker around her. Nightmare pressed the knife across Applejack’s throat. Her mouth watered. What a delight it would be to taste more blood, gushing free from a fresh kill! She wanted to sink her fangs into Applejack’s throat and enjoy her flesh…but it was better to be quick and sure. She pressed the blade in and—

Her head felt very heavy all of a sudden. She felt sleepy, so much so that it took a lot of effort on her part to stay awake. It felt as though sleep was trying to overwhelm her. She staggered back in a stupor, the knife falling onto the snowy ground.

The fog was green. Nightmare had just enough sense left to remember that fog was not supposed to be green. She fell to the ground, fighting to keep her eyes open. On the edge of her vision, she became aware of a hooded figure standing above her, and with a moan, realized she herself had been ambushed.

And then everything went black.

Author's Note:

Eleven months. That's how long it took me to finish writing this chapter. I never meant for it to take that long. A lot of the difficulty was in getting the first draft down. I had periods of writer's block that kept getting in the way. A lot of the main difficulty was with the passages involving the last few chapters from Nightmare's perspective. I thought it was very important that I show what she thought about those events, since they shape her motivations. But I ended up summarizing nearly everything, which was a chore to write and a bore to read. So, a lot of cutting went on there, which I'm not thrilled about, but it helps keep the pacing going. The parts with Chrysalis were a lot more fun to write! I had to cut stuff out of there as well. The first draft ran 20,000 words and spanned forty Word pages! The draft I'm posting here runs 13,930 words and spans only 29 pages of WordDoc.

I would also like to thank SpokenMind93 for her contribution! Some of you may know her as the artist behind the "Past Sins" comic adaptation. I commissioned the artwork from her, and I'm very happy with how it turned out! You can find her in these places:
DeviantArt: https://www.deviantart.com/spokenmind93
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArtOfBeep1404/status/1499070849248374789?cxt=HHwWisC96da_4s0pAAAA

Thanks for your patience! I expect Chapter Eight to take much less time than this one did! ...Here's hoping

Comments

[Redundant]

Poor Princess Nightmare forgot one of Sunny Shoes’ most important lessons: “Double-tap your enemies before you claim victory!”

This is a wonder to see again, the 11 months waiting were definitely worth it!

[Cyana Flame]

sudden Spanish and talk of elves, I'm not sure what that means yet

[Death Moon]

Accidenti che colpo di scena! Qui vediamo la nostra amica agire e vediamo parte del suo passato quando era con sua madre, certo i pony stanno scoprendo che non è facile crescere una che è cresciuta con i Mutanti (uso il nome italiano perché sono più pratico) adesso mi chiedo chi ha salvato la piccola e che piani ha.

Damn what a twist! Here we see our friend acting and we see part of her past when she was with her mother, of course the ponies are discovering that it is not easy to raise someone who grew up with Mutants (I use the Italian name because I am more practical) now I wonder who has saved the little girl and what plans she has.

[GamePlayer64]

Make sense why she's personally taking down, she's taking down the Mane 7 one by one to make sure they don't use the magic of friendship beam and have plans to assassinate Thorax for betraying Chrysalis.

[Dormi_san]

11239080
This has Zecora's print all over it.

[Dormi_san]

11239080
I wouldn't use the word "saved" rather it would be "caught".

[LittleStrongheartNyx]

media2.giphy.com/media/zQcf774ZNgP39LJzKW/200.gif

[Alex80]

it was worth the wait very good chapter seven very detailed plus I understand that it must have been very difficult for you to describe the avenimetes of all the previous chapters from the point of view of nyx.
I also add I loved the reactions of the little nightmare moon to the photos of the mane sixes and the princesses like I felt a grudge towards fluttershy because it forced predators to eat vegetables and not meat.
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[Lorddarkandrew]

nice work.

[Alex80]

New chapter
Progress ????

[ShadeNightingale]

11327528
I’ve finished a few pages so far. To be honest, I’ve been a bit preoccupied lately.

[Alex80]

Don't worry take your time 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[Alex80]

Chapter 8 ???

[ShadeNightingale]

11382311
Still in progress.

[WindigogoGadget]

“Wow!” Nightmare said. “I did not know the sun was so important!”

Smart move