…
It seems that citizens of Ponyville are very familiar with history and its figures. Or maybe they just remember the first visit of Nightmare very brightly… Metallic clop of my shoes on the stones of a road echoes through the empty streets of the town. You can hear a swinging sign of some store grits on the wind. Wherever I look, my gaze meet only closed doors and densely drawn curtains. I reflexively cringed from the feeling of stress in the air, and it seems so thick that you can chop it with a knife. Literally a ghost town, God damn it… Streets started to die out because of my approaching with such speed that I just couldn’t believe my eyes at first. The process of escape became epidemic — ponies just evaporated before my eyes. I couldn’t get closer than fifty meters to anyone. That’s…disconcerting. Even I couldn’t have predicted the reaction I would meet, but I wasn’t prepared for such massive panic. I came closer to a circled house with a shed as an addition, under which tables and chairs were standing. By the sign of a cocktail wineglass, it wasn’t a mystery that this was a public catering. There were such wineglasses on some tables, it seems that they were abandoned in a hurry, someone’s dropped his notebook on the floor, sheets of which are being twitched by the wind… Well, this store definitely has been intact today, and it seems this house is a residential one, so it’s very possible that the owners hid there. I approached a small door and knocked delicately. This quiet sound was similar to a burst of gunshots in prevailing voicelessness. I listened closely, trying to catch at least a sound behind the door, but didn’t hear anything except my own breathing. I raised a hoof, fitting it for a go-od knock, but after a second of thinking, I downed it onto the ground. Breaching the door isn’t a question, but making the owners giving me some good answer is. They already fear to breathe there, and what would happen if I breach it? No point in doing that. “Damned cowards.” I hummed under my breath, shook my head unhappily and turned away from the door. Yea-ah… And what’s now? Sighing annoyingly, I moved on down the street. Situation is starting to anger me. I moved around the town enough to find famous Rarity’s “Carousel” — no one opened the door — mayor’s office on the central square, public park, but the damned library is nowhere to be seen. Sometimes it looks like this fuc… This residential oak has dug himself out of the ground and now running away from me around all of Ponyville, hiding behind houses and laughing at me in his dense crown. I sadly chuckled at this insanity that came to my head. No, I have to do something with my reputation — a thought came to my head after like fifteen minutes of futile walking across wordless streets. I do not see anything bad if someone’s afraid of you and don’t get cocky, but when whole streets are dying out because of you… I appeared from another turn and froze like a statue, trying to even breathe quieter. Yes! On a crossroad, a pony of cream color stands, with her back turned to me. Pale green tail of the mare frighteningly stuck to the belly, she was shifting from one foot to another nervously and fearfully looking around, it seems like she’s picking a side to run — left or right. Got lost, huh? Yeah, I wouldn’t get much out of her… Well, maybe she doesn’t know this district — turned to a wrong side in panic — but she knows where the library is? Anyways, at least I have someone to ask — maybe she’d give me some answers… A known feeling is coming from my magic source, sending a warm wave into the horn, the muscles of the neck are tensing, I’m concentrating almost routinely… Turquoise glowing is seizing mare’s fore legs. She’s feeling the touch of telekinesis and frighteningly screaming, twitching her fixed legs in vain. I compensate her force, adding a little bit of extra energy. I got you. Earthpony is looking around in panic and hit her gaze upon me. “Good day. If you don’t run away — I’ll let you go. I just want to ask you some questions.” I informed the mare with a static tone, while kicking my entirely ill-placed black humor on the tip of my tongue down my throat and diligently holding my face with a normal expression — it’s not time to smile, God damn it… She’ll go nuts if I show my fangs, she’s already twitching like an aspen leaf. Saying something relaxing like “I won’t hurt you”, “Don’t fear me” or similar isn’t the way I have courage to go. It’s a common fact that nothing creates such panic as a request to stay calm. And I hope that these constructive proposals from my side will help her to get herself up… After making a few steps towards the pony I understand with sadness — it won’t. Mare, twitching frivolously, tries to escape fitfully, but just falls onto her croup, trying to separate her hooves and the ground in vain. The pony’s eyes are full of tears and terror, and it’s directly said on her face: “This is the end!” I turn my gaze away — didn’t think in the first place, that your eyes are not a welcoming gesture, did you, idiot? “Please, tell me — which way to the library?” I look away from the frightened pony diligently and even turn off my telekinesis. I doubt she would run away that far, but, maybe, she’d calm a bit… Only a muffled sob as an answer. I’ve had enough of your fear, damned cowards and pathetic dogs! What’s wrong, God damn it?! Where this reaction even comes from? I remember that when Nightmare Moon came during her first time, there wasn’t such reaction, or not such massive one at least! But with Zecora it was something similar, but the other way around… Maybe it’s a pleasure for them — to fear someone, huh? Gonna check it now — I gloomily smile with the edges of my lips. The polite side isn’t working you say… “Where do I find Celestia’s protégé?” Now I use the other way around: I loom large over the pony, boring a hole with my heavy gaze. She lifts her tearful eyes for a moment, twitches and falls onto a causeway, closing her eyes with the fore hooves and frighteningly lays back her ears. Yeah… It doesn’t work either. What to fucking do? I touch a side of the twitching mare with my shoe thoughtfully. She jiggles, like it was a punch, making a muffled squeak. I’m tiredly sighing, lifting my eyes to the sky. It’s time to choose: either drop this stupid creature or just kiss her, like a last-ditch measure — maybe this would work? I made a step forward while thinking, and something like a train rammed into me. A powerful punch from the right to the ribs, passing by the wing miraculously, nailed me to the ground, while my brow took a hit against a road stone, and, it seems, that I bit my cheek ‘till blood. “Fu…cking shi-it!” I said huskily and started to cough. Tears are breaking from my eyes, white dots filled my view, flying chaotically, air, that is kicked out from my lungs like it was a sledgehammer, cannot be taken back. What a fucking encounter… What the hell was fucking that?! Or “who” — I corrected, winking tears away and lifting a muddy gaze at the azure pegasus with a rainbow mane, standing a few meters away. I think she was saying something, but the words flew by my mind. I barely stood up, setting my legs wider for their fixity. The brow was pulsating with awful twitching pain, recently healed ribs are whining like hell, shooting pain in the wing, especially giving itself away when breathing, and the mouth started to fill itself with blood from an internal part of the bitten cheek that now hangs like rags. Why the heck did you do that? Nothing to do and just decided to bark at me?! I looked at the cockily smiling pegasus with hatred. It was the last nail in the coffin, bitch. I spit blood on the road and licked my lips, fixing a heavy gaze at my enemy. She paled a bit and looked away. “You wanted war?” I wheezed out to her darkly. “I’ll give it to you, painted skank.” Pegasus tensed, either preparing to run or meeting a punch, but neither of those are gonna happen — I won’t allow to. What can I do with the magic part? Only the most primitive ones: telekinesis, magic light and a pair of same childish focuses. Is it a war-winning machine? With someone like Celestia — no, but the pegasus will get enough of it. How? Easily: whatever comes to the hands of a human being, he would make a weapon out of it. Why ponies of Equestria light their magic at the end of a horn, even though it’s unwieldy? Because there’s no battery-element, relatively complex in performance in the most well known version of the spell, and the magic dies out in a moment without energy from the horn. I don’t need more than that. I concentrate for a second, creating a clot of light right before the pegasus’ eyes, filling it with energy for more brightness zestily. Half a second — and it’s gone, but it’s more than enough for the azure mare to step back, screaming in surprise, freezing on the spot, trying to rub the eyes with a hoof and downing the ready-to-go wings. Yeah, it is a bad idea to fly without eyesight. “So you have to stay on the ground with me, punk.” An evil smile decorates my face by itself. A few steps towards the enemy. Turning to the sound, she opens her tearful eyes with force, trying to see me, and gets another ball of light in her face. I must come closer, swing a fore leg and, while rearing up, nail this armored hoof right into enemy’s side with all of its weight; she’s unfolded her wings, seemingly trying to get back and avoid such a close distance with their help. The punch goes right into the wing’s root, and surprisingly for me, it just folds, like because of a reflex, cramping against her side brokenly. Still blinded and disoriented pegasus painfully screams and tries to jump aside, but loses her balance, and I also add some force by telekinesis, pressing her into the stones of the causeway, forcing to fall on doubled up legs and spread eagle on the road. Spit blood out again, wrinkling from an unpleasant metal taste in the mouth. “And?” The voice is still weak, I’m breathing with force. “What have you achieved, scum bag? Why did you…” “Hey, you! Get back from her! Now!” A known voice sounds foggily. I slowly lift up a full-of-promise gaze at its owner. O, hello there. Couldn’t you have come a minute ago, when she was breaking my ribs because of nothing to do? There were four ponies on the road that I knew because of the cartoon, drilling me with surprised, blaming and gloom glances. All that’s missing is Fluttershy. “Get back, right now!” Applejack repeats harshly, scowling at me and coming at me with her friends. Unicorns support her with their speaking glances, but only Pinkie looks at with some sad incomprehension. “Why do you do that?” I read it in the eyes of the pink mare. I cast a satisfied glance at the spread eagled azure pegasus, pinned down by my telekinesis to the road, moaning chokingly and trying to dash away tears from her muzzle despite my telekinetic press. Does it hurt, ay? You’re crying? Do you think your punch was a tickle for me, huh? I spit blood out once again on the road. When it will stop already? I lift a gaze at the farmer. She’s looking at me unfriendly. Her words aren’t looking as a polite ask, but I wouldn’t heat it up. I hope I’ve managed to say my thought to Dash: beating people because of a bad mood or demonstrate your coolness on me isn’t the smartest idea? I release telekinesis, feeling how the muscles of my neck are relaxing with relief, and make a few awkward steps back — harshly burning side is reminding about itself. Did she ram me from a dive? Coming closer, pony gaze at me hostilely, surround their friend and trying to outdo each other about her shape — I don’t pay a lot of attention. I put a chill shoe on the hurt brow carefully. Feels without blood, didn’t cut it, but I can feel how a bum is springing up there. Should have put the helmet on — I don’t look friendly with it, yeah… No one fucking cares about friendliness! Feel our love and magic of friendship, idiot… And I’ll note that this all happened after Tia’s letter, in which she warned about my arrival for sure, and, as I assume, offered to show every good side of friendship and cooperation. They did. Vividly. They didn’t beat Discord the same way for some reason… “Nightmare!” The lavender unicorn addressed to me. Ponies lined up against me again, Pinkie and Applejack were helping barely standing Dash with their sides: it seems that my punch was hell of a one — pegasus was standing in a canted pose from the pain and hissing, cringing and drilling me with the glance of her narrowed ruby eyes evilly. “It’s wrong! You must apologize!” The Princess’ student said firmly, giving me a harsh gaze, when I gave attention to her. “Bang.” Heart pushed in the chest, bumping pure and sheer rampage into veins and arteries instead of usual blood that it’s taken. I pulled in the suddenly thickened air with noise. “You must!” Why the heck I must?! Have you already judged the situation objectively? To clear up what and why has happened? At least ask my point of view? “Nah, such nonsense! You’re Nightmare, thus — found guilty! And everything is clear!” My cheek twitched nervously. Go to heck with this method, multicolored fuckers! Nightmare’s idea of taking away the Sun was right — you don’t deserve it! I make a few steps forward, loom over the lavender unicorn, catch her gaze and peer at her eyes point-blank without blinking. I managed to see fright and perplexity before she turned her gaze away. “I. Don’t. Owe. Anyone. Anything. Here!” I say every word through my teeth individually. “Maybe to Celestia and Fluttershy! But not you for sure!” I move away, fighting the desire to spit under the startled unicorn’s legs. I’ve had enough of local hospitality! Turning around sharply, I move back to the ridge, where the chariot had left me. “And what then?” A backstabbing thought shows up in the head, forcing me to roar furiously. I don’t fucking know! Come as it may! I don’t give a fuck what will be! “Nightmare!” I abruptly turn around at the call. The Princess’ protégé runs to me. Is it that hard to fuck off, stupid horse? “We don’t have anything to talk about!” I bark in response. “Go away! If you don’t know what to do — help your friends to get this colored crip to a hospital! That’s it!” “But…” Unicorn tries to insist confusedly, but I put on pace and don’t pay attention to her. Do whatever you want here! Without me! This shit is so known for me: “We don’t give a heck who’s guilty because you’re the one who is! Pay and shrive!” In fact, this is from the childhood… I remember badly, without names and details, but… A time ago I had to stay with grandmother with either nephew or little brother, or cousin… Or second cousin? Damn it, I don’t remember! Doesn’t matter anyway… It’s clear as day that it’s me who had to babysit and entertain him. Kiddo, of course, wasn’t listening to me, tried to slip through every hole, thus earning problems. He could fall, break a mug from the table, a third, a tenth, a who-knows… The kiddo cries, but who would pay the price by the grandmother’s opinion? Yeah, there we go… And it could have been my luck if it was just once, but the kiddo sniffed out the trend that he can do everything and nothing counts as his deed, and he started to do a number on me! If I had been maturer, I wouldn’t have taken this so seriously and literally, but with healthy indifference and with a bit of humor, but the difference between him and me was… It’s hard to say, but not more than three years, I guess. It was the only time on my memory when I seriously took offense at the grandmother, getting a beating for another someone else’s mistake, and I just couldn’t take it anymore — I left her, shutting door loudly and hiding tears diligently. Generally, this stupid horse have chosen the best way to anger me — accuse me of something that I haven’t done and tried to force me to bear the blame, groundlessly and without any doubts. I made it to the landing zone with dark thoughts. What now? A thought about moving to the Everfree forest, that’s rising at the ridge’s slope like a somber wall, skittered through my mind: unburden myself there, like I had been doing when I was a human, playing meat-grinding shooters and flooding hordes of some beasts in their own blood. After a little bit of thinking, I shook my head negatively. Firstly, I’m not in the right shape to go there without any serious threat for me, and secondly… I just don’t want to. After this half an hour that I’ve been going here, the rampage just silenced, leaving emptiness and apathy after — the “cool down” thought came under its own inertia, I guess. Looking around the place, I stopped my gaze at a lake. A big one, sometimes with sandy shores, and it’s not overgrown with bushes and canes. There’s nothing of a real sense to go there, but… If I don’t give a heck where to go — why not? I sighed and started to haltingly go to the farthest shore from Ponyville, trying to not overload my hurt side. “Why this colored one decided to fight me?” I started thinking, following a dragonfly that moved aside with an absent look. It wasn’t an accident — Dash and lost control? Yeah, keep saying that. And the punch was, in terms of accuracy, surgical — very painful, but, it seems, without any serious consequences. If she had punched me twenty-ish centimeters aside — I would have been forced to gather my wings’ bones from scratch. She punched me deliberately. A question rises — why? Princess said that she would write a letter about me. I’m sure there wasn’t the “Kill at all costs!” order. No, I was of course understanding that our first meeting with Dash will be harsh anyway, but the expectable maximum of the problem was a verbal fight like: “I don’t trust you, I watch you, just try to make a step aside! Got it?” But not a direct attack without any warnings and sayings of pretensions! The biggest thing is that in all this mess, Princess Celestia just can’t stand aside and leave it without her attention. It’s clear as day that her student’s word is overwhelmingly more important than mine. And if Twi draws a masterpiece about me ravaging the locals and burning the houses and then fighting Dash without any reason — everyone will believe her and will start to blame me for everything. And if my mood’s line would fall as now — it would be counted as a proof and hello Moon, it’s been a while… I sadly overlooked the water expanse before me. And here I am, I’ve made it. Why have I come here, huh… I moved along the lake, listening to the rustle of the sand under my shoes. And what I’m gonna do with all this mess? Honestly — I don’t have clue at all. No one would support me — don’t have a reason to — and make it through alone… Words of yesterday’s criminal against words of the Princess student’s herself and four of her friends at least? Not funny at all. I looked at the lake water, rippling in the wind. I just wanted to fall into it and look at it without thinking. Moved above the slope — didn’t want to check how sand harmonizes with fur — and lied on the grass. Chilly, unpleasantly, but I don’t give a heck about such small things now. If only Dash was “the best one” in inadequateness… Of course there will be another idiot — the Princess’ student, Twilight Sparkle. I was of a way better opinion about her, if I look at the canon… It seemed that she’s not the one who shoots from the hip, not the one who blames others without consideration… On the other hand, this is Twilight that only a week ago lived in the Canterlot’s library without seeing God’s light, not the “Princess of Friendship” Twilight… But what have changed in a better position for me? I put my head on crisscrossed fore legs and cringed when this move caused pain in my hurt cheek. This day was a fuck up……
After half an hour, my melancholy was interrupted by the most impossible way of all that could have happened. “Hi! Can I talk to you?” Someone rattled off a tongue twister behind my back. I turned my head, already guessing who’s there. Didn’t fail: there was Pinkie Pie behind me, standing and smiling. Why, I wonder. Especially when she reacted at a way less scary and suspicious Zecora, if I remember the canon correctly. “What do you need?” I barked out, turning back to the lake. I don’t want to see anyone at all. Especially Twi’s friends. “You’re sad!” Said the mare that just came to me, settling down at the grass near me. “What’s that to you, let me know?” I said droopingly. “You and your friends gave me a clear hint — I’m not welcomed here. Not a surprise for me, to be honest…” I badly touched the rags of my cheek with my tongue and hissed from pain. “I’m very-very-very sorry about that!” She exclaimed, laying back ears to the head and sadly looking at me with her blue eyes. “It was a misunderstanding! You see, Twilight haven’t had time to notice Rainbow about your coming, and she…” Pinkie silenced mid-word, when I turned my head to her and stared at her savagely. “Who… What… To notice?” I squeezed out, still not believing in what I’ve just heard. “Ah, I forgot about it!” My interlocutor punched her forehead with a hoof. “You don’t even know us! The azure pegasus, with whom you’ve… Well… She’s Rainbow Dash, I call her Rainbow! The harsh earthpony with a hat — Applejack, AJ for friends. The white unicorn — Rarity, I call her Marshmallow, but she doesn’t like this nickname for some reason. The lavender unicorn, Princess Celestia’s student — Twilight Sparkle, or Twilight for short. There’s another yellow pegasus, with pink mane — Fluttershy, or Flutty, she wasn’t with us. And my name is Pinkie Pie!” The pink mare said it in one breath, clearly getting pleasure from the acquaintance, even though it hasn’t happened yet. “Nightmare Moon.” I named myself shortly, sighing with relief. “Yay! Nice to meet you!” Earthpony jumped at the spot cheerfully. I didn’t notice when she was on her four again. “So…” She continued, quieting and settling herself again on the grass next to me. “Twilight didn’t have time to warn Rainbow about your arrival. She told me about this only today, and Rarity’s got the wind of it today, too…” Pinkie fell into thoughtfulness for a few seconds. “Okay.” She waved with a hoof. “Generally, we were going to Dash, to warn her, when everypony just got a scare and started to run! They said us to run as well, but we moved further — are we going to run without Dash after all? And then, after a corner, we see you, beating her! And you know the rest…” Narrator became sad for a moment. “And then, after your leaving, we sought truth form Rainbow and other ponies.” “What have you found?” I feigned interest in her story. “Dash, not knowing about your arrival, spotted you and thought that you’ve escaped from Celestia and wanted revenge, Elements of Harmony and the whole of Equestria once again! And when she saw you, dragging poor Honey Fleur, she rushed to rescue! And Fleur herself told us that you, as it seemed, was interested in the Princess’ student here. She lost her mind, because she didn’t know even a thing about it, so her memory is short about it.” Pinkie shed light on the situation. “Yeah…” I chuckled sadly. “And, of course, I’m guilty — as always. And I, since… Ehm… Since olden times.” I swallow “since childhood” that was on the tip of my tongue. “Can’t stand when someone accuses me of something I haven’t done, and in such a categorical way, even without thinking about a second scenario… Ah…” I move with my leg disappointedly. What bullshit did I just say… Just out of the blue… We’ve understood everyone to the eyeballs and beyond, God damn it. Rainbow, if standing for her side, was right and even worthy of respect — she didn’t step back, while seeing an enemy from a way another weight category, to save someone. And this is where we are: I think I’m right because I had right to defend myself, she’s right because had to save her fellow countryman. And how to make peace with her after all this mess — it’s an enigma to me. Also Twilight, making me absolutely mad by her deed. Yeah, it’s so funny and easy to accuse someone! What about thinking? Brilliant scientific mind it’s called… “Don’t get mad at Twilight, please!” It seemed like Pinkie Pie read my thoughts. “She’s horribly worrying about the mess she’s done, that she let Rainbow down, hurt you, let Princess down… She’s really sorry… Since we carried Rainbow to the hospital, she’s restless. It was hard to relieve her mind! And then I thought that no one can relieve your mind, so I came to you.” The mare smiled a little bit sadly at me. “Hey, by the way, do you want a cupcake?” She cheered up sharply, asking me and handing over to me a cupcake with multicolored topping on her hoof. Hey!? Where did she get it?! I aired my concern to the baker. “Took from the mane.” She said like it was a usual thing, looking in my eyes absolutely fearlessly, with her being bright and spontaneous. “This goes naturally all the time.” Pinkie “explained” while seeing my bewildered gaze. “And don’t worry — they’re tasty all the time! Really-really! Give it a shot!” Pony smiled. “Thanks, but I’d decline.” Succeeding with the shock, I carefully moved her hoof aside with mine own. “The cheek hurts. So I’d not eat anything for now.” “Oh.” Interlocutor’s mood dropped down sharply again. “It’s because… Because of Dash, yes? Is the pain very bad?” Pinkie died away completely, laying down her ears. “Bit it when my ribs were under counting. The blood has stopped, and it hurts a little bit less, I think…” Carefully touching the rags with tongue, I painfully cringed. A little bit less, yes. But not enough less! “You have to visit a doctor!” The pink mare leaped to feet energetically. “You were bleeding! You’re hurt! And you can’t eat my beautiful cupcakes! Let’s hurry up!” “Pinkie.” I grabbed the almost panicking pony by the tail with a sigh, forcing her to stop running around, and make a stop at last. “Don’t fuss around, will you? You’re the first pony to not run away from me in fear and not to beat me here. And for me, firstly, it’s not a pleasure to chase your doctors all around the town and then revive him for a solid hour, and secondly, I don’t want to get a punch into my ribs from the hospitable citizens of Ponyville, which would be screaming because of their luck.” Pinkie melts down before my own eyes because of my sad irony. “So, thanks for the care, but no. I can do without your doctor — it will heal itself after some time. And if it don’t and I die because of wounds — no one will be sad about that.” I’m summing up with a gloomy curved smile, feeling, how disgustful loneliness crawls into my soul. “Don’t say so!!!” The pink hurricane almost downed me to the ground. In her suspiciously shining narrowed blue eyes, remorse combines with pity and something else, and I can’t understand what it is. “I’ll be sad! Very-very sad, really…” The mare says dismally, sniffing with her nose and backing off sharply. “Yeah? Because what, what’s that to you?” I apathetically look at the waves of the lake, putting head onto my fore legs. “Because you’re my friend, Night.” Pinkie declares surely and without missing a beat, settling down near me on the grass once again. I indefinably chuckle, closing eyes. What an unreal world it is, like a toy one… Half an hour of conversations — we’re friends, yeah? Such nonsense. Friends do not just meet and speak a little — a friend in need is a friend indeed… It’s like I smash myself against a wall. A friend in need is a friend indeed. So did Pinkie, trying to help me. Who am I to her? She could just spit on it, leave me and be with her friends, Twilight and tea… But no, she found me. Just because she thought that I’m lonely here… Is Pinkie wrong about friends, if she’s here, with me, to share my grief and help with my calamity? “Thanks.” I sadly smiled at her, swallowing a lump in the throat. “Thanks a lot…” I unfolded my wing and gratefully hugged a kind pony who cares for me.