At this very moment, Aurora was immensely glad she had stopped the M6's foolish plan to split into two groups and had chosen to come scout ahead alone.
Looking at the black Alicorn in armor that had appeared before her, Aurora felt the smile on her face was about to crack.
As a despicable outsider pony, after saying goodbye to The foals, Aurora had no intention of actually returning with the elements of harmony; instead, she wanted to find a quiet corner to AFK and slack off.
Her original intention was to sit in the spectator seats just like The Grand Princess.
The reality, however, was that not only did she not get a seat in the stands, she had walked straight into the boss room.
Who could understand that Aurora just wanted to hide here and read a book in peace, yet upon entering a room she had visited many times before, she felt a sense of redemption as a strange melody inexplicably echoed in her ears.
Come to think of it, it wasn't even night yet, so why were the mobs already spawning?
The black Alicorn, who was none other than Nightmare Moon, was looking down haughtily at the pony who had trespassed into her territory with her eerie, cyan vertical pupils.
How would Aurora feel, being scrutinized by such a dangerous gaze...
'She is so beautiful.'
This was the second pony Aurora had seen with such a silky mane; she was a mare with a coat color close to pure black, emitting a faint deep purple sheen—an old-school princess with a style different from Celestia.
'I'm finished.'
Seeing the light blue pony below start to tremble slightly, her gaze becoming timid, no longer daring to meet her eyes, Nightmare Moon rose from her dilapidated throne and approached Aurora.
"I didn't expect any pony to come to this old place. Don't just stand there, my subject. Do you know who I am?"
The pony's humble demeanor greatly satisfied Nightmare Moon; this was the attitude her subjects should have when facing their princess.
The booming Royal Canterlot Voice echoed through the empty hall of the Old Castle, causing Aurora to snap out of her excitement.
Noticing Nightmare Moon approaching, Aurora realized now was not the time to let her mind wander; she had to think about what she should do.
"I am also very surprised to meet you here, Princess of the Moon; I truly failed to welcome you properly."
Since this pony was destined to be her immediate superior regardless of whether she won or lost, having a proper attitude certainly wouldn't be wrong. Aurora bowed and curtsied to Nightmare Moon, using the etiquette required when facing a princess.
"It seems there are still ponies here who know of the prophecy. Rise, lift your head, my lovely subject. As the first pony to welcome my return, your actions have pleased me, so I allow you to come to my side and witness the arrival of the Eternal Night upon this land with me!"
'So edgy... are all corrupted ponies like this? Princess Luna, what are you doing with that good-looking skin of yours?!'
Aurora silently complained in her heart, then rose as Nightmare Moon instructed.
The brief contact confirmed to Aurora that Nightmare Moon was just as she had expected: not an evil pony, just a bit arrogant in personality, but still quite friendly towards her subjects.
"Speaking of the prophecy, I originally thought it would take at least a few more hours before you returned to Equestria; after all, there was still some time left until the one thousand years were up. And if you had appeared at the Summer Sun Celebration, it would have been more... um, 'the center of attention'?"
Unexpectedly running into Nightmare Moon here ahead of schedule, Aurora needed to try and fish for some information to figure out what was going on.
"It seems you are not a very 'punctual' princess."
A well-timed challenge could stimulate the desire of this arrogant princess to express herself. Upon hearing Aurora's slightly disappointed words, Nightmare Moon spoke up to explain her appearance.
"What do you know? Before announcing my return to the masses, I needed to make preparations in advance, such as settling scores with certain ponies who dared to defy me."
As she spoke, the corners of Nightmare Moon's mouth curled into a cruel smile involuntarily.
As for which pony was being "settled scores with" by Nightmare Moon, one only had to look at who had banished her to the moon in the first place.
"The first to bear the brunt is, naturally, my foolish and selfish sister."
Nightmare Moon walked to the floor-to-ceiling window of the Old Castle that had long since lost its glass, looked up at the sun in the sky, and her horn emitted a magical glow.
"Watch, she and her detestable sun are about to disappear from Equestria forever!"
...
"Something's not right. What time is it? Why is it getting dark so early today?"
Meanwhile in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle, who was doing the final checks with her friends, noticed the light around them rapidly dimming. She looked up and saw that the sun had already set, and even the moon had risen.
Moreover, the moonlight tonight looked even brighter than usual.
"Oh no... girls, I think this is extremely wrong."
...
After the sun set, the Everfree Forest became even more eerie and dark. In the entire Old Castle, there was only the magic of Nightmare Moon and the moonlight leaking in through the cracks in the broken walls.
Clearly, by this time, The Grand Princess had already been "victimized."
"What did you do to Princess Celestia?"
"I only let her experience the same feeling I had for the past thousand years, just with a change of venue. It's only fair."
Nightmare Moon said nonchalantly, but her gaze towards Aurora became sharp.
"But I didn't like the tone you used just now. Isn't having me as your princess enough?"
Although it was only for a split second, Aurora's aura had indeed become chaotic when mentioning Celestia, and she hadn't used honorifics.
Out of a student's concern for her teacher, Aurora needed to confirm The Grand Princess's current status from Nightmare Moon before she could truly set her mind at ease.
Now it seemed that The Grand Princess had simply been forced into a vacation and was not in any life-threatening danger.
"I apologize, I did not mean to slight you. Because I am Princess Celestia's student, I am very worried about her condition."
Hearing this, Nightmare Moon couldn't help but take another look at her.
Although she sensed an extraordinary magic in this pony, she had only assumed it was the reason this pony could enter the Everfree Forest unscathed; she hadn't expected her to actually be her sister's student.
It seems that over the past thousand years, her sister had been living quite comfortably, actually having the leisure to take on students.
"You tell me these things, aren't you afraid that I'll lock you up too?"
Aurora pondered following Nightmare Moon's words.
Wouldn't that be nice?
But where would she be locked up? That was the question.
Surely she couldn't be locked up on the sun like The Grand Princess, right?
'Holy crap! New account, don't mess this up!'
After weighing the pros and cons, Aurora had no choice but to speak cautiously.
"You just said that I am your subject, so I believe my princess will not harm me."
Aurora's answer was watertight, which made Nightmare Moon pause for a moment, then she suddenly let out a few laughs, though it was impossible to guess the emotion behind her laughter.
"What is your name?"
"My name is Aurora."
"Oh, Aurora, you are very clever; your cunning demeanor is even the same as my detestable sister's. I am willing to believe in your loyalty to me, but on the condition that you tell me your purpose for coming here."
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