Hi, Twilight
Nyra here. I'm just writing this letter to tell you that I am fine. I wanted to talk to you specifically. Don't let Soren read this, please. Something happened while I was traveling. Manehattan caused some problems. I had to flee the town, and now I'm staying in Canterlot for the time being. I'll be home soon.
I should start at the beginning before you start to worry. This will be a long letter but it has to be said. (Also, don't bring this to Luna's attention. You'll soon know why.) I arrived in Manehattan after traveling the country for awhile.
My travels in Equestria were rather exciting. The cities looked amazing and the ponies extremely friendly...for the most part. Rarely would I find someone irritable or rude. I went to Canterlot first. The capital was as brilliant as ever, and the music was soothing. After greeting the princess (with some difficulty at the gates), I left for Cloudsdale. I admit that I stood out like a sore hoof, but I was glad to discover that I wasn't the first bat pony to be seen there. At this point, I was so happy to see that no pony recognized me, or if they did they remained quiet and kind.
The Crystal Empire was my next stop. It took longer to arrive there than anywhere else. Why they put an entire empire way over there I'll never know. In any case, the place was amazing! Everything was so shiny and wonderful to look at. The weather was fair or cool, the ponies kind and energetic, and the castle was majestic. Princess Cadence was a lot easier to see than Celestia and Luna. Apparently simply saying you are Soren's friend is enough to receive an audience with her. I guess she can tell if someone is lying? I don't know. What I do know is that she was extremely kind and casual yet maintained her royalty demeanor.
After a few days in the empire, I took another long train ride to Manehattan. The first day was nice. The next...that's where things became complicated. A few weeks of traveling ended with an interesting situation for me.
Manehattan is the typical metropolis. Tall buildings, bright lights, opulently-dressed ponies, and interesting buildings to enter. Many find it one of the definite places to live, but some would rather live in a quieter town. In Nyra's case, she was simply bored of Manehattan. The bustling crowd and bright lights was only about to keep her interest for two days before she wanted to leave. However, something else made her stay. Something very familiar.
On her second day in town, Nyra was in a coffee house, propping her head up with a hoof while lazily sitting at a table by herself. Outside, the day was bright and the weather warm. She wanted to listen to the afternoon radio broadcast while trying to figure out what she wanted to do. Should she leave Manhattan already and go back to Ponyville, or should she stay and give the town another chance?
Her thoughts and eyes focused on the radio. A local DJ was interviewing a famous mare singer. Nyra wasn't paying too much attention to it, though she swore she recognized the mare's voice from somewhere. The mare told the host about a concert/sing-off happening in the near-future between her and another rising star from Ponyville. As she continued to focus on the mare's lovely voice, Nyra felt herself blushing. She shook her head, finished her coffee, stood up, then made her way to the entrance of the small shop.
Right before she exited, Nyra heard the host say, "Thank you again, Divine, for coming in." Nyra remembered Divine Remedy; Soren had performed with her. Now Nyra also knew that Soren was this 'rising star' she was talking about. She smiled as she stepped out into the city.
Once outside, the noises assaulted her sensitive hearing. Crowds of ponies were on both sides of the street, many pushing past her. She really preferred this place during the night. At least most of the ponies you had to worry about were in bars. Deciding to still give the city a chance, Nyra chose to explore more and to wait until tomorrow to leave or not.
The bat mare received some looks as she walked around, donning her specially-made Lunar armor. Only known to her and her friends, unlike the typical Lunar Guard armor, hers doesn't transform into a simple pendant when one presses the eye on the chestpiece. Her armor's dormant powers activate when the eye is pressed, giving her a horn and the Nightmare powers she always used while being the Nightmare Guardian. Even though Nyra could take off her armor like clothing, she had never wanted to. It was a part of her that she wore proudly every day. She had told Soren and Rainbow Dash that she would feel too naked if she didn't have her armor on.
Little did Nyra know that this reason was about to create problems. As the mare walked through town, a hidden pair of eyes remained locked on her. Following orders, the pony in the shadows remained stealthy and determined to follow the random bat pony that entered Manehattan. Throughout the day, he would fly back to the pony that gave the orders and tell them what the mare was doing. The pony commanded the soldier to continue spying on this mare.
Although Nyra didn't find Manehattan particularly interesting, she thoroughly enjoyed their spas. To end the day, Nyra had spoiled herself on the various treatments at their disposal. Two of the ponies there were quite impressed by her wings. They were rough compared to pegasi's wings. However, bat pony wings were also more durable; they rarely fractured.
After being groomed and pampered, Nyra trotted through the streets to her hotel room. Her room was small and only had one other room connected to it: the bathroom. The door to the bathroom was to the left of the entrance. A window faced the entrance, and only one bed, a small table, and a closet occupied the main room.
After laying on her bed for a few minutes, Nyra found herself with nothing to do. Standing up, she decided to relax with a hot shower. She would have chosen a bath, but the rooms only supported showers. Removing her armor and leaving it on the bed, Nyra entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She stopped in front of the shower head and found the knob for the water. She turned on the water and let it warm up for a minute before stepping in. The hot liquid cascaded onto her mane and coat, causing her to sigh with pleasure as she cleared her mind.
By the end of her journey across the country, Nyra felt happy and relaxed. Tomorrow she would head back to Ponyville and see her friends. Soren would be glad to see her, Rainbow would help her tease Soren, and Twilight will probably ask her once again if she could study her enchanted armor. She could have swore Chroma also wanted to learn a few spells, or—
Her right ear twitched. She heard the bathroom door slightly creak open.
Tensing up, Nyra thought of all the possible things that could have caused it. She knew that she had closed the door, so only one thought crossed her mind. Somepony was in her room...
If a pony wanted to assault her, they would have snuck inside the bathroom, but she could hear no one close to her. If they wanted to spy on her, they would wait in the main room. Or maybe they are spying on her so they can assault her when she gets out of the shower!
Nyra took deep breaths. She was getting carried away, but the situation was indeed dangerous. She pretended to keep showering by sighing once more and humming a song. Once she turned the water off, Nyra waited a few seconds for any sudden noises. Nothing. After drying off, she pushed open the door. No pony was attempting an assassination yet. She walked into her room and found no one in sight. She checked under the bed and table. Not a soul.
Then she turned towards the closet. Her window was still closed. The intruder either stealthily left through the window, which was probably how they got inside in the first place, or they were hiding in the closet, waiting for her to fall asleep or something.
The closet was against the wall next to the door to the hotel room. Nyra walked past it and pretended to be leaving her room. She then threw a punch at the closet as her body turned with the attack. Her hoof went straight through the thin, wooden door and impacted something soft. A sound of pain was heard from inside. Nyra pulled out her hoof, threw open the door, and grabbed the pony inside with both of her hooves.
She growled at the pony as she brought them to her face. She was greeted with frightened, green, bat eyes.
"What are you doing in here?!" Nyra yelled into the pony's face. She pushed him to the floor near the bed. "Why did you sneak into my room?! Are you trying to attack me? Spy on me?" Nyra could see that it was indeed a bat pony. The male was light grey with a dark green mane around the length of Nyra's. He bore no cutie mark, the same with practically every bat pony including Nyra. His green eyes looked up at her as he stood up. The colt was slightly taller than her.
"My mission is to indeed spy on you. You're a bat pony that isn't recognized as a Lunar Guard." He gestured to her armor laying on the bed.
"I'm just a bat pony who happens to have armor. What's the real reason you snuck in here? Lie to me and I'll force it out of you."
"I can see that you are at least an ex-guard. Your hostility makes that abundantly clear. Some of the Lunar Guard believe the Nightmare Guardian is still among us." Nyra froze. He looked at Nyra's armor. "Your armor is...different. Are you truly a normal Guard?"
"Not anymore," she lied.
"This matches the description of the Nightmare Guardian's set. Armor not retractable by the pendant on the chestpiece. A seemingly dark aura perceived by simply being near it. "
"And that is what annoys Luna." The guard looked at her in confusion. "The Guardian's armor was simply enchanted a certain way. Princess Luna mimicked the enchantment and created a similar but weaker set of armor for me, her ex-personal assistant." Nyra's armor technically could still make her look slightly like Nightmare Moon but there wouldn't be a point in doing that; she was shunned enough as it is.
"What is your name?" the guard asked her, which made her nervous. Do they know the Nightmare Guardian's name? Would they put two and two together if I called myself Nyra? Probably.
"My name is Night Wing." Surely only Soren and his friends know my actual name, she theorized.
"Very well. I am Emerald Shade. I will leave you to enjoy the remainder of your night, Ms. Wing. We shall contact Princess Luna to learn more about you. Knowing my commanding officer, he will still be wary even if Luna clears your name. Good night to you." The guard trotted to the window, opened it, then took to the sky, leaving Nyra alone and very concerned.
They really think the Nightmare Guardian is still in Equestria? Technically I am, but that isn't me anymore. She's a different pony...kinda. Should I leave? They'll probably have eyes on me at all times, though. Crap...
That wasn't the last time Nyra saw Emerald Shade. For the next two days, she noticed him lurking around corners or in alleyways quite often. As long as no physical conflicts occurred, she couldn't complain too much. However, it was extremely creepy being followed, but she couldn't simply leave town. The Guard would realize she is suspicious and eventually come to the conclusion that she is in fact the Nightmare Guardian. She had to come up with some plan to leave town without anyone noticing. If only she could get more information from the guard stalking her. Actually... she thought with a smirk.
Meanwhile, Emerald Shade continued his reconnaissance of the bat mare. He couldn't figure out if she was telling the truth a few nights ago. Princess Luna had told his commanding officer that Night Wing was not a threat, yet she gave no other information about her. Because of this, Emerald Shade was tasked with following Nyra everywhere and to wait outside the hotel while she slept. So far nothing had gona wrong. He knew that Night Wing had seen him a few times, which was purposeful. He wanted her to trust him; Emerald really didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of her punches again.
Rubbing his stomach from remembering the pain, Emerald Shade followed Night Wing around a corner into an alley that acted like a short cut to a nearby theater. He became wary of a possible ambush by her and kept an eye and ear out for anything. Walking quietly and slowly through the alley, Emerald kept himself low to the ground. He couldn't see Night Wing farther down the path, so where was she? He kicked the nearest dumpster; no reaction or noise. He did hear a noise from behind him.
Turning around suddenly, Emerald came face to face with a raccoon crawling out of a medium-sized box. The animal tilted his head at the pony, made a noise, then scurried off. Looking down the alley at it, Emerald quickly realized he was distracted. However, he was too late, for a heavy weight landed on him, tackling him to the ground. He was soon pinned down, forced to look up at a smirking Night Wing.
"Hi there," she said.
"Where did you come from?!" Emerald demanded.
"The fire escape next to the dumpster you kicked. Don't worry, I won't harm you. I just wanted to ask you a question."
"What do you want?"
"Do you want to hang out?"
Emerald was baffled. "What?"
"Hang out. Go see a movie, go to a bar, maybe spar if you're into that sort of thing..."
"I get it. But...why me? I assumed you would be angry at me for breaking into your room."
"I was, but you were ordered with a good reason behind it. I want to prove to you that I am not the Nightmare Guardian. That I'm just a bat pony on a vacation."
"What about the armor that you are still wearing?" He looked at Nyra's armor.
"I recently quit. Didn't you contact Princess Luna?"
"Yes. She only told us that you were not a threat. I would have left you alone by now, but our captain had other plans."
"So allow me to show you what I'm really like so you can convince your captain to let me go." Nyra hoped her plan would work. She wanted to befriend this stallion so she could appear normal. Maybe if they became close enough friends, she could eventually come clean about how she used to be the Nightmare Guardian.
"Very well. My cover is already blown as it is." Nyra finally got off of him. Both were now facing each other
"You won't get in trouble? There aren't any guards watching your progress?" He shook his head.
"Every guard has a position to be at. There are not as many inside Manehattan as you would think. There are only so many guards. Even Solar Guards are only numerous in Canterlot, as opposed to the few numbers they have everywhere else." That was one less thing for Nyra to worry about, yet she still couldn't leave. There were bound to be guards at the roads that lead into the city.
"So?" Emerald started. "What shall we do for fun?" Nyra found this colt to be rather obedient yet sophisticated. She wasn't sure they could be close friends, but then again she had wanted Soren dead and was now pretty close to him. ...Then again, their conflict wasn't personal.
"I have one place in this city that I like. I'll show you."
The Pheonix was a rather isolated bar in Manehattan. The only entrance was from an alleyway in between the massive music store and random buildings. To prevent the alley from looking threatening, ponies put up many lights to illuminated the skinny passage. A red and orange neon sign with the name of the establishment and a pheonix flapping its wings was situated above the entrance to the bar.
Nyra smiled at the colorful sign, while Emerald looked on with interest. He has heard a few things about this particular bar, mainly that there were almost always drunks inside. But which bar didn't have at least a few drunks? The Guards have yet to deal with any violence caused from drunken behavior, so why create a fuss over ponies having a good time?
The duo entered the building and were greeted by an exciting sight and loud atmosphere. Ponies were gathered around many tables scattered about the square room. The bar with a few bartenders was positioned at the wall to the right of the entrance. To the left was a stage, where a band was just starting a new song. Tables were positioned near the entrance and the wall opposite of it, allowing a space in the center of the room to be used for dancing. Looking at the ponies at the tables once more, Emerald saw them conversing, laughing, singing along with the band, drinking, or gambling. He also saw quite a few ponies dancing in the center.
Nyra grabbed Emerald's hoof and dragged him towards the few tables that were gambling with cards. Her and Emerald sat down in front of one group, the former slamming her hoof on the table to get their attention.
"Deal us in! What are you playing?" she exclaimed.
"Ahh, mare's eager," commented a pony holding the deck of cards. "Prodder. Whatcha bettin'?" Nyra fished around in her saddlebags for the small bag of bits she still had. Throwing it onto the table, the bat pony grinned.
"Twenty bits to start out." The dealer nodded approvingly. The cards were then dealt out to Nyra and the other five ponies except for the dealer. Emerald wasn't interested in playing, at least not yet.
The Lunar Guard looked at Nyra's hoof of two cards as the mare looked at the three cards face-up on the table, contemplating her next move. Should she raise or fold? Considering the starting bid was five bits, Nyra knew she had time to get a good hoof. Raising, she waited for everyone else. One pony folded, leaving Nyra and four others now. The dealer placed a card next to the three on the table. Nyra at least had a triple by now, but it was easy to get a good set up on this game. She raised again. It was now her and two others
The dealer now had five cards face-up on the table. Next raise and everypony had to show their hoofs. The five cards were: 2 of diamonds, king of hearts, 2 of clubs, 5 of clubs, and 10 of diamonds. Nyra had the 2 of hearts and 7 of clubs. Not the best, but she had a triple. She glanced at the mare and stallion competing with her; they weren't going to back down anytime soon. Assuming they might be bluffing, Nyra raised. Her twenty bits were now in the pile. The other two raised as well. All three simultaneously slapped their hoofs on the table.
"Triple of 2's. The bat pony wins," the dealer said professionally. Nyra cheered with joy as the dealer pushed the pile of eighty-five bits towards her. She looked at the ponies for a second. She then hoofed ten bits back to each of the other five ponies. Needless to say, they were shocked.
"Well don't be too disappointed," Nyra laughed. "I'm still walking away with thirty-five bits. Charity AND profit!" She took hold of Emerald's hoof again and trotted with him toward the dance floor. The band had started another song, and Nyra loved the way it sounded.
When they approached an open space of the dancing crowd, Nyra spun Emarald toward it. He spun on one hoof until stopping and facing Nyra, who began strutting to the beat towards him while smirking. Luna above, don't tell me she's that kind of mare... Emerald thought as he gulped.
When the singer of the band began his foreign lyrics, Nyra started her dance with Emerald Shade. For every step Nyra took toward him, the nervous guard took a step back. They soon made a back and forth motion to the song. Nyra took his hooves and stood both of them up; they shifted into a tango. Nyra had to take the lead due to Emerald's nervousness. She spun him to and fro, moved all around him, and even held him backward. Winking at him, she pulled him back to a standing position and continued their dance.
Soon, Emerald smiled. Even though he found Night Wing to be flirtatious, he was enjoying her company. She definitely knew how to have fun. After the song ended, the two were laughing as they walked to the nearest empty table.
"I have to say that that was the most fun I've had in awhile," Emerald chuckled.
"Don't get out that much?"
"I mainly focus on being a guard. I don't have anything else to look forward to."
"You could always move to Ponyville. Interesting events happen there more than you think."
"Oh, every guard knows. The town is infamous for that. Unfortunately, no one is ever posted there. With the bearers of the Elements of Harmony and the Elemental Guardian himself staying there, what could a few measly guards do that they cannot?"
"Good point. Still...do you ever tire of being a Lunar Guard?"
"Are you suggesting I quit?"
"I'm suggesting that you think about what truly makes you happy. That's what I did, and I don't regret it."
"Why did you stop being Luna's assistant?"
"I left to find what my purpose was. If you couldn't tell, I don't have a cutie mark. Bat ponies rarely do." Emerald simply nodded then Nyra looked at the entrance. "Look...tonight has been fun, but I should get going. We'll hang out again, ok?" Nyra stood up. "Be sure to follow behind me but not too close. You still have a job to do. Oh! And another thing..." Emerald looked into her golden eyes. "...make sure you're looking at the back of my head, not my rear." She winked at him, causing him to blush heavily. Giggling, Nyra trotted out of the Pheonix and made her way to the hotel.
Nyra kept her promise and spent more time with Emerald Shade. She found him to be a nice guy when he opened up more and didn't blush over every flirt from her. If she didn't already treat a lot of her friends this way, she would feel bad about buttering him up for when she came clean about her past. Two days after their time at the Pheonix, Nyra and Emerald began to trust each other more. She found out that she was one of his only friends in Manehattan. He had more at his hometown, Hollow Shades, but barely any in the big city.
Yesterday, she had asked Emerald if he trusted her now. He said he did, to which Nyra asked if he wanted to hang out the next day which was today. He agreed, and now she found herself waiting in her hotel room for Emerald to knock on her door. Today was the day; his reaction would determine how she would leave town. There were only two ways out that she saw. Either he can understand her and let her leave without conflict, or he can freak out and she would have to keep him quiet long enough for her to escape. Easy way or the hard way.
A knock came from the door.
Nyra stood up, sighed, and walked to it. She opened the door and smiled at Emerald, who then entered the room. The guard didn't sit; he instead examined the place. Nyra sat on her bed and gestured for him to join her. He hesitated as if trying to figure out what she wanted, but he soon sat beside her. She nudged his shoulder.
"Come on, I thought we were past this nervous stage of yours," she said, trying to lighten the mood for both of them.
"A mare I recently met flirts with me at a bar and invites me into her hotel room a few days later..."
"Ok, I can see what you think might happen, but I'm not trying to sleep with you. I wanted to ask about the Guard's investigation on me." His ears perked up, but he kept his small frown.
"You want to know if I still see you as a potential threat?" Nyra nodded. "Before we spent time together, I already said I didn't it. The Captain does. After spending time with you, I'm sure I can convince him you're not." Nyra hugged him, which startled him at first.
"If you could do that, I'll make you a close friend of mine in a heartbeat."
"Are you scared?" he asked. Nyra sat normally and stared at him. Was she? She never thought too much about it, but yeah...she was scared. Scared she would have to resort to violence, scared she would be marked as a villain once more, and also scared that she might have to hurt Emerald. She actually liked him now!
"Yes. I want to leave. I've been here more days than I planned. I'm running out of bits for my vacation. I have to leave today." She put a hoof on Emerald's shoulder. "I need to tell you something. Do you still trust me?"
"Of course."
"We'll see how strong that trust is." Emerald looked confused. "Your Captain wasn't wrong. That armor...it's exactly what you thought it was." Emerald made a noise of disbelief. "I'm telling the truth! I'm the Nightmare Guardian! I used to be anyway. I'm good now. Soren made sure of that. He gave me a chance to redeem myself and to show the world that I'm no longer a threat. I've changed, Emerald! I'm not evil. Yes, I still have the armor, that's where my powers come from, but I'm not the Nightmare Guardian anymore." She could see the panic rising slowly on his face. He realized how serious she was being and began glancing at the open window in her room. "Please, don't tell your Captain. Just tell him that I'm not a threat. You've spent time with me. You know I'm not dangerous."
"You planned this from the beginning, haven't you?" he asked with growing fear. "You wanted to spend time with me to persuade me that you're innocent! You're the Nightmare Guardian..."
"No, I'm not!!! Not anymore! I'm a better pony now. I just want to live a normal life. That's all I ever wanted!" Tears began to form in her eyes. "Why can't you just listen to me?!" Emerald glanced at the window again. Nyra grew angry and locked eyes with him, wet streaks still on her cheeks. "Don't you dare..."
But Emerald had made up his mind. He turned and tried to fly straight through the window. Nyra pushed in the lunar eye on her chestpiece and quickly transformed. Her coat turned pitch black and her short mane became a vibrant blue. Her irises hardened and turned turquoise. Using her newly acquired horn, Nyra levitated Emerald back into the room then physically pinned him to the floor.
"Listen to me!" she shouted, her voice more intense due to her transformation. Emerald was absolutely terrified now. He struggled to get out from under her as if his life depended on it. Nyra knew there was only one thing to do now. "And I was beginning to like you too," she said softly, almost sounding normal. She closed her eyes and held Emerald's head solemnly before headbutting him.
A crack was heard as Emerald was knocked unconscious. Nyra gasped and worried that she may have done too much damage due to her new form. She decided to heal him and stopped when she saw him breathing. Once she was sure Emerald was fine, Nyra undid her transformation by pushing in the eye again. She then gathered her belongings and descended into the lobby to turn in her room key. The saddened mare left the hotel and trudged out of Manehattan without anypony stopping her.
...and that's what happened. I didn't want to hurt him, but I didn't see another choice. I never told Emerald where I lived, so I doubt they can find me easily. I'll be home tomorrow. If you have any questions, wait until I return. Right now, I just want to sleep. I don't know why, but that day hurt me more than it should have. Maybe it was because I hurt a friend, maybe it was because I lost a friend. Whatever it was, I need to get back home to take my mind off of things.
See you soon, Twilight
Nyra
PS Tell Soren I'm almost home and that I'm going to tackle-hug him as hard as I can when I see him.
