The last thing she remembered was rainbow light rushing toward her. Then pain. Those fools had no idea how much the elements hurt. They assumed that since they were good the entire affair of being purified was painless. And it was, to Luna. For her, for the Nightmare, the elements were not so merciful. And now she's here. Stuck in an alley, in pain, in an entirely new body as an unfamiliar species. Worst of all, there was no magic. Well, at least if no one here has magic, once she recovers, it will be almost to easy to conquer them. First things first. She needs to figure out how this body moves. Nightmare propped herself up against the wall, shaking.
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
Must be some of the natural inhabitants. Did they usually search alleys? Doesn't matter. What matters is that whoever that is, they could help her enter society. If she likes them, who knows. They might be given a position of power when she becomes ruler.
"I-I don't think this is a good idea. It looks so dark."
So one of them was afraid. That one would be easy to manipulate. And when the time came, she would give the wimp a reason to be scared.
"But Felicity, someone could be hurt, I'm positive I heard something down there."
"Good point. If someone is hurt, then we have to do something."
Time to act. Of course, she would have to pretend to need help, of all things.
"Help me! Someone please!"
Nightmare could hear them running toward her. Those two were all too trusting. As they got closer, She studied them. The one called Felicity had light blond hair and pale skin, while her companion has dark hair and tan skin.
"Have you been mugged?"
The girl offered Nightmare her hand, while Felicity
hid behind her. Nightmare allowed the girl to help her up. They had given her the perfect lie.
"Yes, it was horrible. T-they just attacked me. My attackers ran away when they heard the two of you coming."
Felicity moved out from behind her friend.
"Oh, that's horrible! You must be so frightened!"
"It was terrifying."
"Do you have anywhere to stay?"
"No, n-not currently. I was going to look for one, but those hooligans stole my money"
"You could stay with me, At least until you earn enough money for your own apartment. I'm Teresa."
"I can't thank you enough for your kindness."
"Don't mention it. Would you like to visit some of our other friends tomorrow?"
"Maybe a little later, after I fully recover."
They actually thought the three of them could be friends. How cute.
"Ok. What's your name? It would be odd to call you 'the stranger we found in an alley'."
Time to lie. Lying was what Nightmare did best. That fool, Celestia, though that the day she was banished was the first time Nightmare had made an appearance. She had been around for a while. Luna had fallen three weeks before that. She had to wonder how somepony so blind could rule a country.
"Crescent. My name is Crescent."
It was like Teresa had gone out of her way to give Nightmare the brightest room in the house. She said it was usually used for her sister when she visited. Nightmare had enough of sisters. At least the decor wasn't that bad in the majority of the house, and there was a mirror, so she finally got to see what she looked liked. Her mane, which had once been the embodiment of the night, had changed. It was black, and the stars that had once simmered and danced, in tune to her emotions, were gone. No matter. Nightmare could at least style her hair so that it was for for a queen. There were no pearls or diamonds, which she would have liked to have for it. Nightmare would have to make do with glitter. She pulled her hair into a bun, and made her way to the closet. Her skin had changed as well, now dark brown. Nightmare's eyes had changed the least. The color was the same, but the shape had changed. All in all she approved. Now to become Queen.
Teresa made her way up the stairs and knock on the guest room door.
"Can I come in?"
"I was about to leave, actually."
"Oh. Well once you come down I've made some eggs for breakfast."
"Thank you. I'll be down shortly."
Well, her new guest was nothing if not polite. Almost to the point were she seemed stiff. And her name was a little weird. Who named their kid Crescent? True to her word, Crescent arrived a few minutes later. The light blue dress really looked nice on her. Teresa wondered were she found it, since her sister, Rachel, who usually used the room hates dresses with a passion. Now that she thought about it, the dress was probably a present from their Grandmother, shoved into the back of the closet and never worn.
"You seem to have an affinity for books."
"You noticed. Well, I do love learning."
"This is quite the collection. Do you mind if I borrow a few?"
"Of course not, what do you have in mind."
Teresa was delighted. She loved helping other people learn. If she didn't have an internship at town hall, working with the mayor and her sister, Teresa would work at a library.
"Any good history books?"
"Of course. Just a warning, this one goes in very gory detail when it comes to war. It isn't for the squeamish. Still, it is the most detailed history book I've managed to find."
"Oh, don't worry, I can handle it."
"If you say so."
She left the room, but if she turned back, Teresa would have been terrified of the expression on Nightmare's face.
The Crystal Empire
The blizzards were worse than normal this year. The Empire was almost cut off from the rest of civilization. The crystal ponies remembered the last time the blizzards had been like this. That had been the year Sombra began his rise to power. It would be different this time. The weather ponies had a surplus of snow that was all it was. Or that was what ponies said, to push the possibility of his return far from there minds. Besides, they had the princess, and the Crystal Heart. They would protect them. Or so they thought. The princess had gone to Canterlot, and the storm had picked up, making her return trip impossible. Sombra's shadow self was able to get into the barrier. It wasn't far, only about two feet. But it was a start. And if the Windigos continued their work, who knows how much it would weaken? A smirk slid across Sombra's face. Oh, this would be sweet.
The book Nightmare had borrowed ended up being full of information. But with this information came some new concerns. The technology was ages ahead of what Equestria had. It might be harder to use her magic to take over than she thought. Nightmare might be stuck here playing nice for longer than she planned. If she could get her hands on some of this... even the strongest magic users in Equestria would now down before her.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your reading, it do you need to buy any clothes?"
"It doesn't bother me at all Teresa, and yes I would."
"A friend of mine, her name is Renee, works at a boutique. We could go there. I think the two of you would get along well."
The building was small, and fairly easy to find. Nightmare had to admit, she was right. Judging by the displays the two of them were very similar, at least when it came to fashion.
"Renee, I've got a customer for you."
"In a minute darling." a voice called from the back of the store. Renee walked to the desk. She had blue eyes, light skin, and golden hair.
"It's you, and who is this."
"This is Crescent and she needs some new clothes."
"Oh, what a unique name. Well, what would you like?"
"I'd like three dresses. One formal, two everyday. Using blue and light purple. With glitter."
"A girl after my own heart. If you'll come right this way, I can get your measurements. Now, how did you meet Teresa?"
After what felt like hours of talking and measuring, the two of them walked out and meant Teresa at the front of the store.
"How much will that cost?"
"Don't be ridiculous. I couldn't possibly charge someone who was mugged. It's on the house."
"Thank you."
"Come on Crescent, we still have some shopping to do."
Finally, they went back to Teresa's house and began putting away all the things they had bought. Most of Nightmare's things were new dresses, though the quality didn't compare to what she would get in Equestria as ruler. Was this what civilian ponies wore?
"So, how do you like that book so far?"
"It's very informative. I also want a tank."
The response she got wasn't what Nightmare was hopeing for. Teresa was laughing. It wasn't an 'I'm laughing at you laugh, but a you said something funny and I think you made a joke laugh.'
"If only we could. I'm sure Rachel would have bought ten by now."
"Is your sister interested in the military?"
"Well, not serving in it If that's what you mean. But she only reads books about the military or explorers."
"I'd love to meet her sometime. I'm guessing she likes sports as well, since the room is covered in posters."
The posters were one of the few things she didn't like about the house.
"She does she's always trying to get me to join her, but I prefer books."
"If she visit's soon I would love to join her."
"That's great!"
"Also, I've been meaning to ask, do you know anyone who can teach me some self defense?"
"I don't know. Maybe you should google it?"
"Okay. I'll do that."
She needs a way to defend herself with out magic. And if anyone asks, she can say it's because she doesn't want to be mugged again. Nightmare layed down in bed and envisioned her country. Teresa will definitely have a place in her new government. The others...well, Renee talked to much, and Felicity had no backbone to speak of. Still, she wouldn't enslave them If Teresa didn't want her to. They would have to be thankful for that. Eventually, she drifted to sleep, scheming and dreaming of her future.
The Crystal Empire
It had finally happened. The Empire had fallen. The Windigos had trapped their princess in ice, and the ponies who saw it have up hope. Once they did, the barrier fell. Ponies screamed and ran from him, just like the old days. Sombra landed in the front of the palace. The Crystal Heart was sitting on the ground, momentarily forgotten. He lifted his hoof up, and brought it down hard, shattering the heart. It was done.
