Chapter 6: Stalkers Get Caught
Location: Everfree Forest
Rainbow Dash POV
"Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy shouted… quietly.
Rainbow Dash was in the middle of flying when suddenly Fluttershy barged into her. "What is it, Fluttershy?"
"Michael went into the Everfree Forest!" she said. She was panicking.
"Yeah," Rainbow Dash said triumphantly, "Don't worry. Twilight already knows and so do I. I'm following him!"
Fluttershy calmed down, "Oh. OK! I was going to tell Twilight, but now I guess I don't really need to worry…"
Rainbow Dash was losing sight of Michael, "Alright, Fluttershy! Catch you later!"
At that, Rainbow Dash sped off. She flew straight above the dark forest, squinting her eyes into the dense canopy of trees.
"How do you lose a human so easily!" she moaned.
She scanned the dense jungle, at last finding Michael's head through an opening in the trees.
She swooped in right above the opening and waited for him to move. He sighed, probably because he thought Fluttershy would follow him. He continued on his way down the path. Rainbow Dash noticed he was moving towards the bog. The one that was home to the hydra.
"Oh please oh please oh please go a different way…" she whispered intently.
But Michael seemed focused on moving in that direction.
The smell of muddy water filled the air, as Michael neared the bog. Rainbow Dash, acting way more dramatically, covered her nose at the smell. Michael on the other hand winced at the smell, but paid no mind to it.
Finally Michael arrived at the bog, scanning the water for something. Did he know the hydra lived here?
Then Rainbow Dash saw an extremely large shadow underneath the water moving towards Michael. She wanted to shout a warning, but didn't want to be detected.
Luckily, Michael seemed to notice it right away and backed up a good forty feet before heading around.
"Phew!" Rainbow Dash sighed as she turned to follow Michael.
Michael slowed to a slow paced walk. Rainbow Dash groaned.
'Why in the world does he have to move slow in the EVERFREE?!' she thought.
But he appeared to be in deep thought. What was on his mind? Rainbow Dash sighed and hung her head low as she flew. This was going to be the most boring flight.
Thirty Minutes Later
Rainbow Dash was so zoned out that she didn't notice the ruins approach at first. She looked down at Michael, who also seemed to snap back to reality. The ruins triggered something, because he seemed to recognize the place.
'Maybe whoever he needs to talk to made the ruins their home,' Rainbow Dash thought.
Michael stumbled into the clearing beyond the bridge and stood there, admiring the beauty. But then his look of admiration disappeared as he noticed the dead trees surrounding him. He shrugged it off and headed on.
Rainbow Dash couldn't risk flying above the clearing. Her shadow could show on the ground, but most importantly, she was well aware of Michael's 'sixth sense.' He seemed to know when to react and where to look, which could be bad news for her. So she landed inside the forest and peered through a bush on the edge of the clearing.
Michael was standing at the bridge now, which was pretty much useless because of the broken planks. Michael seemed troubled at what he could do to get across. Eventually, he sat down in front of the bridge, his head resting on his hands to help him think.
After a couple of minutes, he suddenly jumped up and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Nightmare Moooooooon!"
Rainbow Dash was getting excited. She was about to see who Michael first met when he got here. She was about to see someone she never met before. She… wait what? Did he just shout Nightmare Moon? No way. The Elements of Harmony destroyed her. She doesn't exist.
Rainbow Dash's body tensed at the feeling of Nightmare Moon existing again. Another everlasting night? She gazed up and scanned the ruins for any appearance of the night alicorn.
There, on the tower, movement. And then a face. A face Rainbow Dash recognized all too well.
"She… she exists?!" she asked out loud. Luckily Michael didn't hear her.
The villainous alicorn jumped from the window and soared down at Michael. What was she going to do to him? Zap him with lightning? Put him under her spell? Or worse. Tell him lies about the Princess. That was exactly what she would do. Fill his head with lies, so he would turn against them all.
She was diving quickly at Michael. Rainbow Dash thought Michael was a goner. She was nearing him. Then the two collided, and crashed to the ground.
"No… Michael… come on… fight back…" Rainbow Dash muttered.
What was she doing to him? The two seemed to be fighting on the ground before Nightmare Moon… hugged him?
Rainbow Dash rubbed her eyes, just in case they were casting an illusion. But they weren't. She saw Nightmare Moon's hooves wrapped around Michael, with the biggest smile on her face. Brighter than Pinkie Pie's smile. And that's something.
For a few minutes, they lay on the ground, with Michael in Nightmare Moon's hooves. Then Michael seemed to mutter something to her and she finally let go, allowing Michael to stand up. The two chatted for a while, Nightmare Moon occasionally chuckling like the two were close friends.
Eventually, they walked to the ravine and Nightmare Moon flew over, leaving Michael on the other side. But Rainbow Dash knew Michael couldn't get to the other side without his armor.
"You dumb alicorn…" Rainbow Dash muttered in anger, "What are you planning?"
Nightmare Moon's horn began to glow as she lifted Michael and brung him to the other side. Then the two walked into the ruins.
Rainbow Dash was breathing heavily.
"So, the first pony Michael met was Nightmare Moon?" she said in anger, "Let's see how 'nice' she really is!"
At that, Rainbow Dash launched herself into the air and flew towards the ruins.
Michael POV
"… and then Celestia just launched a big ass burning beam of light at me!" Michael said, describing the scenario to Nightmare Moon.
The alicorn chuckled, "So I guess that's why your arm is in bandages then."
"Exactly," Michael replied, "I wasn't really paying attention and dodged at the last moment, getting my armor burnt off in the process."
"I see," Nightmare Moon said, "I sense pain in your leg. Care to share?"
"Of course. Another beam burned through my left thigh and went straight out the other side."
"Ouch. Sounds painful."
The two were standing at the top of the old tower, gazing up into the daylight.
"So how did you escape the princess?" Nightmare Moon asked.
"Actually, I didn't escape," Michael replied, "I said something that got to the princess, causing her to cry. Then she spared me, and a few days later I woke up in Canterlot."
Nightmare Moon was surprised by this, "You must've said something hurtful to her to quell her rage."
"But there's something I can't wrap my head around, Nightmare," Michael said, "When I went to see the princess, her sister, Luna was there with her."
Nightmare's face darkened, "Go on."
Michael noticed that he should be careful about what he says about Luna. It seems that the topic is sensitive to Nightmare Moon.
"She… She wanted Celestia to… kill me."
Nightmare Moon didn't seemed to surprised, "Why does it look like it affects you much? You're a superhuman. Weren't you trained to have no emotion?"
"That's what I thought," Michael said, "But those words struck hard. Luna began to cry, and Celestia began to cry again… and I just ran away. I ran all the way to the train station and rode the train back to Ponyville, while BLEEDING."
Nightmare Moon's eyes widened, "You bled the whole way?!"
"I did, and I didn't care. Making the princesses cry like that struck a nerve in me, I don't understand why I'm feeling emotion."
"I might have the answer to that," Nightmare Moon said, "Equestria is a land of kindness, friendship, and harmony. The atmosphere makes any being feel more at home here. More kind. More emotional to others. It seems this world is taking quite the toll on you."
"Makes sense," Michael wondered, "But my real question is… why… did the princesses want me dead in the first place?"
Those words did something to Nightmare Moon. She took a few steps back, before regaining her royal posture, "W-What did they… do?"
"Yeah," he replied, "I understand if it's something personal, and you don't feel comfortable telling."
"No…" she replied, "I can tell you. I trust you."
Michael sat down against the wall, knowing the night princess was about to tell a story.
"The humans a thousand years ago were different," she began, "Yes, I said Equestria would make anyone feel kinder, but the humans seemed… immune to that. They were selfish, greedy, and jealous of their equine neighbors. They didn't appreciate being ruled by ponies. They thought humans should rule. So they started a conquest against the kingdom."
"I'm not surprised," Michael said, "Humans on our world in the past have done some pretty bad things too."
Nightmare Moon's face grew weary, "But the humans had weapon of great destruction. They killed many ponies who were in their way. They burned down towns and homes, no matter who lived there. Finally, they arrived in Canterlot."
Michael knew what was about to happen, he now knew what the humans did. "Back then, were the two princesses just fillies?"
"They were," Nightmare Moon continued, "And their parents ruled over the throne at the time. And to take over the throne, the rulers would have to be cut down…"
"They killed their parents." Michael muttered.
"Yes…" Nightmare Moon grew silent.
Michael slumped against the wall, shocked at what he heard. Humans were really bad in the past, weren't they? No wonder the princesses wanted him dead. His ancestors committed a terrible crime.
Michael spoke up, "How… How did the princesses live through it?"
"During the fall of Canterlot, Celestia, Luna, and their parents were on the tower balcony, watching their city burn with raging fire. They knew that it was the end for them. They knew who the humans' target was. Their parents. But they didn't want their precious fillies to die. So they hid them in a magic-activated chamber underneath the throne."
Michael was silent. He knew Nightmare Moon was once one with Princess Luna. He knew she was pretty much there when it happened.
"I-I…" tears began to trickle down her cheek, "I heard my mother's screams! I heard my father shouting! He did what he could to protect them… But in the end… they were dead."
"Nightmare… I… I had no idea… How did the humans leave?"
She was silent for a moment, wiping tears from her face with a hoof, "My sister, Celestia, was filled with anger upon hearing my mother's cries. As a filly, she blasted the throne open, and massacred the humans! I sat in the chamber, watching her fight. Then she did something… and they all disappeared. Even the humans who weren't in the war, even their children, they all disappeared. Everywhere, throughout the land, all humans were wiped from our world."
Michael was becoming depressed again. Stupid atmosphere.
Nightmare Moon continued, "When I emerged, Celestia was mourning our parents. She was… was crying by their bodies. They both died… they…" She began to cry again. "They both died in each others hooves… They lay on the floor, holding each other, even in death…"
Michael wanted to get up and throw his arms around the dark alicorn. But something was stopping him. Why was he feeling so emotional!?
Nightmare Moon stopped sobbing, though tears still stained her cheeks. She slowly walked over to Michael and slumped down, staring at the ground in front of her sadly.
Michael finally spoke in a calm, yet quiet tone, "What they did was completely wrong. It angers me to even think about it. I just don't understand what pushed them to do such a thing…"
The Mare of the Night draped her wing over Michael while wiping tears from her eyes, "Now that you know of my past, I'd like to know of yours."
"But don't you already know?" Michael asked, "You read my mind."
"Not like that," she replied, "But I wonder how you even arrived here."
Michael's face grew puzzled as he thought, "I remember some of it, but the rest is fuzzy. The last thing I remember was walking down the forest path on the rainy night I found you."
Nightmare Moon's mood brightened a little, "I think I have something that will help you remember."
Her horn began to emanate a white light as she pointed it at Michael's forehead. A small white beam shot from her horn's tip and struck Michael right on target. His eyes glowed white for a moment as the spell went to work. When it faded, Michael asked, "What did you do this time?"
"I used a spell that helps your memory improve," she replied, "All you have to do is move any irrelevant thoughts aside and focus on what you want."
Michael nodded as he turned his head towards the ground in front of him.
'Come on, Michael. Think!' he thought, 'What happened that day?'
Just like Nightmare Moon said, all the thoughts rushed back to him.
Flashback
"Shit! Get to cover!" Michael commanded.
Michael ran towards the back of the room and behind a wall. While leaning, he would occasionally peek out to take a headshot with his DMR.
Spence and Outlaw immediately obeyed and followed him to some barriers set up along the wall. Bulk on the other hand was in the middle of the fight.
Surrounded on all sides by Prometheans, he somehow managed to avoid oncoming bullets while pouring lead into the enemy.
"Die! All of you!" he shouted.
"Come on, Bulk!" Spence shouted, "Get back here!"
Michael knew what Bulk was doing. He turned to Spence, "He knows what he's doing."
Spence went silent.
The two marines and the Spartan provided the best support they could for Bulk. The lone marine reloaded with lightning speed whenever his clip ran dry. Michael watched as Bulk mowed down a Knight, smashed a Crawler's skull in, and shot down a Watcher.
Eventually he shouted, "Spartan! Go! Find whatever these assholes are guarding! Go!"
Michael knew when someone made sense. It was either do or die.
Bulk tossed his now empty MA5C at a Watcher, which jammed the wings and caused it to explode.
"Bulk! Rockets!" Outlaw shouted.
Bulk remembered his rocket launcher on his back. He grabbed the handle and propped it on his shoulder.
"I got three!" he shouted back.
"Spartan!" Spence shouted, "We got another door! I think I can seal it if we make it through!"
Michael ran through his options. He can stay here, and die with the team, or he can retreat deeper into the structure with the surviving marines. But that would mean… Bulk would die.
Michael looked at the lone marine, who readied up the rocket launcher. He was a dead man. Bulk knew that he was going to get himself killed.
"Marines!" Michael commanded, "Through the door! Now!"
Spence and Outlaw obeyed and retreated through the door, leaving Michael outside the door. "Where's the egghead?"
Across the room, in the open, was the scientist running towards the door.
"What an idiot!" Michael cursed, "For a scientist, common sense doesn't seem to go well!"
And of course, the scientist got lit up by a Crawler, spraying suppressor bullets into his back. The scientist stumbled forward and clambered to his knees, trying to crawl forward. Michael dropped the Crawler before it could do anymore damage.
The scientist slowly crawled aimlessly on his knees, trailing blood behind him. Michael began to step forward to defend him, but a Knight was already there. It kicked him over and…
Michael looked away. "Fuck!"
He looked over at Bulk. The marine fired his first rocket at a Knight, completely obliterating it. The second rocket was fired at a group of Crawlers, who attempted to rush him. They ended up being blown to pieces anyway. But before the last Watcher could resurrect any of the Knights, Bulk threw his knife, catching it straight in the eyes.
Michael moved through the doorway and shouted towards Bulk, "Come on, marine! Double time it!"
"No can do, Spartan!" Bulk replied, "Just go! I'll die right here! Right now!"
Michael saluted him before turning away. Spence was already trying to figure out the holographic door controls.
"Aha!" he exclaimed as he placed his hand on the center of a circle. The hologram changed from a blue light to orange as it dissolved to nothing.
The doors began to slowly slide inward as they were sealing themselves.
Michael peeked through and saw Bulk, this time in worse condition. The marine was down on one knee, a bullet hole in his shoulder and kneecap. He was painfully holding himself up with one arm while slowly loading his last rocket. What appeared to be twenty plus Knights were now marching towards Bulk, who was struggling to close the latch and secure the rocket.
Bulk POV
The closest Knight stepped on his free arm, causing Bulk to cry out in pain. He let go of the rocket launcher and collapsed onto the ground. The Knight aimed its scattershot down at Bulk's face.
"Not… today… big boy…" Bulk grunted as he reached out to the scattershot.
He wrestled it out of the Knight's hand and aimed it at the rocket launcher.
He pulled the trigger.
Michael POV
The door was about three inches open. Michael saw Bulk wrestle the scattershot from the Knight's hand. He aimed it at the rocket launcher, still containing the unlatched rocket.
Boom.
The explosion was the last Michael saw of Bulk. What a tough guy, for a marine.
The door sealed shut, and all the humans could hear was the movement of remaining Prometheans on the other side. Spence was bent over, hands in knees, breathing deeply. Outlaw was propped against the wall, his head hanging.
"This shit is too much," Outlaw muttered, "We already lost two guys, the scientist is dead, and there's no way out of this place!"
"What did you expect when you joined the UNSC, marine?" Michael asked.
"Maybe if I was a Spartan, I would handle this better," Outlaw retorted.
"Look," Michael said, "I'm just gonna flat out tell it to you. There is a very slim chance we make it out of here alive. That's right. I'm probably going to die too. A Spartan isn't good enough to take on hundreds of Prometheans at once. There was only one Spartan to do anything like that."
"Master Chief," Spence muttered.
"That's right," Michael continued, "And I'm nothing compared to Master Chief. So the best we can do is venture deeper into the structure and radio the commander of what we find. Got it?"
Outlaw replied quietly, "Yes sir."
Michael contacted Commander Palmer, "Commander. We are even deeper inside the structure. Trice is KIA, Bulk is KIA, and the egghead is KIA."
"Damnit, Spartan," Palmer replied, "I was really counting on you to accomplish the mission."
"Commander," Michael replied bluntly, "We weren't expecting this much resistance. Even Majestic Team would have trouble handling this many Prometheans. There is nothing I can do."
The radio was silent, so Michael continued, "I'll just tell you right now that the three of us, including me, will probably be dead by the time reinforcements arrive. So we're going to head deeper to see if we can find any treasures these guys are guarding."
All Michael heard was static before Commander Palmer's voice came in, this time using his name. "Copy that, Michael. See you in the next world. Palmer out."
Michael sighed and turned to the marines, "Let's go."
Present Time
Something interrupted his thoughts. Not a sound of any type. He saw movement. The movement of a familiar rainbow mane outside the window. Nightmare Moon noticed him snap out of thinking.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing, really," Michael said as he slowly walked towards the window, "It's just for some reason… I just couldn't think anymore."
Nightmare Moon was about to speak, but Michael put a finger on his lips, telling her to stay quiet. He crept up to the window and peeked over.
Michael knew who it was the moment he saw her mane dash underneath the windowsill.
Michael reached out and grabbed her tail, yanking her through the window.
"Oh my God," he groaned, "Rainbow…"
The cyan pegasus flailed in his hands, trying to get free, "Let go, Michael!" she looked directly at Nightmare Moon, shooting her an accusing look, "What did you do to him?!"
Nightmare Moon chuckled, amused at her anger, "Oh nothing. We were just having a talk. We didn't know we had somepony eavesdropping on us."
Rainbow Dash struggled every few seconds, thinking Michael would let his guard down. But Spartans stay focused.
Michael held Rainbow Dash in one arm, facepalming while shaking his head. "Come on, Rainbow."
"Michael!" Rainbow Dash shouted, "Let go! We can take her on together."
"Rainbow," Michael asked, "Why does everyone, or pony, have their minds bent around the fact that Nightmare Moon is evil?"
"What she did is unforgiveable! She took over Princess Luna and tried to bring eternal night! Why are you even siding with her?!"
Nightmare Moon's face fell as she began feeling bad about the incident. Rainbow Dash's words cut deep.
Michael didn't like that, "I'm siding with her because instead of straight up accusing, I listen. A skill you could make use of."
Those words cut deep into Rainbow Dash, since she grew silent.
Michael didn't know what to say. Rainbow Dash knows Nightmare Moon exists, and she would probably speed off and tell the rest of Equestria the minute he lets go of her. That would be bad news for Nightmare Moon.
"Can't you just hear her side of the story?" Michael asked, glaring down at her.
Rainbow Dash hesitated to answer, but eventually she muttered, "Fine…"
"OK, I'm gonna set you down now. Promise you won't fly away?"
"I… I promise…"
"Ok." Michael went to set her down, but Nightmare Moon interrupted him.
"That's a bad idea and you and I both know it," she commented.
"Let me just give her a chance," Michael suggested.
Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes and nodded for him to continue. Michael nodded back, and slowly placed Rainbow Dash on the ground.
As soon as his hands left her sides, she darted towards the window. "See you later, chumps!"
Nightmare Moon once again rolled her eyes as she seized Rainbow Dash in midair with the levitation spell. "Really?"
"Yeah, Rainbow Dash. Really?" Michael asked.
"What? I don't trust her." Rainbow Dash replied bluntly.
"Ugh," Michael groaned, "Nightmare, bring her to me. You can tell your story with her in my arms."
"I told you it was a bad idea," Nightmare Moon said with a smirk. She levitated Rainbow Dash to Michael, who reached out placed her in one arm again.
"Go ahead, Nightmare," Michael said, "And this time, tell your story calmly, so Rainbow Dash doesn't cower."
"Hey! I'm not scared!" the rainbow pegasus shouted.
"Of course your not," Nightmare Moon said strictly, glaring at her, "Then you wouldn't mind me telling you the story, face to face."
Michael smirked as he felt Rainbow Dash jerk in his arm. Nightmare Moon noticed too, since she slowly walked towards the two. She stopped right in front if Rainbow Dash and sat down, so they could be at the same eye level. The brash pegasus began trembling, amusing Nightmare Moon.
"Ok. Since we are at the same eye level, allow me to begin. A thousand years ago, Princess Celestia and I, Princess Luna, liberated Equestria from the dark forces that invaded it."
Michael new what she was talking about. The human invasion.
"Celestia and I took over the throne after the war. To bring day she raised the sun. To bring night, I raised the moon. I was still learning to perfect the spell, so my sister added the beautiful starry designs for me. During my royal duties, ponies would acknowledge me for the beautiful night. I would always thank them for the praise, but felt guilty since the work wasn't all mine."
Rainbow Dash stopped trembling, slowly opening up to the dark alicorn.
Nightmare Moon continued, "Every night, I stood on the balcony of the tower, gazing down at the city below. No ponies were anywhere on the streets. Instead, they were inside, sleeping, not seeming to appreciate the night. Why couldn't they be outside, enjoying the night the same they did the day? But I was nothing but a fool for thinking such things. Back then, I didn't really ponder the thought that ponies need sleep. And what made it worse, I witnessed a majority of crimes happen during my night. Why the night? Why not commit these horrible crimes in the day?"
Michael realized that Rainbow Dash had her full attention on Nightmare Moon. Taking advantage of the moment, he very slowly placed her down, making sure to not make any sudden movements. Rainbow Dash didn't notice at all when she was on solid ground and Michael had let go of her. Nightmare Moon's words were really getting to her.
"Eventually," Nightmare Moon lowered her head, ashamed of the next words, "I grew dimmer. Princess Luna allowed the darker side of her, me, to take over. And I refused to bring down the moon for dawn. I kept it there, prolonging the night. My sister didn't take to kindly to that. Yes, I was her sister, but her priority was to keep Equestria safe. Thus, she banished me to the moon."
Rainbow Dash's expression saddened as Nightmare Moon went on, "For years I remain on the moon. Nearly everyday I cried. I always gazed back at my world, shouting 'WHY?!' in tears and anger. I asked myself, why? Why did my sister have to do something like this? Of course now, I know the answer. But back then, all I wanted was revenge."
Michael stood behind Rainbow Dash, arms crossed, listening to everything the alicorn said.
"That's when I returned, only to cause more trouble. I brought back an eternal night. I just wanted to be loved, and appreciated. But…" She drooped her head, "But I did it the wrong way…"
Rainbow Dash nudged her, "Yeah you kind of did."
Nightmare Moon sat back up, "Yes. And the six of you guys put a stop to me, thankfully. But the rainbow merely separated me from Princess Luna."
Michael snapped to realization. That dream… with the green Spartan… the six ponies who shot the rainbow at Nightmare Moon. Could it be?
The rainbow pony definitely was Rainbow Dash, the purple unicorn was definitely Twilight, the white, dazzling unicorn was Rarity, the buttery pegasus was Fluttershy, the poofy pink pony was Pinkie Pie, and that orange earth pony was… the same one he saw at Fluttershy's house. He thought Rainbow Dash mentioned her name, but he couldn't remember.
But still, there was no doubt the six was in the dream. They were the ones who stopped Nightmare Moon? But what about the green Spartan? Does he even exist?
Michael realized the dream wasn't just a dream, but a vision of the future. But how? Who was the green Spartan?
"Is there something wrong, Michael?" Nightmare Moon asked, noticing the dumbstruck look on his face. Rainbow Dash was also staring at him worriedly.
"Oh, nothing. I just… remembered something! From how I got here!" he lied.
Nightmare Moon smiled, "I can sense you're lying."
"OK, fine. I'll tell you later."
Nightmare Moon returned her attention back to Rainbow Dash, "Anyway, the point is, I wanted to be loved. I wanted to be accepted the same way Celestia was. I just… I just beg of you, forgive me. I'm truly sorry for the pain and fear I caused for my actions. It was truly the uttermost wrong thing to do. I don't know anyway I can make up for my actions, but please… forgive me."
Rainbow Dash glared at her for a moment, giving the impression of an awkward silence. But suddenly, Rainbow Dash smiled half-heartedly.
"You know what?" she said, "I'll be honest. I don't fully trust you yet, Nightmare Moon. What you did really hurt the princess and every other pony in Equestria." She then turned towards Michael, "But if Michael trusts you, then I don't have a reason to accuse you of anything…"
Nightmare Moon literally jumped five feet in the air in glee, "You forgive me? I didn't expect you to-"
Rainbow Dash cut her off, "But, if you even DARE give me a reason to change my mind, even the SLIGHTEST bit, I'll take all my regrets out on you. I swear it. As soon as I see you betray Michael, you'll wish you never did."
Michael took a step back in astonishment. Even for a Spartan, that sounded pretty harsh. He didn't expect Rainbow Dash to say something like that. Knowing her, she'd probably just flat out half-lie. Was it because of him?
"Oh," Nightmare Moon replied sadly, "I… I won't…"
Rainbow Dash started towards the window, before turning to Michael, "We have to leave now, isn't that right, Michael?"
Michael turned towards the pegasus, "Just one moment, I'll be out there."
Rainbow Dash groaned before flying out the window.
Michael turned back to Nightmare Moon, who was standing there, shocked at Rainbow Dash's words. Michael could tell they struck a nerve deep inside her.
"Michael… she doesn't really… trust me… does she?" she whispered.
"She said she doesn't fully trust you," Michael replied with a soothing tone, "She slightly trusts you, but between you and me, I think she was a bit jealous."
"But what for?" Nightmare Moon asked.
"That you were the first to meet me here," Michael said, "The first to be friendly towards me. You didn't attack me on sight. Rainbow Dash and Twilight did attack me. So I do trust you more than them."
Nightmare Moon lowered her head, "Thank you… Michael… for being a friend to me. I know I don't deserve it, but…"
"Are you truly sorry for what you did?" Michael asked.
"Yes... but-"
"Then you deserve my kindness."
Michael turned to leave, "Bye, Nightmare Moon. I'll come back in a few days."
He got no response, so he began his descent down the staircase.
"Michael, wait."
Before Michael could respond, he was lifted into the air and dragged back to Nightmare Moon. Once he got to her, she threw her hooves around him, beginning to cry quietly into his shoulder.
"I'm so grateful I was able to meet you," she whispered.
Michael was still awestruck that he was suddenly brung back to her so quickly, but recovered in time to reply, "No problem, Nightmare."