Meanwhile, in the Lunar Guard's military camp, inside the imposing command tent with its dark purple drapes, Antarès sat in front of a desk in a corner of the tent, hurriedly writing her report. She recorded all the information she had memorised while she had tried to lead who she thought was Pepper as slowly as possible to the Badlands. She looked up for a moment, watching the armour of the nightmare alicorn at the other end of the tent. It sat on a rack, waiting in cold silence for almost four months now. Waiting for its owner to return and put it back on again. The major kept her eyes fixed on the armour for a moment, remembering the interview with the regicide. She recalled her glances toward the monster in detail, the words they had exchanged.

Swift stuck his head through the heavy canvases at entrance to the tent. She looked over to him, past a table that had a map of the region laid out with small figurines next to it. "Cute Bite, our queen has arrived. She’s on the outskirts of the camp."

Antarès snorted as she returned to her report once more. She had nothing to add to the notes, and it gave her the impression that she was failing in her duties. "Swift, go to the infirmary for a full check-up.” She stored the report in a compartment on the left side of the desk. “I can't believe what happened to you was without consequences."

"I'm not made of sugar, and even if I were, I'd survive it.” A grin crept on his lips as he began to tease her. “Or did I taste like mango? That would explain why you're desperately trying to keep me away from you, Cute Bite."

She reached the entrance of the tent in record time, despite her heavy armour, as well as the weight of her own sword and the claymore of Nightmare Moon - which she had to carry due to her being Aide de Camp - secured in their respective sheaths crossed and harnessed on her back. She grabbed Swift by the neck with her outstretched wings and turned to one of the bat ponies who were guarding the tent. "Shadowbolt Nebula, I want Private Swift in the infirmary for a full check-up, ASAP. He was the target of an unknown spell, and I want a vampony to make sure that there are no long-term consequences. Use force if necessary," she ordered, pushing Swift toward the guard.

The Shadowbolts were an elite military corps of ten bat ponies. Becoming a Shadowbolt was a privilege—it meant that they no longer had to answer to the primogen of their lineage. They were the queen’s personal guard, distinguished by a purple uniform. Only their hooves and their heads, from the base of their neck up, were of a deep black, delimited by a fine yellow flash. They responded only to the queen’s orders, those of her lieutenant, and, for three months now, her Aide de Camp.

The soldier left her post, saluting Antarès with the thumb of her wing on her temple before turning her electric-blue eyes toward Swift. Her stern look was mostly hidden by yellow glasses, but she simply took her sword in her mouth, preferring the use of - for now, implied - force right away.

Swift complied without uttering a word. Her reaction had assured him that Cute Bite was in a good enough state of mind to report what happened to their queen.

The Major then went to meet Nightmare Moon and found herself face-to-face with the tantabus, which had taken the form of the lunar monarch. The Major saluted her in haste with a practised motion before speaking. "My Queen, Pepper Chilly. She was there. I tried to delay her, but she went to the Badlands."

Nightmare Moon didn’t react to the news immediately. Having the Tantabus for a body had many advantages, but there were also many disadvantages. In her current form, she could only communicate with Luna telepathically over a short distance. Materialising a physical form required a substantial expenditure of magical power. However, since the Tantabus was fueled by Luna's guilt, Nightmare Moon was confident that the flow of energy would increase now that Celestia's death had been confirmed. She used a third of her current magical strength to take a physical shape: The body of an alicorn with an ebony coat, her ethereal mane and tail a royal blue. It was almost as if she had never crossed paths with Twilight Sparkle. In her physical form, she gave an inquisitive look to her Aide de Camp. "Your report, right now," she ordered, walking towards the command tent.

Antarès fell into a trot next to Nightmare Moon. "Thirty minutes ago, I heard galloping in the forest along the hill from Private Swift Chess's post. Swift Chess left his post to assist me as I went after the trespasser and intercepted them. At first, we thought they were just a pegasus who, despite our orders, did not identify themselves. Only when Private Swift Chess approached them did we realise who we were dealing with."

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Nightmare Moon entered the tent and looked at the map, remaining attentive to the bat pony’s report.

"She took Swift Chess hostage by turning him into a candy ..."

Nightmare Moon was slightly shocked at the mention of this fact.

"... With our orders to not let any creature escape the Badlands, and given the estimated magical power level of the criminal, I decided to make her believe that I was conceding to her demands to be led to the barren lands. I took the longest path, hoping to see you arrive in time to defeat her. During this time, I tried to ask her questions that I thought were the most relevant, and she gave me answers whose truth has yet to be proven. Once through the tunnel, she paralyzed me with a spell, then led me to believe that she would not lift the spell she had used to turn Swift into a candy. Once released from paralysis, I immediately sent guards after her, but they reported that she was caught and pulled underground, probably by changelings. I think that the spell cast on Swift has faded on its own. I am ready to take responsibility for my mistake—for letting Pepper Chilly pass, my Queen."

Nightmare Moon thought about the situation for a minute while she studied the map. . Finally, she looked up at Antarès and said calmly, "At ease, Major. I don't blame you for tonight's event. Pepper Chilly lied to everypony for two months. If it is true that she has gained power by absorbing the soul of Celestia as she has told Luna, then it was certainly wiser of you to not encourage her to break through by sheer force."

Despite her superior’s words, Antarès had the nagging feeling that she could have done better. She looked at the Moon over her shoulder through the gap between the canvases. "What colour is the moon tonight, my Queen?"

"Make it short," replied the living nightmare to the coded message.

"About the Eclipse project?" asked the major.

Nightmare Moon nodded again, eyes closed. "Yes, it is true, the Eclipse project is taking a completely different turn. Until now, Luna had been hanging in there, under the illusion of having control of the situation. Now that Pepper Chilly is back, and Celestia's death has been confirmed, things will undoubtedly accelerate. If I manage to slip the severed head of the one she had considered to be a friend into her bed, and she looks into Pepper's glassy eyes in the early morning, she will understand that she can never get the slow and painful revenge she wanted. That realisation will make her insane. With her mind crushed, I will be able to possess her body. Even if Twilight Sparkle tries to use the elements of harmony on me, Luna will remember that she has nothing left in this world! Even though she has a bond with a few fillies, it will not prevent her from sinking back into darkness, allowing me to take over once more. No matter how hard Twilight tries, she will have to accept the idea that Luna can no longer be saved. Then I shall reign by myself over Equestria and Broncoliande. With Shining Armor now being prince consort of the Crystal Kingdom, I will have to elect a new captain for the Royal Guard for Canterlot Castle. A position that may suit you, Major. However, I fully understand if a military career is more appealing for you."

"It would be an honour to ensure the well-being of you and your palace, my Queen," replied Antarès, loudly and clearly.

"Now, I'll be entering the Badlands," announced the ebony alicorn.

"I'm going to gather a squad to escort you-"

"There is no need for that. If Chrysalis is not dead yet, she won’t like to see a group of bat ponies come. Not even in small numbers. But if I go alone, she might more easily concede to a meeting with me. In the eventuality of an aggressive welcome, I can return in my ethereal form without having to worry about the fate of an escort."

The bat pony had to admit that this tactic provided an easy retreat if the changelings refused to talk. In the current climate, it was not difficult to believe that they would refuse. "When I asked her, Pepper Chilly said she was going to the Badlands because she felt a call. And she became agitated when she heard about the genocide of the changelings."

Nightmare Moon frowned. "She's not the altruistic type. If Chrysalis has the foresight to end her, that would be fine by me. The problem is that she must not know what her subjects have dragged into her hive. Major, regarding Pepper Chilly, the orders are not to engage in hostilities. If she has returned to gather power, she will show little interest in anypony who is not an alicorn. There is no need to risk lives in a fight without a chance of victory," she said as she walked towards the exit.

"My queen. A thought came to mind. Since she has returned, do you think she is the mare from the prediction that announces the return of the Crystal Empire’s tyrant?" asked Antarès, uncomfortable to raise the subject, though curious to hear her queen's opinion.

Nightmare Moon spread the heavy canvases with her wings. "All the more reason to make her surrender her last breath before she has a chance to say the forbidden name. We already have a regicide on the loose. No one wants this tyrant to come back and claim an empire that was never his."

"Yes,” Antarès agreed. “One unnecessary war is one too many. The Crystal Kingdom was lucky to reappear last year. The absence of Princess Celestia affects the morale of the Equestrians a lot. His return wouldn’t help the situation."

"One unnecessary war is one too many? I wasn’t aware your lineage had such wisdom running through their veins, Major. Or it is the private Swift Chess who rubbed off on you somehow? Teasing aside, keep it up, that's the way I expect a second-in-command to think." Nightmare Moon left the tent to fly to the Badlands, changing back to the simple form of a black cloud to preserve her strength.