Although it should have been no surprise, Nightmare Moon found that she was not in the castle. Neither the old one in The Everfree, nor the (relatively speaking) newer one in Canterlot. They were not even in the city limits of Canterlot. It turned out that their little ritual had been performed in what was essentially an artificially made cave in the side of a mountain. Turns out it had been made by Starswirl so he could work on his magical experiments without risk of harming any ponies by accident.

Also turned out that -- worse case scenario -- they could collapse the cave in on itself and trap whatever creature they had summoned inside. In a way, it was kind of flattering that they were so worried of what Nightmare Moon might do that they were planning to drop a mountain on her.

While a bit of a hike, it turns out that the cavern was technically within walking distance of Canterlot. There was a path that would lead them to the back of the royal gardens. From there, Nightmare Moon could be taken to the train station, and then to Ponyville.

As soon as the group started their way down the path, Nightmare Moon considered making a break for it right away. She was a pegasus after all. She had wings, she remembered how to use them. It would be easy enough. Unfortunately, it would also be futile for her at this point. Even if she managed to take them by surprise -- which was unlikely seeing as they had a former villain and captain on their side -- and got a head start, she still had little chance, considering: four alicorns, each of which were a hero in their own way and two of which had defeated her before; two former hosts that could probably guess what she was planning; a former captain of the guard turned prince-consort and guard commander: a former villain with reality warping powers; and the bearers (former bearers, she corrected herself) of The Elements of Harmony. Plus, there was also the collar around her neck, and whatever it would possibly do to her should she try anything.

So, for now she would walk, and wait until a better opportunity presented itself. In the meantime, she studied those around her as well as her own new form. She was tall, for a pegasus mare. Not as tall as when she had been at her full power while possessing Luna, nor even as tall as Luna was now. She was, however, slightly taller than Cadance. As near as she could tell, she was about the same height as Shining Armor.

She was not, however, muscular. From what she could see of herself, her build was extremely lean with smooth muscles and little body fat. It was a body that was made to be fast as opposed to strong.

When she had first seen her coat, it had looked like it was black. Now that she could see it better in the sunlight, she could tell that was not the entire case. From the way it reflected light, it seemed to actually be a very dark blue or purple. Overall it still looked black, but the colors showed up in the way her coat shined.

Reaching the castle grounds, the group separated. Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadance, Shining Armor, and Discord returned to the castle to get some rest. Meanwhile, Twilight, her friends, and Nightmare Moon continued their way toward the train station, walking through the streets of Canterlot proper.

Nightmare Moon found it very amusing. Every pony they came across seemed to be wary, and it seemed to be of her no less. Most seemed to look away and give the group of them a wide berth. The rare occasion that she managed to catch a pony looking in her direction, they would immediately look away and hurry past once they were caught.

The ponies seemed to be intimidated by her. Perhaps it was simply that she was a dark coated pony. It was uncommon for ponies to have a black coat like her (unless they were seen as evil for some reason). Could that be enough in and of itself to frighten ponies? She did also bare her fangs slightly. Maybe the ponies saw them -- even if they did not realize it -- and stayed away from what could be a predatory creature. At the same time, it may simply be physical. Most of them were unicorns. Perhaps there was an aura of evil and darkness around her that others picked up.

Whatever the case, the fact that they showed signs of fear toward her was thrilling. Despite the loss of most of her power, she was still able to cause such a response in ponies. It was closer to how she preferred it. Even if she could no longer create an eternal night, she still wanted to rule and be feared. At least there was still some opportunity for that. Provided she could escape and come up either with a plan that would work as is, or a sufficiently powerful artifact that shall allow her to compensate for the loss of her abilities.

Speaking of objects with magic.

"So tell me," she said to Twilight Sparkle. "This collar you have placed upon me. What shall it do if I were to make a break for it? Shock me? Cause mind numbing agony of some sort?"

"Nothing--"

Nightmare Moon shot off as fast as her wings would allow her. A laugh escaped her as she flew, feeling the wind against her face and blowing through her mane.

The laugh was cut off in a strained gagging noise as she felt that she was yanked backwards by her neck. Her body continued to try and move forward, swinging like a pendulum until she was essentially on her back in mid-air. The entire event had thrown her off balance and confused her, her wings stopping. There was an audible thud as Nightmare Moon hit the ground, pain exploding along her spine as it struck the stone street, and air being knocked from her lungs with a grunt.

So this is what "pain" feels like, Nightmare Moon considered as she laid there, trying to catch her breath. Until now, pain had always been more of an abstract concept to Nightmare Moon. She was aware of what it was since her hosts had experienced such things before, but she had never done so herself. Her banishment and both exorcisms were unpleasant, but they had not actually been painful. As such, this was the first time she was experiencing it herself.

I do not enjoy it. I can see why ponies wish to avoid it so much.

As she laid there, contemplating the new experience and learning how to breathe again, a shadow moved over her.

"Are you okay?" Twilight asked, looking down at her.

"Fine," Nightmare huffed as she rolled over to stand back up. Her wings gave a flick as she brushed herself off.

"Good," Twilight said. "Now if you had let me finish, I would have said 'nothing so painful or cruel.' It actually serves two functions. What you just experienced is actually one of them. I can set and adjust distance and location of where the wearer can travel, either from a fixed point, or to a relative area. For instance, right now it is set so that you can't get more than twenty feet from me in any direction."

"Wonderful," Nightmare Moon grumbled, ears pulling back. "So if I try to get away, you just give me a hard yank on my leash." She let out a snort and shook her head. "I suppose I should ask what the second function is before finding out in the most unpleasant way possible."

"The second function is a location detection charm built into it," Twilight explained. "When we're in Ponyville and you're allowed to travel further, I will be able to find you wherever you are."

"I see," Nightmare Moon said gently. "In other words, you will be keeping me on a leash while tracking every single move I make. How wonderful."

"It's not like that," Twilight snapped. She shifted, looking away. "Well... I mean... I guess it is sort of like that. But not the way you're making it sound."

"I'm certain," Nightmare Moon said with a grin. "At least, that is what you tell yourself to placate your conscience." She turned her back to Twilight. "That is how so many so called heroes do it, isn't it? Make excuses to themselves about how they are better than the supposed villains they defeat?" She started walking, smiling to herself as she let the statement sink in.

Her pace was slow, waiting to see if the collar would tug at her. If it did, then she would be able to stop dramatically before it was noticeable. Instead, she was able to keep going. In all likelihood, she could not tell one set of hooves from another, but she was more than certain she could hear the specific hoof steps of Twilight behind her.

Alas, her being in the lead could not last. Nightmare Moon was not very familiar with the layout of Canterlot, and as a result, did not know where the train station was located. Daring to ask another pony for directions was out of the question since she did not wish to appear weaker. Instead, she simply slowed her pace more, allowing the others to catch up and get slightly ahead of her. She doubted that any of them would guess the reason behind it.

The rest of the trip to the train station was uneventful. Ponies still continued to give the group a wide berth, allowing them to make it easily. Boarding was not so easy. Although not exactly crowded, there were still lines of ponies waiting to board. From time to time, a pony would look in their direction. It was fascinating that despite having fur, it could be seen when they went pale.

Once on board and walking through the aisle, Nightmare Moon caught sight of a young foal staring at her. It was a colt with a pale blue coat, probably close to the age where he would be getting his cutie mark soon. He stared up at her, eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

Leaning down so they were eye to eye, Nightmare Moon grinned to show her sharp white teeth to the young colt.

"My, my," she purred out. "Aren't you just an adorable little thing. Why I could just eat, you, up." She licked her lips, making a small smacking sound.

The colt's ears pulled back as tears started to fill his eyes. Quick as he could, he scurried backwards. The colt continued to stare at Nightmare Moon as he bumped into the mare he sat beside.

"Excuse me," the mare cried out as she wrapped a foreleg around the colt. "What do you think you are doing to my son?"

Nightmare let her gaze shift from the colt to the mother. Her eyes narrowed as her grin grew wider.

"I assure you that I have done nothing to your foal," she said. "Yet."

"Nightmare," Twilight scolded as she used her magic to pull Nightmare Moon away from the mother and child. "What is wrong with you? Scaring a foal like that. You should be ashamed."

"And yet," Nightmare Moon retorted, holding her head high and nose up, "I am not."

"Clearly," Twilight grumbled as she pulled the mare with her through the train. "Come on. I think there's an empty car in back since I can't seem to trust you with other ponies yet."

Nightmare Moon followed, head high in the air as she made her way past the ponies already seated. More of them were looking at her now, hints of disgust and annoyance on their faces. But there was also curiosity, and possibly fear. She had their attention, and they were not sure what to make of her. It would leave an impression on them. If not for a few days, then at least for the duration of the train ride.

As they moved from one car to the next, a thought suddenly occurred to her.

What did she mean 'yet?'