Blood moon harvest

The wind howled as fiercely as the bloodcurdling shriek of a timberwolf  that night. The land was solemnly shrouded by an eerie fog and a thick blanket darkness. The moon hung eerily above the sky earlier than usual against the purple night sky creating a scarlet colored backdrop. Fall was almost upon the land and the plethora of brown palettes swirled about on the massive oaks rustling about as a swarm of locusts would in their nests. A shadow moved through the night disrupting the eerily calm wood. The figure stood amidst the scene dark wings outstretched as a pair of cloaked figures appeared from the shadow of the wood.

"Forgive our lowly presence, goddess. Such mortals such as us should nary even be worthy of the dark mistress's audience. Aught we even be speaking to her now is a privilege." Said the one on the right as she bowed along with her compatriot.

"Forgive our lowly presence, godess. The preparations have been completed ma'am. They await..." said one softly almost with a hint of fear in his voice.

The shadow smiled as she drifted past them and into the crumbling ruins of Everfree manse. The shadow withdrew it's cloak of darkness revealing jet black skin adorned with intricate, dark blue armor, a dark purple night gown and a sinister gleam in both her eyes and her grin.

"My sweet children of the night. May sweet nightmares forever haunt your eternal slumber." said Nightmare Moon.

They bowed and backed away as she trotted forward towards the ancient ruins of the blighted forest. An eerie incadescent light trailing her hair and tail as she gracefully walked through the wood with the manner only royalty could have. She had just began preparations to surely win over the land for her and shroud it in eternal darkness. Though she could not shake off the feeling of unease and uncertainty. Deep down she was still the same scared little teenage princess who stood underneath her sister's shadow. Was this really how she wanted to be remembered? Is this the kind of attention that she had been yearning? Was she truly so weak and insecure that she would wage war with the light just to win over her subject's attention?

Nightmare moon shook off the thought as she entered the catacombs. Even so this is what she wanted. She had decided this for herself. She had decided that Luna was weak, but Nightmare Moon was strong. No more backing down. No more turning back. She had cast the spell to summon her inner demons for a reason. A spell to bring out the worst of herself, the depraved, yearning, deranged and twisted version of princess Luna. Nightmare moon, the mistress of darkness. She followed the maze with ease as she walked past the tombs of the olden ponies.

Before order in Equestria, before the godesses, the Humans, angels and mages had believed in other deities. Gods of nature. Some of the spells cast by the mages of the day were still cast even now so She was extra careful not to make too much noise lest she became food for some undead revenant guarding the catacombs. In the distance she could finally see a light. An entrance way. She smiled as she entered it and spread her wings until the nearly covered the entrance.

She was descended upon by hundreds of cloaked humans, mages and angels alike. All of them her followers. Off in the distance there were a few Vampires or 'children of the night' with pointed ears and a feral look in their eyes, two pointed teeth extended from their mouths a pair of bat wings on their back and a set of iron armor guarding the entrances.

"Forgive our lowly presence, goddess. We are not worthy to receive your audience." they all said in unison as they bowed down to her.

     Nightmare moon strolled slowly past her loyal followers. She made herself look both as elegant yet as lustful as she possibly could. Her royal followers simply bowed in awe and utter surrender at the dark mistress. She smiled. The power was simply overwhelming, the sheer amount of raw surrender was intoxicating even more.

"Loyal subjects... Dost thou know why thy mistress hath gathered thou here?" she asked as she approached the altar in the middle of the large circular cavern.

It was a man-made but also part made by nature. A gigantic circular structure was protruding from the wall but a mere fourteen meters away. The seal of Gradian, it was called. The Equestrians of the olden day would often perform a ceremony where they would 'summon' a specific god. Though Nightmare moon had figured it out. It was no way to summon a god, rather it was a gateway. One of the many unknown gateways to Tartarus.

"Children of the night. Tonight thy shalt summon forth a beast of darkness and we shalt harness it's power. The foolish  welps, these light-dwellers shalt become it's prey and it's darkness shall blot out the sun!" she exclaimed as her followers cheered.

"For far too long thou hast waited for this night, but tonight after months of preparation thou shalt finally witness the beast of darkness!" she said as she mounted the gigantic altar. "Morpheus bestias, et visum est dominus soporem aeternum, te iam ex intima hac in infernum conjecti sunt!" she said to the gigantic seal.

The seal's energy and full potential was now being seen. Small cracks began appearing as the hooded apparitions of what they used to be began chanting, "da dea nescia nostri virtute...."

` "Ex hac luce et in sepulchrum tuum. Dele solis gloriam tuam tenebris!" Nightmare moon continued. "Constitues eos reddere in destructionem vestram in Tartara! Libera uindicta tuam divinam super omnes qui interrogant aeterna quies! Haec enim facientes mannis interficere Gentes non dimittitis!"

Nightmare moon's eyes beamed with dark yearning as the seal slowly began to break apart and small dark black tendrils began withdrawing from the cracks and dark black shadowy mist began pouring into the room. Two dark red eyes were clearly visible from the small crack. Both of them gleaming with not only but a murderous, but moreover evil aught. As though all the world's atrocities and cruelties have been absorbed by these eyes and reflected from them. The true incarnation of a sinister entity.

"Iam Morpheus ... harenam vir ... Surgite!" she exclaimed as her followers all bowed down and extended their hands.

"Beast of darkness, lord of eternal slumber take our humble offerings and aid our goddess in her mission for divine retribution." they chanted in unison.

There was a slight pause, an eerie silence as the beast within the darkened depths stood within the proximity of the seal. the dark tendrils withdrawn from the cracks wirling and wriggling about as though tentacles of darkness ready to pull whatever is in reach into the depths of hell.

Then without sudden warning, a gigantic black hoof the size of three full grown men withdrew from the depths shaking the gigantic hall. Then another. The beast hauled itself into the hall making the very ground before the mere mortals quake.

Nightmare moon stood before her shaking followers not showing any sign of hindrance or recoil. She had to look strong no matter what.

The beast fully withdrew from the seal fully revealing itself resulting in the collective gasps and whispers of awe from the crowd.

The beast's lower part was completely horse-like hooves and all covered in shaggy jet black fur. It's tail was that of a scorpion's only rather than having a stinger it had what looked like a talon holding a massive greatsword. It's upper part was humanoid like that of a man's a body, a hulking muscled warrior. Both of it's forearms were covered in gray fur and armed with massive claws, in one 'hand' a massive halberd fashioned of what looked like a spinal cord and a pair of shoulder blades and in the other a massive hourglass filled with glowing dark purple sand-like grains. A number of massive dark black tendrils and tentacles were withdrawn from it's back some coiled together and banded then tied together to form massive sinewy wings.

Though the most disturbing feature of the beast however was it's facial features. Where it's head should have been instead was a massive shroud of dark black smoke whirling about with what looked like a number of eyes of different shapes and sizes swirling about in them some of them blinking, others twitching but most of them remained open.

It stood before the trembling ponies for a while paused. As though judging them somehow.

It slammed it's massive halberd into the ground then held out the hourglass.

Cur fecisti mihi exsuscitatus a somno meo!

It raised it's massive greatsword and stabbed it into the ground and it's dark black tendrils began to unfold and wriggle around.

The followers looked around shocked some of them began running away but unfortunately they were too late. Gigantic black tendrils came from underneath them and impaled their chests then pulled them back down into the abyss below.

Nightmare moon looked around fear showing in her eyes. Everywhere people were dying. Tentacles pulling them apart, impaling them, some of them even beginning to grow mouthed appendages and tearing into them. Nightmare moon ran out from the scene and ran underneath the altar holding herself tightly as tears began to slowly form underneath the brink of her eyes.

Ego ... Placatusque

She didn't care if anyone saw her anymore. She was scared, frightened afraid for the first time since becoming nightmare moon. She wasn't strong, she wasn't a warrior princess like Celestia was. She was weak, innocent, little Luna and she was afraid.

From underneath the altar she channeled out all the sounds of pain and the sounds of flesh being pounded and ripped from her ears and shut her eyes.

***

Almost an hour later she had decided to open her eyes and uncover her ears. There standing before her was what looked like a child about only twelve or eleven years of age raggedy waist guard dropping down to his knees and a pair of rolled up leather trousers. He also wore a dirty once white but now light brown with dirt sleeveless shirt a bit too big for himself. He had the look of a peasant and ruffled messy long brown hair. He had a pair of brilliant yellow wings protruding from his back, he was an angel. He seemed to be staring at her puzzled.

Something stole his attention and within seconds a dark black tentacle grabbed him by the neck and snatched him from where he stood.

Luna gasped as the boy was taken away. She withdrew from her hiding spot and ran after the tentacle withdrawing back into the dark abyss.

"No!" she screamed as she withdrew her wings and flew after the boy. A jet black tendril flew from the dark beyond and smacked her into the ground. She reoriented herself and got back up but by then it was too late. The last thing she saw was the boy reaching out towards her and the abyss gate closing.

Luna sat by the seal accompanied by the mass amount of ravaged corpses. She fell to her knees and began to sob uncontrollably feeling weaker than ever, even more afraid.

"What... What have I done... ?"