Nightmare of the Dead

by Grenazers

Rating: mature
Tags: Alternate Universe, Nightmare Moon, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark
Length: 2741

A thousand year has passed and Night Mare Moon has returned. However instead of meeting ponies, she'll encounter something more horrifying.

A thousand years have passed since the younger sister was banished to the moon. A thousand years since Princess Luna succumb to her dark side and becoming Nightmare Moon. Now with the aid of the stars, the evil unicorn will be free to exact her revenge on her sister and her ponies. However, a lot of things can happen in a thousand years. Something even this dark alicorn is unprepared for.

Cover Art by: CosmicUnicorn

Published 2013-10-01 19:50:03 UTC
Last updated 2013-10-01 19:50:03 UTC

A Thousand Years Later

It was a dark and silent night in the land of Equestria, no living souls were frolicking around the night, no ponies, no animals, no nothing. Everything was dark and quiet, with only the light from the moons ray shedding any kind light onto the land.

Deep in the dark and mysterious forest of the Everfree, lies an ancient old castle in ruins. Nopony knew about this castle since few ponies ever dare enter the creepy forest. Those that do enter and found this place, will find nothing, but dust and cobwebs.

However, on this night something strange will happen. Blue mists started to appear around the castle, it then moved into the castle and found its way towards the throne room. The mists then converged at the center, forming a large blue ball of mist.

It stood like that for a couple of seconds until it started to dissipate, revealing crouching black alicorn mare. Once the last of the blue mist vanished, the alicorn stood up showing her true height. She then cracked her eyes open, revealing her blue eyes with reptile like pupil.

The dark mare scanned the room she was in, seeing nopony around the alicorn begin stretching herself. Being locked up on the moon left her motionless for a thousand years. She moved her legs, her neck and expend her massive black wings.

Once done, the mare casts her magic spell and summoned her armor. a blue helmet stretching down the back of her neck, a blue amulet bearing the symbol of a crescent moon, and lastly four blue metal hoof covers. After summoning her apparels, the black alicorn casts another spell that created her long blue flowing ethereal mane.

With all that over the mare trotted out of the throne room and out of the old castle. Once outside the alicorn looked up into the night skies and smiled. Oh how she missed the nights, staring into the black sky with little sparkles of stars across the night. She then turned her attention to the big white moon, despite being imprisoned there, she has to admit that it is truly beautiful from down here.

The moonlight shines upon the black mare, revealing the cutie mark on her flank. It was a purple smudge that covers her flank, with a crescent moon on it.

As she continued looking into the sky, her eyes met a mountain off in the distance with a castle attached to it. Her mood instantly changed from tranquil happiness to burning rage. She remembered why she was here, Princess Celestia, her sister.

Memories started to flash back into her mind: the lonely nights, the ungrateful ponies, the praises her sister gets and lastly her sister banishing her to the moon. With revenge clouding her mind she extended her massive black wings and took off into the sky.

The alicorn known as Nightmare Moon made a beeline towards the castle on the mountain. Canterlot, Equestria's main capital. This was the moon princess home, she remembers spending every night alone on the castle mountain.

As she got nearer to the city, the black alicorn noticed that the city was completely dark and its streets are empty. She frowned at this scene, even after her long banishment, ponies still sleep during her beautiful night.

Spotting the main building holding the throne room, Nightmare thrusts at full speed and crash through one of the glass windows. The small cuts she received were instantly healed before she landed on the ground. She got into a battle stance expecting the guards or her sister to attack.

Instead she all she got was silence. Strange since the guards would have immediately acted by now and rushed to face the intruder. However, no guards arrived. The alicorn looked around and noticed the state of the throne room.

The whole place was a complete mess, the floors were stained with dried blood with littered pieces of bones lying around. Weapons and armor also laid scattered around the throne room, either broken or rusted up. The red carpet leading to the throne was tattered and stained with blood. The throne itself stayed the same, except with more blood stains.

The walls in the throne room are too covered with dried blood, the windows featuring a picture remain intact, but covered with blood. The banners still hanged, with bits of blood on them.

Investigating the scene Nightmare was able to deduce that a battle has taken place, The signs were pretty obvious, the only thing strange was that there were no bodies. Looking closer she can tell that a pony died on this spot, but then it looks like it just got up and trotted away.

Before she could ponder on about this, her ears caught the sound of trotting coming from the main door. She turned and faced the direction of the door, which was opened the entire time. The dark alicorn waited for her mysterious guest to arrive, hearing its hoof steps getting closer to the throne room.

The guest got closer and closer until its silhouette can be seen from the door entrance. As soon the thing entered the room, the figure revealed itself to be a white pegasus guard wearing gold plated armor. When the guard trotted into the moonlight, the dark mare was shocked and repulse by his appearance.

The guard's front legs are covered in bite marks, his once white coat now a shade darker with blood stains, dripping from his opened wounds. His armor was no longer shiny, rather dirtied and dented. The stallion's face was the most shocking. Gone the pupil from his eyes leaving behind white lifeless eye behind.

When the disturbing guard set his eyes on the dark alicorn, he opened his jaws, showing his yellow rotted teeth to her. The guard then galloped at the alicorn, raising his mouth as if it was trying to bite her. The mare wasted no time and blasted the guard with her magic.

The guard was pushed to a wall, leaving a small crack on it. To her surprised he got up and galloped after her. She told him to halt, all he responded with is a low growl. Nightmare blasted him with her magic again, but this time his legs broke when he hit the wall again. The guard shocked the mare again, when he started to crawl towards her, snapping his teeth in the air.

The dark alicorn then trotted to the crawling stallion and put her hoof on top of his head. She demanded the guard to tell her what happened here and why he is like this, when all she was a growl, she decided to end this. Lifting her hoof from his head, she quickly brought it down onto his head, stomping it.

Blood started to spill from his head, but he gave no indication that he noticed or cared. Seeing, that he was still alive she continued to repeatedly stomping the guard's head. Breaking his helmet and his skull, the sound of cracking skull echoed along the silent building.

Unbeknownst to the dark alicorn, her stomping is sending out sound waves all across the place. Drawing the attention some hidden creatures. Lying dormant, once they heard the sound they converged to the source of that sound.

By the time Nightmare was done the guard's head was a flat pile of flesh, her hoof used in the stamping was coated in his blood. The mare looked down at the mess she made, before she could do anything the sound of shattering glass can be heard from behind.

Turning around sharply the dark alicorn faced another pegasus guard standing near a broken glass window, with shard of glass embedded in him. Next, two more glass windows shattered when two guards crashed right through them.

All three guards charged at the mare with their mouths wide opened. Nightmare concentrated another shot, but this time a more lethal blast. Charging her horn she aimed it at the nearest attacked and penetrated his skull with her magic blast,. Luckily for her the three ponies were charging at her in a line, making her penetrating all three of them.

One those three were dealt with, more glass windows shattered, each one caused by a pagasus breaking through. Some of these new attackers were not even the guards but, normal civilians. Nevertheless, the dark alicorn killed them all like the last three.

While she was slaughtering the pegasus assailants, Nightmare heard sounds of an approaching horde coming from the double door behind her. Once done killing the last pegasus, she galloped to the throne for a better position and faced the opened door.

Using her magic, Nightmare Moon levitated all the discarded weapons and armors off the floor and having them aim at the door. She waited patiently, as the sound of the horde draws nearer. The half closed door burst opened and out came a wave of ghoulish ponies.

Nightmare unleashed the many objects at them, showering the horde with weapons and armors. Some the ghouls were impaled by the spears or a sword, while others had their face smashed by the armor. The last one felt when she flung a spear down onto the creature's head.

The dark alicorn took this moment to relax as the next wave won't be arriving in a couple of minutes. Once she heard the noise of the ghoulish horde, the mare used her magic to create a bunch of flat crescent shape magic blades. Each one was different from shape and sizes, she aimed her magic blade at the same opened door.

When the first pony came in, the alicorn didn't shoot her crescent blade at it instead, she waited for all them to get in, once they were filling the throne room, Nightmare unleashed the blade on them.

For the next few minutes it was utter carnage, everywhere the magically constructed crescent blade sliced the hordes into pieces. Heads were sliced up, only for the head to be sliced up even more. Limbs started dropping as the bodies fell to the ground, due to the lack of legs. Plus their spilled blood literally painted the floor to the walls with red.

The alicorn sighs and sat down on the throne, tired. The entire throne room was littered with bloody pieces of the horde of ghouls. Their collective blood has filled up much of the floor and it is slowly spreading. Their coats of various colors are soaking in the sea the blood, forever staining it.

Her rest was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a scream, a banshee like scream that sent a chill down the dark alicorn's spine. Just then the center of the throne room floor burst opened, send the near it flying in every direction. Some of them almost hit the alicorn if she had not cast her magical shield in time.

When the dust cleared a white blur was bolted right at her, seeing this, Nightmare leap to the side, narrowly dodging the speeding assailant. When the dark alicorn turned her attention to the attacker, she was utterly shocked at what she saw.

Standing on the throne is pony she was looking for, her sister, Princess Celestia. But, not how she remembered her. Her once pure white coat is covered with numerous dirt, blood, cuts, and bite marks. Her long flowing ethereal mane is flat and hung around lifelessly. The violet in her eyes is gone, leaving nothing but a white blank. To put it simply her sister is gone and in her place is an empty shell, possessed by a feral beast.

The dark alicorn didn't hesitate and blast her former sister. Unlike the other ghouls she faced, the white alicorn ghoul dodged her attack and charge right at her. Nightmare used her wings and thrust herself to the side, dodging the ghoul's attack. However, the ghoulish princess immediately made a quick turn and flew at the dark alicorn, with her mouth opened.

Nightmare aimed her horn at the head, intending to end battle. However, a sharp pain sensation came from behind caused her to shift her aim slightly to the left, blasting half her sister's face off. She looked behind and saw a purple unicorn mare, biting onto her leg.

She blasted the purple unicorn's head, but also hitting her own leg in the process. With that annoyance gone, she refocused her attention to the other ghoul in the room. The dark alicorn quickly dodged the white alicorn attack, as she distanced herself from her opponent, she sees could that her attack ripped half of her sister's face, showing off the rotted flesh beneath.

Summoning more of the crescent blades, she hurls them at the former princess. The ghoul swiftly evaded the blades, only getting a few cuts on her body. Nightmare had to move again, dodging another of her sister's attack. Eventually she heard the sound of more ghoulish ponies coming, she spread her black wings and took flight, and flew through one of the shattered windows. The undead princess spread her own wings and chased off the fleeing alicorn.

Up high in the city of Canterlot, the two alicorns battle each other in the air. Both of them, trying to land a hit on one another, each time evading each other's attacks. Soon all the pegasus ghouls in the city, spread their wings and took flight, all heading towards the dark alicorn. The ghoul pony with no wings just followed the two combatants on the ground below.

Nightmare Moon and the undead Celestia continued to battle each other, while the dark alicorn also took down any of the flying ghouls that got near her. As much as she wants to continue fighting, the bite mark she received earlier was affecting her performance. Sending a painful tingling in her leg, which is getting worse by the second.

The pain was so great that the dark alicorn failed to notice a rainbow hair ghoul sinking her teeth onto Nightmare's foreleg. Quickly disposing of the ghoul, more converged on her, taking a big bite on her black coat. As she was killing them, one of the ghouls bit one of her wings. This caused her to lose flight, quickly plummeting to the ground.

Right below her is a large group of ghouls, waiting for her to crash down. Casting another spell, she sent a magical bomb that blasted the horde apart. The shock wave from the explosion broke her accelerated fall, saving her from instant death, but broke her legs instead.

Normally her magic would regenerate her wounds, unfortunately she used up a lot of her magic during the battle with the ghouls and her former sister. Injured the dark alicorn slowly crawled out of the crater she made upon impact. She tried to find shelter, but only found more ghouls coming to her.

Using her magic she started to blast the galloping ghouls, while also constructing crescent blades and have them fly around her. The blades slice any that got close and her magical blast was used to take out any in a distance.

Nightmare fought off the endless horde of monsters, while making her last stand. One by one the ghouls dropped, but only for it to be replaced by another one. The dark alicorn kept on doing this for a while until something large landed onto of her.

Her sister was right on top of her, in one swift movement ghoulish princess thrust her mouth onto the injured alicorn's neck and took a big bite on her neck. Ripping it off, Nightmare neck was gushing out huge amount of blood. With her last bit of strength, the dark alicorn blasted her sister's face. Blowing her head into pieces, killing her.

The white headless alicorn stumbled before falling onto the ground next to the dark alicorn. Laying her head down, the horde of ghouls gathered around her body and feasting on her flesh. Nearing the end of life, she set her eyes in the night skies. Admiring its beauty before her vision fade to black, as the cold feeling of death took over her.

Author's Note

Man this took me for a while. For those wondering why I wrote this, is because I had an idea where Nightmare Moon returned to a world full of zombies. Basically 28 Days Later, but with zombies and ponies.