Chapter 1
Reclamation
===============
Night Stone Castle. It was the base of operations for Nightmare Moon and her followers during their rule over Equestria. The castle hadn’t been used in ten years and yet it still remained atop the quarry overlooking Ponyville. Its hallways were still as quiet as the day it was abandoned by the Children of Nightmare. The castle was completely untouched by damage or age. Citizens of the neighboring town expressed their concerns for the castle, wondering what would become of it. Some ponies believed it could perhaps be repurposed to serve as a museum or school. Others simply preferred to see it demolished. Despite the various opinions of the castle’s usefulness, no such actions had been taken. The castle was simply left alone and treated like a historical monument.
From all across Equestria ponies were traveling to Ponyville just so they could see the castle up close. Some had even tried to get inside. Unfortunately for them, the town had agreed to leave the castle gates closed until further notice. Access to the castle was strictly forbidden. There were the occasional juveniles that snuck in anyway, sometimes out of pure curiosity or because they lost to a bet. But they always left disappointed when they found nothing of any significance inside.
It wasn’t until just before the end of winter that a group of school children were caught snooping inside the castle late at night. The parents, concerned for their children’s safety, demanded that something be done to the estate to prevent such problems from happening again. After much consideration, the mayor agreed to host an election for the town to decide once and for all what they should do to the castle.
Following the conclusion of the town election, a letter was addressed to the Golden Oaks Library.
Dear Princess Twilight Sparkle,
I am pleased to inform you that the results for the election are in and we have come to a consensus. The estate of Night Stone Castle and its grounds are to remain in Ponyville and the rights to the property are to be given to Nyx, as we believe she is the rightful owner of the estate and therefore it is within her power to decide what becomes of it.
I wish you and your daughter the best and hope the two of you are pleased with the town’s decision.
From the desk of Town Hall,
Mayor Ivory Scroll
Nyx was now seventeen-years-old. She had grown significantly over the past ten years, reaching the height that most ponies would stop growing, although because she’s an alicorn it’s expected that she will only get taller in the future. Her mane was much longer than before, and she could now style it in all sorts of different ways, but she just preferred to let it hang down naturally like Fluttershy. Her wings were about the average size for someone her age. She was no Rainbow Dash, but she could fly just as well as any pegasus. Similarly, her horn had also gained some length and she could now perform spells with better ease, no longer struggling to lift a simple book or open a door.
Technically, while Nyx did resemble a young adult, she was only ten-years-old. She was created ten years ago by the resurrection spell performed by the Children of Nightmare. At the time of her creation she had the body and mind of a little girl, despite only just being born. But Twilight believed it was more appropriate to address Nyx by the age she resembled, rather than by her actual age. That and Nyx was a lot smarter than the average ten-year-old. That, however, didn’t make her any braver as she approached Night Stone Castle.
Over the past few months, Nyx had been considering moving out of the Golden Oaks Library and finding a place of her own to live in. She never imagined one day being given the opportunity to move back into Night Stone Castle, especially after she had spent a decade trying to avoid it. Yet she continued her journey up the hill to the quarry and reached the castle gates, feeling her legs become weaker after each step.
She pushed the gates open with her magic and proceeded to enter the courtyard at a slow pace. The castle was just the way she remembered it, with all of its royal architecture and intimidating decorations. There was something about the way the castle looked that made it seem haunted, which wouldn’t surprise anyone if it were true. Still, even though Nyx used to live in the castle and was probably the most familiar with it out of everypony, she couldn’t help but look at it the same way ponies did when it first appeared.
Terrified.
She ignored the voice in the back of her head that told her to turn around and go home, but she came to the castle for a reason. She promised Twilight that she would, at the very least, take a look inside the castle before deciding if she wants to keep it or not. If it were up to Nyx, the castle would be destroyed or even sunk back into the ground where it belonged. It was perfectly understandable that she wanted nothing to do with the castle anymore, but she knew it wouldn’t be fair to destroy it without giving it a second chance.
With a deep breath, she put one hoof on the front steps and-
“HEY, NYX!!”
In a flash, Nyx was startled right off her hooves and found herself holding onto one of the gargoyles that adorned the outside of the castle. She was shaking tremendously with a look of utter shock painted on her face. When she realized what happened, and how ridiculous she must look, she turned towards the source of whatever scared her and found three familiar faces looking back up at her.
It was her best friends, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, all standing just a few feet away from where Nyx was standing a second ago. They each shared a look of confusion, although Scootaloo looked more like she was trying to suppress a laugh. Apparently Nyx had jumped more than two stories high.
“Oh. Hey, girls!” Nyx called back, her words dripping with embarrassment.
“Hiya, Nyx! What’re ya doin’ up there?” Apple Bloom called back.
“Uh, I was just… testing to see if the gargoyles were safely in place. You know, so they don’t fall and hurt anypony.” She let go of the gargoyle and hovered just beside it, smiling at her success in avoiding looking like a complete idiot. Rainbow Dash would be proud. She chuckled and leaned a hoof against the gargoyle nonchalantly. “Yup. Looks like this one is perfectly–”
The gargoyle began to tilt backwards from the force of Nyx’s hoof. She instinctively pulled away, fearing that she was going to push it off its post, but it was too late. The second she pulled back, the gargoyle fell right off the roof and shattered into a dozen pieces when it hit the quarry stone ground, right where Nyx was standing just moments before.
“…Safe.”
“Wow. That doesn’t look safe at all. Good thing you decided to check it out.” Sweetie Belle said as she kicked away the gargoyle’s head that rolled towards her hooves.
Nyx placed a hoof on her forehead, making a mental note to actually check the remaining gargoyles. It was a miracle the one she just broke hadn’t fallen before, especially considering how loose it was. Still, her friends were safe and they didn’t suspect a thing about her being scared when they arrived. She hovered back down to the ground to meet them.
“Well, I didn’t like that gargoyle anyway. So what are you girls doing here? I mean, I don’t mind or anything, I just wasn’t expecting anyone to be here.” Nyx said, trying her best not to be rude.
“Are you kidding? We wanted to see our friend move into her new home! You must be totally psyched, huh?” Scootaloo smiled and nudged Nyx’s shoulder.
“So when are you moving in?”
“Are you moving in today?”
“Do you need any help with the furniture?”
“Or renovations?”
“Or decorations?”
The trio of friends bombarded Nyx with questions, not giving her a chance to answer any of them in their excitement. One thing that Nyx loved about her friends was how, even after growing up and earning their cutie marks, they were still the same cheerful fillies she knew from when they first met.
Nyx was met with a sudden silence. Her friends had stopped asking their questions and were looking at her patiently. She realized they must have been waiting for her to say something. Her smile quickly shrunk into a frown, though.
“Well, actually, girls… I don’t think I even want the castle.”
“WHAT?” Her friends shouted in unison.
“The reason I’m here is to survey the place. You know, take a look around, see if I want it, and maybe even think of something else it could be used for. But… if I’m being really honest with myself, I’d rather just have it torn down.”
“How can you even say that, Nyx? Just look at this place!” Sweetie Belle motioned her hooves towards the castle. “It’s beautiful! I’d give anything to have a place like this.”
“You can’t be sure you don’t want it if you haven’t been inside yet?” Apple Bloom made a valid point. You should never judge a book by its cover, as Twilight always said.
While Nyx couldn’t deny the castle’s beauty, there was more to it than just its architecture. This was the place where she ruled Equestria during her time as Nightmare Moon. All it did was bring back unwanted memories. It was like a coffee stain in a book; it may not be a big problem, but it’s still hard to ignore.
Still, there were some fonder memories about the castle. One such memory that Nyx will always remember was when she was recovering from her injuries after the monster attack. She and Twilight read stories, played games, and simply enjoyed each other’s company. It was meant to be their last happy memory together in case Nyx was banished to the moon for her previous crimes. Even though she wasn’t banished, Nyx still cherished that memory all the same.
“Like I said, I came here to decide if I even want the place. Who knows? Maybe I’ll change my mind.” Nyx turned to the castle, feeling much more sure of herself than she was before she arrived. “But I’m not gonna make up my mind just standing here.”
“Can we come in?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Yeah! I mean we never really got a good look of the castle before, except for maybe the kitchen and the dungeons.” Scootaloo added with a weak laugh.
Nyx folded her ears back and shrank a little at the mention of the dungeons. It was a long time ago. Her friends had long since forgiven her for allowing Spell Nexus to put them in the dungeons, but it still made her feel bad whenever she was reminded of it.
Realizing what she said, Scootaloo walked up beside Nyx and placed a wing around her shoulder. “Sorry, Nyx. I know you don’t like it when we bring that up. I just meant that we never really got to explore the castle. You know? Like real crusaders!”
“Yeah! It’ll be just like old times.” Apple Bloom added.
Her friends’ sympathy brought a smile back to Nyx’s face. She really did miss the days when they called themselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Even after Nyx got her cutie marks, they continued their shenanigans all through elementary. Their adventures had come to an unfortunate end when every member of the club earned their cutie marks, but even that wasn’t enough to disband their friendship. If there was one thing Nyx knew, it was that Cutie Mark Crusaders stick together no matter what.
“Well… I guess you can come in, too.”
“Awesome! Cutie Mark Crusaders Castle Explorers!” Her friends cheered and eagerly followed Nyx inside the castle.
Truthfully, Nyx was thrilled to have them with her. She was worried she would have to explore the castle by herself and be reminded of what it was like before. The last time she was alone inside the castle was after the Children of Nightmare disbanded and returned to their homes. Those following days of being alone made Nyx feel miserable. But now, with her friends by her side the entire time, nothing could go wrong.
~~~
“Wow! What does this do?”
“Girls, check this out!”
“Cool!”
Maybe bringing her friends along wasn’t such a good idea.
They had only just started exploring the castle and were already looking around in what use to be the guard barracks. The room was covered in cobwebs and dust. Scootaloo was rummaging through a box of armor while wearing one of the guard helmets, but its larger size covered her face and ruffled her mane. The energetic pegasus didn’t even mind that the helmet was a little dirty, or possibly crawling with spiders for all they knew. She had a habit of tolerating filth.
Nyx couldn’t help but look around the room with utter resentment. Everywhere she looked there was either something sharp or something heavy. If she was going to keep the castle then the first thing she planned to do was get rid of everything in the barracks. However, the question still remained of what the room could be used for instead. She could maybe turn it into a-
CLANG!
“Oops…”
Nyx snapped her head to what broke her concentration. Apple Bloom had accidentally bumped into one of the storage lockers, causing its contents to spill out onto the floor. There was now a reasonably large cluster of weapons piled up in front of the locker.
“Sorry, Nyx. I’ll clean it up.”
“No, no! It’s fine. Really, I think I’m just going to discard this room entirely. Maybe sell everything to a blacksmith or something.”
Her friends all leaned forward when she announced her plans for renovation. Realizing what she said, Nyx chuckled. “That is, if I move in.”
“If you say so.” Sweetie Belle turned her attention over to a decorative shield mounted to the wall. “Hey, girls, check this out.”
“Whoa! That looks so cool!”
Nyx picked up one of the weapons off the floor with her magic and examined it closely. She never noticed before, not that it was of importance back then, but the metal of the weapons were patterned with decorative markings. Upon closer inspection she could see that the markings were made to outline the image of the cult’s insignia: the silhouette of Nightmare Moon.
Nyx remembered how the Children of Nightmare revered her as their deity, making everything in her honor. The banners, the statues, the weapons, they were all made in her image. Seeing that insignia again gave her déjà vu.
***
Nightmare Moon followed behind Nexus as he gave her a grand tour of her new home. The castle was beautiful, every bit as regal as Canterlot Palace. Yet, Nightmare Moon found herself questioning some of the decorations. Around almost every corner there was a mural or statue depicting her.
The quantity alone would have been creepy, but there was also an unnerving, constant theme in how she was being portrayed. While each mural and statue was unique, each was made up of dark, threatening visuals. One had her standing over the battle-broken bodies of Celestia and Luna. Another had her casting a dark shadow over cowering ponies. They were all images of the future Equestria could look forward to, and it left a strange feeling in the pit of Nightmare Moon’s stomach.
***
Nyx was so distracted by her own thoughts that she didn’t realize someone was talking to her.
“Nyx? Ya’ll right?” Apple Bloom asked.
“What? Oh… yeah. I’m fine.” She levitated the weapon back to the floor and kept her eye on it a bit longer. It was hard to believe that her guards once carried such things with the full intention of using them on anyone who apposed her. Thankfully, it never came to that.
“Let’s just… go look at another room.”
~~~
The girls were nearing the completion of their tour. Within one hour they had been to nearly every room there was, some of which Nyx never even knew existed. The majority of the castle was hardly even recognizable. Following the reconstruction of Ponyville, the castle was devoted of all its furnishings and left completely empty. The only rooms Nyx recognized anymore were the throne room and library, mostly because those were the only two rooms she spent her evenings in.
Nyx had to admit that she was having a good time. Not just because her friends were there, but also because she was beginning to see the true potential in the castle. Like Sweetie Belle said, it was a beautiful castle, and the large amount of space inside gave room for all sorts of opportunities. Even if it wasn’t going to be her home, she could still turn it into a school. Twilight would probably like that.
But before Nyx could make her final decision, there was still one last room she and her friend had not yet been to. It was a room that she was very familiar with, more so than the throne room or library.
Her bedroom.
Reaching the top of the spiral staircase, Nyx used her magic to slowly but carefully open the door, and only once it was fully open did she step inside. The room was just as large and spacious as she remembered it was. Across from the door on the other side of the room was the balcony, where she had raised the sun for the first time. In the center of the room was a round pedestal where the bed once stood. Years ago the contents of the room had been shrunk and put into a box, which now resided in the Golden Oaks Library, leaving the room with the same empty atmosphere as the rest of the castle. Yet despite its emptiness, Nyx remembered the room like she was in it yesterday.
She walked across the room and stepped up onto the pedestal where the bed would have been and looked around the room, imagining that all the furniture was still there. After concentrating, she was able to remember just what the room use to look like the last time she saw it. In doing so, she also remembered what it felt like.
The last time she was in the room was the morning before the monsters of the Everfree Forest attacked Ponyville. It was the last real sleep she had before her life went back to normal. The last night she spent alone.
“Everything alright, Nyx.” Sweetie Belle asked.
Nyx looked back, once again realizing she was lost in her thoughts.
“Sorry, what was that?” Nyx asked.
“You zoned out again.”
“Oh, yeah. I’m just… remembering something.”
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked at each other, concerned expressions on their faces, finally starting to realize why Nyx was so hesitant with the castle. It was bringing back bad memories from when she was Nightmare Moon. Nyx had done a good job at keeping those memories locked away. In fact, the only times they ever crossed her mind was when she happened to look in the direction of the castle or Diamond Tiara said something about it to torment her. Even those instances had little to no affect on Nyx.
But now, standing inside the castle where it all took place, those memories were finally taking affect on her. She felt like crying, and she probably would have if Sweetie Belle hadn’t come up beside her.
“Are you sure you’re alright, Nyx? You know if there’s anything wrong you can tell us, right?” Sweetie Belle’s concern brought back Nyx’s smile.
“I’m fine. Really.”
“Well, I don’t know about you girls, but all this exploring has made me hungry. What’d ya’ll say we go to Sugarcube Corner?” Apple Bloom asked, trying to come up with an excuse for Nyx to get outside and forget about the castle.
“You girls go ahead. I’ll catch up later.”
Nyx was now at the balcony looking over Ponyville. It was no secret that Nyx didn’t particularly like going inside Sugarcube Corner, mostly because when she was younger she had unintentionally frightened Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake with her eyes. It was perfectly understandable if she was hesitant around the bakery, even if the twins were much older now.
“Well, don’t be too long. The store will be closing soon.” Scootaloo said as she headed for the door.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be there.”
The door clicked shut and the crusaders departed from the castle, heading straight for Sugarcube Corner. Nyx was still on the balcony and watched them as they crossed the front gates and strolled down the hill. She stayed perfectly still, just watching Ponyville from a distance, enjoying the cool breeze that danced across her mane, listening to the sound of birds chirping. She needed a moment to calm herself. Truly the balcony was a great place to clear one’s mind.
But when she shifted here eyes over to the castle courtyard, her mind began to play tricks on her. To anypony else standing in her place, they would see nothing but the empty courtyard. But from Nyx’s perspective, all she could see were guards standing on the watchtowers looking over what was unmistakably a hangmare’s noose. And standing on that noose, with its rope fastened tightly around her neck, was Twilight.
“NO!!”
Nyx forced herself back into reality and ran back inside the room, laying down on the floor and covering her face with her hooves. Tears began to pour out of her eyes like waterfalls.
The memory she had just recalled was among the worst ones she had. It was the day Twilight, under the influence of Spell Nexus’s blessing, attempted to murder Nyx with a magical dagger, and was taken to the gallows to be hung. Nyx sometimes had nightmares of that night, about what would have happened if she hadn’t saved Twilight when she did. She would often wake up before it happened, screaming and crying, only to be calmed down by Twilight who was alive and well. But she didn’t always wake up in time.
Even though she was a grown mare now, she still felt like the scared little filly she was a decade ago. She didn’t want to leave Twilight. She didn’t want to be alone again. The very thought of growing up and living in Night Stone Castle by herself only reminded her more of what it was like to be Nightmare Moon. There would be no guards, no servants, no friends, and no mother. She would be all by herself with nothing but her memories haunting her. She imagined that must be what it was like to be banished to the moon.
Still crying, she curled herself up tightly, imagining she was lying in her bed back at the library with her hooves wrapped around Smarty Pants.
“I don’t want to be alone. Not again.” She repeated the words as she wept, expecting Twilight to appear by her side and comfort her, telling her everything was going to be fine. But there was no Twilight. There was only Nyx.
~~~
The sun had already set by the time Nyx got back to the library. Her eyes were red from crying for so long and her cheeks were still a little soaked. She didn’t meet her friends at Sugarcube Corner, something she was sorely regretting thanks to the rumbling of her stomach. At some point she would have to apologize for making them wait, but that wasn’t what Nyx was thinking about as she neared home. She was more concerned about the lecture Twilight was inevitably going to give her about missing curfews. Whatever punishment she would be given, she was just glad to be home.
Nyx quietly opened the door, holding onto the hope that everyone was asleep by now and that she could sneak in undetected. Yet there was still the possibility that Twilight was waiting right by the stairs ready to turn the lights on and catch Nyx by surprise. The lights, however, didn’t turn on. The only source of light in the room came from the dimly lit candle sitting on the writing desk, accompanied by Owlowiscious who was preening his feathers.
“Hoo.”
“Hi, Owlowiscious. Where is everyone?”
“Hoo.” Owlowiscious motioned to the writing desk, where upon closer inspection Nyx could see that there was a note waiting for her. She picked it up in her magic and read it.
Nyx,
Sorry I left on such short notice, but I had to attend a late royal gathering with the princesses in Canterlot. I should be back by tomorrow at lunch to hear all about your plans for Night Stone Castle. See you soon.
Love,
Mom
PS: Your friends stopped by earlier to bring you a milkshake, but you weren’t here. I put it in the fridge for you.
Nyx sighed. Though she wasn’t overly excited about sharing the news with everyone, she was still a little upset that Twilight was gone for the night. Twilight always seemed to cheer Nyx up whenever she had a lot on her mind before bed. Still, her mood brightened when she read that there was a milkshake waiting for her in the fridge, and she eagerly raced to the kitchen, praying from the bottom of her heart that Spike hadn’t found it.
===============
**Author’s Notes:* I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. This is my first fan fic and I wasn’t sure if this chapter was ready to be submitted or not. If you happened to find any mistakes, please let me know in the comments.*
