Nightmare Idiot

Chapters

Blueblood, Nightmare P.
Professional Investigation
An Awkward Conversation and a Dark, Scary Forest
Ban Hammers and Existential Crises
Breaking the Air Speed Record
The Big Fight Scene, or Luna's Fruit Bat Kingdom
The Obligatory Wrap-Up Scene

Blueblood, Nightmare P.

Blueblood, Nightmare P.

By Psychedelica

Prince Blueblood was not a happy pony. His personal budget had just been cut (by his aunt, of all ponies!) to eight million bits, the nobles were starting to lose their respect for him, and to top it off he had managed to misplace his mane protector. Growling with frustration, the Prince slammed his window open, breaking the glass and scaring an unfortunate owl in the trees below. Above, the night sky sparkled with the light of ten thousand stars, twinkling and blinking at random. To Blueblood, they were mocking him, and they would pay, just like the nobles and the commoners who were undermining him and the Princesses for taking away his well-earned bits and-

Blueblood shook his head violently; had he just seriously considered attacking the rulers of Equestria for the sake of a measly few million bits? Even if he actually wanted to, the alicorns' magic outclassed his by several orders of magnitude. He had trouble levitating a table, for Celestia's sake. Just for fun, he idly wondered, how would I go about a coup? I'd need an army behind me - some of the more loyal nobles would do nicely - and a massive power increase of my own, which is unlikely to occur unless I can somehow get my hooves on the Alicorn Amulet or an object of similar purpose. Struck by sudden inspiration and an almost fanatical desire to see a finished, if technically impossible, plan, he shoved everything off of his ornate desk except a roll of parchment and a quill. As he schemed late into the night, he took no notice of the dark mist that swirled in through the window and curled around his hooves like a snake around a rat.

When Prince Blueblood awoke the next morning, he immediately felt something was off. Perhaps it was that the gentle tug he had given his blanket had torn it in half, or maybe it was the massive wings that fanned out behind him in surprise, but whatever the reason, the proud and noble stallion chose that moment to squeal like a filly and run into the nearest wall. Said wall promptly collapsed under Blueblood's assault, and the Prince fell into his gold-plated bathroom with a chunk of drywall stuck halfway down his horn. He flailed around wildly for a few moments, finally righting himself with the aid of his longer legs. Breathing heavily, Blueblood shakily stepped to the mirror and looked in. A dark gray alicorn stared back, its mane a disturbingly familiar purple haze studded with stars. Powerful wings flared on its back, each several feet wide and perfectly groomed, despite their recent abuse, and its horn was the size of a longsword and razor-sharp at the point. Blueblood shifted his gaze, folding his new wings with some difficulty (but not much - had he been destined to evolve like this?). His cutie mark, formerly a compass rose, was now a globe wrapped in shadow. Experimentally, the Prince reached for his magic, only to find a void.

"Not yet, host of mine. Not until thou sweareth to carry out thy plans of the night past."

Even as Blueblood bit his newly indestructible lip to prevent a second squeal, his brain was rapidly putting together the pieces. Smoky mane and tail, voices in my head, plans that would essentially result in world domination... NIGHTMARE! For a brief moment, his body tried to panic with his mind, but an invisible force wrestled his control away and kept the pony still as a statue. To his credit, the Prince fought for a full three seconds before his natural cunning took over and he relaxed, albiet cautiously. "Nightmare Moon, I presume?" He had to play this carefully, one wrong word and...

"Nay, 'tis merely Nightmare; our title of Moon came from the depths of Luna's mind. We wilt search thy psyche for the title that wouldst befit us most." It was a statement, not an offer, and a moment later Blueblood felt a sharp pain behind his eye as Nightmare open and closed his personality, bit by bit, missing nothing. A full minute passed as the Prince stood silently sweating and anticipating. Abruptly, the sensation ceased, and the whispering, silky voice of the Dark Spirit slithered through his head again. "While thou art a fool and a coward, thou doth contain some redeeming qualities within thyself, namely thy treachery and thy pride. Thou art also gifted with an innate knowledge of the world's features. Our title shall be ATLAS!" With the final word, a great gust blew seemingly from nowhere, whipping Blueblood's ghostly mane and tail like smoke in a tornado, except much thicker and almost malevolent in its swirling patterns.

Suddenly, Nightmare Atlas's body came under the Prince's control again, just as a frantic knocking sounded from the other side of the heavy door. A maid's voice called, frantic and insistent. With barely a thought, Nightmare Atlas ripped the door from its hinge and sent it spiraling down to the gardens below. The poor old maid gasped and cowered low, sending ripples of sick glee though the Nightmare and Blueblood alike, joined as they were. "KNEEL, PEASANT." Oh yes, this power felt good. As he towered over the mare, sudden inspiration struck him, and he sent a fraction of his essence into the maid's head, where it lodged behind her brain and began entwining itself into her magical core. After a moment, the maid mechanically rose and walked away, her mind under full control of the Nightmare. With a sadistic cackle, Nightmare Atlas set off to find more slaves.

Some time later, the Nightmare had full control of every servant, maid, and guest in the castle. He knew better than to try possessing the Princesses; they would detect him instantly and trace him back to Blueblood's body. No, he would have to execute his plan, starting with the items his slaves were fetching. Impatiently, he considered ordering the ponies to hurry up, but he could lose his finer control of the others while he focused on one too hard, and they might shout out a warning. The only option was to wait. As if on cue, a firm knock sounded on the magically constructed barrier, and Nightmare Atlas dissipated it to allow the initial slave to walk through, carrying a small wooden box with a sun and moon seal on the top. He tore the lid off and looked inside; there sat an enormous spherical ruby, without the slightest imperfection. He twisted the gem, and it separated smoothly into two exact halves. Nightmare Atlas placed one over each of his eyes, took a deep breath, and pushed. It hurt, but only for an instant, and when he blinked a few times he realized that he could see every living thing in a large radius, though walls, the ground, and all other obstructions. The Nightmare grinned wickedly, searching for the distinctive forms of the Royal Sisters. His attention, however, snapped back to his room as another slave entered with a slightly larger box. His smoky many billowing in excitement, he tore into it as well, followed by another and another, until a small mountain of ripped and torn boxes lay discarded in a corner. Glancing at his jewel-encrusted self in a magical mirror, Nightmare Atlas stretched his limbs in anticipation of the coming confrontation. But first...

He turned to the final container. This one was smaller and made of cardboard, with a stylized design on the top. Carefully opening it, Nightmare Atlas began to feast on a dozen of Eqestria's finest desserts. Outside, some tiny bit of a pair of possessed Royal Guards broke through just long enough to wonder why it sounded like an elephant was feasting in Blueblood's room. Then their eyes snapped forward and they assumed their posts once again.

Professional Investigation

Princess Luna was perplexed. Her secret stash of donuts had mysteriously disappeared, and her hoofmaidens had been staring at a wall for the past half hour. Tentavely, she prodded the closer one's shoulder. The result was somewhat anticlimactic; the pony, whose name happened to be Delicate Touch, proved to be a much less delicate tumbler as she flopped over onto her side, stiff as a bright blue board. Luna frowned. This certainly wasn't normal behavior. Perhaps she wasn't giving her servants enough rest? No, judging from the thud that Delicate Touch had made upon contact with the floor, she should have woken up relatively quickly.

"So something else doth be ahoof, it would seem," the princess proclaimed to her unresponsive hoofmaiden. "Come! We shall see what sorcery thou hath fallen victim to!" So saying, Luna picked up Delicate with a simple levitation spell and burst out the door, trotting down the halls with the blue unicorn bobbing along behind. Occasionally the odd duo would pass a guard or two, who would mechanically salute while attempting to continue walking, inevitably falling flat on their faces. Despite the obvious discomfort of such a position, they deigned to right themselves, leaving a trail of upended guards behind the princess. Luna spared little thought to the ponies' queer behavior; perhaps it was a new custom, or maybe Tia was playing another of her infamous pranks. Luna was heavily betting on the latter.

While the Princess of the Night traipsed through the halls of Canterlot Castle, her sister was dealing with problems of her own, namely the flood of paperwork that arrived every month or so. Each time, the pile seemed to grow larger and the requests, complaints, and general horseradish seemed to grow more and more nonsensical. The paper which Celestia was currently looking at, for example, was a request for a building permit, which would have been routine were the proposed structure not a left earmuff manufacturing facility. Reading the form again to make sure her ancient eyes weren't playing tricks on her, she shook her head in bewilderment and stamped it with the Royal Seal of the Sun and Moon, before moving on to a complaint from a minor noble about the recent changes to the color of the sky at around 4 PM. Celestia, rather than stare at Sir Feather Brain's idiotic ramblings, decided to take time out for tea. It had been a full fifteen minutes since her last cup, after all; she wouldn't want to run on empty. The Sun Princess had just brought the cup to her lips when a pair of muffled thuds sounded through her heavy golden door. Frowning, she carefully replaced the teacup on its saucer and walked to the door. Just as she reached it, it opened onto her muzzle, knocking her onto her hindquarters. As Celestia gingerly rubbed her flattened appendage, Luna boldly strode through the door to confront her sister.

"Tia, hath thou noticed anything unusual about thy servants- Tia?" Luna stopped talking mid-sentence, realizing that she was addressing a document-laden desk. The younger sister furrowed her brow. If we did happen to become our sibling, where might we hide? Luna turned to the suspended Delicate Touch, who, as before, did not react in the slightest. Giving the hoofmaiden a small shake for her insolence, the Princess of the Night focused on a particularly large stack of papers, giving it a sudden upward tug- "No, Tia doth not appear to have hidden herself there..."

Celestia, recovering from her unexpected meeting with the door, politely coughed and suggested, "Perhaps your sister is simply staring at you in silence and wondering why you appear to have dragged an unconscious servant through the entire castle."

Luna shook her head without turning around. "Nay, 'tis unlikely that thou wouldst hide directly behind the door when thou wouldst surely be hit by it when it opened." Then realization sunk in and the Princess of the Night tasked, spinning abruptly and sending poor Delicate Touch flying into a carefully organized stack of papers. Celestia failed to repress a single tear at the decimation of hours of careful sorting and categorization. "Sister, please forgive us. We were not aware of thy unusual choice of locations for standing."

The Sun diarch simply smiled serenely, all traces of injury fading like frost on a steam train's boiler. "No harm done, Lulu. I should have used the door's proximity spell, but I suppose I'm getting old and senile." This brought a titter from both siblings; neither could so much as lose a single brain cell, let alone subcumb to the forces of aging. "But what of your indisposed hoofmaiden, whom you undoubtedly wish to speak with me about?" Standing and clearing off the desk (carefully - not a paper out of place), Celestia called up a second chair, or tried to. Despite her best efforts, it wouldn't budge from her patented StarField Storage Pocket spell. In fact, it wasn't there at all. "That's odd." Seeing her sister's questioning look, she added, "I can't seem to access my guest chair in my storage spell."

Luna shrugged. "Perhaps thou doth need to renew thy enchantment. It is over a thousand years old, after all."

Nightmare Atlas couldn't believe how comfortable the chair was. It had only taken a few moments of magical "lockpicking" to gain access to Celestia's private storage spell, and once in he had stolen, among other things, a large, luxurious chair, replacing them with a large quantity of adult magazine's that he was sure would greatly embarrass the Princess of the Sun when she eventually stumbled upon them in search of her missing recliner.

This chair was really comfortable. He could almost fall asleep in it... no! None of that! There was still work to be done, and he couldn't carry out his schemes if he drooled away in a royal recliner, no matter how soft and cushiony it might be. When he had total control over the land, he could sleep all he wanted, and no one could do a thing to stop him, except those pesky Elements of Harmony. He hissed, smoke wafting from his skin. He remembered the tearing, pulling, feeling as he was ripped from Luna's body and mind. It hadn't hurt him, but it wasn't pleasant either. Also, for some reason, the rainbow had seemed to taste faintly of a certain candy, but for the eternal life of him he couldn't think of its name.

"No matter," the Nightmare growled. "We shall find some way to dispose of those insufferable little brats." As the Nightmare and Blue blood grew closer together, their speech and thoughts each began to take on aspects of the other's. Nightmare Atlas thus used mostly modern grammar and diction, but incorporated a more formal style. "Perhaps we could send a counterfeit letter to the leader of their little troupe, Twilight Sparkle" Atlas spat the name like a curse. "We should take it upon ourselves to set up a trap which even they cannot evade or escape. Their one weakness is their drive to help those in need, so we shall provide a disaster and crush them all with the aid of the Dark Creatures." So saying, the evil Alicorn dissolved into a malevolent mist, filling the air with an echoing, crackling laugh that echoed through the castle. Realizing his mistake, Nightmare Atlas shot away into the sky of Canterlot, heading to Ponyville.

Celestia and Luna froze at the familiar cackle. Both knew what it meant, and both knew what was to come next. "Lulu..."

"Yes, Tia?"

"Get your hammer."

Despite the grim situation, Luna bared a fierce grin. "We wouldst never leave without it."

An Awkward Conversation and a Dark, Scary Forest

Nightmare Atlas couldn't believe his good luck. As soon as he had arrived in Ponyville and conjured up a Unicorn disguise, he had come across the Element of Laughter. Granted, it had only been a split second before Pinkie Pie jumped up and shot away in a cloud of smoke, but he knew what she was up to: Celestia had occasionally read some of Twilight Sparkle's letters to him, supposedly to "improve his character" or some similar drivel, and as such the Nightmare was counting on Pinkie Pie's distinctive "Welcome to Ponyville!" party to bring the Elements together. A simple plan, but effective nonetheless.

After all, he had mused to himself on the way over, it is much easier to crush an anthill than to track down each insect one by one.

Lost in his thoughts, he hardly noticed where his hooves were taking him. Through street after street he meandered, waiting impatiently for his invitation to the party. Only then could he be sure all the guests were in one place to surprise him, little suspecting that they would receive a much less pleasant surprise of their own. His little smile soon turned to a frown as he realized that, though his hooves were moving, he wasn't going anywhere. Looking up, bright red filled his vision, coupled with a polite, deep cough. Atlas backed up a few paces, coming face to face with an enormous Earth pony stallion. A yoke connected Big Macintosh (for of course it was Honesty's brother - something else from the letters) to a wagon loaded down with what looked to be a half ton of lumber. Big Mac looked at Atlas with a raised eyebrow, not speaking, waiting for the disguised pony to do something, anything.

Nightmare Atlas sheepishly grinned. "Er, hello, peas- friend," he said, barely catching himself before he said something offensive. "I am most sorry about that; it seems I had become lost in my thoughts." He stretched his smile a bit further; would Big Mac take the bait?

Big Mac's eyebrow rose even further, but if he noticed Atlas's slip of the tongue he chose to ignore it, responding with a simple, "Eeyup."

Atlas stood there, still straining his smile.

Big Mac stood, eyebrow continuing to creep upwards.

Atlas desperately tried to smile wider; it felt like his face were about to tear along the edge.

Big Mac tilted his head to the side. "Y'all right there, partner?"

The Nightmare, despite his power and cunning, could only nod and back away, slowly at first, but soon accelerating to a velocity that most Pegasi would be hard-pressed to match going forward. The inevitable soon occurred, a small dip in the road causing Atlas to misstep and tumble backwards, rolling into a nearby house. He lay on his back for a long moment, groaning, before he tried to stand, to no avail. A quick glance toward the house revealed the problem to be his horn, which had managed to embed itself in the wall. Giving it a firm tug, he pulled the offending appendage from the structure, thankfully remembering not to use his alicorn strength. That would have caused a lot more damage than just a small hole. Getting to his hooves, Atlas yet again came face to face with the massive stallion who had gotten the Nightmare into this mess. Still, there was nothing Atlas could do, at least not yet, so better to save face and exit gracefully. "Well, Mr. Macintosh, it's been a... pleasure, but I really must be going now."

As he hurriedly walked away, he couldn't help but add just a bit of Earth Pony magic to his stride.

Pinkamena Diane Pie brooded over her newest dilemma. As she considered the problem, she absentmindedly flipped a long, thin knife from hoof to hoof, the stains on it dulling the reflected light from the solitary candle. She paused, put down the blade, picked up a measuring spoon. Her blue eyes wandered, unblinking, over the various items on the table before her before settling on a small bowl filled with a white powder. The normally hyperactive mare carefully scooped a bit of the substance into a pot full of a bubbling brown goop. Smelling the strong odor from the substance, Pinkie's mouth widened into a toothy grin, candlelight shining off her teeth. "Oh yessss... this will be the best cake ever!"

For of course, it was a cake mix, though from the way Pinkie was acting some ponies might think she was a psychotic murderer or something even worse. As it was, the only things that had died were a couple sugarcane plants and some assorted other vegetative organisms. Pinkie's squeals of delight at the construction of a perfect dessert were legendary in both their volume and frequency. The Cakes (the pony version), however, were used to the various noises that occurred when Pinkie was whipping up a new recipie, and therefore tended to ignore the various sounds that emanated from the basement during "baking time."

Nightmare Atlas finally caught his breath at the Everfree's edge, muttering to himself in between pants. Why did that lumbering oaf have to show up and make a fool of the future Emperor of the World? Why couldn't he have stayed at his farm and bucked trees like the worthless dirt pony he was? Slowly, Atlas began to collect himself, recalling his plan. Taking a deep breath, he stepped into the inky shade of the Everfree, eyes glowing a sickly purple with vision-enhancing magic. A way into the woods, he shed his disguise; the last thing Atlas needed was an unnecessary drain on his power in what was arguably the most dangerous place in Equestria. True, he was practically indestructible and had the potential for enormous power under normal circumstances, but the Everfree's twisted, chaotic nature disrupted the Nightmare's natural connection to the earth, leaving him relatively weakened.

"Now, what manner of beast shall I seek out first?" wondered Atlas aloud as he stalked between a pair of gnarled Venom Oaks. The substance secreted by their leaves was highly toxic and could kill a pony in a matter of minutes if left untreated, but its magical properties were mostly unexplored. Idly, the former Prince conjured up a glass jar and collected a few of the leaves for future experimentation. As he did so, a distant sound caught his attention, and he adjusted his heading to intercept it. Moving more quickly now, Atlas took no more floral samples, instead focusing on finding the source of the disturbance. A second incidence of the noise revealed that his quarry was not more than a quarter mile away. Atlas reached out with a thin magical tendril, latching onto the source of the sound. With the tether in place, he turned to smoke and slid along the line like wax on a candle wick. He dared not change to an insubstantial form in the Everfree without an anchor, else magical fluctuations might cause him to become permentantly fragmented.

Prodding gently, Atlas' essence entered the beast, flowing through it and searching for the brain, attempting to impose the will of the Nightmare. Immediately, a problem revealed itself: this creature had not one mind, but five. Multiple brains... but the number rules out a Janus' Drake, as those only have two heads. No, this is much better... a hydra! As useful as the dangerous creature could potentially be, splitting upup his essence was highly risky to the Nightmare. After careful though, Atlas gave the mental equivalent of a shrug and began the process of dividing himself into five equal parts. A moment later, it was done, and the smoke flowed into the beast's brains, rewiring the nerves to make each head the Nightmare's slave. Atlas quickly collected himself and reformed outside the hydra's body, seeking his next target. Finding one, he launched another magical tracer, disembodied maniacal laughter echoing throughout the Everfree.

Ban Hammers and Existential Crises

Ever since Pinkie Pie had first moved to Ponyville, the residents had made a hobby out of trying to figure out her array of seemingly impossible abilities. Some individuals claimed that she was a unicorn with a disguise spell, while others speculated that the pink made made use of a sophisticated network of tunnels underneath the entirety of Equestria. The most outlandish theory to date was that Pinkie wasn't a pony at all, but instead came from outer space to study the locals, using sophisticated technology to perform her inexplicable feats. Pinkie refused to acknowledge the matter at all, instead cheerfully changing the subject again and again until the pseudo-researcher gave up.

No explanation for her movement, however, ever managed to come up with a convincing theory for her knack for accurately predicting the future with her so-called "Pinkie Sense." At least one pony had gone insane (temporarily, to the relief of all involved) attempting to decipher "the pink monster," as he called her during his break from reality. No matter how it worked, the important thing was its unfailing accuracy. Never had a Pinkie Prediction been incorrect, and so when the pink pony in question ran to Twilight Sparkle yelling about how something would ruin the upcoming party, the bookworm's first reaction was to teleport to the mayor and convince her to put the Ponyville Guard on watch. This done, Twilight returned to the library, intending to pull a quick study session of defensive spells. Pinkie, of all ponies, put those plans to a halt, firmly insisting that the party go on as planned, despite her lavender friend's objections. Twilight, as with always in dealing with Pinkie Pie, eventually decided to just go with it. This, as it later turned out, was a mistake.

"The Everfree," mused Nightmare Atlas as he trotted out of the forest in question, "is both inherently wrong and incredibly resistant to any attempts to alter it. Of course, if it weren't so stubborn, it wouldn't breed creatures like Hydras to defend itself." The Nightmare's corporeal body, hidden under the disguise, was smaller and moderately less powerful, a direct result of spreading his essence among such a number of foul beasts. He still possessed incredible power, to be sure, but it would be most unwise to attract the attention of the Royal Sisters in his current state. The Moon was not a fun place to be for a thousand years, and the Nightmare had no desire to relive the experience.

Approaching Ponyville's borders, it struck Atlas for a moment that perhaps the ponies living there didn't deserve to have their lives interrupted by a massive invasion of foul creatures. The destruction will certainly be extensive, and while it is my right to rule, surely I can find another way to secure the throne... no! I have already put forth too much time and effort to back down now! Those accursed sisters undoubtedly know of my return and will seek me out and imprison me, given enough time. This is the only way; it must be done. Burying his conscience, Atlas continued on his way with a particular force in his stride, a side effect of his internal conflict. Soon the cottages and farms gave way to shops and apartments, ponies of all three varieties milling about cheerfully. The Nightmare felt another sharp pang of regret over the impending violence, again crushing it under his willpower. It lingered in the back of his mind, whispering guilt into his ears and gently pulling at the strings of his fragile morality. Each step took more effort than the last, and it was only through a supreme effort that Atlas kept up his facade.

THUD!

"That wall felt quite familiar," muttered Atlas. As he picked himself off the ground, he noticed a very familiar red face with an equally familiar bemused expression.

"Howdy again, pardner," said the one and only Big Mac.

Princess Luna was a mess of conflicting emotions. On the one hoof, her fears of the Nightmare's eventual return had proven to be judtified, while on the other an opportunity presented itself for some righteous revenge against the monster that had wrecked her life for ten centuries. On the third hoof (being a quadruped has its advantages), Tia was unlikely to leave much behind for Luna to take a swing at with her beloved war hammer. An avid gamer, Luna had recently taken to calling it the "Ban Hammer," in place of its old title, a word too old for even the Princesses to guess at its meaning. The instrument of percussion maintainance and occasional bloody death-dealing dated back to before the age of Discord, to a time when nature ran wild and ponies were very different. Legends spoke of lost civilizations in this time before time, of creatures so technologically advanced they could manipulate life at the genetic level with ease. Conspiracy theories abounded, claiming that ponies were the products of experiments. Luna found it uncomfortably possible after thinking carefully about Discord's nature. He was erratic; cruel one moment and tender the next, one never knew exactly what was going through his mind. The biggest piece of "evidence" (for of course this was all speculation) was the Chaos Lord's appearance. Though known to change it at will, Discord seemed to feel most comfortable in a form composed of a bizzare mishmash of animals, looking for all the world like a hastily-constructed toy. Combined with his insanity, Luna found it easy to believe that he could have been a rushed prototype of sorts whose flaws resulted in the complete reconstruction of a world: Equestria. The one time the Princess of the Night attempted to ask Discord about it, he became uncharacteristically serious and stated, "Even if I knew, which I don't, what difference would it make? You're free to question your origins, which just proves that they don't really matter," before climbing into a winged teapot and soaring away.

Luna hadn't slept for three days after that.

Breaking the Air Speed Record

It has been said that the Royal Equestrian Air Force contains the fastest ponies in all of Equestria. This is not entirely true. The bearer of the Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash, was known for her extraordinary speed and agility. A miniature war had been raging for some time within the scientific community as to whether Dash's feats were physically possible. Indeed, her "Sonic Rainboom" seemed almost superpony. Within the Pegasus community, she represented the ideal flier. If the notoriously bibliophobic Pegasi had done their research, however, they would have set their standards higher still.

A double streak of gold and midnight tore through the air, heading for the sky at a high angle. Nearly two miles up, a series of shock waves broke from the twin columns, shaking houses for miles around and sending roosting birds into a panic. Still the dichrome ribbon ascended, tearing a hole in the air itself and causing a constant rumbling as the void rushed to fill itself. Eventually, when it was nearly out of sight, the trail leveled out, heading toward the small town of Ponyville.

Nightmare Atlas was really beginning to dislike Ponyville. Sure, the air was clean, the food was fresh, and the ponies were friendly, but the air was clean, the food was fresh, and worst of all, the ponies were friendly. So far, Atlas had escaped exactly nine ponies trying to talk with him, ranging from the enthusiastically polite Aloe and Lotus to the cheerfully oblivious Derpy Hooves (or was it Ditzy Doo?). He was halfway paying attention to his current conversation partner, Lyra Heartstrings, when the mint-green mare stopped mid-sentence to stare at the sky. Naturally, the Nightmare did so as well and nearly wet himself where he stood. A giant arc of pure Solar and Lunar magic appeared to be descending towards the quiet town. Why couldn't they have waited just a few more hours? This will ruin all of my plans! I was almost beginning to enjoy Miss Heartstrings's company, as well! In fact, when I have crushed those impudent sisters, I may come back to continue out chat... enough of that, you fool! There will be time enough later for that. The important thing now is to protect yourself. Atlas reached out with his mind, feeling for the creatures he had previously possessed and calling them to his aid. As he did so, the band of light and dark halted just above the ground, the Royal Sisters (for of course it was them) floating with wings outstretched. Their armor gleamed with an ethereal light, and their horns arced with magic. Celestia brandished a flaming longsword, nearly five feet from pommel to tip and forged over the course of fifty years in the heart of the Sun, while her sister hefted a massive hammer, the reinforced shaft topped by an intricately designed head of iron inlaid with silver. Together, the Princesses radiated power.

"WHERE DOTH YON NIGHTMARE RESIDE?" boomed Luna in the Royal Canterlot Voice. Ponies scattered, tripping over themselves to escape the impending battle. The Princess's eyes burned white as her head swiveled to and fro, eventually locking onto Nightmare Atlas. "GIVE UP, DEMON. THOU CANNOT HOPE TO ESCAPE US." She punctuated the statement with a solid blow of her hammer to the ground, cracking the earth and breaking windows all around. Celestia fixed Atlas with a glare, though she said nothing.

Nightmare Atlas dropped his disguise, to the narrowed eyes of the Royal Sisters. He stared right back at her, despite his fear, simultaneously checking the locations of his creatures One of my beasts is nearly here. I hope it will be powerful enough to distract those two until the rest of my army arrives. Slowly, he responded to Luna's statement: "I have served my punishment already; I have not harmed a single pony yet. You have no reason to threaten to harm me except to settle a personal grudge. It is unwise to allow your emotions to control you; any good ruler knows that." Atlas let some of his anger spill into his last sentence.

Celestia spoke up next, without amplification but commanding nonetheless. "You have enslaved the entirety of the castle staff, you stole from us both, and worst of all, you replaced my favorite chair with a collection of pornographic magazines!" The Solar Princess kept her voice steady, though a slight blush made itself evident. She pointed her sword at Atlas. "Give up now, and we will be lenient. Resist, and we will have no choice but to use the Elements of Harmony against you."

Atlas merely grinned. "Giving up implies that I could possibly lose in a fight against the two of you. But I don't even need to fight you myself; I have some rather vicious creatures to do that for me." He pointed to a large street, and right on cue, the first monster of his dark army leaped forward, its croaking cry echoing across the town center.

The princesses stared at it.

Nightmare Atlas stared at it.

The small toad stared back at them with Nightmare-infected eyes. It croaked again, somehow in the Royal Canterlot Voice, hopping angrily towards the Royal Sisters. With a final leap, it latched on to Celestia's leg, biting for all that it was worth, which wasn't very much. Luna gasped at the amphibian's sheer cuteness while her sister tried to gently remove the possessed toad without incinerating it. All the while, Atlas remained frozen in his previous position, trying his hardest to comprehend the situation. A fly flew into his open mouth before deciding that the conditions were not to its favor.

The Nightmare finally overcame the initial shock, closing his mouth with a sharp snap. "This was not supposed to happen. Whatever possessed me to possess a toad in the first place?"

Luna glared at him with the fury of a thousand fires. "SILENCE! WE ARE ENJOYING THE COMPANY OF HOPPER THE TOAD! UNLIKE THYSELF, HE DOTH BE A TRUE GENTLETOAD!" She turned back to the angry amphibian, who was currently trying to untangle himself from the Lunar Princess's mane.

It was at this point the hydra decided to show up.

The Big Fight Scene, or Luna's Fruit Bat Kingdom

Hydras. Timberwolves. Their rocky cousins, Stonewolves. Massive cockatrices. A horror that defied description. A large swarm of fruit bats. All were rampaging through Ponyville, leaving massive tracks in the streets and bowling over carts as they converged on the Princesses. Nightmare Atlas caught Luna's eye, grinning with insane pleasure. "So, Princesses, will you fight or will you bow down to my army?" A thundering roar punctuated his statement, accompanied by a massive gout of flame shooting skyward for nearly thirty feet. The first screams of terror rang in Atlas's ears, music to his twisted mind. The hydra, the first monster to appear (not counting the toad), let loose a deafening screech as its heads reached for Celestia. The Solar Princess's sword flashed; the beast retreated, nursing an empty neck, the cauterized wound preventing any new heads from spawning. She turned to face Atlas, but he was gone.

A harsh shriek of magic on metal coincided with a sudden blow from behind. Righting herself, Celestia spun to face her attacker, armor smoking from the blast. For the first time in many years, she grit her teeth in anticipation of actual combat on a level playing field. "So be it. You have struck the first blow; pray that I do not strike the last." The Nightmare, wreathed in sickly purple tendrils of its own essence, responded with a bolt of black lightning, only for it to be knocked aside by Luna's hammer. The Lunar Princess pressed the attack, swinging in devastating arcs that even the Nightmare found difficult to block. The dueling pair traded attacks, neither gaining or losing ground. Seeing the main threat under control, Celestia turned to stem the tide of possessed creatures. Leading the charge was the original hydra, frothing at the mouths in rage, while a pack of Timberwolves sprinted around its gigantic feet, baying for blood. Celestia burnt a wave of them away with a brief flash of magic. A few made it through. They were quickly dispatched by the Princess's sword. Undeterred, however, was the hulking hydra. Its necks darted in from all sides like serpents, one finding its mark on the back of Celestia's neck. Sharp teeth scraped against enchanted gold, finding purchase and tearing loose a plate before Celestia incinerated it like its brethren. Completely decapitated, the monster's lime green body fell with a thunderous crash that shattered any windows left intact. The Solar Princess snorted fire, ignoring the small trickle of blood on her neck, the wound closing within seconds. Collecting herself, she braced herself for the next attack. She didn't have to wait long.

Clang. Metal struck rock yet again, crumbling the boulder but leaving Nightmare Atlas unscathed. Another bolt of lightning snaked out from his aura, wrapping around the handle of the Ban Hammer and yanking hard. Luna winced, but didn't loosen her magical grip on the weapon, instead sending a pulse of magical energy through it, blasting the Nightmare's electrical tendrils away. Dodging an earthen claw rising from the ground, Luna threw her chosen weapon, missing Atlas and leaving the tool embedded in a nearby house. Sneering, Atlas's horn glowed, and a column of lava engulfed the Lunar Princess. Her magical shield held, but only just. Atlas increased the flow, but lost control when the Ban Hammer flew from the wall and struck him in the back of the head. Little griffons flew around his head making rude gestures as the Nightmare shook his head. Too late, he tried to cast a shield. Luna's strike caught the evil spirit square on the jaw, sending him horn over hooves. She didn't give him a chance to recover, following up with vicious swings that sent him tumbling again and again. Before long, she hovered triumphantly over Atlas, the Ban Hammer raised in preparation for one final blow. "Doth thou concede?"

Atlas spat. "Put the hammer down and we'll discuss your surrender."

Luna's lip curled in a snarl. "DOTH THOU DESIRE US TO PUT THE HAMMER DOWN? WE SHALL PUT THE HAMMER DOWN!"

The Ban Hammer descended, the wrath of the Princess of the Night behind it. Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Atlas reached out to the possessed creatures, reabsorbing his essence. In the millisecond left before contact, he charged up a teleport spell and released it.

The warhammer's impact shook the earth and left a crater nearly three feet deep and twice as wide. Luna lifted the tool, blowing away the dust with a powerful flap of her wings. Atlas had disappeared. Luna swiveled her head, but even she couldn't move fast enough to block the devastating bolt of dark energy. The Nightmare took up her place, floating menacingly with a vile grin on his muzzle. "Really, lulu, you ought to have seen that coming." Lifting the Ban Hammer, Atlas waved it almost lazily at Luna like a demented golfer preparing for a difficult swing, but before he could send the Princess to the Moon again, a manticore, released from his control, tackled him to the ground. Luna tried to get up, but a swarm of fruit bats accosted her with gentle slaps from their wings. In spite of the situation, Luna d'aawed. Hopper croaked from his hiding spot inside her mane.

Celestia was quite confused. One moment she was being attacked by dozens of foul beasts, the next they were going their separate ways. As she scratched her head with the tip of her flaming sword (a gift from her old friend Godric Gryffindor before he left to teach magic in another dimension), a giant spider stalked past with a barrel full of apples clutched tightly in its mandibles. Overhead, thousands of fruit bats seemed to be converging on a single point close by, and a giant cockatrice had decided to lay an egg on top of somepony's house, causing the roof to sag alarmingly.

A distant roar reminded Celestia that many of the monsters were naturally hostile to ponies even without the Nightmare's curse. Flying high above Ponyville, she spotted another hydra knocking over houses and generally terrorizing the populace. She shot off like a cannonball to deal with it.

Atlas was not having a good time. Manticores come in several varieties, and this particular subspecies seemed to have an unusual resistance to magic, not to mention being nearly twice the size of a normal manticore. Hitting it with a boulder had merely annoyed it further, and his lightning couldn't penetrate its thick, insulating fur, especially since he had expended most of his energy fighting Luna. Add teeth, claws, and a highly venomous stinger, and the Nightmare's day had taken a very sudden turn for the worse.

Luna watched from her flying chariot of fruit bats, smirking as Atlas desperately attempted to beat away the angry lion/scorpion hybrid. A recently-appointed bat servant brought her a martini from a nearby bar, depositing it gently into her outstretched hoof. Her other hoof was busy stuffing popcorn into her mouth as the display of idiocy unfolded below her. By now, she had a pretty good idea of who the nightmare had possessed. "Blueblood," she called to the battling duo, both of whom paused to look at her, "Thou art a fool, thou hath been a fool, and thou shalt forever be a fool. Be glad that thy plan hath not yet injured our subjects, else we wouldst impose severe consequences upon thee. As for thee, beast-" The manticore's ears perked up. "May the best cat win." With that, she leaned back, ready to enjoy the show once again.

This hydra is different, thought Celestia as her sword cut a fiery rent in the air. It has showed great resilience in spite of all that I can safely do to it. Perhaps the Nightmare gifted it with such abilities? The Solar Princess ducked under a striking head and let loose a bombardment of fireballs, each of which dissipated on the monster's scales. It roared and smashed a cottage to twigs. The ponies who lived in the area had wisely evacuated, so Celestia was willing to unleash a little more of her power than usual. Calling upon the sun, she drew a small portion of its substance into herself and launched it directly at the hydra's nearest head. The head vaporized instantly, but it served primarily to anger the creature further. Now truly berserk, the hydra lunged at the Princess of the Sun, mouths gaping wide and filled with razor-sharp teeth the size of boards. Celestia's sword swung twice, thrice, four times. Each swing sent another head toppling to the ground, until finally the gargantuan beast had been slain. Slowly, almost defying gravity, the body began to fall. As it did so, Celestia caught a glimpse of a pony standing directly in its shadow, digging a small object from the debris of a wrecked house. She looked up just as the titan began to fall in earnest. She screamed. Celestia began to charge a teleport, but in her heart she knew there wasn't enough time for her depleted magic reserves to supply the spell with the necessary power.

Far away, Nightmare Atlas's magically enhanced hearing picked up the faint ghost of a terrified scream. I know that voice... THAT FOOL! She should have left, not stayed behind to protect her precious possessions! This isn't what I wanted! In the time it takes for a bee to flap its wings, Atlas decided on a plan. The Nightmare resisted, panicking, but Blueblood broke through, just for an instant, and burned the Nightmare away, converting the spirit to raw magical energy. In a blinding flash, he was gone. Blueblood appeared at the mare's side just long enough to grab both her and the object she had risked her life to retrieve before teleporting again as the hydra's body hit the earth with a resounding boom. The last thing he saw before he fell unconscious was the startled yet somehow understanding look on Auntie Celestia's face.

The Obligatory Wrap-Up Scene

Prince Blueblood stood behind the podium, staring out at the crowd that had assembled before the makeshift stage. Pegasi, Unicorns, Earth Ponies, even a Gryphon gazed back, their expressions ranging from curious to downright murderous. Royal Guards lined the front of the stage, keeping the mob away from Blueblood, and a shielding spell had been erected in case a particularly peeved Unicorn decided to lob something at the Prince. Despite all this, Blueblood's knees quaked from nervousness.

"Ladies and gentlecolts of Ponyville, by now I'm sure that all of you know who I am and what I did to your fair town two days ago. For this, no apology can possibly suffice." Mutters from the crowd. The Prince paused for a moment to let them simmer down. "As Nightmare Atlas, I nearly ruined this wonderful place in my greed and vanity. I could have killed hundreds, even thousands of ponies, and I'm still not entirely certain how only one death occurred. This death will not cause me to lose any sleep; no nightmares will plague my mind at night because of the demise of a monster. I do not mean the monsters of flesh and blood that ravaged the streets and building of Ponyville. I mean the real monster, the one behind all of this destruction and chaos - the Nightmare."

Silence.

Blueblood cleared his throat, twice. "This foul creature will never again threaten Equestria. Of that, I am positive, and so are my aun- the Princesses. We have searched with every spell imaginable, and I can assure you that no trace of the NIghtmare remains." Another pause, letting the information sift in. "This, however, is only the past. What matters now is the future, and as penance for my actions I have decided to donate my entire fortune towards the recovery process. This is not meant as an apology, as nothing I can say or do will ever be enough to undo my actions. Instead, think of it as a promise, from me to each and every one of you." Gaining confidence, the Prince locked eyes with various members of the crowd, some of whom even gave small smiles of encouragement. They truly are a forgiving bunch. Pulling out a piece of parchment, he began to read from it. "I, Prince Blueblood of Equestria, do solemnly swear to be the best pony I can be. I will no longer lie and steal to fulfill my own selfish wants, but will instead work hard and honestly. I will treat others with kindness and respect. I will never, never, harm another pony for my own gain. And finally, I will do something I have never had cause to do before. I will make friends." He signed the document with a flourish.

At first, nopony reacted. Then, near the front, a familiar mint-green mare started clapping, followed by a grotesquely muscular Pegasus, continuing until the entire crowd was applauding. It was not the applause that follows a spectacular play or a stirring call to arms. It was the gentle applause of ponies who were willing to forget and forgive, ponies who recognized that holding a grudge would ultimately cause more harm than good. It was steady for almost a minute, then it went away as quickly as it had appeared. Still Blueblood stood behind the podium. Gazing out into the sea of ponies, he opened his mouth one last time. "If anypony has room under their roof for one such as me, it has been suggested that I stay here both to assist in the repairs and to learn the magic of Friendship. I understand if you do not want me in your homes; I have given you much reason for distrust."

He needn't have worried. Two dozen hooves were in the air before he finished the second sentence.

"We- I am sorry."

Blueblood's eyebrow shot up. "Whatever for, Auntie Luna? None of this was your fault. If anything, I should be apologizing to you."

Luna bowed her head in shame. "We treated thou with great disrespect and cruelty two days past. Our taunts and insults were not deserved by thee. At least, not entirely. We see now that while we fell easily under the Nightmare's foul spell, thou didst possess the mental fortitude to escape from its vile clutches on thy own. Truly, we are not worth thy forgiveness." A solitary tear crept down the Princess's cheek.

Blueblood wiped it away and drew his Aunt close in the first true gesture of affection they had ever shared. "You are most certainly worthy of my forgiveness, but I'm not going to forgive you for the simple reason that there is nothing to forgive. I had been possessed by the Nightmare for all of eight hours before I escaped, and contrary to what I told Ponyville I have had horrible nightmares every night. You suffered at that thing's hooves for over a thousand years - it stands to reason that you would react extremely to the Nightmare's presence. Had I been in your hooves, I would have gone stark, raving mad at its first appearance. So no, I cannot forgive you for a crime you didn't commit."

The tears were flowing freely now, and the white Unicorn could do little to stem the tide. It ran itself out, eventually. The pair raided the kitchen for some sweets ("the moon pies shall last forever!") and spent the day romping around the castle like a couple of foals. They ate ice cream for dinner and played with wooden swords and shields, knights of a kingdom as old as the first child. In the evening Luna took Blueblood to the Observatory and showed him the stars. He found a new one and she let him name it. His choice mystified her, but she decided that really, it wasn't her business to question it. Celestia found them sleeping on some pillows on the floor. She covered them with blankets and silently bade them good night.

Dear Prince Blueblood,

You probably don't know who I am. We talked for a while before the incident but you didn't seem to be too interested. That's understandable, I suppose; I'm just an average pony and you're a Prince. I don't even know if you'll read this letter. You must have much more important things to do. On the off chance that you do, though, I'd just like to say thank you for saving my life. I was the mare you saved from the falling hydra (that's what its called, right?). You could have been killed, but you helped me anyway. Even through the Nightmare your goodness got through, and that makes your other actions meaningless. Yes, you destroyed millions of bits of property, but when one little life was in danger you sacrificed all of your ambitions to save me. My great-grandma always said, "You can tell a lot about a pony's character by the way they wash their vegetables." In hindsight, that made more sense when I was five, but the point is that you're a good pony. I would be honored if you would like to live with me and my friend while you take care of your business in Ponyville.

Sincerely,

Lyra Heartstrings

P.S. Bon-Bon says to tell you that she said hi.

Prince Blueblood read through the letter for the fourth time. He contemplated it for a long minute, then reached for a quill and parchment.

Dear Ms. Heartstrings (and Bon-Bon),

I would like nothing more than to enjoy your hospitality during my stay in Ponyville. If it isn't too much trouble, could you by any chance put me into contact with a mare named Rarity Belle? I have some apologies to make...

THE END OF A NIGHTMARE, THOUGH MOST CERTAINLY NOT OF AN IDIOT