Midnight will reign.

by Roodush

Rating: teen
Tags: Nightmare Moon, Romance, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Adventure, Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia, Dark, Alternate Universe
Length: 3783

Nightmare Moon is back and she wants revenge.

When Nightmare Moon was defeated Luna thought that part of her was gone for ever. But, it wasn't, all these years it has been growing, gaining strength in order to take revenge upon Celestia, The Elements of Harmony, Equestria and most importantly, Luna.

This is my first piece of writing. I am sort of just going with the flow here, I haven't exactly planned it out but hey, why not? I've gone over the stuff several times and I think its okay.
Feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Published 2012-04-16 09:14:00 UTC
Last updated 2012-04-21 23:15:06 UTC

Prologue

Frantic pounding of hoofsteps on packed earth and pine needles echoed between the trees. Quick gasps from lungs that were far too overworked created little clouds of mist in the cold night air, illuminated by the weak moonlight that filtered down through the gently swaying branches overhead.

A colt was running, stumbling through the intermittent pines, he went without direction, only going forwards, to where safety was assured. He had been galloping for a good while and he still had some distance to go. In the very far distance lights twinkled from what might have been the town, he would be safe there, it couldn’t follow him there, not yet. It had kept him for 2 years, keeping him alive only so much as to keep siphoning off of him. So it could grow its strength.

Tears dripped slowly down his muzzle, mingling with the sweat that had beaded on his skin and soaked through his ragged fur. He could make it, he thought, he would live. He let out a choked gasp, partially from immense relief and partially from deranged amusement. He had hardly allowed himself the hope of freedom but now it was within his weak grasp.

Then he tripped. He caught his foot on an upturned root and went sprawling face first in the dirt. He spat out the old pine needles and clambered shakily to his hooves and quickly backed against a tree, feeling the rough bark through his damaged hair. For a few seconds he did nothing except for dart his eyes around, he dared not even breathe. Absolute silence reigned until he snorted in relief, creating a puff of mist. He thought it had been “her”, going to take him back, or to finally kill him but it was just a stupid root.

He stepped away from the tree feeling the distance between him and it. The air swirled around the newfound gap and chilled him bringing up goosebumps. He shivered and let out a shaky breath. Just then a shadow flitted across the sky, hardly even noticeable in normal conditions but to the pony it was akin to a death sentence, his eyes widened in fright and his pupils shrank to the size of a pen nib. The shadow came back.

“No…”

He had been so close.

He looked up in terror as a gigantic shadow suddenly covered the sky above him, plunging the area around into darkness that was so familiar to him by now.

He exploded away from the tree he had been leaning on, sprinting now, hooves covered in scratches flew back and forth kicking up poofs of dust that hung suspended by gravity for a few seconds before dropping back down to the ground. The branches stopped moving, regardless of the frightful wind that pushed against them. It was most probably pointless but he had to try. He had to warn someone. The exhaustion wasn’t going to stop him.

Wind suddenly picked up tenfold and the rough, ragged colt fell again. This time it wasn’t because of an upturned root. He snapped his head around to see behind him, sweeping greasy dark mane out the way as he did so. The pony’s mouth opened of its own accord in terror as he looked at his legs and saw roving black tendrils of cloud wrapping around his hooves and licking up and down his forelegs, wherever the cloud touched his skin was plunged into icy numbness. The tendrils led back to an incredibly dense cloud a few feet away, it was so black it was as if everything just stopped at that point. It was a void.

The battered pony on the ground flopped weakly and moaned while losing his mind to the insanity he had been fighting off for months as he gazed into the centre of the cloud. Two small luminous eyes snapped open out of the mane of stars and flared with malice as they gazed right back.

Chapter 1

Princess Luna snapped open her eyes and shot out of her royal canterlot bed. Her chest heaving with exertion and her nostrils flaring as she pawed the ground anxiously. She whinnied nervously as the dream repeated itself lightning fast over in her mind for a few times.

She noticed her surroundings and tried to calm herself, It had been naught but a dream, a silly dream she told herself. Nightmare Moon had been defeated years ago and Luna was as she once was many years ago, a normal princess who stood next to her sister as ruler. She stopped trotting on the spot and focused her breathing as she did whenever she had had similar nightmares of late.

Luna stretched out her wings and shook them out; it was no good to get bed feathers, especially if you were a princess. She realized however that was not as bad when she looked as if she hadn’t slept in a month with bags under her eyes. She sighed and walked back over to the bed; her moonlight streamed in the window and illuminated the room enough for her to see that her bed was soaked in places from the wet patches she had sweated out during her night terror. She used her magic to light candles around the room and illuminate her chambers fully, her eyes adjusted and she knew from experience she would get no sleep this night.

She pulled the sheets off the bed and carried them over to her bathroom and into the chute that led to the palace wash chambers. She could just carry and clean them with magic but she preferred not use magic as much as most unicorns did, even if she wasn’t technically a unicorn. As her sister’s student Twilight Sparkle’s friend Rarity said, it was uncouth to show off. Even if Luna wasn’t really showing off she still preferred to do things other ways if possible. Apart from raising the night of course, but that was different magic.

Luna turned in the doorway of her bathroom to regard her private chambers sadly. Even though she was controller of the night and had practically invented dreams, the past month the room had become less of a place to sleep and more of a reading chamber. Since the dreams often woke her in the middle of the night and with nothing she could do she had taken to reading the reports on friendship her sister kept, written by Twilight Sparkle. The reports fascinated her in the way they described friendship but also saddened her, for she had nopony but her sister like Twilight’s friends in her life. The closest she had ever had was Discord, a long time ago when he wasn’t as manic, angry or unstable, and that had ended on a sour note to say the least.

Luna sighed and clopped over to her balcony. The archway to outside was as wide as could be, she liked to have the moonlight come in through it when she slept, or to be able to see her stars as she slept. Tonight however, clouds covered a lot of the sky, her moon shone brightly through a gap but it would be swallowed after a brief respite.

A night usually calmed her thoughts in turmoil but tonight they did not, she just did not know why her dreams now constantly revolved around Nightmare Moon. It had been 2 months shy of 4 years since the Elements of Harmony had freed her from that monster and she had been grateful every day since. Once upon a time a dark part of her had resented her sister but that part was no longer part of her. She cherished Tia and the ponies of the Equestria.

She hung her head dejectedly, the thought of allowing those feelings to manifest themselves as Nightmare Moon shamed her to this day. If not for the swift actions of Twilight then Luna feared what sort of monstrous tyrant she might’ve become.

Speaking of Twilight sparkle, Luna decided to give her thoughts a distraction. She trotted swiftly to her nightstand back inside of her chambers. A short rifle through a stack of official scrolls and her hooves came across the friendship report that she was to read next. After clasping it gently in her jaw she carried it to the foot of her large four poster bed. Lying down comfortably she spread the scroll out with her forelegs and started to read by candlelight.

Dear Princess Celestia…

*

Luna blinked open her eyes a couple of times but closed them again. The light invaded and stung her eyes but she liked the warmth the morning gave. The only thing that she mildly disliked about her creation, the night, was that it was colder than the day. She stretched on her bed and yawned still with her eyes closed. She was surprised to find she had fallen asleep, normally once she awoke from a nightmare she didn’t sleep again and if she did it would be for a short while til she woke from the dream again. A good night’s rest felt really good.

The younger princess rolled over onto her back and pushed her wings out, stretching in the morning sun. She stretched just like she would do when she was just a little filly, then she giggled at the memories of her and Celestia as fillies.

“Well sister, I’m glad you’re enjoying this afternoon”

“Celly!”

Luna sat upright in her bed reluctantly, even without the sheets it was still warm. Celestia stood at the door to her room. She looked amused if not a little bit embarrassed.

“You should knock dear sister,” Luna said, she was not annoyed though, it was a beautiful morning and she had not felt better in a while. Princess Celestia only let out a small tinkle of a laugh.

“I did Luna, I suspect that is what woke you” the moon princess stifled a yawn and glanced to her window, the angle of the shadows told her it was maybe an hour or two past midday. This confused her until Celestia continued. “When you did not arrive to the royal court this morning I worried so… I came to check on you”

Luna gave a final small stretch and then stepped off of the bed.

“I apologise” she said with a small bow “I was reading and fell asleep, I meant you no worry”

Celestia regally waved her away with one hoof.

“Think nothing of it, the court is rarely anything but the same old tediousness these days” she crossed the small of the room to Luna’s bed, not acknowledging the lack of bedsheets. “what are you reading that is so tiresome it puts you to sleep, I shall have to have a read of it next court session” she looked at Luna and winked “Would most likely be more productive”

Luna smiled and went to the bed to gather up the friendship reports that she had been reading up on the night before, something tickled her memory about a plan she had made to do for the day…

“My dear Twilight’s friendship reports?” Celestia’s tone was one of surprise as she held up a scroll to her eyes with a yellow aura of magic. “I didn’t know you read any of these Luna, and I certainly didn’t think they would put one to sleep.”

Luna ruefully scratched the back of her neck with one hoof.

“Well, I had trouble sleeping so I read a couple, I was tired before I started reading them, I must have dozed off while reading”

Celestia did not respond, her eyes were busy scanning the letter.

“I do believe this one was written during the Canterlot Dessert Festival. About not judging your friends” Celestia looked at the few other scrolls and let out a small sigh “Oh I remember when she used to write all the time with her friendship reports. “ she chuckled a small amount “You couldn’t go two days without a scroll arriving by dragon fire with a friendship lesson in it” she looked crestfallen for a second “Of course, I don’t get many letters from her anymore…”

“Oh Tia, Don’t think of it like that, think of Twilight as having such a large knowledge of the magic of friendship that there isn’t much she can learn anymore! Remember when Starswirl would come to you with every new spell he learned? Of course he had to stop and really get down to work and that’s when he made some of his greatest discoveries. He wasn’t the bearded then though. Just Starswirl…”

Celestia drew herself upright “Of course Luna. Forgive an old mentor her nostalgia and wistfulness” she smiled at Luna and walked over to the door, “Reading the letter on Desserts has made me hungry” she chuckled “And I think I might go to Starswirl’s tomb, I have not been in a while, he always did teach me new things” Celestia clopped out the door to have a royal guard salute her and fall in behind, Luna went to follow to the kitchens but stopped instead, something Celestia had said was stuck in her head, something about teaching…

That was it! Seeing as Twilight Sparkle had learned all of these things it wouldn’t be hard for her to teach them to somepony else. When reading the reports, Luna had decided she would see Twilight and see about making some friends. Luna started walking forward again, this time with a small smile on her face.

Chapter 2

The Ponyville Park was teeming with life this time of year. Trees gained their fresh, green leaves and bushes sprouted berries and small delicate flowers. A few butterflies in pleasant pastel shades flitted to and fro while birds chirped and transferred from tree to tree in quick short flights.

Luna sat on one of the benches in the park. It was next to the path but despite the wonderful day, little to no-one strolled upon by. The only pony the princess had seen while sitting there was a cheery, slate grey pony bouncing along with a mailbag on her shoulder, she had waved but not come over to where Luna sat.

She guessed that the ponies did not walk the path because of her. Even after the progress she thought she and Twilight Sparkle had made getting ponies used to the new princess, it seemed the residents of Equestria still were afraid of her.

Luna let out a small sigh and stood from the bench. There was no reason to stay and stop evrypony else from enjoying the nice weather in the park. She clopped slowly down the path back to her carriage at the park entrance. Even though she had come to Ponyville with the sole purpose of seeing Twilight, she had become nervous and stopped by the park. She did not want to stay outside the library and arouse suspicion.

Only when the carriage had nearly arrived at Ponyville had she realised she had no clue what to actually say to Twilight. It had been a little while since she last even spoke to her sister’s student and that had only been a greeting at some sort of social event that neither had wished to attend. She had chosen to speak to Twilight due to how she had handled Nightmare Night and the effect on the natives she had made but she hadn’t exactly wondered how it would turn out.

Once she had got here, Luna had panicked. She was unsure of Twilight’s reaction or if she would even try to help. Maybe she was too busy, or did not want to.

Luna drew herself up to stand straight. No, she thought. She had been lonely for too long and now an opportunity to reprimand that had come along and she was too cowardly to do anything about it. The co-ruler of Equestria should be anything but cowardly.

With purpose in her clopping she went through the gates.

“Please, gentlecolts.” Luna said as her guards moved from beside the royal carriage to follow and assist her. “We... I shall not be requiring assistance. In fact.”

Luna quickly thought about what she would do and made some improvised plans.

“I would like you to return to the palace, I shall be awhile and would not like to keep you waiting. I shall either find lodging for the night or return before sunset.” She figured she might as well make a trip of it while she was here. The ponies here, she remembered, were far more pleasant than the business ponies and aristocrats from the Canterlot elite. The only normal, non-stuck up ponies she ever talked to were always the performers that occasionally entertained at an event.

Luna smiled fondly at the previous year when a rather inebriated pony with shocking blue hair and goggles had stumbled onto the stage shouting into the mic for an octopus until she was led away by one of the musicians.

“Are you sure milady?” One of the guards said. He had a deep brown coat and a deep voice. Thunder Hoof was his name and he had been with her ever since returning to the palace after her time on the moon. He stood now, unsure of whether to follow or not, looking at her with warm and concerned stormy grey eyes.

“I’m sure, thank you for your admirable service.”

Luna thanked them and trotted around the carriage onto the road to Ponyville centre. She was sure somepony would be able to direct her to the library.

*

Luna was in a considerably less good mood than the previous one she had had. She hadn’t spoken to a single pony around town. They found excuses and quickly left as she approached, the only pony who hadn’t fled was a pink pony with wild hair that matched who had been too busy making adjustments to some sort of cannon that Luna hadn’t dared interfere.

The weather was making a rather large turn for the worse. Despite the beautiful morning and midday, large black storm clouds had settled and wind had been steadily increasing for the past hour.

The youngest princess was now in a small café. Bright décor made it cheerful but the weather, her failed search and the ponies’ reaction had made her miserable. She was invisible mostly, the only other customers had been skittish when she entered but now sat as if she had never entered in the first place. Luna wondered which was worse, to be feared or ignored. A melancholy paper drew her attention to a paper on the table she was at.

7 PONIES MSSING. NO NEW LEADS.

Luna frowned. Missing ponies concerned her greatly, as much as the citizens adored Celestia and not her, Luna cared just as much for them as she did.

Sheriff Braeburn told us here at Equestria Daily that ever since the first pony disappeared over 5 years ago and the 6 since, no leads has ever led to discovering the cause of these terrifying and puzzling occurrences. The seemingly random disappearances have been spread out all the way across Ponyville with no discernable pattern. No evidence of a struggle at any of the sites of last sightings have been found nor has any pony seen nor heard any disturbances. “It baffles my mind” The sheriff said “ 7 healthy, happy ponies just-“

“Um, excuse me?,” Luna looked up to find an azure blue pony with whipped pink hair looking at her skittishly, with eyes that flicked around. She wore a frilly apron around her front and had two small pink earrings in each ear. “Can I… Can I help you?”

She said it as though she were terrified of the answer. She trembled ever so slightly. Luna inwardly facehoofed. The ponies were so cripplingly nervous around her it was untrue sometimes. She took the opportunity to find Twilight’s location however.

“Yes, you may.” She cleared her throat in a small cough, “I am looking for Twilight Sparkle, I’m not sure if you know of her. She resides in the ponyville library if you could give me directions to that instead.” Luna said “and whatever you would recommend from your menu for two”

The waitress fluttered. “Oh…Sure, I know Twilight.” She looked up for a moment and fell silent “If you head directly away from this store and then take a right at the end of the road, at the end of that road take a left and when walking down that street the library is visible from a street on your right”

She then bustled away from the table quickly, her cream pink mane jostling across her back. She dashed into a swinging door that presumably led into the kitchen part of the bakery. Luna sat sill until she returned. Was it possible she had been so close and not realized? The waitress returned back from the kitchens with a brown paper bag. She placed it on the table with a trembling jaw and backed away once again.

“My thanks, I uh…” Luna realized she didn’t have any bits on her. It must have shown on her face as the baker jumped in.

“On the house… princess”

“I shall return with payment” Luna resolved “Do not fret, a great thanks for the directions too, I fear that I may have been forever lost in these streets otherwise” She stood.

The pony’s mouth stretched into what could have been a smile, albeit a possibly forced and nervous one. Luna picked up the bag and clopped gently over to the door. She peered outside the window, it looked as if a few specks of rain were beginning to fall and a piece of trash was getting violently blown about.

Luna opened the door with and placed a hoof inside, remembering to appear social she waved to the waitress who stood watching her with an unusual expression. Luna stepped outside and immediately felt the wind push her to the side, her normally flowing mane held straight and rigid to her side, pointing with the winds direction. Better hurry up and get to Twilight’s, she thought looking up at the twisting clouds overhead, I wouldn’t wish to be outside when the storm really hits.

She cantered off down the street.

*

Mrs Cake let out a sigh and turned to the other two customers in the café, they had been watching out of the corner of their eyes the whole time the dark princess had been there.

“I do hope she isn’t going to eat Twilight” One of them said taking a bite of his cake.