A Nightmare Returned

After escaping the hospital, Twilight decided to postpone the rest of the Ponyville tour for another day. Instead the two of them made their way back to the castle. Once their, Twilight insisted on running some tests on Nightmare Moon. That way, they have a baseline to work from should something happen again. Plus, Twilight could find out what -- if any -- gaps in education or academic skills Nightmare Moon might have.

It was not a fun experience for Nightmare Moon. Her reading was pretty good, and she was able to write, even if her penmanship needed a lot of work. She could count, add, and subtract fine, but more advanced mathematics eluded her. When it came to history, Nightmare showed at least some idea of when certain major disasters arrived. Most often it was because when they happened, ponies tended to have a lot more nightmares on the matter (the closest exception was Sombra's return, which was marked more by the return of crystal ponies to the dream realm).

Then came the strangest test that Nightmare Moon ever experienced: the Rorschach Test. Twilight would show her a card with some sort of black shape on it, and ask Nightmare what she saw. After answering, Twilight would make some note or other. Supposedly, the "ink blots" were not supposed to actually look like anything in particular. It was Nightmare's own subconscious that interpreted them as specific images. It was supposed to be a way to help gauge a pony's mind and personality.

There were a few others, but none of them were very interesting. After, there was dinner and then Nightmare decided to head to her room. She made it in time to watch the sun set and the night begin. There was no moon, but the stars shined bright and clear far overhead.

As she looked out at the night, a thought occurred to her. Luna had originally been possessed by Nightmare due to jealousy that ponies seemed to miss out on and sleep through the night, missing Luna's beautiful work. It had been what allowed Nightmare to take over, and try to use Luna's powers to try and create eternal night.

In the thousand years that they had been banished together (although only Nightmare seemed to experience the passage of time), that had changed immensely. Now there were a great many things to do during the night. From what Nightmare understood, some even made a living working at night, while others did so much, they practically slept only during the day.

Technically, Nightmare did not have to stay in the castle for the night. If what Twilight had told her was true, she could explore any part of Ponyville that she desired. As such, she could do so right now. Plus, there would be no Twilight Sparkle watching her every move.

Wings spread wide, she ran to the edge of the and jumped. Landing on the railing, she gave one last push to launch herself up into the air, and began to flap. Grinning to herself, she climbed higher and higher, making her way back up above Ponyville.

It felt so nice, so freeing. Nightmare Moon was finding that she like flying very much. Plus, there was no test or objective, so she could just take it in and enjoy it. To stretch out her wings. Feel the night air blowing against her. Seeing Ponyville and its residence far below her. She loved it all.

Perhaps there were worst fates she could have suffered. She would never admit such a thing aloud though. As much as she was enjoying it, she would still greatly prefer to have her full power. Still, at least she was finding some small consolation in the matter.

It was nearly an hour of flying before Nightmare Moon remembered why she was out to begin with. Adjusting her flight, she let herself fly lower as she looked at the town beneath her to actually study it. Her eyes scanned back and forth, looking for signs of a place where ponies were going to have a night of fun.

A sign got her attention, making her fly closer toward it. The words Neon Flank glowed brightly, alternating between bright pink-ish red and electric blue. On each side of the words was a side view of a pony's hind end, bouncing up and down while musical notes danced around them.

As she came in closer, she caught sight of some windows, but they looked to be blacked in. On one side of the door stood an overly muscular stallion with his mane cut extremely short. Further away was a set of stanchions with some sort of rope connecting them.

After landing, she made her way towards the door. As she did, Nightmare noticed the small wings on the back of the stallion. From the way the light colored him, she could guess that his coat was a very light color.

"Miss," the stallion said as he held the door open.

Stepping inside, Nightmare Moon found a desk with a mare standing behind it.

"Hello, and welcome to The Neon Flank. Is this your first time here?"

"Yes," Nightmare answered, looking around. There was another door on the opposite wall. There was also something in the air. She could feel a dull pulsing sensation coming from somewhere.

"Well there's no live DJ tonight since it's the middle off the week," the mare at the desk explained, "but there's also no cover charge tonight. I just need to stamp your hoof and you can go on in."

"Cover charge?" Nightmare asked as she moved toward the desk.

"Yes," the mare answered. "On weekends it's five bits. Can I see one of your hooves please."

Money. Nightmare Moon had completely forgotten about money. She had not thought to bring any with her. Then again, she did not have any. Twilight Sparkle had said something about a regular stipend, had she not? Nightmare was going to have to speak with her about that. She was likely going to need to make purchases in the future.

The idea made a part of her bristle. She should be a queen, a ruler, a pony of power and authority that is to be respected and feared. Ponies should simply be willing to give her want to so as to avoid her wrath. The fact that she actually had to even consider money and spending it was a mark in how greatly things differed from how she wished.

A sustained high pitched noise drew Nightmare Moon from her thoughts. Her ears pulled back, pinning against the side of her head as she tried to muffle the sound. Whatever it was, it felt like it was stabbing through her ears and into her brain.

It turned out the source of the irritation was actually the desk mare. Her eyes were wide as she stared, front hooves pressed to her cheeks as she grinned widely. As near as Nightmare could tell, the sound seemed to be coming out of the other mare's mouth.

"I can't believe it! It's you! Here! You're her!"

"'Her?'" Nightmare asked. "'Her' who?" Whomever it was that the mare thought Nightmare was, it must have been one she thought was of great importance.

"You're Nightmare Moon!" the desk mare shouted before letting out that strange noise again.

Nightmare felt a little conflicted. On one hoof, she was glad to be recognized and apparently seen as something as a big deal. On the other, she wanted the infernal noise to stop. Perhaps she could smack some sense into the other mare.

"This is amazing!" the mare shouted. She grabbed Nightmare's hoof and started shaking it. "I'm Chocolate Cherry and I am a huge fan of yours!"

"You," Nightmare said slowly, "are a fan... of me?"

"Well I'm not too fond of the whole 'eternal night' thing," Chocolate Cherry admitted, running a hoof across her spiky brown mane. "I mean having a day or two without it actually being day would be cool, but I don't think I'd want it dark forever." She then leaned forward, her green eyes going wide as she grinned.

"But the way you came in was amazing. That evil laugh before appearing in a puff of smoke. Then you reminded everypony who you were and just dominated the guards without even trying. You were so powerful. So charming. So... so..."

It looked to Nightmare that Chocolate Cherry's cheeks somehow managed to turn even redder. This was quite an unexpected event. Nightmare had never thought that there would be a pony that was actually a fan of her. Although, more accurately she had never thought she would have a fan that was not some sort of cultist or obsessed with causing eternal night. She certainly did not expect a pony from Ponyville -- where she first arrived and tried to take over -- to be a fan of her.

The sexual attraction she did expect. After all, she was powerful, clever, and very attractive. Add in her self-confidence, and practically any pony would fall head over hooves for her.

Now that she thought about it, perhaps that would be something she could use to her advantage more. She could probably remember some of the methods Rarity used to charm others if she tried.

"I can't believe I get to meet you," Chocolate Cherry cried out. "I even have a necklace with your eye symbol on the pendant. I wish I had something to get your autograph with." She let out a gasp. "I have a break later. I could probably get one from you then." She paused, shifting. "And... maybe a dance?"

So, the other mare was hitting on her after all. Interesting.

"Perhaps," Nightmare answered. "If I am still here when you do so, we shall see. In the meantime, I believe that you said something about a stamp?"

Chocolate Cherry let out a gasp, eyes going wide.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Hold on one second." Grabbing a rubber stamp, she pressed it into a pad then onto Nightmare's hoof.

"There you go," she said with a grin. "Have a good time. See you soon."

Pushing open the door, the pulsing sensation suddenly made sense. Without the final barrier removed, Nightmare Moon was struck by a deep vibrating bass line. Each pulse of the music coursed through her body, making her feel it to her very core. It was like no music she was familiar with, but there was something about it that she liked. It was primal. Raw. Sensual.

With the music came light. A great many colors of them. Nightmare could see them all over the place, shifting, moving and pulsing. A great many of them seemed to be in time to the rhythm. She found it hard to look away from them. At the same time, watching them made her head spin and feel fuzzy.

As she continued to walk, Nightmare's hips moved in time to the music. She emphasized the sway with each movement, shaking her rump and flank with the beat. Her tail raised up high behind her, swaying back and forth as a counter-point.

A pungent aroma filled the air and her nostrils. Having never been around them directly before and never having paid attention to the scents her hosts picked up, she did not recognize anything that made it. There was, however, something in it that caused a reaction in her own body. It was a reaction she had experienced before. Arousal.

Perhaps that was one of the smells she was picking up. After all, it probably was not having that effect just on her.

In the center of the room was an area cleared of tables and chairs. A large number of the ponies were there, shaking, jumping and gyrating. Some were in large groups, others in pairs, and a few were by themselves. A lot of them were pressed close to each other, and some even looked like they were about ready to mate and breed right on the dance floor.

Nightmare Moon could not help but grin at the sight, thinking of how her former hosts would react. Luna would be confused by it all, as neither the music nor the dancing that was being performed in the time before their banishment. Plus, she would probably be confused by how sexual it all was. That same sexuality would also be what caused a reaction from Rarity. She would find the whole scene "scandalous: and "obscene" (even though Nightmare knew about Rarity's "obscene" and "lewd" dreams and fantasies).

As for Nightmare Moon herself, she loved it. The feel of it all pulsing through her body. Ponies giving in to their base instincts and primal desires. A rejection of things thought of as "proper" and "civilized" for fun and pleasure, be it self of mutual. The whole thing thrilled her.

On the far side of the room was another large group of ponies that seemed to be assembled in front of something. Some moved toward it while others moved away, carrying glasses. A few even carried trays filled with them. As Nightmare got closer, she noticed several ponies behind a counter pouring drinks and opening bottles.

"Hey," a stallion said as he moved to stand beside Nightmare Moon. "Can I buy you a drink?"