Chapter 1 - Nightmare Night
Chapter - 1 Nightmare Night
By: Luna977
(The time presented will show you how far everything is apart)
(Time 9707)
The time was near. It had been so long since Luna had been on Equestria. The blue mare could barely remember what it had been like. There were only short memories that faded in and out of her head. The only major memories were of betrayal, and of defeat. But deep down beyond her knowledge, she just felt alone and unacknowledged. She felt like she just didn’t matter to anyone anymore. That was in the past though. All she could focus on now was anger, and revenge. “How dare she sent me to thy own moon!” She yelled stomping her hoof on the ground. She was trapped on her moon with nothing to do for almost a thousand years. It was a dust filled, white cratered land that spread as far as the eye could see. It had been a miserable experience to say the least.
Luna looked up from the moon toward Equestria. It was filled with life. Lush green grass meadows cover the land, and rich blue oceans across the rest world. It was an amazing view. Unfortunately Luna got tired of the view hundreds of years ago. To Luna, the world seems to radiate life. The thought of this only made the lunar princess feel even more hollow inside. She lowered her head to the ground reminded of the desolate landscape that surrounding her. She thought back on her imprisonment on the moon. She remembered the countless hours contemplating what she will do to get back at Celestia.
(Time 8707)
In the beginning of her sentencing she was furious. Although, after about two hundred years she had began to calm down feeling empty, and sad inside. She missed her home. She missed everything that she use to have.After thinking, and a lot of pacing, luna began to turned to her stars for answers. It took almost a hundred years before the mare found all the patterns of the stars above her. Sure she had many things to do with all of her time such as drawing, thinking, and making up games to occupy her mind. But, her favorite thing to pass the time was either exploring her moon or watching the stars pass above her.
(9100)
One day she connected a few pattern together getting a new idea, and stumbled upon a line up of close stars. Luna knew she could draw power from the closest star. It was a technique that doesn’t need much magic to do. The only problem was it didn’t produce a lot of magic. In fact it is very useless unless you could line them up to draw more out at a time. That was at least what Luna was hoping for. After all, it rarely ever happens, and was only done one other time by their mother many centuries ago. After studying the stars Luna found that they do actually line up about every 5,000 years give or take a hundred years. The only problem was they wouldn’t line up for another 600 years or so.
As time passed Luna grew anxious ready to come take her throne back. It was about time that Celestia knew that she couldn’t shut out Luna. As time shortened, Luna started to grow impatient and frustrated with her sister. She could feel the anger starting to take over slowly as she paced back and forth over time, ready to be free from her prison.
(Time 9707)
It was almost time, the princess began to feel the power of the stars. They would be in alignment soon, allowing for her escape. It would be a day or so before she could physically teleport back to Equestria though. Now was her time to carry out her plot to destroy the kingdom, thus making Celestia fall to the ground along with it.
Luna was anxious to start gathering information, so she decided to start her spell in an hour or so, when Celestia raises the moon. It was time for Luna to relive her title as Nightmare Night. Luna began to feel her power grow as the moon was lifted toward the center of the sky. “Now is the time for Nightmares!” Luna shouted happily with an evil grin. The blue mare sat down on the dusty bleached moon casting a spell to increase her range of power. “This might alert thyne princess but, it may be more of a sweet victory when she knows that she failed her kingdom by not acting in time.” Luna stated as she closed her eyes casting the spell. Her horn started to radiate a dark transparent blue as the moon started to fade into a transparent shade of red.
(Meanwhile on Equestria next to Canterlot castle)
It was a normal night for the palace and it’s guard’s. Something seemed to be off to the guards tonight though. The new recruit standing outside of the chamber’s of the Princess began to question why he suddenly had an eerie feeling. Like a darkness surrounding him, making him nervous. It was a feeling unlike any other he has ever felt. Then a gust of wind blew open the window in the long hallway on the far right side. It almost made the guard scream in terror. The white stallion across from the door looked over to the right side of the hall past the tables and paintings to find the window open. “Ugh, maybe I’m just not cut out for this kind of stuff,” the gray royal guard said.
The white stallion placed a hoof over his head in disgust. “I swear these new recruits are scared of mice.”
Then suddenly there was a sound of somepony approaching from the other side of him near the stairway. The gray royal guard grabbed his spear, and put his helmet back on completing his set of armour. He held out his spear while shaking in fear. There was a torch light that grew brighter as the sound of hooves hitting the staircase became louder. “Who’s there?!” the gray pony said. Then as the figure was close to reaching the top, the white stallion rushed over to the gray guard holding his spear at the opening ready to attack. “Who goes there!,” The guard yelled.
The figure came out of the stairway saying, “Excuse me?” This puzzled the guards setting them off of their striking position. The pony that came out of the stairway was another royal guard. He had a dark brown coat and was of a higher rank than the white stallion. “Both of you can leave now,” The brown stallion stated while gesturing for the gray stallion to lower his weapon. “What’s your name anyway.” The commander asked the graphite colored stallion.
“SilverDusk!” The royal guard replied while going down the stairwell to the main front doors. Then, as he got closer to the door he had a bad feeling making him gallop faster. As he opened the door his mouth opened in horror as he saw the blood moon off the mountainous terrain around Canterlot.
The Stallion galloped back inside and up the stairway to find the brown guard standing outside the room. “The moon!” The frightened stallion said, almost shaking.
“What about it? Is it falling from the sky?” The guard said laughing at the colt. “I swear these new recruits are getting more paranoid and delusional every year.”
“I swear the moon is blood red!” The white colt said pointing out the open window toward the moon.
“Let me see.” The guard said walking up next to the opening to check out the window. Sure enough there it was in the sky. It almost made the guard fall over as he began to run back toward the door to the chamber of the sun. The guard burst through the door. He looked around the room to find Celestia outside on her porch staring at the moon. The guard broke into a panic and yelled “Celestia the moon is-”
“Yes...Yes I know it is... We will play it off as a surprise for the big Nightmare Night Celebration this upcoming week to get them in the mood.” The stone white mare said.
With that the guard calmed down and began to leave. As he turned back toward the door he regained his composure. Then he began to give instructions to the rest of the guards to inform the news to everypony in Canterlot.
What have I done? Celestia thought in silence as she stared into the now red moon. Should I have locked you in the moon? Did I really have to... If I had more time could we have come up with a better solution? What will happen when the thousand years forms the stars together? She sat there for a while debating on whether her past decisions were correct. “I… I just don’t know what went wrong.”
That night the nightmares stirred the town, for they have not felt these kinds of dreams in thousands of years. Luna was able to reach out into half of the sleeping ponies in all of Equestria. Nightmare after nightmare she terrified them.
At the end of the night each pony had their own worst nightmare come to pass, and a final reminder of the terrifying Nightmare Night. Some used family remedy’s to scare away bad dreams while others shrugged it off as a bad dream. Only few knew of Nightmare Night.
As the night progressed into morning, it was almost time for Luna to succumb her power back to the moon. Before this happened though, she decided to bring one last warning to her sister before she would be satisfied. With the last of Luna’s power she dove into Celestia’s dream to see her once more. As Luna reached into the solar princesses dream she found herself shrouded in darkness. For Celestia was there behind Luna waiting patiently for her. When Luna sensed that she was not alone she turned toward Celestia, and saw her sitting down with her head hung. Instantly Luna began to feel like her plan to argue with her sister wasn’t going to go to plan. For she had not anticipated this outcome.
Celestia raised her head, which showed the disappointment in herself. A look that even Luna hasn’t seen since they were fillies. This look had struck the princess of the night on a level that instantly made her forget her anger.
“Luna… I know what I have done was unforgivable, but I was forced into the matter. I should have found another solution… I never wanted you to end up this way.” Celestia said in deep thought. Luna started to feel sorry for Celestia as the solar princess was nearly in tears. “Do you forgive me sister?” Celestia asked in a hushed voice while looking up into Luna’s eyes searching for an answer.
Then as Luna gave it a second thought, she remembered how she felt on the moon. Soon the pain flooded in as the memories came back to her. “For it was you who made me suffer for Centuries. Tis most ironic of a prison, for it was once one in which I controlled.” Luna said as she began to walk a few steps closer to the white mare in front of her. Celestia could see the hatred in Luna’s eyes. Celestia got to her feet fast, she now knew that her sister would never be the same no matter how hard she tried. But then as the white mare started to back up she tripped, and fell. Luna dashed up next to her. “For who will now be in control as you lay here in sleep? What will happen when thy back is turned? For I will return soon, and will bring my darkness upon this land! It shall be wondrous!” Luna said as she stood over Celestia.
Suddenly the darkness around them faded revealing princess Celestia’s chambers. Luna started looking around the room finding herself in the very room they last spoke. “Why here of all places in which you could have taken me?” Luna asked suspiciously.
“Well this is where our last conversation was. Do you remember sister?” The white mare asked while pushing Luna off of her. As Celestia got up she look toward her sister. Luna was staring indefinitely in thought back to that night.
“I do remember it well.” Luna replied,” Tis a night that I felt anger beyond relief.” Luna broke her stare and glared at Celestia.
“That wasn’t you Luna, it must have been discord. He opened up a part of you that was sad that you weren’t the elder. He took that memory and expanded it into a rage.” Celestia said trying to explain, but the more she tried the more angry Luna became. “I still see the good in your heart that you refuse to show. I know that you have been wronged, and I want to apologise for sending you to the moon. I wish it never came to that.” Luna wasn’t buying it, she would have seen discord cast his magic on her or at least she would have felt it.
“Discord had nothing to do with my feelings! I was always beneath you. Always in the shadows. That is where I will rule my kingdom. I will lead everypony in the darkness. Soon my shadow will cover the sun, and YOU will kneel before me,” Luna said in rage before disappearing into thin air.
As Celestia slept Luna used her magic to put Celestia into a sleep will lasts for two days. Then to make it less obvious the blue mare decided to raise the sun,while lowering the moon. This will make it seem like Celestia has done her job. It also won’t make everypony suspicious. Now that everything is in place I can return to my moon. For it is almost time for the Lunar Princess to return.
To Be Continued
