Nightmare: Rise of the Demons

Andromalius was panting heavily by the end of training. Nightmare Moon had certainly pulled no stops - spell after spell came at him at a steady and fast rate, giving him no rest as he did his best to block, redirect, or deflect them. He was drenched in sweat from the effort, his legs trembling. At that point, the dark alicorn stopped and told him to rest, which he gladly did.

"Harsh teacher, isn't she?" Inanna the succubus spoke in his thoughts, You really are in trouble here. Knee-deep in the shit for sure."

No doubt about that, but it's not as bad as it could be," the hell stallion replied, glad to have her company again, "I take it you've been looking for ways to free Luna."

"Well... I did spend some time on it, yes," she said slowly, "Remember what I told you before, about banishing Nightmare Moon from Luna's body? This is still the best bet we have. The other would be the willing transfer of a soul from one willing body to another. So, unless Nightmare Moon decides to perform that ritual, there's nothing we can do but try to fight her or take her by surprise."

Andromalius hummed in thought as he returned to his room. It was quite simple: a cot, a shower - with water flowing from a hole in the ceiling non-stop - and a toilet, which wasn't more than a covered hole in the floor. Changelings apparently didn't expect guests, although the hell stallion suspected Nightmare Moon got something at least a bit better.

He stepped under the natural shower and sighed in relief, feeling the cool water wash over him, taking away the sweat and the grime.

"Nothing better than a cold shower after a workout," Inanna projected herself on his cot, looking at him, "You've got a nice butt."

Andromalius blushed and did his best to cover his backside with his long tail as the succubus chuckled.

"You're way too easy to tease," she commented with mirth in her eyes, "Anyway, I think it would be for the best to wait for Nightmare Moon to give Luna a body. From what I've seen, Luna's former body assimilated Nightmare Moon's soul really well. So, banishing her from it would be really difficult without doing some kind of permanent damage to either the body and the soul," she shrugged, "At least that's what Beledal told me. He's way better at magical theory than me. Which is funny, considering that he can't naturally cast spells."

"Whos' Beledal?"

"Ah, he's a friend of mine, nice guy," she replied with a fond smile on her face, "Unfortunately, he prefers guys, so can't snag him myself. Hippogriffs can be quite an adventure, that with their claws. When they're nice, those claws can do wonderful things."

"You know you don't need to tell me your... sexual adventures, right?" Andromalius replied, flustered.

"You better get used to it," she grinned, "I'm not the only succubus around, you know. If you think this sort of light teasing is frustrating, wait until you hear Aeshma. I bet you'll explode then," she let out a laugh, "She has that way with words I can't ever hope to gain. And her voice... if I were into gals, I'd do all I could to hear that angelic voice moan my name."

Andromalius pointedly ignored her as he applied some soap to his body. There was even a brush, which he intended to use to polish his armor. He never really cared about looking good before, but now it was different. He quite liked how he looked, and he thought it wouldn't be bad to take care of himself more.

"One word about soap and anything sexual and I'll sic Nightmare Moon on you," he threatened half-jokingly, "Honestly, I'd rather get through showering without, well..."

"Your dick falling out of your crotch pocket?" she snickered, "Yeah, I can understand that. Not like showers are good for sex anyway. It's way too slippery, too dangerous to get rough. One time, someone broke their d-"

"I'd really rather not hear it," the hell stallion winced, "I can guess the implications, thank you very much."

Silence hung in the air for some time as Inanna hummed a tune to herself while Andromalius finished cleaning his body. He shook the remaining water off and then returned to the room proper.

"So... have you given any thought about, you know..." Inanna looked shifty, "The prophecy?"

"The thing about them..." he sighed heavily, "Is that they go wrong, every time. At least in fiction. I don't remember reading about any real prophecies, but then it seems anyone who gives them is a fraud. Anyway, you want to fulfill a prophecy? It will happen, but not in the way you want. You want to prevent it? Your very actions will fulfill it. You want to do nothing? It will find you and make you miserable because other people want to either fulfill it or prevent it."

"You know, a lot of people think the same way about it," the succubus said, "I've overheard a few things here and there, and no one's entirely happy about a prophecy. Those who believe in it and want it to happen want you to hurry your ass and do what the prophecy demands and, well, also become a ruler."

"As if some vague words are a good basis for a government," he snorted, "I've zero experience in ruling, well, anything. I've never been in charge of more than myself. I've never been a leader either. What good can I do there? Why do people think it's a good idea to have me in charge of anything just because a prophecy said so?"

"Then there are people who want to prevent you from doing anything, and let's just say some of them don't want you to exist at all," she admitted, looking away, "You know what that means, right?"

"They want to kill me?" he asked, blood stilling in his veins. He had already experienced attempts on his life, but he did his best to forget about them. To think that some people actively wanted him dead not because of anything he did - or anything that they perceived that he did- but simply because of a prophecy... it was both absurd and quite scary. Sure, his armor was thick and durable enough to withstand many things, his skin wasn't the weakest either, but he would much rather not have to deal with possible assassins.

"Yeah..." Inanna nodded, "Most... don't really care either way. Unless you make their lives worse."

"And where do you stand in all this mess?"

"I..." she avoided his eyes, "Well, I don't want you to die, that's for sure. But, I mean, the prophecy is pretty specific, no? It is speaking about you. I think. I, I don't know."

She suddenly looked completely unlike her usual joyful teasing self. Her blue eyes surrounded by black still weren't looking at the hell stallion, and she looked decidedly uncomfortable.

"You know, I guess I just want to help you," she finally said, her voice quiet, "At first... well, they did tell me seduce you and teach you and all sorts of stuff so that, well... so that you did what they wanted. And they want a symbol to rally behind, right? So yeah, you fit there."

Andromalius frowned. This certainly explained her attitude... somewhat. He didn't know if he should be angry at it - in the end, nothing really happened, after all. But then he also wished she told him all of that initially. However, it all reminded him that he needed to be careful - he was no longer a face in the crowd, unnoticeable and unimportant. He was thrust into this new world without a way for him to avoid notice. He sighed internally - he had gathered plenty of attention already, far more than he would previously be comfortable with.

"I, I'll leave you to think about it, okay?" she said and then disappeared without waiting for a response. Andromalius tried to call her but she didn't answer, although he felt she could still hear him.

Andromalius let out a long, tired sigh. His life was already complicated enough, and now he learned the demons wanted to use them for their own plans as well. He needed to deal with that, then there was Nightmare Moon, and then there was Equestria and Celestia... One problem after another, obstacle after obstacle. His human life was so much easier - go to school, do well, socialize a bit, then go to college, do well, socialize a bit, then get a job, socialize, and so on and so forth. It was a simple way of life that millions of people followed. However, this way had been taken from him, and he wasn't even sure he would want to return to it given the chance.

With his previous life's goal gone, what did he actually want to achieve in the new life? What was there for him to strive for? He was never particularly interested in anything specific. Granted, right now, it was quite exciting to learn to cast spells and learn about magic and about the world, but what was his goal? After lifting the curse, he felt freer than before, fog disappeared from his mind. However, being able to think clearly didn't give him the answers to things like existential questions.

When he became strong, when he became powerful, when he dealt with those problems... What would come next?

Nightmare Moon sighed in relief after a long night and an even longer day - with the plans finalized, she and Andromalius were finally able to return to the Everfree, away from the barren rocks and hot sands of the Badlands. Not only that, but she had fulfilled more than one objective - changelings were more or less firmly on her side, and she also stumbled on the six Element Bearers. She was surprised by how easily they were taken - the mares were found sleeping in their tents, leaving no one to look out for danger, and not even a detection or alarm spells were cast on the campsite. This made her annoyed - an alicorn's student should know to protect themselves.

Twilight Sparkle, however, was a disappointment. Undoubtedly strong in magic - even now, under enchanted sleep, she struggled to break through the binds. She had determination in droves, which was quite a positive quality. However, there were still many qualities she thoroughly lacked. To think that Celestia sent her to Ponyville to, to, to make friends of all things, spoke of the alicorn's complete ineptitude when it came to foals. Twilight Sparkle was led and made to focus on studies, not on socialization. Ponies were social creatures, they stood strong together - it was completely unnatural for them to be loners. This, apparently, Celestia didn't understand. Or, worse, she had perhaps neglected her student deliberately.

Thankfully for Nightmare Moon, it meant Twilight Sparkle wouldn't be nearly as dangerous as she feared the unicorn could've been if she were properly trained and prepared for the real world.

A carriage was loaned by the changelings to carry the six Bearers to the Summer Palace. Of course, keeping them close to the Tree of Harmony that resided underneath the castle was certainly not a good idea, but there was little choice to be had. An eye needed to be kept on them, and it couldn't be done away from the palace as long as their forces were so low in number. There was still much to do before a major part of Equestria fell under Nightmare Moon's control. The thestrals still remaining in Equestria were thoroughly loyal to her, but they were an insular and small part of the population, living in caves and dense forests away from the bulk of pony civilization.

However, Nightmare Moon didn't intend for the majority to support her before she took control of the country. They would fall in line if they knew what was good for them - ponies, now more than ever, were cowardly and detested fighting. As long as their way of life wasn't threatened too much, they would remain placid. A show of power would also keep them from rebelling - centuries under the alicorn rule had taught them who was on top, after all. They wouldn't rumble too much as long as an alicorn was in power - such was tradition, such was right and proper.

Soon, her show of power would commence. However, before it was to be done, she needed to establish good connections between the nearest neighbors: changelings were one of them, but so was the Free Territory. They recognized no authority and were not a part of Equestria anywhere but on paper. Giving them formal independence along with loosening taxation on trade and similar things would certainly convince them not to intervene in internal Equestrian affairs. Perhaps it wouldn't gain their support, but they at least wouldn't be against Nightmare Moon.

"Your majesty," a unicorn thestral entered Nightmare Moon's office, "The Free Territories have sent their replies."

"Very well," Nightmare Moon took a sizeable stack of letters from the unicorn, "Thank thee, Bloom. Thou art most timely."

"I live for the night, your majesty," the unicorn bowed and then was dismissed from the throne room.

Nightmare Moon looked through the letters thoroughly. Quite a few of the various communes wanted nothing to do with her and refused to meet her outright. She knew what they expected for this - retaliation. Equestria, for all its peacefulness, did not tolerate insults well. However, she intended to give no punishment. Instead, they would be thanked for their responses and left alone. Unless she gave them cause to unite and stand against her, they would remain on the sidelines, and she intended not to make them enemies. Of course, it didn't help that she wasn't yet holding a position of power - if a conflict arose between her forces and the united Free Territories, she would lose simply because of the numerical disadvantage.

A few communes were more polite in their refusal to meet her, citing one semi-valid reason or the other. However, still some communes were interested in her proposal and wanted to meet with her at the earliest opportunity to discuss it in person.

Nightmare Moon wasn't stupid enough to reveal her real name and used Luna's instead. If anyone inquired, she would merely answer that she wanted to reintegrate the Free Territories into Equestria. Which was what the letters she sent vaguely implied, for the sake of deniability of course. Perhaps that was what the communes that rejected her saw - it wouldn't be the first time Equestria tried to take them through either force or diplomacy. However, some saw it for what it actually was.

Penning a reply to each letter took time, but it would be worth it. As long as she was polite, there would be no cause for others to go against her. Which was exactly what she wanted - if they didn't want to join her, they should stay away. She recognized that the old adage of 'if you don't stand with me, you stand against me' is foolish, short-sighted, and counter-productive. One did not make enemies without a good reason.

Once all the letters were sent, Nightmare Moon exited her office. The quietness of it was replaced by the noises of construction. The Summer Palace was undergoing much needed renovations in order to return to its former glory and improve further. While the progress was slow, it was acceptable - despite a thousand years passing, not many architectural changes had to be made to accommodate the modernity.

The majority of the workers around the palace were thestrals, loyal to her for centuries. Yet there were still some regular ponies, recruited for their ideological differences with the current Equestrian government. They were undoubtedly loyal to Nightmare Moon's cause, even if they didn't dare voice their personal objections to Eternal Night. As far as she was concerned, they were very aware of how little of a price it was for the sake of a better Equestria.

Nightmare Moon looked out the window and saw a couple of cannons being unloaded. They were rusty and lacked proper carriages, but they would function well enough after repairs. She couldn't yet afford to buy them new lest she attract unnecessary attention and spend all her available funds before they could be replenished.

Cannons were certainly a good invention, much better for sieges than trebuchets. They were able to shoot further and harder, perhaps even able to strike Canterlot's walls from beneath the mountain if properly designed and built. No trebuchet, enchanted or not, would be able to do it. She also had a plan to improve the design further - perhaps Andromalius encountered something similar in his world.

"We have cannons on Earth," he confirmed when asked, "But we've improved them a lot. This," he gestured at one of the cannons, "Is a design a couple of centuries old, I think. We no longer load cannons from the muzzle - instead, we have breeches. As in, we load the cannons from the rear. We also don't use projectiles and powder separately - instead, they're encased together in a cartridge. It's made of brass, and it expands during firing to seal the barrel and prevent gas leakage from the chamber. I'm sorry, but I don't really know much about cannons, so I couldn't tell you how to make the breech properly."

"Very interesting," Nightmare Moon nodded, "The improvements thou art suggesting may improve the rate of fire. Those cartridges thou speakest of, they shall certainly simplify loading as well as prevent the gunpowder from suffering moisture. Tell me more about how a cartridge is made, how it functions."

"Well, the projectile is in the front," he explained, "It's usually conical in shape, not round. Then there is powder behind it, and all of that is in a brass cylinder. On the bottom of it, there's a primer - when it's hit by a firing pin, it ignited the powder, and then the explosion propels the projectile. Also, are the barrels of the cannons rifled?"

Both the engineers and Nightmare Moon looked confused at the term. The former were writing down everything he said, even making a sketch of the cartridge. To demonstrate his point, Andromalius bent down, lit his horn, and looked into the barrel.

"Ah, it's smooth," he commented, "So, by rifled I mean that the barrel has grooves - not straight grooves from one end to the other, but curved grooves. They make the projectile spin before leaving the barrel, improving accuracy. I don't know the specific ratio or angle of the grooves or whatever, though."

"We'll get it right," one of the engineers nodded, "This has been very... enlightening."

"Indeed," Nightmare Moon nodded, "Then I request you proceed with Andromalius' ideas and see what can be done. As soon as you have favorable results, notify me. However, there are no firing tests to be done without my explicit approval. Andromalius, come, I require thine assistance for an important matter."

They walked through the palace, passing by various workers. Most of the work was focused on repairing the damage sustained a thousand years ago as well as all the natural damage from centuries of neglect. Roofs and walls were either repaired or replaced, old rotting wood removed and stripped for firewood, and the floors were being cleaned or redone depending on their state. The enchantments on the palace that protected it from harm were barely there, slowly fading away, sustained only by background magic.

"Tell me, Andromalius, what dost thou think of the defenses of this palace?" she inquired after some time, "Thou hast provided the most useful ideas in regards to our artillery, so perhaps thou mayst offer some information on fortification as well."

"I'm really far from an expert on this," he shook his head slightly, "But I think the most important defense the palace has right now is that it's in the middle of the Everfree. Ponies, from what I know, don't go here."

"Indeed," Nightmare Moon nodded, motioning for him to continue.

"I also think that, considering it's called a palace and not a castle or a fortress, it wasn't build with defenses in mind," he said, "Unless the defenses are magical that I can't see. I didn't notice any good walls or towers for archers or cannons. I mean, the current walls and towers can be used for defense, but I don't think they were built for defense. They seem... thin, I suppose. And they're made of stone and mortar - in my time, defenses were made of reinforced concrete."

"Reinforced concrete is well-known and used in modern coastline cities," Nightmare Moon nodded, "Its defensive potential, however, was rarely discussed."

"Well, you might want to look into that," he advised, "Although cannons can still do a lot of damage to just around anything. The defenses need to be thick to stand up to a barrage of cannon fire, that's for sure. Or they need to be hidden underground, protected by a thick layer of earth on top."

"Most useful indeed," she let herself smile in praise at him, "Perhaps those are simple solutions, but such is only obvious in hindsight. For once, no ponies had yet to think of using concrete for defensive purposes. We have castles and fortresses scattered around Equestria since the days of Unification, so I imagine they would not stand up to your standards."

Andromalius wisely decided not to speak of all the other weapons humanity have invented. He certainly didn't want Nightmare Moon or anyone else to develop a nuke or such horrible things like chemical and biological weapons. World War I advanced weapons like never before, but he would much rather prefer it never happened. To this day, certain lands can't be safely accessed because of all the unexploded ordnance along with storages of chemical weapons. The unmarred lands of Equestria were much more preferable to that.

"What dost thou think of Canterlot, then?" Nightmare Moon asked.

"I don't think it would be easy to lay siege on it," he replied, answering the implied question, "It's high up in the mountains, and I know the main road is twisted and rather steep. An easier access is the railroad, but you can't really transport an army that way. Then there are walls and towers that were obviously built with defense in mind. I don't know much history, but I don't think anyone has ever laid siege on Canterlot, let alone taken it. Not even cannons could help much, especially since the defenders will have an easier time using them from their high ground."

"That is correct," Nightmare Moon nodded, "Despite thine general ignorance of the topic, thou hast given thoughtful answers. So, tell me, which of the two - Summer Palace or Canterlot - should be the seat of power?"

"Canterlot," he replied, "Much better defended, and it's... well, it's also a symbol of Equestria. You can see it from almost everywhere. The Summer Palace should remain what it is, probably. Maybe added defenses could make it into a backup castle. Or maybe it would be good as a castle for a prince or princess, to help them learn how to handle it all before they inherit the throne."

"Not a bad suggestion," the dark alicorn agreed as the two exited the palace ant traveled some distance until they stood just near the chasm separating it from the main road through the Everfree. A new bridge, a solid one made of stone, was being constructed, and the road was being paved, "Now, the reason I brought thee here is simple. Before long, someone will notice what is happening to the Summer Palace. Of course, it's unlikely anyone will travel here, but this activity will certainly be noticed from the distance. If one used a telescope to look here from Canterlot, they would see it. Thy purpose is to provide me power while I cast a spell - it will mask the Palace, make others disregard it as unimportant. The spell will redirect attention away from it, in simple terms."

"How do I do it?"

"Thou merely needs to touch thine horn to mine as I cast," Nightmare Moon explained, "There will be a sensation - do not fight it," she then turned to the palace, her horn lit with a spell. Her voice boomed across the grounds: "Attention! A spell will now be performed! Put down your tools and remain in place!"

Once the Palace quieted, Nightmare Moon begun her spell. She chanted in a language Andromalius didn't know, yet he could discern the meaning from the feeling going through his body - obscuration and obfuscation. He felt her magic tugging at his, bringing it out of him and to her through his horn. It was difficult not to resist the feeling - it felt like he was being drained of energy. However, he trusted Nightmare Moon wouldn't just kill him there and then. So, he reluctantly let her cast the spell.

Far too soon, it ended, and he was left confused. Why was he standing in the middle of the forest? Wasn't there supposed to be something here? He didn't... remember.

"The Palace of the Night is in the center of the Everfree Forest," Nightmare Moon spoke, and the fog on his mind cleared as he was able to look at the Palace again. It felt almost as if it materialized out of thin air, yet he knew it was always there, "A peculiar feeling, isn't it?"

"It felt weird," he readily agreed, "I thought I was in the middle of the forest. I couldn't remember there was a palace."

"That is very interesting," she commented, "The spell wasn't supposed to go quite this way. Hm, perhaps thy magic improved it. Thou wast supposed to see the palace but have a hard time looking at it without thinking of something else. To have it removed from thy perception... a most useful improvement."

"I suppose we should tell others. I bet they're as confused as I was."

"That we shall do, then."