Nightmare Moon, Princess of the Night and ruler of all of Equestria, smiled to herself from atop the tallest tower in the castle. Cast under the subtle glow of her moon, the Everfree Forest shined with a sublime beauty the likes of which it had not seen since before her first ascent, and the night sky above shined with more radiance than the finest gems could hope to compete with.
To the north, Canterlot glistened like a jewel amidst the night horizon, situated atop Mount Canter. While it was Equestria’s capital proper, her castle in the Everfree was far more secluded and secure. Communication with the bureaucrats and nobles in Canterlot was simple enough given her magic, allowing her to spend her nights in her preferred residence away from the sycophants who thought they could use her for their own gain.
She breathed in deep of the fresh air, then let her gaze sweep over the castle’s proud, study walls. None of the forest’s inhabitants would dare threaten her home, knowing full well what their fate would be, but the walls served more than one purpose after all. Guards clad in steel-gray armor patrolled the parapets, mostly for show, but also to tend to whatever may come that she needed.
She sat down at the battlements. The cold stone quickly stole away her haunches’ warmth, but it was of little consideration to the Princess of the Night. It had been a full year since her second coming. A full year since she had finally bested her damned sister and banished her properly! A full year since she had stomped out the Bearers’ resistance and brought them to bow before her.
She smiled to herself, the sweet ecstasy of her successes bringing her to feel giddy, almost to the point of laughing in victory. A tremble raced down her spine and she swiped her tongue over her lips. Tonight was a night worth celebrating! The first of a thousand such nights to come, and then a thousand more!
‘Now, what shall I do to celebrate tonight?’ she pondered as she looked out towards Canterlot. There were no ponies to share such a celebration with, unfortunately or not, but regardless, as Princess, she could have, could do, whatever she wanted. And if anypony dared question her, well, they would find themselves in a most regrettable position in short order.
Inevitably, her thoughts drifted back to that night one year ago, and her smile grew. She had caught them off-guard and dealt with them swiftly. It was easy enough to keep the Bearers in check now, given that she had the Elements locked away and their Princess in her dungeon. They wouldn’t dare risk Twilight Sparkle’s safety to challenge her.
‘Twilight Sparkle...’ She thought back on the name, considering her memories of the young alicorn princess from her short time as Luna before she had once more ascended to Nightmare Moon. The mare was dangerous, intelligent, but ultimately, no longer a threat. Breaking Celestia before her, stealing away the Elements, and taking her friends captive had disarmed her. As her friends would not risk Twilight to oppose her, Twilight would too not risk them to oppose her.
She smiled fondly, confident in the knowledge.
It had been a year since the alicorn had last seen her friends. A year since she had walked free, and now, the former Princess was wholly at her mercy. A small part of her regretted that it had to be this way, as the mare had shown her such kindness and compassion when she had been weakened, even helping Luna adjust to the world after her last defeat, but the alicorn was, nevertheless, a possible threat, and one who had stood against her during both of her returns, even stopping her once.
Yet, for having it all, she found that there was one simple thing which she was missing. For being the Princess of Equestria, the whole kingdom bowed to her, and she still had not a single pony whom she could name friend or confide in properly as she could have during the short time she had been Luna.
As the memories faded away, she noticed that her smile had slipped. Her mood hadn’t quite soured, but her giddiness had succumbed to her contemplation. ‘Perhaps I will send for you, then. Perhaps a year has been enough time for you to come to see things differently.’ She nodded to herself and stood up, then summoned her magic and teleported back to her bedchambers. The warm air and glow of magic torches welcomed her back, as was proper.
She walked over to lay down on her bed, then used her magic to send for a servant, who, after not quite a minute of patient waiting, knocked on the door. “Enter,” she bade, and the door opened to reveal a midnight-blue unicorn mare with a white mane, who summarily bowed to the floor before her.
“Yes, your Majesty?”
“Rise. I should like to celebrate tonight,” she stated as the mare started rising from her bow. “’Tis the anniversary of my victory.” She smirked to herself.
“Of course, your Majesty,” the mare answered with practiced formality.
“I should like fine drink. Wine. Something nice,” she ordered.
The mare nodded, then paused before nodding again. “Will that be all, your Majesty?”
“Two wine glasses,” she specified. “And have the former Princess Twilight Sparkle cleaned up and made presentable, and then bring her here to me.”
The latter request caught the mare off-guard, as her eyes widened and her mouth parted for a moment, but she recomposed herself a moment later, her lips had pressed into a tight line, and she nodded seriously. “As you wish, my Princess.” The mare bowed deeply once more, then left to meet her requests, leaving Nightmare Moon laying on her bed, pondering what more she could do tonight.
Perhaps she could indulge in something less orthodox.
Perhaps she could convince Twilight Sparkle to indulge her.
The distant slamming of a metal door went unnoticed as Twilight Sparkle, former Princess of Equestria, stared ahead at a cold, grimy stone wall. The cell was lit only from sparse magical torches along the dungeon’s walls, leaving her body to cast the faintest visible shadow against the wall, only slightly darker than the rest of the wall. No windows to look outside or offer fresh air; it was what it was, a place for the condemned, rightfully or otherwise, as so decreed by Princess Nightmare Moon.
She felt numb now, barely paying attention to the distant clicking of metal boots on the stone floor, likely a guard bringing yet another prisoner to the castle’s dungeon. It wasn’t often that new prisoners were brought in, likely because most of them were kept in other dungeons, leaving the more prominent ones to stay in the Everfree Castle’s dungeon, closely watched and guarded by Nightmare Moon herself.
She had felt numb for a long time now. Her face, her hooves, her wings. They were all numb. There was no way for her to keep track of time properly besides meals, but then what was the point of keeping track of it? She wouldn’t be getting out of the cell for a long, long time.
If ever.
She would never see her friends or family again. She had accepted that a long time ago. She tried to hold onto hope, but she knew better. It was a simple fact that Nightmare Moon had won, and she had failed. For her failure, she deserved to be where she was because of the simple fact that everypony now suffered for her mistakes, paying the cost of her defeat.
Maybe Nightmare Moon would let her go to their funerals, but she doubted it.
Maybe whoever the guard was bringing in was one of her friends, finally crossing the line and being sentenced to join her, but even then, they would be kept apart. So, so close, perhaps close enough to hear her voice, and yet never would she get to lay eyes on her or hug her again.
She didn’t close her eyes. She barely blinked, barely breathed in. There was just no point to it.
The sounds of boots on the stone grew louder. She could make out a second set of hooves as well, bare. Likely belonging to whoever had been condemned to this fate alongside her.
She shivered from cold and tried to move her wings, not that she could, given the leather straps securing them in place. The strap hadn’t been adjusted in a long time. She was almost used to it. It didn’t hurt anymore, and she had learned not to struggle against it because it would end up injuring her wings. Whether that was by design or not was ultimately pointless. They would briefly unbind her to treat her wings a bare minimum, but then they would throw her back in the dungeons, bound again.
She licked her lips. Was the pain worth the freedom? She squinted at the stone and tried to move her wings again. ‘It might be worth it.’
She lowered her gaze to the floor as the steps continually drew nearer. Of course, they were going to pass by her cell. Mock the former Princess, send the convict into despair at seeing her broken.
But ultimately, why should she care now? What was done, was done. She couldn’t do anything now, besides waste away.
She tried to suppress it, but memories came back. She had such a bright future before it all went wrong. She remembered her friends’ smiles, their scents, the feeling of their fur as they all hugged and nuzzled. She remembered their voices, their laughs, the happiness and joy in their eyes. There were bad times too, but those memories never came to mind for whatever reason. It always made it harder, always made her feel bitter, remembering what she had lost.
She was numb, or so she thought. Her chest ached from the memories. She closed her eyes and her body trembled. Her forelegs gave out just enough that she haunched over before catching herself. The sound of her chain rattling broke the silence filling the dungeon. ‘Dammit... why? Why did this have to happen? What did I do wrong?’ She remembered that night. It played through her mind, despite her best efforts to suppress it. She tried to think of what she could have done differently.
Ultimately, thinking about it was pointless.
What had happened, happened. And now there was no changing it.
“Twilight Sparkle.”
She opened her eyes at the sound of her name. Rarely did the guards address her, but more unusual was that it was the voice of a mare. She didn’t recognize the voice. The voice played through her mind several times simply because it was something new, something different from normal. Attention. Another pony. One who hadn’t forgotten who she was. She begrudgingly turned her head back to look over her shoulder. A guard and another pony, one dressed in a servant’s uniform, stood at the door to her cell. The guard pointedly looked at the wall past her, rather than at her, while the servant, a unicorn, looked at her. She said nothing; there was nothing to say. Sure, she felt a subdued sense of curiosity, left behind from so long ago, but now there was no point in asking because she would get no answers, and even if she did, no answers would help her now.
“Princess Nightmare Moon requested that you be cleaned up and brought to her.”
Twilight scowled bitterly and turned away from the mare as anger welled up inside her chest. She considered staying where she sat just to spite all three of them, but ultimately that served no point. The Princess requested it, so the Princess would have it. Whatever part of her mind still wasn’t completely numb felt curious. ‘Why does she want to see me?’
The anger bubbled into bitterness, and then a pang of fear struck her. Her stomach churned. ‘It... no, it can’t have been so long that...’ She fought back the thought, clenching her eyes shut as she stood up to stop herself from crying, then turned around to face them. She took a few seconds to force down her fear and collect herself. The numbness returned, so she opened her eyes. The mare stood there while the guard unlocked the cell door, then stepped inside and unlatched the chain coupled to her collar from the wall, then stepped back into the hallway, pulling on the chain to lead her like a pony might lead a dog.
She tightened her jaw and held back a growl of anger while her lip twitched up, baring her teeth.
She hadn’t been a bitter pony, but time changed ponies.
She swallowed back that bitterness as the two of them led her along the dungeon’s hallway towards the stairs. She refused to peer into any of the cells she passed by, not wanting to know if any of them were occupied and ponies were seeing her or not.
Still, as much as she tried to ignore it, it felt so good to be able to properly walk again. Stretching her legs, moving with a purpose rather than back and forth in the small confines of her cell. She closed her eyes, simply enjoying the change of pace. The pleasure from moving, as horrible as she thought it was, felt good.
Of course, it wouldn’t last long. She opened her eyes and forced her lips back down into a neutral expression so that nopony would see her enjoying it, that way they wouldn’t get any pleasure from stripping that freedom away from her.
They lead her to the stairs, then up to the castle proper. She squinted her eyes from how bright the castle was compared to the dungeons. Her chest ached as she thought back on waking up in the morning in Ponyville. The sun creeping in through the window, the sun against her back as she walked outside. Her eyes fell to the floor, and in short order, her head drooped.
The air was warmer, fresher, and altogether lighter. She felt better, yet that only made the dread of what was to come all the worse. Nightmare Moon wanted her for something, and that wasn’t good.
Ultimately, it didn’t matter. Her fate had already been decided a long time ago.
She tuned out to the castle as the guard and servant lead on. They passed a few guards and other servants; the guards ignored her, but the servants always glanced at her. She tried to not notice it, but it was too obvious. She had to force back sneers every time they looked at her the wrong way.
They finally led her into a room she didn’t recognize. She begrudgingly lifted her head back up and let herself look around. Compared to the dungeons, it was Celestia’s suite in Canterlot Castle. A proper bed, a bathroom, nightstand, and dresser complete with a mirror. Definitely not Nightmare Moon’s chambers, however, as it seemed too small and empty.
“Please remove her restraints,” the mare requested.
Twilight shifted as the guard set about removing the collar from her neck. She breathed in as he pulled the collar away, leaving her fur bare. She nearly jumped when it clattered to the stone floor, but feeling it gone felt wonderful. Her neck felt so light, and feeling the cool air against her fur again was divine.
But it wouldn’t last. She tightened her jaw and stared straight ahead, refusing to betray any more of her enjoyment.
The guard stepped over to her side and started working on the leather strap. Her eyes snapped onto the guard’s hoofwork, anxiety churning in her core. Was he actually going to remove it, or was it a trick, making her think he would only to tighten it and steal away that little ember of hope she felt? She didn’t let her fear show. He removed the leather strap from her wings, letting it fall to the floor mostly silently, then walked around to stand where he had before.
Twilight slowly turned her head back to look at her unbound wings. The tightness she had gotten used to was gone. She felt as light as when she had first flown. She felt giddy and her wings bristled at her sides, finally able to move for the first time in so long without pain, despite an anxious dread churning in her core. Although the ache from being held in place for so long throbbed in her muscles and bones, feeling her feathers tracing lines through her fur sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine. She had to stop herself from prancing in place like a little filly and making a fool of herself.
It would be taken away again.
She didn’t want it taken away again. Her lips fell and the urge to prance faded.
But was the leather strap really gone or was she just delusional? She tentatively lifted her wings, and her wings moved.
She was unbound.
Except for the magic suppression ring on her horn, but they wouldn’t risk taking that off.
The anxiety churned in her chest all the worse as she slowly unfurled her wings, then stretched them out to their full extent. Feeling her muscles move and stretch made her close her eyes to savor the freedom. Stretching her wings and giving an experimental flap, the pleasure of using her muscles soothed the constant ache she had felt while they were bound.
For the first time in so long, she felt air under her wings and against her sides. Ignoring the ache from being bound, she gave her wings another little flap. Her wings, sides, and spine all tingled from pleasure.
Freedom.
The chill of the air against the underside of her wings and the sides of her body reminded her of when she had flown, how free she felt when carried on by her wings and the world was so far below.
But it wouldn’t last.
She opened her eyes and turned her head to look back at her other wing, but her gaze was drawn to the indents she could both feel and see left in her wings from the strap, along with her disheveled feathers. She could fly, probably, but not easily.
Not that she would ever fly again.
A pang of regret made her muscles give out. Her wings fell to her sides, her feathers brushing against the floor. She swallowed and forced herself to pick her wings up and fold them back to her sides before rubbing her feathers against her fur again. It felt so good, the natural feeling of being able to move her feathers along her coat. It sent little tingles through her back. It had been so long since she had just rubbed her feathers against her sides properly.
She turned back to look at the servant, who then looked at the guard and nodded. He proceeded to leave, and in his place, three more servants entered. Two pegasi and another unicorn. The four of them quickly whisked her away to the bathroom.
She barely had time to process the feeling of hot water against her body before she closed her eyes and the servants went to work thoroughly washing her coat. The scent of lavender soap and shampoo was divine compared to the filth and grime of the dungeons. She felt the water soaking into her fur, their hooves and magic working the soap into her coat, mane, and tail, washing out the grit and grime, leaving her coat softer and cleaner. She lost herself in the warmth and fragrance to the point that before she realized what was happening, they were taking her out of the bath, drying her off, and brushing her mane and tail.
It felt nice being pampered. A long time ago, she wouldn’t have enjoyed it. It would have felt improper, like she was taking advantage of whoever was pampering her. But now it was such a nice change from what she was used to. She stayed silent as they all brushed her mane and tail and preened her wings, grooming her to a state of perfection that only served to remind her of the reason why they were doing it. Nightmare Moon wanted to see her for some reason.
Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing since she had gone through the effort of having her cleaned up.
Or maybe that was meant to rub it in all the more when she sent Twilight back to her dungeon cell, stripping all of it away once more just to finally crush whatever hope she clung to that somehow hadn’t died already.
Her stomach tensed and her jaw clenched further, at least until they set about brushing her teeth and forcing her to gargle mouthwash which burned and made her eyes water. It grew worse when they applied a generous amount of perfume to her, but the worst part of that was over quickly, and the fragrance was pleasant.
They led her back out to the bedroom and brought her in front of the mirror. For the first time, she noticed that the room had a window.
For the first time in a long while, she looked outside. It was night, but even that was a welcome sight that she hadn’t seen in so, so long. The star-speckled night sky brought her to remember the mare she had once saved, how Luna’s mane reminded her of the night sky, but it had been little more than a lie. A ruse that had successfully lulled her and everypony else into a false sense of security.
It would be nice to go outside, even in the Everfree Forest, but she knew better than to hope for that.
They quickly finished the last steps of grooming her, leaving her to stare at her reflection. She could still spot where the collar had been on her neck, and it was still noticeable that her wings had been bound, but she actually looked like a Princess, save regalia and tiara, for the first time in a long time.
Her eyes, though, just weren’t the same. She couldn’t look at her eyes. She looked down at her neck instead, glad that she hadn’t been forced to look at herself before they had cleaned her up. But even then, she still saw her eyes on the edges of her vision and it was enough that she wished she was back in her cell so that Nightmare Moon wouldn’t see her eyes.
One of the servants finally pulled out a small black box, and another lifted the ring from her horn. She felt her magic. She could use her magic. A surge of energy raced through her body and mind, as if a fog had been lifted from her. A little ember of hope sparked inside her. She remembered all of the spells she knew, all of the spells she could use.
But for what? To escape? Nightmare Moon would hunt her down, and even if she managed to run free, there was nothing she could do to fix what had happened now.
Lashing out at the servants or the guards would do nothing except prove she wasn’t the good pony she had once been, prove that she wasn’t worthy to be a princess, and prove that Nightmare Moon was right to keep her imprisoned.
And just as quickly as the ring came off, a second ring was slipped onto her horn. She held back a grimace as numbness returned, sealing off her magic once more before she could use it and smothering out that ember of hope. She looked up at the ring. While the old ring was a simple metal band, the new ring was ornate, covered in silver with intricate markings around it. A small ruby was delicately centered on the ring, adding a little bit of flare. And yet despite how ornate the ring was, there was no escaping who the ring was meant for and what the ring did.
She averted her gaze again. The servants looked her over before nodding to themselves, then ushering her back out of the room. Three of the servants left, leaving the first one and the guard to lead her through the hallways in silence. Once more, servants looked at her as she walked by them, but their gazes weren’t the same as before. She wasn’t sure if it was an improvement or not. But at least she wasn’t lead by a chain this time.
She swallowed when they came to a stop in front of a double door emblazoned with a crescent moon and the guard knocked. Her legs felt weak, either from all the walking or fear from who was behind that door. She wasn’t sure which, but it was probably both. Her stomach churned as that familiar, sharp, distinct voice called out, “Enter!”
The guard opened the door and looked at Twilight, who begrudgingly looked back at him. He looked at her expectantly. She held in a growl and turned her head to the other side to look at the servant, who walked just inside the doorway before stopping. “Twilight Sparkle is ready, your Majesty.”
“Then send her in.”
The servant stepped back out and looked at Twilight before motioning her inside.
Twilight grimaced and turned away from the servant before forcing herself to walk into the room. Her tail just barely cleared the door by the time one of them shut it behind her, making her wince. She swallowed and looked around the room. It seemed larger than Celestia’s royal suite, but that might have just been her being cramped in a tiny cell for so long. The stone walls left much to be desired compared to Canterlot, but it was still several steps above the dungeons. She looked over a large mural on the wall, depicting Equestria as if one was standing on a mountain, looking down onto the plains below.
Turning right, her gaze settled on the alicorn herself, and her mouth went dry. Nightmare Moon laid on her stomach atop her bed, staring back at her with a bemused smirk across her lips. A wine glass levitated in her aura, just off the side of the bed, and atop a dresser sat a bottle of wine and a second, empty wine glass, along with the alicorn’s cyan crown, regalia, and shoes.
She swallowed and reluctantly turned to face her captor, then begrudgingly took a step towards her. Every other time she had seen the alicorn, Nightmare Moon was either wearing her armor or her royal vestments. Seeing her now without anything on left her unnerved, but maybe that was Nightmare Moon’s desired intent, to make the point of just how useless she was now.
Nightmare Moon breathed in deep, making Twilight stop, and then looked off to the side as she levitated her wine glass over and sat it on the dresser. Finishing that, Nightmare Moon turned back to Twilight and leaped off the bed.
Twilight had to fight off the urge to step back at the alicorn’s sudden pounce, but she managed to stand her ground, even as Nightmare Moon calmly approached her. Eventually, the alicorn stopped about two paces away from her, forcing her to look up at her. The way the alicorn looked back down at her, studying her features rather than her glare, left her feeling more uncomfortable as if being sized up for some reason.
“You seem lighter than I remember,” Nightmare Moon commented idly.
“Being imprisoned will do that to you,” Twilight muttered.
Nightmare Moon hummed dismissively, then stepped to the side and circled around Twilight, forcing the younger alicorn to turn her head to keep track of the alicorn, who continued to scrutinize her form as she completed the circle. Once finished, Nightmare Moon stopped in front of Twilight, facing her. “You smell nice.”
“What do you want?” Twilight finally asked, agitation filling her voice.
“Your company.” Nightmare Moon breathed in and levitated the empty wine glass over, along with the bottle of wine. She looked at the bottle as she filled the glass, then turned back to Twilight. “Wine?”
Twilight clenched her jaw as she stared at Nightmare Moon, ignoring the offer.
“It’s not poisoned,” Nightmare commented before taking a drink from the glass, then offering it to Twilight. A moment passed. “Hmm.” She wrapped her magic around the ring on Twilight’s horn. “I presume you won’t give me any problems?”
“I’m not that dumb...” Twilight said quietly.
Nightmare smiled, then levitated the ring off and set it over on the dresser with a pronounced click.
A moment passed in silence as Twilight watched Nightmare Moon smiling at her. It felt like the alicorn was trying to taunt her into making some move just to give her an excuse to do something. She wouldn’t let herself be goaded into it though, even knowing that Nightmare Moon would just send her back to the dungeons anyway.
“What do you want?” Twilight pressed. She swallowed and summoned her magic. Feeling her magic for the first time in so long made her close her eyes. It felt like a warm, loving embrace. One which, she knew, would be stripped away from her in short order if she stepped out of line. And regardless, it would be stripped away from her again before the night was over.
She opened her eyes and looked away from the alicorn as she took the glass in her magic.
“As I said,” Nightmare nodded, “I wanted your company.”
“Why?” Twilight blurted out, turning back to look at Princess of the Night.
Nightmare Moon breathed in deep and smiled fondly as she levitated her wine glass back over to take a small sip from it. “’Tis the anniversary of my victory, dearest Twilight Sparkle,” the alicorn purred, making Twilight shiver in distress. “I should celebrate it,” she raised an eyebrow at Twilight, “should I not?”
Twilight held in a growl. “And you expect me to celebrate it with you,” she said through clenched teeth. ‘You’re just rubbing this in now...’
Nightmare hummed with bemusement. “Nay. Rather, I have a proposition for you,” the alicorn said with an amused smirk.
“I’m not going to help you if that’s what you want,” Twilight stated flatly.
Nightmare chuckled and turned away from Twilight to walk back to the bed. “’Tis not that kind of a proposition.” She stopped at the bed and set her right forehoof on it, then looked over her shoulder to smile back at the former Princess Twilight Sparkle. “Rather,” she lifted her forehoof from the bed and turned around to face the mare, still smiling, “I am in a good mood and I am feeling generous, or merciful if you prefer.”
Twilight swallowed but did her best not to let it show, knowing that Nightmare Moon would only use that against her to torment her further. A knock on the door broke the silence.
Nightmare glanced away from her. “Enter!”
The door opened. She didn’t look back, but another servant walked past her, carrying a tray with fruits and pastries that made her mouth water as the scent reached her nose. She couldn’t help herself as she turned her head away from defiantly glaring at the alicorn. The mare set the tray on the bed, bowed deeply, and then left, closing the door behind her.
Twilight swallowed again, pained as she longed for one of the pastries. ‘Dammit...’ She forced her gaze back to Nightmare Moon, who smiled at her with bemusement.
“I know you want one,” the alicorn teased as she levitated one of the pastries from the tray. “Take one.”
Twilight tossed her head to the left, then to the right, bearing her teeth before finally settling a glare on the Princess of the Night. “What do you want from me? Just to mock me and rub it in? Well, it’s working. You won, congratulations. What do you want from me now?” she snapped.
Nightmare Moon’s smile faded. The alicorn watched her for a few seconds, and in that silence, Twilight found herself breathing out, fearing that her snapping would lead to Nightmare Moon doing something. The elder alicorn finally breathed in and levitated the pastry over to her. “As I said, I want you.”
“You said you wanted my company, not me,” Twilight retorted, baring her teeth. She grabbed the pastry with her magic before Nightmare Moon could take it away, then sank her teeth into it. The warm, gooey inside melted in her mouth. The sweetness, the softness of the bread, and the flavor simply melted her fear. Consequences be damned, if that was the last chance she had to have something that good, she was going to take it! She closed her eyes and savored the moment as she chewed it up, then swallowed.
“So I did,” Nightmare finally said.
Twilight opened her eyes and took another bite of the pastry and chewed it. The wonderful sweet flavor and warm gooey inside made it hard to keep glaring at Nightmare Moon, but she tried.
“We were friends,” Nightmare Moon said, her eyes gliding over to study the mural on the wall. “Once.”
Twilight swallowed her bite and scowled at the Princess. “If you’re wanting my pity, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”
Nightmare Moon’s gaze slid back to Twilight, and the alicorn subtle bowed her head lower to regard her.
“Maybe next time don’t betray the trust of everypony you claimed to call your friend and then threaten them into submission,” Twilight snapped.
“Were we never friends, then?” Nightmare Moon asked. “You called Luna your friend. Or was it little more than a lie, dear Twilight Sparkle?”
“You’re not Luna,” Twilight stated.
Nightmare Moon smirked. “Indeed, I am not. And yet I was, and we once called each other friend. I suppose I am—” Nightmare Moon’s gaze rolled away from Twilight to scrutinize the wall, “—grateful, that we were friends, once upon a time.” She turned back to look at Twilight with a smile that made Twilight glare at her before turning her head to the left to stare at the wall. “You helped me when I was weakened and you protected Equestria when I could not.”
“What do you want from me?” Twilight grated out.
“And as I said, I have a proposition for you,” Nightmare repeated.
Twilight took another bite from her pastry and took her time chewing the bite before swallowing it. She turned back to face Nightmare Moon and licked her lips. “And what... would that be?” she reluctantly asked.
“Have sex with me,” Nightmare stated.
The room spun around Twilight, her vision instantly twisting at an odd angle that made everything look wrong. Her chest deflated as she exhaled as if being kicked, and an anxiety she had long since forgotten welled up inside her stomach. She instinctively scooted her right hind leg further back and had to stop herself from backing away. “W-what?”
Nightmare Moon smirked at Twilight and levitated her wine glass back over to take a small drink from it before setting it back down. “Have sex with me,” she repeated.
“W-why?” Twilight sputtered, stepping back.
Nightmare Moon tilted her head casually, her smirk morphing into a smile. “We know each other, do we not? We were friends. It would be a good way to celebrate, I should think, and I would think it would be a...” she trailed off and looked off to the side for a moment before looking back at Twilight, “...nice change of pace for you, wouldn’t you agree? A nice break from being locked in your cell in the dungeons... You would get to spend the night with the Princess of Equestria and lose your virginity to her.”
Twilight grunted in distress and tossed her head about, seeking out any possible escape from the room—but what was the point? There was no escape for her, not now. Her movements slowed as the realization set in, twisting her gut into a tight knot as her gaze finally returned to Nightmare Moon.
Nightmare smirked once more. “If you do so willingly, and are good, I will even let you have some of your freedom,” she posed. “You will be given a room in the castle to stay in as my guest, or perhaps I shall have you stay with me... ‘Tis a fair offer, is it not?”
Twilight tightened her jaw and turned her head to the left. Her heart seemed to beat slower with each passing moment. Her stomach churned and tightened, the knot in her gut working its way through her body. “And... if I don’t?”
Nightmare hummed carelessly. “Then I simply send you back to your cell. But do not worry, I will not be punishing you for refusing.”
Twilight’s lips peeled back in a wince. “I... don’t have a choice in the matter... do I..?” she asked quietly.
“You can choose to have sex with me willingly and be rewarded, but regardless of whether you do or not, we will be having sex,” Nightmare Moon stated. “Perhaps I will even let you visit your friends again if you are good.”
Twilight’s eyes jumped back to Nightmare Moon. ‘Dammit... Dammit. Dammit!’ She wanted to scream at the elder alicorn for pulling that on her. It was unfair. She wanted to scream and then cry. ‘Manipulative bitch!’ She clenched her eyes shut, her cheeks growing hot and cold at the same time.
“Would you truly reject my offer, my kindness, Twilight Sparkle? We will both get something we want.”
’Kindness,’ Twilight shuddered in disgust at how vile and twisted Nightmare’s supposed kindness was.
“What will it be, dear Twilight Sparkle?” Nightmare Moon asked coyly.
Twilight opened her eyes to glare at Nightmare Moon. “It’s not like I have a choice in the matter,” she growled.
“Mm, quaint,” Nightmare Moon dismissed. She walked back over to Twilight. “I figured you would accept my proposition, but I suppose I should not be surprised.”
Twilight’s lungs deflated as Nightmare Moon approached her. The glint in her eyes mixed with the proposition set her stomach churning with anxiety. “W-wait, I-I didn’t...” she trailed off and held in a squeak as Nightmare stopped where she stood.
“Oh? Are you accepting, dearest Twilight Sparkle?” Nightmare Moon asked, her voice with mock surprise.
Twilight forced her eyes shut. ‘You manipulative bitch! Dammit! Why do you know EXACTLY how to do this?’ The damned Princess of Equestria knew her too well and was playing her like a fiddle.
Was it worth it? The chance to see her friends again, her freedom, at the cost of—of this?
What would Celestia say, what would her friends and family say?
‘Why did this have to happen..?’
The price of her failure.
And even if she agreed and was good, Nightmare Moon was simply taking advantage of her and probably going to betray her—and then it would be for nothing. But if she said no, then it wouldn’t happen anyway. That smallest shred of hope that she might see her friends again—the one Nightmare Moon probably wanted to rip out of her and was likely the reason Nightmare Moon was doing this—made her shudder with regret.
Her gut twisted and her legs trembled, but she kept herself from backing away, knowing it wouldn’t do anything to impede Nightmare Moon and might make things worse for her. She swallowed and eyed the glass of wine before quickly lifting it to her lips and downing the entire glass in one go. It tasted good but burned her throat, making her eyes water. “What—” she choked on either the word or the traces of wine still in her mouth and throat. ‘Why am I doing this!? You’re just..!’ She turned her head away from Nightmare Moon to hide her face out of shame. “What do you want me to do?”
“Wise choice,” Nightmare Moon stated approvingly. She breathed in and walked over to Twilight, then rubbed up against her side and circled around her, making the much younger alicorn turn her head to the other side. “I found a spell I was quite looking forward to using and experiencing. You like magic, so I think you should rather like the spell as well.”
‘I really hate the way you make that sound.’ She swallowed. “And... what would that spell be?” she asked evenly.
“’Tis a simple spell, one which changes a mare into a stallion,” Nightmare answered.
Twilight cringed while Nightmare Moon circled around and came to a stop behind her. There was a crack! of magic. She dared not look back as her lungs once more deflated. The one thing she was certain of, whatever spell Nightmare Moon had cast hadn’t been cast on her. She stood as still as she could with her legs trembling as Nightmare Moon slid onto her back, their difference in height easily allowing the elder, much larger alicorn to stand over her. Her legs trembled more once she felt Nightmare’s forelegs brush against her forelegs, followed by the alicorn running her cheek against her neck. Her fur stood on end as Nightmare nuzzled her and breathed in deeply of her scent. The damned alicorn’s fur had no right to be as soft and well-groomed as it was. She swallowed hard and struggled to breathe in as her gut tightened and churned. Her heart hammered in her chest and she had to stop herself from running in a panic.
“Spread your legs.”
Twilight shivered at the command. She closed her eyes and tentatively nudged her hind legs apart inch by inch until she felt Nightmare Moon’s hind hooves against the insides of her hind hooves.
“Good girl.”
Click. The door was locked.
Nightmare Moon breathed in, pressing her chest down into Twilight’s back as it expanded, then leaned forward. Twilight bit her lip and opened her eyes when something rubbed up against her tail. It stopped for a moment, then she felt magic envelop her tail and move it aside. She clenched her eyes shut and braced herself. The feeling came again, but this time there was nothing protecting her vulva. It was a stallion’s sheath, she was reasonably sure, rubbing up against her labia.
Yes, it was a stallion’s sheath. She could tell from the feeling of something starting to come out from it as it rubbed into her.
“Try to enjoy it,” Nightmare Moon murmured. “’Tis the first time for both of us.”
Twilight grimaced as Nightmare’s penis finally came out and rubbed against her folds, up and down, as it grew and stiffened. The elder alicorn let out a soft, almost curious moan that disgusted her. She breathed in shakily as Nightmare scooted back. It gave her time to tense up, not that it would help with anything. The alicorn slid back forward, but instead of taking her, Twilight felt Nightmare’s penis rub up against her abdomen. The older alicorn rocked back and forth a few times, moaning softly, before finally pulling back again.
Twilight swallowed. Nightmare Moon leaned down and kissed her cheek. She wanted to turn away from it but knew better. She held in a croak of distress as the larger alicorn’s tip finally met her labia, then pushed into her. She tensed and couldn’t breathe. Nightmare moaned into her cheek, then ran her nose down to her neck and lightly bit her neck, holding onto Twilight until bottoming out, tip against Twilight’s cervix.
‘I can’t believe... why?’ Twilight opened her eyes, lips trembling. Her face, her stomach, her gut, it all felt disgustingly hot. She felt sick. And that thing inside of her.
But maybe, at the very least, it didn’t hurt. It felt good, but she hated it. She hated Nightmare Moon, now for this too. She hated that it felt good. She hated herself for it feeling good. She hated herself for not fighting back. She hated herself for agreeing because of hoping to see her friends again, even knowing that Nightmare Moon was lying to her to get what she wanted.
And as soon as Nightmare Moon was finished, the alicorn would just throw her away. Abused, broken, used.
It hurt.
it hurt a lot more than she thought it would.
She hung her head in shame and stared at the floor, her ears pinning back against her mane.
Nightmare Moon finally let go of her neck and exhaled at length, almost shivering. “You feel nice,” she murmured.
Twilight turned her head away from the alicorn, revolted.
“I do hope you enjoy this as I do,” Nightmare Moon said wistfully.
“If you... If you actually cared about me, you wouldn’t be forcing yourself onto me,” Twilight whispered quietly.
“I know that this feels good to you as well, regardless of how much you hate me,” Nightmare retorted before biting on Twilight’s neck again.
Twilight winced. The bite was a little harder this time. It hurt, but it certainly didn’t hurt anywhere near as bad as she knew Nightmare Moon could make it if she wanted to. Was it a threat? Regardless, she quickly silenced herself and clenched her eyes shut as the alicorn stallion started humping her. Her gut churned again and again as Nightmare Moon’s penis slid back and forth inside of her vagina.
It felt good and she hated it. She hated her body for it feeling pleasant. And a part of her didn’t hate it, because it felt good compared to the numbness of being imprisoned.
She cried, but she didn’t let herself whimper. She wouldn’t let Nightmare Moon have that.
Not only had she failed to protect her friends, stop Nightmare Moon, and save Equestria, but she failed to stand up to Nightmare Moon now. She let herself be manipulated.
Her friends would hate her.
Celestia would hate her.
And Nightmare Moon kept at her, gradually going faster and harder, the bite growing number and number as Nightmare bit harder and went faster.
Her face grew cold from her tears. She thought about things other than what was happening. Happier times, times with her friends, times when she was Celestia’s student. She could almost lose herself in those memories, but then Nightmare would moan or grunt, or thrust in particularly hard, forcing her to brace herself to take it, and break the illusion. And worse, she felt that the memories of the good times became tainted for thinking about them now.
She tried to imagine it was somepony else, but that didn’t help either.
She felt the alicorn’s wings tace down her sides, then hold her stomach. She felt anxious, fearing that it was a prelude to being stabbed or attacked, even if it never came.
She wanted to run away. She wanted to teleport away, to hide in some corner somewhere, but Nightmare Moon would easily overpower her and take her by force next time.
‘I am such a coward.’
She cried but stayed silent.
Nightmare Moon released her neck and moaned at length, holding Twilight tighter with her wings and squeezing her with her forelegs.
And that feeling. More tears. She couldn’t stop herself from whimpering at the violation while Nightmare Moon sighed in pleasure.
The elder alicorn kissed her neck and relaxed, holding her gently in her blissful afterglow of having finished violating Twilight.
They stayed like that for far, far longer than Twilight felt was necessary, but she voiced no objections—after all, she had to be good for Nightmare Moon, or the alicorn would have an excuse to throw her away again without letting her see her friends. Eventually, Nightmare Moon breathed in, then slowly slid out, and off of her. Twilight stayed still and refused to look back at the alicorn behind her. Seconds dragged on painfully slowly. The feeling of being violated still grew worse with the passing seconds. And now, no matter what would happen, that had happened.
Nothing would take that back. Nothing would change it. Her first time.
Nightmare finally let Twilight’s tail fall back to cover her, then stepped up beside her and stroked her feathers along Twilight’s side.
Twilight instinctively leaned away from Nightmare Moon and turned her head away, wanting nothing to do with it. She tentatively lifted her tail from her back, only to close her eyes as she felt strands of her tail clinging to her vulva.
A few seconds passed. Nightmare breathed in. Crack! Another spell of some kind. The alicorn walked past her. Twilight risked looking at her, which confirmed the alicorn was once again a mare. She immediately closed her eyes and turned away from her. She swallowed and licked her lips. “Now... what do you want me to do?” her voice came out quieter than she remembered Fluttershy speaking. She opened her eyes and looked at Nightmare Moon, who once again laid on her stomach on the bed, facing her, regarding her with a contemplative look. One still filled with pleasure and a certain calmness, but maybe disgust or regret too.
Nightmare Moon watched her for a few seconds, then glanced at the floor before meeting Twilight's gaze again. “I suppose I would have you to lay with me.”
Twilight stopped herself from grimacing, then timidly shuffled over to the bed, then climbed up on it and turned around to lay down beside Nightmare Moon, careful to avoid touching the alicorn, not that the alicorn minded her attempt, any. Rather, Nightmare Moon laid her wing around Twilight and pulled the much younger alicorn to her side.
Twilight tensed up and turned away from Nightmare Moon, but carefully avoided pulling away from her. The feeling of Nightmare Moon’s fur and wing holding her left her muscles aching from the tension. The alicorn’s warmth made her feel sick, and her fur felt like pins even with how well-groomed it was. Unfortunately, she had the displeasure of seeing a small whitish pool on the floor where they had been.
The elder alicorn, of course, ignored her distress and casually brushed her feathers along Twilight’s body, leaving little trails in her fur that tingled as if a knife had passed over her. “Since you were good, I shall keep to my end of our agreement. I will have a room prepared for you in the castle, and you shall stay here as my guest. If you continue to be good, then I will make arrangements for you to see your friends again.”
‘If you continue to be good, then I will make arrangements for you to see your friends again.’
‘Continue...’
Twilight’s stomach churned, bubbling with dread at the idea as she lowered her head in shame. She dared not say anything, that way there was no risk of making Nightmare Moon go back on her promises if she was in a good mood now.
Twilight stood still as the pegasus-drawn chariot descended towards Ponyville. It had been so long since she had last seen the quaint little village, but beyond it being nighttime, it seemed that nothing had changed. Her arrival, announced well in advance, had drawn quite a crowd of the townsponies. It looked as if the entire town was out lining the streets to watch her return. She could even see a banner strung between two buildings to welcome her home. Her jaw tightened.
The landing was a little rough, but she was used to worse. They came to a stop, and she silently climbed out of the chariot, then glanced at the four pegasi guards who stoically stood there before giving her a salute and taking off once more.
Leaving her there in the street. Alone.
Not alone. Five mares rushed to her and grabbed her, pulling her into what had the be the strongest hug she had ever felt. She remembered them from so long ago before everything fell apart. It seemed like they hadn’t changed at all. Despite how long they had been apart, they welcomed her back with the same vigor that they always had, if not more.
She hugged them back as much as she could, as long as she could, falling to her haunches and crying.
It wouldn’t last, but at least she was here now.
Author's Note
4/6/21
Practice writing in general.
Deleted scene:
‘I can’t believe... why?’ Twilight opened her eyes, lips trembling. Her face, her stomach, her gut, it all felt disgustingly hot. She felt sick. And that thing inside of her.
It certainly wasn’t the magic of friendship.
Not porn; not intended to arouse. The focus is on the trauma or possibly the buildup. I’m tired right now so it’s hard for me to tell.
Debated on whether or not to publish this, but in the end, screw it, I already wrote it.
This is what it is/does what it does. Now back to my far-preferred writing where Nightmare Moon has character growth. I definitely prefer how I’ve written that Nightmare Moon to this one. Pretty sure she’d outright murder this Nightmare Moon for what she did, too...
6,302.
4/11/21
Edit pass. Wish I had saved a copy of the original draft.
7,222.
5/7/21
8,652.
I could probably make this longer, extending the ending scene on the bed, or extending Twilight’s return to Ponyville, but I think it’s unnecessary and would detract from the story.
5/8/21
8,734.
5/13/21
As I said, this is what it is. A good opportunity for me to get out of my comfort zone and experiment with writing something different. Something very different from what I normally write.
