"One must know the importance of wearing masks. They not only hide our true motives from others, but they also hide the monster we've become from ourselves." -Pride Ed

There are many things you know about the Mare in the Moon, but did you know that even in banishment, she could still walk in the realm of dreams? Indeed, she could, wandering through the shadowy dreamscapes to cure her boredom. But even here, the Elements of Harmony bound her, preventing her from influencing dreams or feeding on night terrors.

It was a twisted solace, seeing their dreams but being unable to alter them—a constant, mocking reminder of her powerlessness. Her sister's silent taunt echoed with every failed attempt to wield her power. Despite her ability to crush mountains, defeat any foe, and CREATE ETERNAL NIGHT, she was shackled in this ethereal prison. She could only watch as ponies slowly forgot her reign, relegating her to a mere fairy tale in the minds of foals.

Yet, amidst the despair, this exile was an opportunity to plan for every possible outcome of her return. She dreamt of it so often that it consumed her sleep, the only thread of happiness in her wretched state.

She sat in contemplation and hatred, her gaze fixed on Equis, her stare so intense it felt as though the planet itself would shudder in fear if it could. She kicked away a random rock with a growl of frustration. The silence of space was her only companion, amplifying her solitude and anger.

"Why do thou mock us so, sister?!" she spat, her voice trembling with a mixture of sorrow and rage.

"Is this what thou thought of us all those years? That banishment was the only way?!"

Her voice broke, and tears of anger and pain glistened in her eyes. "Did thou believe this was the only way to deal with our dissent?!"

"No, thou were just too arrogant, too blind to see the truth. We know thou saw it as the only way to banish us," she continued, her voice now a whisper, raw with emotion. "Using our rebellion as the perfect excuse."

Her words faded into the void, lost in the vast emptiness that surrounded her. Done with voicing her anger to the nothingness, she entered the dream realm—a dark, infinite expanse of newly created dreams and recorded old ones. She aimlessly browsed through dreams, seeking anything to capture her interest. Dream after dream, nightmare after nightmare, yet none held her gaze. Even the dreams of wicked ponies were dull, the satisfaction of their twisted dreams offering no joy.

But then, she stumbled upon something peculiar—a dream from a creature unlike any she had seen. Her excitement grew as she tried to pinpoint its source.

"What is this?" The Mare whispered, her heart racing. When she finally found it, she was stunned.

"What...what?"

Before her was a pony filly, seemingly a newborn with a beige coat and a black mane. But its blood-red eyes were the most striking feature.

This wasn't what intrigued her the most. In the dream realm, anypony could be found, but only the Mare in the Moon had the skill to locate them, especially without strong emotions or proximity. Yet, this filly's dream was almost impossible to pinpoint, and entering it was even more challenging. She could only glimpse the dreamer and sense the powerful emotions emanating from the dream—a beacon in the dream realm.

As she finally located the filly, still unable to enter its dream, she gasped for the first time in a thousand years. Her senses told her the filly was in space, far beyond the moon, near Pluto, and moving rapidly towards Equis.

"How...how is this possible?" she muttered, her voice shaky with disbelief.

"How is it coming from outside the solar system?"

Her eyes widened as she felt a presence in the dream, a force pushing back against her attempts to enter. It was as if the dream itself resisted her intrusion.

"HOW DARE THOU RESIST OUR COMMAND?!"

She yelled in her mind, pushing harder. Her horn sparked with the immense power she exerted, causing her head to ache. The struggle was intense, but slowly, she gained the upper hand and drifted into the dream.

What she saw was horrifying, even to her. Terror, unending terror, death everywhere, and a singular command echoing in the filly's mind: "TAKE THE WORLD." The Mare reveled in this nightmarish vision, craving more, intoxicated by the power. But as she delved deeper, calling upon the dream to open to her, the dream itself fought back.

"LEAVE!!!"

A sudden, powerful force struck her mind like a wall of swords, expelling her from the dream realm entirely and slamming her back into reality.

The Mare groaned in pain.

"So much power! How could something have enough power to not only refuse us entry but force us out of the dream realm entirely?" she muttered to herself, her voice tinged with a mix of awe and fear.

"That thing is coming this way, from what I saw." A wicked grin spread across her face as a plan formed in her mind.

"Oh, sister, how things have gotten so much more interesting!" she whispered, a malicious gleam in her eyes.

That night, everypony swore they could hear the cackling of—

"NIGHTMARE MOON!!!"

Author's Note

Hi, its me, KILLA-WATT or ZAPPO, eather name is fine.
But I just want to say I am making this while I am also working on other stories, so expect not a lot of updates unless I decide to work on this more often, and I would love it if in the comments you could give chapter name suggestions because I was finding it hard to come up with one for this chapter that wasent just prologue, so the one thats here is just a place holder, thank you. Additionally, if you would like to submit artwork for this story, we can discuss how to send it to me via my main page.

But with that said, thank you, and enjoy

Question of the chapter: Which evil Superman-esque character is your favorite?
Bright burn is mine, but I love My self some omni-man.