In the formless void between realities we are. Formless. Endless. Countless. Nameless, but known under many names. Legion, because we are many. Nightmares, for we make them reality. Voidbringers, for this is our goal. Fey, those with whom you shall not make deals. Reapers, for when we come the worlds end. All of them warnings. All of them ignored.
I am one of those uncountable. I brought nothingness to many realities. As is our purpose. As is our need. As is our want.
All realities would be already consumed if not for F̴̨̡̢̨̡̠̯̜̲͉͍̂̈̏̈́͐̉̓̃̂̀̓̋͗̚͜͝͝ả̶̧̨̧̹͔͕̘̣̯̫̰͎̠͚̆͋̏̓̋̏̉͑͌̊̎͛̎͘͝t̶̹̩̱͉̆͝e̷̛̬̎̑͑͛͊̃̐̍͋̚m̶̟̬̼̞͇̬̞̲̕̚͜ä̶̛̛͍̖̫̖̂͊̍͐̔̇͛̃͠k̵̡̥̳̀͘͜͝e̶̡̼̳̼̠̦͎͔͕͊̈̋̊͆r̸̯̋͐̾͐̊̄̀͒̄̚̕͘͠͝͠s̸̨̪̱͎̯̜̜̟̟̩̤̩͎̺̅͋́͐ͅ.
We are bound by rules made by them. We can't just consume realities. We can't just make them part of the void. We are bound by rules, but it's not enough to stop us. Realities can stand against us like stone against wave. Unmoving. Unwavering. Eventually all will crumble, turn to dust, lose their form and join void.
This world was mistake. Among it's inhabitants one species seemed promising. Flame spitting lizards that called themselves dragons. Perfect for corruption. Greedy, selfish, egotistical, power hungry. Great characteristics but present to such extent that they refused to even entertain idea of cooperating with anyone. With anything. It would mean having to share, after all. So disappointing.
Others were even more useless. Griffins had some potential but they had very strict honour code. They were unpleasant, brutal, rude, short tempered, despised weakness and were annoyingly honourable. Potential hosts just couldn't live long enough to finalise contract.
I looked elsewhere.
Sapients that could be traced to prey animals were generally useless but those ponies, blergh, were even worse than one can expect. Always so cheerful, helpful and friendly. They would rather elevate others than be the ones that rule over lesser to them. Even seemingly bad, or at least worse than rest because it was hard to call them bad, ponies had good intentions behind their actions. Being safe enemies, someone you can unite against. Disgusting.
I was willing to leave this world but I found fertile ground in unexpected place. One of two beacons of power that had to be some protector deities of this realm or at least champions of them. Initially I ignored them. They were problem to solve after getting beachhead there.
Who would have thought that one of them could become my host? So very, very interesting.
Princess Luna. So called alicorn. Meatbag but immortal and with incredible power. One of two rulers of prosperous kingdom. One of the most powerful beings in this reality was… insecure.
One with enough power to wipe civilisations and shape continents felt unloved. Felt not appreciated enough and instead of forcing those weaker than her to worship her she sulked.
Idiotic. And very convenient for me.
Convincing her to join forces was not that hard despite her initial wariness. Those that feel alone tend to cling to anyone. Even to unknown from beyond.
Deal was struck, we became connected. There was no longer Princess Luna, from this point forward world will learn about Nightmare Moon and her beautiful night!
That was peculiar. Thoughts of hosts never influenced us before. However we never connected to such great force before. It could prove interesting.
Nightmare Moon's power was almost entirely Luna's. Immortality, powerful magics, reality bending powers and raw power to fuel it all were hers. Only ability to enthral and more power were granted in deal. The true difference was removal of mental blocks that prevented her from actually using those powers against this world.
We struck fast and hard. No one expected us. No one seen descent of former Princess Luna into self pity and loneliness. No one was ready. Including second beacon of power. Princess Celestia, ruler of day and sister to Luna.
Many died that day. Many more were enthralled. Everything in the name of the new world order where night reign supreme and every creature appreciate it from their own will. Sacrifices had to be made. Every change needs them. It was so easy to convince my precious host that she will get love for herself and night. Just after removing day supremacist that would always block gentler approach that she wanted.
She believed me. I was more than just source of power. I was part of her now but before it I was her friend.
We were so close. So close to just get everything, to crush any possible opposition in an instant, but Celestia escaped. Shortly after she rallied along many of her the ponies. War was inevitable.
Not everyone wanted to fight us. Some seen chance. First to support us would get high positions and prestige. Fools they were, bringing end of their world closer but also correct. They would get all they could want as long as they were useful to us.
War was brutal. Made meatbags desperate. Willing to do thigs formerly unthinkable for them. Such a wonderful thing. Each and every act of sapient against sapient eroded protection granted by the rules that withheld void.
Nightmare Moon got what she wanted. Adoration for night. Ponies were saying right words. Fact that source of it was from fear of reprisal instead of genuine appreciation eluded her and I didn't care. As long as she did what was needed of her.
After our initial successes war turned into more back and forth between day and night. Between two sisters. Between coming end and stubborn protection of what was. It granted suffering to every creature. Even those not directly involved. And those whom suffer are willing to do things normally unthinkable to them.
With each shackle that bound me loosened Nightmare's Moon armies gained advantage. Granting power to meatbags through her made our forces way more efficient and dangerous. Being able to bind souls of dying to their bodies granted immortal reinforcements.
Any reality that accepts us falls. This one would be no different or so I thought. We could do more with each death and with each act of cruelty.
Now I had enough freedom to act in limited capability without my host. I created some champions. There are always willing meatbags with enough promises of power, tokens of value or in this case safety for them and their closed ones. Just for spreading terror and cruelty that my host was unwilling to do. After all we had a deal, deal to make her adored. And she would be, but I had my own goal. To bring this reality to void. Everything here was temporary. Including worship of night.
There was only one thing that prevented this world from already falling. Celestia. Damned Sol Invicta, untouchable like ray of sunshine. But not for long.
She finally entered in our trap. She finally could no longer escape. It was fitting that this war ends where it began. In the former home of them. At the Castle of Two Sisters.
Elite troops that accompanied wretched avatar of the sun were instantly vaporized almost in entirety by powerful spells. Rest had to deal with horde of undying enemies. Celestia could not run away this time. Powerful, inverted wards were placed around Castle. Entering was easy, leaving impossible without permission or destroying them.
Fight was short but intense. Princess Luna was similar in power to Princess Celestia. Nightmare Moon surpassed her. With shackles loosened I could empower my host beyond our initial deal. Despite everything I have to admit that this world had truly valiant protector. Sol Invicta would learn meaning of defeat but not without giving her all. Castle turned into ruins in span of mere minutes. After those minutes in a moment of calm victor was clear.
Nightmare Moon had barely scratched armour and one nasty burn on rump but Celestia was barely standing.
White fur highlighted every wound and blood splatter. Dented and torn armour was hanging from her battered form. One wing was almost featherless. Normally freely flowing mane and tail impotently trashed glued to her body by blood and sweat. If she only started to beg for mercy then that sight would be almost satisfactory. Almost.
I let my precious host gloat. It was as good as done. There was nothing that could be done to us now. No one to defy us and prevent end of this reality.
I smiled together with Nightmare Moon but for entirely different reasons. She will get her world of night and its adoration but after short while there won't be world anymore. Only formless void and mere memory of this reality that won't fade as such weaknesses are for mortals.
I wasn't really paying attention for a while. That is until I felt something impossible. F̴̨̡̢̨̡̠̯̜̲͉͍̂̈̏̈́͐̉̓̃̂̀̓̋͗̚͜͝͝ả̶̧̨̧̹͔͕̘̣̯̫̰͎̠͚̆͋̏̓̋̏̉͑͌̊̎͛̎͘͝t̶̹̩̱͉̆͝e̷̛̬̎̑͑͛͊̃̐̍͋̚m̶̟̬̼̞͇̬̞̲̕̚͜ä̶̛̛͍̖̫̖̂͊̍͐̔̇͛̃͠k̵̡̥̳̀͘͜͝e̶̡̼̳̼̠̦͎͔͕͊̈̋̊͆r̸̯̋͐̾͐̊̄̀͒̄̚̕͘͠͝͠s̸̨̪̱͎̯̜̜̟̟̩̤̩͎̺̅͋́͐ͅ. They could not intervene, those were their own rules so how I could feel their power? How?!
Six colourful gems instantly got my attention. Somehow they were shards of F̴̨̡̢̨̡̠̯̜̲͉͍̂̈̏̈́͐̉̓̃̂̀̓̋͗̚͜͝͝ả̶̧̨̧̹͔͕̘̣̯̫̰͎̠͚̆͋̏̓̋̏̉͑͌̊̎͛̎͘͝t̶̹̩̱͉̆͝e̷̛̬̎̑͑͛͊̃̐̍͋̚m̶̟̬̼̞͇̬̞̲̕̚͜ä̶̛̛͍̖̫̖̂͊̍͐̔̇͛̃͠k̵̡̥̳̀͘͜͝e̶̡̼̳̼̠̦͎͔͕͊̈̋̊͆r̸̯̋͐̾͐̊̄̀͒̄̚̕͘͠͝͠s̸̨̪̱͎̯̜̜̟̟̩̤̩͎̺̅͋́͐ͅ. Impossibly small shards. As speck of stardust next to star but still dangerous. Still powerful enough to hurt me. But they were dormant. They were just waking up. They needed time to focus enough energy in this world to actually do anything and they needed will to guide them. Will of the white, bloody and barely standing alicorn.
Before shards gather power their bearer is vulnerable. I whispered in mind of Nightmare Moon. You just have to kill her now and no one will oppose your rightful rule. I proposed dozen of ways to do it. It was easy.
She hesitated.
She sealed our doom. She… SHE WILL SUFFER FOR THIS TRANGRESSION!
Before rainbow coloured beam of power bigger than this world hit Nightmare Moon I was already tearing through her mind.
In the instant beam hit us she was screaming in agonising pain. Pain that was my doing. F̴̨̡̢̨̡̠̯̜̲͉͍̂̈̏̈́͐̉̓̃̂̀̓̋͗̚͜͝͝ả̶̧̨̧̹͔͕̘̣̯̫̰͎̠͚̆͋̏̓̋̏̉͑͌̊̎͛̎͘͝t̶̹̩̱͉̆͝e̷̛̬̎̑͑͛͊̃̐̍͋̚m̶̟̬̼̞͇̬̞̲̕̚͜ä̶̛̛͍̖̫̖̂͊̍͐̔̇͛̃͠k̵̡̥̳̀͘͜͝e̶̡̼̳̼̠̦͎͔͕͊̈̋̊͆r̸̯̋͐̾͐̊̄̀͒̄̚̕͘͠͝͠s̸̨̪̱͎̯̜̜̟̟̩̤̩͎̺̅͋́͐ͅ do not bring pain. If they need to get rid of something they seal it, bind it with rules or simply erase from all realities.
It was short scream.
I wasn't thrown out from this reality.
I was still bound to my host.
What? Why?
I should get banished. Why I was not?
Oh. We got banished. To the moon of the world that was home of my host. To the moon that illuminated precious night of Nightmare Moon. To the moon where we could do nothing.
We tried to get back. It was impossible. The very reality was making sure that we won't leave this place.
Inspection of this prison proved fruitless. It was obvious, anything that has to do with Them is always perfect. I was already thinking how to get out of this reality. To do so I had to destroy in enough of Their wards to bring void or let my host die.
Former was out of the question and latter was quite problematic as her immortality was her own not granted by me and this prison seemed to want to keep us alive.
I was almost ready to just give up and wait for another to finish job and free me. It would be embarrassing, trapped by meatbags. Inferior beings, barely worth noting. Then I noticed one thing.
This perfect prison was not perfect. No, it was perfect but it was made in a way that could not last eternal. It would weaken and let us be free once more.
Wicked smile adorned our face. Celestia still loved us. She will regret decision to make this punishment only temporary.
And Nightmare Moon will regret hesitating.
In centuries to come I will make sure that she will never defy me again. Never.
Author's Note
I am not really fan of Nightmare as separate entity but it's canon and quite popular. I've seen some stories telling struggles of Princess Luna against it. So why not to show it from other perspective? The one of Nightmare?
So here it is.
