Limelight

by dart157

Rating: everyone
Tags: Sad, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Nightmare Moon, Slice of Life
Length: 1785

Nightmare Moon grapples with living in the limelight.

For over a millennia, Nightmare Moon has always wanted to have attention. She was never satisfied with how the ponies frolicked in the day, yet slept through her night. She desired their love, their undying attention, their respect, and their servitude to none other than herself.

When she got it...she quickly learned how much of a chore it was to live in the limelight, the universal dream.

Published 2024-07-27 02:50:00 UTC
Last updated 2024-07-27 02:50:00 UTC

The Universal Dream

Nightmare Moon sank into her plush throne, letting out a soft sigh as she settled comfortably on the cushion. The cool moonlight streamed in from the windows, casting a soft glow against the purples and blues of the throne room, and shining a bit of light on the Princess. Since she had returned, she had made refurbishing Canterlot castle a priority; changing out the lights, repainting the walls, and re-carpeting the hallways. She wanted to live somewhere that fit her best.

As she opened her eyes, Nightmare Moon looked out upon the throne room, which was completely empty save for a few armor-clad guards and an advisor. Narrowing her eyes, she gave the signal to a guard standing by the doorway, to which the guard acknowledged, opening the door quickly. As soon as both doors were open, hundreds of ponies rushed into the large room, standing and talking, filling the once peaceful room with a cacophony of speech and noise.

Angrily, Nightmare Moon stood to her hooves, glaring down at every little pony in that room. When that didn’t work, she prepared her magic and shouted loudly, her voice echoing across the throne room.

“ALL OF YOU, SILENCE!” she yelled, causing the entire room to fall into deafening silence. The ponies then nodded and bowed respectfully, bringing a smile to Nightmare Moon’s usually downturned lips. The respect between the populace and the Princess was mutual, especially after the various laws and statutes enacted under her rule.

“Thank you, my subjects,” Nightmare Moon said, calmer this time. “Welcome to the 285th Night Court,” she began, speaking authoritatively. “I know there are a lot of you, as always, so line up in an orderly fashion,” she added, her voice turning to her normal stern tone at the end. As the ponies moved into a line, she chuckled at their obedience, but was internally dreading the night ahead.

Nightmare Moon’s ruling life had two true consistencies. The moon was always high in the sky, and there was never a shortage of things ponies had to say about her and her rule. Her night was the same, all the time. Ironically, she disliked the attention she got. It was true that she wanted more attention in the beginning, but after she took over upon her return she found that the attention was more than she bargained for. Every pony always had something to say, a formality to give, a bow to display, and a kiss to press onto her armored hoof, something she flat out disliked, but never objected to, as it was considered ‘customary’.

She longed to teleport to her bedroom, where she could throw off the itchy, uncomfortable armor and be herself. Every night, she yearned for the sweet release of sleep, the wonderful dreamscape, and the comfort of laying on her bed, free from the constraint of armor and regalia, and free from her ruling duties, but alas, she had a job to do.

Looking to the moon, she let a small tear fall from her eyes as she noticed Celestia’s head in the moon, a constant thing that battered her mind each and every day. What she did was awful; Celestia didn’t deserve that, she loved her sister, but Nightmare Moon was too blinded in her thirst for revenge. And so, she had to deal with the consequences.

Turning back to the crowd, she sank back into her throne as the first pony came up. Her slitted eyes watched as the young earth pony colt bowed deeply, and she internally cringed. Foals did not have to bow to her, yet she did not correct him. Behind him stood ten other fillies and colts, and what seemed to be a school teacher chaperoning them.

“Your Highness,” he started. “I come from Trottingham, and us students would like to request an increase in the budgeting for schools,” the colt said softly. A couple fillies joined him, bowing low. “Our playgrounds are deteriorating, and we’re missing learning materials!” A small filly holds up a box of broken pencils and crayons, further accentuating the point. The teacher finally comes up and explains the situation. “We don’t have enough money from the city, so we came to you for help. Please, Your Highness…” she pleaded, bowing low.

Nightmare Moon sighed and nodded, looking down at the foals and their teacher, smiling softly. She gestured to her advisor to write down their request, and then turned . “Your request is most admirable, my little ponies. I shall see to it immediately,” she responded, ruffling the mane of the first colt, which brought a gentle blush to his face. These kinds of interactions were the ones Nightmare Moon lived for, the only good that really came from living in the limelight that was being Princess of Equestria.

The foals cheered excitedly and left with their teacher, all of them bowing low as they left. Behind them stood a long line of dignitaries, and Nightmare Moon groaned low, resting in her throne once again as they began to drone on about taxes, prices, stocks, and government positions. One even begged for a land grant to build his own castle, to which Nightmare Moon dismissed with an icy glare.

By the end of the Night Court, Nightmare Moon had seen no less than three thousand ponies, and spent twelve hours on the throne. As the last pony left, she took a look around and closed the doors herself, her magic easily doing the work. Standing up, she felt her flanks burning from sitting there all night long, and as she arched her back multiple soft pops were heard from her spine.

Groaning, she walked off the throne, instructing the guards to keep the place well secured, and she gestured to her advisor to follow behind. The advisor, a batpony simply known as Regolith, picked up the scroll of requests in a wing and followed behind the Princess, his legs moving quickly to keep up with her.

“That was quite successful, Your Highness!” Regolith said with a smile on his face, his little fangs poking out from the sides of his muzzle. He showed her the list of things that he had written down, and smiled up at Nightmare Moon.

Nightmare Moon chuckled, but her expression slowly faded. “Yes, I suppose you could say it was successful…” she groaned, rolling her eyes as they turned the corner.

Noticing her look, Regolith frowned. “Why the long look? Many glaring issues were revealed!” he spoke, looking up at Nightmare Moon with a neutral expression.

“I do not know, Advisor, but it’s been hard…all these ponies enter my throne room and complain. Then they bow down, shower me with gifts, and inundate me with their foolish requests!” Nightmare Moon spat, looking down at Regolith. “Then, they have the audacity to kiss my hooves and beg me to marry them!”

Regolith silently listened, nodding his head at her points and gently rubbing his neck sheepishly. “I suppose you have a point…”

Nightmare Moon scoffed. “I absolutely despise it when random ponies kiss me, but what am I to tell them? That they cannot?” she groaned. “There are zealots in my castle, they would see it as extremely disrespectful if I denied them!”

Walking in silence for a few more moments, Nightmare Moon turned back to Regolith. “I just don’t know anymore, Advisor…if ruling a nation is this awful, I don’t want to do it anymore. Combined with my foolish actions with Celestia, it is just too much to bear,” she sighed, opening the doors to her quarters.

“Sit down on that couch. I will return in a moment,” Nightmare Moon declared, walking into the bathroom, presumably to change into a robe. Regolith complied, sitting comfortably on the plush couch.

Soon, Nightmare Moon returned in a fluffy purple robe, laying on the bed. She stretched out slightly, attempting to crack her back a bit more. With no success, she grumbled and turned back to Regolith.

“When I was younger, about a millennia ago, I believed that the populace did not love me, and did not love my night. I grew resentful, and decided to fight my sister,” Nightmare Moon explained to Regolith. “I lost, yet I returned a thousand years later to secure my revenge, which I did.”

Sighing, Nightmare Moon got out of bed and walked to the window, staring out at Celestia’s face on the moon, sniffling a little. “That revenge wasn’t worth it…not one bit,” she whimpered. “And so I tried to make Equestria better. I spent moons thinking of ways to improve the land, starting with Night Courts, so that when Celestia returned we could live together in peace again.”

Regolith nodded, walking over to Nightmare Moon’s side. “But you dislike Night Court…right?” he asked sweetly.

Nightmare Moon nodded, letting a wing gently caress Regolith’s back, eliciting a soft sigh from the stallion. “Yes…I hate it, but it is what I must do in order to keep the ponies happy. I hate living in the limelight…the universal dream,” she said, a small tear falling from her cheek. “I want to go back to how it was, and live a quiet ruling life again,” she added.

Nightmare Moon left Regolith beside the window, walking back to her bed and laying down on it. She laid in silence for a few moments, letting her chest rise and fall with each breath she took. “I need a break from my position,” she groaned. “Organize a council of leaders to take over in my absence, only the best may rule.”

Regolith was shocked. “Y-your Highness, what about corruption?” he asked, his voice sounding panicked.

“I did not think of that…” Nightmare Moon sighed, groaning as her head hit the pillow. “For now, just lower the amount of ponies that can attend Night Court to one thousand, maximum,” she declared, looking Regolith straight in the eyes.

The advisor saluted. “Yes, Your Highness, that will be arranged. Goodnight,” he said, bowing low and soon exiting her quarters, leaving Nightmare Moon alone on her bed.

She stripped off the robe and lay naked, letting the cool night air that flowed in from the open window grace across her thick fur, soothing her mood and her mind. Nightmare Moon gently rubbed her eyes and pulled the covers tightly over her, hoping for a good night’s sleep. Her only true escape from the monotony of ruling, she tried to push back the dread of the next night’s Court session, focusing on her sleep.

At least in the dream realm, she was never to be caught in the camera eye.

Author's Note

Is that a Rush reference I spy? :raritywink: