//------------------------------// // Chapter Three: Moonrise // Story: A Millennium of Eternal Night // by criticalmess //------------------------------// A Millennium of Eternal Night Chapter Three: Moonrise - - - - - The moon hung high in the sky as Nightmare Moon soared menacingly over Canterlot. Glittering lights shone from both the town below and from the castle itself, little havens of brightness in the night. Through the darkness, Nightmare Moon's gaze fell on the battlements of Canterlot palace. The armored pegasai and unicorns that normally patrolled the walls were completely absent. "Well, my sister," Nightmare Moon muttered to herself, "It appears you took some soldiers with you before abdicating the throne. Do you seriously seek to challenge me?" Her eyes fell upon a large window overlooking the valley below. Inside, gathered around a long, wooden table, high-status ponies of all colors were sitting on plush cushions. From what Nightmare Moon could tell, they were having a very lively debate. She smiled wickedly and angled towards the unsuspecting nobles. The glass shattered as Nightmare Moon crashed through the window, sending the ponies inside scattering, clutching their heads in fear. With two heavy flaps of her wings, Nightmare Moon settled down at the end of the long table and gazed around at her audience. Most of the ponies assembled were unicorns dressed in fine silk suits and dresses. There were a few pegasai and earth ponies in the mix, but the conference was definitely dominated by their magically-endowed brethren. At the doorways, ponies in royal guard armor cowered in fear, clearly having only received their positions tonight. Nightmare Moon smirked, there was not one pony among them that showed the slightest hint of willpower. Rising to her full height, the black alicorn raised a hoof in the air and proclaimed, "I am Nightmare Moon! Princess Celestia has fled Canterlot and left you foals in her stead! Who among you claims to speak for these lands?" The nobles stared at her in awe and fear. After the shock wore off, every pony assembled stared at one unicorn sitting at the end of the table. He was a white unicorn with a handsome blond mane, and despite his regal bearing he looked as capable as a damp towel. Nightmare Moon stepped towards the table and glared down at the unfortunate unicorn. "And who are you?" Much to her surprise, the unicorn rose, met her gaze, and replied proudly, "I am Prince Blueblood, closest present descendent of Princess Celestia. Therefore, I am entitled to represent Equestria in her temporary absence." He waved his hoof dismissively. "You may speak." Nightmare Moon was shocked. The nobles were shocked. The guards were shocked. Blueblood's eyes never left the dark alicorn's, his hoof still hanging in the air lamely. Slowly, ever so slowly, the nobles sunk under the table and out of Nightmare Moon's sight. It did not matter as all of her attention was focused on the arrogant whelp before him, her head tilting slightly to the side in incredulity. You must be joking. Slowly, menacingly, Nightmare Moon stepped onto the table and started walking towards Prince Blueblood. "I'm sorry, I don't think you know who I am." Nightmare Moon said lightly, malice dripping from her voice. "I am Nightmare Moon, Princess of the Night. I was banished to the moon a thousand years ago and it has not improved my demeanor. I have faced down the Elements of Harmony that defeated me so long ago and now they are under my sway. Princess Celestia has fled at the mere thought of facing me and now I am here." By this point, the alicorn was inches away from Prince Blueblood's face and still he remained arrogantly staring into her eyes. "Tell me," She whispered into his ear, "Who is in charge of these lands?" Without even a moment's pause, Prince Blueblood squeaked, "You are." Nightmare Moon smiled and raised her head from the pony's. "That's what I thought. You have my permission to faint." Prince Blueblood nodded and promptly fell; he was unconscious before he even hit the ground. Nightmare Moon strolled back along the table while the cowering nobility watched on in fear. "There are going to be quite a few changes now. The first all you foals can see already." She gestured at the moon which hung high in the midnight sky. "Get used to it, because there will be no more day under my reign. The second is that I am going to personally examine every one of you so-called "noblemen," and get rid of any that are not doing their job. But first, I am going to be reforming the Royal Guard." She gesture over at a cowering pegasus. "Pathetic lot. Then, once my new..." she looked to the side thoughtfully, searching for the right words to describe the six ponies who tried to defeat her, "...my new enforcers arrive, we are going to show Equestria what is means to be ruled." Nightmare Moon stood by the window and looked out over the castle and the surrounding lands, all bathed in moonlight. "If any of you wish to oppose me, you may attack me now." Unsurprisingly, there was no response from the noblemen. Nightmare Moon smirked. "As I thought. You are dismissed to do whatever it is you do when not failing to run this country." As the ponies behind her thankfully got up and cantered to the door, one dragging the unconscious Prince Blueblood behind him, Nightmare Moon peered down into the garden below the window. "Is that...?" She asked incredulously to the emptied room, "Is that... what I think it is.... in the garden?" - - - - - "YEEAAGH!" Rainbow Dash flew in through the window of her cloud home and slammed into her bed, burying her face in her pillow. Tufts of cumulus were thrown into the air as the pegasus grabbed the pillow and held it to her face as she flipped onto her back. She screamed, still enraged over everything that happened, everything that going to happen. Jaw clenched, she reared up and glared at the pendant around her neck. She immediately began pulling at it with her hooves. When that failed, she raised her back legs and tried to pry it off of her neck. "Come on you stupid little... GAGH!" She screamed and flew into a wall, trying to break the necklace itself. "Why! Won't! You! Get! Off!?" She punctuated each word by running into the wall again and again. While she had built a resilience to these kind of hits, the ferocity of her own attacks wore her down. Eventually she paused, floating in the air and staring at the pendant. "I had to ask you to be cooler, didn't I?" She muttered before throwing herself down in the bed again. She traced the edges of the ruby lightning bolt that decorated the necklace. "Eh, I guess you're a little bit cooler." Begrudgingly, she smirked. The gem was pretty cool after all, and the silver was pretty stylish. Heck, it would probably look even more radical with her black and purple.... Rianbow Dash shook the image of the Shadowbolts out of her head, gritting her teeth to hold back another scream of frustration, "Come on Rainbow Dash, you can do this." She muttered, holding her hooves to her head. "You need to get your game face on. Yeah, imagine that this all just another trick. You can do this, Dash." Opening her eyes, she turned her attention to a poster of the Wonderbolts pasted to her wall. "Wonderbolts." She insisted. "I like, nay, love the Wonderbolts. The Shadowbolts don't even exist. They're all just part of this delusion that Nightmare Moon is responsible for." She glared at the poster. "I'm the best flier in Equestria, and one day I'm going to meet the Wonderbolts and show them what I'm made of. Then they'll have to let me join them. The Wonderbolts. Not the Shadowbolts." Grinning triumphantly, Rainbow Dash pointed at the pendant. "Yeah, that's right, you can't tell Rianbow Dash what to do!" Happily the pegasus flew into the air and cheered, "Yeah! Let's hear it for Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in Equestria!" Shaking her hoof, she mimicked a roaring crowd, "Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!" Smiling, she slid back down onto her bed. "Aw, I love you guys. Stop it." She was still smiling as she turned over and looked at the Wonderbolts poster. She stared at it without blinking for nearly a minute. When her eyes finally started itching, she brought her hooves up to her face and murmured, "Wonderbolts. I'm going to join the Wonderbolts...." She turned her attention back to the poster. Again she stared at it as an alien pressure built up inside of her. She winced and twitched, but she couldn't take her eyes off of the poster. Finally, in an inexplicable burst of rage, Rainbow Dash leapt up and tore down the poster. The Wonderbolts poster fell gently to the ground, face-down. She stared at the fallen poster for just another second before she fell into her bed and began to cry. - - - - - Rarity calmly entered the Carousel Boutique, turning on the lights with her magic. The entire building was silent, save for a soft purring coming from a bed in the corner of the workroom. The white unicorn looked around at her silent, deserted, store, sighed, and entered. She trotted up to a mirror and examined the Element around her neck. "Quite stunning craftsmanship." She muttered, turning her head from side to side. "Not the color I would have chosen, but I don't have a say in that, do I?" Her horn glowed softly as she cast a spell upon the Element. After seconds of concentration, Rarity dismissed the spell, finding the necklace completely unresponsive to her magic. "As I expected." She sighed and turned away from the mirror. "I suppose I'll have to get used to it then. Good heavens, I hope I have something that doesn't clash." Rarity trotted over to her closet and began sorting through her wardrobe. A creak from upstairs startled the white unicorn, causing her to drop a gown she was examining. She stood still, eyes darting across the ceiling, ears strained for any other sounds. "Sweetie Belle?" Rarity asked, her voice wavering slightly. There was no response. The creature in the bed snored loudly. Rarity turned back to her clothes. Mother and father must have taken her with them, she thought absentmindedly. She frowned as she examined a hat, hovering it in front of her with her magic. I wonder if mother and father will be able to take care of her once I'm gone? She levitated the hat back into the closet and stood quietly appraising her collection. How am I going to tell them about....? She closed her closet and turned away. "I'm simply going to have to design an entirely new outfit if I'm going to be a servant of darkness." Head raised, she trotted upstairs to her room to prepare for bed. Sweetie Belle.... - - - - - Applejack trudged down the dirt path to Sweet Apple Acres, looking over the orchards of apple trees. Bathed in the moonlight, the apples seemed to glow a dull purple, the leaves a deep swampy green. She sighed and opened the gate to the farmhouse. Rarely been out here at nighttime, she thought as she trudged up to the house, these orchards can get pretty creepy. As she trudged up the road, the door to the farmhouse was thrown open. A tiny filly dashed out of the open doorway and straight at Applejack. Applejack's heart froze over as she saw the red bow bobbing on the filly's head. "Applejack!" Appplebloom cried in elation. She threw herself at Applejack, who caught her in her hooves. "We were all so worried about you! Where've you been? Big Mac, Applejack's back!" In the doorway, a large red stallion nodded. "Eeyup." "Sorry, Applebloom," Applejack chuckled nervously, "Y'see I...." "Granny Smith!" Applebloom detached herself from her sister and dashed back towards the farmhouse. "Applejack came back! She's all right!" "Eh, what's that?" From outside, Applejack could hear Granny Smith stirring in her rocking chair. "Everypony's been waiting for you to come back!" Applebloom jumped atop Big Mac's back. "And the sun's not coming up still. What happened to princess Celestia? Did Nightmare Moon capture her? Is that where you went, to rescue her? Tell us Applejack, tell us!" "Eeyup." Big Mac nodded. Applejack stood still on the path, all eyes on her. Nervously, she looked from side to side, trying to find any way out of the situation. Suddenly Applebloom gasped and jumped off of Big Mac's back. The little filly trotted up to Applejack and stared at the pendant that hung from her neck. "Golly, where'd you get that, sis?" Applebloom looked up into Applejack's eyes and saw the first faint traces of tears starting to form at the corner of her eyes. Frowning, she asked, "Applejack, what's wrong?" Without answering, Applejack grabbed her sister and brought her close. Big Mac looked on in confusion while Applebloom stared into her sister's eyes fearfully. Applejack said nothing and just cried. - - - - - Pinke bounced through the door of Sugarcube Corner, humming to herself. The store was abandoned, pies and cakes stacked around the room. The sweets and candies looked especially eerie, their sugary coatings gleaming in the moonlight. The Cakes were nowhere to be seen, probably either asleep as many would normally be after staying awake all night before the Summer Send Celebration. Pinkie continued bouncing through the store until she came up to the counter. Looking around to make sure nopony was watching, she grabbed a cookie from behind the counter and gobbled it up quickly. "Adventure always makes me hungry." She giggled. "Mr. Cake? Mrs. Cake?" she called out, though not too loudly. "Are you still up?" Silence. Pinkie Pie stood by the counter and looked over the storeroom at all of the sweets. Her enthusiastic smile fell from her face as she saw how gloomy the store looked at night. Curiously, she looked down at the Element around her neck, the gem glowing softly in the moonlight. She giggled and tugged at the pendant, unsurprised to find that it was stuck fast. "Oh well," she shrugged and began trotting upstairs. "I'm sure Twilight will figure something out." Halfway up the stairs Pinkie Pie paused and turned around. She gave one last look at the store, thinking fondly on the many memories that were made here. Wistfully, her eyes took in every single cookie, every single cake, every single candy cane. I wonder if the Cakes will find someone to replace me on such short notice? she thought. Shaking the thought out of her head, Pinkie Pie smiled broadly and headed upstairs to tuck Gummy in and to fall asleep herself. All the while she sung under her breath: "Giggle at the ghostly...guffaw at the grossly...." - - - - - At the far end of town, Fluttershy crept into her own cabin. Inside, piles of animals huddled together, staring out the window at the moon. As soon as Fluttershy entered, the little animals spun around and scurried towards her. While she was taken aback, Fluttershy stood her ground as all of her woodland creatures surrounded her. "There, there now," Fluttershy squeaked with an uncomfortable smile, "everything's going to be all right, I'm here now." Angel pushed through the crowd of squirrels and other creatures. Standing atop a turtle, Angel looked into Fluttershy's eyes and rapidly pointed towards the window. "Um..." Fluttershy looked out at the moon hanging in the night sky, "I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about that." Angel cocked an eye inquisitively and instead pointed at Fluttershy's necklace. "Oh, that?" Fluttershy sheepishly avoided eye contact. "It's just... the... Element of Kindness..." Angel leaned forward and tapped on the necklace. His eyes widened and he nodded appreciatively. A ferret crawled forward and tapped Fluttershy on the shoulder and pointed at an empty bowl at the edge of the room. "Oh, right." Fluttershy perked up and walked over to a cabinet. "It's breakfast now, isn't it? I'm so sorry, I've just been thinking about...." She was quiet as she pulled out a bag of animal feed and began to fill each animals' food dish. While most of the animals readily dug into their food, Angel just tapped his foot and looked into Fluttershy's eyes. "Are you not hungry Angel?" Fluttershy asked, confused. Angel shook his head and bounced over to the yellow pegasus. Insistently, he tapped Fluttershy's necklace, one eyebrow raised. Fluttershy looked away. "I'm fine, really." But Angel was having none of that and jumped back into her field of vision and stared at her, his eyes screaming, I know everything isn't all right, what's really going on? Fluttershy hung her head and muttered, "It's just... I have to go away... and I don't know when I'll be back..." All of the animals immediately stopped eating and turned to face Fluttershy in shock and fear. Angel's eyes widened, but at the sight of tears forming in the corners of Fluttershy's eyes, the rabbit stepped close and hugged the pegasus' neck. "I'm sorry." she muttered to the quiet room. - - - - - "Twilight," Spike groaned, wrapping a blanket around his friend's back, "You've been up really late." He looked out the window and at the midnight moon. "Well, I guess it's always going to be really late," he shook his head, "but what I mean is you need some sleep!" The lavender pony grunted as she read Ancient Magicks of the Alicorn Kinde through half-closed eyes. A difficult read for even the studious unicorn, the book was proving incredibly difficult to tackle in her sleep-deprived state. The unicorn found herself reading over the same verbose passages over and over again without really caring. "Twilight, are you even in there?' Spike waved his claw in front of the lavender unicorn's face, causing her to jerk back from her book. She blinked heavily and looked around the library. She had only been here for a day, and yet she felt intimately familiar with every nook and cranny of the tree house. Bloodshot eyes panned over the room until they fell upon her dragon assistant. "GAGH!" Spike recoiled at Twilight's frightening appearance. "OKAY! That's it. As your assistant and your friend, I insist that that you go to bed." Twilight didn't resist as Spike led her up to bed. Her eyes continued to move back and forth across an invisible book, looking for some solution to her problem. "Gee Twilight," Spike chuckled, "I haven't seen you this worked up since that one time you thought the Princess was going to give you a pop quiz." Carefully, he led Twilight up the stairs and into the moonlit bedroom. "I thought you were never going to sleep again..." "Can't stop... Princess needs me..." Spike shook his head. "You'll be a lot more helpful when you're well-rested." Twilight fell down into her bed, eyes staring out the window. "Can't sleep now... I'm Nightmare Moon's... top student." Spike froze in shock. "All right Twilight, now I know you're really tired, you're starting to spout nonsense." Twilight turned over, continuing to mutter to herself, " Have to stop... Celstia's out there... for night eternal." Nervously, Spike reached over to the tiara on Twilight's head. Taking it in both claws, he heaved as hard as he could. But try as he might, the Element stayed firmly atop Twilight's head. Suddenly growling, Twilight flipped over in bed, wrenching the Element out of Spike's reach. The dragon sighed heavily and turned away, slumping over towards his bed. "Spike?" Spike turned around at the sound of his name. Twilight was hanging over the edge of her bed and looking into his eyes with her own blood-shot and unfocused pair. "You're not going to leave me," she mumbled, "are you Spike?" The dragon stood rooted to the ground, thrown off guard. After a moment of hesitation, Spike replied quietly, "I'm always here for you, Twilight." Grunting, Twilight flipped over in the bed and promptly fell asleep. The tiara on her head glowed in reflected moonlight. Spike stood staring at her friend for another few seconds before stepping over to his bed, curling up, and waiting for Twilight to continue her search when she woke up. - - - - - Sorry about the delay: getting a job, having a birthday, new video games, blah blah blah stop making excuses. ANYWAY, Sad chapter is SAD. Sorry for a little filler, but I simply couldn't resist looking into each character's reactions. Don't worry, the plot moves on next chapter... but we finally reach the point where I decided that I would work on other projects over this one. Why? OC's.... They can be accepted, but only rarely. These characters actively work against the premise of fanfiction: building a story with the characters and setting provided. As soon as I started writing this part of the story, I knew that I should probably write something else first before introducing a single original character. And now I'm introducing eleven. Celestia help me. -The Author