Nightmare Moon flew back to ponyvile but remained in the sky so she wouldn't be spotted by others. once she was there she stopped and looked back
"I need to rescue Amber, but in this form I'm useless. I need help." Nightmare said then she looked at canterlot "I need Luna." she said then she began flying to canterlot
Once Nightmare had reached canterlot she slowly floated through the halls to avoid any guards roaming the halls. while at Luna's door, two guards, one a pegasus, the other a unicorn, had just passed by it and turned a corner.
"Are we sure that monster will appear here?" The pegasus asked
"That's what Ebony said in her note. we'll just have to keep our eyes out for her." The unicorn said
Nightmare had just passed a corner and ran into the two guards "Uh oh."
The pegasus gasped "It's Nightmare Moon!" he said
"Listen, I mean you no harm. I simply wish to know where Luna-Gah!" Nightmare was cut off when he unicorn shot her with magic
"Ebony was right, you did come here to get to princess Luna. well, we won't allow you to possess the princess again." The Unicorn said
Nightmare glared at them "You! you two are more of her monster hunters!" she said while they just smirked 'Damn. this is the worst thing to happen. I'm practically useless in this form, I can't cast any magic to protect myself. I could forcefully possess one of them, but no doubt that would look bad to anypony who passes by and I would instantly be labeled a villain again, then I would never get the chance to rescue Amber. I have to get to Luna, quickly.' she thought
The unicorn shot another beam at Nightmare who quickly flew out of the way to dodge it. then she saw the pegasus grab his spear and flew at Nightmare so she had to fly in the opposite direction of Luna's room to avoid getting hit. while the unicorn continued to shoot
'This is part of their plan, it's so obvious. they're forcing me to move away from Luna. I'll never rescue Amber as long as they are standing in my way.' Nightmare thought as she flew away
Just as Nightmare arrived at a two-way hallway, she was going to fly left, but the unicorn fired a beam, forcing her to dodge right.
'They're also keeping me from Celestia's throne room. these monster hunters certainly do know how to plan ahead. I can't get to Luna nor Celestia. I need to get their attention or else I'm gonna look like the villain to other guards.' Nightmare frantically thought then she got an idea so she slowed herself down, allowing the pegasus a chance to attack with his spear. once he tried he hit Nightmare she sped up and just barely dodged his spear causing him to hit the wall
Nightmare moved to the other wall and slowed down making the pegasus ready his spear again, and just like last time she sped up at the last second and barely dodged the spear causing him to hit the wall again. she kept up this strategy for as long as she could but was tiring herself out and on a few of them ended up being grazed by the spear.
Luna was reading a book within her room when she heard multiple banging noises from outside "What is that infernal racket? do ponies not know I am trying to read?" she said so she put her book down and left her room
Nightmare had tried to dodge the last hit but was too late and was hit by the pegasus and crashed into the wall. then the unicorn and pegasus surrounded her.
"This is it. we'll kill this monster and protect ponykind." The pegasus said
"Say your prayers, Nightmare Moon." The unicorn said as he charged his horn while Nightmare glared at them
"What do you two think you are doing?!" A voice behind them said and when they turned they saw princess Luna
"P-Princess Luna?!" The Pegasus said
"Why are you two assaulting, Nightmare Moon? explain yourselves!" Luna said
the unicorn smirked "My princess. we were patrolling the halls when this being trotted up to us in another pony's body and tried taking possession of my friend's body. we thought she was going to try to hurt you so we quickly took action and I knocked her out of him. we were about to finish her off before you appeared. give the order and we shall lock her away." he said
Luna narrowed her eyes "Is this true, Nightmare Moon?" she asked
Nightmare chuckled "Do you remember that 'what if' situation we talked about? well, it nearly came true." she said
Luna nodded then she stomped her hoof "Guards!" she called out making multiple guards appear at her side "Arrest these two ponies, immediately!"
"What?!" The unicorn said as he was detained by the guards as was the pegasus
"You have assaulted an innocent being and will be detained until further notice." Luna said so the two guards were taken away then she trotted to Nightmare "Are you alright?"
Nightmare floated back up "I was putting a lot of faith in the hope that you would believe me. I am glad I was right." she said
"I nearly didn't. it is because you chose the right words that I did. now, tell me, what happened to Amber?" Luna asked
"It isn't safe to talk here. their ponies might be everywhere. let's go back to your room." Nightmare said and Luna nodded so both of them went to Luna's room where she cast a silencing spell so no one could hear them from the outside.
"There. now, what happened, Nightmare?" Luna asked
"Amber and I were ambushed by multiple ponies in the everfree forest. they called themselves monster hunters and say they kill monsters to protect ponykind. apparently, I am one of their targets. one of them used a spell that knocked me out of Amber's body. I tried to get back to her but Amber told me to run away, so I did." Nightmare explained
"Did these "monster hunters" harm Amber?" Luna said
"As far as I know, no, not yet. but, I don't want to risk anything, not with Amber's life on the line. so I beg of you, allow me to possess your body so that I may rescue her." Nightmare said
"Why me? surely somepony else would do, like Twilight or Celestia." Luna said
"Simply because you and I have already been fully bonded to each other before. you and I have the perfect connection that took days for me to build up with Amber. if I choose Twilight or Celestia, it will take too long for me to become bonded with them. time is something Amber doesn't have. that is why I've come to you." Nightmare said
"...You want me to give you full possession of my body again? willingly this time?" Luna asked and Nightmare nodded "And how do I know you won't try to kill Celestia again?"
"You have my word that I won't lay a hoof on Celestia. all I want is Amber to be safe and sound again." Nightmare said
Luna stared at Nightmare for a few seconds until she sighed "Very well. I will trust you."
"Thank you, Luna." Nightmare said then she began to enter Luna's mind.
Once Nightmare had fully entered Luna's mind, she began transforming back to the form before and once again became Nightmare Moon.
Nightmare stretched her wings "It has been quite some time since we were last together, Luna. truthfully, I have missed this." she said
"I didn't. now, enough talk, we must go and rescue Amber quickly." Luna said
"Right." Nightmare said then she left through the balcony and flew off to the everfree forest.
Amber had finally woken up and when she looked around, she found herself in an empty square room where her body was chained to a wall restricting her wings as well.
The only door was opened and in stepped the same unicorn stallion from before "Oh, you're awake."
Amber pointed at him "You! you're the same stallion from before. what are you doing here?"
"My name is Mystic Mist. and I work for these guys to." Mystic said
"Wait, if you work for them. does that mean you planned to hurt Moony from the beginning?" Amber asked
"Yes, yes we did."
"But, why? Moony isn't-."
"Evil anymore. yeah, yeah, we've heard it all before." Ebony said as she to entered the room "But it doesn't matter to us whether or not a monster is evil. we hunt monsters to keep ponykind safe, regardless of whether the monster is dangerous or not. and Nightmare Moon is the worst monster there is so, as per our job, we shall hunt her down and destroy her."
"There's no way princess Celestia would allow this. you're hurting innocent monsters." Amber said
"Princess Celestia doesn't need to know. besides, I'm sure she would gladly thank us for keeping ponykind safe while the element holders protect everywhere else." Ebony said
"But it's still wrong to hurt the innocent monster. especially Moony, who redeemed herself." Amber said
Ebony shook her head "We'll just have to agree to disagree. come, Mystic. we have to get everything ready." she said as she and Mystic left the room
"I'm curious, Ebony. what kind of plan do you have in mind for Nightmare?" Mystic asked
"Sadly, Nightmare isn't like the other monsters we've faced. if she were to come here then even I doubt we'll be able to beat her head-on. which is why we'll have a follow-up plan instead. we'll lure Nightmare in, then when everything is ready that's when we hit her. she won't even know it hit her until it's too late." Ebony said
"What will we hit her with anyway?" Mystic asked
"Our zebra friend can fill you in. go and find Zahra." Ebony said so Mystic nodded and trotted through another hole in their cave base.
Mystic came upon Zahra who wore a dress that fully covered her body. she also wore a veil over her face in a way that only showed her eyes. Zahra was busy stirring a large pot when Mystic entered the room.
"Hello, Zahra." Mystic said while Zahra simply looked at him and slowly nodded "Still quiet as always I see. Ebony said you were preparing our follow-up plan."
Zahra took a piece of paper and handed it to Mystic who read it over and nodded
"Okay. looks like a simple potion. I'll help you get these ingredients to it. I'll be right back." Mystic said then he trotted through a hole in the back and left the room.
Nightmare had finally reached the same spot where she and Amber were ambushed by the hunters.
"This is the place. this is where those hunters took Amber." Nightmare said
"Perfectly hidden away by the trees where even a pegasus would have difficulty seeing what goes on. a good distance away from ponyville as well. these ponies certainly did know what they were doing. hard to believe these ponies were operating in the shadows the whole time without Celestia or my knowledge." Luna said
"Enough praising the hunters, please. we must find a way to track them." Nightmare said
"Perhaps those hoof tracks will do."
Nightmare looked down and saw fresh hoofprints leading further into the everfree "This seemed too easy." she said
"Agreed. these hoof tracks are too fresh. it looks to me that they want you to find their base." Luna said
"They are either very confident in their abilities or, too cocky to see their own mistake. nonetheless, I will indulge them for now. and when I've reached my target they will face my wrath and see their own mistake." Nightmare said as she began following the hoofprints
While following the hoofprints, Nightmare and Luna kept their eyes and ears open to anyone who may try to ambush them, but as she kept trotting along she hadn't even heard a peep. not a single pony had even tried to surprise attack her yet and this didn't go unnoticed.
"This confirms it. they are all gathered at their base preparing to fight me." Nightmare said
"If they are all there, then I believe we should bring back-up to help deal with them. preferably some guard ponies." Luna said
"No. if they are all there then I'll be able to deal with all of them in one swift strike, rescuing Amber in the process. I may not get another chance like this. we shall keep moving." Nightmare said
"That is unwise, Nightmare. having more ponies watching your back will certainly increase your chance of rescuing Amber safely." Luna said
"I WILL rescue Amber safely, myself. I will NOT risk her being harmed in the middle of a skirmish between their hunters and your ponies." Nightmare said
But-."
"This is non-negotiable, Luna. I will see Amber safe and sound back to ponyville, myself. you can do what you wish AFTER I have ensured Amber's safety. understood?" Nightmare said
"Very well."
Nightmare continued to follow the tracks through the everfree until she had finally come upon a door that was poorly hidden by leaves and had no guards around it.
"That must be it. that is where they are keeping Amber." Nightmare said
"Good, we found their base. now, I implore you, let us retrieve some help before rushing in like a foal." Luna begged
"As I have said before, I will not risk Amber being hurt in the middle of a skirmish. I will rescue her myself." Nightmare said as she stood up and trotted to the door then she used her magic to tear it off its hinges and throw it into the forest. then she entered the base and came across a group of ponies who all turned to her "Where is Amber? if you give her to me, I will spare your lives."
"It's, Nightmare Moon! go and tell Ebony, we'll hold her off." An earth stallion said while a pegasus mare nodded then flew off. the stallion, along with other ponies who weren't unicorns, grabbed a sword or a spear and ran at Nightmare.
Nightmare easily cast a barrier to protect herself from any weapon or magical attack since none of them were strong enough to break through it. from inside the barrier, Nightmare blasted everyone and hurt them enough to knock them out, but not kill them. after everyone in the area was down she began to move on to the next room where she did the same to them
The pegasus had reached Ebony "Ebony! Nightmare Moon is here!" she said
Ebony clicked her tongue "It's too soon. keep her busy, I have to check on Mystic and Zahra." she said as she walked through another hole while the pegasus flew back to the others
Ebony made it to the room where Zahra and Mystic were still preparing the potion "Is it ready yet?" she asked
"I don't think so since she's still preparing it." Mystic said
"Damn, we need it ready soon, very soon." Ebony said
Nightmare had just finished knocking out the last pony in the next room and moved on "Where could Amber be? I need to find her as fast as possible."
"Perhaps you should ask the hunters." Luna said
"I doubt they would tell me. they would much rather harm me than answer my question." Nightmare said as she moved onto the next room and found more hunters "I suppose I will have to find her myself. after I deal with them." she said then began fighting them
Ebony was watching the door "How much longer with that potion?" she asked
Zahra brought both of her hooves close together then she went back to stirring the pot
"She says it's close, but I doubt it'll be ready in time before Nightmare Moon gets here." Mystic said
Ebony groaned "I'll keep her busy for as long as I can. you two just focus on the potion." she said then she left the room
Nightmare knocked out the last pony "This is getting on my nerves. they just don't know when to stop, do they?"
"They are very persistent, I will grant them that. now, shall we continue?" Luna said
Nightmare!" Ebony shouted from behind her causing her to turn around
"You! I was hoping to see you again!" Nightmare said
"So, you've possessed our princess again. I should've known you would go back to your original host once you've lost your other one, and now you're back for revenge. such is the way of a monster." Ebony said
"Luna allowed me to possess her so that I may rescue Amber. now, hand her over!" Nightmare said
"Why do you care so much about this single filly? I'm sure there are a million others just like her." Ebony said
"No there isn't. Amber is one of a kind. there is no other pony like her." Nightmare said
"Do you mean that in terms of a host body, or personality? it's hard to tell with a monster like you." Ebony said
Nightmare scoffed "If this is your attempt to anger me, it isn't working."
"Alright, what if I said we hurt Amber? what would you do?" Ebony said
"I wouldn't believe you. as you said, you are monster hunters. you would never harm another pony." Nightmare said
"Hm, you truly are more clever than other monsters we've fought." Ebony said
"Enough of this pointless chatter. will you give me Amber, or not?" Nightmare said
"Let me think...no!" Ebony said as she shot a beam of magic at Nightmare who turned into smoke and dodged it then she reappeared behind Ebony
"If you think I'll let myself be hit with that spell again, then you are a bigger foal than I thought." Nightmare said then she blasted magic at Ebony who quickly jumped out of the way "Ugh, I don't have time for this. I must find Amber." she said so she blasted the ceiling making it cave in and block Ebony while Nightmare moved on.
Mystick felt a heavy rumble for a moment before it went away "I'm guessing that Ebony lost. we really need that potion, and fast." he said, and just then Zahra had finished string the pot and stepped back
"Is it ready?" Mystic asked and Zahra nodded "Alright, we don't have time to put this in a bottle so we'll have to improvise." he said then he pushed the pot over spilling out the potion onto the floor while also making the gasses from the potion speared all through the caves "That should do it. now, for the next part of the plan." he said running out of the room
Nightmare continued through the caves until she noticed the gas spreading through the cave "What on equestria is this? some sort of smoke?"
"Whatever it is, I believe we should remain cautious. we do not know what it can do." Luna said
"I'm sure it is nothing to be concerned about. I do not feel any different from it so it must be their way to try to hideaway. it will fail." Nightmare said as she trotted along then she saw someone deep inside of the smoke "Who goes there?!" she said
Mystic stepped closer then Nightmare gasped for who was in his hooves was Amber who was struggling to get free.
"Let. her. go. now!" Nightmare demanded
"I don't think so. you care an awful lot for this little filly so having her here would ensure I trot away home free. all you have to do is let me." Mystic said
Nightmare glared at Mystic as she had her flowing mane slither its way behind Mystic "And if I don't let you go?" she asked
"Oh, you will. because I believe not even you will risk her life." Mystic said
"And how do I know you will release her once you are gone?" Nightmare asked as her flowing mane had finally reached behind him
"You don't."
"Hm, then I will release her myself!" Nightmare said as her mane wrapped around his hooves then it pulled them apart releasing Amber then she had thrown him back "You were a foal trying to threaten me with Ambers life."
Amber ran toward Nightmare "Moony!"
Nightmare opened her hooves "Amber!" she said, but just then a magic beam came out of nowhere and hit Amber in the back turning her into dust right in front of Nightmare's eyes
Mystic laughed "You were a foal for believing it would be that easy." he said but Nightmare wasn't listening as she stared down at the pile of dust
Nightmare put a hoof on the dust pile "No, Amber...Amber...AMBER!" she shouted and she continued to scream as her eyes turned into a pure black color while tears streamed down them
“Nightmare! calm down! listen to me. you must calm down. Nightmare! Nightmare!" Luna's voice was slowly drowned out as a black aura surrounded Nightmare then she looked at Mystic
Mystic took a step back "T-this is your fault. she's gone because of you. y-you have nopony else to blame but yourself, Nightmare Moon." he said
Nightmare only glared as she charged her magic, making her horn glow so bright it could rival the sun itself. then she blasted Mystic with its full fury leaving nothing left, including the cave walls behind him. after, she only stared at the pile of dust as tears continued to stream down her face.
'I'm such an idiot! why didn't I listen to Luna?! why didn't I just get help?! why didn't I just wait?! why?! why?! WHY?! why am I such an idiot?!' Nightmare angrily thought as the black aura grew stronger 'And now...because of me, she's gone. she's gone because I wanted to be an idiot!...what do I do now?'
'Her wish...' Another voice said which sounded exactly like Nightmare's
"What?"
'Her wish come true...' The voice said
"Whose wish?" Nightmare asked
'Amber's wish. make it come true.' The voice said
"Amber's wish?...what was her wish? tell me! what do I make come true?!" Nightmare shouted
'For an everlasting. beautiful. night. sky.' The voice said
Nightmare gasped "Yes. Amber's wish. all she wanted was a beautiful night sky. that was her wish. I must make it come true. I must." Nightmare said so she quickly flew out of the base and to the sky "Amber. this is for you." she said then she used her magic to make the moon eclipse the sun
The moon slowly eclipsed the sun, plunging Equestria into total darkness. ponies from all over Equestria looked at the sky with shock and fear as their sun disappeared behind the moon. while others looked up with worry mixed with fear and confusion.
"Sister. what are you doing?" Celestia said as she watched the sky from the window
The mane six all gathered in the middle of ponyville as they watched the sky as well.
"Twilight, what's going on?" Applejack asked
"Yeah. why is the moon in front of the sun?" Rainbow said
"I don't know. this shouldn't even be happening. Luna would never move the moon to eclipse the sun again." Twilight said
"But, Nightmare Moon would." Rarity said
"But, that's impossible. Nightmare shouldn't be evil anymore. I saw them this morning and nothing seemed wrong then." Twilight said as she thought a bit more "What in Celestia's name could have happened?"
Miles away from ponyville, a mare traveling across a dirt road looked up to the sky and chuckled to herself
"Well, well, well, she's still alive. now that's unexpected." she said
Nightmare Moon finished moving the moon "There, now Amber will finally have her beautiful night, forever."
'Sabatoge...others...' The voice said
"What do you mean?" Nightmare asked
'Others may try to destroy it. sabotage it. get rid of it.' The voice said
"Who?! who will try to get rid of Amber's beautiful sky?!" Nightmare shouted
'The elements. Celestia. ponies.' The voice said
"Then I will destroy them! I won't let anypony try to destroy Amber's beautiful night sky. none shall touch it!" Nightmare said as she flew to ponyville.