She slowly stalked through the empty halls of the ancient citadel. The walls echoed with the sounds of her steps. Each step stirred up eddies of white dust that billowed in the still, silent air. There was no fear inside her as she walked in this empty tomb, nor malice, nor sorrow, nor loneliness. Only power. Power that filled her very being.
As she walked, briefly her mane billowed around her. The deep, dark blue swirled nebulously in the absent breeze, specks of dust clinging to the ethereal fibers like stars. Absently, she brushed it aside with her black wingtips.
Soon...
She wasn't sure why she thought that. And yet she knew what it meant. Soon, all she had strived for, all she'd sought to accomplish, would be within her grasp. Soon, the night would have its Queen...
Sans stood silently in the hallowed hall, crystal structures in the stone shone light down from the surface through the windows. Normally, it was sunlight that shone through most of the time...but for some time now, only pure white moonlight reached through from the surface, drinking the color from the land as it cast all into the stark relief of shadows. He took this all in in a glance, noticing how much more menacing the hall appeared without the warm glow of sunlight to make it more homey. His focus, however, was on what was soon to come. She was coming...and despite her demands, he would not praise her.
He heard the firm hoofsteps clopping against the tile floor, saw her stepping out of the shadows. He noted how much she'd changed, far more than he had expected. The once blue coat stained black as the void, the mane and tail billowing in non-existent wind, the sapphire cat eyes, the mouth full of fangs that grinned at him as she stalked towards him, and the relic forged by his old man's hands settled in the peytral around her throat. All in all, an incredibly terrifying visage.
And if he hadn't seen with his own two eyes what she was capable of, that intimidation would have lost a great deal in the fact that she still barely came up to his knees.
"tell me something," he asked oddly. "do you think even the worst person, whatever kind of person they are, can change? can be a good one again?"
"But of course," the dark figure replied, her voice menacing despite the high pitch. "Of course, they have to want to change...to divert from the path they've taken." She laughed then, a wicked laugh with no heart behind it. "But you and I both know with how far I've come, I won't change."
Sans sighed sadly. "i suppose so. in that case, let me ask you a different question. do you want to have a bad time?"
"Funny," the figure replied, stepping forward. "I was going to ask you the same thing."
Sans sighed sadly. "i thought i was keeping my promise...but i couldn't save you from this." He lifted his face to gaze at her. "so i guess i'll have to do it now...even if it means hurting you enough that you go back to the beginning to turn from this path!" The FIGHT lines appeared, surrounding them, energized with his true nature so that, unless he chose to lower them, they could not be escaped unless one of them was dead. "it's a beautiful night outside. the owl calls...the wind blows softly...this night you and i both love so much, i'll protect it from you, for all of them..." He gathered his DETERMINATION into every fiber of his being as he clenched his fists, his eye flashing blue and gold as the red scarf around his neck billowed out of its own accord. "...if i have to drag you through hell to do it, woona!"
The tiny filly stomped her hooves, the hall cracking in response to the unleashed power. "My name is Nightmare Moon!"
As Sans raised his hands to unleash his magic, a thought occurred in the depths of his mind. That's not my music...
Nightmare Moon easily leapt back out of the way as Sans unleashed his waves of magic bones and Gaster Blasters, both by leaping out of the way and changing into a mist form, easily avoiding taking any damage. Unfortunately, she found that her own attacks were just as easily evaded by the skeleton. Then again, that wasn't too unfortunate. After all, he only had one HP. A single blow would finish him off. It wouldn't be any fun if the battle ended too soon.
"It seems we are at a bit of a stalemate," she called out as she used a shield to deflect several incoming blue bones, shattering them in the process. "Neither of us seems to be able to hit the other. Though I'd say I still hold the advantage." She reared back, deliberately making her stats visible.
LV 20 HP 200/200 MP err
ATK 5 DEF X MAG err
"I can take far more punishment than you can!" she called out. "You have to get lucky every time...I only have to get lucky once!"
"then i guess i should stop relying on luck, huh?" Sans offered, drawing out his bones again. "you know, i feel like i should be lecturing you, or trying to appeal, or something...but you wouldn't be listening if i did, would you?"
"Oh, I'd listen," Nightmare Moon replied, stepping aside as blue bones erupted from ground and ceiling all around her, interspersed with white. "But it wouldn't change anything."
"then i'm not going to waste my breath," Sans concluded. "i have little enough left as is." His bones flew out, seemingly flying at random.
Nightmare Moon paused, raising an eyebrow as not one bone came anywhere near her. "Have you become so enraged you can't see straight?" she asked softly. "None of your attacks are coming anywhere near me."
"look again, princess," Sans taunted as he hauled out his Gaster Blaster.
Nightmare Moon's eyes widened as she saw what had happened. She had been hemmed in by bones, white and blue, filling her side of the FIGHT, leaving only the space the Gaster Blaster would cover. All Sans would have to do is keep the blast on her until her HP were drained completely, and he'd win.
However, despite this she grinned. She had another trick in her arsenal to break the skeleton before her.
"goodnight, moon," Sans stated as he prepared his Gaster Blaster for an extended firing.
As he readied himself to pull the trigger, however, he suddenly found himself facing another skeleton. "BROTHER...HELP ME..."
"p...papyrus?" Sans gasped out, his resolve wavering.
A blast of lightning erupted, shattering the bones and shredding the Blaster. Sans only just barely sidestepped it.
"You're fast on your feet," Nightmare Moon taunted. "Pity he wasn't."
"what..." Sans began. He then closed his eyes. What did you do?
Nightmare Moon cackled wickedly again. "Oh, poor naive skeleton...Asgore and Alphys were so desperate to find a way to make Monster souls last beyond death, so the barrier could be broken. The problem wasn't Determination...it was a shortage of magic. Even the strongest monster soul didn't have the strength of connection to the magical field to keep from fading on death...except for Boss Monsters."
Before Sans' very eyes, Toriel appeared. "And I had the soul of a Boss Monster to compare it to," Nightmare Moon declared in Toriel's voice as the image faded, pain in the former Queen's eyes as she seemed to dissolve. "And now...every monster in the underground is a part of me...a part of my magic!"
Sans struggled to his feet as he desperately attempted to fight back, unsurprised now as his attacks were brushed aside. "you...you demon..."
Nightmare Moon laughed again. "Maybe I am...but what does that make you? You could have stopped me..."
Undyne's image appeared. "But you were too lazy to be a good guard!" As her image faded, others appeared, each with their own words for Sans.
You are a disgrace to what I made you to be. I never should have made you.
"You have failed all monsters everywhere..."
"I w-w-watched her die...w-w-where were you?!"
Sans struggled against the images, and the guilt he felt. "that...that doesn't make sense...she doesn't die...and not the King unless...you get past me...that's not how it goes..."
Nightmare Moon chuckled wickedly. "You are a fool," she taunted. "Did you really think I'd play by the rules any more than you do? After all, you are..."
a skeleton with only one HP, the last spark of Hope made manifest...
"The fewer monsters there are, the stronger you become," she taunted. "Before I reached my goals, I wanted the ultimate challenge...I wanted to see you truly at your strongest...so I hunted everyone down, one by one...saving you for last."
As Sans staggered back, she sniffed disdainfully. "So far...I'm disappointed.
"no...no no no no no...this can't be real...this can't be real..." Sans eyes suddenly widened. "it...can't be real..."
Nightmare Moon tilted her head in confusion. Sans had suddenly burst into laughter. "It seems after all, you are just a joke. Very well. Die laughing." Lifting her horn, she gathered her magic for a final blow...confused when she found herself hesitating. Why did this...upset her? She would soon get everything she wanted.
"it's not real!" Sans suddenly screamed out. "woona, it's not real! none of this is! you just have to wake up!"
"I told you!" Nightmare Moon snapped angrily. "My name is-"
For the first time since she faced Flowey when she first arrived in the Underground, the command blocks appeared before her. Angrily, she reached her hoof towards FIGHT...
...but she refused.
Even as Nightmare Moon screamed in rage, Woona placed her hoof to MERCY, and saw her options.
-Spare
>Wake Up
A scream of absolute terror echoed across the entire underground from a room in New Home. Woona sobbed bitterly from her nightmare as Chara pulled her into his etheric embrace, and she buried her face there as she wept.
Knowing what was ahead of her filled her with DREAD.
Damn. That was bad. And she still has to go through the Judgement Hall, and then Asgore.
I was so bloody confused in the beginning that I thought I missread the whole story. Took me about halfway through to realize that it was a dream sequence.
messed up italics line
... Chara?
I am so glad you named this chapter Nightmare, or I would have been extremely confused.
So... does this mean Nightmare Moon will make an appearance in the real world? Or is this the psyche and memories of Luna resurfacing as Woona draws nearer to her goal? Hmm... I wonder if you're going to do what you did in There's Nopony I'd Rather Be Than Me...
Another enjoyable chapter. Well done.
..... DAMN.
that sums up my feelings for this one...
Wha's crackin', guys, and welcome to another The Moon in the Dark, where last time... shipping happened. And now we're going to see what'll happen next *random laughter*
And now to ruin this dramatic moment with a meme.
mlpforums.com/uploads/post_images/img-1181262-1-tumblr_lq50vf1Bgg1qfewofo1_500.png
Eh, sometimes goddesses just need reality checks. Then they become flustered tsunderes; it's a science.
I wonder if Vriska would feel nostalgic at this point in time. A person who was regarded fondly of in the past is the only person who has a chance of stopping you, a person who'll destroy everything by taking an extra step forward. And time travel bullshit is also involved. It's times like these when I wonder if Undertale and Homestuck inspired each other in some way... well of course they have, we've all seen [ S] Collide, right?
Darn it, Pinkie Pie hasn't shown up.
Let's see, which one, which one... wop, wop, wop-wop
Nightmare Moon: Engage Trickster Mode.
And thus a thing happened. And it was a really cool thing. All of the things were cool. See you later.
Dude, this chapter is UNNEEDED! Did you really have to put this chapter in?!?!
Nightmare Moon has a rockin' theme.
7326807 Please do not yell at an author for his decisions until why they are made is revealed later.
7326807
Yes, as a matter of fact, I did.
Did you think Woona leeching the shadows and darkness out of Chara's being wouldn't have any consequences for her?
7326847 When you put it that way ... 'shiver' no. Sorry for yelling at you.
7326847 Didn't think it'd be this intense.
WHERE THE HELL DID THIS COME FROM?! THAT WAS TERRIFYING!!!
... Is this what the outcome of a Genocide Run in Woona's hoof-steps would be? By the Divines...
Well shit...
...
I has no words...
Good job.
»sees new chapter« eeeeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
»reads«
Oh, my poor Woona... There, there... It's okay...
7326847 The real question iS whether or not the 'chaotic' energy is gone. If it isn't still in Woona anymore, would it... manifest?
...
...
...
...
...
Eh, not what I had expected from the next chapter; and while I can't say I enjoyed it, it was still amazing.
Keep up the good work.
In the words of 7326897, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?!
Oh my goodness. There were too many scary things in the chapter. Woona being corrupted as Nightmare Moon, NMM telling Sans that she has killed all of the monsters in the Underground and has used them to power up her magic, Sans being scared at what he is seeing (and it's not easy to make Sans scared), Sans screaming for help and telling Woona to wake up, NMM almost killing Sans.... This is more than just a nightmare. This is what would've happened if Woona did a Genocide Run, went berserk, and killed everyone she loved.
And the fact that Woona is now filled with dread instead of determination worries me. A lot. Excuse me while I grab a pillow and hug it.
pre03.deviantart.net/f2a7/th/pre/i/2016/018/c/a/bad_dreams__short_history__by_xwhitedreamsx-d9msujr.png
Well, that was unexpected.
S-Sweet Celestia!
Truly the Nightmare prowls tonight.
By the Gods... This was very much... Unexpected.
7327116 pretty much sums it up.
I KNEW IT!!! All of that rage and hate that's been 'drained' from Chara this whole time! It HAS been going to Woona! It happening to Woona slowly overtime either didn't have any effects or were so small or short that they were barely noticable! But since all of that happened again in the last chapter (very quickly too), that had bad effects imeadeatly!!
And pardon my horrible spelling
7327192 I just realised something. This chapter was either a negative effect of chara's rage (same as I said before) or a pervious timeline!
...
I'm not sure I want to know which one!
Either way, good job Tatsurou!
I really liked how you changed Sans' dialogue.
I thought it was pretty neat. Like wow. Creepy and really cool chapter!
But yeah, I'm curious how you're going to explain THIS. I mean, last we saw of the widdle filly, she was flying through time and/or space. Now she's waking up from a "nightmare", which can imply all SORTS of things. Maybe Chara said "Screw character development, it's time for uncharacteristic 180's in outlook." Maybe Gaster's doing things. Perhaps this was a random dream that has no relevancy whatsoever. Or maybe... this was a warning of what she could become if she's not careful. I mean, we know that Nightmare Moon is relevant in this PWNY-verse of yours (I don't get why myself, but eh), so maybe it's like the aspect of Mind from that one comic I kept referencing over and over again is in play, where the mere possibility of something happening has a dramatic effect on reality, even if it hasn't actually happened... or maybe it's this.
Curse you, inability to stop seeing specific comments!
Um... yeah, that's not even close to being good.
Seeing Nightmare Moon in your dreams can never lead to a good time.
Excuse me while I go grab a Luna plusie and hug it.
For reasons unbeknownst even to myself I chose this as the suggested listening track.
Curse you Silver Quill!
That was pretty nasty. Also it made me wonder if that was really Sans somehow dreamwalking, or if Woona just figured it all out.
Either way... ouch. That very last bit actually hurt to read.
You're evil.
But hey, Chara to the rescue!
No, a thousand times not gonna pun. Anyone would have a bad time after that experience.
Either that actually happened and Woona just reset, or it was a dream.
I'm scared, because I think it's the former.
this chapter was definitely unexpected, very very dark. really hope little woona isnt consumed by the nightmare but that is up to you though isnt it
*reading*
Now this is GENOCIDE!
THE MONSTER INSIDE!
THE VOICES IN YOU HEAD,
THEY'RE TELLING YOU TO
WASH AWAY
THE CRIMSON STAINS,
TO LEAVE US ALL
FOR DEAD!
WHAT THE- I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS! I mean, I know it was a nightmare (and completely filler), but it comes out of nowhere! I legit had to skip to the bottom to see if this was a mistake or not.
I guess I was having a nightmare myself!
7327771 Was that chapter a bit too nightmarish for you? Personally, I'm not going to moon over it, but I liked it.
7328447 i see your puns there
I was not expecting this, holy moly! I hope it was just a dream.
i hope we can have chara and woona talk about this next chapter.
7327771
I feel that I won't have another pun to rage at until after the story is over.
I'm calling it right now. Although it may have been unintentional, it may have been Chara's fault. Nightmare Moon is starting to manifest from Chara's hatred; the power he briefly held once more as he blamed Alphys for his brother's suffering. He pushed away his hatred, but with so much all at once it had to go somewhere, but I don't think he was thinking when he pushed it to Woona. This may be a problem. Chara may have to step in at some point to fix his mistake; that is if he realizes what he's done.
I'm just glad Woona's Mercy lines read "Spare" and "Wake Up."
...Instead of "Spare" and "Reset."
... no bueno
7326847
I figured something like that would happen at some point. When you mix 1/4's a glass of food coloring with 3/4's a glass of pure, pristine water, you sure as heck don't get pure and colorless water out of it.
Feel like a Monster, Woona?
7328959
Life's a laugh and Death's a joke. Here, have one:
It seems The Nightmare was just...a bad dream.
That fight was simply...Sansational!
and that's all I got...
... By the Gods... She has been corrupted by Amon!
... Wait... Wrong fiction...
The sight of his sister in tears of her terror fills Chara with the DeTemmienation he needs tof comfort her.