A Shadow Follows
Nightmare Moon
When Nightmare Moon at last came to the doorway, she was not alone. The shadows there reached upwards to infinity, the forest cut black and white and at the center she could see a portal as clear as a still pond. Amongst the trees, on the mundane side of Equestria, dozens of changelings sat and waited patiently for her to emerge. She would not give them the satisfaction.
One by one she slipped the fillies out from her shade—first Apple Bloom, then Sweetie Belle, then Scootaloo, each slipping out into a snoozing pile at her feet. She roused them with the touch of a hoof, a little dash of end-to-dreams magic, and let them stretch and yawn while she regarded the pathway to the other world.
“Are we safe now?” mumbled Apple Bloom. She fussed with her mane, straightening it and pulling her ribbon back into place.
Nightmare Moon chewed her lip. “For the moment,” she said. “We cannot conceal you where we are bound. But it should be safer than here.”
Apple Bloom nodded. Then she started to straighten up Scootaloo, who fussed and turned but was too out of her head to put up too much of a protest to the grooming.
“I had a dream about my brother,” said the little earth pony, “an' sis and everyone else. I hope they're alright.”
Sweetie Belle nodded. “Of course they are.”
“They've gotta be better off than we are,” muttered Scootaloo. The pegasus filly finally fought away from Apple Bloom's hooves and flit over to the portal. “Is this where we're headed?”
“Indeed,” said Nightmare Moon. “Give us a moment.”
It has been scrambled... but our magic should be able to fix it.
She lowered her horn and poked the tip upon the nexus of the energy. It'd been twisted around with some primal magic to fix it in place, making the angle of entry for her impossible, especially through the shadow realm. If she tried, the best case scenario would be that she'd get spat right back out. The worst was that she would end up on the other side...
Do not think of it, she chided herself. Wisps of her magic seeped through the portal and washed over the wild energies, drawing them into darkness. Soon the portal was tinted not as a white emptiness but instead that of the sky on the deepest night, flecked with the light of long-dead stars. Once it had been done, she pressed her hoof against it and found it to be cool and calm.
“Hurry now,” she said, standing beside the portal and gesturing with a wing. “All together. We will not last if we are separated.”
The three shuffled their hooves, but eventually Apple Bloom leaned over and whispered into their ears. It won't be long now. The Princess can't be that far away.
Nightmare Moon sighed softly. She wished that she could inspire courage to go forth into the night as easily as her sister. But her anger had been bound and secured in the deeper part of her mind. It had not served her in the end, and so she imprisoned it until it would no longer stand in her way again.
Soon the three fillies were at her feet. And on her movement they stepped into the portal together, leaving behind them the sound of crackling wood and the beat of a hundred wings.
Nightmare Moon reached the other side and found the golden fields to be at the depths of twilight. Cosmic light lit the land as bright as any day, and brought out the warmer colors of the grass and the distant glades. The children had already fanned out across the field, keeping up a slow canter as they tried to comprehend their surroundings.
It has been too long... Nightmare Moon closed her eyes and filled her lungs with cold night air. The purest sense of darkness slipped through her veins. For a moment nothing seemed to matter anymore. Then a shrill buzzing ate into her senses, growing from a point of faint sound until it became deafening.
A voice almost her own screamed over the cacophony. “Run!”
Her hooves were already off the ground before the first changeling broke through the cracks and into the fields. More poured out behind her, peppering the sky behind her black. She spared only a glance to the swarm before swerving. The single spark of fear that had spurred her vanished, but she had already initiated the chase. She would need to find a way to turn on them without taking a swarm to the face.
We could lead them off... no. They will know what we are doing.
She dashed towards the fillies who scattered in every direction, plucking little Apple Bloom up by the scruff of her neck and carrying her until they found Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo dashed in from the side and they formed a line, crushing the grass beneath them. The land itself seemed to grace their hooves with supernatural speed, but it was not quite enough to outrun the changelings.
“Why don't you just blast them with your magic?” asked Apple Bloom. “There's no way they can stand a chance against you.”
“Not here,” said Nightmare Moon, her hooves drumming the ground. “Using magic here has... unwanted side-effects. Just keep going.”
And they did, as fast as their bodies would carry them. The strain dug into their muscles, bit through their joints and they were aware of every breath feeding their will to keep moving. The wide fields and rolling hills provided little shelter from the pursuit and behind them the army of changelings claimed their view of even the sky beyond them. Every changeling in that forest must have flown behind them. The fear kept them running.
But they have the air, thought Nightmare Moon. She could nearly feel the spin of their wings around her ears. These children cannot endure. We cannot outrun them forever. But if they make the mistake of attacking, it will not end well for them.
Nightmare Moon urged the fillies on, and sent them some of her strength through the shadows. She let herself fall back, further and further, until the swarm was raging above and around her.
One dived at her, and then another, but she weaved away before they struck. Their charged, jagged horns dug into the ground beside her and burst into craters. What only should have been a pulse of magic ripped through the dirt and charred the grass in a green shock wave. The changelings that fell seemed to crackle with an unnatural energy as they struggled to stabilize themselves.
Their aim continued to improve as each one understood a little more of her movement. Just a little longer... she thought. A moment later she felt one strike her from a blind spot on her left, and the force sent her tumbling.
Nightmare Moon went down without a cry. She rolled away, trying to find her hooves, but another changeling dived into her. And then another. She cloaked herself in magic and shadow, burying their pointed horns into the nether, but they still seared through her. In their swarm it seemed impossible to learn their purpose—her destruction, or else some other nefarious scheme.
"You will not claim our form!"
She could wipe them out in an instant. But doing so would not only take out everything within a mile, but also attract an unspeakable cosmic punishment. So she thrashed and threw the changelings off by the dozen, but where one left three more replaced them.
“Hang in there, Luna!”
Nightmare Moon looked up to see the three fillies charging back towards her. The swarm did not know what to make of them, but they must have sensed their frantic courage dissolving their fear. Apple Bloom threw herself onto the pile and the other two followed shortly after.
The battle would still not turn in their favor. Each moment found the pressure of the changelings intensifying. Nightmare Moon had no other choice. She would have to find a way to use her magic with incredible precision, and accept the consequences later.
As soon as she began to cast a spell, though, a white light ripped through the air and a few changelings screeched as they dissolved into blackened particles. Those that remained on the ponies launched themselves away and reformed their swarm. There was a new threat. One they could not comprehend.
The Pale Mare stood between the ponies and the changelings, appearing in a single moment, her form billowing outwards with wild energy. Her eyes reflected the faintest gold but even the tiniest bit of color reflected the intensity of her fury. The changelings knew they could not take her, but they could not discern where to run to. They flew wildly.
She lowered her head and uttered one word : “begone.”
And if there was any doubt that this was her domain, none present doubted her any longer. The force of the words alone sucked the wind out of them, and then the changelings seemed to invert upon themselves. Their metallic cries faded to silence as they faded.
The Pale Mare then turned to face Nightmare Moon, and the fury was still in her.
“You bring great evil to these sacred lands, Luna,” she said, lifting a hoof. “Not only that, but you drag along those who are just barely new to life as well? I had hoped a thousand years would change you, but it is clear. You are not welcome here, and I will not tolerate your presence.”
Before Nightmare Moon could retort, Apple Bloom hopped forward and regarded the Pale Mare with innocent curiosity. “What did you do to all them nasty critters?”
The child's question caught the Pale Mare off guard, the faint features of her face scrunching up. “I have banished them from this place,” she explained. “This world is one that exists for ponies only.”
“But how does that explain all the field mice?” asked Sweetie Belle.
The Pale Mare laughed. “Are they field mice, or are they only thoughts of field mice, dreamed up by imaginative ponies? I wonder.”
Scootaloo flexed her wings out and tilted her head. “Uh... what?”
“You will understand someday,” said the Pale Mare, and her voice darkened as she turned back to Nightmare Moon. “Take them home. Forget your quest. Leave now and I will forgive this transgression, just this once. Not for what you are, but for who you used to be. If some shred of Luna still remains in that twisted mind of yours, then take these fillies back to their families and be done with it.”
Nightmare Moon turned her head ever-slightly and searched for Apple Bloom's. The young earth pony and her friends all had the same expression of intent and defiance. Even they, it seemed, had resolved to stay and see their journey to its conclusion.
Their love drives them this far... amusing. But it is enough.
“I hope that you will understand,” said Nightmare Moon, standing again, “why we defy you. Our sister is here, and we will not go.”
She did not give the Pale Mare time to rebuke her. She called upon the light of the moon and found the shape of it there more perfect than ever, and the full light of it engulfed them. In a wink they were gone from that place. Then she shut the eye of the moon so that none could follow them. Though only shapes of cold light, they kept walking through the vast emptiness.
“This just keeps getting weirder,” groaned Scootaloo. “Who was that?”
“Musta been some kind of pony angel,” said Apple Bloom.
“Like you'd know.”
“It is something like that,” said Nightmare Moon. “She is not our enemy. But she will not let us stay here, so we must hide.”
“It really sucks, having to hide all the time,” said Scootaloo. Nightmare Moon couldn't help but crack a smile.
“So where is your sister?” asked Sweetie Belle. “This place seems huge. She could be anywhere.”
“She is,” agreed Nightmare Moon. “Anywhere. Somewhere. But close your eyes and try to feel everything. Can you feel the far-off warmth of the sun?”
The three fillies closed their eyes. Apple Bloom piped up first.
“Uh, sort of,” she said.
Nightmare Moon nodded. Though they could only feel it faintly, she had known the touch of the sun for hundreds of years. Even the lightest touch of it filled her with warmth, whether she wanted it to or not. It was down on the horizon, sleeping for the time being, but she had a sense of where it was, and thus, where Celestia would be.
“We will find her with the sun,” she said. “Come. We've some distance to go yet.”
Each of them let a little groan in protest but did not falter when they stepped out of the moonlight. All of the stars had shifted, as if they had traveled halfway across the world, but the field remained so much the same. Amber lights weaved through the sky in the likeness of an Aurora and a few dashes of light streaked the horizon. For a moment, Nightmare Moon thought she saw towers and parapets not unalike Canterlot's. But when she blinked, they vanished.
“We did not forget that you foolishly came back for us,” said Nightmare Moon.
Apple Bloom squeaked in protest. “Yeah well you sort of stuck yourself out so it's only fair. What exactly do you think we'd do if you got yourself eaten by a bunch of bugs?”
Nightmare Moon laughed. “What, indeed?” She lifted her head, let her helmet melt away into darkness, and the full width of her indigo mane spilled out behind her. “You would have to learn to live in the world of the night. Awful and beautiful.”
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Hey nightmare moon, join the party
I think I prefer these smaller updates, they are more easy to digest.
That last sentence... just wow.
I see a friendship growing!!
Should be capitalized (and maybe in a separate paragraph for dramatic effect, but that's up to you)
1432917
A while back Robot Chicken did a MLP parody with the 4 horses of the apocalypse. Death Pony was the best pony.
HAHAHA I just read this entire thing and I think I like it.
probably won't read any chapter updates for a long time... Don't like sitting still.dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Discord.png
1432917
well, that's a pretty cool coincidence then. in the four horsemen of the apocolypse, the rider Death rides a "pale" colored horse(i have no idea what that means btw, it's argued that it means a sickly green but idk), War rides a red horse, famine rides a black horse, and pestilence rides a white horse. I thought you were making a reference to it with the pale mare. unintentionally epic reference for the win!
Just... wow. I've just read this in its incomplete entirety, and I have to say, this is fantastic. I can't wait for more.
This has helped me understand why the Changelings were headbutting Canterlots streets now.
Also, I loved how Death pony was epic in power, while Nightmare Moon has epic ninja skills.
Nightmare quit being an idiot and become Luna again already!
I see a change in the chaos.
It feels really good to watch discord and NM/Luna change more and more and i can't wait to see prince Blueballs get his whatfor... oh Bluey, you are soooo easy to hate.
Thanks for writing this stuff and keep being awesome.
1444508
I did not think about it before but Twilight was the instigator of change in both NMM AND Discord. WOW Twilight is one Amazing filly
I have no doubt that Celestia is very proud of her
Now is the time to let the hair down. Because, that helmet looks like crap.
Aww, it's nice to see some friendship building between Luna and the CMC. Makes me think that there's hope for her yet.
Nice update to the storyline as it was an interesting journey that Luna has went through to get her sister back. Please do keep up the good work.
Nice to see Nightmare and the Crusader's are starting to bond. Will this bond help bring back the old Luna?
at least NMM isnt just a stubborn bad pony like in the show, at least there is some good in her
So Nightmare Moon enters the realm of the dead and also seeks Princess Celestia. But damn, the Pale Mare is real powerful... just, wow.
1433228
But it might be more effective because it was not emphasised. That means the Pale Mare is so powerful that NO exertion was necessary on her part.