Nightmare Moon has been gone several years, but not gone for good. And when Luna asks Twilight for help in ridding her of this curse, the Princess of Friendship decides to forgo magical rainbow blasts in place of a far more relatable approach.
Tonight, they're gonna paint the moon red.
This story was inspired by the song of the same name by L-Train (feat Koa, TheMusicReborn, Zephysonas & General Mumble).
Narcotics tag for alcohol and cannabis use.
Cover art from Yakovlev-Vad on Deviantart
Pre-reading and editing by Holtinater, Snow Quill, and Atom Smash.
Chapters (8)
Ahhhhh yes!!! It’s finally here!!
I absolutely loved the concept when you first started talking about it and it’s so exciting to see it finally complete! (Well, the full story isn’t published yet but it will be soon). This take on Nightmare Moon and Luna is one that is utterly fascinating and not quite like any that I’ve personally seen. I especially love how Rarity is introduced and is the first phase of ‘the plan’. I never read the Nightmare Rarity comic arc, but I absolutely do want to after this.
(I’ve also been listening to the song on repeat and it’s an absolute banger, so thank you for the great story and song recommendation!)
Turns out it's kind of hard to be an asshole who wants to take over the world when you're rolling on five ecstasy pills.
(If anyone ever wants to experience this themselves just meet me at a brony convention lol)
So Nightmare is a Powerbottom and the Marshmallow is a Dom . .
11123342
You know, I’ve got no context to this, and I’m not sure I want it.
That song is one of my favorite newer songs made.
How long of a fanfiction do you plan on making this? 20k words? 100k words?
11123440
The total story is 30k words (almost exactly) and 8 chapters, including the prologue and epilogue.
Chapters 1 and 2 today, 3 tomorrow, 4 Wednesday, 5 Thursday, 6 Friday, and 7 and 8 on Saturday :)
You just know that you have to make "Daybreaker Boogie" a thing now as well.
is there any reason Rarity's so horny in this chapter?
and for that matter, why i feel like you're trying to ship her with Nightmare?
11123676
It's just my headcanon that Rarity has a thing for tall, powerful women.
Very enjoyable, looking forward to more. Also: it was a nice change that the partying didn't start with The Pink One. Nothing against Pinkie, just cool to see another pony kick the party off.
11123698
...
only women?
11123705
She flirts with a stallion in this chapter. So no.
Rarity is just as bisexual as all the ponies I write. But one can still have a preferred type =D
11123707
ok fair
didn't register the flirting with the guy as such, considering how generally horny she was this chapter
suppose i should just come clean with it and say that i'm a diehard twiluna shipper
i also ship sparity just as hardand i'm the type to fight and die for his ships
Heck yes, this is bloody amazing.
Pinkie: My time has come.
Oh, Nightmare. You lost the instant Rarity walked into the room.
Nightmare Moon is a captivating character for me, can't wait to read more about her. She is suspicious, yet compliant. Careful, yet her mask of regality falls occasionally. Both of these are quite common for this type of character and story, yet I still feel something innovative about her.
But on the other hand... I am kind of tired of these stories that go through the main 6 one by one. I'd be fine if it was like 3 or 4. Never. It always has to go through all 6 of them, often forced; easy to spot/predict thus making the story see through. The only exception is in case it is a bait, only pretending to go this route.
Thank you for the great story
I gotta wonder how Fluttershy is going to fall inti this one. Great story so far.
This story is already incredible as it is.
But I wonder how much will this help when Moon will discover this is just a lone night out of all year.
I remember that one!
Are those quotation marks incorrect?
Rainbow Dash really do be the type of person to say, 'let's go commit a crime' in a buddy buddy way.
Party on Wayne! Party on Garth!
First chapter started things off, with this chapter really flowing.
"Right, well, Rarity said to do something that I'd appreciate the night for, and there's nothing more better than night to commit felonies in, so you stay here as lookout while we bust into the bank vault around the next corner"
And Rainow is the first one to make her forget not wanting to be called Luna . . Oddly fitting.
Dash being Sub to Appledom is basically canon anyway.
Nice characterization of Luna, I like that the Nightmare isn't some villain or evil entity, but just a natural part of Luna and an extension of her powers. It's something she has to deal with and accept, like a lingering doubt, and the solution to the problem can only come from within Luna. It's effectively a mental health issue, and I can't wait to see Twilight help Luna face and accept her own inner demon so to speak.
it's also relatable, there's a huge difference between being told something and shown something. No matter how many times Celestia swears ponies enjoy the night, Luna wouldn't believe it unless she saw it herself. Luckily Twilight seems to have realized this.
If I wasn't familiar with the song, I'd think Luna was going to paint the moon a very different kind of red. It's not too late you know, nopony would find the bodies on the moon.
This is a great start.
Your Luna here is extremely real, her worries are palpable and build off canon so incredibly well, and I think parts of what she is feeling resonate quite strongly in all of us. The dynamic between Celestia and Luna is rich as well, I love how they jab and interact with each other. It's the classic sibling dynamic amplified by a thousand which makes sense given how long they've been around! You capture the POV of a worn, on edge pony incredibly well and I love the worldbuilding you were able to work in regarding Nightmare and having that drive the story.
This is a great start, I can't wait to see more! Keep it up :)
The club scene is described so well it felt like I was there. Who knew all Nightmare Moon needed was to go clubbing to unwind after a thousand years? And I like that Nightmare Rarity was part of the story, hinting at some deeper background and a shared connection between the two ponies when they felt unappreciated.
Nightmare Night seems like a perfect night for her to party. It wasn't until Luna was gone that ponies really began to celebrate her, and that mostly started because ponies wanted something to be scared of. Now that she's back it's turned into a sort of counter-part to the Summer Sun celebration. Maybe Nightmare will realize that she has her own holiday to appreciate her, if she doesn't get blackout drunk first
Inconceivable! I knew you'd know I knew you'd switched the chalices...
Ahem, anyway Pinkie had an awfully wholesome chapter. Nightmare getting praised by ponies while trick or treating, learning that the night time was for making memories since ponies were too busy during the daytime with work... I think she might finally be seeing night time the way ponies do: as the free time to go have fun and forget the long day/week.
The panic is a nice touch when she tries to slip into her old suspicious ways, but she does seem to be improving slowly. I wonder what the next 4 ponies have in store for her, I'm guessing Applejacks the hard liquor and Dash is the recreational substances... that still leaves Fluttershy to probably get Nightmare laid, and Twilight to swoop in at the end and help hide the bodies.
Nothing like a drinking game to bring back all those happy memories of your time in the Castle of the Two Sisters. I'd expected them to get plastered, but didn't think it'd lead Nightmare to so much introspection. All the innuendo during the drinking game was fun. Kind of makes me thirsty for something to drink, just need some people to drink with.
I honestly think this is my favorite chapter. I love how you wrote Fluttershy and Nightmare’s interactions and especially the thing with the coin…genius. This chapter is the perfect way to wind down from the excitement and thrill of Rainbow
FelonyAwesome Dash.Flutterhigh is pretty much canon by now as well.
THIS scene deserve a painting on its own, but with Fluttershy patting NMM on the head, and NMM having a twitching eye
I didn't see this coming...
but I expect Treehugger to show up anytime now.
Way to go Fluttershy :)
This was a good read.
Maybe a bit short for my tastes.
Aw, I was kinda hoping for a proper scene between the placated Moon and Celestia as the final chapter. Oh well, it was still a fun read nonetheless!
Thanks for writing such a good fic, Aurora.
This is not just a story about partying, but about acknowledging one's insecurities and facing them head-on. Luna/Nightmare Moon's characterization was done so well in this story. The way each of the Mane 6 helped Nightmare Moon/Luna find peace with the way things are during the night perfectly drew a character arc for our beloved Princess of the Night.
Rarity's allure struck a crack in the bars of Nightmare Moon's tightly closed heart by showing her that Nightmare Night was a night where ponies could go wild without restraint. Pinkie Pie's trick-or-treats and food removed those bars by showing her how food formed fond memories. Applejack's cider fest pushed open the doors of Nightmare Moon's heart, the alcohol serving to bring ponies to a level of honesty and vulnerability Nightmare Moon had never experienced. Fluttershy's weed and philosophical discussions helped Nightmare Moon peer into the contents behind those once-closed doors, letting her acknowledge the insecurities she harbored and face them in their entirety. Finally, Twilight's offer to bring Nightmare Moon/Luna wherever she wished to go broke down the doors, letting Luna and Nightmare Moon become one in true harmony and acceptance of the love for her nights.
The characterization of the Mane 6, which was spot on, made this such a more persuading tale to read. By placing each of the main characters in a way that would seamlessly complete the arc explained above, the story receives full marks in characterization and plotline.
Bravo, Aurora, and thank you for writing this wonderful story. Hope to see more stories like this from you in the future!
P.S. Kudos to you for not giving up on writing this story for over a year. It's not a feat anyone can achieve, and you ought to be proud of yourself. Once again, good work.
That was a good story.
...
i sure hope the trend of hinting at bad ships doesn't continue...
...i'm starting to think you can't write a character that isn't perpetually horny
not a complaint, just an observation
11126673
wrong, but believe what you wanna i guess
now i wanna get baked with fluttershy
hope she doesn't mind that i prefer edibles
11127775
you've some really strange ideas about canon, my man
not bad, all told
coulda done without the shipping implications, but a solid 8.5 outta 10 stars story here
one last complaint tho: this chapter coulda been longer, and explored more of the aftermath
11128841
Write what you know
I loved it. Great story. As others have already said.
11128905
m o o d
I love the "Nightmare comes from within" angle, and your musical analogy fits perfectly. Let's see where this goes!
Finally here.
I love this idea. The thought that Nightmare Moon is actually a part of Luna. Nightmare Moon is Luna.
I've had this thought since around the end of season two when I started overthinking a cartoon for young children hahaha.
I'm excited for this