My Personal Nightmare
LunarReaper
Chapter 1 - Dream turned Nightmare
A year and a bit earlier...
The Nightmare tapped the door three times before entering the desolate halls of the Everfree castle. Why she did that she did not know but it felt right to her, as if a voice cheered her on as she did it. A memory flashes before her eyes... not hers but the one who created her and sits at the back of her mind.
"Mother" she whispers through the empty halls as she walks to the throne room. The Nightmare was not aware where she learned that word, father would snarl at her whenever she said it whispering words such as weak or traitor.
What is a mother? The Nightmare pondered coming to a complete stop as she probed the depths of her mind for an answer. Images flash before her mind... A red maned creature stares down at her lovingly... no not her the one who sits in her mind. 'no one has ever looked at me like that', Nightmare Moon concludes standing frozen in a cold hallway the rain smashing down against the castle outside. The Nightmare continues to trot.
"Help", A voice whispers its voice small and needy. The Nightmares ears flick towards the source but she ignores it, she has something to do a rebellion to plan. She smiles wickedly... 'It will be glorious'. Father will be proud of her if it goes off without complications. Maybe he might smile... if floating mist with glowing orange eyes could smile that is. The Nightmare smiled (something she rarely did) at the thought of the creature who awoke her smiling it would be so unlike him.
CRACK!
Lightening drove through the sky startling the dark mare from her thoughts. The smile disappeared as she began to walk to her destination again a frown on her muzzle. 'Why am I even doing this?' Nightmare pondered her eyes flickering left and right looking for 'him' as though he would appear out of nowhere just to catch her doubting his "master" plan. She snorted it being a plan was generous it was more a series of vague goals that he himself could not do currently. 'If he could ever do them' She rolled her eyes the entity wished to destroy the world using her. And she could do nothing but listen... he may not be able to harm others but she was within his dark abilities and therefore an easy target for his rage.
The Entity he had no other name was a creator of evil he knew no virtue and destroyed anything that had it. No matter how much the Nightmare tried to hate him she could not, he helped create her so how could she? Sure he never went into details always being vague something about a deal with the host that he could take advantage of, the host being Luna. The Nightmare flinched in pain as she felt resistance from the host 'she's trying to break through', Nightmare snarled. Didn't she see they were only trying to fulfill her own wish? Why would she resist? It was her idea. The resistance stopped.
"Not our idea, release us", The voice whispered barely audible to the Nightmare, even from within her mind. The Nightmare ignored her she was deluded and did not know what was good for her. Nightmare Moon knew what she wanted even if she did not and she would complete all the tasks her "Mother" could never bear to do.
"We art trying to help, let us help thou.", The Nightmare whispered to herself her voice laced with a large amount of sincerity.
"Thou would be helping if we were released", The voice whispered back, The Nightmares nose scrunched up in concentration as she tried to hear the near silent voice of Luna, The Nightmare was excited her mother had never responded with so much intelligence. Usually it was deluded mumblings or insults but now... she could have a conversation with her. That would have been true if Nightmare could actually hear the voice that was getting quieter and quieter by the second.
"We art sorry we did not catch that." She tilted her head to the side hoping it would better help her catch the answer. She waited in the cold hall as the elements slammed into the outside for a word... anything... anything at all that would allow her to help the deluded pony in her mind. To help her mother but the words did not come. Luna had returned to her usual silence. The Nightmare continued on her trudge to the throne room. Thoroughly downtrodden. She only wished to help. 'Unlike father' she thought.
She finally stood before the throne room door, it was made of oak with fixtures made of iron, rather simple for a place where princesses used to live in her opinion. It confused her slightly it had no obvious defensive properties only vague scratches in a language she did not recognise but they had kept it to help guard the countries most important ponies. Why? The Nightmare shrugged she was probably looking to far into a mere door than she needed too but still it was a distraction that she needed right now to help ready herself for what was on the other side of the door. She sighed to herself tapping the door three times before pushing it open.
What she found on the other side was exactly what she expected. A dark dreary room the only light being the light from the moon, a thick layer of dust covered everything within. This place might have been homely and full of life once but now it was in ruins, crumbling and degrading day by day slowly turning into a tomb of the old ways. The wind whistled through the broken roof for perhaps a second before all became silent, the wind quietened, animals far off became quiet, the darkness became thicker. The Nightmare wasn't bothered by those changes the only thing that irritated her was the fact she could no longer hear her own hoofsteps, she rolled her catlike eye's... he was here.
"Oh huzzah." She mumbled sarcastically, The Entity always did this, she respected him but his love of theatrics just managed to get on her nerves a little bit too much. A force hit her In the back sending her sprawling across the ground her face remained stoic.
A deep voice rumbled "You're getting better at that, what will I do for entertainment now if I cannot get a reaction out of you?" Nightmare felt a presence behind her she ignored it as she pushed herself up and wiped herself down. He acted like an idiot half the time and the other times... she shivered, she did not want to think about Those times.
"Grow up perhaps", Nightmare deadpanned as she turned towards the voices source. Now The Entity did not have a solid body, a solid shape... yes but that was about it when it came down to it. He or It was a made up of a thick grey mist which had properties similar to the Nightmares mane giving him the ability to lift things, scare helpless travellers and irritate the hell out of his dearest apprentice. But that did not restrict him as much as one would think perhaps physically but not mentally as his control over ones mind could crush even the Nightmare's skills. Where she could cause a nightmare, leaving someone awake for a night or two. He could cause a severe mental health condition.
He created this opportunity for her and she would be forever grateful, she would do both of them proud even if some in their current state were forced to disagree with her. "Disillusioned fools", The voice of Luna whispered in her mind just out of the Nightmare's notice. She paid it no mind as she nodded towards the shimmering mist standing across from her.
"What this on thine agenda today?"
"I've learnt something in the past couple of days dearest Nightmare... something that I fear will halt our plans for this country if we were not to fix it... Immediately" The Nightmare raised a brow, what a foolish thought that the daymare would have something powerful to use against them she was nothing if not an inconvenience to everyone and the Nightmare could not wait to be rid of her. But her interest was taken nonetheless.
"What is it a artifact?, a weapon? or perhaps a magical rainbow that destroys pure evil." She joked sarcastically a grin appearing on her face showing her fangs as sharp as razors."Oh whatever will we do!?", If magical entities could deadpan she was sure he was giving her his most powerful one. So powerful intact she was surprised she had not melted into a pool of bitter dissapointment as he was wishing she would.
"This is serious." He monotoned with a thick baritone.
"So are magical death rainbows." She responded immediately. A far too serious look on her muzzle. "We hast seen them in mothers memories this a real threat that thou should be treated as such." The Nightmare stomped her hooves on the ground and gave him a pout from a foot away. To which she was given a snort.
"They art the elements of harmony foal." Luna snarled in her brain still out of Nightmare's hearing range.
"They do not exist, not anymore." The Mist moved closer if it were a pony they would have been muzzle to muzzle the room got colder. "Thine... mother" He said the word with distaste as though it sickened him, "Made sure they could not be used anymore" It backed away from the Nightmare. She stayed silent she had angered him and what would surely follow was never good for either party. Her eyes darted around the broken room towards anything but him. She could feel his eyes on her with a disapproving glare.
"Thou art a fool" The voice came through crisp and clear this time causing the Nightmare to wince. "How did something so disgustingly foolish gain control of our body?" The Nightmare sniffled, she was only trying to help. "Help. What help hast thou given us?" The voice snarled causing the Nightmare to flinch as she felt a sudden pain. The Entity looked on with a single glowing orange eyebrow raised.
"We- we-- we-- aahhh!" The Nightmare clutched her head as the pain increased causing tears to fall from her eyes "We helped thou fin-- Ahhhhh!" The Nightmare curled up on the ground tears flowing freely to the disgust of her mentor. "WE ART SORRY!" She screamed as blood began to drip from her nose. The voice was suddenly silent again. The Entity looked upon her with a blank expression.
"Are you ready to take this seriously now?" She nodded still whimpering to herself from the mental attack.
"What is thine pr-prob-- problem father?", She swore she could see the mist grinning at her suffering, she honestly wouldn't have been surprised at that fact given... other confrontations they'd had ever since he helped her down from the moon early. She shivered and gave him her full attention knowing if she didn't another mental attack would soon follow. A much more gruesome one.
"They're is another allicorn currently alive in Equis." He stopped looking at her for conformation she understood. She was gobsmacked, Another alicorn how could that happen it was impossible she thought as she nodded mutely at the grey mist floating in front of her. "I have reason to believe that she may be a big problem if my suspicion's about her lineage are correct."
"We cannot go into battle against an alicorn we know nothing of!" The Nightmare interrupted swiftly before adding "Tis suicide!" to further emphasis her point. It was crazy alicorns are dangerous, as were unknowns and this alicorn is both, it made the Nightmare feel worried for once in her existence. That was before the cloud of pure evil began to laugh.
"You actually think I know nothing of this little 'pretty princess', My dear?" The mist questioned while still laughing under his breath. The Nightmare stopped. Breath? Did he even breath? She pondered before snapping herself out of the slightly stupid thought before shaking her head to his question. "Good you've learned something." He gave a wicked smiled, she rolled her eyes. "She's the Princess of love and if given the right emotional connection she can be quite dangerous to creatures of darkness... so were going to isolate her."
"And how doth thou plan on doing that, she is within the mountain city absolutely untouchable." He had gone insane that was the only conclusion she could come up with or perhaps he was always insane. Yes he was definitely always insane the Nightmare concluded after a brief moment.
"Untouchable physically perhaps but her mind is not untouchable and with our combined power just as easy to break as her pretty princess body."
The Nightmare grinned a small grin "Indeed..."
"Art thou ready to bring nightmares my little piece of carnage?" He asked in an overly polite voice, a misty tendril pushing some of her mane out of her eyes. She grinned fully glistening fangs showing in all their glory.
(97% chance of doing serious mental damage)
"We suddenly hast a taste for Puny Princess blood." She licked her lips savagely.
Up in Canterlot a pink princess woke up screaming that night and she would wake up screaming every night until the Nightmare revealed herself and the coup had begun.
(Damage Done)