//------------------------------//
// The Rise of a Nightmare 
// Story: The Nightmare's Trigonal Demise 
// by Fluttercheer 
//------------------------------//

It was dark in Ponyville. Where day should be, was now night. Nopony was on the streets and no light shone out of the houses. Only one place in all of Ponyville, the town hall, was brightly lit. There was a reason for the unexpected nightfall and the ponies who were gathered in the town hall looked up to this reason right now:


After 1,000 years, Nightmare Moon had returned and this time, she was victorious.


There had been a fight. Six ponies, one of them having arrived from Canterlot to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Festival, formed a resistance against the ancient demon of the night. They figured out what to do, through the same old tome that warned about Nightmare Moon's return but had not been taken seriously by anypony. It spoke about the Elements of Harmony, six magical artifacts from times long gone that already defeated the demon once. The six managed to find them and to harness their power, but the living nightmare they had to face was too strong. This time, Nightmare Moon was prepared. She shattered the artifacts, took out the six heroes one after another and imprisoned them inside the Everfree Forest.
This was what the terrified ponies got told right now by the dark alicorn mare that stood on the balcony and looked down on them with eyes full of hatred and spite.
“So, you were sending six ponies after me.....” she hissed threateningly. The crowd of ponies began to shiver as her voice cut through them. Frightened, a few of them cowered themselves down on the ground, face buried in their hooves, and started to whimper. This amused the dark mare and she smiled.
“Oh, but I see, you still know who your true ruler is!” She laid back her head and broke into the sinister laughter she had already marked her arrival with. A smile was adorning her face as she had stopped laughing and she let her eyes wander over the ponies. She felt nothing but satisfaction anymore.
“Your heroes have been taken care of!” Another, short laughter left her throat. “They thought they could defeat me with those ridiculous Elements of Harmony, but now they are forever trapped and their weapons are destroyed!”
Horror appeared in the faces of the ponies of Ponyville as they heard this announcement. A few of them jumped up and tried to run out through the main entrance, while the others stood there frozen, the realization of their doom descending down on their minds. The foals in the large room began to cry. However, one of them, an orange pegasus filly with a short, purple mane just squinted her eyes at the demon of the night. Although she wasn't older, the expression in her eyes was different than those of the other little foals. It was a grim determination, the eyes of a pony who would not accept the dark fate that got bestowed upon it. She couldn't run away like the other ponies, as Nightmare Moon used her magic swiftly, holding the door shut. But neither was she intent on running away like a coward. What she had in mind was something else.
Using the distraction the fleeing ponies had provided, she made herself small and slowly crawled backwards, not leaving Nightmare Moon out of sight.
“Where do you think you are going?” she heard Nightmare Moon shouting above her while she used the bodies of the adult ponies as cover. She twitched a little, but then realized that the demon was speaking to the ponies who had tried to flee through the main entrance. Continuing her way under the bodies of the adults, she listened attentively to Nightmare Moon's words.
“A thousand years and some of you still don't appreciate your dark princess? A pity that I have to see such a thing! But now that my night will truly last forever I will teach you. I expect utmost loyalty from all of you and loyalty is what you will show me in due time!” She began to laugh again as she watched the ponies, who were now too hopeless to try another attempt at fleeing, trotting back to their former positions in the crowd.
The filly twitched again, as the word “Loyalty” reminded her on the reason for the plan that was going through her head. She did not stop, however, as she had reached her destination; a small, unremarkable door in one of the walls. The adult ponies around her were standing close to it, providing her with the ideal conditions to leave through this door without being noticed.
Not making any noise, she opened the door just wide enough for her small, slim body to fit through, then she slipped outside. “P-Please, can we leave for our houses now?” was the last thing she heard before she had closed the door behind her as quietly as she had opened it.
The filly allowed herself to take a short breath of relief, then she motioned towards the door she could see at the other end of the hallway. She knew exactly where she was heading. Her class had visited the town hall recently for an educational behind-the-scenes tour and she still remembered that the room ahead of her had another entrance to the building, one only for ponies who were working in the town hall. For a moment, she pondered increasing her tempo, then decided against it. Despite that Nightmare Moon could not hear her in here, especially not over the sounds of crying foals and the gentle voices of their parents who tried to calm them down, she figured it would be best to not take any risks for her dangerous endeavor, so she continued sneaking through the hallway quietly.
It seemed like ages to her, but finally, she had reached the room at the other end. Still being cautious, she opened this door only as much as it was necessary to be able to slip inside the room, as well. It was only here that she became more daring, now separated from Nightmare Moon by two doors and one long hallway. Zipping, she galloped up to the exit, grabbed the handle and pulled it open, then went outside. As the last careful act of her escape, she closed the door quietly from the outside, fearing that a loud bang could still be heard faintly in the large ceremonial room she had left a few minutes ago. Only as this door had been closed as well, the pulse of the filly started to become slower.
Enveloped by complete darkness, she was now safe. Even if Nightmare Moon would leave the building right now, searching for any escapees, she would not be able to spot her. Despite these assuring thoughts, though, the little, female pegasus still gasped in shock as she noticed a small shadow coming closer in front of her. As it was close enough to identify the unexpected arrival, she gasped again, this time from surprise.
“Sweetie Belle? You snuck out, too?”
The pony in front of her did another step into her direction. As a cloud moved away from the moon, the silver light revealed a white unicorn filly, just about her size, with a tiny horn that further indicated her young age. The expression in the face of the little unicorn wasn't any less surprised.
“Scootaloo? Is it really you?” She squinted her eyes, as the filly who had spoken to her was just out of reach of the moonlight.
Revealing herself, Scootaloo stepped away from the door and into the light. Both fillies were now fully visible for each other.
Another gasp left Sweetie Belle's throat. “It is you!” she exclaimed, with a loud squeak.
Alarmed, Scootaloo did a hasty step forward and covered Sweetie Belle's mouth with one hoof. “Be quiet!” she whispered sharply. “The main entrance of the town hall isn't far from here, it's almost right around the corner! Do you want Nightmare Moon to hear you, or what?”
Sweetie Belle's eyes became a little wet over the harsh reaction, but she shook her head and mumbled something that sounded like “No”.
Having made sure that her friend understood now, Scootaloo freed Sweetie Belle's mouth. The unicorn filly wiped a hoof over her eyes.
“How did you get here?” Scootaloo asked. “Did you leave through the same corridor as I did?”
Sweetie Belle shook her head again, putting down her hoof. “N-No. I left through the main entrance with another filly right when Nightmare Moon suddenly disappeared. Then we hid ourselves here in some bushes.” Her voice was shaking and she sounded nervous.
Scootaloo looked over Sweetie's shoulder. The bushes she had mentioned were only visible as dark, unshapely forms protruding from the ground.
“You said Nightmare Moon could hear us..... Does this mean she is back?”
Sternly, Scootaloo nodded. “She returned, yeah. And it's worse now..... Nightmare Moon said six ponies fought her with something she called the 'Elements of Harmony', but that she defeated and imprisoned them.”
Sweetie Belle held a hoof at her mouth. “Who?” she whispered quietly.
“I'm not completely sure..... But I know that Rainbow Dash is one of them.” All of a sudden, her face took on a painful expression. Biting her lower lip, she continued. “She left the town hall and hasn't returned since..... And neither your big sister.” She cast her eyes on the black ground, sunken in thoughts now.
“Rarity got imprisoned, too?!” Another loud squeak left Sweetie Belle's throat. She covered her mouth quickly.
“Mhm. I was even checking the crowd before I left, but I couldn't spot them anywhere.....” Scootaloo kept eyeing the ground. Only as Sweetie Belle's earlier words entered her mind, she looked up again. “You said you left with another filly. Who is it?”
Sweetie Belle shrugged. “I don't know. She's an earth pony and I've seen her a few times around town, but I don't know her name. She's not in our class as far as I can tell.”
She turned around and pointed to the dark bushes behind her. “She's still hiding and shaking almost as much as me.” As quietly as she could, the small unicorn stomped with a hoof on the floor. “Come out. Scootaloo is a friend. You're not in danger right now.”
The bush began to shake slightly. A moment later, a triangular shape poked out of it. It took until the filly had left the bush for Scootaloo to realize that she was wearing a gigantic bow in her mane. It bobbed in accordance with her movements. And Scootaloo recognized this filly.
“I know her!” she said. “She lives on Sweet Apple Acres with her family, I have seen her a few times around the farm when I went out of town to practice with my scooter.” She did a step closer to the filly with the bow. “How is your name?”
The earth pony filly gave her a nervous glance before she responded. “A-Ahm Apple Bloom.”
Scootaloo could see that something else was on her mind, but Apple Bloom struggled to speak out the words that lay on her tongue. Eventually, she managed to overcome her hesitation.
“Hey..... H-Have ya seen mah big sister, Applejack?” She fixated her eyes on Scootaloo, a mixture of hope and fright in them.
Sadly, Scootaloo shook her head. “No..... She left the town hall with Rainbow Dash and Sweetie Belle's sister. I haven't seen her returning, so I guess Nightmare Moon got her too.”
Nothing else than the following reaction could have expressed Apple Bloom's grief over this bad news better. Immediately as the last word had left Scootaloo's tongue, she sunk down on her haunches and began to tear up, her lower lip quivering. Absentmindedly, she stared into the darkness from the puddles her eyes had become.
Sweetie Belle dropped her ears, then looked at Scootaloo again. “What are we going to do now?”
Scootaloo's face returned to its grim expression, as Sweetie Belle's words reminded her on the decision she had made. “I don't know what you two are going to do, but I will defeat Nightmare Moon and save Rainbow Dash!” she spoke full of determination. Scootaloo doubted that her friend or Apple Bloom would be willing to tag along for her, admittedly crazy, plan and their reactions confirmed it.
Sweetie Belle's eyes grew wide in disbelief and even Apple Bloom's crying stopped. Her eyes were more clear again now. Aftter a few seconds, it was Sweetie Belle who got her speech back.
“But..... you are alone, Scoots. And you're just a filly. That's crazy!” she stated the obvious.
Scootaloo shrugged, unimpressed. “Crazy or not, that's what I'm going to do!” Her face took on an outraged expression. “Do you have any idea who Rainbow Dash is? She's the best flier in Equestria, she will be captain of the Wonderbolts one day and she is the most loyal pony I've ever seen! And Nightmare Moon just took her..... I'm not letting her get away with this.” She huffed, then angrily scraped a hoof over the ground.
“But how? You aren't strong enough to defeat a thousand year old night demon!”
Stubbornly, Scootaloo shrugged. “I don't know. But I will think of something!” Underlining her words, she stomped her right forehoof on the ground. “I will defeat Nightmare Moon and rescue Rainbow Dash. And you two can wait here and continue shaking while I'm saving your sisters too.....” Without awaiting any further reaction by Sweetie Belle or Apple Bloom, she turned around on her hooves and trotted away, in the now all-encompassing darkness because the moon was covered by clouds again. Soon, she got stopped in her tracks, though, as it was now Sweetie Belle who became angry.
“Hey, I want to save my sister, too!” she yelled after Scootaloo.
The addressed filly turned around. “Yeah? But all you're doing is sitting in a bush and whimpering..... Doesn't look like a rescue mission to me.”
Provoked by the statement, Sweetie Belle stomped into her direction, until she stopped almost right in front of her. “A rescue mission? What you want to do sounds more like a suicide mission!”
The sudden, serious words took Scootaloo off-guard and she opened her mouth, speechless. Sometimes, her friend was talking extremely mature for her age, which always astounded her.
“Yeah, so what? Maybe it sounds like that because it probably is a suicide mission! But I won't just sit here and do nothing while Rainbow Dash is starving and rotting away in some dungeon!” In all her fury, Scootaloo didn't even notice that her own language became of a very mature nature now.
“But.....” Sweetie Belle stopped, hesitating to speak out the word that was on her tongue. “B-But you could get..... killed. It's not a game, Scootaloo.”
“Fine, then I get killed, I don't care!” She did a step closer to Sweetie Belle, their faces almost touching each other now. “I can at least try to rescue Rainbow Dash and that's better than sitting around and doing nothing!” She huffed again, her warm breath getting blown into Sweetie Belle's face.
It increased the unicorn's anger. Abruptly, Sweetie Belle lifted a hoof and thrusted it down on Scootaloo's chest. Before she could do any further actions, though, a shadow rushed between them and pushed them away from each other. Both of them gasped from surprise as they saw who had intervened.
“Stop this now!” Apple Bloom's voice rang out to them. “If ya'll continue ta bash ya heads in like this, Nightmare Moon's gonna hear us and then we won't have ta fight over a decision anymore!”
Stubborn, but now peaceful, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle turned away from each other and crossed their forelegs.
Apple Bloom put her hooves down, then turned at Scootaloo. “A-Ah agree with ya. We should fight Nightmare Moon and try ta rescue them, together.”
Eyes growing wide, Scootaloo put her own hooves back on the ground. She looked at Apple Bloom intensely. “Really? You want to fight Nightmare Moon with me? But just a second ago you were a crying pile of misery.....”
Sweetie Belle wasn't any less surprised, but she was horrified as well. “You too? Am I the only sane pony here?!”
The other two fillies ignored her.
Apple Bloom looked down for a moment, scraping her hoof over the ground and kicking some pebbles. “Ah'am scared. But.....” She looked up again, now trying to squeeze as much bravery on her face as possible. “But it's for mah sister. A-Ah don't know what Nightmare Moon is goin' ta do with her. Ah have ta try savin' her, no matter what happens. She's almost the only family ah have.....” A few tears appeared in her eyes again, but she brushed them away instantly.
Scootaloo was moved by the last words, she even felt her own eyes getting slightly wet. Apple Bloom's heartfelt words had completely convinced her that the earth filly would risk her life to save her big sister. Only Sweetie Belle appeared to be against it still, but Scootaloo addressed it before she could voice any more protests.
“Apple Bloom and I have decided it, we're going to do something against Nightmare Moon, so you're outnumbered, Sweetie. But if you want to stay here and wait, it's fine. It's your decision.”
Having spoken these words, Scootaloo gave Apple Bloom a nod, who answered likewise, then they headed off together, leaving Sweetie Belle behind.
The little unicorn stayed at her spot. Her face showed that she was still horrified over the idea of facing off Nightmare Moon, but Apple Bloom's and Scootaloo's words had successfully created an inner conflict. If she joined them, she would probably push up the daisies soon. But if she stayed here, she would let her best friend run into her doom, because she didn't help her..... Sweetie's thoughts went back and forth, trying to find a good solution for her predicament. It was only as Scootaloo and Apple Bloom had been swallowed by the darkness, and as her mind couldn't take the torrent of thoughts raining down on it anymore, that she galloped away herself.
She had to do something.....