My Little Sister is a Dragon - Nightmare Moon Arc

by AleximusPrime

4. The Cult

A few days after the presentation, it was finally time for Nightwatch and Buttercream to head to the Everfree Overlook. He packed up his telescope, some camping gear and snacks in a small wooden cart to pull behind him during the trip. As he finished packing, Midnight and Aurora walked outside to bid farewell to their kids.
“Nighty, I’m so glad you and your sister are going on this trip. You two are going to have such a great time!” Aurora said as she hugged her son.
“Watch after Butter for us, buddy,” Midnight said as he put his hand on his son’s shoulder before giving him a hug. “And Butter, you keep an eye on him for us.”
“You got it, Dad!” Buttercream said as she saluted her parents before hugging them both.
“Alright, we got the tent? Check. Snack bag? Check. Telescope? Check. Notes and astronomy book? Check…” Nightwatch said as he went down a small list of items important for the trip.
“Come on, Nighty! Let’s go!” said the eager little dragon, tugging on one of his front legs. “By the time you’re done quadruple-checking your list, Nightmare Moon will already be back!”
“Alright, Butter. I guess that’s everything.”
Nightwatch walked in front of the cart and used his magic to strap himself in. Butter hopped on a small seat attached to the front of the cart and stood in a heroic pose, pointing her finger skyward.
“Alrighty, Nighty! ONWARD TO THE OVERLOOK!” she called as Nightwatch started pulling the cart.
“Take care, you two!” called Midnight.
“We’ll be watching the moon tomorrow night and will think of you when it happens!” Aurora added.
“Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!” Buttercream called back.
“Don’t forget to shut off all the clocks after midnight and reset them once everything goes back to normal!” Nightwatch reminded them.
The two unicorn parents watched as the cart continued down the dirt road and disappeared over the hill. They kept watching, listening to Buttercream talking and the creaking of the wheels. Midnight put his arm around Aurora and they finally headed back inside. Nightwatch and Buttercream eventually disappeared past another hill, already far away from their house and off to adventure.

The Everfree Overlook would take about a day to get to not including stopping to rest. Nightwatch knew he would have to stop at a small camping site along the way to pitch the tent and spend the night. The final day of spring would be tomorrow, and he planned to get to the Overlook by afternoon to prepare ahead of time. This wasn’t the first time he would be in this area since he had been to Canterlot for his senior trip before graduating from high school, but it was his first time driving this route. Even so, he had the map and all the supplies he would need in his cart. The drive to the Canterlot area was a very scenic route. Buttercream brought along a camera to take pictures. She simply could not contain her excitement.
“This is just so fun!” she said as she sat on the side of the cart with her legs swinging. “Getting to see a huge prophecy be fulfilled tonight and watch as an ancient evil returns and then hopefully someone stops her with the Elements of Harmony! Can’t wait to see the look on Mr. Nebula’s face when he finds out we were right all along, Nighty!”
“Well Butter, let’s not forget: I’m not doing this for the grade. I’m doing this cuz it’s something I’ve really wanted to see happen ever since I was a kid. Plus I’d really like to see if I can talk to Nightmare Moon or maybe at least see Luna after she’s been saved.”
“So after we see the stars do their thing, should we go looking for Nightmare?”
“Well, there’s a reason why I chose the Everfree Outlook. According to the book I read about the prophecy: the last battle between the royal sisters was somewhere right around Everfree after the palace was destroyed. Celestia used the Elements to send her to the moon in that area, so maybe that’s where Nightmare Moon will return. I wasn’t sure I wanted Mom and Dad to know since they’d think it’s a little dangerous, but I think we’ll be fine.”
“Oh boy! I don’t mind it at all! I know she’ll be dangerous, but I’d love it if we got to see someone go up against her with the Elements!”
“Well that’s another thing, Butter: we may or may not see someone use the Elements to exorcise Nightmare Moon, but it also might not happen for a while. I have faith it will happen eventually, but it could be several days before anything’s done about her. We could be looking at the longest night ever. Literally. Might even have to ride home in the dark.”
“Somebody will stop her. Somebody’s gotta.”
“I know. I’m not sure who will do it, but if anything, we might be able to find them.”
Buttercream hopped off of the cart and walked in next to her brother to get closer to him.
“We’ll figure it out, Nighty. You know everything about Nightmare Moon and I’m sure you’ll find a way to fix it.”
“Thanks, Butter. I’m glad I’ve got you here with me. If I’d never walked a little further into that woods on my tenth birthday, I never would have found your egg and I’d be doing this trip on my own.”
Buttercream hopped on top of Nightwatch’s back and hugged him. She then stood on his back and spoke with confidence.
“We’re unstoppable together, bro. We’ll brave this trip and get to that overlook in one piece, and we’re gonna see that prophecy come true!”
Butter hopped back onto the cart and began to sing of the adventure awaiting them.

As they continued singing, they stopped at several spots along the way to rest and eventually got to the campgrounds for the night. The next morning, they woke up, packed things away and finished their song as they got closer to the destination.

“WHOO!” Buttercream cheered as she let herself fall back into the cart.
She noticed the cart was starting to wobble a little and peeked out to see the dirt road they were on was a lot rockier now. They were in a very dark forest and it was hard to tell what time of day it was.
“Um…Nighty, are we in the right place?” she asked.
“I don’t think so,” Nightwatch said as he checked the map. “I mean we’re still going southwest so we’re heading in the right direction, but…oh no.”
“What?”
“I think we took a wrong turn. The road that takes us straight to the Overlook was about a mile back. We’re on some random back road that takes us into the Everfree Forest.”
“We’re in the Everfree Forest? Dangit! I knew I shouldn’t have distracted us with that song!”
“It’s okay, Butter. We’ve probably only delayed ourselves by a few minutes. I’ll just turn us around and head back to the spot where we get back on the road that takes us to the Overlook.”
Nightwatch tried taking a K-turn with his cart but had difficulty since the road was so narrow. He finally found a spot with enough space and managed to turn around.
“Phew! See? Nothing to it. We’ll be at the Overlook in no time,” he said.
Buttercream was happy to see he was already getting them back on track, but then something caught her eye. Off to the side, she saw something in the trees. It looked like a vine or a long tail. She only saw it for a split second as it shrank into the branches and caused some leaves to fall.
“Nighty, did you see that?” she asked, frightened.
“See what?”
“It’s gone now, but I saw some weird tail or something in the tree just now.”
“I wouldn’t worry about it. Probably some small animal looking for food.”
“Eh, I guess you’re right.”
Nightwatch continued walking along and Buttercream relaxed herself, not worrying about the strange sight from earlier. As she sat in the cart, she heard a hissing sound and something jumping in the branches behind them. She figured it was a squirrel or a bird, but it was getting closer. She turned her head around and just barely caught a glimpse of something jumping into a tree behind them.
“Nighty, there it is again!”
“Butter, what do you see?”
“I don’t know but it’s following us! It looked like it had a long tail like a lizard. It just landed in that tree over there.”
“I don’t see anything right now. Try blowing your fire to scare it away.”
Butter turned around, blew a plume of fire and waited for a moment. The sounds near the tree stopped and the mysterious creature could not be seen anywhere. They both sat still and waited a little longer until it was decided they had scared it off.
“See, what’d I tell you? It’s just some wild animal. It’s probably more scared than you are.”
Buttercream gave her brother a thumbs-up and he continued walking. For the next minute, she didn’t hear the sound anymore and looked back every few seconds at the tree and there was nothing there. She sat back in the cart with her arms behind her head to relax. She started to doze off until she heard something moving along on the forest floor. Some leaves were being riled up and it was headed in their direction. She woke up and looked back to see nothing but could still hear the sound off to the side. Some nearby tall grass was moving and something was slithering through it. It appeared to be a really large snake.
“NIGHTY!”
“Butter, what now?”
A knife shot out of the grass and flew into the side of the cart. Buttercream screeched and Nightwatch jolted.
“ALRIGHT, WE’RE OUTTA HERE!!”
Nightwatch ran as fast as he could and pulled the cart with all his might. Unfortunately, the road was too rocky for him to keep the cart steady, and Buttercream lost her balance. She fell off the cart and tumbled down a bank.
“BUTTERCREAM! I’M COMING!”
Nightwatch stopped the cart and undid himself from it. He slid down the bank and found Buttercream on top of a pile of leaves. He picked her up quickly and dusted her off as she shook her head around.
“Butter, are you okay?”
“I’m fine…did you see it?”
“I didn’t have time to look, but I saw the knife.”
Nightwatch looked around and started shouting to their mysterious visitor.
“Hey! Whoever’s out there, leave me and my sister alone! You hear?”
They both looked up to the top of the bank where Nightwatch had left the cart and saw a tail reach up and pull the knife out. Nightwatch then noticed that the ground beneath them was hard and cold. He brushed the leaves aside and saw something shiny and black.
“Nighty, what are we standing on?”
“Uh oh.”
Bars moved up around them and a lid hanging from a tree branch was lowered on top of them. They had fallen into a trap and were now in a cage.
“AGH! Nighty, what is this?!”
“It’s a trap! Hang on, Butter, I got this!”
Nightwatch charged up his magic and shot a beam from his horn. It was the most powerful offensive spell he knew how to use, but it did no good. Butter tried to use her fire to soften the bars, but it had the same effect. The metal of this cage was impenetrable. Nightwatch grabbed onto the little dragon and tried using a teleportation spell. He flashed with light but reappeared right in the cage as the bars jolted with electricity. The cage had cancelled out his spell.
“Even a teleportation spell isn’t enough? Just what kind of metal is this?”
“Nighty, look!”
Butter pointed to the side and the grass started moving as their mysterious captor slithered towards them. He finally made it out of the grass and into the open. Before them was a large green cobra with orange irises and slit pupils. He wore a black western hat, a red scarf, and a black shirt underneath with a belt. He had the knife wrapped up in the end of his tail and used it like a toothpick before giving a wicked smile. He holstered the knife in his belt and slithered around the cage while sticking his forked tongue out to smell his prey.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” said the cobra in a deep western accent. “A unicorn and a baby dragon. That’s a first.”
“Hey, what do you want with us, Mister Cobra?” Buttercream demanded.
“The name’s Dagger. I’m a bounty hunter from Kludgetown.”
“Dagger, eh? Well that explains the knife.”
“Please, Mr. Dagger, sir, we were just on our way to the Everfree Overlook. We meant no harm. Can you let us out of here?” Nightwatch pleaded.
“Everfree Overlook? What in Equestria are you little brats gonna do over there?”
“We just wanted to go camping up there.”
“Well you might be surprised to know that place is already being occupied tonight.”
“Occupied? By who?”
Nightwatch then heard sounds behind him and looked back to see silhouettes moving in from every direction. As they got closer, he could see they appeared to be ponies in cloaks with their hoods up. The cloaks were all navy blue with white dots and were tied together by a black brooch with a white crescent moon in the center. They were all wearing dark sunglasses underneath their hoods.
“What were they doing, Dagger?” asked a pony with a grey beard and a purple coat.
“Walking around with that cart. You wanted me to capture anyone who came this way, right?”
“That is correct. What is in the cart, Nox?”
“Nothing, Tenebris. Just a bunch of camping equipment, some snacks and a telescope,” said a tall, grey stallion in his own cloak, looking through Nightwatch’s belongings.
“Just what are you two doing out here? Nopony comes into the Everfree Forest to camp.” Tenebris asked them.
“Sir, we were heading to the Everfree Overlook but we took a wrong turn. I was just trying to get us back on track,” Nightwatch explained.
“The Everfree Overlook? That’s where we’re headed!” shouted a cloaked mare with a dark magenta coat.
“Now, now, Oscura,” Tenebris said, calming her down. “Look, me and my people are camping there ourselves. We’re gathering to witness the return of Nightmare Moon.”
“Wait… you guys are gonna watch the stars and the moon tonight too?” Buttercream asked.
“We have been waiting for this moment all our lives,” said a grey mare, walking in on the other side. “Our goddess Nightmare Moon has been trapped for an entire millennium and we have all seen the signs. The stars Ari, Hamal, Sheratan and Mesarthim will all come to the moon tonight to aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal.”
“You…you’ve seen the signs too?!” Nightwatch said as his eyes widened and he smiled. “OH. MY. SWEET CELESTIA!!”
Some of the ponies were disgusted at hearing what Nightwatch just said, but Nightwatch was too busy to notice as he was freaking out.
“I’m sorry, it’s just I’ve never met anyone else aside from my own family that believes me! I’ve spent all my life studying this prophecy and I got my cutie mark when I found out those exact four stars are going to meet with the moon in conjunction with the thousand-year mark which happens tonight!”
Nightwatch stopped to take a breath after talking so fast. Buttercream smiled and calmed him down by patting him on the side.
“There, there, Nighty,” she said. “Sorry, my brother and I are just really excited for this night to happen.”
“So you also believe in the prophecy,” said Noctura. “Then why did you just utter the words ‘Sweet Celestia’! UGH!”
The ponies all began hissing, spitting on the ground and moving their hooves to make crescent shapes in front of their faces as if to ward off evil spirits. Nightwatch even noticed that most of them had sharp fangs.
“IN THE NAME OF THE MOTHER OF NIGHT, PURIFY US OF THESE CURSED WORDS!” shouted Nox as he performed a strange ritual dance and chanted in a foreign language.
“Uh…are you guys okay?” Nightwatch asked, confused.
“NO WE ARE NOT OKAY!” snapped Oscura. “How dare you say such uplifting words about that wicked tyrant, Celestia! Tenebris, they should be punished for this!”
“SHHHH! Oscura, please!” Tenebris said, putting his hoof on the angry mare’s shoulder before turning back to their captives. “Look, you two. You appear to have a very different view of things than we do. We are all members of the Cult of Eternal Night. Our ancestors have waited for the return of Nightmare Moon for a thousand years. As Noctura stated earlier, we worship her. We have heard the prophecy and saw the signs. Now that the night of reckoning is upon us, we are preparing for it. If you couldn’t already tell, we do not appreciate when anypony speaks kind words of her evil sister Princess Celestia, but I can see you are unfamiliar with our ways, so I will not let any of my disciples harm you. Just consider yourselves warned.”
“Oh. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know,” Nightwatch said, bashfully.
“Tenebris, we might as well just off these two,” Dagger told the cult leader, taking out his knife. “After all, they might give away your plans and then-”
“DAGGER!!” shouted Tenebris. “Be silent and put away that weapon! I will not allow anyone to commit such an act of violence near our sacred grounds and I did not hire you to dictate me!”
“Geez. Sorry,” Dagger said as he put his knife away.
“What is going on over here?!” shouted a loud voice from behind a tree.
In walked a huge black bull with sharp, curved horns and a silver nose ring. He wore a collar with small round bells hanging from it and a larger cattle bell in the center. Next to him was a gray goat with upright horns. He was also wearing a collar with bells but didn’t have a large one in the center. Nightwatch noticed they both had small orange brooches on their collars with a curly red V in the center. He had missed it earlier, but Dagger was wearing the same brooch on his shirt, indicating they were part of whatever group he belonged to. The Bull appeared agitated while the goat was just confused.
“Dagger, what happened now?” asked the goat.
“Bellow, Bleat, we just found these two kids wandering around in our territory,” Dagger replied.
“What are you foolish children doing here?!” asked the bull, who was likely the one named ‘Bellow.’ He looked suspiciously at Nightwatch and Buttercream and snorted from his nostrils.
“Bellow, please. Don’t cause a scene just yet,” Bleat said, pulling on Bellow’s arm. “Both of you state your business.”
“I’m Nightwatch, this is Buttercream. We didn’t want to cause any trouble. We just wanted to see the stars and moon tonight when Nightmare Moon returns,” Nightwatch said.
“Cultists, are you alright with this?” Bellow asked, turning to the crowd.
“They’ll be fine, so long as they respect our ritual on the Overlook tonight,” said Tenebris. “We don’t’ mind if they watch through that telescope. It won’t matter once Nightmare Moon has returned anyway.”
“Telescope?” asked Bleat. “Wait, are you children astronomers?”
“Um…yeah. I am. My little sister here is tagging along,” Nightwatch said as he and Butter hugged each other, smiling nervously.
“Sister?”
“Adoptive. He found my egg in a forest a while ago,” Buttercream said, cheerfully.
“I see. Well how is it you came to know of Nightmare Moon’s arrival? Or more specifically, how did you know about the stars?”
“Well I got my cutie mark when I found out it was going to be Ari, Hamal, Sheratan and Mesarthim that would be the ones to free her tonight. I’ve been trying to tell other ponies all this time, but no one aside from my family believes me, not even my own astronomy professor.”
Bellow and Bleat stared at each other in shock. They then turned away and started whispering to each other. Dagger joined in.
“Well, Tenebris, maybe we should just let these two go. I mean, they can’t do us any harm,” Noctura said to her master.
“No!” snapped Bellow as he turned back around. “Leave them to us. Our master may have use of the unicorn. We will keep him for now.”
“Wait, what?!” shouted Nightwatch.
“Your master? Pfft!” Noctura teased Bellow. “What use does he have of this young unicorn and his adoptive dragon sister? Do you really think it’s going to matter when our goddess returns tonight?”
“Be careful, young one,” Bellow grumbled. “Eternal night is not the end-all-be-all.”
“Look, bovine, I know you’re still attached to your own religion, but you’ve waited far too long for him to return. Me and my cult will be victorious tonight. We’ve seen the signs. What have you seen?”
Bellow’s horns glowed red and he picked up Noctura by her neck with his magic. He roared in her face, which flipped her hood back, revealing green and yellow hair and long fluffy ears.
“SILENCE, CRETIN!! If you dare speak ill of my Lord again, you may just face my wrath sooner than his! The only reason we are helping you tonight is because it will pave the way for our agenda! My Lord will also return and your precious Nightmare Moon will bow before him! I will not tolerate another cross word about him or the Brotherhood! IS THAT CLEAR?!”
Bellow’s voice boomed loudly as he shouted in her face one last time. Noctura was completely helpless. Even the other cultists backed away in fear.
“YES!” Noctura yelped as she pulled her hood back and readjusted her sunglasses.
Bellow snorted in her face and dropped her to the ground. He stormed off with Bleat and Dagger following him closely. Several cultists rushed in to help Noctura up. Nightwatch and Buttercream both huddled up on the other end of the cage, frightened by what they just saw. Buttercream was shivering and huddled up to her brother as he held her close to him.
“Is he gone?” she whimpered.
“He’s gone,” Nightwatch replied.
“Everyone, perhaps we should make one last sweep of the preparations,” Tenebris told his followers.
“Uh…wait, you guys aren’t just going to let them keep us in here are you?” Nightwatch asked as the cultists walked away.
“There is nothing we can do for you,” Nox told him.
“Your fate is with the Brotherhood now,” Oscura added.
“Brotherhood? Brotherhood of what? Hello? Somepony? Noctura, you seem nice. Could you get us out of here?”
“This is obsidian metal, Nightwatch,” Noctura explained to him. “The Brotherhood insisted we capture anyone coming through here, and I’m not arguing with that blasted steer again. Nightmare Moon will take care of him later.”
“Wait, Noctura, what’s up with those guys? And how did you and your friends get a hold of obsidian metal? Noctura?”
Nightwatch tried to get her attention but Noctura had already walked away.
“Me and my big mouth,” Buttercream said, crossing her arms and sitting down. “If I could’ve just finished my song a little earlier, we wouldn’t have taken that wrong turn.”
“It’s okay, Butter. We’ll find a way out of here. I promise,” Nightwatch said, hugging Buttercream.

Elsewhere in the forest, Bellow, Bleat and Dagger had all gathered in secret by a large rock to return to their dark business. Bleat reached into a case and took out an orb. He placed it on a nearby stone and cast a spell on it with his horns. The orb started to glow. Inside of it appeared a donkey wearing a cloak and covering most of his face with the hood.
“Bleat. How are things?” the donkey asked in a raspy voice.
“Bray, we’ve helped the cultists remove the Elements,” Bleat told his boss.
“Good. Do they suspect anything?”
“No.”
“Then you know what to do. Go find the Elements and return to the castle as soon as possible. Do it while they’re in the middle of their ritual on the hilltop. They will be distracted. Once Nightmare Moon appears, ready the Golem and wait for her defeat.”
“Are you sure the Golem will work, Bray?” Bellow asked, glancing at a large machine off to the side.
“No, Bellow, I’m only hoping it will work. That’s why we must do this tonight. It could be enough magic to power the Golem, but we shall see.”
“Very well then. It will be done.”
“Hey, Boss?” said Dagger “I caught this unicorn and a little baby dragon he was tagging along with earlier in the obsidian cage. The unicorn apparently knows about the four stars freeing Nightmare Moon tonight and unlike everyone else, he knows them by name.”
“Does he now? Is he aware of their origins or what the Brotherhood is even here for?”
“He didn’t say anything about the origins, I think he just knows what the cultists know. And no, we didn’t say anything about our plans except that we’re helping the Cult tonight.
“Do you think we should keep him in case he may have useful knowledge, Bray?” asked Bleat.
“I wouldn’t worry about it. Just get those Elements of Harmony right back where they belong before the Cultists see you. New wielders need to find them quickly and then finish the job. Any further questions?”
“No, I guess we’re as ready as ever.”
“Excellent. I should be over there in about a day. Contact me with the orb again if the Golem is ready before I arrive. Good luck to you all and may Grogar’s spirit guide our steps.”