//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 // Story: Embracing the Darkness // by BlueAzura //------------------------------// *I own nothing, but the experience and story* *Ponies go to Hasbro* Embracing the Darkness By: BlueAzura Chapter 5 The castle, for the most part, was silent. The once busy halls of the castle have been reduced to something close to a ghost town. Only the occasional guard or two would disturb the silence. Inside the throne room stood two guards, standing on either side of the door to the hall. They eyed each other uneasily, as they turned back to watch their queen pacing. Nightmare Moon paid no heed to them, as she spun on the spot and began walking to the other side of the room for the hundredth time. ‘What in Equestria is happening to me?’ She made an angry snort. ‘Why did I talk so openly to that mare? Answering her questions… and even going so far as to comfort her!’ She reached the other side of the room and spun once more. ‘I am Nightmare Moon! The true goddess and ruler of the night! Yet here I am, bringing myself down to a level of a mere mortal!’ She stomped a hoof to the ground with a loud clang, causing the two guards to jump in surprise. After a couple minutes of uninterrupted pacing, the doors to the hall opened and a familiar navy blue Pegasus entered. The alicorn stopped and asked, in an irritated tone, “Did you complete the tasks that I have given you, Captain?” The captain bowed. “Of course, Your Majesty, I have the numbers you have asked and sent Miss Sparkle to her room in the library.” He pulled his head up and said, “Apparently, she’s been living here since a very young age and has been the sun tyrant’s student.” He watched the goddess carefully and asked, “Was that the reason why you decided to give her your blessings?” Nightmare turned her attention towards the guards standing at the doorway. “You two, leave us!” The guards scrambled out, to finally be away from their angry queen. “I had my own reasons, Valor, so now tell me the numbers I had asked for.” Valor bowed again. “But of course, Master.” He raised his head and produced a scroll from under his wings. He unrolled the scroll and began reading off of it. “We have checked the armory and found most of the weapons there intact. The total numbers of guards that you’ve captured has equaled to only a fourth of the total Equestrian army.” He continued, “The castle staff and nobles have all been accounted for. All major cities and towns have received word of the change in command…” He continued reading down the list of all the major and minor things that were needed to run the kingdom. The Pegasus finally finished and began to roll up the scroll. “Lastly, the only vamponies to return to your side is Miss Sparkle and I.” Nightmare Moon’s eyes went wide. “You two are the only ones?” The navy blue Pegasus nodded. “I’m afraid so, Your Majesty, I don’t know whether they have been hunted down or perished over the years.” Nightmare Moon was for the first time ever, stunned. ‘My children… lost…’ She able to recollect herself and said, “Well… that is truly, a tragic loss.” She looked into the eyes of her faithful servant. “It looks like I’m going to need to rely on you more than ever now…” Valor cleared his throat. “That reminds me, Your Highness, I believe I have found a suitable group of ponies that will be able to ward off your hunger for the time being.” Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow. “Who are these ponies?” “They are a group of fanatics, who worships only the night and I have found out that they are willing to sacrifice themselves to you, My Queen.” “Humm… I suppose, they will have to suffice for now…” Nightmare Moon found herself trailing off, as the day without sleep finally caught up with her. “Excellent work, Captain, I am very pleased with your work.” She yawned. “But, I am much too tried right now and I wish to sleep. I’ll be in my chambers if you need me.” She turned into a dark cloud of smoke and quickly vacated the room. Valor watched the cloud pull away, leaving him completely alone. He gazed around the throne room with a careful eye, making sure there weren’t any ponies listening in. Seeing that he was indeed alone, he pulled out a small gold medallion and pressed it against his hoof. After a few seconds of silence, a voice emanated from the medal. “Valor, is that you?” “Yes, it is I…” He spoke calmly into the medallion. “Nightmare Moon has agreed to bring in the group that you’ve created and she doesn’t suspect a thing.” “You have done well, Valor, I will expect to hear from you soon.” “I expect that you will hold on to your end of the bargain for this.” “Of course! You shall be rewarded and I will grant your wish, as was the agreement.” The medal became silent. The navy blue Pegasus quickly placed the medallion back into hiding. He took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice. “I probably should’ve told them about Nightmare’s new pet…oh well.” He quietly left the room and back out into the lonely hallway. Meanwhile… back at the royal library, Twilight was busy. “No…no…no…” She mumbled, as she pulled out book after book and throwing them away over her shoulder. “Come on… it’s got to be here somewhere…ah ha!” She grinned in delight, as she pulled a large book towards her. The Elements of Harmony: a Reference Guide. She channeled her magic and created a small orb of light in front of her. The unicorn rested herself upon her bed before opening the heavy book. ‘There’s got to be something the elements can do in order to reverse the effects of vamponies.’ She began riffling through the pages. ‘As far as I know, the elements are the strongest magical items known in Equestria. There just has to be something…’ … Seconds became minutes and minutes became hours. Twilight gave a huge yawn, almost dislocating her jaw in the process. “Oww…” She muttered to herself, as she failed to hold back another yawn. 'Drat... so far, I can't find anything that will help me.' The unicorn moaned in discomfort, as she tried to block the rays of the sun with a hoof. ‘Wait… sunlight?’ She gasped and immediately jumped out of the bed. ‘It can’t be!’ Racing to the large glass door to the balcony, Twilight watched the sun slowly rising. ‘No, that’s not the sun…the moon?’ The need to sleep completely left her body, as she gaped openly at the moon. Looking past the moon, Twilight can also see the stars, twinkling in a soft glow. “Glorious, isn’t it?” Twilight turned to see Nightmare Moon standing beside her. “How is this possible?” asked Twilight. Nightmare gave an amused snort. “What a foolish question to ask, Twilight. Celestia’s sun is only brighter than the moon because she doesn’t bother placing anything else into the sky.” The alicorn placed a hoof to her chest and proudly said, “While I have placed not only the moon, but also the many stars that you see before you. Naturally… being stronger than my dear sister, gives me the ability to make my moon shine just as bright.” Nightmare gave a smug grin when she finished. Twilight continued to gawk at the goddess. “Then that means… the night will truly last forever?” Nightmare raised an eyebrow. “You make it sound as if it’s a bad thing.” Twilight’s ears immediately flattened. “O-oh! Of course n-not, Your Majesty!” ‘She talks so casually, I keep forgetting that she’s still Nightmare Moon.’ Her train of thought was interrupted when Nightmare Moon began laughing. The goddess of eternal night held her sides, trying to hold back the sudden bubbly feeling in her midsection. After a few seconds of laughing, the alicorn was finally able to control herself. Breathing heavily, Nightmare Moon mentally facehoofed. ‘Damn-it… so this strange feeling only comes when I’m around this unicorn…’ She glanced down to see a thoroughly confused Twilight Sparkle. “Uhh… you will never mention this to the guards… or anypony for that matter.” “Oh… alright…?” Twilight blinked. ‘What in Equestria was that?!’ They stood silently, until she suddenly remembered. “Umm… that reminds me… who’s the new captain and how does he know what I am?” Nightmare was mentally thankful for the change in subject. “His name is Valor…” She turned back, facing the shining moon. “a very loyal pony… He has been serving me for over one thousand years.” Hearing the small gasp beside her, the alicorn answered, “Yes, he was the last pony I gave my blessings to… before my unfortunate imprisonment.” She turned to face the unicorn. “You and Valor… are the only vamponies left, it seems.” Twilight’s mind was reeling. ‘Another vampony…?’ “But wait…” She flicked her eyes to the alicorn’s draconic ones. “What about the other guards? Aren’t they vamponies as well?” The alicorn shook her head. “No, they were previously Celestia’s guards.” She made a smirk. “All I have to do is threaten their friends and families to gain their support… HA!” Nightmare barked out a laugh. “These fools are so easy to control, it’s almost sickening!” She was about to go into another episode and begin laughing uncontrollably again, but stopped when the library doors opened. The captain of the guards entered, followed by a hooded pony. When the pair reached to two mares, Valor spoke. “My Queen, this is the leader of the group I have mentioned to you last night. They call themselves, the Night Shadows.” The hooded pony took a step forward and bowed. “It is truly an honor to meet you, your majesty.” His voice came out in a loud whisper. “Never did I imagine that I will come face to face with the Dark Queen.” Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow at the strange pony. “And yet you hide your face before your queen. Tell me, why do you keep your hood up, leader of the Night Shadows?” The pony bowed even lower. “Forgive me, Dark Queen, but I keep my hood up to insure that I am avoiding the accursed sunlight at all times.” Nightmare almost snorted. ‘What a ridiculous idea to prove that you support me!’ She mentally sighed. ‘At least they are willing to assist me…I’ll play along for now…’ “Very well then, leader of the Night Shadows…” She pulled herself straight. “However, I will not be in need of your services for this week.” Valor was taken aback. “But… My Queen! How will you sustain yourself if you have nopony to drink from?” The alicorn waved a hoof. “No need to worry, Captain, for I have my meal right. here.” She reached a hoof out and wrapped it around the purple unicorn. “She’ll be able to sustain me for the whole week, Valor.” “Her?!” The navy blue Pegasus burst out. ‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’ “M-ME?!” Twilight’s jaw fell to the floor. ‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’ Nightmare Moon paid no heed to the two, as she turned her attention back to the hooded pony. “I will call upon your services once the week is up, my loyal servant.” The hooded pony bowed once again. “Very well, Your Majesty, my brethren and I will wait for your summons.” The pony turned and walked away, closing the door behind him as he left. Valor watched the pony leave, before whirling to face the night goddess. “My Queen, you can’t be serious with this proposal of yours!” He stamped his hoof. “I highly advise that you rethink your decision.” Nightmare Moon’s draconic eyes narrowed. “Do you have a problem with my decision, Captain?” She took a few steps forward and towered over the Pegasus. “Because as I recall… I am your queen and you are but a simple captain.” The floor began shaking slightly. “You are nothing more but a pawn to me and you will do well to remember your place!” The entire library began shaking violently. Books upon books fell to the floor, all the furniture crumbled to the floor, and the windows shattered by an unknown force. Twilight slowly inched herself away from the angry goddess. ‘This. This is the true goddess of the night. This is Nightmare Moon.’ After a few uncomfortable seconds, the shaking finally shuddered to a halt. Nightmare breathed deeply through her nose, trying to control herself. ‘It seems my old self is still there, but it’s different now…’ The alicorn suddenly felt confused. ‘Normally, I would’ve felt some satisfaction in this, but now I feel only… guilt?’ She glanced down to see a shivering Pegasus and whispered. “Do I make myself clear, Valor?” “Y-yes, My Queen, I understand perfectly.” The navy blue Pegasus quickly left the room. Nightmare Moon sighed. ‘I feel that there are two parts of me now, but how is this possible?’ She stood rigid. ‘I must find out the reason behind all of this…’ Hearing a small noise off to the side, Nightmare turned to see the purple unicorn moving away from her. Twilight, seeing that the alicorn had noticed the sound, dived into a mountain of books. ‘For the love of all that is good in this world, please tell me that she didn’t see me!’ She let out a small squeak, when a familiar starry mane wrapped around her. Nightmare gave a small smile at the amusing sight of the unicorn. “And where do you think you’re going?” She slowly pulled the frighten unicorn towards her. “Releasing all that anger… has left me quite hungry.” Her lips parted and slowly brought the unicorn’s neck closer. "No wait-!" Twilight gasped when she felt the fangs pierce her skin. ‘Oh Celestia, it hurts…’ But she kept her mouth shut, so as to not invoke Nightmare Moon’s wrath. After a minute of drinking, the Nightmare Moon finally released the unicorn. ‘Ah… simply delicious.’ She licked the remaining blood off her lips. “Thank you for the meal, Twilight, now as a reward you will be given your very own.” The alicorn’s horn lit up and threw open the library doors. Standing at the entrance was a trembling mare, who yelped in surprise when the doors opened. Nightmare Moon strolled up to the pony and said, “You are one of the maids for this castle, yes?” The timid pony nodded. “I suppose the Captain sent you over, yes?" Another nod. "Then you have no doubt seen that little show… did you enjoy it?” The pony backed away. “N-no please, your majesty, I saw nothing I-I swear!” The alicorn quietly lifted the frightened pony, via magic. “Save your breath, little foal, you will make a fine meal for my servant.” She floated the pony and dropped her in front of the unicorn. “Here you are, Twilight, breakfast.” Twilight, who didn’t move during the whole time, faced the earth pony lying before her with wide eyes. She watched the pony cower away from her, fear plastered on her face. Twilight spoke in a low voice. “I-It’s okay, I’m not going to do that to you.” Twilight turned to stare at the alicorn, determination fixated on her face. “I won’t drink her blood, Nightmare.” Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow. “Are quite sure about that? It has been about two days now and you haven’t had a single drink since your rebirth.” She leaned in. “You must be thirsty by now, yes?” *Thump-thump* Twilight suddenly gripped her chest. The hunger had never been a problem… until now. Twilight, for the most part, was able to push it into the back of her mind simply by studying the elements. But now that Nightmare Moon reminded her on what she is, the hunger came back a hundred times greater. *Thump-thump* “Gah!” The unicorn gasped, visibly shaking. Twilight wanted nothing more than to get rid of the pain, but she doesn’t want to hurt the mare in front of her either. The vampony could feel herself slipping. ‘No… NO! I can’t… I won’t!’ She snarled and hunched over in defiance, earning a frighten squeak from the earth pony. Nightmare Moon rolled her eyes. ‘Just give in already, Twilight. This is a battle you’re not going to win.’ “No… I’m not going to give up, Nightmare.” The unicorn muttered. She slowly sat up straight, panting with exhaustion and pain. Twilight gave the surprised goddess a weak smile and turned to the maid. “You can go now.” Not wasting a second, the pony scrambled to her hooves and bolted out of the room. The Dark Queen watched the pony run with wide eyes. ‘How is this possible?!’ She turned to stare at Twilight, who was still smiling. ‘None of my children were able to withstand a day’s worth without blood, let alone two!’ Her mind went into overdrive, trying to figure it out. ‘In fact, she should’ve gone insane with the urge to feed. So how she is still able to control herself after all of this?’ Hundreds of questions swirled in Nightmare Moon’s mind until she finally stopped at one conclusion. ‘Even if she’s capable of holding herself back… she’ll still give in at the end.’ She smirked. ‘I’ll give her about another night or so before she breaks.’ Twilight sat patiently and frowned when she saw the smirk, forming on the alicorn’s face. ‘I just beat Nightmare at her own game and yet she can still smile?’ She jumped slightly, when the queen began laughing again. “Ah… well done, Twilight!” said Nightmare, slowly clapping her front hooves together. “I must admit… I was truly surprised, my little vampony.” She gave another smirk. “However, you are fighting a losing battle and I will not make it any easier for you.” Her smirk turned into an evil grin. “In the end you will become a monster like me, Twilight.” ‘I could just order her to drink, but… torturing her is a lot more fun.’ The alicorn’s eyes glinted. ‘I will be the one to break you, Twilight!’ Twilight saw the glint pass through the queen’s eyes and in response, narrowed hers. “If that’s true…” If anypony was able to see the two at that moment, they would’ve sworn that they saw sparks flying between them. “If that’s true and I’m going to turn into a monster… so be it. But, I’m not going down without a fight!”