//------------------------------// // 7 - Nightmare Nova // Story: Mare Of The Moon // by tom117z //------------------------------// The disorientation passed quickly and Applejack took a note of her changed surroundings. They were in complete darkness. "You girls there?" Applejack called out. "I think so darling, one moment," a familiar voice responded. All of a sudden the darkness lifted due to the illumination of Rarity's horn and they could finally see where they were. They were in a dungeon. Each of them was in a separate cell side by side to one another, and no matter how hard each of them would try the bars and doors of each cell wouldn't budge, they were tough and designed to last. Rainbow Dash groaned in frustration. "I can't believe Twilight was a traitor! I mean, what the hay!" "She can hardly be a traitor if she were never on our side to begin with..." Said Applejack. "What's that supposed to mean?!" "Well she did say somethin' about being that there Nightmare Moon's daughter, so she's likely been waiting and biding her time for as long as there's been a mare silhouette on the moon." "But that's been, or rather was there for like a thousand years!" Fluttershy's quiet voice interrupted the two. "Well that must mean she was without her mommy for such a long time, I can't imagine such a thing". Rainbow facehoofed. "Well of course you would be so understanding, Flutters!" Rarity spoke up. "Well losing family in such a manor would be quite the traumatic experience..." "OH COME ON!" Shouted a increasingly frustrated Rainbow. "She locked us down here and plans on taking over Equestria!" "Calm down sally, we ain't suggesting we let her off the hook or anythin', we're jus' exploring the reasons why she is like she is," Applejack said trying to calm the cyan Pegasus. "To know your enemy, y'all gotta understand them." Rainbow huffed. "Well I suppose it's not lot any of us know the full story anyway..." "I do!" Shouted the bubbly pink mare named Pinkie Pie, who somehow was standing outside of her cell. "You see Twilight and Luna were really really close but pony's didn't appreciate their stars and night and they were really mean and it made the two of them sad plus sometimes bad pony's would attack them and Celestia didn't fully understand how sad they were so in the end they had enough and became bad but then Luna got locked in the moon and Celestia thought Twilight got killed and...", Pinkie took a deep breath. "Twilight actually traveled into the future and placed herself in a family environment to wait for her mommy to return and now she has and they want to complete their revenge BUT Twilight is... Whoops! Almost spoiled the rest of the story!" Pinkie finally finished with a squee. The other mares were left in a stunned silence as Pinkie returned to her cell. A few of them had twitching eyes. Rarity spoke first. "How did you... and why... why did you go back to your cell?" "Because if we get out now the story won't take it's correct course silly!" Pinkie proclaimed. Applejack sighed. "Just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie... still if what you say is true, I can certainly relate as ah know what it's like to lose a parent." "Seriously AJ?" Rainbow deadpanned "What?" "You find a demon-esque crazy alicorn... relatable?" "Once again, not lettin' her off the hook, but you have to see it from her point of view. She must of gone through some pretty terrible things to make her who she is." "AJ she was meant to be our friend! No matter the reason you never stab a friend in the back! I mean I could have gone with those Shadow Bolts and left you guys hanging but I didn't! What she did was just... not cool..." Rainbow Dash's shoulders sagged a little. Fluttershy spoke up. "Well I can see both sides of the argument. While like Rainbow Dash said she is a bit scary and mean, but also following Applejack's point I have seen baby animals lose their mommy's in the past and they are always devastated with it affecting them for the rest of their lives." "Yeah, but Flutters according to Pinkie she was like this before she lost her!" Rainbow objected. "While I understand your point Rainbow Dash maybe all we need to do is show a little kindness to her and she will see what a terrible mistake she is making... maybe." Applejack spoke up again. "Well all this speculating ain't useful unless we get out of here!" "We'll figure something out darling," Rarity said. "Until then I'm sure princess Celestia has everything in order." Nightmare Nova continued to stare at the spot where the element bearers had just been as Nightmare Moon's laughter died down. "Twilight?" a soft voice spoke out. Nova turned to face her mother was wearing a gentle and genuine smile on her face. She held out a hoof and Nova accepted the invitation, running quickly up to her mother and meeting her in a deep embrace. "I missed you..." Nova whispered tears forming in her eyes. "As did I my little star, but I'm here now, and they won't part us again..." Nightmare Moon cooed to her daughter. Nightmare Nova let out a small laugh. "I'm hardly 'little' anymore am I?" The two slowly pulled out of their deep embrace. "You will always be my little filly, Twilight". Nightmare Moon nuzzled her daughter before informing her of their next move. "We can't sit idle for long as Celestia will be moving against us and we must act quickly, firstly, the elements..." Nightmare Moon levitated the five stone balls with the imprint of five different coloured gems and lowered them onto the ground. "Is this really necessary, Mother?" Nova asked unsure of the next course of action. "It is a necessary sacrifice lest they be turned against us once more, petrified or not" The elder alicorn reared back on her hind legs and stamped down hard, cracking the floor and shattering the Elements of Harmony into dust. "It is done, come let's make haste to Canterlot and confront the tyrant directly!" Nightmare Moon declared before taking to the skies. Nightmare Nova stayed for a few brief moments more, once again looking at the spot the element bearers had been shortly before. They had actually considered her a friend... Nova took to the skies and followed her mother, all the while in the back of her mind a small part of her, personified by a younger lavender alicorn named Twilight Sparkle screamed at her to stop, and kept screaming. A panicked Celestia landed hastily in Canterlot Castle, a couple of startled Lunar Guards and one Captain Shining Armor approached her. "Your highness! Why hasn't the sun risen yet?!" Shining frantically asked. Catching her breath Celestia responded, "A dark alicorn by the name of Nightmare Moon is keeping me from raising it". Shining's eyes widened. "What of the Summer Sun Celebration? What of Twily?!" Celestia couldn't look Shining Armor in the eyes, how could she tell him his sister was really a corrupted alicorn bent on conquest of Equestria? "Get me Cadance..." "Your highness?" "Get me Cadance! And once you've done that evacuate the castle of all personnel, including all of the guards!" Celestia ordered. "All of the guards? But what if this dark alicorn comes for you?" "I'm counting on it, and there is nothing any of you can do to help you will only place yourself in unnecessary danger!" "But..." "That's an order, Captain!" Reluctantly Shining Armor nodded and gave a salute before leaving to carry out his duty. Briskly, Celestia walked down the darkened hallways towards the throne room. Opening the large doors with a creek she found it empty, and there she waited for only a few minutes before Cadance joined her, worry drawn all across her face. "Aunty? What's going on?" Celestia turned to her adopted niece. "Did Captain Armor tell you what I told him?" "Only that Nightmare Moon has returned and is coming here," Cadance sighed, she knew of Celestia's plans and who Nightmare Moon was, possibly the only other pony in existence aside from Celestia. "What happened with your plans to redeem Luna? Please don't tell me she... is Twilight OK?" A look of sadness flashed across Celestia and a few tears cropped up at the edges of the aged alicorns eyes, not much broke through Celestia's regal mask, but here she was... crying. Cadance recoiled. "No... please Celestia... don't tell me she's..." "She's not dead..." Cadance became confused. "But then why are you so upset, and why did your plan fail?" Celestia closed her eyes for a few moments to collect her thoughts before looking up at Cadance once more. "Do you remember what I told you about my niece, Twilight Sparkle?" "Of course but I hardly see how that's releva... no... you're not saying..." "Twilight Twinkle and Twilight Sparkle are one and the same, she turned on the other element bearers and has imprisoned them. Now Nightmare Moon and Nightmare Nova approach Canterlot, they will be here soon." Cadance tried to absorb this revelation, but how could she? "I foalsitted Twilight for years! How can that sweet little filly have been Nightmare Nova?" Cadance demanded to know. "She played the part well, she fooled even I..." "But... her family... did she ever even care for them? For any of us?" Tears began to form in Cadance's eyes, she had loved Twilight like a sister, and now she was revealed to be a power mad alicorn. How was she meant to accept that? "I don't know... maybe she did... but right now they are coming to attack us and we alone must be ready for them." Cadance gave a reluctant nod. "I understand". Celestia looked upon the younger alicorn, the poor thing was shaking. But even she couldn't even imagine how Celestia was feeling. Oh Luna... Twilight... why do my mistakes still have to haunt us so? Bursting through stray cloud into open sky Nightmare Nova got a clear view of Canterlot. Even from here she could see pony's moving about unaware of what was coming. Nova couldn't help but think how the modern pony's didn't really resent the night so much as those of the past. As they flew Nova, for the first time in a long time, lit up her horn and began to rearrange the stars in the nights sky. New constellations came into existence as well as some old ones not seen in a thousand years. Let's just hope moving those stars isn't messing up the day of any aliens that may live out in the depths of space, scientifically it shouldn't but you never know. Nova observed several pony's pointing to the sky in shock and awe, looking at the spectacle none of them had ever before witnessed. A happiness surged through Nova as she looked on the scene, and the screaming in the back of her mind grew louder still. Nopony noticed as the two alicorns glided swiftly down towards the castle. On entering the first thing the two noticed was how empty it was, there were even a few things like scrolls abandoned here and there. "Look's like they left in a hurry, she definitely knows we are coming..." Nightmare Nova observed. They continued down the hallways, the only sound was their hoofsteps echoing constantly down the long winding hallways, which only added to the tension Nova was feeling. Finally they came across two large closed doors. The throne room, and Celestia was inside. "Are you ready my daughter?" Nova gave a quick nod and the two combined their magic's, opening the large doors with an almighty screech. Inside an alabaster alicorn and a pink alicorn lay in wait. Cadance looked visibly saddened to see Nightmare Nova while Celestia had reapplied her regal mask and was hiding her emotions behind it. "Sister," Nightmare Moon greeted with much sarcasm. "How much the blood boils to see you once again, you know, after you chained me to the moon for a thousand years!" "Luna! You know I had no choice, please stop this! It doesn't have to be this way!" "Twily?" Cadance addressed the younger of the two opposing alicorns. "Please, don't do this. Think of your family!" Nova grimaced at the mention of her adoptive family, but remained silent. Nightmare Moon seemed to notice Cadance for the first time. "Who is this? Forget to use a preventative spell did we, Celestia?" Both Cadance and Celestia seemed to blush at what Nightmare Moon had just insinuated, luckily Nova cleared up the confusion. "She's not her daughter, rather her adoptive niece." "NIECE?!" Nightmare Moon shouted out in the Royal Canterlot Voice. "YOU DARE REPLACE MY DAUGHTER?!" "I'm not the replacement for anything!" Cadance retorted "Twilight," Celestia now addressed Nova. "You have lived among us for eighteen years right under my nose! I got to watch you grow up again and that was one of the most wonderful things I have had happen in the last thousand years, I still love you! Both of you! Come back to me, let us be a family again!" Once more Nova stayed quiet, trying hard to ignore the screaming. "Enough of this Celestia!" Shouted Nightmare Moon in anger. "We will not listen to your petty lies any longer! "Luna I..." Before Celestia could speak Nightmare Moon charged up a spell at unleashed it towards the two alicorns before her, who got out of the way just in time as it exploded, leaving a crater where they had been standing moments earlier. Having no other choice Celestia shot back, unleashing several bolts of destruction magic. however all of them were deflected by Nova who swooped down and kicked Celestia in the side of the head, disorientating her momentarily. The three mares juggled a few more spells back and forth, a few hit their targets but most battered the throne room walls and floor. Cadance, who had frozen at the start of the fighting finally sprung into action. Flying up she tackled Nova who was swooping down on Celestia for another kick and the two struggled in the air for a moment before Nova sent Cadance flying through the wall with a particularly strong spell. Nightmare Nova followed Cadance through the hole and out into the Canterlot gardens while Celestia and Nightmare Moon continued to clash within the confines of the throne room. As Cadance struggled to her hooves Nightmare Nova landed on the grass before her and began to charge another spell. Not willing to give her the chance to do so Cadance teleported right in front of Nova and hit her across the face as hard as she could, sending Nova plummeting to the ground. Cadance unleashed a beam towards her opponent which was met with a hastily raised shield, the beam continued to beat against the shield draining it over time. However, Cadance didn't notice a park bench caught in a lavender aura come barreling towards her and hit her in the back. She struggled to stay on her hooves as Nightmare Nova got up again. Their eyes met and they stood still, staring, the only noise was the ongoing fight in the background. "Twilight... all those years we spent as friends... why?" "You weren't there, you don't know what we went through!" "That was a thousand years ago! This is today we are talking about, what of your other family? How will Shiny react to what you have become!" "I am what you all made me!" "No! You are what you CHOOSE to be! And right now you are choosing to be a monster!" "SHUT UP!" Screamed Nova in her own Royal Canterlot Voice, anger coursed through her very being at Cadance's words. Sparks flickered as her eternal mane quickly lit up and became an inferno! Her lavender coat bleached white and her dark magic corrupted eyes turned a shade of red. Her armor began to glow from the heat being produced by her mane. Before Cadance could react Nightmare Nova charged head first into her, the flames singeing her fur. Nova then reared up and bucked Cadance right in the face before spinning round and unleashing a devastating spell right into her chest, sending Cadance flying through the air into a nearby statue which was immediately reduced to rubble. Cadance couldn't even gain back her senses before Nova landed on top of her, one hoof on her chest to keep her still. The heat from the flames were unbearable and Nightmare Nova began to charge one final spell that would end it all. "Twily..." Cadance muttered, a tear rolling down her cheek. Nightmare Nova fired. Back underneath The Castle of the Two Sisters five mares sat in miserable silence. All of a sudden Pinkie Pie perked up and began to have odd spasm's. "Twitchy tail, wobbly knee's, droopy eyes and shivers down my spine!" "What was that darling?" Asked Rarity "My Pinkie Sense is tingling!" "Oh no, what did it say this time?" Fluttershy enquired "That some being of super awesome power just began fighting!" "Well, that would likely be the princesses and those other ruffians." Rarity suggested. "Ah hope the Princesses are ok." Said Applejack. "Don't worry AJ, they got this!" Rainbow Dash said with confidence. Cadance slowly opened her eyes as the unbearable heat died away. Next to her a small piece of the ground had been completely eviscerated. Looking up she saw Nightmare Nova had returned to her usual look, no flames anywhere to be found. Nova slowly stepped off, the voice in her head stopped pleading for Cadance's life and began to return to it's usual screaming. "Why? Why am I alive?" Cadance weakly asked. "I..." Nova paused, "How could I kill the best foalsitter of all foalsitters?" A small smile passed Cadance's lips, maybe there was hope yet. Pain and exhaustion finally caught up with Cadance and she passed out. Nova stared at the unconscious alicorn a few moments more before turning to re-join the fight within the throne room. Two spells collided mid air, one blue, one golden. The fight between them had left throne room and now raged high above the castle itself. The two alicorns danced around each other as they unleashed spell after spell and dodged each and every single one. Finally the two mares were brought to a halt when something flew through the air towards them, coming to a halt next to Nightmare Moon. "Ah my daughter, you return victorious I presume?" Nova nodded. "That I do, Mother." Celestia's face fell. "Cadance... Twilight please tell me you didn't..." "She is alive, for now. Though she won't be going anywhere anytime soon." Celestia breathed a sigh of relief, but then observed the two dark alicorns before her. She realised the odds were stacked highly against her favour. She was already beginning to struggle against her enraged sister, against two? If she stayed she would die... "This isn't a victory for you, I will be coming back you can count on that, I just hope against all hope you realise how wrong you both are before the end." "Oh no you don't!" shouted Nightmare Moon. "Stop her!" Before Nightmare Moon or Nightmare Nova could do anything there was a bright flash from Celestia's horn that momentarily blinded the pair, when their sight returned Celestia was gone. "Gah! No matter... we can deal with her later and Equestria is ours never-the-less. Come Twilight, let's tell our subjects the good news..." Nightmare Moon and Nightmare Nova, mother and daughter walked slowly towards the balcony that overlooked the city itself, where Celestia would make all of her announcements. "How much resistance can we expect?" Nightmare Moon asked her daughter. "From the nobility... very little. Most won't care as long as they got to hold on to their illusion of power. Some may prove a problem but they can be easily dealt with." "And the guard?" "We will encounter some resistance from them, ironically most of that will likely come from the Lunar Guard. However many in the guard are not as disciplined, loyal or even competent as they were back in our time. As long as they get paid their bits on time they will follow us." "Remind me to replace them with some better guardsmen at some point in the future would you, Twilight?" "Of course, anyway as for the civilians, Equestria hasn't seen much conflict in the last thousand years, most pony's today won't have the backbone to oppose us. The rest will just have to be given ample reason not to." "Understood, now... let's go greet the masses shall we?" The two finally walked out onto the balcony and began their announcment of a... change in management. As Nightmare Moon declared her victory the feeling of shame in the back of Nightmare Nova's mind got louder and louder, the screaming just kept getting worse.