3879265
Oh man, I can't wait to hear your rendition.

3879288
I had completely forgotten about that chapter. I reread it and enjoyed the lols. Those are the best guards ever.

3879265
Just know that, no matter how bad you think you are at singing, I sound like I'm begging to be put down when I sing. So you'll at least do better than I ever could.

Also, claiming Crazy.

Crazy:

"Pinkie, tell me again why you woke me up in the middle of the bucking night and dragged me to Twilight's castle?!" Rainbow Dash groused.

"Because, silly," Pinkie bounced. Her voice was actually bouncy. Dash groaned as Pinkie lowered her voice, whispering conspiratorially. "Twilight's been acting really weird whenever she's around Nightmare Moon. She's always running off to see her, she walks really close to her when they're together." Pinkie sidled up next to Dash, rubbing against her side for emphasis.

"And she's always unfocused when Nightmare's around." Pinkie's irises moved to opposite sides of her eyes "And she's always sighing like this." she sighed dreamily. Quickly, her eyes shot back to Dash and her visage turned stern, determined. "Twilight is never unfocused! It's our duty as her friends to find out what's going on and to make sure Black Snooty doesn't have her under some sort of spell to make her all crazy!" Pinkie exclaimed triumphantly.

"I saw Nightmare go into her castle earlier and she still hasn't come out. We're going to find out why."

"Pinkie-"

"Now," Pinkie said as she clambered onto Rainbow's back. "Lift me up to that window with the light coming out of it."

"Why don't I just fly up there and look myself?" Dash grumbled as she adjusted her wings.

"Well, they're probably not looking out the window-"

"Right, so just let me-"

"But! When you see something out of the corner of your eye, what's more likely to catch your attention, something still or something moving, like wings flapping?"

Dash sputtered for a moment before sighing. She had to give her that one. "That actually makes sense. For as much as your entire idea makes sense, at least."

"Exactly!" Pinkie patted Dash on the head. "Just leave all the thinking to me, Dashie, and I'll get you through unscathed!"

Dash didn't respond, but took solace in the surprised squeal from the mare on her back as she launched herself straight up without warning. Stopping abruptly, with Pinkie's head just above the bottom of the window, Dash asked, "Well? See anything?"
Pinkie hummed for a moment. "Not really, the light's coming from a candle, but I can't see- oh! There's Nightmare Moon. She's on a bed, this must be a guest room. Pretty snazzy for a guest room, too.

"Wait, I can hear someone else. It sounds like Twilight, but I've never..."

Dash fidgeted as Pinkie trailer off into silence. A few moments later, she felt Pinkir tug her mane up, and rose high enough to see into the window.

A moment later, she shot to the ground and shook Pinkie off her back, blushing furiously. "Well, I guess you were right, Nightmare is definitely driving her crazy," Dash chuckled uneasily.

"Yep! I'm always right! You'd think ponies would understand that by now," Pinkie giggled and started to bounce back toward Sugar Cube Corner.

Dash looked back up at the window, then to Pinkie, before setting off back toward the town, intent on finding a pony who knew a memory wiping spell. Or at least one who knew of a drink with the same potency.

First time claiming a prompt without actually having a solid idea and pulling it off the top of my head. I think it shows.

Typed it up in the car on my phone, and my phone would not allow me to write "visage". Kept changing it to "Via sage". It's a piece of crap that should have been thrown in a dumpster a long time ago.

Word count: 523
New Prompt: Eidolon

Prompt: Persecution
“What is this place?” Twilight asked looking around trying to finding her bearings after exiting a teleport from Nightmare.

She had been in her home waiting for Nightmare to return, what she did not anticipate was Nightmare whisking her off to some unknown place. Looking around she could that she was standing on a weathered stone platform that still looked in fairly good condition in spite of its suspected age. There were a few small bushes and sparse trees around the stone platform, but beyond that there did not seem to be much else.

“Long ago this place was of great significance to me,” Nightmare replied as she moved ahead through the thick foliage. “This is merely the entrance; the actual destination is just ahead.”

Twilight followed behind her as Nightmare led the way through a winding path of roughly laid stones that form cut through the thick foliage. “I would have appreciated a warning that you were going to take me somewhere,” Twilight commented.

“There is something I wish to show you unfortunately I had thought the date would be later not sooner. Had we waited then it would have been some time more before this happens again. I do apologize for not forewarning you, but I believe you may appreciate what you shall see.” Nightmare said calmly in response to Twilight’s comment.

Twilight looked ahead to see that the trees were gone and that the ground was lined with even more stone however these stones were of a darker colouration than the ones she had seen earlier. She felt a hoof rest on her back and she paused to see that she and Nightmare were standing overlooking a deep valley. Nightmare indicated towards the valley. Down below Twilight could see a thick forest and towards the center of the valley the trees were broken up the presence of a few columns of dark stone rising up from below.

“Is that building below us in the valley a temple or a shrine?” Twilight asked. “The spires I can see remind me of images I’ve seen of old temples.”

“It was a temple, a temple dedicated to me.” Nightmare said.

“I thought you said all of your temples and shrines were gone destroyed by others in the centuries since you left this sphere,” Twilight said as she looked at her companion.

Nightmare shook her head, “This is the last that remain. At its peak it was the grandest temple dedicated to me. However it is of another greater significance, this was the last sanctum. My followers were never well liked by other outsiders and in the wake of my fall from power they took it upon themselves to hunt my followers to their very last.”

“So they all fled here,” Twilight commented. “Although why here? Is there something special about this place?”

Nightmare nodded, “This temple was well hidden, more than another. By teleportation we have bypassed the defences around this sacred place. To reach here one needs to find the entrance which in itself is well hidden, but as well one needed a guide who could bring them through a long tunnel that devours light. The darkness and hidden pitfalls made navigation difficult, as well approach from above was likewise well guarded. Not even teleportation magics work here, the unusual rock this valley is hidden behind not to mention the copious numbers of runes would destroy anyone who attempts to do so, but the only exception is my magic that is able to bypass the protections.”

“The last of your followers fled here, to the last safe place they had,” Twilight commented. “I know that at least a few small colonies have survived and are now the ones who have pledged to serve Luna as her Lunar Guards.”

Nightmare nodded and began leading the way down into the valley. “Those who serve in the Lunar Guards are a small number of the already small population. There were always so few Lunars when compared to how numerous the Solars are; my worshippers were mostly Lunars although a few outsiders such as a few sympathetic Solars did join us.”

“So what makes tonight so special?” Twilight asked as they walked deeper in the dark valley.

“The moon almost never shines in here; the way this place was built prevented the moon form shining down too often. One may be able to glimpse the moon once during the whole year and on that one night a year; it is a time of celebration dedicated to their patron Goddess. However what is even rarer is seeing the Moon is directly overhead reflecting an almost golden light, that event occurs perhaps once every ten years or so. On those special years when the light reflected down is an almost golden it makes the temple shine. There is a special crystal which gathers the rare moonlight and uses it bring light to the temples and that rare night more moonlight can be gathered to store for the years to come.”

“That’s tonight?” Twilight asked guessing to why Nightmare seemed so hurried to bring her here.

“Indeed it is, but there is something more,” Nightmare commented. “Look ahead of us, there you shall see why I wish to bring you here tonight.”

Twilight looked up to realize that ahead was a dim light and rounding the last turn in the path she could now see why. The temple that Nightmare had pointed out could been seen n the distance, but before here were stone buildings crafted out of the same dark materials used elsewhere. The streets were filled with Ponies, but not ones that she usually saw. “I never thought about visiting a place like this, but from what I can see, I would think that this is one of the Lunar colonies.” Twilight said as she saw that all the Ponies with darken colours and slit eyes.

Nightmare smiled, “Not a colony, no this is the Lunar city, the capital if you prefer. A place founded by the Lunars who fled to escape persecution. Allow me to welcome you to the Lunaris Sanctuarium and we are here for their annual festival to the Moon. However as you have guessed, tonight is particularly special as tonight is that special night and my return has prompted for a grander celebration than what would be usually held. This is a special festival held in honour of the Moon,, but also in honour of their Patron and their Goddess. I wished to show you this place, lost that it has been to the world, so come so that we may enjoy this night.”

I think this works, maybe.

New Prompt: Frozen

Because I know it's top of mind for everyone (), I'm sort-of kind-of am (not) totally working on that rendition of I See Stars.
It'll happen. Eventually. As soon as I poke Audacity enough to make sounds happen. And take a lozenge.

Anyway! Lulz aside, I wanted to wish everyone on the forum a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. [Before I got busy and forgot.]

3887630 Well Merry Christmas to you as well. And to everyone else in this group.

I have an idea for Damocles and want a challenge, so I am going to claim it. Wish me luck.

My grandfather passed away this morning. He was briefly ill this week (though he had long been unwell), and passed quickly.

Between preparations for his funeral, Christmas, and a new job in January, my presence on Fimfiction will be sporadic until after New Year's.

I have one or two open prompts, which I shall set aside for the moment (Winter comes to mind), as well as my rendition of I See Stars (I See Fire), which I recorded Wednesday and hope to upload before Christmas.

I wish my followers and readers a Happy New Year, and hope I can respond to you in the next couple of weeks.

3900063 Oh man, that's horrible. Hang in there.

3900175 Thanks, Best Moon.

Can you see stars?

I See Stars.

3900430 who's ready for some... Tasty Murder?

3909765 Egads! That's really gonna happen?!
I'm scared...

3909807 yes. I am writing it as we speak. FINALLY thought of a way to make it work too. Equestria Girls human world!

3909809 'Kay, who eats meat?

3909812 someone in all likely hood. They are human. They can't all be vegetarian. Besides... MY SANDBOX!! You just get to look.

3909815 *thhhhhhbt!*

3909943 *bleeeeeehhhh!*

Claiming Frozen

Zere vill be no building of ze snowmen.

Frozen:

Twilight sat just inside the exit to the balcony attached to her bedroom, her eye pressed against the eyepiece of her telescope.

“Luna really outdid herself tonight,” she muttered to herself. It didn’t surprise her, Luna made sure that this night, every year, that the skies were clear. The moon, ever present in the sky was dimmed in comparison to the stars, each one belonging to a constellation brighter than the others.

Her stargazing was interrupted by a dull thud just underneath the balcony. Probably just a pile of snow falling off the roof, she thought as she stepped onto the balcony, into the crisp winter night air. No pony in their right mind would be out here. It’s got to be below freezing! Shivering, she looked down over the railing. At the top of the steps leading to the castle’s main entrance, she could just make out the shape of a pony lying in the snow.

With a gasp, she teleported herself just before the doors and pulled them open. She quickly summoned a gust of wind to clear the snow off the landing and the pony. She could only stare at the pony lying there.

Nightmare Moon was on her side, one forehoof bent and extended, eyes nearly closed, lips quivering. Her entire body was shaking, shivering in a vain attempt to preserve some of its heat. Looking out over the snow covered path leading to the castle, she could see hoofprints leading back toward Ponyville.

Why would she walk? Her internal question was answered by something pressed against the underside of Nightmare’s wing, pushing a few feathers up.

Luna and Celestia had believed that Nightmare Moon wasn’t destroyed by the Elements, but as she had not shown so much as a feather after Luna had been restored, they’d had no reason to search her out. She attempted to lift the wing out of the way, thinking the item could possibly a weapon of some sort, but the wing wouldn’t budge, held firm against Nightmare’s body.

Lifting Nightmare gently in in her magic, she pulled her into the castle and shut the doors before teleporting them both back to her room, where her fireplace was already lit, providing her warmth while she stargazed.

She set the shivering alicorn in front of the hearth and laid across from her after covering her with the coverings from her bed. Twilight sighed as Nightmare’s eyes fully closed and weighed her options.

I could contact Celestia. But that would involve waking Spike and if I’ve learned anything over the years, that’s an effort in futility. Besides, she hasn’t done anything to warrant involving the Princesses. I could let her recover here, but… She watched Nightmare silently, attempting to come up with a good reason to not allow her to stay. When five minutes passed with no reasonable reason in sight and Nightmare still shivering, she stood and lifted the blankets before settling next to her and placing them back over both of them, to aid in the recovery of Nightmare’s body heat with her own.

Fifteen minutes passed before Nightmare’s shivering stopped and a full hour before she stirred, her eyes half-lidded and unfocused. “Good, you’re awake,” Twilight sighed. “Are you feeling okay?”

Nightmare regarded her out of the corner of her eye, though she showed no recognition and she didn’t speak directly to Twilight. “I could certainly feel better, but as I have not been frozen as an ice sculpture, I cannot complain.” She turned her head, eyes scanning the room, never focusing on anything. “Would you be so kind as to tell me where I am?”

Twilight cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. Maybe she wasn’t okay. “You passed out outside of my castle –“

“Ah…”

“– You were freezing, so I brought you to my room to warm you up.” Nightmare’s eyes widened and focused. Twilight prepared a teleport before continuing. “Why did you come here anyway?”

Nightmare tensed for only a moment before relaxing. With a sigh she said, “I have been… watching you for a time.” At Twilight’s confused look, she quickly added, “Not in that way, I assure you. More so I have been admiring you.” Nightmare sighed. “That sounds no better does it?”

Twilight shifted uncomfortably. “No, it doesn’t. But I think I understand what you mean. Still, why did you come here?”

“I noticed that you were spending this night alone and thought perhaps you might welcome company.”

Twilight blinked at that. Even with Nightmare being at most half-conscious, it had been nice just laying with the black alicorn. “But why did you walk here? It’s the middle of winter, the dead of night, and it’s freezing. You couldn’t have thought it was a good idea to walk?”

Nightmare turned away and chuckled. “I have spent most of my time apart from Luna recovering in a mist form. Would you believe me if I said I got lost in my thoughts?” She laughed. “To think I would be brought low twice by the elements.”

“Then why didn’t you fly? Or come in that form?”

Nightmare said nothing, but shifted her wing and tucked her head under it. Seeing the softness in Nightmare’s eye caused Twilight to drop the framework of her teleport from her mind as she extracted the item – a small rectangular tan box bound in crossed purple silk, tied in a bow in the center – and set it between Twilight’s hooves. “Either would have made carrying this difficult.”

Twilight started to ask why she hadn’t carried it with magic when hers simply slipped off the box. “A small oversight, glaringly obvious in hindsight,” Nightmare chuckled.

Twilight stared at the box for a moment before asking, “But why bring anything at all?”

“Is it not tradition to give others a gift on this day?”

“Yeah, but I don’t –“

Nightmare cut her off. “I do not expect anything in exchange.”

Twilight nodded before carefully untying the bow and slipping the silk off the box. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nightmare pointedly looking straight ahead. Inside the box was a worn, leather bound tome. It had no title or author on the cover. “What is this?” She asked, nearly quivering with excitement. It looked old, it smelled old.

“It is a written account of the Unification of the Three Tribes, from someone who was there.” Nightmare said, her eye darting back and forth between Twilight and the wall ahead of them.

Twilight stared at the book for a moment longer before replacing the lid and setting it off to the side. She’d need to make sure it was properly protected before even beginning to read it. She stared at Nightmare for a few moments before a small smile formed. “You wrote it, didn’t you?”

Still looking ahead, Nightmare nodded. She tensed when she felt Twilight nuzzled the base of her neck. “Thank you, it’s wonderful,” Twilight said after pulling away.

They laid there in silence for a while, listening to the crackling of the fire. Finally, Twilight spoke sleepily. “This was nice, Nightmare, thank you for coming tonight.”

With a smile, Nightmare said, “Thank you for allowing me to stay.”

“And Nightmare?” Twilight continued with a yawn.

“Hmm?”

Twilight laid her head across Nightmare’s hooves. “Happy Hearth’s Warming.”

Nightmare gently laid her neck across Twilight’s. “Happy Hearth’s Warming, Twilight.”

Something something always some form of drama

Word Count: 1,231
New Prompt: Audacious

Another Christmas spent in a drunken haze while the rest of my family pretends to like each other successfully complete!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Disclaimer: If you know an author with a prompt that has lapsed (i.e., they have had no recent activity on the MoonLight forum), let them know if you talk to them that they have a prompt claimed, and they may either renew their claim or relinquish it.

Updated 2015-01-08: Macho Madness has dropped all held prompts.
Updated 2015-01-12: Eidolon, Art taken.

All Prompt Stories Published under Full Moon Fever in Publishing Order
1 Armor by TheWraithWriter
2 Slowly by ArguingPizza
3 Lotion by Habanc
4 Balcony by Knight of Lycaeus
5 Grumpy by ultra1437
6 Kitten by Knight of Lycaeus
7 Onyx by lyra_lover777
8 Rose by ShinyMoon
9 Hammer by Knight of Lycaeus
10 Recalcitrant by ShinyMoon
11 Dictionary by Toratchi888
12 Runes by Pearple Prose
13 Hammer 2 by lyra_lover777
14 Sweet by Toratchi888
15 Research by Fuzzyfurvert
16 Advantageous by Kean
17 Chase by lyra_lover777
18 Structure by lyra_lover777
19 Structure 2 by Macho Madness
20 Bombardier by Toratchi888
21 Mercy by Knight of Lycaeus
22 Mirage by lyra_lover777
23 Tumultuous by Toratchi888
24 Onyx 2 by TheMusicalBoy93
25 Disparity by lyra_lover777
26 Melt by hockeygoalie1992
27 Raven by Knight of Lycaeus
28 Nightmares by lyra_lover777
29 Provocation by Kean
30 Wrath (7DS) by Myrandall
31 Pride/Hubris (7DS) by Macho Madness
32 Gluttony (7DS) by Toratchi888
33 Envy (7DS) by Knight of Lycaeus
34 Sloth (7DS) by Habanc
35 Greed/Avarice (7DS) by Kean
36 Lust (7DS) by TheLastBrunnenG
37 Fangs by Toratchi888
38 Trickery by Toratchi888
39 Subterfuge by Toratchi888
40 Mask by lyra_lover777
41 Rapture by Toratchi888
42 Eternity by Knight of Lycaeus
43 Jaded by lyra_lover777
44 Blood by SeanoftheDead
45 Ensorcellment by lyra_lover777
46 Hurricane by Starfall13
47 Serf by lyra_lover777
48 Dangerous by SeanofTheDead
49 Help by Toratchi888
50 Dat Ass/Asinine by Toratchi888
51 Insipid by lyra_lover777
52 Hail and Farewell {ave atque vale} by Knight of Lycaeus
53 Adorable by Toratchi888
54 Trollestia by SeanoftheDead
55 Impoverished by lyra_lover777
56 Fire by KibaWR
57 Cupcakes by Kean
58 Shame by Fuzzyfurvert
59 Fall of the Sun, Rise of the Moon by superpony55 (prompts Color, Games, and Song)
60 Comfort by Knight of Lycaeus
61 Confectionery by SeanofTheDead
62 Precocious by ultra1437
63 Science by Knight of Lycaeus
64 Pool by Kean
65 Dissident by Knight of Lycaeus
66 Dark by Kean [part 1 of “Broken”]
67 First Among Equals {primus inter pares} by Toratchi888
68 Astromancy by Toratchi888
69 Ocean’s End by Knight of Lycaeus
70 Death by Kean [part 2 of “Broken”]
71 Alcohol by Draven Eclipse
72 Astonishment by Kean [part 3 of “Broken”]
73 Crazy by Kean
74 [I See Stars] {I See Fire} by Toratchi888
75 Persecution by Knight of Lycaeus
76 Frozen by Kean

Prompts Awaiting Publication
Eidolon by auramane
Carpe Noctem by Kean

Prompts Otherwise Claimed (Please Review)
Prank: lyra_lover777
Tasty Murder: SeanoftheDead + Foals Errand + ???
Winter by Toratchi888
Damocles by Draven Eclipse
Art by ZOMG

Prompts With No Recent Activity (please review claims)
Runes 2: darthrex
Date: Foals Errand
Forgiveness: Foals Errand
Revolution: Myrandall
Hazard: Fuzzyfurvert
Judicious: Midnight herald
Pool (2): palaikai

All Open Prompts (please review claims)
Audacious
Birth
Conversion Bureau
Dressage
Passion
Squirrels
Sweet
Turkey

Date: Foals Errand

Forgiveness: Foals Errand

Tasty Murder: SeanoftheDead + Foals Errand + ???

Have the flu soon as i'm better i'll have date ready.

3926849 Get well soon.

Since I'll probably be far too out of it to remember later, Happy New Year, everyone!

So, I must live under a rock, 'cuz apparently we've got MoonLight 2.0 now.
I guess it's sexier, or something, and all we heathens better skitter over to the new hotness.
Or something.

3944988
It's new. Like hours to days new, from what I can tell. Of course, I've been pretty much dead since New Years, so I could be wrong. Soaring might be asking for control of this group instead, though. idk, I'll just go back to being dead.

3945878 Don't die, Kean; you should want to live!

3946331
Oh no, I want to be alive.
Things are just conspiring to keep me dead.

3947385 I hate things sometimes.
And stuff.
Stuff and nonsense.
...this is all getting rather silly.
...'scuse me... *pulls emergency brake"
Can't be derailing the thread too much; promise I wouldn't.

Claiming Carpe Noctem.
Let's see if the stars align and allow me more than five minutes to myself

I alive.

HAPPY NEW YEAR A WEEK LATE BUT IT STILL COUNTS I SWEAR IT DOES!

Posted "Frozen". I think that clears out the queue of completed prompts.

3954139 Well, we're double-sure now. I will acknowledge this in the prompt list.
Thank you kindly for your trouble. Happy New Year!

3925587

Taking Eidolon

3925587
3954187
Eidolon

Twilight ’s head hung low as she numbly made her way through her cell door at the gesture of a guard. She stood just inside the doorway, not moving until she heard the metallic clang of the door swinging shut. Soon afterwards, the hollow clicking sound of the guard’s horseshoes faded into the distance.

Doors thrown open. Walking, eyes to the ground, being directed by her guard. A command, telling him to leave. His swift departure. An order to look up. The green tinged eyes. The slitted pupils.

She took a deep, shuddering breath, and plodded over to her cot. It was little more than a slab of wood with sheets on it, but it was better than the stone floor. She laid down on it and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to forget what had just transpired.

Sharp teeth. Talking. Directions. Laughter.

She hiccuped, burying her face into her covers. It wasn’t fair. Nothing was fair.

She was sobbing, tears streaming down her face. Laughter becoming a roar.

A bright light shone through Twilight’s sheets, through her closed eyelids. She winced, remaining quiet. She expected to hear her door opening, the empty sound of armoured shoes hitting the floor, but none of that came. Instead, she heard a voice she had never expected to hear again.

Blurred vision. More laughter. She was shaking. A pointing hoof. The flick of a tail. A bed.

“Twilight, is that you? came the questioning voice of her former mentor. The one who had picked her to be her student when she was a child. The one who had always stood by her. The one who had promised to save them all.

The one who had failed.

Fear and disgust welling up inside her. Mouth dry. Ears pinned to her head. Running. Caught. She was always caught.

She peaked her head out from her covers, her frozen in place. She gaped at the Apparition before her, unable to say anything, unable to do anything.

More laughter. A blur of movement. Blinding pain. Sobbing. A Bed.

Twilight simply stared numbly. What stood before her wasn’t Celestia. It was a poor imitation at best. She was small, the height of a regular pony. She glowed with a soft, golden light, almost like sunlight.

It had been a long while since she had seen sunlight.

Tears. Wailing. Screaming. Orders. Pain. A Bed.

“Twilight,” said not-Celestia with a sigh of relief. “Oh, my student. You are alive. I don’t believe it. After I failed... I didn’t know what would happen to you.”

Twilight remained silent. She stared at the Apparition, scanning for any imperfections, anything that was out of place.

Black. A tail. A moon. Soft. A Bed.

“Can... can you talk? What did she do to you? Twilight!”

Her voice grew in volume, but Twilight simply stared. She couldn’t find anything. Nothing was wrong. It was a picture perfect Celestia.

Sweating. Eyes squeezing shut. Groaning. Light.

"Is it actually you?" murmured Twilight. Celestia smiled, relief playing across her face. She opened her mouth as if to reply, but before she could begin, Twilight continued, "How can you be here? I—I watched you fall. She knocked you out of ths sky! You can't be here!"

Hot. Crumpled sheets. Panting. Sticky.

Celestia winced, and opened her mouth again, trying to speak. Twilight cut her off. "No! You can't be here! If you're here, y-you should have been able to do something. You should have been able to do anything…" Twilight trailed off, looking at the ground. She clenched her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut once again.

Laboured breathing. Gritting teeth. Pressure. Subjugation.

"Twilight, I—" began the Spectre, before she cut herself off. There was an uncomfortable pause between them for a few seconds. Neither moved. After what felt like hours, the Spectre spoke up again. "This wasn't how it was supposed to happen…" She hung her head in an eerie mirror of Twilight herself. "It just… I couldn't…" Her teeth ground against each other, and she squeezed her eyes closed. After a few moments of silence, she let out a hollow chuckle.

"I can't even cry anymore."

Exhausting. Humiliating. Purring. Sobbing. Leaving. The Guard is approaching. Picking her up.

Silence reigned between them again, neither willing to look at the other. Eventually, Twilight spoke again. "You should leave," she said. There was no emotion in her voice, no sadness, no anger.

Nothing.

Celestia flinched. Twilight continued. "It's not like you can do anything. If you could, you would. I'm stuck here. There's no point in her finding you here."

Celestia gaped at her. She shook her head. "No, I won't leave y—"

"Just go!" yelled Twilight, slamming the ground with her hoof. She turned away and stormed back to her cot, facing away from the Apparition.

Nothing happened for a few seconds. Twilight was about to turn back to her, when she heard a choked sob, and the unnatural light left her cell.

She curled up beneath her covers. She should be crying right now. Instead she just felt numb. Bereft. Empty.

Cold.

Next Prompt: Art

3966684 Welcome. May your prompts be fruitful.

I think this works

Carpe Noctem:

Twilight groaned, blinking white spots from her eyes. Even through her eyelids, the magic released from the Elements had been nearly blinding. Looking over her shoulder, she winced at the long gouge in her right side, torn by Nightmare Moon’s horn.

Not the smartest idea, charging at a mad goddess, She thought, sighing inwardly at the blood running from the wound. Should’ve teleported sooner. Can’t be helped now. Need to get this fixed up. Maybe one of them knows…

Twilight’s thoughts trailed off as she looked to the five ponies behind her, suspended in the air, moving slowly. Each of their elements were still glowing brightly, pulsing as they fed more magic into the spell.

A growl and the sound of rattling chains brought her attention back to where Nightmare Moon had been standing before the elements had been unleashed. In her place, a black mist, barely contained in the shape of a pony writhed, thrashing against rune-inscribed chains that bound it to the floor.

Slowly, cautiously she approached the form, vision wavering and breath shallow. She glanced back at her wound which was still bleeding profusely and, with a grunt, continued staggering toward the writhing mist.

She’s fighting the elements… She lit her horn, forming the framework for a simple, yet powerful bolt of magic. I’ll go into shock before they finish on their own, maybe even bleed out…

At the sound of a loud clop, the consequence of catching herself after stumbling, Nightmare Moon’s head snapped to face her, her draconic eyes thinning as they focused on her.

“Kill me if you desire, but my soul will no longer be tarnished by you wretched ponies.” Her voice, disjointed from her lips, was hoarse and low, cold and angry, yet still full of prideful arrogance.

Twilight stared at her for a few moments before replying, her voice labored. “I don’t want to kill you… hate me if you want… but I don’t want to die, either.” She fell to one knee, barely catching herself from fainting.

Nightmare laughed, taunting Twilight as the magic around her horn faded. “I will take solace in knowing that the one who defeated me will die before me, at least.”

Twilight was silent for a while, only the sound of her panting indicating that she was still alive. She broke the silence with a chuckle and a small shake of her head. “Do you still want to live, Nightmare?” She asked, her voice subdued.

Nightmare growled as another pulse came from the elements, pulling the chains tighter against her form, seemingly siphoning the mist as it flowed off her. “Speak if you have some way out of this, girl,” Nightmare hissed.

“A pact,” Twilight said quietly, simply.

Nightmare chuckled. “And what makes you believe you are worthy of performing such a long forgotten, sacred act with one such as myself?”

“Worthy or not, I don’t want to die… and neither do you. Either swallow your pride… or we both die here.”

“A pact or death?” Nightmare mused.

“Pact or death.”

“Surely, since you know of the act, then you know that it always comes at a cost,” Nightmare said, a sadistic mirth rising in her voice. “I will be bound to you, of course, but what will be taken from you, I wonder?”

Twilight ignored the taunt, instead raising her head to look into Nightmare’s eyes. “Your answer, Nightmare. A pact or death?”

The bound Alicorn stared back, eyes stern. Slowly, she nodded in resignation. “Very well, a pact shall be made.”

With that, Twilight closed her eyes and turned her magic inward, delving deep inside herself in search of what some unicorns called their spark, essence, their center of power, even their soul. What it was called didn’t matter to her; it was the only thing that would keep her alive. So she clutched it in her magic like a dragon would a boulder made of pure gold and pulled.

She groaned and finally dropped onto her other knee as she felt the energy leave her. She moved her own magic toward Nightmare’s. It wasn’t hard to find. Even being bound and drained by the elements, the amount of magic she was putting out was impossible to miss. She hesitated at the last moment, pulling away.

“Why do you delay, little pony? Are you afraid? Do you desire death?” Nightmare growled.

“I read once… s-swear… t-to me that you won’t take anything… that you won’t… t-try to take over,” Twilight rasped, panting.

“Clever,” Nightmare chuckled. “Very well, I will not-“

“Swear it!”

“I swear on my life, my magic, my very being, I will take no more than what is offered – ” Twilight shuddered as she felt Nightmare’s essence envelope her own, overpowering her as Nightmare continued to speak, her voice never losing any of its spite. “ – enforced by the Old Gods and under penalty of death, I bind myself to this pony, my pact-partner.” Nightmare’s power receded as the two merged, balancing with Twilight’s. “Their pain will be my own and mine, theirs. As they fall, so too shall we.” Twilight gasped and rose to her hooves as her vitality returned. “Their strength and magic will be my own and mine, theirs. As they rise, so too shall we.”

Twilight felt through her new connection to Nightmare, blocking out the rest of the goddess’s intonement. The Elements hadn’t stopped draining her. They wouldn’t until she was no more; a problem now that she was bound to Nightmare.

She controls the moon and even she can’t overpower them. The moon…

“What are you doing? Free me or we both die, foal!” Nightmare shouted, thrashing against the chains once again.

Twilight ignored her, muttering to herself, “The sun is magic, right? Areas where sunlight has been focused, either by Celestia or other magical means are generally filled with raw, unstable magic...” She ran through her connection with Nightmare again, latching on to her connection to the moon. Another connection gave her pause, fighting for control, but she overpowered it, and seized control of the night. “The moon is always in raw sunlight, unfiltered by any atmosphere.

“Nightmare, I’m sorry, but this is probably going to hurt. A lot.”

“What are you-“ Nightmare’s question was cut off as she screamed and her world went white.

Twilight stared directly, unblinking, at the moonlight – she’d read it called moonfire once. An apt name, she thought – with a small grin. She could feel the heat burning Nightmare through their connection. It would hurt, but as most of it was directed at the chains binding her, it wouldn’t kill her or even damage her physically.

Barely counts as revenge for the situation she put me in, She thought with a chuckle.

She turned at the sound of five sets of hooves clopping against the ground, then turned back to Nightmare and cut her connection to the moon when she felt the last of the resistance fade. Pulling her magic back, she paused at the power that had been fighting her and cut it loose, unbinding it from Nightmare Moon.

Twilight only stared ahead when she heard Nightmare approaching. She only blinked as she felt the growling mare’s breath on her face. She grinned at Nightmare’s sigh. “You are a fool, pony,” Nightmare said, voice subdued.

Twilight shrugged. “Better to be alive and a fool than dead and a genius, right?”

With silence reigning for a few moments, Twilight listened to the sounds of the six ponies – five behind her and one behind Nightmare – in the room, each at varying degrees of recovery. Nightmare spoke again, voice still low. “The transference of my magic released the seal on Celestia. She will be here shortly.”

“And she’ll be here for sure, for Luna. We should go.”

“I will need to remember to keep you from my memories from you in the future. You wish to leave?”

“I just… want a little more time to deal with this –” Twilight gestured to her face. “ – before seeing her again. She won’t be happy with our… arrangement. Or the consequences of it, I think.”

“And she will know where to find you?” Nightmare asked, turning her with a wing, guiding her.

Twilight chuckled. “There’s only maybe three – no, four places I’d go to. Only one I can reliably get to from here. And besides, “Twilight snickered.” Fluttershy’s awake already.” A small squeak. “Irregular breathing. Tell Celestia I’m at the Library, okay?”

Building the framework for a teleport, she elbowed Nightmare. “Guide me. I don’t want to end up inside a tree after all of that.”

I don't know. I found some time and squandered by watching the Drakengard cut scenes instead of writing my original idea. Then nostalgia'd hard and decided I wanted to do something with Drakengard. Not necessarily a crossover, but taking an idea from it and playing with it. Then I realized there isn't much in that game that could be considered "teen" (Unapologetic massacring for the sake of massacring, pedophiles, and androgynous flying killer babies, to name a few reasons.). So I went with the pact-beast idea. Again, I'm not sure if it works for the prompt, but there it is.

Admittedly, I went for a more literal "Seizing of the Night".

Word Count:1,433
New prompt: Sour

One day - and I don't know when - I will write out a prompt that doesn't involve one or both of them getting hurt.

3967241
Wonderful. Welcome!

3967241 Very nice, well-constructed dark without spelling everything out, and an interesting AU besides

3925587 Claiming "art". How's everyone feel about a bit of Twilight's mindset as she succumbs to Nightmare Moon's advances?

3969669 That'll happen sometimes.

3969747 I know. I wrote one a while back that played on that starting while I was hockeygoaliesomethingorother

3969751 Has your Crystal Twilight levelled up yet?

3968636 3968966 3968052

Thank you. Hope to be submitting some more things at some point, glad you enjoyed it.

3925587

Taking Audacious. Not sure if this idea is entirely valid, but we'll see.

3986141 I don't know what an "invalid" MoonLight idea would look like, so I guess drive on.

3986323

I mean its connection to the prompt is rather tenuous

3986328 Meh. Brunnen said before, different prompts mean different things to different people.
He's the boss; I'm just a lackey.

3986328

Would you like to borrow my golden shoe-horn? It's seen a fair bit of use, but it still works nicely.

3986360
LackeyLackey.

3986328
3986550
888's correct, it'd be a challenge to write something so off-base that it'd get the boot.

No, that's not a dare!

3991538 This is me not derailing this thread...