Eternal Night

by Lucaro

Chapter 36: Mutation

Nightmare Moon stared up at the screens of the Night Terror Surveillance Network. Live footage of Equestria’s cities was displayed there. One screen showed a quarantine zone collapsing, and infected ponies rushing out of the fences. One camera feed had gone completely dark, the city’s power grid wiped out, and all could be heard were cries of agony as the plague took them. Many such depictions of chaos and destruction could be seen, but what frightened her most was the view of Equestria from space.

Once these continents had been spotted with bright clusters of lights, the electrical lights of urban centers, but she had watched these indicators of civilization go dark one by one. Now, veins of fire cut through Equestria’s land masses, raging blazes resulting from the ensuing apocalypse.

“This isn’t what I wanted,” she whispered to herself.

For the first time in a long time, she felt tears in her eyes. She was in her private quarters, listening to the sounds of buildings collapsing, ponies screaming, fires consuming everything….

Nightmare Moon had watched her empire go from attempted revolution to anarchy in a span of two weeks. The smallpox had spread very quickly, as it was designed to do. This isn’t the disease she had picked out. She gave a shuddering gasp, looking to the shadow in the background. "I wanted the Dayborn ponies to be afflicted with the sleeping sickness. It would allow our Night Terrors to keep a tighter leash on them, but what you’ve done here…” she looked back at the screens. “It’s unspeakable.”

Necron stepped forward, the faint glow of the screens shedding light on his face. He was grinning. “It was for the best,” his grin turned into a wicked smile. “Equestria can finally start over from scratch.”

Nightmare Moon was anguished, and faced him. “Why could you not just follow orders!?” she screamed at him. “What is wrong with you!?”

Necron’s smile turned into a wicked snarl. “It was you who made me this way, and I stand proudly by what I have done. Maybe in a few years, you’ll thank me.”

“You don’t understand,” she whispered. “Get out of my sight.”

Necron didn’t move. “The news I’ve been expecting hasn’t arrived yet. I want to be in your presence when it comes.”

There was a moment of silence, and Nightmare Moon began to weep.” Oh, Celestia,” she whispered to herself. “Not a night goes by when I don’t think of you.”

Necron was tapping his hoof on the ground, listening. “Any moment now….”

There was an urgent knocking on the door, and she turned around to realize that Necron had locked all the doors to her chamber. The room was practically a bunker now. She looked at him angrily, and he shrugged nonchalantly. “Protection against Lunaran infiltrators.”

Nightmare Moon sniffed. “Impart your message, and be gone with you!”

The guard sounded terrified. “My Empress, we require your immediate assistance!”

She bristled, and barked at the guard. “What in Equestria could be so important that you needed to disturb me?”

The guard whimpered. “The smallpox…variola major… it’s mutated!”

Necron’s grin widened. Nightmare Moon felt a shiver go down her spine. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“A new strain of the virus has emerged!” he shouted, panicked. “The vaccines are now obsolete! Everypony is susceptible to infection!”

There was the sound of something being launched out of a tube, and she saw the needle dart buried in her flank. She looked up at Necron and saw the blowdart gun in his mouth.

“What?” she whispered, staring at him. Her vision became blurry and she fell over. The guard was still hysterical at her door, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying. The voice faded as the drugs reached her brain and she passed out.

The dreamscape opened up before her, and Necron was standing there in the void. He began to laugh maniacally, and she stared at him with horror. “Death to all the ‘sane’ ponies,” he whispered seductively, suddenly close to her, nuzzling her roughly. “The gift of insanity I received from you… it made me stronger than I ever was before. All our forces have received the same gift, they are strong too, and they shall survive… while all the weak, sane ponies will perish.” He began to laugh, and chains wrapped around her, binding her. “Anypony outside Canterlot’s walls will soon be dead, and the strong shall rebuild and repopulate. It is as nature intended….”

Nightmare Moon struggled in her bonds. “You’re mad! They are my children too!”

He grinned. “Tell me something I don’t know,” he put his wing around her, kissing her cheek. “We shall rule this new world side by side, a place where insanity, strength will be the norm. No more will you have to fear your dead sister….”

Nightmare Moon stopped her struggle. Celestia… her reincarnates were the only ones who can save the world from falling into oblivion. There is a cure to the smallpox plague….

She shuddered when Necron began to lap at her throat. She conceded to him, leaning into his warm body. “You’re right,” she whispered. “The true reason I wanted other ponies to be insane and disturbed wasn’t because they would become stronger… but because I wanted them to be like me. In their presence, I didn’t feel quite so alone. I didn’t feel quite so ashamed for what I did to my sister, seeing what they did to other ponies. I realize now what a fool I have been….”

She deserved this treachery from Necron. She had this coming for a long time now, but why did her children have to suffer for her mistakes? She began to cry, and let Necron envelop her.

All was lost, but as they say, it’s darkest before the dawn.

Commander Starlight Mirror had gathered all the Lunaran Knights in the center of the forest clearing. They were all assembling into one large crowd, and Cepheus was watching from a distance, waiting for his cue.

Cepheus looked at the faces of the Knights. They all looked despondent, exhausted from their relentless march to Canterlot, and grief stricken since his death. He spotted Candle and Dusty among the crowd, their eyes red with all the tears they had shed. Cepheus’ heart ached. He wanted to console them, but he had to wait for Starlight to give his speech.

Starlight waved his hoof to get their attention, and they all looked up at him, hopelessness in their eyes. “My fellow Knights,” he addressed them. “I know things have been hard… I know we have reached our lowest point…” Starlight gestured to the space around him. “Equestria is on the brink of a new dark age. Already 30% of the world’s population has been wiped out.”

The crowd looked down at their hooves, about to surrender, maybe even disband at their dire predicament.

“But there is hope,” Starlight declared. “We have lost a certain stallion who was very close to our hearts…” the crowd seemed to wince at the reminder. “I knew many of you looked up to him, admired him, but I am here to say….”

There was a bright flash of light from his cutie mark, bathing the clearing with light. The Knights gasped, shielding their eyes. Cepheus flew up into the sky, and descended over their heads as his light faded. The crowd immediately parted, allowing him to land gracefully among them. He slowly opened his eyes, his wings still spread. Everypony gasped, not believing what they were seeing.

He held his pose, allowing his light to slowly fade. It was a bit showy for his taste, but the Lunaran Knight had needed such a miraculous display to rekindle their spirits. And rekindle it did, the spark he had set turning into a blaze. The Knights cheered, bursting into applause.

Cepheus smiled and let them touch him, confirming that he was real. Candle ripped through the crowd, Dusty sitting on her back. She looked at him, and he looked at her. Tears filled her eyes, and she galloped to him, leaping into his embrace. They held each other, and he heard Dusty sobbing. “You’re back,” Candle whispered.

Cepheus kissed her, wanting to hold her forever. “And I’m here to stay… I promise I won’t ever make you go through something like that again.”

They hugged tighter, and he felt Dusty’s small hooves wrap around him. “Father, I thought you were dead….”

“I was,” he whispered. “For a little while.”

“How did you come back to life?” Dusty asked.

“I met a very special somepony,” he said, Candle and Dusty looking at him with awe. “She showed me how this world was before Nightmare Moon took control, and how I could make things right again.”

Candle blinked. “How? How can you undo what Nightmare Moon has done?”

“I have to forgive two more ponies,” he looked up to where Starlight was standing. He was laughing, a light in his eyes that hadn’t been there before. “I have to heal them, and with their aid, I can use the Elements of Harmony to bring Celestia’s forgiveness to Nightmare Moon. Then, all will be set right again.”

“Who is Celestia?” Dusty asked. “Don’t you mean Celestion?”

Candle gasped. “Is that the special somepony you met? The original Celestion… or Celestia?”

Cepheus nodded. “I must go find those two other ponies before it’s too late.” He turned and faced the horizon. “I think I already know who they are…” he looked back at Candle. “We must make all haste to Canterlot.”

Candle nodded, and smiled again. “I’m so glad you’re here with me again… I saw you die, and the moment you did, it felt like the entire world had grown darker and gloomier.” She looked him in the eyes, drawing close to where he could feel her warm breath against his muzzle. “Cepheus, Dusty and I need you. The world needs you. We need the light you provide for us, and…” she looked down, and when she looked back up at him, there were tears of joy in her eyes. “And our foal needs you too….”

She began rubbing her belly, and Cepheus was overwhelmed with feeling. He wrapped her in his embrace, and they their streams of tears were renewed. The Knights around them cheered again, rejoicing at the news. Dusty was amazed. “Does this mean I’m going to have a little brother or sister?”

Candle nodded, and kissed Dusty on his forehead. “Yes…” she said, and then looked back at Cepheus. “Please, continue filling our world with light. If anyone can save Equestria, I believe it’s you.”

They kissed again, locking muzzles. It was a moment of pure happiness. “I am so proud to be your wife,” she murmured through the kiss.

“And I your husband.” Cepheus replied.

Starlight watched the display of marital bliss from a distance, smiled, and then trotted away. “Even with all this death and chaos, life emerges. When things get bad, we forget the things that made it good in the first place. Like love….”

Author's Note:

The sleeping sickness Nightmare Moon wanted to use on the Dayborns is a disease known as African sleeping sickness.

Viruses mutate. That's why they have to make new flu vaccines ever year.

Thanks for your patience. I'm having to adjust the resolution of the story.

Comments

[Admiral Q Ponyform]

wow Necron dealt with Nightmare Moon that fast.

[Lucaro]

4828798
She's given up on herself. If she really wanted to, I'm sure she could break free. She's guilty for allowing all this to happen, and is punishing herself by allowing Necron to imprison her.

[Kingofthecouch]

nice very nice

[Lucaro]

4830526
PTSD would make sense.