One does not simply sneak out of Canterlot
Everlasting Night
Chapter 4: One does not simply sneak out of Canterlot.
29th of May, year 1 of the New Moon.
Thoughts ponies:
Nightmare moon: blue
It has been slightly over a week since Twilight’s and Applejack’s imprisonment in the dungeons of Canterlot’s palace. They both shared one cell so they could be together in the cold and damp dungeon. This was Pinkie’s request and Nightmare agreed. Nightmare actually wanted to separate them so that they were alone with their thoughts and so that they could think about their mistakes, but Pinkie used her playful character on Nightmare and she just couldn’t resist that hyperactive pink pony.
The whole week Twilight and Applejack were bored out of their minds. Twilight couldn’t use her magic to entertain Applejack and herself due to the spell Nightmare had cast on her and Applejack couldn’t move very much due to the cut on her flank, the cut that Nightmare had inflicted on Applejack, so she had to keep lying down on her cot. Twilight hated it when she couldn’t use her magic and Applejack hated it when she couldn’t stretch her legs. They both hated the position that they were in right now and they both knew that their action from a week ago wasn’t really that thought out. Slowly but steadily they were beginning to accept Nightmare’s rule over Equestria.
Sure, Twilight was still thinking about Celestia and a possible way to free her, but slowly her determination was fading and she was starting to see that there actually wasn’t a way to free Celestia. Maybe the best solution was siding with Nightmare Moon and if Twilight was obedient enough, then maybe they could have an agreement about Celestia. Her plan had a small chance of succeeding, but it was one she was willing to try out. Twilight’s nightmares had become slightly worse over the past week, but it still wasn’t dangerous enough to consume her from the inside out. She still had enough time to try out her plan in this delicate situation.
Applejack took it far worse than Twilight. She wasn’t worried about Celestia. No, she was worried about her family. Nightmare had told Applejack that her family was going to be relocated to the Everfree forest and that her farm was going to be burned to the ground. Even if she escaped from the dungeons, then she couldn’t go back to her farm, since it got burned to the ground and she couldn’t go to her family in the Everfree forest, because they were probably dead. Nightmare had broken her spirit and she knew it, she would do anything to ensure the safety of her family and her farm, she would even side with Nightmare.
Applejack wanted to ask Nightmare about her family, but Nightmare never came to the dungeons. The only ponies who did come to the dungeons were the guards who had to guard the prisoners, Pinkie who brought the food for the prisoners and soldiers who brought in other prisoners.
The dungeon was actually pretty full. It had a capacity of around 100 ponies and there were at least 80 ponies in the cells, most of them protested against Nightmare’s rule and demanded the release of Celestia. Nightmare, however, didn’t want to hear any of it and chose the easy way to dispose of them: a ticket to the dungeons. Yes, times were hard under Nightmare’s rule, but the ponies of Canterlot and Ponyville were slowly calming down from the shock of a sudden change in ruler and everlasting night.
Twilight was leaning against the bars of her cell with a bored expression on her face. The other prisoners were whining about their imprisonment, most of them were the high elite of Canterlot, and the guards weren’t very talkative. All of that basically meant that Applejack was the only pony she could communicate with, but they began to run out of things to talk about.
Twilight sighed again from boredom and decided to look at her cell for the 24th time. The cell had a length of 6 meters and a width of 4 meters, so it was actually pretty large for a cell. Twilight’s cot was placed against the left wall and Applejack’s cot was placed against the right wall. There was also a toilet against the wall opposite of the cell bars, but the toilet didn’t have walls surrounding it, so Applejack had to look away if Twilight needed to do her business and if Applejack needed to do her business then Twilight had to look away. It was rather embarrassing, but it didn’t kill them.
Twilight trotted to her cot and lay onto it, it was the only thing she could do right now. She fixated her gaze on Applejack. She was staring at the ceiling and she seemed to be counting the amount of cracks she saw in the ceiling, they both were very bored. Yes, being Nightmare’s servant was a rather tough job, but it gave them something to do. Now they couldn’t do anything and they almost wished that somepony put them out of their misery. Twilight managed to get a small smile on her face and spoke to Applejack, it was the only thing she could do right now. “Having fun?” Twilight asked half jokingly, half trying to start a conversation.
Applejack smiled at Twilight’s remark, but kept staring at the ceiling. It was actually a fun little game for when you’re bored out of your mind. “Ha, kinda. 201. What about you? 202. Did ya had fun staring at the guards? 203.”
Twilight chuckled lightly. They may have been imprisoned, but they always tried to lift each others spirit, just to keep each other sane. “Oh yeah, one of them even blinked.” Twilight said, stealing a quick glance at a guard who was staring at a point in front of him.
Applejack chuckled lightly, the exact same chuckle Twilight did just a few seconds ago. “Is that so? They’re becoming sloppy, we might even get out of here if we try really hard.” It was supposed to be a joke, but Twilight didn’t catch the joke and became silent, her smile slowly faded away. Applejack turned her gaze away from the ceiling and looked at Twilight, it was then that she saw the rather emotionless expression on her face. “Twi?”
Twilight was still silent for a moment and just blinked. Just when Applejack was going to call her by her name again Twilight spoke, but her voice wasn’t as confident as before. “Do you still think about escaping?”
Applejack sighed and stared back at the ceiling. Yes, the thoughts about escaping still lingered in her mind, but they weren’t as strong as before. She really wanted to escape, but the possibility that her family still had a small chance of surviving had kept her in the dungeons. She figured that if she just did what Nightmare asked then maybe she could ensure the safety of her family again. On the other hoof if she didn’t escape she could never know what happened to her family. “Ah don’t know, Twi. Ah mean, Nightmare did threaten mah family and if ah don’t escape ah’ll never know what happened to them.”
Twilight couldn’t believe what she just heard. Applejack still wanted to escape even after everything that transpired last week. They were the cause that they ended up in the dungeons, they were the cause that Applejack’s family was relocated to the Everfree forest… and they were the cause that the chances of Celestia’s return were rather slim. Twilight knew that her plan of just staying in the dungeons was better than Applejack’s plan of escaping. “How could you even think about that! Wasn’t the cut on your flank and losing your family enough?!” She half said, half yelled. Her tone was furious, because she was rather angry with Applejack for even thinking about escaping.
Applejack looked back at Twilight, her face a mixture of hurt and anger. She was hurt, because Twilight’s remark about her family and she was angry, because she didn’t like that ponies talked to her like that. “Ah told ya ah don’t know right now! Ah’m stuck in the middle. Ah want to know what happened to mah family, but a rather quiet voice in mah head keeps telling me that staying in the dungeons could ensure mah family’s safety.” Applejack had started with a furious outburst, but near the end her voice had died down to a volume of a whisper.
Twilight saw the hurt in Applejack’s eyes and her anger melted like snow on a late winter day. She felt really sorry for Applejack, losing your family was even worse than losing your mentor. Applejack cried into her pillow and her sobs even overpowered the whining of the high elite. Twilight couldn’t stand it anymore and trotted to Applejack. She had reopened a wound in Applejack’s mind and that was also something she could add to her feeling of guilt. She sat down next to Applejack’s cot and placed a hoof on her back. “Shh, everything will be alright.” She spoke in a motherly way.
Applejack turned her head to face Twilight. Twilight smiled warmly at her and she smiled back. The occasional sob was still there, but she was a strong mare. “Twi, what do ah do?”
Twilight rested her head on Applejack’s neck and kept stroking her back. “I don’t know, Applejack, I don’t know.” She kept comforting Applejack, even if they just had a small discussion. She knew that in these dark times a friend was the best thing a pony could have.
*****
Outside the palace a small squad of 10 ponies regrouped just in front of the palace’s walls. These ponies were the elite soldiers of the Celestial Army. They were trained in sneaking and ways to deal with your enemy quick and quiet.
They had used the weather above Canterlot to their advantage. The Pegasi of Canterlot had orders to create a thick cover above Canterlot to clear the streets of any remaining blood and due to that overcast they managed to enter Canterlot unnoticed. Now they just needed to finish their regrouping and find a way past the wall. They could go to the gate and kill the guards, but that might draw some attention or they could just fly over the wall and hope for the best.
Sergeant Daventrot was the commanding officer in this small squad and it was his responsibility to complete his objectives and to ensure the safety of his squad mates. He had been trained properly for this kind of situation and the solution didn’t take long to make itself visible in his mind. He trotted to his squad mates who were busy checking their equipment for lost items. “Men,” He said in a whisper, but with a commanding tone in it. His squad looked at him when they heard that their Sergeant was addressing them. “I’ve figured out a plan to get across these walls. The moon illuminates a large part of the courtyard behind these walls, so if we cross these walls we’ll be spotted immediately. Now, we’ve all seen the light overcast, right?” His squad nodded. “Well, when one of the clouds drifts in front of the moon then we’ll have some time to fly over these walls, because then the courtyard will be illuminated significantly less.” The squad nodded once again, clearly they began to understand the Sergeant’s tactic. “Alright, get ready and wait for my mark.”
The whole squad got into takeoff position, they were all Pegasi, and waited for the mark of their Sergeant. The squad mates looked nervously at each other, the occasional gulp could be heard, it was going to be all or nothing. After a few seconds a lone cloud drifted in front of the moon and it immediately became darker. That was the sign the Sergeant had been waiting for. He also placed himself in takeoff position and whispered. “Now.”
The squad took off while trying to make the flaps of their wings as silently as possible. It was no problem to fly over the wall, but what came after that was hell. 200 meters of treeless courtyard separated the wall from the palace and if they weren’t at the palace before the moon illuminated the courtyard again then they would be seen.
They flapped their wings as hard as they could. The Sergeant took a quick glance at the cloud in front of the moon and saw that it was starting to drift away. They had to hurry or they wouldn’t make it. “Faster.” He whispered to his squad mates. Everypony put their wings into overdrive and flew even faster than they thought physically possible. Just when the moon was going to illuminate the courtyard again they arrived in the safe shadow of the palace. They all landed in the shadows and began formulating a plan to enter the dungeons without being spotted.
*****
It was late at night, even for Nightmare, but she was still in her throne room trying to get through all the paperwork before dawn. Everypony, except Pinkie and the guards who had duty, went to bed a few hours ago. Pinkie stayed with Nightmare so that she could help with the paperwork. Occasionally Pinkie advised a very random action and Nightmare would roll her eyes at that, but most of the time Pinkie was a very serious mare with a surprisingly high intellect.
The next letter that Nightmare levitated towards herself was a letter about new statues for the Royal Garden. Nightmare replied that when the finances were back on track she would reconsider that request and with that she teleported the letter back to its sender.
Nightmare levitated a small mirror towards herself and looked at it. Even though her mane flowed in a non-existing wind it was starting to flow slower. Her eyes were half closed and she had bags under her eyes, she could also feel that her magic was starting to drain. It wouldn’t be long before she would fall asleep on her throne. She might be an immortal Alicorn, but she still needed her sleep.
She placed the mirror back on the wall to her left and looked at Pinkie who was sitting to her right and she was reading a letter. Nightmare took a moment to observe Pinkie. Her mane was still Pinkie style, her eyes were open and she had no bags under her eyes. It was like exhaustion didn’t affect Pinkie. Well, if she can stay up then I can too. I’m the Queen of the Night for goodness sake. It was then that Nightmare saw Pinkie yawning and a smirk formed on Nightmare’s face. Ah, there it is. Maybe it’s best for the two of us if we call it a night.
Nightmare got out of her throne and stretched her legs, being tall and sitting all day wasn’t very good for your legs. After that blissful stretch she trotted to Pinkie and sat down next to her. Pinkie looked up at Nightmare and smiled at her. Nightmare smiled back. She really didn’t know how Pinkie could make her so happy, but she didn’t care. She was happy with Pinkie next to her and that was all that mattered. She rested her gaze on the letter that was lying on the floor so that way she could see what kind of weird request it was this time. “Request for a public swimming pool?” Nightmare asked aloud.
Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, for when it’s hot on Summer days. It’s going to be so much fun. It’s going to have a water slide, a Jacuzzi and a little swimming pool for the foals. I think you should say yes to this request.”
Nightmare looked at the enthusiastic Pinkie, then back at the letter and then back at Pinkie. A swimming pool could be fun, but currently the war was more important. “Well, it’s a clever suggestion, but the war is more important. I promise that when the war is over I’ll give some money to this pony who wants to build this swimming pool.” She wrote the response on the letter and sent it back to its sender.
“Do you Pinkie Promise?” Pinkie asked, her enthusiastic expression changed to a more serious one.
Nightmare just cocked an eyebrow and tilted her head a bit. “Um… what’s a Pinkie Promise?” Nightmare asked.
Pinkie sat herself more comfortable and began doing some weird gestures with her forelegs. “A Pinkie Promise is a promise that you cannot break, otherwise bad things will happen. Just repeat after me and don’t forget the hoof gestures. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
Nightmare still eyed her, but sighed and started doing the same gestures. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. There, you happy?” Pinkie nodded. Nightmare had promised that there was going to be a swimming pool and now she couldn’t back out of it. “Good.” Nightmare trotted to her throne and laid down upon her cushion. She then raised her wing the same way she did with Twilight just a week ago, maybe Pinkie was a bit more cooperative. “Do you want to sleep next to me?” Nightmare was just too tired to continue working, she really needed her sleep and she figured that Pinkie needed it also.
“I don’t see why not.” Pinkie pie replied while stifling a yawn. She trotted to the throne and hopped onto it. She laid herself against Nightmare’s right side and felt the warm embrace of the wing just a second later. It was the first time Pinkie actually felt a wing on her body, and boy, it was heavenly. She snuggled closer to Nightmare and waited for sleep to take her away. However, before she went to sleep she wanted a question answered. “ What are you going to do with Applejack’s family?”
Nightmare didn’t know how to respond to that question. She knew that she had to punish Applejack in one way, but hurting a family just wasn’t ethical, not even for Nightmare. Maybe the pink mare who was lying next to her could help. “What would you do, Pinkie?”
Pinkie didn’t need a moment to think, she already knew the answer. She looked straight in Nightmare’s eyes. “I wouldn’t hurt and Applejack’s family and I would forgive her.”
Nightmare knew that Pinkie would give this kind of answer and she was happy with it. She wasn’t going to hurt Applejack’s family, but she was going to punish Applejack in one way. “We’ll sort this whole mess out tomorrow.” Nightmare kissed Pinkie’s forehead and got into a position so that Pinkie’s head was lying on Nightmare’s neck. “Goodnight Pinkie… my friend.” The last part she whispered very quietly, hoping that Pinkie didn’t hear it, but Pinkie did hear it and a small smile crept on her face. Nightmare really began to see Pinkie as a friend and not just as a servant. They grew closer to each other from day one and while everypony was afraid of her, Pinkie saw the real Nightmare and that was the start of their wonderful relationship.
*****
Just outside the palace the squad of the Celestial Army was still making a plan to enter the palace undetected. They came up with three ways.
The first way was through the main gate, but that meant that they had to take out the guards. If they did it quick and quiet then there was a chance that they could enter the palace undetected, but if they were detected then every guard in Canterlot would be in the palace in no-time.
The second way was through an open window 100 meters to their left. This way had a higher chance of succeeding, but it still had a high chance of getting caught. If just one patrolling guard saw them and if he had enough time to blow his whistle then the mission was a failure.
The last way was a dirty one, but it was the safest one. The last way was going through the sewers of the palace. The chance of being caught in the sewers was very low, since no rational pony would even dare to patrol the sewers. Some ponies in the squad had voiced their opinion about the sewers, but Daventrot was still the commanding officer and he decided that going through the sewers was their best chance to reach the dungeons.
Luckily for them an entrance to the sewers was just next to them, still in the part of the courtyard hidden by the shadow of the palace. The whole squad trotted to the large tube masoned into the wall of the palace and they entered it.
There was a small path in the sewers that ponies could take if they needed be in the sewers without getting their hooves wet. The whole squad was very grateful for that, now they just needed to worry about their safety and the smell.
Slowly, but steadily they moved through the sewers. The squad didn’t have a map of the sewers so when they came across a ladder somepony had to go up the ladder to see where they were. The dungeons were supposed to be a bit lower than the main floor and next to the storage room of the palace.
The soldier who had checked where they were came down the ladder. Once he was again on the ground with his four hooves he spoke. “Right now it looks like we’re under the storage room.”
The Sergeant nodded. “Okay, that means that the next ladder is our stop. Check your gear for the last time and be ready for anything.”
All the ponies checked their gear, which consisted of their main weapon, their armor and a small dagger to preform assassinations. It was when they were checking their gear that they heard a splash. All the heads turned to the source of the sound and they saw that a squadmate had fallen into the filthy water of the sewer. His name was Fast Shadow. “Fuck!” He yelled while stomping a hoof into the water and that made even more water splash in his face. “Fuck!”
The other members of the squad snickered, because they knew that if they laughed they would be found. Daventrot wasn’t laughing. No, he was scowling at Fast Shadow. “Keep it down, will ya?” He whispered while helping Fast Shadow out of the water.
“Yes, sir.” Fast Shadow replied while sniffing at his left forehoof. “Eww, I smell like shit.” He let everypony pass by him and when he was sure that they were out of his reach he tried to shake himself dry. It wasn’t that easy since a large part of his body had armor on it, but his legs were dry. “Why did I even join the army?” He asked himself while following his squad to the next ladder.
*****
“What was that?” Twilight asked herself. A sound that almost seemed like the clopping of hooves on a hard surface had awakened her. When she was comforting Applejack she had fallen asleep on Applejack and it seemed that Applejack had also fallen asleep.
Her sleeping position wasn’t exactly that comfortable. She had laid her head on Applejack’s neck while the rest of her body was still in its sitting position on the ground. Now, when she was awake, her back had to face the consequences.
Her ears twitched again, she had heard the sound again. The sound came from beneath her and this time she clearly heard that it was the clopping of hooves. Clip-clop, there it was again. Still, she needed to be sure so she tried to wake up Applejack.
“Wha?” Applejack asked sleepily. She opened one eye and when she saw that Twilight was staring at her. “Go back to bed, Twi. Ah don’t know what time it is, but ah reckon that it’s late at night.” Applejack rolled around and turned her back to Twilight. Twilight or not, she needed her sleep.
Twilight, however, didn’t want any of that and rolled Applejack around so that Applejack was once again staring at Twilight, this time with an annoyed expression on her face. Applejack wanted to voice her protest, but Twilight silenced her by putting a hoof in her mouth. “Shh, do you hear that?”
Applejack didn’t know what Twilight meant, but then she heard it. It came from beneath her and it was the clopping of hooves. It wasn’t that audible, but it seemed to enough to raise the attention of Twilight, Applejack… and the guards. Twilight pulled her hoof out of Applejack’s mouth and she walked to the bars of the cell. The five guards who had guard duty were walking around the dungeons, trying to find the source of the noise. One of the guards came close to Twilight and Twilight saw this as her chance. “Is everything alright?” she asked the guard.
The guard in question looked the same as all the other guards. He had a black coat, a gray mane and dark blue armor with a sword in its belt. The guard turned to Twilight and scowled a bit at her. “Get away from the bars and stay quiet.” The guard ordered. Even though he was just a guard he had a bit of authority in him, so Twilight walked back to Applejack’s cot and sat down beside it.
The guard nodded at Twilight and continued his search. He passed the other cells and it seemed that all the other prisoners had heard the sound too; there was an intruder in the palace. He turned around and saw one of his companions pawing at a manhole cover. This manhole served as the entrance to the sewer, so if the intruder was beneath them then this manhole was the only way to get to the intruder. Just when his companion was about to lift the manhole cover up, it lifted itself up. “What the-“ That were the only two words the guard could say before a dagger was thrown from the manhole and it nestled itself between his eyes. The guard was dead before he even touched the ground.
Immediately after that, pony after pony came out of the manhole. Meanwhile the other three guards had abandoned their search and they now stood at the sides of the other guard. All of them were a bit in shock, but they all placed themselves into a defensive fighting position. Even if they were just guards who needed to protect the prisoners, it was their duty and they would make their Highness proud.
Right now all the soldiers from the Celestial Army had climbed out of the sewers and they also placed themselves into fighting stance, their wings holding a steady grasp on their weapons. It was Pegasus against Pegasus, Celestial Army against Night Guard, but the Night Guard was outnumbered and they knew it. They knew that they would probably die, but they made it their objective to take as many enemies with them.
“Kill them.” Sergeant Daventrot ordered his troops.
Immediately all the soldiers of the Celestial Army attacked. Our nameless guard looked at his companions and nodded. They nodded back, it was their own little way of saying goodbye. They didn’t have much time to say goodbye, because immediately after their little nod to each other they all had their own fight to worry about.
Our nameless guard currently had to deal with two enemies, one who was holding a sword in his wings and the other was holding a morning star. Both deadly weapons, both very lethal, but both quite heavy. He took out his dagger that he hid behind his sword and threw it to his wing, which immediately grasped it.
One of his enemies attacked, it was the one with the morning star. One hit with the morning star was enough to kill a pony, but it was very heavy and that was a negative factor for the movements of his enemy. The soldier swung with his morning star, but the guard managed to duck and he avoided it. Just like he predicted it took some time for the morning star to stop moving and he knew that he had to avoid it again so that he could make a move.
Meanwhile the other soldier had swung with his sword, but he had hit the armor of the guard, so no real damage was inflicted.
It was again time to duck and so he did, the morning star passing just over his head. Like a cougar he jumped on the soldier’s back, who was still busy trying to stop his morning star from moving, and he pushed his dagger into the skull of the pony, creating a hole in his helmet in the progress. The pony let out a loud, but short scream and dropped dead on the floor soon after.
He didn’t see it, but he felt it. After getting off the pony’s back and getting back on his four hooves, he felt a stinging feeling in his belly. He looked down and saw that the other pony had glided under him and had pushed his sword into his stomach. Now it did begin to hurt, mainly because he was aware of the source of the pain and because the soldier under him decided that he wanted his sword back. In one swift motion the soldier pulled his blade out of the guard’s stomach and crawled away before the guard’s organs splashed on the soldier’s face.
The guard fell on the floor next to the dead pony and looked around. He saw that still one of his companions was fighting against three soldiers, but he was losing, his other companions were dead. His vision began to blur, but he had enough power to raise his wing and he got ready for his last attack. The pony who was responsible for his dead trotted away from him, but he was trotting towards the calculated trajectory of the flying dagger. When the guard saw that the soldier was just right on target, he threw the dagger with all the force he had left in him. The dagger flew through the air, sometimes reflecting the moonlight. It was like a gem, only now the gem had become a weapon. The dagger was flying and flying and flying… and stopped. The dagger had planted itself in the back of the pony’s head, he didn’t even see it coming. The guard didn’t celebrate, he didn’t smile. He just rested, he had done his duty and he rested.
He was dead.
The Sergeant, who just watched the battle progressing, took the keys off the dead guard’s body and smiled. He knew that this was just a small victory, but it was one step closer to Nightmare Moon’s defeat. He counted his surviving soldiers. From the normal nine which he had sent to fight for him, six survived and seven if he counted himself with it.
He walked over to a cell with 5 ponies of the Canterlot high elite in it. “Where’s that orange mare?”
All the ponies in the cell pointed to a cell next to them. The Sergeant nodded and walked away. One of the Canterlot high elite spoke up. “Hey, aren’t you going to release us.”
“We’re not here for you.” The Sergeant simply said and continued walking to the cell of the orange mare. He stopped in front of the cell and looked inside. There he saw an orange mare lying on her cot and a terrified looking purple mare. “Hey, orange one. Are you the pony who helped our assassins a week ago?”
The orange mare got up, but kept sitting on her cot. While the guards and the soldiers were fighting she had shielded her face in her cushion, she didn’t want to see all the bloodshed. Twilight also tried to look away, but sometimes her curiosity won over and she stole a quick glance towards the fight and that had traumatized her a bit. “That ah am, name’s Applejack. Why are ya here?” Applejack asked while pulling Twilight closer to her. She was going to protect her friend, even if she was currently immobile.
The soldier pushed the keys into the lock and opened the cell door. “We’re here for you two, we’re getting you out of here.” The Sergeant said while he entered the cell.
Applejack’s eyes widened, she could finally see her family again… if they were still alive. Twilight, however, wasn’t that enthusiastic. “I don’t think that such a good idea.”
The Sergeant turned to her, a mild expression of shock on his face. “Really? Do you want to keep living in the dungeons?”
“No, but Nightmare is changing. She spared us and she’s actually very kind to my friends. I want to stay here, because I know that in time she might free Celestia and I know that if Applejack just asks Nightmare to spare her family she’ll spare them. Call it a wild guess, but I’m pretty certain that my guess is right.” Twilight explained to the soldier, then she turned to Applejack and looked her directly into her eyes. “So please Applejack, stay here. Do it for me and do it for your family.”
Applejack was very conflicted right now. One part of her wanted to go with the soldiers and search for her family with their help, but the other part wanted to trust Twilight and actually wanted to trust Nightmare. Freedom versus friends. Giving up her last chance of being spared by Nightmare versus the safety of the palace. Both sides had very good arguments, but in the end she chose her side. “Ah’m gonna stay here. Ah trust Twilight and if she says that Nightmare changed then she has to be right, she’s always right.”
The Sergeant looked at his soldiers and then back at the two mares. “I’m sorry, but you two don’t have a choice.” He quickly turned back to his soldiers before the two mares could even blink. “Take them, knock them unconscious if you have to.” He ordered.
Immediately after those words left his mouth, the soldiers got into action. They entered the cell and approached Applejack and Twilight. Twilight tried to use her magic against the soldiers, but Nightmare’s spell prevented her from using magic. A soldier that had left her field of vision by flying towards the ceiling, did a dive and pushed Twilight to the ground. With a knock of his hoof on her neck he knocked her unconscious.
Now it was Applejack’s time. Two soldiers approached her very slowly. They had seen the muscles in her hind legs, so they knew that she could break bones with those two cannons. They had also seen the cut on her flank, that indicated that she wasn’t in optimal form to fight. One soldier came too close and received those two very muscled hind legs against his chest. The power of the kick had knocked him against the bars of the cell. He was bleeding, but still conscious. Applejack wasn’t so lucky. She was lying on the ground, her flank with the cut on it twitched every second and she was groaning in pain. The other soldier knocked her unconscious with a firm knock against her neck. He was merciful, because now she was resting peacefully on the floor. Two soldiers put the mares on their back and all of them left the same way they came in; through the sewer.
*****
A loud boom shook Nightmare awake. She immediately jumped out of her throne, extended her wings and readied her magic. She knew that Pinkie was still with her, so she was going to protect her from everything.
Her dreams had been really happy for the first time since her return . She didn’t dream about conquering the world, she didn’t dream about inflicting harm upon other ponies and she didn’t dream about the moon. She dreamed that she was in a large field galloping away from 6 she had captured recently. They weren’t galloping after her with pitchforks and torches. No, they were galloping after her while laughing and Nightmare was laughing too. They were playing tag and it was only fair that it was 6 against one, since Nightmare was an Alicorn. Oh how they laughed and laughed, it was her favorite dream, but it had to be interrupted by that boom. Oh, she was going to make the pony responsible for it pay.
Just when she was about to lower her guard a soldier of her army came dashing through the open door. He had lost his helmet while he was running and his breathing was ragged. He bowed while regaining his breath. “M-My Queen, Canterlot is under attack.”
Nightmare folded her wings, but kept her magic ready. She didn’t answer the guard and just ran towards the front gates. How could the Celestial Army even attack? According to her calculations they had lost more than half of their army. She didn’t have much time to search for answers, because she was at the front gates. The stallions who had guard duty were jumpy, they had also heard that Canterlot was under attack, but they saluted for their Queen and they opened the front gate for her.
Nightmare stepped towards the courtyard and was prepared for anything, except for the thing that she saw in the air. It looked like a ship, but it was flying. It had several cannons on both sides and its propeller was powered by a steam engine. It had also a part that seemed to be stolen from a hot air balloon. It was a weird contraption and Nightmare dubbed it an airship.
She looked closer and saw a small Pegasus squad flying towards the airship. She squinted her eyes and she could make out an orange form and a purple form lying on the back of 2 Pegasi. Her mind immediately made the connection, Twilight and Applejack had escaped.
She turned towards the guard who was standing on her right. “Take two other guards and go to the dungeons.” The guard nodded and galloped away, then she turned to the guard who was standing on her left. “Ready a Pegasi squad and tell them that they have to fly to the airship and get those two prisoners back.” That guard nodded also and flew towards the army camp.
Nightmare looked once again at the enemy Pegasi squad. Twilight and Applejack were with them, but they didn’t move, they almost looked unconscious. Could they really be unconscious? Were they taken against their will? I don’t know, but I do know that I have to get them back.
Nightmare waited for her Pegasi squad to take off and after 30 seconds she saw three of her Pegasi flying towards the airship. The airship turned a bit, so that its port side with all the cannons was pointed towards her Pegasi. She wanted to fly towards them and warn them, but she didn’t even have enough time to take off. Instead of normal cannonballs being fired from the cannons, it fired a golden beam. Nightmare could feel the heat from the beam and she had to shield her eyes from the blinding light. She managed to take a small peak and she saw that her Pegasi had evaporated. Everything was gone, their armors, their coats and their skeletons. It was a sickening sight and Nightmare would make the Celestial Army pay. One thought in her mind was louder than everything else. Taking Manehattan just became a lot more complicated.
She once again looked at the airship and saw that the Pegasi squad had entered it, she had lost Applejack and Twilight. The airship began to leave Canterlot airspace. Knowing that it was too dangerous for her army to pursue it, she ordered a guard to tell her army that they could rest again. She entered her palace and was greeted by the three guards who had brought a guest with them. Next to them lay a soldier from the Celestial army, two hoofprints clearly visible on his chest. She searched the room for Pinkie and saw her sitting on her throne together with Fluttershy and Rarity. They were talking, but they immediately became quiet when they noticed Nightmare’s presence.
Nightmare focused her attention on the soldier who was still lying on the floor. She levitated him towards her and she saw his fear in his eyes. “Name. “ She simply ordered.
The soldier swallowed and spoke quietly. “Fast Shadow.”
Nightmare nodded and levitated a guard’s sword towards his throat. The soldier shrieked, but he couldn’t move away. “If you tell me why you abducted my servants I’ll let you live.”
The soldier slowly nodded. He had learned to resist the strongest interrogators, but Nightmare Moon was completely different. She wasn’t an interrogator, she was a monster. “W-We were ordered to take those two so that the G-General could trade them for Ponyville, if you don’t accept h-his trade he’ll kill them. Our spies had seen your i-interaction with them and that’s how the General came up with the plan.”
The soldier felt the sword pushing deeper against his throat, but she didn’t do the act. The sword levitated away and he fell on the floor. Nightmare turned to her guards. “Kill-“ Then her eyes met Pinkie’s. Those eyes were telling her not to do it. Nightmare kept looking into Pinkie’s pleading eyes and she sighed. “Throw him into the dungeon.” The guards complied and began dragging the soldier away. The soldier locked eyes with Nightmare and Nightmare saw a mixture of thanks and confusedness.
A sharp voice broke the silence. “Can I have a word with you, your Highness.” Nightmare turned around and in the doorway stood Rainbow Dash. Most over her body was still covered in bandages.
“Shouldn’t you be in bed?” Nightmare and Fluttershy asked at the same time.
“Nah.” Dash simply said and she did a somersault to empathize her answer. She landed in Dash-style and with her new bat wings open. “Even flew around the camp with these new babies… until I heard the boom. That’s also why I’m here. I heard your complete conversation with that soldier and I want to tell you something.”
“I’m all ears.”
Rainbow readied herself, the thing she was going to say now was going to change her whole life. “Well, I’ve started to think, due to all the recent events, and I didn’t know if it was a good idea to join your army. But now that I heard that my friends are in danger, I’ve made up my mind. I’ll join your army, because my friends and all the other ponies need me.”
Nightmare nodded. She wanted to hug Rainbow, but right now there were too many guards in the throne room. “Thank you, Capitain Dash. But as you know, the Battle of Manehattan just became a search and rescue mission. We’re going to save them, no matter what.”
A/N: Will this turn into a MoonPie? That’s something else than the occasional MoonLight. I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. We’ll see.
E/N: I was pretty tired while editing this, my local bronies are having a “meetup spree”, 2 weeks of constant meetups. Ugh, my eyes…oh well, it must be done. Forgive me for any mistakes I missed.
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YAY !!!!!!!!!
a new chapter of everlasting night hip hip horray ( x3 )
Your faithful student happydeath
Ps: activating cantortot voice FIRST !!!!!!! sorry its just I never had a first post before
Wait, so BB is dead right?
I'll read yer snazzy story in a bit. I gots works to do!
From the comments, this might not be suited for my group. I'll have to go over it myself, but... we'll see.
MoonPie would certainly make it more unique since that is uncommon. Regardless you should concentrate on the character interactions. For instance I think your best writing in the story is the Nightmare Pinkie friendship/relationship. Not because of the romance aspect but because it actually has dramatic weight (nightmare against herself since she is being influenced by Pinkie, Pinkie against herself because she is helping a supposed tyrant, Pinkie against her friends since it may feel like a betrayal, Nightmare against Pinkie because they will likely butt heads in the future). How characters interact in the story is far more interesting than about anything else you can write.
1324926 Well that certainly is some good advice, thanks.
1325184 Heh, I got two other stories to attend to and school. More will come, but in time.
Still think this would be far more interesting as a Moonlight, especially now that they have seperated for a short time, should make things more interesting development wise.
1325212 It could be interesting, but don't you think that MoonLight is a bit overused?
1325271
It is certainly very common. That can be good since it can attract people that like that particular combo. It gives you a near automatic group of fans. Going with Pinkie does not get you that but it does make you have a more unique twist since I am not even sure I have seen that before. This allows you greater freedom in writing since there are no expectations.
You should choose based on what kind of story you want t write (as Pinkie and Twilight can lead to different themes) and how you think the characters fit and interact. Don't write Pinkie just because it is unique and don't write Twilight just because it is common. Write what is interesting and makes sense with the characters that you are writing.
If you do end up going the Pinkie route since it is unique you really want to use Pinkie as a way to show aspects of the characters (particularly Pinkie and Nightmare Moon) that we rarely or never see.
1325553 I think I'll go with Pinkie (It was my first choice) and I already have a Pinkie situation in mind. It'll probably evolve into a romantic relationship, but it's gonna be slow. Let's take things nice and easy and let them just be friends for the time being. I'm also going to have to think about a possible conflict between Nightmare and Pinkie. It can't always be happy, y'know?
You really like character development, I see. My main character development will be Nightmare Moon, but occasionally we'll some character development of the other main characters.
While i suppose moonlight might be considered to be more common then Moonpie, It is still an extremely small number of stories compared to say twiluna and other shippings. in fact aside from After that Fateful Night, The moons Twilight, And Nightmares Don't last forever, I am hard pressed to name a good MoonLight shipfic, and i think this one has some great potential in that regards. Of course i don't think i can name a good Moonpie at all, but both ships are still so rare that i think it would be hard to call it common or overused.
Indeed as Crimson Dawn said, definitely go with what you feel makes the better story, I happen to be in favor of moonlight at this point because as i stated, i think it would make for an exceptionally interesting story. Since as it is Twilight and Nightmare are both quite curious about what they are to each other as stated, and the personalities mesh well, and the forcible seperation of the two will likely only add to the tension and self examination.... Especially if they are forced to be on opposing sides for a time... quite a bit of fun tension and inner turmoil could come about. As for MoonPie, while it is looking like it could shape up that way, I suppose i just like the Friendly and semi innocent feel of their current relationship.... though Nightmare could start leaning on and confiding in pinkie more and thus i can see it leading there...
I suppose when it comes down to it in the context of the story Moonlight just seems more Interesting and a more 'Natural' shipping, though Moonpie could be fun to see as well.(lot more parties in that equestria too i bet...) All in all I am sure i speak for several others when we say we are looking forward to whatever you decide to do with the story, and are quite enjoying it so far!
1325646 Funny thing is that this was supposed to be a Moonlight, but then my mind began to change things. My mind said that I had to write a nice Nightmare, so I did. My mind said that I had to throw in an epic battle (Battle of Manehattan), so I did. Then my mind said that I had to make a MoonPie and then I was lost. I debated with myself a bit. MoonPie could be fun, but I would probably one of the first writers who wrote a MoonPie, so not much is known of a Moonpie. In the end I just trusted my mind and a MoonPie it is.
well why not both moonlightpie?
1325844 NO ORGY!!!
Lol, please don't make harder than it already is.
1325879 aww but that's whaty i was thinking when you had nightmare sleeping with all the mares one at a time. anyway my prefrence is and always will be moonlight however your story is severely tilting towards moonpie so which ever you choose i'm ok with. NO ORGY?!!!
pinki would be ashamed, she even brought all the toys for the sexy party. 
on a serious note kind nightmare is best nightmare. keep it up bro may not be the best but i can still read it.
cheers
Grammar or story?
1325718
Then go with what your mind tells you, trying to write against your muse never ends well. I may think Moonlight fits better, but I am not the author, you are! and we are alll looking forward to seeing what you do next! (though the moonlightpie idea could be hilarious too, Twilight doesn't need to get left out after all the buildup! of course a triangle could be hilarious.. )
1326013 Damn you people and your orgies to Tartarus.
1326021
I hear it's nice there if you plan ahead, And i got a great deal on a 3 bedroom no bath overlooking the lake of fire, so I'm set!
1326041 Here, take Nightmare Moon, Twilight and Pinkie and have your damn orgy.
Oh, and this:
media.tumblr.com/tumblr_li7utsovtM1qafrh6.png
I hear it can be quite scary in Tartarus.
I was never fun of romances in fanfics, but I quess it will turn into MoonPie considering all PinkiePie work to mane NightmareMoon happy, Twilight is to concerned by resquing Celestia and already lost some of Nightmare trust.
1326089 It should take a while before I take the path of romance.
This comment has turned into a MoonPie.
icanhasinternets.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/moon-pie.jpg
1326353 *Dies from laughing.* Oh why didn't I notice that before.
1326102 sounds good, hope that next update will come quick.
Also I m supriced that 9 elites lose so many soldiers in fight again outnumbered normal guards.
I mean they had number advantage and far more experience and element of suprice, and yet they screwed up so badly, it is rather supricing, not to mention that they left one of tham behind, why did not they took soldier what was knocked out by Applejack, 1 extra soldier to cary would not slow down 5 Pegasi.
And why those elites were not there to assasinate Nightmare Moon, not to mention why they not relased captured guards, it would be very useful to get some of captured soldiers from prison to recover at last little military strengh, normaly this kind of escape would be to risky, but celestia army had battle airship to cover they escape, why they wasted a opportunity to rescue captured soldiers ?
And considering that Nightmare wanted to execute Applejacka and Twilight for betraying her, why she is so eger to rescue tham.
I can understand that Nightmare Moon care about PinkiePie, that she would want to have RainbowDash in her army, and even try to rescue Rarity and Flutthershy since they were loyal so far, but in my opinion Nightmare Moon should not want to rescue Twilight and Applejack right away and think that she have more importand thinks to do, what would force Pinkie and other friends to try to ask or beg Nightmare for rescue.
Story is good, just get little illogical sometime.
1326398 Well, let's get to it and try to clear things up ,shall we?
Probably not. Blame school and my other two stories.
The guards fought with determination and you know what determination can do to a pony, it makes them do thing they normally weren't capable of. As for the soldier. they might be good fighters, but they had their orders and one wounded soldier can slow things down. Better be sure than sorry .
Orders: Capture Twilight Sparkle and Applejack, not assassinate Nightmare Moon. It was a stealth mission. The soldiers are in another prison just outside of Canterlot. The dungeons are only used for Nobles and ponies who oppose Nightmare Moon. (And that one soldier.)
This will be explained in the next chapter.
I know there are some things I tend to forget when I write, but I'll keep an eye on it now.
1326398
Well for one thing, maybe she wouldn't care as much about applejack, but Twilights 'betrayal' was actually very small, she stood between her and killing Applejack, in many ways just like Pinkie did. Twilight's main crime against Nightmare was defending her friend, not actually attacking her, Indeed just a little bit before she had helped in trying to point out and stop the assassins after Nightmare moon, and Twilight was already as you can see feeling conflicted and somewhat enamoured of Nightmare moon, so rescuing Twilight is pretty much a no brainer. As for Applejack, well That is a trickier subject, i can see several reasons to do so, though it is not as cut and dried as Twilight would be.
Firstly if Nightmare lets the solar guards steal away her captives like that and keep them it makes her look weaker. Secondly rescuing AJ will go a long way to securing her the loyalty of the other elements... and lets not forget that if she can make them loyal to her that is a not inconsiderable weapon on her side, and one that can't be forced to comply but must be made to want to comply. Thirdly AJ herself is a rather valuable mare in some ways, both being an element and in the fact that for a time Nightmare actually seemed to like AJ a bit. Fourthly it could just be more then a bit of possessiveness... they took what was HERS, and no one else is allowed to do that..
To be honest though, like many complicated decisions, i see it as likely to be a mix of several different reasons and emotional responses, rather then a simple single reason. And it isn't like they weren't planning on attacking soon anyways......
1326713 Wow, y'all take this story very serious.
All of Nightmare Moon's reasons will be explained in the next chapter. The Battle of Manehattan: Part 1
1331686 And that, my good reader, will be an issue Nightmare shall adress in the next chapter: The Battle of Manehattan part 1.
moonlightpie does seem interesting since there doesn't seem to be many good twipie shipping either and if the romance isn't going to be for a while you could have them slowly fall for each other if you plan to have twilight develop a better a relationship with nightmare which would also have her developing a better one with pinkie and you don't have write clop if you do this pairing or just moonlight or moonpie for clop if you write it a female magic user/'s could use a spell to give them self or themselves a temporary cock
1353267 Clop...
1353599 i did not say you had to write clop i was just giving an idea in case you were comfortable writing clop along with a possible way moonlightpie could work with a possible path your story could take
1353637 Sometimes I'll write something suggestive and leave the reader with its imagination, but I won't take it to clop.
1353660 that's what i meant i was just trying to help since i like to give idea's to others since for some reason i'm literary incapable of writing stories even if i have story idea's since for some strange reason i can only write poetry but it's too short to post
1353714 Well, you might wanna start by adding punctuation to your senctences. Like this:
visual.merriam-webster.com/images/communications/communications/punctuation-marks.jpg
1359123 That's not how you say Twilight Sparkle, but in this story Pinkie will be Nightmare's lover.
Yay!!! Captain Dash!!!!
Maybe its a harem. Minus fluttershy and applejack