• Published 7th Aug 2012
  • 2,980 Views, 54 Comments

Nightmare - Billblok



A oneshot exploration on the true desires of Nightmare Moon, or Nightmare

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Power

"Don't worry!" Pinkie Pie chirped. "I'm sure the princess is just in one of her grumpy-pants moods!" Pinkie patted Twilight on the head. "Now you just walk over there, and I'm sure she'll cheer right up!"

Twilight smiled at the gesture. It was just Pinkie being Pinkie after all. And to be honest, she was glad to have an optimistic friend around.

"Sugar cube," Applejack spoke. "What are the chances that anythin' could go wrong? Yer gonna be alright, y'hear?"

"Yeah!" Rainbow dash threw in. "And if anything does go wrong, I can pull you out of there faster than you can say 'sonic rainboom!!'"

"Twilight darling, it seems pretty clear to me that you also have ponies to back you up in Canterlot!" Rarity snobbishly turned her snout upwards, impersonating the high class. "I have friends in high places that will help out a friend of mine at the drop of a hat."

Fluttershy timidly looked down at the floor, unsure of what to say. Then she smiled and pulled her violet coated friend in for a hug. Twilight returned the hug, not needing any words to be exchanged. Reluctantly, she let go, heading outside of the library, where her carriage, and spike, were waiting

"Ready to go, Twilight?" spike asked

"I think so, Rarity promised to keep the place clean"

Spike went dreamy eyed. "She's so generous, isn't she?"

Twilight giggled, jostling the baby dragon back to reality. "Eyes forward, lovebird, we're taking off."

The carriage angled up, increasing altitude for the trip. Twilight observed the golden sky, taking in the view above Ponyville. It was a warm day today, and her mane blew in the wind. The hills took on a dark brown like color in view of the sky, with the trees standing proudly on top. The Everfree lay like a great green blanket, folding gently over the terrain, perhaps taller than it ever was before, greedily taking in the sunlight that shown bright and brilliant on the planet. She would have been worried about the change of color in the sky, but the night still shown just as beautifully as ever, and it happened slowly over time. Some things have to change, don't they?

The carriage landed with a hard thump and rolled to a stop. Twilight snapped out of her trance, hopping out to feel the hard stone on her hooves once more. She never got used to not having her hooves planted on firm ground.

A certain newly wed couple was there to greet her, arms open wide as Twilight leaped to wrap her favorite foal-sitter and her BBBFF in a group hug.

"Hey Twiley, how goes life in Ponyville?" Shining Armor asked.

Twilight let go, smiling warmly. "It's been great! I've made lots of friends, probably more than I can count on one hand!" She blushed. "Sorry, my friend Lyra just can't stop talking about humans, and I think her lingo's rubbing off on me... "

Shining smiled, but the atmosphere grew tense, so he cut to the chase. "Twilight, do you know why you were brought here?"

"Well, I received a letter regarding Princess Celestia's apparent problem of not speaking with anypony in weeks, requesting immediate audience with 'Princess Mi Amore Cadenza', and the captain of the guard. I'm really quite confused, how will I manage to get her out of her rut?"

"Twilight, I left something out. She wants nopony except you to see her." Twilight was unsure of whether to be flattered or nervous. Whenever she asked for her presence, it also included the presence of her friends. What did it mean when she wanted to see her personally? She supposed that in the long run, it didn't matter, because the princess always worked in the best interests of her subjects. Beside the point, she was her student. What could go wrong?

Twilight's hooves clacked against the tile floor in the unusually quiet hallway. Surely, it was just a slow day. after all, with a princess that refuses to see anypony, you're sure to have time on your hands. The staff must be in the cafeteria, right? Twilight continued to walk, finding no guards to block the way, like there should have been. Something was wrong.

Luna Stood at the door to Celestia's chambers, looking very uneasy. Of course, anypony would be if their sister locked themselves in their bedroom for weeks on end. Her face told Twilight everything. With confidence, she knocked on the door. a lock clicked, and the door opened just enough to let her through. So she let her in. Everything was going to be fine, since she still cared for her favorite student. Her ears perked up when she heard the Princess' friendly voice:

"Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student! Thank you for coming. I wanted you to be the first to see me since the beginning of my ambitious... quest, if you will." Twilight walked out to the balcony intent on seeing her teacher's smiling face. Then she stopped, frozen in her tracks.

"Y-you're not Princess Celestia..." Twilight breathed. Before her was the pony who was once her mentor, transformed into a nightmare, fire eternally flowing from her mane, eyes which once held purity and kindness were but glowing yellow orbs, hollow and blank. her beautiful white wings and coat were but a deep black, like ash after a forest fire or from a volcano. No longer did she wear the beautiful crown that her student always admired, but a hard metal helmet, readying her for war. Twilight's mind was flooded with confusion and fear. How could she have given in to the very thing that ravaged Equestria over a thousand years ago???

Then it dared to use her voice.

"Twilight," it plead. "This isn't what you think, the creature is docile now."

"No, g-give her back..." Twilight whimpered. "I want Princess Celestia back..." She never knew that this was the reason behind the hasty union of the nations! The creature was on another quest for power!

A frown creased the creature's face. "Twilight please, listen to me!" The creature stepped closer to Twilight. "Don't you understand? The nightmare always wanted power, and now it has it! I even united the planet through peaceful negotiation! isn't that enough?"

"No! It's n-never enough! You'll always want more!" Twilight backed away, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You may have united this world p-peacefully-" She choked a sob. "But you'll still want war! Don't think I haven't read the stories, Nightmare, because I have!" She stared at the creature, in a mix of fear and anger.

The creature looked heartbroken, but it was most likely faking it. It slowly stepped towards her, and she could feel its hot breath. "Oh, Twilight, Please don't cry. I did this for you! I did this for everypony. I did this so it would never hurt anypony again..." The creature reached out with a hoof to wipe her tears. Twilight violently slapped it aside.

"GO AWAY!" She screamed. "I HATE YOU!!" She ran as fast as her hooves could carry her, ignoring the creature's desperate pleas. It sounded very convincing, but you can't believe anything the nightmare says. That sobbing was only crocodile tears, after all.