Chapter 24
Laughter echoed down the streets. Sinister, blood-curdling laughter that would have signaled the end of the world if not for the fact that the world was likely already in the process of ending and Equestria had a strictly imposed limit of one apocalypse at a time.
"This gathering is smaller and more intimate than I had expected," Nightmare Moon said, looking at the three ponies before her. "But it is very good to see my sister hasn't completely wiped out all those who would bend knee to the true ruler of Equestria."
"We have kept the faith, Dark Mistress!" Night Watch said, from where he was busy throwing himself at the ground in abject worship.
"Of course," Nightmare Moon said, stepping out of the circle. Her eyes flickered to Midnight and Twilight. "I take it you two performed the ritual. I see you went to great expense to..." She stopped and actually looked at the remains of the ritual. "...procure an egg?"
"We used a combination of the Ritual of Al Az'hoof and a pretty standard Mana Drain to provide a long-distance channel," Twilight supplied, helpfully.
"Hmph," Nightmare Moon frowned. "It used to take three live chickens and a circle of salt."
"It's been refined over the years," Twilight said. "In the last few Thaumaturgical Quarterly issues, there's been debate about if the outer chalk heptagon is actually required or if you can just omit it and use an ellipse with the egg at one of the focal points. It would be a lot easier to draw, but there's a loss of efficiency-"
"Yes, yes," Nightmare Moon said, cutting her off. "There have no doubt been countless advances made since I was imprisoned. Now, my minions, I must strike before my sister is able to make preparations. I assume you have an army ready to march on Canterlot?"
"Uh..." Midnight looked at Twilight. "About that. There's a bigger problem, which is why we needed you."
"A bigger problem for my minions than my eternal nemesis? A bigger problem than the usurper who refused to bow down-"
"Discord," Midnight cut in. "Discord is free. Celestia tried to fight him, but she's..." Midnight looked up at the sun. Nightmare Moon followed her gaze and saw the sunspots splayed across it.
"This is not how I'd planned my glorious return," Nightmare Moon pouted, her lips pursing.
Sunset Shimmer ran down the street towards the huge source of magic she'd sensed. She could tell even from this distance exactly who was to blame.
"When I find Midnight I am going to ground her until she's so old that ponies will have to use carbon dating to figure out how many candles to put on her birthday cake!" Sunset yelled.
"I'm sure it's not that bad," Cadance said. "She's probably just trying to do something to impress you. She wants your approval."
Cadance turned the corner and spotted the huge black form of Nightmare Moon. Her hooves skidded on the wet cobblestones as she pressed herself up against the wall, eyes wide.
"Never mind," Cadance whispered. "It's that bad."
"If you're trying to hide, you're doing a poor job of it," Nightmare Moon said, her voice booming. Cadance's ears folded back. "Come out here and we can... talk." There was an implied threat if talking didn't happen.
"Oh for Harmony's sake," Sunset muttered, stomping into the courtyard.
"I know that expression," Nightmare Moon smirked. "It's the one everypony makes when nothing is going as planned!"
"You have no idea," Sunset sighed.
"Well, you're in luck," Nightmare Moon said. "Because unlike my sister, I will be taking care of this problem. Equestria is mine, and I will not allow Discord to rule my kingdom."
"Don't worry, Mom," Midnight said. "I put a lot of thought into this. Nightmare Moon is at least as strong as Celestia, and there's no way Discord will be expecting this, so there's the element of surprise!"
"Far stronger than my sister," Nightmare Moon corrected. "She had to cheat just to banish me. Thankfully, I am here to take command and fix her mistakes, something that I've had to do many times."
"No," Sunset said, firmly. "I am not going to follow some evil-"
"Have you defeated Discord before?" Nightmare Moon snapped. "Do you know how to use the Elements of Harmony? Because I did and I do."
Sunset bit back a retort. "I'm not going to help you destroy Equestria."
"I've never wanted to destroy it. I want to rule it." Nightmare Moon scoffed and shook her head. "I've already lorded over a barren crater-filled wasteland for a thousand years. I have no desire to repeat that experience."
"This is a terrible idea," Sunset muttered. "Midnight, you can't even begin to conceive of how much trouble you're in."
"She's not in any trouble," Nightmare Moon smirked. "As Equestria's only princess, I pardon her. The first of many boons that I see fit to grant."
"Actually, um," Twilight started. "There's also Princess Cadance."
"Ah, she must be the one cowering behind the wall," Nightmare Moon said, dragging Cadance into the courtyard with her magic. "I'm so very pleased to meet fellow royalty." She smiled. The fangs did not made it look like a happy smile.
"I, uh," Cadance coughed. "I-I'm pleased to meet you too."
"Wonderful," Nightmare Moon said. "As long as you remember that I am the ruler of Equestria and you are not, we'll get along splendidly."
"Before you declare yourself ruler of anything, Discord needs to be taken care of," Sunset Shimmer said. "You want to be in charge? Fine. I'm waiting to hear your amazing plan."
"It's simple. We'll retrieve the Elements of Harmony," Nightmare Moon said. "I'll re-establish my bond with them, and then use them to defeat Discord. He'll never even see it coming before it's too late."
"And you know where the Elements are?" Sunset asked.
"Of course. There's only one place they could be - the Castle of the Twin Sisters." Nightmare Moon scoffed. "Where would they be except for the nation's center of power?"
"The Castle of the Twin Sisters?" Cadance frowned. "What's that?"
"Well, my sister may have changed the name. The castle in the Everfree." Nightmare Moon shrugged. "I suppose she wouldn't have wanted to keep me in living memory."
"...There's a castle in that forest?" Midnight asked.
"Yes." Nightmare Moon's eyes narrowed. She was clearly getting annoyed. "And you two will come with me. It's clear that despite what talent you have, your education has significant gaps."
"They're not coming. The Everfree forest is dangerous," Sunset said.
"A great many things are dangerous," Nightmare Moon snorted. "You do them no favors by coddling them and hiding them away. They are willing and able to take care of themselves. In freeing me, they demonstrated both common sense and the willingness to take action."
"They're fillies!" Sunset protested. "It's not safe!"
"The world is rarely safe," Nightmare Moon said.
"My Lady, the ponies of Hollow Shades wish to pay tribute to you," Night Watch interrupted. "We have all awaited your return to us, and it is an honor to be part of the generation that witnesses your rebirth."
"Of course you are honored," Nightmare Moon said, smugly. "But there is little time for celebration. The element of surprise is lost if Discord notices my presence before I am ready to finish him."
"We can quickly prepare a feast, My Lady," Night Watch said.
"No. It will wait until after I have defeated the chaos spirit," Nightmare Moon ordered. "This presents a useful opportunity for me. Not only have I returned in my full glory, but I do so and prove myself my sister's better at the same time. Even her own sun-worshipping lackeys will have to kneel before me once I have saved them from this disaster."
"Of course, Mistress of Eternal Night," Night Watch bowed deeply. Motion from above drew eyes up to the rows of bat ponies watching from the high rooftops, starting down as dour and grey as gargoyles. All of them paid tribute to Nightmare Moon, who looked at them and frowned slightly.
"The journey should not be long from here," Nightmare Moon said, her voice slightly subdued. "Have provisions readied for these four." She gestured to Midnight and the others.
"Would you like us to accompany you, My Lady?" Night Watch asked. "We are all ready to live and die at your command."
"No," Nightmare Moon said, quickly. "I... find it best to move with a small group."
"But surely some of your faithful-"
"Do not question my decisions!" Nightmare Moon snapped. "I will be taking the princess who ascended during my absence, the only pony who has been brave enough to speak back to me, and the two who were skilled enough to release me. They will serve me well enough."
"Yes, Mistress of the Night," Night Watch whispered, throwing himself to the ground in fear. "Forgive me."
"There is nothing to forgive. It has been too long since I walked among you. Make the provisions ready." Nightmare Moon stalked off into the streets, looking distinctly unhappy.
"Why didn't we teleport the whole way?" Midnight groaned, as they walked through the marsh, her hooves threatening to sink all the way down to her knees with every step.
"Large displays of magic get his attention," Nightmare Moon explained. "Large groups of ponies do the same. A smaller group like this is more likely to go unnoticed."
"Is that why you didn't want to take any of the bat ponies with us?" Midnight asked.
"That and I don't trust them," Nightmare Moon said. "They're all grey and..." She shook her head. "I wonder if Discord has already influenced them."
"They've always been like that," Sunset said.
"Even before his release?" Nightmare Moon mused. "Troubling. They were far more... colorful before my imprisonment."
"How long will it take to get to the castle?" Cadance asked.
"Two days," Nightmare Moon said. "Or at least, some of you will need to rest and sleep before we arrive. With Discord controlling the sun and my precious moon, measuring time is difficult."
"While you were gone they developed methods of telling time that don't rely on the position of the sun," Twilight noted, brightly.
"Really?" Nightmare Moon raised an eyebrow.
"Sundials were always notoriously unreliable, you know?" Twilight said. "They required calibration for where you were, the time of year, the weather, and they only worked half of the time anyway since they were useless once the sun went down."
"The same is true of anything that relies purely on natural phenomena," Nightmare Moon said. "My subjects would use slow-burning candles marked with the hours to tell the time, though the Saddle Arabians had some impressive timepieces that used alternately rising and falling water."
"Right, water clocks were some of the first fairly reliable timepieces," Twilight agreed. "But they're hard to move and sort of messy when something goes wrong. Now we use mechanical clocks. They use precisely calibrated springs and gears. They're fairly robust and very accurate, and they can be made small enough for a pony to carry in a pocket."
"I'll have to remember to have several brought to me," Nightmare Moon said. "I would be interested to see how they function. They'll be quite useful for ponies in my endless night."
"Yeah, at least they'll know when it's lunchtime while they're freezing to death and starving," Sunset Shimmer snapped.
"Don't be a foal," Nightmare Moon said. "Equestria will survive quite well without the sun. I have plans that will ensure that ponies do not suffer under my rule. Instead, they will prosper."
"With no crops?" Sunset Shimmer asked. "Kind of hard to prosper when nothing will grow."
"I said I have a plan!" Nightmare Moon snapped, turning to face Sunset Shimmer. "And those plans include dealing with ponies who oppose me. If you would like to see those plans in great detail, feel free to continue tempting me. I do not need your help, or anypony's help. Is that clear?"
"Crystal," Sunset grumped, frowning.
Nightmare Moon glared at her a moment longer before turning back to the path and continuing. "Ponies wonder why I got fed up with my sister and then they act like this when I'm trying to save the world."
"It's been a long day for all of us," Cadance said, giving Sunset a sympathetic look.
"Oh, I am aware," Nightmare Moon said. "It can't be easy for my sister's former student to have to bend knee to me."
"How did you know Mom was Celestia's student?" Midnight asked.
"The same way I can speak modern Equestrian. I had little to do on the moon except plan my revenge and watch the dreams of ponies from afar. The latter was the only thing that kept me from going insane." Nightmare Moon smiled, showing fangs. "Sunset Shimmer appeared in the dreams of quite a few ponies. Most of them seemed afraid of her."
"Really?" Midnight asked. "Why?"
"Some of them have had nightmares about her for as long as she's been in Canterlot," Nightmare Moon said, gleefully. "Apparently she has not been very kind to her fellow students."
Sunset seethed, gritting her teeth. Cadance bumped into her and smiled, then picked up her pace to walk next to Nightmare Moon.
"Can we talk?" Cadance asked. "I haven't been a princess for very long and I really don't know much about you."
"No? But we have so much in common," Nightmare Moon said, very seriously. "Both of us have lived in my sister's shadow and ruled over nothing that we couldn't hold in our own hooves."
"It wasn't that bad," Cadance said. "I need more experience before I'm ready to go around giving ponies orders."
"No doubt," Nightmare Moon agreed. "It took Celestia and I quite some time to get used to the idea of ruling others. To be blunt, I am not interested in sharing power with you."
"I don't think either of us wants to talk about that, really," Cadance smiled. "Actually, Celestia has been having Sunset take over most of her duties. She's really good at running the court."
"So my sister has gotten lazy over time," Nightmare Moon noted.
"Not really lazy," Cadance corrected. "She just trusts Sunset. You know, I think if you and Celestia talked a little, you'd find out she's really changed! I bet she's a lot different than she was a thousand years ago."
"I have spent centuries plotting ways to destroy my sister," Nightmare Moon said. "To make her beg at my hooves for what she did to me. Are you really going to ask me to forgive her?"
"Well..." Cadance's ears folded down. "It's just that you don't seem so bad. My official title is the Princess of Love and, ah, part of that is repairing family problems."
"You're an amusing pony," Nightmare Moon said. "And you at least know to show me some measure of respect. You have given me something valuable to think about, though."
"Really?" Cadance asked, perking up.
"Yes. It will ease the transition if you and Sunset Shimmer continue in your current roles. I suppose you could call it a... buffer between me and the common ponies. They're used to you, and messages that they would not want to hear from my lips will be more palatable when coming from yours."
"That's, um, not really what I was hoping for," Cadance said, quietly.
"Do you know what I did, before I assumed the throne?" Nightmare Moon asked. "As I said, it took quite a while for my sister and I to fall into the rhythms of ruling others."
"I don't know," Cadance admitted. "There aren't any real records."
"When I was very young, I was a farmer. When I was older, and Discord ruled Equestria, I became a soldier and fought against him. My sister took much longer to take to the field, and kept trying to reason with him. Madness, in its own way." She shook her head. "There are beings you cannot reason with. Countless ponies were hurt because she didn't take quick, decisive action."
"Why didn't she?" Twilight asked.
"Because Discord was her friend," Nightmare Moon said. "Her best friend."
"They were friends?" Sunset's nose scrunched at the thought.
"Odd, isn't it?" Nightmare Moon agreed. "I knew he was dangerous from the start, but she wanted to give him a chance. With the wisdom of age and experience I admit she was right to give him a chance to prove himself, but wrong to give as many second chances as she did. You see what became of it."
"Sometimes it's worth it," Cadance smiled. "Look at Sunset. Celestia gave her a second chance, and she's a wonderful pony."
"I'll have to take your biased word for that," Nightmare Moon said. "I will admit she is obviously strong. Her magic is as powerful as an alicorn's, which should be impossible for a unicorn."
"That's because Mom's the best," Midnight asserted. "She hunts monsters and triumphs over evil!"
"Ah, of course." Nightmare Moon nodded. "No wonder she doesn't seem as soft as the other ponies I've seen in the dreamscape. Perhaps she and I are kindred spirits." She looked back at Sunset.
"Don't even start," Sunset warned.
"Miss Nightmare Moon?" Twilight asked. "Can we rest soon?"
"A rest doesn't sound like a bad idea," Cadance agreed.
Nightmare Moon stopped in mid-step, as if lost in thought. "Hm. Yes. We can stop. Set up camp. A small fire will go unnoticed in this dense forest."
"Really? Not going to berate us for being weak mortals?" Sunset asked.
"I was a soldier," Nightmare Moon said. "I know too well that the more tired you are, the more mistakes you make. We can't afford to make many mistakes against the foe we face." She paused. "As I have said, I am the ruler of Equestria. That means you are all my responsibility." Her voice softened. "I don't want you to be miserable, or for us to be foes. I have come into a world with more than enough of those."
"...I understand," Sunset said, at length. "I think... I really understand that feeling."
"Good," Nightmare Moon sighed. "Discord is enemy enough without fighting amongst ourselves. How are you at cooking?"
"Terrible," Sunset shrugged.
"Thankfully I haven't had a meal in a thousand years, and anything would be better than the taste of dusty ice." Nightmare Moon said. "The moon is a wonderful place to visit, but if I were not immortal I would not have lasted longer than a week."
"I take it back," Nightmare Moon said, sniffing at the tin bowl in front of her. "There are indeed some things that will still turn my stomach."
"It's better than it looks," Sunset said. "And you can blame your own people for giving us Guard rations. I've had to survive on them for weeks at a time and the only thing they're good for is reminding you how much you miss real cooking."
"I don't think eggs are suppose to be square," Twilight frowned, looking at her own ration pack.
"Did you get the veggie omelette?" Midnight asked. "Ew. That's the worst. I have the bean patty with barbecue sauce."
"I'll trade you!" Twilight said, hopefully.
"No way," Midnight scoffed. "But you can have my hot sauce. Hot sauce is good on everything."
"When I take over Equestria, the first thing we'll do is have a feast," Nightmare Moon declared. "And the second thing I'll do is find a way to give the military better rations. I wouldn't make any but the most vile criminals eat this."
"Please, the chili mac is the best," Sunset said.
"This is the best?" Nightmare Moon asked, appalled. She sighed and gave her meal to Twilight. "Here. I've waited a thousand years, I can wait a few more for something better to whet my hunger. Perhaps some gravel, or a fallen branch."
"Picky eater," Sunset shook her head, eating her food quickly. "Ugh. Only way out is through. We're going to need these calories to have energy tomorrow, girls."
"Assuming the food doesn't kill us," Twilight muttered. She tried the chili mac. "...That's not too bad..." She started eating more, quickly finishing the bowl.
"I will keep watch while all of you sleep," Nightmare Moon said. "I don't need rest, and you do." She smiled, showing long, sharp fangs. "Unless, of course, you don't trust me?"
Twilight shivered. She couldn't sleep. She wasn't really cold. The thin blanket she'd been given was scratchy and itchy, but it was certainly warm. She'd just never felt quite so alone.
"What's wrong?" Asked Nightmare Moon, quietly. Twilight almost screamed. She hadn't seen or heard the mare in the darkness.
"N-nothing," Twilight lied, looking up at the mare. For a moment she was visible when the sky brightened, but it quickly faded back to darkness, and only her eyes shone through the gloom.
"Why aren't you with the rest of your family?" Nightmare Moon asked.
On the other side of the small campfire, which had burned down to embers, Midnight, Sunset, and Cadance were all huddled together.
"They're not my family," Twilight corrected her.
Nightmare Moon looked at Midnight, then at Twilight, then raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.
"It's complicated. She's like a copy or double or something. Sunset adopted her because she accidentally made her. My family is back in Canterlot. I hope." Her voice lowered even more at the last part.
There was a soft sound as Nightmare Moon laid down next to Twilight, close enough that Twilight could feel the warmth from her body.
"What is your family like?" Nightmare Moon asked.
"My mom is a writer. Dad does stuff in the government. My brother is part of the Royal Guard."
"I see. No wonder you're worried." Nightmare Moon said. "No doubt he's the brave, stupid, heroic type?"
"He's not stupid," Twilight pouted.
"All heroes are stupid," Nightmare Moon said. "I speak from experience. Only a fool charges into danger when it's safer to let another pony take the risk. But without those fools we would all be damned." She paused. "That was always the biggest difference between me and my sister. She would plan and plot and let others take risks for her. She saw the big picture, a grand strategy, but she also forgot that the pieces were ponies. Even when it was her family."
"Sorry," Twilight whispered.
"Sympathizing with me?" Nightmare Moon laughed softly. "Very dangerous. Do not pity me. I made my own choices. But you should be resting instead of worrying about others."
"It's hard not to worry. Midnight has her whole family right here. I don't have anypony."
"Then you have me," Nightmare Moon said. "I have always been the Princess of the Night, and even when I shared a throne with my sister, it was my duty to ensure that our little ponies could sleep soundly."
"What was the night like, back then?" Twilight asked.
"Beautiful," Nightmare Moon sighed. "When Discord is defeated I will show you how beautiful it was. It was dangerous, too, but there's an element of risk to everything worth doing. Even your princess of love would agree with that sentiment."
"Was it different than when Celestia was raising and lowering the sun?"
"Very," Nightmare Moon said. "I would take offense, but you haven't had the opportunity to see what a true artist can do. I will correct that, of course. My sister's night was a pale imitation."
"It sounds nice," Twilight said, smiling a little.
"It was nice," Nightmare Moon said, her voice tinged with sadness. "Not that anypony saw it."
"Ponies see it now." Twilight looked up at what little sky was visible beyond the canopy of leaves. It flashed blue and black at almost random intervals, the stars only becoming barely visible before the glare of the sun washed them out. "I've even got a telescope of my own to study the stars. Dad is really big into Astronomy and he taught me about all the constellations."
"It's good to know scholars haven't entirely given up on it," Nightmare Moon sighed. "But you're hardly a normal pony, Twilight Sparkle."
"Normal ponies are usually too busy at night to study the sky," Twilight said. "Most ponies consider the day to be the time for work, and night to be time to relax and enjoy themselves. Unless you work a night shift, I guess, but that's an edge case and even then-" She coughed, embarrassed. "What I mean is, ever since the advent of modern lighting and urbanization, ponies have been doing more and more after the sun has gone down."
Nightmare Moon smiled slightly. "I suppose it's a start. It's good to know that they won't be entirely helpless once the sun stops rising. I would hate to have to hold their hooves."
"Well there are nightclubs and 24-hour convenience stores and... maybe the night doesn't have to last forever?" Twilight winced, waiting for a rebuke.
"It is not open for debate. You have no idea how much ponies have lost over the ages by ignoring the night." Nightmare Moon looked up. "A simple example. Ponies used to wish upon the stars."
"They still do," Twilight said.
"But they don't know how to do it correctly, or why," Nightmare Moon corrected. "Long ago, ponies knew that the stars had signs and that the signs would affect their destiny."
"Astrology?" Twilight frowned. "But that's junk science."
"Imagine this, Twilight Sparkle. A book is published, a mystery novel whose solution and ending are printed in code. For a time, deciphering the code and solving it is a game, with the reward of the truth and answers to burning questions left in the narrative. The author dies, and years later the book is reprinted, but the publisher makes a careless mistake and misprints the coded section, making it impossible to solve. Ponies read the new version of the book, find no answers within, and say that the first ponies, who had answers, were mistaken, and that the author was a hack who published a junk book." Nightmare Moon paused. "That is the state of Astrology as you know it. A broken puzzle that cannot be solved and casts doubt on all predictions made before."
"So it used to really mean something before?"
"Do you know how far away the stars are, Twilight?" Nightmare Moon asked.
"No one is really sure. Ponies have tried to estimate using parallax effects, but they still just seem to be points of light, so the distance is estimated to be at least-"
"There's one right here." She poked Twilight's chest. "And three more over there." She pointed to where Sunset, Midnight, and Cadance were sleeping. "The distance is zero."
"But that doesn't make any sense," Twilight frowned.
"Not if you think of the sky as a destination. No matter how far or how fast a pegasus flies, they could never reach the stars, the sun, or the moon. That's because they aren't sitting in the sky like diamonds twinkling in black velvet. What you see is... like a mirage or a reflection. And what it reflects is you."
Twilight frowned more. "That doesn't make sense."
"Every light you see in the sky is a soul. Mine and Celestia's are the most obvious, but there is a star for every pony alive, every pony who has ever lived, and every pony who will ever live. Ponies didn't just used to wish upon any star, but their own. They would try and find the twinkling light that was the reflection of the magic within them and cast their wishes upon it."
She paused.
"I suppose it isn't surprising, then, that the stars are only visible at night. Whenever she is around, nopony else in the room matters."
Nightmare Moon stopped talking and looked down at a soft sound at her side. Twilight had fallen asleep, pressed against her. She sighed and pulled up the blanket to cover the young mare. Clearly she wasn't going to be able to go back on patrol.
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I like that your version of Nightmare Moon is significantly less insane than most of her depictions. She actually seems pretty nice.
Damn haha its so true though!
I love what you're doing here with Nightmare moon and Discord. Everyone's reactions and conversations are great, so are their portrayed personalities.
Can't wait for the next chapter
Nightmare never had a chance.
Your Nightmare Moon sounds like a warlord, not a tyrant, and she might be a good teacher for Sunset who is more of a mare in action than politic.
However, didn't she just said she will use the Element of Harmony? If she is confident that she can use it without getting affect herself, does this mean this Nightmare Moon is not a corrupted/possessed state of Luna?
Love this interpretation of Nightmare Moon, showing off the signs of being complex and still sympathetic to others, even if she thinks her way is the only way. And good use of making us sympathize with her being trapped on the moon by listening to the dreams of others to stay sane. I also loved her little bonding moments with Twilight, who currently is worried about her family. It almost makes me wonder if Nightmare Moon will take her in as her student after all this is over, whether as Nightmare Moon or as Princess Luna.
I also would like to say how much I'm enjoying this iteration of Nightmare Moon. She's interesting. It seems like, instead of Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon being two separate entities, Princess Luna has merely adopted the title of Nightmare Moon.
I'd like very much to say how much a certain pony is now the star of this chapter but I think I'd better ration that opinion even if in bad taste. There'd be so much of it by the time this goes up that it'd be just square.
well its good to see that midnight has a heart
9016669
While we have a confirmation that she could see the dreams of ponies still, we have no confirmation she could watch the world....likewise we have no set idea how much she understands the elements of Harmony.
Thus she thinks that she could bond with them AND that they are still functional. I suspect she will be in for a surprise when she finds out the crystals that made up the elements aren't just unbonded from her, but inert rocks.
Likewise, their is a question of if the elements will target those who are using them. Lets say theoretically that Nightmare Moon uses the Elements on Discord....why would the Elements turn on their wielder mid use? Why would they attack Nightmare Moon while she defends Equestria? And can the Elements of Harmony target two semi-divine beings at once?
Heal Luna or Trap Discord, sure....they can do that. But Heal Luna and Trap Discord at the same time....thats a heavy ask.
Besides....why use the Elements when Twilight and Midnight can heal her instead.
Cue Luna's reformation through the power of cute
Pony Theology! It was elegantly done, and to be honset Nightmare Moon is coming off as somewhat rational being. I am guessing you are going with the version that she is really Luna, vs the whole parasite NM?
Having Luna and Sunset have these parallels is nice.
... you know, the Vacation series just isn’t the same without Steeple Chase.
I’m very impressed.
She seems to be a actual character, one with personality, desires, hopes and plans. She cares for her subjects and wants what is best for them, even if she fails to see what exactly that may be... but I can’t tell if she fails to see that.
She seems to understand what’s important as it is... I’ll just have to wait and see what comes of this
More excited to see this continue more than ever now !
Awwww! I love this version of Nightmare Moon. I can't wait to see her redemption by the power of adoracute. Though she's going to be awfully disappointed when the Elements don't work for her...
So far, so good, Midnight. ;)
I'm really loving the depth of characterization all of these ponies are getting. Not only is Nightmare Moon getting fleshed out here, but we're also seeing more differentiation of Twilight.
Quite interesting. A souls reflection. I did something similar in my work but i like this better.
I thought this was just an AU based on events happening differently at a certain point in the timeline, but I guess it's just a regular AU then. Nightmare Moon bears no resemblance whatsoever to her show counterpart. Which is fine, people seem to like that alternate characterization, but I've never really liked the whole "But what if Nightmare Moon good" thing
That was quite the bonding moment Twilight had with Nightmare, it was kinda adorable.
Nightmare Moon dislikes her groveling spineless followers. Guess she prefers ponies whose praise is an actual opinion then?
I wonder if the Elements reform her and Discord at the same time (that could be fun -- she wields the elements, but when she fires them, it gets both at the same time. Cue "oh, crap" moment!), of if she gets redeemed by her companions, and the Elements leave her alone (also quite fun, my preferred option, and Trollestia gets her own when she finds NMM waiting to meet her)...?
Well, you win some, you... well, actually, YOU win none. But, uh. Yeah.
Not really, no. She's the same, she just realized she made a mistake long after it was too late, like she usually does.
I adore this scene tbh
That’s the most beautiful explanation of astral bodies I’ve ever read in a MLP fiction.
That would explain why she hovered over the stone when she was using it as a bed.
This shows there is still good in Nightmare Moon.
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She was never evil, actually from the sound of it she was afraid nay paranoid that Celestia would listen to the people and get rid of her