In a dungeon cell deep beneath Nightmare Moon's castle, a lonely prisoner spends his nights remembering the daylight. Memories and the stars are his only comforts now in a world bent on punishing him in any imaginable way.
But when he least expects it, a reprieve comes from the most unlikely source. A source that, if satisfied, can make the prisoner's life a virtual paradise.
All it takes is a single spell, one that will make his jailer a goddess over all.
Takes place several months after the Season 5 finale.
Originally written for the 2017 National Pony Writing Month.
Now part of the Endings collection.
Chapters (11)
Wow, that reference hit me out of nowhere.
It was much appreciated.
9750362
Not the most subtle allusion to Calvin and the Twelfth Doctor, but one I couldn't help but include.
Oh, what an inhumane capital punishment that'd be, mustn't run afoul of that, nosiree!
Br'er Rabbit would be proud
9750482
Earth Shine confirmed for Lunar Republic.
Sadly, he got the Nightmare Confederacy.
Wasn't Twilight an Alicorn? or is this an AU?
9752217
It's an AU, but it was the one from Season 5 Twilight and Spike visited. In my mind, Nightmare Moon just calls her a unicorn either because she's too egotistical to admit yet another alicorn defeated her or doesn't want Earth Shine to know other alicorns exist lest he start finding ways to throw in with them. As you'll learn even more during future chapters, Moonie's more than willing to withhold information and impede progress she needs just to satiate her fragile ego.
I think I can safely say now that I'm interested in where things go from here.
9752833
You won't have to wait too long. The rest of the chapters will be uploaded by Monday.
Holy smokes, they got Back to the Future-ed!
9755762
You're on the right track...
oof
Wow...this was...wow. What an ending.
I honestly can't believe this story hasn't gotten as much attention as it deserves. It's short, but it also has a lot of really good moments.
Definitely adding this to my favorites. :)
9755949
The ending was hard to write. A part of me wanted to provide an out for Earth and Nightshade, some way they could escape this reality, but I thought the story's power came from that scene playing out like it does. Sometimes you have to give up what you want to happen in the story for what needs to happen in it.
And yes, I think the story's at its best when it focuses on moments. I'd written an outline that had a lot of jargon speak about how time travel worked and what Earth would do to recreate it, but it all rang hollow. Earth's interactions with Nightshade and Nightmare Moon held the story's power, so I decided to focus on them. I think the result was much stronger than the original draft.
Thanks for the Favorite, too! It's always nice to know someone likes your story.
An interesting idea.
9755971
You're welcome. To be honest, I was kind of hoping that Earth and Nightshade would escape as well.
9755988
Interesting ideas are the building blocks for any story.
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The sole solace I had in my mind while writing this was that the fixed universe Earth Shine and Nightshade are living happily with their families. If I were to write a follow-up (not saying I will), I wouldn't be as cruel to make their present-day counterparts as unhappy as they are here.
9756076
Honestly this story is so underappreciated. This should've had hundreds of likes and been featured. 11/10 dude.
10677073
Thanks for the compliment! I was worried at the time I uploaded the story that many folks would dislike it for being so downbeat. Seeing so many people remark on their enjoyment makes me feel much better about the final result.
10677227
I'd say this story is in top 1% (basically near or completely perfect) in my favorite stories list. Pity it didn't get much reception, but I bet if more people had read it this story would've been featured.
I think at least a 100 likes is what it deserves.